Space Stories: Distant Metalic Mining, Mapping Water on the Moon, and Lunar Cell Phone Service

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of the Odin spacecraft approaching an asteroid. (Astroforge)

Here are some recent stories of interest related to the upcoming Intuitive Machines’ launch to the Moon.

—CNN: “A Tiny Spacecraft is Poised to Launch on an Unprecedented Deep-space Mission. The CEO Behind it is ‘Terrified’“

His venture may seem far out, but asteroid mining CEO Matt Gialich has no illusions. The engineer cofounded the bold California startup AstroForge in 2022 with the aim of hunting for precious metals in space, and he is all too aware that success is not guaranteed…The probe is set to lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on February 26. AstroForge’s spacecraft will ride alongside Athena, a lunar lander developed by the startup Intuitive Machines, until it breaks off on its own.

—Caltech: “NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer is Launching to the Moon’“

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission is led by Caltech’s Bethany Ehlmann, professor of planetary science and the Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair and director of the Keck Institute for Space Studies, and the mission is operated by IPAC at Caltech. The Lunar Trailblazer small satellite, or smallsat, will orbit the Moon to understand the nature of water on the Moon’s surface, providing maps to guide future robotic and human explorers. Prior missions have seen hints of ice and other forms of water that could be used in a variety of ways, from purifying it for human use, to processing it for fuel and breathable oxygen for future human Moon landings.

—Fox News: “NASA Will Test Cell Phone Service on the Moon in Latest Mission’“

NASA and Intuitive Machines are gearing up for a Wednesday evening liftoff, and one of the payloads will test a moon-based cell network. Researchers with Nokia Bell Labs Solutions Research developed the network and say it’s the same tool that we use here on Earth when we pick up our phones and make a call. But they had to make a cell tower much smaller so it could fit in a rocket and land on the moon.

Space Quote: More on the ISS “Stranded” Story

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen (Twitter/X)

“You know as well as I do, that Butch and Suni are returning with Crew-9, as has been the plan since last September. Even now, you are not sending up a rescue ship to bring them home. They are returning on the Dragon capsule that has been on ISS since last September.”

–Comments by Andreas Mogensen, a Danish astronaut who commanded the ISS between September 2023 to early 2024, in response to Elon Musk’s constant tweets about his efforts to “rescue” the two Starliner astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS). NASA already resolved the issue, yet Mr. Musk seems to need the attention given that otherwise the media keeps ignoring his actions (such as harassing federal employees, including those at NASA).

Congressional Letter: Concerns About DOGE at NASA

Posted on by onespaceman2000

Three Democratic Ranking Members of Congress wrote a letter to NASA’s acting Commissioner earlier today about the role of the “so called” Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) at NASA. This letter followed a February 6th letter on the same issue, which received a less than open NASA response.

The letter expressed strong concerns about the activities of DOGE, including Elon Musk’s conflict of interest with the agency, and asked several questions it needed answered to feel more confident. This quote provides the general tenor of the letter:

While we appreciate the agency’s confirmation that a DOGE-affiliated individual (“DOGE Agent”) will be embedded inside NASA, that fact only sharpens our fears regarding DOGE’s potential to inflict harm – intentionally or unintentionally – on the agency and its mission. We must reiterate our deep alarm at this situation. Given DOGE’s destructive seizure of power throughout the federal government and the unique conflicts-of-interest that Elon Musk possesses with NASA, DOGE’s presence at the agency creates an unprecedented threat from within NASA’s own house. We are thus compelled to demand further explanation on a number of points related to DOGE’s relationship and activities with NASA. Complete transparency on the part of the agency is required. NASA must fully disclose the nature of its interactions with DOGE so the Committee can assess the full extent of the danger.

This does not sound like a normal conversation about a standard audit, which is already regularly done by the agency’s Inspector General. No, phrases such as “inflict harm,” “unprecedented threat,” and “full extent of the danger” shows we are dealing with a completely different situation.

Secret audits administered by a billionaire and his band of teenagers should not give anyone any sense of comfort or any confidence that the work will be above board. We appear to be going the route of Russia, but given the condition of its space program we may want to reconsider.

Let’s hope Congress keeps on pushing, even if half of the Congress remains asleep while the DOGE destruction continues.

Space Quotes: Are NASA’s Missions Already Threatened?

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Testing of the James Webb Space Telescope at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. (European Space Agency)

“NASA is about to lose a ton of experienced people who, up until now, have been considered a national asset.”

“Our immensely successful research enterprise is under attack.”

-Statement in a Washington Post article titled “Under Trump, NASA Meetings are On Hold and Missions are Up in the Air” pertaining to disruptions at NASA related to White House reforms (or general chaos if “reform” is too technical). The first quote is from an experienced engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. The second quote is from Garth Illingworth, who is an astrophysicist at the University of California at Santa Cruz. He is also one of the scientists who brought us the amazing James Webb Space Telescope.

U.S. Postal Service Stamps Highlight JWST Images

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Image (Credit): The U.S. Postal Service stamp featuring an image of star cluster IC 348 from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. (U.S. Postal Service)

The U.S. Postal Service is honoring NASA again with a set of stamps highlighting images captured by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) – star cluster IC 348 (above) and spiral galaxy NGC 628 (below).

Regarding star cluster IC 348, NASA notes:

The wispy curtains filling the image are interstellar material reflecting the light from the cluster’s stars – what is known as a reflection nebula. This scene is located 1,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation Perseus.

Regarding spiral galaxy NGC 628, NASA explains:

Webb’s observations combine near- and mid-infrared light to reveal glowing gas and dust in stark shades of orange and red, as well as finer spiral shapes with the appearance of jagged edges. This galaxy is located 32 million light-years away in the constellation Pisces. 

I would have preferred these stamps were regular first class forever stamps so that they would grace personal letters and birthday cards traveling to every corner of this country, but this is a nice gesture however you look at it.

Image (Credit): The U.S. Postal Service stamp highlighting an image of the spiral galaxy NGC 628 from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. (U.S. Postal Service)