In Today’s Deep Space Extra… NASA not intending to exchange lunar samples with China. The European Space Agency has been flooded with astronaut applications. Draft House FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act directs the National Space Council to coordinate efforts to prioritize objectives for developing norms of behavior for space.
Space Science
NASA has no plans to exchange lunar samples with China
SpaceNews.com (8/31): NASA currently has no plans to exchange samples of lunar material with its Chinese counterpart, according to a presentation Tuesday before the Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG). China’s samples were gathered late last year by the Chang’e 5 mission from a region of the Moon near the volcanic complex Mons Rümker in Oceanus Procellarum. NASA was asked whether the agency was contemplating robotic lunar sample return missions such as through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, instead of only collecting samples when humans land on the Moon as part of the Artemis initiative. Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate said “it’s the type of thing we continue to encourage the CLPS providers to approach,” but declined to estimate when a CLPS lunar sample return mission might be feasible.
‘Radio colors’ from mysterious deep-space flashes reveal lone stellar corpse as source
Space.com (8/31): A single very powerful cosmic magnet could be a lone source of multiple radio wave pulses, known as fast radio bursts, rather than colliding neutron stars or stellar flares. A recent study, based on findings from observations from two large radio telescopes, the Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR) located mainly in the Netherlands and the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope (WSRT) in the northeastern Netherlands, suggests a new explanation: a magnetar, which is a rare type of neutron star and the strongest magnets in the universe.
Other News
The launch of NASA’s new Landsat 9 satellite has been delayed by a liquid nitrogen shortage
Coalition Member in the News – United Launch Alliance
Space.com (8/31): Launch of Landsat 9, NASA’s next Earth science satellite, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, has been pushed back a week to September 23. The delay is due to a shortage of liquid nitrogen that is converted to gaseous nitrogen once delivered to the launch complex for pre-launch testing of the rocket. Countdown activities have been stalled by the pandemic since assets have been diverted to the delivery of liquid oxygen to hospitals for the treatment of coronavirus patients. New delivery assets are being rounded up to provide Vandenberg with the required nitrogen.
Draft House FY2022 NDAA calls for international norms of behavior in space
SpacePolicyOnline.com (8/31): The House Armed Services Committee will mark up its version of the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act today. Among the bill’s provisions is direction to the National Space Council to coordinate U.S. government efforts to prioritize objectives for developing norms of behavior for space and to the Secretary of State to use them in international negotiations.
Record-high astronaut applications overwhelm European Space Agency
Space.com (8/31): The European Space Agency’s (ESA) latest call for astronaut applications drew more than 23,000 responses, a surprise, as of the deadline for filing on June 18. Plans to identify those qualified for a second round of evaluations have been slowed by travel and other restrictions linked to the coronavirus. The process is not anticipated to be complete until mid-to-late 2022.
The U.S. Space Force’s secretive X-37B space plane: 10 surprising facts
Space.com (8/31): The U.S. Space Force has a mini-fleet of two robotic X-37B space planes, which have been flying secret missions since 2010. The most recent mission, called OTV-6, launched in May 2020 and is ongoing. As that name suggests, it’s the sixth flight for the robotic X-37B, which is also known as the Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV). The other five OTV missions launched in April 2010, March 2011, December 2012, May 2015 and September 2017. Read 10 surprising facts about the military space plane.
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