Monthly Archives: May 2021

Dr. Michaela Musilova is the director of Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) program, which conducts analog missions to the moon and Mars for scientific research at a habitat on the volcano Mauna Loa. Currently, she is in command of the two-week Selene V lunar mission and contributed this report to Space.com's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

Commander's report for the Selene V moon mission at HI-SEAS

Lunar day 6 (April 5, 2021)

The joke's on us, again. This time I was not behind this cruel prank. As our Crew Operations Officer Dr. Lindsey Kishline wrote in her mission report today: "The whole crew awoke very early today and ran downstairs in the habitat all giddy with glee like children on Christmas morning at the possibility of a finally going on a moonwalk." I'll paraphrase the rest, as some stronger language was used. Instead of being greeted with a nice sunrise like we hoped, "dust storms" were already raging outside. They are the lunar equivalent to the rainstorms and fog that we have been experiencing on our analog missions at HI-SEAS, on the volcano Mauna Loa in Hawaii.

We woke up several hours earlier than normal to avoid the "dust storms" that usually engulf the habitat by noon. Our efforts to bypass the dust storms and finally perform our first extravehicular activity (EVA), also known as a moonwalk, were in vain. The plague of the "dust storms" at HI-SEAS continues. They have been complicating the lives of most HI-SEAS crews since October 2020. While I understand the crew's frustration with being stuck indoors for days on end and not being able to do their research outside, I do appreciate the extra challenge that these conditions pose to the crew.

Related: HI-SEAS crew struggle to keep up hope as relentless storms foil their 'moonwalks'

One of the main reasons we perform these analog missions is to test and train people on how to work as a team to resolve problems, with limited resources, during space missions. If the dust storms didn't stress the crew out, then I would have created some artificial problems to test them (just like I did on day 2 with my April Fools' joke). As the director of HI-SEAS, I'm able to have my team in Mission Control on "Earth" remotely disable various systems in the habitat, such as the power and our virtual connection to Earth. I can also create artificial problems with our water supply and our different technologies at HI-SEAS.

Nonetheless, the crew is also here on mission to perform their individual research projects. This is why being forced to be indoors because of "dust storms" is particularly challenging for Space Resources Officer Gustavo Jamanca-Lino. Most of his research involves collecting lava rock samples and taking geological measurements during EVAs.

Gustavo thus spent the last few days reviewing technical documents to support his research, such as the characterization of lunar rocks with information from NASA's robotic Surveyor 5 mission (which landed on the moon in 1967) and the Apollo 11 moon landing. He was particularly interested in the particle distribution of the lunar regolith (similar to soil on Earth), which is information that he'll use for collecting lunar analog samples on the volcano Mauna Loa.

The rest of the crew has fortunately not been affected by the weather, except when we went into so-called "low power mode." That is when we can't fully recharge the habitat's batteries through our solar panels during "dust storms' and we have to conserve power instead. To do that, we have to turn off all appliances, chargers and even experiments that are not vital to our survival on the moon. This includes turning the temperature in the habitat down by a few degrees, which the crew does not enjoy. There now exist multiple memes of me along the lines of someone looking frozen with the caption: "Lord Commander be like 'it's not cold in here.'"

When we finally had enough power, my crewmembers were able to assemble a 3D printer that was kindly donated to HI-SEAS by a former crewmember. It was a successful team effort that included help from several members of our volunteer Mission Support team.

Crew Biologist Dr. Brandy Nunez is taking care of the 3D printer for the Selene V mission, on top of her other projects. They include audio recordings of sounds typical of a lunar analog mission inside the habitat and during EVAs. Brandy is also currently growing seedlings in the lab, some of which involve recycling different habitat materials for use as fertilizers. One of these fertilizers is made from crewmembers' hair, as part of the nationwide Mission to Mars high school student competition that I have been running in Slovakia for the past few years.

One of the first items that we 3D printed were ribs for Science Communications Officer Bader Al Moulah's research project, which involves training astronauts without medical degrees to perform life-saving surgeries after receiving a focused medical curriculum. He has three procedures planned for the mission and so far has performed the first procedure. It involved treating and suturing a large simulated laceration on a crewmember.

Bader 3D printed the ribs in an effort to better simulate his next procedure that will be focused on mitigating a case of tension pneumothorax. It is a life-threatening condition that develops when air leaks into the space between the lungs and chest wall.

In the meantime, Lindsey has been able to finish coding the experimental audio and visual stimuli to be used in her perceptual EVA helmet experiment. She calculated field of view measurements for various planes of depth in the EVA helmets. To date, Lindsey has overcome several obstacles in designing perceptual research on the moon, including audio-visual latency with the available hardware and software, as well as the field of view being obscured due to some of the helmets' features. These include a heads-up display and a camera in the chin part of the helmet.

The HI-SEAS lab is now fully inhabited by multiple living organisms. Crew Engineer Sean Gellenbeck's mushroom and algae culture experiment is coexisting with all of Brandy's plant growth projects. The mushroom and algal cultures are sealed together in a small volume container. Sean is studying the gas exchange between the two cultures. The CO2 level in the container is currently elevated and he expects it to plateau, then decrease as the algal culture continues to grow and use the CO2 in the container.

Commander Musilova signing off hoping the "dust storms" will give the Selene V crew a break, especially as Gustavo can't wait to go on an EVA to collect samples for his research project. However, even if we'll end up confined indoors for longer, I'm confident the crew will continue to support one another with high spirits as they have been doing so far. Each day I deeply enjoy our time learning from one another and getting to know each other better.

Follow Michaela Musilova on Twitter @astro_Michaela. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

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Bad weather on the 'moon' puts the HI-SEAS crew into 'low power mode' Commander's report: lunar day 6 - Space.com

Japan is prepping an unusual robot to explore the Moon and it's clearly influenced by the country's tech industry. The Byte reports that the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has teamed up with Sony, Doshisha University and toy maker Tomy on a ball-shaped transforming robot to study the lunar soil ahead of a crewed rover due in 2029.

The 8.8oz bot will arrive in a compact ball that will help the private robotics company Ispace carry the machine aboard its lunar lander. Once on the surface, it'll pop open into a "full" configuration that captures images of the Moon's surface. This will also make the robot useful for future missions, JAXA said.

The contributions aren't completely surprising. Sony (which knows a thing about rolling robots) provided the control technology for the robot, while Tomy and Doshisha helped miniaturize the design. Work on the robot started with a study in 2016, but the effort mainly solidified with Sony's entrance in 2019 and Doshisha's in 2021.

Ispace will launch its lander and the transfomer robot in 2022. We wouldn't count on seeing many space exploration robots like this, but this project hints at a future where shapeshifting designs let landers either carry previously impractical robots or reduce the size of the host vehicle itself.

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Japan will send a transforming robot ball to the Moon - Engadget

Check out the May 30 edition of What's Trending in Aerospace, where editors and contributors forAvionics International bring you some of the latest headlines and updates happening across the global aerospace industry.

Airbus expects to ramp up its production rate for its A320 family, including the A320neo pictured here. (Airbus)

Airbus provided suppliers with a production update on its aircraft in anticipation that the commercial aircraft market recovery will hit pre-pandemic levels in 2023 and 2025 and be led by the single-aisle segment, according to a May 27 press release.

For the A320 family, Airbus is expecting a production rate of 45 aircraft per month in Q4 of 2021 and is asking suppliers to enable a scenario of rate 70 by Q1 of 2024, according to the release. The A220 and A350 families rates are currently around five aircraft per month and will rise to six in early 2022. The A330 family production rate remains at two per month.

The aviation sector is beginning to recover from the COVID-19 crisis, Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, said in a statement. The message to our supplier community provides visibility to the entire industrial ecosystem to secure the necessary capabilities and be ready when market conditions call for it. In parallel, we are transforming our industrial system by optimizing our aerostructures set-up and modernizing our A320 Family production facilities. All these actions are set in motion to prepare our future.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified the 25-hour Flight Data Recorder (FDR), HCR-25, made by Honeywell and Curtiss-Wright for the air transport market. (Curtiss-Wright)

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certified the 25-hour Flight Data Recorder (FDR), HCR-25, made by Honeywell and Curtiss-Wright for the air transport market, the company announced in a May 26 press release.

The partnership of Honeywell and Curtiss-Wright continues our shared legacy as pioneers and innovators of crash-protected recorders, with both companies taking leadership roles in providing flight recorders to the industry for over 60 years, Chris Wiltsey, Senior Vice President and General Manager at Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions division, said in a statement. We are proud to work closely with Honeywell to bring extended operation and greater survivability for flight data recorders to the aviation market, enhancing these critical technologies with next-generation features such as real time streaming connectivity and new levels of performance.

The FDR is based on Curtiss-Wrights Fortress technology and goes beyond the requirements of each of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) defined flight recorder types while adding real time data streaming support, according to the release. Certification of the HCR-25 FDR variant follows the EASA TSO certification issued for the HCR-25 cockpit voice recorder (CVR) in January.

The new regulatory requirement provided a great opportunity to strengthen our recorder technology and provide our customers with solutions that fit their needs, Amanda King, vice president and general manager of Connected Secure Solutions at Honeywell Aerospace, said in a press statement. We worked alongside Curtiss-Wright to design and develop a new generation of recorders that leverages our full hardware and software expertise to meet the 25-hour requirement, and identify the right information and make it available to accident investigation agencies when its most needed.

Delta Air Lines is expanding its January order for Viasat in-flight connectivity (IFC) to more than 230 aircraft within its domestic fleet, according to a May 26 press release.

Under this expansion, select aircraft from Delta Air Lines' Airbus 321neo, Airbus 220-300, Boeing 737-800, Airbus 320ceo and Airbus 319 fleets will be retrofitted withViasats Ka-band satellite technology, according to the release.

A singleViasathigh-capacity Ka-band satellite antenna will power IFC while simultaneously providing live TV access to the seatback screens, the company said in the release.

This new aircraft award is in addition to the more than 300 Delta aircraft already announced inJanuary 2021.

The U.S. Air Force fiscal 2022 budget request proposes the retirement of 201 aircraft to help pay for $28.8 billion in requested research and development (R&D) fundinga $2.2 billion increase over the fiscal 2021 enacted level.

While the Air Force procurement budget has been billions of dollars more than the service R&D budgets in the past, fiscal 2022 marks the third consecutive year that the Air Force has asked for more in base R&D dollars than base procurement dollars. In fiscal 2022, the U.S. Air Force acquisition request, not including the U.S. Space Force, is $22.9 billion$5.9 billion less than the R&D request.

The proposed Air Force fiscal 2022 aircraft divestments, including the retirements of 48 Boeing F-15C/Ds, 42 A-10s, 18 KC-135s, 14 KC-10s, 47 Lockheed Martin F-16C/Ds and eight C-130Hs, 20 Northrop Grumman Block 30 RQ-4 Global Hawk drones and four Joint STARS aircraft, would save nearly $1.4 billion, the Air Force said.

The service wants to position itself to face Russia and China while sustaining its capacity for engagements with less technologically advanced potential adversaries.

The Air Force requests more than $1.5 billion for the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program--a $623 million increase from the fiscal 2021 enacted amountand more than $2.5 billion for the Northrop Grumman Ground Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD)$1.1 billion more than funded in fiscal 2021to replace the Boeing Minuteman III ICBMs. The service also proposes $3.3 billion for the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider stealth bomber in fiscal 2022, an increase of $474 millionincluding $30 million more in R&D to prepare for B-21 initial production, and $3.2 billion in procurement for 14 Boeing KC-46 tankers to bring the total number of planes to 71.

The 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron Hurricane Hunters aerial reconnaissance weather officer (ARWO) and loadmaster/dropsonde operator stations are getting hardware and software upgrades to increase their capabilities, according to a May 25 release.

This upgrade on the ARWO pallet and in regards to the hardware, software and development, to include replacing the monitors to keep up with the new information and data processing, are vital to keeping us up-to-date with the weather community, Tech. Sgt. Michael Gehl, 403rd MXS meteorology technician, said in a statement. We work hand-in-hand with engineers and developers from the 580th (Software Engineering Squadron) and (Air Force Reserve Command) for testing and developing any of the equipment that the weather community requests.

The Hurricane Hunters fly a special WC-130J Super Hercules aircraft into storms to gather weather information, according to the release.

The (Meteorology Equipment Technician) shop is in the middle of a system upgrade, specifically on the ARWO station, Maj. Tobi Baker, 53rd WRS ARWO, said in a statement. Its a major overhaul because the hardware and software that we use is specialized and a lot of the programs and components are made in-house.

One of the main upgrades is updating the computer operating systems from Windows XP to Windows 10, according to the release.

To give you a sense of time, the computers on the ARWO pallet were brand new in 2005 and now theyre all being updated to the current technology, Master Sgt. Alexander Mitchell, 403rd MXS MET noncommissioned officer in charge, said in a statement. Originally we were in the middle of upgrading from XP to Windows 7, but due to Air Forces Windows 10 compliance, it delayed us in testing and implementing that software and hardware in 2018.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 60 Starlink satellites on May 26. (SpaceX)

SpaceXlaunched a batch of 60 Starlink satellites on Wednesday afternoon, and announced that Starlink service is now available in Belgium and the Netherlands. This was the 13th dedicated Starlink mission of 2021, and the fourth Starlink mission for the month of May.

The Falcon 9 rocket took off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2:59 p.m. ET. The satellites were successfully deployed about 1 hour and four minutes into the mission. The first stage booster successfully touched down on a drone ship in the ocean about eight and a half minutes into the mission. In addition, this was the first-ever mission in which SpaceX flew a fairing half for the fifth time.

During the launch webcast on May 26, Youmei Zhou, a Dragon propulsion engineer, said that SpaceX was expandingStarlinks broadband internet beta serviceto Belgium and the Netherlands. Service is now available in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and several locations around Europe.

To date, over half a million people have placed an order or put down a deposit for Starlink. With every launch, we get closer to connecting more people across the world, Zhou said.

A new generation of lunar rovers under development by Lockheed Martin and GM could be used by Artemis astronauts to extend and enhance the exploration of the surface of the Moon. (Lockheed Martin)

Lockheed Martin and General Motors will be partnering to develop a next-generation lunar rover to transport astronauts on the surface of the moon for NASAs Artemis program, according to a May 26 release.

"This alliance brings together powerhouse innovation from both companies to make a transformative class of vehicles," Rick Ambrose, executive vice president, Lockheed Martin Space, said in the release. "Surface mobility is critical to enable and sustain long-term exploration of the lunar surface. These next-generation rovers will dramatically extend the range of astronauts as they perform high-priority scienceinvestigation on the Moon that will ultimately impact humanity's understanding of our place in the solar system."

Lockheed Martin will lead the team and brings experience from its work on spacecraft like NASAs Orion, according to the release. GM will share its expertise on battery-electric technologies and propulsion systems as well as autonomous technology.

"General Motors made history by applying advanced technologies and engineering to support the Lunar Rover Vehicle that the Apollo 15 astronauts drove on the Moon," Alan Wexler, senior vice president of Innovation and Growth at General Motors, said in a statement. "Working together with Lockheed Martin and their deep-space exploration expertise, we plan to support American astronauts on the Moon once again."

Jon Holmes, left; and Mark ter Hove, right. (Inmarsat)

Inmarsat continues to refresh its senior management team with new two high-profile appointments to target the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) market. Inmarsat announced in a May 27 press release it has appointed Jon Holmes as senior director of UAV Technology and Mark ter Hove as senior manager of European Market Development. The company said Holmes and ter Hove will drive Inmarsats plan to be the leading connectivity partner in what it sees as a burgeoning sector.

Inmarsat cited a 2019 report by theTeal GroupWorld Civil Unmanned Aerial Systems 2019 Market Profile & Forecast, which forecasts the number of UAVs flying in airspace to increase tenfold from 1.1 million to 10 million by 2027, with impacts on emergency services, disaster relief and surveillance, cargo delivery, inspection, and urban transport. Inmarsat entered the commercial UAV market in 2020.

Holmes will be responsible for creating Inmarsats roadmap for UAV products and services, working with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders. ter Hove will be responsible for evaluating customer and market opportunities in Europe to reinforce Inmarsat as the leading provider of connectivity products and services in the field of UAV BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) operations.

Thales and Airspace Link formed a new partnership to integrate ground risk data from state and local governments into unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) air traffic management (ATM) system, according to a May 27 press release.

We envision a future where manned and unmanned aviation operate together seamlessly, Jean Ferr, Vice President of Airspace Mobility Solutions at Thales, said in a statement. Thales investment and partnership with Airspace Link is an important step forward toward this reality.

The information will include the location of schools, power lines and firework displays, according to the release.

The two companies have previously worked together on Vantis, the state-wide UAS network in North Dakota.

The VT-30 is made for inter-city transportation with a range of 300 km and up to 100 minutes of flight time. (EHang)

EHang announced a new electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL), VT-30, for long range flights, according to a May 26 press release.

The VT-30 is made for inter-city transportation with a range of 300 km and up to 100 minutes of flight time, according to the release.

Our passenger-grade AAV EH216 is already fully equipped to travel in the cities with its lightweighted and streamlined structure, and the launch of the VT-30 provides a powerful complement to the inter-city air traffic network by meeting needs for covering longer distance, Huazhi Hu, Founder, Chairman and CEO of EHang, said in a statement. Moving forward, these two product series will be used as core development for a service-oriented operations strategy to improve the safety, duration and capacity for carrying both passengers and goods. We will work continuously to obtain regulatory certification for our various AAV products, including the VT-30, and provide a more convenient and efficient public urban air mobility operational services.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that it would downgrade Mexicos rating to Category 2 after an assessment of its civil aviation authority found that the government of Mexico does not meet International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) safety standards, the agency announced in a May 25 press release.

This rating change will prevent Mexican carriers from creating any new services or routes but allows them to continue any existing service in the United States, according to the release. The rating change will also mean that U.S. airlines can no longer market and sell tickets with their names on them to Mexican-operated flights and Mexican airline flights to the U.S. will also be under heightened scrutiny.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is looking for airports to participate in the Environmental Mitigation Pilot Program which will fund six projects with positive environmental impacts, the agency announced in a May 25 press release.

The program is looking for projects that will reduce or mitigate aviation impacts on noise and air or water quality at or within five miles of an airport, according to the announcement. Airports have until July 9 to submit an application and be considered. The cost of each project cannot exceed $2.5 million and it must be completed within 24 months, according to the release.

The FAA will be choosing six projects in 2022 and 2023 that provide the largest environmental benefits.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) published a final policy requiring airports to measure visual impacts of solar projects, according to a May 26 release. Projects including solar panels have become more common as the aviation industry seeks to invest in this technology for environmental and economic benefits.

The policy is aimed at ensuring that solar panels do not create a hazardous glare for pilots and air traffic control personnel, and it applies to solar energy systems at public airports that have accepted federal assistance, according to the release.

The policy states that airports must file a Notice of Proposed Construction including a statement that the project will not cause any visual impact instead of submitting an ocular analysis to the FAA, according to the statement.

Boeing 737 Max production line at the Renton Factory. (Boeing)

The Boeing Company will pay at least $17 million under a settlement agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on the 737 MAX cases, according to a May 27 press release.

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What's Trending in Aerospace - May 30, 2021 - Aviation Today

COLUMBIA,Md., May 27, 2021 /PRNewswire/ --The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), a top-tier doctoral research university located in one of the largest binational communities in the world, has joined the ranks of Universities Space Research Association (USRA), bringing the membership of the Association to a total of 114 universities. UTEP was elected by USRA's current university members and was formally included in the Association on May 17, 2021.

The eligibility criteria for USRA membership includes demonstrated significant contributions in space or aerospace research fields by faculty, and a substantial commitment to a course of studies and dissertation research leading to the doctorate in one or more related fields. Members participate in the governance of USRA through the election of members to the USRA Board of Trustees and establishment of the Association's bylaws.

Dr. Jeffrey A.Isaacson, USRA's President and CEO,said, "We are very pleased to welcome UTEP as a member. Its expertise broadens our collective strength in space-related science and technology, worldwide. We look forward to UTEP's active engagement with, and contributions to, our Association."

The University of Texas at El Paso is one of the largest and most successful Hispanic serving institutions in the country, with a student body that is over 80 percent Hispanic. It enrolls nearly 25,000 students in 166 bachelors', masters' and doctoral programs in 10 colleges and schools. UTEP is ranked in the top five percent of research institutions nationally and fifth in Texas for federal research expenditures at public universities. It houses the NASA MIRO Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research, which conducts research using computational modelling of heat flow, fluid flow and structural analysis to create test hardware and experimental facilities in Space Propulsion, Small Satellite Design and Combustion in the Energy Sector. The Center aims at establishing a minority university Center of Excellence in Advanced Propulsion research through strategic partnerships and to educate a diverse future aerospace workforce.

ABOUT USRA Foundedin 1969, under the auspices of the National Academy of Sciences at the request of the U.S. Government, the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance space-related science, technology and engineering. USRA operates scientific institutes and facilities, and conducts other major research and educational programs, under Federal funding. USRA engages the university community and employs in-house scientific leadership, innovative research and development, and project management expertise.More information about USRA is available at http://www.usra.edu.

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Universities Space Research Association Members Elect UTEP to the Association - PRNewswire