In Today’s Deep Space Extra… New spacesuit could repel dangerous moon dust.
Human Space Exploration
New spacesuit system could repel destructive moon dust
Seeker (6/21): University of North Dakota graduate student Kavya Manyapu is pursuing a countermeasure to the accumulation of troublesome dust that gathered on the space suits worn by NASA’s Apollo astronauts as they became the first humans to explore the moon nearly a half century ago. Her studies point to the effectiveness of a resistive coating and an electrodynamic shield.
Soyuz spacecraft to become space taxi in future, Russian company says
TASS of Russia (6/22): The Soyuz spacecraft will be used as a space taxi for tourists after the new-generation Federation spacecraft becomes operational, CEO of the Energiya space rocket corporation, Vladimir Solntsev, said.
Space Science
Astrobotic and Atlas announce lunar laser communications payload at the Paris Air Show
Astrobotic.com (6/22): Coalition Member in the News: Astrobotic, which is making the Moon accessible to the world, and ATLAS Space Operations Inc., the US leader in cloud-based satellite management and control services proudly announce today at the Paris Air Show that they have signed a payload reservation and partnership to deliver and operate the first-ever laser communications terminal on Astrobotic’s upcoming mission to the Moon.
Scientists say there may be yet another unseen planet at solar system’s edge
GeekWire.com (6/21): A slight list among bodies in the solar system’s Kuiper Belt hints at the existence of a so far unseen planet beyond Neptune and about the size of Mars, according to astronomers at the University of Arizona. Their findings are to be published in the Astronomical Journal.
New haul of distant worlds casts doubt on Planet Nine
Science (6/21): New observations cast down on the probability of a solar system Planet Nine, a planetary object theoretically looming in the distant solar system.
NASA enlists ‘citizen scientists’ to widen its view of totality during solar eclipse
Geek Wire (6/21): The totality of a rare total solar eclipse, observable along a Northwest to Southeast swath of the U.S., on Aug. 21, offers an opportunity for ‘citizen scientists’ to make scientific contributions.
7 great NASA technologies you don’t know about
Design News (6/21): With the International Space Station in Earth’s orbit for over a decade and longer-term ambitions of landing humans on Mars by the year 2030, NASA has been developing new systems and technology around everything from 3-D printing, to virtual reality (VR), and even biology, the general public just may not know about it.
Other News
Solar eclipse 2017 postage stamps on sale now
Space.com (6/21): The U.S. Post Office is offering a Forever stamp to commemorate the rare Aug. 21 total solar eclipse.
SES: AMC-9 has “no risk of a collision with other active satellites”
Space News (6/21): On Sunday, a 14-year-old SES communications satellite malfunctioned and began to stray. The satellite, AMC-9, is being tracked from the ground and is not posing a collision threat to other active satellites, according to the company.
Russia may help India to train astronauts, deputy PM says
TASS of Russia (6/21): As India expands its space exploration ambitions, Russia could provide the expertise to train the country’s future astronauts, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said Wednesday.