Archive for the ‘Space Book Reviews’ Category
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April 8th, 2023
The Astronaut’s Guide to Leaving the Planet: Everything You Need to Know, from Training to Re-entry by Terry Virts; Workman Publishing Company (2023); 176 pages; Softcover: $14.99.
When it comes to tips on departing the Earth, consider getting advice from a person that has been up there. That’s the case with author Terry Virts, a two spaceflight veteran that chalked up over 7 months in Earth orbit, commanded the International Space Station, and also performed three spacewalks.
While the book is targeted for 10 years old and up, in the “kids” category – elder “mission controllers” with aspiring astronauts on their hands will find this volume enchanting, informative, and a superb read.
Its pages are filled with advice, tips and tricks for confronting space microgravity. Virts explains becoming an astronaut: “And it only happened because I didn’t listen to others who told me I could never be an astronaut,” he writes. “So no matter what your dream is in life, always remember – don’t tell yourself no!”
Sample pages
Divided into 10 sections — including “The Journey to Launch: Training,” “Don’t Look Down: Spacewalking – to “Re-entry” and “The Next Mission” – the book includes a helpful guide to astronaut lingo and is well indexed.
The volume is illustrated by the talented Andrés Lozano and is sprinkled by color images.
You’ll find an interesting read regarding a Virtz return-to-Earth in a Russian Soyuz capsule. Also, there’s plenty of counsel on living, eating, sleeping, and yes, that ever-present question of how best to alleviate your toil without too much trouble.
Readers of all ages, young and youthful in spirit, will find The Astronaut’s Guide to Leaving the Planet: Everything You Need to Know, from Training to Re-entry offering valuable insights for off-world space travel.
For more information, go to: https://www.workman.com/products/the-astronauts-guide-to-leaving-the-planet/paperback
Also, go to the Terry Virts website at www.terryvirts.com
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While space travel by private citizens is still evolving and making headlines, it seems likely commercial space travel by off-the-street astronauts could conceivably become more routine in the years ahead.
A new RAND report focuses on how and when the spaceflight industry should be regulated at a federal level.
Voluntary standards related to commercial spaceflight that could affect participant safety have been introduced, “but significant work remains,” the report notes.
Polaris Dawn crew members (left to right): Anna Menon, mission specialist and medical officer, Scott Poteet, mission pilot, Jared Isaacman, mission commander, and Sarah Gillis, mission specialist.
Image credit: Polaris Program/John Kraus
Five key factors
For one, the readiness of the commercial space industry for regulation, or for further development of voluntary consensus standards, does not only depend on the progress of adopting standards and meeting metrics.
The report explains that regulatory readiness depends also on five key factors:
— access to, and understanding of, the regulatory process;
— security of regulatory support;
— the effectiveness of the regulatory support for the technology;
— environmental effects, costs, and security issues related to the regulation;
— and the ability to pass the regulation.
To read this new RAND report — Assessing the Readiness for Human Commercial Spaceflight Safety Regulations – Charting a Trajectory from Revolutionary to Routine Travel” – go to:
Image credit: Moon Dialogs
A Lunar Policy Handbook outlines the current policy issues, including registration, liability, and transparency. A second part targets policy questions related to operational considerations. It follows an approach that explores the potential policy implications of specific lunar activities, such as orbital, landed, and infrastructure activities.
The Lunar Policy Handbook is a reference guidebook for government personnel and private actors in the space industry. It is designed to be a high-level guide that is useful for a broad audience of space actors, outlining policy issues and operational considerations related to lunar activities.
Surge of interest
Heloise Vertadier, a space law specialist and PhD candidate at Otago University in New Zealand, explains that in recent years there has been a surge of interest in lunar activity.
“This renewed enthusiasm for the Moon is fueled by advancements in technology, reduced launch costs, greater funding for missions, and the growing awareness of the Moon’s potential as a valuable resource for humanity’s future,” Vertadier adds.
Image credit: Moon Dialogs
As humanity continues to explore the Moon, Vertadier notes, “it is important that we do so in a responsible and sustainable manner, ensuring that we preserve this unique and valuable resource for future generations.”
Taxation systems
As noted in the handbook, disagreements over lunar policy could incentivize states to utilize their taxation systems to support their interpretation and space-faring ambitions. Additional complications may also arise if an enterprise or individual claims to be resident outside of any terrestrial jurisdiction for profits taxation or asset jurisdiction, such as over intellectual property.
Artist’s view of two Artemis astronauts at work on the lunar surface.
Image credit: NASA
“Lessons were learned regarding the resources of the high seas, and Antarctica before it was too late. The same approach should be adopted regarding taxation in the lunar context,” the handbook points out.
Transparency
In the short term, the handbook adds, “it may be easy to avoid discord so long as those engaged in activities on the lunar surface are transparent with respect to their locations, allowing others to avoid them.”
However, this can set a “dangerous precedent” in and of itself and can be corrupted into quasi-territorial claims, the handbook asserts.
For access to the Lunar Policy Handbook, go to:
The annual report of worldwide threats to the national security of the United States has been issued by the U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
This 2023 Annual Threat Assessment Report includes appraisals of China and Russian space activities.
Overall, the report states that China is steadily progressing toward its goal of becoming a world-class space leader, with the intent to match or surpass the United States by 2045. Even by 2030, China probably will achieve world-class status in all but a few space technology areas.
Image credit: CGTN/Inside Outer Space screengrab
“China’s space activities are designed to advance its global standing and strengthen its attempts to erode U.S. influence across military, technological, economic, and diplomatic spheres,” states the report, adding:
— China’s space station began assembly and crewed missions in 2021, and reached full operational capability in 2022. Beijing plans to conduct additional lunar exploration missions, and it intends to establish a robotic research station on the Moon and later, an intermittently crewed lunar base.
— The People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will continue to integrate space services—such as satellite reconnaissance and positioning, navigation, and timing—and satellite communications into its weapons and command-and-control systems in an effort to erode the U.S. military’s information advantage.
China’s first commercial carrier rocket departs the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, northwest China.
Credit: CCTV-Plus
Commercial space
“China’s commercial space sector is growing quickly and is on pace to become a major global competitor by 2030. Beijing’s policies to encourage private investment in space activities have influenced a broad range of firms to enter the commercial market. State-owned enterprises and their subsidiaries will remain the primary players in the Chinese commercial space sector, which also includes research and development spinoffs, established companies, and a growing number of startups,” noting:
— Some Chinese commercial space companies will attempt to compete by providing services in niche markets with little or no global competition, such as hyperspectral imaging, and also will continue attempts to undercut the price of Western firms in more competitive markets. Counterspace operations will be integral to potential PLA military campaigns, and China has counterspace weapons capabilities intended to target U.S. and allied satellites. The PLA is fielding new destructive and nondestructive ground- and space-based antisatellite (ASAT) weapons.
China sea launch. Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
— China already has fielded ground-based counterspace capabilities including electronic warfare systems, directed energy weapons, and ASAT missiles intended to disrupt, damage, and destroy target satellites. China also has conducted orbital technology demonstrations, which while not counterspace weapons tests, prove China’s ability to operate future space-based counterspace weapons.
Russia’s space-sector problems
Concerning Russia’s space activities, the intelligence report notes that Russia will remain a key space competitor, “but it may have difficulty achieving its long-term space goals because of the effects of additional international sanctions and export controls following its invasion of Ukraine, a myriad of domestic space-sector problems, and increasingly strained competition for program resources within Russia.”
Roscosmos chief, Yuri Borisov.
Image credit: Roscosmos
“Moscow probably will focus on prioritizing and integrating space services—such as communications; positioning, navigation, and timing; geolocation; and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance—deemed critical to its national security,” the report adds.
— Moscow is capable of employing its civil and commercial remote sensing satellites to supplement military-dedicated capabilities that reduce the U.S. ability to perform sensitive military activities undetected. In addition to improving its launch capability, it is working to support human spaceflight and future deep space missions.
— Russia warned during a UN meeting in October 2022 that commercial infrastructure in outer space used for military purposes “can become a legitimate target for retaliation.”
Credit: SpaceX/Starlink
“Russia continues to train its military space elements and field new antisatellite weapons to disrupt and degrade U.S. and allied space capabilities. It is developing, testing, and fielding an array of nondestructive and destructive counterspace weapons—including jamming and cyberspace capabilities, directed energy weapons, on-orbit capabilities, and ground-based ASAT capabilities—to try to target U.S. and allied satellites,” states the report.
Similar to the space sector, resource and technology challenges could have an impact on the quality and quantity of Russia’s future counterspace capabilities, with the report observing:
— Russia is investing in electronic warfare and directed energy weapons to counter Western on-orbit These systems work by disrupting or disabling adversary C4ISR capabilities and by disrupting GPS, tactical and satellite communications, and radars. Russia also continues to develop ground-based ASAT missiles capable of destroying space targets in low Earth orbit.
To access the full report — 2023 Annual Threat Assessment Report – go to:
https://www.dni.gov/files/ODNI/documents/assessments/ATA-2023-Unclassified-Report.pdf
This exceptional work is divided into three parts to embrace seven solid chapters that range from the dawn of the global space age, applied witchcraft and technical wizardry to spacepower at war and war on the cosmic coastline
Bleddyn E. Bowen is an associate professor of international relations at the University of Leicester, specializing in space policy and military uses of outer space.
The reader will benefit from Bowen’s meticulous research skills, well-documenting the book’s premise that “space technology’s original sin goes much further than missile and nuclear technology.”
As the book concludes, whatever form political changes may take, “they cannot come about without studying astropolitics as it is today and accepting the original sin of space technology.”
I’m not prying out of the book any specifics on what connotes the “original sin,” but a reader will find that nomenclature justified in detail.
“The twists and turns of the maturation of space technologies as they met the needs of warfare was not a clear-cut path of technological ‘progress’ nor merely a story of rational policy making,” says Bowen.
I particularly appreciated the writer’s analogy of Earth orbit as a “coastal or littoral zone” and analyzing the common drumbeat metaphor that Earth orbit is the “ultimate high ground.”
The book concludes by detailing the anarchy that’s resident in the Global Space Age.
There’s an excellent notes section and a very helpful bibliography to propel the reader forward to ponder other writings on this rich – at times terrifying – look into the ever-evolving militarization of outer space.
For more information on this book, go to:
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/original-sin-9780197677315?cc=us&lang=en&
The NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel has submitted its annual report for 2022 to the U.S. Congress and the NASA Administrator.
In its report, the ASAP has flagged a number of issues and concerns, as well as making recommendations to NASA.
One worrisome topic noted by the ASAP is that the orbital debris hazard persists and continues to grow exponentially as space becomes ever more congested.
“For example, CubeSats and other small satellites are being launched with increasing frequency, and several companies are now deploying mega-constellations with hundreds, or even thousands, of satellites,” the report explains. “Some of these satellites incorporate the use of electric propulsion and autonomous onboard maneuvers with very short turnaround times, increasing the difficulty of tracking and planning for collision avoidance.”
Clutter in the cosmos.
Credit: Used with permission: Melrae Pictures/Space Junk 3D
Close calls are not rare
The report underscores the importance to recognize the prevalence of the issue.
“Orbital debris events and close calls are not rare, but they are in fact becoming more and more frequent as space becomes more congested and as national and international space players—who rightfully seek to leverage the high ground of space for commerce, science, and national prestige—continue to populate the space domain with new satellites.”
The risks are growing, the ASAP feels, and a more strategic approach to the problem is now necessary to arrest the risks and to assure that the domain of space remains sustainable.
Image credit: Roscosmos/NASA
ISS: controlled deorbit
Another area flagged by the ASAP is the controlled deorbit of the International Space Station (ISS).
“Although discussions are ongoing between NASA and the Russian Space Agency to make the controlled deorbit plan more robust, the ASAP reiterates its concern first stated in 2012, about the lack of a well-defined, fully funded controlled re-entry and deorbit plan for the ISS that is available on a timeline that supports the planned ISS retirement,” the report notes.
Furthermore, the ASAP recognizes that the ISS partners are operating at risk, today, without the capability to deal with a contingency situation that would lead to a deorbit.
“The risk to public safety and space sustainability is increasing every year as the orbital altitudes in and around the ISS continue to become more densely populated by satellites, increasing the likelihood that an unplanned emergency ISS deorbit would also impact other resident space objects,” the report says.
Credit: NASA
Board of directors
The NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel has recommended the space agency should create a “board of directors.”
“As a part of an overall risk management approach and in order to develop and execute its strategic vision for the future of space exploration, the ASAP says that NASA should establish and provide leadership through a ‘board of directors’ that includes the Center Directors and other key officials, “with the emphasis on providing benefit to the Agency’s mission as a cohesive whole, and not to the individual components of the Agency.”
In a January 23 transmittal letter of the report to NASA chief, Bill Nelson, a noteworthy risk area for Agency attention is namely the future of missions in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).
“While lunar and deep space exploration grow in prominence, the key role played by operations in LEO toward understanding and managing exploration risk cannot be discounted,” says Patricia Sanders, Chair of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel.
To access the full 2022 ASAP report, go to:
https://oiir.hq.nasa.gov/asap/documents/ASAP_2022_Annual_Report.pdf
Space Race 2.0 – SpaceX, Blue Origin, Virgin Galactic, NASA, and the Privatization of the Final Frontier by Brad Bergan; The Quarto Group/Motorbooks (2022); 176 pages; Hardcover: $40.00.
This is a splendid read, chocked full of impressive images that showcase the entrepreneurial get-up-and-go that is opening up space to private exploration.
Science journalist Brad Bergan has authored a perspective on the private space sector, a business that is providing cargo and supply services, as well as lofting astronauts to low Earth orbit…and eventually beyond.
This is a well-written and nicely packaged product – a ground floor look at what the future holds. As Bergan notes, the pace of Space Race 2.0 “is and will be relentless, as countless scientists, engineers, and politicians join hands with a few billionaire space barons to signify humanity’s first solid steps into a wider universe.”
The book’s contents are divided into 8 sections, from healthy servings of Elon Musk at SpaceX to Richard Branson as the space knight, along with Jeff Bezos and his empire of dreams to detailed looks at the long road to reusability and sustainability, the race itself, and the future of conflicting realities.
There’s a festival of little-seen photos included in this volume, documenting both successes and missteps. The reader will also find a section on China’s emerging role in shaping the second space race.
“Until very recently, it seemed a foregone conclusion that the second Space Race would be a friendly, if at times rude, rivalry between major aerospace firms vying for contracts with NASA and other major space agencies,” the author notes. “But in the last several years, a new power has rapidly accelerated its own growth into space exploration…that new power is the Middle Kingdom: China.”
Bergan offers illuminating and distinctive thoughts in the book, asking what will sustainable practices mean in space? Also, the author pointedly observes that much like the first Space Race, the international dynamic of Space Race 2.0 is likewise serving as “an extended domain for mounting tensions between rival nations.”
Once again, this informative and nicely packaged book is well-worth reading, both a retroflection on private space growth and where it stands today, as well as what’s in the offing and challenges ahead.
For more information on this book, go to:
https://www.quartoknows.com/books/9780760375549/space-race-2-0
A new report — The SpaceTech Economy – Ready for Liftoff — advises that the Global SpaceTech Ecosystem – worth $386 billion in 2021 and $1 trillion+ by 2030 “has seen a sharp maturity curve in the last few years, but there is belief it is set to move to an accelerated growth path in the coming decade, driven by the confluence of “five megatrends.”
To access this free report issued by Intro-act, Inc., go to:
Credit: RAND
RAND researchers have issued a new report: “Chinese and Russian Perceptions of and Responses to U.S. Military Activities in the Space Domain.”
Their findings are based on a systematic review of a variety of Chinese and Russian primary sources to gain insights into internal Chinese and Russian perceptions of developments in U.S. military activities related to space and counterspace doctrine, exercises, and organization.
Washington, Beijing, and Moscow appear to be caught in an action-reaction cycle that perpetuates justifications for continued military actions in space based on previous adversary activities, is an output from the report.
One report observation: “As China and Russia increase cooperation in space, such as remote sensing, satellites, a potential joint lunar base, and even missile early warning, will this drive a further convergence of a common perspective of U.S. space activities and greater coordination on the international stage?
To access the full report – “Chinese and Russian Perceptions of and Responses to U.S. Military Activities in the Space Domain” — Go to:
Credit: NewSpace Global (NSG)/Multiverse Media Group
A new report, “Cislunar Market Opportunities – In-Space Business within the Earth-Moon System,” provides a well-researched, in-depth analysis of this emerging economy.
As explained in the report, a cislunar economy will involve a much more expansive, interconnected, and sustainable paradigm for space development.
“Instead of disposable satellites operating independently of other spacecraft, there are interactions among spacecraft that can remain active indefinitely,” notes the report. “Instead of satellite businesses that serve only users on Earth, there are spacecraft businesses that provide services that enable other spacecraft to fulfill their purpose.”
One key message of the report is that in most every sector of in-space development, there are companies with significant funding and capabilities.
CisLunar econosphere graphic presented by Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance, depicts the various space vehicles, habitats, and other elements involved in creating
a cislunar economy
Credit: NewSpace Global (NSG)/Multiverse Media Group
“Furthermore, most of the companies either have systems in space or have launch dates for their first missions,” the report points out.
Five focus areas
The 161-page report is divided into five sections:
— Chapter 1. An overview of the sector.
— Chapter 2. In-Space Infrastructure in Earth Orbit – satellite servicing and life extension, in-space assembly and manufacturing, propellant depots, orbital platforms, space tugs, transfer vehicles, space debris removal and more.
— Chapter 3. Lunar Markets – commercial robotic missions, resource extraction and utilization, communications and navigation satellites, power systems, science and technology R&D, sponsorships and promotions and data storage.
— Chapter 4. Human Cislunar Activity – Commercial space stations, NASA’s Artemis program and other commercial opportunities.
— Chapter 5. The Decade Ahead – A look at how the cislunar economy will develop in the 2020’s.
Published by NewSpace Global (NSG), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Multiverse Media Group, NSG is a leading market analysis firm specializing in emerging commercial space opportunities since 2011.
For more information about “Cislunar Market Opportunities – In-Space Business within the Earth-Moon System” and acquiring the full study, go to:
