No Big Bang? Quantum Equation Predicts
Universe Has No Beginning (Source: Phys.org)
The universe may have existed forever, according to a new model that
applies quantum correction terms to complement Einstein's theory of
general relativity. The model may also account for dark matter and dark
energy, resolving multiple problems at once.
The widely accepted age of the universe, as estimated by general
relativity, is 13.8 billion years. In the beginning, everything in
existence is thought to have occupied a single infinitely dense point,
or singularity. Only after this point began to expand in a "Big Bang"
did the universe officially begin.
Although the Big Bang singularity arises directly and unavoidably from
the mathematics of general relativity, some scientists see it as
problematic because the math can explain only what happened immediately
after—not at or before—the singularity. (2/9)
Aerojet Rocketdyne Hit With Securities
Class Action (Source: Law360)
An investor in Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings Inc. has hit the company
with a class action in the wake of a federal filing this month that
told regulators past earnings statements have to be claiming the
aerospace products manufacturer deceived investors and artificially
inflated the price of its shares. (2/16)
Japan Launches Astro-H Astronomy
Satellite (Source: Kyodo)
An H-2A rocket successfully launched a Japanese astronomy satellite
early Wednesday. The H-2A lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center
at 3:45 a.m. Eastern time and placed the Astro-H spacecraft into low
Earth orbit. Astro-H is an X-ray observatory carrying instruments
provided by several space agencies, including NASA. The Japanese space
agency announced shortly after the launch that Astro-H will be called
"Hitomi," the Japanese word for the pupil in an eye. (2/17)
Europe Launches Earth Monitoring
Satellite on Russian Rocket (Source: Space News)
Europe's latest Sentinel Earth observation satellite is in orbit after
a launch Tuesday. The Rockot launch vehicle lifted off from the
Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 12:57 p.m. Eastern time and
put the Sentinel-3A spacecraft into its planned orbit. The spacecraft
is designed to provide land, sea and ice measurements. The satellite is
the latest in Europe's Copernicus program of Earth-monitoring
satellites, which officials say should come in under budget by 2020
thanks to cost savings on later versions of the satellites. (2/17)
Russian Scientists Against Using
Nuclear Weapons to Clear Space Debris (Source: Space.com)
The use of nuclear weapons in order to clear space debris is
meaningless, said the director of the Institute of Astronomy of the
Russian Federation Boris Shustov. "We have brought such a large number
of man-made objects into the Earth's orbit that it is possible that in
10-20 years we may lose access to space," the scientist told Sputnik.
(2/17)
Embry-Riddle Offers Free Space-Related
Cyber Classes (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
If you want to take some space classes, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University has some free online courses for you. The school announced
Tuesday that it would offer four free classes that are open to the
public. School officials said the classes were a way to show its
commitment to a growing space industry. The classes include a look at
investigations into aircraft accidents, the human element in aviation
with a focus on disasters, and aircraft maintenance and repair.
"Embry-Riddle is dedicated to the industries we support," said Ken
Witcher, Embry-Riddle's dean of aeronautics. "By offering these free
online courses, our faculty and staff are able to share their expertise
and world-renowned knowledge with our community and aerospace
professionals." Embry-Riddle offers periodic “massive online open
courses,” and is a fully accredited university that specializes in
aviation and aerospace. Its 130 global campuses serves more than 22,000
students. (2/16)
Aerojet Rocketdyne Reports Quarterly
Loss (Source: Sacramento Bee)
Aerojet Rocketdyne reported a decline in profits in its fiscal fourth
quarter. The company said it had $7.7 million in net income compared to
$11.9 million in the same quarter of 2014. Net sales, though, increased
from $443.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2014 to $486.5 million in
2015. The company reported for all of fiscal year 2015 a net loss of
$16.2 million, which includes a $50 million payment the company made to
Orbital ATK as part of a settlement over the October 2014 Antares
launch failure. (2/16)
Ladies Who Launch: Meet NASA's Newest
Female Astronauts (Source: Today)
For the first time in its history, NASA's latest class of astronauts is
equally split - four women, four men, all of whom could be among those
chosen for an upcoming mission to Mars. Click here.
(2/17)
China Lays Out Space Science Plans
(Source: GB Times)
China has long-term plans for a series of space science missions, an
area of spaceflight to which the country had previously not devoted
many resources. Wu Ji, director-general of China's National Space
Science Center, said several missions are in the early stages of
development for launch around 2020, including studies of the Earth's
magnetosphere and an X-ray camera.
Future missions under consideration for the 2020s include a large solar
telescope and a spacecraft to search for exoplanets. China launched a
spacecraft late last year to search for dark matter, the country's
first space science mission since the Double Star program with Europe
more than 10 years ago. (2/17)
Canada's Space Chief Seeks Dialogue
with Stakeholders (Source: SpaceRef)
The head of the Canadian Space Agency wants to start a new dialogue
with the agency's stakeholders. Sylvain Laporte, named president of the
agency last March, said he is still new on the job because of the
change in governments after last October's election.
Laporte said at a conference earlier this month he wants a "more
intense level of collaboration" and discussion with various
organizations associated with the agency's activities. Laporte added he
plans to meet with senior leadership at NASA in March to discuss future
collaboration opportunities. (2/16)
NASA Ramps Up Cubesat Program
(Source: Space News)
NASA is seeking to purchase several cubesat buses from industry for use
on future technology demonstration missions. A request for proposals
released by NASA last Friday calls for buying at least one, and as many
as five, 6U cubesat buses for its Pathfinder Technology Demonstration
program. NASA will use the buses to test propulsion, communications and
attitude control technologies. The agency also hopes to help support
the emerging smallsat industry by purchasing relatively standard buses
that companies can also sell to other customers. (2/17)
Ukraine's Space Industry is Slipping
Away Under Russian Pressure (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Ukraine's space industry has lost 80 percent of its revenue since its
conflict with Russia began. A report by the International Monetary Fund
concluded Ukrainian space companies lost about $75 million a year,
largely because of contract cancellations by Russian companies.
Ukrainian companies are involved in the Dnepr and Zenit launch
vehicles, which are being phased out by Russia, and the Sea Launch
venture that has been on hiatus since its last launch in May 2014.
(2/16)
Cygnus Departing ISS to Make Way for
Cygnus (Source: NASA)
A Cygnus cargo spacecraft will depart the International Space Station
this Friday. The station's robotic arm will detach the Cygnus
spacecraft from its port on the Unity module and release it at about
7:25 a.m. Friday. The spacecraft will depart the station and later burn
up in the Earth's atmosphere. The Cygnus has been at the station since
Dec. 9, three days after its launch on an Atlas 5. The next Cygnus
mission to the station, also launching on an Atlas, is scheduled for
March 22. (2/16)
Super-Earth Atmosphere Measured
(Source: GeekWire)
Astronomers have for the first time measured the atmosphere of a
"super-Earth" exoplanet, and it's not particularly inviting. Scientists
used the Hubble Space Telescope to collect spectra of 55 Cancri e, a
planet eight times the mass of the Earth that orbits very close to its
parent star. They detected evidence of an atmosphere of hydrogen and
helium, but no evidence of water vapor or oxygen. The planet was never
considered particularly hospitable for life, though, given its surface
temperature of more than 2,000 degrees Celsius. (2/16)
FAA AST Rejects NTSB Safety Inspection
Recommendation (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The FAA Office of Commercial Space Transportation (FAA AST) has
rejected a recommendation from the National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) on how to improve the safety inspection process for commercial
space systems. Click here.
(2/17)
GOP Hampers Ex-Im with Obstructionist
Stance, Exec Says (Source: Seattle Times)
Republican opposition to Export-Import Bank has kept the bank from
filling a necessary board seat, a tactic that prohibits Ex-Im from
approving transactions of more than $10 million. The obstructionist
move has left Ex-Im with a backlog of $10 billion-plus. "The Ex-Im Bank
is important to the economy, especially in Washington," said Ryan
Hilliard, founder of Hilliard's Beer. "It affects more than just
Boeing. There's a bunch of us little guys that need Ex-Im to compete
globally as well." (2/16)
Aerospace, Defense Sector Continues to
Create Jobs for US Economy (Source: Reuters)
The defense and aerospace industry will likely add 39,443 jobs this
year, a jump of 3.2%, according to a new study by Deloitte. "The US
aerospace and defense sector continues to be one of the top employers
in the US economy," said Deloitte's Tom Captain. (2/16)
An Honest Look at ISRU for Missions to
Moons and Mars (Source: Laura's Space on Space)
It has been a pleasure to delve into realistic human spaceflight
architectures at the Buzz Aldrin Space Institute this week. Only by
detailing, step-by-step, a feasible and affordable means of creating a
sustainable path to humans living on another world with a business case
for industry profit can we accomplish such a monumental task. Apollo to
the Moon was a one-time effort in history which will not and arguably
should not be repeated.
In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is not a new concept but is
surprisingly an under-appreciated and under-funded area of study.
Instead of needing to bring all resources with us on a rocket from
Earth to wherever we're going, it would save a lot of weight (which
translates to fuel savings, which translates to money savings) to use
the resources that exist in space already. Although it has been
politically unpopular to say so for years, a heavy lift rocket such as
the Space Launch System is likely not needed if we instead focus on
ISRU. Click here.
(2/17)
UAE Space Agency, NASA Discuss Space
Cooperation (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The UAE Space Agency announced today that it has discussed future
cooperation means with a delegation from The National Aeronautics and
Space Administration (NASA). The meeting held at the Agency’s
headquarters in Abu Dhabi, aimed to strengthen partnership and work
between the two organizations. (2/16)
Commercial Crew Partner Boeing Tests
Starliner Spacecraft (Source: NASA)
Engineers from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, and
Boeing dropped a full-scale test article of the company’s CST-100
Starliner into Langley’s 20-foot-deep Hydro Impact Basin. Although the
spacecraft is designed to land on land, Boeing is testing the
Starliner’s systems in water to ensure astronaut safety in the unlikely
event of an emergency during launch or ascent.
Testing allows engineers to understand the performance of the
spacecraft when it hits the water, how it will right itself and how to
handle rescue and recovery operations. The test is part of the
qualification phase of testing and evaluation for the Starliner system
to ensure it is ready to carry astronauts to and from the International
Space Station. (2/17)
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