July 26, 2019

The Outdated Language of Space Travel (Source: The Atlantic)
Half a century ago, there was only one kind of astronaut in the United States. Men launched atop rockets to space. Men maneuvered landers down to the surface of the moon. Men guided spacecraft safely home. From start to finish, they were at the controls. So it makes sense that the effort to send people to orbit and beyond was called “manned” spaceflight. But when Peggy Whitson hears someone call the spaceflight program “manned” today, she can’t stifle her physical reaction.

“I cringe a little bit,” Whitson says. The terminology is simply no longer accurate, and Whitson, a former astronaut at NASA, is just one example why. Whitson served as commander on two missions to the International Space Station, and spent 665 days in space, more than any other American astronaut, man or woman. NASA retired the description years ago, saving it for historical references to its early days, and now uses human and crewed.

It shouldn’t happen again. Manned is a woefully outdated choice of vocabulary to describe the actions of an organization that has employed female astronauts for the majority of its existence. Language matters, and this particular vernacular reinforces the notion, once held to be true, that space exploration is for men only. It does a disservice to the dozens of women who became astronauts after Apollo, and to those who dream of doing the same. (7/25)

GOP Rep. Pete Olson of Texas Won't Seek Reelection in 2020 (Source: Politico)
Rep. Pete Olson (R-TX) announced that he won't seek reelection in 2020, opening up a potential battleground district in the Houston suburbs. Olson, who was first elected in 2008, said he was leaving the seat to spend more time with his family. While the district has been solidly Republican for decades and was once represented by former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, Democrats have made inroads in recent years, and the race could shape up to be one of the most competitive House battles in the country next year.

President Donald Trump won 52 percent of the district in 2016, down from Mitt Romney's 62 percent four years earlier. Olson defeated Democrat Sri Kulkarni in 2018, 51 percent to 46 percent — down from Olson's 19-point victory two years earlier. Kulkarni is running again and had $345,000 in cash on hand as of June 30. On the Republican side, Troy Nehls, the outgoing sheriff of Fort Bend County, was reportedly exploring a campaign, even before Olson's announcement. (7/25)

Catholic Law Places Moon Under Orlando Diocese (Source Aletia)
In 1968, William Donald Borders was named the first bishop of Orlando. When Apollo 11 launched, one year later, the 1917  Code of Canon Law was in effect, stating that any newly discovered territory would fall under the bishopric from whence the discovering expedition departed. Since Cape Canaveral was under the purview of the Diocese of Orlando, Bishop Borders was effectively the first bishop of the moon.

The story goes that following the success of Apollo 11, Bishop Borders made an ad limina visit to Pope Blessed Paul VI, during which he casually added, “You know, Holy Father, I am the bishop of the moon.” The Pope seemed perplexed until Borders explained that under the Code of Canon Law, he had become bishop of the “newly discovered territory” of the moon. (08/2018)

SpaceX Launches Twice-Flown Dragon Capsule to Space Station, Lands First Stage at Florida Spaceport (Source: Space News)
SpaceX successfully launched a Dragon cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station Thursday. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 6:01 p.m. Eastern after a one-day delay because of weather, with the first stage making a successful landing back at the Cape. The CRS-18 Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to arrive at the ISS Saturday morning, bringing more than 2,300 kilograms of supplies and equipment for the station. This is the first Dragon spacecraft to make a third flight into space, having previously flown cargo missions to the station in 2015 and 2017. (7/26)

China Launches Reconnaissance Satellites (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
China launched a set of reconnaissance satellites overnight. A Long March 2C lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 11:57 p.m. Eastern carrying three Yaogan-30 reconnaissance satellites. The launch came with little advance notice by Chinese authorities. The rocket's first stage was seen sporting grid fins, like those on the first stage of the Falcon 9, apparently used to help guide the stage to a more precise crash landing zone. (7/26)

NASA Confirms Plans for "Green Run" Test of SLS Stage, Despite Schedule Impact (Source: Space News)
NASA announced Thursday it will proceed with a "Green Run" test of the SLS, four mounts after the agency's leader suggested it could be skipped. NASA said the Green Run test of the SLS core stage will take place as planned next year at the Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. In March, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said NASA was considering skipping the test in order to accelerate the schedule for the rocket's first launch. Some members of Congress, as well as outside advisers, opposed that plan because of safety concerns. (7/26)

UK's Cobham Acquired by Advent for $5 Billion (Source: Space News)
British aerospace company Cobham has accepted a buyout offer as it looks to increase its satellite component business. Cobham, a provider of satellite components and ground systems, said Thursday its board unanimously approved a $5 billion offer from Advent International Corp. The deal is now pending approval from the company's shareholders. Cobham is widely known for its aviation and defense business, but is also a supplier for many satellite programs. Cobham is taking several steps to position itself to win more space business, particularly with megaconstellations. (7/26)

Senate Proceeds with Hyten Confirmation Hearing, Despite Misconduct Allegations (Source: Defense News)
The Senate Armed Services Committee is moving ahead with a confirmation hearing for Gen. John Hyten's nomination to be vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The committee announced Thursday that it's scheduled the hearing for Tuesday. Hyten, the current head of Strategic Command, met with lawmakers in a private session Thursday about allegations of sexual misconduct, and his accuser met with the same committee earlier in the week. An earlier Air Force investigation found no evidence of wrongdoing by Hyten. (7/26)

Starhopper Hops at Boca Chica Site (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX's Starhopper prototype made its first, brief free flight late Thursday. The vehicle lifted off its pad at the company's South Texas test site at about 11:45 p.m. Eastern and rose a short distance off the ground before touching down about 10 seconds later. The vehicle was largely obscured by the plume from its Raptor engine during the free flight. Starhopper, a first prototype of SpaceX's Starship next-generation launch system, may fly to an altitude of 200 meters "in a week or two," Musk tweeted after the test. (7/26)

Boeing Drops Out of ICBM Competition (Source: Space News)
Boeing says it's withdrawing from the Air Force competition to build a next-generation ICBM. The company said that "the current acquisition approach does not provide a level playing field for fair competition" and thus won't submit a proposal to compete with Northrop Grumman. Boeing concluded months ago that it faced an insurmountable disadvantage because of Northrop's dominance of the solid rocket motors market following its acquisition of Orbital ATK in June 2018. While Aerojet Rocketdyne also produces solid rocket motors, Northrop, through Orbital ATK, had an overwhelming dominance in the large solid rocket motors that are used in ICBMs, based on that company's work on both missiles and launch vehicles. (7/26)

France Plans Anti-Satellite Lasers (Source: AFP)
The French defense minister said Thursday the country is working on anti-satellite lasers as part of its efforts to defend its own satellites. Florence Parly said France reserves the right to use "powerful lasers" on its own satellites or "patrolling nano-satellites" to blind satellites of its adversaries. A French government source also said the country was studying "machine guns" that could disable solar panels of enemy satellites. Those capabilities, Parly said, will be developed over the next several years and deployed by 2030. (7/26)

Pakistan Plans Astronaut Program (Source: Reuters)
The government of Pakistan says it will send a person into space by 2022. Chaudhry Fawad Hussain, minister of science and technology in the Pakistani government, said the country will start selecting candidates for the flight next year. He didn't say how it will launch that astronaut. The comments appear to be in response to plans by India announced last year to launch its first crewed spacecraft by 2022. (7/26)

Washington's King County Declares Lunar Landmarks (Source: GeekWire)
A local government in Washington state has given historical landmark status to three Apollo rovers. The King County Landmarks Commission unanimously approved a proposal to declare the Apollo 15, 16 and 17 lunar rovers, built in the city of Kent, Washington, as historical landmarks. The designation is a ceremonial one, but could lead the Washington state government to also place the rovers on Washington Heritage Register. (7/26)

NASA Clears Trees to Secure KSC Launch Pad View (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The last astronauts to launch from KSC did so on the space shuttle Atlantis in 2011. Since then, trees have grown so thick that the view of launch pads from the press site a few miles away had been somewhat obstructed. In need of a better view for launches, NASA has cut down more than 385 acres of trees at Kennedy Space Center. NASA officials said the move was necessary in preparation for the return of human spaceflight. A tree-cutting contract for $80,207 was awarded to CORE Engineering and Construction of Winter Park. (7/26)

Chinese Rocket Flies with Falcon 9-Style Grid Fins (Source: Parabolic Arc)
A Chinese Long March 2C rocket launched Friday included grid fins that are similar to the ones that SpaceX uses to guide the first stage of its Falcon 9 booster to landings on land and at sea. The Chinese appear to be experimenting with controlled descent and moving toward reusable first stages. That would be good news for people living down range from China’s interior launch sites. Boosters fall uncontrollably from the sky and land near villages and towns. Here's a video. (7/26)

We Have Already Entered The Sixth And Final Era Of Our Universe (Source: Forbes)
As the Universe expands, the relative importance of radiation, matter, neutrinos, and dark energy all change. The temperature of the Universe changes. And what you'd see in the sky would change dramatically as well. All told, there are six different eras we can break the Universe into, and we're already in the final one. Everything that exists in our Universe has a certain amount of energy in it: matter, radiation, dark energy, etc. As the Universe expands, the volume that these forms of energy occupy changes, and each one will have its energy density evolve differently. Click here. (7/26)