September 8, 2017

Habitable Climate Scenarios for Proxima Centauri b With a Dynamic Ocean (Source: Astrobiology)
The nearby exoplanet Proxima Centauri b will be a prime future target for characterization, despite questions about its retention of water.

Climate models with static oceans suggest that an Earth-like Proxima b could harbor a small dayside region of surface liquid water at fairly warm temperatures despite its weak instellation. We present the first 3-dimensional climate simulations of Proxima b with a dynamic ocean. We find that an ocean-covered Proxima b could have a much broader area of surface liquid water but at much colder temperatures than previously suggested, due to ocean heat transport and depression of the freezing point by salinity. (9/8)

Debate Intensifies Over Rogers’ Space Corps Proposal (Source: Space News)
Michael Fabey — With former U.S. Air Force officials demanding more time for the service to prove it is on track with space development, U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL) continued to argue Sep. 7 the time is now to create a Space Corps, or something akin to it.

The Air Force has had enough time to prove its mettle in space, Rogers, the chairman of the House Armed Services strategic forces subcommittee said during a keynote speech at a Center for Strategic and International Studies conference on space organization.

“The Air Force is as fast as a herd of turtles as far as space is concerned,” said Rogers, who introduced legislation in June to create a Space Corps – a new military branch similar in structure to the Marine Corps – to focus on space operations and acquisition. (9/8)

NASA is a Place for Scientists, Not Politics (Source: The Daily Campus)
Bridenstine has shared several objectives toward which he would like to drive NASA. He would like to reduce orbital debris and direct research toward exploiting resources on the moon to make space exploration less expensive. In addition to this, he supports the Orion program, which is developing a capsule that could take astronauts into deep space. He would also like to see private companies such as SpaceX and Blue Origin become more involved with NASA’s space exploration, and to increase the term of NASA’s administrator so that it is longer than the current four-year cycle.

On NASA’s executive board, a politician would simply be out of place. The nature of NASA is to focus on research for the sake of knowledge and to explore space so that we can learn a little more about our planet and our universe. As far as climate is concerned, it is NASA’s job to collect data without any political bias, so that we can learn exactly what is happening to our planet and decide objectively what must be done. The introduction of a politically affiliated administrator would disrupt this scientific objectivity, and for this reason, NASA might be better served by a candidate with a stronger scientific background.

Editor's Note: The real political issue for NASA's administrator will be whether he or she will support the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion programs while similarly capable commercial systems are under development. (9/8)

NASA, Private-Sector Collaboration Key to Space Exploration, Lawmakers Say (Source: Morning Consult)
House lawmakers on Thursday expressed enthusiasm for private-sector partnerships with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, saying that they are critical to space exploration, especially when it comes to future manned missions and potential development of the moon.

Officials from NASA and private-sector space exploration companies — including Moon Express Inc., Astrobotic Technology Inc. and Blue Origin — appeared before a Science, Space and Technology subcommittee hearing to discuss how private-sector exploration of space can prove mutually beneficial to both the U.S. space program and private industry. (9/7)

192 Indian Space Objects Currently in Orbit (Source: IANS)
A total of 192 Indian objects are orbiting in space as of April 1, 2017, catalogued by US Space Surveillance Network, said a retired Indian scientist. He was citing the August 2017 issue of "Orbital Debris", a quarterly published by NASA. "Space objects include functional satellites as well as debris. The term catalogued means the space objects are tracked, updated, and their orbits are determined. The US and Russia maintain the catalogues as they have the technical capabilities," M.Y.S. Prasad, a former Director of the Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC), told IANS. (9/8)

Virgin Galactic CEO: Company is Returning to Powered Flights (Source: CNBC)
Virgin Galactic chief executive George Whitesides said his company will soon return to powered flights for the first time in three years. "We're ready to go into powered flight," Whitesides said on Thursday at the Mars Society Convention in Irvine, California.

Virgin Galactic has not tested a powered flight of one of its spaceships since the fatal crash of Spaceship Enterprise on Oct. 31, 2014. An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board found the pilot prematurely unlocked the spaceship's "feather system," causing the vehicle to break apart during rocket-powered flight. Engine testing for the spaceship company's new vehicle, Spaceship Unity, is complete, and "a very small number of glide flights" remain before Virgin Galactic returns to powered flight, Whitesides said. (9/7)

Shocking Discovery Explains Powerful Novae (Source: MSU Today)
In a typical year, there are around 50 novae, nuclear explosions on the surface of white dwarf stars, in our galaxy. Some of these explosions are so bright and powerful, they exceed the scale of scientific explanation. Employing two powerful telescopes, astronomers at Michigan State University have proven a theory that explains these super-luminous novae and other astronomical explosions. The results indicate that powerful shockwaves amplify the explosions beyond any traditional scale for nuclear explosions. (9/7)

Under Trump's NASA, Moon Turns Into Inviting Destination (Source: USA Today)
Moon missions are launching a comeback nearly 45 years after Apollo 17 astronaut Gene Cernan  took the last human steps on the lunar surface. While the holy grail of the U.S. space program remains sending astronauts to Mars by the 2030s, NASA also has been lending technical expertise to aerospace companies in their efforts to reach the moon. As early as next year, Florida-based Moon Express expects to send its MX-1E spacecraft to conduct experiments in what could be the first of several efforts by U.S. companies to re-establish a regular American presence on the lunar surface.

Astrobotic Technology is planning to send a lander in 2019 capable of providing companies, governments and universities robotic access to the moon. Blue Origin is developing its own Blue Moon lander, while United Launch Alliance and SpaceX have signaled their interests to operate in the lunar orbit. Editor's Note: Notice that SpaceX isn't among the lunar players here. Some say the company's Mars focus is a bit too ambitious and they may lose out on opportunities in cislunar space. (9/7)

Blue Origin Makes its Pitch to Congress for Delivering Cargo to the Moon (Source: GeekWire)
Blue Origin, the space venture founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, joined other companies today in laying out plans for commercial missions to the moon during a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill. “It’s time for America to return to the moon, this time to stay,” Brett Alexander, Blue Origin’s director of business development and strategy, told members of the House Subcommittee on Space. That declaration echoed Bezos’ oft-used phrase, virtually word for word.

Blue Origin has already been testing a suborbital space vehicle called New Shepard, with an eye toward taking on passengers as early as next year. It’s also developing a more powerful orbital-class rocket called New Glenn, which could be used as part of a lunar mission architecture known as Blue Moon.

Today Alexander said the Blue Moon lunar lander would be optimized to fly on NASA’s Space Launch System, a heavy-lift rocket that’s due for its first test flight in 2019. When paired with the SLS, Blue Moon could deliver more than 5 tons of cargo to the lunar surface. Smaller payloads could be delivered using New Glenn or other rockets. (9/8)

Space Florida Backs NASA Nominee, but Senators Aren't So Sure (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Space Florida, the agency leading Florida’s efforts in reviving the space industry at Cape Canaveral, praised President Donald Trump’s new nominee to lead NASA, but Florida’s two U.S. senators aren’t embracing last week’s pick. Space Florida CEO Frank DiBello called Oklahoma Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Bridenstine “a dedicated student of the industry and a passionate champion in Congress for the maturation of the space economy.”

Bridenstine, in line to become the 13th administrator of NASA, is a third-term member of Congress and a pilot in the Oklahoma Air National Guard. He has degrees in economics, psychology and business from Rice University and an MBA from Cornell. He started his military career as a U.S. Navy pilot and served as executive director of the Tulsa Air and Space Museum & Planetarium.

It’s what is not in his resume that is a concern for U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, which is the first stop in the confirmation process for Bridenstine. “The head of NASA ought to be a space professional, not a politician,” the senator said in a statement. And from Sen. Marco Rubio: “NASA is at a critical juncture in history, and it is important that its mission remains free of politics and partisanship.” (9/8)

Iridium Partners with Cubesat Startup (Source: Space News)
Iridium announced a partnership Thursday with a cubesat startup that could augment its capabilities in the Internet of Things market. Iridium signed a memorandum of understanding with Magnitude Space, a Dutch startup that is developing a constellation of cubesats to provide connectivity for low-power sensors. That service will complement Iridium's existing low-latency services for higher-power sensors. Magnitude Space plans to launch its first two satellites next year, and ultimately deploy a constellation of 18-24 satellites. The agreement does not include an investment by Iridium in Magnitude Space, and Iridium said it may sign similar partnerships with other companies. (9/8)

NASA Seeks Rides to Moon for Commercial Payloads (Source: Space News)
NASA is preparing to seek proposals for commercial transportation of small payloads to the lunar surface. At a House space subcommittee hearing Thursday, a NASA official said the agency was preparing a solicitation for such payload services in the next fiscal year, based on feedback it received from a request for information earlier this year. Two companies at the hearing, Astrobotic and Moon Express, said they are ready to start flying commercial lunar landers in 2018 and 2019, and would be open to flying NASA payloads on such missions. Blue Origin used the hearing to pitch its Blue Moon cargo lander, capable of placing up to several tons on the lunar surface, and suggested the company could develop it under a NASA partnership similar to the commercial cargo and crew programs. (9/8)

Shelby Not Taking Position on Bridenstine Nomination (Source: Huntsville Times)
A key senator is not taking a position on Rep. Jim Bridenstine's nomination to be NASA administrator. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), who chairs the appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA, said this week that he was "looking forward" to discussing key agency issues with Bridenstine as the Senate confirmation process proceeds, but neither explicitly endorsed nor criticized the nomination. A recent review found that, since the nomination was announced late last week, social media accounts linked to Bridenstine's past congressional campaigns had been scrubbed of much of their content, which a spokesman said was linked to a pledge by Bridenstine long before the nomination not to serve in Congress for more than three terms. (9/8)

Russia Considering Near-Term Options for Space Tourist Rides to ISS (Source: Tass)
Russia may resume flying space tourists in 2019 or 2020. Igor Komarov, head of Roscosmos, said Thursday that "discussions are underway" about flying tourists no earlier than 2019, when seats on Soyuz missions to the International Space Station will be freed up as NASA begins to use commercial crew vehicles. Komarov said that Roscosmos might create a "joint brand with foreign partners" to market space tourism. Previous tourists flights to the ISS on Soyuz vehicles were sold by a U.S. company, Space Adventures. (9/8)

Private Space Telescope Seeks Crowdfunds (Source: Space.com)
A project to develop a private space telescope is making a second attempt at a crowdfunding campaign. Project Blue, an effort by the BoldlyGo Institute and other organizations, is seeking to raise $175,000 over the next two months to perform studies of a small space telescope that could directly image any Earth-like planets around Alpha Centauri. Project Blue tried a similar crowdfunding campaign last year, seeking to raise $1 million, but cancelled it after the all-or-nothing campaign reached only a third of the way to that goal. (9/8)

Florida Aerospace & Defense Workforce Summit Planned on Space Coast, Nov. 15-16 (Source: AIA)
Harris Corp. will host an AIA Florida Aerospace & Defense Workforce Summit on Nov. 15-16. This is a timely event, given the growing challenge faced by local companies to recruit qualified workers. Among the solutions is a proposed apprenticeship program seeking state support. Click here to see the event program. (9/8)