March 18, 2019

Super fast Travel Using Outer Space Could Be $20 Billion Market, Disrupting Airlines, UBS Predicts (Source: CNBC)
In a decade, high speed travel via outer space will represent an annual market of at least $20 billion and compete with long-distance airline flights, UBS says. UBS expects the broader space industry, which is worth about $400 billion today, will double to $805 billion by 2030. Long haul airplane flights that are more than 10 hours in duration would "be cannibalized" by point-to-point flights on rockets, UBS said. Click here. (3/18)

Two Revolutions: Space and Blockchain (Source: SpaceFund)
Last Monday we announced the existence of SpaceFund to the world at the Smart Valor Blockchain Summit in Zurich. While SpaceFund was actually formed several months ago in Delaware and Texas, we’ve been learning, planning and developing the infrastructure, processes and tools we would need to not just claim to be the world’s first tokenized space venture capital fund, but to make sure we could deliver on that claim.

Olga Feldmaier and her team at Smart Valor in Switzerland offered me the chance to address the summit, announce the fund and in fact also announce we would be working with Smart Valor as they pioneer the frontier of tokenized exchanges. It was an amazing experience. Flying back from Zurich after giving the speech, I am reflecting on what happened, what it means and what we are and will be doing moving forward. There is and will be a lot to cover in future posts, but for now I’ll start with one of the main points of my presentation, borne out by the event, and the people I met there. Click here. (3/18)

NASA's Commercial Lunar Plans Could Signal Paradigm Shift for Deep Space Travel (Source: The Verge)
NASA is now mulling over the idea of using commercial rockets to launch a critical mission around the Moon next year instead of using the massive rocket that the agency has been building for the last decade. Such a drastic change would not only upend flight plans for this particular mission, but it could also have big implications on how ambitious space travel programs are conducted in the future.

The impetus for this new commercial focus is to maintain the agency’s launch schedule. NASA’s rocket, the Space Launch System, or SLS, is taking much longer to make than expected and probably won’t be ready to fly by its current target launch date of June 2020, whereas other commercial vehicles already on the market are ready to fly right now.

Making this revision would not be a simple swap. NASA would need not one commercial rocket but two in order to make the mission happen. The agency will also need to develop new technologies and figure out how to piece together certain vehicles in space in order to ensure that its mission can actually make it all the way out to the Moon. (3/18)

US Detects Huge Meteor Explosion (Source: BBC)
A huge fireball exploded in the Earth's atmosphere in December, according to NASA. The blast was the second largest of its kind in 30 years, and the biggest since the fireball over Chelyabinsk in Russia six years ago. But it went largely unnoticed until now because it blew up over the Bering Sea, off Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula. The space rock exploded with 10 times the energy released by the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

Lindley Johnson, planetary defence officer at NASA, told BBC News a fireball this big is only expected about two or three times every 100 years. At about noon local time on 18 December, the asteroid barrelled through the atmosphere at a speed of 32km/s, on a steep trajectory of seven degrees. Measuring several meters in size, the space rock exploded 25.6km above the Earth's surface, with an impact energy of 173 kilotons. (3/18)

OneWeb Raises $1.25 Billion After Successful First Launch (Source: OneWeb)
OneWeb has raised $1.25 billion in its latest funding round. The company said that SoftBank Group Corp., Grupo Salinas, Qualcomm Technologies Inc., and the Government of Rwanda led this latest round, which brings the total raised to date by OneWeb to $3.4 billion. The funding comes less than three weeks after the company launched its first six satellites that will serve as in-orbit demonstrations of the hundreds of spacecraft that will comprise the company's full constellation.

With the new funding in place, OneWeb says it will start monthly launches of the rest of the system in the fourth quarter of this year, with more than 30 satellites per launch. The company will build those satellites at a new factory in Florida, with production slated to ramp up this spring. "The new funds will allow us to accelerate the development of the first truly global communications network by 2021. Our system will deliver high speed, low latency, seamless broadband access," the company tweeted. (3/18)

SpaceX Plans Hopper Test Flights in Texas, Future Production and Launches in Florida Too (Sources: Space News, SPACErePORT)
SpaceX could begin initial test flights of its "hopper" Starship prototype as soon as this week. Elon Musk confirmed that the initial tests, where the vehicle barely gets off its pad at the company's South Texas test site, could take place this week. Local residents were recently notified of impending tests, including safety perimeters that will limit access to the area around the site.

SpaceX is planning a series of incremental test flights of the vehicle, which Musk said will not feature a nose cone that was damaged during windy conditions at the site in January. Those tests will support development of an orbital version of Starship, the upper stage of SpaceX's next-generation reusable launch system. Meanwhile, Musk tweeted that SpaceX is "working on regulatory approval for both Boca Chica, Texas, and Cape Kennedy [sic], Florida. Will also be building Starship & Super Heavy simultaneously in both locations." (3/18)

Harris Corp. Satellite Could Augment GPS, Thwart Jamming (Source: Space News)
An experimental satellite will test ways to make the GPS system more resilient. The Navigation Technology Satellite (NTS) 3 is scheduled for launch in 2022 to demonstrate how small satellites like it, placed in geostationary orbit, could augment the existing GPS system and respond to jamming and spoofing of GPS signals. The contract with Harris Corp. to build NTS-3 includes an option for up to nine of the satellites.(3/18)

India Plans April 1 PSLV Launch (Source: Times of India)
India's next Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) mission is now scheduled for launch April 1. The mission, which will place nearly 30 satellites into three orbits, was delayed from March 21 because of "internal system readiness and other technical factors," according to K. Sivan, the chairman of the Indian space agency ISRO. Sivan added that the launch of India's Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission is scheduled for launch by the end of April on a GSLV Mark 3 rocket. (3/18)

Neil deGrasse Tyson Returns to TV After Harassment Investigation (Source: New York Times)
Astronomer Neil deGrasse Tyson will return to television after the completion of an investigation over allegations of sexual harassment. National Geographic plans to resume broadcasts of Tyson's "StarTalk" series in April, and it will work with Fox to determine a new date for the second season of "Cosmos" on Fox. The networks did not disclose the details of the investigation, triggered last fall after two women alleged he behaved inappropriately with them. A separate investigation by the American Museum of Natural History, whose Hayden Planetarium is led by Tyson, is still continuing. (3/18)

China Plans a Solar Power Play in Space That NASA Abandoned Decades Ago (Source: CNBC)
John Mankins has spent his professional life working on novel ideas that could transform the way humans use technology in space, solar power among them. But Mankins’ interplanetary musings went beyond the way solar is already used to power satellites and the International Space Station. During a 25-year career at NASA and CalTech’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he devised multiple concepts to extend the use of solar in space, among them a solar-powered interplanetary transport vehicle and a space-based power system.

It’s that second idea, in particular, that had Mankins’ attention while holding top research positions at NASA during the 1990s and 2000s, including overseeing the $800 million Exploration Systems Research and Technology group. Mankins — who now runs his own private aerospace firm, Artemis Innovation Management Solutions — had the task of figuring out whether there was a way to deliver electricity to the planet by beaming it from space. It’s an idea that could fundamentally reshape the idea of the utility business — and give control over it, on a global scale, to whichever world power gets there first. (3/17)

Colorado Congressmen Want to Help NASA Take Longer Missions to Faraway Spots (Source: Denver Post)
Space travelers tapping natural resources on the moon and other planets to survive isn’t just the stuff of novels or movies. It’s the subject of serious study by NASA and researchers, and has an entire program devoted to it at Colorado School of Mines. Now, Rep. Scott Tipton of Colorado has introduced a bill in Congress to take steps that could create an institute dedicated to research into what natural resources in outer space could be used by astronauts on long missions to faraway spots.

The bill introduced Thursday and co-sponsored by fellow Colorado Rep. Ed Perlmutter would direct NASA to study the idea and submit a report to Congress in six months. The Space Resources Institute Act is intended to support plans for space missions that will be longer in duration and distance, Tipton said. The goals are to identify minerals, water sources and other materials on asteroids or planets that crews could use to supplement their supplies and develop the technology to put them to use. NASA calls the effort “in-situ resource utilization,” or using what’s in place where you are. In the case of space travel, that means using local materials, whether it’s on the moon, Mars or an asteroid, to be able to carry out missions in deep space. (2/14)

The Tourist's Guide to Space (Source: Popular Mechanics)
Space has it all. Circular mountain ranges! Metallic aster­oids! Geysers of sulfur! Oceans on a steady boil! It may just be the ultimate vacation destination. But how do you pack for the moon? What are you looking at for lodging? Will you get carsick in a rocket? In the era of space tourism, these are things you need to know. So here’s the first thing: They call it “The Over­view Effect.” It’s what happens when you see the Earth from space, all you’ve ever known just a glitter­ing orb in the cosmic empti­ness. Your sense of humanity grows. Your perception shifts. You are forever changed. Click here. (3/12)

Made In Space Completes Ground-based Manufacturing & Assembly Testing for Archinaut Program (Source: Parabolic Arc)
As part of a NASA Tipping Point contract, Made In Space, Inc. (MIS) has reached a significant milestone for their Archinaut program by successfully demonstrating its additive manufacturing and robotic assembly capabilities in a space-like environment.

During the Fall of 2018, the Archinaut system underwent thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing at teammate Northrop Grumman’s Space Park facility in Redondo Beach, California. TVAC testing simulates the thermal and pressure environment of a satellite in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to validate the technology readiness for the space environment. The testing is part of  the Archinaut Technology Development Project (ATDP), funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD). (3/17)

Plant Experiment Veg-03 H Initiated on Space Station (Source: NASA)
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques began growing two new crops aboard the International Space Station on Saturday, March 9, 2019. The two crops, Wasabi Mustard Greens and Extra Dwarf Pak Choi, are part of experiment Veg-03 H. Saint-Jacques placed six “plant pillows” into the veggie growth chamber. This experiment is part of ongoing research on the space station and on Earth to identify fresh vegetables capable of providing astronauts food and nutrition during long-duration spaceflight, including future missions to the Moon or Mars.

Each pillow serves as a pot designed for space with pre-packed seeds, a substance for the roots to grow into, controlled-release fertilizer, and a way for the in-orbit gardeners to water their plants in microgravity.

High school and middle school students participating in the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden’s Growing beyond Earth Challenge identified Extra Dwarf Pak Choi as a potential candidate crop for space through classroom science experiments, along with Dragoon Lettuce, which NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor grew on the station last fall. Using science stations designed to mimic conditions on the space station gave students a chance to grow plants and record data that NASA was able to use. (3/12)

Job of the Future: Astronaut Trainer (Source: Particle)
In December, Virgin Galactic’s VSS Unity reached the edge of space for the first time, taking the company one step closer to offering commercial space travel. With tickets currently priced around US$250,000 to help fund the huge startup costs, it’s not for everyone. But Virgin has said once flights begin, the costs will come down, making the trip accessible to more people.

Several West Australians have already booked their seats and will be proud to know the ship they’re flying on has a connection to home: the builder of VSS Unity, The Spaceship Company, is currently lead by Perth-born and UWA-educated Enrico Palermo. As space tourism becomes a reality, so too does a whole new career: commercial astronaut trainer. Beth Moses is one of the first to take on the job as Chief Astronaut Instructor for Virgin Galactic.

Before she began training civilian astronauts, Beth worked for NASA as the Extravehicular System Manager for the International Space Station. Beth’s job is all about preparing civilian astronauts for their first trip into space. “The whole aim of the training program is to make sure you arrive in space ready to savour the space flight and get out of it whatever you want to get out of it,” Beth says. “I’m aiming to make it the best 3 days on the planet, before you leave the planet.” (3/13)

How Gravity Could Change How We Make Decisions (Source: Newsweek)
Returning to Earth from the International Space Station, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield remarked how making the right decision is vital in high pressure environments, saying: "Most of the time, you only really get one try to do most of the critical stuff and the consequences are life or death." Mankind is preparing for a new space age: manned missions to Mars are no longer a distant dream and commercial ventures may open up the prospect for nonastronauts to visit other planets. Understanding how gravity impacts the way in which we make decisions has never been more pressing.

All living organisms on Earth have evolved under a constant gravitational field. That’s because gravity is always there and it is part of the background of our perceptual world: We cannot see it, smell it or touch it. Nevertheless, gravity plays a fundamental role in human behavior and cognition. The central nervous system does not have “specialized” sensors for gravity. Rather, gravity is inferred through the integration of several sensory signals in a process termed graviception. This involves vision, our balance system and information from the joints and muscles.

Sophisticated organs inside the inner ear are particularly important in this process. Under terrestrial gravity, when our head is upright, small stones—the vestibular otoliths—are perfectly balanced on a viscous fluid. When we move the head, for instance looking up, gravity makes the fluid move and this triggers a signal which informs the brain that our head is no longer upright. Click here. (3/15)

How One Company Will Build Satellite Parts In Space (Source: Forbes)
Imagine a satellite able to repair itself. When a solar panel degrades or an antenna gets stuck, the satellite simply 3-D prints a replacement and goes on with its business. Futuristic? Yes. Likely in a couple of decades? Also yes, says Made In Space CEO Andrew Rush. His company just completed testing of an autonomous construction platform called Archinaut. Inside of a test chamber intended to simulate the vacuum of space, Archinaut took the first steps towards its eventual goal -- to build antennas, solar arrays and similar components on newly launched satellites.

The ultimate goal is to reduce costs for satellite manufacturers. Antennas and solar arrays are unwieldy and must be stowed during launch, then deployed out in space. There's potential that they can get stuck. Also, stowage assemblies are massive and thus expensive to launch -- mass means more fuel and more fuel means more money spent on the rocket.

There's also potential to revolutionize repair. Many of the larger satellites operate in orbits far higher than the reach of astronaut teams, and it is also difficult to send robotic "helpers" to rescue stranded machines. The distance between individual satellites is huge and their orbits do not necessarily align, so any robot would need to carry a lot of fuel to move from place to place. (3/14)

This Is Why The Multiverse Must Exist (Source: Forbes)
What lies beyond our observable Universe? Is there an abyss of nothingness beyond the light signals that could possibly reach us since the Big Bang? Is there just more Universe like our own, out there past our observational limits? Or is there a Multiverse, mysterious in nature and forever unable to be seen? Unless there's something seriously wrong with our understanding of the Universe, the Multiverse must be the answer. Here's why.

The Multiverse is the idea that our Universe, and all that's contained within it, is just one small part of a larger structure. This larger entity encapsulates our observable Universe as a small part of a larger Universe that extends beyond the limits of our observations. That entire structure — the unobservable Universe — may itself be part of a larger spacetime that includes many other, disconnected Universes, which may or may not be similar to the Universe we inhabit.

How do we know that there's more unobservable Universe beyond the part we can observe, and how do we know that what we call our Universe is likely just one of many embedded in the Multiverse? Patterns from the Cosmic Microwave Background not only reveal the density and temperature fluctuations that the Universe was born with, but also the matter and energy composition of the Universe, and the geometry of space itself. We can conclude from this that space isn't positively curved (like a sphere) or negatively curved, but rather spatially flat, indicating that the unobservable Universe likely extends far beyond the part we can access. (3/15)

NASA Engineer Looks to Saturn Moon Titan for Human Colony (Source: CNET)
Come, move to the moon: You can jump like a grasshopper. Come, move to Mars: You can bound like a bunny. Come, move to Titan: You can fly! I know which one I'd choose. NASA's Janelle Wellons is pumping up Saturn's moon Titan as a possible site of human settlement should Earth become uninhabitable. Wellons is an instrument operations engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Asked "where would the most suitable place in the universe be to go if we couldn't theoretically live on Earth anymore?," Wellons suggests Titan, calling it a more interesting answer than the standard Mars or moon response. "Titan is the only place besides Earth known to have liquids in the form of lakes and seas on its surface," Wellons says. "These liquids are made of methane but, armed with the right kind of protective gear, one could theoretically be able to swim without harm!"

Titan isn't just a potential swimming spot, it also has a draw for anybody who's ever taken flight in a dream. Wellons points to the thick atmosphere and its ability to shield us from space radiation. "It is so dense that we could actually attach wings to our arms and fly on this moon," she says. But the moon isn't exactly a body double for Maui. It's chilly to the tune of -290 degrees Fahrenheit (-179 degrees Celsius). NASA says you could walk around on Titan without a spacesuit, but you'd need an oxygen mask and protection from the cold. (3/15)

Michigan Could Start Launching Rockets to Space (Source: Detroit Free Press)
Michigan was a major force in the early Space Age, when Chrysler made rockets that carried astronauts and General Motors built the electric buggies they used to explore the moon. Now, a few visionaries are planning the state's return to space with an ambitious proposal to build a private launch site for commercial satellites in Northern Michigan.

The Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association has been corralling investors and  seeking federal permitting for the proposed spaceport — dubbed the Michigan Launch Initiative — that would do vertical launches and also handle the takeoff and landing of airplanes that drop rockets that shoot into space. (3/16)

Opinion: Slow Down, SpaceX (Source: The Scientist)
As we face threats of extinction posed by climate change, nuclear Armageddon, and even meteorite collisions, colonizing Mars can seem quite attractive on the surface. Beyond the context of survival, becoming a multiplanetary species also fulfills humankind’s timeless desire to explore the universe and conquer the Final Frontier. For these reasons, SpaceX’s vision to send humans to Mars by 2024 should be universally welcomed and viewed as inspiration for advancing the future of humanity.

SpaceX has outlined a plausible agenda for setting up camp on Mars. The plan involves everything from reusable spaceships to self-sustaining facilities designed to produce resources such as energy, food, water, shelter, and oxygen for 1 million settlers. Notably, this is all slated to be relatively affordable, with a ticket to Mars costing approximately the median US house price. Unfortunately, even flawless execution of the plan only addresses part of the challenge. Perhaps SpaceX will fly us to Mars, but can we inhabit it?

Until recently, I probably wouldn’t have given this question much thought. I’ve always been a space enthusiast. If I had the opportunity to travel to Mars, I would naively do it with unwavering conviction. That changed when my team of pharmacy students entered and won a competition to send an experiment to the International Space Station. (3/15)

A Strange, Sleeping Magnetar Just Woke Up After a Decade of Silence (Source: Live Science)
A particularly odd, spinning star has woken up, and it's spitting bright flashes of radio waves at us again. The stellar spinner is a magnetar, which is a type of neutron star — a Manhattan-size remnant of a larger star, and the densest type of object besides black holes that we've detected anywhere in the universe.

This particular magnetar is called XTE J1810–197. It's one of only 23 magnetars and one of just four radio magnetars ever discovered, and it first turned up in 2004. Then, in late 2008, it went dormant and no longer emitted radio waves. On Dec. 8, 2018, it woke up again, and it's a bit changed. Astronomers have long believed such magnetars carry magnetic fields more than a million times more intense than typical neutron stars and more than a quadrillion times more powerful than Earth's own. Those magnetic fields seem to be the source of intense flashes of electromagnetic energy we can detect from Earth as the magnetar spins.

Even so, scientists don't know why XTE J1810–197's radio emissions went to sleep or why they woke up; magnetars are among the rarest and least-well-understood objects in humanity's stellar catalog. But in the two months since its reappearance, it's behaved significantly differently than it did between 2004 and 2008. When XTE J1810–197 last flashed across human telescopes, it acted erratically, wildly shifting its pulse profile over relatively short time periods. Now, its behavior is more stable. (3/15)