Het zal niet zo lang meer duren of de eerste (onbemande) vluchten in kader van het Commercial Crew programma zullen plaats hebben. Deze week kregen de bouwers van die capsules nog een verwittiging. Op een nogal indirecte manier. Aan boord van het International Space Station deed zich een lek voor. Niets mega, een klein gaatje van twee millimeter. Wellicht een micrometeoriet. Al is dat niet zeker. Ingeslagen in één van de twee Soyuz-capsules. 

Het ontwikkelen van de twee nieuwe bemande capsules liep trager dan gepland. Dat veiligheid meer dan belangrijk is, werd bij deze nog eens aangetoond. Ook al is alles onder controle.

Ryugu, Bennu en Ultima Thule in de kijker.
The Planetary Society: OSIRIS-REx and New Horizons catch first sight of their targets.
Parabolic Arc: 10 Reasons Why NASA is Visiting Asteroid Bennu.
SpaceQ: OSIRIS-REx spacecraft with Canadian instrument begns approach phase to asteroid Bennu.
Aerojet Rocketdyne: Aerojet Rocketdyne Propulsion Powers OSIRIS-REx’s Approach of Asteroid Bennu.

New Horizons Website: Ultima in View.

The Planetary Society: Hayabusa2 prepares to collect samples, leave Planetary Society names on Ryugu.
En nog over zijn voorganger:
SpaceCom: How Old Is Asteroid Itokawa? Scientists Say They Finally Know.

ISS – Lek in Russisch segment gedicht.
TASS: Air leak registered on orbital outpost, problem resolved — Roscosmos chief.
TASS: Situation on space station under control, cosmonauts fixing problem with air leak.
TASS: Cosmonauts complete pressure increase at ISS after sealing breach.

NASA: ISS Status 30.08.2018. Update 1, Update 2 en Update 3.
NASA: Crew Plans Quiet Labor Day Weekend After Repair Work.

SpaceCom: Astronauts Work to Seal Air Leak on Space Station. Here's How.
SpaceCom: Did a Micrometeoroid Poke a Hole in the Space Station?

NasaSpaceFlight: Soyuz/Station atmosphere leak no threat to Crew as repairs continue.
Space News: ISS leak highlights concerns about orbital debris and station operations.
Spaceflight Now: Live coverage: Space station crew investigating slow pressure leak.

Enkele filmpjes.
EuroNews: An Astronaut onboard the ISS has tackled an air leak.
Space Videos: Space Station Crew Discuss Repairs to Fix Air Leak in Soyuz.
Scott Manley: Astronauts Are Fixing an Air Leak On International Space Station.

Meer info over de Soyuz-MS vind je hier op Russian Space Web.

ISS – Progress brandde op in de atmosfeer.
Het onbemande ruimteschip was vorige week al losgekoppeld van het ruimtestation.
TASS: Russia’s Progress MS-08 space freighter starts deorbit burn.

ESA publiceerde ook twee filmpjes over het vertrek van een Cygnus-capsule op 15 juli, en een Dragon op 3 augustus.

Commercial Crew.
NASA KSC: Commercial Crew: The Flight Tests (filmpje).

TASS: Russia says contract with US on astronauts’ delivery to space station to expire in 2019.

Vice-president Pence op bezoek in het Johnson Space Center.
Space Policy Online: Gerstenmaier confident about meeting Pence’s 2024 goal.
The Hill: We really are going back to the moon and then on to Mars.

Filmpjes:
NASA: Vice President Pence Visits the Johnson Space Center to Discuss Future Exploration.
NASA: NASA TV Video File Vice President Pence visits JSC August 23, 2018.

SLS – Mobile Launcher On The Move.
NasaSpaceFlight: SLS ML Rollout to 39B preludes one year of VAB work ahead of EM-1.

Filmpjes:
NASA KSC: Crawler crew explains how they move the mobile launcher.

Orion/SLS.
NasaSpaceFlight: Orion elements coming together for EM-1.
Air & Cosmos: Second Orion spaceship in final assembly.
Lockheed Martin: Lockheed Martin begins final assembly on NASA’s Orion spaceship that will take astronauts further than ever before.
Florida Today: Pressure core of NASA's Orion spacecraft delivered to Kennedy Space Center.

NASA: Avionics: The “Brains” Command NASA’s Deep Space Rocket.

Nog enkele filmpjes:
NASA Marshall: Step Inside NASA’s Rocket Factory: The Michoud Assembly Facility.

Inside KSC! is een wekelijks video-overzicht van de voorbije activiteiten op het Kennedy Space Center. Uiteraard met heel wat beelden van SLS, Orion, Commercial Crew en andere.
NASA KSC: Inside KSC! for August 24, 2018.
NASA KSC: Inside KSC! for Aug. 31, 2018.

LOP-G.
Space Policy Online: Gateway gets good reviews from NAC Committees.
NASA Watch: NASA's Latest Gateway Cartoon Presentation.
NASA Watch: NASA Wants The Lunar Gateway To Do Everything For Everyone.

Space News Feed: Aerojet Rocketdyne completes NextSTEP Appendix C study.
Spaceflight Insider: Aerojet Rocketdyne demonstrates electric propulsion capabilities for future deep space missions.

Maan / Mars.
Spaceflight Insider: NASA Administrator Bridenstine: “We’re not going to do flags and footprints again.”
Ars Technica: Texas lawmakers press NASA to base lunar lander program in Houston.

Commercial Crew.
NasaSpaceFlight: NAC provides Starliner, Dragon 2 update – Commercial Crew preps entering final leg to launch.

Teslarati: SpaceX’s Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket are almost ready for astronauts.
Teslarati: SpaceX has no plans to reuse Crew Dragon spaceships on NASA astronaut launches.

Space Policy Online: Is a third crewmember on Boeing’s Starliner test flight to risky?

Virgin Orbit / SpaceShipTwo.
Virgin Orbit: Pylon Successfully Attached to Cosmic Girl.
Parabolic Arc: Virgin Orbit Progresses Toward Flight Test
Space News: Virgin Orbit performs LauncherOne aircraft flight tests.

Parabolic Arc: The Adventures of SpaceShipTwo: Inverted Flight, Wonky Gyros & an Impatient Billionaire.

Brexit: UK lijkt door te gaan met eigen satellietnavigatiesysteem.
GovUK: Space sector to benefit from multi-million pound work on UK alternative to Galileo.
BBC: Galileo: Brexit funds released for sat-nav study.
Reuters: UK to start work on satellite system to rival EU's Galileo.

Ondertussen met Galileo en GPS:
EGSA: New satellites finding their place in the Galileo constellation.
Lockheed Martin: US Air Force’s first advanced GPS III satellite shipped to Cape Canaveral for launch.

Nog eens de Indische bemande ruimtevaartplannen.
The Hindu: Manned space mission before 75th I-Day: ISRO chief.
SpaceCom: India Will Launch Its Own Astronauts to Space by 2022, Government Says.
Air & Cosmos: Doubts over India's manned spaceflight goal.

En hoe zit het met Opportunity?
NASA JPL: Martian Skies Clearing over Opportunity Rover.

SpaceCom: NASA Just Gave the Opportunity Rover a Survival Deadline on Mars—Here's What That Means.
SpaceCom: Will Mars Rover Opportunity Survive Monster Dust Storm? It's Still Too Soon to Tell.
The Verge: NASA says it wants to save the Mars Opportunity rover, but some close to the mission doubt it.

Nieuws uit de (inter)planetaire ruimte.

Mercurius:
ESA: BepiColombo Science Orbiters Stacked Together.
SpaceCom: What Would It Take to Land on Mercury? It's Time to Find Out, Scientists Say.

Aarde:
EGSA: Agriculture a key beneficiary of EU Space Programmes.
Science At NASA: NASA ScienceCasts: Solving Earth’s Mysteries (filmpje).
ESA: World Water Week: ESA’s role in easing water scarcity.
ESA: Measuring water depths with satellites (filmpje).
Copernicus: Belgian F1 Grand Prix as seen by Sentinel 2.

Mars:
NASA: NASA's InSight Has a Thermometer for Mars.
NASA: Mars in a Minute: How Did Mars Get Such Enormous Mountains?

Jupiter.
AstroBiology Mag.: How a NASA scientist looks in the depths of the Great Red Spot to find water on Jupiter.
AstroBiology Mag.: New insights into Jupiter formation.

Ryugu.
CNES: MASCOT prepared from the ground.
BBC: Hayabusa-2: Japan sets date for spacecraft's asteroid touchdown.

Ruimtevaarders.
Collect Space: NASA astronaut candidate resigns prior to qualifying for spaceflight.
TASS: Soviet female cosmonauts group's veteran dies in Moscow aged 77.

Om af te ronden: “The First” en “The First Man”.
“The First” is een tv-reeks en gaat over de eerste mens naar Mars. “The First Man” is een film en die gaat over de eerste man op de Maan.

De trailers:
Hulu: The First (Official Trailer) • A Hulu Original.
Universal Pictures: First Man - Official Trailer (HD).
Universal Pictures: First Man - Official Trailer #2 [HD]

“The First.”
SpaceCom: Hulu Show 'The First' Details the Drama of a Near-Future Mars Mission in New Trailer.
Wikipedia: The First (TV series).
The Mars Society: "The First" Panel - new TV series - 21st Annual International Mars Society Convention.

“First Man.”
Entertainment: First Man Venice reviews hail Ryan Gosling's 'turbulently spectacular' Oscar hopeful biopic
SpaceCom: 'First Man': New Neil Armstrong Biopic Trailer Dials Up Apollo 11 Drama.
Collect Space: Neil Armstrong biopic 'First Man' lifts off with over-the-moon reviews.

The Verge: New trailers for The First and First Man highlight the human cost of spaceflight.

Veel lees- en kijkplezier,

Koen