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Planetary parade on display in the night sky this weekend
June 28, 2024 9:36pm EDT
Stargazers wishing to see a planetary parade will get their first chance this weekend when Mars, Saturn, Jupiter and the Moon will all be visible in the night sky.
According to planetary experts at NASA, the three planets, along with the crescent-shaped Moon, will be visible in the eastern sky before daybreak for the next several days.
If skies are clear, all should be visible without the use of binoculars or a telescope, but it is always advised to use aids to see the planets in all their glory.
With binoculars, some of Jupiter’s moons might be noticeable, and telescopes have previously helped with spotting Saturn’s rings from Earth.
Locales that have a clear view of the eastern horizon without the influence of light pollution have the best chance of seeing the parade.
The Moon is currently in a waning crescent phase, which occurs after a full moon. During this phase, the crescent shape of the Moon will appear to shrink until it reaches its new moon status on July 5th.
If promises of a planetary parade sound familiar, erroneous claims went viral earlier this month, telling skygazers that six planets would be visible to the naked eye.
NASA experts said, in reality, only two planets were visible without the use of technology.
Despite promises of spectacular planetary parades, astronomers say 2024 has not disappointed with the largest display of Northern Lights in decades and the total solar eclipse that traveled across America in April.
If you miss June’s final event, three planets are expected to be visible in mid-July.
Mercury will be apparent just after sunset on July 15 and should be fairly bright, while both Mars and Uranus will appear close in the sky.
The Full Buck Moon will peak during the morning hours on July 21, and the Southern Delta Aquarid meteor shower will occasionally be visible from mid-July through the middle of August.
https://www.foxweather.com/earth-space/three-planets-saturn-moon-mars-jupiter
Nasa refutes claims about astronauts stranded in space
June 29, 2024
In an attempt to salvage its position after weeks of negative headlines, National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) commercial crew programme manager has claimed that the astronauts aboard the Boeing Starliner are "not stranded" at the International Space Station.
After years of delays, Boeing's Starliner capsule carrying astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on June 5, AFP reported.
Initially, the Starliner was set to return from ISS on June 14, but was pushed back for June 26. However, now the return is being further delayed due to multiple helium leaks.
When asked about the return date of the astronauts, the Nasa official said, "We don't have a targeted (landing) date today."
In a press conference on Friday, the manager said, "Butch and Suni are not stranded in space."
He added that the pair were "enjoying their time on the space station" and "our plan is to continue to return them on Starliner and return them home at the right time.".
According to reports, one helium leak was known prior to the launch; however, more leaks emerged during the 25-hour flight.
Separately, some of Starliner's thrusters that provide fine manoeuvring initially failed to kick in, delaying docking. Engineers are not sure why Starliner's computer "deselected" these thrusters, though they were able to restart all but one of them.
While talking about the negative comments, Boeing's Vice President and Programme Manager of its Commercial Crew Programme, Mark Nappi, said, "It is pretty painful to read the things that are out there.
We've gotten a really good test flight that's been accomplished so far, and it's being viewed rather negatively."
https://www.geo.tv/latest/551648-nasa-refutes-claims-about-astronauts-stranded-in-space
Russian spy satellite reportedly continues suspicious maneuvers
June 27, 2024
A Russian inspector satellite known as Luch 2 is on the move again, continuing its pattern of unusual maneuvers that have raised eyebrows in the space intelligence community, the space tracking firm Slingshot Aerospace said June 27.
Slingshot reports that the satellite, which has been in orbit for just over a year, has been positioning itself near several communications satellites in what appears to be an ongoing signals intelligence-gathering mission.
Luch 2’s latest move, flagged by Slingshot’s automated tracking system, was a “large maneuver” on June 23 that would indicate that the satellite is moving towards an Intelsat communications satellite.
Audrey Schaffer, Slingshot’s vice president of strategy and policy, said the company “has had eyes on Luch 2 since it was launched in March 2023, and our machine learning algorithms have predicted its next move.”
The company is forecasting that Luch 2’s next object of interest is the Intelsat 1002 communications satellite. “Luch 2 is expected to perform an additional maneuver to stop its drift near Intelsat 1002 on June 28 if it continues its past pattern of behavior,” Slingshot said.
This behavior mirrors that of its predecessor, Luch Olymp-K-1, which has been known for similar intelligence-gathering activities. Since its launch, Luch 2 has been notably active, making several significant maneuvers during its first 14 months in orbit, said the company.
The satellite’s closest approach to date was with Eutelsat’s KA-SAT 9A, coming within approximately 20 km of the communications satellite.
The following are European, African and U.S. communications satellites with which Luch 2 has made the closest approaches, according to Slingshot’s data:
EUTE KA SAT 9A (KA SAT)
(~20 km)

EUTELSAT 9B
(~43 km)
EUTE 3B
(~38 km)
RASCOM QAF 1R
(~163 km)
EUTE 3C (HB 10)
(~220 km)
EUTE KONNECT VHTS
(~30 km)

RASCOM QAF 1R
(~137 km)
ASTRA 4A (SIRIUS 4)
(~45 km)

SES 5
(~154 km)
INTELSAT 3-F7
(~228 km)
Schaffer noted that Luch 2 “has a history of cozying up to communications satellites, and it now appears to be repositioning itself near its next target.”
While Slingshot couldn’t comment on whether Luch 2 can intercept communications routed through the satellites it approaches, the company’s decision to release this information is aimed at allowing satellite operators to “make informed decisions about their spacecraft.”
https://spacenews.com/russian-spy-satellite-reportedly-continues-suspicious-maneuvers/
Military space trackers to keep public informed on Starlink satellite reentries
June 28, 2024
U.S. Space Command on June 28 sent out a reminder that it will closely monitor the controlled deorbiting of approximately 100 Starlink satellites, an operation that SpaceX announced in February.
The decision to deorbit these early version 1 Starlink satellites came after SpaceX identified a potential issue that could increase the risk of future failures.
The operation, projected to last several months, involves a controlled descent of satellites from low Earth orbit.
With a massive constellation of about 6,000 satellites and counting, SpaceX routinely deorbits spacecraft at the end of their operational life. However, the deorbiting of 100 satellites at once is a larger-than-usual operation.
To keep the public informed, U.S. Space Command said that reentry information for each satellite will be available on Space-Track.org, a public catalog used to track orbital objects and prevent potential collisions.
Space Force units under U.S. Space Command are working with SpaceX to “safely track the orbit lowering and reentry of Starlink satellites,” the command said in a news release.
Satellites designed to burn up on reentry
This tracking effort comes against a backdrop of increasing worry about the risks posed by the rapid expansion of satellite constellations in low Earth orbit.
A controversial Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report to Congress last year warned that by 2035, falling debris from U.S.-licensed constellations in low Earth orbit could potentially injure or kill someone every two years if deployments continue as planned.
SpaceX strongly contested these findings, calling the FAA report a “deeply flawed analysis” based on outdated studies and questionable assumptions.
The company maintains that its satellites are designed to completely burn up upon reentry, posing minimal risk to people on the ground.
https://spacenews.com/military-space-trackers-to-keep-public-informed-on-starlink-satellite-reentries/
Two New Nations Join Program to Provide SATCOM Support to NATO
June 27, 2024
Beginning next year, Spain and Luxembourg will join four other NATO nations that provide satellite communications services to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as part of a satellite services project that began in 2020.
Earlier this month, leaders of the oversight agencies in the six countries met just outside of Washington, D.C., to review the satellite services already being provided by the project, called NATO SATCOM Services 6th Generation, or NSS6G.
During their meeting, they also assessed the current performance of those services and any ongoing challenges.
During these sessions, representatives of NATO's Communications and Information Agency and the six nations agreed on the final text of the amendment to the memorandum of understanding, which provides the framework via which satellite communications services are provided to NATO.
The proposed amendment is crafted to enable Luxembourg and Spain to join the U.S., France, Italy and the U.K. as the providers of military satellite communications to NATO.
Beginning in 2005, NATO ceased acquiring and operating its own satellites, some of which had been based on designs from the early 1970s.
Instead, NATO opted to turn to member states France, Italy and the U.K. to provide NATO forces with the satellite communications they needed while conducting operations. In 2020, the U.S. joined the existing team.
Under the arrangement, the U.S. provides support with its "extremely high frequency," or EHF, transport service for NATO nuclear command and control and "super-high frequency," or SHF, capacity from its national Wideband Global Satellite Communications System.
Spotlight: DOD Space Strategy
France, the U.K. and Italy provide SHF and UHF capacity through their Syracuse, Skynet, and Sicral constellations.
Spain and Luxembourg will bring additional SHF and UHF capacity to the consortium from their Spainsat Next Generation and GovSat satellite constellations, respectively. In total, about a dozen military satellites will provide capability to NATO.
"These are at varying levels of protection," said Brian Hughes, the current NSS6G Joint Services management office leader in the international affairs office of the U.S. Space Systems Command.
"It's all military satellite communications, which means that it has resistance to nuclear effects and has resistance to jamming capabilities that commercial services generally don't have."
Hughes said satellite communications services are provided to NATO though a combination of what is called "allocate and commit" and managed services.
"[Allocate and commit is] where this capacity is actually given to NATO and [NATO] can use it as it needs it," Hughes said.
"And then, we have a managed access service where [NATO] makes a request at specific times that they need it, and we [the team of national providers] actually manage the service provided."
It's not NATO nations who will directly use the capability provided by NSSG6, but rather NATO headquarters itself when it runs NATO-sanctioned operations.
"NATO has, as an enterprise, its own requirements because it provides the headquarters functions, whether they're static or deployed," Hughes said.
"That SATCOM [satellite communications] is critical because NATO is providing the command-and-control function through SATCOM, which is absolutely necessary."
While the NSS6G consortium provides the space-based capability, NATO itself provides the tools its forces need on the ground, said Nusret Yilmaz, the SATCOM business unit owner within the NATO Communications and Information Agency.
"NATO owns the ground equipment," Yilmaz said. "All the end-user equipment, including the tactical radios, including the terminals for, let's say, deployed communications and including the various sizes of transportable and deployable communication systems.
These are owned by NATO. NATO is operating and maintaining [the ground systems]. These are organic capabilities of NATO. However, for the space segment, NATO doesn't have any organic capability."
NATO's original move away from its organic space assets was both a cost-saving measure and an effort to allow NATO to be able to take advantage of the more modern space-based systems that NATO allies would field for their own use.
The addition of Spain and Luxembourg to NSSG6 means increased resilience in satellite communications capability.
https://www.spacecom.mil/Newsroom/News/Article-Display/Article/3820114/two-new-nations-join-program-to-provide-satcom-support-to-nato/
Space Delta 8 welcomes new SATCOM commander
June 28, 2024
Col. Jeffrey Weisler took command of Space Delta 8 – Satellite Communications during a change of command ceremony at Schriever Space Force Base, June 24.
Lt. Gen. David N. Miller, Jr, Space Operations Command commander, presided over the ceremony.
Miller highlighted Col. David Pheasant for his dedication and focus as the commander of DEL 8 over the past two years and expressed his excitement for the continued excellence DEL 8 will provide for the USSF under Weisler’s leadership.
“David Pheasant led the Delta 8 formation brilliantly … he even built Delta 8’s “great 18” who competed and won in the Guardian arena in academic, resilience and physically challenging exercises where they competed against teams across the United States Space Force,” Miller said.
“In short, I don’t think anybody else could have racked up the level of successes for this team other than David Pheasant … but I think you would all agree with me that there is nobody better suited to take the place of David Pheasant than Jeffrey Weisler.”
Weisler is the third commander to take charge of DEL 8 and the organization is the focal point for U.S. protected and assured military SATCOM. “I hope to build upon and accelerate everything that has been accomplished under Pheasant’s leadership,” Weisler said.
“We will work together to generate, present and sustain the U.S. Space Force’s SATCOM combat readiness by integrating and delivering military SATCOM capabilities … we will develop resilient joint minded professionals in an organization of trust, loyalty and commitment.”
Pheasant, who will become the deputy commander for Space Forces Europe and Africa, shared memories of his time as commander.
“A lot has happened over the past two years, both successes and what one would normally label as challenges, but Space Delta 8 overcame it all,” Pheasant said. “Col.
Weisler will be the addition DEL 8 needs as he will continue the proud tradition we have worked hard to develop.” Headquartered at Schriever SFB, DEL 8 provides satellite communications and is the focal point for U.S. protected and assured military SATCOM.
The delta is composed of four squadrons: 4th Space Operations Squadron, 8th Combat Training Squadron, 10th Space Operations Squadron and 53rd Space Operations Squadron.
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3821734/space-delta-8-welcomes-new-satcom-commander/
Lego Space Bricks Created From Meteorite Fragments
June 28, 2024
Humanity is preparing to move beyond low Earth orbit for the first time in decades, and it won't be a quick visit this time.
Long-term lunar habitation is on the agenda, and the European Space Agency (ESA) is looking for ways to build what we need on the Moon without dragging ton after ton of materials up there.
Its investigations have resulted in a quirky little experiment. Using a bit of ultra-rare meteorite dust, the ESA worked with Lego to create a set of "space bricks."
The Space Bricks look like standard 8x2 Lego bricks, but you can tell something's different up close. Despite its nearness in celestial terms, there is very little lunar regolith on Earth.
NASA has several hundred pounds of material from the Apollo era, but more recent missions have only scooped up tiny samples.
The ESA team devised a solution that would allow them to create testable Space Bricks without access to a pile of moon dust. The secret ingredient was a 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite from Northern Africa.
Lego bricks aside, what we're really talking about here is an approach to space exploration called in situ resource utilization, sometimes called ISRU.
Rather than bring everything from Earth, a mission can utilize the materials available at the destination to save time and money.
For example, ice deposits hidden inside the "cold traps" of lunar craters could provide astronauts with fuel, breathable air, and drinking water.
Scientists have also explored ways to use lunar regolith and Martian soil as a building material. Hence, the Space Bricks.
"No one has ever built a structure on the Moon, so we have to work out not only how we build them but what we build them out of, as we can’t take any materials with us," said ESA Science Officer Aidan Cowley.
The meteorite fragments (above) had large rounded grains (chondrules) and smaller metal flakes. This material was mixed with a thermoplastic called polylactide and simulated lunar regolith.
The ESA used this mixture to 3D print the Lego-inspired Space Bricks. The team says their experimental bricks work a lot like the terrestrial versions.
They have working "clutch power," which is the ability for the tiny studs and tubes to interlock securely. This lets the team tinker with different structures to test the mechanics of their imitation Moon bricks.
"It's no secret that real-world scientists and engineers sometimes try out ideas with Lego bricks," said Emmet Fletcher, Head of ESA's Branding and Partnerships Office.
"ESA's space bricks are a great way to inspire young people and show them how play and the power of the imagination have an important role in space science, too." If you want to get a closer look at the Space Bricks, you might have an opportunity this summer.
Beginning this week, you'll be able to see 15 of these bricks on display at several Lego locations, including the Lego House in Denmark, the Lego store in Mall of America (Minnesota), the 5th Avenue Lego Store (New York), and the Disney Springs Lego Store (Florida).
The exhibit will be present at all participating locations until Sep 20.
https://www.extremetech.com/science/lego-space-bricks-created-from-meteorite-fragments
New study finds evidence of possible alien travel through space 'warp drives'
Jun 27, 2024
A new study has found a theory that 'warp drives' could be possible - this method of fast space travel will be known to many sci-fi and Star Trek fans.
These super powered space engines can manipulate space time as it compresses what's in front of it and expands it behind.
It creates what's called a 'warp bubble' which is how these spacecrafts in the sci-fi world can travel so quickly, some faster than the speed of light.
This has been looked into because scientists have hinted 'warp drives' may well have been used by aliens as they have left trails through space.
A previous study published in 1994 suggested this could be possible with a substance that may or may not exist but a new study suggests a way to do it without this.
Lead author Jared Fuchs, of the University of Alabama, Huntsville and the research think tank Applied Physics, said:
"This study changes the conversation about 'warp drives'. By demonstrating a first-of-its-kind model, we've shown that 'warp drives' might not be relegated to science fiction."
According to a statement, the new model uses "a sophisticated blend of traditional and novel gravitational techniques to create a 'warp bubble' that can transport objects at high speeds within the bounds of known physics".
However the proposal says travel faster than the speed of light could not be achieved.
Fuchs and his research team admit this is a single study and even if others could prove the maths behind it, actually building a 'warp drive' is a long, long way off.
"While we're not yet preparing for interstellar voyages, this research heralds a new era of possibilities," Gianni Martire, CEO of Applied Physics, said in the same statement.
"We're continuing to make steady progress as humanity embarks on the Warp Age."
https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/alien-travel-space-warp-drives
Feds have UFO transparency problem: Ex-security official
JUN 28, 2024 / 01:24 PM CDT
A former top-ranking U.S. security official believes the federal government needs to be more transparent in its attempts to engage with detected unidentified anomalous phenomena rather than trying to hide its encounters from the general public.
Christopher Mellon, who served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for intelligence in the Bill Clinton and George W. Bush administrations, told NewsNation’s “Reality Check with Ross Coulthart” in an interview that he believes the government is making a mistake in classifying information about UAPs.
While information that is potentially damaging to national security must be classified, other materials, including videos of U.S. encounters with UAPs, should be released to the general public, Mellon believes.
“There is a real gap here and a problem in terms of transparency, and I think, unfortunately, many people in the intelligence community, it’s part of the culture to think that the less we share, the safer we are,” Mellon said in the November interview,
In 2017, Mellon provided The New York Times and Washington Post with videos of UAPs by U.S. Navy pilots between 2004 and 2015.
The release of the videos came in a bombshell New York Times report that unveiled a classified Pentagon UFO program called the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program that was
Mellon told Coulhart that the videos he provided the two newspapers had previously been investigated by the U.S. Air Force and were confirmed as “unclassified” because they did not threaten national security.
The videos enhanced national security by raising awareness of our vulnerability and the activity that needs to be addressed.
After that happened, the defense department created a classification system for UAPs that Mellon said seems to indicate that “anything and everything having to do with UAPs” is classified.
Mellon said the government has many more videos that fall into the same category and remain classified material.
“I don’t believe that, and I don’t think they could prosecute anyone successfully who leaked videos of that ilk,” Mellon told NewsNation.
Mellon, while working in counterintelligence, constantly reminded his staff that the U.S. didn’t defeat the Soviet Union in the Cold War because the American government was better at keeping secrets.
Rather, he said the U.S. surpassed the Soviets because officials were better at sharing information in the marketplace, with free markets, pricing and policymaking.
“We want to reserve classification for things that is really sensitive and needs to be protected, but otherwise, it’s in the country’s best interest to get that information out,” Mellon said.
“I think they’re making a mistake in this case.”
https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/feds-ufo-transparency-mellon/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYShNNH3UTM