Deep Space Network Threatened by Fires

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Location of the DSN facilities as the Earth rotates (in this image, it is daytime in Asia and Australia). (NASA)

The Deep Space Network (DSN) is critical to NASA’s communications with space missions throughout the solar system, and even those that have left the solar system. It will also be critical to the upcoming Artemis mission to the Moon.

The radio telescopes that make up this system are located in three spots to ensure communications cannot disappear because of the Earth’s rotation – Madrid, Spain; Barstow, California; and Canberra, Australia. The image above shows you the spread of those locations.

One of the California DSN radio telescopes was damaged last year due to human error and is undergoing repairs until approximately 2028. Even so, the US facility is still able to perform its duties. And now the DSN facility in Spain is being threatened by wildfires. As a result, the facility has been evacuated for now.

As with the ongoing fires on this side of the Atlantic, as well as past fires threatening NASA sites, the world is a dangerous place and putting hardware anywhere has its risks. To stay in the game, we rely on the redundancy of these hardware sites, the resilience of space programs, and realistic budgeting to rebuild after such losses.

NASA has shown its ability to bounce back in the past, so whatever happens in Spain should not be a long-term blow to present and future space missions. Even so, we do not need to continually test the system with climate change, the weakening of the NASA program through continual cuts, and more budget threats on the horizon.

As C.S. Lewis said, “the doors of hell are locked on the inside.”

Note: Although C.S. Lewis is remembered primarily as a religious writer, he was also a science fiction writer with stories of space travel. Hence, I think I can creatively use his quote here.

Update: The DSN facility in Madrid fortunately survived the wild fires.

Space Quote: Voyager 1 Still Going, but with One Less Instrument

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): An artist’s rendering of Voyager 1. (NASA/JPL-Caltech)

“While shutting down a science instrument is not anybody’s preference, it is the best option available…Voyager 1 still has two remaining operating science instruments — one that listens to plasma waves and one that measures magnetic fields. They are still working great, sending back data from a region of space no other human-made craft has ever explored. The team remains focused on keeping both Voyagers going for as long as possible.”

–Statement by Kareem Badaruddin, Voyager mission manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, regarding NASA’s decision to shut down the Low-energy Charged Particles experiment (LECP). The instrument measures low-energy charged particles, such as ions, electrons, and cosmic rays, helping NASA to better understand the region of space where Voyager 1 is located. The LECP was turned of on Voyager 2 back in March 2025.

Space Stories: Planning Commercial Space Stations, Sloppy Black Holes, and Happy Birthday Voyager I

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s earlier rendering of a commercial space station called Orbital Reef envisioned by Blue Origin and  Sierra Space. (Blue Origin)

Here are some recent space-related stories of interest.

—Space News: “NASA Releases Details on Revised Next Phase of Commercial Space Station Development“

NASA expects to spend up to $1.5 billion to support at least two companies to demonstrate crew-tended space stations as part of the agency’s revised approach to transition from the International Space Station. NASA released Sept. 5 a draft version of an announcement for partnership proposal, or AFPP, for the second phase of its Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program. NASA is seeking comments on the draft through Sept. 12. The draft reflects a new approach for supporting development of commercial space stations outlined in a July 31 policy directive by Acting Administrator Sean Duffy. Rather than award fixed-price contracts to cover certification of commercial space stations for use by NASA astronauts, it called for the use of funded Space Act Agreements for continued support of the design and development of such stations.

—University of Michigan News: “Small Black Holes are Surprisingly Sloppy Eaters“

When stellar-mass black holes—”small” black holes that are still a few times more massive than the sun—are actively gobbling up matter, they’re even more of a hot mess than scientists expected. That’s according to an international research team, led by Jon Miller of the University of Michigan, that uncovered this surprise that could have galactic implications. What researchers learn from stellar-mass black holes can help them better understand supermassive black holes, the behemoths that steer the evolution of galaxies like our Milky Way.

—USA Today: “Voyager 1 Marks 48 Years in Space. Here’s What to Know About Ramous NASA Mission“

For nearly five decades, NASA’s twin Voyager probes have plumbed the cosmos in search of answers to some of astronomy’s most perplexing mysteries about our solar system and its place in the wider universe. And now, both of the pioneering spacecraft – which launched two weeks apart in the late-1970s into space – have officially turned 48 years old. Voyager 2 was the first to have its birthday in August, followed now by Voyager 1, which marked its anniversary early in September.

Podcast: Cool Worlds Considers Communicating with Aliens

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Cool Worlds

You may enjoy this week’s episode from the Cool Worlds Podcast all about leaving evidence of our civilization for alien visitors, or even a future civilization here on Earth. The episode, “Nick Searra – Alien Communication, Golden Record, Future Relics,” covers a lot of ground from the Pioneer and Voyager missions to the idea of placing time capsules about our civilization on the Moon or even within the orbit of Jupiter.

The guest is Nick Searra, who is Founder and Executive Directory of the Interstellar Foundation. The Interstellar Foundation has a clear mission – to create messages that represent the diversity and creativity of humanity, inspire future generations of explorers, and communicate with potential extraterrestrial life.

On the site, you an read about the Foundation’s Aspire One, which was an effort to create a lunar record to preserve Earth’s cultural and scientific heritage on the Moon. Preserved records include UNESCO archives, World Heritage images, and other scientific, historical, and cultural material. This message is already on its way to the Moon via this week’s launch of the Blue Ghost lunar lander.

A second messaging mission, Aspire Two, is now in development.

The podcast discussion and related website basically cover the continuation of work stared by Carl Sagan with the launch of Pioneer 10 back in 1972. I recommend you check out both of them.

Image (Credit): Sample images from Aspire One. (Interstellar Foundation)

Space Quote: Message in a Bottle to the Universe

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Golden Record placed on Voyager I and II. (NASA)

“This Voyager spacecraft was constructed by the United States of America. We are a community of 240 million human beings among the more than 4 billion who inhabit the planet Earth. We human beings are still divided into nation states, but these states are rapidly becoming a single global civilization.

We cast this message into the cosmos. It is likely to survive a billion years into our future, when our civilization is profoundly altered and the surface of the Earth may be vastly changed. Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, some–perhaps many–may have inhabited planets and spacefaring civilizations. If one such civilization intercepts Voyager and can understand these recorded contents, here is our message:

This is a present from a small distant world, a token of our sounds, our science, our images, our music, our thoughts, and our feelings. We are attempting to survive our time so we may live into yours. We hope someday, having solved the problems we face, to join a community of galactic civilizations. This record represents our hope and our determination, and our good will in a vast and awesome universe.”

–Statement by then President Jimmy Carter in July 29, 1977 that was placed in both Voyager I and II, both of which are now barreling beyond our solar system. Voyager II was launched on August 20, 1977 followed by Voyager I on September 5, 1977.