July 30, 2022

NASA Requests Public Input on SpaceX’s Proposed 100-Acre Florida Expansion (Source: Talk of Titusville)
With 33 launches under its belt in 2022 alone, SpaceX is hoping to increase its productivity by consolidating its Space Coast resources to a more centralized location. The company is working in cooperation with NASA to expand its operations at KSC by increasing its footprint by up to 100 acres. The proposed expansion would take place at SpaceX’s leased property along Roberts Road. The site is where the company refurbishes Falcon 9 first-stage boosters in HangarX.

“It’ll support their overall operations for the Falcon, Falcon Heavy as well as the future of Starship, consolidated into one operational area,” said Don Dankert, the lead for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance at KSC. Dankert and his colleagues are responsible for preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate SpaceX’s proposed work since it requires NASA to execute a real property agreement with SpaceX under NEPA and other relevant laws.

As part of the EA, NASA will consider 14 resource areas to gauge the impact of the proposal. “At this point, I think the things that we’re probably looking closer at are obviously Lagoon health issues; wetland impacts, potential wetland impacts for the site itself and the proposed connector road; and then natural resource impacts related to wildlife impacts within that area,” Dankert said. One of the big reasons for this desired expansion is to make way for work on Starship. (7/29)

Remnants of an Uncontrolled Chinese Rocket Reentered the Atmosphere Over the Indian Ocean, US Space Command Says (Source: CNN)
Remnants of a massive Chinese rocket that was descending uncontrollably back to Earth reentered the atmosphere over the Indian Ocean at roughly 12:45 p.m. ET Saturday, the US Space Command said. The Chinese 23-ton Long March 5B rocket, which delivered a new module to its space station, took off from Hainan Island at 2:22 p.m. local time Sunday, July 24, and the module successfully docked with China’s orbital outpost.

The rocket had since been in an uncontrolled descent toward Earth’s atmosphere – marking the third time that China has been accused of not properly handling space debris from its rocket stage. Most of the remnants burned up during the reentry process over the Sulu Sea, which is between the island of Borneo and the Philippines. “What we really want to know is did any pieces actually end up sitting on the ground,” Jonathan McDowell told CNN. “That may take a little while longer for the reports to filter back.” (7/30)

Parts of the Moon Have Stable Temperatures Fit for Humans, Researchers Find (Source: NPR)
Hoping to live on the moon one day? Your chances just got a tiny bit better. The moon has pits and caves where temperatures stay at roughly 63 degrees Fahrenheit, making human habitation a possibility, according to new research from planetary scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles. Although much of the moon's surface fluctuates from temperatures as high as 260 degrees during the day to as low as 280 degrees below zero at night, researchers say these stable spots could transform the future of lunar exploration and long-term habitation.

The shadowed areas of these pits could also offer protection from harmful elements, such as solar radiation, cosmic rays and micrometeorites. For perspective, a day or night on the moon is equivalent to a little over two weeks on Earth — making long-term research and habitation difficult with such extremely hot and cold temperatures. About 16 of the over 200 discovered pits most likely come from collapsed lava tubes — tunnels that form from cooled lava or crust. (7/30)

Two Skyscraper-Size Asteroids Moved Past Earth This Weekend (Source: Space.com)
Two skyscraper-size asteroids are zooming toward Earth this weekend, with one making its closest approach on Friday (July 29) and the second whizzing by on Saturday (July 30). The first asteroid, dubbed 2016 CZ31, whizzing by Friday evening at an estimated 34,560 mph. The asteroid passed about 1,740,000 miles out from Earth — or more than seven times the average distance between Earth and the moon.

On Saturday, a larger asteroid skimmed past our planet at a greater distance from Earth. That asteroid, named 2013 CU83, measures approximately 600 feet across at its widest visible point, and passed about 4,320,000 miles from Earth, or about 18 times the average distance between Earth and the moon. This colossal space rock traveled at 13,153 mph when it neared Earth Saturday evening. (7/30)

International Space Station Has 'Peculiar Odor,' Astronaut Says (Source: Space.com)
Call it the scent of space. There's a persistent "peculiar odor" on board the International Space Station (ISS) that takes a few days to get used to, according to European astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti. "When I got here a couple of months ago for my second flight, I could immediately smell a very peculiar odor that brought me back instantly to the memories and sensations of my first flight's odors," Cristoforetti shared. "But within a matter of days, I got used to it, and now I cannot smell it anymore."

Cristoforetti didn't elaborate on what the ISS smells like, although she did note the capable filters of the space station eliminate most odors. Other astronauts have commented on space smells like gunpowder or ozone, particularly because atomic oxygen is believed to cling to spacesuits in a vacuum. (7/29)

Astronauts Should Not Masturbate in Space, NASA Scientist Says (Source: New York Post)
Astronauts have been warned against masturbating in space over fears female astronauts could get impregnated by stray fluids. There are strict guidelines over “alone-time” onboard in zero gravity. Scientists have warned even the slightest rouge droplet could cause chaos on board. Conan O’Brien waded into the uncomfortable topic while interviewing a NASA engineer, asking him if he had ever sent porn to the International Space Station. “No, none of that,” the scientist, Smythe, said. (7/22)

Did NASA Really Tell Astronauts Not to Masturbate in Space? (Source: Queerty)
The New York Post recently ran an article with the headline “Astronauts should not masturbate in zero gravity, NASA scientist says.” The article quickly went viral, leading people to wonder whether the federal space agency actually had problems with astronauts self pleasuring out in the void. The only problem? The Post‘s article was based on a misunderstanding. The Post’s original article cited Smythe Mulikan, a mechanical engineer who works with a NASA contractor in Houston.

However, a closer look by the fact-checkers at Snopes revealed that the Post misattributed the quote to Mulikan when, in fact, the comment came from O’Brien’s comedic co-host Matt Gourley. However, some other countries do send adult films for their astronauts to enjoy while in orbit, according to space historian Peter Pesavento. Pesavento published the claim in a 2001 installment of the scholarly journal Quest: The History of Spaceflight Quarterly.

“When NASA astronaut Norm Thagard became the first American to live aboard Mir in 1995, he was surprised to find the outpost’s video library stocked with a large selection of French and Italian erotic movies,” The Chicago Tribune wrote, summarizing part of Pesavento’s journal article. “Psychologists had instructed the Russian crew to view the films confidentially during the latter stages of their mission.” In astronaut Michael Collins’ 1989 book Liftoff, he said that a medical adviser encouraged astronauts to masturbate in space in order to prevent prostate problems. (7/29)

Masten Space Systems Files for Bankruptcy (Source: Space News)
Masten Space Systems, a company developing a lunar lander for a NASA mission, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy July 28 with plans to sell one of its major assets to a competitor. Masten filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. The company, based in Mojave, California, reported having estimated assets of between $10 million and $50 million, and estimated liabilities in the same range. The company is one of five that had won Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) awards from NASA to deliver payloads to the lunar surface.

NASA issued an award originally valued at $75.9 million Masten in April 2020 to deliver a suite of experiments to the lunar surface using its XL-1 lander. The mission, originally scheduled for 2022, was pushed back to November 2023 because what the company said in June 2021 were pandemic-related supply chain issues. “In the event Masten Space Systems is unable to complete its task order, NASA will manifest its payloads on other CLPS flights,” NASA said, adding that of the revised value of the award of $81.3 million, the agency paid Masten $66.1 million to date.

The filing lists as its largest creditor SpaceX, who has a contract to launch the XL-1 lander. Masten owes SpaceX $4.6 million. Other major creditors include Psionic, a developer of navigation systems; another lunar lander company, Astrobotic; NuSpace, an aerospace components supplier; and propulsion company Frontier Aerospace. Masten states in the filing that it has a “stalking horse asset purchase agreement” for its SpaceX launch credit with Intuitive Machines, another lunar lander company. The company said it will sell its other assets through “one or more purchases” to be approved by its board. (7/29)

Axiom Space and Aotearoa New Zealand Sign MOU to Advance Research in Space (Source: Axiom Space)
Axiom Space has signed an agreement with Aotearoa New Zealand to advance world leading studies in science and technology. This agreement will provide Aotearoa New Zealand access to conduct groundbreaking research on the International Space Station (ISS) through Axiom-sponsored missions and, in the future, on Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station.

This partnership will foster new collaboration between Axiom Space and New Zealand-based research teams from the University of Canterbury, led by Dr. Sarah Kessans, and the University of Auckland, led by Dr. Brian Russell. The agreement will enable Aotearoa New Zealand to build on its expertise in manufacturing and biotechnology and advance the country’s space sector by providing access to conduct scientific research in microgravity. (7/29)

NASA Evaluates New GPS-Guided Crawlerway Graders at KSC (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
Before NASA’s crawler-transporter can move the Space Launch System to the launch pad, the “crawlerway” road it travels on needs to be properly prepared. The agency is testing out a new GPS Laser Guided Motor Grader built by Caterpillar. As its name suggests, this vehicle makes sure the two-pathway, 130-foot wide crawlerway is level and equal when the Space Launch System is carried by the crawler-transporter back and forth from the Vehicle Assembly Building and Launch Complex 39B — a journey of about 4 miles.

The motor grader is equipped with GPS 3D technology with GPS correction satellites that work on a 3D surface, built to the design of the project. Once the 3D files are loaded into the motor grader, Burke said, corrections from satellite signals are sent to the GPS receivers where the operator can push a button inside the cab putting it in 3D auto mode. The 3D auto mode puts the blade down on the design elevation of the 3D surface, allowing the operator to cut the grade. (7/29)