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ARCHIVE
Month: August 2006
Lowered Expectations at LockMart

Lockheed Wins Contract to Build NASA’s New Spaceship, Washington Post“But it was blamed for the 1999 disappearance of the Mars Climate Orbiter, which vanished into space or burned up in the Mars atmosphere after Lockheed engineers incorrectly programmed it using English rather than metric units. When the Genesis space capsule crashed in 2004, NASA said it was because of errors in designs prepared by the company. Lockheed’s earlier effort to […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 31, 2006
Where Do They Get These Odds?

NASA farms out moon rocket, AP“The program will reduce the risk of a fatal accident to astronauts from 1-in-200 currently for the shuttle to 1-in-2000 for the new Constellation program, Orion project manager Skip Hatfield said last week.” Editor’s note: “1-in-200 currently for the shuttle“? Um, Skip: we haven’t even had 200 shuttle flights yet – the number is actually closer to 100 – but we have had two fatal […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 31, 2006
Layoffs Begin at KSC

Layoffs Hit Kennedy Space Center, Central Florida News 13“In an exclusive report, David Waters at Central Florida News13 has learned that in a cost cutting move, one of NASA’s contractors will be laying off workers at the Space Center. This move comes just days before another scheduled launch of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. 75 NASA contractors will lose their jobs. They work for SGS, a contractor that keeps the infrastructure […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 31, 2006
LockMart Wins CEV Contract

Lockheed Martin wins CEV contract, Orlando Sentinel“Sources on Capitol Hill tell the Orlando Sentinel that Lockheed Martin has won the contract to build the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle that will eventually carry astronauts to the moon and on to Mars.More details will be posted here after a 4 p.m. press conference.”NASA Selects Lockheed Martin To Be Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle Prime Contractor“DDT&E work is estimated to occur from Sept. 8, […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 31, 2006
CEV Announcement

NASA Announces Contractor for Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle“NASA Exploration Systems’ managers will host a press conference at 4 p.m. EDT Thursday, Aug. 31, to announce the prime contractor to design, develop, and build Orion, America’s next human spacecraft..” Editor’s 30 Aug 10:48 pm EDT note: According to an eyewitness, they are painting the grass green at the Northrop Grumman buildings in El Segundo. Apparently, this only happens on the eve […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2006
Picking The Wrong Mission to Hype

The Mars Landing Space Technology Helps to Locate and Remove Deadly Landmines Covering the Earth“This technology was the key component that contributed to the 2nd successful Mars landing with the Beagle II and will be used by TaeCorp in its Aerial Landmine System.” Editor’s note: “2nd successful Mars landing with the Beagle II”? I am not sure how this could be true since Beagle II crashed – the first time. […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2006
What Will Anousheh Ansari Say About Iran – From Orbit?

From Anousheh Ansari’s new website: “Goals … To promote peace and understanding as a representative for millions of Iranians that, given the right opportunities, can achieve their dreams.” Editor’s 30 Aug 12:15 pm EDT note: Word has it that some State Department folks are increasingly nervous about the possibility that Anousheh Ansari will use the ISS to make some sort of political statement or live TV broadcast that could undermine […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2006
IAU Planet Definition Under Attack

Diary of a planet’s demise, Nature (subscription)“I am just disgusted by the way the IAU, which is meant to represent the best in science, handled this matter,” says Alan Stern … “We do not classify objects in astronomy by what they are near,” he says. “We classify them by their properties.” Editor’s note: NASA Watch has learned that the words attributed to Mark Sykes in this article are not accurate […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2006
STS-115 Window Grows, Soyuz Launch Flexible

Editor’s note: According to NASA HQ PAO: “If we don’t have any ill effects from Ernesto, NASA would attempt a shuttle launch on September 6, 7, and 8. The Soyuz would go on the 18th if the shuttle launches and if not, the Soyuz would go on the 14th.”Atlantis may have three shots next week, Orlando Sentinel“However, by eliminating one of two optional mission extension days that is included in […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2006
Schedule Pressure

NASA considers relaxing daylight rule if Atlantis misses September window, SpaceflightNow“If the shuttle Atlantis fails to get off the ground before the Sept. 7 end of its current launch window – a scenario that could delay the flight to late October – NASA managers may reconsider an earlier decision to only launch in daylight to ensure photo documentation of the ship’s heat shield and external tank, officials said today.” Editor’s […]

  • NASA Watch
  • August 30, 2006