In Today’s Deep Space Extra… Men and women will settle Mars as part of an international effort to ensure humanity’s long term survival, predicts theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
Human Deep Space Exploration
British scientist Hawking says Mars will be colonized by humans in next 100 years
Tass of Russia (3/28): Mars will be colonized within the next century, British theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking predicts in an interview. “To do this we need investment, allowing us to advance our knowledge, on how to survive the dangers of cosmic radiation, body deterioration, and how to deal with the lack of vital supplies beyond Earth,” says Hawking.
Space Science
Japan’s newest satellite goes silent, sparking fears it disintegrated
Newsweek (3/28): The Japanese space agency, JAXA, continues its struggle to determine the fate of the Hitomi X-ray space observatory, which experienced a communications drop out last Saturday. The orbiting space observatory was launched Feb. 17.
InSight’s second chance
The Space Review (3/28): NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory will work with the French Space Agency CNES to overcome a problem with the seismometer assigned to the Mars InSight lander mission. A recurring vacuum leak in the very sensitive instrument prompted a launch delay from March 2016 to May 2018. InSight will be equipped to study geological processes and heat flow in the Martian underground. The latter could prove a resource for future human explorers. With the new launch date, InSight would touchdown in late November 2018.
ExoMars: A long awaited reboot of the Russian planetary program
The Space Review (3/28): Russia has rebooted its planetary science program, with the Mar. 14 launch of ExoMars, a European led initiative that includes an orbiter and lander, both part of a longer term effort to determine if there is life on Mars. NASA bowed out of a partnership on the ExoMars project in 2012, creating an opportunity for Russia, whose previous planetary science missions to Mars have not fared well. With ExoMars, Russia’s Proton launch vehicle managed to start the heaviest payload ever intended for Mars on its way, writes Svetoslav Alexandrov, a Bulgarian space enthusiast.
Flyby comet was WAY bigger than thought
Discovery.com (3/28): Comet P/2016 BA 14 carried out an historically close flyby of the Earth as it passed by on Mar. 22. And it turns out that P/2016 BA 14 was much larger than estimated after its discovery in January.
Low Earth Orbit
How space is changing the U.S. Air Force’s day-to-day operations
Space News (3/28): U.S. national security interests must protect their ability to operate in Earth orbit, explains Lt. Gen. Jay Raymond, the Air Force’s deputy chief of staff for operations, in an interview.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
International Space Station to expand with inflatable spacecraft
USA Today (3/28): NASA and its commercial partner, Bigelow Aerospace, will experiment with inflatable modules as possible habitats for future astronauts traveling to deep space destinations or while camped on the surface of the moon or Mars. An expandable habitat is set to launch to the six person International Space Station April 8 for a two year evaluation.
NASA’s inflatable room is almost ready
Air and Space Magazine (3/28): A NASA animation explains how the first NASA contracted Bigelow Aerospace expandable module will be attached to the six person International Space Station and inflated.