In Today’s Deep Space Extra… A new Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex attraction, opening in Central Florida this fall, will pay tribute to those who pioneered the space frontier.
Human Deep Space Exploration
‘Heroes & Legends‘ astronaut attraction to include videos shared by public
Collectspace.com (6/20): This fall, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, of Florida, will open “Heroes & Legends, Featuring the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame,” a new attraction that replaces the current Hall of Fame’s museum. “Heroes & Legends” promises visitors an immersive experience that will introduce them to the American men and women who pioneered the space frontier.
Russian moon base to hold up to 12 people
Sputnik International (6/21): Russia plans a lunar base, initially envisioned for two to four astronauts. It would grow to accommodate 10 or 12 and include underground radiation sheltering, according to a spokeswoman from the research arm of Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency. The project has roots from the late 1960s and early 1970s. The report does not mention dates.
Space Science
E.T. phones Earth? 1,500 years until contact, experts estimate
Space.com (6/20): Experts say it could be another 15 centuries before Earthlings hear from other civilizations, during a presentation at the American Astronomical Society meeting in San Diego earlier this month. Given the enormous size of the galaxy, silence so far may not such a surprise, according to one expert.
Most powerful black hole jet ever spotted by NASA’s Chandra
Forbes.com (6/20): One of NASA’s “Great Observatories,” the Chandra X-ray Observatory, has spotted a record 300,000 light yearlong jet emerging from a super missive black hole. The source of one of nature’s most power forces is a half million light years away.
Newly discovered ‘baby’ planets could unlock mysteries of planetary evolution
Los Angeles Times (6/20): Astronomers have discovered two young stars with large planets orbiting close by, something quite different from our solar system, where the large planets Jupiter and Saturn orbit quite far from the sun. The discoveries raise questions: Where to Jupiter class planets form? Do they form close or far from their stars and migrate away or move in and when? How much influence do Jupiter class planets and their gravitational forces have on the overall architecture of their planetary systems?
Low Earth Orbit
Canada will hire 2 new astronauts
CBC News (6/17): The Canadian Space Agency is seeking new astronauts, with plans to hire two more to join current astronauts Jeremy Hansen and David Saint-Jacques. The deadline for applications is Aug. 15. New members of the Canadian astronaut corps are likely to find assignments aboard the International Space Station. Skills in science and technology as well as good health will be important factors in the selection, according to Canada’s minister of innovation, science and economic development.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
A review of SpaceX’s launch manifest history
Americaspace.com (6/13): SpaceX is looking to late December, at the earliest, for the first launch of the company’s Falcon Heavy, capping an aggressive launch schedule for 2016.
Suni Williams details Commercial Crew Program progress during visit to NASA’s Plum Brook Station
Spaceflight Insider (6/20): Suni Williams, a veteran NASA astronaut and one of four “test astronauts” assigned to NASA’s commercial crew program visits the agency’s Plum Brook Station near the Glenn Research Center. Commercial Crew is focused on nurturing two private sector sources of astronaut transportation to and from the International Space Station, freeing NASA to pursue its human deep space exploration goals. “We want to get out the business of transportation to low-Earth orbit because we’ve done that before,” Williams told Spaceflight Insider. “The belief is that commercial companies can provide this hardware, maybe smarter, maybe faster than we can, given the technologies that we’ve already laid the groundwork for in the past with the Shuttle and other programs.”
Russia, China may cooperate in developing heavy space rocket diplomat
TASS, of Russia (6/21): Russia’s ambassador to China says the two countries are discussing space cooperation in areas that range from rocket engine production to long distance space flights. “But at the same time, what is very important for us is the protection of the rights of intellectual property along with generally-accepted international legal aspects of this activity,” Andrey Denisov, Russia’s Ambassador to China, told TASS on Tuesday.