Space Traffic Control Architecture
(Source: LaunchSpace)
The number of organizations using the near-Earth space environment for
applications ranging from exploration to exploitation and national
security is impressive and continues to grow. Safety is a prime concern
for both equipment and personnel. For government operators, the control
of risk is mandatory. For commercial operators, operational efficiency
and favorable cost/benefit considerations are paramount. In recent
years several government agencies have been studying space traffic
management, i.e., regulation of orbital traffic.
To date, there has been little control over what is placed into orbit.
Each space-faring nation is able to operate independently and with
little, if any, international coordination. This is quite different
from the international air traffic management system that allows the
free-flow of airline traffic over a major part of the world. Every
airliner uses designated airspace that is protected during its flight
by air traffic controllers. Most airliners travel at comparable speeds
and collisions are avoided by horizontal and vertical separation
standards. This ensures that mid-air collisions are, indeed, rare.
The management of space traffic is a daunting challenge. At the moment,
we lack much of the required technology, there is little international
cooperation or collaboration regarding space traffic planning, and the
political environment is not amenable to creating a space traffic
control architecture. We lack the ability to accurately track and
predict the precise movement of satellites and large debris objects.
(9/8)
Florida Tech and UCF Join NASA
Robotics Mining Competition (Source: NASA)
NASA's annual Robotics Mining Competition now includes 25 teams from
universities and colleges nationwide. Among them are the Florida
Institute of Technology and the University of Central Florida. Click here
for the complete list. (9/8)
Inadvertent Release of Cubesats from
Space Station (Source: SpaceRef)
The NanoRacks CubeSat Deployers (NRCSD) attached to the International
Space Station has inadvertently released its payloads into space. After
the first such incident, utilizing the JEM Remote Manipulator System
(JEMRMS), ground controllers performed an emergency stop shake test on
the NRCSD. No deployments were observed during this time. However,
after roughly 7 hours, an additional door (#7) was observed to be open,
implying an inadvertent deploy during the morning of the crew workday.
The JEMRMS and deployer were still pointed in the nominal deploy
direction so there is no recontact risk to the ISS. Imagery is being
retrieved and ground teams are working to acquire and track the
deployed satellites. Two deployers (4 and 8) remain closed and
undeployed. Ground teams are discussing options for future NRCSD
operations. (9/5)
Challenger: A Management Failure (Source: Space Safety)
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster was probably the most significant
event, in terms of its impact on the US space program, in the history
of spaceflight. On the bitter cold morning of January 28th 1986, seven
astronauts on-board Space Shuttle Challenger lost their lives in front
of family, friends, and millions of TV viewers. The vehicle broke up 73
seconds into the flight, burning nearly 2 million liters of fuel in
just a few seconds that created a sinister cloud of gas. Click here.
(9/8)
Chinese Long March 4B Lofts Yaogan-21
in Surprise Launch (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
The Chinese have conducted another surprise launch, this time with the
Long March 4B rocket reported to have lofted a new satellite in the
Yaogan Weixing series. The Yaogan-21 satellite was launched at 03:22
UTC on Monday from the LC9 launch complex at the Taiyuan satellite
Launch Center. As usual for this type of satellite, the Chinese media
is referring to the new satellite as ‘a new remote sensing bird that
will be used for scientific experiments, land survey, crop yield
assessment, and disaster monitoring.’ (9/8)
NASA's New Carbon Observatory Will
Help Us Understand Alien Worlds (Source: Space Daily)
On July 2, NASA successfully launched the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2
(OCO-2), a remote sensing satellite on a mission to precisely measure
carbon dioxide levels in our planet's atmosphere. As a bonus OCO-2 will
also help prepare us for eventually probing the atmospheres of alien
worlds in sharper detail. Why study carbon dioxide? This gas
essentially serves as Earth's thermostat.
As a "greenhouse gas," carbon dioxide absorbs radiation emitted by the
planet's surface that would otherwise escape into space. The more
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, the warmer Earth gets. Over
geological history, carbon dioxide levels have waxed and waned, driving
hotter and cooler climatic epochs. Occasionally, the scales have tipped
too far in either direction, pushing life on Earth to the brink. The
"snowball Earth" period of 650 million years ago and the hot-tub
tropical waters of the early Triassic period are just two examples.
(9/8)
Pentagon Wants to Move to Free-Market
Model for Suppliers (Source: National Defense)
The Defense Department is hoping to create more of a free-market
mentality among its suppliers, winning low-cost, high-quality bids by
encouraging increased competition and better-written requirements. "We
get a better deal when we can compete," says Richard Ginman, director
of defense procurement and acquisition policy. "In the commercial
marketplaces, the rule is that prices go down and quality goes up. I
would love to be in that situation." Among the steps the DOD plans to
take is better scrutinizing why companies express interest in projects
but then fail to bid. (9/7)
Martian Skies to Get Busier
(Source: Aviation Week)
Mars will see an influx of activity soon when India's Mangalyaan Mars
Orbiter Mission heads to the skies above the Red Planet to study its
atmosphere and NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution mission
explores what happened to Mars' onetime surface water. They'll be
followed by a comet -- the ice-loaded Oort Cloud, which will fly past
at 34 miles per second. (9/8)
MOL's Mysteries (Source: Space
Review)
The declassification of some information about the Air Force's Manned
Orbiting Laboratory program has answered some questions about that
effort, but raised new ones. Dwayne Day looks at what we know about the
companies involved in MOL from the declassified information. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2595/1
to view the article. (9/8)
Reaching Mars: Is It About Great-Power
Status? (Source: Space Review)
Later this month, India's first Mars mission is scheduled to enter
orbit around the Red Planet. Ajey Lele says missions like this might
demonstrate that India is an emerging "great power" here on Earth.
Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2594/1
to view the article. (9/8)
The Startup-ification of Commercial
Space (Source: Space Review)
As the commercial space industry evolves, many of its most
entrepreneurial ventures are taking on different forms. Jeff Foust
reports on how many space startups look increasingly like other Silicon
Valley technology startups. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2593/1
to view the article. (9/8)
How a Few Technical Failures Can Spell
Success for SpaceX (Source: Space Review)
Last month, an experimental SpaceX vehicle was destroyed during a test
flight at the company's Texas test site. R. D. Boozer explains why such
failures should be expected in a development program that is successful
in the long term. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2592/1
to view the article. (9/8)
Editorial: Tone Down the Partisan
Rhetoric on Space Issues (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
The partisan divide in America is deep and frightening. There seems to
be little, if any civil discourse between the two prevailing political
ideologies of the day—liberal and conservative. And since President
Obama canceled the Constellation Program, many on the right have
attempted to claim the space platform as their own.
What they don’t realize is that they are sabotaging their own efforts.
It is generally assumed that if a person supports a particular portion
of a given political agenda, then he supports the entire platform. For
example, if a person defends President Obama’s economic record, it is
assumed that he therefore supports all that Obama, and indeed the
entire Democratic Party stand for.
Likewise, if a person defended George W. Bush’s invasion of Iraq, it is
assumed that he stands for everything the Republican and Conservative
platform stands for. Debate becomes virtually impossible when a single
stance on a single issue inevitably results in being called a
“right-wing fascist Confederate nut,” or a “godless left-wing Commie
hippy drug-taking liberal.” The nice thing about space is that it need
not degenerate into such mindless talking-point arguments. Space is one
thing Americans can come together on. Click here.
(9/8)
Suborbital Space Flight for Tourists:
When will it Happen? (Source: Gulf Times)
After a piggy-back lift into the skies atop an airplane, the space
plane suddenly breaks away and its hydrogen-powered rockets send it
hurtling up towards the heavens. Higher and higher the space vehicle
goes, more than 100 kilometers up. A soothing woman’s voice talks to
passengers over the intercom and now, the stars are visible as the
glider with its panorama windows flies in a parabolic trajectory.
Some time later, it lands back on earth. Such is the vision. As
projected by V-Plane, a Hamburg company that designs small aircraft,
the space ride would cost 150,000 euros ($185,000) per person. The idea
has been partially developed, but so far, it’s only virtually
available, as a video film, because the project isn’t making much
headway.
“It’s simple in principle,” says Joachim Lau, chief executive of
V-Plane as he sits in his office. Next to him is a model of the
so-called suborbital aircraft, which would carry eight passengers. Its
initial ascent, on a regular plane, would take it to an altitude of 12
kilometres, before the rockets fire. For five minutes at the top of the
trajectory, the passengers would experience weightlessness. Booster, an
international consortium based in Belgium, commissioned the Hamburg
company six years ago to help it conceive the project. Click here.
(9/6)
Tuscon Company: Capsule Will Take
Travelers to Space (Source: Arizona Central)
A Tucson company that is developing a high-altitude balloon capsule for
space travel could help solidify Arizona as a destination for adventure
tourism. World View Enterprises says its capsule will take travelers
more than 100,000 feet above Earth for a view that would cost $75,000.
The operation would join a growing roster of adventure-tourism-related
operations in the state, including the Bob Bondurant School of High
Performance Driving and Desert Splash Adventures, which offers aerial
tours in Arizona. The Grand Canyon and houseboating on Lake Powell
offer less expensive opportunities for adventure. Click here.
(9/6)
SpaceX Achieves Back-to-Back Successes
for AsiaSat (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Putting on a late summer sky show along Florida's Space Coast, a Falcon
9 rocket climbed into space after midnight Sunday with a commercial
communications satellite to connect growing markets in China and
Southeast Asia. The mission began at 1 a.m. EDT (0500 GMT) Sunday with
the fiery ignition of the 224-foot-tall launcher's nine Merlin first
stage engines.
Once the kerosene-burning engines ramped up to full power, the Falcon 9
rocket soared away from Cape Canaveral atop a flickering pillar of
red-hot exhaust, piercing through clouds before arcing east over the
Atlantic Ocean. SpaceX declared the launch a success shortly after 1:30
a.m. EDT, when the Falcon 9 was programmed to release AsiaSat 6 into an
egg-shaped transfer orbit. (9/7)
Lockheed Martin Unveils Dual-launch
Satellite Platform (Source: Space News)
As part of an initiative to make its primary satellite platform more
competitive in both commercial and government markets, Lockheed Martin
is now offering variants of its A2100 bus that can be launched together
in a side-by-side configuration and also be reprogrammed on orbit.
The dual-launch option will enable customers to save on launch costs
without sacrificing capability, Lockheed Martin said. The payload
reconfiguration capability will allow customers to adapt to changing
mission requirements and operating environments over the satellite’s
lifetime, the company said. (9/8)
Hughes Becomes First Satellite
Internet Provider to Surpass One Million Active Users (Source:
SpaceRef)
Hughes has become the first company to exceed one million active users
in North America for satellite Internet connectivity. This total
includes all Hughes retail and wholesale subscribers and additional
users receiving services through third-party service operators with
capacity arrangements.
Hughes, the company that invented satellite Internet, has seen strong
demand for high-performance connectivity in residential and commercial
markets across North America--through its HughesNet® service and
through partners--reaching customers in areas unserved or underserved
by terrestrial broadband. Surpassing one million active users makes
Hughes by far the largest provider of satellite Internet connectivity
in the world. (9/8)
NASA Makes Rocket Engine Using
3D-Printer (Source: RIA Novosti)
NASA has managed to build complex rocket injectors using 3D-printing
technology. "We wanted to go a step beyond just testing an injector and
demonstrate how 3D-printing could revolutionize rocket designs for
increased system performance," said Chris Singer, director of the
Engineering Directorate of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
The “printed” injectors contain 40 various spray elements, constructed
as a single component, rather than produced separately. In an ordinary
manufacturing process, 163 single parts have to be combined to build a
similar injector. Additive manufacturing - or 3D printing technology -
allows them to be produced from just two parts.
In the space industry, the application of 3D printing will
significantly simplify the manufacturing process when compared with
traditional methods of production. According to tests, 3D-printed
rocket components are comparable in quality to their traditional
analogues, and can function “within operating specifications for the
engines”, Tech Times reports. (9/8)
1st Lt. in Contest to Launch with
Private Mars Mission (Source: Army Times)
When it comes to post-service plans, 1st Lt. Heidi Beemer has a clearer
picture than most: She’s going to win a global contest, get launched
into space, become one of the first humans to land on Mars, and stay
there. There are still a few hurdles between Beemer and her childhood
dream, but she is one of roughly 700 candidates in the running to make
up six four-person Mars One astronaut crews, the first of which
organizers plan to launch in 2024 for an arrival the next year.
Beeme is the decontamination platoon leader for US Army's 63rd Chemical
Company, 83rd Chemical Battalion, 48th Chemical Brigade. She will
participate in her first face-to-face selection interview with Mars One
officials later this year. She’s received support from her command and
from fellow soldiers. She’s talked with about 4,000 grade-schoolers,
either in person or via Skype, about the science behind a mission to
Mars and the program she hopes will get her there. She’s pursuing a
master’s degree in aerospace science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University. (9/7)
ViaSat and SS/L Settle Bitter Dispute
(Source: Advanced Television)
The legal wrangling over alleged misuse by Loral Space and its
subsidiary Space Systems/Loral of patented intellectual property owned
by ViaSat of California has been settled. ViaSat gets $100 million in
compensation and all the litigation ceases. The initial award to ViaSat
of £283 million has been set aside. The writs, claims and counter
claims between the protagonists have been bouncing back and forth for
months, but a statement in the early hours of Sunday morning said:
“Under the terms of the settlement, in consideration of a current
payment to ViaSat of $40 million and future payments of $60 million
over 2½years with interest, ViaSat has agreed that SSL and its
customers will be free from any lawsuits with respect to SSL’s future
use of the ten patents-in-suit and certain other patents and patent
applications and with respect to breach of certain contracts that were
the subject of the suit. The settlement also releases Loral, SSL and
their customers from all claims for patent infringement and breach of
contract brought in the lawsuits.” (9/8)
Jupiter’s Moon Europa Just Got Even
Cooler (Source: Time)
The more they look at other worlds in the Solar System, the more
scientists discover that Earth isn’t as special as we earthlings like
to think. Our planet has active volcanoes—but so does Jupiter’s moon
Io. We have geysers—and so does Saturn’s moon Enceladus. We have lakes,
rivers and rain, and so does Titan, another moon of Saturn’s. Now one
more geological feature thought to be unique to Earth may not be after
all.
Using images from the Galileo spacecraft, planetary scientists think
they’ve found evidence of plate tectonics on Jupiter’s ice-covered moon
Europa—a world that’s already on astrobiologists’ radar because the
ocean that lies beneath the moon’s thick rind of ice could conceivably
host life of some sort.
Plate tectonics is the same process that causes continents to drift
slowly around on the surface of the Earth. If plates are indeed
shifting on the Jovian moon, it explains a longstanding mystery.
Europa’s surface is crisscrossed with cracks where the thick ice has
spread apart and the resulting gaps have been filled in by new slushy
ice oozing up from the water deep below. (9/8)
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