January 6, 2020

This Robot’s Journey to an Icy Alien Moon Starts Beneath Antarctica (Source: New York Times)
Near a nice, big hole in the ice and beneath the stone gray, midday Antarctic summer skies, six Adélie penguins stared at six men toiling with tools. The chasm in the ice might have been an inviting entry to the krill-rich waters below. None of the members of the tuxedoed recon party dove into the hole, a square about six feet across. The risk of leopard seals was just too great. But had they leapt in, the penguins would have discovered not a seal, but a robot.

In November, scientists and engineers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory successfully field tested Bruie — the “Buoyant Rover for Under-Ice Exploration” — beneath the ice of eastern Antarctica. The remotely operated rover was built to crawl along the underside of sea ice and ice shelves. These tests on Earth have a long-term goal of one day seeking evidence of life beneath the thick frozen shell covering Jupiter’s ocean moon of Europa. Beneath that ice is three times more liquid water than can be found in all the oceans on Earth. (1/5)

LIGO Detects its Second Neutron Star Collision, But Gains Few Clues (Source: Science News)
For the second time, a collision between two neutron stars in another galaxy has rattled a gravitational-wave detector on Earth. But this duo is being much more coy than the first. In 2017, astronomers announced with much fanfare that they had detected ripples in spacetime, from the merging of two neutron stars, the ultradense remains of massive stars. Observatories around the world and in space witnessed a simultaneous flash of radiant energy, light from all across the electromagnetic spectrum.

Now, gravitational waves from a second neutron star smashup have been detected. But unlike the first detection, researchers were not able to pinpoint the collision’s location on the sky and did not see an accompanying burst of light. Katerina Chatziioannou, an astrophysicist at the Flatiron Institute in New York City, presented the results January 5 at meeting of the American Astronomical Society. (1/5)

No Dark Energy? No Chance, Cosmologists Contend (Source: Quanta)
Dark energy, mysterious as it sounds, has become part of the furniture in cosmology. The evidence that this repulsive energy infuses space has stacked up since 1998. That was the year astronomers first discovered that the expansion of the universe has been speeding up over time, with dark energy acting as the accelerator. As space expands, new space arises, and with it more of this repulsive energy, causing space to expand even faster.

Two decades later, multiple independent measurements agree that dark energy comprises about 70% of the universe’s contents. It is so baked into our current understanding of the cosmos that it came as a surprise when a recent paper published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics questioned whether it’s there at all.

The four authors, including the Oxford physicist Subir Sarkar, performed their own analysis of data from hundreds of supernovas — the stellar explosions that provided the first evidence for cosmic acceleration, a discovery that earned three astronomers the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics. When Sarkar and his colleagues looked at supernovas, they didn’t see a universe that’s accelerating uniformly in all directions due to dark energy. Rather, they say supernovas look the way they do because our region of the cosmos is accelerating in a particular direction — roughly toward the constellation Centaurus in the southern sky. (1/6)

China's Heaviest Satellite Positioned in Geosynchronous Orbit (Source: Xinhua)
China's heaviest and most advanced satellite, Shijian-20, reached its fixed position in geosynchronous orbit Sunday, marking the first successful flight of DFH-5 satellite platform, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. The Shijian-20 satellite is the first verification satellite for DFH-5 satellite platform, China's new generation of large geosynchronous orbit satellite platform.

At present, the satellite has completed the orbit transfer and verified the key technologies of the DFH-5 satellite platform, according to Li Feng, chief designer of the satellite. The Shijian-20 satellite was launched into space by the third Long March-5 rocket, China's largest carrier rocket on Dec. 27, 2019. It has carried out orbit experiments for a series of key technologies. (1/5)

New Mexico Higher Ed Can Help Spaceport Careers Take Off (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
The story of the education-to-career opportunity afforded by continued investment in Spaceport America cannot be overstated. At the Department of Higher Education, we are very in tune with the changing needs of the workforce and are constantly striving with higher education institutions, regional partners and employers to meet those needs. Recently, when Virgin Atlantic announced its expanded home operations at Spaceport America, Lexy Snell shared her story of just how real and important the work of connecting the dots throughout our institutions is. Lexy’s story is truly that of the American dream and a big way in which New Mexicans have the chance to experience a similar story of success.

Lexy now works for Virgin Galactic and was part of the team that put its Unity rocket into space this year. She did not start out knowing that was her path, moving frequently as a child, as so many New Mexicans experience. She eventually found her way to Central New Mexico Community College’s aviation tech program, where she became the second woman to graduate from the program. Now, she is part of a team making history at Spaceport America. Lexy’s story is one we can repeatedly see in New Mexico as more and more companies make their home at Spaceport America.

And we as a state must continue to capitalize on this opportunity. Working with New Mexico State University and the University of New Mexico, we recently created a new Ph.D. program in geography, as we recognize the changing climate and the need to be able to better address firefighting with deeper and broader GIS and GPS knowledge. Imagine a collaboration between students in this program and companies housed at the Spaceport, looking at innovative delivery systems for fire retardant to help us more quickly and safely address the impacts of wildfires. (1/5)

Small Satellite Launchers Poised for Big 2020 (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
In 2019, American companies reached crucial milestones on the path towards launching small satellites. Firefly Aerospace and Virgin Orbit both secured partnerships and accomplished test objectives ahead of their respective rockets’ first flights this year. Concurrently, Rocket Lab improved its launch cadence and began evolving their Electron rocket as they look towards expanding their capabilities in 2020. Click here. (1/4)

Space Force Transition Still a Work In Process (Source: Space News)
“I’m excited for the 45th Space Wing to be a part of the U.S. Space Force,” wing commander Brig. Gen. Doug Schiess said in a statement Jan. 3. The 45th Space Wing will continue to do what it has been doing and the transition to the Space Force will not change that, Schiess said.

The details of how the U.S. Space Force will be structured and staffed will take at least 18 months to sort out. For now the Space Force will be composed of uniformed and civilian personnel who worked under the Air Force Space Command. AFSPC personnel have been assigned to the Space Force but still remain airmen within the U.S. Air Force. Over the next year, the Air Force will figure out a process to allow service members to leave the Air Force and officially transfer into the Space Force.

There are about 16,000 Air Force personnel that support the five space wings and are now part of the new branch. Besides the 45th Space Wing in Florida is the 30th Space Wing at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California; the 21st Space Wing at Peterson Air Force, Colorado; the 50th Space Wing at Schriever Air Force Base, Colorado; and the 460th Space Wing at Buckley Air Force Base, Colorado. (1/6)

SkyWatch Raises $7.5 Million for Satellite Imagery Software (Source: Space News)
Canadian Earth observation startup SkyWatch has raised $7.5 million. The Series A funding round announced Friday, led by venture fund Bullpen Capital along with a half-dozen other investors, will allow SkyWatch to continue developing software that makes satellite imagery more accessible. SkyWatch is building up a distribution platform for satellite imagery and software optimized for ground systems of remote sensing satellites, but has no plans to launch satellites of its own. (1/6)

NASA Approves GeoCarb Mission Development (Source: Space News)
A NASA Earth science hosted payload has passed a key review. NASA said the GeoCarb mission passed its confirmation review in December, allowing it to proceed into Phase C of development. GeoCarb will be hosted on a commercial communications satellite in geostationary orbit, monitoring concentrations of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and methane in the atmosphere over most of North and South America. NASA is working with satellite operator SES to identify the satellite that will host GeoCarb, which is will be ready for launch in 2022. (1/6)

The Year of the Satellite Megaconstellation (Source: The Wire)
The talk of 2019 has been a new kind of space race. Not the battle for supremacy among the major private companies (like those of billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and, to a lesser extent, Richard Branson) and other space-focused startups, but one around something much smaller, with potentially bigger implications: satellite constellations.

Established companies and startups alike are zeroing in on launching large networks of small satellites (generally considered anything under 500 kilograms—in comparison, the Hubble Space Telescope is more than 11,000 kilograms). These are poetically called constellations, and they join most other satellites and the International Space Station in low Earth orbit. These small satellites are cheaper, easier to manufacture, and less expensive to send to space than their larger counterparts. And by working in concert, they can collectively cover a much bigger portion of the Earth than standard satellites, making them perfect for goals such as blanketing the globe in affordable high-speed internet.

Providing low-cost, fast internet to hard-to-reach areas is a worthy goal. It would give people in rural areas and areas with poor infrastructure an affordable way to connect to the internet and participate in the digital economy—in the US, roughly 25 million people still don’t have access to broadband internet. (1/6)

Buzz Aldrin at 90: an Interview With the Apollo 11 Astronaut (Source: BBC)
When Buzz Aldrin talks to you, it is most often about spaceflight. And the discussion will not be primarily the reminisces of an aging moonwalker: no, this Ydiscussion will be about the future. The future of spaceflight, the future of America’s role in it, the future of internationalism, and the future of humanity. ou see, Buzz is a visionary, and vision is something that must be shared. Click here. (1/2)

Space: The Final Frontier...Of Telemedicine? (Source: Forbes)
No, it wasn’t a trip to the USS Enterprise, either in the current Star Trek movie series or back to the famed TV series in the 1960’s and ‘70’s. If only. But this adventure in space medicine was a close second. Two months into a six month stint on the International Space Station (ISS), one of the astronauts developed a blood clot in one of the large veins in the neck. This was found as part of a research study they were engaged in, whereby ultrasounds of their neck veins were being performed during the trip—not to look for blood clots, but to look at other issues related to space travel and bodily fluid function. A large clot was found in the large vein that drains the blood in the head and neck (internal jugular vein), even though the astronaut (who remains anonymous) was not having any symptoms.

NASA contacted Dr. Stephan Moll, a Professor of Medicine and Hematologist-Oncologist at the University of North Carolina, who has specialized expertise in thrombosis (blood clots) and use of various anticoagulants, or blood thinners. While Dr. Moll, who is also the founder of the Clot Connect outreach project, did not get the opportunity to make the trip to the space station, he did provide the longest distance telemedicine consultation to date, helping make the decision on how to treat the blood clot.

The type of blood clot, known as a DVT, or deep vein thrombosis, is typically seen in the setting of long airplane flights (over four hours), after long periods of being sedentary, including car trips, being bedridden, or even during or right after undergoing a long surgery. For many of these instances, there are measures to take to prevent these. For travel, it is recommended to move your legs often and exercise calf muscles either while seated in a car or plane, or by taking car trip breaks or getting up to walk when it’s safe on a flight. Click here. (1/5)

'Pin'-nacle Achievement: The Story Behind NASA's Astronaut Pin (Source: CollectSpace)
As test pilots, the Mercury astronauts earned their wings from their respective branches of the U.S. military. On Dec. 6, 1961, Alan Shepard and Virgil "Gus" Grissom, the first Americans to fly into space, were presented with the U.S. Navy's and U.S. Air Force's first astronaut wings, respectively, at a joint ceremony held at the Pentagon.

The wings resembled the two branches' aviator badges, but were modified with a device at their center featuring a five-pointed star with three trailing rays passing through a halo. For their civilian wear (i.e. business suits), the Mercury astronauts wore a pin that merged the symbol for the planet Mercury with the Arabic numeral "7." As NASA's human spaceflight program expanded, though, a new pin was needed. "The design shows a trio of trajectories merging in infinite space, capped by a bright shining star and encircled by an elliptical wreath denoting orbital flight."

The new astronaut pin, which borrowed its design from the military badge, was chosen by the astronauts themselves at a get together organized by Mercury (and later Gemini and Apollo) pilot Wally Schirra. A silver version of the lapel pin, like the type being presented to the Group 22 candidates on Friday, denoted the competition of basic training. Astronauts earn their gold pin by flying into space. (1/6)

UAE Leaders Sign Final Piece of Hope Probe Destined for Mars (Source: The National)
The final piece of a UAE-built probe destined for Mars was signed by two of the country’s leaders on Sunday. At the Presidential Palace in Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, wrote an inspirational message for the rest of the Arab world on a piece of the outer casing of the Hope probe.

“The power of hope shortens the distance between the Earth and sky,” the two wrote in Arabic. The metal piece will be attached to the probe before it is launched into space this year to study the atmosphere on Mars. “Today me and my brother Mohamed bin Zayed signed the last piece of the outer structure of the Hope probe, the first Arab-Islamic probe to reach Mars,” Sheikh Mohammed said on Twitter.

He said the phrase, which will be engraved, “sends a message to all Arab youth that we are able to succeed and compete and not to lose the power of hope that can move mountains”. In a tweet, Sheikh Mohamed confirmed the probe would launch in July. The launch window was chosen because it is the time that Earth and Mars will be at their closest point. This only happens once every two years. “Buoyed by the determination of our youth, we are proceeding with our space programme to serve science and humanity,” Sheikh Mohamed said. (1/6)

The Challenges Facing Artemis in 2020 (Source: Space Review)
In 2019, NASA accelerated its plans to return to the Moon under a program now called Artemis. Jeff Foust reports that NASA will have to overcome a number of challenges, financial and otherwise, to stay on track in 2020. Click here. (1/6)
 
Strange Bedfellows (Source: Space Review)
In the 1960s, NASA and the National Reconnaissance Office quietly cooperated on an imaging system developed for reconnaissance satellites that NASA sought to use to support lunar missions. Dwayne Day describes how the very different nature of the agencies, and changes in the program, made it difficult for them to work together. Click here. (1/6)
 
It’s All a Matter of Timing (Source: Space Review)
Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner test flight last month was cut short because a problem linked to a timing error in the spacecraft. Wayne Eleazer explains it’s not the first mission where a timing error caused problems. Click here. (1/6)
 
Chicken or the Egg: Space Launch and State Spaceports (Source: Space Review)
While there has been a surge of spaceports proposed in recent years, the supply of such facilities doesn’t match the demand for launch services. Roger Handberg notes this is similar to another wave of proposed spaceports two decades ago. Click here. (1/6)