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Archive for the ‘Space News’ Category

China’s Shenzhou-14 crew is preparing for their second spacewalk adventure outside the country’s in-construction space station, the state-run Xinhua news agency reports.

Back on September 2, two taikonauts — Chen Dong and Liu Yang – exited the space station. The third taikonaut, Cai Xuzhe, provided support inside the cabin.

Once outside, using the Wentian lab’s airlock for the first time, Chen and Liu completed tasks such as installing additional pumps and lifting a panoramic camera onto the Wentian lab module.

The Shenzhou-14 crew has been in space since June 5.

 

Busy schedule ahead

During the second half of their six-month stay in orbit, they will oversee the arrival of the second lab module, Mengtian.

Also ahead for the Shenzhou-14 taikonauts is the first Chinese space station crew handover when the Shenzhou-15 crew arrives later this year.

 

If all continues to plan, the Chinese space station is to be fully assembled by year’s end.

Meanwhile, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) has released imagery from the recently installed panoramic camera.

 

Go to:

https://youtu.be/6ztAOZbpSzU

 

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3592 tasks.

“Curiosity is back on the road,” reports Kristen Bennett, a planetary geologist at the USGS Astrogeology Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The robot’s arm is good to go, so the team planned a full day of activities.

Extra observations

“Curiosity has been sitting in the same place for a few sols, so the team has been taking advantage of that to get extra observations in this area,” Bennett adds.

One Mastcam observation is an extension of a mosaic (“Parai Pond”) that was started last week. Additionally, there is a Mastcam multispectral observation in the plan to capture bedrock that shows color variations.

“We will get a closer look at a feature in the distance that is thought to be an inverted channel with a ChemCam [Chemistry and Camera] long distance RMI [Remote Micro-Imager],” Bennett notes.

ChemCam will also target the “Kurupung” block in the workspace.

Interesting pink pebble

“The ChemCam team is taking advantage of spending several sols in one location to build up their statistics of the geochemistry in this area. By targeting multiple rocks in the scene, we will get a better understanding as to whether everything has the same chemistry or if there are small variations,” Bennett explains.

Contact science is back in the mix, with a Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) observation of an interesting pink pebble in the workspace called “Piabas.”

“We also get back on the road in this plan, [Sols 3592-3593] with a short seven meter drive that will take the rover to the edge of the next area of interest,” Bennett concludes. “Onwards!”

Says the add: “12 people have been there…7 billion want to visit.” 

Designed by Canadian architectural company Moon World Resorts Inc., each of the four MOON Destination Resorts to be developed in North America, MENA, Europe and Asia Pacific will feature 4,000 luxury Resort suites.

The Resort will be developed to a Five Star standard with service delivery operating at a Five Diamond level.  

Wellness and wellbeing

According to a company posting, “in today’s hectic world, wellness and mental wellbeing are more important than ever, especially for global travelers. MOON’s exclusive luxury Resort suites are designed to inspire and educate guests to the benefits of healthy living,” the group explains. “Guests will enjoy the most exclusive sensory experiences derived from aromatherapy plus the integration of light, sight and sound therapy.”

State of the art technology

Suites within a 735-foot-high complex will include the most innovative clean, fresh and antibacterial air technology, vitamin infused filtered water systems and all amenities will be certified nontoxic, recyclable, biodegradable, eco-friendly and not tested on animals.

“Suites will feature the latest state of the art technology including MOON’s unique “Windows to the Universe” which will essentially provide guests with the ability to visualize anything and anywhere their thoughts may wish to take them,” the Moon World Resorts posting adds.

 

 

 

While full details are apparently still to come, visit this Facebook page at:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100068894139636

Worried about safe and stable spaceflight, free of satellite collisions in orbit?

Slingshot Aerospace, Inc. announced today a free version of the group’s Slingshot Beacon that provides urgent collision alerts; coordinates satellite maneuvers; and seamlessly communicates, especially during high-risk moments.

“Ensuring the safety of current and future satellites in orbit is paramount to maintaining space as a safe operating environment,” said Melanie Stricklan, do-founder and CEO of Slingshot Aerospace. “This is why we are offering Slingshot Beacon for free so that all space operators around the world can coordinate, communicate and deconflict spaceflight risk.”

Analyze risk

According to the group, Slingshot Beacon capabilities are designed in collaboration with commercial space operators that represent more than 70% of satellites in low Earth orbit to help:

• Visualize the current and future state of satellites in a customizable dashboard
• Analyze risk using more accurate models to and cut through the noise of irrelevant data
• Enable coordination based on the same data with seamless chat and file sharing, and
• Guide decision stages for maneuvers to eliminate uncertainty

Potential collisions

There are more than 9,800 satellites in orbit today according to Slingshot’s space object database, Seradata SpaceTrak, with more than 115,000 planned to be in space by 2030.

Slingshot’s data indicates that 30% of alerts for potential collisions are with other active satellites. “This means space operators need to avoid more than just debris when maneuvering in space, and underscores the need for active coordination amongst the global space community,” said the firm in a press statement.

Debris clouds

“Accidental collisions can produce fast moving debris clouds that can spread and damage additional satellites with a cascading effect rendering havoc on spaceflight operations and limiting the use of space in the future,” the statement adds.

“Previously, owner-operators would resolve collision alerts by communicating via email and phone, wasting valuable time cross-referencing positional data to ensure they were looking at the same information,” notes the press statement.

The intent of the Slingshot Beacon is to transform how operators work together, save time, reduce uncertainty, while promoting space safety.

For more information go to: https://slingshotaerospace.com/

China’s mysterious reusable space plane remains in orbit, a mission that got underway on August 4^th. This “reusable experiment spacecraft” was hurled into orbit from Jiuquan in the Gobi Desert atop of a Long March 2F rocket.

This type craft flew back in September 2020, but performed a much shorter shake-out mission of two days.

As for the currently flying space plane, Inside Outer Space reached out to Bob Christy and his informative website: http://orbitalfocus.uk/ and hisTwitter: @OrbitalFocus for an update.

Long-duration flight

“I suspect this is a long-duration test or operational flight after the 2020 ‘shakedown,’” Christy said.

“The vehicle itself hasn’t performed any startling maneuvers so far,” Christy said. There was a small adjustment, he added, when a 1.9 mile (3 kilometers) orbit raise on August 24 took it from 215 miles x 368 miles (346 km x 593 km) to 218 miles x 370 (351 km x 595 km) altitude.

“An almost-imperceptible change September 5 lowered it by a few hundred meters. There is no obvious reason for the changes but possibilities are thruster tests and/or debris avoidance maneuvers,” Christy explained. “The orbit is decaying very slowly, probably indicating that it is flying nose or tail first, presenting a high mass/cross-section ratio to the air,” he said.

Unidentified object

“Early days, radio trackers detected transmissions similar to those from a small satellite left in orbit after the 2020 flight. It then fell silent,” Christy said.

He went on to explain: “A possibility is a detachable camera package on an arm and used to inspect the re-entry insulation. We may get a further clue if it too is left behind after the space plane lands back on Earth. As yet, it is still attached to the main craft.”

Landing strip for possible touch down of China’s space plane in the Gobi Desert? Credit: Maxar Technologies 2020, Google Earth)

Landing opportunities

There was an early landing opportunity at a Lop Nor landing strip on August 27, Christy noted, under similar on-orbit and ground lighting conditions — and from a similar ground track — to the 2020 flight.

“Ideal” ground tracks for the space plane’s landing now occur every 12 days and similar lighting conditions recur every 60 days, Christy added.

“They probably shouldn’t be taken as strict rules because there’ll be leeway in the lighting constraints and it will have a degree of cross-track maneuverability,” said Christy.

U.S. space plane

Often characterized as akin to the U.S. Space Force X-37B space plane, China’s now orbiting long-duration winged vehicle has a lot of catching up to do.

The X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-6) was launched on May 17, 2020. OTV-6 is also called USSF-7 for the U.S. Space Force.

OTV-6 is nearing 850 days of flight.

The still orbiting X-37B space drone broke the program’s on-orbit record for long duration flight on July 6 at 5:49:08 ZULU, according to a Pentagon statement provided to Inside Outer Space.

Flight roster

Here’s a listing of previous flights of the X-37B Space Force space plane:

OTV-1: launched on April 22, 2010 and landed on December 3, 2010, spending over 224 days on orbit.

OTV-2: launched on March 5, 2011 and landed on June 16, 2012, spending over 468 days on orbit.

OTV-3: launched on December 11, 2012 and landed on October 17, 2014, spending over 674 days on orbit.

OTV-4: launched on May 20, 2015 and landed on May 7, 2015, spending nearly 718 days on-orbit.

OTV-5: launched on September 7, 2017 and landed on October 27, 2019, spending nearly 780 days on-orbit.

Progressive records: time on orbit

As to when and where OTV-6 will return to a wheels-stopped landing is anybody’s guess.

OTV-1, OTV-2, and OTV-3 missions landed at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, while the OTV-4 and OTV-5 missions landed at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

According to the builder of the space plane, Boeing, a fact sheet explains that “the X-37B is one of the world’s newest and most advanced re-entry spacecraft, designed to operate in low-earth orbit, 150 to 500 miles above the Earth. The vehicle is the first since the Space Shuttle with the ability to return experiments to Earth for further inspection and analysis. This United States Air Force unmanned space vehicle explores reusable vehicle technologies that support long-term space objectives.”

At first designed to fly 270 days per mission, Boeing adds that “the X-37B has set progressive records for time on orbit during each of its five previous missions.”

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3590 duties.

A select number of images showcase the work of the robot at its present location:

NASA hosted the second National Space Council meeting, chaired by Vice President Kamala Harris.

The Vice President highlighted the importance of climate, human spaceflight, and STEM education during the Biden-Harris Administration’s second National Space Council meeting Friday, September 10th, held at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

A recording of the full National Space Council meeting is available online at:

https://go.nasa.gov/3eEGxEW

FACT SHEET: Vice President Harris Announces Commitments to Inspire, Prepare, and Employ the Space Workforce:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/09/09/fact-sheet-vice-president-harris-announces-commitments-to-inspire-prepare-and-employ-the-space-workforce/

To read the remarks by Vice President Harris at the National Space Council Meeting go to:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2022/09/09/remarks-by-vice-president-harris-at-national-space-council-meeting/

China’s Moon exploration plans are moving ahead smoothly. This fourth phase consists of three missions: the Chang’e-6, Chang’e-7, and Chang’e-8 lunar spacecraft, to be implemented in the following 10 years.

Liu Jizhong, director of Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center under China National Space Administration (CNSA), observes that as backup of the Chang’e-5 probe, the Chang’e-6 will endeavor to retrieve samples from the far side of the Moon and return them to the Earth.

“The production of the Chang’e-6 probe has almost been completed,” Liu told China Central Television (CCTV). “To better understand the Moon and given that the Chang’e-4 went to the far side of the Moon, we, after discussion among engineers and scientists, decided to have the Chang’e-6 probe to retrieve samples from the far side of the Moon and return them to Earth. The samples will be much more valuable.”

Lunar research station

The Chang’e-7 probe, which is under research, will probe the south pole of the Moon and help with the building of a basic structure of a lunar research station.

“The goal of these missions is to lay a foundation for the lunar research station. So there are a lot technological issues to be tackled and it is a tough challenge to explore the energy on the Moon. However, with the foundation we’ve built up and an excellent team, I believe we will succeed,” said Liu.

Moon sample management

Liu said that regulations have been made to stipulate lunar soil distribution and international cooperation to ensure the samples were taken in appropriate conditions that meet scientific research standards, Liu told China Global Television Network (CGTN).

“The China National Space Administration has issued lunar sample management regulations covering the whole administration process, with guidelines specifying assignment of responsibility, process of distribution and international cooperation,” said Liu.

“Since the return of the Chang’e-5 lunar samples, we’ve distributed four batches of samples thus far, with the application of the fifth batch being reviewed and soon to be distributed. As for the four batches of samples already distributed, we’ve organized a team of scientists to strictly evaluate the applications and assess the purpose and value of the research. So far, more than 50 grams of samples have been distributed,” Liu said.

Strategic steps

“The mission plans for future Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 will pivot on the goal of building a lunar research station, which requires technical breakthroughs. Meanwhile, we will carry out a survey of the resources on the Moon to lay a better foundation for future space exploration,” Liu added in the CGTN interview.

China’s lunar exploration program was launched in 2004, with three strategic steps of orbiting the Moon, landing on the lunar surface and returning samples from the Moon.

In 2007, Chang’e-1 completed China’s first lunar orbiting and at the end of 2020, Chang’e-5 returned with around 1.7 kilograms of lunar samples.

A sixth new lunar mineral discovered has been named “Chang’esite-(Y)” – identified from the Moon samples brought back to Earth by China’s Chang’e-5 mission in 2020.

Scientists at the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology announced that they found the new mineral within the 1,731 grams of lunar samples returned to Earth.

“This family is divided into two groups – one is Whitlockite, which is found on Earth. The Chang’esite is called the Brianite subgroup, and it is a typical extraterrestrial mineral, which only appears in the Moon and meteorites,” said Li Ting, a research expert for lunar samples of the Beijing Research Institute of Uranium Geology.

“Its elemental composition and content are different from those of known minerals in this group. It is the first new lunar mineral discovered by the Chinese, and it is a new phosphate mineral in mineralogy,” Li told China Central Television (CCTV), formed as column-shaped crystal, found in lunar basalt grains.

Changesite is ultra-tiny with a size no more than 10 microns. 

Other study findings

How was Changesite catalogued as a new mineral?

According to Li: “Matter has two basic properties: one is chemical composition and the other is crystal structure. The chemical composition refers to what elements it is composed of, and the crystal structure refers to how these elements are arranged. Each mineral corresponds to a set of rules. If a position is occupied by a different element, or the elements are arranged in a different way, it is a new mineral.”

In addition to the new mineral Changesite, CCTV reports that other significant scientific research reveals in studying the samples include the content and extraction conditions of Helium-3, as well as nanophase iron particles in lunar soil.

“This provides fundamental scientific data for lunar resource evaluation and exploration,” reports CCTV.

Officially approved

The China National Space Administration (CNSA) and the China Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) jointly announced the new lunar mineral finding in Beijing.

“This ‘Chang’esite-(Y)’ is the first new mineral discovered on the moon by China, and the sixth by mankind. The new finding makes China the third country in the world to have discovered a new mineral on the Moon,” said Dong Baotong, Vice Chairman of CAEA.

The Chang’esite-(Y) has been officially approved as a new mineral by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association, reports CCTV.

CNSA has distributed four batches of 152 lunar samples totaling 53,625.7 milligrams. The fifth batch of samples from the Moon is under review.

China’s Chang’e-5 lunar mission consisted of an orbiter, a lander, an ascender, and a returner. Launched on Nov. 24, 2020, the return capsule parachuted into north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on Dec. 17, 2020 with its load of lunar samples, primarily rocks and soil from the Moon’s surface.

To view a video on the finding, go to:

https://youtu.be/DLW8-FzR8vg

“We had liftoff!”

That’s the word from JPL detailing the successful flight 31 on September 6^th of NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter. The mini-craft flew 318 ft (97 meters) west towards the Jezero river delta, in 55.6 seconds.

Maximum altitude reached: 33 feet (10 meters)

Go to the helicopter’s flight log at: https://go.nasa.gov/3BmhGib

A photo posted is from the helicopter’s navigation camera mounted in the craft’s fuselage and pointed directly downward to track the ground during flight.

This image above was acquired on Sept. 6, 2022 (Sol 550 of the Perseverance rover mission), the date of Ingenuity’s 31st flight.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech