TOP NEWS

Branson’s Virgin Orbit Fails On First Rocket Launch Attempt

Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit failed Monday in its first test launch of a new rocket carried aloft by a Boeing 747 and released over the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California.

The inaugural launch had appeared to be going well until moments after the rocket was dropped from beneath the left wing of the jumbo jet dubbed Cosmic Girl.

“We’ve confirmed a clean release from the aircraft. However, the mission terminated shortly into the flight. Cosmic Girl and our flight crew are safe and returning to base,” Virgin Orbit said in its official Twitter commentary on the launch.

Read more at: ABCnews

NASA Declares That SpaceX Is Ready To Fly Its First Crewed Mission

On Thursday and Friday, senior managers from NASA, SpaceX, and the space agency’s international partners held long meetings to review all of the aspects of an upcoming flight of the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft.

These discussions must have gone well, because on Friday afternoon, NASA officials emerged with a clear message: “There are no significant issues,” said NASA Associate Administrator Steve Jurczyk, who led the meetings behind closed doors at Kennedy Space Center. “In the end, it was a very clean review. We are ready to launch.”

Read more at: Arstechnica

Examining Crew Dragon’s Launch Abort Modes And Splashdown Locations

It’s a cliché statement to say Demo-2 will usher in a new era for human space exploration. That much is certain.

But with each new crew launch vehicle comes the inevitable question: how will Crew Dragon actually perform a launch abort and how will it aim itself to predetermined locations in the Atlantic Ocean stretching from the Kennedy Space Center across to the western Irish coast?

Crew Dragon has eight abort modes for Demo-2, one on the pad and seven in-flight.

Read more at: NASA spaceflight

SpaceX Now Dominates Rocket Flight, Bringing Big Benefits—And Risks—To NASA

On 27 May, NASA will launch people into space from U.S. soil for the first time since 2011, when the space shuttle Atlantis roared aloft on its final voyage. This time, astronauts will be riding to the International Space Station (ISS) not on a NASA rocket, but aboard vehicles bought from the private space company SpaceX: the Dragon 2 capsule atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

The occasion marks yet another milestone for the private California company, which over the past decade has gone from underdog to dominator. SpaceX now handles about two-thirds of NASA’s launches, including many research payloads, with flights as cheap as $62 million, roughly two-thirds the price of a rocket from United Launch Alliance, a competitor.

Read more at: Sciencemag

Loverro: “No Regrets”

Doug Loverro has no regrets about the actions he took that led to his sudden departure last night as the head of NASA’s human spaceflight program. The news shocked the NASA community just two days before a pivotal review in preparation for the first launch of astronauts from American soil since 2011.

In an interview with SpacePolicyOnline.com, Loverro declined to provide any details or confirm other reporting about what led NASA to ask to him to resign so suddenly.  He referred to his statement to colleagues today where he explained that he took a risk earlier in the year “because I judged it necessary to fulfill our mission.”  But now “it is clear that I made a mistake in that choice for which I alone must bear the consequences.”

Read more at: Spacepolicy online

Here’s Why NASA’s Chief Of Human Spaceflight Resigned—And Why It Matters

On Tuesday, NASA announced that its chief of human spaceflight, Doug Loverro, had resigned after just six months of working at the space agency. This news, coming just eight days before NASA’s first launch of humans in nine years, has rocked the civil aerospace community and kicked up a flurry of rumors.

This post will attempt to assess what we know, and what we don’t know, about his departure and what it means for the space agency’s human spaceflight programs moving forward.

Read more at: Arstechnica

NASA’s SLS Core Stage Green Run Tests Critical Systems For Artemis I

NASA is resuming work on a series of tests to bring the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket core stage to life for the first time, allowing engineers to evaluate the new complex stage that will launch the Artemis I lunar mission.

In January, engineers began activating the stage’s components one by one over several months through a series of initial tests and functional checks designed to identify any issues. Those tests and checks collectively called Green Run will culminate in a test fire replicating the stage’s first flight.

Read more at: Technology

US Space Council Meets Ahead Of Private, US Crewed Launch

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence held a meeting of the National Space Council on Tuesday, just over a week before the program is set to launch astronauts into space from American soil.

The meeting was held virtually, with Pence in Washington, and NASA administrators and astronauts checking in remotely. The vice president noted that the project stayed on schedule, even amid the coronavirus pandemic. He said the May 27 launch will be an inspiration to the country.

Read more at: Spacedaily

More Details Of China’s Space Station Unveiled

After the successful maiden flight of the Long March-5B large rocket and the testing of China’s new-generation manned spaceship, more details of China’s space station have been unveiled.

The space station, expected to be completed around 2022, will operate in the low-Earth orbit at an altitude from 340 km to 450 km for more than 10 years, supporting large-scale scientific, technological and application experiments, according to a report in the People’s Daily.

The space station Tiangong, meaning Heavenly Palace, will be able to accommodate three astronauts in normal circumstances and up to six during a crew replacement.

Read more at: Spacedaily

JAXA HTV-9 Spacecraft Carries Science, Technology to the International Space Station

A Japanese cargo spacecraft loaded with experiment hardware, supplies and spare parts is scheduled to launch from the Tanegashima Space Center in southern Japan to the International Space Station at 1:30 p.m. EDT Wednesday, May 20 (2:30 a.m. May 21 in Japan). The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) unpiloted H-II Transport Vehicle-9 (HTV-9) carries investigations testing a new livestreaming educational tool, microscope and telescope.

Read more at: Technology

How SpaceX’s Sleek Spacesuit Changes Astronaut Fashion From The Space Shuttle Era

A new breed of spaceship requires a new breed of spacesuits.

For the first time since the space shuttle era a decade ago, American astronauts are expected to fly to space aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft May 27, marking the first commercial crew flight for NASA and the first time astronauts will launch from American soil in nearly a decade.

Long-time space watchers will notice one thing different about the spiffy spacesuits that Crew-1 astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley will wear: they are not the orange “pumpkin” flight suits astronauts used to wear during the launch phase of shuttle flights managed by NASA.

Read more at: Space.com

New ‘Spaceport’ Wins Funding

Andøya, a narrow scenic island along the coast of Northern Norway, may see its fortunes revived after losing much of its military population to other sites. Now the government has earmarked up to NOK 365 million to finance a new satellite launch station on the island.

Called the Andøya Spaceport, construction of the new launch site may now start this fall. “The government wants this project to be realized,” Trade Minister Iselin Nybø of the Liberal Party told state broadcaster NRK on Thursday. “This offers opportunities for a new space adventure on Andøya.” She also hopes it can further develop knowledge and technologic competence in Norway.

Read more at: newsinenglish

Bridenstine Criticizes China For Uncontrolled Rocket Reentry

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine criticized China May 15 for the “really dangerous” reentry of a large rocket stage earlier in the week that led to debris landing in Africa.

In brief comments opening the online meeting of the NASA Advisory Council’s Regulatory and Policy Committee, Bridenstine used the May 11 reentry of the Long March 5B core stage as an example of the behavior that was contrary to the norms of behavior for space activities NASA sought to endorse through its Artemis Accords.

Read more at: Spacenews

Most Satellite Operators Fail To Follow Space Debris Rules: NASA

Fewer than half of global space operators comply with the current 25-year deadline for disposal of dead satellites, contributing to the ever-growing amount of junk littering space and putting active satellites in danger, says the head of NASA’s Orbital Debris office J.C. Liou.

“The reality is that the global compliance level is far less than 50 percent. The takeaway message here is that the global space community must improve compliance with orbital debris mitigation best practices. That is the number one priority,” Liou told a webinar sponsored by Brookings Institution.

Read more at: Breakingdefense

The 8th May 2020 Prograde Bolide Registered On 8 BRAMON Cameras

A great flash followed by a strong explosive sound.

Videos registered in 8 cameras in 7 cities in Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Paraná. According to preliminary analysis, the object followed a prograde trajectory from southwest to northeast, starting its luminous phase at about 64 km height, between Araxá and Uberaba. It shone bright headed towards the northeast at a speed of 15.36 km/s until it exploded at a height of 30 Km, close to the Municipality of Tiros, in Minas Gerais.

Read more at: Meteornews

Why ESA and NASA’s SOHO Spacecraft Spots So Many Comets

The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory, a joint mission between the European Space Agency and NASA, was not designed to find comets — its original goal was to study the Sun from its deep core to the outer layers of its atmosphere. But building new observatories can thankfully bring in discoveries that are entirely unexpected. Nearly 25 years since its launch, data from this space-based solar observatory has led to the discovery of well over half of all known comets — upwards of 3,950 new comets found.

Though the SOHO team anticipated the spacecraft would discover some new comets, they never expected to find nearly 4,000 of them. The huge number of SOHO-discovered comets comes thanks to a combination of well-designed instruments, a long lifespan, the hard work of citizen scientists and a little bit of luck.

Read more at: NASA

U.S. Space Command Signs Space Data Sharing Agreement With Peru

Peru is the latest nation to join a U.S.-led network of countries that share information on space objects tracked by satellites and ground sensors.

Gen. John Raymond, chief of space operations of the U.S. Space Force and commander of U.S. Space Command, told reporters on May 20 that United States signed a new space situational awareness agreement this month with Peru.

A spokesman for U.S. Space Command said the agreement was signed last week between Maj. Gen. Javier Tuesta Marquez, from the National Commission on Aerospace Research and Development of the Republic of Peru (CONIDA) and Rear Adm. Marcus Hitchcock, U.S. Space Command’s director of strategy, plans and policy.

Read more at: Spacenews

A Crowd In Space: Tens Of Thousands Of Satellites Planned For Orbit

Space, that final frontier, could become very crowded very soon.

There are an estimated 2,200 satellites orbiting the Earth at present, but telecommunications companies are launching dozens of new satellites regularly in hopes of providing high-speed broadband internet access to the entire planet.

Just how many satellites are we talking about? London-based OneWeb planned to launch nearly 400 this year and ultimately have 650 in place. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has put 240 into orbit since last spring and could have 1,000 more launched by the end of the year. The company hopes to deploy as many as 42,000 satellites for its Starlink internet system.

Read more at: liber

NEW SPACE

The NASA Monopoly On US Orbital Spaceflight Is Ending

NASA’s monopoly on American astronaut activities in low-Earth orbit (LEO) is ending, and that’s just what the space agency wants. 

For decades NASA was the only real U.S. space customer, developer and service provider. When you look at LEO activities in terms of “platforms and crew and transportation service providers, you can see it was pretty much a monopolistic paradigm,” Phil McAlister, director of the commercial spaceflight division at NASA Headquarters, said May 14 during a virtual meeting of the Human Exploration Operations (HEO) Committee, which is part of NASA’s advisory council. 

Read more at: Space.com

Why It’s ‘Dangerous’ For The Government To Bail Out New Space

Venture capital funding has nearly dried up during the coronavirus pandemic and while the government must step in to help new space companies, it must be careful not to replace private investors who help drive innovation, a space industry leader warns.

“If you take somebody else’s job and you displace that person’s job, they no longer have a reason to exist,” said Peter Beck, founder and CEO of California-based small launch company Rocket Lab. “So if the government fills the role of venture capitalist, that’s very unhealthy because that market is critical to innovation and to growing companies. You don’t want to take over the role of VCs.”

Read more at: politico

D-Orbit Preps For In-Orbit Transportation Business With Upcoming Arianespace And SpaceX Launches

talian space company D-Orbit will launch its first cubesat deployer in June on an Arianespace Vega, paving the way for an upgraded deployer in December on a SpaceX Falcon 9 capable of in-space maneuvers, a company official said May 21. 

Bruno Carvalho, D-Orbit’s vice president of business development, said the company hopes to launch one of its ION propulsive cubesat deployers every two to three months after proving out the system and lining up customers. 

D-Orbit’s first ION deployer will release into a single orbit 12 Doves for Earth-observation company Planet, Carvalho said by email. The next ION will be bigger, featuring a “very capable propulsion system” that can move satellites to different orbits and altitudes, he said. 

Read more at: Spacenews

Defence Partners With Aussie ‘Elon Musk’

Gilmour Space Technologies will work with Defence Science and Technology (DST) to develop a three-stage hybrid rocket that will launch small satellites by 2022, the government announced on Thursday.

CEO and co-founder Adam Gilmour told Government News the government is interested in using the satellites for communications, bushfire and monitoring and defence intelligence.

“They don’t have to be mega spy satellites,” he said. “You can have small satellites with cameras that can detect boats, or a change in a scenario.

Read more at: Governmentnews

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

The Flame of Discovery Grows as Saffire Sets New Fires in Space

NASA ignited another set of space fire experiments last week when Saffire IV lit a number of longer, stronger flames inside Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft. Saffire, NASA’s Spacecraft Fire Safety Demonstration Project, is a series of six experiments that investigate how fires grow and spread in space, especially aboard future spacecraft bound for the Moon and Mars.

Just like Saffires I, II and III, the researchers began the experiment in Cygnus after it completed its primary International Space Station resupply mission and departed to a safe distance away from the station.

Read more at: Technology

Going Nuclear On The Moon And Mars

It might sound like science fiction, but scientists are preparing to build colonies on the moon and, eventually, Mars. With NASA planning its next human mission to the moon in 2024, researchers are looking for options to power settlements on the lunar surface.

According to a new article in Chemical & Engineering News, the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society, nuclear fission reactors have emerged as top candidates to generate electricity in space.

Read more at: Technology

A New Plasma Engine Will Allow Less Expensive, More Efficient, And Longer Space Missions

Researchers at Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) have patented a new spatial plasma-fueled engine capable of satellite and spacecraft propulsion, with magnetic field geometry and configuration that would minimize losses on walls and their erosion, thereby resolving issues of efficiency, durability, and operating restrictions of engines that are currently in orbit.

The plasma engines of today consume less propellant than chemical combustion rockets, enabling them to carry out lighter space missions, and as such, less costly ones. However, there have complexity and durability problems: in order to operate they need metallic electrodes in contact with the plasma, which over time erode to the point that the device stops working.

Read more at: Technology

NRL Conducts First Test Of Solar Power Satellite Hardware In Orbit

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory engineers launched PRAM, the Photovoltaic Radio-frequency Antenna Module, aboard an Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle on May 17 as part of a comprehensive investigation into prospective terrestrial use of solar energy captured in space.

“To our knowledge, this experiment is the first test in orbit of hardware designed specifically for solar power satellites, which could play a revolutionary role in our energy future,” said Paul Jaffe, PRAM principal investigator.

Read more at: Solardaily

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

‘One-Way’ Electronic Devices Enter The Mainstream

Waves, whether they are light waves, sound waves, or any other kind, travel in the same manner in forward and reverse directions – this is known as the principle of reciprocity. If we could route waves in one direction only – breaking reciprocity – we could transform a number of applications important in our daily lives.

Breaking reciprocity would allow us to build novel “one-way” components such as circulators and isolators that enable two-way communication, which could double the data capacity of today’s wireless networks.

Read more at: Spacedaily

Cosmic Rays May Have Left Indelible Imprint On Early Life

In a new paper, a Stanford professor and a former postdoctoral scholar speculate that this interaction between ancient proto-organisms and cosmic rays may be responsible for a crucial structural preference, called chirality, in biological molecules. If their idea is correct, it suggests that all life throughout the universe could share the same chiral preference.

Chirality, also known as handedness, is the existence of mirror-image versions of molecules. Like the left and right hand, two chiral forms of a single molecule reflect each other in shape but don’t line up if stacked. In every major biomolecule – amino acids, DNA, RNA – life only uses one form of molecular handedness.

Read more at: Technology

SPACE POLICY

NASA Proposes New Rules for Moon-Focused Space Race

If all goes according to plan, humans will be visiting—and developing—the moon and its resources well before the decade is out, following multiple nations ramping up their lunar-exploration efforts. But will this new frontier be a stage for competition or collaboration? NASA’s newly released set of ideals—called the Artemis Accords—aims to ensure international cooperation and a “safe, peaceful, and prosperous future” for everyone on the moon—provided they abide by the accords and partner with the U.S.

The accords stem from NASA’s Artemis program, catapulted into being by President Donald Trump’s White House and a National Space Council edict to return astronauts to the Moon by 2024.

Read more at: Scientific American

Are the Artemis Accords the Path Forward?

NASA publicly unveiled the Artemis Accords last week, a list of principles that would form the basis of bilateral agreements between the US and nations in the exploration of space.

On the surface NASA’s “Principles for a Safe, Peaceful, and Prosperous Future” read like a smart path forward. After all, it’s hard to argue with ideas like the peaceful purposes of space exploration, being transparent, releasing scientific data, orbital debris mitigation etc. But is it the best path forward? And will NASA’s customary partners sign on? And what about China, Russia and India?

Read more at: SpaceQ

Why India Should Exit the Moon Agreement

‘Space’ has taken centre-stage once again; a spot that it had occupied during the days of Chandrayaan-2, with the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman opening the doors for private sector participation in all space activities.

While that is quite epochal, something else happened in the United States (US) relating to space, far away from media glare.

In April 2020, in the thick of the Covid-19 crisis, the US President signed an executive order, which in effect said the US would oppose any objections to mine minerals from the Moon.

Read more at: Hindu businessline

Freeing Up Space

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has a record of achievements few public sector institutions in India can rival. Having completed 50 years in August last year, ISRO has propelled India into the small but exclusive club of spacefaring nations that can build sophisticated heavy-lift rockets and launch complex satellites laden with instruments whose uses range from communications to remote sensing to weather forecasting to military applications. ISRO has expanded its reach right up to the moon and even placed an orbiter around Mars in its first attempt in 2013. It is now developing India’s first manned mission designed to have three astronauts orbiting in space for a week. ISRO has made India truly self-reliant, but for it to become a world spacepower, reforms were needed to allow the private sector to participate. That reform is finally here, announced as part of the government’s stimulus package.

Read more at: Indiatoday

Remote Sensing Industry Welcomes Revamped Regulations

Satellite imaging companies are embracing long-awaited reforms to commercial remote sensing regulations, although one member of Congress doesn’t think the changes go far enough.

The Commerce Department, which regulates commercial remote sensing satellite systems through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, released a final rule revising commercial remote sensing regulations May 19. The final rule came a year after a draft version of the new regulations and months of interagency discussions.

Read more at: Spacenews

NASA Outlines The Near And Far Future Of The Space Station

NASA has laid out plans for their future utilization of the International Space Station (ISS) over the next decade, including upgrades scheduled to be conducted on the outpost in the near term, its future use as an analog for human exploration missions beyond Earth Orbit, and the commercial expansion to the orbital outpost.

During the NASA Advisory Council meeting, Kirk Shireman, NASA’s head of the ISS program, delivered a presentation on the near and long-term future for the orbital outpost.

Read more at: NASA Spaceflight

SPACE DEFENCE

Space Plane Launches From Cape Canaveral On Secret Mission For U.S. Space Force

A space plane is on a secret mission for the U.S. Space Force after launching from Cape Canaveral Sunday.

The vehicle, codenamed X-37B, looks like a mini space shuttle. It was manufactued by Boeing for the Air Force and hitched a ride into orbit on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket.

The vehicle is carrying experiments from NASA, the Air Force and the Naval Research Academy, but not much is known about what it will do now that it’s in orbit. The X-37-B’s last mission lasted more than 700 days in space before it landed.

Read more at: wmfe

Trump To Withdraw US From ‘Open Skies’ Treaty

President Donald Trump announced Thursday he plans to withdraw the United States from the Open Skies Treaty with Russia, the third arms control pact Trump has abrogated since coming to office.

The US leader said Moscow had not stuck to its commitments under the 18-year-old pact, which was designed to improve military transparency and confidence between the superpowers.

“Russia did not adhere to the treaty,” Trump told reporters at the White House.

Read more at: Spacewar

US leaving Open Skies treaty a ‘blow’ to European security: Russia

Washington’s departure from the Open Skies arms control treaty would be a blow to European security, a Russian deputy foreign minister said Thursday, after President Donald Trump announced the US will withdraw.

“The withdrawal by the US from this treaty would be not only a blow to the foundation of European security… but to the key security interests of the allies of the US,” Alexander Grushko was quoted as saying by the RIA-Novosti news agency.

Trump earlier said he will pull out from the 18-year-old defence pact with Russia and 32 other countries because “Russia did not adhere to the treaty.”

Read more at: Spacewar

Soyuz Rocket Launches Russian Missile Warning Satellite

A Soyuz booster and Fregat upper stage successfully carried a missile warning satellite into orbit Friday for the Russian military.

Launched from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in far northern Russia, the Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off at 0731 GMT (3:31 a.m. EDT; 10:31 a.m. Moscow time) Friday and arced toward the southeast.

A statement from the Russian Defense Ministry did not identify the payload, but information about the mission’s trajectory released in warning notices to pilots and mariners suggested the satellite was likely the fourth EKS, or Tundra, missile warning satellites for the Russian military.

Read more at: Spaceflight Now

Boeing Awarded $128.5M Modification To GMD Missile Upgrade Contract

Boeing was awarded a $128.5 million modification to its Ground-based Midcourse Defense development and sustainment contract Thursday, according to the Pentagon.

The deal modifies a contract awarded in 2018 for upgrades to the GMD, which is the United States’ ballistic missile defense system.

The modification increases the total value of the contract from $11.2 billion to $11.3 billion and covers work performed through September 2022. The contract was last modified in December.

Read more at: Spacewar

VARIOUS

The Archaeology of Space

Rather than looking down, the future of archaeology may one day look up to the stars.

The coined term of “space archaeologist” has been applied to archaeologists who use detailed satellite imagery to identify and examine archaeological sites here on earth.

Space archaeologists such as Sarah Parcak have been pioneers in their field, advancing our knowledge of past civilisations and developing community outreach projects like the Global Explorer initiative to identify and protect a dwindling cultural heritage at threat from looting and treasure hunters.

Read more at: Heritage daily

Pressure Vessels Improve Transportation of Liquid Fuels

Few people will ever pass a rocket on the freeway, but anyone could soon see the “gas tank” of a liquid propulsion engine outside the passenger window. That’s because a modified design of this unique fuel tank, called a composite overwrapped pressure vessel (COPV), was approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation for use on American roads.

Pressure vessels, used in everything from spacecraft to gas grills, hold and dispense liquid or gas under pressure. Most, like the propane tank underneath your grill, are made entirely of metal and are heavy, but COPV technology promises to improve on that standard.

Read more at: Technology

If Rockets were Transparent: Video Shows You How Rockets Use up Their Propellant

I always remember hearing the comparison of how the Space Shuttle’s main engines would drain an average family swimming pool in under 25 seconds. Or that the Saturn V used the equivalent of 763 elephants of fuel. But just how much fuel does a rocket burn during its ascent to orbit? As you might expect, the amount varies with different rockets.

A great new video provides an incredible visual of how much fuel is burned by four different rockets, from launch to the various stage separations by showing what rocket launches would look like if the rockets were completely transparent.

Read more at: Technology

Lunar Surface Trash or Treasure

Since 1959, the lunar surface has experienced a barrage of man-made attacks of various kinds. It all began on September 13 with Soviet probe Luna 2 when it smashed into Mare Imbrium and all but vaporized on impact. This was the beginning of a series of Luna probes. Beginning in 1960, NASA’s Ranger Program planned to send nine spacecraft to the Moon for the purpose of taking close-up photos of the lunar surface. Each launch was to terminate in a crash. The first two attempts ended with launch failures.

Read more at: Moondaily

Adler Planetarium Lays Off 120 Staffers During Coronavirus Closure

In the same week that it virtually celebrated its 90th birthday, Adler Planetarium laid off 120 employees in anticipation of continued revenue loss while its building is closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, a spokeswoman said Thursday morning.

 

“The Adler made the difficult decision to reduce our staff in order to help the Adler survive and continue to serve Chicago and the world in the post-pandemic future,” Senior Manager of Public Relations Jennifer Howell said via email.

Those let go on Wednesday include full- and part-timers, but further details about what jobs they held were not immediately available. The museum said it is paying them for another 60 days, with benefits through July, and will “assess” staffing needs when it is able to open again.

Read more at: Chicago tribune

11th IAASS Conference – Poster A2