In Today’s Deep Space Extra… Louisiana teen is among those dedicated to human Mars exploration. European astronauts explain how Mars could be within reach sooner than later.
Human Deep Space Exploration
This 15-year-old is on a mission to visit Mars, and you’d be a fool to bet against her
Uproxx (10/28): Alyssa Carson, 15, is checking-off a list of the requirements to explore Mars with the intention of being among the first. The multilingual teen from Baton Rouge is committed to her goal, which was fueled from witnessing multiple space shuttle launches and attending space camp twenty times.
We could be on Mars sooner than people think, Spanish astronaut says
Latin American Herald Tribune (10/29): Astronaut Pedro Duque of the European Space Agency believes that Mars is in reach of human explorers sooner rather than later — if the nations who team-up to accomplish the goal take it as seriously as the U.S. when reaching the moon with the Apollo program.
Space exploration, a spacefaring nation on a scientific mission to Mars
The Herald, of Scotland (10/30): Cost, technology, physical and mental health are just some of the challenges to reaching Mars with humans. But the benefits of addressing these challenges could be just as significant according to experts mentioned in a report.
Mike Pence to talk space policy with Space Coast EDC Monday
Florida Politics (10/28): U.S. vice presidential contender Mike Pence is scheduled to meet with the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast for a space policy discussion on Monday. Pence will make the appearance in place of Republican presidential contender Donald Trump, who was tentatively scheduled to tour NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and meet with Florida aerospace representatives last week.
Space Science
Mysterious star pulses may be alien signals, study claims
Space.com (10/28): Canadian astrophysicists say 234 stars in the Milky Way are emitting pulses of light that could be linked to distant intelligent civilizations, according to one of the scientists, Ermanno Borra of the Laval University in Quebec. Borra and an associate looked at the spectra of 2.5 million stars gathered by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey which uses a telescope in New Mexico.
Second Mars mission will have a closer look at the red planet
The Hindu (10/29): India’s second Mars Orbital Mission will attempt to scrutinize the red planet from a lower altitude than its predecessor. A 2020 launch is planned with nine science payloads currently under evaluation. MOM-1 reached Martian orbit in September 2014.
Low Earth Orbit
International space crew wraps up nearly four months in orbit
Spaceflightnow.com and CBS (10/30): NASA’s Kate Rubins and Japan’s Takuya Onishi joined cosmonaut Anatoly Ivanishin aboard Russia’s Soyuz MS-01 space capsule late Saturday for a decent to Earth from the International Space Station. They touched down under parachute in remote Kazakhstan on Saturday at 11:58 a.m. EDT. As the threesome departed, command of the station transitioned from Ivanishin to NASA’s Shane Kimbrough.
China readies Long March 5 for first launch
Spacepolicyonline.com (10/29): Comparable in capability to the United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket, China’s first Long March 5 has been moved to its launch pad at Wenchang Satellite Launch Center on Hainan Island for its inaugural flight expected in early November.
Two of four Soyuz crews to fly to ISS in 2017 will be smaller than usual
TASS, of Russia (10/28): Following up on earlier reports, Russia’s federal space agency Roscosmos intends to reduce the number of Russian crew members on the International Space Station from three to two for much of 2017. The Russian complement will return to three with the launch of Russia’s multi-purpose laboratory module Nauka.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
SpaceX says helium loading issue caused accident, seeks 2016 return to flight
Ars Technica (10/28): SpaceX says its investigation into the Sept. 1 Falcon 9 rocket explosion on a Cape Canaveral Air Force Station launch pad continues to point to a failure of a composite helium tank structure within the liquid oxygen tank of the second stage. The Hawthorne, California based company intends to resume launches of the Falcon 9 this year.
Industry committee to start work on human spaceflight safety standards
Space News (10/28): Pennsylvania based ASTM International plans to inaugurate an effort to establish voluntary standards for the commercial space passenger industry. Currently, the FAA is restricted from such an effort until 2023 under terms of the Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act, which was signed into law in November 2015 to encourage commercial development and growth.
Suborbital
Virgin Galactic set to begin SpaceShipTwo glide flights
Space News (10/29): Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo Unity is scheduled for a piloted gliding test flight after release from its airborne White Knight Two carrier aircraft on Tuesday. The Unity glide flight will be a first for Virgin since a fatal test flight crash two years ago. C.J. Sturchow, a company test pilot, provided details in New York City during an appearance at the Explorers Club. Virgin Galactic plans to offer passenger suborbital spaceflight.
Major Space Related Activities for the Week
Major space related activities for the week of October 31-November 5, 2016
Spacepolicyonline.com (10/30): Space policy meetings and presentations are scheduled from coast to coast. They include a meeting of the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group, which plans a discussion of European Space Agency Director General Jan Woerner’s concept for a Lunar Village as a follow on to the International Space Station. The week ends with the New Worlds 2016 Conference and Space Settlement Symposium in Austin. At mid-week, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden will provide an update on the James Webb Space Telescope.