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NASA's Webb Provides Another Look Into Galactic Collisions
September 18, 2024 10:00AM
Smile for the camera! An interaction between an elliptical galaxy and a spiral galaxy, collectively known as Arp 107, seems to have given the spiral a happier outlook thanks to the two bright “eyes” and the wide semicircular “smile.” The region has been observed before in infrared by NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope in 2005, however NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope displays it in much higher resolution.
This image is a composite, combining observations from Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument) and NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera).
NIRCam highlights the stars within both galaxies and reveals the connection between them: a transparent, white bridge of stars and gas pulled from both galaxies during their passage.
MIRI data, represented in orange-red, shows star-forming regions and dust that is composed of soot-like organic molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
MIRI also provides a snapshot of the bright nucleus of the large spiral, home to a supermassive black hole.
The spiral galaxy is classified as a Seyfert galaxy, one of the two largest groups of active galaxies, along with galaxies that host quasars.
Seyfert galaxies aren’t as luminous and distant as quasars, making them a more convenient way to study similar phenomena in lower energy light, like infrared.
This galaxy pair is similar to the Cartwheel Galaxy, one of the first interacting galaxies that Webb observed.
Arp 107 may have turned out very similar in appearance to the Cartwheel, but since the smaller elliptical galaxy likely had an off-center collision instead of a direct hit, the spiral galaxy got away with only its spiral arms being disturbed.
The collision isn’t as bad as it sounds. Although there was star formation occurring before, collisions between galaxies can compress gas, improving the conditions needed for more stars to form.
On the other hand, as Webb reveals, collisions also disperse a lot of gas, potentially depriving new stars of the material they need to form.
Webb has captured these galaxies in the process of merging, which will take hundreds of millions of years.
As the two galaxies rebuild after the chaos of their collision, Arp 107 may lose its smile, but it will inevitably turn into something just as interesting for future astronomers to study.
Arp 107 is located 465 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Leo Minor.
https://webbtelescope.org/contents/news-releases/2024/news-2024-132
NASA, US Department of Education to Launch STEM Project in Washington
Sep 18, 2024
Media are invited to the kickoff event of a collaboration between NASA and the U.S. Department of Education at 4 p.m. EDT Monday, Sept. 23, at the Wheatley Education Campus in Washington.
The interagency project, 21st Century Community Learning Centers, aims to engage students in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education during after-school hours.
During the event, media will have the opportunity to learn about the STEM collaboration, hear remarks from leadership, and have one-on-one interviews with NASA and Education Department officials upon request.
Additionally, students will have the opportunity to engage in educational activities, as well as participate in an engineering design challenge.
Officials providing remarks at the event include:
Kris Brown, deputy associate administrator, NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, Headquarters in Washington
Cindy Marten, deputy secretary, U.S. Department of Education
Media interested in covering the event must RSVP no later than Friday, Sept. 20, to Abbey Donaldson: abbey.a.donaldson@nasa.gov.
Through the project, NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and the Education Department will align resources to provide STEM activities, professional development, and funding for after-school programs nationwide.
NASA will offer staff training, continuous program support, and opportunities for students to engage with NASA scientists and engineers.
The initiative also will include student activities that demonstrate practical applications of STEM concepts.
In May 2023, NASA and the Education Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding, strengthening the collaboration between the two agencies, and expanding efforts to increase access to high-quality STEM and space education to students and schools across the nation.
NASA Glenn signed a follow-on Space Act Agreement in 2024 to support the 21st Century Community Learning Centers.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-us-department-of-education-to-launch-stem-project-in-washington/
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/station/iss-research/nasa-astronaut-tracy-c-dyson-scientific-mission-aboard-space-station/
NASA Astronaut Tracy C. Dyson’s Scientific Mission aboard Space Station
Sep 18, 2024
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson is returning home after a six-month mission aboard the International Space Station.
While on orbit, Dyson conducted an array of experiments and technology demonstrations that contribute to advancements for humanity on Earth and the agency’s trajectory to the Moon and Mars.
Here is a look at some of the science Dyson conducted during her mission:
Heart-Shaped Bioprints
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson operates the BioFabrication Facility for the Redwire Cardiac Bioprinting Investigation, which 3D prints cardiovascular tissue samples.
In microgravity, bio inks used for 3D printing are less likely to settle and retain their shape better than on Earth.
Cardiovascular disease is currently the number one cause of death in the United States, and findings from this space station investigation could one day lead to 3D-printed organs such as hearts for patients awaiting transplants.
Wicking in Weightlessness
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson handles hardware for the Wicking in Gel-Coated Tubes (Gaucho Lung) experiment.
This study uses a tube lined with various gel thicknesses to simulate the human respiratory system.
A fluid mass known as a liquid plug is then observed as it either blocks or flows through the tube.
Data regarding the movement and trailing of the liquid plug allows researchers to design better drug delivery methods to address respiratory ailments.
Programming for Future Missions
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson runs student-designed software on the free-flying Astrobee robot.
This technology demonstration is part of Zero Robotics, a worldwide competition that engages middle school students in writing computer code to address unique specifications.
Winning participants get to run their software on an actual Astrobee aboard the space station.
This educational opportunity helps inspire the next generation of technology innovators.
Robo-Extensions
As we venture to the Moon and Mars, astronauts may rely more on robots to ensure safety and preserve resources.
Through the Surface Avatar study, NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson controls a robot on Earth’s surface from a computer aboard station.
This technology demonstration aims to toggle between manipulating multiple robots and “diving inside” a specific bot to control as an avatar.
This two-way demonstration also evaluates how robot operators respond their robotic counterparts’ efficiency and general output.
Applications for Earth use include exploration of inhospitable zones and search and rescue missions after disasters.
Capturing Earth’s Essence
For Crew Earth Observations, astronauts take pictures of Earth from space for research purposes.
NASA astronauts Suni Williams (left) and Tracy C. Dyson (right) contribute by aiming handheld cameras from the space station’s cupola to photograph our planet.
Images help inform climate and environmental trends worldwide and provide real-time natural disaster assessments.
More than four million photographs have been taken of Earth by astronauts from space.
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Multi-faceted Crystallization Processor
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson holds a cassette for Pharmaceutical In-Space Laboratory – 04 (ADSEP-PIL-04), an experiment to crystallize the model proteins lysozyme and insulin.
Up to three cassettes with samples can be processed simultaneously in the Advanced Space Experiment Processor (ADSEP), each at an independent temperature.
Because lysozyme and insulin have well-documented crystal structures, they can be used to evaluate the hardware’s performance in space.
Successful crystallization with ADSEP could lead to production and manufacturing of versatile crystals with pharmaceutical applications.
Cryo Care
NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson and Matthew Dominick preserve research samples in freezers aboard the space station.
Cryopreservation is essential for maintaining the integrity of samples for a variety of experiments, especially within the field of biology.
The orbiting laboratory has multiple freezer options with varying subzero temperatures. Upon return, frozen samples are delivered back to their research teams for further analysis.
Welcoming New Science
NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson is pictured between the Unity module and Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft in preparation for depressurization and departure from the International Space Station.
On long-duration missions, visiting vehicles provide necessities for crew daily living as well as new science experiments and supplies for ongoing research.
This vehicle brought experiments to test water recovery technology, produce stem cells in microgravity, study the effects of spaceflight on microorganism DNA, and conduct science demonstrations for students.
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https://www.nasa.gov/technology/goddard-tech/reinventing-the-clock-nasas-new-tech-for-space-timekeeping/
Reinventing the Clock: NASA’s New Tech for Space Timekeeping
Sep 18, 2024
Here on Earth, it might not matter if your wristwatch runs a few seconds slow. But crucial spacecraft functions need accuracy down to one billionth of a second or less.
Navigating with GPS, for example, relies on precise timing signals from satellites to pinpoint locations.
Three teams at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, are at work to push timekeeping for space exploration to new levels of precision.
One team develops highly precise quantum clock synchronization techniques to aid essential spacecraft communication and navigation.
Another Goddard team is working to employ the technique of clock synchronization in space-based platforms to enable telescopes to function as one enormous observatory.
The third team is developing an atomic clock for spacecraft based on strontium, a metallic chemical element, to enable scientific observations not possible with current technology.
The need for increasingly accurate timekeeping is why these teams at NASA Goddard, supported by the center’s Internal Research and Development program, hone clock precision and synchronization with innovative technologies like quantum and optical communications.
“Society requires clock synchronization for many crucial functions like power grid management, stock market openings, financial transactions, and much more,” said Alejandro Rodriguez Perez, a NASA Goddard researcher.
“NASA uses clock synchronization to determine the position of spacecraft and set navigation parameters.”
If you line up two clocks and sync them together, you might expect that they will tick at the same rate forever.
In reality, the more time passes, the more out of sync the clocks become, especially if those clocks are on spacecraft traveling at tens of thousands of miles per hour.
Rodriguez Perez seeks to develop a new way of precisely synchronizing such clocks and keeping them synced using quantum technology.
In quantum physics, two particles are entangled when they behave like a single object and occupy two states at once.
For clocks, applying quantum protocols to entangled photons could allow for a precise and secure way to sync clocks across long distances.
The heart of the synchronization protocol is called spontaneous parametric down conversion, which is when one photon breaks apart and two new photons form.
Two detectors will each analyze when the new photons appear, and the devices will apply mathematical functions to determine the offset in time between the two photons, thus synchronizing the clocks.
While clock synchronization is currently done using GPS, this protocol could make it possible to precisely synchronize clocks in places where GPS access is limited, like the Moon or deep space.
When it comes to astronomy, the usual rule of thumb is the bigger the telescope, the better its imagery.
“If we could hypothetically have a telescope as big as Earth, we would have incredibly high-resolution images of space, but that’s obviously not practical,” said Guan Yang, an optical physicist at NASA Goddard.
“What we can do, however, is have multiple telescopes in various locations and have each telescope record the signal with high time precision. Then we can stich their observations together and produce an ultra-high-res image.”
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The idea of linking together the observations of a network of smaller telescopes to affect the power of a larger one is called very long baseline interferometry, or VLBI.
Yang’s team is developing a clock technology that could be useful for missions looking to take the technique from Earth into space which could unlock many more discoveries.
Spacecraft navigation systems currently rely on onboard atomic clocks to obtain the most accurate time possible.
Holly Leopardi, a physicist at NASA Goddard, is researching optical atomic clocks, a more precise type of atomic clock.
While optical atomic clocks exist in laboratory settings, Leopardi and her team seek to develop a spacecraft-ready version that will provide more precision.
The team works on OASIC, which stands for Optical Atomic Strontium Ion Clock.
While current spacecraft utilize microwave frequencies, OASIC uses optical frequencies.
“Optical frequencies oscillate much faster than microwave frequencies, so we can have a much finer resolution of counts and more precise timekeeping,” Leopardi said.
The OASIC technology is about 100 times more precise than the previous state-of-the-art in spacecraft atomic clocks.
The enhanced accuracy could enable new types of science that were not previously possible.
“When you use these ultra-high precision clocks, you can start looking at the fundamental physics changes that occur in space,” Leopardi said, “and that can help us better understand the mechanisms of our universe.”
The timekeeping technologies unlocked by these teams, could enable new discoveries in our solar system and beyond.
For VLBI to produce a whole greater than the sum of its parts, the telescopes need high-precision clocks. The telescopes record data alongside timestamps of when the data was recorded.
High-powered computers assemble all the data together into one complete observation with greater detail than any one of the telescopes could achieve on its own.
This technique is what allowed the Event Horizon Telescope’s network of observatories to produce the first image of a black hole at the center of our galaxy.
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Departure Preps Underway as New Crew Steps up Science, Maintenance
September 18, 2024
Two crews are nearing the end of their stay aboard the International Space Station while the orbital residents continue ongoing microgravity research and lab maintenance.
Next week will see the departure of NASA astronaut Tracy C. Dyson and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub.
The trio will undock the Soyuz MS-25 spacecraft from the Prichal docking module at 4:37 a.m. EDT on Sept. 23, soar into Earth’s atmosphere, and parachute to a landing in Kazakhstan at 8 a.m.
Dyson will be wrapping up a six-month mission while Kononenko and Chub will be completing just over a year of continuously orbiting Earth.
The homebound crewmates entered the Soyuz MS-25 today and practiced undocking and descent procedures.
Dyson also continued packing personal items and other cargo for return to Earth.
Kononenko and Chub tried on a lower body negative pressure suit suit that may help crews adjust quicker to Earth’s gravity then tested controls and systems inside the Soyuz spacecraft.
A couple of weeks after the Soyuz crew’s return to Earth, the four SpaceX Crew-8 members Matthew Dominick, Mike Barratt, Jeanette Epps, and Alexander Grebenkin will depart.
Dominick’s three crewmates Barratt, Epps, and Grebenkin, entered the SpaceX Dragon Endurance spacecraft docked to the Harmony module’s forward port and reviewed operations and procedures.
Dominick spent his day in the Destiny laboratory module completing work begun the day before and replaced components on an oxygen generator.
The orbital outpost’s newest crew with NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner arrived at the station aboard the Soyuz MS-26 crew ship on Sept. 11.
The trio has mostly completed its station familiarization activities and is stepping up daily science and maintenance tasks.
Pettit worked Wednesday inside the Kibo laboratory module and loaded a CubeSat-packed deployer into Kibo’s airlock.
The CubeSats will be deployed into Earth orbit for a series of technology demonstrations.
Ovchinin and Vagner continued exploring how their circulatory system is adapting to the weightless environment.
NASA Flight Engineers Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been aboard the station since June 6, took turns Wednesday reviewing SpaceX Dragon spacecraft systems.
Wilmore also tested the Sphere Camera-2 for its ability to take high-resolution imagery in space.
Williams cleaned and inspected smoke detectors, reconfigured a radiation detector, then helped Dominick clean up after his oxygen generator work.
https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2024/09/18/departure-preps-underway-as-new-crew-steps-up-science-maintenance/
China's Yutu 2 rover still going strong after nearly 6 years on the far side of the moon
September 19, 2024
China's lunar rover Yutu 2 is still active on the far side of the moon nearly six years after its historic touchdown.
Earlier this year, China aced the complex Chang'e 6 mission to land on the far side of the moon, collect samples and deliver them to Earth.
But the Chang'e 4 mission, which pulled off the first-ever landing on the lunar far side in January 2019 and helped pave the way for Chang'e 6, is still going strong.
The Chang'e 4 rover Yutu 2, or Jade Rabbit 2, has completed 71 lunar days of activity, according to a rare update on the mission.
It was designed to operate for just three lunar days, or about three Earth months.
The update, released to mark the day of the full moon in the eighth month, or Mid-Autumn Festival in Chinese culture, includes images from Yutu 2 showing Von Karman Crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin on the far side of the moon.
The images show drive tracks in the lunar regolith, numerous craters of varying sizes, and distant lunar hills.
The rover is also revealed to have driven a total of 5,292 feet (1,613 meters) to date. The update indicates that Yutu 2 appears to have been slowing down in recent times.
It had accumulated 4,265 feet (1,300 m) of driving by September 2022, or just over three and a half years on the moon.
It has added just over 1,000 feet (305 m) in the following two years.
It is unclear what part factors such as possible gradual degradation of the rover itself due to the harsh temperature and radiation environment, growing demands of other lunar missions, or more complex lunar terrain play in Yutu 2's less expansive driving in recent years.
Additionally, Zuo Wei, deputy chief designer of the Chang'e 4 mission's ground application system, told China Central Television (CCTV) that an even older Chang'e lander, which touched down on the near side in 2013, is still operational.
"The moon-based optical telescope on board the Chang'e 3 lander is still operational, performing regular on-off cycles every month, though it is no longer conducting scientific observations," said Zuo.
China also has two orbiters, Queqiao and Queqiao 2, operating in lunar orbit to support lunar far side missions.
The country's next lunar landing mission, Chang'e 7, is scheduled for 2026 and will target the moon's south pole.
https://www.space.com/china-yutu-2-rover-moon-far-side-2024-video
SpaceX Crew-9 astronaut launch delayed to Sept. 26
September 19, 2024
The next space station astronaut mission has been delayed to Sept. 26.
The delay in the SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is to allow teams to "work through prelaunch operations and hardware processing ahead of the first human spaceflight launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, while also monitoring weather ahead of liftoff," NASA officials wrote in an emailed statement.
The launch is now scheduled for no earlier than 2:05 p.m. EDT (1805 GMT) on Sept. 26. If Crew-9 misses the Sept. 26 opportunity, backup dates are available on Sept. 27 and 28.
Crew-9 will be the first human launch from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, which normally has infrastructure available for satellite missions.
Humans require a launch tower with walkable access to the spacecraft, among many other changes.
Crew-9 was originally manifested to launch four astronauts in the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft, for a mission lasting until February 2025.
Now it will now only send two crew aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket: NASA astronaut and U.S. Space Force commander Nick Hague, and Roscosmos astronaut and mission specialist Aleksandr Gorbunov.
Hague will be the first active Space Force Guardian to launch to space, in addition to launching from a Space Force-operated launch pad.
Crew Dragon's other two seats, which were supposed to be for NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, will hold mass simulators instead. (Wilson and Cardman remain eligible for future ISS assignments.)
That will leave room for two other NASA astronauts on the ISS to return due to being unable to fly home on their originally assigned spacecraft.
The ISS astronauts waiting for SpaceX's arrival are Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who reached the orbiting complex June 6 during Boeing Starliner's first crewed mission.
The docking with ISS did not go to plan, as five thrusters (out of 28) of the reaction control system misbehaved. Months of ground and space analysis followed.
NASA eventually determined it did not have enough confidence in knowing what happened to accept the risk of flying Wilmore and Williams home on Starliner.
Starliner then returned empty to Earth on Sept. 6 without major incident, and investigation continues into the causes of Starliner's issues and how that will affect future Starliner flights.
The Starliner astronauts were expected to spend 10 days in space.
NASA had numerous backups available as the mission was developmental, however, meaning the schedule was less certain given the design and operations of the spacecraft had uncertainty given it was the first crewed mission.
Among the backup measures: Extra food, oxygen and other supplies were already on ISS in case of mission extension.
Starliner's astronauts were trained on ISS duties, refreshing knowledge they already had from previous lengthy stays on the orbiting complex.
Now NASA is implementing a plan to bring the astronauts back home on a different spacecraft than expected.
For the time being, if there was an emergency evacuation from ISS, Wilmore and Williams would ride home on the already docked SpaceX Crew-8 spacecraft that has four seats and four astronauts as well.
The Starliner duo would be in the cargo area below the seats without wearing spacesuits, as Crew Dragon is not designed to work with the Starliner suits they used.
NASA sourced one SpaceX spacesuit on the ISS for Williams' return on Crew Dragon, and a second spacesuit is being flown up for Wilmore aboard Crew-9.
Once Crew-9 arrives at ISS, that will become the evacuation route for Williams and Wilmore.
The Starliner astronauts are now part of the current Expedition 71 ISS crew and their February 2025 return means they will spend approximately eight months in space.
For perspective, a typical ISS mission is five or six months long and astronauts have safely finished missions of 12 months or more.
Crew-9 has been delayed already; its original launch date was Aug. 18, but that was pushed as NASA made the final decision about how to bring the Starliner astronauts home.
https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-9-iss-launch-delay
Rocket Lab aborts launch of 5 'Internet of Things' satellites at last second
September 18, 2024
Rocket Lab aborted a launch at the last second today (Sept. 18).
The company's Electron rocket was scheduled to launch five "Internet of Things" satellites for the French company Kinéis today at 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT) from New Zealand.
The countdown clock reached zero, and Electron appeared to fire up its first-stage engines.
But they immediately shut down, resulting in an abort.
"Since today's mission required an instantaneous launch, we'll be standing down from further launch attempts today.
The team is assessing opportunities for the next launch attempt and we'll share more information here shortly,"
Rocket Lab wrote in an update on X shortly after the abort.
The launch window extends for 14 days, Rocket Lab has previously said.
Rocket Lab calls this mission "Kinéis Killed the RadIOT Star." It will be the company's second launch for Kinéis, after a five-satellite liftoff on June 20.
Kinéis plans to loft a total of 25 satellites using Rocket Lab's Electron, a small-satellite launcher that stands 59 feet (18 meters) tall. Rocket Lab has 52 orbital missions under its belt to date, including 10 in 2024.
https://www.space.com/rocket-lab-launch-abort-iot-satellites-video
https://www.space.com/secret-satellites-caught-on-camera
https://www.astrobin.com/users/fel_sch/
Caught on camera: Satellite tracker photographs secret spacecraft
September 19, 2024
In the hush-hush, secretive world of space-based spy satellites, few details are publicly available — and groups like the U.S. Space Force, National Reconnaissance Office, the Central Intelligence Agency, and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency like it that way.
There's an armada of classified spacecraft assigned an array of vigilant duties. Some intercept radio waves or detect missile launches.
Others yield close-up looks at select areas using sharp-eyed optical systems or scan Earth with powerful radar technology.
These high-flying satellites are tempting targets for amateur astrophotographers. Such is the case for space watcher veteran Felix Schöfbänker in Upper Austria.
"My images have certainly revealed a few things that either were not known, or only were speculated before," Schöfbänker tells Space.com.
In the past few months Schöfbänker has caught some classified spy satellites with his 14" Dobsonian telescope, optimized for satellite tracking and imaging from his home.
Poring over imagery, he is sharing his results and what those images suggest.
Coming into focus for Schöfbänker, for example, has been a new generation of optical and radar imaging U.S. reconnaissance satellites, hurled into space for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), which designs, launches and operates spy satellites on behalf of the U.S. federal government.
The (Future Imagery Architecture) FIA-Radars, also called Topaz, are five US spy satellites that carry a Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) for imaging.
This technology can see through clouds and works night and day. They are the successors to the Lacrosse/Onyx series of SAR satellites.
"From my images I conclude that these satellites have a parabolic mesh antenna which is roughly 12 meters [39 feet] in diameter, and 2 solar panels with roughly 10 meters [33 feet] of wingspan," Schöfbänker points out.
"There also is another bright object between the solar panels that I interpret as an up- and downlink antenna, though this also might be something else," he added.
These SAR satellites create images by sending out lots of pulses and then applying computer processing to convert the returned signals into an image, said Schöfbänker.
"The antenna of the FIA radars can be pointed either left or right looking relative to the orbit. I have observed these satellites a total number of 28 times so far," Schöfbänker said.
"Only six times the antenna was looking to the left side and 22 times right looking," he pointed out.
Schöfbänker has also cross-haired with his equipment the "KH-11 Kennen" electro-optical satellites that were first introduced in 1976.
"They are somewhat similar to the Hubble Space Telescope, but optimized to look down to Earth, instead of studying space," he said.
Currently, there are four of them in orbit, which are from three different generations of this type of secretive satellite.
"The oldest one currently up there was launched in 2005. It is a third generation KH-11 with the name USA 186.
The next two are called USA 224 and USA 245, and these are the fourth generation from 2011 and 2013," Schöfbänker said.
"The newest one is a fifth generation spacecraft from 2021 and is called USA 314."
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From his collection of KH-11 images, he has deduced that they are on the order of approximately 36 feet (11 meters) long.
"The mirror size seems to change for different generations," Schöfbänker suggests. "The way I measured this was by looking at the diameter of the optical tube assembly.
Usually the tube isn't much larger than the mirror in it," he advised.
So by measuring these sizes Schöfbänker was able to figure out that the oldest current KH-11 (USA 186, generation three), has a rough mirror size of 2.4 meters, some 8 feet. It is known that earlier generations used this size mirror, he said.
For the fourth generation (USA 224, USA 245), the satellite watcher measured a mirror diameter somewhere around 3 meters, roughly 10 feet across.
"I am not sure what mirror size is used in USA 314 because I haven't gotten many good images of it so far," said Schöfbänker.
Another spacecraft that has caught Schöfbänker's attention is an unknown type.
"In July, I managed to get a look at a satellite called 'USA 290' which is suspected of possibly being another KH-11. But my image shows a different kind of design, which doesn't look like a typical KH-11.
My image shows a large, roughly 5 meter long rectangular panel. Another fact that supports my idea is the strange orbit this satellite is in. KH-11s are launched into Sun Synchronous orbits. USA 290 wasn't," observes Schöfbänker.
Sun synchronous orbits make sense for an optical imaging mission like the KH-11, since they pass over an area at the same time every day.
Schöfbänker said there are a few possibilities as to what this panel could be.
A radiator which would work as a cooling system for a possible infrared imaging system is one idea. Or perhaps it's a phased array antenna that could be used for SAR imaging or signal intelligence.
Maybe it's a solar panel, Schöfbänker continued, "although I think it's less likely due to the fact that the panel seems to be fixed on the rest of the structure. So tracking the sun would require moving the entire satellite."
Given his expertise and sky watching gear, are there any worries about spilling the beans on how highly classified spacecraft look and work?
"I don't think that most countries would be too concerned about amateurs like me imaging their spacecraft, since most big countries have their own observatories dedicated to this kind of imaging," Schöfbänker responds.
"And considering how much more budget is available for these, it's safe to say that they have images with magnitudes of better quality than what I can achieve."
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Earth had Saturn-like rings 466 million years ago, new study suggests
Sep 18, 2024
Earth may have sported a Saturn-like ring system 466 million years ago, after it captured and wrecked a passing asteroid, a new study suggests.
The debris ring, which likely lasted tens of millions of years, may have led to global cooling and even contributed to the coldest period on Earth in the past 500 million years.
That's according to a fresh analysis of 21 crater sites around the world that researchers suspect were all created by falling debris from a large asteroid between 488 million and 443 million years ago, an era in Earth's history known as the Ordovician during which our planet witnessed dramatically increased asteroid impacts.
A team led by Andy Tomkins, a professor of planetary science at Monash University in Australia, used computer models of how our planet's tectonic plates moved in the past to map out where the craters were when they first formed over 400 million years ago.
The team found that all the craters had formed on continents that floated within 30 degrees of the equator, suggesting they were created by the falling debris of a single large asteroid that broke up after a near-miss with Earth.
"Under normal circumstances, asteroids hitting Earth can hit at any latitude, at random, as we see in craters on the moon, Mars and Mercury," Tomkins wrote in The Conversation.
"So it's extremely unlikely that all 21 craters from this period would form close to the equator if they were unrelated to one another."
The chain of crater locations all hugging the equator are consistent with a debris ring orbiting Earth, scientists say. That's because such rings typically form above planets' equators, as occurs with those circling Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus and Neptune.
The chances that these impact sites were created by unrelated, random asteroid strikes is about 1 in 25 million, the new study found.
The researchers estimate that the ring-spawning asteroid would be about 7.7 miles (12.5 kilometers) wide if it were a "rubble pile," or slightly smaller if it were a solid body.
Once it shattered after nearing Earth's vicinity, its fragments would have "jostled around" before settling into a debris ring orbiting Earth's equator, Tomkins said.
"Over millions of years, material from this ring gradually fell to Earth, creating the spike in meteorite impacts observed in the geological record," Tomkins added in a university statement.
"We also see that layers in sedimentary rocks from this period contain extraordinary amounts of meteorite debris."
The team found that this debris, which represented a specific type of meteorite and was found to be abundant in limestone deposits across Europe, Russia and China, had been exposed to a lot less space radiation than meteorites that fall today.
Those deposits also reveal signatures of multiple tsunamis during the Ordovician period, all of which can be best explained by a large, passing asteroid capture-and-break-up scenario, the researchers argue.
The new study is a "new and creative idea that explains some observations," Birger Schmitz of Lund University in Sweden told New Scientist. "But the data are not yet sufficient to say that the Earth indeed had rings."
Searching for a common signature in specific asteroids grains across the newly studied impact craters would help test the hypothesis, Schmitz added.
If Earth did sport a Saturn-like ring around its equator, the ring would have significantly affected our planet's climate, according to the new study.
Because Earth's axis is tilted relative to its orbit around the sun, the ring would have cast a shadow over parts of our planet's surface that may have caused global cooling. But the specifics are still murky, the researchers say.
The researchers speculate that such an event may have contributed to the dramatic cooling of our planet 465 million years ago, which led to the coldest period in the past half a billion years, known as the Hirnantian Ice Age.
"We don't know how the ring would have looked from Earth or how much light it would have cut out or how much debris there would have had to be in the ring to lower the temperature on Earth," Tomkins told New Scientist.
This research is described in a paper published Monday (Sept. 16) in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters.
https://www.space.com/ancient-earth-ring-system-asteroid-breakup
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012821X24004230?via%3Dihub
Blacksky wins contract to gather imagery of space objects
September 19, 2024
BlackSky Technology announced “a seven-figure” contract Sept. 19 from Australian startup HEO to provide imagery of space objects for defense, intelligence and commercial use.
Through the agreement, BlackSky, a firm known for rapid and automated Earth-observation, will join HEO’s non-Earth imaging sensor network.
“Leveraging the power of real-time dynamic monitoring in the space domain unlocks additional value from BlackSky’s high-resolution constellation,” BlackSky CEO Brian O’Toole said in a statement.
“Space situational awareness is critically important for our customers as the space domain continues to become a highly contested operational environment.
Automatically tasking and receiving NEI products reflects yet another pioneering innovation that gives customers reliable and actionable space-based intelligence about spacecraft or on-orbit objects of interest at mission speed.”
Specifically, BlackSky will share with HEO high-resolution imagery of mid-inclination orbit.
“Activating [non-Earth imaging] capabilities gives BlackSky the ability to leverage unused capacity typically associated with satellites passing over the ocean or satellites in eclipse, traveling across the dark side of Earth,” according to the news release.
Prior to releasing the news, BlackSky and HEO worked together to test the non-Earth imaging partnership.
Now, the firms are focused on “automating the entire tasking-to-delivery process,” the news release said.
“HEO is driving innovation in space by delivering non-Earth imaging solutions at scale, giving our customers in-orbit insights when timing is crucial,” Will Crowe, HEO co-founder and CEO, said in a statement.
“Adding BlackSky’s high-resolution constellation to HEO’s sensor network through this partnership will unlock even more applications of NEI data across industries.”
Going forward, HEO customers will request non-Earth imagery through an automated tasking and delivery platform, HEO Inspect.
Then, HEO’s software will identify imaging opportunities and task BlackSky satellites through an API. Imagery captured will be transferred along with metadata to HEO Inspect for object detection and identification.
Customers will receive “advanced analytics reports that include information such as a satellite’s attitude and location, subsystems identification and pattern-of-life analyses,” the news release said.
https://spacenews.com/blacksky-wins-contract-to-gather-imagery-of-space-objects/
India approves moon sample return, Venus orbiter, space station module and reusable launcher
September 18, 2024
The Indian government has given approval to a number of major space projects including the Chandrayaan-4 lunar sample return and a first space station module.
The union cabinet, chaired by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved the Chandrayaan-4 moon sample return mission Sept. 18.
The ambitious project will use two LVM 3 rockets. These will separately launch spacecraft stacks comprising propulsion, lander and ascender modules, and transfer and reentry modules respectively.
The mission has been granted a budget of around 21 billion rupees ($253 million).
The mission’s complexity will provide foundational technologies and capabilities for India’s goal of landing its astronauts on the moon by 2040.
This includes ascent from the lunar surface, docking and undocking in lunar orbit, and safe return and reentry to Earth to deliver samples.
“The mission would enable India to be self-sufficient in critical foundational technologies for manned missions, lunar sample return and scientific analysis of lunar samples.
Towards realization there would be a significant involvement of Indian Industry,” a government statement read.
The approval follows the successful Chandrayaan-3 lander in 2023 which made India then the fourth country to land on the moon.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is still seeking approval for a joint lunar south pole landing with Japan.
Known as the Lunar Polar Exploration Mission (LUPEX), it is now designated as Chandrayaan-5 in India.
India will also have Venus in its sights with approval of the Venus Orbiter Mission (VOM). A cabinet statement indicated that ISRO will develop and launch the spacecraft, with the mission targeted for launch in March 2028.
Science goals include studying Venus’s atmosphere, geology, and evolution, offering insights into how planetary environments can diverge significantly from Earth’s.
Venus is of keen interest, in part through the possible presence of potential biomarker phosphine.
The mission’s budget is approximately 12.36 billion rupees ($149 million), with 8.2 billion rupees ($99 million) allocated for spacecraft development.
A cabinet statement indicated that the mission would once again involve extensive collaboration with the Indian industry and academic institutions, generating employment and technology benefits for various sectors.
The cabinet also expanded the scope and budget of the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program Sept. 18 with approval of the first Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS-1) module.
Gaganyaan was approved in 2018 with the goal of India developing independent human spaceflight capabilities.
“Now the human spaceflight program of technology development and demonstration is through eight missions to be completed by December 2028 by launching [the] first unit of BAS-1,” a statement read.
“To achieve this goal, ISRO will undertake four missions under [the] ongoing Gaganyaan Programme by 2026 and development of [the] first module of BAS and four missions for demonstration and validation of various technologies for BAS by December, 2028.”
The Gaganyaan budget was expanded by 111 billion rupees ($1.35 billion) to 201 billion rupees ($432 million) to accommodate the expansion.
The Modi government also approved the development of the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV).
This is noted as a significant step towards India’s vision of establishing the Bharatiya Antariksh Station and enabling crewed lunar landings by 2040.
The NGLV is designed to carry three times the payload of the current LVM3 at 1.5 times the cost, according to a government statement.
It will feature reusable components and modular green propulsion systems, providing a low-cost and efficient means of accessing space.
The project has been allocated 82.4 billion rupees ($994 million). Its development phase will include three test flights over eight years.
The NGLV will enhance India’s capabilities for various space missions, including human spaceflight, lunar exploration, and satellite deployments, significantly boosting the country’s space ecosystem, according to the government statement.
As a whole, the developments represent a significant investment of resources into India’s space sector and an expansion of ambitions, with diverse targets including lunar and planetary exploration, launch and human spaceflight.
https://spacenews.com/india-approves-moon-sample-return-venus-orbiter-space-station-module-and-reusable-launcher/
https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2055983
Kek
China launches final pair of backup Beidou satellites
September 19, 2024
China launched the last pair of backup satellites for its Beidou navigation system late Wednesday, with an eye on a future, upgraded system.
A Long March 3B rocket equipped with a Yuanzheng-1 upper stage lifted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at 9:14 p.m. Eastern Sept. 18 (0114 UTC Sept. 19).
Two backup Beidou positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) satellites were successfully inserted into medium Earth orbits (MEO).
These satellites are the 59th and 60th launched for China’s Beidou global navigation satellite system (GNSS).
The new satellites were provided by the Innovation Academy for Microsatellites under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (IAMCAS). The China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) has also developed and manufactured Beidou satellites.
The new pair will join existing Beidou MEO orbital planes as backups. This will allow maintenance and management of satellites while maintaining full operation of the system.
Additionally, the pair will conduct experiments for the future Beidou-4 next-generation navigation satellite technology.
They feature improvements over earlier Beidou satellites in areas including autonomous integrity monitoring and atomic clock technology.
“The two satellites represent the final group of Beidou-3, serving as a bridge between the current and future generations.
Aside from fulfilling their routine tasks as satellites of the constellation, they will also be engaged in technical validation and exploration projects,” Liu Yingchun, chief designer of the Beidou-3 system, told CCTV.
Beidou-3 refers to the global phase of the three-step Beidou program, which began with Beidou-1 and Beidou-2 satellites providing regional positioning services.
The system has 24 satellites in MEO, with eight in each plane, excluding backups.
Additionally there are three Beidou satellites in inclined geosynchronous orbits and three satellites in geostationary orbits.
Beidou is used for both military and civilian purposes.
Beidou-4 refers to a planned upgrade. China aims to build a more ubiquitous, integrated and intelligent comprehensive PNT system by 2035.
Though details are few, Beidou-4 will be designed to address technical challenges such as weak satellite navigation signals and interference, and aim to support underwater, indoor and deep space navigation.
Beidou and its supporting ground infrastructure is considered to provide the most accessible and accurate PNT data of any operating GNSS constellation in some regions, including the U.S. Global Positioning System (GPS), according to a Belfer Center report.
Meanwhile, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report earlier this month reveals that the U.S. Space Force is facing technical hurdles in developing its next-generation GPS satellites and ground systems.
The launch was China’s 41st of 2024. It comes after a two-week break in Chinese launch activities following a Long March 6 launch Sept. 5 which sent 10 Geely satellites into orbit for the carmaker’s “Future Mobility Constellation.”
Main state contractor CASC stated early this year that it targeted launching around 70 times across 2024. A further 30 launches were planned by commercial actors, however only six have so far been conducted.
Kuaizhou-1A (Expace) and Lijian-1 (CAS Space) solid rocket launches are expected within the next week, along with more Long March launches.
The debut of the new Long March 12 launcher is expected from a new commercial pad is expected in the near future.
The area was hit by Typhoon Yagi in early September, affecting launch infrastructure.
https://spacenews.com/china-launches-final-pair-of-backup-beidou-satellites/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=250uBKv7j9Q
Tiny nuclear-powered battery could work for decades in space or at sea
18 September 2024
A nuclear battery powered by radioactive decay rather than chemical reactions could last for decades.
The most efficient design yet may bring this concept closer to reality.
Researchers have wanted to use radioactive atoms to build exceptionally long-lasting and damage-resistant batteries since the 1900s.
While some prototypes have been assembled and even used in space missions, they were not very efficient. Now Shuao Wang at Soochow University in China and his colleagues have improved the efficiency of a nuclear battery design by a factor of 8000.
They started with a small sample of the element americium, which is usually considered to be nuclear waste. It radiates energy in the form of alpha particles, which carry lots of energy but quickly lose it to their surroundings.
So the researchers embedded americium into a polymer crystal that converted this energy into a sustained and stable green glow.
Then they combined the glowing americium-doped crystal with a thin photovoltaic cell, a device that converts light to electricity.
Finally, they packaged the tiny nuclear battery into a millimetre-sized quartz cell.
Over 200 hours of testing, Wang says, the device produced a stable supply of electricity at a relatively high energy with unprecedented efficiency – and it only needed minimal amounts of radioactive material to function.
Although americium has a half-life of 7380 years, the nuclear battery should run for several decades, because the components surrounding the sample will eventually be destroyed by the radiation.
Michael Spencer at Morgan State University in Maryland says the new battery has “much improved overall conversion efficiencies and output power” compared to past designs.
However, it still produces much less power than conventional devices. It would take 40 billion of them to power a 60-watt light bulb, for instance.
The researchers are already working on improving their design’s efficiency and power output.
They also want to make it easier and safer to use, since it contains possibly dangerous radioactive materials.
“Ideally, we envision our micronuclear battery being used to power miniature sensors in remote or challenging environments where traditional power sources are impractical, like deep-sea exploration, space missions or remote monitoring stations,” says Wang.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/2448567-tiny-nuclear-powered-battery-could-work-for-decades-in-space-or-at-sea/