K2 Space Corporation’s Post

Today marks the beginning of World Space Week. This year's theme is "Space and Climate Change."🪐 Some historical background: World Space Week, established by the United Nations in 1999 and celebrated annually from October 4-10, brings together thousands of organizations and individuals from around the world to celebrate contributions and achievements in space exploration. Just imagine: in 2023 World Space Week was celebrated with more than 16,000 events taking place in 83 different countries! Our initiatives are traditionally included in World Space Week events, and we have been adding them to the global map of space events for many years. In 2024, the international space community is actively discussing the significant link between space exploration and climate change. This topic encourages us to dig deeper into the research to understand how space is essential for sustainable development on Earth. This World Space Week theme has become a central topic of the NASA Space Apps Challenge 2024 hackathon, as “The Sun Touches Everything” is about the sun, space, and its impact on everything around us. This year, for the eighth time, Noosphere is serving as the organizer for the local stage of the NASA Space Apps Challenge Dnipro👌🏽 You still have time to register! Follow the link below: https://lnkd.in/dtr8uasY In the meantime, we will continue to popularize science, technology, and space exploration during World Space Week and every other week of the year too 😉

On May 1st, I stepped down as the AIAA Space Logistics TC Chair, passing the torch to Paul Grogan. Serving in this role since January 2017, I've witnessed significant changes over the years. Back when I started this position, presenting papers on space logistics, including ISRU and on-orbit servicing, felt like exploring science fiction territory for many. I recall presenting our work on the impact of ISRU on human space exploration at NASA HQ in 2016, where we encountered some skepticism. Similarly, participating in the 2018 Roundtable on OSAM at the White House introduced the term OSAM, which was unfamiliar to many at the time. To be honest, I hesitated to use the term 'space logistics' as my area of expertise back then, because not many recognized that as a research field. Fast forward to 2024, and the landscape has drastically changed. ISRU is now an integral part of NASA's Artemis program, while OSAM/ISAM plays a critical role in the Department of Defense's operations. Additionally, 'space logistics' has found its place in the doctrine of the United States Space Force. In fact, nowadays, the term 'space logistics' is almost used as a buzzword in conferences. The transformation is remarkable. I'm proud to have played a role in driving this trend forward, together with visionaries including Olivier L. de Weck and others. Paul told me that I helped the TC navigate the 'space winter' and now the 'space spring' has come, which is one of the most rewarding acknowledgments I've received. I hope we will continue enjoying the 'space spring' with more innovations and breakthroughs. P.S. I want to add that I am and will continue actively contributing to the space logistics field. Right now, I'm leading an AFOSR SURI project, ATLAS, on the space logistics topic (https://lnkd.in/gvxFbs52) and am also serving as a Steering Committee member of COSMIC. Looking forward to continuing working on this exciting research area.

Humanity is bound for the stars, but we must preserve the outer space environment now in order for future generations to succeed. Today, I announced volume one of NASA’s integrated space sustainability strategy—our whole-of-agency strategy for tackling this dire issue. Volume one addresses Earth orbit—the first of the four domains where action is most critical. We commit to releasing similar strategies for the other three domains. Humanity is witnessing the aerospace ecosystem undergoing rapid changes. Every day, it seems, there is a new entrant into the space market who wants to tap into the rewards of exploring the cosmos. However, the truth is, with all the new entrants, activity, and capabilities, we’re making it harder on ourselves without a comprehensive strategy for space sustainability. If we want to keep growing in a positive direction, we must organize ourselves better to preserve the outer space environment for generations to come. Our new space sustainability strategy leverages our scientific and technical expertise to focus on further advancements the agency can make to address the mounting challenges, including providing global leadership, supporting equitable access to space, and ensuring NASA's missions and operations enhance space sustainability. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/e965vDdJ

As we stand a week away from Leap Day (29th February), I find myself pondering not just on science underlying the day itself, but on the systems we built to manage the complexity of nature. It's fascinating to consider that while we eagerly celebrate the New Year on January 1st, the actual moment we complete a full revolution around the sun – and thereby, the true "new year" – aligns closely with the calendar year only once every four years, in the year following a Leap Year. This realization puts a delightful twist on our New Year celebrations. If we were to align our celebrations with the precise moment we complete an orbit around the sun, we'd be celebrating:  around 12AM on 2nd January in 2024, correctly in 2025, around 8 AM on 1st January 2026, around 4 PM on 1st January 2027, and around 12AM 2nd January 2028 and so on. This is a simplified explanation, but the underlying concept is slighly more complex. I am truly amazed at the beautiful complexity of our universe and the systems we've constructed to make sense of it. In this spirit of discovery and appreciation, we are thrilled to choose Leap Day as the launch date for our latest venture See Through Market. Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

"Advancing Next-Gen Space Station Tech with Sierra Space and NASA. Sierra Space, a leading commercial space-tech company that is Building a Platform in Space to Benefit Life on Earth®, announced today that its expandable space station technology successfully passed a seventh key validation test, and second full-scale structural test, at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The results herald a giant leap towards building the world’s first end-to-end business and technology platform in Low Earth Orbit, enabling humanity to find the answers to some of the toughest problems faced on Earth. Completion of the successful Ultimate Burst Pressure test, which occurred on June 18 in collaboration with ILC Dover Astrospace and NASA, accelerates Sierra Space’s revolutionary softgoods technology towards on-orbit operations. Planned for an initial stand-alone pathfinder mission before the end of the decade, the technology will also feature as a key element of the Orbital Reef commercial space station. The test will close out Milestone #8 for Orbital Reef with Blue Origin under NASA’s Commercial Low Earth Orbit Development Program. " Sierra Space

Low earth orbit is getting increasingly crowded, and space stakeholders including NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration are ramping up their sustainability strategies (https://lnkd.in/gqnnnreD) to better understand space sustainability and the potential risks posed by space debris. Thrilled to be involved with interdisciplinary modeling efforts to integrate economic behavior into space debris studies.   Big thanks to Joey Kilpatrick who worked with me this summer to develop the OPUS User Guide (https://lnkd.in/gsVy-qZy). OPUS is an open-source, coupled economic-physical debris model for LEO that was an output (https://lnkd.in/gC3JEnYF) from a previous NASA ROSES grant (with Marcus Holzinger, Mark Moretto, Akhil Rao, and Brian Weeden). In OPUS, launch decisions account for space debris and the evolving space environment, and the orbital debris model incorporates those launch decisions. The new OPUS User Guide is intended to be a user-friendly (illustrated!) walkthrough to assist researchers and policymakers with using OPUS as a tool to explore a wide variety of possible space scenarios. Want to understand how satellite operators would respond to new large constellations or a change in post-mission disposal rules? The OPUS User Guide can help get you up and running on OPUS quickly. We will be extending OPUS to look at active debris removal in our recently awarded NASA ROSES grant “Integrated Economic-Debris Modeling of Active Debris Removal to Inform Space Sustainability and Policy” (https://lnkd.in/gesHYuMq) with Mark Moretto, Marcus Holzinger, Zack Donohew, Ian Christensen and Miles Lifson.

ICYMI: a media snippet ✂ Post: Space Industry’s Many Potential Future Paths “...the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men, and the view of the ripe hills is blotted with talking wires, where is the thicket?”--Chief Seattle A few readers of some of my analyses have encountered my desire to see more diversity in the space industry and more opportunities for others to participate. They’ve likely seen my views about the lack of imagination from those within the space industry. It seems to me that diversity of backgrounds and viewpoints helps keep the lack of imagination at bay. Space-Age Challenges, Age-old Responses The key to the space industry's success is broadening the people and nations participating in it–businesses are made of people. They help the space industry despite itself and its recycled visions stemming from Cold War ideas. Hopefully, the number of commercial companies will grow, so there will be more participation and opportunity in the space industry’s activities. The increase in the variety of industry participants will also help prevent it from developing tunnel vision (that whole lack of imagination thing) and become more accepting of viewpoints. An article posted in late August 2024 observes space-industry tunnel vision in the context of a new space-age colonialism. The article's author does not mention tunnel vision specifically but worries about the seeming inevitability of a resurgence in how people exploit newly accessible natural resources–greedily and without regard for consequences, usually at the expense of others. Based on this paper, others appear to be worried about space colonialism as well. Their worries are justified based on world history. Recent space industry responses to other viewpoints amplify the need to worry. Take the philosophical and religious viewpoints of those who see space as a sacred domain. Some believe their ancestors are waiting above the Earth to guide their spirits to the galaxy (a charming and exciting story). They might be concerned about the impact of satellites orbiting the Earth and plans to colonize other planets. Earlier this year, another group sent concerns to NASA about sending human remains to the Moon. The Navajo view the Moon as sacred. NASA’s response to those concerns missed the point, probably intentionally:  "With these new opportunities and new ways of doing business, we recognize that some non-NASA commercial payloads can be a... Read it in full, at: https://lnkd.in/eBm54wyC

 [BOOK] Excited to share that we just received a copy of Space Feminisms (People, Planets, Power) featuring Nelly! "It’s a book bringing together multiple pluralistic perspectives on space, including post-war narratives, decolonial narratives, and feminist views from an extraterrestrial lens, which I find quite exciting," explains Nelly. Co-edited by Marie-Pier Boucher, Claire Webb, Annick Bureaud, and Nahum, and published by Bloomsbury Publishing, this book examines how scientific, popular, scholarly, and artistic imaginations of outer space have, since the 1950s, reflected Earthly hopes, anxieties, and futures. Space Feminisms sees outer space as a material reality encoding humans’ self-perceptions of their planet and beyond. It employs a global approach to feminist theory, cultivating radical and alternative inquiries around outer space. The book includes essays from leading scholars, contemporary artworks, and interviews with NASA astronauts, drawing new connections between feminist thought and extraterrestrial power structures. Get your hard copy by following the link in our bio or online! Use the following discount codes to save 35% on https://lnkd.in/eFz99u2W. https://lnkd.in/e_5T3mQj Discount code: GLR AR9 #SpaceFeminisms #OuterSpace #Feminisim #NellyBenHayoun #NellyBenHayounStepanian #BloomsburyPublishing #NASA #SpaceArt #decolonialpractices #space @gaitelyrique @Astroland @NASA #NellyBenhayounStudios #NellyBen @#SpaceFeminisms #FeministExploration #STEAM #Womeninstem #Womxninsteam 

𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 “𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒅𝒐 𝒘𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒘𝒆 𝒏𝒆𝒆𝒅?” Last week, a chapter from 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 titled "𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘮 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘚𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘚𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦" offered a profound insight. It illuminated the essence of delving deeper into problems before jumping to solutions. Consider this: NASA's quest for a pen that functions in space led them to spend lavishly, resulting in the iconic Space Pen by Fisher Pen Company. Meanwhile, the Soviet space program opted for a simpler solution—pencils. (The reasons pencils are no longer used in space is a tale for another time.) Here's where it gets interesting. NASA fixated on creating a space-friendly pen, but perhaps missed the fundamental question: What's our real need? The Soviets approached it from a basic need—We need to take notes in space. This simple shift in perspective opens up a plethora of solutions, from pencils to voice recorders, each with its own set of pros and cons. This got me thinking about the importance of asking "Why?" before jumping to solutions: Why did NASA want a space pen? —𝘛𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘴. But, why take notes in space? —𝘛𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘣𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘰𝘳𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. The "𝒘𝒉𝒚" unveils the problem space, it shapes our definition of the problem space, fundamentally influencing our path to the solution. When the goal is to capture observations, solutions might range from a pen to a pencil or even a voice recorder. Yet, if the objective shifts to recording space coordinates, our solutions could evolve towards note-taking methods or sophisticated programs integrated into the space shuttle's systems. What's your take on navigating problem spaces to spark innovation? Have you experienced a moment where asking "why" led you to a breakthrough? #InnovationMindset #ProblemSolving #LeanProductDevelopment #DesignThinking #CriticalThinking #anujshiva

The new face of space! I love this photo from the latest NASA / Space X crew launch. Young, diverse, vibrant, emotional people. Carving a path for the next generation of space travel, research and exploration. Inspired by some of our recent space work through Possible / Earth and Space Missions, I have been regularly repeating the phrase: "Science is how we understand nature. Nature is how we experience science." This is a particularly important sentiment when it comes to space, because so many of us can be quick to forget that space is the purist form of nature that we can seek to understand and experience. And in doing so, we can discover more inventive and complex ways of support the longevity of the natural world that supports our existence here on earth. I had call with Yoga from Blue Skies Space recently, where he told me that by better understanding how exo-planets are affected by solar flare activity, we better predict how our planet will respond to extreme space weather conditions, and this work smarter to predict and protect our own climate and environment of Earth. This is exactly why we need to believe in this work. This is exactly why we need everyone to feel represented in space. This is exactly why we need need a greater diversity of skills, experience and motivations showing up in our Earth and Space Missions. CC: Melissa Quinn, Bianca Cefalo, Brian Lim