Monthly Archives: October 2019

When NASA sends humans to the moon for the first time in more than half a century, one lucky astronaut will go down in history for becoming the first woman on the moon. Then it won't be long before we see the first woman on Mars, and she just might beat the first man there, according to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.

"We could very well see the first person on Mars be a woman," Bridenstine told reporters on Friday (Oct. 18) during a news conference about the first all-woman spacewalk. "I think that could very well be a milestone," he added.

NASA currently has no concrete plans for landing humans on Mars the moon is the agency's first priority but Bridenstine has said that the first crewed Mars landing could happen sometime in the 2030s. Meanwhile, the private spaceflight company SpaceX is working on its Starship Mars-colonizing rocket, which could help NASA send those astronaut pioneers to the Red Planet.

"If my 11-year-old daughter has her way, we'll have a woman on Mars in the not-too-distant future," Bridenstine said, adding that whoever ends up going to Mars is probably too young to have already been selected to join NASA's astronaut corps at this time. However, the soon-to-be first woman on the moon will likely be selected from NASA's current pool of active astronauts.

NASA has not yet announced who will be the first woman on the moon, but whoever she may be, she's scheduled to land in 2024. That moon landing mission is part of NASA's Artemis program, which is the agency's precursor to establishing a permanent human presence on and around the moon something that may help pave the way to Mars.

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NASA chief says the first human on Mars may be a woman - NBC News

Surviving the Aftermath was announced earlier this month as the sequel to Surviving Mars, the Martian colonization sim released last year by Haemimont Games and Paradox Interactive. Very little was revealed at the time but we got a closer look at the now-underway PDXCON and discovered a few surprises, including that it doesn't take place on Marsand that it's available today on the Epic Games Store.

This new survival management sim is actually set on Earth, albeit an Earth that's a whole lot more banged up than the one we're used to. Humanity has finally had the biscuit, and all that remains now is the detritus of civilization and a few stragglers who are going to do their best to rebuild, or at least not die immediately.

Customizable apocalypse scenarios can raise or lower the difficulty for those left behindit's a lot easier to get by in a depopulated wilderness than a scorched radioactive desert, after all. But the ultimate goal remains the same: Attract survivors, collect resources, build your society, and deal with the inevitable messes that result.

Surviving the Aftermath is being made by a different developer, Iceflake Studios, and the Earth-bound setting makes it sound a little more conventional than its predecessor. Based on our hands-on preview though, it sounds like things get rolling fairly quicklyalthough it's possible that letting the entire colony fistfight for kicks accelerated, well, pretty much everything.

The initial early access release is available now on the Epic Games Store for $20/16/20, while the full launch is expected to take place in 2020, and will also be on Steam. A development roadmap and other relevant details can be had at survivingtheaftermath.com.

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Surviving the Aftermath, the sequel to Surviving Mars, is out now - PC Gamer

During the opening ceremony of an international space conference on global cooperation for a future vision of space, United States Vice President Mike Pence made it clear that he would really like to see America taking the lead in space travel and exploration.

The United States of America will always be willing to work closely with like-minded, freedom-loving nations as we lead mankind into the final frontier, Pence said during the opening remarks at the 70th International Astronautical Congress (IAC) on Monday. Our vision is to be the leader among freedom-loving nations.

Prior to his opening remarks, a petition went around calling on the organizers of the event to cancel his appearance, with some participants threatening to walk out during his speech in protest of Pences political and social views.

IAC is an annual conference hosted by the International Astronautical Federation together with the International Academy of Astronautics and the International Institute of Space Law, bringing together scientists, industry experts and space agency leaders to discuss what is happening in space today.

This years theme is Space: The Power of The Past, The Promise of The Future, which honors the Apollo 11 crew with the World Space Award, and looks forward towards whats next on the space exploration agenda.

During his speech, Pence gave a nod to the Apollo 11 astronauts, while emphasizing a revival of U.S. leadership in space travel.

Under President [Donald] Trumps leadership, America is leading in space once again, Pence said. In our very first year of office, after laying dormant for nearly a quarter of century, President Trump revived the National Space Council.

In June, 2017, Trump signed an executive order to relaunch the National Space Council, which handles issues related to space policy, after it was disbanded in 1993.

The current administration also established a space force, a sixth branch of the armed forces that will train space soldiers, which Pence said will soon be a reality.

Space plays a critical role in our national security as it does for every nation around the world, Pence said. And the space force will be a vanguard to defending our nation, defending our freedom, and defending the rights of all freedom-loving nations in the vast expanse of space.

To ensure the U.S. gets a piece of that vast expanse, Trump signed a space policy directive which amended the policies of former President Barack Obama, and called for an American led human mission to the Moon, followed by a mission to Mars, in an effort for long term exploration and possible colonization of the lunar surface.

And yet, it hasnt exactly been smooth sailing between the current US administration and NASA. Two years later, a tweet from Trump dismissed what seemed to be a two-party understanding.

For all of the money we are spending, NASA should NOT be talking about going to the Moon We did that 50 years ago, he wrote on June 7, 2019. They should be focused on the much bigger things we are doing, including Mars (of which the Moon is a part), Defense and Science!

But NASAs Artemis mission scheduled to take off to the moon in 2024, is still on track.

We will return American astronauts to the moon for long time exploration and use, Pence said on Monday. Were going back to the moon, and then to Mars.

The vice president also highlighted the role that private enterprise will play in this future vision for space, adding that NASA is leading a commercial friendly effort to develop lunar landers that will carry humans to the moon, as well as orbital platforms to replace the International Space Station.

Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon and founder of private space company Blue Origin will receive the Excellence in Industry Award on Tuesday for his contributions to the space industry.

Back in 2016, Founder and CEO of another private space company, Elon Musk,unveiled the spacecrafthe plans on using for a future mission to Mars, and possible colonization of the red planet.

Pence also spoke of cooperation with other countries. Well, specifically freedom-loving nations such as Japan, Canada, and European allies. The good news is, with the renewed American leadership in space, were also seeing renewed cooperation among freedom-loving nations around the world to advance space exploration, he said.

However, Pence left out Russia, with whom the U.S. has been locked in an eternal space race with.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is scheduled for a press conference on Monday with representatives from space agencies in India, China, Japan and, obviously, Russia.

Bridenstine received a nod from Pence, who thanked him for the work he is doing to revive American leadership in space.

The IAC will run until Friday, October 25, with a live stream of the events here.

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At IAC, Pence sets heavy political tone and touts "space force" again - Inverse

At a recent gathering in Berlin of space technology businesses the mood was upbeat. Yet while astronaut Matthias Maurer was stealing the show and beguiling schoolchildren and adults alike, there were important issues floating through the air. The biggest question wasn't about colonizing Mars, sending millionaire tourists to the moon or even mining it for minerals. The biggest question of all was: Why isn't tech wonderland Germany at the head of the space race?

Besides giants Airbus and OHB in Bremen, there are a lot of smaller companies and startups looking toward the stars throughout Germany. Standing above all these private companies is the European Space Agency (ESA), an organization made up of 22 member countries with a total budget of 5.72 billion ($6.39 billion) for 2019.

After France, the German government is its second-biggest cash contributor. For this money, Berlin wasable to get two prizes: ESA Mission Control in Darmstadt and the astronaut training center in Cologne. This may sound like a big win, but they came at a steep price. Germany's contribution to ESA this year alone was 927 million.

At home Germany spends an additional 285 million on space programs. This may seem like a lot, but it's a pittance compared withFrance's 726 million. Overall Germany only spends 0.05% of GDP on such programs. This puts them behind India, Italy, Japan, China ,Russia, France and the USwhich spends 0.224% according to Goldman Sachs' European Space Policy Institute.

Missing the boat

But no matter how much is being spent, many are critical about how it is spent. Right now the lion's share of government cash goes to the major players, Airbus and OHB. Tom Segert, director of business and strategy at the startup Berlin Space Technologies, is one of those who sees change coming though. "We are having a moment where the big players in Germany, but also the smaller players, are waking up. They realize something big is going to happen,"he told DW.

In Germany, "we have the technology, but we don't have the demand,"said Segert, pointing to the fact that these conglomerates are working on biginternational projects and building big satellites, not the smaller ones businesses actually want. This is the gap that Berlin Space Technologies wants to fill.

Tom Segert is director of business and strategy at startup Berlin Space Technologies

Founded in 2010 by three friends, the startup now has 29 employees who work to design small satellites systems anywhere from the size of a microwaveoven to a washing machine and the technology behind them.

"Space seemed to be the place where you can always do something new, something that nobody has done before. I didn't know about the bureaucracy that was awaiting me and about all the pitfalls of a government-driven space program,"said Segert. Nonetheless, the company has so far taken part in over 50 space missions.

Making a prototype can take 1-2 years. But the company wants to move away from individual satellites into mass manufacturing, and for this they have started a joint venture in India. Once a satellite goes into large-scale mass production, the building time can be reduced to one or two weeks. This drives down costs, and having more satellites in orbit creates a network, a "constellation of satellites"in space.

The forefront of technology

In general, Segert thinks that for most companies building satellites is a waste of resources. They should instead focus on services and data. "The biggest chances for European startups are in the downstream because they are getting the data for free [from NASA or ESA]. It's not the best data, but they get some data for free which is a big hurdle for everybody else."

Focusing more on services will lead to the demise of many manufacturing companies. Only the strongest will survive Darwin in space a typical process in maturing industries.

German astronaut Matthias Maurer answering question from the public at a meeting in Berlin of space businesses organized by the Federation of German Industries (BDI)

At the same time industry associations are pushing Germany to build a spaceport, or launching center, of its own. They are not talking about thosebig enough to send humans into space, but one that would enable companies to launch rockets and satellites without depending on other countries. Today only a handful of countries have this capability. Bringing it closer to home would make things easier.

Though such prestige projects fascinate the public, space programs have developed many technologies that have come into normal use and impact daily life. Things like batteries, ceramics, solar technologies, autonomous driving and the use of lightweight metals were all advanced thanks to space innovations.

A shot in the dark

Newer technologies using satellites includebetter communications, weather forecasting and navigation. Images from space can be used to monitor coral reefs, forests, water levels, fires or natural disasters. They can also watch pipelines, trains and power lines. These images can teachabout the Earth and bring home the ideas of global warming.

To make the most of the possibilities in space, Segert from Berlin Space Technologieswould like to see industry do more of the things thatESA, Airbus or OHB do things that are often funded by taxpayers. He also warns companies to stick to the things they are good at like making equipment, components, satellites, rockets, organizing launches or providing services. Not everything at once.

"I am very doubtful about hardware startups that are founded right now because they are very late to the game,"concluded Segert. For him the future of the space business in Germany is unclear, it can go two ways: The first would be a business-as-usual model in which the government spends ever-increasing amounts of money to keep national champions alive that skew the marking and where no real progress is made.

In the second model the government, taxpayers and companies would see that things have not been done in the most efficient way. The government will get out of the business of making satellites and turn into a consumer of services. This would lead to a decline in satellite manufactures and costs. Then the focus would be on data, the gold of the 21st century.

Space offers nearly infinite possibilities and a lot of room to grow. Now 50 years after the first moon landing, the real test will be to see if governments will create the legal framework to govern space and then step aside and let the market take over and give consumers what they want. Germany as a big spender can nudge it either way.

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Why isn't Germany taking over the moon? - DW (English)

Elon Musk-led SpaceX is fast expanding its work on the development of Starship spacecraft and rockets for interplanetary travel.

A recent aerial video revealed the progress that the Starship rocket is making at the Florida facility of SpaceX.

According to reports, SpaceX is simultaneously working on three Starship rockets. One is in Boca Chica, Texas and two in Cocoa, Florida.

The footage showed bands of stainless steel for the Starship rocket on a stand. SpaceX uses stainless steel in building Starship to add a reflective sheen as evident in the video.

Shot by former commercial pilot John Winkopp from a flying drone, he allowed CNBC to use the footage.

Progress of SpaceX Starship

The cluster of SpaceX Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket is collectively referred to as Starship and reusable transportation systems that will carry crew and cargo to Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars.

Starship as a reusable rocket can launch and land multiple times just like a commercial aircraft, per SpaceX news.

In late September, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk made a presentation in Texas as an update about Starships development. He spoke to the audience standing in front of the first assembled rocket at SpaceX Boca Chica facility in Texas.

Musk has been saying that SpaceX can fly to space in the coming months after a few more test flights of the new generation rockets. The Starship's nexttest flight is aiming 65,000 feet altitude. Mars colonization projects are high on Masks space agenda after encouraging data from NASA Mars rovers.

In April, SpaceX launch of a prototype Starship rocket called Starhopper has been successful. SpaceX is also bracing for the launch of Crew Dragon or Dragon 2 spacecraft that it is building for the U.S space agency, per NASA news.

SpaceX sees the army as Starship customer

Meanwhile, SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell Said SpaceX views the U.S. Army as a potential customer for its Starship space vehicle and low Earth orbit broadband constellation Starlink.

Were talking to the Army about Starlink and Starship, she said.

Although the Army does not launch big satellites or sends crews to space, Starship can come handy for point-to-point transportation around Earth to deliver cargo in minutes in any part of the world.

According to Shotwell, SpaceX has already made this pitch to the U.S. Air Force. Pictured is the exterior of SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California as seen on July 22, 2018. Photo: ROBYN BECK/AFP/Getty Images

Gwynne Shotwell was recently invited to speak on a panel ofArmy leaders who discussed steps to modernize the force and injecting innovation in the realm of military procurement.

Shotwell talked on the panel on the last day of the Association of the U.S. Armys annual conference.

Although Shotwell did not mention Starlink during the panel discussion, the interest of SpaceX in securing the U.S. military as a customer has been apparent.

SpaceX has deployed 60 Starlink satellites this year and plans to launch thousands more in the coming years.Army officials said they would like to explore commercial LEO mega-constellations thatcan support the demands of the service for bigger capacity and lower latency communications.

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Video Shows SpaceX Building Another Starship Rocket In Florida - International Business Times