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Today’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. The Coalition for Space Exploration congratulates NASA on completing significant milestone for human deep space exploration. NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket clears a major engineering and cost review Wednesday that signals the start of full scale development, with a high probability of first test launch by late 2018. NASA, however, will aim for an earlier lift off. China plots a 2017 robotic lunar sample return mission. Merits of low cost Europa mission challenged. European Space Agency narrows landing site options on Comet 67 P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Scientists find thermonuclear explosion behind supernova. NASA’s long running Tropical Rainfall Measurement Mission coming to a late 2016 end. NASA, Boeing reach breakthrough for space launch with light weight, composite tank for super cold rocket propellants.
Human Deep Space Exploration
Coalition for Space Exploration (8/28): The Coalition congratulates NASA and its industry team for achieving approval for the development of the Space Launch System. This is the first exploration-class vehicle since the Space Shuttle to receive this status and it confirms NASA’s continued progress on the path to deep space.
NASA commits to developing new heavy-lift rocket
Spaceflightnow.com and CBS News (8/27): NASA’s latest development review of the Space Launch System, Key Decision Point-C, finds the heavy lift rocket program able to achieve a first launch by November 2018, with a 70 percent confidence level. The review is the most thorough to date, considering the engineering challenges and budget uncertainties. NASA Associate Administrator William Gerstenmaier says an early 2018 launch is possible given the development successes to date.
With an SLS slip looming, one senator wants to keep NASA’s budget “on track”
Spacepolitics.com (8/27): U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, of Florida, urges adequate funding from the U.S. Congress to keep NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket development on track. William Gerstenmaier, NASA’s associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations, says the agency is capable of achieving launch sooner than November 2018, perhaps early in the same year. Similar forthcoming reviews of SLS ground systems and the Orion capsule will help refine the timeline for first launch, says Gerstenmaier.
NASA’s SLS heavy lift rocket reaches key milestone
Space News (8/27): NASA’s development of the Space Launch System heavy lift rocket reaches a milestone, Key Decision Point-C that kicks off full-scale development. NASA plans the first uncrewed test flight of the SLS with the Orion crew module no later than November 2018, though it will strive to achieve flight sooner. Based on assessments of the budget and schedule estimates, the KDP-C review expressed a 70-percent joint confidence level in the scheduling.
Three years and $2.7 billion later, all systems go for NASA rocket
Houston Chronicle (8/27): NASA’s Space Launch System heavy lift rocket clears internal and external cost and technical reviews to reach a corner turning milestone, Key Decision Point-C. The SLS and Orion crew capsule were designed to launch humans on future missions of deep space exploration. The SLS now transitions from design to assembly. “This is a big step for us,” said NASA Associate Administrator Robert Lightfoot, who oversaw the review process. Questions remain about SLS destinations and flight rates.
Unmanned Deep Space Exploration
China aims for the Moon, plans to bring back lunar soil
Ria Novosti (8/27): China’s will prepare the unmanned Chang’e 5 spacecraft for a launch to the moon to gather samples of the soil and rock and return to Earth in 2017.
The Planetary Society (8/27): NASA is engaged in efforts to determine whether it could mount a robotic mission to Jupiter’s ice and ocean covered moon Europa at a cost in the $1 billion range. An earlier, more ambitious mission strategy topped $4 billion. An ultra-low cost mission may not achieve ambitious science goals, according to the society’s report. Europa is considered a potential haven for alien life.
Search for Rosetta’s Philae landing site narrows
Spaceflight Insider (8/27): The list of potential touchdown points on Comet 67 P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was narrowed from 10 to five this week by Rosetta mission managers. The final selection process will accelerate as the European Space Agency intends to place Philae on the comet’s surface in November. Launched in 2004, Rosetta and Philae carried out a successful rendezvous with the comet in early August.
Discovery.com (8/27): A European satellite discovery points to thermonuclear fusion as the genesis of a familiar type of stellar explosion in the M82 galaxy.
Low Earth Orbit
After nearly 20 years and several reprieves, NASA to shut down Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission
Space News (8/27): Demise of TRMM is predicted for late 2016 as the on board fuel supply diminishes. Launched in 1997, the original mission was planned for three years. The joint U.S., Japanese Global Precipitation Measurement Mission spacecraft has taken over TRMM’s duties.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
NASA completes successful battery of tests on composite cryotank
Product Design and Development (8/27): Engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center and Boeing successfully demonstrate new light weight, composite fuel tank for super cold rocket propellants. Breakthrough promises to bring a 30 percent mass savings over metal technologies, while lowering production costs by 25 percent.
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