In Today’s Deep Space Extra… China, Russia discuss joint human lunar exploration.
Human Space Exploration
China, Russia set to ink landmark deal for manned moon missions
ECNS.cm of China (8/28): China and Russia appear close to signing a five year bilateral agreement on space exploration. Effective in 2018, the deal would include plans for human lunar exploration and future deep space mission collaboration, space debris mitigation, Earth observations and materials research, according to the English language Chinese news service.
NASA flight controllers shelter in place during storm
Spaceflightnow.com (8/27): Flight controllers and other essential personnel at NASA’s Johnson Space Center just south of Houston are sheltering in place, maintaining contact with the International Space Station during torrential rain and flooding across south Texas from the slow-moving remnants of Hurricane Harvey. “The Center will be closed tomorrow (Monday) to all but Mission Essential Personnel,” the JSC emergency management office said in a web posting. “Senior management will evaluate on a day-to-day basis after Monday.
After years of delays, Virgin Galactic prepares for spaceflights from New Mexico
New Mexico Politics (8/25): Despite schedule setbacks, tragedy and questions over finances, those behind New Mexico’s Spaceport America in Las Cruces, remain hopeful that Virgin Galactic space passengers’ flights will soon launch and land.
Space Science
Total solar eclipse was NASA’s biggest online event ever
Newsweek (8/25): NASA logged more than 90 million page views during the rare August 21 total solar eclipse. “It’s one of the biggest Internet events in recent history and by far the biggest online event NASA has ever measured. That includes some pretty big events, like landing a car-sized rover on Mars and flying a spacecraft past Pluto,” the space agency noted.
How we might help to shift an asteroid
Cyprus Mail Online (8/27): The small nation of Cyprus intends to participate in a NASA and European Space Agency led effort to demonstrate an asteroid impact defense in the 2020s. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test and Asteroid Impact Mission would aim for the double asteroid Didymos. Their mission will be to observe the response to an impactor that will attempt to change the asteroid’s course.
Hot springs in Gale Crater? Curiosity rover finds new evidence for ancient hydrothermal activity
AmericaSpace.com (8/26): NASA’s Curiosity rover, which landed in Mars’ expansive Gale Crater five years ago this month, has found more evidence of ancient hydro thermal activity, another sign the red planet once hosted habitable environments. The findings are published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets. Curiosity found its first signs of past habitability in the mineralogy soon after it landed.
Other News
Tropical Storm Harvey closes Johnson Space Center
Space News (8/28): NASA’s Johnson Space Center, home to the agency’s Mission Control Center, was closed Sunday and remains closed on Monday in response to heavy rains from hurricane turned tropical storm Harvey, which is lingering along the mid to upper Texas coast. Essential personnel only are on sight keeping Mission Control operational. Low temperature thermal vacuum testing of the James Webb Space Telescope, underway since July, continues as well, according to the report. Many employees are working from home until flooded roadways clear.
Orbital ATK launches ORS-5 space surveillance satellite atop Minotaur IV
Coalition Member in the News
Spaceflight Insider (8/26): Orbital ATK successfully clustered surplus ICBM solid rocket stages into a Minotaur rocket for the launch early Saturday of the Operationally Responsive Space 5 satellite from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
Russia to launch production of hydrogen-powered stage for Angara heavy rocket
TASS of Russia (8/25): Russia’s planned Angara-A5M rocket will be equipped with a liquid oxygen/hydrogen stage capable of delivering 37 metric tons of payload to low Earth orbit. Test flights are planned for 2027-28.
Major Space Related Activities for the Week
Major space related activities for the week of August 28 to September 8, 2017
Spacepolicyonline.com (8/27): NASA’s record setting astronaut Peggy Whitson, a three time resident of the International Space Station and first women to command the orbiting science lab twice, is scheduled to return to Earth late Saturday with fellow U.S. astronaut Jack Fischer and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikin. Whitson will also be featured in a NASA news conference on Wednesday. Her 288 day mission is the longest and her 10 career spacewalks the most by a female. Her career total of 685 days in space will be the most by an American. Congress is scheduled to return to Washington on September 5.