September 17, 2019

Air Force Warns There's a Chance an American and Russian Satellite Could Collide Overnight (Source: Gizmodo)
Earlier today, the private American firm Bigelow Aerospace was notified by the U.S. Air Force that its Genesis II spacecraft has a slim chance of smashing into a dead Russian spy satellite. Genesis II is an experimental habitat that went into space in 2007. It was effectively retired in 2011 following the failure of its maneuvering system, which actually lasted two years longer than it was supposed to.

The defunct Kosmos 1300 surveillance satellite, built and operated by the former Soviet Union, dates back to 1981. The Genesis II spacecraft is scheduled to de-orbit at some point in the 2020s, so its destruction would be no major loss. “Future habitable space stations will face this reality and danger,” Bigelow tweeted. “This proliferation, if not controlled in number, could become very dangerous to human life in low Earth orbit.” (9/17)

NASA’s Orion Heat Shield: Old Materials, Applied With New Methods (Source: Air & Space)
The capsule that carried Apollo 11 astronauts safely back to Earth in 1969 used a heat shield made of epoxy resin to protect its contents from the 5,000-degree heat of reentry. The resin, called Avcoat, was designed to erode, carrying heat away from the surface. A half century later, NASA’s Orion spacecraft uses the same material. Brian Hinde, Lockheed Martin’s Orion Structures and Aeroshell Senior Manager, says that the most important innovation for heat shield technology isn’t finding new materials, but increasing the efficiency of materials already in use.

On the Apollo capsule, the Avcoat was injected into thousands of individual cells of a fiberglass honeycomb, an agonizingly slow process. The tool used was, in essence, “a high-pressure caulk gun,” says Hinde. For Orion, the caulk gun at least is gone. Now the resin is produced in billets. “Then we very efficiently model and 3D machine very accurately—by keeping everything in the computer—the exact shape of the tiles we want and bond them on,” he says. The new process saves time and weight. (9/16)

Trampoline Mirror May Push Laser Pulse Through Fabric of the Universe (Source: Ars Technica)
Scientists want to rip the Universe apart. At least that is what a Daily Mail headline might read. Lasers can now reach power in the petawatt range. And, when you focus a laser beam that powerful, nothing survives: all matter is shredded, leaving only electrons and nuclei. But laser physicists haven’t stopped there. Under good experimental conditions, the very fabric of space and time are torn asunder, testing quantum electrodynamics to destruction. And a new mirror may be all we need to get there.

On average, the amount of power used by humans is about 18 terawatts. A petawatt is 1,000 times larger than a terawatt. The baddest laser on the planet (currently) produces somewhere between 5 and 10 petawatts, and there are plans on the drawing board to reach 100 petawatts in the near future. The trick is that the power is not available all the time. Each of these lasers produces somewhere between 5-5000 J of energy for a very, very short time (between a picosecond—10-12s—and a few femtoseconds—10-15s). During that instant, however, the power flow is immense.

But getting to 1025W/cm2 is tough. The issue is one of material. Or, rather it's the lack of a material that can survive long enough to focus the laser light. This is where plasma mirrors come in. It was initially thought that plasma mirrors could not act as a good focusing element, though. Essentially, it is impossible to get the shape right. But 24 hours of supercomputer time has shown that a plasma mirror might be the right way to go. New developments in model code allowed researchers to simulate a full 3D laser pulse impacting on a surface. (9/14)

Why on Earth Should We Be Mining the Moon? (Source: Northrop Grumman)
Fifty years ago, geopolitical chest-puffing spurned a competition between the United States and Russia to see who would land on the moon first. Today, a new race has commenced — this one driven primarily by the economics of mining the moon. Water, rare elements and metals exist on the moon, according to NASA, and governmental and private space entities are betting on the potential profit of these space resources.

They could be harvested for use on Earth, or they could help to build and power lunar habitats that could serve as way stations to nearby asteroids, as well as Mars and beyond. How companies might undertake such a venture and return high-value materials to Earth remains to be seen. But entrepreneurs from private and public agencies are making the case that mining the moon could preserve our planet’s own resources and create new opportunities for exploring the solar system. (9/3)

Pierre Cardin Designed Uniforms for the Moon (Source: The Economist)
Though Cardin’s clothes look futuristic, they also reflect the past in which he designed them. His “Cosmocorps” suits were created as uniforms for humans living on the Moon or Mars, yet were also a prescient example of unisex clothing at a time when traditional gender roles – and the clothes men and women wore – were becoming blurred. (8/16)

Meet the Nuclear-Powered Self-Driving Drone NASA is Sending to a Moon of Saturn (Source: NPR)
On the face of it, NASA's newest probe sounds incredible. Known as Dragonfly, it is a dual-rotor quadcopter (technically an octocopter, even more technically an X8 octocopter); it's roughly the size of a compact car; it's completely autonomous; it's nuclear powered; and it will hover above the surface of Saturn's moon Titan.

But Elizabeth Turtle, the mission's principle investigator at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, insists that this is actually a pretty tame space probe, as these things go. "There's not a lot of new technology," she says. Quadcopters (even X8 octocopters) are for sale on Amazon these days. Self-driving technology is coming along quickly. Nuclear power is harder to come by, but the team plans to use the same kind of system that runs NASA's Curiosity rover on Mars. (9/17)

Space Companies Have Thousands of Job Openings, Including at SpaceX, Blue Origin & More (Source: CNBC)
A small New York City investment firm launched a specialized website on Tuesday, aimed at helping the latest generation of space companies find the talent needed to grow. Called “Space Talent,” the database features over 2,900 open jobs listed across 140 companies in the space industry, from engineering to design to administration. Listings include rocket companies like SpaceX, Rocket Lab, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic; satellite operators such as SES and Maxar’s Digital Globe, Planet Labs, Spire Global and ICEYE; as well as lunar robotics company Astrobotic.

Space Angels, which specializes in backing private space ventures, created the website in response to a need the firm saw in the burgeoning industry. According to Space Angels, more than $20 billion has been invested in 435 space companies over the past decades, with investments only accelerating in recent years. (9/17)

Spotting Exoplanets Through the Haze (Source: NASA)
A study published in SPIE Optical Engineering and Applications, supported by NASA's Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) featured a method to help ground-based telescopes observe exoplanets despite interference from turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere. The tests were performed with the Keck II observatory. This involves measuring turbulence (wavefront measurement) and then changing to compensate. However, there are millisecond delays in between taking measurements and making adjustments, and this tiny fraction of time can have huge implications for observations. (9/16)

Indiana Sees Space Exploration as Economic Engine (Source: WBOI)
Indiana sees a bright future for aerospace as an economic driver and has invested $900 million in the sector. "There's a lot going on in the state, it doesn't get advertised a lot, but if you think about Indiana's manufacturing capabilities, and its legacy, its low cost of living, its ability to attract intellectual capital through the university systems; it has a lot of potential," says Dan Dumbacher of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. (9/16)

Small Satellites, Big Weakness (Source: Aerospace America)
Constellations of microsatellites are starting to provide imagery, communications bandwidth and weather data to customers quickly and affordably. So what could possibly go wrong? Plenty, unless this sector gets its cybersecurity house in order. The good news, reports Debra Werner, is that some are starting to do just that. Click here. (9/16)

Bridenstine: U.S. Should Lead Search For Extraterrestrial Life (Source: Aviation Week)
Seeking to raise the bar for achievements in space, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine wants the U.S. to lead the team that someday discovers extraterrestrial life. "Should life be found on another world, and the probability is getting higher, I believe it should be the United States of America that finds it because it will rewrite for all time the history books and the science books." (9/16)

Russia Mulls Equipping Cutting-Edge Cosmonaut Emergency Survival Kit with Firearm (Source: Sputnik)
Firearms could possibly be included in the emergency survival kit of Russia's next-generation Orel spacecraft, according to a spokesperson for the Russian space agency Roscosmos. "The survival kit for the next-generation Orel cargo spacecraft will be built in the later stages of its [spacecraft's] development", the spokesperson said, adding that Roscosmos is "considering [different] options" when it comes to including firearms in the emergency kit. Firearms could be indispensable in case of an emergency landing. Spacecraft crew could use them for distress signaling, hunting or protecting themselves. (9/17)

SpaceX’s Starship Prototype Construction Progress Detailed in New Photos (Source: TechCrunch)
SpaceX  is making progress assembling its Starship orbital spacecraft prototype, as seen in new photos shared by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk . This full-scale testing version of the Starship will take over for the StarHopper, which was a scaled-down version used to test the Raptor engine initially with low-altitude “hop” flights. Click here. (9/17)

Baikonur Cosmodrome Getting Ready for Last Launch of Russian Rocket With Ukrainian Parts (Source: Sputnik)
The Baikonur cosmodrome is getting ready for the last start of a Soyuz-FG launch vehicle with Ukrainian parts, Russian state space agency Roscosmos announced on Friday. "Baikonur Cosmodrome has begun preparing equipment ... of the launch system for the last start of the Soyuz-FG rocket with Ukrainian components in the launch vehicle's steering system", the agency's press service said. (9/16)

Iridium to Provide Mobile Service to DOD Under $738.5M Deal (Source: Space News)
Iridium has won a seven-year contract from the Defense Department for communications services. The company said the Enhanced Mobile Satellite Services contract, which succeeds a previous five-year contract, is valued at $738.5 million. The contract provides voice, data, broadcast and other services to Defense Department and associated users using the company's next-generation satellite constellation. The new contract is worth about $25 million a year more than the previous contract. With that contract in place, Iridium now plans to refinance the French export-credit loans it used to fund its $3 billion Iridium Next system. (9/17)

Virgin Orbit Ready for DOD Small-Satellite Missions (Source: Space News)
Virgin founder Richard Branson says his company can support responsive launch of small satellites for the U.S. military. Branson, keynoting the Air Force Association's annual conference Monday, said Virgin Orbit's air-launch system could launch a satellite within 24 hours, which would serve as a deterrent to any efforts to attack American satellites. Virgin Orbit will perform its first launch in six to eight weeks, Branson said. Virgin Orbit has a contract with the Defense Innovation Unit to launch an experimental Air Force smallsat, a mission expected to take place in 2020 on a flight based out of Guam. (9/17)

Aerojet Rocketdyne Joins Northrop Grumman's Team for ICBM Development (Source: Space News)
Aerojet Rocketdyne is joining Northrop Grumman's team proposing to develop the next ICBM for the Air Force. Aerojet said it will provide both a large solid rocket motor system and a post-boost propulsion system for the Ground Based Strategic Deterrent program. Northrop was competing with Boeing on the $63 billion program, but Boeing decided to drop out after it concluded that Northrop Grumman's dominance of the solid rocket motors market would give it an overwhelming pricing advantage it could not compete against. (9/17)

No Day-To-Day Impact on ISS Research as NASA Reviews CASIS (Source: Space News)
An independent review commissioned by NASA of the organization that operates the International Space Station's national lab is not affecting day-to-day operations, an official said Monday. NASA announced last month that it would perform an independent review of the ISS National Laboratory organization, also known as CASIS, to ensure it was "on mission and appropriately resources" for its research work. While that announcement also referred to a "strategic pause," a CASIS official said at a commercial microgravity research workshop that most day-to-day activities are continuing while the review examines more strategic issues. (9/17)

Solving the Commercial PassengeSpaceflight Puzzle (Source: Space Review)
In his final installment, Mike Snead turns to history to show one concept of a reusable spaceplane and how it could have led to an airworthiness-certified vehicle years ago, and how a similar approach could be used today. Click here. (9/16)
 
Intersections in Real Time: the Decision to Build the KH-11 KENNEN Reconnaissance Satellite (Source: Space Review)
Developing the KH-11 reconnaissance satellite required not only technical breakthroughs but also political legerdemain. Dwayne Day tracks the debates in the late 1960s and early 1970s about which form of near-realtime spy satellite would go forward. Click here. (9/16)
 
The Curious Case of the Transgressing Tardigrades (Source: Space Review)
In the final installment of their analysis of the legal issues involved with the undisclosed inclusion of tardigrades on the SpaceIL lander, a group of experts examines some of the broader issues about commercial space activities raised by this event. Click here. (9/16)
 
Chandrayaan 2’s Moon Illusion (Source: Space Review)
As the search for Chandrayaan 2’s lunar lander continues, so does speculation about what caused the lander to lose contact just a couple kilometers above the surface. Ajey Lele discusses what we know and what could have gone wrong in those critical moments. Click here. (9/16)

European Union Looks to Space Sustainability (Source: Space News)
The European Union's foreign affairs division is planning a new space sustainability initiative. At a conference Friday, Carine Claeys, special envoy for space and head of the Space Task Force for the European External Action Service, said the Safety, Security and Sustainability of Outer Space (3SOS) public diplomacy initiative will promote "ethical conduct" in space amid concerns about orbital debris. That effort will primarily be devoted to outreach to space agencies, companies and think tanks as part of an effort to develop a "common understanding" of best practices that could later lead to international legal regimes. She said the program will not call for regulation of companies in the EU, saying doing so would put such companies at a competitive disadvantage. (9/16)

Space Insurance On The Rise (Source: Space News)
Space insurance rates are on the rise, one industry official says, as some insurers conduct strategic reviews of their place in the market. At a conference last week, a space insurance underwriter said that insurance rates, which had been dropping steadily since the early 2000s, flattened out earlier this year and have now started to rise. A series of large claims is one factor, but declining premiums is the underlying cause for two consecutive years of industry losses. Swiss Re left the space insurance market in July and others are reportedly performing reviews about whether to stay in the market. (9/16)

In Race to Activate Service, Kepler Plans Constellation Change to Avoid Intererence With SpaceX Starink (Source: Space News)
Kepler Communications is considering revising its planned constellation in response to changes in SpaceX's Starlink system. Kepler CEO Mina Mitry said the potential for interference with Starlink satellites in orbits 25 kilometers lower than the 575-kilometer orbits his company's satellites will use is leading the company to reconsider its satellite architecture, possibly by adding more satellites. Kepler has two small satellites in orbit but plans to grow rapidly, with 14 in orbit by the end of 2020 and 50 by the end of 2021, towards what is currently planned as a 140-satellite constellation. (9/16)

NASA to Test Gateway Orbit with Cubesat (Source: Space News)
NASA awarded a contract Friday for a cubesat that will test the orbit proposed for the lunar Gateway. The 12-unit CAPSTONE cubesat could launch as soon as the end of 2020 and go into the near-rectilinear halo orbit over the poles of the moon that the Gateway will use. The spacecraft would test the stability of spacecraft in that orbit as well as a navigation technology that would allow CAPSTONE to determine its position without intervention from Earth. Advanced Space, a small Colorado company, will build CAPSTONE in partnership with Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems. (9/16)

India's Lunar Lander Tilted (Source: India Today)
India's Chandrayaan-2 lander may have crashed after doing a "somersault" during its descent. The lander reportedly flipped over as it tilted forward to look at the surface for a suitable landing site, causing the engines to accelerate the spacecraft towards the surface. The Indian space agency ISRO continues to say little about the status of the lander, but likely has until the end of the week, when night falls on the landing site, to restore contact. (9/16)

Critics of UK Spaceport Disagree with Environmental Assessment (Source: Cornwall Live)
Critics of a proposed spaceport in England are not swayed by a recent environmental assessment. That report said that planned operations by Virgin Orbit from Spaceport Cornwall would have a negligible effect on carbon output. One critic, writing to the Cornwall Council, says the report is flawed since it does not include other carbon-emitting activities that would take place there beyond the launches themselves, such as tests and transport of personnel in and out of the site. The criticism comes as the council is set to consider spending £12 million ($15 million) on upgrades to the airport to support launches. (9/16)

NASA Wins Emmy for Commercial Crew Coverage (Source: Space.com)
NASA's coverage of a commercial crew test flight earlier this year won the agency an Emmy this weekend. NASA won the Emmy for interactive programming for coverage of SpaceX's Demo-1 uncrewed test flight to the ISS. The coverage included NASA and SpaceX personnel covering the mission from the Kennedy Space Center, Johnson Space Center and SpaceX headquarters. (9/16)

Virgin Orbit's First Launch Planned From Guam in 2020 (Source: Space News)
Virgin Orbit’s first launch of a military satellite will happen in mid-2020 in Guam, a U.S. island territory in the Western Pacific. That is the latest update on Virgin Orbit’s so far only defense contract it received in November 2017 to fly an Air Force experimental payload aboard the LauncherOne, a rocket that is air launched from a Boeing 747. This is part of a broader effort by the Air Force to figure out how to take advantage of commercial small launch services.

Virgin Orbit initially said the launch would happen sometime in 2019 but delays in vehicle tests and the relocation of the launch to Guam’s Anderson Air Force Base have set the schedule back. There are huge expectations behind this mission as Virgin Orbit seeks to become a long-term provider of launch services for small satellites. (9/17)

Glenn's Loss is Sierra Nevada's Gain (Source: SNC)
The outgoing director of NASA's Glenn Research Center is joining Sierra Nevada Corporation. The company announced Monday that Janet Kavandi will be its new senior vice president for space systems, overseeing such projects as the Dream Chaser spacecraft. Kavandi, a former astronaut, announced last week that she was retiring from the agency, but at the time did not disclose her future plans. (9/17)

11 More Proton Rockets Before Production Ends (Source: TASS)
Khrunichev says it plans to build 11 more Proton rockets before closing down its production line. The director general of the Russian company said four of those 11 Protons are already being assembled with the remaining seven to be completed by 2020 or 2021. Russia plans to phase out the Proton by 2025 in favor of Angara rocket. (9/17)

Brad Pitt Beats George Clooney as Fake Astronaut (Source: The Verge)
Brad Pitt is a better fake astronaut than George Clooney, says a real NASA astronaut. Pitt, who plays an astronaut in the new movie Ad Astra, visited NASA Headquarters Monday and participated in a live video interview with astronaut Nick Hague on the station. Pitt asked questions about how realistic the movie, screened for the station's crew, seemed, as well as other issues, including "who controls the jam box" on the station. (Astronauts take turns with the station's playlist, Hague said.) Pitt then sought a comparison with Clooney, who played an astronaut in the 2013 movie Gravity: "Who was more believable: Clooney or Pitt?" Hague responded, "You were, absolutely." (9/17)

Cancer Concerns Surround Military Dump Site In Brevard County (Source: WESH)
A small community near Patrick Air Force Base is on the list for a major environmental cleanup by the military. Dozens of homes were built on a dump site, and residents are alarmed about cancer. "And that was filled with oil," homeowner Sandra Sullivan said. Sullivan said she can go on and on about the toxic waste she can easily dig up in her backyard near Patrick Air Force Base.

Old engines, unidentified fluids, even an aircraft control panel. Getting near some of those things can have serious consequences for her. "My lymph nodes under my arms were really swollen, to where I couldn't put my arms down for three months. I had tenderness in my breasts and developed a lump," Sullivan said. That's why the military has put the neighborhood on a list for a major environmental cleanup.

It seems that South Patrick Shores was built on a dump site that was used when today's air force base was a naval air station in World War II. There are 55 homes on the dump site. Although the wheels are finally turning for the cleanup, it will take years for the military to finalize a plan and get the funding. Residents believe much of the dirt in their yards will be trucked away and replaced, but the homes will stay. (9/17)

It’s Time to Let Supersonic Flight Soar Again (Source: Heritage Foundation)
In the half-century since the Concorde was designed, aerospace engineering has made tremendous advancements. Carbon composites are making it possible to build lighter, more heat-resistant aircraft. Today’s jet-engine technology permits aircraft to reach supersonic speeds without the need for Concorde’s inefficient afterburners. If these entrepreneurs succeed, their efforts would constitute a giant leap forward toward the goal of routine, inexpensive supersonic travel.

The FAA indicated it adopted an overland speed limit to protect the public from sonic booms, the shockwaves generated as aircraft push through the air faster than sound. In the late 1960s, before the Concorde even took flight, there was considerable concern that frequent booms could frighten livestock, shatter windows, or damage physical structures. Those fears were overblown, and had less to do with science than with hype generated by anti-Concorde activists, whose stated goal was to kill the technology by stirring up public opposition.

The latest supersonic transport designs show that the Concorde’s unpleasant boom was inherent to Concorde, not to supersonic transports in general. They promise substantial improvements in boom intensity even when traveling at speeds faster than the Concorde, reducing the “boom” to something more like a “thump.” A better path forward would be to eliminate the overland supersonic speed limit in favor of a reasonable, technically feasible noise standard that takes into account all the noises we already live with every day. (9/17)

AML Creating a New and Stable Rare-Earths Supply Chain to Reinvent a Technology and Transform Industries (Source: AML)
Magnets are at the heart of electrically powered machines. As the world evolves away from purely fossil fuel-powered engines, vehicles, and machines, the electric and hybrid-powered machines have to evolve along with it. This need for better, more efficient, more powerful, lighter weight magnets and magnet-powered motors and generators will take over in industries from transportation to wind energy to robotics and more.

As a result, demand for the type of magnet that allows this, one made of Rare Earth Elements (Rare Earths), will grow exponentially. Permanent magnets represent the largest group in Rare Earths consumption, close to 25% of Rare Earths used worldwide. Currently, the only practical supply of Rare Earths and permanent magnets manufactured from Rare Earths is through China. This is not a sustainable solution from a country with a history of market manipulation and control along with an economically adversarial relationship with the USA that recently triggered a global crisis.

The Advanced Magnet Lab (AML) has developed a novel solution for the optimized design, manufacture and performance of permanent magnets that, combined with efforts from numerous Rare Earth mines worldwide and deep tech Rare Earth processing companies, will streamline the supply chain problem to potentially solve this crisis. Click here. (9/16)