May 15, 2018

Purdue Confers Degree to Astronaut Aboard ISS (Source: Purdue Univ.)
A NASA astronaut received an honorary doctorate from Purdue University — while in space. Drew Feustel, who received bachelors and masters degrees from Purdue, received that honorary doctorate during Purdue's commencement ceremonies Friday night during a live video link with the ISS. Scott Tingle, another Purdue alumnus also on the ISS, helped in the hooding ceremony on the station as part of the honorary doctorate award. (5/14)

NGA Urged to Use AI (Source: Space News)
The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is being pushed to make more use of artificial intelligence to deal with growing volumes of geospatial data. An NGA official said that AI is part of its "Triple A" strategy that includes automation and augmentation to more quickly analyze satellite imagery and other data. That growing interest in AI is based on the success of an Air Force effort, Project Maven, where it cooperated with Google to analyze full-motion video surveillance. (5/14)

UK Heats Up Galileo (Source: BBC)
A dispute between the British government and the European Union over the future of the Galileo program is escalating. The UK Space Agency informed 13 British companies working on the satellite navigation program that they need "security authorization" to participate in future contracts involving the system. The notices are being interpreted as a sign that the British government would block the export of Galileo technologies if the country is excluded from future participation in the system after Brexit. EU officials said Britain could have access to the encrypted signals from Galileo after Brexit, but only after reaching a "third country" agreement with the EU. (5/14)

China to Launch Lunar Data Relay Satellite (Source: Space News)
China will launch a relay satellite for its next lunar mission next week. A Long March 4C is scheduled to launch May 21 carrying the Queqiao satellite, which will operate at an Earth-moon Lagrange point. That satellite will relay communications for Chang'e-4, the first spacecraft to attempt a landing on the far side of the moon. This mission is expected to launch in November or December. (5/14)

JSC Has a New Director (Source: NASA)
Mark Geyer will be the next director of NASA's Johnson Space Center. NASA named Geyer to the position Monday, effective May 25 when current center director Ellen Ochoa retires. Geyer is currently an acting deputy associate administrator in the human exploration and operations directorate at NASA Headquarters, and previously served as deputy director of Johnson and Orion program manager. (5/14)

Another SLS Core Stage Delay Risks Overall Schedule Slip (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com)
Assembly of the core stage of the first Space Launch System rocket is suffering additional delays. A new schedule suggests that core stage, being built at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, won't be ready to ship to the Stennis Space Center for engine tests until May 2019, several months later than prior plans. It's not clear what issues with the SLS core stage are causing the new delays, but NASA previously said they were encountering delays in the construction of the engine section of the vehicle. (5/15)

Astra Scrubs Alaska Launch Again (Source: AP)
A second attempt by a stealthy space company to launch a rocket from Alaska was scrubbed late last week. Astra Space had planned to perform a suborbital test flight of a small launch vehicle from the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska on Kodiak Island on Friday, but Alaska Aerospace, which runs the spaceport, said the launch was cancelled. Neither the spaceport nor Astra Space provided more details about the cancellation and when, or if, the launch will be rescheduled. (5/15)

Rogozin Could Lead Roscosmos (Source: RBC)
A Russian politician who previously led defense and space programs could take over Roscosmos. Government sources said Dmitry Rogozin may be assigned to lead Roscosmos, the Russian state space corporation, after losing his position as deputy prime minister overseeing defense and space programs, which he held for the past six years. In that earlier position, Rogozin became infamous for threatening to withhold access to Russian engines and launch services in response to American sanctions, suggesting at one point NASA would need a trampoline to access the ISS. (5/14)

SpaceX’s Workhorse Rocket Takes Flight (Source: Space Review)
Friday marked the successful debut of the Block 5 version of the Falcon 9, which SpaceX says will be the last major upgrade of that rocket. Jeff Foust reports on the changes made to the vehicle to improve its reusability and its reliability, even as the company looks ahead to the BFR. Click here. (5/14) 
 
The Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway: An Unneeded and Costly Diversion (Source: Space Review)
NASA says development of the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway is a key stepping-stone to human missions to the surface of the Moon. Gerald Black argues that the gateway is instead a diversion from that goal. Click here. (5/14)
 
The Legal and Financial Challenges of Privatizing the International Space Station (Source: Space Review)
A proposal by the Trump Administration to end federal funding of the ISS and potentially commercialize it has raised many questions about its feasibility. Kiran Krishnan Nair discusses both the legal obstacles to doing so, as well as the financial challenges involved. Click here. (5/14)
 
Pondering the Business Case of Ferrying Customers for Suborbital Point to Point (Source: Space Review)
SpaceX plans to use its BFR vehicle for point-to-point suborbital passenger flights, but does that make economic sense? Sam Dinkin examines the logistical and financial issues for BFR passenger transportation. Click here. (5/14)

Blue Origin: Quiet Plans for Spaceships (Source: Space.com)
Blue Origin is a company best known for being the first in the world to successfully land a reusable rocket on a landing pad. The company plans to take space tourists aloft using a reusable suborbital rocket called New Shepard, and also to target orbital flights using a new rocket under development called New Glenn.

The firm has funding from customers as well as Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos. Previously, NASA provided Blue Origin with more than $25 million in contracts (payment was based upon milestones completed) for the Commercial Crew Development program, which is working to develop privately funded space vehicles to bring people to the International Space Station. Ultimately, however, NASA chose to support SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's CST-100 spacecraft for the flights. Click here. (5/14)

Sunrise for China's Commercial Space Industry? (Source: Space Daily)
Launching rockets and satellites has long been the preserve of China's state-owned aerospace companies, but private space firms are now popping up hoping to find gold in the space dust. A report by Beijing-based investment institution FutureAerospace says more than 60 private Chinese firms have entered the commercial space industry over the past three years, focusing on the production and launch of satellites and rockets.

Most of the companies are based in Beijing, home to many space experts, as well as Guangdong, Shaanxi and Hubei provinces, where the manufacturing industry is more developed. This follows a government policy issued in 2015 to encourage private enterprises in space. (5/14)

The Challenge of Space Gardening: One Giant 'Leaf' for Mankind (Source: Space Daily)
It's not easy having a green thumb in space. Without gravity, seeds can float away. Water doesn't pour, but globs up and may drown the roots. And artificial lights and fans must be rigged just right to replicate the sun and wind.

But NASA has decided that gardening in space will be crucial for the next generation of explorers, who need to feed themselves on missions to the Moon or Mars that may last months or years. Necessary nutrients, like vitamins C and K, break down over time in freeze-dried foods. Without them, astronauts are increasingly vulnerable to infections, poor blood clotting, cancer and heart disease. Click here. (5/15)