Weekly Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) – 10.10.19

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https://sci.esa.int/web/solar-orbiter/-/solar-orbiter-in-the-anechoic-chamber

Presseinladung: Letzter Blick auf die europäische Sonde Solar Orbiter

Die neue ESA-Sonde zur Erkundung der Sonne wird Europa demnächst verlassen, denn die letzten Startvorbereitungen beginnen bereits im November in Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA. Gemeinsam mit Airbus Defence and Space laden wir Medienvertreter ein, am 18. Oktober im Raumfahrt-Testzentrum der IABG in Ottobrunn bei München einen letzten Blick auf Solar Orbiter zu werfen, bevor die Raumsonde zur Abschussbasis gebracht wird

Call for Media: Last chance to view Europe’s Solar Orbiter

ESA’s new Sun explorer will leave Europe soon, with final launch preparations starting in November at Cape Canaveral in Florida, US. ESA and Airbus Defence and Space invite members of the media to get a final glimpse of Solar Orbiter on 18 October at IABG’s space test centre in Ottobrunn, near Munich, Germany, before the spacecraft departs for the launch site.

NASA Shares Incredible 3D Map of the Moon

NASA shared a new 3D animation of the moon, offering a stunning view of the lunar landscape.

Why NASA’s Annoyed About Elon Musk’s Giant Rocket

SpaceX has never flown a person into space in its first spacecraft, the Crew Dragon. But already Musk is showing off his big, shiny Starship — and NASA is bristling.

Patrick Stewart, Billy Dee Williams Highlight a Common Misconception About Space Exploration

Comments from Billy Dee Williams and Sir Patrick Stewart revealed a major and common misconception about how many view space exploration.

NASA Chief Talks Moon Landing and More in North Dakota

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stopped by the University of North Dakota on Sept. 4 to check out its spacesuits and possibly, recruit help for his looming moon deadline.

InSight: Neuer Versuch mit dem Marsmaulwurf

An Bord des NASA-Marslanders InSight befindet sich auch eine kleine Rammsonde, die in den Marsuntergrund eindringen sollte, um hier Temperaturmessungen vorzunehmen. Doch leider blieb dieser Marsmaulwurf schon nach kurzer Zeit stecken. Nun hat ein Team in den USA und in Deutschland das Problem analysiert und startet einen neuen Versuch, weiter in den Untergrund vorzudringen. (4. Oktober 2019)

NASA’s Push to Save the Mars InSight Lander’s Heat Probe

NASA’s InSight lander, which is on a mission to explore the deep interior of Mars, positioned its robotic arm this past weekend to assist the spacecraft’s self-hammering heat probe. Known as “the mole,” the probe has been unable to dig more than about 14 inches (35 centimeters) since it began burying itself into the ground on Feb. 28, 2019. The maneuver is in preparation for a tactic, to be tried over several weeks, called “pinning.”

via nasa.gov

NASA’s Stuck Mars ‘Mole’ Gets a Helping Hand from Arm Scoop

An instrument on NASA’s InSight lander has been stuck in the Martian soil for months, but engineers have come up with a new plan to try to save the device.

Russisches Raumschiff Sojus MS-12 sicher in Kasachstan gelandet

Moskau, 3. Oktober 2019 — Das Raumschiff Sojus MS-12 mit dem russischen Kosmonauten Alexei Owtschinin, dem US-Astronauten Nick Hague und dem ersten Raumfahrer der Vereinigten Arabischen Emirate (VAE), Hazza al-Mansuri, an Bord ist am Donnerstag um 12.59 Uhr deutscher Zeit sicher in der kasachischen Steppe rund 145 Kilometer süd-östlich der Stadt Dsheskasgan gelandet. Es […]

Station Focuses on Busy Spacewalk Period After Trio Returns Home

The six-member Expedition 61 crew officially began Thursday morning after the departure of two Expedition 60 crewmates and a visiting astronaut. The current residents aboard the International Space Station now turn their attention to a series of spacewalks that begins Sunday.

Touchdown! Three Multinational Crewmates Return to Earth

Hague and Ovchinin launched on March 14, along with fellow NASA astronaut Christina Koch, and arrived at the space station just six hours later to begin their 203-day mission, during which they orbited Earth 3,248 times, traveling 86.1 million miles. Koch remains aboard the orbiting laboratory for an extended mission that will provide researchers the opportunity to observe effects of long-duration spaceflight on a woman in preparation for human missions to the Moon and Mars. For Almansoori this landing completed an eight-day stay on board the station that covered 128 orbits of Earth and 3.1 million miles since launching Sept. 25 with NASA astronaut Jessica Meir and Oleg Skripochka of Roscosmos. Almansoori made history as he became the first person from the UAE to fly in space his mission as the first astronaut from the UAE.

Station Swaps Commanders Before Crew Departure and Spacewalks

Two Expedition 60 crewmates and a visiting astronaut are returning to Earth on Thursday. The orbiting Expedition 61 residents staying on the International Space Station will then turn their attention to a series of spacewalks set to begin this weekend. Commander Alexey Ovchinin handed over control of the orbiting complex today to astronaut Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) during the change of command ceremony. The Expedition 61 mission will officially begin when the three Expedition 60 crewmates depart the station.

All-Female Spacewalk Back on After NASA Sends Up 2nd Medium Suit

More than six months after canceling what would have been the first spacewalk conducted by a team of two all women, NASA has rescheduled the historic moment for Oct. 21.

The 1st All-Female Spacewalk Is Back on As NASA Gears Up for 10-EVA Marathon

NASA is gearing up for a marathon of spacewalks, and one of them could be the first spacewalk to be conducted entirely by women.

NASA Expects to Buy More Soyuz Seats for Astronauts in 2020, at $85 Million a Pop: Reports

NASA anticipates having to buy yet more seats aboard Russian Soyuz spacecraft next year, according to media reports.

First Emirati Astronaut Returns to Earth with Russian-US Space Station Crew

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft returned to Earth Thursday (Oct. 3) carrying the first UAE astronaut and two members of the International Space Station’s crew.

In Photos: The Spacewalking Astronauts of Expedition 60

On Aug. 18, 2019, NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Nick Hague took a spacewalk outside the International Space Station to add a new docking adapter for future space taxis. Here’s what it looked like in pictures.

The 1st Emirati Astronaut Has Had a Blast in Space, But It’s Time to Come Home

The first astronaut to reach space from the United Arab Emirates, Hazzaa Ali Almansoori, will return to Earth Thursday (Oct. 3) after an historic spaceflight for the UAE Space Agency, and he’s apparently having a blast.

NASA Astronauts Kick Off First of Five Spacewalks for Power Upgrades

Two NASA astronauts switched their spacesuits to battery power this morning at 7:39 a.m. EDT. Expedition 61 Flight Engineers Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan of NASA are kicking off the first in a series of five spacewalks dedicated to replacing batteries on the far end of the station’s port truss.

Health Checks, Science as Spacewalk Season Kicks Off on Station

Two NASA spacewalkers are conducting routine post-spacewalk activities today after a 7 hour, 1 minute spacewalk Sunday prior to another excursion outside the International Space Station this Friday. Expedition 61 Flight Engineers Christina Koch and Andrew Morgan underwent a routine series of post-spacewalk health checks today with Commander Luca Parmitano assisting the astronauts.

Crew Fills Tuesday With Spacewalk Preps, Science and Cargo Ops

NASA astronauts Andrew Morgan and Christina Koch are going out on their second spacewalk together Friday at 7:50 a.m. EDT. The duo today reviewed spacewalk procedures and set up the tools they will use to continue upgrading the station’s large nickel-hydrogen batteries with newer, more powerful lithium-ion batteries.

Ocean-Monitoring Satellite Mission Ends After 11 Successful Years

The Jason-2/Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM), the third in a U.S.-European series of satellite missions designed to measure sea surface height, successfully ended its science mission on Oct. 1.

Want to See the First Satellite Propelled Solely by the Sun? Here’s How.

LightSail 2, The Planetary Society’s solar sailing spacecraft, has spent more than two months in orbit; here’s how to spot it in the sky.

No Place Like Home: Astronaut Luca Parmitano Reminds Us How ‘Precious’ Earth Is

Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano sent the United Nations an important message about climate change and the need to protect the future of our planet, in a new video from the space station.

Intuitive Machines, NASA’s Hired Ride to the Moon, Aims for 2021 Lunar Landing

One of NASA’s two hired rides to the moon’s surface is tackling a host of milestones leading up to a July 2021 launch and looking ahead to future flights.

NASA’s 2024 Moon Goal: Q&A with Human Landing System Chief Lisa Watson-Morgan

A NASA official discusses how the agency plans to pull off the ambitious landing plan.

India’s Chandrayaan-2 Moon Probe Just Beamed Back Its 1st Lunar Science

India’s second-ever lunar orbiter arrived at the moon just over a month ago, and the probe’s instruments have already begun sending home science data.

Ancient Lake on Mars Turned Salty for a Spell, Curiosity Rover Finds

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover may have just captured a snapshot of the Red Planet’s long-ago Great Drying.

Spitzer Spots a Starry Region Bursting With Bubbles

This infrared image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope shows a cloud of gas and dust full of bubbles, which are inflated by wind and radiation from young, massive stars. Each bubble is filled with hundreds to thousands of stars, which form from dense clouds of gas and dust.

Controlling robots across oceans and space – no magic required

This Autumn is seeing a number of experiments controlling robots from afar, with ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano directing a robot in The Netherlands and engineers in Germany controlling a rover in Canada.

Rocket Lab’s Electron Rocket

The tiny launcher for small satellites.

Rocket Lab: Private Spaceflight for Tiny Satellites

Providing space for the small.

Stuck in Safe Mode, DSCOVR Earth-Watching Satellite May Finally Get Fixed: Report

An Earth-observing satellite called DSCOVR has been stuck in safe mode for three months, and its operators finally have a plan to reboot it — but not for another few months.

Elon Musk Takes Us Inside SpaceX’s Starship Mk1 Prototype (Video)

Just a few days after showing off the shiny silver exterior of SpaceX’s new spaceship, Elon Musk gave us a peek at the inside.

SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Will Launch Private Moon Lander in 2021

The Nova-C lander, built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, will launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2021.

Das neue bemannte Orjol-Raumschiff Russlands soll nun mit einer Angara gestartet werden

Das neue russische bemannte Raumschiff Orjol soll nun offenbar doch nicht mit dem ebenfalls neuen Mittelklasse-Träger Sojus-5, sondern mit einer schweren Angara-Rakete ins All geschossen werden.

SpaceX May Launch Crucial Crew Dragon Abort Test Next Month, Elon Musk Says

A key safety test of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon astronaut taxi could occur as early as next month, Elon Musk said.

NASA, Japan Consider Joint Crewed Moon Missions

Japan may join NASA in the American agency’s push to bring humans to the moon, NASA said in a statement.

‘I Want the Solar System to Become Our Backyard,’ Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson Says

Neil deGrasse Tyson would like to you to someday walk into a warehouse and “design your own rocket.”

3 ‘Women of Apollo’ Discuss Sexism at NASA, Science and When We’ll Get to Mars

Three women who were essential to the moon landing and NASA’s Apollo program as a whole chatted with Space.com about discrimination, engineering and our future on Mars.

Blue Origin Probably Won’t Launch People to Space This Year

Blue Origin’s first crewed spaceflight probably won’t take place this year after all.

Virgin Galactic Will Launch a Crewed Research Flight for Italian Air Force

For the first time ever, a government agency has booked a crewed research flight aboard a commercial spacecraft.

Exoplanet zoo

Space Science Image of the Week: More than 200 children imagined diverse extra-solar worlds at ESA’s Open Day

‘Lucy in the Sky’ Review: Natalie Portman Stars in an Astronaut Love Triangle Inspired by Reality

“Lucy in the Sky” is a fictional story of an astronaut coping with a return to Earth, apparently inspired by a real-life event.

Neil Armstrong’s Sons Help Open Exhibit of Father’s Spacecraft in Cincinnati

On its first visit to Ohio, the spacecraft that returned to Earth the first astronauts to land on the moon was greeted by Neil Armstrong’s parents. Now, 49 years later, his sons had the honor.