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NRL to demonstrate wireless power transmission in space

The Air Force X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle which launched into orbit aboard a ULA Atlas V rocket on May 17 contains the first of its kind experiment to test a system for collection of sunlight and conversion to microwave energy for beaming power where it is needed. Space Settlement Progress reported on the possibility of this mission back in December of last year. Now the hardware, called a Photovoltaic Radio-frequency Antenna Module or PRAM, has been launched. Its been a long time coming but finally some of the key elements of a solar power satellite system will get a shake down cruise in space. I’m old enough to have written a report on space solar power satellites in my high school physics class (1974). Assuming positive results, NRL plans a follow-on experiment to beam power down to Earth.

Image of the Photovoltaic Radio-frequency Antenna Module (PRAM) with a centimeter ruler for scale. Image Courtesy of U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

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To the stars with a laser induced annihilation drive

A concept for an innovative relativistic interstellar propulsion drive has just been described in the May 23 issue of Acta Astronautica. The propulsion system uses a pulsed laser to generate “antimatter-like” annihilation reactions in hydrogen fuel producing high velocity K meson elementary particles at relativistic speeds. The method is suitable for powering large starships and could be available within a decade. The authors claim the energy released is 100 times greater than fusion. Because hydrogen is readily available throughout the galaxy, fuel for the return trip does not need to be carried on the outbound journey.

Outline of a laser-induced annihilation generator for space propulsion. Credit: Leif Holmlid and Sindre Zeiner-Gundersen, Acta Astronautica 23 May 2020

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Making Mars soil fertile

A just released study published in the journal Plants documented the results of experiments to find the best ratio of compost to Martial soil simulant to effectively grow nutritious butter lettuce with the least amount of water while optimizing crop performance. Such findings will enable in situ resource utilization and reduce the mass of supplies needed to be transported to Mars to support farming in human settlements.

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Relativity Space to 3D print entire rocket

The California company is opening an autonomous factory in Long Beach which will use additive manufacturing to print both its Aeon engine and Terran 1 rocket. The unprecedented agile manufacturing process will slash production costs by reducing parts count and increasing throughput enabling a competitive advantage in this class of launchers (1250 Kg to LEO).

Relativity Space Autonomous Factory. Image courtesy of Relativity Space via SpaceWatch.Global
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Beyond EmDrive

Illustration of an EmDrive. Image Credit: Getty Images

As reported in Wired, former Eagleworks leader Dr. Harold “Sonny” White has moved on to join the Limitless Space Institute, an organization fostering research into advanced space power and propulsion technologies that will enable interstellar travel. For more details tune into The Space Show on Tuesday June 16 at 7pm PST when Dr. White will be interviewed by Dr. David Livingston

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Resilient ExtraTerrestrial Habitats

Shirley Dyke, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering at Purdue University is the head of the school’s RETH (Resilient ExtraTerrestrial Habitats) Institute. Her work seeks an understanding of what characteristics make habitats safe through “cyber physical testing”, a discipline that combines computer models with physical testing to validate results. A habitat’s resilience level is paramount to this endeavor, which results in intelligently designed structures that mitigate risks of numerous hazards to humans anticipated in the lunar environment. Her team models the effects of meteoroid impacts, moon quakes, problems with lunar regolith (which is highly abrasive) and others that may impact the performance of outposts on the Moon.

Credits: Purdue University photo illustration/Mark Simons
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Project “Lunark Habitat”

A danish design company called SAGA Space Architects has developed an origami-like folding structure for space habitation. Designed for two astronauts, the exterior is composed of an aluminum frame layered with solar cells”, while the interior has living quarters with desks and shelves. The designers, Sebastian Aristotelis and Karl-Johan Sorensen will test the facility this fall in arctic conditions for three months in Greenland.

Design of the LUNARK Mark 1 Habitat, an origami-inspired expandable moon shelter.
Credit: SAGA Space Architects
LUNARK
Credit: SAGA Space Architects

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The Artemis Accords

The Trump Administration is working with international partners to create a regulatory framework for administration of “safety zones” around future lunar mining installations to prevent damage or interference from competing entities operating nearby.

This outstanding view of the whole full moon was photographed from the Apollo 11 spacecraft during its trans-Earth journey homew
Image Credit: NASA
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Biotechnological strategies for a sustained human presence on Mars

A stepwise strategy for the application of biotechnology to address four key challenges of Martian settlement is presented in a Comment in Nature Biotechnology. As settlement progresses, a phased developmental approach is proposed starting on Earth with gradual migration of industry to Mars for the production of food, materials, therapeutics and waste reclamation toward an efficient closed-loop life support system.

Incremental integration of biotechnology into Mars mission designs – Credits: Shannon N. Nangle, et al. via Nature Biotechnology
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Living off the land (and air) on Mars

If we ever settle Mars, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) is essential for sustainability of a Martian colony as dependence on Earth for resupply would be too expensive. UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Lab chemists are developing a biohybrid system which attaches bacteria to nanowires that when exposed to sunlight and locally available carbon dioxide and water, produce a useful organic compound called acetate. Acetate is a building block for a range of products including fuels, plastics, drugs or even yeast. A byproduct of the chemical reaction is oxygen, which could be used for breathable air. There is even a dual use on Earth for carbon capture.

A device to capture carbon dioxide from the air and convert it to useful organic products. On left is the chamber containing the nanowire/bacteria hybrid that reduces CO2 to form acetate. On the right is the chamber where oxygen is produced. (UC Berkeley photo by Peidong Yang)