September 18, 2017

Deterring Chinese and Russian Space Hybrid Warfare by Economic and Financial Means (Source: Space Review)
Some in the US and allied nations are increasingly concerned by apparent efforts by the Chinese and Russian governments to engage in provocative actions that could endanger space assets. Jana Robinson proposes a means by which the US deter those attacks without risking an escalation of space warfare. Click here. (9/18)
 
Back to the Moon, This Time for Pay (Source: Space Review)
For the second time in two months, a company showed off a full-scale model of its commercial lunar lander in Washington last week. Jeff Foust reports this comes as companies, NASA, and politicians examine potential roles such efforts might play in a broader effort to return to the Moon and access its resources. Click here. (9/18)
 
Blue Origin Meets Apollo (Source: Space Review)
At this year’s EAA AirVenture show in Wisconsin, the past heroes of spaceflight met the future of space transportation. Eric Hedman describes the appear of Blue Origin’s New Shepard at a show that also features a reunion of Apollo astronauts. Click here. (9/18)
 
Applying Lessons from Apollo for a Smart Space Agenda at a Time of Increased International Tension (Source: Space Review)
The Space Race between the US and USSR provided a means for peaceful competition at a time when the Cold War threatened to turn hot. David Dunlop  argues that, today, increased international tensions call for greater cooperation among spacefaring nations. Click here. (9/18)

VAFB Commander Excited About Base's Future (Source: Lompoc Record)
Michael Hough, a colonel in the U.S. Air Force, took over command of the 30th Space Wing and Western Range at Vandenberg Air Force Base on June 9. The 24-year Air Force veteran has witnessed his first rocket launch at VAFB, and discussed some of the things that have him excited about the near future at the base, including a scheduled mission to Mars, a solar field that will change the way portions of the base receive energy, and a potential drone program that could bring more than 1,000 jobs to VAFB. (9/18)

Want a Job as a NASA Astronaut? Read This (Source: CNN)
The starting pay is pretty good, depending on experience. The jobs are hard to get, and a lot of people want them. It's the job of an NASA astronaut. America is gearing up for a new era of human spaceflight -- with plans to try to reach beyond the moon and perhaps to Mars. There's a thriving commercial sector driven by companies like Boeing and Space X. Click here. (9/18)

SpaceX Dragon Cargo Craft Splashes Down in Pacific Ocean With Experiments (Source: Space.com)
For the vessel's return trip, the crew loaded the Dragon with "science samples from human and animal research, biology and biotechnology studies, physical science investigations, and education activities," NASA officials said. This was the 12th contracted cargo resupply mission (CRS-12) for SpaceX. While this was a brand-new Dragon capsule at the time of launch, SpaceX officials said they plan to launch only used cargo spacecraft to the space station from now on. (9/18)

Analysts See Red Flags in Northrop’s Acquisition of Orbital (Source: Space News)
News of the $9.2 billion acquisition by Northrop Grumman of Orbital ATK has been met with mixed reactions on what it could mean for the Pentagon’s space business. Executives from both firms described the combination of both companies as a “complementary fit.”

Industry analysts see the merger as a natural consequence of constrained government spending and pressure on corporations to reduce costs. But they also are raising potential red flags such as the possibility that a larger, more vertically integrated company would leave the military with fewer choices in certain sectors of the market. (9/18)

New Gravity Map Suggests Mars Has a Porous Crust (Source: Space Daily)
NASA scientists have found evidence that Mars' crust is not as dense as previously thought, a clue that could help researchers better understand the Red Planet's interior structure and evolution. A lower density likely means that at least part of Mars' crust is relatively porous. At this point, however, the team cannot rule out the possibility of a different mineral composition or perhaps a thinner crust. (9/14)

Chinese Company Eyes Development of Reusable Rocket (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
A Chinese startup company appears to be following in the footsteps of SpaceX as it has recently laid out its own project of a reusable space launch system. Link Space, the country’s first private rocket company, has recently presented the design of its New Line 1 (also known as Xin Gan Xian 1) launch vehicle, which could compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 in the future.

Link Space uncovered the design and some basic technical parameters at a recent presentation. The images revealed to the public show that the first stage of the newly developed launcher could feature a similar landing system that is used in SpaceX’s flagship reusable Falcon 9 booster. Click here. (9/18)

'Moon Tree' Destroyed by Hurricane Irma at KSC (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
While Hurricane Irma only caused minor damage to facilities at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the storm did destroy a unique plant: a Moon tree. Beginning as one of the hundreds of seeds that were taken to lunar orbit during the Apollo 14 mission in 1971, it was planted at the visitor complex during the United States Bicentennial.

The seeds were taken to the Moon by Apollo 14 Command Module Pilot Stuart Roosa. The mission launched on January 31, 1971, from KSC’s Launch Complex 39A located in Florida. In total, the mission lasted nine days – safely splashing down in the South Pacific on February 9, 1971. (9/16)

Huntsville’s Cimarron Makes Tanks That Go to Space (Source: WHNT)
Cimarron’s tanks on the Space X rocket are made of metal, wrapped with carbon fiber. The fiber, which comes from a company in Decatur makes the lightweight tanks strong enough to endure the stress of a rocket launch.  The space part of Cimarron actually grew out of the manufacture of larger plastic tanks which are used to transport natural gas.

The carbon fiber makes those tanks durable enough for the job, but those tanks still aren’t as tough as the tanks that fly on rockets. “Well, there’s similarities of technology. Both of them use high-grade carbon fiber. It’s just the aerospace work that needs things that are a little higher quality,” said Delay. (9/15)

The Sci-Fi Roots of the Far Right, From ‘Lucifer’s Hammer’ to Newt’s Moon Base to Donald’s Wall (Source: Daily Beast)
There is a tendency to see President Donald Trump as a radical break from the past. But conservative techno-futurist Newt Gingrich sees Trump as ushering in a revolution — with a subsequent utopian space-age.Gingrich has envisioned such a breakthrough, and hopes Trump will be an agent of it, for decades. Gingrich’s vision is one stop on a straight line that goes through his friend and legendary science-fiction novelist Jerry Pournelle’s Lucifer’s Hammer to Ronald Reagan’s Star Wars to Bill Clinton’s impeachment to Trump. Click here. (9/17)

Mars Mission Worth the Cost (Source: The Town Talk)
Space exploration is very costly. Unmanned missions cost billions, and a manned mission to Mars will cost hundreds of billions. Starting a colony on Mars will put the tab into the trillions. How can we justify that kind of expense when our country is facing record deficits?

Wouldn't that money be better spent on providing health care, improving our nation's infrastructure, subsidizing work programs -- something that would yield immediate benefits to citizens right now? If you are only interested in short-term benefits, then the answer is probably yes. But if you are interested in the long-term picture -- specifically survival of our species -- then we must move forward with efforts to find ways to exist beyond the earth.

The reality is, life and our planet are both incredibly fragile. Whether it is the risk of a collision with a giant asteroid, like the one believed to have impacted the earth wiping out the dinosaurs, or the risk of a global catastrophe such as a world-wide epidemic or nuclear annihilation, there are many ways human life as we know it could be wiped out. But if we have colonies beyond earth, whether it is on Mars or the moon or some other platform, the odds of human survival increase. (9/16)

Irma Destroyed Popular Launch Viewing Sites (Source: Universe Today)
As a direct result of Irma, the next Space Coast launches of a ULA Atlas V and SpaceX Falcon 9 have been postponed into October. “The storm did delay the next launches,” said Brig. Gen. Wayne R. Monteith, Commander, 45th Space Wing. “We think the next launch will be approximately the first week of October.”

However although there was damage to numerous buildings, both the spacecraft and rockets are safe and sound. The base and the visitor complex both lacked potable water service used for drinking, food preparation and cleaning. A number of popular public launch viewing locations were also severely damaged or destroyed as I witnessed personally driving in Titusville around just hours after Irma fled north. (9/17)