April 9, 2023

NASA's Artemis 2 Commander Reid Wiseman Isn't Perfect (Source: Mashable)
The stereotype of an astronaut is apple pie and American exceptionalism — a perfect and fearless adventurer, neatly encapsulated in a bubble helmet. That's not Reid Wiseman. He is not some perfect Buzz Lightyear clone. He didn't make straight-As, he's occasionally late, and, yes, the idea of dying in space scares him. There's a refreshing realness to Wiseman. Click here. (4/8)

New Mission Will Search for Lfe in the Alpha Centauri System (Source: Meson Stars)
Using the method of astrometry, monitoring the apparent position of a star in the sky for signs of wobble, indicating that gravitational forces (such as planets) are acting on it, the University of Sydney sets out to find exoplanets with life in the Alpha Centauri system. For that, they will use the Telescope for the Locus Orbit Interferometric Monitoring of our Astronomical Neighborhood (TOLIMAN, for the old name of the star in Arabic) and also a contract was signed with EnduroSat, a leading provider of microsatellites and space services, to provide the delivery system and the custom mini-satellite that will support the mission when it launches. (4/8)

Liquid Nitrogen Spray Found to Remove Moon Dust From Space Suits (Source: Space.com)
Lunar dust has proved to be a messy problem for astronauts, coating their spacesuits in a powdery film that's difficult to clean off and can be unhealthy if inhaled. However, scientists have come up with a novel solution that could ultimately leave this problem in, well, the dust. For their experiment, researchers at Washington State University (WSU) dressed Barbies in makeshift spacesuits constructed of materials similar to what NASA uses. Then, the team blasted the dolls with liquid nitrogen to test how well the cryogenic fluid could remove moon dust — or, in this case, volcanic ash collected from the 1980 eruption of nearby Mount Saint Helens, which is similar in consistency to lunar dust — from the gear.

They found that spraying the spacesuit-clad dolls with liquid nitrogen not only removed more than 98% of the moon dust substitute but also caused little to no damage to the Kevlar-like suit material. This proved to be a better solution than older methods; Apollo program astronauts would use brushes to swipe the highly abrasive material from their suits post-moonwalk, which would ultimately degrade the material, according to the team's new study. (4/9)

High Risk, High Reward: Startups are Still Keen to Mine Space Rocks (Source: NBC)
Matt Gialich is the co-founder of a startup called AstroForge, which aims to mine platinum from asteroids, process the materials in space and then sell the refined commodities back on Earth. It’s a venture that has the potential to be wildly lucrative, but it’s also one that for decades has seen its share of attempts and failures — remaining a tantalizing but elusive prospect for innovators and investors alike. AstroForge wants to change that.

The company is slated to launch its first test mission Tuesday to demonstrate key technologies that could finally turn asteroid mining into a reality. Later this year, the startup has a second test flight planned to study a space rock up close that could become a prime target for a real mining mission. The potential payoff is a big reason why the dream of asteroid mining has persisted for decades. Platinum is valued at more than $32,000 per kilogram (almost $15,000 per pound). Asteroids are also thought to contain other precious and rare earth metals that are essential for producing many consumer electronics. (4/9)

How New Zealand Can Benefit From the Artemis II Moon Mission (Source: RNZ)
Kate Breach describes NASA's latest push as a new global era in space exploration. "What we're seeing is that more nations across the globe are actually investigating and developing programmes to both go to the moon but also to expand exploration of our solar system, whether it's to Mars, to asteroids, there are missions going to Venus," she says. And the technologies developed may also be beneficial for us back on Earth - particularly in remote areas.

"It could be different ways to have medical treatments for people who are remote, which might help in say Antarctica or maybe some remote Pacific islands and different technologies that can be really resilient can really help us back on Earth, in some really hostile environments, or in helping to recover from disasters and things like that," Breach says. (4/9)