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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
Dec 1, 2023
Milky Way Rising
The core of the Milky Way is rising beyond the Chilean mountain-top La Silla Observatory in this deep night skyscape. Seen toward the constellation Sagittarius, our home galaxy's center is flanked on the left, by the European Southern Observatory's New Technology Telescope which pioneered the use of active optics to accurately control the shape of large telescope mirrors. To the right stands the ESO 3.6-meter Telescope, home of the exoplanet hunting HARPS and NIRPS spectrographs. Between them, the galaxy's central bulge is filled with obscuring clouds of interstellar dust, bright stars, clusters, and nebulae. Prominent reddish hydrogen emission from the star-forming Lagoon Nebula, M8, is near center. The Trifid Nebula, M20, combines blue light of a dusty reflection nebula with reddish emission just left of the cosmic Lagoon. Both are popular stops on telescopic tours of the galactic center. The composited image is a stack of separate exposures for ground and sky made in April 2023, all captured consecutively with the same framing and camera equipment.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html?
Shanghai to foster commercial space ecosystem
November 30, 2023
A Shanghai government initiative aims to foster a robust commercial space ecosystem including a range of satellites, launch vehicles and related applications and infrastructure.
The “Shanghai Action Plan to Promote Commercial Aerospace Development and Create a Space Information Industry Highland (2023-2025)” was published in a notice by the General Office of the Shanghai Municipal People’s Government Nov. 20.
The initiative envisions building capacity for an annual output of 50 commercial rockets and 600 commercial satellites by 2025.
The plan notes the development of new generation medium and large launch vehicles, as well as intelligent terminals. The plan also aims to strengthen the development of integrated communications, navigation and remote sensing satellite technologies.
A policy infographic released Nov. 23 states that space transportation plans include the new Long March 6C kerolox rocket developed by state-owned SAST. The rocket could have a debut launch from Taiyuan before the end of the year. Methane-liquid oxygen and reusability are also noted as key technologies requiring breakthroughs.
The plan aims to build a space information industry worth more than 200 billion yuan ($28.2 billion) by 2025. As with Beijing, the city wants to create dedicated satellite and rocket hubs.
The comprehensive initiative contributes to the wider, national goal of making China a “powerful aerospace country.” That goal was laid out in discourse from Chinese president Xi Jinping.
Key tasks for the initiative include strengthening basic capabilities in launch, satellite manufacturing and the ground segment. The plan also calls for innovation in core technologies related to the above and constellation network architecture, and promoting large-scale and innovative applications. The plan also highlights digital and intelligent manufacturing, along with direct mobile phone-to-satellite connections.
The Shanghai government will adapt policies to attract and foster related high-end industry and talent, according to the announcement. This includes creating industrial funds and improving related industry support policies and cultivating 10 key commercial aerospace enterprises. It will also support a group of private “specialized, special and innovative” enterprises.
Constellations and competition
Overall the plan seeks to create a robust commercial aerospace sector by integrating technologies and applications across various domains, and developing new models and patterns for technology-driven growth. Shanghai hopes the results will benefit governance, its economy, everyday life, and boost the city’s role in the national and global space industry. Collaboration, resource optimization, and talent cultivation play key roles in achieving these objectives.
The Shanghai commercial space ecosystem plan also mentions the Yangtze river delta region in terms of building a space ecosystem and supply chain. Launch companies Landspace (Huzhou) and Deep Blue Aerospace (Nantong) have facilities located within the region.
Earlier this year the city backed a broadband megaconstellation project known as “G60 Starlink,” centered in Shanghai’s Songjiang District. The initial phase envisions 1,296 satellites and more than 12,000 in orbit once completed.
Shanghai’s action plan will likely face challenges in the form competing domestic space startups and hubs elsewhere, particularly in the increasingly crowded launch and satellite manufacturing sectors. Constellation plans may also face policy and regulatory hurdles.
It will also face competition from the likes of ASPACE, a satellite manufacturer and HKATG subsidiary. ASPACE is seeking to leverage its location in Hong Kong-based and related regulatory and trading advantages. Last month it signed a major deal with Saudi Arabia.
https://spacenews.com/shanghai-to-foster-commercial-space-ecosystem/
First-Ever 360° Images Of Earth From Space Are Truly Out Of This World
Nov 30, 2023
Earlier this year, the company Insta360 sent two cameras to low-Earth orbit on a private space mission. Their camera is called Insta360 X2 and it can capture incredible 360-degree views; when applied to our planet and the rest of the galaxy, the videos and photos are truly something else. This is the first time that 360-degree cameras have been sent to space and the results speak for themselves.
The company is no stranger to extreme feats for their camera – this year, they also sent one of their new models on a weather balloon 26 kilometers (16 miles) into the stratosphere. But space is a completely different type of environment. The extreme temperatures that the camera experiences 500 kilometers (310 miles) above the Earth's surface are no joke, ranging from -70 to 50 degrees Celsius (-94 to 22 degrees Fahrenheit).
And that’s not all. The camera had to be able to withstand an increased dose of radiation, as cosmic rays are not stopped outside of the atmosphere; this can harm electronics. It also had to withstand shocks and vibrations – rocket launches, even in the best conditions, are not smooth rides. Plus, there’s no one up there to fix or reposition the camera if something goes wrong.
Insta360 worked with Media Storm and satellite company Spacety, which creates Synthetic Aperture Radar images of Earth. Engineers had to adapt the camera to the harsh conditions in space with modifications to the lens, motherboard, and casing. The glue in the seal and plastic in the camera had to be adjusted and tested extensively, and to protect it from radiation, gold foil was added as a shield.
It resulted in cameras that can withstand low-Earth environments and slowly rotate, adjusting angle and shooting position, for some fantastic shots. It also goes to show that stars and galaxies are very visible in space; the reason why you usually don't see them in photos is that video photography in space tends to focus on a lot of bright close-up objects and the dimmer starlight is not snapped. Insta360 X2 shows that this is indeed the case.
The satellite to which the camera is attached was launched in January 2023 and it is expected to work until 2026, when it will be deorbited. It will burn in the atmosphere during reentry.
https://www.iflscience.com/first-ever-360-images-of-earth-from-space-are-truly-out-of-this-world-71801
NASA researchers get permission to apply for China’s moon samples
December 1, 2023
NASA-funded researchers have been granted permission to apply for access to China’s Chang’e-5 lunar samples in an exception to a prohibition on bilateral activities.
An internal email sent Nov. 29 informed NASA researchers that they would be able to apply to the China National Space Administration (CNSA) for access to portions of samples collected by China’s Chang’e-5 mission.
“NASA has certified its intent to Congress to allow NASA-funded researchers to apply to the China National Space Administration for access to lunar samples returned to Earth on the Chang’e-5 mission and made available recently to the international scientific community for research purposes,” the email read.
The move opens the rare possibility of cooperation between China and NASA-funded entities and researchers. It also comes despite NASA Administrator Bill Nelson’s strong rhetoric towards China and his stated support for maintaining ongoing restrictions on collaboration.
The “Wolf Amendment” is a provision in annual NASA appropriations bills which heavily restricts bilateral cooperation with entities of the People’s Republic of China. Any NASA-funded individual or entity seeking to engage in bilateral activity would require a prior written request to, and granted permission from, Congress in advance, along with certification from the FBI that the activities would not pose a national security risk.
China launched its Chang’e-5 mission in late 2020. The complex, four-spacecraft mission included a lunar landing, ascent from the lunar surface, docking in lunar orbit and a high-speed atmospheric reentry.
The mission collected 1,731 grams of material from a geologically young area of Oceanus Procellarum, using a scoop and a drill. The country said it would make samples available internationally, after first allowing Chinese researchers and institutions access.
The samples have generated a range of science papers relating to the history and evolution of the moon, its composition and more. CNSA announced that internationally-led groups could apply for samples in August this year, more than 2.5 years after Chang’e-5 landed.
“The Chang’e 5 samples originate from regions of the Moon not yet sampled by NASA and are expected to provide valuable new scientific insight on the geological history of the Moon, which could provide new understanding of the Earth-Moon system and potentially inform NASA’s future lunar exploration plans,” the NASA email read.
“Applying for samples will ensure that United States researchers have the same research opportunities as scientists around the world.”
The email provided directions on how to apply for the seventh round of applications for access to Chang’e-5 samples via CNSA webpages. Applications are open until December 22, 2023.
Researchers are asked to contact a NASA official for guidance on next steps should their applications be selected. The email underlines that the allowance applies specifically to Chang’e-5 mission samples and that the normal prohibition on bilateral activity with China on NASA funded projects remains in place.
The development is an exciting and welcome development, James Head, a planetary scientist at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, told SpaceNews via email.
“The Moon is actually a big place, and our Apollo and the Soviet Luna samples are derived from a limited part of the central and northeast part of the Moon. We have had no samples returned from landing sites on the other half of the Moon (the lunar farside), nor on the northwestern and southern parts of the lunar nearside.”
“The Solar System is a big place, and planetary science can benefit tremendously from complementary, non-duplicative exploration destinations, and the sharing of samples and other results.”
https://spacenews.com/nasa-researchers-get-permission-to-apply-for-chinas-moon-samples/