Two troubling news stories have appeared in recent weeks. Neither story has received the attention it deserves.
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OSU Selected as the Lead Partner for First-Ever Science Park Devoted to Space Research
Voyager Space, a space technology company, has selected The Ohio State University to host an analog laboratory at the Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
Read the full storyFormer EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler Gets Role as Senior Advisor After Being Blocked from Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources
Former Trump-era EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler will serve as a senior advisor to Governor Glenn Youngkin after the Virginia Senate blocked Wheeler’s confirmation as Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources. Deputy Secretary Travis Voyles is acting secretary.
Wheeler was a controversial pick among Democrats both for his link to former President Donald Trump and for the policy direction the EPA took during Wheeler’s tenure. E and E News reported Monday that Wheeler said Democrats had planned to block a nominee even before he was announced.
Read the full storyCommentary: Laser Communications Will Transform How Government and Industry Use Space
Space is definitely the high ground when it comes to many military, scientific and economic activities. As the world becomes more information-intensive, the ability to move data rapidly, reliably, and cheaply will be of enormous advantage. Governments, private companies, and scientific organizations are rushing to build large satellite constellations to enhance surveillance of the Earth, explore space, and improve the movement of data. Nations able to deploy robust space-based laser communications systems will reap military, scientific and commercial benefits.
Read the full storyNASA Makes History with First Helicopter Flight on Another Planet
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration made history Monday morning when it conducted the first ever powered and controlled flight on a different planet.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Ingenuity, a solar-powered helicopter, took flight on Mars for more than 39 seconds, reaching a maximum altitude of 10 feet, the agency announced. Hours after the flight, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California confirmed the success after it received data sent from the helicopter.
“Ingenuity is the latest in a long and storied tradition of NASA projects achieving a space exploration goal once thought impossible,” acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a statement Monday.
Read the full storyUS ‘Extremely Committed to Getting to Mars,’ NASA Administrator Says
by Alex Christy NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine is looking to the future of Mars exploration after NASA successfully landed its InSight Mars Lander on Monday. “This accomplishment represents the ingenuity of America and our international partners and it serves as a testament to the dedication and perseverance of our team. The best of NASA is yet to come, and it is coming soon,” Bridenstine said of the success of InSight’s landing on the Martian surface, according to a NASA press release Monday. Bridenstine addressed NASA’s future after receiving a congratulatory phone call from Vice President Mike Pence, according to Space. “You ask what’s happening next? Right now, at NASA there is more underway probably than since I don’t know how many years past. It’s like there’s a drought and all of a sudden all these activities at once. So, we’re busy. We’re going to be working through the holiday — a lot of amazing discoveries to be made, and we’re looking forward to them,” Bridenstine said. Bridenstine views the Trump administration’s priority of returning to the moon as NASA’s first step to an eventual manned mission to Mars, Space reports. Trump’s memorandum from December 2017 states America will go beyond…
Read the full storySpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Launch Was a Joyful Success
Patience was in short supply during the leg-jiggling, finger-tapping, tension-filled hours before the launch of the Falcon Heavy, which would, if successful, become the most powerful operational rocket on the planet. From thousands of miles away viewers obsessively checked Twitter for live updates from the hundreds of reporters and thousands of visitors who showed up to witness history.
Read the full storyAstronauts Identify Microbes in Space for the First Time
The International Space Station is becoming more and more independent. Now, astronauts can carry out microbial DNA sampling, which opens up exciting avenues for practical research. NASA astronaut Kate Rubins poses for a picture during the first sample initialization run of the Biomolecular Sequencer investigation. Credits: NASA. Space Germs The mere idea of identifying microbes in…
Read the full storyNASA’s Next Mars Mission to Investigate Interior of Red Planet
This artist’s concept from August 2015 depicts NASA’s InSight Mars lander fully deployed for studying the deep interior of Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech › Full image and caption › Full image and caption”/> Preparation of NASA’s next spacecraft to Mars, InSight, has ramped up this summer, on course for launch next May from Vandenberg Air Force…
Read the full storyThat’s No Moon … Saturn’s Satellite Looks Just Like The Death Star
NASA captured a photo of one of Saturn’s moons in a way that looks exactly like something out of science fiction. In its photo of the moon, Mimas looks a lot like the Death Star from the Star Wars movies, thanks in large part to its 88-mile-diameter crater. Saturn’s icy moon Mimas NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute NASA’s…
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