Daily Archives: June 11, 2021

As our ventures into the final frontier acceleratethis year alone saw three separate missions arriving at Marsand we land on nearby planets, the challenge is to make sure that we do not bring potentially dangerous material home to Earth (backward contamination) or indeed carry anything from Earth that may jeopardise the scientific exploration of these worlds (forward contamination). Planetary protection against biological contamination is an international concern receiving renewed attention due to new findings and the emergence of commercial actors.

Nations with their own space agencies and space exploration missions are responsible for their space activities under the United Nations Outer Space Treaty of 1967, including by governmental and non-governmental actors. The COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy, while not legally binding under international law, is the only internationally agreed planetary protection reference for spacefaring nations in compliance with Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967.

The Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) is part of the International Science Council, a non-governmental organisation that brings together scientific unions and research councils from around the world. COSPAR was formed at the dawn of the space age to promote international scientific research in space and provide a neutral forum for the discussion of challenges to scientific exploration, unencumbered by geopolitical considerations. One of its core activities is to develop, maintain and promote a Policy on Planetary Protection in the form of implementation guidelines.

The dedicated COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection (PPP) regularly reviews the latest scientific research to adapt its planetary protection policy. The most recent updates to the Policy were approved in June 2020, and a major one concerning the Moon is coming up. The COSPAR PPP currently has 21 members representing space agencies and experts from the scientific community.

The Panel endeavours, through workshops, meetings and at COSPAR Assemblies, to provide an international forum for the exchange of information on best practices for adhering to the COSPAR planetary protection requirements. Through COSPAR, the Panel informs and interacts with the international community, including holding an active dialogue with the private sector.

COSPARs PPP is concerned with possible biological interchange during exploration of the solar system and aims to ensure that the scientific research involved is not compromised through terrestrial contamination, to safeguard investment in space science and exploration, while also protecting the Earths environment from any potential hazards of returning samples by a mission to a solar system object.

The PPPs primary objective is to develop and promulgate a clearly delineated policy and associated requirements to protect against the harmful effects of such contamination. This policy must be based on the most current, peer-reviewed scientific knowledge, and is intended to enable exploration, not prohibit it. Planetary protection requirements are not cast in stone and evolve over time as new information becomes available (updates to the Policy are published in COSPARs journal Space Research Today.) The Panel does not specify how to adhere to the COSPAR Planetary Protection Policythis is for the engineering judgment of the organisation responsible for the planetary mission.

Space research involves missions driven by private organisations and by national or international space agencies who send a variety of craft into space to enhance our understanding of its origin and evolution. Some will orbit a planetary body and others, such as the lunar, Martian or icy moon such as the future lunar, Martian or icy moon missions, will land on their surfaces. They will then analyse the surface or internal environment, searching for traces of life. COSPAR PPPs main goal is to prevent such missions from carrying terrestrial microorganisms to the target destination (forward contamination) as well as preventing any contamination from extra-terrestrial material returned to Earth for laboratory analysis (backward contamination). Using a categorisation approach, COSPAR PPP determines whether each mission is low risk or high risk. The five Categories of Planetary Protection outline the recommended measures that an agency should apply to each mission.

Missions deemed to be of lowest risk (Category I) are those to a target not of direct interest for research into evolution or the origin of life. These can include flyby, orbiter and lander missions but to destinations where no specific protections are required, e.g., currently the Moon, Venus, gas giants and some satellites. A special categorisation was recently issued by the PPP for an unrestricted Earth return from Mars moon Phobos by the JAXA MMX mission, as studies showed that samples would not pose a threat for our biosphere after careful handling.

Higher categories include bodies that are of interest for scientific research about the origin of life. Category III, IV and V missions include those targeting bodies (such as Mars, Jupiters moon Europa and Saturns moon Enceladus) which could compromise future missions by causing contamination from Earth microorganisms, and also those that are Earth-return and which may carry extra-terrestrial materials.

For such missions, the highest degree of control is applied to ensure that a minimum level of bioburden (the number of bacteria living on an unsterilised surface) is brought along. Planetary protection technologies are constantly being improved for cleaning and sterilising spacecraft and handling soil, rock and atmospheric samples.

The COSPAR Policy on Planetary Protection is vital for safeguarding our exploration of outer space and scientific research without contamination of planetary bodies or risk for the Earths biosphere. The COSPAR PPP works through a variety of hypothetical scenarios to ensure future scientific research is not compromised. These include whether, after advanced exploration and research, any signs of life found by a rover on Mars is Martian rather than terrestrial contamination, and whether potential extra-terrestrial life brought to Earth is sufficiently quarantined before scientific analyses. They aim not to stifle space exploration and research, but rather to ensure it continues unimpeded through adequate protections and information imparted to scientists and stakeholders around the world.

Please note: This is a commercial profile

2019. This work is licensed under aCC BY 4.0 license.

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To boldly go where no germs will follow: The role of the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection - Open Access Government

McCloskey is not convinced by "the lovely photos from Nasas journeys out into the solar system." Dmytro Olegovich Zakharchuk / Alamy Stock Photo

YesMarcus Chown

Paradoxically, space exploration teaches us about the Earth. And the things that we learn are arguably priceless because they are crucial to our survival.

The critical point is that other planets show us what the Earth would be like if things were different. So, for instance, we can see what the Earth would be like if it were smaller or larger, hotter or colder, if it had a different atmosphere, and so on.

Venus is Earths twin in terms of its mass. Yet when space probes visited the planet in the 1960s, they discovered

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The duel: Is space exploration worth it? - Prospect

Pittsburgh is prepared to face a future dominated by the emerging technologies of robotics, artificial intelligence, biotechnology and medicine.

But what if we stood back a little bit and looked up into the night sky?

The dream of space exploration has new momentum now not seen since the so-called Space Race of the 1950s and 1960s. And a new partnership is positioning Pittsburgh to play a major role in that future.

On June 9, the Carnegie Science Center announced a new partnership designed to inspire and build a pipeline of talent for a new space economy in Pittsburgh. It begins with a new exhibition gallery, Our Destiny in Space, and ends with companies like Astrobotic, which was just awarded $200 million to deliver a rover to the moon for NASA, controlled from its headquarters two blocks away from the Science Center.

This initiative will create opportunities for our regions children to one day find their place in the space industry, said Jason Brown, director of the Carnegie Science Center, at the kickoff event. This will give students opportunities to learn alongside professionals that are building it, right now, today, here in Pittsburgh.

The project includes a new 7,000-square-foot gallery at the Science Center. The new permanent exhibit, Our Destiny in Space, moves away from the familiar, introductory science 101 content, noted Brown. After consulting with educators and students from Pittsburgh Public Schools, the Science Center created an immersive exhibition introducing students to questions about our shared humanity, and how they are addressed as we venture ever deeper into space.

Its expected to open in the fall of 2022, with a focus on Mars exploration particularly the path from Earth to the Moon, and then on to Mars.

The big idea for Our Destiny in Space is that the questions well face in the future for humans living on Mars are the same as those we face here on Earth today, said Brown. As we imagine a better future on a different planet, we discover whats needed to make that future on Earth a reality as well.

Rendering of the Our Destiny in Space exhibition courtesy of Carnegie Science Center.

The goal of this initiative is to make space accessible to all, but especially to marginalized groups and to students underrepresented in STEM, said Brown. The way we want to do this is by first lighting the fires of inspiration, and then clearing the barriers to entry. Inspiration, exploration, access and inclusion.

Space is a growing $425 billion industry. The partners on this project include the Keystone Space Collaborative, the Readiness Institute at Penn State, Discovery Space of Central Pennsylvania, as well as the Moonshot Museum, Carnegie Science Center and Astrobotic.

Astrobotic, as a business, is all about making space accessible to the world. We are so dedicated to that, that we have gone to the next step to create the Moonshot Museum, said John Thornton, CEO of Astrobotic.

The big idea is that kids young and old can walk right up to the glass, see a real spacecraft being built on the other side that will be sent to the surface of the moon and deploy real sensors and robots down to the surface You can get a front-row seat from our mission control, right up the street, added Thornton.

The Moonshot Museum, which will be located within Astrobotics North Side headquarters, was started with help from a $500,000 grant from the R.K. Mellon Foundation. It will be the first museum in the state dedicated to space exploration.

During last nights event, Pennsylvania Congressman Conor Lamb recalled when the first Soviet satellite Sputnik captured the worlds imagination, and showed how far behind America was in space exploration. He said that President Kennedy was determined to reverse that, and promised to land on the Moon, at a time when more Soviet dogs had been in outer space than American astronauts.

He says to his team, Look, coming in second in the Space Race is the same as losing. Theres no second place. We have to change the game, said Lamb. In a literal sense what he declared was impossible. There was no rocket capable of getting us to the Moon, no spacecraft capable of landing in 1961. But he had the instinct that if you actually set the goal and follow it up with enough resources, America was able to meet challenges like that.

As we all know, America rose to meet this impossible challenge.

Ultimately there were 410,000 people working on the Apollo program, many with NASA but in the private sector as well, added Lamb. Companies like Alcoa in western Pennsylvania supplied them with over a million pounds of aluminum. Outside of war, its the largest single endeavor that a group of people have ever really taken a part in, until, really, the pandemic happened.

That kind of resolve, that talent, that perseverance, is still present in Americans.

We, the Americans of the 2010s, 2020s and 2030s, are just as capable of accomplishing something like that today, as they were in the 1960s, said Lamb.

Pittsburgh is poised to be a place where that work happens.

We are creating a true ecosystem, from middle school to high school all the way through college and ultimately in industry, said Thornton. You can live and work in space in Pittsburgh.

Rendering courtesy of the Moonshot Museum.

The Science Center kickoff event also featured a keynote speech by Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASAs Science Mission Directorate, who detailed the recent successes in exploring Mars.

Look at the Moon, Zurbuchen said. Look at it and think of all these places were going to go. And landers from this community will land and do amazing science.

astroboticCarnegie Science CenterMoonshot Museumspace

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Carnegie Science Center and Astrobotic launching Pittsburgh into the 21st-century Space Race - NEXTpittsburgh

Aldrin Family Foundation logoSpace Exploration Bundles Awarded to Four Schools in Hickory, Burke, Pitt, and Union Counties

Four North Carolina teachers will get new tools and technology to help teach about outer space and inspire and empower students in the field of space exploration. The space education bundles are valued at $5,000 each and include a large Mars or Moon learning map, Mimio Mybot educational robotics system, a Lunar or Mars Pro Globe with augmented reality technology, and many other resources.

Educators teaching 5th-8th grade could apply for the competition through the North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE), a business-led, education nonprofit within the Governors Office. The Moon and Mars Bundles were donated by Public Consulting Group and the Aldrin Family Foundation.

Winning teachers include:

Said Governor Roy Cooper, Teachers can be the spark that inspires students to follow a promising career path like space exploration. Its exciting to see students interested in science and math because we need more young people in our workforce pursuing STEM careers.

A total of 27 educators applied statewide for the competition by writing two paragraphs about what space exploration means to them and what winning these bundles would provide to their counties.

Said Tony McLean Brown of Public Consulting Group, As part of our 35th Anniversary, PCG employees who live, work, and play in North Carolina are proud to support public school teachers and students who are excited about space. Whether they go on to NC State University or get a technical certificate from Duke Energys Apprentice Program, learning about space exploration and colonization is going to prepare these students for the future. It is very exciting.

Added Andy Aldrin, president of Aldrin Family Foundation, We strive to ensure that students never lose their excitement to learn about space. We hope that these deserving schools and their students are reenergized by the hands-on experiences offered by the Mars and Moon Maps and the curriculum that comes with them.

The contest grew out of an online conference sponsored by NCBCE last year to help educators with remote learning. The Aldrin Family Foundation presented at the NC Student Connect Conferences where they provided useful knowledge and tools for NC STEM teachers on how to incorporate space exploration into their classes to increase interactivity and interest. The session left teachers across North Carolina excited and interested in finding more ways to engage their students in learning about space. The Aldrin Family Foundation, along with Public Consulting Group, decided to award four of the large bundles to North Carolina STEM teachers.

Space-related careers include astronauts, engineers, space suit designers, satellite technicians, communications experts and other STEM (science technology engineering and math) jobs.

I didnt realize the many pathways which existed for a career in a space-related field. I would love the chance to share with my own students that there are a multitude of career paths related to this fascinating field, and that they really do have the potential to pursue a space-related career, winning teacher Vanessa Lail (Hickory Public Schools) wrote in her application.

________

North Carolina Business Committee for Education (NCBCE) ncbce.org

Since 1983, NCBCE has provided a critical link between North Carolina business leaders and the states education decision-makers, helping to create connections between the education curriculum and the overall work readiness of people across the state.

Public Consulting Group http://www.publicconsultinggroup.com

Founded in 1986 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Public Consulting Group helps primarily public sector health, education, and human services organizations make measurable improvements to their performance and processes.

At PCG, were passionate about getting results for our clients. Because we know that in the public sector, good results mean healthy, empowered, and successful individuals, families, and communities.

Aldrin Family Foundation (AFF) aldrinfoundation.org

The AFF strives to cultivate the next generation of space leaders, entrepreneurs and explorers who will extend human habitation beyond the Earth to the Moon and Mars. AFFs STEAM-based educational tools, educational activities and programs span from a childs first classroom experience through graduate school and professional programs. This vertical pathway unites explorers at all levels to learn from each others vision for space, ultimately creating the first generation of Martians.

Source: Ford Porter, NC Office of the Governor & The Aldrin Family Foundation

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STEM Ed: North Carolina Teachers Win New Tools to Enhance Learning about Space Exploration - The Grey Area News

A space exploration investment trust is proposing to IPO, hot on the heels of the YODA ETF.

Space exploration has emerged as a potential investment theme. This has already been picked up by fund houses in the US, most notably with the creation of the ARK Space Exploration and Innovation ETF.

Now, investors in the UK also have a way to gain pure-play access to this theme.

This morning (11 June), Seraphim Space announced it intends to launch a space-themed investment trust, called Seraphim Space Investment Trust. The trust will list on the London Stock Exchange and hopes to raise 100 million at IPO. Will Whitehorn, former president of Virgin Galactic (NYSE:SPCE), will sit on the trusts board.

According to the announcement, the trust will invest in a diversified international portfolio of early and growth stage space tech businesses.

The trust will initially acquire a portfolio of 19 seed assets, already owned by the Seraphim Space Fund. The company highlights several of the firms in question, which are currently privately owned and valued at over $1 billion (707million): Arqit, a quantum encryption company;Spire Global, a weather forecaster;and AST & Science, the space-based 4G mobile broadband network provider.

With many leading space-related companies still in their infancy and therefore not yet listed, the trust is likely to have exposure to many unlisted companies. The closed-ended nature of investment trusts make them an ideal vehicle for giving investors accessing to companies not yet listed on a stock exchange.

The trust defines the sort of companies it will hold as those which rely on space-based connectivity or precision, navigation and timing signals or whose technology or services are already addressing, originally derived from, or of potential benefit to the space sector.

Rather ambitiously, the trust says it is targeting an annualised net asset value total return of at least 20% over the long term.

However, for those who prefer ETFs, the recently launched Procure Space ETF USD (LSE:YODA) is a potential option. The ETF listed on the LSE in early June, making it Europes first space thematic ETF. For an ongoing charge of 0.75%, the ETF tracks the S-Network Space index.

At least 80% of the ETFs portfolio is allocated to companies earning most of their revenues from space-related business. The Space Index splits these into two main groupings: satellite operators and hardware. Satellite operators are companies that either own or manage satellites or subsystems aboard satellites. Hardware refers to companies involved in the sale of equipment used by manufacturers in the creation of satellites and launch vehicles, as well as spacecraft components and supporting ground equipment.

However, the ETFs issuers envision the ETF gaining more exposure to other emerging areas of the space economy, such as space resource extraction and space tourism. The ETF currently has a holding in Virgin Galactic, already giving it exposure to the latter. As it stands, the ETF will hold 30 stocks.

Historically, if an investor wanted to gain exposure to space stocks, one seemingly obvious option would the aerospace and defence sector, notably companies such as Boeing. However, such companies are only loosely related to space flight and exploration, making them a far from perfect way to gain access to the theme.

More recently, there has been a focus on the potential of space tourism, the prime example being Virgin Galactic, which went public in 2019. However, space tourism is just one small part of the growing commercial potential of space.

Advances in technology are overturning traditional models for operating in space, with low-cost access to space becoming a reality, most notably thanks to innovations around reusable rockets. Since 2010, the cost of both building and launching satellites has fallen by a factor of more than 100x.

These lower costs have the potential to open up all sorts of commercial applications, particularly in areas such as telecoms and satellites. Space-based communications technology are also becoming more integral to the economy. A good example of this are location-enabled apps, such as Deliveroo and Uber, which make use of GPS.

New communication technologies such as 5G, cloud computing, and machine learning also require ever bigger transfers of data. The use of these technologies, therefore, will be increasingly reliant on satellite infrastructure.

As a result, in the years ahead, we should see a surge in satellites in orbit. Today, approximately 4,000 satellites are circling the globe. By some estimates, that will increase by 100,000 over the next decade.

The increased commercialisation of the space economy can already be seen in the make-up of investment and spending. According to statistics from the Space Foundation, in the 1960s, government spending represented almost all space spending. Today, that has fallen to just 20%, with the other 80% coming from commercial spending on infrastructure, and their support industries, alongside commercial space products and services.

According to the mostrecent Space Report from the Space Foundation, the space-related companies generated over $400 billion in revenues in 2019. However, according to the Bank of America, that should grow to $2.7 trillion by 2045.

These articles are provided for information purposes only. Occasionally, an opinion about whether to buy or sell a specific investment may be provided by third parties. The content is not intended to be a personal recommendation to buy or sell any financial instrument or product, or to adopt any investment strategy as it is not provided based on an assessment of your investing knowledge and experience, your financial situation or your investment objectives. The value of your investments, and the income derived from them, may go down as well as up. You may not get back all the money that you invest. The investments referred to in this article may not be suitable for all investors, and if in doubt, an investor should seek advice from a qualified investment adviser.

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The final frontier for investors: space exploration ETFs and trusts - Interactive Investor