Programa The Asteroid Mission impressiona alunos do Colégio Acadêmico
Um grupo formado por 48 estudantes de oito a 14 anos recebe informações sobre a missão da Osiris-Rex da Nasa, que enviou uma sonda ao espaço em setembro de 2016 para monitorar e coletar amostras da superfície do asteróide BENNU.
O programa "The Asteroid Mission" desenvolvido pela Kennedy Space Center International Academy é a atração do “Curso de Férias” do Colégio Acadêmico de Limeira. O curso teve início nesta segunda-feira, 10 de julho e ocorre até o próximo sábado (15) para três turmas, com aulas de robótica e orientações profissionais sobre os conceitos de Ciência, Tecnologia, Engenharia e Matemática
Um grupo formado por 48 estudantes de oito a 14 anos recebe informações sobre a missão da Osiris-Rex da Nasa, que enviou uma sonda ao espaço em setembro de 2016 para monitorar e coletar amostras da superfície do asteróide BENNU.
A aula explicativa com slides fornece detalhes passo a passo de como a agência espacial trabalha para monitorar o solo e detalha os aspectos técnicos dos cientistas da Nasa, durante a missão. No encontro eles receberam robôs fabricados por impressora 3D com sensores arduinos (plataforma de prototipagem eletrônica).
Os alunos aprenderam a programar os robôs pelos computadores e sentiram a sensação de comandar os equipamentos espaciais em uma superfície simulada, instalada em uma outra sala de aula. Eles também realizaram tarefas percorrendo labirintos utilizando a programação computadorizada (sem tocar nos robôs).
Ao ver os objetos se movendo os estudantes ficaram encantados. O programa “The Asteroid Mission” é oferecido mundialmente pelo KSCIA para atrair as novas gerações e mostrar as possibilidades de carreira na área de exatas. “Nossa meta é motivar os estudantes. Se querem ser engenheiros da Nasa, precisam estudar para chegar lá”. disse João Carlos Filho, coordenador do projeto no Brasil.
“Pelo olhar deles a gente percebe que estão se realizando. Eles se inspiram nos alunos que já viajaram na Jornada”, disse Claudia Brasil Vieira, coordenadora do Fundamental 1
Luís Gustavo Rosa Bueno da Silva, do 3º ano, ficou entusiasmado com a programação dos robôs. “É legal porque a gente fica perto de coisa que você nunca viu”, disse referindo-se a programação.
Charlotte Masutti, do 7º ano, ficou encantada com o programa e diz que fará de tudo para estar na próxima jornada. “Adorei desenvolver várias ideias aqui. Sou apaixonada por robótica e pretendo ir a Nasa em busca de mais conhecimento”, frisou.
No Brasil quatro instituições educacionais foram selecionadas para oferecer o curso entre elas o Colégio Acadêmico. A programação prevê aulas com Vinícius Lopes, engenheiro mecatrônico, que foi especialmente treinado para a missão no Kennedy Space Center. O programa conta com parceria também da The Michaelis Foundation for Global Education e a Brazil Florida Chamber of Commerce.
A próxima missão vai acontecer nos dias 24 e 25 de julho na cidade de Ribeirão Preto: 321Astro.com
Fonte: Assessoria de Imprensa - Colégio Acadêmico
O programa "The Asteroid Mission" desenvolvido pela Kennedy Space Center International Academy é a atração do “Curso de Férias” do Colégio Acadêmico de Limeira. O curso teve início nesta segunda-feira, 10 de julho e ocorre até o próximo sábado (15) para três turmas, com aulas de robótica e orientações profissionais sobre os conceitos de Ciência, Tecnologia, Engenharia e Matemática
Um grupo formado por 48 estudantes de oito a 14 anos recebe informações sobre a missão da Osiris-Rex da Nasa, que enviou uma sonda ao espaço em setembro de 2016 para monitorar e coletar amostras da superfície do asteróide BENNU.
A aula explicativa com slides fornece detalhes passo a passo de como a agência espacial trabalha para monitorar o solo e detalha os aspectos técnicos dos cientistas da Nasa, durante a missão. No encontro eles receberam robôs fabricados por impressora 3D com sensores arduinos (plataforma de prototipagem eletrônica).
Os alunos aprenderam a programar os robôs pelos computadores e sentiram a sensação de comandar os equipamentos espaciais em uma superfície simulada, instalada em uma outra sala de aula. Eles também realizaram tarefas percorrendo labirintos utilizando a programação computadorizada (sem tocar nos robôs).
Ao ver os objetos se movendo os estudantes ficaram encantados. O programa “The Asteroid Mission” é oferecido mundialmente pelo KSCIA para atrair as novas gerações e mostrar as possibilidades de carreira na área de exatas. “Nossa meta é motivar os estudantes. Se querem ser engenheiros da Nasa, precisam estudar para chegar lá”. disse João Carlos Filho, coordenador do projeto no Brasil.
“Pelo olhar deles a gente percebe que estão se realizando. Eles se inspiram nos alunos que já viajaram na Jornada”, disse Claudia Brasil Vieira, coordenadora do Fundamental 1
Luís Gustavo Rosa Bueno da Silva, do 3º ano, ficou entusiasmado com a programação dos robôs. “É legal porque a gente fica perto de coisa que você nunca viu”, disse referindo-se a programação.
Charlotte Masutti, do 7º ano, ficou encantada com o programa e diz que fará de tudo para estar na próxima jornada. “Adorei desenvolver várias ideias aqui. Sou apaixonada por robótica e pretendo ir a Nasa em busca de mais conhecimento”, frisou.
No Brasil quatro instituições educacionais foram selecionadas para oferecer o curso entre elas o Colégio Acadêmico. A programação prevê aulas com Vinícius Lopes, engenheiro mecatrônico, que foi especialmente treinado para a missão no Kennedy Space Center. O programa conta com parceria também da The Michaelis Foundation for Global Education e a Brazil Florida Chamber of Commerce.
A próxima missão vai acontecer nos dias 24 e 25 de julho na cidade de Ribeirão Preto: 321Astro.com
Fonte: Assessoria de Imprensa - Colégio Acadêmico
First Embraer Legacy 500 Assembled in Florida Flies
Embraer flew its first Legacy 500 midsize jet assembled at its assembly facility in Melbourne, Florida, on July 13, eight months after the first Legacy 450 mid-light jet assembled in Melbourne took flight. “The aircraft performed as expected and all flight-test procedures were successfully completed,” the company said.
“We are very pleased with yet another milestone for the Legacy 500 and we look forward to delivering this aircraft in the third quarter,” said Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Michael Amalfitano. “This flight also marks a key milestone for our Melbourne operations, where we expanded our production facility and doubled our footprint.”
The Legacy 500 is the fourth business jet model to be assembled at Embraer’s Melbourne facility, after the Legacy 450 and Phenom 100 and 300. The Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 are also manufactured at Embraer’s production facilities in São José dos Campos, Brazil, though it said earlier this year that it eventually plans to assemble most of the Legacy 450/500s in Melbourne. All Phenom production was shifted to Melbourne a year ago.
Embraer began assembling aircraft at its Melbourne facility in early 2011 with the entry-level Phenom 100, followed by the Phenom 300 in August 2012, the Legacy 450 in June 2016 and the Legacy 500 this past January. Over the last seven years, the company has delivered close to 250 Phenoms and Legacys, valued at about $2 billion, from its Melbourne facility to customers across the U.S. and to countries around the world.
“We are very pleased with yet another milestone for the Legacy 500 and we look forward to delivering this aircraft in the third quarter,” said Embraer Executive Jets president and CEO Michael Amalfitano. “This flight also marks a key milestone for our Melbourne operations, where we expanded our production facility and doubled our footprint.”
The Legacy 500 is the fourth business jet model to be assembled at Embraer’s Melbourne facility, after the Legacy 450 and Phenom 100 and 300. The Legacy 450 and Legacy 500 are also manufactured at Embraer’s production facilities in São José dos Campos, Brazil, though it said earlier this year that it eventually plans to assemble most of the Legacy 450/500s in Melbourne. All Phenom production was shifted to Melbourne a year ago.
Embraer began assembling aircraft at its Melbourne facility in early 2011 with the entry-level Phenom 100, followed by the Phenom 300 in August 2012, the Legacy 450 in June 2016 and the Legacy 500 this past January. Over the last seven years, the company has delivered close to 250 Phenoms and Legacys, valued at about $2 billion, from its Melbourne facility to customers across the U.S. and to countries around the world.
Brazil eliminates regulations which impeded public universities working with the private sector
Full-time professors at public universities in Brazil will now be allowed to carry out research in the private sector—and get paid for it, without having to drop their academic jobs. The change is the result of a new law, signed by President Dilma Rousseff, designed to bring science and industry closer together.
The law authorizes universities and public research institutions to collaborate more freely with companies, including a mechanism for giving companies access to public research facilities. The changes are meant to put Brazil “on a new path to innovation,” says biologist Helena Nader, head of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science, who helped draft the legislation. Read the full article here
The law authorizes universities and public research institutions to collaborate more freely with companies, including a mechanism for giving companies access to public research facilities. The changes are meant to put Brazil “on a new path to innovation,” says biologist Helena Nader, head of the Brazilian Society for the Progress of Science, who helped draft the legislation. Read the full article here
Florida Added More Than 36,000 Jobs in October
Boeing Revamps Production Facility for Starliner Flights
By Steven Siceloff, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Meet the CST-100 Starliner, the newly unveiled name of Boeing’s commercial crew transportation spacecraft. It’s been designed with a focus on automated flight, reliable operation and frequent flights carrying NASA astronauts to the space station. It also may take paying customers to the awe-inspiring heights of low-Earth orbit and the unique sensation of sustained weightlessness.
NASA last year awarded contracts to Boeing and SpaceX to each develop systems that will safely and cost effectively transport astronauts to the International Space Station from the United States.
The CST-100 will be assembled and processed for launch at the revitalized Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility, or C3PF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA had used the facility for 20 years as a shuttle processing hangar and for the extensive preps and testing of the space shuttle main engines in the engine shop.
“One hundred years ago we were on the dawn of the commercial aviation era and today, with the help of NASA, we’re on the dawn of a new commercial space era,” said Boeing’s John Elbon, vice president and general manager of Space Exploration. “It’s been such a pleasure to work hand-in-hand with NASA on this commercial crew development, and when we look back 100 years from this point, I’m really excited about what we will have discovered.”
With the high bay of the C3PF expected to be complete in December 2015, engineers are building the structural test article for the Starliner in the remodeled engine shop. Though not scheduled to ever make it into space, the test version of the spacecraft will be put through a continuum of tests culminating with a pad abort test in 2017. It will be used as a pathfinder to prove the design Boeing and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program worked together to develop is sound and can accomplish its missions.
- Read more at: http://www.parabolicarc.com/2015/09/04/boeing-revamps-production-facility-starliner-flights/#sthash.81HLHalj.dpuf
NASA Selects Contractor to Prepare Launch Structure for Agency's Journey to Mars
NASA has selected J. P. Donovan Construction Inc. of Rockledge, Florida, to begin work at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the ground structures that will launch NASA’s next-generation rocket and spacecraft on the journey to Mars and other deep-space destinations.
The Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Mobile Launcher Ground Support Equipment Installation contract is a firm, fixed-price contract that extends for 455 calendar days and has a maximum value of $45.8 million. Significant subcontractors are Core Electric of Melbourne, Florida; MDI Services, LLC of Orlando, Florida; and Bragg Crane & Rigging of Long Beach, California.
J.P. Donovan Construction will install and integrate ground support equipment onto the existing Mobile Launcher to modify the structure with systems necessary to assemble, process and launch NASA’s integrated Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.
GSDO’s primary objective is to prepare Kennedy to process and launch the next-generation vehicles and spacecraft designed to achieve NASA's goals for space exploration. To achieve this transformation, program personnel are developing the necessary ground systems while refurbishing and upgrading infrastructure and facilities to meet tomorrow's demands. This modernization effort keeps flexibility in mind, in order to accommodate a multitude of government, commercial and other customers.
Source: Kennedy Space Center
$1.9 Billion Invested in Commercial Space Travel Startups Since 2014 (Source: Fast Company)
A new report says space travel startups have raised a staggering $1.9 billion since 2014. Venture capital database CB Insights released the report, titled "Future of Frontier Tech," which also says that drone startups have raised $285 million since 2014 and virtual/augmented reality companies $1 billion.
While the report says SpaceX has dominated space startup funding, other players such as Google (through its purchase of satellite firm Skybox) and Planet Labs (through its acquisition of geospatial product RapidEye), as well as the $63.5 million IPO of Urthecast (which places publicly accessible cameras on the International Space Station), are responsible for much of the $1.9 billion figure. (8/28)
$2 Billion-Plus Invested in Space Firms Since 2012 (Source: Space News)
Emerging companies in the space industry, ranging from launch vehicle developers to satellite services providers, have raised more than $2 billion from investors since 2012, although the vast majority of that funding came from just two deals earlier this year.
A report released Aug. 28 by CB Insights, a New York-based financial intelligence firm, concluded that investments in space companies since the beginning of 2012 totaled $2.16 billion, including $1.75 billion in the first half of 2015 alone.
Most of that funding, though, came in just two deals. In January, SpaceX raised $1 billion from Google and Fidelity in exchange for just under 10 percent of the company. In June, OneWeb raised $500 million from several companies, from satellite operator Intelsat to Coca-Cola, to start development of its low Earth orbit broadband satellite constellation. (8/28)
$255 Billion for Manufacture & Launch of 1,400 Satellites Over Next Decade (Source: EuroConsult)
According to Euroconsult's newly released report, Satellites to be Built & Launched by 2024, 140 satellites with launch mass over 50 kg will be launched on average each year over the next decade for governments and commercial companies. In comparison with last year’s forecast, the number of satellites is due to grow more than the market value over the decade. (8/25)
1,400 Satellites Projected to Launch Over Next Decade (Source: Via Satellite)
An average of 140 satellites with launch masses greater than 50 kg will enter orbit by 2024, according to Euroconsult’s new “Satellites to be Built & Launched by 2024,” report. Of the 1,400 satellites over the next decade, the research firm expects governments from 60 countries will be responsible for 75 percent of the $255 billion in revenues from manufacture and launch. In comparison with last year’s forecast, the number of satellites is due to grow more than the market value over the decade.
Euroconsult expects nearly 90 percent of the government market will remain concentrated in the 10 countries with an established space industry: the U.S., Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, China, Japan and India. The other 50 countries engaged in space activities will launch twice the number of satellites that they did in the past 10 years, i.e. about 200 satellites. More than half of these spacecraft will be procured from foreign manufacturers as domestic industry capabilities mature. (8/26)
A Wildly Detailed 100-Year Plan for Getting Humans to Mars (Source: WIRED)
For as long Ron Jones could remember, he had spent his free time pondering the trajectory of space travel five, 30, 50, even 100 years down the cosmic road. To him, space travel was a cosmic Rube Goldberg machine. To reach the end goal—which he considered to be large-scale habitation of Mars—a thousand little things had to happen first. Things like creating reliable in-orbit transportation vehicles, mining asteroids for materials, and building a thriving community on the moon.
After Jones finished the first iteration of the Integrated Space Plan chart in 1989, Rockwell adopted it as a marketing tool and began sending it around the space community. “During the heyday of the first ISP, you’d go into NASA field centers and see it on the wall,” Jay Wittner says. Jones updated the ISP in 1997 and that was the last time it was revised. Jones and Wittner led a Kickstarter campaign last year to finance remaking the plan. They raised $32,000, and New York design firm 212 Box signed on for the redesign. Click here. (8/28)
Aldrin Developing a 'Master Plan' to Colonize Mars Within 25 Years (Source: Guardian)
Buzz Aldrin is teaming up with Florida Institute of Technology to develop “a master plan” for colonizing Mars within 25 years. The second man to walk on the moon took part in a signing ceremony on Thursday at the university, less than an hour’s drive from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The Buzz Aldrin Space Institute is set to open this fall.
The 85-year-old Aldrin, who followed Neil Armstrong on to the moon’s surface on 20 July 1969, will serve as a research professor of aeronautics as well as a senior faculty adviser for the institute. He said he hopes his “master plan” is accepted by NASA and the country, with international input. NASA is already working on the spacecraft and rockets to get astronauts to Mars by the mid-2030s. (8/27)
Bezos to Visit Florida for 'Significant' Announcement on Sep. 15 (Source: Florida Today)
Jeff Bezos, the billionaire Amazon.com CEO and founder of private space company Blue Origin, will visit Cape Canaveral next month to make a "significant announcement regarding the commercial launch industry," according to a media invitation. The announcement is expected to confirm Blue Origin's intent to build rockets on the Space Coast and launch them from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The company has been negotiating a package with Space Florida and other agencies that would result in construction of a manufacturing facility in Exploration Park just south of Kennedy Space Center's secure area on Merritt Island, and eventual launches of orbital human spaceflight missions from Launch Complex 36.
Space Florida's board last week gave its approval for the state economic development agency to finalize the terms of an agreement, referring only to the deal's code name of "Project Panther." Space Florida CEO Frank DiBello then said he thought the deal would be made public within a month or so. Bezos' visit is scheduled for Sept. 15. (8/24)
Billionaires Wanted to Fund Private Mars Colony (Source: Space.com)
Could the first Mars colony be called Buffettville, or Zuckerburgh? The Netherlands-based nonprofit Mars One aims to establish a permanent settlement on the Red Planet, beginning with the touchdown of the first four pioneers in 2027. The biggest challenges facing the project are financial rather than technical, so a big donation from a deep-pocketed person concerned about his or her legacy could make a huge difference, Mars One representatives said. (8/25)
The Risks of Mars (Source: Space Review)
Many people consider a human mission to Mars with trepidation given the risks involved, including the potential loss of life. Frank Stratford argues that humanity needs to accept and even embrace those risks, given the much greater benefits such missions offer. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2811/1 to view the article. (8/24)
Mars: A Crappy Planet (Source: MacLean's)
"I’d love to explore Mars, but, ultimately, it’s kind of a crappy planet," said Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. "The thing is, [Mars One people would] never go outside without a spacesuit ever again. You’re going to live in a tin can. Space stations are noisy; it’s like living inside a computer with the fan on all the time. You’re never going to smell grass or trees. It’s just never going to be anything like Earth. You’re never going to swim. You’re giving up so much."
Editor's Note: So, when it comes to picking the right location for developing a sustained human presence, what makes Mars better than the Moon? (8/26)
The Moon Landing Was a Giant Leap. The Next Leap is Staying There. (Source: MacLean's)
When Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the Moon, left the lunar surface in December 1972, people on Earth seemed to check it off the cosmic to-do list. Been there, done that. The grey orb was dry and deadly, with freezing 14-day nights that dipped to –270° C and equally long days that reached a blood-boiling 100° C. Mars, meanwhile, was calling. Humanity’s interplanetary ambitions wandered elsewhere.
Then, in late 2009, scientists confirmed the existence of water and found evidence of water at the Moon’s southern pole. “Finding that stuff was a big deal,” says Paul Spudis, a Houston-based lunar scientist who has worked with NASA and the White House. “It showed us that a permanent habitation of the Moon was possible.” Click here. (8/26)
Major Unfinished Business in the US Space Program (Source: Space Review)
With less than 18 months left in the current Presidential administration, some argue there's little chance of major new space initiatives from the White House in that time. However, Vid Beldavs, in an open letter to the President, asks him to support a new emphasis on lunar exploration in cooperation with international and commercial partners. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2812/1 to view the article. (8/24)
Who Is the 2016 Presidential Race's Space Candidate? (Source: Inverse)
America’s next president will have the opportunity to capitalize on a lively interest in space exploration and colonization — and face the solemn task of not screwing it up. Click here to find how the field stands on the question of space exploration. If space is your final frontier, who do you want win? (8/27)
Congress, Don’t Make Us Hitch Rides With Russia. Love, NASA (Source: WIRED)
Grounding human spaceflights was always supposed to be temporary as we made the necessary transition to a new generation of spacecraft, operated by American commercial carriers. Likewise, paying for seats on Russian spacecraft to send our astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) was always intended to be a stopgap.
Had Congress adequately funded President Obama’s Commercial Crew proposal, we could have been making final preparations this year to once again launch American astronauts to space from American soil aboard American spacecraft. Instead we are faced with uncertainty—and we will continue to be so long as Congress resists fully investing in Commercial Crew. (8/28)
Why We Don't Need Another Space Race (Source: Huffington Post)
We didn't finish the first one yet. We just abandoned it. "Nearly five decades ago we had the ability to extend ourselves into the solar system and beyond," Stephen Petranek says in his new TED book, How We'll Live on Mars. "We simply have not chosen to pursue the opportunity."
These days we talk about human missions to Mars as if a new type of space race has begun, one clearly distanced from the original space race by a good 40 or more years, a race we here in the US of A believe we won, because we sent astronauts to the moon. What if the original race never ended? Abandoning a race that continued without us is "winning" only as Charlie Sheen would see it: a blinders-on, super-subjective judgment with no basis in reality. Click here. (8/24)
New US Law a Boost for Space Exploration Aspirations (Source: Mining Weekly)
The US House of Representatives took a firm stance on commercial space exploration when it passed the Space Resources Exploration and Utilization Act of 2015 (SPACE Act) in May, providing an opportunity for companies to get off the ground and embrace a new era of space pioneering. “I think that the SPACE Act is a watershed event in the nascent industrial resource space mining industry.
This Act encourages an essential commercial industry to begin,” space law pioneer Gregory Nemitz tells Mining Weekly. His company, Orbital Development, is at the forefront of the critical issue of property rights in space. Since March 2000, the firm has managed the Eros project, designed to bring the issue of space property law into a US Federal Court for a definitive decision on the new legal subject. Click here. (8/28)
NASA Says No Special Treatment for SpaceX in Falcon 9 Investigation (Source: Space News)
Responding to congressional criticism that suggested NASA was giving SpaceX special treatment, Administrator Charles Bolden said NASA is conducting an independent review of the company’s June launch failure. In an Aug. 24 letter to House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), Bolden said the appearance of special treatment accorded to SpaceX over Orbital ATK was a “misunderstanding” because NASA is taking a different approach to reviews of the two companies’ launch failures.
“First and foremost, I want to assure you that NASA is performing an independent analysis” of the June 28 Falcon 9 launch failure on SpaceX’s seventh cargo mission to the International Space Station under its Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA, Bolden wrote.
Bolden noted that immediately after last October’s failure of Orbital’s Antares launch vehicle, also on a cargo mission to the ISS under a CRS contract, the agency decided to establish a formal independent review team. While NASA was formally part of Orbital’s own accident investigation board, Bolden said the independent review was intended to “inform and amplify the learning for the NASA team.” (8/26)
Despite Setback, SpaceX Still Shaking Up Market (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
After increasingly losing customers to SpaceX for satellite launches, Arianespace is planning to lower the cost per flight to about $96 million. This new price range could be implemented when the new Ariane 6 launcher is developed, which could deliver 11 metric tons to GTO, making Arianespace’s offer more affordable. The first flight of the Ariane 6 is currently slated to take place in 2020.
“Unless the other rocket makers improve their technology rapidly, they will lose significant market share to the Falcon 9,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO and chief designer. SpaceX is also expanding its portfolio by developing a heavier version of the Falcon booster. The Falcon Heavy should allow the company to send a record-breaking payload of 53 metric tons to LEO and slightly more than 21 metric tons to GTO for some $90 million.
SpaceX and Arianespace aren’t the only players aspiring for their share of the launch market. International Launch Services (ILS), a U.S.-Russian joint venture, is planning to use the Angara booster being developed by Russia’s Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center to help them compete in this lucrative market. ILS already employs the Russian-built Proton booster, and has added the Angara as the newest addition to its commercial fleet. (8/24)
Air Force to Award Integration Studies to SpaceX (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Air Force disclosed plans to award SpaceX a contract worth about $1 million to study the ins and outs of mating national security satellites to the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. According to a justification and approval document posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website Aug. 26, the $962,000 contract would cover 10 studies as the service prepares to enter a new era of competitively awarded launch missions. (8/27)
Boeing Revamps Production Facility for Starliner Flights
By Steven Siceloff, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Fla.
Meet the CST-100 Starliner, the newly unveiled name of Boeing’s commercial crew transportation spacecraft. It’s been designed with a focus on automated flight, reliable operation and frequent flights carrying NASA astronauts to the space station. It also may take paying customers to the awe-inspiring heights of low-Earth orbit and the unique sensation of sustained weightlessness.
NASA last year awarded contracts to Boeing and SpaceX to each develop systems that will safely and cost effectively transport astronauts to the International Space Station from the United States.
The CST-100 will be assembled and processed for launch at the revitalized Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility, or C3PF, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA had used the facility for 20 years as a shuttle processing hangar and for the extensive preps and testing of the space shuttle main engines in the engine shop.
“One hundred years ago we were on the dawn of the commercial aviation era and today, with the help of NASA, we’re on the dawn of a new commercial space era,” said Boeing’s John Elbon, vice president and general manager of Space Exploration. “It’s been such a pleasure to work hand-in-hand with NASA on this commercial crew development, and when we look back 100 years from this point, I’m really excited about what we will have discovered.”
With the high bay of the C3PF expected to be complete in December 2015, engineers are building the structural test article for the Starliner in the remodeled engine shop. Though not scheduled to ever make it into space, the test version of the spacecraft will be put through a continuum of tests culminating with a pad abort test in 2017. It will be used as a pathfinder to prove the design Boeing and NASA’s Commercial Crew Program worked together to develop is sound and can accomplish its missions.
- Read more at: http://www.parabolicarc.com/2015/09/04/boeing-revamps-production-facility-starliner-flights/#sthash.81HLHalj.dpuf
NASA Selects Contractor to Prepare Launch Structure for Agency's Journey to Mars
NASA has selected J. P. Donovan Construction Inc. of Rockledge, Florida, to begin work at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on the ground structures that will launch NASA’s next-generation rocket and spacecraft on the journey to Mars and other deep-space destinations.
The Ground Systems Development and Operations (GSDO) Mobile Launcher Ground Support Equipment Installation contract is a firm, fixed-price contract that extends for 455 calendar days and has a maximum value of $45.8 million. Significant subcontractors are Core Electric of Melbourne, Florida; MDI Services, LLC of Orlando, Florida; and Bragg Crane & Rigging of Long Beach, California.
J.P. Donovan Construction will install and integrate ground support equipment onto the existing Mobile Launcher to modify the structure with systems necessary to assemble, process and launch NASA’s integrated Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.
GSDO’s primary objective is to prepare Kennedy to process and launch the next-generation vehicles and spacecraft designed to achieve NASA's goals for space exploration. To achieve this transformation, program personnel are developing the necessary ground systems while refurbishing and upgrading infrastructure and facilities to meet tomorrow's demands. This modernization effort keeps flexibility in mind, in order to accommodate a multitude of government, commercial and other customers.
Source: Kennedy Space Center
$1.9 Billion Invested in Commercial Space Travel Startups Since 2014 (Source: Fast Company)
A new report says space travel startups have raised a staggering $1.9 billion since 2014. Venture capital database CB Insights released the report, titled "Future of Frontier Tech," which also says that drone startups have raised $285 million since 2014 and virtual/augmented reality companies $1 billion.
While the report says SpaceX has dominated space startup funding, other players such as Google (through its purchase of satellite firm Skybox) and Planet Labs (through its acquisition of geospatial product RapidEye), as well as the $63.5 million IPO of Urthecast (which places publicly accessible cameras on the International Space Station), are responsible for much of the $1.9 billion figure. (8/28)
$2 Billion-Plus Invested in Space Firms Since 2012 (Source: Space News)
Emerging companies in the space industry, ranging from launch vehicle developers to satellite services providers, have raised more than $2 billion from investors since 2012, although the vast majority of that funding came from just two deals earlier this year.
A report released Aug. 28 by CB Insights, a New York-based financial intelligence firm, concluded that investments in space companies since the beginning of 2012 totaled $2.16 billion, including $1.75 billion in the first half of 2015 alone.
Most of that funding, though, came in just two deals. In January, SpaceX raised $1 billion from Google and Fidelity in exchange for just under 10 percent of the company. In June, OneWeb raised $500 million from several companies, from satellite operator Intelsat to Coca-Cola, to start development of its low Earth orbit broadband satellite constellation. (8/28)
$255 Billion for Manufacture & Launch of 1,400 Satellites Over Next Decade (Source: EuroConsult)
According to Euroconsult's newly released report, Satellites to be Built & Launched by 2024, 140 satellites with launch mass over 50 kg will be launched on average each year over the next decade for governments and commercial companies. In comparison with last year’s forecast, the number of satellites is due to grow more than the market value over the decade. (8/25)
1,400 Satellites Projected to Launch Over Next Decade (Source: Via Satellite)
An average of 140 satellites with launch masses greater than 50 kg will enter orbit by 2024, according to Euroconsult’s new “Satellites to be Built & Launched by 2024,” report. Of the 1,400 satellites over the next decade, the research firm expects governments from 60 countries will be responsible for 75 percent of the $255 billion in revenues from manufacture and launch. In comparison with last year’s forecast, the number of satellites is due to grow more than the market value over the decade.
Euroconsult expects nearly 90 percent of the government market will remain concentrated in the 10 countries with an established space industry: the U.S., Russia, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, China, Japan and India. The other 50 countries engaged in space activities will launch twice the number of satellites that they did in the past 10 years, i.e. about 200 satellites. More than half of these spacecraft will be procured from foreign manufacturers as domestic industry capabilities mature. (8/26)
A Wildly Detailed 100-Year Plan for Getting Humans to Mars (Source: WIRED)
For as long Ron Jones could remember, he had spent his free time pondering the trajectory of space travel five, 30, 50, even 100 years down the cosmic road. To him, space travel was a cosmic Rube Goldberg machine. To reach the end goal—which he considered to be large-scale habitation of Mars—a thousand little things had to happen first. Things like creating reliable in-orbit transportation vehicles, mining asteroids for materials, and building a thriving community on the moon.
After Jones finished the first iteration of the Integrated Space Plan chart in 1989, Rockwell adopted it as a marketing tool and began sending it around the space community. “During the heyday of the first ISP, you’d go into NASA field centers and see it on the wall,” Jay Wittner says. Jones updated the ISP in 1997 and that was the last time it was revised. Jones and Wittner led a Kickstarter campaign last year to finance remaking the plan. They raised $32,000, and New York design firm 212 Box signed on for the redesign. Click here. (8/28)
Aldrin Developing a 'Master Plan' to Colonize Mars Within 25 Years (Source: Guardian)
Buzz Aldrin is teaming up with Florida Institute of Technology to develop “a master plan” for colonizing Mars within 25 years. The second man to walk on the moon took part in a signing ceremony on Thursday at the university, less than an hour’s drive from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The Buzz Aldrin Space Institute is set to open this fall.
The 85-year-old Aldrin, who followed Neil Armstrong on to the moon’s surface on 20 July 1969, will serve as a research professor of aeronautics as well as a senior faculty adviser for the institute. He said he hopes his “master plan” is accepted by NASA and the country, with international input. NASA is already working on the spacecraft and rockets to get astronauts to Mars by the mid-2030s. (8/27)
Bezos to Visit Florida for 'Significant' Announcement on Sep. 15 (Source: Florida Today)
Jeff Bezos, the billionaire Amazon.com CEO and founder of private space company Blue Origin, will visit Cape Canaveral next month to make a "significant announcement regarding the commercial launch industry," according to a media invitation. The announcement is expected to confirm Blue Origin's intent to build rockets on the Space Coast and launch them from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.
The company has been negotiating a package with Space Florida and other agencies that would result in construction of a manufacturing facility in Exploration Park just south of Kennedy Space Center's secure area on Merritt Island, and eventual launches of orbital human spaceflight missions from Launch Complex 36.
Space Florida's board last week gave its approval for the state economic development agency to finalize the terms of an agreement, referring only to the deal's code name of "Project Panther." Space Florida CEO Frank DiBello then said he thought the deal would be made public within a month or so. Bezos' visit is scheduled for Sept. 15. (8/24)
Billionaires Wanted to Fund Private Mars Colony (Source: Space.com)
Could the first Mars colony be called Buffettville, or Zuckerburgh? The Netherlands-based nonprofit Mars One aims to establish a permanent settlement on the Red Planet, beginning with the touchdown of the first four pioneers in 2027. The biggest challenges facing the project are financial rather than technical, so a big donation from a deep-pocketed person concerned about his or her legacy could make a huge difference, Mars One representatives said. (8/25)
The Risks of Mars (Source: Space Review)
Many people consider a human mission to Mars with trepidation given the risks involved, including the potential loss of life. Frank Stratford argues that humanity needs to accept and even embrace those risks, given the much greater benefits such missions offer. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2811/1 to view the article. (8/24)
Mars: A Crappy Planet (Source: MacLean's)
"I’d love to explore Mars, but, ultimately, it’s kind of a crappy planet," said Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. "The thing is, [Mars One people would] never go outside without a spacesuit ever again. You’re going to live in a tin can. Space stations are noisy; it’s like living inside a computer with the fan on all the time. You’re never going to smell grass or trees. It’s just never going to be anything like Earth. You’re never going to swim. You’re giving up so much."
Editor's Note: So, when it comes to picking the right location for developing a sustained human presence, what makes Mars better than the Moon? (8/26)
The Moon Landing Was a Giant Leap. The Next Leap is Staying There. (Source: MacLean's)
When Apollo 17, the last manned mission to the Moon, left the lunar surface in December 1972, people on Earth seemed to check it off the cosmic to-do list. Been there, done that. The grey orb was dry and deadly, with freezing 14-day nights that dipped to –270° C and equally long days that reached a blood-boiling 100° C. Mars, meanwhile, was calling. Humanity’s interplanetary ambitions wandered elsewhere.
Then, in late 2009, scientists confirmed the existence of water and found evidence of water at the Moon’s southern pole. “Finding that stuff was a big deal,” says Paul Spudis, a Houston-based lunar scientist who has worked with NASA and the White House. “It showed us that a permanent habitation of the Moon was possible.” Click here. (8/26)
Major Unfinished Business in the US Space Program (Source: Space Review)
With less than 18 months left in the current Presidential administration, some argue there's little chance of major new space initiatives from the White House in that time. However, Vid Beldavs, in an open letter to the President, asks him to support a new emphasis on lunar exploration in cooperation with international and commercial partners. Visit http://www.thespacereview.com/article/2812/1 to view the article. (8/24)
Who Is the 2016 Presidential Race's Space Candidate? (Source: Inverse)
America’s next president will have the opportunity to capitalize on a lively interest in space exploration and colonization — and face the solemn task of not screwing it up. Click here to find how the field stands on the question of space exploration. If space is your final frontier, who do you want win? (8/27)
Congress, Don’t Make Us Hitch Rides With Russia. Love, NASA (Source: WIRED)
Grounding human spaceflights was always supposed to be temporary as we made the necessary transition to a new generation of spacecraft, operated by American commercial carriers. Likewise, paying for seats on Russian spacecraft to send our astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) was always intended to be a stopgap.
Had Congress adequately funded President Obama’s Commercial Crew proposal, we could have been making final preparations this year to once again launch American astronauts to space from American soil aboard American spacecraft. Instead we are faced with uncertainty—and we will continue to be so long as Congress resists fully investing in Commercial Crew. (8/28)
Why We Don't Need Another Space Race (Source: Huffington Post)
We didn't finish the first one yet. We just abandoned it. "Nearly five decades ago we had the ability to extend ourselves into the solar system and beyond," Stephen Petranek says in his new TED book, How We'll Live on Mars. "We simply have not chosen to pursue the opportunity."
These days we talk about human missions to Mars as if a new type of space race has begun, one clearly distanced from the original space race by a good 40 or more years, a race we here in the US of A believe we won, because we sent astronauts to the moon. What if the original race never ended? Abandoning a race that continued without us is "winning" only as Charlie Sheen would see it: a blinders-on, super-subjective judgment with no basis in reality. Click here. (8/24)
New US Law a Boost for Space Exploration Aspirations (Source: Mining Weekly)
The US House of Representatives took a firm stance on commercial space exploration when it passed the Space Resources Exploration and Utilization Act of 2015 (SPACE Act) in May, providing an opportunity for companies to get off the ground and embrace a new era of space pioneering. “I think that the SPACE Act is a watershed event in the nascent industrial resource space mining industry.
This Act encourages an essential commercial industry to begin,” space law pioneer Gregory Nemitz tells Mining Weekly. His company, Orbital Development, is at the forefront of the critical issue of property rights in space. Since March 2000, the firm has managed the Eros project, designed to bring the issue of space property law into a US Federal Court for a definitive decision on the new legal subject. Click here. (8/28)
NASA Says No Special Treatment for SpaceX in Falcon 9 Investigation (Source: Space News)
Responding to congressional criticism that suggested NASA was giving SpaceX special treatment, Administrator Charles Bolden said NASA is conducting an independent review of the company’s June launch failure. In an Aug. 24 letter to House Science Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-TX), Bolden said the appearance of special treatment accorded to SpaceX over Orbital ATK was a “misunderstanding” because NASA is taking a different approach to reviews of the two companies’ launch failures.
“First and foremost, I want to assure you that NASA is performing an independent analysis” of the June 28 Falcon 9 launch failure on SpaceX’s seventh cargo mission to the International Space Station under its Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA, Bolden wrote.
Bolden noted that immediately after last October’s failure of Orbital’s Antares launch vehicle, also on a cargo mission to the ISS under a CRS contract, the agency decided to establish a formal independent review team. While NASA was formally part of Orbital’s own accident investigation board, Bolden said the independent review was intended to “inform and amplify the learning for the NASA team.” (8/26)
Despite Setback, SpaceX Still Shaking Up Market (Source: SpaceFlight Insider)
After increasingly losing customers to SpaceX for satellite launches, Arianespace is planning to lower the cost per flight to about $96 million. This new price range could be implemented when the new Ariane 6 launcher is developed, which could deliver 11 metric tons to GTO, making Arianespace’s offer more affordable. The first flight of the Ariane 6 is currently slated to take place in 2020.
“Unless the other rocket makers improve their technology rapidly, they will lose significant market share to the Falcon 9,” said Elon Musk, SpaceX’s CEO and chief designer. SpaceX is also expanding its portfolio by developing a heavier version of the Falcon booster. The Falcon Heavy should allow the company to send a record-breaking payload of 53 metric tons to LEO and slightly more than 21 metric tons to GTO for some $90 million.
SpaceX and Arianespace aren’t the only players aspiring for their share of the launch market. International Launch Services (ILS), a U.S.-Russian joint venture, is planning to use the Angara booster being developed by Russia’s Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center to help them compete in this lucrative market. ILS already employs the Russian-built Proton booster, and has added the Angara as the newest addition to its commercial fleet. (8/24)
Air Force to Award Integration Studies to SpaceX (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Air Force disclosed plans to award SpaceX a contract worth about $1 million to study the ins and outs of mating national security satellites to the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. According to a justification and approval document posted to the Federal Business Opportunities website Aug. 26, the $962,000 contract would cover 10 studies as the service prepares to enter a new era of competitively awarded launch missions. (8/27)