July 4, 2023

Building A Framework for Public Space Education (Source: Newsweek)
In his 1962 speech about going to the Moon, President John F. Kennedy referenced the explorer's ethos, calling the mission "one of the great adventures of all time." Yet during a period of conflict with the Soviet Union, Kennedy offered a more sober, pragmatic reason to go to space. "For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace," Kennedy said.

Exploration is the romantic's purpose for space exploration, but it's hardly the only driver. Kennedy's U.S. had conflict. In the 60 years since, we have turned space exploration into a technological godsend, an economic powerhouse, and an environmental catalyst. Soon, space could deliver us from extinction. A framework for public space education should prioritize the economic, environmental, and social benefits of space exploration. It should teach and train the next generation of astronauts, scientists, and engineers who will teach and train the generation that might leave the planet for good. Click here. (6/30)

The Apocalypse Barely Missed Us 115 Years Ago, But It Could Happen Any Moment (Source: Forbes)
It’s Asteroid Day, which is one of the rare days on the calendar meant to serve largely as a warning. On June 30, 1908—115 years ago—there was a remarkable boom, bright lights in the sky and in an instant, an area the size of today’s Tokyo (or more than double the area of New York City) was leveled. Fortunately, the area was in remote Siberia above the Tunguska River, and nearly all of the damage was done to trees.

So on this Asteroid Day, it’s worth taking a minute to consider the things that are out of our control, that threaten our existence and which can’t be solved by free markets. The phrase of art is planetary protection, and it requires more science, telescopes and engineers. NASA’s recent DART mission to redirect an asteroid was a key step to making us all safer, and others like NEO Surveyor will continue the process. (6/30)

Giant Gravitational Waves: Why Scientists Are So Excited (Source: Nature.com)
On 29 June, four separate teams of scientists made an announcement1–4 that promises to shake up astrophysics: they had seen strong hints of very long gravitational waves warping the Galaxy. Gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of space-time that are generated when large masses accelerate. They were first detected in 2015, but the latest evidence hints at ‘monster’ ripples with wavelengths of 0.3 parsecs (1 light year) or more; the waves detected until now have wavelengths of tens to hundreds of kilometers.

The most likely explanation for the stochastic background seen by PTAs is that it is produced by many pairs of supermassive black holes orbiting each other in the hearts of distant galaxies, says Sarah Burke-Spolaor, an astrophysicist at West Virginia University in Morgantown. Most galaxies are thought to harbour one such monster black hole, with a mass millions or billions of times that of the Sun. And astronomers know that throughout the Universe’s history, many galaxies have merged. So, some galaxies must have ended up with two supermassive black holes, known as a black-hole binary. (6/30)

SPACEPORT Act Introduced in Senate, Would Fund Spaceport Projects (Source: Journal of Space Commerce)
A bipartisan group of US Senators has introduced the SPACEPORT Act to encourage the development of commercial spaceports through the modernization of the FAA’s Space Transportation Infrastructure Matching (STIM) grant program. The legislation was introduced by Senators John Hickenlooper (D-CO), John Cornyn (R-TX), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Roger Wicker (R-MS). [Florida's US senators were not sponsors.]

The SPACEPORT (Spaceport Project Opportunities for Resilient Transportation) act would reauthorize and update the STIM program to reflect the growing demand for civil, commercial, and national security launches. The legislation would also refine the funding mechanisms to support new spaceport construction projects and infrastructure updates to operational spaceports across the country. Click here. (6/30)

Scientists Intrigued by "Gravity Hole" at Bottom of Ocean (Source: Futurism)
Deep below the Indian Ocean, there's a giant "gravity hole" over one million square miles in size, a depression in the Earth's crust that has puzzled scientists for decades. While it's technically not a conventional hole, geophysicists have used the term to denote a concentrated area where the effects of Earth's gravity are far lower than average. And now, scientists may have figured out how this mysterious depression came to be — a fascinating peek into our planet's ancient and sometimes counterintuitive geological evolution.

Since our planet is far from a perfect sphere — its poles are flat, while there are bulges lining its equator — the gravitational pull varies depending on location. Scientists have mapped these effects to create the Earth's "geoid," as Scientific American explains, a potato-shaped map that visually exaggerates these gravitational dips and valleys. One dip in particular, dubbed the Indian Ocean geoid low (IOGL), has caught the attention of researchers ever since its first discovery back in 1948.

Fascinatingly, geologists believe this blob was formed by the remnants of the seafloor of an ancient ocean called the Tethys Ocean that sat between two supercontinents called Laurasia and Gondwana, more than 200 million years ago. Later, the Indian Ocean was created roughly 120 million years ago as Gondwana moved north into this ancient ocean. (7/1)

Prometheus Ignites: Future of Space Travel With Reusable Rockets (Source: SciTech Daily)
Progressing with the development of reusable European rockets, ArianeGroup successfully tested Prometheus, a 100-tonne thrust class engine that uses liquid oxygen-liquid methane fuel and 3D printing for cost-effective, clean, and reusable operations. Mounted on a prototype reusable rocket stage, Themis, the engine is set for further tests to assess flight and landing capabilities and is expected to be a central element in future European launchers. (6/30)

A Surprise Chemical Find by ALMA May Help Detect and Confirm Protoplanets (Source: Space Daily)
Scientists using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) to study the protoplanetary disk around a young star have discovered the most compelling chemical evidence to date of the formation of protoplanets. The discovery will provide astronomers with an alternate method for detecting and characterizing protoplanets when direct observations or imaging are not possible.

HD 169142 is a young star located in the constellation Sagittarius that is of significant interest to astronomers due to the presence of its large, dust- and gas-rich circumstellar disk that is viewed nearly face-on. Several protoplanet candidates have been identified over the last decade, and earlier this year, scientists at the University of Liege and Monash University confirmed that one such candidate- HD 169142 b- is, in fact, a giant Jupiter-like protoplanet. (6/30)

Here's What NASA Pays to be Locked in a Mars Simulator for a Year (Source: Futurism)
Four individuals have agreed to be sequestered inside a 1,700-square-foot simulated Mars habitat at NASA's Johnson Space Center to study what it would be like to live on the Red Planet and how humans can learn to cope in that extreme environment. During their 378-day stay, which officially kicked off earlier this week, they'll have a surprisingly busy schedule, including a strict exercise regimen as well as a lengthy list of duties, from performing simulated spacewalks to growing crops.

In other words, it's a demanding job that's bound to be tough on the crew of four. But they're not losing just over a year of their lives without being compensated. NASA is paying each participant $10 per hour for all waking hours, the Houston Chronicle reports, which adds up to just over $60,000 for the entire 378-day mission. (7/1)

Why Virgin Galactic Is Spending $700 Million On New Spaceships (Source: Motley Fool)
Of course, it still remains to be seen if Virgin Galactic (or Blue Origin for that matter) can turn a profit from this new type of tourism business. Virgin Galactic is currently only able to carry at most six passengers per space tourism flight. At a ticket cost of no more than $250,000, and a flight cadence of no more than once per month (Virgin says it will hit this cadence in August, by the way), that works out to only about $1.5 million per month in revenue for Virgin Galactic.

That's not a lot of revenue to support a company that is currently carrying operating costs of about $500 million a year, $125 million a quarter, or more than $40 million a month. In order to offset the high costs of building a space tourism business, Virgin Galactic simply must accelerate the number of flights it can conduct every month, quarter, and year. For that, Virgin Galactic is going to need a lot more spaceplanes. And building each of those new spaceplanes, says Virgin Galactic, is going to cost $50 million to $60 million. (7/1)