Category Archives: Space Exploration

Whats it like to live in an era where private space travel is on the rise? One aspect of it involves getting familiar with a lot of new launch locations. There was once a time when Cape Canaveral was the prime location associated with sending people into space. Now, things are a bit more geographically dispersed consider Virgin Galactics facility in New Mexico, for example.

And thats not the only state looking to make its own impact on space exploration. A group called the Michigan Aerospace Manufacturers Association (or M.A.M.A.) is looking to do something similar in the Great Lakes State specifically, in close proximity to Lake Superior.

A new article by David Rompf at The New Yorker delves further into their plan, which would involve building out several space launch facilities around the state. Rompfs article also includes comments from some Michigan residents who are opposed to the plan some for reasons of noise, others due to concern over pollution in the lake.

As Rompf points out, this isnt the first attempt to try to get Michigan on the spaceflight map. A NASA effort in the early 1970s went awry and was canceled due to inclement weather, which prevented rockets from launching. Still, the organization behind the current plan hasnt lacked for ambition. Among the details revealed in the New Yorker piece: M.A.M.A. has been in touch with SpaceX.

Could the states Upper Peninsula be radically transformed with a new industry? Stranger things have happened especially when space travel is involved.

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Michigan Explores the Idea of Becoming a Spaceflight Destination - InsideHook

On 20 July 1969, 650 million people throughout the world watched with bated breath as Neil Armstrong successfully fulfilled President Kennedys vision. The United States achieved what had seemed impossible just a few decades before. We had sent a man to the moon.

On that historic day, the entire world came together to celebrate the enormous accomplishment as Armstrongs voice boomed from our television sets: Thats one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.

In just eight short years the US, led by our extraordinary scientists, engineers and astronauts at Nasa, had opened up a new world for humanity. And while the entire world rejoiced, there was a special joy and pride in our country because this was an American project. It was our financing, our political will, our scientific ingenuity, our courage that had accomplished this milestone in human history. We had not only won the international space race, but more importantly, we had created unthinkable opportunities for all of humankind.

Fifty-three years later, as a result of a huge effort to privatize space exploration, I am concerned that Nasa has become little more than an ATM machine to fuel a space race not between the US and other countries, but between the two wealthiest men in America Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, who are worth more than $450bn combined.

After many billions of dollars of taxpayer funding the American people are going to have to make a very fundamental decision. If we are going to send more human beings to the moon and eventually to Mars, who will control the enterprise and what will be the purpose of that exploration? Will the goal be to benefit the people of the United States and the entire world, or will it be a vast boondoggle to make billionaires even richer and open up outer space to corporate greed and exploitation?

At this moment, if you can believe it, Congress is considering legislation to provide a $10bn bailout to Jeff Bezoss Blue Origin space company for a contract to build a lunar lander. This legislation is taking place after Blue Origin lost a competitive bid to SpaceX, Musks company.

Bezos is worth some $180bn. In a given year, he has paid nothing in federal income taxes. He is the owner of Amazon, which, in a given year, has also paid nothing in federal income taxes after making billions in profits. Bezos has enough money to own a $500m mega-yacht, a $23m mansion in Washington DC, a $175m estate in Beverly Hills and a $78m, 14-acre estate in Maui.

At a time when over half of the people in this country live paycheck to paycheck, when more than 70 million are uninsured or underinsured and when some 600,000 Americans are homeless, should we really be providing a multibillion-dollar taxpayer bailout for Bezos to fuel his space hobby? I dont think so.

Lets be clear, however. This issue goes well beyond just one contract for Bezos to go to the moon.

The reality is that the space economy which today mostly consists of private companies utilizing Nasa facilities and technology essentially free of charge to launch satellites into orbit is already very profitable and has the potential to become exponentially more profitable in the future. Bank of America predicts that over the next eight years the space economy will triple in size to $1.4tn thats trillion with a t.

In 2018, private corporations made over $94bn in profits from goods or services that are used in space profits that could not have been achieved without generous subsidies and support from Nasa and the taxpayers of America. The satellite business is growing rapidly. SpaceX alone plans to launch tens of thousands of its Starlink telecommunications satellites over the next few years.

In addition to the launching of new satellites, corporations like SpaceX will be making substantial sums from the space tourism business. Recently, three extremely wealthy individuals paid $55m each in order to visit the International Space Station. The good news is that if you are a billionaire tired of vacationing in the Caribbean, there are some exciting travel opportunities for you. The bad news is that American taxpayers are subsidizing some of that trip.

And while it may seem like a bad science fiction movie today, decades from now the real money to be made will not come from satellites or space tourism but to those who discover how to mine lucrative minerals on asteroids.

In fact, both Goldman Sachs and the noted astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson have predicted that the worlds first trillionaire will be the person who figures out how to harness and exploit natural resources on asteroids.

Nasa has identified over 12,000 asteroids within 45m kilometers of Earth that contain iron ore, nickel, precious metals and other minerals. Just a single 3,000ft asteroid may contain platinum worth over $5tn. Another asteroids rare earth metals could be worth more than $20tn alone. According to the Silicon Valley entrepreneur Peter Diamandis, There are twenty-trillion-dollar checks up there, waiting to be cashed!

The questions we must ask are: who will be cashing those checks? Who will, overall, be benefiting from space exploration? Will it be a handful of billionaires or will it be the people of our country and all of humanity?

As it stands now, as a result of the 2015 Space Act that passed the Senate with virtually no floor debate, private corporations are able to own all of the resources that they discover in space. In other words, the taxpayers of this country who made it possible for these private enterprises to go into space will get a 0% return on their investment.

The time is now to have a serious debate in Congress and throughout our country as to how to develop a rational space policy that does not simply socialize all of the risks and privatize all of the profits. Whether it is expanding affordable high-speed internet and cellphone service in remote areas, tracking natural disasters and climate change, establishing colonies on the moon and Mars or mining asteroids, the scientific achievements we make should be shared by all of us, not just the wealthy few.

Space exploration is very exciting. Its potential to improve life here on planet Earth is limitless. But it also has the potential to make the richest people in the world incredibly richer and unimaginably more powerful. When we take that next giant leap into space let us do it to benefit all of humanity, not to turn a handful of billionaires into trillionaires.

Originally posted here:

Jeff Bezos is worth $160bn yet Congress might bail out his space company - The Guardian

Diplomats and representatives from foreign countries and international organizations watch videos on the Chang'e-5 lunar mission at the National Astronomical Observatories of China under the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, Jan 18, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's Space Day, which fell on Sunday, betokens numerous opportunities ahead for the world in the country's peaceful development of its burgeoning space programs.

Soon after three Chinese taikonauts, or astronauts, returned to Earth on April 16 after 183 days aboard the new Chinese space stationa new national record for durationauthorities announced a series of new launches ahead. These will include two more three-member teams being sent to the space station, which is scheduled for completion within the year and welcomes joint efforts with foreign scientists.

China's outreach to other parts of the world was partly exhibited by Wang Yaping, the first Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk. Her recent discussion with students in the United States livened up the goodwill of China to use its space programs for the public good of humanity.

Looking back at the period from November 2020 to November 2021, it can be seen that China really emerged as a serious space power worthy of the name. This was due to four major achievements over that yearlong period.

In quick succession, there were missions to the moon and Mars, the establishment of a key satellite telecommunications constellation, and the launch of a new space station. Any one of these achievements would be significant in its own right. Taken together over a mere 12-month period, they represent a momentous leap for human progress in space.

This breathtaking progress is continuing unabated as long-term plans bear fruit, others mature and still more emerge for the future. China is really living up to its dream "to explore the vast cosmos, develop the space industry and build China into a space power", in the words of President Xi Jinping.

The Chinese space program's ambition is as breathtaking as it is profound, and ably demonstrated by high-level technological achievement and capacity. This embodies a key national science and technology focus that has peaceful space exploration, utilization and development endeavors as a vital element of China's presence in space.

Yet some elements in the West like to interpret China's increasing capability and prominence in space as some kind of threat to the natural world order. Some people are promoting terms like the militarization of space and aggrandizing the idea of mankind's space-faring activities in confrontational terms like a new space race.

At one time, even the use of the Tiangong space station's robotic arm to maneuver a cargo vessel was couched in militaristic terms, implying its potential threat to other spacecraft. However, the two-time dangerous approach of SpaceX Starlink satellites to the Chinese space station in 2021 were largely ignored, while the deployment of Starlink satellite facilities for Ukraine to counter recent Russian attacks were hailed in the West.

For all of us, the big question remains valid: How do space programs promote peace and mutual endeavor for the benefit of all?

Of course, no one should want to see space militarizedbut this kind of talk and media projection about China is unhelpful to the peaceful cooperation and development of space.

Actions speak louder than words. China is turning expansion of its space program into opportunities for the world instead of any threat. With the support of the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, China has made it clear, in an open-handed approach, that international cooperation is a cornerstone of its intent in space.

There are already nine initial science experiments from 17 countries selected to be undertaken on the Chinese space station when the science modules Wentian and Mengtian are launched this year. This is just the beginning. Astronauts from Germany and France have already trained with their Chinese colleagues, and it is only a matter of time before we see the first European working in Tiangong.

Moreover, China has been transparent in its space programs. The State Council Information Office of China published an important white paper in January, "China's Space Program: A 2021 Perspective", that lays out clearly China's plans, ambitions and vision for space.

No one should have any doubt about what is coming. China has delivered on its commitments.

Judgments should be based on verifiable evidence, actions and deliverables in terms of space programs of China and any others going forward. The white paper's statements that "China has always advocated the use of outer space for peaceful purposes" and "its space activities benefit humanity "can be put to the test.

The author is a professor on the science faculty at the University of Hong Kong and director of its Laboratory for Space Research.

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Promoting the peaceful development of space will benefit all - China Daily

Liftoff is currently set for 12:05 p.m. on April 6.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Space history is set to be made once again when the four-person Axiom Misson 1 (Ax-1) crew becomes the first-ever private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.

Michael Lpez-Alegra, Larry Connor, Mark Pathy, and Eytan Stibbe will liftoff from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A on the Crew Dragon Endeavour atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Liftoff is currently set for 12:05 p.m. on April 6. The crew has spent the last week quarantining and finalizing preparations in Florida.

Once aboard the orbiting laboratory, the Axiom Space astronauts will conduct science, education and commercial activities for eight days before returning to Earth.

"The Ax-1 crew will conduct extensive research and STEM outreach. Their efforts align with how each philanthropist carries out his work at home, in service to all on Earth and to all who follow them beyond it," Axiom Space's website reads.

This represents another significant milestone in our efforts to create a low-Earth orbit economy, said Phil McAlister, director of commercial spaceflight at NASA. I wish these Axiom crew members safe travels, and I hope they find their time in space productive and enjoyable.

Ax-1 is said to be the first of several proposed Axiom missions to the ISS and is an "important step" toward the company's goal of constructing its private space station called Axiom Station. The station looks to help double the "useable volume" of the ISS and is scheduled for launch in late 2024.

Also hitching a ride on the mission to the International Space Station will be an experiment that has ties to the Tampa Bay area. Moffitt Cancer Center investigators Drs. Patsy McDonald and Derek Duckett are partnering with SpacePharma to study stress and DNA damage caused by space travel with the hope of developing therapies to prevent it.

Space flight has significant deleterious consequences on the human body, said McDonald, associate member of the Cancer Physiology Department at Moffitt. Understanding how to mitigate the negative health effects of microgravity, radiation and stress from space flight is essential for safe space exploration.

According to officials, beta-arrestin1 has been found to play a role in chronic stressed-induced DNA damage which can carry profound human health consequences. The experiment will investigate the impacts of microgravity and low orbit space flight on the gene.

You can catch the mission from Axiom Space with live coverage of prelaunch activities, liftoff and docking beginning at 8:40 a.m. Or you can tune into 10 Tampa Bay, where we will be streaming live on Facebookand YouTube.

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Axiom Space prepares for first-ever private astronaut mission to International Space Station - WTSP.com

Latest added Space Launch Services Market research study by AMA Research offers detailed outlook and elaborates market review till 2027. The market Study is segmented by key regions that are accelerating the marketization. At present, the market players are strategizing and overcoming challenges of current scenario; some of the key players in the study are Antrix Corporation (India), Arianespace (France), Boeing (United States), China Great Wall Industry Corporation (China), EUROCKOT (Germany), ILS International (United States), Lockheed Martin (United States), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Japan), Orbital ATK (United States), Space International Services (Russia), United Launch Alliance (United States), Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (United States), Blue Origin LLC (United States), Spaceflight Industries, Inc. (United States), Isc Kosmotras (Russia), etc.

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Space Launch Services Market Definition:Space launch refers to the primary part of a flight that reaches space. Space launch service providers are responsible for the construction of the carrier missile, ordering, assembly and stacking, conversion, payload integration eventually conducting space launch itself. It includes liftoff when a space launch vehicle or rocket leaves the earth surface at the start of the flight. Space launch services market has high growth prospects owing to increase government investment in space exploration activities. For instance, the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C42) of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched two satellites S1-4 and NovaSAR into the Sun Synchronous Orbit at an altitude of 583 km. And, SpaceX a private American space transportation service provider launched Falcon 9 rocket built by Lockheed Martin for the United States Air Force.

The latest edition of this report you will be entitled to receive additional chapter / commentary on latest scenario, economic slowdown and COVID-19 impact on overall industry. Further it will also provide qualitative information about when industry could come back on track and what possible measures industry players are taking to deal with current situation. Each of the segment analysis table for forecast period also high % impact on growth.

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Influencing Trend:

Opportunities:

Market Growth Drivers:

The Global Space Launch Services segments and Market Data Break Down are illuminated below:by Type (Pre Launch Services, Post Launch Services), Application (Land, Air, Sea), End User (Commercial (Satellite Service Providers, Private Companies), Military and Government (Defense Organizations, Space Agencies)), By Orbit (Low Earth Orbit (LEO), M

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The regional analysis of Global Space Launch Services Market is considered for the key regions such as Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, Latin America and Rest of the World. North America is the leading region across the world. Whereas, owing to rising no. of research activities in countries such as China, India, and Japan, Asia Pacific region is also expected to exhibit higher growth rate the forecast period 2021-2027.Highlights of the report:

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Chapter 6: Evaluating the leading manufacturers of the Space Launch Services market which consists of its Competitive Landscape, Peer Group Analysis, BCG Matrix & Company Profile

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Space Launch Services Market To Witness Astonishing Growth With Spaceflight Industries, United Launch Alliance, Space Exploration Technologies ...

More on Japanese research and development: Space exploration

Astronomical research plays a large part in Japans R&D plans.The development and utilisation of space exploration play a pivotal role in establishing the basis for Japans existence as a nation, by means of realising a better quality of life, encouraging industry through satellite-based applications such as telecommunications, broadcasting, positioning/navigation/timing, weather forecasting, earth observation, and bringing new knowledge through space science research.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is the core implementing agency supporting the Japanese governments development and utilisation of space with technology. JAXA became a National Research and Development Agency in 2015, taking a step forward to achieve optimal R&D achievements for Japan.

Most recently, JAXA has started accepting applications for the 3rd Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Kibo- RPC), which will take place in fiscal 2022 under a revised framework. Kibo-RPC is a programming competition for controlling free-flying robots within the International Space Station (ISS)s Japanese Experiment Module Kibo, and an education program to provide young talent with an opportunity to develop robotic manipulation and computer programming skills in a spacecraft setting. This project has been organised jointly by JAXA and NASA as part of the Japan-U.S. Open Platform Partnership Programme, particularly targeting students from the Asia- Pacific region including Japan with an aim to expand the use of Kibo by Asian regions.

JSEC is focused on international collaborations for sustainable human space exploration. Working closely with government, industry, and academia in Japan, as well as space agencies outside Japan, JSEC develop strategies, investigate space systems, and manage projects. JSEC bring together JAXAs joint activities in scientific understanding and technological development to tackle the challenges in human and robotic exploration.

Like JAXA, all over the world space agencies are turning their focus to sustainability. By default, space missions must be as sustainable as possible because supplies are limited on spacecraft. A Moon base that does not rely on regular supply missions is more viable and could last indefinitely if it created its own fuel from local resources and solar energy. A range of JAXA missions are underway to ensure that humans can engage in sustainable activities on the Moon and on Mars, and this is also the case for the European Space Agency, which have been working for over 25 years to create a portable ecosystem so that astronauts can bring a self-contained atmosphere-in-a-box that will supply oxygen, water and food while processing their waste.

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Education equals innovation when studying in Japan - Open Access Government

Three astronauts on a planned mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will wear a specially-designed helmet to monitor the effects of space exploration on brain activity, the company behind the headwear said.

The 10-day mission by space-flight firm Axiom, which will be the first-ever private trip to the space station, is due to launch on April 3 with four astronauts onboard.

Data has continuously been collected on astronauts' heart rate, skin resistance, muscle mass and others in space but not yet on brain activity, Yair Levy, Chief Executive of Brain.Space, the ,

creators of the electroencephalogram (EEG)-enabled helmet, told Reuters.

"This system does not depend on any technician, does not require any preparation or any special process to wear it. [You just] just click on a button and it's done, and you can start measuring brain activity," he said.

The Brain.Space project will join 30 other experiments that will take part in the so-called Rakia Mission to the ISS.

Three of the four astronauts - including Israeli Eytan Stibbe - will wear the helmet, which has 460 airbrushes that connect to the scalp, and perform a number of tasks for 20 minutes a day, during which data will be uploaded to a laptop on the space station.

The tasks include a "visual oddball" test that the company says has been effective in detecting abnormal brain dynamics.

Similar studies using these tasks have been completed on Earth.

After the mission, Brain.Space will compare the EEG data to see the differences in brain activity between Earth and space.

Carrying out such experiments is a vital component in advancing human spaceflight particularly as long-term space exploration and "off-world living are within grasp".

Brain.Space, which said it raised $8.5 million (7.6 million) in a seed funding round, bills itself as a brain infrastructure company and is working with the cognitive and brain sciences department at Israel's Ben Gurion University to transform terabytes of data into usable insights.

Levy said he hoped the space mission would be a springboard for other institutions, researchers and software developers to use its brain data platform.

"Our vision is to create a language of the brain and to allow physicians, researchers and even app developers to use this language and to create products and services based on the brain".

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What does space do to the human brain? Astronauts on the ISS will wear this helmet to find out - Euronews

This is the ultimate challenge in waste collection: plucking from space a broken satellite travelling at 25,000kph, operating in levels of radiation that can frazzle powerful on-board computers.

From nets and harpoons to magnets, scientists are working on potential solutions to the rapidly growing problem of space junk that threatens planned new mega-constellations of low-cost satellites orbiting Earth.

More than a million pieces of debris larger than a centimetre are estimated to be in orbit after more than 630 break-ups, explosions and collisions involving man-made satellites, according to analysis from the European Space Agency (ESA).

The space industry is responding to the problem with a new model of sustainable space operations in which the industry will clear up its own mess and develop tools to refuel and repair satellites to extend their use.

A new fleet of space service vehicles with a range of tools, likened to a Swiss Army knife, is planned to refurbish existing satellites. Dedicated craft will try to snag debris to protect the 5,000 operational satellites currently in orbit.

About 300 missions are expected to service satellites and remove debris by 2030, Yang Gao, professor of space autonomous systems at the University of Surrey, a leading centre of technological research in England, tells The National.

Prof Yang Gao is developing a robotic arm system to use in the race to solve the problem of space junk. Photo: Max Alexander

She is running a project to tackle one element of the problem at the UKs Surrey Space Centre, where they are testing a robotic arm that uses artificial intelligence to view and grab spinning pieces of junk.

The system, which has the potential to carry out repair work too, is aimed at attracting a new generation of cost-cutting private operators because it has the potential to work autonomously in space without a human controller.

The robotic arm fires light at the defunct satellite and uses its on-board computer to work out the best point at which to grab the tumbling piece of junk. The extreme lighting conditions in space pose significant technical difficulties, the project developers say.

It's almost like when people go to a desert, they tend to lose themselves because of a lost sense of orientation there's no reference point, Prof Gao says.

Damaging levels of radiation and the need for high levels of protection also impose limits on the capacity of on-board computers. Because of that, we cannot run very complex algorithms on the spacecraft in real time, she tells The National.

That's why we have to be so creative with the way we use artificial intelligence. You cant just deploy any AI you use on Earth, we need to do a lot of designs specifically for these challenges.

The work done at Surrey University is considered a key pillar of the UK's role as a leading member of the ESA, the continental equivalent of Nasa. Space has taken additional importance in the wake of the Brexit decision for the UK to leave the EU but maintain some strategic co-operation with its former European partners.

"ESA membership, however, continues to provide the UK with a route to participate in civil international space missions and exploration, and a way for its domestic space industry to contribute and win business," a note from the International Institute of Strategic Studies concluded last October. "UK industry and academia are involved in ESA projects including a lunar satellite system, Mars exploration missions, projects to address space debris and Earth observation satellites."

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The robotic arm is scheduled to be ready for use by 2025, when the first mission to remove an ESA-owned rocket part is expected to launch. The ClearSpace-1 mission will use a different form of technology, a grabber likened to Pac-Man, after the popular 1980s arcade game.

The mission is fundamental to demonstrate worldwide that we can remove debris, said Luisa Innocenti, who is head of the Clean Space office at ESA.

Grabbing systems are only one solution being developed by those trying to clear up space.

Other techniques being assessed or developed include a system of spinning magnets promoted by a team from the University of Utah to gently manoeuvre space scrap into an orbit where it eventually burns up.

Japanese satellite servicing company Astroscale launched a mission, ELSA-d, with two spacecraft in March last year to demonstrate how a magnet could be used to capture space junk.

The company, which describes itself as a breakdown service in space, successfully completed the first stages of its test that involved unlocking two linked craft, then recapturing the smaller 17 kilogram replica debris unit.

But more complex elements of the programme, including tracing and capturing a tumbling piece of junk, have been suspended because of what Astroscale said were anomalous spacecraft conditions.

Our mission to prove the technology for capturing orbital debris in space continues, the company said in February. The safety of ELSA-d, and of the orbital environment, remains our top priority. Both spacecraft are under control and being continually monitored.

A harpoon was successfully tested 400 kilometres above Earth in 2019. The harpoon pierced the centre of a tethered aluminium target in a test that researchers hoped would clear the way for specialist "space tugboats" to snag malfunctioning craft and drag them towards Earth until they burn up on re-entry.

But the harpoon carries a risk of creating more space junk, Prof Gao says. We definitely want something more like a robotic arm because that's more controllable only then you can say this space debris is removed rather than youre creating new ones.

The dangers from space debris were highlighted in 2009 when two satellites collided for the first time, about 800 kilometres above Siberia.

The operational US satellite and the out-of-service Russian craft created about 2,000 pieces of junk that scientists say will remain in orbit for decades.

The incident stoked concerns first mooted by a Nasa scientist in the 1970s that the amount of junk in orbit would reach a point where repeated collisions make it impossible for satellites to orbit safely.

A conference held by the Royal United Services Institute think tank in 2019 noted that the Kessler Effect in which two objects colliding would cause potentially infinite other collisions posed the same threat to the use of space as climate change or plastics in the oceans pose on Earth.

"The cleaning of orbits through debris removal is currently very expensive and still in trial phase and will require international co-operation," the conference report said. "Prevaricating may mean passing a point beyond which any intervention will have a negligible impact."

Updated: April 01, 2022, 6:00 PM

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Robotic arms, harpoons and spinning magnets: the galactic clean space challenge - The National

New Delhi: When cosmonaut Rakesh Sharma was asked by the then Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Upar se Bharat kaisa dikhta hai (How does India look like from space?), the response was memorable: Saare jahan se accha (better than the whole world). That statement from 38 years ago made every Indian proud of their nation.

On April 2, 1984, Indian Air Force pilot Rakesh Sharma made history by becoming the first Indian to travel to space. He was part of the Soviet Unions Soyuz T-11 expedition, a joint mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) and the Soviet Intercosmos space programme.

Sharma spent seven days, 21 hours and 40 minutes in space, accompanied by two Russian cosmonauts, and added fuel to the countrys space aspirations in the years to come.

The mission conducted scientific and technical studies, including 43 experimental sessions, and Sharma was tasked with biomedicine and remote-sensing.

I orbited the Earth and our scientists carried out several experiments using our equipment. In that sense, it was an opportunity well-utilised, the now 73-year-old said about his mission.

There was another Indian cosmonaut, Ravish Malhotra, who was the backup astronaut for the same space mission in 1984. Sharma and Malhotra were among the four pilots who were shortlisted from a pool of 20 to go to Russia for the training. After conducting the medical tests, the duo was selected for the mission.

Indias space journey has come a long way since then. Isro successfully launched its first mission for 2022the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV-C52) on February 14.

While Isros scheduled missions in 2021 were pushed off track by the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdowns, the space agency has promised that 2022 will be a year of enhanced bilateral cooperation and possibly a new era will be ushered for space science.

The space organisation has four big-ticket space missions planned this year. These include the Gaganyaan mission which aims to send the first batch of Indian astronauts into space on an indigenously developed spacecraft; Aditya L1, Indias maiden mission to study the sun; Chandrayaan 3; and the development of Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).

It might have taken India around four decades, but the country is expected to carry forward Sharmas achievements through its crewed Gaganyaan mission. Isro is expected to conduct the test vehicle flight for the validation of crew escape system performance, and the first uncrewed mission in the beginning of the second half of 2022.

The second uncrewed mission has been scheduled for later this year. Three Indian Air Force officers have undergone generic space flight training for the crewed mission, which could also be launched by early 2023. Isro has said over the last year that the Gaganyaan programme is aimed at demonstrating the capability to send humans to Low Earth Orbit (LEO) on board an Indian launch vehicle and bring them back safely.

Retired wing commander Sharma, who achieved the same feat four decades ago on Soyuz T-11, is also part of the national advisory council on Gaganyaan.

Speaking on the sidelines of a public function in Bengaluru in 2019, Sharma talked about Indias space mission and said, We are capable of anything. It is just that we never had the opportunity or the support to actually achieve what we are potentially capable of.

He also expressed confidence on Gaganyaans launch this year.

We are hopeful of a successful launch in 2022. We have the resources and the talent for it, said Sharma.

Newly appointed Isro chief S Somanath has also expressed his vision for carving Indias place on the global map of space exploration.

The space programme in the country needs to be opened up. The government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have spelt out their plans about Indias space aspirations and the plan is to keep a focus on it. We have several missions planned throughout this year, it will be a busy year. We have come a long way, said Somanath.

Soumya Pillai covers environment and traffic in Delhi. A journalist for three years, she has grown up in and with Delhi, which is often reflected in the stories she does about life in the city. She also enjoys writing on social innovations....view detail

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38 years since the day Indian dreams soared into space - Hindustan Times

PARIS (ESA PR) Cultured meatcould be a game changer for the environment, food security, human health and animal welfare. But some challenges prevent it from reaching its full potential. Now ESA is supporting researchers to explore the possibility of growing cultured meat to feed astronauts. Overcoming the challenges of growing meat in space could also help us find solutions to produce it sustainably and effectively on Earth.

The idea of feeding astronauts on long-duration missions with cultured meat was initially proposed by ESA engineer Paolo Corradi.

Paolo explains: For long-term human exploration missions far from Earth, we would need to transport a large amount of long-shelf-life food. This comes with the risk of food becoming degraded over time or even lost, which would significantly limit the degree of self-sustainability and resilience of the mission.

So, if we want to succeed in long-term human exploration far from Earth, we need to rethink our current approach to astronaut nutrition and provide the means to efficiently produce food on board, possibly integrated within the regenerative life support system, continues ESA environment control and life support engineer, Christel Paille, who is working with Paolo on this activity.

And, of course, the conventional production of animal-based food, as meat, in space would be unthinkable, concludes Paolo.

Industry and academia wereinvited to apply for fundingfrom the Discovery element of ESAs Basic Activities to develop the concept further.

Two teams were selected to work in parallel; one is composed of young German companyyuriandReutlingen University, and the other of UK companiesKayser Space,Cellular AgricultureandCampden BRI.

Paolo is overseeing the projects on behalf of ESA. He explains how they will proceed: First, the teams will analyse and compare the nutritional value and potential benefits of cultured meat products with those of protein food alternatives for space applications. Then they will establish a set of requirements for growing meat in space based on the nutritional guidelines for astronauts and selected future human spaceflight missions.

In this second step, the teams will be supported by ESA experts in astronaut nutrition and human spaceflight. This is one example of how this research will involve cooperation between different ESA groups and experts, including theSpace Medicineteam andColumbus laboratoryengineers.

Finally, the teams will come up with a preliminary design for a cultured meat production system for space applications, assessing its feasibility and analysing its performance, adds Paolo. They will compare the system with other potential onboard systems for protein food production, and with the current approach which involves food supplies being transported from Earth. They will also assess the potential commercial interest for a promotional demonstrator for both space and ground applications.

Daniela Bezdan, chief science officer of yuri, explains the benefits of this project: The research activities of our project team on cultured meat were so far exclusively focused on applications on Earth. This project will widen our focus and allow us to transfer elements of our existing work to space applications in follow-up projects. In addition, the results of the study will help draw our attention and research efforts to the most crucial issues regarding the feasibility of cultured meat production.

Kayser Spaces programme manager Ramn Nartallo adds: This project provides us with the opportunity to consider the challenges of life support systems operating beyond low-Earth orbit, in long-duration space missions and different gravity environments. It will also help Cellular Agriculture to deliver a first bioprocess design to enable high-quality protein production, and Campden BRI to develop their knowledge in an exciting emerging field.

Meat production is the cause of environmental problems, facilitates potential pandemic diseases, and causes suffering to billions of animals every year. And with the global population growing and the demand for meat increasing, conventional meat production will become more and more unsustainable.

Cultured meat could make conventional meat a thing of the past, but more research into the production technology is needed. By investigating how cultured meat could be produced in space, where resources are very limited, this research could help advance the technology needed to grow cultured meat more efficiently on Earth.

This contribution to a much-needed food production revolution on Earth fits in withESAs commitmentto the United NationsSustainable Development Goals.

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On the Road to Cultured Meat for Astronauts (and Earthlings) Parabolic Arc - Parabolic Arc