Space News:
SpaceX landed on the barge again!!! This Falcon 9 rocket carried JCSAT-16 which is a Japanese communications satellite headed to geostationary orbit. SpaceX has a total of 9 more missions planned for this year. That’s a lot to do in 3.5 months! I know SpaceX is really good at what the do and take space exploration to the next level, but in order to do that you need to build customer trust to get money! But either way, a big thumbs up to SpaceX for accomplishing the nearly impossible once again!
For those nerds who love to read technical papers (like me!), NASA released free access to research papers from NASA funded projects. Check it out at PubSpace! I’ve recently read one called “Effects of a Closed Space Environment on Gene Expression in Hair Follicles of Astronauts in the International Space Station”. Who knew there were people out there researching how human hair reacts to a space environment?!
SLS takes another step towards Mars with completion of the Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engine test yesterday. At Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, NASA performed a static fire test to validate the upgrades and improvements since the last test. Check out the video here! There will be 4 of these engines on the core stage of SLS. These engines are the same engines used on the Space Shuttle! Also if you missed the SLS booster test in June, you must go watch it! The amount of power in these boosters is insane! Check it out here.
Podcast News:
StarTalk All-Stars: Bill Nye hosts this week with virus expert Laurie Garrett! They discuss zika virus and the science behind studying viruses and how to fight them. I learned a lot about mosquitos and the human immune system. So interesting!
NASA in Silicon Valley: This week research scientist David Smith talks about microbiology and the research going on the ISS. You get to learn about the difference between space biology and astrobiology, which I never knew! There is so much important knowledge we gain from doing these experiments!
KELLY THE MARTIAN 