More Speech and Fewer Mistakes
https://about.fb.com/news/2025/01/meta-more-speech-fewer-mistakes/
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
January 7, 2025
A New Year's Aurora and SAR Arc
It was a new year, and the sky was doubly red. The new year meant that the Earth had returned to its usual place in its orbit on January 1, a place a few days before its closest approach to the Sun. The first of the two red skyglows, on the left, was a red aurora, complete with vertical rays, caused by a blast from the Sun pushing charged particles into Earth's atmosphere. The second red glow, most prominent on the far right, was possibly a SAR arc caused by a river of charged particles flowing across Earth's atmosphere. Although both appear red, the slight color difference is likely due to the aurora being emitted by both oxygen and nitrogen, whereas the higher SAR arc was possibly emitted more purely by atmospheric oxygen. The featured image was taken on January 1 from near Pieve di Cadore in Italy.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
NASA will announce update to Mars sample return plans today
January 7, 2025
The year 2025 isn't even a week old and NASA is already gearing up for its first big announcement, this one about the agency's ambitious, yet beleaguered, Mars sample return mission.
Today (Jan. 7), NASA's top brass will hold an audio-only press conference to update the public on its Mars sample return program.
The media briefing will begin at 1:00 p.m. EST (1800 GMT), and you'll be able to listen in online via NASA's website.
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and Nicky Fox, the agency's associate administrator for science missions, will host the Mars exploration briefing.
"The briefing will include NASA's efforts to complete its goals of returning scientifically selected samples from Mars to Earth while lowering cost, risk and mission complexity," NASA officials wrote in a Jan. 3 statement.
NASA's Mars Sample Return program is designed to do just what its name suggests: return pieces of Mars to Earth so scientists can study the Red Planet up close.
To that end, NASA's Perseverance rover on Mars has already collected and cached a bevy of samples since it arrived on the planet in 2021.
"The agency's Mars Sample Return Program has been a major long-term goal of international planetary exploration for more than two decades," NASA wrote in the statement.
"NASA's Perseverance rover is collecting compelling science samples that will help scientists understand the geological history of Mars, the evolution of its climate, and prepare for future human explorers.
The return of the samples also will help NASA's search for signs of ancient life."
But the mission to return those Perseverance Mars rover samples to Earth is at a crossroads.
One plan to return Perseverance's samples to Earth called for a lander to touch down near the rover, use a sophisticated robotic arm (or perhaps robotic drones like NASA's Ingenuity Mars helictopter) to collect the samples from Perserverance and store them in a rocket that would then launch into orbit.
Another spacecraft, provided by the European Space Agency, would then collect the sample capsule for the trip to Earth.
"The bottom line is that $11 billion is too expensive, and not returning samples until 2040 is unacceptably too long," Nelson said of that finding during an April 2024 media call.
China, for example, plans to launch its own sample return mission to Mars in 2028 with the goal of returning those samples to Earth in 2031. So, NASA isn't alone in its race to collect samples of Mars.
Throughout 2024, NASA has worked to revamp its Mars sample return plan into a scenario that would reduce its cost and complexity. Tuesday's media briefing may reveal some of the new thinking that could go into that plan.
Last month, Nelson told reporters at NASA's Kennedy Space Center that the new Mars sample return plan will include more than just NASA centers.
"What’s coming out is by involving industry, and not NASA centers like [the Jet Propulsion Laboratory], combining with others, they're coming out with much more practical (proposals), where they can speed up the time and considerably lower the cost," Spaceflight Now quoted Nelson as saying during the Dec. 18 meeting.
https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-to-host-media-call-highlighting-mars-sample-return-update/
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/missions/nasa-mars-sample-return-program-update-livestream-how-to-listen
https://www.youtube.com/live/Y6-hE6Sadzs
Westinghouse Awarded NASA-DOE Contract to Continue Development of Space Microreactor Concept
January 07, 2025 09:00 AM EST
Westinghouse Electric Company announced today that NASA, working with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), has selected Westinghouse to continue development of a space microreactor design through the Fission Surface Power (FSP) project.
The FSP project is focused on developing concept designs for small, electricity-generating nuclear fission reactors that could provide astronauts a reliable power supply for use on the moon and beyond.
This contract, awarded by Idaho National Laboratory (INL), will build on the successful design work Westinghouse completed during Phase 1 to optimize its contributions to the design of FSP systems and their configuration, and begin testing of critical technology elements.
The continued progress under the FSP project can enable NASA’s goal of a lunar demonstration within the next decade.
“Westinghouse appreciates the opportunity to continue demonstrating its leadership in designing microreactors for space and lunar exploration missions,” said Richard Rademacher, President, Westinghouse Government Services.
“This award reflects our close collaboration with NASA and the progress we’ve made on the FSP program that will enable a strategic capability for the Artemis mission.
We look forward to testing and demonstrating our proprietary microreactor technology in the coming years under this important NASA initiative.”
NASA’s FSP program expands on the efforts of the agency’s Kilopower project to develop affordable fission nuclear power technologies for long-duration stays on planetary surfaces.
Currently, NASA is working with DOE to design a fission power system that would provide up to 40 kilowatts of power – enough to continuously run 30 households for 10 years.
A future lunar demonstration will pave the way for sustainable operations and base camps on the Moon and Mars.
Westinghouse is leveraging its eVinciTM microreactor technology to develop a resilient and mass efficient nuclear electric power and propulsion system for satellite, spacecraft and planetary surface power applications.
Building on decades of industry-leading Westinghouse innovation to bring carbon-free, safe and scalable energy wherever it is needed for a variety of applications, the eVinci microreactor generates reliable electricity and heating for remote communities, universities, mining operations, industrial centers, data centers, defense facilities, and soon the lunar surface and beyond.
These resilient microreactors have very few moving parts, providing versatility for mission types with the reduction of failure points, simple operation and increased reliability for the harsh environment of space.
Westinghouse Electric Company is shaping the future of carbon-free energy by providing safe, innovative nuclear and other clean power technologies and services globally.
Westinghouse supplied the world’s first commercial pressurized water reactor in 1957 and the company’s technology is the basis for nearly one-half of the world's operating nuclear plants.
Over 135 years of innovation makes Westinghouse the preferred partner for advanced technologies covering the complete nuclear energy life cycle.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250107102945/en/Westinghouse-Awarded-NASA-DOE-Contract-to-Continue-Development-of-Space-Microreactor-Concept
She leaves little stacks of stones outside the halls
The Next Full Moon is the Wolf Moon
Jan 06, 2025
The next full Moon will be Monday evening, Jan. 13, 2025, appearing opposite the Sun (in Earth-based longitude) at 5:27 p.m. EST.
This will be Tuesday from the South Africa and Eastern European time zones eastward across the remainder of Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia, etc., to the International Date Line in the mid-Pacific.
The Moon will appear full for about three days around this time, from Sunday evening (and possibly the last part of Sunday morning) into Wednesday morning.
On the night of the full Moon, for most of the continental USA as well as parts of Africa, Canada, and Mexico, the Moon will pass in front of the planet Mars.
The Maine Farmers' Almanac began publishing Native American names for full Moons in the 1930s. Over time these names have become widely known and used.
According to this almanac, as the full Moon in January this is the Wolf Moon, from the packs of wolves heard howling outside the villages amid the cold and deep snows of winter.
European names for this Moon include the Ice Moon, the Old Moon, and (as the full Moon after the winter solstice) the Moon after Yule. Yule was a three to 12-day festival near the winter solstice in pre-Christian Europe.
In the tenth century King Haakon I associated Yule with Christmas as part of the Christianization of Norway, and this association spread throughout Europe.
The exact timing of this pre-Christian celebration is unclear. Some sources now associate Yule with the 12 days of Christmas, so that the Moon after Yule is after Twelfth Night on January 6.
Other sources suggest that Yule is an old name for the month of January, so the Moon after Yule is in February. In the absence of more reliable historic information, I'm going with the full Moon after the winter solstice as the Moon after Yule.
This full Moon corresponds with the start of the 44-day festival Prayag Kumbh Mela, also known as Maha Kumbh.
This Hindu pilgrimage and festival is held every 12 years in the Indian city of Prayagraj at the confluence of three rivers, the Ganges, the Yamuna, and the mythical Sarasvati.
It is expected to draw around 400 million visitors. Similar Kumbh celebrations are held approximately every 12 years at the convergence of three rivers in three other Indian cities, Nashik (upcoming in 2027), Ujjain (in 2028), and Haridwar (in 2033).
In the Hindu calendar, this full Moon is Shakambhari Purnima, the last day in the 8-day Shakambari Navratri holiday that celebrates the goddess Shakambhari.
In the Purnimanta tradition that ends months on the full Moon day, this full Moon is Paush Purnima, the last day of the Hindu month of Paush.
The day after Paush Purnima is the start of the month of Magha, a period of austerity. Bathing in the holy waters of India is an important activity for both Shakambari Navratri and Magha.
This full Moon corresponds with the Thiruvathira, Thiruvathirai, or Arudhra Darisanam festival, celebrated by Hindus in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
For the Buddhists of Sri Lanka, this is Duruthu Poya, which commemorates Siddhartha Gautama Buddha's first visit to Sri Lanka.
In many lunar and lunisolar calendars the months change with the new Moon and full Moons fall in the middle of the lunar month.
This full Moon is in the middle of the 12th and final month of the Chinese Year of the Rabbit. The new Moon on January 29 will be Chinese New Year, the start of the Year of the Snake.
This full Moon is in the middle of Tevet in the Hebrew calendar and Rajab, the seventh month of the Islamic calendar. Rajab is one of the four sacred months in which warfare and fighting are forbidden.
As usual, the wearing of suitably celebratory celestial attire is encouraged in honor of the full Moon.
Take care in the cold weather and take advantage of these early sunsets to enjoy and share the wonders of the night sky. And avoid starting any wars.
Here are the other celestial events between now and the full Moon after next, with times and angles based on the location of NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.:
cont.
https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/the-next-full-moon-is-the-wolf-moon/
NASA Names Adam Schlesinger as Commercial Lunar Payload Services Project Manager
Jan 06, 2025
NASA has selected Adam Schlesinger as manager for CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services).
Schlesinger previously served as the Gateway Program habitation and logistics outpost project lead engineer at Johnson Space Center.
“I am honored and tremendously excited to take on this new role as NASA continues to enable a growing lunar economy while leveraging the entrepreneurial innovation of the commercial space industry,” Schlesinger said.
Schlesinger brings more than 20 years’ experience to NASA human space flight programs.
Prior to supporting Gateway, Mr. Schlesinger managed the Advanced Exploration Systems Avionics and Software Project, leading a multi-center team to develop and advance several innovative technologies that were targeted for future NASA exploration missions.
Mr. Schlesinger also established and led a variety of key public/private partnerships with commercial providers as part of the Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 activities.
Mr. Schlesinger began his NASA career as a co-op in the Avionic Systems Division and has served in multiple positions within the Engineering and Exploration Architecture, Integration, and Science Directorates, each with increasing technical leadership responsibilities.
Mr. Schlesinger earned his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Michigan and a master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
“Adam is an outstanding leader and engineer, and I am extremely pleased to announce his selection for this position,” said Vanessa Wyche, director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
“His wealth of experience in human spaceflight, commercial partnerships, and the development and operations of deep-space spacecraft will be a huge asset to CLPS.”
Throughout his career, Schlesinger has been recognized for outstanding technical achievements and leadership, including multiple NASA Exceptional Achievement Medals, Rotary National Award for Space Achievement Early Career Stellar Award and Middle Career Stellar Award nominee, JSC Director’s Commendation Award, Advanced Exploration Systems Innovation Award, and NASA Early Career Achievement Medal.
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/nasa-names-adam-schlesinger-as-commercial-lunar-payload-services-project-manager/
Soil Remediation at White Sands Test Facility
Jan 06, 2025
Origins of the 600 Area Off-Site Pile
The NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) is crucial for supporting space exploration and technology development.
Located in New Mexico, it provides a controlled environment for testing and evaluating spacecraft, propulsion systems, and other aerospace technologies.
The facility is instrumental in conducting critical tests such as engine firings, thermal and environmental testing, and materials research.
Its role in ensuring the safety, reliability, and performance of spacecraft and systems makes it a key asset in NASA’s mission to explore space and advance scientific knowledge.
Unfortunately, past practices associated with the execution of its mission adversely impacted soil and groundwater resources.
From June 1974 to December 1979, sludge and soil removed from a domestic and industrial wastewater lagoon was stockpiled on Bureau of Land Management land west of the NASA White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) facility boundary, less than a mile from the lagoon.
When accumulation of material ceased, the sludge/soil debris pile lay dormant with no boundary identification.
In 1993, during a Resource Conservation and Recovery Act field investigation the debris pile was identified and reported to the New Mexico Environment Department (NMED) and designated as Solid Waste Management Unit (SWMU) 16.
Investigation Summary
Initial investigations were completed at SWMU 16 in 2015 and 2018 to characterize the stockpiled sludge/soil and native soils beneath the stockpile to a depth of 30 feet.
Analysis of soil sample data indicated the contaminants in the pile posed a risk to human health and the environment due to identified concentrations of nitrates, metals, volatile and semi-volatile organics, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and dioxins and furans.
The NMED agreed to the removal and off-site disposal of New Mexico Special Waste in 2021.
Removal, Disposal, Confirmation Sampling
Excavation of the stockpile and the upper 6 inches of native soil was completed in January 2024.
Excavation of native soils extended approximately 10 ft beyond the extent of the pile.
A total of 1,072.7 tons of sludge and soil were disposed at the Corralitos Landfill.
In February 2024, confirmatory soil samples were collected from 38 locations on a 30-foot grid established across SWMU 16, encompassing the location of the removed stockpile and all areas potentially affected by site operations.
These samples were submitted for laboratory chemical analyses to determine if NASA had met is remedial objectives and eliminated the exposure risk to human health and the environment.
Risk Assessment
The results showed that NASA had succeeded. The site was restored.
Results of soil sample analyses did not identify site contaminants remain at the site, and a risk assessment did not identify elevated risk to receptors or to groundwater beneath the site.
NASA concluded that site contaminants have been removed, the risk to human health and the environment are below regulatory targets.
NASA recommended a change in site status from “Requiring Corrective Action” to “Corrective Action Complete without Controls”.
The report of results is currently under review by the NMED.
https://www.nasa.gov/general/soil-remediation-at-white-sands-test-facility/
How US-Indian NISAR Satellite Will Offer Unique Window on Earth
Jan 06, 2025
A Q&A with the lead U.S. scientist of the mission, which will track changes in everything from wetlands to ice sheets to infrastructure damaged by natural disasters.
The upcoming U.S.-India NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission will observe Earth like no mission before, offering insights about our planet’s ever-changing surface.
The NISAR mission is a first-of-a-kind dual-band radar satellite that will measure land deformation from earthquakes, landslides, and volcanoes, producing data for science and disaster response.
It will track how much glaciers and ice sheets are advancing or retreating and it will monitor growth and loss of forests and wetlands for insights on the global carbon cycle.
As diverse as NISAR’s impact will be, the mission’s winding path to launch — in a few months’ time — has also been remarkable.
Paul Rosen, NISAR’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, has been there at every step. He recently discussed the mission and what sets it apart.
How will NISAR improve our understanding of Earth?
The planet’s surfaces never stop changing — in some ways small and subtle, and in other ways monumental and sudden.
With NISAR, we’ll measure that change roughly every week, with each pixel capturing an area about half the size of a tennis court.
Taking imagery of nearly all Earth’s land and ice surfaces this frequently and at such a small scale — down to the centimeter — will help us put the pieces together into one coherent picture to create a story about the planet as a living system.
What sets NISAR apart from other Earth missions?
NISAR will be the first Earth-observing satellite with two kinds of radar — an L-band system with a 10-inch (25-centimeter) wavelength and an S-band system with a 4-inch (10-centimeter) wavelength.
Whether microwaves reflect or penetrate an object depends on their wavelength.
Shorter wavelengths are more sensitive to smaller objects such as leaves and rough surfaces, whereas longer wavelengths are more reactive with larger structures like boulders and tree trunks.
So NISAR’s two radar signals will react differently to some features on Earth’s surface.
By taking advantage of what each signal is or isn’t sensitive to, researchers can study a broader range of features than they could with either radar on its own, observing the same features with different wavelengths.
Is this new technology?
The concept of a spaceborne synthetic aperture radar, or SAR, studying Earth’s processes dates to the 1970s, when NASA launched Seasat.
Though the mission lasted only a few months, it produced first-of-a-kind images that changed the remote-sensing landscape for decades to come.
It also drew me to JPL in 1981 as a college student: I spent two summers analyzing data from the mission.
Seasat led to NASA’s Shuttle Imaging Radar program and later to the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission.
What will happen to the data from the mission?
Our data products will fit the needs of users across the mission’s science focus areas — ecosystems, cryosphere, and solid Earth — plus have many uses beyond basic research like soil-moisture and water resources monitoring.
We’ll make the data easily accessible. Given the volume of the data, NASA decided that it would be processed and stored in the cloud, where it’ll be free to access.
How did the ISRO partnership come about?
We proposed DESDynI (Deformation, Ecosystem Structure, and Dynamics of Ice), an L-band satellite, following the 2007 Decadal Survey by the National Academy of Sciences.
At the time, ISRO was exploring launching an S-band satellite. The two science teams proposed a dual-band mission, and in 2014 NASA and ISRO agreed to partner on NISAR.
Since then, the agencies have been collaborating across more than 9,000 miles (14,500 kilometers) and 13 time zones.
Hardware was built on different continents before being assembled in India to complete the satellite. It’s been a long journey — literally.
More About NISAR
The NISAR mission is an equal collaboration between NASA and ISRO and marks the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission.
Managed for the agency by Caltech, JPL leads the U.S. component of the project and is providing the mission’s L-band SAR.
NASA is also providing the radar reflector antenna, the deployable boom, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and payload data subsystem.
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/nisar/how-us-indian-nisar-satellite-will-offer-unique-window-on-earth/
https://nisar.jpl.nasa.gov/