TOP NEWS

Head Of Russian Human Spaceflight Program Dies After COVID-19 Diagnosis

Yevgeny Mikrin, the head of Russia’s human spaceflight program, has died, the country’s space agency Roscosmos confirmed Tuesday (May 5). The statement did not specify a cause of death. Mikrin, who was in his mid-60s, tested positive for the new coronavirus last month.

Before his diagnosis, Mikrin had attended the April 9 launch of a Soyuz spacecraft carrying a NASA astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts to the International Space Station. On April 28, Roscosmos Director General Dmitry Rogozin said on Twitter that the incubation period for any crew exposure to the coronavirus had passed and that the astronauts were feeling fine.

Read more at: Space.com

China’s New Spacecraft—Which Resembles A Crew Dragon—Just Landed

China’s new—and as yet unnamed—spacecraft safely returned to Earth on Friday after a three-day mission. Under the care of three parachutes, the spacecraft came to a rest in a Chinese desert at 1:49am ET (05:49 UTC). Images released by the Chinese space corporation showed a singed but intact spacecraft.

For China this was a historic flight, sending an uncrewed prototype of its next-generation spacecraft to an altitude of 8,000km. The mission also served to test a new variant of the country’s most powerful rocket, the Long March 5B, which also was deemed a success.

Read more at: Arstechnica

China Plans To Complete Space Station By 2022

China plans to send four crewed space missions and the same number of cargo craft to complete work on its permanent space station within about two years, officials said after the launch of a newly designed spacecraft aboard the latest heavy-lift rocket.

The announcement by the country’s crewed space program further cements China’s aspirations to rival the U.S., Europe, Russia and private companies in outer space exploration.

The unmanned spacecraft and its return capsule were flung into space aboard a Long March 5B rocket in its debut flight Tuesday evening from the Wenchang launch center in the southern island province of Hainan.

Read more at: ABCnews

China’s Unmanned Spacecraft Makes A Successful Return To Earth⁠— Racing Ahead Of India On The Path To Having A Space Station

China’s manned space program is well on its way to constructing a space station by 2022. Today, its next gen spacecraft made a successful landing after orbiting the Earth for 2 days and 20 hours.India also has similar plans of setting up a space station but its fate remains uncertain with the current coronavirus lockdown in effect.

Read more at: Business insider

U.S. Military Tracking Unguided Re-Entry Of Large Chinese Rocket

A Chinese rocket measuring around 100 feet long that launched earlier this month will likely plunge back into Earth’s atmosphere some time Monday, becoming the most massive object in decades to fall out of orbit in an uncontrolled manner.

The core stage of China’s Long March 5B rocket is expected to fall back to Earth unguided after nearly a week in orbit. The Long March 5B rocket launched May 5 with a prototype for a next-generation Chinese crew capsule.

Read more at: Spaceflight Now

Roscosmos Confirms Destruction Of Russian Fregat Upper Stage’s Tank In Space

The TsNIIMash rocket and spacecraft scientific center has confirmed the destruction in the earth’s orbit of tanks of the Russian Fregat-SB upper stage, the press service of Roscosmos space agency told TASS on Sunday.

It said the upper stage was used to place into orbit Spektr-P scientific satellite in 2011. Measurement data is being collected, the number and parameters of the orbits of detected fragments is being specified, Roscosmos said.

According to the space corporation, the breakup occurred on May 8 within the time interval of 8:00-9:00 DMT over the Indian Ocean.

Read more at: TASS

Dragon Astronauts Wrap Up Training, Prepare To Enter Quarantine

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley completed their final training sessions in Houston this week before their scheduled May 27 liftoff on a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft from the Kennedy Space Center, the first launch of humans from the Florida spaceport since 2011.

The two veteran space fliers participated in their final full-up launch simulation Monday, strapping into a Dragon simulator at the Johnson Space Center in Houston and tying in with SpaceX and NASA teams at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California.

Behnken tweeted Thursday that the crew’s formal training activities were complete. The astronauts were expected to have a few days of off-duty time before preparing to travel from their home base in Houston to the Kennedy Space Center on May 20.

Read more at: Spaceflight Now

MRI Reveals Long-Term Effects Of Space Travel On The Brain

Space travel causes long-lasting changes in the brain’s white matter volume and the shape of the pituitary gland, US researchers report after a longitudinal study of 11 astronauts. The findings may have health implications for the crew of future, long-haul space missions – and may help shine light on related conditions back on Earth.

Following expeditions to the International Space Station, more than half of astronauts reported experiencing changes to their vision – most commonly in the development of farsightedness, but also manifesting as mild headaches and, in severe cases, as a loss in both near and distant acuity.

Read more at: Physics world

Study Reveals How Spaceflight Affects Risk Of Blood Clots In Female Astronauts

A study of female astronauts has assessed the risk of blood clots associated with spaceflight.

The study, published in Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance, in collaboration with King’s College London, the Centre for Space Medicine Baylor College of Medicine, NASA Johnson Space Centre and the International Space University, examines the potential risk factors for developing a blood clot (venous thromboembolism) in space.

The findings, which looked at 38 female astronaut flights between 2000 and 2014, found spaceflight and combined oral contraceptive pill (COCP) use does not appear to increase the risk of venous thromboemoblism (VTE).

Read more at: Eurekalert

SPACE HAZARDS & STM

The Cost of Space Debris

With hundreds of satellites launched every year, in-space collisions and the creation of fast-moving fragments of space debris – or ‘space junk’ – are becoming increasingly likely, threatening our continued human and technological presence in space.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) recently published its first report on the economic cost of space debris. Using research from numerous sources, including data and analysis from ESA’s Space Debris Office, it outlines the dangers ahead if we do not act, and what can be done to ensure our future in space.

Read more at: ESA

Astroscale Signs MOU With Northumbria University to Advance Standardization of End-of-Life Practices in the Satellite Industry

Astroscale Holdings Inc. (“Astroscale”), the market-leader in developing technology and services to remove space debris and secure long-term orbital sustainability, today announced it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Professor Chris Newman, Professor of Space Law and Policy at Northumbria University, Newcastle, to collaborate on investigating end-of-life standards and practices from various industries, such as oil and nuclear energy. The project will highlight the need for shared knowledge from such decommissioning initiatives which can be applied to the satellite industry, encouraging responsible behavior in space and improving space environmental protection.

Read more at: Astroscale

Stanford’s Scott Hubbard Contributed To New ‘Planetary Quarantine’ Report Reviewing Risks Of Alien Contamination

In Michael Crichton’s 1969 novel The Andromeda Strain, a deadly alien microbe hitches a ride to Earth aboard a downed military satellite and scientists must race to contain it. While fictional, the plot explores a very real and longstanding concern shared by NASA and world governments: that spacefaring humans, or our robotic emissaries, may unwittingly contaminate Earth with extraterrestrial life or else biologically pollute other planets we visit.

Read more at: Stanford

NASA CubeSat Mission to Gather Vital Space Weather Data

NASA has selected a new pathfinding CubeSat mission to gather data not collected since the agency flew the Dynamics Explorer in the early 1980s.

The new mission, called Dione after the ancient Greek goddess of the oracles, will carry four miniaturized instruments to study how Earth’s upper atmospheric layers react to the ever-changing flow of solar energy into the magnetosphere — the enveloping bubble of magnetic field around Earth that deflects most of the particles that erupt from the Sun. Earth’s upper atmosphere is where most low-Earth-orbiting satellites reside, and their orbits are strongly affected by sudden density changes created by space weather.

Read more at: NASA

Tiny Asteroid’s Super-Close Earth Flyby Shows Planetary Protection In Action, Scientists Say

It was a bright speck in the night. On April 27, something caught the eyes of astronomers poring through data gathered by the Pan-STARRS Observatory in Hawaii: a previously unknown space rock, and one that was very, very close to Earth.

Coincidentally, the alert came as a rather large asteroid (called 1998 OR2) was making its closest approach to Earth. That space rock, which was discovered decades ago, is about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) wide. On April 28, it flew by Earth at a range of about 3.9 million miles (6.3 million km), about 16 times the distance from Earth to the moon. That distance is pretty bland for Earth flybys; it was the asteroid’s size that made the event intriguing.

Read more at: Space.com

NEW SPACE

‘We’ve Grown Up’: Spacex’s Failures Prepared It To Launch Its First NASA Astronauts, Says Rocket Company President Gwynne Shotwell

SpaceX, for the first time in the company’s 18-year history, is poised to rocket humans into space.

But the company wouldn’t have grown enough to be ready for the feat if not for its many failures, Gwynne Shotwell, president and chief operating officer, said Friday during a series of NASA press briefings.

“We’ve grown up,” Shotwell told Business Insider. “It was a little Wild West early on, but candidly I think that those beginnings and those roots are critically important to our success.”

Read more at: Business insider

Airbus and Xenesis Sign Payload Contract for New Bartolomeo Platform on the International Space Station

Airbus and Xenesis have signed a contract for a payload slot on the International Space Station (ISS) Bartolomeo platform for the demonstration of their Xen-Hub optical communication space terminal.

The Xen-Hub is a greater than 10 gigabyte per second optical communications terminal. The terminal was enabled with a technology transfer from the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory and is designed to increase satellite communications bandwidth.

Read more at: Airbus

FAA Establishes Spaceport Office To Support Growing Number Of Launch Sites

As the Federal Aviation Administration licenses another commercial spaceport, it has formally opened an office to address the issues facing such launch sites.

The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) issued a launch site operators license, better known as a spaceport license, May 5 to the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority. The license allows the authority to conduct launches from Space Coast Regional Airport in Titusville, Florida.

The authority spent the last several years working on a spaceport license application, including an environmental assessment whose draft was published in December. The authority noted in those documents that while it could host a variety of commercial launch vehicles designed to take off and land on runways, it did not have an agreement at the time with any particular launch company to use the facility.

Read more at: Spacenews

VOX Space Signs Deal To Fly Launcherone From Andersen Air Force Base In Guam

VOX Space, the Virgin Orbit subsidiary focused on the national security market, has signed an agreement with the U.S. Air Force that allows the company’s LauncherOne to fly missions from Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.

VOX Space President Mandy Vaughn and U.S. Air Force 36th Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Gentry Boswell signed last month what is known as a Commercial Space Operations Support Agreement, the company announced May 7.

The U.S. Air Force last year agreed to let VOX launch the STP-27VP mission from the Pacific island of Guam. Under the new agreement, VOX will get access to the launch site on Andersen Air Force Base for future missions as well.

Read more at: Spacenews

Virgin Orbit Chief Explains Plans For First UK Spaceport – ‘Enormously Exciting!’

Dan Hart said he was confident launches will take place from Spaceport Cornwall, situated at Newquay airport, by early 2022. Spaceport Cornwall has received funding from the UK Space Agency and Cornwall County Council.

It will take small satellites into space via so called ‘horizontal launches’, meaning they will initially be carried by Boeing 747’s that will then launch them into space.

Virgin Orbit had hoped the first launches from Cornwall would take place in 2021, but this could be delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Read more at: Express

Amazon Reportedly Registers Interest In Bankrupt Oneweb’s Broadband Satellite Constellation Assets

Amazon is among the players in a bankruptcy bidding game with the assets of the OneWeb satellite venture at stake, according to Space Intel Report.

Quoting unnamed industry officials, Space Intel Report’s Peter B. de Selding says other potential bidders include two Chinese organizations that are apparently acting on behalf of the Chinese government; the Paris-based satellite operator Eutelsat, which apparently has the backing of the French government and several other European Union member states; and Cerberus Capital Management, a New York-based private equity firm with interesting connections.

Read more at: Geekwire

Virgin Galactic, NASA Teaming Up On Superfast ‘Point To Point’ Flight

Virgin Galactic and NASA will work together to help get superfast air travel off the ground.

NASA has signed a Space Act Agreement with Virgin Galactic and its manufacturing subsidiary, The Spaceship Company, representatives of the suborbital spaceflight company announced on Tuesday (May 5).

The deal is designed to foster collaboration “in order to advance the United States’ efforts to produce technically feasible, high-Mach vehicles for potential civil applications,” Virgin Galactic representatives said in a statement.

Read more at: Space.com

Northrop Grumman Bullish On Future Of On-Orbit Servicing

After successfully completing the first docking of two commercial spacecraft on orbit and returning their client satellite back to service, Northrop Grumman is bullish on the market for its new satellite life-extension service.

“When we look at the market, we are bullish, but cautious that this is the first of a kind, and we want to continue to march through milestones of succession that would lead us to believe that we can accomplish this much broader set of servicing missions,” Northrop CEO and President Kathy Warden in an April 29 earnings call.

Read more at: c4isrnet

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Graphene Sets Sail In Microgravity

Overseas exploration and trade during the Age of Discovery (15th-17th centuries) were possible by sail technology, and deep-space exploration will require the same for the coming Age of NewSpace. This time, however, the new sails shall move with light instead of wind, for which these light sails need to be extremely large, thin, lightweight, reflective and strong.

In a light-hearted leap for humankind, ESA-backed researchers demonstrate the laser-propulsion of graphene sails in microgravity. In an article recently published in Acta Astronautica, they report a scalable design that minimizes the overall sail mass and hence increases their thrust upon light irradiation.

Read more at: Eurekalert

North Pole’s Largest-Ever Ozone Hole Finally Closes

After looming above the Arctic for nearly a month, the single largest ozone hole ever detected over the North Pole has finally closed, researchers from the European Union’s Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) reported.

“The unprecedented 2020 Northern Hemisphere ozone hole has come to an end,” CAMS researchers tweeted on April 23.

Read more at: Space.com

SEAKR Moving Forward with DARPA’s Pit Boss Project

SEAKR Engineering will continue developing the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Pit Boss as the sole prime contractor, the company announced April 28.

Pit Boss is the autonomous mission management system that will be used for DARPA’s Project Blackjack, an initiative to demonstrate the value of a proliferated low earth orbit constellation that takes advantage of off-the-shelf commercial satellite technologies for military uses. According to DARPA, Pit Boss will be able to take data collected by the satellites, process it on orbit and then disseminate that information to users or platforms on Earth without human input.

Read more at: C4isrnet

Ultrasound For Space Offers Remote Diagnosis To Patients On Earth

Radiologists are investigating people’s medical conditions and pregnancies remotely thanks to an ESA-backed robotic technology.

The set-up enables medics to care for some patients at a distance during the coronavirus pandemic.

The system is already being used by rural hospitals, care homes and prisons across Europe and in Canada to investigate cardiac, abdominal, pelvic and urinary tract conditions.

It could also be used as an alternative to chest X-rays to diagnose pneumonia in patients infected by COVID-19, relieving the pressure on hospital facilities.

Read more at: ESA

Transporting Energy Through A Single Molecular Nanowire

Photosynthetic systems in nature transport energy very efficiently towards a reaction centre, where it is converted into a useful form for the organism. Scientists have been using this as inspiration to learn how to transport energy efficiently in, for example, molecular electronics. Physicist Richard Hildner from the University of Groningen and his colleagues have investigated energy transport in an artificial system made from nanofibres. The results were published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Read more at: Nanodaily

SPACE POLICY

How NASA Can Expand Its Private Partnerships

NASA should build on successful programs already in the works to increase partnerships with the commercial space sector, recommends the new chair of the NASA Advisory Council’s Regulatory and Policy Committee.

Andrew Rush, the CEO of Made in Space, a space manufacturing company, was appointed Monday to a three-year term overseeing the panel that provides regulatory and policy recommendations to NASA leadership.

Read more at: Politico

Congress Asks For GAO Investigation Of ISS National Lab

The leadership of the House Science Committee has asked the Government Accountability Office to examine the operations of the portion of the International Space Station designated a national lab, including whether reforms planned by NASA will be effective.

In a May 1 letter, Reps. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas) and Frank Lucas (R-Okla.), the chair and ranking member of the full committee, asked the GAO to examine management by the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space (CASIS) of the ISS National Lab, or ISSNL. Reps. Kendra Horn (D-Okla.) and Brian Babin (R-Texas), chair and ranking member of the space subcommittee, also signed the letter.

Read more at: Spacenews

Kremlin Says U.S. Moon Mining Proposals Need Thorough Legal Analysis

The Kremlin on Wednesday said a U.S.-proposed legal blueprint for mining on the moon would need to be analysed thoroughly to check if it complies with international law.

The Trump administration is drafting the proposals under a new U.S.-sponsored international agreement called the Artemis Accords, people familiar with the proposed pact told Reuters, and that Russia, a major partner with NASA on the International Space Station, would not be an early partner.

Read more at: Reuters

National Space Council In Discussions On FCC Orbital Debris Policies

The National Space Council is in discussions with the Federal Communications Commission and other agencies about new orbital debris mitigation regulations after the FCC deferred a decision last month on a controversial set of measures.

In a May 6 podcast by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Scott Pace, executive secretary of the National Space Council, said he was concerned that some of the FCC’s proposals, including those that would have required “performance bonds” for satellite operators, could put American companies at a disadvantage.

Read more at: Spacenews

Colorado Lawmaker Going To Bat For Space Industry In Pandemic

Congress must resist the temptation to cut funding from military space programs despite the enormous financial pressure on the defense budget from combating the coronavirus, says Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.), a member of the House Armed Services Committee.

Lamborn, whose district includes a host of space companies and is lining up to host the headquarters of the new U.S. Space Command, believes supporting space programs is one of the best things Congress can do to help the wider space industry get through the economic uncertainty wrought by the pandemic.

Read more at: Politico

Rocket Lab Boss Peter Beck Warns Government Against Acting As Venture Capitalists

One of the country’s most successful entrepreneurs is warning the Government against acting as venture capitalists, and bailing out struggling start-ups.

The Covid-19 crisis has caused venture capital to dry up, and some new startups are looking to Government subsidies for support.

Rocket Lab chief executive Peter Beck told Newstalk ZB’s Andrew Dickens the Government shouldn’t take up the role of the venture capital industry and isn’t in the position to take risks.

Read more at: NZherald

Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee Chairwoman Horn Holds Bipartisan Teleconference on NASA’s Response to COVID-19

Today, the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology’s Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics held a bipartisan teleconference with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Jim Bridenstine and Dr. Mike Watkins, Director at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The purpose of the teleconference was for Members to discuss NASA’s uniquely skilled workforce and their activities and role in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including the Ventilator Intervention Technology Accessible Locally (VITAL), which was designed and developed by JPL engineers in 37 days.

Read more at: house.gov

Coronavirus Could Shrink European Space Industry By 1 Billion Euros, Politicians Warn

Seven members of the European Parliament, the legislative branch of the European Union, are pushing for a recovery plan for space companies hurt by the coronavirus pandemic. 

The parliamentarians wrote to Thierry Breton, a commissioner overseeing space in the EU’s executive branch, the European Commission, estimating that the European space sector could contract by 1 billion euros ($1.08 billion) in 2020, equivalent to 12.5% of the industry’s collective revenue. 

Read more at: Spacenews

SPACE DEFENCE

Here Are A Few Of The Experiments Hitching A Ride On The Air Force’s Secret Space Plane

When the secretive X-37B space plane returns to orbit on May 16, it will be carrying more experiments than it has on any previous mission, including one that will transmit solar energy from space to the ground via microwave energy.

“The X-37B team continues to exemplify the kind of lean, agile and forward-leaning technology development we need as a nation in the space domain,” said U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John “Jay” Raymond. “Each launch represents a significant milestone and advancement in terms of how we build, test, and deploy space capabilities in a rapid and responsive manner.”

Read more at: c4isrnet

Japan To Launch ASDF Space Unit To Monitor Threat To Satellites

Japan will launch its first space operations unit within the Air Self-Defense Force on May 18 to monitor threats to Japanese satellites in outer space, Defense Minister Taro Kono has said.

The Space Domain Mission Unit will be tasked with tracking space debris and meteorites that could hit Japanese surveillance satellites orbiting earth, Kono said Friday.

“Countermeasures against (space) debris are extremely important. We will look into expanding the scale of the unit in the future,” he told a news conference.

Read more at: Japan times

EXCLUSIVE: GPS Fight Erupts As Trimble Accuses Ligado Of ‘Inaccurate’ Claims In FCC Ruling

Trimble, one of the the GPS manufacturers caught up in DoD’s battle to block the FCC’s approval of Ligado’s planned 5G mobile communications network, is accusing Ligado of misrepresentation.

“Ligado has made inaccurate statements about Trimble’s agreement with Ligado, and these inaccurate statements are reflected in the FCC’s decision,” a spokesperson told Breaking D in an email today.

Ligado has swung back, arguing that Trimble has simply changed its mind in the wake of objections by some of its major customers — which not surprisingly include DoD and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Read more at: Breakingdefense

Space Force To Get Deeper Insight Into Inner Workings Of SpaceX Commercial Launches

SpaceX on May 6 was awarded an $8.9 million contract modification that gives the U.S. Space Force direct insight into the inner workings of the company’s commercial and civil space missions.

The contract for “non-National Security Space fleet surveillance” gives the Space Force access to SpaceX missions until November.

“This contract provides for non-NSS fleet surveillance efforts across the SpaceX family of launch vehicles for non-NSS missions,” said the contract announcement. The $8.9 million is an addition to an existing $297 million contract awarded to SpaceX in February 2019 for three national security launches.

Read more at: Spacenews

How Low-Earth Orbit Satellites Will Enable Connectivity Across All Domains Of Warfare

The Space Development Agency will provide the unifying element in the Defense Department’s future Joint All-Domain Command and Control concept, pulling together tactical networks developed by the services with a constellation of low-Earth orbit satellites.

With the JADC2 concept, the department envisions an overarching network capable of connecting sensors to shooters regardless of where they are located. That means U.S. Air Force sensors could feed data to U.S. Army shooters, or even National Reconnaissance Office sensors could send information to U.S. Air Force shooters.

Read more at: c4isrnet

China In Space: Does US Contest Or Cooperate?

The US must find a balance between countering China’s antisatellite (ASAT) weapons efforts and cooperating with it to stave off broader risks to the space operational environment, says a new Brookings Institution report.

“The United States faces a fundamental dilemma as it attempts to effectively manage China’s rise as a major actor in outer space,” says author Frank Rose, State Department assistant secretary for arms control under President Barak Obama.

Read more at: Breakingdefense

19 Dead As Iran Warship Hit By ‘Friendly Fire’ In Tense Gulf

An Iranian warship was hit by a friendly fire missile during naval exercises, killing 19 sailors, state media and the army said Monday, amid tensions with the US in Gulf waters.

The incident involving the Konarak vessel occurred on Sunday afternoon near Bandar-e Jask, off the southern coast of the Islamic republic, state television’s website said.

“The vessel was hit after moving a practice target to its destination and not creating enough distance between itself and the target,” said the channel.

Read more at: Spacewar

VARIOUS

Firefly Aerospace Achieves AS9100 Quality Certification

Firefly Aerospace, Inc., a leading provider of economical and dependable launch vehicles, spacecraft, and in-space services, today announced it has secured AS9100 quality certification as it advances from developmental to production phase ahead of the inaugural flight of its Alpha launch vehicle later this year.

Firefly has passed all quality audit requirements and received its AS9100 certification, the widely adopted and standardized benchmark designed to ensure quality management practices across the aerospace industry. Additionally, Firefly requires all suppliers to be AS9100 certified, which has bolstered its quality assurance program as qualification tests this spring lead to full production capabilities.

Read more at: Firefly

Practicing Retrieving Astronaut Spacecraft At Sea, SpaceX Vessel Rescues Stranded Boater

Preparing for the first astronaut launch from Florida’s Coast in almost a decade, SpaceX’s boat Go Searcher and crew were out running some drills Friday when they plucked a stranded boater out of the Atlantic Ocean, according to Port Canaveral officials and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Go Searcher vessel was practicing recovering the Crew Dragon capsule when its crew pulled a man from the ocean around 1 p.m., according to the Port Authority. The spacecraft will land in the Atlantic after returning from space or in the event of a launch abort.

Read more at: Clickorlando

‘Should Be A Lot Of Fun!’ – Why Tom Cruise Shooting A Movie In Space Is Such A Big Deal

Glance at the news headlines today and you’d be forgiven for being a bit incredulous. NASA is working with Tom Cruise to produce the first feature film in space. But why?

Like it or loathe it, this news is the start of what could be a rather interesting new era of human spaceflight. Gone might be the days of mostly military test pilots and NASA-trained specialists going to space. Now, it’s open to you – if you’re super rich.

Read more at: Forbes

11th IAASS Conference – Poster A2