The National Space Society‘s annual meeting – International Space Development Conference (ISDC 2021)– starts today, June 24th as a virtual on-line event. The presentations on the first 3 days are available at no charge. An Interactive ISDC Sunday ($45) will bring “participants into contact with leading space experts in an interactive format. These discussions [will be] challenging and stimulating.”
The above graphic shows some of the Speakers. Check out the elaborate Schedule of talks, panels, and debates.
From the NSS:
Please join us on Thursday-Sunday, June 24-27, for our multi-day virtual event, ISDC 2021. This exciting, four-day virtual event looks at the future of space exploration, development and settlement. And best of all, it’s entirely FREE for the first three days!Beginning at 12:00 PM EDT (9:00 AM PDT).
For complete information including a full schedule, go to isdc2021.nss.org.
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The International Space Development Conference® (ISDC®), will focus on key areas of space development: space settlement, space policy, space solar power, Moon, and international space programs and will include presentations by students from the Space Settlement Design Competition and the NSS Space Settlement Contest. ISDC 2021 will be a virtual event showcasing the technologies, people and organizations that will lead us to develop the final frontier!
ISDC 2021 presents the finest minds in this movement to develop space, with experts presenting the latest visions of humanity’s migration into space: where we will go, why we will go there, and how we will do so. Speakers include engineers and scientists working in new space; top minds from the aerospace and defense sectors; and educators, physicians, and investors focusing on the business and future of space travel, settlement, and exploration.
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):
** China & Russia Announce Roadmap for Lunar Station, Shenzhou-12 Docks with Tianhe Core Module – Ep 38 – Dongfang Hour – YouTube
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dongfang Hour China Aero/Space News Roundup! This week, we will only cover two stories in more detail, because they are both pretty beastly stories. A kind reminder that we cover a lot more stories every week in the DFH Newsletter (getrevue.co/profile/dongfanghour)!
The topics of the week are: 1) Shenzhou-12 launched on-board a Long March 2F, and successfully docks with the Tianhe Core Module
2) China and Russia announce (relatively) detailed roadmap for the ILRS (a.k.a. International Lunar Research Station)
The end of April saw the beginning of a new Space Café series, the Space Café Greater Bay Area, hosted by me, Blaine Curcio. Having spent around 10 years in Greater China, and with most of that time spent in Hong Kong and Shenzhen, I have seen firsthand the rapid evolution of China’s space sector, and also the innovation and resources in the Greater Bay Area. Through my work with my own company Orbital Gateway Consulting (OGC), and my ongoing affiliate work with Euroconsult, I have been covering the Chinese space sector specifically for several years, and more recently, have witnessed the rise of a space industry in the Greater Bay Area. That being the case, it is my pleasure to host the Space Café Greater Bay Area, and in particular its first edition, with none other than my friend and longtime industry colleague (and fellow longtime Hong Kong resident), Mr. Gregg Daffner. Here is a recap of our conversation:
First, what is the Greater Bay Area? Greater Bay Area refers to the 9 cities in Guangdong Province surrounding the Pearl River Delta, as well as the SARs of Hong Kong and Macau. Among the 9 cities are several megacities among themselves (Shenzhen and Guangzhou), and the area has a total population of more than 70 million people. Historically one of China’s most dynamic regions, with many manufacturers and private enterprises, the GBA has punched under its weight in the space sector, due in part to its extremely far distance from Beijing, China’s traditional space industry heart. During our Space Café GBA, we will strive to have guests from different parts of the GBA, or discuss topics on different elements of space in the broader GBA.
For our first episode, we welcomed Mr. Gregg Daffner, CEO of GapSat and President of APSCC. Gregg brought to the Space Café perspectives from his broad experience in the satellite, broadcast, and advertising/filmmaking industries, and his perspectives on a changing space sector in Asia-Pacific. …
During this week’s Space Café, SpaceWatch.Global publisher Torsten Kriening caught up with Nigerian-born Temidayo Oniosun, the Managing Director and Founder of Space in Africa, an African media platform, analytics and consulting company that works in the space and satellite sector.
There are two things you need to know about Temidayo: the first is he has a grand plan, and the second, although in his early career, he has already accomplished more than most do in a lifetime. Since 2011 he has completed degrees at the University of Technology Akure, Bath Spa University and the University of Strathclyde, and is currently studying a doctorate in the United States.
On top of his extensive studies, has also worked on the Space Generation Advisory Council, was co-founder of RadikalHUB, a consultancy for start-ups, and is also the Chief Technology Officer of Ideal Space Technologies, which operates Space in Africa. Temidayo believes now is the time for a home-grown commercial space ecosystem in Africa that is free of vested interests and preconceptions, and that is driven by data analytics.
During this week’s Space Café, he and Torsten discuss the launch of Space in Africa’s new report on global space budgets. …
Listen to Captain Jake Singleton from the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) describe an exchange program with the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (UK MOD). The U.S. has exchange agreements with 16 different countries around the world. Captain Singleton discusses the gap that exists between emerging commercial space technologies and government requirements and activities the AFRL is pursuing to close that gap. He defined the term “dual technologies” and how they can bring value to both commercial and military markets, especially those in support of space capabilities. Huge changes have been made to better engage with new companies developing technologies for the Air Force and Space Force. Captain Singleton discusses those changes and programs going forward to enable even more collaboration between the U.S. and commercial vendors both domestic and abroad.
At the GELX-2021 conference in St. Petersburg today, the Chinese space agency and the Russian space agency released the first version of the construction plan of the China-Russian lunar scientific research station, and now we welcome international partners to join us.#China#CASApic.twitter.com/vM3WeryA5B
Masten teamed up with Honeybee Robotics and Lunar Outpost to design a new Rocket Mining System that can rapidly extract frozen volatiles from the Moon. This method disrupts lunar soil with a series of rocket plumes that fluidize ice regolith by exposing it to direct convective heating. It utilizes a 100 lbf rocket engine under a pressurized dome to enable deep cratering more 2 meters below the lunar surface. During this process, ejecta from multiple rocket firings blasts up into the dome and gets funneled through a vacuum-like system that separates ice particles from the remaining dust and transports it into storage containers. The small, low mass system, including the rocket fuel, engine, collapsible dome, and storage containers, can be attached to a rover and delivered to the Moon on Masten’s lunar landers. The system is projected to mine up to 12 craters per day and produce 100 kg of ice per crater. That would allow us to recover more than 420,000 kg of lunar water per year!
2. Wednesday, June. 23, 2021: Hotel Mars – Dr. Haym Benaroya of Rutgers University will talk with John Batchelor and Dr. David Livingston about the lunar colony plans of China and Russia, their timeline and technology.
3. Thursday, June. 24, 2021; 7-8:30 pm PDT (9-10:30 pm CDT, 10-11:30 pm EDT): No program today
4. Friday, June.25, 2021; 9:30-11 am PDT (11:30 am-1 pm CDT, 12:30-2 pm EDT): We welcome Alexey Bobrick and Gianni Martire to the program to discuss their recent warp drive physics paper. See the blog for links to the story and the paper.
5. Sunday, June.27, 2021; 12-1:30 pm PDT (3-4:30 pm EDT, 2-3:30 pm CDT): We welcome back Dr. Scott Pace to the program on space policy, traffic mgmt and what’s next.
On Wednesday, June 16, NASA flight engineer Shane Kimbrough and ESA Astronaut (European Space Agency) Thomas Pesquet will exit the space station to install the first two of six ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs) to ultimately upgrade six of the station’s eight power channels. They will install the first array on the far end of the left (port) side of the station’s backbone truss structure (P6) to upgrade the 2B power channel. On Sunday, June 20, the duo will install the second solar array to upgrade the 4B power channel on the P6 truss. The solar arrays arrived at the station in the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft as part of the company’s 22nd commercial resupply services mission to the station. This spacewalk will be the seventh for Kimbrough, and the third for Pesquet. This will also be the third spacewalk Kimbrough and Pesquet will conduct together, following two Expedition 50 spacewalks in January and March 2017. This will be the 239th spacewalk in support of station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.
** Expedition 65 Spacewalk 74 and 75 Briefing – June 14, 2021 – NASA Video
On Monday, June 14, NASA hosted a news conference at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to discuss upcoming spacewalks to install new solar arrays to help power the International Space Station. The news conference participants were; Dana Weigel, deputy manager, International Space Station Program, Pooja Jesrani, spacewalk flight director, Kieth Johnson, spacewalk officer, and Dan Hartman, manager, Gateway Program
** Expedition 65 Shane Kimbrough Discusses IROSAs Spacewalk – June 14, 2021 – NASA Johnson
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 65 Flight Engineer Shane Kimbrough of NASA discussed a pair of spacewalks he and crewmate Thomas Pesquet of ESA (European Space Agency) are scheduled to make June 16 and 20 to begin the installation of new ISS roll-up solar arrays (IROSAs) that will augment the power supply of the orbital outpost for the remainder of its lifetime. The first array of this initial pair of power generators, launched on the SpaceX Cargo Dragon flight two weeks ago, will be installed on the first of two spacewalks by Kimbrough and Pesquet on the far port truss of the station (P6 truss) to upgrade the power output for the station’s 2B power channel. A second spacewalk by Kimbrough and Pesquet will install the second roll-up array on the P6 truss for the 4B power channel. Four more arrays will be installed next year to complete the upgrades
** Spacewalk to Install New International Space Station Solar Arrays – NASA
After more than 20 years, the International Space Station is getting new solar arrays, and you have the chance to watch it LIVE during a spacewalk! On June 16, Shane Kimbrough of NASA Astronauts and Thomas Pesquet of the European Space Agency will venture into the vacuum of space for ~6.5 hours to install and deploy two roll-out solar arrays on the space station.
** Watch China’s Shenzhou-12 crew dock with new space station – VideoFromSpace
Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo docked with the space station core module Tianhe aboard their Shenzhou-12 spacecraft on June 17, 2021. They launched about 6.5 hours prior to docking from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gobi Desert.
** Chinese astronauts enter new space station after 6.5 hour flight – VideoFromSpace
Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo entered the space station core module Tianhe on June 17, 2021. Full Story: https://www.space.com/shenzhou-12-doc…
They launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gobi Desert and docked with the orbital outpost about 6.5 hours later.
1. Tuesday, June. 15, 2021; 7 pm PDT (9 pm CDT, 10 pm EDT): We welcome Dr. Kevin Cannon from the Colorado School of Mines to discuss lunar geology and more.
2. Wednesday, June. 16, 2021: Hotel Mars TBA pre-recorded. See upcoming show menu on the home page for program details.
5. Sunday, June.20, 2021; 12-1:30 pm PDT (3-4:30 pm EDT, 2-3:30 pm CDT): Welcome back to noted space attorney Michael Listner to discuss space news, policy and more. Visit Michael’s website at www.spacelawsolutions.com.
Some recent shows:
** Sunday, June.13.2021– Open lines program covered a wide range of space news topics and policy issues.
** Friday, June.11.2021 – Dr. Akhil Rao discussed “economically controlling orbits to maximize economic potential and assure economic and industry growth“. See the show page for links to papers by Rao et al.
** Tuesday, June.8.2021 – Dr. Martin Ross talked about “the effects of climate change on the space industry, how rockets and reentry vehicles or debris impact the middle atmosphere creating dangerous “dust” plus we took a look at the current research and talked about possible mitigation strategies.”
