Short Takes – 9-17-24 – Space Geek Edition

Polaris Dawn Flight Day 5 Update. @PolarisProgram on X.com. Pull quote: “Throughout the day, the crew continued to test Starlink, including a 40+ minute, uninterrupted video call with SpaceX teams back on Earth, which took place as Dragon orbited across the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Cape of Good Hope. The plaser in Dragon’s trunk and the partner Starlink satellite for the event maintained their laser link during 16 Draco thruster firings.”

Polaris Dawn Astronauts Return to Earth After First Private Spacewalk. NYTimes.com article (free). Pull quote: “During a news conference before the launch, Mr. Isaacman mused that one day, someone might step onto Mars wearing a version of the spacesuit that SpaceX had developed for this flight. Closer to Earth, commercial spacewalks also present other possibilities, like technicians repairing private satellites in orbit.”

So what are we to make of the highly ambitious, private Polaris spaceflight? ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “So why? Why take such risks? Because the final frontier, after nearly seven decades of spaceflight, remains largely unexplored. If it is human destiny to one day expand to other worlds, and eventually other stars, we're going to need to do so with more than a few government astronauts making short sorties. To open space there must be lower cost access and commercial potential.”

New video shows how tiny spacecraft will 'swarm' Proxima Centauri. Phys.org article. Pull quote: “While the Swarming Proxima Centauri concept did not receive Phase II or III funding from the NIAC this year, it remains a project worthy of study and further development. Like Breakthrough Starshot and other lightsail proposals, it showcases what interstellar missions will look like in the coming decades. In that respect, ideas like this also indicate that we are at a point in our history where exploring the nearest star systems is no longer considered a far-off idea that requires serious technological innovations to happen first.”

Studying stars from the lunar surface with MoonLITE, courtesy of NASA's commercial lunar payload services. Phys.org article. Pull quote: “Dr. van Belle concludes by telling Universe Today, "MoonLITE is super exciting, not just because it's a really high-impact experiment in a remarkably affordable package—but because it will show the whole approach works and can be taken much, much further.”

Mercantilism in outer space: discussing a political-economic approach for the Global South. TheSpaceReview.com article. Pull quote: “The reasonable solution to this is either major reforms in the UN Security Council or creating a new international governing body specifically related to activities in outer space that is more neutral in nature than the current United Nations. Pessimistic about the former, the latter scenario is more likely as the politics and economics of outer space further complexes. When such a scenario does arise, the Global South should be in a position to play a more active role in the making of such an institution and the creation of stronger space legislation. Thus, economically capable Global South states with an interest in outer space must pursue a defensive mercantilist policy and use outer space to the best of their abilities to strengthen their position economically and militarily on Earth so they too can have an equal presence in global power politics, refusing to be subordinates to the Global North’s interests.”