[summary]Axiom Space, in partnership with the UK Space Agency and supported by ESA,
plans to realise a commercial mission for four British astronauts as early
as next year. Although ESA will support it, it will be the first time the
UK has flown an independent mission. British astronaut Tim Peake announced
at the Farnborough International...

The post First All-UK Mission Into Space – Who Could Join Tim Peake At
Axiom Mission’s Team appeared first on Orbital Today.

Orbital Today: (Kaya)

" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://orbitaltoday.com/2024/07/26/first-all-uk-mission-into-space-who-could-join-tim-peake-at-axiom-missions-team/[/summary]

Axiom Space, in partnership with the UK Space Agency and supported by ESA, plans to realise a commercial mission for four British astronauts as early as next year. Although ESA will support it, it will be the first time the UK has flown an independent mission.

British astronaut Tim Peake announced at the Farnborough International Airshow on Tuesday that he is joining the first commercial manned mission made up entirely of British astronauts. The astronaut announced last October that he was returning to orbit months after retiring from ESA’s astronaut corps.

Tim Peake, 52, Britain’s first career astronaut, Major Peake graduated from Sandhurst and served 18 years in the military as a helicopter pilot before joining the European Space Agency in 2009. He flew on ESA’s Principia mission in 2015. Credit: Channel 5

Tim Peak’s Role In Axiom Space Mission

He is currently working for Axiom Space as a strategic advisor and will support the mission development of a future space mission. His role will also be to attract private sponsorship to make it happen.

Tim Peake during his first spacewalk on the ISS in 2015. Credit: NASA

Michael Lopez-Alegria, chief astronaut for Axiom Space, said: ‘His vision and guidance will be invaluable as we work to make this UK mission a reality.’

‘It helps to inspire young people to think about science and technology, engineering and maths, and to think about the career opportunities available to them in the space sector,’ said Tim Peake.

Mission Details

Last October, the UK Space Agency (UKSA) signed a £200 million agreement with US company Axiom Space to take an entirely British crew to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission will see British astronauts spend up to two weeks in orbit to conduct scientific research, demonstrate new technologies, and participate in education and outreach activities.

Anneliese Look, deputy chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: ‘We don’t have enough people who want to join the space sector. We need our next generation to want to come and join and have a career in space.’

Axiom Space has already sent three private astronaut missions to the ISS, launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida using SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft and a Falcon 9 rocket.

The Mission Crew

Axiom space missions involve three crew members who must go with an experienced commander.

It has yet to be decided whether Tim Peake will command the mission.

So far, he is the number one candidate for the role of commander as he has a lot of experience—six months on the ISS. He also held several positions at the European Space Agency (ESA), including Head of Astronaut Operations, before retiring from the astronaut programme in January 2023.

As planned, he will lead the crew as commander during training.

Major Peake said that although he had not been in space for eight years, he continued to train and ensured his health was in good condition in case he was selected again.

The other crew members could be three Britons selected after a rigorous vetting process to join ESA’s astronaut programme in 2023 from 17 men and women chosen from 22,523 applicants.

Rosemary Coogan

Dr Rosemary Coogan is the UK’s only career astronaut and an ESA-certified astronaut. Credit: ESA

Rosemary is a 33-year-old astrophysicist from Northern Ireland with two Master’s degrees from Durham University and a PhD in astronomy from Sussex.

She has worked on ESA missions such as EUCLID and analysing data from the James Webb Space Telescope.

She completed her basic training last year and received her Astronaut Wings badge in April.

She is the UK’s only career astronaut and an ESA-certified astronaut.

Megan Christian

Meganne Christian is a 2022 European Space Agency Astronaut Group member and Reserve Astronaut and Exploration Commercialisation Lead at the UK Space Agency Credit: ESA

Megan Christian, 37, completed her PhD in Industrial Chemistry at the University of New South Wales in 2014 and has received several national awards for outstanding research.

From 2018 to 2021, she worked as a winter scientist at Concordia Research Station in Antarctica. She participated in biomedical research conducted by ESA to study the effects of prolonged stays at the base during the Antarctic winter.

She trained in firefighting and extreme survival.

In 2022, she was selected from 17 applicants and is now an ESA reserve astronaut.

John McFall

John McFall (born 25 April 1981) is a British Paralympic sprinter, surgeon, and ESA Project astronaut. In November 2022, he was selected by the European Space Agency to become the first “parastronaut”. ESA will do a feasibility study on him flying to space and what needs to be adapted for disabled people. Credit: ESA

A 42-year-old Paralympic sprinter, an accomplished surgeon and the world’s first ‘parastronaut’.

At the age of 19, he suffered a severe motorbike accident that resulted in the amputation of his right leg above the knee.

Despite this, McFall learned to run with a prosthetic leg and represented Great Britain at the 2008 Summer Paralympics, winning bronze in the 100 metres.

He studied medicine and became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 2016. He is a trauma and orthopaedic registrar working in the South of England

In 2022, ESA selected him for a feasibility study on astronauts with disabilities.

He wants to show by example that ‘space is for everyone’.

Mission Costs

Axiom Space said the mission is moving quickly and could be launched in late 2025 or early 2026 if sufficient funding can be secured and science designs prepared in time.

The launch will likely cost around £45 million for each of the four astronauts, and the mission relies heavily on private funding from companies wanting to conduct research in microgravity.

The UK Space Agency has already committed £15 million to send British science into space as part of the mission.

The remainder of the mission’s funding will likely come from sponsorship agreements with companies in the life sciences, data communications, and security sectors.

These companies could commission experiments for the crew, but any UK company could join.

A recent mission with an Italian astronaut on board attracted sponsorship from pasta manufacturers and a luxury car brand.

The post First All-UK Mission Into Space – Who Could Join Tim Peake At Axiom Mission’s Team appeared first on Orbital Today.

[summary]The night skies of the previous week delighted space enthusiasts with an
outstanding celestial event. The July’s Buck full moon rose and took the
central stage at the photographers’ amazing images around the world. You
can read more about its name, meaning etc. in our article. In the
meantime, we present a fresh collection of...

The post How July’s Buck Full Moon Looked Like Around The World: See The
Best Astrophotos appeared first on Orbital Today.

Orbital Today: (Space Enthusiast)

" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://orbitaltoday.com/2024/07/26/how-julys-buck-full-moon-looked-like-around-the-world-see-the-best-astrophotos/[/summary]

The night skies of the previous week delighted space enthusiasts with an outstanding celestial event. The July’s Buck full moon rose and took the central stage at the photographers’ amazing images around the world. You can read more about its name, meaning etc. in our article. In the meantime, we present a fresh collection of the best astrophotos of the week, which were kindly shared with us by photographers on social media!

Our mission at Orbital Today is to support the space exploration and photographers’ dedication to imaging it. So join us as we explore the best astrophotos of the week from 19 July to 26 July! Captions under the photos are kept original.

Buck Full Moon Over California By Hassan Fattahi

“The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite. It orbits at an average distance of 384,400 km, about 30 times the diameter of Earth. The Moon’s gravitational pull is the main driver of Earth’s tides. It formed 4.51 billion years ago, not long after Earth’s formation, out of the debris from a giant impact between Earth and a hypothesized Mars-sized body called Theia,” says the photographer on his Facebook page.

“A major geologic process that has affected the Moon’s surface is impact cratering, with craters formed when asteroids and comets collide with the lunar surface. There are estimated to be roughly 300,000 craters wider than 1 km on the Moon’s near side. Two major craters are Tycho and Copernicus which both are visible in the picture. Tycho is located in the southern area (bottom of the picture), and Copernicus Crater is slightly left of the central area.

The image shows a full moon (100%), which I captured from my backyard in Oxnard, California, on 20 July 2024.

50/250f, single shot”

Credit: Hassan Fattahi via Facebook

Buck Full Moon Over Texas By “Explore More Photography”

“I looked up and couldn’t help myself!

Tonight’s Waxing Gibbous is rising over Surfside Beach, Texas.

97.7% illuminated,” the author commented on his image.

Credit: Explore More Photography via Facebook

Moon And Plain Near Boston By Brian G Weber Photography

“Sometimes in astrophotography, you plan your shots (ISS solar transit) or drive long distances (the solar eclipse) to get in just the right spot…other times you just get super lucky. I live fairly close to Boston, so plane traffic in my imaging is quite common,” says Brian G Weber Photography. “Normally, I’m pointed at a target for many hours and one or two will have a plane fly through. For solar imaging, it takes me about 90 seconds to capture the 2000 frames for processing. On Friday during my 90 second capture, I watched this plane fly directly through the middle of frame. So cool! I really like how the exhaust trails show against the sun.”

Credit: @briangweber

Buck Full Moon Over Colombia By “Astro Rdv”

“Our beautiful natural satellite, captured from the Municipality of Cota (Colombia S.A.), on the night of July 22, 2024, is beginning its waning phase.

Shot made in two tiles with Sky-Watcher Evostar 72 ED Telescope, ZWO ASI 224MC Planetary Camera.

Video capture and stacking software: ASI VideoStack, mosaic assembly with PhotoStitcher and final adjustments in Gimp,” the photographer captioned his photograph.

Credit: Astro Rdv via Facebook

Buck Full Moon Over Croatia By Danijel Bošnjak

“July 20th 2024, marks the 55th anniversary of the first moon landing when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first took the giant leap for mankind.

So we decided to take a smaller leap to our local astrophotography spot and catch the Buck Moon in all its glory. The weather was great, and we had a lot of fun.

Location:

Svetonedeljski breg, Croatia

Date & time:

Saturday, July 20.2024.

EXIF:

Nikon D750

Nikon AF 105DC f/2

Sony A6400

Celestron C6 Nexstar SCT, f/10,” the author captioned his beautiful selection.

Credit: Danijel Bošnjak via Facebook

Buck Full Moon Over London By Adam Beck

“The “Buck Moon” full moon from spooky Sifton Bog in London, Ontario, Canada. July 21, 2024.

I had to shoe a skunk away that wanted my platform. lol

Loved standing in the dark and under the moon with the sounds of nature all around for hours,” the photographer shared his impressions on making this cool shot.

Credit: Adam Beck via Facebook

Buck Full Moon Over Pakistan By @_anassaeed

What a mysterious, charming full moon in clouds over Pakistan!

Credit: @_anassaeed via X

Buck Full Moon Over Croatia & Photographer By Stipica Vrbat

“Full moon over Zagreb

Me and my friend Danijel Bošnjak

Everything was shot with a Nikon Z5

Nikkor 180-600,” the author captioned this incredible astrophoto.



Thank you to all the photographers who shared their amazing images of the buck full moon for our best astrophotos of the week list! We greatly appreciate your dedication and passion for astrophotography and wish you clear skies for your future captures!

The post How July’s Buck Full Moon Looked Like Around The World: See The Best Astrophotos appeared first on Orbital Today.

NASA and Boeing will fire thrusters on the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft docked to the International Space Station this weekend in what may be a final test before approving the spacecraft’s delayed return to Earth.

The post More thruster tests for Starliner before return appeared first on SpaceNews.