1. Tuesday, Mar. 22, 2022; 7 pm PST (9 pm CST, 10 pm EST): We welcome Paula LeClair, the Chief Product Officer in the U.S. for Healthy.io and their new kidney program for space.
2. Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2022; 1:00 pm PST (3:00 pm CST, 4:00 pm EST): Hotel Mars – Dr. Jay Farihi will talk with John Batchelor and Dr. David Livingston about planetary bodies observed for first time in habitable zone of dead star.
3. Friday, Mar.25, 2022; 9:30-11 am PST (11:30 am-1 pm CST, 12:30-2 pm EST): We welcome back Manny Pimenta which his new program, Virtual Moon. A must hear program.
4. Sunday, Mar.27, 2022; 12-1:30 pm PST (2-3:30 pm CST, 3-4:30 pm EST): We welcome Faust Checho of the terrific podcast Far Out With Faust. I was a guest on his show late last year and Faust will be with us this Sunday on space and other matters where he brings us a fresh perspective. Another must hear interview.
Some recent shows:
** Friday, Mar.18.2022 – Andrew Chanin talked about “the investment and financial markets post the Russian invasion of Ukraine plus with interest rate increases and inflation, there was lots to discuss with Andrew“.
** Tuesday, Mar.15.2022 – Dr. John Hunter discussed “Green Launch, spoke a lot about the Russian invasion of Ukraine, talked about rockets and speed, fuel, weapons, Green Launch markets, commercial uses, commercial satellites over Ukraine, beavers on the west coast and more“.
The Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft was docked to the Prichal module of the International Space Station (ISS) on 18 March 2022, at 19:12 UTC (22:12 MSK, 15:12 EDT). The Soyuz MS-21 spacecraft, Soyuz MS-21, with Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev, Denis Matveev and Sergey Korsakov, is scheduled for hatch opening at 21:30 UTC (17:30 EDT; 19 March, at 00:30 MSK). Credit: NASA/Roscosmos Soyuz MS-21 docking to the ISS.
** U.S. Spacewalk 79 Animation – March 14, 2022 – NASA Johnson
Expedition 66 NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari will step outside the International Space Station for a six-and-a-half hour spacewalk to conduct preparation work for upcoming solar array upgrades for the station’s 3A power channel. The current solar arrays which were designed for a 15-year service life are functioning well, but have begun to show signs of degradation, as expected. The first pair of solar arrays were deployed in December 2000 and have been powering the station for more than 20 years. The new ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays (IROSAs) will be positioned in front of six of the current arrays, increasing the station’s total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts. Installation of the first two solar array upgrades were completed during spacewalks on June 20, 2021 and June 25, 2021.
** NASA astronauts begin spacewalk to prep ISS for solar array upgrades – VideoFromSpace – March 15th EVA
Spacewalking Expedition 66 astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari have begun “work for solar array upgrades for the station’s 3A power channel,” according to NASA.
** Spacewalk at the Space Station with NASA Astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari – NASA
NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari conduct a spacewalk at the International Space Station (ISS) to assemble and install brackets and struts kits for upcoming solar array upgrades. The new ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays, or iROSAs, will increase the space station’s total available power. So far, two of six iROSAs have been deployed on the station with four additional arrays to be delivered. Barron will serve as extravehicular crewmember 1 (EV 1) and will wear a suit with red stripes. Chari will serve as extravehicular crewmember 2 (EV 2) and will wear a suit with no stripes. The spacewalk will be the second of Barron’s career and the first for Chari.
** U.S. Spacewalk 80 Animation – March 14, 2022 – NASA Johnson
On March 23, two Expedition 66 astronauts will step outside the International Space Station for a planned six-and-a-half hour spacewalk to replace hoses and other hardware for one of the radiator beam calve modules on the complex and to conduct other upgrades to station hardware.
** Expedition 66 Astronaut Kayla Barron Answers U.S. Navy, Student Questions – March 16, 2022 – NASA Video
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 66 Flight Engineer Kayla Barron of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight event March 16 with students in the U.S. Navy. Barron graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and was a member of the first class of women commissioned into the submarine community. She is now in the midst of a planned six-month mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.
We are excited to officially announce the ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge: Viewer’s Choice presentation and are featuring a week of sustainability-related content leading up to the virtual event on March 25. Beginning on March 14, the finalists’ videos will be featured on the ISS National Lab’s YouTube channel. Viewers will have the opportunity to vote on submissions. Voting will conclude on March 21, and the winning team will be announced during the virtual event. Vote HERE to cast your vote for the winning Viewer’s Choice presentation! https://bit.ly/issnlscvote
Don’t miss the event! 2022 ISS National Lab Sustainability Challenge: Beyond Plastics Virtual Event 3/25 at 1pm EDT Register here: https://bit.ly/issnlscregister
The Sustainability Challenge is an open solicitation for U.S.-based entities to propose flight projects that leverage the space station to tackle plastics waste and enable scientific or technological advancements that improve Earth’s environment. The virtual event on March 25, 2022, will feature finalists’ recorded presentations and exciting guest speakers, culminating with an award ceremony recognizing the top ranked finalists. Following the event, finalists will be invited to submit a Full Proposal for a flight project leveraging the ISS National Lab, and the Final Determination for the selected team will be announced at the 2022 ISS Research and Development Conference July 25-28 in Washington, D.C.
Currently, live views from the ISS are streaming from an external camera mounted on the ISS module called Node 2. Node 2 is located on the forward part of the ISS. The camera is looking forward at an angle so that the International Docking Adapter 2 (IDA2) is visible. If the Node 2 camera is not available due to operational considerations for a longer period of time, a continuous loop of recorded HDEV imagery will be displayed. The loop will have “Previously Recorded” on the image to distinguish it from the live stream from the Node 2 camera. After HDEV stopped sending any data on July 18, 2019, it was declared, on August 22, 2019, to have reached its end of life. Thank You to all who shared in experiencing and using the HDEV views of Earth from the ISS to make HDEV so much more than a Technology Demonstration Payload!
1. Tuesday, Mar. 15, 2022; 7 pm PST (9 pm CST, 10 pm EST): We welcome back Dr. John Hunter for his good news progress report for his Green Launch Co at Yuma Proving Grounds. Don’t miss his great news!
3. Friday, Mar.18, 2022; 9:30-11 am PST (11:30 am-1 pm CST, 12:30-2 pm EST): We welcome back Andrew Chanin for news on EFTs, SPACs, and the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on NewSpace investments.
4. Sunday, Mar.20, 2022; 12-1:30 pm PST (2-3:30 pm CST, 3-4:30 pm EST): We welcome back Chris Carberry of Explore Mars for updates with news, important events and much more. Mars anyone?
** Tuesday, Mar.8.2022 – Joe Carrolldiscussed “multiple topics based on Joe’s PDF document on the blog for this show covering Starship, Tourism and Commercial Space Travel and Human Futures Beyond Earth“.
Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:
** Axiom Space Ax-1! 1st all-private crew to space station explained – VideoFromSpace
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch Crew Dragon Endeavour with the Axiom Space Ax-1 crew no earlier than March 30, 2022. Learn more about the Ax-1 mission: https://www.space.com/ax-1-axiom-spac… Axiom VP & former NASA astronaut Michael López-Alegría will command SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavour and is joined by fellow crew members Larry Connor (pilot), Mark Pathy (mission specialist) & Eytan Stibbe (mission specialist).
Join ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer on a tour of Columbus, Europe’s science laboratory on the International Space Station. Cosmic Kiss is Matthias’s first mission to the Space Station and the Columbus module is one of his main workplaces. It is also where he sleeps in his crew quarters known as CASA. Columbus is Europe’s largest contribution to the orbital outpost and the first European laboratory for permanent, multidisciplinary research in space. It houses 16 standardised payload cabinets, known as racks, which host laboratory equipment and technical systems. This allows the facility to support research across a wide range of different scientific disciplines.
Work focuses on materials science, fluid physics, chemistry, remote sensing, biology, biotechnology, medicine and human physiology, as well as technology demonstrations to aid innovation on Earth. Once installed by an astronaut, many of the experiments that happen in Columbus can be remotely controlled and monitored by User Support Operations Centres on the ground.
Matthias will live and work in orbit for approximately six months for his Cosmic Kiss mission. During this time, he will conduct and support more than 35 European and numerous other international experiments in microgravity. Follow Matthias: https://bit.ly/ESACosmicKiss
** Chinese astronaut delivers International Women’s Day message from space – VideoFromSpace
Chinese astronaut Wang Yaping, currently serving aboard the Tiangong space station, recorded an International Women’s Day message. Full Story: https://www.space.com/chinese-astrona…
** Russia’s space agency severs ties with the U.S. and its European partners – CBS News
Russia’s space agency has severed ties with the U.S. and its European partners. CBS News senior space analyst Bill Harwood joins Lana Zak to discuss more.
** Life As An Astronaut On The International Space Station [4K] | Cosmic Encounters – Spark
“Cosmic Encounters” tells one of mankind’s oldest dreams: to explore what is beyond our planet. For the first time in TV history a documentary has been filmed in 3D in space by the astronauts of the International Space Station. It is a tribute to the many scientists who made the dream of conquering space come true. Our guides on this voyage are the astronauts André Kuipers, who filmed on board, and Alexander Gerst, whose demanding training for the 2014 mission is recorded at the Johnson Space Center. — Subscribe to Spark for more amazing science, tech & engineering videos: https://goo.gl/LIrlur
** Spacewalk at the Space Station with NASA Astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari – NASA – Live streaming of ISS EVA scheduled for March 15th.
NASA astronauts Kayla Barron and Raja Chari conduct a spacewalk at the International Space Station (ISS) to assemble and install brackets and struts kits for upcoming solar array upgrades. The new ISS Roll-Out Solar Arrays, or iROSAs, will increase the space station’s total available power. So far, two of six iROSAs have been deployed on the station with four additional arrays to be delivered. Barron will serve as extravehicular crewmember 1 (EV 1) and will wear a suit with red stripes. Chari will serve as extravehicular crewmember 2 (EV 2) and will wear a suit with no stripes. The spacewalk will be the second of Barron’s career and the first for Chari. nasa.gov/iss
Currently, live views from the ISS are streaming from an external camera mounted on the ISS module called Node 2. Node 2 is located on the forward part of the ISS. The camera is looking forward at an angle so that the International Docking Adapter 2 (IDA2) is visible. If the Node 2 camera is not available due to operational considerations for a longer period of time, a continuous loop of recorded HDEV imagery will be displayed. The loop will have “Previously Recorded” on the image to distinguish it from the live stream from the Node 2 camera. After HDEV stopped sending any data on July 18, 2019, it was declared, on August 22, 2019, to have reached its end of life. Thank You to all who shared in experiencing and using the HDEV views of Earth from the ISS to make HDEV so much more than a Technology Demonstration Payload!
Virgin Orbit to Launch First Welsh Satellite From UK Spaceport Summer 2022
Cardiff-based Space Forge secure slot on first launch from UK soil with Virgin Orbit
Space Forge have developed a fully returnable and reusable satellite platform to enable in-space manufacturing
This mission, launched from Spaceport Cornwall this summer, will test new return capability
LONG BEACH, Calif. & CARDIFF, Wales–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Leading launch company Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB) and European in-space manufacturing tech start-up Space Forge announce today an agreement to launch the first satellite developed in Wales in summer 2022.
In a historic moment for UK space, the satellite will be launched as part of a broader joint UK-US mission to open the country’s first domestic space port in summer 2022 out of Spaceport Cornwall in Newquay, Cornwall.
Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne ignites in mid-air for the first time during the company’s Launch Demo. May 25, 2020. Credit: Virgin Orbit/Greg Robinson.
With shared values of democratising space and pioneering responsive and responsible launch technologies, the synergy between Virgin Orbit and Cardiff-based Space Forge’s ethos makes this the ideal marriage for initial launch from the UK. This, coupled with Spaceport Cornwall’s ambitions to become a world leader in responsible launch will offer a real-world example of a global shift in environmental space practice – from sustainable on the ground operations, to horizontal lower impact launch technologies, to in-orbit services minimising the environmental impacts of manufacturing.
Space Forge is on a mission to make space work for humanity – seeking to harness the power of microgravity, offering an on demand service to advance the expansion of the market for premium research and development applications.
Space Forge recently announced that, along with partners, it is developing a world-first service incorporating both launch and return of a new small class of vehicle – the ForgeStar – that can be deployed from conventional launchers to provide rapid, reliable and reusable in-space infrastructure. This inaugural mission will see Space Forge’s ForgeStar-0 platform launched for the first time and will test future return from space technology.
The Forge Star Platform, “ a fully returnable and reusable satellite platform to enable in-space manufacturing“. Credits: Space Forge
Aiming to unlock the next steps on the path to market expansion, dedicated in-space manufacturing, coupled with proof of reliable return, will allow Space Forge to leverage the benefits of the space environment, namely: microgravity, vacuum, and temperature, to create products impossible to manufacture on Earth.
Their focus is on producing materials and products which offer game-changing levels of performance and efficiency in power hungry infrastructure and systems – reducing the environmental impact of production on earth to unlock new value and innovation. Research suggests that manufacturing certain materials in space could reduce CO2 emissions by 75% – the equivalent to removing all petrol cars from the UK.
“We at Virgin Orbit are delighted to have been chosen to move Space Forge forward in their space journey as we look forward to our inaugural Cornwall launch. Space Forge is joining the growing community of space innovators advancing space technologies for the betterment of our world,” said Virgin Orbit CEO Dan Hart. “Their commitment to sustainability builds a foundation for future growth in the industry that we at Virgin Orbit are proud to be part of.”
Joshua Western, CEO, Space Forge:
“We’re thrilled to be making UK history with our first launch. We will demonstrate the use of space for good through in-space manufacturing and reliable return and it’s brilliant that both Virgin Orbit and Spaceport Cornwall share our ambitions. This is the start of a great collaboration and we are so excited to see where it goes.”
Melissa Thorpe, Head of Spaceport Cornwall:
“Launch from Cornwall is the chance to set the bar for the global space industry. Leading with companies like Space Forge, who are innovating in the responsible use of space, is key to this next iteration of space exploration.
It’s amazing to see our partners Virgin Orbit select customers who share our ambitions in this area and we can’t wait to show the world how this can be done.”
Dr Paul Bate, CEO of the UK Space Agency:
“The UK is set to become the first nation in Europe to offer small satellite launch, as we become one of the most attractive space economies in the world.
“Space Forge is an innovative, fast-growing company and their agreement with Virgin Orbit demonstrates how all regions of the UK are playing a key role in our ambition to create a thriving small satellite launch market. In-space manufacturing harnesses the benefits of the space environment to create materials far superior to those we can produce on Earth, which can be used to speed up electric car charging or improve the lifetime of aircraft engines.
“This is a huge moment for Space Forge to be part of the first satellite launch from the UK and I wish them all the best, along with Spaceport Cornwall and Virgin Orbit.”
About Space Forge: Space Forge Ltd is a UK start-up on a mission to lead the clean industrial revolution by harnessing space. The company is developing fully returnable satellites that are designed for manufacturing next generation super materials in-space. In creating a reliable return, Space Forge will advance the expansion of the microgravity market for premium research and development applications by lowering the barriers to entry. The company is focused on R&D initiatives where dedicated return from the space environment can add a significant benefit, or overcome obstacles found terrestrially, to unlock new value and innovation.
About Virgin Orbit: Virgin Orbit (Nasdaq: VORB) operates one of the most flexible and responsive space launch systems ever built. Founded by Sir Richard Branson in 2017, the company began commercial service in 2021, and has already delivered commercial, civil, national security, and international satellites into orbit. Virgin Orbit’s LauncherOne rockets are designed and manufactured in Long Beach, California, and are air-launched from a modified 747- 400 carrier aircraft that allows Virgin Orbit to operate from locations all over the world in order to best serve each customer’s needs. Learn more at www.virginorbit.com and visit us on LinkedIn, on Twitter @virginorbit, and on Instagram @virgin.orbit.
About Spaceport Cornwall: Spaceport Cornwall is the horizontal space launch site at Cornwall Airport Newquay, in South West England. Spaceport Cornwall is a partnership between Cornwall Council, commercial launch operator Virgin Orbit and Goonhilly Earth Station. The consortium will deliver small satellite launch into lower Earth Orbit, for the first time ever from the UK by 2022. The project is funded by the UK Space Agency, Cornwall Council, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership and Virgin Orbit. For video and media content:www.spaceportcornwall.com/media
