Short Takes – 8-1-23

Biden overturns Trump decision to move Space Command HQ from Colorado to Alabama. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““This was really a decision based on one thing and one thing only for a president and that was operational readiness,” Kirby said. “He took the inputs of many leaders across the Department of Defense that when it came down to it, he believes that it’s in the best national security interest of the country if we leave Space Command in Colorado.””

Tuberville blasts Biden’s Space Command decision: ‘This is absolutely not over’. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: ““I [Rep Rogers (R,AL}] will continue this investigation to see if they intentionally misled the Armed Services Committee on their deliberate taxpayer-funded manipulation of the selection process. I will continue to hold the Biden administration accountable for their egregious political meddling in our national security.””

Military nominees still stalled by Tuberville hold, with Senate gone until September. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “As of Thursday, 301 military nominees had not yet reached the U.S. Senate floor for approval, normally a smooth and quick process for the upper chamber, which approves the nominees in large blocs.”

NASA Mars Ascent Vehicle continues progress toward Mars sample return. Phys.org article. Pull quote: “"This test demonstrates our nation has the capacity to develop a launch vehicle that can successfully be lightweight enough to get to Mars and robust enough to put a set of samples into orbit to bring back to Earth," said MAV Propulsion Manager Benjamin Davis at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. "The hardware is telling us that our technology is ready to proceed with development."”

Notice of President's National Security Telecommunications Advisory Committee Meeting. Federal Register DHS meeting notice. Agenda: “The NSTAC will hold a conference call on Tuesday, September 26, 2023, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. ET to discuss current NSTAC activities and the government's ongoing cybersecurity and NS/EP communications initiatives. This meeting is open to the public and will include: (1) remarks from the administration and CISA leadership on salient NS/EP and cybersecurity efforts; (2) a deliberation and vote on the NSTAC Letter to the President on Securing Next Generation Wireless Telecommunications; and (3) a deliberation and vote on the NSTAC Report to the President on Addressing the Abuse of Domestic Infrastructure by Foreign Malicious Actors.”

NSF Federal Cyber Scholarship-for-Service Program (CyberCorps® SFS). Federal Register NSF final rule. Summary: “The rule establishes repayment standards for CyberCorps® SFS scholarship recipients who fail to fulfill program requirements, and the process for requesting deferral or discharge of their service or repayment obligation, in whole or part. The rule also requires that, during the period that they are performing their service obligation under the program, scholarship recipients must provide annual documentation of their service employment and their current contact information.” Effective date August 31^st, 2023.

Pipeline Safety: Requirement of Valve Installation and Minimum Rupture Detection Standards: Technical Corrections. Federal Register PHMSA technical correction. Summary: “PHMSA is issuing editorial and technical corrections clarifying the regulations promulgated in its April 8, 2022, final rule titled “Pipeline Safety: Requirement of Valve Installation and Minimum Rupture Detection Standards” for certain gas, hazardous liquid, and carbon dioxide pipelines. The final rule also codifies the results of judicial review of that final rule.” Comma locations matter.

SpaceX tested ‘mega-steel pancake’ water deluge system for Starship. TechCrunch.com article. Pull quote: “Of course, the timing of the next Starship flight test is not entirely up to SpaceX. The company must receive a green light from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the regulator with authority over all rocket launches, and which grounded Starship after the last test resulted in the rocket exploding in mid-air. Grounding the rocket was entirely expected and routine given the way the test concluded, but SpaceX still needs regulatory approval before the next flight test.”

Nuclear powered spaceship will carry the first humans to Mars. TheEarth.com article. Pull quote: “Apart from speeding up transit, the NTR propulsion system also promises increased safety for astronauts. Reduced travel duration translates into a decreased risk of exposure to deep-space radiation and a smaller logistical footprint due to the lesser quantity of supplies required for the trip. “If we have swifter trips for humans, they are safer trips,” said NASA deputy administrator and former astronaut Pam Melroy.” An extrapolation of the current DRACO research program.