July 8, 2020

The Fastest Spinning Star in the Galaxy (Source: SyFy)
An astronomer has found the fastest spinning star known in our galaxy… and it's a doozy. It's rotating at the dizzying speed of at least 540 kilometers per second. The star is called LAMOST J040643.69+542347.8, but let's call it J0406 for short. It's located about 30,000 light years from us, toward the outer edge of the galaxy. LAMOST is a sky survey being done in China that looks at wide areas of the sky and takes low-resolution spectra of astronomical objects. That means it breaks the light up into thousands of individual slices of color, which in turn can tell us a lot about the object's properties: How fast it's moving toward or away from us, how hot it is, what it's made of, and — crucially in this case — how rapidly it spins. (7/8)

SBIR Phase II - NASA Increases Investment in US Small Businesses to Mature Lunar Capabilities for Artemis (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected four U.S. small businesses to mature a range of technologies for sustainable exploration of the Moon under the Artemis program. Through Artemis, the first woman and next man will land on the Moon in 2024. Later in the decade, NASA and its partners will establish a sustainable presence on the Moon. By awarding the companies with follow-on funds — an expected combined value of approximately $17 million — NASA's small business program will accelerate the development of lunar technologies relevant to Artemis. The companies started maturing the technologies, and demonstrated their potential, under previous contracts from NASA’s Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR/STTR) program. (7/8)

QinetiQ Wins Contract with the European Space Agency (Source: Space Daily)
QinetiQ's space business has secured a new contract worth 8.5m euro with the European Space Agency (ESA) for the development and production of microgravity-based heat transfer experiments, expected to be installed on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2026.Called the Heat Transfer Host 1, or simply HOST1, the contract includes the development of the experimentation platform and four scientific experiments for studying heat transfer phenomena within different types of heat pipes while in microgravity. (7/2)

NASA: Starliner Software Lacked Agency Insight, 80 Recommendations for Action Prior to Next Flight (Source: Space News)
NASA said Tuesday it has completed reviews of last December's abbreviated test flight of Boeing's CST-100 Starliner commercial crew spacecraft. Agency officials said an independent review team made 80 recommendations to address the problems during the uncrewed test flight that cut short the mission and prevented a docking at the International Space Station NASA also wrapped up a "high-visibility close call" review that resulted in several additional recommendations.

The agency acknowledged that it did not pay as close attention to Boeing's software development as it should have, in part because it was familiar with Boeing's work on other programs and also to provide more resources to monitor SpaceX. Boeing announced in April it will perform a second uncrewed test flight of Starliner, but NASA has not set a date beyond a target of late this year. (7/8)

House Denies Administration's Request for NASA Funding Increase (Source: Space News)
A House spending bill rejected the administration's request for a 12% increase in NASA's budget for 2021. The bill, released Tuesday ahead of a House Appropriations Committee markup session this morning, provides $22.6 billion for NASA, the same amount the agency received in 2020 and far less than the $25.2 billion sought in the agency's budget proposal.

NASA's exploration R&D budget line, which includes work on human lunar landers, is allocated a little more than $1.5 billion in the bill, slightly above its 2020 level but well below the requested $4.7 billion. The bill increases funding for science programs compared to the administration's request and also funds the agency's education programs, which the proposal sought once again to cancel. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said the bill is "an important first step in this year's appropriations process" and expressed hope a Senate version of the bill will provide more funding for lunar exploration. (7/8)

SpaceX and Argentina's SAOCOM Satellite Team Prepare for Polar Launch at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Spaceflight Now)
Preparations for the launch of an Argentine radar satellite, delayed by the pandemic, are resuming. A team of engineers and managers supporting the SAOCOM 1B launch arrived in Florida over the weekend, going into quarantine at a Miami hotel as a precaution before traveling to Cape Canaveral to prepare for the launch. A Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch the spacecraft as soon as July 25. The mission was scheduled for launch in March but postponed when the pandemic disrupted international travel. The launch will be the first to polar orbit from Cape Canaveral in decades. (7/8)

Unusual Substance China Found on Moon Was Not "Gel-Like" (Source: Space.com)
A "gel-like" material seen last year by China's Yutu-2 lunar rover turns out to be simply rocks. The announcement last year of the material attracted attention because of a description that can be translated into English as "gel-like." In a recently published paper, though, Chinese scientists analyzing data from the rover said that material was a breccia, or fragments of rock cemented together, likely created by an impact. The breccia may contain glasses like those seen in rocks returned by Apollo missions. (7/8)

Space Force Proposes Headquarters Staff led by Generals and Civilians (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force Pentagon headquarters will have a leaner staff structure than traditional military service headquarters and some senior staff posts will be assigned to civilians, according to a draft proposal. The Space Force headquarters — known as the Office of the Chief of Space Operations, or OCSO — will be led by a four-star general and a four-star vice chief. Underneath them will be four deputy chiefs of staff who could be general officers or senior government civilians, says the proposal which was approved last month by Chief of Space Operations Gen. John Raymond. (7/7)

Researchers Foresee Linguistic Issues During Space Travel (Source: Space Daily)
It lacks the drama of a shape-shifting alien creature, but another threat looms over the prospect of generations-long, interstellar space travel: Explorers arriving on Xanadu could face problems communicating with previous and subsequent arrivals, their spoken language having changed in isolation along the way. Therefore, a new paper recommends that such crews include, if not a linguist, members with knowledge of what is likely to occur and how to adapt. The article "Language Development During Interstellar Travel" discusses the concept of language change over time, citing such earthbound examples of long-distance voyages as the Polynesian island explorers and extrapolating from there.

It might seem far-fetched, but the authors cite language change even during their own lifetimes with the rise - no pun intended - of uptalk. They write that "it is increasingly common for speakers to end statements with a rising intonation. This phenomenon, called uptalk (or sometimes High Rising Terminal), is often mistaken for a question tone by those without it in their grammars, but it actually sounds quite distinct and indicates politeness or inclusion. Uptalk has only been observed occurring within the last 40 years, but has spread from small groups of young Americans and Australians to most of the English-speaking world, even to many Baby Boomers who had not used it themselves as youth." (7/7)

Student Space Simulation is Seeking Astronauts (Source: Space Daily)
Seven astronaut positions are available for an analogue space mission. The EPFL Space@yourService student association launched the recruitment of analogue astronauts on the 15th of June 2020. It will end the on 7th of July at midnight (swiss time). They will participate in its second mission, ASCLEPIOS II. Students from all over the world can send their application. During one week, they will live like astronauts occupying a lunar base. (7/7)

Lockheed Martin to Renovate Former Space Camp Near Cape Canaveral Spaceport as New Factory (Source: Industry Week)
Lockheed Martin is planning to repurpose a former astronaut museum into a factory. The aerospace and defense manufacturer filed plans with the state of Florida to renovate the building in Titusville, Florida, which hosted the U.S. Space Camp, then the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame until 2015, into a “light industrial/assembly/production” plant.

The 46,000-square-foot project is roughly ten miles away from Kennedy Space Center. The latest project will expand Lockheed Martin’s footprint in the area, which also includes the business’s Orlando campuses and Fleet Ballistic Missile Headquarters. According to Lockheed Martin’s website, the defense company employs about 8,000 people in Orlando and works with 300 suppliers there. Titusville, Florida is also home to Boeing’s space and launch division headquarters.

While Lockheed Martin did not disclose what, specifically, it would repurpose the building for, its nearby Orlando campuses could provide a clue. The Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control plant develops and manufactures aerospace and defense systems for the U.S. Armed Forces and allies, including missile, rocket, and radar technologies. Lockheed Martin Rotary Mission Systems is the company’s “center of excellence for training,” according to the company website, and develops flight simulators and other training systems. (7/7)

New Satellite Constellation to Boost Australia's National Security Capability Amid Rising Tensions (Source: Space Daily)
Australian based company LatConnect 60 has has announced a global space partnership to build and deploy a smart satellite constellation over Australian skies to help the Australian government and commercial clients monitor and protect their interests in the region. The announcement comes amid rising global tensions, with the Australian Prime Minister last week announcing a $1.35 billion response to a major cyber-attack targeting Australia by a state based actor. With plans to launch in June 2021, the new low earth orbit smart satellite constellation will provide close to real time data on request to clients giving Australia a boost to its strategic observation capabilities. (7/7)

ESA Startup Competition Announces Four Winners (Source: Space Daily)
The four winners of ESA's Startup competition are using space to solve problems on Earth. Each startup company presented their business proposals to delegates online at ESA's Industrial Policy Committee meeting on 29 June. In a session led by Eric Morel de Westgaver, ESA Director of Industry, Procurement and Legal Services, each startup outlined their proposal and answered questions from Member State delegates.

The four winning startups were selected from a total of 101 applicants. Over a period of two months they were judged on the team, business model, societal impact of the project and usefulness, and quality of the proposal. This process involved Member State Business Incubation Centres, ESA scientific, business and legal experts, and ESA's Inspector General. All 22 Member State delegates voted unanimously on the final winners. Such was the quality of the entries that third place was shared by two startups.

The winners will receive expert advice through a mentoring grant tailored to their specific needs. ESA also invites the winners to present at the Global Space Congress to be held in Abu Dhabi in May 2021. (7/7)

Rocket Lab Promises to 'Leave No Stone Unturned' in Launch Failure Investigation (Source: Sputnik)
Founded in 2004, the private US aerospace company has put 53 spacecraft into low-Earth orbit and most of its missions have been successful. Saturday's launch was initially scheduled for 5 July, however, due to a bad weather forecast, the company moved it one day earlier, a rare occurrence in the space industry. The CEO of Rocket Lab, Peter Beck, promised to "leave no stone unturned" after the company's Electron rocket experienced an anomaly during its latest mission and was lost after launch.

This is Rocket Lab's first unsuccessful mission, not counting the first maiden flight. The company has previously launched 53 spacecraft into low-Earth orbit and Saturday's launch was the second Rocket Lab launch in just three weeks. (7/7)

Moon Mining Could Begin As Early As 2025 (Source: Mining.com)
Plans to start mining the Moon as early as 2025 became more attractive this week after a US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) team found evidence that the Earth’s natural satellite may, underneath its surface, be richer in metals than previously thought. Using data from the Miniature Radio Frequency (Mini-RF) instrument onboard NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), a team of researchers came to the conclusion that the lunar subsurface contains a higher concentration of certain metals, such as iron and titanium, than estimated.

The study, published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, contends the most popular theory surrounding the Moon’s origins. The hypothesis contends the satellite was formed when a Mars-sized object collided with Earth, vaporizing large portions of the Earth’s upper crust. “By improving our understanding of how much metal the moon’s subsurface actually has, scientists can constrain the ambiguities about how it has formed, how it is evolving and how it is contributing to maintaining habitability on Earth,” lead study author Essam Heggy said in a statement.

The evidence was discovered while the scientists were looking for ice at the bottom of craters in the lunar north pole region, NASA said. It means that fine dust found at the base of those holes are  parts of the deeper layers of the Moon, ejected during meteor impacts. As such, this dust represents the composition in deeper Moon layers. (7/4)