Sunday, June 01, 2003

ESA approves plans for Ariane 5, Rosetta. ESA approves plans for Ariane 5, Rosetta. The European Space Agency approved plans Tuesday to revitalize the Ariane 5 launch vehicle program... [spacetoday.net] Posted: Wed, May 28 6:54 AM ET (1054 GMT) The European Space Agency approved plans Tuesday to revitalize the Ariane 5 launch vehicle program and press ahead with the Rosetta comet missions. Ministers from ESA's 15 member nations met in Paris Tuesday and gave their approval to a plan to requalify the 10-tonne version of the Ariane 5, the Ariane 5 ECA. ESA will pay for a demonstration flight of the Ariane 5 ECA in March 2004 as well as a September 2004 launch of an Ariane 5 ES, which uses the first stage of the Ariane 5 ECA but the upper stage of the generic version; that flight will carry the first Automated Transfer Vehicle cargo spacecraft for the ISS. The plan approved Tuesday also includes a reorganization of launch activities, placing the design, development, and manufacture of Ariane boosters in the hands of a single company, EADS, with Arianespace responsible for marketing the booster. Ministers also approved plans to build facilities in Kourou to support launches of Soyuz boosters beginning in 2006, as well as developing long-term programs to promote European use of the Ariane 5. Total cost of these launch vehicle programs is forecast to exceed one billion euros (US$1.2 billion). Ministers also signed off on plans to launch Rosetta next February on a mission to comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Those plans were threatened by a funding crunch within ESA's science program; miniters said in a statement that the problem will be solved by an unspecified "approval of financial flexibility at Agency level." 9:15:23 PM    comment []

THE RACE INTO SPACE  http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20030528-092308-4284r.htm ----------------------------------------------------------- THE RACE INTO SPACE By Robert S. Walker -----------------------------------------------------------      Are the Chinese serious about human space flight? Most definitely. And they are interested in doing more than simply going to low Earth orbit. They are headed for the moon.      For most of last year, the Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry looked at our nation's position relative to our global competition. Clearly, the Europeans are determined to challenge our preeminence in commercial aviation, and the challenge to our leadership in space is coming from the Pacific Rim.      The conclusion that the Chinese are engaged in an aggressive space program is my own, based upon the commission's findings, but not included in the panel's final report. What we saw and heard during our year of hearings and investigation convinced me that China intends to be on the moon within a decade and will announce they are there for a permanent stay. An investment of less than 1 percent of their growth revenues over the next decade would provide revenue for a very robust program. snip larry.kellogg@sbcglobal.net  This is an interesting article from The Washington Times. Hope we consider the advantages of going to the Moon permanently. - LRK - 4:45:20 PM    comment []