Space Quote: Axiom Space and Prada Reveal Artemis III Space Suit

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The AxEMU spacesuit. (Axiom Space)

“At the International Astronautical Congress in Milan, Italy, Axiom Space and Prada revealed for the first time today the flight design of the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) spacesuit that will be used for NASA’s Artemis III mission…The AxEMU suit is nearing the final development stage. It completed a successful pressurized simulation with Artemis III partners – NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom Space – marking the first test of its kind since the Apollo era. It will continue to undergo testing including crewed underwater tests at the NBL facility, integrated tests with the Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle prototypes, and will enter the critical design review phase in 2025.“

-Statement from an Axiom Space press release. Specifics about the new space suit can be found in the graphic below. Now it is a matter of getting the other pieces together in time for the Artemis III mission, which will entail sending astronauts to explore the Moon’s South Pole.

Credit: Axiom Space.

Return of the SpaceX Crew-8 Delayed

Posted on by onespaceman2000

Yes, another delay due to weather. This time it’s the International Space Station crew returning to Earth. The SpaceX Crew-8 was supposed to return yesterday (after being delayed from October 7 because of Hurricane Milton), but it has been delayed until Friday due to ongoing weather issues in Florida. The returning crew consists of NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, who have been on the station since March.

Scheduling anything in Florida during hurricane season is questionable, but at least the Europa Clipper mission was able to get into the air quickly after the latest hurricane.

Update: The return of Crew-8 has been delayed again until Monday, October 21.

Second Update: The return date has been moved once more to Wednesday, October 23.

The Europa Clipper Mission Has Begun

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): View of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy second stage engine as it completes its burn after launching the Europa Clipper spacecraft. (NASA)

Earlier today, the Europa Clipper spacecraft was launched from Kennedy Space Center for its 2030 rendezvous with the Jovian moon Europa. It can then begin to analyze the moon’s salt water ocean and look for any signs of life.

The mission is expected to last for three years, maybe longer should the spacecraft prove to be durable and ready for more scientific work. After that, it will plummet down into the Jovian moon Ganymede.

Scientists believe Europa may contain more water than is found here on Earth. That is interesting in terms of what may lie below the surface in terms of potential life. It also offers mankind a priceless resource should we ever find ourselves living in that region.

Europa Clipper Project Scientist Robert Pappalardo stated:

We know of our Earth as an ocean world, but Europa is representative of a new class of ocean worlds, icy worlds in the distant outer solar system where saltwater oceans might exist under their icy surfaces…In fact, icy ocean worlds could be the most common habitat for life, not just in our solar system, but throughout the universe.

You can follow the status of the mission here.

The Fifth Test of Starship Goes Well

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): An image showing SpaceX’s Super Heavy booster being grabbed midair after the fifth flight test from Boca Chica, Texas. (Taken from a SpaceX video)

Earlier today, SpaceX conducted its fifth Starship test earlier today. It appears it was an overall success, with a new twist. This time the rocket’s Super Heavy booster returned to the launch pad to be captured midair by two metal arms. It seemed like an unnecessary risk to the landing site, but the stunt was successful.

The rocket itself “landed” without incident off Australia’s coast before falling into the sea and exploding.

All in all it went according to plan, which is a good sign for NASA and its future plans for the rocket.

While all the attention today related to the booster bravado, I just want to see a Starship that is ready for the upcoming Artemis mission. After all, all the fancy tricks related to the Starship will look pretty useless should the Chinese be the first to return to the Moon.

NASA Looks to Rocketlab on Mars Sample Return

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Rocketlab.

NASA is moving forward with planned studies to address the Mars Sample Return. Earlier in the week, NASA awarded a contract to Rocketlab for this very purpose.

Rocketlab announced the following:

…the Company has been selected by NASA to complete a study for retrieving rock samples from the Martian surface and bringing them to Earth for the first time. The mission would fulfill some of the highest priority solar system exploration goals for the science community – to revolutionize humanity’s understanding of Mars, potentially answer whether life ever existed on the Martian surface, and help prepare for the first human explorers to the Red Planet.

NASA’s Rapid Mission Design Studies for Mars Sample Return solicits industry proposals to carry out rapid studies of mission designs and mission elements capable of delivering samples collected by the Mars Perseverance rover from the surface of Mars to Earth. The results of this study will inform a potential update to NASA’s Mars Sample Return Program and may result in future procurements with industry. Rocket Lab’s study will explore a simplified, end-to-end mission concept that would be delivered for a fraction of the current projected program cost and completed several years earlier than the current expected sample return date in 2040.

This is just one of many studies expected to be conducted to find the best method for interplanetary rock retrieval.

Good luck to Rocketlab and the other involved in this endeavor.