Space Stories: Congressional Space Medal, Asteroid Rings, and Dancing Exoplanets

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Former NASA astronauts Robert Behnken, left, and Douglas Hurley, right, and are seen after being awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by Vice President Kamala Harris during a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building. (NASA/Joel Kowsky)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—NASA: “VP Awards Former NASA Astronauts Congressional Space Medal of Honor“

On behalf of President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris awarded former NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken the Congressional Space Medal of Honor Tuesday for their bravery in NASA’s SpaceX Demonstration Mission-2 (Demo-2) to the International Space Station in 2020. Hurley and Behnken are the first recipients of the honor since 2006 and accepted the awards during a televised event in Washington.

—CNET: “NASA Webb Telescope Zooms in on One of Solar System’s Oddest Objects“

Scientists using NASA’s new James Webb Space Telescope say they’ve been able to get a closer look at an asteroid that also hosts just the fifth ring system to be discovered in our solar system (the others circle Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune).  Astronomers initially discovered the rings in 2013 while watching Chariklo occult, or pass in front of, a distant star. To their surprise, two other smaller objects also appeared to pass in front of the background star for an instant. These turned out to be two thin rings around Chariklo. 

—Northwestern University: “Watch Distant Worlds Dance Around their Sun“

In 2008, HR8799 was the first extrasolar planetary system ever directly imaged. Now, the famed system stars in its very own video. Using observations collected over the past 12 years, Northwestern University astrophysicist Jason Wang has assembled a stunning time lapse video of the family of four planets — each more massive than Jupiter — orbiting their star. The video gives viewers an unprecedented glimpse into planetary motion. 

SpaceX Agrees to Work with Scientists to Reduce Impact of its Satellites

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Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of a Starlink satellite in orbit. (SpaceX)

Earlier this month, the National Science Foundation (NSF) and SpaceX came to an agreement to “mitigate potential interference” from its Starlink satellites. These satellites have been impacting ground-based radio, optical, and infrared astronomy facilities.

Basically, SpaceX agreed to continue working on recommendations and best practices from the scientific community, ensure the second generation of Starlink satellites are darker and less intrusive in the night sky, continue to assist with studies on the satellites impact on astronomy facilities, and improve overall coordination with these scientific facilities.

It is a tall order, but any company pumping thousands of satellites into the night sky should have some responsibilities to others using that same sky. SpaceX is just the first of many companies with big plans for the night sky, so maybe this will set a precedent for the satellites that follow, or at least the U.S. satellites. I am note sure we can do anything about the Chinese and others, but the United Nations cans certainly create similar standards at the international level.

In the agreement, the NSF stated:

NSF and SpaceX have collaborated from the beginning on how best to meet the goals of protecting astronomy while also providing maximum internet access for communities across the United States. The mitigation steps taken can and should serve as a model for coordination among satellite operators and the astronomy community within the United States and beyond.

Let’s hope the NSF is right.

Update on Artemis III

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Arstist’s rendering of SpaceX Starship human landing system design. (SpaceX)

The other week, NASA revealed an update on the Artemis III mission to the Moon in 2025. Now that Artemis I was a success and Artemis II is being readied, Artemis III is becoming much clearer on the horizon. The plan focuses on the first crew to land on the surface, noting that future missions will be involved in building the Gateway lunar space station.

While the Space Launch System (SLS) will get the crew into orbit on Orion, SpaceX has been chosen to bring this first crew to the moon. However, SpaceX will first need to test this human landing system on the Moon without a crew.

The landing site is likely to be on the Moon’s South Pole involving two astronauts who will take the SpaceX human landing system to the surface. They will conduct their research work in Axiom space suits.

It all may have become routine back in the 1970s, but NASA is demoing everything all over again to ensure new systems and new parties are up to par for this return to the Moon. The world is watching again, particularly China. We need to be perfect in this overdue first step back into human space travel.

You can view all of the parts of the mission in the graphic below.

Image (Credit): Artemis III mission map. (NASA)

Another Rocket Setback, This Time in Alaska

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Credit: ABL Space Systems

Virgin orbit is not the only rocket company having a bad week. CNN reports that on Tuesday U.S. rocket company ABL Space Systems ran problems off the Alaska coast when its RS1 rocket shut down prematurely during its maiden launch. The rocket and the two satellites it was carrying were lost.

It was a bad week, but the space industry is growing and persistence will pay off. It is also important to have deep pockets to cover early failures. SpaceX and Blue Origin benefited from billionaire backers, and ABL is lucky to have Lockheed Martin in its corner. With an initial order of 58 rocket launches, Lockheed Martin has every reason to encourage continued progress.

Update: As of earlier today, ABL Space Systems has not issued a press release on the Alaska incident, but in a Tweet the company stated:

As expected in this scenario, there is damage to the launch facility. All personnel are safe, and fires have subsided. We’ll plan our return to flight after investigations are complete. Thanks to our stakeholders and the space community for the expressions of support.

The Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska, earlier called the Kodiak Launch Complex, is a dual-use (commercial/government) facility owned and operated by the Alaska Aerospace Corporation, which is a public corporation of the State of Alaska. Opened in 1998, the spaceport complex is located on Kodiak Island in Alaska.

NASA Claims U.S. in a Space Race with China, Again

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Image (Credit): The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B, Monday, August 29, 2022. (NASA)

A recent Politico interview with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson covered old ground about the Chinese taking possession of the Moon and yet seemed to get some media play in the quiet post-holiday period. As I said, it is nothing new (see this earlier news clip) nor should it be a surprise. Yes, the U.S. is in a space race again, and it is a good thing. We needed the pressure in the 1960s and apparently we need it again today, 50 years after the last man stepped on the lunar surface.

For some reason, Administrator Nelson has a thousand excuses for why the Chinese may get to the Moon first – the Orion capsule from Artemis I needs to be reused for Artemis II (which should be seen as a good thing, at least by those that want to reduce costs and increase efficiencies), the space suits may not be ready, SpaceX may need more time, and on and on. Get a grip, man!

And then the Administrator has this comment regarding Chinese behavior: “If you doubt that, look at what they did with the Spratly Islands.” That is not the only model available. One only needs to look the Outer Space Treaty to see that China and others have agreed not to make claims on the Moon. Another treaty worth viewing is the Antarctic Treaty that relates to real exploration on a cold, distant body. About 50 permanent active research stations representing 32 countries are already conducting science on Antarctica without issue. China, the U.S., Russia and others have shown that they can play well together.

So maybe we need less chest-pounding and more attention to the Artemis project at hand. The U.S. dropped the ball 50 years ago. It seems a little silly to get all upset now when other nations have shown an interest all these years later.

Image: Emblem represents the Antarctic Treaty System.