The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration applauds NASA, Boeing and Aerojet Rocketdyne on the successful hot fire test of the first Space Launch System (SLS) core stage on March 18. The hot fire marked the last test in the Green Run series. Read the Coalition statement.
In Today’s Deep Space Extra… NASA’s successful hot fire test of the first Space Launch System core stage brings praise and opens the door for the Artemis I mission. The Ingenuity Mars helicopter may fly in April.
Human Space Exploration
SLS hot fire test a success on second try
Coalition Members in the News – Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing, Northrop Grumman
Spacepolicyonline.com (3/18): NASA was successful on Thursday afternoon in test firing the core stage of the Space Launch System’s (SLS) four RS-25 rocket engines for over eight minutes. The ground test at NASA’s Stennis Space Center followed a January 16 attempt at the hot fire that ended prematurely. With the success, the SLS core stage will be prepared for shipment to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC), where it will be integrated with its boosters, upper stage, and an Orion crew capsule for Artemis I.
Chairs Johnson and Beyer congratulate NASA and its industry partners on successful final SLS core stage test
Coalition Members in the News – Aerojet Rocketdyne, Boeing
U.S. House Science Committee (3/18): U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-TX) chair of the U.S. House Science, Space and Technology Committee, and U.S. Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) chair of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee, offered their congratulations to the NASA SLS team for a successful hot fire test of the rocket’s core stage. “Achieving this significant milestone is a story of tenacity and dedication,” Johnson states “and I congratulate the NASA team and its industry partners who worked through a pandemic and dealt with multiple hurricanes and severe weather over the months leading up to today’s test.” Rep. Beyer added that the test “brings us one critical step closer to returning to the Moon, and someday, landing humans on Mars.”
Space Science
The Mars helicopter on NASA’s Perseverance rover could fly in early April
Space.com (3/18): With a successful first month behind it at Jezero Crater on Mars, NASA’s Perseverance rover could be ready to support the pioneering flight of the Ingenuity helicopter in April. Ingenuity arrived latched to the belly of Perseverance, which will travel to a suitable test area to deploy the aircraft.
New studies agree: The universe is expanding faster than expected
Sky & Telescope (3/18): Studies based on observations of the cosmic microwave background (CMB), a sort of afterglow of the Big Bang, and examinations that compare the distances of astronomical objects, agree that the universe is expanding rapidly, but continue to disagree on what is causing the expansion rate. Experts believe the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is scheduled to launch October 31, may help make more accurate observations and settle the matter.
Oumuamua is probably very similar to Pluto, just from another star system
Universe Today (3/18): Oumuamua, an object determined to have originated in another solar system, drifted mysteriously through ours in 2017. Ongoing studies of observations suggest the object may share some similarities with Pluto, or with debris left over from our solar system’s planet-forming era.
Opinion
Now is the time to invest in private space stations
POLITICO (3/19): The retirement of the International Space Station (ISS) is bound to happen at some point, and the government needs to plant the seeds for what comes next, argue Scott Pace and Jared Zambrano-Stout, two former top White House space officials, in a new op-ed. “The utilization of LEO, at this time, is not something that can be driven solely by the private sector” write the authors, adding that if the government does not step up, the U.S. is at risk of losing the high ground in low Earth orbit and the economic benefits that go with it.
Other News
Biden to tap Bill Nelson to lead NASA
POLITICO (3/18): President Joe Biden is expected to nominate former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, a Florida Democrat, for Senate confirmation to serve as NASA administrator. A strong supporter of the space agency, Nelson launched aboard the shuttle Columbia in 1986 while serving in the U.S. House. If confirmed, Nelson would be the second former member of Congress to lead NASA.
NASA and SpaceX sign a special info sharing agreement to help avoid Starlink collisions
Techcrunch.com (3/18): NASA announced an agreement with SpaceX on Thursday to avoid collision threats. SpaceX has agreed to take evasive action with its Starlink satellites to mitigate close approaches and avoid collisions with NASA’s orbital assets.