TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
Nov 9, 2023
M1: The Crab Nebula
The Crab Nebula is cataloged as M1, the first object on Charles Messier's famous 18th century list of things which are not comets. In fact, the Crab is now known to be a supernova remnant, debris from the death explosion of a massive star witnessed by astronomers in the year 1054. This sharp image from the James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) explores the eerie glow and fragmented strands of the still expanding cloud of interstellar debris in infrared light. One of the most exotic objects known to modern astronomers, the Crab Pulsar, a neutron star spinning 30 times a second, is visible as a bright spot near the nebula's center. Like a cosmic dynamo, this collapsed remnant of the stellar core powers the Crab's emission across the electromagnetic spectrum. Spanning about 12 light-years, the Crab Nebula is a mere 6,500 light-years away in the head-strong constellation Taurus.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html?
Department of the Air Force Scheduled to Launch Seventh X-37B Mission
Nov. 8, 2023
The Department of the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, in partnership with the United States Space Force, is scheduled to launch the seventh mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle Dec. 7, 2023 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
The X-37B Mission 7 will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket for the first time, designated USSF-52, with a wide range of test and experimentation objectives. These tests include operating the reusable spaceplane in new orbital regimes, experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies, and investigating the radiation effects on materials provided by NASA.
“We are excited to expand the envelope of the reusable X-37B’s capabilities, using the flight-proven service module and Falcon Heavy rocket to fly multiple cutting-edge experiments for the Department of the Air Force and its partners,” said Lt. Col. Joseph Fritschen, the X-37B Program Director.
X-37B Mission 7, also known as OTV-7, will expand the United States Space Force’s knowledge of the space environment by experimenting with future space domain awareness technologies. These tests are integral in ensuring safe, stable, and secure operations in space for all users of the domain.
Chief of Space Operations, Gen. B. Chance Saltzman hailed these experiments as “groundbreaking,” saying, “The X37B continues to equip the United States with the knowledge to enhance current and future space operations. X-37B Mission 7 demonstrates the USSF’s commitment to innovation and defining the art-of-the-possible in the space domain.”
The NASA experiment onboard will expose plant seeds to the harsh radiation environment of long-duration spaceflight. Known as “Seeds-2,” the experiment will build upon the successes of prior experiments, paving the way for future crewed space missions.
Previously, X-37B Mission 6 was the first mission to introduce a service module that expanded the capabilities of the spacecraft and allowed it to host more experiments than any of the previous missions. The spacecraft carried the Naval Research Laboratory’s Photovoltaic Radio-frequency Antenna Module experiment, which transformed solar power into radio frequency microwave energy, and two NASA experiments to study the results of radiation and other space effects on a materials sample plate and seeds used to grow food. The X-37B Mission 6 also deployed FalconSat-8, a small satellite developed by the U.S. Air Force Academy and sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory.
The Director of the DAF RCO, William D. Bailey, praised the collaborative partnership with industry, noting, “The X-37B government and Boeing teams have worked together to produce a more responsive, flexible, and adaptive experimentation platform. The work they’ve done to streamline processes and adapt evolving technologies will help our nation learn a tremendous amount about operating in and returning from a space environment.”
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3583347/department-of-the-air-force-scheduled-to-launch-seventh-x-37b-mission/
Dish Network CEO makes early exit
November 6, 2023
Dish Network said its CEO Erik Carlson is resigning Nov. 12 ahead of the broadcaster’s merger with EchoStar, its sister company focused on providing broadband services from space, after posting a steep drop in satellite TV customers.
Announcing earnings results Nov. 6, Dish Network said net pay-TV subscribers fell by about 64,000 in the three months to Sept. 30 to 8.84 million, split between 6.72 million for its DISH TV satellite broadcast business and 2.33 million for its SLING TV streaming service.
The Englewood, Colorado-based company had added 30,000 pay-TV subscribers during the same period last year — typically a strong quarter for the company in the run-up to NFL and college football events in the United States.
However, growing competition from other streaming services saw Dish Network’s revenues for the third quarter of 2023 fall nearly 10% year-on-year to $3.1 billion.
The company also posted a net loss of $139 million, compared with $412 million in net income earned in the year-ago quarter.
To diversify revenues Dish Network has been heavily investing in a 5G network across the United States that it hopes to better support by combining with EchoStar, which is sitting on around $2 billion in cash reserves. Both companies are controlled by billionaire Charlie Ergen.
EchoStar reported a 17% year-on-year fall in revenues for the three months to Sept. 30 to $413.1 million as it waits on Jupiter-3, the operator’s latest satellite slated to enter service in December to relieve capacity constraints that have been holding back subscriber growth.
Hughes Network Systems, EchoStar’s internet provider subsidiary, has about 1.6 million subscribers after declining 65,000 from the end of 2022.
EchoStar reported $37.4 million in net income for the third quarter of 2023, down $19 million year-on-year.
Dish Network and EchoStar said they intend to complete the merger before the end of 2023 when it was announced in August, and did not provide an updated timing Nov. 6.
Carlson was due to step down once the transaction closed to make room for EchoStar CEO Hamid Akhavan, who would serve as CEO of the combined company.
Dish Network said Carlson notified the company of his decision to resign Nov. 3, adding that he will remain on the board through the closing of its merger with EchoStar.
In October, the companies amended their all-share merger deal so that EchoStar, rather than Dish Network, would be the surviving entity and stock.
https://spacenews.com/dish-network-ceo-makes-early-exit/
https://about.dish.com/W-Erik-Carlson
Jeremy Kenyon Lockyer Corbell
@JeremyCorbell
Wow! GO GO UFO! 🛸 An amendment passed today to get David Grusch into a SCIF with those he testified to in Congress (under oath) at the public UFO hearing… to spill the beans of the details he couldn't reveal in the open hearing. We're talking UFO programs and names, UFO holding locations, list of "hostile" and "non-hostile" witnesses… and about the non-human "biologics" (bodies).
It's a meeting that's been blocked - but now it looks like it's gonna happen. it will undoubtedly lead to some subpoenas - which I think is good - for those who need that extra layer of protection to spill the beans and come clean about America's UFO exploitation and reverse engineering programs. I have some individuals in mind 😉
@RepEricBurlison
GO GO UFO!!! 🛸
2:08 PM · Nov 8, 2023
https://twitter.com/JeremyCorbell/status/1722375540475416670
WEAPONIZED : EP #40 : Congress Crashes Into Wall Of UFO Secrecy with Rep. Tim Burchett
Nov 7, 2023
For the past five-plus years, members of Congress have been pushing the Pentagon for more UFO transparency. The Department of Defense and intelligence community have gone through the motions, pretending to conduct an honest investigation of the UAP mystery while throwing up additional roadblocks and dragging their feet. At long last, members of the House met in a SCIF with the Inspector General for DOD, but it was not much of a meeting and transparency was clearly not in the cards. What happened inside that SCIF? And where does the newly elected Speaker of the House stand on UFO transparency? Jeremy and George recorded a candid, in depth conversation with Rep. Tim Burchett, the outspoken advocate for UFO disclosure and asked him what comes next.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgm06ChglBo
NASA Launches its First On-Demand Streaming Service, Updated App
NOV 08, 2023
NASA’s new on-demand streaming service and upgraded app are now available, ushering in a new world of original content from the space agency for the benefit of all. These new digital platforms are the landing place of original video series, live launch coverage, kids’ content, Spanish-language programming, and the latest news as NASA continues to improve life on Earth through innovation, exploration, and discovery.
The new on-demand streaming service is available to download on most major platforms via the NASA App on iOS and Android mobile and tablet devices, as well as streaming media players Roku and Apple TV. Users also may stream online at:
“NASA is a leader in the federal government for creating inspirational content that meets people where they are,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “I am excited we have created a powerful trifecta with the recently revamped NASA website, the launch of NASA+, and the updated NASA App that showcases the many benefits our data can have for all humanity.”
These platforms are part of an effort to ensure agency content is more accessible, discoverable, and secure for the public. Earlier this year, NASA launched its revamped nasa.gov and science.nasa.gov websites, creating a new homebase for research, climate data, Artemis information, and more.
“NASA’s new streaming platform and app are where the world can join us as we explore the unknown,” said Marc Etkind, associate administrator, Office of Communications, NASA Headquarters. “NASA is the catalyst behind some of humanity’s greatest stories; and now, with our new digital presence, everyone will have access to these stories 24/7.”
No Cost Access to Humanity’s Greatest Stories
Through the ad-free, no cost, and family-friendly streaming service, users will gain access to the agency’s Emmy Award-winning live coverage and views into NASA’s missions through collections of original video series, including new series debuting on the streaming service.
Beginning today, everyone can enjoy original NASA+ content, including:
A documentary series following each image from the James Webb Space Telescope, as well as a second series highlighting the world’s most powerful space telescope from lab to launch
Animated children shows about the planets, mysteries of the universe, and intergalactic worlds
A series telling the personal stories of Black NASA astronauts
A series that takes viewers behind-the-scenes as a group of scientists work to return America’s first asteroid sample
Ultra-high-definition visuals of the cosmos set to a spaced-out soundtrack
Spanish-language content, including a series highlighting Hispanic and Latino NASA employees, climate content for kids, and more
NASA+ also will stream live event coverage, where people everywhere can watch in real-time as the agency launches science experiments and astronauts to space, and ultimately, the first woman and person of color to the Moon.
Universe at Your Fingertips
Downloaded over 30 million times, the NASA app showcases a huge collection of the agency’s latest content, including more than 21,000 images, podcasts, news and feature stories, and live event coverage. The app’s new updates include:
Full access to on-demand streaming with NASA+
Cloud push notifications
International Space Station sightings and notifications that allows users to watch it pass overhead
The ability to rate photos and explore and share the highest rated ones
Augmented reality that allows users to view, rotate, and enlarge 3D models of NASA rockets, spacecraft, and rovers
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-launches-its-first-on-demand-streaming-service-updated-app/
https://www.nasa.gov/nasa-app/
Cloudy with a chance of glow ❇️
Nov 8, 2023
An aurora dances in Earth's atmosphere as the International Space Station (@ISS) soared 260 miles (418 km) above Utah during orbital nighttime. Auroras are brilliant ribbons of light weaving across Earth's northern or southern polar regions. These natural light shows are caused by magnetic storms that have been triggered by solar activity, such as solar flares (explosions on the Sun) or coronal mass ejections (ejected gas bubbles). Energetic charged particles from these events are carried from the Sun by the solar wind.
This is your time to shine: Aurorasaurus.org is the first citizen science project that aggregates relatively rare sightings of the Northern and Southern Lights in order to improve real-time tracking and understanding of the beautiful phenomenon. The Aurorasaurus project allows the public (that’s you!) to enter their observations of aurora through their website, as well as on a mobile application platform, in order to better characterize their frequency, location, and rare visual characteristics.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CzXJwEGJXP1/
NASA’s Super Guppy Makes Ferry Flight
November 8, 2023
NASA’s Super Guppy was in flight this week, ferrying the Orion spacecraft heat shield from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to Alabama.
The massive turboprop cargo aircraft was designed in the 1960s to accommodate oversized loads, such as body sections of the Saturn V rocket.
On Monday, the behemoth landed at Huntsville Regional Airport (KUTS). “This unique visitor is always a sight to see!” the airport said on X, formerly Twitter.
On board, according to NASA, was the heat shield that protected the Orion crew module during last year’s Artemis I test flight. The shield was then taken to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama.
“Technicians at Marshall will use the center’s specialized milling tool to remove the heat shield’s outer layer of ablative material, a protective coating called Avcoat, as part of routine postflight analysis,” NASA said in a release.
https://www.flyingmag.com/nasas-super-guppy-makes-ferry-flight/