>>21861951

TYB

New Project Invites You To Do Martian Cloud Science with NASA

Oct 29, 2024

Like staring at the clouds? Love the planet Mars? How about staring at the clouds…on Mars?

Now you can join Cloudspotting on Mars: Shapes, a new NASA citizen science project, and help identify beautiful cloud formations on the Red Planet.

Mars has kinds of clouds you may not have seen before, such as “twilight clouds,” “vortex clouds,” and “disk clouds”.

You’ll view spectacular images of Mars’s atmosphere from space to look for these clouds and check that what you’re seeing isn’t a volcano or patch of ice on the surface.

By classifying cloud types, you’ll help researchers better understand the availability of water vapor, wind patterns, and the factors influencing Mars’s daily weather patterns.

This research is critical for expanding our knowledge of present-day atmospheric conditions on Mars, which is essential for understanding the historical climate of Mars and its evolution.

You’ll be examining data from NASA’s MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN) spacecraft. MAVEN entered orbit around Mars a decade ago, on Sept. 21, 2014.

It has produced a wealth of data about how Mars’ atmosphere responds to the Sun and solar wind, and how these interactions can explain the loss of the Martian atmosphere to space.

MAVEN is still taking new data–so there will be plenty to work on!

Cloudspotting on Mars: Shapes is open to everyone with an internet-enabled computer, with no sign-up deadline.

You’ll learn all you need to know in a brief online tutorial. Participation does not require citizenship in any particular country.

Hungry for more Martian cloud science? Try the original Cloudspotting on Mars project, too!.

https://science.nasa.gov/get-involved/citizen-science/new-project-invites-you-to-do-martian-cloud-science-with-nasa/

https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/matteocrismani/cloudspotting-on-mars-shapes

NASA Image Captures Volcanic Eruption That Grounded Flights

Oct 29, 2024 at 3:34 PM EDT

A volcanic eruption spewing out ash and smoke, leading to flight cancellations, has been caught on camera from space.

The volcano, named Popocatépetl, is Mexico's most active volcano, and has been continuously erupting in fits and bouts since 2005.

Last week was a particularly active period for the volcano, with over 1,000 thousand minutes of tremors being detected each day, and huge plumes of ash being spewed out of the mountain.

Ash was reported falling from the skies in several communities near the volcano, and a cloud of this ash caused the Puebla International Airport to suspend flights on Friday morning, according to local news.

Inhalation of volcanic ash can cause serious respiratory issues, particularly for those with preexisting conditions, as the ash contains fine particles of silica, which can irritate the lungs and airways. Additionally, SO2 released by volcanoes can irritate the eyes, nose, throat, and lungs

"The gases and particles released by volcanic eruptions and lava flows can severely degrade air quality, posing health risks," David Kitchen, an associate professor of geology at the University of Richmond, Virginia, told Newsweek.

The OLI (Operational Land Imager) on the Landsat 8 satellite snapped an image of these emissions on Friday.

On the same day, Mexico's Centro Nacional de Prevención de Desastres (CENAPRED) announced that monitoring systems had detected "a continuous emission of water vapor, volcanic gases, and ash."

Popocatépetl is located in Central Mexico, about 45 miles southeast of Mexico City, meaning that about 30 million people live in a 45-mile radius of the volcano.

It stands at around 17,800 feet tall, making it the second-highest peak in Mexico after Pico de Orizaba.

Popocatépetl is a stratovolcano that came back to life in 1994 after 50 years of dormancy, and has been sporadically erupting ever since, with a notable uptick in activity since 2005.

The Popocatépetl "Volcanic Alert Traffic Light" has been in "Yellow Phase 2" all week, which is the middle level on a three-color alert scale, and remains as such as of October 28.

During this phase, "minor to moderate sized explosions (…)" "light to moderate ash rains in surrounding towns and some more distant cities (…)" "ejection of incandescent fragments," and "possibility of pyroclastic flows that do not reach populations" can be expected.

"Do not try to climb the volcano, as explosions occur that throw incandescent fragments, as has been seen recently.

Respect the 12-kilometer exclusion radius from the crater, being within this area is not safe.

In case of heavy rain, stay away from the bottom of the ravines, due to the danger of mud and debris flows," CENAPRED warned in a translated report.

Volcanic ash can bury crops, damage livestock health, contaminate soil, and poison water supplies, while SO2 mixes with water vapor to form sulfuric acid, contributing to acid rain, which damages vegetation, soils, and water bodies.

Some of this volcanic ash was even found to have traveled hundreds of miles to the northeast, being detected near Sarasota in Florida.

https://www.newsweek.com/volcano-eruption-mexico-popocatepetl-ash-flights-canceled-1976773

https://www.cenapred.unam.mx/reportesVolcanesMX/

>>21862167

Michigan Secretary of State Reveals a 'Nationwide Issue' Is Affecting Certain Dominion Voting Machines

October 30, 2024 at 6:07am

A glitch exists in some types of Dominion voting machines, according to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.

Voters who use a Dominion ICX Voter Assist Terminal (VAT) will experience an issue if they want to vote for candidates of both parties, Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said, according to WLNS-TV.

A voter assist terminal helps people with disabilities cast their ballots.

“Yeah, this is a nationwide issue with Dominion voter access terminals in, in the counties that use them in the voter access terminals,” Benson said.

Split-ticket voters using a Dominion ICX Voter Assist Terminal (VAT) on Election Day should be prepared for straight-ticket/split-ticket programming issues when marking their ballot, according to Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.https://t.co/1D2SbPFMI5

— WLNS Newsroom (@WLNS) October 28, 2024

“Of course, not all the machines, just the ones that are accessible, have an issue. With the straight-party voting and a programming issue, that’s again affected the machines nationwide,” she added.

Benson said the issue emerged too late to be fixed.

“I think all of us who used Dominion machines were unhappy to learn about this during the testing period and as early voting began, so we’re working with Dominion to seek accountability on that front,” she said.

Benson said that her office, which oversees elections in Michigan is “working with our clerks to ensure voters are aware of this programming issue that will require them to ensure they are voting every section on the ballot.”

Every site in Michigan has a voter assist terminal that helps voters make their selections, according to a news release from Benson’s office.

“Because of this programming issue, voters using Dominion ICX VATs will have to select either the ‘straight party’ option if they wish to vote straight ticket or vote for each race on the partisan selection of the ballot if they wish to split their ticket,” the release said.

The release said that other states already do that but “it is not the standard in Michigan, where voters have the option to vote straight party but then override their party selection for individual races.”

The release says a ballot will not be processed if a voter using one of the affected Dominion machines votes the usual Michigan way.

“If a voter using the Dominion VAT votes straight party but then splits their ticket, the voter will receive an error message. The voter will need to go back and de-select their straight-party selection and vote for candidates in the races individually or vote straight party without splitting their ticket,” the release said.

Barbie Benson says Voter Assist Terminals (VAT) for the disabled are not registering straight party ballots in Michigan. She now claims she will “seek accountability” from Dominion. When do the voters get accountability from her for using defective Dominion in the first place?… https://t.co/OT791gr7qD pic.twitter.com/mYqKvxSr5V

— Heather Dow (@PatriotPostGirl) October 29, 2024

The release said the issue will be addressed in the future.

“Although the issue will not stop people from voting or making their preferred selections, and it will not change anyone’s votes, it will make the process more inconvenient for some voters using the VATs,” the release said.

https://www.westernjournal.com/michigan-secretary-state-reveals-nationwide-issue-affecting-certain-dominion-voting-machines/

https://www.michigan.gov/sos/resources/news/2024/10/25/department-of-state-issues-update-for-voters-using-dominion-voter-assist-terminals

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14019049/ISS-evacuated-IMMEDIATELY-Expert-warns.html

The International Space Station should be evacuated IMMEDIATELY: Expert warns leaving it too late 'could lead to a disaster that would kill not only the astronauts, but also NASA's reputation'

Updated: 10:59 EDT, 30 October 2024

NASA's astronauts should evacuate the International Space Station (ISS) immediately to avoid a fatal disaster, a space expert has warned.

Nick Pope, a former civil servant who once ran the British Government's UFO project, told MailOnline that the space agency's 'wait-and-see' attitude could have devastating consequences.

'Leaving it too late could lead to a disaster that would kill not only the astronauts, but also NASA's reputation,' he said.

His warning comes as NASA revealed it is tracking 50 'areas of concern' related to a growing leak on the Russian side of the ISS.

American astronauts have been instructed to wait near the escape hatch in case of an emergency evacuation whenever the hatch to the leaky section is open.

NASA has now promoted the leak to a 'top safety risk'.

However, it insists that its astronauts will remain aboard the station.

But as NASA and its Russian counterpart, Roscomos, fail to patch or even find the leak there are now growing concerns over the safety of the ISS.

The leak was first detected in 2019 in the Russian Zvezda Service Module Transfer Tunnel which provides station living quarters, life support systems, electrical power distribution and data processing, flight control and propulsion systems.

However, despite the space agencies covering potential cracks with 'a combination of sealant and patches' the leak has only grown faster in recent years.

In February, NASA was forced to hold a press conference on the issue as the amount of air escaping temporarily increased from 0.2 lbs per day (0.09 kg) to 2.4 lbs (1.08 kg) per day.

The leak then hit record rates in April, losing 3.7 lbs (1.68 kg) of air every day according to a report from NASA's Office of the Inspector General (OIG).

As the leak continues to grow, the situation was declared a 'top safety risk' this September and escalated to the highest level on NASA's risk scale.

NASA officials say they have reached a deal with Roscomos to only open the hatch to the leaking section when necessary and to keep it sealed during the evenings.

Whenever the hatch is open, NASA has instructed all astronauts to remain on the American side of the station so they can be nearer to their spacecraft in case of an emergency.

However, Mr Pope says that this has put NASA in a 'tight spot'.

He says: 'Evacuating the ISS too soon will increase the gap between NASA and Elon Musk and make NASA look like a declining force, but leaving it too late could lead to a disaster.'

While NASA maintains that the Zvezda module's hatch remains closed as much as possible, if the leaks become severe the station could rapidly lose pressure and oxygen.

In the case of such an emergency, all astronauts would need to climb aboard their assigned 'lifeboats' docked with the station.

The capsules have been stocked with emergency suits, allowing the crew to quickly put on the proper gear as they flee the orbiting laboratory, saving more valuable time.

NASA's Commercial Crew Program Manager Steve Stich said that in the event of an emergency, SpaceX's Dragon could be powered up within minutes.

However, the space agency has also admitted that the ISS is not sufficiently prepared for capsule failures which could leave some astronauts stranded.

The OIG report says: 'Due to the high costs and a limited budget, the lack of ready-to-launch vehicles prevent the Agency from having an immediate response capability if crew vehicles encounter significant damage and are no longer safe for crew evacuation.'

In the event of an impact from a micrometeor or piece of space debris, this could lead to a situation in which astronauts have no way of fleeing the damaged station.

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NASA says that an impact of this kind could cause 'serious damage or catastrophic failure, and can be a threat to astronauts'.

However, due to the costs of performing upgrades in space, NASA has said it will not provide any additional shielding to protect the station from objects larger than 3cm.

Mr Pope adds: 'Space is inherently dangerous and the space program carries with it a degree of risk. But with lives at stake, a wait-and-see option has higher consequences.'

However, not all experts are convinced that the Zvezda module leak is likely to lead to catastrophic failure.

Dr Simeon Barber, a space scientist at The Open University, told MailOnline: 'Although this is seen as a high priority issue to resolve, it is not putting astronauts in immediate danger.'

By closing the hatch to Zvezda, the leak can be contained no matter how fast it becomes.

'The problem is that if the leak gets too bad, they might have to leave the hatch permanently closed, meaning the docking ports beyond the hatch can’t be used,' says Dr Barber.

Although this would make resupplying the space station more difficult it would ensure that the station can continue functioning.

While this might not be a threat to human life, experts say that this could lead NASA to decommission the station earlier than planned.

The ISS has already remained in orbit for 10 years longer than originally intended and its ageing systems are showing serious signs of wear.

If the Zvezda module had to be sealed, the loss of air would mean the station would need to be resupplied more frequently just as doing so became more difficult.

Independent spaceflight safety expert Laura Forczyk told MailOnline: 'If the leaks on the ISS worsen significantly to the point where NASA and Russia conclude the situation is unsafe, it may mean decommissioning the ISS sooner than expected.'

NASA currently maintains that the station remains safe and says it is working with Roscomos to resolve the issue as soon as possible.

A NASA spokesperson told MailOnline: 'NASA and Roscosmos continue to evaluate onboard and ground test data with the primary goal of identifying the root cause, gaining a better understanding of the risk to station operations, and implementing repairs.'

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National Security Space Association’s Plan For the Next President

October 30, 2024

The next president must boost US capabilities in space to keep pace with China—and Congress should step up and foot the bill, according to a collection of papers released yesterday by a think tank within the National Security Space Association.

The papers—a follow-on to four papers released in August—are intended to be a blueprint for the incoming administration to win the space race with Russia and China.

They offer an argument for increasing America’s defense posture in space, as well as a detailed plan to ensure the nation doesn’t lose its technological edge.

Winning the race: “The United States lacks a comprehensive long-term strategy to protect our interests against Chinese aggression in, from, and to space,” Gregory Pejic, an NSSA board member and the former deputy assistant secretary of defense for space policy, wrote in the paper.

The next US president must conduct a review of the country’s space posture, issue a new National Security Space Strategy, and refocus the DoD and intelligence community to make this vision a reality, according to Pejic’s recommendations.

He argued the proposed national space posture review should take the widest possible scope.

The president should review all national security space operations within the DoD and intelligence communities.

The review should cover all traditional space missions, offensive and defensive capabilities, enabling capabilities (for example, launch, command and control), and data analytics services.

It should focus on the full gamut of space operations: in orbit, cislunar space, and supporting ground systems.

Lastly, it should be augmented by independent, long-term analysis of trends and risks regarding the US military’s capabilities compared to China’s.

Paying for it: Crucially, the think tank pointed out that US space dominance can only be accomplished by closing budget gaps.

“Adversarial advancements, particularly from China and Russia, have pushed the service’s requirements far beyond its existing budgetary framework,” according to Mike Tierney, NSSA’s head of legislative affairs.

Tierney recommended that the next administration nearly double the Space Force’s annual budget to $45-50B to provide for adequate

missile warning and tracking systems to counter ballistic and hypersonic missile threats from Russia and China. The Space Force’s request for $1.2B for these systems has gone unfunded.

satellite defense technologies to counter kinetic, directed energy, and cyber-attacks, including $300M for an alternative navigation system to reduce reliance on GPS.

rapidly enhanced space domain awareness systems on the ground and in space to track adversarial space assets and enable effective offensive and defensive military operations, including $700M in requested—but unfunded—SATCOM infrastructure.

https://payloadspace.com/national-security-space-association-details-presidential-transition-plan/

https://nssaspace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/NSSA-Presidential-Transition-Paper-Series_1.pdf

https://nssaspace.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/NSSA-Presidential-Transition-Paper-Series_2.pdf

>>21862376

Time Magazine's Best Inventions of 2024

October 30, 2024 8:34 AM EDT

Every year for over two decades, TIME editors have highlighted the most impactful new products and ideas in TIME’s Best Inventions issue.

To compile this year's list, we solicited nominations from TIME’s editors and correspondents around the world, and through an online application process, paying special attention to growing fields—such as health care, AI, and green energy.

We then evaluated each contender on a number of key factors, including originality, efficacy, ambition, and impact.

The result is a list of 200 groundbreaking inventions (and 50 special mention inventions)—including the world’s largest computer chip, a humanoid robot joining the workforce, and a bioluminescent houseplant—that are changing how we live, work, play, and think about what’s possible.

https://time.com/collection/best-inventions-2024/

A Nevada lake developed eerie green swirls visible from space. Here’s why

Oct 30, 2024

Pyramid Lake in northwest Nevada, just over the California border, took on the appearance of a spooky witch’s brew several weeks before Halloween, with striking swirls of green that were visible from space.

The colorful bands in the popular 125,000-acre lake, about 35 miles northeast of Reno within the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribe Reservation, came courtesy of cyanobacteria, also known as blue-green algae.

“It looks like split pea soup, where it’s that army-green color,” said Aaron Bill, water quality program manager with the tribe’s natural resources department, describing the water’s unusual appearance.

Also on the rise in California in recent years, cyanobacteria can produce toxins that pose serious health risks to people and animals — including the thousands of recreation-goers and their pets who visit Pyramid Lake each year.

“We always want to make sure to make people aware of that, so that they would either not bring their animals out or they would restrict them and have their own safe drinking water,” Bill said.

Pyramid Lake experiences cyanobacteria blooms almost every year in the summer or fall.

The bloom this October brought some of the most cyanobacteria activity in years.

But storms in mid-October “led to a lot of wave action, and that did a good job of breaking up the material, getting it to settle down to the lake bottom,” Bill said. “It’s almost normal conditions right now.”

https://www.sfchronicle.com/weather/article/pyramid-lake-cyanobacteria-bloom-nevada-19872229.php

NASA to resume ISS spacewalks in 2025 after spacesuit leak

October 30, 2024

NASA plans to resume spacewalks on the space station in 2025 after a leaky spacesuit suspended those activities in June.

"We are planning our next set … early next year," Bill Spetch, operations and integration manager of NASA’s International Space Station (ISS) program, said of spacewalks during a press conference Oct. 25 following the conclusion of SpaceX's Crew-8 mission to the orbiting complex.

A seal and umbilical connecting the spacesuit to the ISS was replaced, and the affected suit repressurized with success, he added.

"It's just a matter of when is the right timing," Spetch said, noting that spacewalks are scheduled in between spacecraft arrivals and departures, as well as astronaut research activities.

NASA suspended all ISS spacewalks with its spacesuit indefinitely after agency astronaut Tracy Dyson experienced a brief coolant leak June 24 before leaving the hatch of the space station.

(Russia, the other majority space station partner, uses an independent set of spacesuits known as Orlan.)

Dyson and fellow NASA astronaut Mike Barratt opened the door for what was expected to be a 6.5-hour spacewalk focused on maintenance. Minutes later, however, ice particles erupted from a spacesuit connection to the ISS.

The astronauts were never in any danger, NASA has said, nor were the spacewalk tasks needed immediately.

"We'll go look for the next opportunity for where we want to do the spacewalk.

It's not time-critical or urgent, and so we'll find the best, logical place to put it," station program manager Dana Weigel, of NASA, told reporters in a teleconference on July 17.

Dyson's suit was one of NASA's extravehicular mobility units (EMU) first designed in the 1970s and used during the space shuttle program in the 1980s.

The suit has a long flight heritage, including helping to build the ISS and service the Hubble Space Telescope.

Parts of the EMU can be swapped out as needed, but the suit design nevertheless has had a few coolant leaks in recent years.

For example, NASA suspended spacewalks for seven months in March 2022 after water was discovered in a spacesuit helmet.

A more notable incident in July 2013 saw Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano's helmet fill with water while he was spacewalking, necessitating an investigation and remedies.

NASA is asking private industry to contribute new spacesuits for several programs, including low Earth orbit activities.

The EMU is biased toward larger and male sizes given that it was designed half a century ago, when male astronauts (drawn from the male-dominated military) made up NASA's corps.

Collins Aerospace was expected to deliver newer ISS suits, but withdrew from its contract in June because its anticipated timeline "would not support the space station's schedule and NASA's mission objectives."

At that time, NASA confirmed the contract would end, but did not announce its next steps.

https://www.space.com/space-exploration/international-space-station/nasa-ready-to-restart-spacewalks-on-the-iss-in-2025-after-a-spacesuit-leak

Meet Shenzhou-19 crew: China space mission a relay race

Updated 14:51, 29-Oct-2024

Chinese astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze will carry out the Shenzhou-19 crewed spaceflight mission, with Cai serving as the commander, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced at a press conference on Tuesday.

The Shenzhou-19 spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 4:27 a.m. on Wednesday from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the CMSA said.

On Tuesday, the three Shenzhou-19 taikonauts also met the press at the launch center.

Cai completed the Shenzhou-14 space mission in 2022, while 1990-born Song and Wang, part of the third batch of Chinese astronauts, are newcomers to space.

Cai Xuzhe

Born in 1976, Cai joined the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force in 1995 and was selected to be a member of the second batch of Chinese astronauts in 2010.

During his last and also the first mission to space, Cai experienced the 'busiest' six months.

He had witnessed the completion of the basic structure of the station and accomplished a number of "firsts," including the first in-orbit crew turnover with the Shenzhou-15 crew members.

"It is because of the support from our country and its people that we have the opportunity to visit the space again and again," said Cai at the press conference.

Cai received a third-class medal and the honorary title "heroic astronaut" in March 2023.

Song Lingdong

Born in August 1990, pilot-turned-taikonaut Song has had the dream of traveling to space since he was little.

"Twenty-one years ago, at the age of 13, my classmates and I sat in front of the television, watching the successful launch of Shenzhou-5.

Filled with awe, the seed of the dream to fly to space was sown," Song told the press.

Song recognized that his taking part in the Shenzhou-19 mission has been made possible "by the strength of his homeland, the continuous efforts of generations of space pioneers, and the greatness of this new era."

"I will carry the 'flying' baton well, showcasing the spirit of my generation and writing the glory of the nation across the cosmos."

He was selected to be a member of China's third batch of astronauts in September 2020.

Wang Haoze

Born in March 1990, Wang is currently China's only female flight engineer and will become the third Chinese woman to embark on a crewed spaceflight mission.

Before being selected as a member of China's third batch of astronauts, Wang used to work at the Academy of Aerospace Propulsion Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation as a senior engineer.

From designing rockets to riding one, Wang said that she's deeply grateful for all the people working in the space technology sector.

"I want to fly around in our 'space mansion' and experience the joy of weightlessness. I want to diligently complete every task and protect our 'space home.'

I also wish to roam through the depths of space and wave to the stars. Above all, I want to catch a glimpse of my motherland that nurtured me," Wang told the press.

Together, the crew will conduct 86 space science research and technological experiments.

Several scientific achievements are anticipated in areas such as frontier research in fundamental theories, new material preparation, mechanisms of space radiation, and the physiological effects of microgravity, as well as the biological effects of a hypomagnetic field and molecular mechanisms.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2024-10-29/China-unveils-Shenzhou-19-crew-for-space-station-mission-1y5oN2QUkTu/p.html

https://spacenews.com/shenzhou-19-spacecraft-arrives-at-tiangong-for-crew-rotation/