March 29, 2021

We Should Study 'Dead' Alien Worlds, and Maybe (Carefully) Seed Them With Life (Source: Live Science)
"The biological study of lifelessness seems counterintuitive, because biology is the study of life," said astrobiologist Charles Cockell. But Cockell makes the case that focusing entirely on living worlds leaves out an enormous and potentially informative percentage of the cosmos. Even Earth, which we consider to be teeming with life, is largely uninhabitable, with a thin biosphere situated on the surface but a largely dead interior.

Surveying lifeless worlds could help scientists learn exactly what percentage of the universe is uninhabitable, what proportion is potentially habitable but just lacking in life, and whether there are some worlds that are partially empty and partially covered in life. After organisms emerged during the dawn of our planet, they are thought to have proliferated to fill every habitable environment they could find. Yet the details of this process are still only hazily understood. Dead worlds could help provide scientific insight into fundamental questions such as the limits of where life can exist and how living things colonize uninhabited areas.

Dead worlds could also provide a clean slate, where scientists could start the experiment of life from scratch. If researchers were to release small quantities of microbes into lifeless environments, they could learn how quickly organisms spread, the sequence in which different species take over, and how living things alter the local chemistry and eventually start to co-evolve with a planet, he added. Future astronauts in a base on Mars might discover the best bacteria to introduce into its surface in order to make it productive for crops. (3/26)

Why Extraterrestrial Life May Not Seem Entirely Alien (Source: Quantam)
When zoologists study life on Earth, we’re studying mechanisms. We’re studying how life became the way it is. And because evolution is the explanatory mechanism for life everywhere, then the principles that we uncover on Earth should be applicable in the rest of the universe. Thinking about how life on other planets evolves and behaves is just a natural extension of my work with animals on Earth. If we discovered a lost island on this planet, we’d be examining its animals from the perspective of what we know about the evolution of life in general. You can be sure that if we discovered alien life on another planet, we’d be using the same methods to ask why they look and behave the way they do, and how they evolved.

Coincidences of evolutionary (and even cosmic) history will always affect the details of animal shape and appearance. We have four limbs only because it was a four-finned fish that crawled out of the sea almost 400 million years ago. We could easily have had six limbs, or even eight, if evolutionary history had played out differently. So there will never really be close similarity between us and our equivalent species on an alien planet. But some things are just so tightly constrained that there aren’t really many alternative ways to do things. (3/18)

Earlier Launch Considered for NASA Lunar Satellite (Source: Space News)
NASA is considering options for an earlier launch of a lunar smallsat because of delays in its current rideshare mission. Lunar Trailblazer, a small orbiter that will study the distribution of water on the moon, will be completed late next year, but is not currently scheduled for launch until early 2025 as a secondary payload on the launch of another NASA spacecraft, IMAP. At a committee meeting last week, a NASA official said the agency is looking at ways to launch Lunar Trailblazer earlier, but for now is not giving up its space on the IMAP launch.

Lunar Trailblazer is part of a NASA planetary science smallsat program called SIMPLEx that makes use of rideshare launches. Another SIMPLEx mission, a Mars mission called EscaPADE, lost its ride on another planetary science mission last year when the primary mission changed launch vehicles and trajectories. (3/29)
 
Rogozin's Rumored Resignation From Russia's Roscosmos (Source: TASS)
Roscosmos denied rumors that its head, Dmitry Rogozin, was on his way out. Rumors on Russian social media claimed that Rogozin was planning to resign and would be replaced by a deputy defense minister. A Roscosmos spokesman dismissed the claims as "idle speculations and rumors'' and said the agency was working normally. (3/29)
 
India's GISAT-1 Satellite Launch Delayed (Source: PTI)
A problem with an Indian imaging satellite has delayed its launch by three weeks. The GISAT-1 spacecraft was to launch on a GSLV rocket over the weekend, but the Indian space agency ISRO said a "minor issue" with the spacecraft would delay the launch to no earlier than April 18. The spacecraft was to launch early last year but was postponed by an unspecified issue and then by the pandemic, which halted all Indian launches for months. (3/29)

Emergency Alarm Reportedly Goes Off on SpaceX Dragon Capsule Docked to Space Station (Source: Futurism)
The SpaceX Crew Dragon dubbed Resilience, currently docked to the International Space Station after launching in November of last year, just reportedly scared the bejesus out of the station’s crew. The capsule “annunciated false emergency messages for Fire and Rapid Depress as well as other erroneous messages yesterday,” NASASpaceFlight reported Thursday. “ISS crew ran responses for Fire and Rapid depress but stood down once stable readings were confirmed.” (3/28)

9 Space SPACs For Investors To Consider Ahead Of Ark Space ETF (Source: Yahoo! Finance)
The potential for growth in the space market has been drawing attention from investors. And the space sector could get more attention over the next couple weeks with the Ark Funds space ETF set to launch as early as this week. Here is a look at the space-related SPACs that could be added to the fund and also could be investment opportunities for investors looking for exposure to the sector. Click here. (3/28)

Innovative Propulsion System Gets Ready to Help Study Moon Orbit for Artemis (Source: NASA)
In 2021, NASA’s Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment, or CAPSTONE, CubeSat will launch to a never-before-used cislunar orbit near the Moon. As a pathfinder for Gateway, a Moon-orbiting outpost that is part of NASA’s Artemis program, CAPSTONE will help reduce the risk for future spacecraft by verifying the dynamics of a unique halo-shaped orbit. The mission will also demonstrate innovative spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation technology and communications capabilities with Earth.

CAPSTONE’s journey to the Moon will take about three months, starting with its launch to low-Earth orbit on a Rocket Lab Electron. Rocket Lab’s Photon spacecraft will take over next and conduct a series of orbit-raising maneuvers to prepare the CubeSat for its transfer path to the Moon. After separating from Photon, CAPSTONE will utilize an energy-efficient ballistic lunar transfer using its onboard propulsion system and enter into a near rectilinear halo orbit in the vicinity of and around the Moon. There, it will maintain the orbit to inform future spacecraft and demonstrate new technologies. (3/22)

Cyprus Musician Hopes to Play in Space During dearMoon Mission (Source: Cyprus Mail)
Hundreds, if not hundreds of thousands, have applied to fly around the Moon with Yusaku Maezawa on a SpaceX Starship. The dearMoon project is offering eight artists from around the world the trip of a lifetime. As early as 2023, they will take their place on Starship to perform for the world. And 35-year-old Limassol-based award-winning musician Tatiana Stupek – already through to round three of the five-stage selection process – hopes she will be among the chosen few.

An intrepid adventurer who delights in parachute jumps and hot air balloon flights, Tatiana is well-known for her feats of athletic and musical daring. She’s played the keyboard both at the top Mount Elbrus and while submerged on the Mediterranean seabed; performed on the gusli (an ancient East Slavic multi-stringed instrument) atop Mount Kilimanjaro, and on the frozen ice of Siberia’s Lake Baikal. In the coming months, she plans to climb Argentina’s Aconcagua, there to claim the Guinness World Record for highest musical performance. But, should she be chosen to participate in the dearMoon project, she’ll surpass all her previous achievements! (3/27)

CNES & ANRT Join to Stimulate the Lunar Economy Through Moonshot Institute (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Jean-Yves Le Gall, President of CNES (Center National d’Etudes Spatiales) and Patrice Caine, President of ANRT (Association Nationale Recherche Technologie), signed a letter of intent relating to the association from the ANRT to the Moonshot Institute project, led by CNES, with a view to creating an entrepreneurial ecosystem around the economy for and by the Moon.

The Moonshot Institute aims to federate an ecosystem dedicated to the lunar economy, to educate the next generations of entrepreneurs, to train future explorers and to inform the public of initiatives and business opportunities for and by the Moon. In this sense, CNES and ANRT will cooperate in order to: 1) conduct intersectoral discussions between public and private actors on the lunar economy; 2) stimulate disruptive innovation for a lunar economy; 3) promote convergence of sectors within this framework; and 4) stimulate entrepreneurship on the economy by and for the Moon. (3/28)

DLR Laser Terminal in Space Makes Contact with Japanese Ground Station (Source: Parabolic Arc)
The resolution of cameras and other sensors on earth observation satellites is increasing steadily. This leads to ever-increasing amounts of data that are still transmitted to earth using radio systems today. The data connection between the satellite and the earth limits the capabilities of the systems.  With optical communication systems that use laser beams for data transmission, a significant increase in data rates is possible. Numerous images can be transmitted with high resolution.

As part of an international cooperation, researchers from the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Japanese National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT) and supported by the University of Stuttgart started with channel measurements for laser data transmission in Japan. A first link for this purpose was recently received from space by the optical terminal “OSIRISv1” on an optical ground station in Tokyo. (3/28)

JAXA and NTT DATA Launch Joint Research on Space-borne Laser Altimeter to Create Advanced 3D Map (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the Japanese national aerospace and space agency, and NTT DATA Corporation, a leading digital business and IT services provider, will jointly conduct research to enhance the precision of three-dimensional mapping using laser altimeters (LIDAR1) mounted on a satellite or other spacecraft.

The purpose of this joint research is to solve the technical challenges in 3D mapping from satellites over forest areas covered with trees and vegetation, and to improve the accuracy of 3D maps used in a variety of fields such as disaster response and management as well as preparing various types of hazard maps in the world. The research period will be from January 2021 to March 2022. (3/28)

Starlink is Coming to a Country With One of the World’s Worst Internet Connections (Source: Teslarati)
The Starlink satellite system is poised to change the internet landscape in a country considered to have one of the worst internet connections in the world. The Philippines may be home to millions of social media-savvy people, but the quality of internet services in the country has remained dismal over the years. As noted in a VICE report, the Philippines boasts some of the slowest internet speeds in the world, ranking 100th globally.

The Southeast Asian country is also notorious for having the most expensive internet services, with a 2020 Digital Quality of Life Index ranking the Philippines as 82nd in terms of internet affordability out of 85 countries. The country’s dismal internet quality is due to several factors, one of which involves an ISP duopoly that locals consider equally inadequate and expensive.

That is, at least, until Starlink comes to the country. In a recent statement, Converge Information and Communications Technology Solutions Inc, one of the smaller internet service providers that have emerged in recent years as an alternative to the country’s two leading ISPs, announced that it had conducted several talks with SpaceX to bring Starlink to the Philippines. (3/22)

OneWeb Seeks Space Force Business (Source: Space News)
OneWeb hopes to attract interest from the Space Force and other government customers for polar connectivity. OneWeb is racing to provide coverage in the Arctic, where currently only Iridium offers satellite-based communications services. The company said that, after its successful launch last week, it will be able to provide coverage of regions north of 50 degrees latitude with three more launches. The company sees particular interest from governments for that service. OneWeb on Friday announced an agreement with satellite communications integrator and reseller TrustComm Inc. to distribute services to U.S. military users in northern latitudes. (3/29)
 
NASA Hopes to Pick HLS Contractors Soon (Source: Space News)
NASA is still planning to select the companies that will proceed in its Human Landing System (HLS) program by the end of next month. Agency officials said recently that they expect to pick up to two companies for "Option A" awards, supporting development of crewed lunar landers and flight demonstrations, by the end of April, although it's possible that could slip into early May. The three companies that won HLS awards last year — Blue Origin, Dynetics and SpaceX — have contracts that currently run through April 30. NASA extended those contracts by two months early this year, a move the agency's leadership says was to provide more time to evaluate their Option A proposals and not because of funding shortfalls for the program. (3/29)

Horowitz Behind Latest Space-Focused SPAC (Source: Space News)
CEA Space Partners I Corp, a blank check company led by satellite industry veteran Edward Horowitz, plans to raise $250 million in a public stock offering to buy a space business. The special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC), part of a growing trend in the space industry, said it has the backing of private equity firm Navigation Capital and investment bank CEA Group. They have made commitments to provide CEA Space Partners I Corp with capital and other resources to help source a potential acquisition. (3/27)

Satellite Launches Fueling Race to Connect Out-of-Reach Devices (Source: Space News)
Inaugural satellites for two startups that launched last week on separate rockets aim to disrupt the burgeoning internet-of-things (IoT) market. Australia-based Myriota has started offering its IoT services in the U.S. and Canada, after Rocket Lab launched March 22 the first operational nanosatellite Myriota has ordered from scratch.

On the same day, a Soyuz launch arranged by Russia-based GK Launch Services orbited the debut satellite for Spain’s Sateliot, which expects to begin offering commercial services next year. Myriota has already been connecting devices in Australia and New Zealand through satellites it leases from other operators or bought in-orbit. Existing customers include rain gauge and water tank level sensing company Goanna Ag, dam level tracker Yabby and wind farm monitoring provider Ping Services.

They have been using the company’s first generation of six satellites, comprising four spacecraft Myriota acquired from exactEarth, the Canadian ship-tracking company, and two leased from undisclosed third parties. The first generation constellation has enabled “customers to send and receive millions of messages” to devices in industries including environmental monitoring, agriculture and mining. (3/27)

Team Plans to Build Special Forces Aircraft in Northwest Florida (Source: GCRL)
One of the planes contending to be the Special Operation Command's new multi-mission aircraft would be built by a team composed of Leidos, Vertex Solutions, and Paramount Group USA. They offer the Bronco II for the Armed Overwatch program, designed to find an armed replacement for the aging and unarmed U-28 Draco. It's intended to perform close combat air support beyond surveillance. The Leidos-Vertex team plans to build it in Crestview, Florida. At least four aircraft manufacturing teams are participating in the contest: Sierra Nevada-Embraer; Textron Aviation Defense; Air Tractor; and Leidos. (3/26)

Nearly All Cosmonauts at Gagarin Training Center Have Antibodies to COVID-19 (Source: TASS)
Almost all the members of the cosmonaut team are immune to novel coronavirus, although three cosmonauts have not received the vaccine for medical reasons, said Pavel Vlasov, of the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. "There are three people in the cosmonaut team who do not have antibodies yet. In principle, all have been vaccinated," he said. "The vaccine cannot be administered for some contraindications, but medical check-ups are underway and all the problems will be solved in the immediate future." Vlasov pointed out that 50% of the training center’s staff had developed antibodies to COVID-19 and that the vaccination was ongoing. (3/28)

Russian Researchers Reveal Most Common Causes of Death Among Cosmonauts (Source: Sputnik)
Cardiovascular disease was is the single most common cause of death among Soviet and Russian cosmonauts, a comprehensive analysis by a group of Russian medical institutions has determined.

The report, compiled by the Izmerov Research Institute of Occupational Health, Burnasyan Federal Medical Biophysical Centre, and Institute of Biomedical Problems was compiled using the data of 118 Soviet and Russian cosmonauts kept under observation over a period stretching between 1 January, 1960 and 31 December 2018. During this time, 37 cosmonauts passed away from a variety of causes.

The study found that 48.65 percent of the 37 died from cardiovascular diseases, with another 27.03 percent succumbing to malignant neoplasms (cancers). Exactly 16.22 percent of deaths were the result of external causes (accidents). "Other" causes accounted for 5.41 percent of deaths, with the cause of death undetermined in one case. The median age of death is 64.4 years, accounting for all causes. (3/27)

ESA Funds Research Into Lunar Cave Explorer (Source: Parabolic Arc)
What might look like a dangling hamster ball is actually a robotic sphere to explore the depths of lunar caves. Designed by a team coordinated by Germany’s Julius-Maximilians-Universität of Würzburg (JMU), the Descent And Exploration in Deep Autonomy of Lunar Underground Structures, DAEDALUS, robot is being evaluated by ESA’s Concurrent Design Facility, as part of a larger study of lunar cave mission concepts.

Lunar orbiters have mapped multiple deep pits on the surface of the Moon, believed to be ‘skylights’ into lava caves. These are of high scientific interest, offering access to pristine lunar material – perhaps even water ice deposits. Such caves might also become habitats for lunar settlers, offering natural shielding against radiation, micrometeorites and surface temperature extremes. (3/27)

NASA Engineers Analyze Navigation Needs of Artemis Moon Missions (Source: Parabolic Arc)
Space communications and navigation engineers at NASA are evaluating the navigation needs for the Artemis program, including identifying the precision navigation capabilities needed to establish the first sustained presence on the lunar surface. Alongside proven navigation capabilities, NASA will use innovative navigation technologies during the upcoming Artemis missions.

“Lunar missions provide the opportunity to test and refine novel space navigation techniques,” said Ben Ashman, a navigation engineer at Goddard. “The Moon is a fascinating place to explore and can serve as a proving ground that expands our navigation toolkit for more distant destinations like Mars.” (3/27)

China Is Evolving a Distinct Space Culture (Source: The Diplomat)
China’s achievements in the arena of outer space continue to make headlines across the globe. The nation’s most recent successes include their Chang’e lunar mission series, which saw the first landing on the far side of the moon in 2019, and returned lunar soil samples at the end of 2020. In February of this year, China’s first Mars mission, Tianwen-1, entered the orbit of the Red Planet, and in March an agreement to construct a lunar research station with Russia was officially announced.

Alongside these large-scale national undertakings, China’s private space industry has grown exponentially, seeing hundreds of commercial space enterprises established over the last five years. With all eyes on the development of China’s space technologies, one vital area that has been overlooked is the swelling wave of a unique Chinese “space culture.” This culture has been growing parallel to the country’s space industry. Ideologies surrounding Chinese space exploration are being steadily cultivated by state actors, and commercial products and media related to China’s space program have exploded onto the domestic market.

According to China’s main space actors, there are three key “spirits” or historical influences that make this emerging space culture quintessentially Chinese: the traditional spirit, the “two bombs one satellite” spirit, and the crewed space spirit. These spirits all relate to key historical periods in China’s development and are the foundations on which the successes of the space program have been achieved. Click here. (3/26)

Thailand Aims to Become Asia-Pacifc Hub for the Space Industry (Source: ThaiVisa)
Thailand has embarked on an ambitious plan to be at the forefront of the space travel industry for the Asia-Pacific region. Earlier this week, officials from Thailand’s Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) met with their counterparts from Sweden’s Space Corporation (SSC) and Jon Åström Gröndahl, Swedish Ambassador to Thailand, to outline collaboration plans in the development of space technology.

Sweden is the largest foreign investor in Thailand’s burgeoning space program having already developed the satellite ground station located at the Space Krenovation Park near Laem Chabang. The SSC will help Thailand with such things as satellite operations, rocket and balloon systems, launch services and also provide expertise in aerospace engineering. (3/27)

Newquay Airport Funding Will Help UK Spaceport (Source: The Packet)
More details have been revealed about the Government’s £7.85million to pay for upgrades at Cornwall Airport Newquay. It was announced this week that the Government had provided the funding to Cornwall Council to improve the airport ahead of the G7 summit in June. The money is being used to carry out works at the airport to ensure it can accommodate aircraft which will transport world leaders and their teams to Cornwall for the G7 summit which is being held at Carbis Bay.

Cornwall Council has since explained that the money is being used to strengthen and improve the lighting, taxiways and apron of the airport so that aircraft for the G7 can use the airport. However it has now been explained that as well as meeting the requirements of the G7 the funding and improvements will also support the plans for Spaceport Cornwall. (3/27)

Boeing, Hypersonix to Study Hydrogen-Powered Hypersonic Launch Vehicle (Source: Aerotime)
The Australia-based startup Hypersonix Launch Systems signed a research agreement with Boeing to explore the development of a sustainable hypersonic vehicle powered by the Hypersonix SPARTAN scramjet engines, which use hydrogen as fuel. The vehicle should be used as a reusable launcher for satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The low-cost, reliable, reusable, and rapid turn-around launch of small satellites to LEO would be the first application of scramjets for space launch. (3/24)

Russia Has Begun Spaceplane Project, Says Soviet Shuttle Designer (Source: Reuters)
Russia is developing a reusable spaceplane, a subsidiary of the Kalashnikov conglomerate said on Wednesday, in Russia’s first such project since the late Soviet Union’s ill-fated Buran space shuttle. A full-size model of the plane was presented at a closed pavilion during a Russian military forum last year and the project is now under development, said the general director of the Molniya research-to-production facility. (3/24)

Space Force Finalizing Plan to Procure Broadband From Low-Orbit Satellites (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force last week asked satellite internet companies for updates on the performance and capabilities of their networks. This information is intended to help the government decide how to go about buying broadband services from operators of low-orbit satellites. A request for information was posted March 24 by the U.S. Space Force Commercial Satellite Communications Office, an organization that acquires satellite-based communications services on behalf of the Defense Department, other federal and state agencies, and governments of allied nations. (3/27)

Galileo Satellite Performs Collision Avoidance Maneuver (Source: GPS World)
In a first for Galileo, a satellite performed a collision-avoidance maneuver to avoid space debris. Under the management of the European GNSS Agency (GSA), the maneuver for satellite GSAT0219 was performed March 6 following a collision risk alert received from EU Space Surveillance and Tracking (EUSST). On Feb. 25, the Galileo Service Operator (GSOp) received from EUSST a collision risk alert between GSAT0219 and an inert Ariane 4 upper stage launched in 1989. Following the warning, GSOp closely monitored the risk, in close cooperation with EUSST that was refining its predictions. (3/25)

UK’s OneWeb Battles Elon Musk in Broadband Space Race (Source: The Telegraph)
On opposite sides of the Earth and just hours apart, rockets from satellite companies OneWeb and SpaceX blasted off this week, each delivering a payload of dozens of small satellites into low orbit. British-owned OneWeb, which was rescued from bankruptcy by the Government last year, fired 36 satellites into space on the nose of a Soyuz rocket from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia’s far east.

Around 6,670 miles away, Elon Musk’s SpaceX shot 60 Starlink broadband satellites into the sky from Cape Canaveral on the Florida coast. Musk’s Falcon 9 reusable launchers landed at sea aboard the robotic Of Course I Still Love You ship in the Atlantic. The launches are the latest stage in an accelerating space race between the two companies. Both firms want to blanket the Earth with satellites to provide broadband links to some of the most remote areas on the planet.

Despite OneWeb securing £400m in government investment, observers have noted SpaceX appears to have gained an early lead. Since January, users in the UK have been able to sign up to a beta trial of SpaceX’s service, installing a satellite dish that links up to one of its satellites circling about 690 miles above the Earth’s surface. Some have reported speeds in excess of 150 megabits per second. For that, they pay £89 per month. By selling these dishes directly to consumers, SpaceX hopes to bypass telcos and shake-up the market. (3/27)

Study Finds Nowhere on Earth is Safe From Satellite Light Pollution (Source: Science)
There appears to be nowhere left on Earth where astronomers can view the stars without light pollution from space junk and satellites, according to a new analysis. The study considered the tens of thousands of objects in orbit as of 2020—before an onslaught of thousands more satellites that companies plan to launch in the coming years. (3/28)

NASA Wants Companies to Develop New Space Stations, With up to $400 million Up For Grabs (Source: CNBC)
NASA last week unveiled the Commercial LEO Destinations (CLD) project, with plans to award up to $400 million in total to as many as four companies. The agency is seeking to replicate the success of its Commercial Cargo and Commercial Crew programs, the latter of which it estimates saved NASA between $20 billion and $30 billion. “By bringing the private sector into these sections and into these areas, as suppliers and users, you expand the pot, and you have more people in low Earth orbit,” NASA commercial LEO director Phil McAlister said in a briefing on Tuesday. (3/27)

Bigelow Sues NASA for $1 Million (Source: Las Vegas Review Journal)
Bigelow Aerospace has filed a lawsuit in federal court against NASA this week, claiming the space agency owes $1 million for work done. The lawsuit, filed last Thursday in federal court, claims it completed work set out in the agreement with NASA, though the space agency is withholding payment unless it receives extensive test data.

The issue began in mid-December when Robert Bigelow, the president of the company, sent a payment demand letter to NASA in the amount of $1 million for the company’s “full performance of certain obligations” under the contract with NASA. Bigelow said in an interview Friday with the Review-Journal that he wrestled with the idea of filing a lawsuit. “It was something that we thought about whether to do it at all because you don’t want to bite the hand that potentially can feed you,” he said. “So, a lot of consideration was put into whether to walk away from the million dollars and forget about it, or is there a principle here that ought to be looked at.” (3/26)

Bernie’s Lost on Space (Source: National Review)
Socialist Senator Bernie Sanders really wants billionaire space entrepreneur Elon Musk to stay on the ground. “Space travel is an exciting idea, but right now we need to focus on Earth and create a progressive tax system so that children don’t go hungry, people are not homeless and all Americans have healthcare. The level of inequality in America is obscene and a threat to our democracy,” Sanders recently tweeted, responding to Musk’s Twitter pledge to make human civilization multiplanetary.

Despite space exploration’s stirring, pathbreaking history and the incredible possibilities for its future, Sanders’s views on space are increasingly common among social-justice activists and may soon control public policy — despite the math not adding up. You could end NASA and liquidate all of SpaceX, yet barely make a dent in financing a single year of the anti-poverty budget which U.S. taxpayers have been funding since the 1960s. NASA spent $22 billion last year and SpaceX’s total value is around $75 billion. Meanwhile, the kind of government anti-poverty programs on which Sanders wants to spend Musk’s money already cost taxpayers around $393 billion a year. (3/28)

New US Space Strategy Must Bring Order, Regulation (Source: Breaking Defense)
The twenty-first century is witnessing an epic rush to outer space. Just as the discovery of gold in California created mass migration to the American West in 1848, the potential for generating wealth in space is propelling US allies, adversaries, and industry alike to launch into orbit. To manage this, the new US administration must develop a 30-year strategy to secure space and promote full-bodied governance for the astounding commercial expansion currently underway.

Security and prosperity in space is an ambition larger than any one nation; all of humanity should reap these benefits. Otherwise, the rules-based order will remain terrestrial while US adversaries champion an alternate vision for space. Space development is analogous to the opening of previously flourishing domains, where surveying and regulation turned frontiers into today’s metropoles. As exploration uncovers value, an influx of actors joins the apparatus. Upon the discovery of gold, nearly 240,000 people rushed to California. Lawless competition proceeded as actors exploited new resources without accountability.

Today’s space rush is distinctive from the space race, which began with Russia’s 1957 Sputnik 1 launch and concluded with Neil Armstrong staking an American flag on the Moon in 1969. While national pride motivated these early space achievements, economic promise drives twenty-first century advancements. Rather than astronauts and spy satellites, spacefaring companies aspire to bring ordinary citizens to space and build mega-constellations of nano-satellites. Great-power competition has ascended to the space domain, with China and Russia trailing behind the United States in some space technology developments, but leading in other important areas like quantum communications. (3/26)

Dark Matter is the Most Likely Source of Excess Gamma Rays from Galactic Center (Source: INFN)
In the recent past, space missions dedicated to the study of astrophysical signals in the high-energy spectrum revealed a series of enigmatic excesses not predicted by the theoretical models. In order to find an explanation for these anomalies, many solutions have been proposed. The most exciting hypothesis invokes the contribution of the elusive dark matter, the mysterious form of matter 4 times more abundant than ordinary one and of which we have so far detected only its gravitational effects.

Two recent theoretical studies carried out by Mattia di Mauro, researcher of the Turin division of INFN, one of which appeared today in Physical Review D, confirm that this explanation is compatible with measured excesses, further demonstrating that it is not disproven by potential discrepancies between theoretical and observational data. The results obtained are based on an innovative and refined analysis comparing data acquired in the last 11 years by the main instrument aboard NASA’s Fermi, the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT), with measurements of other astronomical anomalies recorded by the orbiting Pamela detector and by the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer experiment (AMS-02) aboard the International Space Station. (3/23)