Space Policy

Space policy roundup – Mar.2.2019

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:

Webcasts:

** EXCLUSIVE: Former FL Sen. Bill Nelson on space exploration, UF historical docs

** February 26, 2019 Zimmerman/Batchelor podcast | Behind The Black

** The Space Show – Sun, 02/24/2019 – Linda Plush talked about “Human spaceflight medical concerns, challenges, solutions, mitigations, R&D, budget issues, progress, engineering differences and more”.

** The Space Show – Mon, 02/25/2019 – Micah Walter-Range discussed “how to expand and develop space with both government and private sector activity to establish a sustainable global space economy”.

** The Space Show – Tue, 02/26/2019 – Bernie Taylor discussed “Lunar time life, lunar cycles and life, extraterrestrial life, Drake equation modification to reflect the Moon, intelligent animals w/o lunar cycles and more”.

** Weekly Space Hangout: Feb 27, 2019: Dr. Ellen Stofan, Director of the National Air and Space Museum

** Episode T+113: Q&A – Main Engine Cut Off – “This month, we talk the GEO slowdown, the LEO boom, and as always, take on some fun launch vehicle questions.”

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Space 2.0: How Private Spaceflight, a Resurgent NASA, and International Partners are Creating a New Space Age

Rockets, Space industry, Spaceflight & Parabolic Flight

Videos: SpaceX Crew Dragon Demonstration-1 launch

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Below are videos and images of the launch early this morning of the SpaceX Falcon 9 with the Crew Dragon for the Demonstration 1 mission (DM-1). (Will add more videos as they become available). The first stage landed successfully on a platform in the Atlantic. The Dragon is scheduled to dock with the ISS at around 6 am EST Sunday, Feb.3rd. Watch the rendezvous and docking live starting at 3:30 am EST (0830 UTC) on the .

[ Update: Post-launch briefing:

https://youtu.be/HuXPLtJXd14

A second passenger aboard the Crew Dragon enjoys weightlessness:

]

The complete SpaceX/NASA joint webcast:

The first stage just after landing:

A preview video of the launch system on the pad:

A video tour of the interior of the interior:

More about the Crew Dragon:

A view of preparations for the mission:

An animation of how the Dragon will catch up with the  International Space Station:

Some screen captures during the countdown and launch:

Liftoff
Just after the first stage (left) and second stage (right) separated and the second stage engine began firing.
Test dummy Riley in the Dragon interior.
The Falcon 9 and the Crew Dragon on the pad before the launch.
View of pad about 5 minutes before scheduled liftoff.

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Space 2.0: How Private Spaceflight, a Resurgent NASA, and International Partners are Creating a New Space Age

In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, SpaceCasts

Videos: “Space to Ground” ISS report – March.1.2019

The latest Space to Ground weekly report from NASA on activities related to the International Space Station:

A profile of astronaut Christina Kcoh

It may not look like mountain climbing has much to do with being an astronaut, even though both involve great heights and special equipment. But NASA’s Christina Koch says the concentration and control she learned in climbing helped her prepare to be an astronaut and to make the climb to space for her first mission to the International Space Station.

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Outpost in Orbit: A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station

 

Astronomy

Video: Night sky highlights for March 2019

Here is a preview of the night sky for March from NASA JPL:  What’s Up: March 2019 Skywatching –

What can you see in the March sky? Jupiter and other planets in the morning, a change of seasons and an open star cluster called the Beehive.

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Brief Answers to the Big Questions – Stephen Hawking

Rockets

Space transport roundup – Feb.28.2019

A sampling of recent items related to traveling to and through space:

[ Update 2:

** The SpaceIL lunar lander resumes its engine firings after a computer problem earlier this week caused a firing to be canceled: Beresheet Overcomes Early Glitches, Continues Journey to the Moon | The Planetary Society.

** SpaceX:

Launch review briefing:

https://youtu.be/01p-4YfMXm8

A video overview of the Crew Dragon program:

Here is a tour of the Crew Dragon interior:

And a view of the start of the rollout to the pad:

]

** Soyuz ST-B rocket launches 6 OneWeb broadband Internet satellites into orbit from Arianespace‘s Kourou spaceport in French Guiana on Wednesday:

Deployment of the satellites:

More at:

** Virgin Galactic:

**** Two more SpaceShipTwo vehicles are under construction in Mojave and a dozen may eventually be built: As Virgin Galactic notches another test flight, its next space planes take shape – Los Angeles Times

More than 600 customers have put down deposits of up to $250,000 each to experience several minutes of weightlessness while watching the sky fade from light blue to the blackness of space.

To provide that, Virgin Galactic needs to churn out more space planes.

“We’ve chosen to do some design enhancements on the next spaceship, mostly about manufacturability,” said Enrico Palermo, president of Spaceship Co., Virgin’s spacecraft manufacturing arm. “We’re going to build more of them.”

The shop floor at one of Spaceship Co.’s Mojave hangars was buzzing on a recent weekday, with teams of people working on aspects of the next two SpaceShipTwo space planes.

**** Spectators on the ground at Mojave could see the plume of the SpaceShipTwo’s rocket motor as it streaked upward to the edge of space:

** SpaceX:

**** The first test flight of the Crew Dragon on a Falcon 9 rocket is set to lift off early Saturday morning at 2:49 am EST (0749:03 GMT) from famous Pad 39A at Cape Kennedy. This first demonstration mission (DM-1) of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program will have no astronauts on board but will otherwise carry out all the tasks involved in sending a crew to the International Space Station and bringing them back for a water landing in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.

Today the Launch Readiness Review, the final major step in the launch approval process, gave a GO for the launch: SpaceX Demo-1: Reviews provide GO for launch – Commercial Crew Program/NASA

Falcon 9 with Crew Dragon on Pad 39A on Feb. 28, 2019.

At 4 pm EST today (Feb.28.2019), there will be a pre-launch briefing, which will be webcast on NASA TV.

The launch can also be watched on NASA TV and on the SpaceX Webcast page.

Here is the NASA press kit for DM-1:

NASA updates on the CCP, which also includes the Boeing Starliner transport system, are posted at Commercial Crew Program – NASA Blog

**** Post-launch processing of the Falcon 9 booster from last week’s launch of the Indonesian Nusantara Satu satellite and the SpaceIL lunar lander has been underway at Port Canaveral following its return on the floating landing platform. Here are some views of the processing activities via www.USLaunchReport.com:

**** Videos of recent activities at the Boca Chica Beach facilities near Brownsville, Texas:

** Other space transport items:

 

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Space 2.0: How Private Spaceflight, a Resurgent NASA, and International Partners are Creating a New Space Age

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