Sensors for Moon,Mars Landings to be Tested

A NASA-developed sensor suite and new computer will soon be tested in the course of a Blue Origin New Shepard rocket mission.The flight path of the rocket is relevant to lunar landings, NASA said, and it provides a unique opportunity to mature the suite's sensors and algorithms for Artemis crewed lunar landings by 2024 and Mars crewed landings in the 2030s.Blue Origin was chosen for a Tipping Point award in 2018 to increase access to planetary surfaces. The sensors and specialised software were produced under the Safe and Precise Landing Integrated Capabilities Evolution (SPLICE) programme.The New Shepard flight test will demonstrate the performance of two NASA precision landing sensor systems and the new computer in the first integrated test for the computer and two of the three SPLICE sensor systems.* During the approximately 12-minute mission,SPLICE will collect data on the operations of each component so the team can evaluate their effectiveness during the lunar-relevant descent and landing of the New Shepard reusable booster back on Earth.The data will anchor analyses and models,and support follow-on adjustments, testing and development.* Precision landing is crucial for the upcoming Artemis effort to build a lunar base over successive missions.So the test flight will help to bring about flexible,next-gen capabilities that NASA and its partners can apply to a variety of missions, NASA pointed out.The components can be mixed and matched to suit the mission.* A 24 September 2020 launch attempt had to be scrubbed, and the new launch date is pending.Blue Origin is a privately held company owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos.Its New Shepard rocket has flown 11 successful missions with landings.*

Blind Faith - One Of Us Must Know / Hey Joe (Jam) - A bit rough, but dreamlike at times as well.

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Orchestre de Paris, Marin Alsop, Khatia Buniatishvili 1

5.1. ASTROBIO - What makes a Planet Habitable? - Professor Charles Cockell, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh

Please note that some scientists recently detect a biosignature for life in the atmosphere of Venus, not on its surface.This is perhaps one of the exceptions Dr.Cockell cautions us about, giving the example of Jupiter's moon Europa.We should not be closed-minded in our search for extraterrestrial life.The necessary conditions for at least primitive life could possibly be in an atmosphere as well.
- Andrew Taylor

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Philharmonia Sessions: Beethoven and Vaughan Williams - 17 September 2020

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Hélène Grimaud – Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 20 in D Minor, K. 466: III. ... Great Hall of the University of Saltzburg - from her new album The Messenger

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Hélène Grimaud in the Great Hall of the University of Saltzburg - Silvestrov: The Messenger (For Piano Solo) - from her new concept album The Messenger,in which she couples the music of Valentin Silvestrov,a contemporary composer of Ukrainian origin, with Mozart

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Generation Space, Ep. 1: "Space-ics" - The official US Space Force podcast - Please note that most of the Space Force's current personnel are on assignment from the Air Force,and that they are being gradually transitioned into the Space Force over the next few years,plus this was recorded earlier in the Space Force creation process.This podcast was eventually taken over by the USSF.

On 24 July 2020, the US Space Force stood up several Space Deltas,or personnel groups,each of which has a specific space mission.One of them is Space Delta 2, which has the Space Domain Awareness mission.SD 2's mission is to to provide combat-ready SDA to deter aggression and defend the US and its Allies for space operations from, to and through
 the domain.The Commander of SD2 is COL Matthew Cantore.COL Cantore is a veteran of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.While serving at HQ US Air Force,COL Cantore and his team developed Air Force and EUCOM strategies to respond to a revanchist Russia, providing wartime operations to blunt aggression in air,space and cyberspace.In 2017,he was a Distinguished Graduate of the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode
Island with an MA in National Security and Strategic Studies.*
Recently COL Cantore sat down for an interview for Dvids (Department of Defense videos).He was definitely excited about heading SD2 and shared some details about the new unit.For example,he said that back in 2019, he had 10 squadrons under him focused on a number of discrete areas, including electronic warfare,missile warning,missile defence and Space Domain Awareness.Now, though, he and Space Delta 2 are soley focused on SDA, which means they can go deeper into the subject.Another big difference is the Schriever-Peterson Garrison.By standing up the Garrison, there is now a group that provides combat support to the Deltas, supporting the combat elements of the mission Delta with such entities as the Mission Support Group and Medical Group.
This is especially critical in light of the fact that SD2 is a worldwide organisation with 10 locations spread over four countries, from Dahlgren, Virginia to Vandenberg AFB,to Diego Garcia,Maui, Australia and so on.Indeed,there isn't at present even one operational SD2 unit at the Peterson AFB HQ Garrison in Colorado.*
COL Cantore noted that there are a number of new capabilities coming online in the near future,new telescopes and new radars such as the Space Surveillance Telescope
here and the Deep Space Advanced Radar capability in Australia.As well, the SPADOC command and control is being phased​ out by the new Atlas system.There will also be access to the Defense Weather Satellites and space environment monitoring.*
In closing,COL Cantore urged his troops to be flexible,as the mission is being developed in little pieces, and to share their ideas.The senior leadership needs to know what the space warfighters, civilians and contractors want the US Space Force to be.*

Introducing First Light: Rocket Lab's first Photon satellite in orbit

Rocket Lab is a privately held,Long Beach, California-based company with a wholly owned New Zealand subsidiary, where its launches are conducted.It was founded in 2006 by CEO Peter Beck,a New Zealand engineer.*
In 2021, Rocket Lab will launch the NASA CubeSat CAPSTONE on an Electron rocket and Photon spacecraft. CAPSTONE will support the Artemis human lunar exploration missions by testing and verifying the near rectilinear halo lunar orbit which will be used by the Lunar Gateway,a small space station that will provide astronauts with access to the lunar surface.In addition, CAPSTONE will test an advanced navigation system that will measure its position relative to NASA'S Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter without reliance on ground stations.Thus CAPSTONE is an early step in learning how to operate challenging missions in a cislunar orbit, laying the groundwork for future solar system exploration, according to Rocket Lab.*

4.3. ASTROBIO - The Great Oxidation Event - Professor Charles Cockell, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Edinburgh

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