Monthly Archives: November 2024

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitat reports – Nov.25.2024

A selection of recent videos, articles, and news items about space habitats (govt and commercial), living in space, and space settlement.

=== International Space Station & NASA

** NASA Astronaut Suni Williams Talks with New England Sports Network – Tuesday, November 12, 2024 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 72 Commander Suni Williams of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Nov. 12 with the New England Sports Network for the New England Sports Network Clubhouse Kids Show. Williams is in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

=== Commercial space habitats

** Axiom Space

** Blue Origin

A brief view of the reaction of passengers in the capsule of the New Shepard during a flight on Nov. 22nd to suborbital space:

— New Shepard Mission NS-28: Apogee – Blue Origin Youtube

** Sierra Space

— The latest burst test of a Sierra inflatable habitat prototype model brings them a step closer to certification and the construction of operational habitats.

We have successfully completed our sixth stress test and fourth Ultimate Burst Pressure (UBP) test for our LIFE® 10 commercial space station technology, achieving a rupture at 255 psi, the highest pressure yet.

This test exceeded NASA’s Factor of Safety recommendations, demonstrating a safety factor greater than 16x in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and 23x in lunar environments.

Our team continues to lead in the development of expandable structures for various space applications, as we build the world’s first commercial space station.

— This article includes an update on development of Sierra Space’s inflatable modules: Sierra Space expands spaceplane fleet with in-house mission control | SpaceNews – Nov.8.2024

In the same work area as the Shooting Star modules, Sierra Space engineers are also working on the Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) habitat. A key aspect of that project is evaluating and testing the use of softgoods to fashion expandable structures using Vectran, a weave of high-performance liquid crystal polymer fiber that’s stronger than steel when inflated.

** VAST

— VAST partners with Czech Republic :Czech Ministry of Transport Signs Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vast to Partner on Engagement with Czech Space Industry | VAST – Nov.7.2024

The Czech Ministry of Transport has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Vast, the U.S.-based pioneer in space habitation technologies. The Memorandum, signed as part of Czech Space Week, outlines a commitment by Vast and the Ministry of Transport to explore ways to partner on future human spaceflight projects, whether through private astronaut missions (PAM) to the International Space Station (ISS) before it is retired in 2030, or on missions to Vast’s own Haven space stations, and to engage with a growing Czech Space industry and start-up ecosystem.

More at:

** Starlab – Voyager Space

=== Chinese space habitats

** Shenzhou-19 Crew Receive Delivery from Earth – CCTV Video News Agency

China’s Shenzhou-19 crew aboard the orbiting Tiangong space station received a shipment of supplies from Earth on Saturday, after the Tianzhou-8 cargo spacecraft successfully docked with the space station.

** Shenzhou-19 Crew Conduct Tasks in Orderly Manner After Receiving Supplies from Earth – CCTV Video News Agency

China’s Shenzhou-19 crew aboard the orbiting Tiangong space station has been carrying out space experiments, performing equipment maintenance, and conducting other tasks in an orderly manner over the past week after receiving supplies from the Earth in mid-November.

=== Mars habitation

** Dr. Peter Hague on The Space Show – Nov.15.2024

We welcomed Peter to discuss one of his recent blog posts, Planetocracy.org, regarding the steps needed to be completed before humans to Mars happens. Peter’s article is on the blog for this program. Not only did we go over the steps Peter outlined in his excellent article, he got calls and listener questions asking about other issues for humans to Mars. Most often he heard comments about Musk, SpaceX and how the human factors or medical issues might be resolved for those going to Mars. This mostly focused on microgravity and radiation. Don’t miss these discussions.

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

=== Earth views from ISS

** 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

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

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Astronomy, Education, Space Science

ESO: First close-up image of a star outside of the Milky Way

A new report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO):

Astronomers take the first close-up picture
of a star outside our galaxy

This is an image of the star WOH G64, taken by the GRAVITY instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO’s VLTI). This is the first close-up picture of a star outside our own galaxy, the Milky Way. The star is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, over 160 000 light-years away. The bright oval at the centre of this image is a dusty cocoon that enshrouds the star. A fainter elliptical ring around it could be the inner rim of a dusty torus, but more observations are needed to confirm this feature.

“For the first time, we have succeeded in taking a zoomed-in image of a dying star in a galaxy outside our own Milky Way,”

says Keiichi Ohnaka, an astrophysicist from Universidad Andrés Bello in Chile. Located a staggering 160 000 light-years from us, the star WOH G64 was imaged thanks to the impressive sharpness offered by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO’s VLTI). The new observations reveal a star puffing out gas and dust, in the last stages before it becomes a supernova.

“We discovered an egg-shaped cocoon closely surrounding the star,” says Ohnaka, the lead author of a study reporting the observations published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics. “We are excited because this may be related to the drastic ejection of material from the dying star before a supernova explosion.”

While astronomers have taken about two dozen zoomed-in images of stars in our galaxy, unveiling their properties, countless other stars dwell within other galaxies, so far away that observing even one of them in detail has been extremely challenging. Up until now.

The newly imaged star, WOH G64, lies within the Large Magellanic Cloud, one of the small galaxies that orbits the Milky Way. Astronomers have known about this star for decades and have appropriately dubbed it the ‘behemoth star’. With a size roughly 2000 times that of our Sun, WOH G64 is classified as a red supergiant.

Ohnaka’s team had long been interested in this behemoth star. Back in 2005 and 2007, they used ESO’s VLTI in Chile’s Atacama Desert to learn more about the star’s features, and carried on studying it in the years since. But an actual image of the star had remained elusive.

For the desired picture, the team had to wait for the development of one of the VLTI’s second-generation instruments, GRAVITY. After comparing their new results with other previous observations of WOH G64, they were surprised to find that the star had become dimmer over the past decade.

“We have found that the star has been experiencing a significant change in the last 10 years, providing us with a rare opportunity to witness a star’s life in real time,”

says Gerd Weigelt, an astronomy professor at the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy in Bonn, Germany and a co-author of the study. In their final life stages, red supergiants like WOH G64 shed their outer layers of gas and dust in a process that can last thousands of years.

“This star is one of the most extreme of its kind, and any drastic change may bring it closer to an explosive end,”

adds co-author Jacco van Loon, Keele Observatory Director at Keele University, UK, who has been observing WOH G64 since the 1990s.

The team thinks that these shed materials may also be responsible for the dimming and for the unexpected shape of the dust cocoon around the star. The new image shows that the cocoon is stretched-out, which surprised scientists, who expected a different shape based on previous observations and computer models. The team believes that the cocoon’s egg-like shape could be explained by either the star’s shedding or by the influence of a yet-undiscovered companion star.

As the star becomes fainter, taking other close-up pictures of it is becoming increasingly difficult, even for the VLTI. Nonetheless, planned updates to the telescope’s instrumentation, such as the future GRAVITY+, promise to change this soon.

“Similar follow-up observations with ESO instruments will be important for understanding what is going on in the star,”

concludes Ohnaka.

The Large Magellanic Cloud is a satellite galaxy to the Milky Way, located 160 000 light-years away from us. Despite the staggering distance, the GRAVITY instrument of the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO’s VLTI), managed to take a closed-up picture of the giant star WOH G64. This image shows the location of the star within the Large Magellanic Cloud, with with some of the VLTI’s Auxiliary Telescopes in the foreground.

More information

ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer is able to combine light collected by the telescopes of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), either the four 8-metre Unit Telescopes or the four smaller Auxiliary Telescopes, creating highly detailed pictures of the cosmos. Effectively, this makes the VLTI a “virtual” telescope with a resolution equivalent to the maximum distance between the individual telescopes. This process is highly complex and needs instruments especially dedicated to this task. Back in 2005 and 2007 Ohnaka’s team had access to the first generation of these instruments: MIDI. While impressive for its time, those observations with MIDI only combined the light from two telescopes. Now, researchers have access to GRAVITY, a second-generation instrument able to capture the light of four telescopes. Its improved sensitivity and resolution made the image of WOH G64 possible. But there is more to come. GRAVITY+ is a planned upgrade of GRAVITY which will be able to take advantage of different technological updates performed at the VLTI and VLT. With these, the VLTI will be able to see objects fainter and farther than ever before.

This research was presented in a paper to appear in Astronomy and Astrophysics (https://www.aanda.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202451820).

…

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When the Heavens Went on Sale:
The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitat reports – Nov.7.2024

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

=== International Space Station & NASA

** SpaceX Dragon moved to new parking spot on space station – VideoFromSpace

The SpaceX Crew-9 astronauts, including two crew members formerly aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, moved their Crew Dragon capsule to another docking port to make way for a new cargo Dragon arrival.

** NASA’s SpaceX 31st Cargo Resupply Services Rendezvous and Docking – Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024 – NASA Video

Loaded with scientific experiments and supplies, an unpiloted SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft automatically docked to the International Space Station’s earth-facing port of the Harmony module Nov. 5. The SpaceX resupply spacecraft launched from launch pad 39-A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Nov. 4 as part of the company’s 31st commercial resupply mission for the agency and will remain at the station for one month.

** NASA’s SpaceX CRS-31 Research: Bristol Myers Squibb and Redwire Space – ISS National Lab

On SpaceX’s 31st Commercial Resupply Services mission for NASA to the International Space Station, Bristol Myers Squibb will build on its legacy of protein crystallization in order to support the manufacturing of more effective therapeutics. This video provides an overview on their investigation and the impacts it may have on future patient care.

** NASA Astronaut Don Pettit Talks with KATU-TV Portland 241029 – Tuesday, October 29, 2024 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Don Pettit of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Oct. 29 with KATU-TV in Portland, Oregon. Pettit is in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

** NASA Astronaut Butch Wilmore Talks with Tennessee Tech – Tuesday, November 5, 2024 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 72 Flight Engineer Butch Wilmore of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Nov. 5 with Tennessee Tech University. Wilmore, an alumnus of the university, is in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration flights as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

=== Commercial space habitats

** Sierra Space

** VAST

** Starlab – Voyager Space

Starlab and partners debuted a video animation of the space station module at the recent IAC-2024 meeting: Hilton, Voyager Space, and Starlab Space Share the First Fly‑Through Video of Starlab Space Station at the International Astronautical Congress | Stories From Hilton – Oct.16.2024

** IAF GNF SESSION – Space Stations 2.0: Opportunities on Commercial LEO Destinations – Int. Astronautical Fed.

The International Space Station (ISS) has been a spectacular platform for scientific research, technology development, and worldwide diplomacy for over 20 years. The orbiting laboratory’s contributions to humanity for both terrestrial applications and the future of spaceflight are unparalleled. However, the lifetime of the ISS is coming to an end in the near future, and the realm of government-run assets in low-Earth orbit (LEO) will soon transition to commercial space stations run by private companies.

Will the scientific discoveries and international partnerships of the last two decades still be possible in this new era? This panel session will explore the opportunities, capabilities, and frameworks of commercial space stations from the perspective of astronauts, microgravity researchers, technologists, investors, and policymakers around the world.

=== Chinese space habitats

** China’s Shenzhou 19 crew enters Tiangong space station after docking – VideoFromSpace

China’s Shenzhou 19 crew, Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, completed ingress into the Tiangong space station shortly after docking on Oct. 29, 2024 (Oct 30 – Beijing time). See their launch: https://www.space.com/space-explorati… 

** China’s Shenzhou-18 Astronauts Ready to Return After In-Orbit Crew Handover – CCTV Video News Agency

The Shenzhou-18 astronauts transferred control of the Tiangong space station to the newly arrived Shenzhou-19 crew on Friday as they prepared to return to Earth.

** Shenzhou-18 Astronauts Return to Earth with Scientific Materials – CCTV Video News Agency

The three astronauts of China’s Shenzhou-18 crewed spaceflight mission have returned to Earth with scientific materials from the Tiangong space station.

** Shenzhou-18 undocking – SciNews

The Shenzhou-18 (神舟十八) crew spacecraft undocked from the Tianhe Core Module (天和核心舱), departing the China Space Station (中国空间站), on 3 November 2024, at 08:12 UTC (16:12 China Standard Time). The Shenzhou-18 spacecraft is expected to make a parachute-assisted landing at the Dongfeng landing site, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China, returning the seventh crew of three astronauts on a mission to the China Space Station (中国空间站): Guangfu Ye (叶光富, commander), Cong Li (李聪) and Guangsu Li (李广苏).

** China articles & news:

=== Mars habitation

** Starship is the Easy Part – Mars Society’s Zubrin Charts the Real Challenges on our way to Mars – SpaceWatch.Global TV

Guest: Dr. Robert Zubrin, Founder of the Mars Society and Author of “The New World on Mars”

In this expansive conversation, Dr. Robert Zubrin takes us beyond the technical challenges of reaching Mars to explore the complex realities of establishing permanent human settlements on the Red Planet. While the world watches Starship development, Zubrin reveals how energy production, food sustainability, radiation protection, and governance structures pose the real challenges for human survival on Mars. His insights challenge common misconceptions and propose innovative solutions for everything from terraforming to creating new societies, demonstrating how Mars settlement could reshape human civilization both on and off Earth.

Quotable Insights:

1. “Mars will be ruled by the Martians. Different groups of people will emigrate to Mars with very different ideals as to what the ideal society should be.”
2. “We don’t go to Mars to desert the Earth. We go to Mars to expand the capacity of the human race, to create new branches of human civilization.”
3. “I believe that humans are not the enemies of life, humans are the vanguards of life.”
4. “We have in our power to begin the world anew.”

Cosmic Timeline (Timestamps):

• [00:00:00] Opening: Mars governance and future civilizations
• [00:02:23] Realistic timeline for human Mars missions within next decade
• [00:03:46] Energy challenges on Mars – nuclear vs. solar power
• [00:06:20] First expedition structure and duration
• [00:09:31] Economics of Mars transportation and Starship development
• [00:13:51] Transition from expeditions to permanent settlements
• [00:20:00] Mars Against Hunger Prize and food production innovations
• [00:30:34] Radiation protection strategies and reality check
• [00:34:23] Living arrangements: underground vs. surface habitats
• [00:40:56] Terraforming possibilities using fluorocarbon gases
• [00:42:42] Alternative terraforming methods using iron nanoparticles
• [00:49:23] Mars governance models and settlement structures
• [00:56:18] Immigration and settlement competition between colonies
• [01:05:06] Mars as human expansion rather than planetary backup
• [01:08:32] Personal motivations and future vision
• [01:09:57] Music selection: Beethoven’s Third Symphony

Links to Explore:

• The Mars Society (https://www.marssociety.org/)
• Mars Against Hunger Prize (https://www.marssociety.org/mars-agai…)
• Dr. Zubrin’s Book: The New World on Mars (https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/46340…) (Penguin UK Edition)
• Mars Direct Mission Plan (https://www.marssociety.org/mars-direct)

Spread the Cosmic Love!

Share this episode with anyone interested in exploration, sustainable technology, or the future of human civilization. This conversation goes beyond the typical space exploration narrative to explore how

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

=== Earth views from ISS

** Hurricane Rafael makes landfall in Cuba, barrels into the Gulf in satellite time-lapse – VideoFromSpace

NOAA’s GOES-East satellite captured Hurricane Rafael from Nov. 5-7, 2024.

** 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

====

ISS after undocking of STS-132

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Astronomy, Education, Space participation

Night sky highlights for November 2024

Check out the night sky this month, November 2024. Here are videos and a list of websites highlighting the top sights to observe.

** What’s Up: November 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in November 2024?

This month, catch planetary views of Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, witness a close pass of the Parker Solar Probe by Venus, and get ready for an occultation of the bright star Spica by the Moon.

0:00 Intro
0:20 November planet highlights
1:38 Venus & Parker Solar Probe’s flyby
3:03 Occultation of Spica
4:25 October photo highlights
4:38 November Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….

** Comet A3, meteor showers and Solar System moons. What’s in the night sky, November 2024 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal what’s in the night sky in November 2024, including where Comet C/2023 A3 will be, this month’s meteor showers and transits of Jupiter’s and Saturn’s moons.

00:00 Intro
00:15 Inner Solar System
03:20 Outer Solar System
10:16 Galilean Moons
12:18 Saturn’s moons
12:58 Face in Albategnius, Eyes of Clavius
13:58 Jupiter and 11th mag star
15:28 Northern Taurid meteor shower
16:05 Star Tipped Mountain and perigee full Moon
17:50 Leonid meteor shower
17:26 Titan shadow transit
18:46 Comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS
20:28 Deep sky

** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – November 2024 | Meteor Showers, the Moon, and Mars – Sky & Telescope Youtube

Our monthly Sky Tour #astronomy #podcast provides an informative and entertaining 10-minute guided tour of the #night #sky. Join us for the November 2024 episode and get in sync with the #Moon’s phases, watch the #sky for all five bright #planets (#jupiter, #venus, #mars, #mercury, #saturn), get the lowdown on a #celestial queen, and get ready for three #meteorshower viewings.

Listen and subscribe to this podcast at https://skyandtelescope.org/observing/ and don’t forget to subscribe to S&T’s YouTube channel to get alerts about new videos, including this monthly podcast

Learn more about #observing and #stargazing on our website, https://skyandtelescope.org/ and subscribe to our monthly magazine at https://skyandtelescope.org/subscribe.

This video is sponsored by Celestron – https://www.celestron.com/.

See also

** What’s in the Night Sky: November 2024 – National Space Centre

What’s in the Night Sky: November 2024

Saturn’s moon Titan
 Mars and the Beehive Cluster
Lacus Mortis
✨ Constellation of the Month: Cetus
Whether you’re a beginner or an expert, looking at the night sky with the naked eye, binoculars or a telescope, check out our Tour of the Night Sky to find out what you can see this month. #WINS #Astronomy #WhatsInTheNightSky

** What’s in the Sky this Month | November 2024 – High Point Scientific on Youtube

In this episode of What’s in the Sky this Month, Teagan reviews some of the beautiful celestial objects you can see in November 2024!

Read the full November 2024 Newsletter: https://www.highpointscientific.com/a…

Looking to expand your astronomy knowledge even further? The Astronomy Hub is the place to learn everything from what’s in the sky this month, to what gear can help you capture the best celestial images. Learn more here ➡️ https://www.highpointscientific.com/a…

Follow us on Instagram / highpointscientific
Follow us on Facebook / highpointscientific
Sign up for our email newsletter https://www.highpointscientific.com/c…

#highpointscientific #astronomy #november

Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
00:38 – Andromeda Galaxy
01:27 – The Double Cluster
02:15 – Mesarthim
02:42 – The Little Dumbbell
03:27 – Nearest Neighbors
04:45 – Uranus at Opposition
05:36 – Conclusion

** Night Sky Notebook November 2024 – Peter Detterline

What’s happening in the sky for the month of November 2024.

** See also:

The phases of the Moon for November 2024. Credits: NASA

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Stellaris: People of the Stars