Daily Archives: February 2, 2021

Photo courtesy of Dakota State University

MADISON, S.D., February 2, 2021 I love space, said Gabe Lamb, a Dakota State senior majoring in cyber operations.

The Rapid City, S.D. native said he has always been obsessed with space, watching rocket launches and space exploration videos. When he learned that applications for the United States Space Force (USSF) Cyber Warfare Operations division were being accepted from members of the Air Force ROTC, he knew this was a significant opportunity.

A cadet lieutenant colonel in the DSU/SDSU Air Force ROTC, he applied for one of the seven slots available nationally. When he got the call that he had been chosen, I had no words.

Lamb will graduate in May, and commission as a 2nd Lieutenant. He will do some training this summer before starting with the USSF.

Established on December 20, 2019, the Space Force is the newest branch of the Armed Forces. Its mission is to organize, train, and equip space forces in order to protect U.S. and allied interests in space, and to provide space capabilities to the joint force. The USSF website points out that Space affects almost every part of our daily lives and is fundamental to our economic system.

As an example of that statement, Lamb noted the number of satellites in use around the planet. We depend on them for GPS, weather, internet, he stated. If they go down, they cause major problems on Earth.

By serving in the USSF, I can be part of the solution, and be part of the efforts creating building blocks for this newest branch of the Armed Forces.

He is also excited by the opportunities in the USSF. It promises to be a really exciting decade for space lovers, Lamb said, citing discussions to create a base on the Moon, and travel to Mars. The chance to be a part of that is so awesome, he said. If given the opportunity, I would 100% go to the Moon.

Lamb said coming to DSU as a transfer student was the best decision I ever made.

Austin Slaughter, veteran affairs coordinator at DSU, and a member of the South Dakota Army National Guard, said, Dakota State has always done a great job of molding and training many students into future leaders who will make a big impact.

Not only does this reflect well on DSU, but Slaughter also credits Lamb, saying Gabe has put in the work to learn and become the person he is today. The opportunity with USSF will likely open many doors for him in the career of cyber operations, and even more so with his military career, said Slaughter.

DSU partners with SDSU to offer both Air Force and Army ROTC, Slaughter said, and DSU students are eligible for ROTC scholarships. Cadets take a class each semester specific to their level for the ROTC program; some travel to the SDSU campus is involved for some of the lab portions of those classes.

Link:

DSU student one of 7 Air Force ROTC cadets in the nation chosen for Space Force - KNBN NewsCenter1 - Newscenter1.tv

America and China should cooperate in space. Although the United States can no longer take its extraterrestrial dominance for granted, it remains the leading player, while Chinas space capabilities are growing fast. Most important, both countries, along with the rest of the world, would benefit from a set of clear rules governing the exploration and commercialisation of space.

China made history in 2019 by becoming the first country to land a probe on the far side of the moon. It continues to notch up impressive achievements, most recently its Change-5 mission to retrieve lunar samples. Former US President Donald Trump also took an active interest in space, announcing that America would return astronauts to the moon by 2024 and creating the Space Force as the newest branch of the US military.

The next phase of competition in space will be to establish a mining base on the moon. Lunar mining is important for two reasons. First, ice on the moons surface can be converted into hydrogen and oxygen and used as rocket fuel, which is crucial for deep-space missions.

The second reason is closer to home: the moons surface contains highly valuable rare-earth metals that are used in technologies like mobile phones, batteries and military equipment. China currently produces approximately 90% of the worlds rare-earth metals, giving it significant leverage over other countries, including the US. By sourcing these metals from the moon, countries could reduce their dependence on China.

Historically, mining and any other claims to objects in space were considered to be prohibited by Article II of the 1967 United Nations Outer Space Treaty (OST), which states that outer space [] is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.

This agreement resulted from collaboration between the US and the Soviet Union, the two leading space powers at the time. Despite their rivalry, they were able to establish a framework for space exploration that prevented militarisation and, inspiringly, regarded astronauts as envoys of mankind. The hotly contested space race continuedas did the larger Cold Warbut with norms in place to protect the common good.

This regime began to fracture after the adoption of the 1979 UN Moon Agreement, which sought to place private commercial claims to space resources under the purview of an international body. No major spacefaring power ratified the accord, and the legality of private claims in space remained murky. Then, in 2015, the US Congress granted US citizens the right to own any materials they extract in space, opening the door for commercial space exploration.

In October, Trump took matters even further by initiating the Artemis Accordsa set of bilateral agreements between the US and Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom that set out principles for future civil space exploration. The accords claim to affirm the OST, but actually expand the US interpretation of commercial space law by stating that mining does not inherently constitute national appropriation under Article II of the treaty.

With these accords, the US and the other signatories are bilaterallyand dubiouslyinterpreting an international treaty, and attempting to determine future commercial interests in space without a multilateral agreement. Absent international standards, countries could engage in a race to the bottom in order to gain a competitive advantage. Unregulated commercial activity could cause a host of problems, from orbital pollution that jeopardises spacecraft to biological contamination of scientifically valuable sites.

Moreover, the Artemis Accords deliberately circumvent the UN to avoid having to include China, thus souring international space relations just when cooperation is needed to tackle common challenges. China has historically been excluded from the US-led international order in space. It is not a partner in the International Space Station program, and a US legislative provision has limited NASAs ability to cooperate with it in space since 2011.

If the US managed to coordinate with the Soviet Union on space policy during the Cold War, it can find a way to cooperate with China now. The two countries will likely remain at odds on many issues, including trade, cybersecurity, internet governance, democracy and human rights. But President Joe Bidens administration must also recognise those areas where cooperation is in Americas best interest. Global threats like pandemics and climate change are obvious examples; setting norms for commercial activities in space is another.

As a first step, the new administration should distance itself from Trumps accords and instead pursue a new course within the UN Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space. Biden can restore some of Americas global legitimacy by working to establish a multilateral framework, negotiated with all relevant parties, that protects areas of common interest while granting internationally accepted commercial opportunities.

This will not be an easy task, given that USChina relations are at their lowest point in decades. But the alternative is bleak. Without an international framework that includes all major spacefaring countries, the moon could become the next Wild West. China is unlikely to be a responsible partner in a space order that does not afford it a position. Isolating China could even lead to a territorial clash with the US over prime real estate at the moons south pole, where precious ice reservoirs are thought to be located.

The wonder of space inspired rival powers to work together in the interest of mankind once before. With effective leadership in the US and China, it can happen again.

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The US and China must cooperate in space | The Strategist - The Strategist

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

NYSE

Here are the stocks making headlines in after hours trading.

Virgin Galactic Shares of the space exploration company rose 7% in extended trading, building off a 21.5% gain during market hours after Virgin Galactic announced that it could redo a spaceflight test as early as Feb. 13. Fellow space industry company SpaceX also announced Monday that it plans to launch an all-civilian crew into space later this year.

GameStop The video game retailer extended its slide after the bell, falling 9%. The stock lost more than 30% during Monday's market hours after jumping 400% last week.

Cirrus Logic Shares of the semiconductor company fell 6.5% in extended trading despite Cirrus posting better-then-expected results for its fiscal third quarter. Earnings and revenue were both higher than analysts were anticipating, according to Refinitiv, and forward revenue guidance was roughly in line.

NXP Semiconductors The chipmaker's stock slipped more than 2% after hours despite NXP reporting better than expected revenue for the fourth quarter. The company's forward guidance was also higher than expected, according to FactSet.

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Stocks making the biggest moves after hours: Virgin Galactic, GameStop, Cirrus Logic and more - CNBC

Its time to check in with our super-successful asteroid explorer OSIRIS-REx. Its been relatively quiet around our long distance traveling friend lately, so lets recap for a moment.

Launched in September 2016 the spacecraft took a very circuitous approach, taking advantage of gravity assists to reach the mysterious asteroid Bennu. It arrived about two years later and then proceeded to map the asteroid in extreme detail. Bennu proved to have one surprise after another in store. Very little was known about the faraway little alien world, except that it had a very dark surface and was very hard to see with a telescope, and we knew its orbit and size.

All this time we had imagined Bennu as a solid dust-covered rock with a bunch of craters of varying sizes. Maybe a little like the Moon, or like the other asteroids of which we have close-up photos. So the equipment aboard OSIRIS-Rex reflected those expectations. However, Bennu surprised us literally at every turn!

While we anticipated the spinning top shape, which is pretty popular in the asteroid world, everyone was utterly surprised at how rough that little world turned out to be. Instead of dust there were rocks. Rocks of all sizes from pea gravel to giant boulders, and every size in between. In fact, the entire asteroid seemed to be a spinning top-shaped pile of, well, rubble.

One particular science instrument, riding on OSIRIS-REx in duplicate, is a laser. It was designed to shoot beams at Bennus surface and analyze the echoing reflection for mapping purposes, to make it easier to determine where to sample its surface material. However, the incredibly rough surface made this pretty much impossible as the beam would have been reflected every-which-a-way, and so the OSIRIS-REx team had to rely on a lot of image analysis, using a small army of volunteers to narrow down sampling sites where it was safe for the spacecraft to get this close to the asteroid, and where the pebbles were reasonably small so they could be picked up by the touch-and-go sampling device.

You can plan all you want in space exploration there is always a scenario you didnt see coming, and you have to make do with what you have. The good thing is that some awfully smart people are working those missions, and their scientifically creative minds can usually come up with some solution. And so, last October, OSIRIS-REx collected a whole basket full of Bennu goodie-rocks, and they were quickly stowed in the sample-return capsule aboard the spacecraft. The hermetically sealed container will be the only part of the craft actually returning to Earth. And what will happen to OSIRIS-REx?

Well, thats what the mission team is currently debating, and of course the mission needs an official extension, and a budget increase to accommodate the additional time. If that happens, OSIRIS-REx has a chance of going after the infamous asteroid Apophis, after it drops off its precious cargo for landing on Earth. Asteroid Apophis was discovered in 2004 and instantly became a supervillain when preliminary analysis indicated it might crash into Earth in 2029. We now know that Apophis will make a very close approach but will not collide with our fair planet. And because of that OSIRIS-REx has an opportunity to study Apophis, similar to how it was able to explore Bennu. Scientists are particularly excited about learning whether Earths gravity field would actually disturb the surface on Apophis landslides are an easy-to-spot sign of such an interaction.

And of course we want to know as much as we possibly can about this asteroid. Even though its going to miss us this time, its going to be just too close for comfort, and we need to know all we can about it. So lets keep our fingers crossed for that mission extension. It would be a terrible waste otherwise, since OSIRIS-REx is in terrific health, and wed finally get a chance to use those lasers on something and do some awesome science that way.

Mission extensions give us the biggest bang for our buck: the spacecraft is already out there, so no expenses for a rocket, no million chances of things going wrong during a launch, all instruments are tested and working and ready to go it just makes sense. Meanwhile, OSIRIS-REx is going to get ready to leave Bennu in a few months and head back towards Earth, dropping off the sample capsule in 2023 for eagerly waiting researchers. This journey is far from over!

Beate Czogalla is the Professor of Theater Design in the Department of Theatre and Dance at Georgia College & State University. She has had a lifelong interest in space exploration and has been a Solar System Ambassador for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/ NASA for many years. She can be reached at our_space2@yahoo.com

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OUR SPACE: Looking ahead with OSIRIS-REx | Opinion | unionrecorder.com - The Union-Recorder

Last week, NASA appointed Indian-American Bhavya Lal as its acting chief of staff. Previously, as the senior White House appointee at NASA, Lal served as a member of the Biden Presidential Transition Agency Review Team for the agency and oversaw the agencys transition under the administration of President Joe Biden.

Who is Bhavya Lal?

NASA said in a statement that Lal serves as a member of the research staff at the Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) from 2005 to 2020 where she led the analysis of space technology, strategy, and policy for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and National Space Council, as well as federal space-oriented organizations, including NASA, the Department of Defense, and the intelligence community.

She earned a Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in nuclear engineering, as well as a second MS degree in technology and policy, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lal also holds a doctorate in public policy and public administration from George Washington University and is a member of the nuclear engineering and public policy honor societies.

She has written extensively on the progress made by ambitious private companies such as SpaceX, Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin in making space tourism a reality. In the summer 2016 issue of the journal Issues in Science and Technology, she noted that in the next 10-15 years, the US government may not be the principal hub of the space community and that Given the pace of innovation and its geographic diversity, government may not always be the owner of the most innovative technology, approach, or architecture. In the same article, Lal said that space ambitions were no longer restricted to major space-faring nations, but included countries such as India, Israel. South Korea, the UK and Singapore that have started showing growing expertise in space exploration and in technology development.

About Space Xs Demo-2 test flight of May 2020, she wrote in June last year, The SpaceX launch provided continuing evidence that solutions-based contracts can add value not only for the government but also for the broader space enterprise. But determining which activities would benefit from having the private sector play a greater role should be a matter of data and analysisnot dogma.

The Demo-2 mission was part of NASAs Commercial Crew Program, which has been working with several American aerospace industry companies to facilitate the development of US human spaceflight systems since 2010, with the aim of developing reliable and cost-effective access to and from the International Space Station (ISS). Such partnerships with private companies meant to find alternatives to crew transportation services other than NASA allow the space agency to focus on building spacecraft and rockets meant for deep space exploration missions.

In a report published by IDA in March 2020 titled, Measuring the Space Economy: Estimating the Value of Economic Activities in and for Space, Lal and the co-authors estimated the size of the space economy to be at $170 billion, which they noted was half of what some other organisations have estimated to be. In their report, they considered space economy to have four sections: government expenditures on space (human space explorations and science and military space programs), space services (expenditures by households and businesses on services generated in space for use on Earth or in space, such as broadband internet provided by satellites), space supplier industry (sales of goods and services such as satellites or space launches, which make possible the achievement of government space missions or the production of goods and services in space for sale on Earth) and space service user support industry (sales of productssuch as consumer satellite TV dishes, global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) hardwarethat are needed to utilize space services).

As the acting chief of staff, Lal will be responsible for the day-to-day operations at NASAs headquarters and will work towards shaping the strategic direction of the space agency.

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Explained: Who is Bhavya Lal, the Indian-American appointed as NASAs acting chief of staff? - The Indian Express

[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource Games Press.]

Roam through endless space, manage your space fleet, and fight an alien race for resources in Star Exodus an RTS game coming to PC that has just been announced.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 2nd, Warsaw, Poland.

The reinstatement of national space programs in the twenty-first century and the emergence of competing, privately-owned companies were only the starting point for the cosmic exploration of humanitys dreams. However, it took us several more centuries to reach a point where the visions our ancestors fantasized about in then-popular TV series and games like Battlestar Galactica and Homeworld became our reality. Roaming through endless space and fighting an alien race for resources was no longer something from a science fiction comic book but an everyday challenge for which we were well-prepared. The one thing we werent ready to face was the truth about our own species.

Watch the Star Exodus announcement trailer HERE to prepare for your first space mission.

Add the game to your Steam Wishlist (https://store.steampowered.com/app/1252070/Star_Exodus/) to stay up to date with its development.

ABOUT STAR EXODUS

Star Exodus is a single-player, real-time strategy game defined by exploration and player choice that will allow gamers to wander throughout endless space. Fight for and manage resources while taking care of your crew. Embark on the journey of a lifetime and put your survival skills to the test. Modify your fleet, face an intelligent alien race, and try to find your place in the universe.

STAR EXODUS MAIN FEATURES

Extract valuable resources from across the galaxy. Control and manage them wisely. Remember not to run out of food or fuel, and adjust your ships to your crews needs. Remember that if you lose a ship, all associated resources associated are gone.

Keep your crews morale high. In the end, your team is the most important resource you have, and youre only as strong as your fleet. Think carefully before making every decision and try to be a responsible and conscious leader not to be abandoned due to poor management decisions.

Let your decisions shape the plot. Decide about the lives of not only your enemies but, more importantly, your crew. Be ready for the varied consequences your choices will bring. Remember that no two games will be the same, so try to discover all alternative endings and create your own story.

Be ready for close encounters of the third kind. Space is endless, and so are the possibilities of meeting various alien spaceships during exploration. Usually, their crews will attempt to brutally remove you from their path. It will be your job as captain to decide whether to protect your crew and escape or face the enemy fleet. Use environmental elements to trick your opponents or hide. Send battleships or ambush hostile aliens by lurking behind asteroids to protect your team. Dont be too reckless, as the aliens may be smarter than you think.

Build the strongest space fleet around. Assign utilities to specific ships and customize your fleet as you develop. Choose the right tools to upgrade and modify your ships according to your needs. Meet and recruit friendly ships. See if youve got what it takes to build a powerful, truly unstoppable space fleet.

Decide what to do with the resources at your disposal. You choose to what extent youll take your space exploration. You can even create an entire society within your fleet. One thing is certain you have possibilities no one on earth could ever imagine. The only question is what will you do with them?

Star Exodus is being developed for PC by DreamStorm Studios and will be published by Games Operators.

More information about the game can be found on Steam, the publishers Facebook, and Twitter.

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About Games Operators

Games Operators is a publishing company that invests in, releases, and promotes video games. The company helps develop innovative and unique video games like 911 Operator and Radio Commander by getting involved in projects at various levels of progress from the conceptual phase to nearly-finished products. http://www.gameops.pl/

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About DreamStorm Studio

DreamStorm Studio is a young, determined team of developers based in Gliwice, Poland, and ready to take on any challenge. Their passion guides them in creating unique games, applications, and VR/AR solutions. With over two years of experience, they are always aiming for perfection in their projects. https://dreamstormstudios.com/

Excerpt from:

Embark on a space odyssey in Star Exodus a single-player, real-time strategy game sharing the vibes of Battlestar Galactica and Homeworld . -...

Startups also get opportunities in space exploration and deep sea exploration. Another `4,000 crore was proposed for deep ocean missions in the Budget.

By Srinath Srinivasan

Indian Union Budget 2021-22: The first alL-digital Union Budget was well-received by industry sectors such as BFSI, infrastructure, healthcare as well as the small to medium sized business segment. While there were no direct announcements to further push the digital agenda that the Indian tech startup community already has, it has a lot to look forward to because of the Budget and the resulting pull from the core industries that directly benefit from the Budget.

Starting with the fintech hub in GIFT city, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman gave an overview on whats about to come for BFSI firms and the startups in the fintech sector. The hub will bring world-class fintech businesses, from domestic and international markets, in one place. Again, an allocation of Rs 1,500 crore to provide financial incentives for digital payments will encourage payments startups to expand their services and reach out to the masses.

The opening up of insurance sector to 74% FDI, tax incentives for relocating foreign funds in International Financial Services Centre in GIFT city and the allocation of Rs 15,700 crore towards MSMEs open up new opportunities for Indian fintech companies. Year 2020 saw an 80% increase in digital payments, especially from Tier 2 and 3 cities, and the government has focused on capitalising on this momentum and incentivising the adoption of digital payments for the year ahead. Im hoping the initiatives by the government will bring digital financial literacy in vernacular languages, says Harshil Mathur, CEO and co-founder of Razorpay.

The Budget proposals addressed both the pandemic and the existing health infrastructure, with a 137% increase in allocation to healthcare, up at Rs 2.24 lakh crore from the current Rs 54,000 crore. This will cover the immediate issue of vaccine availability and boost the participation of private sector, especially startups, in the expansion of heathtech infrastructure. The launch of PM Aatmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojna and the push to set up primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare centres are great strides forward to which healthtech companies can help by providing speed, scale and sustainability, says Gaurav Gupta, co-founder, Navia Life Care. In order to help health tech startups further, the government could consider tax exemptions for allied and digital health services, similar to the prevailing exemptions to other healthcare services, he adds.

The Budget also focused on fisheries in addition to agriculture. Announcements were made to increase credit flows to animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries. The announcement to invest in modern fishing harbours and fish landing centres in Kochi, Chennai, Visakhapatnam, Paradip, and Petuaghat is considered as a long-term positive move by startups in the aquaculture sector.

Fishing harbours and fish-landing centres along the banks of rivers and waterways is a visionary move. Also, many startups which are working to streamline agricultural lending will get a boost. We are partnering with banks to extend credit products to aquaculture farmers, says Rajmanohar Somasundaram, CEO, Aquaconnect. The Budget also had a proposal to promote seaweed cultivation, by way of setting up a Multipurpose Seaweed Park in Tamil Nadu. As a push towards Aatmanirbhar Bharat, there is an increase of duty from 5% to 15% on the imported prawn feed. It will lead to an increase in adoption of domestic shrimp feed and provide competitive edge to the domestic feed producers, he adds.

Startups also get opportunities in space exploration and deep sea exploration. Another Rs 4,000 crore was proposed for deep ocean missions in the Budget. The announcement to allocate Rs 50,000 crore over five years for National Research Fund and a separate programme for National Language Translation Mission to translate government information to major Indian languages are also set to attract more startups. Further, the proposal to amend the apprenticeship law to boost skilling and the announcement regarding taxes will directly impact startups in the short term.

According to Nasscom, extending tax holiday of three years to all startups registered under DPIIT, would impact over 40000 startups in the country and is considered a disruptive move. The Budget also saw steps to incentivise incorporation of one-person companies and extension of tax holidays and claiming capital gains for one more year.

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Union Budget 2021 What startups get: Startups bank on spin-off effect - The Financial Express