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Here is a list of news that were published in our Newsletter the week of May 21, 2023:
Human Space Exploration:
- A new report finds NASA has spent an obscene amount of money on SLS propulsion
- NASA safety panel skeptical of Starliner readiness for crewed flight
- Whitson says commercial station visit critical to private-sector space ops
- How NASA plans to melt the Moon and build on Mars
- Virgin Galactic ready to launch final test flight to suborbital space on May 25
- Russian cargo ship Progress 84 docks at Space Station just hours after launch (video)
- Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser getting closer to first flight
- NASA return to the Moon could be imperiled by politics
- Exploration Upper Stage unveiled: Revolutionary leap in crew safety, cargo capacity, and deep space power
- Axiom’s second private astronaut mission docks at International Space Station
- NASA has sights set on Mars with help from a nuclear rocket engine
- Blue Origin team wins NASA’s second HLS contract
- Two private citizens, two Saudis blast off on commercial flight to Space Station
- NASA seeks to shore up congressional support for Artemis
- How space companies plan to build roads and bases on the Moon
Space Science
- Rocket Lab launches 2 tiny NASA hurricane-watching probes to orbit
- Researchers are building a simulated Moon/Mars research station deep underground
- NASA’s VIPER is leading the way for the next generation of Moon rovers
- Artificial gravity tests on Earth could improve astronaut health in space
- Impulse and Relativity target 2026 for launch of first Mars lander mission
- Hubble Space Telescope reveals a rare black hole lurking in our cosmic backyard (video)
- NASA’S LRO images Hakuto-R lunar crash site
- Life on Earth might have gotten a boost from the Sun’s mega-tantrums
- How would we decode a message from ET? New project will give us a trial run
- Would you let NASA lock you up in a fake Mars habitat for a year?
- Astronomers want to build the next generation Arecibo telescope
Other News
- Virgin Galactic makes first suborbital spaceflight in nearly two years
- Homeland security an untapped market for satellite imagery and analytics
- A spaceport startup launched the 1st rocket from a floating launch pad in U.S. waters
- NRO seeks closer ties with industry
- Three companies to buy most Virgin Orbit assets
- ULA Vulcan rocket heads back to launch pad
- SpaceX files motion to become defendant in Boca Chica Spaceport lawsuit
- SpaceX making progress toward next Starship test flights
- Agencies studying safety issues of LOX/methane launch vehicles
- Stoke Space aims for holy grail of a fully reusable launch vehicle
- Watch the Moon, Venus and Mars engage in a celestial dance next week
Major Space Related Activities for the Week
- With a successful launch on Sunday evening, Axiom Space’s second, four-astronaut private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is to dock Monday about 9:30 a.m. EDT, for an eight-day stay including a range of science, education and outreach activities. NASA is providing coverage of the docking on NASA TV and live streaming at www.nasa.gov/nasalive, starting at 7:30 a.m. EDT.
- Virgin Galactic is poised to return to human suborbital flight from Spaceport America in New Mexico on Thursday at 10 a.m. EDT. Six company employees will fly, a milestone ahead of company plans to begin commercial passenger missions in June.
- Also on Thursday, the next Lunar Surface Science Workshop is to get underway at 11 a.m. EDT with lots of updates on Artemis missions and their science activities.
- NASA’s Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) will also meet on Thursday at 5 p.m. EDT.
- Throughout the week, many will also be watching exchanges between Congress and the White House on a debt limit agreement, potentially by June 1. The U.S. House is in session this week, out next week. The U.S. Senate is out this week, back next week. The debt limit decisions could have an impact on NASA’s human and science space exploration objectives depending on potential budget cuts associated with the debt limit.