ASCEND’s Post

Today is National Astronaut Day. And while NOTU salutes all our country’s astronauts, we give a special “shout out” to those who have served and are currently serving the U.S. Navy. Before NASA, the U.S. Navy was reaching for the stars…literally, through its Naval Research Laboratory and Office of Naval Research and their involvement in atmospheric and high-altitude research. According to the NASA Astronaut Fact Book, “NASA has selected 360 astronaut candidates: 299 men, 61 women; 212 military, 138 civilians; 191 pilots, 159 non-pilots.” And of the 212 military, nearly half were naval aviators. In fact, the Naval History and Heritage Command website writes: “On Oct. 1, 1958, naval aviation produced the first astronauts. Approximately half of NASA astronauts, including the first American in space and the first to orbit earth, were naval aviators. Of the 12 men who walked on the moon, seven were naval aviators, including the first and the last.” You may ask why is May 5 National Astronaut Day. Well, on May 5th, 1961, Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr. became the first American in space aboard the Freedom 7 spacecraft. Though this brief suborbital flight only lasted 15 minutes and reached a height of only 116 miles into the atmosphere, it was an incredible milestone and a trailblazing example of heroic bravery. And guess what…Shepard was in the Navy. For more information about the Navy’s involvement with space exploration, visit https://lnkd.in/eXnnJYdq

🌌🚀 China and Russia plan to establish a #lunar base with international partners, while the U.S. lags behind. To compete, we need to utilise our vast knowledge resource: the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The DoD's expertise in remote, harsh environments can aid NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration in #Moon base planning. Existing doctrine, logistics, and expeditionary capabilities can be leveraged to win this competition. 🌖🇺🇸 See Colonel Matthew Beverly, PE, PMP, Lt. Col. (Ret.) Patrick Suermann, and Captain Arpan Patel, PE, PMP, "To win the new space race, NASA and the DoD need to shift their collaboration into high gear," in SpaceNews #Lunapolitics #USA https://lnkd.in/gV97vidt

Developing new technology is tough, and pushing it to market prematurely can lead to failure. NASA created Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), a 9-level scale to assess the maturity of your technology, helping to identify development needs and risks. From basic principles (TRL 1) to proven systems (TRL 9), TRLs guide you through the journey. Widely used by NASA, the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Energy (DoE), and others, TRLs are crucial for government contracts and innovation. Don’t get stuck in the “Valley of Death” - let our experts help you succeed! Learn more about TRLs here: https://buff.ly/4cG2dtM

Latest News Former US military Space System Commander, Rudy Ridolfi, lays down three possible scenarios of the stranded astronauts' return to earth onboard Starliner. Here's all you need to know

A report titled “Building an Enduring Advantage in the Third Space Age” was released by the American Enterprise Institute. The report provides three sets of recommendations to accelerate the engine of innovation in the US space sector: • Reduce obstacles for new launch vehicles and companies. • Press the advantage to accelerate US military and intelligence space missions. • Enhance the lure of international partner­ships with NASA to achieve broader space policy goals. Download the report here: https://lnkd.in/gzYny4Ze

Between work, professional development, personal development, passion projects, college, dad stuff, and life’s curveballs it’s not unusual for my wife to poke her head into my office at 5:30 pm and tell me I still haven’t told her what I want for breakfast. It's also not unusual for a naysayer or two to chime in with a back-handed compliment about how my drive is hurting myself or my family. “Give yourself a break.” “Stop trying to do so much.” “You should spend more time with your family.” But some of us are just driven, and to tell us any of the above is to tell us to stop breathing. Now, I won’t be going to space anytime soon (ever), but I do have a handful of goals across various life domains that seem lofty - borderline arrogant - when listed out, yet perfectly reasonable when taken one-at-a-time. And anytime I feel myself listening to those well-meaning voices, or giving credibility to the naysayers who raise an eyebrow at the scope of my vision alone, I look at guys like Jonny Kim and remember that, big picture, there’s a good chance I’m still aiming low. It's taken me a while to come to terms with my drive. And until I did, I had to navigate both the exhaustion that comes from the actual work and the exhaustion from the guilt and shame of doing so much work. “I love you and I know you mean well, but I’m fine and will let you know when I need a break.” “Let me worry about what I should or shouldn’t want. You worry about yourself.” If you’re driven - to the point friends and family worry about you - and you want to play your own game, get comfortable with some variation of the above statements. You’ll need them if you’re ever going to live true. And that’s the real power of Jonny Kim's story: it gives ambitious people like us permission to ignore the naysayers and try. Driving yourself harder than most people can fathom is just our nature. To listen to the voices, even the well-meaning ones, dishonors that nature. It dishonors our very existence. Only by allowing ourselves to set and pursue these absurdly wide-ranging, sky-high goals without shame or apology do we honor ourselves. Only then do we live true. Have a great trip up there, Jonny.

The existence of OSC comes as a surprise to most but makes sense when considering the role and impact space has on the economy, trade, and promoting of a free and liberal democratic world order—in a similar fashion as the Navy and Merchant Marines. Moreover, space yields solutions to global problems as well as national security but is challenged by competitors, adversaries, and belligerent factions that prefer to limit a fair and free Space. This list can guide organizations, young Americans, partners and allies to help increase competence, value, and productivity in space while facilitating probability of successfully securing national and global interests. But it starts with knowing, and this is a good step.

Given the importance of space in national security and today's economies, the development of such standards is an important part of U.S. economic statecraft.