“Get comfortable being uncomfortable,” explains one of NASA’s up and coming astronauts.

Human Deep Space Exploration

How I became an astronaut: Victor Glover

USA Today (5/18): U.S. Navy test pilot Victor Glover discusses his 2013 NASA astronaut selection and how he got where he is and where he’s going. “Be a life-long learner,” he advises. “This is not an entry level job.”

‘Apollo’ exhibit: Jeff Bezos’ recovered rocket engines debut in Seattle

Collectspace.com (5/19): On Saturday, Seattle’s Museum of Flight opens a new permanent exhibit, APOLLO, a tribute to the U.S. human exploration of the moon a half century ago. The exhibit currently features Saturn V F-1 first stage rocket engines recovered from the Atlantic Ocean between 2010 and 2013 by Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos.

 

Space Science

NASA preparing to solicit proposals for Europa lander mission despite uncertain funding 

Space News (5/18): NASA served notice this week that it is prepared to fund preliminary studies for 10 instrument candidates for a possible lander mission to Europa, an ice and ocean covered moon of Jupiter that may host habitable environments. Funding for an actual lander mission to Europa, however, is uncertain.

Ancient rivers show lack of plate tectonics on Mars and Titan

Cosmos (5/19): Well-assessed images of the surfaces of Mars and Saturn’s Earth-like moon Titan reveal their geological processes do not feature the Earth’s prominent plate tectonics, according to a study published in the journal Science.

 

Low Earth Orbit

U.S. military is close to selecting builder for XS-1 space plane

Space.com (5/18): The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is close to selecting a contractor for second phase development of the XS-1 space plane, in concept a low cost, reusable winged launch vehicle. One goal is ten launches in ten days.

Soyuz rocket orbits satellite for airborne navigation and connectivity

Spaceflightnow.com (5/17): A Soyuz rocket launched from the European Spaceport in French Guiana placed an SES commercial communications satellite in orbit early Thursday.

Spaceflight purchases Electron launch for medium-inclination payloads

Space News (5/18): Seattle-based Spaceflight will turn to Rocket Lab for a small satellite launch to low inclination orbits.