NASA and University of Colorado at Boulder are ready to work together on a Mars mission; NASA still recovering from hurricane Ike; and China announces its first space walker
The University of Colorado at Boulder has been selected to take part in a $485 million Mars mission that was delayed for nine months due to a conflict of interest during selection. It is not known who caused the conflict of interest, but the two finalists re-submitted their proposals, and everything was good to go. More than 200 people will be involved in the project, which will be monitored closely by CU-Boulder undergraduate and graduate students.
The Mars probe will have a mission of one year, which has been cut in half due to the delay it has taken for the university to be officially chosen. The mission is expected to launch in 2013, and will analyze the Martian atmosphere, how it has changed over the years, and how it lost moisture.
The 2008 hurricane season has caused NASA a headache as the U.S. space agency looks forward to two manned shuttle launches before the end of the year. While shuttle Endeavour will be moved to launch pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center later this week, NASA officials are urging those employees who have had their lives disrupted by hurricane Ike to take care of family business first.
Johnson Space Center avoided major damage from the hurricane, but the area will remained closed only to recovery crews who are helping salvage the area.
NASA does not believe it will be forced to delay either launch because of the hurricanes.
The Chinese government has announced that Zhai Zhigang, 42, a fighter pilot and colonel of the People's Liberation Army, will be the first Chinese astronaut to walk in space. The nation's third manned space mission will launch on Sept. 25, when the crew launches into orbit aboard a Shenzhou VII spacecraft.
Zhigang will be joined by Jing Haipeng and Liu Borning, who also are PLA fighter pilots, have several different science experiments to conduct while in orbit. Chinese space officials have completed inspections of the spacecraft and its rocket, and deemed it ready to fly from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.
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