January 11, 2018

White House Wants to Turn Space Station into Commercially Run Venture (Source: Wall Street Journal)
The Trump administration wants to turn the International Space Station into a kind of orbiting real estate venture run not by the government, but by private industry. The White House plans to stop funding the station after 2024, ending direct federal support of the orbiting laboratory. But it does not intend to abandon the orbiting laboratory altogether and is working on a transition plan that could turn the station over to the private sector, according to an internal NASA document obtained by The Washington Post.

“The decision to end direct federal support for the ISS in 2025 does not imply that the platform itself will be deorbited at that time — it is possible that industry could continue to operate certain elements or capabilities of the ISS as part of a future commercial platform,” the document states. “NASA will expand international and commercial partnerships over the next seven years in order to ensure continued human access to and presence in low Earth orbit.”

In its budget request, to be released Monday, the administration would request $150 million in fiscal year 2019, with more in additional years “to enable the development and maturation of commercial entities and capabilities which will ensure that commercial successors to the ISS — potentially including elements of the ISS — are operational when they are needed.” The plan to privatize the station is likely to run into a wall of opposition, especially because the United States has spent nearly $100 billion to build and operate it. (2/11)

SpaceX's 'Falcon' Feat May Be Just a Prelude to the Main Event (Source: NBC)
SpaceX’s successful test launch of the Roadster aboard the Falcon Heavy was less an ad for that rocket than a preview of its planned successor — a booster so stupendous and absurdly powerful that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk calls it “BFR,” for Big F---ing Rocket. As Musk revealed at a post-launch press conference, the Falcon Heavy will be a cargo-hauling workhorse. To deliver humans into space, he said, “we need to be way bigger than that.” BFR is the rocket Musk is counting on to return astronauts to the moon and to ferry colonists to Mars.

According to SpaceX, the BFR will generate 11.8 million pounds of thrust and be able to carry a 150-ton payload. That far surpasses any rocket now in production, outstripping even the promised capabilities of NASA’s enormous Space Launch System, or SLS. (The names of the two rockets speak volumes about the difference between the cultures of NASA and SpaceX.)

Even more important than BFR’s size will be its cost. SpaceX says the Falcon Heavy will cost about $90 million per launch but aims to make BFR cheaper than that — possibly a lot cheaper — because it will be 100-percent reusable. In contrast, NASA’s SLS will cost a whopping $1 billion per launch, according to former NASA deputy administrator Lori Garver. “Government development of SLS was demanded by Congress,” Garver says. “If SpaceX successfully develops BFR, there is no role for SLS. This launch is a game-changer that can save NASA from themselves.” (2/8)

Firefly Aerospace Continues Development of Microsat Launcher (Source: Firefly)
Firefly Alpha is designed to address the needs of the burgeoning small-satellite market. Alpha combines the highest payload performance with the lowest cost per kilogram to orbit in its vehicle class. Capable of delivering 1 metric ton to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 600 kg to the highly desirable 500 KM Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO), Alpha will provide launch options for both full vehicle and ride share customers. Alpha will launch twice per month, a launch cadence that will enable customers to fly according to their schedule and to the orbit they desire. Click here.

Editor's Note: After some well-publicized legal and financial troubles for Firefly Space Systems, the new Firefly Aerospace, under controversial backer Max Polyakov, appears to have the funding and commitment to keep this Texas-based operation going. Before their recent bankruptcy and liquidation, the company had intended to launch from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, but current launch site plans are not revealed on their website. (2/11)

Astronaut Training Experience Hosts Mars-Themed #CampKSC for Spring, Summer and Winter Sessions (Source: KSCVC)
Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers education focused learning specializing in STEM at its best, as only NASA can. Through exciting and educational adventures, Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex invites students to experience field trips, private educational programs, Overnight Adventures, Camp KSC, and so much more.

Your group can come nose to nose with the space shuttle Atlantis, tour areas of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, and meet a veteran astronaut to discover firsthand how a trip to the visitor complex can enrich every student’s education. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex encourages teachers and students to check out the vast resources made available by NASA for continued study, as we seek to nurture and train the next generation of space explorers. Click here. (2/11)

ESA Director Reflects on Europe's Launcher Competitiveness Challenges (Source: ESA)
Reusability did not make it onto the agenda for Ariane 6 and Vega C. Yet in the meantime, the world has moved on and today’s situation requires that we re-assess the situation and identify the possible consequences. In many discussions on the political level, the strategic goal of securing European autonomous access to space has not changed, however there is a growing sense that pressure from global competition is something that needs to be addressed.

With Vega C, Ariane 62 and Ariane 64 approaching completion, it seems logical to complete these launchers in order to at least take that major step towards competitiveness. At the same time, it is essential that we now discuss future solutions, including disruptive ideas. Simply following the kind of approaches seen so far would be expensive and ultimately will fail to convince. Click here. (2/11)

We’ve Trashed the Oceans; Now We are Turning Space Into a Junkyard for Billionaires (Source: Guardian)
You might be tempted to dismiss this as an expensive publicity stunt by a billionaire playboy with too much time on his hands. But in reality it’s an important step towards a time when space travel for your average indolent millionaire will become commonplace. It will probably become another way of managing your finances when Mars inevitably becomes the ultimate off-shore tax haven.

Quite what our fetish for space exploration and spending billions on the technology required to feed this does to the environment is a serious matter. There’s a dissonance emerging here. On Earth, we’re organising summits and setting up carbon footprint-reduction targets all over the shop. Yet, up in yonder outer space we’ve established a giant garbage dump. Editor's Note: I might see a point here if the Tesla was to remain in Earth orbit, but the vehicle is heading toward the Asteroid Belt, which really is a difficult volume of space to comprehend. (2/10)

Elon Musk Shoots for Mars, Strains His Balance Sheet (Source: Washington Post)
As potential distractions go, the ones Musk trotted out in early 2018 were super-sized. First was a new pay package from Tesla awarding him $2.6 billion in stock options that could net him as much as $55.8 billion, but with no salary or bonuses guaranteed. Then SpaceX launched its new Falcon Heavy rocket toward orbit around Mars on a demonstration mission.

Back on Earth, things have been more complicated. Tesla has struggled to meet production targets for the Model 3 sedan it introduced last year as its first mass-market offering.  But paying customers are supporting Tesla through its production struggle: They’ve put down more than $850 million in deposits for vehicles including the Semi truck and Roadster sports car Musk showed off in November.

Meanwhile, Tesla slipped toward second place in terms of installed solar panel home systems. But it announced a deal with Home Depot in which the panels and the company’s Powerwall battery are prominently displayed in its stores. But at every point where his companies seem to be on stable footing, Musk takes on more and promises more, erasing the memory of past gains. The question is whether Musk can continue to operate on the edge of what’s possible. (2/9)

Reserve Airmen Support SpaceX Falcon Heavy Milestone Launch (Source: USAF)
Reserve Airmen are used to supporting milestone rocket launches, and have supported manned spaceflight launches through the years; however, they have never supported a rocket toting a car. Before the majority of Space Coast rocket launches, 920th Rescue Wing HH-60G Pave Hawk helicopters take off hours prior to the launch to provide aerial surveillance and clear the launch hazard area, an area considered potentially unsafe for marine traffic in the event of a launch anomaly.

Due to specialized training of pararescuemen and the 920th RQW’s geographic location, they served as the primary rescue force for the astronauts on human spaceflight missions aboard the shuttle, and will serve as the primary rescue force for the launch of the upcoming manned space platforms. Like space shuttle launches with astronauts on board, this launch’s high visibility drew large crowds and generated significant boat traffic. (2/7)

New Plasma Technology Could Help SpaceX Colonize Mars (Source: TeslaRati)
The recent study, published in the Plasma Sources Science and Technology journal, asserts that the prevalence of carbon dioxide in Mars’ atmosphere is actually ideal for the creation of oxygen. According to University of Lisbon researcher Vasco Guerra, the carbon dioxide-rich state of the planet’s atmosphere provides the perfect conditions for creating oxygen through decomposition.

In a statement to Astrowatch.net, Guerra noted that the use of low-temperature plasma decomposition would benefit both Mars’ inhabitants and those traveling to and from the planet. “Our main conclusion is precisely that Mars has nearly ideal conditions for creating oxygen from carbon dioxide by non-thermal plasmas. Carbon dioxide decomposition can provide oxygen for breathing and contribute to the production of fuels to be used on the return trip to Earth,” Guerra said, according to Astrowatch.net. (2/9)

Spaceport Bill clears Key Senate Committee (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
A proposal to allow Spaceport America to keep more of its records confidential is headed to the Senate floor after sailing through a key committee Friday. The bill would prohibit disclosing the identity of the Spaceport’s aerospace customers who want to stay secret and any proprietary business and technical information related to the customers’ operations.

Supporters say that even how much rent a tenant pays to the Spaceport should be kept confidential because it could be a clue to rivals about what the company is working on. Open government advocates objected to the proposal, and some senators said they were uneasy about granting so much secrecy to companies working at a taxpayer-funded site. But the Senate Judiciary Committee approved a version of the bill without a dissenting vote. The legislation must still make it through the full Senate, House committees and the full House before reaching the governor’s desk. (2/9)

New Mexico Lawmakers Rally Around Spaceport Secrecy Bill (Source: News & Observer)
New Mexico lawmakers rallied Friday around a proposal to provide greater confidentiality for aerospace companies working out of a taxpayer-funded space launch facility in southern New Mexico, over the objections of open-government advocates. A Senate panel unanimously endorsed a bill that would provide exceptions to state open-records law for information about tenants at Spaceport America.

The legislation broadens the definition of trade secrets that are exempt from public disclosure, adding information tied to business operations at the launch facility overseen by the state-funded New Mexico Spaceport Authority. Managers of the Spaceport America hangar, testing facilities, rocket launch pad and specialized runway say greater confidentiality provisions are needed to compete for new aerospace-industry tenants against competition from a growing list of government-subsidized launch facilities. (2/9)

Launch Tracking Rockets (Source: WMFE)
I’m sure you’ve watch rocket launches on TV or streaming, right? You know those tight shots that follow the rocket into space and in SpaceX’s case the ones that follow them back down to earth? Well, someone like Rick Wetherington is responsible for those images. Click here. (2/9)

NASA to Outline Plans Next Week (Source: Parabolic Arc)
NASA centers across the country are opening their doors Monday, Feb. 12, to media and social media for “State of NASA” events, including a speech from acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot, and unique opportunities for a behind-the-scenes look at the agency’s work. These events follow President Trump’s Fiscal Year 2019 budget proposal delivery to the U.S. Congress.

Events at NASA centers will include media tours and presentations on the agency’s exploration goals for the Moon, Mars and worlds beyond, the innovative technologies developed and under development, as well as the scientific discoveries made as NASA explores and studies Earth and our universe, and continues to make advancements in next-generation air travel. (2/9)

Falcon Heavy Launch Turns Tide of Florida's Space Coast Economy (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Tuesday’s mission was expected to bring as many as 100,000 visitors to the coast, though Florida’s Space Coast Office of Tourism said actual numbers won’t be available until later this month. However, Tuesday’s crowd paled in comparison to the 400,000 to 500,000 that were estimated to have visited during the last shuttle launch in 2011.

“It’s a slow turn,” Craig Technologies CEO Carol Craig said. “But as soon as SpaceX or whoever puts an astronaut in one of those, that will be where you are really going to see the place go nuts and see a resurgence.”  The Falcon Heavy launch precedes a string of events expected to bolster the region’s space industry. Both SpaceX and Boeing are scheduled to launch test flights of crew capsules in August.

The launch showed the region remains one of the most important in the industry — and is diversifying its role in the space business. “No question that other companies around the world, they are looking at establishing facilities in Florida so they can be near the center of space activity,” Space Florida President and CEO Frank DiBello said. (2/9)