Monthly Archives: May 2021

Posted: May 10, 2021 / 09:08 AM CDT / Updated: May 10, 2021 / 09:08 AM CDT

IN SPACE MAY 23: In this handout image provided by the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA, the International Space Station and the docked space shuttle Endeavour orbit Earth during Endeavours final sortie on May 23, 2011 in Space. Italian astronaut Paolo Nespoli captured the first-ever images of an orbiter docked to the International Space Station from the viewpoint of a departing vessel as he returned to Earth in a Soyuz capsule. (Photo by Paolo Nespoli ESA/NASA via Getty Images)

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (KVEO) Students from the Brownsville Independent School District (ISD) will get a chance to speak to astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) on Wednesday, May 11.

The call will happen at 9:15 a.m. CT. and will be streamed on NASA Television, the Nasa app and the agencys website, according to a release.

During the call, astronauts will answered pre-recorded questions from students live.

NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough and ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will be participating.

Linking students directly toastronautsaboard the Space Station provides a unique and authentic experience designated to enhance student learning, performance, and interest in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, said the release.

To watch, click here.

Excerpt from:
Brownsville ISD students to hear from astronauts aboard the International Space Station - KGBT-TV

In 1967, Barron Hilton, the future head of Hilton Hotels Corp., turned up at an American Astronautical Society meeting devoted to outer space tourism. The first moon landing was still two years out, but Hilton wasn't going to be late to the next big travel market. At the conference, he laid out plans for Earth-orbiting Hiltons and lunar hotels, complete with Galaxy Lounges where guests might enjoy a martini and the stars.

Alas, humans would have to wait decades for an outer-space outpost, and the one they got, the International Space Station, wasn't built for private occupation, much less luxury travel. But now, as the ISS nears the end of its useful life, some entrepreneurs are revisiting Hiltons vision and even thinking bigger.

The American ambition to commercialize space is almost as old as the urge to explore it. In 1962, NASA launched Telstar 1, the worlds first privately financed satellite (paid for by AT&T). Hours after launch, it relayed the first live trans-Atlantic television pictures, opening the way for today's multibillion-dollar communication-satellite industry.

But actual space stations that could host human visitors turned out to be a far greater challenge. Although Soviet and American scientists launched competing designs for such a facility in the 1970s, these were more akin to floating tin cans than Hiltons vacation bungalows. Yet NASA was lobbying for something much more ambitious: a crewed orbital station that could serve as a laboratory, factory and waypoint for travel to the moon and Mars.

The ISS, announced in 1984, seemed to fit the bill. Like many government projects with multiple stakeholders, however, it ran persistently over-budget and over-deadline. Its first launch didnt get off the ground until 1998. Total costs over the three decades to 2015 are thought to have exceeded $150 billion, giving the ISS a decent claim to being the most expensive thing ever built. For that kind of money, Americans rightly expected the ISS to get a lot done. Yet the facility has been badly underused for most of its history, thanks to both chronic mismanagement and the high cost of delivering people and equipment to space.

Starting in 2005, NASA hit on a new strategy for addressing the latter problem. It signed agreements with three private space companies to deliver cargo and crew to the station, in the hopes of both driving down costs and encouraging a commercial space industry to develop. NASA would act as an adviser and investor, and select the most promising design to replace the soon-to-be-retired Space Shuttle.

It was a long-shot bet that little-known companies such as SpaceX could do better than traditional aerospace contractors. And it was a huge success: Sixteen years later, the cost of launching people and gear to the ISS has fallen dramatically, and commercial space is booming. Last year, Estee Lauder Cos. arranged for face cream to be photographed on the station. This year, tourists will arrive for a holiday via a SpaceX rocket (at $55 million per ticket) and Tom Cruise will film scenes for an upcoming movie.

But NASAs vision extends well beyond such one-offs. In 2020, the agency contracted with Axiom Space Inc. to attach modules (with Philippe Starck-designed interiors) to the ISS that will break off and form a commercial station that will include residential quarters as well as a lab and manufacturing facility. In March, it announced that it will fund up to four other companies to develop competing concepts, using a similar model to the one that led to SpaceXs success.

Many details remain to be worked out, including what exactly to do with the ISS. But a sustainable commercial outpost in low-Earth orbit has a lot to recommend it. NASA would merely have to be a customer rather than an owner-operator, thus saving money for taxpayers or for other space priorities. Companies could use the new platform to conduct microgravity experiments, pharmaceutical research, materials-science testing and more. As costs decline, theres good reason to think that theyll come up with entirely novel uses for it.

Of course, no one should expect orbiting Hiltons just yet. But the dream of commercializing space is no longer a moonshot.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story:Adam Minter at aminter@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story:Timothy Lavin at tlavin1@bloomberg.net

Before it's here, it's on the Bloomberg Terminal.

Original post:
Could the Next Space Station Be a Hotel? - Bloomberg

HOUSTON (CW39) Each day NASA and its partners learn something new and exciting about whats happening in outer space. From new discoveries on Mars with the Rover Perseverance and Helicopter Ingenuity, to the Osiris Rex Mission returning back to earth, after years of study and sample collection on asteroid Bennu. These are just a few of the new and exciting ventures NASA has underway. But, studying further and further into outer space is a goal that continues too, especially when it comes to the stars. Neutron Stars to be exact.

CW39 Anchor Sharron Melton talks with Paul Ray, an Astrophysicist with the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. He explains how a NASA Telescope called NICER, on top of the International Space Station, is taking research on Neutron Stars to a whole new level, and already helping us understand even more about our universe.

For more information, check out the NASAS NICER Telescope Website.

Original post:
NASAs NICER Telescope: Eyes on top of the International Space Station studying Neutron Stars - CW39

Screenshot: Base One

I always wanted to play a really good base management and/or building game with a focus on space stations. There have been a few Ive played over the years, and even a few I enjoyed like Starbase Startopia. But Starbase Startopia was more like building a gas station or truck stop in space, Base One takes a serious, almost hard sci-fi look at building extra solar space habitats. Its not exactly a hard simulation but its definitely focused on survival and the harsh realities of life living in the void.

Base One is a base building and management game with some strategy and simulation sprinkled in. In it, you play as a station manager who survived a catastrophic event. You and a convoy of ships pass through a wormhole to the systems beyond, hoping to colonize unknown space, but disaster strikes. The mothership is destroyed, marooning the convoy far from home. The only way to survive is to help each other out, and that manifests into space station building gameplay. You have to build stations for many purposesat first its for support reasons, but later you must make more permanent living facilitiesand even fight off those that threaten the safety of your stations.

Screenshot: Base One

To start off, you have a hub buildingthis hub is the heart of the station. If for some reason this hub is destroyed or otherwise rendered inoperable, your station will fail. The hub obviously isnt enough for people to surviveand certainly not enough for the people to thriveso you must build off of it by adding specialized rooms, or modules, each automatically connected by a corridor. Building in Base One is very simple: each module usually only has four points to which you can connect other modules. Sometimes, modules cant connect to certain ends, like in the case of the solar module, or the docking module. Despite these rooms being specialized, you still have to build the equipment that goes into themand you have to make sure theyre connected properly.

One of my biggest gripes with Base One is how everything connects together. I know for sure in the custom game mode, you can have these connections happen automatically. When you build, say, a life support device, you have enter connections mode to connect it to the rest of the station. The way you connect these devices isnt really physical, rather, its more of a logical connection. The equipment obviously needs to be physically connected to function, but youre not physically routing oxygen lines. Rather, the modules all have these connections hardwired into them, and youre merely telling the stuff where to go. You even have to hook up the logistics to the appropriate placeusually the main hubfor these things to function. I would have preferred this gameplay to exist differentlyeither as a menu where you can assign power/O2/heat, etc. based on an available pool, or be required to build physical attachments. The system thats currently in place feels like a halfway point between the twoits a little confusing and not very fun. Despite this, I do appreciate the level of control you have over each of the stations roomsand whether theyre heated, oxygenated, etc. Of course, youll want them habitable if you want people working in them.

Screenshot: Base One

Your station inhabitants will, of course, also want to stay alive. You can also make sure theyre not so miserable, either. People have their normal wants: an occupation, comfort, to be fed, water, and to eat and breathe. There are many dangers in space, however. Things like radiation and pollution have to be mitigated, and there is the threat of asteroids and even pirates. There seems to be an increasing trend in building and management games to add strategy and combat elements to these games. Thats okay while handled correctly, but Base Ones implementation is a little flat, and mostly involves running around building turret defenses. At least explosions look cool in space.

Production-wise, Base One isnt cutting edge, but its also a mix of modern and retro. I always tend to think space is pretty, and Base One doesnt mess it up with appropriate grand space vistasthough you dont get much of a look at them. Base One even has a compelling story, though not exactly original. The story is told in a way thats slightly old school, with animated talking heads whose lips move when they talk, but dont match the sounds coming out of them. It really feels like something from around or before the PS1 era, and while it seemed a little cheap at first grew on me quickly. I just wish I would have been able to see the story to its conclusion.

Screenshot: Base One

My biggest problem with Base One is its campaign. I really wish it worked, but I frequently ran into issues with objectives not completing, even when I met the criteria. In one mission, for instance, I had to build a medical facility to treat patients. I treated four out of seven of them, but then the number of treated patients dropped to three. Mind you, this is in the first full non-tutorial mission of the game. Base One does an excellent job of easing you into its style of building and management, but then it just doesnt work. I thought having the tutorial mode enabled was the problem, so after restarting my mission with it off I was able to complete it. And then the next mission, still with tutorial mode off, it didnt work, despite me doing everything it asked. My workers would occasionally just not perform any tasks, and despite diving into the UI to find out why, I couldnt reason it out. Im hoping my experience is unique, but I struggled to finish the first of three actsand ran out of patience. Sometimes I had to restart a mission three or more times for each step to finally complete successfully.

If Base Ones campaign didnt feel so broken, I would be able to recommend it. It might even be fixed by the time its fully released tomorrowI played it for longer than I had scheduled hoping it was something I was missing. Base One is a promising, more serious take on space station buildingand thats still something I really want to play.

Base One is available tomorrow on Steam.

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Review: Base One Is a Compelling but Flawed Space Station Builder - thirdcoastreview.com

Two UCLA mechanical and aerospace engineering students conducted a live interview today from Earth to space with aerospace engineering alumna and SpaceX Crew-2 mission pilot Megan McArthur 93 and mission commander Shane Kim Kimbrough.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour carrying four astronauts from three countries successfully launched on April 23 from NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida for a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.

The 20-minute Skype interview by Anil Nair and Anneliese Peterson from UCLAs Laser Spectroscopy and Gas Dynamics Laboratory was livestreamed on NASA TV. A recording showing the interaction between students at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and the crew aboard the International Space Station can be viewed in this YouTube video.

We followed up with Nair and Peterson post-interview to get their thoughts on the out-of-this-world experience.

Q: How do you feel about speaking with McArthur and Kimbrough, the pilot and the mission commander of SpaceX Crew 2 respectively?Nair: I felt honored to have this unique opportunity to talk to Megan and Kim. Anneliese and I have both learned so much about space flight and travel in our classes, so it was great to hear about the astronauts experiences first-hand.

Q: Describe what it was like talking to people in space. How does it feel and sound differently or the same from calling someone on Earth?Peterson: Talking to the astronauts in space felt surprisingly similar to a regular video call, except that there was a slight delay because they had to uplink our audio from the ground to the Station. I loved how Megan wore a UCLA shirt for the occasion!

Q: What came to mind when you first saw McArthur and Kimbrough?Peterson: When their video first popped up on the screen and I saw them floating in microgravity I finally processed how unique the opportunity to speak directly with astronauts truly is. Their missions are so tightly scheduled that the fact that they took time to talk with us is incredibly generous, and we will remember this for the rest of our lives.

Q: What is the major takeaway from this interview?Nair: The interview was very inspiring, and it made me excited to be a part of the amazing growth in the space industry that Kim mentioned! I look forward to developing rocket engine technologies to help send future astronauts into space.

Q: What is the one question you wish you had asked but didnt get a chance to ask and why?Nair: I wish I got to ask the astronauts what their favorite microgravity trick is, and if they could demonstrate it for us. It was really impressive to see them doing tricks like flipping upside down during the interview!

Q: Anything else youd like to share with our audience?Peterson: It was incredible to hear that our question about how to redesign the ISS had never been asked before. Now I know if I ever get to design a new Space Station in a future job, I should add more storage space!

Anil Nair in the Laser Spectroscopy and Gas Dynamics Lab at UCLA, where rocket engine diagnostics are developed.Besides a shared passion for aerospace, Nair and Peterson have both been active leaders in the Rocket Project at UCLA, the student club that builds and launches liquid bi-propellant rockets out in the Mojave Desert.

Nair, a Ph.D. candidate in mechanical engineering and on his way to becoming a triple Bruin engineer, is currently doing research on detonation rocket engines and 3D-printed rocket engines. One of his goals is helping develop cutting-edge propulsion technology to enable future space travel. He served as Rocket Project president in his senior year and helped build the schools first liquid-fueled rocket. In his free time, Nair enjoys playing bass guitar and running on the beautiful UCLA campus.

Anneliese Peterson doing final engine checkouts before a hot fire of a LOx-Ethanol engine.Originally from the San Francisco Bay area, Peterson is the Rocket Project vice president and student ambassador tour guide for UCLA Samueli. A senior in aerospace engineering, Peterson is graduating this June and is considering working for Northrop Grumman at Space Park or SpaceX at Cape Canaveral as a launch engineer. Either way, Peterson plans to work as an engineer in the space industry. Shes even thought about her plans for retirement, hoping to teach physics or calculus. When shes not working with rockets, she loves painting, hiking and exploring Los Angeles.

Here is the original post:
UCLA Engineering In-Flight Conversation with SpaceX Crew 2 aboard the International Space Station - UCLA Samueli School of Engineering Newsroom

While the crew on board the International Space Station may have been looking at Cayman last week, we get a chance to have a look at their space craft this week.

Residents of the Cayman Islands will have two good opportunities later this week to see the space station as it passes overhead.

Tiyen Miller of the Cayman Islands Astronomical Society said on Thursday, 13 May, and Saturday, 15 May, observers in Cayman will be able to see the ISS, all lit up, in the early evening.

The Astronomical Society is setting up its next stargazing events to coincide with the space station spotting.

How amazing to find that astronauts aboard the International Space Station chose to point their camera down over the western Caribbean and snap a few photos of Grand Cayman, Miller said.

ISS Commander Shane Kimbrough posted four photos of different areas of the island on social media last Thursday, garnering many responses from local residents and visitors who want to come back here.

Miller said, Though it may seem incredible that astronauts can see our tiny islands from space, the space station actually passes over the Cayman Islands very frequently as it circles the whole planet about 16 times a day in its orbit just 250 miles above the ground at about 14,000mph.

He added, In fact, the space station is visible from Cayman Islands too but youve just got to find the right time to look. You might wonder why, if it passes over us so frequently, we cant see it all the time as it passes overhead? Well, if it passes over in the day, you cant see it because the sky is so light that its lost in the blue skies. And in the middle of the night, you cant usually see it because it has no lights of its own, and sails by in across the skies invisibly dark against the night sky.

However, when the sunlight hits it at just the right time and angle, it is visible from Earth.

The key is to find times when it is passing overhead just after sunset or just before sunrise, Miller said. At these times, the Sun has set for us on the ground, but because the Earth is round, the space station 250 miles above us is actually still in the sunshine. Hence, we see it as a brilliant bright dot crossing the sky, reflecting the light from the sun making it visible to us.

He pointed out that space station is quite sizeable, larger than the sports field at the Truman Bodden Sports Centre.

The Astronomical Society is setting up viewing station on Seven Mile Public Beach on Grand Cayman on Thursday, 13 May, from 7pm. The ISS flyby will happen at 7:32pm.

On Saturday, 15 May, the group will be at the lighthouse on the Bluff on Cayman Brac from 7pm to witness another ISS flyby at 7:34pm.

Miller says all are welcome to these free events.

Check the Astronomical Societys Facebook page for the latest updates.

Support local journalism. Subscribe to the all-access pass for the Cayman Compass.

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Excerpt from:
Space station visible from Cayman twice this week - Cayman Compass