February 9, 2018

UCF Professor Hopes Deep-Space Exploration Key is in Moon (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The secret to deep-space exploration could be buried deep within the moon. A University of Central Florida scientist is developing a process that could mine the moon of its ice, which could eventually open the way for rocket-fuel production on the lunar surface. That would make it more likely that rockets could take off from the moon with enough force to, for the first time, expand a vehicle’s range.

“The cost of spaceflight is primarily driven by the launch of propellants into space,” said UCF’s Phil Metzger, who landed a six-month contract with United Launch Alliance to explore the potential. “If we could get those propellants from space, we could cut those costs.”

“Procuring propellant derived from the moon may be substantially less expensive than hauling the propellant out of Earth’s deep-gravity well,” |ULA's Bernard Kutter said. “This in turn could reduce the cost of space transportation by as much as a factor of five.” (2/9)

Historic Rocket Launch Will Boost the U.S. Space Program and Florida's Economy (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Commercial space is an increasingly valuable sector in Florida’s economy; the industry is worth more than $20 billion a year to the state and supports more than 150,000 high-paying jobs, according to Space Florida, a state agency. For a region and a state that rely too heavily on lower-paying jobs, the industry is a godsend. Since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011, NASA has been paying extortionate rates for U.S. astronauts to fly to and from the station on Russian rockets. It’ll be a relief to stop spending U.S. tax dollars to fly Air Putin.

The economy on Florida’s Space Coast was hammered by the shuttle’s retirement, but it has come back behind the commercial space industry. SpaceX, United Launch Alliance and Orbital ATK have picked up the pace on launches from Cape Canaveral. Blue Origin, a rival rocket company founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos, is investing $200 million and creating more than 500 jobs for a manufacturing plant on the Space Coast. One Web, a satellite maker, is investing $80 million and creating 300 jobs across the street. (2/7)

Our Earthly Economy is Now Extraterrestrial (Source: Globe and Mail)
SpaceX is now at the center of a larger technological revolution that includes reusable rockets, the miniaturization of satellites, space-based broadband and other new applications. Just as importantly, the company is leading the commercialization of space: Falcon Heavy is not only the most powerful rocket in existence, it will soon extend the economy into space. Other companies are developing their own niches. Planetary Resources, bankrolled by tech billionaire Larry Page, is building spacecraft that will mine asteroids for platinum, rare earth elements and ice that can be turned into rocket fuel. (2/7)

Artificial Gravity Latest Challenge for Deep Space Travel (Source: Aerospace Daily)
Artificial gravity is receiving serious scientific research because it would eliminate one hurdle to humans' deep space exploration. "As far as we know, if you do nothing in terms of countermeasures, you will end up with someone who is severely at risk of bone fracture, falling, cardiovascular deconditioning when they stand up to start to work, whether it's in Mars gravity or partial gravity, and faint," said MIT's Laurence Young.

ISS astronauts, typically assigned to six-month missions, already spend 2 hr. daily with elaborate aerobic and resistive exercise devices and compensate with diet and nutrition to address some of the concerns. Upon returning to Earth, NASA’s station astronauts undergo a 45-day physical reconditioning period, all the while under medical scrutiny, and often fly again.

Might deep-space transports and habitats equipped with AG systems—centrifuges configured to spin astronauts at the end of radial arms for some period of time, perhaps while they sleep, to impose a gravity-like force—provide a significant countermeasure to help these explorers achieve their mission objectives as well as maintain their health? (2/9)

After Brief Shutdown, New Spending Bill Includes $81M for NASA Hurricane Repairs (Source: Politico)
The federal government briefly shutdown overnight when Congress failed to pass a new spending bill in time. The bill, which includes a two-year deal on budget caps and a continuing resolution to fund the government through March 23, passed the Senate and House in the early morning hours Friday. They failed to pass the bill by midnight Thursday, triggering a shutdown, when Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) blocked Senate consideration of the bill for several hours over concerns about deficit spending. President Trump is expected to sign the bill this morning, ending the brief shutdown. The bill also provides nearly $90 billion in disaster aid, including $81 million to repair NASA facilities damaged by hurricanes last year. (2/9)

NASA Studying Commercial Crew Contingency Plans (Source: Space News)
NASA is starting to study a contingency option for maintaining access to the International Space Station that would turn commercial crew test flights into operational missions. Bill Gerstenmaier, NASA associate administrator for human exploration and operations, said at a conference Thursday the agency was looking into that possibility should Boeing and SpaceX not have their commercial crew vehicles certified by late 2019, when NASA's access to Soyuz spacecraft ends. That approach would extend the crewed test flights planned for those vehicles, and possibly add a third astronaut to them. Gerstenmaier emphasized that planning was still beginning, and current schedules call for the commercial crew vehicles to be certified for regular missions by early 2019. (2/9)

Lockheed Martin Releases Specs for Satellite Buses, in Search of New Users (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin is releasing technical specifications for some of its satellite buses in an effort to identify new applications. The company is offering specifications for several buses, from its large LM 2100 spacecraft used for many communications satellites to its LM 50 nanosatellite bus. This effort, called Lockheed Martin Open Space, is intended to encourage companies and researchers to propose new applications using those buses, "to create new avenues for collaboration so we can move faster to tackle our customers' most pressing challenges," said Lockheed Martin's Rick Ambrose. (2/9)

SpaceX Abandons Booster Tow-In, Scuttle's Vehicle with USAF Support (Source: America Space)
The Air Force was reportedly called in to scuttle a Falcon 9 booster that survived a splashdown last month. The booster, used for the Jan. 31 launch of the GovSat-1 satellite, was not intended to land on a drone ship at sea, but instead splash down after performing a "very high retrothrust" landing test, according to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. The booster, though, was found floating in the ocean, and Musk said that the company would attempt to tow it back. However, sources claim that, out of safety concerns, the Air Force "carried out an air strike" to sink the booster. Neither the Air Force nor SpaceX would comment on the report. (2/9)

House-Sized Asteroid Buzzes Earth (Source: AP)
A small asteroid will safely pass close to the Earth today. Asteroid 2018 CB, discovered earlier this month, will pass 64,000 kilometers from the Earth this afternoon. The object is estimated to be 15 to 40 meters across, and poses no impact risk. The asteroid is the second known to make a close approach to the Earth this week. (2/9)

4 Firms that Could Rival SpaceX and Launch Humans Into Space (Source: PA)
SpaceX is one of the two companies partnering with NASA to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) and back. Here are four SpaceX rivals that could potentially launch humans into space: Boeing, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, and Bigelow Aerospace. Click here. (2/8)

Northrop Grumman Wins $429 Million DOD Satellite Contract (Source: Reuters)
Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $429 million contract for two payloads for two functionally equivalent Extremely High Frequency eXtended Data Rate (EHF XDR) payloads for the recapitalization of the Enhanced Polar System (EPS). This contracts procures the EPS-R EHF XDR payloads to prevent a Military Satellite Communications mission gap in the Polar region. Work will be performed in Redondo Beach, California, and is expected to be complete by December 2022. This award is the result of a sole-source acquisition. Editor's Note: Sole source for a couple commsats? Could be a cover for procuring a replacement for the lost Zuma satellite, which also was built by Northrop Grumman. (2/9)

The Crowds are Back. Now Can the Space Industry Build on the Momentum? (Source: Washington Post)
The crowds were back. Lining the beaches and the causeways, they fixed their binoculars on the same launchpad that first sent men to the moon. But this time the draw wasn’t the NASA heroes of the 1960s Space Age — Alan Shepard, John Glenn, Neil Armstrong — who paved a path to the lunar surface. Instead it was a puckish and eccentric billionaire with a big new rocket and a penchant for showmanship. The launch marked a turning point for a budding commercial space industry that has raised the stakes for itself by promising big things.

Now the question is whether it can maintain its momentum and live up to the promise of returning humans to space while landing spacecraft on the surface of the moon — inherently difficult and dangerous endeavors, even for NASA. SpaceX’s launch comes as the Trump administration is looking to restructure the role of NASA, ensuring that private enterprise and international partners work closely with the space agency.

Later this month, Vice President Pence and the rest of the National Space Council will hold their second meeting, this time at the Kennedy Space Center, to discuss the role that companies such as SpaceX could play in the country’s ambitions to return to the moon and explore the cosmos. One question for the Council: “How can we best spend our resources as a nation to ensure the most robust space portfolio we can?” (2/7)

Elon Musk Wants New ‘Space Race’ But FAA Boss not Ready for Liftoff (Source: Boston Herald)
Elon Musk is calling for a new “space race” after successfully launching a sports car into orbit — but billionaires with money to burn on rockets have some calling for caution before a wild rush to the stars. “As exciting and promising and attractive as commercial space may be, we must take caution not to get ahead of ourselves,” said Dan Elwell, acting administrator of the FAA.

“This industry can ill-afford the barnstorming reputation that affixed itself to aviation a hundred years ago.” Elwell told attendees of the FAA’s Commercial Space Conference yesterday that the agency needs to streamline its regulatory processes in order to clear the way for more launches during the current “hot streak,” but stressed safety also needs to be a priority.

Questions of how companies will operate in space will also need to be dealt with, according to Henry Hertzfeld, research professor of space policy at George Washington University. “There are private companies that want to go to the moon and might get in the way of others,” Hertzfeld said. “We have to think about these problems and figure out a way nationally and internationally to coordinate efforts so we don’t have accidents up there.” (2/8)

Linklater Plans Film Set During Moon Landing (Source: Entertainment Weekly)
Following Boyhood, Everybody Wants Some, and Last Flag Flying, director Richard Linklater is laying the groundwork for his next project. The filmmaker revealed the first details for his undercover movie by putting out a call for archival footage. “Where were you when we landed on the moon?” his team asks in a query posted on the Texas Film Commission’s website. “The Apollo 11 landing is one of the most significant days in human history. For Houstonians, it’s a day we’ll never forget. The summer of 1969 was an unforgettable chapter in Houston history, and we want to share your memories of that time with the rest of the world.”

Linklater is looking specifically for “home movies and archival images from Houston in the 1960s.” For example, the post says, “Have a home movie from Astroworld or the Astrodome, or a recording of your little brother with Kitrik? Did someone you know use a Kinescope to record the moon landing? If so, we want to see it and anything else that documents that era!” (2/8)