Hi friends;

You remember the editorial in issue 9 of the newsletter on why adapting space to humans where we can adapt humans to space. I have since been searching quite actively on the internet for resources that have explored this option. I came across a great paper from 1960 entitled "Cyborgs and space" co-authored by Manfred E. Clynes, research director in electronic data-processing systems, and Nathan S. Kline, research director in psychiatry.

In the abstract, it reads:

Altering man’s bodily functions to meet the requirements of extraterrestrial environments would be more logical than providing an earthly environment for him in space . . . Artifact-organism systems which would extend man’s unconscious, self-regulatory controls are one possibility.

I think, besides Clarke's paper (cf issue 5), this item is an extraordinary little historical nugget. I'll leave you savour this text word after word here, it's not every day one come across articles like this!

Have a great week!

Tarik

PS: The information in the previous newsletter about NASA redesigning their astronaut suits because of the space cookie was actually an April fool’s. I'm glad that some readers found it, it proves that there are attentive students 🤓. For everyone else, you owe me a chocolate egg!

PPS: If you enjoy this newsletter, do not hesitate the spread the word as widely as you can! The more friends there are, the more interesting interactions there will be!

🛰 Here is what you missed

👉As the pandemic is gaining ground, many aerospace manufacturers are mildewing their production lines to make medical equipments. This is the case of Airbus Spain, which is using its 3d printers to print protective visors. Virgin Orbit, SpaceX and India's space agency develop and mass produce ventilators and/or hand sanitizers.

👉The application for the NASA astronaut position for the upcoming mission to the moon closed on March 31. The agency received more than 12,000 applications. Filtering this stack of applications will be a long and laborious task...

👉Following filling its bankruptcy form, OneWeb’s aim is to carry on operations under ‘debtor in possession’ rules and thus is looking for a buyer for an acquisition. Analysts say that Eutelsat could be a potential buyer.

👉OrbitFab, the company that proposed last year the Rapidly Attachable Fluid Transfer Interface, received a new contract from the National Science Foundation in order to develop its orbital refueling gas station. “We’re trying to define a low-cost solution for both the active and the passive side for a refueling docking system” affirmed the CEO Daniel Faber.

👉United States Space Force announced that their Space Fence radar system, located in the Marshall Islands, is now operational. The goal of Space Fence is to provide space surveillance capabilities to detect and monitor all kinds of space objects.

👉Space Micro, a satellite component supplier, won a $3 million contract from the US Space Force to develop a commercial GEO laser communication terminal aiming at 100 Gbps. The added value of their proposed solution is a high data rate and a low terminal price since they use regular terrestrial optical communication components.

👉ESA and NASA call for proposals to fund research projects in response to COVID-19. The goal is to use the space data accessible to these agencies to develop solutions that would help combat the pandemic.

👉NASA has completed the crew selection for the first flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon mission. There will be three Americans and one Japanese. Russia did not wish to be part of this test flight as it believes that this vehicle has not yet proven itself.

👉Even if this last iteration took lessons from conception errors made in the previous versions, SpaceX’s Starship was lost again after a two days testing. “we will see what data review says in the morning, but this may have been a test configuration mistake” tweeted Elon Musk

👉The Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology (SAST) released a picture of their next generation crew spacecraft. After testing, this partially reusable vehicle will allow China to send 6 humans in orbit, probably toward the ISS, as the pictures shows a compatible docking system… Waiting for China to put into orbit its future third-generation space station...

👉Virgin Orbit announced it has identified an airport in Japan as a potential site for launch operations. Remember that Virgin Orbit is the company within the Virgin Group which plans to provide launch services for small satellites through their LauncherOne, a rocket launched from their airplane Cosmic Girl.

🍪 Cookie of the week

An extraordinary compilation of launchers failures can be admired in this short YouTube video. In these difficult times, let's stay positive and say that a failed rocket is actually a successful missile 🙂!

The comment at 2”36 made my day…The timing is so hilarious 😂😂😂😂😂. For non French speakers, the guy was saying “All propulsion parameters are normal and the trajectory is normal”!

Here you are debriefed 👌. Rendezvous next week!

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