Space for all (6/23/22)

Good morning. The Payload team is heading back to our respective homes after a fruitful, drizzly two-day offsite in upstate New York. We quasi-hiked yesterday...if you're willing to charitably consider 0.6 miles a quasi-hike.

On another note, today’s top story was penned by Carlyn Kranking, one of Payload’s excellent contributors. You’ve seen her work across the newsletter, so we’re really excited to debut her first article in the newsletter and online.

In today's newsletter:💫 AstroAccess🌐 Space sustainability🗣️ Starship maiden flight poll📝 A chonky contract report

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Inclusion on the Horizon

AstroAccess, a nonprofit that promotes disability inclusion in space, partnered with the Aurelia Institute to advance astronaut diversity by doing research on zero-gravity missions.

“In one sense, space is the ultimate equalizer: everyone who leaves Earth is subject to the radical experience of leaving gravity behind,” the Aurelia Institute said in a blog post. But in another sense, real barriers to entry still exist for astronauts, be it cost, physical access, or lack of outreach.

In an effort to change this, Aurelia led the Horizon 2022 zero gravity flight, which took place on May 22. 25 crew participants from various organizations flew, including “ambassadors” for AstroAccess. The 90-minute mission simulated space flight with 20 parabolas of lunar, Martian, and zero gravity that lasted about 20 seconds each.

Mission basics

Each crew member on the Horizon flight had a research goal, art project, or storytelling task to complete while in microgravity. AstroAccess’s participants focused on specific new tests and experiments:

• Centra “Ce-Ce” Mazyck, a wheelchair user, navigated the cabin using only hand holds.

• Apurva Varia tested colored LED lights that non-verbally signaled deaf flyers to prepare for zero gravity.

• Varia and ASL interpreter Justin Baldi also tested whether astronauts could comprehend sign language, which relies heavily on eye contact and facial expressions, while floating at different angles from each other.

• Viktoria Modesta designed and tested a lower leg prosthetic built specifically for microgravity conditions.

• Dr. Mona Minkara used textured surfaces, such as velcro and corduroy, on the walls of the cabin to get oriented without using sight.

Extending access to space

A history: In the 1960s, 11 deaf men participated in NASA experiments regarding the effects of weightlessness on the body. These showed that some deaf people, due to vestibular system differences, are immune to motion sickness. This makes them “more adaptable to the foreign gravitational environments,” per AstroAccess—but no deaf astronaut has ever gone to space. In fact, NASA bars people who are blind, deaf, or have mobility-related disabilities from space missions.

A future: Last summer, the ESA announced plans to launch the first physically disabled astronaut into space. The agency said in January that it had narrowed 22,000+ applications down to below 1,400 for its four- to six-person program—and that 29 of those remaining applicants have a physical disability. And as space flight increasingly shifts to private companies, there may be more opportunities for expanded access to space.

What’s next? Following this mission and AstroAccess’s inaugural flight last fall, AstroAccess Flight 2 will take place on Nov. 19, 2022 with a crew of new and repeat ambassadors.

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UK Space Sustainability

The UK government released a plan for space sustainability at the 4th Summit for Space Sustainability in London today. UK Science Minister George Freeman said that the country is angling to make the UK a hub for space investment and drive commercial space sector growth.

“A ‘Wild West’ space race without effective regulation risks a growing crisis of debris in space, adding to the existing threat from 400 redundant satellites and a million pieces of debris,” said Freeman at the summit. “To harness space for sustainability, we need an agreed framework of standards for measuring and managing debris, improving satellite repair and retrieval and kite-marking genuinely sustainable supply chains.”

The plan, Stan: Currently in its initial stages, the sustainability push involves working alongside industry and academia to develop standards for satellite licensing, launches, and the sustainable development of space.

• Active debris removal tech development and in-orbit services are top of mind as the UK explores ways to bolster innovative domestic technologies.

• The government will also invest in implementing UNOOSA guidelines for the long-term sustainability of outer space.

+ While we’re here: Check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our in-depth series on orbital debris and regulation.

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In Other News

• SpaceRyde opened the first orbital-class rocket factory in Canada on Tuesday. The balloon launch company is planning to build Canada's first orbital rocket in-house.

• The UK government released a plan for space sustainability that includes working with industry and academia to develop regulations and standards for satellite licensing.

• Zimbabwe plans to send its first satellite, ZimSat-1, to orbit next month with JAXA.

• Rocket Lab ($RKLB) and NASA have delayed the CAPSTONE launch to no earlier than June 27.

• Arianespace launched two geostationary communications satellites to orbit from French Guiana.

• The House Armed Services Committee approved an amended version of the National Defense Authorization Act that would increase the bill by $37B, including more funding for space initiatives.

• NASA will not attempt a fifth wet dress rehearsal for SLS before it launches. The moon rocket will roll back to the Vehicle Assembly Building.

The View from Mars

NASA’s Curiosity rover snapped 10 images that—back on Earth—were stitched together to create this view of a sulfate-bearing Martian hillside. The dark boulders in the center likely formed from salt deposits in ancient streams or ponds, and the layered rock is a record of Mars’s past water and climate.