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Sols 4343-4344: Late Slide, Late Changes
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Sols 4343-4344: Late Slide, Late Changes NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity acquired this image using its Right Navigation Camera, showing the fractured rock target “Quarter Dome” just above and to the right of the foreground rover structure. The eastern wall of the Gediz Vallis channel can be seen in the distance. This image was taken on sol 4342 — Martian day 4,342 of the Mars Science Laboratory mission — on Oct. 23, 2024, at 12:29:34 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech
Earth planning date: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024
Curiosity is driving along the western edge of the Gediz Vallis channel, heading for a good vantage point before turning westward and leaving the channel behind to explore the canyons beyond. The contact science for “Chuck Pass” on sol 4341 and backwards 30-meter drive (about 98 feet) on sol 4342 completed successfully.
This morning, planning started two hours later than usual. At the end of each rover plan is a baton pass involving Curiosity finishing its activities from the previous plan, transmitting its acquired data to a Mars-orbiting relay satellite passing over Gale Crater, and having that satellite send this data to the Deep Space Network on Earth. This dataset is crucial to our team’s decisions on Curiosity’s next activities. It is not always feasible for us to get our critical data transmitted before the preferred planning shift start time of 8 a.m. This leads to what we call a “late slide,” when our planning days start and end later than usual.
Today’s shift began as the “decisional downlink” arrived just before 10 a.m. PDT. The science planning team jumped into action as the data rolled in, completed plans for two sols of science activities, then had to quickly change those plans completely as the Rover Planners perusing new images from the decisional downlink determined that the position of Curiosity’s wheels after the drive would not support deployment of its arm, eliminating the planned use of APXS, MAHLI, and the DRT on interesting rocks in the workspace. However, the science team was able to pivot quickly and create an ambitious two-sol science plan for Curiosity with the other science instruments.
On sols 4343-4344, Curiosity will focus on examining blocks of finely layered or “laminated” bedrocks in its workspace. The “Backbone Creek” target, which has an erosion resistant vertical fin of dark material, will be zapped by the ChemCam laser to determine composition, and photographed by Mastcam. “Backbone Creek” is named for a stream in the western foothills of the Sierra Nevada of California flowing through a Natural Research Area established to protect the endangered Carpenteria californica woodland shrub. Curiosity is currently in the “Bishop” quadrangle on our map, so all targets in this area of Mount Sharp are named after places in the Sierra Nevada and Owens Valley of California. A neighboring target rock, “Fantail Lake,” which has horizontal fins among its layers, will also be imaged at high resolution by Mastcam. This target name honors a large alpine lake at nearly 10,000 feet just beyond the eastern boundary of Yosemite National Park. A fractured rock dubbed “Quarter Dome,” after a pair of Yosemite National Park’s spectacular granitic domes along the incomparable wall of Tenaya Canyon between Half Dome and Cloud’s Rest, will be the subject of mosaic images for both Mastcam and ChemCam RMI to obtain exquisite detail on delicate layers across its broken surface (see image). The ChemCam RMI telescopic camera will look at light toned rocks on the upper Gediz Vallis ridge. Curiosity will also do a Navcam dust devil movie and mosaic of dust on the rover deck, then determine dust opacity in the atmosphere using Mastcam.
Following this science block, Curiosity will drive about 18 meters (about 59 feet) and perform post-drive imaging, including a MARDI image of the ground under the rover. On sol 4344, the rover will do Navcam large dust devil and deck surveys. It will then use both Navcam and ChemCam for an AEGIS observation of the new location. Presuming that Curiosity ends the drive on more solid footing than today’s location, it will do contact science during the weekend plan, then drive on towards the next fascinating waypoint on our journey towards the western canyons of Mount Sharp.
Written by Deborah Padgett, OPGS Task Lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
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Webb Finds Dozens of Supernovae Remnants in the Triangulum Galaxy
Infrared astronomy has revealed so much about the Universe, ranging from protoplanetary disks and nebulae to brown dwarfs, aurorae, and volcanoes on together celestial bodies. Looking to the future, astronomers hope to conduct infrared studies of supernova remnants (SNRs), which will provide vital information about the physics of these explosions. While studies in the near-to-mid infrared (NIR-MIR) spectrum are expected to provide data on the atomic makeup of SNRs, mid-to-far IR (MIR-FIR) studies should provide a detailed look at heated dust grains they eject into the interstellar medium (ISM).
Unfortunately, these studies have been largely restricted to the Milky Way and the Magellanic Clouds due to the limits of previous IR observatories. However, these observational regimes are now accessible thanks to next-generation instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). In a recent study, a team led by researchers from Ohio State University presented the first spatially resolved infrared images of supernova remnants (SNRs) in the Triangulum Galaxy (a.k.a. Messier 33). Their observations allowed them to acquire images of 43 SNRs, thanks to the unprecedented sensitivity and resolution of Webb’s IR instruments.
The team was led by Dr. Sumit K. Sarbadhicary, a former Postdoctoral Fellow with OSU’s Center for Cosmology & Astro-Particle Physics (CCAP) and current Assistant Research Scientist at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). He was joined by multiple astronomers and physicists from OSU, the Harvard & Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, the Flatiron Institute’s Center for Computational Astrophysics, the University of Heidelberg’s Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics, the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI). The paper that describes their findings is being reviewed for publication in The Astrophysical Journal.
The Crab Nebula, a supernova remnant, observed by the JWST. Credit: NASA/ESA/JWSTAs they explain in their study, SNRs in the Milky Way and Magellanic clouds are the best studied in the Universe because they are the closest. This has allowed astronomers to conduct detailed studies that revealed their structures at most wavelengths, including infrared. As Dr. Sarbadhicary told Universe Today via email, studies of these SNRs have taught astronomers a great deal. This includes dust production, the composition of supernova explosions, and the physics of astrophysical shock waves – particularly those that travel through dense gas clouds where new stars could be forming.
However, as Sarbadhicary explained, these studies have still been confined to our galaxy and its satellites, which has limited what astronomers can learn about these major astronomical events:
“[The] only thing is, we haven’t quite been able to step outside the Magellanic Clouds and explore SNRs in more distant galaxies in the infrared. We know that other Local Group galaxies such as Andromeda (M31), and Triangulum (M33) have several hundreds of SNRs, so there is a tremendous potential for building statistics. Additionally, infrared-emitting SNRs are a somewhat rare breed, found mostly in explosions that happened close to dense molecular gas that is either part of the interstellar medium, or material lost by the progenitor star before explosion. So having more objects would be really helpful.”
The first generation of SNR studies at infrared wavelengths were conducted with NASA’s Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) and the ESA’s Infrared Space Observatory (ISO). Despite their limited spatial resolution and the confusion of peering through the Galactic plane, these observatories managed to identify about 30% of SNRs in the Milky Way between 10 and 100 micrometers (?m), which corresponds to parts of the Medium and Far-Infrared (MIR, NIR) spectrum.
Artist’s impression of the Herschel Space Telescope. Credit: ESA/AOES Medialab/NASA/ESA/STScIIn recent decades, IR astronomy has benefitted immensely from missions like NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory. These observatories boast higher angular resolutions and can conduct surveys in broader parts of the IR spectrum – 3 to 160 ?m for Spitzer and 70 to 500 ?m for Herschel. Their observations led to wide-field Galactic surveys – the Galactic Legacy Infrared Midplane Survey Extraordinaire (GLIMPSE), the MIPS Galactic Plane Survey (MIPSGAL), and the Herschel infrared Galactic Plane Survey (Hi-GAL) – and the first high-quality extragalactic IR surveys of SNRs.
“Unfortunately, the angular resolution of the Spitzer telescope (JWST’s predecessor) was just not good enough to recover the same spatial detail in more distant galaxies,” added Sarbadhicary. “While you might see a faint blip with Spitzer, it would be hard to tell (at these distances) if it’s from the SNR or some blend of stars and diffuse emission.” Fortunately, the situation has improved even more with the deployment of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). According to Sarbadhicary, Webb’s increased resolution and advanced IR instruments are providing deeper and sharper views of SNRs in the near- and mid-infrared wavelengths:
“We had already seen JWST’s potential for revolutionizing studies of SNRs from crisp new images of known SNRs such as Cassiopeia A in our Galaxy and 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud, published in recent papers. The images revealed an unprecedented amount of detail about the explosion debris, material lost by the star prior to the explosion, and much more.
“This superior combination of sensitivity and angular resolution also now enables JWST to recover images of SNRs in galaxies nearly 20 times farther than the Magellanic Clouds (e.g., M33 in our paper), with the same level of detail found by Spitzer in SNRs in the Magellanic Clouds. What is particularly helpful because of JWST’s high angular resolution is that we are less likely to confuse SNRs with overlapping structures such as HII regions (gas photoionized by massive stars).”
JWST’s near-infrared view of the star-forming region NGC 604 in the Triangulum galaxy. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScIFor their study, Sarbadhicary and his team leveraged archival JWST observations of the Trangulum Galaxy (M33) in four JWST fields. Two of these covered central and southern regions of M33 with separate observations using Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and its Mid-Infrared Imager (MIRI). The third involved MIRI observations of a long radial strip measuring about 5 kiloparsecs (~16,300 light-years), one covering the giant emission nebula in M33 (NGC 604) with multiple NIRCam and MIRI observations. They then overlapped these observations with previously identified SNRs from multi-wavelength surveys.
They also considered the volumes of multi-wavelength data previous missions have obtained of this galaxy. This includes images of stars acquired by the venerable Hubble and cold neutral gas observations conducted by the Atacama Large Millimeter-submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Very Large Array (VLA). As Sarbadhicary indicated, the results revealed some very interesting things about SNRs in the Triangulum Galaxy. However, since their survey covered only 20% of the SNRs in M33, he also noted that these results are just the tip of the iceberg:
“The most surprising finding was the presence of molecular hydrogen emission in two out of the three SNRs where we had F470N observations (a narrowband filter centered on the 4.7-micron rotational line of the hydrogen molecule). Molecular hydrogen is by far the most abundant molecule in interstellar gas, but because of the symmetry of the molecule, it cannot produce visible radiation at the typical cold temperatures of interstellar gas. Only when heated by shocks or ultraviolet emission does H2 emit radiation (such as at 4.7 microns), so it is a very useful tracer of shocks hitting dense molecular gas, where star formation occurs.”
While astronomers have seen this emission in several SNRs within the Milky Way, this was the first time such observations have been made of an extragalactic source. “The JWST data also revealed that between 14-43% of the SNRs show visible infrared emission,” added Sarbadhicary. “The brightest infrared SNRs in our sample are also some of the smallest in M33 and the brightest at other wavelengths, especially X-ray, radio, and optical. This means that the shocks in these SNRs are still traveling relatively fast and hitting high-density material in the environment, leading to a substantial amount of the shock energy being radiated into infrared lines and dust that are illuminating the emission seen in our broadband images.”
JWST observations of 80 objects (circled in green) that changed in brightness over time, most of which are supernovae. Credit: NASA/ESA/CSA/STScI/JADES CollaborationThe results show how Webb’s high angular resolution will allow astronomers to conduct highly accurate infrared observations of large populations of SNRs in galaxies beyond the Magellanic Clouds. This includes M33, the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), and neighboring Local Group galaxies like the Southern Pinwheel Galaxy (M83), the Fireworks Galaxy (NGC 6946), the Whirlpool Galaxy (M51), multiple dwarf galaxies in the Local Group, and many more! Said Sarbadhicary:
“Personally, I am quite excited about being able to study the population of SNRs impacting dense gas with JWST since the physics of how shocks impact dense gas and regulate star formation in galaxies is a major topic in astronomy. The infrared wavelengths have a treasure trove of ionic and molecular lines (like H2 we found) that are excited in warm, high-density gas clouds by shocks, so these observations can be really useful.
“There are also some rare Cassiopeia A-like SNRs in these galaxies that are very young and rich in ejecta material from the explosion, and JWST can provide a lot of new information from emission lines in the infrared. Another big area of study is dust and how they are produced and destroyed in shocks.”
Further Reading: arXiv
The post Webb Finds Dozens of Supernovae Remnants in the Triangulum Galaxy appeared first on Universe Today.
NASA Welcomes Chile as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory
Chile signed the Artemis Accords Friday during a ceremony hosted by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson at the agency’s headquarters in Washington, becoming the 47th nation and the seventh South American country to commit to the responsible exploration of space for all humanity.
“Today we welcome Chile’s signing of the Artemis Accords and its commitment to the shared values of all the signatories for the exploration of space,” said Nelson. “The United States has long studied the stars from Chile’s great Atacama Desert. Now we will go to the stars together, safely, and responsibly, and create new opportunities for international cooperation and the Artemis Generation.”
Aisén Etcheverry, minister of science, technology, knowledge and innovation, signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of Chile. Jennifer Littlejohn, acting assistant secretary, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and Juan Gabriel Valdés, ambassador of Chile to the United States, also participated in the event.
“The signing marks a significant milestone for Chile, particularly as our government is committed to advancing technological development as a key pillar of our national strategy,” said Etcheverry. “Chile has the opportunity to engage in the design and development of world-leading scientific and technological projects. Moreover, this collaboration allows us to contribute to areas of scientific excellence where Chile has distinguished expertise, such as astrobiology, geology, and mineralogy, all of which are critical for the exploration and colonization of space.”
Earlier in the day, Nelson also hosted the Dominican Republic at NASA Headquarters to recognize the country’s signing of the Artemis Accords Oct. 4. Sonia Guzmán, ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the United States, delivered the signed Artemis Accords to the NASA administrator. Mike Overby, acting deputy assistant secretary, Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, U.S. Department of State, and other NASA officials attended the event.
In 2020, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, and seven other initial signatory nations established the Artemis Accords, identifying an early set of principles promoting the beneficial use of space for humanity. The Artemis Accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements including the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.
The commitments of the Artemis Accords and efforts by the signatories to advance implementation of these principles support the safe and sustainable exploration of space. More countries are expected to sign in the coming weeks and months.
Learn more about the Artemis Accords at:
https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-accords
-end-
Meira Bernstein / Elizabeth Shaw
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
meira.b.bernstein@nasa.gov / elizabeth.a.shaw@nasa.gov
James Webb Space Telescope finds 1st 'failed star' candidates beyond the Milky Way
Red Rocks with Green Spots at ‘Serpentine Rapids’
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Red Rocks with Green Spots at ‘Serpentine Rapids’ NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image, a nighttime mosaic of the Malgosa Crest abrasion patch at “Serpentine Rapids,” using its SHERLOC WATSON camera, located on the turret at the end of the rover’s robotic arm. The diameter of the abrasion patch is 5 centimeters (about 2 inches) and the large green spot in the upper center left of the image is approximately 2 millimeters (about 0.08 inch) in diameter. Mosaic source images have been debayered, flat-fielded, and linearly color stretched. This image was acquired on Aug. 19, 2024 (sol 1243, or Martian day 1,243 of the Mars 2020 mission) at the local mean solar time of 19:45:30. NASA/JPL-Caltech
After discovering and sampling the “leopard spots” of “Bright Angel,” it became apparent that Perseverance’s journey of discovery in this region was not yet finished. Approximately 20 sols (Martian days) after driving south across Neretva Vallis from Bright Angel, the rover discovered the enigmatic and unique red rocks of “Serpentine Rapids.”
At Serpentine Rapids, Perseverance used its abrading bit to create an abrasion patch in a red rock outcrop named “Wallace Butte.” The 5-cm diameter abrasion patch revealed a striking array of white, black, and green colors within the rock. One of the biggest surprises for the rover team was the presence of the drab-green-colored spots within the abrasion patch, which are composed of dark-toned cores with fuzzy, light green rims.
On Earth, red rocks — sometimes called “red beds” — generally get their color from oxidized iron (Fe3+), which is the same form of iron that makes our blood red, or the rusty red color of metal left outside. Green spots like those observed in the Wallace Butte abrasion are common in ancient “red beds” on Earth and form when liquid water percolates through the sediment before it hardens to rock, kicking off a chemical reaction that transforms oxidized iron to its reduced (Fe2+) form, resulting in a greenish hue. On Earth, microbes are sometimes involved in this iron reduction reaction. However, green spots can also result from decaying organic matter that creates localized reducing conditions. Interactions between sulfur and iron can also create iron-reducing conditions without the involvement of microbial life.
Unfortunately, there was not enough room to safely place the rover arm containing the SHERLOC and PIXL instruments directly atop one of the green spots within the abrasion patch, so their composition remains a mystery. However, the team is always on the lookout for similar interesting and unexpected features in the rocks.
The science and engineering teams are now dealing with incredibly steep terrain as Perseverance ascends the Jezero Crater rim. In the meantime, the Science Team is hanging on to the edge of their seats with excitement and wonder as Perseverance makes the steep climb out of the crater it has called home for the past two years. There is no shortage of wonder and excitement across the team as we contemplate what secrets the ancient rocks of the Jezero Crater rim may hold.
Written by Adrian Broz, Postdoctoral Scientist, Purdue University/University of Oregon
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The Search for Exomoons is On
Moons are the norm in our Solar System. The International Astronomical Union recognizes 288 planetary moons, and more keep being discovered. Saturn has a whopping 146 moons. Every planet except Mercury and Venus has moons, and their lack of moons is attributed to their small size and proximity to the Sun.
It seems reasonable that there are moons around exoplanets in other Solar Systems, and now we’re going to start looking for them with the James Webb Space Telescope.
The Cool Worlds Lab is part of the Columbia University Astronomy Department and is led by assistant professor David Kipping, a well-known British/American astronomer. The Lab focuses on cool exoplanets with wide orbits around stars. “In this regime, orbital dynamics and atmospheric chemistry diverge from their hot counterparts, and the potential for satellites, rings, and habitability become enhanced,” the Lab’s website says. Exomoons around these planets are part of the Lab’s focus, and Kipping is an author and co-author of several papers about exomoons.
There’s a lot of active discussion in the astronomy world about exomoons, how to find them, and how to confirm them. Currently, there are no confirmed exomoons, only a list of candidates, some of which should be in habitable zones if they’re real.
Kipping and his team have succeeded in getting some JWST observation time to look for an exomoon. Back in February, his proposal was selected. “We have been hoping to find exomoons for a very long time,” Kipping says in a YouTube video announcing the beginning of their JWST observations, adding that exomoons have been “a continuous thread in my career.”
Now, Kipping and the Cool Worlds Lab is being given a chance to use the world’s most powerful space telescope to observe an exoplanet named Kepler-167e. Kipping himself found this planet about 10 years ago, and there’s something special about it. It’s a Jupiter analogue and a very rare example of a long-period transiting gas giant. Because Jupiter has so many moons, Kipping and others argue that Kepler-167e is a strong candidate to also have moons.
An artist’s illustration of Kepler-167e, a Jupiter analogue in a distant solar system. At the time of writing, the JWST is observing this planet and looking for signs of an exomoon. Image Credit: NASA Eyes On PlanetsThe planet only transits its star once every three years, and the next transit is happening right now. In fact, it started yesterday morning, and the JWST was watching on behalf of the Cool Worlds Lab. The JWST has given the Lab 60 hours—2 and a half days— of observing time. Those observations are happening right now, and if all goes well, we may have our first strong detection of an exomoon.
The data from these observations is exclusive to the Cool Worlds Lab for one year. “We have a year before the data goes public, and that’s fairly normal with JWST data,” Kipping said.
Kipping says they have to be cautious when they get their initial results. “I’ve been in this situation many times. You get the data on the first day. You see a dip and you’re like ‘That’s it. We’re there. We’ve got a moon.’ ” But a few weeks or months later, it could turn out to not be real. “So we don’t want to get people’s excitement up prematurely,” he said.
Looking for exomoons is extremely challenging and Kipping led an effort to find some in Kepler’s data. “We surveyed probably on the order of 300 or 350 exoplanets during our time, and only two real candidates popped up over this entire analysis,” Kipping said in an interview with Fraser Cain earlier this year. One of the candidates was Kepler-1625 b, and even then, they only had the “smallest of hints from the Kepler data that there was something there,” he said.
In 2018, researchers presented evidence in support of an exomoon orbiting Kepler-1625b, a super Jupiter 8,200 light-years away. Subsequent research poured cold water on the moon’s existence. Image Credit: By ESA/Hubble, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=73369715Kipping told Universe Today that “we’re really pushing these data sets to their limits to even get these signals.”
But the JWST’s data should be more robust than Kepler’s. Kepler was an automated survey, while the JWST is a different beast. Kepler had a fixed field of view and a primary mirror only 0.95 meters in diameter. Its sole job was to detect exoplanets that transited in front of their stars. The JWST has a 6.5-meter mirror, multiple instruments, including cameras and spectrographs, and a system of filters. It’s far more capable than Kepler, as almost everyone knows.
Kipping is hopeful that the JWST will be able to detect moons as small as Ganymede and Callisto. There’s a chance that the JWST will detect a slam-dunk exomoon and that it’ll be clear to everyone. “That’s the dream scenario,” Kipping says. However, this set of observations will be scientifically rich whether they detect an exomoon or not because the JWST will be able to measure other things about the planet.
“But there’s also a scenario where we don’t see anything,” Kipping said. If that happens, it would also be a significant finding. “We would essentially have to rip up the textbook,” Kipping said. “If we don’t see a Titan, if we don’t see a Ganymede, we don’t see a Callisto, that is telling us something quite profound about Moon formation, maybe that our Solar System’s kind of special.”
Enhanced image of Ganymede taken by the JunoCam during the mission’s flyby on June 7th, 2021. Ganymede is our Solar System’s largest moon and potentially holds a subsurface ocean. Ganymede and other moons in our Solar System are suspected of having warm, potentially life-supporting oceans under layers of ice. It seems highly likely that some exomoons will also have oceans and be potentially habitable. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Kalleheikki KannistoThis mirrors what we used to say about exoplanets. Prior to the Kepler mission, which found over 2,500 exoplanets, we weren’t certain if our Solar System’s planet population was normal or extraordinary. Now we know that exoplanets are likely orbiting every star. (Though our Solar System is still special.)
We may be on the verge of an age of exomoon discovery, just as we were prior to Kepler’s launch. The Cool Worlds Lab exomoon observations are just one of five exomoon observing efforts the JWST has approved, and the JWST isn’t the only telescope that will be searching for them. The ESA’s upcoming PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars) mission will study exoplanets in habitable zones around Sun-like stars, and it will also discover exomoons.
Kipping is boiling over with enthusiasm about the JWST’s observations of Kepler-167e. He discovered the planet, and if he and his team were able to find the first confirmed exomoon around it, it would be quite an achievement.
“It’s an amazing opportunity that we have to potentially test some long-standing theories,” Kipping said, adding that it’s also a “dream I’ve had for my entire career.”
For updates on the observations, follow Cool Worlds on YouTube.
The post The Search for Exomoons is On appeared first on Universe Today.
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Destacado de la NASA: Felipe Valdez, un ingeniero inspirador
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Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Felipe Valdez, ingeniero de la NASA en el Laboratorio de Investigación de Vuelo a Subescala Dale Reed del Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong, junto a un modelo a subescala de la aeronave Hybrid Quadrotor (HQ-90).NASA / Charles Genaro Vavuris
Read this story in English here.
Felipe Valdez es una persona que aprovechó todas las oportunidades posibles en la NASA, trabajando desde que inicio como pasante universitario hasta su trabajo actual como ingeniero de controles de vuelo.
Nacido en los Estados Unidos pero criado en México, Valdez enfrentó grandes desafíos mientras crecía.
“Mi madre trabajaba por largas horas, mi padre batallaba contra la adicción, y eventualmente la escuela se volvió inaccesible,” dijo Valdez.
Determinado a continuar su educación, Valdez tomó la difícil decisión de dejar a su familia y regresar a EE. UU. Pero en su adolescencia, aprender inglés y adaptarse a un nuevo ambiente fue un choque cultural para él. A pesar de estos cambios, su curiosidad por materias como las matemáticas y la ciencia nunca decayó.
“De niño, siempre se me ha facilitado trabajar con los números y me fascinaba cómo funcionaban las cosas. La ingeniería combinó ambas cosas,” dijo Valdez. “Eso despertó mi interés.”
Mientras estudiaba ingeniería mecánica en la Universidad Estatal de California en Sacramento, la orientación de su profesor, José Granda, resultó fundamental.
“Él me animó a solicitar una pasantía en la NASA,” dijo Valdez. “Él había sido portavoz en español para una misión de transbordador [espacial], así que al escuchar que alguien con mis antecedentes tuvo éxito me dio la confianza que yo necesitaba para dar ese paso”.
El esfuerzo de Valdez valió la pena – él fue seleccionado como pasante en la Oficina de STEM de la NASA en el Centro Espacial Johnson en Houston. Allí, él trabajó en el desarrollo de software para la dinámica de vehículos, actuadores y modelos de controladores para una cápsula espacial en simulaciones por computadora.
“No podía creerlo,” dijo Valdez. “Conseguir esa oportunidad cambió todo.”
Esta pasantía abrió la puerta a una segunda oportunidad con la NASA, esta vez en el Centro de Investigación de Vuelo Armstrong de la agencia en California. Tuvo la oportunidad de trabajar en el desarrollo de computadoras de vuelo para el Diseño Aerodinámico de Investigación Preliminar para Disminuir la Resistencia, un diseño experimental de ala volante.
Después de estas experiencias, fue aceptado como un pasante en el Programa Pathways de la NASA, un programa de trabajo y estudio que ofrece la posibilidad de trabajar a tiempo completo en la NASA después de graduarse.
“Eso fue el comienzo de mi carrera en la NASA, donde realmente despego mi pasión por la aeronáutica,” dijo Valdez.
Valdez fue el primero en su familia en seguir una educación superior, obteniendo su licenciatura en la Universidad Estatal de Sacramento y su maestría en ingeniería mecánica y aeroespacial en la Universidad de California, Davis.
Hoy en día, trabaja como ingeniero de controles de vuelo de la NASA en la rama de Dinámica y Controles del centro Armstrong. La mayor parte de su experiencia se ha centrado en el desarrollo de simulaciones de vuelo y diseño de sistemas de control, particularmente para aviones de propulsión eléctrica distribuida.
“Es gratificante formar parte de un grupo que se centra en hacer que la aviación sea más rápida, más silenciosa, y más sostenible,” dijo Valdez. “Como ingeniero de controles, trabajar en conceptos avanzados de aeronaves como la propulsión eléctrica distribuida me permite diseñar algoritmos para controlar directamente múltiples motores, mejorando la seguridad, la controlabilidad y la estabilidad, al tiempo que permite operaciones más limpias y silenciosas que amplían los límites de la aviación sostenible.”
A lo largo de su carrera, Valdez se ha sentido orgulloso de su herencia. “Siento un fuerte orgullo de saber que la inclusión es uno de nuestros valores fundamentales aquí en la NASA y que las oportunidades están abiertas para todos.”
Crédito: NASA / Charles Genaro Vavuris
Entrevistadora: NASA/ Lupita L Alcala
Facebook logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Instagram logo @NASA@NASAaero@NASA_es Linkedin logo @NASA Explore More 3 min read Sacrifice and Success: NASA Engineer Honors Family Roots Article 2 weeks ago 4 min read Sacrificio y Éxito: Ingeniero de la NASA honra sus orígenes familiares Article 2 weeks ago 3 min read NASA Spotlight: Felipe Valdez, an Inspiring Engineer Article 2 weeks ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASAMissions
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Share Details Last Updated Oct 25, 2024 EditorLillian GipsonContactJessica Arreolajessica.arreola@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related TermsAI models fall for the same scams that we do
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Hubble Sees a Celestial Cannonball
Hubble Sees a Celestial Cannonball
The spiral galaxy in this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is IC 3225. It looks remarkably as if it was launched from a cannon, speeding through space like a comet with a tail of gas streaming from its disk behind it. The scenes that galaxies appear in from Earth’s point of view are fascinating; many seem to hang calmly in the emptiness of space as if hung from a string, while others star in much more dynamic situations!
Appearances can be deceiving with objects so far from Earth — IC 3225 itself is about 100 million light-years away — but the galaxy’s location suggests some causes for this active scene, because IC 3225 is one of over 1,300 members of the Virgo galaxy cluster. The density of galaxies in the Virgo cluster creates a rich field of hot gas between them, called ‘intracluster medium’, while the cluster’s extreme mass has its galaxies careening around its center in some very fast orbits. Ramming through the thick intracluster medium, especially close to the cluster’s center, places enormous ‘ram pressure’ on the moving galaxies that strips gas out of them as they go.
As a galaxy moves through space, the gas and dust that make up the intracluster medium create resistance to the galaxy’s movement, exerting pressure on the galaxy. This pressure, called ram pressure, can strip a galaxy of its star-forming gas and dust, reducing or even stopping the creation of new stars. Conversely, ram pressure can also cause other parts of the galaxy to compress, which can boost star formation. IC 3225 is not so close to the cluster core right now, but astronomers have deduced that it has undergone ram pressure stripping in the past. The galaxy looks compressed on one side, with noticeably more star formation on that leading edge (bottom-left), while the opposite end is stretched out of shape (upper-right). Being in such a crowded field, a close call with another galaxy may also have tugged on IC 3225 and created this shape. The sight of this distorted galaxy is a reminder of the incredible forces at work on astronomical scales, which can move and reshape entire galaxies!
Here's what China launched to orbit on its retrievable satellite last month (video)
The Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole Photo Might Need a Retake
Remember that amazing “first image” of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A) black hole at the heart of the Milky Way? Well, it may not be completely accurate, according to researchers at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). Instead, the accretion disk around Sgr A* may be more elongated, rather than the circular shape we first saw in 2022.
Scientists at NAOJ applied different analysis methods to the data of Sgr A* first taken by the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) team. The EHT data came from a network of eight ground-based radio telescopes. The original analysis showed a bright ring structure surrounding a dark central region. The re-analysis resulting in a different shape implies something about the motions and distribution of matter in the disk.
In fairness to both teams, radio interferometry data is notoriously complex to analyze. According to NAOJ astronomer Miyoshi Mikato, the rounded appearance may be due to the way the image was constructed. “We hypothesize that the ring image resulted from errors during EHT’s imaging analysis and that part of it was an artifact, rather than the actual astronomical structure,” Miyoshi suggested.
This is the first image of Sgr A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. A reanalysis of EHT data by NAOJ scientists suggests its accretion disk may be more elongated than circular. Credit: EHT Explaining the Black Hole AppearanceSo, what does Sgr A* look like in the NAOJ re-analysis? “Our image is slightly elongated in the east-west direction, and the eastern half is brighter than the western half,” said Miyoshi. “We think this appearance means the accretion disk surrounding the black hole is rotating at about 60 percent of the speed of light.”
The accretion disk is filled with superheated material “circling the drain” as it were. It’s funneling into the 4-million-solar-mass black hole. As it cycles through the accretion disk, friction and the action of magnetic fields heat the material. That causes it to glow, mostly in x-rays and visible light as well as giving off radio emissions.
Various factors also influence the shape of the accretion disk, including the spin of the black hole itself. In addition, the accretion rate (that is, how much material falls into the disk), as well as the angular momentum of the material, all affect the shape. The gravitational pull of the black hole also distorts our view of the accretion disk. That sort of “funhouse mirror” distortion makes it incredibly difficult to image. As it turns out, either view of the disk’s actual shape—the original EHT “circular” view or the NAOJ elongated view—could be accurate.
So, Why the Different Views of the Black Hole?How did the teams come up with two slightly different views of Sgr A* using the same data? “No telescope can capture an astronomical image perfectly,” Miyoshi pointed out. For the EHT observations, it turns out that interferometric data from the widely linked telescopes can have gaps. During data analysis, scientists have to use special techniques to construct a complete image. That’s what the EHT team did, resulting in the “round black hole” image.
Miyoshi’s team published a paper describing their results. In it, they propose that the “ring” structure in the 2022 image released by EHT is an artifact caused by the bumpy point-spread function (PSF) of the EHT data. The PSF describes how an imaging system deals with a point source in the region it’s looking at. It helps give a measure of the amount of blurring that occurs because of imperfections in the optics (or in this case, the gaps in the interferometric data). In other words, it had problems with “filling” in the gaps.
The NAOJ team reanalyzed the data and used a different mapping method to smooth over the gaps in the data. That resulted in an elongated shape for the Sgr A* accretion disk. One-half of the disk is brighter and they suggest it’s due to a Doppler boost as the disk rotates rapidly. They suggest that the newly analyzed data and elongated image shows a portion of the disk that lies a few Schwarzschild radii away from the black hole, rotating extremely fast, and viewed from an angle of 40°-45°.
What’s Next?This reanalysis should help contribute to a better understanding of what the Sgr A* accretion disk actually looks like. The EHT study of Sgr A* resulting in the 2022 image release was the first detailed attempt to map the region around the black hole. The EHT consortium is working on improvements to produce better and more detailed interferometry images of this and other black holes. Eventually, that should result in more accurate views. Follow-up studies should help fill in any gaps in the observations of the accretion disk. In addition, detailed studies of the near environment around the black hole should give more clues to the black hole hidden inside the disk. I
For More InformationFirst Picture of Milky Way Black Hole ‘May Not Be Accurate’
An Independent Hybrid Imaging of Sgr A* from the Data in EHT 2017 Observations
The post The Milky Way’s Supermassive Black Hole Photo Might Need a Retake appeared first on Universe Today.
Autumn Leaves – Call for Volunteers
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Autumn Leaves – Call for VolunteersThe Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE) Program is calling on volunteers of all ages to help students and citizen scientists document seasonal change through leaf color and land cover. The data collection event will support students across North America, Latin America, Central America, and Europe, who are working together to document the seasonal changes taking place from September through December – see Figure. The observations will also provide vital data for GLOBE students creating student research projects for the GLOBE 2025 International Virtual Science Symposium (IVSS). The project is part of GLOBE’s Intensive Observation Period (IOP), which collects data during a focused period to assess how climate change is unfolding in different regions of the world.
Figure. Locations Green-Down observations being entered into the GLOBE database. Figure credit: GLOBE
Green down is the seasonal change when leaves change from green to brown and then fall to the ground. During green-down data collection, volunteers take regular, daily photos of trees to document the transition in color. Regular observations of land cover and tree height capture the broader changes happening around the tree.
By gathering this data, you can provide important information about when a single tree changes ahead of or behind the others in your region. When this data is paired with satellite observations, researchers gain a much stronger picture of how seasonal and climate variations impact the life cycles of plants and animals.
The GLOBE European Phenology Campaign has created materials to assist educators in these efforts. This includes a series of YouTube videos that volunteers can use to select a tree for the phenology project, estimate tree height, and assess land cover. In addition, volunteers can refer to the green-down protocol for guidance at the beginning of the survey. Educators can learn more about the importance of the green-down study by registering as a GLOBE Educator at the GLOBE “Create an Account” website.
GLOBE students have been collecting seasonal variability in plant and animal data for decades. This work will augment global databases to help students, educators, and scientists around the world study climate change.
These observations are taking place around the world. This IOP is being conducted in conjunction with the GLOBE North America Phenology Campaign and the European Phenology Campaign, which focus on monitoring and reporting of cycles in plants and animals to help validate the timing of changes in growing season and habitat. The work is also being conducted in conjunction with the Trees Within LAC Campaign, which is collecting information about tree species and their dynamics over time.
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Kites in the Classroom: Training Teachers to Conduct Remote Sensing Missions
3 min read
Kites in the Classroom: Training Teachers to Conduct Remote Sensing MissionsThe NASA Science Activation program’s AEROKATS and ROVER Education Network (AREN), led by Wayne Regional Educational Service Agency (RESA) in Wayne County, MI, provides learners with hands-on opportunities to engage with science instruments & NASA technologies and practices in authentic, experiential learning environments. On July 25, 2024, the AREN team held a four-day virtual workshop: “Using Kites and Sensors to Collect Local Data for Science with the NASA AREN Project”. During this workshop, the team welcomed 35 K-12 educators and Science, Technology, Education, & Mathematics (STEM) enthusiasts from across the country to learn about the AREN project and how to safely conduct missions to gather remote sensing data in their classrooms.
Teachers were trained to use an AeroPod, an aerodynamically stabilized platform suspended from a kite line, in order to collect aerial imagery and introduce their students to topics like resolution, pixels, temporal and seasonal changes to landscape, and image classification of land cover types. Educators were also familiarized with safe operation practices borrowed from broader NASA mission procedures to ensure students in the field can enjoy experiential education safely. The AREN team will also meet with workshop participants during follow-up sessions to highlight next steps and new instrumentation that can be used to gather different data, help broaden the educators depth of understanding, and increase successful implementation in the classroom.
“This session has been very helpful and informative of the program and the possible investigations that we can conduct. The fact that it can connect hands on experiments, data analysis, and draw conclusions from the process is going to be a fantastic learning experience.” ~AREN Workshop Participant
The AREN project continually strives to provide low cost, user-friendly opportunities to engage in hands-on experiential education and increase scientific literacy. The versatility of the NASA patented AeroPod platform allows learners to investigate scientific questions that are meaningful to their community and local environment. Learn more about AREN and how to implement AREN technologies in the classroom: https://science.nasa.gov/sciact-team/resa/
AREN is supported by NASA under NASA Science Mission Directorate Science Education Cooperative Agreement Notice (CAN) Solicitation NNH15ZDA004C Award Number NNX16AB95A and is part of NASA’s Science Activation Portfolio. Learn more about how Science Activation connects NASA science experts, real content, and experiences with community leaders to do science in ways that activate minds and promote deeper understanding of our world and beyond: https://science.nasa.gov/learn
Kite with Aeropod for Collecting Data
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