Deep Space Network Threatened by Fires

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Location of the DSN facilities as the Earth rotates (in this image, it is daytime in Asia and Australia). (NASA)

The Deep Space Network (DSN) is critical to NASA’s communications with space missions throughout the solar system, and even those that have left the solar system. It will also be critical to the upcoming Artemis mission to the Moon.

The radio telescopes that make up this system are located in three spots to ensure communications cannot disappear because of the Earth’s rotation – Madrid, Spain; Barstow, California; and Canberra, Australia. The image above shows you the spread of those locations.

One of the California DSN radio telescopes was damaged last year due to human error and is undergoing repairs until approximately 2028. Even so, the US facility is still able to perform its duties. And now the DSN facility in Spain is being threatened by wildfires. As a result, the facility has been evacuated for now.

As with the ongoing fires on this side of the Atlantic, as well as past fires threatening NASA sites, the world is a dangerous place and putting hardware anywhere has its risks. To stay in the game, we rely on the redundancy of these hardware sites, the resilience of space programs, and realistic budgeting to rebuild after such losses.

NASA has shown its ability to bounce back in the past, so whatever happens in Spain should not be a long-term blow to present and future space missions. Even so, we do not need to continually test the system with climate change, the weakening of the NASA program through continual cuts, and more budget threats on the horizon.

As C.S. Lewis said, “the doors of hell are locked on the inside.”

Note: Although C.S. Lewis is remembered primarily as a religious writer, he was also a science fiction writer with stories of space travel. Hence, I think I can creatively use his quote here.

Update: The DSN facility in Madrid fortunately survived the wild fires.

Space Stories: Marooned Moon Astronauts, NASA’s Cancelled Contract, and New Horizon Ends Hibernation

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Commander Gene Cernan during the Apollo 17 lunar landing mission in December 1972. (NASA)

Here are some recent space-related stories of interest.

—Forbes: “Astronauts Marooned On Moon Could Be Abandoned Under Current NASA Plan“

NASA’s working masterplan for the upcoming lunar landings has a fundamental flaw that could prove fatal to the first American astronauts set to touch down on the Moon in 2028, say experts at the NASA Office of Inspector General, an independent watchdog empowered by Congress to oversee the space agency. During the race to explore the south pole of the Moon, these inspectors say, “While NASA is taking steps to prevent catastrophic events from occurring during the Artemis [Moon] missions, at some point in the future, astronauts will likely encounter a life-threatening emergency in space.” But under NASA’s landing blueprints, they warn, “should the astronauts encounter a life-threatening emergency in space or on the lunar surface, NASA does not have the capability to rescue the stranded crew.”

—Fox35 Orlando: “NASA Cancels $73 Million Moon Lander Mission with Contractor Draper‘”

NASA has canceled a $73 million commercial lunar lander mission after years of delays and cost overruns, ending the project before the spacecraft ever launched. The agency and contractor Draper mutually agreed to terminate the Commercial Lunar Payload Services Task Order CP-12, a mission that began in 2022 and was intended to deliver scientific payloads to a crater near the moon’s south pole…NASA has already paid about $43 million under the contract and said those funds cannot be recovered because they were legally obligated under the agreement.

—CNN: “Pluto Flyby Mission Wakes Up After Long Sleep Nearly 6 billion Miles from Earth“

A groundbreaking mission that explored Pluto and distant solar system objects in unprecedented detail has awakened from its longest sleep ever — and it’s 5.9 billion miles (9.5 billion kilometers) from Earth. NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft went into a planned hibernation mode on August 7, 2025, and woke up on June 23 using commands stored on its main computer. The mission’s flight controllers at the Johns Hopkins University’s Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, confirmed that New Horizons is in great shape and ready to transmit a stream of science data gathered during hibernation from its location in the region of icy objects known as the Kuiper Belt.

Note: Here is the podcast version of this post.

Space Quote: Dealing with Off-Planet Real Estate

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Image (Credit): One artist’s version of a Martian base. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)

“So, who should have the right to acquire property in space? My answer: those who have the financial means to get there, develop, and use the land. For instance, if SpaceX succeeds in reaching Mars and starts to build permanent settlements on the red planet, then the ownership of land should go to SpaceX first. Not of the entire planet, of course, but of a practicable area, for example the size of Singapore. The surface area of Mars is 200,000 times that of Singapore, so SpaceX would initially only own 0.0005 percent of Mars. That would be enough to develop multiple settlements, but not so many that others would no longer have a chance.”

-Statement by Rainer Zitelmann, a historian and sociologist, in his Reason magazine article titled “Why You Can’t Settle Mars or Colonize the Moon Without Real Property Rights.” You do not need to agree with his conclusion, but he discusses a timely topic. The Moon Agreement and Outer Space Treaty may need to be revisited now that the idea of permanent settlements on the Moon and Mars are not simply science fiction, as they were in the 1960s and 1970s when these provisions were agreed to (and not by all nations, keep in mind).

Space Quote: The Taikonauts Are Coming!

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Image (Credit): The crew of the latest mission to China’s Tiangong space station – the Shenzhou 23 mission. (CMSA/CCTV)

“Well, I would just say, first, it’s not arguably like there- we are very much in a space race right now, and the Chinese are moving at incredible speeds, and they are certainly capable of doing what the Soviets were not during the- the first space race. The Chinese will land their taikonauts on the moon. There’s no question. The question is, will the United States return before them, and will we do so in a different way this time, when we build a base, establish that enduring presence? I think the answer is yes.“

-Statement by NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman on CBS’s Face the Nation this past Sunday. The interview addresses other issues in addition to the Artemis mission to the Moon, including efforts to save the Swift space telescope as well as the status of Blue Origin’s efforts to recover from the recent explosion of its New Glenn rocket.

Volunteers Needed for Moon and Mars Simulation

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): A crew inside NASA’s Human Exploration Research Analog. (NASA)

Do you need to get away from the ordinary for something more stimulating (and possibly away from the constant political news)? How about going into isolation to assist NASA with future Moon and Mars missions?

NASA is looking for a few hardy souls to start a new virtual space mission in August 2027 at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Volunteers must meet a variety of criteria, including being between 30 and 55 years old and willing to spend approximately 14-months on this mission, which includes 12 months in two different confined habitats and two months of pre- and- post-mission training and data collection. Oh yeah, you cannot have a history of sleepwalking or taking sleeping aids.

The volunteers will basically live and work in isolation and confinement while performing simulated missions related to interplanetary transit and planetary surface operations. This will also include simulated rover missions and spacewalks.

You can read all about it on this NASA info page, which includes an email address to ask more questions as well as an application form.

It’s not for everyone, but maybe it’s for you.

By the way, even if the White House cuts off the funding after you start the program, at least you will still be in Houston rather than half-way on your way to Mars with no way to get back.