NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

November 18, 2024

Stars and Dust in the Pacman Nebula

Stars can create huge and intricate dust sculptures from the dense and dark molecular clouds from which they are born. The tools the stars use to carve their detailed works are high energy light and fast stellar winds. The heat they generate evaporates the dark molecular dust as well as causing ambient hydrogen gas to disperse and glow. Pictured here, a new open cluster of stars designated IC 1590 is nearing completion around the intricate interstellar dust structures in the emission nebula NGC 281, dubbed the Pac-man Nebula because of its overall shape. The dust cloud just above center is classified as a Bok Globule as it may gravitationally collapse and form a star – or stars. The Pacman Nebula lies about 10,000 light years away toward the constellation of Cassiopeia.

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

NASA Rockets Create Artificial Clouds Under Northern Lights in Norway

18 November 2024 18:00 IST

A rare sight unfolded on November 10, as NASA launched rockets that created artificial clouds beneath auroras during a minor geomagnetic storm over northern Norway.

The event took place near Andøya Space Center, a facility situated in an ideal location for studying geomagnetic activity due to its proximity to the Arctic Circle.

Tour operator Ivar Sandland, who witnessed the spectacle, told Space.com about the unusual visual phenomena during his trip from Bodo to Tromso.

As per the report by the publication, Sandland, who runs Nordland Adventures, assumed it was a cloud at first glance.

He later discovered through local news that the visible trails in the sky were part of NASA's ongoing experiments.

VortEx Mission Studies Atmospheric Energy Flow

The event was part of NASA's Vorticity Experiment (VortEx), which investigates energy dynamics in the turbopause, where the mesosphere and thermosphere meet at approximately 90 kilometres above Earth.

The report further mentions that the rockets released trimethyl aluminium, a compound that reacts in the atmosphere to produce visible streaks.

These artificial clouds are used to track gravity waves, aiding researchers in understanding their interactions at this altitude.

Sounding rockets, smaller suborbital vehicles designed for research purposes, were deployed for the experiment.

The visual effects created by the chemical release offered scientists crucial data on energy transfer processes, while also captivating onlookers with an unusual display under the northern lights.

Ideal Location for Space Research

Andøya Space Center serves as a hub for launching rockets intended for atmospheric and geomagnetic research.

Charged particles from the sun, guided by Earth's magnetic field towards the poles, produce auroras by interacting with gases in the upper atmosphere.

This makes northern Norway an optimal site for observing these interactions.

Such experiments offer insights into atmospheric science while fostering curiosity among local residents and visitors, highlighting the intersection of research and natural wonder.

https://www.gadgets360.com/science/news/nasa-rockets-create-artificial-clouds-under-northern-lights-in-norway-7033829

>>22009427

>what if putin is PART of Q?

ABB Modernizes NASA’s Wind Tunnel and Extends Its Lifespan by Over a Decade

November 18, 2024

ABB has upgraded the variable speed drive (VSD) at NASA’s National Transonic Facility (NTF) in Langley Research Center, Virginia, ensuring the wind tunnel remains operational for at least another 10 years.

The modernization is part of an ABB Motion OneCare service agreement aimed at enhancing the facility’s reliability and lifecycle value.

The NTF wind tunnel, critical for optimizing aircraft design and fuel efficiency, replicates flight conditions at high altitudes and near the speed of sound.

Since its commissioning, it has played a pivotal role in testing aircraft like the Boeing 777 and components of the Space Shuttle.

The facility features a 101-megawatt drive, originally supplied by ABB in 1997, which remains one of the most powerful of its kind globally.

By 2021, NASA identified the need to replace aging components of the medium voltage drive.

ABB specialists evaluated the system, developing a solution that replaced outdated parts with modern, high-efficiency components.

The project was designed to minimize disruption, waste, and logistical challenges while enhancing the system’s performance and reliability.

“NASA entrusted ABB’s expertise and advanced technology to maintain the high reliability and uptime of the NTF for its testing programs,” said Oswald Deuchar, Head of Modernization Services at ABB Motion.

“This upgrade supports NASA’s operational objectives and showcases a circular, sustainable approach to asset modernization.”

The upgrade was the first project executed under NASA’s ABB Motion OneCare service agreement, which also covers maintenance and spare parts.

Such agreements allow organizations like NASA to customize service bundles, optimizing the lifecycle of their drives, motors, and generators.

ABB Motion is a global leader in motors and drives, advancing productivity and sustainability with energy-efficient and decarbonizing solutions.

Its innovative technology enables industries to achieve superior performance and reliability while adopting circular practices.

With over 140 years of expertise, it’s 22,000 employees across 100 countries continue to deliver transformative solutions for diverse industrial applications.

https://themachinemaker.com/news/abb-modernizes-nasas-wind-tunnel-extending-its-lifespan-by-over-a-decade/

FIFA Unveils NASA-Inspired Trophy for Expanded 2025 Club World Cup

November 18th, 2024

FIFA has revealed the new 2025 Club World Cup trophy, a golden masterpiece created in collaboration with Tiffany & Co.

The trophy, which will be awarded at the first-ever 32-team tournament in June and July 2025, boasts a 24-carat gold-plated finish and intricate engravings symbolizing football’s past and future.

Inspired by NASA’s Voyager missions, the periodic table, and astronomical maps, it signifies a new chapter in the sport’s history.

Despite backlash over the tournament’s expansion, FIFA envisions the trophy as a prestigious symbol for the future of club football.

Trophy Design and Symbolism

The FIFA Club World Cup trophy features an innovative design, with a series of discs that transform into a multifaceted, orbital structure.

Its design is inspired by NASA’s 1970s Voyager missions, the periodic table, and the mapping of celestial journeys, linking football to exploration and global unity.

The trophy includes engravings in 13 languages, Braille, and a world map with the names of all 211 FIFA member associations.

A special space allows for the engraving of winning club emblems for the next 96 years.

The Trophy’s Global Message

FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the trophy as “innovative, inclusive, groundbreaking, and truly global.”

It embodies the aspirations of the new 32-team competition, which is set to become a cornerstone in global football, alongside the Champions League and Premier League.

Infantino emphasized that the tournament’s winner will “hold the world of club football in their hands.”

A Legacy of Excellence by Tiffany & Co.

Crafted by Tiffany & Co., the prestigious jeweler known for creating iconic championship trophies, this new trophy carries the legacy of excellence.

Anthony Ledru, Tiffany’s CEO, celebrated the design as the next chapter in the company’s long history of shaping revered symbols of athletic achievement.

A Replica for Every Winner

Each winner of the FIFA Club World Cup will receive a replica of the main trophy, ensuring that every club champion holds a tangible piece of history.

The official physical unveiling of the trophy will take place at the tournament draw in December 2024, setting the stage for an unforgettable global football event in 2025.

Controversy and Expansion of the Tournament

Despite facing opposition from player unions and domestic leagues, the expansion of the tournament to 32 teams has been welcomed by top European clubs.

FIFA aims for the competition to be one of the most prestigious events in club football, bringing together the best teams worldwide in a show of global unity and sporting excellence.

https://currentaffairs.adda247.com/fifa-unveils-nasa-inspired-trophy-for-expanded-2025-club-world-cup/

Meltwater from Greenland and the Arctic is weakening ocean circulation, speeding up warming down south

November 18, 2024 5:04am EST

A vast network of ocean currents nicknamed the “great global ocean conveyor belt” is slowing down.

That’s a problem because this vital system redistributes heat around the world, influencing both temperatures and rainfall.

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation funnels heat northwards through the Atlantic Ocean and is crucial for controlling climate and marine ecosystems.

It’s weaker now than at any other time in the past 1,000 years, and global warming could be to blame. But climate models have struggled to replicate the changes observed to date – until now.

Our modelling suggests the recent weakening of the oceanic circulation can potentially be explained if meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet and Canadian glaciers is taken into account.

Our results show the Atlantic overturning circulation is likely to become a third weaker than it was 70 years ago at 2°C of global warming.

This would bring big changes to the climate and ecosystems, including faster warming in the southern hemisphere, harsher winters in Europe, and weakening of the northern hemisphere’s tropical monsoons.

Our simulations also show such changes are likely to occur much sooner than others had suspected.

The Atlantic ocean circulation has been monitored continuously since 2004. But a longer-term view is necessary to assess potential changes and their causes.

There are various ways to work out what was going before these measurements began. One technique is based on sediment analyses.

These estimates suggest the Atlantic meridional circulation is the weakest it has been for the past millennium, and about 20% weaker since the middle of the 20th century.

Evidence suggests the Earth has already warmed 1.5ºC since the industrial revolution.

The rate of warming has been nearly four times faster over the Arctic in recent decades.

High temperatures are melting Arctic sea ice, glaciers and the Greenland ice sheet. Since 2002, Greenland lost 5,900 billion tonnes (gigatonnes) of ice.

To put that into perspective, imagine if the whole state of New South Wales was covered in ice 8 metres thick.

This fresh meltwater flowing into the subarctic ocean is lighter than salty seawater. So less water descends to the ocean depths.

This reduces the southward flow of deep and cold waters from the Atlantic.

It also weakens the Gulf Stream, which is the main pathway of the northward return flow of warm waters at the surface.

The Gulf Stream is what gives Britain mild winters compared to other places at the same distance from the north pole such as Saint-Pierre and Miquelon in Canada.

Our new research shows meltwater from the Greenland ice sheet and Arctic glaciers in Canada is the missing piece in the climate puzzle.

When we factor this into simulations, using an Earth system model and a high-resolution ocean model, slowing of the oceanic circulation reflects reality.

Our research confirms the Atlantic overturning circulation has been slowing down since the middle of the 20th century. It also offers a glimpse of the future.

The latest climate projections suggest the Atlantic overturning circulation will weaken by about 30% by 2060.

But these estimates do not take into account the meltwater that runs into the subarctic ocean.

The Greenland ice sheet will continue melting over the coming century, possibly raising global sea level by about 10 cm.

If this additional meltwater is included in climate projections, the overturning circulation will weaken faster. It could be 30% weaker by 2040. That’s 20 years earlier than initially projected.

Such a rapid decrease in the overturning circulation over coming decades will disrupt climate and ecosystems. Expect harsher winters in Europe, and drier conditions in the northern tropics.

The southern hemisphere, including Australia and southern South America, may face warmer and wetter summers.

Our climate has changed dramatically over the past 20 years. More rapid melting of the ice sheets will accelerate further disruption of the climate system.

This means we have even less time to stabilise the climate. So it is imperative that humanity acts to reduce emissions as fast as possible.

https://theconversation.com/meltwater-from-greenland-and-the-arctic-is-weakening-ocean-circulation-speeding-up-warming-down-south-238302

SpaceX launches mystery ‘Optus-X’ on Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center

November 17, 2024

SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket at sunset with a payload that has been shrouded in secrecy to the point of not disclosing any specifics of the mission, and not using its original name.

All regulatory filings and U.S. government agencies, like the Space Force and the Federal Aviation Administration, call the payload ‘Optus-X,’ while SpaceX calls the mission ‘TD7.’

SpaceX’s commentator noted that it was a communications satellite during the company’s livestream.

Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, Nov. 17, happened at 5:28 p.m. EST (2228 UTC).

With this launch, SpaceX tied the total number of Space Shuttle launches from Launch Complex 39A with just its Falcon 9 rocket at 82 launches each.

SpaceX is also close to eclipsing the total number of launches from NASA at that pad.

NASA launched a total of 94 missions (82 Space Shuttle and 12 Saturn 5) from LC-39A and to date, SpaceX launched 93 missions (81 Falcon 9 and 11 Falcon Heavy).

The Falcon 9 first stage booster for this mission, tail number B1077 in the SpaceX fleet, launched for a 16th time.

It previously supported the launches of three missions to the International Space Station (Crew-5, CRS-28 and Cygnus NG-20), GPS 3 Space Vehicle 06 and nine previous Starlink missions.

Nearly nine minutes after liftoff, B1077 touched down on the SpaceX droneship, ‘A Shortfall of Gravitas.’

This was the 85th booster landing on ASOG and the 369th booster landing to date.

Secret payload

The payload flying on the mission dubbed ‘TD7’ on SpaceX’s webpage headed to a geosynchronous transfer orbit, but timing of deployment was not disclosed prior to the launch.

A number of publications have offered speculation regarding the functionality of the Optus-X spacecraft, claiming that it is the fulfillment of a contract announced in 2022 between Northrop Grumman and SpaceLogistics for a Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV) spacecraft on behalf of Optus Networks Party Limited (Optus), an Australian telecommunications company.

However, Spaceflight Now understands that Sunday’s mission is not the execution of that contract. SpaceX affirmed during its broadcast that the payload was a communications satellite.

Filings with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) state that Optus is a subsidiary of Singtel Optus Pty. Ltd., which in turn is a subsidiary of Singapore Telecom Australia Investments Pty. Ltd., which is in turn is a subsidiary of SingTel Australia Investment Ltd., a British Virgin Islands investment holding company.

The name ‘Optus-X’ was referenced by the FAA in its flight schedule and by the U.S. Space Force when making its launch weather forecast.

The name also appeared in a FCC filing in late October relating to the use of an Intelsat ground station for post-launch checkouts:

“On October 28, 2024, Intelsat License LLC was granted special temporary authority for 30 days, beginning on October 28, 2024 through November 26, 2024, to operate its Ka-band antenna in Nuevo, CA, to provide launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) services to communicate with the Optus X satellite at the 29.625 GHz and 29.630 GHz (Earth-to-space) and 19.825 GHz and 19.830 GHz (space-to-Earth) center frequencies.”

In the letter requesting that special temporary authority (STA) dated Sept. 24, 2024, from W. Ray Rutngamlug, Intelsat’s Associate General Counsel, to FCC Secretary Marlene Dortch, Rutngamlug stated in a footnote that Optus X will operate at the 87.75 degrees east longitude.

“Grant of this STA request will allow Intelsat to help launch the Optus X satellite,” Rutngamlug wrote.

“This will allow Optus X to provide capacity at the nominal 88.0° E.L. location and thereby promotes the public interest.”

Rutngamlug also confirmed Northrop Grumman’s role in the mission.

“Intelsat clarifies that during the Optus X mission, Northrop Grumman will serve as the mission manager,” he wrote. “Northrop Grumman will build and send the commands to the Intelsat antenna, which will process and execute the commands. Telemetry received by Intelsat will be forwarded to Northrop Grumman.”

A Northrop Grumman official referred questions about the mission to Optus, which has not responded to Spaceflight Now’s requests for additional information.

https://spaceflightnow.com/2024/11/17/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-mystery-optus-x-on-falcon-9-rocket-from-the-kennedy-space-center/