September 6, 2021

Mars Needs Women (Source: Marie Claire)
 HI-SEAS, the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation complex, recently concluded a one-month all-female mission simulation to examine how such a crew would handle life where only Mars Rovers have gone before. The HI-SEAS habitat is a 1,200-square-feet dome perched on the land’s Martian-like geology of rocks and lava. It has already served as the site of multiple long-term simulated missions for NASA and a variety of private research groups.

Weight is the enemy for rocket launches and proposed long space journeys, with resources, equipment, and crew needs constantly balanced against the physics of fuel supply. Any Mars-bound ship would need plenty of fuel, even for a one-way journey—and every pound of food is a pound of fuel not onboard. Since women generally eat and drink less than men—and often weigh less and therefore consume less oxygen.

NASA Scientist Geoffrey Landis, an expert on power sources and propulsion, laid out his case for a female Mars crew in a research paper available in a Harvard archive. He writes: “On the average, women have lower mass and take less volume than males, and use proportionately less consumables.” But it’s not only physical attributes that make women a better choice for Mars missions. Landis proposes they could get along better locked up for months in a confined space en route to a new planet. “In addition,” Landis writes, “sociological research indicates that a female crew may have a preferable interpersonal dynamic, and be likely to choose non-confrontational approaches to solve interpersonal problems.” (7/6)

Hurricane Ida Recovery Assessments Continue at NASA Michoud (Source: Space Daily)
Recovery and damage assessments continue at NASA's Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans following Hurricane Ida. The powerful category 4 hurricane made landfall in Louisiana Aug. 29 on the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. The Michoud Safety and Security team completed an initial assessment of the 829-acre facility and its 81 buildings and structures on Aug. 31.

Teams determined Michoud did not sustain any significant structural damage. Wind from the storm also caused damage to several buildings as well as to the roof deck panels and lightning protection systems. Many of the roofing systems at the facility did sustain significant damage and caused water intrusion into some buildings. (9/6)

NASA Works to Give Satellite Swarms a Hive Mind (Source: Space Daily)
Swarms of small satellites could communicate amongst themselves to collect data on important weather patterns at different times of the day or year, and from multiple angles. Such swarms, using machine learning algorithms, could revolutionize scientists' understanding of weather and climate changes. Engineer Sabrina Thompson is working on software to enable small spacecraft, or SmallSats, to communicate with each other, identify high-value observation targets, and coordinate attitude and timing to get different views of the same target.

Under Thompson's plan, scientists would establish a set of requirements for observations and define high-value targets. Then the software would take over, enabling a spacecraft swarm to figure out how to move relative to one another to best observe these targets. Strategies might also change based on time of day, season, or the region being observed. The spacecraft also would use onboard machine learning to improve viewing strategies over time. (9/3)

Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Set to Fly Lower for Detailed Surface Imaging (Source: Space Daily)
Following Flight 12's scouting images of "South Seitah," which were the most valuable Ingenuity has taken to date, we are taking Winston's advice for Ingenuity's 13th flight. We will again be venturing across into Seitah to scout an area of outcrops glimpsed in Flight 12 imagery - but we're taking these new pictures while looking back, pointing in the opposite direction. (9/5)

Independent Group Formed to Advance Interoperability in Satellite and Ground System Networks (Source: Space Daily)
Leading companies and organizations in the space industry, including two major branches of the DoD, have come together to form the Digital IF Interoperability (DIFI) Consortium, a non-profit industry group created to advance interoperability among space and ground system networks. Formed under the auspices of The IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization (ISTO), an international federation of leading industry groups and consortia dedicated to the advancement of standardized technologies for the benefit of industry.

The founding board members include Hawkeye 360, Intelsat, Kongsberg Satellite Services, Kratos, Kymeta and Microsoft, as well founding government member the U.S. Navy. Other U.S. military service branches have also expressed interest in working with the Consortium. The mission of DIFI is to enable the digital transformation of space, satellite and related industries by providing a simple, open, interoperable Digital IF/RF standard that replaces the natural interoperability of analog IF signals and helps prevent vendor lock-in. (9/7)