In Today’s Deep Space Extra… NASA spending climbs in 2018 omnibus appropriations bill intended to prevent a Friday shutdown of the U.S. federal government. U.S., Russian trio heads toward a docking with the International Space Station on Friday afternoon.
Human Space Exploration
NASA receives $20.7 billion in omnibus appropriations bill
Space News (3/22): U.S. House and Senate appropriators hope to avoid a shutdown of the federal government on Friday with a 2018 omnibus spending bill. The bill includes $20.7 billion for NASA for the 2018 fiscal year ending September 31, $1.6 billion more than the White House sought during its original budget request and more than it seeks for NASA in 2019. The new measure provides $2.15B for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, $1.35B for the Orion spacecraft, and funds a second Mobile Launch Platform for SLS to be built at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center, hardware that could help to shorten the gap between the first two test flights of SLS and Orion. The planetary science program would receive $2.2 billion, a $300 million increase. Nearly $600 million would go to a flyby and follow on lander mission to Jupiter’s ice and ocean covered moon, Europa, which may host habitable environments. The bill includes funding for missions slated for cancellation under the President’s Budget Request as well as for NASA’s Office of Education. The House is scheduled to vote on the bill today, followed by the Senate.
Cabana: KSC infrastructure will be ready for NASA’s SLS rocket this year
Florida Today (3/20): NASA’s premier launch complex, the Kennedy Space Center, will be prepared by mid-2018 to process and launch the agency’s Space Launch System (SLS) heavy lift rocket and Orion crew capsule, KSC’s director, Robert Cabana, said this week. The rocket and capsule, cornerstones of NASA’s plans to resume human deep space exploration, are slated for their first joint uncrewed test flight in 2019.
SLS one step closer to flight with successful completion of USA design review
Spaceflightinsider.com (3/21): The Universal Stage Adapter is a key component of the first joint test flight of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion Crew capsule with astronauts aboard. Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2) will carry a crew of astronauts around the moon and back to Earth. The adapter, part of the SLS launch vehicle, will enable the mission to carry additional large cargos to the lunar realm.
Soyuz takes off with three bound for Space Station
Spaceflightnow.com (3/21): U.S. and Russian astronauts lifted off from Kazakhstan on Wednesday afternoon for the International Space Station. The Soyuz MS-08 with NASA’s Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold and cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev launched from the Baiknonur Cosmodrome at 1:44 pm., EST, They are expected to dock with the Space Station on Friday at 3:41 p.m., EDT.
Space Science
A star grazed our Solar System 70,000 years ago, and early humans likely saw it
Space.com (3/21): A new study further explains the suspected passage of a red dwarf star close to the solar system a long ago, but at a time when early humans on Earth could have witnessed it as a faint red light about a light year from the sun.
European Space Agency picks exoplanet-studying spacecraft for 2028 launch
Space.com (3/21): ESA’s ARIEL mission will be equipped to study the chemical compositions of hundreds of planets beyond the solar system, looking for links to their host stars as well as compounds like oxygen, water and carbon dioxide that may address their habitability. Launch of the $600 million mission is planned for 2028.
Other News
Kazakhstan, Russia, UAE agree to boost space cooperation
TASS of Russia (3/22): Representatives of the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Kazakhstan met at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, a major launch facility for Russian missions in Kazakhstan and signed an agreement to boost trilateral cooperation. They plan to set up a working group in April to discuss potential projects for the Baikonur spaceport.
ESA to investigate links between debris removal and satellite servicing
Space News (3/21): The European Space Agency is assessing an option to expand the role of a satellite servicing spacecraft to include orbital debris removal. ESA’s Clean Space Office expects to receive funding of approximately 10 million euros in 2018 to continue to develop robotic arm technologies with many possible applications including satellite servicing and active debris removal.
‘Humanity Star’ is coming back to Earth early
The Atlantic (3/21): Humanity Star, a large satellite launched by Rocket Lab from New Zealand on a test mission in January is to re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere sooner than anticipated – much sooner.