Fwd: Human Spaceflight News - January 3, 2013 and JSC Today

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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: January 3, 2013 7:11:42 AM GMT-06:00
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: Human Spaceflight News - January 3, 2013 and JSC Today

Hope you can join us today at Hibachi Grill, between Highway 3 and Interstate 45, for our monthly NASA Retirees Luncheon at 11:30.

 

 

Thursday, January 3, 2013

 

JSC TODAY HEADLINES

1.            Starport's Spring 2013 Sport Leagues -- Registration Open

2.            Space Serenity Al-Anon Tuesday, Jan. 8

3.            Confined Space Entry - 8:30 a.m.; Lockout/Tagout - 1 p.m. -- Jan. 11; Building 20, Room 205/206

4.            Material Handling, Storage, Use and Disposal ViTS: Jan. 18

5.            Aerial Platform ViTS: Jan. 25, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

6.            Control Team/Crew Resource Management: Jan. 23-25; Building 20, Room 205/206

7.            Payload Safety Process and Requirements: Feb. 1; Building 20, Room 205/206

________________________________________     QUOTE OF THE DAY

" Approach the New Year with resolve to find the opportunities hidden in each new day."

 

-- Michael Josephson

________________________________________

1.            Starport's Spring 2013 Sport Leagues -- Registration Open

Looking for a great way to have fun and stay fit in the new year?

Look no further! This spring, Starport will be offering SEVEN sports leagues for the NASA workforce and surrounding community!

Registration is NOW OPEN:

o             Basketball - closes Jan. 18

o             Dodgeball - closes Jan. 31

o             Kickball - closes Jan. 24

o             Soccer - closes Jan. 22

o             Softball (men's) - closes Jan. 24

o             Softball (co-ed) - closes Jan. 25

o             Ultimate Frisbee - closes Jan. 24

o             Volleyball (Rev 4's) - closes Jan. 23

o             Volleyball (co-ed) - closes Jan. 24

Free agent registration now open for all leagues.

All league participants must register here. 

For more detailed information about each league, please click here or call the Gilruth information desk at 281-483-0304.

Leagues will fill up fast, so sign your team up today.

Steve Schade x30304 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/Fitness/Sports/

 

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2.            Space Serenity Al-Anon Tuesday, Jan. 8

"One day at a time" reminds Al-Anon members to live today in the moment and with a plan for our future. Our 12-step meeting is for co-workers, families and friends of those who work or live with the family disease of alcoholism. Our first meeting for 2013 is Tuesday, Jan. 8, in Building 32, Room 146, from 11 to 11:45 a.m. Visitors are welcome.

Lorraine Bennett x36130 http://sashare.jsc.nasa.gov/EAP/Pages/default.aspx

 

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3.            Confined Space Entry - 8:30 a.m.; Lockout/Tagout - 1 p.m. -- Jan. 11; Building 20, Room 205/206

SMA-SAFE-NSTC-0806, Confined Space Entry

The purpose of this course is to provide employees with the standards, procedures and requirements necessary for safe entry to and operations in confined spaces. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard 29 CFR 1910.146, "Confined Space," is the basis for this course. The course covers the hazards of working in or around a confined space and the precautions one should take to control these hazards. A comprehensive test will be offered at the end of the class. https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

SMA-SAFE-NSTC-0814, Lockout/Tagout

The purpose of this course is to provide employees with the standards, procedures and requirements necessary for the control of hazardous energy through lockout and tagout of energy-isolating devices. OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.147, "The Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout)," is the basis for this course. A comprehensive test will be offered at the end of the class. Use the direct links for registration. https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Shirley Robinson x41284

 

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4.            Material Handling, Storage, Use and Disposal ViTS: Jan. 18

SMA-SAFE-NSTC-0063: This three-hour course is based on Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) CFR 1926.250 - General Requirements for Storage; OSHA CFR 1926.251 - Rigging Equipment for Material Handling; and OSHA CFR 1926.252 - Disposal of Waste Materials for the Construction Industry. During the course, the student will receive an overview of these topics, which are needed in handling materials to meet the requirements of the OSHA 200 Construction Safety and Health Standards. Use this direct link for registration. https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Event Date: Friday, January 18, 2013   Event Start Time:9:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM

Event Location: ViTS Room

 

Add to Calendar

 

Shirley Robinson x41284

 

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5.            Aerial Platform ViTS: Jan. 25, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

SMA-SAFE-NSTC-0030: This three-hour course provides classroom training as required by Occupational Safety and Health Administration 29 CFR 1910.67(C)(2)(ii). Classroom training allows employees to have on-site, hands-on field training and testing that will qualify them for approval to use aerial lifts on a NASA site. Discussions will cover hazard awareness and how to gain from lessons learned. Target Audience: Supervisors of aerial lift operations and aerial lift operators. Use this direct link for registration. https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Event Date: Friday, January 25, 2013   Event Start Time:9:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM

Event Location: ViTS Room

 

Add to Calendar

 

Shirley Robinson x41284

 

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6.            Control Team/Crew Resource Management: Jan. 23-25; Building 20, Room 205/206

Two-and-a-half days. This training directly addresses human factors issues that most often cause problems in team and crew interaction. No one working on a team or a crew, especially in high-stress activities, is immune to these effects. The Control Team/Crew Resource Management course deals with interpersonal relations, but doesn't advocate democratic rule or hugging fellow team members to improve personal relations. Rather, this course provides awareness of human factors problems that too often result in mishaps and offers recommendations and procedures for eliminating these problems. It emphasizes safety risk assessment, crew/team coordination and decision-making in crisis situations. This course is applicable both to those in aircrew-type operations and also to personnel operating consoles for hazardous testing or on-orbit mission operations, or any operation involving teamwork and critical communication. It is preferable that "teams" experience course as a group, if possible. SATERN Registration Required. https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Polly Caison x41279

 

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7.            Payload Safety Process and Requirements: Feb. 1; Building 20, Room 205/206

Class is from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. This course is intended as an overview of the requirements and will merely introduce the payload safety and hazard analysis process. It is intended for those who may be monitoring, supervising or assisting those who have the responsibility of identifying, controlling and documenting payload hazards. It will provide an understanding of the relationship between safety and the payload integration process, with an orientation to the payload safety review process. It will also describe payload safety requirements (both technical and procedural) and discuss their application throughout the payload safety process: analysis, review, certification and follow-up to ensure implementation. System safety concepts and hazard recognition will be briefly discussed and documentation requirements explained in general terms. Those with primary responsibilities in payload safety should attend Payload Safety Review and Analysis (SMA-SAFE-NSTC-0011). Contractors need to update their SATERN profile before registering. SATERN Registration Required. Approval Required. https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Polly Caison x41279

 

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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.

 

 

 

Human Spaceflight News

Thursday, January 3, 2013

 

HEADLINES AND LEADS

 

House passes Senate-amended launch indemnification bill

 

Jeff Foust- SpacePolitics.com

 

The House Wednesday agreed by unanimous consent to the Senate-amended version of HR 6586, a bill originally intended to provide a two-year extension to commercial launch indemnification. As noted yesterday, the Senate effectively replaced the House bill with a scaled back version of the Space Exploration Sustainability Act that Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced last month. This bill provides only a one-year extension to commercial launch indemnification, but also includes an extension of NASA's waiver to provisions of the Iran North Korea Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA) through the end of 2020, allowing the space agency to continue to purchase goods and services from Russia for operation of the International Space Station. The revised bill also includes a "Sense of Congress" provision supporting development of both the Space Launch System and Orion vehicles as well as commercial crew systems.

 

U.S. space programs get reprieve from budget cuts

 

Stephen Clark - SpaceflightNow.com

 

NASA and U.S. military space programs, along with all other government agencies, were granted a two-month reprieve from massive budget cuts when Congress passed a bill Tuesday to put off the across-the-board spending reductions and extend current tax rates for most Americans. The automatic budget cuts were due to take effect Jan. 2, slashing 8.2 percent from non-defense government agencies and 9.4 percent from military programs. Congress voted Tuesday to extend the deadline until March 1, giving lawmakers and the White House another two months to come up with an alternative plan to identify $1 trillion in savings from the overall federal budget.

 

One Small Step or Giant Leap to Space in 2013?

 

Dan Carroll - The Motley Fool (Fool.com)

 

2012 has been big for the business of space. We've witnessed the first docking of a private spaceship to the International Space Station, seen billions of NASA dollars committed to the future, and watched the future of the space program take flight with the retirement of the space shuttle. As successful as 2012's been, 2013 could be even greater for investors and space enthusiasts alike. From public companies such as Orbital Sciences (NYSE: ORB) to private ventures, the sky won't be the limit in the New Year.

 

NASA mulls plan to drag asteroid into moon's orbit

 

Jeff Hecht - New Scientist

 

Who says NASA has lost interest in the moon? Along with rumours of a hovering lunar base, there are reports that the agency is considering a proposal to capture an asteroid and drag it into the moon's orbit. Researchers with the Keck Institute for Space Studies in California have confirmed that NASA is mulling over their plan to build a robotic spacecraft to grab a small asteroid and place it in high lunar orbit. The mission would cost about $2.6 billion – slightly more than NASA's Curiosity Mars rover – and could be completed by the 2020s.

 

Lawmakers, lobbyists list New Year goals

 

Stephanie Gaskell - Politico.com

 

New Year's Day is always a time to set goals — and with so much leftover unfinished business, this year is shaping up to be a very busy one for the military. Permanently reversing sequestration tops the list, as Congress and the White House ran out of time to fully avert the $500 billion in automatic, across-the-board spending cuts over the next decade. Instead, Congress agreed to a two-month delay that postpones the problem, not solves it. Plus there's a host of other issues on the list of New Year's resolutions. Marion Blakey, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, said while there are plenty of immediate problems in the defense world, "we have a lot of work to do to ensure the long-term health of our industry." AIA's to-do list for the new year, Blakey said, includes implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System, export control reform, extension of the research and development tax credit, focused investment in defense procurement and research and development, and help advance on NASA's human space-exploration strategy.

 

Neil Armstrong's 'One Small Step'

Controversy erupts over moonwalk quote

 

Clara Moskowitz - Space.com

 

The famous first words uttered by the first person on the moon, Neil Armstrong, may not have been as spontaneous as commonly thought, according to Armstrong's brother. Armstrong, after becoming the first human to set foot on Earth's nearest neighbor in July 1969 during NASA's historic Apollo 11 mission, said, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." (Although the "a" isn't audible in his transmission, the moonwalker insisted that the official quote included the extra word.)

 

Hidden Treasure - The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Public Tour

 

Jason Rhian - AmericaSpace.org

 

With the current economic reality, many planning vacations along Florida's Space Coast are having to scale back their plans.  It turns out that the 45th Space Wing Public Affairs Office has a tour to many of the historic locations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station that is the perfect price for those on a limited budget – it is free. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Public Tour is not only perfectly priced, it is also very comprehensive. For those concerned about transportation, fear not, it too is provided. Tour guides, in the form of highly-knowledgeable volunteers, many of whom have years of service in the U.S. Air Force, escort guests on a free tour of the historic locations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

__________

 

COMPLETE STORIES

 

House passes Senate-amended launch indemnification bill

 

Jeff Foust- SpacePolitics.com

 

The House Wednesday agreed by unanimous consent to the Senate-amended version of HR 6586, a bill originally intended to provide a two-year extension to commercial launch indemnification. As noted yesterday, the Senate effectively replaced the House bill with a scaled back version of the Space Exploration Sustainability Act that Sens. Bill Nelson (D-FL) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced last month.

 

This bill provides only a one-year extension to commercial launch indemnification, but also includes an extension of NASA's waiver to provisions of the Iran North Korea Syria Nonproliferation Act (INKSNA) through the end of 2020, allowing the space agency to continue to purchase goods and services from Russia for operation of the International Space Station. The revised bill also includes a "Sense of Congress" provision supporting development of both the Space Launch System and Orion vehicles as well as commercial crew systems.

 

The bill may be the last passed by the House in the 112th Congress. Immediately after dispensing with the bill (a process that took about 30 seconds, according to the Office of the Clerk of the House), the House adjourned until 11 am Thursday, just before the 113th Congress will be sworn in.

 

The Commercial Spaceflight Federation (CSF) swiftly issued a release about the passage of the legislation, which now awaits the president's signature. The industry organization is understandably pleased with the bill's passage, but hints at work to come later this year since the indemnification extension only runs through the end of 2013.

 

"We will continue to work toward a long-term risk-sharing provision that would provide certainty to a growing industry," CSF executive director Alex Saltman said in the statement.

 

U.S. space programs get reprieve from budget cuts

 

Stephen Clark - SpaceflightNow.com

 

NASA and U.S. military space programs, along with all other government agencies, were granted a two-month reprieve from massive budget cuts when Congress passed a bill Tuesday to put off the across-the-board spending reductions and extend current tax rates for most Americans.

 

The automatic budget cuts were due to take effect Jan. 2, slashing 8.2 percent from non-defense government agencies and 9.4 percent from military programs.

 

Congress voted Tuesday to extend the deadline until March 1, giving lawmakers and the White House another two months to come up with an alternative plan to identify $1 trillion in savings from the overall federal budget.

 

The bill, which was passed by the Senate in the wee hours of Tuesday morning and approved by the House on Tuesday night, extended current tax rates for most Americans and averted the so-called fiscal cliff, a combination of tax hikes and dramatic spending cuts which experts said would have put the U.S. economy in jeopardy.

 

The spending cuts, or sequestration, will now take effect March 1 unless Congress and President Obama reach another agreement for more targeted savings.

 

Like other non-defense agencies, NASA would be hit with a 8.2 percent reduction, equivalent to nearly $1.5 billion less than its fiscal 2013 budget request of $17.7 billion.

 

Speaking in September at an aerospace industry conference, NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver said the budget cuts would come at "great cost" to NASA, hitting the agency's exploration and scientific programs hardest.

 

NASA's day-to-day operations are not expected to change dramatically immediately after sequestration takes effect, but the agency may have to consider furloughs if it operates under a reduced budget for an extended period of time, according to a letter to employees from Charles Bolden, the agency's administrator.

 

The White House and Congress agreed on the sequestration plan in 2011 as part of a compromise to raise the federal government's debt limit. Sequestration was meant to be a "poison pill" to compel leaders in both parties to reach an agreement to rein in the budget deficit.

 

But the attempts to reach a compromise fell short until the fiscal cliff deadline Jan. 1, when Congress agreed to delay the spending cuts and extend current income tax rates for individuals earning less than $400,000 and households earning less than $450,000.

 

Under the sequestration plan, NASA's space operations budget line, which funds the International Space Station, would be cut by $346 million. Exploration programs, including the Orion capsule, the Space Launch System, and commercial crew development, would be trimmed by $309 million.

 

The sequestration would net $417 million in savings from NASA's science budget. The space agency's science directorate contains funding for climate research satellites and solar system exploration projects to the moon, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Pluto, and asteroids.

 

NASA's space technology and aeronautics lines would each receive reductions of $47 million.

 

The agency's cross-agency support costs, which cover overhead and center operations, would be exempt from sequestration.

 

NOAA's satellite budget would be slashed of $149 million meant for the next-generation GOES-R weather observatories and polar-orbiting spacecraft.

 

The Air Force's missile procurement account, which contains military communications, early warning, and navigation satellites, would be cut 9.4 percent next year, or about a $668 million reduction from the service's expected budget.

 

One Small Step or Giant Leap to Space in 2013?

 

Dan Carroll - The Motley Fool (Fool.com)

 

2012 has been big for the business of space. We've witnessed the first docking of a private spaceship to the International Space Station, seen billions of NASA dollars committed to the future, and watched the future of the space program take flight with the retirement of the space shuttle. As successful as 2012's been, 2013 could be even greater for investors and space enthusiasts alike. From public companies such as Orbital Sciences (NYSE: ORB) to private ventures, the sky won't be the limit in the New Year.

 

Orbital Sciences reaching for orbit

 

Orbital Sciences hasn't had the greatest 2012 -- its stock has fallen nearly 10% year to date -- but there's no doubt that this is a company making moves. Orbital's managed to turn around its  finances over the past year, boosting margins across its three operating segments and snapping up NASA contracts in preparation for the year ahead.

 

What does Orbital have ready for the year ahead? The most important event investors need to watch is the company's response  to SpaceX's successful docking with the ISS. Orbital's answer to SpaceX's Dragon capsule -- the Cygnus spacecraft -- will launch in April  atop one of the company's Antares rockets on a demonstration docking mission to the ISS. If successful, Orbital will meet the program milestones set about in NASA's Commercial Orbital Transportation Systems  program.

 

That will set the wheels in motion for the company to capitalize on its $1.9 billion contract for NASA's Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) program. Teaming up with SpaceX, Orbital's slated to provide 15 resupply missions to the ISS, and the company hopes for at least one next year. Company  spokesperson Barron Beneski said, "We would certainly expect, if we go in April with the demo mission, to carry out at least one CRS mission in 2013 ... Orbital could certainly do two."

 

Much of this lofty goal will rely on NASA, but Orbital's got other plans set up for the upcoming year as well. The company's been expanding its contracts with the Department of Defense recently -- and while everyone's watching the DOD regarding the expected fiscal cliff hit, there's still plenty of wind in Orbital's sails. The company  picked up part of a $900 million DOD contract along with SpaceX and Lockheed Martin (NYSE: LMT) earlier this month. Additionally, Orbital's also grabbed space launch contracts with other companies that should help out in 2013, replacing SpaceX as a rocket  subcontractor with Stratolaunch Systems for an air-to-space launch system slated for a 2017 test.

 

Around the defense sector's space ventures

 

Orbital's not the only public company making waves in the space sector, however -- and certainly not the biggest.

 

Aerospace colossus Boeing (NYSE: BA) has been busy in 2012, and things won't slow down in 2013. It picked up a contract in August worth $460 million  as part of a billion-dollar push by NASA for "space taxis" to ferry astronauts to the ISS; while the company's CST-1000 capsule won't launch until 2016, investors should get a healthy dose of the program's progress to watch in the coming year. The company's also continued progress on its Space Launch System (SLS) over the past year  as part of a NASA contract to send humans past low Earth orbit; with a critical review set for 2014, expect a big push next year.

 

Far more attention-gathering has been the company's "space plane" it has developed  and launched twice in the past year. Boeing's reusable X-37B spacecraft launched back into orbit earlier this month, and there's no telling how long it will stay in space: Previous missions for the craft have left it in orbit for months at a time. While the project's been a much-speculated secret so far, the reusability of the X-37B could mean big things for Boeing's future in space if the latest flight also goes according to plan.

 

Fellow aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has also been making the push to the stars. It's hiked revenues at its space systems division by more than 5% over  2012's first nine months. With the aforementioned contract with Orbital and Lockheed in hand along with its progress  on the Orion rocket, Lockheed's space division should continue looking starry in 2013.

 

All eyes on SpaceX

 

It's not just public companies that space-enthused investors will need to watch in 2013, however.

 

Tesla Motors (NASDAQ: TSLA) founder Elon Musk's SpaceX has commanded the world's attention since the docking with the ISS, with billions of dollars in contracts  set through 2017. The company's competing heavily with Orbital in resupplying the space station, and Musk has SpaceX's sights set even farther: The company's founder has said he eventually wants  to build a Mars colony.

 

That obviously won't happen next year, which is a real shame. What could happen next year is SpaceX's IPO, however. While the company furthers its supplying of the space station with more Dragon launches, you could get your hands in on the most talked-about space  company's stock if things go according to plan. The company was valued at more  than $4 billion after its first ISS mission earlier in 2012; if SpaceX continues toward its goal of human spaceflight, that number could rise.

 

Racing to space in 2013

 

Nothing's set in stone, particularly in an industry as high-risk, high-reward as space. NASA still has to green-light many plans in the works, and sequestration could end up hammering the DOD's space contracts in the New Year if the worst comes to pass. Nonetheless, from Orbital to SpaceX, companies are furiously making a push to the stars -- and 2013 should see even more progress than a star-studded 2012 as the private race for space heats up.

 

Nobody's bigger in the space industry than Boeing, which commands billions of dollars from its lofty perch atop the aerospace industry. However, the company's execution problems and emerging competitors have investors wondering whether Boeing will live up to its shareholder responsibilities. In this premium research report, two of the Fool's best industrial industry minds have collaborated to provide investors with the key, must-know issues around Boeing. They'll be updating the report as key news hits, so make sure to claim a copy today by clicking here now.

 

NASA mulls plan to drag asteroid into moon's orbit

 

Jeff Hecht - New Scientist

 

Who says NASA has lost interest in the moon? Along with rumours of a hovering lunar base, there are reports that the agency is considering a proposal to capture an asteroid and drag it into the moon's orbit.

 

Researchers with the Keck Institute for Space Studies in California have confirmed that NASA is mulling over their plan to build a robotic spacecraft to grab a small asteroid and place it in high lunar orbit. The mission would cost about $2.6 billion – slightly more than NASA's Curiosity Mars rover – and could be completed by the 2020s.

 

For now, NASA's only official plans for human spaceflight involve sending a crewed capsule, called Orion, around the moon. The Obama administration has said it also wants to send astronauts to a near-Earth asteroid. One proposed target, chosen because of its scientific value and favourable launch windows for a rendezvous, is a space rock called 1999 AO10. The mission would take about half a year, exposing astronauts to long-term radiation beyond Earth's protective magnetic field and taking them beyond the reach of any possible rescue.

 

Robotically bringing an asteroid to the moon instead would be a more attractive first step, the Keck researchers conclude, because an object orbiting the moon would be in easier reach of robotic probes and maybe even humans.

 

Catch and release

 

The Keck team envisions launching a slow-moving spacecraft, propelled by solar-heated ions, on an Atlas V rocket. The craft would then propel itself out to a target asteroid, probably a small space rock about 7 metres wide. After studying it briefly, the robot would catch the asteroid in a bag measuring about 10 metres by 15 metres and head back towards the moon. Altogether it would take about six to 10 years to deliver the asteroid to lunar orbit.

 

The project still needs some technical and scientific fine-tuning, says co-leader Louis Friedman of the Planetary Society, but he sees it as an important boost to exploration.

 

For instance, NASA has also expressed interest in putting astronauts on an outpost parked in orbit at the Earth-moon Lagrange point 2. From there they could study a captured asteroid using telepresence technology, or even practise human landings on its surface.

 

Such work could help develop ways to use asteroid material for construction or spaceship fuels, making the captured asteroid a stepping stone for human missions to larger asteroids and eventually to Mars.

 

A moon-orbiting asteroid would probably also be of interest to private companies proposing human missions to the lunar surface for scientific exploration and mining studies.

 

Lawmakers, lobbyists list New Year goals

 

Stephanie Gaskell - Politico.com

 

New Year's Day is always a time to set goals — and with so much leftover unfinished business, this year is shaping up to be a very busy one for the military.

 

Permanently reversing sequestration tops the list, as Congress and the White House ran out of time to fully avert the $500 billion in automatic, across-the-board spending cuts over the next decade. Instead, Congress agreed to a two-month delay that postpones the problem, not solves it.

 

Plus there's a host of other issues on the list of New Year's resolutions.

 

"I feel like we have over the last two years, the 112th Congress, been able to resolve some issues, but there are more issues to work on, and it will take a whole lot more time to resolve the remaining problems that exist," Rep. Jeff Miller (R-Fla.), who chairs the House Veterans' Affairs Committee, told POLITICO.

 

Miller said one of his top priorities this year "is trying to come up with a way to stem the ever-increasing backlog of disability claims."

 

"They have more than doubled under the Obama administration, and we are trying to do everything we can to see that they can do what needs to be done administratively," he said. "They will tout the fact that they resolve about a million claims a year and that is a good thing, but when you add the fact that the backlog grows every year, the problems are not solved."

 

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who is planning to join the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the new 113th Congress, told POLITICO he's looking at a trip to the Middle East. "With a group of senators, some of the newer senators that I'm trying to get interested in national security policy," he said.

 

McCain also said he hopes to work with his soon-to-be-former colleague, retiring Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), on a gun violence commission.

 

Rep. Mike Coffman (R-Colo.), who sits on the House Armed Services Committee and will take the gavel of the Veterans' Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in 2013, said he has three main goals for the new year: "To make sure that appropriate treatment options are available for our combat veterans who have returned home from war and who are suffering from [post-traumatic stress disorder], to reduce U.S. troop levels in Europe. We still have 79,000 troops in Europe and the Cold War has been over with since 1991," Coffman told POLITICO.

 

Last but not least: "Reduce the size of the bureaucracy within the Department of Defense," he said.

 

Marion Blakey, president and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association, said while there are plenty of immediate problems in the defense world, "we have a lot of work to do to ensure the long-term health of our industry."

 

AIA's to-do list for the new year, Blakey said, includes implementation of the Next Generation Air Transportation System, export control reform, extension of the research and development tax credit, focused investment in defense procurement and research and development, and help advance on NASA's human space-exploration strategy.

 

Tom Tarantino, chief policy officer for Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said lawmakers need to do more to help veterans.

 

"After a decade of war, the VA remains unprepared to meet the needs of today's veterans. The disability claims backlog is unacceptably long, GI Bill checks are often late and veterans wait too long for mental health care they seek," he told POLITICO.

 

Two main issues for veterans this year are high unemployment and a rising number of suicides.

 

"Too many veterans return home and find it difficult to transition to a civilian job," Tarantino said. "Veterans struggle to translate their military skills to civilian employers — and into civilian certifications and licenses."

 

Tarantino estimates that 18 veterans commit suicide every day. "This staggering rate is unacceptable and shows that current suicide prevention efforts are ineffective," he said. "There must be a robust, integrated effort to address the stigma often attached to seeking mental health care."

 

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.), who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, said amid all the fiscal and economic problems facing the nation, Congress needs to remain focused on troops who are in harm's way.

 

"We've got to keep an eye on Afghanistan," Hunter told POLITICO.

 

Hunter, a Marine reservist who fought in both Iraq and Afghanistan, also said planned cuts to the Navy should be re-evaluated this year.

 

"That should be a major point of focus and concern," he said. "If we're going to remain a superpower, we have to be able to reach out and touch people, and the way that you do that is with the U.S. Navy."

 

And Hunter wants to examine the Pentagon's acquisition policies.

 

"Dealing with software and technology now within the Department of Defense and acquisitions — I think that needs a really hard and close look," he said. "That's a main part of war-fighting, being able to parse through all that data that we gather through all of our different means, our different assets. Software is going to be major [issue] because not that many people in Congress really understand it."

 

The new year's goals of Rep. Joe Heck (R-Nev.), a colonel in the Army Reserves, are pretty straightforward: "To continue supporting military members and their families, make sure our troops serving overseas have the resources they need to keep our nation safe and protect our allies, and ensure that our veterans continue to receive the full benefits they have earned and deserved," Heck's spokesman, Greg Lemon, wrote in an email.

 

Neil Armstrong's 'One Small Step'

Controversy erupts over moonwalk quote

 

Clara Moskowitz - Space.com

 

The famous first words uttered by the first person on the moon, Neil Armstrong, may not have been as spontaneous as commonly thought, according to Armstrong's brother.

 

Armstrong, after becoming the first human to set foot on Earth's nearest neighbor in July 1969 during NASA's historic Apollo 11 mission, said, "That's one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind." (Although the "a" isn't audible in his transmission, the moonwalker insisted that the official quote included the extra word.)

 

In numerous interviews, and even in his own autobiography, Armstrong said he thought of the words after arriving at the moon, while waiting to exit his lunar module Eagle. But in a new BBC documentary, the astronaut's brother Dean Armstrong says the two discussed the statement months earlier, when Neil passed Dean a handwritten note during a late-night game of Risk, according to British newspaper the Telegraph.

 

"On that piece of paper there was 'That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.' He says 'what do you think about that?' I said 'fabulous.' He said 'I thought you might like that, but I wanted you to read it,'" Dean Armstrong said, according to the Telegraph.

 

Neil Armstrong, who died Aug. 25 at the age of 82, had never mentioned the conversation publicly. If that scene took place just as Dean Armstrong says, it would contradict numerous statements by the first moonwalker.

 

"Neil Armstrong said multiple times in multiple venues that he did not think about what to say until he got to the surface of the moon," said space history and collectibles expert Robert Pearlman, editor of SPACE.com partner site collectSPACE.com. "There were several hours after he landed, during which time he had the opportunity to give thought to what his first words would be."

 

That version of the story has been corroborated by other astronauts, as well, including the two other men who flew on the Apollo 11 mission with Armstrong.

 

"His crewmates Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins have said he did not discuss what he would say with them either before the mission or as the mission was progressing," Pearlman told SPACE.com.

 

This new information from Dean Armstrong has ruffled some space enthusiasts and historians, who wonder what Neil Armstrong himself would say if he were still alive.

 

"Whether intentional or not, Dean Armstrong's account now suggests his brother has been lying for 40-plus years," Pearlman said.

 

The new BBC documentary, "Neil Armstrong — First Man on the Moon," is available to watch online here to those in the U.K.

 

Hidden Treasure - The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Public Tour

 

Jason Rhian - AmericaSpace.org

 

With the current economic reality, many planning vacations along Florida's Space Coast are having to scale back their plans.  It turns out that the 45th Space Wing Public Affairs Office has a tour to many of the historic locations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station that is the perfect price for those on a limited budget – it is free. The Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Public Tour is not only perfectly priced, it is also very comprehensive.

 

For those concerned about transportation, fear not, it too is provided. Tour guides, in the form of highly-knowledgeable volunteers, many of whom have years of service in the U.S. Air Force, escort guests on a free tour of the historic locations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

 

John Hilliard is one of these volunteers, having served in the U.S. Air Force for 24 years and with Analytic Services, Inc. a not-for-profit corporation formed in 1958 in California, for an additional 12 years. This background makes Hilliard an expert about which he speaks and his love of all things launch is readily apparent when he does so.

 

Hilliard detailed the various locations that guests are taken on the tour and the history that visitors have the chance to experience with each mile.

 

"We don't take visitors to anyplace on Kennedy Space Center," Hilliard said. "Having said that, they get to go to all the 'Sweet Spots' at Cape Canaveral, these include launch complexes, 34, 17, 14, 5,6 and many, many others."

 

For those not familiar with these historic locations, the numbers that Hilliard rattled off include those where the United States first sent astronauts into space, orbit and where NASA first encountered the tragic side of space exploration.

 

Launch Complex 5 is where Alan Shepard launched into the history books atop a Redstone rocket in 1961, Launch Complex 14 is where John Glenn thundered into orbit on an Atlas rocket becoming the first American to orbit the Earth and Launch Complex 34, is where Apollo astronauts Virgil, "Gus" Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee lost their lives during a flash fire on the pad in 1967.

 

Visitors can see Delta, Snark, Atlas, Titan and numerous other rockets that help power the U.S. space exploration and defense programs.

 

All of these sights, as well as the iconic Cape Canaveral Light House, numerous other launch pads and more are included on the tour.

 

"There's a big distinction between what happens at KSC and what goes on the Cape side that we inform guests about," Hilliard explained. "To the public, these two places are interchangeable – they are not."

 

Some other interesting locations that the tour takes guests by are the block houses and control centers for the various pads, the Command Destruct Antennas (this is the site where, if the launch team loses control of a rocket, the command is sent to have it self-destruct.

 

Gift shops, with reasonable-priced items, are located both inside and outside CCAFS providing visitors with multiple opportunities to purchase mementos of their trip.

 

"The one thing folks should know is that Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station are two very different animals. Although this tour touches on some elements that directly relate to what NASA has and is doing – it is only a very small part of our tour." Said Hilliard.

 

Those interested in the tour should contact: Patrick Murphy: 321-494-5945 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or send an email to: ccafstours@us.af.mil.  Registering for the tour well in advanced is highly advised as the tour gets booked up fast (the next two weeks are packed already). The website contains a calendar with available dates. For those fortunate enough to get seats on the tour, they need to meet at the History Center's parking lot. To find out more details, click here:

Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Public Tour

 

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