June 19, 2018

CubeSats: Tiny Payloads, Huge Benefits for Space Research (Source: Space.com)
CubeSats reduce launch costs in two fundamental ways. They don't weigh that much, which means a rocket doesn't need a lot of fuel to heft them. In most cases, they also share a rocket with a larger satellite, making it possible to get to space on the coattails of the heavier payload.

There are some design challenges with CubeSats, however. The electronics are smaller and are therefore more sensitive to radiation. Because they are small, they cannot carry large payloads with them. Their low cost also means they are generally designed to last only a few weeks, months or years before ceasing operations (and for those in low Earth orbit, falling back into the atmosphere.) (6/19)

Proposed Space Force Would Pull Expertise From All Service Branches (Source: USNI)
The White House’s proposed military Space Force would likely rely heavily on existing personnel from inside the Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force and Army, plus a host of other intelligence agencies, experts said. Trump’s directive doesn’t provide mission specifics, but the language suggests the Space Force would be charged with protecting both commercial and government assets in space.

“As space becomes increasingly contested, the demand for the Department of Defense to focus on protecting U.S. space assets and interests also increases. At the same time, the rapid commercialization of space requires a traffic management framework that protects U.S. interests and considers the private sector’s needs,” the directive reads. But before the proposed sixth branch of the military is formed, Congress needs to approve legislation and the Department of Defense would have to iron out the fine details, according to a Monday afternoon statement from Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White. (6/19)

Former Astronaut Criticizes Lunar Gateway Plans (Source: Space News)
A former NASA astronaut used an appearance at a National Space Council meeting June 18 to argue that a key element of NASA’s plans to return humans to the moon should be reconsidered. Appearing on a panel during the meeting at the White House, Terry Virts said that the proposed Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway, a human-tended facility in orbit around the moon, wasn’t an effective next step in human spaceflight beyond Earth orbit after the International Space Station.

“It essentially calls for building another orbital space station, a skill my colleagues and I have already demonstrated on the ISS,” he said. “Gateway will only slow us down, taking time and precious dollars away from the goal of returning to the lunar surface and eventually flying to Mars.” Virts wasn’t specific on what should replace the Gateway as that next step but called for an Apollo-like model of stepping-stone missions to return to the moon, with ISS, he said, serving well as the Mercury role. (6/18)

Australian 'Fleet' Cubesats to Launch on PSLV, Falcon 9 (Source: Manufacturers' Monthly)
Australian satellite company Fleet has plans in place for the launch of its first two cubesats. The company said its first cubesat will launch later this year on an Indian PSLV rocket, followed by the second on a SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of a rideshare mission. The company plans to develop a constellation of such spacecraft to provide communications services for sensors and other devices. (6/18)

Sea Launch Wants Soviet-Era Engines for New Soyuz Rockets (Source: Sputnik)
The new owner of Sea Launch wants to resume production of Soviet-era rocket engines. The general director of S7 Space, Sergey Sopov, said in an interview that his company is in discussions about acquiring the technical capabilities to produce the NK-33 and NK-43 engines from United Engine Corporation, and would build a new factory to resume production of those engines. Sopov suggested those engines, originally developed a half-century ago for the Soviet N-1 moon rocket, could be put to use on a version of the Soyuz-5 rocket that could launch from Sea Launch's oceangoing platform. (6/18)

Chinese Suborbital Spaceplane (Source: China Daily)
A Chinese company is developing a suborbital spaceplane for space tourism but won't have it ready for about a decade. A team at the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology is designing the vehicle, intended to take off vertically and fly to an altitude of more than 100 kilometers before making a runway landing. The vehicle could carry up to 20 people on those flights, but the company said it doesn't expect the vehicle to enter service until 2028. (6/18)

Japanese Probe Nears Ryugu Asteroid (Source: BBC)
A Japanese spacecraft is closing in on a "dumpling-shaped" asteroid. The Hayabusa2 spacecraft is now only about 200 kilometers from the asteroid Ryugu, and the asteroid's irregular shape is now apparent in images taken by the spacecraft. Hayabusa2 will take up a position a short distance from the asteroid later this month, and ultimately will collect samples from its surface for return to Earth. (6/18)

Venus Atmosphere Impacts Spin (Source: Science News)
The dense atmosphere of Venus helps speed up the planet's spin. A study published Monday found that the movement of the atmosphere over the planet's mountains speeds up the planet's axial rotation by about two minutes each day. That is a small fraction of the planet's day, which lasts for 243 Earth days, and may be counteracted by other forces. That interaction of the atmosphere, which rotates every four days, with the surface can also explain the presence of a wave 10,000 kilometers long seen in the planet's atmosphere. (6/18)

Trump Upends Careful Planning for Increased Military Space Focus (Source: Space News)
DoD was slow to react to the president’s announcement presumably because only a handful of officials in OSD were alerted about it last week, and the press office was not prepared to address reporters' questions. Even those who had been warned the president would bring up the Space Force at the NSC meeting didn't know exactly what he would say. Over the past several months everyone could see that the Space Force has become a fascination of sorts for Trump, even though the Pentagon has opposed the idea.

Trump threw a big wrench into the Pentagon’s carefully laid out plans to study how best to reorganize the military’s space forces. The House Armed Services Committee's strategic forces subcommittee had been pushing to create a Space Corps for the past two years. But the language never got past the Senate. The 2018 NDAA directed the Deputy Secretary of Defense to conduct a study and submit a final report by December 31, 2018.

Ranking Democrat Adam Smith said it is “encouraging that President Trump wants to increase our focus on space, but any change of this kind would have to be legislated by Congress.” The House already passed a defense bill last year mandating the creation of a Space Corps, and the final version of that bill mandated an independent assessment of what authorities would be needed, Smith noted. “If President Trump wants to make such a change within the military services, he should come discuss his proposal with us.” (6/19)

Robots and Automation Key to Space Future (Source: Popular Mechanics)
Smart robots building space stations in orbit may be in the future, but there are plenty of other examples of how smart robots and automation are becoming critical to the future of spaceflight. The nation’s busiest launch centers in Florida and California are expecting exponential increases in launch tempo as communications companies loft constellations of small satellites and new generations of air-launched rockets and spaceplanes come of age.

This steady increase of space launches is about revolutionize Cape Canaveral, but there’s one place where it’s prompting hair-pulling and hyperventilation: the Federal Aviation Authority. FAA manages America’s airspace, and airplanes must be rerouted to avoid space launch or reentry operations. Currently, plotting the closures is done manually. It’s a lot to account for, and all this can cause mistakes and delays.

The FAA sees automation as a critical tool in navigating a future with more launches. Such an automated system would automatically determine and carve out the appropriate airspace, and transmit that to the community of air traffic controllers. It would be as easy as filing a flight plan. (6/19)

Trump: Bring On the Space Force. Not So Fast, Says Bill Nelson (Source: Sen Bill Nelson)
The president told a US general to create a new Space Force as 6th branch of military today, which generals tell me they don’t want. Thankfully the president can’t do it without Congress because now is NOT the time to rip the Air Force apart. Too many important missions at stake. Editor's Note: This reminds me of when Pres. Trump ordered the Navy to abandon their new digital electromagnetic catapult system on the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier and go back to the “goddamned steam” catapult technology. (6/18)

Nick Hague Set to Become First Member of 2013 Astronaut Class to Fly (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
One of the 2013 class of astronauts is preparing himself for his flight into space. When Nick Hague takes to the skies in a Russian Soyuz spacecraft later this year, he will become the first of his class to fly. NASA held a press conference on Monday June 18, from the space agency’s Johnson Space Center located in Houston, Texas to detail what the rookie astronaut along with his crewmate, Alexey Ovchinin of the Russian space agency are doing in preparation for their upcoming flight on a Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft to the International Space Station. (6/18)

Still Waiting on Space Tourism After All These Years (Source: Space Review)
This week marks the 14th anniversary of the first suborbital spaceflight by SpaceShipOne, but space tourism, suborbital or orbital, has still failed to take hold. Jeff Foust reports that, despite the delays, some in industry remain confident that the market for commercial human spaceflight will take hold, eventually. Click here. (6/18)
 
Keep Dreaming, Young Lady, Keep Dreaming (Source: Space Review)
It’s been 35 years since Sally Ride became the first American woman in space, but for decades before her flight women sought to become astronauts only to be turned down. Dwayne Day looks at some historical records to examine the views of allowing women to become astronauts in the early years of the Space Age. Click here. (6/18) 
 
Interconnectivity, Disruption, and the Event Horizon Study (Source: Space Review)
It’s often difficult for space industry market forecasts to accurately predict the effects of truly disruptive launch and other technologies. Aaron Oesterle discusses those challenges that are being addressed by an ongoing study by the Space Frontier Foundation and Deloitte. Click here. (6/18)

Forget Galileo – UK Space Sector Should Look to Young Stars Instead (Source: IMechE)
“British security firms could be BANNED from helping EU with Galileo satellite project,” the Mail headline screamed. "Brexit to ‘force work on Galileo sat-nav system out of UK’,” said the BBC. Then Airbus offered to build a new UK system – “BREXIT REVENGE,” said the Express. Scepticism followed – “Brexit Britain’s space ambitions are an expensive waste of time,” claimed Wired.

Built as an alternative to the US GPS system, the EU’s 30-satellite Galileo constellation is expected to be complete by 2020. The UK has invested €1.4bn in the programme, and Airbus employs 100 people on the project in Portsmouth. The system will provide free orientation to public users and more accurate information for military uses. But Brexit means the sensitive Airbus work will move to France and Germany, while the UK faces losing access to the high-precision data.

“A small glitch along the way,” was the summary from Patrick Wood, UK managing director of Lockheed Martin Space. “I think industry will carry on and function.” ... “We have a healthy mix of science, commercial and military capability. We have a close working relationship in industry and academia, we have venture capitalists who are supporting new entrants, and great business opportunities.” (6/18)

Pushing the limit: Could Cyanobacteria Terraform Mars? (Source: Cosmos)
The bacteria that 3.5 billion years ago were largely responsible for the creation of a breathable atmosphere on Earth could be press-ganged into terraforming other planets, research suggests. A team of biologists and chemists from Australia, the UK, France and Italy has been investigating the ability of cyanobacteria – also known as blue-green algae – to photosynthesise in low-light conditions.

Cyanobacteria are some of the most ancient organisms around, and were responsible, though photosynthesis, for converting the Earth’s early atmosphere of methane, ammonia and other gases into the composition it sustains today. “Low-light adapted organisms, such as the cyanobacteria we’ve been studying, can grow under rocks and potentially survive the harsh conditions on the red planet.” (6/18)

SpaceX Risky Rocket Poses a Problem (Source: Houston Chronicle)
The changing face of America’s next space race is a problem for Houston, American astronauts and the United States’ legacy as a space leader. Houston’s role in launching astronauts past Earth’s gravity, landing on the moon and getting our astronauts home safely is unquestioned. Now, reports indicate that SpaceX intends to use some of NASA's money on faulty fueling technology that already caused to explode on the launch pad...a method no space program incorporates into a launch due to the risk.

This next generation space race presents an opportunity to continue NASA's legacy of safety and innovation by sending NASA astronauts to deep space aboard America’s exploration rocket, the Space Launch System. Its crewed missions to the moon and beyond will be run from Houston at Johnson Space Center’s historic mission control, ensuring that Houston remains the epicenter of exploration and American leadership.

We have a remarkable opportunity to change the trajectory of human history with new space initiatives in the next few years, just as the space race did in the 1960s. Moving forward, it is critical that we focus on the things Houston got right the first time — safety, innovation and the return trip. (6/18)

Hadfield: Rockets from NASA, SpaceX, and Blue Origin Won't Take People to Mars (Source: Business Insider)
We asked Chris Hadfield what he thinks about the future rocket ships of three major players in the new space race: NASA's Space Launch System, SpaceX's Big Falcon Rocket, and Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket. His response isn't encouraging to those who'd like to see boots on Martian ground within the next decade or two, let alone have people settle on the red planet.

"Personally, I don't think any of those three rockets is taking people to Mars," Hadfield told Business Insider. "I don't think those are a practical way to send people to Mars because they're dangerous and it takes too long." Hadfield's stance stems from the fact that all three rocket systems rely on similar fuels (plus oxygen) to lift off Earth and propel the ship through space. "My guess is we will never go to Mars with the engines that exist on any of those three rockets unless we truly have to," he said.

NASA's Space Launch System, expected to debut in the 2020s, will power its engines with a combination of liquid hydrogen and solid chemical fuels. Blue Origin, the rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos, is also looking to use liquid hydrogen. SpaceX, founded by Elon Musk, is staking its future on burning liquid methane, which the company believes it can generate on the Martian surface. (6/17)

SpaceX is Giving Wall Street a Reason to Bet on Tesla (Source: Quartz)
Automobile mass-production is a grueling exercise in optimizing the factory floor with methodical precision that resists improvisation. Mistakes that are fixable when making a few thousand cars become nearly impossible to remedy when mass producing hundreds of thousands. Musk’s unscripted moves in manufacturing electric vehicles, while achieving what others deemed impossible, have cost Tesla dearly.

The ultimate expression of this approach is Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX. Musk’s space company launches re-useable metal tubes packed with explosives into space. Soaring hangers at the company’s Hawthorne, California facility house hundreds of workers and robots who carefully piece together the space-age materials that will eventually become a multi-million-dollar rocket. There is still no such thing as a mass-produced rocket. (6/12)

Space Coast's Palm Bay Tops Tech Salaries Ranking (Source: Business.org)
Tech salaries are exploding in major metro cities across the US—in some cases, more than doubling the average local income of those outside the technology sector. Even cities not traditionally thought of as “major” are paying out major tech wages. Palm Bay on Florida's Space Coast tops the 2018 list with an average annual tech salary of $159,380.

The disparity between the no. 1 highest tech salary we identified ($159,380 in Palm Bay, Florida) and area's non-tech average ($50,860) is staggering. Maybe that’s part of the reason US News & World Report once recognized Palm Bay as America’s “Drunkest City.” Click here. (6/4)