Deep Space Extra

Here is a list of news that were published in our Newsletter the week of July 29, 2024:

Human Space Exploration:

• NASA says it is “evaluating all options” for the safe return of Starliner crew
  Coalition Member in the News – Boeing;
• After ISS: The private space station era is dawning
  Coalition Members in the News – Axiom Space, Boeing, Northrop Grumman;
• No, Boeing Starliner’s NASA astronauts are not stranded in space. Here’s why.
  Coalition Member in the News – Boeing;
• Moon robots could build stone walls to protect lunar bases from rocket exhaust;
• Starliner passes in-orbit tests, but first operational launch slips
  Coalition Member in the News – Boeing;
• NASA nears decision on what to do with Boeing’s troubled Starliner spacecraft
  Coalition Members in the News – Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing

  ;

Space Science

• If we want to settle on other planets, we’ll have to use genome editing to alter human DNA;
• Saturn threw a comet out of the solar system at 6,700 mph. Here’s how;
• Webb confirms: Big, bright galaxies formed shortly after the Big Bang;
• Predicting solar storms before they leave the Sun;
• Should humanity build a doomsday vault on the Moon?
• Has NASA found evidence of ancient life on Mars? An expert examines the latest discovery;
• Dark matter could play ‘matchmaker’ for supermassive black holes;
• How spaceflight’s ‘parastronaut program’ could improve health-care practices here on Earth
  Coalition Member in the News – Axiom Space;
• Astronauts find their tastes dulled, and a VR ISS hints at why;
• Moonquakes are much more common than thought, Apollo data suggests;
• A moon of Uranus could have a hidden ocean, James Webb Space Telescope finds;

Opinion

• Is the United States doing enough to engage with China on space policy?

  Coalition Member in the News – Lockheed Martin

  The U.S. is currently doing what it can to avoid confrontation with China in space, according to an op-ed from Mariam Kvaratskhelia, a recent Georgetown University recipient of a master’s degree from its Foreign Service program, with a focus on transatlantic security, defense and nuclear strategy. She cites three obstacles. First, there is a historic absence of coordination of space issues between the U.S. and China. The congressional Wolf Amendment also limits engagement with China in space. Lastly, the current state of confrontation between the two countries is far too vast on the national security front. “The U.S. must focus on advancing its own technological capabilities to ensure zero-sum competition in the years to come, while also eradicating any power vacuums that can potentially be filled by China,” she concludes.

Other News;

• Japan’s expanding role in space domain awareness;
• Connecting the dots: Avoiding space explosions;
• Space industry considers implications of Harris as presidential candidate;
• Study finds space industry growth uncorrelated to larger markets;
• Boeing takes another financial hit due to Starliner
  Coalition Member in the News – Boeing;
• Syensqo, Orbex to enhance space launch system development
  Coalition Member in the News – Syensqo;
• Although it’s not final, SpaceX just got good news from the FAA on Starbase;
• ULA’s Atlas V launches its final national security mission;
• SpaceX returns to flight with weekend Falcon 9 triple header
  Coalition Members in the News – Boeing, Northrop Grumman;
• Cannibal CME alert;
• NASA CADRE Moon rovers test autonomous exploration of lunar surface;

Major Space Related Activities for the Week

• Politico is hosting the in person and virtual “Go For Launch: Shaping the Next Space Economy” from Washington with a list of experts that include NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. EDT.
• The ISS National Lab’s annual ISS Research & Development Conference, ISSRDC, organized by the American Astronautical Society, is taking place in Boston on Monday through Wednesday, with virtual details to come. Topics include plans for commercial successors to the ISS.
• The annual ASCEND conference is taking place in Las Vegas on Tuesday through Thursday, with topics that include the space economy, exploration, security, protection and traffic management. Though not virtual, ASCEND plans to record at least some sessions and lectures and post them to YouTube in the future.
• NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is facilitating a workshop on “Science and Planetary Protection in Advance of Human Missions to Mars” on Wednesday and Thursday. Also, NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory panel will host a session available by telephone on Thursday for a discussion on their latest quarterly findings and recommendations.
• Though with more work remaining on establishing a budget for the 2025 fiscal year that begins October 1, the U.S. House is in recess until September 9 and the U.S. Senate will take its summer break late this week and return September 9.

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