January 4, 2019

Apollo Spacesuits Survive Today — in the Roofs Over Your Head (Source: Space.com)
When the Apollo astronauts launched into space, they wore spacesuits specially designed to protect them from many of the hazards they faced. Although astronauts these days wear different garb than the space explorers from 50 years ago, the Apollo material can be found across the Earth today. But don't look for it in your local clothing store; material based on spacesuit design has been lifted to new heights, serving as protective roofs for an array of popular buildings.

In 1956, aeronautical engineer Walter Bird founded Birdair Structures Inc. out of his kitchen in Buffalo, New York. His initial focus was on a material known as "Beta cloth," a durable, lightweight, noncombustable material developed for astronaut wear. That veneer is what made the fabric stand out. "The Teflon coating on fiberglass yarns does not break down [when struck] by harmful [ultraviolet] rays," Dentinger said. "This is one of the main reasons the material was used in the space program." (1/4)

Democratic Leaders Push Bills to End Shutdown, Fund NASA at $21.3 Billion (Source: Space News)
The House passed spending bills Thursday night that would end the shutdown, but those bills face a veto threat. The House, hours after convening for the 116th Congress, passed one bill that would fund most agencies shuttered by the shutdown for the rest of the 2019 fiscal year, and another that funds the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 8.

The bills are based on measures the Senate worked on last year, including a commerce, justice and science spending bill that provides $21.3 billion for NASA. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, though, said he would not take up any bill that doesn't have the support of the president, and the White House threatened Thursday to veto the bills. (1/4)

Shutdown Blamed for Exos Launch Delay (Source: Space News)
The shutdown has led one company to delay an upcoming launch. Exos Aerospace had planned to launch its SARGE suborbital rocket this weekend from Spaceport America in New Mexico, but decided to delay that launch until next month. The company said that, because of the shutdown, the FAA was not able to work on a requested modification of its launch license. Had that modification not been needed, though, Exos said the FAA would have been able to support a launch. (1/4)

SpaceX Puts Crew Dragon on the Pad (Source: Florida Today)
SpaceX rolled out a Falcon 9 rocket with its Crew Dragon spacecraft to the launch pad Thursday despite uncertainties about when that mission can launch. The rocket rolled out to Launch Complex 39A and went vertical on the pad late in the day for testing. That rocket was scheduled to launch as soon as Jan. 17 on a test flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft without astronauts on board. With the ongoing government shutdown, that launch will likely be delayed, although no new schedule has been released. (1/4)

Shanahan Retains Space Force Planning Role (Source: Space News)
The new acting secretary of defense will retain control of planning for a proposed Space Force. Patrick Shanahan, as deputy secretary of defense, was responsible for developing a legislative proposal for establishing a Space Force due to Congress in February. Those efforts "are going to continue as scheduled," a senior official said Thursday even after Shanahan's elevation to acting secretary of defense. That work also involves creating a new Space Development Agency responsible for fielding new space capabilities faster. (1/4)

Iridium Readies Final Batch of Satellites (Source: Space News)
As Iridium prepares to deploy the final batch of its next-generation satellites, the company is interested in rideshare opportunities for several spare satellites. Six spare satellites are nearing completion and will initially be kept on the ground, but Iridium CEO Matt Desch said Thursday he would be open to opportunities to launch them on a shared mission with another customer "if the right deal comes along." Such a deal would be similar to the launch last year of five satellites on a Falcon 9 launch shared with the GRACE-FO Earth science satellites. Iridium's new constellation will be completed with the launch Jan. 8 of a final set of 10 satellites. (1/4)

India Moves Lonar Lander Mission to February (Source: PTI)
India now expects to launch its first lunar lander mission in February. A senior official said the Indian space agency ISRO is "trying hard" to have the Chandrayaan-2 mission ready for launch around the middle of next month. The mission, previously planned for launch in January, features an orbiter, lander and rover. (1/4)

Pompeo: Iran Satellite Launches are Missile Tests (Source: New York Times)
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo warned Iran not to attempt any satellite launches, calling them a cover for a missile program. Pompeo said that the planned launches use "virtually the same technology" as intercontinental ballistic missiles and would be in defiance of a U.N. resolution limiting Iran's missile development efforts. Iran's foreign minister countered that launching satellites would not violate that U.N. resolution. Iran has launched only a few small satellites to date, most recently in 2015. (1/4)

NatGeo Halts deGresse Tyson Show Until Misconduct Investigation Ends (Source: Variety)
National Geographic Channel has placed a space-related show hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson on hiatus. The "Star Talk" program, hosted by Tyson, started its fifth season in November but has aired only three shows to date, and none since late November. The channel said it put the show on hiatus while an investigation into sexual misconduct allegations against Tyson continues. A final decision on if and when the show will resume will come after that investigation is completed in the next few weeks, the channel said. (1/4)

Curry Auctions Moon Shoes (Source: ESPN)
NBA star Steph Curry will auction off moon-themed shoes he wore in a game Thursday night. Curry wore the shoes, which featured a pattern of lunar craters as well as the NASA logo, in a game his Golden State Warriors played against the Houston Rockets. Last month, Curry said on a podcast that he didn't believe NASA had landed people on the moon, a claim he later retracted, saying he was joking. The shoes will be auctioned off to fund STEM education efforts. The Rockets beat Curry and the Warriors 135-134 in overtime. (1/4)

Humanity Will Slam a Spacecraft into an Asteroid in a Few Years to Help Save Us All (Source: Space.com)
Humans are preparing to punch the solar system — but in self-defense, not anger. It's all part of a NASA mission in development called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, or DART. Unlike most spacecraft the agency has launched to date, DART isn't about gathering scientific data and learning more about how the universe works. Instead, it's NASA's first planetary-defense mission.

Specifically, planetary defense is about largish asteroids that could theoretically collide with Earth, and what humans could do to protect ourselves. Slam into an asteroid hard enough while it's sufficiently far away from Earth, and you can bump it off course. But if you've never slammed into an asteroid before, it's difficult to know precisely the best way to do it. And that's where DART comes in. Its target isn't a threat to Earth, but by studying it carefully and then colliding with it, Chabot and the rest of the DART team will create the data humans will need if they ever want to redirect a truly threatening asteroid. (1/3)

Senate Confirms OSTP Director (Source: Space News)
The Senate confirmed a new presidential science adviser Wednesday night. The Senate, on a voice vote, confirmed Kelvin Droegemeier as director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy, a position that had been vacant since the beginning of the Trump administration nearly two years ago. Droegemeier, nominated in August, had broad bipartisan support. Droegemeier was part of a wave of confirmations in the final hours of the 115th Congress, with the new Congress set to convene Thursday. The Senate did not act, though, on the nomination of Barry Myers to be administrator of NOAA. His nomination had been criticized by Senate Democrats because of conflict-of-interest concerns. (1/3)

SpaceX Super Heavy Starship Will Also Be Space Tugs and Cycler (Source: Next Big Future)
Many space plans propose different space vehicles for different roles and activities. There is a launcher that goes from Earth to low earth orbit or the launcher goes directly to higher orbits with lower mass. The SpaceX Super Heavy Starship should be flying to orbit by 2020 with a fully reusable rocket. It will be 2-4 more years before it is fully developed for commercial flights.

If it is flying with minimal maintenance for 100 trips then it will bring the cost of each space launch down to about $5 million per launch. It appears to make sense for 5-10 years after the development of the commercial SpaceX Super Heavy Starship that various slightly modified versions are used in the role of orbital space tugs, fuel stations and orbit to moon and orbit to Mars vehicles. It is similar to the old ideas about using the Space Shuttle fuel tanks back in the 1980s for space stations. (1/3)

Russia Continues Work on Plasma Engine for Superfast Space Travel (Source: Space Daily)
Scientists from Russia and around the world see plasma rocket technology as a crucial possible ingredient for speedy missions to Mars and beyond. Physicists from the Budker Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences are preparing another round of experiments aimed at successfully harnessing the power of thermonuclear plasma for use in a rocket engine. The experiments, which will begin later this month, will follow up on earlier successful tests which confirmed the feasibility of confining plasma in an experimental setup using parameters suitable for a rocket engine, Alexander Ivanov said. (1/3)

UK Tests Self Driving Robots for Mars (Source: Space Daily)
As far as we know, Mars is the only planet populated entirely by robots! Due to the time taken for commands to travel to Mars (eight minutes each way), hand guided robots are limited to travelling only a few dozen meters a day. New software developed in the UK will change this, enabling future Mars rovers to make their own decisions about where to go and how to get there, driving up to a kilometer per day so delivering more scientific returns per mission.

Over the course of a month the team, consisting of engineers from companies all across Europe was coordinated by representatives from the UK Space Agency as well as the German, French, Spanish, Italian and European Space Agencies (ESA). They tested a variety of new technologies, including data fusion systems, a plug-and-play sensor suite and an open-source operating system for robotic control. (1/3)

Russian Soyuz Vehicles to Carry Out Record-Long Missions to ISS in 2019 (Source: Sputnik)
The duration of the longest mission to the ISS to date is 215 days, according to a source in the aerospace industry. The Russian manned Soyuz spacecraft will perform record-long missions to the International Space Station (ISS), lasting for seven months, this year. Soyuz spacecraft usually spend around 200 days docked to the ISS. (1/3)