October 29, 2024

NASA Says Bent Solar Sail Should Not Affect Experimental Spacecraft (Source: Extreme Tech)
For most spacecraft, traveling through the vacuum of space requires fuel. NASA's experimental Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) is different, though. This vehicle could help NASA learn how to harness the Sun's limitless energy to sail through the vacuum of space—if it works. NASA has provided an update on the spacecraft, which appears to have broken itself just a little during deployment. NASA is still taking it slow as it aims to understand the dynamics of controlling an advanced solar sail craft.

NASA confirms ACS3 is still tumbling through space, which is not usually what you want with a solar sail. When deploying the sails on ACS3, NASA deactivated the vehicle's attitude control system, which applies force to stabilize the craft and keep it pointed in the right direction. However, the team wanted to accommodate the changing dynamics of the craft as the sails were locked into place. The attitude control has not been reactivated in part because NASA is investigating what appears to be a bend in one of the vehicle's booms.

The four booms reach outward from the Cubesat chassis to support the sails, which form a square 33 feet (10 meters) across—about half the size of a tennis court. The team believes this bend occurred when the booms and sails were pulled taut after being extended. Images from the four ACS3 cameras (below) show that the bent boom may have straightened somewhat while the spacecraft has been tumbling. (10/28)

Space-Based 3D Cell Culture Research Paves the Way for New Cancer Therapies (Source: CASIS)
In October, we think pink, and for a good reason—one out of every eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime, and each year, 2 million women are given this frightening diagnosis. Biotechnology startup MicroQuin leveraged the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory to grow 3D breast and prostate cancer cell cultures to learn more about how these cancers develop and grow. However, the research team found something incredible that could lead to a way to treat not just breast and prostate cancers but all cancers. (10/28)

A Giant Structure in Space Challenges Our Understanding of The Universe (Source: Science Alert)
A colossal structure in the distant Universe is defying our understanding of how the Universe evolved. In light that has traveled for 6.9 billion years to reach us, astronomers have found a giant, almost perfect ring of galaxies, some 1.3 billion light-years in diameter. It doesn't match any known structure or formation mechanism. The Big Ring, as the structure has been named, could mean that we need to amend the standard model of cosmology. (10/28)

Vandenberg and the Space Shuttle (Source: Space Review)
In the 1970s the Air Force decided to convert Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base into a shuttle launch pad. Dwayne Day discusses that effort as described in some recently discovered concept art from that era. Click here. (10/29)
 
Mysterious MOL Concepts (Source: Space Review)
In the early 1960s, the US Air Force examined a range of options for a military space station before settling on what would become the Manned Orbital Laboratory. Hans Dolfing discusses what some of those other concepts were based on archived reports. Click here. (10/29)
 
Planning for the Future of Continuous Human Presence in LEO (Source: Space Review)
At the International Astronautical Congress earlier this month, one company outlined its plans for a future commercial space station to support NASA and other customers. Jeff Foust report that NASA also used the conference to describe what it is thinking about in terms of how it will use those stations. Click here. (10/29)

Weighing Overall Societal Benefit: Case Studies on Deciding When to Deorbit Satellites (Source: Space Review)
In the conclusion of her examination of the tradeoffs of extending satellite lifetimes versus mitigating orbital debris, Marissa Herron looks at the processes by which NASA decides to continue some science missions and the role that adherence to debris mitigation guidelines plays there. Click here. (10/29)

Intelsat Breakup Created ~500 Debris Pieces (Source: Space News)
About 500 pieces of debris have been tracked from an Intelsat communications satellite that broke up earlier this month. ExoAnalytic Solutions says it has spotted fragments of the satellite ranging in size from a softball to a car door from Intelsat-33e after it broke apart Oct. 19. Intelsat is still investigating what caused the in-orbit breakup of Intelsat-33e, the second in a series of four EpicNG high throughput satellites Boeing built for the operator. ExoAnalytic says it is working with the U.S. Space Force and others to monitor the debris and the threat it poses to other satellites in geostationary orbit. (10/29)

NASA Cracks Orion Heat Shield Mystery (Source: Space News)
NASA says it now understands why the heat shield on the Orion spacecraft eroded more than expected on the Artemis 1 mission, but won't disclose that reason for now. At meetings Monday, NASA officials said they had identified the root cause of the unexpected "char loss" on the heat shield during Orion's reentry at the end of the Artemis 1 mission in December 2022.

However, those officials declined to discuss that root cause while additional testing is in progress on ways to mitigate the problem for the upcoming Artemis 2 mission, the first crewed Orion flight. Those tests are scheduled to wrap up by the end of November with more details on the root cause and mitigation steps to be released by the end of the year. Artemis 2 is still officially scheduled for launch no earlier than September 2025. (10/29)

China Narrows Plans for Lunar Rover (Source: Space News)
China has selected two designs for a lunar rover for future crewed missions. Teams from the China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) and the Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST), both groups under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), have been selected to work on prototype designs, the Chinese government announced Tuesday. The rover will have a mass of 200 kilograms and have a range of 10 kilometers, and is intended to be ready in time for China's first crewed landing on the moon by 2030. (10/29)

Austria's iSEE Global Creates US Subsidiary (Source: Space News)
Austrian space domain awareness startup iSEE Global has set up an American subsidiary. The U.S. subsidiary of Impact Space Expedition & Exploration Global Corp. will be led by Andy Bowyer, former CEO of Kleos Space. The company is proposing to develop a "radar fence constellation" of satellites to improve tracking of space objects, and the U.S. office will allow it to market its services to U.S. government customers. (10/29)

NASA Installs Key Instrument on Roman Telescope (Source: NASA)
NASA has installed a key instrument on its next large space telescope. NASA announced Monday it installed the Roman Coronagraph Instrument into a part of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope spacecraft called the instrument carrier. The space telescope is being assembled at the Goddard Space Flight Center for a launch by May 2027 to study dark energy and exoplanets, among other astronomical phenomena. The coronagraph is a technology demonstration of ways to block starlight to directly image exoplanets orbiting those stars. (10/29)

NASA Loses Kinkaid and MacDonald (Source: NASA)
The head of NASA's educational efforts and its chief economist are both leaving the agency. NASA announced Monday the retirement of Mike Kincaid, associate administrator of the Office of STEM Engagement, effective at the end of November, and of Alex MacDonald, chief economist, at the end of the year. Kincaid will be replaced on an acting basis by Kris Brown, deputy associate administrator for strategy and integration in the Office of STEM Engagement, while Akhil Rao from NASA's Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy will serve as acting chief economist. (10/29)

China's Only Woman Spaceflight Engineer in Crew for 'Dream' Mission (Source: Space Daily)
China's only woman spaceflight engineer will be among a crew of three astronauts blasting off on a "dream" mission to the Tiangong space station this week, Beijing announced Tuesday. The new Tiangong team will carry out experiments with an eye to the space programme's ambitious goal of placing astronauts on the Moon by 2030 and eventually constructing a lunar base. (10/29)

Impact Craters on Venus Revealed by New Research (Source: Space Daily)
Researchers have discovered what may be a long-hidden record of ancient impact craters on Venus, shedding light on a planetary history distinct from Earth's. Unlike Earth, where wind, water, and tectonic shifts obscure impact sites, Venus shows fewer such processes, leaving some of the Solar System's most pristine craters. However, the planet still lacks the giant impact basins seen on the Moon or Mars. (10/29)

NASA Outlines New Potential Landing Regions for Artemis III Mission (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has refined its list of potential landing sites for the upcoming Artemis III mission, aiming to be the first crewed Moon landing in over 50 years. Nine candidate landing regions have been identified near the Moon's South Pole, with each area selected based on its scientific value, engineering feasibility, and potential to support sustainable lunar exploration. These regions will undergo further investigation to ensure mission readiness, with additional sites considered for subsequent Artemis missions. (10/29)

LeoStella and BlackSky Join SDA's Proliferated Low-Earth Orbit Initiative (Source: Space Daily)
contribute to the Hybrid Acquisition for Proliferated Low-Earth Orbit (HALO) program. This initiative opens doors for nontraditional defense contractors to collaborate directly with SDA on rapid on-orbit mission feasibility prototypes. LeoStella, a small satellite manufacturer, will partner with BlackSky as a subcontractor to develop these mission prototypes. This selection pre-qualifies LeoStella to work closely with SDA in this capacity. (10/25)

Samsonite's Proxis Suitcase Reaches New Heights with Space Launch (Source: Space Daily)
Samsonite, a global leader in premium travel gear, has collaborated with aerospace pioneers Sent Into Space to send its Proxis suitcase to the edge of space, showcasing an impressive leap in travel innovation. The launch, which occurred near Las Vegas, Nevada, demonstrated the exceptional durability and design of the Proxis, the brand's lightest suitcase to date, which returned from its space mission without a scratch. The Proxis suitcase, weighing just 4.6 lbs, features Samsonite's Roxkin outer shell, known for its strength and lightweight qualities. This material was key to the suitcase's selection for this unique experiment, aimed at pushing the boundaries of travel technology. (10/25)