Today’s Deep Space Extra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. NASA’s technology investments bring scientists closer to discovery of life beyond the Earth. Some in Congress call for more spending on planetary missions in response to NASA’s New Horizons mission success. New Horizons to reveal more of Pluto. Features on Pluto’s moon Charon to be named for popular science fiction characters. Platinum-rich asteroid gives scientists an eye-full. Space telemedicine finding a place on Earth. Cosmonauts prepare for August spacewalk. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center becomes home to Boeing’s CST-100 crew capsule. NTSB points to pilot error as cause of fatal SpaceShipTwo crash.
Unmanned Deep Space Exploration
NASA ‘On the Cusp’ of Discovering if Life Exists Beyond Earth, says Top Scientist
Huffington Post (7/28): U.S. investments in space technology are taking NASA to the brink of answering the question of whether there is life elsewhere in the universe, said John Grunsfeld, NASA associate administrator for science.
Success of NASA missions revives funding debate
USA Today (7/28): Members of the U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee commend NASA for the success of its July 14 New Horizons mission flyby of distant Pluto and calls for more funding for planetary science missions. NASA’s Pluto encounter has been followed by new audiences through social media, and the mission has served to create interest among students in the STEM fields, according to testimony presented to the panel.
NASA tells lawmakers to brace for more Pluto secrets revealed by mission
Orlando Sentinel (7/28): Scientists supporting NASA’s New Horizons Mission tell members of the U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee on Tuesday to expect more surprising discoveries from the Pluto flyby mission.
Pluto’s big moon may host first Star Wars, Star Trek names in space
Mashable (7/28): The craters and ridges of Pluto’s largest moon Charon may be named for science fiction characters from Star Trek, Star Wars, Firefly and Dr. Who.
‘Trillion-Dollar Asteroid’ Zooms by Earth as Scientists Watch (Video)
Space.com (7/28): When the asteroid 2011 UW 158 zipped past the Earth last Friday, scientists watched eagerly. Rich in platinum, 2011 UW 158 is just what future asteroid prospecting ventures like Planetary Resources are looking for.
Low Earth Orbit
How technology developed for astronauts is saving lives here on Earth
Business Insider (7/28): Telemedicine, the techniques for carrying out diagnostic work and treatment of astronaut ailments aboard the International Space Station, is finding a place on Earth among those far from urgent care or just distant from medical experts.
ISS Crew Ducks Debris as EVA Preparations Move Forward
Spaceflight Insider (7/29): Cosmonauts among the six-member U.S., Russian and Japanese crew of the International Space Station are preparing for an Aug. 10 spacewalk in which they will work with external experiments and take photographs documenting the exterior of the Russian segment. Those preparations and experiments are underway inside the station this week, following a debris avoidance maneuver over the weekend.
Commercial to Orbit
Boeing’s CST-100 Takes Shape at Former NASA Facility
Spaceflight Insider (7/28): Test hardware for Boeing’s CST-100, one of two crew transport capsules in development as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, are coming together in a former NASA space shuttle hangar at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Suborbital
Virgin Galactic SpaceShipTwo Crash Traced to Co-Pilot Error
New York Times (7/28): A cockpit error by the co-pilot of SpaceShipTwo brought a fatal conclusion to an Oct. 31 test flight over the Mojave Desert in Calif., according to conclusions reached by the NTSB in Washington on Tuesday.
NTSB: Scaled’s Failure to Protect Against Human Error Led to Loss of SpaceShipTwo
Spacepolicyonline.com (7/28): The NTSB recommends changes in SpaceShipTwo’s design to protect against pilot error.