Daily Archives: November 17, 2019

On Dec. 18, Peanuts' Snoopy will follow in the pawprints of the Russian cosmonaut Laika and venture into space - but go where no beagle has gone before: Mars.

In the original graphic novel (OGN) "Snoopy: A Beagle of Mars," Charles M. Schulz' loveable canine goes on what BOOM! Studios calls "his grandest adventure yet!"

This graphic novel touches on a long association Peanuts - and Snoopy in particular - has had with outer space. The lunar module and command module of the historic 1969 Apollo 10 mission were named after Snoopy and Charlie Brown. That same year, NASA started an annual Silver Snoopy Award given out to employees for "outstanding achievements related to human flight safety or mission success."

Related: In Photos: Snoopy Visits NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory

In 2018, Peanuts Worldwide and NASA re-doubled their partnership with the Space Act Agreement, an effort to inspire space exploration and STEM education among students.

"In 'Snoopy: A Beagle of Mars,' Snoopy, the world-famous astronaut, heads to the stars in his most out-of-this-world adventure yet!" reads BOOM!'s description of the OGN. "What mysteries does the red planet hold? Will he find water? Will he find life?Will he find the time to get in a quick nine holes? Snoopy grabs his golf clubs and blasts off for Mars in this original graphic novel from the world of Charles M. Schulz and Peanuts!"

"Snoopy: A Beagle of Mars" is written by Jason Cooper, with art from Robert Pope and Hannah White. Scroll down for a preview of the upcoming graphic novel.

Snoopy takes the ultimate giant leap for beagle kind: on Mars.

(Image credit: Robert W. Pope/Boom! Studios)

Sometimes that first step can be a doozy.

(Image credit: Robert W. Pope and Hannah White/Boom! Studios)

Snoopy, space travel and NASA have a long history together.

(Image credit: Robert W. Pope and Hannah White/Boom! Studios)

But this is Snoopy's first original graphic novel on Mars!

(Image credit: Robert W. Pope and Hannah White/Boom! Studios)

In reality, NASA has not sent a beagle to Mars.

(Image credit: Robert W. Pope and Hannah White/Boom! Studios)

It looks like Snoopy will have the Red Planet to himself in "Snoopy: A Beagle on Mars" from Boom! Studios.

(Image credit: Robert W. Pope and Hannah White/Boom! Studios)

Originally published onNewsarama.

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(Image credit: All About Space)

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Snoopy Boldly Goes to Red Planet in 'A Beagle of Mars' - Space.com

The first manned lunar landing mission, Apollo 11, launched from the Kennedy Space Center on July 16, 1969. A new research collaborative led by Arts & Sciences researchers from Washington University in St. Louis seeks to identify the source of water stored as ice at the lunar poles, and also to help future space explorers to harvest the water for beneficial use. (Photo: NASA)

When humans go back to the Moon and NASA plans to return by 2024 theyre going to need water. For now, the astronauts expect to bring their own. But future space explorers aim to take advantage of water recently discovered in little-explored regions of the Moon.

The water is stored as ice in shadowy parts at the Moons poles. A consortium led by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis will investigate the life cycle of this water and other volatiles on the surface of the Moon. The team is one of NASAs eight new Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institutes; the five-year cooperative agreement is valued at more than $7 million.

One of the big questions we are looking to shed light on is what are the origins and evolution of water on the Moon, said Jeffrey Gillis-Davis, research associate professor of physics in Arts & Sciences and the principal investigator of the Interdisciplinary Consortium for Evaluating Volatile Origins (ICE Five-O) team.

Studying the interaction between lunar volatiles and the space environment gives our team the opportunity to test hypotheses regarding the delivery and retention of water and other volatiles on bodies in the inner solar system, he said.

Researchers on the ICE Five-O team will investigate fundamental questions at the intersection of space science and human space exploration.

For example, NASA is eyeing the water at the Moons poles with more than just basic science in mind. If humans are able to successfully mine lunar ice, it could be split into its elemental components hydrogen and oxygen and used in fuel for high-energy rockets. Future refueling stations on the Moon could propel explorers to sites all over the inner solar system.

This project represents a great integration of our analytical and experimental laboratories both in the Earth and Planetary Sciences and Physics departments, as well as our experience in lunar science and other planetary research, said Brad Jolliff, the Scott Rudolph Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences in Arts & Sciences and a co-investigator on the project.

Other Washington University co-investigators include Ryan Ogliore, assistant professor of physics, and Alian Wang, research professor of earth and planetary sciences.

In addition to Washington University, the new consortium includes researchers from the University of Hawaii; California State University San Marcos; San Francisco State University; NASAs Johnson Space Center; the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory; the Lunar & Planetary Institute; University of Winnipeg; York University; and the University of Toronto.

In 2017, NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter found new evidence of surface water ice in polar regions of the Moon. Scientists suggest three main hypotheses for the origins and evolution of water and other ices now known to be contained in permanently shadowed regions of the Moon.

The water may have been expelled from volcanoes on the Moon billions of years ago. Or the water and other volatiles may have been delivered to the surface of the Moon by comets and water-rich asteroids. Another theory suggests that the water was formed when oxygen-rich minerals on the lunar surface were buffeted by hydrogen ions streaming from the sun.

We want to place some constraints on how the isotopic signatures of volatile sources might be modified as molecules traverse across the lunar surface and find their way into permanently shadowed regions, Gillis-Davis said. We want to be sure that future measurements can conclusively determine the source or sources of volatiles, when ice chemistry is measured on the lunar surface.

To do that, the researchers will also study how the harsh space environment alters the surfaces of airless bodies like the Moon, a process called space weathering.

The ICE Five-O grant includes funding for a new state-of the-art space weathering laboratory. Ions streaming from the sun and high-velocity dust-sized particles release huge amounts of energy that transform minerals into glass and can destroy ices, or lead to a variety of chemical processes for example, transforming molecules of water (H2O) ice and carbon dioxide (CO2) ice to methane ice (CH3). The new space weathering facilities will expand the range of surface conditions that researchers can simulate. These simulations will allow researchers to create conditions like those found at the lunar poles and on other planetary bodies to see how water, ice and rock are altered when they encounter these conditions.

Collaborators are also developing the protocols and techniques for collecting new space samples that are more likely to contain volatile substances. These protocols are not only important for when humans return to the Moon, but also for other space missions such as those to the surfaces of asteroids. The ICE Five-O team includes NASA sample curation specialists, who are developing new techniques to safely transport, preserve and handle these volatile-rich samples.

Revealing the source of the Moons water can in turn inform us about how the Earth got its water, Gillis-Davis said. If we see that the water wasnt sourced entirely from lunar volcanoes that it was delivered later then it would be a strong indicator that Earths oceans formed at least in part by water delivered after Earths formation, rather than during its accretion in the early solar system.

The research led by the ICE Five-O team will help guide critical parts of the planning for future manned missions to the Moon.

ICE Five-O results aim at not only determining the source of lunar water but also enabling an era of sustained exploration, where people live and work on the Moon for extended periods of time, Gillis-Davis said.

Related video: Washington University scientists on how Apollo 11 launched 50 years of lunar science.

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Investigating water ice, space weathering on the Moon - Washington University in St. Louis Newsroom

Once super secretive, Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has been steadily emerging from stealth.

Founded in 2000, the space company has been simultaneously working on various initiatives that together speak to its broader vision: human space flight capabilities that will help establish the infrastructure for humanity to colonize space.

Blue Origin, which has been almost completely funded by Bezos, has been gearing its suborbital New Shepard space tourism service, which will compete against newly public Virgin Galactic as soon as next year.

It's developing its orbital New Glenn rocket, targeting a first flight in 2021, that it hopes will win national security launch contracts, including the Air Force's already-contested Launch Service Procurement.

The company also recently submitted its bid for NASA's lunar lander competition, partnering with well-established space heavyweights Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper, and spearheading the effort as the team's prime contractor.

Blue Origin is also busy developing its rocket engines, which will power not only New Glenn but United Launch Alliance's next-generation Vulcan Centaur.

That engine business represents one of the first revenue streams for the company, and a key reason it's been investing $200 million to build its 200,000-square-foot engine factory in Huntsville, Alabama, and strike a deal with NASA's nearby Marshall Space Flight Center to refurbish a historic test stand.

CNBC's Morgan Brennan recently sat down with Bob Smith, chief executive of Blue Origin, to discuss everything the space upstart has underway. The following Q&A is a lightly edited version of the interview, which occurred in front of Blue Origin's lunar lander prototype Blue Moon, as it was on display at the International Astronautical Congress in Washington, D.C.

Morgan Brennan: I think the first place we need to start is what we're sitting in front of, and why it's so crucial to the future of Blue Origin.

Bob Smith: Well, this is Blue Moon, our cargo lander that we've been working on for several years that we developed for the purposes of sustained lunar exploration and resource exploitation. We're excited about the fact that now we have NASA saying we're going back to the moon with their Artemis program. And we're able to actually offer a variant of this as part of a national team ... where we're going to partner up with Lockheed Martin, with Northrop Grumman and Draper to actually produce an integrated landing system that allows us to go back to the moon this time to stay.

Brennan: This national team that was just unveiled is certainly getting a lot of attention. How long has that been in the works? And what is that going to enable Blue Origin to do in terms of Artemis?

Smith: We're working against really good aggressive schedules, and we're trying to do something that we haven't done in almost 50 years. And so we wanted to reach out to Lockheed Martin, who just landed on Mars multiple times, amazing accomplishments there. We have Northrop Grumman, who's been able to regularly deliver supplies to space station as well as was the first lunar lander provider in the Apollo program, and Draper, who's known internationally as a leader in guidance, navigation and control. This is an incredibly powerful team that allows us to go fast and allows us to actually produce.

Brennan: I think sometimes there's this perception around so-called new space companies versus "old space" companies. To see Blue Origin partnering up with some of these long-established space stalwarts, do you think that's the wrong way to frame the conversation?

Smith: I've always hated that dichotomy, because I think it's putting the wrong kind of dynamics into the discussion. What you have are incredibly accomplished organizations like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and you go through the series of things that they've actually done it's absolutely stunning. And they've done it for decades. Everybody should be proud of their accomplishments in this space humanity. You also have companies that, like Blue Origin, have a longer strategic horizon simply because we're privately funded. We actually can stay on a different horizon, a different pace than necessarily those that are publicly traded and have some of those pressures that we don't have. So we can marry the capabilities together and actually do much better together.

Brennan: One of the reasons we're sitting down to have this discussion is because of Huntsville. The BE-7 engine [employed in Blue Moon] is being tested in Huntsville, also the lunar lander program in general is expected to take place out of Marshall. Why has it made sense for Blue Origin to make investments there?

Smith: Huntsville is known as the Rocket City, and it's deserving. That's where much of the U.S. rocket capability actually came from. You go back to the '50s and '60s, that's where it all started. It has this great receptacle of talent there that you can tap into, and it's been decades in building. We wanted to go to where the talent is. And you get great support from the government everyone from Gov. Ivey to Sen. Shelby all the way down to Mayor Battle have been great supporters of actually developing the space economy there. We're going to produce a world-class factory there 40 engines a year, which is a remarkable number of engines for spacecraft, as well as then testing on a historic site there. They have a large test and on 4670 that tested the Saturn V, as well as the shuttle engines. We're going to make that engine stand roar to life again.

Brennan: When do you get to 40 engines a year?

Smith: We're going to be there when we are at-rate and flying, so in '22 and '23. We are opening the factory there this coming first quarter.

Brennan: Have you been able to easily tap into the labor pool? What is it about the area that makes it so special?

Smith: Well, the people down there are absolutely well-schooled in this entire area. You don't have to do a lot of training from the standpoint of what is a rocket engine ... so there's a certain intuitive sense that's there in the employment base itself.

Brennan: Blue Moon, if it wins this NASA contract will it be built there as well?

Smith: BE-7 engine [the engine for Blue Moon] is one that we're figuring out where we will get that production. We're certainly doing the testing there today.

Brennan: In terms of the BE-4 engines: you're building them for your own orbital rocket, New Glenn, but also building them for ULA. How do you think about that breakdown in terms of production? And how big of a revenue opportunity is it to supply another company?

Smith: Customers always make you better so we're really excited that United Launch Alliance selected us. I mean, they are the premier national security launch provider today. We're going to learn a lot from them, and so it's a great opportunity not only to get really good at building the engines that we need for New Glenn, but also be a great supplier for them. And it actually does make us a much more self-sustaining business, which is where we're heading at Blue Origin. So that's one of our first big contracts, as well as the other satellite operator contracts that we started to sign as well as the United Air Force Launch Services Agreement contract that we have as well for New Glenn. So we're starting to get some progress.

Brennan: I am going to ask you the same question that I asked the CEO of ULA and that is, this relationship between Blue Origin and ULA: frenemies?

Smith: I think that the aerospace industry has always been about who do you compete with on one day, who do you partner with on another day. It's always had this environment in which and one day you can be competing hard against them and in other spaces you're not. Boeing and Lockheed are great customers of us potentially for launching. We're always going to have that dynamic and our relationship is really good, and they continue to challenge us to be a better supplier to them, which we welcome.

Brennan: Over the next couple of years, where do you see the biggest opportunities in terms of customers for New Glenn

Smith: We're already seeing some good take up from the market. Three of the top 6 satellite operators have already signed on New Glenn. United States Air Force obviously gave us one of the three large awards. We hope to extend our relationship with the Air Force in the coming years. I think those two areas are often very, very baseload for us. But we can also think about the intelligence community as well some of the larger payloads are very well suited for our larger vehicle, as well as some of these large constellations that are being proposed and going to be launched. ... So those could be very, very big opportunities for us as well.

Brennan: You've come out in recent weeks and suggested that the Air Force could think outside of the box a little more in terms of launch service procurement, and how they're going about facilitating future rockets.

Smith: This is a dialogue that I'm encouraging us to have, which is we've lost the sight of what is the simple problem. There's only one hard problem and that's getting to orbit. Once you get to orbit, we can do a lot of things. If you go back in the '60s and '70s, we had a lot of rockets, we had a lot of capability. But we've now narrowed that down, and now we think that the market continues to ask for more. If you look at what the market is today, about 25% is really around NASA and security launches. Seventy-five percent of it is commercial. That's the addressable market for U.S. providers. Our view is, that if you're going to select for national security capabilities, you want to get something that is commercially viable, because you want to take that large fixed cost and spread it off as many customers as you can. You shouldn't go buy a bespoke system unless you absolutely need one. And what the data shows is that there's a commercial market there that's viable, support a lot of different providers and that way you can get the competitiveness, the pricing and other things that you want from a good supplier.

Brennan: Is the U.S. doing enough to secure space?

Smith: I think that space control, space exploration, space commercialization is all been something that we started to talk about more today. I think we're getting a much better understanding of how important space is every day, whether it's GPS that's guiding your Uber, or what you're doing from a credit card processing from trades on the stock market that are actually timed using space assets. All of those are integral to our economy. And so if we're not conscious about what that commercialization of space means to our economy every day to everybody in the United States is around the world as well as what we need to go to protect those assets, and now what is it been tested environment now that we have near peers that actually threatening those space assets this becomes even more important that we have a robust set of launch vehicles.

Brennan: There are quite a number of satellite constellations, thousands of satellites, being proposed by different companies for broadband service, communications. Do they all become viable business models? And if so what does that mean in terms of launch possibilities?

Smith: The launch possibilities are large. How many of those their business plans actually convert? I don't have enough details as to whether they're going to convert. And I think they, as we talked to more of them, they all have different timing and different approaches of how they're going to go to market. But I think the fundamentals here are very sound and the fundamentals behind their premise is that the need for data worldwide continues to just escalate. I don't know how much of that will be carried on terrestrial networks and how much will be done in space. What I do know is that data demand is high. The fastest way of getting data around the world is going through free space is actually going to space and in low earth orbit, and where you don't have much lag in terms of the amount of time that it takes.

Brennan: Blue's sister company, Amazon, has actually proposed Project Kuiper as well a satellite constellation. Got some more details on that via FCC filings recently. Will Blue Origin rockets take those satellites to orbit?

Smith: We hope to. Amazon's a publicly traded company, we continue to go and engage them along with all the other Leo constellation providers and anybody else. We're a merchant launch service provider and we hope to win their business.

Brennan: Is there a lot of talk between, or work or collaboration between the two companies?

Smith: It's a publicly traded company. If we got into that kind of situation, it would not be good. We collaborate in the same way that we collaborate with any satellite operator.

Brennan: And just in terms of Amazon, publicly traded. Would there ever be a scenario in which or a timeline in which Blue Origin would become public as well?

Smith: The only reason why you ever become public is that you actually need to go get funding. I don't think that's a problem for us, honestly. So I mean, you kind of trade some control for getting funding. Our path is really to become self-sustaining business by ourselves so that we don't have to rely on private funding.

Brennan: So would Blue Origin ever open itself up to investors or VC round, for example?

Smith: We might, I don't know how long we can see out there. But unless we can't become a self-sustaining business, or we need some other infusion of cash, I don't know why we would.

Brennan: I want to get an update on New Shepherd. Certainly, it's being watched very closely. First crewed flights expected next year?

Smith: We were planning on this year; unfortunately, it's very unlikely we're going to get in this year. We need a few more flights to make sure that we're all comfortable with the verification. We hold ourselves to very, very high standards here, we're never going to fly until we're absolutely ready. I think we have a very, very good amount of confidence around the system itself, I think it is working very, very well. But we have to go look at all the analysis, and then convince ourselves that we're ready to go. ... So it probably will be next year.

Brennan: Tickets in the hundreds of thousands of dollars is that the right range, at least initially?

Smith: Any technology that starts off starts off at a high price point so we're going to start at a high price point and go down from there, but it will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars for the initial tickets.

Brennan: Lastly, long-term vision for Blue Origin five years, 10 years, 20 years, where do you expect the company to be

Smith: Well, I think the things that first ground everybody on is what we're doing today, which is pretty ambitious and terrific. I mean, we're going to be flying people in space on the suborbital tourism vehicle on New Shepherd. We're going to be building a very, very large New Glenn vehicle that is going to really shake up I think the market in terms of its overall capabilities. We have our own engine production and what we were just talking about in Huntsville, this large, modern facility there. And we're going to the moon, that's going to keep us busy. I mean, that's going to keep us busy quite a bit. And as we actually go develop all these capabilities, we will become a more self-sustaining business, which is also part of where we need to be so. So yes, so that's where I think we're going to be.

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Blue Origin CEO on rocketry, space tourism and the relationship with Amazon - CNBC

For more than 100 years, the Puget Sound region has been known for its aerospace industry, largely thanks to The Boeing Company. Founded in Seattle in 1916, the company now employs approximately 70,000 people in Washington state, or roughly 45 percent of its global workforce, despite having relocated its headquarters to Chicago in 2001.

The sky is the limit when you think of our regions aerospace economy. Its even more promising when you consider a burgeoning sector of the industry namely, companies focused on outer space that increasingly plays a key role in our regions economy and employment, with much of that impact being felt in the Puget Sound region and on the Eastside.

Washington state and the central Puget Sound region are positioned to lead commercial space exploration and development, noted Berk Consulting, a Seattle-based company commissioned by the Puget Sound Regional Council in 2018 to study the areas burgeoning space economy. Today, the regions mix of high-tech manufacturing resources and information technology assets creates significant opportunities to compete in this growing sector.

The 65-page report offers a comprehensive look into the space industry in Washington state. We combed this constellation of data to identify some of the highlights.

SOURCE: PUGET SOUND REGIONAL COUNCIL / WASHINGTON STATE SPACE ECONOMY REPORT (SEPT. 2018)

In 2018, space companies contributed $1.8 billion to Washington states economy, supporting 2,900 direct jobs and 6,200 total jobs. These companies contributed $43 million in state taxes, and $22 million in local (county, city, and special districts) taxes.

In the Puget Sound region, 2.13 jobs are created for each job in the space industry. Every dollar spent in the space industry generates $1.51 of regional economic activity.

SOURCE: PUGET SOUND REGIONAL COUNCIL / WASHINGTON STATE SPACE ECONOMY REPORT (SEPT. 2018)

King County is home to the largest concentration of space-related businesses in Washington state. Many of these companies operate offices as well as research and manufacturing facilities on the Eastside. Here are three notable businesses.

A Mukilteo-based aerospace component and tooling manufacturer founded in 1986, Electroimpact designs and manufactures space and satellite components such as panels, specialized lifting equipment, trailers, and transporters.

Founded a decade ago as Arkyd Astronautics, this Redmond-based company aims to identify, extract, and refine resources such as water and precious metals from near-Earth asteroids.

Founded in 1994, this Bothell-based company manufactures and develops advanced technologies that serve the rapidly growing small satellite industry and the emerging field of in-space manufacturing that, in the end, foster the future development of a space-faring society.

More here:

Business of Space - 425business.com

Venus is colloquially referred to as Earths Twin, owing to the similarities it has with our planet. Not surprisingly though, there is a great deal that scientists dont know about Venus. Between the hot and hellish landscape, extremely thick atmosphere, and clouds of sulfuric rain, it is virtually impossible to explore the planets atmosphere and surface. Whats more, Venus slow rotation makes the study of its dark side all the more difficult.

However, these challenges have spawned a number of innovative concepts for exploration. One of these comes from the University of Buffalos Crashworthiness for Aerospace Structures and Hybrids (CRASH) Laboratory, where researchers are designing a unique concept known as the Bio-inspired Ray for Extreme Environments and Zonal Explorations (BREEZE).

The BREEZE is basically a morphing spacecraft that flaps its wings, similar to how a stingray flaps its pectoral fins, in order to maintain lift in Venus atmosphere. The concept is one of 12 revolutionary concepts selected by NASA as part of its Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program which funds innovative projects that are in early-phase development.

In much the same way that a stingray uses its large fins to swim with ease, the BREEZEs design would make efficient use of the high winds in Venus upper atmosphere. The craft would circumnavigate the planet every four to six days and would rely on solar panels to recharge its instruments. This would happen every two to three days while the craft is exploring the side of Venus that is illuminated by the Sun.

The BREEZE would take atmospheric samples, track weather patterns, monitor volcanic activity, and gather other data on Venus environment. Its design would make it especially well-suited for exploring the mysterious dark side of Venus. As Javid Bayandor, an associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and the projects lead investigator, explained it:

By taking our cues from nature, specifically sea rays, were looking to maximize flight efficiency. The design will allow for a so-far unattained degree of control for such a spacecraft that would be subject to severe zonal and meridional winds on the planet.

Venus dark side remains something of a mystery to scientists because of the way it experiences such long periods of darkness. This is because Venus rotational period is longer than its orbital period i.e. it takes slightly more than 243 days to rotate once on its axis and 225 days to complete a single orbit of the Sun. As a result, the time it takes for the Sun to return to the same place in the sky (a solar day) works out to 116.75Earthdays.

The key is the unique design of BREEZEs morphing wings, which will use an internal tensioning system to generate thrust, ensure control and stability, and provide additional lift and mechanical compression. All of this allows for buoyancy control, allowing the BREEZE to navigate through Venus atmosphere the same way a stingray navigates through water.

This is especially important since it is only above Venus dense clouds, about 50 km ( mi) above the surface, that temperatures and air pressure are stable enough for an exploration craft to survive. In fact, some scientists have even speculated that it is at these altitudes that life could be found, most likely in the form of extremophile organisms that are capable of living in a hot and acidic environment (aka. thermoacidophilic).

This technology could also enable missions to underwater environments here on Earth and other bodies in the Solar System with dense atmospheres. This is especially true of Titan, Saturns largest moon and the only other body in the Solar System that has a dense nitrogen-rich atmosphere (roughly 1.45 times as thick as Earths). Here too, space agencies are looking for long-term missions to explore the exotic environment.

It is also one of many inspired ideas that have been proposed in recent years for exploring Venus atmosphere. Other concepts like the flying drones being developed by the Boulder-based company Black Swift Technologies (in conjunction with NASA) and the Venus Aerial Mobil Platform (VAMP) that is currently being researched by Northrop Grumman.

The next two decades will be an exciting time for space exploration. Whether its stingray-inspired gliders in the atmosphere of Venus, dragonfly-inspired drones in the skies of Titan, or snake-inspired robots beneath the surface of Mars, there are several proposed missions to explore exotic and mysterious environments. Much of the credit for this will go to designers and engineers who are bringing their outside-the-box thinking to the table.

Further Reading: University of Buffalo

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Stingray Glider to Explore the Cloudtops of Venus - Universe Today

It was if Charlie Martin was back in time, testing and tuning the lunar rover, one of Boeings greatest contributions to the Apollo missions of yesteryear.

We put the rover into a space chamber, said Martin, who worked for 25 years in research and development as a Boeing aerospace technician assigned to NASAs Apollo program from the late 1960s to the early 70s. We had an artificial sun, which was a 23-foot beam that completely covered the rover, so we did a complete mission as if it was on the moon. They even put it on big shaker tables. It did everything we wanted it to do.

Inside Boeing Building 1824 in Kent, Martin and crew put the rover to the test in simulation. They played a big role in American space exploration, providing a dependable, battery-powered moon buggy for astronauts to navigate the lunar surface.

Amid fanfare Thursday night, the 84-year-old Martin joined Boeing employees and alumni, city and project leaders at mid-court inside the accesso ShoWare Center to bring the rover closer to the public. The group pulled away a large blue sheet to unveil a newly-constructed replica of the vehicle during a ceremony at the bustling Lunar Rover STEM Festival.

Plans are for the interactive rover to land next year in downtown Kent at Kherson Park, 317 W. Gowe St., part of a space-themed installation at the park to recognize Kents legacy in moon exploration and to inspire youth to pursue career opportunities in aerospace and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math)-related fields.

Boeing workers past and present, including lunar rover alumni, beamed as the public soaked in the sight of the vehicle.

Its a real moment of pride for me, not only being an employee of Boeing but also a Kent resident, said Boeing corporate historian Michael Lombardi. This generation will be able to see what I knew growing up here that the people I lived next door to would go down the hill to Boeing, and they did something amazing.

Thats who we are. That there are people in our community that do this sort of thing, he said. This is great inspiration to show (others, especially children) that they can do incredible things. Weve done that here and they can do it too.

Martin, long since retired as a technician, has become a teacher, sort of an historian today. He has visited groups throughout the area, telling the rover story. He makes time for children to explain how the rover came to be.

This is great, he said after sharing a moment in the rovers seat on stage, pointing out the many functions of the rover to interested youth. This is a fun time in life.

The purpose of the project is education, connecting innovation and history of Kent Valleys past to the possibilities of today and tomorrow for the next generation of scientists, engineers, technicians and explorers.

Thats the whole point in what we are doing, said Mayor Dana Ralph. I am so proud of the work that weve done in the past, 50 years ago, that it has so much meaning still today. And just the idea to inspire all these kids to be able to do this again, I could not be prouder. This makes it real.

The project continues to attract support.

The City Council approved earlier this year spending $123,615 for a company to build the replica, although more than $85,000 of that will come from private fundraising efforts.

The project got a boost Thursday when the Kent Lions contributed $10,000 to the effort. Boeing donated $25,000 to ignite the fundraising campaign. People can donate at ApolloLunarRover.com.

The rovers were first built at Kents Boeing Space Center in 1969. The three lunar rovers used in NASAs historic Apollo Missions 15, 16 and 17 remain on the moon.

This is the fourth one, Ralph told the crowd, and its going to stay here in the heart of Kent in our new space-themed park.

Michelle Wilmot, city economic development program manager, led the campaign to get landmark designation for the vehicles. The eight-member King County Landmarks Commission in July unanimously granted the city landmark designation for the three lunar rovers.

The city recently received a King County Executives John D. Spellman Award for Exemplary Achievement in Historic Preservation category for its regional campaign for landmark designation of the rovers.

Thursdays festival featured hands-on STEM activities for kids of all ages, displays, information and resource booths, and guest characters from Star Wars. More than 700 people attended the event, according to city officials.

Kents Charlie Martin, 84, was a Boeing aerospace technician who worked on the lunar rover for the Apollo program. MARK KLAAS, Kent Reporter

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Lunar party at the STEM Festival in Kent - Kent Reporter

When Americans think of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the first thought that comes to mind is commercial air travel. Everyone knows the FAA manages airspace and sets regulations that ensure passengers are kept safe on more than 44,000 flights daily. What is far less understood and appreciated is the safety role the FAA plays for those on the ground and in nearby airspace during rocket launches.

This is not a new endeavor. Our nation has been launching rockets into space since the 1950s, and the FAAs Office of Commercial Space Transportation (AST) has been licensing commercial rocket launches since it was established in 1984. The commercial space industry is taking off, literally, and as a result new players are trying to establish themselves. As with any industry, startups are looking to disrupt the current marketplace and create rules of the road tailored to their own particular solution. While I applaud industry partners for pushing the proverbial and literal boundaries, this is also why federal regulators exist: to establish rules of engagement that protect the public interest, especially on complex issues like commercial space launch and reentry.

As a Republican serving in Congress, I spent much of my career fighting government overreach and overregulation. But there are areas where regulation is appropriate, and space launch, like air travel, is one of them. During my tenure as chairman of the House Transportation aviation subcommittee, it became apparent to me and my colleagues that streamlining the current set of launch licensing regulations could be a boon to the U.S. commercial space industry. The Trump administration agreed, which is why it issued Space Policy Directive 2 to harmonize existing regulations.

In April, the FAA published a proposed rule that would streamline the existing launch licensing process. It proposes consolidation of different license types and allows for flexibility during the license application and compliance processes. It better aligns commercial licensing rules with existing U.S. Air Force regulations to ensure a sense of uniformity across federal partners. Critically, in recognizing that innovation and new technologies will continue to evolve long after the rule is finalized, the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) creates a process for companies to put forth and eventually adopt new and innovative ways to meet safety requirements.

This NPRM reflects broad consensus from the industry. The FAA convened an Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) that included a diverse range of companies and organizations, including SpaceX, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, ULA, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman, Virgin Galactic, the Coalition for Deep Space Exploration, and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation. More than 70% of the ARCs inputs can be found in the NPRM, which is a true testament to the FAAs ability to listen and execute.

The FAA is on track to meet the goal of Space Policy Directive 2 to encourage American leadership in space commerce by ensuring more energy is expended reaching the skies than navigating the bureaucracy. As with all commercial transportation operations, idle vehicles do not increase revenues, create new jobs or spur economic growth. There is still room for improvement as the FAA moves toward a final rule next fall, but so far they have done a solid job striking the balance between efficiency and safety.

Since the NPRM was published the FAA has been especially transparent with its work, keeping industry and government stakeholders in the loop on their methodical approach. Despite these open lines of communication, however, there are those who oppose the current NPRM and are searching for any way to disrupt the rulemaking process. This is regrettable, but not unexpected. In my more than two decades of federal experience, companies with little exposure to the rulemaking process often initially overreact when they are not allowed to write their own regulations. I am confident that if the FAA maintains constant communication with stakeholders, cooler heads will prevail and the entire commercial space industry will move forward together when the final rule is published.

Bottom line: if the United States is to lead the world in space, we need companies to set up shop here. To be more business-friendly, we must reduce the regulatory burden such as eliminating duplicative applications and meaningless paperwork when applying for a launch license. It also means ensuring a robust culture of safety that protects lives and property. From my perspective, the FAA is on the path to a safer, more efficient licensing process. All commercial space partners should encourage, rather than disrupt, this approach.

The Honorable Frank LoBiondo was chairman of the House Transportation Committeessubcommittee on aviation from 2013-2019. He served 12 terms in Congress before retiring in January 2019. He is CEO of LoBo Strategies LLC and currently an adviser to United Launch Alliance.

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Op-ed | Launching commercial space industry takes team effort - SpaceNews