Category Archives: Space Exploration

NASAs Kennedy Space Center has long served as Americas spaceport, hosting all of the federal governments manned spaceflights since the late 1960s. I was lucky enough to get a special invite to go behind the scenes and visit the Cryogenics Test Laboratory in November and hear about the vital role industrial gases play in space exploration.

Oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and helium: these gases, and their liquefied forms of storage and handling, are the driver for the entire space enterprise. Its not possible without them, James Fesmire, Senior Principal Investigator and founder of the Cryogenics Test Laboratory at NASA Kennedy Space Center, told me.

The centrepiece of any launch vehicle is chemical-based stored energy, it fundamentally is. Any rocket is basically a big flying set of tanks with engines at the bottom.

Looking back to NASAs Apollo program, which ran from 1961 to 1975, and landed the first man on the Moon, Adam Swanger, NASA Research Engineer, highlighted the importance of liquefied gases to these missions.

They were central to it. To me, a kind of equivalent question would be: how important is uranium, or some other radioactive material, to a nuclear reactor or a nuclear power plant? Without it, there is no reason for it to exist or it cannot exist. Without liquid oxygen you dont have human space flight, Swanger said.

NASA is currently building and testing the most powerful rocket in history to send American astronauts back to the Moon, through the Artemis program. Derived from the Greek goddess of the Moon and twin sister to Apollo, whose namesake program first brought crews to the Moon 50 years ago, the Artemis program will send the first woman and next man to the lunar south pole by 2024 an ambitious deadline set last year by President Donald Trump.

This time when NASA goes to the Moon, the space agency is going to stay, with the purpose of learning how to live and work on another world so it can use that knowledge and information to take its next giant leap sending astronauts to Mars. And industrial gases will be play a major role in this.

Here, in this latest In Focus gasworld spoke with Ad Astra Rocket, INOX and Chesterfield Special Cylinders to find out what involvement they have in the space industry.

Ad Astra Rocket

American rocket propulsion company Ad Astra Rocket, founded by former NASA astronaut Franklin Chang Daz, is working on a revolutionary high-power plasma propulsion electric rocket engine, the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR).

The VASIMR, will transform the way we move around in space by providing a transportation solution that allows for higher fuel efficiency, lower fuel costs, larger payload capabilities, multiple application purposes, and major scalability, Chang Diaz explained.

The rocket engine has added flexibility to efficiently process a variety of propellant gases depending on mission requirements. Although Argon is the gas used for most of the companys current testing, the VASIMR has done tests to show its performance with: Hydrogen, Helium, Neon, and Krypton. Each gas does offer different advantages depending on the type of mission requirements. This flexibility is one of the many ways in which this engine displays range.

As such, it will help improve our current space transportation capabilities, enhance the economics of space operations, and expand the human presence in space, Dr. Jared Squire, Vice-President of Research, said.

Ad Astra Rocket Company is currently finishing up its milestones for the NASA NextSTEPprogram, to help graduate the VASIMR to a Technology Readiness Level 6 (TRL6). TRL 6 is the phase of maturity for a space technology or component, in which a space-flight ready prototype is built and tested, in preparation for its debut launch.

The VASIMR is at the end of TRL 5, we have two more tests to go before we enter into TRL 6. Once there our focus will shift to the final design, construction and testing of our very first Space Flight Prototype! Squire said.

In other words, we will be building the prototype that will be launched and tested in space! We, of course, would like to finish those two tests before the end of the year but with the current Covid-19 situation, while still moving forward, our progress has slowed a bit.

Chesterfield Special Cylinders

Beyond the US and NASA, UK-based Chesterfield Special Cylinders (CSC) supplies the European Space Agency and the French Governments National Centre for Space Studies with high-pressure gas cylinders and tubes for its space rocket launches, including Ariane 5, Vega and Soyuz.

It also provides Italian space sector specialist Telematic Solutions with bespoke 1,000 litre helium tubes for the pressurisation of tanks implemented on its rocket launcher.

We have also developed a close working relationship with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) where our expertise and experience is helping the overall development of ISROs gas-based activities, CSCs Sales Director Lee Lawrence told gasworld.

The activities carried out at the ISROs Mahendragiri site include assembly, integration and testing of earth storable propellant engines, cryogenic engines and stages for launch vehicles; high altitude testing of engines and thrusters; and production of cryogenic propellants for the cryogenic rocket programme.

INOX

Another company who has been working closely with ISRO for more than two decades is cryogenic engineering company INOX. During this period, INOX has not only supplied industrial gases but also designed and supplied on a turnkey basis critical equipment required for space research, including:

Several propulsion systems which use liquid hydrogen, liquid helium, liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen. This equipment typically covers engine test stands and component/sub-system testing for next generation rockets.

Turnkey equipment for a simulation of acoustic vibration experienced by a spacecraft.

A 6.5 metre diameter themo-vacuum chamber with stringent specifications.

On a turnkey basis, INOX has built a complete launch pad with cryogenic storages and supply system as well as high pressure gases storage and supply systems.

Today, ISRO carries out about 12 launches a year and consumes around 5,000 tonnes of liquid nitrogen, 660 tonnes of liquid oxygen and 12 tonnes of liquid helium every year. ISRO produces its own liquid hydrogen required for launches, says INOX Director Parag Kulkarni.

INOX has recently been entrusted with supplying high pressure (~36MPa) cryogenic tanks in various sizes to ISROs Cryogenic Test Facility and Department of Space, for performance evaluation of high pressure propulsion sub-systems of their launch vehicles.

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In focus Industrial gases and space exploration - gasworld

SpaceX captured headlines for accomplishing something no private company has done before: launching two astronauts into orbit. Aside from the initial launch datesdelay due to weather, the historic flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon went off without a hitch. Veteran astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken docked at the International Space Station 19 hours after blasting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The success of the Crew Dragon launch isnt just a win for SpaceX.Its also a major victory for NASAs Commercial Crew Program,a partnership with both SpaceX and Boeing designed to develop spacecraft and rockets capable of launching humans into orbit.

While Boeing and SpaceX areworking with NASA to send humans to space, that doesnt mean theyve cornered the market on space exploration. In fact, the space agency has partnered withcompanies like Ball Aerospace, Maxar Technologies and Blue Origin to further itsefforts. Zooming in on the work these companies do with NASA is critical to better understandingthe United States efforts toreturn to space and better understanding our universe in general.

Founded: 1956

Headquarters: Broomfield, Colorado

Ball Aerospace in a sentence: Founded at the start of the space race, Ball Aerospace has pioneered much of the machinery behind what it takes to make it to orbit, including satellites and rocket antennae.

What are Ball Aerospace and NASA building? NASA chose Ball Aerospace to build the spacecraft for the Spectro Photometer for the History of the Universe, Epoch of Reionization and Ices Explorer mission better known as SPHEREx. According to NASA, the unmanned spacecraft will spend two years recording data on hundreds of millions of galaxies and scouring the Milky Way for water andorganic molecules in the spawning grounds of new stars and planets.

Ball Aerospace is committed to supporting the goals of NASA and the science community to explore and understand our universe, said Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, Ball Aerospaces vice president and general manager of civil space, in a statement. Our extensive heritage across a wide breadth of NASA science and exploration mission classes informs our development of technology that will enable the science of tomorrow.

Founded: 2000

Headquarters: Kent, Washington

Blue Origin in a single sentence: Blue Origins mission is to build reusable rockets and launch vehicles to lower the cost of space travel to the point where millions of people live and work in outer space.

What are Blue Origin and NASA building? The Blue Origin National Team a group made up of Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper was recently chosen by NASA to develop the Artemis Human Landing System. The goal of the Artemis program is to land two astronauts on the moon, including the first woman, by 2024.

The landing system developed by the group aims to bring astronauts to the moons southern pole and back into orbit, where the craft will dock with either the Artemis projects Orion space capsule or the Gateway, a sort of miniature space station designed to orbit the moon.

The Next Disruptive Space Technology? 3D PrintersNASA Invests in 3D Printing to Enable In-Space Manufacturing

In a press release, Blue Origin said its role will include leading program management, systems engineering, safety and mission assurance, and mission engineering and operations. The company will also develop the landing systems descent element.

NASAs Artemis program will be the next major milestone in the history of human space flight, and were honored to be a part of it, said Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith in a statement. Our National Team brings unparalleled heritage, passion and innovation that will enable Americans to return to the lunar surface and inspire another generation. Its time to go back to the moon, this time to stay.

Founded: 1969

Headquarters: Westminster, Colorado

Maxar Technologies in a sentence: Born out of the 2017 merger of Digital Globe and MDA, Maxar Technologies is a space technology company specializing in robotics, software and infrastructure.

What are Maxar and NASA building? This past February, Maxar won a $142 million NASA contract to construct a robotic arm for OSAM-1, a robotic spacecraft designed to repair and refuel satellites in orbit. Theyre also behind SPIDER, or the Space Infrastructure Dexterous Robot, which is designed to assemble an antenna reflector in space and demonstrate in-space manufacturing.

The latter will be accomplished thanks to technology developed by Tether Unlimited, which has developed a device that can create a carbon beam in space. Once the beam is made, SPIDER will attach it to OSAM-1 to test its durability. Al Tadros, Maxars vice president of space infrastructure and civil space, told Space News that the demonstration is planned to happen sometime in the mid-2020s.

SPIDER, in combination with our flexible 1300-class spacecraft bus and technologies for in-space operations, will enable new applications in communications and remote sensing satellites, large in-space assembled telescopes and future exploration missions that support a sustained human presence beyond Earth orbit, said Megan Fitzgerald,a senior vice president and general managerat the company, in a statement.

Fly Higher With These 15 San Diego Aerospace CompaniesSurf, Sand and Space

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3 Companies Helping NASA Usher in a New Space Age - Built In

A promotional product suppliers iconic product is an essential part of a new chapter of American space exploration, just as it has been an essential part of its past.

Fisher Space Pen Co.s (asi/54423) AG7 Original Astronaut Space Pen is the writing instrument NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley have used aboard their history-making SpaceX flight.

Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley use the Fisher Space Pen on their history-making SpaceX flight.

SpaceX, billionaire Elon Musks private space company, launched Behnken and Hurley to the stars on May 30, marking the enterprises first-ever crewed mission.

The Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft are the first private sector-designed and built craft to carry astronauts into space. The mission is also a return to space for NASA astronauts; the agency hasnt launched its own astronauts into orbit since the end of the space shuttle program nearly a decade ago.

On their flight to the International Space Station, Behnken and Hurley used the AG7 Original Astronaut Space Pen to do their writing. Theyll continue to use the pens at the space station, where about 50 Fisher Space Pens are in use.

The Fisher AG7 Original Astronaut Space Pen has been flying aboard every crewed space mission since Apollo 7 in 1968.

We are delighted that Fisher Space Pens are once again flying aboard American rockets from American soil, says Matt Fisher, vice president of Fisher Space Pen Co. Fisher Space Pen was created especially for use in zero-gravity, and our company continues to innovate new functionalities for future releases. Congratulations to NASA, SpaceX, astronauts Behnken and Hurley and everyone involved in this historic mission.

Astronaut Walter Cunningham writes with the Fisher Space Pen on the Apollo 7 mission in 1968.

Paul C. Fisher, an inventor and entrepreneur, created the Fisher Space Pen. He spent more than $1 million of his own money to develop an ink refill that uses pressurized gas to force ink to flow in zero gravity.

The Fisher Space Pen brand has become an iconic symbol of American technology and design, as Counselor documented in an in-depth piece about the pen and the company. It has also become part of American pop culture. Fisher Space Pens are enjoyed and used by millions worldwide, and the pen has become the subject of hundreds of fan videos. It has been featured on several TV programs, including an episode of the hit series Seinfeld titled The Pen.

All Fisher Space Pen products, which are Made in America, contain the patented pressurized ink refill, which allows them to write upside down, under water, in extreme temperatures from -30 to +250 degrees F (-35 to +121 Celsius), over almost any surface and three times longer than the average pen.

While astronauts are among its end-clients, Fisher Space Pen Co. sells its pens through promo products distributors for everyday use in a functional and promotional way, as the pens can easily be imprinted through traditional decoration means.

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Fisher Space Pen on First Manned SpaceX Flight - Advertising Specialty Institute

Regarded by many as mankind's greatest achievement, the famous mission in 1969 had star-gazers dreaming we would go bigger and bolder.

The logical next step was Mars and while man-made machines have touched down on the Red Planet, for human beings that particular giant leap never came.

After America won the race to the moon, Presidents found it harder to justify investing millions of pounds in space exploration due to political pressures on the ground.

Those who gathered around their televisions in awe to watch the moon landing would probably have found it hard to believe that more than half a century on that feat would not be topped.

But that could all be about to change.

Last week's launch of SpaceX, fronted by the billionaire Elon Musk, has reignited discussion about manned space travel to Mars and beyond.

The fact it was a commercial flight makes it all the more exciting and, just like that summer of 69, the opportunities seemingly endless.

The first SpaceX launch has sent astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) but the flamboyant Musk, who co-founded the electric car and clean energy giant Tesla, has made no secret of his desire to go to Mars.

Virgin's Richard Branson has also dabbled with space travel, while Boeing and Amazon supremo Jeff Bezos are also entering the market.

Many scientists believe this is the key to sending a manned mission to Mars.

Governments often find ploughing millions into space travel hard to sell to voters more concerned about issues that affect their daily lives, and this has proved a barrier to going further than the moon.

But a super-rich businessman, without these concerns holding him back, is now talking about making it a reality.

Couple that with a deeply nationalist President currently residing in the White House who never misses an opportunity to take pleasure in getting one over China and Russia - and, crucially, doesn't have to foot the bill - and there is plenty of new-found optimism for space travel.

As groundbreaking a moment the launch to the ISS was - the first time astronauts had been sent into space from US soil since 2011 - there's a sense that it's only the precursor to something much bigger.

Bosses at SpaceX have not been shy about stating their ambitions - even talking about 'cities on Mars'.

Colonisation of other planets has always seemed like the stuff of science fiction, but some scientists believe it could be key to extending the survival of the human race.

Uncrewed missions to Mars have been talked about as early as 2022. Even if that date sounds a tad ambitious, humans touching down on the Red Planet seems to be closer than ever.

Experts have spoken about rockets refuelling at stations in Earth's orbit and attempting to cut journey times from six months to four months to decrease radiation.

Dr Gareth Dorian, a space science research fellow at the University of Birmingham, believes the launch of SpaceX is a stepping stone to much bigger things in the future.

He also says the involvement of private companies could open up space to more people in the future.

"It's pretty big. It increases access to space for far more people and that's the big selling point for me. It means more people can go to space independently of state or anything else," he said.

"But also because SpaceX is owned by Elon Musk, and he has a particular vision for human space flight in the future, this enables people like him and others who want to see a multi-planetary civilisation at some point in the future, and this is a stepping stone.

"Absolutely it is. This is a multi-decadal or multi-generational project, you have to have the continuity and this shows that it's possible."

Dr Dorian believes a manned mission to Mars is now likely, but warned there are significant hurdles to be overcome, including the safety of those humans involved.

He said: "I think it will happen, the big question is when. Once you've got a system in place that's working you can refine the design.

"In terms of the physics, it takes more energy to get to low-Earth orbit than it does to get from low-Earth orbit to the moon so in many ways that's the hard part, if you like, and they've done that now.

"There's obviously many other hurdles to overcome and the astronauts still have to be returned safely to Earth as well, that's another huge hurdle to overcome, but it certainly makes it more likely in the medium term."

Dr Dorian acknowledged cities on Mars and beyond would likely be centuries away, if it is ever to happen. But he says private businesses entering the space race opens up endless possibilities, potentially helping to answer the ultimate question: are we alone?

For any of that to be possible though, Dr Dorian insists there must be people ready to continue the visions of Musk and other company bosses entering the market when they are no longer here.

"The way that it's always been phrased is a trip to Mars is always 30 years away. It's been that way since the 1970s," Dr Dorian said.

"After the Apollo mission people were saying we'll be on Mars in 30 years, then the 1990s and 2000s came.

"Timescale depends on a lot of things. One of the big things, frankly, is you need someone with the vision of Elon Musk and the passion of Elon Musk to make this happen.

"If this was just a normal commercial enterprise, a company just looking to make profits, that's fine. He's got a very specific dream and a very specific vision and he's obviously able to use his wealth and resources to spark that future and drive it.

"If he's not there, or someone like him is not there, then other people will come along and their vision might be totally different. There is a huge potential, I think, for someone to come along and say well let's just use SpaceX to make money, so you have to have people with the determination to see it through no matter what.

"It's the same with any great leap forward in civilisation. You have to have people there with the drive to make it happen.

"Whether it's the start of a new era, I think it is as long as the will is there."

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To infinity and beyond: How mankind is plotting a route to Mars - shropshirestar.com

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 10:30 a.m. EST on Jan. 19, 2020, carrying the Crew Dragon spacecraft on the companys uncrewed In-Flight Abort Test (Courtesy of NASA)

On May 30 at 3:22 p.m., two astronauts launched off the Florida coast, ushering in a new generation of human space travel for the U.S.

Tightly stowed atop SpaceXs revolutionary Falcon 9 rocket were Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, amicably referred to as the dads, by their NASA Commercial Crew Program colleagues.

As T-0 approached and billows of steam erupted on the launch pad, I realized that the payload being propelled into Earths orbit wasnt just two dads reinvigorating American space flight. Traveling at supersonic speeds were the hearts and minds of 328 million people who were experiencing a challenging reality of confusion, turmoil and fear.

A lethal virus was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization on March 11, effectively shutting down cities across the country. Daily life was halted as Amercans isolated themselves in their homes, facing unemployment, uncertainty and death.

An African American man was killed in police custody after being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill on May 25. Demonstrations erupted across the country, courageously saying enough is enough, and called upon a nation to confront injustice.

About 12 minutes after liftoff, the Crew Dragon shuttle carrying Behnken and Hurley separated from its second stage, marking their successful entry into orbit and the beginning of their nearly 19-hour coast to the International Space Station.

It seems like witnessing history should be a once-in-a-lifetime circumstance. None of us expected to witness history like we have in 2020, with one life-altering, insurgent moment falling like dominos in succession of one another.

Waking up every day in isolation, seeing atrocities unfold against innocent people and peaceful protesters, not knowing what tomorrow has in store, has left me pretty pessimistic.

However, amidst all the unpredictability, anxiety and unrest, witnessing the history of America taking flight in space again made me glad to be alive during this time of dread.

That day, I fell in love with space.

Space gives me something to hold on to. Something to invest my time in. Something to turn to when my social media feed is overwhelming and the home page of The New York Times shows no sign of things looking up.

I watched documentaries about the space shuttle program. I learned about the exciting Artemis program NASA is about to embark on. I discovered that Candanian astronaut Chris Hadfield has a playlist about space. I did an unnecessary amount of research on Elon Musk. And I watched, and rewatched, the launch of Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley a ridiculous amount of times.

I love space for all that it represents in its limitlessness, its curiosity and its possibility. I felt hope again for the future as I learned about the past, present and future of space exploration. Elon Musk is trying to make humans a multiplanetary species, for crying out loud!

But its not just two men who blasted off on a shuttle or a billionaire who wants to send civilians to Mars thats fostering my love affair its the notion we can do better, and we can run into the future with high hopes and expectations.

Space shows us that we can dream big and see our dreams manifest into rocket fuel and space suits and telescopes and astronauts bobbing around at zero gravity in the ISS.

Space shows us that we can literally reach for the stars, even when things feel hopeless.

I hope you can take some time out of your quarantine, your fixation on the news or social media to dream a little. I recommend you spend some time meditating on space. I think youll fall in love with it, too.

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OPINION: A love letter to space and how it restored my faith - The Appalachian Online

In May 2020 American astronauts returned to space on an American rocket with NASAs SpaceX Demo-2 mission. From the early days of SpaceX, the company questioned designs and used certain metal fabrication techniques, churning out prototypes within hours or days. The manufacturing processes were important, but collaboration between designers and manufacturers mattered even more. Photo by Joel Kowsky/NASA

In 2008 I spoke with Chris Thompson, then vice president of structures for a somewhat obscure company that had recently moved into the old Vought Aircraft complex. On the vast shop floor, where barrel-section fabrication for the Boeing 747 occurred decades before, workers bump-formed and rolled tank sections. A friction stir welding system with a retractable pin joined certain sections of aluminum and aluminum-lithium alloys, similar to those used on the Space Shuttle.

This was SpaceX, of course. Thomspon has since moved on to other firms in the burgeoning private space exploration sector. But in 2008 he was reveling in SpaceXs efficient decision-making culture. The company had developed a new way to design and manufacture a rocket. In essence, SpaceX applied speedy process improvement to what was then a slow-to-change industry.

I recall learning about SpaceX, seeing the companys early Crew Dragon spacecraft mockups, and thinking that, well, the idea was certainly aspirational, but was it realistic? Not only did Elon Musk and his team of visionaries want to launch people into space and return to the moon and Mars, they wanted to make engineering leaps in rocketry, such as with a booster that landed itself.

What a difference a dozen years make. SpaceX has successfully transported three astronauts to the International Space Station, and the booster landed itself onto a drone ship in the middle of the Atlantic. The feat showed just whats possible when smart people question assumptions.

A dozen years ago The FABRICATOR covered how they questioned designs and used rotary-draw tube bending, plate rolling, friction stir welding, and more, churning out prototypes within hours or days. The manufacturing processes were important, of course, but collaboration between design and manufacturing mattered even more. I recall the excitement in Thompsons voice when he told me about several component prototypes his team had recently worked on. When they had a question, they simply walked out to the shop and asked the engineers and technicians who ran the equipment.

Alas, that direct contact between design, engineering, and manufacturing is still lacking in many supply chains. In July our press brake columnist Steve Benson will be writing about one anonymously submitted situation where a press brake lead spent hours struggling with a part. After days of frustration, he found the print had several critical errors, including a bend deduction that was nearly half what it should have been. If designers, engineers, and manufacturing personnel were on the same page, the part would have been designed with the shops available tooling in mind.

Back in 2008 Thompson talked about similar manufacturing inefficiencies that were common in the aerospace industry, mainly thanks to communication problems between numerous component suppliers, hence his excitement working at SpaceX. The organization has grownits not just a prototype operation anymoreand Im sure some operational changes have come with that growth. But those changes are apparently working.

Throughout most of the history of human exploration, governments have taken the lead. A monarchy financed Christopher Columbus; a socialist state and a republic financed the space race. Exploration at that level simply was too risky for private enterprise to go it alone. SpaceX, Blue Origin, and others have apparently changed the risk equation.

As Colin Powell once wrote, Capital is a coward. It flees from corruption and bad policies, conflict, and unpredictability. He wrote that in the context of investors need for stable, predictable societies, but you could also apply it to endeavors too risky and expensive for the free market. Elon Musks team at SpaceX has effectively made space exploration a little more predictable and a lot less costly.

Whats next? Mars, of course. It still sounds a little far-fetched, considering all the obstacles, but a lot less so after Saturdays historic feat. When and if SpaceX helps us get to Mars, a small part of me will think of Thompson and his metal fabrication team during the companys early days. When smart people communicate well and oftenbe they designers, engineers, or on the fab shop floorgreat, even historic things can happen.

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America returns to space, and metal fabrication plays its part - The Fabricator

There is a new space race on, and Volusia County is joining the fierce competition with other places in Florida and the U.S. to design and manufacture the missiles, spacecraft and satellites of the future.

The move comes just days after a SpaceX rocket put two American astronauts in space after a nine-year hiatus of U.S. manned launches, following the end of the space shuttle program.

The Volusia County Council voted unanimously June 2 to create a new land-use designation for private aerospace companies wishing to locate close to Cape Canaveral and bring the high-tech jobs that business and civic leaders covet for their constituents.

Without a dissenting vote, the council agreed to amend the countys growth-management plan, also known as the comprehensive plan, to designate certain parcels in the unincorporated areas in the southern half of the county for the cutting-edge industries.

The goals of the decision are to create employment opportunities for local workers, especially the young, and to expand the tax base to lessen the burden on homesteaders.

I was born and raised in Volusia County, and this is the best opportunity, Council Member Ben Johnson said, adding, clean industry is what were looking for.

The actual term for the new land use is the Commercial Space Industry Opportunity Overlay District. The general area of the special zone covers 342,841 acres, but the land-use designations now apply to 11,735 acres.

Those parcels are scattered. A few border DeLand, while some are next to Deltona, notably in Osteen. Still others are adjacent to or close to Oak Hill and other coastal cities.

This is only for unincorporated Volusia County, Volusia County Growth and Resource Management Director Clay Ervin stressed.

Volusia County is proactively seeking targeted space industries and is fully capable of responding to unanticipated opportunities, the ordinance amending the countys comprehensive plan noted.

The proposal for this overlay brings economic benefits for Volusia County, state Sen. Tom Wright, R-Port Orange, told the council. Its important to the future of Florida that we keep our young men and women here.

Wright said several states are now seeking a piece of the space-exploration supply-chain business even Hawaii, he said.

The new era of space flight and satellites has created a need for 300,000 to 400,000 people just for the space industry, Wright added. Wright chairs the Florida House Committee on the Military, Veterans and Space.

Joining the County Council meeting by phone from Washington, U.S. Rep. Michael Waltz, who represents District 6 which contains Volusia County, said the private aerospace companies coming to Volusia County may also be involved in NASA and military programs and projects, including the activities of the newly created Space Force.

I think the real attraction for Volusia County is its human capital, Waltz added.

The new space economy is going to happen, he continued. I would love to see Volusia County attract ... those high-paying jobs.

Although some of the properties that may be ideal sites for new aerospace plants are in the sparsely populated center of the county, Ervin said the change in the growth-management plan is not necessarily opening up conservation lands for development.

Some of the parcels are close to conservation lands, while others are close to the 50,000-acre-plus Farmton, a massive mixed-use development part of which is in Brevard County whose build-out will take several years.

The new amendment calls for an aerospace firm looking to set up shop in the special area to become a planned-unit development that may be given an expedited review process. One requirement for a company in the overlay area is for it to be connected to centralized water and sewer, once those utilities become available.

As for the county government, the ordinance requires officials to ensure that potential impacts to the environmental resources are minimized.

The county also shall coordinate with local municipalities to ensure that sufficient and affordable workforce housing is available, according to the new policy. In addition, Votran will provide sufficient transit service to employees of the targeted industry.

Its about economic development, and its about jobs, Council Member Deborah Denys said. Its not government-driven. Its market-driven. ... We get out of the way, and let the market take over.

Not everyone was enthused about the ordinance. Council members received emails from constituents who objected to the countys space-industry initiative.

There are a lot of promises of fast tracked [sic] infrastructure in this ordinance. We are told there is already a dearth of those dollars available, Jeff Brower, of DeLeon Springs, wrote.

Brower is a candidate for Volusia County chair.

Port Orange resident Kristine Cunningham, who identifies herself as the conservation chair of the Sierra Club Volusia-Flagler, also went on record objecting to the change.

If we start interrupting the natural flow of the wetlands by building new towns, ... we wont be able to mitigate our way to clean water. You cant replace nature with man-made wetlands, she wrote to the County Council.

After the council approved the ordinance to encourage aerospace companies to come to Volusia County, Denys urged supporters of the concept to go back and take it to your cities, and create your own overlay zones.

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Volusia wants its place in space | News | beacononlinenews.com - The West Volusia Beacon

'Hidden Figures' (Image 20th Century Studios)

On 3 June 2020, SpaceX, Elon Musks space exploration empire, launched Falcon 9 its eighth Starlink mission with the aim of establishing a satellite constellation capable of providing satellite internet access. The new Space Race is on, and this time around, it is not as much of a race between countries for bragging rights as it is a race to capitalise on economic resources available through off-world technology satellite internet, harvesting valuable elements from the Moon or the creation of unique products which are only possible in microgravity.

Pop culture is already tuning in to the exciting and terrifying possibilities of this emerging contest. On 29 May Netflix launched Space Force, a new comedy series by the creators of the American version of The Office. The premise is that Space Force is a new sixth branch of The United States Armed Forces and is tasked with winning the new Space Race. The show is light viewing and mainly manages to maintain a level of intrigue and charm on the back of John Malkovichs charisma and Steve Carells ability to convincingly act like an idiot.

***

Hidden Figures

It is 1926 and Katherine Johnson is the very image of a bright and exceptional future. A seven-year-old prodigy, bumped up two grades due to her unprecedented gift for mathematics

Fast-forward 35 years and Katherine is stuck in a broken-down car in the middle of nowhere, worried the policeman driving towards her might concoct some reason to send her to jail. Welcome to the segregated sixties. Its at this point that we meet Katherines equally talented peers. Academy-award winning Octavia Spencer plays mama-bear Nasa supervisor Dorothy Vaughan and Janelle Mone plays self-possessed Nasa engineer Mary Jackson, whose wit flips the situation on its head and lands the three of them a police escort to work that morning.

It is 1961 and the Russians are winning the Space Race, having successfully sent a man to space and bruised many an American ego. The Yanks are paranoid that Russian nuclear warheads could start dropping out of the sky at any moment and are determined to prove the size of their manhoods by matching the feat. Katherine and her colleagues are desperate to play a part in propelling this endeavour, and more than capable of doing so. But they are all black women.

It is blatantly obvious that black lives did not matter to many of the white employees of Nasa at the time. Early on in the film, a group of scientists initiate a dangerous experiment without warning Mary, who is still inside the room, indifferent to the unnecessary risk this poses to her life and leaving her with seconds to get out.

Katherine has to prove her ability to accurately solve and check equations at breakneck speed while also having to run to the opposite side of Nasa headquarters every time she needs the toilet in order to use the colored ladies restroom because there isnt one in the East Wing.

One can only feel fist-clenching frustration watching how the colored computers as they were called back then are shrugged off and ignored by their white co-workers. But the director of the space task group is a kind, passionate man and one of the few white characters in the film whose views are not utterly backward. He supports Katherine against her systematic oppression, symbolising the white ally in the struggle against racism a tricky role to portray from a character in a position of authority without straying within range of white saviourism.

Grit your teeth through the abuse which mild-mannered Katherine suffers through when she finally snaps and makes her voice heard she treats us to a powerful and moving monologue leaving everyone speechless.

When Hollywood sinks its bedazzled teeth into a feel-good underdog film based on true events, there is always a risk that, rather than embrace the complexity of how things actually transpired and the multifaceted personalities involved, they will dumb the characters down to one-dimensional walking stereotypes and wrap the whole film in a kindergarten style moral-of-the-story.

Hidden Figures mostly escaped the pearly whites of Hollywoods gaping jaws, but one can occasionally see the shadows cast by the bright light of its sickening winners smile in overly dramatic moments, or hear it breathing in the pauses of patriotic music whenever America triumphs over the commies or a white person says something nice to a black person. Hooraa USA!

For all its merit, Hidden Figures is still an American Blockbuster. There are common storytelling techniques that come with Blockbuster films and, while this is a darn shame, if that is what it takes to convince mainstream audiences to watch a historically revisionist film about the crucial role of talented black women in the Space Race of the sixties, then so be it, because we need to learn about more stories like this one.

We need to learn about them because many white responses to all the black outrage being expressed at the moment have made it abundantly clear that we as a society have not progressed socially nearly as much as we often think (or hope) we have.

Hidden Figures is available in South Africa on Apple TV and Google Play.

If you like Hidden Figures, you may also like The Imitation Game:

The Imitation Game focuses similarly on how the brilliant minds of marginalised people (in this instance a woman played by the fiery Keira Knightley and a gay man played by the enigmatic Benedict Cumberbatch) were instrumental in the unfolding of historical events. The Imitation Game does not entirely fit into the genre of feel-good film but it is a thrilling watch. It is available in South Africa on Netflix, Apple TV and Google Play. DM/ML

Found a little known gem of a film which you absolutely love? Send a recommendation to [emailprotected]

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This weekend were watching: The White Washing of the Space Race - Daily Maverick

anchor

Charisse Foo's fascinating submission "The Monument to the Labors" won the inaugural Outer Space Competition in 2019. This year's edition just opened for submissions (see list below). Image courtesy of Blank Space.

Welcome to this latest weekly roundup of new and exciting architecture challenges listed on Bustler, Archinect's sister site dedicated to competitions, events, and related news for architects and students.

Check out a few diverse calls for submission that stood out this week they range from design awards promoting justice and inclusion, through territorial planning in the Arab World, all the way to architecting a libertarian micronation. For the complete list of newly listed competitions, click here.

Here are, in no particular order, some briefs to consider.

NOMA-NAACP Social Environmental and Economic Design (SEED) AwardsRegistration Deadline: Saturday, Aug 1, 2020Submission Deadline: Tuesday, Sep 1, 2020

The National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) partnered with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Design Corps to announce the NOMA-NAACP Social Environmental and Economic Design (SEED) Awards. The purpose of the partnership is to highlight the built and conceptual projects in architecture, community design, and economic development that exemplify justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) at their core.

International Architecture Competition: European Parliament Building in BrusselsRegister/Submit Deadline: Thursday, Jul 9, 2020

The European Parliament has initiated an international design competition for the renewal of its plenary building (SPAAK), located in a complex in the centre of Brussels. The open pre-qualification procedure for the selection of competitors among candidates was launched on 26 May 2020. Architects interested in participating in the renewal of the SPAAK building are invited to apply.

Outer Space 2020Registration Deadline: Thursday, Jul 23, 2020Submission Deadline: Thursday, Aug 6, 2020

The Outer Space competition is seeking proposals that envision space exploration in the near future (100-200 years). What kinds of structures will be developed to move, house and sustain people? How will robotics, AI, autonomous spacecraft, and satellites extend our reach?

Omran'19 PublicationRegister/Submit Deadline: Friday, Jul 31, 2020

This is a call for contribution to form a publication which follows the success of the ArchitecturalForum OMRAN19. It will furthermore engage and explore the main theme of Architecture ofTerritory by offering a compelling perspective of territorial planning in the Arab World. A territorythree times the size of the European Union, home to 423,000,000 inhabitants.

International Call for Proposals: Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2021Register/Submit Deadline: Friday, Jul 31, 2020

The Seoul Biennale of Architecture and Urbanism 2021 (SBAU2021) is launching an international Call for Proposals (CFP) to identify the works that could be featured in the main exhibition of the SBAU 2021 with the intention of gathering works conducted or envisioned for one hundred cities from the five continents.

The 2021 Forge PrizeRegister/Submit Deadline: Sunday, Nov 1, 2020

The American Institute of Steel Construction is on the lookout for creative visions of the future from up-and-coming architects. The third annual Forge Prize competition is now open for entries!This competition [...] recognizes visionary emerging architects for designs that embrace steel as a primary structural component [...].

And if you're tempted to dive into the deep end of the pool, consider this challenge (hey, no zoning!):

Liberland Design Competition 2020Registration Deadline: Sunday, Aug 16, 2020Submission Deadline: Friday, Oct 16, 2020

Liberland invites you to challenge the contemporary urban and architectural design status quo by responding to Liberlands fundamental values and to envision the full design potential for this new micronation.

Are you a competition advertiser looking for a platform to elevate your online reach and exposure? Send your competition directly to Bustler for our team to review! Who knows, maybe your competition will be featured in next week's roundup.

If you are curious about Bustler's extensive advertising strategies for architecture and design competitions, reach out to us, and our team would be more than happy to help strategize with you.

Monte dOiro Wine Tasting Room

Register by Fri, Jun 5, 2020

Submit by Sun, Jul 12, 2020

WARMING Architecture Competition

Register by Sun, Aug 2, 2020

Submit by Mon, Aug 3, 2020

RE-Stock London Housing Competition

Register by Fri, Jun 12, 2020

Submit by Fri, Jul 17, 2020

Mega Dunes Ecolodges - Abu Dhabi

Register by Mon, Jun 1, 2020

Submit by Fri, Jul 10, 2020

See original here:

Flex your creative muscle with these architecture and design competitions - Archinect

Mars had a massive ring system several billion years ago, according to new research from the SETI Institute and Purdue University.

An artists impression of a ringed Mars. Image credit: Tushar Mittal.

Mars has two small satellites, Phobos and Deimos, discovered by the American astronomer Asaph Hall at the Naval Observatory on August 18, 1877.

They are thought to have formed from debris ejected by a single colossal impact onto early Mars.

Although these moons are small, their peculiar orbits hide important secrets about their past.

The fact that Deimos orbit is not exactly in plane with Marss equator was considered unimportant, and nobody cared to try to explain it, said Dr. Matija uk, a research scientist at the SETI Institute.

But once we had a big new idea and we looked at it with new eyes, Deimos orbital tilt revealed its big secret.

In 2017, Purdue Universitys Dr. David Minton and his student Andrew Hesselbrock noticed that the Martian inner moon, Phobos, is losing height as its tiny gravity is interacting with the looming Martian globe.

In several dozens of million years, Phobos orbit will drop too low, and Martian gravity will pull it apart to make a ring around the planet.

Mars is kept company by two cratered moons an inner moon named Phobos and an outer moon named Deimos. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / Malin Space Science Systems / Texas A&M University.

The team proposed that over billions of years, generations of Martian moons were destroyed into rings. Each time, the ring would then give rise to a new, smaller moon to repeat the cycle over again.

This cyclic Martian moon theory has one crucial element that makes Deimos tilt possible: a newborn moon would move away from the ring and Mars. Which is in the opposite direction from the inward spiral Phobos is experiencing due to gravitational interactions with Mars.

An outward-migrating moon just outside the rings can encounter a so-called orbital resonance, in which Deimos orbital period is three times that of the other moon. These orbital resonances are picky but predictable about the direction in which they are crossed.

Only an outward-moving moon could have strongly affected Deimos, which means that Mars must have had a ring pushing the inner moon outward.

This moon may have been 20 times as massive as Phobos, and may have been its grandparent existing just over 3 billion years ago, which was followed by two more ring-moon cycles, with the latest moon being Phobos, Dr. uk and colleagues said.

Their findings will be published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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Matija uk et al. 2020. Evidence for a Past Martian Ring from the Orbital Inclination of Deimos. ApJL, in press; arXiv: 2006.00645

This article is based on text provided by the SETI Institute.

Read more:

Researchers Find New Evidence that Mars Once Had Massive Ring | Planetary Science, Space Exploration - Sci-News.com