TYB
Sols 4382-4383: Team Work, Dream Work
Dec 03, 2024
Earth planning date: Monday, Dec. 2, 2024
Today, after a weeklong holiday break, the team was eager to take a look at Curiosity’s new workspace.
After driving 51 meters (about 167 feet) alongside Texoli butte (pictured) we had a whole host of new rocks to examine, and it was one of those curiously perfect planning days where everything falls into place.
Our team of geologists here on Earth was busy studying the images our Martian geologist had downlinked to Earth prior to planning, and we scheduled 1.5 hours of science activities on the first sol of this plan.
An interesting and varied workspace today saw lots of instruments working together to study the rocks in-depth — teamwork really does make the dream work.
To begin, we are targeting a vertical rock face called “Coronet Lake” near the rover.
Coronet Lake has a cluster of nodules on show and we are getting information on the composition of these nodules with APXS and a ChemCam LIBS, as well as a close-up image with our MAHLI instrument.
We also have a second MAHLI activity scheduled on a flat rock called “Excelsior Mountain.” Our observant team spotted an interesting-looking rock named “Admiration Point.”
This rock may have fallen from the nearby Texoli butte, or could be a meteorite. To test these hypotheses further, we are targeting Admiration Point with a Mastcam mosaic and a ChemCam passive.
ChemCam and Mastcam work together again on a target named “Olancha,” an area of rocks that could contain evidence of deformation from when the rocks first formed.
Olancha will be targeted with a ChemCam long-distance RMI and a Mastcam mosaic.
Mastcam is finishing off the geological observations here with mosaics of “Angels Camp,” a rock containing veins where water may have once flowed, “Bare Island Lake,” a gray rock containing interesting polygonal ridges, and a trough feature close to Coronet Lake.
ChemCam is taking another look back at Gediz Vallis channel to see a transition between light- and dark-toned rocks with a long-distance RMI, and we are rounding off this plan with our standard environmental observations.
As the Geology and Mineralogy theme group Keeper of the Plan for today’s planning, I made sure that this sol was packed full of science activities that the team wanted to schedule.
After this busy first sol, Curiosity will be driving about 50 meters (about 164 feet), continuing to make our way out of Gediz Vallis, and we are all very excited to see what the rest of the sulfate-bearing unit has to offer us.
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/sols-4382-4383-team-work-dream-work/
Trump selects Jared Isaacman to lead NASA
12/04/24 12:00 PM ET
President-elect Trump on Wednesday announced he picked Jared Isaacman to lead the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under his incoming administration.
“Jared will drive NASA’s mission of discovery and inspiration, paving the way for groundbreaking achievements in Space science, technology, and exploration,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social, citing Isaacman’s ability to lead as the founder and chief executive of Shift4, a payment processing company.
The tech entrepreneur also worked with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk in September to test the company’s new spacesuits on the first private spacewalk.
Isaacman helped fund the flight and was one of four people aboard.
That trip was the first of three that Isaacman purchased from Musk, after he returned from his first private spaceflight in 2021.
Isaacman is also the co-founder and chief executive of Draken International, a private fighter jet company and contractor for the Defense Department.
“Jared’s passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era,” Trump wrote in the statement.
He added, “Congratulations to Jared, his wife Monica, and their children, Mila & Liv!”
If confirmed, Isaacman would replace current NASA administrator and former Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.).
The three-term senator lost his reelection bid to the upper chamber of Congress in 2018 to Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.).
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5021899-donald-trump-jared-isaacman-nasa-administrator/
https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/113595378122687080
https://polarisprogram.com/team/jared-isaacman/
https://x.com/rookisaacman/status/1864346915183157636
Jeff Bezos has a $100,000,000,000 plan to replace the International Space Station after Elon Musk destroys it
Updated 15:37 4 Dec 2024 GMT
Jeff Bezos is set to launch a shiny new space station to replace the International Space Station after Elon Musk helps destroy it.
After 32 years of service, the ISS will be brought crashing down to Earth in 2031 at the end of its operational life.
The largest single structure we've ever put in space, it's allowed scientists to conduct ground-breaking experiments in microgravity.
And, in what sounds like the mission of his dreams, Elon Musk's SpaceX has won a $843 million NASA contract to help bring down the ISS.
The ground-breaking research facility is set to be replaced, though - and this is where Jeff Bezos comes in.
While China already has its Tiangong space station in space, multi-billionaire Bezos is set to launch the first-ever commercially-owned and operated space station in low-Earth orbit.
What is Orbital Reef?
Bezos' space company, Blue Origin, was awarded $130 million by NASA to develop Orbital Reef, a 8,200 cubic foot station almost as big as the ISS.
It will allow the ground-breaking research carried out on the ISS to continue - with some added extras.
In partnership with Sierra Space - as well as, unsurprisingly, Amazon, Boeing, and others - it will offer commercial space activities and act as a space tourism hub.
The station will only be able to support 10 people initially, but modules will be added to support further operations.
These include science modules, with support for microgravity research, development, and manufacturing.
Meanwhile, Blue Origin described the station on its website: "Think spacious modules with large windows to view Earth… while experiencing the thrill of weightlessness in complete comfort.
"Distinct quarters will be designed for personal and business use, and large hatches create a safe and inspiring environment."
It continued: "We aim to provide a truly extraordinary experience, whether you are in orbit for research, logistics, tourism, or other applications."
Amazon is set to sort logistics and supply chain management, while Sierra Space will provide Large Integrated Flexible Environment (LIFE) modules, node modules, and a runway-landing Dream Chaser spaceplane for crew and cargo transportation.
A Boeing Starliner crew spacecraft will also help transport personnel, while the company will supply science modules, space station operations and maintenance.
Orbital Reef is projected to launch in 2027 and will reportedly cost upwards of $100 billion in total.
It's due to be fully operational by 2030, just before the ISS is brought to its end.
https://www.unilad.com/technology/space/jeff-bezos-elon-musk-international-space-station-explained-800913-20241204
Webb finds surprises in Spiderweb protocluster field
04/12/2024
Using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, an international team of astronomers have found new galaxies in the Spiderweb protocluster.
Their characteristics reveal that new galaxies are forming in these large cosmic cities, with the finding that gravitational interactions in these dense regions are not as important as previously thought.
Astronomers explore galaxy populations and uncover their physical characteristics across large-scale structures to better understand the build-up of galaxies and how their environments shape their assembly.
The Spiderweb protocluster is a well-studied object in the early Universe. Its light has travelled over 10 billion years to reach us, and it shows us a galaxy cluster in formation, composed of more than a hundred known galaxies.
With the use of Webb’s capabilities, astronomers have now sought to better understand this protocluster and to reveal new galaxies inside it.
Infrared light passes more freely through cosmic dust than visible light, which is scattered by the dust. Because Webb can see well in the infrared, scientists used it to observe regions of the Spiderweb that were previously hidden to us by cosmic dust, and to find out to what degree this dust obscures them.
“We are observing the build-up of one the largest structures in the Universe, a city of galaxies in construction,” explained Jose M. Pérez-Martínez of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias and the Universidad de La Laguna in Spain.
“We know that most galaxies in local galaxy clusters (the biggest metropolises of the Universe) are old and not very active, whereas in this work we are looking at these objects during their adolescence.
As this city in construction grows, their physical properties will also be affected. Now, Webb is giving us new insights into the build-up of such structures for the first time.”
With Webb, the team studied the hydrogen gas to reveal new, strongly obscured galaxies belonging to the cluster and to study how much they were obscured. This was accomplished using only about 3.5 hours of Webb’s observing time.
“As expected, we found new galaxy cluster members, but we were surprised to find more than expected,” explained Rhythm Shimakawa of Waseda University in Japan.
“We found that previously-known galaxy members (similar to the typical star-forming galaxies like our Milky Way galaxy) are not as obscured or dust-filled as previously expected, which also came as a surprise.”
“This can be explained by the fact that the growth of these typical galaxies is not triggered primarily by galaxy interactions or mergers that induce star-formation,” added Helmut Dannerbauer of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias in Spain.
“We now figure this can instead be explained by star formation that is fueled through gas accumulating at different locations all across the object’s large-scale structure.”
The team is planning to study the (new) galaxy cluster members in more detail and confirm their existance with spectroscopic observations using Webb.
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Webb/Webb_finds_surprises_in_Spiderweb_protocluster_field
https://www.stsci.edu/jwst/science-execution/program-information?id=1572
Watch Europe's Vega-C rocket launch today on 1st flight since 2022
Dec 4, 2024
For the first time since the launch vehicle's catastrophic mission failure in 2022, Europe's Vega-C rocket is poised to return to flight today.
The European Space Agency (ESA) is scheduled to launch the Copernicus Sentinel-1C satellite today, lifting off from Kourou, French Guiana, during an instantaneous launch window Dec. 4, at 4:20 p.m. EST (2120 GMT, 22:20 CET — local time).
This will be the third mission for ESA's medium-lift rocket, and its first launch since a failure in the vehicle's second stage led to the complete loss of its last payload in October 2022. You can watch the launch live here courtesy of ESA.
Secured in Vega-C's fairing for this mission is Europe's Copernicus Sentinel-1C satellite.
The spacecraft is a replacement to complete a dual-satellite constellation with Sentinel-1A, following the unexpected failure of its partner satellite Sentinel-1B, which became inoperable after experiencing a technical fault in 2022.
Sentinel-1C will be launched into orbit on the opposite side of Earth from Sentinel-1A, to allow the pair a complete view of the Earth for high-resolution imagery.
Vega-C is a four-stage rocket that stands 115 feet (35 meters) tall. The first three of the launch vehicle's stages are powered by solid-rocket propellant, with its fourth stage using a liquid propellant for precision orbital insertions.
Shedding its weight after the mission clock begins counting up instead of counting down, Vega-C's first and second stage separations occur about 2.5 and 4.5 minutes after liftoff, with its third stage following suit just after 7 minutes into flight.
The rocket's upper stage will will fly Sentinel-1C to a sun-synchronous orbit at an altitude of about 435 miles (700 kilometers).
The first of three scheduled burns will begin approximately one minute after stage-three separation, followed by an hour-long coasting phase ahead of burns two and three — also separated by about one hour.
If each stage of the launch vehicle performs nominally, Sentinel-1C separation from the Vega-C upper stage will occur just shy of one hour and 44 minutes after liftoff.
"It is an important launch," said Giulio Ranzo, CEO of Avio, during a prelaunch media briefing, "very important because we will lift a flagship European satellite of the Copernicus constellation with a flagship European launcher."
Avio is contracted by ESA as Vega-C's primary designer. Vega-C's return to flight follows the premiere launch of ESA's larger Ariane 6 rocket over the summer, ultimately filling the gap in launch vehicle needs for smaller payloads and lessening Europe's reliance on other launch providers.
"We are very proud of having this capability made available, in particular to the European Commission, but in general, to all other government and non government institutions within Europe and abroad," Ranzo said.
Sentinels-1A and C are equipped with C-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) instruments, which allow each to survey the Earth for a variety of environmental observations.
Sentinel-1C also features a new Automatic Identification System (AIS), for use by sea-faring ships on Earth to avoid collisions when they are out of range of land-based radar systems.
The total of data collected as a part of the Sentinel-1 program is extensive and ongoing, and stands to be greatly aided by the addition of Sentinel-1C.
"150,000 products based on Sentinel-1 data are published and made available to users, and since the beginning of the operations of the Sentinel-1, we have generated over 30 petabytes of data and more than 14 million products were made available," said Christoph Kautz, the European Commission's Director for satellite navigation and Earth observation for the Directorate-General for Defense Industry and Space (DG DEFIS) said during Monday's briefing.
Vega-C's two-year journey back to the launchpad required a design and manufacturing change to the vehicle's second stage rocket engine nozzle.
Now back in operation, Ranzo says the rocket has about 15 launches on its backlog to complete. And the hiatus in Vega-C from the rocket launch arena hasn't slowed ESA's innovations toward improvement.
The space agency has already begun designing an upgraded version of Vega-C, the Vega-E, based on a new liquid oxygen (LOX)-methane engine, the M-10, for its upper stage.
The M-10 is also being developed by Avio, which plans to sign implementation contracts with ESA before the end of the year, according to ESA's Director of Space Transportation Toni Tolker-Nielsen.
https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Transportation/Vega/Vega-C_complete_for_return_to_flight
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/watch-europes-vega-c-rocket-launch-today-on-1st-flight-since-2022-video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEvvlYHdyP8
Earth from space: Crimea's 'putrid sea' creates beautiful rainbow of color but smells like rotten eggs
December 3, 2024
A deconstructed rainbow of around a dozen multicolor lagoons, collectively known as the "putrid sea," takes center stage in this stunning satellite image captured around a decade ago.
The variety of colors — ranging from raspberry, peach and mustard to lime green, beige and brilliant blue — are caused by several factors, including the microorganisms that live within the lagoons.
The lagoons stretch across the Sivash region — a roughly 3,900-square-mile (10,000 square kilometers) area of marshland across the northern Crimean Peninsula between the Black Sea to the west and the Sea of Azov to the east.
The latter is separated from the lagoons only by a narrow piece of land known as the Arabat Spit.
The colorful pools are mainly between 2 and 4 feet (0.6 and 1.2 meters) deep, with some deeper pools extending to depths of 10 feet (3 m).
They are all hypersaline, meaning that they contain high levels of minerals that make them salty, and have thick layers of silt across their bottoms, which can be up to 16 feet (5 m) thick.
The white color surrounding most lagoons in the image is a mix of salt and silt.
The array of colors in the different lakes' waters is partly due to their respective minerals, acidity and inhabiting vegetation.
However, the main driver of color is the species of algae that bloom in their waters, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
When the algae bloom in summer, they can give off a pungent, rotten egg-like smell, which has earned the region its foul nickname.
The array of colors in the different lakes' waters is partly due to their respective minerals, acidity and inhabiting vegetation.
However, the main driver of color is the species of algae that bloom in their waters, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
When the algae bloom in summer, they can give off a pungent, rotten egg-like smell, which has earned the region its foul nickname.
Researchers estimate that there are around 220 million tons (200 million metric tons) of different minerals in the Sivash lagoons.
As a result, the region is also home to a large chemical plant, which siphons off some of these minerals to help create useful chemicals, according to NASA's Earth Observatory.
The lagoons contain a range of wildlife and are protected by the International Convention of Wetlands (ICW).
The salty shallows are home to a variety of salt-resistant plant species, including sea lavender (Limonium caspium) and saltbush (Atriplex aucheri), and host to up to 1 million water birds that migrate to the area every winter, according to Ramsar which oversees the ICW.
The Sivash region has been part of Ukraine since the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
However, it has been under the control of Russia since the country invaded Ukraine in 2022. (Other parts of the Crimean Peninsula were annexed by Russia in 2014.)
But this is not the first time that the Sivash has taken center stage in conflicts within the region.
In November 1920, during the Russian Civil War, the Red Army — the army of the socialist movement headed by Vladimir Lenin — successfully captured the Crimean Peninsula from the White Army — the soldiers loyal to the old Russian empire — after taking down a major stronghold at Perekop, located along the northern edge of the lagoons.
Perekop was key to holding the Crimean Peninsula and had already successfully repelled multiple front-on attacks.
In order to finally take the site, the Red Army launched a surprise attack by wading miles through the lagoons in the dead of night and attacking the White Army from behind. The conflict is known as the Siege of Perekop.
https://www.livescience.com/planet-earth/rivers-oceans/earth-from-space-crimeas-putrid-sea-creates-beautiful-rainbow-of-color-but-smells-like-rotten-eggs
U.S. Navy awards X-Bow $60 million to modernize solid rocket production facilities
December 3, 2024
X-Bow Systems has won $60 million in Navy contracts to modernize solid rocket production facilities as the Pentagon looks to upgrade its aging defense manufacturing infrastructure.
The contracts will support improvements at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division in Maryland, using X-Bow’s 3D printing technologies to produce solid rocket motors and propellants.
The project is part of the Navy’s $2.7 billion, 15-year modernization plan for its industrial base.
Solid rocket motors are propulsion systems used in missiles, space launch vehicles, and other military applications.
The Indian Head facility, located in southern Maryland, has been a key defense manufacturing site since World War II, producing energetic materials and propulsion systems.
“Our work will increase production capacity of solid rocket motors to meet growing military needs,” Jason Hundley, X-Bow’s CEO, said Dec. 3 in a news release.
The contracts build on the company’s recent defense deals, including selection to develop solid propulsion for hypersonic missiles and for the Standard Missile program.
X-Bow in 2023 signed a 20-year agreement with the Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Division to cooperate in the development and manufacturing of solid propellant rocket systems.
https://spacenews.com/u-s-navy-awards-x-bow-60-million-to-modernize-solid-rocket-production-facilities/
Advisory on the Long March 3B rocket launch
3 December 2024
The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) confirms the launch of the Long March 3B rocket from the People’s Republic of China.
Expected debris from the rocket launch was projected to have fallen within the identified drop zones approximately 112 NM away from Rozul Reef and 151 NM away from Busuanga, Palawan.
The Long March 3B rocket was launched from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Liangshan Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan at around 1:55 PM PhST on 03 December 2024.
Details of the rocket drop zone were disclosed through a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) warning of an “aerospace flight activity.”
PhilSA has disseminated a pre-launch report to relevant government agencies and authorities prior to the launch.
Unburned debris from rockets, such as the booster and fairing, are designed to be discarded as the rocket enters outer space.
While not projected to fall on land features or inhabited areas, falling debris poses danger and potential risk to ships, aircraft, fishing boats, and other vessels that will pass through the drop zone.
There is also a possibility for the debris to float around the area and wash toward nearby coasts.
Additionally, the possibility of an uncontrolled re-entry to the atmosphere of the rocket’s upper stages returning from outer space cannot be ruled out at this time.
PhilSA reiterates its advice for the public to inform local authorities if suspected debris is sighted.
PhilSA also cautions against retrieving or coming in close contact with these materials that may contain remnants of toxic substances such as rocket fuel.
https://philsa.gov.ph/news/advisory-on-the-long-march-3b-rocket-launch-2/
U.S. Space Forces in Europe – Space Forces Africa leaders serve up Thanksgiving meals
Published Dec. 4, 2024
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany – U.S. Space Force Col. David A. Pheasant, U.S. Space Forces in Europe – Space Forces Africa deputy commander, left, and U.S. Space Force Chief Master Sgt. Alex J. Birkle, SPACEFOREUR-AF senior enlisted leader, right, hands off plates in the Rheinland Inn Dining Facility during Thanksgiving at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, November 28, 2024.
Leaders from around the DoD served Thanksgiving meals to the Kaiserslautern Military Community to show their appreciation during the holiday season.
https://www.usafe.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3984395/us-space-forces-in-europe-space-forces-africa-leaders-serve-up-thanksgiving-mea/
U.S. Space Force launches Tokyo unit to bolster integrated deterrence
December 4, 2024
The U.S. Space Force on Wednesday launched a unit at Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo, with the aim of strengthening space defense and bilateral deterrence capabilities.
During the activation ceremony at the U.S. base, Brig. Gen. Anthony Mastalir, commander of U.S. Space Forces Indo-Pacific, said as countries like North Korea, Russia and China threaten the stability of the Indo-Pacific region, "U.S. Space Forces Japan will serve as the focal point for deepening collaboration and synchronization between the United States and Japan in national security."
The new unit is expected to enhance Japan's space surveillance and missile warning capabilities by providing advice and expertise, while ensuring smooth coordination with the Japanese side, including the Space Operations Group of the Air Self-Defense Force.
"It cannot be understated, our space capabilities will help deter adversary aggression" and help protect the allied forces, Col. Ryan Laughton, commander of U.S. Space Forces Japan, said at the ceremony.
As part of a bilateral space cooperation initiative, a constellation of Japan's geographic positioning satellites will host U.S. space sensors capable of gathering data and intelligence, the two governments said.
Japanese Defense Minister Gen Nakatani and his U.S. counterpart Lloyd Austin affirmed the unit's establishment during their meeting last month in Australia.
In South Korea, another U.S. security ally facing military threat from North Korea, U.S. Space Forces Korea was activated in December 2022.
https://english.kyodonews.net/news/2024/12/8e9340e1f782-us-space-force-launches-tokyo-unit-to-bolster-deterrence.html
TACDEVCON 2024 incorporates foreign and allied partners, fosters collaboration across the tactics community
Dec. 3, 2024
Space Training and Readiness Command’s Delta 10 hosted the second annual Tactics Development Conference (TACDEVCON) and the first ever with international partner participation, on Nov. 4-7 at the National Air and Space Intel Center, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.
More than 350 participants gathered at this year’s TACDEVCON to review the Space Force’s TACDEV program, where USSF Deltas and Component Field Commands (FLDCOMs) provided updates to Space Force senior leaders on ongoing efforts and key tactical problems they had been tasked with solving during the previous conference.
The conference also provided Guardians with the opportunity to identify issues and propose tactical solutions.
Additionally, Tactics Improvement Proposals (TIPs) and Mission Focused Working Groups (MFWGs) were approved and prioritized for 2025.
The conference offered an avenue for collaboration across the broader tactics community with the integration of international partners from Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
Their participation ensured cooperative development of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) to continue securing common interests and shared values in the space domain.
“The valuable contributions of our allies and partners at events like TACDEVCON ensure like-minded nations stand prepared to meet 21st-century challenges,” said U.S. Space Force Col. Shannon DaSilva, Delta 10 commander.
Like last year’s inaugural event, TACDEVCON 2024 provided a forum for a discussion about the specialized nature of tactics development in the space warfighting domain and current opportunities for advancement and improvement.
“TACDEVCON creates a truly collaborative environment that empowers our tacticians to define and solve the community’s greatest tactical challenges,” said U.S. Space Force Capt. Christina Thomas, tactics development flight commander.
“The hard work and accomplishments of the attendees will pay dividends for today, and will define the problem set for TACDEVCON 2025,” said Thomas.
https://www.starcom.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/3983757/tacdevcon-2024-incorporates-foreign-and-allied-partners-fosters-collaboration-a/