May 21, 2021

NASA Fires Up Fourth RS-25 Engine Test for Future Artemis Moon Missions (Source: NASA)
NASA conducted its fourth RS-25 single-engine hot fire of the year May 20, a continuation of its seven-part test series to support development and production of engines for the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket on future missions to the Moon. The engine was fired for more than 8 minutes (500 seconds) on the A-1 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center. (5/20)

Barack Obama on UFOs (Source: CNN)
Former President Barack Obama wants to know whether there really are other life forms out there. "The truth is that when I came into office, I asked, right, I was like, 'Alright, is there the lab somewhere where we're keeping the alien specimens and space ship?' And you know, they did a little bit of research and the answer was no...What is true, and I'm actually being serious here, is that there are, there's footage and records of objects in the skies, that we don't know exactly what they are. We can't explain how they moved, their trajectory. They did not have an easily explainable pattern. And so, you know, I think that people still take seriously trying to investigate and figure out what that is."

Obama's admission that there are, in fact "footage and records of objects in the skies, that we don't know exactly what they are. We can't explain how they moved, their trajectory" is in keeping with a broader acknowledgment by official arms of the government -- after decades of denial! -- that UFOs are real.

Next month, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Secretary of Defense will be required to provide the intelligence and armed services committees of Congress with an unclassified report on "unidentified aerial phenomena." That requirement was tucked into the massive $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed into law by then-President Donald Trump late last year. "That report must contain detailed analyses of UFO data and intelligence collected by the Office of Naval Intelligence, the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Task Force and the FBI, according to the Senate intelligence committee's directive. (5/19)

UFOs Materialize in Washington Policy Debate (Source: CBS News)
CBS News' 60 Minutes program ran the story of the U.S. government's grudging acknowledgment of unidentified aerial phenomena— UAP—more commonly known as UFOs. After decades of public denial the Pentagon now admits there's something out there, and the U.S. Senate wants to know what it is. The intelligence committee has ordered the director of national intelligence and the secretary of defense to deliver a report on the mysterious sightings by next month. Click here. (5/16)

How a Study on Neptune's Water Could Help Us Find Habitable Planets in Other Systems (Source: Salon)
Sscientists recreated the pressure and temperature of the interiors of Neptune and Uranus in a lab. The aim of the experiments was to test hypotheses about the chemistry of the deep water within these planets. But the study could have additional implications for what we know about potentially habitable planets in other solar systems.

"Ice giants and some exoplanets have very deep water layers, unlike terrestrial planets. We proposed the possibility of an atomic-scale mixing of two of the planet-building materials (water and rock) in the interiors of ice giants." To replicate the conditions, scientists dipped rock-forming minerals — including olivine and ferropericlase — into water, and then compressed the sample in a diamond-anvil to very high pressures. From there, they took x-ray measurements while a laser heated the sample to extremely high temperatures, then measured the reaction.

They found that the chemical reaction led to high concentrations of magnesium in the water, leading the team to conclude that oceans on planets like Neptune and Uranus might have similar chemical properties as oceans here on Earth. Indeed, part of the intrigue of these two planets is the presence of magnesium within their water. Early Earth is believed to have had magnesium-rich waters, which likely played a role in the evolution of early life. (5/20)

AIAA Turns Focus to Space Traffic Management (Source: Politico)
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is stepping up its efforts to influence the investments and shape the regulatory changes in Washington needed to advance further into the final frontier. And one major priority is how to make sure the commercial air traffic system is coordinated with expanding space traffic. “We have a committee that has been established recently to take a look at this question and what needs to be done — that interrelationship, that integration between space traffic management and air traffic management,” said AIAA Executive Director Dan Dumbacher.

He added: “We have to be able to sort through and figure out what those problems are and how we address those problems. What technologies are needed? What research is needed to address those issues?” That also means figuring out once and for all whose job it is. “AIAA has been clear … about the need to get clear in the U.S. government who is responsible and appropriate funding for dealing with the space debris/space traffic management question,” he said. “The Department of Commerce in the previous administration was identified as the lead agency. We need to make sure that that decision remains or if you are going to change it clearly, change it quickly.”

GAO Dings NASA for Cost Growth in Major Program (Source: Politico)
The Government Accountability Office issued its latest assessment of NASA’s major development programs: “This marks the fifth year in a row that cumulative cost and schedule performance deteriorated,” the independent congressional watchdog found. “Since our last report, NASA’s portfolio of major projects in development increased its estimated costs by $1.1 billion and delayed its collective schedule by more than 3 years. These year-to-year cost overruns and delays — most of which were not a result of Covid-19 — were driven by seven projects.”

Some of the main culprits: You won’t be surprised to learn that the Boeing Space Launch System and Lockheed Martin Orion spacecraft were big drivers. Another major driver was the Exploration Ground System program, which aims to modernize the infrastructure at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in part to launch the SLS and Orion. “About 90 percent of the portfolio’s annual cost growth and nearly half of its schedule delays experienced in the past year were from two programs — SLS and EGS,” GAO found.

Overall, the cumulative cost growth for the agency’s top 20 programs has been $9.6 billion — $7.1 billion of which stems from the James Webb Space Telescope and SLS. Moreover, “these two projects account for about half of the cumulative schedule delays,” GAO maintains. And the portfolio of major programs is about to get bigger. “The number of projects in development is expected to grow further as the agency plans for eight of the 13 major projects currently in formulation — including six Artemis projects — to set baselines in 2021,” GAO states. (5/21)

Casting Call for Interviews Re: Mobile Launch Platform #2 (Source: ASM)
Producers Mike Cotton and Dave Barnes are seeking People that have a History of involvement at Cape Canaveral with this historic launch platform. This will be for on-camera interviews. The main topic will be "Scary Situations" and interviews are currently being conducted in North West Florida and South Alabama. More interviews will take place late June on Florida's Space Coast. Call or text 850-384-1484. (5/21)

Astrobee Tests Gecko-Inspired Adhesives in Space (Source: NASA)
NASA astronaut Victor Glover used the Astrobee robot aboard the ISS to test a mechanical adhesive technology inspired by gecko feet. Astrobee’s facility, managed by NASA's Ames Research Center, provides guest scientists with a platform for zero-gravity robotics research. This technology, developed by Stanford University, offers a new capability for free-flying robots in space. Dubbed the gecko gripper, this device allows robots to grab onto surfaces – without applying force to adhere – and then detach on demand. This simplifies grasping and manipulating objects in space and will provide more places for robots to perch, even outside spacecraft, as such adhesives can be used in the vacuum of space. (5/18)

Vulcan Certification Delay Forces Swap to Atlas-5 for Space Force Mission (Source: Space News)
What was to be the Space Force's first mission on United Launch Alliance's new Vulcan rocket will instead go on an Atlas 5. The Space Force awarded ULA the USSF-51 mission last August for launch on a Vulcan in late 2022. However, ULA said the mission will instead fly on an Atlas 5 because of delays in Vulcan's development and its certification for national security payloads. The mission was one of the first awarded in the new National Security Space Launch Phase 2 contracts, which gave bidders the ability to propose alternative vehicles. ULA declined to provide specific reasons why Vulcan's national security certification will be delayed and suggested that customer payloads are the issue. (5/21)

Melroy Breezes Through Confirmation Hearing (Source: Space News)
Pam Melroy, the nominee for NASA deputy administrator, breezed through her confirmation hearing Thursday. Melroy won praise from senators for her experience as a former astronaut who later worked for the FAA's commercial space office and for DARPA. Melroy told senators that she supported an extension of the International Space Station "as long as it is safe and feasible to do so," and that the U.S. should be concerned about Chinese space activities. Rick Spinrad, nominee to be NOAA administrator, also testified at the confirmation hearing and won support from senators. (5/21)

Industry Consortium Supporting Proposed Broadband Constellation (Source: Space News)
An industry consortium says it will soon finalize characteristics of a proposed European broadband satellite constellation. The European Commission picked a group of European satellite makers, operators, service and launch providers, and a terrestrial telecoms company, in December to study the feasibility of a European-owned space-based communications system. That group is finalizing aspects of the constellation, such as orbits and frequencies, and will provide them as "firm deliverables" in the next few weeks, an EU official said at a conference this week. The study is closing in on a LEO constellation that will also include MEO and GEO elements. (5/21)

ESA Seeks Solutions for Lunar Comm and Navigation (Source: Space News)
ESA has awarded study contracts to two industry groups to work on concepts for lunar communications and navigation systems. Under the Moonlight program, consortia led by Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. and Telespazio will examine the feasibility of satellite networks to provide communications and navigation services for other lunar orbiters and landers. The studies will run for 12-18 months, after which ESA will decide which group it will work with on later stages of development of the system, which would also be commercially available for other users. (5/21)
 
Solar Storms a Growing Threat to Lunar Missions (Source: New Scientist)
A new study warns there's a greater chance solar storms could affect lunar missions during the second half of the decade. A study by British scientists modeled the frequency of solar storms, concluding that the largest storms are more likely to occur near the peak of the sun's 11-year activity cycle, which will next take place in the mid-2020s. Such storms would expose astronauts to higher levels of radiation, increasing the risk of cancer even for those inside shielded spacecraft. (5/21)

Solar Probe's Venus Flybys Generate Data for Planetary Scientists (Source: Space.com)
Scientists craving a mission to Venus are, for now, settling on data from a NASA space science mission. The Parker Solar Probe used a series of flybys of Venus to adjust its orbit so that it can approach closer to the sun, supporting its primary mission. However, the spacecraft's instruments collected data during those Venus flybys, studying charged particles in the planet's upper atmosphere. The flybys show how maneuvers intended to support a mission's primary mission can offer additional opportunities to do science, particularly for destinations like Venus with few active spacecraft today. "I've just been really, really impressed with how excited people are for any observations at Venus," said one scientist. (5/21)

DARPA Blackjack Plans Dual-Payload Satellites (Source: Breaking Defense)
DARPA's Blackjack program is likely to fly only two payloads on its low Earth orbit satellites. Blackjack program manager Stephen Forbes said that while DARPA is studying several different payloads that could be flown on those spacecraft, the agency expects that only a missile warning sensor and a radio-frequency package will ultimately be integrated onto those spacecraft. Forbes said that Blackjack will focus on payloads that offer "tactical utility" for its users. (5/21)

Senate Panel Advances Biden Cabinet Pick for White House Science Adviser (Source: NBC)
The Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday approved President Joe Biden's nomination of Eric Lander to be chief science adviser, one of the last unfilled Cabinet posts in the Biden administration. Lander, a geneticist and founding director of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, was the lead author of the first paper announcing the details of the human genome, the so-called "book of life." He has been nominated as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, a position that Biden has elevated to Cabinet rank. (5/20)