Essays by space scientists and engineers on the coolest ways and means to get humanity to the stars along with stories by an all-star assortment of talespinners abounding with Hugo and Nebula award winners: Ben Bova, Mike Resnick, Jack McDevitt, Michael Bishop, Sarah A. Hoyt and more.
Some humans may be content staying in one place, but many of us are curious about what’s beyond the next village, the next ocean, the next horizon. Are there others like us out there? How will we reach them?
Wonderful questions. Now get ready for some highly informative and entertaining answers.
And the other co-editor Jack McDevitt is the Nebula Award–winning author of The Academy [Amazon link] series, including The Long Sunset [Amazon link]. McDevitt posted about the new release of the book in paperback: Blog #80
As co-editor, I am of course not objective about the collection. Nevertheless I can’t avoid mentioning that the fiction is compelling. What might it really be like to board an interstellar vehicle on a mission to a nearby star that will take years or decades? That some of us would realize, going out, that we would not live long enough to return? And what would it feel like to actually visit another star?
An update from Immortal Data on the partnership with students at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology on a sub-orbital rocket project:
Geared Up for Launch: Four Years of Space Engineering Takes Flight
August, 30, 2021 (New Mexico) – Innovation works hard behind the scenes, often for years, before its accomplishments see the light of day. This year marks an exciting one for Immortal Data and the students of the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, as their industrial partnership is finally set to take off, with all their hard work on board. Since 2017, IDI and NM Tech students have toiled long hours, developing the payload mounting and attaching system for sub-orbital flight, using extremely strict weight and volume guidelines. Their combined efforts have resulted in a payload that not only holds IDI’s data acquisition and logging system “microDAQ and ShipsStore,” but also includes structural health monitoring capabilities.
Structural Health Monitoring is an important technology that improves flight safety and reduces operation cost of future space systems. By monitoring structural conditions in real time, information on changes and damage can be reported immediately to the support team, which allows fast decisions to be made.
According to Dr. Andrei Zagrai,
“We believe that structural health monitoring will be one of key components in re-usability of future space vehicles. We are very excited to demonstrate its feasibility and integration with the blackbox system developed by Immortal Data. It is a great opportunity to test our ideas during sub-orbital space flight.”
This partnership has been a great opportunity for not only Immortal Data, but also for their partners at NMT. Students have been able to participate in a project that will reshape the future of space safety standards.
“This project is also an excellent example of collaboration between the institute and a commercial company as it has both educational and research objectives. We have an undergraduate student team which helped to design and fabricate payload and gained much experience interacting with space engineers at Immortal Data. A graduate student and a former New Mexico Tech graduate were involved in design, implementation and validation of SHM experiment further advancing research and engineering solutions for space vehicles. We hope that our joint work will help to make spaceflight safer and affordable to everyone.”
Through blended endeavors of passion and drive, NM Tech students and IDI have crafted a piece of technology that will impact the future of space engineering for years to come. IDI ShipStore’s patented solution to accumulate, store, and share sensor data in real time, combined with the enclosure designed by NMT to withstand the rigorous stress of a space launch, is a huge achievement for both parties involved. Immortal Data will be delivering the payload this month in anticipation of the sub-orbital flight scheduled to take place in November. They continue to prove their commitment to safety in space and to the space community.About Immortal Data: Immortal Data is an affordable solution to the data collection and recovery demands of the burgeoning and budget-minded private space craft industry.
Here is the latest episode in NASA’s Space to Ground weekly report on activities related to the International Space Station:
** Expedition 65 Inflight with Today Show – September 17, 2021 – NASA Video
Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 65 Flight Engineers Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur of NASA discussed living and working in space and other research topics during an in-flight interview September 17 with NBC’s Today Show. Kimbrough and McArthur launched in April on the SpaceX Crew Dragon “Endeavour” for a planned six-month science 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.
** NASA Astronaut Mark Vande Hei on setting the record for longest single spaceflight for an American – NASA Johnson
With the plans for Russian spaceflight participants to visit the International Space Station as part of the MS-19 Soyuz crew in October 2021, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei and Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov will remain aboard the station until March 2022. Upon return to Earth, Mark Vande Hei will hold the record for longest single spaceflight for an American. Vande Hei talked about his mission extension and impending spaceflight record during an interview from the International Space Station.
A potential benefit to this extension is NASA gaining deeper insight into how the human body adapts to life in microgravity for longer periods of time. This research helps prepare for Artemis missions to the Moon and eventually long-duration missions to Mars, as well as provides critical opportunities for additional research to be conducted aboard the station that can benefit life on Earth.
** Spacewalk Outside the International Space Station – NASA
Does your weekend include any home improvements? Ours does! On Sun. Sept. 12 at 8:30 a.m. EDT (12:30 UTC), watch Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet venture outside the International Space Station to perform upgrades to the orbiting lab. The duo [spent] approximately 6.5 hours in the vacuum of space preparing the space station for the installation of its third new roll-up solar array.
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet takes you on a tour of the International Space Station like no other. Filmed with a 360 camera, the Space Station 360 series lets you explore for yourself alongside Thomas’s explanation – this is the Kibo module.
Kibo is the Japanese module, also known as the Japanese Experiment Module or JEM. Thomas takes you through the hardware available for the astronauts and researchers on Earth and the unique airlock and storage space in Kibo.
The video is part of a series with Thomas showing each module in full 360 surround video. Click and drag with your mouse or move your smartphone around to see different angles and feel like you are in space with Thomas. Follow Thomas: http://bit.ly/ThomasPesquetBlog
** Quest airlock | Space Station 360 (in French with English subtitles available) – European Space Agency, ESA
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet takes you on a tour of the International Space Station like no other. Filmed with a 360 camera, the Space Station 360 series lets you explore for yourself alongside Thomas’s explanation – episode four is @NASA’s Quest airlock.
The Quest airlock is the Station’s smallest module, but it is vital for going on spacewalks. This is where the astronauts suit up into their spacesuits, prepare for the spacewalk and enter the airlock to go outside for maintenance, installing new equipment or science experiments.
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):
** Chinese Smartphones to Adopt Satellite Connectivity, Recap on Provincial Space Policies – Dongfang Hour – YouTube
Hello and welcome to another episode of the Dongfang Hour China Space News Roundup! A kind reminder that we cover many more stories every week in our Newsletter (newsletter.dongfanghour.com). This week, we discuss:
00:00 Introduction
01:01 Chinese smartphones and satellite connectivity
11:08 Recap on provincial space policies
15:25 Two launches for China’s space program
** NSS Town Hall: The NSS Policy Committee with Randy Gigante and Charles Ellzey – National Space Society
For our September 9 Town Hall, NSS presented two leaders from our policy committee. As a grass-roots advocacy and educational organization, the National Space Society takes positions on space activities from NASA to industry to commercial and entrepreneurial spaceflight. Did you ever wonder how the decision is made to take a position on a particular issue? The National Space Society’s Policy Committee discusses, debates, and formulates the positions that the NSS takes to advance the cause of human beings living and working in communities beyond the Earth. …
** How reforms can further accelerate the pace of Indian Space sector – Geospatial World
The Government of India has recently announced policy reforms to boost the country’s Space sector. With a clear focus on ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ or a self-reliant India, the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe), has been formed to bridge the gap between the government and private industry. This is what the industry experts had to say about the impact of the new policy reforms.
The need for accurate and precise data on the current state of the planet has never been more urgent. Space is playing an increasingly important role in enabling us to monitor and tackle climate change, helping the global community gain a better picture of the urgency to take action.
The Secure World Foundation and the British Embassy co-hosted a webinar delving into this timely topic. It focused on the applications of space technologies, such as satellites, to help track climate change on Earth and provide critical data for scientists and policy makers, how space will fit into 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) being held in Glasgow on 31 October – 12 November 2021, and the UK’s overall global leadership in climate action. The event also underscored the imperative to work through multilateral fora and international agreements to address this global priority.
On this Constellations Podcast, we’ll talk about the exponential growth of Non-Geostationary-Orbit (NGSO) satellite constellations, their commercial and go-to-market plans, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead in realizing a bandwidth filled future. Well over 50,000 NGSO communications smallsats are planned for launch over the next decade. SpaceX, Amazon Project Kuiper, SES, Telesat, OneWeb and many other constellation providers are promising to transform the space industry with thousands of NGSOs beaming tens of Terabits per second to the ground to satisfy a seemingly endless demand for bandwidth. During this episode, Nathan de Ruiter, the Managing Director of Euroconsult Canada will share insights into the go-to-market plans and commercial strategy for these NGSO constellations and the implications from a business model, cost, funding and ground segment perspective.
During this week’s Space Café, SpaceWatch.Global publisher, Torsten Kriening had the opportunity to speak with one of the industry’s “hidden gems”, Professor Enrico Stoll, who is the new Chair of Space Technology at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany’s first technical university. Born and raised in the former German Democratic Republic and with a 20-year career spanning several continents, holding academic positions in Dresden, Moscow, Massachusetts, Munich and Sydney, he is an expert in aerospace engineering and astronautics. In his current role, he researches space technology, debris removal, manufacturing in space and space robotics. This week, he and Torsten discuss TU Berlin’s legacy of space innovation as well as Professor Stoll’s own research into nano-sats and space debris. A crash course in TU Berlin’s 30-year small-sat history …
Robots In Space founder Dr. Gordon Roesler returns to the Cold Star Project following his appearance as a speaker at the State of the Space Industrial Base 2021 event. We’re looking at the need for commercial logistics systems for space, and why the US needs to invest in these in a hurry. …
1. Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021; 7 pm PDT (9 pm CDT, 10 pm EDT): We welcome back Dr. Thomas Matula regarding his latest work on space habitat research and the human expansion into the solar system.
2. Wednesday, Sept. 8, 2021: Hotel Mars TBA pre-recorded. See upcoming show menu on the home page for program details.
3. Friday, Sept.10, 2021; 9:30-11 am PDT (11:30 am-1 pm CDT, 12:30-2 pm EDT): We welcome back Thomas A. Olson and Walt Anderson with updates on the launch of their communications business.
4. Sunday, Sept.12, 2021; 12-1:30 pm PDT (3-4:30 pm EDT, 2-3:30 pm CDT): We welcome back Professor Madhu Thangavelu to discuss his 30 year history with his space design class, evolving trends and students.
Co-editor Les Johnson is a NASA physicist and author. Check out the list of his books at Baen.
