Fwd: Human Spaceflight News - June 13, 2013 and JSC Today

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From: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Date: June 13, 2013 6:14:48 AM GMT-06:00
To: "Moon, Larry J. (JSC-EA411)" <larry.j.moon@nasa.gov>
Subject: FW: Human Spaceflight News - June 13, 2013 and JSC Today

 

 

Thursday, June 13, 2013

 

JSC TODAY HEADLINES

1.            June 20 Neil Armstrong Memorial Service and Tree Dedication

2.            African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG) Juneteenth Event

3.            Shuttle Knowledge Console (SKC) v5.0

4.            American Idol Live 2013 - Presale Tickets Available at Starport.

5.            Is it a Diet or Eating Disorder

6.            Parenting Series Topic - Understanding Child Development

7.            INCOSE Local Chapter Monthly Event on June 20, 2013

8.            Fall Protection Competent Person Refresher ViTS - July 12 - 9:30am

9.            EGRESS - How Will You Get Out?

10.          Space Available - APPEL - Project Planning Analysis and Control

11.          Machinery & Machine Guarding - July 16 - Bldg. 20 - Room 205/206

________________________________________     NASA FACT

" Astronomers at NASA and Pennsylvania State University have used NASA's Swift satellite to create the most detailed ultraviolet light surveys ever of the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, the two closest major galaxies."

________________________________________

1.            June 20 Neil Armstrong Memorial Service and Tree Dedication

JSC employees are invited to honor the memory of Astronaut Neil Armstrong at a Memorial Service in Teague auditorium Thursday, June 20 from 10:00-10:30 A.M. Doors to the auditorium will open at 9:00 A.M. At 10:40 A.M., immediately following the Memorial Service, employees are invited to the Astronaut grove for the dedication of a tree in Armstrong's memory.

JSC employees unable to attend in the Teague Auditorium can view it on RF Channel 4 and digital channel 54-1, Omni 44. Those with wired computer network connections can view the All Hands using onsite IPTV on channel 404. Please note: IPTV works best with Internet Explorer. If you are having problems viewing the video using these systems, contact the Information Resources Directorate Customer Support Center at x46367.

Accommodations for a specific disability are available upon request by contacting Janelle Holt at x37504 or janelleholt-1@masa.gov prior to 5 P.M. on June 14.

Event Date: Thursday, June 20, 2013   Event Start Time:10:00 AM   Event End Time:11:00 AM

Event Location: Teague Auditorium

 

Add to Calendar

 

JSC External Relations, Office oF Communications and Public Affairs x35111

 

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2.            African American Employee Resource Group (AAERG) Juneteenth Event

The JSC AAERG invites the civil servant and contractor community to the 2013 Juneteenth Celebration on Wednesday, June 19, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Building 30 Auditorium. The program will feature Dr. Thomas Franklin Freeman, Lead Debate Coach/Professor of Texas Southern University. Come spend your lunch hour with this inspirational and motivational speaker.

Carla Burnett x4-1044

 

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3.            Shuttle Knowledge Console (SKC) v5.0

The JSC Chief Knowledge Officer and the Engineering Directorate are pleased to announce the fifth release of SKC. This release includes the new image rotator that gets new images daily, an update to the SIRMA Archive that includes 15 additional records, 75000 new files in the Shuttle Document Archive (75GB), the Space Flight Operational Contract document archive consisting of 192 documents, the Shuttle Post Flight Videos consisting of 127 videos, and the Shuttle Flight Documents consisting of 22 documents collected from the experiences of individuals within the Shuttle Program. To date 1.13TB of information, with 3.82 million documents of SSP knowledge has been captured. If you are aware of data that still needs to be captured contact Howard Wagner or Brent Fontenot. Click the "Submit Feedback" button located on the top of the site navigation and give us your comments and thoughts.

Brent J. Fontenot x36456 https://skc.jsc.nasa.gov/Home.aspx

 

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4.            American Idol Live 2013 - Presale Tickets Available at Starport.

Starport is proud to bring you the opportunity to purchase tickets for this special engagement - American Idol Live 2013 at Reliant Arena Sunday, July 28th.

Pre-Sale tickets available at Starport Gift Shops, Buildings 3 and 11. Tickets are $57 for Section 204, rows 17,19 & 20 (reg. $66) and $37 for Section 109. Rows 6-8 (reg. $46). Last day to order is June 26th; pick up date is July 22nd. Limited number of seats available.

Cynthia Kibby 35352 http://starport.jsc.nasa.gov/

 

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5.            Is it a Diet or Eating Disorder

Please join Takis Bogdanos, MA, LPC-S, CGP of the JSC Employee Assistance Program in Building 20 Room 2026 at 12:30 p.m. as he presents an overview on Eating Disorders, prevalence, latest treatments and how to support a person who is afflicted by them.

If you cannot make it to your Center's ViTS location (ask your ViTS POC for the location of VITS ID #97664), please use this for remote connection:

Dial In: 1-888-370-7263, passcode 8811760# (please be sure to mute your telephone while in listening mode)

Meeting Number: 399 153 445

Meeting Password: DietEating6-13

-------------------------------------------------------

1. Go to https://nasa.webex.com/nasa/j.php?ED=3237073&UID=0&PW=NYmJlNzA0NGQw&RT=MiMxMQ...

2. Enter your name and email address.

3. Enter the meeting password: DietEating6-13

4. Click "Join Now".

Event Date: Thursday, June 13, 2013   Event Start Time:12:30 PM   Event End Time:1:30 PM

Event Location: Building 17, Room 2026

 

Add to Calendar

 

Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Program, Clinical Services Branch 281.483.6130

 

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6.            Parenting Series Topic - Understanding Child Development

It is commonly said that when you have a child, the child does not come with a parenting manual. Each child and family situation is unique. Effective parenting requires a clear understanding of the developmental

limitations and abilities of children at different stages. We will be discussing ideas for guiding your child in their different stage and how your parenting expectations play a role. Please join Anika Isaac MS,LPC,LMFT,LCDC,CEAP,NCC of the JSC Employee Assistance Program on June 18th at 12 noon in building 30 Auditorium as she presents: Child Development, the second topic of a monthly series focused on parenting.

Event Date: Tuesday, June 18, 2013   Event Start Time:12:00 PM   Event End Time:1:00 PM

Event Location: Building 30 Auditorium

 

Add to Calendar

 

Lorrie Bennett, Employee Assistance Program, Clinical Services Branch 281.483.6130

 

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7.            INCOSE Local Chapter Monthly Event on June 20, 2013

Dr. Nigel Packham will present a discussion on The Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Report - What happened to the STS-107 Columbia crew and what can be learned from it. Dr. Packham is the Associate Director, Technical, of NASA Johnson Space Center's Safety and Mission Assurance Directorate. He was project Manager for the effort that culminated in the release of the Columbia Crew Survival Investigation Report. The presentation will be held at the Lockheed-Martin Orion Conference room, first floor, 2625 Bay Area Boulevard, Suite 160 (OCC) Houston, TX 77058. Attendance is free for INCOSE members and $10 for non-members. Networking and refreshments start at 5:30 p.m. and the program begins at 6:00 p.m. Please see our local Texas Gulf Coast Chapter website at http://www.incose.org/tgcc/ for more information. Contact Larry Spratlin (281) 461-5218, or email at larry.spratlin.ctr@jacobs.com to RSVP.

Larry Spratlin 2814615218

 

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8.            Fall Protection Competent Person Refresher ViTS - July 12 - 9:30am

This 8 hour course provides refresher fall protection training for competent persons as described in the OSHA Regulations, ANSI Standards Z359.2, and NPR 8715.3. It is designed to refresh and update student's knowledge and skill of fall protection systems, components, and operations to include inspection and use. It will additionally provide training for implementation, supervision, and monitoring of a Center fall protection program including identification/evaluation/correction of hazards. This course covers all stages of the fall protection hierarchy including, the four parts of a fall arrest system, fall protection equipment inspection, and proper care and maintenance of fall protection equipment. There will be a final exam associated with this course which must be passed with a 70% minimum score to receive course credit.

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

Event Date: Friday, July 12, 2013   Event Start Time:9:30 AM   Event End Time:5:30 PM

Event Location: Bldg 17/Room 2026

 

Add to Calendar

 

Shirley Robinson 281-244-1284

 

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9.            EGRESS - How Will You Get Out?

A BLOCKBUSTER FILM LIKE NOTHING YOU'LL EVER SEE. Egress is a fast-paced action movie based on real-life dangers. See first-hand how simple egress violations can leave people trapped, fighting for their lives during an emergency. Watch the heart-pounding Egress trailer and download the posters at https://nsc.nasa.gov/Resources/Studies/Egress

Rindy Carmichael x45078

 

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10.          Space Available - APPEL - Project Planning Analysis and Control

This five-day course offers a foundation in program planning, analysis, and control, and provides intensive instruction in project management fundamentals across the entire project life cycle. Course content covers the areas of technical integration of project elements, design and discipline functions, and their associated interactions to balance performance, cost, schedule, reliability, and operability. Proven strategies and practical tools for planning, executing, and controlling a variety of projects are presented.

This course is designed for NASA's new engineers or early-career hires.

This course is available for self-registration in SATERN until Tuesday, June 18 and attendance is open to civil-servants and contractors.

Dates: Monday-Friday, July 29-August 2

Location: Building 12, Room 152

Zeeaa Quadri x39723 https://satern.nasa.gov/learning/user/deeplink_redirect.jsp?linkId=SCHED...

 

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11.          Machinery & Machine Guarding - July 16 - Bldg. 20 - Room 205/206

This 3 day course provides the student with an in-depth understanding of NASA and OSHA requirements for machinery and machine guarding. It is based on the OSHA Training Institute Machinery and Machine Guarding course, and provides the foundation for meeting our goal of contributing to improving the overall safety of NASA operations. The course also includes an overview of various types of common machinery used at NASA, and the safety standards relating to those types of machines. There will be a final exam associated with this course which must be passed with a 70% minimum score to receive course credit. Target Audience: •Safety, Reliability, Quality, and Maintainability Professionals. •Maintenance Repair Supervisors, fabrication shop personnel, and anyone working around or with machinery. Use this direct link for registration.

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

Event Date: Tuesday, July 16, 2013   Event Start Time:8:00 AM   Event End Time:4:00 PM

Event Location: Bldg. 20 Room 205/206

 

Add to Calendar

 

Shirley Robinson 281-244-1284

 

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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: 12:50 pm Central (1:50 EDT) – E36 w/Cascade Community School in Shoreline, WA

 

Human Spaceflight News

Thursday, June 13, 2013

 

HEADLINES AND LEADS

 

Space Freighter Leaves ISS Despite Antenna Trouble

 

RIA Novosti

 

An unmanned Russian space freighter successfully undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday evening despite a malfunctioning antenna, Russia's Mission Control said. The navigation antenna KURS actually deployed after undocking, a task that it failed to do at reaching the ISS on April 26. KURS had no purpose after the Progress-M-19M freighter docked with the ISS, but there were fears that the improperly positioned antenna could damage the docking ring of the station, the report said. No damage to the station was reported so far. The freighter will spend another eight days in space to conduct a geophysical experiment before disorbiting, Mission Control said. (NO FURTHER TEXT)

 

Shenzhou 10 docks with Chinese space lab in orbit

 

Stephen Clark - SpaceflightNow.com

 

China's Shenzhou 10 spacecraft flew an automated rendezvous with the Tiangong 1 space lab Thursday, docking with the prototype space station and delivering three astronauts for nearly two weeks of experiments. The manned space capsule docked with Tiangong 1 at 0511 GMT (1:11 a.m. EDT; 1:11 p.m. Beijing time) and mechanisms pulled the two spacecraft together for tight seal seven minutes later, according to a report by China's state-run Xinhua news agency. Shenzhou 10's three astronauts - commander Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping - were expected to enter Tiangong 1 through a 31-inch-diameter passageway later Thursday.

 

China's Shenzhou 10 ship docks with space lab

 

Associated Press

 

China's latest manned space capsule docked with an orbiting space station Thursday, and the three astronauts climbed aboard what will be their home for the next week, state media reported. Automated controls guided the Shenzhou-10's docking with the space lab, the Xinhua News Agency said. After entering the space lab, the crew exchanged their space gear for blue jumpsuits, Xinhua said.

 

China astronauts enter space module

 

Agence France Presse

 

Three Chinese astronauts Thursday entered a space module after carrying out a successful docking manoeuvre, state media said, two days after the launch of the country's longest manned space mission. The astronauts entered the Tiangong-1 space module at 0817 GMT, almost three hours after their spacecraft Shenzhou-10 had linked up with the space laboratory in an "automated docking", Xinhua said, citing the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

 

Shenzhou-10: Chinese capsule docks with space laboratory

 

BBC News

 

A capsule carrying three Chinese astronauts has docked with the Tiangong-1 space laboratory. The procedure came two days after the crew blasted off from Inner Mongolia on a Long March 2F rocket. The team plans to spend just under two weeks at the orbiting module, in what will be China's longest manned space mission yet. The Xinhua news agency reported that the automated docking occurred at 13:11 Beijing time (05:11 GMT).

 

NASA Goes 'Green': Next Spacecraft to Be Reusable

 

Jillian Scharr - Space.com

 

Since the space shuttle's retirement in 2011, NASA has relied on Russian rockets to launch its astronauts to space. But the United States plans to have its own homemade spacecraft again soon. Called the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle, the new vehicle will be able to carry astronauts to Earth orbit, to the moon, asteroids, and eventually to Mars. Though it looks similar to the gumdrop shape of the Apollo moon-bound capsules, the Orion spacecraft is a whole new machine. Unlike the old capsules, Orion — set to make its first test flight in 2017 — can be reused.

 

Boeing hires MT Aerospace of Germany to provide structures for NASA's Space Launch System

 

Peter de Selding - Space News

 

MT Aerospace of Germany will provide large aluminum segments for the main-stage propellant tank of NASA's future Space Launch System (SLS) under a contract with Boeing that MT announced June 12. Under the contract, whose value was not disclosed, Augsburg-based MT, which is majority owned by OHB AG of Bremen, Germany, will provide panels measuring 3 meters by 3 meters for the SLS main stage propellant tanks. The panels will be shipped to the SLS assembly plant in New Orleans.

 

Dual-engine Centaur upper stage design hits major milestone

 

Zach Rosenberg - FlightInternational.com

 

United Launch Alliance (ULA) has completed the preliminary design review for the dual-engine Centaur (DEC) upper stage, crucial to several commercial orbital spaceflight programmes. The Centaur upper stage is normally powered by a single Rocketdyne RL-10, mounted atop the Atlas V launch vehicle. A second RL-10 was judged necessary to launch spacecraft with the safety considered necessary for human spaceflight. Two commercial programmes, Boeing's CST-100 and Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser, will use the Atlas V/DEC.

 

Sierra Nevada starts next phase of Dream Chaser's rocket tests

 

T.J. Aulds - Galveston County Daily News

 

As Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser spacecraft continues aerodynamic performance and landing tests at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California, the company Sierra Nevada completed two tests last week at its rocket test facility in San Diego, Calif. A motor firing and ignition test was completed in preparation for upcoming motor tests under the current Commercial Crew Integrated Capability contract with NASA. The company will conduct another series of hybrid motor firings to meet the next contracted milestone this summer.

 

Sierra Nevada Corp. To Build ISS Berthing Hardware for Bigelow Module

 

Dan Leone - Space News

 

Sierra Nevada Space Systems of Louisville, Colo., got a nearly $2 million contract from NASA to build the berthing mechanism Bigelow Aerospace of North Las Vegas, Nev., will need to attach an experimental inflatable stowage module to the international space station (ISS) in 2015. Under the terms of the 16-month firm-fixed-price contract awarded May 28, Sierra Nevada will build a passive common berthing mechanism — a piece of hardware that allows spacecraft to be berthed with the international space station — for the Bigelow Expanded Activity Module (BEAM).

 

Space Florida says launchpad is like airport

 

Mark Matthews & Kevin Spear - Orlando Sentinel

 

In trying to sell the idea of building a new rocket pad in Central Florida, Frank DiBello doesn't make comparisons to "Star Wars," "Star Trek" or moon landings. Instead, the head of Space Florida relies on a more earthbound analogy: airports. "It ought to be compared to a commercial-aviation field," DiBello said of plans to develop a 150-acre launch complex near Kennedy Space Center, just 3.5 miles west of the rural town of Scottsmoor and 4.5 miles from heavily traveled Interstate 95. His implication: Rocket launches are becoming routine, and the need to establish launch sites miles from human habitation — in case the rocket blows up — is over.

 

Antitrust probe of Lockheed-Boeing rocket venture

 

Andrea Shalal-Esa - Reuters

 

U.S. regulators have opened a probe into whether a Lockheed-Boeing joint venture that launches U.S. government satellites into space has flouted antitrust laws. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating whether United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co, violated federal antitrust laws by "monopolizing" or restraining competition through an exclusivity agreement with the maker of the engines used in its rockets, according to a FTC document obtained by Reuters on Wednesday. RD Amross, a joint venture of Russia's NPO Energomash and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, a unit of United Technologies Corp, provides RD-180 engines for ULA rockets. Industry sources say ULA is preventing RD Amross from selling the engines to other rocket makers, including Orbital Sciences Corp, which is trying to break into the lucrative market for government rocket launches.

 

Mars or bust, Buzz Aldrin says

 

Brad Balukjian - Los Angeles Times

 

Dancer, rapper, and, oh yeah, Man on the Moon Buzz Aldrin is talking, but are the right people listening? One of the original moonwalkers ("Michael Jackson always did it backwards!" Aldrin complained) challenged the United States to pick up the space slack Tuesday evening, mere hours after China sent three astronauts into orbit. Speaking in front of a friendly crowd of 880 at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, Aldrin criticized the U.S. for not adequately leading the international community in space exploration, and suggested that we bump up our federal investment in space while still encouraging the private sector's efforts.

 

Jobs grant is extended

Shuttle workers will get help for another year

 

James Dean - Florida Today

 

Out-of-work aerospace contractors will have another year to seek help transitioning to new careers thanks to the extension of a federal grant that was set to expire this week. Brevard Workforce received confirmation Tuesday from the U.S. Department of Labor that the $15 million "national emergency grant" would continue for a fourth year, through June 14, 2014.

As a result, "there will be no lapse in service," Brevard Workforce President Lisa Rice informed her staff.

 

Cash-Strapped Space Tourists May Find Friend in PayPal

 

Greg Bensinger - Wall Street Journal

 

EBay's PayPal unit is shooting for the stars. The payments company is set announce a payment program for space tourists later this month, known as PayPal Galactic. PayPal has been working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Space Tourism Society and the SETI Institute, whose mission is to search for extraterrestrial intelligence, on the program, said a person familiar with the details. PayPal will likely announce the framework of the program on June 27, according to a media alert sent out Wednesday. A spokesman declined to comment on the program.

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COMPLETE STORIES

 

Shenzhou 10 docks with Chinese space lab in orbit

 

Stephen Clark - SpaceflightNow.com

 

China's Shenzhou 10 spacecraft flew an automated rendezvous with the Tiangong 1 space lab Thursday, docking with the prototype space station and delivering three astronauts for nearly two weeks of experiments.

 

The manned space capsule docked with Tiangong 1 at 0511 GMT (1:11 a.m. EDT; 1:11 p.m. Beijing time) and mechanisms pulled the two spacecraft together for tight seal seven minutes later, according to a report by China's state-run Xinhua news agency.

 

Shenzhou 10's three astronauts - commander Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping - were expected to enter Tiangong 1 through a 31-inch-diameter passageway later Thursday.

 

The astronauts have a busy schedule of medical, physiological and technology experiments over the next 12 days aboard Tiangong 1 before departing the mini-space station and returning to Earth, closing out a 15-day flight in orbit.

 

Wang, a 33-year-old Chinese military transport pilot and China's second female astronaut, will give a lecture in physics and science to Chinese students sometime during the mission.

 

Thursday's automated rendezvous began at 0248 GMT (10:48 p.m. EDT; 10:48 a.m. Beijing time). The Shenzhou 10 craft used laser and radar sensors to guide itself to Tiangong 1's docking port, where the spacecraft linked together with a docking system similar to the Russian-designed APAS system, which was used in the joint U.S.-Soviet Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the assembly of the Russian space station Mir and by space shuttles visiting the International Space Station.

 

Chinese officials previously stated the Shenzhou 10 mission would pioneer a new path to docking, approaching Tiangong 1 from underneath instead from behind.

 

Thursday's docking was not broadcast on Chinese state television - a break from previous precedent - so the rendezvous profile could not be confirmed.

 

Later in Shenzhou 10's mission, the crew will temporarily depart Tiangong 1 and approach the space lab a second time under manual control. Nie, Shenzhou 10's 48-year-old veteran commander, will pilot the spacecraft to a second docking with Tiangong 1.

 

When docked together, the vehicles form a pairing stretching more than 60 feet long and up to 13 feet in diameter, bigger than a double-decker bus. The combo has an interior habitable volume of about 700 cubic feet.

 

Tiangong 1, which launched in 2011, controls the orientation of the docked complex with six gyroscopes, and the two craft share electrical resources generated by solar arrays.

 

Shenzhou 10 blasted off aboard a Long March 2F rocket on Tuesday from China's Jiuquan space base - a launching center in China's northwestern Gobi desert.

 

China says the mission is scheduled to last 15 days, and Shenzhou 10 would become the country's longest spaceflight since becoming the third nation to launch humans into space in 2003.

 

The Shenzhou 10 mission's objectives will advance China's ambition to construct a large 200-ton space station in low Earth orbit by 2020, practicing orbital rendezvous techniques, testing life support systems and proving other technologies required to sustain crews in space for long-duration flights.

 

China's Shenzhou 10 ship docks with space lab

 

Associated Press

 

China's latest manned space capsule docked with an orbiting space station Thursday, and the three astronauts climbed aboard what will be their home for the next week, state media reported.

 

Automated controls guided the Shenzhou-10's docking with the space lab, the Xinhua News Agency said. After entering the space lab, the crew exchanged their space gear for blue jumpsuits, Xinhua said.

 

During their 12-day stay at the lab, the astronauts will perform a manual docking exercise and conduct scientific experiments. They will also deliver a series of science lectures - part of an outreach to increase the space program's popularity among younger Chinese.

 

The lab, the Tiangong-1, is an experimental space station. In operation for less than two years, it will be taken out of use later this year and replaced by a larger, more durable module by 2020.

 

The latest Shenzhou flight the fifth manned mission in a decade in a program that has been marked by methodical advances to catch up with the other two manned space powers - Russia and the U.S.

 

China astronauts enter space module

 

Agence France Presse

 

Three Chinese astronauts Thursday entered a space module after carrying out a successful docking manoeuvre, state media said, two days after the launch of the country's longest manned space mission.

 

The astronauts entered the Tiangong-1 space module at 0817 GMT, almost three hours after their spacecraft Shenzhou-10 had linked up with the space laboratory in an "automated docking", Xinhua said, citing the Beijing Aerospace Control Center.

 

The three -- who include China's second woman in space -- are spending 15 days in orbit as the country's ambitious space programme reaches another milestone.

 

The docking procedure was the fifth to take place between Shenzhou-type spacecraft and the space module, Xinhua said.

 

Two automated operations were carried out by the unmanned Shenzhou-8 in 2011 and both an automated and manual docking by the manned Shenzhou-9 in 2012.

 

Last year's manual docking, China's first, tested a technique that is needed to be able to construct a space station, which China aims to do by 2020.

 

Beijing sees the multi-billion-dollar space programme as a symbol of its growing global stature and technical expertise, and of the ruling Communist Party's success in turning around the fortunes of the once poverty-stricken nation.

 

Shenzhou-10: Chinese capsule docks with space laboratory

 

BBC News

 

A capsule carrying three Chinese astronauts has docked with the Tiangong-1 space laboratory.

 

The procedure came two days after the crew blasted off from Inner Mongolia on a Long March 2F rocket.

 

The team plans to spend just under two weeks at the orbiting module, in what will be China's longest manned space mission yet.

 

The Xinhua news agency reported that the automated docking occurred at 13:11 Beijing time (05:11 GMT).

 

A good seal was confirmed seven minutes later.

 

After pressure checks, Xinhua said, the astronauts - Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping - opened the hatch and entered Tiangong at 16:17 Beijing time.

 

This is China's fifth manned space mission, designated Shenzhou-10, and is scheduled to last 15 days in total.

 

Twelve days will be spent aboard Tiangong. One of the highlights will see Wang - China's second woman in space - present a video lecture to students on the ground in Chinese schools.

 

She will conduct at least one of these classes, demonstrating how objects move in the microgravity environment of space.

 

The published plan is for the crew to attempt a manual docking during their stay.

 

This will involve getting back inside their Shenzhou capsule, unhooking from Tiangong and then flying around the lab to re-attach with Nie at the controls.

 

This manoeuvre should occur on 20 June. The crew is expected to leave for good on 25/26 June. They will land in Inner Mongolia the same day.

 

Tiangong-1 has been in orbit for more than 600 days and has been visited by Shenzhou-8, Shenzhou-9 and now Shenzhou-10. But the lab does not have the resources aboard to support any more astronaut stays.

 

On completion of the Shenzhou-10 mission, Tiangong will be ditched in the atmosphere to burn up over the Pacific Ocean, although Chinese officials have not said yet precisely when this will happen.

 

A replacement lab, Tiangong-2, is likely to go up in the next couple of years. It will be a more ambitious module, paving the way for the big space station China hopes to launch at the end of the decade.

 

NASA Goes 'Green': Next Spacecraft to Be Reusable

 

Jillian Scharr - Space.com

 

Since the space shuttle's retirement in 2011, NASA has relied on Russian rockets to launch its astronauts to space. But the United States plans to have its own homemade spacecraft again soon. Called the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle, the new vehicle will be able to carry astronauts to Earth orbit, to the moon, asteroids, and eventually to Mars.

 

Though it looks similar to the gumdrop shape of the Apollo moon-bound capsules, the Orion spacecraft is a whole new machine. Unlike the old capsules, Orion — set to make its first test flight in 2017 — can be reused.

 

The Orion capsule consists of three basic sections: a crew module, a service module, and a launch abort system. A powerful new rocket, called the Space Launch System, will be used to launch Orion into space. It's the crew module section, in particular, that can be recycled for multiple spaceflights.

 

Making a spacecraft reusable is not an easy feat.  Since the Apollo 11 first moon landing mission, most manned spacecraft have achieved a safe return to Earth by landing in the ocean.

 

Though ocean landings are easier from an engineering standpoint — the descending capsule doesn't need to slow down as much for a water impact, and there's no need for airbags or other cushioning devices — ocean landings are also expensive, as the salt water often ruins the spacecraft's electronics.

 

A refurbish-able Orion means the spacecraft will be cheaper to operate over the long term.

 

Lockheed Martin, NASA's lead contractor on the Orion project, originally looked into enabling the craft's crew module to set down on dry land by outfitting it with heavy drag parachutes, reverse thrusters, and airbags. But simulations revealed that the necessary equipment would add approximately 1,400 lbs (635 kilograms) of extra weight to the crew module, making the vessel far too heavy. 

 

So for the first few flights, at least, Orion's crew module will make water landings.

 

This poses a problem, as one of the ways Lockheed Martin is making Orion reusable is by placing the majority of its valuable electronics and computers in the crew capsule, the only part of Orion that returns to Earth. This design greatly reduces the amount of hardware and software that needs to be replaced for each flight, but it leaves the question — how to protect these valuable components from the corrosive effects of salt water?

 

Larry Price, Lockheed Martin's Orion deputy program manager, explained that Orion's design locates the majority of these electronics not only in the crew module, but within the pressurized section of the crew module in which the astronauts ride. This chamber is able to withstand the vacuum of space, and will also serve to keep out salty ocean water upon returning to Earth.

 

Equipment that has to be outside the pressurized section of the crew module, like exterior sensors or docking cameras, will be sealed to minimize damage from water as well as dust and micrometeors in space.

 

A major exception is the crew module's heat shield, which is designed to be consumed as the vessel re-enters Earth's atmosphere, thereby shielding the crew module from the heat of re-entry.

 

What's more, all of the Orion's component parts have been designed to be as generic as possible, so that between the craft's first test flight in 2014 and its projected Mars voyage in the 2030s, the spacecraft can be upgraded as new technologies become available.

 

"If the vehicle's designed to be viable for 30 years, you want to be able to upgrade these components when advances are made," Price said, explaining that if one component is upgraded — or discontinued — the whole system won't have to be redesigned.

 

While the crew module is designed to be almost entirely reusable, Orion's service module is a different story.

 

For Orion's first few flights, the service module will be detached just before the crew module re-enters the atmosphere, and is expected to burn up as it falls.

 

But further down the line, it may be possible to refurbish the service module as well. Price talked hypothetically about outfitting the service module with sensors so that it could stay in orbit as a satellite after detaching from the crew module. This way, it could be refilled with fuel for future missions in space. Then, future crew modules could be launched separately, to rendezvous with the service module outside the atmosphere.

 

Boeing hires MT Aerospace of Germany to provide structures for NASA's Space Launch System

 

Peter de Selding - Space News

 

MT Aerospace of Germany will provide large aluminum segments for the main-stage propellant tank of NASA's future Space Launch System (SLS) under a contract with Boeing that MT announced June 12.

 

Under the contract, whose value was not disclosed, Augsburg-based MT, which is majority owned by OHB AG of Bremen, Germany, will provide panels measuring 3 meters by 3 meters for the SLS main stage propellant tanks.

 

The panels will be shipped to the SLS assembly plant in New Orleans.

 

The SLS main-stage tanks are to measure about 65 meters in length and 8.4 meters in diameter and are expected to carry nearly 1,000 kilograms of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. It will be 30 percent larger than the external tank of the now-retired U.S. space shuttle, and more than double the length of the main cryogenic stage of Europe's Ariane 5 ECA heavy-lift vehicle.

 

Dual-engine Centaur upper stage design hits major milestone

 

Zach Rosenberg - FlightInternational.com

 

United Launch Alliance (ULA) has completed the preliminary design review for the dual-engine Centaur (DEC) upper stage, crucial to several commercial orbital spaceflight programmes.

 

The Centaur upper stage is normally powered by a single Rocketdyne RL-10, mounted atop the Atlas V launch vehicle. A second RL-10 was judged necessary to launch spacecraft with the safety considered necessary for human spaceflight.

 

Two commercial programmes, Boeing's CST-100 and Sierra Nevada's Dream Chaser, will use the Atlas V/DEC. Though the DEC was used in previous models of the Atlas, it has since been wholly displaced by the single-engine version. Though it remained an option for launch aboard Atlas V, the option has never before been exercised.

 

"The testing was successful and met all of the criteria," says George Sowers, ULA's vice president for human spaceflight. "The next major milestone from the DEC design is the critical design review."

 

The first spaceflight of the DEC is expected in 2017 with the first flight of either CST-100 or Dream Chaser, but several will be used for abort testing in the meantime.

 

The DEC is considered essential to making the Atlas V safe for people. Additional modifications, including monitoring and abort systems, will also be built and tested.

 

Sierra Nevada starts next phase of Dream Chaser's rocket tests

 

T.J. Aulds - Galveston County Daily News

 

As Sierra Nevada Corporation's Dream Chaser spacecraft continues aerodynamic performance and landing tests at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California, the company Sierra Nevada completed two tests last week at its rocket test facility in San Diego, Calif. A motor firing and ignition test was completed in preparation for upcoming motor tests under the current Commercial Crew Integrated Capability contract with NASA. The company will conduct another series of hybrid motor firings to meet the next contracted milestone this summer.

 

After required modifications were completed, the test firing was conducted in order to validate Dream Chaser's motor test stand, after required modifications were completed and so Sierra Nevada can move forward with the future heavy weight motor tests with minimal test risk.

 

The Dream Chaser version of the hybrid rocket motor was last tested in 2010 when Sierra Nevada Corporation completed three successful test firings of a single hybrid motor in one day.

 

Sierra Nevada officials said the hybrid rocket systems offer a safe, high performing and nontoxic alternative to solid and hydrazine liquid propulsion systems. As the rocket motor fuel is industrial rubber, there are no special handling or transportation requirements, which greatly reduces costs to operate.

 

"We are eager to begin the next series of motor testing for Dream Chaser," Mark Sirangelo corporate vice president and head of Sierra Nevada Corporation's Space Systems, said. "With the successful qualification this week in San Diego and the success of the powered flight of SpaceShipTwo, we are even more confident that our hybrid motor technology is the safest and most reliable system for human transportation."

 

Sierra Nevada also manufacturers the hybrid motors that Virgin Galactic uses on its SpaceShip Two spacecraft, which underwent a successful flight test in April that saw the hybrid motor power the craft to 55,000 feet and a top speed of Mach 1.2.

 

Virgin Galactic, in addition to its venture into the space tourism side of the commercial space business, is also wanting to provide crew delivery services for NASA.

 

Sierra Nevada Corp. To Build ISS Berthing Hardware for Bigelow Module

 

Dan Leone - Space News

 

Sierra Nevada Space Systems of Louisville, Colo., got a nearly $2 million contract from NASA to build the berthing mechanism Bigelow Aerospace of North Las Vegas, Nev., will need to attach an experimental inflatable stowage module to the international space station (ISS) in 2015.

 

Under the terms of the 16-month firm-fixed-price contract awarded May 28, Sierra Nevada will build a passive common berthing mechanism — a piece of hardware that allows spacecraft to be berthed with the international space station — for the Bigelow Expanded Activity Module (BEAM).

 

Once the mechanism is finished, Sierra Nevada will bring it to Bigelow's North Las Vegas factory and install the hardware on BEAM under Bigelow's supervision, Mike Gold, Bigelow's director of Washington operations, said June 11.

 

Bigelow's ultimate goal is to build free-flying inflatable space habitats and sell them to government and private customers. However, the cheap space launch services Bigelow was banking on to close its business case for inflatable spacecraft have not materialized, and the company has not launched a module since Genesis 2, a testbed sent to space aboard a Russian Dnepr rocket in 2007.

 

Since then Bigelow has sold only one module, BEAM, to one government customer: the United States. Under a contract signed in December, NASA is paying Bigelow $17.8 million "to provide and operate the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) on-board the international space station."

 

The berthing mechanism work was not part of the December deal. The agency and the company mutually decided that NASA should provide the design for that hardware as government-furnished equipment, Jason Crusan, director of the Advanced Exploration Systems Division at NASA headquarters, told SpaceNews in March.

 

BEAM, which has an interior volume of about 16 cubic meters, is to be attached to the aft-facing port of the international space station's Tranquility node in 2015, where it could remain for up to two years. NASA will cache cargo in the Bigelow module as part of a technology demonstration mission to study how inflatable structures compare with traditional metallic modules in the harsh space environment.

 

BEAM is now scheduled to fly to ISS in the summer of 2015 on the eighth of 12 contracted cargo missions Space Exploration Technologies Corp. is flying for NASA under a $1.6 billion contract it got in 2008. BEAM will be attached to ISS by a ground-operated robotic arm, rather than by space-walking astronauts.

 

Meanwhile, Bigelow Aerospace founder Robert Bigelow said in late May that the company is working to launch its next module, the BA330, in 2016. That model, named for its 330 cubic meters of interior volume, will be the first to be visited by crews, if everything goes according to Bigelow's plan.

 

Space Florida says launchpad is like airport

 

Mark Matthews & Kevin Spear - Orlando Sentinel

 

In trying to sell the idea of building a new rocket pad in Central Florida, Frank DiBello doesn't make comparisons to "Star Wars," "Star Trek" or moon landings. Instead, the head of Space Florida relies on a more earthbound analogy: airports.

 

"It ought to be compared to a commercial-aviation field," DiBello said of plans to develop a 150-acre launch complex near Kennedy Space Center, just 3.5 miles west of the rural town of Scottsmoor and 4.5 miles from heavily traveled Interstate 95.

 

His implication: Rocket launches are becoming routine, and the need to establish launch sites miles from human habitation — in case the rocket blows up — is over.

 

A similar scene is playing out near Brownsville, Texas, where state officials have carved out a potential launch facility they're offering to SpaceX, the California-based rocket company that already twice has sent supply capsules to the International Space Station. About five miles to the north of the pad site is South Padre Island, a popular beach destination, and the city of Port Isabel.

 

Though space officials and industry experts say the danger from an errant rocket is minuscule, it raises the question: Is America ready to start treating spaceports like airports?

 

"You are statistically increasing the small risk of something bad happening. If somebody tells you that's impossible, then they are not telling you the truth," said Leon McKinney, an aerospace-engineering consultant in St. Louis and member of the public-policy committee at the American Institute of Aeronautics & Astronautics.

 

"Maybe that's acceptable, and maybe that's not. That's what the public process will determine."

 

Though commercial launches are becoming more commonplace, accidents still happen. In the past four years, two rockets built by Orbital Sciences have failed. And it's still difficult for the general public — especially anyone who has lived in the Space Coast since the 1990s — to shed the memory of an errant rocket launch.

 

Though no Florida bystander ever has been killed in a rocket accident, the region has seen its share of disasters, including the 1998 explosion of an unmanned Titan IV rocket that resulted in both a miles-wide debris field and a toxic chemical cloud — which floated harmlessly out to sea.

 

A big reason for the lack of casualties was distance. Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station — site of the Titan IV launch — was at least nine miles from any Brevard County residential neighborhood, as are the pads used by the now-retired space shuttles. (The 1986 explosion of Challenger occurred out over the Atlantic Ocean.)

 

One Air Force pad, Launch Complex 17, was being used in the 1950s for military launches. Eventually homes encroached within three to four miles of that site.

 

Any sense of normalcy was shattered in January 1997 when a Delta II exploded 13 seconds after launching from Pad 17A. Though no one was killed, debris destroyed four office trailers and damaged 20 cars in a nearby parking lot.

 

In the aftermath, Delta manufacturer McDonnell Douglas accelerated plans to move its launch-control center four miles back. The launch pad has since been closed.

 

Though KSC and Canaveral Air Force Station were intended originally to be far from homes, Space Florida has proposed a site on the county border of Volusia and Brevard and relatively close to rural neighborhoods. That is why DiBello couples his airport argument with assurances that safety would be paramount.

 

"We are clearly not going to do something that creates a danger to the community," he said.

 

For now, it's uncertain how safety and public access would be managed at a Shiloh launch complex.

 

An environmental and safety study, done through the Federal Aviation Administration, likely won't be finished for 18 months. And no "launch-day-closure area" — a mandatory safety zone — has yet been proposed.

 

The prime tenant Space Florida hopes to attract is SpaceX, which made history last year by launching the first commercial spacecraft to the International Space Station.

 

Though the company now uses a launchpad at Cape Canaveral to put government payloads into orbit, launch windows are dictated by NASA and the U.S. Air Force, which operates the Cape Canaveral range. CEO Elon Musk wants another facility away from the base so he could have more control over the timing of launches for commercial customers.

 

Though SpaceX officials would say little about any future plans, they also emphasized safety.

 

"SpaceX prioritizes safety first and foremost, and we work closely with all parties necessary to ensure the highest levels of safety for every launch," said Christina Ra, a SpaceX spokeswoman.

 

But broad clues of how much area around Shiloh would be closed for launches can be found in a recently completed study that the FAA did for the proposed launch site in Brownsville, Texas, that SpaceX also is considering.

 

Antitrust probe of Lockheed-Boeing rocket venture

 

Andrea Shalal-Esa - Reuters

 

U.S. regulators have opened a probe into whether a Lockheed-Boeing joint venture that launches U.S. government satellites into space has flouted antitrust laws.

 

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating whether United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Corp and Boeing Co, violated federal antitrust laws by "monopolizing" or restraining competition through an exclusivity agreement with the maker of the engines used in its rockets, according to a FTC document obtained by Reuters on Wednesday.

 

RD Amross, a joint venture of Russia's NPO Energomash and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, a unit of United Technologies Corp, provides RD-180 engines for ULA rockets.

 

Industry sources say ULA is preventing RD Amross from selling the engines to other rocket makers, including Orbital Sciences Corp, which is trying to break into the lucrative market for government rocket launches.

 

Jessica Rye, spokeswoman for ULA, confirmed the investigation and said the company was cooperating with antitrust regulators.

 

"ULA's contracts to purchase the RD-180 engine are lawful, pro-competitive and designed to provide the most reliable launch vehicle possible for critical U.S. government missions," Rye said. "Because this is ongoing investigation, it would be inappropriate for us to comment on specifics."

 

Pratt & Whitney spokesman Jay DeFrank said his company is aware of the investigation and cooperating with U.S. regulators.

 

The FTC declined comment.

 

Barry Beneski, a spokesman for Orbital Sciences, said the company had been contacted by the FTC about the probe.

 

"We have been contacted by the FTC about their investigation. However we can't be more specific than that," Beneski said. "In general, the company supports efforts to ensure there is an open and fair competitive environment in the market for launch services."

 

Lockheed and Boeing formed the joint venture in 2006 after years of competing for contracts under the Air Force's Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, which provides launch services for large military, intelligence and NASA satellites.

 

The companies won U.S. government's approval for the venture by arguing that there was not enough demand for heavy lift rocket launch services to support two competitors since the commercial demand they had expected had failed to materialize for such large rockets.

 

The U.S. Air Force, frustrated about the high cost of EELV rocket launches, has in recent years tried to infuse more competition into the launch service market.

 

Orbital's engines

 

Industry sources said the FTC investigation follows repeated unsuccessful efforts by Orbital to buy the RD-180 engines for its new medium-lift Antares rocket, which was developed in partnership with NASA to haul cargo to the International Space Station. The first Antares rocket was launched from a new commercial spaceport in Virginia in April.

 

Orbital ultimately used the AJ-26 engine, a refurbished Russian engine that is supplied by Aerojet, a unit of GenCorp Inc, to power the rocket. But that engine is no longer in production and there are only limited supplies available.

 

To be a viable competitor in the future, industry sources say Orbital needs access to the RD-180 engine, the only liquid propulsion engine in production that is commercially available and can be used for Orbital's Antares rocket.

 

Orbital developed the Antares rocket together with Aerojet and Alliant Techsystems as a replacement for the Delta II rocket built by Boeing that has been retired.

 

Orbital has enough AJ-26 engines to support its resupply missions for the space station but needs more engines to be a viable competitor for launches of medium-sized satellites that do not need larger and more expensive boosters.

 

Orbital is not seeking to compete directly with ULA for heavy lift rocket launches, but says it could save the government money by using the Antares rocket, which costs under $100 million, to lift smaller payloads into space.

 

Mars or bust, Buzz Aldrin says

 

Brad Balukjian - Los Angeles Times

 

Dancer, rapper, and, oh yeah, Man on the Moon Buzz Aldrin is talking, but are the right people listening?

 

One of the original moonwalkers ("Michael Jackson always did it backwards!" Aldrin complained) challenged the United States to pick up the space slack Tuesday evening, mere hours after China sent three astronauts into orbit.

 

Speaking in front of a friendly crowd of 880 at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, Aldrin criticized the U.S. for not adequately leading the international community in space exploration, and suggested that we bump up our federal investment in space while still encouraging the private sector's efforts.

 

"It took a national effort of about 4% of our [federal] budget in the peak year to support the Apollo program," he said. "We're getting a half of a percent right now. We have a lot of catching up to do to get back to the top of the space transportation business."

 

Aldrin was part of the Apollo 11 team that landed on the moon July 20, 1969, prompting fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong's famous "one small step for man" line and raising even the prodigious eyebrows of Soviet Leader Leonid Brezhnev.

 

His current grand plan, sketched out in his new book "Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration," calls for a U.S.-led international effort to build a series of incremental bases, starting with the moon, then moving on to Mars' two moons Phobos and Deimos, and finally establishing a permanent base with human residents on Mars.

 

The key to Aldrin's plan is to use a spacecraft called the cycler, which would transport people back and forth between Earth and Mars, surpassing even Los Angeles for commute time.

 

"Every couple of years, we could dispatch people from Earth to Mars," Aldrin said.

 

Aldrin claimed the costs of such a project would not be astronomical, but admitted it is still unclear how it would all be paid for.

 

So what's the point of going to Mars?

 

"If we don't, the Russians will, the Chinese will, some other country will," Aldrin said. "I grew up in a country that I thought was special. And it was."

 

Prior to his speech, Aldrin spent half an hour answering questions from a group of 32 local elementary- and middle-school kids in the basement level of the Nixon complex. I had the chance to speak with him briefly in between appearances.

 

Sitting at a long conference table piled with signed copies of his "Mission," Aldrin listened with alert blue eyes as I asked questions. Physically robust, with a ruddy complexion and broad shoulders that belie his 83 years, he wore gray slacks, a blue blazer, and several bracelets of different colors.

 

"What are the bracelets for?" I asked.

 

"They all have skulls on them," he said in a tone scuffed with gravel. "They chase away evil spirits."

 

I laughed. "Really? I couldn't tell they were skulls."

 

"Neither can the evil spirits," Aldrin said.

 

That's Buzz — a disciplined, measured man whose often-meandering comments are mixed with flashes of a very quick wit. When reminded during the Q&A that Pluto is no longer a planet, he shot, "Well, he wagged his tail too much."

 

I asked him about the third guy on the Apollo 11 crew, the oft-forgotten Michael Collins. If Aldrin ever felt slighted for being the second man on the moon (Armstrong, the flight commander, got dibs), how must Collins have felt being marooned in lunar orbit aboard Columbia?

 

Turns out Collins had a year or two to prepare for any disappointment, as NASA officials established far in advance that he would stay in the command module while the others made history. I asked Aldrin if he thought it bothered Collins.

 

"Well," he said, crunching a bite of salad, in the worst-case scenario, "he wouldn't get left on the lunar surface!"

 

Note that Aldrin said "the lunar surface" and not simply "the moon." With a doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics from MIT and a graduate of West Point, Aldrin is above all else a scientist and a patriot. Despite his good humor, his outlook is unsparingly no-nonsense. When I asked him for his first impressions upon landing on the moon, he launched into a wonky description of G forces and how they affect your balance and stability when trying to walk.

 

"Buzz!" I wanted to scream. "Where's the awe, the wonder, the 'Holy moly, I just stepped foot on the moon!!'"

 

But that's not Aldrin.

 

After landing, Aldrin and Armstrong either shook hands (according to Armstrong's recollection) or Aldrin slapped him on the back (Aldrin's take), but after their touchdown celebration that would make even Icky Woods proud, they turned to business.

 

"It wasn't a moment for great reflection," he said, "because things could be leaking."

 

Only in the closing minutes of his speech did Aldrin reveal some vulnerability and spiritual insight, sharing that he had taken communion on the moon and that he struggled for years afterward with depression and alcoholism.

 

But Aldrin doesn't seem too concerned with the past, except where it can make us better in the future.

 

"Where do we want this nation to be?" he asked no one and everyone. "What are our priorities?"

 

If NASA and the rest of Washington are listening, perhaps a FastTrak sticker for Mars won't be such a fantasy after all.

 

Jobs grant is extended

Shuttle workers will get help for another year

 

James Dean - Florida Today

 

Out-of-work aerospace contractors will have another year to seek help transitioning to new careers thanks to the extension of a federal grant that was set to expire this week.

 

Brevard Workforce received confirmation Tuesday from the U.S. Department of Labor that the $15 million "national emergency grant" would continue for a fourth year, through June 14, 2014.

As a result, "there will be no lapse in service," Brevard Workforce President Lisa Rice informed her staff.

 

The grant was announced in a June 2010 ceremony at Kennedy Space Center, months before the shuttle program was expected to end.

 

Below their goal

 

The goal was to serve 3,200 laid-off aerospace contractors, helping to place at least 2,240 in jobs.

 

As of March, however, Brevard Workforce reported it had spent less than two-thirds of the grant and would not meet its performance targets by a deadline this month, with job placements then just more than half the targeted total.

 

Cash-Strapped Space Tourists May Find Friend in PayPal

 

Greg Bensinger - Wall Street Journal

 

EBay's PayPal unit is shooting for the stars.

 

The payments company is set announce a payment program for space tourists later this month, known as PayPal Galactic. PayPal has been working with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Space Tourism Society and the SETI Institute, whose mission is to search for extraterrestrial intelligence, on the program, said a person familiar with the details.

 

PayPal will likely announce the framework of the program on June 27, according to a media alert sent out Wednesday. A spokesman declined to comment on the program.

 

Space tourism has largely been a rich man's game. Virgin Galactic LLC, for instance, is accepting $250,000 down-payments for seats on possible future flights; the company says over 600 have paid. Billionaires Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk are also building space craft in their spare time.

 

Facilitating payments in space flight would help extend PayPal's reach far offline. The company, known for funneling cash between eBay buyers and sellers, has been branching out into bricks-and-mortar retail, including through an agreement to accept PayPal at Home Depot Inc. stores and through Discover Financial Services ' network.

 

It's likely PayPal's space payments network won't get off the ground any time soon. Virgin Galactic, Musk's Space X and Bezos's Blue Origin haven't said when their spacecraft will ferry passengers above the stratosphere.

 

END