Fwd: Human Spaceflight (and our next 'Earth') News - February 7, 2013 and JSC Today

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Begin forwarded message:

From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: February 7, 2013 6:57:23 AM GMT-06:00
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: Human Spaceflight (and our next 'Earth') News - February 7, 2013 and JSC Today

 

Hope you can join us today at Hibachi Grill for our monthly NASA retirees luncheon at 11:30 on Bay Area Blvd. between Highway 3 and I45.     As usual, we have the back left party room reserved for our use.

 

 

Visit http://go.nasa.gov/12qVNbk to subscribe to JSC Director News

 

 

 

Thursday, February 7, 2013

 

JSC TODAY HEADLINES

1.            Joint Leadership Team Web Poll

2.            Monthly Test of the JSC Emergency Warning System (EWS)

3.            Felix Baumgartner/Stratos Project Briefing on Friday

4.            JSC Annual Picnic at SplashTown is April 28 -- Save the Date

5.            35th Annual JSC FOD Chili Cook-off Registration is OPEN

6.            Find Out How IT Labs Can Help You

7.            NASA@work: New Challenge Available

8.            Space Microbiology and Toxicology Lecture

9.            Eating Disorders Awareness and Interventions Presentation

10.          IEEE International Conference on Wireless for Space and Extreme Environment

11.          Recent JSC Announcement

12.          Save the Date: AIAA Houston Dinner With CPAS

13.          Wellness ViTS on Feb. 14 -- Develop Your Own Fitness Program

14.          Starport Spinning Workshop Series -- MS 150 Training Returns

15.          System Safety Fundamentals Class: March 11 to 15 -- Building 20, Room 205/206

________________________________________     QUOTE OF THE DAY

" Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future."

 

-- Paul Boese

________________________________________

1.            Joint Leadership Team Web Poll

According to last week's poll, most of us have a pretty easy commute to work in the morning and appreciate it, too. It also appears that quite a few listen to The Grateful Dead on their drive to work. I'd sure like to see them at the rodeo, too. This week Commander Hadfield talked to an important celebrity from the space station. Do you know who it was? The Queen? Lady Gaga? Homer Simpson? A whole bunch of us watched the Super Bowl this past weekend and were mesmerized by the power outage. What is the best excuse for the blackout that you've heard? San Fran conspiracy? Beyoncé's fault? Throwdown squirrel?

Joe your Flacco on over to get this week's poll.

Joel Walker x30541 http://jlt.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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2.            Monthly Test of the JSC Emergency Warning System (EWS)

The Emergency Dispatch Center and Office of Emergency Management will conduct the monthly test of the JSC EWS today, Feb. 7, at noon.

The EWS test will consist of a verbal "This is a test" message, followed by a short  tone and a second verbal "This is a test" message. The warning tone will be the "Whoop" tone, which is associated with a "Seek shelter inside" message. Please visit the JSC Emergency Awareness website for EWS tones and definitions. During an actual emergency situation, the particular tone and verbal message will provide you with protective information.

Dennis G. Perrin x34232

 

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3.            Felix Baumgartner/Stratos Project Briefing on Friday

Don't miss it! Tomorrow, Feb. 8, Andy Walshe, Stratos High Performance Director and Art Thompson, Stratos Technical Project Director, will discuss many of the challenges posed by the Stratos project including human performance and technical systems engineering.

In October 2012, Felix Baumgartner ascended to 128,100 feet in a stratospheric balloon and made a freefall jump, rushing toward Earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground. If you have an interest in human performance and technical challenges created by extreme conditions, this program is for you!

Courtesy of the JSC Strategic Opportunities and Partnership Development Office and the Human Health and Performance Directorate.

Event Date: Friday, February 8, 2013   Event Start Time:2:30 PM   Event End Time:3:30 PM

Event Location: Teague Auditorium

 

Add to Calendar

 

Peggy Wooten x30700

 

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4.            JSC Annual Picnic at SplashTown is April 28 -- Save the Date

SplashTown is closed to the public to allow NASA family and friends to attend a private day at the water park! This year the JSC Picnic at SplashTown will be on April 28. More details coming soon -- check JSC Today and the Starport website.

Event Date: Sunday, April 28, 2013   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:6:00 PM

Event Location: Splashtown

 

Add to Calendar

 

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

 

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5.            35th Annual JSC FOD Chili Cook-off Registration is OPEN

Chili cookers unite! Like chili? Then try your hand at cooking some and tasting other great recipes. No experience necessary! Register your team now for this year's event to be held on Saturday, April 13, on the Gilruth grounds.

Show your spirit and form a team to compete in the games and showmanship competitions as well! Check the website for more details.

Event Date: Saturday, April 13, 2013   Event Start Time:7:00 AM   Event End Time:5:00 PM

Event Location: Gilruth Center

 

Add to Calendar

 

Jeff Bauer 281-226-5132 https://external.jsc.nasa.gov/events/chili/index.cfm

 

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6.            Find Out How IT Labs Can Help You

Please join the Human Systems Academy in a lecture featuring IT Labs. Technology is constantly evolving, and we must adapt to keep the pace. IT Labs represents a significant leap from how NASA traditionally evaluates new technologies. Come learn about the IT Labs process for project evaluation, which allows for projects to be quickly and effectively evaluated based on essential criteria identified by the program at defined points in the project's lifecycle. This evaluation of quality and potential viability mitigates risk factors of both time and cost, effectively providing a better chance for more projects to be realized. Course ID: JSC-HSA-ITLABS

For registration, please go to: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Event Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2013   Event Start Time:1:00 PM   Event End Time:2:00 PM

Event Location: B35/1958

 

Add to Calendar

 

Cynthia Rando 281-461-2620 http://sa.jsc.nasa.gov

 

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7.            NASA@work: New Challenge Available

New for February! Challenge 1602: Advanced Exercise Concepts for Long-Duration Spaceflight (deadline Feb. 28)

Are you new to NASA@work? NASA@work is an agencywide, collaborative problem-solving platform that connects the collective knowledge of experts (like YOU) from all centers across NASA. Challenge owners post problems, and members of the NASA@work community participate by responding with their solutions to posted problems. Anyone can participate! Check it out and submit your solution today.

Kathryn Keeton 281-204-1519 http://nasa.innocentive.com

 

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8.            Space Microbiology and Toxicology Lecture

Please join the Human Systems Academy for a lecture about Space Microbiology and Toxicology. The Microbiology, WAFAL and Toxicology Laboratories provide technical support, technology development and innovative research to mitigate crew health risk resulting from adverse environmental conditions. Join this lecture to learn more about their important role in maintaining crew health and performance during spaceflight missions. Course ID: JSC-HSA-MicroTox

For registration, please go to: https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHEDULED_...

Event Date: Friday, February 8, 2013   Event Start Time:9:00 AM   Event End Time:10:00 AM

Event Location: B9/113

 

Add to Calendar

 

Cynthia Rando 281-461-2620 http://sa.jsc.nasa.gov

 

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9.            Eating Disorders Awareness and Interventions Presentation

In observance of the National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, please join Takis Bogdanos, MA, LPC-S, CGP, of the JSC Employee Assistance Program, on Wednesday, Feb. 13, at 12 noon in the Building 30 Auditorium as he presents an overview on eating disorders, prevalence, latest treatments, support and the steps to take to get help for a person who is afflicted by them.

Event Date: Wednesday, February 13, 2013   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:1:00 PM

Event Location: Building 30 Auditorium

 

Add to Calendar

 

Lorrie Bennett x36130

 

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10.          IEEE International Conference on Wireless for Space and Extreme Environment

The call for proposals is now open for the Institute of Electrical and Electronics (IEEE) International Conference on Wireless for Space and Extreme Environments. Organized by a team comprised of NASA, the European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency and academic investigators, this international meeting will look to tackle the challenges involved with communication and sensing in extreme environments, both in space and on Earth. The conference will bring together representatives from the international space community, as well as aerospace and space defense industries in an effort to understand and solve the emerging problems facing wireless sensing and communication in space and related extreme environments.

Initial proposals are due July 1. The conference will take place in Baltimore from Nov. 7 to 9.

Click here for a list of areas of particular interest and information on how to submit a proposal.

Richard Barton x31444 http://sites.ieee.org/wisee/

 

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11.          Recent JSC Announcement

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

JSCA 13-006: Starport (JSC Exchange) Scholarship 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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12.          Save the Date: AIAA Houston Dinner With CPAS

The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Houston Section invites you to save an evening for dinner and a discussion of the Capsule Parachute Assembly System (CPAS) with Leah Romero. Romero has participated in 10 CPAS drop tests as the lead analyst on the load-train predictions, which determine margins of safety for test support equipment. Currently, she is the team lead for implementing the Flight Analysis and Simulation Tool (FAST) and is co-authoring a paper discussing the cutting-edge statistical methods CPAS uses to define the parachute model for the 2013 AIAA ADS conference.

This AIAA Houston dinner will be at the Gilruth, with doors opening at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 21. Look for an update early next week for RSVP and dinner choice information.

Event Date: Thursday, February 21, 2013   Event Start Time:5:30 PM   Event End Time:9:00 PM

Event Location: Gilruth

 

Add to Calendar

 

Michael Frostad 206-963-6858 http://www.aiaahouston.org

 

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13.          Wellness ViTS on Feb. 14 -- Develop Your Own Fitness Program

Join us for the second installment of JSC's 2013 fitness/nutrition/Employee Assistance Program series! Dr. Larry Wier will be presenting information on how to jumpstart your health, nutrition and fitness goals with his presentation of "Develop Your Own Fitness Program."

Location: Building 17, Room 2026

Time: 12:30 to 2 p.m.

Dial-In: 1-888-370-7263, pass code 8811760#

To join the online meeting (now from iPhones and other smart phones, too):

1. Go to: https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/j.php?ED=192013347&UID=0&PW=NYzQ4YmVjZjUw&RT=MiMx...

2. Enter your name and email address

3. Enter the meeting password: Fitness*9

4. Click "Join Now"

Each monthly module in this 2013 series will be 90 minutes to facilitate more audience questions. We hope that you will attend each module as often as your schedule permits. Please check the agency's Occupational Health website for information about the series, copies of the slides used and the schedule for the rest of 2013.

Larry Wier x30301

 

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14.          Starport Spinning Workshop Series -- MS 150 Training Returns

Starport is thrilled to offer a special eight-week training workshop based on the "periodization" approach to training that will prepare you for the MS 150 or a multi-day or long-distance event such as a triathlon or marathon. Each spinning class and training ride will be taught by our phenomenal certified instructors.

Registration closes on Feb. 20

o             Register at the Gilruth information desk

Thursday Rides/Workshops (5:30 to 6:30 p.m.):

o             Feb. 21 | Feb. 28 | March 7 | March 21 | March 28 | April 4 | April 11 | April 18

Sunday Distance Rides (1.5 to 2.5 hours):

o             TBA

Full Package (All Thursday and Sunday Rides)

o             Price per person: Early $99 | $110 (after Feb. 13)

Just Sundays (Both Sunday Rides)

o             Price per person: $25

Individual Sundays

o             Price per person: $15

Take your skills to the next level and sign up today!

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

 

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15.          System Safety Fundamentals Class: March 11 to 15 -- Building 20, Room 205/206

This course instructs students in fundamentals of system safety management and the hazard analysis of hardware, software and operations. Basic concepts and principles of the analytical process are stressed. Student are introduced to NASA publications that require and guide safety analysis, as well as general reference texts on subject areas covered. Types and techniques of hazard analysis are addressed in enough detail to give the student a working knowledge of their uses and how they're accomplished. Skills in analytical techniques are developed through the use of practical exercises worked by students in class. This course establishes a foundation for the student to pursue more advanced studies of system safety and hazard analysis techniques while allowing students to effectively apply their skills to straightforward analytical assignments. This is a combination of System Safety Workshop and System Safety Special Subjects. Students who've taken those classes shouldn't take this class. SATERN Registration 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.

 

 

 

 

 

NASA TV:

·         9:40 am Central (10:40 EST) – E34's Chris Hadfield with William Shatner & Twitter followers

·         12:50 pm Central (1:50 EST) – E34 Commander Kevin Ford with Indiana State Legislature

 

Human Spaceflight News

Thursday – February 7, 2013

 

HEADLINES AND LEADS

 

Orion Abort Test Delayed Until After Maiden SLS Flight

 

Dan Leone - Space News

 

(Kyle note: Be advised that almost all Space News articles online are available only to paid subscribers. This excerpt is from the daily NASA News Summary)

 

NASA has delayed a planned flight test of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle's launch abort system at least two years in an effort to hold down near-term costs on a $3 billion a year program aiming for a 2017 debut of Orion's heavy-lift launcher, the Space Launch System. Dan Dumbacher, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, to the National Research Council's Committee on Human Spaceflight, "You run into problems along the way, and there are things that have to be moved around and things that have to be reshaped. It is a more challenging problem for us now because of the flatline budget."

 

Report: NASA delays Orion abort test until after first Space Launch System launch

 

Lee Roop - Huntsville Times

 

The flat budget facing NASA is forcing the space agency to delay a planned flight test of the Orion capsule's launch abort system at least two years, according to a report today. The website spacenews.com reported the delay in an account of recent testimony by a top NASA official to a review panel. According to Space News, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, Dan Dumbacher, told the panel on Feb. 4 that the in-flight test of the system designed to save astronauts from a launch abort will not happen until the full Space Launch System makes its flight debut in 2017.

 

House Science Committee pledges bipartisan cooperation

 

Jeff Foust - SpacePolitics.com

 

The full House Science Committee, which will be devoting attention this year to NASA and commercial space transportation among other topics, emerged from a closed-door retreat on Tuesday with plans to work across party lines on key issues. "Newspaper headlines insist that Capitol Hill is hopelessly gridlocked. I want the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to be the exception," said Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the committee, in a post-retreat press release. "This bipartisan retreat sets a good tone of cooperation for what can be a year of bipartisan achievements."

 

NASA gives Huntsville's Teledyne Brown Engineering $120M space station contract

 

Lee Roop - Huntsville Times

 

NASA has awarded Teledyne Brown Engineering of Huntsville a $120 million contract for operations and integration work on the International Space Station. The announcement was made Wednesday. The cost-plus-award-fee contract has a potential performance period of five years. It begins March 1 with an 18-month base period. Following that come three one-year options and one six-month option that may be exercised at NASA's discretion. During the contract period, Teledyne Brown will support "all phases of flight," NASA says, including mission preparation, crew and flight controller training and real-time requirements for spaceflight operations. (NO FURTHER TEXT)

 

After Declines, ATK Sees Stability for Space Business

 

Peter B. de Selding - Space News

 

Rocket-motor and space hardware builder ATK on Feb. 5 said it now sees light at the end of the tunnel at its Aerospace division after a steep decline following the end of key NASA and U.S. Air Force programs. "We do believe from everything we can see that we have stabilized that business and that we're poised for some modest growth over the next few years," ATK Chief Executive Mark W. DeYoung said in a conference call with investors. "It also appears that margins, at the current program mix, are going to be stable going forward."

 

Is Canada's space program in jeopardy?

 

Greg Weston - Canadian Broadcasting Co.

 

He's a media darling, the kids love him and face it ... space travel looks pretty appealing with Commander Chris Hadfield checking in, tweeting, floating about and sharing his space chores. But while he's up there, the agency that put him there is out of orbit. The Canadian Space Agency faces serious cuts, its leadership is unexpectedly vacant and its goals and future are unclear. Is it rocket science or politics? Canadians have rarely had so much admiration for a man who looks so down on them. Chris Hadfield really has star power. He's been in space for about 7 weeks, gearing up to take command of the international space station and operating the robotic lever known as the Canadarm.

 

Space Race in Asia Heating Up

 

Mike Wall - Space.com

 

The United States and the Soviet Union pushed each other to new heights during the Cold War space race, and now something similar appears to be unfolding across Asia. In the past two months, both North Korea and South Korea successfully launched satellites to orbit for the first time, and Iran claimed it sent a monkey to suborbital space and retrieved the animal unharmed. Such activities are not isolated incidents, but rather highlight a growing trend, experts say.

 

Embry-Riddle has high hopes for commercial space degree program

 

James Dean – Florida Today

 

Commercial spaceflight has graduated into academia with a first-of-its-kind college degree intended to prepare students for the field. Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Wednesday announced plans to launch an undergraduate degree in Commercial Space Operations this fall at its Daytona Beach campus. "The commercial space industry is new and exciting, it's the next step, really, in spaceflight for the entire world," said Rebecca Zgorski, an Embry-Riddle senior who helped faculty develop the program. "It really is an exciting time to get into the industry."

 

Two More NASA Astronauts Leave Agency

 

Jason Rhian - AmericaSpace.org

 

NASA has lost two more veteran astronauts, including the head of the space agency's Flight Crew Operations Directorate. The first of the astronauts to leave was Brent Jett, who flew into space four times aboard the space shuttle. His most recent position with NASA was as the deputy manager of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. Also leaving NASA is Clayton Anderson, who flew into space twice aboard the shuttle. The loss of these two experienced flyers highlights a "brain drain" that NASA has been experiencing. The latest two departures from NASA's astronaut corps are two of the more experienced astronauts that were with the agency.

 

We Must Restore Our Commitment to U.S. Space Exploration

 

Jerry Ross - Huffington Post (Opinion)

 

(Ross is a former astronaut and was one of only three astronauts to support the U.S. Space Shuttle program from before the first launch through the last…)

 

As the wheels stopped on the Space Shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center on July 11, 2011, I was standing on the runway waiting to greet the crew. It was a poignant moment for me. Each of our shuttles had its own unique personality and I knew Atlantis best. Five of my seven space flights had been on that ship, and this was its last mission. At the time I was serving as Chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office, responsible for providing technical support to Shuttle and International Space Station crews. It was my last mission, too.

 

WHERE IS OUR NEXT 'EARTH?'

 

Study shows Earth-like planets likely commonplace

 

William Harwood - CBS News

 

A new study indicates some 60 percent of the galaxy's most ubiquitous stars likely host planets smaller than Neptune and about 6 percent host Earth-size worlds orbiting in the so-called "Goldilocks" zone where liquid water -- and life as we know it -- are possible, astronomers announced Wednesday. The stars in question are red dwarfs with a quarter the mass of the sun and just 2 percent the luminosity. But they are commonplace, making up about 75 percent of the stars closest to the sun. Courtney Dressing, a graduate astronomer who led the study at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told reporters a statistical analysis of 4,000 red dwarfs studied by NASA's planet-finding Kepler space probe shows the nearest Earth-like planet must be orbiting a red dwarf within a stone's throw of the sun. Relatively speaking.

 

Closest Earth-like planet 'stroll across park'

 

Marcia Dunn – Associated Press

 

Earth-like worlds may be closer and more plentiful than anyone imagined. Astronomers reported Wednesday that the nearest Earth-like planet may be just 13 light-years away - or some 77 trillion miles. That planet hasn't been found yet, but should be there based on the team's study of red dwarf stars. Galactically speaking, that's right next door.

 

Dwarf stars likely home to nearby habitable planets

 

Dan Vergano - USA Today

 

Buy land, Mark Twain said. They aren't making any more. Mark Twain didn't reckon with astronomers, who report Wednesday that 6% of red dwarf stars possess ocean-friendly Earth-sized planets. Space looks a little more crowded, astronomers report. About 6% of nearby dwarf stars likely host Earth-like planets, a science team announced on Wednesday. The astronomy team at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., says that these "red dwarf" stars, too dim to be seen by the naked eye but by far the most common kind in space, may host many habitable worlds.

__________

 

COMPLETE STORIES

 

Orion Abort Test Delayed Until After Maiden SLS Flight

 

Dan Leone - Space News

 

(Kyle note: Be advised that almost all Space News articles online are available only to paid subscribers. This excerpt is from the daily NASA News Summary)

 

NASA has delayed a planned flight test of the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle's launch abort system at least two years in an effort to hold down near-term costs on a $3 billion a year program aiming for a 2017 debut of Orion's heavy-lift launcher, the Space Launch System.

 

Dan Dumbacher, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, to the National Research Council's Committee on Human Spaceflight, "You run into problems along the way, and there are things that have to be moved around and things that have to be reshaped. It is a more challenging problem for us now because of the flatline budget."

 

Several times Dumbacher stressed NASA is still planning to hold Orion's first flight in 2014 aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta 4 rocket.

 

Lockheed Martin is also developing fixes for cracks that formed during testing, fixes that Dumbacher said would be finalized "in a few weeks."

 

Meanwhile, "NASA is spreading $200 million across four companies for a 30-month SLS Advanced Booster Engineering Demonstration and Risk Reduction effort."

 

Report: NASA delays Orion abort test until after first Space Launch System launch

 

Lee Roop - Huntsville Times

 

The flat budget facing NASA is forcing the space agency to delay a planned flight test of the Orion capsule's launch abort system at least two years, according to a report today. The website spacenews.com reported the delay in an account of recent testimony by a top NASA official to a review panel.

 

According to Space News, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, Dan Dumbacher, told the panel on Feb. 4 that the in-flight test of the system designed to save astronauts from a launch abort will not happen until the full Space Launch System makes its flight debut in 2017.

 

"This is a development problem," the website quoted Dumbacher telling members of the National Research Council's Committee on Human Spaceflight. "You run into problems along the way, and there are things that have to be moved around and things that have to be reshaped."

 

NASA still plans to launch an Orion in 2014 to test its heat shields and landing gear. That flight will be atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV rocket assembled at ULA's facility in Decatur, Al. Reports say NASA and ULA are shooting for a Sept. 2014 launch.

 

House Science Committee pledges bipartisan cooperation

 

Jeff Foust - SpacePolitics.com

 

The full House Science Committee, which will be devoting attention this year to NASA and commercial space transportation among other topics, emerged from a closed-door retreat on Tuesday with plans to work across party lines on key issues.

 

"Newspaper headlines insist that Capitol Hill is hopelessly gridlocked. I want the Science, Space, and Technology Committee to be the exception," said Rep. Lamar Smith (R-TX), chairman of the committee, in a post-retreat press release. "This bipartisan retreat sets a good tone of cooperation for what can be a year of bipartisan achievements."

 

The ranking member of the full committee, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX), shared those sentiments in the same statement. The committee, she said, "has much important work to do in the 113th Congress and the only way we will be able to get it done is through bipartisanship." What the committee members discussed in the committee wasn't disclosed, but they did have a couple of celebrity guests: Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye, the latter noting on Twitter that they were at the retreat to remind the committee "of the great value of science."

 

Speaking yesterday at the FAA Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington, Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD), the ranking member of the committee's space subcommittee, also welcomed bipartisan cooperation she expected on space issues in the committee. "There really is a sense—and Chairman Smith has certainly indicated this—that we are really going to, as much as possible, return the Science Committee to one that really does think about the future," she said.

 

Edwards said that she and the subcommittee's chairman, Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS), have a "great working relationship" that will extend to work this year on a new NASA authorization bill that can establish objectives and funding levels that appropriators can fulfill with their separate funding bills.

 

"I hope that the chairman and I are able to work on realistic goals, that we're able to set a course that Mr. [Chaka] Fattah and his colleagues and his colleagues are able to resource," she said, referring to the ranking member of the Commerce, Justice, and Science subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee.

 

After Declines, ATK Sees Stability for Space Business

 

Peter B. de Selding - Space News

 

Rocket-motor and space hardware builder ATK on Feb. 5 said it now sees light at the end of the tunnel at its Aerospace division after a steep decline following the end of key NASA and U.S. Air Force programs.

 

"We do believe from everything we can see that we have stabilized that business and that we're poised for some modest growth over the next few years," ATK Chief Executive Mark W. DeYoung said in a conference call with investors. "It also appears that margins, at the current program mix, are going to be stable going forward."

 

Arlington, Va.-based ATK's aerospace business has suffered the retirement of the U.S. space shuttle, the cancellation of NASA's Constellation program and the Ares rocket for which ATK was a contractor. The end of the U.S. Air Force's program to refuel Minutemen 3 nuclear missiles — work that had generated several hundred million dollars in revenue for ATK — also reduced the division's revenue.

 

The Aerospace division is making do with a NASA contract volume that is far lower than the $500 million annual run rate in the shuttle era. ATK officials have said future NASA work is likely to stabilize at around $300 million a year, depending on the evolution of NASA's planned heavy-lift Space Launch System, SLS. The company is building solid-rocket motors for the first two scheduled SLS missions in 2017 and 2021, and has a separate contract under NASA's advanced booster-casing program.

 

ATK hopes to build its business in producing small satellites for government customers. It is under a relatively small contract to the Air Force to study the ability to host weather-monitoring instruments on a small satellite platform "for customers who are looking for sophisticated, quick-to-market, affordable capabilities," DeYoung said.

 

For the three months ending Dec. 30, ATK's Aerospace division reported revenue of $301.1 million, flat from the same period a year ago and an early indication that the business has stabilized, DeYoung said. Pretax profit, at $37.5 million, was up 7.6 percent over the same period a year ago.

 

Is Canada's space program in jeopardy?

 

Greg Weston - Canadian Broadcasting Co.

 

He's a media darling, the kids love him and face it ... space travel looks pretty appealing with Commander Chris Hadfield checking in, tweeting, floating about and sharing his space chores. But while he's up there, the agency that put him there is out of orbit. The Canadian Space Agency faces serious cuts, its leadership is unexpectedly vacant and its goals and future are unclear. Is it rocket science or politics?

 

Canadians have rarely had so much admiration for a man who looks so down on them.

 

Chris Hadfield really has star power. He's been in space for about 7 weeks, gearing up to take command of the international space station and operating the robotic lever known as the Canadarm.

 

In the gymnasium of the Chris Hadfield School in Milton, Ontario students gathered for a live chat with the astronaut. Some wore white jump suits and helmets made from paper mache. From his temporary home in orbit, the astronaut took questions.

 

Many Canadians cheer Chris Hadfield's space adventure. He's got more than 300, 000 followers on Twitter, and tomorrow his conversation with William Shatner will be broadcast live on the Canadian Space Agency's website.

 

But on earth, things are less buoyant for Canada's space program. The Canadian Space Agency's President, Steve McLean, stepped down February first, seven months before the end of his mandate. The agency struggles with a ten per cent budget cut. And then, there's the Aerospace Review Report, delivered in November, that says Canada's space program needs a "reset".

 

Space Race in Asia Heating Up

 

Mike Wall - Space.com

 

The United States and the Soviet Union pushed each other to new heights during the Cold War space race, and now something similar appears to be unfolding across Asia.

 

In the past two months, both North Korea and South Korea successfully launched satellites to orbit for the first time, and Iran claimed it sent a monkey to suborbital space and retrieved the animal unharmed. Such activities are not isolated incidents, but rather highlight a growing trend, experts say.

 

"I think there's a significant Asian space race going on," said Joan Johnson-Freese, professor of national security affairs at the Naval War College in Newport, R.I.

 

Rockets and missiles

 

North Korea's satellite launch came on Dec. 12, while rival and neighbor South Korea celebrated a similar milestone on Jan. 30. Iran announced the success of its monkey mission on Jan. 28, though some observers have voiced doubts about the claim, which has yet to be verified by Western intelligence officials.

 

The United States and other nations have condemned the North Korean and Iranian launches, viewing them as thinly disguised tests of ballistic missile technology that both countries are supposed to be prohibited from developing.

 

There's not much difference, after all, between a satellite-carrying rocket and a warhead-toting intercontinental ballistic missile, which reaches suborbital space on its way toward a distant destination on Earth's surface. Resolutions passed by the United Nations aim to keep such technology out of the hands of North Korea, which possesses nuclear weapons, and Iran, which is thought to be pursuing them.

 

Asia's two most populous nations have also been flexing their space-technology muscles recently. Since late November, both China and India have conducted major missile-defense tests, which employ technology similar to that required to take out satellites, Johnson-Freese noted.

 

"All of this technology is very symbiotic between civilian and military aspiration," she told SPACE.com.

 

China leads the way

 

Iran claims its monkey launch will help pave the way for a human spaceflight mission, which the nation hopes to accomplish by 2020 or so. India has also voiced a desire to blast an astronaut into space.

 

Such ambitions are in large part a response to the achievements of China, Johnson-Freese said.

 

In 2003, China became the third country (after the United States and the Soviet Union/Russia) to launch a person into space. And last year, China pulled off a manned docking in Earth orbit, executing a demonstration mission that could lay the foundation for a crewed space station down the line.

 

"They think they cannot allow China to be seen as that far ahead of them technologically," Johnson-Freese said of Indian officials. "And the connotation of human spaceflight is technological sophistication."

 

China's human spaceflight successes have garnered the nation and its leaders a great deal of prestige both regionally and around the globe — a fact not lost on India and Iran, Johnson-Freese said. Such nations likely view the articulation of bold aims as important, even if success is a long shot or a long way down the road.

 

"They know they can't catch up [to China], but they have to be seen as active players," Johnson-Freese said.

 

Embry-Riddle has high hopes for commercial space degree program

 

James Dean – Florida Today

 

Commercial spaceflight has graduated into academia with a first-of-its-kind college degree intended to prepare students for the field.

 

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Wednesday announced plans to launch an undergraduate degree in Commercial Space Operations this fall at its Daytona Beach campus.

 

"The commercial space industry is new and exciting, it's the next step, really, in spaceflight for the entire world," said Rebecca Zgorski, an Embry-Riddle senior who helped faculty develop the program. "It really is an exciting time to get into the industry."

 

With SpaceX now flying cargo to the International Space Station for NASA — the next resupply mission is targeting a March 1 launch from Cape Canaveral — a competition under way to fly crews commercially and companies such as Virgin Galactic and XCOR Aerospace nearing manned suborbital flights, university officials said the timing was right for a specialized program.

 

Such companies typically are dominated by engineers as they design and test their new rockets and spacecraft, said Lance Erickson, the program's coordinator.

 

But as they embark on regular commercial flights, they'll need more employees trained in how to plan and execute missions safely.

 

That activity is expected to pick up within four or five years, just as the program graduates its first students.

 

"There's going to be a big requirement for more than just the designers of the craft," said Erickson, a professor of applied aviation. "What we'd like to do is offer the industry personnel that have experience in policy and regulation, certification, safety and all of that."

 

The university introduced the new degree plans at the Federal Aviation Administration's Commercial Space Transportation Conference in Washington, D.C. The program still awaits approval by Embry-Riddle's board of trustees next month.

 

Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana and Space Florida President Frank DiBello are among those who have submitted letters of support.

 

Erickson says he expects the program to start small, conservatively estimating an enrollment of about 15 students a year.

 

The program will include some core space-related courses like orbital mechanics and propulsion, but industry input also recommended a focus on policy, regulatory, training and safety issues that are still being sorted out between the FAA, NASA, spaceports and international agencies.

 

Embry-Riddle isn't the only area university pursuing studies and research related to commercial space.

 

Florida Tech's College of Engineering features a Center for Space Commercialization, and the University of Central Florida houses the Florida Space Institute, whose charter includes support for commercial space development.

 

Commercial firms are listed among industry partners of Brevard Community College's SpaceTEC program, which certifies technicians for aerospace work.

 

Zgorski, a 22-year-old Baltimore native, said commercial spaceflight is helping to drive interest in space and student enthusiasm for science, technology, engineering and math.

 

Close to graduating with a minor in space studies and a major in "human factors," which studies the relationship of people to their work environment, she wishes Embry-Riddle's new commercial space degree had come along sooner.

 

"If I could change my major, I would," she said.

 

Two More NASA Astronauts Leave Agency

 

Jason Rhian - AmericaSpace.org

 

NASA has lost two more veteran astronauts, including the head of the space agency's Flight Crew Operations Directorate. The first of the astronauts to leave was Brent Jett, who flew into space four times aboard the space shuttle. His most recent position with NASA was as the deputy manager of the agency's Commercial Crew Program. Also leaving NASA is Clayton Anderson, who flew into space twice aboard the shuttle. The loss of these two experienced flyers highlights a "brain drain" that NASA has been experiencing.

 

The latest two departures from NASA's astronaut corps are two of the more experienced astronauts that were with the agency.

 

Brent Ward Jett Jr. grew up with a fascination for airplanes, and his boyhood heroes were the astronauts of Mercury and Gemini and Apollo.

 

"But I did not have that revelation at that early age that someday I'm going to be an astronaut," he told a NASA interviewer. "It didn't seem like it was even a possibility for me."

 

Jett received much of his early education in Florida, and after graduation from Northeast High School in Oakland Park in 1976 he went to the University of Florida for a year and then entered the Naval Academy to study aerospace engineering.

 

"That year in Florida helped me understand what was on the other side," he said, before entering the "very, very rigid environment" of a naval education.

 

Jett earned his degree in 1981—graduating first in his 976-strong class—and immediately plunged into flight training. He was designated a Naval Aviator in March 1983 and flew the F-14 Tomcat, deploying to the Mediterranean and Indian Oceans aboard the USS Saratoga. During this period, he served as an airwing-qualified landing signal officer and attended the Navy's Fighter Weapons School (the famed "Top Gun"). Over the next few years, Jett was selected to attend Test Pilot School and earned a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. In June 1990—by now a qualified test pilot—he worked as a project test pilot and returned to the operational Navy in September the following year. Within six months, Jett was picked as a member of NASA's 14th group of astronaut candidates, who dubbed themselves "The Hogs."

 

Years later, he paid tribute to his military service as having positioned him appropriately for admission into the hallowed ranks of NASA's astronaut corps. "Somewhat unintentionally," he told the interviewer, "I ended up doing those things that were necessary to become qualified to apply to become an astronaut. It wasn't until I was a test pilot that I had a chance to take a trip down here to the Johnson Space Center, visit with the astronauts, and find out what the job really entailed."

 

That "job" encompassed four shuttle flights—as pilot on STS-72 and STS-81 in January 1996 and January 1997, and as mission commander on STS-97 and STS-115 in November 2000 and September 2006—and a wide range of managerial responsibilities. He served as NASA's Director of Operations in Russia in 1997-98 and was three months away from STS-115 when Columbia was destroyed during re-entry in February 2003. Unlike many shuttle crews assembled before the disaster, Jett and his team remained intact and their mission resumed construction of the International Space Station after a four-year hiatus. Jett left the Navy in July 2007, but remained with NASA, serving until 2011 as Director of the Flight Crew Operations Directorate and from 2011 until his retirement in January 2013 as Deputy Manager of the Commercial Crew Program.

 

"Brent was an incredible leader for the Commercial Crew Program, the agency, and the nation," said Ed Mango, Commercial Crew Program manager. "His efforts helped our country put together a strong foundation in order to build a home-grown capability for human access to low-Earth orbit."

 

Like Brent Jett, Clay Anderson grew up with no grand plans of someday becoming an astronaut … unless one should choose to speak to his mother. "She says I was ready to be an astronaut at age four," he once told a NASA interviewer, "when she dressed me up in tin foil and I got second place in the local parade during July. She said I was robbed: I should've gotten first." Anderson's earliest recollection of space was watching a black and white television on the night that the Apollo 8 astronauts entered orbit around the Moon in December 1968, just two months shy of his tenth birthday.

 

Clayton Conrad Anderson was born in Omaha, Neb., on 23 February 1959. He attended high school in his home state and graduated from Hastings College with a degree in physics in 1981. Anderson then enrolled at Iowa State University for his master's degree in aerospace engineering.

 

"The main reason I went there," he said of the move to Iowa, "was they were one of the few schools that offered to pay me to go there. They offered me a teaching assistantship."

 

Anderson's arrival at NASA came about through a certain amount of serendipity and good luck.

 

A man named Maynard Huntley helped Anderson to secure a summer internship at NASA. His formal career with the space agency began in 1983 in JSC's Mission Planning and Analysis Division, performing rendezvous and proximity operations trajectory designs for early shuttle missions. By 1988, Anderson had joined the Mission Operations Directorate, working on the trajectory design team for the Galileo mission to Jupiter, and after several further flight design posts he was selected as a member of the 17th group of NASA astronauts—nicknamed "The Penguins"—in June 1998.

 

One of Anderson's earliest accomplishments was completion of the EVA Skills program, and in his two space missions he would go on to record no fewer than six career EVAs. His first flight was Expedition 15/16 aboard the International Space Station, launching to the outpost aboard STS-117 in June 2007 and returning to Earth aboard STS-120 the following November, after 152 days. His second mission, STS-131, was the next-to-last voyage of Space Shuttle Discovery in April 2010.

 

"Clay will certainly be missed in the Astronaut Office, especially for his technical expertise. His combination of shuttle, station long duration, and spacewalk experience was extremely valuable to us," said Bob Behnken, chief of the Astronaut Office. "We wish him continued success in future endeavors, and know he will continue to captivate whenever and wherever he shares his spaceflight experiences."

 

NASA has lost many of its seasoned space flight veterans since the last space shuttle mission, STS-135, concluded in July 2011. This has raised the concern that the space agency might be unable to complete its human spaceflight objectives. NASA needs astronauts to assist in the management of the International Space Station, and to also assist with the development of the commercial crew vehicles that NASA's private partners are working to develop. Astronauts also serve in a variety of other roles. For this reason the agency needs a corps of trained astronauts to complete these various tasks, and it is unclear how many more departures NASA can sustain before it is not able to complete these obligations.

 

We Must Restore Our Commitment to U.S. Space Exploration

 

Jerry Ross - Huffington Post (Opinion)

 

(Ross is a former astronaut and was one of only three astronauts to support the U.S. Space Shuttle program from before the first launch through the last. With one other person he holds the record for number of space launches - seven -- and he ranks third in the world for space walks -- nine. His new book is Spacewalker: My Journey Through Space and Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer.)

 

As the wheels stopped on the Space Shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center on July 11, 2011, I was standing on the runway waiting to greet the crew.

 

It was a poignant moment for me. Each of our shuttles had its own unique personality and I knew Atlantis best. Five of my seven space flights had been on that ship, and this was its last mission. At the time I was serving as Chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office, responsible for providing technical support to Shuttle and International Space Station crews. It was my last mission, too.

 

At 5:57 a.m. that morning in the warm, predawn darkness of the Florida Space Coast, the wheels also stopped on one of the most successful periods of exploration in human history. Atlantis, STS-135, marked the end of the U.S. Space Shuttle program, my workplace for 32 years. Even more significantly this landing marked the onset of confusion and uncertainty concerning the future of one of America's greatest sources of knowledge, technical excellence, and national pride -- our human space flight program.

 

Today, 18 months later, America's shuttles, bearing the bruises and scars of space flight, rest in museums where tourists marvel at their accomplishments. Parents point out the places where astronauts once sat, circling the globe every 90 minutes, to children who may have never seen a shuttle launch. And many experienced astronauts, engineers, and skilled workers have left NASA and space contractors either voluntarily or through layoffs.

 

The nation that put humans on the moon and inspired generations of excellence in science, technology, engineering, and math is now paying Russia to transport Americans to and from the International Space Station. And we wonder why U.S. students are falling behind in science, technology, engineering, and math. With a lack of clear objectives widely supported by the public, the government, and industry, has the United States human space flight program, once the symbol of excellence and innovation throughout the world, been relegated to history books?

 

Last month a NASA-sponsored study by the National Research Council stated that in spite of enormous successes such as the Mars Opportunity Rover, the U.S. space program is in danger of losing its international leadership. Current NASA goals such as launching astronauts to an asteroid by 2025 are not capturing the support or the imagination of the nation, the National Research Council study concluded.

 

"The lack of national consensus on NASA's most publicly visible human spaceflight goal along with budget uncertainty has undermined the agency's ability to guide program planning and allocate funding," said Albert Carnesale, chancellor emeritus and professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, who chaired the committee that wrote the report.

 

This is a precarious moment for our country's future. But it is not too late to change course and redirect our space agency to even greater excellence and accomplishments in the 21st century.

 

Our race into space took a giant leap forward on May 25, 1961, when President John F. Kennedy stood before a joint session of Congress and delivered a speech on "urgent national needs." His talk was 5,842 words long, but all people remember today are the 32 words that shaped the future. Kennedy said: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth." I was only 13 years old that day but I already had dreams of flying in space. I remember Kennedy's message. His vision greatly impacted the direction of our country and my life.

 

However, we would all do well to remember the rest of Kennedy's speech that day because he emphasized the task before the nation would not be easy. "I believe we should go to the moon," he said. "But I think every citizen of this country as well as the members of the Congress should consider the matter carefully in making their judgment... because it is a heavy burden, and there is no sense in agreeing or desiring that the United States take an affirmative position in outer space unless we are prepared to do the work and bear the burdens to make it successful.

 

"This decision demands a major national commitment of scientific and technical manpower, material and facilities," Kennedy said. "It means a degree of dedication, organization and discipline which have not always characterized our research and development efforts... In a very real sense it will not be one man going to the moon... it will be an entire nation. For all of us must work to put him there."

 

This crucial juncture is an appropriate time to remember Kennedy's words. The path to any success is filled with hard work, burdens, and challenges. We chose to go to the moon to realize the potentials and possibilities that are within us. America should once again reach a consensus on and make a national commitment to the future of U.S. human space exploration -- a future that will embody the excellence of NASA and the can-do spirit of the American people. I believe this nation must commit itself to achieving the goals of returning humans to the moon and to sending them on to Mars.

 

It is time for America not to withdraw within itself but to dream big dreams again. It is time for Americans to unite in accomplishing big goals again and to reap the benefits in our educational systems, technical advancement, and economy which were realized when we first journeyed to the moon.

 

WHERE IS OUR NEXT 'EARTH?'

 

Study shows Earth-like planets likely commonplace

 

William Harwood - CBS News

 

A new study indicates some 60 percent of the galaxy's most ubiquitous stars likely host planets smaller than Neptune and about 6 percent host Earth-size worlds orbiting in the so-called "Goldilocks" zone where liquid water -- and life as we know it -- are possible, astronomers announced Wednesday.

 

The stars in question are red dwarfs with a quarter the mass of the sun and just 2 percent the luminosity. But they are commonplace, making up about 75 percent of the stars closest to the sun.

 

Courtney Dressing, a graduate astronomer who led the study at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, told reporters a statistical analysis of 4,000 red dwarfs studied by NASA's planet-finding Kepler space probe shows the nearest Earth-like planet must be orbiting a red dwarf within a stone's throw of the sun.

 

Relatively speaking.

 

"We're able to use this estimate, that 6 percent of red dwarfs host Earth-like planets, in order to figure out how far away from the Earth you would need to look in order to find an Earth-like planet orbiting a red dwarf," she said. "We find that the answer to the question ... is actually quite close. The nearest Earth-like planet is expected to be about 13 light years away."

 

To put that in perspective, if the 100,000-light-year-wide Milky Way galaxy was the size of the United States, and if Earth was located on one side of Central Park in New York City, "we find the nearest Earth-like planet is just across the park," Dressing said.

 

John Johnson, an assistant professor of astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, called Dressing's findings "extraordinarily exciting."

 

"What we need to do is take the next step in designing the next generation of instruments that will allow us to gather these small planets from the sky, study their properties in detail and provide us with an understanding of how Earth-size planets form," he said.

 

"It will give us that grander galactic context and it puts us hot on the trail of finding life elsewhere in the galaxy. ... Keep in mind that all of these planets that we now know are out there, these are physical locations, places throughout the galaxy where life could have emerged."

 

Maybe. Ubiquitous or not, red dwarfs only emit a fraction of the sun's energy.

 

"So if you picture the sun as a thousand-watt light bulb, these stars would be Christmas tree lights, they would emit one or two watts of energy," said David Charbonneau, a Harvard astronomer. "So planets at the right distance to be the same temperature as the Earth have to be tucked in close to these stars."

 

Planets in such close orbits likely would become "tidally locked" over time, leaving just one hemisphere facing the warmth of its star while the opposite side faces deep space.

 

In addition, red dwarfs are active stars and large sunspots could affect the amount of light reaching a close-orbiting planet as the star rotates, producing large-scale effects on a planetary surface.

 

Red dwarfs also emit torrents of ionizing ultraviolet radiation, possibly enough to blast away a nearby planet's atmosphere if not sterilize it.

 

But a thick atmosphere and a deep ocean could mitigate those effects, protecting the surface and allowing heat from the day side to migrate around the planet.

 

In any case, Charbonneau said carefully reasoned arguments as to why red dwarfs could not host habitable worlds may reflect a sun-centric viewpoint that does not mirror reality.

 

"I think that with hindsight we see that as a myopia from having grown up around a sun-like star," he said. "If there is one message from the past 15 years of exo-planet discoveries it is that there is no guarantee our solar system is common place, there is an enormous diversity of architectures.

 

"Basically, anytime we have the sensitivity to find planets around a different kind of star, we find planets."

 

Red dwarfs are remarkably stable and if a planet survived the energetic birth of its diminutive host, it likely would survive for tens of billions of years.

 

"What is so exciting about the announcement today is that it raises the real possibility of ... finding planets that are like the Earth ... but are actually much, much older, and actually seeing what that the consequence would be for a 10- or 11-billion-year-old Earth-like planet," Charbonneau said.

 

Closest Earth-like planet 'stroll across park'

 

Marcia Dunn – Associated Press

 

Earth-like worlds may be closer and more plentiful than anyone imagined.

 

Astronomers reported Wednesday that the nearest Earth-like planet may be just 13 light-years away - or some 77 trillion miles. That planet hasn't been found yet, but should be there based on the team's study of red dwarf stars.

 

Galactically speaking, that's right next door.

 

If our Milky Way galaxy were shrunk to the size of the United States, the distance between Earth and its closest Earth-like neighbor would be the span of New York's Central Park, said Harvard University graduate student Courtney Dressing, the study's lead author.

 

"The nearest Earth-like planet is simply a stroll across the park away," she said at a news conference in Cambridge, Mass.

 

Small, cool red dwarfs are the most common stars in our galaxy, numbering at least 75 billion.

 

The Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics team estimates 6 percent of red dwarf stars have Earth-like planets. To qualify, the planet must be roughly the size of Earth and get as much light from its star, as Earth does from the sun.

 

This high rate of occurrence should simplify the search for extraterrestrial life.

 

As the report's co-author, David Charbonneau, noted, he's an astronomer, but hopes to become a biologist if that search succeeds.

 

These planetary candidates are quite different than Earth because of the differences between their red dwarf stars and the sun, Charbonneau told reporters.

 

Because the red dwarfs are so much smaller, potentially habitable planets would need to orbit much closer than the Earth does to the sun. They likely would be rocky, the astronomers said, but different types of atmospheres could lead to different types of life.

 

Red dwarf stars also can be old - far older than our sun - which means their planets could be much older than Earth and their potential life forms much more evolved.

 

Our solar system is 4.5 billion years old, for instance, while some red dwarf stars are 12 billion years old. One of these target planets could be 12 billion years old as well, the scientists said.

 

Future spacecraft should be able to locate these planets and provide environmental clues.

 

California Institute of Technology astronomer John Johnson, who was not involved in the study, called the proximity of the nearest Earth-like planet "extraordinarily exciting."

 

"It's right within reach," Johnson said, and future efforts will put scientists "hot on the trail of finding life elsewhere in the galaxy."

 

These newest findings are based on data from NASA's Kepler space telescope, launched in 2009. They will be published in "The Astrophysical Journal."

 

Dwarf stars likely home to nearby habitable planets

 

Dan Vergano - USA Today

 

Buy land, Mark Twain said. They aren't making any more. Mark Twain didn't reckon with astronomers, who report Wednesday that 6% of red dwarf stars possess ocean-friendly Earth-sized planets.

 

Space looks a little more crowded, astronomers report. About 6% of nearby dwarf stars likely host Earth-like planets, a science team announced on Wednesday.

 

The astronomy team at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., says that these "red dwarf" stars, too dim to be seen by the naked eye but by far the most common kind in space, may host many habitable worlds. The finding, based on observations made by NASA's Kepler space telescope, suggests that an Earth-sized world orbiting in its star's "habitable zone" -- not to hot or too cold for oceans -- probably resides within 13 light years of Earth, or about 77 trillion miles. That's neighbors by astronomical standards.

 

"They're all over the place, there are a lot of red dwarf type stars with planets out there," says astronomer Courtney Dressing, who led the team. Some astronomers call red dwarfs "the vermin of the skies", she notes, because they get in the way when they are trying to study more distant galaxies. "We now have a number and we can say that Earth-sized planets occur fairly frequently around these stars at habitable distances."

 

The Kepler mission in the last three years has detected some 2,700 potential planets seen in a sample of roughly 145,000 nearby stars out to about 3,000 light years away from Earth.? Kepler detects planets by finding the rare ones whose orbital tilt allows them to be seen from Earth as they eclipse, or "transit" in front of their star. In the study, accepted for publication by the Astrophysical Journal, the researchers looked at 3,897 red dwarfs culled from this larger Kepler star sample.

 

The search turned up three planets that look Earth-sized and orbit their red dwarf stars at a distance warm enough to support oceans, which is seen as a necessity for supporting life as we know it.

 

Because red dwarfs are dimmer than our sun, their habitable zones are closer to the stars than in our solar system, meaning the newly-discovered planets enjoy "years" lasting from 19 to 56 days. Statistically speaking, their existence means similar Earth-sized worlds likely orbit red dwarf stars even closer to us, says the astronomy team.

 

"That sounds like a leap but statistically it is a very fair thing to say," says Kepler astronomer Natalie Batalha of NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., who was not part of the study. "This really gives us a way forward to look for Earth-sized planets and ultimately to look elsewhere for life."

 

Over the last decade, astronomers have pointed to a number of these red dwarf stars, less than half the size of the sun, as potential hosts for planets in 'habitable zone' orbits. But the new finds point to statistical support for their relative frequency around red dwarfs. "We thought we would have to search vast distances to find an Earth-like planet," Dressing said. "But they are probably right in our own back yard."

 

END