In Today’s Deep Space Extra… Artemis a priority for Nelson. NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity sails through ninth flight while three rovers are at work on Mars.
Human Space Exploration
New NASA chief Bill Nelson brings a politician’s eye to space agency
Coalition Member in the News – Axiom Space
Space.com (7/6): In an interview, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson expresses concerns over China’s growing space prowess and the Asian nation’s efforts to partner with Russia for future exploration of the Moon. “I want the Russians to stay as our partners,” said Nelson. “They’re a very important partner on the Space Station.” As he’s stated previously, NASA will push to return humans to the surface of the Moon by 2024; for him, continuing the push to the Moon is the top priority, and the faster the better. However, he did emphasize that “2024 is the goal, but space is hard.” Nelson also expressed confidence the agency will launch Artemis I, an unpiloted test flight of an Orion crew capsule around the Moon with a liftoff atop a Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, by the end of this year.
Europe will launch a new two-handed robotic arm to the International Space Station soon
Space.com (7/6): Russia’s long awaited Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module will be accompanied by a European Space Agency (ESA)/Airbus autonomous robotic arm when it launches to the International Space Station (ISS). The tool is composed of two symmetrical “hands,” each about 16 feet in length. In addition to moving equipment, the robotic arm will be able to position spacewalkers at worksites outside the ISS. They will have a computer with which to command the arm. The ISS is also equipped with Canadian and Japanese robotic arms.
Space Science
NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity sails through 9th flight on the Red Planet
Space.com (7/6): NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter took flight for a ninth time on Monday, remaining aloft for 166.4 seconds. The 4-pound, 19-inch-high aircraft covered about 625 meters during the flight.
Ingenuity, InSight, and Ice Mapper
The Space Review (7/6): In a first, three rovers are at work on Mars. NASA’s Curiosity rover, which landed in 2012, is ascending Mount Sharp in Gale Crater assessing time scales for when environmental conditions may have been favorable for biological activity. NASA’s Perseverance rover arrived in February to collect and cache samples. Arriving in May was China’s Zhurong rover, which is at Utopia Planitia but whose overall objectives are not so clear. And while the solar power panels of NASA’s Mars InSight lander have been shrouded in dust reducing available electricity, NASA is looking ahead to future missions. Working with the European Space Agency (ESA), NASA plans a complex mission to return soil and rock samples cached by Perseverance. NASA is also working with Canada, Japan, and Italy to integrate and launch the International Mars Ice Mapper by 2026. The orbiter will carry radar sensors to identify subsurface ice deposits. NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter, a Perseverance passenger, has exceeded test flight objectives and is laying groundwork for a future Mars Science Helicopter.
Other News
Biden’s OSTP gets commercial input on planetary protection
SpacePolicyOnline.com (7/6): The Biden White House is working on implementing the last administration’s National Strategy for Planetary Protection. The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) recently held a roundtable with representatives of companies and industry associations to gather feedback on planetary protection issues. Planetary protection is the practice of avoiding contamination of bodies outside Earth by this planet’s biology, referred to as forward contamination, and to protecting the Earth from life forms that may come back from other worlds, or backward contamination. A National Academies committee concluded in 2018 that new approaches to setting and implementing planetary protection is needed, including taking the interests of the commercial sector into account as companies plan their own missions.
China conducts third orbital launch inside four days
SpaceNews.com (7/6): The Long March 3C launch Tuesday of China’s Tianlian data tracking and relay communications satellite marked its third launch of an orbital spacecraft in four days. Tianlian joins four other satellites of its kind to facilitate communications between satellites in low and medium Earth orbits and ground stations, including China’s new Tianhe space station.