Short Takes – 3-19-25

Texas, New Mexico measles outbreak grows to more than 300. TheHill.com article. Pull quote: “According to the latest update from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), 279 measles cases have been reported in the state. In neighboring New Mexico, 38 cases have been confirmed as of Tuesday, totaling 317 cases across both states.”

Private Starlab space station moves into 'full-scale development' ahead of 2028 launch. Space.com article. Pull quote: “Starlab, a joint project between the U.S. space technology firm Voyager Space and European aerospace conglomerate Airbus, will consist of a service module and a habitat large enough to host four space tourists. Currently, the station is expected to launch in 2028 aboard SpaceX's Starship megarocket.”

Hazardous Materials: Request for Feedback on Determining the Effectiveness of Pressure Relief Devices (PRDs) on Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels (COPVs). Federal Register PHMSA request for comments. Summary: “PHMSA is publishing this notice to solicit information to evaluate the test design for proposed bonfire tests on fully charged composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) with different pressure relief devices; seek input on how test results could inform design guidelines for COPVs; and solicit feedback on the impacts of possible updates for design guidelines.” Comments due: June 17^th, 2025.

Feral pig bacteria retire to Florida man’s implanted heart device. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “The doctors say the case should raise awareness of the potential for brucellosis in Florida, particularly in patients with implanted cardiac devices. They note that there are more than a million feral swine in the state and any hunters are at risk. Moreover, they highlighted a small study from Saudi Arabia, where Brucella is endemic, that found that the bacteria were behind 11 percent of cardiac device infections.”

Exlabs and Antares form alliance to develop nuclear-powered spacecraft. Spacenews.com article. Pull quote: ““We see a growing interest in the national security space in extended-mission vehicles which require nuclear capabilities,” Schmidgall said. “National security and cislunar infrastructure are going to require these capabilities.””

Bird flu continues spread as Trump’s pandemic experts are MIA. ArsTechnica.com article. Pull quote: “The idea was quickly bashed by experts, who noted it would be inhumane, a massive risk for farm workers, and worsen the economic hit to farmers, who would have to keep facilities closed down longer for the infection to spread naturally than if they quickly carried out controlled culls. Moreover, letting the virus spread uncontrollably in thousands or even millions of birds gives the virus countless opportunities to evolve and become more virulent.”

Chinese company targets crewed orbital spaceflight. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “It [AZSpace] is not the only Chinese commercial company targeting space tourism. Launch companies CAS Space and Deep Blue Aerospace are developing suborbital spacecraft to provide services similar to those of Blue Origin and its New Shepard system. Another, younger spacecraft manufacturer, Interstellor, is also working on a spacecraft for suborbital tourism.