November 15

Homeland Defense to Marshall Space, New Technologies on War on Terror

Establishment of a new Homeland Security Department -- now making its way through the U.S. Congress -- is the largest makeover of government bureaucracy since the Defense Department was created in the late 1940s. The new entity would develop a range of technologies, including use of space assets, to help protect the country from enemy threat.

On November 13, the House of Representatives green-lighted the idea, with the U.S. Senate apparently ready to vote the department into being.

Both House and Senate legislative language call for creating a Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects Agency (HSARPA), modeled on the successful Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). This new agency would develop revolutionary new technologies to address homeland security vulnerabilities.

Putting science and technology muscle into the new department is key, said House Science Committee Chairman Sherwood Boehlert (R-NY).

"Advancements in science and technology will be critical to the success of every mission of the Department of Homeland Security. Improving intelligence analysis, cyber security, border security and emergency response all will require the invention and deployment of new technologies, ranging from new software to make computer networks more secure to new standards to make emergency response communications equipment interoperable."

Like the Cold War, Boehlert added in a press statement, "the war on terrorism will be won as much in the laboratory as on the battlefield."

-- Leonard David

November 14

Largest Volcanic Eruption in the Solar System

Astronomers have detected an eruption on Io, a moon of Jupiter, that they say is the largest ever seen in the entire solar system. "It is clear that this eruption is the most energetic ever seen, both on Io and on Earth," said Franck Marchis of the University of California at Berkeley.

The eruption was spotted with from the Keck II telescope in Hawaii, using its adaptive optics system, which corrects for the blurring effects of Earth's atmosphere. A white region - the eruption -- was photographed in February 2001 but the data was only recently analyzed by Marchis and colleagues. They released it yesterday.

The scientists produced a graphic comparison showing that the eruption on Io was 6,500 times larger than one on Sicily's Mt. Etna. The 1992 Etna eruption was recorded by a Landsat satellite.

Mars Rovers Get Shakedown

NASA's twin Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) are undergoing tough shake, bake and roll tests before being shipped for launch next year. Scientists and engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are ground testing the robots, part of an elaborate checkout campaign.

Rover 1, tucked inside a cocoon of spacecraft hardware, is midway through "shake and bake" evaluations. These tests assure that the hardware can survive the intense vibration of launch and solar soaking en route to Mars.

Meanwhile Rover 2 is now fully assembled. The robot is configured the way it will look when the petals of the lander have opened, allowing the robot to freely roam the surface of Mars. Recently, space engineers successfully conducted a series of MER 2 mobility tests on the floor of JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility. Although several engineering models of the rovers had been driven, this marked the first time a flight vehicle had been tested for mobility.

-- Leonard David

Planetary Society Petitions Congress to Support Solar System Exploration

The Planetary Society has presented the full Congress with a petition signed by 10,000 supporters, urging the House and Senate to support increases in funding for the exploration of the outer planets. The funds are included in the proposed 2003 NASA budget, recommended by the House Sub-Committee on Appropriations for VA, HUD, and Independent Agencies. The additional funds will enable NASA to move ahead with the New Horizons mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt, and to re-start development on a Europa orbiter.

"It is remarkable that in these times, when the country is preoccupied with extraordinary issues of security, liberty, and the economy, that so much public attention is still paid to the exploration of distant regions of the solar system," said Louis Freidman, Executive Director of The Planetary Society, in a letter to Congress.  "This in itself, we believe, is both a symbol and a manifestation of America's strength."

Both missions address fundamental questions about the nature and evolution of our solar system.  A recent study by the National Academy of Sciences, the Solar System Decadal Survey, gave both missions its highest priority recommendation.

Some 10,000 persons signed The Planetary Society petition, which advocates a vigorous program of science and exploration, including missions to Pluto and Europa. The petition also advocated a concrete and far-sighted plan for the International Space Station that includes a human exploration component.

November 13

Shenzhou 4 to Fly in January

Zhang Qingwei, president of China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said the final touches were being put to the launch of Shenzhou 4, meaning "Divine Vessel 4".

Zhang is quoted in China Daily as saying the launch of the unpiloted craft is scheduled for "around January 1" of next year.

The Shenzhou 4 is outfitted with new search and rescue gear, and other safety systems. This equipment is being flown to fully-qualify its use during upcoming crew-carrying Shenzhou flights. Additionally, like Shenzhou 3, the soon-to-be-launched Shenzhou 4 test flight will also carry mannequins, Zhang said.

Zhang also told China Daily that 14 Chinese astronauts -- selected from thousands of air force pilots -- have undergone training courses on Shenzhou 3 and Shenzhou 4 spacecraft.

China's space program plans, Zhang added, also calls for up to nine satellites being hurled into orbit next year - a record number for a 12-month period.

-- Leonard David

November 12

November 11

Curious Coincidences Crop Up Between Apollo 13 and STS-113

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Long time space cadets are beginning to point out the growing number of similarities between events associated with the ill-fated Apollo 13 lunar landing mission and NASA's current shuttle Endeavour mission, which carries the designation STS-113.

Both have required replacement of prime crewmebers with their backups. On Apollo 13, Tom Mattingly was swapped out with Jack Swigert after Mattingly was exposed to German Measles. On STS-113, pilot Paul Lockhart and Expedition Six science officer Don Pettit are to fly because their counterparts were removed from flight status for medical reasons.

Both experienced mission-impacting problems with systems related to oxygen. It was an oxygen tank that ruptured inside the Apollo 13 service module that triggered the dramatic effort to return the crew to Earth. On STS-113, a leak in the gaseous oxygen system inside Endeavour forced a minimum one-week launch delay.

Also of note, both the Apollo 13 and STS-13 crews decided to use Roman numerals on their crew patch.

While not necessarily superstitious, the STS-113 crew say they have been aware of their mission designation.

"We were joking a lot about being number 13," Expedition Six commander Ken Bowersox told SPACE.com during a preflight interview. "I kept telling (STS-113 commander Jim Wetherbee) we needed to change the mission number. I pointed out Apollo 13, STS-113 -- maybe we should become STS-112.1 or something like that."

Apollo was the first manned program to reach 13 flights. It has been suggested by many -- including current U.S. Senator Bill Nelson, who flew aboard Columbia in 1986 -- that NASA managers changed the shuttle numbering system after STS-9 so there wouldn't be an STS-13. The 13th shuttle mission to fly was known as STS-41G.

-- Jim Banke

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