In Today’s Deep Space Extra… “It’s part of our nature to explore,” says NASA chief scientist Ellen Stofan, who is helping to plan future human missions to Mars.
Human Deep Space Exploration
Tired of life on Earth? Maybe you can be one of the first humans to go to Mars
Washington Post (4/5): NASA Chief Scientist Ellen Stofan is among those at NASA helping to shape the future human exploration of Mars. “We’re going to need a team to go to Mars,” says Stofan. The chief scientist is part of an effort to determine whether the red planet had and possibly still has environmental conditions suitable for biological activity.
Russia plans to build lunar base in 2030-2035 space corporation
Itar Tass, of Russia (4/5): Russia intends to establish a human base on the moon between 2030 and 2035, Sergey Krikalev, the executive director of Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency, said Tuesday. Plans for the base include solar power, telecommunications, technological and scientific facilities as well as a long range research rover and provisions for landing and launch operations. A lunar orbiting satellite will furnish support as well.
Meet the ‘Rocket Girls,’ the women who charted the course to space
NPR (4/5): A new book, Rise of the Rocket Girls, tells the story of a team of young women assembled in the 1940s to carry out the mathematics required to plan early U.S. space missions. They, and their male counterparts, became the nucleus for what later became NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. They shaped early spacecraft missions to the moon and Mars before the rise of computers. Author Nathalia Holt believes Rocket Girls could serve as an inspiration to young women interested in careers in science and technology.
In a new book, Buzz Aldrin talks about living in Neil Armstrong’s shadow
The Washington Post (4/4): Apollo 11 Lunar Module Pilot Buzz Aldrin reflects on a difficult life in his new book, No Dream is too High. Aldrin is just as candid about his disappointments, struggles and failures as he is about his extraordinary achievements, and this is what makes his story so appealing, according to the report.
Space Science
Former astronaut John Grunsfeld is retiring from NASA
Popular Science (4/5): NASA Associate Administrator for Science John Grunsfeld will retire April 30, the space agency announced on Tuesday. An astrophysicist, Grunsfeld joined NASA as an astronaut in 1992. He launched three times to the Hubble Space Telescope for upgrades and repairs. He’s led the science directorate since 2012.
China launches SJ-10 retrievable space science probe
Xinhuanet, of China (4/6) China’s SJ-10 spacecraft launched into Earth orbit on Tuesday, carrying 19 Chinese and European science experiments, some of them lodged in a return capsule that is to descend to Earth in about two weeks. The research is wide ranging. Some of the work will focus on the early-stage development of mouse embryos in microgravity to shed light on human reproduction in space. Another will study the effects of radiation on the genetic stability of fruit flies and rat cells. One experiment will examine the combustion of coal and formation of pollution in the absence of gravity.
Roscosmos gives detailed rebuttal to reports of Proton ExoMars launch anomaly
Space News (4/5): Russia’s March launching of the ExoMars mission, a joint European and Russian space agency initiative, unfolded without problems, according to Igor A. Komarov, who leads Roscosmos, the Russian federal space agency. Amateur photographers claimed evidence of debris from the Proton launch vehicle’s upper stage. ExoMars includes an orbiter and a stationary lander. ExoMars will seek evidence for past or current life on the red planet.
Japanese probe ready to get intimate with Venus
Discovery.com (4/5): Japan’s well-traveled Akatsuki spacecraft is prepared to begin orbital observations of Venus in mid-April. The probe’s first attempt to enter orbit in December 2010 failed. After a five year effort to recover the mission, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency successfully maneuvered Akatsuki into orbit in December 2015. A successful check out of the science instruments followed.
Comet and asteroid barrage may have given Martian life a leg-up
Cosmos (4/6): A fresh look by scientists suggests that seemingly destructive early impacts from asteroids and comets may have initiated biological processes on Mars.
Low Earth Orbit
Time-lapse video from Space Station shows Earth’s brilliant colors
Orlando Sentinel (4/6): Video from the International Space Station displays the many colors of the Earth and its atmosphere. The imagery previews a forthcoming NASA mission, the Ionospheric Connection Explorer that will study the planet’s ionosphere.
Suborbital
Private Lynx space plane could take off in early 2017
Space.com (4/5): XCOR’s Lynx suborbital winged launch vehicle could began suborbital flights next year, Harry van Hulten, the company’s director of flight testing and one of two test pilots for the company, told Space.com