May 3, 2016

Harris Continues USAF Work on Space Fence Radar at Eglin AFB (Source: DOD)
Melbourne-based Harris Corp. has been awarded a $9,202,986 contract modification for System Engineering and Sustainment Integrator (SENSOR) work on a phased array radar which provides space situational awareness data for tracking space objects. The radar is located at Eglin Air Force Base in northwest Florida. (4/28)

NASA, NSBRI Projects to Support Astronaut Health for Long-Duration Missions (Source: NSBRI)
NASA’s Human Research Program and the National Space Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI) will fund 27 proposals to help answer questions about astronaut health and performance during future long duration missions beyond low Earth orbit. 

The selected proposals will investigate the impact of the space environment on various aspects of astronaut health, including visual impairment, behavioral health and performance, bone and muscle loss, cardiovascular alterations, human factors and performance, sensorimotor adaptation and the development and application of smart medical systems and technologies. Click here. (4/29)

Generation Orbit Teams With NASA Armstrong for GOLauncher Flight Tests (Source: GO)
Generation Orbit Launch Services has signed a Space Act Agreement with NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (AFRC) to pursue the flight test and envelope clearance for the GOLauncher 1 air launched rocket vehicle. Utilizing AFRC's experience and capabilities in flight test engineering for air launch rocket systems, the two year program will demonstrate integration of the GOLauncher 1 Inert Test Article (GO1-ITA) with NASA's Gulfstream III research aircraft, captive carry flight testing, and release testing.

Further, NASA AFRC will continue the development of its store separation analysis capability, eventually validating the toolset through release flight testing of the GO1-ITA. The program will break new ground in demonstrating GO's unique launch vehicle release maneuver from a business jet aircraft, paving the way for test flights of the GOLauncher 1 hypersonic testbed. (5/3)

Couture in Orbit (Source: ESA)
ESA is in partnership with top European fashion schools to harness next-generation technology and explore the future of fashion. The Couture in Orbit project is bringing space back to Earth through designs from some of Europe’s brightest fashion minds – tasked to develop desirable and practical clothing, incorporating technology to make life better.

Fashion schools in Paris, London, Milan, Copenhagen and Berlin are each assigned a theme linked to ESA’s ethos of sustainability, climate protection and recycling. These themes include technology, environment, innovation, health and sport. At the same time, all designs must be practical for daily use. (5/2)

'Rocket Girls' Blasts Off in Washington DC (Source: Space.com)
"Rise of the Rocket Girls" follows the women —as many as 200 —who worked as "computers" in the 1940s and 1950s. These female mathematicians computed with a pen, pencil and slide rule to calculate trajectories and designs for early rockets. But despite their vital role in space history, these women's contributions to putting America in space were ignored for more than half a century, Holt said. Click here. (5/3)

Will SpaceX Get People to Mars Before NASA? (Source: Discovery)
Billionaire tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, never one to rest on his laurels, recently laid out the opening move in his long-term quest to land people (himself included) on Mars. The plan begins with a Dragon capsule, similar to one of the cargo ships now parked at the International Space Station, blasting off for Mars aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket as early as 2018.

The Falcon Heavy, which will have 27 first-stage engines, compared to the nine aboard SpaceX’s current Falcon rocket, is scheduled for its first flight before the end of this year. Falcon Heavy will be the most powerful U.S. rocket to fly since NASA’s Saturn 5 moon rockets of the 1970s. Click here. (5/2)