Baking crumb-free bread on the International Space Station – CNET

Posted on by

In 1969, astronaut Buzz Aldrin showed a TV audience back on Earth how to make a sandwich in zero gravity.

The aroma and warmth of freshly baked bread are such sensory delights.

Astronauts aboard the International Space Station may soon enjoy this elusive reminder of home if a new food experiment succeeds.

A German company calledBake In Space is testing both a new dough mixture for German bread rolls and an oven specially designed for the ISS and microgravity.

"We are working to produce a bread machine that will be capable of baking bread rolls and a dough mixture that will be suitable for the space environment," the Bake In Space site states.

While bread on the space station may not sound all that exciting, astronauts must worry about any food that creates crumbs or particles that can float around and damage equipment.

In fact, when astronauts on NASA's 1965 Gemini 3 mission ate a corned beef sandwich smuggled on board, crumbs of rye bread began to float around the cabin, jeopardizing the gear and potentially the astronauts themselves -- think crumbs in eyes. Bread has always been banned from the ISS, though currentlytortillas are allowed.

The baking experiment will take place next April during the European Space Agency's Horizon mission on the ISS. Ground crew will monitor live video feeds from inside the oven, so astronauts won't have to worry about their loaves while performing their regular duties.

As space tourism takes off and people spend more time in space, we need to allow bread to be made from scratch," Sebastian Marcu, CEO and founder of Bake In Space, told New Scientistlast week.

Perhaps cookies and brownies are next.

Go here to read the rest:

Baking crumb-free bread on the International Space Station - CNET

A spy satellite buzzed the space station this month, and no one knows why – Ars Technica

Posted on by

Enlarge / SpaceX launches a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office on May 1.

About six weeks ago, SpaceX launched a spy satellite into low Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center. As is normal forNational Reconnaissance Office launches, not much information was divulged about the satellite's final orbit or its specific purpose in space. However, a dedicated group of ground-based observers continued to track the satellite after it reached outer space.

Then something curious happened. In early June,the satellite made an extremely close pass to the International Space Station. One of the amateur satellite watchers, Ted Molczan,estimated the pass on June 3 to be 4.4km directly above the station. Another, Marco Langbroek, pegged the distance at 6.4km. "I am inclined to believe that the close conjunctions between USA 276 and ISS are intentional, but this remains unproven and far from certain," Molczan later wrote.

In recent days, Ars has run these observations by several officials and informed sources. They are credible, these officials say, and curious indeed. "This is strange," said one astronaut who hascommanded the International Space Station. "I don't really believe in coincidences. But I can't really think of anything that would be worth highlighting a close approach."

One expert in satellite launches and tracking, Jonathan McDowell, said of the satellite's close approach to the station, "It is not normal." While it remains possiblethat the near-miss was a coincidence due to the satellite being launched into similar orbit, that would represent "gross incompetence" on the part of the National Reconnaissance Office, he said. Like the astronaut, McDowell downplayed the likelihood of a coincidence.

Another option is that of a deliberate close flyby, perhaps to test or calibrate an onboard sensor to observe something or some kind of activity on the International Space Station. "The deliberate explanation seems more likely, except that I would have expected the satellite to maneuver after the encounter," McDowell said. "But it seems to have stayed in the same orbit."

Another question, if the maneuver was deliberate, is whether the US government informed Russia or other international partners on the space station. The Russian segment of the station controls the thrusters that generally are used to maneuver the station away from orbital debris, so such coordination might seem prudent.

In regard to these questions, so far the US government has declined to provide answers. A NASA spokesman offered to look into the matter on Monday but as of Wednesday afternoon had nothing to say. A query sent to public affairs at theNational Reconnaissance Office went unanswered. We will update this story if we receive any official responses.

Read more:

A spy satellite buzzed the space station this month, and no one knows why - Ars Technica

NASA revives 50-year-old idea to recycle space stations in orbit – New Scientist

Posted on by

New frontiers for recycling

NanoRacks

By Leah Crane

A long-dormant plan for a space station built in space from recycled parts may be getting new legs. NASA has signed an estimated $10 million contract to study the possibility of turning used rocket stages into functioning labs with support for a crew.

Before Skylab, the first US space station, went into orbit in the 1970s, Wernher von Braun proposed to separately send parts for a space station and astronauts aboard two Saturn IB rockets, which would launch within a day of one another. Launching separate payloads would be key to saving weight, given the rockets capacity limitations.

When both rockets were in orbit, astronauts would remotely vent any remaining fuel from the uncrewed rockets hydrogen tank, install life-support equipment, and move in. This would reuse a fuel tank that would otherwise be discarded.

Although von Brauns idea was eventually abandoned in favour of launching Skylab fully equipped, the cost-saving benefits of this low-Earth-orbit manoeuvre have once again become attractive.

A group of three US companies NanoRacks, United Launch Alliance and Space Systems Loral has now been contracted to examine whether building a recycled space station will work, amid a push from other private spaceflight companies for reusable rockets.

United Launch Alliance will provide the used second stages of Atlas V rockets, for which NanoRacks will prefabricate a lab and living space, with robotic outfitting from Space Systems Loral. As with the previous plan, the idea is to use two rockets, with the astronauts assembling the lab equipment in space once the fuel tank is used.

This innovative approach offers a pathway that is more affordable and involves less risk than fabricating modules on the ground and subsequently launching them into orbit, wrote NanoRacks founder and CEO Jeff Manber in a blog post. The upper stages of Atlas V rockets are currently discarded after a single use, so turning them into mini space stations could be free money in the bank.

Although the financial risks are lower, the human ones may not be. Turning spent shells into environments capable of supporting both astronauts and experiments will be a challenge, as will asking astronauts to retrofit them for life and use while in orbit. But if NanoRacks and its partners can manage this, reviving von Brauns concept could significantly lower costs for space stations, either in orbit or further into deep space.

More on these topics:

See the article here:

NASA revives 50-year-old idea to recycle space stations in orbit - New Scientist

Space station flyover visible from Greenville, Asheville Monday night – WYFF Greenville

Posted on by

GREENVILLE, S.C.

If you looked up at the right time Monday night, you might have been able to see the International Space Station fly over.

The space station was visible starting at 9:43 p.m. in Greenville and Asheville and the surrounding areas. Weather permitting, it was visible in the northwest sky for about three minutes.

It moved across the sky and pass out of sight at 9:47 p.m.

The space station looked like a small, bright star moving across the sky. It was traveling at more than 17,000 mph as it passes by. It only takes 90 minutes for the laboratory to make a complete circuit of Earth. Astronauts working and living on the station experience 16 sunrises and sunsets each day.

The Expedition 52 crew of two NASA astronauts and one cosmonaut from Russia's space corporation, Roscosmos, is in its second week aboard the International Space Station.

To track the International Space Station, click here.

The tracker, developed by the European Space Agency, shows where the space station is right now and its path 90 minutes ago and 90 minutes ahead. Because of the Earth's rotation the space station appears to travel from west to east.

More here:

Space station flyover visible from Greenville, Asheville Monday night - WYFF Greenville

Robotic Russian resupply freighter on the way to space station – Spaceflight Now

Posted on by

Credit: TsENKI TV/Roscosmos

A Russian Progress supply ship packed with several tons of crew provisions and fuel lifted off Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on a two-day trip to the International Space Station.

The Progress MS-06 cargo and refueling freighter launched at 0920:13 GMT (5:20:13 a.m. EDT), or 3:20 p.m. local time at the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The unpiloted cargo craft rode into orbit on a Soyuz-2.1a rocket, a modernized version of Russias venerable booster.

The Soyuz blasted off from Launch Pad No. 31 at Baikonur on a nearly nine-minute journey into orbit, soaring through overcast skies before deploying the Progress MS-06 spacecraft from its third stage. Moments after separating from the rocket, the supply ship extended its power-generating solar panels and navigation antennas, setting up for a series of thruster firings to approach the space station Friday.

If the radar-guided automated rendezvous goes according to plan, the Progress MS-06 cargo freighter is scheduled to dock with the space stations Zvezda module at 1142 GMT (7:42 a.m. EDT) Friday.

The Soyuz-2.1a rocket featuresredesigned third stage propellant tanks and a digital flight control computer, upgrades introduced to Russias workhorse launcher over the last decade.

Designated Progress 67P in the space stations sequence of crew and cargo vehicles, the Russian resupply mission will reach the research outpost nearly halfway through the visit of a SpaceX Dragon capsule that delivered nearly 6,000 pounds (2,700 kilograms) of experiments and equipment June 5.

The Progress MS-06 spaceship carries around 6,039 pounds (2.7 metric tons) of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station, according to NASA.

The supplies include 3,069 pounds (1,392 kilograms) of dry cargo inside the ships pressurized compartment, 1,940 pounds (880 kilograms) of fuel to refill the stations propulsion system, 926 pounds (420 kilograms) of potable water, and 104 pounds (47 kilograms) of high-pressure oxygen and air to replenish the research labs breathable atmosphere, a NASA spokesperson said.

Four small satellites launched inside the Progress MS-06 spacecrafts cabin for release by cosmonauts on a spacewalk later this year.

The Progress MS-06 supply ship will remain at the space station until December, when it will undock with a load of trash and re-enter the atmosphere for a destructive plunge over the South Pacific Ocean.

Email the author.

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

See the rest here:

Robotic Russian resupply freighter on the way to space station - Spaceflight Now

Are These Little Rockets the Future of Spaceflight? | NBC News – NBCNews.com

Posted on by

Jun.13.2017 / 10:24 AM ET

Science writer Charles Q. Choi is a contributor to Space.com. His work also appears in such publications as Scientific American, The New York Times and National Geographic.

Fusion-powered rockets the size of only a few refrigerators could one day help propel spacecraft at high speeds to nearby planets or even other stars, a NASA-funded spaceflight company says.

Another use for such fusion rockets is to deflect asteroids that might strike Earth and to build manned bases on the moon and Mars, the researchers say.

Rockets fly by hurling materials known as propellants away from them. Conventional rockets that rely on chemical reactions are not very efficient when it comes to how much thrust they generate, given the amount of propellant they carry, which has led rocket scientists to explore a variety of alternatives over the years.

An option now used in spacecraft is the ion drive, which generates thrust by using electricity to accelerate electrically charged ion propellants. Ion drives are far more efficient than chemical rockets but are limited by the amount of electricity they can harvest via solar panels or generate using radioactive materials.

Related: Superfast Spacecraft Propulsion Concepts

Instead of chemical rockets or ion drives, scientists have also suggested using fusion rockets propelled by the same nuclear reactions that power stars. These rockets would not only be efficient but also generate vast amounts of electricity.

However, so far, no one has built a fusion reactor that generates more energy than it consumes. Moreover, the fusion reactors that are under development are huge, making them difficult to hoist into space.

But now, researchers funded by NASA are developing small fusion rockets.

"It's technology that enables really interesting robotic and human missions to Mars and Pluto, and it is also potentially a way of getting into interstellar space," said Michael Paluszek, president of Princeton Satellite Systems in Plainsboro, New Jersey.

The large fusion reactors under development today, such as the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), usually strive to generate hundreds of megawatts of power. In contrast, Paluszek and his colleagues at Princeton Satellite Systems are designing reactors meant to produce only a dozen megawatts or so. This humbler goal results in a smaller, lighter reactor that is easier to build and launch into space "for practical robotic and human missions," Paluszek said.

In addition, these small fusion reactors are much cheaper than larger devices. Paluszek noted that, whereas modern fusion experiments might cost $20 billion, a prototype fusion rocket the researchers plan to develop should cost just $20 million. So far, they have received three NASA grants to fund the project, he said.

The aim for the fusion drives is to get about 1 kilowatt of power per 2.2 lbs. (1 kilogram) of mass. A 10-megawatt fusion rocket would, therefore, weigh about 11 tons (10 metric tons).

"It would probably be 1.5 meters [4.9 feet] in diameter and 4 to 8 meters [13 to 26 feet] long," Paluszek said.

Related: Will This 'Impossible' Motor Take People to Other Planets?

Nuclear fusion requires extremely high temperatures and pressures to force atoms to fuse, a process that converts some of the mass of the atoms into energy. The fusion reactors that Princeton Satellite Systems is developing uses low-frequency radio waves to heat a mix of deuterium and helium-3, and magnetic fields to confine the resulting plasma in a ring. (Deuterium is made of hydrogen atoms that each have an extra neutron; helium-3 is made of helium atoms, each of which is missing a neutron; and plasma is the state of matter found in stars, lightning bolts, and neon lights.)

As this plasma rotates in a ring, some of it can spiral out and get directed from the fusion rocket's nozzle for thrust. "We can get very high exhaust velocities of up to about 25,000 kilometers per second [55.9 million mph]," Paluszek said.

The large amounts of thrust this fusion rocket may deliver compared to its mass could enable very fast spacecraft. For instance, whereas round-trip crewed missions to Mars are estimated to take more than two years using current technology, the researchers estimated that six 5-megawatt fusion rockets could accomplish such missions in 310 days. This extra speed would reduce the risks of radiation that astronauts might experience from the sun or deep space, as well as dramatically cut the amount of food, water, and other supplies they would need to bring with them.

Related: Warp Speed Won't Get Us to the Stars, but This Just Might

In addition, the fusion reactors could also help generate ample electricity for scientific instruments and communications devices. For instance, whereas NASA's New Horizons mission took more than nine years to get to Pluto and had little more than 200 watts of power to work with once it arrived, broadcasting about 1,000 bits of data back per second, a 1-megawatt fusion rocket could get a robotic mission to Pluto in four years, supply 500 kilowatts of power and broadcast more than 1 million bits of data back per second, Paluszek said. Such a mission could also carry a lander to Pluto and power it by beaming down energy, he added.

"With the amount of power fusion rockets can provide, you can think of science that can't be done now with other technologies, such as powering a lander to drill through the ice on Jupiter's moon Europa," Paluszek said.

A 10-megawatt fusion rocket could also deflect an asteroid about 525 feet (160 m) in diameter coming at Earth, spending about 200 days to travel there and 23 days nudging it off course, Paluszek said. Fusion rockets could even enable an interstellar voyage to the nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, although the trip might take 500 to 700 years, he said. (Alpha Centauri lies about 4.3 light-years from the sun.)

Related: Gallery: Visions of Interstellar Starship Travel

Previous research suggested this kind of fusion rocket in the 1960s, but the designs proposed for them would not stably confine the plasmas, Paluszek said. About 10 years ago, reactor designer Sam Cohen figured out a magnetic-field design "that could make stable plasmas," Paluszek explained.

One drawback of the kind of nuclear reactor that Princeton Satellite Systems is developing is that radio waves do not penetrate deeply into plasma. "We're limited to something like 1 meter [3.3 feet] in diameter," Paluszek said. To generate large amounts of power with this strategy, the researchers have to rely on multiple reactors.

Another pitfall is that, while this fusion reactor generates less deadly neutron radiation than most fusion reactors under development, it still does produce some neutrons, as well as X-rays. "Radiation shielding is key," Paluszek said.

In addition, helium-3 is rare on Earth. Still, it is possible to generate helium-3 using nuclear reactors, Paluszek said.

Princeton Satellite Systems is not alone in pursuing small fusion reactors. For instance, Paluszek noted that Helion Energy in Redmond, Washington, also intends to fuse deuterium and helium-3, while Tri Alpha Energy in Foothill Ranch, California, aims to fuse boron and protons.

"Fusion can enable new and exciting science missions that are too expensive and difficult to do with today's technology," Paluszek said.

The researchers have not yet demonstrated fusion with their device, but aim to do so by 2019 to 2020. Paluszek detailed his company's research June 3 at The Dawn of Private Space Science Symposium in New York.

Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook, and Google+. Original articleSpace.com.

FOLLOW NBC MACH ON TWITTER, FACEBOOK, AND INSTAGRAM.

Read the original post:

Are These Little Rockets the Future of Spaceflight? | NBC News - NBCNews.com

Could Teeny Fusion Rockets Propel The Future Of Spaceflight? – Wall Street Pit

Posted on by

As much as we want to travel outside our planet and explore the deep realms of space, theres one big problem that has been hindering our progress: speed. Or more specifically, the need for extreme speed.

With our current technologies, the farthest our astronauts can travel to is Mars. Such trip typically takes two to three years to be completed from Earth to Mars, and back to Earth. For our astronauts, that means two to three years of exposure to harmful cosmic radiation and the hazards of microgravity. And that simply isnt acceptable. By funding a New Jersey-based spaceflight company called Princeton Satellite Systems, NASA is hoping that can soon change.

Princeton Satellite Systems is said to be developing a miniature version of a fusion reactor that weighs just 11 tons, measures less than 5 feet (1.5 meters) in diameter, is only 13 26 feet (4 8 meters) long, and is capable of generating around 1 kilowatt of power per 2.2 pounds (1 Kilogram) of mass.

Fusion reactors work by fusing or combining two hydrogen nuclei to form helium, meaning, they make use of the same chemical reaction that stars, including our Sun, constantly undergo to generate enormous amounts of energy. Unfortunately, as powerful as fusion reactors are envisioned to be, no one has yet figured out how to build one that generates more energy than what is required to produce that energy, considering that extremely high temperatures and pressures are needed for fusion of atoms to take place. Additionally, the fusion reactors being developed are quite big, which make them impractical to bring into space.

This is what will differentiate the work being done by Princeton Satellite Systems. Instead of building the usual large fusion reactors that aim to produce hundreds of megawatts of power, they are opting to build miniaturized versions that are designed to generate only about a dozen megawatts of power. Its not just easier to build, in a manner of speaking; it will cost way less too. Just imagine, a large fusion reactor will cost $20 billion; a mini version, on the other hand, will only cost $20 million.

As described in an article by Space.com, Princeton Satellite Systems mini fusion reactor will involve heating a mix of deuterium and helium 3 using low-frequency radio waves, confining the plasma generated within magnetic fields, then directing it out of the engines nozzle to create a powerful thrust.

According to Princeton Satellite Systems president Michael Paluszek, the thrust generated can provide speeds of up to 25,000 kilometers per second (or 55.9 million miles per hour). At such velocities, space travel can significantly be shortened. For instance, a trip to Mars will be reduced to just a 310-day trip. That means less exposure to deadly radiation, and less supplies needed for the trip too. If used for a robotic mission to Pluto, it will only take four years instead of nine years, which is how long it took NASAs New Horizons mission. Paluszek even says that a 10-megawatt fusion rocket could be used to deflect asteroids that can potentially cause widespread damage to our planet.

Princeton Satellite Systems initiative doesnt come without its challenges, of course. For starters, helium 3 is quite rare, which means theres an additional step needed for the reaction to work, that is, produce helium 3 first either via nuclear reactors, or space mining. Theres also the matter of the reactor producing deadly neutron radiation. Even if the amount is minimal, it will still require some kind of shielding, which means more additional work. Theres also the need to use multiple reactors because apparently, radio waves cant penetrate too deep into plasma.

Everything else considered, the researchers are aiming to demonstrate a working prototype by 2019 or 2020. Were quite sure NASA and all other space and astronomy enthusiasts are hoping that Princeton Satellite Systems will deliver on their intent to help fast-track space missions to Mars and other target destinations.

See the original post here:

Could Teeny Fusion Rockets Propel The Future Of Spaceflight? - Wall Street Pit

Orbital ATK poised to test Orion Launch Abort Motor – SpaceFlight Insider

Posted on by

Jason Rhian

June 14th, 2017

NASA, Orbital ATK and Lockheed Martin are preparing to conduct the QM-1 static test fire of the Orion spacecrafts Launch Abort Motor at 1 p.m. MDT June 15 at Promontory, Utah. Photo Credit: Orbital ATK

PROMONTORY, Utah On Thursday, June 15, 2017,NASA, Orbital ATK and Lockheed Martinare slated to carry out the first of three qualification ground tests (QM-1) of the Launch Abort Motor being developed for use on the space agencys Orion spacecraft.

The test will last for a mere five seconds and will test out several of the motors performance aspects. Photo Credit: Orbital ATK

The vertical ground test firing is slated to take place at 1 p.m. MDT (19:00 GMT) at Orbital ATKs test facility locatednear Promontory, Utah.

In the event of an emergency either at the launch pad or during ascent, Orion is fitted with a Launch Abort System or LAS that would pull Orions Command Module away from the vehicles Service Module as well as the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket it is attached to.

The 17-foot (5.2-meter) tall Launch Abort Motor set to be tested is the main motor in the escape system and has a diameter of about three feet (1 meter). It has a manifold that has four nozzles and turns the flow of the flames to create a pulling motion.

Thursdays test is scheduled to last for only about five seconds. But,it will be an impressive five seconds with themotor reaching400,000 pounds (1,800 kilonewtons) of thrust in just one-eighth of a second, sending plumes some100 feet (100 meters) into the desert sky.

During an actual abort scenario, either on the launch pad or up to 300,000 feet (91,000 meters) in altitude during the vehicles climb toward orbit, the motor would pull the Orion spacecrafts Command Module away from whatever event would require a hasty retreat away from the launch vehicle and spacecraft.

For this test, the abort motor was fitted onto a specially-designed vertical test stand with the nozzles pointed skyward. When activated, the plumes of fire and smoke will shoot into the sky.

The motor is currently on the test stand, which has temporary thermal panels between the motors four legs tobetter regulatethermal conditioning, which was initiated Sunday, June 11. The panels will be removed a few hours before thetest. Once this has occurred, Orbital ATKs engineers will erect the heat shield acoustic array above the motor and perform final instrument checks for the test firing, according to a statement provided to SpaceFlight Insider by Orbital ATK.

This is the first static fire test that validates the ballistic performance of the abort motor operational propellant grain design, Steve Sara, Orbital ATKs Launch Abort Motor program director told SpaceFlight Insider. It also verifies the motor performance under the high temperature design limits as well as design changes since the development test performed in 2008.

If everything continues to go as NASA and its family of contractors plan, SLS will conduct its maiden flight from Kennedy Space Centers Launch Complex 39B in 2019. It will send an Orion spacecraft on a circumlunar journey designed as a shakedown flight beforesending crews aloft on the rocket in 2023.

NASA looked into the possibility of having a crew fly on the 2019 inaugural flight of SLS, as part of a directive from NASAs Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot. The space agency, however, opted to maintain the current path it wason as there were too many logistical and technological elements that would not support a human flight under that timeline.

An Orion spacecraft has already conducted one uncrewed flight, atop a United Launch Alliance Delta IV Heavy rocket on Exploration Flight Test 1 in December of 2014.

Those wishing to watch the test can go to a public viewing sitealong State Road 83 North (about 20 miles west of Corinne, Utah).

Video courtesy of Wired

Updated at2 p.m. EDT to clarify the maximum altitude the Launch Abort Motor can be used during ascent.

Tagged: Launch Abort Motor Lead Stories Lockheed-Martin NASA Orbital ATK Orion Promontory Space Launch System

Jason Rhian spent several years honing his skills with internships at NASA, the National Space Society and other organizations. He has provided content for outlets such as: Aviation Week & Space Technology, Space.com, The Mars Society and Universe Today.

Visit link:

Orbital ATK poised to test Orion Launch Abort Motor - SpaceFlight Insider

Boeing, DARPA to base XS-1 spaceplane at Cape Canaveral – Spaceflight Now

Posted on by

Artists concept of the XS-1 spaceplane before releasing its expendable upper stage. Credit: Boeing

A reusable suborbital spaceplane the size of a business jet being developed by Boeing and the Defense Departments research and development arm could be launching and landing at Cape Canaveral in 2020, officials said after the defense contractor won a competition last month to design and test the vehicle.

Designed for rapid reusability, the XS-1 spaceplane will take off vertically like a rocket without a crew deploy an upper stage after traveling beyond the edge of space, then return to landing on a runway for inspections and reuse.

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, selected Boeing to finish designing the spaceplane last month. Boeing beat competitors Northrop Grumman and Masten Space Systems to win the $146 million contract.

Boeing and DARPA are developing the spaceplane in a cost-sharing public-private partnership arrangement, but Boeing did not disclose how much it is spending on the program.

When operational after a series of suborbital and orbital test flights, the XS-1 and its expendable upper stage could place satellites weighing up to 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms) into low Earth orbit several hundred miles above the planet.

The XS-1 would be neither a traditional airplane nor a conventional launch vehicle but rather a combination of the two, with the goal of lowering launch costs by a factor of ten and replacing todays frustratingly long wait time with launch on demand, said Jess Sponable, DARPA program manager, in a press release. Were very pleased with Boeings progress on the XS-1 through Phase 1 of the program and look forward to continuing our close collaboration in this newly funded progression to Phases 2 and 3 fabrication and flight.

The Defense Department envisions the Experimental Spaceplane, or XS-1, program as an option for rapid call-up to replace a lost military or commercial satellite, available to launch within days instead of the months or years needed today.

An end goal for the XS-1 program is to launch 10 times in 10 days, with recurring operating costs as little as $5 million per flight, including the disposable upper stage, according to DARPA.

Boeing calls its XS-1 test vehicle the Phantom Express, a winged craft the size of a business jet that will launch to the edge of space and release an expendable upper stage, which would fire to inject the missions payload into orbit. The reusable first stage would turn around and fly back to the launch site.

Rick Weiss, a DARPA spokesperson, said Cape Canaveral will be the base for Phantom Express test flights and launch operations. He did not say which launch pad the spaceplane will use.

The spacecraft booster would return to land at one of two runways on Floridas Space Coast: Kennedy Space Centers Shuttle Landing Facility, a three-mile-long landing strip, or the Skid Strip at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.

Phantom Express is designed to disrupt and transform the satellite launch process as we know it today, creating a new, on-demand space-launch capability that can be achieved more affordably and with less risk, said Darryl Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works.

Boeing officials said the Phantom Express would employ operation and maintenance principles similar to modern aircraft.

The U.S. Air Forces X-37B space plane, similar in appearance to the XS-1 but different in function, is also built by Boeing.

The Phantom Express booster stage would be powered by a single Aerojet Rocketdyne AR-22 engine, a version of the space shuttle main engine, burning liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants.

Boeing originally partnered with Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon.coms Jeff Bezos, as an engine provider for the XS-1 program, but later switched to an Aerojet Rocketdyne engine, according to Cheryl Sampson, a Boeing spokesperson.

We conducted trade studies with Blue Origin in the first phase of the program, Sampson wrote in an email to Spaceflight Now. Boeing selected the Aerojet Rocketdyne engine for this next phase as it offers a flight proven, reusable engine to meet the DARPA mission requirements.

Aerojet Rocketdyne said it will provide two engines for the XS-1 program with legacy shuttle flight experience to demonstrate reusability, a wide operating range and rapid turnarounds.

The engines will be designated as AR-22 engines, Aerojet Rocketdyne said in a press release. Technicians at NASAs Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, where Aerojet Rocketdyne assembles and tests rocket engines, will create the AR-22 engines from parts left over from early versions of the shuttle main engine, the company said.

As one of the worlds most reliable rocket engines, the SSME is a smart choice to power the XS-1 launch vehicle, said Eileen Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president. This engine has a demonstrated track record of solid performance and proven reusability.

The Phantom Express booster stage will have advanced, lightweight composite cryogenic tanks to hold the super-cold propellants feeding the AR-22 engine. Hybrid metallic-composite wings and control surfaces on the spaceplane will be fitted with third-generation thermal protection to withstand the rigors of hypersonic flight and re-entry temperatures of more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit (1,100 degrees Celsius), according to DARPA and Boeing.

Other technologies on the spaceplane launch system would include an autonomous range safety destruct mechanism and other components designed for autonomous flight, including some developed for DARPAs Airborne Launch Assist Space Access, or ALASA, program, officials said.

The ALASA program intended to launch small 100-pound (45-kilogram) satellites on a lightweight rocket fired from the belly of an F-15 fighter jet. DARPA canceled the program, which it also developed with Boeing, in 2015 after running into problems testing the rockets mix of nitrous oxide and acetylene fuel, a monopropellant cocktail that would have eliminated the need for the launcher to carry an oxidizer.

Phase 2 of the XS-1 program will encompass the design, construction and testing of a technology demonstration vehicle through 2019, DARPA said. The AR-22 engine will be test-fired on the ground 10 times in 10 days to verify it is ready for flight tests.

Phase 3 objectives include 12 to 15 flight tests, currently scheduled for 2020, DARPA said in a statement. After multiple shakedown flights to reduce risk, the XS-1 would aim to fly 10 times over 10 consecutive days, at first without payloads and at speeds as fast as Mach 5.

Then test flights will reach speeds as fast as Mach 10, DARPA said, and deliver a demonstration payload into low Earth orbit with a mass between 900 pounds (408 kilograms) and 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms).

Weiss said DARPA currently envisions a liquid-fueled upper stage for the XS-1 program, and artists concepts show the upper stage riding on top of the spaceplanes fuselage. The DARPA spokesman said the agency is open to other types of upper stages, which would be provided by Boeing.

DARPA said it will release selected data from the XS-1 tests to other commercial launch providers interested in adopting the programs reusable, rapid-turnaround concepts.

Were delighted to see this truly futuristic capability coming closer to reality, said Brad Tousley, director of DARPAs Tactical Technology Office, which oversees XS-1. Demonstration of aircraft-like, on-demand, and routine access to space is important for meeting critical Defense Department needs and could help open the door to a range of next-generation commercial opportunities.

Email the author.

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.

Follow this link:

Boeing, DARPA to base XS-1 spaceplane at Cape Canaveral - Spaceflight Now

Dynetics to build SLS universal stage adapter – SpaceFlight Insider

Posted on by

Heather Smith

June 14th, 2017

Dynetics, Inc. is to build the universal stage adapter for NASAs SLS rocket. Image Credit: NASA

NASA has announced that the applied science and information technology company Dynetics, Inc. of Huntsville, Alabama, has been awarded a $221.7 million prime contract to develop and build a universal stage adapter (USA) for the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

The adapter will serve to connect NASAs Orion spacecraft to the exploration upper stage (EUS) of the Block 1B Crew variant of the SLS while also providing additional cargo space for the rocket. The partnership is with the Glenn Research Center in Ohio.

Dynetics will design, develop, test, evaluate, produce, and deliver the first universal stage adapter for the second integrated mission Exploration Mission-2 (EM-2) of the SLS and Orion. The mission will be the first test flight with crew aboard NASAs new deep space exploration systems. The SLS will have three different launch blocks. USA and EUS will be placed on top of the SLS core stage and solid rocket boosters for the Block 1B and other future configurations.

We are extremely proud to be selected as the prime contractor for the NASA Space Launch Systems Universal Stage Adapter. This contract will build on Dynetics expertise in the space industry which includes developing low-cost, full-scale advanced booster cryogenic liquid oxygen demonstration tank and manufacturing, designing and testing propulsion components and systems for the SLS core and upper stages, said Robert Wright, Dynetics program manager.

An artists rendering of NASAs Space Launch System (SLS) evolution: SLS Block 1 Crew, Block 1B Crew, Block 1B Cargo, and Block 2 Cargo. Image Credit: NASA

Dynetics will also coordinate their plans with RUAG Space USA, ZIN Technologies, Dynamics Concepts, Inc., Craig Technologies, Tuskegee University and Paragon Tec. Wright said that the partnerships will bring vast levels of experience and knowledge together while developing flight hardware for deep space missions.

The contract performance period will be 11 years, which includes a four-year base period that begins on August 1, allowing NASA to order up to six additional adaptors for missions beyond EM-2.

Other payloads such as habitats, deep-space exploration spacecraft, and CubeSats can be housed inside the USA.

The adapter will stand 32.4 feet (9.9 meters) tall and will measure 27.6 feet (8.4 meters) in diameter at its largest point. It will provide environmental control to payloads during ground operations, launch, and ascent while also accommodating the electrical and communications between the EUS and Orion. The maximum payload internal volume area will be up to 10,100 cubic feet (286 m3).

The focus of the EM-2 mission surrounds the EUS and four RL-10 engines that will propel Orion into a trans-lunar injection, which is a higher elliptical orbit around Earth. Another orbit will take place between 500 and 19,000 nautical miles (926 km to 35,188 km) above Earth. Once the orbits are completed, the EUS will separate from the Orion spacecraft, and the payload(s) selected for the mission in the USA will be released. The payloads will then fly on their own and conduct their individual missions.

After the USA is assembled and tested, it will be delivered to Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The USA will travel by barge from Decatur, Alabama, down the Tennessee River and Tombigbee Waterway to the Gulf of Mexico and then towardsouth Florida to Kennedy Space Center.

Dynetics is also the subcontractor for manufacturing and transportation for the SLS core stage pathfinder vehicle.

According to Dynetics, the SLS Block 1B rocket with the adapter is scheduled to launch sometime in the early 2020s.

An expanded view of the 70-metric-ton Block 1B Crew showing the Universal Stage Adapter position on NASAs Space Launch System (SLS). Image Credit: NASA

Tagged: Dynetics NASA Orion Space Launch System The Range

Heather Smith's fascination for space exploration started at the tender age of twelve while she was on a sixth-grade field trip in Kenner, Louisiana, walking through a mock-up of the International Space Station and seeing the space potty (her terminology has progressed considerably since that time) she realized at this point that her future lay in the stars. Smith has come to realize that very few people have noticed how much spaceflight technology has improved their lives. She has since dedicated herself to correcting this problem. Inspired by such classic literature as Anne Franks Diary, she has honed her writing skills and has signed on as The Spaceflight Groups coordinator for the organizations social media efforts.

More:

Dynetics to build SLS universal stage adapter - SpaceFlight Insider

Study suggests increased cancer risk on Mars missions – SpaceFlight Insider

Posted on by

Paul Knightly

June 13th, 2017

A new study suggests that the cancer risk on a Mars mission due to galactic cosmic radiation could be double what existing models suggest. Image Credit: NASA

A new study by researchers at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) suggests the cancer risk for astronauts on a mission to Mars could be higher than expected. The results of the study were published in the May issue of Scientific Reports and show the risk is effectively doubled compared with previous models.

The study builds off of previous research that has suggested prolonged exposure to galactic cosmic radiation can cause cancer, cataracts, circulatory diseases, acute radiation illness, and effects to the central nervous system. While protons are primarily responsible for the absorbed radiation doses in the study, significant contributions were also noted from heavier ions, low energy protons and helium particles, and neutrons.

Exploring Mars will require missions of 900 days or longer and includes more than one year in deep space where exposures to all energies of galactic cosmic ray heavy ions are unavoidable, Francis Cucinotta, the lead author of the study explained in a press release by UNLV. Current levels of radiation shielding would, at best, modestly decrease the exposure risks.

Cucinotta has a background in studying the effects of the radiation environment of space.

Current radiation risk models assume DNA mutation and damage are the primary cause of cancer, which assumes all cells are impacted by cosmic rays over a short period of time. The new study examined how cancer risk is affected by how healthy, bystander cells are impacted by cells heavily damaged by cosmic rays. The results indicated at least a two-fold increase in cancer rates compared to current risk models.

Galactic cosmic ray exposure can devastate a cells nucleus and cause mutations that can result in cancers, Cucinotta said. We learned the damaged cells send signals to the surrounding, unaffected cells and likely modify the tissues microenvironments. Those signals seem to inspire the healthy cells to mutate, thereby causing additional tumors or cancers.

Cucinotta saidthe studys findings underline the need for more research into the effects of cosmic ray exposures under Mars mission constraints. Much of the existing body of research has focused on cosmic ray exposure on long duration missions within Earths geomagnetic sphere, such as extended flights on the International Space Station.

Cucinotta also said this raises a moral question of sending astronauts to Mars with such a high cancer risk.

Waving or increasing acceptable risk levels raises serious ethical flags[] if the true nature of the risks [is] not scientifically understood, Cucinotta said.

Tagged: cancer Cosmic Rays human spaceflight Mars The Range University of Nevada

Paul is currently a graduate student in Space and Planetary Sciences at the University of Akransas in Fayetteville. He grew up in the Kansas City area and developed an interest in space at a young age at the start of the twin Mars Exploration Rover missions in 2003. He began his studies in aerospace engineering before switching over to geology at Wichita State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science in 2013. After working as an environmental geologist for a civil engineering firm, he began his graduate studies in 2016 and is actively working towards a PhD that will focus on the surficial processes of Mars. He also participated in a 2-week simluation at The Mars Society's Mars Desert Research Station in 2014 and remains involved in analogue mission studies today. Paul has been interested in science outreach and communication over the years which in the past included maintaining a personal blog on space exploration from high school through his undergraduate career and in recent years he has given talks at schools and other organizations over the topics of geology and space. He is excited to bring his experience as a geologist and scientist to the Spaceflight Insider team writing primarily on space science topics.

Originally posted here:

Study suggests increased cancer risk on Mars missions - SpaceFlight Insider

Good news for redheads: a tanning drug for the pale-skinned – Medical Xpress

Posted on by

June 13, 2017

After 10 years of research, scientists have come up with a drug that could help people tan without exposure to the sun, potentially reducing the risk of skin cancer.

The drug stimulates cells that produce the pigment that absorbs ultra-violet light, the researchers said in the US journal Cell Reports published on Tuesday. They stressed that further tests are needed to safeguard against potential side-effects in humans.

Applied as a cream to the skin, the drug allowed red-haired mice to develop a deep tan. Like their pale-skinned human counterparts, the mice are particularly susceptible to the damaging effects of the sun's ultra-violet rays.

The original breakthrough in mice was announced more than a decade ago, in a study published in the British journal Nature in 2006. But it has taken scientists that much time to work out how to make much thicker human skin absorb the substance.

The initial report revealed that a substance called forskolin gave red-haired mice a deep tan without exposure to UV light. But because human skin is relatively hairless compared to animals', it has evolved to be much tougher in order to protect against heat, cold and other environmental factors, and the topical substance could not penetrate it effectively.

"Human skin is a very good barrier and is a formidable penetration challenge. Therefore, other topical approaches just did not work," said David Fisher, chief of dermatology at Massachusetts General Hospital, a professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, and one of the authors of the study.

"But 10 years later, we have come up with a solution. It's a different class of compounds, that work by targeting a different enzyme that converges on the same pathway that leads to pigmentation," he said.

The scientists tested the substance on samples of human skin kept in laboratories and found that it darkened in proportion to the dosage applied. The tan lasted several days.

In animal tests, red-haired mice became "almost jet black in a day or two with a strong enough dose," the researchers observed. When the dosage was removed, normal skin regeneration meant the color faded within a week or so.

"We believe the potential importance of this work is towards a novel strategy for skin cancer prevention," Fisher said.

"Skin is the most common organ in our bodies to be afflicted with cancer, and the majority of cases are thought to be associated with UV radiation," he said.

The long-term aim would be to create a cream that develops a tan without exposure to sunlight but which also absorbs harmful UV rays like traditional sun screens.

Explore further: Study replicates tanning response in cultured human skin

Journal reference: Cell Reports Nature

2017 AFP

Investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) have developed a way of increasing pigmentation in human skin without the damaging effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Their ...

A new study finds that carvedilol, a drug typically used to treat high blood pressure, can protect against the sun-induced cell damage that leads to skin cancer. Researchers serendipitously discovered the beta blocker's cancer-fighting ...

(HealthDay)Many Latinos think they're safe from sun damage, even though advanced skin cancer is increasingly common in this group, a New York skin specialist warns.

Researchers at the University of Dundee have found that skin cancers in mice can closely mirror those found in humans, offering a model that could be used to help develop new drugs and find new ways of preventing the disease.

In 2006, UC researchers were given $1 million from the National Cancer Institute to develop a topical treatment that would not only make skin tan but would also work to both block harmful ultraviolet rays (UV) and repair ...

A collaboration between Sad M. Sebti, Ph.D., chair of Moffitt Cancer Center's Drug Discovery Department, and Michele Pagano, M.D., chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at New York University's ...

Today some patients suffering with mantle cell lymphoma, a type of blood cancer, can be treated with a pill called Ibrutinib, forgoing conventional chemotherapy. However, many are developing a resistance to this treatment. ...

An international team of researchers bioengineering human liver tissues uncovered previously unknown networks of genetic-molecular crosstalk that control the organ's developmental processes - greatly advancing efforts to ...

Every day our bodies come under a barrage of toxic agents cigarette smoke, the sun, free radicals and other carcinogenic substances that create damaging lesions in our DNA that can initiate cancer and other human ...

The human gene MLL is named for the mixed lineage leukemia it creates. Specifically, the gene may break apart and fuse with parts from one of a number of other genes on other chromosomes to create cancer-causing translocations. ...

A Melbourne study is set to improve treatment options for patients with the second most common type of lung cancer, lung squamous cell carcinoma, a disease for which new anti-cancer drugs are urgently needed.

Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more

See the original post here:

Good news for redheads: a tanning drug for the pale-skinned - Medical Xpress

Redheads Reunited At 3rd Annual Redhead Days – Patch.com

Posted on by

Patch.com
Redheads Reunited At 3rd Annual Redhead Days
Patch.com
HIGHWOOD, IL Extreme heat and high winds couldn't stop real redheads from coming out last weekend to gather for the 3rd annual Redhead Days Chicago festival in downtown Highwood. More than 2,000 reds and their friends gathered throughout the ...

Read more from the original source:

Redheads Reunited At 3rd Annual Redhead Days - Patch.com

Redheads easily sunburned because of the mutation that gives them red hair – Genetic Literacy Project

Posted on by

[M]ost everyone regardless of hair color burns. Even people who never burn build up mutations in their skin when they tan; after all, tanning is the human bodys direct response to mutations triggered by ultraviolet radiation.

But redheads are in extra danger, thanks to a strange quirk of genetics.

One mutation in the gene that regulates pigmentation gives their hair that vivid color and sprinkles them with freckles, while also damaging their skins ability to protect itself from the suns harsh UV.

Sherrif Ibrahim, a dermatologist and skin cancer expert at the University of Rochester Medical Center, said that, thanks to that mutation, the cells in the skin of redheads do a bad job communicating with each other.

[R]edheads have a mutation to the gene that builds the melanocortin 1 receptor, or MC1R. When the genes in their skin start to mutate under a blast of UV radiation, their protective tanning response breaks down.

Those mutations build up until cells give up on surviving the brief flash of DNA damage and kill themselves to protect that damage from spreading throughout the body.

And thats what we call a sunburn.

The GLP aggregated and excerpted this blog/article to reflect the diversity of news, opinion, and analysis. Read full, original post:A Single Mutation Is Responsible for Gingers Burning in the Sun

More:

Redheads easily sunburned because of the mutation that gives them red hair - Genetic Literacy Project

Community Voice: Red hair and the stereotypes that come with it – Kane County Chronicle

Posted on by

I can still hear the other fifth-grade student making fun of me for my hair color. I was always told by my mom and her friends that my red hair was beautiful and one of a kind. Most of my peers did not agree. Red hair is rare in the United States, making the color not only different, but also an opportunity for stereotyping.

Common stereotypes related to redheads include clownish, weird, unattractive, flaring temper, pale and Irish. These qualities are said to make finding a job and being in a relationship difficult for redheads. I found this interesting because companies should not be evaluating a candidates hair color, but instead their work ethic and passion. Stereotypes given to redheads are commonly negative. Not only does this affect their personal life, but their self-confidence as well.

Two scholars reported in the journal Symbolic Interaction: A fairly common pattern among redheads is that, as children, they receive much negative treatment from their peers. At the same time, they tend to receive many positive comments from adults, especially from elderly women.

Children can be cruel, and this allows for bullying toward redheads, lowering their self-confidence and continuing the stereotype.

As a redhead, I was able to experience this firsthand and relate well to this statement. Not until recently was I able to appreciate my red hair and how different the color is.

Red hair is not only a different color of hair, but also is a rare quality to have and can be linked to different medical concepts. For the future, I believe in a deeper investigation of the hair color. More should be tested and known about the diverse qualities given to redheads. I believe the public should stop using stereotypes as a way to judge redheads. While judging by schemes is a common problem in society currently, employers must not withhold a job from a citizen with red hair.

Hair color is a trait special to each individual on this planet, and while I think many people subconsciously note the color the red hair gene can offer a lot of information about the human body. I was frustrated when I did not find a lot of research on redheads response to pain just because I think that is an interesting topic to be involved with. For a person to have a such a rare hair color is special and adds interesting diversity to the world. When looking through a crowd of people, red hair stands out and is separate from every other hair color.

I found this topic to be widely intriguing and a subject that not many people have reported on. This topic offers new and interesting information for a researcher. Red hair is a color that will likely never go extinct the color will continue to be involved in the world and I look forward to the future when stereotypes will not hinder any redhead in his or her life.

Allison Hess is a student at Ball State University in Indiana and graduate of Batavia High School. She enjoys her family, friends and her red hair. Feedback on this piece can be sent to editorial@kcchronicle.com.

Visit link:

Community Voice: Red hair and the stereotypes that come with it - Kane County Chronicle

French Scientists Question Macron’s Climate Pledge to the US – The Scientist

Posted on by

The Scientist
French Scientists Question Macron's Climate Pledge to the US
The Scientist
Instead [of a commitment to stable domestic science funding], we get a fancy website which is more an empty shell than anything else, astrophysicist Olivier Bern of the Research Institute in Astrophysics and Planetology in Toulouse tells Science.

and more »

The rest is here:

French Scientists Question Macron's Climate Pledge to the US - The Scientist

NASA Rocket Will Try Again to Spark Glowing Clouds Over US East Coast Tonight – Space.com

Posted on by

Update for June 14:NASA's next attempt to launch a small sounding rocket to create glowing clouds in the night sky will occur no earlier than Thursday night (June 15). Liftoff from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility from Wallops Island, Virginia is scheduled for some time between 9:05 p.m. EDT and 9:20 p.m. EDT (0105-0120 GMT).

Original story: A small NASA rocket is once again poised to launch tonight (June 13) on a mission to spawn artificial glowing clouds over the U.S. East Coast after a series of frustrating delays due to cloudy weather and stray boats.

The booster, a Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket, is scheduled to launch between 9:04 p.m. EDT and 9:19 p.m. EDT (0104 to 0119 GMT Wednesday) from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia. The launch, however, is extremely dependent on weather conditions.

You can watch the launch live here, courtesy of NASA TV, beginning at 8:30 p.m. EDT (0030 GMT). It will be streamed live by NASA Wallops on Ustream here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/nasa-tv-wallops. At 8:50 p.m. EDT (0050 GMT), NASA will also offer a Facebook Live video feed at the NASA Wallops Facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/NASAWFF.

This NASA map shows the range of visibility for a sounding rocket launch from the agency's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia on June 13, 2017. Vapor trails from the launch may be visible from New York to North Carolina, NASA officials said.

If all goes as planned, the rocket will create brilliant red and blue glowing clouds when it releases gas-filled canisters high above Earth that may be visible from New York to North Carolina, and as far inland as Charlottesville, Virginia, NASA officials have said. The mission is a technology demonstration flight to test a new ejection system for the canisters, which will aid future studies of Earth's ionosphere and auroras, they added.

But NASA has been trying to launch this potentially dazzling mission all month, only to be foiled by unacceptable weather and other details. The launch window opened on June 1 and closes on June 18.

Several attempts to launch the rocket between June 1 and June 4 were called off due to high winds, cloudy weather or boats in the offshore hazard area where parts of the rocket will fall back to Earth. A new round of attempts began Sunday (June 11), when stray boats again prevented launch. Then came last night's try, where clouds at two ground-based camera sites one at the Wallops center and the other in Duck, North Carolina forced mission scientists to stand down for the night.

To observe the glowing clouds created by the rocket launch, clear skies are required at both camera sites, NASA officials said.

And while those many delays may be frustrating (especially for the science team), they're sometimes necessary.

"When conducting rocket science missions, delays are to be expected because of the often stringent requirements for the flight to occur," Wallops News Chief Keith Koehler told Space.com via email. "While delays due to weather or marine traffic is frustrating, the launch team will maintain its focus to conduct a safe launch."

The Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket to launch June 13 undergoes tests ahead of launch. Its canister-deploying doors are seen open here.

During tonight's launch try, the sounding rocket launch will last about 8 minutes before splashing down 90 miles (145 kilometers) offshore from Wallops Island. The mission will create glowing clouds by releasing vapor tracers of barium, strontium and cupric oxide at altitudes of between 96 and 124 miles (155 to 200 km) above Earth, NASA officials said, adding that the vapor tracers pose no hazard to the public.

"Canisters will deploy between 4 and 5.5 minutes after launch, releasing blue-green and red vapor to form artificial clouds," NASA officials wrote in a status update late Monday. "These clouds, or vapor tracers, allow scientists on the ground to visually track particle motions in space. The clouds may be visible along the mid-Atlantic coastline from New York to North Carolina."

If you live near the Wallops Island area, you can visit NASA's Wallops Flight Facility Visitor Center to watch the launch. The center will open to the public at 8 p.m. EDT for launch viewing.

Smartphone users can also download the "What's Up at Wallops" app to learn when and where to look to see the launch from their location. Leading up to the launch, Wallops officials will also post updates on Twitter and Facebook.

Editor's note:If you capture an amazing image of the sounding rocket launch or the colorful artificial clouds that you would like to share with Space.com and its news partners for a story or photo gallery, send photos and comments to:spacephotos@space.com.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.

See the article here:

NASA Rocket Will Try Again to Spark Glowing Clouds Over US East Coast Tonight - Space.com

NASA closing out Asteroid Redirect Mission – SpaceNews

Posted on by

Close-up of the Asteroid Redirect Vehicle departing the asteroid after capturing a boulder from its surface. Credit: NASA artist's concept

GREENBELT, Md. With administration plans to cancel it announced earlier this year, and a lack of congressional support, NASA is in an orderly closeout phase of its Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) while keeping alive some of its key technologies for other applications.

In a presentation at a June 13 meeting of the Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG) here, Michele Gates, program director for ARM at NASA Headquarters, said the mission received its notice of defunding from agency leadership in April, weeks after a budget blueprint document for fiscal year 2018 released by the White House called for cancelling the mission.

We are in an orderly closeout phase, capturing all the good work that has been done across the team, and transitioning activities as appropriate to other potential missions or archived for future use, she said.

ARM called for sending a robotic spacecraft to a near Earth asteroid, where it would grab a boulder a few meters across from the asteroids surface and return it to cislunar space. Astronauts flying on an Orion spacecraft would then visit the boulder, performing studies and collecting samples for return to Earth.

The mission, though, struggled to win support since its introduction in 2013, particularly in Congress, where members were skeptical that the mission was on the critical path for NASAs long-term goal of sending humans to Mars in the 2030s. At recent hearings on NASAs 2018 budget request, members showed no interest in reversing plans in the proposal to cancel the mission.

Its good to see that the NASA budget request ends the previous administrations ill-conceived asteroid mission, said Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas), chairman of the House Science Committee, during a June 8 hearing by his committees space subcommittee on the NASA budget request. Instead, other, and more needed, technologies will be developed under different programs.

As a result of the decision to close out ARM now, several ongoing efforts related to the mission are being cancelled, Gates said. They include proposals for hosted payloads that could fly on the robotic mission as well as membership in an investigation team for the mission. NASA will also not award a contract for the bus of the ARM robotic spacecraft for which it requested proposals last year.

NASA has emphasized, though, that key technologies being developed for ARM will continue. The best-known of those is the solar-electric propulsion system that would have been flown on the robotic mission. Work on that technology will continue for use on other missions.

NASA Acting Administrator Robert Lightfoot said at a June 8 hearing by the commerce, justice and science subcommittee of the House Appropriations Committee that a version of that solar-electric propulsion system could fly in the early 2020s as the power propulsion module of the agencys proposed Deep Space Gateway outpost in cislunar space.

It would build right off of the bus that we had for the Asteroid Redirect Mission, he said. The unit planned for that outpost, he said, likely would be smaller than the one envisioned for ARM, making it more commercially viable for other uses.

At the SBAG meeting, Gates said other elements of ARM would also be preserved, such as increased funding for near Earth asteroid searches and planetary defense techniques. Many of the aspects that we were working towards in ARM will all be part of continued work in human exploration, she said.

The technologies that we were developing, the capabilities that we were developing in ARM, were not mission-specific, said Dan Mazanek, ARM mission investigator. I havent come up with anything that we were doing that was not applicable to a wide variety of missions.

He expressed disappointment, though, that ARM will not continue. This was kind of the best mission, or the dream mission, as far as I was concerned, he said, noting it combined science, human exploration, planetary defense and the use of in situ resources. This mission was really the convergence of those different ideas, those different concepts.

His hope, he said, is that somehow, a form of ARM may arise in the future. I think still that it is a good mission.

Excerpt from:

NASA closing out Asteroid Redirect Mission - SpaceNews

The Tiny Edit That Changed NASA’s Future – The Atlantic

Posted on by

On March 21 of this year, both parties in Congress and the Trump administration made a change to a federal document that amounted to only a few words, but which may well change the course of human history.

Every few years, Congress and the administration pass a NASA Authorization Act, which gives the U.S. Space Agency its marching orders for the next few years. Amongst the many pages of the 2017 NASA Authorization Act (S. 422) the Agencys mission encompasses expected items such as continuation of the space station, building of big rockets, indemnification of launch and reentry service providers for third party claim and so on. But in this years bill, Congress added a momentous phrase to the agencys mission: the search for lifes origins, evolution, distribution, and future in the universe. Its a short phrase, but a visionary one, setting the stage for a far-reaching effort, that could have as profound an impact on the 21st century as the Apollo program had on the 20th.

NASAs new directive acknowledges that we are tantalizingly close to answering perhaps the most fundamental question of all: Are we alone in the universe? We have wondered about this for millennia. As early as 300 B.C., Epicurus postulated that there must be many worlds like ours among the stars. But until very recently, we didnt know if other planets even existed beyond our own solar system.

In the last decade however, we have made enormous advances in the field of exoplanet studies. Telescopes on the ground have become sensitive enough to discern the faintest stellar wobbles, as orbiting planets tug gently against their gravitational bonds. With the National Science Foundations Atacama Large Millimeter Array, and the Hubble Space Telescope, we have peered into interstellar clouds where new planets are forming and have detected the presence of all the elements necessary for life.

New discoveries are coming fast and furious. On February 23, 2017, NASA announced that a nearby star system, TRAPPIST-1, has seven planets orbiting it, three of which lie within the stars Goldilocks zone, making them potentially habitable. And on April 19, the Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the European Southern Observatory announced the discovery of a super Eartha rocky, planet 40-percent larger than Earth, orbiting a red-dwarf star just 39 light years away. Indeed, we are finding thousands of planets orbiting other stars. Data from NASAs Kepler Space Telescope suggests that almost every star in the sky has at least one planet around it. We may even find extraterrestrial life in our own solar system: Both Jupiters moon, Europa, and Saturns moon, Enceladus, have liquid water beneath their icy crusts, and on April 13, 2017, NASA announced that its Cassini Spacecraft discovered molecular hydrogen in water plumes emanating from Enceladus, indicating the presence of two key requirements for lifeliquid water and a source of energy.

With all of these discoveries and with 1023 stars in the universe, it would seem statistically very likely that life exists in some of these alien solar systems. Indeed, in June of last year, The New York Times acknowledged this new perspective with an optimistic piece titled, Yes, There Have Been Aliens.

But not so fast. As Ross Andersen argued in a rebuttal to that New York Times article, these optimistic statistics and promising discoveries cant tell us for sure that we arent alone. The only place we know life exists is here on Earth. And yes, on our planet it is tenaciousthriving 20,000 feet down, where strange organisms flourish on deep-sea vents without sunlight or oxygen, and 20,000 feet up, where cacti and insects have found a niche in the Atacama Desert. And yes, it is also resilient, adapting to ponds as corrosive as battery acid and feeding off radioactive waste in Chernobyl. And yet, we dont know how life actually began here on Earth. Additionally, modern DNA analysis tells us that complex life, anything beyond a single cell organism, resulted from a random event in which two cells came together to form eukaryotessomething that apparently happened only once in the 4.5-billion-year history of our planet. Every worm on a deep sea vent, or cactus eking out an existence in the high Andes, every human who hunted on the plains or stood on the moon owes their existence to a single chance meeting of two cells that learned to get along.

There may be billions of Earth-like planets out there that are abundant with all the elements for life, but that doesnt mean that there is life, let alone complex life on any of them. The only way to answer the question, are we alone? is to go see for ourselves, and this is exactly what NASA has now been empowered to do.

Of course, NASA has had spectacular successes since the Apollo era, building huge machines like the Shuttle and International Space Station, landing audacious vehicles on Mars, and visiting every planet in our solar system with robotic probes. But there has long been a yearning for NASA to rediscover the sense of purpose it had in the Apollo era, a unified goal that can reconnect the divisions of the agency and point them towards a grand and inspiring goal. The agency now has a chance to reconnect its divisions at an extraordinary time in the Space Agencys history.

NASA has been putting in place all the necessary building blocks to make the Search for Life possible. NASAs James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), due to launch in late 2018, will begin following up on recently discovered exoplanets, searching for the fingerprints of life, gases that scientists believe can only exist in the presence of living organisms. And NASA and private industry have embarked on ambitious new rockets capable of carrying probes and landers to Europa, and launching future telescopes capable of finding and characterizing continents and oceans on Earth-like planets. Soon, they will be able to send (human) geologists and biologists to Mars.

Imagine a world in 2040, where NASA and its partners in industry and academia across the world have been unified, and perhaps rewarded by this search. Imagine that the Europa orbiter and subsequent lander survived the harsh conditions on Europa, only to discover that the cracks in the ice-mantle show evidence of organic life. Imagine the first Martian geologists find fossils of early organisms reminiscent of a pre-eukaryotic Earth. In addition to these results, imagine that the larger successor to JWST a few years earlier has found, in the reflected light of its own sun, a wet, rocky Earth 2.0, where biology is at work. Our world-view will have been irreversibly changed by these discoveries and we will be motivated to find a way to bridge the great distances and go to this new world. This is not outside the realm of possibility. By 2040, its possible that we will have designed a fusion rocket engine capable of accelerating a probe to a significant percentage of the speed of light.

What will we find when we get there? Even small variations could create different evolutionary paths. Perhaps we will find a planet very much like Earth, but one on which dinosaurs still roam because no killer asteroid has wiped them out. Or we may find the ruins of an advanced civilization, which would confront us with the deeply troubling possibility that civilizations that have evolved before us have destroyed themselves once they came to dominate their home planet.

Whats next? This is an important question, one that speaks not only to us humans as explorers, but ultimately to our long-term survival. Thanks to NASAs pivot to include the search for life, young people who are living today may get the chance to answer it.

Read this article:

The Tiny Edit That Changed NASA's Future - The Atlantic