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Japan’s Lunar Lander Fails to Check-in
On January 19th, 2024, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) successfully landed its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) on the lunar surface. In so doing, JAXA became the fifth national space agency to achieve a soft landing on the Moon – after NASA, the Soviet space program (Interkosmos), the European Space Agency, and the China National Space Agency (CNSA). SLIM has since experienced some technical difficulties, which included upending shortly after landing, and had to be temporarily shut down after experiencing power problems when its first lunar night began.
On the Moon, the day/night cycle lasts fourteen days at a time, which has a drastic effect on missions that rely on solar panels. Nevertheless, SLIM managed to reorient its panels and recharge itself and has survived three consecutive lunar nights since it landed. However, when another lunar night began on May 27th, JAXA announced that they had failed to establish communications with the lander. As a result, all science operations were terminated while mission controllers attempt to reestablish communications, which could happen later this month.
As JAXA stated via its official X account (formerly Twitter):
“We tried again on the night of the 27th, but there was no response from #SLIM. As the sun went down around SLIM on the night of the 27th, it became impossible to generate electricity, so unfortunately this month’s operation will end. Thank you very much for the overwhelming support you have shown us since our post the day before.”
27??????????????????#SLIM ???????????????27??????SLIM??????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????????#JAXA
— ????????SLIM (@SLIM_JAXA) May 28, 2024JAXA further indicated that the command transmission to restore communication was performed using an “unplanned ground station antenna” and with the cooperation of JAXA’s tracking network.” They also indicated that they plan to try reestablishing communications once the current lunar night ends later this month – at which point, they expect the lander will be recharged. “The power was turned off overnight, so we hope that the whole system will be reset and restarted,” they wrote.
The SLIM mission also carried two rovers, which separated from it in lunar orbit and landed independently on the same day. Known as the Lunar Excursion Vehicle-1 and -2 (LEV-1 and LEV-2), these rovers are the first Japanese robotic missions to traverse and explore the lunar surface. According to JAXA, LEV-1 is the world’s first “hopping exploration rover” while LEV-2 is the world’s smallest and lightest. During the four months since they landed, LEV-1 has measure the local temperatures, topography, and taken images.
The rovers can conduct operations autonomously and transmit data to Earth directly without assistance from the lander. As such, JAXA’s mission controllers are still likely to hear from LEV-1 and LEV-2 while attempting to restore communications with SLIM.
Further Reading: Twitter.com
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How Mars’ Moon Phobos Captures Our Imaginations
For a small, lumpy chunk of rock that barely reflects any light, Mars’ Moon Phobos draws a lot of attention. Maybe because it’s one of only two moons to orbit the planet, and its origins are unclear. But some of the attention is probably because we have such great images of it.
Phobos is the largest of Mars’ two moons, the other one being Deimos. Scientists are uncertain about their history. They could be a pair of captured main-belt asteroids, two lobes of what once was a binary asteroid until capture separated them, or a second-generation object formed after Mars had already formed. Or they could be surviving fragments from an ancient collision between more massive objects.
Phobos isn’t very large. It’s about 26 km × 23 km × 18 km and not massive enough to be rounded. Studies of its density show that it’s a rubble-pile body loosely held together by its own gravity.
When the ESA launched its Mars Express Orbiter in 2003, its mission was to study Mars. One of its instruments is the High-Resolution Stereo Camera, a German contribution that produces colour images with up to two meters resolution. The instrument also has a black-and-white mode, and the original image of Phobos was black-and-white.
Andrea Luck is a skilled image processor from Glasgow, Scotland, with a healthy enthusiasm for space images. He decided the original B&W image, which he describes as epic, needed to be updated to colour. “I was kinda tired of seeing this epic photo online only in black and white, so I decided to jazz it up with some colours!” he wrote on his Flickr page.
It’s interesting to note that it’s a single image, not a composite.
Here’s the original B&W image.
This is the original image from the High-Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) on ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft. It caught Phobos over Mars’ limb on March 26, 2010. The waviness of Mars in the background is a by-product of HRSC’s line-scanning operation. Image Credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin (G. Neukum)The HRSC’s mission is to take stereographic images of Mars’ surface, capturing geological and morphological details. The goal is to map as much of the surface as possible. But at the bottom of its list of objectives are images of Phobos and Deimos.
The HRSC captured this image of Phobos in 2017. It shows the Stickney Crater, Phobos’ largest impact crater, and the unusual grooves on the moon’s surface. Mars Express images helped scientists conclude that the grooves are likely from impact ejecta. Image Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin. CC BY-SA 3.0 IGOImages of Phobos have helped scientists better understand the odd moon, but they’re not enough to reach solid conclusions. Fortunately, a mission to Phobos and its sibling Deimos will be launched in a couple of years.
JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is launching the MMX mission in 2026. MMX stands for Martian Moons Exploration. Its goal is to understand the origins of Phobos and Deimos. MMX will also return a sample from Phobos in 2031. Once in Earthly labs, those samples should reveal a lot.
But for now, we can enjoy this processed image of Phobos, which captures its nature as a fast-moving, rubble-pile moon with uncertain origins.
The post How Mars’ Moon Phobos Captures Our Imaginations appeared first on Universe Today.
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NASA to Change How It Points Hubble Space Telescope
3 min read
NASA to Change How It Points Hubble Space Telescope This image of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope was taken on May 19, 2009 after deployment during Servicing Mission 4. NASA
After completing a series of tests and carefully considering the options, NASA announced Tuesday work is underway to transition its Hubble Space Telescope to operate using only one gyroscope (gyro). While the telescope went into safe mode May 24, where it now remains until work is complete, this change will enable Hubble to continue exploring the secrets of the universe through this decade and into the next, with the majority of its observations unaffected.
Of the six gyros currently on the spacecraft, three remain active. They measure the telescope’s slew rates and are part of the system that determines and controls the direction the telescope is pointed. Over the past six months, one particular gyro has increasingly returned faulty readings, causing the spacecraft to enter safe mode multiple times and suspending science observations while the telescope awaits new instructions from the ground.
This one gyro is experiencing “saturation,” where it indicates the maximum slew rate value possible regardless of how quickly the spacecraft is slewing. Although the team has repeatedly been able to reset the gyro’s electronics to return normal readings, the results have only been temporary before the problem reappears as it did again in late May.
To return to consistent science operations, NASA is transitioning the spacecraft to a new operational mode it had long considered: Hubble will operate with only one gyro, while keeping another gyro available for future use. The spacecraft had six new gyros installed during the fifth and final space shuttle servicing mission in 2009. To date, three of those gyros remain operational, including the gyro currently experiencing problems, which the team will continue to monitor. Hubble uses three gyros to maximize efficiency but can continue to make science observations with only one gyro. NASA first developed this plan more than 20 years ago, as the best operational mode to prolong Hubble’s life and allow it to successfully provide consistent science with fewer than three working gyros. Hubble previously operated in two-gyro mode, which is negligibly different from one-gyro mode, from 2005-2009. One-gyro operations were demonstrated in 2008 for a short time with no impact to science observation quality.
While continuing to make science observations in one-gyro mode, there are some expected minor limitations. The observatory will need more time to slew and lock onto a science target and won’t have as much flexibility as to where it can observe at any given time. It also will not be able to track moving objects closer than Mars, though these are rare targets for Hubble.
The transition involves reconfiguring the spacecraft and ground system as well as assessing the impact to future planned observations. The team expects to resume science operations again by mid-June. Once in one-gyro mode, NASA anticipates Hubble will continue making new cosmic discoveries alongside other observatories, such as the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope and future Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, for years to come.
Launched in 1990, Hubble has more than doubled its expected design lifetime, and has been observing the universe for more than three decades, recently celebrating its 34th anniversary. Read more about some of Hubble’s greatest scientific discoveries.
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NASA Astronauts Practice Next Giant Leap for Artemis
The physics remain the same, but the rockets, spacecraft, landers, and spacesuits are new as NASA and its industry partners prepare for Artemis astronauts to walk on the Moon for the first time since 1972.
NASA astronaut Doug “Wheels” Wheelock and Axiom Space astronaut Peggy Whitson put on spacesuits, developed by Axiom Space, to interact with and evaluate full-scale developmental hardware of SpaceX’s Starship HLS (Human Landing System) that will be used for landing humans on the Moon under Artemis. The test, conducted April 30, marked the first time astronauts in pressurized spacesuits interacted with a test version of Starship HLS hardware.
“With Artemis, NASA is going to the Moon in a whole new way, with international partners and industry partners like Axiom Space and SpaceX. These partners are contributing their expertise and providing integral parts of the deep space architecture that they develop with NASA’s insight and oversight,” said Amit Kshatriya, NASA’s Moon to Mars program manager. “Integrated tests like this one, with key programs and partners working together, are crucial to ensure systems operate smoothly and are safe and effective for astronauts before they take the next steps on the Moon.”
NASA astronaut Doug “Wheels” Wheelock and Axiom Space astronaut Peggy Whitson prepare for a test of full-scale mockups of spacesuits developed by Axiom Space and SpaceX’s Starship human landing system developed for NASA’s Artemis missions to the Moon.SpaceX
The day-long test, conducted at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, provided NASA and its partners with valuable feedback on the layout, physical design, mechanical assemblies, and clearances inside the Starship HLS, as well as the flexibility and agility of the suits, known as the AxEMU (Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit).
To begin the test, Wheelock and Whitson put on the spacesuits in the full-scale airlock that sits on Starship’s airlock deck. Suits were then pressurized using a system immediately outside the HLS airlock that provided air, electrical power, cooling, and communications to the astronauts. Each AxEMU also included a full-scale model of the Portable Life Support System, or “backpack,” on the back of the suits. For Artemis moonwalks, each crew member will put on a spacesuit with minimal assistance, so the team was eager to evaluate how easily the suits can be put on, taken off, and stowed in the airlock.
Astronauts were fully suited while conducting mission-like maneuvers in the full-scale build of the Starship human landing system’s airlock which will be located inside Starship under the crew cabin. SpaceX
During the test, NASA and SpaceX engineers were also able to evaluate placement of mobility aids, such as handrails, for traversing the hatch. Another set of mobility aids, straps hanging from the ceiling in the airlock, assisted the astronauts when entering and removing the AxEMU suits. The astronauts also practiced interacting with a control panel in the airlock, ensuring controls could be reached and activated while the astronauts were wearing gloves.
“Overall, I was pleased with the astronauts’ operation of the control panel and with their ability to perform the difficult tasks they will have to do before stepping onto the Moon,” said Logan Kennedy, lead for surface activities in NASA’s HLS Program. “The test also confirmed that the amount of space available in the airlock, on the deck, and in the elevator, are sufficient for the work our astronauts plan to do.”
The suited astronauts also walked the from Starship’s airlock deck to the elevator built for testing. During Artemis missions, the elevator will take NASA astronauts and their equipment from the deck to the lunar surface for a moonwalk and then back again. Whitson and Wheelock practiced opening a gate to enter the elevator while evaluating the dexterity of the AxEMU suit gloves, and practiced lowering the ramp that astronauts will use to take the next steps on the Moon.
Wheelock and Whitson were able to test the agility of the spacesuits by conducting movements and tasks similar to those necessary during lunar surface exploration on Artemis missions, such as operating Starship’s elevator gate. SpaceX
The steps the astronauts took in the spacesuits through full-scale builds of the Starship hatch, airlock, airlock deck, and elevator may have been small, but they marked an important step toward preparing for a new generation of moonwalks as part of Artemis.
For the Artemis III mission, SpaceX will provide the Starship HLS that will dock with Orion in lunar orbit and take two astronauts to and from the surface of the Moon. Axiom Space is providing a new generation of spacesuits for moonwalks that are designed to fit a wider range of astronauts.
With Artemis, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before, learn how to live and work away from home, and prepare for future human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, exploration ground systems, and Orion spacecraft, along with the human landing system, next-generation spacesuits, Gateway lunar space station, and future rovers are NASA’s foundation for deep space exploration.
For more information about Artemis, visit:
Moon Tree Planted at U.S. Capitol Marks Enduring NASA, Artemis Legacy
NASA astronaut and Artemis II Commander Reid Wiseman provides remarks at a Moon Tree dedication ceremony Tuesday, June 4, at the U.S. Capitol in Washington. The American Sweetgum tree was grown from a seed that flew around the Moon during the agency’s Artemis I mission in 2022. In April, NASA announced the agency selected organizations from across the country to receive ‘Moon Tree’ seedlings to plant in their communities. Since returning to Earth, the tree seeds have been germinating under the care of the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service. Artemis II is the first crewed test flight on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for exploration and scientific discovery. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
NASA has a New Database to Predict Meteoroid Hazards for Spaceflight
There are plenty of problems that spacecraft designers have to consider. Getting smacked in the sensitive parts by a rock is just one of them, but it is a very important one. A micrometeoroid hitting the wrong part of the spacecraft could jeopardize an entire mission, and the years of work it took to get to the point where the mission was actually in space in the first place. But even if the engineers who design spacecraft know about this risk, how is it best to avoid them? A new programming library from research at NASA could help.
Admittedly, engineers already have a tool for this purpose. NASA’s Meteoroid Engineering Model (MEM) allows them to plug in a planned trajectory for their spacecraft and receive an output that defines where and from which direction they are likely to encounter micrometeoroids.
The James Webb Space Telescope is a perfect example of why such a system is necessary. On its way to the L2 Lagrange point, it has already suffered at least 20 micrometeoroid impacts, at least one of which hit the space telescope’s primary mirror, leaving a dent that still affects the quality of its images to this day.
How do micrometeroids affect spacecraft?Credit – Chris Pattison YouTube Channel
Due to such high-profile occurrences, spacecraft designers are already aware of the risks. However, many don’t know their trajectories when designing their systems. Without a planned trajectory, the MEM is all but useless.
Enter Althea Moorhead from NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office at Marshall Space Flight Center and her colleagues Katie Milbrandt from Auburn and Aaron Kingery from ERC, Inc., also based at Marshall. They improved the MEM’s functionality by introducing a library of known spacecraft trajectories and the MEM outputs for each.
Instead of knowing their end trajectory, spacecraft designers would be able to simply look at the library and determine whether there are any significant risks from meteoroids on any number of potential trajectories. In particular, the library includes data on orbital paths around every significant planet, some transfer orbits, and at least two “halo” orbits, where the spacecraft would take advantage of the relative stability of a planet’s Lagrange points.
How Webb deals with the micrometeroid impacts its already suffere.Credit – Launch Pad Astronomy
The output of the library allows for visualizations of the risks the spacecraft would encounter, which is much easier to understand than complex equations and probabilities for designers who don’t necessarily specialize in micrometeoroid hazards. That was the original impetus for developing the library – to provide generalists who don’t necessarily have time to grok the details of micrometeoroid location and risks but still need to consider it as part of their mission design.
The paper authors stress that the library shouldn’t be used for the formal risk assessment that NASA requires of all missions destined for launch. That requirement can still be met by the MEM itself, along with a well-established orbit. But, if that orbit happens to be informed by the library described in the paper, all the better for it.
Learn More:
Moorhead, Milbrandt, & Kingery – A library of meteoroid environments encountered by spacecraft in the inner solar system
UT – NASA has a Plan to Minimize Future Micrometeoroid Impacts on JWST
UT – What Does Micrometeoroid Damage do to Gossamer Structures Like Webb’s Sunshield?
UT – Ouch. Canadarm2 Took a Direct Hit From a Micrometeorite
Lead Image:
Visualization of one of the trajectories planned out in the new micrometeroid library.
Credit – Moorhead, Milbrandt, & Kingery
The post NASA has a New Database to Predict Meteoroid Hazards for Spaceflight appeared first on Universe Today.
This planet-forming disk shaped like a comet is struggling to survive
New Energy Source Powers Subsea Robots Indefinitely
2 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) NASA’s Aquarius instrument aboard the joint U.S. and Argentinian Satélite de Aplicaciones Científicas mapped the surface salinity of Earth’s oceans between 2011 and 2014. To calibrate the instrument, a team from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, including project scientist Yi Chao, had to distribute robotic floats across oceans. The experience helped inspire Chao’s invention of an inexhaustible power source for ocean floats and sensors.Credit: NASA
No one has mapped more territory than NASA. The agency not only charts stars and other planets but also maps Earth from orbit. Now a NASA invention could let robots map our planet’s entire seafloor, helping to unlock resources while protecting habitats. The sonar devices for such an operation are not new, but they’re hampered by battery limitations.
As an engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, Yi Chao learned about those limitations firsthand. He worked on studying the ocean from space and was the project scientist for the Aquarius satellite mission measuring ocean salinity. The satellite’s instruments were calibrated with sensors that had to be distributed across the oceans. He found that a major constraint to monitoring oceans is the battery life of subsurface sensors, which can’t rely on solar energy. When their batteries die, they’re either left dead in the water or recharged by ship at great expense.
Two of Seatrec’s SL1 modules are attached to a robotic float. The modules generate power from changes in volume undergone by phase-change materials as the float rises from colder deep water to warmer surface water. By adding a second module, the operator doubles the available energy.Credit: Seatrec
With two JPL colleagues, Chao set out to design a solution. The power modules they developed are based on what’s known as a phase-change material, in this case a paraffin-family substance with a melting point about 50°F – between typical deep-ocean and surface temperatures. As a device rises to the surface to transmit data, the material melts and expands, turning a motor that charges the battery. It’s the same concept as a steam engine, but changing from solid to liquid brings about a 10% expansion, so the trick was to make the device efficient enough to operate on that tiny bit of energy.
Chao then licensed the invention and founded Seatrec Inc. of Vista, California. The company sells its SL1 power module to research labs, universities, government researchers, and the military. Chao noted that many entities, including offshore drillers, wind farm developers, the military, and environmentalists, are interested in mapping the 80% of the seafloor that remains uncharted.
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ARMD Solicitations
7 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Illustration showing multiple future air transportation options NASA researchers are studying or working to enable.NASA
This ARMD solicitations page compiles the opportunities to collaborate with NASA’s aeronautical innovators and/or contribute to their research to enable new and improved air transportation systems. A summary of available opportunities with key dates requiring action are listed first. More information about each opportunity is detailed lower on this page.
University Student Research Challenge
June 30, 2024
Advanced Air Mobility
Key date: Feb. 1, 2025, at 6 p.m. EST
GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENT OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
Advanced Capabilities for Emergency Response Operations is using this request for information to identify technologies that address current challenges facing the wildland firefighting community. NASA is seeking information on data collection, airborne connectivity and communications solutions, unmanned aircraft systems traffic management, aircraft operations and autonomy, and more. This will support development of a partnership strategy for future collaborative demonstrations.
Interested parties were requested to respond to this notice with an information package no later than 4 pm ET, October 15, 2023, that shall be submitted via https://nari.arc.nasa.gov/acero-rfi. Any proprietary information must be clearly marked. Submissions will be accepted only from United States companies.
View the full RFI Announcement here.
Advanced Air Mobility MissionGENERAL ADVANCED AIR MOBILITY
ANNOUNCEMENT OF REQUEST FOR INFORMATION
This request for information (RFI) is being used to gather market research for NASA to make informed decisions regarding potential partnership strategies and future research to enable Advanced Air Mobility (AAM). NASA is seeking information from public, private, and academic organizations to determine technical needs and community interests that may lead to future solicitations regarding AAM research and development.
This particular RFI is just one avenue of multiple planned opportunities for formal feedback on or participation in NASA’s AAM Mission-related efforts to develop these requirements and help enable AAM.
The current respond by date for this RFI is Feb. 1, 2025, at 6 p.m. EST.
View the full RFI announcement here.
NASA Research Opportunities in AeronauticsNASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate (ARMD) uses the NASA Research Announcement (NRA) process to solicit proposals for foundational research in areas where ARMD seeks to enhance its core capabilities.
Competition for NRA awards is open to both academia and industry.
The current open solicitation for ARMD Research Opportunities is ROA-2023 and ROA-2024.
Here is some general information to know about the NRA process.
- NRA solicitations are released by NASA Headquarters through the Web-based NASA Solicitation and Proposal Integrated Review and Evaluation System (NSPIRES).
- All NRA technical work is defined and managed by project teams within these four programs: Advanced Air Vehicles Program, Airspace Operations and Safety Program, Integrated Aviation Systems Program, and Transformative Aeronautics Concepts Program.
- NRA awards originate from NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, Ames Research Center in California, Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, and Armstrong Flight Research Center in California.
- Competition for NRA awards is full and open.
- Participation is open to all categories of organizations, including educational institutions, industry, and nonprofits.
- Any updates or amendments to an NRA is posted on the appropriate NSPIRES web pages as noted in the Amendments detailed below.
- ARMD sends notifications of NRA updates through the NSPIRES email system. In order to receive these email notifications, you must be a Registered User of NSPIRES. However, note that NASA is not responsible for inadvertently failing to provide notification of a future NRA. Parties are responsible for regularly checking the NSPIRES website for updated NRAs.
Amendment 1
Amendment 1 to the NASA ARMD Research Opportunities in Aeronautics (ROA) 2024 NRA has been posted on the NSPIRES web site at https://nspires.nasaprs.com.
The announcement solicits proposals from accredited U.S. institutions for research training grants to begin the academic year. This NOFO is designed to support independently conceived research projects by highly qualified graduate students, in disciplines needed to help advance NASA’s mission, thus affording these students the opportunity to directly contribute to advancements in STEM-related areas of study. AAVP Fellowship Opportunities are focused on innovation and the generation of measurable research results that contribute to NASA’s current and future science and technology goals.
Research proposals are sought to address key challenges provided in Elements of Appendix A.8.
Notices of Intent (NOIs) are not required.
A budget breakdown for each proposal is required, detailing the allocation of the award funds by year. The budget document may adhere to any format or template provided by the applicant’s institution.
Proposals were due by April 30, 2024, at 5 PM ET.
Amendment 2
University Leadership Initiative (ULI) provides the opportunity for university teams to exercise technical and organizational leadership in proposing unique technical challenges in aeronautics, defining multi-disciplinary solutions, establishing peer review mechanisms, and applying innovative teaming strategies to strengthen the research impact.
Research proposals are sought in six ULI topic areas in Appendix D.4.
Topic 1: Safe, Efficient Growth in Global Operations (Strategic Thrust 1)
Topic 2: Innovation in Commercial High-Speed Aircraft (Strategic Thrust 2)
Topic 3: Ultra-Efficient Subsonic Transports (Strategic Thrust 3)
Topic 4: Safe, Quiet, and Affordable Vertical Lift Air Vehicles (Strategic Thrust 4)
Topic 5: In-Time System-Wide Safety Assurance (Strategic Thrust 5)
Topic 6: Assured Autonomy for Aviation Transformation (Strategic Thrust 6)
This NRA will utilize a two-step proposal submission and evaluation process. The initial step was a short mandatory Step-A proposal, which was due May 29, 2024. Those offerors submitting the most highly rated Step-A proposals will be invited to submit a Step-B proposal. All proposals must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES at https://nspires.nasaprs.com. An Applicant’s Workshop was held on Thursday April 3, 2024; 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET (https://uli.arc.nasa.gov/applicants-workshops/workshop8)
Amendment 3
Commercial Supersonic Technology seeks proposals for a fuel injector design concept and fabrication for testing at NASA Glenn Research Center.
The proposal for the fuel injector design aims to establish current state-of-the-art in low NOx supersonic cruise while meeting reasonable landing take-off NOx emissions. The technology application timeline is targeted for a supersonic aircraft with entry into service in the 2035+ timeframe.
These efforts are in alignment with activities in the NASA Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate as outlined in the NASA Aeronautics Strategic Implementation Plan, specifically Strategic Thrust 2: Innovation in Commercial High-Speed Aircraft.
Proposals were due by May 31, 2024 at 5 pm EDT.
ROA-2023 NRA AmendmentsAmendment 5
UPDATED JUNE 4, 2024
Amendment 5 to the NASA ARMD Research Opportunities in Aeronautics (ROA) 2023 NRA has been posted on the NSPIRES web site.
University Student Research Challenge (solicitation NNH23ZEA001N-USRC) seeks to challenge students to propose new ideas/concepts that are relevant to NASA Aeronautics. USRC will provide students, from accredited U.S. colleges or universities, with grants for their projects and with the challenge of raising cost share funds through a crowdfunding campaign. The process of creating and implementing a crowdfunding campaign acts as a teaching accelerator – requiring students to act like entrepreneurs and raise awareness about their research among the public.
The solicitation goal can be accomplished through project ideas such as advancing the design, developing technology or capabilities in support of aviation, by demonstrating a novel concept, or enabling advancement of aeronautics-related technologies.
Notices of Intent (NOIs) are not required for this solicitation. Three-page proposals for the next USRC cycle are due June 30, 2024.
The USRC Cycle 4 Q&A/Info Session and Proposal Workshop was held on Monday, May 6, 2024, at 2 pm ET.
Amendment 4 (Expired)
(Full text here)
Amendment 3 (Expired)
(Full text here)
Amendment 2 (Expired)
(Full text here)
Amendment 1 (Expired)
(Full text here)
Aeronautics STEM
Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate
The National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA)
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Share Details Last Updated Jun 04, 2024 EditorJim BankeContactJim Bankejim.banke@nasa.gov Related TermsEvidence of Dark Matter Interacting With Itself in El Gordo Merger
The Standard Model of particle physics does a good job of explaining the interactions between matter’s basic building blocks. But it’s not perfect. It struggles to explain dark matter. Dark matter makes up most of the matter in the Universe, yet we don’t know what it is.
The Standard Model says that whatever dark matter is, it can’t interact with itself. New research may have turned that on its head.
Physicists propose many different candidates for dark matter, including dark photons, weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs), primordial black holes, and more. Each one is intriguing in its own way, but there’s no confirmation regarding any of them. And each one is a proposed part of the Standard Model.
New research in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics suggests we may be barking up the wrong tree. It suggests that another model, called the Self-Interacting Dark Matter model, can explain dark matter while the Standard Model and its Lambda Cold Dark Matter (Lambda CDM) simply can’t.
The paper is “An N-body/hydrodynamical simulation study of the merging cluster El Gordo: A compelling case for self-interacting dark matter?” The lead author is Riccardo Valdarnini of SISSA’s (Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati) Astrophysics and Cosmology group.
El Gordo is an extremely massive, extremely distant galaxy cluster more than seven billion light-years away from Earth. It’s comprised of two galaxy sub-clusters that are colliding with one another at several million kilometres per hour. It’s at the center of a back-and-forth over dark matter and the Lambda CDM.
A 2021 paper claimed that El Gordo presents a challenge for the Lambda-CDM model because it appeared so early in cosmic history, is extremely massive, and has such a high collisional velocity. “Such a fast collision between individually rare massive clusters is unexpected in Lambda cold dark matter cosmology at such high z,” the authors of that paper wrote.
A later paper from 2021 arrived at a lower mass estimate for El Gordo, one that was consistent with Lambda CDM. “Such an extreme mass of El Gordo has stimulated a number of discussions on whether or not the presence of the cluster is in tension with the Lambda CDM paradigm,” those authors wrote. “The new mass is compatible with the current Lambda CDM cosmology.”
A key part of Lambda CDM is that dark matter is both cold and collisionless. In that model, it’s impossible for dark matter particles to collide with one another; they can only interact through gravity and possibly the weak force. This study challenges that notion.
Proving that dark matter can interact with itself via collisions is difficult and complicated. El Gordo is a good place to study the Self-Interacting Dark Matter (SIDM) idea. “There are, however, unique
laboratories that can prove very useful for this purpose, many light years away from us,” said lead author Valdarnini. “These are the massive galaxy clusters, gigantic cosmic structures that, upon collision, determine the most energetic events since the Big Bang.” El Gordo is one of them.
Galaxy clusters like El Gordo can be divided into three components: the galaxies, the dark matter, and the gas mass. The Standard Model says that the colliding gas loses some of its initial energy during the collision. “This is why, after the collision, the peak of gas mass density will lag behind those of dark matter and galaxies,” Valdarnini explained.
But the SIDM says something different. It says that the points where the dark matter reaches its maximum density, called centroids, should be physically separated from the other mass components. The peculiarities of that separation are a signature of SIDM.
Observations of El Gordo show that it consists of two large sub-clusters, the northwest (NW) and the southeast (SE), which are merging into one.
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows El Gordo’s two main components, the NW and SE sub-clusters. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and J. Jee (University of California, Davis)X-ray images show different peak locations for the different mass components. The X-ray image below shows a single X-ray emission peak in the SE subcluster and two faint tails elongated beyond the X-ray peak. The X-ray peak precedes the dark matter peak. The Brightest Cluster Galaxy (BCG) is also offset from the SE mass centroid. BCGs are the brightest galaxies in a given cluster, are extremely massive, and are centers of mass in clusters.
“Another notable aspect can be seen in the NW cluster, where the galaxy number density peak is spatially offset from the corresponding mass peak,” Valdarnini explained.
This combined X-ray and infrared image shows X-rays from Chandra in pink, and the blue shows where dark matter is found. Image Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Rutgers/J. Hughes et al.; Infrared: NASA/ESA/CSA, J.M. Diego (IFCA), B.Frye (Univ. of Arizona), P.Kamieneski, T.Carleton & R.Windhorst (ASU)But those observations alone aren’t enough. In the new paper in Astronomy and Astrophysics, Valdarnini employed a large number of N-body/hydrodynamical simulations to study El Gordo’s physical properties. The systematic simulations aim to match the observations. Each simulation has slightly different parameters, and when a simulation matches observations, those parameters are likely to offer some explanation of the observations.
Valdarnini explains it clearly in the paper. “… the aim of this paper is to determine whether it is possible to construct merger models for the El Gordo cluster that can consistently reproduce the observed X-ray morphology, as well as many of its physical properties.”
The critical part of this work and its simulations concerns the separations between the centers of mass in El Gordo. If simulations can produce that, it’s evidence in favour of SIDM.
“The most significant result of this simulation study is that the relative separations observed between the different mass centroids of the “El Gordo” cluster are naturally explained if the dark matter is self-interacting,” states Valdarnini.
This figure from the research shows some of the simulation results. The red contours show X-ray surface brightness, and the white shows mass density. Green crosses are mass centroids, and red crosses are X-ray surface brightness centroids. Each row is from a separate simulation run with different parameters, and each panel represents a different viewing angle. The middle top panel is of particular interest. It recreates El Gordo’s twin tails particularly well. Image Credit: Valdarnini et al. 2024.“For this reason, these findings provide an unambiguous signature of a dark matter behaviour that exhibits collisional properties in a very energetic high-redshift cluster collision,” he continued.
It’s a classic “tip of the iceberg scenario.” While these results are in favour of the Self Interacting Dark Matter model, they’re nowhere near conclusive, as Valdarnini makes clear when he talks about inconsistencies in the results.
Valdarnini’s work shows that while the results are an approximation of how dark matter may behave during cluster mergers, there’s a lot more to it. The “underlying physical processes” are extremely complex.
“The study makes a compelling case for the possibility of self-interacting dark matter between colliding clusters as an alternative to the standard collisionless dark matter paradigm,” he concludes.
For most of the eight billion human beings alive today, dark matter is of little consequence in daily life. But if we want to entertain hopes and enjoy daydreams of human civilization lasting for centuries, millennia, or even longer, expanding into space and travelling to other stars, it’s critical that we understand everything we can about nature. The history of human progress parallels our growing understanding of nature.
Understanding dark matter is critical to understanding nature. If we want civilization to persist, a better understanding of everything about nature is the best way forward.
Now, back to our daily lives under the Standard Model.
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Ames Science Directorate’s Stars of the Month, June 2024
The NASA Ames Science Directorate recognizes the outstanding contributions of (pictured left to right) Amy Gresser, Mary Beth Wilhelm, Taylor Bell, and Liane Guild. Their commitment to the NASA mission represents the talent, camaraderie, and vision needed to explore this world and beyond.
Space Biosciences Star: Amy Gresser
Dr. Amy Gresser is the Space Biology Portfolio Manager for the Space Biosciences Division. Amy made a significant impact through her exemplary leadership in navigating the space biology portfolio, safeguarding workforce and science through budget planning and execution, and fostering a culture of excellence.
Space Science Star: Mary Beth Wilhelm
Dr. Mary Beth Wilhelm is a planetary scientist and astrobiologist with the Space Science & Astrobiology Division. Mary Beth’s outstanding leadership in team projects, ingenuity reflected in her recent proposal selection, and collaborative disposition play a crucial role in the success of the division.
Space Science Star: Dr. Taylor Bell
Dr. Taylor Bell is a planetary scientist with the Space Science & Astrobiology Division. Taylor published a very exciting result on a popular hot Jupiter target using the James Webb Space Telescope observations in a high-impact journal Nature Astronomy.
Earth Science Star: Dr. Liane Guild
Dr. Liane Guild is an ecosystems scientist in the Earth Science Division. Liane represented NASA on the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, presented on her CyanoSCape project at HQ Focus Area team meetings, attended a Surface Biology and Geology meeting, and led the Interagency Agreement with the Naval Postgraduate School (CIRPAS) to ‘fly Ames’ 4STAR-B airborne instrument for validating data from the PACE-PAX mission data.
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Two Seismometers are Going to the Moon to Measure Moonquakes
Our Moon is shrinking and has been doing so since just after its formation ~4.5 billion years ago from a collision with the young Earth. That shrinkage, along with a constant rain of micrometeorites, causes lunar seismic activity. NASA plans to send two instruments to the Moon to measure its moonquakes. Those dual seismometers share technology first used on Mars by the InSight lander to measure more than a thousand marsquakes.
The seismometers make up part of the Farside Seismic Suite (FSS). It will be delivered to the Moon’s Schrödinger Basin at the South Pole, the first such instrument package deployed since the Apollo program seismic payload operated for a brief time in 1971. That program sent back the first moonquake measurements. Subsequent Apollo missions deployed other seismic instruments that transmitted lunar data until late 1977.
JPL engineers and technicians prepare NASA’s Farside Seismic Suite for testing in simulated lunar gravity, which is about one-sixth of Earth’s. The seismometers in the payload will gather the agency’s first seismic data from moonquakes in nearly 50 years. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechThe FSS will send back the first such measurements from the Moon’s far side since Apollo days. Its two seismometers will record a “hum” of seismic background vibrations from icrometeorites pelting the surface. In addition, they will record lunar quakes and return data about their intensity and location.
What Do Moonquakes Tell Us?Quakes give a great deal of information about more than their location and intensity. The way seismic waves travel through the Moon’s structure should give some insight into the density of its various parts. In addition, they help scientists understand the lunar “shrinkage”.
On Earth, seismic waves travel differently through liquid and solid layers. On the Moon, the Apollo 11 seismic experiment gave planetary scientists the first “look” at the lunar interior. For each moonquake, the instrument recorded the strength, duration, and suspected direction of the event.
Apollo 15’s Lunar Surface Experiments Package (ALSEP). It carried a suite of science instruments, including a seismic experiment to detect moonquakes. Courtesy NASA.Interestingly, that experiment and others did not detect much seismic activity on the lunar far side. Something in the Moon’s interior plays a role in absorbing the waves from far-side quakes. Scientists want to know what that structure is and what properties prevent transmission of quake waves. Of course, not as many quakes occur on the far side. Interestingly, the surface of the far side is much different than the near side. Are these two related? “FSS will offer answers to questions we’ve been asking about the Moon for decades,” said Mark Panning, the FSS principal investigator at JPL and project scientist for InSight. “We cannot wait to start getting this data back.”
From Marsquakes to MoonquakesIn late 2018, the Mars InSight Lander settled onto the surface of the Red Planet. Its mission was to study the interior of Mars. Essentially, it used the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) to take the planet’s pulse and measure its interior motions. It measured the strength, duration, and direction of marsquakes. It also detected tiny mini-quakes generated by meteorite impacts. Along with a suite of other instruments that measured wind, temperature, and magnetic field variations, SEIS was able to sense vibrations from wind storms and other atmospheric phenomena.
Engineers at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory adapted the seismometer technology used on InSight for the FSS suite. There were a few major differences, however. For one thing, lunar gravity is much less than Mars’s, so they had to adapt the seismic suite’s performance to take that into account. Also, temperatures on the Moon are much colder, and of course, there’s no atmosphere to measure.
The FSS suite contains the Very Broadband Seismometer, which is so sensitive it detects ground motions smaller than the size of a hydrogen atom. The other seismometer is called the Short Period sensor and it measures ground motion in three directions using tiny sensors etched onto chips.
FSS’s Science GoalsThis payload, its power sources, and thermal controls are expected to operate for a long time, measuring quakes and background “noise” in the lunar structure. Although scientists know a fair amount about the Moon’s interior, the FSS’s sensitive instruments should help them get a more detailed understanding of its structure. The Moon is a differentiated body—meaning that it has layers beneath it crust.
The Apollo mission instruments measured the thickness of the lunar crust, and the GRAIL mission provided more detailed data. The FSS measurements should determine the thickness of the next layer—the deep mantle. That should come from data recordings and measurements of deep moonquakes. The FSS’s landing site in Schrödinger crater is a great location for quake measurements. It’s an impact basin refilled by rock melted during an impact that occurred some 3.8 billion years ago. There is a great deal of evidence for other volcanic activity in the region, including vents and subsequent lava flows.
Seen here during assembly in November 2023, Farside Seismic Suite’s inner cube houses the NASA payload’s large battery (at rear) and its two seismometers. The gold, puck-shaped device holds the Short Period sensor, while the silver enclosure contains the Very Broadband seismometer. These devices will detect moonquakes on the Moon’s far side. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechThe FSS seismometer package is slated for launch in 2025 with a projected landing date in 2026. It’s part of a NASA initiative to work with companies to deliver lunar science and technology packages during the Artemis mission timeline. Artemis astronauts will deploy a seismic network using a distributed acoustic sensing capability to do further work in assessing the Moon’s interior.
For More InformationNASA to Measure Moonquakes With Help From InSight Mars Mission
Apollo 11 Seismic Experiment
InSight Lander
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