Europe Advancing Launch Vehicle Triumvirate, Potential Human Transport Capacity

On Friday, August 21 at 22:09 an Ariane 5 rocket will launch the CSAT 12 communications satellite for Japan and Optus D3 communications spacecraft for Australia from the Europe Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The heavy-lift launcher of choice for satellite operators around the world, Ariane 5 has achieved 31 consecutive successful launches since 2003. Originally human-rated, the launch vehicle has the capacity to deliver 20 mT to LEO, 7 mT to lunar transfer orbit and 5 mT to Mars. This year, 2 other launch vehicles are joining Ariane 5 at the Spaceport in French Guiana, the world's only dedicated commercial launch site. Soyuz, the longest operating launcher, is providing medium-weight missions; and Vega, a new-generation launch vehicle, provides highly efficient access to LEO and SSO for medium to small payloads. Arianespace plans to launch about 10 missions annually from the Spaceport (7 Ariane 5, 2 Soyuz and 1 Vega). Although Europe itself currently provides no human access to space, the German Space Agency and EADS Astrium are pursuing a project to adapt the recently developed ATV (CL) into a crew transportation system. The project is predicted to take 10 years and cost approximately € 2B (US$2.85B). (Credit: Arianespace, ESA)

SETI Institute Explores the Presence of Life Beyond Earth

The question as to whether life exists on Mars will be the focus for this week’s Colloquium Series, ‘Mars: The Water Story and Prospect for Life,’ held at the SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute in Mountain View, CA on August 19. Michael Carr (R), a geologist with the US Geological Survey, will present the most recent evidence suggesting early Mars once had an aqueous environment with the potential to support life. Mars has evolved to be less habitable, but astrobiologists have not ruled out the possibility that life could still exist in isolated niches on the red planet. This need to explore, understand and explain the origin, nature and prevalence of life in the universe is the mission of The SETI Institute. The private, nonprofit organization employs over 150 scientists, educators and support staff who are dedicated to scientific research, education and public outreach. The institute is made up of 2 centers.  The Carl Sagan Center for the Study of Life in the Universe pursues the discovery of extrasolar planets, potential for life on Mars and other bodies within the Solar System. The Center for SETI Research develops signal-processing technology used to search for signals from advanced civilizations in our galaxy. COSMOS Magazine of Australia has a program to send messages to outer space in hopes of communicating with extraterrestrial life. From Aug 11-24, people can go to the website, HelloFromEarth.net, to post messages that will be transmitted to Gliese 581d, the nearest Earth-like planet outside the solar system most likely to support life. Pictured: Carl Sagan (BL) (Credit: NASA / Cosmos Studio, SETI, HelloFromEarth.net)