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April 7, 2008

More than 8,000 NASA contractor jobs in the nation's manned space program could be eliminated after the space shuttle program is shut down in 2010, the agency said. The number of civil servants is expected to remain roughly the same, but dramatic job cuts are possible among private contractors as NASA transitions to the Constellation program, which is developing the next-generation vehicle and rockets to go to the moon and later to Mars. Officials cautioned that the estimates of job losses were preliminary and don't take into account numerous factors of potential workload. NASA acknowledged job losses could fluctuate depending on who's occupying the White House next year and their support for space exploration.

The bleakest forecast was issued for Kennedy Space Center, where just 1,600 to 2,300 employees were expected to remain in 2011, a cut of up to 80 percent from its current 8,000 contractor workers. Florida Gov. Charlie Crist said the state was committed to trying to blunt the impact of the job losses with an aggressive effort to lure new contractors to the area that would work with future NASA flights, as well as private launches. In all, he said the state was trying to attract more than 50 space-related firms to the state. "This rapid shift is opening doors for new companies and technologies that are blurring the previous separations between aviation and spaceflight," Crist said. (4/1)

In the bleakest employment forecast yet for Kennedy Space Center, a NASA report due out today estimates that as many as 6,400 contractors could lose their jobs after the space shuttle is retired in 2010. By 2011, only 1,600 to 2,300 jobs are likely to remain for workers assigned to the shuttle or its successor, called Constellation, according to NASA estimates. And that assumes the program is supported by the president who will take office in January, an assumption that's by no means certain. The drastic job cuts are a consequence of NASA retiring the shuttle to make room for Constellation, which isn't scheduled to begin flights until 2015. And that's only if NASA can overcome budget and technical problems dogging the program's Ares 1 rocket and Orion capsule. (4/1)

With up to 6,400 Florida space jobs in jeopardy with the Shuttle's retirement, economic analyses indicate that at least as many KSC-dependent non-space jobs could also be lost in the communities around the space center. Local officials are now hoping to offset an estimated $1.5 billion per-year blow to the local economy. (4/2)

As many as 2,300 people, most of them contractors, could lose their jobs at Johnson Space Center as the shuttle fleet nears retirement in two years. The number of permanent civil servants would essentially remain flat. The losses at Johnson Space Center could amount to as few as 400 jobs through 2011 if work quickly picks up on the Constellation program, the initiative to build a successor to the shuttle for missions to the moon and Mars. That would depend on an increase i n congressional funding and support by the next president. (4/2)

NASA's plan to phase out its space shuttle program could mean the loss of as many as 1,300 jobs at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans during the next five years. But NASA officials say that figure represents a "worse than worst-case scenario." What is more, hundreds of new jobs will be created as NASA pursues the Constellation program, the next step in its ambitious plan to return to the moon. It will take NASA engineers several years to design the new system, but most of the hardware for the Constellation program eventually will be built at the Michoud plant. (4/2)

As NASA retires the space shuttle, Marshall Space Flight Center work is steadily moving toward developing the next set of rockets for the space agency, center Director Dave King said. The shuttle is slated to retire by the end of 2010, meaning many NASA workers - mostly civilian contractors - will be out of a job after the final flight. Marshall jobs are "pretty stable and will continue to be so," King said, because its engineers and contractors are developing the Ares I and Ares V rockets. These are the launch vehicles NASA plans to use to send astronauts to the International Space Station and, possibly, on to the moon. "That's an advantage of being a development center and, since the Ares is in the development stage, we have stable work," he said. (4/3)

Although the numbers remain worst-case estimates, it looks like NASA facilities in Florida, Texas, and Louisiana will lose thousands of jobs with the retirement of the Space Shuttle program. Florida’s Kennedy Space Center will be hardest hit with up to 6,400 jobs lost. Meanwhile, Alabama’s Marshall Space Flight Center is positioned to gain between 400-2,400 jobs. Alabama can thank its aggressive Congressional Delegation for protecting and expanding the center’s responsibilities and programs, despite NASA's Ten Healthy Centers policy aimed at maintaining sustainable workloads for all its centers nationwide. (4/2)

A fruitful program that spun NASA Glenn technology into Ohio business will die on the vine unless more money is found, frustrated business leaders say. The Glenn Alliance for Technology Exchange, known as GATE, has no prospects for funding, after expending a $3.2 million congressional earmark. The money seeded efforts to spin off NASA Glenn Research Center technology to eight small, regional companies and to spur research and development of technologies that promise commercial success. (4/3)

The Ohio EPA is hosting a public meeting to air the cleanup plan for the NASA Glenn Research Center property in Brook Park. On April 14, officials will discuss the contamination in the west-central part of the 364-acre facility. After considering six alternatives, EPA is recommending that NASA removes contaminated soil and use the property for commercial or industrial purposes. (4/3)

The slow speed at which NASA has been spending the money allocated to it by Congress caused lawmakers to pull about $200 million from the space agency's budget last year — a hit that cost Hampton's NASA Langley Research Center $5 million. The agency-wide cut amounted to about 1 percent of the NASA budget, while Langley's slice was less than 1 percent of its total. But NASA leaders are now putting an emphasis on speeding up procurement and spending, lest Congress decide to send more of its cash elsewhere. (4/3)

An ambitious vision to take people to the moon and Mars may fall apart before it even gets off the ground because of uncertain planning and inadequate funding, several experts said on Thursday. A GAO report said NASA's replacement for the space shuttle is in jeopardy, and members of Congress as well as at least one former astronaut agreed at a hearing on the issue. (4/3)

U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), said she will try again this year to get NASA an extra $1 billion to pay back the agency for what it spent in the aftermath of the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia accident. (4/3)

Americans’ support for building on the “greatest generation’s” achievements in space is so broad and deep that both political parties ought to include similar planks at their conventions this summer to commit the U.S. to continued and expanded space exploration. One quantifiable measure of deep popular support is successive Gallup polls. They show that, notwithstanding other issues that divide voters, Americans remain steadfast that space exploration is an important priority that deserves taxpayer funding. Americans’ support for space exploration is ingrained. It crosses political party lines. The foundation of our respect for the results of innovation and advancing technology goes back to the first days of the United States. Visit http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0308/9282.html to view the article. (4/1)

As NASA warned the nation against overreacting to its grim employment forecast, some of Florida's congressional delegation braced themselves for some painful possibilities. "When I practiced medicine, I always tried to be honest with my patients about their condition. Sometimes that was hard to do," said Rep. Dave Weldon, a physician. As a way to mitigate the losses, both lawmakers pushed for passage of Weldon's Space Act legislation, which would infuse future NASA budgets with more than $10 billion to prolong shuttle flights until the Constellation program becomes operational.

Both Weldon and Feeney pointed out that Congress was expected this week to authorize a $30 billion program supported by President Bush that would extend an HIV-prevention program in Africa for another five years. "You could retire the entire shuttle gap of five years if you spent $7 or $8 billion of that money," Feeney said. "I'm offended by the notion that the administration and Congress is deliberately going to create huge problems for American human space flight while we're spending $30 billion to Africa." (Source: 4/2)

Independent safety experts say it would be dangerous to fly NASA shuttles beyond 2010, and doing so could lengthen a five-year gap in the nation's ability to launch American astronauts, NASA warns. But some argue the 6,400 job cuts projected for Kennedy Space Center could be reduced by flying shuttles twice a year until replacement rockets and spaceships are ready. U.S. Reps. Dave Weldon and Tom Feeney say it could be done by giving NASA about $2 billion more a year to pay for the added shuttle flights and speed up development of spacecraft for missions to the moon and Mars.

What the Republican congressmen propose is possible. The plan could reduce or even eliminate an anticipated five-year gap in NASA human space flight, potentially saving thousands of jobs. But people inside and outside NASA nonetheless raised financial, practical and safety concerns. NASA's shuttle program already is winding down. Production lines are shutting down. Suppliers no longer are making critical shuttle parts. Vendors are moving on to other businesses. Consequently, shuttle operations after the planned retirement date in 2010 might be dangerous and even NASA says it makes no financial sense. (4/6)

U.S. Senator Mel Martinez (R-FL) issued the following statement in response to the release of NASA’s Workforce Transition Strategy Initial Report, detailing the loss of as many as 6,400 jobs between now and FY-2011 at Kennedy Space Center.

"There is no simple fix to this problem, but we know where to focus our efforts. We need to accelerate the Orion and Ares programs, we need to foster a competitive environment for commercial space operations, and we need to assist the individuals and businesses affected by the transition. The aerospace industry is critical for our state and our country. This is more than a huge economic threat to our region; there is the real potential for a larger loss of human capital for our country at a time when we can’t afford to lose those who’ve dedicated their lives to specializing in engineering and science.” (4/2)

Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Florida) has issued a statement saying he will fight to keep work flowing to the Kennedy Space Center in order to reduce the impact of impending NASA job cuts caused by the planned Space Shuttle retirement. The Kennedy Space Center is projected to lose more than 6,000 jobs when the Space Shuttle is retired in 2010. Feeney says NASA's forecast represents a "worst-case scenario" and he plans to work toward gaining more projects for the center, including those involving lunar exploration and space station supply. (4/3)

Brevard County commissioners voted to ask every fellow commissioner across the state to write their congressional representatives in support of space industry jobs. The action followed news that Kennedy Space Center could lose more than 6,000 jobs by 2011, after the shuttle’s retirement. The commission also asked the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast to analyze the potential economic impact of the job losses, which were higher than previous estimates. (4/1)

Space Coast advocates at all levels need to be working together to move up the 2015 launch date on NASA's next vehicle, and to land more of the work on that program for the area. They need to attract more investments from the burgeoning commercial space industry. And they need to seize opportunities to diversify the area's economy, so its fortunes don't rely so heavily on space. Moving up the next vehicle's launch date would require a boost in NASA's budget, but advocates have some good arguments beyond preserving jobs. Under current plans, U.S. astronauts traveling to the international space station after shuttles are grounded will have to hitch rides on Russian spacecrafts. And other countries, including China, are racing ahead with their own space programs.

Meanwhile, Florida will win more work on the next vehicle and more commercial space investments if the state gets more aggressive in pursuing them. And there's no need to sacrifice pristine wilderness to do it. Two Space Coast legislators, Rep. Thad Altman and Sen. Bill Posey, have proposed a smart package of initiatives to help Florida keep up amid fierce competition from other states and other countries. Editor's Note: Among the bills filed by Sen. Posey and Rep. Altman are ones for a Space Technology and Research Diversification Initiative (STRDI), aimed at diversifying the state's involvement in space R&D programs. (4/3)

Governor Charlie Crist and Lt. Governor Jeff Kottkamp announced Space Florida’s efforts to attract commercial space companies to Florida, including Bigelow Aerospace, XCOR, Rocketplane Corporation, as well as competing teams for the Google Lunar X Prize. In addition, Space Florida is also negotiating with Orbital Sciences Corp. to win their business for Florida. In total, Space Florida is aggressively pursuing more than 50 different space-related firms for the commercial Florida’s space market.

“The involvement of entrepreneurs and private corporations in the United States’ launches is creating new economic opportunities for our state’s aerospace industry,” Governor Crist said. “This rapid shift is opening doors for new companies and technologies that are blurring the previous separations between aviation and spaceflight – and between civil, military and commercial industries.” (4/1)

A package of bills designed to stimulate Florida space-related jobs and economic growth cleared a key Senate panel Tuesday. Given the job losses that NASA announced Tuesday, "the bills we're doing here are especially timely," Senator Bill Posey said. "We're trying to prepare for an economic Category 6 storm." With the termination of the space shuttle program in 2010, Posey's aide, Russ Cyphers, told the committee, "we're looking at a loss of $600 million in direct wages," which will have a broader impact on hundreds of related businesses, such as restaurants, cleaners, and others that serve space workers.

Among the bills sponsored by Sen. Bill Posey is a measure providing $15 million to refurbish a launch complex at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport (SB 2426). The money is not in the House or Senate budget plans at this point, but sponsors said there's time and much negotiation remaining before the final budgets are settled. Another bill (SB 2666) would extend tax credits currently restricted to defense contractors to include space contractors, another economic incentive. The two other bills establish a trust fund to hold the $15 million safely until it's ready to be used (SB 2458), and encourage cooperation between universities on space-related research and development (SB 2526). (4/2)

SpaceX and other companies working on NASA's crew-cargo privatization program have the potential to bring jobs and manufacturing operations to Florida. The company plans to launch its Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral next year. "Florida is certainly key for us," Vice President Gwynne Shotwell said. "It's possible we will increase our footprint in Florida even further." The company could take over additional launch pads or expand its work in Florida to include refurbishment of reusable portions of its vehicles. (4/3)

In response to a recent Florida Today article regarding Zero-G's purchase by Space Adventures, the companies' CEO's wrote a joint letter to clarify Zero-G's plans in Florida. Dr. Peter Diamandis wrote that Zero-G "will continue to operate in Brevard County at the same, and hopefully increased, levels in the future, thanks to our partnership with Florida in Education and Workforce programs and a Space Act agreement we have in place to utilize the Space Shuttle Landing Facility...The Space Coast very much remains our operational headquarters for Zero-G education, research and tourism programs."

"We are actively engaging Florida state agencies, educational institutions and private industry to develop microgravity education, workforce training and research that will be unrivaled by any other space state. Our recent $25 million NASA research and training contract will allow the company to grow, and we are hopeful that a portion of this award will lead to additional flights from Kennedy Space Center...While ZERO-G operates nationwide, currently, 50 percent of our flights take place in Florida. Additionally, significantly more than 50 percent of our costs are expended in Florida, including those for all of our pilots, maintenance and aircraft operations." (4/2)

The SpaceTEC consortium at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport received a tremendous response to its request for applicants for the Florida Aerospace Microgravity Training Program (FAMTP). The review process has begun and 75 successful applicants will be notified the week of April 21. Individuals will participate in a "first of its kind" program to provide classroom, web-based, and hands-on microgravity flight training. FAMTP will introduce the applicants to the physiological effects, and engineering and technical challenges of designing, fabricating, testing, operating, and maintaining systems in the microgravity environment of space. Training will begin on June 3 and culminate with flights on June 14 and 15. (4/3)

A Florida state-wide, work/internship program will take place this summer allowing undergraduates and graduates to participate in 10-week paid internships and on-the-job training at member organizations of the Florida High tech Corridor (FHTC). Each successful applicant will receive a $4000 stipend for their participation. Successful graduates will receive $5,000. Students must take care of their own private accommodations for the internship and are also responsible for their own transportation. They should consider this internship as full time and therefore should not be attending summer classes. Each intern and FHTC mentor will be expected to submit a work experience report to at the conclusion of the program. The program is sponsored by FHTC, the Florida Space Grant Consortium, and Space Florida. Visit http://www.spaceflorida.gov/education2.php for information. (4/3)

A new theory on the origins of Alzheimer's has divided opinion in the medical world, but if proved right could revolutionize treatment. Florida Tech scientist Dr. Shaohua Xu of Florida's Space Life Sciences Lab at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) has won recent grants from the state and NASA to test his theory. Conventional wisdom dictates that when tau protein joins together to form tangled fibers at the start of Alzheimer's, each tau molecule joins to the fiber's tip. Xu believes differently: "First, molecules of the tau protein cluster together into spheres, each almost the same size. Next, the spheres join together in linear chains like beads on a string. In the third stage the beads merge together to form a uniform filament identical to those found in the brains of patients with the disease."

"Shaohua's theory is revolutionary; his evidence is overwhelming. The medical implications are beyond anything in my experience," said advocate Dr Daniel Woodard at KSC, who was the first medical doctor to review Xu's work. "This could be the most important biomedical discovery ever made at Kennedy Space Center," echoed NASA physician David Tipton, chief of the Aerospace Medicine and Environmental Health Branch at KSC.

Editor's Note:Dr. Xu, formerly with the Florida Space Research Institute, has been using atomic force microscopy in the Space Bio-Imaging Lab. He is part of a team of researchers in Florida focusing on biomedical countermeasures for problems associated with long-duration space missions, including bone demineralization, muscle atrophy, and radiation. Solving these spaceflight problems for astronauts can provide additional benefits for patients on Earth. Click here to view the article.

An external review of 41 university Center of Excellence proposals has been completed and a state board will make final decisions on funding awards within the next several weeks. Embry-Riddle is a partner on two aerospace-focused proposals that have received favorable rankings during the external review. These include an Embry-Riddle-led $10 million "Integrated Airport" Center focused on next-generation airport technologies, and a $14.5 million Center, led by FSU, focused on advanced propulsion technologies. (4/1)

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has received unanimous zoning approval for the development of an aerospace-focused research park adjacent to the university's main campus in Daytona Beach. The park will be less than an hour north of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, and will be situated alongside the Daytona Beach International Airport. (4/1)

Women in Aviation Day will bring 400+ female students from grades 6-8 to Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach campus on April 15. All Volusia County middle schools will be participating. The young women attending have been selected to participate in this event because of their outstanding grade point averages and accomplishments in math and science. Many of these students have already shown an interest in entering the aviation/aerospace industry. (4/1)

Kathleen High School wants to become a talent pipeline for the aerospace industry. The Central Florida Aerospace Academy will open at Kathleen High this fall, joining a number of career academies being established across Polk County and Florida as part of a state education initiative. Public school officials say the program will admit up to 125 students, provide training in avionics and aerospace technologies at Lakeland Linder Regional Airport, as well as work in concert with Sun 'n Fun and other area organizations. The Academy was developed by a consortium that includes the FAA, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, and Gulf Coast Avionics. (4/4)

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on April 3 hosted the 2008 Florida Student Conference on Human Factors & Applied Psychology. Students from Embry-Riddle, Bethune Cookman College, UCF, UNF, USF and UWF presented their research on a variety of human factors topics, including space-related projects. (4/3)

Dirac Medal Winner Dr. Paul Steinhardt delivered the seventh Elston Memorial Lecture on Gravitation on April 5, at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His talk is titled “Endless Universe: What Lies Beyond the Big Bang?” Dr. Steinhardt (www.physics.princeton.edu/%7Esteinh/) is the Albert Einstein Professor in Science at Princeton University, where he is on the faculty of the departments of physics and astrophysical sciences. He is also co-author of the popular book, Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang (see endlessuniverse.net for more information). Dr. Steinhardt will presented two radically different views of the universe: the standard big bang theory and a new alternative, known as the “cyclic universe.” (4/3)

Nature may have handed scientists a new clue in a longstanding mystery: how matter beat out antimatter for dominance of the universe. Early data from twin experiments at the Tevatron, the world's reigning particle accelerator at Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab) in Batavia, Ill., suggest an unexpected chink in the hugely successful standard model of particle physics. The twist comes from odd behavior in a particle called the BS (pronounced "B-sub-S"), which flips back and forth between its matter and antimatter forms three trillions times per second. Researchers believe that such a breakdown, known as CP violation, is required to explain why matter is so abundant.

Researchers say the finding is well worth following up to make sure it is not a random clump in the data, as frequently happens in particle physics experiments. "This is exciting, definitely," says physicist Jacobo Konigsberg of the University of Florida in Gainesville, co-spokesperson for CDF, one of two detectors that may have glimpsed the effect. Antimatter is well-known to science fiction fans as the stuff that explodes on contact with regular particles such as protons and electrons, which have the same mass as their antiparticles but the opposite charge. The hot, early universe contained equal parts matter and antimatter. (4/3)

Cornell University's CUSat - a student-built, identical-twin satellite system designed to separate so that one twin can obtain three-dimensional images of the other - is one of the three finalists for a June launch from the SpaceX launch complex in the Central Pacific Marshall Islands. Cornell has built the pair of satellites with funding from the Air Force's University Nanosatellite Program. If chosen from among the finalists, CUSat will be the first spacecraft launched by the U.S. Department of Defense's newly formed Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) office. (4/3)

NASA faces many challenges in its quest to establish a colony on the moon by 2020, and providing suitable shelter for the next generation of space explorers is at the top of the list. An inflatable lunar habitat, one of several concepts now on the drawing boards, must be lightweight and flexible enough to minimize packaging size and transportation costs. Once deployed, the expanded structure must provide its occupants ample living and work space as well as withstand the rigors of the moon's brutal, airless environment for weeks or months on end.

Supported by NASA funds issued through the Maine Space Grant Consortium, Vince Caccese, a professor of mechanical engineering, is examining how flexible fabric-like materials used in inflatable structures wrinkle under shearing strain and how that deformation can be eliminated by making the materials rigid. The rigidifying process, he says, involves treating the materials with a chemical or resin-like material that can then be activated with some form of energy acting as a catalyst. The UMaine team will include researchers from the departments of mechanical, electrical, civil and environmental engineering as well as graduate and undergraduate students. Researchers plan to run tests on a small inflatable structure developed by a leading aerospace contractor to see how it compares to computer models. (4/3)

From creating a space-based reality show called "NASA's Next" to assisting local organic farmers, the University of Wisconsin-Madison's NASA Means Business team has a slew of ideas about how to promote NASA. As part of a national collegiate competition, the team has developed a NASA Spaceflight Promotion Plan designed to market everything from NASA's well-known International Space Station to its lesser-known programs, such as research into organic foods. The team was one of four teams selected to move on to the final round this semester. In May, the team will travel to the Kennedy Space Center to present their final proposal at the 10th annual NASA Customer Engagement Conference. (4/2)

Mars exploration is becoming a hotter and hotter topic as the University of Arizona-led Phoenix Mars Lander mission nears its target. Four free lectures on Mars research will be held at 11 a.m. Saturdays in April at the UA's Biosphere 2. The $420 million Phoenix mission, which left Earth on Aug. 4 on a 423-million-mile journey, is slated to land in Mars' arctic region May 25. It will analyze soil and ice samples scooped from the surface for evidence of water and the elements of life. "This is a really incredible event, the first time the university has run a planetary mission like this," said one official. (4/2)

West Virginia became the latest state to initiate a “Bucks for Brains” economic development strategy. The West Virginia program, inspired by programs in other states such as Georgia, Oklahoma, Missouri, and Kentucky, provides $50 million in state funds for an endowment to assist research at West Virginia and Marshall universities and draw world-class researchers to the state. (4/2)

Kathryn Thornton, professor and associate dean at the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia, told a congressional committee today that it is time for humans to go beyond low Earth orbit because "orbiting the earth, as thrilling as it is, is not exploring space." Thornton, who served for 12 years as an astronaut, was among four individuals invited to testify before the House Committee on Science and Technology's Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics. She was invited for the role she played in organizing and co-chairing an independent workshop, "Examining the Vision: Balancing Exploration and Science," held last February at Stanford University. (4/4)

NASA's Constellation program -- the successor to the aging space shuttle -- faces critical problems and might never work as intended, according to a congressional Government Accountability Office report. The report ticks off a list of difficult issues, especially with the Ares I rocket, which it said is prone to violent shaking on liftoff and might not have enough power to reach orbit with a capsule full of astronauts. In fact, according to GAO, the whole project is dogged by such "considerable unknowns" that it is doubtful whether NASA's request for an additional $2 billion during the next two years will be enough to overcome design flaws and speed its development for a first liftoff before 2015.

"We do not know yet whether the architecture and design solutions selected by NASA will work as intended," says the 20-page report. It was presented at a congressional hearing that is taking a critical look at NASA's plan to return astronauts to the moon by 2020. The GAO identified several areas that could delay Constellation: Orion's weight and Ares' lifting capacity; excessive Ares vibration; heat shield issues for Orion; and insufficient test facilities for the Ares I and Orion systems.

Doubts over the viability of Ares and Orion, which are the two major components of the Constellation program, add to concerns by NASA supporters that the president who takes office in January could gut or abandon the project. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, the leading Democratic candidate, has already questioned the need to keep the moon-rocket program on track. Visit http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/orl-nasa0308apr03,0,7779196.story to view the article. (4/3)

A NASA official told lawmakers Thursday that the space agency concurs with government auditors' findings about troubles with proposed new rockets and spaceships, and is working to fix them as soon as possible. Richard Gilbrech said NASA has made "great progress in better understanding the issue" surrounding excessive engine vibrations, identifying several ways to fix the problem. "It is a problem common of all rocket motors," the associate administrator of NASA's Exploration Systems Mission Directorate said. "To me that's nothing that's alarming. These are the types of things you run across when you start to develop new rockets and try to integrate them." Gilbrech said that for him, a bigger risk for the program is whether the nation elects a new president who will cut the space program. (4/4)

To fix a potentially fatal shaking problem on its snazzy new moon rocket, NASA is considering something that works for mud-stained pickup trucks: heavy-duty shock absorbers. For nearly half a year, NASA's No. 1 technical problem in designing its Ares I rocket has been a sound wave vibration problem from its solid rocket motors. The leading solution is to put weight on springs in parts of the bottom end of the rocket and underneath astronauts' seats to dampen the vibrations. (4/3)

One of the top "RED" concerns for Ares I - Thrust Oscillation - has received an array of potential mitigation techniques, varying from detuning the vehicle, adding inhibitors, to a configuration change to a four segment first stage. A huge engineering effort is being conducted on solving the issue. Visit http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content/?cid=5394 to view the article. (4/2)

The GAO review of NASA's Constellation program, scheduled to replace the nation's space shuttle fleet, said an early review of the Ares I rocket found defects. There are also concerns that the Orion space capsule may be too heavy for the Ares, and there are questions about Orion's heat shield. The GAO concluded the Constellation program is enveloped in "considerable unknowns." Those unknowns, the auditor projects, may result in NASA not being able to make a smooth, timely transition from the shuttle fleet to the Constellation project. The one thing that the nation, and NASA, can't do is shortchange the space program to the point where it compromises safety. America has paid a high enough price in lives lost to accidents already. (4/6)

NASA has stopped a study it commissioned from the Aerospace Corporation that would have informed the agency’s flight test planning for the Ares I crew launch vehicle and its Orion crew exploration vehicle, but has been unable to explain why the work ceased. The commissioned study, which took place in 2007, was being carried out simultaneously with an internal NASA report and dealt with the Constellation program’s Ares I ground-test requirements. “We completed aspects of the study, but not the entire study as we envisioned. We provided NASA what we had, but received no authorization or request to proceed with further development of the study,” says Aerospace. (4/2)

Among the topics outlined for the April 3 Congressional hearing on NASA's Constellation program was the option to revise the agency's Ares/Orion approach to replacing the Space Shuttle. Enough doubts remain about Ares/Orion that lawmakers planned to ask Richard Gilbrech, NASA's associate administrator for exploration, about possible alternatives to the Ares rocket, including a shuttle-derived system known as Direct. Developed independently of NASA but based on the agency's designs from the 1980s, Direct would use the shuttle's giant external fuel tank and two solid-rocket boosters to blast a capsule -- rather than a shuttle orbiter -- into space. (4/3)

NASA has nearly finished a study on the feasibility of accelerating the crew transport portion of its Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS) program, which for now remains focused exclusively on cargo. During testimony April 3, Richard Gilbrech, NASA's associate administrator for exploration, said the agency would be happy to share the results of the study with lawmakers as soon as it is completed. "We're in the final stages of vetting that," he said. SpaceX and Orbital Sciences have been funded under the COTS program to develop commercial options for transporting cargo - and eventually crew - to the Space Station. So far only SpaceX has said it also plans to develop crew transport capability for COTS. Some lawmakers have expressed the desire for NASA to speed that part of the effort to help narrow the expected post-Shuttle gap in U.S. human spaceflight capability. (4/3)

NASA's science program, already constrained by tight budgets, will soon have to take on the challenge of both a flagship outer planets mission and a Mars sample return mission. Taylor Dinerman questions whether the agency can handle two such major missions at the same time. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1094/1 to view the article. (3/31)

NASA shut down a massive air-safety survey project without ever properly evaluating, explaining or publicizing its purpose and results, and thus lost a chance for valuable insight into safety issues, the space agency's inspector general said. The watchdog office said NASA should interpret and analyze the results of its interviews with some 30,000 pilots, but NASA in a written response continued to reject that idea. NASA will evaluate the methodology that its staff used in the $11.3 million project, but going further to actually report on the findings isn't worthwhile because the interviews, which were stopped at the end of 2004, are less relevant with the passage of time, wrote the agency's associate administrator. (4/1)

The federal role in precollege science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is receiving increasing attention in light of the need to support public understanding of science and to develop a strong scientific and technical workforce in a competitive global economy. Agencies like NASA are being looked to as a resource for enhancing precollege STEM education and bringing more young people to scientific and technical careers. The space agency faces an aerospace workforce skewed toward those close to retirement. In addition, public support for the agency's missions stems in part from public understanding of the importance of the agency's contributions in science, engineering, and space exploration. Visit http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=12081 to view the report. (4/4)

Dozens of the DOD's weapons programs are years behind schedule and billions over budget, according to the Government Accountability Office. A DOD spokesman said the Pentagon is evaluating the GAO's comments. "We'd like to look at what GAO has said, and then at the appropriate time make an informed comment," he said. The GAO said the delays and costs were the result of technologies that are not mature enough to enter production and the length of time required to develop a system. (4/2)

Cancellation of the Space Radar (SR) program, now confirmed by contractors, marks another setback for the snakebitten U.S. military space imaging program. Two teams, led by Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman, had been working on SR, directed by an integrated program office (IPO) involving the U.S. Space & Missile Center, the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). Under a January 2005 restructuring, which created the IPO, the government had been due to select a single contractor team in fiscal 2009, leading to first launch in 2016.

Space Radar has been under pressure because of high costs. A Congressional Budget Office study in early 2007 postulated that the SR would need a 40-square meter active electronically scanned array antenna to achieve its target of 10-centimeter resolution in spotlight mode. However, it would not be able to track moving targets on the ground at an affordable constellation size: the cost of even a bare minimum nine-satellite system was estimated at $35 billion-$50 billion. (4/2)

Congressional auditors at the Government Accountability Office (GAO) are sounding an alarm that the Bush administration never issued a National Security Space Strategy and they are suggesting lawmakers consider forcing defense and intelligence leaders to work out differences and publish a plan. It has been almost four years since the White House was originally expected to deliver the plan. Doubts have grown in recent years after several military and intelligence space programs experienced high-profile setbacks, and lawmakers have increasingly questioned the government’s ability to carry them out or oversee industry’s work. (3/31)

The outlook remains strong for companies that provide space-based imagery and communications to U.S. defense and intelligence agencies, although federal officials have not yet struck a consensus on how often to depend on non-governmental assets. Federal use of commercial space soared after 1996, when President Bill Clinton signed a national space policy that said Washington would use "commercial imagery satellites to augment its capabilities, save money and help ensure the health of the domestic industry," according to the Center for Defense Information. (4/5)

Members of the Aerospace Industries Association want to see a floor of 4% of GDP spent on defense, AIA President Marion Blakey said. She said a defense treaty between the U.S. and U.K. that could be ratified this spring could allow companies to exchange goods without an export license. "It's a game-changer, the ability for us to work together closely on technologies," Blakey said. Meanwhile, European aerospace and defense companies are being urged to sign an ethics code as part of an effort to improve the industry's reputation. (4/2)

A report by a nonpartisan research group found members of Congress have up to $196 million collectively invested in defense companies. The Center for Responsive Politics report noted that some of the companies are not typical defense firms. The study found that more Republicans than Democrats own defense stocks. (4/4)

The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center awarded United Launch Alliance a contract modification to perform the launch services for the U.S. Navy's first Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) satellite aboard an Atlas V Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle. The anticipated launch date is the first quarter of 2010 from Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. (4/1)

Venezuela and Uruguay plan to have their own communications satellite in space by the end of 2008. Under an agreement signed in 2005, the China Great Wall Industry Corp was contracted to design, manufacture, test and put into orbit the VENESAT-1 for Venezuela. Uruguay later joined the $241-million project, financing 10% of its cost. The launch is scheduled for late September-early November. The satellite, designed to have a service life of 15 years, will be launched from Xichang spaceport in Southwest China atop a CZ-3B rocket. (4/2)

The launch of a modified Zenit rocket to put an Israeli communications satellite into orbit has been scheduled for April 24 from Russia's Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. Russia started preparations for the launch of a Zenit-3SLB rocket with a DM-SLB booster and Israeli AMOS-3 satellite on board in October last year. The Zenit-3SLB is a modernized version of the Zenit-3SL carrier rocket whose launches have been conducted from the Sea Launch consortium's floating launch platform in the Pacific Ocean. (4/1)

The launch of a European satellite to take precise measurements of Earth's gravity field has been delayed by at least three months, to August, because its Rockot launch vehicle uses the same hardware that failed on a larger Russian Proton rocket in March. The satellite also may need to be placed into a different orbit because of the delay, program managers said April 3. (4/3)

India plans to undertake 70 space missions in five years, a nearly three-fold jump from the previous half-decade, as it seeks to address requirements and develop new technologies to meet future needs. The proposed missions have a "good mix" of both INSAT class satellites as well as remote sensing ones. Nair, also Secretary in the Department of Space, indicated that the aim is to address requirements of the area of communication transponders and work in the fields of microwave remote sensing, hyper spectral and other new technologies of the future. (4/4)

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has finalized its project report for a manned mission by 2014-15. "The report is being submitted to the government for approval and budgetary allocation. The Space Commission, headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, will meet next week or so to review the report and take a decision. We plan to launch a manned mission in the next seven-eight years," ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair said. The space agency's report has assessed technologies and infrastructure facilities required to undertake the first such and ambitious mission, which is estimated to cost about Rs.100 billion. (4/4)

Paris, France (ESA) Apr 01, 2008 - On 27 March 2008, the second stage motor for Vega - Europe's new small launcher - successfully completed a static firing test at the Salto Di Quirra Inter-force Test Range in Sardinia, Italy. (4/1)

South Korea has finished building the upper portion of its first space rocket, which will carry a satellite into orbit in December. The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) said Thursday that it has built the top section of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1 (KSLV-1) with its own workforce. Final testing was now underway. The project is one of the country's moves into commercial exploitation of space, along with the flight of the first Korean astronaut set for April 8. Lee So-youn is to fly to the International Space Station via a Russian Soyuz spacecraft. "The successful designing, production and testing of the rocket's core parts has enabled Korea to obtain core technology for space vehicles," KARI said. (4/3)

The Russian Soyuz rocket due to take South Korea's first astronaut into space was rolled out of its hangar on Sunday at Russia's Baikonur spaceport. Yi So-Yeon, 29, is to take off on Tuesday for her 12-day mission to the International Space Station along with Russian cosmonauts Sergei Volkov and Oleg Kononenko in a key step for South Korea's nascent space program. A biosystems engineer, Yi is preparing to conduct a series of scientific experiments in space and has said she will be bringing with her Korean specialities, including the classic pickle dish kimchi. She has also voiced hope that her flight could help reconcile the south and the north of the divided Korean peninsula. South Korea is paying $27 million for her mission. (4/6)

The launch of Vietnam's first satellite has been delayed by a week. The Vinasat, originally scheduled for launch April 12, will now shuttle into space on April 19. Commercial services launcher Arianespace, which will send Vinasat from French Guiana, had warned that the launch could be delayed if conditions were not optimal. The project, which cost about $300 million, has been in the pipeline for more than 10 years. (4/4)

Japan on Tuesday began recruiting astronauts for the first time in a decade in the wake of a successful mission to carry Japan's maiden space laboratory to the International Space Station. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) will pick three candidates using screening procedures such as aptitude tests, medical checks and interviews. JAXA said it would announce its selections in February 2009. The successful candidates will take various training programs at NASA for two years before being certified as astronauts. (4/1)

Longueuil, Canada (SPX) Apr 01, 2008 - The Honorable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry Canada and the Minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency, announced at Agency headquarters that the CSA will begin a national astronaut recruitment campaign at the end of May 2008, to select astronauts to join its Canadian Astronaut Corps. (4/1)

The Canadian Space Agency announced yesterday that it is launching a year-long mission to find a few good recruits with the right stuff to be astronauts. The two or three successful candidates among thousands of expected applicants will train mostly at NASA, and probably for years, for what may be a single out-of-this-world chance to fly in space. Across Canada, this next generation of homegrown space pioneers will come to represent some of the best and brightest this country has to offer. Unfortunately, by the end of this month, our astronauts may find themselves aboard the final mission of the Canadian space program -- destination U.S.A. Even as the Conservative government is recruiting new astronauts, it is deciding whether to allow the Americans to buy much of the rest of this country's space program. (4/1)

Canada will retain total control over its Radarsat-2 surveillance satellite regardless of who owns it, says the head of the space company whose proposed sale to U.S. interests has raised concerns about national security. Daniel Friedmann, president of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates (MDA), says fears that the sale of his company to a U.S. defense contractor will jeopardize Canadian sovereignty are unfounded because the satellite will continue to operate under Canada's rules. "Canada's foreign affairs minister regulates everything about that satellite," he said. (4/2)

NASA has rejected a European proposal to permanently dock an Italian-built Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) to the International Space Station to try to insure against shortfalls in ISS resupply after the Space Shuttle fleet is retired in 2010. The European proposal envisaged the Thales Alenia Space-built MPLM, called Raffaello, being permanently docked to the ISS's Harmony module's zenith port from January 2010. (4/2)

Europe's first space freighter, the unmanned cargo ship Jules Verne, made its docking debut at the International Space Station (ISS) Thursday with a graceful arrival after weeks of waiting in Earth orbit. The first of a new fleet of automated resupply ships, Jules Verne successfully docked at the orbiting laboratory at about 10:40 a.m. EDT under the watchful eye of station commander Peggy Whitson and flight engineer Yuri Malenchenko. (4/3)

A new era in space travel is set to open Thursday when an orbiting freighter the size of a London double-decker bus is scheduled to dock with the International Space Station and deliver fresh supplies. At the same time American scientists and space buffs applaud this breakthrough, many also lament the fact that it comes from Europe while the United States prepares to move to the sidelines of space travel. The three space shuttles still operating in the United States' fleet are scheduled to retire in 2010. First launched in the 1980s, they are expensive to operate. More important, their safety is an increasing worry for the sake of astronauts aboard them. (4/2)

CSA's twelfth annual Space Day in Sacramento is planned on May 13. A morning orientation will be followed by meetings throughout the Capitol with various legislative leaders. A lunch is also planned with members of the Governor's Administration and with leaders from NASA Headquarters. The afternoon will be spent in meetings with more legislators, followed by a reception in the Governor's Counsel Chambers. Visit http://www.californiaspaceauthority.org/spacedaysacto2008/registration.html for information (4/4)

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson said NASA Administrator Michael Griffin can't promote New Mexico's spaceport over competing efforts in Texas, California and Florida. But Richardson said Griffin supports commercial space facilities. Richardson also said Griffin is familiar with New Mexico's Spaceport America and the space assets New Mexico offers. Richardson and the director of New Mexico's spaceport, Steve Landeene, made the rounds in Washington this week, trying to secure federal help in New Mexico's space commercialization efforts. They did not land any immediate business or funding agreements. (4/3)

Gov. Bill Richardson and Steve Landeene, the director of New Mexico's spaceport, made the rounds in Washington last week, trying to secure federal help in the state's push toward space commercialization. The effort could produce long-term payoffs after Richardson secured expressions of support from NASA's top boss and a key congressional leader. The New Mexico site needs help from another agency before it can become fully operational — the Federal Aviation Administration, which must authorize use of airspace for suborbital space flights. Richardson and Landeene didn't meet with FAA officials.

NASA recently announced plans to contract with private firms on suborbital research and training missions. Landeene said the decision offers a tremendous opportunity for commercial space development, with companies poised to fill domains long dominated by NASA — satellite launches, for example. Landeene predicted other opportunities will arise through commercial suborbital flights, especially when improved launch vehicles allow scientists to accompany their experiments into space. Landeene said Griffin agreed that NASA will continue to need suborbital missions and the agency will become a major customer for companies operating from sites like New Mexico. "He said, "If you have the vehicles and the systems and the infrastructure, we will buy,"' Landeene said. "The problem right now is they are not available." (4/5)

April 22 is the date set for a tax referendum among Sierra County voters to decide whether or not to impose a .25% sales tax to become part of the team sponsoring New Mexico's Spaceport America. The deal struck nearly two years ago was that at least two of the three counties surrounding the New Mexico spaceport would create a taxing district by voting to levy a quarter percent on gross receipts to support the spaceport construction with the state. Dona Ana County approved the tax last year, with Las Cruces going for it in a big way and voters in the southern part of the county making it a close election. Otero County has not set a date for a vote. Sierra County is the site of the would-be spaceport. (4/1)

Swedish authorities planning to host flights of the Virgin Galactic suborbital space plane hope to lower the costs and regulatory barriers to the operation by having it classed as a sounding rocket and given the tax advantages of hot-air balloon flights, Swedish and Virgin Galactic officials said April 1. (4/2)

As Virgin Galactic and Scaled Composites continue the development of SpaceShipTwo, other companies are making headway in the commercial suborbital spaceflight market. Jeff Foust reports on recent developments by XCOR Aerospace and other companies, and how the diversity of technical approaches may be received by the market. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1095/1 to view the article. While you're at it, visit http://www.space.com/php/video/player.php?video_id=080327-xcor to view a video animation of the XCOR vehicle in flight. (3/31)

To many the ideal low-cost, reusable launch vehicle is a scramjet- powered spaceplane. Mike Snead examines the technical issues and challenges associated with developing such vehicles. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/1092/1 to view the article. (3/31)

Environmental Tectonics Corp.'s NASTAR Center will provide a 2-day space training experience in Philadelphia for 96 participants attending Space Cruise Week in April 2009. The Space Cruise is set to sail aboard the luxury yacht Sea Dream and will include several space-themed festivities during its journey including the boarding of several famous astronauts to act as guests and educators during the voyage. The Space Cruise will be provided by XtraOrdinary Adventures. (3/31)

Virgin founder Richard Branson and Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin will be leading hundreds of users on one of the grandest adventures in human history: Project Virgle, the first permanent human colony on Mars. The question is, do you want to join us? Ever yearned to journey to the stars? You can learn how to become a Virgle Pioneer, test your Pioneering potential, or join the Mission Control community that will help develop the 100 Year Plan we've outlined here. Visit http://www.google.com/virgle/ to view the project website. (4/1)(April Fools!)

There are many fascinating places in our solar system to explore, but space missions are dangerous and expensive. Sending robots instead of people helps reduce these drawbacks. For this kind of exploration, Professor Bernard Foing looks to the Moon, Mars and beyond, hoping to discover tantalizing secrets useful to astrobiologists. Foing is the senior research coordinator at the ESA space science department, and executive director of the International Lunar Exploration Working Group. Foing sees potential in using our Moon as a unique laboratory to export life from Earth to other worlds. Visit http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/080403-am-moon-development.html to view the article (4/3)

NASA engineers are testing out a giant, six-legged robot that could pick up and move a future Moon base thousands of kilometers across the lunar surface, allowing astronauts to explore much more than just the area around their landing site. In a 2005 report about its exploration plans, NASA said it wanted to set up a base at a fixed location on the Moon after initially returning humans there in 2020. But a gargantuan robotic vehicle called ATHLETE (All-Terrain Hex-Legged Extra-Terrestrial Explorer) could change that. Measuring about 7.5 meters wide, with legs more than 6 meters long, the robot could act essentially like a turtle, carrying the astronauts' living quarters around on its back. It was designed by engineers at JPL in California, who are now testing two small-scale prototypes of the robot. (4/4)

Thanks to outer space, Arietta Varner's African violets produce half-dollar-size blooms nearly year-round and need little care. Her two plants come from a strain grown from seeds that spent about six years in space in the 1980s. The seeds were exposed to radiation, which caused certain genetic mutations. When the space seeds were returned to Earth, some plants grown from them were hardier and bloomed almost constantly. A company called Optimara cultivated the plants and marketed them as Space Violets. "They don't need hardly any attention. I take care of them and water them, and she admires them," said Ron Varner. He uses Miracle-Gro on most of his flora. But the chemical fertilizer is unnecessary for the space violet, he said. (4/6)

No matter how much you like your crewmates, a three-year mission to Mars would test the even the best of relationships. And that's not even the primary reason why future long-duration space travelers may spend part of the journey in suspended animation. There's the tremendous expense of carrying food, oxygen and carbon dioxide scrubbers to keep astronauts alive, not to mention the hassle of processing their urine and feces. "Wouldn't it be neat if you could just put them out?" said Warren Zapol, the head of anesthesiology at Harvard University's Massachusetts General Hospital.

One option would be to cool the crew cabin into a big chill. But body temperatures below 30 Celsius (86 degrees F) can disturb the heart's rhythm. Another possibility would be to have the astronauts breathe swamp gas. Zapol and colleagues report in this month's Anesthesiology journal about how hydrogen sulfide -- the same stuff produced by rotten eggs and swamp gas -- slows mouse metabolism without cutting blood flow to the brain. (4/4)

Luke Skywalker's space racer hovered unpowered above the ground in the seminal Star Wars movie, but scientists have searched in vain for a real-world technology that realizes the same dream. Now, Cornell University researchers propose that superconductors paired with permanent magnets could fit the bill. Superconductor technologies designed at Cornell aim to hold space-station modules and satellites in place without tethers or retrorockets by magnetically "pinning" them in place. Using unpowered superconductors and fixed permanent magnets, the Cornell researchers claim a new-age solution to longstanding stability and control problems in space vehicles. Visit http://www.eetimes.com/news/latest/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=207001324 to view the article.

NASA scientists have identified the smallest black hole ever found -- less than four times the mass of our sun and about the size of a large city. But the mini-black hole, dubbed J1650, could still stretch a person into a "strand of spaghetti" with its pull, the researchers said. (4/2)

A pair of yellow supergiant stars, orbiting so close to one another that they form a single peanut-shaped object, has been discovered in a nearby galaxy. The astronomers who discovered it say that similar conjoined giants might be the source of some unusual supernova explosions. The stellar peanut inhabits a small galaxy called Holmberg IX, around 12 million light years from Earth. It was discovered using the Large Binocular Telescope in Arizona. Over a period of 270 days, the team saw the star dim twice. This behavior can be explained if there are actually two stars rotating around each other, so each periodically blocks the light from its neighbor. The precise shape of this "light curve" reveals that the two stars are bloated enough to share their outer regions, forming the peanut shape. (4/1)

Boeing and Huntsville-based Orion Propulsion signed a government-sponsored agreement to work together on NASA's Ares I rocket, which will transport astronauts into space after the space shuttle retires. The one-year agreement was announced at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama and marks the first Mentor-Protege agreement in 2008 in support of a major NASA contract. Orion is a small company that provides propulsion engineering, testing, verification, qualification and production expertise to NASA and other partners. (4/1)

The 30th Space Wing gave small businesses the opportunity to market their goods to the Air Force at the 'Grow Your Business' conference in the Pacific Coast Club March 19 and 20. The two-day conference gave business owners opportunities to meet and market with government purchase card holders and to network with federal agencies, prime contractors and other small businesses. During the event, speakers from both the government and major government prime contractors discussed business opportunities, vendor selection criteria, and provided insights on what it takes to be successful and how to avoid common mistakes. (3/24)

The sharp business-model differences between building commercial telecommunications satellites and operating them were on full display April 2 as Loral's top executive was forced to defend continued investment in what has been the world's most successful commercial satellite builder over the past several years. (4/2)

Loral Space and Communications Inc. announced April 4 that it no longer satisfies the Nasdaq stock exchange's filing requirements because of an ongoing delay in filing the company's 10-K form with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the year ended Dec. 31, 2007. As a result the company potentially faces delisting from the exchange. (4/5)

Universal has acquired nonfiction novel "First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong" and will turn it into a film. Armstrong was a test pilot-turned-astronaut who was so driven to reach the moon and play the role of American hero that he became known as "the Ice Commander." "The closer he got to the moon, the further away he became from his family, " said one official. "He had a family tragedy before Apollo that turned him into this driven astronaut, and he became such a perfect hero that while Buzz Aldrin was announced to be the first man on the moon, NASA reversed its decision because Neil was regarded as more heroic." He returned from the moon as one of the most famous men on Earth but didn't capitalize on it with a political career or endorsements. He reconnected with his family, shut out the world and became an intensely private man. (4/2)

The Florida Space Coast chapter of the National Space Society (NSS) and the Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) at the University of Central Florida are teaming up to host a Space Beach Party at the Cocoa Beach Pier on April 12 from 2:00pm to 11:00pm. The event is part of a worldwide annual celebration of the anniversary of manned spaceflight and is the only party registered in Florida. Purchase your VIP Access Pass now at the special online discount price of $10 (regularly $15) by visiting http://www.spacebeachparty.com/vip-reception.(4/4)