In Today’s Deep Space Extra…Russia and China discuss possible collaboration for the exploration of the moon and Mars.
Human Deep Space Exploration
Russia, China discuss cooperation in Moon, Mars exploration
TASS, or Russia (13): Russia’s deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin says Moscow and Beijing have discussed cooperation in the exploration of space, including the exploration of the moon and Mars. “We’re developing an understanding for the rocket and space industry for possible interaction in such profound and technologically complex projects as the future exploration of the Moon, Mars and piloted cosmonautics,” said Rogozin.
Space Science
Einstein’s ‘Time Dilation’ Spread Age Gap for Astronaut Scott Kelly & His Twin
Space.com (7/13): Astronaut Scott Kelly, now retired from NASA, returned from a U.S. record setting 340 days in orbit aboard the International Space Station in early March. According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, Scott Kelly should be slightly younger than his twin brother, Mark Kelly, also are retired NASA astronaut. The two brothers discussed their activities before the International Space Station Research and Development 2016 conference in San Diego earlier this week.
NASA’s Solar System program is just about the greatest thing ever
Ars Technica (7/13): Responding to programmed instructions, NASA’s Juno spacecraft carried out a 35 minute long maneuver on July 4 to steer into a challenging orbital trajectory at Jupiter. It was the latest difficult feat accomplished by the space agency’s planetary science program over the last six decades.
Salty Streaks of Flowing Water Could Morph Mars’ Surface
Space.com (7/13): Scientists discover new details about Recurring Slope Linae, the long dark streaks that come and go seasonally in sloped regions of the Martian surface. Once thought to be a signature of underground water rising the surface during warm periods, the streaks may be water drawn from the thin Martian atmosphere by the salty chemistry of the soil. The RSL were first detected in 2011. Experts wonder if the briny nature of the solution would permit biological activity.
First virus-hunter in space will test DNA-decoding device
Associated Press via Washington Post (7/13): NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, a biomedical researcher, was among a U.S., Russian and Japanese crew that launched to the six person International Space Station earlier this month. With the arrival of a cargo mission expected next week, Rubins will have the laboratory equipment to experiment with the sequencing of DNA in space, a first.
Low Earth Orbit
China’s Tiangong-1 space module will probably not crash into Earth yet
Mashable (7/13): China’s prototype space station, now unmanned, poses little danger to those of the ground when it re-enters the Earth atmosphere, according to one long time expert. The orbital habitat has been reboosted many times by Chinese flight controllers since 2011, according to U.S. astrophysicist and spaceflight enthusiast Jonathan McDowell.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
Critical Science, Commercial Crew Hardware Headed to Space Station Aboard CRS-9 Dragon
America Space (7/13): The first of two eventual NASA/Boeing International Docking Assemblies is among nearly 5,000 pounds of cargo scheduled to launch to the International Space Station early Monday aboard the next NASA contracted re-supply mission. The adapter will be attached to the station’s U.S. segment Harmony module for use by commercial crew transports currently under development by Boeing, the CST-100 Starliner, and SpaceX, the crewed Dragon. Station astronauts plan to attach the adapter in August with spacewalks. The first IDA was destroyed in the failed launch of a SpaceX Falcon9/Dragon resupply mission to the station in late June 2015.
Britain selects U.S., French, British teams to study spaceport feasibility
Space News (7/13): The British government has selected five industry teams, including three with U.S. ties — Lockheed Martin, Virgin Galactic and Firefly Space Systems — to examine the possibility of operating orbital or suborbital launch activities from British territories.