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Today’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. NASA’s MAVEN spacecraft maneuvered into orbit around Mars late Sunday, with India’s Mars probe not far behind. The prospect for indigenous life gives Mars special appeal to explorers, scientists. SpaceX launched its fourth Dragon re-supply mission to the International Space Station early Sunday. A prototype 3-D printer is among the latest supplies in route to the space station. One time space endurance record holder, Soviet-era cosmonaut Anatoly Berezovoy, dies at 72. The aerospace industry, Congress respond to NASA’s Commercial Crew Program contract awards. Florida’s Space Coast economy continues its recovery from the shuttle retirement. U.S. dot-com alters, conflicts with tradition to advance U.S. in space. Behind the scenes with Orbital Sciences space station mission preparations. Chinese intrigued by U.S. suborbital space flight. A look at major space related activities planned for the coming two weeks.
Unmanned Deep Space Exploration
NASA mission enters Mars orbit to study where planet’s atmosphere and water went
Baltimore Sun (9/21): NASA’s MAVEN Mars orbiter successfully maneuvered into orbit around the red planet late Sunday. After altitude adjustments and instrument checkouts, MAVEN will spend a year investigating long term changes to the Martian atmosphere. MAVEN was developed by Lockheed Martin for NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
NASA’s Maven craft beats India’s Mangalyaan in space race to Mars
Wall Street Journal (9/22): India’s Mars Orbiter Mission is close behind NASA’s MAVEN and expected to maneuver into Martian orbit late Tuesday, or Wednesday — in Asia.
NASA craft in Mars’s orbit, to study its air
New York Times (9/21): NASA’s MAVEN Mars probe is “greeted” in Martian orbit by the U.S. spacecraft Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey. The European Space Agency’s Mars Express was among the orbital greeting party as well.
The lure of Mars: Why we keep going back
Space.com (9/19): Mars is the closest place that may hold answers to the question: Did life emerge elsewhere? Early telescope observations revealed channels and other geological features that suggest water once flowed over the surface.
Journey to the Red Planet: MAVEN approaches Martian orbit
Time (9/19): NASA’s Maven spacecraft, which maneuvered into Martian orbit late Sunday, is the first spacecraft developed to assess the planet’s atmosphere. Was their once water on the surface and atmosphere of Mars? If so, Mars may have hosted microbial life. Maven will also act as a new communications relate for the Curiosity and Opportunity surface rovers.
AmericaSpace.com (9/19): MAVEN’s prime mission will span one Earth year to study changes in the Martian atmosphere that could explain how the planet transitioned from a wet and warm to a cold and dry environment, according to the website in depth look.
Low Earth Orbit
SpaceX supply ship takes off with animals, critical cargo
Spaceflightnow.com (9/22): A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off early Sunday with a Dragon capsule filled with 5,000 pounds of cargo for the International Space Station. Dragon is expected to reach the three person station early Tuesday, when astronauts Alexander Gerst and Reid Wiseman will be prepared to grapple the capsule with a robot arm. Dragon is carrying 20 mice, fruit flies and plant samples for experiments that could help support future human deep space exploration.
Astronauts getting 3-D printer at space station
Associated Press via Houston Chronicle (9/20): Made in Space provides the prototype for a 3-D printer to the International Space Station. The device is being shipped aboard the SpaceX Dragon resupply mission launched early Sunday.
Soviet-era cosmonaut Anatoly Berezovoy, commanded Salyut space station, dies
Collectspace.com (9/20): Soviet era cosmonaut Anatoly Berezovoy, who shared a record of 211 days in space in 1982 aboard the Salyut 7 space station, died Saturday. The previous record holder was 72.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
Space industry responds to NASA’s Commercial Crew decision
Spaceflightinsider.com (9/20): The website presents a collection of congressional and organizational responses to NASA’s Commercial Crew Program selections, Boeing and SpaceX, last week and efforts to resume launching humans from the U.S. by 2017.
Space Coast slowly regaining lost jobs
Orlando Sentinel (9/21): NASA’s Commercial Crew Program contract awards will help Florida’s Space Coast continue its recovery from the shuttle program’s 2011 retirement, which cost the area 7,000 to 10,000 jobs, according to local estimates. Hundreds of new jobs are anticipated in the wake of the Boeing and SpaceX Commercial Crew contract announcements last week.
NASA views “new space” with hope, support — and wariness
Houston Chronicle (9/21): The energy, optimism of the dot com community merges — and sometimes clashes — with the traditional forces setting the policy for and guiding the development of U.S. space exploration and economic development. This is the fourth in a series of articles examining the future of space in the U.S.
Orbital Sciences highlights processing facilities during tour
SpaceFlightInsider.com (9/19): SFI’s behind the scenes tour reveals Cygnus commercial cargo vessels during assembly for future missions to the International Space Station and a “clean room.” The clean room has proven quite effective in clearing debris from the capsules before they reach the space station.
Suborbital
Beijing banker aims to become China’s first female space tourist
NBC News (9/20): Chinese banker Tong Jingjing is looking to a few moments in space as a passenger aboard an XCOR Aerospace Lynx suborbital rocket. She’s one of 30 in China who has purchased a ticket, perhaps signaling the opening of a new market.
Major Space Related Activities for the Week
Major space related activities for the week of September 21-October 3, 2014
Spacepolicyonline.com (9/21): The latest U.S. commercial resupply mission should reach the International Space Station early Tuesday. Late Thursday, three new crew members, an American and two Russians, are slated to launch and dock to the station, returning the orbiting science lab to normal six person operations. India’s first Mars mission is on course to maneuver into orbit around the red planet late Tuesday. Congress has adjourned until after the November elections.
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