Final preparations begin on the first Soyuz rocket launch from French Guiana
Final preparations begin on the first Soyuz rocket launch from French Guiana, set for October 20.
Month: September 2011
Bigotry and hate in a Massachusetts University
Europe’s first Mars lander mission threatened by budget woes
Europe’s first Mars lander appears threatened by budget woes in both Europe and the United States.
XCOR Aerospace and Space Expedition Curacao Sign Contract
Another suborbital tourism company enters the fray: XCOR Aerospace has signed a contract “to begin operations in Curacao in 2014.”
NASA astronauts to spend three days underwater
Can’t go up? Go down! NASA astronauts to spend three days underwater in a research sub.
China to launch unmanned space module Sept. 27-30
China has announced a launch window, September 27-30, for its first unmanned space station module Tiangong 1.
Blurred vision a risk for astronauts who spend months in space
Blurred vision is now considered a serious risk for astronauts who spend months in space.
According to one NASA survey of about 300 astronauts, nearly 30 percent of those who have flown on space shuttle missions – which usually lasted two weeks — and 60 percent who’ve completed six-month shifts aboard the station reported a gradual blurring of eyesight.
This story is a followup on information contained in an earlier National Academies report on astronaut staffing.
Muslim students on trial for shouting during Israeli diplomat’s speech
Muslim students on trial for shouting during Israeli diplomat’s speech. You can watch what they did here.
As much as I found the actions of these Muslims despicable, it seems a mistake to put them on trial, as this only garners them undeserved sympathy. It also goes against American culture to put anyone on trail for what they say, no matter how impolitely they say it. Furthermore, the punishment meted out by the university seems more than sufficient.
Senate appropriations committee has capped Webb Telescope budget
The Senate appropriations this week recommended capping the budget for the James Webb Space Telescope at $8 billion, less than the $8.7 billion that NASA now thinks is required to finish the telescope.
The committee also recommended a budget of $17.9 billion for NASA, about $1 billion less than the House recommendation and about a half billion less than NASA’s 2011 budget. If the Senate numbers are adopted, it would bring NASA’s budget back to the budget it received in 2008.
John McDermott – Voyage
An evening pause:
The Spaceship Company has opened its final assembly factor in Mohave
The Spaceship Company has opened its final assembly factory in Mohave for building a fleet of SpaceShipTwos and WhiteKnightTwos for Virgin Galactic.
Times Atlas shows ice free areas of Greenland that are not ice free
When faith trumps data: The most recent edition of the Times Atlas incorrectly shows large areas of Greenland free of ice, claiming this was caused by global warming, even though those areas remain ice-covered. More here.
The Scott Polar group, which includes director Julian Dowdeswell, says the claim of a 15% loss in just 12 years is wrong. “Recent satellite images of Greenland make it clear that there are in fact still numerous glaciers and permanent ice cover where the new Times Atlas shows ice-free conditions and the emergence of new lands,” they say in a letter that has been sent to the Times. “We do not know why this error has occurred, but it is regrettable that the claimed drastic reduction in the extent of ice in Greenland has created headline news around the world. There is to our knowledge no support for this claim in the published scientific literature.“