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Today’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. NASA’s Asteroid Retrieval Mission could provide affordable path to Mars. Russia seeks funds to join European-led Mars missions. Giant sunshade for the James Webb Space Telescope clears deployment test at Northrop Grumman. Origami inspires spacecraft engineer. SETI staffer urges more global attention on asteroid impact threat. Brown dwarf star surprises with water cloud. Solar storm approaches Earth. Russia holding U.S. hostage on space transportation according to former NASA administrator. Russia’s federal space agency urges spending on inflatable space modules. U.S. Titan 4B due restoration for U.S. Air Force museum. U.S. Air Force presses development of domestic replacement for imports of Russia’s RD-180 rocket engine. Rivals for next NASA Commercial Crew Program discuss plans if they are not selected. European Union looks for answers to botched global navigation satellite launching. SpaceX delays Falcon 9 satellite launch following recent test rocket loss.
Human Deep Space Exploration
NASA’s asteroid plan may be cheapest route to Mars
USA Today (8/26): The Asteroid Retrieval Mission would robotically capture and direct a small asteroid or a piece of a larger asteroid into orbit around the moon. There, U.S. astronauts would rendezvous with the asteroid as part of a test flight of NASA’s Orion crew capsule and Space Launch System heavy lift rocket. Eventually, Orion and SLS would start human explorers on a mission to Mars. ARM may be a more affordable first step option to Mars than returning to the moon, USA Today reports.
Unmanned Deep Space Exploration
Russian space agency requests $155 million to help Europe get to Mars
Moscow Times (8/26): Funding from Russia would advance the European led Exo-Mars project, an initiative to address the question of whether Mars was or is home to some form of life. Robotic mission launches are planned in 2016 and 2018. When NASA withdrew over budget concerns, Russia stepped in. NASA’s new 2020 Mars rover mission has similar objectives.
Webb’s sunshield unfurled according to plan
Spaceflight Insider (8/26): A giant sun shield for the James Webb Space Telescope clears a key ground test in early July. The space observatory, the designated successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, is scheduled for launching in late 2018. A Northrop Grumman clean room hosted the recent test.
NASA looks to Japanese origami for innovative space designs
Wall Street Journal (8/27): Experts at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory look to origami as a model for packing complex spacecraft into rocket launchers.
Guardian of the galaxy: The woman planning for a space catastrophe
CNN (8/26): It’s time for the globe to take seriously the threat posed by asteroids that could collide with the Earth, says Nelly Ben Hayoun, of the SETI Institute. Hayoun is a student of the alternative solutions to mitigate the threat.
Clouds of water possibly found in brown dwarf atmosphere
Discovery.com (8/26): Astronomers find water vapor in an unexpected place — the atmosphere of a brown dwarf star.
Spaceweather.com (8/26): A slow moving solar storm cloud makes its way toward Earth. Polar geomagnetic storms are possible.
Low Earth Orbit
Former NASA Chief says Russia holding U.S. spaceflight hostage: report
Space.com (8/26): Former NASA administrator Mike Griffin expresses concerns the U.S. has fallen into a “hostage situation” with respect to its dependence on Russia for the launching of NASA astronauts. The website’s report is based on an interview with the former administrator at a May space conference.
Roscosmos wants $440 million to build inflatable space stations
Moscow Times (8/25): Russian Federal Space Agency seeks funds to develop inflatable space modules of the type pioneered by NASA and Bigelow Aerospace, of Las Vegas. Russia would like to launch a first module by 2021.
Air Force museum to restore retired rocket
Collectspace.com (8/26): The U.S. National Museum of the Air Force in Dayton, Ohio moves to restore a Titan 4B launch vehicle. The rocket should be ready for display in 2016.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
Air Force starts search for an RD-180 replacement
Spacepolitics.com (8/26): U.S. Air Forces lays the groundwork to sponsor the development of a domestic replacement for the Russian RD-180 rocket engine. The RD-180 currently powers the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V, which the Air Force uses to orbit national security satellites.
With commercial crew award close, rivals mull future without NASA funds
Space News (8/26): In a report that revisits an Aug. 5 AIAA panel session, Boeing doubts future development of its CST-100 commercial crew capsule without funding from NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. SpaceX vows to press ahead with its Dragon capsule; Sierra Nevada will look to its foreign partnerships as a possible means of continuing with the development of the Dream Chaser lifting body. NASA expects to select at least one of the companies to complete the development of a U.S. commercial crew transportation system by late 2017.
EU demands answers on Galileo launch mishap
Spacepolicyonline.com (8/26): The European Commission demands an explanation for the botched Aug. 22 launching of an Arianespace managed launch of the continent’s first global positioning satellites.
SpaceX calls off Wednesday launch attempt
Florida Today (8/27): SpaceX calls off the planned early Wednesday launching of AsiaSat 6 to recheck systems on the Falcon 9 launcher. The delay follows an unrelated weekend SpaceX test rocket loss in Central Texas.
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