Een hoogtepunt deze week was ongetwijfeld de publicatie van de tweede Gaia dataset. Er waren twee lanceringen. Met Sentinel 3B bouwt ESA het Copernicus-aardobservatiesysteem verder uit. Heel wat commotie was er in de US toen NASA de Resource Prosepctor schrapte. En ook voor Mars was er minder goed nieuws toen men een scheurtje ontdekte in het hitteschild van Mars2020. In Berlijn was er de ILA Air & Space Show waar heel wat nieuws te rapen viel, wat je terugvindt verspreid over deze "Nieuws Uit De Ruimtevaart". Maar ook deze week was er nog heel wat meer ... .

Tweede Gaia data set vrijgegeven.
ESA: Gaia creates richest star map of our galaxy – and beyond.
Sky & Telescope: Gaia Maps 1.7 Billion Stars, Widens Cosmic Census.
VRT NWS: Belgische wetenschappers tekenen mee de meest gedetailleerde 3D-kaart van de Melkweg.

Een aantal filmpjes:
ESA: Gaia Second Data Release – Replay Press Conference.
ESA: Gaia Second Data Release.
EuroNews: Astronomers access huge amounts of data on the stars in our galaxy from Gaia space telescope.

ESA: Parallax and Proper Motion.
ESA: The Hyades Cluster.
ESA: Fly between Gaia stars.
ESA: Gaia’s First Asteroid Survey.
ESA: Globular Clusters And Dwarf Galaxies Orbiting The Milky Way.
ESA: Gaia: Anthony Brown interview at ILA Berlin 2018.

Sentinel-3B gelanceerd. Met laatste (?) Rockot.
ESA: Seventh Sentinel Satellite Launched For Copernicus.
EumetSat: The Launch Of Sentinel-3B Opens A New Era For Operational Oceanography.
EC: Successful launch of new Copernicus satellite for ocean and land monitoring.
Thales: Sentinel-3B in orbit!
DLR: Launch of Sentinel 3B – twin satellites united in space.

NasaSpaceFlight: Russian Rokot launches Sentinel-3b.
Spaceflight101: Sentinel-3B Land & Ocean-Sensing Satellite Delivered to Orbit by Russian Rockot Booster.

Space News: Eurockot conducts final Rockot mission with Sentinel-3B satellite.

Enkele filmpjes:
ESA: Sentinel-3B liftoff replay.
ESA: Sentinel-3B highlights.
Meer info over Copernicus vind je hier.

Lange Mars 11 lanceert vijf satellieten.
NasaSpaceFlight: Long March 11 launches multiple satellites.
Spaceflight101: Chinese Long March 11 Launches Five Video & Hyperspectral Satellites for Zhuhai Constellation.
Space News: China launches five commercial remote sensing satellites via Long March 11.

Beelden van de lancering vind je hier. 

India roept satelliet terug. Arianespace schrapt lancering.
The Hindu: ISRO recalls mega GSAT-11 from Kourou for retests.
Space News: Arianespace cancels Ariane 5 launch over ISRO satellite issue.

Rusland zal defecte Angola-satelliet vervangen.
Reuters: Angola satellite inoperative, Russia to build another one.
TASS: Russia, Angola agree to start designing Angosat-2 satellite.
Spaceflight101: Russia gives up on Silent AngoSat-1, Promises Replacement Satellite to Angola.

Raketnieuwsjes.
Space News: Boeing, Lockheed, ULA corner the government-funded space market. SpaceX moving up.
NasaSpaceFlight: SpaceX’s May launch manifest takes shape; company prepares for Block 5 debut.
US Launch Report: SpaceX - Fairing Final Journey - TESS 04-25-2018 (filmpje).

Virgin Orbit: NewtonThree Full Duration Hotfire (17 April 2018) (filmpje).

AWST: Podcast: Small Launchers Speed into Service.

ESA: Replay of Ariane 6 session at ILA Berlin.

Parabolic Arc: Russian Lawmakers Eye Ban on RD-180 Sales.
Sputnik News: Wanna See Rockets Up Close? Soon You Can: Vostochny Cosmodrome Preps for Tourism.

GB Times: Private Chinese space launch company Landspace targets 2020 debut of methane-liquid oxygen rocket.

Space and ISRO News: ISRO Plans Ground Landing test for RLV-TD Reusable Launch Vehicle (filmpje).

ISS – Commercial Resupply Services – Hoe SpaceX plots een pak duurder werd.
NASA OIG: Audit OF Commercial Resupply Services to the ISS (PDF).
Ars Technica: NASA to pay more for less cargo delivery to the space station.

ISS – Nieuwsjes.
TASS: Russia’s Progress cargo spacecraft splashes down in Pacific Ocean.
NASA: US Cargo Spaceship Set for Departure from International Space Station.

Spaceflight Insider: Fabrication for commercial ISS airlock “Biship” underway.

TASS: Cosmonauts aboard space station replace water heater where yellow admixtures were found.

DLR: Trailer: CIMON - the intelligent astronaut assistant.
DLR: OSIRISv3: DLR-Laserterminal auf dem Weg zur ISS.

Naar aanleiding van de ILA Berlin Air and Space Show werden heel wat (oud-)astronauten geïnterviewd.
ESA: Reinhold Ewald talks about his experiences.
ESA: Interview with ESA's Thomas Reiter on the Lunar Orbital Platform.

The Guardian: Helen Sharman, first Briton in space, backs manned mission to Mars.

China viert derde “Dag van de Ruimtevaart”.
CGTN: China unveils big plans on Space Day (filmpje van een kwartier).
CGTN America: Keith Cowing (NasaWatch) discusses advancements in China's space program (filmpje).

GB Times: China's astronauts step up Chinese Space Station preparations.
GB Times: China begins selecting new group of 18 astronauts for space station missions.
GB Times: China's astronaut extravehicular activity training space suit unveiled.

New China TV: China's Space Dream: China's 4 satellite launch centers (filmpje).
GB Times: China begins selecting new astronauts for space missions (filmpje).

Een filmpje over China’s zes bemande ruimtevluchten vind je hier. 
CCTV+: China's Self-developed Underwater Training Suit for Astronauts Makes Debut in Beijing (filmpje).

GB Times: China looking to further human spaceflight cooperation with ESA, starting with food.

Zie ook het nieuws over de aardobservatiesatelliet Gaofen-5 en de maansondes Change 4 en 5 in het (inter)planetaire nieuws.

ESA Nieuws vanop de ILA Berlin Air and Space Show.
ESA: Day 1.
ESA: Day 2.
ESA: Day 3.

Orion – European Service Module.
ESA: Fuel Tanks And Wings For Orion Module.
ESA Orion Blog: Tanks installed in first European Service Module.
ESA Orion Blog: Solar Array Testing at ESTEC.
ESA Orion Blog: Shipping the second European Service Module Structure.

Orion – Ascent Abort 2.
Collect Space: Year to abort: NASA preps Orion capsule for 2019 Ascent Abort-2 test.
NASA: Orion Exploration Media Day - April 26, 2018 (video persconferentie).

SLS.
NASA KSC: Simulated Countdown Another Step Toward Exploration Mission-1.
Nasa Watch: NASA Starts To Confirm SLS Changes It Denied Last Week.
Nasa Watch: Newt Gingrich Hints At Anti-SLS Whisper Campaign.

NasaSpaceFlight: NASA’s realigning dual Mobile Launcher plan targets extra SLS Block 1 missions.

NASA: Houston we have a podcast: The Space Launch System: Part 2.
Deel 1 vond je hier.

En nog wat filmpjes:
NASA Marshall: SLS Trivia: Getting to Know NASA's Space Launch System Core Stage.
NASA Marshall: Building Big in the 'Big Easy'

NASA schrapt Resource Prospector.
NASA: Resource Prospector Update.
Geek Wire: NASA is reworking its moon rover mission amid outcry from lunar advisory group.
Ars Technica: New NASA leader faces an early test on his commitment to Moon landings.

Parabolic Arc: NASA Cancels Lunar Resource Prospector, Promises Aggressive Commercial Strategy.
Parabolic Arc: LEAG Letter Protesting Cancellation of Resource Prospector Mission.

NasaWatch: Trying To Understand What NASA Is Saying About Resource Prospector.

Meer over “Commercial Lunar Payload Services”.
FedBizOpps: Commercial Lunar Payload Services – CLPS.

Naar de Maan.
Parabolic Arc: NASA’s Exploration Campaign: Back to the Moon and on to Mars.
Sputnik News: NASA Continues to Discuss Co-op on Lunar Orbital Platform with Other Countries.
Sputnik News: US Offers to Use Its Space Suits Instead of Russian Ones for Spacewalks – Source

NASA Administrator Jim Bridestine.
NASA: Vice President Pence Swears in New NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.

Filmpjes:
NASA: Welcome Jim Bridenstine to the NASA Family.
NASA: Vice President Pence Swears in New NASA Administrator Bridenstine.

Beroep: Astronaut.
Astronauten Robert Behnken en Eric Boe praten over hun militaire carrière als voorbereiding op het astronaut-zijn.
Air Force TV: BLUE Episode 11 : The Spirit of Exploration.
En een hele tijd geleden:
Air Force TV: Yesterday's Air Force: Airman Astronauts.

ESA en NASA gaan samen Mars-bodemmonsters ophalen.
ESA: ESA and NASA to investigate bringing Martian soil to Earth.
ESA: ESA and NASA Sign Statement of Intent on Mars Sample Collection.

NASA JPL: Bringing Mars Back To Earth.

ESA: David Parker talks about the Mars Sample Return Mission.

Hitteschild Mars2020 beschadigd.
NASA JPL: Results of Heat Shield Testing.
Reuters: Mars 2020 spacecraft heat shield damaged in test, launch date not affected: NASA

NASA Ames Pocast: Robin Beck Talks about Designing Heat Shields to Protect Spacecraft.
New Scientist: Toughest ever heat shields made of springy sponge-like stuff.

Nieuws uit de (inter)planetaire ruimte.

Zon.
ESA: Where no mission has gone before (filmpje).

Mercurius.
NasaSpaceFlight: BepiColombo arrives at launch site for final pre-flight processing.
ESA: To Europe’s Spaceport! (filmpje).
EurekAlert!: New estimates of Mercury's thin, dense crust.

Aarde:
GB Times: Gaofen-1 Earth observation satellite triplets return first images.
GB Times: China to launch Gaofen-5 Earth observation satellite in early May.
Parabolic Arc: HyperScout Successfully Captures First Images From Space.
NASA: NASA and the USGS, a Shared History in Remote Sensing.
PhysOrg: Aqua satellite sees wind shear affecting Tropical Cyclone Fakir.
CSA: Using satellites to protect the Earth.
GeoSpace: Satellites could further help mitigate river floods.
ESA Earth from Space: Cloud-free Europe.

Maan:
GB Times: Chang'e-4 lunar far side satellite named 'magpie bridge' from folklore tale of lovers crossing the Milky Way.
SpaceCom: China's Chang'e 4 Moon-Relay Satellite Gets a Name from Folklore.
GB Times: China's Chang'e-5 lunar sample return mission to launch in 2019.
Sputnik News: Space-Age Crowdsourcing: China Asks Public for Designs for Lunar Landing Craft.

Mars:
ESA: ExoMars returns first images from new orbit.
Reuters: ExoMars Rover prepares for shake down ahead of Mars trip.
BBC: Europe's Mars rover takes shape.
NASA JPL: NASA Sets Sights on May 5 Launch of InSight to Mars.
NASA JPL: NASA Engineers Dream Big with Small Spacecraft.
SciShow Space: A New Origin Story for Mars's Moons (filmpje).

Jupiter.
SpaceCom: Jupiter's Great Red Spot Swirls in Stunning Up-Close Photo by Juno Probe.

Planetoïden.
SpaceCom: Asteroid Miners' Arkyd-6 Satellite Aces Big Test in Space.
Parabolic Arc: Planetary Resources Declares Arkyd-6 a Success.

Rosetta’s komeet.
The Bad Astronomer: Snowstorm on a comet.
The Bad Astronomer: Snowstorm on a comet (star stabilized).
Scientias: Sneeuw op Rosetta’s komeet?

Bennu:
Universe Documentary HD: Bennu's Journey and The Formation of Our Solar System.

Wat ruimtevaartgeschiedenis, tv-series, . . .
Collect Space: Netflix doc 'Mercury 13' chronicles first US women tested for spaceflight.
Air & Space Mag: Netflix Documentary Profiles the Women Who Could Have Been Mercury Astronauts.
SpaceCom: Space Math Heroes of 'Hidden Figures' Inspire Nat Geo Drama Series.

Collect Space: Barbie models doll after NASA 'hidden figure' Katherine Johnson.

Collect Space: Judge finds Apollo astronaut can sue over marketing of replica moon watch.

Collect Space: Gateway to the moon: Apollo 11 capsule lands on display in St. Louis.

Nog dit: Late postbestelling.
TASS: Russian Post helped France’s first astronaut to return documents stolen in Paris.

En nog dit: Pech voor Gagarin (zijn hoofd).
The Guardian: Belgrade Yuri Gagarin monument shrinks away after head jibes.

Veel lees- en kijkplezier,

Koen