Space Stories: Truncated Artemis III Mission, Origins of a Local Galaxy, and Chandra X-ray Observatory Exoplanet Efforts

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Image (Credit): The launch of a Starship. (SpaceX)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Ars Technica: “As NASA Watches Starship Closely, Here’s What the Agency Wants to See Next“

NASA and SpaceX are planning for the possibility of modifying the Artemis III mission. Instead of landing on the Moon, a crew would launch in the Orion spacecraft and rendezvous with Starship in low-Earth orbit. This would essentially be a repeat of the Apollo 9 mission, buying down risk and providing a meaningful stepping stone between Artemis missions. Officially, NASA maintains that the agency will fly a crewed lunar landing, the Artemis III mission, in September 2026. But almost no one in the space community regards that launch date as more than aspirational. Some of my best sources have put the most likely range of dates for such a mission from 2028 to 2032. A modified Artemis III mission, in low-Earth orbit, would therefore bridge a gap between Artemis II and an eventual landing.

—Sci.News: “Astrophysicists Offer Explanation for Origin of One of Milky Way’s Largest Satellites“

The satellite galaxy Crater II (or Crater 2) of the Milky Way is located approximately 380,000 light-years away from Earth in the constellation of Crater. This galaxy is extremely cold and exceptionally diffuse, and has low surface brightness. According to new research, Crater II exists thanks to a self-interacting dark matter.

—Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics: “Coming in Hot: NASA’s Chandra Checks Habitability of Exoplanets“

Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) XMM-Newton, astronomers are exploring whether nearby stars could host habitable exoplanets, based on whether they emit radiation that could destroy potential conditions for life as we know it. This type of research will help guide observations with the next generation of telescopes aiming to make the first images of planets like Earth. A team of researchers examined stars that are close enough to Earth that future telescopes could take images of planets in their so-called habitable zones, defined as orbits where the planets could have liquid water on their surfaces. Any images of planets will be single points of light and will not directly show surface features like clouds, continents, and oceans. However, their spectra — the amount of light at different wavelengths — will reveal information about the planet’s surface composition and atmosphere.

Pic of the Week: Forth Starship Test is a Success

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Starship rocket lifting off its launch pad in Texas earlier today. (SpaceX)

This week’s image shows the launch of the forth test of SpaceX’s Starship, which went further than any of the tests to date. In it’s summary of the flight, SpaceX noted:

Flight 4 ended with Starship igniting its three center Raptor engines and executing the first flip maneuver and landing burn since our suborbital campaign, followed by a soft splashdown of the ship in the Indian Ocean one hour and six minutes after launch.

You can see the full flight in this video.

As with yesterday’s successful launch of Boeing’s Starliner, today’s successful flight gave NASA greater assurance that the commercial sector is picking up the pace to assist the U.S. with both the International Space Station and Artemis program to the Moon (and eventually Mars).

Note: I like The Economist’s headline on the mission: “Elon Musk’s Starship Makes a Test Flight Without Exploding.”

Space Quote: More Musk Mayhem on the Ukrainian Front

Posted on by onespaceman2000

“Musk has taken on the role of apologist for indicted war criminal Vladimir Putin. “There is no way in hell that Putin is going to lose,” Musk said during an audio event on X. Musk called on social media followers to lobby the Senate not to pass an aid package for Ukraine. Further, Musk is actively working to thwart US foreign policy. Musk is certainly entitled to voice his opinions. However, he is not authorized to conduct foreign policy with FCC issued licenses. This is especially true when his use of those licenses supports the military of a foreign power that is actively engaged in an illegal war and has engaged in countless war crimes including routinely targeting hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings. Musk’s company is licensed to serve the public interest, convenience, and necessity. Musk cannot use FCC licenses to militarily aid Russia, a state that is subject to U.S. sanctions. Musk’s repeated abuse of the Starlink system has placed these licenses in jeopardy.”

-Portion of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America’s (UCCA) filing with the Federal Communications Commission on April 24, 2024. The UCCA represents four fraternal organizations – the Ukrainian National Association, the Ukrainian Workingmen’s Association, the Providence Association of Ukrainian Catholics, and the Ukrainian National Aid Association.

Boeing Needs Just One More Day

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Starliner autonomous uncrewed flight test to the ISS in May 2022. (NASA)

Today was supposed to be the day that Boeing launched a crewed capsule to the International Space Station (ISS), but things did not go according to plan (again). Two hours before the planned launch a valve issue on the Atlas V rocket’s second stage put everything on hold. A launch as early as tomorrow is still possible if the matter can be resolved.

The two astronauts aboard the Starliner capsule, Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, will need to come back another day to lead this historic mission. The Starliner will be the second commercial vehicle contracted by NASA to bring and return astronauts from the station. SpaceX has been performing this task since its first successful crewed test flight in 2020.

Boeing needs this win after so many bad stories over the years, and not just the stories associated with the Starliner mission. Serious aircraft woes has put a spotlight on the company. A successful launch will not erase the past, but it would be much needed positive press.

Update: Okay, Boeing will need at least until May 17 to inspect the problem valve and prepare for a new launch. Not a great start, but at least the are still expecting a May launch.

Space Quote: Space Jobs are in Demand, and Demanding

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“You’re doing this cool thing…You’re also going to be like really worked to death.”

-Comment by Griffin Rahn, who is earning his aerospace master’s degree at Georgia Tech, in a Fortune article titled “NASA is Struggling to Compete with Bezos, Musk and Their 6-figure Salaries for Starting Aerospace Engineers at Blue Origin and SpaceX.” The title of the article is self-explanatory. See any earlier posting for more on NASA’s troubles maintaining a work-life balance.