July 31, 2022

NASA’s LRO Finds Lunar Pits Harbor Comfortable Temperatures (Source: NASA)
NASA-funded scientists have discovered shaded locations within pits on the Moon that always hover around a comfortable 63 F (about 17 C) using data from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft and computer modeling. The pits, and caves to which they may lead, would make thermally stable sites for lunar exploration compared to areas at the Moon’s surface, which heat up to 260 F (about 127 C) during the day and cool to minus 280 F (about minus 173 C) at night. Lunar exploration is part of NASA’s goal to explore and understand the unknown in space, to inspire and benefit humanity. (7/26)

On a Stunning Hawaiian Mountain, the Fight Over Telescopes is Nearing a Peaceful End (Source: NPR)
The peak of Mauna Kea, a shield volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii, is one of the world's most remote places. The mountain's flat shape, gentle winds, and low humidity make it perfect for watching the stars. "You add it all up and Mauna Kea is arguably number one in the world as a site for locating telescopes," said Doug Simons, the director of the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy.

The land on the mountain had been primarily administered by the university since the 1960s, but changes are on the way. A state law passed last month will transfer authority to a new stewardship authority composed of scientists, university officials and people in the local community. The law is an important step towards ensuring the protection of Mauna Kea, a mountain native Hawaiians consider sacred, says Dr. Noe Noe Wong-Wilson, the executive director of the Lālākea Foundation, which aims to preserve the cultural practices and traditions of native Hawaiians. (7/31)

Lost in Space and a Broken Energy Market: Blame it on the Obsession with a Small State (Source: Guardian)
Last week came a vignette of small-state stupidity, ceding a major area of 21st-century economic activity to France and undermining our national security – with close observers believing that no minister even knew the magnitude of their crassness. I speak of the merger, on French terms, of the formerly British-controlled space company OneWeb with France’s Eutelsat, turbo-boosting the EU space effort. These Brexiters are remarkably incompetent at doing Brexit. But then incompetence comes with the territory.

OneWeb was Britain’s opportunistic way of recovering the ground we lost in space because of Brexit and the consequent forced exit from the EU’s Galileo and Copernicus programs. Rescued from insolvency by a daring £500m bid by the UK government two years ago, OneWeb owns valuable allocated orbit “shells” and spectrum rights, reckoned to represent an astounding 15% of all space available for service delivery to Earth. With the Eutelsat deal, Britain will no longer have control over the future space systems developed by OneWeb or on how any of its spectrum is used.

Boris Johnson may be a liar, a constitutional vandal and corrupt, but he did have the chutzpah to launch the deal (driven by Dominic Cummings). Britain’s avowed aim is to be a globally competitive space power. Forget it. This is the 21st-century agile state in action – a conception both Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak know will win them no votes from ageing Conservative party members who deify Mrs Thatcher. Instead, better to give away Britain’s stake in space and attack cheap renewables as “woke”. That pleases the Conservative party. The gulf between the real world and Tory world has never been so deep. (7/31)

‘Soon it Will be Unrecognisable’: Total Climate Meltdown Cannot be Stopped, Says Expert (Source: Guardian)
Bill McGuire, emeritus professor of geophysical and climate hazards at University College London, makes clear in his uncompromising depiction of the coming climatic catastrophe, we have – for far too long – ignored explicit warnings that rising carbon emissions are dangerously heating the Earth. Now we are going to pay the price for our complacency in the form of storms, floods, droughts and heatwaves that will easily surpass current extremes.

The crucial point, he argues, is that there is now no chance of us avoiding a perilous, all-pervasive climate breakdown. We have passed the point of no return and can expect a future in which lethal heatwaves and temperatures in excess of 50C (120F) are common in the tropics; where summers at temperate latitudes will invariably be baking hot, and where our oceans are destined to become warm and acidic. “A child born in 2020 will face a far more hostile world that its grandparents did,” McGuire insists. (7/30)

New Spaceports Promise, But Possible Environmental Risks, Too (Source: Washinton Post)
With the commercial space industry rapidly expanding, more states are vying to host launch sites for satellites and other cargo, hoping to tap a new and growing revenue source. But even as “spaceport” proposals proliferate from Georgia to Maine to Michigan — far away from long-established federal launch sites in California and Florida⁠ — they’re drawing pushback over fears they could harm sensitive habitats, public safety and even drinking water. Critics warn that the noise and light generated by launch sites could harm wildlife and that failed launches could spread toxic materials and debris or even cause wildfires.

“Spaceports have become an en vogue economic development tool,” said Brian Gist, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, which is opposing efforts to establish a launch site in Georgia’s Camden County. “But not every location is a good candidate for a spaceport site, and you need to balance the economic development with the risk to the public and the risk to natural resources.” Sarah Gaines Barmeyer, of the National Parks Conservation Association, said that Florida’s Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge also has been floated as a potential spaceport site.

“The lesson from Boca Chica is the impacts can be papered over from the beginning, and then what happens in reality is way worse than expected, and you have significant harm to habitat and species that’s not being addressed,” said Jared Margolis, senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. “I would be concerned if I was these local governments with a company coming in saying it’s all going to be okay.” Meanwhile in Michigan, state officials in 2019 awarded a $2 million grant to the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association to study the feasibility of a spaceport in the Upper Peninsula. Click here. (7/31)

Two Concepts Selected from the ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge: Beyond Plastics (Source: CASIS)
On July 28, 2022, the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory announced two winning concepts from its Sustainability Challenge: Beyond Plastics. The winning concepts will receive funding for their research proposals from the exclusive challenge partner, global prestige beauty brand Estée Lauder, and will have the opportunity to launch their research to the orbiting laboratory.

The challenge, put forth by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc., manager of the ISS National Lab, in partnership with Estée Lauder, sought project concepts to advance sustainability research on the space station that address the worldwide plastic waste dilemma. The selected projects were announced at the 11th annual ISS Research and Development Conference in Washington, D.C.

The two concepts include: Microgravity Synthesis of Aerogel Copolymers, by Dr. Stephen Meckler, Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (PARC); and No Carbon Left Behind: Biological Recycling of Plastic Waste, by Dr. Katrina Knauer, National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the BOTTLE Consortium. (7/29)

NASA’s Lunar Rover VIPER Continues to Pass Tests with UCF Assist (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Climbing boulders and rolling through quicksand-like conditions, NASA’s latest lunar rover is getting ready to take on the alien terrain of the moon. For now, it’s passing tests in Cleveland, Ohio at NASA’s Glenn Research Center. Recently, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) prototype passed its test of conquering a lunar obstacle course, NASA said. And while the rover tests from afar, VIPER is getting some assistance in preparation thanks to the University of Central Florida, which sold NASA lunar simulated rocks from its Exolith Lab. (7/29)

Researchers 3D Print Sensors for Satellites (Source: Space Daily)
MIT scientists have created the first completely digitally manufactured plasma sensors for orbiting spacecraft. These plasma sensors, also known as retarding potential analyzers (RPAs), are used by satellites to determine the chemical composition and ion energy distribution of the atmosphere. The 3D-printed and laser-cut hardware performed as well as state-of-the-art semiconductor plasma sensors that are manufactured in a cleanroom, which makes them expensive and requires weeks of intricate fabrication. By contrast, the 3D-printed sensors can be produced for tens of dollars in a matter of days. (7/28)

Study Claims No Fire Risk to Cumberland From Georgia Spaceport Launches (Source: Brunswick News)
Camden County has not abandoned intentions to establish a tract for a spaceport even though the deal to purchase the launch site has been canceled by the property owner, Union Carbide. The county released the results of a study Tuesday that says there is "no credible fire risk to Cumberland Island" from a rocket launched from the Union Carbide site.

The launch and risk/safety analysis was conducted by ARCTOS, a company created in 2019 by a group of military and NASA consultants. The company on its website describes itself as a "leading provider of full life cycle system support to defense, space and intelligence markets." The study concludes there is "no scenario for the vehicles being examined in which a mid-air explosion would create a fireball large enough or last long enough to expose the residents or vegetation of Cumberland Island to a secondary ground fire hazard on the island." (7/28)

China's New Quantum Satellite Now Operational (Source: Xinhua)
A Chinese micro-nano quantum satellite has entered its planned orbit and is now operational, the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), one of its developers, said. The low-orbit satellite was designed to conduct real-time quantum key distribution experiments between the satellite and ground station, and to carry out technical verification. It was launched atop a Lijian-1 carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on Wednesday. The new micro-nano satellite's weight is about one-sixth the weight of the world's first quantum satellite, the Chinese satellite Micius, which weighs more than 600 kilograms, according to the USTC. (7/28)

Congress Approves International Space Station Extension to 2030 (Source: Space.com)
Congress wants the International Space Station to keep going through the end of the decade. The newly passed Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) Act of 2022 includes a NASA authorization bill that, among other things, officially extends the agency's participation in the International Space Station (ISS) program by six years, to 2030. (7/28)

Russia Wants to Build its Own Space station, as Early as 2028 (Source: Space.com)
Russia has its eyes on a space station of its own. The nation announced this week that it intends to pull out of the International Space Station (ISS) consortium after 2024. The timing of that move is uncertain, but Russia wants it to dovetail with the readiness of the planned Russian Orbital Service Station (ROSS). We just got a better idea of what ROSS will look like and how it will operate (if the outpost does indeed end up being built), thanks to pictures and information released by Roscosmo.

The first phase of the outpost's assembly, targeted to begin in 2028, appears to include a core module, a possible new supply ship and a new transport vehicle. A second phase, expected to commence in 2030, would add two more large modules. The design of ROSS, however, is by no means fixed; for example, it may be placed in an orbit of 51.6 degrees (similar to that of the ISS) or in a near-polar, 97 degree orbit, depending on which orientation Russia finds more favorable among its launch sites. Roscosmos has framed the impending ISS departure as an opportunity to shift to the new outpost. (7/28)

NASA's Twin Voyager Probes are Nearly 45 — and Facing Some Hard Decisions (Source: Space.com)
On August 20, 1977, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft launched to space. Its twin, Voyager 1, launched 16 days later. Today, they are not only the most distant man-made objects — at 12 billion and 14.5 billion miles (19.3 billion and 23.3 billion kilometers) away from Earth, respectively — but also NASA's longest-operating mission, continuing to send back data from their interstellar journeys toward the edge of the solar system as they approach their 45th birthdays.

But each Voyager spacecraft is powered by a finite nuclear energy source, and both sources are dwindling to dangerously low levels. Each spacecraft carries a store of the radioactive isotope plutonium-238; as the isotope decays, it releases energy that is converted into electricity by three radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs). At launch, the RTGs provided each spacecraft with 450 watts of power. Now, they're producing less than half that amount and their electrical output is decaying by four watts each year.

The show isn't over yet, though. The Voyager teams have been strategically conserving power by turning off certain subsystems on both spacecraft, such as certain heaters, allowing others to function longer. Miraculously, the remaining science instruments are so far performing well even in the cold temperatures. But the advanced age of the spacecraft poses another problem: general failure of hardware and software. For instance, just a few months ago, Voyager 1's attitude articulation and control system (AACS), which orients the spacecraft and its communications antenna, began sending bad telemetry data back to Earth. (7/28)

Mysterious Light May Come From the Largest Molecules Found in Space (Source: New Scientist)
Unexplained infrared emissions from inside and outside our galaxy may be linked to some of the largest molecules found in space. Fullerenes, or buckyballs, are molecules shaped like hollow objects such as spheres, made up of 60 or more carbon atoms. They  have been identified a handful of times in space, but more complicated forms containing metals, called fullerene-metal complexes, have yet to be found by astronomers. These metal complexes are crucial for many carbon-based chemical reactions. (7/28)

Exact Date of Russia’s Exit From ISS Project to Depend on Station’s Condition (Source: TASS)
The exact timeframe for Russia’s exit from the project of the International Space Station (ISS) will depend on the orbital outpost’s condition, Roscosmos Chief Yury Borisov announced on Friday. "We begin the exit process after 2024. It all depends, among other things, on the ISS working capacity whether it happens in mid-2024 or in 2025," Borisov said. Russia’s withdrawal from the ISS project has nothing to do with politics, the Roscosmos chief stressed. (7/29)

Europe's New Venus Probe Will Have to Survive Months-Long Scorching 'Aerobrake' Procedure (Source: Space.com)
Europe's planned Venus exploration mission will depend on a challenging aerobraking procedure to lower its orbit, which will test the thermal resiliency of the spacecraft's materials to their limits. The EnVision mission, expected to launch in the early 2030s, will study the geology and atmosphere of Venus, the hellish planet that once may have looked quite like Earth but turned into a scorched hostile world due to a runaway greenhouse effect. To get EnVision to its target orbit, 310 miles (500 kilometers) above Venus' surface (which is so hot that it would melt lead), will take thousands of passes through the planet's thick atmosphere over a period of two years. (7/29)

James Webb Space Telescope Detects a Surprise Supernova (Source: Space.com)
The James Webb Space Telescope has surprised scientists by unexpectedly detecting its first supernova, an explosion of a dying star. The detection could possibly open up an entirely new area of research possibilities, scientists say. Just a few days after the start of its science operations, the James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam camera spotted an unexpected bright object in a galaxy called SDSS.J141930.11+5251593, some 3 to 4 billion light-years from Earth. The bright object dimmed over a five-day period, suggesting that it could have been a supernova, caught by sheer luck shortly after the star exploded. (7/29)

New 3D Cosmic Map Reveals 1 Million Previously Hidden Galaxies (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers have created the largest ever 3D map of 1 million distant galaxies otherwise obscured by the Milky Way's dwarf galaxy neighbors, the Magellanic Clouds. The Magellanic Clouds are irregularly shaped galaxies that are a stunning feature of the Southern Hemisphere sky, visible to the naked eye. But the brightness of these dwarf galaxies coupled with the fact that they take up a large area of the night sky means that the Milky Way's neighbors block our view of many much more distant galaxies. So when astronomers are observing the billions of galaxies in the universe, they tend to avoid this part of the sky. (7/29)

UK Pressed Over Conflict of Interest Risk for OneWeb Deal (Source: Bloomberg)
The minister in charge of the UK’s OneWeb stake is also responsible for approving its merger with France’s Eutelsat Communications SA, creating a conflict of interest, according to the head of an influential committee of lawmakers. (7/29)

AST Ready to Ramp Up Activity at Texas Spaceport (Sources: Midland Reporter-Telegram, AST)
After months and months of painstakingly assembling the BlueWalker 3 test satellite, AST SpaceMobile’s Midland team have said farewell to their project. The satellite is now headed to an off-site facility in California where it will undergo final testing, and then make its way to Cape Canaveral, Florida, where it is expected to be launched aboard one of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rockets. The launch window is for early to mid-September.

AST SpaceMobile in May received an experimental license from the FCC to support space-to-ground testing of the satellite in the US using 3GPP low-band cellular frequencies and Q/V-band frequencies. Once BlueWalker 3 is operational, the company plans to conduct testing on 5 different continents, in coordination with leading mobile network operators like Vodafone, Rakuten Mobile, Orange and others. The test satellite is designed to communicate directly with cell phones via 3GPP standard frequencies. AST's satellites will be developed at the FAA-licensed Midland International Air & Space Port. AST has over 2,300 patent and patent-pending claims in support of its technology.  (7/30)

AST Signs Deal with Nokia for Mobile Phone Connectivity (Source: Midland Reporter-Telegram)
AST has signed a five-year 5G deal with Nokia under which the two companies will work to achieve their joint ambition of expanding universal coverage and connecting underserved communities around the world. Nokia’s AirScale Single RAN equipment aims to enable AST SpaceMobile in providing mobile services to new and existing subscribers in regions currently not served by terrestrial communication networks. This includes connecting devices globally on land, at sea, or in flight. (7/30)

Blue Origin to Launch Space Tourist Flight on Thursday (Source: UPI)
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin plans to launch its sixth space tourism flight next week with six people, including the first Egyptian and Portuguese crew members to reach suborbital space. Blue Origin said in a news release that NS-22 will lift off at 8:30 a.m. from Launch Site One at the company's site in West Texas on August 4. (7/29)

Seattle Nonprofit Aims to Expose Underrepresented Youth to Space Industry Careers (Source: GeekWire)
From Boeing to Blue Origin, the Seattle region is a bustling aerospace hub. Now a Seattle-based nonprofit wants to help expose underrepresented youth to the industry and potential careers. iUrban Teen is hosting its first iSpace Summit on July 30 featuring leading space industry partners such as Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, NASA, and Starfish Space. Company representatives will lead six interactive workshops to teach students about the industry and how to land jobs.

The event will feature a panel with representatives from the Kennedy Space Center and speeches from the diversity director and the president of the Lake Washington Institute of Technology, which is hosting the summit. The program has an intentional reach to BIPOC students, but is open to all middle and high school students. iUrban Teen is a nationally recognized organization serving historically excluded youth by providing STEM-related education. It’s based in four states and has worked with more than 12,000 underrepresented youth. (7/29)

Former Employee Hits Bankrupt Masten Space Systems with Lawsuit Alleging Racial Discrimination, Retaliation for Exposing Alleged Fraudulent Billing (Source: Parabolic Arc)
A former top employee at bankrupt Masten Space Systems has filed a lawsuit against the company and its former CEO, Sean Mahoney, alleging they denied him promotions and pay raises due to his race, and retaliated against him for exposing fraudulent billing on two federal contracts in 2020. Reuben Garcia, who formerly served as director of technical operations/manager of landing systems before departing the company earlier this year, filed the lawsuit in November 2021. He is seeking attorney’s fees, punitive damages, and compensatory damages for “economic losses, humiliation and mental and emotional distress.” (7/29)

White House Calls for Review of 25-Year Deadline for De-Orbiting Dead Satellites (Source: Breaking Defense)
The White House has issued its long-awaited implementation plan for combating the rapid growth of dangerous space debris, setting up a whopping 44 separate tasks for the Defense Department, NASA, the Commerce Department and other agencies — largely in the research realm, but including a review of best practices for operators. Most importantly, the “National Orbital Debris Implementation Plan” [PDF] includes re-opening the question of whether government, civil and commercial operators should be exhorted, or required under licensing regulations, to deorbit dead satellites earlier than the deadline of 25 years after end of life. (7/29)

Astronauts Might be Able to Use Asteroid Soil to Grow Crops (Source: Science News)
Astronauts might one day dine on salad grown in asteroid soil. Romaine lettuce, chili pepper and pink radish plants all grew in mixtures of peat moss and faux asteroid soil, researchers reported. A new study focuses on “carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, known to be rich in volatile sources — water especially,” says astroecologist Sherry Fieber-Beyer. These meteorites, and their parent asteroids, are also rich in nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus — key agricultural nutrients. Pulverizing these types of asteroids, perhaps as part of space mining efforts, could potentially provide a ready supply of farming material in space. (7/29)

China Launches New Group of Remote Sensing Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
China successfully launched a new group of remote sensing satellites from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province Friday. The satellites were launched as the third group of the Yaogan-35 family at 9:28 p.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-2D carrier rocket and entered the planned orbit successfully. The satellites will be mainly used to conduct scientific experiments, land resource surveys, agricultural product yield estimation, and disaster prevention and reduction. (7/29)