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NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
October 19, 2024
Comet Tsuchinshan-ATLAS Flys Away
These six panels follow daily apparitions of comet C/2023 A3 Tsuchinshan-ATLAS as it moved away from our fair planet during the past week. The images were taken with the same camera and lens at the indicated dates and locations from California, planet Earth. At far right on October 12 the visitor from the distant Oort cloud was near its closest approach, some 70 million kilometers (about 4 light-minutes) away. Its bright coma and long dust tail were close on the sky to the setting Sun but still easy to spot against a bright western horizon. Over the following days, the outbound comet steadily climbs above the ecliptic and north into the darker western evening sky, but begins to fade from view. Crossing the Earth's orbital plane around October 14, Tsuchinshan-ATLAS exhibits a noticeable antitail extended toward the western horizon. Higher in the evening sky at sunset by October 17 (far left) the comet has faded and reached a distance of around 77 million kilometers from planet Earth. Hopefully you enjoyed some of Tsuchinshan-ATLAS's bid to become the best comet of 2024. This comet's initial orbital period estimates were a mere 80,000 years, but in fact it may never return to the inner Solar System.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
NASA Michoud Gets a Rare Visitor
Oct 18, 2024
Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan-ATLAS) passes over NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans in this Oct. 13, 2024, image.
This comet comes from the Oort Cloud, far beyond Pluto and the most distant edges of the Kuiper Belt.
Though Comet C/2023 A3 will be visible through early November, the best time to observe is between now and Oct. 24.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasa-michoud-gets-a-rare-visitor/
NASA, Artemis Accords Signatories Progress on Sustainable Exploration
Oct 18, 2024
A record number of Artemis Accords signatories, including the United States, gathered at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC), the world’s largest global space conference taking place in Milan this week, furthering discussions on the safe and responsible use of space for the benefit of all.
During the space conference, top space agency leaders and other government representatives met Oct. 14 to continue advancing implementation of the Artemis Accords, marking the most comprehensive engagement yet among Accords signatories.
“As we send humans further into the solar system, collaboration and shared responsibility among nations are more critical than ever,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.
“The Artemis Accords provide a common sense set of principles to guide our work together, and our recent efforts to further their implementation is fostering a remarkable environment of trust and cooperation where all nations can contribute to and benefit from these endeavors.”
The high-level meeting was co-chaired by NASA, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) and Italian Space Agency.
With 42 of 45 signatories participating, established and emerging spacefaring nations from every region of the world were represented to help create a foundation for future space exploration for the Artemis Generation.
Leaders from each nation reflected on how the group can contribute to and advance existing multilateral forums, further technical discussions to inform policy deliberations, and promote and encourage the participation of emerging space nations including the adoption of the Artemis Accords by additional countries.
They agreed on recommendations on non-interference, interoperability, release of scientific data, long-term sustainability guidelines, and registration to advance implementing the Artemis Accords.
A method of operations was established for the ongoing work of the signatories.
“Promoting the participation of emerging space nations and encouraging the adoption of the Artemis Accords is crucial for the entire space,” said Teodoro Valente, president of the Italian Space Agency.
“This is a matter of strategic importance in order to ensure the active and meaningful engagement of emerging space nations, both those already part of the Artemis Accords, and those poised to join in the future.”
The conversation in Milan built on previous work during a workshop in Montreal in May 2024, where participantsdelved into the topics such as non-interference and interoperability.
“Canada is pleased to be part of a growing group of countries committed to the safety and sustainability of outer space activities,” said Lisa Campbell, CSA president.
“We are strong supporters of the Artemis Accords and are pleased to have hosted the most recent workshop that advanced work on key aspects of the Artemis Accords.
We look forward to continuing this important work in the coming months and years.”
In October 2023, signatories agreed on an initial set of mission data parameters to advance transparency and non-interference in conducting space activities.
The data parameters identify relevant information about planned lunar surface missions including expected launch dates, the general nature of activities, and landing locations.
Recent progress also included work on a database to house them. Several space agencies, including NASA, have submitted mission data to the United Nations Office of Outer Space Affairs for dissemination.
Potential focus areas for the next year include further advancing sustainability, including debris management for both lunar orbit and the surface of the Moon.
In 2020, the United States and seven other nations were the first to sign the Artemis Accords, which identified a set of principles promoting the beneficial use of space for humanity.
The Artemis Accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements including the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.
The commitments of the Artemis Accords and efforts by the signatories to advance implementation of these principles support the safe and sustainable exploration of space.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-artemis-accords-signatories-progress-on-sustainable-exploration/
https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords/
Could Life Exist Below Mars Ice? NASA Study Proposes Possibilities
October 17, 2024
Researchers think meltwater beneath Martian ice could support microbial life.
While actual evidence for life on Mars has never been found, a new NASA study proposes microbes could find a potential home beneath frozen water on the planet’s surface.
Through computer modeling, the study’s authors have shown that the amount of sunlight that can shine through water ice would be enough for photosynthesis to occur in shallow pools of meltwater below the surface of that ice.
Similar pools of water that form within ice on Earth have been found to teem with life, including algae, fungi, and microscopic cyanobacteria, all of which derive energy from photosynthesis.
“If we’re trying to find life anywhere in the universe today, Martian ice exposures are probably one of the most accessible places we should be looking,” said the paper’s lead author, Aditya Khuller of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
Mars has two kinds of ice: frozen water and frozen carbon dioxide.
For their paper, published in Nature Communications Earth & Environment, Khuller and colleagues looked at water ice, large amounts of which formed from snow mixed with dust that fell on the surface during a series of Martian ice ages in the past million years.
That ancient snow has since solidified into ice, still peppered with specks of dust.
Although dust particles may obscure light in deeper layers of the ice, they are key to explaining how subsurface pools of water could form within ice when exposed to the Sun: Dark dust absorbs more sunlight than the surrounding ice, potentially causing the ice to warm up and melt up to a few feet below the surface.
Mars scientists are divided about whether ice can actually melt when exposed to the Martian surface.
That’s due to the planet’s thin, dry atmosphere, where water ice is believed to sublimate — turn directly into gas — the way dry ice does on Earth.
But the atmospheric effects that make melting difficult on the Martian surface wouldn’t apply below the surface of a dusty snowpack or glacier.
Thriving Microcosms
On Earth, dust within ice can create what are called cryoconite holes — small cavities that form in ice when particles of windblown dust (called cryoconite) land there, absorb sunlight, and melt farther into the ice each summer.
Eventually, as these dust particles travel farther from the Sun’s rays, they stop sinking, but they still generate enough warmth to create a pocket of meltwater around them. The pockets can nourish a thriving ecosystem for simple lifeforms..
“This is a common phenomenon on Earth,” said co-author Phil Christensen of Arizona State University in Tempe, referring to ice melting from within.
“Dense snow and ice can melt from the inside out, letting in sunlight that warms it like a greenhouse, rather than melting from the top down.”
Christensen has studied ice on Mars for decades. He leads operations for a heat-sensitive camera called THEMIS (Thermal Emission Imaging System) aboard NASA’s 2001 Mars Odyssey orbiter.
In past research, Christensen and Gary Clow of the University of Colorado Boulder used modeling to demonstrate how liquid water could form within dusty snowpack on the Red Planet.
That work, in turn, provided a foundation for the new paper focused on whether photosynthesis could be possible on Mars.
In 2021, Christensen and Khuller co-authored a paper on the discovery of dusty water ice exposed within gullies on Mars, proposing that many Martian gullies form by erosion caused by the ice melting to form liquid water.
This new paper suggests that dusty ice lets in enough light for photosynthesis to occur as deep as 9 feet (3 meters) below the surface.
In this scenario, the upper layers of ice prevent the shallow subsurface pools of water from evaporating while also providing protection from harmful radiation.
That’s important, because unlike Earth, Mars lacks a protective magnetic field to shield it from both the Sun and radioactive cosmic ray particles zipping around space.
The study authors say the water ice that would be most likely to form subsurface pools would exist in Mars’ tropics, between 30 degrees and 60 degrees latitude, in both the northern and southern hemispheres.
Khuller next hopes to re-create some of Mars’ dusty ice in a lab to study it up close.
Meanwhile, he and other scientists are beginning to map out the most likely spots on Mars to look for shallow meltwater — locations that could be scientific targets for possible human and robotic missions in the future.
https://www.nasa.gov/solar-system/planets/mars/could-life-exist-below-mars-ice-nasa-study-proposes-possibilities/
https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01730-y
NASA Selects Crew for 45-Day Simulated Mars Mission in Houston
Oct 18, 2024
NASA selected a crew of four research volunteers to participate in its last simulated mission to Mars in 2024 within a habitat at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Obaid Alsuwaidi, Kristen Magas, Tiffany Snyder, and Anderson Wilder will step into the 650-square-foot HERA (Human Exploration Research Analog) facility on Friday, Nov. 1.
Once inside, the team will live and work like astronauts for 45 days. The crew will exit the facility on Monday, Dec. 16, after simulating their return to Earth. Jordan Hundley and Robert Wilson also were named as alternate crew members.
Scientists use HERA studies to examine how crew members adapt to isolation, confinement, and remote conditions before NASA sends astronauts on deep space missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.
The studies provide data about human health and performance in an enclosed environment over time with crews facing different challenges and tasks.
The four volunteers will carry out scientific research and operational tasks throughout their simulated mission, including raising shrimp, growing vegetables, and “walking” on the surface of Mars using virtual reality.
They will also experience communication delays lasting up to five minutes as they “near” Mars, allowing researchers to see how crews may respond to the type of delays astronauts will encounter in deep space.
Astronauts traveling to the Red Planet may encounter one-way communication delays lasting as long as 20 minutes.
As with the previous HERA missions, crew members will conduct 18 human health studies during the mission through NASA’s Human Research Program.
Collectively, the work helps scientists understand how a spaceflight-like environment contributes to the physiological, behavioral, and psychological health of crew members.
Insights gleaned from the studies will allow researchers to develop and test strategies aimed at helping astronauts overcome obstacles on deep space missions.
cont.
https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/nasa-selects-crew-for-45-day-simulated-mars-mission-in-houston/
‘Out-of-this-world’ liver tissue grown in space could transform organ donation
Updated: Oct 18, 2024 07:09 AM EST
In a significant step forward for tissue engineering, scientists are employing the microgravity environment aboard the International Space Station (ISS) to create human liver tissue with superior functionality.
Unlike the traditional Earth-bound approach that uses synthetic frameworks to guide cell growth, the microgravity environment allows cells to self-assemble naturally.
As a result, the liver tissues formed in space show enhanced differentiation and functionality compared to those grown in terrestrial conditions.
Microgravity: A game-changer for tissue engineering
On Earth, artificial scaffolds or culture plates are used to provide a structure for cells to grow, but these foreign materials can interfere with cellular function.
In space, however, the absence of gravity allows cells to float freely and self-organize without the need for external matrices.
This results in tissues that more closely mimic natural physiology, a key factor in creating viable implants for medical purposes.
“Our findings indicate that microgravity conditions enable the development of liver tissues with better differentiation and functionality than those cultured on Earth,” said Dr. Tammy T. Chang, a professor of surgery at the University of California, San Francisco.
“This represents a critical step toward creating viable liver tissue implants that could serve as an alternative or adjunct to traditional liver transplants.”
“Tissue Orb” and cryopreservation
A central component of the project is the development of a custom bioreactor, known as the “Tissue Orb,” which is specifically designed to support tissue self-assembly in space.
This bioreactor features an artificial blood vessel system and automated media exchange, simulating the natural blood flow and nutrient exchange that human tissues experience in the body.
By replicating these conditions in the microgravity environment, the team hopes to create more functional tissues suitable for transplantation or other medical applications.
One of the major challenges the team faces is preserving and transporting the engineered tissues back to Earth. To address this, the research includes developing advanced cryopreservation techniques.
The next phase of the project will test isochoric supercooling, a method that allows tissues to be stored at sub-freezing temperatures without causing cellular damage.
If successful, this preservation method could significantly extend the shelf life of the engineered tissues, making them viable for transport and use in a range of medical scenarios, including disease modeling, drug testing, and ultimately, therapeutic implantation.
Future implications
This project is set to pave the way for future advancements in space-based biomedical research and manufacturing.
The ability to grow complex tissues in microgravity offers a novel approach to tissue engineering— it could transform the production of other biological materials in space.
Additionally, the research aims to explore how these advancements could eventually be applied to whole organ preservation, potentially solving one of the biggest challenges in organ transplantation: the limited availability of viable organs.
The spaceflight experiment is slated for launch in February 2025.
This collaboration highlights the increasing role of space exploration in advancing biomedical research, offering exciting opportunities for both space and Earth-based medical science.
The experimental results of this study will be presented at the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Clinical Congress 2024 in San Francisco, California.
https://interestingengineering.com/science/liver-tissue-created-in-space-could-transform-transplants
NOAA’s New Lightning Satellite Just Captured Some Terrifyingly Wild Footage
Updated October 18, 2024
The first imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s newest space-based lightning tracking tool has been released, and it’s a doozy.
The weather satellite GOES-19 began testing out its Geostationary Lightning Mapper instrument just as two consecutive powerful hurricanes battered portions of the United States.
The latest addition to the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite family, GOES-19, is designed to, in part, monitor all forms of lightning.
While you might be most familiar with cloud-to-ground lightning, other types of lightning are confined to the sky.
As hurricanes Helene and Milton formed, NOAA and its partner agency, NASA, were able to watch it happen thanks to the GLM in unprecedented detail and precision.
In a statement, NOAA said future data collected by GOES-19 could be vital in developing new models of storm analysis and prediction, and could also play a big role in helping chart safer paths for airplanes as future storms form, particularly over portions of the oceans that lack radar coverage.
In contrast to the devastation on the ground, the imagery from space is jarringly beautiful. While footage of both hurricanes showed lightning sparking like fireflies across the storm clouds, it also shows how the storms formed in different ways.
Images from September 24 show several thunderstorms converging into Hurricane Helene, which made landfall two days later, pummeling six states.
In contrast, as Milton began forming, intense, continuous eyewall lightning can be seen in the storm’s core. The storm eventually became a Category 5 hurricane that did major damage across Florida.
In a statement, NOAA said the imagery and data collected so far is preliminary.
The satellite, launched on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in June, is currently in post-launch testing—a phase where its instruments and systems are readied for full operation.
The fourth and final satellite in a series that began launching in 2016, it’s designed to monitor severe rain and snowstorms, wildfires, floods, lightning, dense fog, and other weather events.
Once it’s fully operational, which NOAA said should happen in April 2025, it will replace its predecessor GOES-16 as GOES-East.
The name is somewhat confusing, since the satellite is in orbit over the western hemisphere, but it’s all relative.
GOES-East orbits over the 75th Meridian West, which is east of GOES-West’s orbit over the 132nd Meridian West.
Smack dab between the two is the 100th Meridian, where the great plains begin. See? It all makes sense.
As gorgeous as the imagery from GOES-19 is, there’s more advanced weather imaging on the horizon.
NASA and NOAA are teaming up one more to develop the next generation of monitoring satellites, which they’re calling the Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) system.
Those will be equipped with even more advanced instruments to watch and map lightning, as well as track air quality, extreme weather events, ocean algae blooms, water quality, oil spills, and a slew of other potentially hazardous phenomena.
GeoXO is currently scheduled to begin operations sometime in the early 2030s.
https://gizmodo.com/nasas-new-lightning-satellite-just-captured-some-terrifyingly-wild-footage-2000513637
https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/noaa-releases-initial-imagery-the-goes-19-lightning-mapper