FISHING FOR SPACE JUNK: NEW NETS CAPTURE OLD SATELLITES - The European Space Agency has gone fishin' — for space junk. Scientists hoping to remove old hardware from orbit around Earth have gone on a "fishing" trip unlike any other: Instead of lining riverbanks with fishing poles in hand, the scientists are free-falling through the air, shooting nets at a miniature model satellite. You can watch a video of the space fishing attempt here on Space.com. The trip took place aboard an airplane that flies in a parabolic shape, causing passengers to experience brief periods of weightlessness. The flight was meant to test the ability of a net (not unlike a traditional fishing net) to capture and remove dead satellites, rocket parts and other man-made debris floating in space. More (Source: Space.com - Apr 11)
BRICS MAY ENGAGE IN NEW INT’L ORBITAL STATION PROJECT - Speaking in an interview with Russian newspaper “Rossiyskaya Gazeta” due to be released on Friday, Komarov said that a new orbital station is under discussion to replace the International Space Station (ISS). “The discussion framework should not be limited exclusively to current ISS participants. We have to consider a possible participation of BRICS countries in the future projects,” Komarov said. In late March, Komarov said that Russia and the United States planned to jointly establish a new space station after 2024, when the ISS operation service comes to an end. More (Source: Sputnik International - Apr 11)
INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION COULD BE REPLACED BY GIANT ORBITING 'MUSHROOM' WHICH GENERATES ITS OWN G - The International Space Station could be replaced by a bizarre craft which resembles a giant mushroom. That's the claim from a pair of designers who have unveiled a replacement for the ISS which generates its own gravity to help stop astronauts' bones and muscles wasting away. Whilst most people appear to agree the design is striking, there is some debate on exactly which natural wonder it recalls. Perhaps unsurprisingly, some Twitter users claimed the ship looks more like a giant orbiting penis than a massive mushroom. More (Source: mirror.co.uk - Apr 10)
NASA TV COVERAGE SET FOR SIXTH SPACEX RESUPPLY MISSION TO SPACE STATION - The sixth SpaceX cargo mission to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Resupply Services contract is scheduled to launch on Monday, April 13, from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. NASA Television coverage of the launch begins at 3:30 p.m. EDT. The company's Falcon 9 rocket will lift off at 4:33 p.m., carrying its Dragon cargo spacecraft. Dragon is filled with more than 4,300 pounds of supplies and payloads, including critical materials to directly support about 40 of the more than 250 science and research investigations that will occur during Expeditions 43 and 44. More (Source: Space Ref - Apr 9)
GILBERT PLANT TO BUILD NASA WEATHER SATELLITES - Next-generation weather satellites designed to monitor Earth's climate and weather patterns for the U.S. government will be the latest in an array of spacecraft to be built at a high-tech manufacturing center in Gilbert. Orbital ATK, based in Virginia with Arizona facilities in Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa, recently landed a contract worth up to $470 million to design and build the Joint Polar Satellite System for NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Weather Service. Data and images from the weather satellites are expected to boost the timeliness and accuracy of public warnings and weather forecasts, reducing potential loss of life and property, according to NASA. More (Source: azcentral.com - Apr 8)
THE INNOVATORS: BUILD AND LAUNCH YOUR OWN SATELLITE ... FOR 20,000 POUNDS - After Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 disappeared on 8 March last year, one of the most vexing questions was: how can a modern aircraft with 239 people on board vanish without trace? Tom Walkinshaw believes a repeat could be avoided by tracking planes via a network of hundreds of tiny satellites that monitor oceans where there is limited radar coverage. The 25-year-old founder of the PocketQube Shop, a Glasgow-based company which provides the components for making tiny 5cm3 PocketQube satellites, is taking advantage of a new generation of space technology that allows small businesses to join an industry previously the preserve of governments and well-funded private companies. More (Source: The Guardian - Apr 6)
SPACEX CARGO LAUNCH NOW SET FOR APRIL 13 - The launch of SpaceX’s next resupply run to the International Space Station has been rescheduled for April 13, officials said Tuesday. The Falcon 9 rocket’s liftoff from Cape Canaveral was due for no earlier than April 10, but the launch date has been delayed to April 13. Officials did not provide a reason for the delay. Blastoff from Cape Canaveral’s Complex 40 launch pad is set for 4:33 p.m. EDT (2033 GMT). The 20-story rocket will have one second to lift off when the space station’s orbital path passes over Florida’s Space Coast. More (Source: SpaceFlight Now - Apr 4)
TWO MORE RADIO AMATEURS JOIN INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION CREW - he ISS ham radio population expanded to three, following the arrival of NASA astronaut Scott Kelly and Russian cosmonauts Mikhail Kornienko, RN3BF, and Gennady Padalka, RN3DT, on March 28 (UTC). Kelly, 51, and Kornienko, 54, will remain aboard the ISS for 1 year -- the longest space mission ever assigned to a NASA astronaut. More (Source: eHam.net - Apr 4)
NASA DENIES AGREEMENT WITH RUSSIA FOR NEW SPACE STATION - NASA denies the United States has agreed to build a new orbital space station with Russia. Russian space agency head Igor Komarov said on March 28 that NASA and Roscosmos agreed to extend operations of the International Space Station (ISS) to 2024 and work on a replacement after that. NASA spokesman David Weaver said later on March 28 that the U.S. space agency appreciated Russia's commitment to full use of the ISS through 2024 and its expression of "interest in continuing international cooperation for human space exploration beyond that.” He did not confirm any plans for a future space station. More (Source: RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty - Apr 3)
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