In Today’s Deep Space Extra… Boeing and NASA look to late July for the launch of Orbital Flight Test-2. A new study finds evidence for more “recent” volcanic activity than previously believed.
Human Space Exploration
Starliner test flight scheduled for July 30
Coalition Members in the News – Boeing, United Launch Alliance
SpaceNews.com (5/6): NASA and Boeing are now targeting July 30 for the launch of Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2), an uncrewed test flight of the company’s CST-100 Starliner to the International Space Station (ISS). With success, the July flight could repeat with astronauts on board later this year, leading to NASA certification of the Starliner to join SpaceX in the regularly scheduled transportation of astronauts to and from the orbiting science lab.
Space Science
Volcanoes on Mars could be active, raising possibility that the planet was recently habitable
University of Arizona (5/6): A study of what appears to be ash and scorched rock on the Martian surface suggests there may have been volcanic activity on the Red Planet as recently as 50,000 years ago, which could have implications for if and when the planet was biologically active. Some of the evidence was seen at Elysium Planitia, home to NASA’s Mars InSight lander since late 2018.
Is there a pattern to the universe?
Space.com (5/6): Astronomers are getting some answers to this age-old question with a new assessment suggesting the large-scale structure of the universe is potentially not consistent. But the scale upon which it is observed is a factor.
Saturn has a fuzzy core, spread over more than half the planet’s diameter
Science News (5/6): Saturn has a large diffuse core composed of hydrogen and helium. It appears the ringed planet’s core takes up about 60 percent of the planet’s large diameter, according to a Caltech led study published in the journal arXiv.org that relied on data from NASA’s now concluded Cassini mission.
Other News
Northrop Grumman to supply navigation payloads for DARPA’s Blackjack satellites
Coalition Member in the News – Northrop Grumman
SpaceNews.com (5/6): The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded Northrop Grumman a $13.3 million contract to provide positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) payloads for the Blackjack program. The company will supply two payloads that broadcast a new signal that is not dependent on the Global Positioning System (GPS).
Austin: No plans to shoot down errant Chinese rocket stage
Spacepolicyonline.com (5/6): The Pentagon has no plans to shoot down the uncontrolled first stage of the Chinese Long March 5B rocket that launched the first element of China’s new space station on April 28, U.S. time, according to U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Thursday. “Predicting when and where it will impact Earth is fraught with difficulties, but at the moment it is in the May 8-9 time frame almost anywhere on the planet. Still, the chances of it hitting a particular individual are very small,” according to the report.