TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
February 21, 2025
Hubble's Andromeda Galaxy Mosaic
The largest photomosaic ever assembled from Hubble Space Telescope image data is a panoramic view of our neighboring spiral Andromeda Galaxy. With 600 overlapping frames assembled from observations made from July 2010 to December 2022, the full Hubble Andromeda Galaxy mosaic spans almost six full moons across planet Earth's sky. A cropped version shown above is nearly two full moons across and partially covers Andromeda's core and inner spiral arms. Also known as M31, the Andromeda Galaxy is 2.5 million light-years away. That makes it the closest large spiral galaxy to our own Milky Way. Our perspective on the spiral Milky Way is anchored to the view from the location of the Sun, a star found within the Milky Way's galactic disk. But Hubble's magnificent Andromeda mosaic offers an expansive view of a large spiral galaxy from the outside looking in. Hubble's comprehensive, detailed data set extending across the Andromeda Galaxy will allow astronomers to make an unprecedented holistic exploration of the mysteries of spiral galaxy structure and evolution.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Hubble Spies a Spiral That May Be Hiding an Imposter
Feb 21, 2025
The sparkling spiral galaxy gracing this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is UGC 5460, which sits about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.
This image combines four different wavelengths of light to reveal UGC 5460’s central bar of stars, winding spiral arms, and bright blue star clusters.
Also captured in the upper left-hand corner is a far closer object: a star just 577 light-years away in our own galaxy.
UGC 5460 has hosted two recent supernovae: SN 2011ht and SN 2015as.
It’s because of these two stellar explosions that Hubble targeted this galaxy, collecting data for three observing programs that aim to study various kinds of supernovae.
SN 2015as was as a core-collapse supernova: a cataclysmic explosion that happens when the core of a star far more massive than the Sun runs out of fuel and collapses under its own gravity, initiating a rebound of material outside the core.
Hubble observations of SN 2015as will help researchers understand what happens when the expanding shockwave of a supernova collides with the gas that surrounds the exploded star.
SN 2011ht might have been a core-collapse supernova as well, but it could also be an impostor called a luminous blue variable.
Luminous blue variables are rare stars that experience eruptions so large that they can mimic supernovae.
Crucially, luminous blue variables emerge from these eruptions unscathed, while stars that go supernova do not.
Hubble will search for a stellar survivor at SN 2011ht’s location with the goal of revealing the explosion’s origin.
https://science.nasa.gov/missions/hubble/hubble-spies-a-spiral-that-may-be-hiding-an-imposter/
Science and space stuff just not your thing, huh?
Cash boost for NASA’s heat resistant microchip tech
21 Feb 2025
Heat-resistant sensing and computing chips made of silicon carbide (SiC) can handle higher voltages, temperatures and radiation levels than silicon alone, and have applications across sectors including transport, energy and space exploration. Engineers at NASA's Glenn Research Center have been exploring its potential, developing an SiC circuit that can withstand 500° C for thousands of hours, with a view to operating on Venus.
The new project will scale up NASA's technology and manufacturing process to a modern wafer size and ‘democratise’ SiC chip design.
Additional collaborators include the University of Michigan, GE Aerospace Research, Ozark Integrated Circuits (Ozark IC) and semiconductor manufacturer Wolfspeed.
The project will launch with $2.4 million in initial funding and could receive up to $7.5 million over three years.
"NASA, GE Aerospace and Ozark IC have done an amazing job of developing this technology, which is very impactful for a variety of applications,” said principal investigator Becky Peterson, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the University of Michigan’s Lurie Nanofabrication Facility.
“This project will provide a critical pathway to advance and commercialize that technology.
"We need advanced semiconductors produced domestically that can perform in these challenging high temperature environments."
As part of the project, NASA Glenn and GE Aerospace will work together to scale what's referred to as the high temperature SiC junction field effect transistor, or JFET, fabrication process from 100- to 150-millimeter wafers.
“SiC-based high temperature electronics will be a key enabler for delivering new sensor and actuator functionality that improves the capability of future DoD engine platforms,” said Aaron Knobloch, platform leader, controls and electrical systems at GE Aerospace Research.
“Beyond jet engines, the ability to handle more extreme temperature capabilities could open exciting new applications in control and sensing for hypersonic applications."
The project is one of 34 technical projects funded in 2024 by the U.S. Department of Defense through the Microelectronics Commons program, established by the CHIPS Act to boost US microelectronics.
https://www.theengineer.co.uk/content/news/cash-boost-for-nasa-s-heat-resistant-microchip-tech
https://spacenews.com/musk-calls-for-deorbiting-iss-as-soon-as-possible/
https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1892621691060093254
Musk calls for deorbiting ISS “as soon as possible”
February 20, 2025
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said that NASA should deorbit the International Space Station “as soon as possible,” preferably in the next two years, to focus on missions to Mars.
The sudden call by Musk to end the ISS years earlier than NASA currently plans, made on social media Feb. 20, threatens to further complicate the relationship between Musk, a close adviser to President Donald Trump, and the space agency and much of the space industry.
“It is time to begin preparations for deorbiting the @Space_Station,” Musk posted on X, the social media site he owns. “It has served its purpose. There is very little incremental utility. Let’s go to Mars.”
Asked to clarify if that meant deorbiting the ISS sooner than 2030, NASA’s current date for retiring the station, Musk said it should come down in two years.
“The decision is up to the President, but my recommendation is as soon as possible. I recommend 2 years from now,” he posted.
The comments, and the influence Musk currently wields in the administration, threaten to throw a wrench in NASA’s ISS transition plans.
Those plans call for operating the station to 2030, by which time the agency expects at least one commercial space station to be ready do that NASA can continue the research and technology development activities it currently conducts on the ISS.
As part of that effort, NASA awarded a $843 million contract to SpaceX in June 2024 to develop a spacecraft called the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV), based on the company’s Dragon spacecraft.
The USDV would dock with the station and handle the final maneuvers needed to deorbit the station over a desolate area of the South Pacific to minimize any risk of damage or injury to the public.
The spacecraft would launch to the station about a year before the planned deorbiting.
In the procurement of the USDV, NASA stated its preference to have the USDV delivered for launch as soon as August 2028 with a requirement that it be delivered no later than May 2029.
It is unclear if development of the USDV could be accelerated to meet Musk’s goal of a 2027 deorbit.
An early deorbit would also complicate relationships with both other companies and organizations involved with the ISS and commercial space station successors as well as the station’s international partners, who have committed to participating on the ISS to 2030 except for Russia, which has so far announced its intent be a part of the station to 2028.
One particular issue is that an early ISS deorbit would almost certainly mean a gap in permanent U.S. human presence in low Earth orbit.
That is the stated goal of NASA’s LEO Microgravity Strategy released in December, which backed what it called “continuous heartbeat,” or having people in orbit continuously.
NASA has previously discussed having an overlap between the ISS and commercial stations to allow for an orderly transition of research and equipment.
There are doubts in the industry whether any commercial space station could be ready by 2030, which could force NASA to either accept a gap or further extend the station.
Station developers, though, remain confident, with Vast recently outlining plans for a permanently-crewed station it projects to be ready before 2030 while Axiom updated its plans in December for a station that could support crews as soon as 2028.
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Key members of Congress reiterated last week their desire to maintain a continuous U.S. presence in LEO.
“Abandoning LEO in some well-intentioned but misguided effort to focus only on the moon or only on Mars would only allow China to fill that void, driving a wedge between the United States and our partners,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said at the Commercial Space Conference Feb. 12.
“That’s a path that we’re not going to take.”
He said then that the ISS should continue to operate until commercial successors are ready.
“We’ve invested more than $100 billion into the International Space Station, and it would be exceptionally foolhardy to prematurely send all that infrastructure and all those tax dollars to the bottom of the ocean.”
Rep. Brian Babin (R-Texas), chairman of the House Science Committee, offered similar comments at the conference. “The International Space Station is a technological marvel without any question, and it served us well for many decades,” he said.
“We must give careful thought to how both the International Space Station and upcoming commercial platforms will play a role in accomplishes the United States’ objectives in low Earth orbit.”
It is not certain what caused Musk to call for an early end for the ISS. SpaceX is a major company supporting operations of the station, providing the primary means for NASA astronauts to get to and from the station as well as transporting cargo.
However, Musk’s comments came a few hours after he lashed out at European Space Agency astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who went the station on the Crew-7 mission, using a Crew Dragon, from August 2023 to March 2024.
Mogensen, in a post on X early Feb. 20, criticized Musk for comments made in a television interview Feb. 18 claiming that NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were left on the ISS for political reasons by the Biden administration.
Neither Musk nor others have provided any evidence to support that allegation. “What a lie,” Mogensen wrote.
“Idiot,” Musk responded, using even harsher language in the post to describe Mogensen. Musk claimed that SpaceX offered to bring back Williams and Wilmore sooner but that the Biden administration refused.
He did not provide any additional information about that proposal, which neither he nor SpaceX, as well as NASA and the former Biden administration, had previously disclosed.
Less than two and a half hours after his response to Mogensen, Musk posted his call for an early deorbiting of the ISS.
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‘Drain the swamp’: Australian billionaire Clive Palmer launches Trump-inspired political party
Feb 19, 2025, 02:19 PM
Australian billionaire Clive Palmer launched on Feb 19 a political party he said was directly inspired by US President Donald Trump, months out from a nationwide federal election.
Mining magnate Palmer said his Trumpet of Patriots party would “drain the swamp” in the country’s capital Canberra, a reference to Mr Trump’s plans to drastically cut the size of government.
“We think Donald Trump’s been very effective in reducing public expenditure,” Mr Palmer told a news conference announcing the launch.
Mr Palmer was critical of mass immigration and said the party would recognise only two genders, reflecting positions also favoured by Mr Trump.
Trumpet of Patriots plans to stand candidates in all 150 seats in Australia’s Lower House, as well as the Upper Chamber, known as the Senate, Mr Palmer said.
Mr Palmer, Australia’s 18th richest person with a net worth of US$2.1 billion (S$2.8 billion) according to Forbes, previously led the right-wing United Australia Party (UAP), sitting as a lawmaker in the Lower House for three years from 2013.
He spent around A$100 million (S$85.4 million) on campaigning for the UAP in the last federal election, yielding a single senator in the Upper House.
He failed to register UAP in time for 2025’s election that must be held by May.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has yet to announce the date of the poll, which could be as early as March after the country’s central bank cut interest rates on Feb 18, a boost for the government that has seen its popularity fall due to cost of living pressures. REUTERS
https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/australianz/australian-billionaire-clive-palmer-launches-trump-inspired-political-party
US military releases first photo from orbit from its mysterious space plane
February 21, 2025
There aren’t a ton of specifics about what the military’s X-37B has been up to in space, but we now know one thing for certain: The view is pretty good.
On Thursday, Feb. 20, the Space Force released a single photo taken from the X-37B space plane, posted to the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service, or DVIDS.
The photo caption says the image was taken from “[a]n X-37B onboard camera, used to ensure the health and safety of the vehicle” and “captures an image of Earth while conducting experiments in a highly elliptical orbit in 2024.”
The photo captures part of the robotic space plane and a detailed look at the Earth. It’s not quite William Anders’ “Earthrise” picture, but does show the level of quality on the X-37B’s cameras, as well as a sense of just how far in orbit it is.
The exact date and time of the photo are unclear beyond being taken in 2024. As for where it is, well it’s aptly listed as being in the “Space Force area of responsibility.”
The X-37B took off on Dec. 28, 2023. While Space Force is open about launch dates and the final length in time for each of the space plane’s missions, exact details on its actions in orbit have been vague.
Aside from a few brief lists of experiments on board, this photo is the clearest look at the in-orbit action.
The X-37B, designed to function somewhere between a plane and a satellite, is on a heavily elliptical orbit, according to details released by Space Force.
The space plane, made by Boeing, has been conducting orbital tests since 2010. Its previous mission, which ended Nov. 12, 2022, ran 908 days.
It was the longest X-37B mission. On this mission, OTV-7, the X-37B is conducting several new tests. One of the biggest, conducted in recent months, was the first of its kind aerobraking experiment.
In November 2024 it began using drag from the friction of the atmosphere to adjust its orbit, using the resistance in place of burning fuel.
The move also let it jettison its payload module in a way designed to safely dispose of any space debris.
While Space Force and the U.S. military as a whole have put a lot of attention and effort into building up its satellite network in orbit, both for greater communication capabilities and for missile detection purposes, the X-37B has been a steady part of military tests for space.
The space plane concept as a whole has been so important that it ended up in the service branch’s first official portrait.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/space-force-x-37b-photos-orbit/
https://www.dvidshub.net/image/8878863/novel-space-maneuver-conducted-x-37b
China tests robot on board Tiangong space station
Updated: 9:38pm, 21 Feb 2025
China has carried out its first in-orbit test of an inspection robot on board its Tiangong space station.
The test, designed to check that the robot could be used effectively to maintain pipes and operate safely, was carried out last month, according to the China Manned Space Agency.
The Shenzhou-19 crew currently stationed on board the space station put it through its paces in a simulated network of complex piping.
The agency said: “During the test, the robot smoothly and reliably passed through straight pipes, curved pipes and tapered pipes of various diameters.”
Pipelines on the space station come in different shapes and sizes and feature large differences in diameter as well as sudden changes in dimension, making it difficult for a robot to adapt and increasing the risk it will get stuck.
To ensure the device was sufficiently flexible and adaptable, the developers looked to the movements of the hydraulic tube feet that marine animals such as starfish use to move.
paywall
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3299700/china-tests-robot-board-tiangong-space-station
Earth from Space: Tokyo, Japan
21/02/2025
This Copernicus Sentinel-1 radar image shows Tokyo and its metropolitan area, the largest urban agglomeration in the world.
Zoom in to explore this image at its full 10 m resolution.
Japan’s capital lies on the eastern shore of Honshu, the largest of Japan’s four main islands.
Tokyo city has more than 14 million inhabitants, while the Greater Tokyo Area, which includes Tokyo and parts of the neighbouring prefectures, is home to more than 40 million people.
The bright grey and white tones of this urban conurbation dominate the centre of the image and are in sharp contrast to the colours in the ocean and water bodies.
Three main rivers can be seen winding through the urban area, then flowing into Tokyo Bay. The central river is the Arakawa, with the Edo river to the north and the Tama to the south.
Tokyo’s centre lies mainly south of the Arakawa river, while at the mouth of the Tama, the runways of Haneda Airport are also visible.
This image is a combination of three radar acquisitions during 2024 and highlights changes that occurred between each capture.
A colour is assigned to each acquisition date: red for 16 August, green for 28 August and blue for 9 September.
Shades of grey indicate areas with no changes, such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Area with a high density of structures and buildings, which appear bright grey or white.
The mix of colours in the ocean water denotes changes on the surface, which occurred during the dates of acquisition, caused by winds or currents.
Ships in Tokyo Bay appear as multi-coloured dots, with the colour corresponding to the date of acquisition.
In the top right corner, Lake Kasumigaura stands out in dark blue hues, due to its surface roughness during the third acquisition.
One of the activities carried out on Kasumigaura is pearl cultivation, with its structures seen as white, rectangular features on the lake.
Radar data are particularly useful for detecting surface features and are therefore used to map the topography.
For example, in the left side of the image we can see the mountain reliefs of the Chichibu-Tama-Kai National Park in the upper part and Mount Fuji to its south near the coast.
The Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission provides all-weather, day-and-night radar imagery of Earth’s land and oceans, which is useful for monitoring evolving situations, such as ground movements, urban development and ship tracking.
https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2025/02/Earth_from_Space_Tokyo_Japan
PLD Space expands global launch network with new Oman spaceport
Feb 21, 2025
PLD Space, a global provider of space services specializing in vertically integrated engineering and manufacturing, has announced its selection of the Etlaq spaceport in Oman as its second operational launch site for the MIURA rocket family.
This addition strengthens the company's existing capabilities at the Centre Spatial Guyanais (CSG) in Kourou, French Guiana, which is managed by CNES and ESA.
By establishing this new site, PLD Space aims to enhance its launch services and meet increasing commercial demands, particularly from the Middle East market.
The company is also planning to establish a third spaceport in the near future to support growing operational needs and ensure the execution of the MIURA 5 launch schedule.
This strategic expansion aligns with PLD Space's goal of becoming a multi-spaceport operator, maximizing launch availability and proximity for its customers worldwide.
The MIURA 5 roadmap currently includes a total of 30 flights by 2030, requiring operational facilities in three distinct global regions.
With its CSG base supporting launches for the Americas and Europe, PLD Space has now partnered with Oman's Etlaq spaceport to cater to Eastern markets, particularly in the Middle East.
Through this agreement, PLD Space becomes the first major launch provider to operate from this facility.
The official announcement took place on February 20, 2025, at the inaugural Etlaq Launch Conference (ELC 2025) in Muscat, Oman.
PLD Space Co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO) Raul Verdu signed the agreement alongside Etlaq's Founder and CEO, His Highness Sayyid Azzan bin Qais Al Said.
The signing ceremony was attended by government officials, industry leaders, space sector experts, and academic representatives.
"Given the current shortage of launch infrastructure, we are excited to announce this strategic collaboration with Etlaq, which presents itself as a strategic solution to meet the needs of our customers globally," said Verdu.
"We will begin working with Etlaq on the design, engineering, and construction of our launch base with the goal of performing the first MIURA 5 flight from there in 2027."
Strategically located in Duqm on Oman's southeastern coast, the Etlaq spaceport offers key advantages, including access to commercially significant orbits.
Its proximity to the equator optimizes launches for low-inclination orbits such as GEO, while also enabling medium-inclination missions, including those to the International Space Station (ISS) orbit.
Furthermore, the site provides direct launch access to high-inclination orbits like Sun-Synchronous Orbit (SSO) and Polar.
His Highness Sayyid Azzan bin Qais Al Said, Founder and CEO of Etlaq, emphasized the importance of the partnership, stating: "We are proud to reach this milestone with PLD Space.
This collaboration with PLD Space demonstrates the increasing role of Oman in the global space sector. By working with international launch providers, we aim to enhance our capabilities and contribute to the growing demand for flexible, efficient, and well-positioned spaceports.
We look forward to continuing to build partnerships that strengthen Etlaq's role as a key player in the industry."
Etlaq also boasts robust logistical connections to PLD Space's headquarters in Elche, Spain, a stable climate conducive to year-round launches, and a vast ocean downrange area for mission safety.
The spaceport is designed to accommodate all members of the MIURA rocket family, including future crewed missions aboard PLD Space's LINCE capsule, making it a long-term strategic initiative.
PLD Space is committed to fostering local economic growth through job creation and the establishment of a high-value supply chain.
This approach aligns with Oman's broader efforts to develop its space sector and strengthen its role in global space initiatives.
"We are excited to announce this strategic collaboration with Etlaq, the result of years of joint effort," said Verdu.
"This decision reflects our commitment to listening to our customers and adapting our services to their needs, particularly their demand for greater proximity to launch bases.
The partnership with Etlaq enhances our flexibility and complements our existing services, reinforcing our ability to deliver on the promise of 'Any Orbit, Any Time, Any Satellite.'
With expanded capabilities from equatorial orbits to dedicated inclination missions, including SSO launches to the South, we are providing the solutions our customers have been seeking."
https://www.spacedaily.com/reports/PLD_Space_expands_global_launch_network_with_new_Oman_spaceport_999.html
Musk hits back at astronaut who called his space station mission a 'lie' in vicious online back and fourth
Updated: 04:48 EST, 21 February 2025
Elon Musk has been caught up in an ugly online spat after an astronaut blasted his mission to return two stranded NASA astronauts as a 'lie.'
The SpaceX founder vowed on Wednesday to return Butch Wilmore, 62, and Sunita Williams, 59, to Earth 'within about four weeks' as he hit out at the Biden administration for abandoning them in space in an interview with Sean Hannity.
'They were left up there for political reasons, which is not good,' Musk claimed in the interview, with Trump adding '[Biden] was going to leave them in space. I think he was going to leave them in space.'
But Danish astronaut Andreas Mogensen, who in 2023 piloted a mission for SpaceX, rebuked the claim.
'What a lie,' the 48-year-old European Space Agency astronaut wrote on X. 'And from someone who complains about lack of honesty from the mainstream media.'
Musk did not take well to the criticism, calling Mogensen 'fully r*.
'SpaceX could have brought them back several months ago. I OFFERED THIS DIRECTLY to the Biden administration and they refused. Return WAS pushed back for political reasons. Idiot.'
Still, Mogensen doubled down on his criticism of Musk's claim.
'Elon I have long admired you and what you accomplished, especially at SpaceX and Tesla,' he wrote back, taking the high ground.
'You know as well as I do that Butch and Suni are returning with Crew-9, as has been the plan since last September.
'Even now, you are not sending up a rescue ship to bring them home. They are returning on the Dragon capsule and that has been on [the International Space Station] since last September.'
Williams and Wilmore left Earth inside Boeing's Starliner capsule to the International Space Station in early June with plans of an eight-day stay on the ship.
But after an issue was identified with their capsule, they were stranded.
After weeks of tests, NASA ultimately decided that Starliner was not safe enough to carry humans back to Earth and in September, the doomed spacecraft was sent home empty.
By September, SpaceX launched a Crew Dragon Capsule in an effort to rescue the pair. It successfully arrived at the space station, but has not yet been cleared to attempt to return to Earth with them on board.
President Donald Trump and Musk have since blamed the Biden administration for Wilmore and Williams extended stay.
After taking office, Trump wrote that he and Musk had a plan to bring the duo home sooner than anticipated in a TruthSocial post.
'I have just asked Elon Musk and SpaceX to 'go get' the two brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned by the Biden administration,' Trump wrote on January 28.
'They have been waiting many months on [the] Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!'
NASA then announced that the pair will return home on March 19, about two weeks earlier than the previous schedule, after launching the incoming crew on March 12.
Despite the setbacks, Wilmore and Williams have denied that they feel abandoned.
'We don't feel abandoned. We don't feel stuck. We don't feel stranded,' Wilmore told CNN. 'I understand why others may think that. We come prepared.
Still, the astronauts admitted they needed to come home, but noted that keeping the normal cycle of astronauts on the ISS going is critical.
This handover period requires a new crew to take over the ISS from the previous crew.
Williams and Wilmore's relief crew have been named as NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Kirill Peskov.
The incoming crew will meet with Williams and Wilmore for a brief about ongoing scientific and maintenance projects that they will be taking over.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14420161/Musk-astronaut-space-station-lie-Butch-Wilmore-Sunita-Williams.html
CRISPR manipulation of UFO gene reveals complex plant flowering dynamics
February 19, 2025
Humans have appreciated the beauty of flowers for centuries. Yet, flowers aren't just aesthetically pleasing. They also play a crucial role in plant reproduction.
In all plants, a well-studied gene with a curious name, Unusual Floral Organs (UFO), orchestrates the flowering process.
UFO expression hinges on another complex process called cis-regulation. And this one has remained a "black box" of plant biology research for years.
Now, using CRISPR gene editing, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor and HHMI Investigator Zachary Lippman and his colleagues have begun to uncover the ways in which fragments of non-coding DNA called cis-regulatory sequences dictate how, when, and at what level UFO is expressed.
The research is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Lippman says this work could one day help researchers make better decisions about which genes to manipulate for more desirable crops.
He explains, "We could have chosen many other genes. We chose this one because it was pretty clear it was going to have that kind of exquisite control.
That's because the flower is a complex structure, and the genes that control its development are very regulated in time, space, and levels."
The researchers focused on two distantly related flowering plants: tomato and Arabidopsis.
First, they identified DNA sequences that don't code for proteins but are still present in the segment of DNA that turns UFO on and off in both plants.
The mere fact the sequences are conserved makes them good candidates for targeting, Lippman says.
"It's a good indication that those sequences have been selected by evolution because they're important in controlling gene expression." However, he adds,
"You can't know until you actually do mutations in those sequences and see what happens."
Lippman and his team manipulated those non-coding sequences with CRISPR to see how it would affect flower formation. They discovered that the sequences strongly impact flowering in both plants.
However, manipulations affect each species differently. For example, deleting a certain sequence in tomatoes resulted in flower formation, but deleting the matching sequence in Arabidopsis suppressed flowering.
"It's fascinating that different deletions had opposite effects on flowering," says CSHL postdoc Amy Lanctot.
"It seems these sequences act together to balance each other out and make sure plants are flowering at the right place and time."
The finding could help biologists better understand how cis-regulatory fragments control gene function. "The goal is to reach a better understanding of how functionally complex cis-regulatory DNA is," Lippman says.
"If we can do that, we can better determine which sequences we want to mutate and what kind of mutations we want to make."
https://phys.org/news/2025-02-crispr-ufo-gene-reveals-complex.html
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2421990122
ABL Space renamed Long Wall as it shifts focus to defense market
February 20, 2025
ABL Space, once an emerging contender in the commercial launch industry, is rebranding as Long Wall as it pivots away from launching small satellites to focus on defense applications, including missile defense and hypersonic flight testing.
The company, founded in 2017 in El Segundo, California, initially sought to disrupt the small satellite launch market with its RS1 rocket, a low-cost, rapidly deployable vehicle designed to be transported in standard shipping containers.
However, the venture struggled to gain traction, suffering two failed orbital launch attempts in 2023 and 2024.
Facing stiff competition from established players like SpaceX and Rocket Lab, as well as financial challenges, ABL ultimately decided to shift gears.
On Feb. 19, founder and CEO Dan Piemont announced in a company blog post that ABL would rebrand as Long Wall, a name inspired by the defensive structures built by ancient Athens to protect against sieges.
The company’s focus is developing containerized missile defense systems and target rockets for U.S. military applications.
The Defense Department has made clear its need for more cost-effective solutions for hypersonic flight testing and missile defense, Piemont said.
Under its new strategy, the company will offer deployable missile defense and hypersonic test vehicles, repurposing its RS1 rocket as a target vehicle for military testing.
These rockets would be used to simulate incoming threats in live-fire exercises or test advanced missile interceptors.
Long Wall has yet to disclose any signed contracts or customers. The pivot aligns with a broader trend of space startups shifting toward defense work amid challenges in the commercial market.
The transition is also driven by expectations of lucrative opportunities driven by rising geopolitical tensions and increased Pentagon interest in hypersonic and missile defense capabilities.
https://spacenews.com/abl-space-renamed-long-wall-as-it-shifts-focus-to-defense-market/
Knight of the Ninth