November 5, 2017

Trump Accused of Obstructing Satellite Research Into Climate Change (Source: The Guardian)
President Trump has been accused of deliberately obstructing research on global warming after it emerged that a critically important technique for investigating sea-ice cover at the poles faces being blocked. The row has erupted after a key polar satellite broke down a few days ago, leaving the US with only three ageing ones, each operating long past their shelf lives, to measure the Arctic’s dwindling ice cap. Scientists say there is no chance a new one can now be launched until 2023 or later. None of the current satellites will still be in operation then.

The crisis has been worsened because the US Congress this year insisted that a backup sea-ice probe had to be dismantled because it did not want to provide funds to keep it in storage. Congress is currently under the control of Republicans, who are antagonistic to climate science and the study of global warming. “This is like throwing away the medical records of a sick patient,” said David Gallaher. (11/5)

Arctic Sea Ice May Be Thinning Faster Than Scientists Initially Predicted (Source: University of Calgary)
Long-held scientific estimates of Arctic sea ice thickness and the rate at which it’s declining have been off significantly, according to a newly published study led by the University of Calgary’s Cryosphere Climate Research Group. Indeed, scientific predictions that foresaw the first ice-free Arctic Ocean in the summertime occurring between 2040 and 2050 may come to pass even sooner, according to Vishnu Nandan.

Nandan and his co-authors found that satellite estimates for the sea ice thickness of seasonal ice (one-year-old ice) have been overestimated by up to 25 per cent due to the saline properties of snow cover on top of the ice, affected the accuracy of satellite readings. As such, that ice can likely be expected to melt earlier than projected. The study calls into question measurements provided over the past decade by the European Space Agency’s satellite, CryoSat-2, which has been the most prominent satellite measuring Arctic sea ice thickness. (10/24)

Everyone Should Visit Kennedy Space Center Once in Their Life (Source: GQ)
The unassuming outcrop of mangrove swampland, on top of which the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex sits, is where a series of heroes and legends achieved unimaginably amazing feats in space travel. Here's why every man must visit this magical place at least once in their lifetime. Click here. (10/28)

US Olympic Snowboarders to Sport NASA Spacesuit-Inspired Uniforms in 2018 (Source: CollectSpace)
When the U.S. Olympic snowboard team takes to the snow in PyeongChang, South Korea, in February, they will be sporting uniforms appropriate for the "giant leaps" they are expected to perform. Burton Snowboards revealed one-of-a-kind, NASA astronaut spacesuit-inspired uniforms for the halfpipe, slopestyle and big air snowboarding competitions at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

"I have always loved the astronauts' suits, because not only do they have such a cool and amazing aesthetic, they also were designed to function under the most extreme conditions," said Greg Dacyshyn, head designer of Burton Snowboards Olympic uniform program, in a statement. "So this gave us an incredible platform to push the innovation and technology of the garments as well." Click here. (11/3)

NASA: Ozone Hole Smallest it's Been Since 1988 (Source: CNET)
If you were around in the '80s, you might recall the widespread fear over the discovery of a massive hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica. It's still there, but NASA says 2017 delivered a daintier hole than usual.

The last time the ozone hole was this small was in 1988 when Bobby McFerrin was burning up the charts with "Don't Worry Be Happy" and acid-wash jeans were the height of fashion. The ozone layer acts as a protective shroud over the Earth, blocking out ultraviolet radiation. NASA likens it to an atmospheric version of sunscreen. (11/2)

Good Riddance to Rep. Lamar Smith, R-TX, the Most Noxious Climate Change Denier in Congress (Source: LA Times)
To our knowledge, Rep. Lamar Smith never brought a snowball onto the House floor like Sen. James Inhofe, R-OK, to “prove” that climate change was a hoax. But in all other particulars, Smith has been the preeminent climate change denier in Congress. That’s a problem, because he also has been serving as chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, the last place where someone devoted to undermining scientific research belongs.

From that perch, he’s harassed government officials, Earth scientists and other academics whose work refutes his position that the human role in climate change is a myth. Smith waged a war on scientists, research administrators and even state officials whose offense was to establish the human role in climate change. He has used his congressional authority to try to shield big oil companies such as Exxon Mobil from accusations that they connived in undermining public understanding of the climate crisis.

Smith’s legacy will be long-lasting and entirely discreditable. Our generation and those that follow will be paying the price of obstructionism like his, into the limitless future. In 2015, Smith spent months throwing a conniption fit over a report published by several government climate experts in the June 26 issue of the widely respected journal Science. He demanded emails and other correspondence from the scientists involved in the study, purportedly to ferret out evidence that they manipulated their data. In an op-ed in the conservative Washington Times, he called the work of dedicated government researchers "not good science, [but] science fiction." (11/3)

Long March 3B Successfully Returns with Dual Beidou-3 Mission (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
China successfully launched a new pair of navigation satellites – namely the Beidou-3M1 (Beidou-24) and Beidou-3M2 (Beidou-25) navigation spacecraft – on Sunday, using a Long March-3B/YZ-1 rocket that was marking its return. The launch took place at around 11:45 UTC from the LC3 Launch Complex of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province. It took over four hours to complete the mission.

The launch was previously scheduled for July. However, this was delayed until November due to a partial launch failure with the previous launch of this rocket during the Zhongxing-9A (ChinaSat-9A) mission, which resulted in the satellite being lofted to a lower than planned orbit. Onboard the Long March-3B/Y1 launch vehicle were the Beidou-3M1 (Beidou-24) and Beidou-3M2 (Beidou-25) navigation satellites. (11/5)

Australian Spaceport to be Developed at Remote NT Site, Hopes for Creation of Local Jobs (Source: ABC)
An ambitious plan to launch rockets into space from a remote site near Nhulunbuy, in the Top End's Gulf of Carpentaria, has been given the green light. The Arnhem Land Aboriginal Land Trust granted a lease to the Gumatj Corporation for the operation of a commercial rocket launching facility from the Dhumpuma Plateau, on the Gulkula escarpment.

The corporation plans to sublease the site to Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA), a commercial entity that will run the Arnhem Space Center, Gumatj Corporation CEO Klaus Helms told the ABC. Mr Helms said Gumatj was excited about the job and tourism opportunities the new industry would create in the region. (11/4)

Bezos Just Sold $1.1 Billion Worth of Amazon Stock (Source: CNN)
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, the newly minted richest person in the world, just sold more than $1 billion worth of his stock. The sale was made public in a filing posted Friday. In total, Bezos let go of one million shares for $1,097,803,365. Exactly how Bezos plans to spend those Benjamins wasn't clear. But it isn't unprecedented for him to sell such a large chunk. In May, he sold more than a million shares. A similar sale was executed in August 2016.

One possible destination for the cash Bezos just freed up is his commercial space company, Blue Origin. Earlier this year, Bezos told reporters at a space symposium that he sells about $1 billion per year worth of Amazon stock to fund the company, according to Reuters. Blue Origin was founded more than a decade ago, but has yet to complete its first mission. The outfit's initial goal is to send tourists to the edge of space on a sub-orbital rocket, called New Shepherd. (11/4)

Arianespace Poised to Launch Vega with MOHAMMED VI–A Satellite (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
Arianespace is ready to launch the MOHAMMED VI–A satellite on behalf of the Kingdom of Morocco on November 7, 2017, at 10:42 p.m. local time (01:42 GMT). The spacecraft is slated to lift off from the Guiana Space Centre’s Vega Launch Complex (SLV) and will mark the 10th flight of the year for the Courcouronnes, Essonne, France-based firm.

If everything goes according to plan, Tuesday’s launch will be the 11th for Vega since the rocket first took to the skies in 2012 (and the eighth time that Vega has been tapped to launch an Earth-observation payload). Vega has been tasked with placing the satellite into a Sun-synchronous orbit. (11/5)