This is not a NASA Website. You might learn something. It's YOUR space agency. Get involved. Take it back. Make it work - for YOU.
nasawatch@spaceref.com | Voice +1.703.787.6567 | 
RSS Feed | 
Twitter | Advertising | Important Disclaimer
This is not a NASA Website. You might learn something. It's YOUR space agency. Get involved. Take it back. Make it work - for YOU.
nasawatch@spaceref.com | Voice +1.703.787.6567 | RSS Feed | Twitter | Advertising | Important Disclaimer
House Science, Space, and Technology Committee Approves the American Space SAFE Management Act
"The U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee today approved H.R.6226, the American Space Situational Awareness and Facilitation of Entity Management Act (American Space SAFE Management Act), introduced by Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas). This bill will establish the Department of Commerce as the civilian agency to provide civil space situational awareness and traffic coordination."
House Approves Space Technology and Commercial Space Bills
"Today, the U.S House of Representatives approved two bipartisan space bills that promote the Nation's leadership in rocket propulsion development and provide licenses for commercial space support vehicles and flights. These bills will ensure America remains a leader in space exploration and development. The American Leadership in Space Technology and Advanced Rocketry Act, or the ALSTAR Act, (H.R. 5345) was introduced by Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.), vice chairman of the Space Subcommittee. The Commercial Space Support Vehicle Act (H.R. 5346) was introduced by Rep. Bill Posey (R-Fla.), a member of the Space Subcommittee."
Categories: Commercialization, Congress
NASA Is Delaying The Launch Of Its $9 Billion Space Telescope -- Again, Buzzfeed
"Make no mistake, I'm not happy sitting here telling you this," NASA's Thomas Zurbuchen told reporters on a briefing about the delay. He deflected criticism from spacecraft contractor Northrop Grumman, saying, "we are part of the team that caused this problem and we are going to have to solve it together." Blowing the budget cap for JWST means that Congress will have to vote to reauthorize completion of the telescope, which has already drawn ire from lawmakers. NASA plans to ask for the authorization and extra money in February. "Program delays and cost overruns don't just delay the JWST's critical work, but they also harm other valuable NASA missions, which may be delayed, defunded, or discarded entirely," Rep. Lamar Smith of Texas, chairman of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee told BuzzFeed News in a statement. His committee will hold a hearing to address the report next month. The witnesses will include the NASA administrator, James Bridenstine, and Northrup Grumman CEO Wes Bush. "I expect to see progress on keeping projects on budget and on time," said Smith."
|
|
|
|
Media Telecon on Status of James Webb Space Telescope, June 27th
"NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT [17:00 UTC], Wednesday, June 27, to provide an update on the agency's James Webb Space Telescope and the findings of an external independent review board. Webb will be the world's premier infrared space observatory and the largest astronomical space science telescope ever built. Audio of the call will stream live on NASA's website [https://www.nasa.gov/live]."
NASA Completes Webb Telescope Review, Commits to Launch in Early 2021
"The Independent Review Board (IRB) established by NASA to assess progress on its James Webb Space Telescope has unanimously recommended that development on the world's premier science observatory should continue; NASA has established a new launch date for Webb of March 30, 2021. A report issued by the review board addresses a range of factors influencing Webb's schedule and performance, including the technical challenges and tasks remaining by primary contractor Northrop Grumman before launch."
"As a result of the delay, Webb's total lifecycle cost to support the March 202l launch date is estimated at $9.66 billion. The development cost estimate to support the new launch date is $8.8B (up from the $8B development cost estimate established in 2011). Along with the IRB's broad-view assessment, NASA also considered data from the project's Standing Review Board (SRB). Both review panels had concluded that a 2020 launch date would have been feasible before the recent acoustics test anomaly."
"Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems (NGAS) should establish corrective actions in processes, training, personnel certification, individual accountability and a robust testing, analysis and inspection process. Agree. NGAS stood down operations and performed an independent set of reviews and rewrites of all propulsion procedures including feedback from the performers. Also, applied Integration & Test (I&T) procedure expertise to manufacturing operations. To further enhance robustness in I&T, NGAS will be incorporating cross program independent reviews of the table top and pre-task briefing processes."
NASA Announces Contract for Next-Generation Space Telescope Named after Space Pioneer (2002)
"The James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled for launch in 2010 aboard an expendable launch vehicle. NASA today selected TRW, Redondo Beach, Calif., to build a next-generation successor to the Hubble Space Telescope in honor of the man who led NASA in the early days of the fledgling aerospace agency. Under the terms of the contract valued at $824.8 million, TRW will design and fabricate the observatory's primary mirror and spacecraft. TRW also will be responsible for integrating the science instrument module into the spacecraft as well as performing the pre-flight testing and on-orbit checkout of the observatory."
- Webb Space Telescope May Bust Its Budget Cap Yet Again (Updated) (2018)
- Management Shake Up on Webb Space Telescope (2018)
- Yet Another Webb Problem Review Panel (2018)
- More Cost Overruns and Delays for Webb (2010)
Now is the time for the Space Force. Trump just needs to get it right, op ed, Washington Post
"The Pentagon helped shoot down the "corps" idea a year ago. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis wrote congressional leaders last October: "I oppose the creation of a new military service and additional organizational layers at a time when we are focused on reducing overhead and integrating joint warfighting functions." But Trump continued to push his pet space project. One advocate was Vice President Pence, chairman of the National Space Council and a rocket enthusiast who's said to have brought his family to Florida to watch NASA launches. Another was Newt Gingrich, the peripatetic former House speaker who, like Trump, enjoys promoting flashy, controversial ideas. "If Trump can break through the bureaucracy, all this will happen within a decade," even by 2020, Gingrich predicted in a phone interview Tuesday. Gingrich, who informally attends Space Council meetings, says he has talked with Trump about the idea but that the passion for it is the president's. The Air Force had been hoping this proposal would go away."
The Air Force is "as serious as a heart attack" about opposing the Space Corps, MuckRock
"While President Donald Trump's announcement earlier this year regarding the possible establishment of a "Space Force," FOIA shows that not everyone in his own administration is so keen on the idea. In a series of recently released emails from last year, Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson made clear her opposition to the establishment of a semi-autonomous "Space Corps," insisting that it be the USAF in charge of militarizing the cosmos."
The New Arms Race Threatening to Explode In Space, Wired
Since he took office, President Trump has dropped numerous hints of the warnings he's evidently getting from military and intelligence leaders. During a spring livestream with astronauts aboard the International Space Station, he alluded, obliquely and without context, to the "tremendous military applications in space." And he has repeatedly floated the idea of creating a new branch of the armed forces specifically for celestial combat--culminating last week with a speech out-and-out ordering the Joint Chiefs of Staff to begin developing plans for a new "Space Force."
Categories: Military Space, TrumpSpace"It has been our wish from the beginning, to avoid public discussion of our efforts to try to protect our father and his reputation from the debilitating effects of his worsening condition. We sought confidentiality through a motion with the court which held both parties responsible for maintaining confidentiality pending a formal judgement on the motion.
Legal counsel representing our father chose to defy the motion and make this effort part of a public spectacle designed to stir undue sympathy and support for the ridiculous lawsuit that they have brought on Dad's behalf.
We have refrained from discussing the lawsuit publicly other than to debunk specific aspects of it that could hinder the ongoing operation of the Foundation. The time has come to recognize where the elder exploitation is truly occurring and address the flawed foundation of the lawsuit.
Let it be clear that every one of these allegations are products of the increased confusion and memory loss that Dad has demonstrated in recent years. Every one of them can be easily refuted by witnesses, bank and corporate records and, if necessary, we will prove this in court. But the responsibility for this outrageous lawsuit rests with those would seek to leverage his condition for their own agenda.
Although Dad's current handlers want to spin this as "Buzz vs Family," that could not be farther from the truth. We will not attack our father on any basis, for any reason. We are committed to protecting him, his reputation and his legacy. Our work together on this foundation is testament to that. We will not allow opportunistic agents who see an opportunity to grab the spotlight break our family apart.
We dearly love and respect our father and want him to return to us so we can continue our mission together to advance his dreams and legacy within the space program today, and with generations of explorers to come."
Media Contact: Griffin Communications Group, brett@griffincg.com or gwen@griffincg.com"
Continue reading: Statement From Andy and Jan Aldrin."Matt Murray, Editor-in-Chief - Gretchen Morgenson, Senior Special Writer, Investigations
Re: Buzz Aldrin
Our firm represents Andrew Aldrin and Jan Aldrin. Your recent article, "Buzz Aldrin Fights Family for Control of His Space Legacy," was riddled with inaccurate and unverified claims which, given the usual high standard of Wall Street Journal reporting, warrant substantial correction on the record. That the subject's name was given incorrectly in a corresponding caption (Edward "Buzz" Aldrin v. Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin), is an early indication of the general carelessness with which the article presents multiple inaccurate and false claims made by Col. Aldrin's handlers, many of them corrected herein. Additionally, our clients were not provided with any reasonable opportunity to specifically respond to the many false allegations made against them in this article.
1. First, it is germane to the overall discussion to recognize that public disclosure and discussion of court proceedings to determine competency is against the wishes of the Aldrin family. The family has specifically requested full confidentiality in the interest of their father. This request is currently under consideration by the court.
2. The Buzz Aldrin Space Foundation was established in his name and created specifically to support new activities beyond the primary education focus on the Share Space Foundation. The foundation has sponsored several workshops on Mars habitation and numerous articles on Mars transportation concept. Col. Aldrin participated in many of these activities.
3. The management and distribution of funds has always been completely controlled by business management company Callas & Carlson, who oversees distribution of set salaries and expenses according to strict criteria. Neither Andy Aldrin nor Christina Korp have had the ability to pay or reimburse themselves in any way.
4. Andy has never used his father's personal credit card. Those who have served as his executive assistants were on his card to pay his expenses, but never used for personal use - a fact that can be easily confirmed. Christina was taken off of Buzz's account by Lisa LaBonte, recently, who changed the billing address to her business address in Virginia."
Continue reading: Aldrin Family Responds To Wall Street Journal."After the article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, I must respond. I have tried to stay out of the fray so as not to create any mixed signals while the Aldrin family and I try to protect and maintain Buzz Aldrin's reputation, legacy and ability to sustain himself in the future in this difficult situation. However, I cannot stand by while there are unwarranted personal attacks on my integrity, honesty, professionalism and character. I am being unfairly defamed by the managers of the newly formed Buzz Aldrin Ventures and its legal counsel. I encourage those that know me to research the background of these individuals. I also encourage media to be careful what they write and make sure the facts are correct. There are too many inaccuracies in the public arena at the moment to respond on an individual basis. Please know that I am devastated by these lies and shocked that reputable publications like the Journal would run a story like the one just published without fairly seeking both sides of the story. With legal action now pending, I hope you understand my need to be cautious. This same level of caution is not being followed by the people currently surrounding Buzz who are sharing misinformation and unfounded accusations about me and the Aldrin family. I intend to continue to take the professional route.
Unfortunately, almost a year ago, some people began to exert undue influence on Buzz. These individuals began to actively try to drive a wedge between Buzz and his children, and me, for what I fear is their own benefit. As many people have noted, there is a different tone with Buzz's Twitter account due to these individuals taking over control of that account. New companies were very recently started by this new team, under the guise of benefitting Buzz.
NASA Langley contract employees get pay cuts under new contractor, Daily Press
"In March, NASA Langley announced it had chosen its newest contractor, Alutiiq-Fusion Joint Venture, to provide about 200 employees under Langley's administrative, media and professional services (LAMPS II) contract. Soon after, Stefula was stunned to discover she would have to take a 37 percent pay cut to keep her job. She wasn't alone. Several contract workers at the center interviewed by the Daily Press say their salary reductions range from 8 percent to 37 percent, and that countless colleagues have taken similar cuts, or greater. They cite unsubstantiated accounts of a few senior staffers who had their pay slashed by 70 percent."
"Langley's new contractor is a partnership between Alutiiq LLC, a Native American-owned business based in Anchorage, Alaska, and Media Fusion of Huntsville, Ala. The companies divvied up employees, with Alutiiq largely handling the administrative and professional staffing and Media Fusion the media services, video production and public affairs. Alutiiq-Fusion also took on a subcontractor, Banner Staffing in Washington, D.C., to handle about a dozen workers for Langley's Office of Human Capital Management."
Keith's note: The most pathetic aspect of this is a refusal to answer questions from the reporter from the Daily Press. Instead the companies involved and NASA Langley PAO simply sent a statement. And no one has heard from Langley Center Director David Bowles. As such, employees have to do their own investigative reporting to find out why they are getting pay cuts. How pathetic and uncaring. People working their asses off for Langley get unexpected and wholly unwarranted pay cuts and their management doesn't have the spine to face them or the media to explain things?
Let's hope Sen. Kaine and Sen. Warner take further action since David Bowles and his management team clearly are not going to. Cutting employee salaries with no notice or reason is not the way to go back to the Moon.
Categories: Personnel News
Rep. Mo Brooks pushes to put 'Space Force' command in Alabama, AL.com
"Alabama's congressional representatives aren't wasting any time lobbying for the Pentagon to put President Trump's new "Space Force" command on Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville."
Mo Brooks pitches Space Force headquarters at Redstone Arsenal, WAFF
"Forgive me for diverging from the primary focus of this hearing, but it occurs to me that each of you has significant persuasive influence on where the new space command will be headquartered, so I am going to touch on that for a moment. In that vein, I hope you will help make Redstone Arsenal a finalist in the space command headquarters debate. Redstone Arsenal has a lot to offer. We have related to space command-- either related a lot or related a little-- the following space command activities: United States Army Aviation and Missile Command; Aviation and Missile Research Developmental and Engineering Center; PEO Missiles and Space; United States Army Space and Missile Command; Army Forces Strategic Command; United State Missile Defense Agency; Defense Intelligence Agency's Missile and Space Intelligence Center; NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, which is the home and birthplace of America's space program; a wealth of intellectual talent; engineers, we have the highest concentration of engineers in the United States of America; physicists; mathematicians; scientists."
Categories: Military Space Keith's note: The following statement was received by NASA Watch from the Aldrin family:
"We are deeply disappointed and saddened by the unjustified lawsuit that has been brought against us individually and against the Foundation that we have built together as a family to carry on Dad's legacy for generations to come. When we established the current structure several years ago, it was done so at Buzz's request and with his full support. If nothing else, our family is resilient and our ability to work together to solve problems and accomplish great things is strong. We love and respect our father very much and remain hopeful that we can rise above this situation and recover the strong relationship that built this foundation in the first place.
We will not be commenting further on the lawsuit and ask your understanding and respect for our family privacy at this extremely difficult time."
--- Andy Aldrin and Jan Aldrin"
First someone takes over @TheRealBuzz - Now Buzz Aldrin is suing his entire family and all of his companies and organizations for everything, everywhere (and $ millions of memorabilia). Here's the lawsuit: https://t.co/EyK0RZtGPA pic.twitter.com/PZzl6ETiAf
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) June 22, 2018
Keith's note: Some background information posted on Twitter with regard to @TheRealBuzz and people associated with various activities using Buzz Aldrin's name. Click below to read.
NASA Assessment of Mission Flexibility and Agility, NASA
"As you know, the President's National Space Strategy and Space Policy Directives have set NASA on an ambitious path of discovery and exploration that will require us to be more agile and flexible than ever. To that end, as NASA's part of an Administration plan for reorganizing the Executive Branch, the agency has been asked to assess over the next few months whether expanding the Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) model beyond JPL is the best approach for increasing agility and flexibility in support of the mission."
Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century (NASA Excerpt)
Delivering Government Solutions in the 21st Century
Page 17: "Establish an accelerated process for determining whether one or more of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Centers should be converted to, or host, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC). FFRDCs can potentially allow the agency to be more agile in rapidly responding to changing needs and in recruiting and retaining scientific and technical expertise."
Page 83: "Process to Determine Best Role for FFRDCs
This proposal lays a process to determine if one or more of NASA's other Centers should be converted to, or host, an FFRDC. NASA would oversee this process and provide an analysis, including recommendations, to the White House by the end of August 2018 so that the outcome can be reflected in future budget and policy plans and proposals. NASA's analysis would draw from prior studies of this topic and evaluate the potential of an FFRDC to further the Administration's policy goals more effectively. In addition to studying whether one or more Centers could potentially be converted to an FFRDC in whole or in part, NASA would also establish whether it may be effective to perform new programs and projects using an FFRDC structure."
Categories: TrumpSpace
Keith's note: The following statement was received by NASA Watch from the Buzz Aldrin Space Foundation (https://buzzaldrinfoundation.org) in response to an inquiry we made about recent postings on @TheRealBuzz:
"Keith,
Thanks for your interest and concern. In response to your questions from NASA Watch, I have been reassured by the Buzz Aldrin Space Foundation that, contrary to recent Twitter postings on @TheRealBuzz, Christina Korp has not been terminated. Such a termination would require a majority vote of the board, which has not occurred. Christina is continuing in her ongoing roles with the Buzz Aldrin Space Foundation and Share Space Foundation.
We are not sure who is responsible for the Tweet regarding Christina, but we are confident Buzz did not write this. It appears, as many have speculated online, that management of the Twitter account @TheRealBuzz has indeed been reassigned without proper verification.
I will add that the Aldrin family and Foundation colleagues have expressed concern for Buzz's potential vulnerability to manipulation by other parties seeking to gain access to and control of Foundation and personal resources. In addition to the important mission of the Foundation, they remain committed to protecting his personal reputation and professional legacy, as well as his ability to remain self-sustaining financially.
Thanks for your interest.
Jeff Carr
Spokesman for Buzz Aldrin Space Foundation"
NASA Weekly ISS Space to Ground for June 22, 2018 
NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station.