Progress 77 and Pirs undocked from Station
Tuesday, 27 July 2021 11:16
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The unpiloted Russian Progress 77 cargo spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station while attached to the Pirs docking compartment at 6:55 a.m. EDT.
The spacecraft will reenter Earth's atmosphere and harmlessly burn up over the south Pacific. The mission launched and docked to the space station in February delivering more than a ton of cargo to the Expedition 65 crew.
De NASA's Fermi Spots a Supernova's 'Fizzled' Gamma-ray Burst
Tuesday, 27 July 2021 11:16 Write a comment
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 27, 2021
On Aug. 26, 2020, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected a pulse of high-energy radiation that had been racing toward Earth for nearly half the present age of the universe. Lasting only about a second, it turned out to be one for the record books - the shortest gamma-ray burst (GRB) caused by the death of a massive star ever seen.
GRBs are the most Apollo to Artemis: Drilling on the Moon
Tuesday, 27 July 2021 11:16 Write a comment
Fifty years ago, Apollo 15 lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, sending Commander David R. Scott, Command Module Pilot Alfred M. Worden, and Lunar Module Pilot James B. Irwin on the first of three Apollo "J" missions.
These missions gave astronauts the opportunity to explore the Moon for longer periods using upgraded and more plentiful scientific instruments than ever before. Apollo 15 wa Hubble finds first evidence of water vapor on Ganymede
Tuesday, 27 July 2021 11:16 Write a comment
For the first time, astronomers have uncovered evidence of water vapor in the atmosphere of Jupiter's moon Ganymede. This water vapor forms when ice from the moon's surface sublimates - that is, turns from solid to gas.
Scientists used new and archival datasets from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to make the discovery, published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Previous research has offere Astronomers back technical efforts to reduce impacts of satellite megaconstellations while seeking regulatory solutions
Tuesday, 27 July 2021 10:31 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — With slow progress on regulation and policy, astronomers are making progress on other approaches to mitigate the effects that satellite megaconstellations will have on their observations.
At the conclusion of the weeklong SATCON2 workshop July 16, astronomers announced a proposal to develop a virtual center called SatHub that will provide tools for astronomers to avoid satellite passes in their observations or correct observations affected by such passes.
Chinese rocket company Space Pioneer secures major funding ahead of first launch
Tuesday, 27 July 2021 08:16 Write a comment
HELSINKI — Chinese commercial rocket company Space Pioneer has secured a large funding round ahead of reusable “hop” tests and a first orbital launch.
Bezos offers NASA a $2 billion discount for Blue Origin Moon lander
Tuesday, 27 July 2021 06:24 Write a comment
Blue Origin owner Jeff Bezos wrote an open letter to NASA on Monday offering a $2 billion discount to allow his company to build a Moon lander.
The human landing system (HLS) contract, worth $2.9 billion, was awarded to rival SpaceX in April, but Blue Origin and a third company Dynetics filed protests that are currently awaiting adjudication by the US Government Accountability Office.
The United States is seeking to return to the Moon by 2024 under the Artemis program, using the lessons learned to prepare for a crewed Mars mission in the 2030s.
In his letter to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Bezos said the offer would "bridge the funding shortfall" that led to the space agency picking just one contractor, instead of two which would then compete with each other.
He added "this offer is not a deferral, but is an outright permanent waiver."
Since losing the award, Blue Origin has been frantically lobbying to have the decision reversed, leading the Senate to pass a bill agreeing to add $10 billion to the human lander system.
But the legislation is still being debated in the House, and has been branded a "Bezos Bailout" by critics.
DoD calls for broader dialogue on space rules of behavior
Monday, 26 July 2021 19:55 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — A set of guidelines issued by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin for responsible space operations should be part of a wider conversation about how to maintain safety and security in space, a senior Pentagon official said July 26.
Astronomers seek evidence of tech built by aliens
Monday, 26 July 2021 19:06 Write a comment
An international team of scientists led by a prominent Harvard astronomer announced a new initiative Monday to look for evidence of technology built by extraterrestrial civilizations.
Called the Galileo Project, it envisages the creation of a global network of medium-sized telescopes, cameras and computers to investigate unidentified flying objects, and has so far been funded with $1.75 million from private donors.
Given recent research showing the prevalence of Earth-like planets throughout the galaxy, "We can no longer ignore the possibility that technological civilizations predated us," Professor Avi Loeb told reporters at a news conference.
"The impact of any discovery of extraterrestrial technology on science, our technology, and on our entire world view, would be enormous," he added in a statement.
Large meteor lights up skies in Norway
Monday, 26 July 2021 17:25 Write a comment
SpaceX or ULA to launch future Space Development Agency satellites
Monday, 26 July 2021 15:53 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — Launch services for Space Development Agency satellites will be procured under the National Security Space Launch program run by the U.S. Space Force, according to an agency announcement.
SDA is a Defense Department agency that is building a large constellation of small communications satellites in low Earth orbit known as the Transport Layer.
Jeff Bezos is still not an astronaut, according to the FAA
Monday, 26 July 2021 15:43 Write a comment
Just because you were in space doesn't mean you get the wings of an astronaut.
The Federal Aviation Administration set new rules concerning the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings Program and the criteria used to award those commanding, piloting or working on privately funded spacecraft with the Commercial Space Astronaut Wings badge.
The order was issued on July 20, the same day billionaire and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his Blue Origin rocket crew made history by blasting off from the West Texas desert, reaching space and returning to Earth.
NASA, the Air Force, the Federal Aviation Administration and some astrophysicists consider the boundary between the atmosphere and space to begin 50 miles up. Bezos actually met the requirement by going 62 miles above sea level.
To earn the wings, the FAA now states that passengers must have "demonstrated activities during flight that were essential to public safety, or contributed to human space flight safety." Given the automation of Blue Origin, Bezos doesn't meet this criteria.
New Shepard, a 60-foot rocket and capsule, was designed primarily for space tourism thanks to fully automated flight systems, meaning nobody was piloting the craft nor contributing to "human space flight safety.
U.K. to strengthen regulations for Starlink, OneWeb and other NGSO constellations
Monday, 26 July 2021 14:59 Write a comment
TAMPA, Fla. — British telecoms regulator Ofcom is proposing rule changes that would affect Starlink, OneWeb and other satellite constellations operating in non-geostationary orbits (NGSO).
It is increasingly difficult for companies to agree on how to operate their NGSO networks without causing harmful radio interference to each other, Ofcom warned in a July 26 consultation document it issues before creating new rules.
Op-ed | It’s time to seriously consider space-based solar power
Monday, 26 July 2021 14:00 Write a comment
In the late 1960s, enterprising scientist Peter Glaser proposed using orbiting satellites to collect incoming solar radiation, transform it into microwaves, and beam it down to focused receivers on Earth where it would be converted into electricity.
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