JWST Orders Chorizo at the Space Chipotle
With space debris on the side and yes, we know getting to the Moon is extra
Since our last newsletter, we’ve had quite a few new subscribers so I figured it would be a good time to re-introduce Continuum! We are a space news outlet aimed at delivering compelling stories and headlines in a digestible format - so you stay up-to-date about everything this wonderful universe has to offer. We’re the newsletter that flat-earthers will call fake news and we wear that badge proudly! So join us for one giant leap - every other week - space news straight to your inbox.
It seems fitting that this week’s space news curation begins with a tale of cured meats. Yes, much of the online space community this week spent at least a moment or two paying cosmic reverence to a piece of chorizo. And while it is understandable that people might get confused by all the deep space imagery that actually does resemble various charcuterie, donuts, and meatballs - I can’t help but wonder what Carl Sagan would say…or the local butcher for that matter. Or perhaps this will be the start of a new PR campaign for JWST (ripped from Arby’s) - “we have the meats.” Either way, stay vigilant people and watch out for space chorizo.
After all, what’s next…galactic aloe vera juice?
And now, the space beat you came for…
Seeing Through the Satellites
Written by Jackie Appel
Looking up at a sky full of stars can be an almost transcendent experience. If you get far enough away from the lights of a city or town, and give your eyes the time to adjust, you can look up and see the fog of the Milky Way and millions of stars, all just with your naked eye.
But more and more, you can’t fully get away from human-created light pollution. Almost every night, you can see the occasional reflective flash of a satellite. Since the 1950s, humans have looked to expand our technological prowess by shooting complex machines into low Earth orbit. And in the last few years, the number of satellites orbiting the planet has skyrocketed.
Noticing this growing problem, a team from the University of Arizona took on the task of trying to track these new, bright clouds of satellites. Their hope is that researchers looking to point their telescopes up at the skies can use the tracking data and methods in their paper to work around the new objects instead of trying and failing to fight through them.
Top Headlines
Dawn of Artemis — What once seemed like a distant dream may soon be a reality: the launch of the Artemis 1 SLS. Oh, and we guess that means we’re one step closer to realizing that other dream of returning humanity to the Moon! NASA announced on August 5th, that the SLS rocket and Orion capsule will launch on August 29 for their first uncrewed mission. The Orion capsule will orbit the Moon before splashing down back on Earth - a 42 day mission altogether. This precedes the Artemis 2 crewed mission, of which the entire NASA astronaut corp is eligible to fill the remaining 3 seats, as one is filled by a yet to be determined Canadian astronaut. The Florida Space Coast Office of Tourism is expecting 100,000 people to be in attendance reports FloridaToday. They predict up to 200,000 people if the launch is delayed to September 9, Labor Day weekend.
For more details on the Artemis mission check out the Artemis section of NASA’s website or for a more streamlined read, check out Gizmodo’s “Artemis 1 and the First Launch of NASA’s Megarocket: What You Need to Know” by George Dvorsky.
The Overview Effect — Blue Origin had another successful trip on August 4th, bringing another group of commercial astronauts to space, and allowing them to see Earth from a whole new perspective. Per Space.com, Sara Sabry, the founder of Deep Space Initiative and Space for Humanity’s citizen astronaut on the flight, said that "It was more than anything I can put words to. To be honest, I did not expect it to be so emotional." Coby Cotton, one of the co-founders of YouTube channel DudePerfect, had planned to play with mini ping pong paddles and basketballs. But he did none of that, saying “all I wanted to do was look out and just float around. And I wouldn't trade it. It was unbelievable.” If even a YouTube content creator can be stopped in their tracks by the overview effect, it’s safe to say this is something that one day we all can hope to experience.
Space Force — The “role of ‘integrator for joint space requirements’” has been assigned to Space Force by the Pentagon, per SpaceNews.com. This means that they will work with the armed forces of the US (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force) to coordinate their needs in space. Additionally, per National Defense Magazine, Space Force submitted a $1 billion request to fund “resilient missile warning/missile tracking capabilities, a constellation of satellites designed to detect hypersonic technology and is expected to reach initial operating capability by 2027.”
Dark Matter, Matters — Observing galaxies that existed 12 billion years ago, scientists have detected dark matter, making this the earliest example of dark matter detected. Reporting for Space.com, Robert Lea writes that the scientists believe that early dark matter is “less clumpy” than current models suggest. And if this is true, it might change our understanding of how galaxies evolve, and that the rules of the universe might’ve been a little different for a younger universe, much like how when you’re a kid you can just eat Fruity Pebbles all day. To learn more about this discovery and dark matter, read Robert’s story in full.
JWST Bites — As discoveries in our vast universe have even prompted the youngest among us to ask questions about the perception of time, JWST continues to dazzle and astound. Here’s the quick hits for the latest from JWST:
Images from the Cartwheel Galaxy shed light on star formation and black holes...
While others transform more JWST data into updated images of the “Phantom Galaxy.”
And the farthest away known star, Earendel, gets an updated photograph…
While the farthest away galaxy may be up for debate.
A Global Space
International Debris Debate — The space debris debate rages on. Last newsletter, we wrote about how parts from a Chinese rocket were again expected to fall to Earth. And on Saturday July 30th, videos from folks in the eastern hemisphere filled Twitter as pieces burned up in the atmosphere. Luckily, no damage was reported.
But then on Monday, Dr. Brad Tucker, an Australian astrophysicist (who gave quite the memorable countdown for the first launch out of the Arnhem Space Centre) was called by two farmers to investigate what they thought was space debris. And it turns out it was — like a scene from a 2001: A Space Odyssey (or even Avengers: Endgame) a piece of the ship was found sticking straight up out of the ground. Per ABC News in Australia, SpaceX said that the debris was “all within the expected analyzed space of what can happen.” Space Lawyer Duncan Blake felt this response was a “bit dismissive” believing that “the comments imply that SpaceX was aware beforehand of the possibility space debris would land in somewhere like Australia, and decided the risk was acceptable.”
As the FCC moves to revise its rules regarding satellite clean up and refueling, and articles like “Scientists Know How Likely You Are to Be Killed by Space Junk” pop up, it is becoming evidently clear that the problem of errant space debris is something that cannot be ignored.
Russia — Russia and its satellites made headlines over the last few weeks. An Iranian satellite launched by Russia out of Kazakhstan signals “a strategic cooperation” in the space industry between the two countries. Another Russian satellite was launched suspiciously close to a classified US satellite, prompting Gen. James H. Dickinson Commander of the US Space command to call the action “really irresponsible behavior.” And to keep harping on the space debris train, leftover debris from a Russian ASAT test caused “squalls” with a Starlink launch. There were more than 6,000 close approaches for the fleet of satellites.
South Korea — South Korea continues to expand its reach into space, with SpaceX launching the country’s first ever deep space mission. The Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter will follow a path similar to the CAPSTONE cubesat as it makes its way towards lunar orbit. This is the first step in preparing for South Korea’s robotic moon landing in 2030.
India — India’s Small Satellite Launch Vehicle or SSLV experienced a “data loss” which contributed to the failure of the launch in its final stage. This was the first launch of their new rocket that has been in development since 2017. However, S. Soumanth, chairman for the Indian Space Research Organisation says that they have “reasonably identified” the issue, and remains optimistic about future launches.
MOONSHOT
If we’re going to get to space, we’re going to need a lot of help. In our Moonshot section, we’ll share highlights from some of the commercial companies that are taking us there:
This week, the Small Satellite Conference took place in Logan, Utah and notably revealed a slowing small launch vehicle sector. Per SpaceNews.com, based on the survey conducted on “vehicles capable of placing up to 1,000 kilograms into low Earth orbit and available commercially” there are 167 launch vehicle projects being worked on today. This is a far cry from 2015’s paltry 31, but growth has slowed. The question posed by Northrop Grumman’s Carlos Niederstrasser remains: Are small launches really a viable way of having a steady access to space or will things like rideshare continue to dominate?
Varda Space Industries has signed agreements with NASA, gaining access to technology that will help them build their “space factory.” With the goal of manufacturing products more efficiently due to the microgravity in space, Varda is one step closer to realizing their three-piece vehicle system. Eyeing the future of making things like semiconductors and pharmaceuticals, I hope in my lifetime I can look at my bottle of aspirin and read that it was “Made in Space.”
In SpaceX news, can we be the first ones to dub the phrase “Starship September”? SpaceX also completed a 20-second static fire test burn on Thursday and are eyeing a 9 day launch window starting on September 1st. However it is important to note that they still have not obtained a launch license, and this tweet made sure we all knew that. But you can always count on more Starlink satellites, as they are also expected to launch an additional 46 today.
Are you a launch provider with some launch proven rockets lying around? Then has NASA got the gig for you! Astra has discontinued their Rocket 3.3 vehicles, the same rockets that lost two of the planned six TROPICS weather satellites earlier this year. While Astra did say they were in discussion with NASA about putting the sats on their upcoming Rocket 4, SpaceNews.com writes that the new rockets would be a “poor fit” as they are planned to bring up to “600 kilograms into low Earth orbit, where each TROPICS cubesat weighs only a few kilograms.”
Northrop Grumman and Firefly Aerospace partner on the upcoming Antares 330 rocket! Formerly constructed in Ukraine and Russia, the Antares 330 rocket will now be “fully domestic” with Firefly providing the engine that was once made in Russia. The companies will work together to improve the design and ultimately increase the payload of the Antares 330.
Kayhan Space announced on August 9th that the company will be launching a new spaceflight safety platform, Pathfinder, with the hopes that it will provide satellite and mission operators with the right analytics to manage operational risks in the increasingly crowded orbital environment.
Space Tweet of the Week
Space Reads!
Can’t get enough stellar content? Here are some pieces of space-adjacent news we’ve been reading:
NASA astronaut Terry Virts sits down to provide insights on US/Russian space relations and where we go from here, on NPR’s All Things Considered.
Lunar meteorites in Antarctica reveal chemical properties that support theories that a giant impact created the Moon.
Check out this reflective piece from Slate on NASA’s shuttle program
And that’s a wrap on another busy week in space! Thanks for joining us on our celestial quest to bring out-of-this-world news to everyone. We hope you have a great weekend and if your plans include watching the season finale of For All Mankind then make sure you grab a box of tissues as the writers are sure to send us on an emotional rollercoaster. And if you love watching people that love watching your favorite show, you can also check out our latest reaction video to arguably the greatest space show out there.
Also, a big thank you to Evan Yee for writing this week’s edition with me and also to Jackie Appel for her piece on satellite tracking!
Keep it celestial people,
Britt
CEO of Celestial Citizen & Creator of Continuum