Southwest Research Institute’s Post

Axiom Space announced today plans to accelerate its commercial space station by changing how it assembles Axiom Station and help NASA prepare to deorbit the International Space Station. Earlier this week, NASA published its Low Earth Orbit Microgravity Strategy which outlines why NASA wants a "continuous heartbeat" in space (and what that even means) with a diversity of commercial LEO destination providers. And Roscosmos clarified when Russia plans to exit the ISS partnership. I discuss the likelihood NASA's LEO plans are going to happen as envisioned in the new administration and the major research that is not being done but needs to happen to expand humanity off-Earth. Watch to learn more: https://lnkd.in/efjZfBU3

The Space Review's weekly newsletter covers various topics related to space exploration and the future of human presence in the International Space Station (LEO). The newsletter discusses the conversion of Space Launch Complex 6 at Vandenberg Air Force Base into a shuttle launch pad in the 1970s, the mysterious Manned Orbital Laboratory concepts, and the plans for a future commercial space station to support NASA and other customers. The newsletter also discusses the tradeoffs of extending satellite lifetimes versus mitigating orbital debris, and the processes by which NASA decides to continue some science missions. The newsletter also reviews the James Webb Space Telescope, which is now in routine operations and has largely forgotten its past problems. The Space Review welcomes feedback and is actively soliciting articles for future issues. If you have an article or article idea, please email it to Jeff Foust, Editor of The Space Review.

A new satellite has been launched into space, with a key distinguishing feature – it's made of wood. Set to be in orbit for six months, LignoSat was constructed using the Japanese technique of honoki, which forgoes the use of glue or screws. It's designed to help researchers evaluate how wood endures conditions in space, including cosmic radiation. Video credit: NASA

Powering the future of deep-space exploration isn't easy. With challenges like radiation-hardened components and reliability constraints, aerospace applications lag behind terrestrial power density advancements. This talk dives into NASA's groundbreaking Dragonfly mission to Saturn's moon Titan and explores the hurdles of designing power grids for the Lunar surface and other high-reliability space applications. Watch now and uncover the future of power in deep space: https://buff.ly/4fR6hYI

so helpful for future exploration.

For anyone interested in learning how scientists are identifying potentially habitable exoplanets using the James Webb space telescope, this is a really great post from NASA. It explains what transit and spectroscopy are and how they are used when attempting to identify characteristics of known exoplanets. It also discusses challenges specific to Webb and how combining it's observations with data from the upcoming Roman space telescope mission will lay the foundation for discovery with the future Habitable Worlds observatory. https://lnkd.in/e3GEHm9K

I'm excited to share our latest blog post that delves into an intriguing aspect of NASA's operations. Our article discusses the ongoing challenges related to Orion's heat shield and why these issues are being handled with an unusual level of confidentiality. This development raises important questions about transparency in space exploration. To gain insights into this situation and explore the implications for future missions, read the full article here: https://ift.tt/yElqAx8.

NASA-funded project offers new insights into fire behavior in space Testing in microgravity reveals materials can burn at lower-than-expected oxygen levels. Now, engineers from UC Berkeley and NASA have teamed up to conduct remote, robot-operated flammability testing aboard the International Space Station. https://lnkd.in/gmxsaJZD

Why is the space station up there? The space station is Earth's only microgravity laboratory. This football field-sized platform hosts a plethora of science and technology experiments that are continuously being conducted by crew members, or are automated. Research aboard the orbiting laboratory holds benefits for life back on Earth, as well as for future space exploration. The space station serves as a testbed for technologies and allows us to study the impacts of long-term spaceflight to humans, supporting NASA's mission to push human presence farther into space. Learn more about the research happening on the space station, and opportunities to conduct your science there.

Webb meets a web 🕸️ Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, researchers identified new galaxies in the developing galaxy known as Spiderweb, using Webb's infrared capabilities, which can peer through cosmic dust more easily than using visible light. https://lnkd.in/e27q4Wrs