Category Archives: Activism

Space non-profits receive $1M grants from Blue Origin’s Club for the Future foundation

Good news for space education and the promotion of space development and settlement. Nineteen space-related non-profits, including several space activist organizations, will each get $1M from  Blue Origin.

Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future,
selects 19 space-based charities to each receive a $1 million grant

Today, Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, announced 19 non-profit charitable organizations will each be offered a $1 million grant to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEM and help invent the future of life in space. The funds are made possible by the recent auction for the first paid seat on Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket.

Each of the organizations selected have demonstrated a commitment to promote the future of living and working in space to inspire the next generation to explore space careers. They enhance Club for the Future’s ability to reach students, teachers, and communities, and to engage them in the excitement and adventure of innovation and space exploration.

“Our recent auction for the first seat on New Shepard resulted in a donation of $28 million to our non-profit foundation, Club for the Future,” said Bob Smith, Blue Origin CEO. “This donation is enabling Club for the Future to rapidly expand its reach by partnering with 19 organizations to develop and inspire the next generation of space professionals.  Our generation will build the road to space and these efforts will ensure the next generation is ready to go even further.”

The 19 organizations include:

  • AstraFemina is a collective of prominent leaders, including astronauts, academic professionals, and industry innovators, who have made a significant difference in the world by choosing diverse careers in STEM fields. Its mission is simple but powerful – to serve as role models to reinforce the message to today’s girls and young women that anything is possible and help bridge the gap between believing and achieving.
  • The AIAA Foundation, which is connected to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), inspires and supports the next generation of aerospace professionals. From classroom to career, the AIAA Foundation enables innovative K-12 and university programming, including STEM classroom grants, scholarships, conferences, and hands-on competitions.
  • The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF) provides merit-based scholarships for college students majoring in STEM programs at more than 44 partner universities. Founded by the Mercury astronauts, ASF selects more than 50 Astronaut Scholars each year. They also provide programs focused on career development skills and virtual family activities to inspire K-12 students to positively change and innovate our future.
  • The Brooke Owens Fellowship offers paid internships and mentorship for exceptional undergrad women and gender minorities in aerospace. Its spin-off, the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, provides extraordinary Black students with their first work experience in the aerospace industry, personalized mentorship and a cohort of similarly driven and talented young Black people pursuing aerospace careers.
  • Challenger Center, created by the families of Space Shuttle Challenger STS-51L crew, serves more than 250,000 K-12 students each year with experiential, hands-on education programs. The 40 Challenger Learning Centers deliver in-classroom and virtual simulation-based programs to bring STEM subjects to life. Students role-play real world STEM careers and cultivate teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills.
  • Higher Orbits delivers an experiential learning lab for secondary school students across the United States. It focuses on the multi-faceted worlds of space exploration, research and spaceflight in order to launch the next generation our world desires. The organization facilitates activities from the novice to advanced level, drawing from the Science Futures by Design curriculum at Higher Orbits, to promote STEAM and prepare students for academic and career success.
  • International Astronautical Federation (IAF) is the leading space advocacy body, including all leading space agencies, numerous companies, research institutions, universities, societies, associations, institutes and museums worldwide. It’s Emerging Space Leaders Grant Program (ESL), enables students and young professionals to participate in the International Astronautical Congress, the United Nations/IAF Workshop and Space Generations Congress.
  • The National Space Society (NSS) is dedicated to the creation of a spacefaring civilization that provides a citizen’s voice on space exploration, development, and settlement. Its mission is to promote social, economic, technological, and political change in order to expand civilization beyond Earth, to settle space and to use the resulting resources to build a hopeful and prosperous future for humanity.
  • SciArt Exchange uses a science-integrated-with-art approach to help change the world through science and technology education, collaboration and innovation. It supports, prepares and convenes people of all ages, backgrounds and affiliations to discuss, and potentially solve, space, science, and technology challenges by offering multi-disciplinary art contests, events, training, consulting, and community services.
  • Space Camp, located at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, provides a one-of-a-kind experience for campers of all ages from every state and more than 70 countries. Its curriculum teaches STEM principles, emphasizing leadership, teamwork, fun and creativity. Program instruction is aligned to national science and math standards and framed with an immersive experience amidst a backdrop of humankind’s greatest technological achievements in space hardware.
  • Space Center Houston is dedicated to inspiring all generations through the wonders of space exploration. It is a leading science and space exploration learning center, the Official Visitor Center of NASA Johnson Space Center, a Smithsonian Affiliate and Certified Autism Center. Space Center Houston empowers teachers and students with access to immersive learning experiences where they solve real-world challenges of human space exploration.
  • The Space For Art Foundation works with children in hospitals and refugee centers around the world on its mission to unite a planetary community of children through the wonder of space exploration and the healing power of art. Through large-scale space-themed art projects, the Foundation aims to highlight the connection between personal and planetary health and raise awareness of our role as crewmates here on Spaceship Earth.
  • Space For Humanity is building a foundation for an inclusive future in space by organizing the planet’s first Sponsored Citizen Astronaut Program, where leaders from any walk of life can apply for an opportunity to go to space. Through its citizen spaceflight program, leadership training, and collaborative efforts to educate the public, Space for Humanity is setting the stage to create a better world, both here on Earth and throughout the cosmos.
  • Space Generation Advisory Council (SGAC), in support of the United Nations Program on Space Applications, is a global non-governmental organization and network which aims to focus on pragmatic space policy advice to policy makers based on the interests of students and young professionals interested in space from around the world. The SGAC network of members, volunteers and alumni has 16,000 members from more than 165 countries.
  • Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS) is an international student-led  organization whose purpose is to promote space exploration and development through educational and engineering projects. SEDS is fostering the development of future leaders and contributors in the expanding space industry through individual chapters, enabling students to be connected and create networks with each other.
  • Teachers in Space is an organization which stimulates student interest in STEM by providing teachers with extraordinary space science experiences and industry connections. As a facilitator of personal and hands-on professional development workshops for STEM teachers, it sparks a transfer of passion that prepares and encourages students to pursue further education and careers in the emerging space industry.
  • The Mars Society is an international organization devoted to furthering the exploration and settlement of Mars by both public and private means. Its activities include broad public outreach to spread its vision, STEM programs, student engineering design and Mars rover competitions, conferences, publications, and scientific projects including Mars Analog Research Stations to learn how we might best live, work, and explore on the Red Planet.
  • The Planetary Society has inspired millions of people to explore other worlds and seek other life. Led by CEO Bill Nye and powered by space enthusiasts around the globe, the Society works to advance space science and exploration through education, innovation, advocacy, and global collaboration. Its mission is to empower the world’s citizens to advance space science and exploration.
  • The Space Frontier Foundation is an organization comprised of a diverse, multinational array of space activists, scientists, engineers, media, political professionals, entrepreneurs, and passionate citizens focused on unleashing the power of free enterprise and leading a united humanity permanently into the Solar System. Through conferences, speakers, policy papers, awards and prizes, they are actively advancing the cause of “New Space.”

Club for the Future will use the remaining funds from the auction to continue its work on its space-focused curriculum and Postcards to Space program. For more information about Club for the Future, visit ClubforFuture.org.

Blue Origin’s First Human Flight will take place on July 20. For more details about the mission and how to watch the launch live, follow @BlueOrigin on Twitter or sign up for updates at BlueOrigin.com.

-Gradatim Ferociter

Space policy roundup – July.12.2021

A sampling of links to recent space policy, politics, and government (US and international) related space news and resource items that I found of interest (find previous space policy roundups here):

International space

Webcasts:

** China Performs Spacewalk at the Chinese Space Station, Plethora of Launches in a Single Week – Ep 41Dongfang Hour – YouTube

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dongfang Hour China Space News Roundup! A kind reminder that we cover a lot more stories every week in our Newsletter (newsletter.dongfanghour.com).

This week, we discuss:
1) China’s 1st EVA with Tianhe (and 2nd ever Chinese EVA)
2) A Plethora of launches in a Single Week
3) Guangzhou & Tianjin Add Satellite Internet to their Development Plans

A summary of the program is provided here: Dongfang Hour China Aerospace News Roundup 5 July – 11 July 2021 – SpaceWatch.Global.

** Episode 42 – What is Going on With This Idea of Space PollutionSpace Thoughts (YouTube) – Space Law & Policy Solutions/Michael Listner

** T+193: Marcia Smith, SpacePolicyOnline.com – Main Engine Cut Off

Marcia Smith of SpacePolicyOnline.com joins me for a round up of space policy news, including how the Biden and Nelson administrations are doing so far, things that are being overlooked or sidelined, the Senate’s NASA Authorization bill, NASA’s Human Landing System contract and the battle for funding, the space tourism learning period, and we finish with a quick look at what China and Russia have been up to lately.

** The Space Cafe Podcast #31: Ian Carnelli, Preparing for the worst – SpaceWatch.Global

Episode 031 features a special guest Ian Carnelli. Next year, a small spacecraft will head for the double asteroid Didymos to slam into it with its brakes off. The name of the mission gives free rein to the imagination: Planetary Defense Mission. It is a joint mission between ESA and NASA, and it wants to test for the first time what has long been a topic in science fiction: can a deadly chunk of rock be deflected from its collision course with the earth or is a second event that took away the dinosaurs only a matter of time? The Planetary Defense Mission will find an answer. Whether it is the one we would like remains to be seen. Mission Director Ian Carnelli paints a fascinating picture of this unique mission.

** Space Policy and History Forum: The History and Politics of Space JunkNASA Video

The exponential rise in debris cluttering Earth orbits poses formidable technical, political, financial, and legal challenges, from threatening satellites and space stations to impacting Earth to potentially provoking international conflict. How is the space debris situation evolving? Who is responsible for the management of Earth orbit? How should we approach debris removal and growth mitigation? Can the history of orbital debris help us achieve a safe and sustainable future in space? Join the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and NASA for a virtual Space Policy and History Forum featuring a panel discussion on the politics of orbital debris within a historical context. Panelists include: • Jonathan McDowell, Astrophysicist, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics • Lisa Ruth Rand, Assistant Professor of History, California Institute of Technology • Gabriel Swiney, Attorney Advisor, International Space Lawyer, U.S. State Department Moderated by Bhavya Lal, Senior Advisor for Budget and Finance, NASA.

** The Space Show – Friday, July.9.2021Dr. Matthew Weinzierl, a Harvard space economist, discussed “commercial space through the eyes of an economist”. See the paper, The Commercial Space Age Is Here – Harvard Business Review by Matt Weinzierl and Mehak Sarang.

** Hotel Mars: – The John Batchelor Show/The Space Show – Wed. July.7.2021Leonard David talked with John Batchelor and Dr. David Livingston about the upcoming Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin suborbital spaceflights and about space tourism in general

** The Space Show – Tuesday, July.6.2021Aaron Bateman spoke about “national space security issues and history“.

** Registering Lunar Activities – Moon Dialogs Salon #14 – Moon Dialogs

This salon was part of our Sustainable Moon series and features the first public workshop of The Registration Project and featured a number of space law experts. The Registration Project was launched to address the shortcomings of existing law and practice regarding registration as humankind returns to the Moon. The Project is a joint venture of the Moon Village Association (MVA) and the Global Space Law Center (GSLC) at Cleveland State University.

** Insight – 3rd Summit for Space Sustainability | Secure World

** Space Café WebTalk – Katherine Courtney – 18. May 2021spacewatch. global – News Room – YouTube

During this week’s Space Café, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening met with space strategist and former Chief Executive for the UK Space Agency, Katherine Courtney, to discuss space sustainability and her role as founder of education charity PrimarySpace.

Katherine is the current strategic adviser for Arqit, an encryption platform based in London. She was previously the regulator for UK License Space Operations and has worked with organisations such as Avascent, the Global Network on Sustainability in Space and MULTIPLY Space to create clear strategies, manage risks and multiply returns on innovation investment; bring government, researchers and businesses together to apply innovation to key policy aims; and support start-ups to scale-up.

This week, she and Torsten discuss the biggest risk of all – what will our contemporary use of space mean for future generations, and are we sleepwalking into the next catastrophe?

** Operating in a new space age: Does space security matter to industry?  Space Court Foundation – YouTube

** July 7, 2021 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast – Behind The Black – Robert Zimmerman

** July 9, 2021 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast – Behind The Black – Robert Zimmerman

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The Space Show this week – July.12.2021

The guests and topics of discussion on The Space Show this week:

1. Tuesday, July.13, 2021; 7 pm PDT (9 pm CDT, 10 pm EDT): We welcome back Dr. Bruce Damer with Co-host John Jossy. Bruce will be discussing his SHEPHERD Project and more. For more information see the blog link posted by Mr. Jossy.

2. Wednesday, July. 14, 2021: Hotel Mars  – Kim Holder will talk with John Batchelor and Dr. David Livingston about the Moonwards project.

3. Friday, July.16, 2021; 9:30-11 am PDT (11:30 am-1 pm CDT, 12:30-2 pm EDT): We welcome back John Strickland who will go over his two newest books with us and talk about the latest in policy and missions and how to carry them out.

4. Sunday, July.18, 2021; 12-1:30 pm PDT (3-4:30 pm EDT, 2-3:30 pm CDT): We welcome back Christopher Stone on national security space. We will be examining the issues, providing analysis and looking forward with commercial space, the new administration and the space business community.

Some recent shows:

**  Sunday, July.11.2021Shey Sabripour talked about satellite telecommunications and CesiumAstro‘s phased array technology, now ready for launch.

** Friday, July.9.2021Dr. Matthew Weinzierl, a Harvard space economist, discussed “commercial space through the eyes of an economist”. See the paper, The Commercial Space Age Is Here – Harvard Business Review by Matt Weinzierl and Mehak Sarang.

** Hotel Mars: – The John Batchelor Show/The Space Show – Wed. July.7.2021Leonard David talked with John Batchelor and Dr. David Livingston about the upcoming Virgin Galactic and Blue Origin suborbital spaceflights and about space tourism in general

** Tuesday, July.6.2021Aaron Bateman spoke about “national space security issues and history“.

** Hotel Mars – The John Batchelor Show/The Space Show – Wed. June.30.2021Dr. Jackie Faherty spoke with John Batchelor and Dr. David Livingston about “Past, present and future star systems looking at Earth as a transiting planet over time plus the ESA GAIA orbiting observatory and data files“.

** See also:
* The Space Show Archives
* The Space Show Newsletter
* The Space Show Shop

The Space Show is a project of the One Giant Leap Foundation.

The Space Show - David Livingston
The Space Show – Dr. David Livingston

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The Space Show this week – July.5.2021

The guests and topics of discussion on The Space Show this week:

1. Tuesday, July. 6, 2021; 7 pm PDT (9 pm CDT, 10 pm EDT): We welcome AAron Bateman for a different perspective on national security space.

2. Wednesday, July. 7, 2021: Hotel Mars TBA pre-recorded. See upcoming show menu on the home page for program details.

3. Friday, July.9, 2021; 9:30-11 am PDT (11:30 am-1 pm CDT, 12:30-2 pm EDT): We welcome Dr. Matthew Weinzierl, Harvard Space Economist to discuss space economics.

4. Sunday, July.11, 2021; 12-1:30 pm PDT (3-4:30 pm EDT, 2-3:30 pm CDT): We welcome Shey Sabripour, CEO of CesiumAstro to discuss their phased array technology soon to be launched and cutting-edge active phased array payloads and software-defined systems featuring a plug-and-play, Lego-like platform.

Some recent shows:

** Friday, July 2, 2021John Bucknell discussed “new SSP commercial venture, Virtus Solis Technologies, SSP R&D, SSP commercial readiness, markets, competition, manufacturing on Earth versus on orbit or on the Moon, cislunar development, SSP financing, nuclear energy alternatives.

** Tuesday, June.29.2021Alfred Anzaldua discussed “space debris, problem solving, and suggested solutions“.

** See also:
* The Space Show Archives
* The Space Show Newsletter
* The Space Show Shop

The Space Show is a project of the One Giant Leap Foundation.

The Space Show - David Livingston
The Space Show – Dr. David Livingston

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Space policy roundup – July.5.2021

A sampling of links to recent space policy, politics, and government (US and international) related space news and resource items that I found of interest (find previous space policy roundups here):

International space

Webcasts:

** Episode 41: What’s Hot 2nd Quarter 2021Space Thoughts (YouTube) – Space Law & Policy Solutions/Michael Listner

** Operating in a new space age: Does space security matter to industry?Space Court Foundation – YouTube

** New Footage from Chinese MARS Rover, Nebula M Static Fire Test, Landspace Completes Rocket FactoryDongfang Hour – YouTube

Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dongfang Hour China Space News Roundup! A kind reminder that we cover a lot more stories every week in our Newsletter (newsletter.dongfanghour.com). This week, we discuss:

1) China’s Zhurong Mars Rover Sends Back Additional Footage
2) LandSpace Completes the First Phase of the Its Small and Medium Rocket Factory in Jiaxing (and article by GoTaikonauts! : https://www.thespacereview.com/articl…)
3) Deep Blue Aerospace Prepares Static Fire Test for the Nebula M Demonstrato
4) Multiple Satellites Launched On-Board Long March 2D

** Deep Dive into China’s Space Station Cameras & Relay Satellites – Dongfang Hour – YouTube

Welcome to the Dongfang Hour (literally “Eastern Hour”)! This episode is an experiment with trying something shorter, less “news-like” and more on the entertaining side of things, to complement our weekly news updates. This episode was inspired from a Chinese media article (https://www.sohu.com/a/474392163_1001…), from which I added some addition facts, thoughts, and visuals. Credits of the footage are from: CCTV, CASC, ESA, NASA.

** The Space Show – Friday, July 2, 2021John Bucknell discussed “new SSP commercial venture, Virtus Solis Technologies, SSP R&D, SSP commercial readiness, markets, competition, manufacturing on Earth versus on orbit or on the Moon, cislunar development, SSP financing, nuclear energy alternatives.

** The Space Show – Tuesday, June.29.2021Alfred Anzaldua discussed “space debris, problem solving, and suggested solutions“.

** Protecting Critical Information, Contracting with DoD and CMMC – the New Paradigm for BothConstellations Podcast

In this Constellations Podcast episode, we’ll discuss what the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, otherwise known as CMMC, is and how it will change the requirements for contracting with the DoD. The recent spate of data breaches affecting both government and commercial organizations underscores the need for more robust security measures to protect critical information. For DoD, this means increased protection of FCI and CUI data. CMMC will be a critical component of heightened security as all companies will need to pass strict CMMC security assessments before being awarded DoD contracts. During this episode, Justin Padilla, Director, Cybersecurity Services, Kratos will explain what CUI, FCI mean and how they will all be affected by CMMC. He’ll discuss how companies will need to be assessed by a Third-Party Assessment Organization – a C3PAO. As Kratos is one of the first C3PAOs to be authorized, Justin can break down the whole process for you.

** June 30, 2021 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast

** Space Café WebTalk – REGIONAL Canada – 7. May 2021spacewatch. global – News Room – YouTube

Space Café Canada is hosted by our friend Dr. Jessica West, a Senior Researcher at the Canadian peace and security research institute, Project Ploughshares.

Does space need more Canada?

Her first guest was Dr. David Kendall. Dr. Kendall is a remarkable leader in the space community both here in Canada and internationally. He culminated a long career at the Canadian Space Agency as its Director-General. He represented Canada at the United Nations, specifically at the Committee for the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space as a delegate, then Head of Delegation, and between 2016 and 2018 as Chair of the Committee. Recently he is a founding member of the Outer Space Institute at the University of British Columbia. And throughout he has been an active member of the International Space University, having just been awarded the position of Faculty Emeritus following more than thirty years of service.

Canada has a long history as a spacefaring nation, but whether it will lead to a new era of space activity is not clear. Together, Jessica and David explore the question of whether space needs more Canada.

Canada’s lagging legacy in space

** E66: Force Design – Lessons from the Marine CorpsAerospace Corp Space Policy (Vimeo) – Center for Space Policy & Strategy (CSPS)

** Protecting Critical Information, Contracting with DoD and CMMC – the New Paradigm for BothConstellations Podcast

In this Constellations Podcast episode, we’ll discuss what the Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification, otherwise known as CMMC, is and how it will change the requirements for contracting with the DoD. The recent spate of data breaches affecting both government and commercial organizations underscores the need for more robust security measures to protect critical information. For DoD, this means increased protection of FCI and CUI data. CMMC will be a critical component of heightened security as all companies will need to pass strict CMMC security assessments before being awarded DoD contracts. During this episode, Justin Padilla, Director, Cybersecurity Services, Kratos will explain what CUI, FCI mean and how they will all be affected by CMMC. He’ll discuss how companies will need to be assessed by a Third-Party Assessment Organization – a C3PAO. As Kratos is one of the first C3PAOs to be authorized, Justin can break down the whole process for you.

** National Space Society‘s International Space Development Conference 2021 – June 24-27, 2021. There were many space policy related talks and panels and most of these are available in the videos below from the first three days. See the YouTube captions or the ISDC Schedule to select sessions of interest.

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