June 14, 2018

Filmmaker Ridley Scott Designs Mission Patch for CASIS (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
he acclaimed director of space-based science fiction films like “Alien,” “Blade Runner” and “The Martian” has put his touches on a mission patch for a research lab that does work for NASA. Ridley Scott, who received an Academy Award nomination in 2016 for “The Martian,” created a patch that will represent Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, or CASIS, payloads intended for the International Space Station this year.

CASIS helps NASA manage research done through the U.S. National Laboratory on the ISS, which provides low-gravity environments that allow for tests at prime neutral conditions. The patch depicts a female astronaut in full gear, floating in space, looking toward the space station. Click here. (6/13) 

Theater Club at NASA Center Gives Scientists Creative Outlet (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Susan Breon wears two hats: scientist and musician. By day, she's a cryogenics engineer at NASA 's Goddard Space Flight Center , where she works on what she calls a "baby step toward a mission to Mars." By night, she participates in Goddard's Music and Drama Club, often known as MAD. She played keyboard for the club's spring musical.

"The work here can get very intense," said Breon, a 30-year NASA veteran. "We did our thermal vacuum testing a couple of months ago, and it was an around-the-clock, 24/7 operation." The club members include scientists, engineers and managers who work for NASA on projects including weather satellites and space telescopes, and they say the club is a creative outlet for them. (6/11)

Former ULA Lobbyist Joins Firefly as BizDev Chief (Source: Firefly)
A former United Launch Alliance executive has jointed small launch vehicle company Firefly Aerospace. Leslie Kovacs, formerly the director of executive branch affairs at ULA, has joined Firefly as its vice president of business development. Firefly is developing the Alpha small launch vehicle, whose first launch is scheduled for the third quarter of 2019. (6/14)

Huge Dust Storm Threatens Mars Rover (Source: Space News)
Despite being caught in an "unprecedented" dust storm, NASA officials said Wednesday they were optimistic the Opportunity Mars rover would survive. The dust storm has turned day into night in the region of Mars there the rover is located, depriving it of solar power. The rover is likely in a low-power sleep mode, only running a clock to periodically wake up a computer to check on power levels. Project managers said they believed the rover could survive in this state for an extended period as conditions should prevent the rover from getting too cold. As Opportunity waits out the storm, NASA plans to use orbiting spacecraft, plus the nuclear-powered Curiosity rover, to study the growing dust storm to understand how such storms develop. (6/13)

Texas Congressman Firm on Space Command Proposal (Source: Space News)
The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said he's not planning to compromise on military space reforms. Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Rep. Mac Thornberry (R-TX) said he didn't know what was in the Senate's defense authorization bill regarding military space reorganization but that he supported retaining language in the House bill that includes, among other measures, creating a U.S. Space Command. Thornberry said he hopes to wrap up a House-Senate conference to iron out differences between their bills by the end of July. (6/14)

Bridenstine: Commercial Space is Key to NASA (Source: Space News)
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said that commercial space policy changes are important to NASA. Speaking earlier this week, Bridenstine said that provisions in Space Policy Directive 2, signed in May, that streamline launch licensing processes are vital to NASA as a customer of launch services. He also said developing an oversight regime for "non-traditional" commercial space activities, like lunar landers, is critical, but declined to say whether that responsibility should be with the Commerce Department or Transportation Department. Bridenstine said that space traffic management, the likely subject of the next space policy directive, will need to balance safety of space operations with the desire to minimize the regulatory environment. (6/14)

Dissolving the Fermi Paradox (Source: Cornell University)
The Fermi paradox is the conflict between an expectation of a high probability of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe and the apparently lifeless universe we in fact observe. The expectation that the universe should be teeming with intelligent life is linked to models like the Drake equation, which suggest that even if the probability of intelligent life developing at a given site is small, the sheer multitude of possible sites should nonetheless yield a large number of potentially observable civilizations.

We show that this conflict arises from the use of Drake-like equations, which implicitly assume certainty regarding highly uncertain parameters. We examine these parameters, incorporating models of chemical and genetic transitions on paths to the origin of life, and show that extant scientific knowledge corresponds to uncertainties that span multiple orders of magnitude. This makes a stark difference.

When the model is recast to represent realistic distributions of uncertainty, we find a substantial probability of there being no other intelligent life in our observable universe, and thus that there should be little surprise when we fail to detect any signs of it. This result dissolves the Fermi paradox, and in doing so removes any need to invoke speculative mechanisms by which civilizations would inevitably fail to have observable effects upon the universe. (6/11)

Job Openings  - Space Traffic Controllers (Source: Space Daily)
In the not-too-distant future an international regulatory and enforcement agency may be looking for Space Traffic Controllers to fill hundreds of positions for well-trained professionals. It is likely that these positions will be located in an international metropolis such as Washington, Paris, London, Hong Kong, Rome or Moscow. Applicants must pass a rigorous training program including many hours in class and in simulators. They will probably be required to have prior training in spacecraft dynamics and orbital mechanics.

In a fashion similar to that of air traffic controllers, space traffic controllers may not actually control spacecraft movements. Instead, they may oversee assigned segment of the low-earth orbital zone. Their main responsibility will be to detect and report possible conjunctions between pairs of operating spacecraft and between spacecraft and debris. Once detected, Conjunction Alerts would be sent to the appropriate satellite operators who are then responsible for taking evasive actions.

Today, most spacecraft are not easily maneuverable or unable to maneuver in response to Conjunction Alerts. However, once Space Traffic Management Regulations are internationally accepted by all space-faring nations, all satellites may be required to carry transponders and a minimum set of equipment enabling them to respond to Conjunction Alerts. Furthermore, all satellite operators may be required to receive licensing for approved orbital "slots" from the appropriate international agency. (6/13)

ESA Moves Forward with Galileo Satellite Buy, Leaving UK Behind (Source: BBC)
The European Space Agency has approved the purchase of a new set of Galileo satellites in a setback to the UK. ESA approved plans to buy a fourth batch of 12 satellites that will serve as replacements once the full constellation is in orbit. The British government sought to delay the procurement while it negotiated a deal to allow it to remain part of the program even after the country exits the European Union next year. British science minister Sam Gyimah said that if the UK isn't given "full, fair and open industrial involvement" it would walk away from Galileo and consider options like its own satellite navigation system. (6/13)

Spacewalk Prepares ISS for Commercial Crew Capsules (Source: NASA)
Two NASA astronauts are talking a spacewalk today outside the International Space Station. Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold are scheduled to spend six and a half hours outside the station to install high-definition cameras near a docking port that will be used by future commercial crew vehicles. The two will also replace a camera assembly on the station's starboard truss and close the aperture door of an environmental imaging instrument mounted on the Kibo module. (6/14)

Hypersonic Enabled Militaries in the 2030s (Source: Next Big Future)
For the next 7 years, there will be relatively small numbers of hypersonic missiles introduced. The US will have high-velocity projectiles for all of its conventional naval and army guns. Those will be fired at mach 3 which would be double the speed of a conventional projectile but below hypervelocity mach 5 and faster.

Materials, engines and other hypersonic related technologies will be improved. This will increase the speed and range of weapons. The first hypersonic drones will likely be created. This will enable reusable weapons. SpaceX should create the BFR rocket. This will be fully reusable and able to launch 150 tons into orbit. It is also being developed for Mach 25 hypersonic travel between any point on earth. This will transform access to space by lowering costs by over ten times while increasing launch capacity.

After 2025, the speed and range of next-generation hypersonic weapons will be increased. The numbers of hypersonic weapons will be greatly increased. Hypersonic drones will be deployed. Offensive capabilities will be far superior to defensive systems. Megawatt combat lasers would be somewhat effective in defending against hypersonic weapons. Click here. (6/12)

Antarctica’s Ice Sheet Is Melting Three Times Faster Than We Thought (Source: Daily Beast)
Antarctica’s ice sheet is melting three times faster than previously forecasted, according to a report published Wednesday in the journal Nature by 80 scientists. The team said that the ice sheet is melting so fast that 219 billion tons of ice is pouring into the ocean annually—enough to raise sea levels by a half millimeter per year. Between 1992 and 1997, Antarctica was losing 49 billion times of ice per year; from 2012 to 2017, that number increased more than eightfold. (6/13)