TYB
Chunk of space debris lands in Sask. farm field
May 15, 2024
As a farmer in rural Saskatchewan, Barry Sawchuk is used to removing rocks and weeds from his fields.
But he recently discovered a two-metre wide, 40-kilogram heap of twisted, burnt metal.
"My oldest son and I were out driving around just checking fields," said Sawchuk, who farms near Ituna, Sask., about 250 kilometres southeast of Saskatoon. "We came across this object. We thought originally it was just garbage."
Sawchuk said the multiple layers of charred composite fibres and webbing made him suspect it was space debris.
"But I had no idea. I don't build spaceships for a living. I farm," he said.
A group of astronomy professors heard about the case and, after agreeing that it was space debris, decided to try to figure out where it came from. Based on the date and location, they connected it to a rocket from private company SpaceX that flew back in February.
University of Regina astronomy professor Samantha Lawler, one of those working with Sawchuk, noted large chunks of metal from space have recently been found in Australia and Washington state, and one smashed through the roof on a house in Florida.
Lawler said space launches and re-entries are now a daily occurrence, so the risk of serious damage or death is increasing rapidly.
"It's really just luck. If that had hit in the middle of Regina or, yeah, New York City, it very easily could have killed someone," she said.
Lawler and others say some countries have rules regarding space debris, but they were written before anyone imagined private companies joining the space race. She said better regulations are urgently needed.
"The aggregate effects of all of these satellites and all of these re-entries need to be considered more carefully. This will be tested in the very near future. It's really unfortunate how this is evolving," she said.
No one from SpaceX or the Canadian Space Agency could be reached for comment. So far, the company hasn't come to claim the debris from Sawchuk.
Sawchuk said once spring seeding is done on the farm, he has plans for his new treasure.
"Here in Ituna, Saskatchewan, we're in the process of building a [hockey] rink. I think, if I can, I'm going to sell it. Some of the proceeds will go to the rink," he said. "That's where I was born and raised, so why not?"
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/space-debris-farm-field-1.7204312
72nd ISRS in line with SPAFORGEN model
May 15, 2024
The 72nd Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Squadron held a readiness exercise at Peterson Space Force Base, May 8. The exercise focused on practicing mission-essential tasks, training Guardians in a low-threat environment and validating unit readiness for deployments.
“Our Guardians will be able to go through the entire deployment process, from required training to using equipment, as they exercise our mission essential tasks,” said 1st Lt. Wyatt Packard, 72nd ISRS operations flight commander. “This will validate the previous training they undertook in their ‘Prepare Phase’ of [Space Force Generation].”
A framework that the USSF is using to present forces to combatant commands, SPAFORGEN provides force element packaging tailored to meet combatant commander’s requirements.
“SPAFORGEN is the model we use to build readiness. It is based on the straightforward observation that day-to-day space operations do not prepare Guardians for the challenges they will face in a high-intensity combat environment… Under SPAFORGEN, the force elements that comprise combat squadrons and detachments rotate through three phases. During the Prepare Phase, Guardians build expertise in assigned roles. Next comes the Ready Phase where Guardians participate in advanced training to equip them for high-intensity conflict. Guardians then rotate into the Commit Phase as part of a combat squadron or combat detachment. Once complete, they rotate back into the Prepare Phase and begin the process again,” according to Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman in his 26th CSO Notice to Guardians published April 19.
Tech. Sgt. Matthew Hahnrauch, exercise lead and 72nd ISRS operations flight chief, discussed the organizational structure of how the units are designed to operate.
“The goal is to collect radio frequencies, provide electromagnetic support and then conduct reporting,” Hahnrauch said. “The six-person crew is designed with mobility and survivability as a priority. This team structure is designed for 24/7 operations and minimal support from other military forces to accomplish the designed tasks.”
The 72nd ISRS uses Deployed ISR Support Crews, which are modular, agile teams designed for worldwide deployment and operations, Hahnrauch said. They are composed of five components.
“These components are collection apertures, processors, communication suites, data relay and temporary Secure Compartmentalized Information Facilities,” Hahnrauch said. “Each variation of DISC is trained on slightly different equipment and DISCs are scaled up or down depending on the systems they are operating.”
Communication technologies have rapidly advanced in the last 20 years and the need to advance U.S. collection systems has increased.
In cyberspace, the barriers to entry are continually reduced and more actors can enter the domain with relative ease, Hahnrauch said.
Military systems are increasingly disconnected and do not rely on communications and when over-the-horizon communications are required, dedicated military satellite communications are leveraged. This presents opportunities for cyberspace, electromagnetic warfare and space operations.
“Failure to field and employ expeditionary, mobile collection systems will place the joint force at a disadvantage in cyberspace operations, electromagnetic warfare and space operations and degrade our ability to produce the intelligence necessary to drive operations across the spectrum of competition and conflict,” Packard said. “We will continue to execute iterations of this training event with the intent of mission rehearsal for contested environment operations. In the future, we’ll be incorporating more austere components into the exercise to provide a dynamic and mobile collection with the ability to rapidly deploy, maneuver and communicate in a high-end fight. Our capabilities continue to grow and expand.”
The 72nd ISRS is a unit within Space Delta 7, with the mission to provide expeditionary ISR in addition to electromagnetic support to joint and allied partners worldwide.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3776307/72nd-isrs-in-line-with-spaforgen-model/
The future space environment
16 May 2024
Our use of space is rapidly evolving. The National Space Operations Centre (NSpOC) is preparing for the future now to ensure the UK is ready for the challenges and opportunities that await.
Powered by a global network of space sensors and a team of dedicated civilian and military analysts, we protect UK interests in space and on Earth, 365 days a year.
Why understanding the future of the space environment matters
The orbital landscape is changing rapidly. Launching spacecraft has become considerably more affordable (there has been a 95% cost reduction from around $65,000/kg to $1,500/kg for heavy launch to Lower Earth Orbit (LEO)).
Couple this with an ever-increasing reliance on satellite data and it’s easy to understand the boom in human-made objects being launched into our orbital environment. The number of active satellites in orbit, as of April 2024, reached over 9,000 and some reports suggest that by 2030, we could have more than 60,000 active satellites in space.
This graph shows the growth in the number of satellites in orbit since 2000. Data is from OECD The Economics of Space Sustainability 2022 and ESA Space Debris ‘by the numbers’.
Understanding the future of space is critical to planning our response to protect UK interests going forwards which is why we’re now developing our future sensor strategy and Space Domain Awareness (SDA) capability.
The four future scenarios
We commissioned InTandem and Raytheon to support us in developing a sensor and data strategy. As part of the strategy, four scenarios have been developed, using the GO-Science futures toolkit, to predict how the space environment might look over the next 10 years.
The Cosmic Bazaar
Growing private investment creates an environment where companies lead the charge, pursuing their own interests and projects independently pioneering their own projects without being tied to central government regulations. It’s a dynamic ecosystem where competition breeds innovation, leading to breakthroughs at every turn.
Corporate Cosmos
In this scenario, major corporations and private space agencies join forces to explore space together. It’s a unified approach where public and private sectors work hand-in-hand, propelling space exploration forward through collaboration and efficiency.
Nebular Nations
Here, governments take the reins, each pursuing their own space agenda independently. It’s a mosaic of different approaches and capabilities, with limited collaboration between nations. Space becomes a geopolitical playing field, with tensions on Earth translating to actions in orbit.
Global Space Directorate
Picture a world where governments unite to shape the future of space. It’s a coordinated effort where international alliances drive exploration and governance. Space isn’t fragmented; it’s a symphony of global collaboration.
We are working with our international partners to determine what the future of space should be.
The future of space
The future of space is filled with possibilities and by understanding these potential scenarios, NSpOC and its partners can better prepare for what lies ahead, ensuring that we continue to protect UK interests on Earth and in space for years to come.
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-future-space-environment
Pope to hold press conference on aliens and the supernatural – and people are confused
UPDATED12:53, 16 MAY 2024
The Vatican has announced that it is set to hold a press conference on “supernatural phenomena” tomorrow, and it will touch on aliens and how it will deal with potential encounters in the future.
According to a notice on the Vatican's website, it will kick of at noon tomorrow, and will feature three prominent Vatican members.
Being held to “present the new provisions of the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith for discerning between apparitions and other supernatural phenomena,” it will be led by Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandex, Messenger Armando Matteo and Daniela Del Gaudio.
The former are part of the Vatican's Doctrine of the Faith, while the latter is listed as the director of the International Observatory for Marian apparitions and mystical phenomena of the Pontifical International Marian Academy, lecturer in Mariology at the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum and the San Bonaventura Faculty of Rome.
The move to hold the press conference has caused ripples in the alien community, as one like this hasn't been held since February 1978. However, according to the National Catholic Reporter, it is being done so after a surge in reporting of aliens and “supernatural phenomena” from mainstream media . . . such as the one you're currently reading.
Cardinal Franjo Seper explained how the move made by The Pope and his officials is “necessary”. He said: “Moreover, the ease of going from one place to another fosters frequent pilgrimages, so that Ecclesiastical Authority should discern quickly about the merits of such matters.”
The press conference is will see new guidelines launched on how the Vatican will deal with aliens and phenomena created by them – or alleged aliens etc. Until now, pretty much everything has been dismissed by The Pope and its investigative team, so it remains to be seen what the new document will do in terms of being more open to it.
However, Pope Francis did touch on aliens at the end of last year, when he was talking about how early Christians discussed associating with “Jews and Gentiles” – which, for some reason, he compared to aliens.
He said: “That was unthinkable. If, for example, tomorrow an expedition of Martians came, and some of them came to us, here…Martians, right? Green, with that long nose and big ears, just like children paint them…And one says, ‘But I want to be baptized!’ What would happen?”
He didn't answer his own question, but added: “It was never the ministry of the closed door, never,”
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/pope-aliens-supernatural-phenomena-everyones-32822897
https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2024/05/16/240516e.html
https://www.youtube.com/c/VaticanNews
NARA Gives Feds Instructions on UFO Records Classification
MAY 15, 2024 12:58 PM
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is giving Federal agencies instructions on how to review, identify, and organize records in their custody relating to unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) – or UFOs as they are more commonly known.
On May 9, NARA released the Guidance to Federal Agencies on Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena Records Collection, which instructs agencies on what information is needed to create and manage a governmentwide repository of records dealing with UAPs, as well as how to collect it.
Step one, Federal agencies must prepare and identify all metadata elements. The guidance includes a metadata requirements list that agencies must follow when reviewing, identifying, and organizing each UAP record.
Step two, agencies must conduct an access review of each UAP record and identify which records can be publicly disclosed without any redaction, identify partially restricted records, and create a public access version with redactions and postpone fully restricted UAP records.
Step three, Federal agencies must transfer physical and legal custody of the copies of the fully releasable, restricted in part, and postponed UAP records to the National Archives.
The records must be delivered to NARA as digital copies by the end of the current fiscal year, Sept. 30.
Under a new records management provision — which was tucked into the 2024 National Defense Authorization Act — NARA is required to set up a UAP Records Collection.
NARA began to stand up the records collection earlier this year, urging agencies to begin classifying any UAP-related records in their custody. The recent guidance provides further instruction on what actions agencies need to take.
The collection will consist of “copies of all Government, Government-provided, or Government-funded records relating to [UAPs], technologies of unknown origin, and non-human intelligence (or equivalent subjects by any other name with the specific and sole exclusion of temporarily non-attributed objects),” according to the bill.
Unclassified copies of UAP records transferred to NARA will be made available online in the National Archives catalog. In addition, NARA will integrate an online finding aid into the collection.
https://www.meritalk.com/articles/nara-gives-feds-instructions-on-ufo-records-classification/