Space habitat reports – Nov.7.2024 | Space-for-All at HobbySpace

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

With our softgoods partner @ilcdoverastro, we have demonstrated advanced capabilities during Ultimate Burst Pressure (UBP) and creep testing.

We look forward to further testing as we build the world’s first commercial space station.

— Sierra Space (@SierraSpaceCo) October 31, 2024

** VAST

pic.twitter.com/fqJjgh6Vta

— VAST (@vast) November 6, 2024

** 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