November 29, 2017

Encouraging Growth of the Entrepreneurial Space Workforce (Source: Space Angels Network)
A study conducted by the Economic Development Committee of Florida’s Space Coast found that 61.9% of all aeronautical engineers in Brevard County (home to Kennedy Space Center) are 45 years or older. This aging trend is not limited to Florida (a state, incidentally, which is dealing with an entirely different type of “aging trend”): According to the U.S. Space Industry Deep Dive Assessment, compiled annually by the U.S. Department of Commerce, a similar proportion of the nation’s space engineers, researchers, and R&D staff are above the age of forty.

These statistics underscore the space industry’s concerns regarding sustainability and continued innovation—for unless industry veterans entering retirement are replaced by qualified and dedicated younger talent, the sector will likely stagnate. The Aerospace Industries Association recognizes this challenge: the AIA’s Commission on the Future of the U.S. Aerospace Industry recommends “that the nation immediately reverse the decline in, and promote the growth of, a scientifically and technologically trained U.S. aerospace workforce,” adding that “the breakdown of America’s intellectual and industrial capacity is a threat to national security and our capability to continue as a world leader.”

To put it bluntly: The old guard of the space industry is aged and retiring. Combine this trend with the growth in the number of equity-funded entrepreneurial space companies and we have a big gap in talent. But the future is bright. A whole host of young people are stepping up to the challenge—and the demographics of today’s space industry workforce are changing drastically. Click here. (11/27)

81-Year-Old Celebrates 60th Year at JPL, Becomes Longest-Serving Woman in NASA (Source: Pasadena Now)
At 81, Sue Finley, an employee of Jet Propulsion Laboratory since January, 1958, has become the longest-serving woman in NASA. Finley actually started as a “human computer,” solving complex math problems for the engineers in the space program. Along with the other women in the agency back then, Finley calculated rocket trajectories by hand. She joined JPL just one week before the U.S. Army launched Explorer 1, America’s first earth satellite.

“It was a very big deal,” she told Voice of America reporter recently of the launch, which was the U.S.’s response to a series of launches the former Soviet Union made a few months earlier with Sputnik 1 and 2, the first satellites. Finley worked on the Pioneer 1 mission, NASA’s first satellite, launched in late 1958 and which marked the start of the international space race.

Finley said she was most excited about the Venus balloon mission, or the Vega mission, in 1985, in which the U.S., French and Soviet space agencies collaborated to deploy two balloons into the atmosphere of Venus using the Vega 1 and Vega 2 spacecraft. (11/26)

All the Exoplanets We’ve Discovered in One Small Chart (Source: Popular Mechanics)
Every day, it seems like there’s a new exoplanet out there—and often, claims of habitability. But it’s easy to get lost in the mess of numbers. We have discovered more than 3,700 exoplanets, but they range in size from smaller than the moon to bigger than Jupiter, bordering on the size of failed stars.

Just today, astronomers announced a new exoplanet, Ross 128 b, which is nearby (11 light-years) and possibly in a slightly chilly habitable zone. Professor Abel Mendez of the Planetary Habitability Lab at the University of Puerto Rico-Arecibo put together this spectacular chart to show exoplanets organized by size and temperature. It reveals a few surprising facts. Click here. (11/15)

Will NASA's Space Launch System Be Ready to Launch a Europa Mission in 2022? (Source: Planetary Society)
NASA's upcoming Europa Clipper mission will send a spacecraft to explore Jupiter's icy moon Europa. Over the course of 45 flybys, ranging from 2,700 to just 25 kilometers, the mission will explore whether or not the moon is habitable, and pave the way for a potential future lander that will directly search for the life.

The spacecraft itself is on track to launch as early as 2022, providing the White House and Congress continue funding the mission at its required pace. But whether or not Clipper actually launches in 2022, and what rocket it uses, is another matter. NASA recently announced the first flight of the Space Launch System, which is the current rocket of choice, won't happen until at least December 2019, and more likely, closer to June 2020. This further complicates what was already a messy tangle of politics, programmatic challenges and orbital mechanics.

Direct-to-Jupiter launch windows have tight, 3-week constraints, and occur about every 13 months. The first launch window runs from June 4 through June 24, 2022. Even if SLS embarks on its first mission in December 2019, it won't be ready again by the end of the first window on June 24, 2022, and the next Clipper launch opportunity isn't until July 2023. That means NASA can't currently meet Congress's requirement that Clipper launch on SLS in 2022. (11/27)

How a Tiny County in Georgia Aims to Create the cCountry's Newest Commercial Spaceport (Source: The Verge)
On the southeast coast of Georgia, around 20 miles north of the Florida border, a few concrete slaps and a handful of roads lie on 4,000 acres of luscious green land. They are the remnants of a now-defunct manufacturing plant. The area hasn’t seen much action in 50 years, but soon, it could be teeming with activity again — as the site of future US rocket launches.

The new proposed commercial spaceport, the first one ever for Georgia, is known as Spaceport Camden. Local government officials have big plans for the area over the next few years: they hope to build a launchpad to support rocket launches to orbit, as well as a landing area that would allow rockets to touch down after takeoff. Built through partnerships with private companies, the area could become the first exclusively commercial spaceport on the East Coast; the others in Florida and Virginia are operated by or associated with federal agencies.

The county thinks the project could be a smart way for Georgia to enter the booming commercial spaceflight economy, which was valued at $329 billion in 2016. Spaceport Camden is strategically located on the coast, which would allow rockets to launch east over mostly open ocean, posing little risk to populated areas on land. Once the site is up and running, it could also serve as a hub for business and tourism, as well as an educational outpost for local schools. Click here. (11/28)

Aussie Spaceport to Unlock $100m in Benefits (Source: News.com.au)
Australia's first commercial space centre is expected to unlock more than $100 million in economic benefits for the Northern Territory, with the first rockets due to launch by the end of next year. Traditional owners and a commercial rocket launching company have secured 275-hectares of land in North East Arnhem Land to establish the station on the Gove Peninsula.

The Labor government has signed a Project Facilitation Agreement with Equatorial Launch Australia, Gumatj Corporation and Developing East Arnhem Limited to support collaboration over the first phase of the project. Chief Minister Michael Gunner says around 35 jobs will be created during the construction period and there will be 32 full-time equivalent jobs once the center is operational. Pending further regulatory processes and environmental assessments, ELA expects to start construction of the Arnhem Space Center early next year, with the first launch expected at the end of 2018. (11/28)

Russia to Start Building Launch Pad for Angara Rocket in 2018 (Source: Tass)
A launch pad for the new generation space rocket Angara at the Vostochny spaceport will begin to be built early next year, the chief of the Center for Operation of Ground-Based Space Infrastructure, said Rano Dzhurayeva. "This launch pad is to begin to be built early next year. The schedule is very tight," Dzhurayeva said. "The costs estimated at about 40 billion rubles ($686 million) have been approved under the federal program for cosmodromes’ development," she said. (11/28)

If GPS Failed, We’d Be More Than Lost (Source: Wall Street Journal)
North Korea and Russia pose increasingly serious geopolitical threats to the U.S. and its allies. While these rogue nations possess nuclear weapons and formidable conventional forces, they have also used unconventional methods like hacking to attack government institutions and private companies. Add another target to the list of concerns: the Global Positioning System. Built primarily for the U.S. military, GPS is now used by civilians across the globe. Smartphones, personal navigation units, and air-traffic control all rely on it. (11/26)

EU Governments’ Indecision on SpaceX Challenge Seen as Threat to Ariane’s Survival (Source: Space Intel Report)
United Launch Alliance thinks SpaceX’s reuse of the Falcon 9 first stage makes no economic sense unless each stage is used at least 10 times. Germany’s DLR disagrees, and says SpaceX’s new launch cadence puts it within reach of making reusability pay. The Falcon 9 rocket’s increased flight rate — the key incredient for cost-effective rocket-stage reuse — has raised fresh questions about whether Europe’s launch sector can remain viable.

In what was likely an unexpected question during a Nov. 19 interview with Europe 1 radio, French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire was asked if SpaceX meant the death of Ariane. “Death? I’m not sure I’d say that. But I am certain of the threat,” Le Maire said. “I am worried.” Le Maire cited figures that are far from proven — including a possible 80% reduction in the already low SpaceX Falcon 9 launch price once the benefits of reusability are realized. "We need to relfect on a reusable launcher in Europe, and we need to invest massively in innovation,” Le Maire said.

Stephane Israel, executive vice president of ArianeGroup and chief executive of Arianespace, said a refusal of European governments to guarantee a minimum number of launches would be catastrophic for the Ariane launch system. “I want to be clear here: We will not be able to confront an American competition that is supported by U.S. government orders if there are not European orders,” Israel said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of launcher you develop. Without European government support, it will not exist. “If there is not this kind of [Buy European Act], we will not survive the next decade.” (11/28)

Astronaut Blood May Not Act Weird in Space After All (Source: Space.com)
Astronauts' blood changes in space — but that may not stop them from getting to Mars. SpaceX founder Elon Musk often boasts about the imminent colonization of Mars, despite major human health problems that stand between us and the Red Planet. Fortunately for Musk and other aspiring space travelers, NASA scientists may have crossed one item off that list of potential problems.

Researchers who study space health have long thought astronauts lose red blood cells during extended deployments in space, leading to anemia. The ailment causes fatigue, lightheadedness, shortness of breath and other issues. But a new study shows that astronauts might not be anemic at all while in space — instead, it's a condition that develops when they land. The finding could mean more time safely spent in space, such as a mission to Mars or colonizing the moon would require. (11/27)

Extant Aero Expanding at Its Central Florida Campus (Source: AIN)
Legacy avionics repair and manufacturing company Extant Aerospace broke ground on Tuesday for a new 54,000-sq-ft expansion project that will more than double the space at its Melbourne, Florida campus. The company’s new manufacturing and repair building is expected to open early next year.

According to Extant president and CEO Jim Gerwien, the additional facility will support the company’s growing product portfolio and accommodate future growth in its “high-mix, low-volume” product lines and services. This currently includes some 2,500 different legacy avionics products for business, general, airline and military aviation airplanes and helicopters. (11/16)