In Today’s Deep Space Extra… President-elect Trump is intrigued by a human lunar base, according to a prominent presidential historian. Maybe the U.S. should follow the transcontinental railroad and Interstate highway system with a “super highway” into space, according to an exploration advocate.
Human Deep Space Exploration
Trump might be thinking about a moon base
The Atlantic (1/4): Prominent historian David Brinkley suggested President-elect Trump is intrigued by a human lunar base, following a meeting between the two last week. A U.S. return to the lunar surface, however, could prove expensive enough to slow the momentum to reach Mars with human explorers in two decades, note experts who favor the red planet as the next planetary surface destination.
NASA should build a superhighway in space
Scientific America (1/4): NASA should lead a U.S. federal initiative based on successful efforts from the 1800s and 1900s to establish the continental railroad and interstate highway system with new infrastructure to support humans living and working in space, according to Howard Bloom, a National Space Society board member.
Space Science
NASA unveils 2 new missions to study truly strange asteroids
Space.com (1/4): NASA announced two new asteroid missions on Wednesday, Lucy and Psyche. Lucy will study six Trojans — a group of small asteroids that trail giant Jupiter as it orbits the sun. Psyche will head for an asteroid, comprised of iron and nickel — indicators of the kinds of resources that may be available to future space explorers. The two competitively selected missions are targeted for launches in 2021 and 2023.
Spacecraft ‘sees’ the mysteries buried under the polar ice caps of Mars
Seeker (1/4): NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, circling Mars since 2006, is equipped with powerful radar that has enabled scientists involved in the mission to look below the surface of the red planet’s polar ice caps.
There are oceans in our solar system that could contain life
Seeker.com (1/4): Among the top prospects of solar system bodies beyond the Earth with large bodies of water is Enceladus, the geologically active moon of Jupiter. Scientists hope a future mission will provide insight into just what is happening in the ice-covered oceans of the distant moon.
Mysterious radio burst came from a galaxy 2.5 billion light years away, astronomers discover
Washington Post (1/4): Astronomers nail down a mystery — the source of repeating fast radio bursts. The source is a small galaxy 2.5 billion light years from the Earth, according to research papers published in the journals Nature and Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Low Earth Orbit
Robotics work clears way for Friday spacewalk
Spaceflight Insider (1/4): NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Peggy Whitson are preparing for a nearly seven hour spacewalk on Friday. Their efforts will further the work of robotics aboard the International Space Station for the installation of new external power storage batteries. Canada’s Dextre robot arm has helped set the stage for their work. In all, space station astronauts plan to exchange six new rechargeable lithium ion batteries for a dozen aging nickel hydrogen batteries.
NASA just picked these astronauts to fly in space in 2018
Space.com (1/4): On Wednesday, NASA assigned veteran astronaut Drew Feustel and first timer Janette Epps to launches to the International Space Station in March and May of 2018. Epps will become the first African-American to serve aboard the 15 nation orbiting science laboratory.
Cosmonaut Igor Volk dead at 79
Spaceflight Insider (1/4): Volk, a former Soviet cosmonaut died earlier this week at 79. He launched in 1984 to the Salyut 7 space station and served as a valued test pilot.