Russian RD-180 Rocket Engine Replacement to Cost US $1.5Bln and take 6 Years

The development of a rocket engine to replace the Russian-made RD-180 used to launch the American Atlas V rocket, would cost $1.5 billion and take up to six years, Bloomberg said Wednesday, citing data from an independent panel advising the Pentagon.

The loss of the RD-180 may have a "significant" impact, as there are few "near-terms options to mitigate" the consequences, according to a study by an independent commission of advisors working in the space sector.

Despite claims by the US Air Force that there are enough engines in reserve for two more years of launches, the lack of new RD-180 imports may lead to launch delays, potentially leading to $5 billion in increased costs through 2017.

US Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel earlier ordered air force commanders to reconsider the principles of US cooperation with Russia in the military and technical sphere and reduce the US dependence on Russian rocket engines.

US Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Frank Kendall said the Pentagon has no means of replacing the Russian-made rocket engine, which the US uses to launch satellites for military purposes.

It was reported that as a solutions to the problem, the US Air Force could produce a US copy of the engine or increase launches of the Delta IV rocket with a completely different engine.

Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said earlier that in response to the US sanctions against Russia, Moscow will suspend the export of the RD-180 and NK-33 rocket engines to the United States.

Square Kilometer Array: The international radio telescope for the 21st century

Square Kilometer Array: The international radio telescope for the 21st century ScienceBlog.com

On 30 and 31 March a strategic international workshop on the Square Kilometre Array (SKA) will seek to identify the major economical and societal benefits of large-scale scientific research infrastructure investments.

The SKA is a USD 1 billion+ international project to create a radio telescope incorporating a receiving surface of a million square metres, fifty times larger than the biggest receiving surface now in existence. This huge surface will be composed of many small antennas, divided into a dense inner core array which becomes more diffuse with increasing radius.

The SKA was conceived as a new international project to meet the future needs of radio astronomers. It will be use to address some of the more fundamental questions in contemporary physics and astronomy, including the nature of the first stars in the Universe, the cosmic history of the Universe, the nature of Dark Matter and Dark Energy, theories of gravity and black holes and the origin of cosmic magnetism.

Beside the major scientific value of this project, experts expect large benefits in terms of direct economic and indirect societal impacts, such as boosting technological learning, capacity-building, socio-economic benefit as well as stimulation of market gains.

Organised by COST (European Cooperation in Science and Technology) with the support of INAF (Italian National Institute of Astrophysics), this strategic workshop is aimed at improving the understanding of boundary conditions and exchanging best practices that will positively influence SKA policy.

Economy Funerals for the Cost Conscious Corpse

Clare Brookes and business partner Michelle Orton, both 35, have created a hearse with a difference: their unique funeral Volkswagen Camper Van.

Not so much a funeral more of a short, one-way road trip!

Kenya Drought: The true cost of Global Catastrophe

Farmers in drought-stricken Kenya are cutting their losses by selling their dying livestock for meat at places like the Kenya Meat Commission.