Trouble in Parad-ISS
An accidental NASA broadcast panicked the public, Starliner extends its stay at the ISS and why SpaceX’s company culture isn’t all hips-and-hoorays after its recent successful Starship test.
Hello Celestial Citizens and Continuum readers,
We’re back from vacation and bringing you some exciting news… we are absolutely thrilled to announce that the Center for Space Resources (CSR) at the Colorado School of Mines will be sponsoring Celestial Citizen for another year!
Partnerships — especially those with innovative and envelope-pushing institutions like CSR at Mines, that have been pathfinding the field of in situ resource utilization research and technology development — are made all the sweeter by knowing how much they value the work that our team does to reach and excite a broad, diverse audience of space enthusiasts. We love this community and the generous partners that make our work possible!
The Center for Space Resources (CSR) at Colorado School of Mines is a research and technology development center dedicated to the human and robotic exploration of space and the utilization of its resources through the joint efforts of academia, government, the private sector, and international collaboration. Since the late 1990s, CSR has pursued the study of space and planetary resources by developing technologies for prospecting, drilling, excavation, extraction, manufacturing, construction, and power generation, as well as conducting economic feasibility analyses and public policy studies.
Now, the space beat you came here for…
Top Headlines
It’s Only a Simulation – The internet recently erupted in speculation concerning an emergency situation on the International Space Station, after NASA broadcast audio of astronauts being treated for decompression sickness (DCS) on Wednesday, June 12th. The agency was quick to quell any fears, communicating that this was an unintentional release of audio from a simulation, in which astronauts on the ground trained for such an emergency. While NASA further assured the public that the actual ISS astronauts would have been sleeping at the time of this release – preparing for a spacewalk on Thursday the 13th – a later cancellation of said spacewalk did not instill a TON of confidence. NASA maintains the two incidents are completely unrelated, chalking the spacewalk cancellation up to a “spacesuit discomfort issue.”
Star-leaker – Move over, Soyuz! There’s a new leaky spacecraft in town. Whether or not Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner module – the proverbial (and kind of literal) thorn in the ISS’s side – is the cause of all the aforementioned space station drama remains to be seen, but here’s what we do know. A NASA statement on June 10th revealed there were “five small leaks in the service module helium manifolds” of the spacecraft, which has been docked at the ISS since June 5th. The agency’s statement followed a troubled month for Starliner, which included launch delays, malfunctioning thrusters, and of course the one original leak that started it all. Two additional leaks were detected after the spacecraft’s eventual launch on June 5th, a fourth upon docking, and the fifth sometime before the June 10th statement. Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, the Starliner Crew Flight Test participants, have since watched their departure date slip to June 18th, then June 22nd, and now June 26th, as NASA and Boeing investigate the leaks. At least the clingy spacecraft gives the crew more time for photo ops, with Matthew Dominick capturing this moment of the Starliner posing with an aurora.
I Will Go Down With This (Star) Ship – Earlier this month, SpaceX completed its fourth flight test of its towering Starship launch vehicle, achieving the first successful first-stage retrieval. With a “soft landing” of its booster in the Gulf of Mexico and later a controlled splashdown of its second stage, the Starship demonstration served as a beacon of hope for the powerful rocket’s reusability, and was validation of the company’s tech-inspired approach to rocket development. In the words of Daniel L. Dumbacher of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, SpaceX has “a team that knows what they’re doing,” and while that proficiency of its employees certainly makes for impressive engineering feats – it also means that they will hold the company accountable. Just after SpaceX celebrated its fourth Starship test, the company was sued by eight former employees for wrongful termination after these staffmembers raised sexual harassment concerns in 2022. The suit records many examples of a sexist or hostile work environment at SpaceX, from the company’s founder Elon Musk’s unhinged and often harassing social media antics – to the actions of employees inspired by them. And although SpaceX’s president and COO Gwynne Shotwell conducted a very conveniently internal audit of the former employees’ claims, she later dismissed them as “overreaching activism” standing in the way of the firm’s “critical work.” But can we really classify these claims as overreaching, given Musk’s alleged problematic history with women at the company? And on that note, we wonder if Musk will ever put his hands up, and surrender. PSA: We are sorry to all non-Dido fans who are tragically missing out on the White Flag theme of this update.
Forbidden Frost – Contrary to what its color might evoke, the Red Planet is a frigid beast. Still, when a research team found frost in Mars’ volcanoes located along its equator, they were shocked. Detection instruments integrated in two separate ESA spacecraft – the Mars Express Orbiter and Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) – discovered the frost in Mars’ Tharsis region, including on Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system. While water ice has been known to exist in the Red Planet’s polar caps and mid-altitudes, researchers did not anticipate finding it in the equatorial region of the planet – where temperatures are relatively higher due to a greater amount of sunlight and a thin atmosphere – and certainly “didn't expect to see it on Mars’s volcano tops," according to research lead Adomas Valantinas. The discovery opens a window for planetary scientists to study potential unique microclimates forming around the region’s calderas, or hollow depressions at the volcano peaks. And although the frost is fleeting, lasting only a few hours in the early morning, it gives the greater space community hope about future exploration on Mars.
Earthrise, Earthset – We’ve lost some impressive space heroes this past month. First, former NASA astronaut Bill Anders tragically died in a plane crash on June 7th. Known for his iconic 1968 photo captured on the Apollo 8 mission, “Earthrise,” Anders has a crater named after him located on the far side of the Moon. Fittingly, the crater is titled “Anders’ Earthrise.” Another NASA legend passed away on June 9th, known for his extensive work on the Voyager mission. JPL Director Ed Stone looked fondly upon his time as a Voyager project scientist, recalling that the mission opened a “wonderful door of exploration.” In poetic fashion, Voyager 1 recently returned to life, somehow surviving a major malfunction that many thought would end the mission for good. Lastly, we owe homage to the Mission Director of India’s Chandrayaan-1, a mission credited with first discovering water on the Moon. The ISRO Mission Director Srinivasa Hegde passed away on June 14th.
Honorable Mentions
Our final notable nuggets.
Operation Save Chandra – In the latest development of what we’re calling Operation Save Chandra (still planning on making shirts), nine members of Congress submitted a letter to NASA, urging the agency to reconsider the significant budget slashes to the 25-year-old telescope mission.
Ground Control – The Space Rapid Capabilities Office, a unit within the Space Force, has tapped twenty companies to help develop a billion-dollar satellite ground system known as R2C2, or Rapid Resilient Command and Control.
National Security Launches – While we’re on the topic of military contracts, the Pentagon just selected Blue Origin, SpaceX and ULA for a new launch program. No strangers to competition, the trio will battle it out – optimistically, with rockets ready to fly by December – for a sensitive and lucrative national security contract.
MSR Mix-Up – Similarly competing for contracts are seven companies selected by NASA to come up with “out of the box” concepts regarding the agency’s troubled Mars Sample Return mission. The agency hopes some fresh perspective can help it carry out the complex mission “more quickly, with less risk, and at a lower cost.”
DYNAMIC – Amidst solar maximum and its wrath of intense solar flares, NASA has provided funding to three academic groups as part of its DYNAMIC (Dynamical Neutral Atmosphere-Ionosphere Coupling) mission, which intends to study how the changes in our planet’s lower atmosphere affect the upper atmosphere.
The JWST Download
The JWST released a new mosaic of the Crab Nebula, precisely capturing the supernova remnant’s claw-like outflows in an effort to reveal the type of star that could have caused such an explosion.
A solar system still enjoying the bounties of its youth has experienced a dramatic asteroid collision, the aftermath of which was caught by the JWST. Scientists hope to leverage this observation to discover more early planet formation.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, young stars shine (insanely) bright – so bright, that astronomers must question their previous notions of the early universe, aka Cosmic Dawn.
The JWST has spotted twin flames – and by that we mean twin star flames, or energy jets, to be clear (not the corrupt cult that inspired a Netflix documentary).
A Global Space
Armenia – The 43rd country to sign the Artemis Accords is officially Armenia. Represented by its minister of high-tech industry, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, the nation signed the accords at NASA headquarters on June 12th, shepherded by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson (but of course). The signing marks another win for the U.S.-led Accords, whose supporters still outnumber those of the alternative China and Russia-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). Although no nations have done this yet, technically there is nothing in the Accords that would prohibit a nation from signing both manifestos, according to U.S. officials.
China – Earlier this month, China successfully landed its Chang’e 6 lunar probe on the far side of the Moon, with the help of its Queqiao-2 relay satellite. And if you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to approach the lunar surface, Chang’e 6 kindly provided a POV. The successful touchdown marked the second far side landing for China, after Chang’e 4 was the first to pull it off in 2019. After quickly collecting a sample, it was time for the spacecraft’s collection module to return to the mothership. The ascender took off from the lunar surface on June 4th, only two days after its initial landing. The ascent vehicle then transferred the material to a spacecraft in lunar orbit, and will soon begin its journey back to Earth, if it hasn’t already. With the sample, China and the rest of the world hope to gain valuable insight into the distinct properties of the Moon’s mysterious far side. The nation is not just waiting around for its inspiring space dust to arrive, though. Last week, China conducted a static fire test of its rocket designed to bring astronauts to the Moon by the end of the decade.
ESA & China – Despite their recent collaboration on Chang’e 6, the future doesn’t look harmonious for the European Space Agency and China. The delivery of a (successfully executed) ESA payload on Chang’e 6 may in fact be the last time the two agencies work together, with “no decisions to continue the cooperation on the Chang’e-7 or -8,” according to ESA’s international relations administrator. The European agency also has no plans to join the ILRS, due to its Russian leadership. I guess China’s attempt at leaving Russia’s name out of the ILRS conversation didn’t really pan out.
ESA – The European Space Agency might be quiet-quitting its relationship with China, but the agency is moving full steam ahead on sovereign projects. Europe’s Galileo navigation satellite system just got the greenlight on its second generation fleet, known as G2. The G2 system will be made up of two different satellite types, one developed by Thales Alenia Space and the other by Airbus Defence and Space. In both cases, the spacecraft will boast modern features from electric propulsion to more powerful navigation antennas. With the recent design approvals, G2 satellites can now stride into production, for launch by the end of the decade.
India & U.S. – The United States and India have announced their intentions to progress their human spaceflight cooperation, with schemes around a joint NASA-ISRO mission to the ISS in the near future. Although Eric Garcetti, U.S. ambassador to India, recently claimed the mission would go this year, the actual timeline and vehicle appear unclear at this point. The announcement comes as India seeks more internal demand for its sovereign launch vehicle, which is hearing crickets right now. Like SpaceX did with its Starlink satellites, ISRO may be looking to manifest its own (payload) destiny.
NATO – The NATO Innovation Fund (NIF) released its first funding to a selection of European companies. It’s clear from the chosen investments – which include robotics companies, AI specialists and in-orbit semiconductor manufacturers – that the consortium has space technology in mind for its 1 billion euro ($1.1 billion) fund. NATO created the initiative back in 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in an effort to bolster its defense capabilities.
And that’s a wrap on this week in space news! A big thank you to Tess Ryan for writing this edition with me and for keeping up with the cosmos! We hope you enjoyed reading Continuum this week. And if you really, really like us, then consider making it official and becoming a paid subscriber or spreading the space gospel and gifting a subscription.
Keep it celestial people,
Britt
CEO of Celestial Citizen & Creator of Continuum
Praying for Elon and SpaceX that they can get through the meme-suits