November 30, 2018

Moon Rocks Fetch Big Bucks at Auction (Source: CollectSPACE)
While NASA was issuing contracts for commercial missions to the moon, a collector was buying rocks delivered by an old Soviet mission. Three tiny lunar samples, returned by the Luna 16 spacecraft in 1970, sold at auction Thursday for $855,000 to an unidentified "private American collector." The same samples, embedded in a plaque that was given to the widow of Soviet rocket designer Sergei Korolev, sold for $442,500 at another auction 25 years ago. (11/30)

Russia Launches Rockot Rocket (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
A Russian Rockot rocket launched three military satellites Thursday night. The Rockot lifted off from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northern Russia at 9:27 p.m. Eastern and placed three Rodnik communications satellites into low Earth orbit. The launch is expected to be one of the last for the Rockot, a converted SS-19 ICBM. (11/30)

Space Force Plan Moving Ahead with White House Memo (Source: Politico)
Another White House memo suggests the administration is moving ahead with plans for a Space Force. A draft directive, dated Nov. 19, calls for the formation of a Department of the Space Force within the Defense Department on an equal standing with other military branches. The Space Force would include parts of the Air Force and other services that handle space activities, but not the National Reconnaissance Office. The creation of a Space Force would require congressional approval, and some members of Congress have expressed skepticism that a Space Force is the best approach. The news of the memo comes a day after another report, citing an earlier memo, suggested the White House was examining alternatives to the Space Force. (11/30)

Bridenstine Casts Doubt on SpaceX Jan. 7 Target for Dragon Test Flight (Source: USA Today)
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is skeptical SpaceX will be able to fly its first commercial crew demonstration mission in January. While NASA announced last a week a target date of Jan. 7 for the uncrewed test flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, Bridenstine told a small group of reporters Thursday that the mission could slip until spring because of issues with the spacecraft's parachutes. Despite the potential delay, he said he still expected SpaceX and Boeing to be able to perform their uncrewed and crewed test flights before the end of the year. (11/30)

Bridenstine Ordered Commercial Crew Safety Review After Musk Tokes (Sources: The Atlantic, Space Policy Online)
Bridenstine also says he personally ordered the safety reviews at Boeing and SpaceX revealed last week. He said the appearance by SpaceX's Elon Musk on a podcast where he briefly smoked marijuana and drank whiskey "was not helpful, and that did not inspire confidence," arguing that the leaders of companies need to set an example given the importance of their job launching NASA astronauts. He added, though, that he planned to seek a safety review even before Musk's podcast, saying safety issues in general were on his mind after reading the accident investigation reports for Apollo 1, Challenger and Columbia. (11/30)