>>19047566

>>19047888

chekkity chekkity

Alt PNT Reverse Industry Day is First Event in New COSMIC Center

June 21, 2023

EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Space Systems Command (SSC) hosted a two-day Alternative/Augmented Position, Navigation, and Timing Reverse Industry Day event June 7-8 at its new COSMIC Collaboration Center in Chantilly, Virginia.

The goal of the event was to understand the “art of the possible” for alternative sources and integration of positioning, navigation, and timing information, to enhance and compliment current Global Positioning System (GPS) architecture performance and resilience.

“As a country, we are reliant on precise positioning, navigation, and time synchronization data,” said Mr. Cordell DeLaPena, program executive officer for Military Communications and Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (MilComm and PNT) at SSC.

“The conventional satellite-based GPS system is a universal source of such information and remains a fundamental construct for navigation but may not be available either due to natural obstacles, or man-made hindrances such as jamming or spoofing,” DeLaPena said.

During the two-day event led by SSC’s MilComm and PNT office, senior DoD officials interfaced directly with more than 200 industry attendees representing more than 80 companies. Attendees, in-person and virtually, participated in government briefings, presentations, breakout sessions and one-on-one meetings.

Industry capabilities and future concepts for providing expedient solutions to augment PNT were discussed, as well as operational capabilities designed to rapidly acquire, launch and operate on-orbit assets to deter adversary actions, respond to on-orbit threats, and augment existing capabilities. These alternative/augmented PNT concepts included rapid launch, space vehicles, command and control, receivers, and integration with Space Force operators.

Government attendees included representatives from SSC, Space Operations Command, Headquarters Space Staff, Department of Transportation, National Space-Based PNT Coordination Office, Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Development Agency, other government agencies, and some U.S. allies.

“The Alternative/Augmented PNT Reverse Industry Day event was a great opportunity for government and industry to come together to better understand the future vision and share ideas on advancing Position, Navigation and Timing space capabilities,” said Barbara Baker, Deputy PEO for MilComm & PNT. “Our collaborative sessions with industry will serve as a building block to advance PNT future as we look to leverage the entire space community’s strengths and encourage innovation.”

The Reverse Industry Day event was SSC’s first event held in the new COSMIC facility. COSMIC, which stands for Commercial Space Marketplace for Innovation and Collaboration, is a partnership between SSC and Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation (VT-ARC), to help SSC collaborate with commercial industry, drive synergies with government agency partners, and deliver capabilities to the warfighter with greater speed and cost efficiency.

https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article-Display/Article/3434424/alt-pnt-reverse-industry-day-is-first-event-in-new-cosmic-center

>>19047998

Modi met with quite a few people yesterday, including Elon and Neil DeGrasse Tyson

https://www.youtube.com/@NarendraModi/videos

NASA Welcomes Ecuador as 26th Artemis Accords Signatory

Jun 21, 2023

During a ceremony at the Ecuador embassy in Washington on Wednesday, Ecuador became the 26th country to sign the Artemis Accords. Karen Feldstein, NASA associate administrator for International and Interagency Relations, participated in the signing ceremony for the agency, and Gustavo Manrique Miranda, Ecuador’s foreign affairs minister, signed on behalf of Ecuador.

“Today, Ecuador joins the group of nations committed to safeguarding outer space for the future,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “The achievements made in in this golden era of exploration will benefit the Artemis Generation – in our nations and around the globe.”

The Artemis Accords establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations, including those participating in NASA’s Artemis program.

“Signing the Artemis Accords sends a powerful message to the international community that the Ecuadorian government is committed to pursue cutting-edge efforts in technology and is open to innovation, investment, workforce development to promote sustainable growth, and international collaboration to help solve humanity’s greatest challenges,” said Ivonne Baki, Ecuador's ambassador to the United States.

NASA, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State, established the Artemis Accords in 2020 together with seven other founding member nations.

The Artemis Accords reinforce and implement key obligations in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. They also reinforce the commitment by the United States and signatory nations to the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.

“Ecuador today adds its voice to a diverse and growing set of nations committed to the notion that humanity’s rapid expansion into space, toward the Moon and destinations beyond, is peaceful, safe, and in full accordance with international law,” said Feldstein.

Additional countries will sign the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead, as NASA continues to work with its international partners to establish a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space. Working with both new and existing partners will add new energy and capabilities to ensure the entire world can benefit from our journey of exploration and discovery.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-welcomes-ecuador-as-26th-artemis-accords-signatory

NASA, Department of Agriculture Advance Exploration, Science

Jun 21, 2023

NASA and the USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture) signed a memorandum of understanding Wednesday strengthening the collaboration between the two agencies, including efforts to improve agricultural and Earth science research, technology, agricultural management, and the application of science data and models to agricultural decision making.

The agreement affirms the two agencies’ interest in continuing their longstanding partnership on mutually beneficial collaborative activities furthering education, communication, and outreach activities to inspire the youth in America to pursue careers in STEM and agriculture. This partnership will build on NASA’s Bridge Program to foster workforce development partnerships with higher-education partners including Tribal and Minority Serving Institutions and the USDA’s newly launched NextGen program, which invests $262.5 million to cultivate the next generation of diverse food and agriculture professionals.

“From the heavens to the Heartland, NASA and the Department of Agriculture are reaffirming our commitment to getting essential data in the hands of America’s farmers and preparing future generations to lead and strengthen America’s agriculture industry,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “As the climate continues to change, NASA's Earth observation data will only grow more critical to our nation's effort to create more climate-resilient food systems, helping our famers develop more sustainable farming and aquaculture practices.”

The agencies intend to explore opportunities to improve crop performance to meet Earth and space-based goals, including activities in support of NASA’s Artemis program, which includes landing the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon, and establishing long-term lunar exploration for preparation of human exploration of Mars.

"From ensuring that future generations are able to reach new heights as they pursue careers in STEM and agriculture, to providing producers with critical data and improving global agricultural practices, USDA is honored to strengthen our partnership with NASA,” said U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack. “We recognize the critical interface between planet-wide food security, climate change, and space, and together we are advancing cutting edge innovation, research, and workforce development to tackle some of Earth’s greatest challenges.”

Space exploration cooperation with the USDA includes plant-related research on the International Space Station and other space and ground platforms that have led to new ways to improve American and global agriculture, protect the environment, and help improve human health.

This memorandum of understanding will build on the partnership between USDA and NASA starting in 2015. Examples of recent and ongoing efforts include:

• USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and NASA, along with North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, an 1890 land grant university, partnered to send 16 young people to NASA Space Camp in 2022. Held at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, these week-long camps give youth the chance to learn robotics, teamwork, leadership and critical thinking skills and experience real-world STEM applications.

• USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and NASA created a free online tool called Crop-CASMA to help farmers and researchers use soil data to track droughts and floods, plan crop planting, and forecast ag yields. USDA incorporates the data into NASS’s weekly crop progress reports to inform farmers and farm managers operational decisions and strategic plans.

• USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and NASA scientists are developing a hyperspectral imaging system to monitor plant health for astronauts to use in plant growth chambers for their pick-and-eat crops – such as fresh salad greens – to eat during future space missions. ARS and NASA are also teaming up to discover other ways to grow sustainable, fresh food during space travel, such as plants that have the potential to continually flower and produce.

https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-department-of-agriculture-advance-exploration-science