TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
March 15, 2025
Tololo Totality
On March 14 the Moon was Full. In an appropriate celebration of Pi day, that put the Moon 3.14 radians (180 degrees) in ecliptic longitude from the Sun in planet Earth's sky. As a bonus for fans of Pi and the night sky, on that date the Moon also passed directly through Earth's umbral shadow in a total lunar eclipse. In clear skies, the colors of an eclipsed Moon can be vivid. Reflecting the deeply reddened sunlight scattered into Earth's shadow, the darkened lunar disk was recorded in this time series composite image from Cerro Tololo Observatory, Chile. The lunar triptych captures the start, middle, and end of the total eclipse phase that lasted about an hour. A faint bluish tint seen just along the brighter lunar limb at the shadow's edge is due to sunlight filtered through Earth's stratospheric ozone layer.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
NASA Science Data Received, Blue Ghost Captures Eclipse From Moon
March 14, 2025
Following a successful landing on March 2, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 has been operating on the lunar surface for nearly two weeks.
As part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander delivered 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the Mare Crisium basin on the near side of the Moon.
All NASA payloads have successfully powered on, collected science data, and operated on the surface of the Moon. Early Friday morning, Blue Ghost captured images of the lunar eclipse from the Moon.
Other NASA science highlights include:
The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) acquired and tracked Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, from satellite networks such as GPS and Galileo, in transit and on the surface of the Moon.
This is the first time a navigation solution has been achieved using GNSS signals in lunar orbit and on the Moon.
The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) captured a series of X-ray images to study the interaction of the solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field, providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces surrounding Earth affect the planet.
The Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector (NGLR) successfully reflected and returned laser light from two Lunar Laser Ranging Observatories, returning measurements that allow scientists to precisely measure the Moon’s shape and distance from Earth, expanding our understanding of the Moon’s inner structure.
The Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder (LMS) was activated and successfully deployed five sensors to study the Moon’s interior by measuring electric and magnetic fields.
The LMS instrument will allow scientists to characterize the interior of the Moon to depths up to 700 miles or more than halfway to the center of the Moon.
The Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER) is now the deepest robotic planetary subsurface thermal probe, reaching up to 3 feet (1 meter).
Providing a first-of-its kind demonstration of robotic thermal measurements at varying depths, LISTER uses gas as the primary means of excavating (without conventional rotary or percussive drilling elements), as well as a coiled metal tube that straightens out and bores down in the hole created by the compressed gas.
The Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS) instrument captured more than 3,000 images during the spacecraft’s lunar descent and touchdown on the Moon, providing insights into the effects engine plumes have on the surface.
The SCALPSS payload also took hourly images the first couple of days after landing and was able to observe the shadows moving over the surface, which provided some additional data regarding the areas previously in shadow.
Lunar PlanetVac (LPV) was deployed on Blue Ghost’s surface access arm and successfully collected, transferred, and sorted lunar soil from the Moon using pressurized nitrogen gas, demonstrating a low-cost, low-mass solution for future robotic sample collection.
The Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) successfully lifted and removed lunar regolith using electrodynamic forces on the glass and thermal radiator surfaces.
These results demonstrate that EDS is a promising solution for dust mitigation on future lunar and interplanetary surface operations.
The Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC) instrument examined how lunar regolith sticks to a range of materials exposed to the Moon’s environment, allowing the industry to better test, improve, and protect spacecraft, spacesuits, and habitats from abrasive lunar dust or regolith.
The Radiation Tolerant Computer (RadPC) successfully operated in transit, including through the Earth’s Van Allen Belts, and on the lunar surface, verifying solutions to mitigate radiation effects on computers that could make future missions safer and more cost effective.
https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/missions/2025/03/14/nasa-science-data-received-blue-ghost-captures-eclipse-from-moon/
https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-1/
Sols 4479-4480: What IS That Lumpy, Bumpy Rock?
Mar 14, 2025
The days are getting shorter and colder for Curiosity as we head into winter. So our rover is sleeping in a bit before waking up to a busy plan.
Today I served as the Engineering Uplink Lead, managing the engineering side of the plan to support all the science activities.
We are seeing a lot of rocks with different, interesting textures, so Curiosity’s day begins with a lot of targeted imaging of this interesting area.
The two rocks right in front of us (see image above) are different from anything that we have looked at before on the mission, so we are eager to know what they are.
We are taking Mastcam images of “Manzana Creek” and “Palo Comado,” two of these interestingly textured rocks, and also of an area named “Vincent Gap,” where the rover disturbed some bedrock and exposed some regolith by driving over it in the prior plan.
ChemCam is making a LIBS observation of a target called “Sturtevant Falls,” which is a nodule on the left-hand block in our workspace (on which we are later doing some contact science).
ChemCam is also taking a long-distance RMI image in the direction of the potential boxworks formation (large veins), which is an area we will be exploring close-up in the future.
There are also a Navcam dust devil movie and suprahorzion movie. Check out this article from November for more information on the boxwork formations.
After a nap, Curiosity wakes up to get in her arm exercise. I do not envy the Arm Rover Planner today (OK, maybe a little bit) in dealing with this very challenging workspace.
The rock of interest (the left-hand rock in the above image) has jagged, vertical surfaces and a lot of crazy rough texture.
Examining this rock is even more challenging because our primary targets are on the left side of the rock, rather than the side that is facing the rover.
We are looking at two different targets, “Stunt Ranch,” which is a nodule on the rock, and “Pacifico Mountain,” which is the left-side face of the rock, with MAHLI and also doing a long APXS integration on Stunt Ranch.
After the arm work, Curiosity is tucking herself in for the night by stowing the arm.
The next morning, after again getting to sleep in a bit, Curiosity will make some more targeted observations, starting with another dust-devil survey.
ChemCam will make a LIBS observation of “Switzer Falls,” which is a target on the right-hand rock in the workspace (and in the image), an RMI of “Colby Canyon,” a soft sediment deformation, and “Gould,” which is another target on the boxworks formation.
Lastly, Mastcam takes a look at “Potrero John,” yet another interestingly textured rock.
Curiosity will then be ready to drive away. Today’s drive is on slightly better terrain that we have been seeing recently, with fewer large and pointy rocks.
Though, the mobility rover planners still have to be careful about picking the safest path through. We’re heading about 25 meters (about 82 feet) to another rock target named “Humber Park,” where we hope to do additional contact science.
After the drive, we have our standard set of post-drive imaging, a Mastcam solar tau, and then an early-morning Navcam cloud observation.
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/sols-4479-4480-what-is-that-lumpy-bumpy-rock/
NASA Atmospheric Wave-Studying Mission Releases Data from First 3,000 Orbits
Mar 14, 2025
Following the 3,000th orbit of NASA’s AWE (Atmospheric Waves Experiment) aboard the International Space Station, researchers publicly released the mission’s first trove of scientific data, crucial to investigate how and why subtle changes in Earth’s atmosphere cause disturbances, as well as how these atmospheric disturbances impact technological systems on the ground and in space.
“We’ve released the first 3,000 orbits of data collected by the AWE instrument in space and transmitted back to Earth,” said Ludger Scherliess, principal investigator for the mission and physics professor at Utah State University.
“This is a view of atmospheric gravity waves never captured before.”
Available online, the data release contains more than five million individual images of nighttime airglow and atmospheric gravity wave observations collected by the instrument’s four cameras, as well as derived temperature and airglow intensity swaths of the ambient air and the waves.
“AWE is providing incredible images and data to further understand what we only first observed less than a decade ago,” said Esayas Shume, AWE program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
“We are thrilled to share this influential data set with the larger scientific community and look forward to what will be discovered.”
Atmospheric gravity waves occur naturally in Earth’s atmosphere and are formed by Earth’s weather and topography. Scientists have studied the enigmatic phenomena for years, but mainly from a few select sites on Earth’s surface.
“With data from AWE, we can now begin near-global measurements and studies of the waves and their energy and momentum on scales from tens to hundreds and even thousands of kilometers,” Scherliess said. “This opens a whole new chapter in this field of research.”
Data from AWE will also provide insight into how terrestrial and space weather interactions affect satellite communications, and navigation, and tracking.
“We’ve become very dependent on satellites for applications we use every day, including GPS navigation,” Scherliess said.
“AWE is an attempt to bring science about atmospheric gravity waves into focus, and to use that information to better predict space weather that can disrupt satellite communications.
We will work closely with our collaborators to better understand how these observed gravity waves impact space weather.”
The tuba-shaped AWE instrument, known as the Advanced Mesospheric Temperature Mapper or AMTM, consists of four identical telescopes. It is mounted to the exterior of the International Space Station, where it has a view of Earth.
As the space station orbits Earth, the AMTM’s telescopes capture 7,000-mile-long swaths of the planet’s surface, recording images of atmospheric gravity waves as they move from the lower atmosphere into space.
The AMTM measures and records the brightness of light at specific wavelengths, which can be used to create air and wave temperature maps. These maps can reveal the energy of these waves and how they are moving through the atmosphere.
To analyze the data and make it publicly available, AWE researchers and students at USU developed new software to tackle challenges that had never been encountered before.
“Reflections from clouds and the ground can obscure some of the images, and we want to make sure the data provide clear, precise images of the power transported by the waves,” Scherliess said.
“We also need to make sure the images coming from the four separate AWE telescopes on the mapper are aligned correctly.
Further, we need to ensure stray light reflections coming off the solar panels of the space station, along with moonlight and city lights, are not masking the observations.”
As the scientists move forward with the mission, they’ll investigate how gravity wave activity changes with seasons around the globe. Scherliess looks forward to seeing how the global science community will use the AWE observations.
“Data collected through this mission provides unprecedented insight into the role of weather on the ground on space weather,” he said.
AWE is led by Utah State University in Logan, Utah, and it is managed by the Explorers Program Office at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Utah State University’s Space Dynamics Laboratory built the AWE instrument and provides the mission operations center.
https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/heliophysics/nasa-awe-first-data/
https://awe.physics.usu.edu/
Muon Space Deploys FireSat Protoflight, Marking a Major Milestone in Global Wildfire Monitoring
Sat, 15 March 2025 at 7:30 am GMT-7
Muon Space, an end-to-end space systems provider, has successfully launched the FireSat Protoflight satellite, marking a significant milestone in the deployment of the FireSat constellation.
This groundbreaking initiative aims to transform global wildfire detection, monitoring, and response.
Designed and built by Muon Space—including its state-of-the-art six-channel multispectral infrared (IR) instrument—FireSat showcases the company's expertise in delivering fully integrated, mission-tailored satellite systems from concept to operation.
Launched aboard SpaceX's Transporter 13 rideshare mission on March 14 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Muon Space has successfully established communications with the satellite and confirmed its operational health.
"The FireSat mission exemplifies Muon Space's ability to rapidly design, build, and deploy high-performance remote sensing systems tailored to address complex, real-world challenges," said Jonny Dyer, CEO of Muon Space.
"FireSat is just the beginning—we are demonstrating how purpose-built constellations can deliver transformative solutions at the speed our customers and partners require."
Announced in May 2024, the FireSat Constellation is a collaboration between Muon Space and Earth Fire Alliance, combining Muon's expertise in space-based remote sensing with the Alliance's deep knowledge of wildfire management and response strategies.
This partnership aims to enhance global wildfire response, management, and situational awareness by providing actionable data to first responders, policymakers, and communities facing escalating wildfire threats.
Working closely with hundreds of members of the federal, state, and local fire communities, Muon Space developed the FireSat system and delivered its first satellite to orbit in just 16 months.
The initiative has been supported by leading NGOs and philanthropic organizations, including Environmental Defense Fund, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, and others.
"Designing and building an advanced infrared instrument capable of detecting wildfires with high confidence required significant scientific and engineering innovation," said Dan McCleese, Chief Scientist of Muon Space.
"This achievement underscores Muon Space's ability to push the boundaries of space-based observation, advancing not only wildfire intelligence but also a broad range of critical operational, scientific, and security applications."
The planned 50+-satellite constellation will eventually provide global coverage with each point on Earth observed every 20 minutes with key wildfire-prone regions benefiting from more frequent observations.
"FireSat is a game-changer for wildfire response," said Brian Collins, Executive Director of Earth Fire Alliance. "For too long, decision-makers have relied on outdated or incomplete fire data.
FireSat is poised to provide persistent, high-fidelity, and detailed information that will empower end users to save more lives and structures, better protect ecosystems, and reduce economic losses."
Muon is currently developing three additional satellites, which will launch in 2026. FireSat is expected to reach full operational capacity by 2030.
https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/muon-space-deploys-firesat-protoflight-143000418.html
Israeli high school students launch nine miniature satellites into space in 'Tevel 2' project
MARCH 15, 2025 09:28
Nine miniature satellites developed by Israeli high school students were launched into space on Saturday as part of the Tevel 2 project.
The satellites, designed and constructed by students from across the country, entered low Earth orbit at approximately 500 km after being launched aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from the US Space Force Base in California.
One of the satellites was developed by Druze students and is the first of its kind. The launch took place as a delegation of Syrian Druze sheikhs visited Israel.
The Tevel 2 project, with a budget of NIS 10.5 million, was initiated by the Innovation, Science, and Technology Ministry in collaboration with Tel Aviv University and nine local authorities.
The program includes the establishment of satellite communication stations, enabling students to monitor mission data and oversee operations.
https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-846126
https://www.space.com/the-universe/exoplanets/4-rocky-exoplanets-found-around-barnards-star-one-of-the-suns-nearest-neighbors
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adb8d5
4 rocky exoplanets found around Barnard's Star, one of the sun's nearest neighbors
March 15, 2025
Scientists have confirmed the existence of four small, rocky planets orbiting Barnard's Star — the second closest star system to Earth — using a specialized instrument on the mighty Gemini North telescope in Hawaii.
Just six light-years away from us, all the worlds are too hot to support life as we know it.
This find is particularly exciting, explained Ritvik Basant, who is a Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago and an author on a paper about the new discovery.
This is because, he said, Barnard's Star is essentially our cosmic neighbor, yet we don't know very much about it.
There have been many claims of exoplanets orbiting Barnard's Star over the years, dating all the way back to the 1960s.
Barnard's Star is a red dwarf, also known as an M-dwarf, and is noticeable for having the fastest proper motion, in reference to its motion visible in the night sky, of any star so far discovered.
Most recently, in 2024, astronomers using the ESPRESSO spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope in Chile claimed the detection of one planet, and evidence for a further three.
Now, a team led by Jacob Bean and Basant at the University of Chicago has confirmed beyond a shadow of a doubt the existence of all four planets.
"Barnard’s Star's proximity allowed us to observe it even during bad weather nights, as its brightness made it accessible even under suboptimal conditions.
This enabled us to collect more data, ultimately leading to the detection of these very low-mass planets," Basant told Space.com.
A key tool used in the team's observations was the MAROON-X spectrometer, which is a visiting instrument on Gemini North.
MAROON-X measures the "radial velocity" — the slight wobble back and forth of Barnard's Star as it revolves around the center of mass shared between itself and the four orbiting planets.
They're all much less massive than Earth. In fact, they are some of the least massive exoplanets ever detected.
The innermost planet in the system is planet d (the planets are named in order of discovery, not distance from the star), which has a mass just 26% that of Earth's and orbits Barnard's Star every 2.34 days at a distance of 1.7 million miles (2.8 million kilometers/0.0188 astronomical units).
Next up is planet b: the planet first identified in the ESPRESSO data in 2024. This planet has a mass 30% that of Earth's, and orbits its star every 3.15 days at a distance of 2.13 million miles (3.4 million kilometers/0.0229 AU).
Planet c is the heavyweight of the bunch, with a mass 33.5% that of Earth's. It orbits Barnard's Star at a distance of 2.55 million miles (4.1 million kilometers/0.0274 AU) and has an orbital period of 4.12 days.
The first three planets were confirmed using just the MAROON-X observations. To confirm the fourth planet, e, the MAROON-X data had to be combined with ESPRESSO's measurements to reveal a planet with just 19% of Earth's mass, orbiting Barnard's Star every 6.74 days at a distance of 3.56 million miles (5.7 million kilometers/0.0381 AU).
These worlds are incredibly compact in terms of distance to one another, with just 372,820 miles (600,000 kilometers) between planets d and b, and 434,960 miles (700,000 kilometers) between b and c.
For comparison, the mean distance between Earth and our moon is just 238,600 miles (384,000 kilometers). Imagine having a planet on our doorstep at just twice that distance!
Yet, that is how things are arranged around Barnard's Star.
For an even starker contrast, NASA's Parker Solar Probe, which actually dives into the solar corona, gets as close as 3.9 million miles (6.2 million kilometers) to the surface of our sun.
The orbits of all four planets around Barnard's Star could easily fit inside Parker's Solar Probe's orbit.
And, to further the contrast between our solar system and Barnard's Star's planetary system, the closest planet to the sun in our Solar System, Mercury, has a mean distance of 36 million miles (58 million kilometers) between itself and the sun.
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The small separations between the planets around Barnard's Star also bring to mind another system of worlds around a red dwarf, TRAPPIST-1, where seven planets are packed within 5.75 million miles (9.267 million kilometers) of their central star.
A red dwarf like Barnard's Star is very different to our sun, however. It has just 16% of our sun's mass, and 19% its diameter. As such, its planetary system is scaled down.
Red dwarfs can also be very volatile, spewing clouds of charged particles and flares of radiation more frequently than our sun does, which could strip nearby worlds of their atmospheres.
However, red dwarf activity does decrease with age, and the Barnard's Star system is about 10 billion years old.
That said, none of the planets found so far would be habitable to life as we know it anyway, since they are too close and too hot.
Instead, the habitable zone around Barnard's Star would coincide with worlds farther out, with orbital periods of between 10 and 42 days. So far, no planets have been found that far out from the star.
"With the current dataset, we can confidently rule out any planets more massive than 40 to 60% of Earth's mass near the inner and outer edges of the habitable zone," sBasant said..
"Additionally, we can exclude the presence of Earth-mass planets with orbital periods of up to a few years. We are also confident that the system does not host a gas giant within reasonable distances."
MAROON-X was able to gather 112 radial velocity measurements of Barnard's Star throughout the period 2021–2023.
Meanwhile, ESPRESSO has recorded 149 radial velocity measurements of the fleet-footed but diminutive star. This isn't enough to completely rule out the possibility of any more small planets that might be lurking in the habitable zone.
"We also have additional data from 2024 that was not used in this discovery," said Basant. "If I had to choose a number, I would estimate that 50 more data points would be ideal for achieving the best sensitivity possible with current instruments."
MAROON-X is specifically designed for measuring radial velocities of red dwarf systems. The focus on red dwarfs is two-fold.
One reason is that they are the most populous type of star in the galaxy and make up the majority of the closest stars to us. Second, their small masses make it easier to detect wobbles in their movements caused by Earth-size rocky planets.
Placed on an eight-meter class telescope such as Gemini North, and able to view into the near-infrared where red dwarfs such as Barnard's Star are brighter, MAROON-X is perfectly placed to seek these scaled-down planetary systems.
"This discovery was possible due to a combination of factors," said Basant.
"If I had to choose one, it would be the unprecedented precision of next-generation instruments like MAROON-X and ESPRESSO."
Unfortunately, the four planets of Barnard's Star do not transit, or pass in front of their star, from our point of view.
This means that we cannot observe secondary eclipses (where the planets move behind their star, allowing us to subtract the star's light from the combined light of the star and planets, to be left with just the light of the planets) or transit spectroscopy (where starlight is filtered through planetary atmospheres, if they have one, revealing molecules that may be present).
However, "hile these planets do not transit, their thermal emission can be studied with [the James Webb Space Telescope], though this remains challenging," says Basant.
In the meantime, Basant, Bean and their team intend to keep looking for more planets orbiting Barnard's Star. After all, we're practically neighbors — and it's about time that we found and got to know this planetary system next door.
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Scientists discover the source of mysterious radio signals from space
March 14, 2025
Peculiar radio signals from space that baffled scientists have now been traced to an unexpected source.
Earth has been receiving regular pulses every 125 minutes, or roughly every two hours.
You’re probably wondering if aliens have been trying to contact us here on Earth, but unfortunately, we’ll have to wait longer to hear from any extra terrestrials (if they exist).
The actual source of these signals is still very intriguing. Researchers have determined they originate from a mind-blowing cosmic partnership of sorts.
A white dwarf and a red dwarf star around 1,645 light-years away orbit each other so closely that their magnetic fields interact, generating radio pulses that travel across space and eventually reach our planet.
This incredible system is known as ILTJ1101 and they’re often studied in astrophysics because they can reveal fascinating details about the behaviour of stars and their magnetic environments.
A team of astronomers led by Dr Iris de Ruiter of the University of Sydney has identified the source of the signal. She discovered the pulses in 2024 whilst examining archival data from the Netherlands.
She was examining information from the Low Frequency Array (LOFAR), the largest radio telescope operating at the lowest observable frequencies from Earth.
Dr de Ruiter initially found a single pulse that had arrived here on Earth in 2015 but a deeper investigation of the same area of the sky revealed six more pulses which remarkably lasted a few seconds to a minute at regular intervals.
This pattern of slow and regular pulses are very rare. At first, only the red dwarf was visible.
It was determined that it was moving quickly moving back and forth very rapidly with the same two-hour period as the radio pulses, and it was this motion that revealed the presence of the white dwarf.
https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/mystery-radio-signals-space-source-revealed-new-research
SpaceX aces 3rd launch in 13 hours, sending 23 Starlink satellites to orbit
March 15, 2025
SpaceX just pulled off a spaceflight tripleheader.
A Falcon 9 rocket carrying 23 of the company's Starlink internet satellites, including 13 with direct-to-cell capability, lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station today (March 15) at 7:35 a.m. EDT (1135 GMT).
It was SpaceX's third launch in a 13-hour span, as the company noted via X this morning.
The rocket flurry began at 7:03 p.m. EDT (2303 GMT) on Friday (March 14), when a Falcon 9 launched the Crew-10 astronaut mission toward the International Space Station from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, which is next door to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The four-person Crew-10 is on track to dock with the orbiting lab tonight around 11:30 p.m. EDT (0330 GMT on March 16); you can watch that rendezvous live here at Space.com.
Then, early this morning, the company launched 74 payloads to orbit from California's Vandenberg Space Force Base on a rideshare mission called Transporter 13.
That flight featured a round-number milestone for SpaceX — the 400th landing to date of a Falcon 9 first stage.
There was also a successful touchdown on this morning's Starlink launch, the 18th to date for this particular Falcon 9 booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.
SpaceX has now launched 31 Falcon 9 missions in 2025. About two-thirds of them have been devoted to building out the Starlink network in low Earth orbit, by far the biggest satellite constellation ever assembled.
SpaceX has lofted nearly 8,100 Starlink spacecraft to date, 7,061 of which are operational today, according to astrophysicist and satellite tracker Jonathan McDowell.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-aces-3rd-launch-in-13-hours-sending-23-starlink-satellites-to-orbit-video
https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1900892299086770602
'Poppy seeds' and 'leopard spots' on Mars could hint at ancient microbial life
March 14, 2025
An arrowhead-shaped rock on Mars sporting features that may hint at ancient microbial activity on the Red Planet has left scientists puzzled.
NASA announced in July of last year that the rock, found in Mars' Jezero Crater by the agency's Perseverance rover, held some of the best evidence yet that ancient microbial life may have existed on the Red Planet billions of years ago, when it was significantly wetter than it is today.
Earlier this week, scientists involved with the discovery presented their findings publicly for the first time this week at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in Texas, detailing the rock's chemical signatures and structures that continue to offer tantalizing hints of ancient Martian microbial life.
The fine-grained mudstone named Cheyava Falls, after the highest waterfall in Arizona's Grand Canyon, sits at the edge of an ancient river valley known as Neretva Vallis, which runs along the inner wall of the crater.
The rock features spots of black, blue, or greenish hues, which the researchers have nicknamed "poppy seeds." Alongside these are dozens of dark-rimmed, millimeter-size splotches dubbed "leopard spots."
Perseverance's instruments have revealed that several rocks hosting these two features are rich in iron, but that they vary in their oxidation states and redness — a telltale sign of activity by organic matter, which may have bleached the rocks of their red color.
"On Earth, reactions like these are commonly associated with microbially-driven organic matter respiration," Joel Hurowitz, the deputy principal investigator of the PIXL instrument located at the end of Perseverance's robotic arm, said at the conference.
Back in July, the discovery team had also noted the presence of calcium sulfate veins running through the rock, suggesting that water may have once flowed through it.
While this and other features could point to non-biological processes, such as exposure to high temperatures from a volcanic event, ongoing analysis suggests the rock was never subjected to such heat or exposed to heat-related processes that would have caused it to recrystallize.
"Everything seems to be consistent with low-temperature processes," Hurowitz said.
Scientists suspect the Neretva Vallis channel was carved out eons ago, by water gushing into the crater. One theory is that mud loaded with organic compounds was deposited into the valley, later cementing into the Cheyava Falls rock.
Alternatively, a second water episode could have seeped into the rock after it had already formed, creating the features observed. "The rocks that we investigated appear to fill the Neretva Vallis channel," Hurowitz said.
There are no life-detection instruments onboard Perseverance, as its mission is to collect samples of scientific interest that will be returned to Earth for further scrutiny.
"As a community, we should feel compelled to do a whole lot of laboratory, field and modeling studies to try to investigate features like this in more detail," Hurowitz said.
"And ultimately bring these samples back home so that we can reach a conclusion with regard to whether they were or were not formed by life."
However, details of the troubled Mars Sample Return effort remain uncertain after costs that ballooned to $11 billion led NASA to overhaul its approach and seek new ideas from its research centers, private industry and academia.
Former NASA administrator Bill Nelson announced earlier this year that the agency is leaving two options for the Trump administration to return to Earth 30 cigar-sized tubes containing bits of Mars that Perseverance has been collecting since 2021, including the Cheyava Falls sample.
The two approaches differ in the way they would put hardware down on Mars, but either would require Congress to allocate $300 million to the mission for it to start launch proceedings by 2030 and return the samples between 2035 and 2039.
Scientists are eager to analyze the Cheyava Falls sample, as it could help answer one of humanity’s most profound questions: Are we alone in the universe?
"The discovery of life beyond Earth is so profound, so paradigm-shifting, you have to get it right," Amy Williams, an astrobiologist at the University of Florida who's on the Perseverance science team, had told Space.com shortly after the discovery.
"Once you cross that line, you can't come back."
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/search-for-life/poppy-seeds-and-leopard-spots-on-mars-could-hint-at-ancient-microbial-life
US Navy Expands Fleet with Two More MQ-4C Triton Drones
March 15, 2025
In a major boost to the US Navy’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities, Northrop Grumman has been awarded a $267 million contract to produce two additional MQ-4C Triton drones.
This latest contract is part of the Navy’s broader strategy to expand its fleet of MQ-4C drones to a total of 27, enhancing its ability to monitor vast expanses of the ocean and provide vital real-time intelligence.
The deal will not only supply more of these advanced unmanned aerial systems but also include operational bases and support services, ensuring the Navy is fully equipped to operate this state-of-the-art technology.
Let’s take a closer look at the details of the deal.
MQ-4C Triton: Enhancing the Navy’s Edge in Maritime Surveillance
The MQ-4C Triton is a high-altitude, long-endurance drone specifically designed to support the US Navy’s ISR missions.
As a key element of the Navy’s evolving air, sea, and land surveillance strategy, the Triton offers unmatched range and endurance, making it an invaluable tool for monitoring maritime operations over vast distances.
This drone is equipped with a 360-degree multi-intelligence suite, allowing it to conduct ISR operations over enormous areas.
The advanced suite includes a high-performing AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) maritime radar and full-motion electro-optical/infrared sensors.
These features provide the Triton with unparalleled surveillance capabilities, allowing it to track and identify targets faster and with greater accuracy than other unmanned aerial platforms.
paywall
https://sofrep.com/navy/us-navy-two-more-mq-4c-triton-drones/
China's first 1-ton payload cargo drone completes maiden flight
2025-03-15 22:06 Last Updated At：22:37
China's first large cargo drone capable of carrying a 1-ton payload, the TP1000, successfully completed its maiden flight on Saturday morning in Qingdao City, east China's Shandong province.
This innovative aircraft is notable for being the country's first large unmanned transport aircraft equipped with airdrop capabilities.
Developed fully in accordance with China's civil aviation standards for large cargo drones, the TP1000 has a takeoff weight of 3.3 tons and a maximum payload capacity of 1,000 kilograms.
Compared to its predecessor, the TP500, the new model boasts increased cargo capacity and extended range, with a maximum range of 1,000 kilometers when fully loaded.
Together, these drones will form a complementary product lineup designed to meet the rapidly growing demand for low-altitude cargo transport.
Crucially, the TP1000 is also equipped with smart airdrop functionality, enhancing its capabilities in emergency response and disaster relief operations.
"The maiden flight lasted 26 minutes, and the aircraft's performance was stable throughout. All performance metrics met our expectations.
During the flight, the drone exhibited excellent stability, maneuverability, and power system performance, with all parameters remaining within ideal ranges," said Jin Ge, the leader of the TP1000 research and development team.
The TP1000 is expected to enter operational service by 2026, representing a significant advancement in China's unmanned aerial vehicle technology and its applications in logistics and emergency response.
https://www.bastillepost.com/global/article/4658107-chinas-first-1-ton-payload-cargo-drone-completes-maiden-flight
Montgomery County police drone helps locate missing child, assists in multiple arrests
March 15, 2025
GAITHERSBURG, MD - A high-tech police drone played a crucial role in locating a missing 5-year-old and assisting in multiple arrests during three separate incidents in Montgomery County.
On March 13, officers responded to a theft in progress on Thayer Avenue, where the drone, known as RAVEN, tracked two fleeing suspects and guided police to their location.
Later in the day, RAVEN was deployed to find a missing child near Pennydog Court, successfully identifying the child’s location and reuniting them with their parents.
That evening, the drone assisted in another theft investigation at a Nike store on Arlington Road, helping officers locate and arrest four suspects.
In total, RAVEN was deployed 17 times that day, proving to be a valuable asset in police operations.
https://www.shorenewsnetwork.com/2025/03/15/montgomery-county-police-drone-helps-locate-missing-child-assists-in-multiple-arrests/
Israeli drone strike martyrs 9, incl. 2 journalists in Gaza
Mar 15, 2025, 4:19 PM
Local Palestinian media in the besieged Gaza Strip said that the Zionist Israeli conducted a drone attack in Beit Lahiya in northern the enclave on Saturday.
An Israeli occupation army drone targeted a group of Palestinians in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, killing a number of them, including Palestinian journalist Mahmoud Aslim, and wounding several others, Palestinian Shahab news agency said.
Later, medical sources reported that the number of martyrs in the Israeli occupation army's drone attack on a vehicle in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip increased to nine.
Two of the martyrs were journalists. The bodies of the martyrs were transferred to an Indonesian hospital in northern Gaza.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/229625/Israeli-drone-strike-martyrs-9-incl-2-journalists-in-Gaza
National Weather Service Tornado Warning For Jackson MS
1104 AM CDT Sat Mar 15 2025
Tornado Warning
MSC051-053-055-125-151-151700-
/O.NEW.KJAN.TO.W.0043.250315T1604Z-250315T1700Z/
BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service Jackson MS
1104 AM CDT Sat Mar 15 2025
The National Weather Service in Jackson has issued a
-
Tornado Warning for…
Northwestern Holmes County in central Mississippi…
Southeastern Washington County in northwestern Mississippi…
North central Issaquena County in west central Mississippi…
Humphreys County in central Mississippi…
Northern Sharkey County in west central Mississippi…
-
Until noon CDT.
-
At 1104 AM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a
tornado was located over Rolling Fork, moving northeast at 55 mph.
HAZARD…Tornado.
SOURCE…Radar indicated rotation.
IMPACT…Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed.
Damage to roofs, windows, and vehicles will occur. Tree
damage is likely.
-
This dangerous storm will be near…
Anguilla and Nitta Yuma around 1110 AM CDT.
Delta City around 1115 AM CDT.
Midnight and Murphy around 1120 AM CDT.
Belzoni, Isola, and Silver City around 1130 AM CDT.
Cruger around 1155 AM CDT.
PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS…
TAKE COVER NOW! Move to a basement or an interior room on the lowest
floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If you are outdoors, in a
mobile home, or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter
and protect yourself from flying debris.
https://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=MSZ041&warncounty=MSC125&firewxzone=MSZ041&local_place1=Rolling%20Fork%20MS&product1=Tornado+Watch&lat=32.9084&lon=-90.8763
Russia, Ukraine Talk Peace With US, Then Trade Drone Strikes Overnight
March 15, 2025
Russia and Ukraine launched intense aerial attacks overnight Saturday, each reporting over 100 enemy drones in their airspace.
The escalation came less than a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin met with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff to discuss a proposed 30-day ceasefire in the ongoing war.
Volgograd regional Gov. Andrei Bocharov confirmed that falling drone debris had sparked a fire in the Krasnoarmeysky district of the city close to a Lukoil oil refinery in Russia, but provided no further details.
Nearby airports temporarily halted flights, local media outlets reported. No casualties were reported.
The Volgograd refinery has been targeted by Kyiv’s forces on several occasions since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago, most recently in a drone attack on Feb. 15.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said that it had shot down 126 Ukrainian drones, 64 of which were destroyed over the Volgograd region. Drones were also shot down over the Voronezh, Belgorod, Bryansk, Rostov and Kursk regions, officials said.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force said Saturday that Russia had launched a barrage of 178 drones and two ballistic missiles over the country overnight.
The barrage was a mixture of Shahed-type attack drones and imitation drones designed to confuse air defenses. Some 130 drones were shot down, while 38 more were lost en route to their targets.
Russia attacked energy facilities, causing significant damage, said Ukraine’s private energy company DTEK.
Russia struck energy infrastructure in the Dnipropetrovsk and Odesa regions, DTEK said in a statement on Saturday. Some residents were left without electricity.
“The damage is significant. Energy workers are already working on the ground. We are doing everything possible to restore power to homes as soon as possible,” the energy firm said.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/world/russia-ukraine-talk-peace-with-us-then-trade-drone-strikes-overnight/ar-AA1AYmdI
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/03/15/ukraine-and-russia-down-hundreds-of-drones-overnight-a88375
https://kyivindependent.com/russia-attacks-ukraine-with-178-drones-overnight-most-intercepted/
SDF: 5 Turkish occupation mercenaries killed and injured, drone and military vehicle destroyed
15 March, 2025 12:45
The SDF issued a statement today, Saturday, on its official website regarding the attacks by the Turkish occupation and its mercenaries on Tishrin Dam, Qereqozaqê, and Kobani.
The statement read as follows:
"The Turkish occupation and its mercenaries have been escalating their aggressive attacks against the regions of North and East Syria on a daily basis, without being able to make any progress due to the resistance of our fighters.
On the Tishrin Dam front, Turkish warplanes launched a series of airstrikes yesterday, Friday, targeting the area around the dam, including the workers’ housing of the dam.
Heavy artillery also targeted villages in the southeastern countryside of Manbij, causing significant material damage to civilian homes.
A position of our forces was also targeted, resulting in the minor injury of one of our fighters.
As the occupation’s mercenaries were preparing to launch an attack on our positions, the Martyr Haroun units carried out an operation against their gatherings, resulting in the killing of two mercenaries, the destruction of an ammunition depot and a military vehicle, and severe damage to the mercenaries’ position.
Additionally, the Martyr Haroun units destroyed a suicide drone belonging to the mercenaries when it approached our positions and attempted to target them.
On the Qereqozaqê front, Turkish warplanes carried out several airstrikes on the village of Ghasaq and a fuel station at the Serrin junction, coinciding with heavy artillery, tank, rocket launcher, and mortar shelling on the villages of 'Al-Tinah, Jadda, Bir Hasso, Ghasaq, Daykan, Malha, and Al-San' and the hills of 'Sifi and Qereqozaqê' near the bridge.
More than 180 shells were fired, causing extensive damage to homes and properties of local residents.
In response to the occupation and its mercenaries' attacks, our fighters carried out an operation targeting the bases and fortifications of the occupation and its mercenaries in the western countryside of the bridge, resulting in the confirmed killing of one mercenary and the injury of two others.
In Kobani, Turkish warplanes carried out two airstrikes on Mount Berkel, southeast of Kobani city, accompanied by heavy artillery shelling, causing material damage.
Turkish warplanes and drones continued to fly over the city and its countryside throughout the day yesterday.
Turkish warplanes and drones also remained in the skies over the town of Ain and its countryside yesterday.
The total number of mercenaries killed reached three, with two others injured, along with the destruction of a drone and a military vehicle."
https://hawarnews.com/en/sdf-5-turkish-occupation-mercenaries-killed-and-injured-drone-and-military-vehicle-destroyed
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14389845/apollo-astronaut-wife-anita-mitchell-book-space-ufos.html
https://www.wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/emailid/1766
Edgar Mitchell was in the Podesta emails from Wikileaks
Wife of Apollo astronaut reveals husband's untold encounters with UFOs that convinced him we're not alone
Updated: 07:39 EDT, 15 March 2025
Is there anyone more qualified than an astronaut to shed light on the existence of UFOs?
Now, in an exclusive interview with the Daily Mail, the wife of one Apollo astronaut has revealed the secrets her husband shared before he died.
Anita Mitchell, who was married to the late NASA pilot Edgar Mitchell, the sixth man to walk on the moon in 1971, said: 'He always felt that there were UFOs out there, because so many of the pilots and astronauts had seen something.'
She claims several of his fellow crewmates, including Apollo astronaut James McDivitt, similarly reported seeing mysterious objects during America's early space missions. Some also saw strange craft while flying conventional planes over Earth.
'I remember Gordy [Project Mercury astronaut Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr.] telling us at a dinner party in our house that he had seen something,' Mrs Mitchell told the Daily Mail.
'He said, "Listen, we have nothing that goes that fast and goes that high," she recalled.
Cooper was one of the earliest NASA pilots who took part in the program's Mercury and Gemini projects and logged thousands of hours in jet aircraft.
But despite all his experience, Mrs Mitchell said the veteran pilot had admitted that after spotting the UFO, American pilots 'just couldn't catch it'
Edgar Mitchell, a former US Navy Captain, was part of the Apollo 14 crew that flew to the Moon in 1971 - and was one of just 12 NASA astronauts to walk on it.
His former wife has shared her experiences and stories she heard from many of the early NASA astronauts in a new book 'You Don't Look Like An Astronaut's Wife'.
Mrs Mitchell said the title of her book comes from the comments people made to her in the 1970s.
The couple were married from 1973 to 1984. Edgar Mitchell died in 2016, just before the 45th anniversary of his moon landing.
Prior to his death, the former astronaut pushed for the US government to tell the public what it knew about the many reports of strange sightings and their potential ties to alien life.
In 2009, Mitchell publicly called for the release of information he believed the government was hiding about UFOs - adding that he believed extraterrestrial life was real and officials were suppressing knowledge about it.
According to the astronauts Mrs Mitchell met during her husband's tenure in the space program, they claimed there was 'something there technology-wise' beyond what humans knew about.
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She has now told the Daily Mail that she shares her husband's belief that there was 'something out there.'
'Do you really think we are the only intelligence in the universe? Because if we are, the universe is in trouble,' she added.
Mrs Mitchell said that being an astronaut's wife was 'like a different universe'.
'It was a wonderful experience to grow up there… and to be just a part of that,' she continued.
'I call them the cowboys, and they were,' she added, noting that even though many of the NASA pilots went on to earn college degrees and doctorates, they all still had an adventurous 'need for speed.'
During the Apollo 14 mission, her husband was the lunar module pilot for the NASA spacecraft which carried fellow astronauts Alan Shepard and Stuart Roosa to the Moon.
According to his ex-wife, Mitchell also had a lifelong fascination with the paranormal and psychic phenomena.
After his NASA days, he founded the Institute of Noetic Sciences to investigate paranormal phenomena.
She added that her ex-husband conducted a huge number of experiments around ESP (extrasensory perception), or the paranormal ability to perceive information without using the five senses.
Mitchell also conducted experiments to see if it was possible to bend metal with mental powers.
It was during this period when Mrs Mitchell met one of the most influential people in NASA history - famed aerospace engineer Wernher von Braun, who was one of the architects of the space program.
A former rocket scientist in Nazi Germany, Von Braun developed the V-2 ballistic missile, which became a model for the space rockets and intercontinental ballistic missiles used by the US and Soviet Union in the decades following World War II.
Mrs Mitchell said the atmosphere and excitement around space launches today reminds her of NASA's early days of the so-called 'space race'.
She added that Von Braun used to dream of going to Mars, in the same way SpaceX founder Elon Musk does today.
'Today, it almost feels like the Apollo days again, only bigger. It's an exciting time to be alive and to witness it all,' she said.
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https://wikileaks.org/podesta-emails/?q=Edgar+Mitchell
https://www.newsbreak.com/the-daily-sun-1591630/3857225483819-flying-into-a-nuclear-cloud-chasing-a-ufo
Flying into a nuclear cloud, chasing a UFO
March 15, 2025
Donald Heckert remembers the mushroom cloud from the nuclear test explosion in China.
He remembers it all too well. After all, his job was to fly his plane through it.
He was a U.S. Air Force pilot, and he was one of the few selected to fly a U-2, a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft.
His mission was to wait for China to test a bomb, then fly through the top of the cloud at a high altitude to take readings.
But he paid the price.
“I got a radiation burn so bad that they said I could never do that again,” he said.
Heckert spoke Wednesday at VFW Post 8118 in Venice, telling the large crowd of veterans stories of his times serving in the then highest flying seat in the world. But his beginnings were humble.
He laughed as he told the story of playing football for Air Force. He was pretty good at the game — so good that when they won a big game, a high-ranking officer came to see him.
Heckert was wearing only a tiny towel because he was on his way to the shower. Heckert saw the officer, snapped to attention and saluted.
And the towel fell to the ground.
“So there I was, naked,” he said, as the crowd at VFW 8118 laughed. “And I had to hold the salute until he saluted back.”
And that was the start of his new nickname and call-sign — MUFF, which stood for “mad, ugly, fat fella.”
Still sporting a few extra pounds to this day, Heckert patted his belly as he told how his weight almost kept him out of flight school.
He met every requirement to fly, but he was a bit too heavy. So his higher-ups had to give him a waiver, and he was required to coach the Air Force freshman football team to work on his weight.
And then began his many flights to what would be big parts of history.
In some of his very first flights, he was to fly over Vietnam and Cambodia during the last parts of the Vietnam War.
That’s when he found the U.S. merchant ship SS Mayaguez, which had been seized by the Khmer Rouge.
He said he asked for permission to deviate from his course to take photos and see where the ship was being taken.
His superiors said no. He did it anyway, he said, adding his photos were the only way the military knew where to go to start a rescue mission.
Heckert ended up flying the last mission for that war.
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But then he participated in another historic moment, even though the general public didn’t know about it.
He was asked to shoot lasers in what would later become known as Ronald Reagan’s “Star Wars” idea of taking out missiles and satellites by using lasers.
Pilots across the U.S. military were asked to train in shooting lasers, usually given roughly 22 chances to hit a target while flying at full speed. The average strike rate was 2-3 times for every 22 tries.
But Heckert was used to flying a plane very fast at high altitude and aiming a camera lens very accurately. So when they asked him to try his hand at shooting lasers, he did — hitting the target 19 of 22 times.
That’s when they asked him to train others how to aim.
Out of all his experiences he talked about at VFW Post 8118, the one that seemed to enthrall the audience the most was his experience with what he said was a UFO.
He was making one of reconnaissance flights when he saw a light in the distance moving at three times the speed of sound, or roughly 2,310 miles per hour.
“And the color of the light is what we associate with nuclear,” he said, saying it was a type of blue light.
Then he watched the light go from 70,000 feet to 14,500 feet in 2 seconds.
“Now I’m getting really concerned,” he said. “There is nothing in the world that can fly like that.”
That’s when his superiors asked him to engage the object and take photos.
“They asked me, ‘Will you intercept it?’ And I remember saying, ‘You know, I’m unarmed.’”
But even if he had been armed, it would not have mattered. The light matched speed with him and stayed away, he said.
That would not be the last time he met up with the blue light.
Years later, he was flying so high that he was near the line where outer space starts. He said there was a shield he could open so he could look up at the stars.
So that’s what he did, leaning back and enjoying the moment of seeing stars like very few people ever could.
Then, suddenly, the blue light was back, blinding him. “I was so frightened that I had to abort my mission,” he said.
So when people ask him if there is something out there that’s from another planet, he just points to his experiences, raises his eyebrows and shrugs his shoulders slowly.
“Maybe?”
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KERRY CASSIDY
@kerrycassidycamelot
ROUNDTABLE: You CAN Handle the TRUTH with Laura Eisenhower, Kerry Cassidy, Jenifer Eason Washington & Dr Sharnael Woverton
Mar 10, 2025, 1:12 PM
https://truthsocial.com/@kerrycassidycamelot
https://rumble.com/v6qfs5k-roundtable-you-can-handle-the-truth.html
Dr Steven Greer on Underwater UFOs, Alien Bases at the Bottom of the Sea & Teleportation
Mar 14, 2025 5:00 PM
Dr. Steven Greer delves into the mysterious realm of underwater UFOs, revealing they have been tracked for decades.
As much of Earth's oceans remain unexplored, Greer suggests the possibility of hidden human and extraterrestrial assets beneath the ocean's depths, similar to legendary tales of Atlantis.
Key areas of interest include the Bermuda Triangle and the South Pole, where covert human operations and exotic technologies are said to exist.
Greer details encounters with an electromagnetic array in the Bermuda Triangle and neutrino detectors under the South Pole's ice, based on a whistleblower's testimony.
Furthermore, Greer discusses advanced trans-medium capabilities of extraterrestrial vehicles, which ostensibly allow them to traverse water, solid rock, and other barriers seamlessly.
This groundbreaking technology is said to rely on unconventional physics, reminiscent of teleportation through quantum entanglement, enabling objects to move through solid matter by adjusting angular momentum frequency—a topic Greer admits veers into esoteric physics.
https://www.vladtv.com/article/309987/dr-steven-greer-on-underwater-ufos-alien-bases-at-the-bottom-of-the-sea-