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Today’s CSExtra offers the latest reporting and commentary on space related activities from across the globe. Are Earthlings special? Tourists gather for Japan’s asteroid mission launch. India wins Time Magazine recognition for Mars mission. NASA, NOAA, U.S. Air Force give aging spacecraft new space weather assignment. U.S., Russian and European astronauts dock with the International Space Station. Newcomers to the ISS include Italy’s first female astronaut. Russia debates space station future. Spring 2015 to bring start of longest U.S. spaceflight, chance to study genetic changes. Tradition reigns at Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome, launch site for astronauts headed to the International Space Station. Risk, strides in space a familiar story. A look at major space related activities scheduled for the week ahead.
Human Deep Space Exploration
Hunt in cosmos could tell us whether Earthlings are special
Los Angeles Times (11/23): “Being exceptional would have little value if we choose to remain carelessly and perilously locked to the Earth,” writes Caleb Scharf, Columbia University’s director of astrobiology, in an op-ed. “Whatever else we are, we are the first arrivals at this particular horizon. Whether or not we cross it is entirely up to us.”
Unmanned Deep Space Exploration
Onslaught of tourists expected for launch of Hayabusa 2 space probe
Asahi Shimbun (11/23): Tourists, space fans rush to Tanegashima island ahead of the Nov. 30 launch of the Hayabusa 2 asteroid probe, Japan’s second attempt to land on a distant asteroid to gather samples and return them to Earth.
Mangalyaan Among Best Inventions of 2014: TIME Magazine
Times of India (11/21): In the U.S., Time magazine praises India’s first foray to Mars as one of the top inventions of 2014.
Deep Space Climate Observatory arrives at Florida launch site
Spaceflightnow.com (11/21): NOAA, NASA and the U.S. Air Force combine efforts to prepare the Deep Space Climate Observatory, a spacecraft that will monitor space weather and the solar wind, for a late January lift off. The spacecraft’s roots reach back nearly two decades. The history included a possible shuttle launch and project cancellation.
Space Weather Difficult to Explain, But Accurate Forecasting is Critical
Spacepolicyonline.com (11/23): A recent Washington forum stresses the significance of space weather forecasting. Representatives from NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Air Force and the State Department joined the panel discussion sponsored by the Secure World Foundation and the American Astronautical Society.
Low Earth Orbit
Russian Soyuz Delivers Crew of 3 to International Space Station
Space.com (11/24): A Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched and docked with the International Space Station on Sunday, delivering three new crew members, NASA astronaut Terry Virts, European Space Agency astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti and Russian cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov. The docking at 9:48 p.m. EST restored the station to six-crew operations.
Italy’s first woman in space arrives on board ISS
Deutch Welle (11/24): Italian Air Force Capt. Samantha Cristoforetti becomes Italy’s first female astronaut and the European Space Agency’s first woman assigned to a long duration mission aboard the International Space Station.
Russian officials consider early exit from the International Space Station
Spaceflight Insider.com (11/24): Opposing factions within Russian aerospace debate the future of Moscow’s participation in the International Space Station. The U.S. has asked its ISS partners to consider an extension of operations from 2020 to 2024.
With An Eye To Mars, NASA is Testing its Astronaut Twins
Smithsonian Magazine (December): In March, NASA astronaut Scott Kelly is to embark on a year-long mission aboard the International Station with a Russian colleague. The spaceflight will be the longest by an American. Scott Kelly’s twin, retired NASA astronaut Mark Kelly, will participate as a ground based medical test subject. A series of medical investigations may reveal how spaceflight alters genetic factors.
Inside Russia’s Sacred Baikonur Cosmodrome, One of the World’s Most Popular Spaceports
Popular Mechanics (11/22): Long held traditions, singularity of purpose underscore the successes of Russia’s human space flight program.
Commercial to Orbit
Pointing the way to the future
Houston Chronicle (11/21): U.S. commercial spaceflight is pressing boundaries that hold promise for significant economic growth. Those strides involve risks similar to those faced by the shipping, rail, automobile and aviation industries, writes Eric Stallmer, president of the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. Stallmer’s op-ed offers context for the Oct. 31 loss of SpaceShipTwo and one of two pilots.
The Week Ahead
What’s Happening in Space Policy November 24-December 5, 2014
Spacepolicyonline.com (11/23): In the U.S., Congress is in recess for Thanksgiving. Japan is preparing for the launch of its Hayabusa-2 asteroid sample return mission on Nov. 29-30.
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