NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

October 4, 2024

Comet at Moonrise

Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS) is growing brighter in planet Earth's sky. Fondly known as comet A3, this new visitor to the inner Solar System is traveling from the distant Oort cloud. The comet reached perihelion, its closest approach to the Sun, on September 27 and will reach perigee, its closest to our fair planet, on October 12, by then becoming an evening sky apparition. But comet A3 was an early morning riser on September 30 when this image was made. Its bright coma and already long tail share a pre-dawn skyscape from Praia Grande, Santa Catarina in southern Brazil with the waning crescent Moon just peeking above the eastern horizon. While the behaviour of comets is notoriously unpredictable, Tsuchinshan–ATLAS could become a comet visually rivaling C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). Comet NEOWISE wowed skygazers in the summer of 2020.

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

Hurricane Helene Stirs Up Gulf Coast Waters

October 4, 2024

Hurricane Helene charged into Florida’s Big Bend area on September 26, 2024, and pushed north with devastating consequences across several states.

The heavy rains, high winds, and storm surge that affected land areas also left a mark on the ocean.

This image (right) shows the Gulf of Mexico on September 29, several days after Helene made landfall.

For comparison, the left image shows the same area on September 22 during more typical conditions.

Both images were acquired by the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) on the NOAA-21 satellite.

Helene’s winds and waves churned up sediment from the seafloor along shallow coastal areas.

Light reflects from these fine particles and makes the water appear bright blue.

Storm surge, flooded rivers, and flash floods produced runoff that eroded land surfaces and carried even more particles into the ocean, adding to the color.

NOAA had called for the storm surge to reach as high as 20 feet above ground level along parts of Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Notice that prior to the storm, coastal waters already displayed faint light-blue and dark-green colors.

Some of this color is likely from suspended sediment, but much of it is due to the reflection of light off sea grass beds, the sandy seafloor, and coral reefs (especially around the Bahamas).

Some of the darkest areas near rivers might be colored by dissolved organic material.

The region’s blackwater rivers, for example, are rich with decaying vegetation and other organic matter, and their stained water can become flushed into the ocean during heavy rains.

Suspended sediment colored the water across an even larger area on September 28.

Clouds were abundant that day, but parts of the ocean surface were still visible when the OCI (Ocean Color Instrument) on NASA’s PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, ocean Ecosystem) satellite acquired this image.

The effect can be visible long after the passing of a storm.

One week after Helene made landfall over Florida, swirls of sediment were still widespread on October 3.

https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/153390/hurricane-helene-stirs-up-gulf-coast-waters

NASA’s Mobile Launcher Back at Vehicle Assembly Building

October 4, 2024 1:57 am

After spending several months undergoing integrated testing and upgrades at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the agency’s mobile launcher 1 is transported inside the Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation for integration of of the Artemis II Moon rocket.

The 4.2-mile trek from Launch Pad 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building along the crawlerway normally takes eight to 12 hours atop NASA’s crawler-transporter 2, though teams paused the roll operations several times as planned to ensure the operation teams had scheduled breaks and rest.

The operation resumed at 1:41 a.m. EDT, Friday, Oct. 4.

Standing 380 feet tall, the mobile launcher – which will be used to assemble, process, and launch the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft – contains all the connection lines – known as umbilicals – and ground support equipment that will provide the rocket and spacecraft with the power, communications, fuel, and coolant necessary for launch.

This will be the mobile launcher’s last solo trek out to the launch pad ahead of integration of the Artemis Moon rocket, and it will remain inside the Vehicle Assembly Building until it is ready to return to the pad with the rocket for a tanking test.

The Artemis II test flight will be NASA’s first mission with crew under the Artemis campaign, sending NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Reid Wiseman, as well as CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back.

https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2024/10/04/nasas-mobile-launcher-back-at-vehicle-assembly-building/

How NASA Astronauts Vote from Space Aboard International Space Station

Oct 03, 2024

NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station have the opportunity to vote in general elections through absentee ballots or early voting in coordination with the county clerk’s office where they live.

So, how is voting from space possible? Through NASA’s Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) Program.

Similar to most data transmitted between the space station and the Mission Control Center at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, votes cast in space travel through the agency’s Near Space Network, managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The network connects missions within 1.2 million miles of Earth with communications and navigation services – including the space station.

Just like any other American away from home, astronauts may fill out a Federal Post Card Application to request an absentee ballot.

After an astronaut fills out an electronic ballot aboard the orbiting laboratory, the document flows through NASA’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System to a ground antenna at the agency’s White Sands Test Facility in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

From New Mexico, NASA transfers the ballot to the Mission Control Center at NASA Johnson and then on to the county clerk responsible for casting the ballot.

To preserve the vote’s integrity, the ballot is encrypted and accessible only by the astronaut and the clerk.

Astronauts have voted in U.S. elections since 1997 when the Texas Legislature passed a bill that allowed NASA astronauts to cast ballots from orbit.

That year, NASA astronaut David Wolf became the first American to vote from space while aboard the Mir Space Station.

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins became the latest astronaut to vote in a presidential election, as she voted aboard the International Space Station in November 2020.

Astronauts forego many of the comforts afforded to those back on Earth as they embark on their journeys to space for the benefit of humanity.

Though they are far from home, NASA’s networks connect them with their friends and family and give them the opportunity to participate in democracy and society while in orbit.

While astronauts come from all over the United States, they make their homes in Texas so they can be near NASA Johnson’s training and mission support facilities.

For more than two decades, astronauts have continuously lived and worked aboard the space station, testing technologies, performing science, and developing skills needed to explore farther from Earth.

Astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory stay connected with Earth and their civilian lives back home by communicating with mission control through the Near Space Network.

This development in communication ultimately can benefit humanity and lay the groundwork for other agency missions, like NASA’s Artemis campaign, and future human exploration of Mars.

https://www.nasa.gov/general/how-nasa-astronauts-vote-from-space-aboard-international-space-station/

NASA Sets Coverage for Europa Clipper Launch to Jupiter Moon

Oct 03, 2024

NASA will provide live coverage of prelaunch and launch activities for Europa Clipper, the agency’s mission to explore Jupiter’s icy moon Europa. NASA is targeting launch at 12:31 p.m. EDT Thursday, Oct. 10, on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Beyond Earth, Jupiter’s moon Europa is considered one of the solar system’s most promising potentially habitable environments.

After an approximately 1.8-billion-mile journey, Europa Clipper will enter orbit around Jupiter in April 2030, where the spacecraft will conduct a detailed survey of Europa to determine whether the icy world could have conditions suitable for life.

Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission.

It carries a suite of nine instruments along with a gravity experiment that will investigate an ocean beneath Europa’s surface, which scientists believe contains twice as much liquid water as Earth’s oceans.

cont.

https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-sets-coverage-for-europa-clipper-launch-to-jupiter-moon/

https://science.nasa.gov/mission/europa-clipper/watch-online

Earth from Space: Kunshan, China

04/10/2024

This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image captures the intricate blend of natural, rural and urban landscapes around Kunshan, a city in eastern China.

Zoom in to explore this image at its full 10 m resolution or click on the circles to learn more.

Situated in the heart of the Yangtze River Delta region in Jiangsu Province, Kunshan is home to about 1.6 million people.

It nestles between the major hubs of Shanghai to the east and Suzhou to the west.

Kunshan covers over 900 sq km of mostly flat terrain. Owing to its low-lying geography, the city has historically been prone to flooding, a challenge exacerbated by rapid urbanisation. In response, Kunshan has implemented a polder system consisting of dikes with waterways managed through gates and pumps.

Zooming into the urban areas, the smaller red buildings typically indicate houses, while larger white and light-blue buildings denote factories and warehouses.

Kunshan is also known for its well-preserved ancient water towns, including Zhouzhuang, the most famous in China.

Dating back more than 900 years, Zhouzhuang, at the bottom centre of the image, is known for its ancient houses and scenic waterways.

The city is also dotted with numerous lakes, the largest of which visible in the image include Dianshan Lake, partially visible in the bottom centre, Cheng Lake to its left, and Yangcheng Lake at the city edge in the top left.

Yangcheng Lake is an important freshwater resource for the whole province and is famous for the Chinese mitten crab, which is considered a delicacy.

The rectangular crab farming ponds are clear to see in the middle of the lake, while water plants stand out in bright green. Rivers and forests cover more than a quarter of the city.

The Wusong River, visible in light green across the centre of the image, winds through the city, while smaller rivers form a grid-like pattern.

Covering an area of around 15 sq km, Forest Park, an ecological wetland filled with a variety of plants, and Tinglin Park, known for its lush green peak and pristine waters, offer scenic escapes from the urban centre.

https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2024/10/Earth_from_Space_Kunshan_China

What time is it on the moon? China and the US are racing to decide

Updated: 3:53pm, 4 Oct 2024

The world’s two biggest powers – China and the United States – appear to be locked in a race to decide what time it is on the moon, with the winner leaving its mark on the history of space exploration and setting a new standard for future lunar missions.

The US and its space partners are trying to establish a special time zone for the moon.

Meanwhile, rivals China and Russia remain outside the US-led initiative, leaving Beijing to pursue its own lunar timing and navigation system.

Prompted by a White House directive, Nasa is spearheading the creation of a new time standard, Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC), to support safe and sustainable exploration as more nations and private companies plan missions to the moon.

The proposed time system will be adopted by signatories of the US-led Artemis Accords and is intended to serve as “the international standard”, according to a memorandum from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy issued in April.

“Knowledge of time in distant operating regimes is fundamental to the scientific discovery, economic development, and international collaboration that form the basis of US leadership in space,” the office said in the memo.

Namrata Goswami, a space policy researcher at Arizona State University, said the White House directive was based on an expected increase in lunar activities, including crewed and uncrewed missions, which would require a common time zone for better coordination between the Artemis signatory countries.

https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3280984/what-time-it-moon-china-and-us-are-racing-decide

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Aerospace-Defense-Industries/Japan-s-government-emerges-as-incubator-for-space-industry

Japan's government emerges as incubator for space industry

October 4, 2024 10:24 JST

The Japanese government is becoming increasingly like a venture investor in space startups, soliciting ideas, making them compete for money and investing in those with the most business potential.

On Sept. 19, the government awarded a total of 10 billion yen ($69 million) in subsidies to three launch startups in the second leg of a three-stage competition.

The first leg was held in September 2023, and four launch startups were selected.

The last selection is scheduled for April 2026, in which two finalists will be chosen for full subsidies.

The selected startups include Space One, which will make a second attempt at orbital launch in December, and Innovative Space Carrier, which has started testing its reusable launch system, eyeing a 10-meter flight test next year.

Eliminated from the race was Space Walker, a spaceplane maker that is aiming for a suborbital spaceplane launch by 2028.

Space Walker is preparing for a test of a navigation, guidance and control system as well as a captive firing test of a winged rocket next year.

Space One, Innovative Space Carrier and Space Walker all inherit or build on technologies originally developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).

"The government is apparently choosing projects with the strongest commercial case," said Atsushi Murakami, who runs space business consultancy Satellite Business Network.

The government budget is limited and focusing money on those that look most promising is natural, he said.

Space One, for instance, inherits JAXA's work on solid-fuel technology. Canon Electronics and IHI Aerospace, the company's two major shareholders, both participated in the project that demonstrated the ability to add satellite launch capability.

Now, those space startups are trying to turn the technology for scientific research into commercial services with financial support from the Japanese government.

The support may be modest, up to 14 billion yen each if full subsidies are awarded, but it highlights a new role for the government as a "venture capitalist" in the space industry.

The move comes as Japan hopes to maintain its position as a major player amid a rising China and the rapid growth of private space companies led by SpaceX.

The financial support for the three startups comes from the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, which is modeled on a similar scheme that has been in place in the U.S., aimed at helping startups commercialize their technologies.

The government expanded the SBIR program in 2023 to support not only the development but also the commercialization of space technologies.

The government has also created a Space Strategy Fund for technologies at an earlier stage, dispensing 1 trillion yen in total over the next 10 years under JAXA oversight.

Examples include a satellite constellation project by Interstellar Technologies, the startup that launched a sounding rocket reaching space in 2019.

The project aims to develop technologies for the formation flight of many small satellites to enable direct satellite-to-phone service.

For technologies that are already well-proven, the government can serve as an "anchor tenant" of their services until commercial demand takes off.

In the budget request for the next fiscal year starting April 2025, the Ministry of Defense requested 323.2 billion yen to develop satellite constellations for guiding long-range missiles against enemy targets.

The ministry plans to have the systems in place in fiscal 2027, fueling expectations that it intends to use satellite constellation services offered by Japanese startups, such as Synspective, iQPS and Axelspace.

Between fiscal 2020 and 2024, the government agencies expanded their space-related budget by 2.4 times to a total of 895 billion yen, partly due to bigger support for the private space sector. Such support, however, is meant as a short-term measure.

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"The success or failure of support programs will be measured in terms of whether they will create a self-sustaining commercial market," said Atsushi Uchida, consultant at Mitsubishi Research Institute.

Innovative Space Carrier and Space Walker both tout the reusability and sustainability of their systems as key sales points to customers and investors.

Set up in 2022, Innovative Space was inspired by JAXA's efforts to develop reusable launch systems between 1998 and 2007. The company now has two partners for engine development – Ursa Major of the U.S. and IHI.

Engines will be developed separately, but Innovative Space says its vehicle will be configured to be able to fly on either one. The company plans a 1,000-meter flight test in 2025 with a goal of starting a satellite launch service in 2030.

Innovative Space is still figuring out where to launch and land its vehicles. The company says it is looking at various options, including launching from a boat, creating a fixed-bottom platform like an oil rig, or using an existing spaceport.

CEO Kojiro Hatada expects the rocket development to cost 30 billion yen. The company aims to secure 14 billion yen in funds from the SBIR program, 10 billion yen from venture capitalists, and the remainder from other government subsidies.

Space Walker, the spaceplane maker, was set up in 2017. One of its co-founders, Koichi Yonemoto, is a former JAXA engineer who was involved in a project to develop a Japanese version of the space shuttle around the turn of the century.

The spaceplane will be automatically navigated, carrying six passengers and two crew members. The company envisages a crewed suborbital mission in 2030.

The technologies behind the spaceplane, such as crewed launch, reentry and landing, are not yet established in Japan and face high hurdles, points out Murakami, the consultant.

The notion of spaceflight has also changed since SpaceX brought reusable rockets to the market. "Space travel no longer has to take place on a spaceplane," Murakami said.

But it will be still worthwhile developing technologies for spaceplane as long as it remains an option for space travel, he added.

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