JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata participates in the Reversible Figures experiment. (Credit: NASA TV)

ISS Science Highlights
Week of Nov. 11, 2013
John Love, Lead Increment Scientist
Expedition 37/38

Aboard the International Space Station, the Expedition 38 crew removed InSPACE-3 hardware from the Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) to prepare for the Selectable Optics Diagnostic Instrument-Diffusion Coefficient in Mixtures 2 (SODI-DCMIX 2) installation. InSPACE-3 stands for Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions-3. Nine of 12 additional runs have been completed.

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The Jacksonville Aviation Authority is asking the state of Florida to help fund infrastructure improvements at Cecil Airport to support the operations of micro-sat launch provider that will operate from there. Generation Orbit Launch Services Inc. has selected Jacksonville’s Cecil Spaceport as the primary launch site for its small satellite transport operation. The company plans to put small satellites into space by launching a rocket from an in-flight aircraft. The […]

Phoenix satellite concept. (Credit: DARPA)

Richmond, BC (MDA PR) — MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. (“MDA” or the “Company”) (TSX: MDA), a global communications and information company, announced today that it has been selected for additional robotics work for the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Phoenix Program.

MDA has started work under the next phase of the Phoenix Program, with related contracts expected to total approximately US$10 million. The work will be carried out by both MDA and Space Systems/Loral (SSL).

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John F. Kennedy inspirational speech at Rice University on Sept. 12, 1962.

Credit: Inspiration Mars

Dennis Tito’s trail balloon for NASA to devote about $700 million to help his foundation, Inspiration Mars, send two astronauts around Mars in 2018 has landed with a thud. An official response from NASA’s Public Affairs Office included this curt dismissal:

Inspiration Mars’ proposed schedule is a significant challenge due to life support systems, space radiation response, habitats, and the human psychology of being in a small spacecraft for over 500 days. The agency is willing to share technical and programmatic expertise with Inspiration Mars, but is unable to commit to sharing expenses with them.

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Richard Branson is hoping some of the people who became rich with the run-up in the value of Bitcoin will use their new found wealth to purchase tickets to space aboard SpaceShipTwo. In a blog post, the British Virgin Islands billionaire announced that Virgin Galactic would now accept the currency as payment. One future astronaut, a female flight attendant from Hawaii, has already purchased her Virgin Galactic ticket using bitcoins, […]

Falcon 9 lifts off from Vandenberg Air Force Base. (Credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX conducted a successful static fire of its Falcon 9 rocket on the pad at Cape Canaveral on Thursday, paving the way for a crucial launch on Monday designed to prove the vehicle’s worth in the lucrative communications satellite industry.

The task on Monday: to deliver the SES-8 satellite to geosynchronous orbit, a first for the company. The drama revolves around whether engineers have correctly diagnosed and fixed the problem that resulted in the second stage failing to re-light during a demonstration flight in September.

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I recently heard a very interesting talk from someone who saw the  Dream Chaser drop test at Edwards Air Force Base. The person described the landing, which went awry due to the failure of the left landing gear, as being looking similar to the crash in the opening credits for “The Six Million Dollar Man” television show.

This explains why the video that Sierra Nevada Corporation released ends abruptly just at touchdown. A crash like that is not exactly what you want everyone to see when you’re competing for billions of government dollars.

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Honeybee Robotics’ Satlet Gripper Tool and Universal Gripper Anchor port. (Credit: Honeybee Robotics)

NEW YORK (Honeybee PR) — Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corporation today announced it has begun developing flight models of its unique telerobotic end effectors for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Phoenix on-orbit satellite assembly program. Phase II of the project, which intends to lead up to design, assembly and validation of the flight units, builds on work the company started in July 2012.

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NASA recently issued calls for proposals for three programs aimed at researching and developing new technologies. The programs are Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), and NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC).

SBIR & STTR Programs

The SBIR and STTR Programs provide small businesses and nonprofit research institutions with opportunities to address specific technology gaps in NASA missions, while stimulating opportunities for the commercialization of new technologies developed through federal research and development. Program results have benefited many NASA efforts, such as modern air traffic control systems, Earth and sun observing spacecraft, the International Space Station, planetary and astrophysics science missions and the technologies needed for human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit. (more…)