January 13, 2021

Movie About ‘Star Trek’ Actress’ NASA Involvement Heads to Theaters (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
“Woman in Motion: Nichelle Nichols, Star Trek and the Remaking of NASA“ heads to theaters nationwide for one night on Feb. 2 as part of the inaugural Fathom Events Celebrates Black History Month series. “We are proud to bring pioneer and role model Nichelle Nichols’ inspiring story in cinemas across the nation,” said Fathom Events CEO Ray Nutt in a press release.

The film — directed by Todd Thompson and produced by his motion picture company Stars North, both based in Orlando — tells the true story of how “Star Trek” actress Nichols pioneered a NASA recruiting program to hire people of color and the first female astronauts for the space agency in the late 1970s and 1980s. (1/13)

Juno Spacecraft Detects FM Radio Signals Coming From Jupiter's Largest Moon Ganymede (Source: 7News.com.au)
For the first time, FM radio signals have been discovered coming from Jupiter’s moon Ganymede. The signals were picked up by the Juno spacecraft which is currently orbiting the solar system’s largest planet. The radio signals were detected as Juno travelled across Jupiter to an area where magnetic field lines connect Ganymede. Scientifically, the signal, caused by electrons, is known as a “decametric radio emission”. The Juno spacecraft mission began in 2011 and will end this year when it deorbits Jupiter in July.  (1/12)

Orbital Wine Comes Back to Earth (Source: Axios)
Twelve bottles of red wine are making their way back to Earth after spending more than a year aboard the International Space Station. The wine is more than just a frivolous novelty. The researchers behind the wine experiments — which also involved sending grape vines to the station — are hoping to learn more about how plants respond to stress, with an eye toward how they might behave on a warmer Earth in the future. The wine and grape vines will arrive back on Earth aboard a SpaceX cargo craft when it splashes down in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida tonight.

The experiments will be transported to Bordeaux at the end of the month, where scientists will analyze the vines to see how they stood up to the space environment. Space Cargo Unlimited, the startup that sent these experiments to space, "anticipates the plants growing in space will be more resilient to other kinds of lesser stress (increased salt level in the soils, etc.), and may unlock the potential of varieties better suited to a warmer Earth with less drinkable water," the company said in a statement. (1/12)

US Intelligence Agencies Have 180 Days to Share What They Know About UFOs, Thanks to the Covid-19 Relief and Spending Bill (Source: CNN)
When President Donald Trump signed the $2.3 trillion coronavirus relief and government funding bill into law in December, so began the 180-day countdown for US intelligence agencies to tell Congress what they know about UFOs. No, really. The director of National Intelligence and the secretary of defense have a little less than six months now to provide the congressional intelligence and armed services committees with an unclassified report about "unidentified aerial phenomena."

It's a stipulation that was tucked into the "committee comment" section of the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021, which was contained in the massive spending bill. That report must contain detailed analyses of UFO data and intelligence collected by the Office of Naval Intelligence, the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force and the FBI, according to the Senate intelligence committee's directive.

It should also describe in detail "an interagency process for ensuring timely data collection and centralized analysis of all unidentified aerial phenomena reporting for the Federal Government" and designate an official responsible for that process. Finally, the report should identify any potential national security threats posed by UFOs and assess whether any of the nation's adversaries could be behind such activity, the committee said. (1/10)

Huntsville's Brooks Denies Role in Sedition (Source: Daily Beast)
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) wants you to know he’s never smoked tobacco, taken illegal drugs, or incited a violent mob to storm the U.S. Capitol. At least, he said as much in a bizarre statement released by his office on Tuesday. “As one of America’s most effective conservative leaders, I defend my honor and reputation against scurrilous, George Orwellian, 1984, Socialist Democrats Politics of Personal Destruction,” Brooks’ statement begins. Brooks, who told a crowd of soon-to-be rioters on Jan. 6 that “today is the day American patriots start taking down names and kicking ass,” is currently facing a censure resolution from his House colleagues. Ali Alexander, one of the organizers of the Jan. 6 rally, said he “schemed up putting maximum pressure on Congress” with Brooks’ help. (1/12)

Weather Forces SpaceX Cargo Dragon to Splashdown Off Coast of Tampa Instead of Atlantic Ocean (Source: Florida Today)
Due to weather in the Atlantic, the SpaceX Cargo Dragon is now expected to splashdown off the coast of Tampa in the Gulf of Mexico Wednesday night. The updated Cargo Dragon capsule, which can carry more cargo, successfully undocked from the space station at 9:05 a.m. Tuesday and will return to Earth approximately 36 hours later loaded with 4,400 pounds of science cargo including live mice. This will be the first return of a cargo resupply spacecraft to splashdown off the coast of Florida. Unfortunately, it’s unlikely bystanders will be able to see the capsule descend due to the late hour of the return and distance far offshore. (1/12)

UF Awarded NASA Grant for Space Exploration Technology (Source: Gainesville Sun)
A team of University of Florida mechanical and aerospace engineering students, professors and researchers has been awarded a $12.5 million NASA contract to test and build a space exploration device over the next four years. The group is creating a charge management system for the LISA space project, a cutting-edge technology system designed to trail behind the Earth as it orbits the sun and intercept gravitational waves.

Those measurements can then be interpreted by scientists to determine what caused the waves, like the collision of two black holes, for example, and help discover otherwise unseen areas of space, regardless of how many light years away the events occurred, said John Conklin, project director. LISA is an international effort headed by the European Space Association in combination with NASA and now UF. (1/9)

Florida's Largest Spaceport Could Host More Than 50 Launches in 2021 (Source: Space News)
Cape Canaveral could host more than 50 launches this year, a sharp increase from 2020. Col. Brande Walton, vice commander of the 45th Space Wing, said Tuesday that 53 launches from the spaceport are currently scheduled for 2020, with one, a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch, already completed. The Cape hosted 31 launches in 2020, and Walton noted that the 2021 projection is subject to change as companies shift their launch schedules. (1/13)

Commercial Geospatial Products Proliferating Fast (Source: Space News)
Government intelligence agencies say commercial geospatial intelligence products are emerging faster than they can figure out how to use them. David Gauthier, director of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency's commercial and business operations group, said Tuesday that the intelligence community slowly is pivoting to a "commercial first" mindset, and that both his agency and the National Reconnaissance Office are stepping up market research to better understand what's available. Most of the demand is for photographic imagery captured by electrooptical sensors in space, but analysts are increasingly seeing the value of other sources of intelligence, such as radar imagery and radio-frequency signals. (1/13)

NASA and Japan Agree on Artemis Gateway Cooperation (Source: Space News)
NASA has signed an agreement with Japan regarding cooperation on the lunar Gateway. Under the agreement, Japan will provide batteries for NASA's HALO module and other components for the European-lead I-Hab habitation module. Japan will also study providing cargo resupply services using a version of its HTV-X cargo spacecraft. NASA previously announced agreements with Europe and Canada regarding their contributions to the lunar Gateway. (1/13)

Aerojet Rocketdyne Completes First AR1 Engine (Source: Space News)
Aerojet Rocketdyne has completed its first AR1 engine as it looks for customers for it. The AR1 was assembled at Aerojet Rocketdyne's large engine assembly facility at NASA's Stennis Space Center. The company is looking at options to test it at Stennis, which may require modifications to existing test stands there to accommodate the engine since it uses kerosene rather than liquid hydrogen fuel. Aerojet developed the AR1 for potential use by United Launch Alliance, which instead opted for Blue Origin's BE-4 on its Vulcan rocket. Aerojet is now offering the engine for use on medium-class rockets, and signed an agreement with Firefly Aerospace in 2019 to study its use on that company's future vehicles. (1/13)

White House Orders Nuclear Power in Space (Source: Space News)
A White House executive order Tuesday directs NASA and other agencies to pursue use of small nuclear reactors in space. The order instructs NASA to identify its requirements for nuclear power systems in space through 2040. It also calls on NASA to work with the Defense Department and other agencies on potential national security space applications of nuclear power systems. The order is intended to build upon Space Policy Directive 6, published last month, which set a general road map for space nuclear power and propulsion. (1/13)

France's Exotrail Tests Electric Thruster on Cubesat (Source: Space News)
French startup Exotrail says it has tested an electric propulsion system in space. The Hall effect thruster, installed on the NanoAvionics R2 cubesat, changed the satellite's orbit during a test in late December. Over the next few months, Exotrail plans to fire the thruster to demonstrate collision avoidance maneuvers, decrease the satellite's altitude and change its inclination. Exotrail says its ExoMG thruster is the smallest Hall effect thruster ever flown, and the first to be used on a satellite weighing less than 100 kilograms. (1/13)

L3Harris Completes Phased Array Antenna for Space Force (Source: Space News)
L3Harris said Tuesday it completed development of an electronic phased array ground antenna for the U.S. Space Force. The prototype "multi-band multi-mission" antenna is one three developed under a Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) 2019 contract for use at ground stations. The antenna was integrated with the Space Force's Satellite Control Network to demonstrate multiple simultaneous satellite contacts. Atlas Space Operations and Lockheed Martin also received DIU contracts for similar prototype antennas. (1/13)

Russia Could Fine SpaceX Starlink Users (Source: Ars Technica)
Attempting to use SpaceX's Starlink system in Russia could cost you. A law being considered by the Duma would fine individuals from $135 to $405 if they were caught using Western satellite communications systems. Russian law requires internet service providers to route their traffic through Russian entities so they can be monitored. It's unclear if Starlink or other satellite broadband companies are currently seeking landing rights in Russia. (1/13)

Astronomers Use Pulsars to Detect Gravitational Waves (Source: Sky & Telescope)
Astronomers are using pulsars to help detect gravitational waves. At a conference this week, astronomers said they have created a "galaxy-size detector" of gravitational waves by closely monitoring the timing of a set of pulsars scattered across the Milky Way. Those observations have revealed a low-frequency signal that astronomers believe is a background of gravitational waves created by mergers of supermassive black holes. They said more data analysis is needed, though, to confirm the signal they're seeing is from gravitational waves. (1/13)