January 6, 2017

When NASA Wasn’t Sure if Astronauts Could Swallow in Space (Source: Gastro Obscura)
While astronauts can chew and swallow in outer space the same way we do here on Earth, during the early space missions, it wasn’t entirely clear if they could do so normally. What made NASA doubt astronauts’ ability to ingest and digest food? Vickie Kloeris, who manages the ISS food systems at NASA, says the concern likely stemmed from whether or not peristalsis—or, the involuntary muscle contractions that move food through the digestive tract—could still happen. “I guess they were concerned that in microgravity … that system might not work without the assistance of gravity,” she says. (1/5)

Here’s the Spaceflight Stuff We’re Most Anticipating in 2018 (Source: Ars Technica)
Last year offered a mixed bag for spaceflight aficionados. The highs were very high, with SpaceX flying, landing, and reflying rockets at an unprecedented rate while finally beginning to deliver on its considerable promise. But the lows were pronounced, too, with the loss of the Cassini spacecraft in the outer Solar System and NASA's continued lack (for nearly a full year) of an administrator.

There were also delays upon delays. The ultra-expensive James Webb Space Telescope saw its launch date slip from 2018 into some time in 2019. NASA's Space Launch System rocket saw its maiden launch slip from late 2018 into 2019 and then again into 2020. The Falcon Heavy also moved to the right on the calendar, from November, then December, and finally into early 2018. Click here. (1/5)

The State of the Worldwide Rocket Industry at the Start of 2018 (Source: Behind the Black)
I have developed a new worldwide launch graph. It now includes 2017, but also goes back to 1980, which I think makes a good starting point for the true beginning of the modern the rocket industry. In December 1979 Arianespace successfully completed the first launch of Ariane 1, beginning its effort to build a commercial rocket that would capture market share in the communication satellite industry. In 1980 India launched its first rocket. And in 1981 the space shuttle began flying. Click here. (1/2)

Eclipse Megamovie Project Seeks Public’s Help Analyzing 50,000 Photos (Source: Berkeley News)
Although August’s total solar eclipse was over in minutes, analysis of the 50,000 photos uploaded to the Eclipse Megamovie website is a time-consuming job, so team leaders are asking citizen scientists for help. The images have been put online at Zooniverse so that the public can scan and categorize them, a project dubbed Megamovie Maestros I. Initially, volunteers are being asked to determine what the project’s photographers actually captured by identifying eclipse phases, diamond rings, Baily’s beads and other interesting phenomena. Click here. (1/4)

Why Bill Nelson Should Support Jim Bridenstine for NASA Administrator (Source: Space News)
The 2017 session of the current Congress ended with Rep. Jim Bridenstine (R-OK)  still not confirmed by the full Senate to become NASA administrator. He is having problems getting a full senate vote because Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) is leading the Senate Democratic Caucus in total opposition to his appointment. During Bridenstine’s confirmation hearing last fall, Democrats on the Senate Commerce Committee led a full-throated, tag-team assault on Bridenstine, painting him as divisive on social issues and accusing him of being a “climate denier” and, most curious of all, a politician.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) have also expressed reservations about Bridenstine, but neither has specifically stated that they would vote against him. Nelson has cast himself as the protector of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and its interests. Not having a permanent administrator as the start of second year of the Trump presidency would seem to run counter to those interests. Bridenstine has received the support of scientists such as lunar geologist Paul Spudis, the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, and even Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin. The return to the moon initiative, no matter what shape it takes, will be of great benefit to the Kennedy Space Center.

It would seem to be in Sen. Nelson’s best political interests not to risk a failure of the return to the moon program, which would surely short-circuit an increase in activity at the Kennedy Space Center. Nelson is risking alienating an important voting bloc in his state if he persists in his all-out war against Bridenstine’s nomination. The senator would best serve himself, his state, and NASA by dropping his partisan opposition to Bridenstine’s nomination. (1/5)

Nelson/Scott Matchup for Florida Senate Seat Leaning Toward Scott (Source: Space News)
The Washington Times recently reported on the results of a Saint Leo University survey indicating that Florida Gov. Rick Scott, a Republican, is leading Nelson by double digits in a matchup for the 2018 senate race. Scott, who is term limited as governor, is expected to run against Nelson for his senate seat. Nelson is going to need all the support he can get if he plans to be reelected.

Editor's Note: The survey was published in the right-leaning Washington Examiner, not the Washington Times. And the Saint Leo survey on-line only. The university did a similar online survey last August that had Clinton beating Trump by 14 points. (1/5)

Hey Scott Kelly, Shall We Move to Another Planet? (Source: Popular Mechanics)
In 1952, the article “Shall We Move to Another Planet?” highlighted what were, at the time, the most promising ideas about how mankind might explore the universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere. This was five years before the first Soviet satellite, Sputnik 1, would reach orbit; 17 years before Americans would reach the moon; and 59 years before the NASA space shuttle program would be shuttered.

The article included predictions of the space shuttle and the International Space Station, and more outlandish ideas, like that we might use nuclear-fusion-powered jets to move other planets closer to the sun and modify their sizes to be more Earth-like for colonization. We asked astronaut Scott Kelly, who has logged 520 days in space over four missions, to read the original 1952 feature and tell us how actual space travel compares. Click here. (1/5)

Boca Raton Essay Winners Chat With Astronauts On Board International Space Station (Source: Boca Newspaper)
Palm Beach County students who won an essay contest got the chance to speak to astronauts out of this world, literally. About a dozen students from Palm Beach County got to speak live with an orbiting astronaut on board the International Space Station. The South Florida Science Center and Aquarium recently hosted the ARISS (Amateur Radio on board the International Space Station) event. Students in grades 2-12 from public, private and home schools wrote a 250-word essay on the topic: “If you had a chance to ask an astronaut any question, what would it be and why?” (1/5)

Delta IV Rocket Set to Mark First Launch of the Year From Vandenberg Air Force Base (Source: Lompoc Record)
A Delta IV rocket equipped with a secret payload from the National Reconnaissance Office is set to blast off from Vandenberg Air Force Base early Wednesday afternoon. The United Launch Alliance rocket is scheduled to lift off from VAFB’s Space Launch Complex-6 during a window that will begin at 1 p.m. The launch, if it goes off as planned, would be the first of the year from Vandenberg. The mission is dubbed NROL-47. Col. Greg Wood, the 30th Space Wing vice commander, will serve as the space launch commander. (1/5)

Why Can't Male Astronauts See in Space? NASA, Texas and Florida Researchers Aim to Find Out (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Imagine making the nine-month trek to Mars just to have such poor vision upon arrival that it's impossible to land. That type of scenario would be a nightmare for NASA astronauts headed to the red planet — but it's a very real possibility if scientists don't develop a way to counteract a phenomena that leaves men visually impaired after long-term exposure to zero gravity. Researchers still don't know why it happens or why only men have been shown being affected, not women, Zawieja said. The leading hypothesis is that increased pressure in the heads of male astronauts is to blame.

Scientists at Texas A&M and Florida State University are studying how fluid pressure changes in a person's head — such as the cerebrospinal fluid that cushions the brain from shock — might impact vision. They're also studying coronary artery function. Space Flight-Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome appears to be more prevalent during long-duration missions. Researchers expect to have results later this year from a study that launched 20 male mice to the International Space Station in August, with a goal of putting scientists one step closer to discovering why the vision problems happen to men. (1/5)

Jacksonville ‘Space Brat’ Larry Harvey Focused on How Space Can Enhance Medical Research (Source: Florida Times-Union)
Larry Harvey came of age at the right time and in the right place for someone in love with the idea of exploring space. He was in elementary school when Alan Shepherd became the first American to make a flight into space in May 1961. He was preparing for his senior year at Titusville High School when Neil Armstrong became the first human being to set foot on the surface of the moon in July 1969. A 1974 graduate of the Naval Academy, Harvey became the first helicopter pilot to be considered by NASA as an astronaut candidate in 1985.

But just months after he applied, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds into its flight. NASA put hiring new astronauts on hold and Harvey did not achieve that dream. But space remains Harvey’s focus. An Orange Park resident, he’s director of science and technology for the Center for Applied Space Technology (CAST), an organization he co-founded in August 2006 with NASA engineer Guy Etheridge and Maria Peterson, who is CAST’s executive director.

CAST has played various roles over the last decade. Its primary focus in the last several years has been exploring the ways in which space can play a role in enhancing medicine on earth. Four years ago he read that scientists believed stem cells will grow more rapidly in microgravity of space. He contacted the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville to see if anyone there had any interest in exploring that idea. Abba Zubair, the medical and scientific director of the Cell Therapy Laboratory at Mayo in Jacksonville, was interested. At the Mayo Clinic, stem cells were already being used to treat knee injuries and transplanted lungs. Click here. (1/5)

New NASA Mission Will Explore Key Zone Between Earth and Space (Source: CNN)
A NASA mission launches this month to explore the zone between Earth's atmosphere and the lowest reaches of space, where key communications satellites orbit amid bright bands of color known as airglow. Dubbed the GOLD mission -- for Global-scale Observations of the Limb and Disk -- it will be the first NASA science mission to fly an instrument on a commercial communications satellite when it launches January 25 from French Guiana, the agency said.

The mission will examine the response of the upper atmosphere to forces from the sun, the magnetosphere and the lower atmosphere. Learning more about the ionosphere, part of Earth's upper atmosphere where the sun's radiation collides with gas that breaks into electrons and ions, is key. This dynamic environment is always changing and could easily garble radio signals coming through our atmosphere. The mission will be able to see how exactly it affects our day-to-day life. (1/5)

Russia Pushing to Partner with NASA on Lunar Gateway (Source: Ars Technica)
There's now a dedicated Russian planning group coordinating with NASA's lunar efforts. Russia is assembling a new group of engineers who will be responsible for crafting the nation’s lunar exploration strategy. It’s another sign that a highly ambitious human space program is gaining steam in Moscow. The new department was created inside RKK Energia space corporation, Russia’s premier developer of human spacecraft that is responsible for the venerable Soyuz.

Officially, Moscow has been on a path to put a human on the Moon since 2013, when President Putin approved a general direction for human space flight in the coming decade. The program had been stalling for several years due to falling prices for oil, the main source of revenue for the Russian budget. Last year, however, the Russian lunar exploration effort was given a new impetus when the Kremlin made a strategic decision to cooperate with NASA on the construction of a habitable outpost in the orbit around the Moon, known as Deep Space Gateway, DSG. (1/5)

Looming 'Wild West' Scenario in Space Raises Tough Questions (Source: ERAU)
The rapid development of small space-launch vehicles, designed to insert small satellites into orbit, could drive an equally swift increase in the number of small satellites in space, raising difficult legal, safety and environmental questions, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University expert Dr. Diane Howard will report during the 2018 Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meeting. Click here. (1/3)

Sierra Nevada Clears Dream Chaser Test Milestone (Source: Space News)
Sierra Nevada Corp. announced that NASA has confirmed that the company’s Dream Chaser vehicle passed a key milestone during its November free flight test. SNC said that NASA concluded that the Nov. 11 free flight of the Dream Chaser engineering test article, at Edwards Air Force Base in California, met or exceeded all the requirements of the company’s last remaining funded milestone in its Commercial Crew Integrated Capability (CCiCap) award from 2012. (1/5)

In 2017, the US Led the World in Launches for the First Time Since 2003 (Source: Ars Technica)
For the United States, last year was a watershed in the launch industry. With 29 orbital launches from US soil, America led the world in total launches in 2017 for the first time in more than a decade. And it wasn't really a close competition, as the United States was followed by Russia, with 20 launches, and China, with 19. More than one-third of successful orbital missions flew from US soil last year. (1/3)

Ariane 6 Development Progressing On Time (Source: Aviation Week)
For the in-development Ariane 6 launcher, ongoing tests at the component level exemplify the remarkable punctuality of a program with multiple aspects—from the design of flying hardware to the construction of a launchpad. On top of all that, there is the rapid restructuring of the European space industry to deal with. The continent is committed to a long-term pursuit of lower launch costs, notably with the Prometheus engine demonstrator. (1/4)

Building a Foundation for NewSpace in Scotland (Source: Satellite Today)
Scotland has been a fast riser in the new era of space technology, with companies such as Clyde Space setting a high bar for other NewSpace entrants. The Scottish government is pushing to maintain this momentum through a multitude of different agencies that offer incentives to attract young tech companies to set up shop in the country. Scottish Development International (SDI) Vice President Pendy Pendyala laid out exactly how the Scottish government is making it easier to do business there, and what the additional support could mean for young NewSpace startups looking for a home.

SDI is the international arm of Scottish Enterprise, a government agency tasked with nurturing economic development and investment in domestic business along with its sister agency, The Highlands and Islands Enterprise. According to Pendyala, SDI’s two primary goals are to attract foreign companies to expand into Scotland (in hopes of creating more jobs) and to enable Scottish companies to be successful in overseas markets. (1/2)

Earth Science Decadal Report Recommends Mix of Large and Small Missions (Source: Space News)
A report setting priorities for the next decade of Earth science missions recommends that NASA pursue a mix of large and small missions to help better understand the changing nature of the planet. The report, released by the National Academies of Science, includes a portfolio of proposed missions that it believes can fit within NASA’s Earth science budget assuming it grows at the rate of inflation, but with “decision rules” for delaying missions should those budgets fall short.

The proposed missions, along with the existing “program of record” of missions in service today or under development, are intended to help scientists better understand the ways that the climate, water cycle, soil and other resources are changing, research the report argues can be uniquely done with satellites. (1/5)

SoftBank Backs New High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite Venture (Source: Satellite Today)
A High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) is a category of unmanned aircraft that AeroVironment thinks could deliver a multitude of benefits to the commercial market through use of Internet of Things (IOT) and other technologies and concepts. The company has announced a joint venture with a Japanese firm to develop a solar-powered, high-altitude, long-endurance Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and certificate it.

Called HAPSMobile, the new joint venture would be 95 percent owned by Japan-based telecommunications operator SoftBank, AeroVironment said. It would own the remaining 5 percent, committing $5 million in capital with an option to increase its stake up to 19 percent. AeroVironment said HAPSMobile would fund the development program up to a net maximum value of some $65 million. (1/4)

2018 Will Be The Year Humanity Directly 'Sees' Our First Black Hole (Source: Forbes)
Black holes are some of the most incredible objects in the Universe. There are places where so much mass has gathered in such a tiny volume that the individual matter particles cannot remain as they normally are, and instead collapse down to a singularity. Surrounding this singularity is a sphere-like region known as the event horizon, from inside which nothing can escape, even if it moves at the Universe's maximum speed: the speed of light.

While we know three separate ways to form black holes, and have discovered evidence for thousands of them, we've never imaged one directly. Despite all that we've discovered, we've never seen a black hole's event horizon, or even confirmed that they truly had one. Next year, that's all about to change, as the first results from the Event Horizon Telescope will be revealed, answering one of the longest-standing questions in astrophysics. (12/27)

Think Big on Space Travel, But Think Twice About Tax Dollars for SpaceX Rocket (Source: The Hill)
With America still plagued by runaway federal spending, deficits and debt, this is not the best time for the federal government to be planning new missions to the stars. But with NASA’s annual budget of $18.4 billion, about one-half of 1 percent of federal spending, America’s space program is not the center of the budget problem.

Nor is NASA’s spending slated for a major boost. That is because Trump’s mission has the right focus on public-private partnerships, fostering private commercial alternatives to NASA, which can ultimately privatize the whole agency. With this focus, spending for Trump’s mission is a small burden for the international leadership, research and development and national defense implications it involves.

Trump’s vision on this issue is better for America than President Barack Obama’s stand-down and withdrawal, under which America is paying Russia for U.S. space launches, including commercial and national-defense satellites. President Trump is phasing out that policy. Editor's Note: What? Neither Russian launches of U.S. astronauts, nor ULA's and Orbital ATK's use of Russian engines were the result of President Obama's policies. One thing that did thrive under President Obama was NASA partnerships with commercial space businesses. (1/5)

Making America Great Again In Space Won’t Just Be a Job for NASA (Source: Fast Company)
The industry argues that the country’s future in space depends on stronger partnerships between NASA and the private sector. That’s also one finding of a NASA-commissioned study, quietly posted to the agency’s website last month, which found that its current plans for future crewed lunar missions aren’t affordable and likely won’t produce long-term economic benefits.

Instead, the report—-co-authored by an industry consultant and fledgling space entrepreneur-—says NASA could save money by adopting business practices championed by private space companies, and advocates that the agency mine asteroids for fuel, in what would be the most extensive public-private cooperation in the history of space exploration. Click here. (1/3)

Inside SETI Institute’s Search for Exoplanets (Source: The Interval)
New science and tech are vastly accelerating the search for exoplanets: an effort that’s only decades old. How long until we find Earth 2.0? SETI Institute’s Senior Planetary Astronomer will update us on the latest work to find planets like Earth. Click here. (1/5)

Scotland's £2.5bn Space Industry Now Outstrips Defence Sector (Source: The National)
Scotland's space industry is now worth more to the economy than the defence sector, new research published today has found. Figures produced by the ADS Group, the trade association for the aerospace, defence and space industries in Scotland and the rest of the UK, show the three sectors together are worth £6.4 billion. The rapidly growing space sector makes the largest contribution, with a turnover of £2.5bn, compared to £2bn for aerospace and £1.9bn for defence. (12/19)

Brazil Pushes Back Tests of German Rocket at Alcantara (Sources: Space Intel Report, Wikipedia)
The Brazilian government has pushed back by one year, to 2019, the planned inaugural flight of its three-stage Microsatellite Launch Vehicle, VLM-1, being built under a bilateral cooperation agreement with Germany. The VLM-1 is based on the S50 rocket engine, to carry satellites up to 150 kg into circular orbits ranging from 250 to 700 km. It was initially expected to launch the SHEFEX III mission by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in 2016. (1/5)