Fwd: Human Spaceflight News - January 28, 2013 and JSC Today

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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: January 28, 2013 9:42:39 AM GMT-06:00
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: Human Spaceflight News - January 28, 2013 and JSC Today

 

Monday, January 28, 2013

 

JSC TODAY HEADLINES

1.            Today is National Data Privacy Day: Know What's Out There

2.            Physical Access Management Replaces JSC CAA in IdMAX

3.            Social Physics and the Networked -- Feb. 6

4.            Apollo Block I Spacesuit Development & Apollo Block II Spacesuit Competition

5.            Wellness Walks

6.            Building 11 Café Early Bird Breakfast -- Open at 6:30 a.m. in February

7.            Starport's Flea Market and Craft Fair -- Register Now

8.            White Sands Test Facility: See the Space Station

9.            Job Opportunities

10.          Registration Deadline - APPEL - Developing and Implementing a SEMP

________________________________________     QUOTE OF THE DAY

" One man in his time plays many parts. "

 

-- William Shakespeare

________________________________________

1.            Today is National Data Privacy Day: Know What's Out There

Follow the nation and NASA's commitment to protecting the privacy of individuals on National Data Privacy Day by learning how to protect your data and control your digital footprint.

The most common data that's exploited and extracted is PII or personally, identifiable information, which can be used to distinguish or trace an individual's identity. Most common examples include: social security number, date and place of birth and mother's maiden name.  Ask or check how your information will be used and how it's submitted. Secure website indicators include a lock icon on the browser's status bar or the URL will begin with "https:" (though not all indicators are foolproof).

There are tools to help protect your personal data, but it's ultimately up to you to know where your data is and protect it.  For more on NASA's privacy policies and how they are applied, go to: http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/PolicyPlanning/PrivacyPolcy/default.aspx, or contact JSC's Privacy Manager, Ali Montasser at ali.montasser-1@nasa.gov.

Report all suspected/confirmed loss of control over PII or unauthorized disclosures of PII immediately to the NASA Security Operations Center (SOC) at 1-877-NASA-SEC/ 1-877-627-2732.

JSC IRD Outreach 39798 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/default.aspx

 

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2.            Physical Access Management Replaces JSC CAA in IdMAX

Starting today, IdMax will have a new listing under the Access Management tab titled "Physical Access Management" (PAM), with links to request, modify or close access to controlled areas at JSC, Sonny Carter Training Facility and Ellington Field. All CAA will be requested using the agency PAM process with instructions linked at the top of each page in the PAM tool. All current access has been grandfathered and PAM records should match current badge access, including expiration dates. Detailed instructions for PAM is available on the JSC JA Security website under CAA.

NOTE: JSC CAA requests submitted were frozen at close of business Jan. 24. Those that were in process may need to be re-submitted in PAM. We are making every effort to contact those who may have a request caught in the transition. Questions or concerns may be submitted to: Marganette.m.williams@nasa.gov

Marganette Williams x46496

 

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3.            Social Physics and the Networked -- Feb. 6

You are invited to JSC's SAIC/Safety and Mission Assurance Speaker Forum featuring John Sibley Butler, Director of the IC² Institute and the Herb Kelleher Center at The University of Texas at Austin.

Subject: Managing Innovation, Creativity, Risk and Capital: Social Physics and the Networked

Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 6, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Location: Building 1, Room 966

Professor Butler will speak on how the models of wealth creation are being augmented by mathematical models of social networking. He will concentrate on how networking analysis augments traditional cluster analysis when trying to create models of communities that support technology transfer and new venture creation. Research is thus showing that in a globally connected society, networks, rather than organizations, have evolved as the primary unit of analysis when understanding job creation and wealth creation.

Event Date: Wednesday, February 6, 2013   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM

Event Location: Building 1, room 966

 

Add to Calendar

 

Della Cardona/Juan Traslavina 281-335-2074/281-335-2272

 

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4.            Apollo Block I Spacesuit Development & Apollo Block II Spacesuit Competition

EC5/U.S. Spacesuit Knowledge Capture series will host Jim McBarron's discussion of the Apollo Block I Spacesuit Development and the Apollo Block II Spacesuit Competition on Jan. 29 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

With the information McBarron has collected during his 40 years with the U.S. Air Force pressure suit and NASA spacesuit development and operations, he will share significant knowledge about the requirements and modifications made to the Gemini spacesuit, which were necessary to support the Apollo Block I Program. Also included will be an overview of the Apollo Block II Spacesuit competition test program conducted by NASA Manned Spacecraft Center.

Location: Building 5S, Room 3102 (Entrance across from guard shack at the entrance of the Building 4/Building 4S/Building 5S parking lot. A public elevator is located past two sets of doors.)

SATERN registration is available - #67338 (search keyword "spacesuit").

Direct questions to Cinda Chullen (x38384), Vladenka Oliva (281-461-5681) or Rose Bitterly (281-461-5795).

Event Date: Tuesday, January 29, 2013   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:1:00 PM

Event Location: Bldg 5-South, Room 3102

 

Add to Calendar

 

Rose Bitterly 281-461-5795

 

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5.            Wellness Walks

Fitness has a proven positive impact on health and longevity. The JSC Wellness Program wellness walks start on Jan. 29 at 11 a.m. at Building 11. Walks are every Tuesday and Thursday. Come join us and kick start your fitness program, or just have some fun.

Greta Ayers x30302

 

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6.            Building 11 Café Early Bird Breakfast -- Open at 6:30 a.m. in February

The Building 11 café has been open and operating with normal hours since its short closure due to storm damage in December. During the month of February, the Building 11 café will conduct a trial early opening, selling select breakfast items for our early birds! We will offer: breakfast tacos, muffins, bagels, assorted pastries, yogurt parfaits, coffee and juice. At 7 a.m. we will continue to have our full breakfast menu available. Depending upon participation, this trial may extend past February.

Marquis Edwards x30240 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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7.            Starport's Flea Market and Craft Fair -- Register Now

On March 23, Starport will have one big spring event at the Gilruth Center. Not only will there be a crawfish boil and children's Spring Fling complete with Easter Bunny and egg hunt, but we will also host a Flea Market and Craft Fair. If you are interested in selling your unwanted items in the Flea Market or selling your homemade crafts, baked goods or new products at the Craft Fair, we are now accepting registrations. Click here for more information and a registration form.

Event Date: Saturday, March 23, 2013   Event Start Time:9:00 AM   Event End Time:2:00 PM

Event Location: Gilruth Center

 

Add to Calendar

 

Shelly Haralson x39168 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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8.            White Sands Test Facility: See the Space Station

Viewers in the White Sands Test Facility area will be able to see the International Space Station this week.

Tuesday, Jan. 29, 6:14 a.m. (Duration: 4 minutes)

Path: 11 degrees above NW to 37 degrees above E

Maximum elevation: 53 degrees

Wednesday, Jan. 30, 5:26 a.m. (Duration: 2 minutes)

Path: 25 degrees above NNE to 22 degrees above ENE

Maximum elevation: 27 degrees

The International Space Station Trajectory Operations Group provides updates via JSC Today for visible station passes at least two minutes in duration and 25 degrees in elevation. Other opportunities, including those with shorter durations and lower elevations or from other ground locations, are available at the website below.

Joe Pascucci x31695 http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/realdata/sightings/cities/view.cgi?country=U...

 

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9.            Job Opportunities

Where do I find job opportunities?

Both internal Competitive Placement Plan (CPPs) and external JSC job announcements are posted on the Human Resources (HR) Portal and USAJOBS website. Through the HR Portal, civil servants can view summaries of all the agency jobs that are currently open at: https://hr.nasa.gov/portal/server.pt/community/employees_home/239/job_opportu...

To help you navigate to JSC vacancies, use the filter drop-down menu and select "JSC HR." The "Jobs" link will direct you to the USAJOBS website for the complete announcement and the ability to apply online. If you have questions about any JSC job vacancies, please call your HR representative.

Lisa Pesak x30476

 

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10.          Registration Deadline - APPEL - Developing and Implementing a SEMP

This three-day course introduces participants to the processes that support planning, development and execution of a Systems Engineering Management Plan (SEMP). Participants learn how to create a SEMP in compliance with NASA standards. In addition, they learn how technical planning complements the project planning to create the next-level guidance for a technical team. They learn how to schedule technical reviews, systems engineering activities, technology insertion and detailed technical activities.

This course is designed for NASA's technical workforce, including systems engineers and project personnel developing the competencies required to succeed as a leader of a project team, functional team or small project.

This course is available for self-registration in SATERN until tomorrow, Jan. 29, and is open to civil servants and contractors on a space-available basis.

Days: Tuesday through Thursday, March 5 to 7

Location: Building 12, Room 146

Zeeaa Quadri x39723 https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHED...

 

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________________________________________

JSC Today is compiled periodically as a service to JSC employees on an as-submitted basis. Any JSC organization or employee may submit articles. To see an archive of previous JSC Today announcements, go to http://www6.jsc.nasa.gov/pao/news/jsctoday/archives.

 

 

 

 

NASA TV: Noon Central (1 pm EST) – TDRS-K prelaunch news conf (launch is Wed. night)

 

Human Spaceflight News

Monday – January 28, 2013

 

 

Remembering Apollo 1 & crew (46 yrs ago yesterday)

 

Challenger (STS-51L) photo, logo & crew (remembering 27 years ago today)

 

ISS & another Earth-orbiting body taken Jan. 4 by NASA's Lauren Hartnett (smaller frame is zoomed)

 

HEADLINES AND LEADS

 

Safety panel discusses NASA concerns at KSC meeting

 

James Dean – Florida Today

 

NASA will not ask companies to fly crews on test flights of new commercial spacecraft without awarding new contracts needed to ensure their safety, an independent safety panel reported today at Kennedy Space Center. NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, or ASAP, said that clarification addressed its concerns that such flights could be requested under existing, non-traditional contracts called Space Act Agreements, which limit NASA's oversight.

 

Report: NASA in Huntsville won't release performance specifications for new rocket

 

Lee Roop - Huntsville Times

 

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville has refused a Freedom of Information Act request for technical performance specifications on the new heavy-lift rocket being developed here, a NASA-reporting website says. The agency cites "export-controlled information" in the specifications, according to a NASA letter posted on the website. The website posting the letter, spaceref.com, says the issue regarding the requested specifications is a federal law banning the export of certain defense-related technology. The law established rules called International Traffic in Arms Regulations and typically referred to by the acronym  ITAR. Marshall is leading development of the booster part of NASA's new Space Launch System designed to return American astronauts to deep-space destinations such as asteroids and Mars. The material requested was technical performance metrics presented to senior SLS managers monthly. The report did not identify the person filing the request for those specifications. (NO FURTHER TEXT)

 

Stennis director touts Space Launch System

 

Michael Newsom - Biloxi Sun Herald

 

John C. Stennis Space Center Director Rick Gilbrech touted the Space Launch System, which is expected to keep workers here busy for decades to come. Gilbrech spoke at the Hancock Chamber's annual membership meeting, which was held at thhe Infinity Science Center. He said officials there are focused on the Space Launch System program, part of the effort to complete a manned mission to Mars. It's been billed as the most powerful rocket ever built, capable of going to Mars and other parts of the solar system.

 

Satellite refueling testbed completes demo in orbit

 

Stephen Clark - SpaceflightNow.com

 

Using a robotic system mounted outside the International Space Station, NASA and Canadian engineers this week completed a first-of-its-kind refueling demonstration that could change the way operators manage fleets of orbiting satellites. During six days of activity from Jan. 14 until Friday, the Dextre robot grappled tools to open a fuel valve on a mock satellite and transfer liquid ethanol into a fuel tank. Dextre, the space station's Canadian-built two-armed robotic handyman, used a wire cutter and other tools to remove locks and caps from a nozzle leading to a fuel tank inside a box designed as a testbed for satellite servicing procedures. "Present-day technologies with the Dextre robot up on the space station are able undo these triple seals that are on more than 900 satellites presently operating in space," Reed said in an interview aired on NASA TV. "What that means is that fleet owners and operators, people who run these satellites, perhaps could have options in the future. The present paradigm is to operate the satellite, and when it has an anomaly or runs out of fuel, you decommission it and build a replacement, assuming you have the funds to do so."

 

Canada's Dextre robot passes first-of-a-kind test to refuel satellites in space

 

National Post (Canada)

 

The Canadian Space Agency's "Dextre," the robotic handyman on board the International Space Station, made history over the weekend by successfully refuelling a mock satellite outside of the station. The refueling mission — a collaboration between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency for their experimental Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) — was a pivotal demonstration for robots' ability to refuel satellites in space, extending their service lifetime.

 

Effects of Worst Satellite Breakups in History Still Felt Today

 

Leonard David - Space.com

 

The anniversaries of two major space junk events — China's anti-satellite test on Jan. 11, 2007, and the destructive fender-bender between a defunct Soviet Union-era satellite with an operating U.S. spacecraft on Feb. 10, 2009 — are receiving special attention in orbital debris circles. The Chinese anti-satellite test merited a nod by the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) Public Affairs Office from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, labeling it an "Anniversary Milestone: Satellite Shootdown."

 

Lavrov Says No Baikonur Conflict With Kazakhstan

 

Ivan Nechepurenko - Moscow Times

 

A Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft arriving at a launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The space facility is on lease to Russia until 2050. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that Russia has no intention of halting its space projects at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in response to Kazakhstan's demand to limit the number of launches. Speaking at a news conference with his recently appointed Kazakh counterpart, Erlan Idrisov, Lavrov said the disagreements between the two sides were minor and part of the typical negotiating process.

 

Iowa Students Speak Live With NASA Space Station Astronauts

 

Molly Miles - KEYC TV (Mankato, MN)

 

Some students in Iowa got an out of this world experience. Twenty lucky students got a firsthand look into life in outer space at the Putnam museum in Davenport when they got to chat with two astronauts from the international space station. Students asked everything from 'how do you keep in touch with family and friends back on planet earth?' and 'what's life like with no gravity?' One astronaut replied, "It's really hard to find a place to put your pencil, we spend a lot of time trying to figure out where to put our things so they don't float away and they don't get lost." The museum was picked by NASA as one of only six places across the country to host the earth to space video call. (NO FURTHER TEXT)

 

Astronaut Chris Hadfield from the International Space Station on Q

 

Jian Ghomeshi - Canadian Broadcasting's Q TV(Radio)

 

Canadian astronaut makes first contact with Jian Ghomeshi from the International Space Station to talk about his musical collaboration with Ed Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies, and the cultural significance of space exploration. (NO FURTHER TEXT)

 

9 Investigates NASA's spending on video games, apps

 

Vanessa Welch - WFTV TV (Orlando)

 

WFTV learned NASA is investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into video games and apps, saying it's a great way to get young people excited about careers in space, math and science. But some critics are warning there are better things to spend tax dollars on. While NASA has stopped sending people into space, for now, it has started exploring the solar system remotely through video games.

 

Commercial Space Exploration Needs an Obama Relaunch

Ronald Reagan started the process, but idea of cutting back NASA always sends Congress into orbit

 

Robert Walker & Charles Miller - Wall Street Journal (Opinion)

 

(Walker is a former chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee and now is chairman of Wexler & Walker. Miller is a former NASA senior adviser for commercial space and president of NexGen Space LLC, a space policy consulting firm.)

 

During his first term, President Obama set out to transform NASA's relationship with the private sector, announcing a plan in February 2010 to make technology, innovation and commercial space travel and exploration the centerpiece of his administration's space strategy. Despite great resistance from special interests, the president proposed to cancel NASA's programs to build government-designed rockets, leaving that to the private sector.

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COMPLETE STORIES

 

Safety panel discusses NASA concerns at KSC meeting

 

James Dean – Florida Today

 

NASA will not ask companies to fly crews on test flights of new commercial spacecraft without awarding new contracts needed to ensure their safety, an independent safety panel reported today at Kennedy Space Center.

 

NASA's Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, or ASAP, said that clarification addressed its concerns that such flights could be requested under existing, non-traditional contracts called Space Act Agreements, which limit NASA's oversight.

 

"NASA will not fly people to orbit under a Space Act Agreement," said Joe Dyer, the panel's chair, reading from a NASA statement.

 

The safety panel, which heard briefings from NASA officials over three days of meetings at Kennedy, also said tight budgets could delay or create safety issues in the agency's new human spaceflight programs.

 

NASA officials told the panel there is already concern about whether a heavy-lift rocket being developed for exploration missions, called the Space Launch System, will be ready for a first test launch from KSC in late 2017.

 

Flat budgets proposed each year for the SLS program create challenges spacing out work while keeping schedules on track, and are not how complex development programs are typically funded.

 

The commercial crew program received roughly half the budget NASA requested in 2011 and 2012, and a similar outcome is likely this year, Dyer said.

That drives a "disconnect" between planning and execution that must be addressed soon, Dyer said.

 

"In the panel's opinion, a consensus between the Congress and NASA will be required to resolve this conundrum," he said.

 

Stennis director touts Space Launch System

 

Michael Newsom - Biloxi Sun Herald

 

John C. Stennis Space Center Director Rick Gilbrech touted the Space Launch System, which is expected to keep workers here busy for decades to come.

 

Gilbrech spoke at the Hancock Chamber's annual membership meeting, which was held at thhe Infinity Science Center.

 

He said officials there are focused on the Space Launch System program, part of the effort to complete a manned mission to Mars. It's been billed as the most powerful rocket ever built, capable of going to Mars and other parts of the solar system.

 

NASA said the Space Launch System is the first exploration vehicle since the Saturn V rocket of the Apollo program, which took humans to the moon in 1969.

 

It has superior lift capability and it will expand NASA's reach into the solar system to allow exploration of the area betwen Earth and the moon, "near-Earth asateroids, Mars and its moons and beyond."

 

Gilbrech said Stennis has an estimated annual economic impact of nearly $700 million within a 50-mile radius of the Hancock County site.

 

He said the Space Center is also working on getting a larger restricted air space around it, as it will be testing the larger rockets. The Department of Defense's training operations could also expand there.

 

An application was submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration earlier this month, he said.

 

"It's a big milestone," he said. "I've been working on that for about 2 1/2 years."

 

Satellite refueling testbed completes demo in orbit

 

Stephen Clark - SpaceflightNow.com

 

Using a robotic system mounted outside the International Space Station, NASA and Canadian engineers this week completed a first-of-its-kind refueling demonstration that could change the way operators manage fleets of orbiting satellites.

 

During six days of activity from Jan. 14 until Friday, the Dextre robot grappled tools to open a fuel valve on a mock satellite and transfer liquid ethanol into a fuel tank. Dextre, the space station's Canadian-built two-armed robotic handyman, used a wire cutter and other tools to remove locks and caps from a nozzle leading to a fuel tank inside a box designed as a testbed for satellite servicing procedures.

 

"We've had an incredibly successful week," said Benjamin Reed, deputy program manager of the Satellite Servicing Capabilities Office at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

 

The Robotic Refueling Mission was launched on the last space shuttle flight in 2011 and placed on a platform outside the space station. The experiment includes a fuel valve, nozzle and seals similar to those used on many satellites and four tools that can be affixed to Dextre's arms.

 

The tools are prototypes of devices that could be used by future satellite servicing missions to refuel spacecraft in orbit.

 

RRM is the first in-space refueling demonstration using a platform and fuel valve representative of most existing satellites, which were never designed for refueling. Other satellite servicing demos, such as the U.S. military's Orbital Express mission in 2007, transferred propellant between satellites with specially-built pumps and connections.

 

"I don't want to sound overly dramatic, but it is, or it might be, the start of what could be a revolution or a new era in how satellites are built and flown in space," Reed said.

 

"Present-day technologies with the Dextre robot up on the space station are able undo these triple seals that are on more than 900 satellites presently operating in space," Reed said in an interview aired on NASA TV. "What that means is that fleet owners and operators, people who run these satellites, perhaps could have options in the future. The present paradigm is to operate the satellite, and when it has an anomaly or runs out of fuel, you decommission it and build a replacement, assuming you have the funds to do so."

 

No satellite operators are signed up for a robotic servicing mission. MDA Corp., which serves as industrial contractor for the space station's robotics systems, proposed a satellite servicing vehicle in 2011 and reached an agreement for its first customer to be Intelsat, the world's largest communications satellite operator. Canada-based MDA last year said the Intelsat agreement was no longer in effect.

 

ViviSat, a joint venture between ATK and U.S. Space, plans to develop a series of "mission extension vehicles" that would attach themselves to aging satellites and take over attitude control functions without transferring any propellant.

 

"What satellite servicing brings to the table is the possibility that one could go up with a robotic spacecraft and give it more fuel, fix a solar array, perform some sort of a servicing function, a repair, refueling or a relocation to allow that satellite to continue its operations longer," Reed said.

 

The Robotic Refueling Mission consists of a box-like module about the size of a washing machine. Besides the tools and fuel valve, it also includes task boards allowing the Dextre robot and its ground-based operators to practice delicate servicing procedures.

 

Liquid ethanol stands in for traditional satellite propellant.

 

Beginning Jan. 14, engineers programmed Dextre, which was perched at the end of the station's robotic arm, to complete a series of fine tasks, first cutting a locking wire, then removing two caps covering RRM's mock-up satellite fuel nozzle.

 

"Last night was the final act," Reed said Friday. "That's when we picked up the nozzle tool, we threaded onto the exposed fill-and-drain valve threads ... [and] we pumped 1.3 liters of liquid ethanol across this robotically-mated interface with no leakage."

 

More tests await RRM, including slicing off of thermal blanket insulation, unscrewing bolts, and the removal of caps that would typically cover a satellite's electrical receptacle, according to a NASA website.

 

Several satellites, including NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and commercial spacecraft, were repaired by space shuttle astronauts.

 

Reed said RRM's demonstrations show satellite servicing is possible without human presence, making refueling and repairs feasible in geosynchronous orbit 22,300 miles above the equator, an orbit out of the reach of astronauts and home to hundreds of operational commercial communications satellites.

 

Canada's Dextre robot passes first-of-a-kind test to refuel satellites in space

 

National Post (Canada)

 

The Canadian Space Agency's "Dextre," the robotic handyman on board the International Space Station, made history over the weekend by successfully refuelling a mock satellite outside of the station.

 

The refuelling mission — a collaboration between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency for their experimental Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) — was a pivotal demonstration for robots' ability to refuel satellites in space, extending their service lifetime.

 

Since 2011, Dextre, a two-armed mechanical robot not far removed from "Star Wars" R2-D2 has successfully performed three tests on satellites that weren't built to be repaired in space.

 

From the Canadian Space Agency:

 

RRM is a significant step in pioneering robotic technologies and techniques in the field of satellite servicing-saving ailing space hardware by refueling or refurbishing them before they become space debris. The ability to refuel satellites in space could one day save satellite operators from the significant costs of building and launching new replacement satellites. With over 1100 active satellites currently operating in the near-Earth environment (many of them worth hundreds of millions of dollars), and an additional 2500 inactive satellites still orbiting around our planet, the savings could be substantial.

 

Effects of Worst Satellite Breakups in History Still Felt Today

 

Leonard David - Space.com

 

The anniversaries of two major space junk events — China's anti-satellite test on Jan. 11, 2007, and the destructive fender-bender between a defunct Soviet Union-era satellite with an operating U.S. spacecraft on Feb. 10, 2009 — are receiving special attention in orbital debris circles.

 

The Chinese anti-satellite test merited a nod by the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) Public Affairs Office from Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, labeling it an "Anniversary Milestone: Satellite Shootdown."

 

The Jan. 11 AFSPC release noted that the Chinese military used a ground-based missile to hit and destroy its aging Fengyun-1C weather satellite, which was orbiting more than 500 miles (805 kilometers) in space back in 2007.

 

"The test raised concerns about the vulnerability of U.S. satellites and a possible arms race in space," the press release stated.

 

The anti-satellite test created more than 100,000 pieces of debris orbiting the planet, with about 2,600 of them more than 4 inches (10 centimeters) across, according to a NASA estimate.

 

"We carefully monitor those and the thousands of other bits of orbital debris to help provide for safe passage for those who traverse those orbits," the AFSPC statement concluded.

 

Similarly, NASA's "The Orbital Debris Quarterly News," a publication of the NASA Orbital Debris Program Office, spotlighted the two anniversaries in its January issue: China's ASAT test, as well as the upcoming fourth anniversary of the smashup between Russia's circa-1960s Cosmos 2251 spacecraft and the U.S. Iridium 33 communications satellite.

 

"The beginning of the year 2013 marks the sixth anniversary of the destruction of the Fengyun-1C (FY-1C) weather satellite as the result of an anti-satellite test conducted by China in January of 2007 and the fourth anniversary of the accidental collision between Cosmos 2251 and the operational Iridium 33 in February of 2009," the newsletter reported, adding, "These two events represent the worst satellite breakups in history."

 

Altogether, the space junk created by these two events accounted for more than a third of the total cataloged satellite population in low-Earth orbit (LEO), where approximately 500 operational spacecraft reside or transit daily.

 

According to the NASA orbital debris office, a total of 5,579 fragments have been cataloged by the U.S. Space Surveillance Network (SSN) — a worldwide network of space surveillance radar and optical telescopes, both military and civilian — to observe the objects. Almost 5,000 of them still remain in orbit as of January 2013.

 

Changing the landscape

 

In addition to these cataloged objects, hundreds of thousands or more pieces of space litter, down to approximately a millimeter in size, were also generated during the breakups. These fragments are too tiny to be tracked by the SSN, but still large enough to be a safety concern for human space activities and robotic missions in low-Earth orbit — the region below 1,243 miles (2,000 km) altitude.

 

"Just like their cataloged siblings, many of them remain in orbit today. These two breakup events dramatically changed the landscape of the orbital debris environment in LEO," according to the NASA newsletter.

 

China's ASAT destruction of FY-1C and the mess produced, along with the Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 fragments, "will continue to be felt for decades to come," the newsletter points out.

 

In general, the Iridium 33 and Cosmos 2251 fragments will decay (in other words, be destroyed by falling through Earth's atmosphere) faster than the FY-1C fragments because of their lower altitudes. In the case of Iridium 33, that shorter lifetime is caused by the lightweight composite materials that were extensively used in the fabrication of the Iridium spacecraft.

 

Solar cycling

 

The enormous amounts of debris churned up by the fragmentations of Fengyun 1C, Cosmos 2251 and Iridium 33 will also be affected by our sun's 11-year cycle of activity, which is currently in what's called Solar Cycle 24, experts say.

 

Increased solar activity heats the Earth's atmosphere, causing it to expand. That expansion increases the density of the atmosphere at any given altitude. This, in turn, increases drag on space junk, as well as satellites, causing these objects to fall back to Earth more quickly.

 

By mid-2012, more than 570 (10 percent) of the cataloged debris from the ASAT test and the satellite collision had already fallen out of orbit and with an increasing rate. Many of the remaining cataloged bits of debris had also noticeably experienced the effects of atmospheric drag.

 

NASA predicts that Solar Cycle 24 will peak in early or mid-2013.

 

Future forecasting

 

However, Nicholas Johnson, chief scientist for orbital debris at the NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, said the peak in solar activity expected in 2013 might be the lowest in 100 years.

 

"Hence, far fewer debris, both large and small, will fall back to Earth compared with a more normal solar cycle. This comes at a time of a record number of known orbital objects," Johnson said. "If solar activity does not return to normal levels during the next solar cycle (Solar Cycle 25), the rate of growth of the Earth orbital population will increase more rapidly than most forecasts now anticipate," he reported at last year's 63rd International Astronautical Congress in Naples, Italy.

 

Johnson also noted that by the end of Cycle 24 (estimated to come around 2020), about one-third of all debris from the two breakup events might have re-entered, depending upon the peak and duration of the forthcoming solar maximum.

 

Lavrov Says No Baikonur Conflict With Kazakhstan

 

Ivan Nechepurenko - Moscow Times

 

A Soyuz TMA-13 spacecraft arriving at a launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The space facility is on lease to Russia until 2050.

 

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that Russia has no intention of halting its space projects at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in response to Kazakhstan's demand to limit the number of launches.

 

Speaking at a news conference with his recently appointed Kazakh counterpart, Erlan Idrisov, Lavrov said the disagreements between the two sides were minor and part of the typical negotiating process.

 

"Of course, questions arise when we talk about such a huge industrial complex as Baikonur," Lavrov said.

 

In December, Kazakhstan told Russia that it wanted to reduce the number of Proton rocket launches at Baikonur from 14 to 12, citing potential harm to the environment. The Soviet-built space launch facility is located in Kazakhstan and is on lease to Russia until 2050.

 

On Thursday, Izvestia reported that Moscow had sent Kazakhstan a diplomatic note threatening to withdraw from all joint space projects if Astana did not alter its position on the number of launches.

 

At Friday's news conference, Lavrov said: "Yes, there were questions about the number of launches. [But] the Russian side is doing everything it can to reduce the effect of these launches on the environment. For instance, we now use modernized Proton rockets."

 

Idrisov confirmed that there were no fundamental disagreements between the countries over Baikonur, or over any other issues.

 

The two foreign ministers met in Moscow on Friday to discuss prospects for further integration and a new partnership agreement.

 

Kazakhstan, one of Russia's main regional allies, is a member of the Eurasian Economic Community that is set to be transformed into a full-fledged Eurasian Union by 2015 and is part of a Customs Union with Russia and Belarus. It is also a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a Russia-dominated military alliance.

 

Lavrov and Idrisov commented on one area in which the two countries are taking separate paths: whether or not to use the Latin alphabet for the national language.

 

In a national speech last month, Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev declared that by 2025 the country would switch from using Cyrillic letters to Latin script as part of a modernization effort.

 

"We're approaching it [the switch] with a clear planning of resources, with preparation of all parts of society, in order not to forfeit our historical heritage and to prepare Kazakhstan for the new conditions of working in the 21st century," Idrisov said.

 

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan have made the same move, in part to signify their independence from Moscow.

 

Konstantin Zatulin, director of the CIS Institute and a former State Duma deputy, said Kazakhstan's decision to follow those countries' example is a smart strategic move that has no serious implications for its relations with Russia.

 

"Being a wise Asiatic ruler, Nazarbayev sometimes makes certain moves, such as highlighting the importance of Kazakshtan's Turkic identity, to mark his own importance in the eyes of the Russian leadership," Zatulin said. "But fundamentally, Kazakhstan is firmly tied to Russia."

 

Idrisov mentioned that he had heard Moscow State University researchers had begun developing a concept for converting Russian into Latin letters.

 

Lavrov denied that such a plan was in the works, joking that there were certain Russian letters that did not exist in the Latin alphabet.

 

One of the letters Lavrov mentioned, which is typically transliterated as "yo," is associated with many Russian curse words.

 

9 Investigates NASA's spending on video games, apps

 

Vanessa Welch - WFTV TV (Orlando)

 

WFTV learned NASA is investing hundreds of thousands of dollars into video games and apps, saying it's a great way to get young people excited about careers in space, math and science.

 

But some critics are warning there are better things to spend tax dollars on.

 

While NASA has stopped sending people into space, for now, it has started exploring the solar system remotely through video games.

 

The agency has invested $500,000 in content and expertise to help create the video games and apps.

 

A private company told 9 Investigates it has a contract with NASA for $1 million more to develop StarLite, a game that simulates a journey to Mars and the life of astronauts on the red planet.

 

But NASA officials dispute the amount and said the agency's in-kind investment is $102,000.

 

"It's not a good idea," said taxpayer John Flyn. "They already did space. They can't go any further."

 

But NASA said it has big plans and wants to inspire students to pursue careers in math and science.

 

And supporters said video games are the best way to reach them, especially since a new study by the Pew Research Center found nearly every teenager in America plays video games.

 

"This is reaching out to kids, speaking a language that they understand that will hopefully inspire them to pursue those careers that are so important to our space program," said space expert Jim Banke.

 

Congressman Bill Posey, who recently joined a committee overseeing NASA, said he isn't sure video games are the answer.

 

"NASA should be focused on space exploration more than anything else," he said.

 

NASA's video games made Sen. Tom Coburn's wasteful spending report, but the agency told WFTV the majority of its investment is "in kind," provided through content and expertise.

 

NASA contracted with a private Canadian firm that raised $1 million on its own to create the game. The developer said it will challenge students to use science skills in a way that's educational and fun.

 

While some taxpayers think the public-private partnership is a win-win, not everyone is convinced.

 

"It isn't going to work. You can spend all you want," said Flyn.

 

Supporters point out the money is only a fraction of NASA's $17 billion budget and said it's the cheapest and most effective way for NASA to reach children and share what it's doing with the public.

 

The first phase of the StarLite game will be released next week.

 

Commercial Space Exploration Needs an Obama Relaunch

Ronald Reagan started the process, but idea of cutting back NASA always sends Congress into orbit

 

Robert Walker & Charles Miller - Wall Street Journal (Opinion)

 

(Walker is a former chairman of the House Science and Technology Committee and now is chairman of Wexler & Walker. Miller is a former NASA senior adviser for commercial space and president of NexGen Space LLC, a space policy consulting firm.)

 

During his first term, President Obama set out to transform NASA's relationship with the private sector, announcing a plan in February 2010 to make technology, innovation and commercial space travel and exploration the centerpiece of his administration's space strategy. Despite great resistance from special interests, the president proposed to cancel NASA's programs to build government-designed rockets, leaving that to the private sector.

 

Unfortunately, Congress wouldn't go along. Now that Mr. Obama has started a second term, however, he is well positioned to recommit himself to a vision that in the long run will benefit every American and may be remembered as a 30-year arc of Reagan-Bush-Obama space policy.

 

The effort to build a partnership between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and American free enterprise actually began on July 4, 1982, when Ronald Reagan announced a new national policy of supporting private space travel and exploration. Reagan created the Office of Commercial Space Transportation to streamline regulation on commercial launch vehicles. He persuaded a Democratic-led Congress to expand NASA's official legal mission to "seek and encourage, to the maximum extent possible, the fullest commercial use of space," and he freed commercial satellites from a requirement that they be carried aloft on the government-owned-and-operated Space Shuttle.

 

Following Reagan's lead, in 2004 President George W. Bush created the Commercial-Crew and Cargo program, which directed NASA to use commercial services to ferry crew and cargo to the International Space Station. Mr. Bush's national commission, convened under former Air Force Secretary Edwin Aldridge, found that "NASA's relationship to the private sector, its organizational structure, business culture, and management processes—all largely inherited from the Apollo era—must be decisively transformed."

 

In 2008 during the presidential campaign, Mr. Obama took up this theme when he said that "We must unleash the genius of private enterprise to secure the United States' leadership in space." In 2010, he decided to cancel the government-designed Ares 1 and Ares V rockets.

 

Congress, and considerations about constituents in affected states such as Florida and Alabama, later stopped Mr. Obama's plan to cancel the government's super-heavy-lift rocket, which was known as Ares V and then recreated as the Space Launch System. But the president had showed boldness in trusting America's future to commercial companies.

 

The U.S. private space industry has now succeeded beyond the imagination of most politicians. In 2010, others were predicting that NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program—which was designed to encourage the use of private delivery vehicles—would fail. They were wrong. Private industry delivered cargo to the International Space Station twice in 2012 and even returned cargo to Earth from the ISS. Today commercial vehicles carry aloft everything from robotic space craft to satellites and national-security payloads for the Department of Defense

 

President Obama should now complete the privatization of all U.S. space transportation. Just as the government does not design or build automobiles, ships, trains or airplanes, NASA should not be designing, building or launching rockets to go to low Earth orbit.

 

NASA, in fact, has not successfully developed a new rocket in over three decades. U.S. private industry successfully developed three brand-new rockets in just the past decade—Boeing BA -0.39%with the Delta IV, Lockheed with the Atlas V, and SpaceX with the Falcon 9. Industry succeeded because of a partnership with the government, much like the building of the transcontinental railroad in the 19th century. Industry was responsible for development and was taking large risks, but with government incentives.

 

The full privatization of U.S. space transportation will bring two immediate benefits. First, America can and will recapture global leadership in commercial space transportation (we are currently fourth in launches per year, behind Russia, Europe and Ukraine), bringing thousands of good jobs back to America. Second, since NASA will be purchasing services—essentially tickets for crew and cargo—on the same commercial transportation used by the Defense Department, the department will save money, which can be used to improve U.S. national security.

 

One of the biggest beneficiaries of this transition will be NASA. Private industry can build the rockets, and do a much better job at lowering costs than any government agency. NASA can then focus on the important and difficult jobs that only NASA can do Among other things, this would include developing gamechanging technologies such as advanced electric propulsion that are still too risky for any company to invest in, and which will create brand-new industries in the 21st century.

 

A renewed and refocused NASA is critical to America's future. So as the country struggles with trillions in debt and deficits, it makes no sense for NASA to build rockets that are already available or can be developed at much lower cost by U.S. private industry. Why spend approximately $20 billion to build an unneeded SLS super-heavy-lift rocket, for instance, when existing commercial rockets can carry payloads more often, efficiently and cheaply?

 

Thinking in innovative and nontraditional ways can save the American taxpayer tens of billions of dollars as the space frontier is opened to a new era of exploration and development and human settlement. The president would do well to renew his fight to unleash the genius of private enterprise.

 

END