October 10, 2017

Inside Knowledge About Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Could Lead To World-Changing Technology (Source: HuffPost)
Something extraordinary is about to be revealed. Former high-level officials and scientists with deep black experience who have always remained in the shadows are now stepping into the light. These insiders have long-standing connections to government agencies which may have programs investigating unidentifed aerial phenomena (UAP). They intend to move into the private sector and to make all declassified information, and any future knowledge, available for all to see.

The team includes a 25-year veteran of the CIA’s Directorate of Operations; a Lockheed Martin Program Director for Advanced Systems at “Skunk Works”; a former deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Intelligence; a DoD Senior Intelligence officer who, among other sensitive responsibilities, ran a Pentagon aerospace “threat identification” program focusing on unidentified aerial technologies. And well placed and experienced professionals, from Intelligence and high academic positions, are also on board. Click here. (10/10)

If Mike Pence Wants to Send NASA Back to the Moon, He'll Need to Find a Way to Pay For It (Source: The Verge)
Last week, Vice President Mike Pence announced a bold new mission for NASA: creating a sustained human presence, perhaps like a lunar base, on the Moon’s surface. It’s a big change for the agency, which has been focused on going to Mars for the last seven years. But just saying NASA is going to do something isn’t enough for the space agency to actually accomplish a task. Ambitious programs require extra money and sustained commitment from Congress in order to become a reality.

Fortunately, NASA is already working on new hardware for deep space missions that could be used to go to the Moon. For the last decade, the space agency has been developing a giant rocket called the Space Launch System, and a crew capsule called Orion to take people to Mars, and those vehicles could easily be used to take astronauts to the lunar surface instead. But establishing a sustained presence on the Moon is going to require the creation of a lunar lander, habitats, life support systems, and more. And all of that will require extra money and time to make. At one point, NASA estimated a return to the Moon would cost upwards of $100 billion. Click here. (10/10)

Russian Space Research Institute Announces July 2020 Date for Mission to Mars (Source: Space Daily)
According to the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Space Research Institute, the launch of the ExoMars-2020 mission, which will send a European rover to the red planet, is scheduled for July 24, 2020. The launch of the ExoMars-2020 mission from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan is tentatively scheduled for July 24, 2020, said the head of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Space Research Institute (IKI) laboratory. (10/10)

World's Biggest Radio Telescope Detects Two Pulsars During Trial Run (Source: Newsweek)
The world’s biggest single-dish radio telescope has detected two pulsars during its trial run, scientists have confirmed.

The Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST), located in a rural part of China’s Guizhou province, achieved first light—the first use of a telescope—in September 2016. Once fully operational, the telescope will be used to try to solve some of the universe’s biggest mysteries. One of its primary missions is to detect interstellar communication signals, or, put simply, messages from alien civilizations.

Another primary goal is to observe pulsars—rotating neutron stars. These are some of the densest objects in the universe. They are the remnants of the gravitational collapse of massive stars, cramming about 1.4 solar masses' worth of matter into a sphere measuring just 12 miles across. On Earth, a teaspoon of matter from a neutron star would weigh over 1 billion tons. (10/10)

Build on the Outer Space Treaty (Source: Nature)
On 10 October 1967, the Outer Space Treaty went into force. Agreed on during a golden age of cooperation between the then-dominant superpowers, the Soviet Union and the United States, the treaty deems space a domain to be shared by all nations. It states: “The exploration and use of outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries, irrespective of their degree of economic or scientific development, and shall be the province of all mankind.”

The treaty gave rise to a series of others that govern space today: the Rescue Agreement (1968), the Liability Convention (1972), the Registration Convention (1976) and the Moon Agreement (1984). Although the United States and Soviet Union declined to sign the Moon Agreement, to avoid having to share lunar resources and technologies, most issues were seemingly covered — liability for damage caused by space objects, the safety and rescue of spacecraft and astronauts, and the rules governing the exploitation of space resources and settling disputes.

A lot has changed since. Launch costs have plummeted — from US$20,000 to send one kilogram into orbit in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries to as little as $5,000 now. And more nations, people, businesses and organizations are seeking to establish themselves in space. 'NewSpace' entities — non-governmental actors, often with commercial interests and financed through personal wealth — are diversifying the space landscape, with motivations ranging from human settlement to economic development. Click here. (10/9)

With Mock Space Capsule, Researchers Partner with NASA to Study Astronaut Fitness (Source: Space Daily)
A mock space capsule has landed in Kansas State University's Ice Hall. In this built-to-scale model of the Orion spacecraft, "astronauts" practice emergency escape maneuvers while a university kinesiology team studies their health and fitness levels. It's all part of NASA's plan for further human exploration of the solar system, from a Mars mission to a deep space mission.

The university research team - led by Carl Ade, assistant professor of exercise physiology, and Thomas Barstow, professor of exercise physiology - has partnered with the Johnson Space Center in Houston to tackle a major challenge for these long-duration space missions: the return to earth. (10/3)

Virgin Galactic Founder Says Spaceflights Could be Months Away (Source: KOB4)
For more than a decade, Virgin Galactic has worked to launch commercial spaceflights from southern New Mexico's Spaceport America. Could they now be just months away from their goal? Virgin Galactic founder Richard Branson says they could go into space in about three months, and he thinks he himself could be in space in six months. Business Insider reports that he made the comments at a forum in Finland. (10/10)

Iridium Launch Moves SpaceX Closer to 2017 Target (Source: Bloomberg)
Elon Musk’s Space Exploration Technologies Corp. successfully launched its 14th Falcon 9 rocket of the year, bringing the company a step closer to the 20 to 24 total missions it’s targeted for 2017. In addition to contracts with commercial satellite operators and the U.S. military, SpaceX has a $1.6 billion contract with NASA to resupply the International Space Station and a second pact valued at as much as $2.6 billion to eventually transport crews to the orbiting lab. (10/10)

More Than £3m Invested in Space Exploration (Source: Gov.UK)
The UK Space Agency has awarded more than £3 million to UK researchers to support the exploration of life on Mars and examine the polar regions of the Moon. A further £230,000 of funding has been awarded to studies into experiments that could be built and flown to the International Space Station (ISS), which could potentially support future human exploration of space. (10/10)

Spending $80M to Win $20M: TeamIndus and their Moon Journey (Source: BW Disrupt)
There are five teams remaining in the Google Lunar XPRIZE competition: two American teams, one Israeli, and a Japanese team relying on TeamIndus to deliver their rover to the Moon. Sheelika Ravishankar, Jedi Master for marketing and outreach says, “At this point Israel’s SpaceIL and TeamIndus appear to be leading the Google Lunar XPRIZE shortlisted teams…while there are many things that need to come together over the next few months, we are optimistic we can be the first team to make this happen.”

This program will not recover investments even if they win the Grand Prize. On the Google Lunar XPRIZE website: “The Google Lunar XPRIZE teams are estimating their complete missions will cost between $5 Million and $80 Million including launch, soft landing on the Moon and surface operations...” For all parties concerned, the Money and the Moon are merely symbolic of the great potential privatization of the aerospace sector holds. (10/10)

Trump Space Plans Could Restore U.S. Optimism (Source: USA Today)
As we enter a new period of change — this one marked by the twin phenomena of explosive commercial growth and increased space militarization — it’s a good idea to have someone in the White House thinking about this stuff, and coordinating it.

That said, space policy is, to my mind, one of the Obama administration’s greatest successes. Simply by mostly leaving things alone, except to clear a few legal and regulatory hurdles, the Obama administration, as The Washington Post noted, brought capitalism to outer space. And there’s a lesson in that for the Trump administration.

Expansion into an open frontier means that people are less likely to engage in zero-sum thinking. Opening a frontier also opens minds. As Samuel Eliot Morison wrote in his classic biography of Christopher Columbus, when Columbus set sail in 1492, Europe was in a funk. Christian civilization was shrinking and dividing, cynicism was widespread, and people were growing cynical and desperate. All that changed in short order. (10/9)

As Space Race Targets Mars, Florida’s Space Coast is Ready for Takeoff (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
As the next generation of the space race sets its sights on Mars, Florida’s Space Coast hopes to reap the benefits with a return to what put it on the map. Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin lead the charge with Mars as their target destination. We explore their fight to be first and the other players weighing in. Click here. (10/10)

ULA Hasn't Set Date for Next Atlas Launch Attempt at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The date for United Launch Alliance’s next mission remains uncertain, as the company prepares to send a spy satellite for the U.S. military into space from Florida. The company had previously expected to launch its Atlas V rocket into space on Thursday but weather dashed that plan, along with multiple backup dates during the weekend.

In an email early Saturday, United Launch Alliance officials said the scrub was caused by “an issue with a telemetry transmitter on the launch vehicle.” That hardware needed to be replaced and retested prior to another launch attempt. “A new launch date will be released when it’s established,” the release read. (10/9)

Japan's H-2 Rocket Launches Navigation Satellite (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Japan launched a satellite late Monday that will complete a navigation augmentation system. The H-2A launched from the Tanegashima Space Center at 6:01 p.m. Eastern and released the Michibiki 4 into its planned transfer orbit nearly a half-hour later. The satellite will join three others in geosynchronous orbit that transmit signals to augment the GPS system, providing coverage in areas where buildings or terrain can block GPS signals. (10/10)

Army Concerned with SatComm Security (Source:  Space News)
The U.S. Army is concerned its satellite communications systems may be vulnerable to jamming. The Army is looking to the private sector for new products and services to secure satellite communications, after concluding current systems are not able to protect against electronic attacks. An immediate priority, said the general in charge of the Army's Cyber Center of Excellence, is adding anti-jamming capabilities across all its networks, both for communications and for navigation.

The Army is frustrated with the slow pace of modernization of its systems overall, including those that use space capabilities. Speaking at the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual convention Monday, the acting Secretary of the Army and the Army Chief of Staff said they are working on the biggest reorganization of the service in 40 years to address threats posed by various countries. That includes, they said, addressing new jamming threats for satellite communications and navigation. (10/10)

Griffin Could Take DOD R&D Post (Source: Defense News)
Former NASA Administrator Mike Griffin is under consideration for a Defense Department post. Griffin is said to be the leading candidate to be the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, a new position being created by splitting up the current post of undersecretary of acquisition, technology and logistics. Griffin, who worked at the Strategic Defense Initiative Organization in the 1980s, testified on national security space issues last week at the first meeting of the reconstituted National Space Council. (10/10) [Defense News]

Pope to Call ISS (Source: Reuters)
Pope Francis plans to make a call to the heavens — specifically, the International Space Station. The Vatican said Monday that the pope will talk with the station's crew on Oct. 26, but did not disclose what he planned to discuss with the six-person crew. Pope Francis would not be the first pontiff to talk with astronauts on the station: Pope Benedict placed a similar call in 2011. (10/10)

Suborbital Flight's Sensors Observe Solar Nanoflare X-Rays (Source: Space.com)
The sun's upper atmosphere may be heated by (relatively) tiny explosions on its surface. Observations of the sun performed during a sounding rocket flight detected powerful x-ray emissions over a region where no flares were visible. Scientists believe that these x-ray emissions are linked to "nanoflares" too small to be seen but each still producing energy equivalent to 10 gigatons of TNT. They could explain why the sun's corona is heated to temperatures of one million degrees Celsius, even though the sun's photosphere is only about 5,500 degrees. (10/10)

Pence Visits Mojave Spaceport (Source: Bakersfield Californian)
Vice President Mike Pence plans to visit a commercial spaceport today. Pence is scheduled to visit the Mojave Air and Space Port, including facilities there owned by Stratolaunch and Virgin Galactic. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), the House majority leader whose district includes Mojave, will host Pence for the visit, part of a fundraising trip to California by the vice president. Pence, who chairs the new National Space Council, has previously visited several NASA centers. (10/10)

GAO Addresses Problems with Plutonium Production for NASA Missions (Source: Space News)
A GAO report warns of ongoing challenges to the production of plutonium for NASA missions. The report, released last week and tied to a House space subcommittee hearing, said that current stockpiles of plutonium-238 are sufficient for NASA needs into the mid-2020s. NASA and the Department of Energy have been working to restart production of the isotope, used for power systems for NASA missions, but the GAO report said that DOE needed to overcome several issues in order to meet its goal of producing 1.5 kilograms of plutonium a year by 2025. (10/10)

ASRC Tests 3D-Printed Propellant Injector (Source: Space News)
A Maryland company has tested a 3D-printed component that could be used in future engines. ASRC said it test-fired a subscale propellant injector made using additive manufacturing techniques. The work was supported by a U.S. Air Force contract to fund development of technologies that could be used in engines intended to end reliance on the Russian-built RD-180. It's unclear if the technology will ultimately be used in either Aerojet Rocketdyne's AR1 or Blue Origin's BE-4, the two contenders to be used on United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket. (10/10)

State in Talks to Bring New Launch System to Space Coast (Source: Florida Today)
Space Florida is negotiating with an unspecified company to bring a new system to Cape Canaveral to demonstrate an ability to perform frequent launches. If it bases operations on the Space Coast, the company referred to by the code name Project First Down over four years would bring an estimated 254 jobs with an average salary of $80,000.

“It strategically positions Florida in a good program going forward, as a preparation for what we hope will become the kind of launch cadence that we’ve been predicting five to 10 years out,” said Space Florida's Frank DiBello. The company is a “credit-worthy, going concern with industry experience” and is evaluating multiple states with active spaceports, said Howard Haug, Space Florida's executive vice president, treasurer and chief investment officer.

“Competition among the various states is keen,” he said. “The company expects to select a location within the next couple of weeks, thus time is of the essence.” Haug said the company would commit to the Cape if Space Florida partnered in a  $30 million investment that includes a deal to finance long-lead equipment worth $13 million. Space Florida’s board unanimously approved proceeding with the negotiations. (10/9)

Is Space Florida Preparing Incentives for Experimental Spaceplane? (Source: Florida Today)
"The project is expected to run at least four years, will be a significant user of Space Florida facilities, and will act as a pathfinder for high-volume launch capability at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport," said Haug. Although the project is being kept confidential for now, William Dymond said he could vouch for the company’s credit-worthiness.

The project might involve a military program known as the Experimental Spaceplane 1, or XS-1, for which DARPA earlier this year awarded Boeing a $146 million contract. The XS-1 aims to fly 10 times in 10 days, with a series of 12 to 15 flights planned in 2020. The goal is to reduce mission costs to as little as $5 million. Boeing's business jet-sized Phantom Express would lift off vertically and then return to a runway, while an upper stage delivered payloads weighing up to 3,000 pounds to orbit.

DARPA, however, has already said the program would fly from the Cape, suggesting there was no multi-state competition. Boeing, though, said in May it was “evaluating proposals” and would announce its launch and landing site later. Air Force maps have notionally identified Complexes 16 and 20 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport as potential launch sites, and the former shuttle runway, now operated by Space Florida, could serve as a landing site. (10/9)

NASA Glenn Tests Solar Electric Propulsion Thruster for Journey to Metal World (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
NASA is preparing to travel to a world unlike any other it has visited before. The agency has sent spacecraft to terrestrial planets, gaseous planets, icy moons, and rocky asteroids. Now, following its approval as a Discovery mission in February of this year, a spacecraft set for launch in 2022 will visit the main-belt asteroid Psyche, a metal world that scientists believe is made almost entirely of nickel and iron.

The nickel-iron makeup of Psyche suggests that it may be the exposed core of an early protoplanet, torn apart by hit-and-run collisions during the early history of the Solar System.

“Psyche is a unique body because it is, by far, the largest metal asteroid out there; it’s about the size of Massachusetts,” said David Oh, the mission’s lead project systems engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) via a news release. “By exploring Psyche, we’ll learn about the formation of the planets, how planetary cores are formed and, just as important, we’ll be exploring a new type of world.” (10/9)

Half the Universe’s Missing Matter has Just Been Finally Found (Source: New Scientist)
The missing links between galaxies have finally been found. This is the first detection of the roughly half of the normal matter in our universe – protons, neutrons and electrons – unaccounted for by previous observations of stars, galaxies and other bright objects in space. Our models of the universe also say there should be about twice as much ordinary matter out there, compared with what we have observed so far.

Two separate teams found the missing matter – made of particles called baryons rather than dark matter – linking galaxies together through filaments of hot, diffuse gas. “The missing baryon problem is solved,” says Hideki Tanimura. Because the gas is so tenuous and not quite hot enough for X-ray telescopes to pick up, nobody had been able to see it before. So the two groups had to find another way to definitively show that these threads of gas are really there.

Both teams took advantage of a phenomenon called the Sunyaev-Zel’dovich effect that occurs when light left over from the big bang passes through hot gas. As the light travels, some of it scatters off the electrons in the gas, leaving a dim patch in the cosmic microwave background – our snapshot of the remnants from the birth of the cosmos. (10/9)

International Observe The Moon Night - October 28, 2017 (Source: EarthSky)
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter – with support from NASA’s Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) and the Lunar and Planetary Institute – are sponsoring an International Observe the Moon Night (InOMN) on October 28, 2017. Go to the InOMN website to find information about how to host, register, and evaluate your InOMN event, look for an InOMN event near you, and share pictures and highlights from InOMN. (10/9)

Moon, Milspace, and Beyond (Source: Space Review)
Last week the National Space Council held the first meeting since being reestablished earlier this year. Jeff Foust reports on what the council discussed and whether this iteration of the council will be different from its predecessors. Click here. (10/9)
 
The Missions Proposed for the New Frontiers Program (Source: Space Review)
NASA will select several finalists this fall in the competition for the next New Frontiers medium-class planetary science mission. Van Kane examines what is known about the dozen proposals submitted for missions from the Moon to Saturn. Click here. (10/9)
 
Sputnik Remembered: The First Race to Space (Source: Space Review)
In the conclusion of his two-part history of the first satellite, Asif Siddiqi discusses the events leading up to the launch of Sputnik and the aftermath of its successful mission. Click here. (10/9)
 
Estimating the cost of BFR (Source: Space Review)
When Elon Musk discussed his revised BFR launch system recently, he disclosed few details about its costs. Sam Dinkin estimates the capital costs and operating costs for the BFR for use for Mars or point-to-point Earth flights. Click here. (10/9)