NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

August 4, 2024

Gaia: Here Comes the Sun

What would it look like to return home from outside our galaxy? Although designed to answer greater questions, data from ESA's robotic Gaia mission is helping to provide a uniquely modern perspective on humanity's place in the universe. Gaia orbits the Sun near the Earth and resolves stars' positions so precisely that it can determine a slight shift from its changing vantage point over the course of a year, a shift that is proportionately smaller for more distant stars – and so determines distance. In the first sequence of the video, an illustration of the Milky Way is shown that soon resolves into a three-dimensional visualization of Gaia star data. A few notable stars are labelled with their common names, while others stars are labelled with numbers from a Gaia catalog. Eventually, the viewer arrives in our stellar neighborhood where many stars were tracked by Gaia, and soon at our home star Sol, the Sun. At the video's end, the reflective glow of Sol's third planet becomes visible: Earth.

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

NASA satellites record large-scale fires at Morozovsk air base in Russia

03.08.2024 17:21

Early on Saturday, August 3, Ukrainian forces struck the Morozovsk air base in Russia. As can be seen from satellite images, explosions rocked the entire territory of the airfield.

Tendar reported on the social media site X, Ukrinform reports.

According to the post, the Morozovsk air base in Russia "is glowing like a Christmas tree on the NASA Firms map."

Large-scale fires are also visible at the site of the impact.

"It seems that the entire facility is compromised by the explosions," the post said.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported earlier that in the early hours of August 3, Ukrainian forces struck the Morozovsk air base in Russia's Rostov region, hitting ammunition warehouses where, in particular, guided aerial bombs were stored.

https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/3891707-nasa-satellites-record-largescale-fires-at-morozovsk-air-base-in-russia.html

NG-21 Mission Relaunch

SpaceX is targeting Sunday, August 4 for Falcon 9’s launch of Northrop Grumman’s 21st Cygnus mission (NG-21) to the International Space Station from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

The instantaneous launch window is at 11:02 a.m. ET.

A live webcast of this mission will begin about 20 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX.

This is the tenth flight of the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Ax-2, Euclid, Ax-3, CRS-30, SES ASTRA 1P, and four Starlink missions.

Following stage separation, Falcon 9 will land on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Aboard the Cygnus spacecraft are tests of water recovery technology, a process to produce stem cells in microgravity, studies of the effects of spaceflight on microorganism DNA, liver tissue growth, and live science demonstrations for students.

https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=ng-21

https://mynews13.com/fl/orlando/space/2024/08/03/spacex-cygnus-ng-21

>>21349112

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYjuWuVdTl4

>>21348968

Happy Birthday, anon.

Celebrate extensively / accordingly.

Indian astronauts to start training for ISS mission

August 3, 2024

Two Indian astronauts will soon start training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, with one of them flying to the International Space Station on an upcoming private astronaut mission.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced Aug. 2 that two of the four members of its astronaut corps, Shubhanshu Shukla and Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, will go to the United States in the first week of August to begin training for the mission to the ISS.

ISRO said that Shukla had been assigned to the Axiom Space Ax-4 mission to the station, while Nair will train as his backup.

Both of the astronauts, called Gaganyatris by ISRO, had completed ISRO’s own training program for spaceflight that included time at the Star City training center in Russia.

The ISRO announcement is one of the first to confirm that an Indian astronaut would go to the ISS on Ax-4. In a July 24 written response to questions from the Lok Sabha, the lower house of India’s parliament, Jitendra Singh, the Indian government minister whose portfolio includes space, also said that Indian astronauts would soon start training for Ax-4.

“ISRO is pursuing an ISRO-NASA joint mission to International Space Station (ISS) wherein one Gaganyaatri from ISRO will undertake space travel to ISS,” he wrote.

“This is a collaborative effort of ISRO, NASA and NASA identified private entity i.e. Axiom Space. Recently, ISRO has signed a Space Flight Agreement with Axiom Space for this joint mission to ISS.”

“India, with its rich history in space exploration and clear leadership in technology and entrepreneurship, will be crucial in shaping the domain and advancing humanity’s presence in space,” Matt Ondler, president of Axiom Space, said in an Aug. 3 statement. “We look forward to working together with ISRO on this next mission.”

Plans for the mission date back to a June 2023 joint statement by the U.S. and Indian governments after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with President Joe Biden in Washington, which mentioned training of Indian astronauts in the U.S. for a “joint effort to the International Space Station in 2024.”

A June 17 fact sheet after a meeting of U.S. and Indian diplomats in New Delhi stated that the countries had completed a “Strategic Framework for Human Spaceflight Cooperation” that included “securing a carrier for the first-ever joint effort between NASA and ISRO astronauts at the International Space Station.” The fact sheet did not identify that carrier.

Neither NASA nor ISRO have disclosed details about the framework document completed in June. A NASA spokesperson said in July that the document had not been made public but did not explain why.

NASA and Axiom Space have not made any public statements about flying an Indian astronaut on Ax-4.

The ISRO announcement of the training plans did not disclose a projected date for the launch of Ax-4.

At a July 26 briefing, Dana Weigel, NASA ISS program manager, said the agency currently scheduled the mission to fly to the station no earlier than this November. “Of course, we’ll adjust if we need to as we look at the manifest,” she added.

However, during sessions of the recent AIAA ASCEND conference in Las Vegas, representatives of South Korean pharmaceutical company Boryung said they expected Ax-4 to launch in 2025.

Boryung is an investor in Axiom Space and is flying artwork from Korean students on Ax-4.

https://spacenews.com/indian-astronauts-to-start-training-for-iss-mission/

U.S. Air Force awards $14.9 million contract to Capella Space for radar imaging

August 2, 2024

Capella Space, a San Francisco-based satellite imaging company, has secured a $14.9 million contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to provide synthetic aperture radar (SAR) services, the company announced on Monday.

Capella Space specializes in Earth observation using SAR technology, which allows for high-resolution imaging regardless of weather conditions or time of day.

Unlike traditional optical satellites, SAR systems can penetrate cloud cover and darkness.

The contract, set to run until December 2026, is to integrate Capella’s SAR data into AFRL’s Global Unification Environment, an experimental cloud-based platform designed to test automated satellite tasking and imaging collection strategies using commercial systems.

Alexander Duchane, an electronics engineer at AFRL’s Space Vehicles Directorate, explained the reason for the project.

“We’re interested in working with commercial satellite companies across multiple phenomenologies to understand their capabilities and military utility,” Duchane said Aug. 1 in a statement to SpaceNews.

AFRL, located at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, said the agreement with Capella is a Small Business Innovation Research Phase 2 Strategic Funding Increase award.

This type of contract is typically aimed at supporting small businesses in their research and development efforts with potential for commercialization.

Capella Space, founded in 2016, has been seeking to expand its footprint in the defense sector.

https://spacenews.com/u-s-air-force-awards-14-9-million-contract-to-capella-space-for-radar-imaging/

Senate confirms Maj. Gen. John J. DeGoes as next Air Force surgeon general

Aug. 2, 2024

The U.S. Senate confirmed Maj. Gen. John J. DeGoes as the U.S. Air Force surgeon general July 31.

In this position, he will also serve as the principal advisor on all health and medical matters for the Space Force.

The Senate Armed Services Committee confirmed DeGoes by voice vote.

“I am honored the U.S. Senate has confirmed my appointment as the surgeon general of the Air Force,” DeGoes said.

“This is a humbling and significant milestone, and I am committed to advancing the health and readiness of our Airmen and Guardians.

As we navigate a challenging strategic security environment, I will focus on enhancing our medical capabilities to ensure we are always prepared.”

DeGoes formerly served as deputy surgeon general, Office of the Surgeon General, Headquarters U.S. Air Force, Falls Church, Virginia, since May 2021.

As deputy surgeon general, he supported an integrated healthcare delivery and readiness system with 44,000 personnel, which served 2.6 million beneficiaries and 76 military treatment facilities globally.

DeGoes provided oversight for the daily functions of the Air Force Surgeon General’s office across four locations.

These functions included clinical operations and quality; aeromedical evacuation; management of global forces, programs and budget, medical forces and medical information systems.

He coordinated Air Force Medical Service operations through major commands, field commands, joint service agencies, the Defense Health Agency, and the Department of Veteran Affairs.

DeGoes is a chief physician and flight surgeon board certified in internal medicine. He is also a fellow of the American College of Physicians and a certified Physician Executive.

DeGoes graduated from the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in 1989, after receiving direct commission to attend the medical school.

His prior leadership include serving as commander of the 59th Medical Wing and command surgeon for the U.S. Air Force Central Command and the bi-national command, U.S. Northern Command-North American Aerospace Defense Command.

DeGoes will be sworn in as the Department of Air Force’s 25th surgeon general and promoted to the rank of lieutenant general on a forthcoming date.

https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3859644/senate-confirms-maj-gen-john-j-degoes-as-next-air-force-surgeon-general/

Bauernfeind assumes role as 22nd Academy superintendent

Aug. 2, 2024

U.S. Air Force Academy cadets, faculty and staff welcomed their 22nd superintendent, Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, during an assumption of command ceremony held here Aug. 2.

“[Bauernfeind’s career] is checkered with all the things you would expect of a senior leader, but something else as well,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin.

“He has intellectual curiosity, vision, and an adherence to principles. Those are things we need as we navigate this transformation of the United States Air Force Academy to develop young leaders.”

Bauernfeind, a 1991 Academy graduate, took the helm from Lt. Gen. Richard M. Clark, who retired June 1 following the Class of ’24 graduation.

Bauernfeind will continue Clark’s goal of developing leaders of character, with an additional focus on creating warfighters in an era of Great Power Competition.

“It is an honor to lead the Air Force Academy with its rich history and legacy of developing leaders.

I can tell you that my time as a cadet played a pivotal role in laying the foundation for me as a leader for the past 33 years,” Bauernfeind said upon assuming command.

“I am excited to return to this extraordinary team that is dedicated to developing our next generation of combat-ready leaders.”

Having served his entire career in U.S. Air Force Special Operations Command, most recently as its top general, Bauernfeind has a unique perspective and decades of expertise in developing lethal warfighters.

“I could not be more positive, more optimistic, more confident in the future of our U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force than I am now looking at these leaders, looking at the plan and looking at the great Americans that continue to come up that ramp and say ‘yes, I am going to join this winning team,’” Allvin said.

The priorities of his tenure will reflect the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force's directives in the 2022 National Defense Strategy to ensure the next generation of officers has the foundation and skills to lead the Department of the Air Force in this new direction.

“As we look to the future, it is clear we are in a time of consequence, with geopolitical instability ever evident in our headlines,” Bauernfeind said. “Our officers must be prepared on day one to lead in a dynamic and changing world against adversaries wishing to harm our nation, our allies, and our partners.”

As the Academy’s superintendent, Bauernfeind will direct the undergraduate academic program, military and athletic training, and character development.

The cadets Bauernfeind leads will earn a Bachelor of Science degree and commission as second lieutenants into the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force.

“As a military academy, our priorities are the foundation of everything we will do,” Bauernfeind said. “Every activity, every action, and every program we have must support and reflect our priorities.

And we will focus on our priorities, which are: we will develop war fighters to win. We will develop leaders of character and quality. And we will develop critical thinkers to adapt.”

https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3860682/bauernfeind-assumes-role-as-22nd-academy-superintendent/