February 27, 2024

Dead ‘Cannibal’ Star Spotted with Metal Scar After Consuming Part of a Planet (Source: CNN)
Astronomers have spotted an unusual sign that a dead star feasted on a fragment of a planet orbiting it: a metal scar on the star’s surface. The revelation sheds light on the dynamic nature of planetary systems even in the end stages of a star’s life cycle — and could foretell the eventual fate of our own solar system, according to the scientists. The observation revealed a metallic feature on the star’s surface that the researchers determined was related to a change detected in the star’s magnetic field. (2/26)

Three New Moons Found for Uranus and Neptune (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers have discovered three new moons orbiting Uranus and Neptune. Observations by telescopes in Chile and Hawaii found two moons orbiting Neptune and one orbiting Uranus. One Neptunian moon is 23 kilometers across and in a nine-year orbit around the planet while the other is 14 kilometers across and in a 27-year orbit. The Uranian moon is just eight kilometers across and takes nearly two years to orbit the planet. The objects are among the smallest moons spotted by groundbased telescopes and required special processing techniques to discover them, astronomers said. (2/27)

'Quantum Gravity' Could Help Unite Quantum Mechanics with General Relativity (Source: Space.com)
Scientists have determined a way to measure gravity on microscopic levels, perhaps bringing them closer to forming a theory of "quantum gravity" and to solving some major cosmic mysteries. Quantum physics offers scientists the best description of the universe on tiny scales smaller than atoms. Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, on the other hand, brings about the best description of physics on huge, cosmic scales.

Yet, something is frustratingly missing even after 100 years of both theories passing a wealth of experimental verification. As robust and accurate as the two theories developed at the turn of the 20th century have become, they have refuse to unite. One of the primary reasons for this dilemma is that, while three of the universe's four fundamental forces — electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force and the weak nuclear force — have quantum descriptions, there is no quantum theory of the fourth: Gravity. (2/23)

Why is it So Hard for Spacecraft to Successfully Land on the Moon? (Source: EuroNews)
Markus Landgraf, leader of the Moon Future Studies program with the European Space Agency (ESA), said it comes down to a light touch. Rockets leave Earth and travel towards the Moon at a speed of 2 km/second - a speed they maintain once they reach orbit. There are guidance systems on the aircraft that determine the distance between the spacecraft and the surface of the Moon so that the team on Earth can start the eventual descent.

This is important, Landgraf notes, because once you start "burning" the engine of the spacecraft, it means that, for robot-only missions, you’re "committed to land". "The question then becomes … how hard are you going to land?" Landgraf said. "And in order to land softly, how are you going to reduce [that speed?]" To land softly, Landgraf said the spacecraft’s engine has to be running continuously for about 10 minutes to "remove all the velocity that you had to have to stay in orbit".

Then, it becomes a matter of slowing down so the craft can gently touch down on the Moon's surface. Landgraf said everything has to work "just right" for the spacecraft to avoid a fiery demise. "It’s not a magical technology, so it’s not unachievable… you cannot just invent new things and try your best," he said. (2/26)

The Phases of Lunar Lander Success, Revisited (Source: Space Review)
Last week Intuitive Machines became the first company to land a spacecraft on the surface of the Moon, but the spacecraft ended up on its side with limited power and communications. Jeff Foust reports on the landing and in what ways it can be considered a success. Click here. (2/26)
 
Florida High School to Develop Aviation Programs, Build Hangar (Source: WFTX)
Charlotte High School in Punta Gorda, Fla., will introduce an aviation assembly and fabrication program and avionics program next school year to enable students to earn certifications and create a pipeline for the aviation workforce. The school also plans to build a campus hangar to accommodate the programs' classrooms. (2/22)

Fanning Weighs In on AI Regulation for Space Industry (Source: YouTube)
Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO Eric Fanning participated in a recent expert panel organized by the Space Foundation to discuss artificial intelligence in the space domain. "We have to think about how we protect ourselves from this while not inhibiting all the amazing things it can do, but also recognize that it's already taking place. ... AI is everywhere already," he said. (2/24)

Unseenlabs Raises $92 Million for Constellation (Source: Space News)
French maritime tracking startup Unseenlabs has raised 85 million euros ($92 million) to build out its satellite constellation. Unseenlabs announced the round Tuesday with participation by new and existing investors. The company, which has now raised 120 million euros since its founding nine years ago, will use the money to double its maritime surveillance constellation to 25 nanosatellites for tracking vessels in near real-time.

The funds will also enable Unseenlabs to grow its global sales presence, particularly across the U.S. and Asia, and improve the radio-frequency geolocation network's capabilities. The company currently has 11 smallsats in orbit that are able to track vessels based on their radio emissions, allowing them to monitor ships that are not broadcasting Automatic Identification Systems signals. (2/27)

Varda’s Drug-Cooking Winnebago Will Be Remembered as a Space Pioneer (Source: Ars Technica)
Varda Space Industries is finally able to celebrate. For nearly eight months, the in-space manufacturing company's first mission was essentially stranded in low-Earth orbit, but not because of any technical malfunction or a restriction imposed by the laws of physics. Instead, the spacecraft couldn't return to Earth until Varda and three government entities—the US military, the FAA's Office of Commercial Space Transportation, and the FAA's Air Traffic Organization—all got on the same page.

Varda achieved several firsts with this mission. The Utah Test and Training Range (UTTR) has some experience in supporting spacecraft landings, but this was the first time a commercial spacecraft landed at a military test range, adding another layer of regulatory and bureaucratic oversight. In September, NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission deposited a cache of asteroid samples at UTTR.

Varda was the first company to secure a commercial FAA reentry license under streamlined commercial spaceflight regulations known as Part 450. This licensing paradigm is regularly used for commercial launches (there were 117 FAA-licensed launches last year), but this was the first time any company went through this process for a reentry. (2/27)

FAA Closes Starship Investigation, 17 Corrective Actions From November Test Launch (Source: Space News)
The FAA has closed its investigation into the second Starship test flight as SpaceX gears up for the third. The FAA said Monday it accepted SpaceX's finding of 17 corrective actions, 7 for the Super Heavy booster and 10 for the Starship upper stage, that came from the November launch. On that launch, the Super Heavy booster performed as expected through stage separation but suffered a cascading series of engine failures as it descended, causing it to break apart.

The Starship upper stage was destroyed after fires broke out when liquid oxygen leaked while being vented late in its ascent. The FAA noted that SpaceX still needs an updated license before its next launch, although agency officials earlier said that the license modification should be ready ahead the launch SpaceX is planning by mid-March. (2/27)

SpaceX-Labor Fight Pushed Back to Texas by Appeals Court (Source: Bloomberg)
A federal appeals court intervened to reverse the transfer of SpaceX’s lawsuit against the US labor board from Texas to California. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday directed a Texas federal judge to ask for the Los Angeles-based court to send the dispute between the US National Labor Relations Board and Elon Musk’s aerospace company back to Brownsville for further proceedings. The appeals panel said it’s not taking a position yet on which jurisdiction should handle the case. (2/26)

SpaceX Tests New Emergency Escape System to Certify LC-40 for Astronaut Missions (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX is closing in on certifying its launch pad at Space Launch Complex 40 to support astronaut and cargo missions with its second-generation Dragon spacecraft. On Monday, the company performed a test of its new emergency egress system featuring a type of deployable slide. The red slide flew out of a storage container positioned on the crew access tower and deployed along pre-stationed cables that extend to the ground, safely away from where a Falcon 9 rocket would stand. It differs notably from the slide-wire style baskets featured at Launch Complex 39A. (2/27)

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Scheduled to Vote on Land Swap Deal with SpaceX Next Week (Source: San Antonio Express-News)
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission has moved up — by three weeks — its consideration of a proposed land swap with SpaceX near Boca Chica Beach outside Brownsville that sparked widespread outcry from local Indigenous and environmental groups.

More than 1,000 people spoke out following the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s late January revelation of the proposal to give 43 acres in Boca Chica Beach State Park to SpaceX in exchange for 477 acres near Laguna Heights, more than 10 miles away. Only about 25% of the comments voiced support for the move, and the commission, which oversees the department, withdrew the proposal from consideration the day before its Jan. 25 meeting as many called for tabling the matter to allow more time for public disclosure and discussion. (2/26)

Rocket Lab Neutron May Miss 'Lane 1' for NSSL Contract (Source: Defense One)
Rocket Lab may miss a deadline to compete for a Space Force launch contract. Companies bidding on "Lane 1" of the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 contract have to have "credible path to first flight" by Dec. 15. Rocket Lab has previously said its Neutron rocket will be on the pad, although not necessarily ready for launch, by the end of the year.

However, contracting documents for the Neutron launch site at Wallops Island, Virginia, show that key parts of the facility won't be ready until the end of November, giving the company little time to put a vehicle on the pad by the NSSL's deadline. Rocket Lab has not disclosed if it bid for a Lane 1 contract. (2/27)

Alaska Aerospace Announces New President and Chief Executive Officer (Source: Alaska Native News)
On Monday, the Alaska Aerospace Corporation announced the selection of Colonel John Oberst, United States Air Force (Ret) as its new President and Chief Executive Officer. The Alaska Aerospace Corporation Board unanimously selected Colonel Oberst after an exhaustive nationwide search. Colonel Oberst is a long time Alaskan resident, with a broad background in the military and space industry, who brings a wealth of leadership, operations, engineering, and business experience. (2/26)

India Identifies Four Astronauts (Source: NDTV)
India has unveiled its first four astronauts. The four, all Indian Air Force pilots, have been training for several years but were not publicly identified until an event Tuesday led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Three of the four are expected to fly on the first Gaganyaan crewed mission, no earlier than 2025. (2/27)

Weigel to Manage ISS for NASA (Source: NASA)
NASA has named a new manager for the International Space Station program. The agency announced Monday that Dana Weigel, the current ISS deputy program manager, will take over as manager on April 7. She succeeds Joel Montalbano, ISS program manager since 2020, who is moving to NASA Headquarters to become deputy associate administrator for space operations. (2/27)

NASA Releases Interim Rule on SDVOSB Certification (Source: Executive Gov)
NASA, DoD and the General Services Administration have issued an interim rule to implement the final rules by the Small Business Administration with regard to the certification of service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. Section 862 of FY 2021 NDAA moves the verification of SDVOSBs from the Department of Veterans Affairs to SBA and establishes a certification requirement for such businesses seeking set-aside and sole-source awards under the SDVOSB program within the federal government. (2/26)

NASA Balloon Mission May Break Endurance Record (Source: NASA)
NASA decided to go for the gusto and set a new balloon endurance record. The Galactic/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory, or GUSTO, balloon has been in the skies high above Antarctica for eight weeks, breaking the record of 55 days for the longest flight of any NASA large balloon mission. GUSTO, going around Antarctica in the stratosphere, is carrying instruments to map parts of the Milky Way and Large Magellanic Cloud for carbon, nitrogen and oxygen emission lines to better understand the material in the interstellar medium. (2/27)

Ready for the Runway: Dream Chaser Spaceplane Prepares for First Trip to ISS (Source: USA Today)
When NASA's space shuttle program ended after 30 years in July 2011, so too did a familiar sight often captured on television news clips – the hulking black-and-white orbiters coming in for a landing after hundreds of successful orbits around the Earth, wheels fully extended and gliding into a runway like a normal airplane. Now, as part of NASA's goal of sending supplies to the International Space Station aboard a reusable spacecraft that can reenter the atmosphere and land safely without having to plunge into the ocean, such a new spaceplane is expected to launch itself into the spotlight this year. (2/26)

The Middle of No and Where: Johnston Island and the US Air Force’s Nuclear Anti-Satellite Weapon (Source: Space Review)
During much of the Cold War a US Air Force unit operated a nuclear ASAT installation on distant Johnston Island. Dwayne Day examines the history of that facility as revealed in a newly uncovered set of images. Click here. (2/26)
 
Cybersecurity for Satellites is a Growing Challenge (Source: Space Review)
As society makes greater use of space-based capabilities, those satellites become increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks. Sylvester Kaczmarek discusses evolving space cyber threats and the need for global cooperation to address them. Click here. (2/26)

Lawmakers Question Defense Sector Mergers (Source: Roll Call)
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-MA, and Rep. John Garamendi, D-CA, are urging the Pentagon to enhance its scrutiny of defense business mergers, citing the diminishing number of military contractors and the need for more rigorous oversight. Their concerns, highlighted in a letter to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, have been amplified by L3Harris Technologies' acquisition of Aerojet Rocketdyne. (2/26)

China is Building its Own Starlink—Even as Questions Surround Musk's Constellation (Source: Defense One)
China launched a record 67 commercial rockets last year, second only to the United States’ 116—the vast majority for SpaceX’s Starlink. But Elon Musk isn’t the only one building a space-based network for communications, navigation, and sensing. A Nov. 23 launch from Xichang Satellite Launch Center carried a batch of satellites intended to lay the foundation for China’s own Starlink-like service.

The conflict in Ukraine has proven the utility of satellite internet to fill gaps in communications caused by enemy action or adverse geography. Ukrainian forces rely on Starlink devices to overcome Russian jamming and to guide weapons, including naval drones that have pushed Russia back from Ukraine’s coasts. “Absolutely all front lines are using them,” Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate, said last year. (2/26)

Ohio Congress Members Want Space Force to Base its Testing Operations in Sandusky (Source: Cleveland.com)
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown on Monday led Ohio congressional delegation members in a letter that urged the Defense Department to base U.S. Space Force’s Space Training and Readiness Command’s Space Delta 12 mission at NASA Glenn’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky.

Space Force’s Delta 12 mission is responsible for testing and evaluating U.S. Space Force capabilities. The Ohioans say the Armstrong test facility has one-of-a-kind, world-class space simulation test facilities that will enhance Space Force’s operational effectiveness – making it the logical home for Delta 12. The Neil Armstrong Test Facility would provide Delta 12 with the ability to conduct testing in hypersonics, in-space propulsion, space environment simulation and electric aircraft testing. (2/26)

Can Humans Endure the Psychological Torment of Mars? (Source: New York Times)
Alyssa Shannon was on her morning commute to Sacramento, where she worked as an advanced-practice nurse at the university hospital, when NASA called to tell her that she had been selected for a mock Mars mission. She screamed and pulled off the highway. As soon as she hung up, she called her partner, an information-security operations manager at the University of California, Berkeley. They sat in silence with the information, struggling to fathom the shape and weight of it, for a very long time.

Later that morning, Nathan Jones, an emergency-room physician in Springfield, Ill., received the call that he had so fervently awaited and so deeply dreaded. His thoughts turned immediately to his wife, Kacie, and their three sons, who were 8, 10 and 12. You get only 18 years with your kids, he told himself. If you accept this opportunity, you’ll have to give up one of them. And yet ... he couldn’t possibly turn down NASA. Mars, he had convinced himself, was his destiny. When he told Kacie the news, she nearly burst into tears.

This Mars mission, CHAPEA, would not actually go to Mars. But the success of CHAPEA (“Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog”) will hang on the precision with which it simulates the first human expedition to Mars — an eventuality that NASA expects to occur by 2040. Click here. (2/25)

The Strongest Magnetic Fields in The Universe Could Be Right Here on Earth (Source: Science Alert)
There are places in the Universe where matter becomes so wildly distorted that magnetism grows into an unimaginable force. Known as magnetars, the gravitationally compacted cores of these highly dynamic neutron stars concentrate magnetic fields to a strength of around 100 trillion gauss. Yet there could be zones here on Earth where tiny pockets of magnetism flicker with strengths that far exceed even these cosmic monstrosities.

An analysis of particle interactions at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at the US Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory has found traces of record-breaking magnetic fields imprinted on the spray of material shed by crashing together nuclei of various heavy ions. One situation in which physicists thought a handy magnetic field might be generated was a collision between heavy nuclei not perfectly on-center.

By clipping one another, the protons within the massive bundles would be sent spiraling in a charged swirl that would result in a powerful eddy of magnetism – so powerful, they could deliver more gauss than a quaking neutron star. "Those fast-moving positive charges should generate a very strong magnetic field, predicted to be 1018 gauss," says STAR physicist Gang Wang. "This is probably the strongest magnetic field in our Universe." (2/26)

NASA's OSIRIS-APEX Asteroid Probe Wakes Up After Surviving Close Pass by the Sun (Source: Space.com)
Since last December, the NASA space probe had gone on a two-month hiatus as it glided 25 million miles (40.2 million kilometers) closer to the sun than it was designed to operate on its way to encounter a space rock named Apophis.

The OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft inched the closest to the sun on Jan. 2, the first of seven such approaches (or "perihelions") on its calendar before it can reach its target asteroid in 2029. For the past two months, the spacecraft had tucked in one of its two solar panels to protect its most sensitive instruments, an endeavor that limited its power and ability to communicate back home. But NASA has now received enough information from the probe to determine it seems to be performing well. (2/26)

The Mathematically Perfect Exoplanet System — a Great Place to Search for Alien Tech (Source: Space.com)
Late last year, astronomers discovered a fascinating star system only 100 light-years away from us. Its six sub-Neptune planets circle very close to their host star in mathematically perfect orbits, piquing the interest of scientists searching for alien technology, or technosignatures, which they argue would offer compelling evidence of advanced life beyond Earth.

When HD 110067's discovery was announced, Croft and his team used the world's largest fully steerable telescope, the Green Bank Telescope (GBT) in West Virginia, and searched the system for signs of alien technology. The researchers looked for signals that were continuously present when the telescope was pointed at the system and absent when directed away, the smoking gun of technosignatures local to HD 110067. But such signals are difficult to distinguish from natural sources of radio waves and humankind's own technological signals. (2/26)

Sideways Moon Landing Cuts Odysseus Mission Short (Source: AP)
A private U.S. lunar lander is expected to stop working Tuesday, its mission cut short after landing sideways near the south pole of the moon. Intuitive Machines, the Houston company that built and flew the spacecraft, said Monday it will continue to collect data until sunlight no longer shines on the solar panels. Based on the position of Earth and the moon, officials expect that to happen Tuesday morning. That’s two to three days short of the week or so that NASA and other customers had been counting on. (2/26)

Final Images of Ingenuity Reveal an Entire Blade Broke Off the Helicopter (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA officials said they may never know exactly what happened during Ingenuity's final two ultimately fatal flights. But thanks to Perseverance, the rover that brought Ingenuity to the Martian surface and helped relay communications back to Earth, engineers picked up a powerful clue this past weekend. As it was moving away, the rover turned its SuperCam Remote Micro-Imager toward the helicopter for the final time. Those images show the helicopter with one rotor blade completely broken off. Additional sleuthing revealed that this blade lay about 15 meters away from Ingenuity. (2/26)

Alluvionic, GIMEX and BAC Apply Space Coast Expertise at California Spaceport (Source: Alluvionic)
Residents and companies on Florida’s Space Coast understand the challenges faced by spaceports. While Brevard County is home to the most launches in the US, other sit3es also conduct launches on a regular basis, including Vandenberg Space Force Base (VSFB) in California. Recently, one of these challenges called for an innovative and cost-saving solution. VSFB was experiencing costly issues while enforcing restricted access from road boundary lines during rocket launches.

Alluvionic, who was recently named a Project Management Institute (PMI) Project of the Year Award finalist for its Launch Checklist Modernization Project for the 45th Space Launch Delta (45 SLD), understood these complexities with greater depth and the need to deliver a high-quality solution. The goal was not only to exceed expectations but also to ensure mission success for the Space Force. Alluvionic, in collaboration with GIMEX USA and BAC (Brevard Achievement Center), delivered a solution ahead of schedule.

This ensured a successful transition to new road barriers, meeting contractual obligations and maintaining quality standards. Alluvionic produced and delivered fifteen sets of ten barriers, leading the task through its commitment to Project Assurance. Delivering an outcome ahead of schedule, Alluvionic undertook several key responsibilities, including placing Purchase Orders (POs) for the specified products, providing safety measures for working on the products, and delivering the required quantities of barriers, reflective tape, stickers, braided cable, and hardware for each order. (2/7)