Space shuttle Discovery set for launch April 5

Space Shuttle Discovery will launch April 5 on one of the last remaining shuttle flights to the International Space Station, mission managers said Sunday.

NASA managers said concerns over potential valve leaks had been settled and the shuttle was considered ready for the mission.

Discovery will blast off at 6:21 a.m. ET, according to NASA. The 13-day mission will provide the international space station with eight tons of science equipment and cargo, NASA said.

Career office to open for aerospace workers

FROM THE HOUSTON CHRONICLE'S CAROL CHRISTIAN

With cutbacks expected in the NASA space program, Workforce Solutions is preparing to reinstate a permanent office in the Clear Lake area.

Sue Cruver, marketing coordinator for Workforce Solutions’ Gulf Coast Board, said the target date for opening a Clear Lake-area office in April.

“We’re looking for space where we can set up a full-service career office like the others we have throughout our system,” Cruver said. “This would be open to anybody looking for a job.”

Workforce Solutions is a nonprofit organization that receives federal funds distributed through the Texas Workforce Commission. It's not a government agency, but it doesn't charge for its services.

Once the new office is open, it will have employment counselors, financial-aid specialists for those who want to go back to school, a Veterans Affairs representative and other resource information.

“It’s a team effort to try to find a way to help people,” Cruver said.

Meanwhile, Workforce Solutions staffers are meeting with NASA subcontractors and other aerospace employers to find ways to keep highly skilled people in the area if Congress approves the cuts proposed in President Obama’s 2011 budget.

Those meetings have taken place in space supplied by a NASA contractor and do not constitute a Workforce Solutions office, Cruver said.

“It’s really more of a resource center at this time,” she said.

“We have some very specialized people in the space program.

“We don’t want to lose that talent. We want to see if there are other types of jobs people can go to if they lose theirs,” Cruver said.

The budget, released Feb. 1, included elimination of the back-to-the moon Constellation program, which former President George W. Bush announced in 2004.

Coupled with the planned retirement of the space shuttle later this year, the proposed budget could mean the loss of between 4,000 and 7,000 jobs, said Bob Mitchell, president of the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership.

“We’re panicked,” Mitchell said.

“Our desire is to turn, if not all of it, at least part of the decision around. Who knows if we can?”
Mitchell said it typically takes Congress six to nine months to complete the budget process.

Warrant roundup begins ...

Thayer Evans wrote:
If you have any tickets you haven't gotten around to paying, this is the week to take care of them.

League City, Friendswood, Houston and other cities around Clear Lake will join hundreds of jurisdictions participating in the Great Texas Warrant Roundup this weekend.

Starting Saturday, March 6, police will be visiting homes, schools and workplaces to arrest those with outstanding warrants from municipal courts.

Most of the offenses involve unpaid traffic or parking tickets but more serious violations are included, and no amnesty is being offered. Those with outstanding warrants can be arrested at any location.

Cities are mailing notices to the last known address of those with warrants.

League City Police Chief Mike Jez said those with warrants needs to resolve them before the roundup. His police department will have “quite a few” officers participating in it this year, he said.

“The message to folks right now is avoid getting arrested on your job site or an embarrassing moment,” Jez said. “Come take of things. It’ll save you time, money and embarrassment. It’s something that’s easily avoidable. Most of them are minor offense violations anyway.”

If you think there may be a warrant out on you, contact your local municipal court to find out how to post a bond.

Clear Lake's Houston residents can call 713-731-3950 or visit the city's Clear Lake police station at 2855 Bay Area Blvd. from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The International Space Station Program has won the 2009 Collier Trophy

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The International Space Station is featured in this image photographed by an STS-130 crew member on space shuttle Endeavour after the station and shuttle began their post-undocking relative separation. Credit: NASA

The International Space Station Program has won the 2009 Collier Trophy, which is considered the top award in aviation. The National Aeronautic Association bestows the award annually to recognize the greatest achievement in aeronautics or astronautics in America.

“We are honored to receive this prestigious award,” said Bill Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate. “We're proud of our past achievements to build and operate the space station, and we're excited about the future- there's a new era ahead of potential groundbreaking scientific research aboard the station."

The International Space Station is a joint project of five space agencies and 15 countries that is nearing completion and will mark the 10th anniversary of a continuous human presence in orbit later this year. The largest and most complicated spacecraft ever built, the space station is an international, technological and political achievement that represents the latest step in humankind’s quest to explore and live in space.

Designated as a national laboratory by Congress in the 2005 NASA Authorization Act, the space station provides a research platform that takes advantage of the microgravity conditions 220 miles above the Earth’s surface across a wide variety of fields, including human life sciences, biological science, human physiology, physical and materials science, and Earth and space science.

Upon completion of assembly later this year, the station’s crew and its U.S., European, Japanese and Russian laboratory facilities will expand the pace of space-based research to unprecedented levels. Nearly 150 experiments are currently under way on the station, and more than 400 experiments have been conducted since research began nine years ago. These experiments already are leading to advances in the fight against food poisoning, new methods for delivering medicine to cancer cells and the development of more capable engines and materials for use on Earth and in space.

The international partner agencies – NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the Russian Federal Space Agency – provide control centers and support teams that train and launch crews to the station, provide support for systems operations and coordinate the on-orbit research 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

Now supporting a multicultural crew of six, the station has a mass of almost 800,000 pounds and a habitable volume of more than 12,000 cubic feet – approximately the size of a five-bedroom home, and uses state-of-the-art systems to generate solar electricity, recycle nearly 85 percent of its water and generate much of its own oxygen supply. Nearly 190 humans have visited the space station, which is now supporting its 22nd resident crew.

Boeing is the prime contractor, responsible for design, development, construction and integration of the ISS.

The award will be formally presented to the International Space Station Program team on May 13. The award is named for Robert J. Collier, a publisher who commissioned it in 1910 with the intent to encourage the U.S. aviation community to strive for excellence and achievement in aeronautic development. Past winners include the B-52 Program, the Surveyor Moon Landing Program, the Boeing 747 and the F-22. Other past honorees include the crews of Apollo 11 and Apollo 8, the Mercury 7.

Wonmore renovating Clear Lake High Rise

-(BUSINESS WIRE)--Houston-based Wonmore Ltd. announces they are investing nearly $2 million to renovate and repair the Endeavour Clear Lake luxury high-rise. Wonmore, a single purpose entity and partnership created for the acquisition of the property, purchased the remaining 44 condominiums in the Endeavour luxury high-rise on Clear Lake, located at 4821 NASA Parkway in Pasadena, Texas, for $9.5 million on December 16, 2009.

“The vast majority of the funds will be allocated to repairing the common areas and exterior in addition to other upgrades to the building. We are also excited to complete the penthouse – it offers magnificent views and will be a spectacular home”
“We have thoroughly assessed the Clear Lake luxury condominium high-rise, including any remaining damage from Hurricane Ike. The building is soundly engineered and of the highest quality. Our investment is focused on exceeding market standards and delivering a high-end offering that homeowners can feel confident about,” said John Gilmore, co-founder and managing principal of Richmore Properties, L.L.C., the general partner managing Wonmore’s investment.

The developer of the tower, Endeavour Highrise L.P., filed for bankruptcy in May of 2009. In addition to the $9.5 million paid for the remaining condominiums, Wonmore has also covered the existing 2010 homeowner assessments, as well as the outstanding taxes owed on the building for 2008 and 2009.

Nearly 60 percent of the $2 million invested in the property will go toward re-skinning the building with a G.E. Elastomeric paint designed to expand up to 400 percent and seal the structure. The roof is being upgraded and covered with a rubberized coating to repair damage from Hurricane Ike and provide additional protection against outdoor elements. A variety of upgrades are being made to all of the common areas inside the building, including the movie theater, hallways and lobby in addition to other interior architecture-related improvements. For the exterior, plans include adding security cameras, improving the landscape and hard-scape features, repairing the lighting system, and making upgrades to the docks and marina. Wonmore will also finish-out the penthouse and the other remaining units.

“The vast majority of the funds will be allocated to repairing the common areas and exterior in addition to other upgrades to the building. We are also excited to complete the penthouse – it offers magnificent views and will be a spectacular home,” continued Gilmore.

The 30-story condominium tower, designed by Houston-based EDI Architects, has 80 units between 1,278 and 7,533 square feet. With expansive views of Clear Lake and the Gulf of Mexico, the development offers residents a number of high-end features including a large, infinity-edge pool and private boat slips. Interior features include luxury, European-style finishes, 12-foot ceilings and spacious balconies perfect for taking in the complex’s sweeping views. Units in the Clear Lake high-rise are to be marketed from $350,000 to $2.9 million.

Gilmore anticipates the majority of repairs and upgrades will be completed by late spring.

Richmore Properties is a privately capitalized real estate investment and development firm. The firm invests in a diversified portfolio of real estate assets and specializes in repositioning and renovating distressed properties. The company has invested in over three dozen properties in the Greater Houston-area since 1997.