July 22, 2020

What Does Mars Sound Like? NASA Is Sending A Microphone To The Red Planet (Source: WMFE)
The next Mars rover will have something no other Mars rover has ever had – a microphone. When the Mars Perseverance rover lands next February, scientists will get the chance to hear the red planet. But the microphone will also help scientists see what the planet is made out of. (7/21)

UK and US Militaries Launch £800,000 International Space Pitch Day (Source: Gov.UK)
Start-up tech companies and inventors will get the chance to pitch directly to UK and US military leaders for the $1-million investment to fast-track their ideas for cutting-edge Space innovations. International Space Pitch Day is a joint UK-US initiative that aims to find, fund and fast-track innovation and technology that gives advantage to military personnel and operations in the space domain. (7/22)

Researchers Finally See Earth's Climate Destiny More Clearly (Source: Science)
It seems like such a simple question: How hot is Earth going to get? Yet for 40 years, climate scientists have repeated the same unsatisfying answer: If humans double atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) from preindustrial levels, the planet will eventually warm between 1.5°C and 4.5°C—a temperature range that encompasses everything from a merely troubling rise to a catastrophic one.

Now, in a landmark effort, a team of 25 scientists has significantly narrowed the bounds on this critical factor, known as climate sensitivity. The assessment, conducted under the World Climate Research Program (WCRP), relies on three strands of evidence: trends indicated by contemporary warming, the latest understanding of the feedback effects that can slow or accelerate climate change, and lessons from ancient climates. They support a likely warming range of between 2.6°C and 3.9°C, says Steven Sherwood, one of the study’s lead authors and a climate scientist at the University of New South Wales. “This is the number that really controls how bad global warming is going to be.”

The WCRP sensitivity estimate is designed to be used by the United Nations’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) when it publishes its next major report in 2021 or 2022. The estimate will also inform projections for sea-level rise, economic damage, and much else. A clearer picture of those consequences could do much to spur local governments to cut emissions and adapt to warming. (7/22)

Methane is Mysteriously Leaking From the Sea Floor in Antarctica, Edging Global Heating to a Point of No Return (Source: Business Insider)
Researchers have, for the first time, discovered an active leak of methane gas from under Antarctica's sea floor. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that warms the planet much more than carbon dioxide does. Its release when ice melts further speeds up global heating. The researchers also found microorganisms that can consume methane before it is released to the atmosphere took five years to appear, and still let methane gas escape when they arrived.

The lead researcher said the findings are "not good news," but said the discoveries will help the group understand how methane is released in Antarctica and its effects on the planet's temperature. Vast amounts of methane are stored under sea ice. The researchers noted that "Antarctica is estimated to contain as much as a quarter of earth's marine methane." Scientists have long warned about the impact on the planet if methane leaks — something that is caused by melting ice as global temperatures rise. (7/22)

Earth, Moon Were Bombarded by Asteroid Shower 800 Million Years Ago (Source: Space.com)
Large craters on the surface of the moon suggests the Earth-moon system was slammed by an asteroid shower 800 million years ago, according to a survey published Tuesday. Roughly 65.5 million years ago, a massive asteroid struck the Yucatan Peninsula. The violence of the Chicxulub impact is credited with triggering the mass extinction event that killed off the dinosaurs. Scientists estimate such a violent collision is likely to happen just once every 100 million years. (7/21)

Biggest-Ever 3D Map of Universe (Source: Space Daily)
Astrophysicists on Monday published the largest-ever 3D map of the Universe, the result of an analysis of more than four million galaxies and ultra-bright, energy-packed quasars. The efforts of hundreds of scientists from around 30 institutions worldwide have yielded a "complete story of the expansion of the universe", said Will Percival of the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. In the project launched more than two decades ago, the researchers made "the most accurate expansion history measurements over the widest-ever range of cosmic time", he said in a statement. Click here. (7/20)

Pandemic Affects NASA Programs (Source: Space News)
While NASA has been able to keep its highest priority programs on track during the pandemic, others have faced delays. NASA set the Demo-2 commercial crew mission and Mars 2020 launch as its highest priorities in the spring when the pandemic forced centers to close to all but essential personnel. Mars 2020 remains on schedule for launch late this month, while the Demo-2 mission is scheduled to wrap up in early August. Other programs, though, have faced delays, which could continue amid a surge in coronavirus cases in several states with NASA facilities. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine warned recently that keeping testing of the SLS and preparations for its first launch next fall on schedule "could be a challenge" if the pandemic continues. (7/22)

BlackSky to Support Pandemic Outbreak Monitoring Under Air Force Contract (Source: Space News)
BlackSky has won an Air Force contract to use its geospatial intelligence technology to monitor pandemic outbreaks. The Air Force will use BlackSky's artificial intelligence and machine learning analytics platform to monitor overseas U.S. military bases, detect outbreaks and analyze the spread of COVID-19. The contract, whose value was not disclosed, was awarded by the Air Force's technology accelerator, known as AFWERX, and the Air Force Research Laboratory. (7/22)

SpaceX Readies for Starship Hop (Source: Teslarati)
SpaceX might attempt a "hop" test of a Starship prototype later this week. Elon Musk said in a tweet Tuesday that the company is aiming to perform a flight later this week, but offered no additional details. The latest Starship prototype, SN5, recently arrived at the pad at the company's Boca Chica, Texas, test site, but has yet to perform a static-fire test. Four previous Starship prototypes have been destroyed in tanking or static-fire tests since last fall. (7/22)

Former Canadian Astronaut Gets Negative Reviews in Government Post (Source: CBC)
A former astronaut is being criticized for creating a "toxic environment" as governor general of Canada. Several former employees of Julie Payette claim that she verbally harassed them, publicly berating their work. Payette, a Canadian astronaut who flew on two shuttle missions, became governor general, the Queen's official representative in Canada, in 2017. A spokesperson for Payette denied the allegations, claiming they are a "stark contrast to the reality of working" in the office. (7/22)

Europe's Proposed Space Budget Down by ~20% (Source: Space News)
The European Commission announced a space budget Tuesday nearly 20% lower than originally proposed. The budget provides 13.2 billion euros ($15.2 billion) for EU space programs over the next seven years, significantly below an original proposal for 16 billion euros. The budget cut for space came as part of extensive four-day negotiations in Brussels over a 1.8-trillion-euro budget for the entire European Union that included a pandemic economic recovery package. Nearly all of the budget will go to the Galileo and Copernicus satellite programs, with a small fraction left for the GovSatCom secure communications program and a space situational awareness initiative. (7/22)

House Defense Bill Includes Naval Rank Structure for Space Force (Source: Space News)
The House passed a defense authorization bill Tuesday with several space policy changes. The House approved the National Defense Authorization Act on a 295—125 vote after debate that included incorporating several space-related amendments. Those amendments included giving the Space Development Agency special hiring authority to recruit scientists and engineers, as well as a range of reports. One amendment would direct the U.S. Space Force to use the Navy's rank structure. The White House has threatened to veto the legislation because it requires the Pentagon to rename bases currently named after Confederate military leaders. (7/22)

Dickinson Nominated to Head Space Command (Source: Space News)
The Senate Armed Services Committee will take up the nomination of a new head of Space Command next week. The committee will hold a confirmation hearing July 28 for Army Lt. Gen. James Dickinson, who was nominated to be promoted to general and lead U.S. Space Command. Dickinson is currently deputy commander of U.S. Space Command and previously was the commander of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. U.S. Space Force Gen. Jay Raymond is currently dual-hatted as leader of the Space Force and commander of Space Command. (7/22)

Air Force Envisions Space Force Role in Arctic (Source: Space News)
A new Department of the Air Force strategy for Arctic operations will include a major role for the Space Force. That strategy, announced Tuesday, is intended to address the "immense geostrategic consequence" of the Arctic amid competition with Russia and China, Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett said. Gen. Jay Raymond, head of the Space Force, said that the Arctic, like space, is becoming a "congested neighborhood" and that the U.S. wants to deter conflict in both regions. The Space Force's role will include investing in satellites to provide secure and continuous communications in the Arctic, including a partnership with Space Norway to host U.S. broadband communications payloads on that nation's satellites. (7/22)

ISS Maintenance Space Walks Complete (Source: CBS)
Astronauts wrapped up a series of spacewalks outside the International Space Station Tuesday. Bob Behnken and Chris Cassidy spent 5 1/2 hours outside the station during the spacewalk, which started at 7:12 a.m. Eastern. The two carried out a variety of maintenance tasks, such as removing handling fixtures on the solar arrays that are no longer needed, as well as preparing docking power for a commercial airlock module to be flown to the station later this year. The spacewalk completed a series of four the two astronauts carried out, primarily to replace batteries in the station's power system. (7/22)

China Will Answer ‘Heavenly Question’: Can It Land on Mars? (Source: New York Times)
A goal of the Tianwen-1 launch is to catch up with decades of American success on the red planet, all in one mission. Having already joined the upper ranks of spacefaring nations, China is preparing to try its next bold leap: launching an orbiter, a lander and a rover to Mars. The mission — shadowing NASA’s Perseverance rover and the United Arab Emirates’ Hope orbiter — aims to place China where its Communist leadership has long wanted to be. China is eager to show that it can manage complex interplanetary missions on its own, and landing on Mars is a difficult accomplishment that only the United States and, briefly, the Soviet Union have achieved before. (7/22)

Topology Data Improves Spacecraft Lunar Landing, According to ERAU Student’s Award-Winning Research (Source: ERAU)
A student’s research on how to use topology data to improve the lunar landing of a spacecraft has earned him a first place award from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Aerospace engineering student Brennan McCann took first place in AIAA’s master’s category in the 2020 Regional Student Conference.

The organization typically requires students to present their research in person and are judged on technical content and clarity of communication by professional members from industry. This year, students were judged solely on the merits of their paper because the in-person conferences were cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. McCann’s paper, “Utilizing Topology Data to Facilitate Geometric Control of a Spacecraft During Lunar Landing,” identifies a method to ensure spacecraft can orient properly upon landing. McCann tested his theory by modeling the landing at the Apollo 11 site, known as Mare Tranquilitatis. (7/22)