Gary Mckinnon
- Thread starter Arizona
- Start date
Arizona
A Disturbance in the Force
Pob said:
Knowing whats going in the US these days, if he ever arrives here we may not ever see him again. They may lock him up
in "gitmo" or some max security prison and torture him (something the US likes to do these days). He discovered alot of
secret info and I don't think the US would like him talking. He should do anything he can not to be shipped over here.
What would you do if you were in his position?
PepperFritz
The Cosmic Force
Arizona:
The following Guardian article may answer some of your questions:
The Briton facing 60 years in US prison after hacking into Pentagon
The following Guardian article may answer some of your questions:
The Briton facing 60 years in US prison after hacking into Pentagon
Arizona
A Disturbance in the Force
Laura said:
I agree. The UK is turning into a Orwellian nightmare and the US is on the same track. Just about everyone here in the
US is considered a suspect of some sort or another. I've been watching this fascist nitemare evolve since 9-11.
Off topic here. But, have you heard about this ET message of an alien Mother Ship thats suppse to appear Oct 14, 08?
The message was channeled in AU but no one can figure out if this appearance will be in the US or AU.
The Message mentions Alabama and southern states. I think it would be absolutely fascinating if this Mother Ship
did show up. It would definilty stir up the pot
But, I have my doubts as I've seen these messages before.
Arizona said:Off topic here. But, have you heard about this ET message of an alien Mother Ship thats suppse to appear Oct 14, 08?
The message was channeled in AU but no one can figure out if this appearance will be in the US or AU.
The Message mentions Alabama and southern states. I think it would be absolutely fascinating if this Mother Ship
did show up. It would definilty stir up the pot
But, I have my doubts as I've seen these messages before.
I have not but for the last ten years or so, it is always the same song. The ET will appear next month and each time there is always some reasons to explain the fact that they did not appear.
Have-you read the threads in that section:
Cassiopaea Forum » The Unexplained » Channel Watch & New Age COINTELPRO
http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?board=43.0
If not, have a look. You will find a lot of information.
Adaryn
The Living Force
Namaste said:
Yeah, it seems humans are not ready for their apparition, they don't properly ask.
Ever heard of Eric Julien/Jean Ederman (the guy who claimed to be trained by ET's to pilot flying saucers) and his "Change the world, decide whether we should show up", back in 2003?
Check this excellent piece : Cosmic spam
Arizona
A Disturbance in the Force
drygol said:
Bad timing for him, as he was hacking around the time of 9-11. Then all the rules changed.
Your correct there were other hackers and they got off easy, but that was before 9-11.
If Gary went to court in the UK, the US is afraid of what he may reveal in an open court.
He did discover some hidden secrets. In the US courts "they" can control what he says or
doesn't say. Anyway, you look at it, his goose is cooked
Arizona
A Disturbance in the Force
Namaste said:Arizona said:Off topic here. But, have you heard about this ET message of an alien Mother Ship thats suppse to appear Oct 14, 08?
The message was channeled in AU but no one can figure out if this appearance will be in the US or AU.
The Message mentions Alabama and southern states. I think it would be absolutely fascinating if this Mother Ship
did show up. It would definilty stir up the pot
But, I have my doubts as I've seen these messages before.
I have not but for the last ten years or so, it is always the same song. The ET will appear next month and each time there is always some reasons to explain the fact that they did not appear.
Have-you read the threads in that section:
Cassiopaea Forum » The Unexplained » Channel Watch & New Age COINTELPRO
http://www.cassiopaea.org/forum/index.php?board=43.0
If not, have a look. You will find a lot of information.
Thanks for the info. Interesting board. I think I went off topic here, sorry
Guardian
The Cosmic Force
British UFO Hacker Fights Extradition to US
_http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/british-ufo-hacker-fights-extradition-to-us/19740577
When Gary McKinnon decided to try to find secret UFO files, he did what any curious computer expert would do: He hacked into nearly 100 military and NASA computers until he was finally caught. Eight years later, the Scottish systems administrator awaits his legal fate.
As controversy swirls around WikiLeaks, the website that this week released secret diplomatic cables without authorization, one of the documents in question contains information about McKinnon, whose lengthy extradition case still has the U.K. buzzing, The Guardian newspaper reports......
_http://www.aolnews.com/weird-news/article/british-ufo-hacker-fights-extradition-to-us/19740577
When Gary McKinnon decided to try to find secret UFO files, he did what any curious computer expert would do: He hacked into nearly 100 military and NASA computers until he was finally caught. Eight years later, the Scottish systems administrator awaits his legal fate.
As controversy swirls around WikiLeaks, the website that this week released secret diplomatic cables without authorization, one of the documents in question contains information about McKinnon, whose lengthy extradition case still has the U.K. buzzing, The Guardian newspaper reports......
D69
Dagobah Resident
I love these over hyped texts like - He hacked into nearly 100 military and NASA computers
Which according to text author means that If for example I wrote a virus and that virus had infected 100000 computers , that would mean automagicaly that I hacked 1 million computers LOL.
Another example is with passwords. If I cracked an admin password to that is same for 1000 computers and If I logged on , lets say , 998 of them , that would according to text author mean that I literally hacked 998 computers - absurd :D
This is rather - One Password To Bind Them All - thingy :D
Anyway just my 2 OT cents :D
Which according to text author means that If for example I wrote a virus and that virus had infected 100000 computers , that would mean automagicaly that I hacked 1 million computers LOL.
Another example is with passwords. If I cracked an admin password to that is same for 1000 computers and If I logged on , lets say , 998 of them , that would according to text author mean that I literally hacked 998 computers - absurd :D
This is rather - One Password To Bind Them All - thingy :D
Anyway just my 2 OT cents :D
angelburst29
The Living Force
It looks like Gary McKinnon - ten years ago - really "was" on to something? Now it seems, the US Government, military and other connected agencies are trying to go main-stream with the idea of "a US Space Command" by going through the motions of setting up
defense committees. For over four years, Russia has referred to it's Air Force - as "Russian Air Force Aerospace Command" and the British also have a Air Force Aerospace Command Center. How "blind and stupid" do they think we are? Mega-Million Dollar defense budgets and "Trillions" missing ... that no one can account for? All ... for the black secret programs!
April 16, 2018 - A year later, a new political reality for military space
A year later, a new political reality for military space - SpaceNews.com (Note - Really interesting site!)
It was one the big headlines at the 2017 National Space Symposium: The Air Force was standing up a new three-star vice chief of staff for space operations known as A-11. This was hailed as a major muscle move by the service to show critics in Congress it was taking the space mission seriously.
That was only a year ago, but it might as well have been a lifetime.
Over the course of the past 12 months, not only did Congress pass a law that disbanded the A-11 position but it also stripped the secretary of the Air Force of her role as principal space adviser to the secretary of defense. And it has set in motion a possible massive reorganization of the Air Force. An independent review is now under way to look at how the military’s space missions might be spun off into a separate service.
The key sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee, told the government affairs breakfast at last year’s symposium that he wanted to shift the space functions now resident in the Air Force to a new branch he called the Space Corps. At the time few people thought this idea had a snowball’s chance.
A year later, Rogers is leading the congressional charge to create a Space Corps. Not only has his political standing risen on this issue on Capitol Hill but he recently found a surprising ally in President Trump. The president, out of nowhere — and contradicting his own administration’s position — endorsed the concept of a stand-alone Space Force in a speech last month.
The Air Force, to be sure, has not lost Title 10 authorities or control over space budgets and operations. Title 10 of the U.S. Code provides the legal basis for the roles, missions and organization of each of the military services. “The department of the Air Force will continue to be principally responsible for organizing, training, equipping and presenting ready Air Force space forces to combatant commanders.”
But the service is under scrutiny. Critics like Rogers do not believe the Air Force has the capacity to focus sufficient attention or resources on space simply because its primary mission is air superiority.
Section 1601 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 was only the opening salvo, Rogers and other members of the HASC have warned.
Meanwhile, Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has taken over the duties of principal space adviser on an interim basis until the independent study is completed, and has oversight of the military space portfolio.
Instead of the A-11, the Air Force established a three-star vice commander of Air Force Space Command resident in the Pentagon. Lt. Gen. David D. Thompson was sworn in as Air Force Space Command vice commander April 5.
Another change: The commander of Air Force Space Command will serve a term of at least six years and has become a “Joint Functional Component Commander” under U.S. Strategic Command.
U.S. Strategic Command is working on a “joint warfighting concept of operations” for space that is due to Congress in June.
In a March report to Congress, Shanahan assured lawmakers that the Defense Department is implementing the language in Section 1601 of the NDAA. Notably, Shanahan’s report was harshly critical of the Air Force procurement culture and processes for buying next-generation space systems. A review of the acquisition system is under way.
What to watch for next? Shanahan’s interim report to be submitted to Congress in Aug. 1, and a final report no later than Dec. 31. And, of course, defense committee deliberations as the 2019 NDAA spins up later in the year.
During a HASC hearing last week, Rogers asked Defense Secretary Jim Mattis if he had a “viable alternative to the space force the president’s called for and that this committee has called for.”
Mattis did not rule out a space corps, but said such a massive reorganization of the military needs to be thought through. “If a space force is the right thing to do, I have no reservations about it. But I don’t want to stand up in DoD, which is an enormous bureaucracy and has many sub bureaucracies, another bureaucracy as if that will be the solution, said Mattis. “If it’s the solution, then we will go there.”
June 15, 2018 - National Space Council wins industry praise as it prepares for next meeting
National Space Council wins industry praise as it prepares for next meeting - SpaceNews.com
As the National Space Council prepares for its third public meeting, its activities to date have won widespread praise in the space community, even as there is some skepticism about the effectiveness of the council’s advisory group that will soon meet for the first time.
The council is scheduled to meet June 18 at the White House, after meetings in October at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center and in February at the Kennedy Space Center. Details about the meeting have not been disclosed, nor even the time: as of June 15 the event was listed on the schedule of upcoming events broadcast on NASA Television but with a time of “TBD.”
Industry sources, though, expect that one topic of the meeting will be to formalize a draft space traffic management policy that Vice President Mike Pence announced in an April 16 speech at the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. Officials have, in recent days, dropped hints that the policy will be enacted soon as Space Policy Directive (SPD) 3.
“We’re looking forward to a follow-on effort, we hope, in the near future, Space Policy Directive 3, which will deal with space traffic management,” said Scott Pace, executive secretary of the National Space Council, at a June 14 meeting of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) here.
If it is formally announced at the council meeting, SPD-3 will follow on the heels of SPD-1, signed by President Trump in December to formally direct NASA to return humans to the moon, and SPD-2, signed May 24, that calls on commercial space regulatory reform in several areas.
The National Space Council’s pace of activity has been welcomed by those both inside and outside the government. “It’s very much less bureaucratic and has a lot less layers of iterative working groups going on” than past interagency structures for creating space policy, said Jason Kim, senior policy analyst at the Office of Space Commerce.
Kim, speaking during a panel session at an American Bar Association space law symposium here June 7, said that lack of bureaucracy has allow the council to get policies done more quickly. “They’re very much focused on getting stuff done very expeditiously,” he said.
“It’s very important to point out, and take note of, the fact that this space council is very different from previous space councils,” said Jim Muncy, principal of PoliSpace, on that panel. He cited as an example the space council in the Nixon administration that produced expansive post-Apollo human spaceflight plans that were largely ignored or rejected by the White House and Congress.
“There’s really a focus on implementation” with the current council, he said, something lacking in previous space policy efforts. “This space council is absolutely vital.”
That focus on implementation is apparent in language in SPD-2 that calls on the Department of Transportation, via the FAA, to develop streamlined regulations for commercial launches and reentries. A typical FAA rulemaking process takes several years, but SPD-2 requires a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to be completed by Feb. 1, 2019.
“For a substantial rule, it takes approximately five to six years to get an NPRM, and another year or so after that for the normal process of public comment and final adjudication and final publication of the rule,” Muncy said. “The space council directed that the NPRM for a whole new set of launch rules be published on Feb. 1. The space industry tremendously appreciates the help of the National Space Council in setting challenging deadlines.”
At the June 14 COMSTAC meeting, Carl Burleson, acting deputy administrator of the FAA, acknowledged that the language in SPD-2 forced it to speed up its rulemaking process. “Because of the commitment of this administration, we’ve been able to get the commitment of different parts of the rulemaking process,” including agencies outside the FAA, to accelerate the process, he said.
Some, though, believe that the National Space Council is leaving out one key federal agency, the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC deals with satellite spectrum issues, which was also a topic of SPD-2, and as part of its licensing process ensures companies comply with orbital debris mitigation guidelines.
“The FCC should have a seat at the table,” Jessica Rosenworcel, an FCC commissioner, said in an April 17 statement. “It’s a glaring omission that this agency does not, because through our oversight of the airwaves and licensing of satellite services, we have an important role ensuring the viability of space for future generations.”
At the June 7 space law panel, Kim said that since the FCC is an independent agency that doesn’t directly work for the president, it’s not included among the agencies that are represented on the council. “That’s unfortunate, because it would be helpful to have an FCC voice at the table,” he said.
Muncy said that spectrum issues are represented on the council through the Commerce Department and its National Telecommunications and Information Administration. “That’s one of the reasons why the administration has identified the Secretary of Commerce as a go-to person licensing of in-space activities, because frequency issues and FCC coordination is going to be a very important role to play there,” he said.
Starting up the Users’ Advisory Group
The day after the National Space Council meeting, its Users’ Advisory Group (UAG) will meet for the first time at NASA Headquarters. The UAG members were announced at the February space council meeting, and Pence said in April that retired Admiral James Ellis, former head of U.S. Strategic Command, will chair the group.
The meeting, according to a Federal Register notice, will focus on topics that the UAG will address, followed by development of a work plan and subcommittees to implement that work. The announcement didn’t indicate what specific topics were under consideration.
Some in industry have raised questions about the usefulness of the UAG given that many agencies who are on the council have their own advisory mechanisms, including an extensive set of NASA committees, the FAA’s COMSTAC, and the Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing that serves the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office that licenses commercial satellite imaging systems.
Those individual advisory groups will have a role providing input for the council’s work independent of the UAG, Pace said at the COMSTAC meeting. “I need to care about what the industry as a whole needs,” he said. “As a consolidation and prioritization function, advisory groups are crucial.”
The UAG membership is heavily weighted towards business, with presidents and chief executives of most major aerospace companies included among its members, as well as some from smaller companies in the sector. That’s one potential flaw in the group, Muncy said.
“What’s missing is the general population, particularly young people,” he said. “It would be nice to see some more representatives of taxpayers and future generations involved.”
“Definitely agree, although at least there is one younger voice,” Tim Ellis, the 27-year-old chief executive of small launch vehicle startup Relativity Space and one of the members of the UAG, tweeted June 8. “I’m hoping to bring some of that young perspective to the conversation — we need fresh bold ideas not just on vision and direction, but also execution.”
* June 18, 2018 - President to sign space traffic management policy
President to sign space traffic management policy - SpaceNews.com
* June 18, 2018 - Trump: ‘We are going to have the Space Force’
Trump: ‘We are going to have the Space Force’ - SpaceNews.com
18.06.2018 - Russia to Deliver US New Rocket Engines as Trump Creates Space Force
Russia to Deliver US New Rocket Engines As Trump Creates Space Force
The US government is slated to receive one of two batches of Russian-made rocket engines in the second quarter of 2018, according to a leading Russian rocket designer, at nearly the same point when the newly created US Space Force is being established as a new branch of the US armed forces.
The engines are used for delivering heavy payloads to space aboard the Atlas V launch vehicle — which will now presumptively fall under US Space Force, a sixth branch of the US armed forces announced by US President Donald Trump on Monday. "We have the Air Force and we're going to have the Space Force. Separate but equal." The US military's space command was formerly designated under the US Air Force's area of responsibility.
"Currently, the production of commercial engines at Energomash is proceeding in compliance with the contracts signed," said Pyotor Lyvochkin, Chief Developer of Energomash Scientific and Production Association, Zero Hedge reported Sunday. "The dispatch of the first batch of RD-180 and RD-181 engines to the United States is planned for the second quarter of 2018," Lyvochkin noted.
The US space program relies on the RD-180 engine to power the first stage of the Atlas V rocket, the only American vehicle now capable of sending heavy payloads into space.
Trump boasted Monday "We don't want China and Russia and other countries leading us… We're going to be the leader by far." But when it comes to rocket engines, US personnel use the Russian-made engines. Similarly, US astronauts can only transit to the International Space Station aboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft, meaning they have to go to Russia's leased facility in Kazakhstan, the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
In 2014, US lawmakers passed a measure requiring that the United States phase out its reliance on Russian-made rocket engines. However, since US firms have not been able to produce an engine with sufficient capabilities to match the RD-180, US military leaders say that they will be able to buy feasible US-made engines by the early 2020s.
Right now we are on track… to complete the transition period [and] come out the back end with two domestic service providers," US Air Force Chief of Staff David Goldfein said in a congressional testimony last month when asked for an update on transitioning away from the RD-180 rocket engine.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos' space firm, Blue Origin, has been working on a replacement for the RD-180 for some seven years now.
As Sputnik News reported, United Launch Alliance acquires RD-180 engines through RD Amross, a US-Russian joint venture that includes Russian firm Energomash, which is responsible for manufacturing the engines.
RD Amross chief executive officer Michael Baker told Sputnik News in April that collaboration between Russia and the US was a "shining example" of US-Russian teamwork.
"Our joint cooperative programs between Russia and the US over the last 20 years have been a shining example of how our two countries can work to together to accomplish great things," Baker said.
16.04.2018 - US-Russia Rocket Cooperation 'Shining Example" of Joint Success - RD Amross
US-Russia Rocket Cooperation ‘Shining Example’ of Joint Success - RD Amross
Cooperation between Russia and the United States on rocket engines demonstrates a "shining example" of how the two states can successfully accomplish joint tasks, RD Amross CEO Michael Baker told Sputnik.
The US-Russian joint venture RD Amross hopes that the cooperation between the two countries on rocket engines will continue for many years ahead, Baker said.
"Our joint cooperative programs between Russia and the US over the last 20 years have been a shining example of how our two countries can work to together to accomplish great things," Baker said.
Baker pointed out that at the working level the United States and Russia work together very well to solve any issues that arise, both technical and programmatic.
"Our joint venture brings us together and many lifelong friendships have been made. These relationships foster a better understanding of each other and our cultures, and I believe, bring our countries closer together," Baker added.
The United Launch Alliance (ULA), an operator of carrier rockets, acquires the RD-180 engines through RD Amross, which includes Russian company Energomash — the manufacturer of these engines. The US space program relies on the RD-180 engines to power the first stage of the Atlas V rocket, the only US carrier rocket capable of sending heavy payloads into space.
defense committees. For over four years, Russia has referred to it's Air Force - as "Russian Air Force Aerospace Command" and the British also have a Air Force Aerospace Command Center. How "blind and stupid" do they think we are? Mega-Million Dollar defense budgets and "Trillions" missing ... that no one can account for? All ... for the black secret programs!
April 16, 2018 - A year later, a new political reality for military space
A year later, a new political reality for military space - SpaceNews.com (Note - Really interesting site!)
It was one the big headlines at the 2017 National Space Symposium: The Air Force was standing up a new three-star vice chief of staff for space operations known as A-11. This was hailed as a major muscle move by the service to show critics in Congress it was taking the space mission seriously.
That was only a year ago, but it might as well have been a lifetime.
Over the course of the past 12 months, not only did Congress pass a law that disbanded the A-11 position but it also stripped the secretary of the Air Force of her role as principal space adviser to the secretary of defense. And it has set in motion a possible massive reorganization of the Air Force. An independent review is now under way to look at how the military’s space missions might be spun off into a separate service.
The key sponsor of the legislation, Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee, told the government affairs breakfast at last year’s symposium that he wanted to shift the space functions now resident in the Air Force to a new branch he called the Space Corps. At the time few people thought this idea had a snowball’s chance.
A year later, Rogers is leading the congressional charge to create a Space Corps. Not only has his political standing risen on this issue on Capitol Hill but he recently found a surprising ally in President Trump. The president, out of nowhere — and contradicting his own administration’s position — endorsed the concept of a stand-alone Space Force in a speech last month.
The Air Force, to be sure, has not lost Title 10 authorities or control over space budgets and operations. Title 10 of the U.S. Code provides the legal basis for the roles, missions and organization of each of the military services. “The department of the Air Force will continue to be principally responsible for organizing, training, equipping and presenting ready Air Force space forces to combatant commanders.”
But the service is under scrutiny. Critics like Rogers do not believe the Air Force has the capacity to focus sufficient attention or resources on space simply because its primary mission is air superiority.
Section 1601 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 was only the opening salvo, Rogers and other members of the HASC have warned.
Meanwhile, Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan has taken over the duties of principal space adviser on an interim basis until the independent study is completed, and has oversight of the military space portfolio.
Instead of the A-11, the Air Force established a three-star vice commander of Air Force Space Command resident in the Pentagon. Lt. Gen. David D. Thompson was sworn in as Air Force Space Command vice commander April 5.
Another change: The commander of Air Force Space Command will serve a term of at least six years and has become a “Joint Functional Component Commander” under U.S. Strategic Command.
U.S. Strategic Command is working on a “joint warfighting concept of operations” for space that is due to Congress in June.
In a March report to Congress, Shanahan assured lawmakers that the Defense Department is implementing the language in Section 1601 of the NDAA. Notably, Shanahan’s report was harshly critical of the Air Force procurement culture and processes for buying next-generation space systems. A review of the acquisition system is under way.
What to watch for next? Shanahan’s interim report to be submitted to Congress in Aug. 1, and a final report no later than Dec. 31. And, of course, defense committee deliberations as the 2019 NDAA spins up later in the year.
During a HASC hearing last week, Rogers asked Defense Secretary Jim Mattis if he had a “viable alternative to the space force the president’s called for and that this committee has called for.”
Mattis did not rule out a space corps, but said such a massive reorganization of the military needs to be thought through. “If a space force is the right thing to do, I have no reservations about it. But I don’t want to stand up in DoD, which is an enormous bureaucracy and has many sub bureaucracies, another bureaucracy as if that will be the solution, said Mattis. “If it’s the solution, then we will go there.”
June 15, 2018 - National Space Council wins industry praise as it prepares for next meeting
National Space Council wins industry praise as it prepares for next meeting - SpaceNews.com
As the National Space Council prepares for its third public meeting, its activities to date have won widespread praise in the space community, even as there is some skepticism about the effectiveness of the council’s advisory group that will soon meet for the first time.
The council is scheduled to meet June 18 at the White House, after meetings in October at the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center and in February at the Kennedy Space Center. Details about the meeting have not been disclosed, nor even the time: as of June 15 the event was listed on the schedule of upcoming events broadcast on NASA Television but with a time of “TBD.”
Industry sources, though, expect that one topic of the meeting will be to formalize a draft space traffic management policy that Vice President Mike Pence announced in an April 16 speech at the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. Officials have, in recent days, dropped hints that the policy will be enacted soon as Space Policy Directive (SPD) 3.
“We’re looking forward to a follow-on effort, we hope, in the near future, Space Policy Directive 3, which will deal with space traffic management,” said Scott Pace, executive secretary of the National Space Council, at a June 14 meeting of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee (COMSTAC) here.
If it is formally announced at the council meeting, SPD-3 will follow on the heels of SPD-1, signed by President Trump in December to formally direct NASA to return humans to the moon, and SPD-2, signed May 24, that calls on commercial space regulatory reform in several areas.
The National Space Council’s pace of activity has been welcomed by those both inside and outside the government. “It’s very much less bureaucratic and has a lot less layers of iterative working groups going on” than past interagency structures for creating space policy, said Jason Kim, senior policy analyst at the Office of Space Commerce.
Kim, speaking during a panel session at an American Bar Association space law symposium here June 7, said that lack of bureaucracy has allow the council to get policies done more quickly. “They’re very much focused on getting stuff done very expeditiously,” he said.
“It’s very important to point out, and take note of, the fact that this space council is very different from previous space councils,” said Jim Muncy, principal of PoliSpace, on that panel. He cited as an example the space council in the Nixon administration that produced expansive post-Apollo human spaceflight plans that were largely ignored or rejected by the White House and Congress.
“There’s really a focus on implementation” with the current council, he said, something lacking in previous space policy efforts. “This space council is absolutely vital.”
That focus on implementation is apparent in language in SPD-2 that calls on the Department of Transportation, via the FAA, to develop streamlined regulations for commercial launches and reentries. A typical FAA rulemaking process takes several years, but SPD-2 requires a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to be completed by Feb. 1, 2019.
“For a substantial rule, it takes approximately five to six years to get an NPRM, and another year or so after that for the normal process of public comment and final adjudication and final publication of the rule,” Muncy said. “The space council directed that the NPRM for a whole new set of launch rules be published on Feb. 1. The space industry tremendously appreciates the help of the National Space Council in setting challenging deadlines.”
At the June 14 COMSTAC meeting, Carl Burleson, acting deputy administrator of the FAA, acknowledged that the language in SPD-2 forced it to speed up its rulemaking process. “Because of the commitment of this administration, we’ve been able to get the commitment of different parts of the rulemaking process,” including agencies outside the FAA, to accelerate the process, he said.
Some, though, believe that the National Space Council is leaving out one key federal agency, the Federal Communications Commission. The FCC deals with satellite spectrum issues, which was also a topic of SPD-2, and as part of its licensing process ensures companies comply with orbital debris mitigation guidelines.
“The FCC should have a seat at the table,” Jessica Rosenworcel, an FCC commissioner, said in an April 17 statement. “It’s a glaring omission that this agency does not, because through our oversight of the airwaves and licensing of satellite services, we have an important role ensuring the viability of space for future generations.”
At the June 7 space law panel, Kim said that since the FCC is an independent agency that doesn’t directly work for the president, it’s not included among the agencies that are represented on the council. “That’s unfortunate, because it would be helpful to have an FCC voice at the table,” he said.
Muncy said that spectrum issues are represented on the council through the Commerce Department and its National Telecommunications and Information Administration. “That’s one of the reasons why the administration has identified the Secretary of Commerce as a go-to person licensing of in-space activities, because frequency issues and FCC coordination is going to be a very important role to play there,” he said.
Starting up the Users’ Advisory Group
The day after the National Space Council meeting, its Users’ Advisory Group (UAG) will meet for the first time at NASA Headquarters. The UAG members were announced at the February space council meeting, and Pence said in April that retired Admiral James Ellis, former head of U.S. Strategic Command, will chair the group.
The meeting, according to a Federal Register notice, will focus on topics that the UAG will address, followed by development of a work plan and subcommittees to implement that work. The announcement didn’t indicate what specific topics were under consideration.
Some in industry have raised questions about the usefulness of the UAG given that many agencies who are on the council have their own advisory mechanisms, including an extensive set of NASA committees, the FAA’s COMSTAC, and the Advisory Committee on Commercial Remote Sensing that serves the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration office that licenses commercial satellite imaging systems.
Those individual advisory groups will have a role providing input for the council’s work independent of the UAG, Pace said at the COMSTAC meeting. “I need to care about what the industry as a whole needs,” he said. “As a consolidation and prioritization function, advisory groups are crucial.”
The UAG membership is heavily weighted towards business, with presidents and chief executives of most major aerospace companies included among its members, as well as some from smaller companies in the sector. That’s one potential flaw in the group, Muncy said.
“What’s missing is the general population, particularly young people,” he said. “It would be nice to see some more representatives of taxpayers and future generations involved.”
“Definitely agree, although at least there is one younger voice,” Tim Ellis, the 27-year-old chief executive of small launch vehicle startup Relativity Space and one of the members of the UAG, tweeted June 8. “I’m hoping to bring some of that young perspective to the conversation — we need fresh bold ideas not just on vision and direction, but also execution.”
* June 18, 2018 - President to sign space traffic management policy
President to sign space traffic management policy - SpaceNews.com
* June 18, 2018 - Trump: ‘We are going to have the Space Force’
Trump: ‘We are going to have the Space Force’ - SpaceNews.com
18.06.2018 - Russia to Deliver US New Rocket Engines as Trump Creates Space Force
Russia to Deliver US New Rocket Engines As Trump Creates Space Force
The US government is slated to receive one of two batches of Russian-made rocket engines in the second quarter of 2018, according to a leading Russian rocket designer, at nearly the same point when the newly created US Space Force is being established as a new branch of the US armed forces.
The engines are used for delivering heavy payloads to space aboard the Atlas V launch vehicle — which will now presumptively fall under US Space Force, a sixth branch of the US armed forces announced by US President Donald Trump on Monday. "We have the Air Force and we're going to have the Space Force. Separate but equal." The US military's space command was formerly designated under the US Air Force's area of responsibility.
"Currently, the production of commercial engines at Energomash is proceeding in compliance with the contracts signed," said Pyotor Lyvochkin, Chief Developer of Energomash Scientific and Production Association, Zero Hedge reported Sunday. "The dispatch of the first batch of RD-180 and RD-181 engines to the United States is planned for the second quarter of 2018," Lyvochkin noted.
The US space program relies on the RD-180 engine to power the first stage of the Atlas V rocket, the only American vehicle now capable of sending heavy payloads into space.
Trump boasted Monday "We don't want China and Russia and other countries leading us… We're going to be the leader by far." But when it comes to rocket engines, US personnel use the Russian-made engines. Similarly, US astronauts can only transit to the International Space Station aboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft, meaning they have to go to Russia's leased facility in Kazakhstan, the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
In 2014, US lawmakers passed a measure requiring that the United States phase out its reliance on Russian-made rocket engines. However, since US firms have not been able to produce an engine with sufficient capabilities to match the RD-180, US military leaders say that they will be able to buy feasible US-made engines by the early 2020s.
Right now we are on track… to complete the transition period [and] come out the back end with two domestic service providers," US Air Force Chief of Staff David Goldfein said in a congressional testimony last month when asked for an update on transitioning away from the RD-180 rocket engine.
Billionaire Jeff Bezos' space firm, Blue Origin, has been working on a replacement for the RD-180 for some seven years now.
As Sputnik News reported, United Launch Alliance acquires RD-180 engines through RD Amross, a US-Russian joint venture that includes Russian firm Energomash, which is responsible for manufacturing the engines.
RD Amross chief executive officer Michael Baker told Sputnik News in April that collaboration between Russia and the US was a "shining example" of US-Russian teamwork.
"Our joint cooperative programs between Russia and the US over the last 20 years have been a shining example of how our two countries can work to together to accomplish great things," Baker said.
16.04.2018 - US-Russia Rocket Cooperation 'Shining Example" of Joint Success - RD Amross
US-Russia Rocket Cooperation ‘Shining Example’ of Joint Success - RD Amross
Cooperation between Russia and the United States on rocket engines demonstrates a "shining example" of how the two states can successfully accomplish joint tasks, RD Amross CEO Michael Baker told Sputnik.
The US-Russian joint venture RD Amross hopes that the cooperation between the two countries on rocket engines will continue for many years ahead, Baker said.
"Our joint cooperative programs between Russia and the US over the last 20 years have been a shining example of how our two countries can work to together to accomplish great things," Baker said.
Baker pointed out that at the working level the United States and Russia work together very well to solve any issues that arise, both technical and programmatic.
"Our joint venture brings us together and many lifelong friendships have been made. These relationships foster a better understanding of each other and our cultures, and I believe, bring our countries closer together," Baker added.
The United Launch Alliance (ULA), an operator of carrier rockets, acquires the RD-180 engines through RD Amross, which includes Russian company Energomash — the manufacturer of these engines. The US space program relies on the RD-180 engines to power the first stage of the Atlas V rocket, the only US carrier rocket capable of sending heavy payloads into space.