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A person in Texas has been infected with bird flu after exposure to dairy cows who had the virus – it is the first time a human has contracted the disease from a mammal

A person in Texas has been infected with bird flu after exposure to dairy cows who had the virus – it is the first time a human has contracted the disease from a mammal

Cape Girardeau, Missouri is close to the centerline of the total solar eclipse on April 8, offering eclipse-chasers 4 minutes and 6 seconds of totality.

Like a pilgrim seeking wisdom, NASA’s MSL Curiosity has been working its way up Mt. Sharp, the dominant central feature in Gale Crater. Now, almost 12 years into its mission, the capable rover has reached an interesting feature that could tell them more about Mars and its watery history. It’s called the Gediz Vallis channel.

Gediz Vallis channel appears to have been carved by ancient water. But if that’s the case, it happened billions of years ago. The channel has since filled with rock.

Mt. Sharp’s upper regions are beyond Curiosity’s reach. It’s simply too difficult for the rover to get there. But Nature is playing nice with MSL Curiosity. Rocks have come tumbling down from the mountain, creating a ridge and filling up a channel. Those rocks are within reach, and they could hold clues to Mars’ watery past.

Mars’ ancient history, especially as it concerns surface liquid water, is a gigantic puzzle with lots of pieces. We know there are hydrated minerals on Mars that date back millions of years. We know there are sulphates, which are minerals left behind when water evaporates. We have orbiter images clearly showing river channels and deltas.

Gediz Vallis is a tiny part of Mars, but it could make an important contribution to our understanding of this once warm and wet world.

This image from 2019 shows a proposed route for MSL Curiosity. The rover is about to expire Gediz Vallis Channel. Image Credit: By NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/Univ. of Arizona/JHUAPL/MSSS/USGS Astrogeology Science Center – https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/figures/PIA23179_fig1.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=78981590

Understanding Gediz Vallis and what it could tell us begins with Mt. Sharp. Mt. Sharp was built up over long periods of geological time by the deposit of sediments into layers. Over time, some of this material was eroded away, presenting us with what we see today. The Gediz Vallis channel formed after all that had happened.

Because the channel has steep walls, scientists say water had to carve it. Wind erosion is ruled out because it creates shallow, wide walls. Sometime after it formed, it was filled with rocky debris. That debris probably came from high up Mt. Sharp, beyond Curiosity’s reach. The rock will give the rover a look at the upper reaches of the mountain that it would otherwise never obtain.

This image shows the debris piles in the Gediz Vallis channel, as seen by MSL Curiosity. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UC Berkeley

Ashwin Vasavada is the Project scientist for NASA’s Curiosity rover at JPL. “If the channel or the debris pile were formed by liquid water, that’s really interesting,” he said in a press release. “It would mean that fairly late in the story of Mount Sharp – after a long dry period – water came back, and in a big way.”

This agrees with other evidence Curiosity found. Instead of disappearing once and for all, water seems to have come and gone in phases, confounding our attempts to understand Mars’ history.

Gediz Vallis Ridge is the hill-like slope at right in this MSL Curiosity image captured on August 19th, 2023. It took the rover three attempts over three years before it could reach the ridge. It spent 11 days at the ridge and is now working its way to Gediz Vallis Channel. The formation has scientists intrigued because of what it might tell them about the history of water on the Red Planet. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

A year ago, the rover ascended the Gediz Vallis ridge, a sprawling debris pile that appears to grow out of the end of the channel, to get a closer look. Since the debris looks like it flows out of the channel, it indicates that both are results of the same geological process.

Even though MSL Curiosity is an engineering marvel, the rover will still need months to study the Gediz Vallis Channel. What it uncovers over the following months could give scientists a lot more detail about the history of Mars’ water.

Recently published research based partly on Curiosity’s data also shows that Mars had episodes of water and that it didn’t all disappear at once. That research showed that the bulk of Mt. Sharp was formed by waterborne sediments and that after that happened, another layer made of windborne sediments formed on top of it. But images of the windborne layer show that the sedimentary rock is deformed by the later presence of water.

This digital elevation model (DEM) provides some context for Curiosity’s journey. Image Credit: Hughes et al. 2022

How Gediz Vallis fits into Mars’ story is unclear. But getting a closer look will start to untangle the planet’s complex history. Was the channel carved by water? If Curiosity can confirm that, then it’s more evidence that Mars had surface water more recently than though. Did water carry the boulders and debris that filled it, or did dry avalanches?

Curiosity needs months to explore the region. Once researchers have had time to digest and interpret the rover’s data, we’ll get more answers.

The post Curiosity has Reached an Ancient Debris Channel That Could Have Been Formed by Water appeared first on Universe Today.

Several of the planets and moons in the Solar System are in orbital resonance, orbiting in a geometric lockstep. And not just the Solar System, astronomers have found the same resonances in other star systems.

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2 Min Read Solar Eclipse Resources

Visitors at Saturday “SUN” Day look through solar eclipse glasses.

Credits:
Kent Blackwell, Back Bay Amateur Astronomers

From the Astronomical Society of the Pacific

Get ready for the Moon to pass in front of the Sun, casting its shadow across all of North America. A spectacular total eclipse will sweep across North America on April 8, 2024! 

The Night Sky Network and Astronomical Society of the Pacific are creating and curating information for amateur astronomers and other informal educators. See some of our Night Sky Network and community eclipse resources here:

• Most of the US will be graced with a partial eclipse. This is a great reason to get your community together. Plan your event with this simple Partial Eclipse Party Planner.
• Preparing for an Eclipse Public Presentation from our partners at NISE about viewing the eclipses, including what to expect if you are not on the central paths – edit to make it your own! 
• The 2024 NASA Eclipse Resources include a Safe Solar Viewing Guide, Posters, and more!
• Andrew Fraknoi and a group of astronomy educators have created a collection of eclipse resources in preparation for the upcoming solar eclipses, including  32 educational activities.
• Find lists of safe solar viewers and filters from our partners at the American Astronomical Society.
• Enjoy this activity Eclipses Around the World to respectfully share ways of knowing eclipses from many cultures
• This video invites everyone to participate in this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Hear about the eclipse in Spanish, Urdu, Mandarin, Arabic, and more at bit.ly/EclipseAmbassadorsYouTube

Clouded out? That’s okay – tune in to NASA’s official broadcast for the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse.

See the activities and resources below for more great eclipse ideas! 

• Yardstick Eclipse Activity to model eclipses
• Handouts for the eclipse – eye safety and observing from AAS
• View a Solar Eclipse – DIY Pinhole Projector – Exploratorium
• Resources for Teachers, Administrators, and Families
• NASA’s official Eclipse site – science, safety, and events
• Safety Tips for Solar Eclipse Viewing from the AAS
• Projection Techniques for Safely Observing the Sun – AAS
• More Safety and Viewing Tips from EarthSky
• Collection of Educational Eclipse Resources
• Celebrate our Marvelous Moon

OK, we generally start with your early years, your childhood, where you’re from, and a little bit about your family at the time. Where you grew up, I think it was in Spain? Do you have siblings, what did your parents do, that sort of thing.  And how early was it in your life that you developed an interest in astrophysics or the career that you’re pursuing? What got you interested in that?

Well, I was born in Spain. I grew up and lived in Spain until three years ago when I moved here. I studied in a small town in Madrid, very close to Madrid. I grew up in a family with my mom, who was a nurse at an elderly care center, and my father, who was a firefighter. They are both now retired, but before my father was a firefighter. he was a mechanic. In my family there was a very good interest in both medical science and technology to try to understand why things happen. I remember that my father used to, before going to work, set up the TV for me to watch “Beakman’s World”. I think it was a 1980’s or 90’s show about scientists who would explain things to kids. I remember that very vividly. And very early, I started to gain an interest in how things worked and why nature looks like it looks, but I never really had a precise idea of what I wanted to do until very late, say university. When I applied to university, I was hesitating between doing engineering or astrophysics or physics in general, I had no idea. I always wanted to become a pilot, too. I started to think “I want to be an astronaut!” But at some point I said, “OK, this may be very difficult and what happens if you fail? What happens if you never become an astronaut, for example? You must find something that you really like and is worth doing even if you don’t make it.” So I chose physics because it’s a nice way to understand the whole universe, beyond just engineering. But I never lost track of engineering really. I’ve always been in a mixed world.

Do you have siblings?

Yes, yes. My older brother, Saul, is a firefighter too. He chose to follow my father’s trade. He’s very similar to me. I mean, when we are together, we are always trying to repair something, or building an antenna, or going on a hike or something like that. We are very similar.

The last person we talked to, who was also born in Spain and went to school there, told us that in Spain the education is not like here in America, where you can almost go all through college and not actually know what you want to do. But in Spain you must declare earlier, like at the high school level, and pursue engineering or pursue music or science or something, and you get locked in at that point. 

Yeah. In Spain we start choosing fields as early as 14 – 16 years old. 

I’ve looked at your list of publications and you have an extensive resume of work, so I’m surprised that you only got interested in this recently.

I’ve been very lucky. I have had very bright and supportive supervisors and colleagues all this time who taught and guided me.

Where did you go for your undergraduate and your graduate work?

I did my undergraduate degree and my masters in Madrid. I was still living with my parents there. In Spain we leave the nest pretty late (laughs).  I started there in physics in the Complutense University of Madrid, which is the largest public university in Spain, and it was really hard. I had a hard time in the first two years because, to be honest, I’ve never been very good at math.

That would be a problem.

We are doing this in a NASA interview, but I have to say that I had to ask for help from my friends to keep up. In more practical fields, like the subjects that were related to the laboratory or the telescope, I think I was really good.  But in the more theoretical subjects I always had trouble. But that was in the first year of university. When we started switching to more astrophysics and more practical things, it went more smoothly.

So, because you were in astrophysics, that was why you decided to continue and pursue a PhD, which is somewhat of a basic requirement in that kind of a field?

Yeah, many of my friends were well focused: you do a degree, then a master’s and a PhD, then you do a post doc, maybe another post doc, and then you are a professor, or something. I never had that path decided. I mean I followed in some way that career, but I think I’ve never been so focused as when I did my master’s and one of my friends said “Hey, are you thinking of doing a PhD in this place? And I was like “OK, maybe that would be interesting, to follow the continual theme.” But I wasn’t sure that I wanted to become a professor. I just thought it would be interesting to do a PhD and then start work at ESA or NASA. 

And the place where you got your PhD, the university, was in the Canary Islands, I believe?

Yes, It’s an amazing place, very beautiful.

I don’t know how you could study there. That’s a place people go for vacation!

Oh, yeah!  Well, that is true.

A very exotic place, I would think. OK. And then what? Did you get your post doc at Ames because you saw the opportunity posted and applied for it? Or did you know somebody? Was there a connection of some kind that got you to Ames?

Not really, no. But it was a very critical moment in my life because I had just finished the PhD and it was very intense at the end, so I decided to take some months off, and I started working on a personal project which was building a house.  It was in Spain, my grandma’s house. It had been abandoned for many years, so my now wife and I decided to repair it and at the same time I was applying to jobs, trying to find a position. It took six or seven months, and I wasn’t really sure exactly where to go. And then I remembered: “OK, first do the harder thing”, so I applied to NASA, ESA, and CNES. I tried to apply to the hardest things that I would probably not get. I just started sending emails to NASA, and one of the people who answered was Pamela Marcum, my supervisor here. She was very nice and we started working on a project together, to submit. And I think it was February 2019, when we submitted. Then I forgot about it and said “OK, they are never going to answer.” And it was probably in June 2019 that she sent me an email, and said: “I probably shouldn’t tell you this, but they are going to offer you a position at NASA”. And I was like, “Wow”!

Wow, indeed!

It was a very scary moment because I had no, absolutely no, experience on how the immigration process for USA and NASA worked, in terms of “When should I be there?” “Can I bring my wife?” “Can she move with me, or do I have to move alone?”  But after a couple of days of very scary questions, we were very happy to know we were moving to the United States! 

So up until then, you hadn’t really had a reason to master English as a second language?

Well, my PhD and all my publications were in English, so it was necessary for me to learn it, although it is hard to master it from a non-English speaking country.

I saw in one of your bio’s, probably in your resume, where it described your language skills and showed English 100%, Spanish 100%, and even some Russian and some French. I’m always interested in people who are going to somewhere where they don’t speak the language. Or maybe you did at the time, I don’t know, or had but a modicum of English training, especially to an educational setting where it’s important to be able to communicate and understand.

I think that was the moment when I really started to feel more or less comfortable with English. But I must also say that my supervisor was British.

OK, that would help.

He had been living in Spain for 30 years, John Beckman, and he didn’t want to speak in English with Spanish people because to be honest, he speaks Spanish way better than we speak English. He was a lot of help in many ways but not so much for the English. However, moving to the United States teaches you not just the language but the way to express things, the way to make people comfortable with what you say. I think that in this we are way more direct, in some sense, but in another sense, I feel like the Americans don’t want to ‘put flowers’ in questions”, they just want to answer the question, which is something that I really like. So, I was very comfortable very early, although there are many layers of language to be learned.

Wonderful! That’s a great story and pretty direct as far as getting to Ames. Some of the people we interview, their road to Ames is all over the place and just sort of happened, while yours was straight on, right out of your PhD practically, so that’s great.

To be honest, I spent a few months in the European Space Agency as a visitor, but that happened after I applied to NASA, so it was just hanging there.
Good for you! So, you got your PhD, you’ve done your post doc, or at least have been doing it. So now is perhaps a good time to talk about your work, your science, and why it’s important. Because all of NASA’s research and programs are funded by the taxpayers, they have to add value. Can you talk about your work and justify it as to why it should be important to the people who are paying for it?

When I started my PhD, we were studying galaxies, basically galaxy evolution. The main idea is that galaxies are the building blocks of the universe. You have planets which are rotating around stars, and stars form groups which are galaxies, but galaxies are the basic unit that builds the universe. You look for something that could make a universe, and it’s a galaxy. It contains all the ingredients to make the universe.  And when we look at the picture of a galaxy in space, we always see a bright core and then a disk, maybe with some spiral arms and that’s the end, darkness. It’s just emptiness between galaxies. And this is not really true. Now, we know that galaxies are just like icebergs, in the sense that we only see the tip of them. And when we use more powerful telescopes, they start to grow and grow and grow and become bigger and bigger and bigger, without frontiers. So, space is filled with stars, on and on. That’s it.

The bigger the telescopes, the more you find, that’s absolutely true. And I’m glad you brought up the galaxies because one of the things we will ask you toward the end of this interview is if you have some pictures that represent the things you’ve talked about in your life, your work, or your family, we would like to include those. They’re always very interesting. And I found that picture of the Whirlpool Galaxy.

Oh, yes!

The Whirlpool Galaxy is a classic spiral galaxy. At only 30 million light years distant and fully 60 thousand light years across, M51, also known as NGC 5194, is one of the brightest and most picturesque galaxies on the sky. (nasa.gov/image)

It was labeled picture of the day from some organization, and it was absolutely beautiful. I hope that we can include that picture as part of your post when we get it ready to go.

I think that picture is very beautiful, I would say it has huge emotional value to me because when I landed here at Ames, one of the dream things I wanted to do when I just arrived was to work with the Stratospheric Observatory for Far Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), although I had no relevant experience. We don’t have that kind of facility in Spain. And then I saw a picture of another galaxy called NGC 1068, which is really beautiful. 

Magnetic fields in NGC 1068, or M77, are shown as streamlines over a visible light and X-ray composite image of the galaxy.  (https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/shaping-spiral-galaxy/)

It was observed by SOFIA. And I sent an e-mail to one of the PI’s of the article, and said: “This is really beautiful. Can I work with you?” (laughs)  And just like that he said. “Yeah. I’m in the SOFIA building, just come over and we’ll have a chat”. And two years later I was flying with him in SOFIA! 

SOFIA, the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, is a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to carry a 2.7-meter (106-inch) reflecting telescope (with an effective diameter of 2.5 meters or 100 inches). Flying into the stratosphere at 38,000-45,000 feet puts SOFIA above 99 percent of Earth’s infrared-blocking atmosphere, allowing astronomers to study the solar system and beyond in ways that are not possible with ground-based telescopes. SOFIA was made possible through a partnership between NASA and the German Space Agency at DLR.

(Image courtesy nasa.gov)

 It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. And I know that it would have been impossible if I had never got that position at Ames. So, it’s something that I just can’t explain with words.

That’s a great story and it’s a great picture, one that immediately someone would look at and say “that is beautiful”. And besides being beautiful, what is it? As with science everything we see or discover prompts more questions. So, it’s very interesting.  And regarding astronaut training: would you like to talk a little bit about your experience as an astronaut candidate, how that came about, and what it was like?

Sure. I always wanted to be an astronaut and I’m still into it. I remember when I had just started my degree there was the latest call from the European Space Agency for astronauts in 2008. I took notes of everything: how they looked, what expertise they had, and basically with that very limited amount of information you make your way to the next call. So last year they opened this call to the next class of European astronauts in 2022, and I applied.  Another friend of mine applied too, and we were like, “OK, we will get ditched in the first cut, so don’t worry about it”. But I got an invitation to the next round.  The first round was just sending in the CV and answering a couple questions, very, very general information.  But the second round was very interesting: you get a trip to Germany.  And there is the psychometrical testing. 

Well, you’re a serious candidate when you get to that point.

Yeah, yeah. I mean, when we applied there were 22,000 people in the pool, and in the next round there were like 2,000. I don’t remember exactly the number, 1,000 or 2,000.  So we were doing all these psychological tests and screens. We were in a very impressive room, full of other candidates and they looked very, very serious and were answering the questions at the same time, while maybe you were hesitating with some of them. It was very impressive. But something that really got to me is that other candidates were very, very nice. They were all kind. There was no competition at all. People were trying to help each other and keeping calm. They would say “Don’t worry about this. You’ll probably get the next test right”. So then I went home and I said, OK, this time I am absolutely out because I met some people who are absolutely amazing, far better than me. I mean, there were pilots, military, people working in deep cave mines, industry, even Antarctica, who were very, very smart.  But I got an invitation to the next step, and these were more personal with rounds of psychological interviews, many, many hours with the psychologists. At this point we were 400 candidates left. I got interviewed by Thomas Pesquet, one of the European astronauts, who asked questions about how you would behave in personal situations, like risk situations, when your life may be threatened and at some point, you start thinking, “I’m just an astronomer. I don’t have many experiences like that.”  I mean when I was in Canary Islands, for example, I learned how to dive so I got a few experiences of “your friend is running out of air underwater”, things like that and apparently that got me and other 100 candidates through to the next round, which was very interesting: it was a medical test.  Basically, you spend a week in Germany and everything that you can imagine can be tested, will be tested. Everything!

Wow!

But it’s very, very nice because we were not alone, we were eight people from all over the place, living together for a week. We had a Finnish candidate, a German, a British, one of the selected astronauts was with me in that round, and we were getting along all together, it was kind of like “back to school” and we were on a trip. But at that point the selection is completely out of your control because there’s nothing that you can do to fix anything.  For example, you may have something in your heart that is perfectly fine to live on Earth, but it’s not OK to fly to high altitudes, and there’s nothing you can do to fix that.  At some point you relax, and say, “OK, I’ve done everything I can to be here, to be fit, to be ready”. So, you just had to relax. I was lucky, very lucky, to pass the medical test. I mean, at that point the ones who passed the medical test were like 50 people from the initial 22,000.

That’s amazing!

Yes, it is! And then there was yet another round of interviews (Phase 5) with the head of the astronaut team, and finally the last 25 of us did another interview with the ESA Director General, in Paris (Phase 6), when the last decision was made, so I went through all the process really until the last point.

Sounds like you did, and you could get down to #2, and if they’re only choosing one then you did absolutely everything right, better than everybody else except #1, and at that point it’s somewhat subjective because all of you in the 50 were extremely well qualified.

Absolutely.

And it might have just been the luck of the draw.

I had the opportunity to be there with the best. I think it’s something that makes you feel better because, I have met many of the selected astronauts and they’re all amazing. And when you met someone like that and become friends, you could say “OK, if they had selected me, they would not have selected him or her, and we were just the same.” So that’s how I think of it. I’ll just keep training for the next astronaut selection.

You probably made a lot of friends. Talk about networking! My goodness, you’ve got a network of people from around the world that you’ve gotten to learn and to know and be close to and are probably lifelong friends with some of them. So that is great. Well, I admire your ambition to do this and the effort and determination that you showed to go all the way to the end of the sequence, and it takes away nothing from you that they wind up selecting someone else. So, are you going to age out of this or are you going to take another shot at it?

Well, it takes some time to rebuild everything but at some point, you realize, “Hey, I am 32 years old. I’m working at NASA, I made it to the last round of an astronaut selection, so I’m physically fit, I passed the psychological test, so I think I have more reasons than ever to apply again. So if another opportunity appears, sure I will apply.

Well, you’re already an impressive success in your pursuits, in your career and in your work, so congratulations on that. You mentioned your wife. Would you like to say anything about your family? I don’t know if you have children, or you have pets or . . .?

No, we don’t have kids yet! We live here in Mountain View and well, I think this story is also her story because when we moved together to the United States, she was finishing her master’s degree in psychology, and after that we would both be unemployed. So, when we moved here together, we were like, “OK, this is a huge opportunity, but we’re going to be starting from zero.” Find a job, find out how to get our transcripts from the university to the United States and everything.”  She also had a really hard time to figure out the way through the American system of education. But she made it and she’s now working at Stanford Pediatrics. She’s studying brain development of preterm babies as a research coordinator.

Stanford Pediatrics, wow! That’s impressive. I would think there would be quite a competition for those jobs.

Yeah, it was a very long interview process for her.

Well, good for her.

She’s got some very good skills. She worked as a therapist with kids with autism, and she is an experienced researcher in psychology. So, at some point this group at Stanford was looking for someone who was able to work with kids and with magnetic resonance, to understand how the brain works and how it develops over time. So, she was the perfect fit. She is very happy and loves her work. 

During this pandemic, you came to Ames in 2019, and you live in Mountain View, so the closing of the Center probably didn’t affect your commute? Are you able to do your job pretty much remotely? You don’t have a lab or anything that you have to come in for?

Well, most of my job, I can do remotely. I think that the impact was from a more personal point of view because when Covid hit we had been in the USA for only five months. We barely knew anyone. So, it was a more personal impact in the sense that we had just moved here and part of constructing a routine is to go to work, meet some people, friends, maybe establish a network and meet some coworkers to have coffee with.  But with the pandemic everything became surreal because we were just working through our computers and at some point, it’s hard to believe that you’re working where you are working and that there are many, many people on the other side of the screen. It takes some real effort to keep your mind healthy in that environment because it’s very easy – not just for us here at NASA but for everyone, students or everyone that was working and starting a career – to be distracted and become affected by imposter syndrome. When you are working in long isolation through a computer it is not hard to start losing track about who cares about what you are doing and who is interested in it because you are just sending emails, submitting papers, and proposals. So, I think it’s very important to keep track of and keep in contact with students and people working remotely. I think without a physical place to work, you enter this university with people and a big logo in the door and I think that’s something important because you get inside and It’s like, “OK, I’m part of this community, part of this university, part of NASA, part of Stanford, part of whatever you’re working with.” You can miss some of that if you’re just working remotely, you miss a lot of that. I think it takes a lot of effort to continue working in that kind of condition but obviously we’re in an emergency and there are some priorities, but it’s not easy.

You mentioned impostor syndrome. Refresh my memory of what that is and how it affects your sense of communicating with your colleagues.

Well, imposter syndrome is a psychological condition that makes you doubt your skills or accomplishments. It happens a lot when you are working on something very specific, for example in science it is super common, you get the idea that what you’re doing is not important at all and it may not be affecting other people. I would say that 90% of the astronomers I know have been affected by this at some point, and think “OK, this is not important, what I’m doing. How do I transform this knowledge that I am working for to a real impact on the community?” That’s something that I think becomes way more common and harder when you are isolated in your house.

So, it makes you feel less important or less valued, as if you were an imposter and everybody else is real but you’re not?

Yes, exactly that.  I think in astronomy it is particularly easy to get that because everything is so far away. It’s hard to keep track of what is the real impact of what you’re doing right here and now.  For example, that was one of the questions in the astronaut selection process. One of the questions was “OK, you are an astronomer. Why do you think that is important? Why should we care?” My answer is I’ve been working my whole life with the Hubble Space Telescope, so I said, “Well, the Space Telescope discovered that 95% of the universe is not made of the same atoms that are here in this room. It’s like someone told you that magic exists.” And I think that’s amazing. It was a pretty honest answer. I was saying “That’s important. It may be far away, but it’s important.”

So, you’re doing well in your career and ambitions and so forth. What advice would you give to a student just starting out who would like to have a career like you’re having?

Well, it’s hard to give just one piece of advice, but I would say to find something that you really like and work on that. It may be hard, you may want to become a scientist, or a doctor or anything else, and it may be really hard, but I think it’s harder to work on something that you don’t like for your whole life.
That’s a good point.

I think it’s way, way harder, but at the same time it’s hard to land exactly where you want. In my experience, there is no plan that survives the implementation. You make a plan and think that you’re going to do something, but it never happens the way that you think it will. My strategy was to, in a more practical way, find many things that I really like and apply to all of them, starting from the hardest to the to the easiest one. Well, I succeeded in having a post doc at NASA, but before that I applied to 20 jobs, and I never got any. It was just really rejection, after rejection after rejection. So, I consider my myself very fortunate to be here, but I cannot say that it was the first shot. I think that in the time of social media it’s very easy to just see the stars, the successes of people. No one publishes “Oh, I got rejected at NASA”. But that happens obviously.

That’s good.  I probably misstated it when I said that your path has been fairly direct, but you had a lot of rejections along the way and you have to not let them beat you down, but just keep going with what you’re passionate about.

Yeah, and that applies also to the astronaut process. I mean you may want to be an astronaut, then you apply, but it is true that, for example, the commander of Apollo 13, James Lovell, applied to be one of the first round of Mercury astronauts but he got cut for medical reasons and yet he applied again, and he became an astronaut. There are many examples of great people that had to apply many times.

So, we’ve talked a lot about your work. It’s fascinating, but we also want to touch on a few other things, and one of my favorite questions is: you’ve got all this stuff going on in your life with your work and all that, but what do you do for fun?

Well, I grew up in a house full of tools and I like doing things with my hands. We have a pretty old car here, a Subaru from, I think it’s 22 years old now! And I really like to spend time with it learning mechanics. It’s something that I really enjoy. And moving here to the United States was also a blessing for doing hiking and camping around. I’m still trying to comprehend the beauty of the American wilderness. California is amazing. I mean, we are planning a road trip around the United States and traveling is something that I really, really love. It’s something that I could do partly because of my job, but also just for fun. It’s just something that I really, really enjoy.

Do you have any musical talents, perhaps? Play any instruments?

I’ve never been a good musician. I like music, I like music a lot. I listen to it.  I enjoy many types of music, mostly rock, electronic, but many other types of music, but I’ve never been gifted with the talent of playing an instrument with my hands.

Well, I regret that I haven’t either, but that’s the way my life has worked out. How about your taste in reading? What book might we find on your nightstand?

Well, right now I’m a lot into psychology books and essays. My wife has started sending me books to better understand her job. And there’s this book called “A Primate’s Memoir” by a professor at Stanford named Robert Sapolsky. It’s a really good book. I read it very recently. It’s an amazing story about this scientist who went to Kenya to study baboons at the age of 19 or 20, with barely any money, doing a PhD in baboon psychology and it’s just amazing. I mean, I love that book.

We also like to ask who, or perhaps what, inspires you?

Wow. Ah, well, that’s a hard question. I don’t know if it’s a single person, but well, of course there’s my PhD supervisor, John Beckman. He has been a huge inspiration to me. He’s an astronomer working at the Canary Islands, but he was also working at NASA Ames thirty years before me, working with this mission called “ASSESS”. They were flying on an airplane to train astronauts, European astronauts, before the first selection of astronauts happened, in the ‘80s. They were working with astronaut Claude Nicollier who would fly twice to repair the Hubble Space Telescope in orbit and basically, they were training human beings to become mechanics in space, which is really hard. And after that he was working also on airborne astronomy with the Kuiper Airborne Observatory and a Concorde that was meant to observe the solar eclipse. He has done many, many things throughout his life, which to me is an inspiration because it is a demonstration that you can have many lives.

We’ve already talked about images and pictures. And we’re going to ask if you will include some pictures when you return the transcript with whatever corrections and changes you make. We do have another question: Do you have a favorite quote or saying, something that you think about or that guides your life values or philosophies?

Well, I think we may be very typical, but one thing that I think of every time we try to do something: “We do it because it is hard”. That’s from John Kennedy and I think it is very inspirational.

Yes, that’s a good one.

Because that includes many things that we do here. Sometimes, for example, when we do astronomy, we always try to justify things because there are useful, like we are going to extract energy from dark matter, but that’s not true. I mean that’s not why we do things. Sometimes it is just because it’s hard. Like why do you want to repair the Hubble Space Telescope? Because it is hard. Because you want to do something that’s really difficult and it will prepare you for the next thing, and so on. So, I will just stand with that quote.

I like that. That’s inspiring. And I did see one item that I kind of skipped past and that is: if you weren’t an astrophysicist for NASA, what would your dream job be?

I don’t know. I think I would say that my other chosen degree would have been engineering, but that’s very similar to what I do now. I think I could easily become a mechanic or a firefighter, like my dad. (laughs).

I was wondering if you were going to go back to firefighter!

Yeah, I mean, it’s not just my father and brother. It’s my cousins and half of my family are firefighters. So, I’m kind of the black sheep! (laughs)

And you said your parents are retired?

Yes, they are both retired. They are happily retired. Right now, they are starting to enjoy their retirement. They are traveling.

Well, knowing how young you are, that makes me feel old! That your parents are retired.  Is there anything that we didn’t ask that you wish we had asked, as part of this interview?

No, I think I think everything was covered. It was very complete. Just to say thanks to you all and to NASA for everything. 

OK. Well, thank you. This has been a delight and we’re very glad that you carved out some time to do this. I think it’ll turn out to be wonderful. It usually takes me a couple of weeks to get this on paper and get it back to you, and then you can go through it and then we’ll put it in the queue and then you’ll get your 15 minutes of fame up on our website! And after that it goes into the archive and it’s there forever. And that website is open to the public, so your friends, family, and other people can read your interview.

That’s perfect. My mom is going to love it!

Oh, I’m sure. Wonderful Alex. Thank you so much again for chatting with us this morning and we’ll get busy on it and get back to you when it’s ready for your review.

Thank you so much.

Interview conducted by Fred Van Wert and Mark Vorobetz 

A preview of Fantasy Flight Game's new "Star Wars: Unlimited" trading card game.

No, the date and path of the total solar eclipse have not been miscalculated.

There’s a population of planets that drifts through space untethered to any stars. They’re called rogue planets or free-floating planets (FFPs.) Some FFPs form as loners, never having enjoyed the company of a star. But most are ejected from solar systems somehow, and there are different ways that can happen.

One researcher set out to try to understand the FFP population and how they came to be.

FFPs are also called isolated planetary-mass objects (iPMOs) in scientific literature, but regardless of what name’s being used, they’re the same thing. These planets wander through interstellar space on their own, divorced from any relationship with stars or other planets.

FFPs are mysterious because they’re extremely difficult to detect. But astronomers are getting better at it and are getting better tools for the task. In 2021, astronomers made a determined effort to detect them in Upper Scorpius and Ophiuchus and detected 70 of them, possibly many more.

This image shows the locations of 115 potential rogue planets, highlighted with red circles, recently discovered in 2021 by a team of astronomers in a region of the sky occupied by Upper Scorpius and Ophiucus. The exact number of rogue planets found by the team is between 70 and 170, depending on the age assumed for the study region. This image was created assuming an intermediate age, resulting in a number of planet candidates in between the two extremes of the study. Image Credit: ESO/N. Risinger (skysurvey.org)

In broad terms there are two ways FFPs can form. They can form like most planets do, in protoplanetary disks around young stars. These planets form by accretion of dust and gas. Or they can form like stars do by collapsing in a cloud of gas and dust unrelated to a star.

For planets that form around stars and are eventually kicked out, there are different ejection mechanisms. They can be ejected by interactions with their stars in a binary star system, they can be ejected by a stellar flyby, or they can be ejected by planet-planet scattering.

In an effort to understand the FFP population better, one researcher examined ejected FFPs. He simulated rogue planets that result from planet-planet interactions and those that come from binary star systems, where interactions with their binary stars eject them. Could there be a way to tell them apart and better understand how these objects come to be?

A new paper titled “On the properties of free-floating planets originating in circumbinary planetary systems” tackled the problem. The author is Gavin Coleman from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Queen Mary University of London. The paper will be published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

In his paper, Coleman points out that researchers have explored how FFPs form, but there’s more to do. “Numerous works have explored mechanisms to form such objects but have not yet provided predictions on their distributions that could differentiate between formation mechanisms,” he writes.

Coleman focuses on ejected stars rather than stars that formed as rogues. He avoids rogue planets that are a result of interactions with other planets because planet-planet scattering is not as significant as other types of ejections. “It is worth noting that planet-planet scattering around single stars cannot explain the large number of FFPs seen in observations,” Coleman explains.

This artist’s impression shows an example of a rogue planet with the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex visible in the background. Rogue planets have masses comparable to those of the planets in our Solar System but do not orbit a star, instead roaming freely on their own. Image Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser/S. Guisard

Coleman singles out binary star systems and their circumbinary planets in his work. Previous research shows that planets are naturally ejected from circumbinary systems. In his research, Coleman simulated binary star systems and how planets ejected from these systems behave. “We find significant differences between planets ejected through planet-planet interactions and those by the binary stars,” he writes.

Coleman based his simulations on a binary star system named TOI 1338. TOI 1338 has a known circumbinary planet called BEBOP-1. Using a known binary system with a confirmed circumbinary planet provides a solid basis for his simulations. It also allowed him to compare his results with other simulations based on BEBOP-1.

The simulation varied several parameters: the initial disc mass, the binary separation, the strength of the external environment, and the turbulence level in the disc. Those parameters strongly govern the planets that form. Other parameters used only a single value: the combined stellar mass, mass ratio and binary eccentricity. The combined stellar mass of TOI 1338 is about 1.3 solar masses, in line with the average in binary systems of about 1.5 solar masses.

Each simulation ran for 10 million years, long enough for the solar system to take shape.

Coleman found that circumbinary systems produce FFPs efficiently. In the simulations, each binary system ejects an average of between two to seven planets with greater than one Earth mass. For giant planets greater than 100 Earth masses, the number of ejected planets drops to 0.6 planets ejected per system.

This figure from the paper shows the masses of ejected planets. The blue line represents all planets, the red line represents planets with less than one Earth mass, and the yellow line represents huge planets with greater than 100 Earth masses. Image Credit: Coleman 2024.

The simulations also showed that most planets are ejected from their circumbinary disks between 0.4 to 4 million years after the beginning of the simulation. At this age, the circumbinary disk hasn’t been dissipated and blown away.

This figure shows the ejection time for planets of different masses. Most planets that become FFPs are ejected within the first one million years. Image Credit: Coleman 2024.

The most important result might concern the velocity dispersions of FFPs. “As the planets are ejected from the systems, they retain significant excess velocities, between 8–16 km?1. This is much larger than observed velocity dispersions of stars in local star-forming regions,” Coleman explains. So this means that the velocity dispersions of FFPs can be used to tell ejected ones from ones that formed as loners.

The velocity dispersions provide another window into the FFP population. Coleman’s simulations show that the velocity dispersion of FFPs ejected through interactions with binary stars is about three times larger than the dispersion from planets ejected by planet-planet scattering.

This figure shows the excess velocity of the ejected FPP population in the simulations. The colour-coded bar on the right shows the amount of excess velocity. The x-axis shows the pericentre distance because it “gives an approximate location for the final interaction that led to the ejection of the planet,” according to the author. Image Credit: Coleman 2024.

Coleman also found that the level of turbulence in the disk affects planet ejection. The weaker the turbulence is, the more planets are ejected. Turbulence also affects the mass of ejected planets: weaker turbulence ejects less massive planets, where about 96% of ejected planets are less than 100 Earth masses.

This figure from the research shows how the number of ejected planets depends on turbulence in the system. Lower turbulence (blue) ejects more planets than intermediate (red) or strong (yellow) turbulence. The x-axis shows the number of planets ejected per system, and the y-axis shows the cumulative distribution function. Image Credit: Coleman, 2024.

Taken together, the simulations provide a way to observe the FFP population and to determine their origins. “Differences in the distributions of FFP masses, their frequencies, and excess velocities can all indicate whether single stars or circumbinary systems are the fundamental birthplace of FFPs,” Coleman writes in his conclusion.

But the author also acknowledges the drawbacks in his simulations and clarifies what the sims don’t tell us.

“However, whilst this work contains numerous simulations and explores a broad parameter space, it does not constitute a full population of forming circumbinary systems,” Coleman writes in his conclusion. According to Coleman, it’s not feasible with current technology to derive a full population of these systems.

“Should such a population be performed in future work, then comparisons between that population and observed populations would give even more valuable insight into the formation of these intriguing objects,” he explains.

There’s still a lot astronomers don’t know about binary systems and how they form and eject planets. For one thing, models of planet formation are constantly being revised and updated with new information.

We also don’t have a strong idea of how many FFPs there are. Some researchers think there could be trillions of them. The upcoming Nancy Grace Roman space telescope will use gravitational lensing to take a census of exoplanets, including a sample of FFPs with masses as small as Mars’.

In future work, Coleman intends to determine if there are chemical composition differences between FFPs. That would constrain the types of stars they form around and where in their protoplanetary disks they formed. That would require spectroscopic studies of FFPs.

But for now, at least, Coleman has developed an incrementally better way to understand FFPs. Using this data, astronomers can begin to discern where individual FFPs came from and to better understand the population at large.

The post Where Are All These Rogue Planets Coming From? appeared first on Universe Today.

4 min read

New ‘Eclipse Watch’ Tool Shows Eclipses from Space Any Time

Do you wish you could see a total solar eclipse every day? With a new online tool called Eclipse Watch, you can observe the Sun’s outer atmosphere, or corona, in real time with eclipse-like images from space as we count down to the next total solar eclipse on Earth.

An eclipse-like image captured by the LASCO instrument on the SOHO spacecraft includes a picture of the Moon added for scale. To see the latest image, visit https://eclipse.helioviewer.org/. NASA/Eclipse Watch

The new Helioviewer Eclipse Watch data visualization tool displays images captured by the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), a joint NASA-ESA (European Space Agency) mission stationed one million miles from Earth. Each time you refresh the page, you can see the latest image from the spacecraft. These images showcase some of the features of the Sun that you may also be able to see from the ground on Earth when the Moon completely covers the Sun during the total solar eclipse.

This map shows the path of totality and partial contours crossing the U.S. for the total solar eclipse occurring on April 8, 2024. NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, completely blocking the face of the Sun. This celestial event reveals the extended atmosphere of the Sun, which is normally obscured from view by bright sunlight. Hot gas streaming from the surface of the Sun into interplanetary space can be observed during this time.

To study the Sun’s extended atmosphere when a total solar eclipse isn’t happening, scientists can use special telescopes called coronagraphs. These instruments create an artificial eclipse by using a round disk to block out the light from the Sun (the same way the Moon does during an eclipse) and reveal parts of the Sun’s atmosphere that are normally too dim to see.

The Helioviewer Eclipse Watch provides eclipse-like images that are captured over a hundred times each day by the Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph Experiment (LASCO) instrument on the SOHO spacecraft. LASCO observes the Sun’s corona and can identify clouds of material called coronal mass ejections that erupt from the Sun. These images offer a glimpse of what you could witness during the historic celestial event on April 8. LASCO’s disk obscures a larger area than the Moon will block during the total solar eclipse, as indicated by the black circular area in the Eclipse Watch tool. A picture of the Moon is overlaid on the image for scale. This means that during the total eclipse on Earth you will get to see even more of the Sun’s extended atmosphere than LASCO captures.

SOHO launched in 1995 to study our star, from the Sun’s deep core to its outer corona. LASCO is one of 12 instruments on SOHO used to study different solar regions and a constant stream of particles and energy from the Sun called the solar wind. Thousands of comets that pass close to the Sun – called sungrazing comets – have also been discovered in SOHO images.

The Solar & Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) was designed to study the internal structure of the Sun, its extensive outer atmosphere and the origin of the solar wind, the stream of highly ionized gas that blows continuously outward through the Solar System. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

Countdown to the Eclipse

The total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, will pass over Mexico, the United States, and Canada. The path of totality in the U.S. stretches from Texas to Maine.

A countdown timer displayed on the Eclipse Watch page indicates when the eclipse will begin in North America on April 8.

If you are inside the path of totality, your views of the eclipse may be similar, or even better, than what LASCO captures every day. Remember to use specialized eye protection for solar viewing except during the brief total phase of a total solar eclipse, when the Moon completely blocks the Sun.

For more information about eclipses, visit go.nasa.gov/Eclipse2024.

Helioviewer

Eclipse Watch is an extension of Helioviewer – a free and open-source visualization tool supported by NASA’s Solar Data Analysis Center. It’s like using your favorite map app for the Sun! Users select spacecraft instruments and create their own movies of solar phenomena. This tool supports exploratory data analysis and enables researchers to discover, pinpoint, and monitor solar events. A downloadable version called JHelioviewer with 3D movie capability is also available.

By Rose Brunning
Communications Lead
NASA Heliophysics Digital Resource Library (HDRL)

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Last Updated

Apr 01, 2024

Related Terms

• 2024 Solar Eclipse
• Eclipses
• Heliophysics
• Skywatching
• SOHO (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory)
• Solar Eclipses

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Total solar eclipses make animals behave in strange ways. To see for yourself, stop by one of these zoos located on the path of totality on April 8, 2024.

1 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) (L-R) Joanna Schmidt, Patricia Revolinsky, Ersin Ancel, and Casey Denham from the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch were part of the NASA Langley team.NASA

The National Public Safety Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Conference was held at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Virginia, March 12-13. NASA Langley engineers presented their work at the conference and staffed a NASA information table, promoting the benefits of NASA technologies and research for drone responders.

Hundreds gathered for the keynote address from FAA UAS Integration Office Executive Director Jeffrey Vincent.NASA

“It’s exciting to see the effect drones have on search and rescue operations,” said presenter Ersin Ancel, assistant branch head for the Aeronautics Systems Analysis Branch within the Systems Analysis and Concepts Directorate. “For example, rescue times have been cut from days to hours to mere minutes. The successful deployment of these aircraft systems is how NASA helps the aviation industry improve public safety.”

This annual event is hosted by DRONERESPONDERS, a non-profit created to unite aerial first responders, emergency managers, and search and rescue specialists so they can learn from one another and facilitate drone operations for public safety. DRONERESPONDERS has a Space Act Agreement with NASA Langley as part of the Airspace Operations and Safety Program (AOSP). 

More than 500 attendees, representing every state in the United States, learned about NASA’s work on System-Wide Safety, Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response and Air Traffic Management Exploration.

NASA was one of more than 60 exhibitors at the conference.NASA

5 min read

What’s Up: April 2024 Skywatching Tips from NASA Total Eclipse Time!

A total solar eclipse sweeps across the U.S. on April 8. U.S. areas outside totality will enjoy a partial eclipse and can join NASA’s live eclipse webcast!

Highlights

• All month – Jupiter is a brilliant, steady light low in the western sky following sunset.
• April 8 – Total solar eclipse across the U.S., as the Moon’s shadow moves from Texas northward through Maine. Outside the path of totality, the rest of the continental U.S. will experience a partial eclipse. The amount of the Sun covered by the Moon at maximum eclipse depends on your distance from the path of totality.
• April 8-12 – Mars and Saturn rise together in the hour or so preceding sunrise. They’re closest on April 10 & 11 – about half a degree apart, or the width of the full Moon.)
• April 10 – Find the slim lunar crescent (only 7% illuminated) hanging above brilliant Jupiter in the west after sunset. Comet 12P is visible with binoculars or a small telescope about 6 degrees below the Moon, just below and to the right of Jupiter.
• April 23 – Full moon

Sky chart showing Mars rising with Saturn during the second week of April. They are closest on April 10 and 11. NASA/JPL-Caltch Transcript

What’s Up for April? Some easy-to-spot planets, there’s still time to observe comet 12P, and how to enjoy this month’s solar eclipse if you’re not in the path of totality.

For several days in the first half of April, early risers can watch Mars and Saturn rising together in the morning. Taking a look about half an hour before sunrise, you can find them low in the east, about 10 degrees above the horizon. They’re at their closest on April 10th and 11th, but still really close in the sky the whole second week of April.

Now, on the evening of April 10th you can find the Moon with Jupiter in the west. Jupiter’s easy to identify as a bright, unflickering light, low in the west following sunset, all month. Being just a couple of days after its “new moon” phase, the Moon shows only 7% of its illuminated surface on this evening, making for a beautiful crescent shining there with the giant planet Jupiter.

Sky chart showing The crescent Moon above Jupiter and Comet 12P in the western sky following sunset on April 10. NASA/JPL-Caltech

This is also a good night to have a look for comet 12P/Pons-Brooks, which has been getting brighter, and is easily observable with binoculars or a small telescope, especially if you can get away from bright city lights. The comet will be just beneath the Moon, and just right of Jupiter, but you’ll have to be quick, as it drops below 10 degrees elevation an hour after sunset and then sets an hour later. So you’ll want a clear view toward the horizon, and be looking for it as twilight ends. If you want to catch this comet, do it soon, because it will be too close to the Sun in the sky to observable after mid-April, and later when it makes its closest approach to Earth, it will be on its way outward from the Sun and growing fainter.

2024 Total Solar Eclipse

There’s a total solar eclipse on the way, and it’s kind of a big deal. We’ve been really fortunate to have two total eclipses visible across a wide swath of the U.S. recently, first in 2017, and now on April 8th, 2024. The next time such an eclipse will cross the States is 21 years from now. If you live in or near the path of totality, or you’re traveling there to experience the eclipse, you’re in for an incredible experience.

The total solar eclipse will be visible along a narrow track stretching from Texas to Maine on April 8, 2024. A partial eclipse will be visible throughout all 48 contiguous U.S. states. NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio

But what if you’re not going to be able to experience totality for this eclipse in person? What can you expect, and how can you still enjoy it? Well for starters, NASA has you covered with a live webcast, from multiple locations, as the Moon’s shadow moves across the country. So join us for the total eclipse online, whatever your plans.

If you’re anywhere in the continental U.S. outside of totality, you’ll still experience a partial solar eclipse. The amount of the Sun to be covered by the Moon at maximum eclipse depends on how far you are from the path of totality.

In observing a partial eclipse, you’ll still need to use specialized eye protection, such as eclipse glasses, a pinhole projector, or a telescope with a solar filter. One of the easiest methods is something most of us have in our kitchen – a regular colander. These make excellent pinhole cameras that project the eclipse onto the ground. And barring that, the sun dapples that filter through the tree leaves do something very similar. It’s also fun to note the eerie way the sunlight dims during the eclipse, especially in places where the Moon covers 80% or more of the Sun’s disk.

NASA has a bunch of eclipse resources to help you get ready for this awe-inspiring celestial event. There’s info on safe-viewing, citizen science opportunities, and you’ll even find our “eclipse explorer,” where you can find eclipse details for your specific zip code.

From wherever you’re observing, solar eclipses are remarkable events. So observe safely, and join our live webcast, because it’s an event you surely don’t want to miss.

Here are the phases of the Moon for April.

The phases of the Moon for April 2024 NASA/JPL-Caltech

Stay up to date on NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at science.nasa.gov. I’m Preston Dyches from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up for this month.

Skywatching Resources​

• NASA’s Night Sky Network
• NASA’s Watch the Skies Blog
• Daily Moon Observing Guide
• Full Moon Blog

About the What’s Up production team

“What’s Up” is NASA’s longest running web video series. It had its first episode in April 2007 with original host Jane Houston Jones. Today, Preston Dyches, Christopher Harris, and Lisa Poje are the science communicators and space enthusiasts who produce this monthly video series at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Additional astronomy subject matter guidance is provided by JPL’s Bill Dunford, Gary Spiers, Lyle Tavernier, and GSFC’s Molly Wasser.

A total solar eclipse is not just an awe-inspiring natural phenomenon; it's an opportunity to expand our scientific understanding of the sun.

3 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer) team received the American Astronomical Society’s Neil Armstrong Space Flight Achievement Award “for exceptional performance and extraordinary perseverance in successfully delivering a sample from asteroid Bennu to Earth.” The award, named after the first person to walk on the Moon, is given annually and recognizes the extraordinary contributions made by individuals or teams in the advancement of space exploration.

From left, OSIRIS-REx team members Kenneth M. Getzandanner, flight dynamics manager, Rich Burns, project manager, Michael Moreau, deputy project manager all from NASA Goddard; Coralie Adam, lead optical navigation engineer, KinetX, Inc.; Michael Amato, manager of the Planetary Exploration line of business, NASA Goddard; Peter Antreasian, navigation team chief, KinetX, Inc. The team received the American Astronomical Society’s Neil Armstrong Space Flight Achievement Award “for exceptional performance and extraordinary perseverance in successfully delivering a sample from asteroid Bennu to Earth.”NASA/Jay Friendlander

The OSIRIS-REx team includes members from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland; Lockheed Martin in Littleton, Colorado; the University of Arizona, Tucson; and KinetX in Tempe, Arizona.

OSIRIS-REx launched Sept. 8, 2016, and the mission had to overcome many obstacles on its seven-year journey to Bennu and back.

“Bennu’s small size presented unprecedented challenges for the team to navigate safely near the asteroid,” said Michael Moreau, OSIRIS-REx deputy project manager at NASA Goddard. “In addition to these known challenges, Bennu threw a number of curveballs during the mission’s encounter between 2019-2020.”

The asteroid presented its first surprise in December 2018 when NASA’s spacecraft arrived at Bennu. The OSIRIS-REx team found a surface littered with boulders, and no areas in which the spacecraft could safely touch down to collect a sample unless navigation performance was improved significantly over what was designed before launch. The team also discovered that Bennu was ejecting particles of rock into space.  

Despite the challenges, on Oct. 20, 2020, OSIRIS-REx descended to the surface of asteroid Bennu, touched down within three feet from the targeted point, collected a sample, delivering it to Earth on Sept. 24, 2023. The 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) ultimately collected represents the largest asteroid sample ever collected in space and over twice the mission’s mass requirement. The sample will give researchers worldwide a glimpse into the earliest days of our solar system, offering insights into planet formation and the origin of organics essential for life on Earth. Data collected by the spacecraft combined with future analysis of the Bennu sample will also aid our understanding of asteroids that could impact Earth.

The award was presented at the 61st Goddard Space Science Symposium, held at the University of Maryland’s College Park campus. This is one of many recognitions the mission has received in the past month, including Aviation Week Network’s 66th Laureate Award, the 2024 Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy, and the National Aeronautical Association’s Robert J. Collier Trophy.

NASA Goddard provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and the safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson, is the principal investigator. The university leads the science team and the mission’s science observation planning and data processing. Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft and provides flight operations. Goddard and KinetX Aerospace are responsible for navigating the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Processing and curation for OSIRIS-REx’s Bennu sample takes place at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. International partnerships on this mission include the OSIRIS-REx Laser Altimeter instrument from CSA (the Canadian Space Agency) and asteroid sample science collaboration with JAXA’s (the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) Hayabusa2 mission. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Find more information about NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission at:
https://science.nasa.gov/mission/osiris-rex

Rani Gran
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

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Details Last Updated Apr 01, 2024 EditorJamie Adkins Related Terms

• Goddard Space Flight Center
• OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer)

On this April 1st, astronomers reveal fascinating discoveries inspired by astrology, pasta, Star Wars, and flamingos.

The post April Fool’s on the arXiv, 2024 edition appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Safety is important, no matter where you're viewing the eclipse. NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station show off their eclipse glasses, which allow safe viewing of the Sun during a solar eclipse.

NASA/Loral O’Hara

NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station wear eclipse glasses in this image from March 26, 2024. While millions of people on Earth experience the total solar eclipse on April 8, 2024, the space station crew will have the opportunity to see it from 250 miles above our planet. Except during the brief period when the Moon completely blocks the Sun’s bright face, it is not safe to look directly at the Sun without specialized eye protection for solar viewing. On Earth, you must look through safe solar viewing glasses (“eclipse glasses”) with the ISO 12312-2 international standard or a safe handheld solar viewer at all times. If the crew has the opportunity to directly image the eclipse through space station windows, they will use a handheld camera equipped with a solar filter and will not look at the Sun directly.

Based on current orbital position and ground track predictions for the International Space Station, astronauts aboard the orbiting laboratory will have three opportunities to view the ground shadow (penumbra and umbra) of the Moon as it tracks across the Earth surface during the total solar eclipse. After encountering the eclipse shadow above the Pacific Ocean, then during a pass from the New Zealand area to California and Idaho, the space station is predicted to encounter the eclipse during a time of near-to-full totality while over Maine and New Brunswick around 3:30 p.m. EDT.

For those who won’t be in the path of totality or on the space station, NASA will have live coverage of the eclipse.

Image Credit: NASA/Loral O’Hara

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