Deep Space Extra

Here is a list of news that were published in our Newsletter the week of June 24, 2024:

Human Space Exploration:

• ISS astronauts take shelter after Russian spacecraft breaks up in orbit
  Coalition Member in the News – Boeing;
• The Moon on Earth: Astrobotic unveils ‘proving ground’ for future lunar missions;
• The science behind splashdown – an aerospace engineer explains how NASA and SpaceX get spacecraft safely back on Earth;
• NASA picks SpaceX to build ISS deorbit vehicle;
• NASA’s commercial spacesuit program just hit a major snag
  Coalition Members in the News – Axiom Space, Collins Aerospace;
• NASA calls off spacewalk at last minute as astronaut suit malfunctions;
• U.S. ‘on schedule’ in race with China to land people on Moon, NASA chief says;
• NASA has again delayed Boeing Starliner’s return to Earth
  Coalition Member in the News – Boeing;
• How SpaceShipOne’s historic launch 20 years ago paved the way for a new space tourism era;
• Virgin Galactic announces international crew for flight on new Delta class space plane;

Space Science

• House spending bill cuts NASA science and education programs;
• China opens Chang’e 6 return capsule containing samples from Moon’s far side;
• If alien life exist on Europa, we may find it in hydrothermal vents;
• What happened to China’s Chang’e 6 lander on the Moon’s far side?
• That nova you’ve heard about is about to explode;
• Something weird is happening to Earth’s inner core;
• Falcon Heavy launches GOES-U weather satellite
  Coalition Member in the News – Lockheed Martin;
• Do other planets have plate tectonics?
• China has just returned the first-ever samples from the far side of the Moon;
• Could we launch resources from the Moon with electromagnetic railguns?
• Air sealed in Perseverance’s Mars sample return tubes is as precious as the rocks themselves;
• Astronomers think they’ve figured out how and when Jupiter’s Red Spot formed;
• Chang’e-6 heads for Earth with first-ever lunar far side samples;
• Supernova slowdowns confirm Einstein’s predictions of time dilation;

Other News;

• Blue Origin urges FAA to cap SpaceX launches at Kennedy
  Coalition Members in the News – Boeing, Lockheed Martin;
• Dream Chaser spaceplane is off the manifest for ULA’s second Vulcan launch
  Coalition Member in the News – Boeing;
• Starfish Space signs contract with Intelsat for satellite servicing beginning in 2026
  Coalition Member in the News – Northrop Grumman;
• China’s ‘worst-case thinking’ could spark space crisis, study finds;
• NASA confirms space debris in North Carolina was from SpaceX Crew Dragon reentry;
• A combination drill and gas conveyor could simplify asteroid extraction;
• Space Force seeks bids for ‘resilient GPS’ satellite program;
• How long would it take to reach Planet 9, if we ever find it?
• China launches Sino-French astrophysics satellite, debris falls over populated area;
• After third successful landing demonstration, India’s reusable launch vehicle closer to space mission;
• Ariane 6 completes wet dress rehearsal;
• Family whose roof was damaged by space debris files claims against NASA;

Major Space Related Activities for the Week

• NASA astronauts Tracy Dyson and Mike Barratt will embark on a 6 ½-hour spacewalk outside the ISS on Monday at 8 a.m. EDT. The spacewalk was previously postponed from June 13 due to a spacesuit discomfort issue experienced by crewmate Matt Dominick.
• NASA’s GOES-U weather satellite is slated for launch on Tuesday at 5:16 p.m. EDT.
• On Wednesday at 8:30 a.m. EDT, the U.S. House Commerce, Justice and Science subcommittee will mark up a 2025 appropriations bill to fund NASA and NOAA. The House CJS hearing on Wednesday can be virtually accessed here.
• On Thursday, the Beyond Earth Institute will host a seminar entitled “Commercial Market Forecasts: Are They Credible? Who to Believe” from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. EDT. NASA activities will be broadcast on NASA TV and streamed over www.nasa.gov/nasalive.

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