In Today’s Deep Space Extra… Rollout of NASA’s Artemis I Space Launch System rocket and Orion crew capsule for Wet Dress Rehearsal nears. Planned missions to Venus keep gaining momentum.
Human Space Exploration
NASA gearing up for rollout of Artemis I mission next week
Space.com (3/7): NASA plans to roll the Artemis I mission Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion crew capsule to the launch pad at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on March 17 to conduct a launch countdown simulation called a Wet Dress Rehearsal. The SLS will be fueled as part of the simulation that will be halted seconds before an actual liftoff. The performance of the integrated hardware and software will be assessed when the rocket and Orion capsule return to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at KSC. The outcome will determine if the test launch that will send the Orion capsule without astronauts on a multi-week trek around the Moon can follow as soon as in May. Artemis I paves the way for landing the first woman and person of color on the Moon on a future mission.
Veteran astronaut Scott Kelly criticizes Russian space chief as war of words erupts
CBSnews.com (3/7): U.S. record setting and retired NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Dmitry Rogozin, head of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency, have exchanged harsh words over Russia’s incursion into Ukraine using social media. Rogozin’s wider comments suggest Russia’s participation in the 15-nation orbital laboratory could end. Kelly, who logged 340 days in space aboard the ISS with cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko over 2015-16, suggests that NASA should prepare for the possibility.
Space Science
Testing an antenna that will float in the atmosphere of Venus
Universetoday.com (3/7): Envision is a Venus mission planned by the European Space Agency (ESA) for launch in the early 2030s that is to be equipped with instrumentation able to explore from the atmosphere to the planet’s core. The objective will require a Subsurface Radar Sounder, a radar antenna. SENER, a Spanish engineering team, has tested the sounder by placing the instrumentation in a high-altitude balloon for a checkout on Earth during the mission development. Meanwhile, NASA in June 2021 also selected a pair of Venus missions for development, DAVINCI+ and VERITAS, under its Discovery program.
Opinion
Russian threats a reminder of the need to protect GPS
SpaceNews.com (3/7): In response to Russia’s military incursion into Ukraine, the U.S. and its western allies must be aware of the vulnerabilities of the Global Positioning System (GPS) and prepared to defend the space-based navigation, positioning and timing (PNT) network, writes Sarah Mineiro, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, in an op-ed. Russia has its own PNT capabilities through GLONASS, she notes. HawkEye360, a U.S.-based company, has recently noticed extensive GPS interference activity over Ukraine, she notes, adding that the U.S. PNT network also provides a nuclear detection capability.
Other News
Astra finds electrical, software failures as root causes of ELaNa 41 mission failure
NASAspaceflight.com (3/7): Startup Astra has traced the cause of its February 10 ELaNa 41 mission payload loss to electrical and software issues. The company found that the five separation mechanisms that are present in the rocket’s fairing were triggered in an incorrect order, resulting in unexpected fairing movement that caused a disconnection in the electrical wiring. This meant that one of the five separation mechanisms did not receive the command to open, preventing the fairing from separating completely. Further investigation narrowed the root cause of the fairing separation issue down to an error in the electrical harness engineering diagram for the separation mechanisms. Astra says it has addressed the issues and is looking to around mid-March for its next launch attempt from Alaska.
Iran puts second military satellite into orbit – Tasnim
Reuters.com (3/8): Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has launched the country’s second satellite, Noor-2, an action which the U.S. has alleged defies a U.N. Security Council resolution, while calling on Tehran to halt any activity related to ballistic missiles capable of launching nuclear weapons. The launch also came as negotiations in Vienna intended to restrain Iran’s nuclear program reached a critical point.
Diversion
Want to visit space? You can send your name on NASA’s next mission around the Moon for free
USAtoday.com (3/7): When NASA’s Artemis I test flight launches, it will carry a flash drive with the names of all those invited by the agency’s to submit them (https://www.nasa.gov/send-your-name-with-artemis/). The action is to open a door to future virtual launch opportunities for those who submit their names. By joining with international and commercial partners, NASA intends to establish a permanent human presence at the Moon to prepare for human expeditions to Mars.