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Today’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. The U.S. House passes NASA authorization legislation Tuesday that seeks a road map to Mars. Lockheed Martin praises Orion capsule performance during unpiloted Dec. 5 test flight. Mars: a must do for Earthlings. U.S. DSCOVR solar sentry mission launch slips again to Wednesday. Calculations point to lots of dark matter at heart of Milky Way galaxy. Earth: a punching bag for space debris. Commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station concludes Tuesday night with a Pacific Ocean splashdown. The European Space Agency prepares suborbital test flight of unpiloted reusable spacecraft. Ukraine’s space industry facing financial struggle.
Human Deep Space Exploration
House passes 2015 NASA authorization bill
Spacepolicyonline.com (2/10): The U.S. House passed a bipartisan NASA authorization act on Tuesday. The legislation directs NASA to develop a road map that leads to the human exploration of Mars, backs continued development of the Space Launch System heavy lift rocket and Orion crew vehicle as well as at least one commercial crew vehicle for the transportation of astronauts to low Earth orbit. Once signed into law, the legislation would require NASA to deliver the Mars road map within 180 days with updates every two years thereafter. The legislation which does not waiver from already appropriated NASA funding for 2015, moves on to the U.S. Senate.
Lockheed official: Orion performed flawlessly
Florida Today (2/10): The Dec. 5 Lockheed Martin managed test flight of NASA’s new Orion crew exploration capsule was a tremendous success, the Lockheed Martin deputy program manager responsible for the test told a Central Florida space gathering. “Trust me, a lot of people, Congress, contractors, NASA, everyone are trying to figure out, how do we leverage this tremendous success and move forward as quickly as we can?” said Larry Price, the executive.
Mars is the next step for humanity: We must take it
Space.com (2/10): Mars is calling, writes British essayist Ashley Dove-Jay, who lists the prospects of a new domain, inspiration and international cooperation among the compelling reasons for pursuing the goal.
Unmanned Deep Space Exploration
High upper level winds push SpaceX DSCOVR launch to Feb. 11
Spaceflight Insider (2/10): Launching of the NASA, NOAA and U.S. Air Force solar sentry probe was re-scheduled for Wednesday evening in response to out of limit high altitude wind shear.
Dark matter seen in the Milky Way’s core
Physics World (2/10): Dark matter, whose characterization escapes scientists, appears to be present in significant quantities at the heart of the Milky Way galaxy. Dark matter does have mass properties.
Low Earth Orbit
Earth pelted by more than 600 large debris items in 2014, NASA reports
Space News (2/10): Over 600 inactive satellites, used rocket stages and other debris re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere in 2014, raining more than 100,000 kilograms of mass onto the Earth’s surface without causing a reported casualty or major property damage, according to a NASA study presented to the United Nations.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
Commercial Dragon supply ship returns to Earth
Spaceflightnow.com (2/11): The latest U.S. commercial resupply mission to the six person International Space Station concluded with a Pacific Ocean splashdown and recovery late Tuesday. Launched to the space station on Jan. 10 with more than 5,100 pounds of scientific equipment, crew supplies and other gear, the SpaceX Dragon capsule returned to Earth with nearly 3,700 pounds of scientific equipment and crew hardware. The items included the first samples produced by a commercial 3-D printer.
Europe’s space cargo plane is finally ready to fly
Popular Mechanics (2/10): The Intermediate Experimental Vehicle is the European Space Agency’s new wingless space plane. It’s designed to launch cargo rather than humans into space. A suborbital test launch is planned for Wednesday.
Live coverage: Vega rocket set for launch of European mini-shuttle
Spaceflightnow.com (2/10): The European Space Agency’s Intermediate Experimental Vehicle will test reusable rocket technologies for unpiloted missions. Launching of a suborbital test flight from Kourou in French Guiana is set for Wednesday during a launch window that opens at 8 a.m., EST. A Pacific Ocean splash down and recovery is planned. Live updates.
Ukraine space industry on verge of collapse
Parabolic Arc (2/10): Ukraine, under siege from Russia, is struggling to sell its aerospace products, according to the report.
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