NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

Mar 10, 2024

A Total Eclipse at the End of the World

Would you go to the end of the world to see a total eclipse of the Sun? If you did, would you be surprised to find someone else there already? In 2003, the Sun, the Moon, Antarctica, and two photographers all lined up in Antarctica during an unusual total solar eclipse. Even given the extreme location, a group of enthusiastic eclipse chasers ventured near the bottom of the world to experience the surreal momentary disappearance of the Sun behind the Moon. One of the treasures collected was the featured picture – a composite of four separate images digitally combined to realistically simulate how the adaptive human eye saw the eclipse. As the image was taken, both the Moon and the Sun peeked together over an Antarctic ridge. In the sudden darkness, the magnificent corona of the Sun became visible around the Moon. Quite by accident, another photographer was caught in one of the images checking his video camera. Visible to his left are an equipment bag and a collapsible chair. A more easily visible solar eclipse will occur in just under four weeks and be visible from a long, thin swath of North America.

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

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 Return to Earth to Air Live on NASA Platforms

Mar 8, 2024

NASA will provide live coverage of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-7 return to Earth from the International Space Station, beginning with a change-of-command ceremony at 11:55 a.m. EDT on Sunday, March 10.

NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov are preparing to wrap up their nearly six-month science mission, and bring home time-sensitive research to Earth.

Pending weather conditions off the coast of Florida, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to undock from the space station at 11:05 a.m. Monday, March 11, to begin the journey home, with NASA coverage beginning at 10:45 a.m. NASA and SpaceX are targeting as early as 5:35 a.m. Tuesday, March 12, for splashdown off the Florida coast.

The return and related activities will air live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms including social media.

NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Sunday, March 10

11:55 a.m.: Crew-7 farewell remarks and change of command ceremony aboard the space station

Monday, March 11

9 a.m.: Hatch closure coverage begins

9:15 a.m.: Hatch closing

10:45 a.m.: Undocking coverage begins

11:05 a.m.: Undocking

Following conclusion of Dragon departure from station, NASA coverage will continue with audio only, with full coverage resuming ahead of the deorbit burn and splashdown.

Tuesday, March 12

4:30 a.m.: Coverage begins as the spacecraft leaves low Earth orbit, completes re-entry, and prepares for splashdown

5:35 a.m.: Splashdown

7 a.m.: Return to Earth media teleconference call with the following participants:

Steve Stich, manager, NASA’s Commercial Crew Program

Jeff Arend, manager for systems engineering and integration, NASA’s International Space Station Office

SpaceX representative

Eric Van Der Wal, Houston office team leader, ESA

Hiroshi Sasaki, vice president for human space flight and space exploration, JAXA

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasas-spacex-crew-7-return-to-earth-to-air-live-on-nasa-platforms/

Peering Into the Tendrils of NGC 604 with NASA’s Webb

MAR 09, 2024

The formation of stars and the chaotic environments they inhabit is one of the most well-studied, but also mystery-shrouded, areas of cosmic investigation. The intricacies of these processes are now being unveiled like never before by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

Two new images from Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) showcase star-forming region NGC 604, located in the Triangulum galaxy (M33), 2.73 million light-years away from Earth. In these images, cavernous bubbles and stretched-out filaments of gas etch a more detailed and complete tapestry of star birth than seen in the past.

Sheltered among NGC 604’s dusty envelopes of gas are more than 200 of the hottest, most massive kinds of stars, all in the early stages of their lives. These types of stars are B-types and O-types, the latter of which can be more than 100 times the mass of our own Sun. It’s quite rare to find this concentration of them in the nearby universe. In fact, there’s no similar region within our own Milky Way galaxy.

This concentration of massive stars, combined with its relatively close distance, means NGC 604

Image: NIRCam View NGC 604

In Webb’s near-infrared NIRCam image, the most noticeable features are tendrils and clumps of emission that appear bright red, extending out from areas that look like clearings, or large bubbles in the nebula. Stellar winds from the brightest and hottest young stars have carved out these cavities, while ultraviolet radiation ionizes the surrounding gas. This ionized hydrogen appears as a white and blue ghostly glow.

The bright orange-colored streaks in the Webb near-infrared image signify the presence of carbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs. This material plays an important role in the interstellar medium and the formation of stars and planets, but its origin is a mystery. As you travel farther from the immediate clearings of dust, the deeper red signifies molecular hydrogen. This cooler gas is a prime environment for star formation.

Webb’s exquisite resolution also provides insights into features that previously appeared unrelated to the main cloud. For example, in Webb’s image, there are two bright, young stars carving out holes in dust above the central nebula, connected through diffuse red gas. In visible-light imaging from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, these appeared as separate splotches.

Image: MIRI View NGC 604

Webb’s view in mid-infrared wavelengths also illustrates a new perspective into the diverse and dynamic activity of this region. In the MIRI view of NGC 604, there are noticeably fewer stars. This is because hot stars emit much less light at these wavelengths, while the larger clouds of cooler gas and dust glow. Some of the stars seen in this image, belonging to the surrounding galaxy, are red supergiants – stars that are cool but very large, hundreds of times the diameter of our Sun. Additionally, some of the background galaxies that appeared in the NIRCam image also fade. In the MIRI image, the blue tendrils of material signify the presence of PAHs.

NGC 604 is estimated to be around 3.5 million years old. The cloud of glowing gases extends to some 1,300 light-years across.

https://science.nasa.gov/missions/peering-into-the-tendrils-of-ngc-604-with-nasas-webb/

Stratolaunch performs first powered Talon flight

March 9, 2024

Stratolaunch conducted the first powered flight of its Talon vehicle March 9, reaching “high supersonic” speeds in the uncrewed test.

The Talon-A vehicle, designated TA-1, took off attached to the company’s Roc aircraft from the Mojave Air and Space Port in California at 10:17 a.m. Eastern according to flight tracking data. The plane flew west to a location in the Pacific off the central California coast, where it released TA-1 at an unspecified time. Roc returned to Mojave more than four hours after takeoff.

Stratolaunch executives said in a call with reporters that they could not disclose the top speed or altitude of the TA-1 on its flight, citing “proprietary agreements” with unspecified customers. They were, though, satisfied with the flight.

“As part of our successful achievement of the test objectives, we did reach that high supersonic regime approaching hypersonic flight,” said Zachary Krevor, president and chief executive of Stratolaunch. Hypersonic flight is typically defined as speeds higher than Mach 5.

Aaron Cassebeer, senior vice president of engineering and operations, said the TA-1 achieved its major test objectives, including release from Roc and ignition of its engine, sustained acceleration and climb through high supersonic speeds while maintaining control, then decelerating and gliding to an ocean splashdown. TA-1, an expendable vehicle, was not recovered.

“Overall, we’re incredibly pleased with how TA-1 performed today,” he said. “As it stands right now, we are well positioned to continue our planned test series.”

The company’s next vehicle, TA-2, is its first reusable hypersonic vehicle. It is scheduled to begin flight tests in the second half of the year, with another reusable vehicle, TA-3, under construction. Stratolaunch is also modifying a Boeing 747 is acquired last year in Virgin Orbit’s bankruptcy auction to serve as a second air-launch platform.

Stratolaunch was founded more than a decade ago by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen with the initial goal of providing air-launch services using a giant twin-fuselage, six-engine aircraft. The company at various times considered a variant of SpaceX’s Falcon 9, a vehicle concept called Thunderbolt by Orbital ATK (now part of Northrop Grumman) and that company’s existing, but much smaller, Pegasus XL rocket. It then started work on its own launch vehicle and engine.

The company pivoted after the 2018 death of Allen. The company dropped plans for its own launch vehicle and was later sold to a private equity firm, Cerebus. The company announced in 2020 it would focus instead on developing hypersonic vehicles that would be air-launched by Roc.

The TA-1 flight was also a milestone for Ursa Major Technologies, the company that developed the Hadley engine that powers the vehicle. That engine, which uses liquid oxygen and kerosene propellants, is designed to produce 5,000 pounds-force of thrust. Ursa Major had not disclosed any flight tests of that engine before the TA-1 flight.

https://spacenews.com/stratolaunch-performs-first-powered-talon-flight/

BlackSky secures back-to-back U.S. Air Force contracts

March 9, 2024

Earth imaging and analytics company BlackSky won a $3.5 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to supply satellite imagery and analysis in support of “global moving target engagement,” the Air Force said March 8.

This award comes on the heels of a research contract last year, and a $2 million award announced March 4 to supply the Air Force satellite imagery data and access to the BlackSky data analytics platform. Under the $2 million contract, the AFRL will use the data for studies and to help train artificial intelligence models focused on detecting and tracking moving objects and targets from space.

The $3.5 million contract is the first task under a contract worth up to $23 million over four years, an AFRL spokesperson said in a statement.

BlackSky was selected for a Space Technology Advanced Research (STAR) contract used by AFRL for rapid acquisitions in support of space technology research.

“The STAR contract will be leveraging BlackSky’s commercial data sources and AI/ML algorithm expertise in support of a hybrid architecture demonstration program assessing the military utility of commercial and allied ISR capabilities,” the spokesperson said. ISR is short for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.

The $3.5 million task order is specifically for what AFRL calls global moving target engagement, to “explore the utility of commercial data sources and their related algorithms to detect moving objects globally and at scale.”

BlackSky and its subcontractors, AFRL said, “will leverage data sources of various modalities in conjunction with machine learning algorithms in a data fusion approach to advance commercial moving object detection capabilities.”

Tracking targets from space a top priority

The use of satellites to track moving targets has emerged as a top priority for the U.S. Air Force as it transitions away from traditional airborne platforms to space-based systems. The Air Force wants to be able to do this type of intelligence gathering without risking piloted aircraft in hostile airspace or active war zones.

Another commercial Earth imaging company, Umbra, has also received contracts to evaluate the use of radar satellites to track moving targets.

The U.S. military for decades has relied on radar-equipped aircraft known as JSTARS — or Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System — to discriminate targets against the ground clutter.

By tapping into commercial satellite imagery and analytics, the military is trying to understand the capabilities of satellites to monitor activities on the ground. The Air Force, meanwhile, is working with the Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office to develop a classified constellation of satellites to monitor moving targets on the ground.

https://spacenews.com/blacksky-secures-back-to-back-u-s-air-force-contracts/

Secret Gold Payoff in Icy Castle Unveiled by US Special Forces Insider

04 Mar 2024 08:43 EST

In a startling revelation, a US Special Forces insider known as "JP" has shared details of a covert mission to an icy castle filled with ancient carvings, statues, and massive amounts of gold, staged in a cavernous setting. This mission, as JP narrates, involved splitting a significant gold payoff among various countries, hinting at a possible technology agreement or the emergence of a gold-backed cryptocurrency. Dr. Michael Salla, a prominent figure in Exopolitics, validates JP's credibility, bolstering the weight of this revelation in global financial discourse.

Unveiling the Secret: A Mission Shrouded in Mystery

JP's account takes us through a cinematic journey to a location that seems to leap from the pages of a fantasy novel. He describes being drugged and transported to a secret cavern, surrounded by ice, where gold bars, unusual in shape and inscribed with ancient Sumerian writing, awaited distribution. The detailed descriptions of the carvings and statues within this icy castle draw parallels with architectural marvels from Spain, yet its purpose remains shrouded in speculation. From potential payoffs for undisclosed technology agreements to ties with the Quantum Financial System (QFS) or a gold-backed digital dollar, the revelations open up a myriad of possibilities and questions about the global economic landscape.

Credibility and Context: The Insider's Background

The man behind these revelations, JP, is no stranger to the world of covert operations and extraterrestrial phenomena. Over a decade, he has built a reputation for reliability, backed by Dr. Michael Salla, a pioneer in the study of exopolitics. JP's contributions to our understanding of hidden military installations and secret global dealings are further authenticated by photographic evidence and Dr. Salla's personal testimonies. This context not only adds layers of credibility to the claims but also invites a deeper exploration into the hidden facets of global power dynamics and economic strategies.

Global Implications: Beyond the Gold

At a time when gold prices soar beyond $2,000 per ounce, the discovery of such a significant stash, especially in the form of 25 lb. gold bars with unique characteristics, signals a potentially monumental shift in economic power structures. This revelation could hint at the existence of vast, undisclosed reserves that might alter the foundation of global finance. Furthermore, the historical aspect of the Sumerian inscriptions on the gold bars opens up avenues for academic and archaeological inquiry, potentially reshaping our understanding of ancient civilizations and their influence on modern economic systems.

While the immediate financial implications of this discovery are profound, the broader questions it raises about technology, governance, and the very fabric of global economics are perhaps even more significant. As we stand at the crossroads of history and innovation, the narrative brought forth by JP serves as a reminder of the vast unknowns that lie just beneath the surface of our daily reality. This story, straddling the realms of finance, archaeology, and geopolitics, invites us to ponder the mysteries that govern our world and the hidden forces that shape our collective future.

https://bnnbreaking.com/world/secret-gold-payoff-in-icy-castle-unveiled-by-us-special-forces-insider

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC24YtGpuig&list=PL5q-vxMR9Qc-hwFC5bb5ZJrqSH2ovCt6K&index=29

Robot ships: Huge remote controlled vessels are setting sail

Mar 6, 2024

You can glimpse it in a Norwegian fjord where a huge, lime-green vessel is being put through its paces. At first glance, it seems like any other ship. Look closer, though, and you suddenly see all the hi-tech kit. Cameras, microphones, radars, GPS and all manner of satellite communications.

"We've added a lot of additional equipment and designed her especially to be what we call 'robotic'," says Colin Field, the head of remote systems at US-UK company Ocean Infinity (OI).

The ship is part of OI's new "Armada" - a fleet eventually of 23 vessels - that will survey the seabed for offshore wind farm operators and check underwater infrastructure for the oil and gas industry.

Strikingly for a ship that's 78m (255ft) in length there are only 16 people on board. A traditional ship carrying out the same kind of work would need a crew of 40 or 50. OI believes it can reduce the numbers still further.

That's because many of the roles can be done hundreds of miles away on land.

In Norway, for example, there's an 80m (262ft) electric container ship running back and forth between a fertiliser plant and a local port. In Belgium and Japan there are ferries autonomously navigating between destinations, berthing and unberthing at each location. And in China, too, big autonomous container ships shuttle between coastal cities.

The advantages are obvious. With fewer people on board, ships can be smaller, which means they require less fuel and have a much reduced carbon footprint.

Rudy Negenborn researches autonomous shipping at Delft University of Technology. He says the hi-tech systems needed to fully replace crew are developing at speed but still have some way to go.

"We've had autopilots that let ships follow a path by themselves. That's not so challenging. The challenges come when interacting with other traffic or a port, or when there are unforeseen situations or bad weather circumstances," he told BBC News.

"But in the end, this is going to lead to safer, more efficient and more sustainable transport over water. I'm sure about that."

Some smaller vessels are already allowed to work with no-one onboard at all.

The British company Sea-Kit International is designing and building a fleet of these crewless boats.

One was recently sent to Tonga to map the still-active underwater volcano that blew up spectacularly in 2022, a task considered too dangerous to involve people.

We followed a 12m-long (39ft) boat, fresh from the factory, as it sailed out of Plymouth harbour to inspect a WWII wreck. The bright-red vessel called Vaquita was built for the Dutch survey company Fugro.

It cuts a lonely figure as it skims across the waves. It's being fully controlled by a crew 475 miles away in an office in Aberdeen.

Fugro captain Dmitrij Dadycin's commands, bounced via satellite, turn Vaquita nimbly one way and then the other. An ROV is deployed to go down to explore the sunken destroyer. All the while, cameras at the surface give a 360-degree view of the surrounding waters.

"There's more pleasure to work this way," says Dmitrij, who spent many years at sea.

"I definitely don't miss the pitching and rolling. And at the end of your shift, you get to go home."

Many questions spring to mind about remotely operated and autonomous shipping, just as they do about driverless cars and trains and the drones that are increasingly filling our skies.

How will these technologies change the nature of work? Can they create new and different types of jobs to replace those they eliminate? How secure are the systems being developed - can they defend against cyber-attack and piracy? More fundamentally, are they robust and reliable enough? What happens if a satellite link falls over?

"Everything we do starts from the standpoint of safety," says Sea-Kit's operations director Ashley Skett from his workshop where the team is putting the finishing touches to another crewless boat.

"When this vessel is at sea, there's no-one on board to fix something if it goes wrong, so you must have an alternative system ready to step in. This vessel is built almost in two halves with two of everything on board. The clever bit is in software that enables the boat to switch seamlessly between systems."

The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) is currently grappling with all the issues surrounding autonomy at sea. It hopes to introduce voluntary codes defining best practice by 2028, with a view eventually to making them mandatory.

As it stands, larger ships have to have a captain - or master - with them at sea.

"We're specifically going to be considering the role of the master and officers on board a ship in the context of a remote control centre," says IMO director Heike Deggim.

"Would you now consider a remote-control operator to be equivalent of a master on a ship? This needs further work."

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-68486462