HEKA

Don’t miss the live coverage for SpaceX’s Crew - 6 mission launch on Sunday, the 26th!

The Falcon 9 rocket with its Dragon spacecraft atop, is set to launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space, Florida on Feb 26th, targeted for 2:07 am. The spacecraft is scheduled to dock at the space-facing port of the Harmony module at 2:54 am on Feb 27. The Harmony module is an internal connecting port and passageway to the international science labs and cargo spacecraft.

What is their role?

Crew-6 will conduct scientific research that includes various concepts and experiments like analyzing specific material burns in microgravity, biological research like tissue chips on the heart and brain, collecting microbial samples from the outside of the space station, and many more!

ISS is a place where astronauts have lived and worked for more than 22 years. These kinds of commercial crew missions/research activities enable NASA to test new technologies in an innovative way and help pave a way for long-duration missions through the Artemis Program!

NASA Sets Coverage for Agency’s SpaceX Crew-6 Events, Launch NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-6 mission with astronauts to the International Space Station.

Is space debris steadily increasing?

The number of space debris and the total areas they take up in orbit has been an increasing issue since the space age. This is further fueled by in-orbit break-ups of spacecraft due to several external factors. With orbital velocities, even a small screw can hit with a very high force, thus making it extremely challenging to avoid.

On the brighter side, several guidelines and techniques are being implemented that comply with debris mitigation measures. To name one, ClearSpace, a start-up that focuses on space debris removal and in-orbit servicing, recently raised about $28.9 million for its first space debris removal mission.

Scheduled to launch in 2026, the mission commissioned by the European Space Agency is to remove a 112 kg Vespa secondary payload adapter left in the ArianeSpace Vega launch in 2013.

Learn about this debris removal spacecraft in the link below which has four robotic arms that can reach out and capture space junk. Once it grabs the debris, the spacecraft will push itself back into the Earth’s atmosphere. This is achieved by advanced GNC systems and vision based- AI, with which the chaser satellite can safely and autonomously close to the target body for capture.

What potential challenges do you think can arise that need to be addressed for framing strategic plans for debris removal?

ClearSpace Gets €26.7m For In-Orbit Servicing, Space Debris Removal | Aviation Week Network The financing will be used to help pay for the company’s first space debris removal mission.

Heard about the Deep Space Food Challenge?

It is a competition held by NASA, coordinated with the Canadian Space Agency that seeks several teams to create novel food production technologies for long-duration, outer space missions! The solution to this challenge can be a revolution that could create new paths to food production, support resource-scarce regions and provide support to disaster-prone regions.

Recently, in phase 2 of the public completion, NASA selected 11 finalists from among several teams around the world. This is a great approach to innovative creative methods that would make future voyagers stay comfortable in such isolated environments!

Some of the innovative systems include creating food using CO2 and fungal proteins and designing closed-loop systems to grow vegetables, where its technical feasibility is examined by a panel of judges. One exciting fact about this is that two of the teams, Kernel Deltech and Interstellar Lab are from Cape Canaveral and Meritt Island respectively! Deltech is focused on producing inactivated fungal biomass using a continuous cultivation technique. Interstellar focuses on producing fresh microgreens for long-term space applications.

The winners of the phase 2 challenge are scheduled to be announced in April 2023. Stay tuned for more info!

NASA Announces Finalists in Challenge to Design Future Astronaut Food NASA has selected 11 finalists in Phase 2 of the Deep Space Food Challenge, a public competition to extend the limits of humans in space – through food.

Ever heard of green hydrogen plants?

Hydrogen is produced by splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen using renewable electricity. This technology has the power to make a global transition to achieving net zero emissions and carbon-free electricity in the future.

Recently, Florida Power and Light company announced a project to create carbon-free energy. The FPL Cavendish NextGen Hydrogen Hub is the first green hydrogen plant in the sunshine state! This kind of pilot project is a great step to innovate technology that could lead to a completely carbon-free energy one day!

How does this work?

Water is split into hydrogen and oxygen using an electrolyzer. The oxygen is dissipated into the air and the hydrogen is stored in a compressed state. This will then be blended with natural gas at one of the power generation units. The major difference compared to conventional methods of hydrogen production is the elimination of carbon-di-oxide. Apart from this, this initiative can also create many high-paying jobs and economic benefits for the state!

It is interesting to see several advancements in using renewable energy sources. Read more about this initiative in the link attached below!

Florida Power & Light Company Prepares to Turn Water into Clean Energy at First-of-its-Kind Plant - Space Coast Daily Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) recently broke ground on a first-of-its-kind pilot program that will use sunlight and water to create carbon-free energy. The FPL Cavendish NextGen Hydrogen Hub is the first ‘green hydrogen’ plant of its kind in the Sunshine State.

Experiencing space travel is something that is being highly anticipated in recent times!!

The company Space Perspective becomes the first Global Space Travel Experience company. On November 15, 2022, Space Perspective unveiled MS Voyager, the world’s first Marine Spaceport for human spaceflight at the Kennedy Space Center. A spaceport is a site for launching and receiving spacecraft. This is a milestone leading to developing the concept of launching from Marine based sites. This adds great value to sustainability in space journeys. This also helps in removing obstacles with geographic borders to launch and land spacecraft.

With this concept, it is possible to easily navigate to areas with good weather conditions, thereby creating opportunities for all year-round operations. This development has so many advantages for building safe and sustainable space travel.

The investment of this company in the Space Coast provides several opportunities and developments in the workforce.
Follow the link below to learn more about Space Perspective!

SPACE PERSPECTIVE BECOMES FIRST GLOBAL SPACE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE COMPANY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE SPACE PERSPECTIVE BECOMES FIRST GLOBAL SPACE TRAVEL EXPERIENCE COMPANY Acquisition of the First in a Fleet of Ships to Be Converted into a Marine Spaceport (MS) Clears Path to International Scale The EDC is proud to

The recent Artemis I mission, which carried NASA’s uncrewed Orion spacecraft recently reached its farthest distance from Earth, about 268,563 miles away. The entire mission is 25.5 days, and the spacecraft recently reached its halfway point on Day 13. Flight controllers of this mission recently accomplished about 37.5% of the test objectives, a few of them to be evaluated during reentry, splashdown, and recovery.

The Exploration Ground Systems and the US Navy are beginning their initial operations of the recovery procedures for the spacecraft splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. Around 5640 pounds of propellants have been used, which was about 150 pounds less than the expected prelaunch values.

This mission surpassed the mission distance of Apollo 13, creating a new record for the spacecraft!

NASA’s Uncrewed Orion Reaches Farthest Distance from Earth it Will Travel During Artemis I Mission - Space Coast Daily NASA’s uncrewed Orion spacecraft reached the farthest distance from Earth it will travel during the Artemis I mission — 268,563 miles from our home planet — just after 3 p.m. CST. The spacecraft also captured imagery of Earth and the Moon together throughout the day, including of the Moon appe...