AIA Calls on Senate to
Confirm Ex-Im Bank Nominees (Source: AIA)
Earlier today, the Senate Banking Committee passed Kimberly Reed,
nominated to be President of the U.S. Export-Import Bank, out of
committee. Following the vote, AIA President and CEO Eric Fanning made
the following statement:
“We welcome the Senate Banking Committee’s vote today to pass Kimberly
Reed’s nomination for President of the Ex-Im Bank out of committee and
we call on the Senate to confirm her as soon as possible. Other
countries around the world are using their export credit agencies to
support their industries, while the United States is not utilizing this
vital tool in our economic toolbox. Until the Senate approves Ms. Reed
and the other nominees for open board positions, the Bank will remain
without a quorum and can’t approve deals of more than $10 million."
(8/23)
Mike Pence’s Outer-Space
Gospel (Source: The Atlantic)
When Mike Pence speaks of space exploration, he speaks not only of the
frontier, but of faith. His speeches sometimes sound more like sermons.
Here Pence was at the inaugural meeting of the National Space Council,
in October of last year: "As President Trump has said, in his words,
“It is America’s destiny to be the leader amongst nations on our
adventure into the great unknown.” And today we begin the latest
chapter of that adventure. But as we embark, let us have faith. Faith
that, as the Old Book teaches us that if we rise to the heavens, He
will be there."
And then, in April of this year, at a gathering of space-industry
professionals: "And as we renew our commitment to lead, let’s go with
confidence and let’s go with faith—the faith that we do not go alone.
For as millions of Americans have believed throughout the long and
storied history of this nation of pioneers, I believe, as well, there
is nowhere we can go from His spirit; that if we rise on the wings of
the dawn, settle on the far side of the sea, even if we go up to the
heavens, even there His hand will guide us, and His right hand will
hold us fast.
No leader before Pence has injected this much religious rhetoric into
speeches about the space program, according to space historians. Which
makes sense, since Pence is an Irish Catholic turned evangelical
Christian, and outspokenly so. Pence has a long record of presenting
his political beliefs in the context of his religious ones. Pence liked
to say he was “a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that
order.” As a congressman, he cited scripture to explain his votes and
prayed with his staffers. (8/23)
Tucson Factory is
Building Rockets and Space City (Source: KPHO)
An Arizona business is hoping to change the space game. Vector is a
2-year-old company, founded by some of the same guys who created
SpaceX. They have big plans for Arizona and those plans start with a
lighter and less expensive rocket. Vector is building rockets just a
block from U of A in Tucson inside a tan warehouse. The Vector-R
rockets stand about 45 feet tall, almost as tall as a three-story
building. The launch pad is mobile. The rockets cost $1.5 million,
compared to $100 million for the traditional large rockets.
Vector could quickly and easily replace satellites that are destroyed
in space. "This becomes a deterrent to actual warfare in space," says
Cantrell. He hopes to launch his rockets four and five times a week by
following the model of the Ford Model T. "Part of what we're doing is
we're able to make them cheap. We're able to make them fast and
hopefully more reliable because they're simple," says Cantrell.
Like Henry Ford, Cantrell plans to use an assembly line to make his
rockets and build many parts on the property. The rockets will be
assembled down the road at what Cantrell calls a 100-thousand square
foot rocket factory near Tucson International Airport. Construction on
that facility has yet to begin but when it does Cantrell envisions a
Space City going up around it. (8/23)
Arizona Joins Pursuit of
Spaceport Status (Source: Space News)
The new Colorado Air and Space Port is not alone among spaceports that
lack space launches. Of the 10 other spaceports licensed by the FAA,
three have yet to conduct a launch under an FAA license or experimental
permit: Cecil Field in Jacksonville, Florida; Ellington Airport in
Houston; and Midland Air and Space Port in Midland, Texas. A fourth,
Oklahoma Air and Space Port in Burns Flat, Oklahoma, hosted only three
low-altitude test flights under experimental permits by Armadillo
Aerospace in 2007.
The lack of activity has not deterred others from either seeking
spaceport licenses for existing airports or developing entirely new
commercial launch sites. “We’re trying to stand up a spaceport. We’re
in very preliminary talks,” said Julie Engel, president of Arizona’s
Greater Yuma Economic Development Corporation, during a space
conference held at Arizona State University Aug. 20. She sought advice
from the conference’s luncheon speaker, Kevin O’Connell, new director
of the Office of Space Commerce, on how to work with the government and
convey the “seriousness of what we’re trying to do.” (8/21)
Astrobiologist Lays Out
Undersea Scenario for Intelligent Life on Alien Water Worlds
(Source: GeekWire)
Instead of cave dwellers gathered around a campfire, roasting mastodon
meat, imagine an octopus tribe floating around a hydrothermal vent at
the seafloor, boiling lobsters. That’s the scenario sketched out by
Dirk Schulze-Makuch, an astrobiologist at Germany’s Technical Institute
Berlin who’s also an adjunct professor at Arizona State University and
Washington State University. Click here.
(8/22)
How NASA Built a Shark
Tank for Space Inventions (Source: WIRED)
Heather Potters is trying to get to the point. On a stage at Denver's
Air & Space museum, a 182,000 square-foot space filled with
decommissioned aircraft, she stands in front of a PowerPoint and
describes her company's no-needle syringes, which can deliver vaccines
by accelerating the liquid into a superfast stream that punctures the
skin. Two Air Force jets point their noses at each other to her left,
facing off, just like Potters and the other participants in tonight’s
NASA iTech competition.
But Potters isn't competing with other medical startups for bio money.
Here at NASA's iTech competition, the co-founder of PharmaJet is vying
for access to expert advice from the space agency. She and 14 other
researchers are pitching diverse terrestrial technologies that they
hope to level up to space. Each team has three minutes each—after which
“shark music,” an off-brand Jaws theme, plays them out like a
shepherd’s crook—to convince a panel of judges (not including Barbara
Corcoran or Mark Cuban) they are worthy of the agency's wisdom.
Tonight's winner will become one of 10 finalists chosen from similar
events across the country, who will then compete for just three
mentorship slots. Click here.
(8/23)
APT Filing Insurance
Claim for Malfunctioning Satellite (Source: Hong Kong
Stock Exchange)
APT Satellite is filing an insurance claim for Apstar-6, a 13-year old
satellite that lost some power due to a malfunctioning solar array in
May. The Hong Kong-based company said it placed the satellite in an
inclined orbit and is finalizing the compensation amount. Built by
Thales Alenia Space, Apstar-6 was two years away from completing a
nominal 15-year service life. APT Satellite sped up the
deployment of the recently launched Apstar-6C satellite to replace
Apstar-6. APT Satellite reported $79.5 million in revenue for the first
six months of 2018, up 4.1 percent from the same time last year. (8/22)
Vega Soars with ESA’s
Aeolus Wind-Monitoring Satellite (Source: SpaceFlight
Insider)
Arianespace successfully sent Europe’s wind-monitoring satellite named
Aeolus to orbit on Wednesday, Aug. 22. The France-based firm used the
smallest launch vehicle in its catalog, Vega, to carry out the first
part of Aeolus’s mission underway. The rocket lifted off at 6:20 p.m.
local time from the Vega Launch Complex (SLV) located in Kourou, French
Guiana.
Manufactured by Airbus Defence and Space, Aeolus is an Earth
observation satellite that weighs in at about 1.36 metric tons. The
satellite platform, fitted with two solar arrays, is based on the same
design as ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft, with dimensions of 13.12 by
14.27 by 5.25 feet. Aeolus is described as the world’s first space
mission to acquire profiles of Earth’s wind on a global scale. The
satellite is therefore equipped with an advanced laser system, the
Atmospheric Laser Doppler Instrument, or Aladin for short is designed
to timely and accurately measure global wind-profiles from space. (8/22)
Shrink-Wrapped SpaceX
Falcon Rocket Escorted Through Blountstown (Source:
Tallahassee Democrat)
Blountstown Fire Chief Ben Hall has now seen the Falcon 9
shrink-wrapped and space bound. He was at Cape Canaveral for history in
February 2017 when the SpaceX rocket launched from the historic NASA
launchpad that kickstarted the Apollo moon missions. He was there in
Blountstown for the routine Monday when the reusable Falcon rocket body
made its way again through downtown.
It's become a somewhat regular site to residents of this small town
just an hour from Tallahassee, according to Hall. "They come right
through Blountstown every few weeks," he said. "I would assume this was
the same one that was Eastbound on July 30th. The launch was early in
August." The rocket, wrapped in black plastic, was transported on a
giant flatbed truck bearing an "OVERSIZE LOAD" sign and was escorted by
Florida Highway Patrolmen and pickup trucks. (8/22)
Senate Emerges as
Obstacle to Trump’s 'Space Force' (Source: The Hill)
The Senate has emerged as a major impediment to President Trump’s hopes
for a new "Space Force." While the House GOP has been largely
supportive of the idea of creating a new military branch for space,
skeptics in the Senate from both parties have raised concerns about its
cost — and the potential for adding to bureaucratic overhead at the
Pentagon.
There’s a recognition that players like China are increasingly turning
to space, leaving a risk that the U.S. could be left behind. But there
are also fears that it will turn into an expensive boondoggle. “There
is an absolute threat, and we need to figure out how to counter that,”
said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). “How do we make sure we're protecting
taxpayer dollars and making sure they're most efficiently used while
achieving that objective?” (8/21)
NASA Langley Collaborates
with Industry to Develop Space Technologies (Source: NASA)
NASA is partnering with U.S. companies and small businesses to develop
technologies that have the potential to significantly benefit the
economy and future NASA missions. Recent announcements of selections
for the agency's Tipping Point solicitation and Phase II of NASA's
competitive Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program include
several proposals with NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton,
Virginia.
NASA selected 10 Tipping Point proposals totaling approximately $44
million and Langley is a partner on one $3 million proposal. The agency
also selected 20 research and technology proposals -- valued at $15
million -- from 19 American small businesses for STTR Phase II and
Langley will manage three of the selected proposals totaling $2.25
million. (8/22)
Trump Risks Leading the
World Into a Space Arms Race (Source: The Hill)
Vice President Mike Pence’s call last Thursday for the creation of a
U.S. Space Force to achieve “American dominance in space” reflects a
risky agenda on the part of the Trump administration, one that could
propel the world into a global arms race in outer space.
Echoing a speech that President Trump gave in June, Pence declared
space a “warfighting domain” and asserted the need for American
superiority in that arena.
The Pentagon has opposed creating a space force, and it is of
questionable military benefit. Defense Secretary James Mattis
registered his opposition to the idea last year, stating that the
measure would impair the Department of Defense’s ability to integrate
its joint warfighting functions. Congress also has not been
enthusiastic, preferring the lesser measure of a “space command” within
the military’s operational command structure. What, then, is the
administration’s reason for this proposal?
A motive might be sought in the potentially profitable commercial
ventures in outer space, such as asteroid mining, for which the
president has voiced support. The president may imagine that a Space
Force is the way to gain control over and protect the valuable assets
involved. However, this way of thinking is risky. (8/21)
Will 2018 Advance Venture
Capital’s Own Space Odyssey? (Source: Wall Street Journal)
These are heady days for space fans. In the movies, the “Star Wars”
franchise is steadily churning out new releases. And this year,
theaters are celebrating the 50th anniversary of “2001: A Space
Odyssey,” Stanley Kubrick’s visionary masterwork that is still
considered the granddaddy of modern space films.
Closer to real life, depending on your perspective, the Trump
administration is beating the drum to establish U.S. military
superiority in the stars by building up a “U.S. Space Force.” But
space-industry buffs can take heart with all of the investment flowing
into their, well, space as venture-backed startups accelerate
development of rockets, spacecraft and support services.
Space startups have raised more than $692 million spread over 26 deals
so far this year, according to Dow Jones VentureSource. That puts the
sector’s deal-making pace already ahead of last year’s 25 funding
rounds, and it could end up being one of the industry’s biggest years
yet. The standing record is the $1.14 billion invested in 2015, but
that included a single $1 billion round raised by SpaceX. (8/20)
China Develops Large
Aperture Optical Mirror with High Accuracy (Source: Xinhua)
China has developed a high accuracy four-meter-aperture optical mirror,
an important tool for deep space and astronomical observation.
Developed by Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics, and Physics
of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the silicon carbide aspheric
optical mirror measures 1.6 tonnes.
The silicon carbide used in production provides more stability to the
surface of the mirror, allowing for greater accuracy at 20 nanometers.
In addition to the mirror, the research group also developed the
manufacturing equipment used for the mirror's production and owns the
IP rights for the equipment. (8/22)
Huge Jets of Water Found
Streaming From Distant Protostar (Source: Cosmos)
Astronomers have spotted incredible jets of water vapour streaming away
from a protostar in the Cat's Paw Nebula, a star-forming region located
about 5500 light-years from Earth. The observations, published in The
Astrophysical Journal Letters, were made by a group from the National
Radio Astronomy Observatory in Virginia in the United States, using the
Atacama Large Millimetre Array (ALMA), a collection of radio telescopes
in Chile, owned by the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
Led by the observatory’s Geoffrey Blake, the detected
submillimeter-wavelength light emitted by jets of heavy water streaming
away from the protostar located in the Cat’s Paw Nebula, known formally
as NGC 6334I. Heavy water contains the hydrogen isotope deuterium,
instead of hydrogen itself. A product of the Big Bang, there are about
26 deuterium atoms for every million hydrogen atoms across the universe.
The jets are a result of star formation. As a star begin to coalesce
out of massive clouds of dust and gas, most of the material surrounding
it is pulled towards the mass at the centre. However, some is propelled
away from the growing protostar as a pair of jets. (8/22)
New Evidence for Cyclic
Universe (Source: Physics World)
Unexpected hot spots in the cosmic microwave background (CMB) could
have been produced by black holes evaporating before the Big Bang. So
says a trio of scientists led by mathematical physicist Roger Penrose
in a paper presenting new evidence that our universe is just one stage
in a potentially infinite cycle of cosmic extinction and rebirth. Other
researchers, however, remain sceptical that the microwave background
really does contain signs from a previous “aeon”.
According to standard cosmology, the universe underwent a very brief
but exceptionally intense expansion just after the Big Bang. This
period of “inflation” would have ironed out any irregularities in the
structure of the early universe, leading to the very uniform cosmos
that we observe around us.
However, Penrose, based at the University of Oxford , has developed a
rival theory known as “conformal cyclic cosmology“ (CCC) which posits
that the universe became uniform before, rather than after, the Big
Bang. The idea is that the universe cycles from one aeon to the next,
each time starting out infinitely small and ultra-smooth before
expanding and generating clumps of matter. That matter eventually gets
sucked up by supermassive black holes, which over the very long term
disappear by continuously emitting Hawking radiation. This process
restores uniformity and sets the stage for the next Big Bang. (8/21)
No comments:
Post a Comment