Spaceflight Deploys Dove Constellation From Dnepr Launcher

Spaceflight Inc., the company reinventing the model for launching small satellites into space, has successfully deployed 11 Planet Labs Dove earth-imaging spacecraft from an International Space Company (ISC) Kosmotras-operated Dnepr launch vehicle.

"SmallSat constellations are a critical, growing piece of the space economy," said Curt Blake, president of Spaceflight.

"We are thrilled to expand our launch heritage with Planet Labs and ISC Kosmotras to enable the cost-effective and timely launch of small satellites."

Spaceflight previously deployed Planet Labs' Dove 1 and 2 satellites in April 2013 from an Orbital Sciences' Antares launch vehicle, as well as its Flock 1 constellation from the International Space Station in January 2014 with partner NanoRacks.

Spaceflight then arranged for the launch of 11 more Dove spacecraft from the Dnepr vehicle through partner Innovative Solutions in Space (ISIS). The additional 11 CubeSats will complement the existing Planet Labs constellation of 3U imaging spacecraft.

Using its expertise in navigating International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and export law and in the most recent export challenges around shipping ITAR-controlled hardware to Russia, Spaceflight arranged for Planet Labs' U.S. payload to be exported to Russia for launch integration.

On June 19, 2014 at 19:11 UTC the Dnepr launch vehicle sprang out of its underground transport and launch canister, and roared through the atmosphere using its RD-264 first-stage engine. All 11 Dove spacecraft were successfully deployed roughly 30 minutes after first-stage ignition.

"We are excited to launch 11 more satellites, bringing the total number of Dove satellites launched to 43," said Mike Safyan, director of launch and regulatory at Planet Labs. "Through our unique approach to satellite design and frequency of launch, the satellites in orbit continue to get better and better."

Mice Return from Long Duration Spaceflight Experiment

Three mice have returned to Earth alive after 91 days in space aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The mice are being studied for evidence of long duration flight impact on their physiology.

One of the objectives of this experiment was to study the impact of microgravity on the reproductive organs. According to Joseph Tash from the University of Kansas in Lawrence, the reproductive organs are vulnerable to the damaging effects of radiation in space, especially if there is a solar flare event.

“It releases particles that cause a huge amount of radiation damage,” he says. Microgravity and stress may also interfere with sperm production, says Tash.

Maria Masini of the University of Genoa in Italy published in the PLOS Journal that the “sperm cell number was significantly reduced in spaceflight mouse epididymis (approx. −90% vs. laboratory and ground controls), indicating that the space environment may lead to degenerative changes in seminiferous tubules.”

These degenerative effects could be due not just to radiation damage, but to the lack of gravity as well. The natural external location of the testes provides a cooler environment in the presence of gravity and convection.

Without gravity the testes would sit closer to the body and without any air convection they would be at a higher temperature, which could impact sperm production in mammals.

The flight duration, 91 days, for these mice sets the record for the longest spaceflight duration of any non-human living animal to date.

These experimental studies demonstrate the biological consequences of reduced gravity and exposure to space radiation for a long duration spaceflight.

This knowledge will help researchers prepare countermeasures for astronauts on long duration flights as well as improve the treatment for conditions found on earth.

The research published in the PLOS Journal came to five primary findings including studies of space-induced changes of function of thyroid and testis, the effect of microgravity on skeletal muscles and bones, space anaemia, and the ageing process.

The experiment involved 6 mice, 3 of which survived the mission duration.The remaining mice were preserved and returned to Earth for further study.

Statistically speaking there are too few data points in order for the results to be statistically significant; however, early trends can be observed.

Experiments in the space environment with mammals will benefit many people on the ground and are necessary for future longer term space programs.

Fermi's Latest Gamma-ray Census Highlights Cosmic Mysteries

Active galaxies called blazars constitute the single largest source class in the second Fermi LAT catalog, but nearly a third of the sources are unassociated with objects at any other wavelength. Their natures are unknown.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

Every three hours, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope scans the entire sky and deepens its portrait of the high-energy universe. Every year, the satellite's scientists reanalyze all of the data it has collected, exploiting updated analysis methods to tease out new sources. These relatively steady sources are in addition to the numerous transient events Fermi detects, such as gamma-ray bursts in the distant universe and flares from the sun.

Earlier this year, the Fermi team released its second catalog of sources detected by the satellite's Large Area Telescope (LAT), producing an inventory of 1,873 objects shining with the highest-energy form of light.

"More than half of these sources are active galaxies, whose massive black holes are responsible for the gamma-ray emissions that the LAT detects," said Gino Tosti, an astrophysicist at the University of Perugia in Italy and currently a visiting scientist at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in Menlo Park, Calif.

One of the scientists who led the new compilation, Tosti presented a paper on the catalog at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society's High Energy Astrophysics Division in Newport, R.I.

"What is perhaps the most intriguing aspect of our new catalog is the large number of sources not associated with objects detected at any other wavelength," he noted.

Indeed, if the Fermi catalog were a recipe, the two major ingredients would be active galaxies and pure mystery. To them, add in a pinch of pulsars, a dollop of supernova remnants, and a dash of other celestial objects, such as globular star clusters and galaxies like our own Milky Way.

Astronomers delight in the possibility of finding new types of gamma-ray-emitting objects within the "unassociated sources" that constitute roughly a third of the catalog. But Fermi's LAT is revealing gamma-rays from an increasing - and sometimes, surprising - variety of astronomical objects. To highlight the range of LAT discoveries, the Fermi team created the following "top ten" list of five sources within the Milky Way and five beyond our galaxy.

X-37B Secret military space plane

The U.S. military’s secret space plane, a robotic demonstrator version of a next-generation space shuttle, has been spotted by astronomers.

"The US Air Force's X-37B space plane is circling Earth and, although it is on a classified mission with an officially unpublished orbit, sky watchers have spotted it.

"I saw the X-37B from my home in Pasadena, California, around sunrise on March 31st," reports Anthony Cook of the Griffith Observatory."

ESA - Human Spaceflight and Exploration, Next step their first Moon lander

ESA - Human Spaceflight and Exploration - Next step for ESA’s first Moon lander

Next step for ESA’s first Moon lander
Mission description: land autonomously with pinpoint precision near the Moon’s south pole, a region full of dangerous boulders and high ridges. The aim of ESA’s proposed precursor is to probe the moonscape’s unknowns and test new technology to prepare for future human landings.

The first mission to visit the south polar region of the Moon took a significant step forward today when a further study contract was signed with EADS-Astrium in Berlin, Germany.

The mission aims to land in the mountainous and heavily cratered terrain of the lunar south pole in 2018. The region may be a prime location for future human explorers because it offers almost continuous sunlight for power and potential access to vital resources such as water-ice.

To reach the surface safely, the lander must precisely navigate its way to a mountain peak or crater rim, carefully avoiding boulders and steep slopes before gently setting down to take in one of the most spectacular views in the Solar System.

The Moon is a favoured target for the human exploration missions outlined in the ‘Global Exploration Strategy’ by 14 space agencies around the world. The strategy supports international space exploration and calls for further studies of the Moon and Mars – places where humans will one day live and work.