Space-for-All at HobbySpace

Here is a new selection of videos, updates, and articles about space habitats (govt. and commercial), living in space, and space settlement.

=== International Space Station & NASA

** The parking lot is packed at the ISS:

These are the 6 visiting spaceships currently docked to the Space Station. It’s a shell game to make room for new ships as they arrive. Delaying @Boeing Starliner has made it more complicated – final decision tomorrow: https://t.co/hLcFwxgtrV
image: @NASA pic.twitter.com/fuhpdblCXK

— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) August 23, 2024

** Progress 89 Cargo Ship Docking – Saturday, August 17,2024 – NASA Video

The uncrewed Roscosmos ISS Progress 89 cargo spacecraft docked to the Zvezda module August 17 after launching to the International Space Station from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan August 14 on a Soyuz booster rocket. Progress is filled with over three tons of supplies and cargo and will remain docked to the space station for approximately six months.

** NASA’s Northrop Grumman 21st Cargo Resupply Services Rendezvous and Capture- Tuesday, August 6, 2024 – NASA Video

Loaded with food, fuel, and supplies, the unpiloted Northrop Grumman CRS-21 Cygnus cargo craft arrived to the International Space Station August 6 where it was installed to the nadir port of the Unity module. Dubbed the “SS Richard ‘Dick’ Scobee” for the late NASA astronaut who perished during the Challenger accident, Cygnus launched from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on August 4 atop an SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and will remain docked to the space station for approximately six months.

** NASA’s Northrop Grumman 21st Cargo Resupply Services Installation – Tuesday, August 6, 2024 – NASA Video

** Many questions remain with NASA’s plan to deorbit ISS with SpaceX – Laura Forczyk

SpaceX is building a Dragon-modified deorbit vehicle to send the International Space Station into the ocean. But many questions remain, such as the exact timeline, the budget, the salvaged materials, the transition to commercial space stations, and more.

** ISSRDC 2024 Day2 Fireside Chat: Technology Development on the ISS and Future LEO Platforms – ISS National Lab

During this session, launch providers and implementation partners that support the International Space Station Program highlighted the challenges and successes of launching projects to low Earth orbit (LEO), and highlighted some of the recent investigations they supported. This panel discussed the level of detail required behind the scenes to support a project or launch, while showcasing the diversity of experimentation taking place on this space station, and how the work supported now sets the foundation for research on future R&D platforms in LEO.

=== Commercial space habitats

** Overviews of commercial space stations:

— Looking ahead to the next 25 years of private space stations | Space.com – July.18.2024

“In the short term, commercial space stations are an essential next step to fill the void left by the impending decommissioning of the ISS,” said Lauren Andrade, a spokesperson for the Beyond Earth Institute. “Beyond that, commercial space stations offer a flexibility and capital that government-run projects simply do not possess.”

— Companies prepare next generation of space stations for orbit | Fox News – July.5.2024

NASA is working with at least three companies that are designing space stations to replace the International Space Station before it de-orbits in 2031.

“NASA can utilize those resources in our exploration of the heavens, back to the moon and on to Mars. Then we can rent space on a commercial space station to do our research, to prepare our astronauts for longer flights out into the cosmos,” NASA administrator Bill Nelson said. “We’ve given them seed money so that they can jump start developing space stations.”

The cost to the U.S. government is a factor, but Nelson believes the investment will pay off.

** Axiom Space

— Axiom CEO resigns post and joins board of directors: Axiom Space CEO Transitions to Board of Directors | Axiom Space – Aug.6.2024

Axiom Space today announced the transition of CEO Mike Suffredini to a position on the company’s Board of Directors, following eight years of leading the company to significant achievements in the space industry.

— Fourth Axiom mission to the ISS on a SpaceX Dragon space ship to feature multi-national crew:

Axiom Space has announced that it is partnering with India, through the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Poland, with European Space Agency (ESA) support and Hungary to send three national astronauts to the International Space Station on Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), the company’s next commercial human spaceflight mission to the orbiting laboratory.

— The critical design review is the key final step before starting construction of the operational hardware:

Hab-1 reaches CDR! During Critical Design Review, Axiom Space updates NASA on its module design, soliciting Agency feedback & moving Axiom Station one step closer to LEO. pic.twitter.com/GkhEa26ill

— Axiom Space (@Axiom_Space) July 18, 2024

— Axiom space suit news: Axiom Space and Nokia Partner to Enable High-Speed Cellular Network Capabilities in Next-Gen Lunar Spacesuits | Axiom Space – Aug.21.2024

Axiom Space has partnered with Nokia to integrate advanced 4G/LTE communication capabilities into the next-generation spacesuits that will be used for the Artemis III lunar mission.

Together, Nokia and Axiom Space will incorporate high-speed cellular-network capabilities in the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), supporting HD video, telemetry data and voice transmission over multiple kilometers on the Moon. This advancement will enable Artemis III crewmembers to capture real-time video and communicate with mission controllers on Earth while they explore the lunar surface.

— Axiom takes Alexa to space: Axiom Space and AWS Demonstrate AI Assistant On Orbit | Axiom Space – Aug.23.2024

In some cases, spacecraft operate in relative isolation, devoid of direct human interaction and decision-making. However, by integrating virtual assistants, we can revolutionize a spacecraft’s architecture and functionality. As humanity ventures farther from Earth, our reliance on artificial intelligence (AI) assistants will inevitably grow. Axiom Space, in collaboration with Amazon and Amazon Web Services (AWS), envisions a future where spacecraft interact with humans as seamlessly as humans interact with each other. A significant step in this direction occurred during Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3), where Amazon’s Alexa voice assistant underwent a technology demonstration. During Ax-3, Axiom Space tested Alexa on an Amazon Echo device on the ground before flying it to the International Space Station (ISS) for evaluation. This milestone represents a crucial step toward creating “Earth-independent” AI assistants capable of supporting astronauts during future Mars missions.

** Gravitics

— Space Station Foundations, with Colin Doughan (Gravitics) – Payload

This week’s Pathfinder features Colin Doughan, CEO of Gravitics, a Seattle-based startup that specializes in the development of modular space infrastructure to support the expansion of stations and orbital platforms. Their primary product is the StarMax module, which can be customized in various sizes to accommodate different launch vehicles and mission requirements.
Colin shares his journey into the aerospace industry and his vision for building real estate platforms in space. With a background that includes nearly 20 years at Lockheed Martin and founding Altius Space Machines (acquired by Voyager), Colin brings a considerable amount of experience in infrastructure development.

We explore:
– The approach Gravitics takes in developing scalable station modules
– The market potential for free-flying stations and the impact of new launch vehicle capabilities
– Operator vs builder model in space stations
– Challenges in scaling manufacturing and testing for space environments
– The future of artificial gravity and its importance for long-term space habitation

And much more…

• Chapters •
00:00 – Intro & Epsilon ad
02:04 – Colin’s background
03:23 – Colin’s first business venture
04:02 – Why start a space station business?
05:25 – Evolution of the Gravitics’s vision
06:57 – Zero G modules
07:36 – Business model
08:26 – Why not operate modules?
10:04 – How do you perceive the market opportunity for free-flying space stations?
18:19 – Design decisions
22:25 – Turning a competitor into a customer
25:02 – Gravitics’s approach vs existing providers
26:14 – Is there enough capital and investors to sustain this market?
30:26 – Countries creating their own launch capabilities
33:24 – StarMax
35:44 – Insourcing vs outsourcing
36:52 – Scaling manufacturing
40:05 – Testing
42:50 – Technical challengers that keep Colin up at night
44:42 – Commercial and government traction
48:34 – Long-term view
50:09 – ETA for Elysium?
50:35 – Who’s going to play Colin in the future movie about Gravitics?

** Sierra Space

— Burst test of full scale expandable habitat module validates design goals: Sierra Space Heralds Giant Leap in Microgravity Research and Manufacturing with Historic Test of Expandable Space Station Technology | Sierra Space – July.25.2024

Sierra says

that its expandable space station technology successfully passed a seventh key validation test, and second full-scale structural test, at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The results herald a giant leap towards building the world’s first end-to-end business and technology platform in Low Earth Orbit, enabling humanity to find the answers to some of the toughest problems faced on Earth.

Completion of the successful Ultimate Burst Pressure test, which occurred on June 18 in collaboration with ILC Dover (an Ingersoll Rand Business) and NASA, accelerates Sierra Space’s revolutionary softgoods technology towards on-orbit operations. Planned for an initial stand-alone pathfinder mission before the end of the decade, the technology will also feature as a key element of the Orbital Reef commercial space station. The test will close out Milestone #8 for Orbital Reef with Blue Origin under NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program.

Some data for the test:

- Company’s second Ultimate Burst Pressure test of a full-size, inflatable space station structure occurred on June 18
- Test unit stood over 20’ tall and was comparable in size to an average family home
- The article was 300 m³ in volume, or 1/3^rd the volume of the International Space Station
- Test results exceeded NASA’s recommended x4 safety levels by 22%
- Two 4-ft x 4-ft steel blanking plates were integrated into the highest loaded cylinder section of the article; both were 50 lbs. lighter than the ones used in the first full-scale test and accommodate larger windows

The test article in the company’s historic first full-scale burst test last December peaked at 77 psi, which well exceeded (+27%) NASA’s recommended level of 60.8 psi (maximum operating pressure of 15.2 psi multiplied by a safety factor of four). This most recent test in June showed similar results – within five percent of the pressure loading of December’s test article – with this one reaching 74 psi, exceeding NASA’s 4x safety factor by 22 percent. These back-to-back test results accelerate Sierra Space’s path to flight certification, verifying scalability for 10 cubic-meter and up to 1,400 cubic-meter structures based on the company’s current softgoods inflatable architecture. Sierra Space is currently gearing up for a first test of its 500 cubic-meter space station technology next year.

— Advancing Next-Gen Space Station Tech with Sierra Space and NASA – Sierra Space Youtube

** Vast

— Vast testing habitat components:

At Vast’s Vibe Test Lab, we’re rigorously testing Haven Demo and Haven-1 components for launch dynamics to LEO. Our in-house setup means quick design iterations, faster timelines, seamless integration, and enhanced quality. pic.twitter.com/vj4DKXWfHD

— VΛST (@vast) August 2, 2024

— Vast news:

** Starlab – Voyager Space

An artist’s rendering of a Starlab space station. Credits: Starlab

— Starlab – Sizzle Reel – Summer 2024 – Voyager Space on Vimeo

— The Power of Microgravity – Jim Bridenstine – Voyager Space on Vimeo

— Starlab: the most international commercial space station – Laura Forczyk

Among the current commercial space station players, Starlab is the most intentionally international, forming partnerships all over the world. Will this help the small upcoming space station become profitable and sustainable? Other commercial space station companies should take note.

** Max Space – Expandable Space Habitats

— Space Café Radio Frontiers – How expandable structures will become a game changer in space – SpaceWatch.Global

Innovating Space with Expandable Architecture: An Interview with Max Space”s Aaron Kemmer and Maxim de Jong

Join Torsten Kriening, Publisher at SpaceWatch.Global, in an enlightening conversation with Maxim de Jong and Aaron Kemmer from Max Space. Delve into the groundbreaking technologies behind expandable and inflatable space structures, their applications, and the future of real estate in space. Learn about Max Space’s mission to maximize usable space in orbit, from initial small modules to potentially vast habitats in space and on the Moon. This episode explores the challenges and innovations in creating habitable volumes for long-term human presence beyond Earth.

— Outline of the Max Space plan:

Max Space: Expandable Habitats for Space Commercialization

Key Points:

1. Launching in 2026: New expandable space habitat technology

2. Innovation: Larger, stronger, cheaper than current options

3. Founded by space industry veterans Aaron Kemmer and Maxim de Jong

4.… pic.twitter.com/nytJ3dG8N7

— Treky (@treky_ai) July 28, 2024

=== Chinese space habitats

** Shenzhou-18 Crew Carry Out Various Experiments in Orderly Manner – CCTV Video News Agency

The Shenzhou-18 crew, who began their six-month mission on April 25, have carried out various space science experiments as scheduled.

** China’s Plan to Establish a Permanent Base on the Moon – Dongfang Hour – YouTube

While the US and its partners are planning to carry out the Artemis Program in the coming decade, China is preparing the competing “ILRS”, aka the International Lunar Research Station. In this episode, we do a deep dive into China’s permanent lunar base project and its scientific and political ramifications. …

00:00 Artemis and the ILRS (introduction)
00:43 China’s Moon Program: Early Beginnings
01:58 Chang’e 1 to Chang’e 6
02:35 First Mention of the ILRS
03:21 Private Internet Access
05:14 The ILRS Becomes a Sino-Russian Project
06:02 ILRS Phase 1 – Moon Base “Basic Model”
06:57 ILRS Phase 2 – Moon Base “Construction Phase”
10:09 How China plans to launch the ILRS hardware
11:20 Can the ILRS become international?

=== Lunar habitation

** Our Water-Based Lunar Architecture – Lockheed-Martin Youtube channel

Science fiction is becoming reality. The Artemis program is taking us back to the Moon, and this time we’ll establish a presence that will eventually take us farther into space than ever before. The building blocks of space infrastructure required to carry humanity on this journey are in development today.

Dive into our vision of a water-based lunar architecture on the Moon that demonstrates our commitment to sustainable space exploration. This journey to the Moon is not just for knowledge, but securing our future, enabling Mars exploration, permanent bases and returning valuable resources to Earth.

Jump in our rover and take a tour of the lunar south pole to see the infrastructure needed to maintain a permanent presence on the Moon. Some of the highlights include:
Transportation: technology like the Orion spacecraft to transport humans to and from the Moon.
Mobility: vehicles to explore the Moon’s surface.
Power: a grid providing continuous power regardless of the Sun’s position.
Habitation: reliable, lightweight and spacious shelters made of inflatable softgoods technology.
Space Resources: water ice harvesting and regolith mining to support life on the Moon.

Our approach for a responsible and effective path forward is water-based, nuclear-enabled and commercially-invested. To learn more about our vision for humanity’s future in space, visit: https://lmt.co/3YqBr48

To download our novella white paper to see our vision for how this future will play out, visit: https://lmt.co/3YtDAvZ

More at:

Artemis Base Camp at Moon’s South Pole – An Industrial-strength Look | Leonard David – Aug.7.2024
- A Water-Based Lunar Architecture | Lockheed Martin
- Lockheed Martin’s Vision for Humanity’s Future in Space | Lockheed Martin – Whitepaper

** OffWorld Prospector 1: A Lunar Prospecting and ISRU Demonstration Mission – Dallas Bienhoff, OffWorld Inc – Future In-Space Operations (FISO) Telecon Presentations

Presentation slides (pdf)

Here is also a review of the presentation: Offworld’s Prospector 1 mission to demonstrate ISRU on the Moon | Space Settlement Progress – Aug.11.2024

** Other lunar settlement news:

=== Mars habitation

** Mars Society conference update: NASA and space advocates consider Mars sample return options | Geekwire – Aug.11.2024

Tesla’s Cybertruck may look ungainly on Earth, but a pressurized version of the vehicle might be just the thing for gathering up samples of Martian rock and soil for return to Earth. That’s one of the way-out concepts that was discussed in Seattle during the past week’s convention of the Mars Society, a nonprofit advocacy group.

Robotically controlled Cybertrucks could be part of a Mars exploration system that also includes SpaceX’s Starship super-rocket as well as spaceworthy versions of all-terrain vehicles and humanoid robots built by Tesla, according to mission plans suggested by Mars Society co-founder Robert Zubrin, retired NASA engineer Tony Muscatello and business analyst Kent Nebergall.

Zubrin said the Starship-based concept could even accelerate progress toward crewed missions to Mars.

=== More space settlement presentations

** The Space Café Podcast #112: How to Build Our New Home Beyond Earth – SpaceWatch.Global

In this episode of the Space Café Podcast, host Markus discusses the intricacies of space habitation with Dr. Barbara Imhof, a prominent space architect from Liquifer. They explore the challenges and innovations in making off-Earth living comfortable and sustainable, including construction methods on the Moon, dealing with lunar dust, and creating multifunctional spaces. They also touch on the importance of cooperation for space missions and the influence of seeing Earth from space on human perspective. Barbara shares insights into upcoming projects and discusses ongoing efforts to develop near-future space habitats.

** Interview with Camisha Simmons – The Space Show – Aug.11.2024

We welcomed attorney Camisha Simmons to the program to discuss private party and commercial space property rights and asteroid mining legal concerns for space development. Ms. Simmons is a speaker on these issues at conferences including ISDC [National Space Society‘s International Space Development Conference].

** Moonshot for Life: Smithsonian’s Lunar Biodiversity Preservation Project – SpaceWatch.Global TV

In episode 113 of the Space Cafe Podcast, host Markus explores a groundbreaking concept with Dr. Mary Hagedorn, a distinguished researcher at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. The discussion centers on the ambitious idea of creating a backup of Earth’s biodiversity on the Moon.Key Topics:

• The critical state of coral reefs and the impact of climate change
• The concept of a lunar biorepository for safeguarding genetic material
• Technical, logistical, and ethical aspects of the project
• Implications for conservation, space exploration, and Earth’s future

Episode Breakdown:
00:00 Introduction to the Space Cafe Podcast
00:43 Exploring the concept of “Planet B”
01:48 Meet Dr. Mary Hagedorn
03:44 Current state of coral reefs
04:45 The ecological significance of corals
06:46 Conservation challenges and efforts
09:43 Cryopreservation (https://www.nature.com/articles/s4159…) and biorepositories
19:58 The Moon as a potential biorepository
29:36 Strategic selection of key species for preservation
30:38 Challenges in genetic diversity and permitting
31:24 Sampling and preservation techniques
38:16 Citizen science (https://www.nationalgeographic.org/en…) and global collaboration
43:25 Philosophical and practical considerations for space colonization
46:45 Technical challenges and future prospects
01:02:34 Inspirational vision and call to action

This episode offers a fascinating look at the intersection of conservation biology and space exploration, presenting innovative solutions to preserve Earth’s biodiversity for future generations.

** Living in Space [Aug.13.2024] – Space Renaissance

Participants: Jim Crisafulli, Henk Rogers, Tom Matula, Jerry Stone, Susan Jewell, Dinis Afonso Ribeiro, Gary Barnhard, Werner Grandl, Joe Pelton, Madhu Tangavelu, Adriano V. Autino

=== Other space habitat and settlement news and articles:

=== Earth views from ISS

** Highlight: California – Eureka – Sacramento – Central Valley – Wildfire smoke – Aug 18, 2024 12:55 PM – ISS Above

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov