South Korea Shoots for the Moon

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The launch of the South Korean Danuri spacecraft on August 4, 2022 from Florida. (AP)

Last week, South Korea launched a spacecraft towards the Moon via a SpaceX rocket. As with other nations and programs (the U.S., Russia, the European Space Agency, Japan, China, Luxembourg, Israel, and India), South Korea hopes to learn more about the Moon and share it with the scientific community. NASA also has a role in this latest mission, having added instruments to the spacecraft.

The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, dubbed the Danuri, will be South Korea’s first foray towards the Moon. It will not reach the Moon until December, and then remain in orbit for about a year. In terms of the overall mission of the spacecraft, NASA noted:

…the objectives are to develop indigenous lunar exploration technologies, demonstrate a ‘space internet,’ and conduct scientific investigations of the lunar environment, topography, and resources, as well as identify potential landing sites for future missions.

In addition to other equipment, NASA added a high-sensitivity camera called ShadowCam, which will look for evidence of ice in the lunar craters.

South Korea is also part of the Artemis Accords, which the U.S. and other nations signed to establish a lunar presence to be followed by travel to Mars. At the time of the signing, South Korea’s Minister of Science and ICT stated:

For successful space exploration, it is critical to implement space development activities transparently and responsibly by collaborating with the international community…With the signing of the Artemis Accords, Korea would be able to strengthen cooperation with nations participating in the Accords in exploring the outer space.

It is encouraging to see more cooperation in the space realm, even if things are rocky with Russia, one the the bigger players to date.

Space Stories: Radioactive Ceres, Moon Clues, and Starlink’s Shine

Posted on by onespaceman2000

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—SkyandTelescope.org: “Asteroid Ceres Was Radioactive — And That Could Explain a Lot“

A team of U.S. planetary scientists has shown that unexpected surface features on the dwarf planet Ceres can be explained by radioactive decay in its interior long ago. If they are right, their model could explain features not just on other dwarf planets, but also on some of the icy moons in the outer solar system.

—ScienceDaily.com: “One More Clue to the Moon’s Origin“

Researchers discover the first definitive proof that the Moon inherited indigenous noble gases from the Earth’s mantle. The discovery represents a significant piece of the puzzle towards understanding how the Moon and, potentially, the Earth and other celestial bodies were formed.

—UniverseToday.com: “Starlink Satellites Are Still Bright“

The new generation of Starlink satellites remain above the accepted brightness threshold. It’s one of the stranger sights of the modern Space Age. Recently, we found ourselves under the relatively dark skies of southern Spain. Sure enough, within a few minutes, we caught sight of a chain of flashing ‘stars’ winking in and out of view in quick succession.

China Needs Reusable Rockets

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The July 24th launch of a Long March 5B rocket transporting China’s second module for its Tiangong space station. (CNS/AFP/Getty Images)

A few days ago debris from China’s Long March 5B rocket landed in the waters off the Philippine island of Palawan. The 1.8 million pounds of rocket brought a module to the Chinese space station. Such problems with Chinese rocket debris is a clear example that China needs to follow both SpaceX and Blue Origin and start using resusable rockets in the future.

NASA’s Administrator was not happy, tweeting:

The People’s Republic of China did not share specific trajectory information as their Long March 5B rocket fell back to Earth.

All spacefaring nations should follow established best practices, and do their part to share this type of information in advance to allow reliable predictions of potential debris impact risk, especially for heavy-lift vehicles, like the Long March 5B, which carry a significant risk of loss of life and property.

Doing so is critical to the responsible use of space and to ensure the safety of people here on Earth.

China has plans to develop reusable rockets for future heavy-lift missions to its space station and the Moon. This would certainly reduce the risk to parties below and hopefully add some efficiencies to the launch process.

Of course, China is not alone when it comes to falling space debris. SpaceX appears to be responsible for debris that landed in Australia last month (see below). While confirmation is still needed, the material appears to be from a SpaceX Dragon capsule.

Image (Credit): One of the panels of the debris found in Australia. (The Guardian/Brad Tucker)

Pic of the Week: Orbital Sunrise

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): SpaceX Dragon capsule approaching the ISS. (NASA)

This week’s image is from the International Space Station (ISS) as it awaits incoming cargo from an uncrewed SpaceX Dragon capsule approaching the station on July 16th. NASA noted that what we are seeing is an orbital sunrise above the Pacific Ocean.

NASA also highlighted the various experiments aboard the Dragon that will be added to the station, including one on extraterrestrial concrete:

Biopolymer Research for In-Situ Capabilities looks at how microgravity affects the process of creating a concrete alternative made with an organic material and on-site materials, such as lunar or Martian dust, known as a biopolymer soil composite. Using resources available where construction takes place makes it possible to increase the amount of shielding.

Space Quote: Elon, It’s All in Your Hands

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Falcon Heavy rocket. (SpaceX)

“It would be nice to have a bit more free time on my hands, as opposed to just working day and night from when I wake up till when I go to sleep seven days a week. It’s pretty intense.”

-Statement by Elon Musk from last year, as quoted in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal story, “Twitter Suit Tests Musk as He Faces Tesla, SpaceX Hurdles.” The newspaper cites Tesla’s struggles with new car plants in Germany and Texas, which he calls “gigantic money furnaces,” as well as the billions in losses at SpaceX related to the Starship and Starlink programs. Musk can only blame himself for distracting himself and investors with the Twitter deal. He needs to decide what he wants to spend his time on. If it is not SpaceX, maybe he should sell the firm to others who believe in space. That way he has more money in his pocket for his other distracting hobbies.