September 11, 2024

Top Theory on Moon's Formation Might Have No Evidence After All (Source: Science Alert)
Billions of years ago, so the theory goes, something around the size of Mars smacked into Earth, spewing a whole bunch of dirt into space that eventually coalesced to form the Moon. This is called the giant impact hypothesis, and it gives us a neat explanation for a few curious properties that Earth and the Moon have in common, like identical minerals. There's just one problem. According to a new analysis led by planetary scientist Paolo Sossi of the Experimental Planetology group at ETH Zürich in Switzerland, we have absolutely no unambiguous evidence that such a giant impact ever took place.

"Rocks from the Earth's mantle and the Moon are indistinguishable on the basis of every isotopic ratio that tracks the provenance of material in the Solar System," Sossi said. "Because the isotopes of these elements vary widely among planetary materials, were there any trace of an impactor, we would expect to see small differences in their isotopic ratios. Yet, no such differences between the Earth and the Moon have been detected." (9/11)

Bright Lights Detected by NASA Telescopes Lead to a Dancing Pair of Supermassive Black Holes (Source: CNN)
Two telescopes have spotted the closest pair of supermassive black holes to date. The duo, only about 300 light-years apart, were observed in different wavelengths of light using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Hubble Space Telescope. While black holes are invisible against the dark void of space, these two blaze brightly as the gas and dust they feed on is accelerated and heated to high temperatures. Both celestial objects, which circle around one another, are known as active galactic nuclei. (9/10)

Keeping the Cosmos Clean (Source: Space Daily)
Asked to describe his work for a lay audience, Allan Shtofenmakher responds with an unexpected question: "Have you ever seen the movie 'Wall-E?'" Recalling that the 2008 Disney-Pixar movie's view of Earth from space was "brown and dusty and just surrounded by tons and tons of space junk," he cautions, "If we're not good stewards of our local space environment, we could actually end up in a situation like that - where we can't get anything into space because it's so cluttered and dirty."

Shtofenmakher, a PhD student, works in MIT's Dynamics, Infrastructure Networks, and Mobility (DINaMo) research group under the guidance of Hamsa Balakrishnan, the William E. Leonhard Professor of aeronautics and astronautics (AeroAstro) and associate dean of MIT's School of Engineering. "A lot of my work," he continues, "is trying to keep space sustainable." When satellites or spent rocket bodies crash into each other, they create space debris moving in different directions at very high speeds. "Then they'll create even more junk that can crash into each other ... and you end up with a completely unsustainable space environment." (9/11)

Rover Trials Demonstrate Autonomous Sampling Capabilities in UK Quarry (Source: Space Daily)
European Space Agency (ESA) engineers are advancing the capabilities of autonomous Mars rovers, as demonstrated in recent trials conducted in a UK quarry. The ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, nicknamed "Codi," showcased its ability to locate and retrieve sample tubes using its robotic arm and sophisticated computer vision system.

Codi drove to the sample locations with a remarkable accuracy of 10 cm, continuously mapping the surrounding terrain. The rover utilized four cameras to locate the sample tubes, which were similar in appearance to lightsabers, and retrieved them without human intervention. At each stop, stereo cameras mapped the area in a 180-degree view, allowing Codi to plan its next maneuvers. Once parked, the rover's mast-mounted camera pinpointed the position of the sample tube, enabling the robotic arm to execute a series of precise movements to collect and safely store the sample. (9/11)

ChemCam Laser Hits 1 Million Zaps on Mars, Continues Data Collection (Source: Space Daily)
The ChemCam instrument, developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory, has fired its laser for the 1 millionth time on Mars. Positioned atop NASA's Curiosity rover, ChemCam has been key to scientific discoveries since its deployment in 2012. "Not only is this a remarkable technical accomplishment for our instrument, but it also represents a staggering amount of chemistry data from the surface of Mars," said Nina Lanza, principal investigator of ChemCam.

"Each laser pulse produces a single complex spectrum that individually provides a wealth of geochemistry information. And we have 1 million of those - and counting!" ChemCam employs laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy to vaporize rocks and analyze the resulting plasma. By examining the light emitted, scientists can identify the elements present on Mars' surface. The project seeks to determine Mars' past habitability, exploring whether the planet could have once supported life. (9/11)

Trump Ally Elon Musk Slams Harris: ‘We Will Never Reach Mars if Kamala Wins’ (Source: Politico)
A successful mission to Mars depends on the result of the U.S. presidential election in October, according to SpaceX chief and mega Republican booster Elon Musk. “Trump supports a government efficiency commission to allow great things to be done, Kamala does not,” Musk said on X, adding, “We will never reach Mars if Kamala wins.” Musk went wild on X, the social media platform he owns, in the hours following the first U.S. presidential debate in which Vice President Kamala Harris scored a clear win over former President Donald Trump, whom Musk supports. (9/11)

DoD Funding Reentry Vehicle Startups (Source: Space News)
The U.S. military is providing funding to two startups developing reentry vehicles as part of its work on point-to-point transportation concepts. Inversion Space and Outpost Space recently secured more than $100 million in defense and private investments under the Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) initiative, which combines up to $15 million in Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) investment with matching funds from government agencies and private sources.

Inversion Space's agreement is valued at $71 million to support its work on autonomous reentry vehicles and demonstration missions tailored to military customers. Outpost Space secured a $33.2 million STRATFI contract to develop reusable reentry vehicles designed for the return of payloads, scientific samples, and small satellites from orbit. (9/11)

FAA Criticized for Burdening Launchers with New Regulations (Source: Space News)
Industry and Congress are criticizing the FAA for new launch licensing regulations they claim slow down launch companies. At a hearing of the House space subcommittee Tuesday, industry officials said the regulations, known as Part 450, were intended to streamline the launch licensing process but instead are delaying companies as they struggle to understand how to meet performance-based requirements in the rules.

Among those complaining is SpaceX, which said in a separate statement Tuesday that was told by the FAA a new launch license for its next Starship flight will not be ready until November, a two-month delay, because of a "superfluous environmental analysis." The head of the FAA's commercial space office said at the hearing that the agency is working to improve the licensing process, including a new aerospace rulemaking committee that will soon be established to recommend changes. (9/11)

Continued Success at NASA in Jeopardy Due to Budget Strains, Aging Infrastructure, and Short-Term Focus (Source: Space News)
A new National Academies report concluded NASA will soon face hard decisions about what missions to continue if it does not receive budget increases for its infrastructure. The report, published Tuesday, said NASA had dealt with funding shortfalls by prioritizing near-term mission needs over long-term investment in infrastructure and its workforce. That strategy has "run out of gas," the committee's chairman, Norm Augustine, concluded, and the agency now must reinvest in infrastructure. If NASA does not get an overall budget increase to support that, the report concluded the agency will instead have to consider cutting missions to free up funding. (9/11)

Boeing Plans Quantum Tech Smallsat (Source: Space News)
Boeing announced plans to develop a small satellite to test quantum technologies. The microwave-sized Q4S satellite, due to launch in 2026, is being designed to demonstrate quantum entanglement swapping, a communication technique that transfers information between particles without physically moving them across a distance. Testing this capability in space is key to expanding quantum networks beyond simple point-to-point communication, according to Boeing, enabling more precise measurements from sensors that could be fed directly into more powerful quantum computers. Boeing is funding the project internally but did not disclose its cost. (9/11)

Space Force Seeks Automation for Hybrid Satcom Networking (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is seeking industry input on automating the operation of a hybrid satellite communications network. The Space Force's Commercial Satellite Communications Office issued an RFI recently seeking input on "automated satcom network orchestration." which uses technologies like AI to manage separate commercial and government systems as a unified network. Automated networks can intelligently allocate satellite resources based on demand and availability, monitor satellite health, and make real-time adjustments, enhancing overall network efficiency. (9/11)

OneWeb Offering GPS Alternative (Source: Space News)
OneWeb is offering an alternative navigation service using its satellite constellation intended to serve as a backup to GPS. The service, called Astra, aims to ensure uninterrupted communications for OneWeb's satellite broadband customers, even when GPS or other global navigation satellite system signals are unavailable or compromised. The system's introduction comes amid global concerns about GPS vulnerability to jamming and interference in critical sectors such as defense, aviation and emergency services. (9/11)

China's Landspace Aces 10-km Altitude Rocket Landing (Source: Space News)
Chinese launch startup Landspace conducted a 10-kilometer vertical liftoff, vertical landing test of a reusable rocket. The vehicle took off from a company site at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at around 12 a.m. Eastern Wednesday, flying to an altitude of 10 kilometers before landing on a pad 3.2 kilometers from the launch site 200 seconds after liftoff. The test is a step forward in the development of the Zhuque-3, a medium-class rocket with a reusable first stage. Landspace said in a statement that the company aims for a first orbital flight in 2025. The first booster recovery and reuse is planned for 2026. (9/11)

Polaris Dawn Sets Altitude Record (Source: CollectSpace)
The Polaris Dawn private astronaut mission set a new altitude mark on its first day in orbit. The Crew Dragon spacecraft, launched early Tuesday into an orbit with an apogee of 1,200 kilometers, performed a maneuver late Tuesday to raise that apogee to 1,400 kilometers. That is the highest altitude for a crewed mission in Earth orbit and the highest people have flown since the Apollo 17 mission to the moon in 1972. The spacecraft will lower its apogee to about 700 kilometers later today ahead of a spacewalk scheduled for Thursday. Editor's Note: Isn't a spacecraft in Lunar orbit still also in Earth's orbit? (9/11)

South Korea Plans Reusable Launcher (Source: Space News)
South Korea wants to develop a reusable launch vehicle that can compete with SpaceX on cost. At a recent briefing, Yoon Young-bin, administrator of the new Korea Aerospace Administration (KASA), said the agency plans to support development of a rocket by the mid-2030s that can place payloads into orbit for less than $1,000 per kilogram. That effort is one of several projects that KASA is pursuing that include a spacecraft to observe the sun from the Earth-sun L-4 point and high-resolution Earth observation satellites. (9/11)

Interlune Expands Interest in Lunar Resource Harvesting (Source: Space News)
Startup Interlune says it is interested in more than helium-3 from the moon. The company earlier this year unveiled its plans to harvest helium-3, an isotope that could be used in future fusion power plants as well as quantum computers, from the moon using a series of missions. The company said Tuesday it is interested in other lunar resources as well, including metals and rare Earth elements, although its near-term focus is on helium-3. Interlune is planning missions to the moon in 2027 to prospect for helium-3 and 2029 to demonstrate the ability to return "meaningful" amounts of the isotope. (9/11)

Rocket Lab Hires Klein as COO (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has hired an automobile industry executive as chief operating officer. The company said Tuesday that Frank Klein has joined the launch and satellite manufacturer as COO to lead efforts to scale up production. Klein spent 27 years at Mercedes-Benz Group and most recently was COO of electric vehicle company Rivian. (9/11)

Voyager 1 Thruster is Clogged (Source: NASA)
Engineers have performed some long-distance maintenance on Voyager 1. Spacecraft operators concluded that one thruster was suffering from a clogged propellant line. Engineers instructed the spacecraft to switch to a different set of thrusters, a process made difficult by the spacecraft's age and cold temperatures. That process required briefly turning off one of Voyager 1's main heaters to turn on thruster heaters so that the new set of thrusters could be brought online. That procedure worked and the spacecraft is able to use the thrusters for attitude control. (9/11)

Sidus Space Announces an Additional Contract Award for NASA ASTRA (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space announced the award of a follow on contract from NASA Stennis for additional ASTRA (Autonomous Satellite Technology for Resilient Applications) support aboard LizzieSat-1. A key component of the additional objectives is collecting onboard data for critical systems. This capability enables ASTRA’s Primary Operations Control Center (POCC) to manage the Electrical Power System (EPS) through Sidus’ Mission Control Center (MCC). (9/11)

JWST Finds Distant Galaxy with "Impossible" Light Signature (Source: Big Think)
Since its launch in December of 2021, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has spotted record-setting objects all across the Universe, including at the greatest distances ever seen. Many distant galaxies are energetic, and show signatures of emission lines from specific atoms and molecules, particularly hydrogen. However, the Lyman-α line has never been seen earlier than 550 million years after the Big Bang. Until now. With the discovery and spectroscopic follow-up on galaxy JADES-GS-z13-1-LA, we now have strong evidence for that emission line from a galaxy just 326 million years after the Big Bang. (9/9)

World's First Aerospike Aircraft to Fly This Month After Crash Setback (Source: New Atlas)
The world's first flight test for an aerospike rocket engine ended in disaster, but Germany's Polaris Aerospace is back on track, preparing to fly two new prototypes for its MIRA supersonic/hypersonic aerospike spaceplane platform within weeks. Immediately after the MIRA I crashed upon takeoff, Polaris Spaceplanes stated it would be going forward with the MIRA II and III. True to word, Polaris has unveiled two new, yet-to-be-fully completed airframes. (9/10)

Hermeus Selects Florida For Future Test Sites (Source: Aviation Week)
Hypersonic vehicle startup Hermeus has announced plans to open an engine test facility and a flight test base at Cecil Airport in Jacksonville, Florida. The facilities will support testing of the Atlanta-based company’s Quarterhorse and Darkhorse series of high-speed testbeds, along with the Chimera turbine-based combined cycle engine. Engine testing will begin by year’s end with outdoor static testing, Hermeus says. The High Enthalpy Air-Breathing Test (HEAT) facility will allow propulsion system runs at continuous high-Mach air flow at high temperatures and low pressures conditions. (9/9)

Starliner Suffers New Problems While Coming Back to Earth (Source: Futurism)
Signals on the capsule's return were mixed. On the one hand, according to NASA’s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich, it pulled off a "bullseye landing." On the other, the agency admitted that a new thruster had failed during its descent. The capsule also experienced a temporary blackout of Starliner's guidance system during reentry. (9/9)

Find Me on the Moon: NASA Lunar Navigation Challenge (Source: Freelancer)
Help NASA navigate in and around the lunar south pole by developing a low-tech orienteering device or by creating a method to survey and map the bottom of Shackleton Crater. If you can solve either or both of these challenges, you could win a share of the $50,000 prize purse and maybe your idea will be used on the moon. Click here. (9/4)

Starship Super Heavy Breezes Through Wind Tunnel Testing at NASA Ames (Source: NASA)
NASA and its industry partners continue to make progress toward Artemis III and beyond, the first crewed lunar landing missions under the agency’s Artemis campaign. SpaceX, the commercial Human Landing System (HLS) provider for Artemis III and Artemis IV, recently tested a 1.2% scale model of the Super Heavy rocket, or booster, in the transonic Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley. The Super Heavy rocket will launch the Starship human landing system to the Moon as part of Artemis.

During the tests, the wind tunnel forced an air stream at the Super Heavy scale model at high speeds, mimicking the air resistance and flow the booster experiences during flight. The wind tunnel subjected the Super Heavy model, affixed with pressure-measuring sensors, to wind speeds ranging from Mach .7, or about 537 miles per hour, to Mach 1.4, or about 1,074 miles per hour. Mach 1 is the speed that sound waves travel, or 761 miles per hour, at sea level. (9/10)