March 22, 2021

Bernie Sanders Tells Elon Musk to 'Focus on Earth' and Pay More Tax Rather Than Spend his Wealth on Space Travel (Source: Business Insider)
Sen. Bernie Sanders responded to Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s claim that he needs his vast wealth to fund interplanetary travel by saying that “we need to focus on Earth” and raise taxes on higher earners to tackle “obscene” inequality in the US. After Sanders criticized his wealth last week, Musk, one of the wealthiest people in the world, said he would use his fortune to fund space exploration.

“I am accumulating resources to help make life multiplanetary & extend the light of consciousness to the stars,” Musk tweeted on Sunday. Sanders responded: “Space travel is an exciting idea, but right now we need to focus on Earth and create a progressive tax system so that children don’t go hungry, people are not homeless and all Americans have healthcare.” He added that “the level of inequality in America is obscene and a threat to our democracy.” (3/22)

SpaceX Engineer Pleads Guilty to DOJ Charges of Insider Trading (Source: CNBC)
A SpaceX engineer pleaded guilty to a Department of Justice charge of insider trading, the agency announced on Thursday. James Roland Jones, also known as “MillionaireMike,” used information obtained on the dark web to trade public securities with non-public information, the DOJ said. The SEC simultaneously charged Jones with “perpetrating a fraudulent scheme to sell what he called ‘insider tips.’” The case doesn’t appear to be related to info about or regarding SpaceX. (3/18)

India, France Working on Third Joint Space Mission (Source: Indian Defence News)
India and France are working on their third joint satellite mission, even as the bilateral space collaboration is entering into multiple domains, including human spaceflight programme, ISRO Chairman K. Sivan said. Mr. Sivan, also Secretary in the Department of Space, said many French companies are keen to tap into opportunities thrown up by recent reforms injected into the space sector by the Government. ISRO and French space agency CNES have undertaken two joint missions 'Megha-Tropiques', which was launched in 2011, and 'Saral-Altika' in 2013.

"Currently, we are working for the third one (mission)", Mr. Sivan said. Officials said ISRO and CNES have completed the feasibility study to realise the earth observation satellite mission with thermal infrared imager, TRISHNA (Thermal infraRed Imaging Satellite for High resolution Natural resource Assessment) and are working towards finalising an implementing arrangement for the joint development. (3/21)

NASA Joins White House National Climate Task Force (Source: NASA)
As a leading agency observing and understanding environmental changes to Earth, NASA has joined the National Climate Task Force. President Joe Biden issued an executive order Jan. 27, which initially outlined details of the task force. The administration’s climate agenda outlines putting climate at the center of the country’s foreign policy and national security and encourages a governmentwide approach to climate change. (3/20)

What if Planet Nine is a Baby Black Hole? (Source: Live Science)
Some astronomers believe there is a massive planet, far beyond the orbit of Neptune, orbiting the sun — but after years of searching, scientists have not found this theoretical world, which they've dubbed "Planet Nine." This has spurred theorists to consider a radical hypothesis: Perhaps Planet Nine is not a planet but rather a small black hole that might be detectable from the theoretical radiation emitted from its edge, so-called Hawking radiation.

Small black holes (and "small," here means planet-size) are very interesting to astronomers. All black holes we know of in the universe come from the deaths of massive stars. And because only the most massive stars (no smaller than, say, 10 solar masses) are big enough to form a black hole, they can only leave behind black holes with a minimum mass of around 5 times that of the sun. (3/15)

Hubble Shows Us the Future: A Galactic Collision (Source: SciTech Daily)
Sometime in the far distant future, about 4 billion years from now, our Milky Way galaxy will collide with the neighboring Andromeda galaxy, as illustrated in this artist’s rendition. The universe is expanding and accelerating, and collisions between galaxies in close proximity to each other still happen because they are bound by the gravity of the dark matter surrounding them. The Hubble Space Telescope’s deep views of the universe show such encounters between galaxies were more common in the past when the universe was smaller.

A century ago astronomers did not realize that M31 (also known as Messier 31 or the Andromeda Galaxy) was a separate galaxy far beyond the stars of the Milky Way. Edwin Hubble measured its vast distance by uncovering a variable star that served as a “milepost marker.” Hubble went on to discover the expanding universe where galaxies are rushing away from us, but it has long been known that M31 is moving toward the Milky Way at about 250,000 miles per hour. That is fast enough to travel from here to the moon in one hour. (3/18)

Scientists Determine the Origin of Extra-Solar Object 'Oumuamua' (Source: Phys.org)
In 2017, the first interstellar object from beyond our solar system was discovered via the Pan-STARRS astronomical observatory in Hawaii. It was named 'Oumuamua, meaning "scout" or "messenger" in Hawaiian. The object was like a comet, but with features that were just odd enough to defy classification. Two Arizona State University astrophysicists, Steven Desch and Alan Jackson of the School of Earth and Space Exploration, set out to explain the odd features of 'Oumuamua and have determined that it is likely a piece of a Pluto-like planet from another solar system.

From observations of the object, Desch and Jackson determined several characteristics of the object that differed from what would be expected from a comet. In terms of speed, the object entered the solar system at a velocity a bit lower than would be expected, indicating that it had not been traveling in interstellar space for more than a billion years or so. In terms of size, its pancake shape was also more flattened than any other known solar system object.

They also observed that while the object acquired a slight push away from the sun (a "rocket effect" common in comets as sunlight vaporizes the ices they are made of), the push was stronger than could be accounted for. Finally, the object lacked a detectable escaping gas, which is usually depicted visibly by a comet's tail. In all, the object was very much like a comet, but unlike any comet that had ever been observed in the solar system. (3/17)

Largest Asteroid of 2021 to Make Closest Approach to Earth (Source: Al Jazeera)
The largest asteroid to sweep past Earth this year will make its closest approach on Sunday. But scientists have told people not to panic as it poses no threat to the planet. The giant space rock that researchers call 2001 FO32 has a diameter of several hundred metres and will approach Earth at a distance of about two million kilometers, US space agency NASA said. That distance is more than five times as far as the Earth to the moon. (3/20)

Musk and Amazon Are Battling to Put Satellite Internet in Your Backyard (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Cybersecurity specialist Luke McOmie lives entirely off-grid on the side of a mountain in Colorado, where there’s no cell service or landline broadband internet. Yet he recently gave a talk at a convention hosted in Japan on the lethality of drones. He was live via satellite—his own personal satellite internet connection, that is. With a constellation of hundreds of satellites, and speeds comparable to U.S. broadband, the Starlink service lets Mr. McOmie do his job despite being in the middle of nowhere.

It’s not clear what kind of speeds Starlink will offer to millions of people, versus the more than 10,000 now testing in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. Depending on how many people SpaceX signs up, future users could have internet speeds that are only a fraction of what’s available during this demo period. And even if Starlink and its soon-to-deploy competitors work as advertised, there are many other potential challenges to their viability, let alone profitability. They include the headaches of shared wireless spectrum, and the threat of space debris.

But with at least three other serious, deep-pocketed contenders in the internet-from-space race—including Amazon , OneWeb and longtime operator Telesat—getting fast, reliable internet service from any place on earth with a clear view of the sky could soon seem no more miraculous than a cell signal. It also might not be much more expensive: Current pricing for Starlink is $499 upfront and $99 a month for service. (3/20)

Luxury Hotel on Florida's Space Coast Hopes to Host Ritzy Launch Parties (Source: Fox35 Orlando)
he first luxury hotel is coming to Brevard County, and with it, excitement, jobs, and potentially a $425 million economic boost. Cocoa Beach's Mayor Ben Malik said the Westin Hotel will be a four-to-five-star resort that will cost about $300 million and include the county's largest convention center. "This is going to be where the launch parties are for SpaceX and Blue Origin. This is going to be a premier event space for companies to host and showcase the region. Not only for our visitors but also for our residents," Malik said. (3/20)

Excitement Builds for Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser' Hotel in Orlando (Source: Fox35 Orlando)
During Tuesday's Disney shareholder meeting, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bob Chapek spoke about the upcoming 'Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser' hotel. "I am especially excited about the upcoming, new Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser hotel. It is truly unlike anything, anyone has done before," he said. Walt Disney World previously said that the hotel will open in 2021 but an official opening date has not been announced yet. They said that the resort will offer a two-night itinerary where all guests arrive and depart together, similar to a cruise ship. (3/10)

Upcoming Launch of $8.8 Billion Telescope Places Women’s Leading Roles in Center Focus (Source: Washington Post)
The study of exoplanets exploded after the Kepler Space Telescope launched in 2009 to detect the worlds that belong to other stars. Since then, the Kepler has found thousands of exoplanets that will be observed by the Webb — an achievement in a field with many of its leaders now being women.

“By being able to show that these teams of women are learning to work together and are finding that they can move much more quickly and be much more effective, they are changing the world by banding together and shifting an entire paradigm of how science is done and thought about,” Kahn said.

The film features women from all parts of astronomy, from an engineer on the Webb to the leaders of the Kepler. Among that group is Jill Tarter, chair emeritus of the SETI Institute and a legend among those dedicated to searching for extraterrestrial civilizations. At one point in the documentary, Tarter, who was the inspiration for Jodie Foster’s character in the 1997 film “Contact,” is asked by Kahn whether she thinks life exists and if it will be discovered. (3/20)

Garbage Pallet Jettisoned From Space Station will Stay in Orbit Two-to-Four Years (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
NASA ground controllers sent commands to the International Space Station on Thursday for release of a 2.9-ton cargo pallet loaded with old batteries, the most massive object ever jettisoned from the orbiting outpost. The garbage carrier is expected to remain in orbit for two-to-four years before re-entering the atmosphere. The external pallet was left behind on the space station by Japan’s ninth and final HTV supply ship, which delivered the battery carrier to the research lab last May with six lithium-ion batteries. Astronauts connected the six new higher-performing batteries on the space station’s solar power truss last year. (3/12)

Swamp Watch: GAO to Review Decision to Move Space Command to Alabama (Source: The Hill)
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) is opening a review into the Trump administration’s decision to move U.S. Space Command headquarters from Colorado Springs to Alabama. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), who had asked the GAO to open a probe, said in a press release that the agency had informed him of the upcoming review.

"I am very pleased that the Government Accountability Office is conducting an investigation of the methodology behind the headquarters selection process for U.S. Space Command," Lamborn said. "I believe the process the Department of the Air Force used was fundamentally flawed," he said. "It is crucial we thoroughly review their entire process to ensure that the decision was both sound and rooted in our national security interests."

Lamborn added, “This kind of review is precisely what GAO excels at, and I am confident they will investigate in a transparent, nonpartisan, and unbiased manner. I will continue working to ensure that USSPACECOM is headquartered at a location which strengthens and does not disrupt our national security space enterprise.” (3/19)

Biden’s Pick of Bill Nelson to Head NASA: A Missed Opportunity (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Bill Nelson was a fine congressman and an even better senator, probably the last true statesman to hold office in Florida. He’s a decent man, and he lives right here in Orlando. We’re proud of him and what he’s done. But following President Biden’s nomination of his former Senate colleague to be the next NASA administrator, we have to conclude Nelson was not the best choice. The agency needs an innovator in charge. Someone like Elon Musk, but without the personality defects. (3/19)

Decommissioned NOAA Weather Satellite Breaks Up (Source: Space News)
A polar-orbiting weather satellite decommissioned nearly eight years ago has broken up, adding to the growing debris population in a key orbit. The Space Force’s 18th Space Control Squadron said March 18 it hard confirmed the NOAA-17 satellite broke up March 10. The squadron said it was tracking 16 pieces of debris associated with the satellite, and that there was no evidence the breakup was caused by a collision.

In a statement to SpaceNews March 19, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed that the satellite had broken up, having been notified about the incident by NASA’s Orbital Debris Program Office. “At this time, the debris poses little threat to the International Space Station or to any other critical space assets,” NOAA stated. (3/20)