NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

September 26, 2024

The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules

In 1716, English astronomer Edmond Halley noted, "This is but a little Patch, but it shows itself to the naked Eye, when the Sky is serene and the Moon absent." Of course, M13 is now less modestly recognized as the Great Globular Cluster in Hercules, one of the brightest globular star clusters in the northern sky. Sharp telescopic views like this one reveal the spectacular cluster's hundreds of thousands of stars. At a distance of 25,000 light-years, the cluster stars crowd into a region 150 light-years in diameter. Approaching the cluster core, upwards of 100 stars could be contained in a cube just 3 light-years on a side. For comparison, the closest star to the Sun is over 4 light-years away. The deep, wide-field image also reveals distant background galaxies including NGC 6207 at the upper left, and faint, foreground Milky Way dust clouds known to some as integrated flux nebulae.

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

NASA Invites Public to Join as Virtual Guests for SpaceX Crew-9 Launch

Sep 26, 2024

NASA invites the public to participate as virtual guests in the launch of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague, commander, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, mission specialist, will embark on a flight aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, launching no earlier than 1:17 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 28, from Space Launch Complex-40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

Members of the public can register to attend the launch virtually.

Virtual guests for this mission will receive curated resources, interactive opportunities, updates with the latest news, and a mission-specific collectible stamp for their virtual guest passport after liftoff. Don’t have a passport yet? Print yours here and get ready to add a stamp!

Live coverage and countdown commentary will begin at 9:10 a.m. EDT Saturday, Sept. 28, streaming on NASA+ agency’s website.

https://www.nasa.gov/get-involved/virtual-guest-program/nasa-invites-public-to-join-as-virtual-guests-for-spacex-crew-9-launch/

NASA, Boeing, and US Coast Guard testify in investigation of Titan submersible implosion

September 26, 2024

The vessel, en route to the Titanic wreck site, imploded during its descent, killing all five aboard, including OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush.

The submersible's unconventional design and lack of independent review have come under intense scrutiny following the disaster.

Testimonies from key figures, including Justin Jackson of NASA, Mark Negley of Boeing, and Lieutenant Commander Jonathan Duffett of the Coast Guard, are expected to provide insight into the technical and regulatory aspects of the Titan.

Earlier testimonies have criticized the company for prioritizing profit over safety and scientific research, as claimed by former OceanGate operations director David Lochridge.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s public hearing is part of a broader investigation, which aims to determine the causes of the implosion.

Lochridge and other witnesses detailed clashes with Rush, painting a picture of a company eager to push its submersible into operation despite concerns.

OceanGate, headquartered in Washington state, suspended its operations following the disaster and currently has no full-time employees.

The Titan had been conducting dives to the Titanic wreckage site since 2021.

However, Coast Guard officials noted that the submersible had not undergone a standard independent review, adding to concerns about its safety.

Businessman Guillermo Sohnlein, a co-founder of OceanGate who left the company prior to the disaster, expressed hope that the incident would not end deep-sea exploration efforts.

The hearing is set to conclude Friday, with more witnesses scheduled to testify on the incident that has sparked a global debate on the future of private undersea exploration.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2498871/nasa-boeing-and-us-coast-guard-testify-in-investigation-of-titan-submersible-implosion

NASA confirms meteor sighting above Mexico

September 25, 2024 2:32 PM

NASA confirmed that a fireball seen by residents throughout the Rio Grande Valley Tuesday night was a meteor.

According to a Wednesday statement from NASA, the meteor was first spotted 54 miles above Tres de Abril in northeast Mexico, traveling at 55,000 miles per hour.

The meteor appears to have disintegrated 35 miles above the small Mexican city of Linares after travelling 59 miles through the upper atmosphere.

The meteor sighting was detected in Houston.

According to the American Meteor Society, over a dozen reports were made about the sighting Tuesday from across the Valley, and all the way to Sugarland.

https://www.krgv.com/news/valley-residents-report-seeing-fireball-in-the-sky/

https://fireballs.amsmeteors.org/event/2024/5464

Humanoid Robots Head to Homes: Meet the NEO Beta

Sept. 11, 2024 5:00 a.m. PT

Humanoid robots are heading for the home.

OpenAI-backed robotics company 1X just dropped a short and sweet teaser video for their new humanoid robot, Neo Beta.

In the video, the robot hands a person a bag and poses with them for a picture.

While this is the first video 1X has shared of Neo, a hologram of the robot could be seen behind Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang as he announced Project GR00T, Nvidia's platform for the development of humanoid robots.

1X's decision to show Neo with its arm around a person indicates how 1X may be hoping to differentiate itself from the competition.

Most other robotics companies tend to show interaction with humans primarily to test robustness or to show how humans and robots can work together.

1X seems to be selling a kind of close and casual encounter that we haven't seen a lot in the humanoid robotics space.

This is likely due to the fact that 1X says it hopes Neo can be put to use inside people's homes, helping with various tasks and perhaps assisting people with limited mobility.

Neo is about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 66 pounds, making it one of the lightest humanoids we've covered on what the future.

1X says Neo can be quickly taken over remotely if the robot starts having trouble.

It's also covered in clothing, which makes it stand out in a crowded field of humanoid robots.

This may be to cover up what 1X says is a "muscle-like anatomy," perhaps protecting some proprietary technology, for aesthetic reasons or some combination of the two.

1X's CEO Bernt Børnich says the company will be deploying some of its Neo Beta robots into homes for research and development purposes.

To see the Neo Beta in action, check out the video embedded in this article.

https://www.cnet.com/tech/computing/humanoid-robots-head-home-meet-neo-beta/

https://www.1x.tech/

Getting SSPICY: NASA Funds Orbital Debris Inspection Mission

Sep 25, 2024

NASA is advancing an innovative approach to enabling commercial inspection of defunct, or inoperable, satellites in low Earth orbit, a precursor to capturing and repairing or removing the satellites.

The agency has awarded Starfish Space of Seattle, Washington, a Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract to complete the Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY) mission.

The award follows a Phase III study, which funded four U.S. small businesses including Starfish to develop mission concepts. Starfish Space will receive $15 million over three years to execute the mission.

The ability to inspect defunct spacecraft and identify opportunities for repair or deorbiting is critical to maintaining a safe orbital environment for spacecraft and humans.

Orbital debris mitigation is a key component of NASA’s Space Sustainability Strategy.

“The SSPICY mission is designed to mature technologies needed for U.S. commercial capabilities for satellite servicing and logistics or disposal,” said Bo Naasz, senior technical lead for in-space servicing, manufacturing, and assembly in NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate.

“In-space inspection helps us characterize the physical state of a satellite, gather data on what may leave spacecraft stranded, and improve our understanding of fragmentations and collisions, a difficult but critical factor in a sustainable space operating environment.”

The Starfish-led mission uses the company’s Otter spacecraft, a small satellite about the size of an oven, which is designed to inspect, dock with, and service or deorbit other satellites.

Otter’s electric propulsion system will not only help it efficiently travel to multiple satellites, but the SSPICY demonstration also will mature the spacecraft’s ability to perform inspections using electric propulsion, an important enabling technology not typically used for rendezvous and proximity operations.

During the SSPICY mission, Otter will visit and inspect multiple U.S. owned defunct satellites that have agreed to be visited and inspected – a delicate and challenging task, as satellites move quickly and are kept far apart from each other for safety.

Otter will approach within hundreds of meters of each satellite to conduct inspections during mission operations.

During the inspection, Otter will gather key information about each of the debris objects including their spin rate, spin axes, and current conditions of the objects’ surface materials.

The SSPICY mission is the first commercial space debris inspection funded by NASA and supports the agency’s efforts to extend the life of satellites while reducing space debris.

Satellites that are no longer in use can break apart or collide with one another, creating debris clouds that pose risk to human spaceflight, science and robotic missions in Earth’s orbit, and missions to other planets in the solar system.

Data from inspections like those planned during the SSPICY demonstration will play a critical role in understanding the nature of defunct satellites and advancing solutions for reuse or disposal.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with NASA, building on our shared commitment to advancing in-space manufacturing and assembly capabilities,” said Trevor Bennett, co-founder of Starfish Space.

“It’s an honor for Starfish to lead the first commercial debris inspection mission funded by NASA.

We look forward to collaborating on this and future satellite servicing missions to enable a new paradigm for humanity in space.”

The Otter spacecraft is expected to launch in late 2026 and will begin performing inspections in 2027.

https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/ames/getting-sspicy-nasa-funds-orbital-debris-inspection-mission/

NASA’s Record-Breaking Laser Demo Completes Mission

Sep 25, 2024

NASA’s TBIRD (TeraByte InfraRed Delivery) demonstration and its host spacecraft — the PTD-3 (Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-3) — have completed their technology demonstration.

The TBIRD payload spent the past two years breaking world records for the fastest satellite downlink from space using laser communications.

NASA’s PTD series leverages a common commercial spacecraft to provide a robust platform for effective testing of technologies with minimal redesign in between launches.

After launch in May 2022 on the SpaceX Transporter 5 mission, the PTD-3 spacecraft entered low-Earth orbit and shortly after TBIRD began sending laser communications signals to an optical ground station in Table Mountain, California.

TBIRD’s two-year demonstration showcased the viability of laser communications.

Most NASA missions rely on radio frequency communication systems, however, laser communications use infrared light and can pack significantly more data in a single communications link.

This technology is ideal for science and exploration missions that need large data transmissions.

In 2023, TBIRD continuously broke its own records, reaching its peak in June when it transmitted 4.8 terabytes of error-free data — equivalent to about 2,400 hours of high-definition video — in five minutes at 200 gigabits per second in a single pass.

The TBIRD payload was one of many laser communications demonstrations.

NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) program is maturing this technology to demonstrate the impact laser communications can have for bringing more science and exploration data home.

The next demonstration will be on the Artemis II mission.

In addition to breaking a world record, this mission demonstrated cost-effective design and extremely low size, weight, and power requirements — both on the PTD-3 spacecraft and within the TBIRD payload.

The tissue-box-sized payload contained two commercial telecommunication modems that the TBIRD team modified for the extreme environment of space.

The PTD-3/TBIRD system also overcame one of the major challenges associated with laser communications: making the narrow beam laser link connection while moving at orbital speeds while being buffeted by atmospheric drag.

The PTD-3 spacecraft’s precision “body pointing” and stability enabled the TBIRD payload to make its record-breaking achievement while moving as fast as 17,000 mph through space.

The spacecraft set a record for the highest accuracy pointing ever achieved by a NASA CubeSat without any moving mechanisms or propulsion systems.

The end of PTD-3 and TBIRD’s mission was expected. The system did not contain a propulsion system, meaning once it was deployed into its low Earth orbit, the mission could only last until its orbit naturally decayed.

While only planned to operate for six months, TBIRD carried out its demonstration for well over two years, enabling NASA to learn more about laser communications operations in low Earth orbit.

The lessons learned during TBIRD will be applied to future implementations of laser communications and minimize downlink constraints for mission designs enabling future exploration and discoveries.

https://www.nasa.gov/directorates/somd/space-communications-navigation-program/nasas-record-breaking-laser-demo-completes-mission/