In Today’s Deep Space Extra…With the nation’s direction in space exploration on a sure footing, it’s time to stay the course and extend U.S. capabilities.
Human Deep Space Exploration
Op-ed | Stay the Course: Continue America’s Progress in Space
Space News (4/19): Current U.S. space policy, in which government investments are committed to human and planetary science deep space exploration objectives, serves a range of national interests, from national security to scientific discovery and a stronger economy. Commercial sector advances into Low Earth Orbit are equally significant, serving a range of stakeholders — from taxpayers to innovation minded entrepreneurs and investors, writes Mary Lynne Dittmar, executive director of the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration.
Senate Subcommittee Approves $19.3 Billion for NASA, Outlook in House Also Positive
Spacepolicyonline (4/19): The U.S. Senate appropriations subcommittee responsible for shaping NASA’s budget agreed to $19.3 billion for 2017, nearly $1 billion more than the White House request, or $300 million more, depending on how much mandatory federal funding is instead considered for discretionary programs. NASA’s Space Launch System exploration rocket and Orion crew capsule would be among the beneficiaries of the increase with full House and Senate passage at the panel’s recommended level, which is also close to the 2016 NASA appropriation.
An engine for Mars: Aerojet wins $67 million NASA contract for solar electric propulsion
Geek Wire (4/19): Under a $67 million NASA contract announced Tuesday, Aerojet Rocketdyne will pursue the development of a solar electric propulsion system. SEP is NASA’s choice for the Asteroid Robotic Redirect Mission to collect a boulder from an asteroid and maneuver it into orbit around the moon for a visit by U.S. astronauts. SEP is also a strong propulsion candidate for missions in the 2030s that would transport U.S. astronauts to the Martian environs.
Space Science
Attitude control failures led to break-up of Japanese astronomy satellite
Spaceflightnow.com (4/19): An attitude control system failure appears to have caused the loss of the Japanese Hitomi X-ray telescope that broke up about six weeks after a Feb. 17 launch on a three year mission.
Bright Ceres Crater Looks Like a Stop Sign (Photos)
Space.com (4/19): NASA’s Dawn mission spacecraft has delivered new imagery of the puzzling bright features on the surface of the large main belt asteroid Ceres, perhaps a signature from briny subsurface water.
Star’s Wobble Could Reveal ‘Earth-Like’ Exoplanet
Discovery.com (4/19): A University of Texas, Arlington, led research team has detected what may be a rocky Earth like planet around the red dwarf star Gliese 832, 16 light years away. The detection was made using the radial velocity technique.
New telescopes will search for signs of life on distant planets
Science News (4/19): Two future U.S. deep space telescopes, the Terrestrial Exoplanet Survey Satellite and the James Webb Space Telescope, scheduled for launchings in 2017 and late 2018, will work together to check the closest extra solar planets for evidence of bio signatures, which could mean they host some form of life.
Commercial to Orbit
Florida factory to mass-produce satellites at record pace
Spaceflightnow.com (4/19): Satellite maker OneWeb forecasts the production of 15 internet service satellites per week under the roof of a new factory that will be located outside the gates of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Central Florida. The opening is planned for late 2017.