TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
Feb 7, 2024
The Heart Shaped Antennae Galaxies
Are these two galaxies really attracted to each other? Yes, gravitationally, and the result appears as an enormous iconic heart ā at least for now. Pictured is the pair of galaxies cataloged as NGC 4038 and NGC 4039,known as the Antennae Galaxies. Because they are only 60 million light years away, close by intergalactic standards, the pair is one of the best studied interacting galaxies on the night sky. Their strong attraction began about a billion years ago when they passed unusually close to each other. As the two galaxies interact, their stars rarely collide, but new stars are formed when their interstellar gases crash together. Some new stars have already formed, for example, in the long antennae seen extending out from the sides of the dancing duo. By the time the galaxy merger is complete, likely over a billion years from now, billions of new stars may have formed.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html?
Ax-3 Astronauts Undock in Dragon from Station for Earth Return
February 7, 2024
The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked from the space-facing port of the International Space Stationās Harmony module at 9:20 a.m. EST over the Pacific Ocean, west of Ecuador, to complete the third all-private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3).
Dragon is slowly maneuvering away from the orbital laboratory into an orbital track that will return the astronaut crew and its cargo safely to Earth, targeting a splashdown off the coast of Daytona, Florida, at approximately 8:30 a.m. EST Friday, Feb. 9.
Ax-3 astronauts Michael LĆ³pez-AlegrĆa, Walter Villadei, Marcus Wandt, and Alper Gezeravci will complete 18 days aboard the orbiting laboratory at the conclusion of their mission. The SpaceX Dragon will return to Earth with more than 550 pounds of science and supplies, including NASA experiments and hardware.
Joint operations with the Axiom and SpaceX mission teams end and NASA coverage of the mission concludes when the spacecraft exits the area of the space station, approximately 30 minutes after undocking.
Axiom Space leads independent mission operations for Ax-3 and will resume coverage of Dragonās re-entry and splashdown.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2024/02/07/ax-3-astronauts-undock-in-dragon-from-station-for-earth-return/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6IWHGYA46mQ
JPL Workforce Update
Feb. 6, 2024
Workforce statement and memo to employees.
JPL statement issued on Feb. 6, 2024:
After exhausting all other measures to adjust to a lower budget from NASA, and in the absence of an FY24 appropriation from Congress, we have had to make the difficult decision to reduce the JPL workforce through layoffs. JPL staff has been advised that the workforce reduction will affect approximately 530 of our colleagues, an impact of about 8%, plus approximately 40 additional members of our contractor workforce. The impacts will occur across both technical and support areas of the Lab. These are painful but necessary adjustments that will enable us to adhere to our budget allocation while continuing our important work for NASA and our nation.
The following is the text of a memo sent earlier today from JPL Director Laurie Leshin to employees.
Dear Colleagues,
Today Iām writing to share some difficult news. While we still do not have an FY24 appropriation or the final word from Congress on our Mars Sample Return (MSR) budget allocation, we are now in a position where we must take further significant action to reduce our spending, which will result in layoffs of JPL employees and an additional release of contractors. These cuts are among the most challenging that we have had to make even as we have sought to reduce our spending in recent months.
The workforce reduction will affect approximately 530 of our JPL colleagues, an impact of about 8%, and approximately 40 additional members of our contractor workforce.
I am writing to share as much detail and clarity on our actions as I can, including reviewing the factors that have led to this decision, and our next steps. First, how we got here. Without an approved federal budget including final allocation for MSR FY24 funding levels, NASA previously directed JPL to plan for an MSR budget of $300M. This is consistent with the low end of congressional markups of NASAās budget and a 63% decrease over the FY23 level. In response to this direction, and in an effort to protect our workforce, we implemented a hiring freeze, reduced MSR contracts, and implemented cuts to burden budgets across the Lab. Earlier this month, we further reduced spending by releasing some of our valued on-site contractors.
Unfortunately, those actions alone are not enough for us to make it through the remainder of the fiscal year. So in the absence of an appropriation, and as much as we wish we didnāt need to take this action, we must now move forward to protect against even deeper cuts later were we to wait.
To adjust to the much lower MSR budget levels in NASAās direction to us, we must reduce our workforce in both technical and support areas of the Lab, and across different organizations. We must streamline our operations while maintaining a level of expertise, creativity, technical agility, and innovation that will enable us to continue to do vital work and deliver on our current missions, including MSR. As I have shared before, the decisions we are making and our path forward are based on our assessment of future mission needs and work requirements across the Lab.
Iād like to share some details about what to expect. Our desire in this process is that impacted employees quickly get to the point where they will receive personalized attention during this transition. In an effort to bring clarity to everyone as quickly as we can, the details of our workforce reductions will be communicated in a single day ā tomorrow. We are sharing this information with you today so that you can make personal arrangements for working from home and plan your schedules to be available for the virtual workforce update meetings described below.
Given the challenge and scale of this workforce action, our approach has prioritized minimizing stress by notifying everyone quickly whether they are impacted or not. Then we can rapidly pivot to focus on providing opportunities for personalized support to our impacted colleagues, including scheduling dedicated time to discuss their benefits and several other forms of assistance.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/jpl-workforce-update
NSSI releases annual Space Professional Reading List
Feb. 1, 2024
The U.S. Space Forceās National Security Space Institute (NSSI) has released its 2024 Space Professional Reading List, adding six new books.
The NSSI Space Professional Reading List is recommended reading for U.S. Department of Defense and international partner space professionals.
According to NSSI, these works provide a launching point for expanding existing knowledge, developing professional skills, and challenging conventional thinking about the profession. The recommended reading also introduces students and space professionals to the insights of NSSI educators and their recommendations for lifelong learning.
āFor the past 15 years the National Security Space Institute has released a Space Professional Reading List, designed to challenge Space Professionals to think critically about their profession,ā said U.S. Space Force Col. Kenneth Klock, Commandant of NSSI. āThe 2024 list continues that theme, but I believe itās the most dynamic, thought-provoking ever. From irregular warfare to great power competition, from doctrine to theory, and from commercial space to Sun Tzu, thereās something here for everyone. As the NSSIās motto states, āVictory Begins In the Mind.ā I encourage readers to delve into these suggested readings and plant those seeds of victory.ā
New Books on the 2024 Space Professional Reading List:
āWhen the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reachā by Ashlee Vance
āChinese and Russian Perceptions of and Responses to U.S. Military Activities in the Space Domainā by Alexis A. Blanc, Nathan Beauchamp-Mustafaga, Khrystyna Holynska, M. Scott Bond, and Stephen J. Flanagan
āSun Tzu in Space: What International Relations, History, and Science Fiction Teach us about our Futureā by Gregory D. Miller
āFight for the Final Frontier: Irregular Warfare in Spaceā by John J. Klein
āRange: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized Worldā by David Epstein
āWhite Sun War: The Campaign for Taiwanā by Mick Ryan
This yearās authors will be invited to the NSSI to speak with students, faculty, and staff as well as members of the local space professional community.
https://www.starcom.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3664037/nssi-releases-annual-space-professional-reading-list/
https://nssi.spaceforce.mil/
Introducing CERN's robodog
Feb 6, 2024
Building 937 houses the coolest #robots at #CERN. This is where the action happens to build and programme robots that can tackle the unconventional challenges presented by the Laboratoryās unique facilities. Recently, a new type of robot called CERNquadbot has entered CERNās robot pool and successfully completed its first radiation protection test in the North Area.
Watch CERNās robodog at work.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbcpJZicJ2w
Remarks by Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman at Space Forces - Space Activation Ceremony
Feb. 6, 2024
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3668046/remarks-by-chief-of-space-operations-gen-chance-saltzman-at-space-forces-space/
Remarks by Chief of Space Operations Gen Chance Saltzman at the Space Systems Command Change of Command Ceremony
Feb. 6, 2024
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3668072/remarks-by-chief-of-space-operations-gen-chance-saltzman-at-the-space-systems-c/
Virgin Galactic mothership loses alignment pin during space plane launch, FAA investigating
Feb 6, 2024
Virgin Galactic lost a piece of hardware used to mate its VSS Unity suborbital space plane to its VMS Eve mothership aircraft during its most recent commercial spaceflight.
The company said that during the Galactic 06 commercial spaceflight on Jan. 26, VMS Eve lost an alignment pin used to ensure that VSS Unity is held in the proper position when mated. As the two joined aircraft climb in altitude, the mated duo experience strong forces such as drag; the alignment pin helps to distribute these forces along Eve's structural hardpoint, but does not support the weight of VMS Unity. Virgin Galactic says the pin detached after the space plane had separated from its mothership as planned, at an altitude of about 45,000 feet (13,700 meters).
Virgin Galactic notified the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the issue on Jan. 31, according to a company statement. Despite the lost pin, the company says there was no danger and no damage to either aircraft, and, because the flight took place in controlled airspace, there was little hazard posed to anything below it.
"'Galactic 06' was a safe and successful flight that was conducted in accordance with Virgin Galactic's rigorous flight procedures and protocols," the company wrote in the statement. "At no time did the detached alignment pin pose a safety impact to the vehicles or the crew on board."
Virgin Galactic will conduct an investigation alongside the FAA and provide an update ahead of its next mission, Galactic 07, set to lift off sometime in the second quarter of 2024.
The FAA issued a statement that says Virgin Galactic will be grounded until the investigation is completed. "A return to flight is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety," the FAA's statement reads, according to CNN. "In addition, Virgin Galactic must request and receive approval from the FAA to modify its license that incorporates the corrective actions and meets all other licensing requirements."
Aside from the dropped pin, Galactic 06 was noteworthy in that it sent the first Ukrainian woman to space (depending on where one defines space; Virgin Galactic's flights don't quite reach the boundary many people use to define the edge of space, known as the Karman line).
The flight also marked one of the last for Unity, if all goes according to schedule. The company has plans to retire its current fleet of suborbital vehicles in favor of its new "Delta class" space planes, which will be able to fly at a cadence of two missions per week. The first Delta class vehicle is expected to begin test flight campaigns in 2025, with commercial flights opening up in 2026.
https://www.space.com/virgin-galactic-glitch-sixth-commercial-suborbital-spaceflight
India's Chandrayaan-2 moon orbiter catalogs tons of mysterious solar flares
Feb 6, 2024
New research has created a comprehensive catalog of mysterious, slow-building and ultra-hot explosions coming from the sun's atmosphere. The findings suggest a substantial amount of these strangely lethargic flares, which were first discovered in the 1980s, warrant a deeper investigation.
Solar flares are explosions of energy that occur when the magnetic field lines of the sun tangle, or cross, then snap and reconnect around dark patches called sunspots. These outflows of radiation, when strong enough, can damage satellites and even affect power and communication infrastructure here on Earth.
Solar flares that last for a few minutes to a few hours are traditionally classified based on the amount of energy they emit. This new research, however, differentiated solar flares based on the speed at which their energy actually builds up, showing that many solar flares don't release energy as quickly as the snap of a whip and then slowly dissipate, as the standard picture of these events suggests.
Using the Chandrayaan-2 lunar orbiter, a team of researchers detected 1,400 such slow-rising flares over three years, vastly increasing the slow-flare catalog from the around 100 that had been detected over the last 40 years of solar study.
"There was a consensus in the solar physics community, since the early 2000s, that most solar flares are these rapidly rising intensities, followed by a slow decay," Aravind Bharathi Valluvan, team leader an an astrophysics graduate student at the University of California, San Diego, told Space.com. "However, what my research, along with my team, has shown is that not all solar flares follow that pattern."
Valluvan explained that the solar science community had overlooked slower-rising flares, or "hot thermal" flares because computer algorithms used to detect solar flares in observational data have focused on fast-rising, or "impulsive" flares. Impulsive flares are defined as covering the maximum area they possibly can in under half their lifespan.
"We did not do that, and instead took a more general approach. What we saw is that there are a lot more slow-rising flares, and it's not an insignificant subset. In fact, they form a quarter of all flares," they continued. "So, we need to be studying hot thermal flares as a separate population. Currently, our understanding about these slower type flashes is quite limited."
Slow-rising flares constitute something of a mystery because the magnetic reconnection process believed to generate both impulsive flares and hot thermal flares is rapid, which should give rise to a rapid energy release as well.
Valluvan explained that solar scientists need a better understanding of the precise way slow-rising flares are being generated, how they propagate through the solar corona ā the sun's outer atmosphere ā and whether this prorogation mechanism may lead to a slower manifestation.
One clue may lie in something that is very counterintuitive about these slower flares: the fact that they are incredibly hot.
Rapid-rising impulse flares are associated with temperatures of around 18 million degrees Fahrenheit (10 million degrees Celsius). But slow-rising flares get their moniker "hot thermal flares" because they are associated with even greater temperatures of up to 54 million degrees Fahrenheit (30 million degrees Celsius).
"One thing certain is that the solar atmosphere is a very violent place. There's a lot of turbulent activity, a lot of fluid plasma magnetic fields mixing out there, so there's a lot of turbulence," Valluvan said. "Impulsive solar flares are associated with nonthermal injection energy process. Turbulent activity causes this nonthermal injection."
Valluvan suggested that it could be a less turbulence-dependent, and more thermal and magnetic process behind the generation of slow-rising flares.
Another significant result of this research is that there are no intermediate flares between fast-rising impulsive flares and slower hot thermal flares. There must be some reason that flares only come in one of two extremes.
"What is this kind of a balancing generation process that is going on?" Valluvan said. "That is something that I've been looking into."
Ultimately, solving the mystery of slow-rising solar flares may help scientists solve a long-standing puzzle: Why is the solar corona hotter than the sun's "surface," or photosphere?
The corona is hundreds of times hotter than the sun's surface despite the fact that the photosphere is closer to the source of the sun's heat, the nuclear fusion processes that occur at its core. This has troubled scientists for around half a century.
https://www.space.com/india-chandrayaan-2-moon-orbiter-mysterious-slow-building-solar-flares
https://spacenews.com/spectrum-for-the-space-and-satellite-industry/
Spectrum for the Space and Satellite Industry
February 6, 2024
The recent World Radiocommunication Conference (WRC-23) in Dubai saw regulators and industry players from across the globe attempt to shape the future of telecom, satellite and space applications. After four weeks of intense discussions and debates, 43 new resolutions were approved, with 56 existing ones revised. With spectrum a finite resource, these decisions will be crucial to how space and satellite operations are carried out over the next few years.
One of the major outcomes of the conference revolved around Agenda Items 1.15 and 1.16 on the use of mobile satellite terminals on ships and airplanes. Following WRC-23, these so-called Earth Stations in Motion have now received authorization to communicate with Ku-band geostationary (GSO) satellites and non-geostationary (NGSO) Ka-band satellites. This decision follows authorization by a previous WRC that allowed geostationary satellite operators to use the Ka-band to connect with mobile terminals. That approval enabled major industry players to provide broadband services to aircraft, ships and other vessels operating in remote areas. These capabilities have been extended for an even wider set of applications, including rebuilding communication infrastructure in regions where it may have been damaged or destroyed after a natural disaster.
Ensuring safer and more reliable communications was a theme across WRC-23, with regulatory actions designed to update the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System. These actions included authorization to implement the latest e-navigation systems to optimize distress and emergency communications for vessels and sites found at sea. The use of Beidou was also provisionally recognized for this purpose, so long as it can be successfully coordinated with existing networks and interference eliminated.
Three additional identifications for high-altitude platforms as International Mobile Telecommunication (IMT) base stations were also made at WRC-23. IMT is a term used by the International Telecommunication Union, the spectrum enforcement arm of the United Nations responsible for WRC-23, for broadband mobile systems. While several frequency bands below 2.7 GHz had already been identified for IMT before the conference, specific regulations for their operation in the 2 GHz and 2.6 GHz bands were adopted during WRC-23. These will underpin the development of mobile broadband services and should require minimal infrastructure. Able to utilize the same frequencies as existing mobile networks, these services can be used for reliable connectivity during critical or disaster recovery applications and extend service to remote areas that have historically been underserved.
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Inter-satellite links were the focus of Agenda Item 1.17. During WRC-23, parties set out to determine appropriate regulatory frameworks for providing such links in suitable frequency bands. Following lengthy discussions, the decision was made to allocate Ka-band frequencies to inter-satellite services for space research, space operation and Earth-observing satellite applications. This included an extension to 29.5-30 GHz to ensure the protection of terrestrial services, with further considerations for NGSO systems with operational altitudes of 900 kilometers and for GSOs used in the fixed-satellite service.
Under Agenda Item 1.19, WRC-23 approved a new primary allocation to the fixed-satellite service in the 17.3- 17.7 GHz band in Region 2, which covers the Americas. This included a Power Flux-Density limit put in place to protect Region 1 (Europe, the Middle East and Africa) and Region 3 (Asia-Pacific) Appendix 30A assignments from the FSS downlink in Region 2.
Among the other significant decisions reached at the conference, 41 countries successfully applied the provisions of Resolution 559 (WRC-19), allowing them to replace their existing assignment in the broadcasting satellite service with a new one offering better performances.
As regulators focus on the future, new agenda items have been tabled for WRC-27 (and WRC-31). Several discussions are set to be held regarding the use of mobile satellite services, with three agenda items in play for the next conference. These will consider low data rate and generic mobile satellite services, alongside direct connectivity between space stations and IMT user equipment such as standard cellular devices. Mobile satellite service space-to-space links are also a topic of interest, as is the use of Q/V-band from both GSO and NGSO to connect Earth Stations in Motion (mobile terminals).
Equitable access and unauthorized operations of NGSO are also two topics that will be heavily discussed over the next four years, alongside an Agenda Item on the development of communications on the lunar surface and between lunar orbit and the lunar surface.
The conference has also invited administrations to conduct technical studies on the Equivalent Power Flux Density limits, in order to ensure the continued protection of geostationary fixed satellite services and broadcasting satellite service networks, and to inform WRC-27 of the results of the studies, without any regulatory consequences. This will no doubt remain a contentious subject in the study cycle leading up to the next conference, with NGSO players holding the position that the existing Equivalent Power Flux Density limits no longer suit the demands of modern constellations. On the other hand, some geostationary operators maintain any changes to the rules would undermine and destabilize what has historically proven to be a successful regulatory framework for the space industry. This war of attrition means regulatory action has been deferred for now, with WRC-27 as a future battleground pending the conclusion of these studies.
With 151 member states signing the WRC-23 Final Acts, the decisions reached at the conference can now be put in place. To some regulators and operators, these actions will resemble a seismic shift in terms of how they operate in the future. For others, these may serve as ammunition for future debates set to play out over the coming years.
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Biden Regime Moves J6 Political Prisoner Jake Lang to Central Detention with Car Jackers, Rapists, Etc. ā This Comes After He Challenged DOJās Tyrannical Policies in Court ā AUDIO FROM JAKE
Feb. 7, 2024 7:30 am
J6 political prisoner Jake Lang was arrested on January 16th, 2021, and remains incarcerated without bail or trial for THREE YEARS as of today.
On January 6, 2021 Jake attended the protest and rally in Washington DC because he believed the election was stolen from Donald Trump. Jake was one in a million Trump supporters who turned out that day to hear President Trump speak at the Ellipse in Washington DC.
Later that day, Jake walked to the US Capitol, where he was gassed and trampled when Capitol Police pushed Trump supporters down the stairs. Jake was nearly killed.
Jake Lang wrote his finance tonight after the move, āBabe they just grabbed me and moved me over to the BAD part of DC JAIL. Iām in unit South 1, the āholeā of Central Detention Facility.
I was in Central Treatment Facility with the other J6ers. Now Iām in a separate building!!
24/7 Solitary confinement, hands cuffed to take shower or come out for recreation every other day, only 2 hours. No in-person visits, no bowls or utensils to eat from. Not allowed to have bars of soap. Limited commissary items!! And the worst part is they took my discovery laptop and my hard drives Iāve been using to build exhibits for my trial!!!
Iām now with other real DC Jail inmates (car jackers, thugs, gang members, etcā¦) Probably retaliation for the new bond motion we just submitted and change of venue jury pool bias data we obtainedā¦ Theyāre trying to shut me up!!!
But God is still good & we will make it through this with His grace. I love you, please have everyone call the US Marshalls and see whatās going on!! My cell is like a dungeon!!
EVERYONE ā please call & make a complaint about the obvious RETALIATION and cruel and unusual punishment they are doing to Jake and the J6ers!!
(Edward Jacob Lang #376444)
US Marshalls: 703-740-8132 / 703-740-8400
DC Jail Asst Warden Vick: 202-790-6592
DC Jail Command Center: 202-790-6601
DC Jail Assistant Mrs G Powell: 202-523-6598
Despite the insane miscarriage of justice that Jake has gone through, he still finds purpose in this struggle.
Jake Lang called The Gateway Pundit earlier this year. After more than three years of injustice and government prosecution, Jake told us, āThe Bible tells us, āEyes havenāt seen, nor ears have heard, what God has planned for those who love Himā. I wear that scripture as a shield, knowing God is more than able to deliver the January 6ers out to a wide open space when His timing comes. America now has a better sense of how vulnerable and precious Liberty really is, and new sentinels have been forged through the fire of persecution to ensure the next generation never has to suffer through these grave tyrannical injustices.ā
The Gateway Punditās Jim Hoft spoke with Jake Lang on Tuesday after he was moved.
** Please contact the officials listed above and politely tell them to act humanely and quit torturing Jake Lang.
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/02/biden-regime-moves-j6-political-prisoner-jake-lang/