In Today’s Deep Space Extra… As the International Space Station reaches 20 years of permanent habitation, the space community continues to discuss plans for the next chapter in low Earth orbit research and human spaceflight. NASA contacts Voyager 2 for the first time in eight months using an upgraded Deep Space Network antenna.
Human Space Exploration
The Space Station is showing its age after housing people for 20 years. Companies are already designing new space habitats to take its place
Coalition Member in the News – Axiom Space
Business Insider (11/2): A lineup of commercial, free flying low Earth orbit platform concepts is forming to take over for the now aging International Space Station (ISS). Designed for a 15-year lifetime, the Space Station marked 20 years of continuous human occupation on Monday. Those preparing to offer possible commercial space-based versions of research and manufacturing platforms include Axiom Space, Bigelow, Blue Origin, and Sierra Nevada. NASA could become a tenant as the agency turns its human exploration focus to deep space.
Space Science
NASA’s Voyager 2 probe receives first commands since March, sends back a hello
Cnet (11/2): For the past eight months, NASA’s Deep Space Station 43 in Australia has been undergoing upgrades, preventing NASA from communicating with the Voyager 2 spacecraft. However, as the radio antenna overhaul starts to wrap up, NASA was able on October 30 to successfully send a command to the spacecraft, which is gathering data at the edge of interstellar space 11.6 billion miles from Earth. Voyager 2 launched 43 years ago.
Martian meteorites show Red Planet had water billions of years ago
Futurism.com (11/2): A Japanese-led research effort has found evidence in meteorites that originated on Mars and made their way to Earth of abundant water on the Red Planet 4.4 billion years ago, or 400 million years earlier than previously thought.
Opinion
20 years in space: Lessons in cooperation from the International Space Station
SpaceNews.com (11/2): The International Space Station (ISS) celebrated 20 years of continuous habitation on Monday. Enabled by the same international vision that brought five space agencies and 15 countries together to successfully develop and operate the ISS, NASA is now looking to establish a code of conduct for working with global partners beyond low Earth orbit. “What the International Space Station has made clear is that when we open space to more people, countries and industries, opportunity and innovation flourishes” writes Thomas Zelibor, CEO of the Space Foundation, in an op-ed.
U.S. space missions require bipartisan support for optimal long-term success
The Space Review (11/2): In an op-ed, Namrata Goswami, an independent space policy and international relations scholar, urges a bi-partisan U.S. focus of achieving future space exploration goals as well as commitments to meeting long term technical requirements and investment. China is a rival, and leadership in outer space will decide the global geopolitical balance of power, she writes.
Other News
Space traffic management idling in first gear
SpaceNews.com (11/3): Debate over which agency should manage civil space traffic management is hindering progress on the matter, as space debris becomes a growing concern and conjunction rates surge. As examples, the International Space Station (ISS) has maneuvered three times in 2020 to avoid debris, according to NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine, and satellite operators are receiving warnings that their spacecraft are within 1 kilometer of another satellite or piece of debris approximately twice as often as three years ago.
Moon patrols could be a future reality for the U.S. military
SpaceNews.com (11/2): As NASA moves out to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon, the recently established U.S. Space Force could follow to provide security for the agency and its international and commercial partners if their interests are challenged by a foreign power. In October, the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate announced plans to investigate new technologies to aid in monitoring cislunar space.
A new window that forever changed our view of Earth
The New York Times (11/2): In 2010, the International Space Station (ISS) was equipped with the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Cupola, a window to the world as well as host to a control system for the Station’s Canadian robotic arm. Facing the Earth, the Cupola offers a view for the astronauts of where they came from, a view absent national borders. “The cupola is the place where astronauts can connect with our planet and the universe; you realize that you are `up here’ and Earth is `over there.’ It’s a profound realization, which shapes your perspective on nearly everything,” recalls retired NASA astronaut Terry Virts.