Move Over Coachella Weekend 2, Here’s TRAPPIST-1
International astronaut selections for Artemis, NASA plans to probe Uranus, and sonifying sounds of the Universe
Greetings celestial citizens and Continuum readers, and HAPPY EARTH DAY! Hope you all find a few opportunities to enjoy this miraculous blue marble that we’re all hanging out on. Thanks Earth, for always being the planet we need but don’t always deserve!
In this week’s newsletter, the theme is international! From top headlines from around the world about the space industry, to international astronaut selection for future Artemis missions, we’ll cover some of the happenings of the global space industry. AND, we’ll introduce you to SYSTEM Sounds, the group sonifying our Universe and pretty much the coolest space musicians since intergalactic rock star Proto Zoa hit the scene in the late 90’s. Look it up…and happy reading!
Sonifying the Universe
by Jackie Appel
Space is almost as silent as it is vast. After all, “In space, no one can hear you scream.”
While it may not be possible to hear anything in the vacuum of space, one research group has made it possible to hear space itself. Or at least, to hear the systems floating within it. SYSTEM Sounds — a self-described “sci-art outreach project” founded by musician and scientist Matt Russo along with Andrew Santaguida and Dan Tamayo — uses a process called sonification to transform scientific data into intricate musical compositions that represent the way a system or data set behaves.
“You can't look away from music,” said Russo. “So, when you combine that with science it's an effective way to engage people and help them feel connected to something that otherwise would be abstract and unfamiliar.”
According to Russo, the whole project started because of the discovery of one very special system — TRAPPIST-1. The system is now most famous for containing seven rocky, approximately Earth-sized planets, all of which could potentially have liquid water on their surfaces. The discovery of TRAPPIST-1 was like a bomb going off in the exoplanet community, and it is now the most studied planetary system outside of our own.
Seats for Signatures: countries want to fly aboard Artemis, but the plans for doing so remain unclear
by Rahul Rao
In recorded history, only twelve humans have set foot on the Moon — and all twelve have been white American men.
With the Artemis program, that’s set to change. NASA’s next effort to get to the Moon is set to land non-Americans on the Moon. But with the first of those flights just a few nebulous years away, what passports those non-American astronauts will carry remain, for the most part, murky. Still, it’s hard to deny that the opportunity is an exciting one.
Artemis is an international program. It was initiated by NASA, and much of the program’s planning was the handiwork of Donald Trump’s presidential administration, which was not exactly known for its internationalist demeanor. The program's goals include placing “the first woman and first person of color on the Moon,” language that touches on American cultural politics. But it will need to rely on international cooperation to get those astronauts to the Moon at all.
“No single state — including the United States — has sufficient means to conduct human spaceflight operations of this scale on its own,” says Dr. Rossana Deplano, a legal scholar specializing in space law at the University of Leicester in England.
The Americans are still in the control chair of the program, thanks to the Artemis Accords, which lay out the program’s guiding principles, including new rules and a new consensus on lunar surface activities. Any country that wants to send astronauts to the Moon via Artemis must start by signing the Accords.
Top Headlines
Three strikes and you’re… delayed again. NASA made the announcement that it would move the SLS rocket from the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center to the Vehicle Assembly building. This comes after three unsuccessful fueling attempts, or “wet dress rehearsals”, for the SLS. While initially slated for a June 2022 launch, the numerous failed attempts, and path forward looks murky.
This week, the National Academies of Science released “Origin, Worlds, and Life, A Decadal Strategy for Planetary Science and Astrobiology 2023-2032”. Also referred to as “the decadal”, this report comes out once a decade (hence the name) and identifies and identifies the most important question facing planetary science and missions needed to answer them. The report isn’t a legally binding document, but it does serve as a strongly heeded recommendation for future research objectives. Currently, the Decadal is recommending the highest priority mission should be the Mars Sample Return, which is currently underway. But another point of interest is a Uranus probe.
On Monday, Kamala Harris announced a ban on US anti satellite (ASAT) missile tests. The tests have contributed to the ever-growing amount of space debris orbiting Earth, which remains a growing concern. Harris asked other spacefaring nations to follow suit, as the US is the first to make this commitment.
After 183 days in space, three Chinese astronauts landed back on Earth this past weekend. This marks China’s longest crewed mission to date. The Shenzhou-13 mission astronauts completed the fifth of eleven missions to finish the Tianhe space station later this year.
A new study out of Stanford suggests that Jupiter’s Moon Europa could possibly carry life. The evidence? The similarity of its frozen surface and a landform in Greenland. Both feature double ridges- long gashes in the land that have two peaks with a trough in the middle. Greenland’s double ridge formed due to the refreezing of liquid water - and if Europa’s formed the same way it’s possible there is liquid near the surface.
Imagine asking a hologram doctor to look at a weird lump you found. And imagine doing that… in space. This might be closer than you think! In a recent release, NASA revealed that last October, holograms of NASA flight surgeon Dr. Josef Schmid and software provider Aexa Aerospace CEO Fernando de La Pena Llaca were beamed up to the ISS. By combining specialized image capture technology and the Hololens headset, live 3D models of the two were transmitted (or holoported) to the ISS and they could see, hear, and interact with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet.
NASA flight surgeon Dr. Josef Schmid "holoported" to the ISS in October, 2021 to visit the astronauts on board. Image credit: ESA (European Space Agency) & astronaut Thomas Pesquet Make room at the table Space Force, the Canadian Space Division is arriving. In the next six to eight months, Canada aims to form a new military space division. Royal Canadian Air Force Brig. Gen. Michael Adamson is currently the service’s director for space - and said that it “is important for Canada to determine what space capabilities it needs to develop and which ones it can leverage from allies or become involved in joint projects.” We’ll have more on some of Canada’s space prospects in a bit!
If rockets could be roommates, the Long March rockets would probably be the messy one you have to keep reminding to pick up after itself. On April 2nd, a large metal ring and a cylinder-like object fell from the sky into rural western India, interrupting a community feast and scaring locals. Two Indian scientists from the Indian Space Research Organization conducted an onsite investigation and have tentatively labeled the parts as part of a Chinese Long March rocket. Currently, a formal investigation is underway. As of now, China has not commented on this incident.
Astrobotic Technology recently showed off Peregrine, its nearly complete lunar lander built for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which is scheduled to launch this year. CEO John Thornton hosted the unveiling, stating that Peregrine will be the US’s first lander headed back to the surface of the moon, nearly 50 years since Apollo. Astrobotic is also building a bigger lander - Griffin - to deliver 500 kilograms of payload, including NASA’s VIPER rover, to the south pole of the moon in 2023.
South Korea will be investing $619 million in national space programs in 2022 - which is 15% more than the amount the government originally proposed and represents an increase of 19% over 2021 levels. With a number of rocket, satellite, and space exploration projects on the horizon, it seems that South Korea is eyeing substantial growth in its domestic space industry.
Called on account of rain - NASA, Axiom, and SpaceX decided not to undock from the ISS on Tuesday due to unfavorable weather conditions. They are now scheduled to return on Saturday at 8:30 PM - with Crew 4 waiting in the wings and rehearsing for their upcoming launch. We hope for a safe return for the Axiom crew!
Space Tweet of the Week
Space Reads!
Can’t get enough stellar content? Here are the pieces of space-adjacent news we’ve been reading this week.
Ever wonder about where the line is drawn between space junk and space archaeology? Check out this super interesting read from the Planetary Society with some choice quotes from Dr. Alice Gorman.
Curious how millions of people might live in giant, rotating cylinders in space someday? This article from Supercluster suggests we might not be as far off technologically as you think.
Monitoring groundwater basins from space could help preserve these valuable resources and support agricultural production in places like California.
When will humanity become a type one civilization? Some estimates suggest by 2371 in an intriguing, new article from Becky Ferreira at Vice.
Continuum Podcast
Only have time for the highlights? Check out our companion podcast! Whether you’re a space enthusiast or just starting to look up at the stars, we’ll give you a quick rundown of all the biggest space news headlines every other week.
Things Found on the Internet…
And that’s our newsletter for the week. We'll be back in two weeks time to bring you more of the best stories from across the universe and hopefully have gotten over the 10-year-old impulse to make every Uranus joke possible. Keep it galactic people.
Britt
CEO of Celestial Citizen & Creator of Continuum