January 24th, 2019
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NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is carrying out Sol 2299 duties. The robot has moved for the first time since December 13, 2018 moving toward a new geological unit that scientists label as the “Clay-Bearing Unit” (CBU). Scott Guzewich, an atmospheric scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland reports: “Curiosity is continuing […]
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Blue Origin’s 10th flight yesterday of the New Shepard system was the 4th flight for this vehicle. The vehicle carried 8 NASA-sponsored research and technology payloads under the space agency’s Flight Opportunities program. In an upcoming mission, New Shepard will take payloads to space from around the world. Step by step From Jeff Bezos […]
What can the well-dressed commercial space traveler expect in apparel? A next generation of spacewear and astronaut performance programs is being scoped by way of collaboration between Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic and Under Armour. As Under Armour crafts the Virgin Galactic collection, it draws upon a heritage of innovative performance solutions for some […]
As the shutdown of the U.S. government continues — and the State of the “Dis-Union” address is under back and forth banter – yet another space causality: A major meeting on Mars Extant Life has gone extinct. A Mars Extant Life Conference, scheduled next week for Carlsbad, New Mexico has been postponed. Conference organizers […]
Japan’s Hayabusa2 continues to make progress in preparing for its first touchdown (TD1) on asteroid Ryugu, planned for the week of February 18. A backup week is March 4. Newly posted status reports from the Hayabusa2 team explain that a prolonged injection test of the spacecraft’s thrusters has been conducted. This test is in connection […]
Director of National Intelligence Daniel R. Coats has unveiled the 2019 National Intelligence Strategy (NIS), noting the democratization of space and challenges ahead. The NIS is the guiding strategy for the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) and will drive the strategic direction for the Nation’s 17 IC elements for the next four years. No longer […]
3D printing on the Moon is getting a boost thanks to demonstration work by the European Space Agency. For example, a 1.5 ton block has been 3D printed using simulated lunar dust. The structure spotlights the feasibility of constructing a Moon base using local materials. The structure was produced using a binding salt as […]
A new Northwestern University study has found that — despite its seemingly harsh conditions — the International Space Station (ISS) is not causing bacteria to mutate into dangerous, antibiotic-resistant superbugs. However, the bacteria are instead simply responding, and perhaps evolving, to survive in a stressful environment. The new findings suggest that the most crucial […]
An automation process is geared to resolving a key bottleneck in boosting the annual production of Pu-238 toward NASA’s goal of 1.5 kilograms of Pu-238 per year by 2025. Oak Ridge National Laboratory in eastern Tennessee, near Knoxville, is automating the production of neptunium oxide-aluminum pellets. Pu-238 provides a constant heat source through […]
The Aerospace Corporation’s Center for Space Policy and Strategy has compiled an extensive collection of current and historical documents on U.S. and international space policy, law, and regulation. Many of these documents are difficult to find and previously had not been brought together in a single online source. This archive is designed to serve as […]
