In Today’s Deep Space Extra… U.S. and international partners could reach Mars with human explorers in the next 20 years, according to NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.
Human Deep Space Exploration
NASA’s Bolden: Mars mission is ‘closer than ever’
CNBC (4/2): Speaking with the network’s On The Money, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden points to a human landing on the red planet within 20 years. The effort will help humanity learn more about the Earth because the planets are so similar and whether there is life on Mars, said Bolden. NASA will go in partnership. “This is strictly an international venture,” he explained.
NASA astronauts train on Orion spacecraft for trip to Mars
Tech Times (4/3): NASA astronauts are donning space suits to train for flight operations aboard the Orion crew capsule now under development for future deep space missions. “Engineers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston are evaluating how crews inside a mockup of the Orion spacecraft interact with the rotational hand controller and cursor control device while inside their Modified Advanced Crew Escape spacesuits,” according to the report.
How space could decide presidential race
Florida Today (4/3): Community columnist John Byron offers his assessment of where the presidential candidates stand and suggests how voters with space exploration as an interest may be able to influence the election’s outcome. “By showing the candidates and their campaigns the election virtue of making space a strong part of their message in those places where that position can sway votes that really count,” he writes.
Space Science
Mars life hunt: Could basin host remains of an ancient biosphere?
Space.com (4/1): A region in the Martian southern hemisphere may be most promising in the search for possible past or present life on the red planet, according to a Spanish research team. The Argyre region is the site of a four billion year old impact.
Opportunity discovers dust devil, explores steepest slopes on Mars
Universe Today (4/1): Now 13 years into what was to be a 90 day mission on Mars, NASA’s Opportunity rover is exploring the steepest slopes yet in its long exploration. Working in Marathon Valley, Opportunity is bound for clay mineral bearing rocks thought to hold clues to Mars’ watery past.
What’s up in space?
Spaceweather.com (4/3): A spike in solar activity has energized the Northern Lights, or auroral activity, globally below the Arctic.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
Progress supply ship docks with the International Space Station
Spaceflightnow.com (4/2): Russia’s Progress MS-02 mission successfully docked with the International Space Station on Saturday. The upgraded freighter was launched Thursday on a two day transit that featured flight tests of new flight control, navigation and communications systems that are to fly on Russia’s Soyuz crew transport for the first time in late June. The Russian freighter delivered three tons of Space Station propellant, crew supplies and research equipment.
Suborbital
Blue Origin flies New Shepard on suborbital test flight
Space News (4/2): Blue Origin launched and landed its reusable New Shepard suborbital launch vehicle prototype for a third time within five months on Saturday from its West Texas Launch Site. The test featured an advance, as the launch stage ignited during the descent at 3,600 feet altitude to assure an intact landing. Meanwhile, the unpiloted crew capsule soared to an altitude of more than 103 kilometers, or 339,230 feet. Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos provided notice of the launch plans and results on Twitter.
Jeff Bezos live tweets ‘flawless’ test flight of Blue Origin’s spaceship
GeekWire (4/2): Blue Origin’s New Shepard test flight included Collisions into Dust, a University of Central Florida experiment and Box of Rocks research from the Southwest Research Institute. Blue Origin will continue to fly research payloads, and then advance to flying passengers.
Major Space Related Activities for the Week
Major space related activities for the week of April 4-8, 2016
Spacepolicyonline.com (4/3): In Washington, space weather will be a topic of discussion for military and civilian space experts. The U.S. Senate is in session. The next U.S. commercial cargo mission to the six person International Space Station is set for a lift off Friday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.