NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

Feb 29, 2024

Julius Caesar and Leap Days

In 46 BC Julius Caesar reformed the calendar system. Based on advice by astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria, the Julian calendar included one leap day every four years to account for the fact that an Earth year is slightly more than 365 days long. In modern terms, the time it takes for the planet to orbit the Sun once is 365.24219 mean solar days. So if calendar years contained exactly 365 days they would drift from the Earth's year by about 1 day every 4 years and eventually July (named for Julius Caesar himself) would occur during the northern hemisphere winter. By adopting a leap year with an extra day every four years, the Julian calendar year would drift much less. In 1582 Pope Gregory XIII provided the further fine-tuning that leap days should not occur in years ending in 00, unless divisible by 400. This Gregorian Calendar system is the one in wide use today. Of course, tidal friction in the Earth-Moon system slows Earth's rotation and gradually lengthens the day by about 1.4 milliseconds per century. That means that leap days like today will not be necessary, about 4 million years from now. This Roman silver coin, a denarius, depicts Julius Caesar (left) and Venus, Roman goddess of love.

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html?

NASA, Intuitive Machines Share Images from the Moon, Provide Science Updates

February 28, 2024 6:36 pm

NASA and Intuitive Machines co-hosted a news conference on Feb. 28 to provide a status update on the six NASA instruments that collected data on the IM-1 mission.

Mission challenges and successes were discussed during the briefing including more than 350 megabits of science data downloaded ready for analysis. During transit, all powered NASA payloads operated and received data. During descent and landing, guidance and navigation data was collected that will help improve landing precision in the future, and all three payloads that were designed to operate on the surface have received data.

The first images from the lunar surface are now available and showcase the orientation of the lander along with a view of the South Pole region on the Moon. Intuitive Machines believes the two actions captured in one of their images enabled Odysseus to gently lean into the lunar surface, preserving the ability to return scientific data. After successfully transmitting the image to Earth, there is additional insight into Odysseus’ position on the lunar surface.

On Feb. 22, NASA science instruments and technology on board Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander, called Odysseus, landed on the Moon’s South Pole region, marking the United States’ first return since Apollo 17. This was also the first landing as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative — transmitting valuable science data of each NASA payload from the lunar surface.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2024/02/28/nasa-intuitive-machines-share-images-from-the-moon-provide-science-updates/

The Marshall Star for February 28, 2024

Contents

NASA Tech Contributes to Soft Moon Landing

Take 5 with Manil Maskey

Black History Month Profile: Joseph Gaines on Endurance

Combatting Organizational Silence Focus of Mission Success Forum; Tag Taglilatelo Receives Golden Eagle Award

Listen to the Universe: New NASA Sonifications and Documentary

NASA Sets Coverage for Agency’s SpaceX Crew-8 Launch, Docking

Former Student Launch Competitor Turns Experience into NASA Engineering Career

NASA’s Planetary Protection Team Conducts Vital Research for Deep Space Missions

I Am Artemis: Josh Whitehead

NASA Conducts 7th in Series of RS-25 Engine Tests at Stennis

https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/marshall/the-marshall-star-for-february-28-2024/

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2024/02/28/nasa-intuitive-machines-share-images-from-the-moon-provide-science-updates/

NASA Honors Life of Former Administrator, Astronaut Richard Truly

FEB 29, 2024

The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on former NASA Administrator and astronaut Richard Truly, who passed away Feb. 27, 2024, at his home in Genesee, Colorado, at the age of 86.

“NASA is the place it is today because of people of character, vision, and a spirit of service – people like the great man we lost Feb. 27, former NASA administrator, associate administrator, and astronaut Richard Truly.

“In his decades of service – to the Navy, to NASA, to his country – Richard lifted ever higher humanity’s quest to know the unknown and to achieve the impossible dream.

“Across his 30 years in the Navy, Richard served as a test pilot and naval aviator, making more than 300 aircraft carrier landings. Richard rose from the role of ensign to vice admiral.

“As an astronaut, Richard was part of the crew for the Approach and Landing Tests of the space shuttle Enterprise. He piloted space shuttle Columbia during STS-2, the first piloted spacecraft reflown in space, and commanded space shuttle Challenger during STS-8 – the first night launch and landing of its era.

“As associate administrator, after the Challenger crisis, Richard brought NASA to its first liftoff and return to flight. He led the Space Shuttle Program to once again take to the skies and reach for the stars. He understood no matter what difficulties we endure, there is only one direction for humanity and NASA: forward.

“As NASA administrator, it also was under Richard’s leadership and judgment that Voyager 1turned Earthward and took a final picture of our beautiful planet as it floated 3.7 billion miles away. It was the picture that became known as the “Pale Blue Dot.” This is to say that as administrator, Richard’s vision was bold and broad. Humanity is all the better for that vision.

“Woven through these accolades, tests, and triumphs was Richard’s poise as a leader and vision as a pioneer.

“Richard had the makings of someone who understood that we choose to do great things not because they are easy, but because they are hard. He was a personal friend and a mentor to so many of us. I share my deep condolences with Richard’s wife, Cody, and their three children. I invite all those who care for humanity’s quest to reach ever higher to join me in saying farewell to a great public servant.”

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-honors-life-of-former-administrator-astronaut-richard-truly/

https://www.nasa.gov/people/richard-h-truly/

NASA monitoring increased leak in Russian ISS module

February 29, 2024

NASA says it is studying a long-running air leak on a Russian International Space Station module that recently doubled in magnitude, but that the leak does not currently pose a safety risk.

At a briefing Feb. 28 about the upcoming Crew-8 mission to the station, now scheduled for launch on the evening of March 2, Joel Montalbano, NASA ISS program manager, said the leak in the Zvezda service module increased about a week before the Feb. 14 launch of the Progress MS-26 cargo spacecraft to the station. That spacecraft successfully docked to the aft end of Zvezda two days later.

“The teams are watching it. We’re working with our Russian colleagues on the next step,” he said. “It’s not an impact to crew safety or vehicle operations.”

Montalbano said later that the leak has increased to a rate of more than 0.9 kilograms of air lost per day, double the previous rate detected in that part of Zvezda. When Progress docked to the station, he said they kept the hatch closed for about 24 hours “to let everything dampen out” and see if that affected the leak. “Nothing changed.”

The leak is in a vestibule known as PrK between the docking port and the rest of the module. That section can be sealed off to minimize the loss of air from the rest of the station.

Montalbano said that, once the hatch was opened after the Progress docking, it was kept open for about five days to allow crews to unload the spacecraft, then it was closed. The hatch will remain closed until early April. “We’re working with our Russian colleagues on the next steps,” he said, including future plans to access the vestibule and ways to study the leak.

The PrK leak was first detected in 2019 and has been extensively aanlyzed by Roscosmos and NASA. That included apply Kapton tape to try to plug the leak, as well as installing gauges to measure stresses on the module that could be causing cracks.

In a November presentation to the NASA Advisory Council’s human exploration and operations committee, Robyn Gatens, ISS director at NASA Headquarters, noted the PrK leak rate at the time, about 0.45 kilograms per day, was “manageable” and could be addressed with measures like closing the hatch. “It’s still well below our spec leak rate on the space station, but a little higher than our historical leak rate.”

She played down at that meeting any concerns about a catastrophic failure. “There’s a concern any time a structure is leaking and that’s why the team continues to investigate this and try to understand it,” she said. “The worst-case scenario would be the loss of that port for the space station, but not a catastrophic, existential concern for the International Space Station itself.”

The PrK leak has also been monitored by NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel, which in some past meetings has mentioned its concerns about the leak and its implications for the station. The issue did not come up at the panel’s most recent public meeting, also held Feb. 28, because the panel did not get a briefing on the station at this quarterly meeting.

https://spacenews.com/nasa-monitoring-increased-leak-in-russian-iss-module/

Nikon Z 9 goes to space: Space station astronauts receive Nikon's flagship full-frame mirrorless camera

February 7, 2024

Nikon Corporation (Nikon) is pleased to announce that the Nikon Z 9 was launched to the International Space Station (ISS) in January, helping NASA astronauts capture the iconic and breathtaking images of Earth and space in stellar quality and clarity. This is a landmark achievement for the Nikon Z series, as this will be Nikon's first mirrorless camera used by the space station crew.

Multiple Z 9 bodies along with an impressive selection of NIKKOR Z lenses have been sent to the orbiting laboratory on the 20th Northrop Grumman commercial resupply services mission for NASA. The Cygnus cargo spacecraft, carried on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on January 30th, 2024. The Z 9 uses the latest mirrorless technology and is replacing the current inventory of Nikon D6 and D5 digital SLR cameras on the space station, with the D5 in service since 2017.

Since the Apollo 15 mission more than 50 years ago, Nikon cameras and lenses have been used by NASA for space exploration on various missions and the space shuttles. Starting in 1999, Nikon cameras (the Nikon F5) and NIKKOR lenses have been used aboard the orbiting laboratory to aid in scientific research, maintenance, and aiding astronauts capturing the iconic images of Earth, the heavens, and beyond. The gear is used both inside the space station, but also in the unrelenting vacuum of space in a special "blanket" developed by NASA. In 2008, NASA took delivery of the D2XS digital SLR, and in 2013, 38 Nikon D4 digital SLR cameras and 64 NIKKOR lenses were delivered to the space station crew.

The Nikon Z series of mirrorless cameras launched in 2018, and since then has benefitted from the latest innovation, constant firmware updates and a rapidly expanding line of NIKKOR Z lenses. The Z 9 is Nikon's flagship mirrorless full frame camera, well regarded for its extremely robust build, unwavering reliability for professionals and next generation technology. The Z 9 is the first camera of its type to eliminate a shutter, minimizing moving parts for maximum durability. The cameras used on the orbiting laboratory are physically unmodified, meaning terrestrial consumers have access to the same build quality as the space station crew in space. This is a testament, certifying that Nikon technology and the Z 9 is capable of thriving in the extreme rigors of living in zero gravity and space exploration.

While the camera is physically the same, Nikon engineers worked directly with NASA to create a custom dedicated firmware to better serve the astronauts and the environment in space. This includes expanding noise reduction to faster shutters speeds to account for the constant bombardment of cosmic radiation that the crew and gear are subject to about the space station. Additional changes have been made to the file naming sequence, as well as default settings and controls that are optimized for life aboard the orbiting laboratory and when enclosed in the protective covering for exterior missions. Changes have also been made to the in-camera FTP and transfer protocol to simplify the astronaut's workflow, increase efficiency and reduce power consumption when sending images from space to Earth.

https://www.nikon.com/company/news/2024/0207_mirrorless_03.html