May 31, 2020

SpaceX Captures the Flag with Successful ISS Docking (Source: New York Times)
The Crew Dragon has arrived. Less than a day after an historic launch — the first time astronauts had ever traveled to orbit in spacecraft built and operated by a private company — a SpaceX capsule carrying two NASA astronauts docked at the International Space Station on Sunday morning. The astronauts, Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley, took over manual control for a while, firing the thrusters to nudge the position of the spacecraft, before turning control back to a computer for the final steps leading to docking. Editor's Note: This means SpaceX has won a friendly competition against Boeing to take possession of a US flag that was awaiting the arrival of the first corporate team able to deliver crew to the ISS. (5/31)

Space Debris: Smart UK Solutions Sought to Make Orbital Traffic Safer (Source: BBC)
The UK Space Agency (UKSA) wants to hear from anyone with novel ideas for how to track all the pieces of debris now moving in orbit. UKSA has £1m to dispense in grants for smart new solutions. There are about 900,000 redundant objects larger than 1cm circling overhead. Even the smallest items are capable of doing immense damage to, or even destroying, an operational satellite in a collision. The funding is designed to seed further entrants to the UK's burgeoning space start-up sector. With thousands of new satellites, large and small, to be launched in the coming decade, SST is a field that's ripe for new thinking. Under the UKSA funding stream to be announced on Tuesday, companies will be able to bid for a maximum grant award of £250,000. (5/26)

After Milestone Launch, Trump Hails Space Effort as a Force for 'Pride and Unity' (Source: Geekwire)
President Donald Trump held up America’s space effort as a unifying endeavor for a divided nation after becoming only the third sitting president to witness the launch of American astronauts in person. Trump, along with Vice President Mike Pence and other VIPs, made the journey to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida not just once but twice this week. “We were filled with the sense of pride and unity that brings us together as Americans,” Trump said. “That same spirit which powered our astronauts to the moon has also helped lift our country to ever-greater heights of justice and opportunity throughout our history.”

Trump didn’t wear a mask during his visit, but he did acknowledge the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. “The same spirit of American determination that sends our people into space will conquer this disease on Earth [that] should’ve never happened.” he said. “Nothing, not even gravity itself, can hold Americans down or keep America back.”

The president also referred to the unrest that has roiled many of the nation’s cities after police in Minneapolis killed a black resident named George Floyd during a streetside encounter. Trump said “we will stand with the family of George Floyd, with the peaceful protesters and with every law-abiding citizen who wants decency, civility, safety and security.” But he also said “my administration will stop mob violence.” (5/30)

Oklahoma's Space Dreams Might Finally Get Off the Ground (Source: KOCO)
If you lived in Burns Flat 14 years ago, you’d remember the opening of Oklahoma’s spaceport and the disappointment when those plans fell through. But now, with SpaceX's historic launch, leaders at the state level believe Oklahoma’s space dreams might finally get off the ground. “Oklahoma is unique. We have a distance advantage, and the spaceport out in Burns Flat happens to be one of those distinct advantages,” said Geoff Camp, director of aerospace and defense for the Oklahoma Department of Commerce.

It’s Camp’s job to find the Elon Musks and Jeff Bezos and convince them to build and launch their rockets in Oklahoma. “Those are the two household names in the space industry, but there are others right there, as well, that we are actively and aggressively recruiting to the state of Oklahoma right now,” Camp said. According to Camp, Oklahoma’s spaceport sport more than just one of the largest runways in north America and the rare ability to launch rockets into a polar orbit. It also comes with the backing of what he said is a rare business-friendly and military-friendly climate. Camp also said the spaceport is perfect for America’s new Space Force and any space company looking for a home. (5/30)

The Air Force Weather Team That Keeps Canceling Your Rocket Launches (Source: The Verge)
With less than 20 minutes to go before SpaceX’s first crewed flight, weather conditions remained miserable, forcing meteorologists at the Air Force’s 45th Weather Squadron to deliver bad news to NASA and SpaceX. “It definitely hurts, especially when we have those hard requirements that when something hits, there’s nothing we can do about it,” Capt. Jason Fontenot, the space lift weather operations flight commander at the 45th Weather Squadron, said during a press call. “And we just kind of have to pass on the information, saying, ‘Even though we’re not at the launch window yet, this is very unlikely that we will see this take off today.’”

Military personnel who work at the Squadron in Cape Canaveral, Florida are used to being the ones to call off the show. Fontenot and his team at Patrick Air Force Base are responsible for monitoring the weather surrounding all of the launches out of the Cape, which is home to the busiest spaceport in the United States.

That can be tricky since the weather in Central Florida is unpredictable. During the summer, humid, hot air rises, creating big puffy clouds and storms that are bad for flight. Spaceflight engineers often make jokes ahead of launches, asking the 45th’s launch weather officer, Mike McAleenan, to keep the clouds at bay. “The only thing we need to do is figure out how to control the weather,” Kathy Lueders, the program manager for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, said during a pre-launch press conference on Monday, May 25th. “And I’m hoping that Mike’s gonna help us out with that when he starts talking.” (5/30)

Trump Takes Credit For Space Launch That Got Its Start A Decade Ago (Source: WMFE)
Shortly after NASA astronauts blasted off from U. S. soil for the first time since 2011, President Trump painted a dire picture of what the space agency had looked like when he first came to office. "There was grass growing through the cracks of your concrete runways — not a pretty sight, not a pretty sight at all," he said at NASA's enormous Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where he had come to watch two astronauts launch to orbit in a vehicle owned and operated by SpaceX.

"With this launch, the decades of lost years and little action are officially over," he said. "Past leaders put the United States at the mercy of foreign nations to send our astronauts into orbit — not anymore. Today we once again proudly launch American astronauts on American rockets — the best in the world — from right here on American soil." Actually, it was two past presidents who put NASA on the path to this SpaceX launch, though it would be hard to know that from listening to the post-launch speeches. (5/30)