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Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 1 of 18 April 2019
Update
Vernal Equinox from Space
Oklahoma Space Alliance
A Chapter of The National Space Society
A free email newsletter of the Oklahoma Space Alliance
April 2019
April OSA Meeting
Saturday, April 13, 2019
2:00 PM
Cliff & Claire McMurray’s House
2715 Aspen Circle, Norman, OK 73072
405-863-6173
Program— Space News and Events
Website: http://osa.nss.org
Quote of the Month When I orbited the Earth in a spaceship, I saw for the first time how beautiful our planet is. Mankind, let us preserve and increase this beauty, and not destroy it!
— Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 2 of 18 April 2019
Table of Contents Vernal Equinox from Space ........................................................................................................ 1
January 2019 OSA Meeting ....................................................................................................... 1
Quote of the Month ................................................................................................................... 1
Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... 2
India’s Antisatellite Test Created Debris Which Could Threaten ISS ........................................... 3
There’s an Arms Race in Space.………………………………..………………………………..…………………………….4
Hague and Ovchinin Reach ISS Five Months Late ....................................................................... 5
Virgin Galactic Flies With a Passenger For the First Time……………………………………………………..…..6
SpaceX's 'Starhopper' Starship Prototype Makes Its First (Tethered) Hop ................................. 7
Powerful Bering Sea Fireball Spotted from Space in NASA Photos ............................................. 8
Water on Asteroid Bennu 'Exhibit A' for Space Mining .............................................................. 9
New Report Shows Moon Mining is Feasible ........................................................................... 10
Morgan Stanley Considers Space Investment Possibilities………………………………………………………11
Amazon Plans 3,000+ Satellite Constellation for Internet Services.………………………………………..12
Vostok Cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky Dies at 84.……………………………………..………………………………13
Did Yuri Gagarin Say He Didn’t See God in Space?.....................................................................14
NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott Follows Alan Bean’s Path as Artist in Retirement………………………15
NASA Directed to Put Boots on the Moon by 2024…………………………………………………………..…….16
Feature-length video: Neil Armstrong Interview……………..………………………………………..…....…….17
That’s All Folks ......................................................................................................................... 18
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 3 of 18 April 2019
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update
April 13, 2019
Editor Cliff McMurray
Asst Editor Claire McMurray
405-863-6173 (C)
The Oklahoma Space Alliance Update is a bi-monthly newsletter of the Oklahoma Space Alliance a chapter
of the National Space Society, a non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. The
address of OSA is 102 W. Linn, #1, Norman, OK 73071.
Unless otherwise noted, all contents of articles herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of anyone but the writer. Reprint rights are granted to recognized
chapters of NSS, provided credit is given.
Articles may be submitted by U.S. mail or electronically. Articles may be sent to the Editor at
121 South Creekdale Drive, Norman, OK 73072 or to [email protected]. Each submission should include the author’s name and either e-mail address
or phone number (for verification only). A text or Microsoft Word file is preferred. Please contact the
Editor by phone, e-mail or texting before mailing your information.
OSA Officers for 2019 President & Cliff McMurray
Update Editor
[email protected] 405-863-6173 (C)
Vice President David Sheely [email protected]
405-8321-9077 (C) Secretary & Syd Henderson
Outreach Editor
405-321-4027(H)
405-365-8983(C)
Treasurer Tim Scott
405-740-7549(H)
NSS Headquarters 1155 15th Street NW, Suite 500 Washington DC 20005
Exec Director Kirby Ikin
202-429-1600
India’s Antisatellite Test Created Debris Which Could Threaten ISS
On March 27, India conducted “Mission Shakti”,
its first ASAT test, destroying its target, an Indian
satellite named Microsat-R, at an altitude of 168
miles. India claimed the debris would soon reenter
and pose no threat, but NASA Administrator Jim
Bridenstine says otherwise.
Article and video: https://www.space.com/nasa-chief-condemns-india-anti-satellite-test.html
Additional article and video: https://www.space.com/india-anti-satellite-weapon-test-debris.html
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 4 of 18 April 2019
There’s an Arms Race in Space
India’s ASAT test is only one of many worrying signs that space may soon become a battleground. Two new studies by prominent Washington think tanks, “Space Threat Assessment 2019" from the Center of Strategic and International Studies; and “Global Counterspace Capabilities: An Open Source Assessment" from the Secure World Foundation, provide details.
Story with links to the reports: https://www.space.com/reports-on-escalating-space-arms-race.html
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 5 of 18 April 2019
Hague and Ovchinin Reach ISS Five Months Late
NASA astronaut Nick Hague Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin finally made it to orbit (this time with NASA astronaut Christina Koch) on March 14, again riding a Soyuz launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. It was the second successful launch of a Soyuz capsule since the abort that ended Hague and Ovchinin’s first flight on Oct. 11.
Story and video: https://www.space.com/soyuz-launches-expedition-59-space-station-crew.html
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 6 of 18 April 2019
Virgin Galactic Flies With a Passenger
For the First Time
On February 22nd, Virgin Galactic’s passenger spaceplane VSS Unity made another test flight, carrying a type of rider it’s never had before. On board was Beth Moses, the first passenger the Unity has ever flown. As the chief astronaut instructor at Virgin Galactic, Moses will be responsible for training paying passengers for the flight she just experienced. The flight qualified Moses for commercial astronaut wings from the Federal Aviation Administration, and she’s the first woman to fly to space on a commercial vehicle.
Interview: https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/16/18267514/virgin-galactic-beth-moses-chief-astronaut-instructor-vss-unity
Video: https://www.facebook.com/VirginGalactic/videos/301704593839754/UzpfSTcwODA3Njk5MDoxMDE1NTY5MjcwMDIwNjk5MQ/?__tn__=%2Cd-]-h-R&eid=ARD5lOdJFXWCeaWgNKGEQ5UCXSSFADshowv0ntKP83G_jliNr_gsFuQMP8qwnkS5sPy1kyy9zRSgkRxt
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 7 of 18 April 2019
SpaceX's 'Starhopper' Starship Prototype Makes Its First (Tethered) Hop
The prototype/testbed for SpaceX’s Starship made a brief tethered flight on April 3, followed by another on April 5.
Story and video: https://spacenews.com/spacex-begins-starship-hopper-testing/
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 8 of 18 April 2019
Powerful Bering Sea Fireball Spotted
from Space in NASA Photos
On Dec. 18, 2018, an incoming meteor detonated 16 miles (26 kilometers) above the Bering Sea, generating 173 kilotons of energy. That's about 10 times more than the amount unleashed by the atomic bomb the United States dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima during World War II. It’s the second most powerful meteor of this century, after Chelyabinsk.
Article: https://www.space.com/bering-sea-fireball-satellite-photos.html
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 9 of 18 April 2019
Water on Asteroid Bennu 'Exhibit A' for Space Mining
New observations by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft suggest that the
1,650-foot-wide (500 meters) Bennu harbors lots of accessible
water, a key resource that could produce water, oxygen and fuel for
a space-based economy. "For an asteroid miner, Bennu is pay dirt,"
said OSIRIS-REx principal investigator Dante Lauretta.
Story: https://www.space.com/asteroid-bennu-water-space-
mining-osiris-rex.html
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 10 of 18 April 2019
New Report Shows Moon Mining is Feasible
A recent report — "Commercial Lunar Propellant Architecture: A Collaborative Study of Lunar Propellant Production" — has cut to the chase, detailing what's needed and what happens next. This appraisal by industry writers, NASA, lunar scientists and space lawyers focused on extracting water from the moon's permanently shadowed regions for use as rocket fuel. The authors of the report include many familiar NSS members: Gary Barnhard, Jim Keravala, Brad Blair and Dallas Bienhoff.
Article with link to the report: https://www.space.com/moon-mining-space-exploration-report.html
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 11 of 18 April 2019
Morgan Stanley Considers Space Investment Possibilities
When Morgan Stanley starts talking about investing in space, you
know the idea has gone mainstream. MS recently published an
update to its report, “Investment Implications of the Final Frontier,"
for its customers.
Article: https://www.morganstanley.com/ideas/investing-in-
space?fbclid=IwAR0rXssaReGdpZfQVlnvTr3Tj4mzHSMLV-
54ys1FwKp6atZtBPUCjXi5Dkc
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 12 of 18 April 2019
Amazon Plans 3,000+ Satellite Constellation for
Internet Services
There's a race among several major players to build a next-
generation broadband network in space, including Elon Musk's
SpaceX and SoftBank-backed OneWeb. "Project Kuiper" is Amazon's
plan to launch 3,236 satellites to build a network to provide global
high-speed internet.
Article: https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/04/amazon-project-
kuiper-broadband-internet-small-satellite-network.html
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 13 of 18 April 2019
Vostok Cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky Dies at 84
Soviet-era cosmonaut Valery Bykovsky, whose first of three spaceflights was a
joint mission with the world's first woman to fly into space, has died. Bykovsky
was preceded in death by the pilots of the first four Vostok missions (Gagarin
in 1968, Gherman Titov in 2000), Andriyan Nikolayev in 2004 and Pavel
Popovich in 2009), who died in the same order they flew. Of the original group
of 20 cosmonauts, only Alexei Leonov and Boris Volynov are still living. Of the
cosmonauts who flew in the Vostok program, equivalent to NASA’s Mercury
flights, only Valentina Tereshkova remains alive.
Bykovsky was assigned to the prime crew of Soyuz 2, but that mission was
canceled after Soyuz 1 ended in tragedy. He then trained for a circumlunar
mission slated for March 1969, but that too was canceled as a result of
technical problems and the success of NASA's Apollo 8 mission in December
1968.
Article: https://www.space.com/cosmonaut-valery-bykovsky-dies-
at-84.html
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 14 of 18 April 2019
Did Yuri Gagarin Say He Didn’t See God in Space?
Colonel Valentin Vasilyevich Petrov, lecturer at the Gagarin Air Force Academy
and Gagaein’s friend, says Gagarin was a closeted Christian and the quote
actually belongs to Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev. In this article, Petrov
talks about Gagarin’s religious views, and his failed attempt to keep his visit to
an Orthodox monastery incognito.
Article: http://www.pravmir.com/did-yuri-gagarin-say-he-didnt-
see-god-in-space/
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 15 of 18 April 2019
NASA Astronaut Nicole Stott Follows Alan Bean’s Path as Artist in Retirement
A veteran NASA Astronaut, Stott’s experience includes two spaceflights and
104 days living and working in space on both the Space Shuttle and the
International Space Station (ISS). She performed one spacewalk, was the
first person to fly the robotic arm to capture the free flying HTV cargo
vehicle, she was the last crew member to fly to and from their ISS mission on
a Space Shuttle, and she was a member of the crew of the final flight of the
Space Shuttle Discovery, STS-133. A personal highlight of Nicole's spaceflight
was painting the first watercolor in space.
Article: https://qz.com/1578231/what-its-like-to-paint-in-space-according-
to-a-nasa-
astronaut/?fbclid=IwAR2qjki3qNlxFpXqVzfYNd8Y7DXm9yuFmwnpZov8HU6i8
v-8u3IRzkXzPgs
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 16 of 18 April 2019
NASA Directed to Put Boots on the Moon by 2024
Vice President Mike Pence announced on March 26 that the United
States plans to land astronauts on the moon within the next five
years, The nation had been shooting for a 2028 lunar touchdown,
but "that's just not good enough," Pence said during the fifth
meeting of the National Space Council (NSC), which he chairs.
"We're better than that." Reactions have ranged from enthusiasm to
incredulity. Whether it can be done depends on who you ask – and,
of course, on what resources you’re prepared to commit.
Articles: https://www.space.com/us-astronauts-moon-return-by-
2024.html
https://www.space.com/mixed-reactions-nasa-accelerated-moon-
plan.html
https://www.space.com/nasa-chief-says-nothing-off-table-for-
moon-2024.html
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 17 of 18 April 2019
Feature-length video: Neil Armstrong Interview
A rare long interview with Neil Armstrong from 2011 on Australian TV.
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJzOIh2eHqQ
Oklahoma Space Alliance Update Page 18 of 18 April 2019
That’s All Folks
