White House: U.S. Anti-Satellite Testing to End

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The White House. (Whitehouse.gov)

Earlier this week, Vice President Harris announced that the United States will no longer conduct anti-satellite missile testing in space. In her statement, she highlighted the dangers caused by the related satellite debris.

From Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, she stated:

I am pleased to announce that as of today, the United States commits not to conduct destructive direct-ascent anti-satellite missile testing.

Simply put: These tests are dangerous, and we will not conduct them.

We are the first nation to make such a commitment.  And today, on behalf of the United States of America, I call on all nations to join us.

Whether a nation is spacefaring or not, we believe this will benefit everyone, just as space benefits everyone.

In the days and months ahead, we will work with other nations to establish this as a new international norm for responsible behavior in space.  And there is a direct connection between such a norm and the daily life of the American people. 

If a satellite was taken out by debris, it could affect the daily weather forecast, GPS driving directions, and even your favorite TV station.

Critical infrastructure, like wind turbines that power our homes, well, they rely on satellites for connectivity.

Satellites help us track the climate crisis.  They enable our commercial activities.  And they help us protect our troops and our people.

All of this is threatened by the debris created by these reckless tests.

These tests also threaten the lives of astronauts in the International Space Station.

In fact, I spoke earlier this month with Mark Vande Hei who just returned from 355 days in space on the Space Station.  An American record.

While he was in space, Russia conducted its anti-satellite missile test.  He had to shelter in an escape capsule in case the Space Station was hit by debris.

Russia’s action was a threat not just to his life, but also to those of Russian cosmonauts.

Let’s hope other nations are quick to follow. Further discussions and decisions on limiting the number of satellites in low-Earth orbit would also be helpful. That said, it’s a start.

A Day in Astronomy: The Launch of Salyut 1

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s drawing of the Soviet Union’s Salyut 1 with a Soyuz spacecraft (upper left) approaching it. (NASA)

On this day in 1971, the Soviet Union launched Salyut 1, mankind’s first space station. The station was visited only once by a Soyuz 11 crew for 24 days, who had to cut their mission short do to technical problems, including an electrical fire. The crew died of asphyxia on the trip back to Earth.

While an earlier Soyuz 10 crew had attempted to dock with the Salyut 1, they were unsuccessful. This unsuccessful docking, followed by the death of the Soyuz 11 crew, led to a redesign of the Soyuz spacecraft. Unfortunately, the new spacecraft could not be launched in time to save the Salyut 1. The station burned up in the Earth’s atmosphere in October 1971.

The Salyut 1 was followed by the successful launch of five more stations, the last one being the Zvezda Service Module, launched in 2000. This module is still in orbit and part of the International Space Station.

Even with all of the issues, it was a great accomplishment for the Soviet Union. The United States did not have its own space station in orbit until the launch of Skylab 1 on May 14, 1973.

No one said space missions were easy or safe, as NASA has also learned over the years.

You can read more about the Soviet and Russian space stations at this NASA site.

A Day in Astronomy: The First Human in Outer Space

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin before his first flight on April 12, 1961. (London Science Museum)

On this day in 1961, Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to go into outer space. He was launched into orbit aboard the Soviet Vostok 1 spacecraft. He orbited the Earth for 108 minutes before landing in Kazakstan. He did not come down in the capsule, but instead landed separately using a parachute.

Yuri Gagarin was later quoted as saying:

When I orbited the Earth in a spaceship, I saw for the first time how beautiful our planet is. Mankind, let us preserve and increase this beauty, and not destroy it!

It was his only flight into space. He died in 1968 in a training flight accident.

The following month, on May 5, 1961, Alan B. Shepard became the first American in space. He was aboard a Mercury capsule named Freedom 7. 

Image (Credit): Reentry capsule of the Vostok 1 with charring and its parachute on the ground after landing in Kazakhstan. (European Space Agency)

Space Quote: Good Feelings in Orbit

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei aboard the International Space Station. (NASA)

“They were, are and will continue to be very dear friends of mine. We support each other throughout everything. And I never had any concerns about my ability to continue working with them – very good professionals and technically competent and wonderful human beings.”

-NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS) last week, regarding his US and Russian crew mates, as quoted in the Washington Post. As a result of his latest ISS mission, Mr. Vande Hei has now spent more time in space on a single mission than any other US astronaut.

Moon Craters and the Russians

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): USSR’s Luna 2 spacecraft. (Worldhistoryproject.org)

So who owned the rocket stage that hit the Moon earlier this month? I had earlier noted the speculation pertaining to both SpaceX and then the Chinese rockets. Surprisingly, it is still is not clear who owned that rocket stage and maybe we will never know. That is not a good answer for the European Space Agency’s Space Safety Programme, which stated:

The upcoming lunar impact illustrates well the need for a comprehensive regulatory regime in space, not only for the economically crucial orbits around Earth but also applying to the Moon.

While that case has yet to be solved, we are pretty certain about the first Earth-launched rocked to hit the Moon. We can blame the Soviets for that strike back in 1959 with its Luna 2 (nicknamed the Lunik 2). At least the goal in that case was to hit the Moon.

Launched on September 12, 1959, it took 35 hours to travel the distance between the Earth and Moon. Luna 1, launched by the Soviets earlier that year, was supposed to hit the Moon but it missed by about 3,700 miles. You can see more about Luna 2 via this dated news clip.