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Mice turned see-through by a dye that lets you watch their organs
Mice turned see-through by a dye that lets you watch their organs
Even simple bacteria can anticipate the changing seasons
Even simple bacteria can anticipate the changing seasons
The 1st Milky Way black hole image was groundbreaking — the next could be even better
NASA astronauts can't wear Boeing Starliner spacesuits in SpaceX's Dragon. Here's why
Used SpaceX rocket launches 7,001st Starlink satellite (and 20 others), lands at sea (video)
Meet Phaethon, a weird asteroid that thinks it's a comet – our new research may explain what's going on
Can we spot every incoming asteroid before they hit Earth?
Can we spot every incoming asteroid before they hit Earth?
The Andromeda Galaxy glows rosy red in gorgeous new Hubble Telescope image
Rejecting standard cancer treatment like Elle Macpherson is a big risk
Rejecting standard cancer treatment like Elle Macpherson is a big risk
The Atlantic has been suspiciously quiet this hurricane season
The Atlantic has been suspiciously quiet this hurricane season
New Galileo satellites operational after successful in-orbit testing
The two new Galileo satellites launched in April have entered service, completing the second of three constellation planes. With every addition to the constellation, the precision, availability and robustness of the Galileo signal is improved. The next launch is planned in the coming weeks and the remaining six Galileo First Generation satellites will join the constellation in the next years.
Is the Sagittarius constellation a teapot or an archer?
NASA’s Boeing Starliner Mission Landing Criteria, Timeline
As NASA and Boeing prepare to return the company’s Starliner spacecraft uncrewed from the International Space Station to Earth, safety and mission success remain as top priorities for the teams. Mission managers will complete a series of operational and weather checks before the spacecraft undocks from the orbital complex.
The Starliner spacecraft is the first American capsule designed to touch down on land, supporting expedited astronaut and cargo recovery on future missions and to aid the company in spacecraft refurbishment. For Starliner missions, NASA and Boeing will use potential landing locations in the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico; Willcox, Arizona; and Dugway Proving Ground, Utah. Edwards Air Force Base in California also is available as a contingency landing site.
Twenty-four hours before undocking, NASA analyzes weather predictions for the various landing sites. Winds at the selected landing site must be 6 mph (approximately 6 knots) or less when flying with crew, and approximately 13 mph (12 knots) or less when uncrewed. Ground temperatures must be warmer than 15 degrees Fahrenheit, and the cloud ceiling must be at least 1,000 feet. One nautical mile of visibility is required, and the area must be clear of precipitation, thunderstorms, and lightning within approximately a 22-mile (35-kilometer) radius.
When teams proceed with undocking, Starliner will complete a series of departure burns, allowing it to reach its landing site in as little as six hours. A final weather check also occurs before the spacecraft’s deorbit burn. Winds must be at or below 10 mph (9 knots). If winds exceed these limits, teams will waive the deorbit burn, and Starliner will target another landing attempt between 24 and 31 hours later.
Once clear to proceed, Starliner executes its deorbit burn, which lasts approximately 60 seconds, slowing it down enough to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere and committing the spacecraft to its targeted site. Immediately after the deorbit burn, Starliner repositions for service module disposal, which will burn up during re-entry over the southern Pacific Ocean.
Following service module separation, the command module maneuvers into re-entry position. During re-entry, the capsule experiences plasma buildup – reaching temperatures up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit – that may interrupt communications with the spacecraft for approximately four minutes.
NASA and Boeing teams work around Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft after it landed at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor, May 25, 2022, in New Mexico for the company’s Boeing’s Orbital Flight Test-2.NASA/Bill IngallsOnce Starliner re-enters Earth’s atmosphere, the forward heatshield – located on the top of the spacecraft – is jettisoned at 30,000 feet, exposing the two drogue and three main parachutes for deployment. The parachutes will continue to slow the spacecraft down as the base heatshield is jettisoned at 3,000 feet, allowing the six landing bags to inflate. At touchdown, the spacecraft is traveling at approximately 4 mph.
NASA and Boeing teams prepare for the landing of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor, May 25, 2022, in New Mexico for the company’s Orbital Flight Test-2.NASA/Bill IngallsThe NASA and Boeing landing and recovery team is stationed at a holding zone near Starliner’s intended landing site. After landing, a series of five teams move in toward the spacecraft in a sequential order.
The first team to approach the spacecraft is the gold team, using equipment that “sniffs” the capsule for any hypergolic fuels that didn’t fully burn off before re-entry. They also cover the spacecraft’s thrusters. Once given the all-clear, the silver team moves in. This team electrically grounds and stabilizes Starliner before the green team approaches, supplying power and cooling to the crew module since the spacecraft is powered down.
Hazmat teams work around Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft after it landed at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor, May 25, 2022, in New Mexico for the company’s Orbital Flight Test-2. NASA/Bill IngallsThe blue team follows, documenting the recovery for public dissemination and future process review. The red team, which includes Boeing fire rescue, emergency medical technicians, and human factors engineers, then proceed to Starliner, opening the hatch.
Cargo from the International Space Station is pictured inside Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft after it landed at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor, May 25, 2022, in New Mexico for the company’s Orbital Flight Test-2.NASA/Bill IngallsThe landing and recovery team begins unloading time-critical cargo from Starliner. The spacecraft is then transferred to Boeing facilities at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for refurbishment ahead of its next flight.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is working with the American aerospace industry through a public-private partnership to launch astronauts on American rockets and spacecraft from American soil. The program’s goal is to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation on space station missions, which will allow for additional research time. The space station remains the springboard to NASA’s next great leap in space exploration, including future missions to the Moon and, eventually, to Mars.
For more information about the agency’s Commercial Crew Program, visit:
Join the Eclipsing Binary Patrol and Spot Rare Stellar Pairs!
Eclipsing binaries are special pairs of stars that cross in front of one another as they orbit—stars that take turns blocking one another from our view. At Eclipsing Binary Patrol, the newest NASA-funded citizen science project, you’ll have a chance to help discover these unusual pairs of objects.
In Eclipsing Binary Patrol, you’ll work with real data from NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) mission. TESS collects a lot of information! But computers sometimes struggle to tell when the data show us something unimportant, like background noise or objects that aren’t stars. With your help, we can identify the correct targets and gain deeper insights into the behavior of double star systems.
“I’ve never worked as a professional astronomer, but being part of the Eclipsing Binary Patrol allows me to work with real data and contribute to actual discoveries,” said Aline Fornear, a volunteer from Brazil. “It’s exciting beyond words to know that my efforts are helping with the understanding of star systems so far away, and potentially new worlds, too!”
As a volunteer at Eclipsing Binary Patrol, your work will help confirm when a particular target is indeed an eclipsing binary, verify its orbital period, and ensure the target is the true source of the detected eclipses. You’ll be essential in distinguishing genuine discoveries from false signals. To get involved, visit our page on the Zooniverse platform and start sciencing!
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