TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
June, 9 2023
Pandora's Cluster of Galaxies
This deep field mosaicked image presents a stunning view of galaxy cluster Abell 2744 from the James Webb Space Telescope's NIRCam. Also dubbed Pandora's Cluster, Abell 2744 itself appears to be a ponderous merger of three different massive galaxy clusters some 3.5 billion light-years away toward the constellation Sculptor. Dominated by dark matter, the mega-cluster warps and distorts the fabric of spacetime, gravitationally lensing even more distant objects. Redder than the Pandora cluster galaxies many of the lensed sources are very distant galaxies in the early Universe, stretched and distorted into arcs. Of course distinctive diffraction spikes mark foreground Milky Way stars. At the Pandora Cluster's estimated distance this cosmic box spans about 6 million light-years. But don't panic. You can explore the tantalizing region in a 2 minute video tour.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html?
https://webbtelescope.org/contents/media/videos/2023/107/01GS5SCDZKWA0Q1MYJ3PHVY3TQ?news=true
Pentagon confirms it's buying SpaceX Starlink services for Ukraine
June 8, 2023
The Pentagon has confirmed it is buying SpaceX’s Starlink broadband services to provide communications in Ukraine.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX has been supplying Ukraine with Starlink terminals since the Russian invasion of the country in 2022, providing vital communications after the destruction of infrastructure within the country.
However, SpaceX stated in September 2022 that it could not continue funding the Starlink service for Ukraine and had asked the Pentagon to step in and cover costs. A deal is now in place to provide the vital communications services.
"Satellite communications constitute a vital layer in Ukraine's overall communications network and the department contracts with Starlink for services of this type," Ars Technica reported, citing a June 1 Department of Defense statement.
"We continue to work with a range of global partners to ensure Ukraine has the satellite and communication capabilities they need," the statement continued.
The Pentagon did not reveal details of the contracts, citing operational security concerns.
SpaceX expressed concerns earlier this year over the use of Starlink by the Ukraine military for offensive means. Company President and Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell stated that the service was "never, never meant to be weaponized,"
SpaceX revealed in December that it is developing a partner project called Starshield. The service is designed for use by government agencies, particularly those in the national security sector.
https://www.space.com/pentagon-buying-spacex-starlink-services-ukraine
Space Systems Command establishes new avenue to connect with industry, academia, and government through its Commercial Space Marketplace for Innovation and Collaboration center
June 7, 2023
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – Against the backdrop of newly painted walls and state-of-the-art collaboration tools, Space Systems Command (SSC) cut the ribbon on its newly established Commercial Space Marketplace for Innovation and Collaboration (COSMIC) in Chantilly, Virginia on Tuesday, June 6.
COSMIC is a partnership between SSC and Virginia Tech Applied Research Corporation (VT-ARC) to facilitate SSC collaboration with commercial industry, drive synergies with government agency partners, and deliver capabilities to the warfighter with greater speed and cost efficiency.
Attended by representatives from government, military, commercial and academic organizations, the ribbon-cutting ceremony placed emphasis on emerging threats in space and the key role that commercial partnerships will play as SSC pivots away from bespoke development to off-the-shelf acquisition of technologies, services, and products.
“Everything here today is about partnerships,” said U.S. Space Force Lt. Gen. Michael Guetlein, SSC, commander. “Whether you are in government, a civilian, an ally, or a commercial partner, we’re all on the adversaries’ threat list. We’re all operating in the exact same environment, subject to the exact same physics, trying to vie for the exact same spectrum allocation. We are all fighting the same fight.”
Citing a thriving commercial space industry and exponential advances in adjacent fields like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cyber security, Guetlein said there are many areas in which commercial partnerships can fill warfighter capability gaps to quickly and cost effectively counter emerging threats and maintain U.S. freedom to operate in space.
In opening remarks, USSF Maj. Gen. Steve Whitney, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, military deputy, said that strengthening the relationship between the Space Force and commercial industry is a key component of Hon. Frank Calvelli’s nine steps toward a more resilient space environment.
“As we transition from building big, highly capable, but vulnerable, satellites to smaller proliferated resilient systems, institutions like COSMIC are more important than ever,” Whitney said.
COSMIC was created in cooperation with the Air Force Research Laboratory’s Air Force Office of Scientific Research. U.S. Air Force Col. Janelle T. H. Jackson, AFRL Office of Scientific Research, acting director, addressed the ribbon-cutting audience with a call for urgency of action.
“We are at a pivotal moment in time where the United States is faced with growing strategic military competition,” Jackson said. “Our competitors and adversaries are rapidly moving to challenge and surpass the U.S. science and technology advantage and gain superiority in the air and space domains. Taking an integrative approach by partnering with industry and academia are one of many ways we can lead the challenge. “
In addition to 10,000 square feet of dedicated meeting space and commercial outreach services, the COSMIC collaboration includes data analytics and operational analysis, access to market research, and technology transfer and transition advisement provided by VT-ARC, a non-profit corporation affiliated with Virginia Tech.
Noting that innovation is a team sport, John Forte, VT-ARC’s CEO and president said that COSMIC will “enable partnerships of like-minded organizations across government, industry, and academia that can work together to accelerate technology.”
COSMIC is the latest initiative coming out of SSC’s newly rebranded and expanded Commercial Space Office (COMSO), which is focused on facilitating commercial technology and service transfer at the speed of need to enable “fight tonight” capabilities.
“The physical space and supporting services provided through COSMIC provide a place and means for us all to get together and best collaborate on commercial space capabilities, warfighter requirements, and how to best deliver those capabilities,” said USSF Col. Rich Kniseley, Senior Materiel Leader in charge of COMSO.
Already invested in commercial SATCOM and SDA services, COMSO is currently working through COSMIC and SSC’s Front Door for rapid scale-up of commercial tactical surveillance, reconnaissance, and tracking services as well as other off-the-shelf capabilities that can be leveraged to scale with speed and cost efficiency.
https://www.ssc.spaceforce.mil/Newsroom/Article-Display/Article/3420717/space-systems-command-establishes-new-avenue-to-connect-with-industry-academia
Scientists document how space travel messes with the human brain
WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - Space can be an unfriendly place for the human body, with microgravity conditions and other factors tampering with our physiology, from head to toe - head, of course, being a primary concern.
A new NASA-funded study provides a deeper understanding of the issue. Researchers said on Thursday that astronauts who traveled on the International Space Station (ISS) or NASA space shuttles on missions lasting at least six months experienced significant expansion of the cerebral ventricles - spaces in the middle of the brain containing cerebrospinal fluid.
This colorless and watery fluid flows in and around the brain and spinal cord. It cushions the brain to help protect against sudden impact and removes waste products.
Based on brain scans of 30 astronauts, the researchers found that it took three years for the ventricles to fully recover after such journeys, suggesting that an interval of at least that duration would be advisable between longer space missions.
"If the ventricles don't have sufficient time to recover between back-to-back missions, this may impact the brain's ability to cope with fluid shifts in microgravity. For example, if the ventricles are already enlarged from a previous mission, they may be less compliant and/or have less space to expand and accommodate fluid shifts during the next mission," said University of Florida neuroscientist Heather McGregor, lead author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Age-related ventricular enlargement - caused not by microgravity but by brain atrophy - can be associated with cognitive decline.
"The impact of ventricular expansion in space travelers is not currently known. More long-term health follow-up is needed. This ventricular expansion likely compresses the surrounding brain tissue," University of Florida applied physiology and kinesiology professor and study senior author Rachael Seidler said.
The absence of Earth's gravity modifies the brain.
"This seems to be a mechanical effect," Seidler said. "On Earth, our vascular systems have valves that prevent all of our fluids from pooling at our feet due to gravity. In microgravity, the opposite occurs - fluids shift toward the head. This headward fluid shift likely results in ventricular expansion, and the brain sits higher within the skull."
The study involved 23 male and seven female astronauts - average age around 47 - from the U.S., Canadian and European space agencies. Eight traveled on space shuttle missions of about two weeks. Eighteen were on ISS missions of about six months and four on ISS missions of about a year.
Little to no ventricular volume change occurred in astronauts after short missions. Enlargement occurred in astronauts after missions of six months or longer, though there was no difference in those who flew for six months compared to those who did so for a year.
"This suggests that the majority of ventricle enlargement happens during the first six months in space, then begins to taper off around the one-year mark," McGregor said.
The fact that enlargement did not worsen after six months could be good news for future Mars missions on which astronauts may spend two years in microgravity during the journey.
"This preliminary finding is promising for astronaut brain health during long-duration missions, but it's still important that we examine MRI data from a larger group of astronauts and following even longer missions," McGregor said.
The absence of enlargement following short flights was good news for people who may consider short space tourism jaunts, Seidler added, as that industry develops.
Microgravity conditions also cause other physiological effects due to the reduced physical load on the human body. These include bone and muscle atrophy, cardiovascular changes, issues with the balance system in the inner ear and a syndrome involving the eyes. Elevated cancer risk from the greater exposure to solar radiation that astronauts may encounter the further they travel from Earth is another concern.
https://www.reuters.com/science/scientists-document-how-space-travel-messes-with-human-brain-2023-06-08/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-33331-8
Video misfire
Redo
Scientists document how space travel messes with the human brain
WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - Space can be an unfriendly place for the human body, with microgravity conditions and other factors tampering with our physiology, from head to toe - head, of course, being a primary concern.
A new NASA-funded study provides a deeper understanding of the issue. Researchers said on Thursday that astronauts who traveled on the International Space Station (ISS) or NASA space shuttles on missions lasting at least six months experienced significant expansion of the cerebral ventricles - spaces in the middle of the brain containing cerebrospinal fluid.
This colorless and watery fluid flows in and around the brain and spinal cord. It cushions the brain to help protect against sudden impact and removes waste products.
Based on brain scans of 30 astronauts, the researchers found that it took three years for the ventricles to fully recover after such journeys, suggesting that an interval of at least that duration would be advisable between longer space missions.
"If the ventricles don't have sufficient time to recover between back-to-back missions, this may impact the brain's ability to cope with fluid shifts in microgravity. For example, if the ventricles are already enlarged from a previous mission, they may be less compliant and/or have less space to expand and accommodate fluid shifts during the next mission," said University of Florida neuroscientist Heather McGregor, lead author of the study published in the journal Scientific Reports.
Age-related ventricular enlargement - caused not by microgravity but by brain atrophy - can be associated with cognitive decline.
"The impact of ventricular expansion in space travelers is not currently known. More long-term health follow-up is needed. This ventricular expansion likely compresses the surrounding brain tissue," University of Florida applied physiology and kinesiology professor and study senior author Rachael Seidler said.
The absence of Earth's gravity modifies the brain.
"This seems to be a mechanical effect," Seidler said. "On Earth, our vascular systems have valves that prevent all of our fluids from pooling at our feet due to gravity. In microgravity, the opposite occurs - fluids shift toward the head. This headward fluid shift likely results in ventricular expansion, and the brain sits higher within the skull."
The study involved 23 male and seven female astronauts - average age around 47 - from the U.S., Canadian and European space agencies. Eight traveled on space shuttle missions of about two weeks. Eighteen were on ISS missions of about six months and four on ISS missions of about a year.
Little to no ventricular volume change occurred in astronauts after short missions. Enlargement occurred in astronauts after missions of six months or longer, though there was no difference in those who flew for six months compared to those who did so for a year.
"This suggests that the majority of ventricle enlargement happens during the first six months in space, then begins to taper off around the one-year mark," McGregor said.
The fact that enlargement did not worsen after six months could be good news for future Mars missions on which astronauts may spend two years in microgravity during the journey.
"This preliminary finding is promising for astronaut brain health during long-duration missions, but it's still important that we examine MRI data from a larger group of astronauts and following even longer missions," McGregor said.
The absence of enlargement following short flights was good news for people who may consider short space tourism jaunts, Seidler added, as that industry develops.
Microgravity conditions also cause other physiological effects due to the reduced physical load on the human body. These include bone and muscle atrophy, cardiovascular changes, issues with the balance system in the inner ear and a syndrome involving the eyes. Elevated cancer risk from the greater exposure to solar radiation that astronauts may encounter the further they travel from Earth is another concern.
https://www.reuters.com/science/scientists-document-how-space-travel-messes-with-human-brain-2023-06-08/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-023-33331-8
Rep. Burchett joins NewsNation to discuss calls for transparency regarding UAP
June 7, 2023
Congressman Tim Burchett (TN-02) joins NewsNation to discuss recent calls to declassify information related to unidentified aerial phenomena.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zmhj-ZB0xss
It's on
Anna Paulina Luna
@realannapaulina
Thank you Rep Comer ! Very happy to announce Rep Burchett and myself will be working with the GOP oversight team to lead out the investigation into UAP’s!
Jun 06, 2023, 8:06 PM
https://truthsocial.com/@realannapaulina/posts/110500719677772771