In Today’s Deep Space Extra… Space policy veteran finds NASA’s proposed Asteroid Redirect Mission a valuable step in the Journey to Mars.
Human Deep Space Exploration
Op-Ed | Saving NASA’s ARM and the Journey to Mars
Space News (6/7): U.S. House appropriators have misjudged the significance of NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), according to Louis Friedman, executive director emeritus and co-founder of the Planetary Society. ARM is an important precursor to the goal of reaching Mars with human explorers, he writes. It’s a valuable intermediate step for astronauts as well as the hardware they will need to reach Mars, including the Space Launch System exploration rocket, Orion crew capsule, new in space propulsion systems and habitats, he reasons. In their version of the 2017 budget, House appropriators have withdrawn funding from further work on a mission that would robotically lift a boulder from a near Earth asteroid so that it can be steered into orbit around the moon for a visit by NASA astronauts.
Seeing the end of Obama’s space doctrine, a bipartisan Congress moves in
Ars Technica (6/7): The next U.S. administration may find enthusiastic bipartisan congressional support for a return to the moon as the next step in efforts to reach Mars with human explorers, according to the report. The U.S. commercial space industry and international partnerships would play key roles in the endeavor.
Mars One colony project to whittle list of astronaut hopefuls to 40
Space.com (6/7): Hopeful of launching its first settlers to Mars in 2026, the Dutch nonprofit Mars One is preparing to reduce its pool of 100 global astronaut candidates to 40 through a novel selection process. Mars One expects to hire 26 astronauts, half men and half women, to become the first Martian colonists as the competition unfolds.
Space Science
Science gear installed on NASA’s next big space telescope
Space.com (6/7): Currently housed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been outfitted with all of its science instruments. The $8.8 billion successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is undergoing preparations for a late 2018 launch. The JWST will study the formation of the earliest star systems and look for potentially habitable planets beyond the solar system.
Lisa Pathfinder’s success boosts likelihood of future gravity-wave observatory
Space News (6/7): The European Space Agency is claiming success with its Lisa Pathfinder gravity wave detector mission spacecraft launched in December. The mission has surpassed expectations and supports the notion of a larger more technically challenging space observatory launch in 2034, according to ESA.
Can asteroids be turned into self-driving spaceships?
Christian Science Monitor (6/7): California based Made In Space, Inc., envisions advances for its 3D printer technologies that would make it possible for resource rich asteroids to propel themselves to useful locations across space. The Mountain View based company is currently demonstrating its additive manufacturing technologies aboard the International Space Station.
Low Earth Orbit
Take a look inside the 1st inflatable space room for astronauts (photos)
Space.com (6/7): International Space Station astronauts offered photos of the new Bigelow Expandable Activities Module (BEAM) after opening hatches and entering for the first time on Monday. BEAM is a prototype for a reinforced fabric extendable module that could shelter astronauts on missions to deep space destinations or while living on Mars and other planetary surfaces. Launched to the space station in April, BEAM will undergo a two year observation period to learn how the structure responds to temperature swings, radiation exposures and impacts from micro meteoroids and orbital debris.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
White House opposes Senate panel’s launch, milspace provisions
Space News (6/7): The Obama Administration is siding with a House version of the 2017 Defense Authorization Bill that would permit the Pentagon to acquire more Russian RD-180 rocket engines for the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5. The Atlas 5 plays a key role in the launch of U.S. national security payloads until a domestic replacement for the RD-180 or a new launch vehicle can be developed — estimated to be around 2022. Sanctions against Russia for its intrusions in Ukraine have lawmakers divided on how many RD-180s ULA should be permitted to import and the pace at which a domestic replacement is pursued.
Starliner moves closer to crucial pad abort test
Spaceflight Insider (6/7): Major components of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner are coming together at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to support critical flight tests in late 2017. The Starliner is in development to transport NASA astronauts to and from the International Space Station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Crewed launches are planned in 2018.
Suborbital
Editorial: Spaceport development should continue to be a priority
Midland Reporter-Telegram, of Texas (6/7): The West Texas newspaper urges Midland residents to continue their support for a commercial spaceport, following the announcement by an anchor tenant, XCOR, that it is laying off workers associated with its Lynx suborbital space plane development to focus on a propulsion project.