January 23, 2021

The Future of Spaceflight is Female (Source: Houston Chronicle)
As the director of the Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH), an entity funded by NASA’s Human Research Program, I have a bird’s-eye view of what the big concerns are for the health of humans in space. We are investing in innovative research to meet those challenges to make future missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. We have to think ahead so that we can provide the right technology and expertise at the right time. Part of that strategic thinking is to support diverse crews. We have to understand how different bodies react to space, and one of our findings may surprise you — women may have advantages when it comes to long-term space travel.

In the last seven decades of human spaceflight, we have seen a dramatic transition in the definition of “the Right Stuff” — the ideal recipe of skills and personal qualities that make for a truly exceptional astronaut. Cockiness and bravado — once thought to be indicators of the mental fortitude to succeed as both a fighter pilot and an astronaut — have been replaced with conscientiousness, integrity, kindness, teamwork and grit. We have the luxury of drawing on lessons from the business sector, where it is clear that diverse teams perform better and achieve more — and get along more smoothly in the process.

If the keys to success are communication and teamwork, who better to send than a woman? We can find abundant evidence in medicine for the better performance of teams that include women leaders. A 2017 retrospective study in the British Medical Journal mapped patient outcomes among thousands of surgeons in the first 30 days following a surgical procedure, uncovering a jaw-dropping 4 percent decrease in mortality if the surgeon was, simply, female. A similar study published the same year in the Journal of the American Medical Association found both mortality and readmission rates to be lower among patients whose doctors were women. (1/23)

Here's What Biden Should Prioritize at NASA (Source: Gizmodo)
Despite the ongoing pandemic, there’s much to be excited about in space this year. NASA’s Perseverance rover is less than a month away from landing on Mars; the James Webb Space Telescope is scheduled to launch on Halloween; and the Space Launch System—NASA’s most powerful rocket ever—could see its inaugural launch later this year. And of course, there’s the Artemis program, which is supposed to deliver a woman and man to the lunar surface in just three years.

We will learn much in the coming weeks and months about President Biden’s NASA policy and what his administration believes is the best path forward for the American space program. In the meantime, we reached out to space experts, asking a very simple question: What should be Biden’s NASA priorities? Click here. (1/22)

NASA in Alabama: No Decision Yet on Artemis Test Fire (Source: AL.com)
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center is “still looking at data to see if we have enough to go forward” from this month’s prematurely shut down test fire of its Space Launch System four engines, the center director said Friday. The engines were fired Jan. 16 “for the first time ever in this configuration,” Singer told a meeting of Downtown Huntsville, Inc..

The test ran “about 67 seconds” instead of the planned eight minutes. “I’ll admit we wanted it to go to the full duration,” Singer said. But she emphasized this was “not just test hardware but flight hardware, so we had to do tender loving care with it.” All parts of SLS except the core stage have been delivered to Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a planned launch at the end of this year. “We’re still looking to see if we have enough to go forward,” Singer said. “We have a plan that says we either continue to another green run or we go straight to the Cape.” (1/23)

The Wondrous Life—and Dramatic Death—of Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory (Source: Science)
If a telescope’s 900-ton platform falls in a forest, it most definitely makes a sound. On 1 December 2020, a monumental collapse at Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory unleashed a monstrous roar across the tree-covered karst landscape. In the rubble lay key components of a telescope that had delivered some of the most important scientific discoveries of the past half-century: indirect evidence of gravitational waves, a map of the surface of Venus, and detection of the first exoplanets.

But Arecibo was more than just a scientific powerhouse. It was also a cultural icon. The telescope’s singular appearance led to cameos in movies, including Contact and GoldenEye. This video is a virtual tour of the technological advances that led to the telescope’s profound achievements—and a visual timeline of the momentous events that made up its life and death. Click here. (1/22)

How the Famed Arecibo Telescope Fell—and How it Might Rise Again (Source: Science)
Along with the grief have come sharper questions. After surviving numerous earthquakes and hurricanes, why did this scientific crown jewel collapse so unceremoniously on a calm winter morning? Some engineers and astronomers think manufacturing flaws or poor maintenance in a tropical, corrosive environment doomed the suspension cables. Others place blame at the feet of NSF’s astronomy division, which for more than a decade tried to offload Arecibo so it could divert funds to operating newer telescopes.

Meanwhile, astronomers are looking to the future. “First we mourned, then we had a wake, then we got down to work,” says Joanna Rankin, an astronomer at the University of Vermont. Together with Arecibo staff, researchers last month delivered a white paper to NSF describing plans for a new $400 million telescope on the same site. Although any rebuilding effort faces major political and financial hurdles, the proposal aims for an instrument with even more dazzling capabilities than the one that was lost. “There’s been a remarkable amount of commitment and energy,” Rankin says. Click here. (1/14)

Arecibo Replacement Could Support Space Situational Awareness (Source: Space News)
A proposal to replace the giant radio telescope at Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico with a new facility suggests it could be used for tracking space objects as well as for scientific research. Plans for a potential replacement of the 305-meter radio telescope at Arecibo, whose observing platform collapsed Dec. 1, are still in their early phases. One proposal, developed by observatory staff and submitted to the National Science Foundation in a recent white paper, calls for replacing the giant dish with an array of up to 1,000 small dishes, each nine meters across, on a platform spanning the current dish.

The concept in the white paper would double the sensitivity of the single-dish radio telescope and increase sky coverage by 250% compared to the fixed dish, as well as incorporate a new radar system. “From our perspective as the operator, we feel that the 305-meter was really an invaluable tool,” he said. “But, any future visions of the site really need to be centered around the development of a next-generation instrument.”

That new concept, Cordova said, could serve applications beyond astronomy and planetary science. One of the potential applications he listed on a slide in his presentation was space situational awareness (SSA). (1/22)

SpaceX Plans to Drill for Natural Gas Near Texas Launchpad (Source: Bloomberg)
Elon Musk recently moved to Texas, where he launches some of his rockets and is building a battery factory. Now, for good measure, he plans to drill for natural gas in the state. The billionaire’s SpaceX intends to drill wells close to the company’s Boca Chica launchpad, it was revealed during a Friday hearing before the Railroad Commission of Texas, the state’s energy regulator.

Production has yet to start because of a legal dispute between the SpaceX subsidiary Lone Star Mineral Development and another energy company. Tim George, an attorney representing Lone Star, said at the hearing that SpaceX plans to use the methane it extracts from the ground “in connection with their rocket facility operations.”

While it’s unclear what exactly the gas would be used for, SpaceX plans to utilize super-chilled liquid methane and liquid oxygen as fuel for its Raptor engines. The company’s Starship and Super Heavy vehicles are tested at Boca Chica, and orbital launches are planned for the site. George declined to answer further questions and hung up when called for comment. SpaceX didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. (1/22)

French Startup Demonstrates Iodine Propulsion in Potential Boost for Space Debris Mitigation Efforts (Source: Space News)
French startup ThrustMe has performed the first on-orbit tests of an innovative iodine-fueled electric propulsion system, proving its ability to change a CubeSat’s orbit. ThrustMe’s NPT30-I2-1U, the first iodine electric propulsion system sent into space, is aboard the Beihangkongshi-1, a 12U CubeSat developed by Chinese commercial satellite maker Spacety. (1/22)

M&A in Aerospace Shows Colorado Companies at the Fore of a Changing Industry (Source: Denver Business Journal)
The deals have been coming quickly in the space industry in recent months. At least eight Colorado businesses involved in acquisitions — from the area’s biggest space company, Lockheed Martin, to a payload adapter with a local office — are part of a wave of consolidation reflecting a changing industry. Colorado’s space players are at the heart of a maturing space startup economy poised to play a role in NASA’s return to the moon, the U.S. military’s adoption of new technologies and transformational private-sector use of space.

And some are at the leading edge of a trend in which deals create entrepreneurial, mid-sized space businesses that have resources the startups never had on their own. Denver-based Voyager Space Holdings formed in late 2019 to consolidate promising players. It has acquired ownership or major interests in four companies, and it’s eyeing an IPO this year. A similar new company, Redwire, formed last June by buying Littleton-based Deep Space Systems and combining it with a Massachusetts space startup. Redwire, based in Florida, has since closed five more deals acquiring complementary space businesses, including three more with Colorado ties. (1/21)

Economics In Space (Source: NPR)
One of the most common definitions of economics is the study of the allocation of limited resources: how we use what we have, what we value, and why. There have been plenty of studies done on how economics works on earth. But what about in space? We talk to NASA astronaut Doug "Wheels" Wheelock, who explains how the principles of economics guided trades of goods and services on the International Space Station. He also describes how his experiences changed how he values things often taken for granted on Earth, like birds, wind, and the rain. Click here. (1/21)

SpaceX is About to Crush the Record For Most Satellites Launched on One Rocket (Source: Teslarati)
While delayed from Friday to Saturday, SpaceX’s next Falcon 9 launch still appears to be on track to obliterate the world’s current record for most satellites launched on a single rocket. Currently set at 104 satellites by an Indian PSLV rocket launch in 2017, all signs point to SpaceX beating that record by almost 50% on its very first dedicated Smallsat Rideshare Program launch. 133 satellites will be launched as early as Saturday at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport.

Kicked off in 2019, not long after SpaceX completed its first dedicated rideshare launch for company Spaceflight Industries in December 2018, the Smallsat Program aimed to offer exceptionally affordable prices to companies and institutions open to rideshare arrangements. While primarily centered around more frequent but mass and volume-limited Starlink tag-a-longs, three of which SpaceX has already completed, executives also promised regular bus-like Falcon 9 launches entirely dedicated to rideshare payloads. (1/22)

Nanosatellite Thruster Emits Pure Ions (Source: Space Daily)
A 3D-printed thruster that emits a stream of pure ions could be a low-cost, extremely efficient propulsion source for miniature satellites. The nanosatellite thruster created by MIT researchers is the first of its kind to be entirely additively manufactured, using a combination of 3D printing and hydrothermal growth of zinc oxide nanowires. It is also the first thruster of this type to produce pure ions from the ionic liquids used to generate propulsion.

The pure ions make the thruster more efficient than similar state-of-the-art devices, giving it more thrust per unit flow of propellant, says Luis Fernando Velasquez-Garcia, principal research scientist at MIT's Microsystems Technology Laboratories (MTL). The thrust provided by the device, which is about the size of a dime, is minuscule. The force can be measured on the scale of a few tens of micronewtons, a thrust about equal to half the weight of one of the sesame seeds in a hamburger bun. But in the frictionless environment of orbit, a CubeSat or similarly small satellite could use these tiny thrusts to accelerate or maneuver with fine control. (1/22)

Artemis Future Not Assured (Source: Politico)
President Joe Biden has not explicitly stated whether he supports the moon mission. He’s widely expected to focus NASA more on climate change research but space experts have pointed out that scientific research and exploration don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Still, his silence on the subject is making some think he won’t be as gung ho about the moon as his predecessor. And virtually all agree the 2024 timeline set by Trump is impossible.

Even if Biden is all in, Congress is skeptical. Lawmakers in both parties enthusiastically support the idea of returning to the moon, but not on the timeline dictated by Trump. The spending bills passed in December also drastically underfunded programs like the human landing system, which will be required to shuttle astronauts to the moon’s surface. Instead of the $3.3 billion requested by the administration, lawmakers approved just $1 billion for the lander in fiscal 2021. (1/22)

Biden Poised to Build Upon Trump's Treasured Space Force (Source: Washington Times)
Some 2,200 members of the Air Force Space Command formally shifted to the new command last year, and another 3,600 plan to transfer this year. The Space Force will have 6,000 uniformed military personnel and 8,000 civilian employees. “I don’t think the Space Force is in any danger of going away, but I don’t think it will be politically favored the way it was under Trump,” David Burbach, associate professor of national security affairs at the U.S. Naval War College, told the publication.

Military analysts note that China, India and Russia are rapidly expanding their own ambitions in space. Russia has even created a space force within its traditional air forces. Also helping the Space Force’s cause is that the idea of a separate military service focused exclusively on space had bipartisan backing before Mr. Trump took up the campaign.

The idea had been kicked around for years in Washington and most recently championed on Capitol Hill by Rep. Jim Cooper, Tennessee Democrat, and Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican who is no longer in Congress. “This is not a Trump idea. He tried to hijack it long after the House Armed Services Committee voted 60-1 to establish a Space Corps,” Mr. Cooper said. “Trump’s blatant support of a Space Force does not make it a Republican idea.” (1/21)

Space Florida: Few Changes to Space Program Expected Under Biden (Source: News13)
How will space policy look under a Biden administration, and what could it mean for the Space Coast? "I'm sure the Biden administration will put their own fingerprints on it," said Space Florida's Dale Ketcham. President Biden's fingerprints will not only be on the U.S. space program, but also the skyrocketing commercial space ventures led by Space X, United Launch Alliance and soon, Blue Origin.

President Trump's policies benefited America's quest for space more than any leader in recent memory. NASA received more funding to develop the Artemis program and the efforts to go back to the moon after nearly 50 years. paving the way for future missions to Mars and beyond. "I don't anticipate any changes in going to the moon, I don't see anything significant in moving forward with the SLS and Orion Program," Ketcham said. "And certainly no changes on commercial crew program because that was an Obama/Biden initiative."

That could mean even more Space Coast jobs to meet launch operations demand. Will the newly-created Space Force survive? Ketcham expects it to, despite some initial Democratic criticism to the idea. "There will be some efforts from the progressive wing of the Democratic Party to roll that back, this administration's not going to do that," he explained. "That horse has left the barn, it's in place, they're going to stick with it." (1/21)

UCF Satellite Launches Successfully into Space from Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne Rocket (Source: UCF)
University of Central Florida planetary science continues its ascent as a leader in space research with another high-profile flight, this time aboard Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne, which was blasted into orbit Sunday from the company’s 747 carrier aircraft, Cosmic Girl. The launch took place at 10:50 a.m. at the Mojave Air and Space Port in California. The research sent into space is a small satellite called Q-PACE, or CubeSat Particle Aggregation and Collision Experiment. It was launched along with eight other CubeSat missions, all selected by NASA.

Q-PACE is a rectangular satellite about a foot long with a width and height of about four inches. A test chamber inside contains particles of various sizes, shapes and compositions, including a collection of small pieces of meteorites known as chondrules. When in orbit, the test chamber will be shaken at different speeds and directions to cause the particles to collide. Different particles will be introduced over several phases, starting with large spherical particles and ending with aggregates of small dust particles and chondrules. These collisions will be recorded with a high-speed camera, and the recordings will be transmitted to ground stations at UCF and the University of Arkansas for analysis. (1/19)

Questions on Arms Sales, Funding Bring 2nd Israeli Astronaut Back Down to Earth (Source: Times of Israel)
By all accounts, Eytan Stibbe was a remarkable fighter pilot. He entered the air force in 1976 where he flew Skyhawk, Phantom and F-16 jets. During the First Lebanon War, he distinguished himself as the only F-16 pilot in the history of the Israeli air force who shot down four enemy planes in a single sortie. His commander was Ilan Ramon. In 1985, Stibbe and fellow former fighter pilots Ami Lustig and Roy Ben Yami founded LR Group.

A series of media clips over the years suggest that LR Group’s involvement in weapons sales may have been significant. In October 1997, a Romanian newspaper reported that  Bucharest had sold 40 tons of AKM assault rifles to Rwanda, using LR Group as an intermediary. The newspaper reportedly published customs documents showing that the rifles were sent via Yemen. Click here. (1/21)