Feed aggregator

A neural network can recreate the classic computer game Doom despite using none of its code or graphics, hinting that generative AI could be used to create games from scratch in future

Explore the greatest sci-fi titles that emerged amidst rock, roll, and the Golden Age in our round-up of the best 50s sci-fi movies.

Intuitive Machines, which aced the first-ever private moon landing earlier this year, just scored a $117 million NASA contract for a 2027 mission to the lunar south pole.

Want a clear view of a supermassive black hole’s environment? It’s an incredible observational challenge. The extreme gravity bends light as it passes through and blurs the details of the event horizon, the region closest to the black hole. Astronomers using the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) just conducted test observations aimed at “deblurring” that view.

The EHT team collaborated with scientists at the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and other facilities to do the tests. The antennas detected light from the centers of distant galaxies at a radio frequency of 354 GHz, equivalent to a wavelength of 0.87 mm.

A map of the Event Horizon Telescope observatories used in recent test observations at 0.87 mm of distant galaxies, to bump up its resolution. Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

This pilot experiment achieved observations with detail as fine as 19 microarcseconds. That’s the highest-ever resolution ever achieved from Earth’s surface. Although there are no images from the tests, the observations “saw” strong light signals from several distant galaxies—and that was only using a few antennas. Once the team focused the full worldwide EHT array on targets, they could see objects at a resolution of 13 microarcseconds. That’s about like looking at a bottle cap on the surface of the Moon—from Earth’s surface!

Sharpening the Event Horizon Telescope

These observational tests are a big breakthrough because it means scientists can make images of black holes that are 50% sharper than previous observations. The EHT’s groundbreaking first observations of M87’s black hole and Sagittarius A* in our galaxy happened just a few years ago, at a wavelength of 1.33 mm. Those images were amazing, but the science teams wanted to do better.

“With the Event Horizon Telescope, we saw the first images of black holes using the 1.3-mm wavelength observations, but the bright ring we saw, formed by light bending in the black hole’s gravity, still looked blurry because we were at the absolute limits of how sharp we could make the images,” said the observation’s co-lead Alexander Raymond of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “At 0.87 mm, our images will be sharper and more detailed, which in turn will likely reveal new properties, both those that were previously predicted and maybe some that weren’t.”

The first ever actual image of a black hole, taken in 2019. This shows the black hole at the heart of galaxy M87 Credit: Event Horizon Telescope Collaboration

According to EHT Founding Director Sheperd “Shep” Doeleman, an astrophysicist at the CfA and co-lead on a recent paper about the observations, the recent tests will improve the view of our galaxy’s central supermassive black hole, as well as others. “Looking at changes in the surrounding gas at different wavelengths will help us solve the mystery of how black holes attract and accrete matter, and how they can launch powerful jets that stream over galactic distances,” he said. In addition, the new technique should reveal even more dim, distant black holes than the EHT has already seen.

Creating a Big Radio Eye to Study Black Holes

Think of the Event Horizon Telescope as a giant, Earth-sized virtual radio telescope. Instead of one massive dish the size of our planet, it links together multiple radio dishes across the globe. The technique is called “very long baseline interferometry” with each observatory sending its data to a central processing center. For this test, the array consisted of six facilities, including the Atacama Array. The experiment succeeded in expanding the wavelength range of the EHT. Usually, to get better resolution, astronomers have to build bigger telescopes, but this one’s already Earth-sized. So, goosing the wavelength was the only choice.

The current locations of observatories that make up the full Event Horizon Telescope. (Courtesy EHT)

The test observations at higher resolution mark the first time the VLBI technique was used successfully at a wavelength of 0.87 mm. It’s a challenging measurement to make because water vapor in the atmosphere absorbs more waves at 0.87mm than at 1.3mm. As a result, astronomers worked to improve the EHT’s resolution by increasing the bandwidth of the instrumentation. Then, they had to wait for good observing conditions at all the test sites.

The improvements should allow astronomers to get high-fidelity “movies” of the event horizon around a black hole. Of course, astronomers want more upgrades to the existing EHT arrays. Planned improvements include new antennas, as well as improvements to detectors and other instruments. The result should be some pretty spectacular images and animations of material trapped in the extreme gravitational clutch of a black hole.

Revisiting Old Black Hole Friends

Future observations will include return observations of the supermassive black holes in M87 and the heart of the Milky Way Galaxy. Both are surrounded by accretion disks full of material swirling into the black hole. Once that material crosses the event horizon (the gravitational point of no return), it’s gone forever. So, it’s important to track that kind of action around a black hole. That’s where the EHT comes in handy.

Researchers using the Event Horizon Telescope hope to generate more and better images like this of supermassive black hole Sag. A’s event horizon. Image Credit: EHT.

According to Shep Doeleman, the details should be amazing. “Consider the burst of extra detail you get going from black and white photos to color,” he said. “This new ‘color vision’ allows us to tease apart the effects of Einstein’s gravity from the hot gas and magnetic fields that feed the black holes and launch powerful jets that stream over galactic distances.”

With this in mind, he added that the Collaboration is excited to reimage M87* and Sgr A* at both 1.3mm and 0.87mm and move from detecting black hole “shadows” to more precisely measuring their sizes and shapes, which can help to estimate a black hole’s spin and orientation on the sky.

If all that happens as they hope, the 400-member EHT consortium will certainly be able to fulfill its founding aim. That’s to provide the most detailed radio images of the mysterious beasts that lurk in the hearts of most galaxies.

For More Information

EHT Scientists Make Highest-resolution Observations Yet from the Surface of Earth
Event Horizon Telescope Main Page
First Very Long Baseline Interferometry Detections at 870 µm

The post A New Test Proves How to Make the Event Horizon Telescope Even Better appeared first on Universe Today.

Amid rising cases of mpox in Central Africa, it is important to uncover whether this virus causes symptoms even after the infection has cleared

Amid rising cases of mpox in Central Africa, it is important to uncover whether this virus causes symptoms even after the infection has cleared

NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has started off on its most ambitious ascent yet to the rim of Jezero Crater.

The American flag pictured inside the window of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft at the International Space Station.Credit: NASA

NASA will provide live coverage of the upcoming activities for Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft departure from the International Space Station and return to Earth. The uncrewed spacecraft will depart from the orbiting laboratory for a landing at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.

Starliner is scheduled to autonomously undock from the space station at approximately 6:04 p.m. EDT Friday, Sept. 6, to begin the journey home, weather conditions permitting. NASA and Boeing are targeting approximately 12:03 a.m., Saturday, Sept. 7, for the landing and conclusion of the flight test.

NASA’s live coverage of return and related activities will stream on NASA+, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA programming through a variety of platforms including social media.

Ahead of Starliner’s return, NASA will host a pre-departure news conference at 12 p.m., Wednesday, Sept. 4, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. NASA’s Commercial Crew and International Space Station Program managers and a flight director will participate.

To attend the pre-departure news conference in person, U.S. media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom by 5 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 3, at jsccommu@mail.nasa.gov or 281-483-5111. To join the pre-departure news conference by phone, media must contact the NASA newsroom no later than two hours prior to the start of the call.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on June 5 for its first crewed flight, arriving at the space station on June 6. As Starliner approached the orbiting laboratory, NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft reaction control thrusters. For the safety of the astronauts, NASA announced on Aug. 24 that Starliner will return to Earth from the station without a crew. Wilmore and Williams will remain aboard the station and return home in February 2025 aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft with two other crew members assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.

NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):

Wednesday, Sept. 4

12 p.m. – Starliner pre-departure news conference from NASA’s Johnson Space Center on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

Friday, Sept. 6

5:45 p.m. – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

6:04 p.m. – Undocking

10:50 p.m. – Coverage resumes for deorbit burn, entry, and landing on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

Saturday, Sept. 7

12:03 a.m. – Targeted landing

1:30 a.m. – Post-landing news conference with the following participants:

• Joel Montalbano, deputy associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington
• Steve Stich, manager, Commercial Crew Program, NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida
• Dana Weigel, manager, International Space Station, NASA Johnson
• John Shannon, vice president, Boeing Exploration Systems
• Mark Nappi, vice president and program manager, Boeing Commercial Crew Program

Coverage of the post-landing news conference will stream live on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.

To attend the post-landing news conference in person, U.S. media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom by 12 p.m., Sept. 6. To join the post-landing news conference by phone, media must contact the NASA Johnson newsroom no later than one hour prior to the start of the event.

See full mission coverage, NASA’s commercial crew blog, and more information about the mission at:

https://www.nasa.gov/commercialcrew

-end-

Joshua Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

Leah Cheshier
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
leah.d.cheshier@nasa.gov

Steve Siceloff
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-867-2468
steven.p.sieceloff@nasa.gov

Share

Details Last Updated Aug 30, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms

• Humans in Space
• Commercial Crew
• Commercial Space
• International Space Station (ISS)
• ISS Research
• Johnson Space Center

Learn

1. Home
2. Co-creating authentic STEM…

Community Partners

• Overview
• Learning Resources
• Science Activation Teams
• SME Map
• Opportunities
• More

 

2 min read

Co-creating authentic STEM learning experiences with Latino communities

Led by Arizona State University, the NASA Science Activation Program’s “Engaging Hispanic Communities in Authentic NASA Science” project advances NASA’s vision for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education by co-creating learning experiences with Latino communities in six locations in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas. Partners at each site – including educational organizations, community groups, and subject matter experts – are collaborating to offer culturally sustaining learning experiences that reflect the people, priorities, and assets of each community.

In the San Francisco Bay area, the University of California Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science is working with Bay Area Community Resources to offer hands-on Earth and space activities at hundreds of out-of-school-time programs. In San Diego, the Fleet Science Center and the San Ysidro STEM Committee are planning an annual STEM festival. In the Phoenix/Mesa metro area, Arizona State University and RAIL Community Development Corporation are working with community members and local artists to create STEAM (STEM + art) experiences that will be embedded in Hispanic neighborhoods. In Albuquerque, Explora and Horizons Albuquerque are hosting a teen summit to co-create a new futures-oriented exhibition for the science center. The Brownsville Children’s Museum in Texas is working with a variety of partners to engage families in STEM learning at community events across the area. Finally, in Houston, the Children’s Museum of Houston and Community Family Centers are offering STEM summer camp experiences in underserved Hispanic neighborhoods.

These activities have spanned across Spring and Summer 2024 and engaged over 10,000 learners in authentic STEM learning experiences. Looking ahead to the future, team members will continue to deepen their relationships among organizations and broaden participation across their local communities. The six sites also convene regularly as a community of practice, sharing insights, strategies, and practices. Learnings from the project and professional resources will also be shared widely across the STEM engagement and education professionals.

The Engaging Hispanic Communities in Authentic NASA Science project is supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number 80NSSC22M0122 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

Family doing a hands-on activity at a science center. NISE Network/Guillermo Delgado Share

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

Details

Last Updated

Aug 30, 2024

Editor NASA Science Editorial Team

Related Terms

• Community Partners
• Opportunities For Educators to Get Involved
• Science Activation

Explore More

3 min read Eclipse Soundscapes AudioMoth Donations Will Study Nature at Night

Article


2 days ago

2 min read Solar Eclipse Data Story Helps the Public Visualize the April 2024 Total Eclipse

Article


2 weeks ago

3 min read New TEMPO Cosmic Data Story Makes Air Quality Data Publicly Available

Article


2 weeks ago

Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

James Webb Space Telescope

Webb is the premier observatory of the next decade, serving thousands of astronomers worldwide. It studies every phase in the…

Perseverance Rover

This rover and its aerial sidekick were assigned to study the geology of Mars and seek signs of ancient microbial…

Parker Solar Probe

On a mission to “touch the Sun,” NASA’s Parker Solar Probe became the first spacecraft to fly through the corona…

Juno

NASA’s Juno spacecraft entered orbit around Jupiter in 2016, the first explorer to peer below the planet’s dense clouds to…

‘Little red dot’ galaxies seen by JWST appear to be much more tightly packed with stars than other galaxies, raising big questions about how they came to be this way

‘Little red dot’ galaxies seen by JWST appear to be much more tightly packed with stars than other galaxies, raising big questions about how they came to be this way

NASA's Crew-9 mission now has only 2 astronauts instead of 4. The last-minute change gives room to return 2 astronauts on the ISS who needed a new ride home.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov (Credit: NASA)

Editor’s note: This release was updated twice on Aug. 30, 2024. First, to correct Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov’s role as a mission specialist. It was updated again to correct a launch date.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will launch no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24, on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, previously announced as crewmates, are eligible for reassignment on a future mission. 

Hague and Gorbunov will fly to the space station as commander and mission specialist, respectively, as part of a two-crew member flight aboard a SpaceX Dragon.

The updated crew complement follows NASA’s decision to return the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test uncrewed and launch Crew-9 with two unoccupied seats. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June, will fly home with Hague and Gorbunov in February 2025.

The decision to fly Hague was made by NASA chief astronaut Joe Acaba at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Acaba had to balance flying a NASA crew member with previous spaceflight experience to command the flight, while ensuring NASA maintains an integrated crew with a Roscosmos cosmonaut who can operate their critical systems for continued, safe station operations.

“While we’ve changed crew before for a variety of reasons, downsizing crew for this flight was another tough decision to adjust to given that the crew has trained as a crew of four,” said Acaba. “I have the utmost confidence in all our crew, who have been excellent throughout training for the mission. Zena and Stephanie will continue to assist their crewmates ahead of launch, and they exemplify what it means to be a professional astronaut.”

The agency will share reassignment details for Cardman and Wilson when available.

“I am deeply proud of our entire crew,” said Cardman, “and I am confident Nick and Alex will step into their roles with excellence. All four of us remain dedicated to the success of this mission, and Stephanie and I look forward to flying when the time is right.” 

Wilson added, “I know Nick and Alex will do a great job with their work aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 72.”

With 203 days logged in space, this will be Hague’s third launch and second mission to the orbiting laboratory. During his first launch in October 2018, Hague and his crewmate, Roscosmos’ Alexey Ovchinin, experienced a rocket booster failure, resulting in an in-flight, post-launch abort, ballistic re-entry, and safe landing in their Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft. Five months later, Hague launched aboard Soyuz MS-12 and served as a flight engineer aboard the space station during Expeditions 59 and 60. Hague conducted three spacewalks to upgrade space station power systems and install a docking adapter for commercial spacecraft. An active-duty colonel in the U.S. Space Force, Hague completed a developmental rotation at the Defense Department, and served as the Space Force’s director of test and evaluation from 2020 to 2022. In August 2022, Hague resumed duties at NASA, working on the Boeing Starliner Program until this flight assignment. Follow @astrohague on X and Instagram.

This will be Gorbunov’s first trip to space and the station. Born in Zheleznogorsk, Kursk region, Russia, he studied engineering with qualifications in spacecraft and upper stages from the Moscow Aviation Institute. Gorbunov graduated from the military department with a specialty in operating and repairing aircraft, helicopters, and aircraft engines. Before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2018, he worked as an engineer for Rocket Space Corp. Energia and supported cargo spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Hague and Gorbonov will become members of the Expedition 72 crew aboard the station. They will join Wilmore, Williams, fellow NASA astronaut Don Pettit, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner conducting scientific research and maintenance activities into the station’s 24th year of continuous human presence.

Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

Josh Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

 Courtney Beasley
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov

Mars: Perseverance (Mars 2020)

• Perseverance Home
• Science
• News and Features
• Multimedia
• Mars Missions
• The Solar System

3 min read

Behind the Scenes at the 2024 Mars 2020 Science Team Meeting The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Science Team meets in person and online during the July 2024 team meeting in Pasadena, CA. Credits: R. Hogg and J. Maki.

The Mars 2020 Science Team meets in Pasadena for 3 days of science synthesis

It has become a fun tradition for me to write a summary of our yearly in-person Science Team Meetings (2022 meeting and 2023 meeting). I’ve been particularly looking forward to this year’s update given the recent excitement on the team and in the public about Perseverance’s discovery of a potential biosignature, a feature that may have a biological origin but needs more data or further study before reaching a conclusion about the absence or presence of life.

This past July, ~160 members of the Mars 2020 Science Team met in-person in Pasadena—with another ~50 team members dialed in on-line—for three days of presentations, meetings, and team discussion. For a team that spends most of the year working remotely from around the world, we make the most of these rare opportunities for in-person discussion and synthesis of the rover’s latest science results.

We spent time discussing Perseverance’s most recent science campaign in the Margin unit, an exposure of carbonate-bearing rocks that occurs along the inner rim of Jezero crater. As part of an effort to synthesize what we’ve learned about the Margin unit over the past year, we heard presentations describing surface and subsurface observations collected from the rover’s entire payload. This was followed by a thought-provoking series of presentations that tackled the three hypotheses we’re carrying for the origin of this unit: sedimentary, volcanic (pyroclastic), or crystalline igneous.

Some of our liveliest discussion occurred during presentations about Neretva Vallis, Jezero’s inlet valley that once fed the sedimentary fan and lake system within the crater. Data from the RIMFAX instrument took center stage as we debated the origin and age relationship of the Bright Angel outcrop to other units we’ve studied in the crater.

This context is especially important because the Bright Angel outcrop is home to the Cheyava Falls rock, which contains intriguing features we’ve been calling “leopard spots,” small white spots with dark rims observed in red bedrock of Bright Angel. On the last day of the team meeting, data from our recent “Apollo Temple” abrasion at Cheyava Falls was just starting to arrive on Earth, and team members from the PIXL and SHERLOC teams were huddled in the hallway and at the back of the conference room trying to digest these new results in real time. We had special “pop-up” presentations during which SHERLOC reported compelling evidence for organics in the new abrasion, and PIXL showed interesting new data about the light-toned veins that crosscut this rock.

Between debates about the Margin unit, updates on recently published studies of the Jezero sedimentary fan sequence, and discussion of the newest rocks at Bright Angel, this team meeting was one of our most exciting yet. It also marked an important transition for the Mars 2020 science mission as we prepare to ascend the Jezero crater rim, leaving behind—at least for now—the rocks inside the crater. I can only imagine the interesting new discoveries we’ll make during the upcoming year, and I can’t wait to report back next summer!

Written by Katie Stack Morgan, Mars 2020 Deputy Project Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Share

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

Details

Last Updated

Aug 30, 2024

Related Terms

• Blogs

Explore More

4 min read Sols 4289-4290: From Discovery Pinnacle to Kings Canyon and Back Again

Article


1 day ago

3 min read Sols 4287-4288: Back on the Road

Article


2 days ago

3 min read Perseverance Kicks off the Crater Rim Campaign!

Perseverance is officially headed into a new phase of scientific investigation on the Jezero Crater…

Article


3 days ago

Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

Mars

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the seventh largest. It’s the only planet we know of inhabited…

All Mars Resources

Explore this collection of Mars images, videos, resources, PDFs, and toolkits. Discover valuable content designed to inform, educate, and inspire,…

Rover Basics

Each robotic explorer sent to the Red Planet has its own unique capabilities driven by science. Many attributes of a…

Mars Exploration: Science Goals

The key to understanding the past, present or future potential for life on Mars can be found in NASA’s four…

Atoms tunnelling through a quantum battery could charge it and also keep it from losing energy, which could give an advantage over conventional batteries

Atoms tunnelling through a quantum battery could charge it and also keep it from losing energy, which could give an advantage over conventional batteries

5 min read

NASA, ESA Missions Help Scientists Uncover How Solar Wind Gets Energy

Since the 1960s, astronomers have wondered how the Sun’s supersonic “solar wind,” a stream of energetic particles that flows out into the solar system, continues to receive energy once it leaves the Sun. Now, thanks to a lucky lineup of a NASA and an ESA (European Space Agency)/NASA spacecraft both currently studying the Sun, they may have discovered the answer — knowledge that is a crucial piece of the puzzle to help scientists better forecast solar activity between the Sun and Earth.

A paper published in the Aug. 30, 2024, issue of the journal Science provides persuasive evidence that the fastest solar winds are powered by magnetic “switchbacks,” or large kinks in the magnetic field, near the Sun.

“Our study addresses a huge open question about how the solar wind is energized and helps us understand how the Sun affects its environment and, ultimately, the Earth,” said Yeimy Rivera, co-leader of the study and a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, part of Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian. “If this process happens in our local star, it’s highly likely that this powers winds from other stars across the Milky Way galaxy and beyond and could have implications for the habitability of exoplanets.”

This artist’s concept shows switchbacks, or large kinks in the Sun’s magnetic field. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Conceptual Image Lab/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez

Previously, NASA’s Parker Solar Probe found that these switchbacks were common throughout the solar wind. Parker, which became the first craft to enter the Sun’s magnetic atmosphere in 2021, allowed scientists to determine that switchbacks become more distinct and more powerful close to the Sun. Up to now, however, scientists lacked experimental evidence that this interesting phenomenon actually deposits enough energy to be important in the solar wind.

“About three years ago, I was giving a talk about how fascinating these waves are,” said co-author Mike Stevens, astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics. “At the end, an astronomy professor stood up and said, ‘that’s neat, but do they actually matter?’”

To answer this, the team of scientists had to use two different spacecraft. Parker is built to fly through the Sun’s atmosphere, or “corona.” ESA’s and NASA’s Solar Orbiter mission is also on an orbit that takes it relatively close to the Sun, and it measures solar wind at larger distances. 

The discovery was made possible because of a coincidental alignment in February 2022 that allowed both Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter to measure the same solar wind stream within two days of each other. Solar Orbiter was almost halfway to the Sun while Parker was skirting the edge of the Sun’s magnetic atmosphere.

This conceptual image shows Parker Solar Probe about to enter the solar corona. NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Ben Smith

An artist’s concept shows Solar Orbiter near the Sun. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab

“We didn’t initially realize that Parker and Solar Orbiter were measuring the same thing at all. Parker saw this slower plasma near the Sun that was full of switchback waves, and then Solar Orbiter recorded a fast stream which had received heat and with very little wave activity,” said Samuel Badman, astrophysicist at the Center for Astrophysics and the other co-lead of the study. “When we connected the two, that was a real eureka moment.”

Scientists have long known that energy is moved throughout the Sun‘s corona and the solar wind, at least in part, through what are known as “Alfvén waves.” These waves transport energy through a plasma, the superheated state of matter that makes up the solar wind.

However, how much the Alfvén waves evolve and interact with the solar wind between the Sun and Earth couldn’t be measured — until these two missions were sent closer to the Sun than ever before, at the same time. Now, scientists can directly determine how much energy is stored in the magnetic and velocity fluctuations of these waves near the corona, and how much less energy is carried by the waves farther from the Sun.

The new research shows that the Alfvén waves in the form of switchbacks provide enough energy to account for the heating and acceleration documented in the faster stream of the solar wind as it flows away from the Sun. 

“It took over half a century to confirm that Alfvenic wave acceleration and heating are important processes, and they happen in approximately the way we think they do,” said John Belcher, emeritus professor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who co-discovered Alfvén waves in the solar wind but was not involved in this study.

In addition to helping scientists better forecast solar activity and space weather, such information helps us understand mysteries of the universe elsewhere and how Sun-like stars and stellar winds operate everywhere.

“This discovery is one of the key puzzle pieces to answer the 50-year-old question of how the solar wind is accelerated and heated in the innermost portions of the heliosphere, bringing us closer to closure to one of the main science objectives of the Parker Solar Probe mission,” said Adam Szabo, Parker Solar Probe mission science lead at NASA.

By Megan Watzke
Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian

Share

• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  
• 
  
  

Details

Last Updated

Aug 30, 2024

Related Terms

• Goddard Space Flight Center
• Heliophysics
• Heliophysics Division
• Parker Solar Probe (PSP)
• Science & Research
• Science Mission Directorate
• Solar Flares
• Solar Orbiter
• Solar Science
• Solar Wind
• Space Weather
• The Sun
• The Sun & Solar Physics

Explore More

2 min read Hubble Zooms into the Rosy Tendrils of Andromeda

Article


5 hours ago

2 min read Hubble Observes An Oddly Organized Satellite

Article


1 day ago

6 min read NASA Discovers a Long-Sought Global Electric Field on Earth

An international team of scientists has successfully measured a planet-wide electric field thought to be…

Article


2 days ago

Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA

Missions

Humans in Space

Climate Change

Solar System

NASA T-38s fly in formation above the Space Launch System rocket on Launch Pad 39B.

NASA’s T-38 jets fly in formation above the Space Launch System rocket on Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

Aircraft designations and passengers:
901: Chris Condon / Astronaut Zena Cardman.
902: Astronaut Candidate Nicole Ayers / Astronaut Christina Koch.
903: Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen / Astronaut Drew Morgan.
904: Chief Astronaut Reid Wiseman / Astronaut Joe Acaba.
905 (Photo Chase): Astronaut Candidate Jack Hathaway / Josh Valcarcel

Image Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel

Portraits of NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. (Credit: NASA)

Editor’s note: This release was updated twice on Aug. 30, 2024. First, to correct Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov’s role as a mission specialist. It was updated again to correct a launch date.

NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov will launch no earlier than Tuesday, Sept. 24, on the agency’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission to the International Space Station. NASA astronauts Zena Cardman and Stephanie Wilson, previously announced as crewmates, are eligible for reassignment on a future mission. 

Hague and Gorbunov will fly to the space station as commander and mission specialist, respectively, as part of a two-crew member flight aboard a SpaceX Dragon.

The updated crew complement follows NASA’s decision to return the agency’s Boeing Crew Flight Test uncrewed and launch Crew-9 with two unoccupied seats. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who launched aboard the Starliner spacecraft in June, will fly home with Hague and Gorbunov in February 2025.

The decision to fly Hague was made by NASA chief astronaut Joe Acaba at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Acaba had to balance flying a NASA crew member with previous spaceflight experience to command the flight, while ensuring NASA maintains an integrated crew with a Roscosmos cosmonaut who can operate their critical systems for continued, safe station operations.

“While we’ve changed crew before for a variety of reasons, downsizing crew for this flight was another tough decision to adjust to given that the crew has trained as a crew of four,” said Acaba. “I have the utmost confidence in all our crew, who have been excellent throughout training for the mission. Zena and Stephanie will continue to assist their crewmates ahead of launch, and they exemplify what it means to be a professional astronaut.”

The agency will share reassignment details for Cardman and Wilson when available.

“I am deeply proud of our entire crew,” said Cardman, “and I am confident Nick and Alex will step into their roles with excellence. All four of us remain dedicated to the success of this mission, and Stephanie and I look forward to flying when the time is right.” 

Wilson added, “I know Nick and Alex will do a great job with their work aboard the International Space Station as part of Expedition 72.”

With 203 days logged in space, this will be Hague’s third launch and second mission to the orbiting laboratory. During his first launch in October 2018, Hague and his crewmate, Roscosmos’ Alexey Ovchinin, experienced a rocket booster failure, resulting in an in-flight, post-launch abort, ballistic re-entry, and safe landing in their Soyuz MS-10 spacecraft. Five months later, Hague launched aboard Soyuz MS-12 and served as a flight engineer aboard the space station during Expeditions 59 and 60. Hague conducted three spacewalks to upgrade space station power systems and install a docking adapter for commercial spacecraft. An active-duty colonel in the U.S. Space Force, Hague completed a developmental rotation at the Defense Department, and served as the Space Force’s director of test and evaluation from 2020 to 2022. In August 2022, Hague resumed duties at NASA, working on the Boeing Starliner Program until this flight assignment. Follow @astrohague on X and Instagram.

This will be Gorbunov’s first trip to space and the station. Born in Zheleznogorsk, Kursk region, Russia, he studied engineering with qualifications in spacecraft and upper stages from the Moscow Aviation Institute. Gorbunov graduated from the military department with a specialty in operating and repairing aircraft, helicopters, and aircraft engines. Before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2018, he worked as an engineer for Rocket Space Corp. Energia and supported cargo spacecraft launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Hague and Gorbonov will become members of the Expedition 72 crew aboard the station. They will join Wilmore, Williams, fellow NASA astronaut Don Pettit, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner conducting scientific research and maintenance activities into the station’s 24th year of continuous human presence.

Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:

https://www.nasa.gov/station

-end-

Josh Finch / Jimi Russell
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / james.j.russell@nasa.gov

 Courtney Beasley
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
courtney.m.beasley@nasa.gov