Daily Archives: May 2, 2017

There is every reason why China and the United States should work together in space. As the leading space powers, they are best placed to shape the rules that will be needed to cope with the ever-increasingly crowded cosmos. But as the launch of the first Chinese cargo freighter shows, cooperation is not even taking place at the most basic of levels. The ship, Tianzhou-1, will carry building materials and crew for the construction of Chinas space station, an inevitability given a US ban on involvement in the worlds only such project.

US lawmakers banned China from the International Space Station (ISS) in 2011 to prevent espionage. Driven by rivalry and mistrust, their justification was to protect national interests. But space is expensive to explore and scientists have no need for politics; it gets in the way of their thirst for knowledge and discovery. That is why the US, the main builder and operator of the ISS, has already invited aboard astronauts and scientists from 15 countries.

What is the Tianzhou 1 and why does it matter in Chinas ambitious space mission?

Space is, after all, increasingly important to most facets of our lives. Services like communications, navigation and data transmission are reliant on satellites and with growing demand and expectations, they need to be ever-more sophisticated. Improved technology makes new industries possible, with space tourism the most imminent, but ideas like asteroid mining and laser communications are now perceived as being close at hand. Space, by some estimates, already accounts for US$330 billion of business that employs more than one million people and the research and experiments that can be carried out in space make for ever-greater possibilities.

China being shut out of the ISS made development of its own space station inevitable. The successful launch of the Tianzhou-1 means work can start next year for a scheduled completion date in 2020. No nation has had such an ambitious space programme that has achieved so much so quickly; Chinas first manned space flight was just 14 years ago and since then, there have been two- and three-person crews, the mastering of space walking and orbital docking, the sending to the moon of multiple spacecraft including a lunar rover and plans are under way for a mission to Mars. In terms of know-how and investment, China and the US are the leaders.

Chinas first cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-1 docks as planned with orbiting space lab

The two nations should be, and need to be, cooperating. But their scientists and astronauts working together is only one element; the more crowded space gets, the greater the need for management to deal with disputes, debris and the threat of weapons, among much else. Investors will want predictability. China and the US can help formulate and shape regulations. But that will be difficult if they have no experience of collaboration.

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China and US should cooperate on space exploration - South China Morning Post

DAVENPORT -- The eaglets are branded.

The votes are in and the newest batch of young bald eagles being raised by Justice and Liberty in a tree at Arconic's Davenport Works now have names: Apollo, Gemini and Mercury.

"All names are from the U.S. space program, and all of those missions used aluminum produced here at Davenport Works," John C. Riches, Arconic spokesman,said in an email Monday.

Mr. Riches said there were about 4,000 votes spread between five different groups of names:

-- Apollo, Gemini and Mercury: 1,091 votes.

-- Scout, Braveheart and Hunter: 1,006 votes.

-- Orville, Wilbur and Amelia: 689 votes.

-- Valor, Nova and Journey: 509 votes.

-- Penny, Sheldon and Leonard: 504 votes.

In 2009, Liberty and Justice settled in the tree owned by Arconic, formerly Alcoa. Since then, they have returned annually and raised their offspring. If this year's trio survive, it will bring the total offspring fledged from that nest to 14:

-- 2010: Two eagles were raised but were not named because the contest and recording of the nest had not started.

-- 2011: One eaglet named Freedom fledged.

-- 2012: Faith, Hope and Spirit were the eaglets.

--2013:Honor and Glory fledged.

-- 2014: One eaglet this time. Rudy was picked for the name.

-- 2015: Liberty and Justice lost their eggs.

-- 2016: Another pair, Star and Sky, fledged.

Arconic's live video of the eagle nest is online atarconic.com/global/en/who-we-are/eagle-cam.asp. More about the early space missions can be found at nasa.gov/missions .

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Eaglets' names honor U.S. space exploration | Local | qconline.com - Quad-Cities Online

Jim Sharkey

May 1st, 2017

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin speaking on Humanitys Future in Space on April 22, 2017, at the Silicon Valley Comic Con in San Jose, Calif. Photo Credit: Jim Sharkey / SpaceFlight Insider

SAN JOSE, Calif. This years Silicon Valley Comic Con (SVCC), held on April 2123 at the San Jose Convention Center, added space exploration to the events mix of pop culture and technology. Both NASA and the SETI Institute had large displays in a central area of the exhibit hall. Panels were held throughout the convention, with scientists and engineers discussing a variety of space-related topics. Other highlights included a talk by Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin and the SETI InstitutesSpaceBall Gala.

NASAs display at Silicon Valley Comic Con. Photo Credit: Jim Sharkey / SpaceFlight Insider

The SVCC event was great public outreach and just a lot of fun, said Chris McKay, the senior space scientist at NASA Ames Research Center. Talking about Mars exploration at the SVCC was a natural fit. I see a lot of overlap between the NASA missions and the world of comics.

NASA panels and exhibits were coordinated by the Ames Office of Education and Public Engagement. NASA provided 24 panelists who spoke on panels about the exploration of the Solar System and beyond, NASAs Journey to Mars, research aboard the International space Station, living in space, NASAs next technology, and Mars science.

NASAs booth on the exhibit hall floor included displays about laser communications technology, exoplanets, aeronautics research, space biosciences, human factors, and more. Staff from NASA Ames missions such as the planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft and the SOFIA airborne observatory answered questions and talked about the findings of those missions. SOFIA pilots were available to sign autographs and visitors could take pictures of themselves in a standing astronaut suit with a peek-through cutout in the helmet.

On Saturday, April 22, Buzz Aldrin spoke at the Civic National theater to a crowd of about 2,000 people about his career as a NASA astronaut, the Apollo 11 Moon landing, and his plan to land humans on Mars by 2035.

The SETI Institutes booth had a cutaway model of NASAs SOFIA flying observatory showing the aircrafts interior, as well as models of the Kepler spacecraft and the Allen Telescope Array (ATA). Visitors could talk to SETI Institute scientists and get a free pair of eclipse glasses. SETI scientists spoke on panels about the hunt for life beyond Earth and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence.

The SpaceBall Gala featured lightning space talks by researchers, theremin music, and a live auction. On Sunday, the SETI Institute presented a screening of the movie Contact (1997), complete with commentary by SETI Institute astronomer Jill Tarter.

Virgin Galactic was represented on the exhibit hall floor by a model of Cosmic Girl, the Boeing 747-400 carrier aircraft that will air launch the two-stage LauncherOne rocket carrying small satellite payloads into orbit. Scott Macklin, Propulsion Boost Stage Manager at Virgin Orbit, gave a talk about how Virgin Galactic and Virgin Orbit are trying to increase access to space for both humans and satellites.

I believe that there is an intrinsic good that can come from both crewed and uncrewed spaceflight, said Macklin, who is responsible for the design development and operation of the first stage of LauncherOne, including the rockets boost engine, NewtonThree.

After a brief summary of what the experience of a suborbital flight aboard SpaceShipTwo would be like, Macklin discussed the orbital LauncherOne rocket. The 747-400 carrier aircraft Cosmic Girl will carry the LauncherOne rocket to an altitude of about 35,000 feet (10,668 meters). The first stage of LauncherOne is powered by a single 73,500 pounds-force (326.9 kilonewtons) of thrust NewtonThree rocket engine. This engine would typically fire for about three minutes.

After stage separation, the 5,000 pounds-force (22.2 kilonewtons) of thrust NewtonFour rocket engine will carry a satellite payload weighing up to 661 pounds (300 kilograms) into orbit. The company is hoping to reduce development and production costs with innovative techniques for manufacturing carbon fiber propellant tanks and 3-D printed combustion chambers.

Model of Virgin Galactic 747-400 Cosmic Girl carrying 2-stage LauncherOne rocket. Photo Credit: Jim Sharkey / SpaceFlight Insider

Tagged: NASA SETI Silicon Valley Comic Con The Range

Jim Sharkey is a lab assistant, writer and general science enthusiast who grew up in Enid, Oklahoma, the hometown of Skylab and Shuttle astronaut Owen K. Garriott. As a young Star Trek fan he participated in the letter-writing campaign which resulted in the space shuttle prototype being named Enterprise. While his academic studies have ranged from psychology and archaeology to biology, he has never lost his passion for space exploration. Jim began blogging about science, science fiction and futurism in 2004. Jim resides in the San Francisco Bay area and has attended NASA Socials for the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover landing and the NASA LADEE lunar orbiter launch.

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Space exploration takes center stage at Silicon Valley Comic Con 2017 - SpaceFlight Insider

In an effort to strengthen the United States through manufacturing, the government established the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, better known as Manufacturing USA, in 2014. As several of these Manufacturing USA institutes are linked to 3D printing, we follow them rather closely, and now NASA is launching a similar initiative albeit much smaller in scale dedicated to space exploration and research.

The Space Technology Research Institutes (STRI) will be composed of multiple universities forming two institutes: one dedicated to researching biological engineering in space, and one dedicated to the development of next-generational materials. Most recently, Florida State Universitys High-Performance Materials Institute(HPMI) and theFlorida A&M UniversityFlorida State University College of Engineeringhave joined the initiative.

This is a wonderful opportunity for our faculty researchers and students to participate in a project that pushes the boundaries of science and will have a major impact on space travel and exploration, said Gary K. Ostrander, Vice President for Research at HPMI. FSUs High-Performance Materials Institute was designed to explore the possibilities and uses of next-generation materials, and this project will allow them to apply their expertise in an exciting way.

HPMI is a multidisciplinary research institute staffed mostly by faculty from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, and will receive funding for research towards advanced materials and manufacturing techniques, such as 3D printing. In particular, the institute will work on the development of carbon nanotube-based structural materials that can be used to create vehicles, power systems and even habitats for use in missions to the moon and Mars, for example.

The money will help to fund several graduate students as well as one postdoctoral researcher.

The High-Performance Materials Institute is a leader in developing advanced nanocomposites and additive manufacturing that will be critical for mans extended presence in deep space, FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Dean J. Murray Gibson said. Because of this grant, our students will have unique opportunities to participate in an exciting future major space program.

The Space Technology Research Institutes project will invest $15 million in each institute over a period of five years. The funding will be distributed among the partner universities comprising the institutes, which so far include:

In addition, industrial partners include Nanocomp Technologies and Solvay, as well as the US Air Force Research Lab.

HPMI has been designated as an Industry/University Cooperative Research Center by the National Science Foundation and as a Center of Excellence by the Florida Board of Governors. The institute, as its name suggests, is dedicated to the development of advanced materials for multiple industries and technologies, but for the next few years at least, it looks like theres going to be a heavy focus on outer space and likely on 3D printing. Its rare to encounter a discussion of traveling to the moon or Mars without 3D printing talk as well, whether its in relation to rocket engines or medical tools or even lunar housing.

Its exciting to know that I could have a student who could get experience here on this project and then potentially work on the mission to Mars in the future, said Tarik Dickens, an assistant professor at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering who is also working on the project.

Six faculty members from the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering will work with the STRI, which will be led by Professor Gregory Odegard at Michigan Technological University. HPMI Director and FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Professor Richard Liang will act as an area leader and principal investigator for the college. Discuss in the Florida State forum at 3DPB.com.

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3D Printing in Space: Florida Institutes to Research Advanced Materials and Manufacturing for Space Exploration - 3DPrint.com