June 14, 2020

Eyes on the Skies: Space X Launch Heralds an Out-of-This World Future (Source: Daily News)
SpaceX’s debut astronaut launch is the biggest, most visible opening shot yet in NASA’s grand plan for commercializing Earth’s backyard. Amateur astronauts, private space stations, flying factories, out-of-this-world movie sets — this is the future the space agency is striving to shape as it eases out of low-Earth orbit and aims for the moon and Mars.

It doesn't quite reach the fantasized heights of George Jetson and Iron Man, but still promises plenty of thrills. “I’m still waiting for my personal jetpack. But the future is incredibly exciting,” NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren said the day before SpaceX’s historic liftoff. NASA astronaut Nicole Mann, who will test drive Boeing's space capsule next year, envisions scientists, doctors, poets and reporters lining up for rocket rides. “I see this as a real possibility,” she said. “You’re going to see low-Earth orbit open up.” (6/6)

Another Mysterious Deep Space Radio Burst is Sending Signals to Earth Every 157 Days, Study Finds (Source: CBS)
Astronomers announced this weekend that they've detected a mysterious fast radio burst coming from a dwarf galaxy three billion light-years away. The burst — known as an FRB — appears to be transmitting signals that reach Earth in a repeating, 157-day pattern, the group said. The discovery marks just the second time ever that scientists have identified an FRB that repeats in a pattern. In February, scientists revealed that an object 500 million light-years away appeared to be transmitting signals every 16 days.

FRBs are bursts of radio waves in space that last just a millisecond. Some have been traced back to their home galaxies, but astronomers have yet to figure out what causes them. An international team was able to track emissions from FRB 121102, which has been studied for years. The recently detected FRB sends out bursts during a 90-day window, followed by 67 days of silence, in a loop that repeats every 157 days, the astronomers said. The FRB was first discovered in 2012 and was seen repeating in 2016 — but this study is the first to identify its pattern. (6/9)

Here’s How to Find Out When Elon Musk’s SpaceX May Provide You with Satellite Internet (Source: CNBC)
SpaceX updated the website for its Starlink satellite internet project on Friday, as the company continues to move closer to its goal of offering direct-to-consumer broadband from space later this year. “Get updates on Starlink news and service availability in your area,” the website reads, with a submission form for an email address and zip code. The form allows prospective customers to apply for updates and access to a public beta test of the Starlink service. Click here. (6/12)

Japanese Company Plans Laser Satellite to Clear Orbital Debris (Source: Jiji Press)
A Japanese satellite operator is proposing to develop a space-based laser to address the orbital debris problem. Sky Perfect JSAT said Thursday it's working to launch a satellite in 2026 that will be equipped with a laser. The laser will fire bursts at debris to push them into the atmosphere. The company plans to work with the Japanese space agency JAXA and the Riken research institute on the project, but the report did not disclose how much the project would cost and how it would be funded. (6/12)

Astronomers Team to Measure Shifting Stars (Source: Sky & Telescope)
NASA's New Horizons has teamed up with ground-based astronomers to measure the shifting positions of nearby stars. The spacecraft, 6.9 billion kilometers from Earth, took images of nearby stars Proxima Centauri and Wolf 359, and project scientists compared them with images of the stars taken by astronomers on Earth. The images clearly showed the effects of parallax, or shifts in the positions of the stars relative to more distant background stars, caused by distance between the spacecraft and Earth. Those shifts will become more pronounced as the spacecraft travels farther from Earth. "New Horizons is looking at an alien sky," said the mission's principal investigator, Alan Stern. (6/12)

JPL Settles Age Discrimination Lawsuit (Source: EEOC)
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory agreed to settle age discrimination claims for $10 million. JPL, which is run by Caltech for NASA, was accused of laying off older employees in favor of younger ones, a practice in violation of federal law. JPL agreed to the settlement with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunities Commission (EEOC), with terms that include creating positions to oversee compliance with the law and providing training on age discrimination to all employees. (6/12)