Artemis 1 Moon Launch Is Scrubbed After NASA Engineers Discover Leak In Engine

 

Daily Mail: One giant step backwards! Artemis 1 moon launch is scrubbed after NASA engineers discover a leak in engine 3 that was not tested in its last dress rehearsal - postponing second-attempt at lift-off until September 2 

* NASA scrubbed the Artemis I mission at 8:35am ET due to a leaking engine on the $22.2B rocket 

* The issue was not tested in the last dress rehearsal, so engineers need more time to formulate a fix 

* NASA is now eyeing Friday, September 2 at 12:48pm ET for the second attempt of the Artemis I launch 

* The Artemis I mission is a vital first step if US space agency is to land humans on the moon in three years' time 

* It has been 50 years since people last walked on the lunar surface, when Apollo 17 landed in December 1972 

NASA was forced to postpone its highly anticipated Artemis I mission Monday following a leak in engine 3 that was not detected in the last wet dress rehearsal due to testing being cut short because of a separate hydrogen leak. 

The issue was identified around 7:30am ET and the launch was officially scrubbed at 8:35am ET. Now the hundreds of thousands of people who attended the event are heading home without seeing the first stage of the epic moon mission kick off. 

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: I always follow each country's space programs closely. This is a disappointment. The next attempt will happen on September 2.

NASA Condemns Russian Space Agency After Cosmonauts Display Ukrainian Separatist Flags

Rebuked: NASA has condemned the Russian space agency after three cosmonauts displayed anti-Ukraine propaganda on the International Space Station. They held flags of the Luhansk People's Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic — two Russian-backed separatist regions  

Daily Mail: NASA blasts Russia for 'using the International Space Station for political purposes' after three cosmonauts are pictured displaying anti-Ukraine propaganda 

* Cosmonauts displayed anti-Ukraine propaganda on International Space Station 

* They held flags of Luhansk People's Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic 

* Luhansk and Donetsk are Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine 

* NASA responded by issuing a fierce condemnation of the Russian space agency 

NASA has issued a fierce condemnation of the Russian space agency after three cosmonauts displayed anti-Ukraine propaganda aboard the International Space Station. 

The trio were seen holding flags of the Luhansk People's Republic and the Donetsk People's Republic — two Russian-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine that are only recognised as independent states by Moscow and Syria. 

They also said the capture of the region was 'a liberation day to celebrate both on Earth and in space.'  

Read more .... 

NASA Condemns Russian Space Agency After Cosmonauts Display Ukrainian Separatist Flags  

NASA Rebukes Russian Space Agency After Cosmonauts Display Occupied Ukrainian Flags -- RFE  

Cosmonauts Wade Into Ukraine Conflict, Fly Separatist Flag Onboard ISS -- Moscow Times/AFP 

NASA Issues Rare Rebuke of Russia for Using International Space Station to Promote Ukraine Invasion -- US News and World Report  

NASA rebukes Russian use of space station for propaganda purposes [Updated] -- Ars Technica  

NASA condemns Russia's use of space station for propaganda -- Space.com

Nasa Asteroid Simulation Ends In Disaster For Earth

 

Daily Mail: Mission IMPOSSIBLE: NASA warns even a nuclear bomb wouldn't stop a giant asteroid heading for Earth after massive six month simulation exercise ends in devastating impact 

* The exercise last week was to better understand current in-space preventions 

* Simulations created an asteroid spotted on April 19, with impact Oct. 20 

 * Scientists studied the space rock's size, trajectory and chance of impact 

 * By Oct. 14, there was a 99% chance of it hitting a part of Europe 

* There would not be enough time to send a craft to take the asteroid down 

* The team was also unable to determined its size in six months 

* This means we could not blow it up, as a nuke may not put a dent in it 

NASA scientists have concluded that even a nuclear bomb wouldn't be able to stop a giant asteroid from destroying a huge chunk of earth. 

In a simulated exercise, US and European scientists were told they had six months to come up with a lifesaving plan to stop a massive rock smashing into earth that had been spotted 35 million miles away. 

The study was conducted over the course of four days, from April 26 through April 29, and astronomers used radar systems, data imaging and other technologies like the world's largest telescope.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: The sobering conclusion from all of this is that the asteroid will not need to be large to destroy a huge chunk of the planet. 

More News On Nasa's Asteroid Simulation  

Simulation Shows We'd Be Defenseless Against an Asteroid -- IE  

Nasa asteroid simulation ends in unavoidable disaster for Earth -- The Independent  

How did you spend your week? NASA pretended to crash an asteroid into Earth. -- Space.com  

NASA Warns It Would Fail to Prevent Asteroid Heading Towards Earth From Crashing Into Europe -- Sputnik

Astronaut Michael Collins Who Participated In The Apollo 11 Moon Landing Has Died At The Age Of 90

 

Business Insider: Astronaut Michael Collins, who circled the moon during the Apollo 11 landing, has died at age 90 

* NASA astronaut Michael Collins, who participated in the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission, has died at 90. 

* Collins piloted the Command Module Columbia while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. 

 * Collins remembered his view of Earth the most: It "haunts me," he wrote in 2019. 

Astronaut Michael Collins, who played a critical role in the Apollo 11 moon-landing mission, has died at age 90. 

Collins launched toward the moon with fellow astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in July 1969. 

While his crewmates became the first people to walk on the lunar surface, Collins piloted the Command Module Columbia that would carry the three of them back to Earth. 

"You cats take it easy," he told Armstrong and Aldrin as they descended to the lunar surface.  

Read more ....  

Update #1: Statements on Passing of Michael Collins (NASA)  

Update #2: Michael Collins, who piloted the Apollo 11 command module, has died (Ars Technica)  

WNU Editor: A true pioneer.

NASA Video Shows SpaceX Crew Dragon Spacecraft Narrowly Missed By A Few Yards An 'Unknown' Object In Space Hours After Launching from Florida

 

Daily Mail: Moment SpaceX rocket with four astronauts on board narrowly misses space debris en route to the International Space Station as the crew is told to strap in their seats to prepare for a possible impact 

* The four astronauts aboard the SpaceX capsule nearly missed debris while heading to the ISS 

 * The space junk encounter was reported at 1:43pm ET, 20 minutes before a possible impact 

* SpaceX radioed the crew, telling them to put their suits on, lower their visors and get back in their seats 

* The capsule passed safely by the debris without the need of an emergency maneuver 

* Four astronauts from three different space agencies have safely docked at the the International Space Station 

* The Dragon capsule was the first SpaceX vehicle used to carry crews which had flown in a previous mission 

* Agency later said that the object was 45 kilometers away and did not pose a threat to the astronauts 

 * New arrivals will spend six months orbiting Earth, the current incumbents will return to the planet Wednesday 

The four astronauts on board the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft narrowly missed an 'unknown' object in space hours after launching from Florida, NASA revealed in a video. 

The space junk encounter, known as a conjunction, was reported at 1:43pm ET Friday while the crew was preparing to sleep inside the recycled Dragon Crew Capsule as they traveled to the International Space Station (ISS). 

 'For awareness, we have identified a late-breaking possible conjunction with a fairly close miss distance to Dragon,' SpaceX's Sarah Gilles told the astronauts.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: There is a lot of junk up there .... Mind-blowing space junk map shows '200 ticking time bombs' in orbit around the Earth (Daily Star).

Half Of Those Picked For NASA's Artemis Program Come From The U.S. Military

Kayla Barron wearing a spacesuit. NASA 

Warzone/The Drive: One Of The Navy's First Female Submarine Officers May Be Headed To The Moon 

Half of those picked for NASA's Artemis program, aimed at going back to the moon by 2024, come from the U.S. military. Here's a bit more about them. 

Kayla Barron, a U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander who was among the first female officers to serve onboard one of that service's submarines, is among a group of NASA astronauts who could be headed to the Moon as early as 2024. Of the other 17 astronauts who now make up what NASA is calling the Artemis Team, around half are or have served in the military. 

NASA announced the names of the astronauts selected for the Artemis Team on Dec. 9, 2020, on the occasion of the eighth National Space Council meeting, which took place at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA had first unveiled the overarching Artemis program, which is its new lunar exploration effort, in September. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: If everything goes according to plan. Some will be going to the moon in 2024. The video profile for each astronaut that you can watch in the above link is impressive.

NASA Astronauts Ready For SpaceX Rocket Launch To The International Space Station (Live Video)

NASA Astronauts Ready For SpaceX Rocket Launch To The International Space Station (Live Video)

UPDATE: The launch has been scrubbed for today.

Daily Mail: Ready for blast off: NASA astronauts are strapped into their seats for SpaceX rocket launch after giving farewell air hugs to their families - as Elon Musk says he accepts full responsibility if something goes wrong

* NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are strapped in the Crew Dragon capsule
* The pair conducted a series of communications checks in the cabin, all of which seem to be working properly
* They are suited up in their sleek one-piece tailor made suits that are only for use in the Dragon capsule
* Behnken and Hurley had a social distancing farewell with their families outside of the launchpad
* The mission is set to kickoff at 4:33pm and will take the team to the International Space Station

NASA astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley have loaded into the cabin of Crew Dragon Capsule, following a social distancing farewell with their families.

The team was greeted by their wives and children at Launch Complex 39A, but unlike previous launches, were only allowed to send air hugs and blow kisses to their family due to the social distancing policy.

After strapping in their seats, Behnken and Hurley completed a series of communications checks inside the capsule - all of which seemed to be working.

From inside the capsule, Hurley said they are 'feeling great' ahead of the launch.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: This is so cool. The launch is set for 4:33 EST.

Update: President Trump is there .... The Trumps fly in for SpaceX's first manned launch: Donald, Melania and his children take Air Force One to Cape Canaveral for VIP flyover before astronauts take Elon Musk's rocket to space for the first time (Daily Mail).

 UPDATE #2: The launch has been scrubbed for today.

Is This The First Crime Commited In Space?

NASA astronaut Anne McClain on the International Space Station during the Expedition 59 mission on April 16, 2019. (Image: © NASA)

Daily Mail: NASA investigates the first allegation of criminal activity in SPACE: Astronaut is accused of accessing her wife's bank account from the International Space Station during their messy divorce

* Astronaut Anne McClain was accused of accessing her estranged wife Summer Worden's bank account while she was in space
* Worden filed an identity theft complaint with the FTC against McClain
* Her parents also filed a complaint with NASA's Inspector General
* McClain said that she was just checking up on Worden's finances
* Worden's parents claim that McClain's actions were part of a custody battle over her son, who she gave birth to a year before the couple were married

NASA is looking into claims that an astronaut accessed her estranged wife's bank account from space during a six-month stint on the International Space Station.

Decorated astronaut and US Army lieutenant colonel Anne McClain has been accused of improperly gaining access to Summer Worden's online bank account using NASA computers, the New York Times reported.

McClain allegedly accessed the bank account as part of a 'highly calculated and manipulated campaign' to obtain custody of Worden's son, who she had given birth to about a year before the couple got married.

Read more ....

Update #1: How a Bitter Divorce Battle on Earth Led to Claims of a Crime in Space (New York Times)
Update #2: A top NASA astronaut is accused of hacking her estranged spouse's bank account from space (NBC)

WNU editor: NASA Astronaut Anne McClain is refuting these claims .... NASA Astronaut Anne McClain Refutes Space Crime Claim by Spouse as Divorce Details Emerge (Space.com).

Did The U.S. Intelligence Community 'Save' NASA's Space Shuttle?

NASA

David Axe, Daily Beast: The Spies Who Saved the Space Shuttle

Hidden behind NASA’s public drive into space was a second, shadowy government agency. And without it, the space shuttle might never have flown.

The rush to the Moon wasn’t the only space race during the Cold War. While the United States and the Soviet Union sprinted to get into orbit—and beyond—another contest was proceeding inside the U.S. government, cloaked in secrecy. At the same time that the USA was competing with the USSR to get into the solar system, NASA and the U.S. military were battling each other for dominance of America’s efforts in space.

The rivalry came to a head in April 1981, during the first orbital test flight of the very first operational space shuttle, Columbia. The shuttle, NASA’s flagship and a symbol for American military and scientific prowess, was in trouble. Her heat shield had partially failed. No one knew if the damage would prevent Columbia from safely returning to Earth.

And for a moment, it seemed only the military—more specifically, the then-secret National Reconnaissance Office, which controls most of the government’s spy satellites and whose staff overlaps with those of the Air Force, Navy, and CIA—could save the shuttle and her crew. In effect, rescuing its own bureaucratic enemy.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The answer is yes.

A Chinese Spy In NASA?

Professor Rongxing Li (pictured) was being investigated amid suspicions he may have shared defence secrets with China

Daily Mail: Was NASA scientist spying for China? FBI investigate after professor who worked on Mars project mysteriously resigns and leaves the U.S. amid concerns he leaked defense secrets

* Professor Rongxing Li, 56, received acclaim for his space mapping work
* He was a participating scientist on NASA missions to Mars and the Moon
* But early last year he abruptly resigned from his Ohio State University job
* The FBI was investigating to determine if he had shared secrets with China

A U.S. professor who abruptly resigned from his job and then disappeared was being investigated by the FBI amid suspicions he was sharing defence secrets with the Chinese.

Professor Rongxing Li, 56, attracted international attention for his work with the Mapping and GIS Laboratory at Ohio State University, where he had been employed since 1996.

As a participant in numerous NASA projects, including the 2003 Mars Exploration Rover mission, he had access to restricted information which he was prohibited from sharing with the Chinese.

WNU Editor: Maybe he got a better gig .... China plans to land lunar probe on far side of moon (The Guardian).

More News On Reports of A Possible Chinese Spy In NASA

FBI investigates China ties of Ohio State professor who resigned, disappeared -- Columbus Dispatch
Former OSU Professor's Ties to China Investigated by FBI -- FOX News
OSU Prof disappears, may have sold defense secrets to China -- Breitbart

See If You Can Find Yourself In NASA’s #GlobalSelfie

The Making of NASA's Global Selfie: 100+ Countries, Thousands of Photos -- NASA

On Earth Day this year, NASA asked people all around the world a simple question – “Where are you on Earth Right Now?”

We asked people to answer the question on social media, with a selfie. The goal was to use each picture as a pixel in the creation of a “Global Selfie” – a mosaic image that would look like Earth appeared from space on Earth Day.

Today NASA is releasing the finished product. The image was built using 36,422 individual photos that were posted on social media and tagged #globalselfie on or around April 22, 2014. People on every continent – 113 countries and regions in all – posted selfies. From Antarctica to Yemen, Greenland to Guatemala, Micronesia to the Maldives, Pakistan, Poland, Peru – and on. The image was assembled after weeks of curating more than 50,000 #globalselfie submissions – not all were accessible or usable – from Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Google+ and Flickr.

Read more ....

What Russian Sanctions?

AFP Photo / Handout / NASA

Despite Sanctions, Russia Is Getting A $457.9M Check From NASA -- Washington Post

Despite ongoing sanctions, Russia is about to get a big infusion of cash from the U.S. government.

NASA recently renewed a contract that allows Russia to ferry U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station.

The U.S. is, essentially, cutting Russia a $457.9 million check for its services -- six seats on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft, training and launch prep, landing and crew rescue and limited cargo delivery to and from the International Space Station. This contract also adds additional support at the Russian launch site.

NASA has announced it is cutting some contacts with Russia after the country annexed Crimea, including meetings and teleconferences.

Read more ....

My Comment: Experts have been warning about this NASA dependency on Russia for years.

NASA Breaks Contact With Russia's Space Agency Because Of Ukraine But Work On The Space Station Will Continue

Backdropped by Earth, the International Space Station is seen in this image photographed by an STS-130 crew member on space shuttle Endeavour after the station and shuttle began their post-undocking relative separation, in this undated NASA handout photo. Reuters

NASA Suspends Contact With Russia Over Ukraine Crisis -- The Verge

Work on International Space Station will continue.

Citing Russia’s ongoing violations of Ukraine’s sovereign and territorial integrity, NASA told its officials today that the agency is suspending all contact with Russian government representatives. In an internal NASA memorandum obtained by The Verge, the agency said that the suspension includes travel to Russia, teleconferences, and visits by Russian government officials to NASA facilities. NASA is even suspending the exchange of emails with Russian officials.

Ongoing International Space Station activities are exempt from this suspension, however, as are meetings with other countries held outside of Russia that include the participation of Russian officials. The directives come directly from Michael O'Brien, the agency associate administrator for International and Interagency Relations.

Read more ....

More News On NASA Breaking Contact With Russia's Space Agency Because Of Ukraine

NASA Internal Memo: Suspension of NASA contact with Russian entities -- Space Ref
NASA cuts ties with Russia except on space station -- AP
NASA halts contact with Russia, except for International Space Station -- CBS News
NASA orders its staff to stop talking to Russia, because Crimea -- Washington Post
NASA Limits Cooperation With Russia -- Voice of America
NASA to suspend almost all ties with Russia, according to leaked internal memo -- Christian Science Monitor
NASA suspends ties with Russian gov't officials over ongoing crisis in Crimea -- FOX News
NASA Suspends Some Ties With Russia Over Ukraine Crisis -- NPR
NASA Breaks Most Contact With Russia -- New York Times
NASA Cuts All Non-ISS Ties with Russia Over Ukraine (Updated) -- Gizmodo
NASA suspends relations with Russia space agency -- UPI
NASA Limits Contact With Russia, Except for Space Station -- NBC
NASA suspends cooperation with Russia over Ukraine crisis -- RT
NASA Suspends Space Contracts With Russia Due To Ukraine Crisis -- Red Orbit
Leaked NASA Memo Says Agency Is Giving Russia the Cold Shoulder -- Time
The U.S.-Russia Fight Has Entered Space -- National Journal
NASA suspends relations with Russia, but Putin holds all the cards -- Peter Spotts, Christian Science Monitor
NASA must immediately cease contact with Russia [Updated at 19:30 CDT] -- Ars technica

Chinese Spies In NASA?

FBI Arrests NASA Contractor Employee Trying To Flee To China -- Washington Examiner

Bo Jiang, the Chinese national scientist employed by a NASA contractor for work at the space agency's Langley Research Center, was arrested Sunday by the FBI at Dulles International Airport as he tried to flee to China, according to Rep. Frank Wolf, R-VA.

Wolf said during a Capitol Hill news conference today that Jiang’s work at the NASA facility had given him access to information that “would be of the greatest interest to foreign spies, including China.”

Wolf is chairman of a House Appropriations Committee subcommittee that has budget oversight authority for NASA.

Read more ....

More News On A Chinese National Scientist Employed By A NASA Contractor Arrested For Spying

Chinese contractor at NASA makes court appearance -- CNN
Former NASA Langley Research Center contractor arrested by FBI on plane bound for China -- Washington Post/AP
NASA researcher arrested on China-bound plane -- CBS
Chinese NASA scientist charged with lying to the feds -- PilotOnline.com
Analog Chinese Spying Is Not Dead, U.S. Prosecutors Allege -- New Yorker
Was Chinese Scientist a Spy at NASA? -- Discovery

Remembering Colombia

"It Broke Up! The Shuttle Broke Up!": Remembering Columbia -- CBS News

As some might reckon it, the beginning of the end for NASA's space shuttle program came 10 years ago Friday, at 8:48:39 a.m. EST on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2003.

That's when strain gauge V12G9921A, a sensor in the shuttle Columbia's left wing, began registering a small but unusual increase in stress as the spaceplane descended from orbit to close out its 28th mission. Twenty seconds later, a temperature sensor followed suit.

Over the next few minutes, a shuttle data recorder captured a cascade of alarming sensor readings and failures on the left side of the spacecraft that clearly indicated a rapidly unfolding catastrophe.

Read more ....

My Comment: Wow .... it's already been 10 years.

The End Of An Era For The NASA Program

A Farewell To Apollo 11 Astronaut Neil Armstrong

US Navy personnel carry the cremains of Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong during a burial at sea service aboard the USS Philippine Sea (CG 58), Friday, Sept. 14, 2012, in the Atlantic Ocean. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

WNU Editor: The Daily Mail has an extensive report on the burial.

Saying Goodbye To Neil Armstrong

The Neil Armstrong I Knew — And Flew With -- Michael Collins, Washington Post

Michael Collins, a retired Air Force major general, was the command module pilot of Apollo 11. He remained in lunar orbit while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed in the Sea of Tranquility in July 1969.

Before manned space flights began, officials pondered what background they should seek in the crew for this bizarre new venture: Danger lover? Bullfighter? Mountain climber? Should they search for people who were self-aware and calm in extreme conditions? A deep-sea diver, perhaps? Finally, they settled on — and President Dwight Eisenhower supported — experimental test pilots, people who had already guided complex new flying machines. Thus the original seven astronauts were selected in 1959.

Read more ....

My Comment: On a day of bloodshed and chaos in the world, a perfect story to end on what man is capable of .... and not what we are.

A Final Tribute To Neil Armstrong

Neil Armstrong To Be Buried At Sea: Family -- Reuters

CLEVELAND (Reuters) - U.S. astronaut Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, will be buried at sea, family spokesman Rick Miller said on Thursday.

Armstrong died on August 25 following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures. He was 82.

A public memorial service will be held at the Washington National Cathedral on September 13 and will be broadcast live on NASA Television and streamed online at nasa.gov and nationalcathedral.org.

Read more ....

My Comment: I guess he does not want a grave-site turned into a public memorial and place for those to gather and acknowledge his moon-walk accomplishment.