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Universe Today.


Space may be pretty, but it’s dangerous. Astronauts face a much higher dose of ionizing radiation than us Earth-bound folks, and a new report says that NASA’s current guidelines and risk assessment methods are in serious need of an update.

On the surface of the Earth, protected by our extensive magnetic field and layers of thick atmosphere, we experience about 2–3 milliSieverts (mSv) of radiation exposure every year. Even that background level is enough to trigger the occasional cancer growth.

But astronauts, especially those hoping to go on upcoming long-term missions to the Moon and Mars, face a much greater risk due to the high-energy, ionizing radiation constantly soaking every cubic centimeter of space. To mitigate that risk, NASA currently implements a system based on “risk of exposure-induced death” (REID). The space agency estimates the exposure for each astronaut based on their sex, and if the REID exceeds 3%, their spacefaring careers are over.

An 18-year-old is about to become the youngest person in space, rocketing away with an aviation pioneer who will become the oldest at age 82.

Blue Origin announced Thursday that instead of a $28 million auction winner launching with founder Jeff Bezos on Tuesday, the Dutch son of another bidder will be on board. The company said Oliver Daemen will be the first paying customer, but did not disclose the price of his ticket. A family spokesperson said it will be considerably less than the winning bid.

Daemen snagged the fourth and last seat on the space capsule after the auction winner stepped aside because of a scheduling conflict. The offer came in a surprise phone call from Blue Origin last week, he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has officially approved Jeff Bezos Jeffrey (Jeff) Preston BezosFAA approves Blue Origin launch with Bezos, others aboard Richard Branson’s launch changes the way we look at space Branson, Bezos and Musk: A new space race for a new generation MORE ’s highly anticipated spaceflight next week aboard a rocket developed by his aerospace company, Blue Origin.

The license, which was approved by the FAA on Monday and is valid through August, comes as Bezos, along with his brother and two others, are scheduled to launch into space next Tuesday on the New Shepard rocket.

The flight is part of an effort by billionaire-owned technology and transportation companies to make space flight a commercially available experience.

After Sir Richard Branson’s spaceflight this weekend, the leader of Russia’s main space corporation, Roscosmos, offered some kind words about the achievement on Twitter. Dmitry Rogozin called the flight a “landmark” in terms of technology development and expanding the number of humans able to see Earth from space.

Then Rogozin went a step further, lamenting the fact that Russia’s “billionaire oligarchs” spend their money on yachts and vanity projects rather than the development of space technology and increasing humanity’s knowledge of space.

This is a notable comment from Rogozin, who in the past has been critical of one particular billionaire spending his money developing space technology: SpaceX founder Elon Musk. Among other remarks, Rogozin has said that NASA should not get too cocky about its newfound access to space in case SpaceX’s Crew Dragon vehicle “breaks.” He has also said that SpaceX is “gentle” for getting to work in the balmy conditions of South Texas, while Russian engineers and technicians work in the depths of Siberia during the winter.

Join the SRIC3 final event big party!

Here’s where you can find the Zoom coordinates to join us celebrating the 2021 Space Renaissance Congress completed:

Though the voting process will remain open until Thursday July 15th, i am happy to announce that **we have elected the new President of Space Renaissance International, Prof. Bernard Foing, and the new Board of Directors!**

Hereafter the received votes so far, that assure we passed the quorum, and the election of our new leadership.

63, 77% of the having right to vote voted so far on the 3 final motions, namely:

Bizarre coincidence or fate?


One of the leading developers of rocket technology for the Nazis during World War II appears to have predicted the rise of an “Elon” that would one day rule over human colonies on Mars.

Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun was an engineer born in Germany shortly before the beginning of the First World War. As a teenager, he became passionate about space flight and ended up working on liquid-fuel rockets for the German army in 1932.