In Today’s Deep Space Extra… Orion Spacecraft undergoes pressure testing for EM-1 flight.
Human Deep Space Exploration
Orion spacecraft undergoes pressure testing for EM-1 flight
Spaceflight Insider (5/11): Engineers from NASA and Lockheed Martin have finished pressure testing of the Orion capsule designated for Exploration Mission-1, the first test flight of the Space Launch System exploration rocket and Orion capsule. The three week test flight will launch an Orion spacecraft without astronauts on a three week journey around the moon and back to Earth for an ocean splashdown and recovery. The launch is planned for late 2018 and follows a December 2014 orbital test flight of Orion. During recent tests at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the Orion was instrumented and pressurized to a level 1.25 times that anticipated during spaceflight.
Russia runs first tests of its next-generation “Federation” manned spacecraft
Spaceflight Insider (5/12): Russia has conducted initial testing of the man/machine interfaces for the country’s new Federation manned spacecraft. Now under development, Federation will transport four cosmonauts. The spacecraft is expected to launch for the first time in 2023 and eventually transport fliers to the moon.
Lovell joins discussion on marketing NASA’s Apollo program
Chicago Tribune (5/10): Public enthusiasm for the Apollo lunar exploration missions rose from the hearts of many Americans, according to James Lovell, the valiant commander of NASA’s Apollo 13 mission, and Richard Jurek, author of a book on the marketing of the lunar missions. The two men addressed a Chicago high school audience earlier this month. “We could say what we wanted,” said Lovell. “We were all part of the program, we wanted to bring a positive attitude to the program.”
Space Science
Curiosity team celebrates 2nd Martian year on Red Planet with weather report | video
Space.com (5/11): Like Earth, Mars has seasons of the year, a year much longer than one on Earth. After two of those long years in Gale Crater at Mars, NASA’s Curiosity rover has compiled a Mars weather almanac.
No long-term effects from Kepler spacecraft anomaly
Space News (5/11): In April, NASA’s Kepler space telescope slipped into Emergency Mode. Ground controllers managed to salvage the mission just as it was entering a new phase, seeking the signatures of large planets circling far from their stars and extra solar planets that wander among the stars.
1st alien Earth still elusive despite huge exoplanet haul
Space.com (5/11): NASA’s Kepler space telescope can claim a record 1,284 new extra solar planet discoveries. However, it could be decades before experts learn whether any of them are a match for Earth.
Low Earth Orbit
Fossilized space dust from 2.7 billion years ago holds surprise about Earth’s ancient atmosphere
Los Angeles Times (5/11): Studies of space dust offers a surprise: The Earth’s atmosphere was richer in oxygen 2.7 billion years ago than scientists once believed.
China, U.S. hold first dialogue on outer space safety
Xinhuanet, of China (5/12): Representatives from the U.S. and China discuss space topics in Washington during a meeting hosted by diplomatic personnel from the two countries. Safety in space was among the discussion items.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
Cargo-carrying Dragon spaceship returns to Earth
Spaceflightnow.com (5/11): The latest NASA contracted commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station returned to Earth Wednesday afternoon. The mission spacecraft, launched to the space station on April 8, returned with a cargo that included medical specimens collected from NASA astronaut Scott Kelly during his 340 day space mission with Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko.