(See my other Space related Blog posts) – I came across the article Three Chinese astronauts arrive at space station yesterday. The three, the second crew for the Tiangong-3 Space Station, are expected to remain aboard for six months. Their mission will be to complete the assembly and construction of the station. I am of two minds on this achievement.
On the one hand, establishing a second space station beyond the ISS is a step forward. Space is becoming the next frontier for humans to conquer. The zero gravity manufacturing techniques and abundant raw materials found in space offer substantial commercial opportunities. The use of space for terrestrial communications is already being harnessed. As is the use of space based platforms to provide rich data on the Earth’s ecosystem and geography. Likewise, it is the perfect place to observe distant star systems.
The Chinese have longer term plans to send manned missions to the Moon and to eventually establish a base there. These are steps towards spreading humanity out over more than a single vulnerable location.
On the other hand, I think too few realize that China has begun to catch up and could soon challenge the US. I suspect that if you polled average people on the street about Tiangong-3 few would have heard of it. The ISS is scheduled for retirement in 2024. There is currently no replacement. Tiangong-3 is expected to have at least a decade of life ahead. Given the political challenges that China has made, the US must at least maintain equivalence in space.
If you are interested in space exploration, as I am, you will find this article of interest. The next decade will see many significant events if todays forecasts can be believed.
The documentary “Fight for Space” will arrive May 19. In it Neil deGrasse Tyson and Jim Lovell, among others, talk about NASA’s past achievements and where it is headed. If you are interested in space exploration, this looks to be a video you will want to see.
Elon Musk and SpaceX don’t have a reputation of taking small steps. For the private space company, bigger is better. The next big step? Musk plans to send two private passengers on a one week journey around the moon some time next year.
The passengers have made sizable investments in the company and are “serious” about making the trip. SpaceX’s Dragon capsule will carry the two intrepid travelers. A Falcon Heavy rocket will carry the capsule into Earth orbit. One of the things that makes the journey so ambitious is that the Falcon Heavy has yet to launch on an operational flight. That there will be few successful launches before this moon shot, has to raise the pucker factor of the two passengers up a few notches.
What is the Falcon Heavy?
Artist depiction of the Falcon Heavy (SpaceX)
Previously called the Falcon 9 Heavy, the Falcon Heavy will be…
Has you heard of the Jade Rabbit? Did you know it was just retired?
I don’t recall hearing about the Moon rover named the Yutu (translated as the Jade Rabbit). As it turns out the Chinese have been guiding the rover around the Moon since December 14, 2013. While its mobility was cut short after only about a month on the lunar surface, it did continue to send scientific data back to Earth until July 31.
While most of what we in the US see is related to NASA and US companies, it is important to understand that there are several other countries with growing and successful space organizations.
Many articles being published on space related topics. Here are a few that I thought were interesting.
Extraterrestrial First Contact Protocol
Yes we haven’t seen any signs that there are extraterrestrials, but that has not stopped consideration on how we should proceed with that first contact. In “Extraterrestrial First Contact in Space Protocols” retired USAF Major General Ken Wisian, currently with Galactic Ventures LLC of Austin, TX, considers how we should proceed when/if we encounter aliens.
This lengthy academic paper lays out a suggested procedure we should follow if we encounter other intelligent life. Key to his recommendations are: Introduction – approaching without seeming hostile; Current human protocols – encounters between terrestrial vessels; Human History – results of encounters with indigenous peoples; and What should be in this Protocol – predictability, no hostility and communication.
Needless to say the article has generated quite a bit of discussion in the comments.
Moon Outpost
If and when humans travel again to the Moon with the intentions of setting up a camp, habitat is going to be needed. NASA, the ESA as well as private organizations are looking at 3D printing as one solution. More options to the use of 3D printing are explained in “Want to build a moon base? Easy—just print it“.
Third parties propose orbital platforms for Moon and Mars
In either of these proposals, astronauts could do extensive, remote controlled robotic exploration as there would be near real-time control. I hope that one or both of these get funded.
The next Mars Rover
The next rover is planned for Mars in 2020. NASA is well into the design of the new rover at JPL. The engineers are taking advantage of the Augmented Reality provided by Microsoft HoloLens to complete their work. Using the HoloLens, engineers can see a mixture of real-world and computer generated objects. Read more.
Artist depiction of the Falcon Heavy (SpaceX) 
John's Notes 