The Space Show

• Katherine Bennell-Pegg graduates astronaut training at the European Astronaut Centre to become the first Australian-flagged astronaut
• Fate of Space Machines Company Optimus satellite is still unclear
• Gilmour Space's Eris Flight Test 1 launch delayed for lack of a launch permit from the Australian Space Agency. (Insert courtesy CH10)

Fleet Space Technologies of Adelaide:

* Centauri 6 satellite orbited on April 8 at 9:16 a.m. AEST

* Centauri 4 modified to allow "push-to-talk" messages by the Australian Defence Force

* Fleet's ExoSphere geodes used in mineral exploration

* ExoSphere technology to be incorporated into a sensor called "SPIDER” to be placed onto the lunar surface by the Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost 2 lander to search for buried water ice.

A description of the LuSEE experiment to be placed on the lunar far side to do radio cosmology, with Prof. Stuart Bale, the NASA Principal Investigator for LuSEE-Night from the University of California, Berkeley.

Is Space Machines Optimus satellite an example of the common fate of small satellite missions — 'dead on arrival’?:

* Dandelions had hoped to test composite material, including hemp, on Optimus

* The role of the Sydney-based Advanced Navigation company on the Optimus satellite.

Gilmour Space is preparing to launch the first Australian built satellite launch vehicle called Eris, from its Bowen Orbital Spaceport in Queensland:

* Eris, a dwarf planet, not a moon.

• A full list of projects supported and detailed descriptions are available here: https://business.gov.au/grants-and-programs/moon-to-mars-supply-chain-capability-improvement-grants/grant-recipients

Vale Thomas P. Stafford

Marking the death at age 93 of former Gemini, Apollo and Apollo-Soyuz astronaut Tom Stafford, with an explanation of how he came to be called, "The Mayor of Pad 19." (Inserts courtesy VoA)

Australian Space Industry 2024 — Part 3 & Planet Earth — Episode 60

A dual topic feature:

* Australian Space Agency funding grants boost

* “The Democratisation of Space" (Maria Xygkaki, Senior Business Developer, Saber Astronautics, Adelaide)

* Spiral Blue and the Optimus satellite (Mei He, Business Development Intern, Spiral Blue)

* CyanoSat on Skykraft.

A detailed examination of the LiDAV technology to be supplied by the Sydney-based company Advanced Navigation to the Houston company Intuitive Machines for its Nova-C lunar lander. Includes an explanation of lasers and laser ranging. (Based on information provided by Advanced Navigation)

• New Space In Australia (Tim Parsons, Co-founder, X-Lab)
• Technology Safeguards Agreement to protect United States' rocket technology, but not everyone is happy
• Gilmour Space awarded orbital spaceport licence
• Australian technology on Space Machines Company's Optimus satellite
• HEO (High Earth Orbit) Robotics company's plans to take images of satellites from Optimus and other satellites.

* Juno flies by Europa and Io and measures oxygen production on Europa according to a recent paper in the scientific journal Nature Astronomy (Szalay, J.R., Allegrini, F., Ebert, R.W. et al. Oxygen production from dissociation of Europa’s water-ice surface. Nat Astron (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-024-02206-x)

* Installation of the first 2 metre antenna of the Square Kilometre Array Low Radio Telescope in Western Australia

Professor Peter Quinn, Director, International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research in Perth, Western Australia, talks about the scale of the Universe; the Square Kilometre Array and its location; components in Western Australia and South Africa; and funding. (Recorded at a meeting of the Space Association of Australia)

China: Ambitions Towards the Moon —

China's intention to establish a Lunar Research Station on the Moon, and the concerns this has engendered in Australia and the United States. Comments by Bill Nelson (Administrator, NASA), Angelo Di Grazia (Committee member, Space Association of Australia), Mike Griffin (former NASA Administrator), Malcolm Davis (Senior Policy Analyst, Australian Strategic Policy Institute), Destination Moon character 'General Thayer’, and Vladimir Putin (President, Russian Federation).

Also, a report that Chinese aerospace agencies have outlined a plan to install Skynet-type surveillance cameras at the Moonbase, and reports on the new commercial launch vehicles and the now established Long March 7 rocket. (Inserts courtesy SAA, NASA, TCN and CGTN)

The story of Intuitive Machine's Nova-C “Odysseus” IM-1 mission to a landing at Malapert A near the lunar South Pole; the frantic efforts to replace Intuitive's laser landing system with NASA's Navigation Doppler Lidar; the landing accident; incorrect reports; EagleCam; fuel tank gauge; and future prospects. (Inserts courtesy IM, NASA)

The plan for Intuitive Machine's Nova-C “Odysseus” IM-1 mission to Malapert A near the lunar South Pole; the launch and commissioning of the lunar lander; and a reminder that the lunar South Pole is at the TOP of the Moon, as seen from the southern hemisphere. (Inserts courtesy IM, NASA)

Planet Earth: Season 5 — Episode 59

Season Five of our Planet Earth series begins with a detailed explanation of the just launched PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud Ocean Ecosystem) satellite; the PACE Fanfare; how the 2019-20 Australian bushfires caused a bloom of plankton in the Pacific Ocean; and the possible effect of mega-constellations of Internet satellites on the Earth's magnetic field. (Inserts courtesy NASA, GSFC)

The Space Show’s Andrew Rennie continues his conversation with Space Association of Australia Committee member, Angelo Di Grazia (@GoCats2007) about the delay to the Artemis II and Artemis III crewed lunar missions and the future of the Artemis lunar exploration program, including commentary on:

• Orion heat shield degradation
• Artemis III flight profile and mission architecture
• SpaceX Starship Human Landing System variant and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Lunar Landing System
• Human Landing System in-space refuelling
• Artemis III, IV, V and beyond…

Artemis II & III Delay with Angelo Di Grazia (@GoCats2007)

Angelo discusses the announcement that the Artemis II and Artemis III crewed lunar missions have been delayed to September 2025 and September 2026 respectively. The conversation includes commentary and analysis on the following:

• Orion heat shield
• Orion valve circuitry
• Orion abort system
• SLS servicing while on the launch pad
• Artemis II flight profile
• Artemis II crew profile
• Artemis III flight profile and mission architecture
• Starship Human Landing System variant
• Human Landing System in-space refuelling
• Starship Integrated Flight Tests.

SpIRIT in the Sky: The Space Show in conversation with Clint Therakam, Thermal Engineer, Melbourne Space Laboratory at the University of Melbourne discussing the SpIRIT satellite, its experiments, and Clint’s role in the project. Also his work on the design of the Australian Roo-ver lunar rover.

Space Show News — Artemis and Peregrine 1: Announcement that the Artemis II and Artemis III crewed lunar missions will be delayed; and news of the failure of the Peregrine 1 lunar lander after a successful launch on the maiden flight of ULA's Vulcan Centaur rocket. (Audio inserts courtesy NASA)

• Moon Month — SLIM and Peregrine 1: This month will see the attempted landing of Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon or SLIM near Shioli Crater on the Moon, and the launch of Astrobotic's Peregrine 1 lunar lander with NASA and other payloads onboard. (Audio inserts courtesy NASA)

Final call to send your “Message in a Bottle” to Jupiter aboard the Europa Clipper spacecraft

SLIM and Peregrine 1

The arrival into lunar orbit of Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) lunar lander, and a description of the instruments aboard Astrobotic's Peregrine 1 lunar lander that is due to be launched to the Moon in January 2024. (Audio insert courtesy NASA)

* Neumann Space electric propulsion engine successfully tested in space aboard an unidentified Skykraft 3 air traffic control satellite.

* Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket is scheduled to launch the Earth-imaging satellite QPS-SAR-5

* Sydney based company HEO is a space technology company delivering on-demand non-Earth imagery and intelligence on spacecraft of interest so that space players can confidently act in space and on Earth.

Planet Earth — Season 4 Episode 57:

How the European Space Agency is contributing to the Global Stocktake for the Paris Climate Accords meeting in Dubai. (Audio insert courtesy ESA)

NASA’s Message in a Bottle:

Have your name engraved on NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft as it travels 1.8 billion miles to explore Europa, an ocean world that may support life.

From Kitty Hawk to Jezero Crater:

Marking the 120th anniversary of the four flights by the Wright brothers at Kitty Hawk, how they led to today's aviation industry, and how parts of the Flyer went to the Moon and Mars. Told in diary entries and narration.

Skylab 4 with Joe Kerwin:

Skylab 2 astronaut Joe Kerwin sets the record straight on the so-called Skylab 4 'strike' that occurred 50 years ago. (To be continued next week). (Audio insert recorded by Peter Aylward, Space Association of Australia)

SpIRIT launched: The Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal satellite, or SpIRIT, was launched for the Melbourne Space Laboratory by a Falcon 9 rocket after pre-launch secrecy. (Audio inserts courtesy Melbourne University, SpaceX, Neumann Space)

Message in a bottle: Join the mission and have your name engraved on NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft as it travels 1.8 billion miles to explore Europa, an ocean world that may support life.

Australia’s lunar rover named: Australia's first Moon rover to be named Roo-ver, after public competition receives more than 8,000 submissions.

US, UK, and Australia announce trilateral Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability initiative: The new program is designed to provide 24/7, all-weather capabilities that will increase the ability to detect, track, identify and characterise objects in deep space. The memorandum of understanding between the three countries will last 22 years.

Cancellation of Science, Technology and Research (STaR) Shots Australian defence satellite program: Reports that the Defence Science Technology Group's RMS satellites have been cancelled without public announcement after two satellite buses had been built. Rod Smith (Leader, Resilient Multi-mission Space STaR Shot, DST, Adelaide) explains the project's rationale. (Audio inserts courtesy Sky, DST).

InSight Mars Lander:

Marking the 5th anniversary of the landing of the InSight spacecraft on Mars (Audio inserts courtesy BBC, DLR)

WRESAT (Weapons Research Establishment Satellite):

With the launch of Melbourne University's SpIRIT satellite pending, a look back to the launch, 56 years ago, of WRESAT and six years ago of Buccaneer, and of other Australian satellites. (Audio inserts courtesy DST)

These recordings reveal the president’s doubts and conflicted attitude towards space activity, particularly the Apollo manned lunar landing program, and his advocacy for cooperation in space with the Soviet Union, all the while with an eye on the forthcoming 1964 presidential election. (Audio inserts and transcripts courtesy of the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum)

Photographs taken by Andrew Rennie with an Agfa "Clack" camera using black&white 120 roll film, scanned from prints.
Photo 1: Wally, followed by Frank, give Andrew a smile as they enter Auckland University.
Photo 2: Frank, followed by Wally, walk past Andrew to enter the Hall at Auckland University. Uninvited, Andrew followed them into the Hall and listened to their lecture.
Photo 3: As he strolls out of Auckland University Wally gives Andrew a friendly wave.
Photo 4: Down in Queen Street, has Wally recognised Andrew? Beside Wally, wife Josephine reaches into her handbag.
Cartoon: From the Auckland Star newspaper the day after the visit to Auckland.

• Australia and US formalise a Technology Safeguards Agreement. The Hon Dr Kevin Rudd AC, Australia’s Ambassador to the United States signed the treaty-level agreement in Washington. The Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) will allow US companies to carry out space launch activities in Australia and protect US technology, including rockets and satellites.
• China launches Shenzhou-17 youngest crew crew for 6-month stay on Tiangong space station. The youngest-ever crew of Chinese astronauts departed for China's space station, paving the way for a new generation of "taikonauts" to advance the country's space ambitions.

• QuantX Labs and SSTL Partner to Propel Australian Quantum Clock Technology into Space. QuantX Labs has joined forces with Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) through Airbus Australia, to bolster their space knowledge and skillsets, a collaboration set to propel Australian quantum technology into space.
• CyanoSat satellite imager undergoing tests in orbit. CSIRO and university and industry partners are testing an Australian-made CyanoSat hyperspectral imager which was recently launched into low Earth orbit on board a Skykraft satellite.
• Lockheed Martin selects Axiom Precision Manufacturing and Nupress Group for Orion spacecraft program. Australian companies have been selected as global supply chain partners by Lockheed Martin for the Orion spacecraft program, a cornerstone of NASA's Artemis missions to the Moon.
• Ingenuity helicopter completes 64th flight on Mars.

Lucy Mission to fly by asteroid Dinkinesh:

The flyby, which will see Lucy pass within just 300 miles (480 km) of Dinkinesh, will combine science and engineering goals as the craft both reveals this small world to humanity and performs a rigorous first test of its innovative Terminal Tracking System.

Planet Earth - Season 4 Episode 56:

Earth Information Center; COVID, cars and temperatures; Landsat observes Amazon deforestation; EMIT observes mineral dust; astronaut Nicole Stott observes thunderstorms; CALIPSO decommissioned; SuomiNPP and NOAA 20 observe "milky sea" bioluminescence; Gavin Schmidt (Director, Goddard Institute for Space Sciences) on the 2023 July Global Temperature Report; MAIA to be launched next year; PolSIR approved; atmospheric ozone primer. (Inserts courtesy GSFC, NASA, AGU)

Heavy Metal with Lindy Elkins-Tanton, Principal Investigator - Psyche mission, Arizona State University:

The scientific objectives of the Psyche mission to the asteroid 16 Psyche.

Back to the Moon and Artemis with Angelo Di Grazia, Committee member, Space Association of Australia:

The problems in launching the Artemis 1 circumlunar mission; the mission plan for the Artemis 3 human lunar landing; and the mission risks associated with the Starship architecture.

Soyuz MS-23 returns to Earth:

Russia's Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitry Petelin and NASA's Frank Rubio landed in their Soyuz MS-23 capsule at 11:17 UTC on 27 September on the Steppe of Kazakhstan after spending more than a year living aboard the International Space Station. The trio launched to the space station on 21 September 2022.

A competition to name Australia’s lunar rover:

The Australian Space Agency, in partnership with NASA, is working with Australia’s space industry to design and build an Australian-made rover. The rover will go to the Moon as part of a future Artemis mission by as early as 2026. Australians can enter a name that will be in the running to be selected for the rover. Individuals and schools across Australia can enter a rover name, along with a brief explanation for choosing it. To get Australian students excited and engaged in the opportunity, schools can download a presentation and supporting materials.

Space Shuttle Discovery — Return to Flight:

The 35th anniversary of the STS 26 mission by the Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery, the first after the STS 51-L Challenger disaster, told in word and music. (Audio inserts courtesy NASA)

James Webb Space Telescope Discovers Methane and Carbon Dioxide in the Atmosphere of a Habitable-zone Exoplanet: K2-18b

A new investigation with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope into K2-18b, an exoplanet 8.6 times as massive as Earth, has revealed the presence of carbon-bearing molecules including methane and carbon dioxide. Webb’s discovery adds to recent studies suggesting that K2-18b could be a Hycean exoplanet, one which has the potential to possess a hydrogen-rich atmosphere and a water ocean-covered surface.

Lunar Orbit Rendezvous or "How to land on the Moon" by Andrew Rennie

The options for the Apollo lunar landing mode, and how the decision was reached. (Re-recorded from a presentation to a meeting of the Space Association of Australia in 2019)

The culmination of the launch campaign for NASA sounding rockets from the Arnhem Space Centre — High Above Down Under:

• Episode 5: To Space (And Back)
• Episode 6: This Just Fell From Space.

Join Miles Hatfield, a science writer at the Goddard Spaceflight Centre in Greenbelt Maryland, as he follows two NASA rocket teams as they launch from Australia. Studying our nearest stellar neighbours – Alpha Centauri A & B – on a quest to understand how stars make the planets around them suitable for life. (audio inserts courtesy GSFC)

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Dr Joe Kerwin, Scientist-Astronaut — Skylab 2:

Joe Kerwin describes the genesis of the Skylab project. Preceded by a song used to wake up the Skylab 3 crew. (Interviewer Peter Aylward)

Australia’s Moon to Mars Initiative 2020—2026

The following 10 projects will share in close to $40 million under the Demonstrator Mission Grants program of the Moon to Mars initiative:

• $6.2M to the Australian National University to develop Laser Technology for the next GRACE mission
• $5.2M to Advanced Navigation Pty. Ltd. for Project LUNA – Navigation and Guidance Technology for Lunar Exploration
• $4.5M to the Australian National University to lead the Australian Deep Space Optical Ground Station Network
• $4.4M to the University of Western Australia to establish TeraNet — A Commercial Optical Communications Ground Station Network network
• $3.9M to Fleet Space Technologies Pty. Ltd. to develop a Seismic Payload for Interplanetary Discovery, Exploration and Research
• $3.7M to QuantX Labs Pty. Ltd. for KAIROS-1 Mission: A Space Clock Technology Demonstrator
• $3.6M to Lunaria One Pty. Ltd. for the Australian Lunar Experiment Promoting Horticulture (ALEPH) project
• $2.8M to Retracer Pty. Ltd for Command and control for on0orbit servicing, assembly and manufacturing vehicles
• $2.7M Enable Aerospace Pty. Ltd to develop Universal Payload Racking System Flight Qualification and Demonstration
• $2.6M Melbourne University for SpIRIT satellite operations: An Australian path to exploration beyond Earth

Other Australian space news updates:

• Skykraft delivers world first space-based VHF communication for Air Traffic Management
• Neumann Drive and Transporter 8 and Space Inventor Edison
• CSIRO's CyanoSat 1.0
• Space Machines.

How to be a Space Tourist without leaving the Earth with Stewart Gangell:

Stewart, a member of the Space Association of Australia, recounts his recent visit to the Kennedy Space Center and Visitor Complex, its attractions and meeting astronauts; the American Space Museum and Walk of Fame in Titusville; the Sands Space History Museum near the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station; and seeing a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket booster and Dragon capsule on the recovery ships in Port Canaveral.

The mission plan for India's Chandrayaan 3 lunar orbiter, lander and rover, followed by launch commentary from the launch site. Also, a report from Australia that the venting of the spent upper stage of the launch vehicle was seen. (Audio inserts courtesy ISRO, Ch9)

James Webb Space Telescope:

A discussion on the James Webb Space Telescope's first year of science (Courtesy GSFC)

Eric Jones and the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal:

Peter Aylward in conversation with the founder and editor emeritus of the ALSJ, Eric Jones in Wodonga, Australia. Together they take us for a guided tour through the Apollo Lunar Surface Journal website, and explain how it was built up over many years.

The purpose of the European Space Agency's Euclid mission, and the role played by ESA's New Norcia Space Tracking Station, DSA-1, in Western Australia.

Opportunity — Part 1:

Marking the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Mars Exploration Rover - Opportunity, the story of the first five years of the mission, as told in word and verse.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) extended mission phase

Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) and the Hera mission follow-up

Sixty Years of Women in Space: Marking the 60th anniversary of Valentina Tereshkova's Vostok 6 flight and the 40th anniversary of Sally Ride's STS-6 mission, a celebration of several female astronauts. Also, "Women in Space", a talk, recorded at the Space Association of Australia in South Melbourne, by Kerrie Dougherty (Management Team Member, Space Discovery Centre, Australian Space Agency in Adelaide) mentioning many other female astronauts.

Message in a Bottle: details of how you can send your name to Jupiter aboard the Europa Clipper mission exploring Jupiter’s icy moon.

Spirit - Part Two:

Marking the 20th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover, The Space Show presents the story of the Spirit mission in word, poetry and song. (Insert courtesy GSFC)

Ada Limón, 24th Poet Laureate of The United States, in conversation with Dr Carla Haden, Librarian of Congress, Washington D.C.

A conversation about, and the reading of a poem to be inscribed aboard NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft that will be sent to Jupiter. Also details of Message in a Bottle⁠ and how you can send your name to Jupiter with that poem aboard the Europa Clipper mission exploring Jupiter’s icy moon. (audio insert courtesy NASA)

Spirit - Part One:

Marking the 20th anniversary of the launch of NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover, The Space Show presents the story of the Spirit mission in word, poetry and song.

Beagle 2 lander and Mars Express orbiter 20th anniversary livestream from Mars orbit. (audio insert courtesy ESA)