March 19, 2019

OneWeb Challenges More Financial Than Technical (Source: Space News)
Despite the work ahead to build and launch its satellites, many see OneWeb's biggest risks as financial rather than technical. The company is gearing up for mass production of its satellites at a new factory in Florida, with launches scheduled to begin in the fourth quarter of this year at a monthly cadence, each carrying 30 or more satellites. The company, which once pegged the cost of the constellation at $1.5 billion to $2.5 billion, no longer provides estimates of its cost, and some industry experts project the system will cost as much as $7.5 billion. That could create financial difficulties, especially if initial revenue growth is slow. (3/19)

Lawmakers Urge DoD to Locate Space Development Agency in New Mexico (Source: Space News)
Members of New Mexico's congressional delegation want the Pentagon to place its new Space Development Agency in the state. In a letter to Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, the state's two senators and three representatives asked him to place the SDA's headquarters or other facilities in the state, citing the presence of other military facilities and offices there, including the Space Rapid Capabilities Office. Several other states have made a push to host headquarters for the new U.S. Space Command or proposed Space Force. (3/19)

Mars 2020 Rover Hit by Cost Overruns (Source: Space News)
NASA confirmed that the Mars 2020 rover mission is suffering cost overruns. The rover mission, just 16 months from launch, is experiencing problems with two of its instruments and the system that will cache samples for later return to Earth. NASA didn't specify the exact amount of the overrun but said it is less than 15 percent of its previously confirmed cost of $2.4 billion. NASA officials said the agency will look to cover the overrun by seeking efficiencies within the mission itself, and reductions from elsewhere in the Mars program, to minimize the effect on the overall portfolio of planetary science missions. NASA also defended a decision earlier this month to remove a magnetometer from the Europa Clipper mission, saying that the decision was based not just on growing costs but other risks in the instrument's design. (3/19)

'Alien in My Backyard:' The UFO Community Still Believes — and Science is Starting to Listen (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The challenge with UFO and alien sightings has always been the lack of evidence. Bishop said she was too scared to take a photo of her alien. Little to no consequential evidence exists in other cases. Psychology can explain some of it. Common explanations include a person projecting their unconscious desires onto something, or a predisposition to believe in conspiracy theories informing what a person thinks they saw, said Alvin Wang, at the University of Central Florida.

People who believe they witnessed something may seek out others who reaffirm that belief, like “being in an echo chamber,” Wang said. “People tend to hold on to that particularly if it fits in with their worldview and their belief system that there are other beings that inhabit the universe,” Wang said. “And they get ...confirmation support, when they are members of UFO believers community.”

But Bishop stands by what she said she saw. She works a government security job with three area contractors and said she has no reason to lie. And she’s on the hunt for ET now. After reporting her case in 2017, she bought three hunting trackers on eBay and set them up in her backyard. They’re motion activated, and sometimes they’ll go off in the night and capture 6,000 images — but there’s nothing in the frame. She once caught a Tic Tac-shaped blur in the sky she believes to be a UFO. (3/19)

Medical Issues for Commercial Spaceflight Need More Attention (Source: Cosmos)
If commercial human spaceflight does take off, doctors need to be better aware of the medical issues involving them. In a paper in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers that included Scott Parazynski, a doctor and former astronaut, said a major challenge will be expanding spaceflight to people with varying levels of health and fitness. They recommended a "strong collaboration among practicing clinicians, space medicine specialists, and the aerospace community" to make doctors and any of their patients interested in flying in space aware of the medical issues of such flights. (3/19)

Las Cruces Space Festival Planned in April (Source: Space News)
The Las Cruces Space Festival (LCSF) is an annual celebration of space-related activity and interest in southern New Mexico. It is held in Las Cruces in April, and is the work of a large volunteer base of interested partners and supporters of the regional space activity. The event provides an incredible opportunity for youth to learn about and get excited about space, and for older generations to celebrate the impact that space has in our daily lives, as well as the economic impact on our region. For all lovers of space and all those with a growing curiosity, LCSF brings together education, entertainment and fun in a diverse event. (3/19)

Commercializing Space: Before a Commercial LEO Market Can Flourish, the ISS Must Be Retired (Source: Space News)
The last two decades have seen a great upswing in commercial space endeavors with hundreds of new companies formed and a few prominent billionaires entering the fray. This is all good, but it remains devilishly hard to make money in space without tapping into government space markets. Nevertheless, I’m a firm believer that the commercialization of space is absolutely essential for the growth of the space economy and achieving all of the goals we espouse for human activities in space.

So, what do I mean by commercial space? This has been a great topic of debate ever since NASA initiated the commercial cargo and commercial crew programs. There are many definitions and which is appropriate depends on the context. The real distinction is between the public sector and the private sector. Any given space activity can include a mixture of both elements. The purest form of commercial activity takes place entirely within the private sector. It is performed by private-sector companies for the benefit of private-sector customers using private-sector capital. Something like Direct TV would be an example. (3/19)