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NASA’s Webb Discovers Dusty ‘Cat’s Tail’ in Beta Pictoris System
Jan 10, 2024
Beta Pictoris, a young planetary system located just 63 light-years away, continues to intrigue scientists even after decades of in-depth study. It possesses the first dust disk imaged around another star — a disk of debris produced by collisions between asteroids, comets, and planetesimals. Observations from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope revealed a second debris disk in this system, inclined with respect to the outer disk, which was seen first. Now, a team of astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to image the Beta Pictoris system (Beta Pic) has discovered a new, previously unseen structure.
The team, led by Isabel Rebollido of the Astrobiology Center in Spain, used Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) to investigate the composition of Beta Pic’s previously detected main and secondary debris disks. The results exceeded their expectations, revealing a sharply inclined branch of dust, shaped like a cat’s tail, that extends from the southwest portion of the secondary debris disk.
“Beta Pictoris is the debris disk that has it all: It has a really bright, close star that we can study very well, and a complex cirumstellar environment with a multi-component disk, exocomets, and two imaged exoplanets,” said Rebollido, lead author of the study. “While there have been previous observations from the ground in this wavelength range, they did not have the sensitivity and the spatial resolution that we now have with Webb, so they didn’t detect this feature.”
Even with Webb or JWST, peering at Beta Pic in the right wavelength range — in this case, the mid-infrared — was crucial to detect the cat’s tail, as it only appeared in the MIRI data. Webb’s mid-infrared data also revealed differences in temperature between Beta Pic’s two disks, which likely is due to differences in composition.
“We didn’t expect Webb to reveal that there are two different types of material around Beta Pic, but MIRI clearly showed us that the material of the secondary disk and cat’s tail is hotter than the main disk,” said Christopher Stark, a co-author of the study at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “The dust that forms that disk and tail must be very dark, so we don’t easily see it at visible wavelengths — but in the mid-infrared, it’s glowing.”
To explain the hotter temperature, the team deduced that the dust may be highly porous “organic refractory material,” similar to the matter found on the surfaces of comets and asteroids in our solar system. For example, a preliminary analysis of material sampled from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission found it to be very dark and carbon-rich, much like what MIRI detected at Beta Pic.
However, a major lingering question remains: What could explain the shape of the cat’s tail, a uniquely curved feature unlike what is seen in disks around other stars?
Rebollido and the team modeled various scenarios in an attempt to emulate the cat’s tail and unravel its origins. Though further research and testing is required, the team presents a strong hypothesis that the cat’s tail is the result of a dust production event that occurred a mere one hundred years ago.
“Something happens — like a collision — and a lot of dust is produced,” shared Marshall Perrin, a co-author of the study at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. “At first, the dust goes in the same orbital direction as its source, but then it also starts to spread out. The light from the star pushes the smallest, fluffiest dust particles away from the star faster, while the bigger grains do not move as much, creating a long tendril of dust.”
“The cat’s tail feature is highly unusual, and reproducing the curvature with a dynamical model was difficult,” explained Stark. “Our model requires dust that can be pushed out of the system extremely rapidly, which again suggests it’s made of organic refractory material.”
The team’s preferred model explains the sharp angle of the tail away from the disk as a simple optical illusion. Our perspective combined with the curved shape of the tail creates the observed angle of the tail, while in fact, the arc of material is only departing from the disk at a five-degree incline. Taking into consideration the tail’s brightness, the team estimates the amount of dust within the cat’s tail to be equivalent to a large main belt asteroid spread out across 10 billion miles.
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-discovers-dusty-cats-tail-in-beta-pictoris-system/
Orienspace breaks Chinese commercial launch records with Gravity-1 solid rocket
January 11, 2024
A young Chinese launch startup has reached orbit with its Gravity-1 all-solid launch vehicle, smashing the record for payload capacity for Chinese commercial rockets.
Orienspace’s Gravity-1 rocket lifted off from Defu-15002 mobile sea platform in the Yellow Sea at 12:30 a.m. Eastern (0530 UTC) Jan. 11. Ignition of the solid rocket motors produced large plumes of exhaust, with debris visibly falling into the sea as the rocket climbed into the sky. The firm confirmed launch success shortly after.
The three satellites, Yunyao-1 (18-20), were later tracked by 478 by 499-kilometer orbits with inclinations of 49.99 degrees by U.S. Space Force space domain awareness.
The mission was the first launch for Orienspace which was founded in 2020. Gravity-1 consists of three stages and four boosters. It boasts the capability to lift around 6,500 kilograms of payload to low Earth orbit, or 3,700 kilograms to 700-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit, when using a kerosene-liquid oxygen third stage.
Orienspace is based in Shandong and has facilities in the province. The Haiyang sea launch facilities for today’s launch are also in Shandong. It secured a number of rounds of funding totalling more than $150 million.
The Yunyao-1 satellites are for Tianjin-based Yunyao Yuhang which aims to construct a constellation to provide data for global weather forecasting. Services could include even short-term earthquake forecasting, according to its press statements.
Changguang Satellite Technology (CGST), a commercial remote sensing satellite firm, manufactured the satellites.
Orienspace CEO Yao Song, who first rose to fame in the semiconductor industry, stated previously that the firm has already secured orders for the launch of hundreds of satellites and been shortlisted in plans for a number of satellite constellations. Orienspace plans two further Gravity-1 launches for 2024.
The launch success is a notable moment in the Chinese commercial space sector. Gravity-1 is now the largest in the sector in terms of launch capacity. It is also the first to use boosters, one of a handful to reach orbit on the first attempt, and the first to have a debut launch from the sea.
Many commercial firms have opted to first develop light-lift solid rockets and move on to reusable liquid propellant rockets. Orienspace opted to proceed with a much more capable launcher as well as working on a larger kerosene-liquid oxygen launcher.
Gravity-1 is capable of carrying more than twice that of the previous largest Chinese solid rockets, CAS Space’s Kinetica-1 and China Rocket’s Jielong-3 (1,500 to 500-km SSO). Both are spinoffs from state-owned enterprises. It is also more powerful than Europe’s Vega-C.
The solid rocket motors for Gravity-1 were provided by the Academy of Aerospace Solid Propulsion Technology (AASPT) under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. (CASC). This relationship allowed Orienspace to achieve orbit despite being founded in 2020. RSPACE, a rocket component startup with facilities in Shandong, also lists Orienspace as a customer.
https://spacenews.com/orienspace-breaks-chinese-commercial-launch-records-with-gravity-1-solid-rocket/
SpaceX's new direct-to-cell Starlink satellites relay their 1st text messages
Jan 11, 2024
Well, that was fast.
SpaceX just broke in its new direct-to-cell Starlink satellites, using one of them to send text messages for the first time.
The milestone came on Jan. 8, just six days after the six Starlink spacecraft launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base, the company announced in an update on Wednesday (Jan. 10).
Those pioneering texts included the classic "New phone who dis?" as well as "Never had such signal" and "Much wow," according to a SpaceX post on X on Wednesday. (SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said the first message was "LFGMF2024," but he was apparently joking.)
Starlink is SpaceX's satellite network in low Earth orbit that provides internet service to people around the world.
The megaconstellation currently consists of more than 5,250 functional spacecraft, but the six that went up on Jan. 2 were the first with direct-to-cell capabilities. (Those half-dozen launched along with 15 traditional Starlink satellites.)
Beaming connectivity service from satellites directly to smartphones — which SpaceX is doing via a partnership with T-Mobile — is a difficult proposition, as SpaceX noted in Wednesday's update.
"For example, in terrestrial networks cell towers are stationary, but in a satellite network they move at tens of thousands of miles per hour relative to users on Earth," SpaceX wrote. "This requires seamless handoffs between satellites and accommodations for factors like Doppler shift and timing delays that challenge phone-to-space communications. Cell phones are also incredibly difficult to connect to satellites hundreds of kilometers away, given a mobile phone's low antenna gain and transmit power."
The direct-to-cell Starlink satellites overcome these challenges thanks to "innovative new custom silicon, phased-array antennas and advanced software algorithms," SpaceX added.
Overcoming tough challenges can lead to great rewards, and that's the case here, according to SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell
"Satellite connectivity direct to cell phones will have a tremendous impact around the world, helping people communicate wherever and whenever they want or need to," Shotwell said via X on Wednesday.
The Jan. 2 Starlink launch was SpaceX's first of the year. But there will be many more: The company has said it aims to launch 144 orbital missions in 2024, which would break its record of 98, set last year.
https://www.space.com/spacex-starlink-satellites-direct-to-cell-first-text-messages
Waymo to test robo-taxis on Phoenix highways amid pushback in California
JANUARY 10, 2024
Waymo is set to expand its robo-taxi trials onto Phoenix freeways, a move that amplifies the company’s extensive presence in Arizona. Meanwhile, California lawmakers and labor groups are intensifying their calls for fresh regulations surrounding autonomous vehicles.
This expansion onto freeways marks a significant leap for Waymo, following years of rigorous testing on public roads in California and Arizona. Initially, this autonomous freeway travel will be limited to Waymo employees as part of their comprehensive testing phase, the company revealed in a statement on Monday.
Waymo emphasized the importance of integrating freeways into their autonomous ride-hailing operations, citing the potential for expedited travel, estimating a 50% reduction in travel time compared to city streets.
While Waymo broadens its driverless operations in Arizona, California faces mounting opposition to robo-taxi adoption. Last week, Democratic Assemblyman Phil Ting initiated legislative steps to grant San Francisco police authority to ticket autonomous vehicles and mandate immediate accident reporting.
This move comes in response to limitations revealed by an NBC Bay Area report, highlighting the police’s citation ability only if a supervising safety driver is present in the autonomous vehicle.
In San Francisco, the expansion of Waymo and Cruise faced approval last year, despite controversies. Cruise, the autonomous division of General Motors, suspended its fleet after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked its permit post an incident where a self-driving vehicle collided with a pedestrian.
Adding to the resistance against robotaxis hitting the streets is the Teamsters Union, representing drivers and laborers. The rift between California’s Governor Gavin Newsom and the Teamsters surfaced last year when Newsom vetoed a Teamsters-backed bill seeking a ban on self-driving trucks.
Undeterred, the Teamsters have now aligned with Sacramento leaders, advocating for a bill mandating local ordinances before allowing robo-taxis to commence services. This proposition is poised to challenge the growing influence of autonomous vehicle companies lobbying in Sacramento, aiming to decentralize decision-making away from corporate interests.
https://conservativeboxnews.com/waymo-to-test-robo-taxis/
Japan's 1st launch of 2024 sends spy satellite to orbit
Jan 12, 2024
Japan's first launch of 2024 is in the books.
An H-2A rocket topped with a reconnaissance satellite called IGS Optical 8 lifted off from Tanegashima Space Center on Thursday (Jan. 11) at 11:44 p.m. EST (0444 GMT and 1:44 p.m. local Japan time on Jan. 12).
Everything went smoothly, according to Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, which built and operates the H-2A.
"It was confirmed that the rocket flew as planned and successfully separated Information Gathering Satellite Optical No. 8," the Tokyo-based company wrote in a post-launch update (in Japanese; translation by Google).
That update was brief, providing little other information, which isn't surprising given that IGS Optical 8 is a spy satellite. Like the other spacecraft in the IGS series, it will be operated by the Japanese government's Cabinet Satellite Information Center.
IGS Optical 8's target orbit was a 310-mile-high (500 kilometers) sun-synchronous path, according to EverydayAstronaut.com. This type of orbit is popular with spy satellites because it offers consistent lighting conditions, making it easier to detect how a spot on Earth's surface changes over time.
The IGS satellites serve "both Japan's national defense and civil natural disaster monitoring," EverydayAstronaut.com wrote. "Some of them operate as optical sensing devices and others use radar (IGS Radar #) to study the target area on the ground. Reports suggest that these satellites are capable of achieving a ground resolution better than 40 cm (~1.3 ft)."
Thursday night's liftoff was the 48th overall for the H-2A, which debuted in 2001. The rocket has failed only once to date, during the November 2003 launch of the IGS 2 satellite.
The most recent H2A mission came in September 2023, when the rocket sent Japan's XRISM X-ray space telescope to Earth orbit and its robotic SLIM lander toward the moon.
SLIM ("Smart Lander for Investigating Moon") arrived in lunar orbit on Christmas Day as planned and is set to touch down on Jan. 19. Success in that effort would be huge, making Japan just the fifth nation — after the Soviet Union, the U.S., China and India — to soft-land a craft on the moon.
https://www.space.com/japan-spy-satellite-launch-success-igs-optical-8
House committee receives classified UAP briefing
JAN 12, 2024 / 11:45 AM CST
Some members of Congress received a classified briefing on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs) Friday, though many told NewsNation they were far from clarity about the U.S.’s encounters with them.
“I’m more concerned than I was going into the [secure meeting room], and I think that they have a lot of questions that remain unanswered,” Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of Illinois told NewsNation.
Some lawmakers have called for increased transparency, and the outcome of this briefing could contribute to them learning more about the government’s knowledge on the matter.
Thomas A. Monheim, the inspector general of the intelligence community, briefed the House Oversight Committee after a surge in UAP interest last year.
This was not the first briefing lawmakers have gotten on UAPs, but Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., among others, has expressed frustration at what he calls a lack of transparency. Burchett believes the Pentagon is holding back even in the briefings.
Lawmakers’ responses have varied — some expressed satisfaction with the information the intelligence community shared and said it provided some clarity. Others shared a different perspective, raising concerns about the intelligence community supposedly withholding information on UAPs.
One lawmaker went as far as to describe a “concerted effort to conceal” information about UAPS.
“There is a movement, whether it’s within the Intelligence Community or not, to prevent us from finding out more information on this,” said Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida. “So, we are going to do what we need to do as investigators to continue to pull on whatever strings and see where they lead.”
According to briefing notes obtained by NewsNation, lawmakers asked about allegations raised by Air Force veteran, David Grusch, who, as a whistleblower, shared exclusive details with NewsNation before testifying in Congress.
Grusch brought his concerns, including classified information, to the inspector general that couldn’t be disclosed publicly.
In his NewsNation interview, Grusch claimed the government has recovered non-human spacecraft of exotic origin. He claims he’s seen evidence of a secret UFO crash retrieval program.
Friday’s briefing allowed lawmakers to speak one-on-one with Monheim about those claims and what’s been done to further investigate them.
Luna told NewsNation that she believes Grusch to be a credible witness and plans to invite him back to Capitol Hill for more conversations about his claims.
“Mr. Grush has made allegations that we’re still trying to figure out the veracity of and we haven’t gotten the answers that we need,” Krishnamoorthi said.
Garcia called the intelligence officers “serious professionals” navigating a very serious topic, and he’s supported what they shared.
Friday’s hearing follows bipartisan efforts of Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Calif., and Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wisc. who introduced a bill to encourage commercial pilots to report sightings of UAPs.
The effort aims to promote safe airspace for Americans by encouraging pilots to report any potential sightings to the government. It would also require the Federal Aviation Administration to relay all reports to the Department of Defense’s All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office.
If passed, the bill will enable civilian aircrew, FAA air traffic controllers, flight attendants, maintenance workers, dispatchers and airlines to report UAP encounters to the FAA. These reports will allow the FAA and DOD to investigate potential threats to the nation’s airspace.
https://www.newsnationnow.com/space/ufo/congress-classified-uap-briefing-jan-12/