In Today’s Deep Space Extra… Mars beckons as a destination for human exploration according to experts.
Human Deep Space Exploration
The Atlantic (1/13): The passage of time, four billion years, has separated Mars and the Earth. The two planets may once have exhibited similar conditions, including temperate environments. However, while life thrived on the Earth, Mars turned cold and desert-like. The red planet may hold answers to why the fortunes of the two planets are so different. The mystery makes Mars a significant destination for human and robotic explorers.
Mission to Mars: NASA engineer shares experience, studies about the ‘Red Planet’
Victorville Daily Press of California (1/14): In remarks before a Barstow, California audience, Flight Systems Engineer Anne Devereaux, of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, links NASA’s next Mars rover, Mars 2020, with plans for human exploration of the red planet to follow. In addition to robotically gathering soil and rock samples for eventual return to Earth, the 2020 rover will demonstrate a technique for extracting oxygen from the carbon dioxide atmosphere of Mars, a possible resource for future human explorers.
Box office: ‘Hidden Figures’ calculates another win with $20.5M
USA Today (1/16): Hidden Figures, the story of a team of African American women who furnished critical mathematical services to NASA’s early human spaceflight successes, leads the box office for a second week in a row. Their efforts helped launch the first American into Earth orbit and send NASA’s astronauts to the lunar surface.
Space Science
New White House strategy preps Earth for asteroid hit scenarios
Scientific America (1/13): As the Obama Administration approaches the end of its term, the Office of Science and Technology Policy has released a strategy for dealing with the global threat posed by a potentially devastating asteroid or comet collision. Detection, tracking and characterization are priorities, according to the report entitled, National Near-Earth Object Preparedness Strategy.
President Obama to NASA: Thanks for sending my signature to Mars
Space.com (1/13): U.S. President Obama, days from leaving office after two terms, thanked NASA for a special plaque attached to the Mars Curiosity rover. Still exploring Mars’ Gale Crater, Curiosity landed on the red planet in August 2012 and soon discovered evidence for past habitable environments.
Moon Express reportedly has the money for moonshot, but launch is up in the air
GeekWire (1/13): Moon Express, a competitor for the Google Lunar X-prize, has reached its fund raising goal of $20 million. The winning competitor must land a spacecraft on the lunar surface and travel 500 meters. The small company plans to launch its entry, the MX-1E, from New Zealand later this year, following additional research on its propulsion systems.
Russian astronomer discovers new comet using his own cutting-edge telescope
TASS of Russia (1/13): Prolific comet searcher Leonid Elenin, a Russian astronomer and researcher at the Keldysh Institute of Applied Mathematics, made his latest discovery using an Australian telescope with automated observatory remote control software.
Low Earth Orbit
Spacewalkers finish Station battery replacement
CBS News (1/13): NASA’s Shane Kimbrough and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet teamed early Friday to cinch the installation of six new, high efficiency rechargeable lithium ion batteries outside the International Space Station. The new power cells replace a dozen, larger nickel hydrogen batteries. Theirs was second spacewalk in a human/robotic effort that got underway December 31. In all, NASA and its Space Station partners plan to replace 48 nickel hydrogen batteries over two years.
European astronaut captures incredible views of our beautiful planet
Seeker (1/13): European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet has captured and shared camera views of the Earth since moving aboard the International Space Station in mid-November.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
Exclusive peek at SpaceX data shows loss in 2015, heavy expectations for nascent internet service
The Wall Street Journal (1/13): One hundred and thirty nine seconds is all it took for an unmanned rocket to explode after blastoff and turn Elon Musk’s booming Space Exploration Technologies Corporation into a geyser of red ink. That June 2015 disaster, followed by months of launch delays, contributed to a quarter-billion dollar annual loss and a six percent drop in revenue, after several years of surging sales and small profits.
SpaceX lands its Falcon 9 rocket at sea, following first launch since August
The Verge (1/14): Following Saturday’s rocket launch, SpaceX successfully landed its Falcon 9 on the company’s drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. This is the first landing SpaceX has performed since August, and brings the total number of recovered SpaceX rockets to seven. But, SpaceX seems to be in need of cutting costs as the company lost $260 million and had a six percent drop in revenue in 2015, according to financial reports obtained by the Wall Street Journal. The company is likely experiencing similar budget issues now following the September 2016 explosion.
Mini rocket splashes in sea in failed launch; cause unknown
Asahi Shimbun (1/15): The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s efforts to develop a trimmed down launch vehicle, the SS-520, failed its first launch attempt. The rocket is intended to respond to a growing interest in the launch of small satellites. One facet of an investigation into Friday’s failure will focus on the use of mass produced components.
Major Space Related Activities for the Week
Major space related activities for the week of January 16-20, 2017
Spacepolicyonline.com (1/15): Observations and activities this week include Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, a U.S. federal holiday. Washington will prepare for inauguration of President-elect Trump on Friday. The U.S. Senate will be in session with hearings on Trump administration nominees.