Month: August 2022

New rules needed to fix growing space debris problem, FCC says

NeRD

It’s time to modernize the fight against space junk, U.S. regulators say. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is pledging to update the rules it enacted just two years ago to address space debris, with a new focus on in-space servicing assembly and manufacturing (ISAM) risks and opportunities. “We believe the new space age needs new rules,” FCC chair Jessica Rosenworcel said in an Aug. 5 statement (opens in new tab). Existing regulations, she added, were generally “designed for a time when going to space was astronomically expensive and limited to the…

Read More

Watch live: VP Kamala Harris discusses commercial space progress

NeRD

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris will deliver a speech on the commercial space sector, and you can watch it live. Harris, the chair of the National Space Council, will discuss an update live on NASA Television at 4:35 p.m. EDT (2035 GMT). You can watch it here at Space.com, or on NASA Television directly (opens in new tab). The vice-president’s schedule says the speech will provide an update on “how the Biden-Harris administration will support the commercial space sector,” according to SpacePolicyOnline.com (opens in new tab).  Earlier in the day,…

Read More

‘Bouncing’ universe theory still can’t explain what came first

NeRD

New research highlights a troubling problem with concepts of a cyclical universe that experiences infinitely alternating periods of rapid expansion and contraction, known as ‘bouncing universe’ models. These bouncing universe models suggest the cosmos has no beginning, eliminating the need for a troubling singularity prior to the initial period of rapid inflation  — commonly known as the Big Bang —  needed by ‘beginning of time’ models.  University at Buffalo researchers say a newly suggested bouncing universe recipe that attempts to deal with the problem of entropy  —  the measure of unusable…

Read More

Meteor showers and shooting stars: Formation and history

NeRD

Meteor showers appear when crumbs of dust (meteoroids) from asteroids or comets enter Earth’s atmosphere at very high speeds. During their journey through the atmosphere, meteors rub against air particles, creating friction and heat. The heat then vaporizes most meteors, resulting in bright streaks of light across the sky, or shooting stars. Dust and particles perpetually bombard Earth from all directions occasionally resulting in solitary meteors. There also are regularly timed “meteor showers” when astronomers can make better predictions about how many meteors will hit Earth’s atmosphere, and from what…

Read More

Maxar will build 14 missile-tracking satellites for new warning system

NeRD

Maxar Technologies will help build a U.S. missile-warning satellite system. The Colorado-based company will supply 14 tracking satellites as a part of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) infrastructure in orbit to assist with U.S. anti-satellite weapon technology, Maxar announced (opens in new tab) Tuesday (Aug. 9). The satellites will be manufactured by 2024 for L3Harris Technologies, which along with Northrop Grumman are building the first two tranches of the SDA’s constellation. Maxar’s new announcement refers to the second batch of satellites, which L3Harris aims to launch in 2025. Maxar officials stated…

Read More