China Recruits Public for Space
Capsule Experiment (Source: China.org)
Four Chinese volunteers on Friday started a six-month living experiment
in an enclosed space capsule, a project to support China's deep-space
exploration plan. The volunteers - three men and one woman - will be
observed while they live in the controlled environment of the
eight-compartment capsule in south China's Shenzhen city, according to
the Astronaut Center of China.
The 1,340-cubic-meter capsule houses 25 kinds of plants, which will be
used for sustenance. The four volunteers will have their sleep and
emotion patterns monitored to provide references for manned-space
expeditions. The center launched the call for volunteers in May last
year, and selected eight people, including an alternative team, from
2,110 candidates. Of the four volunteers entering the capsule, two have
a space research background. (6/17)
Antares Launch Likely Slipping to
August (Source: Space News)
The return to flight of Orbital ATK's Antares launch vehicle is likely
to slip to August. The company said Thursday that it is now planning
the launch of a Cygnus spacecraft to the ISS for "the August
timeframe," rather than July as previously planned. The company did not
indicate if the delay was primarily due to the schedule of other
spacecraft visiting the ISS in July or issues uncovered during a static
fire test of an Antares first stage at the end of May. The launch will
be the first of a new version of the rocket that replaces the AJ26
engine in its first stage with an RD-181. (6/16)
House Bill Would Cut Funding for Three
EELV Launches (Source: Space Policy Online)
The House approved a defense spending bill that cuts funding for the
EELV program. The full house voted 282-138 Thursday to approve the
fiscal year 2018 defense appropriations bill. The bill funds only three
EELV launches instead of the five requested by the administration,
saying the two it cut were "early to need." The administration, in a
statement threatening to veto the bill, argued the bill actually cut
three, not two, launches from the request. (6/16)
Details Offered on Landing Failure
(Source: The Verge)
Elon Musk offered more details about Wednesday's failed landing of a
Falcon 9 first stage. Musk, in a series of tweets, said "early liquid
oxygen depletion" caused an engine shutdown just before the stage
landed on the deck of its autonomous spaceport drone ship in the
Atlantic. The landing, he said, was not as fast as originally thought,
but still broke the stage apart and caused the engines to "accordion."
Musk reiterated he expects about a 70 percent success rate in landings
this year; so far, it is at 50 percent (3 for 6). (6/17)
China Plans Larger Role for Commercial
Space (Source: Xinhua)
Chinese officials say they're ready for commercial space efforts to
take a larger role there. At the first China Space Economic Forum, held
Thursday in Beijing, Tian Yulong, the general secretary of the China
National Space Administration, said military and other government
officials are discussing ways to share existing resources with
companies. He added that many resources were ready now for commercial
development. (6/16)
Russian Asteroid Detection System
Starts Trials (Source: Space Daily)
The country's first wide-angle telescope AZT-33 BM will be able to see
any space boulder the size of the Tunguska meteorite a month before its
collision with Earth. At the Sayan Observatory of the Institute of
Solar-Terrestrial Physics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy
of Sciences, trial operation of the first wide-angle telescope in
Russia has started.
The AZT-33 VM telescope with a field view of 2.8 degrees was built in
St. Petersburg by optical corporation JSC "LOMO," with the assistance
of the Siberian Branch of RAS and Roskosmos. The new telescope will be
able to view any asteroid or comet from thousands of miles away before
their collision with Earth. (6/17)
BEAM Passes Initial Inspection at
Space Station (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
The International Space Station’s (ISS) first expandable addition,
known as the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), passed its
initial inspection by two of the station’s residents. NASA astronaut
and Expedition 47 Flight Engineer Jeff Williams first entered the
module on the morning of June 6, 2016, followed by Russian cosmonaut
Oleg Skripochka.
Both wore basic breathing gear as a standard precaution. Their initial
task was to collect an air sample from inside BEAM and begin
downloading data from sensors in the 13.2-foot (4.01-meter) long
module. Williams told flight controllers at Mission Control, Houston,
that BEAM’s interior looked “pristine” and said that other than feeling
cold, there was no evidence of any condensation on its inner surfaces.
That was a relief to all parties involved after the initial expansion
issues in late May. (6/17)
House-Passed Defense Appropriations
Bill Could Test Obama Veto Threat (Source: Defense News)
House-passed defense spending legislation would use $16 billion in war
funds to pay for nonwar expenses, a detail that could draw a veto from
President Barack Obama. "This bill fulfills the Congress's most
important responsibility -- providing for the common defense," said
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, R-KY. (6/16)
Europe’s Orion Service Module Shipment
to U.S. Delayed by Three Months (Source: Space News)
The European-built service module for NASA’s Orion crew-transport
vehicle will be three months late in being shipped to the United States
following modifications to the design recommended by a June 16 program
review, a senior European Space Agency official said June 17. (6/17)
Space Tourism! How to See a Rocket
Launch In Person This Summer (Source: Space.com)
With a little planning and flexibility, anybody can go watch a rocket
blast off. This guide goes through each of the three U.S. sites that
have rocket launches this summer: Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Wallops
Flight Facility in Virginia and Vandenberg AFB in California. It tells
you where to go, what to expect and what launches to watch for this
summer. Click here.
(6/17)
Saturn V's New Mission in Mississippi
(Source: Universe Today)
For 38 years, this Saturn V has been at its home at NASA’s Michoud
Assembly Facility in New Orleans, where it was built more than 40 years
ago. But now, it’s found a new home at the Stennis Space Center, about
77 km. (48 miles) away. And getting there is quite a journey. The heart
of this journey is a 64 km. (40 mile) trip through the Intercoastal
Waterway, and up the Pearl River. (6/17)
Space Accounting Matters
(Source: Accounting Today)
With the recent growth of the commercial space industry, too many
accounting firms are still operating under “business as usual,” at a
time when it is crucial that accountants take a leadership role in
space exploration.
Space travel is the emerging industry that will dominate the next
decade. Companies are already working towards flying tourists into
space and running hotels in space. Soon companies will be manufacturing
in space. Affordable nanosatellites will put even more technology into
high orbits. And there are already business plans for mining operations
on the Moon and Mars. All these possibilities have one thing in common:
accounting. Click here.
(6/16)
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