September 27, 2017

China Warns of Launch Delays Due to Long March 5 Failure (Source: Space News)
A top official in China's space program confirmed Monday that upcoming lunar missions will be delayed by July's Long March 5 failure. Tian Yulong, secretary general of the China National Space Administration, said at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Australia that the investigation into the launch failure in ongoing, with hopes to have a "clearer understanding" of the failure by the end of the year.

China had planned to launch Chang'e-5, its first lunar sample return mission, on a Long March 5 in November, but Tian said that mission, as well as the Chang'e-4 lander, will be postponed. An "adjusted schedule" for those missions may be ready by the end of the year, he said. (9/26)

Blue Origin Signs Third Customer for New Glenn Rocket (Source: Space News)
Blue Origin has signed up the third customer for its New Glenn orbital launch vehicle. The company announced Tuesday at IAC that mu Space Corp., a Thai communications company, will launch its first satellite on New Glenn some time in the early 2020s. Mu Space has not disclosed details about its planned satellite. The company joins Eutelsat and OneWeb as customers for New Glenn, a heavy-lift launch vehicle that Blue Origin says should be ready for a first launch in 2020. (9/26)

VP Pence Visits Huntsville (Source: Huntsville Times)
Vice President Mike Pence paid a visit Monday afternoon to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. Pence visited a payload operations center at Marshall and held a videoconference with the International Space Station crew. He also viewed structural testing of a Space Launch System component. Pence said the U.S. would "lead once again" in space, and said the first meeting of the National Space Council was planned in a few weeks. Pence, in a visit in July to the Kennedy Space Center, said the council's first meeting would take place before the end of the summer. (9/26)

NOAA Chief Warns of Weather Satellite Problems (Source: Space Policy Online)
The nominee to be NOAA deputy administrator warns of problems with the agency's weather satellite programs. Timothy Gallaudet, a retired U.S. Navy rear admiral, said in a questionnaire submitted to the Senate Commerce Committee that he believed NOAA satellite programs "are growing at an unsustainable rate and that have been delayed numerous times." He did not elaborate on those concerns. The committee will hold a hearing Wednesday about his nomination as part of the confirmation process. (9/26)

Russia and UAE Plan Human Spaceflight Cooperation (Source: Tass)
Russia and the United Arab Emirates may cooperate on human spaceflight. Representatives of the two countries signed an "agreement of intent" Monday at the IAC whereby Russia would aid in the training of a corps of astronauts in the UAE. The countries didn't indicate when, or how, those UAE astronauts might fly in space. The countries also agreed to collaborate on science experiments that could be flown on the ISS. (9/26)

Another University Focuses on Space Law (Source: Crain's)
Cleveland State University is setting up a space law center. The university announced Monday that it will establish the Global Space Law Center, which the university described as the first law school research center in the country "dedicated exclusively to the study of the law of outer space," although there are space law programs at other universities. The center will be chaired by Mark J. Sundahl, a professor there who is also chairman of a Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee working group. (9/26)

Welcome, Aliens (Source: Space.com)
A project seeks to lay out the welcome mat for aliens — literally. The "cosmic welcome mats," put in place at the IAC and Flinders University, contain a design that is intended to be welcoming, in an abstract way, and the dust they collect will be studied to see how much material they collect is from outer space. Jonathon Keats, the "experimental philosopher" who helped designed the mats, contrasted them with complex messages, like those on the Voyager and Apollo spacecraft. "I think 'Welcome' is the simplest message of all." (9/26)

Space Cooperation Between China, Russia Needs Long-Term Mechanism (Source: Space Daily)
With China and Russia poised to deepen cooperation on space exploration, a long-term mechanism is needed to realize the full potential of their joint resources.

Scientists in Russia's Novosibirsk have submitted three applications to conduct experiments at China's planned orbiting space station under zero-gravity conditions, Sputnik International reported on Tuesday. The core capsule of the space station is scheduled to be launched in 2020 and the space station's construction will be completed by 2022. (9/26)

Musk’s Plan to Girdle Earth With Satellites Hits Turbulence (Source: Bloomberg)
Elon Musk’s ambitious plan to surround the Earth with thousands of internet-beaming satellites is encountering turbulence from regulators concerned about interference with competing systems.

SpaceX, the rocket startup Musk runs, filed for permission for its constellation of refrigerator-sized satellites late last year. Selling broadband from orbit is a key part of how SpaceX plans to make money beyond its original rocket-launching service.

But the U.S. FCC dealt the project a setback Tuesday with a decision that could force power reductions on SpaceX satellites, and potentially limit the spectrum they can use. The regulator on a 5-0 vote decided to defer in part to the International Telecommunication Union, an agency of the United Nations, on how these new satellite systems need to coordinate and share spectrum. (9/26)

We Should Upload Human Minds on Stephen Hawking's Interstellar Mission (Source: Motherboard)
It seems likely that the first swarms of Starshot probes would—at the earliest—be launched well into the second half of the century. By that time, we may have have operational implementations, or at least research prototypes, of: A) Sentient, human-like Artificial Intelligence; B) Human mind uploads, and; C) Powerful nanocomputers and/or quantum computers able to run consciousness within the size, weight, and power of a StarChip (or a swarm of StarChips).

Therefore, it might be possible to send the first sentient ambassadors (AIs, uploads, or hybrids) to the stars. The first two possibilities—AI and uploads—are linked. In fact, sentient AIs will likely be based on generic "mindware" able to support human-like consciousness. Mindware will permit building a new conscious AI from scratch, or a software personality modeled after a specific human being, which (or, better, who) thinks and feels like a continuation of the original. (9/26)

People are Literally Dying to Go to the Moon (Source: Daily Democrat)
Can’t get to outer space in this lifetime? For $12,500, you can send a gram of your cremated remains blasting onto the moon or have them shot out into deep space. Houston-based Celestis launched the remains of dozens of people into Earth orbits in 2015 and 2016.

It costs about $5,000 for a “burial” in low-Earth orbit, where a travel-shampoo- size urn can spin for years at 17,000 mph until it gradually descends into the white-hot re-entry atmosphere. That’s what was done with bits of “Star Trek” entertainment franchise creator Gene Roddenberry, and famed writer and psychedelic drug advocate Timothy Leary.

A thimble of ashes or DNA can be shot to the edge of Earth’s atmosphere for about $1,000. These mostly symbolic services are widely viewed as oddities catering to highly imaginative nerds. But business is better than ever. Hundreds of Americans have already ordered space burials this year. And the first privately funded payload to the moon is set to launch by early next year carrying ashes among its many other packages. (9/26)

Rocket Lab to Carry Satellites on Next Test Launch (Source: The Verge)
Aerospace startup Rocket Lab is gearing up for the second flight ever of the company’s experimental rocket, the Electron, which is slated to take off again sometime in October. This time, when the vehicle flies, it will have satellites on board.

Both Planet and Spire — two companies that operate small satellites in orbit — will have payloads on the Electron’s second test flight, dubbed “Still Testing.” The rocket will carry two of Planet’s Dove satellites, designed to image Earth, as well as two of Spire’s Lemur-2 satellites that track weather and ship traffic. (9/26)

O'Keefe: Jim Bridenstine is the Leader NASA Needs (Source: The Hill)
Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK), the president’s nominee for NASA administrator, is facing criticism regarding his qualifications for the job. These concerns seem to be rooted in a clear preference instead for a nominee possessing skills or experience as a scientist, engineer or technologist. Perhaps most critically, some have dismissed Bridenstine's experience as inadequate given that he is an elected politician.

But if history is any guide, technical skills are not necessarily requisites for success leading this storied agency. While several previous NASA leaders were credentialed or experienced in such disciplines, this was not a clear determinant for success. And contrary to the critical view, Bridenstine arguably has the best qualifications for success given the challenges ahead. (9/26)

Japan Keen on Space Tie-Ups with India (Source: The Hindu)
Japan and India are trying to strengthen their collaboration in space and it could lead to a few tie-ups between their respective agencies in the coming years, Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu said. Space agencies of the two countries signed an MoU in space cooperation a couple of years ago. (9/26)

Japan’s Space, Tech Companies Seek New Business in Orlando (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
About 30 Japanese manufacturers plan a trip to Orlando in October to check out the new commercial space race and other business opportunities in Florida. The meeting will start Oct. 25 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando Airport for morning of networking and speakers. After a lunch and speaker from Enterprise Florida, the group will head to University of Central Florida, and to see the high-tech BRIDG advanced manufacturing center in Kissimmee.

On the second day, the entourage will split up and make field trips to the Space Coast in Brevard County for aerospace and to Palm Beach County for aviation, where Pratt & Whitney is.

Some of the Japanese companies coming include Kyocera, UNO Corporation, Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation, Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology Research Institute, and Samtech Corp. Japan’s version of NASA will there – the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and so will the Japan Aerospace Corporation. (9/26)

A Steady Diet of TV Could Be Key for Deep Space Travelers (Source: Discover)
No one knows for sure what a long-range space journey will be like for the people on board. Nobody in the history of our species has ever had to deal with the “Earth-out-of-view” phenomenon, for instance. How will it feel to live in close quarters with a small group, with no escape hatch? How will space travelers deal with the prospect of not seeing family or friends for years, or even ever again? How will they occupy themselves for years with nothing much to do? Click here. (9/26)

6 Everyday Inventions That Were Born From Space Tech (Source: Marketplace)
NASA specializes in outer space and beyond. But a lot of its work way out there trickles back down to Earth and into the lives of everyday people.

That's because the government mandates that NASA pass on its work to the tax-paying public. The NASA Spinoff program is the division of scientists and engineers who take the technology NASA invents and figures out how it can be applied to terrestrial life. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who established NASA, thought the technology being developed for space travel should be repurposed for regular life. Click here. (9/26)