NASA Discovers that Fireproof
Materials Ignite in Space (Source: The Verge)
High above the Earth, astronauts aboard the International Space Station
are playing with fire — very carefully. By lighting controlled fires
and watching them burn, the Expedition 35 team is learning how to
prevent accidental blazes from breaking out aboard the station and
other spacecraft — a nightmare scenario that could put not only lives,
but the very future of human spaceflight at risk. "We can certainly
make things not flammable on Earth, but in space, that changes," said
Dr. Paul Ferkul, a NASA scientist whose experiment recently found that
a fire-resistant fabric similar to astronaut clothing actually ignites
in space. (5/9)
Buzz Aldrin Says US Must Colonize Mars
(Source: Space Daily)
Buzz Aldrin, the American astronaut who was the second man to walk on
the Moon, said Wednesday that the United States must lead the way
toward building a permanent settlement on Mars. Speaking at a
conference of space experts in the US capital, the 83-year-old said the
United States should apply what it learned decades ago by reaching the
moon toward building a new colony on the Red Planet.
"The US needs to begin homesteading and settlement of Mars," Aldrin
said at the Humans to Mars conference at George Washington University.
"It is within reach." His call for US leadership in the space race to
Mars largely lines up with plans set forth by NASA and President Barack
Obama's administration to send the first people to Mars in the 2030s.
But unlike NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, who acknowledged at the
start of the three-day conference on Monday that significant
technological gaps remain, Aldrin said the bulk of the research has
already been done. (5/9)
CASIS to Fund Unsolicited Proposal in
Nanofluidics (Source: CASIS)
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS), the
nonprofit organization managing research onboard the International
Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory, today announced the
funding of an unsolicited proposal in the field of nanofluidics. Drs.
Alessandro Grattoni and Mauro Ferrari at The Methodist Hospital
Research Institute will receive approximately $200,000 in CASIS funding
for their project, which seeks to determine the physical phenomena
involved in nanofluidics. (5/9)
Intelsat Buying Four More Satellites
from Boeing (Source: Space News)
Satellite fleet operator Intelsat is purchasing four more Epic
high-throughput satellites from Boeing in a surprising announcement
that positions Boeing as Intelsat’s preferred satellite supplier.
Boeing Satellite Systems, which inaugurated its second-generation 702
satellite line with a four-satellite order from Intelsat in 2009, is
already building the first Epic satellite, the Intelsat 29e, which will
be launched in 2015. The four new satellites, all using the Boeing
702MP satellite bus, will be launched on average once per year starting
in 2016 and will be replacing existing spacecraft in Intelsat’s
50-satellite fleet, Intelsat said. (5/9)
Austria Aims For Mars Via Morocco
(Source: Space Daily)
Mars 2013 analog field simulation, held by the Austrian Space Forum in
Morocco this February is over, and now the organizers have published
the full report from the mission. The project's goals, involving over
100 participants from 23 countries, were to conduct a series of
experiments in conditions most accurately resembling environment on
Mars. Conducting field research in a representative environment was an
excellent tool to gain operational experience and understand the
advantages and limitations of remote science operations on other
planetary bodies.
The area near Erfoud is considered as a relevant proxy for various
types of geological features of Mars, as well as a diversity of
paleo(micro)biological signatures, terrain topographies similar to the
Martian deserts and a test site area size which requires a diligent
exploration mission design. (5/9)
National Space Club Expands Event Plans
(Source: SPACErePORT)
The Florida Committee of the National Space Club has sponsored a string
of sold-out monthly luncheon events and is not considering adding more
seats to each event, the next one being a luncheon featuring KSC
Director Bob Cabana. (Click here.)
Meanwhile, the club has added another informal ("not-so-stuffy")
networking event to its calendar, this one on the evening of June 19 at
Port Canaveral. (Click here.)
(5/9)
Real and Imaginary Human Spaceflight
(Source: Washington Post)
Real spaceflight is very different from PowerPoint spaceflight. Case in
point: Bas Lansdorp, the head of a nonprofit organization called Mars
One, discussed his extraordinarily ambitious plans for a permanent Mars
colony starting in 2023. The idea is to make a reality TV show out of
it, in which different teams will compete for the honor of becoming the
first Martian colonists (the audience will vote, as will “experts,”
Lansdorp said).
One of Lansdorp’s slides showed the Mars One living quarters on Mars:
Very spacious, modern, and most of all, clean. No clutter. No stacks of
newspapers piling up in the corner. No empty beer glasses or leftover
pizza. Life on Mars looks like life in a nice room at the Ritz. “You
can see it’s quite a nice living volume for them to live in,” Lansdorp
said. “It’s important for them to have a nice place to live bcause this
is their home. This is where they are staying the rest of their lives.”
But then, from engineers who work on space flight, a lot of talk about
dust. Turns out, Mars is really dusty, and a major challenge would be
keeping the dust out of the habitat and particularly out of the
airlock, which could cease to be operational or safe if too
contaminated with dust. A U.S. Space Station laboratory module at
launch is a perfectly clean chamber, with equipment carefully stowed in
cabinets — not a loose item to be seen. But after actual use in space
it is extremely cluttered, with wires everywhere, gear all over the
place. (5/9)
The New Race To Space, From L.A.
(Source: Forbes)
Virgin Galactic is the not the first company to plant roots in Southern
California and aim for space. The aeronautics industry has deep history
in Southern California, dating back to the beginning of the 20th
century, just shortly after the Wright brothers accomplished the first
powered flight in 1903.
Most recently a trifecta of efforts toward space exploration has
formed. The trifecta being: Virgin Galactic, SpaceX, and the Jet
Propulsion Lab (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology
(Caltech). Each of them reaching their own incredible milestones that
bring knowledge of the cosmos closer to human understanding. Click here.
(5/9)
Spaceport: New Mexico Cleared for
Takeoff... But When? (Source: Rio Rancho Observer)
With better than a 60 percent popularity rating within the state,
Governor Martinez definitely is leading a charmed life. Will that
bubble ever burst? It could. Her lack of enthusiasm for the spaceport
and film incentives hurt business for both. It would be a huge feather
in her cap if Virgin Galactic could pull off its first passenger trip
to the edge of space before the 2014 elections.
Very recently Spaceship Two made its first powered trip. It achieved a
height of 55 miles. The goal is to take it to 62 miles above the earth
by the end of the year. That is sure to require more testing in
California and New Mexico. Then there are the licensing permits that
will be required. Considering the slow pace at which development of the
SS2 has proceeded thus far, it may take more than a year and a half to
start flying passengers. So the governor may not get her wish.
But it was encouraging to see Virgin Galactic announce that the SS2
will be flying out of Spaceport America. Executive Director Christine
Anderson says whenever the SS2 is ready, we are ready. When is that big
hotel to be built? That is Virgin Galactic’s responsibility, but I
haven’t heard them say anything about it lately. Martinez is sure to
take credit for Virgin Galactic’s accomplishments. About the only thing
she has done is to help push a bill through the 2013 Legislature to
limit liability for space suppliers. (5/9)
Skrillex Visits NASA (Source:
Spin)
If you follow the Twitter feed of NASA's Johnson Space Center, you'll
know that Skrillex has been spending the afternoon at the space
agency's facilities in Houston, Texas. What has he been doing there?
Oh, the usual: taking a virtual-reality spacewalk, meeting astronaut
Mike Massimino, eating space food in the Astronaut Food Lab (which
looks suspiciously like a conference room, but hey, budgets are tight),
even driving rovers and going on board the freaking space shuttle.
(No, we're not envious. Not even a little.) We hope that Skrillex has
been paying attention to his guided tour, because he's been
live-tweeting the whole thing, from the world's biggest indoor pool to
what looks like the world's biggest tea strainer. Why is he there? When
asked, Skrillex's publicist replied, "I'm gonna be dead honest with
you, they won't tell me why they went. In fact, I don't think THEY know
why they went, basically they hit me up a year ago asking to give him a
tour, I can only assume that's what's going on." (5/9)
3-2-1 Lift Off: NASA Visits Lousiana
Capitol (Source: KLFY)
A spacecraft made its way into the halls of the state Capitol in Baton
Rouge Wednesday, but don't worry, it was all part of NASA Day. It was
the first event of its kind, and aimed at celebrating the space
agency's enduring presence and strong economic partnership with the
state of Louisiana. NASA officials and team members from NASA'S Michoud
facility in New Orleans met with state officials and the public,
celebrating their accomplishments and the positive impact they've had
in the bayou state. (5/9)
No Buzz: Aldrin Trashes Obama Asteroid
Mission (Source: US News)
The second man to set foot on the moon wants to see NASA send people
further into space than he ever traveled. Buzz Aldrin trashed NASA's
plan to bring an asteroid into lunar orbit in a speech, advocating for
a Mars colony. Aldrin, who recently published the book "Mission to
Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration," said at the Washington, D.C.
Humans to Mars summit Wednesday that President Barack Obama's asteroid
mining plan is merely a distraction.
"Bringing an asteroid back to Earth? What's that have to do with space
exploration?" he asked. "If we were moving outward from there and an
asteroid is a good stopping point, then fine. But now it's turned into
a whole planetary defense exercise at the cost of our outward
exploration." The Apollo-era astronaut, now 83, has devised a plan to
"cycle" spacecraft to Mars, continually launching humans to the red
planet to expand on its colony. Aldrin advocates using Phobos, a moon
of Mars, as a sort of home base for landing on the planet. (5/9)
Editorial: N.M. Open for Space Biz
(Source: Albuquerque Journal)
SpaceX is the second tenant to sign a lease at Spaceport America,
joining Virgin Galactic. And Virgin Galactic recently began testing its
rocket for planned tourist flights to the edge of space that could
begin early next year. These activities, along with the passage of a
law this year that was pushed for and signed by Gov. Susana Martinez
expanding the limited liability protections New Mexico offered Virgin
Galactic to all space-related companies, only shore up New Mexico’s
claim to be open for space business.
Proponents of the law had argued the state was losing business to other
states offering such protections. But opponents, led by trial lawyers,
said it was a bluff. Guess it wasn’t. Though SpaceX will not benefit
from the change immediately, it’s doubtful the company would have come
here without it. Other space firms should take note that two of
America’s top space concerns are now in New Mexico. Because it’s a good
place to do business. (5/9)
Bolden: A Return to the Moon Would
Send NASA Back to Square One (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden has strongly ruled out missions to
land on the Moon as part of NASA’s exploration roadmap, claiming any
future political re-direction to return humans to the lunar surface
would send the Agency “back to square one”. Meanwhile, Northrop Grumman
have completed their Lunar Lander Study on behalf of the Golden Spike
Company.
The Vision For Space Exploration (VSE) provided NASA with a roadmap to
retire the Space Shuttle fleet after the assembly of the International
Space Station (ISS) was completed, prior to focusing on a return to the
surface of the Moon via the Constellation Program (CxP). “Moon, Mars
and Beyond” was the goal, with a return to the Lunar surface classed as
a required stepping stone on the path to Mars.
Following the demise of the Constellation Program, the focus switched
to missions to visit a Near Earth Asteroid (NEA), before once again
taking aim on what has consistently been NASA’s big goal of sending
humans to Mars. This new roadmap is still – and is likely to remain for
some time – under construction, with only Exploration Mission -1 (EM-1)
all-but set in stone for the debut launch of the Space Launch System
(SLS). Click
here. (5/9)
Astronaut Sally Ride to be Remembered
at National Tribute (Source: Collect Space)
NASA will join journalist Maria Shriver, tennis legend Billie Jean King
and Grammy-award winning vocalist Patti Austin in remembering the life
of Sally Ride, the United States' first woman in space, at a tribute in
the nation's capital. The special evening event, titled "Sally Ride: A
Lifetime of Accomplishment, A Champion of Science Literacy" will be
hosted on May 20 at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
in Washington, D.C. The event is open to the public, though there are
limited tickets available. (5/9)
The Softer Side of Space: A Profile of
Astronaut Karen Nyberg (Source: NASA)
Mention the words "NASA Astronaut" and you’ll usually conjure up the
image of a brilliant, number-crunching engineer or a super-smart
scientist. Yet, rarely are we given the chance to consider the other
dimensions to this elite group of explorers or that they may share some
common hobbies many of us more Earth-bound citizens enjoy.
Enter astronaut Karen Nyberg, an accomplished woman preparing for her
second mission to space this May. Nyberg holds a doctorate in
mechanical engineering, which may lead people to believe she is focused
solely on technical matters, but as with many, there’s a softer side to
this Midwesterner, one that may catch many by surprise. Click here.
(3/18)
Deep Lakes and Catastrophic Floods of
Mars (Source: Discovery)
Eroded channels and chasms from catastrophic floods between martian
basins are the strongest evidence yet that there were once large, deep
bodies of water on early Mars, according to a new study using the
latest imagery and topographic data. The outflow channels of Mars have
been a puzzle ever since they were first spotted in images from the
Viking spacecraft four decades ago. In that time every sort of
mechanism has been called on to carve them -- among them winds, lava
and carbon dioxide-powered debris flows. But none has settled the issue.
"These features have been wracking people's brains since the 70s," said
planetary scientist Keith Harrison of the Southwest Research Institute.
And they aren't settled yet. If it was water that carved them, which
seems the most likely candidate, the mystery remains as to where all
the water came from. Groundwater has long been the logical choice, but
how does groundwater flood out with enough power to erode such giant
channels? The answer is lakes. Deep lakes. (5/9)
Hubble Space Telescope Finds Dead
Stars 'Polluted' With Planet Debris (Source: NASA)
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has found the building blocks for
Earth-sized planets in an unlikely place-- the atmospheres of a pair of
burned-out stars called white dwarfs. These dead stars are located 150
light-years from Earth in a relatively young star cluster, Hyades, in
the constellation Taurus. The star cluster is only 625 million years
old. The white dwarfs are being polluted by asteroid-like debris
falling onto them. (5/9)
Hydrogen Bridge Between Galaxies Could
be Fuel Line for New Stars (Source: Christian Science Monitor)
New observations of a bridge of tenuous hydrogen gas stretching between
two nearby galaxies may help solve a longstanding puzzle: Billions of
years after star formation peaked in the universe, what continues to
fuel the formation of new stars in spiral galaxies like the Milky Way?
Observations of this segment of what researchers have dubbed the
“cosmic web” reveal that about half of the neutral hydrogen gas in the
bridge is contained in rotating clumps the size of dwarf galaxies.
Neutral hydrogen – atoms with one proton and one electron – represents
the raw material for new stars. “If this gas is being accreted by the
galaxies, then we need to understand how they're doing that. That
information could, in principle, help us understand how galaxies like
Andromeda, like our own Milky Way, can acquire gas to form new stars,”
says Spencer Wolfe. (5/9)
15-Year-Old Astronaut Abby Fuels
Outreach Mission with Social Media (Source: NBC)
"Astronaut Abby" is at the controls of a social-media machine that is
launching the 15-year-old from Minnesota to Kazakhstan this month for
the liftoff of the International Space Station's next crew — and if
Facebook and Twitter count for anything, it just might get her to Mars
someday. Abigail Harrison says she's always dreamed of being the first
astronaut to set foot on the Red Planet, and she sees her campaign to
get involved in space station outreach as one giant leap toward that
target.
She has enlisted one of the crew members, Italian astronaut Luca
Parmitano, as her mentor and orbital pen pal. Her Rockethub
crowdfunding campaign has passed the $20,000 mark and is shooting for a
goal of $35,000 for travel and outreach. As the May 28 date for
Parmitano's launch approaches, she's juggling radio interviews,
Facebook updates, Twitter thank-you notes, public appearances ... and
oh, that's right: high school. (5/8)
Commercial Spaceflights in UAE will
Enhance Tourism, Foreign Investment (Source: Albawaba)
The UAE is in talks with Virgin Galactic to start commercial space
flights in 2013 with Abu Dhabi as a regional hub for the 21st Century
spaceport, said Frank Rose, deputy assistant secretary (Space and
Defense Affairs) at the US Department of State. “The presence of a
spaceport in the UAE will enhance tourism and foreign investment in the
region,” said Rose, adding that “the new space economy will boost
diversification of the economy for long-term prosperity.” He added that
Abu Dhabi is poised to make huge yields from the location of the
company’s second spaceport in the capital of the UAE. (5/8)
NASA Awards Contract to Modify Mobile
Launcher (Source: NASA)
NASA has awarded a contract to J.P. Donovan Construction Inc. of
Rockledge, Fla., to modify the mobile launcher that will enable the
agency's Space Launch System (SLS) heavy-lift rocket to send humans to
an asteroid, Mars and other new destinations in the solar system. The
work under this firm fixed-price $20.7 million contract will begin in
June and be completed in 18 months.
The mobile launcher is located at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in
Florida. Kennedy is expanding its capabilities to support the SLS
rocket and ground support infrastructure. The modifications will enable
the mobile launcher to meet vehicle processing deadlines and the launch
manifest for SLS. SLS' first launch is scheduled for 2017. (5/8)
Toxic Mars Dust Could hHamper Planned
Human Missions (Source: New Scientist)
Mars dust is dangerous to human health and could severely hamper
proposed missions to send people to the Red Planet. So say space-health
and life-support researchers who met this week to mull over the
possibility of sending a crewed mission to the Mars by 2030.
Laboratory studies had suggested that Mars dust might be a health
hazard because it contains fine-grained silicate minerals, which are
common on Mars. If breathed in, the silicate dust would react with
water in the lungs to create damaging chemicals. Recent robotic
missions suggest that the outlook for a crewed mission may be even
worse. Delegates to the Humans 2 Mars Summit (H2M) heard the latest
evidence of the dangers of Martian dust.
Perchlorates, which are known to harm the thyroid gland, increasingly
look to be widespread on Mars. Perchlorates were first detected by
NASA's Phoenix lander in 2008 near the Martian north pole. More
recently, there was a possible detection by NASA's Curiosity rover. "We
believe that there could be perchlorates in the Rocknest dust sample,"
says Paul Mahaffy, principal investigator for SAM. "Since dust blows
all over Mars, this certainly should be considered along with other
human health impacts." (5/8)
Pentagon Stepping Up Space Protection
Efforts (Source: Space News)
Less than two weeks after the U.S. Air Force announced a contract to
upgrade a satellite-signal jamming system, a senior Defense Department
official said the Pentagon is making a concerted effort to bolster its
ability to defend U.S. space capabilities while countering those of
potential adversaries.
Speaking at the National Press Club here May 7, U.S. Deputy Defense
Secretary Ashton B. Carter said the Pentagon has established an
“integrated effort” across its entire space architecture to not only
make its satellite constellation more resilient to threats but also
ensure that the military can perform its mission without them. “That is
a new effort and one that we are devoting resources to newly in this
budget,” he said, adding that the effort is long overdue. (5/8)
SpaceX Temporary Beach Closure Bill
Moves Forward (Source: Brownsville Herald)
A hiccup that temporarily halted the advancement of Texas House Bill
2623 that would allow for the temporary closure of Boca Chica Beach for
possible rocket launches - should SpaceX choose to build a launch pad
here - has been cured. The Senate Committee on Administration addressed
the bill this morning and after learning the beach would be closed on a
temporary basis passed the bill. The bill will now be placed on the
local uncontested calendar in the Senate. (5/8)
Farming on Mars: NASA Ponders Food
Supply for 2030s Mission (Source: Space.com)
The first humans to live on Mars might not identify as astronauts, but
farmers. To establish a sustainable settlement on Earth's solar system
neighbor, space travelers will have to learn how to grow food on Mars —
a job that could turn out to be one of the most vital, challenging and
labor-intensive tasks at hand, experts say.
"One of the things that every gardener on the planet will know is
producing food is hard — it is a non-trivial thing," Penelope Boston,
director of the Cave and Karst Studies program at New Mexico Institute
of Mining and Technology, said yesterday (May 7) at the Humans 2 Mars
Summit here at George Washington University. "Up until several hundred
years ago it occupied most of us for most of the time." Click here.
(5/8)
Continued Sequestration Will
Short-Circuit SLS (Source: Aviation Week)
Barbara Mikulski is worried. The powerful Democratic U.S. senator from
Baltimore has seen a lot of big government programs go sour because the
funding dried up before they were finished, and now that she is chair
of the Senate Appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA, she says she
is afraid it is about to happen to the whole U.S. space program.
“We're going to get to the end of the day with a fiscal quagmire,
unresolved, with the space agency and DOD and other agencies
underestimating what it's going to take, and then we end up with
programs that falter or sputter,” she says. “NASA's mission faltering
or sputtering really can blow the whole program.” The source of
Mikulski's fiscal- quagmire nightmare is sequestration, the automatic
across-the-board federal-spending cuts that Congress set up to force
itself to reduce rationally.
She and Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the ranking Republican on her
subcommittee, will tell anyone who will listen that it is time to
return to “regular order,” which means federal funds will be allocated,
authorized and appropriated like they were before sequestration.
Charles Bolden says his agency has been able to keep its major programs
on schedule under sequestration this year without furloughing
employees. But the agency drafted its $17.7 billion budget request for
fiscal 2014 on the assumption that Congress and the White House would
be able to figure out a better way to handle budget cuts. (5/8)
Bill Would Create Alabama Space
Authority to Develop a Spaceport (Source: Huntsville Times)
A bill to create an Alabama Space Authority to develop a spaceport
cleared a House committee today after one of the proponents promised to
address concerns that the state could go into debt with the project.
The bill's sponsor said the state would not incur debt. Supporters said
the bill is a key step for the state being able to obtain a federal
study grant and license to eventually develop a port for commercial
space flights.
The House Technology and Research Committee approved the bill, SB378,
by Sen. Gerald Dial, R-Lineville. That sends it to the House of
Representatives, which could give it final passage. Several committee
members questioned Rep. Mac McCutcheon, R-Huntsville, who spoke for the
bill before the committee, about the authority's potential bond debt.
Under the bill, the 10-member authority would be able to borrow money
by issuing bonds and would be able to buy property and lease property.
McCutcheon promised committee members that he would ask Gov. Robert
Bentley to amend the bill to address any concerns about debt liability
if the bill passes the House. The committee then approved the bill.
Time is running short for it to win final approval. Only two days
remain in the legislative session. (5/8)
Space Florida Board Approves UAS
Funding (Source: Florida Today)
Space Florida’s board approved more funding to support tests of
unmanned aerial vehicle operations and awarded the agency’s chief
executive a significant raise. Florida hopes to become one of six test
ranges the FAA selects to study how to safely integrate unmanned aerial
vehicles into the national airspace. The board approved another
$715,000 for that initiative, on top of $1.4 million previously
committed.
The funding will support a series of technology demonstrations and
flight tests – not necessarily involving drones – to help prove
Florida’s capabilities. CEO Frank DiBello said the UAS industry was
projected to be top $92 billion over the next decade “and Florida
deserves a significant place in that market.” Space Florida’s proposal
spans four areas of the state, includes 12 ranges and involves over 80
partners.
It includes a “code of conduct” that attempts to address growing
privacy concerns about drone operations. “I think our proposal will be
compelling,” said DiBello. The FAA expects to select the six test sites
by the end of this year. Even if it doesn’t win, Space Florida says it
will continue working to attract drone operators and developers of
their applications. (5/8)
Space Florida Board Approves Executive
Pay Raise (Source: Florida Today)
The Space Florida board approved a raise for DiBello that could
approach nearly 50 percent of his current $175,000 salary, which has
not changed since DiBello was hired in 2009. The new salary is not yet
final but is expected to increase to about $260,000. That’s in the
middle of a range that an agency-wide compensation study determined to
be market value.
“I think we have a terrific CEO,” said interim board chair William
Dymond. Dymond was voted into the position at the start of Wednesday’s
meeting to replace the previous chair, former Lt. Gov. Jennifer
Carroll, who resigned from that position in March. DiBello oversees a
$10 million budget for operations and business development. The
Legislature this year also approved a $7 million financing fund. Space
Florida considers that a critical tool in its efforts to lure jobs that
can diversify the state's aerospace industry and help it recover from
the 2011 retirement of NASA's shuttle program. (5/8)
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