In Today’s Deep Space Extra… Scientists continue their pursuit of an explanation and countermeasures for the vision changes experienced by astronauts. Pandemic or no pandemic, NASA’s Curiosity rover mission at Mars rolls on. Once a promising sight in the night sky, comet Atlas crumbles.
Human Space Exploration
Space travel can seriously change your brain
Space.com (4/14): A new study of astronaut health from the University of Texas Health Science Center suggests that increased intracranial pressure on the optic nerve could be the source of vision changes due to bodily fluid shifts experienced by astronauts in the absence of gravity. The study involved 11 astronauts, 10 men, one woman, using MRI’s and a year of post flight follow-up. Possible countermeasures might include periods of exposure to artificial gravity during spaceflight or a garment designed to help prevent bodily fluids from shifting from the lower to the upper torso during spaceflight, placing pressure on the brain and optic nerve.
Here’s what it’s like to be an astronaut’s wife
Military.com (4/14): Stacy Morgan reveals what it’s like for her and the couple’s four children as husband, NASA astronaut and military doctor Drew Morgan launched to the International Space Station (ISS) last July for a long mission filled with many spacewalks. Morgan is to return to Earth on Friday with fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka aboard a Soyuz spacecraft.
Space Science
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) completes primary mirror test
Coalition Member in the News – Northrop Grumman
NASAspaceflight.com (4/14): The JWST completed a pre-launch milestone in March as its multi-segmented, 21 foot primary mirror was deployed at Northrop Grumman facilities in Redondo Beach, California. The designated successor to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, which turns 30 this month, is undergoing preparations for a planned March 2021 launch to study the earliest star and galaxy formation as well as the atmospheres of extra solar planets for signs of biomarkers.
The man who wanted to fly on Mars
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (4/1): Bob Balaram is the chief engineer at NASA for the Mars Helicopter, a small flight vehicle experiment that was recently affixed to the Perseverance Mars 2020 rover that is to launch to the Red Planet between July 17 and August 5. The idea first surfaced when he was a child growing up in India and was never far away as Balaram pursued an education in computer and systems engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a 35 year career at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in robotics.
NASA’s Curiosity team is operating the rover from home
Techcrunch.com (4/14): Those at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) responsible for oversight of the Curiosity rover, which has been exploring Mars since August. 2012, have not let the coronavirus pandemic prevent them from continuing the rover’s mission to search for evidence of past habitable environments on the Red Planet. They’re doing it from home while connected.
NASA spots “Dragon” in stunning Mars orbiter image
Futurism.com (4/14): The image of a fabled Chinese dragon rises from the blocky terrain of Melas Chasma on Mars as spotted by the high resolution HiRISE camera aboard NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Japan eyes sending micro lunar probe on solid-fuel rocket in 2020’s
Kyoto News (4/13): The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is looking to the use of a solid fuel rocket to launch a small Moon orbiting probe during the early 2020’s. The strategy is based on the use of JAXA’s Epsilon rocket with the addition of a fourth stage.
Comet Atlas is falling apart, new photos confirm
Space.com (4/14): A few short weeks ago, there was growing speculation that comet Atlas, discovered in December, might rival Venus in brightness as it became visible to the naked eye in the night sky by late May. However, recent observations confirm that Atlas has undergone a disappointing breakup as it nears the sun.
When comets break up, the fragments can be devastating if they hit the Earth
Universe Today (4/14): Awesome to look out at in the night sky, comets are notorious for breaking up as they near the sun and orbit away only to return years later. When the fragments return, they can pose an impact threat to the Earth. Comets may also have been a source of water to the planets as they formed.
Other News
Congressmen demand answers after Pentagon issues GPS warning
C4ISRNET.comt (4/13): Leadership from the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the Armed Services Readiness Subcommittee are seeking answers from the FCC on whether a spectrum band reallocation will jeopardize GPS operations. Reports suggest Ligado Networks is seeking FCC approval to operate in the L-Band spectrum, and that it has received administration support to help stimulate the economy.