In Today’s Deep Space Extra… The James Webb Space Telescope has been placed atop the Ariane 5 launch vehicle but slips liftoff date by two days to address a communications issue. Confirmed just recently, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe swept through the Sun’s corona in April.
Human Space Exploration
NASA scientists consider the health risks of space travel
Space.com (12/14): Physical and mental health challenges represent some of the greatest risks confronting human space exploration. NASA’s Spaceflight for Everybody, a virtual symposium, explored the topic during a November symposium. NASA uses a “phased approach” for research on human health. Initial phases include research on the health effects of being in space through simulations in places like Antarctica and radiation exposure at Brookhaven National Laboratory. Experiments in space, aboard the International Space Station (ISS), build on knowledge gained from simulations and will inform missions to the Moon and Mars.
Space Science
Webb telescope mounted on top of Ariane 5 rocket in French Guiana
Spaceflightnow.com (12/14): On Saturday, December 11, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was secured on top of the Ariane 5 rocket that will launch it to space from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. Webb was slowly hoisted nearly 130 feet and then aligned on top of the Ariane 5, after which technicians bolted Webb’s launch vehicle adapter down to the rocket. The process was performed under strict safety and cleanliness policies, as it was one of the most delicate operations during the entire launch campaign for Webb.
JWST launch slips two days
Coalition Member in the News – Northrop Grumman
Spacepolicyonline.com (12/14): The planned launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has moved from December 22 to no earlier than December 24 in order to address a communications problem between the space observatory and the Ariane 5 rocket. The delay was announced late Tuesday, two days after the JWST had been lifted atop the Ariane 5 at the launch site in French Guiana. NASA said it will provide more information about the new launch date no later than Friday, December 17.
NASA spacecraft ‘touches’ the Sun for the first time ever
Nature (12/14): Gathered for an annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union, scientists on Tuesday announced that NASA’s Parker Solar Probe swept through the sun’s corona in April, a milestone that took several months to confirm with the return of spacecraft data. Parker was launched in 2018 on a United Launch Alliance rocket. April’s was the eighth close approach to the sun for the spacecraft, which is to continue soaring closer until its mission draws to a close in 2025.
Apollo 17 rock sample hints the Moon cooled faster than we thought
New Scientist (12/14): Scientists continue to find value in the reanalysis of samples of the Moon rocks gathered by NASA’s Apollo astronauts between 1969 and 1972. A small sample from the final mission, Apollo 17, has a chemistry that suggests the Moon cooled much sooner than originally thought in its geological history, 20 million years rather than 100 million years. The updated analysis of the rock, troctolite 76535, producing the discovery was led by a University of Hawaii researcher.
Other News
Vulcan continues path to its maiden launch as ULA turns 15
Coalition Members in the News – Boeing, Lockheed Martin, United Launch Alliance
NASAspaceflight.com (12/14): United Launch Alliance (ULA), a Boeing and Lockheed Martin joint venture, has a long history, including the partnership that was established in 2005. The venture’s future holds more with the planned introduction of the Vulcan Centaur, a powerful lower cost launch services provider planned for its first liftoff in 2022.
Russian rocket deploys Express comsats into high-altitude orbit
Spaceflightnow.com (12/14): A Russian Proton rocket deployed pairs of television and internet relay satellites in space after launching from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Monday. It was only the fourth Proton launch in nearly two years.
Five former SpaceX employees speak out about harassment at the company
The Verge (12/14): A group of former SpaceX employees have shared their experience working at the company, claiming that there is a culture of sexual harassment in the workplace and that managers and the human resources department handle complaints poorly. The individuals are speaking out after a former employee published an essay this week on the topic.