Feed aggregator

Using genomic data from more than 9500 species, biologists have mapped the evolutionary relationships between flowering plants

Using genomic data from more than 9500 species, biologists have mapped the evolutionary relationships between flowering plants

Two important barriers to a stable, powerful fusion reaction have been leapt by an experiment in a small tokamak reactor, but we don’t yet know if the technique will work in larger devices

Two important barriers to a stable, powerful fusion reaction have been leapt by an experiment in a small tokamak reactor, but we don’t yet know if the technique will work in larger devices

The Full Pink Moon rose on April 23, 2024, putting a damper on chances of catching any Lyrid meteors but providing a gorgeous target for cameras around the globe.

The Large Hadron Collider is testing entanglement in a whole new energy range, probing the meaning of quantum theory – and the possibility that an even stranger reality lies beneath

The Large Hadron Collider is testing entanglement in a whole new energy range, probing the meaning of quantum theory – and the possibility that an even stranger reality lies beneath

China has unveiled the three-person crew for its Shenzhou 18 mission, which is set to launch toward the Tiangong space station on Thursday (April 25).

NASA is sending a technology demonstrator to the moon on the upcoming private Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1 in order to test how to repel and remove lunar dust using electricity.

While ESA's Integral was observing the sky, it suddenly spotted a burst of gamma-rays coming from the nearby galaxy M82. Only a few hours later, ESA’s XMM-Newton searched for an afterglow from the explosion but found none. Astronomers realised that the burst must have been an extra-galactic flare from a magnetar, a young neutron star with an exceptionally strong magnetic field.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

These two movies of the Cassiopeia A and Crab Nebula supernova remnants show Chandra’s capabilities of documenting changes in astronomical objects over human timeframes. Dramatic changes are apparent in the debris and radiation remaining after the explosion of these two massive stars in our galaxy. Such time-lapse movies would not be possible without Chandra’s archives that serve as public repositories for the data collected over Chandra’s nearly 25 years of operations.

New movies of two of the most famous objects in the sky — the Crab Nebula and Cassiopeia A — are being released from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. Each includes X-ray data collected by Chandra over about two decades. They show dramatic changes in the debris and radiation remaining after the explosion of two massive stars in our galaxy.

The Crab Nebula, the result of a bright supernova explosion seen by Chinese and other astronomers in the year 1054, is 6,500 light-years from Earth. At its center is a neutron star, a super-dense star produced by the supernova. As it rotates at about 30 times per second, its beam of radiation passes over the Earth every orbit, like a cosmic lighthouse.

As the young pulsar slows down, large amounts of energy are injected into its surroundings. In particular, a high-speed wind of matter and anti-matter particles plows into the surrounding nebula, creating a shock wave that forms the expanding ring seen in the movie. Jets from the poles of the pulsar spew X-ray emitting matter and antimatter particles in a direction perpendicular to the ring.

Over 22 years, Chandra has taken many observations of the Crab Nebula. With this long runtime, astronomers see clear changes in both the ring and the jets in the new movie. Previous Chandra movies showed images taken from much shorter time periods — a 5-month period between 2000 and 2001 and over 7 months between 2010 and 2011 for another. The longer timeframe highlights mesmerizing fluctuations, including whip-like variations in the X-ray jet that are only seen in this much longer movie. A new set of Chandra observations will be conducted later this year to follow changes in the jet since the last Chandra data was obtained in early 2022.

Crab Nebula Timelapse

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

This video begins with a composite version of the Crab Nebula, combining Chandra X-ray data with infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope. Over 22 years, Chandra has taken many observations of the Crab Nebula. With this long runtime, astronomers see clear changes in both the ring and the jets in the new movie. Previous Chandra movies showed images taken from much shorter time periods — a 5-month period between 2000 and 2001 and over 7 months between 2010 and 2011 for another. The longer timeframe highlights mesmerizing fluctuations, including whip-like variations in the X-ray jet that are only seen in this much longer movie. A new set of Chandra observations will be conducted later this year to follow changes in the jet since the last Chandra data was obtained in early 2022. (Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Schmidt, J. Major, A. Jubett, K. Arcand)

The second billing in this doubleheader is just as spectacular. Cassiopeia A (Cas A for short) is the remains of a supernova that is estimated to have exploded about 340 years ago in Earth’s sky. While other Chandra movies of Cas A have previously been released, including one with data extending from 2000 to 2013, this new movie is substantially longer featuring data from 2000 through to 2019.

The outer region of Cas A shows the expanding blast wave of the explosion. The blast wave is composed of shock waves, similar to the sonic booms generated by a supersonic aircraft. These expanding shock waves are sites where particles are being accelerated to energies that are higher than the most powerful accelerator on Earth, the Large Hadron Collider. As the blast wave travels outwards it encounters surrounding material and slows down, generating a second shock wave that travels backwards relative to the blast wave, analogous to a traffic jam travelling backwards from the scene of an accident on a highway.

Cas A has been one of the most highly observed targets and publicly released images from the Chandra mission. It was Chandra’s official first-light image in 1999 after the Space Shuttle Columbia launched into orbit and quickly discovered a point source of X-rays in Cas A’s center for the first time, later confirmed to be a neutron star. Over the years, astronomers have used Chandra to discover evidence for “superfluid” inside Cas A’s neutron star, to reveal that the original massive star may have turned inside out as it exploded and to take an important step in pinpointing how giant stars explode. Chandra has also mapped the elements forged inside the star, which are now moving into space to help seed the next generation of stars and planets. More recently, Chandra data was combined with data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to help determine the origin of mysterious structures within the remnant.

Cassiopeia A Timelapse

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

This video begins with a composite version of the Cassiopeia A, combining Chandra X-ray data with infrared data from the James Webb Space Telescope. Cassiopeia A (Cas A for short) is the remains of a supernova that is estimated to have exploded about 340 years ago in Earth’s sky. This new Cas A movie features data from 2000 through to 2019. The images used in the latest Cas A movie have been processed using a state-of-the-art processing technique, led by Yusuke from Rikkyo University in Japan, to fully capitalize on Chandra's sharp X-ray vision. (Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: NASA/STScI; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Major, A. Jubett, K. Arcand)

The images used in the latest Cas A movie have been processed using a state-of-the-art processing technique, led by Yusuke from Rikkyo University in Japan, to fully capitalize on Chandra’s sharp X-ray vision. The paper describing their work was published in The Astrophysical Journal and is available online.

These two movies show Chandra’s capabilities of documenting changes in astronomical objects over human timeframes. Such movies would not be possible without Chandra’s archives that serve as public repositories for the data collected over Chandra’s nearly 25 years of operations.

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science from Cambridge Massachusetts and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.

Read more from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory.

For more Chandra images, multimedia and related materials, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/mission/chandra-x-ray-observatory/

News Media Contact

Megan Watzke
Chandra X-ray Center
Cambridge, Mass.
617-496-7998

Jonathan Deal
Marshall Space Flight Center
Huntsville, Ala.
256-544-0034

Kiyun Kim began at Goddard as a summer intern. Impressed by the center’s community bonds, Kim is now co-chair of a center resource group that champions accessibility and inclusivity.

Name: Kiyun Kim
Title: Software Engineer
Organization: Ground Software Systems Branch (Code 583)

Kiyun Kim works with aerospace technology software systems at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.Courtesy of Kiyun Kim

What do you do at Goddard Space Flight Center?

I’m a software engineer on the ground software systems branch. We do all the software work that stays on the ground and does not go up into space. We do things like software that helps us coordinate stuff on the ground, helps us contact with the satellites, do scheduling, process data, all sorts of things like that. What I do at any given time depends on what project I’m under.

The main thing that I’ve been working on lately is a tool for database checkouts. There are different versions of the database for each satellite and what we want to be able to do is validate those databases and also to look at the changes between databases and compare them to each other.

In the past, I’ve also worked on a contact scheduling tool — when you have a bunch of different satellites, they’re kind of staggered in orbit, so normally, their signals wouldn’t run into each other, so to speak, when you’re getting the downlinks from them. But when you have a project that is sharing ground resources with other projects, other organizations, the way that Joint Polar Satellite System is, you sometimes have to work to prevent conflicts between satellites. What we’re trying to do is maximize the amount of downlinks for each mission in line with what they need.

Prior to that I was on Goddard Mission Services Evolution Center, or GMSEC. It’s a framework so that missions can take care of all the communication between all the different parts of their systems. So for example, each mission can use GMSEC and take the built in components that GMSEC offers or build their own components and just plug them into GMSEC and they’ll all talk to each other using GMSEC.

Specifically, I worked on the web interface for that and made a countdown clock for it, modeled after the Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission (MMS).

What led you to working at NASA?

I was looking for internships as a college student and my dad found the NASA summer internship program and encouraged me to apply. I got in and I had a really great time.

What have you enjoyed most about working at NASA?

One thing that I’ve really appreciated is the work-life balance aspect, and also the fact that I don’t have to give up learning new things in order to fulfill my job. Obviously if I have a deadline, I can’t go to the on-center talks and stuff, but the fact that there are all these talks on different subjects, I really like that I’m able to just go, and that I’m supported in doing that.

I still consider myself early in my career and there’s so much that I just don’t know about on center. I know of the kinds of things that I’ve been working on, obviously, but I don’t necessarily get exposed to everything else in my day-to-day work. Having the opportunity to see what else is going on on-center is also good for, beyond just sating my curiosity, it’s also good for helping me figure out what I want to do with my life.

Is there anything you didn’t expect when you started as an intern?

I was surprised by how warm people would be. I remember a very defining experience for me as an intern, was I was walking to get lunch one day from the cafeteria, and I ran into someone who I didn’t know and she stopped and because she saw my intern badge started talking with me. We ended up talking like out in the hot sun for like an hour. Later she invited me to lunch while I was still an intern, and she came to my intern presentation. She was actually from the Women’s Employee Resource Group. She wasn’t explicitly trying to recruit me, but she was just so excited to see a new face and reach out to me and make sure that I felt welcome. That was just like a really defining experience for me and I think it solidified that this was the kind of place I wanted to work at.

Kiyun Kim is one of the co-chairs of the Equal Accessibility Employee Resource Group at Goddard.Courtesy of Kiyun Kim

Are you involved in any groups on campus?

I’m one of the co-chairs of the Equal Accessibility Employee Resource Group. I admit that sometimes my own disabilities make it difficult for me to be as active as I would like, but I feel very strongly that the strong ERG presence on center is a blessing. It’s something that we should nurture.

The Equal Accessibility Employee Resource Group aims to create awareness around issues that face disabled folks in employment, as well as work to help alleviate some of the barriers that we face on center. It’s advocacy by and for the group that it represents. Obviously, you don’t need to be disabled to join and you also don’t have to disclose if you don’t want to. I think accessibility is something that we kind of take for granted until it’s not there for us. A lot of what we’re trying to do is to just make sure that the concerns of our constituents are bubbled up to leadership and make sure that accessibility is kept in mind as the center moves forward and continues to evolve.

Diversity in general contributes so much to the workforce. When we, intentionally or not, exclude entire groups of people from being able to work here and to thrive here we actually do lose a lot. Our goal is to prevent that from happening.

By Marta Hill

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.

Conversations With Goddard is a collection of Q&A profiles highlighting the breadth and depth of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center’s talented and diverse workforce. The Conversations have been published twice a month on average since May 2011. Read past editions on Goddard’s “Our People” webpage.

Share

Details Last Updated Apr 24, 2024 EditorMadison OlsonContactRob Garnerrob.garner@nasa.govLocationGoddard Space Flight Center Related Terms

• Goddard Space Flight Center
• People of Goddard
• People of NASA

Explore More 5 min read Shawnta M. Ball Turns Obstacles into Opportunities in Goddard’s Education Office Article 2 weeks ago 9 min read Jennifer Krottinger: Designing Ways to Serve Article 2 months ago 4 min read Renee King: Ensuring Space for Everyone Article 2 months ago

Never underestimate the power of the Dark Side again and Save 20% on the Lego Emperor's Throne Room Diorama ahead of Star Wars Day, May 4.

Citizen scientists poring over old Hubble Telescope photos discovered a thousand previously unknown asteroids in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter.

Over the last few years I have been renovating my home. Building on Earth seems to be a fairly well understood process, after all we have many different materials to chose from. But what about future lunar explorers. As we head closer toward a permanent lunar base, astronauts will have very limited cargo carrying capability so will have to use local materials. On the Moon, that means relying upon the dusty lunar regolith that covers the surface. Researchers have now developed 20 different methods for creating building materials out of the stuff. They include solidification, sintering/melting, bonding solidification and confinement formation. But of all these, which is the best?

Apollo astronauts reported the surface of the Moon to be covered in a fine, powdery material, similar in texture to talcum powder. The material, known as the lunar regolith is thought to have formed by the constant bombardment from meteoroids over millions of years. The impacts bombarded the rocks on the Moon’s surface breaking them down into fine grains. The layer varies in depth across the surface from 5 metres to 10 metres and consists mostly of silicon dioxide, iron oxide, aluminium dioxide and a few other minerals. The fine nature of the dust makes it difficult for astronauts and machinery alike to operate on the surface and its sharp contours make it somewhat hazardous.

After taking the first boot print photo, Aldrin moved closer to the little rock and took this second shot. The dusty, sandy pebbly soil is also known as the lunar ‘regolith’. Click to enlarge. Credit: NASA

Any future engineers that visit the Moon to construct habitats will need to somehow employ the use of this material in their work. A paper published in the journal Engineering by Professor Feng from the Tsinghua University has conducted a review of possible techniques. Almost 20 techniques have been employed and these have been categorised into four main processes. 

In what I can only assume to be a process similar to concrete and its reaction with water, reaction solidification takes regolith particles and reacts them with other compounds. These will have to be transported to the Moon and, when mixed with regolith, will solidify. The process would create a solid material where regolith comprises 60% to 95% of the overall mixture. 

An alternative approach involves sintering or melting the regolith by subjecting it to high temperatures. The approach can create solid material composed of entirely regolith however, temperatures in excess of 1,000 degrees are required and this in itself will pose challenges and safety concerns on the lunar surface. 

Bonding solidification is a process that uses other particles to bond regolith together. Similar to the reaction solidification, the result is 65% to 95% regolith in the final product. It requires lower temperatures than melting making it a safer process and it takes less time than solidification. 

Finally a process known as confinement formation is an intriguing approach which uses a fabric to restrict and constrain the regolith, forming what are ultimately, bags of the stuff. This seems to be an advanced form of sand bag where the particles are not connected as they are in other processes, but still confined. 99% of the final product would be regolith and whilst it is a faster, lower temperature process, it may lack the strength of other techniques. 

Based on a series of articles that were recently made available to the public, NASA predicts it could build a base on the Moon by 2022, and for cheaper than expected. Credit: NASA

Finding the best approach requires consideration of cost, performance, safety, energy consumption, and resource requirements. To address the many components, the team identified the 8IMEM quantification method which includes 8 indicators. Working through the processes that have been identified, the team recommend confinement formation as the best, most cost effective and safest approach. 

The confinement formation, whilst the most cost effective and fastest method may not be suitable for all construction needs. It may be suitable for some laboratory needs for example but when it comes to living quarters may not be the best. The research will help to focus and inform future decisions on construction on the Moon. 

Source : Researchers quantify the ideal in situ construction method for lunar habitats

The post There are Four Ways to Build with Regolith on the Moon appeared first on Universe Today.

1 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) A new interactive exhibit at the NASA Glenn Visitor Center replicates the Fluids and Combustion Facility on the International Space Station, enabling users to see how microgravity experiments operate. Credit: NASA/Christopher Hartenstine 

The Ohio Museums Association (OMA) presented NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland with two OMA 2023 Visual Communications Awards during its annual meeting in Sandusky, Ohio, on April 14. NASA Glenn and contractor Impact Inc. received the Gold Award (Level 2) and the Best in Show Award for the updated “Science in Space: Interactive International Space Station Exhibit” at the NASA Glenn Visitor Center, located in Great Lakes Science Center.  

The exhibit replicates the Fluids and Combustion Facility (FCF) on the International Space Station, which houses two research facilities — the Combustion Integrated Rack, or CIR, and the Fluids Integrated Rack, or FIR. Both were developed at NASA Glenn with prime contractor ZIN Technologies and are operated remotely from Glenn’s ISS Payloads Operation Center. The FCF supports physical and biological experiments to advance technology development while bringing many benefits back to Earth.   

For more information about the exhibit, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/glenn/new-nasa-glenn-exhibit-spotlights-microgravity-research/.  

Explore More 1 min read NASA Participates in NCAA Women’s Championship Game  Article 8 hours ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Teams Up with Cleveland Monsters  Article 8 hours ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Joins Big Hoopla STEM Challenge Article 8 hours ago

1 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Women scientists, engineers, and leaders from NASA stand at center court inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland to hold a large American flag during the NCAA Women’s Championship Game opening ceremony.   Credit:  NASA/Jef Janis  

Just before tipoff at the live national broadcast of the NCAA Women’s Final Four Championship Game on April 7, 31 women scientists, engineers, and leaders from NASA stood at center court inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland to hold a large American flag during the opening ceremony.   

   

Women representing NASA carry a folded American flag off the court after the flag ceremony inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland. Credit:  NASA/Jef Janis  

The crowd cheered as  astronaut Jessica Watkins and professionals from NASA’s Glenn Research Center, NASA Headquarters, and other field centers opened the flag and waved it during the national anthem. Click here to see more images from this exciting outreach experience.  

NASA participants, along with astronaut Jessica Watkins, pose at center court inside Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in downtown Cleveland prior to the American flag opening ceremony.   Credit: NASA/Michael Ahn  Explore More 1 min read NASA Glenn Interactive Exhibit Earns Gold Article 8 hours ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Teams Up with Cleveland Monsters  Article 8 hours ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Joins Big Hoopla STEM Challenge Article 8 hours ago

1 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)

NASA’s Glenn Research Center joined the Cleveland Monsters to celebrate their total solar eclipse-themed game against the Rochester Americans at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland on March 30. NASA Glenn staff were on hand to discuss the total solar eclipse and NASA’s presence at Great Lakes Science Center’s Total Eclipse Fest 2024, April 6-8. NASA also provided a photobooth for guests to use, Eva the astronaut mascot made rounds, and Glenn showcased its Graphics and Visualization Lab through virtual reality glasses experiences and hands-on demos. The Monsters also showed a 2024 Eclipse Countdown Kickoff video during the game.  

 

NASA Glenn’s Gretchen Morales-Valle, front left, and Daniel Phan, back left, share information about the total solar eclipse and viewing safety during the Cleveland Monsters game at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. Credit: NASA/John Oldham Explore More 1 min read NASA Glenn Interactive Exhibit Earns Gold Article 8 hours ago 1 min read NASA Participates in NCAA Women’s Championship Game  Article 8 hours ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Joins Big Hoopla STEM Challenge Article 8 hours ago

1 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Sam Chamberlin, NASA Glenn Office of STEM Engagement, guides young guests in a hands-on activity demonstrating shape memory alloys during the Big Hoopla STEM Challenge. Credit: NASA/Catherine Graves 

NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland joined in the adventure of the Big Hoopla STEM Challenge held at the Dayton Convention Center on March 17. The free family event for kids (K-8) tied together the excitement of college basketball and the power of STEM education. NASA Glenn Deputy Center Director Dawn Schaible participated in the event, stressing NASA’s support for nurturing STEM education and careers.

NASA Glenn Research Center’s Deputy Center Director Dawn Schaible shares her excitement and support for STEM education during the Big Hoopla STEM Challenge. Credit: NASA/Scott Broemsen 

Glenn’s Office of STEM Engagement staff engaged over 200 students in hands-on STEM activities during the event. Students learned about the total solar eclipse, how to safely view the eclipse, and received eclipse glasses. They also participated in shape memory alloy demonstrations, experienced flight simulations using 360 Oculus goggles, and learned about solar energy by making ultraviolet bead bracelets.  

Explore More 1 min read NASA Glenn Interactive Exhibit Earns Gold Article 8 hours ago 1 min read NASA Participates in NCAA Women’s Championship Game  Article 8 hours ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Teams Up with Cleveland Monsters  Article 8 hours ago

1 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The NASA-sponsored Magnificat MagnifiBots team from Magnificat High School in Rocky River, Ohio, earned the Rookie All-Star Award. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis

NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland supported the 25th annual FIRST Robotics Buckeye Regional Competition, March 20 to 23, at Cleveland State University’s Wolstein Center.

The NASA-sponsored WorBots team from Thomas Worthington High School in Worthington, Ohio, and Worthington Kilbourne High School in Columbus, Ohio, received the Championship Qualifying Award and the Regional FIRST Impact Award. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis

Fifty-five teams of high school students competed in the robotics competition, which aims to inspire young people to be science and technology leaders and innovators by engaging them in mentor-based engineering.

The NASA-sponsored Argonauts team from Davis Aerospace and Maritime High School in Cleveland received the coveted Judges’ Award. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis

NASA Glenn employees offered their time and expertise as mentors or volunteers supporting FIRST Robotics teams leading up to the event as well as on competition day. Glenn-sponsored teams took home key awards, and Sierra Lobo’s NASA Machine Shop earned the Volunteer of the Year Award.  

The NASA-sponsored AstroCircuits team from John Marshall School of Information Technology in Cleveland ranked 14th out of 55 teams. Credit: NASA/Jef Janis Explore More 1 min read NASA Glenn Interactive Exhibit Earns Gold Article 8 hours ago 1 min read NASA Participates in NCAA Women’s Championship Game  Article 8 hours ago 1 min read NASA Glenn Teams Up with Cleveland Monsters  Article 8 hours ago