February 25, 2018

Smoke (But No Fire) at Rocket Lab Facility in New Zealand (Source: TVNZ)
The Fire Service was called to Rocket Lab's Auckland warehouse last night where its understood smoke was coming out of batteries inside the warehouse. Firefighters were called about 7pm to the scene on Airpark Drive, Mangere, close to Auckland Airport. Five fire trucks and two ambulances attended the scene, including the command unit and hazardous materials unit. Rocket Lab issued a statement confirmed the callout and said there was no fire - just smoke. "No one was injured in the incident," the statement read. (2/24)

The New Age of Aerospace Is in Huntsville, Alabama (Source: Acumen)
Huntsville is home to some 3,930 aerospace engineers, more than any other metropolitan area in the U.S. That figure tops Los Angeles, with its 3,130 aerospace engineers, Houston’s 3,060 and Washington, D.C.’s 2,500. And when you add in the rest of sweet home Alabama, the total number of aerospace engineers jumps to 4,470 as of 2016, which is the nation’s highest concentration.

This technical workforce is one reason private aerospace companies are flocking to Huntsville. Boeing currently has 2,700 employees in the city, and last June the company announced plans to add 400 more on projects like the Space Launch System that will eventually help NASA transport humans to Mars.

In October, Aerojet Rocketdyne broke ground on their new aerospace manufacturing plant and headquarters in Huntsville, which will create 1,200 jobs. When Blue Origin opens its new Huntsville facility by the end of 2020 to produce the BE-4 rocket engine, it will bring 342 engineering and manufacturing jobs to the city, with 700 additional jobs at nearby stores and restaurants. Boeing currently kicks in $2.3 billion annually to the Alabama economy. (2/25)

The First Scottish Spaceport Could Be Publicly Owned (Source: HeraldScotland)
A publicly-run spaceport at Prestwick Airport, which is already owned by the Scottish Government, has emerged as a serious possibility. SNP MP Carol Monaghan, who sits on the influential Commons Science and Technology Committee, said there was "no reason" why a Prestwick spaceport should not be developed under public ownership or control.

The House of Lords is currently considering amendments to the Space Industry Bill which will put in place the legislative framework for licensed spaceports and commercial space activity in the UK. There are currently a number of sites under consideration in Scotland including Machrihanish, Sutherland, and Prestwick. In a clear marker of intent on a Scottish spaceport, wherever it is sited, Monaghan said “The Scottish Government could be the people that are running it. It could be nationally owned. There’s no reason why that couldn’t be the case.” (2/25)

Space Travel for Indians a Reality Soon (Source: Deccan Chronicle)
Almost 34 years after traveling to space, India’s only space traveler Rakesh Sharma is hopeful of seeing a successor soon. Technology has changed and this has helped more innovative solutions to take form towards many initiatives led by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), with the manned space program being one among them. (2/25)

Air Force Chief Goldfein: ‘We’ll Be Fighting From Space in a Matter of Years’ (Source: Space News)
Gen. David Goldfein’s speech on Friday represented the strongest rhetoric yet on space warfare as an area that deserves special attention from the U.S. Air Force. Goldfein, the Air Force’s chief of staff, told a large audience of active-duty airmen that they have to start thinking about outer space the same way they think about airspace. It is not a question of if but when airmen will be fighting in space, warned Goldfein. And he insisted that the Air Force has to become more attuned to what is happening in space and look upon space as a key battlefront. (2/24)

A One-Stop-Shop for Private Space Exploration (Source: Space News)
The American Space Commerce Free Enterprise Act (H.R. 2809), recently passed by the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, accomplishes the vice president’s goals. This bill places authority over private sector space activities in the agency best equipped to foster economic growth, the Commerce Department. The bipartisan legislation streamlines regulatory processes, limits government intrusion, promotes American innovation and investment, protects national security and satisfies our Outer Space Treaty obligations.

As chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee’s space subcommittee, and as a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, I have the unique perspective of overseeing both of these agencies. Because of this perspective, I believe placing this responsibility at the Commerce Department is a good long-term decision for the United States and the space industry. (2/22)

Yuri's Night to Rock the Space Coast on April 13 (Source: Yuri's Night)
This year's EPIC Space Coast Yuri's Night party will take place underneath Shuttle Atlantis exactly 33 years to the day since the orbiter arrived at KSC. Come join us on Friday April 13th, 2018, to celebrate this historic spacecraft, the excitement of space exploration, & the anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's monumental flight into orbit. Nicole Stott, who has spent 104 days living and working in space, will be the featured guest.

Yuri's Night Space Coast will be filled with dancing, drinks, art, costumes, & all things space. You might bump into an astronaut, celebrity, rocket scientist, or astrophysicist... DJs will be spinning until 1 a.m. & we will be dancing under the Space Shuttle Atlantis at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex celebrating space & the power to bring us all together here on Spaceship Earth. ROCK THE PLANET! Click here. (2/24)

How One Quantum Particle Can Send Messages to Itself (Source: Popular Mechanics)
Quantum computing promises a future where technology is exponentially faster, more efficient, and more secure. But the mechanics of how it will work are still being figured out. Now, scientists from the University of Vienna and the Australian Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information have demonstrated one possibility for quantum communication that was previously unknown: using one photon can act as both a sender and receiver of information.

The technique relies on quantum superposition-—the idea that unobserved quantum particles can be in more than one place at once. The researchers demonstrate that if two people are at a distance from each other, they can use just one photon to communicate. This is how it works: Alice and Bob are in control of a photon which is in a superposition. Either Alice or Bob can manipulate the photon to send a 0 or a 1 to the other. If they both put either a 0 or a 1, Alice gets the photon. If they put in different bits, then Bob gets it. Since Alice knows whether she put in a 0 or 1, she can deduce that Bob input the opposite bit. (2/24)