September 22, 2021

Billionaires Rocketing Into Space Draw UN Chief’s Red Glare (Source: Tampa Bay Times)
Space, we have an equity problem. When three billionaires rocketed into space this summer, they did more than escape Earth’s surly bonds, they helped spread “a malady of mistrust” plaguing an all-too hungry world, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told other world leaders Tuesday. In his opening speech to the General Assembly, a grim Guterres highlighted the gap between the rich and poor with “billionaires joyriding to space while millions go hungry on Earth.”

In July, billionaires Richard Branson and Jeff Bezos flew into space on private rockets that their companies built, gathering worldwide attention in their short trips that didn’t make it into orbit. Both bank on space tourism business from their fellow space fans with big wallets. After returning to Earth, Branson, 71, sprayed G.H. Mumm champagne over his crew and then chugged it from the bottle. Guterres lumped billionaire space hops with the maladies of hopelessness, corruption, curtailing of personal freedoms and “when parents see a future for their children that looks even bleaker than the struggles of today.” (9/21)

Space Force’s Talent Management System Focuses on Development, Work-Life Balance (Source: Federal News Network)
The Space Force is trying to make itself the most progressive military service when it comes to hiring and retaining service members. The new military branch has billed itself as a “start from scratch” enterprise, that won’t be held back by traditions of other military services. Gen. Jay Raymond, chief of space operations, and Roger Towberman, chief master sergeant of the Space Force, are promising the service will embrace a new kind of talent management that focuses on recruiting people who are not propensed to go into the military, prioritizes work-life balance and uses data to better place guardians.

The Space Force released its talent management strategy called The Guardian Ideal on Tuesday. The service currently has over 6,000 guardians and about the same number of civilians. In it, the service outlines how it will be different from the other military services who are trying to dig themselves out of the trenches of an industrial-age human capital system. (9/21)

The Imaginary Rocket Driving a Small-Town Spaceport (Source: The Verge)
In the FAA’s nearly 40 years of commercial rocket oversight, the agency has never permitted anyone to launch vertical rockets directly over populated areas closer than 500 miles away. Unfortunately, this unprecedented move is critical to Camden County’s plan, leaving some people worried about falling debris or fire igniting the flammable palmetto and oak forests that coat the archipelago in the flight path.

But the county’s spaceport steering committee is so confident that it can break the mold, it has spent more than $10 million in the past nine years to help secure this FAA license. According to emails obtained through open-records requests, this spend has gone to consultants, lobbyists, and some creative publicity efforts, like facilitating the placement of a June 2020 op-ed designed to compel then-president Trump to pressure the FAA into a faster decision. It didn’t work; the FAA has yet to issue their verdict.

The FAA decision is slated for this month — the last regulatory step that comes before the licensing determination. Everything hinges on whether or not the proposed spaceport could launch “at least one type of launch vehicle” safely. More than 100 companies are trying to design the next small-lift success, 10 are in development, and of those, only one — Rocket Lab’s Electron — has ever even made it into orbit. (9/22)

Success is Rare Among Current FAA Licensed Spaceports (Source: The Verge)
Just because a spaceport site has an FAA license doesn’t guarantee future operators will be successful in securing launch licenses, says UCF's Ray Lugo. That is a separate process altogether — and a more rigorous one that requires verifiable data from existing rockets. The FAA has granted just 413 of these in 40 years of launching commercial satellite payloads into orbit. If that hurdle is overcome for Spaceport Camden, a launch operator would theoretically need to have a vehicle as safe as the rocket as the project’s EIS suggests.

Then, they’d have to insure the flight — a daunting proposition considering the unusual launch trajectory, Lugo said. “My guess is when that part comes to pass, there aren’t going to be a lot of rockets lined up to launch from Spaceport Camden,” he said. Still, it’s surprisingly common for commercial spaceports to lie unused after approval. Commercial projects in Oklahoma, Colorado, Texas, and elsewhere have secured their operation licenses years ago and are still waiting for their first launch and the economic windfall that is supposed to come with it.

In Midland, Texas, public officials secured their own spaceport operations license in 2014. Their application also revolved around a representative rocket: an experimental space-plane called the Lynx, under development by XCOR. But, the rocket was never built, and XCOR went bankrupt in 2017. XCOR may be “nowhere to be found,” but its former CCO and CEO, Andrew Nelson, is now on the Spaceport Camden team, helping to guide the application process. So far, he’s received more than $1 million in consulting fees. (9/22)

Space Force Reveals Which Army and Navy Units are Moving to the Space Branch (Source: Space News)
U.S. Army and Navy units that operate communications satellites will be realigned under the U.S. Space Force, Gen. Jay Raymond said. The transfers were approved earlier this year. Raymond provided additional details on the specific units being moved over. A total of 11 Army and four Navy organizations will transfer. Army and Navy service members are not obligated to join the Space Force but can voluntarily transfer. Editor's Note: One Army transfer unit is in Florida at MacDill Air Force Base: the Regional Satcom Support Center-East. (9/22)

The Astrobiological Potential of Rogue Planets (Source: Air & Space)
There are two general types of rogue planets: gas giants like Saturn and Neptune, and rocky Earthlike planets. While the chances for life on gas giants is extremely remote, rocky migrating planets could in principle host microbial life. To do that, they would need internal heat from the decay of radioactive elements that keep water—or some other suitable solvent—liquid beneath a frozen surface.

This is similar to what we believe happens on Jupiter’s moon Europa, where chemical, thermal, or even osmotic gradients could act as a life-sustaining energy source. If the planet is really large and there is more radiogenic heat available than on Earth, the planet could also retain a thick hydrogen or nitrogen atmosphere, which may make life feasible. There is even more to the astrobiological potential of rogue planets, however. Not only could they hold microbial life bottled up in their subsurface, they may be able to distribute life throughout the galaxy. (8/24)

The Nail-Biting Journey of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope Is About to Begin (Source: Scientific American)
.Earlier this month NASA announced that on December 18, after years of delays, the James Webb Space Telescope will finally leave Earth on a mission to revolutionize astrophysics and cosmology. But before this $10-billion observatory can begin its work, it must survive a daunting commute that includes a voyage at sea, a rocket launch and a 1.5-million-kilometer flight to its destination: Lagrange Point 2, or L2. Far beyond the orbit of the moon

Webb’s journey will begin in Redondo Beach, Calif., at the Northrop Grumman facility where its construction and final tests were completed. There the spacecraft, which is currently folded up, will be placed into a specialized shipping container called the Super Space Telescope Transporter for Air, Road and Sea, or Super STTARS. The custom travel pod will protect Webb from humidity, vibrations and fluctuating temperatures.

Later this month, while housed within its high-tech cocoon, Webb will be transported to the city’s harbor and placed on a boat. The exact date of departure has been kept under wraps to stifle piracy, says Massimo Stiavelli, head of Webb’s mission office at STScI. Details about the security accompanying the telescope have not been made public. After departing from shore, the telescope, still contained in Super STTARS, will voyage south along the coast and through the Panama Canal. Webb will likely enter the Caribbean sometime in early October—that is, during hurricane season. (9/22)

Xplore Wins $2M Contract From Pentagon Initiative to Speed Up Satellite Development (Source: GeekWire)
Redmond, Wash.-based Xplore says it has received a $2 million contract from National Security Innovation Capital, a hardware development accelerator within the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit, to speed up work on Xplore’s Xcraft platform. The payload-hosting spacecraft is due for its first launch to low Earth orbit in 2023.

Xcraft is designed to provide hosting and other services for a variety of customers and payloads, with the capability to reach destinations ranging from low Earth orbit to the moon, Mars, Venus and asteroids. Xplore says it already has a memorandum of understanding with Accion Systems to host Accion’s next-generation ion thruster, known as TILE, for a mission to low Earth orbit. (9/21)

US Must Prepare Now to Replace International Space Station (Source: Space Daily)
Policymakers warned Tuesday that Congress must move quickly to extend the life of the International Space Station to 2030 and develop new space stations or risk a costly gap in space exploration. Abandoning the space station, which is to be decommissioned in 2028, without replacements would only serve the interests of China, which has a new space station in orbit, U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, R-Texas, said during a congressional hearing held virtually Tuesday morning.

The committee made no formal budget or policy recommendations, but Beyer said it was important to approach the space station's role and upcoming funding needs "with eyes wide open." NASA has solicited proposals and received more than 10 from U.S. companies that want to build and launch new orbiting habitats, said Robyn Gatens, NASA's director of the space station.

NASA alone spends $3 billion to $4 billion per year on the International Space Station, and expects to save up to $1 billion per year if it can rely on private space stations instead, Gatens said. "Extending the operation of the ISS could give us private industry time to develop the capabilities and experience to operate in [low-Earth orbit] and to deploy the platforms that will meet the needs of NASA and other users there," Gatens said. (9/21)

NASA Robots Compete in DARPA's Subterranean Challenge Final (Source: Space Daily)
Led by NASA JPL, Team CoSTAR will participate in the SubT final this week to demonstrate multi-robot autonomy in a series of tests in extreme environments. Eight teams featuring dozens of robots from more than 30 institutions, including NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, will converge in a former Kentucky limestone mine from Sep. 21-24 to participate in a series of complex underground scenarios. The goal: to demonstrate cutting-edge robotic autonomy capabilities and compete for the chance to win $2 million.

Sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the event marks the final contest in the Subterranean, or SubT, Challenge, which began three years ago, attracting engineers from around the world. The challenge is aimed at developing autonomous robotic solutions for first responders in underground environments where GPS and direct communications are unavailable. (9/21)

Space Rock That Destroyed Ancient City May Have Inspired Biblical Story of Sodom (Source: Live Science)
As the inhabitants of an ancient Middle Eastern city now called Tall el-Hammam went about their daily business one day about 3,600 years ago, they had no idea an unseen icy space rock was speeding toward them at about 38,000 mph. Flashing through the atmosphere, the rock exploded in a massive fireball about 2.5 miles above the ground. The blast was around 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The shocked city dwellers who stared at it were blinded instantly.

Air temperatures rapidly rose above 3,600 degrees Fahrenheit. Clothing and wood immediately burst into flames. Swords, spears, mudbricks and pottery began to melt. Almost immediately, the entire city was on fire. Some seconds later, a massive shockwave smashed into the city. Moving at about 740 mph (1,200 kph), it was more powerful than the worst tornado ever recorded. The deadly winds ripped through the city, demolishing every building.

They sheared off the top 40 feet (12 m) of the 4-story palace and blew the jumbled debris into the next valley. None of the 8,000 people or any animals within the city survived — their bodies were torn apart and their bones blasted into small fragments. About a minute later, 14 miles (22 km) to the west of Tall el-Hammam, winds from the blast hit the biblical city of Jericho. Jericho's walls came tumbling down and the city burned to the ground. (9/21)

The Stowaways That Made the First Space Station Stink (Source: Daily Beast)
Humans are bags of fragile bones and organs that need to be kept in precisely the right conditions to flourish. But we push at the limits of those conditions all the time, daring to see how far we can go: the hottest, the coldest, the lowest, the highest we can bear, using our ingenuity to design ways to survive. Fungi doesn’t need to be so clever. Some fungi can survive in extreme temperatures and without oxygen. They can lie dormant and wait for the right conditions to wake up, warm up, spread. They can grow in soil, in wood, on plastic, on pollution. Why wouldn’t they be able to survive space?

We already know that they can – at least, within the confines of human-built space stations, where many types of fungi have successfully grown, sometimes in a monitored capacity as part of experiments to ascertain the viability of different kinds of life in those conditions, and sometimes . . . not. Mir, the first modular space station, was built in low orbit around the Earth in 1986 and it operated as a research laboratory until its orbit decayed in 2001.

In my mind, when I think of it, I picture Mir as a perfect, clean environment, innovative and experimental. But this was not so; those who visited Mir commented on first being hit by the smell. British chemist Steve Pearce described it as a mixture of sweaty feet, nail-polish remover, body odor and vodka, among other things. This unique scent could be due, in part, to the stowaways on board Mir that came as a shock to the astronauts: bacteria and fungi, found living happily behind panels, on spacesuits, on cables and around window frames. (9/21)

Space Force Unveils New Uniform Prototypes (Source: Air Force Times)
The Space Force unveiled its new designs for service dress and workout uniforms as it continues to forge its own identity in the Pentagon. Two guardians showed off the business uniform for the first time, showcasing a unisex look that the Space Force initially devised for women before adjusting for men’s comfort as well. The new dress uniform prototype is a navy-blue uniform. It has a series of silver buttons with the U.S. Space Force symbol on them running diagonally from the right shoulder down the front of the wearer's chest. The name pin is on the left side of the uniform's front under the wearer's left shoulder. A light blue collar is slightly visible below the uniform.

The U.S. Space Force also announced physical training uniform prototypes. The physical training uniform is more casual. It includes a T-shirt with the U.S. Space Force symbol on the right side of the shirt's front and Space Force written in capital white letters across the back. The shorts and sweatshirt are black, and both include the U.S. Space Force symbol on them. Click here. (9/21)

NASA Splits Human Spaceflight Directorate (Source: Space News)
NASA announced Tuesday it's dividing its directorate responsible for human spaceflight into two organizations. The Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD) will be split into Exploration Systems Development, responsible for developing programs for Artemis and lunar exploration, and Space Operations, responsible for the ISS and commercial LEO development. Kathy Lueders, who had led HEOMD, will be in charge of Space Operations, while Jim Free, a former director of the Glenn Research Center, will be in charge of Exploration Systems Development. NASA leadership said that HEOMD had gotten too large, and that splitting it into two organizations would provide better oversight. (9/22)

Space Force Links with Intelligence Agencies for Space Acquisitions (Source: Space News)
The Space Force and the intelligence community are cooperating on space acquisitions. The organizations have established a coordinating group to make sure there is "unity of effort," said Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, commander of the Space Systems Command, at the Air Force Association's Air Space & Cyber conference Tuesday. Guetlein said a "program integration council" chaired by Gen. John Raymond and by NRO Director Chris Scolese brings together representatives from all the space buying agencies and the organizations that need the equipment. That effort will be assisted by a new assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition and integration. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said candidates for the post are being vetted and a nomination could be announced soon. (9/22)

Weather Company Orders Astro Digital Demo Satellites (Source: Space News)
A weather company has ordered a pair of demo satellites from Astro Digital. Tomorrow.io said Astro Digital will build the first two of potentially dozens of small satellites equipped with storm-tracking radars to improve weather forecasts. The two satellites, each the size of a mini-refrigerator, will launch in late 2022. Tomorrow.io has proposed a constellation of 30 such satellites but does not yet have manufacturing or launch contracts in place for them. (9/22)

Terran Orbital Expands in California (Source: Space News)
Terran Orbital has leased a new four-story facility in Irvine, California, to house satellite design, engineering and development. The new site, separate from an existing manufacturing facility in Irvine, will support company growth from what it says is strong demand from government and commercial customers. Terran Orbital is the parent company of smallsat manufacturer Tyvak and PredaSAR, a company developing a synthetic aperture radar satellite constellation. (9/22)

Valve Problems Make Boeing's Starliner Flight Unlikely This Year (Source: Space News)
NASA says it's unlikely Boeing's CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle will make an uncrewed test flight this year.Boeing delayed the OFT-2 test flight in August because of problems with valves on spacecraft thrusters. NASA said Tuesday that the investigation into the valve problem is ongoing and, given the work involved and the manifest of other space station missions, it's unlikely OFT-2 can fly before 2022. OFT-2 is a makeup for the original OFT uncrewed test flight in December 2019 that suffered several software problems. (9/22)

Aerojet Rocketdyne to Develop Orion Engines (Source: NASA)
Aerojet Rocketdyne will build new main engines for the Orion spacecraft. NASA announced late Tuesday it selected Aerojet to produce the Orion Main Engine, the principal engine in the service module of the Orion spacecraft. The engine is based on the shuttle-era Orbital Maneuvering System engines that are being used on the initial Orion spacecraft, with the new engine being used starting on Artemis 7. The contract, which runs through Artemis 14, has a value of $600 million. (9/22)

OneWeb Using Drones to Test Constellation Ground Segment (Source: Space News)
OneWeb is using drones to test the ground segment of its broadband constellation. Danish startup QuadSat is providing drones that helped calibrate OneWeb's gateway in Scanzano, Italy, and will now test its antennas at other locations. The drones simulate the satellites that gateways track as they race across the sky, helping calibrate and verify ground segment networks outside laboratory conditions to prepare them for services. (9/22)

Astra to Use Firefly Engines (Source: The Verge)
Astra is acquiring rocket engines and related intellectual property from Firefly Space. The contract covers up to 50 of Firefly's Reaver engines along with intellectual property that would allow Astra to make the engines on its own. Firefly previously said it has sold 50 engines to another launch company, but declined to identify it. A condition in the contract limits Astra to no more than two Reaver engines on each of its rockets, allowing Astra to meet a goal of launching payloads of up to 500 kilograms without competing directly with Firefly's larger Alpha rocket. (9/22)

Boehlert Passes (Source: AP)
Sherwood Boehlert, former chairman of the House Science Committee, has died. Boehlert served in the House as a Republican representing upstate New York from 1983 to 2007, and was chairman of the science committee in his final six years. He was active on space policy issues on the committee as NASA was shifting direction towards a return to the moon under the Constellation program. He was 84. (9/22)