NASA Begins Testing Habitation Prototypes

March 31, 2019 – Over the next several months, NASA will conduct a series of ground tests inside five uniquely designed, full-size, deep space habitat prototypes. The mockups, constructed by five American companies, offer different perspectives on how astronauts will live and work aboard the Gateway – the first spaceship designed to stay in orbit around the Moon, providing the critical infrastructure needed for exploration, science and technology demonstrations on the lunar surface. Read More
NASA’s Cassini Finds Saturn’s Rings Coat Tiny Moons

March 31, 2019 – New findings have emerged about five tiny moons nestled in and near Saturn’s rings. The closest-ever flybys by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft reveal that the surfaces of these unusual moons are covered with material from the planet’s rings – and from icy particles blasting out of Saturn’s larger moon Enceladus. The work paints a picture of the competing processes shaping these mini-moons. Read More
AFSPC Hosts Space Futures Workshop

March 31, 2019 – The Air Force Space Command Space Futures Workshop was held at the U.S. Air Force Academy, March 19-21, 2019, giving experts the chance to collaborate and predict what space will look like in the next 20-40 years. Read More
Ball Aerospace Honors 22 Employees For Excellence
March 31, 2019 – Ball Aerospace has recognized 22 employees for outstanding contributions to the business and its customers – and for their commitment, dedication, collaboration and execution in 2018. The Ball Aerospace Go Beyond® Excellence Awards are presented annually to employees who are nominated by their peers. Read More
American Astronauts To Land On The Moon In 5 Years

March 27, 2019 – At a National Space Council meeting in Huntsville, Alabama on Tuesday, Vice President Mike Pence urged NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine to accelerate the agency’s lunar exploration plans with the goal of returning American astronauts to the moon in only five years. Read More
Gen. Raymond Nominated As Commander, U.S. Space Command

March 27, 2019 – President Trump has nominated Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond as the Commander, United States Space Command (USSPACECOM). If confirmed by the Senate, Raymond will lead the soon-to-be established USSPACECOM, which will focus on conducting all joint space warfighting operations, and ensuring the combat readiness of global forces. Read More
Tests Prove Out Orion Safety Systems From Liftoff To Splashdown

March 27, 2019 – Engineers completed two key tests the week of March 18 to help ensure NASA’s Orion spacecraft is ready from liftoff to splashdown for missions to the Moon. Teams successfully tested one of the motors on Orion’s Launch Abort System responsible for taking the crew to safety in an emergency during launch, and completed testing at sea for the qualification of the system used to upright Orion after it lands in the ocean. Read More
FAA Rule Would Streamline Commercial Space Launch And Reentry Requirements
March 27, 2019 – The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has posted a proposed rule that would streamline federal commercial space transportation requirements for future launch, reentry, and launch-site providers, and maintain safety during launches and reentries. The proposed rule follows the National Space Council’s 2018 ‘Space Policy Directive 2’, which called on the Secretary of Transportation to review and revise the Department’s commercial space launch and re-entry licensing regulations. It will expand national and international access to the economic, scientific, and educational benefits of traveling to space. Read More
Two New Planets Discovered Using Artificial Intelligence

March 27, 2019 – Astronomers at The University of Texas at Austin, in partnership with Google, have used artificial intelligence (AI) to uncover two more hidden planets in the Kepler space telescope archive. The technique shows promise for identifying many additional planets that traditional methods could not catch. Read More
Ball Corporation Recognized As Founding Sponsor Of ColoradoFIRST Robotics
March 27, 2019 – Ball Corporation was honored with the inaugural Founding Sponsor Award by Colorado For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST®) in appreciation of the company’s long-term support of the program. Read More
Hubble Captures Birth Of Giant Storm On Neptune

March 26, 2019 – Images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope document the formation of a Great Dark Spot on Neptune for the first time, report researchers in a new study. Read More
More News
NASA’s Mars Helicopter Completes Flight Tests
Source: NASA
ESA And NASA To Team Up On Lunar Science
Source: ESA
USC Researchers Find New Evidence Of Deep Groundwater On Mars
Source: University of Southern California
Final Pieces Arrive To Complete Assembly Of Orion Spacecraft
Source: ESA/Orion Blog
Data Flows From NASA’s TESS Mission, Leads To Discovery Of Saturn-Sized Planet
Source: Iowa State University
The Voyage To Interstellar Space
Source: NASA
NASA Student Launch Teams Roll To The Pad In Huntsville
Source: NASA
Rocket Lab Launches DARPA Research Satellite
Source: Spaceflight Now
WFIRST Faces Funding Crunch
Source: SpaceNews
X Prize Foundation Offers “Moonshot Award” To SpaceIL
Source: SpaceNews
Hubble Captures Rare Active Asteroid
Source: ESA/Hubble Information Center
York Space Systems Ships S-CLASS Spacecraft For Launch Ahead Of Inaugural Mission
Source: SpaceRef
Let’s Talk About Colorado’s Amazing Female Astronauts
Source: 5280
High School Senior Uncovers Potential Hidden Earth-Like Planets
Source: NASA
Exoplanet Satellite Ready
Source: ESA
In Hunt For Life, Astronomers Identify Most Promising Stars
Source: Cornell University
Chinese Startup Plans First Orbital Launch Attempt This Week
Source: Spaceflight Now
SpaceX Proves Higher Than Necessary Safety Of Starlink Constellation
Source: NASASpaceFlight.com
Moon Isolation Experiment Begins In Moscow
Source: Room
LIGO And Virgo Resume Search For Ripples In Space And Time
Source: Caltech/LIGO Lab
Google And NASA Haughton-Mars Project Partner On Moon/Mars Exploration Prep
Source: SETI Institute
Laser Blasts Show Asteroid Bombardment, Hydrogen Make Great Recipe For Life On Mars
Source: NASA
Jupiter’s Unknown Journey Revealed
Source: Lund University
Race At The Edge Of The Sun: Ions Are Faster Than Atoms
Source: University of Göttingen
Data Transmission Technology And Interim Resistive Exercise Device Are 2019 Space Technology Hall Of Fame Inductees
Source: Space Foundation
Vector’s GalacticSky CSky-1 Satellite Developed With USC’s Space Engineering Research Center Ready For Launch Later This Year
Source: Vector
Denver Museum Of Nature & Science Displays Full-Scale Model Of NASA Spacecraft
Source: 9news.com
Listening To The Quantum Vacuum
Source: Louisiana State University
New Properties Of Perovskite Solar Cells
Source: Ural Federal University
Spacewalkers Complete Battery Swaps For Station Power Upgrades
Source: NASA
All-Italian Launch From French Guiana Lofts Innovative Environmental Satellite
Source: Spaceflight Now
U.S. – Brazil Agreement Goes Beyond Launch
Source: SpaceNews
EchoStar, Khosla Ventures Invest $60 Million In Wyler-Backed Broadband Venture
Source: SpaceNews
Rocket Labs Scrubs Dedicated DARPA Mission
Source: NASASpaceFlight.com
PM Interview: The Guardians Of Orbit
Source: Popular Mechanics
Going Straight To The Source: Why DigitalGlobe Is Like A Dairy Farm
Source: DigitalGlobe Blog
SpaceX’s Steel Starship Glows During Earth Reentry In First High-Quality Render
Source: Teslarati