In Today’s Deep Space Extra…Traffic in Central Florida slowed Tuesday for Space Launch System hardware en route to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Human Deep Space Exploration
Platform for new NASA rocket rolls through Titusville
Florida Today (4/26): Newly assembled and weighing a hefty 250,000 pounds, one of the platforms that will surround NASA’s Space Launch System exploration rocket as its stages are stacked at the Kennedy Space Center, rolled through Titusville in Central Florida on Tuesday. The platform was en route to its new home within Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building. The big rocket is expected to launch on its first test flight in late 2018. Later, it will start U.S. astronauts on missions of deep space exploration.
Space Science
NASA scientist hopes Mars mission inspires younger generation
Midland Reporter-Telegram, of West Texas (4/26): Mission scientist Steven Squyres presented the story of NASA’s Spirit and Opportunity Mars rovers to a gathering of the West Texas Geology Foundation. The rovers were to explore for 90 days after landing in January 2004. Opportunity’s activities continue, however. Their discoveries point to the past presence of a significant amount of underground water on the red planet, says Squyres.
Pluto’s ‘Little Sister’ Makemake Has a Moon
Discovery.com (4/26): The Kuiper Belt object Makemake, discovered in 2005, has a small moon, a discovery made with the Hubble Space Telescope. Makemake is a neighbor of Pluto’s.
NASA Responds to an S.O.S. of Historic Proportions
The Smithsonian Magazine (4/26): At NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, engineers have taken technologies from Ares rocket development initiated under NASA’s now cancelled Constellation moon program and applied them to the protection of historic structures from earthquakes.
Supersharp Mars Photos Show UK’s Long-Lost Beagle 2 Lander
Space.com (4/26): NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has spotted Great Britain’s Beagle 2 lander using enhanced imagery techniques. Part of the European Space Agency’s Mars Express mission, Beagle landed but was not heard from again, perhaps because of damage to its power generating solar arrays.
Assembly of China’s Heavy-lift Long March-5 Rocket Begins
CRI English.com (4/26): China proceeds with the assembly of its first Long March-5 heavy lift rocket. The inaugural launch is planned for the second half of 2016. Future missions include the Chang’e-5 lunar sample return mission planned before the end of 2017.
Commercial to Orbit
Starliner simulators: Astronauts ‘fly’ Boeing spacecraft trainers
Collectspace.com (2/27): NASA astronauts completed acceptance evaluations for two Boeing Starliner 100 crew trainers on Tuesday at company facilities in St. Louis, Mo. Boeing is one of two U.S. companies developing crew transports under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program for the launching of astronauts to the International Space Station. The touch screen simulators and the rest of the simulator equipment will be moved to NASA’s Johnson Space Center this year. Commercial crew launches are to begin by late 2017.
Putin to stay at Vostochny spaceport until prospects of launch clarified Kremlin
Tass, or Russia (4/27): Russia’s president Vladimir Putin will remain at the new Vostochny Cosmodrome to await the first rocket launching from the complex. Efforts to launch a Soyuz 2a-1 rocket early Wednesday were scrubbed by a technical problem. Vostochny is to give Russia new independence from Kazakhstan, which owns the Baikonur Cosmodrome, long used by Moscow. The new launch complex has been under construction since 2012.
Russia Delays First Vostochny Launch – UPDATE
Spacepolicyonline.com (4/27): Roscosmos, Russia’s state space corporation, intends a second attempt of the first launch from the new Vostochny Cosmodrome on Wednesday at 10:01 p.m., EDT., or early April 28 in Russia.