NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day

February 11, 2025

The Spider and the Fly

Will the spider ever catch the fly? Not if both are large emission nebulas toward the constellation of the Charioteer (Auriga). The spider-shaped gas cloud in the image center is actually an emission nebula labelled IC 417, while the smaller fly-shaped cloud on the left is dubbed NGC 1931 and is both an emission nebula and a reflection nebula. About 10,000 light-years distant, both nebulas harbor young star clusters. For scale, the more compact NGC 1931 (Fly) is about 10 light-years across. The featured deep image, captured over 20 hours during late January in Berkshire UK, also shows more diffuse and red-glowing interstellar gas and dust.

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

>>22560157

NASA Scientists Spot Candidate for Speediest Exoplanet System

Feb 10, 2025

Astronomers may have discovered a scrawny star bolting through the middle of our galaxy with a planet in tow.

If confirmed, the pair sets a new record for the fastest-moving exoplanet system, nearly double our solar system’s speed through the Milky Way.

The planetary system is thought to move at least 1.2 million miles per hour, or 540 kilometers per second.

“We think this is a so-called super-Neptune world orbiting a low-mass star at a distance that would lie between the orbits of Venus and Earth if it were in our solar system,” said Sean Terry, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Maryland, College Park and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Since the star is so feeble, that’s well outside its habitable zone. “If so, it will be the first planet ever found orbiting a hypervelocity star.”

A Star on the Move

The pair of objects was first spotted indirectly in 2011 thanks to a chance alignment.

A team of scientists combed through archived data from MOA (Microlensing Observations in Astrophysics) – a collaborative project focused on a microlensing survey conducted using the University of Canterbury Mount John Observatory in New Zealand — in search of light signals that betray the presence of exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system.

Microlensing occurs because the presence of mass warps the fabric of space-time. Any time an intervening object appears to drift near a background star, light from the star curves as it travels through the warped space-time around the nearer object.

If the alignment is especially close, the warping around the object can act like a natural lens, amplifying the background star’s light.

In this case, microlensing signals revealed a pair of celestial bodies.

Scientists determined their relative masses (one is about 2,300 times heavier than the other), but their exact masses depend on how far away they are from Earth.

It’s sort of like how the magnification changes if you hold a magnifying glass over a page and move it up and down.

“Determining the mass ratio is easy,” said David Bennett, a senior research scientist at the University of Maryland, College Park and NASA Goddard, who co-authored the new paper and led the original study in 2011. “It’s much more difficult to calculate their actual masses.”

The 2011 discovery team suspected the microlensed objects were either a star about 20 percent as massive as our Sun and a planet roughly 29 times heavier than Earth, or a nearer “rogue” planet about four times Jupiter’s mass with a moon smaller than Earth.

To figure out which explanation is more likely, astronomers searched through data from the Keck Observatory in Hawaii and ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Gaia satellite.

If the pair were a rogue planet and moon, they’d be effectively invisible – dark objects lost in the inky void of space. But scientists might be able to identify the star if the alternative explanation were correct (though the orbiting planet would be much too faint to see).

They found a strong suspect located about 24,000 light-years away, putting it within the Milky Way’s galactic bulge — the central hub where stars are more densely packed. By comparing the star’s location in 2011 and 2021, the team calculated its high speed.

But that’s just its 2D motion; if it’s also moving toward or away from us, it must be moving even faster. Its true speed may even be high enough to exceed the galaxy’s escape velocity of just over 1.3 million miles per hour, or about 600 kilometers per second. If so, the planetary system is destined to traverse intergalactic space many millions of years in the future.

“To be certain the newly identified star is part of the system that caused the 2011 signal, we’d like to look again in another year and see if it moves the right amount and in the right direction to confirm it came from the point where we detected the signal,” Bennett said.

“If high-resolution observations show that the star just stays in the same position, then we can tell for sure that it is not part of the system that caused the signal,” said Aparna Bhattacharya, a research scientist at the University of Maryland, College Park and NASA Goddard who co-authored the new paper. “That would mean the rogue planet and exomoon model is favored.”

NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will help us find out how common planets are around such speedy stars, and may offer clues to how these systems are accelerated.

The mission will conduct a survey of the galactic bulge, pairing a large view of space with crisp resolution.

https://www.nasa.gov/universe/nasa-scientists-spot-candidate-for-speediest-exoplanet-system/

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ad9b0f/meta

NASA’s radiation tolerant computer lives up to its name after surviving Van Allen belts

Tue 11 Feb 2025 // 05:56 UTC

NASA has revealed its experimental Radiation Tolerant Computer has made it through the famously and furiously radiating Van Allen belts in one piece.

The computer, known as the “RadPC”, went into space on January 15th atop a SpaceX Falcon launcher. NASA bought the machine a ticket on a mission run by Firefly Aerospace, which hopes to land a craft called “Blue Ghost” on Luna.

Before travelling to the Moon, Blue Ghost spent more than three weeks in Earth orbit. During that time it passed through the Van Allen belt and gave RadPC the chance to earn its name.

Radiation and computers don’t mix because a single high-energy particle can, according to NASA, “trigger a so-called ‘single event effect,’ causing minor data errors that lead to cascading malfunctions, system crashes, and permanent damage.”

Humans increasingly struggle to survive on Earth without computers, and in space the machines may be even more important. NASA therefore wants resilient machines that can survive space travel, and funded development of the RadPC.

Precise design details are hard to find, but a 2021 paper [PDF] written by folks from Montana State University (MSU) – which was contracted to build RadPC – mentions a design based on the Xilinx Artix-7 FPGA packing four processors.

An MSU press release decribes RadPC as “4 inches square and 0.5 inches thick … about the size of a slice of bread.”

The device is being commercialized by a company called Resilient Computing that offers a product called RadPC that also uses the Xilinx Artix-7.

Resilient Computing’s description of its RadPC states it features two kilobytes of data memory – the same quantity mentioned in the MSU paper.

The paper also explains that RadPC has four processors (Resilient Computing says they’re RISC-V designs) that all run the same program and feed data to a “voter” that checks output for consistency.

If one of the processors produces anomalous results, it is considered faulty and isolated.

RadPC can correct hardware errors, thanks to the presence of a microcontroller designed to do so.

NASA’s explanation of RadPC’s healing powers states: “In the event of a radiation strike, RadPC’s patented recovery procedures can identify the location of the fault and repair the issue in the background.”

Were guessing that's why FPGAs were used - as the name implies, they're field-programmable.

RadPC is apparently three times more resilient than other computers sent into space, a claim buttressed by the fact several prototypes have already spent time in orbit.

RadPC also includes three dosimeters to measure radiation, which will be used by Blue Ghost to measure the interaction between Earth’s magnetosphere and the solar wind during its journey to the Moon.

The instruments will also operate on the Moon, providing info about the radiation environment of the landing site it’s hoped will help future crewed missions.

Before that can happen, Blue Ghost needs to get to the moon. Over the weekend, the craft performed a Trans Lunar Injection burn, followed by an expected correction maneuver.

The lander will spend four days getting to lunar orbit, then swing around Earth’s natural satellite for 16 days until a planned landing on March 2nd.

Firefly hopes Blue Ghost, and the payloads it carries, operate for 14 days before lunar night falls.

After that, who knows? Japan’s SLIM lander last year unexpectedly survived three Lunar nights. Maybe RadPC will, too?

https://www.theregister.com/2025/02/11/nasa_radpc_firefly_moon_mission/

https://www.montana.edu/news/24231/experimental-computer-developed-at-montana-state-launches-successfully-for-the-moon

https://wetlands.msuextension.org/blameres/vitae/publications/d_conference_full/conf_full_051_lunar_mission_overview_mar21.pdf

Application of the Month: NASA Uses 3D Printing to Manufacture More Accessible Antennas

February 11, 2025

Aerospace is one of the sectors where additive manufacturing has truly left its mark. This includes in telecommunications.

Here, 3D printing makes it possible to develop antennas with improved designs and advanced materials.

These antennas are essential for data transmission in space missions as they facilitate communication between satellites, probes and the Earth.

Recently, engineers from NASA’s Near Space Network and the Electronics 3D Printing group at Goddard Space Flight Center developed and tested a 3D printed antenna using Fortify’s technology.

The project sought to demonstrate low-cost design and manufacturing capabilities for efficient antennas that meet industry requirements.

The antenna was evaluated with relay satellites and launched on a weather balloon from NASA’s Columbia Scientific Facility in Palestine, Texas.

This development took only three months and represents a milestone in the manufacture of low-cost communication equipment for future space missions.

The development of 3D printed antennas has many challenges.

Manufacturing antennas using 3D printing is particularly complex due to the need to integrate materials with specific electromagnetic properties and ensure adequate conductivity for signal transmission.

Engineers designed an optimized structure for data transmission and used innovative materials.

NASA stated that “low electrical resistance, tunable, ceramic-filled polymer material,” which allowed it to improve signal tuning.

After design and printing, the antenna was tested with NASA’s relay satellites before being tested at high altitudes aboard a weather balloon.

Testing the Efficiency of the 3D Printed Antenna

The antenna was 3D printed using technology from Fortify, a startup specializing in equipment for the manufacture of radio frequency devices.

Although it has not specified the exact model of the printer used, it is known that Fortify delivered a Flux One printer to NASA’s Glenn Research Center in August last year.

The agency stated that Fortify’s platform allowed its engineers to have full control over the electromagnetic and mechanical properties of the antenna, achieving fabrication in a few hours.

The resulting antenna was of the magneto-electric dipole type, and what characterizes it is its doughnut-shaped radiation pattern. A shape widely used in telecommunications.

As part of the initial testing, the antenna was moved to the electromagnetic anechoic chamber at the Goddard Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

This chamber is designed to eliminate electromagnetic interference, which allowed the antenna’s performance to be accurately evaluated.

Subsequently, field tests were conducted at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Texas.

In these tests, the 3D printed antenna was compared to a standard satellite antenna, evaluating its performance at different angles and elevations.

The antenna was also subjected to extreme conditions. It was installed on a weather balloon that was raised to 100,000 feet, just over 30 kilometers, in order to verify its ability to send and receive data.

Surprisingly, the antenna successfully passed these tests, confirming its viability for future space applications.

This NASA application example opens up new possibilities for antenna manufacturing.

Thanks to rapid prototyping and the design and material flexibility offered by additive manufacturing, NASA will be able to develop more efficient communication systems tailored to different missions.

https://www.3dnatives.com/en/application-of-the-month-nasa-3d-printing-accessible-antennas-110220254/

Biotechnology to Sustain Crews on Long Missions Tops Research Schedule

February 10, 2025

Biotechnology kicked off the work week aboard the International Space Station as the Expedition 72 crew members explored ways to counter the effects of microgravity and produce vitamins and nutrients during long-term space missions.

The lack of gravity leads body fluids to move toward an astronaut’s head potentially causing eye structure and vision problems.

NASA Flight Engineers Nick Hague and Butch Wilmore spent all day Monday investigating the phenomena using a thigh cuff as a potential countermeasure to the headward fluid shifts.

Hague wore electrodes and the thigh cuff as Wilmore performed an ultrasound scan on Hague, measured his eye fluid pressure, and checked his blood pressure testing the effectiveness of the biomedical device.

The tight leg cuffs are compact and lightweight, ideal for spacecraft, and may help protect crews on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Providing vitamins and nutrients to keep crews healthy is another key research goal as NASA and its international partners plan longer-term missions farther away from Earth.

Station Commander Suni Williams reviewed procedures on Monday for the BioNutrients biotechnology study to demonstrate producing fresh nutrients in space. Preserving nutrients on long-term space missions causes them to degrade over time.

However, using genetically engineered yeast to enable on-demand production of nutrients to supplement potential vitamin losses from the stored food may benefit crews traveling longer and farther away from Earth.

NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit spent his day inside the Tranquility module on orbital plumbing duties replacing hydraulic components on the waste and hygiene compartment, or the space station’s bathroom.

Cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner started their day testing communications with the Progress 89 cargo craft due to depart at the end of February after six months docked to the rear port of the Zvezda service module.

Ovchinin then moved on and worked on Zvezda’s ventilation system and began packing the Progress 89 with trash and discarded gear.

Vagner worked on orbital plumbing inside Zvezda’s bathroom repairing pumps and pipes inside the Roscosmos segment’s toilet.

Flight Engineer Aleksandr Gorbunov spent his day inside the Nauka science module first swapping out electrical hardware then inspecting and cleaning laptop computers.

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/spacestation/2025/02/10/biotechnology-to-sustain-crews-on-long-missions-tops-research-schedule/

Chairman Comer & Rep. Luna to Hold Press Conference on New Oversight Committee Task Force

Feb 10, 2025

WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) and Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) will hold a press conference on Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at 3:00pm ET to announce the creation of a new Oversight Committee task force of national interest.

Who:

House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer

Representative Anna Paulina Luna

What: Press Conference

When: Tuesday, February 11, 2025, at 3:00pm ET

Where: House Radio-TV Gallery, Studio A

https://oversight.house.gov/release/chairman-comer-rep-luna-to-hold-press-conference-on-new-oversight-committee-task-force/

https://x.com/realannapaulina/status/1889164040443732399

NASA-Led Study Pinpoints Areas Sinking, Rising Along California Coast

Feb 10, 2025

The elevation changes may seem small — amounting to fractions of inches per year — but they can increase or decrease local flood risk, wave exposure, and saltwater intrusion.

Tracking and predicting sea level rise involves more than measuring the height of our oceans: Land along coastlines also inches up and down in elevation.

Using California as a case study, a NASA-led team has shown how seemingly modest vertical land motion could significantly impact local sea levels in coming decades.

By 2050, sea levels in California are expected to increase between 6 and 14.5 inches (15 and 37 centimeters) higher than year 2000 levels. Melting glaciers and ice sheets, as well as warming ocean water, are primarily driving the rise.

As coastal communities develop adaptation strategies, they can also benefit from a better understanding of the land’s role, the team said. The findings are being used in updated guidance for the state.

“In many parts of the world, like the reclaimed ground beneath San Francisco, the land is moving down faster than the sea itself is going up,” said lead author Marin Govorcin, a remote sensing scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

The new study illustrates how vertical land motion can be unpredictable in scale and speed; it results from both human-caused factors such as groundwater pumping and wastewater injection, as well as from natural ones like tectonic activity.

The researchers showed how direct satellite observations can improve estimates of vertical land motion and relative sea level rise.

Current models, which are based on tide gauge measurements, cannot cover every location and all the dynamic land motion at work within a given region.

Researchers from JPL and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) used satellite radar to track more than a thousand miles of California coast rising and sinking in new detail.

They pinpointed hot spots — including cities, beaches, and aquifers — at greater exposure to rising seas now and in coming decades.

To capture localized motion inch by inch from space, the team analyzed radar measurements made by ESA’s (the European Space Agency’s) Sentinel-1 satellites, as well as motion velocity data from ground-based receiving stations in the Global Navigation Satellite System.

Researchers compared multiple observations of the same locations made between 2015 to 2023 using a processing technique called interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR).

Homing in on the San Francisco Bay Area — specifically, San Rafael, Corte Madera, Foster City, and Bay Farm Island — the team found the land subsiding at a steady rate of more than 0.4 inches (10 millimeters) per year due largely to sediment compaction.

Accounting for this subsidence in the lowest-lying parts of these areas, local sea levels could rise more than 17 inches (45 centimeters) by 2050. That’s more than double the regional estimate of 7.4 inches (19 centimeters) based solely on tide gauge projections.

Not all coastal locations in California are sinking. The researchers mapped uplift hot spots of several millimeters per year in the Santa Barbara groundwater basin, which has been steadily replenishing since 2018.

They also observed uplift in Long Beach, where fluid extraction and injection occur with oil and gas production.

The scientists further calculated how human-induced drivers of local land motion increase uncertainties in the sea level projections by up to 15 inches (40 centimeters) in parts of Los Angeles and San Diego counties.

Reliable projections in these areas are challenging because the unpredictable nature of human activities, such as hydrocarbon production and groundwater extraction, necessitating ongoing monitoring of land motion.

In the middle of California, in the fast-sinking parts of the Central Valley (subsiding as much as 8 inches, or 20 centimeters, per year), land motion is influenced by groundwater withdrawal.

Periods of drought and precipitation can alternately draw down or inflate underground aquifers. Such fluctuations were also observed over aquifers in Santa Clara in the San Francisco Bay Area, Santa Ana in Orange County, and Chula Vista in San Diego County.

Along rugged coastal terrain like the Big Sur mountains below San Francisco and Palos Verdes Peninsula in Los Angeles, the team pinpointed local zones of downward motion associated with slow-moving landslides.

In Northern California they also found sinking trends at marshlands and lagoons around San Francisco and Monterey bays, and in Sonoma County’s Russian River estuary.

https://www.nasa.gov/missions/nisar/nasa-led-study-pinpoints-areas-sinking-rising-along-california-coast/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/images/pia25530-map-of-california-subsidence-and-uplift/

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ads8163

>>22560618

Confirmed!

There, saved them all a few hours.