February 20, 2018

Regulatory Reform a Topic of KSC-Based National Space Council Meeting (Source: Space News)
When members of the National Space Council meet this week, they are expected to discuss, among other issues, regulatory reforms intended to promote growth of the commercial spaceflight industry.

The Council will hold its next formal meeting Feb. 21 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, a meeting formally announced by NASA and the White House less than 48 hours in advance, although plans for the meeting had been circulating in industry for weeks. The meeting will be the second formal gathering of the Council since it was reconstituted by an executive order in June 2017, after an Oct. 5 meeting near Washington.

A formal agenda for the meeting has not been disclosed, although a NASA statement said the meeting will have a theme of “Moon, Mars, and Worlds Beyond: Winning the Next Frontier.” The meeting, according to the statement, “will include testimonials from leaders in the civil, commercial, and national security sectors about the importance of the United States’ space enterprise.” (2/19)

Chandrayaan-2 Mission Cheaper Than Hollywood Film Interstellar (Source: Times of India)
India's upcoming Rs 800-crore Chandrayaan-2 mission will be cheaper than Hollywood's 2014 sci-fi movie 'Interstellar' that cost Rs 1,062 crore ($165 million). In fact, ISRO's earlier Mars mission (Rs 470 crore) launched in 2013 was also cheaper than another Hollywood space movie 'Gravity' (whose budget was Rs 644 crore or $100 million) made in the same year. So, what makes Indian Space Research Organization's space and interplanetary missions cost-effective?

ISRO chairman Dr K Sivan explained the frugal nature of their space and interplanetary missions. He said, "Simplifying the system, miniaturizing the complex big system, strict quality control and maximizing output from a product make our space missions frugal and cost-effective. We keep strict vigil on each and every stage of development of a spacecraft or a rocket and, therefore, we are able to avoid wastage of products, which helps us minimize the mission cost." (2/20)

China and Europe Love SpaceX’s New Falcon Heavy Rocket. Does NASA? (Source: Quartz)
When SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket debuted this month, China’s aerospace community was mostly envious, noting that their equivalent rocket, the Long March 9, would not be ready for another decade. One story in state media observed that “to put it more bluntly, this time the Americans showed us Chinese with pure power why they are still the strongest country in the world.”

The head of Europe’s space program watched the US company launch its enormous, largely reusable new rocket, and was also inspired. “Totally new ideas are needed and Europe must now prove it still possesses that traditional strength to surpass itself and break out beyond existing borders,” wrote Jan Wörner, director general of the European Space Agency, on his official blog. He expressed dismay that rockets now being built by Europe’s space company, Arianespace, won’t be reusable, which puts them at a deep cost disadvantage to SpaceX. He called for a re-thinking of Europe’s rocket program.

A few days later, Wörner wrote an apologetic sequel to his post, emphasizing that Arianespace’s current rocket plan was correct and would be completed as intended. He was merely exercising his prerogative as head of the continent’s space agency for “turning our minds to systems still far off in the future,” he said. Reading between the lines, the abrupt about-face can be attributed to the stakeholders of contractors and government policymakers, who weren’t pleased with Wörner’s public fretting. This speaks to space exploration’s tendency to become industrial policy, more about jobs than science, which is a key reason why 1970s space visions of lunar bases and enormous space stations aren’t a reality. Click here. (2/20)

Planetary Resources Suffers Funding Shortfall (Source: GeekWire)
Asteroid mining company Planetary Resources is reportedly laying off staff after suffering a funding shortfall. The company confirmed that it missing a fundraising milestone recently, and is now looking to "near-term revenue streams" using the Arkyd-6 demonstration satellite it recently launched. The company did not disclose layoffs, but other sources suggest there have been "notable job reductions" at the company. (2/20)

Could the X3 Ion Thruster Propel Us to Mars? (Source: Spaceflight Insider)
The X3, a new ion thruster that could one day propel humans beyond Earth, was successfully tested a few months ago and is one design that could be selected by NASA as a component of propulsion system for future Mars missions. The X3 is a type of ion thruster in which the propellant (most commonly xenon) is accelerated by electric and magnetic fields – in what is known as the “Hall-effect.” Such thrusters are considered to be safer and more fuel efficient than engines used in traditional chemical rockets.

However, they currently offer relatively low thrust and acceleration. Engineers are currently working to make them more powerful. At nearly 31.5 inches (80 centimeters) in diameter and weighing around 507 lbs. (230 kilograms), X3 is a three-channel nested thruster designed to operate at power levels of up to 200 kW. The thruster is being jointly developed by the University of Michigan (U-M), NASA and the U.S. Air Force. The project is funded through NASA’s Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnership (NextSTEP). Click here. (2/20)

Trump’s Science Advisor, Age 31, Has a Political Science Degree (Source: Scientific American)
A job that's been held by some of the nation's top scientists is now occupied by a 31-year-old politics major from Princeton University. And it's unlikely to change soon, observers say, leaving President Trump without a science adviser as the administration wrestles with a severe outbreak of the flu, lead-poisoned drinking water and record-breaking disasters that many scientists say are sharpened by rising temperatures.

More than a year into his term, Trump hasn't identified a potential nominee for the key position held by prominent scientists in Republican and Democratic administrations alike. And it stands to get harder. There's a razor-thin margin for Senate approval, and Trump's critics and supporters could complicate the confirmation of anyone who rejects mainstream climate science.

That means the job falls to Michael Kratsios, the deputy assistant in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. At least for now. Kratsios graduated from Princeton in 2008 with a political science degree and a focus on Hellenic studies. He previously served as chief of staff to Peter Thiel, the controversial Silicon Valley billionaire and Trump ally. (2/14)

British Strategy and Outer Space: A Missing Link? (Source: Sage)
Britain sees itself as a significant power which upholds global norms and deploys expeditionary military force around the world. But no matter what role Britain wants for itself, it cannot do so without spacepower and considering its freedom of action in the common of outer space. This reality of international relations in the 21st century is a missing link in British strategic thought. Click here. (2/19)

Leaning Tower: KSC's Mobile Launch Platform Has "Deflections" (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
The mobile launch platform that will be used by NASA's Space Launch System is leaning slightly. The agency confirmed that there are "deflections" in the tower of the platform, originally built for the Constellation-era Ares 1 and being modified for the SLS. NASA said the deflections are minor and do not require repairs to correct. The mobile launcher will need further modifications after the first SLS launch to accommodate the larger Block 1B version of the rocket, unless NASA decides to build a new mobile launcher instead. (2/20)

Physicists Created a New Form of Light (Source: Motherboard)
Arguably the most egregious violation of physical laws in Star Wars is the iconic lightsabers wielded by Jedis. These weapons should be impossible because light particles—called photons—don’t interact with one another in the same way that normal matter does. This is why you and your friends can’t re-enact some epic ‘saber battles with a couple of flashlights. I mean you could, but you’ll just look like a bunch of dinguses.

Research published today in Science gives ‘a new hope’ (I’m so sorry) for those holding out for lightsabers. A team of physicists has created a new form of light that permits up to three photons to bind together. The technology isn’t quite ready to defeat the Dark Side, but it could be a major boon to photon-based quantum computers.

The two lead researchers on the project, MIT physicist Vladan Vuletic and Harvard physicist Mikhail Lukin, head up the joint MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms and have spent the last few years trying to make photons interact with each other. Their first major success was in 2013, when the researchers managed to get two photons to bind together to create a new form of light—but they wanted to know if this was the limit to photon interactions. (2/15)

Vector On Track for Summer Launch (Source: Space News)
Small launch vehicle developer Vector says it is on track for a first launch this summer. The company announced last week that the first orbital launch of the Vector-R would take place in July. Company CEO Jim Cantrell said in a speech at a Canadian conference that the launch could slip slightly beyond that, depending on progress the company makes on the vehicle and FAA licensing. (2/20)

Falcon Heavy Booster Lands at KSC Visitor Complex for Space Council Display (Source: Florida Today)
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has a special, but short-term, guest: a Falcon Heavy booster. One of the side boosters from the inaugural launch of the rocket earlier this month was put on display at the visitor's center this weekend, but will only be there through Tuesday. The complex's Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit will host a reception tonight for Vice President Pence and National Space Council meeting attendees, and that exhibit will be closed today to prepare for that event. (2/20)

Croatia On Track to Join ESA (Source: ESA)
Croatia signed an agreement Monday that could lead to it becoming a member nation of ESA. The cooperation agreement between ESA and Croatia will create a framework for closer ties between the space agency and the country. Such agreements in the past have been initial steps towards countries becoming full-fledged members of ESA. Croatia was the last member of the European Union not to either be a part of ESA or have a cooperation agreement with the agency. (2/20)

Medical Incident at Hawaiian Mars Base (Source: Honolulu Star-Advertiser)
A Mars simulation in Hawaii is on hold after a "medical incident." One of the four members of the crew that started an eight-month stay in a simulated habitat on the slopes of Mauna Loa last week was taken to a hospital Monday because of an undisclosed condition. That person was released from the hospital after a few hours of observation. The mission, the latest in the series run by the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) program, will remain on hold until an investigation can be completed. (2/20)

Israeli Mars Base Completes 4 Day Sim (Source: Israeli21c)
A brief Mars simulation wrapped up over the weekend in the Israeli desert. Six scientists spent four days in a habitat in the Negev Desert in a collaboration between the Israel Space Agency and the Austrian Space Forum. The team performed a variety of experiments and also tested space suits provided by an Israeli fashion designer. The simulation was the first in a series planned for the outpost. (2/20)

ISS as a Catalyst for New Space Industries (Source: Via Satellite)
Just as the early railroads transformed the American West and spurred an economic boom across our then young nation, commercial activity in space is blossoming. Expansion of these activities, especially in-space manufacturing, will expand human activity outward and lead to new American economic booms. While the promise of commercial activities in space may be as vast as the promise of the American West, actions must be taken now in order to stay on the path of converting this promise to economic value.

Much of our current progress in space-based operations such as manufacturing can be credited to the multibillion dollar investment in the creation of International Space Station (ISS) and the designation of the U.S. segment of ISS as a National Lab for conducting space-based research for economic development in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). Using the ISS, companies have leveraged the unique properties of microgravity to achieve research and technology breakthroughs that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible.

Many smaller sized companies have been able to enter the market and rapidly create value, compete and offer technologies and capabilities because barriers to research and development were lowered thanks to the National Lab and ISS. Yet we’ve just scratched the surface. Without the National Lab and the ISS as a testbed platform, research into space utilization and in space manufacturing would be significantly reduced. (2/16)