March 6, 2021

Female NASA Engineer in Charge of Building the Rocket Aimed at Putting First Woman on the Moon (Source: CBS News)
The first woman to run the Marshall Space Flight Center says women at NASA have come a long way. They will literally go farther than ever before if the rocket she is building can put the first of her gender on the moon. Jody Singer speaks to Bill Whitaker for a 60 Minutes report on NASA's Artemis Program, which intends to put a woman on the moon sometime in this decade.  The story will be broadcast Sunday, March 7, at 7 p.m. on CBS. 

When she joined NASA, Singer was once one of just a few female engineers there; today, she's one of several running the Artemis Program. "Well, number one, I'd say we've come a long way. You know, Charlie and I, we know we've known each other for at least 20 years. We liked each other. But also, we were, you know, sometimes the only women in the room," Singer tells Whitaker. (3/5)

The Costa Rica Space Agency: A Small Step to the First World (Source: Costa Rica News)
Last Thursday, February 18, the law for the creation of the Costa Rican Space Agency was approved in the second debate. This historical fact raises the country as a promoter of education, technology, and diversification of the economy. Said law aims to benefit the province of Guanacaste, which urgently requires the development that said agency will bring. The impact on science, technology, social and economic development that the creation of a space agency brings, is undeniable, but at a time of economic uncertainty the analysis of the usefulness of a space agency is considerable.

If the Coronavirus pandemic left us a valuable lesson it was to appreciate and promote the country’s researchers and technologists. We also realized the need for the Costa Rican state to undergo a strict reengineering of processes that allows it to be more efficient in its use of resources and its contribution to the country. That said, at this time the country cannot limit itself to growing in institutions that promote scientific and educational growth. A space agency brings with it both material and immaterial benefits and both must be considered for the development of the country.

We believe that the work of a space agency is exclusively to explore space, go to Mars and send astronauts to the international space station, but the reality is that space agencies are responsible for many of the technologies that we currently have on earth and are responsible for monitoring of this. Some of the best examples are GPS, satellites, solar panels, UV filters, and development of better vaccines, understanding osteoporosis, and remote surgeries. (3/4)

Opinion: Spending on Space is Wasteful (Source: The Appalachian)
Since NASA’s Perseverance Rover landed on Mars last week, it seems like space has been on everyone’s minds. There’s no doubt about it, space is cool. The idea that we are one tiny speck in the ever-expanding universe is hard to wrap our heads around, but humans are naturally curious creatures so we are inclined to try. The U.S. may be a prominent figure in space exploration but is sending robots into space the best use of our tax dollars, especially with the serious challenges our country faces such as COVID, climate change and income inequality?

Since the founding of NASA in 1958 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, federal dollars have been going toward researching and exploring space. A little over a decade later, the U.S. landed a man on the moon – or maybe not depending on who you ask. Space exploration is incredible, but we have to remember that NASA’s funding comes from the pockets of everyday Americans.

The U.S. is the richest country in the world, but that’s not to say it doesn’t have problems. In 2020, more than 50 million Americans experienced food insecurity, which increased due to COVID-19. Closer to home, Watauga County experienced a food insecurity rate of 16.8% last year. The pandemic has been hard on Americans and food insecurity is just one example of how people are struggling. With people struggling to eat in the richest country in the world, is exploring space how our tax dollars should be spent? (3/5)

First Private Trip to the Moon Could Be a Tremendous Boost or Bust for Space Tourism (Source: CBC)
Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa's latest plan for a lunar orbital flight is an open-to-the-public contest for berths for eight people in 2023 aboard a new SpaceX rocket. If successful, the pioneering flight could push private spaceflight forward by decades. A failure could keep private citizens firmly on the ground. An accident with the loss of up to a dozen lives would be a catastrophe the whole world would take notice of. It would certainly force a serious evaluation of the whole concept of space tourism. (3/5)

Bezos Visited the New Headquarters of Relativity Space (Source: CNBC)
Jeff Bezos stopped by the gleaming headquarters of Relativity Space on Friday, a person familiar with the visit told CNBC. He toured the facility with Relativity CEO Tim Ellis. Although the nature of the visit to Relativity’s headquarters was unclear, Ellis previously worked at Bezos’ space company Blue Origin. Ellis then left Blue Origin in 2015 to found Relativity with Jordan Noone, a college classmate and former SpaceX propulsion engineer.

The company’s first rocket, Terran 1, is expected to launch for the first time later this year. Terran 1 is priced at $12 million per launch and is designed to carry about 1,250 kilograms to low Earth orbit. That puts Terran 1 in the “medium lift” section of the U.S. launch market, between Rocket Lab’s Electron and SpaceX’s Falcon 9 in both price and capability.

Relativity is also working on a second, larger rocket called Terran R – aiming to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket in both launch capability and reusability. Terran R is the first of several new initiatives that Ellis expects Relativity to unveil in the year ahead, with the company having raised more than $680 million since its founding five years ago. (3/5)

FAA Announces Delay in Gerogia Spaceport Decisions (Source: Tribune & Georgian)
The FAA announced that decisions on Camden County's spaceport launch site operator’s license and the final environmental impact statement (EIS) will not be released this month. "As previously announced, the FAA had planned to release the Final EIS and Record of Decision (ROD) in March 2021," said Stacey Zee of the FAA. "However, due to ongoing consultation efforts with the Georgia (State Historic Preservation Office) and the (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation), the FAA now intends to release the Final EIS by April 20th and the (record of decision) separately by June 18th."

In addition to those agencies, the FAA also has consulted with several other state and federal agencies to ensure the project is in compliance with the various environmental acts. The FAA launch site operators license being sought by Camden County Board of Commissioners would allow for the construction of "a commercial space launch site, Spaceport Camden, and offer the site to commercial operators to conduct launches of liquid-fueled, small-lift class proven (not unproven/experimental) orbital and sub-orbital vertical launch vehicles." The county has spent more than $8 million on this taxpayer-supported project to date. (3/5)

EU's Galileo Blow: UK Could Launch OneWeb from Cornwall ‘More Effectively’ (Source: Express)
The European Union could be dealt a blow after the Government was handed the capability to launch OneWeb - tipped to be the UK's future replacement for Galileo - from Cornwall "more effectively. Spaceport Cornwall will become Europe’s first horizontal launch site to provide a responsive, affordable and efficient way to send small satellites into Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).

Richard Branson has rallied behind the project after his Virgin Orbit successfully completed the first full orbital launch of its LauncherOne system and now wants to make the Cornwall Council-funded project his “only location in Europe”. Express.co.uk previously revealed how Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been handed a "once in a lifetime" post-Brexit opportunity to create up to 350 British jobs and add up to £200million Gross Value Added (GVA) to the economy.

Interim head of Spaceport Cornwall Melissa Thorpe has stated that “anything is possible” for the future of the project, including the “possibility” of launching the Government's newly acquired OneWeb system. (3/6)

Success of Mars Rover Distracts From Moon (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
For the last couple of weeks, our nation has been inundated with glowing news reports about the “incredibly exciting and successful” landing on the surface of Mars by NASA’s Perseverance rover. As one who worked on space issues at the Pentagon, has written about space for over 30 years, and worked as a consultant to NASA and space contractors in the past, I am thrilled by this success and truly gratified to see any part of our critically important space program get some desperately needed attention.

As a nation, our main space focus should be entirely on the moon. As exciting as it may be, pouring billions of desperately needed taxpayer dollars into any near-term Mars program is not only the pursuit of fool’s gold, but detracts us from the immense financial and national security benefits of the moon. (3/6)

China Makes New Breakthrough in Heavy-Lift Rocket Engine (Source: Xinhua)
China on Friday successfully conducted a trial run on a 500-tonne-thrust liquid oxygen (LOX) and kerosene rocket engine, according to the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC). It marks a new breakthrough in the country's rocket-engine technologies, and will lay a solid foundation for its follow-up development of the heavy-lift carrier rocket, said the developer. The new engine, with its design and management fully digitalized, provides three times the thrust of a 120-tonne-thrust LOX kerosene high-pressure staged combustion engine, the CASC said, adding that its comprehensive performance indicators are equal to the best in the world. (3/5)

Amid Debris Cleanup, NSF Still Looking for Cause of Arecibo Telescope Collapse (Source: ABC News)
The National Science Foundation said Friday that it could cost up to $50 million just to clean up the debris at the Arecibo radio telescope that collapsed last year in Puerto Rico, adding that investigations into what caused its cables to fail are still ongoing. The update is part of a report that the federal agency, which owns the telescope, had to submit to Congress as the investigation continues into the Arecibo telescope. (3/5)

Fusion Thruster Startup Anticipates “First Town on Mars” (Source: Futurism)
Radiation detection company US Nuclear Corp is trying to woo NASA into signing a contract to develop a fusion-powered spacecraft propulsion system that could take future space travelers all the way to Mars. In a collaboration with Magneto-Inertial Fusion Technologies, Inc. (MIFTI), a UC Irvine spinout focusing on developing a thermonuclear fusion-based generator, the company is hoping to help NASA send the first-ever crewed mission to Mars as soon as the early 2030s.

“Sooner than you think, human engineers and adventurers may be building the first town on Mars,” reads the company’s lofty statement. Fusion power means future space travelers wouldn’t have to shield themselves from the radiation being put out by a nearby fission reaction. Earlier this year, NASA sent out a call to companies, challenging them to come up with electric nuclear (in which thermal energy generates electricity to drive thrusters) and thermal nuclear (in which heat from nuclear reactions acts as the propellant itself) propulsion systems for its next generation of spacecraft thrusters. (3/3)

Virgin Galactic drops 20% on Friday (Source: CNBC)
Billionaire investor Chamath Palihapitiya, the chairman of Virgin Galactic who took the company public through a SPAC deal in 2019, sold his remaining personal stake this week, a securities filing disclosed. Shares of Virgin Galactic dropped as much as 20% in Friday’s trading from its previous close of $30.30. The company’s stock, down more than 30% this week alone, has lost more than half its value since hitting an all time high of $62.80 in early February. The shares remain barely positive since 2021 began, up about 2%. The stock’s year to date gains reached about 165% when it hit its all time high. (3/5)

Biden Quips Indian-Americans 'Taking Over the Country' in Call to NASA Perseverance Team (Source: Daily Mail)
President Joe Biden told NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory's Perseverance team that Indian-Americans 'are taking over the country.' Biden made the comment Thursday afternoon during a video chat with the team, that landed the Perseverance rover on Mars last month. 'It's amazing. Indian-descent Americans are taking over the country - you, my vice president, my speechwriter,' Biden told Swati Mohan, the Guidance and Controls Operations Lead of Mars 2020, during the call. (3/5)

Musk's Starbase City Backed by Local Official, Citing Jobs, Tourism (Source: TMZ)
Elon Musk founding his City of Starbase, Texas is getting support from at least one local official ... who says the move could lead to a serious job and tourism boom. Joey Lopez, one of four elected commissioners for Cameron County, tells TMZ ... Elon's SpaceX has already made an impact -- currently known as the unincorporated area of Boca Chica Village -- by attracting tourists who come watch rocket launches. (3/5)

Congressmen Posey and Crist Push to Keep Launch Business in the U.S. (Source: Florida Today)
With the rocket business booming, Congressmen Bill Posey and Charlie Crist want to make sure launches are “made in America.” On Thursday, they re-introduced the American Commercial Space Act to promote the domestic space launch industry giving tax incentives to launch operators for 10 years if they launch from U.S. soil. “It levels the playing fielding field against countries such as Russia and China who heavily subsidize launches to attract more customers,” Posey said last year.

For example, OneWeb builds satellites adjacent to Kennedy Space Center, but actually launches from Russia’s Vostochny cosmodrome, the new spaceport located in Amur Oblast, the Russian Far East. The company has stated they expect to launch from Cape Canaveral at some point in the future. Posey said the U.S. used to have virtually 100% of the world’s commercial launch market but due to “over-regulations” it’s now closer to 15%. (3/5)