ELON MUSK IS ABOUT TO LAUNCH A LETHAL PATHOGEN INTO SPACE -- IT MIGHT JUST SAVE YOUR LIFE - February 14, 2017 won't be just any Valentine's Day. On that day, SpaceX and Elon Musk will launch a lethal pathogen into space and deliver it to the International Space Station. The pathogen is called methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, also known as MRSA, causes very frequent and difficult to treat infections in hospitalized patients. One of the main clinical concerns is that this superbug is rapidly becoming resistant to most currently available antibiotics. Simply put, the pathogen is lethal and it's going to take a grand effort to stop it. And that just might include space travel! After launch and once MRSA is on board, it will be used in a fascinating study to examine the impact of near-zero gravity on gene expression and mutation patterns.    More
(Source: Forbes - Feb 4)

LAUNCH WOES DIMINISH DEMAND FOR SMALL SATELLITES - hallenges finding launches for small satellites not only decreased the number of such spacecraft launched last year but also have depressed long-term demand, according to a new forecast. The 2017 Nano/Microsatellite Market Forecast, published Feb. 1 by Atlanta-based SpaceWorks Enterprises Inc., projects that up to 2,400 satellites weighing between 1 and 50 kilograms will be seeking a launch from 2017 through 2023. That is 20 percent less than the projection for such satellites seeking launch from 2016 through 2022 in the company’s forecast last year. A major reason for that decline is launch. Delays in launches in recent years, caused by launch vehicle failures and other setbacks, have reduced the number of smallsats launched in the last two years.   More
(Source: SpaceNews - Feb 3)

EYE IN THE SKY: HOW SATELLITE PHOTOS HELP US LEARN ABOUT OUR WORLD - Photos... from... spaaaaaaaace. I'm going to assume you've checked out satellite photos of your house. Why wouldn't you, right? Depending where you live, the image resolution might be high enough for you to make out the car in your driveway. DigitalGlobe is one of the main purveyors of satellite photos, pictures taken with telescopes in orbit and beamed down from space. You can find its images on Google Maps and Google Earth, among others. The company's Instagram account shows incredible slices of the world. Its images also appear in other places including the super popular Daily Overview.   More
(Source: CNET - Feb 3)

STUNNING SPACE STATION IMAGE CAPTURES EARTH’S NATURAL ‘CHECKERBOARD’ - As well as capturing some awe-inspiring images of outer space, the International Space Station often takes some intriguing photos of life on Earth. Its latest offering shows an impressive natural checkerboard pattern photographed above Idaho. A photo taken on board the ISS this week shows how the intermingling of the natural world and mankind can accidentally create some stunning aerial photos.   More
(Source: RT - Feb 3)

IT'S NO ACCIDENT THIS NASA SATELLITE LOOKS LIKE ORIGAMI - If you’ve ever done origami, you might created a paper crane or 3D heart. Now, inspired by the Japanese art, NASA is developing an origami radiator for satellites. This “smart” radiator that can remove or retain heat on satellites. It can be easily folded up, thanks to its V-groove origami structure. This is helpful because when the satellite is launching, the radiator can fold to a small size, and then expand once it’s in space.   More
(Source: Inverse - Feb 2)

QB50 MISSION – DOWNLINK FREQUENCY DETAILS - The first of the QB50 CubeSats that are destined for deployment from the International Space Station are now awaiting their turn to be uplifted to the ISS. In addition to the ISS deployments it is planned that there will be two further batches launched using other vehicles.   More
(Source: AMSAT UK - Feb 2)

A JAPANESE SPACE JUNK REMOVAL EXPERIMENT HAS FAILED IN ORBIT - An experimental space junk "collector" has glitched during its first orbital test. The system, designed by the Japanese space agency (JAXA) and a fishing net company, should have unfurled a 700-meter (2,300 ft) tether from a space station resupply vehicle that was returning to Earth. According to JAXA scientists, however, the system appears to have faltered. Space junk is a growing problem in low-Earth orbit. Since the beginning of the space age, debris as small as flecks of paint and as large as whole satellites and parts of rocket boosters...   More
(Source: Seeker - Feb 1)

RUSSIAN PROGRESS MS-03 DEPARTS INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION - With the undocking of a Russian Progress cargo ship from the International Space Station (ISS), only two spacecraft remain at the outpost – a rarity in an era of high visiting vehicle traffic. Progress MS-03 undocked at 9:25 a.m. EST (14:25 GMT) on Jan. 31, 2017, from the Pirs docking compartment on the Earth-facing side of the ISS after spending six months there. The spacecraft launched on July 16, 2016, from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and docked two days later. It brought with it 5,500 pounds (2,500 kilograms) of supplies, food, and equipment for then Expedition 48.    More
(Source: SpaceFlight Insider - Feb 1)

ISRO TO LAUNCH STANDBY NAVIGATION SATELLITE TO REPLACE IRNSS-1A - India will launch one of its back up navigation satellites this year as a replacement to IRNSS-1A satellite, whose three atomic clocks have failed, an official of the Indian space agency said on Monday. The official denied the existence of similar problems with the rubidium atomic clocks in another navigation satellite. "The atomic clocks have failed in only one satellite. We will be launching the stand-by satellite this year.    More
(Source: NDTV - Feb 1)

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