Category Archives: Space Exploration

In a revelation that will surprise almost no one, the 2022 World Inequality Report found that one space flight emits more carbon dioxide than most of the worlds population will create in their entire lifetime.

While other parts of the report focus on labor, income and economic inequality, the researchers also included a statistic spotted by folks on social media and highlighted by Gizmodo that perfectly sums up the relationship between those who create greenhouse gases versus those who suffer most from them.

Perhaps the most conspicuous illustration of extreme pollution associated with wealth inequality in recent years is the development of space travel, the report states. An 11-minute flight emits no fewer than 75 tonnes of carbon per passenger About one billion individuals emit less than one tonne per person per year. Over their lifetime, this group of one billion individuals does not emit more than 75 tonnes of carbon per person.

If youre wondering which space flight the World Inequality Report is addressing, well, the team didnt call anyone out by name. But Jeff Bezos much-publicized space flight back in July was about that length of time, as Gizmodo pointed out. Bezos, the Amazon founder currently wrapped up in Blue Origins space tourism junket, effectively puts out more carbon than most humans could create in their lifetime each time he sends up a rocket.

Bezos isnt the only billionaire partaking in space tourism, of course.Japanese billionare Yusaku Maezawa is currently on a twelve-day space vacation aboard the International Space Station. The flight was planned by US-based Space Adventures. Richard Branson, billionaire founder of Virgin Group, also took himself to the edge of space.

You might be thinking of a fourth billionaire involved in space exploration not yet mentioned, but Tesla CEO Elon Musk hasnt personally traveled to space with his company SpaceX. Of course, SpaceX has sent its own tourists to orbit, which presumably has an even higher carbon footprint than Bezos edge-of-space joyrides. In fact, its scheduled to launch Maezawa on yet another trip, this time around the Moon in a jaunt scheduled a few years from now.

The World Inequality Report argues that to hold the biggest greenhouse gas emitters responsible, we need to better track global emission numbers.

Large inequalities in emissions suggest that climate policies should target wealthy polluters more, the authors write. So far, climate policies such as carbon taxes have often disproportionately impacted low and middle income groups.

Its the equivalent of being told to recycle your cardboardand pay for municipal recycling pickup, in other words its a nice gesture,but no matter how hard you try, youll never offset a single Bezos space journey.

Similarly, climate change in the US is expected to affect poor people the most, and the UN has warned that climate change could even aggravate terrorism in countries where impoverished people must commit violent acts just to survive.

It sounds like if we want to have a habitable planet in the near future, in other words, were going to have to hold billionaires accountable for their excessive emissions in a real way.

More on time running out: Amazon Rainforest on the Verge of Becoming a Dry Savannah, Scientists Say

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One Space Trip Emits a Lifetime's Worth of Carbon Footprint - Futurism

In February, NASA will launch the first un-crewed test flight of its Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket as it prepares to send astronauts back to the moon.

Artemis I is the first in a series of increasingly complex missions to take place over the next few years. It will be followed by a second crewed test flight and a third flight that will land astronauts on the moons south-pole. NASA expects that will be in 2025, at the earliest.

The agency says partnerships with private companies like SpaceX will build the lunar lander to ferry astronauts to the moons surface, making the Artemis program possible.

The private space race has allowed NASA, and agencies like it, to turn their attention from Earths lower orbit and start planning for future missions, like Artemis. And as the agency plans to send astronauts to new frontiers, it is encouraging private industry to establish a greater presence in lower-Earth orbit by collaborating with the private sector on a new space station.

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The International Space Station is now more than 20 years old, approved for use until 2024, with a likely extension only until the end of 2028 or 2030. NASAs office of audits released a report at the start of December detailing the costly repairs to the orbiting laboratory that have been needed over time. It said maintenance and system upgrades to the ISS increased to approximately $169 billion in 2020.

On Dec. 3, NASA announced three U.S. Companies that would receive over $400 million in government funding to develop commercial space stations Jeff Bezos Blue Origin, Nanoracks and Northrop Grumman.

Misty Snopkowski, Program Executive for the commercial LEO development program at NASA, says commercial stations, like the ones these three companies are developing, will help the agency travel deeper into space.

Were trying to go deeper into space and we can give this very well understood environment in LEO to commercial entities for them to start establishing that LEO economy, she says, adding that instead of owner and operator of a new space station, NASA would be one of many customers using the orbiting laboratory.

With less of its funding tied up in the International Space Station, the agency will be free to throw more cash at deep space exploration, Snopkowski says.

But there is still research that needs to be done in order to make these frontier missions possible. She says the agency has approximately 200 long-term experiments, most of which study the impact of space travel on the human body. The agency needs that work to continue after the International Space Station is decommissioned.

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Those types of research, human research, [have] long lead times, she explains.

Such research not only helps further NASAs ambitions in space, it is also helps us tackle big challenges on Earth, says York University astrophysicist Jesse Rogerson.

Going to the moon and going to Mars is going to push our understanding of how to do agriculture, he says, as an example of how research in space can help us improve conditions on Earth. Because we cant do a permanent settlement on the moon or Mars without living off the land. So pushing that science to the very edge so that we can grow something on Mars would inevitably help us do better on Earth.

Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who acts as CAPCOM at the Canadian Space Agency while he awaits his first flight assignment, says his agency is also involved in discussions about a future commercial space station. In addition to freeing-up funding for future deep space travel, he says such a partnership could reveal new ways to save money on research.

The space agency, we expect, will always be doing research in orbit. But the model on how we do that could change, could create more opportunities and could allow us to do more for less money, he says.

Hansen adds that collaborating with private industry will create more opportunities for astronauts to explore space, a boon for the Canadian Space Agency, whose astronauts have had to wait years to go to space as they wait for a seat to open on a mission.

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One upcoming mission Canada is taking part in will be Artemis II, the crewed test of the Orion spacecraft that will eventually transport astronauts to the moon.

The private space race will also create more opportunities for scientists and astronomers hoping to conduct research in space, Rogerson adds.

Conversations about the research platform that will eventually replace the International Space Station come amid rising tensions between the U.S. and Russia, another partner on the ISS.

Although space exploration has largely been insulated from politics, tension has reared its head in that domain as well, with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken criticizing Russia for a dangerous and irresponsible missile strike that blew up one of its own satellites stating the U.S. had not been warned about the test.

While Snopkowski did not mention any specific tensions with Russia, or any other international partners on the ISS, she did say NASA is trying to determine how to keep those important channels of communication open.

Theres a soft diplomacy there when it comes to space where everybody comes together around it, right, from different parts of the world and so thats something that NASA wants to maintain, she says.

Thats very important for the agency and is something that were working on, just to figure out what would that model look like going forward, once we transfer to these commercial platforms.

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Hansen says the Canadian Space Agency is just as committed to international diplomacy as its American counterpart, and he suggests that collaboration between governments is not going away.

Weve already set a tremendous example of how we can work together, how we can do more together. I dont think thats going away. Were certainly not going to let it go away with a fight, anyway, he adds.

He says through continued collaboration, between agencies like CSA and NASA and private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, we can develop technologies that will make space travel safer for future generations.

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How the private space race is allowing NASA to explore new frontiers - Globalnews.ca

NASAs Curiosity Mars rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to capture panoramas of this scene at two times of day; blue, orange, and green colour was added to a combination of both panoramas for an artistic interpretation of the scene.

Mars has come a long way from a smaller-sized neighbour in the solar system to a poster planet of space exploration. What all the unknown mysteries that it beholds? How has it transformed to become so lifeless?

The curious world of Mars has inspired generations of space scientists to explore the red planet like never before. At present, Marslocated about 377.2 million km away from the Earthhosts three human-made visitors roaming on the rough terrains of the planetCuriosity (2012) and Perseverance (2021) by the US and Zhurong (2021) from China.

And scientists on Earth have been receiving back-to-back unique insights from the robotic visitors wandering on this alien world.

Last month, NASAs Curiosity rover beamed back some of the most stunning landscape images of the red planet. On its solo trip to Mars, the senior-most rover continues to give us back some of the most exotic looks of the red planet. It was launched a decade ago on November 26, 2011, and landed on August 6, 2012, and continues to operate under extremely harsh conditions.

The robotic eyes of Curiosity captured a stunning vista from the slope of Mars Mount Sharp or Aeolis Mons that forms at the centre of Gale Crater. The rover captured the recent images on November 16 (the 3,299th Martian day, or sol, of the mission) soon after completing one of its drives. Curiosity stops after each drive to capture a 360-degree panorama of the surrounding landscapes by standing at Mount Sharp.

Soon after receiving this stunning image, the Curiosity team instructed the rover to capture two more landscape images at different times of 8:30 a.m. and 4:10 p.m. (local Mars time). The rover snapped back the two mosaics to scientists, and the NASA team added some artistic features like colours to portray landscape features to make it even more enchanting.

Curiositys morning view of down Mount Sharp.

Curiositys afternoon view.

The official statement from NASA reads: The team was so inspired by the beauty of the landscape, they combined two versions of the black-and-white images from different times of the day and added colours to create a rare postcard from the Red Planet."

The coloured image includes blue, orange and green colours, while the original is that of a black-and-white landscape as the rover looks down from the slope. The colours depict scenes as viewed at different times of the day like morning in the blue, afternoon in orange and a combination of both in green, says NASA.

The primary objective of Curiosity mission is to explore the Gale Crater to understand the planets past and present climate and geology. Along with this, the rover also continues to hunt for potentially habitable signs and ancient life signs.

A decade later, Perseverance rover landed on the planet earlier this year to aid Curiositys mission to understand Mars better. The US space agency NASA has specifically designed the rover to seek signs of past microbial life. Its former rover InSight (2018) played a crucial role in confirming the habitable conditions. Through Perseverance, NASA has kick-started preparing for future human exploration to Mars.

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Postcard from Mars: Curiosity Rover Sends Back Most Stunning Landscape Image of Red Planet | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel |...

It covers three quarters of the surface of the Earth and gives our planet its distinctive blue complexion when viewed from outer space. But the source of the liquid water that sustains our seas and which has nourished life on our world for eons is a subject of major scientific debate.

Some researchers argue that water in some form has been present on our world ever since it coalesced out of swirling clouds of dust and gas 4.5 billion years ago. Earth has always been provided with a reservoir, in short.

Other scientists take a different view, however. They say that in the beginning Earth was parched and waterless and our oceans only appeared much later when ice and water rained down on our world from extraterrestrial sources. These were responsible for most of the 332,500,000 cubic miles of water that now cover our planet, it is argued.

And now, a group of British scientists has provided key backing for the idea that the origins of our seas were out of this world. They have studied grains of material found on an asteroid called 25143 Itokawa and brought back to Earth by a Japanese robot probe and concluded these support the idea we got our oceans from outer space.

The dust we have studied provides good evidence that our oceans were created from water that came from other parts of the solar system, said Luke Daly, of the University of Glasgow. It suggests that at least half the water we have on Earth filtered down from interplanetary dust.

Daly and his colleagues used atom-probe tomography to study grains of dust that were returned from 25143 Itokawa. This remarkable technique allows scientists to count the atoms in a sample one by one. In this way, it was revealed that the grains brought back from the asteroid contained significant amounts of water, the scientists state in a paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

This water was most likely created by the solar wind, a stream of particles that flows out from the Sun, added Daly. These particles would have interacted with oxygen atoms in the clouds of dust that float through the solar system to create water molecules which would have built up in the clouds over the history of the solar system.

Then, as Earth orbited the Sun it would have swept through these clouds and mopped up the dust grains and their water. In this way, water the driving force of all nature, as Leonardo da Vinci once put it would have filtered down from the skies on to our planet, it is argued.

Crucially, other bodies orbiting the Sun would also have swept up these water-bearing grains. On Earth, these little fragments of silicate have long since disintegrated but on airless asteroid 25143 Itokawa, they will have lain undisturbed on its surface, probably for billions of years, until the Japanese probe Hayabusa swept up a sample and brought it back to Earth where its contents were revealed.

The group, which also included Professor Martin Lee, of the University of Glasgow, stresses that they do not think all the water in our seas came from solar dust grains. An equally important supply would have been provided by ice in comets and asteroids that crashed on Earth. In combination, solar dust and icy comets provided us with the oceans in which life evolved, said Lee.

This last point is supported by the fact that ice from comets and asteroids contain relatively high amounts of the hydrogen isotope deuterium compared with water on Earth while solar dust contains relatively low levels of deuterium. In combination, the two sources balanced each other out to provide an isotopic signature that matches that of water on Earth.

And the discovery is important not just because it provides compelling evidence about the origin of water on Earth. It also suggests that other worlds in the solar system could have water, perhaps in the form of ice, on their surfaces with key implications for future space exploration and the search for life elsewhere in the galaxy.

Any sort of moon should be home to a renewable reservoir of water produced by the solar wind, said Daly. And that would be important for human space exploration. We need water to drink to keep our bodies going and we could also use it, by splitting water molecules into their hydrogen and oxygen components, to make rocket fuel. In the coming years, as we establish a base on the Moon, sources of water like these are likely to be invaluable. We wont have to carry water with us when we travel across the solar system.

One deposit of ice is now believed to have formed in the Shackleton crater near the south pole of the Moon and this is the main target for Nasas forthcoming Artemis programme, which aims to set up a colony there and exploit its water resources.

And the observation that interplanetary dust within our own solar system contains water also has implications for seeking life elsewhere in the galaxy, added Daly. Across our galaxy, we can observe dust clouds in other star systems where planets are forming. That suggests these worlds will have a supply of water that will allow them to develop seas and oceans and then, possibly, life of some kind.

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Out of this world: did Earths water come from icy comets and grains of space dust? - The Guardian

Theres nothing like a pandemic to give people time to contemplate the universes greatest mysteries.

Over the course of the year, uber-rich tourists, including a Star Trek legend, ventured into space. Government and privately owned space travel companies reached new milestones, and scientists continued to make discoveries.

Here are eight of the top space moments of 2021: The good, the bad, and the funny.

After a Mars-bound spacecraft reached its destination 300 million miles from Earth earlier this year, NASA succeeded in its first flight of a robotic aircraft on another planet.

Ingenuity, a small 4-pound helicopter that hitched a ride with the spacecraft, lifted 10 feet above Mars for just over 39 seconds in the thin atmosphere of the Red Planet. MiMi Aung, Ingenuitys project manager, called the April 19 achievement our Wright brothers moment.

Since then, Ingenuity has had more airtime, with over a dozen flights. In the future, flying robotic scouts may become regular sidekicks for rovers and astronauts.

"We dont know exactly where Ingenuity will lead us," acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a press statement. "But todays results indicate the sky at least on Mars may not be the limit."

Two months before the drone hovered over Mars for the first time, its ride, carrying the Perseverance rover, safely touched down. The journey took seven months at more than 12,000 mph. Perseverance is one of three Mars missions going on right now: The United Arab Emirates and China also arrived in February.

Perseverance, NASAs ninth Mars rover, could be the key to answering some of the universes greatest questions. The mission is to search for evidence of former life on the desertlike planet, a reason why it landed on a narrow strip in an ancient river delta.

Over the next couple of years, the car-size rover will use a seven-foot arm to unearth (Or should we say "unmars?") rock and soil samples that could contain signs of old microscopic life.

How old, you say? Oh, maybe 3-or-so billion years.

People watch a Chinese Long March 5B rocket as it lifts off April 29, 2021.Credit: Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images

Remember that time a 10-story hunk of rocket plummeted to Earth, and we didnt know for sure where it would crash?

On May 8, a piece of Chinas biggest rocket, Long March 5B, reentered the atmosphere above the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, with most of it burning up in the process. People in the Middle East reported they saw debris, but no one was hurt.

For a brief moment, though, it gave some folks a case of Chicken Little: Despite scientists' best estimates, no one knew exactly where in the world it was going to strike. Forecasts indicated a chance the enormous rocket could rain debris on major cities.

The rocket tumbled out of control in orbit after it launched a part for the Chinese programs new space station. The flight was one of many of the countrys planned uncontrolled reentries for rockets hauling materials to build Tiangong, the heavenly palace.

Astrophysicists tracking the rocket core said it was statistically unlikely that the barreling fragment would hit land, endangering people. After all, most of the junk that plunges back to Earth burns up or splashes down. The odds of space stuff hitting the ocean are good, given that two-thirds of the planet is covered in water.

Still, many experts admonished the space agency for, yet again, taking an unexplained risk.

Sian Proctor, 51, became the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft Sept. 15, 2021.Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX pioneered the first amateur crew to circle the world without a professional astronaut in September, a feat that signaled the arrival of the commercial space tourism industry.

The trip, known as the Inspiration4 mission, coincided with another trailblazing moment: the first Black woman to serve as a spacecraft pilot.

Sian Proctor, a 51-year-old geoscientist from Tempe, Ariz., led the all-civilian ride to orbit. The spacecraft reached an altitude of 363 miles, passing the International Space Station by about 100 miles.

Proctor was a finalist to become a NASA astronaut in 2009 but didnt make the cut. About four years later, she lived in a small building in Hawaii for several months as part of an isolation study for journeys to Mars.

On the Inspiration4 flight, the crew dined on cold pizza, took a call from Tom Cruise and dealt with a malfunctioning toilet fan, aside from taking in some spectacular views.

Proctor, who is an artist, also painted with watercolors during the three-day mission.

I wedged myself down under seat 4 in the SpaceX Dragon Capsule so that I could secure myself and my paints from floating away during the few hours it took to draw and paint, she said on Instagram.

NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn's camera points downward toward the International Space Station during a spacewalk to replace a failed antenna system. Credit: NASA

Russia gave the International Space Station a rude awakening last month when the country ran an unannounced missile test to smash a defunct satellite.

Seven astronauts got an early morning warning from a ground controller to suit up and evacuate to their ships as debris threatened to collide with the station. The U.S. space agency said the Nov. 15 incident caused at least 1,500 pieces of wreckage to scatter, along with countless other bits too small to track.

The swirl of refuse didnt hurt anyone this time but will continue to pose dangers to astronauts over the coming years, U.S. officials said.

Russia and its space agency have denied the anti-satellite test put the space station or crewmembers in danger.

Small fragments from the explosion could puncture space suits. Such a concern led NASA to delay a spacewalk for two astronauts who needed to switch out a defunct antenna outside the station. Three days later, they carried out the task.

But the event has renewed discussions on the growing space junk problem and overarching defense issues. During Vice President Kamala Harris first National Space Council meeting this month, she condemned Russia for blasting debris across space.

As activity in space grows, we must reaffirm, yes, the rights of all nations, and we must demand responsibility from all spacefaring nations, she said. We must establish and expand rules and norms on safety and security, on transparency and cooperation, to include military, commercial and civil space activity.

The Lucy mission will study the Jovian Trojans, burgundy-tinted asteroids that lap the sun in the same orbit as Jupiter.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA launched Lucy on a grand 12-year asteroid tour this fall with plans to fly by several space rocks that share Jupiters orbit.

Lucy a mission named after a fossilized early human, who was named after The Beatles song will study the origins of the solar system. The asteroids are thought to be leftover pieces from planet formations.

The spacecraft will explore one asteroid in the solar systems main belt and seven Trojan asteroids. The latter are thought to be remnants of the early solar system trapped in stable orbits. Theyre clustered in two swarms before and after Jupiter along its course around the sun.

U.S. space officials said studying the Trojan asteroids could lead to discoveries about the solar systems evolution, in the same way Lucy, the fossil from Ethiopia, advanced our knowledge of human history.

Lucy embodies NASAs enduring quest to push out into the cosmos for the sake of exploration and science, to better understand the universe and our place within it, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.

The spacecraft launched with an Atlas V rocket Oct. 16 and will travel 4 billion miles in a sort of loop-the-loop, circling back to Earth three times for gravity boosts. That means it will be the first vehicle to return to Earths vicinity from the outer solar system.

Pentagon officials said they couldn't explain 143 sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP, seen by Navy pilots since 2004. Credit: Screenshot taken from Department of Defense video

A frenzy surrounded a forthcoming federal government report on unidentified flying objects spanning two decades, with many believers hoping it would delve into extraterrestrials.

But when the unclassified report dropped in June, the big reveal was lackluster. The document was only nine pages and contained not one mention of aliens.

U.S. intelligence officials said they couldnt explain 143 sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) seen by Navy pilots since 2004. The document, released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said 21 of those cases demonstrated technology the country couldnt recognize, including things moving without observable propulsion or with rapid acceleration.

The lack of explanation has, of course, stoked conspiracy theories about visitors from outer space.

Just before Thanksgiving, the Pentagon announced that it had formed the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group to get to the bottom of UAP sightings in sensitive airspace.

A rendering shows where an exoplanet candidate could be located in the Whirlpool Galaxy. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/R. DiStefano, et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI/Grendler

Scientists think they found their first planet passing a star outside this galaxy.

Researchers discovered the exoplanet candidate in the spiral Whirlpool Galaxy withNASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory, using a technique involving the study of X-ray wavelengths, according to a paper published in Nature Astronomy in October. Exoplanets are planets outside of this solar system.

This exoplanet would be about 28 million light-years away, thousands of times farther than those in the Milky Way. Astronomers believe the planet is roughly the size of Saturn, with an orbit around a neutron star or black hole at about double the distance of Saturns around the sun.

Scientists made the discovery by looking for dips in the brightness of X-rays from X-ray bright binaries, usually containing a neutron star or black hole pulling in gas from a closely orbiting companion star. The dips might indicate a planet has passed in front of a star. The new X-ray strategy could allow exoplanets to be detected at much greater distances than current optical light studies, the researchers say.

Prior to the new candidate, all known exoplanets were detected in the Milky Way, within a range of 3,000 light-years from Earth.

More data is needed to support the Whirlpool Galaxy finding, which will be challenging: If the planet exists, it wouldnt cross a star for another 70 years.

Unfortunately to confirm that were seeing a planet we would likely have to wait decades to see another transit, said co-author Nia Imara of the University of California at Santa in a news release. And because of the uncertainties about how long it takes to orbit, we wouldn't know exactly when to look.

Star Trek actor William Shatner, one of the most familiar space figures in pop culture, became a real space traveler Oct.13, 2021.Credit: Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

An awestruck William Shatner fumbled for words to describe the experience of being slingshot to suborbit.

Jeff Bezos may have lost the billionaire space race to Virgin Galactics Richard Branson this summer, but his fledgling space tourism company Blue Origin won the hearts of Americans when it took the former Star Trek actor up to kiss the Karman line, where Earths atmosphere and outer space meet.

Shatner boldly went where no nonagenarian has gone before. At 90, he was the oldest person to go to space. Well, 66 miles up, anyway.

Blue Origins New Shepard spacecraft had its first suborbital crewed flight of four regular folks (if you consider Bezos regular) on July 20. But it was perhaps the companys second flight carrying Shatner on Oct. 13 that received more buzz.

Shatner, overwhelmed by the so-called overview effect, grasped for something profound to say about his 10-minute hayride. In a halting cadence that became a signature of his character Capt. James T. Kirk, he scatted a string of thoughts that sounded a lot like some of his poetry.

There is Mother Earth and comfort, he said to Bezos, then gestured overhead, describing the blackness of space. And there is is there death? I dont know. Is that the way death is? Whip! And its gone.

What does it mean? Who knows, but were here for Shatners journey.

I hope I never recover from this, he said.

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Top space stories in 2021: Ingenuity on Mars, William Shatner goes to space, and more - Mashable

The next frontier of space exploration is accessibility. In a first, a disabled crew has taken flight in zero gravity.

The CEO of Mission: AstroAccess, Eric Ingram selected 12 disabled ambassadors to make sure that outer space is inclusive.

Sina Bahram, a blind computer scientist from North Carolina, who was part of the crew, describes the experience as ''magical.''

Also read |Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa becomes first Japanese tourist to visit International Space Station

''I've wanted to do this since I was four years old, but the underlying assumption was 'that's totally impossible'.''

Ingram was born with a rare form of arthrogryposis, a physical disability, and wants to challenge the perception that space travel is only for those who meet specific physical criteria.

''I've just been space-focused in pretty much everything I've done career-wise, which has been exciting, and having a disability, and always wanting to go to space, it was kind of always a limiting factor,'' he said.

Also read |Want to become a space tourist? Here is all you need to do

''Despite knowing that I'm not going to get accepted, I have applied to become an astronaut twice.''

The non-profit group's mission includes designing technologies with the help of disabled individuals to drive space exploration of all.

For this, they created an illusion of weightlessness for 20 seconds in a Boeing 727 which flew in large arcs.

They utilised sound or vibrations to convey information and incorporated tactile pathways for the disabled team members.

''We combined the textures for the blind or low vision group with the handholds of the mobility impairment group. So, if you've got handholds down the wall, and each of them is textured differently, that provides a different amount of information,'' said Ingram.

Link:

Inclusive outer space: First disabled crew takes flight in zero gravity - WION

With just a tad less than a week until TC Sessions: Space 2021 launches its massive knowledge payload, wed like to take this opportunity to tip our space helmets to our sponsors. Yes, they write the checks that help make this stellar event possible, but they dont just cut-checks-and-run.

They also bring considerable subject-matter expertise and mission-critical insights that can help early-stage space startups take flight and maintain orbit.

Obligatory sales pitch reminder: Dont miss your opportunity to learn about the latest trends and advances in space tech. Its prime networking territory, too. Buy your pass today.

Ready to learn more about the knowledge payload waiting for you in the sponsored presentations and breakout sessions? Read on, and check the event agenda for the specific days. Note: All listed times will automatically reflect your geographic time zone.

Fast Money, Team Space: Company Concept, Capital and Customers Disruptive and game-changing technology and entrepreneurial initiatives are the new space norm. However, a great technical design is not enough to sustain these entrepreneurial pursuits. Growing an idea across markets also takes capital and customers. Transitioning from concept to development phase is more likely to succeed when a company can obtain stable forms of capital and potential long-term customers. Todays Fast Money session with Jordan Noone (Embedded Ventures) and Chris OConnor (Harpoon Ventures) focuses on how a startup was able to identify the right venture partners to grow their business and secured opportunities to prototype and test their designs with the U.S. government. Presented by The Aerospace Corporation.

Securing Space at Speed The demand signal is clear: the U.S. government needs to spur innovative commercial capabilities to excel in an increasingly contested space domain. Hear directly from Steve Isakowitz (The Aerospace Corporation), Pete Muend (National Reconnaissance Office) and Tim Trimailo (Blackjack/CASINO, SSC/DCIR) leaders driving government-commercial collaborations about opportunities to help usher in the next era of achievement in space. Presented by The Aerospace Corporation.

How Tech Startups Do Business with the DoD and U.S. Space Force Sam Riehn (SBIR Advisors Inc.) will describe the three main problems technology startups face when working with the Dept of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Space Force. hell discuss how you can overcome them to win multi-million-dollar deals using the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Presented by SBIR Advisors Inc.

University Showcase: New Frontiers in Space Exploration From OSAM to xGEO As space technology gets smaller and less expensive, more and more countries, universities and people can participate. Weve seen thousands of small satellites launched into earth orbit from numerous developers over the past decade, many of whom were new to space. Whats next for on-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (OSAM) and orbital debris clean up as small spacecraft move beyond earth orbit and the geostationary satellite belt (xGEO) into open space (cis-lunar space), and onto the lunar surface itself? Were showcasing university trail blazers in space exploration. Meet the people working on the projects Jonathan Black (Virginia Tech), Dr. Debra L. Emmons (The Aerospace Corporation), Kathleen C Howell (Purdue University), Moriba Jah (The University of Texas at Austin) and Ricardo Sanfelice (University of California) find out whats ahead, and how you can participate. Learn about the technologies that are shaping a world where OSAM, xGEO and cis-lunar are becoming household terms. Presented by The Aerospace Corporation.

Saving the World: One Small Sat at a Time! (Sponsored by Terran Orbital) New space companies like Terran Orbital are emerging with the capability, confidence, and financing to provide US National Security with assets that previously could only be described as conceptual. In many cases, these companies are leading the field in technology, speed, innovation, and affordability. The emerging combination of private innovation and government support is launching a new era in aerospace enterprise.

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There's lots of internet buzz about a purported moon "hut" imaged by China's farside lunar rover, Yutu 2.

Before you request a reservation at the so-called "Mystery Hut," as it was tagged in a Chinese Yutu 2 drive diary, take note:

It's just a rock on a crater rim north of the rover's last night parking location, advised Philip Stooke, professor emeritus and adjunct research professor in the Department of Geography and Institute for Earth and Space Exploration at the University of Western Ontario.

"Yutu 2 will be a bit further on by now, moving towards that crater," Stooke told Inside Outer Space. The rock is just visible in imagery snapped by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).

Related: The latest news about China's space program

"Chinese media are very eager to find all sorts of strange things on the moon. We tend to think they are all tightly controlled and just repeat the party line, but there is a ton of stuff spinning every news item into a sensational headline alien bases, millions of tons of priceless metals or unspecified substances, conspiracies about western interests in space and everything else," Stooke added.

China did recently issue a serious story about carbonaceous chondrite material discovered in a small crater, the same crater reported as harboring a "gel-like substance" two years ago, Stooke said.

Apart from serious stories, there have been lots of headlines about alien substances (or even aliens) found on the moon, the lunar expert said, all adding up to nothing more than clickbait.

"So I am not surprised that a rock which, in low-resolution images, looks roughly square and is played up as a hut or other type of building," Stooke said. "Scientifically, the rock could be interesting, and I expect it or nearby rocks on the crater rim to be studied in detail when they reach it early in 2022. But it won't look like a hut."

Leonard David is author of the book "Moon Rush: The New Space Race," published by National Geographic in May 2019. A longtime writer for Space.com, David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. Follow us on Twitter@Spacedotcomor onFacebook.

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'Mystery Hut' spotted on the moon by Chinese rover is just a rock, scientist says - Space.com

Its been nearly 50 years since humans last stepped foot on the Moon. Now NASAs multifaceted space exploration program known as Artemis aims to reestablish humanitys lunar presence. The ambitious program plans not only to send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon but also to explore the mostly untouched lunar landscape. Pivotal to the Artemis program is the Artemis Gateway, a Moon-orbiting space station that is on track for an initial launch as early as November 2024. Members of the Artemis Gateway team will provide a mission overview on 13 December at AGUs Fall Meeting 2021.

We are now at the precipice of extending our boundaries beyond Earths gravity.

We are now at the precipice of extending our boundaries beyond Earths gravity, and the Gateway plays an important part, said heliophysicist Sabrina Savage of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, a researcher with the Artemis Gateway team. It is undeniably exciting.

Among other features, the Gateway will contain living quarters, known as the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), and a docking area for lunar landers and astronauts to come and go. Unlike the Apollo missions, this capacity will allow Artemis missions to reuse spacecraft and stock up with supplies for extended lunar surface explorations.

Like the International Space Station (ISS), the Artemis Gateway will carry scientific equipment and experiments. However, the Gateway will be significantly smaller than the ISS, and it wont be permanently occupied. Its primary goal over its anticipated 15-year tour of duty will be to support Artemis missions to the lunar surface below, but another vital function rests between its titanium walls: cross-disciplinary scientific research and collaboration.

An outpost orbiting the Moon would allow new scientific projects to be undertaken, said Imke de Pater, an astronomer from the University of California, Berkeley who was not involved in the AGU presentation.

Already, Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency (ESA) are contributing their support to several aspects of the project, including refueling, habitation, and external robotics. The Canadian Space Agency is developing an external robotic system, Canadarm3, for the Gateway. It will have an 8.5-meter-long arm, a smaller arm with more dexterity, and detachable tools. ESA will contribute refueling modules, whereas the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and ESA will both collaborate on components for the I-Hab moduleshort for international habitationwhich will provide additional living and work space.

Two important topics planned for study aboard the Gateway are the risks of long-term exposure in deep space and the real-time dynamics of space habitation, Savage said. Understanding both subjects is crucial for humans successful expansion into the celestial frontier. The Gateway provides a unique opportunity to study deep-space exposure and habitation because its orbital track will not be shielded by Earths magnetosphere. The station will therefore be exposed to true deep-space conditions like solar wind and radiation. NASA researchers back on Earth plan to compare both protected and exposed scenarios as the platform sails in and out of Earths magnetic bubble.

An outpost orbiting the Moon would advance our understanding of the formation of our solar system, other stars and planets in our own galaxy, and of the universe at large.

You get to see a variety of deep-space conditions when youre protected and when you move out of [Earths shield] and are being blasted by radiation, said Savage. Being able to test different conditions is really valuable information.

Savage underscored the opportunity to go beyond the ISS research portfolio to study human health, astrophysics, and space weather on board the Gateway. A core research goal will be to observe solar flares and the pervasive effects of dust, two challenging components of the space environment that may determine how humans will survive off Earth.

The Artemis Gateway will provide the literal foundation to allow humans to reach the Moon and the opportunity to better study spaces harsh conditions. It would advance our understanding of the formation of our solar system, other stars and planets in our own galaxy, and of the universe at large, said de Pater.

Jude Coleman (@JudeLB_Coleman), Science Writer

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NASA Prepares Its Artemis Gateway to Orbit the Moon - Eos

Nearly 55 years ago, when actress Nichelle Nichols graced the screen as Lt. Nyota Uhura on the television series Star Trek, it illustrated the importance of representation. The 88-year-old trailblazer was recently honored by NASA for driving diversity in STEM forward, People reported.

Throughout her entire career, Nichols used her artistry to show Black women and girls the limitless possibilities that awaited them within the realm of space exploration. The Robbins, Ill. native made history as the first African American woman to play a lead character on television as Lt. Nyota Uhura.

A songstress and dancer, Nichols went on to be featured in different projects under the Star Trek franchise, including Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. In the 70s, Nichols founded the company Women in Motion, Inc. to use education as a vessel to empower people of color to pursue careers in the space industry.

During this years Los Angeles Comic Con festivities, Nichols was honored for her impactful and transformative work on and off the screen through an array of panels. She was diagnosed with dementia three years ago, making the commemoration even more memorable.

As part of the convention, she was awarded the NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal for playing an instrumental role in diversifying the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. After accepting the medal presented by NASA Astronaut Appearance Specialist Denise Young, Nichols received a standing ovation.

This is an exceptional recognition, and Im of course very proud of her for all that shes done, and the value and the meaning of her work, her son Kyle Johnson said after his mother received the award. Not just as an actress, but very real and important work that she inspired and enabled people to understand.

Nichols also received heartwarming messages from those who she has inspired, including actress Sonequa Martin-Green and Dr. Mae C. Jemison. This isnt the first time Nichols has been honored by NASA. In 1984, she received the agencys Public Service Award.

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Legendary Actress And Activist Nichelle Nichols Honored By NASA - NewsOne