In Today’s Deep Space Extra… A government shutdown could delay the launch of NASA’s first-ever mission to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. Graduate student interest in space exploration is on the rise.
Human Space Exploration
Station crew relocates Soyuz spaceship to new Russian module
Spaceflightnow.com (9/28): NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei joined cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov aboard the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft early Tuesday as they moved the capsule from a docking port on the Russian segment Rassvet module to a docking port on the Nauka module. The move opened the Rassvet docking port for the planned October 5 launch and docking of the Soyuz MS-19 with a veteran cosmonaut along with actress Yulia Peresild and film director Klim Shipenko. Peresild and Shipenko will spend a dozen days aboard the International Space Station filming scenes for a movie production called “The Challenge.”
Space Science
Government shutdown could delay NASA’s Lucy asteroid mission
Coalition Members in the News – Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance
SpaceNews.com (9/28): Lucy, NASA’s first mission to study the Trojan asteroids, is planned for launch no earlier than October 16 on an Atlas V rocket. The launch window, which aims to accommodate a complex spacecraft trajectory to Jupiter, closes on November 7. If Congress fails to agree on a continuing resolution (CR) to prevent a shutdown of federal agencies after the start of the 2022 fiscal year on Friday, the launch of the mission could be delayed. The House and Senate have neither passed a temporary spending bill or CR, nor come to an agreement regarding a new debt ceiling, which would be included in the CR. Lori Glaze, director of NASA’s planetary science division, said the Lucy mission is seeking an exception that would allow Lucy to launch. “The request process is underway. It’s not completed yet,” she said. “We’re working on that and keeping a really, really close eye on what’s going on with Congress and the budget.”
NASA Mars missions facing 2-week communications blackout as sun blocks Red Planet
Space.com (9/28): On October 7 the sun will be positioned between the Earth and Mars, a once in every two year orientation called solar conjunction. That means that between this Saturday and about October 16, communications between NASA and the agency’s Mars surface rovers, landers, and orbiters will be constrained to prevent the possibility the sun’s hot outer atmosphere might corrupt communications. While communications between the Earth and Mars are limited, the Perseverance and Curiosity Rovers and InSight Lander will continue to gather data. NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter as well as the orbiting Odyssey and MAVEN orbiters will relay some data back to Earth but all of the spacecraft will hold much of their data until the conjunction is over.
Mars helicopter Ingenuity aborted latest flight attempt because of anomaly
Space.com (9/29): The Ingenuity helicopter was scheduled to make its 14th Red Planet sortie on September 18, a relatively short hop that would have demonstrated the chopper’s ability to fly with slightly higher rotor speeds. However, Ingenuity detected an anomaly in two of the small flight-control servo motors during its automatic pre-flight checkout and canceled the flight.
Mars on the cheap: Scientists working to revolutionize access to the Red Planet
Space.com (9/29): Leading planetary scientists are urging the development of less expensive Mars landers, orbiters, and other assets like helicopters to enable a more comprehensive study of Mars, a diverse planetary body that may once have hosted habitable environments. NASA’s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program is one such initiative.
Other News
MIT professor: Interest in space careers at an all-time high
SpaceNews.com (9/28): Speaking at the Space Sector Market Conference in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Tuesday, professor Daniel Hastings, who leads MIT’s Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics graduate admissions program, said his is among educational institutions experiencing a rise in applications because of recent high profile space activities. “I can’t tell you how many students think that flying a helicopter on Mars is just a cool thing to do,” said Hastings, a reference to the Ingenuity helicopter that is part of NASA’s Perseverance rover mission to Mars. Hastings noted a need for talent educated in business as well as space technology.
Chinese Shiyan-10 satellite fails in orbit after successful launch
NASAspaceflight.com (9/28): Shiyan-10, China’s latest satellite mission failed following launch into a geostationary transfer orbit early Monday atop a Long March 3B/E rocket.