Fwd: Human Spaceflight News - January 7, 2013 and JSC Today

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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: January 7, 2013 6:51:42 AM GMT-06:00
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: Human Spaceflight News - January 7, 2013 and JSC Today

 

 

 

Monday, January 7, 2013

 

JSC TODAY HEADLINES

1.            A Healthy Start to 2013 - Nutrition Class Tomorrow!

2.            Join Weight Watchers at JSC Today!

3.            Rodeo Tickets From Starport -- Tomorrow, Jan. 8

4.            Starport Massage Special -- $55 for 60 Minutes

5.            Call for JSC Exceptional Software Awards -- Closing Friday, Jan. 11

6.            Volunteer! Mars Rover Celebration at UH

7.            NASA Budget: OMB's Roles and Responsibilities

8.            Don't Miss Carlos Dominguez - The TechNowist!

9.            Particle Count Training ViTS - Feb. 1 - 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

10.          Johnson Space Center Astronomy Society Meeting

11.          Blood Drive Changes

12.          Join the SAIC/S&MA Speaker Forum as They Host Francisco Alvarez on Jan. 9

13.          Recent JSC Announcement

14.          Job Opportunities

15.          Join Us for JSC's 2013 Back in the Saddle Event: Jan. 10, 9 a.m.

________________________________________     QUOTE OF THE DAY

" May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions."

 

-- Joey Adams

________________________________________

1.            A Healthy Start to 2013 - Nutrition Class Tomorrow!

Setting Reasonable Resolutions - The holiday season often brings thoughts of setting New Year's resolutions to finally get healthy this year. While setting resolutions can be a good motivation, they can often be unrealistic. This class will cover the basic principles of goal setting. We will discuss how to appropriately determine what your health goals for the upcoming year should be. If you have ever set resolutions, but failed to follow through with them - this is the class for you! Class will be held Tues., Jan 8, at 5 p.m. in the Gilruth Center.

Email Glenda Blaskey to sign up for this class today!

If you're working on improving your approach to healthy nutrition, but can't attend a class, we offer free one-on-one consultations with Glenda Blaskey, the JSC Registered Dietitian.

Glenda Blaskey 281-244-1503

 

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2.            Join Weight Watchers at JSC Today!

Join the Weight Watchers onsite meeting today in Building 45, Room 551. Weigh-in begins at 11:30 a.m., and meeting runs from 12:00 p.m.-12:30 p.m. This meeting is run by Weight Watchers, and follows the same program as meetings at the Weight Watchers centers. It is really convenient to attend onsite! If you are already a member and have a Monthly Pass, you can attend this meeting any time as well.

Come learn about the new Weight Watchers 360 Program, designed to help make healthy living become second nature. The new Weight Watchers 360 Program gives you the power to lose weight like never before!

If you are ready to join now, you can purchase your Monthly Pass using the link below, using JSC Company ID 24156, and Passcode WW24156. Monthly Passes are accepted at most area Weight Watcher meetings.

Event Date: Monday, January 7, 2013   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM

Event Location: Bldg 45, Room 551

 

Add to Calendar

 

Julie Kliesing x31540 https://wellness.weightwatchers.com

 

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3.            Rodeo Tickets From Starport -- Tomorrow, Jan. 8

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo tickets go on sale in the Building 11 Starport Gift Shop on Tuesday, Jan. 8. Numbers will be issued in the café at 7:30 a.m., and doors open for sales at 8 a.m. All tickets will be sold in pairs only (two or four), with a maximum of four tickets per customer. Tickets are available for all performances (except George Strait's special performance) in sections 121, 122, 124, 125 and 129 for $26; sections 119, 135, 138 and 140 for $25; and section 534 for $22 - while supplies last. No holds, no phone orders, no special requests. Payment options are cash, Visa, Mastercard and Discover only. Checks are not accepted for ticket sales. Get your rodeo tickets at Starport!

Cyndi Kibby x35352 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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4.            Starport Massage Special -- $55 for 60 Minutes

Starport recently brought on two amazing Massage Therapists, Anette and Marj. They come to us from Beyond Beaute with over 25 years of combined experience. What's more is that we have decided to offer you a chance to experience them at an UNBELIEVABLE rate, and we're calling it:

Starport Massage - 55 for 60!

- $55 for a 60 minute massage

- Available: Jan. 4 - 31

- Massage must be scheduled between Jan. 4 and May 31

Starport's Massage Therapists

Anette Lemon, LMT

- Mon, Wed, Fri | 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

- Every other Sat | 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

- Click here to book with Anette (https://www.lattiss.com/calendar.jsf?wsId=704d8f90-71eb-11e1-942c-c5c945590581

Marj Moore, LMT

- Tues & Thurs | 9:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.

- Every other Sat | 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

- Click here to book with Marj (https://www.lattiss.com/calendar.jsf?wsId=56c002e0-5513-11e2-9f88-eca445590581

This offer won't last, so book right now!!

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

 

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5.            Call for JSC Exceptional Software Awards -- Closing Friday, Jan. 11

This is the 2013 call for software award nominations at JSC. Nominees will be considered for the following awards:

-- JSC Exceptional Software Award: $8,000 total award.

-- JSC nominee for NASA Software of the Year Award: Up to $100,000 total award possible.

-- JSC software nominees for Space Act Awards: Variable amount up to $100,000

-- NASA Exceptional Technology Achievement Medals

The JSC Exceptional Software Award is designed to recognize software that has demonstrated outstanding value to accomplishing the JSC mission.

Apply online using the Web nomination form and to find out other information: http://jscexceptionalsoftware.jsc.nasa.gov/SOY_nominate/

Directorates and individuals must provide their nominations by COB Jan. 11, via the form link listed. Questions can be sent to Lynn Vernon at lynn.r.vernon@nasa.gov or Tondra Allen at tondra.allen-1@nasa.gov

Lynn R. Vernon x36917 http://jscexceptionalsoftware.jsc.nasa.gov/SOY_nominate/

 

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6.            Volunteer! Mars Rover Celebration at UH

Lots and lots of volunteers are needed for the 11th Annual Mars Rover Celebration, Jan. 26, on the University of Houston campus. Mars Rover Celebration is an exciting educational opportunity for primary and middle school students to learn how to build a model rover to perform a mission on Mars. For 2013, we expect 800+ children, organized into 240 teams.

Please volunteer to help with one of the following jobs:

•         Judge (Morning Shift - 8:30-11:30 a.m.) (Afternoon Shift - Noon-3:30 p.m.)

•         Tour Guide (Morning Shift - 10:30 a.m.-1 p.m.) (Afternoon Shift- 3-5 p.m.)

•         Logistics/Operations (Morning Shift - 8 a.m.-2 p.m.) (Afternoon Shift- Noon-6 p.m.)

Online registration is available at https://marsrover.uh.edu/VolunteerRegistration.aspx

For more information, please contact Professor Edgar Bering at eabering@uh.edu

Event Date: Saturday, January 26, 2013   Event Start Time:8:00 AM   Event End Time:4:00 PM

Event Location: UH Main Campus

 

Add to Calendar

 

Edgar Bering 713-743-3543

 

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7.            NASA Budget: OMB's Roles and Responsibilities

Want more situational awareness of the federal budget process and how it can impact (and be impacted by) NASA and JSC programs? As part of the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) Subject-Matter Expert course series, former White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) examiner Ryan Schaefer will lead a one-hour session that helps navigate through the budget process and explain how OMB's roles and responsibilities can affect program budgets. To provide context for budgetary decisions and priorities, the course also explores other stakeholders and elements in the NASA budget landscape and how JSC inputs can support favorable outcomes. This course is open to all JSC employees and is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 16, from 1 to 2 p.m. in Building 1, Room 457A. This session is not offered through WebEx, so please register by Jan. 14 in SATERN via the link below or by searching the catalog for the course title.

Donna Blackshear-Reynolds x32814 https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHED...

 

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8.            Don't Miss Carlos Dominguez - The TechNowist!

The Human Health & Performance Directorate is pleased to welcome Carlos Dominguez, Senior Vice President at Cisco Systems and technology evangelist, as our next Innovation Lecture Series Speaker! Carlos speaks to and motivates audiences worldwide about how technology is changing how we communicate, collaborate, and especially how we work. Carlos gives humorous, highly-animated presentations full of deep insight into how technology, and the right culture, can create winning companies.

All are encouraged to attend! Register now in SATERN: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_... to receive Human Systems Academy credit.

Event Date: Friday, January 11, 2013   Event Start Time:2:00 PM   Event End Time:3:30 PM

Event Location: Teague Auditorium

 

Add to Calendar

 

Carissa Vidlak 281-212-1409 http://sa.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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9.            Particle Count Training ViTS - Feb. 1 - 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

This course will provide the technician/engineer with the basic skills and knowledge for performing a particle count for determination of particle cleanliness level. A written/practical examination will also be offered. Course content includes:

•         Review of approved method for manually counting particles using an optical microscope

•         Microscope operation and calibration

•         Non-microscopic visual identification of particles by shape, size, color, and other physical characteristics

•         Sampling techniques for particles in gases and liquids

•         Filtering techniques for fluid using Millipore apparatus

•         Compatibility of filter membrane and their specific uses

•         Handling filter membranes, Millipore assembly, performing background determinations, pre-reading of filters prior to sampling

•         Use of high pressure filter assemblies

•         Particle counting and data recording

•         Statistical analysis

•         Use of automatic particle counting techniques and their limitations.

A comprehensive test will be offered at the end of the class.

Use this direct link for registration.

https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Shirley Robinson X41284

Event Date: Friday, February 1, 2013   Event Start Time:1:00 PM   Event End Time:2:30 PM

Event Location: ViTS Room

 

Add to Calendar

 

Shirley Robinson 281-244-1284

 

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10.          Johnson Space Center Astronomy Society Meeting

Our January meeting will feature our own Bob Taylor who will provide an entertaining review of the past year in astronomy, with lots of NASA related information. Many of our membership think this is the best presentation of the year. Come see if you agree.

We'll also discuss our upcoming events, including our fabulous and fun star parties. Other meeting topics include, "What's Up in the Sky this Month?" with suggestions for beginner observing, the always intriguing, "Astro Oddities", and the novice Q & A session. We'll also be kicking off our new "Loaner Telescope Program".

Our meetings are held on the 2nd Friday, of each month, at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the USRA building. (3600 Bay Area Blvd. at Middlebrook Dr.)

Membership to the JSCAS is open to anyone who wants to learn about astronomy. There are no dues, no-by laws, you just show up to our meeting.

Jim Wessel 41128 http://www.jscas.net/

 

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11.          Blood Drive Changes

In the past year the number of blood donors has decreased due to staff reductions, retirements, etc.; therefore, the Ellington location will be discontinued, and a donor coach will be used at the Gilruth Center on Thursday afternoons only. (This coach is being shared with another St. Luke's morning blood drive.) The locations for the 2013 blood drives will be:

Teague Auditorium Lobby - 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Building 11 Starport Café - Donor Coach - 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Gilruth Center - Donor Coach - Noon - 4:00 p.m. (Thursdays only)

The dates for the 2013 blood drives are:

Feb. 13-14

April 17-18

June 19-20

Aug. 21-22

Oct. 23-24

Dec. 18-19

You or someone you know may need blood sometime in their life. Help make sure blood is available by giving the "Gift of Life" at the JSC blood drives.

Teresa Gomez x39588 http://jscpeople.jsc.nasa.gov/blooddrv/blooddrv.htm

 

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12.          Join the SAIC/S&MA Speaker Forum as They Host Francisco Alvarez on Jan. 9

Join JSC's SAIC/Safety & Mission Assurance Speaker Forum featuring Francisco Alvarez, founder and managing director of Green Technologies, speaking on "Innovating the Future Today" - providing technological resources to maximize plant performance, save water and benefit life on Earth and beyond.

Wednesday, Jan. 9

11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Building 1, Room 966

Green Technologies, a private company located in Houston, provides technological resources to help maximize plant performance, as well as saving on water consumption. All of their products are biodegradable, non-toxic and environmentally friendly.

For more info, contact Juan Traslavina at 281-335-2272 or:  juan.m.trasalvina@nasa.gov

Event Date: Wednesday, January 9, 2013   Event Start Time:11:30 AM   Event End Time:12:30 PM

Event Location: Building 1, room 966

 

Add to Calendar

 

Della Cardona 281-335-2074

 

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13.          Recent JSC Announcement

Please visit the JSC Announcements (JSCA) Web page to view the newly posted announcement:

JSCA 12-042: JSC Academic Fellowship Program

Archived announcements are also available on the JSCA Web page.

Linda Turnbough x36246 http://ird.jsc.nasa.gov/DocumentManagement/announcements/default.aspx

 

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14.          Job Opportunities

WHERE DO I FIND JOB OPPORTUNITIES?

Both internal Competitive Placement Plan (CPPs) and external JSC job announcements are posted on the HR Portal and USAJOBS(www. usajobs.gov) 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 on-line. If you have questions about any JSC job vacancies, please call your Human Resources Representative.

Lisa Pesak 30476

 

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15.          Join Us for JSC's 2013 Back in the Saddle Event: Jan. 10, 9 a.m.

"What Happened to the STS-107 Columbia Crew?" presented by Dr. Nigel Packham.

Thursday, Jan. 10, 9 to 10 a.m.

Teague Auditorium

Join us as Packham presents the Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Report. What happened to the STS-107 Columbia crew, and what can be learned from it?

The presentation will provide a background of the investigation, the timeline of the accident derived from the evidence described above and discuss several of the key findings that may have application to future spacecraft designers.

Event Date: Thursday, January 10, 2013   Event Start Time:9:00 AM   Event End Time:10:00 AM

Event Location: Teague Auditorium

 

Add to Calendar

 

Joyce Abbey 281-335-2041

 

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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

Monday – January 7, 2013

 

HEADLINES AND LEADS

 

Congress Girds For Future NASA Budget Battles

 

Frank Morring, Jr. - Aerospace Daily

 

A housekeeping measure for the U.S. civil space program adopted in the final hours of the expiring Congress includes language reaffirming congressional support for NASA's current spending priorities in the budget battles ahead. The legislation, needed to extend government indemnification of third-party damages from commercial space launches and to allow NASA to continue buying human-spaceflight services from Russia, also included "sense of Congress" language reaffirming support for a mix of government and commercial human spaceflight vehicles.

 

NASA says 2013 will be a year of science on the space station

 

Mark Matthews - Orlando Sentinel

 

Right before Christmas, a Russian rocket carrying three astronauts — one American, one Russian and one Canadian — launched from a chilly spaceport in Kazakhstan to begin a five-month mission to the International Space Station. Unlike many of its predecessors, this crew's job is straightforward: Do science — from studying solar rays to investigating how microgravity affects fish and their bones, which could provide insight on why astronauts lose bone density while in space.

 

International Space Station gearing up for scientific results in 2013

 

Mark Hoffman - Science World Report

 

While it was a success in itself to construct the $100 billion space station ISS, and to keep it manned consistently since over a decade now, the on-board laboratories and experimental capabilities are underutilized and didn't yield abundant results until now. Only 72 percent of NASA's science racks, which house experiments, are currently used - a figure that the agency plans to up to 80 percent in 2013. Another issue were work-hours: for the period from 2000 to 2008, astronauts were averaging only three hours of science work a week. There were only a crew of 3 astronauts during that time, and those had their hands full with construction and maintenance of the space station. That has changed now, since the station is completed, and the crew expanded to a steady space population of 6.

 

Studying space travel with fruit flies

 

Drew Joseph - San Francisco Chronicle

 

One year from now, in a lab far, far away, a group of fruit flies could unknowingly be helping to make long-term space travel safer. An experiment led by local researchers will use fruit flies to study how the lack of gravity and changes in radiation in space affect the cardiovascular system of humans. It was one of eight projects recently selected by Space Florida, the state's aerospace authority, for a 30-day trip to the International Space Station set for December 2013.

 

NASA Turns Astronaut Trash Into Space Radiation Shield

 

Megan Gannon - Space.com

 

Humans produce trash just about everywhere they go, including space, which will pose a problem for astronauts on long voyages to other planets. But scientists have found a way to transform this space detritus into something useful: a radiation shield. Since flinging garbage out the door is not an option, engineers at NASA are testing how a novel on-board trash compactor could give new life to discarded water bottles, clothing scraps, duct tape and other waste on deep-space missions.

 

Strange But True: Astronauts Get Taller in Space

 

Miriam Kramer - Space.com

 

Astronauts in space can grow up to 3 percent taller during the time spent living in microgravity, NASA scientists say. That means that a 6-foot-tall (1.8 meters) person could gain as many as 2 inches (5 centimeters) while in orbit. While scientists have known for some time that astronauts experience a slight height boost during a months-long stay on the International Space Station, NASA is only now starting to use ultrasound technology to see exactly what happens to astronauts' spines in microgravity as it occurs.

 

Shuttle contractor USA lays off 111 more workers

 

James Dean - Florida Today

 

Picking up where it left off last year, United Space Alliance on Friday laid off 111 local employees. The cuts came a month after NASA's lead space shuttle contractor eliminated 119 positions at Kennedy Space Center. Work to retire the shuttle program is nearing an end, and by March USA will hand over management of KSC ground systems to a new contractor, Jacobs Technology. More layoffs are planned in March and April, but Houston-based USA's parent companies, The Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., have not publicly confirmed the joint venture's post-shuttle fate.

 

Q & A with Cmdr. Chris Hadfield from the space station

 

Kevin Newman - CTV News

 

Almost as soon as he arrived there five days before Christmas, Chris Hadfield started tweeting what he sees outside the windows of the International Space Station -- and what his daily routine has been like. It's the most personal connection we've ever had to one of our astronauts, and in just over a few weeks his Twitter following around the world has exploded.

 

Station commander connects with us on Earth like no other

 

John Kelly - Florida Today (Commentary)

 

Chris Hadfield is really sharing his tour of the International Space Station with those of us on Earth. He's not the first space station crew member to use the social media site Twitter to talk about life in the orbiting space lab or to share photographs, but Hadfield's updates are making me feel like I'm getting a tour of the space station like no other.

 

Armstrong didn't lie about 'One Small Step' Moon speech, historian says

 

Andrew Chaikin - Space.com

 

Let's get one thing straight right now: Neil Armstrong was not a liar. But that's the outrageous accusation made about him in screaming headlines following a new BBC documentary on his life. The very first public statement Neil made about the subject was at the post-flight press conference on Aug. 12, 1969, following his return from Apollo 11. Asked by a reporter when he came up with the quote, Armstrong answered as follows: "I did think about it. It was not extemporaneous, neither was it planned. It evolved during the conduct of the flight and I decided what the words would be while we were on the lunar surface just prior to leaving the LM."

 

National Archives to recall Nixon's NASA years

 

Associated Press

 

The National Archives is displaying rarely seen documents and items showing milestones in manned spaceflight from President Richard Nixon's administration. NASA sent the first men to the moon on the Apollo 11 mission during Nixon's presidency and followed with five more lunar missions. The archives will look back at Nixon's support for the space program and his efforts to improve Cold War relations through cooperation in space.

 

Virgin Galactic Hopes To Use Spaceports Worldwide

 

Rene Romo - Albuquerque Journal

 

The suborbital space tourism industry is still in its infancy, and Virgin Galactic has not yet moved into the state-financed Spaceport America, but there is already talk of the company using a constellation of such launch sites around the globe. During a recent talk in Florida, aviation innovator Burt Rutan, the man who developed the prototypes for Virgin Galactic's two-part launch system, said the company's founder Sir Richard Branson had plans to use spaceports in as many as six different countries.

 

Spaceport wants protections from tourist lawsuits

 

Jeri Clausing - Associated Press

 

Spaceport America officials are urging legislators to limit potential lawsuits from wealthy outer space tourists who take off from New Mexico, saying such a bill is crucial to the future of the project. Legal experts, however, say there is no way to know whether the so-called informed consent laws will offer any protection to spacecraft operators and suppliers in the event something goes wrong. "Since this has never happened yet, we have no precedent," said Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz, director of the space law program at the University of Mississippi.

 

Capt. Mark Kelly

 

Kate Murphy - New York Times

 

Capt. Mark Kelly is a former Navy pilot and NASA astronaut and is the husband of the former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011. The couple has formed a political action committee, Gabby PAC, to promote civil political discourse and the election of moderates to Congress. Captain Kelly is also the author of "Mousetronaut," a recently published children's book loosely based on a mouse that accompanied him on one of his space shuttle missions.

__________

 

COMPLETE STORIES

 

Congress Girds For Future NASA Budget Battles

 

Frank Morring, Jr. - Aerospace Daily

 

A housekeeping measure for the U.S. civil space program adopted in the final hours of the expiring Congress includes language reaffirming congressional support for NASA's current spending priorities in the budget battles ahead.

 

The legislation, needed to extend government indemnification of third-party damages from commercial space launches and to allow NASA to continue buying human-spaceflight services from Russia, also included "sense of Congress" language reaffirming support for a mix of government and commercial human spaceflight vehicles.

 

The "Space Exploration Sustainability Act" adopted Jan. 2 specifically lists the heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS), the Orion multi-purpose crew vehicle and commercial crew and cargo space vehicles under development with NASA backing as "inherently complementary and interrelated," and forbids the use of SLS or Orion funding to pay for commercial-vehicle development.

 

"This action by Congress reaffirms the intent of the 2010 NASA Authorization Act, which reflected a hard-fought Congressional and Administration consensus for the future of NASA in the post-shuttle era," stated retiring Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), who was credited by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden with forcing the White House budget office to free funding for the SLS. "I am delighted that this will be one of my final acts as a U.S. Senator."

 

The space legislation passed both houses of Congress on voice votes as lawmakers focused on deal-making to avoid the "fiscal cliff" of mandatory tax increases and spending cuts. But budget "sequestration" was only delayed by two months, setting the stage for more bitter battles over spending priorities and strong downward pressure on the discretionary spending that funds NASA.

 

The sense-of-Congress approach isn't binding on the White House, which has made no secret of its preference for commercial human spaceflight over the government-backed SLS sometimes dubbed the "Senate Launch System." But it sends a signal that a majority in the outgoing Congress still supported the compromise embodied in NASA's 2010 authorization act, and space-policy leaders in the new 113th Congress will continue to do so.

 

Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), the new chairman of the House Science Committee that authorizes NASA spending, handled final passage of the sense-of-Congress resolution on the House floor, and Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), who worked with Hutchison on the Senate Commerce Committee to hammer out the 2010 compromise, vowed to continue that work in the new Congress. The 2010 authorization expires this year, and it remains to be seen exactly what the White House will propose for NASA in its fiscal 2014 budget request. "This legislation reaffirms our commitment to a robust future for the space program," Nelson stated.

 

The resolution extended NASA's waiver to buy seats on Russia's Soyuz capsule and other Russian human spaceflight services until the end of 2020 under the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act. With the first commercial human spaceflights not scheduled until 2017, and then only if NASA gets its full budget request, the agency needed the waiver to begin negotiating access for its astronauts to the International Space Station after mid-2016.

 

The original House version of the bill sought a two-year extension of third-party liability sharing for commercial space launches, but that chamber accepted a Senate amendment limiting the extension to one year.

 

NASA says 2013 will be a year of science on the space station

 

Mark Matthews - Orlando Sentinel

 

Right before Christmas, a Russian rocket carrying three astronauts — one American, one Russian and one Canadian — launched from a chilly spaceport in Kazakhstan to begin a five-month mission to the International Space Station.

 

Unlike many of its predecessors, this crew's job is straightforward: Do science — from studying solar rays to investigating how microgravity affects fish and their bones, which could provide insight on why astronauts lose bone density while in space.

 

"Twenty-thirteen really promises to be a productive one," said Chris Hadfield, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut, after arriving at the outpost.

 

If that's true, NASA will get one step closer toward finally fulfilling the promise of the $100 billion space station that was intended to be a groundbreaking laboratory circling about 220 miles above Earth.

 

Though critics have questioned why it has taken so long — work began on the station in 1998 — NASA said the new emphasis on science and the arrival of new equipment mean the future looks bright.

 

"As the coming year unfolds, NASA will continue to conduct important research on the International Space Station, which continues to yield scientific benefits and provide key information about how humans may live and thrive in the harsh environment of space," NASA leaders wrote in a year-end status report.

 

Key is the addition of new equipment.

 

By next fall, NASA plans to send to the station an "Animal Enclosure Module" that will allow scientists to study the effects of weightlessness on rodents — which could help doctors develop better medicines for bone and muscle ailments. The 60-pound module had flown 23 times aboard the space shuttle.

 

Marybeth Edeen, NASA manager of the station's national laboratory, said the rodents could be used to test drugs intended to treat osteoporosis or illnesses that degrade the muscles, such as Lou Gehrig's disease.

 

"A 30-day-old mouse on the station has the bone and muscle structure of a 60-to-70-year-old woman," said Edeen, adding that rapid changes brought on by weightlessness enable drug companies to quickly assess the results of experimental medicines.

 

"You start to get some quick models to test different pharmaceuticals," she said.

 

Similarly, NASA plans to increase the number of plant test beds on the station and add a new "atom lab" in the next couple years that will be cold enough to slow atomic particles — giving scientists a chance to better study their makeup.

 

Edeen said 2013 also promises to yield results from the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a van-sized device that's essentially a tube wrapped in powerful magnets. Designed to study interstellar particles, it was flown to the station in 2011 and attached to the outside of the observatory. So far, it has tracked more than 27 billion cosmic rays.

 

The hope is AMS can provide new insight about the universe and its formation, particularly as it relates to a mysterious substance called antimatter. Scientific theory holds that the universe was formed from equal parts of matter and antimatter, but finding traces of antimatter is difficult — it's annihilated when it comes into contact with matter.

 

But more could be known in six months. "The first [AMS] papers will come out in summer 2013," Edeen said.

 

Getting to this point, however, hasn't been easy.

 

Though crews have staffed the station since 2000, astronauts were averaging only three hours of science work a week as late as 2008.

 

Two events changed that: NASA and its partners finished the station, and the crew in 2009 expanded from three to six. Last year, astronauts spent about 50 hours a week on science, including research on how microgravity affects the spinal cord and observations of Earth's environment, such as melting glaciers.

 

Still, there has been lingering criticism of why NASA didn't better prepare for the station's completion and whether the scientific returns are worth the roughly $1.5 billion spent annually to operate it.

 

Climate researcher Warren Washington, who recently served on a National Academies board that reviewed NASA's direction, said the station likely will be remembered more for its technological achievements than its scientific ones.

 

In particular, he expected the station to teach NASA a great deal about keeping astronauts alive in space. In 2015, Scott Kelly of NASA and Mikhail Kornienko of Roscosmos begin a yearlong mission — about twice the usual stay — to measure the physiological and psychological effects of living in weightlessness and close quarters.

 

"As NASA gets ready to go to places like asteroids or Mars, the space-station experience will be very useful," he said.

 

Still, Washington said that NASA gets more bang for its science buck from unmanned spacecraft, such as Earth-monitoring satellites that circle the globe or the Mars rover now probing conditions on that planet.

 

What's more, NASA is using only about 72 percent of the space station's science racks, which house experiments — though the agency plans to up that figure to 80 percent this year.

 

In addition, the group that NASA picked in 2011 to develop a pipeline to get experiments to the station has suffered from internal strife, prompting Congress to warn it to get its act together.

 

The Florida-based organization, known as the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), has revamped its board and now claims to be ready to move on to the next phase: "Maximize utilization of the ISS," said CASIS leader France Córdova.

 

International Space Station gearing up for scientific results in 2013

 

Mark Hoffman - Science World Report

 

While it was a success in itself to construct the $100 billion space station ISS, and to keep it manned consistently since over a decade now, the on-board laboratories and experimental capabilities are underutilized and didn't yield abundant results until now. Only 72 percent of NASA's science racks, which house experiments, are currently used - a figure that the agency plans to up to 80 percent in 2013.

 

Another issue were work-hours: for the period from 2000 to 2008, astronauts were averaging only three hours of science work a week. There were only a crew of 3 astronauts during that time, and those had their hands full with construction and maintenance of the space station. That has changed now, since the station is completed, and the crew expanded to a steady space population of 6.

 

In 2012, astronauts spent about 50 hours a week on research, and that could increase further this year, with the arrival of three new crew members just before Christmas who are set to focus on scientific work. "Twenty-thirteen really promises to be a productive one," said the Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield after arriving at the outpost.

 

Their research topics include studying of solar rays in a special module, or investigating how microgravity affects the spinal cord on fish and their bones - insights on the way to understand why astronauts lose bone density while in space.

 

"As the coming year unfolds, NASA will continue to conduct important research on the International Space Station, which continues to yield scientific benefits and provide key information about how humans may live and thrive in the harsh environment of space," NASA leaders wrote in a report released at the end of the year.

 

New research gear will also be supplied to facilitate this goal. The "Animal Enclosure Module", already used several times onboard the Space shuttle, will allow scientists to study the effects of weightlessness on rodents - which could help doctors develop better medicines for bone and muscle ailments by testing drugs intended to treat osteoporosis or illnesses that degrade the muscles, such as Lou Gehrig's disease.

 

"A 30-day-old mouse on the station has the bone and muscle structure of a 60-to-70-year-old woman," said Marybeth Edeen, NASA manager of the station's national laboratory. The accelerated processes in the rodents in a zero-g environment enables drug companies to quickly assess the results of experimental medicines, she said.

 

NASA also plans to increase the number of plant test beds on the station and add a new "atom lab" in the next couple years that will be cold enough to slow atomic particles - giving scientists a tool to better study their makeup.

 

Another experiment is the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a device that consists of a tube wrapped in powerful magnets, allowing it to sense and record cosmic rays - comparable to the huge sensors attached to particle accelerators like LHC. The AMS already recorded 27 billion interstellar particles since it was installed outside of an ISS laboratory module in 2011.

 

The first results, involving the absence of anti-matter in our universe and what that says about its formation process, are set to be published soon: "The first [AMS] papers will come out in summer 2013," Edeen said.

 

Studying space travel with fruit flies

 

Drew Joseph - San Francisco Chronicle

 

One year from now, in a lab far, far away, a group of fruit flies could unknowingly be helping to make long-term space travel safer.

 

An experiment led by local researchers will use fruit flies to study how the lack of gravity and changes in radiation in space affect the cardiovascular system of humans. It was one of eight projects recently selected by Space Florida, the state's aerospace authority, for a 30-day trip to the International Space Station set for December 2013.

 

Time spent in little gravity can atrophy muscle and bone, and astronauts have returned to Earth with lower heart mass and higher incidents of irregular heart rhythms, said Dr. Peter Lee, a cardiothoracic surgeon at Stanford who is helping to run the fruit fly study.

 

But experts do not understand how significant the cardiovascular problems might be or the mechanisms behind the changes. That's where the fruit flies and their itty-bitty hearts come in.

 

Fruit flies and humans contain many similar genes, meaning scientists can infer how decreased gravity affects people by seeing what happens to the flies, which are also known as drosophila.

 

"We can learn so much translationally from a simple model system," said Sharmila Bhattacharya, the principal investigator of the Biomodel Performance Laboratory at the NASA Ames Research Center. "It's a simple organism that pretty much mirrors a lot of the important functions of humans."

 

Impacts of space

 

One goal is to understand how the changes in gravity and radiation levels between Earth and space might affect genes related to heart function - perhaps making some more active or slowing others down. Researchers will also examine if the flies' hearts lose any contractile strength and if they shrink or have other structural changes.

 

And once researchers figure out how the cardiovascular system responds to space travel, they might be able to mitigate effects for astronauts sent on missions deeper into space.

 

Lee said the team is still determining how many flies will go to the space station in the small containers that will house the flying guinea pigs.

 

"Space is sexy, I guess, in a lot of ways," Lee said of people's fascination with the project. "But there are a lot of real challenges and questions that need to be addressed to make long-duration space flight possible."

 

Other research

 

Bhattacharya has worked with flies in space before, including on one study that showed that flies returned with a weakened immune system - another effect that had been seen in astronauts. She and Lee are partnering with scientists from the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute in La Jolla (San Diego County) for the project.

 

Another project selected by Space Florida was designed by UC Davis researchers. It compares the microbial environments of buildings on Earth to that of the space station.

 

One point of the project is to engage the public in science, specifically in microbiology. With help from the group Science Cheerleader, organizers will hold events in places like stadiums and conference halls where attendees will collect samples of microbes. Some of those samples will be shipped to the space station to see how the microbes grow there.

 

It's part of an effort to get people to think about the microbes that live with us and how different types of buildings may have different communities of microbes, researchers said.

 

"The science is interesting, but this is more about teaching people about microbial ecology in a built environment," said Jonathan Eisen, a UC Davis microbiologist who is helping to organize the project.

 

Bringing microbes back

 

Astronauts will also collect microbes from the space station for Eisen to analyze back on Earth. The station should have an interesting array of microbes because the only ones there had to be on the station initially or come from the astronauts who traveled there, Eisen said.

 

The projects will hitch a ride to the space station on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket leaving from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. And no, the researchers will not be tagging along.

 

"I would go," Eisen said, "but that seems unlikely."

 

NASA Turns Astronaut Trash Into Space Radiation Shield

 

Megan Gannon - Space.com

 

Humans produce trash just about everywhere they go, including space, which will pose a problem for astronauts on long voyages to other planets. But scientists have found a way to transform this space detritus into something useful: a radiation shield.

 

Since flinging garbage out the door is not an option, engineers at NASA are testing how a novel on-board trash compactor could give new life to discarded water bottles, clothing scraps, duct tape and other waste on deep-space missions.

 

The space trash compactor is not like the giant one on the Death Star that nearly squashed Luke Skywalker and the gang in the first "Star Wars" film. This one is smaller, producing circular tiles of trash 8 inches (20 centimeters) wide and a half-inch (1.3 cm) from a single day's worth of garbage. The discs then could be stowed away, or even used for radiation shielding to protect a spacecraft's crew, NASA officials said.

 

"One of the ways these discs could be re-used is as a radiation shield because there's a lot of plastic packaging in the trash," Mary Hummerick, a Qinetiq North America microbiologist at Kennedy Space Center in Florida working on the project, said in a statement. "The idea is to make these tiles, and, if the plastic components are high enough, they could actually shield radiation."

 

Beyond low-Earth orbit, astronauts are bombarded with harmful cosmic rays, which can boost the risk of certain diseases like cancer and neurological damage. And the longer one spends in space, the greater the risk. The dangers radiation are especially of concern given NASA's plans for a manned mission to an asteroid by 2025, and then on to Mars by the mid 2030s — the round trip to the Red Planet alone could take at least two years.

 

Trash tiles could, for example, bolster the space radiation shielding around the astronauts' sleeping quarters or perhaps a small area in the spacecraft that would be built up to serve as a storm shelter to protect crews from solar flare effects, NASA officials said.

 

Devised by engineers at NASA's Ames Research Center in California, the compactor heats the trash for 3.5 hours to between 300 and 350 degrees Fahrenheit (148 and 176 degrees Celsius), melting the garbage, but not incinerating it. The process reduces the trash by at least 10 times the original size and squeezes out water that could be recycled.

 

Hummerick said strips containing bacterial spores are being embedded in test tiles to see if the heating and compaction process is effective in killing bacteria. Her team at Kennedy is expecting to get back a new batch of compacted tiles from Ames soon and will next test if the discs remain sterile in long-term storage.

 

"They are achieving sterilization for the most part," Hummerick said. "What we don't know is, can a few possible surviving bacteria go inert and then grow back?"

 

NASA mission planners need to think about how to handle trash to make use of limited resources during long journeys and to prevent spacecraft from becoming filled with garbage. Trashed tossed out of a spaceship could potentially threaten to contaminate other worlds, and NASA policy dictates that such pollution should be avoided.

 

Strange But True: Astronauts Get Taller in Space

 

Miriam Kramer - Space.com

 

Astronauts in space can grow up to 3 percent taller during the time spent living in microgravity, NASA scientists say. That means that a 6-foot-tall (1.8 meters) person could gain as many as 2 inches (5 centimeters) while in orbit.

 

While scientists have known for some time that astronauts experience a slight height boost during a months-long stay on the International Space Station, NASA is only now starting to use ultrasound technology to see exactly what happens to astronauts' spines in microgravity as it occurs.

 

"Today there is a new ultrasound device on the station that allows more precise musculoskeletal imaging required for assessment of the complex anatomy and the spine," the study's principal investigator Scott Dulchavsky said in a statement. "The crew will be able to perform these complex evaluations in the next year due to a newly developed Just-In-Time training guide for spinal ultrasound, combined with refinements in crew training and remote guidance procedures."

 

A better understanding of the spine's elongation in microgravity could help physicians develop more effective rehabilitation techniques to aid astronauts in their return to Earth's gravity following space station missions.

 

Past studies have shown that when the spine is not exposed to the pull of Earth's gravity, the vertebra can expand and relax, allowing astronauts to actually grow taller. That small gain is short lived, however. Once the astronauts return to Earth, their height returns to normal after a few months. But still, scientists haven't been able to examine the astronaut's spinal columns when experiencing the effects of microgravity until now.

 

This month, astronauts will begin using the ultrasound device to scan each other's backs to see exactly what their spines look like after 30, 90 and 150 days in microgravity. Researchers will see the medical results in real time as the astronaut take turns scanning their spines of their crewmates.

 

Astronauts typically visit the space station in six-month increments, allowing for long-term studies of how the human body changes over time in microgravity.

 

"Ultrasound also allows us to evaluate physiology in motion, such as the movement of muscles, blood in vessels, and function in other systems in the body," Dulchavsky said. "Physiological parameters derived from ultrasound and Doppler give instantaneous observations about the body non-invasively without radiation."

 

Astronauts typically visit the space station in six-month increments, allowing for long-term studies of how the human body changes over time in microgravity.

 

Shuttle contractor USA lays off 111 more workers

 

James Dean - Florida Today

 

Picking up where it left off last year, United Space Alliance on Friday laid off 111 local employees.

 

The cuts came a month after NASA's lead space shuttle contractor eliminated 119 positions at Kennedy Space Center.

 

Work to retire the shuttle program is nearing an end, and by March USA will hand over management of KSC ground systems to a new contractor, Jacobs Technology.

 

More layoffs are planned in March and April, but Houston-based USA's parent companies, The Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., have not publicly confirmed the joint venture's post-shuttle fate.

 

"Boeing and Lockheed continue discussions regarding USA's future," company spokeswoman Tracy Yates said in a statement.

 

Once more than 10,000 strong, USA now has 1,621 total employees, including 785 on the Space Coast.

 

The company has let go more than 6,000 people over the course of 11 "reductions in force" since October 2009, including about 4,300 in Florida.

 

Outgoing employees were given 60 days' notice and were eligible for severance packages ranging from four to 26 weeks of pay and for career transition help.

 

In smaller numbers, NASA is also paring its civil servant staff at KSC through buyout offers to targeted employees. KSC will confirm how many accepted the buyout this week, a spokesman said.

 

Q & A with Cmdr. Chris Hadfield from the space station

 

Kevin Newman - CTV News

 

Almost as soon as he arrived there five days before Christmas, Chris Hadfield started tweeting what he sees outside the windows of the International Space Station -- and what his daily routine has been like.

 

It's the most personal connection we've ever had to one of our astronauts, and in just over a few weeks his Twitter following around the world has exploded.

 

He's been tweeting some dramatic photos of Earth from the ISS - and specifically, Canada.

 

Through the Canadian Space Agency, we emailed a few questions to Hadfield on behalf of CTV Question Period, and here's what he sent us this weekend:

 

Q: Why tweet the mission?

 

A: Because this is too good and wondrous an experience not to share. Twitter lets everyone see and experience it as I am, real-time. Great to have so many people aboard! The response is a clear indication of how people actually feel about exploration and opportunity, when the barriers of jargon and delay are removed."

 

Q: Would you consider a video Google Hangout with us someday?

 

A: Sure, though you can't hang in space. Everything floats!

 

Q: How are you doing up there?

 

A: It takes several days for the human body to adapt to as bizarre a new condition as weightlessness, with nausea, change in digestion, fluid shift from legs to head causing congestion and facial swelling, and the complete change of balance vs vision. But I'm through that - I'm a Spaceling now.

 

Station commander connects with us on Earth like no other

 

John Kelly - Florida Today (Commentary)

 

Chris Hadfield is really sharing his tour of the International Space Station with those of us on Earth.

 

He's not the first space station crew member to use the social media site Twitter to talk about life in the orbiting space lab or to share photographs, but Hadfield's updates are making me feel like I'm getting a tour of the space station like no other.

 

The Canadian explorer, the first from his country to command a spaceship, is sending back pictures and sharing experiences that really open a window into what it's like for the men and women to live, work and play aboard the international station.

 

The images capture the tight quarters, with storage containers and bags strapped and tethered here and there on the "walls" (as you might recall, there's really no such thing as a floor or ceiling in a microgravity environment).

 

Hadfield has shared his views inside the station and out the windows in a way that brings space to the masses.

 

It's worth checking out if you have the time, and you can do it whether you have an account with Twitter or not. Just go to twitter.com/Cmdr_Hadfield or Google the words "Twitter" and "Hadfield," and you'll find his stream of short updates and his photographs.

 

Not only is Hadfield conversing with the likes of, well, you and me here on Earth. But he's also answering questions, making jokes, and sharing space exploration in a way that's engaging and fun. It makes you want to check in on his crew's mission daily.

 

Astronauts have for the last several years been doing an excellent job understanding the power of social media and its ability to directly connect them with a public dying to interact with them. For so many years, astronauts were carefully sequestered from the public and their appearances and interactions with people and the media were very controlled by government handlers.

 

The social media revolution has put them in direct contact with people, and the result is a more genuine conversation and more powerful interaction — one that truly gets at one of the missions of the U.S. space program. Inspiring the next generation of the world's explorers is among the charges for NASA, under law, and similarly part of the mission of other world space agencies.

 

The quality of "connection" made by Commander Hadfield, his crewmates and other shuttle and station astronauts the last few years are vital to the long term support of the space exploration cause. Let's hope Hadfield and his colleagues keep sharing what they're doing with us and making us feel like we got to go along on their incredible adventure.

 

Armstrong didn't lie about 'One Small Step' Moon speech, historian says

 

Andrew Chaikin - Space.com

 

Let's get one thing straight right now: Neil Armstrong was not a liar. But that's the outrageous accusation made about him in screaming headlines following a new BBC documentary on his life.

 

The controversy stems from a comment made by Armstrong's brother Dean, who says in the film that Neil shared his famous "one small step" quotation with him shortly before the mission. The problem, in some people's minds, is that this seems to conflict with Neil's own statements over the last 40 years about when and where he composed what became an immortal sentence when he took his first step onto the moon. So let's look at the facts.

 

The very first public statement Neil made about the subject was at the post-flight press conference on Aug. 12, 1969, following his return from Apollo 11. Asked by a reporter when he came up with the quote, Armstrong answered as follows:

 

"I did think about it. It was not extemporaneous, neither was it planned. It evolved during the conduct of the flight and I decided what the words would be while we were on the lunar surface just prior to leaving the LM."

 

In the Aug. 22, 1969, issue of LIFE magazine, Armstrong elaborated a bit more. "I had thought about that a little before the flight," he wrote, "mainly because so many people had made such a big point of it. I had also thought about it a little on the way to the moon, but not much. It wasn't until after landing that I made up my mind what to say."

 

This is the story Neil told me when I interviewed him in 1988 for my book "A Man on the Moon" (even though I did not specifically ask the question, knowing he was probably tired of answering it). It was also the story Armstrong told his biographer James Hansen in 2003. It is simply not true, as several recent news articles have claimed, that Armstrong always said he composed the quote "spontaneously." It would have been completely out of character for Armstrong, who was thoughtful about nearly everything he said and did, to have offered such an important quote without thinking it through beforehand.

 

Nothing in Neil's post-flight statements rules out the possibility that he thought up the "one small step" line before leaving Earth. He didn't say "I thought up the quote after we landed;" he said, "I decided what I would say after we landed."

 

Dean Armstrong's story just adds a little ambiguity. Maybe Neil had more than one quote in mind at that point, and only shared one of them with his brother. Or maybe the quote he showed his brother was an early draft, but after all these years, Dean remembers seeing the final version.

 

We'll probably never know the answer.

 

What it does not mean is that somehow Armstrong "fibbed" or "lied" to the public for 40 years. Everyone who knew Neil well has described him as extraordinarily principled. That was certainly the man I saw when I interviewed him, and in the years that followed, as we became friends.

 

And it's worth remembering that Neil Armstrong went to the moon, above all, as a consummate engineering test pilot. As he told me in 1988, making the first lunar landing was the greatest technical challenge, and before the flight, he thought he and Buzz Aldrin had only a 50-50 chance of pulling it off.

 

Stepping onto the surface was far less central in his focus, and coming up with a quote for the first step was way down on his list of priorities when faced with the awesome challenge of his mission. And yet, he understood its importance, and he gave us a quote worthy of the moment, one that will live forever.

 

And that's the point: Neil Armstrong did right by history. And now we should do right by him.

 

National Archives to recall Nixon's NASA years

 

Associated Press

 

The National Archives is displaying rarely seen documents and items showing milestones in manned spaceflight from President Richard Nixon's administration.

 

NASA sent the first men to the moon on the Apollo 11 mission during Nixon's presidency and followed with five more lunar missions. The archives will look back at Nixon's support for the space program and his efforts to improve Cold War relations through cooperation in space.

 

The new exhibit "Nixon and the U.S. Space Program" opens Monday. It will include the telephone Nixon used to talk to the Apollo 11 astronauts after their moon landing, a speech drafted in case of disaster during Apollo 11 and tongs used during Apollo 12 to collect moon rocks.

 

Wednesday marks the 100th anniversary of Nixon's birth. The display is open through June.

 

Virgin Galactic Hopes To Use Spaceports Worldwide

 

Rene Romo - Albuquerque Journal

 

The suborbital space tourism industry is still in its infancy, and Virgin Galactic has not yet moved into the state-financed Spaceport America, but there is already talk of the company using a constellation of such launch sites around the globe.

 

During a recent talk in Florida, aviation innovator Burt Rutan, the man who developed the prototypes for Virgin Galactic's two-part launch system, said the company's founder Sir Richard Branson had plans to use spaceports in as many as six different countries.

 

Branson's "plan is to put spaceports in four, five or six different countries," Rutan said in a talk to the World Affairs Council of Jacksonville, Fla., at the University of North Florida at the end of November. "He (Branson) wants to do one up to where you can let people see the Northern Lights."

 

To date, Virgin Galactic has formally talked about plans for two other spaceports, along with the primary base of operations at Spaceport America about 24 miles southeast of Truth or Consequences.

 

Rutan's Northern Lights comment referred to a 2008 announcement about Virgin Galactic's plan to book suborbital flights from a Swedish spaceport tied to the Esrange Space Center.

 

Last spring, Virgin Galactic announced plans to build another spaceport, in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, with the project led by Steve Landeene, a former New Mexico Spaceport Authority executive director who oversaw the start of the project's construction until his departure in 2010. In 2009, Aabar Investments, an Abu Dhabi state-backed investment firm, bought a nearly one-third share in Virgin Galactic.

 

In response to questions about the company's plans for other spaceports, a Virgin Galactic spokesman issued a statement: "VG is focused on Spaceport America for commercial operations. The concept of potential VG operations at other spaceports is still in the early stages. . . . The company has been approached by many other locations in the U.S. and around the world. New Mexico has world-class facilities and, with the right business plan and appropriate state support, the potential to continue to be the world leader."

 

Current Spaceport Authority executive director Christine Anderson said she expects there will be many more spaceports as the nascent industry matures and expands.

 

"I am often asked, 'Are you worried that Virgin Galactic, Spaceport America's anchor tenant, may make more spaceplanes and fly them elsewhere? Are you concerned that there are more spaceports?'" Anderson wrote in an emailed response to questions. "Frankly, I think these are signs of a growing market and the belief that the commercial space industry is worthy of investment now."

 

The terminal at the $209 million Spaceport America is finished, and Virgin Galactic is set to move in, while a 2,000-foot extension to a 10,000-foot runway is expected to be completed in June.

 

Virgin Galactic's two-stage flight system — a rocket-powered spaceplane launched at an altitude of 50,000 feet after being dropped by a double-hulled plane called White-KnightTwo — is still undergoing flight tests in California. Company executives have said the first passenger-bearing flight could occur by the end of 2013.

 

Spaceport wants protections from tourist lawsuits

 

Jeri Clausing - Associated Press

 

Spaceport America officials are urging legislators to limit potential lawsuits from wealthy outer space tourists who take off from New Mexico, saying such a bill is crucial to the future of the project.

 

Legal experts, however, say there is no way to know whether the so-called informed consent laws will offer any protection to spacecraft operators and suppliers in the event something goes wrong.

 

"Since this has never happened yet, we have no precedent," said Joanne Irene Gabrynowicz, director of the space law program at the University of Mississippi.

 

Such measures are being pushed by states trying to compete in the fledgling commercial space travel arena, and Spaceport America officials say that New Mexico risks losing out on a project that was intended to boost the economy in the mostly rural state.

 

They say New Mexico needs to pass a bill to retain anchor tenant Virgin Galactic and to recruit new space business to the state.

 

At issue is liability for passengers who pay to take spaceflights — like those planned by Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic for $200,000 a head — from the spaceport near the city of Truth or Consequences.

 

New Mexico lawmakers several years ago passed a bill that exempts Virgin Galactic from being sued by passengers in the event of an accident provided they have been informed of the risks. Officials have refused, however, to follow a handful of other states in expanding that exemption to suppliers.

 

Spaceport America Executive Director Christine Anderson has blamed New Mexico's refusal during the last two legislative sessions to expand the law as the reason the spaceport has been passed over by companies in favor of states such as Texas and Florida.

 

Virgin Galactic, meanwhile, has hinted it will leave New Mexico if an expansion isn't passed this year.

 

"I understand the impetus to try to match other states, but right now there is no guarantee it's enforceable," said Guigi Carminati with the Weil Law Firm in Houston. "That really is the bottom line."

 

She and Gabrynowicz said the only comparable laws cover adventure sports or amusement parks — and their effectiveness varies.

 

If someone gets hurt on a roller coaster, for example, Gabrynowicz said, the operator generally is not exempt from liability just because a posted sign says passengers at their own risk.

 

Those "don't hold up" in court, she said.

 

She added that while there is "lot of case law regarding those kinds of activities. There is none yet for state law for space launches."

 

The effectiveness of laws protecting extreme and adventure sports operators is harder to know, said Carminati.

 

"Nobody has sat down and actually looked at the nitty gritty of what does immunizing legislation that works look like," she said.

 

There are also many questions, Gabrynowicz said, about whether federal law pre-empts state law in this area, whether state law would still apply if the accident happened over another state or country and whether it would cover passengers from countries that don't allow such exemptions.

 

Federal law exempts spacecraft operators from liability, requiring them to warn passengers in writing of associated risks.

 

Gabrynowicz said that states are now trying to create an even more advantageous position for operators "so they can promote the industry."

 

In New Mexico, the strong trial lawyer lobby has been successful in persuading the Democrat-controlled legislature against expanding the exemption.

 

Senate Majority Leader Michael Sanchez says he is hopeful an agreement can be reached this year, but he emphasizes "you always have to be careful about precluding someone from being able to file an action."

 

Despite the uncertainty, aerospace consultant Patti Grace Smith, a former FAA official responsible for regulating the U.S. commercial space transportation industry, says that since other states have extended the liability exemption to suppliers, New Mexico must do the same to remain competitive.

 

"The whole sector is an evolving sector," she said, noting the legal frameworks are needed "enable the industry to go forward in a positive way."

 

Capt. Mark Kelly

 

Kate Murphy - New York Times

 

Capt. Mark Kelly is a former Navy pilot and NASA astronaut and is the husband of the former congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who survived an assassination attempt in 2011. The couple has formed a political action committee, Gabby PAC, to promote civil political discourse and the election of moderates to Congress. Captain Kelly is also the author of "Mousetronaut," a recently published children's book loosely based on a mouse that accompanied him on one of his space shuttle missions.

 

READING I used to read a lot of science fiction — Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov — but then I started doing science reality. Now I read more nonfiction, particularly if it has a military aspect to it. I'm about halfway through "Unbroken," by Laura Hillenbrand. The strength, toughness and tenacity of the main character reminds me of my wife, Gabby. Also I flew ground attack in Operation Desert Storm, which is what the character in "Unbroken" was doing in World War II, so I could relate to the story a little bit. I got shot at a lot, but I never got shot down like he did.

 

LISTENING That doesn't change much for me: U2 and Aerosmith. Also Coldplay. We picked their song "Speed of Sound" to go along with a slide show we put together for my second space shuttle flight. It went really well with the pictures. Also, Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, is married to Gabby's second cousin, Gwyneth Paltrow. Calexico is one of Gabby's favorite bands. They're from Tucson and are a rock band but their music has a heavy Mexican influence, with mariachis. It's pretty neat with the horns.

 

WATCHING Gabby and I saw the latest James Bond movie, "Skyfall." It was good, but my personal favorite 007 movie is "Casino Royale," because of the poker scene. I used to have a poker game at home a couple of times a month. I wasn't good, but more important than that, the people I was playing with — other astronauts and a few neighbors — were really bad.

 

PURCHASING I bought my wife a new engagement ring for our fifth anniversary — a diamond with a couple of sapphires. I never was happy with the first one. She was happy with it, but I thought she deserved better.

 

RACING I recently went with a friend and drove a couple of racecars — a Porsche 911 and 944 — at Inde Motorsports Ranch, a private track in Willcox, Ariz. It was a lot of fun. Without spaceflight being available to me anymore, I have to find a replacement. It reminded me of flying high-speed, low-altitude routes in the military.

 

EATING I've started to eat more kale. But delicious and kale are not synonymous. If you put it in scrambled eggs, it isn't so bad.

 

END