In Today’s Deep Space Extra… Astronauts prepare for the first spacewalk of 2021. Scientific data from the Cassini mission informs efforts to learn more about Saturn’s moon Titan.
Human Spaceflight
NASA astronauts prepare for first spacewalk of 202k1
WTSP (1/23): NASA astronauts Michael Hopkins and Victor Glover are set to venture outside of the International Space Station (ISS) on January 27 for the first spacewalk of 2021, which will be broadcast here. Wednesday’s spacewalk will focus on completing cable and antenna rigging from the Bartolomeo science payloads platform outside the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Columbus module. Another spacewalk is set for February 1.
Space Science
Largest sea on Saturn’s mysterious moon Titan could be more than 1,000 feet deep
Space.com (1/23): Data from NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn has revealed that the moon Titan, a potential habitable environment, hosts a huge hydrocarbon lake called Kraken Mare with a depth of more than 1,000 feet, deeper than early data from the long running mission indicated.
NASA says the seven TRAPPIST-1 rocky planets are likely made from the same material
SlashGear (1/23): NASA has been studying a red dwarf star called TRAPPIST-1, home to the largest group of Earth-sized planets ever found in a single solar system. A new study was published last week showing that all of the planets in the stellar system have a remarkably similar density, which could mean they all contain roughly the same ration of iron, oxygen, magnesium, and silicon. If that theory is correct, the rations would be notably different than Earth’s.
Opinion
NASA demonstrates why rocket science is still hard with the SLS test
The Hill (1/24): Despite issues that arose with NASA’s January 16 Green Run “Hot Fire” test of the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage, NASA has the experience to proceed with efforts to return humans to the surface of the Moon on an appropriate timeline, writes space policy author Mark Whittington in an op-ed. “If one were to make a guess about the future of the SLS and the Artemis program, the prediction is that both will continue,” says Whittington.
The U.S. and China must cooperate in space
Projectsyndicate.org (1/22): Though at odds on the global front, the U.S. and China should strive to cooperate in commercial space, climate change, and on addressing the coronavirus pandemic, according to an op-ed from Anne-Marie Slaughter, CEO of the think tank New America, and Emily Lawrence, Princeton University professor emeritus of politics and international affairs.
Other News
How space became the next ‘great power’ contest between the U.S. and China
New York Times (1/24): China has demonstrated a threat to America’s national security that former Cold War adversary, the Soviet Union, ultimately could not: an ability to rival U.S. technology in the anti-satellite launch and laser technologies as well as an ability to mount ground-based cyber-attacks. Maintaining an edge on the national security front with commercial as well as government initiatives will be a challenge for the new Biden Administration.
Arecibo replacement could support space situational awareness
SpaceNews.com (1/22): The National Space Foundation’s (NSF) Arecibo Observatory suffered a series of structural failures in 2020, ultimately collapsing. Efforts on how best to respond are underway, and one proposal would replace the large radio telescope and add a capability to track space objects to address space situational awareness concerns.
SpaceX launches record-setting cluster of smallsats
Coalition Member in the News – Nanoracks
SpaceNews.com (1/24): A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched 143 small satellites for a wide range of customers January 24 on the company’s first dedicated rideshare mission, a service that could threat the emerging small launch vehicles market. The large number of satellites posed a challenge for U.S. Space Command, which tracks satellites and other objects in orbit.
Major Space Related Activities for the Week
Major space related activities for the week of January 24-30, 2021
Coalition Members in the News – Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman
Spacepolicyonline.com (1/24): Thursday marks NASA’s annual Day of Remembrance, a tribute to the 17 astronauts who perished during the 1967 Apollo 1 launch pad fire, the January 1986 Challenger launch disaster and the February 2003 breakup of the shuttle Columbia as it descended to Earth. This year’s memorial falls on the 35th anniversary of the Challenger tragedy. NASA’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) hosts a “town hall” on Monday afternoon. On Wednesday, Politico and the Aerospace Corp. will host the webinar “Ready to Launch: Space Policy on the Biden Era.”