Monthly Archives: June 2012

Stem cell therapy in Hawaii going to the dogs

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HAWAII KAI (HawaiiNewsNow) -

Cutting-edge technology is helping Hawaii's pets live better lives for months, even years. We were there as a beloved dog named Kumba received one of the first-ever, in-clinic stem cell therapy surgeries in the islands.

13 year old Kumba doesn't know he's a guinea pig. The Rottweiler-Lab mix is one of the first in Hawaii to undergo the stem cell procedure at Surf Paws in Hawaii Kai.

Kumba suffers severe arthritis in his hips and knees, doesn't eat much, and is even a bit depressed. "It's an effort for him to get up off the floor, and when he gets up and crosses the room, you can see the stiffness," says his owner, Rumi Hospodar.

Kumba's kids learn some of details of his surgery. Then, he's moved to a table and nods off from anesthesia. Once he's prepped, the procedure begins. The vet removes about two tablespoons of fat tissue from Kumba's shoulder. From there, the stem cells are separated from the fat and activated. Then, they're injected back into the affected areas.

The entire process takes four hours, but the dog is actually only under for about 20 minutes. Surf Paws used to send the tissue to the mainland for processing, but with technology from Medi-Vet America, they can do it all here.

"The patient had to be, you know, go home and come back a few days later and the timing was a little bit difficult. Now, everything is same day," says Surf Paws veterinarian Dr. Cristina Miliaresis.

Cost depends on the size of animal but can run up to $2,800. It's mainly done on dogs, cats, and horses who suffer osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, ligament and cartilage damage, and other degenerative diseases. Their quality of life can improve within a couple of weeks.

Dr. Miliaresis says, "Some people might say, 'Oh, the dog's 13. Why are you doing this for a 13 year old dog? But even 6 months, pain-free, after a very, it's not simple, but it's a pretty straightforward procedure, to me (would be) just amazing."

The techs move all 97 pounds of Kumba to post-op - while his anxious owner looks on.

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Stem cell therapy in Hawaii going to the dogs

Notre Dame establishes professorships in adult stem cell research

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Public release date: 22-Jun-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: William Gilroy gilroy.6@nd.edu 574-631-4127 University of Notre Dame

Alumnus Michael Gallagher and his wife, Elizabeth, have made a $5 million gift to establish the Elizabeth and Michael Gallagher Family Professorships in Adult Stem Cell Research at the University of Notre Dame.

Their gift, which will fund three new endowed professorships in adult and all forms of non-embryonic stem cell research, will strengthen Notre Dame's leadership in the field of stem cell research and enhance the University's effective dialogue between the biomedical research community and the Catholic Church on matters related to the use and application of stem cells and regenerative medicine.

"As a Catholic university, Notre Dame carries a mantle of responsibility to use our scholarship and resources to help alleviate human suffering, and, in this area of research in particular, to do so with deep respect for the sanctity of all human life," said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., the University's president. "These new professorships will enable us to effectively build upon an already strong foundation in this critically important field. We are tremendously grateful to the Gallaghers for making this possible with their transformative gift."

Despite years of research, there are no known cures for a large number of degenerative diseases, such as Type 1 diabetes, Parkinson's disease, cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration and spinal cord injuries. Stem cell research has the potential to contribute to the discovery of new and successful treatments for these and other diseases because it holds the unique promise of regenerating damaged cells and tissues, fully restoring tissues and organs to their normal function.

Although this vital area of research could accelerate the ability to alleviate much human suffering, it has generated extensive ethical debate with the use of embryonic versus non-embryonic stem cells. The Catholic Church affirms the dignity of all human life at every stage and vigorously opposes the destruction of human embryos for the harvesting of stem cells. At the same time, the Church strongly endorses the use of adult and non-embryonic stem cell research as a potential therapy for individuals suffering from these debilitating diseases. Research has demonstrated that adult stem cells, including all forms of non-embryonic stem cells, such as induced pluripotent stem cells and umbilical cord stem cells, can be harvested and programmed to achieve pluripotency the same characteristic that enables embryonic stem cells to differentiate into any type of cell.

An urgent need exists to increase the number of faculty experts performing adult stem cell research at Notre Dame. Doing so will expand upon the strong foundation the College of Science holds in these areas and will help create an environment for excellence in which faculty and students can learn, grow, collaborate and ultimately affect human health.

"We are overwhelmed with gratitude at the generous gift from Mike and Liz Gallagher," said Gregory P. Crawford, dean of the College of Science. "The impact of this gift is truly beyond measure. It will play a crucial role in attracting three more of the best faculty in the field of adult stem cell research to Notre Dame. Furthermore, this gift will equip our existing talented group of adult stem cell researchers at Notre Dame to take the next great leap toward ultimately forming a premier center in adult stem cell research."

Michael Gallagher is a 1991 graduate of Notre Dame, and his wife, Elizabeth, is a 1992 graduate of Saint Mary's College. They have two sons, Brock and Jack, and currently live near Denver.

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Notre Dame establishes professorships in adult stem cell research

Europe ponders future of ATV space truck

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22 June 2012 Last updated at 12:50 ET

A major decision needs to be taken at the end of this year concerning the future of Europe's space truck - the Automated Transfer Vehicle.

The programme is nearing its end and European Space Agency (Esa) member states will gather in Caserta, Italy, in November to decide on a successor project.

For those who don't know their shuttle from their Soyuz too well, the ATV is a huge robotic spacecraft that delivers supplies to the International Space Station.

With a lift-off weight of 20 tonnes, it is Europe's biggest space vessel, and its sophisticated navigation and docking technologies make it one of the most impressive pieces of hardware Esa has ever put in orbit.

But only five ATVs were ever ordered. Two of them completed cargo runs to the ISS in 2008 and 2011. A third is currently in orbit docked to the station; two further craft are in the late stages of fabrication.

Vehicle four (dubbed "Albert Einstein") will be despatched to the launch site in August for a lift-off in Spring next year. Vehicle five ("Georges Lemaitre") will go up in 2014.

The engineers who've been working on the programme will soon need something new to do. The question is "what?"

Esa has just kicked off two studies, valued in total at 13m euros (10m; $16m), which will consider ATV derivatives.

"We have built up knowledge with the ATV on some technologies that are on the leading edge, and it would be quite a pity if we just stopped after all the time and money we have invested these technologies," Nico Dettmann, who runs Esa's ATV programme, told me.

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Sunita Williams heads back to space

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The astronaut, who will take over as the commander of the International Space Station [ Images ], says she is not nervous but 'psyched'. Suman Guha Mozumder reports

Astronaut Sunita Williams [ Images ], who holds the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman after 195 days spent in space in the year 2006, is set to revisit the International Space Station.

And this time Williams is going to be the commander of the ISS after the existing crew comes back two months after she and her fellow astronauts reach.

July 14, Williams will launch from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, where she went last month for pre-flight training. Her mother Bony Pandya -- who always believed her daughter Suni (as Williams is to friends and family) "would become somebody someday" but could never imagine her becoming an astronaut -- also left last week for Kazakhstan for 10 days to meet with her daughter.

"Like my sister, we are all very excited about Suni's space journey," Williams's sister Dina Pandya told rediff.com.

Williams will launch for the ISS as flight engineer at 9.40 pm Central Daylight Time July 14 as part of Expedition 32. After the existing three crew members at the ISS leave in September, she will become commander of Expedition 33, which will return a week after the presidential election in November.

Williams will launch into space with flight engineers Yuri Malenchenko of the Russian Federal Space Agency and Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan [ Images ] Aerospace Exploration Agency.

"This time Williams is actually going to spend quite some time again on the space station, and she'll be doing a mixed bag of scientific research," Jay Bolden of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Johnson Space Center told rediff.com. "There are about 200 different experiments she is slated to do. Besides, she'll also be doing some repair work on the space station, and possibly do a couple of space walks as well. She'll be using this opportunity to connect with a bunch of students. She'll be doing a lot of experiments, and talk to the students about these. She'll also be doing medical research and some biology experiments as well."

From space, Williams will be talking students, mainly from elementary, middle, and high schools, when schools start in the fall.

"She'll be talking to them pretty much all throughout the country," Bolden said.

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Sunita Williams heads back to space

Intl Space Station visible in night sky

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SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - You may have seen a bright light passing through the sky over the last couple of nights. It's the International Space Station and you might be able to see it Friday night.

The International Space Station was launched and put into orbit in 1998. The first crew arrived in 2000. The space station is about 200 miles above Earth and orbits the planet 16 times a day. It travels at a speed of 17,000 mile per hour.

The space station's orbit recently has been taking it across the United States so it's possible to see it, but because it's moving so fast it'll be hard to see with a telescope.

Richard Sanderson, from the Springfield Science Museum, tells 22News, The best way to see it is with your naked eye. It's a very bright object, one of the brightest objects in the sky at night when it's visible, so it's very easy to see and once you spot it you want to try and track it with binoculars if you can.

If you want to track the International Space Station , and for the times and dates that you'll be able to see it, click here .

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Intl Space Station visible in night sky

Space Station Live! NASA App Puts Orbiting Lab at Your Fingertips

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Ever wonder what the crew on board the International Space Station is doing right now? Or what is the temperature of each of the orbiting outpost's modules? Or how much power is being generated at this very instant by the space station's solar array wings?

If so, NASA has an app for that.

The agency's Space Station Live! website and companion ISSLive! mobile application offers the public a new inside look at what is happening aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and in the Mission Control Center at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Space Station Live! enables its users to see what the six expedition astronauts and cosmonauts on the complex are doing minute by minute. Streaming data from the station through Houston Mission Control lets the public view the latest details on temperatures, communications and power generation.

In addition to accessing the same telemetry used by flight controllers, Internet and smart phone users can use Space Station Live! to tour the space station and mission control operator consoles through virtual 3-D view models.

Space Station Live! is at spacestationlive.nasa.gov on the web and via the free ISSLive! app for smart phones and tablet computers linked from NASA's site. The app also is available through the Google Play and Apple iTunes app stores. [Top 7 Space Apps]

Virtual Mission Control

On the website and through the mobile apps, users can navigate through a realistic 3-D recreation of the space station's flight control room in Houston. They can navigate through the rows of consoles, selecting workstations such as the Flight Director's or Capcom's (spacecraft communicator) to see the type of live data they work with.

For example, at the ETHOS console, which monitors the space station's life support systems, Space Station Live! users can view the current pressure, temperature and fan status in the U.S. Destiny laboratory and Tranquility node. For the Quest airlock, which astronauts exit through when performing spacewalks, live telemetry offers updates on the pressure and valve positions for the port's oxygen and nitrogen tanks.

Similarly, at the SPARTAN or Station Power, Articulation and Thermal Control console, users can see the flow rate for the two ammonia-filled loops that cool the station. A different screen at the same virtual workstation displays the position in degrees and how many volts and amps are being generated by the power-providing solar arrays.

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Space Station Live! NASA App Puts Orbiting Lab at Your Fingertips

ISS Update: Robotic Refueling Mission – Video

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21-06-2012 23:54 NASA Public Affairs Office Dan Huot interviews Jill McGuire, the Robotic Refueling Mission (RRM) Project Manager at Goddard Space Flight Center, about the current RRM operation taking place outside the International Space Station. Questions? Ask us on Twitter @NASA_Johnson and include the hashtag #askStation. For the latest news about the space station, visit:

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ISS Update: Robotic Refueling Mission - Video

The Boeing X-37B lands following 2nd Space Flight – Video

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22-06-2012 06:16 Boeing has announced the successful de-orbit and landing of the second X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) for the US Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office. The vehicle, built by Boeing Space & Intelligence Systems, just completed a 469-day mission. Designed to launch like a satellite and land like an airplane, the OTV-2 holds the record for the longest mission of a reusable space vehicle. To read more -

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The Boeing X-37B lands following 2nd Space Flight - Video

Space shuttle encased in inflatable shelter in NYC

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(SPACE.com) Two weeks after "landing" on top of the aircraft carrier-turned-Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum in New York City, NASA's prototype space shuttle Enterprise is now underneath the inflatable canopy that will house its public display.

Enterprise was covered by the opaque-white fabric shelter on Tuesday (June 19) to protect it from exposure to the elements and to meet NASA's display requirements for a climate-controlled facility. The shuttle was hoisted onto the Intrepid's flight deck by crane on June 6.

The shelter was fully inflated Thursday morning (June 21), a spokesman for the Intrepid confirmed. Some final work configuring the canopy is still underway however, including the removal of scaffolding that supported the fabric being raised, which led to it being deflated again.

The Intrepid, which is docked on Manhattan's west side, is a retired World War II aircraft carrier used since 1982 to house aerospace and maritime exhibits.

The pressurized enclosure extends over Enterprise's tail, which tops out at 57 feet (17 meters) high, and beyond the shuttle's 78-foot (24-meter) wingspan. It occupies the rear of the Intrepid's flight deck with the shuttle's nose pointed out toward the Hudson River. [Photos: Shuttle Enterprise's Sea Trek to NYC Museum]

Enterprise's display is set to open to the public on July 19. The Intrepid's "Space Shuttle Pavilion" will be give visitors the chance to closely view and circle around the prototype winged orbiter. Enterprise never flew in space, but instead was used for a series of approach and landing tests in the late 1970s.

Experience Enterprise

"View space shuttle Enterprise up-close and learn about the history of the shuttle program," promotes a sign on the Intrepid's flight deck near where the pavilion is positioned. "Surrounding exhibits will explain technical achievements and touch on the people behind the technology."

The billboard further promises "dynamic images and video presentations" during "this amazing experience."

Tickets to tour the pavilion, which are on sale now, add $6 to the general admission fee for adults.

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Space shuttle encased in inflatable shelter in NYC

Money Heads to China

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China's banking industry has seen a boom in its managed assets following the fast expansion of banks' asset custody business, the China Banking Association said Thursday.

Assets under the management of Chinese banks reached a record 14.15-T Yuan (US$2.25-T) by the end of Y 2011, an increase of 49.27% from a year earlier, according to a report released by the association.

The figure marked a rise of 277% from 3.75-T Yuan in Y 2009, the report said.

First in the form of a closed-end securities investment fund established in Y 1998, the asset custody service has become a fast-growing banking business that covers extensive domains, the report said.

In the asset custody business, banks serve as the 3rd party to take care of the entrusted assets and perform various duties, including account settlement, asset evaluation and investment oversight, according to trust contracts and regulations.

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The assets of five custody products currently exceed 2-T Yuan each. Wealth investment products take the biggest share, valued at 3.89-T Yuan, followed by entrusted insurance funds at 2.65-T Yuan and entrusted property 2.31-T Yuan.

By the end of Y 2011, 18 Chinese commercial banks, including the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, the country's largest lender, obtained the qualifications necessary to run such businesses.

Their custodians' fees totaled 16.8-B Yuan as of the end of Y 2011.

Paul A. Ebeling, Jnr.

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Money Heads to China

D.C. goes for fifth straight win vs. N.Y.

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Harrison, NJ (Sports Network) - D.C. United will put its four-game winning streak to the test on Sunday when it heads to Red Bull Arena to face Red Bull New York in the latest installment of the Atlantic Cup.

The Eastern Conference leaders picked up a fourth successive win last time out, defeating the Philadelphia Union 1-0 at PPL Park.

D.C. now returns to the pitch for a second straight rivalry game, and that is just the way head coach Ben Olsen likes it.

"When the league changed the schedule where we would play New York and Philly and New England more I was pumped," Olsen told the Capital Soccer Show earlier this week. "I liked playing in those games as a player, I like coaching in them and I think people enjoy watching them."

The Red Bulls could be tired after two straight road games, but United captain Dwayne De Rosario insists that the home side will come to play.

"It's a game they are going to be up for regardless if they are fatigued or not," said De Rosario. "I think they got enough days to rest."

New York is winless in its last three matches, taking just two points from that haul. After a two-and-a-half-week break, the club returned to action with a 3-1 loss at the Chicago Fire before leaving it late in a 1-1 draw at Vancouver Whitecaps FC on Wednesday.

The Red Bulls showed great resolve to pick up a point on the road, especially as they were missing Designated Players Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez.

"We have great players that are missing so we had to step up and get a point in a tough environment," winger Dane Richards told reporters after the match. "That showed depth and the coaches have done a great job."

Heath Pearce popped up with the tying goal four minutes from time, keeping the Red Bulls within touching distance of first-place D.C. United.

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D.C. goes for fifth straight win vs. N.Y.

Heads Up: Colonia San Rafael in Mexico City is on the Upswing

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BESIDE the small, open courtyard on the roof of a former mansion, Anuar Maauad had a cigarette in one hand, a beer in the other and a ringing constantly ringing cellphone in front of him on his long kitchen table. He sat, flanked by friends, as the Mexico City sky exploded with thunder so powerful it shook the 123-year-old building.

The Museo Universitario del Chopo, one of the restoration projects transforming Colonia San Rafael in Mexico City.

The 6,500-square-foot Casa Maauad is a work in progress. Mr. Maauad, a 28-year-old architect turned sculptor, bought the building in 2010 and has lived there while renovating the badly deteriorated structure. The three-story house, rumored to have once been a brothel, is now home to Marso (marso.com.mx), consisting of a curatorial space that opened this spring, an artist residency program and studios for Mr. Maauads friends.

Mr. Maauads house is part of the emerging art scene in Colonia San Rafael, a crumbling working-class neighborhood that in its heyday was home to the upper crust and considered the Broadway of Mexico. Its decline began in the 1970s, when San Rafaels French-influenced 19th-century mansions were abandoned by wealthy residents fleeing in the wake of a new metro line that made it reachable by all. Then, in 1985, an earthquake damaged several of the areas theaters and forced out many of the remaining middle-class families. The neighborhood became a notorious red-light district. But as artists are priced out of nearby Colonia Condesa and Colonia Roma, San Rafaels metro line and the affordability of its gorgeous, decaying buildings have become increasingly attractive.

Institutions are reclaiming forgotten structures as well. One of the most historically significant museums, the Museo Experimental El Eco (Sullivan 43; 52-55-5535-5186; http://www.eleco.unam.mx) reopened in 2005. Founded in the early 50s, the museum was supplanted by a gay bar before the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) bought the building and restored it. El Eco now presents a diverse set of works, from an open-air Godard screening to an installation by the Amsterdam-based artist Praneet Soi.

Just across the Santa Mara la Ribera border is Museo Universitario del Chopo (Dr. Enrique Gonzlez Martnez 10; 52-55-5546-3471; http://www.chopo.unam.mx), another UNAM restoration project for a former exhibit hall transported from Dsseldorf, Germany, in 1902. Enrique Nortens firm, TEN Arquitectos, reconceived the interior. It has now opened as a multidisciplinary space ideal for programs like the current International Festival of Sexual Diversity, with film, lecture and visual arts components.

But the recent revival also includes independent gallerists like Gerardo Contreras, the director of Preteen Gallery(Joaqun Velazquez de Len 58, interior 5; 52-55-2663-9070; preteengallery.net). The tiny studio, across a pink courtyard, is a glaring white. On a recent evening, Mr. Contreras apologized for his floors, which had been pocked by high heels at his last opening. It was packed, he said. Titled after a derogatory word for gay men, the show featured connect-the-dots coloring books that, when completed, revealed naughty scenes from 1970s gay pornography magazines.

Around the corner, Brett Schultz and Daniela Elbahara opened the storefront gallery Yautepec (Melchor Ocampo 154-A; 52-55-5256-5533; yau.com.mx) in 2009. They initially looked for space in Roma. But the rents were already crazy high, Mr. Schultz said.

In San Rafaels scrappy, bootstrapping art scene, Galera Hilario Galguera (Francisco Pimentel 3; 52-55-5546-6703; galeriahilariogalguera.com) is the exception, an established gallery that draws big names like Damien Hirst and propels Mexican artists like Bosco Sodi to international prominence. It was one of the first to bring an American kind of gallery, a white cube, to Mexico, said its director, Mauricio Galguera.

It must be strange to be in this traditional, folkloric neighborhood and come into this building, Mr. Galguera said. But, he added, given the areas history, I think it really fits.

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Heads Up: Colonia San Rafael in Mexico City is on the Upswing

NASA | Shackleton Crater – Video

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21-06-2012 13:22 This visualization, created using Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter laser altimeter data, offers a view of Shackleton Crater located in the south pole of the moon. Thanks to these measurements, we now have our best-yet maps of the crater's permanently-shadowed interior! Like our videos? Subscribe to NASA's Goddard Shorts HD podcast: Or find NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on Facebook: Or find us on Twitter:

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NASA | Shackleton Crater - Video

Picture of the Day: NASA's NuSTAR Telescope Expands in Space

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Just over a week ago, NASA launched its NuSTAR Space Telescope that will enable scientists to study high-energy X-rays, and create clearer and more detailed pictures of some of the universe's X-ray sources, such as black holes. Yesterday, engineers at mission control in Berkeley sent a signal to the telescope, and its 33-foot mast began to expand. After 26 minutes, the mast was fully expanded, and the crew on the ground cheered. In just a few days, NuSTAR will capture its "first light" image. Above, an artist's rendering of what NuSTAR now looks like. To learn more about NuSTAR and the black holes it is set to explore, check out our interview with Fiona Harrison, the mission's principal investigator.

Below, recent Pictures of the Day:

Image: NASA.

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Picture of the Day: NASA's NuSTAR Telescope Expands in Space

NASA Solicits Proposals for the NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

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The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Office of Education, in cooperation with NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD), Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD), and Science Mission Directorates (SMD), the Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT), and NASA's ten Centers, solicits proposals for the NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR). Each funded NASA EPSCoR proposal is expected to establish research activities that will make significant contributions to the strategic research and technology development priorities of one or more of the Mission Directorates or the OCT and contribute to the overall research infrastructure, science and technology capabilities, higher education, and economic development of the jurisdiction. If submitted, Notices of Intent are due on July 20, 2012, and proposals are due on Aug. 14, 2012.

Public Law 102-588, passed in 1992, authorized NASA to initiate NASA EPSCoR to strengthen the research capability of jurisdictions that have not in the past participated equably in competitive aerospace research activities. The goal of NASA EPSCoR is to provide seed funding that will enable jurisdictions to develop an academic research enterprise directed toward long-term, self-sustaining, nationally-competitive capabilities in aerospace and aerospace-related research. This capability will, in turn, contribute to the jurisdiction's economic viability and expand the nation's base for aerospace research and development. Since its inception, NASA EPSCoR has been closely linked to the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program (Space Grant).

While proposals can be accepted only from institutions for which the NASA EPSCoR Directors are currently serving, all institutions of higher education within the jurisdiction should be given the opportunity and must be made aware of the FY 2012 NASA EPSCoR CAN. The National Science Foundation (NSF) determines overall jurisdiction eligibility for NASA EPSCoR.

Details regarding general eligibility are available at http://www.nsf.gov/od/oia/programs/epscor/eligible.jsp.

The following jurisdictions are eligible to submit up to two proposals that must be submitted through the jurisdiction PI to this NASA EPSCoR solicitation: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

South Carolina may submit up to three proposals, provided at least one of the proposals represents a project from the U.S. Virgin Islands (which currently falls under South Carolina's jurisdiction).

For more information, visit http://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/solicitations/summary.do?method=init&solId={36283FDE-A756-ED4D-426B-A7C0EA1FD9A3}&path=open.

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NASA Solicits Proposals for the NASA Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research

Nasa sets deadline for Thailand over airbase use

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Nasa will withdraw its request to conduct weather research at the U-tapao airbase if the Thai government fails to approve it by next Tuesday, Foreign Minister Surapong Towichukchaikul said yesterday.

A letter from Nasa, delivered by the US Embassy in Bangkok, indicated that the agency might not have enough time to prepare its equipment for the project if the government gave it a nod far too late, he said.

Nasa wants to use the U-tapao airbase for its weather-research aircraft in August and September this year, so they need to start preparing by July, he said. "Unfortunately, we will lose the chance to gain scientific knowledge for rain forecasting, if we cannot approve the project on time. It might also affect our reputation because other countries such as Cambodia and Singapore are ready to join," Surapong said.

He added that he would encourage the Cabinet to make a decision before time runs out. The Cabinet was supposed to consider Nasa's proposal weeks ago, but concerned agencies have yet to send their opinion on the project in writing, he said.

Nasa signed a joint statement with the Science Ministry's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) since September 2010 to show their intention to conduct research in U-tapao. Communication between Bangkok and Washington began last June, when the United States proposed to hold a meeting between concerned agencies to consider details of the research. Later, Thailand asked the US to seek the opinion of governments from neighbouring countries about whether they had any concerns or reservations about the project, Surapong said.

Thailand has already sought China's opinion and Beijing has said it has no problems with the project, he said. In addition, the US had informed the Foreign Ministry earlier this year that Cambodia and Singapore had no problems if Nasa and Thai research aircraft flew over their sovereign skies, he said.

The Foreign Ministry submitted the proposal for Cabinet consideration on June 4 and sought the opinion of other concerned agencies, including the military, he said.

The agencies in charge of national security raised no concerns, he said, adding that the Foreign Ministry's Treaties and Legal Department and the Council of State had indicated that the Cabinet had the authority to make a decision on the issue, without seeking approval from Parliament.

The project became a hot political issue when the opposition Democrat Party started accusing the government of offering Nasa the use of U-tapao in exchange for a US visa for former PM Thaksin Shinawatra and demanded that the issue be taken to Parliament according to the charter's Article 190.

Defence Minister Sukampol Suwannathat also insisted that the Nasa project was purely scientific without having any implication on security matters and that China had not raised any concerns.

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Nasa sets deadline for Thailand over airbase use