TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
July 15, 2025
Collapse in Hebes Chasma on Mars
What's happened in Hebes Chasma on Mars? Hebes Chasma is a depression just north of the enormous Valles Marineris canyon. Since the depression is unconnected to other surface features, it is unclear where the internal material went. Inside Hebes Chasma is Hebes Mensa, a 5 kilometer high mesa that appears to have undergone an unusual partial collapse – a collapse that might be providing clues. The featured image, taken by ESA's robotic Mars Express spacecraft currently orbiting Mars, shows great details of the chasm and the unusual horseshoe shaped indentation in the central mesa. Material from the mesa appears to have flowed onto the floor of the chasm, while a possible dark layer appears to have pooled like ink on a downslope landing. One hypothesis holds that salty rock composes some lower layers in Hebes Chasma, with the salt dissolving in melted ice flows that drained through holes into an underground aquifer.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
https://science.nasa.gov/blogs/webb/2025/07/15/nasas-webb-finds-possible-direct-collapse-black-hole/
NASA’s Webb Finds Possible ‘Direct Collapse’ Black Hole
July 15, 2025
As data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope becomes public, researchers hunt its archives for unnoticed cosmic oddities.
While examining images from the COSMOS-Web survey, two researchers, Pieter van Dokkum of Yale University and Gabriel Brammer of the University of Copenhagen, discovered an unusual object that they nicknamed the Infinity Galaxy.
It displays a highly unusual shape of two very compact, red nuclei, each surrounded by a ring, giving it the shape of the infinity symbol. The team believes it was formed by the head-on collision of two disk galaxies.
Follow-up observations showed that the Infinity Galaxy hosts an active, supermassive black hole. What is highly unusual is that the black hole is in between the two nuclei, within a vast expanse of gas.
The team proposes that the black hole formed there via the direct collapse of a gas cloud – a process that may explain some of the incredibly massive black holes Webb has found in the early universe.
Here Pieter van Dokkum, lead author of a peer-reviewed paper describing their initial discovery and principal investigator of follow-up Webb observations, explains why this object could be the best evidence yet for a novel way of forming black holes.
“Everything is unusual about this galaxy. Not only does it look very strange, but it also has this supermassive black hole that’s pulling a lot of material in.
The biggest surprise of all was that the black hole was not located inside either of the two nuclei but in the middle. We asked ourselves: How can we make sense of this?
“Finding a black hole that’s not in the nucleus of a massive galaxy is in itself unusual, but what’s even more unusual is the story of how it may have gotten there.
It likely didn’t just arrive there, but instead it formed there. And pretty recently. In other words, we think we’re witnessing the birth of a supermassive black hole – something that has never been seen before.
“How supermassive black holes formed is a long-standing question.
There are two main theories, called ‘light seeds’ and ‘heavy seeds.’ In the light seed theory, you start with small black holes formed when a star’s core collapses and the star explodes as a supernova.
That might result in a black hole weighing up to about 1,000 Suns. You form a lot of them in a small space and they merge over time to become a much more massive black hole.
The problem is, that merger process takes time, and Webb has found incredibly massive black holes at incredibly early times in the universe – possibly even too early for this process to explain them.
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“The second possibility is the heavy seed theory, where a much larger black hole, maybe up to one million times the mass of our Sun, forms directly from the collapse of a large gas cloud. You immediately form a giant black hole, so it’s much quicker.
However, the problem with forming a black hole out of a gas cloud is that gas clouds like to form stars as they collapse rather than a black hole, so you have to find some way of preventing that. It’s not clear that this direct-collapse process could work in practice.
“By looking at the data from the Infinity Galaxy, we think we’ve pieced together a story of how this could have happened here.
Two disk galaxies collide, forming the ring structures of stars that we see. During the collision, the gas within these two galaxies shocks and compresses.
This compression might just be enough to form a dense knot, which then collapsed into a black hole.
“There is quite a bit of circumstantial evidence for this. We observe a large swath of ionized gas, specifically hydrogen that has been stripped of its electrons, that’s right in the middle between the two nuclei, surrounding the supermassive black hole.
We also know that the black hole is actively growing – we see evidence of that in X-rays from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and radio from the Very Large Array. Nevertheless, the question is, did it form there?
“There are two other possibilities that come to mind. First, it could be a runaway black hole that got ejected from a galaxy and just happens to be passing through.
Second, it could be a black hole at the center of a third galaxy in the same location on the sky. If it were in a third galaxy, we would expect to see the surrounding galaxy unless it were a faint dwarf galaxy.
However, dwarf galaxies don’t tend to host giant black holes.
“If the black hole were a runaway, or if it were in an unrelated galaxy, we would expect it to have a very different velocity from the gas in the Infinity Galaxy.
We realized that this would be our test – measure the velocity of the gas and the velocity of the black hole, and compare them.
If the velocities are close, within maybe 30 miles per second (50 kilometers per second), then it becomes hard to argue that the black hole is not formed out of that gas.
“We applied for and received director’s discretionary time to follow up on this target with Webb, and our preliminary results are exciting. First, the presence of an extended distribution of ionized gas in between the two nuclei is confirmed.
Second, the black hole is beautifully in the middle of the velocity distribution of this surrounding gas – as expected if it formed there. This is the key result that we were after!
“Third, as an unexpected bonus, it turns out that both galaxy nuclei also have an active supermassive black hole.
So, this system has three confirmed active black holes: two very massive ones in both of the galaxy nuclei, and the one in between them that might have formed there.
“We can’t say definitively that we have found a direct collapse black hole. But we can say that these new data strengthen the case that we’re seeing a newborn black hole, while eliminating some of the competing explanations.
We will continue to pore through the data and investigate these possibilities.”
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>odd not to mention the chasm's rectilinearity
>and the unusual horseshoe shaped indentation in the central mesa
kind of sort of
https://www.nasa.gov/missions/roman-space-telescope/one-survey-by-nasas-roman-could-unveil-100000-cosmic-explosions/
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ade1d6
One Survey by NASA’s Roman Could Unveil 100,000 Cosmic Explosions
Jul 15, 2025
Scientists predict one of the major surveys by NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope may reveal around 100,000 celestial blasts, ranging from exploding stars to feeding black holes.
Roman may even find evidence of some of the universe’s first stars, which are thought to completely self-destruct without leaving any remnant behind.
Cosmic explosions offer clues to some of the biggest mysteries of the universe. One is the nature of dark energy, the mysterious pressure thought to be accelerating the universe’s expansion.
“Whether you want to explore dark energy, dying stars, galactic powerhouses, or probably even entirely new things we’ve never seen before, this survey will be a gold mine,” said Benjamin Rose, an assistant professor at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, who led a study about the results.
Called the High-Latitude Time-Domain Survey, this observation program will scan the same large region of the cosmos every five days for two years.
Scientists will stitch these observations together to create movies that uncover all sorts of cosmic fireworks.
Chief among them are exploding stars. The survey is largely geared toward finding a special class of supernova called type Ia.
These stellar cataclysms allow scientists to measure cosmic distances and trace the universe’s expansion because they peak at about the same intrinsic brightness.
Figuring out how fast the universe has ballooned during different cosmic epochs offers clues to dark energy.
In the new study, scientists simulated Roman’s entire High-Latitude Time-Domain Survey.
The results suggest Roman could see around 27,000 type Ia supernovae—about 10 times more than all previous surveys combined.
Beyond dramatically increasing our total sample of these supernovae, Roman will push the boundaries of how far back in time we can see them.
While most of those detected so far occurred within approximately the last 8 billion years, Roman is expected to see vast numbers of them earlier in the universe’s history, including more than a thousand that exploded more than 10 billion years ago and potentially dozens from as far back as 11.5 billion years.
That means Roman will almost certainly set a new record for the farthest type Ia supernova while profoundly expanding our view of the early universe and filling in a critical gap in our understanding of how the cosmos has evolved over time.
“Filling these data gaps could also fill in gaps in our understanding of dark energy,” Rose said.
“Evidence is mounting that dark energy has changed over time, and Roman will help us understand that change by exploring cosmic history in ways other telescopes can’t.”
But type Ia supernovae will be hidden among a much bigger sample of exploding stars Roman will see once it begins science operations in 2027.
The team estimates Roman will also spot about 60,000 core-collapse supernovae, which occur when a massive star runs out of fuel and collapses under its own weight.
That’s different from type Ia supernovae, which originate from binary star systems that contain at least one white dwarf — the small, hot core remnant of a Sun-like star — siphoning material from a companion star.
Core-collapse supernovae aren’t as useful for dark energy studies as type Ias are, but their signals look similar from halfway across the cosmos.
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“By seeing the way an object’s light changes over time and splitting it into spectra — individual colors with patterns that reveal information about the object that emitted the light—we can distinguish between all the different types of flashes Roman will see,” said Rebekah Hounsell, an assistant research scientist at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County working at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and a co-author of the study.
“With the dataset we’ve created, scientists can train machine-learning algorithms to distinguish between different types of objects and sift through Roman’s downpour of data to find them,” Hounsell added.
“While searching for type Ia supernovae, Roman is going to collect a lot of cosmic ‘bycatch’—other phenomena that aren’t useful to some scientists, but will be invaluable to others.”
Hidden Gems
Thanks to Roman’s large, deep view of space, scientists say the survey should also unearth extremely rare and elusive phenomena, including even scarcer stellar explosions and disintegrating stars.
Upon close approach to a black hole, intense gravity can shred a star in a so-called tidal disruption event.
The stellar crumbs heat up as they swirl around the black hole, creating a glow astronomers can see from across vast stretches of space-time.
Scientists think Roman’s survey will unveil 40 tidal disruption events, offering a chance to learn more about black hole physics.
The team also estimates Roman will find about 90 superluminous supernovae, which can be 100 times brighter than a typical supernova.
They pack a punch, but scientists aren’t completely sure why. Finding more of them will help astronomers weigh different theories.
Even rarer and more powerful, Roman could also detect several kilonovae. These blasts occur when two neutron stars — extremely dense cores leftover from stars that exploded as supernovae — collide.
To date, there has been only one definitive kilonova detection. The team estimates Roman could spot five more.
That would help astronomers learn much more about these mysterious events, potentially including their fate.
As of now, scientists are unsure whether kilonovae result in a single neutron star, a black hole, or something else entirely.
Roman may even spot the detonations of some of the first stars that formed in the universe.
These nuclear furnaces were giants, up to hundreds of times more massive than our Sun, and unsullied by heavy elements that hadn’t yet formed.
They were so massive that scientists think they exploded differently than modern massive stars do.
Instead of reaching the point where a heavy star today would collapse, intense gamma rays inside the first stars may have turned into matter-antimatter pairs (electrons and positrons).
That would drain the pressure holding the stars up until they collapsed, self-destructing in explosions so powerful they’re thought to leave nothing behind.
So far, astronomers have found about half a dozen candidates of these “pair-instability” supernovae, but none have been confirmed.
“I think Roman will make the first confirmed detection of a pair-instability supernova,” Rose said — in fact the study suggests Roman will find more than 10.
“They’re incredibly far away and very rare, so you need a telescope that can survey a lot of the sky at a deep exposure level in near-infrared light, and that’s Roman.”
A future rendition of the simulation could include even more types of cosmic flashes, such as variable stars and active galaxies.
Other telescopes may follow up on the rare phenomena and objects Roman discovers to view them in different wavelengths of light to study them in more detail.
“Roman’s going to find a whole bunch of weird and wonderful things out in space, including some we haven’t even thought of yet,” Hounsell said. “We’re definitely expecting the unexpected.”
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Chinese scientists thank Nasa for sharing data critical to deep-sea mining in Indian Ocean
8:00pm, 15 Jul 2025
When the United States’ twin GRACE satellites spotted an anomaly southeast of India while mapping the oceans, Chinese researchers spotted an opportunity.
Over a relatively flat seabed thousands of metres deep, Nasa detected a spike in gravity readings and then put that data online, free for all to use.
Chinese oceanographers who saw the data decided to find out more. In 2022, they loaded the Shiyan 6 vessel, one of the world’s most advanced research ships, with cutting-edge equipment and sailed more than 12,000 nautical miles.
The ship’s US-made DGS advanced marine gravimeter measured gravity’s pull every second, with precision as high as 0.01 milligal, a measure of gravitational acceleration.
The trip confirmed what they had suspected: thickened crust beneath the Indian Ocean’s Ninety East Ridge.
Dense rock in some seemingly flat areas along the ridge – which spans 5,600km and is the longest on Earth – is 5km (3.1 miles) thicker than normal.
That thickness matters. Where the crust swells, minerals – copper, nickel, cobalt, manganese, rare earths – rise as magma pushes them up from the deep.
The Chinese researchers marked the spots, potentially saving them years of searching and millions of dollars.
They did not say when they gained access to or analysed the data collected by Nasa, but on June 12 the team published a paper in the Chinese Journal of Tropical Oceanography on how the satellite data boosted their research.
“Thank you, Nasa … for providing the gravitational field data,” wrote the team led by Mao Huabin, of the South China Sea Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Science.
“The marine gravity field, as a critical component of Earth’s gravitational field, maintains close links with factors like crustal thickness, mantle convection, plate tectonics and seabed topography.
“It constitutes indispensable foundational data for determining marine geological structures, distribution of mineral resources, and heterogeneity characteristics within Earth’s internal density structure.”
US law forbids Nasa from cooperating with China in any form. However, GRACE is a multinational project with data handled in Potsdam, Germany.
The gravity readings are shared through academic channels with no military users involved, allowing its science to slip through the cracks.
The Chinese team also thanked the German Aerospace Centre. The deep-sea mining race is heating up.
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order in April, allowing American companies to mine the deep at will, bypassing the authorisation of the United Nations.
This would boost America’s access to minerals needed by the aerospace industry and other critical sectors, according to the White House.
China holds United Nations permits to explore the Indian Ocean and other seas. It has far more submersibles capable of diving to the deepest trenches than any other country.
And Chinese shipyards are building vessels 200 times faster than America’s. Some researchers believe thermal vents on the seabed gush out high-value minerals worth trillions of dollars.
But deep sea mining, if unregulated, could destroy deep marine habitats and disrupt the planet’s life cycle, scientists warn.
https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3318282/chinese-scientists-thank-nasa-sharing-data-critical-deep-sea-mining-indian-ocean
https://www.astronomy.com/science/senate-appropriations-committee-pushes-back-on-2026-nasa-budget-cuts/
https://www.astronomy.com/space-exploration/smithsonian-pushing-back-on-plans-to-relocate-space-shuttle/
https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-nasa-reports-trump-hidden-doc-1ade1eb89bb4785f7cdd6e1d6ba31a21
https://www.nasa.gov/fy-2026-budget-request/
Senate appropriations committee pushes back on 2026 NASA budget cuts
July 15, 2025
In a July 10 markup meeting, the Senate Appropriations Committee, responsible for crafting the specific spending bills that allocate federal funds across the government, pushed back against President Trump’s proposed FY2026 budget.
The comments signaled bipartisan resistance in the Senate to steep cuts in federal science funding.
The president’s proposed budget, released in May, aimed to slash funding for NASA science and the National Science Foundation (NSF).
The move would have terminated dozens of key missions and projects — actions that experts warned could undercut U.S. leadership in space and innovation.
In response, at the markup meeting where a draft appropriations bill was presented and debated, members of the Senate committee expressed their intention to preserve existing funding levels.
Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) summed up the committee’s response: “We rejected cuts that would have devastated NASA Science by 47 percent and would have terminated 55 operating and planned missions.
And instead, we provide $7.3 billion.”
Underscoring the urgency of the moment, all seven living prior associate administrators of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate issued a rare joint statement on July 1 in a letter addressed to the leaders of the House Appropriations Committee.
The letter opposed the cuts and warned that the effects of the budget would be to “cede U.S. leadership in space and science to China and other nations, to severely damage a peerless and immensely capable engineering and scientific workforce, and to needlessly put to waste billions of dollars of taxpayer investments.”
Bipartisan support for science
During the July 10 markup, the Senate Appropriations Committee was considering three key FY2026 appropriations bills:
the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) bill, which funds NASA, NSF, the FBI, and related agencies; the Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bill, which supports farming programs, food safety, and rural initiatives; and the Legislative Branch bill, which covers congressional operations and related administrative expenses.
While the Agriculture and Legislative Branch bills were approved, the CJS bill remains unresolved due to a dispute over proposed cuts to FBI funding and an amendment concerning the FBI headquarters relocation, which raised national security concerns.
The committee recessed without voting on the CJS bill and is expected to reconvene soon.
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But remarks during the meeting reflected a bipartisan sentiment to sustain funding for NASA and NSF programs.
Sen. Van Hollen highlighted the CJS bill’s protections for key programs, stating, “We were able to protect agencies like NASA science and NSF, sparing them from the proposed steep cuts.
The bill funds NASA at $24.9 billion, slightly above fiscal year 2025, to explore the solar system, advance climate science, and promote innovation.”
Similarly, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) underscored the strategic investments made to accelerate America’s plans for lunar and martian exploration, stating,
“We make critical investments to accelerate our plans to land Americans on the lunar surface and technologies that could land astronauts on Mars.”
More controversy around Discovery move
In a notable aside during the appropriations discussions, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) introduced an amendment titled “Houston, We Have a Problem,” addressing the controversial proposal to relocate the space shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Virginia to Texas.
The proposal has the backing of Texas senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn.
Durbin called the effort a “heist” and warned against forcing a costly transfer without honest accounting.
He also criticized the $85 million funding set aside in the reconciliation bill as grossly insufficient compared to the estimated $305 million needed to move and properly display the shuttle.
Ultimately, Durbin withdrew the amendment but urged his colleagues to carefully consider the implications of the move.
The path forward for NASA funding
Once the Senate committee votes on the Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) appropriations bill, the legislation will move to the full Senate for consideration.
If approved by the Senate, it must then be reconciled with the House’s appropriations bill before being sent to the president for signing.
This process is time-sensitive, as the fiscal year begins on Oct. 1, 2025, and failure to pass the appropriations bills could result in a government shutdown.
The coming weeks are therefore crucial in determining the final funding levels for NASA, NSF, and other key science programs.
Although the overall budget faces cuts, NASA science funding remains protected, reflecting recognition of the important role these missions play.
As Sen. Moran noted, “This bill is a blueprint on how to govern in a constrained fiscal environment by making smart strategic choices, cutting where we can, investing where we must, and always staying focused on trying to deliver value to the American people.”
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NASA Research Shows Path Toward Protocells on Titan
Jul 14, 2025
NASA research has shown that cell-like compartments called vesicles could form naturally in the lakes of Saturn’s moon Titan.
Titan is the only world apart from Earth that is known to have liquid on its surface. However, Titan’s lakes and seas are not filled with water. Instead, they contain liquid hydrocarbons like ethane and methane.
On Earth, liquid water is thought to have been essential for the origin of life as we know it.
Many astrobiologists have wondered whether Titan’s liquids could also provide an environment for the formation of the molecules required for life – either as we know it or perhaps as we don’t know it – to take hold there.
New NASA research, published in the International Journal of Astrobiology, outlines a process by which stable vesicles might form on Titan, based on our current knowledge of the moon’s atmosphere and chemistry.
The formation of such compartments is an important step in making the precursors of living cells (or protocells).
The process involves molecules called amphiphiles, which can self-organize into vesicles under the right conditions. On Earth, these polar molecules have two parts, a hydrophobic (water-fearing) end and a hydrophilic (water-loving) end.
When they are in water, groups of these molecules can bunch together and form ball-like spheres, like soap bubbles, where the hydrophilic part of the molecule faces outward to interact with the water, thereby ‘protecting’ the hydrophobic part on the inside of the sphere.
Under the right conditions, two layers can form creating a cell-like ball with a bilayer membrane that encapsulates a pocket of water on the inside.
When considering vesicle formation on Titan, however, the researchers had to take into account an environment vastly different from the early Earth.
Uncovering Conditions on Titan
Titan is Saturn’s largest moon and the second largest in our solar system. Titan is also the only moon in our solar system with a substantial atmosphere.
The hazy, golden atmosphere of Titan kept the moon shrouded in mystery for much of human history. However, when NASA’s Cassini spacecraft arrived at Saturn in 2004, our views of Titan changed forever.
Thanks to Cassini, we now know Titan has a complex meteorological cycle that actively influences the surface today. Most of Titan’s atmosphere is nitrogen, but there is also a significant amount of methane (CH4).
This methane forms clouds and rain, which falls to the surface to cause erosion and river channels, filling up the lakes and seas. This liquid then evaporates in sunlight to form clouds once again.
This atmospheric activity also allows for complex chemistry to happen. Energy from the Sun breaks apart molecules like methane, and the pieces then reform into complex organic molecules.
Many astrobiologists believe that this chemistry could teach us how the molecules necessary for the origin of life formed and evolved on the early Earth.
The new study considered how vesicles might form in the freezing conditions of Titan’s hydrocarbon lakes and seas by focusing on sea-spray droplets, thrown upwards by splashing raindrops.
On Titan, both spray droplets and the sea surface could be coated in layers of amphiphiles.
If a droplet then lands on the surface of a pond, the two layers of amphiphiles meet to form a double-layered (or bilayer) vesicle, enclosing the original droplet.
Over time, many of these vesicles would be dispersed throughout the pond and would interact and compete in an evolutionary process that could lead to primitive protocells.
If the proposed pathway is happening, it would increase our understanding of the conditions in which life might be able to form.
“The existence of any vesicles on Titan would demonstrate an increase in order and complexity, which are conditions necessary for the origin of life,” explains Conor Nixon of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
“We’re excited about these new ideas because they can open up new directions in Titan research and may change how we search for life on Titan in the future.”
NASA’s first mission to Titan is the upcoming Dragonfly rotorcraft, which will explore the surface of the Saturnian moon.
While Titan’s lakes and seas are not a destination for Dragonfly (and the mission won’t carry the light-scattering instrument required to detect such vesicles), the mission will fly from location to location to study the moon’s surface composition, make atmospheric and geophysical measurements, and characterize the habitability of Titan’s environment.
https://science.nasa.gov/science-research/planetary-science/astrobiology/path-toward-protocells-on-titan/
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4595-4596: Just Another Beautiful Day on Mars
Jul 15, 2025
Earth planning date: Wednesday, July 9, 2025
In today’s plan, we have a little bit of everything.
With it being winter still, we are taking advantage of the ability to let the rover sleep in, doing most of the activities in the afternoon when it is warmer and we need less heating.
As the Systems Engineer (Engineering Uplink Lead) today, I sequenced the needed heating and some other engineering housekeeping activities.
We start off with an extensive remote science block with Mastcam imaging of a nearby trough to look for potential sand activity.
There is color imaging of a displaced block, “Ouro,” near a circular depression — could this be a small crater?
Mastcam also takes a look at a ridge “Volcán Peña Blanca” to look at the sedimentary structures, which may provide insights into its formation.
ChemCam LIBS and Mastcam team up to look at the “Los Andes” target, which is the dark face of a nearby piece of exposed bedrock.
ChemCam RMI and Mastcam check out a distant small outcrop to examine the geometry of the layers.
We also throw in environmental observations, a Mastcam solar Tau and a Navcam line-of-site looking at dust in the atmosphere.
After a nap, Curiosity will be doing some contact science activities on “Cataratas del Jardín” and “Rio Ivirizu” bedrock targets.
Looking at two nearby targets for variability can help us understand the local geology. Cataratas del Jardín gets a brushing to clear away the dust before both targets are examined by MAHLI and APXS.
Fortunately for the Arm Rover Planner, both of these targets are fairly flat and easy to reach.
Before going to sleep for the night, Curiosity will stow the arm to be ready for driving on the next sol.On the second sol, there is more remote science.
ChemCam LIBS and Mastcam will examine “Torotoro,” another piece of layered bedrock. ChemCam RMI will take a mosaic of “Paniri,” which is an interesting incision in the rock that is filled with another material.
There are also environmental observations, a Navcam dust devil survey and a suprahorizon movie. After another nap, Curiosity is getting on the road.
We’re heading southwest (direction shown in the image) about 50 meters (about 164 feet), but we need to sneak between sandy pits and skirt around some terrain that we can’t see behind.
The terrain here provides pretty nice driving, though, without a lot of big boulders, steep slopes, or pointy rocks that can poke holes in our wheels.
After the standard post-drive imaging for our next plan, there are some Navcam observations to look for clouds and our normal look under the rover with MARDI before Curiosity goes to sleep for the night.
https://science.nasa.gov/blog/curiosity-blog-sols-4595-4596-just-another-beautiful-day-on-mars/
Linking Satellite Data and Community Knowledge to Advance Alaskan Snow Science
Jul 14, 2025
Seasonal snow plays a significant role in global water and energy cycles, and billions of people worldwide rely on snowmelt for water resources needs, including water supply, hydropower, agriculture, and more.
Monitoring snow water equivalent (SWE) is critical for supporting these applications and for mitigating damages caused by snowmelt flooding, avalanches, and other snow-related disasters.
However, our ability to measure SWE remains a challenge, particularly in northern latitudes where in situ SWE observations are sparse and satellite observations are impacted by the boreal forest and environmental conditions.
Despite limited in situ SWE measurements, local residents in Arctic and sub-Arctic regions provide a vast and valuable body of place-based knowledge and observations that are essential for understanding snowpack behavior in northern regions.
As part of a joint NASA SnowEx, NASA’s Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) for American Indian and Alaska Native STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Mathematics) Engagement (MAIANSE), and Global Learning & Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program partnership, a team of scientists including NASA intern Julia White (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, University of Alaska Fairbanks), Carrie Vuyovich (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), Alicia Joseph (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center), and Christi Buffington (University of Alaska Fairbanks, GLOBE Implementation Office) is studying snow water equivalent (SWE) across Interior Alaska.
This project combines satellite-based interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data, primarily from the Sentinel-1 satellite, with ground-based observations from the Snow Telemetry (SNOTEL) network and GLOBE (Global Learning Observations to Benefit the Environment). Together, these data sources help the team investigate how SWE varies across the landscape and how it affects local ecosystems and communities.
The team is also preparing for future integration of data from NASA’s upcoming NISAR (NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission, which is expected to enhance SWE retrieval capabilities.
After a collaborative visit to the classroom of Tammie Kovalenko in November 2024, Delta Junction junior and senior high school students in vocational agriculture (Vo Ag) classes, including members of Future Farmers of America (FFA), began collecting GLOBE data on a snowdrift located just outside their classroom.
As the project progressed, students developed their own research questions. One student, Fianna Rooney, took the project even further — presenting research posters at both the GLOBE International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS) and both the FFA Regional and National Conventions. Her work highlights the growing role of Alaskan youth in science, and how student-led inquiry can enrich both education and research outcomes.
(This trip was funded by the NASA Science Activation Program's Arctic and Earth SIGNs – STEM Integrating GLOBE & NASA – project at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.)
In February 2025, the team collaborated with Delta Junction Junior High and High School students, along with the Delta Junction Trails Association, to conduct a GLOBE Intensive Observation Period (IOP), “Delta Junction Snowdrifts,” to collect Landcover photos, snow depth, and snow water equivalent data.
Thanks to aligned interests and research goals at the Alaska Satellite Facility (ASF), the project was further expanded into Spring 2025.
Collaborators from ASF and the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) collected high resolution airborne data over the snowdrift at the Delta Junction Junior and Senior High School.
This complementary dataset helped strengthen connections between satellite observations and ground-based student measurements.
This effort, led by a NASA intern, scientists, students, and Alaskan community members, highlights the power of collaboration in advancing science and education.
Next steps will include collaboration with Native Alaskan communities near Delta Junction, including the Healy Lake Tribe, whose vast, generational knowledge will be of great value to deepening our understanding of Alaskan snow dynamics.
https://science.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/goddard/linking-satellite-data-and-community-knowledge-to-advance-alaskan-snow-science/
https://science.nasa.gov/learn/about-science-activation/
10 Years Ago: NASA’s New Horizons Captures Pluto’s Heart
Jul 14, 2025
This image, taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft on July 14, 2015, is the most accurate natural color image of Pluto.
This natural-color image results from refined calibration of data gathered by New Horizons’ color Multispectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC).
The processing creates images that would approximate the colors that the human eye would perceive, bringing them closer to “true color” than the images released near the encounter.
This single color MVIC scan includes no data from other New Horizons imagers or instruments added.
The striking features on Pluto are clearly visible, including the bright expanse of Pluto’s icy, nitrogen-and-methane rich “heart,” Sputnik Planitia.
https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/10-years-ago-nasas-new-horizons-captures-plutos-heart/
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/new-horizons/
Look Out For "Fireballs": The Best Meteor Shower Of 2025 Is About To Commence, According To NASA
July 14, 2025
One of the best meteor showers of the year is about to commence, as comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle sends debris at Earth.
The Perseid meteor showers are the result of Comet 109P/Swift-Tuttle, a 26-kilometer (16-mile) wide comet that takes 133 years to orbit the Sun.
This "parent" comet, around twice the size of the rock which dinosaured the dinosaurs, is what showers the Earth every year.
"The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the popular Perseids meteor shower originate from Swift-Tuttle.
This annual meteor shower takes place each August, and peaks mid-month. It was Giovanni Schiaparelli who realized in 1865 that this comet was the source of the Perseids," NASA explains.
"When comets come around the Sun, the dust they emit gradually spreads into a dusty trail around their orbits.
Every year the Earth passes through these debris trails, which allows the bits to collide with our atmosphere where they disintegrate to create fiery and colorful streaks in the sky."
According to NASA, the Perseids is considered the best meteor shower of the year, largely due to the long streaks of color they leave as they head through our atmosphere, as well as their sheer numbers.
At their peak, around 50 to 100 meteors can be seen every hour.
As well as this, the Perseids are known for their fireballs.
"Fireballs are larger explosions of light and color that can persist longer than an average meteor streak," NASA explains.
"This is due to the fact that fireballs originate from larger particles of cometary material. Fireballs are also brighter, with apparent magnitudes greater than -3."
It is best viewed in the northern hemisphere, and in pre-dawn hours, though it is possible to see them in the night after around 10 pm.
If you are planning to view them, you should look towards the constellation of Perseus, after which the Perseids are named. This is the direction from which they originate, but they will spread out across the sky.
The best way to see them is to simply allow your eyes to adjust to the dark, then stare at the sky until you see the debris of a comet streak its way through our atmosphere.
The meteor shower will last from July 17 to August 23, peaking on the 12-13 August.
https://www.iflscience.com/look-out-for-fireballs-the-best-meteor-shower-of-2025-is-about-to-commence-according-to-nasa-79994
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAvQgPpsuuE
OUTTA SPACE Nasa uncovers ‘Super Earth’ planet flashing with mysterious repeating signal just 154 lightyears away
Updated: 5:39 ET, Jul 15 2025
NASA has uncovered a new 'Super Earth' planet just 154-lightyears away that has been flashing a mysterious signal.
The planet appears to be almost twice as wide as our planet, and roughly four times heavier.
Earlier this year, Nasa’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) captured a repetitive flicker of starlight.
The dimming pattern, captured by TESS, occurred in March of each year.
Tracing it back, scientists stumbled across a 'Super Earth', dubbed TOI‑1846 b, hiding in the northern constellation Lyra.
The planet has a size and weight combination that suggests it falls into the so-called 'radius gap'.
This a rare category between small, rocky planets like Earth and larger, gas-rich planets like Neptune.
Based on this, scientists believe the newly discovered world may have a layer of dense ice underneath, topped by a thin atmosphere - or maybe even a shallow ocean.
Despite an estimated surface temperature of 300C (600F), researchers say the planet may still hold water.
This is because TOI‑1846 b is likely tidally locked - meaning one side always faces its star while the other remains in darkness.
Water, therefore, may be trapped in the cooler, darker regions, according to scientists.
Although it depends on how heat moves through its atmosphere.
Given the scorching temperatures, alien life is unlikely to be found on the planet.
Working with observers on four continents, researcher Abderahmane Soubkiou and colleagues at the Oukaimeden Observatory in Morocco confirmed the existence of the exoplanet.
“We have validated TOI‑1846 b using TESS and multicolor ground‑based photometric data, high‑resolution imaging, and spectroscopic observations,” Soubkiou wrote at the end of the team’s announcement.
Their measurements show the planet orbits its star in just under four days.
TESS scans the sky every 30 minutes with four high-sensitivity cameras, making it the ideal tool for spotting shallow light dips like those from TOI-1846 b.
Each dip in the light from its neighboring star, a Red Dwarf, is caused when the planet passes in front of it from the perspective of Earth.
Because the star is faint, each transit of TOI‑1846 b subtracts only a few hundredths of a percent of its light - but TESS is built for picking up such slight flickers.
But different tools are needed to learn more about the possibly rocky, water-featuring world.
The team noted that the MAROON‑X instrument on Gemini North in Hawai'i can verify the planet’s mass and uncover any hidden sibling planets lurking in the shadows.
Nasa scientists hope they can secure time with the James Webb Space Telescope and target TOI-1846 b to study its atmosphere using infrared light.
The $10 billion telescope discovered its first-ever exoplanet just last month, but has been used to analyse others on its journey through space.
https://www.the-sun.com/tech/14714109/nasa-super-earth-flashing-signal-tess-water-red-dwarf/
https://www.msn.com/en-ie/news/techandscience/nasa-discovers-super-earth-planet-emitting-mysterious-signal/ar-AA1IBipX
Ax-4 Crew Splashes Down Completing First Mission to the International Space Station for India, Poland, and Hungary
July 15, 2025
After undocking from the International Space Station on Monday, July 14 at 6:15 a.m. CT, the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) crew safely splashed down off the coast of California aboard SpaceX Dragon “Grace” on Tuesday, July 15 at 4:31 a.m. CT.
The Ax-4 crewmembers, led by Commander Peggy Whitson of the U.S., includes Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
For each of these countries, this mission has realized the return to human spaceflight, with all three nations sending astronauts to space for the first time in more than 40 years.
Additionally, this marks the first time astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary have conducted a mission on board the International Space Station.
“The Ax-4 mission is a powerful demonstration of what’s possible through commercial space,” said Tejpaul Bhatia, CEO of Axiom Space.
“By enabling astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary to carry out scientific research aboard the space station, we are supporting these nations in their contributions to human spaceflight.
This mission reflects Axiom Space’s vision of a thriving low-Earth orbit economy, where access to space is no longer limited to a few, but extends to all who seek to explore, discover, and innovate.”
Over the course of their 18-day mission aboard the orbiting laboratory, the Ax-4 crew conducted more than 60 scientific experiments across a wide range of disciplines, including life sciences, materials research, Earth observation, and technology demonstrations.
These investigations represented the interests of 31 countries, underscoring the mission’s global impact in advancing science and innovation in microgravity.
In addition to the scientific research, the crew participated in over 20 outreach events, connecting with a diverse global audience that included government officials, students, researchers, the media, and aspiring astronauts.
These engagements served as a platform to share the mission’s goals, inspire future generations, and highlight the importance of international collaboration.
Ax-4 is the fourth in Axiom Space’s series of human spaceflight missions to the International Space Station.
As the only private company to have successfully executed private astronaut missions to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Space has expanded access to low-Earth orbit by enabling governments, academic institutions, private organizations, and individuals to engage in research, technology demonstrations, and educational outreach in space.
In parallel, these missions serve as a precursor for Axiom Space’s long-term vision—the launch and operation of Axiom Station, the world’s first commercial space station.
Axiom Space’s previous missions have included astronauts from the United States, Spain, Israel, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Italy, Türkiye, and Sweden, with support from the European Space Agency (ESA).
With Ax-4, Axiom Space continues to build a foundation for the future of commercial space, demonstrating the importance of international participation.
https://www.axiomspace.com/mission-blog/ax4-splashes-down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PEgeSEsNbKI
Alumni Company Completes First Commercial Capture of Unprepared Space Objects on the ISS
Jul. 15, 2025
Satellites orbiting Earth are responsible for every GPS ping, global communication, weather prediction and live stream.
But when they drift off course or end their missions, they pose a threat to space-based systems modern life depends on because most are unprepared and uncontrolled. There has been no way to safely move, repair or retire them until now.
Kall Morris Inc. (KMI), an alumni-owned company based in Marquette, recently completed the first commercial demonstrations of its REACCH robotic system, which features mechanical tentacles that can safely grab and move objects in space, aboard the International Space Station.
In more than eight months at the ISS, the REACCH system was operated in six test sessions by NASA astronauts.
“The success of these tests showcase the immense capability of the REACCH system and most notably advance the state of the art of microgravity capture of uncontrolled objects,” said KMI Co-Founder & Director of Engineering Austin Morris in a press release.
“The critical insights gained from these operations on board the ISS directly support the advancement of this technology, paving the way to commercial readiness of orbital relocation services via a practical solution that can be deployed in operational space environments.”
Operated by the Astrobee payload, REACCH became the largest ever Astrobee payload by both mass and volume.
Additionally, KMI became the first commercial entity to capture an unprepared object in space and became the first private company to capture objects repeatedly in space.
After 172 capture cycles during its mission aboard the ISS, REACCH returned to Earth aboard the SpaceX CRS-32 Dragon capsule, the first West Coast downmass in SpaceX's CRS history, which splashed down on May 25, 2025, at 1:44 AM EDT.
This mission proved that on-orbit relocation services are real, scalable, and ready to solve one of the biggest challenges in space operations today.
"These test flights have profound implications for the future of sustainable and scalable space operations," noted KMI Co-Founder & CEO Troy M. Morris.
"While a picture of 'mechanical-space-octopus-tentacles' is worth a thousand words, the lessons learned from practical testing will be invaluable.
Our team has a tremendous amount of work ahead, but the reality of this breakthrough is that objects in space don't necessarily need a docking adapter or other specialized hardware to receive services from a ‘tow truck in space' and get objects to where customers want them.”
Satellite operators need an in-space capability to safely move objects of nearly any shape, size or surface without causing damage or leaving residue. No docking systems?
No problem. REACCH uses flexible, bio-inspired tentacle arms to secure objects without the need for specific infrastructure or retrofitting, serving as a one-size-fits-most attachment system to enable almost any connection and relocation.
For the public, this means continued excellence from space systems and services: entertainment, internet, weather tracking and more.
For satellite operators, it means extended mission lifespans, repositioning options, and mitigating risks to current missions.
It opens the doors to a massive new market of Relocation as a Service (RaaS) with REACCH as the tip of the spear in innovations supporting KMI's RaaS model.
That means any commercial, national security, or scientific satellite can be repositioned, assisted, or supported during or after a mission without previous preparations.
“In a world where every extra month of operation can represent millions in revenue, REACCH enables a future where satellites and those who use them aren't stranded, but supported,” commented Adam Kall, KMI Co-Founder & Director of Science.
With the REACCH hardware now back on Earth, KMI is reviewing mission data, continuing technology iteration, and embarking upon the next stage of development.
A full-scale, commercial-ready flight demonstration is planned for 2028, using lessons learned from the ISS campaign to refine system capabilities and customer integration.
KMI was established by Kall, a 2018 NMU math and computer science graduate; Austin Morris, who earned a mechanical engineering technology degree in 2018; and Troy Morris, a 2016 psychology/behavior analysis graduate.
The company is leveraging proprietary software, exclusive hardware and critical partnerships to develop a commercially viable system that extends and enhances vital space missions, all aligned toward "Keeping Space Clear for All."
Learn more about the company at www.kallmorris.com.
https://news.nmu.edu/alumni-system-completes-first-commercial-capture
IonQ Completes Acquisition of Capella Space, Advancing Vision for Space-Based Quantum Communications
Jul 15, 2025 9:29 AM Eastern Daylight Time
COLLEGE PARK, Md, - IonQ, a leading commercial quantum computing and networking company, today announced the completion of its acquisition of Capella Space Corporation, an American space tech company with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and satellite solutions for government and commercial applications.
The closing marks a significant step in IonQ’s mission to develop the world’s first space-to-space and space-to-ground satellite quantum key distribution (QKD) network, enabling quantum-secure global communications.
With the acquisition now finalized, IonQ will begin developing a space-based QKD network by integrating Capella’s satellite infrastructure with its quantum technology.
Once complete, this QKD network will enable secure communications that prevents encryption keys from being intercepted or copied without detection.
It will also serve as a platform for additional quantum networking and sensing growth vectors.
Capella customers will have access to rapid, ultra-secure SAR and remote sensing through the first quantum-enabled Earth observation platform.
“We have an exceptional opportunity to accelerate our vision for the quantum internet, where global QKD will play a foundational role in enabling secure communications,” said Niccolo de Masi, CEO of IonQ.
“The integration of Capella’s advanced space-based platform and proven constellation of deployed satellites – along with IonQ’s quantum technologies – is expected to bolster commercial applications, global defense, and intelligence missions.”
“Capella has been a long-time pioneer in space technology and we can now take actionable steps to push the boundaries further by building the first quantum-enabled Earth observation platform,” said Frank Backes, CEO of Capella. “We’re excited to be joining the IonQ team on this new journey.”
This acquisition, along with the previously announced ID Quantique agreement, strengthens IonQ’s position in advancing quantum networking technologies that are essential for building the quantum internet.
This news builds on recent quantum networking contracts with the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security (ARLIS) and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL).
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250715219783/en/IonQ-Completes-Acquisition-of-Capella-Space-Advancing-Vision-for-Space-Based-Quantum-Communications
https://ionq.com/
China launches Tianzhou-9 cargo craft to send space station supplies
2025-07-15 06:01:15
China launched the cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-9 in the early morning on Tuesday to deliver supplies for its orbiting Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
The Long March-7 Y10 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-9, blasted off at 5:34 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, the agency said.
After about 10 minutes, Tianzhou-9 separated from the rocket and entered its designated orbit. Its solar panels soon unfolded. The agency declared the launch a complete success.
The cargo craft will later conduct the rendezvous and docking with the space station combination.
Tianzhou-9 is loaded with essential supplies, including consumables for the orbiting crew, propellant, and equipment for application experiments and tests.
The mission is the fourth cargo resupply flight of China's manned space program since the space station entered the application and development phase. It is also the 584th mission of the Long March rocket series.
https://english.news.cn/20250715/f391a172e374473792c90106d11a9861/c.html
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/china-launches-new-spacesuits-other-supplies-to-tiangong-space-station
Secretive Chinese Satellite Emerges in Surprising Orbit After 6-Day Vanishing Act
July 14, 2025
Nearly a week after launch, space tracking systems were able to locate a mysterious satellite parked in an unusually low orbit.
China launched the experimental satellite to test new technologies, but it’s still unclear exactly what it’s doing in its unique inclination.
Shiyan-28B 01 launched on July 3 from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, riding on board a Long March 4C rocket.
The satellite is part of China’s experimental Shiyan series, reportedly designed for exploration of the space environment and to test new technologies.
It typically takes a day or two for space tracking systems to locate an object in orbit, but the recently launched Chinese satellite was hard to find.
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Domain Awareness unit was finally able to catalogue Shiyan-28B 01 on July 9, six days after its launch.
The U.S. space monitoring system located the Chinese satellite in a 492 by 494 mile orbit (794 by 796 kilometer orbit) with an 11-degree inclination, astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell wrote on X.
At the time of launch, it was estimated that the satellite would be tilted at a 35-degree inclination relative to Earth’s equator.
Its unusually low inclination, however, suggests that the rocket performed a dogleg maneuver, meaning that it changed direction midway through ascent, and its second stage performed three burns to reduce inclination, according to McDowell.
It’s unclear why China performed the change in the rocket’s path after launch or what the purpose of the satellite’s low inclination is. China has never used such a low-inclination orbit before, according to SpaceNews.
Based on its orbital inclination, the satellite will pass over parts of the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, and it may be used for regional monitoring or communication tests.
China has been experimenting with new satellite technology.
Two Chinese satellites recently performed a docking maneuver for an orbital refueling experiment, which has the potential to extend the lifespan of spacecraft in orbit.
The country generally keeps the specifics of its experimental missions under wraps, carrying out secretive maneuvers in orbit as U.S. tracking systems do their best to keep watch.
https://gizmodo.com/secretive-chinese-satellite-emerges-in-surprising-orbit-after-6-day-vanishing-act-2000628829
https://www.space.com/astronomy/mars/the-largest-mars-rock-on-earth-is-up-for-auction-in-nyc-it-could-be-yours-for-usd4-million-or-more
The largest Mars rock on Earth is up for auction in NYC — it could be yours for $4 million (or more)
July 15, 2025
NEW YORK CITY — Tucked away in a building on the corner of 72nd Street and York Avenue in Lenox Hill, an extraterrestrial marvel sits sturdily on a white pedestal.
It's the largest Mars rock on planet Earth — and it turns out its 54-pound (25-kilogram), ashy terracotta structure isn't as priceless as you'd expect.
This Mars rock is up for auction at Sotheby's in New York City this week, which is why it's currently on display in the Upper East Side.
As of now, it's expected to sell for between $2 million and $4 million, but it could very well sell for far more.
"At the end of the day, it's the bidders who tell us what things are worth, not me, not anyone else.
The estimates are just there to give people an indication," Cassandra Hatton, the vice chairman of science and natural history at Sotheby's, told Space.com.
"Last summer, I sold the Stegosaurus 'Apex.' For the Stegosaurus, the estimate was [$4 million to $6 million], and it sold for $44.6 million."
Hatton said she first heard about the Mars rock (formally called NWA 16788) about a year ago from the rock's seller, who learned about the specimen from a meteorite hunter in Africa.
("NWA" is short for "Northwest Africa," the region where the rock was found.) "When they first acquired it, they called me right away," she said.
"I said, 'All right, we have got to get it tested; we need to have it published in the meteoritical bulletin."
As such, the seller went through several formal steps to document and test the rock as well as have it published upon. That testing process was rather rigorous for a few reasons.
First of all, unlike lunar meteorite candidates, possible Mars meteorites have no pristine samples to be compared with.
During the Apollo years, astronauts physically brought hundreds of pounds of moon rocks back to Earth, and those samples still serve as the isotopic reference point for determining whether a rock is indeed a lunar meteorite or just a peculiar piece of our planet.
Astronauts haven't visited the Red Planet yet, so of course we don't have any Mars rock reference points — and though there is still talk of a possible Mars Sample Return program to bring home samples that NASA's Perseverance rover has been collecting from the Martian surface over the last few years, the timeline on that is as unclear as can be.
It may even be cancelled, if the Trump administration's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal is passed as-is by Congress.
Alas, the testing team had to come up with a workaround, and they did so by considering a few clues we have about what a Martian meteorite should look like.
How do you verify a Mars rock?
Imagine something huge impacting another world — in this case, an asteroid striking Mars long ago.
As a consequence of that impact, there'd have been a bunch of stuff that shot upward during the crash — chunks of the Martian surface, particles of dust, and who knows what else.
If any of that debris managed to shoot far enough to exit the Martian atmosphere, it'd have been possible for those travelers to reach Earth, travel through our atmosphere and land somewhere on our world.
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Because of this journey, Martian atmospheric data is important to consider when verifying whether something is a Mars rock — and thanks to the twin Viking landers that NASA sent to Mars in the '70s, scientists indeed have that atmospheric data.
"You'll find little gas pockets in a lot of Martian meteorites," Hatton said.
"We've cut those pockets open and compared the gas in those pockets to the gas that we analyzed from the Martian atmosphere — and if they match up, then we know that rock came from Mars."
The next step has to do with the general composition of a meteorite.
Typically, Hatton explains, meteorites contain what's known as "Maskelynite" glass, which forms as the result of the big crash that forced the meteorite off the surface of a world.
"That's layer one," she explained. "Is there Maskelynite glass in this rock? If it is, it's a meteorite, because we only find that in meteorites."
"Then it's very easy," she said. "What's the [chemical makeup] of this rock? Compare it to a [Mars] rock that we have that we found in the desert — if they match, then boom. That's Martian."
The market price of Mars
Usually, pricing rare items that come into Sotheby's isn't too much of an ordeal.
For instance, if you're trying to figure out the value of an antique necklace, you can look at the value of the stones and metals in the piece, think about the fame of the designer and look into how much other items from the same era cost.
Similar thought processes help auction houses estimate the value of objects like photographs, autographs, technology and art.
"If I have a Picasso, I just compare it to the other Picassos," Hatton said. "Is it bigger, blue or older? Is it depicting Marie-Thérèse [Walter, a French model and muse of the artist]?"
The same can't be said for rare scientific items.
"I really have to think about the context, the background, the history, the rarity, the significance, and then I put an estimate on it," Hatton said.
In the case of the Mars rock soon to be up for auction, she said the cost estimate of $2 million to $4 million came from the fact that it's the biggest Red Planet meteorite we have.
For context, other, smaller Martian meteorites have sold for between $20,000 and $80,000, Hatton said, but she emphasized that bigger isn't exactly always better in the auction world.
Sometimes, the bigger you get, the more likely it is for the bidding price to go down.
"How many people could fit a 100-foot long sauropod in their house? Nobody, not even every museum could fit a sauropod that's 100 feet long," she said, as an example.
"So, then your market gets much smaller. That's also something to consider: Who could maintain this? Who could have it in their home?"
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But that reasoning doesn't really apply in this case, because NWA 16788 — though huge for a Mars meteorite — can still fit into an average-sized backpack.
So, Hatton calls the maximum $4 million figure on the Mars rock at hand a conservative estimate.
But beyond all the statistics, there's also an unusual aesthetic value to consider with NWA 16788.
"It also looks just like the surface of the Red Planet," she said. "Most other Martian meteorites that we find are really small, thin slices, and when you first look at them, you would never guess that they're Martian."
"This one has really amazing fusion crust on the outside," she added. "If you look closely at it, you could almost use it as a film set for a movie about Mars — put little teeny people on there, because you could see the grooves and the ripples and the mountains on it."
But, well, does this belong in a museum?
When asked why she believes a specimen so brilliant it can be called the "largest Mars rock on Earth" should be auctioned off to a collector rather than donated to a public museum or scientific institution — it's no secret that many would argue for the latter — Hatton looked back at the history of museums as a whole.
"If we didn't have personal private collectors, we would not have museums," she said. "Many of my clients give the things to museums or loan them to museums."
She also explained that having to pay for something may make one more likely to care for their property: "If it's precious to you monetarily, you take care of it. Having this value tied to the object helps ensure that it is taken care of."
"There are some museums that don't have the funding and the staff to properly care for objects," she added. "So, a lot of times, the private collectors are saving these objects. They're making sure that they're taken care of."
Hatton also pointed out that many major collectors loan their items to museums, and as part of that loan, offer extra money to have staff take care of the items or fund postdoctoral researchers to study them.
"Part of what I am hoping, and I think I am achieving with a lot of these sales, is raising the profile of all of these different types of space, sci-tech and natural history objects, and helping people understand how important they are."
And though Hatton doesn't allow herself to place her own personal value estimate on the Mars rock — or anything she's auctioning off, for that matter — she highlighted that auctions aren't always purely about the items themselves.
"I've had people cry after they've bought things at an auction. I've cried when I've had people contact me and say, 'will you sell this?' because there [are] your white whales — your grails that you hope maybe one day you'll get to see.
I always root for people to get what they want, because it's not just about the object. They're kind of chasing a dream."
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Snow covers the SOAR Telescope in Chile
July 14, 2025
A recent unexpected frost graced high-altitude peaks in Chile, dusting the Southern Astrophysical Research (SOAR) Telescope with a delicate layer of snow.
What is it?
The 13.4 foot (4.1 meter) telescope has been a major hub for researchers in the Southern Hemisphere using optical and near-infrared astronomy to study the stars.
According to NOIRLab, the telescope was initiated in 1987 by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
It's run by an international consortium which includes Brazil, Chile, Michigan State University and the University of North Carolina.
Only a short distance away on the same peak is the Gemini South telescope, which also looks at the stars in both visible and infrared wavelengths.
Where is it?
The SOAR Telescope sits on the peak of Cerro Pachón, part of the Chilean Andes mountain range.
Why is it amazing?
Recently, a rare winter storm swept across the Atacama desert, bringing snow to the driest place on Earth.
While the event created a beautiful landscape, its impact varied among the observatories located in the remote part of Chile.
For the SOAR telescope, high up in the Chilean Andes, the snow was a gentle dusting that coated the observatory, making for some stunning images.
However, lower down in elevation, the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) facility at Chajnantor Plateu faced more severe conditions, forcing all scientific operations to be suspended since June 26, 2025.
ALMA's remote location and reliance on sensitive electronics made it especially vulnerable to weather extremes, even brief ones.
https://www.space.com/astronomy/snow-covers-the-soar-telescope-in-chile-space-photo-of-the-day-for-july-14-2025
https://noirlab.edu/public/programs/ctio/soar-telescope/
SpaceX will launch next Starship flight in 'about 3 weeks,' Elon Musk says
July 15, 2025
Starship will fly again before the summer is over, if all goes according to plan.
SpaceX aims to launch the 10th test flight of Starship, the biggest and most powerful rocket ever built, about three weeks from now, company founder and CEO Elon Musk said via X on Monday (July 14).
It will be the fourth launch of the year for Starship, whose two stages — the Super Heavy booster and Ship upper stage — are designed to be fully and rapidly reusable.
It's been a bumpy path to the launch pad for Flight 10. The Ship upper stage originally slated to fly the mission exploded on a test stand at SpaceX's Starbase site in South Texas on June 18, during preparations for a common prelaunch engine trial.
SpaceX soon determined a likely cause — the failure of a pressurized nitrogen tank in Ship's nosecone area. The company is now working to get a different Ship vehicle ready for Flight 10.
Ship has also had some in-flight issues recently: SpaceX lost the vehicle on Flight 7, Flight 8 and Flight 9, which launched in January, March and May of this year, respectively.
Super Heavy has performed better. On Flight 7 and Flight 8, for example, the booster successfully returned to Starbase, where it was caught by the launch tower's "chopstick" arms.
Flight 9 featured the first-ever reuse of Super Heavy, putting the Flight 7 booster back into action. (SpaceX didn't attempt to catch the booster again; it broke apart over the Gulf of Mexico during Flight 9, shortly after initiating a landing burn.)
SpaceX plans to employ the chopsticks recovery strategy for both Super Heavy and Ship over the long haul, making the reuse of each stage more efficient.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-will-launch-next-starship-flight-in-about-3-weeks-elon-musk-says
https://www.space.com/astronomy/astronomers-discover-giant-alien-planet-35-times-more-massive-than-earth-hiding-in-a-known-star-system
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adce01
Astronomers discover giant alien planet 35 times more massive than Earth hiding in a known star system
July 15, 2025
Scientists have detected a hidden alien planet by examining the orbits of the known worlds in the star system, known as Kepler-139.
The newfound exoplanet, called Kepler-139f, is a gigantic world roughly twice the mass of Neptune and 35 times the mass of Earth, and it takes 355 days to orbit its star, astronomers reported in a study published May 2 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Despite its giant size, Kepler-139f had evaded detection.
That's because the initial yield of NASA's Kepler space telescope, which discovered nearly 3,000 planets in its nine years of operation, relied on worlds transiting — passing between their star and Earth.
The resulting dimming of the star allowed astronomers to identify planets and calculate their size. But Kepler couldn't see planets traveling above or below the wedge of space between it and the star, so any outliers remained unseen.
But if the hidden world was part of a multiplanet system, astronomers could try to find it despite its inclined orbit. Kepler-139 has three rocky transiting super-Earths; a fourth gas giant was later discovered.
Gaps in their orbits suggested that other worlds might be present. Precise measurements of the orbits allowed the astronomers to infer the existence of at least one more planet.
"The issue is not exactly finding non-transiting planets, but rather, finding situations in which we can deduce where the non-transiting planet is located," Caleb Lammers, a graduate student in the Department of Astrophysical Science at Princeton and co-author of the study, told Space.com by email.
Discovering Kepler-139f
Kepler's initial identification of a world was often followed up by observations from the ground.
Using radial velocity (RV), astronomers could measure how much a planet tugged on its star, allowing them to determine the planet's mass.
RV measurements could also reveal new worlds, as happened with the outermost gas giant, Kepler-139e.
At the same time, each planet is pulled by not only its star but also by other planets in the system, regardless of whether that planet can be seen from Earth.
These pulls can affect how swiftly a planet transits, thus creating "transit timing variations" (TTVs). These variations in the transiting planets can reveal worlds that don't cross the star.
"When you observe TTVs that cannot be attributed to the known planets, you can be fairly confident that there is an unseen body in the system," Lammers said.
Lammers and his colleague Joshua Winn, a participating scientist on the Kepler team and co-author of the study, went looking for gaps in known systems.
Then, they used both RV and TTV measurements to hunt for a missing world, revising existing TTVs based on the 2023 discovery of Kepler-139e.
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"What was different in the case of Kepler-139 is that we had precise radial velocity observations which did not conclusively point towards a new planet on their own," Lammers said.
Combined with the TTVs, the observations revealed a fifth planet, Kepler-139f, tucked between the outermost super-Earth and the gas giant.
The new discovery also helped to answer a question about Kepler-139e. The original reports of Kepler-139c, the outermost super-Earth, provided an unusually large density for a sub-Neptune-size planet.
The discrepancy occurred because those authors didn't know about Kepler139f, so they had attributed some of its pull on its star to Kepler-139c.
The new data suggest a more typical density for Kepler-139c while leaving the densities for Kepler-139d and Kepler-139b essentially unchanged.
These revisions provide indirect evidence for Kepler-139f, Lammers said. There may even be other hidden worlds around Kepler-139.
"It remains possible that there are other unseen planets in the system," Lammers said, pointing to the prominent gap between planets b and c. "The challenge is finding them!"
Hidden worlds
Both Kepler and NASA's more recent exoplanet hunting mission, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), were sensitive to planets orbiting closer to their star.
These inner worlds were more likely to make many transits, allowing scientists to confirm the planet's existence.
But transiting planets with wider orbits made only a handful of passes, so they were more challenging to observe and confirm.
At the same time, the RV method tends to be biased toward larger planets, because the more massive a world is, the stronger it tugs on its star.
Proximity helps; the pull of the planet is amplified to the square inverse of its distance. Thus, a planet twice as far away will have only one-fourth the gravitational pull.
That's why many of the first discovered exoplanets were Jupiter-size worlds that circled their star in only a few days.
All of these factors make it harder to discover smaller planets that are farther away, particularly if they don't transit their star.
But by combining transits, RVs and TTVs, astronomers can find smaller, hidden worlds orbiting farther from their star.
"It is likely that many planetary systems host unseen worlds, especially in their outer regions," Lammers said.
But soon, it will be harder for those worlds to hide.
In 2026, the European Space Agency will launch its Planetary Transits and Oscillations of Stars (PLATO) mission, which will conduct its own survey of transiting planets, as well as revisit Kepler's field.
In providing additional transit times for planets detected by Kepler more than a decade later, PLATO will improve measurements of TTVs to enable the discovery of more misaligned worlds.
"In the coming years, the TTV planet detection technique will probably be accelerated dramatically by the PLATO mission," Lammars said.
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Scientists find Uranus is surprisingly warm, heating up the case for a new planetary mission
July 14, 2025
Scientists have found that Uranus is emitting its own internal heat — even more than it receives from sunlight — and this discovery contradicts observations of the distant gas giant made by NASA's Voyager 2 probe nearly four decades ago.
Scientists led by Xinyue Yang of the University of Houston analyzed decades of readings from spacecraft and computer models to find that Uranus emits 12.5% more internal heat than the amount of heat it receives from the sun.
However, that amount is still far less than the internal heat of other outer solar system planets like Jupiter, Saturn and Neptune, which emit 100% more heat than they get from the sun.
The researchers behind this new study say Uranus' internal heat could help reveal the origins of the curious, tilted world.
"This means it's still slowly losing leftover heat from its early history, a key piece of the puzzle that helps us understand its origins and how it has changed over time," Wang said in a statement.
In 1986, the iconic Voyager 2 probe flew by Uranus while headed out of the solar system and into interstellar space.
A good deal of what scientists understand about the seventh planet from the sun comes from that flyby, that found that Uranus does not reveal significant internal heat.
But it turns out that we may have caught Uranus at a weird time, and some of the readings Voyager 2 collected could have been skewed by a surge in solar weather that occurred during its flyby of the planet.
By reviewing a large set of archival data and combining that with computer models, researchers now believe the internal heat emitted by Uranus could imply a completely different internal structure or evolutionary history for the planet we thought we knew.
Its believed that Uranus formed around 4.5 billion years ago along with the rest of the solar system, and NASA believes it formed closer to the sun before moving to the outer solar system around 0.5 billion years later.
That story, however, is now called into question by these new findings.
"From a scientific perspective, this study helps us better understand Uranus and other giant planets," Wang said in the statement.
The researchers also believe this new understanding of Uranus' internal processes could help NASA and other agencies plan for missions to the distant planet.
In 2022, the National Academy of Sciences flagged a mission concept known notionally as Uranus Orbiter and Probe (UOP) as one of the highest-priority planetary science missions for the next decade.
But even then, before massive budget uncertainty hit NASA and the science community in the wake of President Donald Trump's overhaul of U.S. government spending, scientists knew such an ambitious and expensive mission would be difficult to put into motion.
"There are many hurdles to come — political, financial, technical — so we're under no illusion," Leigh Fletcher, a planetary scientist at the University of Leicester in the U.K. who participated in the decadal survey process, told Space.com in 2022 when the report was published.
"We have about a decade to go from a paper mission to hardware in a launch fairing. There's no time to lose."
Whether or not new research into Uranus helps boost support for such a mission, scientists are already hailing these new results as groundbreaking on their own.
Study co-author Liming Li said the study of Uranus' internal heat not only helps us understand the distant, icy world better, but could also help inform studies of similar processes here on Earth, including our own changing climate.
"By uncovering how Uranus stores and loses heat, we gain valuable insights into the fundamental processes that shape planetary atmospheres, weather systems and climate systems," Li said in the statement.
"These findings help broaden our perspective on Earth's atmospheric system and the challenges of climate change."
https://www.space.com/astronomy/uranus/scientists-find-uranus-is-surprisingly-warm-heating-up-the-case-for-a-new-planetary-mission
https://uh.edu/news-events/stories/2025/july/07142025-uranus-internal-heat-study.php
The behavior of a paper plane in space: Experiment by Japanese scientists
July 15, 2025
Space debris poses a huge problem.
Due to the sharp increase in the number of satellite launches in recent years, low Earth orbit is littered with debris such as spent rocket bodies, broken parts, and failed satellites.
In addition to the risk of debris colliding with active satellites, large fragments may fall to Earth, posing a threat to the environment.
Old rockets and satellites entering the atmosphere burn up, leaving behind a trail of chemicals that can damage the ozone layer.
Considering the above, space agencies and private companies are actively seeking not only ways to clean up space debris, but also how to make it more environmentally friendly by using organic polymers instead of metals.
A group of researchers from the University of Tokyo wondered what would happen if they launched a paper plane from the ISS.
They wanted to know how long it would take for it to enter Earth’s atmosphere and how much heat it could withstand.
According to program simulations, the plane initially maintained stable orientation thanks to its folding design and smoothly descended.
But four days later, when it reached an altitude of about 120 km above Earth, the situation changed. The plane began to tumble and spin, losing control.
All this was accompanied by intense aerodynamic heating, leading to combustion in the atmosphere at an altitude of about 90–110 km.
Next, the scientists built a physical model of their plane out of paper with an aluminum tail, then placed it in a wind tunnel.
There, for seven seconds, the model was subjected to a speed seven times faster than the speed of sound.
During this time, the nose of the aircraft bent backward, and charred traces appeared on the wing tips.
If the experiment had continued, the plane would have burned down.
The study shows how a simple idea can inspire a more sustainable approach to solving the problem of space debris.
Its authors suggest that in the future, the paper could find application in space missions. Vessels made from it will burn up completely in the Earth’s atmosphere without polluting it.
https://universemagazine.com/en/the-behavior-of-a-paper-plane-in-space-experiment-by-japanese-scientists/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0094576525004047?via%3Dihub
Space systems degrees program meets the challenge of modern engineering
July 15, 2025
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue University is standing at the forefront of expanding space exploration and a future economy with the creation of the first-ever Comprehensive Space Engineering Degrees Program in the country.
The program combines both a new online master’s degree in space systems engineering and a new space engineering undergraduate certificate to the established array of cutting-edge programs in the College of Engineering.
The Comprehensive Space Engineering Degrees Program is the latest learning opportunity at Purdue, reflecting a demand for aerospace engineers around the world.
The School of Aeronautics and Astronautics continues to offer a variety of important specializations within the undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
“More than ever, Aeronautics and Astronautics is producing students with a firm grounding in how to engineer space systems,” said Bill Crossley, Purdue’s Uhrig and Vournas Head of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
“This comprehensive program is tailored to the demands of engineering modern space systems, ensuring our graduates are equipped to tackle the more complex challenges of tomorrow.”
The program provides a solid a foundation for the next generation’s pioneering future in space as celebrated in this video.
Dan Dumbacher, professor of engineering practice in aeronautics and astronautics, said many of the necessary classes are already in place for the online master’s degree, with additional courses being put together to help students see how disciplines interrelate, including the human and economic aspects.
The degree offers new opportunities in engineering education that both students and industry see as important moving forward.
The degree provides deeper immersion and proficiency in modern multifaceted engineering space systems, with returning graduates who are already active industry professions expected to make up many of the students.
“The space industry is in the middle of a transition with the latest advances from national security, civil space and commercial space perspectives,” Dumbacher said.
“We hear people talking about making a business out of mining helium-3 on the moon and other ideas.
That industry needs talented people who can understand the details and think systemically so they can build and safely operate the systems in space as we extend the human neighborhood beyond low earth orbit.”
Further bolstering Purdue’s aerospace program is a new space engineering undergraduate certificate.
Steven Collicott, a professor of aeronautical and astronautical engineering, said the certificate is considered a supplemental program for undergraduates at the West Lafayette campus that demonstrates a Purdue student’s interest in space engineering while pursuing another major.
Collicott said he anticipates a large interest in the undergraduate certificate, with the interdisciplinary aspect helping answer the unrealized and ever-expanding needs of space flight beyond propulsion.
Challenges continue to exist in areas ranging from biology and agronomy to biomedical engineering, psychology and more.
“The Comprehensive Space Engineering Degrees Program is unique in showing the strength of aerospace education at Purdue,” Collicott said.
“The space engineering certificate and online master’s degree are integral parts of that program.”
https://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/2025/Q3/space-systems-degrees-program-meets-the-challenge-of-modern-engineering/
https://www.purdue.edu/president/strategic-initiatives/
Quantum networks of clocks open the door to probe how quantum theory and curved space-time intertwine
July 14, 2025
Quantum networking is being rapidly developed world-wide. It is a key quantum technology that will enable a global quantum internet: the ability to deploy secure communication at scale, and to connect quantum computers globally.
The race to realize this vision is in full swing, both on Earth and in space.
New research, in collaboration between Igor Pikovski at Stevens Institute of Technology, Jacob Covey at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Johannes Borregaard at Harvard University, suggests that quantum networks are more versatile than previously thought.
In the paper titled "Probing Curved Spacetime with a Distributed Atomic Processor Clock", published in the journal PRX Quantum, the researchers show that this technology can probe how curved space-time affects quantum theory—a first test of this kind.
Quantum physics has passed every test with flying colors so far. But how it behaves when Einstein's theory of gravity—general relativity—comes into the picture is less clear.
In Einstein's theory, gravity is no longer a force, but a result of changing space and time—curved space-time. This leads to unique effects, such as the slowing of time near planets.
The phenomenon has been measured, and confirmed, to very high accuracy, as well as popularized in science-fiction films and novels like "Interstellar."
But how does this changing flow of time affect quantum mechanics? Could quantum theory or general relativity, or both, require modification where they intertwine?
While a full theory of quantum gravity remains lacking, there are suggestions that quantum principles might change in the presence of curved spacetime. However, probing this frontier was so far impossible in experiments.
In a previous study titled "Testing Quantum Theory on Curved Spacetime with Quantum Networks" that appeared in Physical Review Research, Pikovski and Borregaard showed that the time is ripe for experiments to explore these questions using quantum networks.
They showed how two unique, but distinct features of quantum theory and gravity come into play simultaneously. In quantum theory, there exist superpositions: matter can exist not only in specific definite states, but also in mixtures of them at the same time.
Quantum computing exploits this fact to build qubits—superpositions of bits of 0 and 1.
Then, quantum networks can spread such qubits across large distances. But in the vicinity of Earth, these qubits would also be affected by curved space-time because the flow of time itself changes.
The researchers showed that superpositions of atomic clocks in quantum networks would pick up different time-flows in superposition, and that this opens the door to probe how quantum theory and curved space-time intertwine.
"The interplay between quantum theory and gravity is one of the most challenging problems in physics today, but also fascinating," says Igor Pikovski, Geoffrey S. Inman Junior Professor at Stevens Institute of Technology, and one of the authors.
"Quantum networks will help us test this interplay for the first time in actual experiments."
Teaming up with Covey's lab, Pikovski and Borregaard then developed a concrete protocol. The team showed how quantum effects can be distributed across network nodes using so-called entangled W-states, and how interference between these entangled systems is recorded.
By exploiting modern quantum capabilities, such as quantum teleportation (transferring the quantum state of a particle to another particle) and entangled Bell-pairs (maximally entangled states of two qubits) in atom arrays, a test of quantum theory on curved space-time can be achieved.
"We assume that quantum theory holds everywhere—but we really don't know if this is true," says Pikovski. "It might be that gravity changes how quantum mechanics works. In fact, some theories suggest such modifications, and quantum technology will be able to test that."
The results of Pikovski, Covey and Borregaard demonstrate that quantum networks are not only a useful practical tool for a future quantum internet, but that they also provide unique opportunities for the study of fundamental physics that cannot be achieved with classical sensing.
At the very least, a test of how quantum mechanics behaves on curved space-time is now possible.
https://phys.org/news/2025-07-quantum-networks-clocks-door-probe.html
https://journals.aps.org/prresearch/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.7.023192
https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.12954
SFA Rocket City Chapter to Host Space Force Guardian and NASA Astronaut Brigadier General Nick Hague
Jul 15, 2025, 12:52 AM ET
The Space Force Association (SFA) Rocket City Chapter will host a Space Warfighter Talk with Space Force Guardian and NASA Astronaut Brigadier General Nick Hague on Thursday, July 17, 2025, at The University of Alabama at Huntsville.
During this special community event, Brig. Gen. Hague will present video from his most recent mission, Commercial Crew-9 / ISS Expedition 72, followed by a fireside chat and audience Q&A.
Brig. Gen. Hague serves as an active Astronaut at the NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas.
He served as the NASA SpaceX Crew-9 Commander which launched on Sept. 28, 2024, and returned on March 18, 2025.
Brig. Gen. Hague was commissioned from the U.S. Air Force Academy and has served on active duty for over 25 years in a variety of educational, research, developmental test, program management and operational positions.
“Through the lens of Brig. Gen. Hague’s recent mission, attendees will gain a deeper appreciation of the challenges our Guardians and astronauts face—and why space is critical to our nation’s future,” said Brigadier General (Ret.) Damon Feltman, President of the SFA Huntsville Chapter. “We are honored to welcome Brig. Gen. Hague and are grateful to University of Alabama at Huntsville President Dr. Charles L. Karr for hosting this special event.”
Because of limited seating, registration is required. General Admission tickets are free and can be claimed here: https://lnkd.in/ettci38s.
This event is sponsored by Chugach Government Solutions, LLC.
Event Details:
Date: Thursday, July 17, 2025
Time: Reception (invite only): 5-5:30 p.m. / Presentation: 5:30-6:30 p.m.
Location: The University of Alabama at Huntsville – Charger Union Theater
https://who13.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/830531563/sfa-rocket-city-chapter-to-host-space-force-guardian-and-nasa-astronaut-brigadier-general-nick-hague/
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/11th-space-wing-tracked-iran-missiles-wins-unit-of-the-year/
https://www.mitchellaerospacepower.org/podcast/11-sws-guardian-perspectives/
Space Force Unit that Tracked Iranian Missiles Earns New Honor
July 14, 2025
The Guardians of the 11th Space Warning Squadron were honored as the top U.S. Space Force unit for 2024 for their role in thwarting Iranian missile barrages last year.
The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies selected the 11th SWS for the first-ever General Atomics Space Force Unit of the Year largely for unit’s the precise early warning of incoming missiles, which helped Air Force fighter pilots thousands of miles away launch to destroy hundreds of incoming Iranian missiles aimed at Israel in April and October of 2024.
The new award follows the Mitchell Institute’s annual General Atomics Remotely Piloted Aircraft Squadron of the Year award and seeks to recognize the achievements of Space Force units that often operate in the shadows from bases in the U.S. to deliver critical capabilities to front line warfighters.
When Iran began to launch missiles on April 13, alarms were set off at the 11th SWS and 2nd SWS operation centers.
Just one missile will trigger an alarm that sounds “ding, ding, ding,” and before the attack was over, those alarms rang out 300 times.
Crews of a half dozen Guardians scurried to track each missile, verify the data, and pass it along as quickly as possible.
Capt. Abigail Flanner, weapons officer for the 11th, recalled how her teammates worked under extreme pressure in a recent episode of the Mitchell Institute’s Aerospace Advantage podcast.
“Those were both unprecedented attacks; we saw hundreds of missiles in a matter of minutes, and that really required us to look at how we’re doing our job,” Flannery said.
“It really pushed our squadron to just figure out how [to] best tackle this new kind of threat … to make sure we’re providing that missile warning and missile defense that we need to be.”
Many of the Guardians proving themselves that day were newbies, not long out of high school, said Crew Chief Sgt. Jonathan Stark.
“This is their first responsibility right after high school, and we’re asking a lot of them,” Stark said. “And it’s just amazing to see how patient they are and how ready to accomplish the mission, and just how fired up they get for a mission.”
Throughout 2024, the 11th SWS reported some 2,700 missile launches, evaluated game-changing battlefield technologies, and developed courses of action for responding to large-scale missile salvos.
Their work that increased on-time warning by 69 percent, according to their awards package.
Based at Buckley Space Force Base, Colo., the 11th traces its roots to Operation Desert Storm, where it was first created to provide early warning of Iraqi Scud missile launches.
Today, it operates the Space-Based Infrared Systems satellite constellation and the Overhead Persistent Infra-Red Battlespace Awareness Center.
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The 11th is responsible for “so much more than missile warning and tracking,” said the squadron’s commander, Lt. Col. Amanda Manship.
It also evaluates emerging capabilities from Space Systems Command and sometimes delivers those capabilities “within days” to meet combatant commanders’ urgent battlefield requirements, she said.
During Iran’s April attack, the 11th was evaluating the next generation ground architecture for space based missile warning, known as the Future Operation Resilient Ground Evolution, or FORGE.
That system will eventually replace the Space Awareness Global Exploitation, or SAGE, system, providing a scalable framework capable of handling greater volumes of missile launches more quickly, even while under cyber attack.
“We were actually in a trial period during the April attacks … and my team not only was trying to assess this new system, but put it to the test under literal fire,” Manship said.
“The team did great adapting to the new system and the new way it operated while still meeting the objectives of missile warning and tracking.”
The 11th is the first unit to receive the GA Space Force Unit of the Year award.
The Mitchell Institute spent more than a year working with Space Force staff to develop the judging criteria and other aspects of the award, said Charles Galbreath, senior resident fellow for the institute’s Space Power Center of Excellence.
Units compete on the basis of how effectively they accomplish their mission, their impact on the overall force, and the ways they demonstrate innovation.
Manship said she was surprised when the 11th was selected, considering the caliber of talent throughout the Space Force.
When she was able to share the news with her team, Manship said, she felt like a “proud mama hen” staring into their faces and seeing the “looks of proudness on all of their faces.”
The 11th will get to keep and display their trophy for a year, until it’s time for someone else to win.
The trophy is decorated with the core values of the Space Force—character, commitment, connection and courage.
Now, as Manship prepares for her change of command, she said she sees those values reflected in her Guardians daily.
“I see it every single day with all of them,” she said, “regardless of rank, regardless of position. And they’re killing it.”
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Modernized GPS operating system closer to operational integration
July 14, 2025
The U.S. Space Force’s Space Operations Command accepted a modernized operating system for Global Positioning System, which is designed to maintain resiliency of the constellation and improve positioning, navigation and timing services to meet user demand now and in the future.
The GPS Next Generation Operational Control System upgrade is one of several current Space Systems Command acquisition programs, which, in aggregate, will deliver numerous modernized GPS III enterprise capabilities.
The other programs include the GPS III/IIIF satellite vehicles and Military GPS User Equipment.
These modernized enhancements will enable improved signal access in electronically impeded environments; improved ability to detect failures; improved position and time transfer accuracy; and improved capability ensuring integrity and uninterrupted availability of the military code.
“One of our missions is to deliver sustained, reliable GPS capabilities to America’s warfighters, our allies and civilian users.
The current enterprise modernization efforts underway gives users confidence that GPS will continue to provide worldwide premier PNT service,” said Cordell DeLaPena, Space Systems Command program executive officer for Military Communications and Positioning, Navigation and Timing.
The Guardians in Mission Delta 31 partnered with SSC to develop a methodical process of transition exercises, transition rehearsals and constellation transfer trials to ensure the integrity and capability of the system prior to complete transfer, explained U.S. Space Force Col. Stephen Hobbs, MD 31 commander.
“Additionally, there are risk reduction activities designed to demonstrate OCX’s ability to integrate using residual, on-orbit GPS satellites.”
OCX delivery was initiated by contractor Raytheon to the U.S. Government via the submission of the Department of Defense Form 250 on July 1, 2025.
Upon acceptance of the system, MD 31 will continue integrated systems testing, Operational Readiness Exercises and preparation activities for the GPS constellation transfer.
“Testing and transition events will continue until the system is ready to transfer to operations, which is expected in late 2025,” said Hobbs. “Technology in space is advancing at lightning speed, with many new players from around the world.
To continue providing reliable GPS for everyone – from your smartphone map to critical military operations –innovation is vital. Modernizing GPS is key in maintaining this essential service and remaining a leader in space."
https://www.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4242898/modernized-gps-operating-system-closer-to-operational-integration/
Forging resilience, making history: Space Force makes Warrior Games debut
July 14, 2025
PETERSON SPACE FORCE BASE, Colo. – Colorado Springs, a city that serves as the vital hub for space operations, is playing host to a different kind of mission this year: the Department of Defense Warrior Games.
And for the first time, Guardians are among the nearly 200 wounded, ill, and injured athletes competing in 11 adaptive sports over nine days.
One of the two Guardians competing is U.S. Space Force Master Sgt. Christopher Borland, operations support superintendent with Delta 10, Space Training and Readiness Command, and a Colorado Springs local.
Borland will be pushing his limits July 18-26 in wheelchair basketball, wheelchair rugby, sitting volleyball, rowing, cycling, and archery.
But for him, the Games represent far more than just athletic competition.
"This has been an amazing experience," Borland said. "I've met remarkable people and have grown my support community. It's a place where you find strength in shared experiences and build bonds that last a lifetime."
The DoD Warrior Games are designed to enhance the recovery and rehabilitation of wounded, ill, and injured service members, offering a path to healing through the power of sport.
Borland's journey to the Games began with an introduction to the Department of the Air Force Warrior Care Program, a vital resource dedicated to supporting service members and veterans and bolstering the nation's readiness.
"I started looking into the [Warrior] Games to see what it was all about and decided to compete in one of the trials," Borland explained.
"I would say that I am not the traditional Wounded Warrior that people correlate to the Games, but that has motivated me even more.
I want to represent those with invisible wounds and encourage all service members to seek help when needed."
In 2020, he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), triggered by a series of culminating events that severely impacted his mental health.
While treatment offered a way forward, Borland credits the unwavering support from Space Force leadership as the crucial element in his recovery.
“The Space Force has been really special in supporting me," he said. Borland's military career began in the Air Force in 2007, before transitioning to the Space Force as a cyber operator in 2021.
That support, combined with the camaraderie and focus provided by adaptive sports, has been transformative.
Adaptive sports provide reconditioning activities to all wounded service members to improve their physical and mental wellness, regardless of their injury or illness.
In Borland’s case, he is an able-bodied member, competing in the adaptive sports. This unique position gives him a different perspective on the challenges faced by his fellow competitors.
"Competing helps sharpen all my skills as a leader and person – giving me more tools in my toolbox," Borland said. "It's about pushing boundaries, overcoming obstacles, and learning from each other."
Programs like the DAF Warrior Care Program, and the Warrior Games themselves, are vital in addressing the holistic needs – physical, mental, spiritual, and social – of service members.
By fostering resilience and providing avenues for recovery, they ensure a capable and ready force.
Master Sgt. Borland's participation in the Warrior Games is a testament to the power of these programs and a powerful reminder that strength comes in many forms – and that seeking help is a sign of courage, not weakness.
As Borland competes this week, he carries with him the hopes and admiration of the Space Force, and a message of hope for all those facing their own battles, visible or invisible.
https://www.starcom.spaceforce.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/4244076/forging-resilience-making-history-space-force-makes-warrior-games-debut/
Trump says he’s ‘not done’ with Putin
15 Jul, 2025 08:24
US President Donald Trump has said he remains open to diplomatic engagement with Russia despite expressing disappointment in President Vladimir Putin, the BBC reported Tuesday.
Hours earlier, Trump announced his support for the delivery of Patriot missile systems and other weapons to Ukraine, funded by European NATO allies.
He also threatened new import tariffs on Russia and any nations purchasing its exports unless the conflict in Ukraine is resolved within 50 days.
In a phone interview with the BBC, Trump was asked about his current stance toward Putin. “I’m disappointed in him, but I’m not done with him. But I’m disappointed in him,” he said.
Despite the heightened rhetoric, Moscow signaled it remains open to dialogue. Senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev said Trump, unlike his predecessor Joe Biden, “is trying to understand Russia’s lawful interests,” which he said leaves room for a relationship based on mutual respect and cooperation between the two nations.
The Russian government has stated on many occasions that it will not compromise on its core objectives regarding Ukraine, although it prefers to achieve them through diplomatic means.
Moscow continues to view the conflict as a NATO-orchestrated proxy war against Russia and considers it an existential threat.
For months, Kiev and its European supporters have pressed Washington to step up sanctions against Russia and accelerate weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
Trump’s announcement came after a meeting on Monday with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte.
While neither Trump nor Rutte provided specific details about future arms supplies, media reports indicate that European countries will initially provide weapons from their own stockpiles, with plans to replenish them through US purchases.
German magazine Der Spiegel described the announcement as “smaller than many had hoped” in Washington and across European capitals.
Meanwhile, Russian Deputy Security Council Chairman Dmitry Medvedev dismissed Trump’s statement as “a theatrical ultimatum” that Russia “didn’t care” about.
https://www.rt.com/news/621500-trump-not-done-putin/
Kremlin responds to Trump’s 50-day ultimatum
15 Jul, 2025 10:04
Russia needs time to assess US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose severe sanctions on Moscow’s trading partners if the Ukraine conflict is not resolved within 50 days, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
On Monday, the US leader said he was “very, very unhappy” with Russia, warning of “severe” secondary tariffs of up to 100% if no progress in diplomacy is reached soon.
Trump, however, left the door open to talks with Moscow, saying that while he is “disappointed” in Russian President Vladimir Putin, he is “not done with him.”
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Peskov described Trump’s remarks as “quite serious.” “We undoubtedly need time to analyze what was said in Washington.
And if and when President Putin deems it necessary, he will certainly comment on it,” Peskov said.
At the same time, the spokesman said the recent shift in Trump’s position will not be interpreted in Kiev as a call for peace.
“It seems that such decisions that are being made in Washington, in NATO countries, and directly in Brussels, are perceived by the Ukrainian side not as a signal toward peace, but as a signal to continue the war,” he stated.
According to Peskov, Russia remains open to negotiations with Ukraine but has yet to receive a response on their timing.
“We are waiting for proposals from the Ukrainian side on the timing of holding the third round of direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations… We have not yet received proposals from the Ukrainian side.”
Trump has made efforts to resolve the Ukraine conflict since taking office in January.
He has held several phone calls with Putin, which revolved around a potential peace settlement, restoring broader bilateral relations, and exploring economic cooperation.
This year, Russian and Ukrainian delegations have held two rounds of direct talks in Istanbul. While they fell short of any breakthroughs, the sides agreed to large-scale prisoner exchanges.
https://www.rt.com/russia/621505-kremlin-responds-trump-ultimatum/
Retired US officer shared classified Ukraine intel on dating site – DOJ
15 Jul, 2025 11:31
A retired US Army officer has admitted to leaking classified information about the Ukraine conflict to a woman he met on a foreign dating website, according to a press release by the US Justice Department last week.
David Slater, 64, was working as a civilian employee for the Air Force at US Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) when he is said to have conspired to transmit national defense information.
The leaks occurred from February to April 2022, during the early stages of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. USSTRATCOM is responsible for overseeing the country’s nuclear command and control systems.
Slater held a top secret security clearance and worked in a classified space at Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska. He attended briefings that included intelligence classified up to top secret.
Prosecutors said he later shared information from those briefings with a person who claimed to be a Ukrainian woman.
The two communicated using a messaging feature on an unnamed foreign dating platform.
According to court filings, the woman regularly prompted Slater to reveal sensitive details and referred to him with phrases such as “my secret informant love” and “my secret agent.”
In one message, she asked, “Dear, what is shown on the screens in the special room??”
Prosecutors said the information he disclosed included military targets, Russian military capabilities, and US and NATO planning.
The identity of the woman has not been made public and it’s unclear whether she was working for a foreign government.
US Attorney Lesley Woods said Slater “failed in his duty” to protect classified information. FBI Special Agent Eugene Kowel said the officer “betrayed an oath” to safeguard national intelligence.
Slater faces up to ten years in prison for the leaks, but could serve a fraction of this under a plea agreement. His sentencing is set for October 8.
The case follows a similar breach in 2023 involving Jack Teixeira, a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard, who admitted to posting highly classified documents on Discord, including battlefield maps and intelligence assessments about the Ukraine conflict.
https://www.rt.com/news/621510-us-officer-leaked-intel/
SpaceX Launches
Starlink Mission
July 15, 2025
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, July 15 for a Falcon 9 launch of 26 Starlink satellites to low-Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.
Liftoff is targeted for 7:05 p.m. PT, with backup opportunities available until 7:59 p.m. PT. If needed, additional launch opportunities are also available on Wednesday, July 16 starting at 6:45 p.m. PT.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about five minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.
This will be the fourth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched three Starlink missions.
Following stage separation, the first stage will land on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship, which will be stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
There is the possibility that residents of Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Ventura counties may hear one or more sonic booms during the launch, but what residents experience will depend on weather and other conditions.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=sl-15-2
KF-01 Mission
July 16, 2025
SpaceX is targeting Wednesday, July 16 for a Falcon 9 launch of the KF-01 mission to orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The 27-minute window opens at 2:18 a.m. ET. If needed, a backup launch opportunity is available on Thursday, July 17 with a 27-minute window that opens at 1:57 a.m. ET.
A live webcast of this mission will begin about 15 minutes prior to liftoff, which you can watch here and on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the new X TV app.
This will be the first flight for the Falcon 9 first stage booster supporting this mission. After stage separation, the first stage will land on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, which will be stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=kf-01
Civilians wounded in Ukrainian drone strike in southern Russia
15 Jul, 2025 05:24
Dozens of civilians were injured and residential buildings damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack on the city of Voronezh in southern Russia, local authorities have reported.
Voronezh Region Governor Aleksandr Gusev relayed in a series of statements on Tuesday that Russian air defenses had destroyed 12 UAVs over the regional capital and three districts overnight.
However, debris from the downed drones inflicted casualties on the ground, including in the center of Voronezh, he said.
According to the official, a total of 24 people sustained injuries, including four minors, with 17 victims hospitalized.
While most of the victims are being treated for minor shrapnel wounds, a 56-year-old man was left in a coma and another suffered lung damage as a result of the drone attack, the governor said.
An eyewitness video from one of the impact scenes shows two burning cars and a civilian with an injured leg sitting nearby with blood spattered around him.
The kamikaze UAVs also damaged 15 residential buildings, a business center, and commercial buildings, as well as several vehicles, Gusev said.
The governor promised to pay compensation to those affected by the incident.
Russian air defenses destroyed a total of 55 Ukrainian drones overnight, with more than half downed over the border region of Belgorod, according to the defense ministry.
Ukraine has been conducting UAV strikes deep into Russia for months, often targeting civilians, residential buildings, and critical infrastructure. Moscow has branded the attacks “terrorist.”
https://www.rt.com/russia/621496-civilians-injured-ukrainian-strike-voronezh/
https://t.me/bazabazon/39181
https://t.me/bazabazon/39185
Moldova denies claims its soldiers were killed in Ukraine conflict
15 Jul, 2025 13:28
Moldova has denied media reports that it covered up the deaths of several Moldovan soldiers who were allegedly killed in a Russian strike at a Ukrainian training ground near the front line.
On Sunday, local media claimed that a group of Moldovan contract soldiers was present at a Ukrainian military range near Davydov Brod in the Kiev-occupied part of Russia’s Kherson Region – around 50km from the front line – when it was struck by Russian forces in late June.
The reports claimed that out of ten Moldovan troops, four were killed and two were wounded.
They also claimed that the families of the deceased received “enormous payouts” and were forced to sign secrecy agreements.
The Moldovan soldiers were reportedly dispatched to Ukraine in a “private deal” between President Maia Sandu and Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky.
The report added that the soldiers were supposed to be deployed to western Ukraine and should not have been sent so close to the front line, but Kiev violated the agreement with Chisinau.
Media reports claiming that the Moldovan soldiers were killed featured footage released by Russia’s Defense Ministry on June 22 showing a strike in the area.
At the time, Moscow claimed that over 70 Ukrainian troops were killed and more than ten vehicles were destroyed at the training ground, but it did not mention any foreign personnel.
The Moldovan Defense Ministry has denied the claims, dismissing them as “a gross lie” concocted with “the aim of manipulating public opinion… discrediting the National Army, and sowing panic among citizens.”
On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) accused NATO of turning Moldova into a “battering ram” against Russia by preparing the former Soviet Republic to host the bloc’s military.
The SVR also claimed that NATO plans to use Moldova’s population as “cannon fodder” in a potential clash with Russia.
https://www.rt.com/russia/621520-moldova-denies-claims-soldiers-killed-ukraine/
https://t.me/mod_russia/54065
Two African island sites added to UNESCO World Heritage list
15 Jul, 2025 11:01
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has added two West African island regions, the Bijagos Archipelago in Guinea-Bissau and Tiwai Island in Sierra Leone, to its World Heritage list, recognizing their outstanding ecological and cultural significance.
The announcement was made on Sunday during the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee in Paris. According to UNESCO, both sites represent unique natural ecosystems.
Located off the coast of Guinea-Bissau, the 88-island Bijagos Archipelago has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1996. It is rich in biodiversity, hosting dugongs, dolphins, and over 870,000 migratory birds. Key sites include Poilao Island, a major sea turtle nesting area.
Sierra Leone’s Tiwai Island, a 12-square-kilometer island site on the Moa River, is part of the Gola-Tiwai complex, which also includes the nearby Gola Rainforest National Park. It is the country’s first UNESCO World Heritage site.
Known for its biodiversity, the island hosts 11 species of primates, including the endangered Diana monkey and Western chimpanzees, as well as over 130 species of birds.
Nearly destroyed during the 1990s civil war, the island was preserved through efforts led by the Environmental Foundation for Africa (EFA).
Two other African sites were added to the UNESCO list during the same session. Malawi’s Mount Mulanje was included for its unique endemic flora and popular hiking trails.
Cameroon’s Diy-Gid-Biy cultural landscape, located in the Mandara Mountains and dating from the 12th to 17th centuries, was listed for its archaeological sites.
The continent is currently home to over 100 World Heritage sites, including iconic places like the Okavango Delta, Botswana, Rock-Hewn Churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia, and Timbuktu, Mali.
In May, UNESCO pledged support to the 11 remaining non-represented African countries to develop new nominations, as announced at a recent International Conference on Cultural Heritage in Kenya.
https://www.rt.com/africa/621506-african-islands-unesco-world-heritage-list/