December 31, 2020

Space Force’s STEM Outreach Provides Critical Link to Force’s Future (Source: USSF)
As a tech-heavy, digital service, the U.S. Space Force relies on Guardians with academic backgrounds in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics to build and fortify its foundation. That reality is why the Space Force focused on STEM outreach throughout the month of December as part of the activities leading up to its first birthday, Dec. 20.

The campaign was part of an enterprise-wide effort to bring STEM and Space into elementary school classrooms; stand up an organization to streamline innovation and commercial partnerships; and launch a University partnership program to tap into research and innovation at the collegiate level..

“As a small service we have an imperative to innovate, to infuse technology throughout our mission areas and processes, and to enhance the digital literacy of Guardians at every level throughout our workforce,” said Maj. Gen. Kimberly Crider. Targeted for students in grades 3-6, a virtual classroom experience dubbed “DeSTEMber” was originally conceived as a localized outreach program, but quickly blossomed into a nationwide campaign. (12/29)

Bezos Christens Blue Origin Rocket Landing Ship in Pensacola (Source: Pensacola News Journal)
The world's wealthiest man was in Pensacola on Tuesday on a rather heartwarming business trip. Amazon CEO and Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos was at the Port of Pensacola. Bezos and his family held a small ceremony to re-name Blue Origin's 600-foot landing ship — which has been docked at the port since late 2018 — after the family's mother, Jacklyn.

Blue Origin rocket ship New Glenn, which projects to test launch for the first time in 2021, will land on Jacklyn after each flight, according to Bezos. The ship has now been re-named twice since making its original transatlantic voyage from Portugal a little more than two years ago. It was first named "Stena Freighter," then "LPV." The U.S. Air Force announced in 2018 that it would spend up to $500 million for future national security launches on Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. (12/30)

Coverage of “Wooden Satellites” Misses the Point (Source: Ars Technica)
While wood may seem like a horrific fit for the harsh environment of space, the idea may seem less insane if you think of wood in terms of its structural composition: a mix of two robust polymers, cellulose and lignin. The strength and durability of wood depends heavily on the ratio of these polymers and what's also present in the mix with them. But it's also possible to physically and chemically treat wood to alter its properties further.

The question is whether wood has any material properties that make it a better fit for satellites than any alternative material. Nikkei Asia indicates that one potential advantage is that wood is transparent to many wavelengths that satellites use to communicate, potentially eliminating the need for external antennae. If said antennae would otherwise need to unfurl after a satellite reaches orbit, this could eliminate one potential source of hardware failure.

But the coverage by the BBC and others focuses on space junk. This is a real problem, as the amount of defunct satellites and random debris in low Earth orbit has created hazards for the functional stuff we'd like to keep there. Everything from scientific observatories to the International Space Station have had to be maneuvered around passing bits of junk. Unfortunately, making satellite housings out of wood won't help with this, for many, many reasons. (12/29)

mu Space to Push Thai Space Industry, Planning to Build its First Spaceship in 2021 (Source: Space Daily)
2020 was the time when the space scene was lively again, with the Thai government pushing for space-activity-related legislation and creating mechanisms to promote and support both the government and the private sector to develop the space industry together, which is one of the target industries in the new S-curve that will increase Thailand's investment capacity and its role in developing the space industry and ultimately add values to the Thai economy.

The private sector also plays an important role in developing the economy and stimulating investment in the space industry. This year, mu Space and Advanced Technology Public Company Limited (mu Space Corp.), a 3-year-old private satellite and space technologies firm, was able to attract investors from several industries and businesses to invest in the space industr. The value of 'mu Space' has increased to more than $100 million. Despite the presence of COVID-19 pandemic, 'mu Space' is planning to hire about 100 positions, beginning with the first 50 positions beginning in Q1 2021. (12/30)

New Radiation Vest Technology Protects Astronauts, Doctors (Source: Space Daily)
NASA is testing a space radiation protection vest aboard the International Space Station that could shield astronauts from deadly solar flares on missions to the moon and Mars. Solar storms with high doses of radiation are among the biggest threats to astronauts on deep space missions. The worst such storms could make space flyers too sick to function and eventually kill them. The new vest is designed with flexible polyethylene shapes to fit men or women and protect their most vulnerable organs. (12/25)

NASA Helps Bring Airport Communications into the Digital Age (Source: Space Daily)
Some of the best entertainment at the airport is all the action outside the window. Loaded luggage carriers zip past on their way to planes. Fuel trucks come and go. Catering trucks restock galleys. During winter, de-icing crews and snowplows add to the bustle. This organized chaos is overseen by the ground-control managers as part of an airport-wide effort to ensure the safety of all ground operations. And as air travel has increased, the challenge of keeping track of all the moving parts has only grown.

However, a digital, wireless airport communications system developed in part by NASA is now poised to change the game. For decades, airports have relied mainly on voice communications over unsecured radio frequencies, with landline phone calls as the only secure backup option. Going forward, the Aeronautical Mobile Aircraft Communication System (AeroMACS) will allow FAA staff in control towers to send safety-critical information digitally and securely - and should lead to shorter wait times on the tarmac. (12/31)

NASA Approves Heliophysics Missions to Explore Sun, Earth's Aurora (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has approved two heliophysics missions to explore the Sun and the system that drives space weather near Earth. Together, NASA's contribution to the Extreme Ultraviolet High-Throughput Spectroscopic Telescope Epsilon Mission, or EUVST, and the Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer, or EZIE, will help us understand the Sun and Earth as an interconnected system. Understanding the physics that drive the solar wind and solar explosions - including solar flares and coronal mass ejections - could one day help scientists predict these events, which can impact human technology and explorers in space.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) leads the Extreme Ultraviolet High-Throughput Spectroscopic Telescope (EUVST) Epsilon Mission (Solar-C EUVST Mission), along with other international partners. Targeted for launch in 2026, EUVST is a solar telescope that will study how the solar atmosphere releases solar wind and drives eruptions of solar material. These phenomena propagate out from the Sun and influence the space radiation environment throughout the solar system.

The Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer (EZIE) will study electric currents in Earth's atmosphere linking aurora to the Earth's magnetosphere - one piece of Earth's complicated space weather system, which responds to solar activity and other factors. The Auroral Electrojet (AE) index is a common measure of geomagnetic activity levels, even though the details of the structure of these currents is not understood. EZIE will launch no earlier than June 2024. The total budget for the EZIE mission is $53.3 million. (12/30)

Discovery Boosts Theory That Life on Earth Arose from RNA-DNA Mix (Source: Space Daily)
Chemists at Scripps Research have made a discovery that supports a surprising new view of how life originated on our planet. In a study published in the chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie, they demonstrated that a simple compound called diamidophosphate (DAP), which was plausibly present on Earth before life arose, could have chemically knitted together tiny DNA building blocks called deoxynucleosides into strands of primordial DNA.

The finding is the latest in a series of discoveries, over the past several years, pointing to the possibility that DNA and its close chemical cousin RNA arose together as products of similar chemical reactions, and that the first self-replicating molecules - the first life forms on Earth - were mixes of the two. The discovery may also lead to new practical applications in chemistry and biology, but its main significance is that it addresses the age-old question of how life on Earth first arose. (12/31)

European Space and Digital Players to Study Satellite-Based Connectivity System Across EU (Source: Space Daily)
The European Commission has selected a consortium of European satellite manufacturers, operators and service providers, telco operators and launch service providers to study the design, development and launch of a European-owned space-based communication system. The study will assess the feasibility of a new initiative aiming to strengthen European digital sovereignty and provide secure connectivity for citizens, commercial enterprises and public institutions as well as providing global coverage for rural and 'not-spot' areas.

Complementing Copernicus and Galileo, this new EU flagship programme, once given the green light, would fully exploit the synergies of the technological potential akin to the Digital and Space industries. The contract value of the year-long feasibility study amounts to euro 7.1 million. The study will look at how the space-based system could enhance and connect to current and future critical infrastructures, including terrestrial networks, strengthening EU capability to access the cloud and providing digital services in an independent and secure way, which is essential for building confidence in the digital economy and ensuring European strategic autonomy and resilience. (12/31)

Arianespace Soyuz Launches French Spy Satellite (Source: Space News)
A Soyuz rocket launched a French reconnaissance satellite Tuesday in what was likely the final launch of 2020. The Soyuz ST-A rocket lifted off from French Guiana at 11:42 a.m. Eastern and deployed the CSO-2 satellite nearly an hour later. The satellite is the second in a series of three spacecraft to provide high-resolution optical and infrared images for the French military. CSO-2 will operate in a lower orbit than CSO-1, launched two years ago, to improve its imagery resolution. The launch is the last scheduled orbital launch of 2020, with a total of 114 launches, including 10 failures, taking place this year. (12/30)

Senate Poised to Override NDAA Veto (Source: Roll Call)
Debate over increased pandemic relief payments could delay a Senate vote to override the veto of the defense authorization bill to this weekend. A vote to override the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) veto could take place as soon as late today, but some senators are pushing for consideration of a House bill that would increase stimulus payments from $600 to $2,000 per person. That could push back the vote to as late as Sunday morning, hours before the 116th Congress ends at noon. The Senate passed the NDAA earlier this month by more than the two-thirds majority needed to override the veto. (12/30)

Texas Case Jeopardizes NSTXL Contract to Manage Space Force Project (Source: Washington Post)
The Space Force is looking into legal problems involving a contractor recently selected to run its Space Enterprise Consortium. The Space and Missile Systems Center awarded a contract earlier this month to the National Security Technology Accelerator, or NSTXL, to operate the Space Enterprise Consortium, established in 2017 to help attract startups and commercial companies from the space industry to bid on military projects. That award, though, came weeks after a Texas court found that NSTXL acted fraudulently to end a relationship with an events firm. The Space Force said it was not aware of the Texas case at the time of the award, and is delaying the start of the contract so it can evaluate the matter. (12/30)

Another Delay for Russian Space Station Module (Source: TASS)
A Russian space station module scheduled for launch next year could be delayed, again. Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, said in a radio interview Tuesday that the Nauka module is currently scheduled to launch in May. However, he said that launch could be delayed to July if the module is not ready. He didn't identify any specific issues that could cause the launch to slip. Nauka, a multifunctional lab module that includes life support equipment, has suffered years of delays because of technical problems. (12/30)

China Tests Rocket Motor for Heavy Lift Vehicle (Source: CGTN)
China tested the country's largest solid rocket motor. The motor, 3.2 meters in diameter, completed a static-fire test Wednesday by the Academy of Aerospace Solid Propulsion Technology. The motor is able to produce up to 260 tons of thrust and will be used by future Chinese heavy-lift launch vehicles to support missions to the moon and beyond. (12/30)

Space Force Uniforms Design Not Decided (Source: Task & Purpose)
Sorry, Space Force personnel won't be wearing uniforms that look like those from Starship Troopers. An illustration making the rounds on social media this week showed a uniform concept featuring dark gray and blue colors and design features that reminded some of the uniforms from that famously bad 1990s sci-fi movie. A Space Force spokesman said that illustration is not official and that the real Space Force uniform designs are still in development. (12/30)