Geen lancering deze week, maar dat wil niet zeggen dat er niks te vertellen valt. Zo was er de mislukte Japanse tether-test met de Kounotori die eerder vertrokken was bij het International Space Station. Wat SpaceX betreft, er is een nieuw probleem opgedoken met de Falcon 9. Verder werd er een test uitgevoerd met zo’n terug gekeerde eerste trap, in afwachting van een effectieve lancering. We verzamelden trouwens heel wat nieuws over raketten uit heel de wereld, net als over lanceerbasissen. 

Europa krijgt een nieuwe astronaut, Canada is nog op zoek naar nieuwe astronauten. En wat de ruimte doet met het menselijk lichaam, de eerste resultaten van de één jaar durende ruimtevlucht met de helft van een tweeling, werden bekend gemaakt.

Het Europese satellietnavigatiesysteem Galileo kreeg een probleem met zijn klokken, wat nu ook voor problemen zorgde in het gelijkaardige systeem van Indië. 

Er is heel wat (inter)planetair nieuws, er is de vijftigste verjaardag van het Outer Space Treaty en afronden doen we met twee voordrachten, eentje over Pluto en eentje over Mars.

Japanse anti-debris test mislukt.
Japan Today: Japan's 'space junk' collector in trouble.
The Science Times: Japan Space Junk Collector Fails First Orbital Test.
SpaceCom: A Japanese Space Junk Removal Experiment Has Failed in Orbit.

Meer nieuws vanuit het ISS.
TASS: Progress MS-03 cargo spacecraft separates from International Space Station
NasaSpaceFlight: Fiery farewell for Progress as ISS prepares for new arrivals.

En nog een filmpje naar aanleiding van de Super Bowl.
NASA Johnson: #SpaceBowl Football Toss
Collect Space: How NASA sent the winning Super Bowl LI team's jersey to space — before game day.

Nieuwe problemen voor SpaceX. Eerstvolgende lancering vanaf Pad 39A.
Parabolic Arc: New SpaceX Falcon 9 Problems: Cracks in Turbopump Turbine Blades.
Reuters: SpaceX says fix underway for rocket turbine wheel cracking.

SpaceCom: Prepping for Re-Launch: SpaceX Test-Fires Used Falcon 9 Rocket (Photo).
Ars Technica: SpaceX takes a key step toward a reusable rocket launch.
Universe Today: Used SpaceX booster set for historic first reflight is test fired in Texas.

CBS News: SpaceX, finishing launch pad work, shuffles launch schedule.
Spaceflight Now: Station cargo flight leapfrogs commercial satellite launch on SpaceX manifest.
Space News: Iridium buys eighth Falcon 9 launch, shares with Earth science mission.

RocketSTEM: SpaceX set to debut Falcon Heavy this year.

DailyBreeze: SpaceX wants to double its footprint at the Port of Los Angeles.

Allerlei ander raketnieuws.
Geek Wire: Jeff Bezos gives a geeky boost to Blue Origin’s BE-4 rocket engine boost pump.
Geek Wire: Here’s what it’ll be like to ride on Jeff Bezos’ suborbital Blue Origin spaceship.
Florida Today: Scott's proposed budget gives boost to Blue Origin.

AL.com: Aerojet Rocketdyne plans to produce AR1 engine in Huntsville, Alabama.
Parabolic Arc: Aerojet Rocketdyne Adds 100 Jobs in Huntsville.

Denver Business Journal: United Launch Alliance is cutting jobs again.

NasaSpaceFlight: Sierra Nevada prepares for spring landing test of Dream Chaser

NasaSpaceFlight: Orbital ATK preps Cygnus flights; Antares enhancements on track for 2019

The Hindu: GSLV’s cryogenic upper stage tested successfully.
Space Daily: ISRO tests C25 Cryogenic Upper Stage of GSLV MkIII.
The Hindu: How ISRO plans to launch 103 satellites on a single rocket.

China: A private Chinese space company just scored a foreign contract for the first time.

Space News: France’s Prometheus reusable engine becomes ESA project, gets funding boost.
NasaSpaceFlight: Airbus Safran promotes launch record ahead of Ariane 6 entering production.

TASS: First commercial launch of Proton after engine checks due in April
SatNews: Russia Reacts to Possible Tampering of Faulty Rockets. 
TASS: Deputy PM asks Roscosmos to scrutinize all crucial space industry enterprises

Space News: Launch woes diminish demand for small satellites.

Over lanceerbasissen.
BBC News: Spaceport plans delayed by Brexit.
CBC News: Why a $100M rocket launch site might be coming to Nova Scotia.
BizJournals: Spaceport bill clears Georgia Senate panel.
GB Times: China's Wenchang launch centre opens space program for tourism.

Nieuwe Astronauten.
ESA: A new recruit for ESA’s astronaut corps.
ESA: Introducing ESA’s new astronaut Matthias Maurer (filmpje).
GB Times:  ESA's newest astronaut looks to cooperation on the Chinese space station.

Canada is ook op zoek naar nieuwe ruimtevaarders.
MetroNews: 72 candidates selected to vie for a spot in Canada's team of astronauts.

Het menselijk lichaam in de ruimte.
Popular Science: What can NASA’s twin study results actually tell us ?
EurekAlert!: How stressful will a trip to Mars be on the human body?
SpaceCom: How 1-Year Space Mission Affected Astronaut Twin Scott Kelly: Early Results.
Science Alert: NASA's Twin Study has found 8 weird effects of long-term spaceflight on the human body.
Science Daily: Astronauts' brains change shape during spaceflight.
EurekAlert!: Change in astronaut's gut bacteria attributed to spaceflight.
SpaceCom: Under Pressure: Why Spaceflight Is So Hard on Astronauts' Eyes

En mocht het toch fout lopen:
Popular Science: What happens to your body when you die in space ?

Na Galileo, gelijkaardige problemen voor Indisch navigatiesysteem.
NDTV: India's Swadeshi GPS Develops A Problem, But Remains Functional.
The Wire: Three Atomic Clocks Have Failed Onboard India’s ‘Regional GPS’ Constellation.
Space Daily: ISRO to Launch Standby Navigation Satellite to Replace IRNSS-1A.

InsideGNSS: ESA Puts Brave Face on Galileo Clock Failures.
InsideGNSS: ESA Inside View on the Present and Future of GNSS.

Het (inter)planetaire nieuws.

Mercurius: 
ESA: BepiColombo status (filmpje).

Aarde.
Spaceflight101: State of the Art Weather Satellite delivers impressive First Light Images.
Space News: Smallsats provide opportunities and challenges for weather data.
EurekAlert!: First-ever GPS data release to boost space-weather science.

Maan:
NPR: Moon Express Reaches Finals In Google Lunar Xprize Competition.
Parabolic Arc: MoonWatcher Launches Kickstarter Campaign.

Mars:
Space Ref: NASA OIG: Audit of the Mars 2020 Rover Project.
Het rapport vind je hier (PDF). 
DLR: Mars' North Pole – Chronicle of the Martian climate.
SpaceCom: Sending Mars Rovers on a 'Walkabout' Could Boost Their Science Output.
RocketSTEM: Record number of missions at the Red Planet.

Jupiter:
Universe Today: A proposal for Juno to observe the volcanoes of Io.
NASA: It’s Never 'Groundhog Day' at Jupiter.

Saturn:
The Planetary Society: Explorer of Enceladus and Titan.
NASA: Ring-Grazing Orbits.
Spaceflight Now: Cassini offers best-ever view of Saturn’s rings.
En hier vind je nog een Q&A over de Ring-Grazing orbits. 

Ceres:
The Planetary Society: Dawn Journal: A New Perspective on Ceres.
SpaceRef: Ceres May Have Vanishing Ice Volcanoes.

Planetoïden.
TASS: Russian scientists propose launching telescope to observe asteroids from Sun’s side.

KBO:
NH Website: New Horizons Refines Course for Next Flyby.
America Space: New Horizons Completes Another Course Adjustment in Preparation for 2019 Flyby of Next KBO.

Vijftig jaar The Outer Space Treaty.
The Space Review: The Outer Space Treaty at 50.
Roger Launius’s Blog: The Establishment of the Outer Space Treaty.
Roger Launius’s Blog: The Antarctic and Outer Space Treaties after the Cold War: Are They Still Valid?

Om af te ronden – Twee voordrachten.
NASA Ames: Bethany Ehlmann - Early Mars: A View from Rovers and Orbiters.
NASA Ames: Alan Stern - The Exploration of Pluto by New Horizons.

Veel lees- en kijkplezier,

Koen