August 4, 2018

How Can NASA Return to the Moon? By Making Everything Reusable, Chief Says (Source: Ars Technica)
"We want the entire architecture between here and the Moon to all be reusable," Bridenstine said. When the space program can reuse its rockets, spacecraft, deep-space stations, and landers, it makes the program sustainable. What the White House does not want, he said, would be a program that spends a lot of money and sends humans to the Moon a handful of times before retreating back into low-Earth orbit.

"We know how reusability of rockets has changed the game for access to space and how it's just driven down the cost, and it will continue to drive down the cost," Bridenstine said. "So at NASA, we need to be looking at things differently. We need to be a customer when we can be a customer. We want to have multiple providers when we can have multiple providers all competing on innovation and cost. I think we are at the precipice of having an opportunity that didn't even exist five or 10 years ago on the commercial side." (8/2)

NASA Wallops Flight Facility to Explore Efficiencies with Sister Campus (Source: DelMarVa Now)
NASA has announced it is exploring ways to improve the relationship and become more efficient between its two campuses in Greenbelt, Maryland and Wallops Island. Keith Koehler, a spokesman for NASA Wallops Flight Facility, issued the following statement from Ken Human, who recently retired from NASA and is leading the review team:

"In light of agency efforts to improve management efficiencies and the increasing prominence of commercial space, Goddard has formed a team to study and evaluate opportunities to improve the organizational structure and effectiveness of the relationship between Goddard Space Flight Center’s campuses at Greenbelt, Md., and Wallops Island, Virginia," Koehler wrote in an email on Friday.

The 90-day study will wrap up by late October, Koehler said, and is not expected to have any impact on the Wallops facility before the study is completed. Around 1,200 people work at NASA Flight Facility, including 280 civil service workers and more than 900 independent contractors. The NASA Wallops annual budget is around $250 million. (8/3)

NASA Unveils the Astronauts Who Will Relaunch Human Space Flights from U.S. Soil (Source: Washington Post)
NASA on Friday announced the crews of the first flights from U.S. soil since the space shuttle retired in 2011, an elite group of astronauts that the agency hopes will help open a new era of space travel. The crews would fly on spacecraft developed not by NASA but by two corporations, SpaceX and Boeing, which are under contract to provide a taxi-like service to the International Space Station.

In a ceremony at the Johnson Space Center, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stood on a stage with a massive American flag, and introduced the crews, one-by-one, as they came on stage in distinct groups: one for SpaceX, the other Boeing. On the first human test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, NASA selected astronauts Eric Boe and Nicole Mann to join Boeing executive Chris Ferguson. NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley would fly on the first human test flight of SpaceX’s Dragon capsule. (8/3)

Ex-Astronaut Slams Trump's 'Space Force' Proposal: Let's Deal With Our Current 'Cyber War' (Source: The Hill)
Former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly tore into President Trump's "Space Force" proposal on Friday, saying the U.S. government should focus its efforts on "the cyber war" facing the country. "I don’t want to speculate on the president’s motivations," Kelly said on MSNBC in response to a question on why Trump announced his Space Force plan back in June.

"This Space Force is talking about some future, potentially almost scientific war that we may have to be a party of. How about we deal with the war we're currently in?" he added. "The cyber war that is, you know, trying to affect our democracy, the thing that's most important to the United States, which is free and fair elections," he also said. (8/3)

Cargo Bases in Space: Air Force General Wants Them Within a Decade (Source: Defense One)
Within a decade, U.S. troops may get some supplies from prepositioned stocks in space — if the Air Force’s mobility commander can make his vision come true. Gen. Carlton D. Everhart II is already talking with SpaceX and other space-services companies about that and other space-related initiatives, the leader of Air Force Mobility Command told reporters at a Defense Writers Group breakfast Thursday.

“What happens if we preposition cargo in space? I don’t have to use terrestrial means, I don’t have to use water means. I can just position in space and have a re-supplying vehicle come up and come back down. I don’t have to have people there, I just have to have the cargo there. Automated loading systems, those types of things,” Everhart said. Where, exactly, would these orbiting supply dumps be?

“This is me thinking out loud,” he said.“Low earth orbit? Fine. But I’m telling you if the commercial industry is going to launch 5,000 satellites, I don’t know if it’s going to work…It’s cluttered up there. So, is it…the halfway point between the Earth and the moon? …Maybe we can put it in GEO…I don’t know, I’m going to ask the industry…If you’ve got ideas, I’ll take them.” (8/2)

Here's Why The USAF Is Suddenly Talking Cargo Drops From Space And Spying On Other Galaxies (Source: The Drive)
For better or worse, the idea of an independent Space Force seems to be gaining traction within the White House, in Congress, and even the halls of the Pentagon. The Air Force stands to lose the most in any such arrangement, so, perhaps not coincidentally, some members of the service’s senior leadership seem especially keen to show that they understand that space, and potential threats to American assets up there, is an important issue.

But some of the statements these individuals have made, including the idea of prepositioning supplies in geosynchronous orbit or preparing to monitor activities in other galaxies, are highly unrealistic and difficult to view seriously. Watching for threats outside the Milky Way came up in question and answer session with U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Veralinn Jamieson, the service’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance. Click here. (8/3)

First Launch at Scots Spaceport to Carry Weather Satellite (Source: STV)
A project to launch 40 shoebox-sized satellites into space to track extreme weather patterns will be the first to use Scotland's planned spaceport. US-based Orbital Micro Systems, working with Edinburgh University, will use the site in Sutherland to launch their satellites into orbit. They will provide accurate weather information to a data center.

In July, the remote peninsula of A'Mhoine was selected as the site of the UK's first launch site for carrying small satellites. The International Center for Earth Data (ICED) will be based at the university and aims to drastically improve the forecasting of extreme weather and natural disasters. The constellation of 40 satellites will use microwave and infrared sensors to gather weather updates every 15 minutes. (8/3)

JAXA to Send Landing Probe to Moon (Source: Japan Times)
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA, plans to launch a small lunar landing probe on an H-2A rocket in fiscal 2021. The decision was reported during a meeting of the science ministry’s task force on space development and utilization on Thursday. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, will be launched together with a successor model of the X-ray astronomy satellite Hitomi and will target a landing on a small crater in Mare Nectaris, an area located near the moon’s equator on the side facing Earth. (8/3)

No, A Huge Meteor Did Not Threaten a US Base with Destruction (Source: Task & Purpose)
On July 25th, a fireball graced the skies over icy Greenland near Thule Air Force Base, the U.S. Air Force’s northernmost base and a key to its aerospace defense strategy. The meteor released 2.1 kilotons of energy over a installation designed to detect nuclear missile launches, which led to a predictable media freakout. But the freakout is wrong. Digging into the meteor incident demonstrates that it really isn’t that big of a deal. Here’s why.

First, “The energy that came in with this was very limited,” said Hans Kristensen, director of the Nuclear Information Project at the Federation of American Scientists. The fireball above Thule, presumably a meteorite, exploded at an altitude of 43.3 kilometers — around 27 miles — and released the same energy as a very low-yield nuclear weapon. By comparison, when a falling asteroid exploded over Chelyabinsk in Russia in 2013, yielding tons of viral videos, it released 440 kilotons of energy at an altitude of 23.3 kilometers — shattering windows for miles around the city. (8/3)

Etisalat Sells Thuraya Stake for $37 Million (Source: Space News)
Emirati telecommunications company Etisalat has sold its 28 percent stake in satellite operator Thuraya to fellow Emirati satellite operator YahSat for $37 million. Etisalat, which helped create Thuraya by leading a formative $500 million investment round in 1997, informed the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange of the sale in an Aug. 1 letter from Etisalat Chief Financial Officer Serkan Okandan. (8/3)

Commercial Spaceships Are Like 'Driving an iPhone,' New Astronaut Says (Source: Space.com)
"With 40 years' difference in avionics and technology, we have squeezed a lot more into a smaller ship," said Chris Ferguson, who now works directly for Boeing on its Starliner program and who commanded the very last space shuttle flight, in 2011.

Both of the new capsules come equipped with touch screens, and the astronauts' spacesuits include gloves that allow the spaceflyers to manipulate those screens smoothly. "It is also nice to not have all of the complications of switches and buttons, like we did in shuttle," Suni Williams, whose first mission was aboard the shuttle, wrote in a Reddit AMA. "The new flat screens will make it easier to interact [with] and control the spacecraft."

And it's not just about aesthetics — the astronauts will also be able to get more done during their limited time in space. "With today's technologies, automation in the spacecraft will help us do our tasks easier and allow us to have more capability," Williams wrote. (8/3)

Planning Meeting Held in for Colorado Spaceport (Source: Yuma Pioneer)
Spaceport Colorado is a commercial aircraft operation looking for a horizontal launch license. We met with Ken Buck Representatives Erika Chaves and Cody LeBlanc who started off the listening session in Burlington. Those in attendance were then able to meet Dave Ruppel, airport director out of Adams County.

Those who are a part of Spaceport Colorado have produced a vehicle meant to be launched into suborbital space. The vehicle is the same size as a medium business jet. It takes off just like any other commercial flight, but then produces two sonic booms, to help get it in and out of suborbital space. While up in space they pick the angle for re-entry, and head back toward earth with the second sonic boom. It would turn a flight from Denver to Tokyo into an hour and a half flight!

As the session continued locals asked, “Why here?” Ruppel’s response was that in this area the operation would be far enough away to have less negative impact on other commercial flights. Local air traffic in the Burlington area would see minor effects. Flight for life aircrafts have priority over all commercial flights including Spaceport. Spaceport is searching for a new way of transportation and economic growth in Colorado. (8/3)

FAA Announces $1 Million Infrastructure Grant for Mojave Air and Space Port (Source: Mojave Desert News)
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will award $770.8 million in airport infrastructure grants, the third allotment of the total $3.18 billion in Airport Improvement Program (AIP) funding. The grants include a $1.05 million award to Mojave Air and Space Port to extend a taxiway.

“These Airport Improvement Grants are investments in our country’s critical infrastructure,” said Secretary Chao.  “This grant is a down payment to ensure Mojave remains an economic engine as demand grows.” AIP grants fund infrastructure projects that include runways, taxiways, aprons, and terminal projects. These projects are important to the safety and efficiency of the nation’s system of airports. (8/2)

Elon Musk Defends Plans to Build a Community on Mars After Downbeat NASA Report (Source: CNBC)
A new report sponsored by NASA has put Elon Musk on the defensive about his plans for building a community on Mars. Now, the billionaire tech titan and the leading government space agency are at odds on social media about how possible it is for Mars to be habitable by humans in the near future.

"There's a massive amount of CO2 on Mars adsorbed into soil that'd be released upon heating. With enough energy via artificial or natural (sun) fusion, you can terraform almost any large, rocky body," Elon Musk says. This week, NASA said the idea of making the surface of Mars habitable in the near future is not realistic.

"Transforming the inhospitable Martian environment into a place astronauts could explore without life support is not possible without technology well beyond today's capabilities," according to a NASA statement. "Data from MAVEN show the majority of Mars’ ancient, potentially habitable atmosphere has been stripped away by solar wind and radiation. Processing all remaining sources of CO₂ & H₂O would only increase atmospheric pressure to about 7% of Earth's." (8/2)

NASA Backs Designs for 3D-Printed Homes on Mars (Source: CNN)
Research and architecture studio AI Space Factory has designed a 3D-printed house for the surface of Mars -- and it looks like a beehive. Dubbed the Marsha Project, the vertical dwelling was dreamt up for NASA's 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge, and has been endorsed by the agency.

Each 'hive' can accommodate four astronauts and can be 3D-printed in situ using a static construction rover and materials gathered from the surface of the Red Planet, including basalt and renewable bioplastic. Marsha's vertical design alleviates Mars' atmospheric constraints by minimising movement of the construction rover across unfamiliar terrain, allowing it to print while static. (8/2)

AeroVironment Draws on High-Altitude Drone Development to Help Make a Helicopter for Mars (Source: LA Times)
A Southern California company that specializes in small drones for the military has an opportunity to contribute to aviation history: the first aerial flight on Mars. AeroVironment Inc. is making the rotors, landing gear and material to hold solar panels for the Mars Helicopter project, which will be assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The device will deploy from NASA’s latest Mars rover in 2020, taking high-resolution images that can determine where the slower-wheeled vehicle should head next. (7/31)

Why Satellite Internet Is the New Space Race (Source: PC Magazine)
There's a theory (or perhaps a cautionary tale) among astronomers called the Kessler Syndrome, named for the NASA astrophysicist who proposed it in 1978. In this scenario, an orbiting satellite or some other piece of material accidentally strikes another and breaks into pieces. These pieces whirl around the Earth at tens of thousands of miles per hour, destroying everything in their path, including other satellites. It starts a catastrophic chain reaction that ends in a cloud of millions of pieces of non-functional space debris that orbits the planet indefinitely.

Such an event could make an orbital plane functionally useless, destroying any new satellites sent into it and possibly preventing access to other orbits and even all of space. So when SpaceX to send 4,425 satellites into low-Earth orbit (LEO) to provide a global high-speed internet network, the FCC was reasonably concerned. For more than a year, the company to questions from the commission and petitions by competitors to deny the application, including filing an "orbital debris mitigation plan" to allay fears of Kesslerian apocalypse. On March 28, the FCC. (7/30)