October 17, 2017

No, Human Space Exploration is Not a Dead End (Source: Washington Post)
For Post columnist David Von Drehle, NASA’s renewed focus on human space exploration is “unnecessary” and “a dead end.” I fundamentally disagree with this assessment. I was excited to see President Trump ensure that the United States remains the leader in space by reestablishing the National Space Council. Under the leadership of Vice President Pence, the council held a meeting last week for the first time in nearly 25 years, announcing a distinct objective: promote a clear U.S. space policy and enact the reforms necessary to strengthen American leadership in space.

Von Drehle’s argument against human space exploration boils down to three main questions, and I’d like to address each of them. First, why send humans into space when we can just send robots? The second question: Is space exploration worth the risk and cost? This gets at a more fundamental question: Why bother sending people to explore space at all? Click here. (10/13)

Neutron Star Merger: a New Way to Make a Black Hole (Source: PSU)
For the first time, scientists worldwide have detected both gravitational waves and light shooting toward our planet from one massively powerful event in space — the birth of a new black hole created by the merger of two neutron stars. All the previous gravitational-wave detections since the first in September 2015 had been the result of two merging black holes – objects much more massive than a neutron star — which have left only gravitational waves as fleeting clues of their merger.

"The evidence that these new gravitational waves are from merging neutron stars has been captured, for the first time, by observatories on Earth and in orbit that detect electromagnetic radiation, including visible light and other wavelengths," said Chad Hanna. NASA's Swift, Hubble, Chandra and Spitzer missions, along with dozens of ground-based observatories, later captured the fading glow of the blast's expanding debris. (10/16)

Cyberattack Prevents Neutron Star Event Observation (Source: ABC)
Astrophysicists at WA's Zadko telescope had just learned about the detection of a monumental deep space event involving two neutron stars colliding — which they had been hoping to find for years — when they came under sustained cyber attack. At the critical and fleeting moment, they could not move their telescope to track the gigantic explosion 130 million light years away. (10/16)

Chinese Space Module Will Fall to Earth Within Months (Source: Guardian)
A defunct Chinese lab module will reenter some time in the next several months. The Tiangong-1 module, launched in 2011, is no longer active and is headed for an uncontrolled reentry some time in the next six months, according to the Chinese government. Most of the spacecraft will burn up on reentry, although pieces as large as 100 kilograms could make it to the ground. The odds that any debris would cause injury or damage remain remote, however. (10/17)

Air Force Open to Using Flight-Proven (Re-Used) Rockets (Source: Bloomberg)
An Air Force general said he is open to using reused rockets like those already being flown by SpaceX. Gen. Jay Raymond, head of Air Force Space Command, said in an interview that "we'd be dumb not to" take advantage of reusable rockets given market trends. That will require the development of a certification process for reused boosters, which he suggested is already in development. SpaceX has launched three commercial missions using previously flown first stages, including a communications satellite for SES and EchoStar last week. (10/16)

Post-Brexit UK Hopes to Remain Engaged with European Satellite Program (Source: Space News)
Britain hopes to stay involved in the European Copernicus program of Earth science satellites even after it exits the European Union. Jo Johnson, the British minister whose portfolio includes space, said at an event last week for the launch of the Sentinel-5P satellite that the British government is working to demonstrate the value of continued collaboration on the program even after the country leaves the EU. That will depend on the outcome of negotiations between the British government and the EU about the terms of its exit, which has left some British space companies concerned about their ability to participate in programs like Copernicus. (10/17)

Commercial Lunar Companies Seek NASA Roles (Source: Space News)
Companies developing commercial lunar capabilities are looking for roles in NASA's plans for a return to the moon. At meetings last week, four companies with plans for commercial lunar landers expressed interest in doing business with NASA, either through the use of public-private partnerships to develop those capabilities or flying payloads through arrangements similar to launch services contracts. Some, though, caution that Congress may be reticent to put commercial providers on the "critical path" for a human lunar return. (10/16)

Former 45th Space Wing Commander Supporting Georgia Spaceport Effort (Source: Spaceport Camden)
A proposed Georgia spaceport has added a retired Air Force general to its steering committee. Spaceport Camden announced Monday that Maj. Gen. Robert Dickman will join the committee, providing advice to the spaceport near the Atlantic coast that is seeking an FAA spaceport license. Dickman's career included service as head of the 45th Space Wing and Eastern Range at Cape Canaveral, overseeing 20 launches there. He also served in military space leadership positions at the Pentagon and, later, was executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He now lives in Camden County, Georgia. (10/16)

NASA Plans Cooperation with Russia on Simulated Space Mission (Source: Tass)
NASA and a Russian institute will cooperate on a simulated space mission later this year. NASA and the Institute of Biomedical Problems have approved plans for a 17-day simulated mission in a Moscow facility, with a crew of Russian and German participants. The simulated flight, designed to test biomedical and psychological issues of long-duration spaceflight, is the first in a series that will build up to a year-long simulated mission in 2020. (10/16)

ARCA's Revolutionary Aerospike Engine Completed and Ready for Testing (Source: New Atlas)
ARCA Space Corporation has announced its linear aerospike engine is ready to start ground tests as the company moves towards installing the engine in its Demonstrator 3 rocket. Designed to power the world's first operational Single-Stage-To-Orbit (SSTO) satellite launcher, the engine took only 60 days to complete from when fabrication began.

Over the past 60 years, space launches have become pretty routine. The first stage ignites, the rocket lifts slowly and majestically from the launch pad before picking up speed and vanishing into the blue. Minutes later, the first stage shuts down and separates from the upper stages, which ignite and burn in turn until the payload is delivered into orbit. Click here. (9/21)

Google Maps Out Moons and Planets Across the Solar System (Source: New Atlas)
Google Maps is both amazing and a little terrifying at times. Starting from your own front porch, close enough to read the numbers on the letterbox, you can then zoom right out to see your neighborhood, then the suburb, city, state, country, and eventually the entire planet with a quick scroll of a mouse wheel. Not content to just map out almost every corner of the Earth, Google has now added the ability to explore 12 other worlds in our little corner of the galaxy.

Google Maps has already allowed us to explore the Moon, Mars, and the Universe for a few years, but now the list has been extended to a range of other planets and moons in our Solar System. That includes the planets Mercury and Venus; dwarf planets Ceres and Pluto; Jupiter's moons Io, Europa and Ganymede; and Saturn's moons Mimas, Enceladus, Dione, Rhea, Titan and Iapetus. Along with those worlds, curious Earthlings can now take a tour of the International Space Station as well. (10/16)

The New Space Race: NASA, Private Companies, and The Fight to Settle Mars (Source: Wesleyan Argus)
It is perhaps no surprise that there are various individuals and organizations working on ways to leave this planet and find something more. One of the major players in this arena is, of course, NASA, but they’re not alone. In the United States, there are a number of private companies—SpaceX, Bigelow Aerospace, and Virgin Galactic, to name a few—dedicated to the exploration of space. And as such, a significant amount of tension exists between NASA and various American private companies when it comes to impending plans for missions into space, and more specifically, to Mars. The relationship is an intricate and murky one. Click here. (10/16)

Want To Go To Mars? The Risks May Not Be Worth It, Says UNLV Prof (Source: KNPR)
Elon Musk says that's where he wants to go next, planning to send astronauts to the red planet in the coming years. He's even said he wants to die on Mars. But, new research from UNLV suggests … that could come sooner than Musk may like. Frank Cucinotta is a professor at UNLV and co-author of a new study about the health effects of a trip to Mars. Click here. (10/13)

Confession Of A Planetary Scientist: 'I Do Not Want To Live On Mars' (Source: NHPR)
I am a planetary scientist and once astronaut candidate finalist (read: space nerd). But I have something to confess: I do not want to live on Mars. While certainly interesting scientifically (e.g., seasonally-varying polar caps; transient methane plumes; permafrost), Mars is not particularly compelling as a long-term human destination. But there is another place in our solar system where conditions are right for a self-sustaining, long-term human settlement: Saturn's moon Titan. Why Titan?

To start with, let's make clear that Titan is a moon that, in many ways, acts more like a planet. It has a thick atmosphere, with about 1.5 times the surface pressure of Earth's atmosphere. None of the 177 other moons in the solar system has such an atmosphere. Plus, Titan is the only place in the solar system, other than Earth, with stable surface liquids: Titan has lakes and seas on its surface. So Titan is a remarkable, and very Earth-like, world.

Titan's thick atmosphere is beneficial, because it means that you don't have to wear a bulky pressure suit while you're out and about on Titan. But the main reason I like it is simple: Titan's atmosphere will help us stay alive. Out in space, radiation is deadly. Energetic particles from the sun, and especially galactic cosmic rays (GCRs), penetrate human tissue, causing cancer and cognitive disorders. Click here. (10/16)

The Interplanetary Political Football of Space Exploration (Source: Scientific American)
In light of the NSC's checkered history, it's perhaps not surprising that the messaging during its inaugural meeting was so mixed. Pence’s first (leading) question to the civilian space industry panel asserted that the US lags behind in space, essentially putting the panel members in the position of contradicting the Vice President if they were to answer directly. The panelists, along with those of the second civilian panel, parried this assertion in turn like synchronized swimmers, with Gwynne Shotwell of SpaceX even countering that "there is a Renaissance underway in space.”

On the tails of their optimism came the defense panel. Here the message was dark, and fear-driven: we are vulnerable to our enemies, and coordinated efforts to be fearsome are the only way to prevent having to defend ourselves from both state or non-state actors moving against us. Much like the NSC's relationship to policy makers, the historical interface between the military and the NSC is a curious one—defense uses of space are typically the purview of the National Security Council, which carries out its own, independent agenda, unperturbed by the opinions of the National Space Council.

From the broader perspective of the current administration's priorities, the Moon makes a lot of sense: not because the Moon holds great scientific potential, but because of its potential as a strategic outpost for national security, or as a place to obtain material resources (e.g. via mining operations). It's straightforward to see those priorities reflected in the makeup of the two panels: one on national security, two from private industry. It is telling (but not surprising) that the discussion didn't include science except in the broadest of brushstrokes—science is not a priority for this administration. (10/16)

NASA To Test Fission Reactor For Space Missions (Source: Aviation Week)
For the first time since the SNAP (Space Nuclear Auxiliary Power) program of the 1960s, NASA will test an atom-splitting fission reactor, a potential power generator for planetary surface missions and spacecraft. The test, scheduled to begin on Nov. 6 at the Nevada National Security Site, is the culmination of a three-year technology development project, known as Kilopower, which has the goal of demonstrating a full-scale nuclear-fission power system capable of producing 1 kW of electricity. (10/17)

China Great Wall Industry Corp.: A ‘Bumpy’ Year for Satellite Launches (Source: Space Intel Report)
China’s Long March rocket series has suffered three at least partial failures in the past 10 months on three different rockets — the small Long March 2D, the commercial-geostationary satellite Long March 3B and the new heavy-lift Long March 5. (10/16)

National Space Council: What's Next? (Source: The Avion)
After the initial speech, the council meet-up continued with expositions from the rest of the members. At the end of the event, the Vice President’s closing remarks included setting a specific 45-day timespan to work out the recommendations to officially deliver to the president. Whether his words were just part of the game of politics or an actual prelude to significant changes in NASA’s human space exploration focus, we will find out very soon. (10/15)

OneWeb and Blue Origin on the Hunt for Space Coast Workers (Source: Orlando Business Journal)
OneWeb LLC, whose new $85 million, 100,000-square-foot manufacturing plant is under construction at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport's Exploration Park, isn't waiting for the building to be finished in March 2018 to start hiring. OneWeb has four types of jobs available for its work on Florida's Space Coast: civil engineers, antenna engineers, RF design engineers and manufacturing associates.

OneWeb first announced its plans to build a facility on the Space Coast in April 2016. The satellite manufacturing plant will create at least 250 jobs by 2025 paying an average annual salary of $65,579. Blue Origin will provide a rocket and launch services for OneWeb when it is ready to send its satellites to space. Blue Origin also is hiring for its center in Exploration Park. The company is looking for a launch vehicle stage integration manager, instrumentation and controls engineer, subsystem integration manager and tank production manager. (10/16)

Florida Republican Candidate Believes Aliens Abducted Her at 7 Years Old, and Still Talk to Her (Source: Newsweek)
A Republican congressional candidate in Florida claimed in a 2009 interview she was abducted by aliens who revealed to her stunning secrets about Earth and still communicate with her telepathically. The candidate, Bettina Rodriguez Aguilera, is aiming to follow Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who is retiring, in representing Florida’s 27th congressional district. As has been the case with other politicians, some of her past words and actions are coming under scrutiny.

She said she encountered three aliens who resembled the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. They told her that a cave in the country of Malta contained 30,000 skulls that were not human and that the world’s “energy center” lies in Africa. Rodriguez Aguilera is now attempting to dispel potential damage to her campaign by saying former leaders and highly intelligent people have made similar claims. (10/16)