"Professor Goddard does not know the relation between action and reaction and the need to have something better than a vacuum against which to react. He seems to lack the basic knowledge ladled out daily in high schools."
--1921 New York Times editorial about Robert Goddard's revolutionary rocket work.

"Correction: It is now definitely established that a rocket can function in a vacuum. The 'Times' regrets the error."
NY Times, July 1969.

— New York Times

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Lunar Night Permanently Ends the Odysseus Mission

Universe Today - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 7:17pm

On February 15th, Intuitive Machines (IM) launched its first Nova-C class spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. On February 22nd, the spacecraft – codenamed Odysseus (or “Odie”) – became the first American-built vehicle to soft-land on the lunar surface since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. While the landing was a bit bumpy (Odysseus fell on its side), the IM-1 mission successfully demonstrated technologies and systems that will assist NASA in establishing a “sustained program of lunar exploration and development.”

After seven days of operation on the lunar surface, Intuitive Machines announced on February 29th that the mission had ended with the onset of lunar night. While the lander was not intended to remain operational during the lunar night, flight controllers at Houston set Odysseus into a configuration that would “call home” if it made it through the two weeks of darkness. As of March 23rd, the company announced that their flight controllers’ predictions were correct and that Odie would not be making any more calls home.

The company started listening for a wake-up signal from Odysseus on March 20th, when they projected that there was enough sunlight in the lander’s vicinity. At the time, it was thought that this could potentially charge Odysseus‘ power system, allowing it to activate its radio and reestablish contact with Houston. However, three days later, at 10:30 AM Central Standard Time (08:30 AM PST; 11:30 AM EST), flight controllers determined that the lander was not charging up after it completed its mission.

Image from the IM-1 Odysseus lander after it soft landed on the lunar surface. Credit: Intuitive Machines

This consisted of the Nova-C spacecraft making its inaugural soft landing on the Moon, the first time an American spacecraft has done so in over 50 years. The IM-1 mission was also the first time a spacecraft used methalox – the combination of liquid methane and liquid oxygen (LOX) – to navigate between the Earth and the Moon. While the IM-1 was not expected (or intended) to survive the lunar night, the data acquired by this mission could prove useful as the company continues to improve the lunar landing systems to deliver payloads to the Moon.

One of the company’s main objectives is to develop heat and power sources that can “keep systems from freezing during the lunar night.” This technology will greatly extend the life of lunar surface missions and facilitate the buildup of infrastructure on the Moon’s surface. A second Nova-C lander with the IM-2 mission will launch aboard a Falcon 9 no earlier than December 2024. This mission will land a drill and the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) mass spectrometer near the south pole of the Moon.

This NASA payload will demonstrate the feasibility of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) and measure the volatile content of subsurface samples. ISRU and the presence of water are vital to the creation of a lunar base and the ability to send crews to the lunar surface well into the foreseeable future. A third mission (IM-3) is scheduled for early 2025, which will carry four NASA payloads to the Reiner Gamma region of the Moon, a rover, a data relay satellite, and secondary payloads to be determined. All three launches were contracted as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

In addition, the IM-1 mission controllers and company managed to have a final farewell with the Odysseus mission before nightfall and the depletion of its battery power. On February 22nd, the lander transmitted a final image (shown below), which mission controllers in Houston received by February 29th. The image, Intuitive Machines said in a statement, “showcases the lunar vista with the crescent Earth in the backdrop, a subtle reminder of humanity’s presence in the universe. Goodnight, Odie. We hope to hear from you again.”

The last image sent by the IM-1 Odysseus mission on Feb. 22nd, 2024. Credit: Intuitive Machines

Further Reading: Intuitive Machines

The post Lunar Night Permanently Ends the Odysseus Mission appeared first on Universe Today.

Categories: Astronomy

I Am Artemis: Mat Bevill

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 5:05pm
Mat Bevill, the associate chief engineer for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Program, stands in front of a four-segment solid rocket booster that powered the space shuttle at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. NASA/Brandon Hancock

Significant events in history keep finding Mat Bevill. As the associate chief engineer for NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) Program, Bevill assists the program chief engineer by interfacing with each of the element chief engineers and helping make critical decisions for the development and flight of the SLS mega rocket that will power NASA’s Artemis campaign. With the launch of Artemis II, the first crewed test flight of SLS and the Orion spacecraft, Bevill’s technical leadership and support for the SLS Chief Engineer’s Office will place him, once again, at a notable moment in time.

“Think of me as the assistant coach. While the head coach is on the front line leading the team, I’m on the sidelines providing feedback and advising those efforts,” said Bevill. As a jack-of-all-trades, he enables progress in any way that he can, something he’s familiar with after 37 years with NASA. And, on Nov. 16, 2022, as the SLS rocket roared to life for the first time with the Artemis I test flight, Bevill couldn’t help but reflect on a lifetime of experiences and lessons that led to that moment.

Bevill began his NASA career while he was still attending the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. During his sophomore year as a mechanical engineer student, he applied for the agency’s internship program at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

Just a few months before Bevill began his journey with NASA, the Challenger accident occurred, taking the lives of all seven crewmembers in January 1986. Bevill joined the Solid Motor Branch at Marshall as teams across the agency worked to understand the cause of the accident. It was a fast-paced environment, and Bevill had to learn quickly about the solid rocket boosters.

“It was a surreal experience, but I was privileged to work with those people. We were figuring out tough lessons together and working toward a common goal,” Bevill recalls.

Those tough lessons provided Bevill with tremendous hands-on experience related to the solid rocket booster hardware that would not only shape his career, but, later, the SLS rocket. The five-segment solid rocket boosters that provide more than 75% of thrust for SLS to go to the Moon are based on the same four-segment design that powered 135 shuttle missions to low Earth orbit. His experience from his time with the shuttle led him to deputy chief engineer for the SLS Boosters Office.

Just as for Artemis I, Bevill will be standing by and serving as the “assistant coach” for Artemis II as the SLS rocket, once again, takes flight and sends the first crewed Artemis mission around the Moon. “SLS has been the crowning jewel of my career, and I consider myself blessed to be a part of NASA’s history,” Bevill said.

SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with the Orion spacecraft, advanced spacesuits and rovers, the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

Categories: NASA

Webb Joins the Hunt for Protoplanets

Universe Today - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 4:45pm

We can’t understand what we can’t clearly see. That fact plagues scientists who study how planets form. Planet formation happens inside a thick, obscuring disk of gas and dust. But when it comes to seeing through that dust to where nascent planets begin to take shape, astronomers have a powerful new tool: the James Webb Space Telescope.

In the past few years, we’ve been getting tantalizing looks at the protoplanetary disks around young stars. ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array, is responsible for that. It’s imaged many of these disks around young stars, including the telltale gaps where planets are likely forming.

ALMA’s high-resolution images of nearby protoplanetary disks are the results of the Disk Substructures at High Angular Resolution Project (DSHARP). Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), S. Andrews et al.; NRAO/AUI/NSF, S. Dagnello

Imaging the disks is now becoming a regular occurrence, but astronomers have only spotted two forming planets.

But now researchers have brought the JWST to bear on the problem. Three new studies in The Astronomical Journal present the results of that effort. They are:

The research combines new JWST observations with previous observations by the Hubble and ALMA. The astronomers behind each of the studies used the JWST to uncover new, early clues about the planet formation process, including how the process shapes the disk they’re born from. If they can identify features unique to planet formation, they can then look for these features around other disks.

HL Tau, SAO 206462 and MWC 758 are all protoplanetary disks that have been observed by other telescopes. The JWST’s powerful infrared capabilities should provide new insights into these disks and their planets. That’s because as planets gather more material to them, they release infrared radiation.

“When material falls onto the planet, it shocks at the surface and gives off an emission line at specific wavelengths,” said astronomer Gabriel Cugno, who was involved with all three papers. “We use a set of narrow-band filters to try to detect this accretion. This has been done before from the ground at optical wavelengths, but this is the first time it’s been done in the infrared with JWST.”

MWC 758 is a young star that hosts a spiral protoplanetary disk.

This JWST/NIRCam image of MWC 758 shows the star’s unusual spiral disk. Wagner et al. 2024.

Using mathematical simulations, the researchers showed that a giant planet called MWS 758c outside the spirals can produce the spirals. They also showed that the symmetry of the arms can constrain the planet’s mass. In this case, they can determine a lower range for the planet’s mass: between about 4 to 8 Jupiter masses. But they didn’t find it. There may also be an even more massive companion further out, according to the simulations, but none was detected.

SAO 206462 is another young star surrounded by a disk. It also has clearly defined spiral arms, signifying the presence of a massive planet. The astronomers studying this star and disk did find a planet, but not the one they expected.

This is a JWST image of the star SAO 296462 and its spiral disk. Image Credit: Cugno et al. 2024.

“Several simulations suggest that the planet should be within the disk, massive, large, hot, and bright. But we didn’t find it. This means that either the planet is much colder than we think, or it may be obscured by some material that prevents us from seeing it,” said lead author Gabriele Cugno, also a co-author on the other paper papers. “What we have found is a different planet candidate, but we cannot tell with 100% certainty whether it’s a planet or a faint background star or galaxy contaminating our image. Future observations will help us understand exactly what we are looking at.”

Massive gas giants are expected to be responsible for the spiral shapes. But even the JWST struggles to find them. “The problem is, whatever we’re trying to detect is hundreds of thousands, if not millions of times fainter than the star,” Cugno said. “That’s like trying to detect a little light bulb next to a lighthouse.”

HL Tau is the third star and disk that the JWST examined and the youngest, at less than 100,000 years old. HL Tau is well-known in astronomy for the telltale gaps and rings in its disk, as well as some other features. For example, astronomers found water vapour in its disk right in the location where a suspected planet is forming.

In this image of HL Tau, observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) show water vapour in shades of blue in the same location where astronomers thought a planet may be forming. Image Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Facchini et al.

The JWST found the known stellar envelope, outflow cavity, and other features. But, unfortunately, no planet.

This image from the paper shows an ALMA image of HL Tau and a JWST image of HL Tau. The JWST is able to see details that the ALMA image doesn’t show, including a feature called the hook-shaped clump. Image Credit: Mullin et al. 2024

“HL Tau is the youngest system in our survey and still surrounded by a dense inflow of dust and gas falling onto the disk,” said Mullin, a co-author of all three studies. “We were amazed by the level of detail with which we could see this surrounding material with JWST, but unfortunately, it obscures any signals from potential planets.”

One of the difficulties with HL Tau is its youth. The younger a star is, the more gas and dust is in the disk. It eventually gets taken up by planets, and the rest is dissipated by disk wind. But HL Tau is so young that the disk is very thick.

“While there is a ton of evidence for ongoing planet formation, HL Tau is too young with too much intervening dust to see the planets directly,” said Jarron Leisenring, the principal investigator of the observing campaign searching for forming planets and astronomer at the University of Arizona Steward Observatory. “We have already begun looking at other young systems with known planets to help form a more complete picture.”

But astronomy is full of surprises, especially when working with a powerful tool like the JWST. Astronomers often set out to find one thing and find something else they didn’t expect. That’s what happened with HL Tau.

This image of HL Tau from 2016 shows an inner gap and an outer gap where planets may be forming. Unfortunately, the JWST wasn’t able to detect them. But it did find other features. Image Credit: Yen et al. 2016.

In this case, the JWST detected HL Tau’s stellar envelope, where in-falling material gathers around the still coalescing young star. This material eventually becomes part of the star, disk, and planets.

While the astronomers behind all three papers hoped to find planets, that proved difficult. But the JWST’s sensitivity still helped them make progress.

“The lack of planets detected in all three systems tells us that the planets causing the gaps and spiral arms either are too close to their host stars or too faint to be seen with JWST,” said Wagner, a co-author of all three studies. “If the latter is true, it tells us that they’re of relatively low mass, low temperature, enshrouded in dust, or some combination of the three—as is likely the case in MWC 758.”

Planet formation could be the key to understanding how some planets end up with water and how other chemical elements are distributed in a solar system. Astronomers think that massive gas giants like Jupiter end up regulating the movement and flow of elements. But not all stars host planets so massive.

“Only about 15 percent of stars like the sun have planets like Jupiter. It’s really important to understand how they form and evolve and to refine our theories,” said U-M Michael Meyer, University of Michigan astronomer and coauthor of all three studies. “Some astronomers think that these gas giant planets regulate the delivery of water to rocky planets forming in the inner parts of the disks.”

Image of Jupiter taken by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. Massive gas giants like Jupiter might govern the movement of water in a young solar system, affecting which planets get it. That’s just one of the reasons why astronomers want to find them around young stars. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kevin M. Gill)

In every disk that astronomers can get a good look at, they find gaps, rings, and sometimes spirals and other structures that can be explained by the formation of giant planets. But they also can’t rule out other explanations. And this is where the issue stands, for now.

“Basically, in every disk we have observed with high enough resolution and sensitivity, we have seen large structures like gaps, rings and, in the case of SAO 206462, spirals,” Cugno said. “Most if not all of these structures can be explained by forming planets interacting with the disk material, but other explanations that do not involve the presence of giant planets exist.”

Finding these massive planets forming around young stars is the next step. Even though the JWST didn’t find them, it still made progress on the issue. That’s how science works. Because if astronomers can eventually see some of these planets, they can then untangle the relationships between all the other features the JWST has observed with the planets themselves.

“If we manage to finally see these planets, we can connect some of the structures with forming companions and relate formation processes to the properties of other systems at much later stages,” Cugno said. “We can finally connect the dots and understand how planets and planetary systems evolve as a whole.”

Upcoming telescopes can make even more progress. The ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope will probe the earliest stages of planetary formation and will also detect water and organic chemicals in protoplanetary disks. Its first light is scheduled for 2028.

The Giant Magellan Telescope will also study the formation of planetary systems with its Near-Infrared Spectrograph. The GMT will see its first light in the 2030s.

The post Webb Joins the Hunt for Protoplanets appeared first on Universe Today.

Categories: Astronomy

NASA Awards Promote Science, Technology, Engineering, Math Nationwide

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 4:42pm
Orlando Science Center brings STEM engagement to the community via a weekly after school series, culminating in an Engineering Design Challenge.Credits: Orlando Science Center

NASA is awarding approximately $3.7 million to 17 museums, science centers, and other informal education institutions as part of an initiative to ignite STEM excitement. The money will go toward projects that inspire students and their learning support systems to take an active role in the wonder of science, technology, engineering, and math.  

“We’re excited to grow the community of informal education organizations through these awards,” said Torry Johnson, deputy associate administrator of STEM Engagement Programs at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “These organizations bring the excitement of STEM and spaceflight to students where they are, helping us inspire the Artemis Generation of future explorers and innovators. These awards are a real catalyst for partnerships that connect STEM education and NASA’s missions to communities across the nation.”

Projects were selected for NASA’s Teams Engaging Affiliated Museums and Informal Institutions (TEAM II) program and TEAM II Community Anchor Awards. Both are funded through NASA’s Next Generation STEM project, which supports kindergarten to grade 12 students, caregivers, and formal and informal educators in engaging the Artemis Generation in the agency’s missions and discoveries. The selected projects will particularly engage students from underserved communities in a variety of STEM learning opportunities including exhibits, mentorship, educational content, and hands-on activities.

TEAM II Awards

NASA’s vision for TEAM II is to enhance the capability of informal education institutions to host NASA-based learning activities while increasing the institutions’ capacity to bring NASA resources to students. The agency has selected four institutions to receive approximately $3.2 million in cooperative agreements for projects they will implement during the next three to four years.

The selected institutions and their proposed projects are:

  • Franklin Institute, Philadelphia: NASA’s Next Advocates: Connecting Youth to NASA Through a Co-Created Near-Peer Mentorship Program
  • WEX Foundation, San Antonio: New Worlds Await You – Next Generation
  • Astrobotic Foundation, Pittsburgh: Cosmic Careers from the Earth to the Moon
  • EcoExploratorio, Inc., San Juan, Puerto Rico – Innovative Space Learning Activities Center: Living On and Beyond Earth

Community Anchor Awards

The designation as a Community Anchor recognizes institutions as locations that will bring NASA STEM and space science to students and families in traditionally underserved areas. The agency has selected 13 institutions to receive approximately $510,000 in grants to help make these one-to-two-year projects a reality, enhancing the local impact and strengthening their ability to build sustainable connections between their communities and NASA.
 
The selected institutions and their proposed projects are:

  • Exploration Works, Helena, Montana: Moon to Mars to Montana      
  • Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, Vermont: Empowerment Through Climate Action     
  • Intrepid Museum Foundation, Inc., New York: NASA Explore Days
  • Discovery Place, Inc., Charlotte, North Carolina: NASA Community Space Stations
  • The Discovery Museum, Bridgeport, Connecticut: Using Community Science to Engage Underrepresented Youth in Authentic STEM Engagement and Research
  • Museum of Discovery and Science, Inc., Fort Lauderdale, Florida: Delivering NASA STEM Education Programs to Underserved Communities in Broward County
  • GrowingGreat, Manhattan Beach, California: Food in Space and in the City: Teens Tackle Food Security in Their Los Angeles Community
  • Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland: Expanding STEM/Astronomy Learning to Underserved Youth Communities
  • Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum, McMinnville, Oregon: Spaced Out! Fostering STEM Literacy in Students Grades 5 to 8: Through Immersive Space Science Learning Experiences
  • Ocean County College, Toms River, New Jersey: Family on Campus Using Science
  • San Diego Air & Space Museum, San Diego: Imagine the Future of Space
  • FL Newspaper in Educ Coordinator, Deerfield Beach, Florida: Increasing STEM Engagement Among Underserved Youth in Tampa Bay, Florida
  • STEM Advancement, Inc., Pinola, Mississippi: Equipping and Inspiring Rural Students with Space‐Related Experience

Next Gen STEM is a project within NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, which develops unique resources and experiences to spark student interest in STEM and build a skilled and diverse next generation workforce.

For the latest NASA STEM events, activities, and news, visit:

https://stem.nasa.gov

-end-

Gerelle Dodson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-4637
gerelle.q.dodson@nasa.gov

Share Details Last Updated Mar 28, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Categories: NASA

The ambitious plans to study the sun during April's solar eclipse

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 4:00pm
Solar scientists have been preparing for years for a 4-minute window, during the total solar eclipse on 8 April, in which they will study the sun's corona
Categories: Astronomy

Life as we know it could exist on Venus, new experiment reveals

Space.com - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 4:00pm
Some of the building blocks of life are surprisingly stable in Venus-like conditions, according to a new lab experiment.
Categories: Astronomy

NASA Selects Construction Management Services Acquisition Contractor

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 4:00pm

NASA has selected small business Firelake-Arrowhead NASA Services Joint Venture of Lawrence, Kansas, to acquire construction management, inspection, surveying, and testing services at NASA centers across the country.

The Construction Management, Inspection, Surveying, and Testing (CMIST-II) contract was competed as a Small Business 8(a) set-aside, and the maximum contract value is approximately $38.8 million.

This is a hybrid contract with firm-fixed-price and cost-plus-fixed-fee for base services plus a firm-fixed price indefinite-delivery/indefinite aspect performed at NASA’s Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field in Cleveland and Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio. It also will have a firm-fixed price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity aspect, which can be performed at any NASA center.

The performance period begins Monday, April 1, and includes a 30-day phase-in period, a two-year base period, a two-year option, a one-year option, and a six-month option, with the potential to extend services through Nov. 30, 2029.

The contractor will manage construction projects and maintenance tasks from initial concepts through completion, including requirements development, design, construction, commissioning, activation, and turnover. Leidos, Inc., of Reston, Virginia, is a subcontractor.

For information about NASA and other agency programs, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

-end-

Cheryl Warner
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
cheryl.m.warner@nasa.gov

Jan Wittry
Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
216-433-5466
jan.m.wittry-1@nasa.gov

Share Details Last Updated Mar 28, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters
Categories: NASA

Final launch of Delta IV Heavy rocket scrubbed late in countdown

Space.com - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 3:44pm
ULA scrubbed the last planned liftoff of its Delta Heavy IV rocket today (March 28) late in the countdown clock. The powerful launcher is now scheduled to fly on March 29.
Categories: Astronomy

NASA, Salisbury U. Enact Agreement for Workforce Development  

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 3:13pm

2 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

NASA and Salisbury University (SU) in Maryland signed a collaborative Space Act Agreement Thursday, March 28, 2024, opening new opportunities at the agency’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia for students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Director Dr. Makenzie Lystrup (right) shakes hands with Salisbury University President Dr. Carolyn R. Lepre during the SU Space Act Agreement signing ceremony held in Salisbury, Md., Thursday, March 28, 2024. Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs for SU Dr. Laurie Couch (left) and NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility Director David Pierce stand behind them.NASA/Jamie Adkins

The agreement forges a formal partnership to identify research and engineering projects and activities at Wallops designed to provide SU students and professors with experiential, hands-on activities. 

“Our success at NASA, now and in the future, depends on a dynamic network of partnerships focused on our mission operations and growing the next generation of innovators,” said Dr. Makenzie Lystrup, center director at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “NASA’s partnership with Salisbury University expands our workforce development ecosystem and provides students with real-world experience in critical aerospace career fields.” NASA Goddard manages Wallops Flight Facility for the agency.

The agreement also lays a framework for expanding internship opportunities at Wallops, mentoring, technical expertise to faculty, and support for job fairs and other career development programs aimed to expand awareness of careers in the aerospace industry. 

“NASA Wallops has long been at the forefront of space exploration, pioneering breakthroughs that have expanded our understanding of the universe and inspired generations of scientists, engineers, and dreamers,” said Dr. Carolyn Ringer Lepre, SU president. “Together, we will leverage our collective expertise, resources, and ingenuity to tackle some of the most pressing challenges facing our world today.” 

Dr. Makenzie Lystrup speaks during the Salisbury University Space Act Agreement signing ceremony held in Salisbury, Md., Thursday, March 28, 2024. The agreement will expand internship opportunities at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, mentoring, technical expertise to faculty, and support for job fairs and other career development programs aimed to expand awareness of careers in the aerospace industry. NASA/Jamie Adkins

Wallops’ conducts upwards of 50 operational science and technology missions worldwide annually launching on orbital and suborbital rockets, scientific balloons, and flying on airborne science platforms. In addition, NASA’s commercial partners like Rocket Lab are increasing launch operations on the facility.  

“Our operations are growing at Wallops underscoring the need for an innovative, skilled workforce to advance our science and technology missions,” said Lystrup. “This agreement is helping us fill a critical workforce need to propel us into the future.”  

For more information on programs at Wallops, visit: 

www.nasa.gov/wallops  

Share Details Last Updated Mar 28, 2024 EditorJamie Adkins Related Terms
Categories: NASA

Giant Mars asteroid impact creates vast field of destruction with 2 billion craters

Space.com - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 3:00pm
An asteroid that slammed into Mars around 2.3 million years ago left one nine-mile wide crater and created 2 billion smaller craters.
Categories: Astronomy

An Early End for the Chandra X-Ray Observatory?

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 2:38pm

NASA budget constraints could wind down operations of the iconic Chandra X-Ray Observatory.

The post An Early End for the Chandra X-Ray Observatory? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

This Supernova Lit Up the Sky in 1181. Here’s What it Looks Like Now

Universe Today - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 2:18pm

Historical astronomical records from China and Japan recorded a supernova explosion in the year 1181. It was in the constellation Cassiopeia and it shone as bright as the star Vega for 185 days. Modern astronomers took their cue from their long-gone counterparts and have been searching for its remnant.

But it took them time to find it because they were looking for the wrong thing.

When a massive star runs out of fuel, it collapses in on itself and then explodes. It leaves behind a dense core where the protons and electrons are crushed into neutrons. It’s called a neutron star, and they’re the smallest and densest stellar objects in the Universe other than black holes.

It took a concerted effort from astronomers over the years to understand SN 1181’s remnant. At first, they couldn’t even find it.

For a time, researchers thought that the pulsar 3C 58 was the remnant. The ancient Chinese and Japanese records were not accurate enough to pinpoint SN 1181’s exact location, and the pulsar was the only known supernova remnant in the area. However, as astronomers studied 3C 58, they determined that it was much too old to be the remnant.

This X-ray image of pulsar 3C58 is from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. At 3500 years old, it’s too old to be the remnant of SN 1181. Image Credit: By NASA – http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap041223.htmlhttp://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2004/3c58/, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4074985

In 2013, an American amateur astronomer discovered a nebula, now named Pa 30, near the region where the Japanese and Chinese saw it. It has an extremely blue central star, and now the name Pa 30 refers to both the star and the nebula.

The cyan region in this image is where modern astronomers think SN 1181’s remnant should be, according to ancient Japanese and Chinese documents. Astronomers were guided by the ancient names and locations of constellations, like Wangliang and Ziwei. (Modern constellations are shown in grey.) The pulsar 3C58 is outside the region, while the white dwarf Pa 30 is inside it. Image Credit: By Bradley E. Schaefer – https://arxiv.org/abs/2301.04807, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=140937093

Eventually, in 2018, French amateur astronomers working with an 8-inch telescope spotted a very hot blue star in the remnant’s center. It had a very odd spectrum, unlike stars in the centers of other remnants. Then, in 2019, astronomers published a paper showing that the nebula had a fierce stellar wind with a high velocity. This was strong evidence that what they were seeing was a supernova remnant.

But where was the neutron star? There was none, and in its place was a white dwarf. That means that astronomers were wrong about what type of supernova SN 1181 was.

SN 1181 wasn’t a core-collapse supernova, the type caused by a massive star that collapses in on itself and then explodes as it runs out of fuel. It was a Type Iax, a supernova created when two white dwarfs merge and explode. Those explosions typically leave no remnants, but in this case, it did. The Type Iax explosion was incomplete, and it’s responsible for the SN remnant’s unusual shape and the fact that the remnant isn’t a neutron star but a zombie star.

The leading image is a composite image of the Pa 30, the name given to the remnant and the star. The data for the image comes from multiple telescopes that capture different parts of the electromagnetic spectrum.

A composite image of the remnant of supernova 1181, called Pa 30. G. Ferrand and J. English (U. of Manitoba), NASA/Chandra/WISE, ESA/XMM, MDM/R.Fessen (Dartmouth College), Pan-STARRS

X-rays captured by the ESA’s XMM-Newton spacecraft are shown in blue, tracing the nebula’s full extent. NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory pinpointed the central source in the middle, the star named WD J005311. With a temperature greater than 220,000 Kelvin, it’s the hottest star known.

The remnant is almost invisible in optical light but is bright in infrared. NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Space Explorer (WISE) captured the infrared, shown in red and pink in the image. The nebula’s radial structure is interesting and has an unusual cause. The lines are heated sulphur glowing in visible light, captured by the ground-based Hiltner 2.4 m telescope at the MDM Observatory. The background stars were imaged with Pan-STARRS.

The ancient Japanese and Chinese who recorded the event had no real idea what they were seeing. They were more like court bureaucrats than astronomers, and they were steeped in astrology, not science. A member of the Japanese imperial court wrote that the supernova was “a sign of abnormality.” Another chronicler wrote that it was an “occasion for making auspicious offerings for a good harvest.”

But modern science shows us that it’s none of those things. Instead, it’s a wondrous object in the distant heavens, the result of forces and energies that the ancients had no idea existed. As a supernova, it forged heavy elements—especially the ones needed for life to appear—and spread them out into space. Its shock waves could’ve even triggered the birth of more stars as it slammed into the interstellar medium.

They couldn’t have known any of this, but from their perspective, they were right about one thing. As a Type Iax supernova that left behind a zombie star, SN 1181 was definitely a sign of abnormality.

The post This Supernova Lit Up the Sky in 1181. Here’s What it Looks Like Now appeared first on Universe Today.

Categories: Astronomy

365 days of satellite images show Earth's seasons changing from space (video)

Space.com - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 2:00pm
Satellite images taken daily for one year shows a stunning glimpse of what the change of seasons looked like from space.
Categories: Astronomy

Hyperelastic gel is one of the stretchiest materials known to science

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 2:00pm
A super-stretchy hydrogel can stretch to 15 times its original length and return to its initial shape, and could be used to make soft inflatable robots
Categories: Astronomy

Hyperelastic gel is one of the stretchiest materials known to science

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 2:00pm
A super-stretchy hydrogel can stretch to 15 times its original length and return to its initial shape, and could be used to make soft inflatable robots
Categories: Astronomy

Hubble Sees a Star About to Ignite

Universe Today - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 1:51pm

We know how stars form. Clouds of interstellar gas and dust gravitationally collapse to form a burst of star formation we call a stellar nursery. Eventually, the cores of these protostars become dense enough to ignite their nuclear furnace and shine as true stars. But catching stars in that birth-moment act is difficult. Young stars are often hidden deep within their dense progenitor cloud, so we don’t see their light until they’ve already started shining. But new observations from the Hubble Space Telescope have given us our earliest glimpse of a shiny new star.

You can see this image above, which captures the dusty region of the FS Tau system. The bright star just to the right of center is FS Tau A, which is a young star just 2.8 million years old. An infant compared to our Sun’s 4.6 billion years. But the exciting discovery is a bit higher and further right, known as FS Tau B. That line of dust obscuring the protostar is its protoplanetary disk seen edge-on. The light coming from the obscured star isn’t produced by nuclear fusion, but rather the late stages of gravitational collapse.

You can also see that the protostar has begun to produce radiant jets, which are reflected against the dusty nebula as regions of blue light. Because of this reflected light, FS Tau B is classified as a Herbig-Haro (HH) object. HH objects are great for helping astronomers understand the early dynamics of these stars.

FS Tau B is likely in the early stages of becoming a T Tauri star. These are sun-like stars just on the edge of becoming true stars. They can be quite active, with starspots and large flares, but can take 100 million years for one to ignite their cores and settle into a true main-sequence star. As that happens, protoplanets will form within the dusty disk, ready to become full planets in time.

You can find more information about the FS Tau system, as well as high-resolution images and videos, on the ESA Hubble website.

The post Hubble Sees a Star About to Ignite appeared first on Universe Today.

Categories: Astronomy

MEDIA ADVISORY: NASA Invites Media to Milestone RS-25 Engine Certification Test

NASA - Breaking News - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 1:42pm

2 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

NASA will host media to view a milestone RS-25 engine test at NASA’s Stennis Space Center on Wednesday, April 3, to certify full production of new engines to help power the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.

As NASA explores the universe for the benefit of all, NASA Stennis is testing engines and systems that will help launch the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft on future deep space missions. The April 3 test will mark completion of a 12-test series to certify production of RS-25 engines by lead contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies company, to help power missions beginning with Artemis V.

In addition to the engine hot fire on the Fred Haise Test Stand, media will have an opportunity to tour the Aerojet Rocketdyne Engine Assembly Facility onsite, to receive a briefing at the Thad Cochran Test Stand (B-2) about upcoming exploration upper stage testing, and to interview NASA officials and others.

The RS-25 hot fire viewing is targeted for early- to mid-afternoon.

Following the hot fire, media also will have a chance to gather onsite to view and participate in the NASA news conference announcing the company, or companies, selected to move forward in development of the lunar terrain vehicle (LTV) that will help Artemis astronauts explore more of the Moon’s surface on future missions. The news conference will be broadcast at 3 p.m. CDT from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Media members interested in attending should:

  • Be a U.S. citizen.
  • Contact Lacy Thompson at calvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov no later than 12 p.m. on Monday, April 1.
  • Provide name as it appears on driver’s license.
  • Identify state issuing the license.
  • Provide a mobile contact number.

Please note NASA’s media accreditation policy online.

Media members must arrive from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, April 3, at INFINITY Science Center, the official visitors center for NASA Stennis, and produce valid driver’s license for transport on site. INFINITY is located at 1 Discovery Circle in Pearlington, Mississippi. Long pants and closed-toe shoes are required attire.

Facebook logo @NASASTENNIS @NASASTENNIS Instagram logo @NASASTENNIS Share Details Last Updated Mar 28, 2024 EditorNASA Stennis CommunicationsContactC. Lacy Thompsoncalvin.l.thompson@nasa.gov / (228) 688-3333LocationStennis Space Center Related Terms Explore More 3 min read Payload Adapter Testing: A Key Step for Artemis IV Rocket’s Success Article 1 week ago 4 min read Key Test Drive of Orion on NASA’s Artemis II to Aid Future Missions Article 1 week ago 4 min read NASA Expanding Lunar Exploration with Upgraded SLS Mega Rocket Design Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics from NASA Stennis

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Categories: NASA

Still alive! Japan's SLIM moon lander survives its 2nd lunar night (photo)

Space.com - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 1:30pm
The SLIM spacecraft, Japan's first successful moon lander, has survived its second long, cold lunar night.
Categories: Astronomy

Total solar eclipse 2024: Live updates

Space.com - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 1:26pm
Stay up-to-date with the latest news on the total solar eclipse that will be visible across North America on April 8, 2024.
Categories: Astronomy

Lego Education Eclipse Collection teaches students about April 8 total solar eclipse

Space.com - Thu, 03/28/2024 - 1:00pm
Lego has launched a new solar eclipse education collection featuring special activities to engage students in the upcoming total solar eclipse on April 8.
Categories: Astronomy