February 21, 2021

Spit in Space: S.F. Company Offers to 'Send a Piece of You to the Moon' (Source: San Francisco Chronicle)
It’s all part of a new offer from starry-eyed San Francisco entrepreneur Ben Haldeman, who has cut a deal with a commercial spacecraft company to put tiny fragments of human saliva aboard a privately funded United Launch Alliance lunar landing, scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral in the fall. Each spit droplet, according to the company, will contain the customer’s entire DNA sequence.

“You get to go on a space mission and send a piece of you where few have been,” Haldeman said. “You save your family’s genes for the future.” Haldeman, a 40-year-old engineer and former professional bike racer, said he got into the send-your-spit-to-the-moon business to help planet earth save itself from self destruction and to enable human beings — the ones with $99, anyway — to perhaps live forever. (2/19)

World's Largest Iceberg Disintegrates Into 'Alphabet Soup,' NASA Photo Shows (Source: Space.com)
The ocean north of Antarctica has turned into an "alphabet soup" of broken icebergs, according to a new blog post on NASA's Earth Observatory website. In a satellite photo snapped on Feb. 11, 2021, the jagged outlines of 11 fractured icebergs swirl around a remote, penguin-filled island called South Georgia, located about 940 miles northeast of the Antarctic Peninsula. Each frozen chunk is a piece of the once-mighty iceberg A-68a, which held the title of world's largest iceberg for more than three years before shattering into a dozen pieces a few weeks ago. Now, each broken bit of the puzzle has its own name, beginning with A-68b, and ending with A-68M. (2/1)

Russia to Launch 29 Space Rockets in 2021 (Source: TASS)
Nearly 30 launches of space rockets are due this year, Roscosmos corporation CEO Dmitry Rogozin, told President Vladimir Putin on Saturday. "On our timetable there are 29 space rocket launches," Rogozin said. In 2020, he went on to say, there were 17 launches of space rockets and seven launches of military missiles were carried out. (2/20)

Steering Wheel of India’s Journey Into Space (Source: The Tribune India)
India has been investing in the domain of space since the early 1960s with an agenda of ‘space for socioeconomic development’. Ajey Lele credits India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and the scientific community comprising people like Dr Homi Bhabha and Dr Vikram Sarabhai for making S&T an important constituent of Independent India’s national policy.

They brought together an army of brilliant scientists, anthropologists, communicators and social scientists from all over the country to spearhead the Indian space program — illiteracy being the first enemy they wanted to fight with the help of science. In due course of time, challenges emanating from climate change and geography were tackled. The technological apartheid that India faced following the 1998 nuclear tests dealt a huge setback to the space program. Things began to ease only with the Indo-US nuclear deal of 2008. A positive that came out of this was that India was able to develop technologies on its own. (2/21)

Japanese Space Enthusiasts Build Their Own Satellite (Source: Nikkei)
The people gathered in the workshop are members of Ryman Sat Spaces, a group composed of aerospace enthusiasts, including office workers and students. On weekends they get together to build satellites and rockets. The group has about 790 members in all. The group grew out of a casual conversation in 2014 at a bar in Tokyo among three office workers, including the group's future director, Kazutaka Otani. As they were discussing their dreams, someone suggested, "Wouldn't it be great if we could do commercial space ourselves."

Most have no formal experience in the space industry. Those with training in technology -- system engineers and the like -- make up about 70% of the membership, while the rest have nontechnical backgrounds. They work in teams assigned to specific tasks, including satellite and rocket development, public relations and designing novelty goods to promote the group.

Ryman Sat Spaces raises funds mainly from donations, the sale of novelty goods and crowdfunding. Members take turns paying for components out of their own pockets and bring their own tools, such as soldering irons, to help with projects. Tiny satellites can cost anywhere from 2 million yen to 3 million yen $19,000 to $28,000) apiece to put together. (2/21)

Korean Space Companies Set to Benefit From Launch of Rocket (Source: Korea JoongAng Daily)
There is a less-covered stock segment that has gained a significant boost entering this year: aerospace. With 2021 set to become a defining moment for Korea’s aerospace industry thanks to the planned launch of a rocket developed with homegrown technology, investors became bullish about private space companies linked with the project and with the industry in general. The upturn coincides with a big round of investments into big global players like SpaceX and Blue Origin, highlighting expectations for space exploration and satellite launches at lower cost. 
 
At the center of attention in Korea is Hanwha, the country’s only conglomerate that owns affiliates dedicated to space technology. The stock price of Hanwha Aerospace, a Kospi-listed aircraft engine producer, jumped 40.4 percent to close at 17,250 won ($15.60) on Friday compared to the beginning of the year. The Changwon, South Gyeongsang-based unit is in the process of developing an engine for liquid-propellant rockets for the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-II (KSLV-2), also known as Nuri-ho, which is expected to launch in October, this year.
 
Boasting four 75-ton liquid engines in its first-stage booster, the three-stage rocket is designed to carry a 1.5-ton satellite into low orbit. Unlike its predecessor the KSLV-I rocket that borrowed Russian technology, the KSLV-2 is billed as being made of components and systems developed in Korea. (2/21)

Musk Got 4,000 SpaceX Workers to Join a Covid-19 Study. Here’s What He Learned (Source: Wall Street Journal)
To monitor the prevalence of the virus among SpaceX workers nationwide, Mr. Musk and the rocket company’s top medical executive worked with doctors and academic researchers to build an antibody-testing program. More than 4,000 SpaceX workers volunteered for monthly blood tests. This week the group published its findings, which suggest that a certain threshold of antibodies might provide people lasting protection against the virus. Mr. Musk is listed as a co-author of the peer-reviewed study.

“People can have antibodies, but it doesn’t mean they are going to be immune” to Covid-19, said Galit Alter, a co-author of the study who is a member of the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard. Individuals who experienced fewer, milder Covid-19 symptoms generated fewer antibodies and were therefore less likely to meet the threshold for longer-term immunity, the study found. (2/20)

Mars Beckons, But the Private Sector Alone Can’t Meet Our Space Needs (Source: Seattle Times)
This is a big month for Mars. China, the United Arab Emirates and the United States all sent robotic spacecraft that arrived in recent days to the red planet. Of these, NASA’s Perseverance rover is most ambitious. But most of the space news these days, at least from the United States, comes out of the private sector. For example, Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully deployed 60 internet satellites this month, although the mission lost its reusable booster rocket. Such reusable rockets have helped drive down the cost of lifting satellites, cargo and space-station astronauts.

And anything to come will be primarily dependent on the private sector taking the lead. It will be a major part of NASA’s crewed Artemis program, which aims to return to the moon by 2024. At least that’s the American model now. China, India and others still see space exploration as a national project. But according to the Harvard Business Review (HBR), “the commercial space age is here.” The article is accompanied by a clever (or depressing) image of an astronaut standing on the surface of a foreign world holding a flag emblazoned “sale.”

The authors are certain that the moves to launch space tourists could eventually lead to space settlement. Thus, “opening the door for businesses to start meeting the demand those people create over the next several decades with an array of space-for-space goods and services.” I’m sure a place for this exists, at least at the most prosaic level. But anyone who watched science fiction (among the latest being Amazon’s “The Expanse”) knows not to trust the capitalists. (2/19)

Washington State's Growing Space Industry Footprint (Source: Seattle Times)
SpaceX's Starlink satellites, intended to expand inexpensive global broadband, are developed in Redmond. So if the space business can’t replace Boeing’s diminishing Commercial Airplanes footprint here, at least the Seattle area is prominent in reaching for “the final frontier.” According to the most recent report from the state Department of Commerce, space exploration in Washington generated 6,200 workers, $65 million in state taxes and an annual payroll of $610 million.

And, of course, the space business benefits from the 1,300 aerospace-related companies in Washington. If Boeing were still headquartered in Seattle, it would be the biggest player in the assets listed above. Including its United Launch Alliance joint venture with Lockheed Martin, the company is involved in a range of enterprises from supporting the International Space Station to satellites and rockets.

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is headquartered in Kent. Aerojet Rocketdyne, a rocket maker, has several hundred employees in Redmond. That suburb is also the hub for Amazon’s broadband satellite venture. Planetary Resources, which aims at asteroid mining, had been headquartered there, too, before being acquired by blockchain venture ConsenSys. Spaceflight, specializing in secondary payloads, is headquartered in Seattle. And the late Paul Allen founded Stratolaunch (formerly Vulcan Aerospace) in Seattle. (2/19)

Northrop Grumman Launches S.S. Katherine Johnson Cargo Ship to ISS (Source: NasaSpaceFlight.com)
Northrop Grumman kicked off their 2021 launch manifest with the flight of an Antares rocket delivering the Cygnus spacecraft to the International Space Station from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Virginia on 20 February 2021. The spacecraft is expected to rendezvous with the Station in two days, where it will be berthed to the Unity module using Canadarm2.  This uncrewed resupply mission will deliver 3,729 kg to the ISS, consisting of CubeSats, science experiments, Station equipment, and crew supplies. (2/20)

Reversal of Earth's Magnetic Poles May Have Triggered Neanderthal Extinction -- and it Could Happen Again (Source: CNN)
The reversal of Earth's magnetic poles, along with a temporary breakdown of the world's magnetic field about 42,000 years ago, could have triggered a raft of environmental changes, solar storms and the extinction of the Neanderthals, according to a new study. The Earth's magnetic field protects us, acting as a shield against the solar wind (a stream of charged particles and radiation) that flows out from the sun. But the geomagnetic field is not stable in strength and direction, and it has the ability to flip or reverse itself.

Some 42,000 years ago, in an event known as the Laschamp Excursion, the poles did just that for around 800 years, before swapping back -- but scientists were unsure exactly how or if it impacted the world. Now, a team of researchers say the flip, along with changing solar winds, could have triggered an array of dramatic climate shifts leading to environmental change and mass extinctions. Scientists analyzed the rings found in ancient New Zealand kauri trees, some which had been preserved in sediments for more than 40,000 years, to create a timescale of how Earth's atmosphere changed over time.

"Using the ancient trees we could measure, and date, the spike in atmospheric radiocarbon levels caused by the collapse of Earth's magnetic field," Chris Turney, a professor at UNSW Science, director of the university's Earth and Sustainability Science Research Center and co-lead author of the study, said in a statement. The team compared their new timescale with site records from caves, ice cores and peat bogs around the world. Researchers found that the reversal led to "pronounced climate change." (2/19)

America Has Sent Five Rovers to Mars -- When Will Humans Follow? (Source: AFP)
While the trip is technologically almost within grasp, experts say it's probably still decades out because of funding uncertainties. Wernher von Braun, the architect of the Apollo program, started work on a Mars mission right after the Moon landing in 1969, but the plan, like many after it, never got off the drawing board. What makes it so hard? For a start, the sheer distance.

Astronauts bound for Mars will have to travel about 140 million miles, depending on where the two planets are relative to each other. That means a trip that's many months long, where astronauts will face two major health risks: radiation and microgravity. The former raises the lifetime chances of developing cancer while the latter decreases bone density and muscle mass. If things go wrong, any problems will have to be solved on the planet itself. (2/19)

High Speed Internet In The Far North? New $300M Satellite Pledge Makes Big Promises (Source: Forbes)
In a universe increasingly crowded with satellites, Canada’s Telesat is getting ready to launch its own powerful competitor fleet to SpaceX, OneWeb and other companies. The company announced a memorandum of understanding with the Canadian province of Quebec that could see about $318 million USD ($400 million Canadian) in provincial monies pour into a set of powerful data-bearing satellites known as Lightspeed, targeted to rural communities in the far north.

Canada is a big country with a relatively small population, a population that generally becomes even more scattered into small towns at latitudes above 50 or 55 degrees north. The hope is to bring more constant connectivity to northern communities who traditionally, are many years behind their southern counterparts in terms of Internet access. The potential benefits are vast to northerners, ranging from better business opportunities to faster connections with doctors in the south (making it easier to access health care). (2/19)

Hickenlooper 'Over the Moon' to be Chairing New Subcommittee on Science, Space (Source: Colorado Politics)
Colorado U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper will chair a new Senate subcommittee on science and space, his office announced Friday. The newly created panel — part of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee — will oversee legislation and federal policy related to a broad portfolio covering science, technology, research and engineering. It's a fitting post for the freshman Democrat, who worked as a geologist before helping launch Colorado's brewpub industry and later running for mayor of Denver, the lawmaker said.

And it stands to have an impact on Colorado's burgeoning, $15 billion aerospace industry, the second-largest in the country, a spokeswoman said. Added Hickenlooper: "If we can land on Mars, even bigger things are close at hand. Colorado will play a leading role in making those big things a reality.” (2/19)

The Budget Space Race is Poised for Take-Off (Source: Telegraph)
Investors have gained a taste for the lucrative market in small satellite launches, which is expected to be worth nearly $500bn by 2028, according to satellite experts EuroConsult. Demand for launch systems is booming. Elon Musk is planning to put up 12,000 Starlink broadband satellites, most of them through his SpaceX rocket firm. Amazon is planning a vast low-orbit broadband network of 3,000 satellites worth $10bn. The UK’s OneWeb, which is backed by the UK government, hopes to put up 650.

On Feb 2, Astra, a rocket start-up with one launch to date went public via a merger with a SPAC, a special purpose acquisition company, in New York at a $2.1bn valuation, with $500m in cash to spend. But some investors see an advantage in using plane-based rocket launches to take a slice of this market. Bill Blain, head of strategy at Shard Capital and adviser to Astraius, a British rival to Virgin Orbit, says: “The advantage to launching from an aeroplane is you can fly that plane anywhere. You are not wasting fuel getting it into specific orbit.” It also bypasses weather systems that can scupper launches from the ground. (2/20)

ESA Recruits New Astronauts for First Time in 13 Years (Source: Business Insider)
The European Space Agency is recruiting new astronauts for the first time in 13 years. A "global first" initiative has also been launched to recruit astronauts with physical disabilities. Applications open on 31 March and close on 28 May. The new cohort will be revealed in October 2022. (2/19)

Biden Sees Perseverance and Mars Sample Return as US-Europe Unifiers (Source: Space Policy Online)
President Biden told European allies today that the Mars Perseverance and Mars Sample Return missions are examples of how the United States and Europe can work together and “secure our futures together.” It is the second time in two days Biden has talked about Perseverance, calling Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk yesterday to extend congratulations on its successful landing. Perseverance is the first of three U.S.-European missions that eventually will return samples of Mars to Earth.

The European Space Agency (ESA), an international organization with 22 European member countries, has its own Mars program and right now is building the ExoMars rover with Russia for launch in 2022. But ESA and individual countries, such as France and Germany, have long worked with NASA on Mars missions, too. Earlier this week, Vice President Kamala Harris and  French President Emmanuel Macron discussed France’s participation in the U.S.-built Perseverance mission. France provided the SuperCam instrument that will analyze the chemistry and mineralogy of Martian rocks and soil.

NASA-ESA cooperation will take a major leap forward with the Mars Sample Return mission, however, with the two agencies jointly building two spacecraft — the Sample Fetch Rover and Earth Return Orbiter (ERO) — not just providing instruments. (2/19)

FAA Closes Investigation of SpaceX's Starship SN9's Test-Flight Crash (Source: Space.com)
"The FAA closed the investigation of the Feb. 2 SpaceX Starship SN9 prototype mishap today, clearing the way for the SN10 test flight pending FAA approval of license updates," an FAA spokesperson said Friday (Feb. 19) in an emailed statement.

"The FAA provided oversight of the SN9 mishap investigation conducted by SpaceX. The SN9 vehicle failed within the bounds of the FAA safety analysis," the statement continued. "Its unsuccessful landing and explosion did not endanger the public or property. All debris was contained within the designated hazard area. The FAA approved the final mishap report, including the probable causes and corrective actions." (2/19)