Press Clips Week 03-2017

Astronauts Seek the Right Vibe in Tests of Some Orion Technology

Astronaut Mike Hopkins lay on his back with hips and knees at a 90-degree angle. Strapped into a seat in launch position, he stared at two screens displaying altitude, direction and other critical spacecraft information. His seat began vibrating, and then he set to work.

Read more at: Houston Chronicle

ESA Studies Multiple Atomic Clock Failures on Galileo Navigation Satellites

The European Space Agency is studying a potentially serious problem with the atomic clocks that drive Europe’s Galileo Navigation Satellites and have shown an alarming failure rate across the early phase of the satellite constellation.

European government officials decided to postpone the next Galileo satellite launch by three months from August to a tentative target of November to provide sufficient time for engineers to look into atomic-clock failures on orbiting satellites. ESA and industry specialists are now working to uncover multiple systemic issues with Galileo’s onboard systems that already caused ten clocks to stop operating on orbiting satellites.

Read more at: Spaceflight 101

Many Questions, Few Answers When it Comes to Space Traffic Management, Experts Say

With an ever growing number of countries and corporations launching satellites into orbit, there’s never been a greater need for thorough tracking of objects in space, but many questions need to be answered first, according to a panel of experts at a recent conference.

“The time is now to address this issue,” said George Nield, Federal Aviation Administration associate administrator for commercial space transportation, speaking at a panel on space situational awareness (SSA) at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Science and Technology Forum held in Grapevine, Texas, Jan. 11. “We need to avoid the temptation because it is a complex and challenging problem to try to get everything perfect before we start taking action.”

One of the first issues for any new space traffic management system is data collection. “There’s great work to be done on the collection side,” said Mike Gazarik, vice president of engineering at Ball Aerospace. “How do you want to collect the data, from space or on the ground?… Are we doing it for the nation or the world? Well, that’s difficult to separate in space.”

Read more at: Space News

ISRO’s February Mega Launch: All You Need to Know

ISRO is ought to get into record books next month by launching 103 satellites in one go using its workhorse PSLV-C37.

Here are the details of how all the satellites will be placed in the orbit. The satellites will be separated from the launch vehicle in different directions. The separation angle and time of separation will be such that one satellite will not collide with another. The satellite separated from the launch vehicle will have a relative velocity of one metre per second. So after 1,000 seconds the distance between a satellite and the rocket will be 1,000 metres. The satellite that gets launched first will move at a relatively faster velocity than the next satellite that is launched. Due to different relative velocities, the distance between the satellites will increase continuously but the orbit will be the same.

Read more at: Zee News

Space Weather Forecast to Improve with European Satellite

Excitement is building over European plans to launch a new space-weather satellite that would drastically improve forecasts of how solar storms will affect Earth.

The European Space Agency (ESA) hopes to send the probe to a gravitationally stable point in space known as Lagrange point 5 (L5) by around 2023, where it would provide a unique, side-on view of streams of charged particles heading towards Earth. The strongest of such eruptions, known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs), can knock out navigation and communications satellites, interfere with aeroplane navigation systems and disrupt power grids.

Currently, probes can only look at incoming space weather head-on. The side-on view would allow scientists to measure the speed of the bursts with greater accuracy.

Read more at: Scientific American

Extreme Space Weather Induced Electricity Blackouts Could Cost US More than $40 Billion Daily

The daily U.S. economic cost from solar storm-induced electricity blackouts could be in the tens of billions of dollars, with more than half the loss from indirect costs outside the blackout zone, according to a new study.

Previous studies have focused on direct economic costs within the blackout zone, failing to take into account indirect domestic and international supply chain loss from extreme space weather.

“On average the direct economic cost incurred from disruption to electricity represents only 49 percent of the total potential macroeconomic cost,” says the paper published in Space Weather, a journal of the American Geophysical Union. The paper was co-authored by researchers from the Cambridge Centre for Risk Studies at University of Cambridge Judge Business School; British Antarctic Survey; British Geological Survey and University of Cape Town. Under the study’s most extreme blackout scenario, affecting 66 percent of the U.S. population, the daily domestic economic loss could total $41.5 billion plus an additional $7 billion loss through the international supply chain.

Read more at: AGU

Experimental Launch of World’s Smallest Orbital Space Rocket Ends in Failure

A beefed up sounding rocket aspiring to become the world’s smallest orbital launch vehicle raced into the morning skies over Southern Japan on Sunday to place a tiny satellite into orbit in a pathfinder mission for the development of a future small-satellite launch vehicle catered specifically to the deployment of NanoSatellites.

SS-520-4 lifted off from the Uchinoura Space Center in Japan’s Kagoshima prefecture at 8:33 a.m. local time on Sunday, 23:33 UTC on Saturday on a one-off demonstration mission, aiming to put the TRICOM-1 CubeSat into an elliptical orbit around Earth. The small launcher quickly vanished from view after an on-time blastoff with a thrust eclipsing the rocket’s initial mass by a factor of seven.

Read more at: Spaceflight 101

5th ‘Mars Mission’ Simulation Ready for Launch in Hawaii

Later today, six people will enter a dome on a volcano in Hawaii that will be their home for the next eight months, as they simulate a future mission to Mars. It is the fifth such experiment run by the University of Hawaii and funded by NASA. The latest mission on Mauna Loa, which ended in August 2016, lasted a full year. It is known as the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, or HI-SEAS.

The goal of HI-SEAS is to test what it would be like for people to live on Mars, and what the project designers call “team performance and cohesion” — or how a group of strangers might handle being stuck together for months on end. “It could be a long trip to Mars despite recent bold assurances of faster rocket ships, or a long stay on the Martian surface,” a summary of the mission states. “In either case, astronaut crews far from Earth will rely on a social resilience and team cohesion previously untested in deep space.”

Read more at: NPR

Boeing Wants to Sell Russian Spaceship Rides to NASA

NASA could boost the number of astronauts living on the International Space Station as early as this year if an unusual flight opportunity through Boeing pans out.

As part of a settlement with Russia’s RSC Energia, which manufactures Soyuz capsules, Boeing has rights to seats on Soyuz capsules during station taxi missions planned for this fall and spring, as well as options for three more seats during flights in 2019. By then, NASA hopes to break its dependence on Russia for flying crews to the station, a research laboratory that flies about 250 miles above Earth. Since the end of the shuttle program in 2011, Soyuz capsules are the only spaceships available to fly crews to the station.

In a solicitation released on Tuesday, NASA said it was considering making the extra Soyuz buy through Boeing because “no other vehicles are currently capable of providing these services in Fall 2017 or Spring 2018.”

Read more at: Seeker

SAGE III to Provide Highly Accurate Measurements of Atmospheric Gases

The International Space Station (ISS) will soon get a new tool to investigate the Earth’s upper atmosphere. This device will be capable of conducting highly accurate measurements of aerosols and gaseous constituents in the stratosphere and troposphere.

The Stratospheric Aerosol and Gas Experiment III (SAGE III) will study ozone, aerosols, water vapor, and other atmospheric gases to help provide a better understanding of the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment.

SAGE III was initially planned to be launched to the ISS aboard SpaceX‘s Dragon cargo craft in November 2016 atop a Falcon 9 launcher. The mission, designated CRS-10, will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station’s (CCAFS) Space Launch Complex 40. However, it was postponed several times and is currently targeted to fly on Feb. 8, 2017, from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A. The delays were forced by the Sept. 1 explosion at SLC-40 when another Falcon 9 rocket was destroyed during a pre-launch static fire test.

Read more at: Spaceflight Insider

Engines of Upcoming Soyuz Rockets to be Replaced, ISS Flight Schedule Under Review

Russian space officials ordered a replacement of upper stage engines on Soyuz rockets for two upcoming cargo and crew missions to the International Space Station. The decision was made in the wake of the still-mysterious failure of a Soyuz rocket in December and is classed as a precautionary measure to fit the rocket stages with engines of a different lot than the accident vehicle.

The upper stage failure on the December 1 mission claimed the loss of the Progress MS-04 cargo spacecraft headed to the International Space Station with over 2,400 Kilograms of cargo for the six-person crew aboard the orbiting laboratory, including a next-generation Orlan spacesuit that was to debut on a Russian spacewalk this summer. Due to the loss of the spacesuit, the planned EVA is likely to be deferred to late 2017 when a replacement for the suit can be sent to ISS.

Read more at: Spaceflight 101

Space Junk Mission Leads 2017 Rocket Launches

Read more at: CNBC

‘Fire in the Cockpit’: Remembering the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 1 (Part 1)

Five decades ago, this month, one of the worst tragedies in the history of U.S. space exploration unfolded with horrifying suddenness on Pad 34 at Cape Kennedy in Florida. “The Fire”—as it became infamously known—tore through the Command Module (CM) of the Apollo 1 spacecraft, during a “plugs-out” ground systems test on the evening of 27 January 1967, killing astronauts Virgil “Gus” Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee. It was a disaster which almost halted in its tracks President John F. Kennedy’s pledge to land a man on the Moon before the end of the decade and, even today, the loss of Grissom and his crew leaves a dark stain on the glory of the Apollo program.

Today, Pad 34 is overgrown by bushes, weeds, and a handful of wild pepper trees, as it decays in the salty Atlantic air. A faded “Abandon in Place” sign adorns one of its skeletal legs, whilst near its base are a pair of plaques, memorializing the loss of an astronaut who almost drowned at the end of his first spaceflight, the loss of America’s first spacewalker, and the loss of the man who would have been the youngest U.S. citizen ever to journey beyond Earth’s atmosphere. The plaques dedicate themselves to Grissom, White, and Chaffee and note simply: “Launch Complex 34, Friday, 27 January 1967, 1831 Hours,” paying tribute to the men’s “ultimate sacrifice,” a half-century ago. Nearby are three granite benches, one apiece to honor the fallen men.

Read more at: America Space

‘Worst Day’: Remembering the 50th Anniversary of Apollo 1 (Part 2)

In the windowless blockhouse at Pad 34 at Cape Kennedy, Deke Slayton heard the call of “rookie” astronaut Roger Chaffee and glanced over to a monitor which showed the hatch window of the Apollo 1 Command Module (CM). It was Friday, 27 January 1967, and Chaffee and his crewmates—Command Pilot Virgil “Gus” Grissom and Senior Pilot Ed White—were sealed inside the spacecraft, atop its unfueled Saturn IB booster, performing a “plugs-out” systems test. As outlined in yesterday’s AmericaSpace history article, the test had been repeatedly postponed through the afternoon, due to niggling technical glitches.

Now, as the normally dark hatch window turned white, Slayton realized that something drastically abnormal was occurring. At 6:31 p.m., Chaffee called “Fire” and, within seconds, further frantic calls emanated from Apollo 1. “We’ve got a fire in the cockpit,” Chaffee yelled. “Let’s get out. We’re burning up!” Finally, there was a blood-curdling shriek.

Read more at: America Space

Farewell to Eugene Cernan, the Last Man to Walk on the Moon

Gene Cernan never knew about the plan NASA approved to cut him loose in space — or at least he didn’t know about it at the time. When Cernan, who died today at age 82, did learn about it, long after any danger had passed, he could only laugh. It didn’t matter what NASA’s secret plans were, he’d have flown anyway.

It was in June 1966, as he and Tom Stafford were heading to the launch pad to take off aboard Gemini 9, that Stafford — but not Cernan — learned of the plan. Stafford was the commander of the mission — the man who would sit in the left-hand seat of the spacecraft. Cernan was the second in command of the two-man crew, but his subordinate position carried one important perk: the man in the right-hand seat was the one who would perform any spacewalks, while the commander stayed inside and tended to the ship.

Read more at: TIME

NASA Absent from 2017 Inauguration Parade

When President Barack Obama had his first Inaugural Parade on Jan. 20, 2009, NASA was placed dead last in the procession (even behind the “World Famous” Lawn Rangers). However, for the Inaugural Parade of Donald J. Trump, held on Jan. 20 of this year (2017), NASA was not represented at all.

When he was re-elected in 2012, Obama’s second Inaugural Parade saw the U.S. Space Agency jumped to the first half of the parade. According to a report on NBC 4 (Washington), the space agency’s Orion crew vehicle and Mars Science Laboratory rover Curiosity comprised NASA’s part in the 2013 parade.

SpaceFlight Insider reached out to NASA to find out why NASA wasn’t a part of the 2017 Inaugural Parade. NASA confirmed that the U.S. Space Agency was not part of the parade and we were asked to reach out to the White House. SpaceFlight Insider has reached out to the Trump Administration for a response.

Read more at: Spaceflight Insider

Renewed Hope of a Mission to Mars

Speculation regarding potential shifts in domestic and international policy as a result of the recent election has been running rampant lately, and U.S. space exploration policy is no exception. Space professionals and policy makers alike are hypothesizing and prognosticating about what they believe the future will bring in space, but in reality, these are all, at best, just educated guesses.

Ordinarily, space exploration policy differs from most other issues, as space policy decisions tend to be bi-partisan and do not normally lead to the usual party-based ideological disagreements. The main exception to this rule, however, often occurs when a new president is inaugurated.

Read more at: Origin-NYI

Trump Aims for ‘Unquestioned’ US Military Dominance

President Donald Trump will “rebuild” America’s vast military, boost its anti-missile capabilities and prioritize defeating the Islamic State group, according to the first policy statements published on the White House website Friday.

Published moments after Trump was inaugurated president, the statements say he will end limits on Pentagon spending agreed by Congress and the Obama administration, and will soon release a new budget proposal outlining his vision for the military. “We will provide our military leaders with the means to plan for our future defense needs,” the White House said. “We cannot allow other nations to surpass our military capability.”

Read more at: Space Daily

How China is Weaponizing Outer Space

In the highly “informatized” and technologically advanced battles that characterize the 21st century, outer space will play a dominant role. Space assets direct military operations and help in making crucial battleground decisions. In this regard, attempts to weaponize space and command this sphere are to be expected from great powers. The United States and USSR started weaponizing space in the in the 1950s and 1960s respectively, and China is now following suit.

The weaponization of space includes placing weapons in outer space or on heavenly bodies as well as creating weapons that will transit outer space or simply travel from Earth to attack or destroy targets in space. Examples include the placing of orbital or suborbital satellites with the intention of attacking enemy satellites, using ground-based direct ascent missiles to attack space assets, jamming signals sent from enemy satellites, using lasers to incapacitate enemy satellites, plasma attacks, orbital ballistic missiles, and satellite attacks on Earth targets. These can be further classified into direct-energy and kinetic-energy weapons.

Read more at: Diplomat

B-52 Bomber Drops Unarmed Nuclear Cruise Missiles in Demo

The nuclear capability of U.S. Air Force B-52 bombers was demonstrated recently with the launch of three unarmed AGM-86B cruise missiles. The Air-Launched Cruise Missile, or ALCM, is designed to deliver a nuclear payload and is a key air component of the nation’s nuclear triad.

In the recent test over the Utah Test and Training Range, a B-52H Stratofortress bomber dropped three ALCNs in three separate sorties, demonstrating the USAF bombing forces’ ability to configure, load, fly and deliver the weapon. “It [the ACLM] provides a clear, visible and tailorable deterrent effect, and denies geographic sanctuaries to potential adversaries,” the Air Force said. A B-52H can carry six ALCMs on each of its two externally-mounted pylons and eight internally on a rotary launcher.

Read more at: Space Daily

Some NASA Transition Team Members to Remain After Inauguration

The man who will soon become the acting administrator of NASA said he expects some members of the incoming Trump administration’s landing team to stay on at the agency after the inauguration.

NASA Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot, the agency’s top civil servant and who will thus become acting administrator Jan. 20, told an audience at a Maryland Space Business Roundtable luncheon here Jan. 17 that he expects continued support for the agency in the near term once the new administration takes office.

“We’ve got a good foundation in all the areas that we’re looking at, all the areas that we do, whether it’s our journey pushing people farther into deep space or it’s our Earth science mission, aeronautics or space technology,” he said. “We’ve got great support and I don’t see that changing as we move forward.”

Read more at: Space News

Trump Vows to “Unlock the Mysteries of Space,” Whatever That Means

Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States on Friday. His speech, not unexpectedly, was slim on specifics about what he envisioned to do over the next four, possibly eight, years. Even less expected was any talk about space, but Trump managed to make a quick, vague reference to U.S. investigations regarding space exploration (emphasis ours).

Since his election, Trump has refrained from directly discussing his plans for NASA and U.S. space policy himself — instead allowing his team to do that work for him, and also by letting the appointments to his NASA transition team essentially speak for themselves.

Read more at: Inverse

Elon Musk’s Surprising Secret Weapon: Trump?

Just days before Donald Trump won the election, Elon Musk expressed a common sentiment in Silicon Valley: “He is not the right guy.” But it turns out Trump may be the right guy for Musk and his businesses.

In recent weeks, the Tesla (TSLA) and SpaceX CEO has been named to Trump’s team of business advisers and visited Trump Tower twice. The first time he was part of a big meeting with tech CEOs; the second came earlier this month for a private meeting with Trump’s top aides. The blossoming relationship between Musk and Trump’s camp has caught the attention of Tesla investors.

“Elon Musk has an important line of communication to Donald Trump through his role as a strategic advisor to the President-elect,” Adam Jonas, an analyst with Morgan Stanley, wrote in an investor note Thursday.

Read more at: CNN

Going into Space Helped Teach the World to Work Together

In episode fifteen of Future First, we take a look at how the space race helped to foster new international cooperation—even though it started up during the Cold War. The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, which created NASA, is just one example of that spirit of collaboration. The act states that “it is the policy of the United States that activities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes for the benefit of all mankind.” Former NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver tells us more.

Read more at: Popsci