U.S. Astronauts explore an asteroid in this NASA illustration.

NASA has chosen four men and four women, most of them with military aviation in their wide ranging professional backgrounds, to help define the nation’s post-space shuttle era.

They report to NASA’s Johnson Space Center in August to prepare for future missions that could send them on unprecedented missions to an asteroid, the Martian moons or Mars itself as well as the International Space Station.

As NASA’s newest astronauts, they can expect to help re-establish U. S. human launch capabilities with a new class of commercial orbital crew transports as well as NASA’s new Orion/Space Launch System combination, new capsules and rockets that will enable missions to deep space. That capability disappeared with the retirement of NASA’s shuttle fleet in 2011.

Mars as imaged by NASA's Curiosity rover.

“These new space explorers asked to join NASA because they know we’re doing big, bold things here — developing missions to go farther into space than ever before,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, as the latest astronaut candidates were announced on Monday.

“They’re excited about the science we’re doing on the International Space Station and our plan to launch from U. S. soil to there on spacecraft built by American companies. And they’re ready to help lead the first human mission to an asteroid and then on to Mars.”

HIGHEST PERCENTAGE OF WOMEN

None of the 55-year-old agency’s 20 previous astronaut classes included a percentage of females as high.

“That was not by choice. We never determine how many people from each gender we are going to take,” said Janet Kavandi, NASA’s director of flight crew operations and chair of the selection board. “These were the most qualified people of the ones we interviewed.”

More than 6,300 applied for the small number of openings. Of those, 120 qualified for an interview and an initial medical screening. Those further pared the final list of applicants to 49. The final eight were selected after more rigorous physical and mental heath screening, language aptitude evaluations and a second round of face to face interviews.

“I’m happy it turned out that way, but we did not intentionally go out seeking (the 50-50 outcome) when we started,” said Kavandi. “It’s a great tribute to the women of today. They have achieved, are going into fields that are much more demanding and that place them on an equal footing with the male candidates.”

THE CANDIDATES:

–Josh A. Cassada, 39, a former naval aviator. A physicist, he’s the  co-founder and chief technology officer at Quantum Opus, an optical research company.

–U. S.Navy Lt. Cdr. Victor J. Glover, 37.  A test pilot, Glover is serving as a Navy legislative fellow in the U. S. Congress.

–U. S.Air Force Lt. Col. Tyler N. (Nick) Hague, 37. Another test pilot, Hague is serving as deputy chief of the Joint Improvised Explosives Device Defeat Squad for the Department of Defense.

–Christina M. Hammock, 34. She is serving as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration station chief inAmerican Samoa.

–U. S. Marine Corps Maj. Nicole Aunapu Mann, 35.  A test pilot, Mann is serving as the integrated team lead at the U.S. Naval Air Station, PatuxentRiver.

–U. S. Army Maj. Anne C. McClain, 34.  McClain, a test pilot, flies the Army’s OH-58 helicopter.

–Jessica U. Meir, 35. Meir is an assistant professor of anesthesia at the Harvard Medical School.

–U. S. Army Maj. Andrew R. Morgan, 37. Trained by the military as a medical doctor and flight surgeon, Morgan served with the Army’s special operations community. He’s now participating in a sports medicine fellowship.

The newcomers will join 49 NASA astronaut veterans, a dozen of them women.

NASA previous astronaut selection was in 2009.

WHERE NEXT IN SPACE FOR THE U.S.?

The space agency is prepared to train its newest astronauts in spite of the uncertainty surrounding NASA’s exploration plans. The space station will remain the centerpiece until 2020, perhaps longer.

The Earth as seen by the Apollo 11 astronauts. Photo Credit/NASA

In Washington, policymakers are at odds over whether U. S. explorers should head next.

President Obama has directed NASA to aim for an asteroid and most recently proposed that scientists and engineers corral a distant small asteroid into orbit around the moon, where U. S. astronauts could reach it as soon as 2021.

That journey would serve as a stepping stone to Mars in the mid-2030s. Some in Congress would prefer that NASA establish a lunar base instead.

“A lot of those are the same,” said Ellen Ochoa, who will host the astronaut candidates as the director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Even if you look at a variety of different destinations anywhere in the Earth-moon vicinity, the asteroids and beyond, the moons of Mars and Mars. A lot of the training will be needed for any of those.”

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Tuesday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space activities from across the globe. NASA selects eight to join America’s astronaut corps. On Tuesday, the White House and NASA will announce a public-private initiative to find asteroids that threaten the Earth.  A U. S. House panel likes six-year terms of office for NASA’s administrator. Bill Nye, warrior for science. Engineering undergrads favor career with NASA.  Experts from NASA, the U. S. Navy seek remedies to motion sickness.  Florida 64-year-olds look forward to suborbital spaceflight. NASA’s Dawn asteroid mission closes in on record second destination. Newly formed Aerojet Rocketdyne assures client Orbital Sciences of steady supply of Russian rocket engines.

1. From The Christian Science Monitor: NASA marks a changing of the guard with the selection of eight new astronauts on Monday. Half are women. All were born during the recently concluded space shuttle era. More than 6,300 competed for the eight openings.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0617/NASA-s-new-astronaut-class-marks-changing-of-guard-for-US-spaceflight

A. From Spaceflightnow.com: NASA adds eight to its astronaut corps, five with military experience, half of them women. Spacefightnow.com offers a brief look at the new candidates, who range in age from 34 to 39.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1306/17astros/#.Ub_J3ufQq6o

B. From Xinhuanet.com, of China: NASA’s latest astronaut selections are half women, the largest percentage ever.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2013-06/18/c_124868499.htm

C. From Space.com: NASA’s newest “deep space” astronauts will join 49 veteran fliers at the Johnson Space Center in August.

http://www.space.com/21585-nasa-unveils-astronauts-deep-space.html

D. From The Los Angeles Times: Can NASA’s newest astronauts count of missions beyond the International Space Station?

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-nasa-new-astronauts-women-20130617,0,6855807.story

2. From The Washington Post: The White House and NASA on Tuesday will ask the public to help find asteroids with the potential to slam into the Earth with catastrophic consequences. The Obama administration has decided that the search for killer space rocks should be the latest in a series of “Grand Challenges,” in which the U. S. government sets an ambitious goal, helps create public-private partnerships and sometimes offers prize money for innovative ideas. “This is really a call to action,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/white-house-nasa-want-help-hunting-asteroids/2013/06/17/8de0fdcc-d765-11e2-a9f2-42ee3912ae0e_story.html

3. From Spacepolicyonline.com: A draft for a new NASA authorization bill from the House Science, Space and Technology Committee would establish a six-year term for NASA’s administrator. Annual budgets of $16.8 billion would be authorized. NASA would be restricted from pursuing an asteroid retrieval mission.

http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/draft-house-nasa-authorization-bill-would-create-6-year-term-for-nasa-administrator-no-funds-for-arm

4. From The New York Times: Bill Nye, aka the Science Guy, is a warrior for science. The newest executive director of the Planetary Society, is waging his campaign on several fronts, including planetary science and climate change linked to rising carbon levels in the atmosphere.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/18/science/bill-nye-firebrand-for-science-is-a-big-man-on-campus.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

5. From The Houston Chronicle:  NASA is top choice among U.S. engineering undergrads as the favored place to work. Computing, energy lag behind.

http://blog.chron.com/sciguy/2013/06/among-engineers-nasa-is-still-the-cool-place-to-work/

6. From The Wall Street Journal: Scientists from NASA participate in efforts to develop remedies for motion sickness.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324049504578545902289940538.html

7. From Collectspace.com: New details emerge on the death of the world’s first space traveler, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. The 1968 jet crash that claimed his life involved the reckless flight of a second Russian aircraft, according to Alexei Leonov, the cosmonaut who became the first human to walk in space.

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-061713a.html

8. Essays from The Space Review examine the merits of rocket powered hoppers on Mars and the promise of nanotechnology.

A. In “ISRU hopper: an idea whose time has come?’ Essayist Eric Shear examines the merits of rocket powered hoppers as part of a Mars exploration strategy. Powered by carbon-based gases in the Martian atmosphere, these hoppers might cover more ground than rovers and serve as valuable precursors for human missions. Shear is an undergrad in space science at York University, of Canada.

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2313/1

B. In “The coming era of atomically precise manufacturing and its implications for space,” essayist Vidvuds Beldavs re-examines the promise of nanotechnology for changing the economy, addressing climate change and opening space for lucrative exploration activities. Beldavs is president of Kaija Consulting, Ltd, a Riga, Latvia based consultancy.

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2312/1

9. From USA Today: The excitement is growing for Marc and Sharon Hagel, a Winter Park, Fla., couple who decided to purchase a pair of tickets to fly aboard Virgin Galactics SpaceShipTwo for $400,000 in 2007. With test flights under way in Mojave, Calif., the prospects for their flight nears.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2013/06/16/florida-couple-private-space-flight/2428927/

10. From AmericaSpace.com: Launched in 2007, NASA’s Dawn mission seeks to become the first spacecraft to visit two planetary bodies, a pair of large main belt asteroids. Dawn departed Vesta last year for Ceres. Arrival is expected in early 2015.

http://www.americaspace.com/?p=36620

11. From Space News: Aerojet Rocketdyne, newly formed, assures Orbital Sciences Corp that it can supply Russian manufactured rocket engines for the Antares rocket.  The kerosene/liquid oxygen rockets emerged from the Soviet Union’s abandoned moon program. NASA is counting on Orbital missions to keep International Space Station crews supplied.

http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/35819antares-first-stage-engines-available-long-term-aerojet-rocketdyne-chief#.Ub_M0OfQq6p

Brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration, CSExtra is a daily compilation of space industry news selected from hundreds of online media resources.  The Coalition is not the author or reporter of any of the stories appearing in CSExtra and does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories.  The content available through CSExtra contains links to other websites and domains which are wholly independent of the Coalition, and the Coalition makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site or domain and does not pre-screen or approve any content.   The Coalition does not endorse or receive any type of compensation from the included media outlets and is not responsible or liable in any way for any content of CSExtra or for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of any content appearing in CSExtra.  For information on the Coalition, visit www.spacecoalition.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@spacecoalition.com.

To subscribe to CSExtra via RSS feed click here.

If you would prefer to receive CSExtra in e-mail format, e-mail us at Info@spacecoalition.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Monday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe, plus a summary of activities from the weekend. In Washington, a Congressional oversight panel balks at a White House plan for a NASA asteroid mission, according to an industry report. Space community marks the 50th anniversary of Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova’s spaceflight, the first by a woman. Chinese astronauts settle in aboard the Tiangong-1 orbital outpost. The European Space Agency’s ATV-4 cargo ship docks with the International Space Station early Saturday. Arianespace plans upgrades of the Ariane 5 rocket to accommodate heavier communications satellites. Astronomers announce surprise findings from Asteroid 1998 QE2, which passed close to the Earth on May 31. NASA’s New Horizons probe will stay the course toward a July 2015 close encounter with Pluto. NOAA distances itself from an innovative weather satellite fleet. In Texas, policy makers rally around commercial spaceport development. LEGO chooses Curiosity for a new toy. New offerings have Sci Fi film fans holding their breath. A look at major space related activities scheduled for the week ahead.

1. From Space News, June 14: In its draft of a new NASA authorization bill, the House Science Space and Technology committee rejects a White House initiative to corral an asteroid and maneuver the space rock into a stable orbit near the moon, where U. S. astronauts would explore it as soon as 2021, Space News reports.

http://www.spacenews.com/article/civil-space/35799draft-nasa-authorization-bill-nixes-asteroid-retrieval-mission#.Uby1UOfQq6o

A. From Spacepolicyonline.com, June 14: The House Space Subcommittee sets June 19 for a Washington hearing on a proposed NASA authorization bill, the agency’s first since 2010.  NASA Advisory Council Chairman Steve Squyres and Tom Young, a former Lockheed Martin executive, are expected to testify.

http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/squyres-young-to-testify-to-house-committee-next-week-on-nasa-authorization-act

B. From Space News, June 14: U. S. military space spending appears to be on a stable track despite on-going concerns over the 2013 budget sequester.

http://www.spacenews.com/article/military-space/35803pentagon-house-chart-stable-funding-course-for-space-programs#.Uby2EefQq6o

2. From The Los Angeles Times, June 15: Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of the first spaceflight by a woman. Russian cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova piloted the Vostok 6 through 48 orbits of the Earth over a three-day solo mission. She was 26. 

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/commentary/la-oe-clayton-women-in-space-sally-ride-20130616,0,2262375.story

A. From Ria Novosti, of Russia, June 14: Russia’s space program continues to shun women, claims one former cosmonaut, Yelena Dobrokvashina. She spoke on the issue with the approach of the 50th anniversary of the world’s first spaceflight by a woman, Valentina Tereshkova. Tereshkova is but one of three women from her homeland to launch.

http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130614/181667597/Sexism-Limited-Female-Space-Flights–Russian-Cosmonaut.html

B. From the Christian Science Monitor, June 14:  A look back at the problems and the controversy that surrounds Valentina Tereshkova’s flight.

http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2013/0614/First-woman-in-space-Miserable-cosmonaut-or-triumphant-space-flyer?nav=127-csm_category-topStorie

3. From Aviation Week & Space Technology, June 17: China’s three-person Shenzhou space capsule steps toward an operational status with the launching of Shenzhou 10 on June 11. The spacecraft’s two-man, one woman crew docked with China’s Tiangong-1 orbital outpost last week for a series of docking and life support technology exercises.

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/AW_06_17_2013_p54-587538.xml

A. From Florida Today, June 16: China remains decades behind the U. S., Russia and the other nations involved in the International Space Station, writes columnist John Kelly.

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20130616/COLUMNISTS0405/306160042/John-Kelly-space-Chinese-still-far-behind?nclick_check=1

B. From Xinhuanet, of China, June 15:  Barbara Morgan, former NASA astronaut and classroom teacher, offers her support to China’s first space teacher Wang Yaping, a member of Shenzhou-10 mission crew.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/15/c_132457562.htm

4. From CBS News, June 15: The European Space Agency’s Automated Transfer Vehicle-4, the Albert Einstein, docks with the International Space Station on Saturday, delivering research gear, food, fuel, water and other supplies. The ATV-4 was launched June 5 amid concerns its space station docking port may have been damaged during the docking of a previous supply ship. Those concerns proved unfounded.

http://www.cbsnews.com/network/news/space/home/spacenews/files/c3ee7f37cd6cbc4abfe8b1f569aa0c6b-593.html

5. From Spaceflightnow.com, June 16: Arianespace will upgrade the Ariane 5 launch vehicle to accommodate larger communications satellites equipped with electric propulsion systems.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1306/16ariane5/#.Ub7UQOfQq6o

6. From the Toronto Globe and Mail, of Canada, June 14: Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper appoints Walter Natynczyk, a retired general and chief of the nation’s defense staff, to head the Canadian Space Agency. Natynczky should bring a stronger voice and higher profile to the CSA, the Globe and Mail reports.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/canadas-former-top-soldier-appointed-head-of-space-program/article12567201/

7. From Space.com: New studies with the radar observatory at Aricebo in Puerto Rico unveil surprises regarding Asteroid 1998 QE2, which passed close to the Earth on May 31. It appears remarkably primitive and not a source of meteorites recovered so far from the Earth. Two miles wide, 1998 QE2 also trailed a small moon..

http://www.space.com/21578-asteroid-1998qe2-flyby-radar-image.html

8. From The Coalition for Space Exploration, June 15: The New Horizons spacecraft will hold course for now on the spacecraft’s long journey to Pluto. Launched in 2006, the spacecraft will pass within 8,000 miles of Pluto in July 2015  – the first spacecraft to visit the distant solar system body. After an 18 month assessment of the debris field around Pluto, mission managers decide there is no need to alter course.

http://spacecoalition.com/blog/new-horizons-to-pluto-stay-the-course

9. From The Orlando Sentinel, June 14: In the U. S., NOAA balks at funding a new small class of capable weather satellites called COSMIC-2. Taiwan offers to cost share. Meanwhile, the nation’s weather and Earth observing satellite population is declining.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-noaa-weather-satellite-20130614,0,4296773.story

10. From The Austin Business Journal, of Texas,  June 14: State lawmakers join to make Texas spaceport friendly.

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/blog/abj-at-the-capitol/2013/06/texas-tourism-may-go-suborbital.html?page=all

11. From Collectspace.com, June 15: LEGO chooses the Curiosity rover as its next space brick assembly toy.

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-061513a.html

12. From Space.com, June 14: Summer and Fall bring a bounty of science fiction feature films.

http://www.space.com/21559-space-movies-2013-countdown.html

13. From Spacepolicyonline.com: A look ahead at major space related activities scheduled for the week ahead.

http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/space-policy-events-of-interest-for-the-week-of-june-17-21-2013

Brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration, CSExtra is a daily compilation of space industry news selected from hundreds of online media resources.  The Coalition is not the author or reporter of any of the stories appearing in CSExtra and does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories.  The content available through CSExtra contains links to other websites and domains which are wholly independent of the Coalition, and the Coalition makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site or domain and does not pre-screen or approve any content.   The Coalition does not endorse or receive any type of compensation from the included media outlets and is not responsible or liable in any way for any content of CSExtra or for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of any content appearing in CSExtra.  For information on the Coalition, visit www.spacecoalition.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@spacecoalition.com.

Pluto bound - NASA's New Horizons spacecraft. Credit: NASA/APL

Launched in January 2006, the NASA New Horizons mission to distant Pluto is on target to whisk by that faraway world in July 2015.

New news from the New Horizons team: Unless significant new hazards are found, the spacecraft is set to stay on its original course past Pluto and its moons.

That’s the call of mission managers after they concluded that the danger posed by dust and debris in the Pluto system is less than they once feared.

The New Horizons team recently completed an 18-month study of potential impact hazards – mostly dust created by objects hitting Pluto’s small satellites – the spacecraft would face as it speeds some 30,000 miles per hour (more than 48,000 kilometers per hour) past Pluto in July 2015.

Alternate plans

The project team expects to keep New Horizons on this baseline course, which includes a close approach of about 12,500 kilometers (nearly 7,800 miles) from the surface of Pluto.

Still, two alternative timelines, in the event that the impact risk turns out to be greater than the team expects, have been blueprinted.

Those alternate plans (called SHBOTs, short for Safe Haven by Other Trajectories) are being developed should new information – gathered from New Horizons camera observations during the approach to Pluto, for example, or new dust-dynamics analyses – indicate less-than-smooth sailing for New Horizons.

Encounter rehearsal

New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern, of the Southwest Research Institute, says the mission team is now finalizing plans for the Pluto encounter.

In early July, the team will rehearse the most critical nine-day segment of the baseline encounter plan, putting itself and the spacecraft through the paces of the flight toward and just past Pluto and its moons.

New Horizons is the first mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt of rocky, icy objects beyond.

The nuclear-powered spacecraft crossed the orbits of Saturn (June 8, 2008) and Uranus (March 18, 2011), with Neptune coming up in August 2014.

Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), builder of the New Horizons spacecraft, also provides mission management, development and spacecraft operations.

By Leonard David

Valentina Tereshkova Photo Credit/NASA Goddard

On June 16, 1963, Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova became the first woman to fly in space.

Now 77, Tereshkova circled the Earth 48 times flying solo over three days in the Vostok 6 spacecraft.

Her flight followed the first human spaceflight, a one day mission by Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin on April 12, 1961.

Recently, Tereshkova, who did not fly in space again, expressed a desire to join Mars One, a non profit Dutch initiative to establish a human colony on Mars.

As the golden anniversary of her flight approached, Tershkova was honored by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Valentina Tereshkova, first female space traveler, contemplates an expedition to Mars.

Also, aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg offered a tribute.

“That ground breaking achievement in the early days of the space race was an important step for women representing many nations and cultures to consider new possibilities in life,” said Nyberg.

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Friday’s CSExtra offers the latest news and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. The crew of China’s Shenzhou-10 spacecraft docks and boards the Tiangong-1 orbital outpost. In op-eds, former U.S. astronauts and a lawmaker urge policy makers to set politics aside to forge a strong space exploration policy that inspires and triggers valuable innovation. NASA’s inspector general questions the rapid pace of payments to Orbital Sciences Corp. for International Space Station resupply services. United Launch Alliance completes a preliminary design review for the dual engine Centaur upper stage, a component key to its commercial crew launch plans. The Hubble Space Telescope spots an unusual star-planet combination. Making NASA’s Orion/Multipurpose Crew Vehicle reusable. A passport for guests of NASA visitor centers and space museums.

1. From Space.com: China’s Shenzhou-10 docks with China’s Tiangong-1 orbital outpost on Thursday.

http://www.space.com/21547-china-astronauts-shenzhou10-docking.html

A. From Global Times, of China: Shenzhou-10′s two-man, one-woman crew enters the Tiangong-1 orbital outpost.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/788595.shtml#.UbmjYutdqbE

B. From MSNBC News and Cosmic Log: China’s Shenzhou-10 crew makes perhaps the final visit by astronauts to the Tiangong-1 orbital outpost. The prototype Chinese space station will likely be de-orbited later this year.

http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/06/13/18936972-chinas-shenzhou-10-spaceship-brings-crew-to-orbital-lab-for-practice?lite

2. From the Huffington Post: In an op-ed, former NASA shuttle commander Eileen Collins and U.S. Congressman Nick Lampson, of Texas, urge policy makers to move beyond politics to surge ahead with the human exploration of space. Exploration is a valuable source of innovation and youthful inspiration, they write.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eileen-m-collins/space-exploration_b_3436866.html?utm_hp_ref=nasa

A. From The New York Times: In an op-ed,  Apollo 11′s Buzz Aldrin calls for a U.S.-led, international effort to explore space, first by returning to the moon, then establishing a permanent presence on Mars.  ”Our Earth isn’t the only world for us anymore,” writes Aldrin. “It’s time to seek out new frontiers.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/14/opinion/global/buzz-aldrin-the-call-of-mars.html

3. From Space News: NASA’s inspector general questions the aggressive pace of payments to Orbital Sciences Corp., the space agency’s second commercial provider of resupply services for the International Space Station. Orbital Sciences expects to demonstrate it can launch the missions with its Antares rocket and Cygnus cargo carrier later this year. Nonetheless, NASA has already paid the company $600 million to build hardware for future missions.

http://www.spacenews.com/article/civil-space/35785internal-audit-hits-nasa-for-station-resupply-payments-to-orbital#.Ubrc0efQq6o

A. From Spacepolicyonline: NASA criticized for “excessive” early payments to Orbital Sciences Corp. for post space shuttle resupply services to the International Space Station.

http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/nasa-criticized-for-excessive-pre-payments-to-orbital-for-cargo-flights-to-iss

4. From AmericaSpace: United Launch Alliance completes a preliminary design review for the dual engine Centaur upper stage it plans to place atop the Atlas V rocket for the launchings of spacecraft developed under NASA’s commercial crew program.

http://www.americaspace.com/?p=37168

5. From Discovery.com: Observations with the Hubble Space Telescope spot a giant planet orbiting unusually far from its young star. The two are separated by 7.5 billion miles, or twice the distance from the sun to Pluto.

http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/hubble-spies-far-out-baby-planet-130613.htm

6. From Space.com: NASA strives to make the Orion Multipurpose Crew Vehicle, the next U.S. spacecraft developed to carry astronauts on missions of deep space exploration, reusable.

http://www.space.com/21541-nasa-orion-spacecraft-reusable.html

7. From Collectspace: A new NASA visitor center “passport” will allow guests to collect stamps to commemorate their visits. Fourteen museums and visitors centers in nine states are participating in the program that begins with the summer travel season. Some centers host NASA’s fleet of retired space shuttle orbiters.

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-061313a.html

Brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration, CSExtra is a daily compilation of space industry news selected from hundreds of online media resources.  The Coalition is not the author or reporter of any of the stories appearing in CSExtra and does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories.  The content available through CSExtra contains links to other websites and domains which are wholly independent of the Coalition, and the Coalition makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site or domain and does not pre-screen or approve any content.   The Coalition does not endorse or receive any type of compensation from the included media outlets and is not responsible or liable in any way for any content of CSExtra or for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of any content appearing in CSExtra.  For information on the Coalition, visit www.spacecoalition.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@spacecoalition.com.

To subscribe to CSExtra via RSS feed click here.

If you would prefer to receive CSExtra in e-mail format, e-mail us at Info@spacecoalition.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Thursday’s CSExtra offers the latest news and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. China’s Shenzhou-10 closes in on docking with the Tiangong-1 orbital outpost. A new study suggests blocks of frozen carbon dioxide, rather than eruptions of subsurface water, are responsible for mysterious gullies on Mars. Canada looks to rovers as an exploration niche beyond the International Space Station. The U.S. need not treat the exploration of Mars like it did the moon, writes Apollo 11′s Buzz Aldrin. NASA’s Chandra X-ray telescope finds a bounty of black holes. Spaceports to rival airports, one commercial space expert predicts. The FTC okays GenCorp’s purchase of Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. Testing, hardware converging for NASA’s first space test flight of an unpiloted Orion crew exploration vehicle.

1. From The Global Times, of China: Launched Tuesday, China’s three-member Shenzhou-10 crew will dock with the Chinese Tiangong-1 orbital outpost on Thursday. The Chinese astronauts are in the early stages of a 15-day mission.

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/788448.shtml#.UbkvwefQq6p

2. From Discovery.com: Scientists provide a new explanation for the strange gullies sighted on Martian slopes. The distinctive tracks are caused by slipping blocks of dry ice rather than the seepage of underground water, say experts. The carbon dioxide blocks form on sand dunes and Martian slopes as they condense and freeze out of the thin Martian atmosphere in winter, according to a U.S. science team.

http://news.discovery.com/space/toboggan-tracks-on-mars-130612.htm

3. From Space.com: Canada looks to rovers and robotics as national contributions to space projects beyond the International Space Station.

http://www.space.com./21540-canada-space-station-rovers-future.html

4. From Parade Magazine: The exploration of Mars need not be Apollo redux, writes Apollo 11′s Buzz Aldrin. The U.S. should look to build up a permanent presence on the Red Planet, Aldrin writes in the first of two contributions to the publication.

http://www.parade.com/21232/buzzaldrin/buzz-aldrin-what-nasa-has-wrong-about-sending-humans-to-mars/

A. From The Los Angeles Times: Apollo 11 lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin urges greater investment by the U.S. government in space exploration, as well as in assuming a leadership role in the international exploration of space. Aldrin spoke before a crowd at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library in California.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-buzz-aldrin-mars-20130612,0,190854.story

5. From Discovery.com: NASA’s Chandra X-ray telescope finds as many as 35 black holes lurking at the center of the Andromeda galaxy. The count took 13 years to establish, and there may be more of the super massive objects.

http://news.discovery.com/space/galaxies/my-god-its-full-of-black-holes-130613.htm

6. From the Orlando Sentinel: With the rise of commercial space in the U.S., launch complexes could become as much a part of the urban landscape as airports, notes one Florida business development expert.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/space/os-spacex-shiloh-launch-closure-20130528,0,5866191.story

7. From Space News: The U.S. Federal Trade Commission approves plans by GenCorp., Inc. to purchase rocket-maker Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. The Pentagon urges regulators to allow the acquisition to proceed.

http://www.spacenews.com/article/launch-report/35738ftc-approves-aerojet-pratt-whitney-rocketdyne-merger#.UbmRh-fQq6q

8. From NASASpaceFlight.com: Hardware and ground evaluations point to a seminal test flight of NASA’s Orion/Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, the unpiloted Exploration Flight Test-1 set for late 2014. The latest milestones include a successful static loads and pressure test of the capsule at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/06/eft-1-orion-final-leg-preparations-testing/

Brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration, CSExtra is a daily compilation of space industry news selected from hundreds of online media resources.  The Coalition is not the author or reporter of any of the stories appearing in CSExtra and does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories.  The content available through CSExtra contains links to other websites and domains which are wholly independent of the Coalition, and the Coalition makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site or domain and does not pre-screen or approve any content.   The Coalition does not endorse or receive any type of compensation from the included media outlets and is not responsible or liable in any way for any content of CSExtra or for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of any content appearing in CSExtra.  For information on the Coalition, visit www.spacecoalition.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@spacecoalition.com.

To subscribe to CSExtra via RSS feed click here.

If you would prefer to receive CSExtra in e-mail format, e-mail us at Info@spacecoalition.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Wednesday’s CSExtra offers the latest news and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. China’s Shenzhou-10 mission, launched Tuesday, lays groundwork for a future Chinese space station. One U.S. space policy analyst suggests the U.S. and China seek a cooperative course in space. Planetary Resources proposes an increase in its fundraising goals to add an alien planet search to its asteroid mining ambitions. NASA ponders nuclear fusion as a propulsion source. NASA’s Commercial Crew Program partners plan an expansion of their Florida activities.

1. From Aviation Week & Space Technology: China’s 15-day Shenzhou-10 mission will lay more groundwork for a Chinese space station by testing orbital docking techniques and life support systems. The new Chinese station should be operational around 2020. Launching of the first components is anticipated in 2015.

http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/awx_06_11_2013_p0-587121.xml

A. From The New York Times: China’s Beijing News offers extensive coverage of the Shenzhou-10 flight, including the menu prepared for this year’s Dragon Boat Festival, the first marked by Chinese in space.

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/chinese-celebrate-first-dragon-boat-festival-in-space/

B. From AmericaSpace.com: Three from China reach Earth’s orbit. Their destination is the Tiangong-1, a space station prototype launched in late 2011.

http://www.americaspace.com/?p=37091

C. From Spacepolicyonline.com: China’s Shenzhou-10 mission has roots. A look at the history.

http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/chinas-human-spaceflight-program-background-and-list-of-launches

2. From Xinhuanet.com, of China: It’s time for the U.S. and China to forge a cooperative course in space, according to one U.S. space policy expert, Greg Kulacki, an analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists. China’s state news agency featured his call as Beijing launched its fifth human space mission since 2003. The two-man, one-woman Shenzhou-10 crew lifted off early Tuesday on a 15-day mission to China’s Tiangong-1 orbital outpost.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sci/2013-06/11/c_132448537.htm

3. From Space.com: As Planetary Resources closes in on a $1 million crowd funding goal for a new space telescope, the asteroid mining company offers to raise the stakes. If Planetary Resources can raise $2 million, it will add alien planet seeking features to its Arkyd space observatory. June 30 remains the deadline for the Kickstarter fundraising effort.

http://www.space.com/21523-planetary-resources-space-telescope-exoplanets.html

4. NASA ponders nuclear fusion as a propulsion source for space exploration endeavors.

http://www.space.com/21519-nasa-fusion-rocket-space-exploration.html

5. From Florida Today: In Florida, NASA’s commercial crew partners, Boeing, SpaceX and Sierra Nevada, expect to step up their Space Coast presence in the coming months.

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20130611/SPACE/130611024/Commercial-space-companies-expect-Brevard-push?nclick_check=1

Brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration, CSExtra is a daily compilation of space industry news selected from hundreds of online media resources.  The Coalition is not the author or reporter of any of the stories appearing in CSExtra and does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories.  The content available through CSExtra contains links to other websites and domains which are wholly independent of the Coalition, and the Coalition makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site or domain and does not pre-screen or approve any content.   The Coalition does not endorse or receive any type of compensation from the included media outlets and is not responsible or liable in any way for any content of CSExtra or for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of any content appearing in CSExtra.  For information on the Coalition, visit www.spacecoalition.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@spacecoalition.com.

To subscribe to CSExtra via RSS feed click here.

If you would prefer to receive CSExtra in e-mail format, e-mail us at Info@spacecoalition.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Tuesday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. Early Tuesday, China launches a two-man, one-woman crew on a 15-day mission to the Tiangong-1 orbital outpost. NOAA’s GOES-13 weather satellite returns to service after a bout with a micrometeoroid. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Chris Hadfield, just back from command of the International Space Station, announces plans to retire. Essays suggest: A.) Discovery offers the best return on investments in human space exploration and B.) Suborbital spaceflight is about more than tourism. A small galaxy offers a massive lesson. The women in the lives of America’s early astronauts shouldered new social burdens. Russia’s asteroid explosion was a record setter. NASA’s space shuttle main engines find a new mission. Claims of a neighboring star system with an Earth-sized planet meet a skeptic. Saturn’s moon Dione may have harbored a geologically-active ocean.

1.  From Spaceflightnow.com:  At 5:38 a.m. EST, China Launches the Shenzhou-10 spacecraft with three astronauts: Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping.  The destination for their 15-day mission is China’s  Tiangong-1 orbital outpost.  ”This carries the dream of the Chinese nation,” said Chinese President Xi Jinping, who was present for the liftoff of the two-man, one-woman crew. The flight marks China’s fifth human mission since 2003. http://www.spaceflightnow.com/china/shenzhou10/status.html

A. From Xinhuanet, of China: China’s Shenzhou-10 crew achieves orbit.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/11/c_132448130.htm

B. From China Daily: China’s just-launched mission to the Tiangong-1 orbital outpost is led by a Chinese space veteran, Nie Haisheng, 49, who flew for his homeland in 2005.

http://usa.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2013-06/11/content_16605617.htm

From Xinhuanet: China’s Shenzhou-10 crew meets the press prior to their launching.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/10/c_132446252.htm

D. From Space.com: Manual and automated dockings of the Shenzhou spacecraft with Tiangong-1 are planned.

http://www.space.com/21509-china-shenzhou10-crew-launch.html

2. From Spacepolicyonline.com: A micrometeoroid collision appears to be blamed for the difficulties with NOAA’s GOES-13, a key weather satellite, that surfaced as the U.S. Atlantic hurricane season prepared to open on June 1.

http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/micrometeoroid-collision-to-blame-for-goes-13-anomaly

A. From Space News: Despite damage, NOAA’s GOES-13 space weather sentry returns to service.

http://www.spacenews.com/article/civil-space/35715goes-13-back-in-action-after-meteoroid-strike#.UbaGvOfQq6p

3. From the CBC, of Canada: Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, who recently returned from command responsibilities aboard the International Space Station, announces at a Canadian news briefing that he will retire in July after a 21-year career as an astronaut. Hadfield intends to pursue professional interests outside of government.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2013/06/10/tech-hadfield-mission-recap.html

4. Two essays from The Space Review suggest “discovery” offers the best return on the human space exploration investment and suggest that U.S. suborbital space flight is about more than tourism.

A. In “A value-based approach toward national space policy,”  Matt Greenhouse, an astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, argues that “discovery” is the most persuasive basis for future human space exploration. Without savvy policy makers, NASA cannot be expected to make worthy strides, he adds.

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2309/1

B. In “Suborbital space research enters a new time of transition,” TSR editor Jeff Foust notes a change in direction within the suborbital space transportation initiatives NASA seeks to foster. Researchers, as well as their scientific and engineering projects, are being welcomed as part of the investments the space agency is willing to make in the suborbital arena. It’s a change from the notion that suborbital space travel is just for tourists. NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver unveiled the change in thinking last week at the annual Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC).

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2311/1

5. From The Los Angeles Times: Segue 2, an extremely small galaxy of but 1,000 stars, is helping astronomers unravel the mysteries of dark matter, the gravitational glue that holds vast star systems together, according to a study prepared for the Astrophysical Journal.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-smallest-least-massive-galaxy-dark-matter-segue-20130610,0,7006415.story

6. From The Chicago Tribune: A new book looks back to the “Wife Stuff,” the grit required of the wives who accompanied their husbands to NASA’s early astronaut corps. “The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story,” is social history, writes the newspaper.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/site/ct-prj-0609-astronaut-wives-club-lilly-koppel-20130610,0,521953.story

7. From Nature.com: The small asteroid that exploded over Russia on Feb. 15 was the largest recorded.

http://blogs.nature.com/news/2013/06/russian-meteor-blast-was-the-largest-ever-recorded.html

8. From NASAspaceflight.com: Early versions of NASA’s Space Launch System will turn to the space shuttle’s reusable main engines as a first stage propulsion source.

http://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2013/06/engines-refused-retire-rs-25s-prepare-sls-testing/

9. From The New York Times: A credentialed skeptic questions claims from European scientists last fall that Alpha Centauri B, part of a triple star system just 4.4 million light years away, hosts a planet about the size of the Earth. Questions over the claim surface in Germany.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/11/science/space/scientists-cast-doubt-on-the-closest-exoplanet.html?_r=0

10. From Space.com: Dione, an icy moon of planet Saturn, may have once hosted a geologically-active ocean, say scientists.

http://www.space.com/21482-saturn-moon-dione-subsurface-ocean.html

Brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration, CSExtra is a daily compilation of space industry news selected from hundreds of online media resources.  The Coalition is not the author or reporter of any of the stories appearing in CSExtra and does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories.  The content available through CSExtra contains links to other websites and domains which are wholly independent of the Coalition, and the Coalition makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site or domain and does not pre-screen or approve any content.   The Coalition does not endorse or receive any type of compensation from the included media outlets and is not responsible or liable in any way for any content of CSExtra or for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of any content appearing in CSExtra.  For information on the Coalition, visit www.spacecoalition.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@spacecoalition.com.

To subscribe to CSExtra via RSS feed click here.

If you would prefer to receive CSExtra in e-mail format, e-mail us at Info@spacecoalition.com with the word SUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Monday’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe, plus a look at weekend activities. China prepares to launch the Shenzhou-10 mission with a two man, one woman crew. NASA’s long-lived Opportunity rover finds further evidence of water on Mars during an early era, a neutrally balanced form of the liquid favorable to the formation of life. NASA’s 2013 budget operating plan attempts to shore up the agency’s Commercial Crew Program initiative. A brief meteor outburst is possible early Tuesday. The world’s first female space traveler, Russian Valentina Terishkova, is ready for Mars. Asteroid 2013 LR6, discovered only a day earlier, sails within 65,000 miles of Earth late Friday. NASA and the U.S. National Reconnaissance Organization arrive at winning formula for a new space telescope. SpaceX executive Gwynne Shotwell takes professional risk to forge success. Smart phone technologies prove space worthy. Russia launches a military spy satellite. Getting to know Comet ISON. Florida’s Kennedy Visitor Center Complex readies NASA’s retired shuttle orbiter Atlantis for a late June opening. Space activities scheduled for the week ahead.

1. From Xinhuanet, of China, June 10:  China’s Shenzhou-10 spacecraft is prepared to lift off early Tuesday (09:38 GMT), with a two man, one woman crew. Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and Wang Yaping are slated for a 15-day flight to China’s Tiangong-1 orbital outpost. The mission will include a pair of docking exercises and a discussion with students once the astronauts are aboard.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-06/10/c_132446006.htm

2. From The New York Times, June 7:  NASA’s Opportunity rover, closing in on a decade on Mars, joins its younger sibling rover Curiosity in finding evidence for early water on Mars that could have supported the emergence of biological activity.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/08/science/space/martian-rock-another-clue-to-a-once-water-rich-planet.html?ref=science&_r=1&

A. From Discovery.com, June 7: Opportunity’s discovery is based on an examination of clay minerals on the rim of the crater Endeavour on Mars. The clay suggests a low acidity in the mineralogy, strong evidence the water was not only right for life but safe to drink, says Steve Squyres, Opportunity’s project scientist.

http://news.discovery.com/space/opportunity-mars-rover-clays-water-130607.htm

B. From Discovery.com, June 9: A hydrogen energy source could power underground Martian biological activity, say scientists.

http://news.discovery.com/space/alien-life-exoplanets/ancient-martians-may-have-been-hydrogen-powered-130609.htm

3. From Space News, June 7:  NASA’s budget operating plan for 2013 attempts to protect the viability of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program with $525 million for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30. In response to sequestration, NASA’s budget for 2013 slumps to $16.9 billion, roughly $900 below annual spending levels since 2011. The current spending plan did not come together until late March. The commercial initiative is intended to re-establish the U. S. human space launch capability lost as NASA’s shuttle fleet was retired in mid 2011.

http://www.spacenews.com/article/civil-space/35684commercial-crew-gets-reprieve-in-nasa-operating-plan#.UbPbUOfQq6p

4. From the American Meteor Society via Spaceweather.com:  The Delphinid meteor shower, not seen since 1930, may repeat early Tuesday, as the Earth flies through comet debris. The possible outburst is expected at 4:30 a.m., EST, and would last about 30 minutes.

http://www.amsmeteors.org/2013/06/a-repeat-of-the-gamma-delphinid-outburst/ and www.spaceweather.com

5. From Spacepolicyonline.com, June 7: In Russia, Valentina Terishkova, the first of her gender to fly in space, is ready to join a human migration to Mars.  Now 76, Terishkova made history on June 16, 1963, when she was launched into space by the Soviet Union aboard the Vostok 6 spacecraft.

http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/tereshkova-ready-for-one-way-trip-to-mars

A. From Slate.com, June 6: Dreams of a human settlement on Mars could be perilous. However, that has not stopped nearly 80,000 from volunteering for the difficult journey financed in part by reality television rights.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/06/mars_colonization_may_require_earth_soil.html?wpisrc=newsletter_jcr:content

6. From The Los Angeles Times, June 8: Late Friday, the 30 foot long asteroid 2013 LR6 quietly sped within 65,000 miles of the Earth. Surprise: this space rock was discovered just a day before it sped past.

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-sn-asteroid-2013-lr6-20130607,0,3965267.story

7. From Florida Today, June 8: Two surplus U. S. National Reconnaissance Office spy satellites, provided to NASA for new missions, offer an opportunity to the U. S. astrophysics community to make scientific strides, writes columnist John Kelly. One of the spacecraft will be modified to study dark matter and search for Jupiter class planets around nearby stars.

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20130609/COLUMNISTS0405/306090056/John-Kelly-Sharing-technology-leaps-us-ahead

8. From The Los Angeles Times, June 7: Gwynne Shotwell finds a top spot at SpaceX. “If we hadn’t achieved success, I was willing to leave the aerospace industry altogether, and go sell real estate or something,” Shotwell tells the Los Angeles Times. “Fortunately, that didn’t happen.”

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-himi-spacex-20130609,0,2428179.story

9. From The Orlando Sentinel, June 9: Smart Phones provide useful technology for a modest satellite experiment carried out by NASA researchers in April. They survived for seven days, supplied health checks and photos of the Earth.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/politics/os-nasa-phone-satellite-future-20130609,0,4826838.story

10. From Spaceflightnow.com,  June 8: Russia launches a military spy satellite.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1306/08soyuz/#.UbUNGefQq6o

11. From CNN.com, June 7: Getting to know Comet ISON:  On a course to loop around the sun later this year, Comet ISON is worth getting to know. ISON may light up the the night and possibly daytime skies of the Earth later this year. Or it could break apart.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/06/07/us/comet-ison-5-things/index.html

12. From Collectspace.com, June 7: The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex readies the retired orbiter Atlantis for an impressive display opening at the end of June.

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-060713a.html

A. From WFTV, of Orlando,  June 7: The Atlantis exhibit will feature shuttle missions to the Hubble Space Telescope as well as the assembly of the International Space Station.

http://www.wftv.com/news/events/full-size-replica-hubble-telescope-installed-shutt/nYFcf/

13. From Spacepolicyonline.com: A look at space related activities scheduled for the coming week.

http://www.spacepolicyonline.com/news/space-policy-events-for-the-week-of-june-10-14-2013

Brought to you by the Coalition for Space Exploration, CSExtra is a daily compilation of space industry news selected from hundreds of online media resources.  The Coalition is not the author or reporter of any of the stories appearing in CSExtra and does not control and is not responsible for the content of any of these stories.  The content available through CSExtra contains links to other websites and domains which are wholly independent of the Coalition, and the Coalition makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy, completeness or authenticity of the information contained in any such site or domain and does not pre-screen or approve any content.   The Coalition does not endorse or receive any type of compensation from the included media outlets and is not responsible or liable in any way for any content of CSExtra or for any loss, damage or injury incurred as a result of any content appearing in CSExtra.  For information on the Coalition, visit www.spacecoalition.com or contact us via e-mail at Info@spacecoalition.com.