Momentum - Business to Business Online Magazine MOMENTUM September 2018 | Page 36

Human Space Exploration Update By: Jimmy Spence Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership [email protected] • NASA's Orion spacecraft test module passes weight test, headed to Ohio for more work  At NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC) work continues on preparations for a critical April 2019 launch abort test of the Orion Crew Capsule, which is being developed to launch and land astronauts assigned to future missions of human deep space exploration. The abort system is designed to propel Orion and its four astronauts to safety if their Space Launch System (SLS) rocket were to malfunction on the launch pad or early in flight. • Digging into the details of Orion's EM-1 test flight  NASA's Exploration Mission-1 (EM-1) is shaping up into rigorous test of not only NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion capsule, but also their integration with the European Service Module that will provide in-space power and propulsion. The multi-week test flight, which will not be conducted with astronauts, will place the Orion capsule in a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. EM-1 is planned by mid-2020 • Vice President Pence announces first steps towards creating a new military branch for space  Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday ended any speculation over whether the Trump White House intends to establish a Space Force as a sixth branch of the U.S. military. "The time has come to establish the United States Space Force. It's not enough to have an American presence in space, we must have dominance," said Vice President Mike Pence from the White House. Now, Congress must agree.  (See also:  Pence calls for new U.S. Department of the Space Force by 2020) • Commercial Crew Astronauts Visit Boeing Facility, Launch Pad Five Commercial Crew astronauts recently visited Boeing’s facility at the Kennedy Space Center. Boeing is manufacturing the CST-100 Starliner at a former shuttle processing facility at Kennedy Space Center.  NASA is partnering with the private company, along with SpaceX, to taxi astronauts to the International Space Station. • Senate committee approves Space Frontier Act The Space Frontier Act, which includes bipartisan provisions that would extend NASA's direct support of the International Space Station from 2025 --as proposed by the White House -- to 2030,  moves from the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee to the full Senate for consideration. U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who chairs the Committee's Space, Science and Competitiveness Subcommittee, is hopeful the measure could reach the president for signature by the end of this congressional session. But the 2025/2030 Station support date issue and other provisions conflict with the administration's priorities. (See also:  NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine: 2024 Space Station funding cut off may not be possible and  NASA IG skeptical of NASA's commercial space station timetable) • Lockheed Martin gives first look into where astronauts may live on missions to deep space Lockheed Martin is among a half dozen companies under contract to NASA to develop prototypes for a four person "RV" concept to serve as a habitat for U.S. space explorers who depart NASA's planned human tended, Lunar Gateway for destinations deeper into space. Lockheed uses the Donatello Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, which dates to the shuttle era for the launching of supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) during the assembly years. NASA could select a design a concept by the end this year. MOMENTUM / September 2018 35