In Today’s Deep Space Extra… The U.S. House Appropriations Committee backs increased spending for Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System exploration rocket development in 2017 NASA spending measure.
NASA Budget
House bill offers $19.5 billion for NASA in 2017
Space News (5/17): The U.S. House Appropriations Committee spending bill released Tuesday would provide NASA with $19.5 billion in 2017, including increased funding for Orion and the Space Launch System exploration rocket, essential hardware in order for NASA to resume human deep space exploration and a planned mission to Jupiter’s moon Europa. The total represents nearly $500 million more than requested by the White House and about $200 million more than approved by Senate appropriators in April. The House bill includes $2 billion for the SLS program and $1.35 billion for Orion for the fiscal year beginning Oct. 1.
Human Deep Space Exploration
Do we have a mandate for Mars?
The Huffington Post (5/17): Successive U.S. presidential administrations and those who are implementing the policy agree that Mars is a reachable destination for human explorers, according to Chris Carberry and Rich Zucker, of Explore Mars, Inc., hosts of the Human to Mars Summit underway this week in Washington.
Buzz Aldrin says U.S. presidential candidates should aim for Mars
Space.com (5/17): Apollo 11’s Buzz Aldrin urged the U.S. presidential contenders from both major parties to put the country on a course to launch human explorers to Mars. Aldrin spoke Tuesday at the Explore Mars sponsored Human to Mars Summit in Washington. “Presidential leadership in this initiative would improve, extend and celebrate American exceptionalism in a way that no other policy or program could,” said Aldrin.
Space Science
New Horizons delivers first data on post-Pluto object
Cosmos Magazine (5/18): NASA’s distant New Horizons mission spacecraft has imaged 1994 JR1, a Kuiper Belt object well beyond Pluto. Scientists have determined from data obtained in April and last November that 1994 JR1 orbits the sun like Pluto but is much smaller. NASA is contemplating a mission extension for New Horizons, which made history last July 14 as it carried out a successful flyby of Pluto.
Super bright fireball spotted across U.S. Northeast
Universe Today (5/17): A bright meteor streaked across the skies of the U.S. Northeast and parts of Southeast Canada early Tuesday. The fireball sped to the Northeast, creating an audible sonic boom. There were no reports of an impact.
Japanese orbiter officially begins science mission at Venus
Spaceflightnow.com (5/17): Japan’s Akatsuki Venus orbiter reached its intended destination in early December, five year later than planned due to a propulsion system issue. In April, after check outs, Japan declared their spacecraft operational and prepared to study the ultra-hot atmosphere and climate of Venus for at least two years. The observations got underway formally on Tuesday.
Europa’s ocean chemistry could be Earth-like
Discovery News (5/17): The Jovian moon Europa, a destination popular with some in Congress for a future NASA planetary science mission, hosts an ice covered ocean, believed to be salty and containing chemistry much like that facilitating life on the early Earth, according to a report in the Geophysical Research Letters.
Full-scale production of plutonium spacecraft fuel still years away
Space.com (5/17): The U.S. Department of Energy is ramping up production of Plutonium 238 as a power source for future NASA planetary spacecraft missions, like those of the New Horizons spacecraft and the Mars Curiosity rover. Production was suspended in the late 1980s. Officials estimate it will take seven years to reach full production of the radioactive material.
Low Earth Orbit
Why DARPA is pursuing a reusable spaceplane
Space News (5/16): DARPA’s vision for the XS-1 is a reusable space launch system that could launch 10 times in 10 days, delivering payloads of up to 1,360 kg to orbit for $5 million. Three teams, Northrop Grumman and Virgin Galactic; XCOR and Masden Space Systems; Boeing and Blue Origin are working on the goal. The capability might make an adversary think twice about destroying orbiting U.S. space assets, according to supporters.
Commercial to Low Earth Orbit
White House “strongly objects” to defense bill’s launch provisions
Space News (5/17): The White House signals a possible veto of portions of the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act that it claims over emphasize the development of a domestic rocket engine alternative to imports of Russia’s RD-180 rocket engine, which powers the first stage of the United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 used to place U.S. national security payloads in Earth orbit. The U.S. House Armed Services Committee wants the U.S. Air Force to spend all but 25 percent of its rocket propulsion development system dollars on a new domestic rocket engine. The Administration favors instead a new rocket system, like the Vulcan proposed ULA, a Boeing/Lockheed Martin joint venture. The Air Force plans certification a new launch system around 2022.
House draft T-HUD appropriations bill denies half of increase to FAA space office
Spacepolicyonline.com (5/17): Administration efforts to increase the budget of the FAA’s Office of Commercial Space only semi succeeded in the draft version of a Transportation-HUD spending measure released by House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday. The Obama Administration requested $19.8 million for the 2017 fiscal year, a $2 million increase. The appropriations committee agrees to a $1 million increase.