Lifeboat Foundation

Editor’s note: Video above is about a NASA astronaut discussing an extended stay in space.

(THE CONVERSATION) – Only about 600 people have ever traveled to space. The vast majority of astronauts over the past six decades have been middle-aged men on short-duration missions of fewer than 20 days.

Today, with private, commercial and multinational spaceflight providers and flyers entering the market, we are witnessing a new era of human spaceflight. Missions have ranged from minutes, hours and days to months.

A lot is happening in the Universe, and space agencies like NASA are actively working to provide a glimpse of several rare phenomena occurring in space. Catch a sight of rare events occurring in the Universe here with NASA images.

A United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket will launch the USSF-51 mission on July 30 for the United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command (SSC) from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

The operation was part of NASA’s plan to propel astronauts to the Red Planet in the late 2030s.

NASA shows off human-rated Orion spacecraft as preparations continue for Artemis 2, the first crewed lunar flyby of the 21st century.

Generations of scientists have compared the universe to a giant, complex game, raising questions about who is doing the playing – and what it would mean to win.

By Marcus Du Sautoy

WASHINGTON — The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced that the agency is seeking assistance from industry as it begins a study into its Geostationary Littoral Imaging and Monitoring Radiometer (GLIMR) Access to Space (ATS) approach.

The GLIMR mission aims to provide transformative rapid observations of dynamic coastal zone ecosystems throughout the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) and coastal continental U.S. (CONUS). Its goal is to observe and monitor ocean biology, chemistry, and ecology to help protect ecosystem sustainability, improve resource management, and enhance economic activity. This includes identifying and tracking harmful algal blooms and oil spills, while also observing, quantifying, and understanding processes associated with rapid changes in phytoplankton growth.

The GLIMR ATS scope is expected to include several key components and activities: the spacecraft itself, the launch vehicle, the integration and testing of the GLIMR payload with the spacecraft, and the integration of the spacecraft with the launch vehicle and subsequent launch. It will also cover the command uplink from the industry-provided Mission Operations Center (MOC), the downlink of GLIMR engineering and science telemetry to industry-allocated ground stations, and the delivery of error-checked GLIMR data to various mission partners. Additionally, it encompasses all related tasks and support required during the planned GLIMR Mission, such as pre-launch planning, launch support, in-orbit check-out, and operations.

ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. – U.S. Army electronic warfare (EW) experts are reaching out to industry for new ways to design electronic payloads that counter enemy positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT).

Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., issued a request for information (W56KGURTI-24-R-1001) on Friday for the Counter-PNT Navigation Warfare Defeat project.

Counter-PNT seeks to defeat enemy satellite navigation and timing systems, such as the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), which are essential for navigation, communications, weapons guidance, surveillance, transportation, and financial transactions.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Honeywell Inc. in Charlotte, N.C., will acquire CAES Systems Holdings LLC in Arlington, Va., to boost Honeywell’s electromagnetic military technologies for RF signals management under terms of a $1.9 billion cash deal.

This acquisition, announced last Thursday, will enhance Honeywell’s defense technologies in critical military systems like the F-35 and EA-18G military aircraft, the AMRAAM and GMLRS military weapons, radar, and uncrewed systems.

Combining the two companies also can boost capabilities in radiation-hardened integrated circuits for applications ranging from military nuclear forces to so-called rad-tolerant electronic components for commercial new space uses.