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Astrophotographer captures the Running Chicken Nebula in impeccable detail
Earth Had a Magnetosphere 3.7 Billion Years Ago
We go about our daily lives sheltered under an invisible magnetic field generated deep inside Earth. It forms the magnetosphere, a region dominated by the magnetic field. Without that planetary protection shield, we’d experience harmful cosmic radiation and charged particles from the Sun.
Has Earth always had this deflector shield? Probably so, and the evidence is in old rocks. A team of researchers at University of Oxford and MIT found the earliest evidence for its existence in stones found along the coast of Greenland in a region called the Isua Supercrustal Belt.
Geologists have long known that iron particles in rocks “entrain” a print of the magnetic field that was in place when they formed. So, the research team uncovered rocks that formed some 3.7 billion years ago. It’s not an easy task, according to team lead Claire Nichols of the Department of Earth Sciences at Oxford. “Extracting reliable records from rocks this old is extremely challenging,” Nichols pointed out. “It was really exciting to see primary magnetic signals begin to emerge when we analyzed these samples in the lab. This is a really important step forward as we try and determine the role of the ancient magnetic field when life on Earth was first emerging.”
This 3.7-billion-year-old rock from Greenland. Entrained magnetic field fingerprints help scientists determine that our magnetosphere and magnetic field existed when this rock formed. Courtesy: Claire Nichols.The team’s samples recorded a magnetic field strength of 15 microteslas at the time they formed. Today, Earth’s field strength is closer to 30 microteslas, so it’s obvious that our magnetic field and magnetosphere have been there for billions of years. It’s also clear that the field changes over time. The science team also found that early Earth’s magnetosphere was amazingly similar to the one it has today.
Tracking Earth’s Magnetosphere through TimeOur planet has a main dynamo at its heart. There are two cores—an inner one and an outer one. Motions in the core regions generate the magnetic field that defines our magnetosphere. Molten iron mixes and moves in the fluid outer core and the inner core solidifies. The two actions together create that dynamo. That’s what’s happening inside our planet today.
This cutaway of planet Earth shows the familiar exterior of air, water and land as well as the interior: from the mantle down to the outer and inner cores. Currents in hot, liquid iron-nickel in the outer core create our planet’s protective but fluctuating magnetic field and magnetosphere. Credit: Kelvinsong / WikipediaHowever, when Earth was first forming some 4.5 billion years ago, that solid inner core didn’t exist. Without the interaction we see today between the two parts of the core, it’s hard to know how any early magnetic field existed. That’s an open question among geologists and planetary scientists: how did it form and how was it sustained?
Another question relates to how much the planetary magnetic field has varied over time. Answering that one would help geologists understand just when the solid inner core formed. It would also show how much heat has escaped our planet from deep inside over time. Heat escape drives plate tectonics, which uses large “plates” of rock to shift things around on the surface over hundreds of millions of years.
What Do the Rocks Tell Us?Rocks have a long and complex history. They form as a molten mixture that solidifies, or in the case of sandstones, are laid down in layers that then harden. In the case of molten rocks, they have magnetic field fingerprints entrained at the time of formation. In measuring those fingerprints, geologists account for any heating that could “reset” the magnetic signatures over time. The Greenland rocks are relatively pristine, meaning they haven’t been significantly heated since they formed. That means their magnetic fingerprints haven’t changed since formation.
Lava cooling after an eruption. This rock has an entrained magnetic field fingerprint from the time it formed. Credit: kalapanaculturaltours.comRocks also get weathered by wind, temperature changes and erosion, but the Isuan samples seem to be relatively pristine, according to Benjamin Weiss of MIT. “Northern Isua has the oldest known well-preserved rocks on Earth,” Weiss said. “Not only have they not been significantly heated since 3.7 billion years ago but they have also been scraped clean by the Greenland ice sheet.”
Rocks Through TimeThe rocks the team studied date back to the Archean Eon—the second-oldest geologic eon in Earth’s history. That period began about 4 billion years ago, and during that time Earth was largely an ocean world with a limited amount of continental surface. Since then, Earth’s surface has changed a great deal, destroying or burying rocks from earlier times. So, finding rocks that date back that far in time is a big deal.
The Isuan rocks are relatively unchanged since they formed, and bear proof of a magnetic field existing less than a billion years after the planet formed. That same early magnetic field could have played a role in the development of our planet’s atmosphere, by assisting in removing xenon gas. Other old rocks may well tell scientists more about the birth of the magnetic field. There are rocks in Canada, Australia and South Africa that could give unique insight into the formation of the field and its role in making Earth habitable for life.
For More InformationResearchers Find Oldest Undisputed Evidence of Earth’s Magnetic Field
Possible Eoarchean Records of the Geomagnetic Field Preserved in the Isua Supracrustal Belt, Southern West Greenland
The post Earth Had a Magnetosphere 3.7 Billion Years Ago appeared first on Universe Today.
Johnson Celebrates New Opportunities for Space Industry in Texas
NASA’s Johnson Space Center was recently involved in two major announcements with important implications for the future of space exploration and the aerospace industry.
On Feb. 29, 2024, NASA announced that the American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation (ACMI) signed an agreement to become a tenant at Johnson’s 240-acre Exploration Park. ACMI will lease a portion of the underutilized land to develop a Space Systems Campus that enables commercial and defense space manufacturing. The campus will incorporate an applied research facility partnered with multiple stakeholders across academia, state and local government, the Department of Defense, and regional economic development organizations.
NASA signed a separate lease with the Texas A&M University System earlier this year. Both agreements represent key achievements for Johnson’s Dare | Unite | Explore, with commitments focused on maintaining the center’s position as the hub of human spaceflight, developing strategic partnerships, and paving the way for a thriving space economy.
American Center for Manufacturing and Innovation Founder and CEO John Burer shakes hands with NASA’s Johnson Space Center Director Vanessa Wyche at the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership’s aerospace advisory committee meeting on March 6, 2024. Photo Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz
Johnson Center Director Vanessa Wyche shared the news at the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership’s aerospace advisory committee meeting on March 6, emphasizing the agreement’s value to NASA, the State of Texas, and the nation. “At JSC, we have a vision to dare to expand frontiers and unite with our partners to explore for the benefit of all humanity. Today’s announcement is a significant component of bringing that vision to fruition,” she said. “The future of Texas’ legacy in aerospace is bright as Exploration Park will create an unparalleled aerospace, economic, business development, research and innovation region across the state.”
Texas’ role in space exploration and aerospace development was also highlighted during Governor Greg Abbott’s visit to Johnson on March 26. Abbott toured the Mission Control Center and spoke to native Texan and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara aboard the International Space Station before joining Wyche and other state leaders to announce the launch of the Texas Space Commission and the Texas Aerospace Research and Space Economy Consortium. Speaking to media in Johnson’s Space Vehicle Mockup Facility, Abbott said that these new entities will promote innovation in the fields of space exploration and commercial aerospace, including by identifying research and development opportunities.
“We are so excited for what the Texas Space Commission will bring to the state of Texas and the flourishing aerospace industry here,” said Wyche. “With continued investment in the region, the Texas economy will benefit significantly from the ancillary job creation and growth resulting from new aerospace companies in the state.”
Several former NASA employees were named to the Commission’s inaugural board of directors and the Consortium’s first executive committee. They include Kathy Lueders, John Shannon, Kirk Shireman, Matt Ondler, Robert Ambrose, Brian Freedman, and former astronauts Nancy Currie-Gregg and Jack “2fish” Fischer.
What Happens After a Supernova Blows? Watch and Find Out
New time-lapse videos from the Chandra X-ray Observatory show the Crab Nebula and the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant over more than 20 years.
The post What Happens After a Supernova Blows? Watch and Find Out appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
China unveils video of its moon base plans, which weirdly includes a NASA space shuttle
NASA’s Hubble Pauses Science Due to Gyro Issue
2 min read
NASA’s Hubble Pauses Science Due to Gyro Issue The Hubble Space Telescope as seen from the space shuttle Atlantis (STS-125) in May 2009, during the fifth and final servicing of the orbiting observatory. NASA
Updated April 30, 2024
Editor’s note: On April 30, 2024, NASA announced it restored the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope to science operations April 29. The spacecraft is in good health and once again operating using all three of its gyros. All of Hubble’s instruments are online, and the spacecraft has resumed taking science observations.
Published April 26, 2024
NASA is working to resume science operations of the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope after it entered safe mode April 23 due to an ongoing gyroscope (gyro) issue. Hubble’s instruments are stable, and the telescope is in good health.
The telescope automatically entered safe mode when one of its three gyroscopes gave faulty readings. The gyros measure the telescope’s turn rates and are part of the system that determines which direction the telescope is pointed. While in safe mode, science operations are suspended, and the telescope waits for new directions from the ground.
This particular gyro caused Hubble to enter safe mode in November after returning similar faulty readings. The team is currently working to identify potential solutions. If necessary, the spacecraft can be re-configured to operate with only one gyro, with the other remaining gyro placed in reserve . 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 fluctuations. Hubble uses three gyros to maximize efficiency, but could continue to make science observations with only one gyro if required.
NASA anticipates Hubble will continue making groundbreaking discoveries, working with other observatories, such as the agency’s James Webb Space Telescope, throughout this decade and possibly into the next.
Launched in 1990, Hubble has been observing the universe for more than three decades and recently celebrated its 34th anniversary. Read more about some of Hubble’s greatest scientific discoveries and visit nasa.gov/hubble for updates.
Media Contact:
Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
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Astronomers Think They’ve Found Examples of the First Stars in the Universe
When the first stars in the Universe formed, the only material available was primordial hydrogen and helium from the Big Bang. Astronomers call these original stars Population Three stars, and they were extremely massive, luminous, and hot stars. They’re gone now, and in fact, their existence is hypothetical.
But if they did exist, they should’ve left their fingerprints on nearby gas, and astrophysicists are looking for it.
The hunt for the Universe’s Population 3 (Pop III) stars is important in astrophysics. They were the first to form astronomical metals, elements heavier than hydrogen and helium. Only once these metals were available could rocky planets form. Their metals also fed into the next generation of stars, leading to the higher metallicity we observe in stars like our Sun.
Since Pop III stars were so massive and hot, they didn’t last long. None would have survived to this day. But the powerful JWST can expand the search for these crucial stars by looking back in time for their ancient light. That’s what the JWST-JADES (James Webb Space Telescope Advanced Deep Extragalactic Survey) is all about.
Researchers working with JADES data have found tantalizing evidence of Pop III stars in GN-z11, a high-redshift galaxy that’s one of the furthest galaxies from Earth ever observed. Their findings are in the paper “JWST-JADES. Possible Population III signatures at z=10.6 in the halo of GN-z11.” The lead author is Roberto Maiolino, a professor of Experimental Astrophysics at the Cavendish Laboratory (Department of Physics) and the Kavli Institute for Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. The research will be published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.
“Finding the first generation of stars formed out of pristine gas in the early Universe, known as Population III (Pop III) stars, is one of the most important goals of modern astrophysics,” Maiolino and his colleagues write in their paper. “Recent models have suggested that Pop III stars may form in pockets of pristine gas in the halo of more evolved galaxies.”
GN-z11 is one such galaxy. At a redshift of z = 10.6034, the JWST sees the galaxy as it existed about 13.4 billion years ago, corresponding to about 400 million years after the Big Bang.
Pop III stars were massive and could be as much as 1000 times more massive than the Sun. These massive stars would’ve been exceptionally hot, which can provide a clue to their presence. Astrophysicists think all that heat could’ve doubly ionized nearby helium. So they search for the expected signature of that helium: prominent HeII nebular lines called the HeII?1640 emission line. To indicate the presence of Pop III stars, the HeII lines need to be unaccompanied by any metal lines.
The JWST observed the galaxy with its NIRSpec-IFU (Integrated Field Unit) and found a tentative detection of HeII?1640.
This figure from the research shows the detection of doubly-ionized Helium at 1.903 µm. in the galaxy GN-z11. Image Credit: Maiolino et al. 2024.Detecting the doubly-ionized helium line was only the first step. Pop III stars aren’t the only objects that could’ve ionized the helium. To determine if the ancient stars were responsible, the researchers examined the galaxy and isolated several features.
Along with the HeII?1640, they also found Lyman-alpha emissions and CIII, or doubly-ionized carbon.
This figure from the research shows the detection of different emissions. The red star in the top images indicates the position of the continuum of GN-z11. The bottom row shows the lines mapped onto a JWST NIRCam image. The ‘fewer exposures’ on the top row indicates a lack of exposures in the upper portions of the panels due to a telescope-pointing error. Image Credit: Maiolino et al. 2024.In the images above, the researchers note several features that are clues to the source of the helium ionization.
The HeII emissions show a plume extending to the west of GN-z11. It could be tracing gas photoionized by the galaxy’s active galactic nucleus (AGN.) Since CIII is so weak there, it could indicate very low metallicity gas photoionized by the AGN.
The image also shows a clump of HeII to the northeast of GN-z11. The researchers call this clump the “most intriguing” feature found. They analyzed the clump in the image below.
This figure from the research shows the spectra of the HeII clump. The observed emissions (blue) line up with the expected emissions from a galaxy at redshift z=10.600. Image Credit: Maiolino et al. 2024.So what does this all add up to? Did the researchers find Pop III stars?
The spectral feature in the clump is strong evidence of photoionization by Pop III stars, according to the authors. “This wavelength corresponds to HeII?1640 at z=10.600, and it is fully consistent with the redshift of GN-z11,” they write. The same emission was detected over a larger area to the northeast, possibly with a second, fainter clump.
The authors say that the AGN could’ve photoionized the helium close to the galaxy’s center, but it can’t explain the HeII further away. Pop III stars are the best explanation, according to the authors.
Other evidence for Pop III stars comes from the emissions widths of the HeII lines. The high width suggests photoionization by metal poor Pop III stars rather than by Pop II stars with higher metallicity.
The extent of the ionization also indicates a certain mass for the Pop III stars, and the indicated mass agrees with simulations.
There’s another possibility: a direct collapse black hole (DCBH). “We also considered the alternative possibility of photoionization by a DCBH in the HeII clump,” the authors write. But the emission width should be lower in that scenario, although not by a lot. “Hence, this scenario remains another possible interpretation,” the authors write.
If future observations confirm the presence of Pop III stars in GN-z11, that’s a pretty big deal. But even if we have to wait for that confirmation, this research shows how powerful the JWST is again.
“These results have demonstrated the JWST’s capability to explore the primitive environment around galaxies in the early Universe, revealing fascinating properties,” the researchers conclude.
The post Astronomers Think They’ve Found Examples of the First Stars in the Universe appeared first on Universe Today.
NASA Grants Support Academic Collaborations for STEM Student Success
NASA has awarded $3.9 million to 13 teams at under-resourced academic institutions across the country, to support collaborative projects with NASA that offer students mentorship and career development in science, technology, engineering, and math.
This is the second round of seed funding awards given through the agency’s Science Mission Directorate (SMD) Bridge Program, which was established in 2022 to improve diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the science and engineering communities, as well as NASA’s workforce.
“We are thrilled to welcome 13 new teams into our community,” said Padi Boyd, director, SMD Bridge Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We look forward to nurturing these collaborations between faculty and NASA researchers, while supporting the development of the next generation of researchers.”
NASA’s SMD Bridge Program funds research projects at academic institutions – including Hispanic-serving institutions, historically Black colleges and universities, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-serving institutions, and primarily undergraduate institutions – that build or strengthen relationships with NASA. The projects offer hands-on training and mentorship for students that will help them transition into graduate schools, employment at NASA, or STEM careers.
In February, the program awarded a first round of seed funding to 11 teams. This second cohort of grant recipients includes 13 teams with projects connected to seven NASA centers. A third round of seed funding will be awarded this summer.
The following projects were selected as the second cohort to receive seed funding:
“Bubble Trapping and Ullage Formation in an Acoustic Field”
Principal investigator: Kevin Crosby, Carthage College
This project, a collaboration between Carthage College and NASA’s Johnson Space Flight Center in Houston, will offer undergraduate students hands-on activities and training related to microgravity fluids and liquid propellant transfer, as well as the opportunity to work with high-school and middle-school students at under-resourced schools.
“Expanding Heliophysics Scientific Discovery through HelioAnalytics”
Principal investigator: M. Chantale Damas, Queensborough Community College
This project continues a collaboration between Queensborough Community College of the City University of New York and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, to engage students in research that emphasizes the use of computer science, machine learning, and statistics to expand the discovery potential of Heliophysics data, models, and simulations.
“Enhancing Ice Cloud Retrieval Through Multitask Machine Learning”
Principal investigator: Leah Ding, American University
This collaboration between American University in Washington and NASA Goddard will develop machine learning techniques for analyzing satellite data to retrieve information about ice clouds, with interdisciplinary research and mentorship opportunities for students.
“Analysis of Abiotic/Primordial Peptides with Noncanonical Amino Acids”
Principal investigator: Jay Forsythe, College of Charleston
Student research and internship experiences through this project, a collaboration between the College of Charleston and NASA Goddard, will investigate how amino acid diversity affects chemical analysis, in support of research into the origins of life.
“Facilitating Undergraduate Research Through the Development of Novel Gravity Gradiometers”
Principal investigator: Charles Hoyle, Humboldt State University Sponsored Programs Foundation
This collaboration between Cal Poly Humboldt and NASA Goddard will support students with training, mentorship, and research in the development of novel gravity gradiometers for Earth science and fundamental physics investigations.
“Supporting Opportunities for Cooperative Climate Education and Research at
Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College (SOCCER @ FDLTCC)”
Principal investigator: Carl Lemke Oliver Sack, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities
This project will strengthen relationships between Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, local tribal agencies, NASA Goddard, and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, to support students with mentorship and training in snow research, including how to accurately observe snow throughout the season in various landscapes.
“Bridging NASA and Cal State LA Partnerships for Research Capacity Building in Remote Sensing”
Principal investigator: Jingjing Li, California State University, Los Angeles
California State University, Los Angeles, will collaborate with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California (JPL) in this project to strengthen research capacity and student mentorship and training opportunities in the field of remote sensing, including applications for pre- and post-wildfire analysis.
“Fusion of Lidar 3D Vegetation Structure Measurements and a Terrestrial Biosphere Model for Improved
Predictions of Current and Future Land Carbon Dynamics”
Principal investigator: Wenge Ni-Meister, Hunter College
This collaboration, a project between Hunter College of the City University of New York and NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York (GISS), will offer student training as it aims to link lidar remote sensing of vegetation with modeling to improve our understanding of Earth’s ecosystem change.
“Assessment and Development of Surface Coatings for Multifunctional Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs)”
Principal investigator: Josiah Owusu-Danquah, Cleveland State University
This multidisciplinary project with Cleveland State University and NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland will advance student research and education in the field of advanced materials, focusing on surface coating materials that satisfy requirements for space systems and structures.
“Student Construction and Deployment of Low Cost Sensor Network in Whittier, California”
Principal investigator: Peter Peterson, Whittier College
This project, a collaboration with Whittier College and NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, focuses on hands-on learning for students in the use of low-cost sensors and satellite-based measurements to study regional air pollution.
“High Density Capacitive Energy Storage Using Multi-Layered Polymer-2D Nanofillers Heterostructure for Space Application”
Principal investigator: Nihar Pradhan, Jackson State University
This collaborative project between Jackson State University and NASA JPL will offer undergraduate and high-school students research and training opportunities in the field of next-generation polymer-nanocomposites for energy storage.
“Astrobiology Scholars Program Immersive Research Experience (ASPIRE)”
Principal investigator: Andro Rios, San Jose State University Research Foundation
This project, a collaboration between Skyline College, San Jose State University, and NASA Ames, will give students an opportunity to conduct research that contributes to two pillars of astrobiology: origins of life and exobiology.
“Fire & Air: Burning Issues in the Central Valley: Unraveling Fire’s Influence on Air Quality, Fuel Mapping, and Carbon Dynamics”
Principal investigator: Wing To, California State University, Stanislaus
This collaboration between California State University, Stanislaus, and NASA Ames will offer a multi-tiered mentorship and research program for students, as well as a year-long undergraduate program, to study ground-based air quality and wildfire fuel mapping.
Learn more about the SMD Bridge Program at:
https://science.nasa.gov/researchers/smd-bridge-program/
-end-
Alise Fisher
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-2546
alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov
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NASA’s Commitment to Safety Starts with its Culture
5 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Brad Flick, center director at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, amplifies the center’s safety commitment during Safety Day on April 2, 2024, at NASA Armstrong.NASA/Steve Freeman
NASA works on projects that often have never been done, or perhaps the way they are being done has never been tried. Living on the edge of innovation requires a high degree of risk. After organizational silence led to the loss of space shuttle Challenger and its crew in 1986, NASA vowed to change the culture and make safety its priority.
Allowing unimaginable levels of innovation requires a balance with limiting risk that is inherent in exploring the unknown on Earth and beyond. NASA centers promote a culture of safety through a steady drumbeat of messages, trainings, and mechanisms to report unsafe conditions. In a recent demonstration of this culture, NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, hosted a Safety Day on April 4 that featured speakers highlighting NASA safety culture and the need to be vigilant about safety not only at work, but at home.
Kicking off the event was Brad Flick, NASA Armstrong center director. “Safety is our number one core value, and these events exemplify that.” Flick said. “We’re in a job that has risk. The hardest part is balancing the work with the responsibility to all of us and the public to do it safety.”
Organizational culture and climate are key factors in a safe work environment. That’s why NASA Safety Culture seeks to create an environment where everyone works safely, feels comfortable communicating safety issues, feels confident balancing challenges and risks while keeping safety in the forefront, and trusts safety is a priority across the agency.
“Culture is the way work gets done,” said Bob Conway, NASA Safety Center deputy director at the safety event. “Everyone is a leader. No accident occurs in the moment. It is the result of a series of events that may be years in the making.”
Bob Conway, NASA Safety Center deputy director, explains key factors in a safe work environment include organizational culture and climate. He presented during Safety Day on April 4, 2024, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.NASA/Steve Freeman
Maintaining the culture requires more than just trainings throughout the year. NASA employees are routinely encouraged to report any of their concerns, positive safety behavior is rewarded and often awarded, and they have flexibility in responding to the unexpected. NASA considers this focus on safety part of its DNA.
Conway also recalled the X-31 experimental aircraft that flew at NASA Armstrong in the 1990s. The usual probe that measures key flight data like airspeed, altitude, and outside temperature, was changed to a probe without a heater that would have prevented icing. The change was not communicated well and the result on an unusually cold morning was the sensor froze, causing the flight computers to receive incorrect data. The aircraft became uncontrollable, the pilot was injured while ejecting, and the aircraft was lost.
“It is natural to rationalize shortcuts, engage in group think or be silenced by it, or to choose defensive silence,” Conway said. “We need to reverse that thought process by thinking what the risk is of not speaking up.”
Conway emphasized the need to be present, invite dialogue, encourage group members to think critically and speak up, discuss ideas outside the group, and have a team member play devil’s advocate to identify items others may overlook.
Also important in developing a solid safety environment is managing heavy workloads and recognizing when stress is on the rise. “Several projects had safety standdowns to talk about safety,” said Peggy Hayes, acting NASA Armstrong Safety and Mission Assurance director. “I think we do that well.”
This fiscal year, NASA Armstrong has zero lost-time accidents, or those accidents that require people to miss work. “People feel free to come to us, or call the Safety office,” Hayes said. “I think because we are a small center, where people routinely see leadership, it helps them bring their concerns forward.”
Another element of safety is what happens outside of work. Timothy Risch, a NASA Armstrong technical manager, cautioned people should prepare for and be ready to survive a serious accident. While walking to a store to return a movie, Risch heard a loud bang and saw a car crash into a light pole nearby. The 1,100-pound pole fell on his shoulder, hit his knee, shattered his fibula, ankle, and three bones in his foot. He had a 4-inch cut and a compound fracture.
Timothy Risch, a technical manager at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, cautions people should prepare for and be ready to survive a serious accident. He presented during Safety Day on April 4, 2024, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California.NASA/Steve Freeman
“Prepare mentally and emotionally that you may need help if you are hurt,” he said. “I carried an identification card with me that had my key information on it such as my address, medical conditions, and medications. I had it with my license.”
Safety Day also included Elissa Dawson, NASA Armstrong emergency management specialist, who highlighted emergency response at the center, and Taylor Dirks, a wellness nurse for Blue Cross, Blue Shield California Federal Employee program, who focused on mental health and how resilience provides tools to manage everyday life challenges.
NASA’s dedication to a safety culture was born out of tragedy and the agency has send decades focusing its intensions to ensure employees can push the boundaries of what’s possible without sacrificing their safety. That model doesn’t have to be unique to NASA, it’s a culture that all businesses and industries can benefit from.
Elissa Dawson, an emergency management specialist at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, highlights emergency response at the center. She presented during 4 Safety Day on April 4, 2024, at NASA Armstrong.NASA/Genaro Vavuris Share Details Last Updated Apr 29, 2024 EditorDede DiniusContactJay Levinejay.levine-1@nasa.govLocationArmstrong Flight Research Center Related Terms Explore More 6 min read Innovation that Impacts All NASA Missions: Improving How We Engineer Our Systems Article 1 day ago 4 min read Identification of Noise Sources During Launch Using Phased Array Microphone Systems Article 4 days ago 3 min read Trajectory Reverse Engineering Article 4 days ago Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA
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NASA/JAXA’s XRISM Mission Captures Unmatched Data With Just 36 Pixels
3 min read
NASA/JAXA’s XRISM Mission Captures Unmatched Data With Just 36 PixelsAt a time when phone cameras are capable of taking snapshots with millions of pixels, an instrument on the Japan-led XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission) satellite captures revolutionary science with just 36 of them.
“That may sound impossible, but it’s actually true,” said Richard Kelley, the U.S. principal investigator for XRISM at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “The Resolve instrument gives us a deeper look at the makeup and motion of X-ray-emitting objects using technology invented and refined at Goddard over the past several decades.”
XRISM (pronounced “crism”) is led by JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) in collaboration with NASA, along with contributions from ESA (European Space Agency). It launched into orbit last September and has been scrutinizing the cosmos ever since. The mission detects “soft” X-rays, which have energies up to 5,000 times greater than visible light. It will probe the universe’s hottest regions, largest structures, and objects with the strongest gravity, like supermassive black holes in the cores of distant galaxies.
XRISM accomplishes this with an instrument named Resolve.
The square structure at the center of this image shows the 6-by-6-pixel microcalorimeter array at the heart of Resolve, an instrument on XRISM (X-ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission). The array measures 0.2 inches (5 millimeters) on a side. The device produces a spectrum of X-ray sources between 400 and 12,000 electron volts — up to 5,000 times the energy of visible light — with unprecedented detail. NASA/XRISM/Caroline Kilbourne
“Resolve is more than a camera. Its detector takes the temperature of each X-ray that strikes it,” said Brian Williams, NASA’s XRISM project scientist at Goddard. “We call Resolve a microcalorimeter spectrometer because each of its 36 pixels is measuring tiny amounts of heat delivered by each incoming X-ray, allowing us to see the chemical fingerprints of elements making up the sources in unprecedented detail.”
In order to accomplish this, the entire detector must be chilled to 459.58 degrees below zero Fahrenheit (minus 273.1 degrees Celsius), just a whisker above absolute zero.
The instrument is so precise it can detect the motions of elements within a target, effectively providing a 3D view. Gas moving toward us glows at slightly higher energies than normal, while gas moving away from us emits slightly lower energies. This will, for example, allow scientists to better understand the flow of hot gas within clusters of galaxies and to track the movement of different elements in the debris of supernova explosions.
Resolve is taking astronomers into a new era of cosmic exploration — and with only three-dozen pixels.
XRISM is a collaborative mission between JAXA and NASA, with contributions from over 70 institutions in Japan, the U.S., Canada, and Europe. NASA Goddard developed the Resolve detector and many of the instrument subsystems, together with the two X-ray Mirror Assemblies. Goddard is also responsible for the Science Data Center, which developed analysis software and the data processing pipeline, as well as support for the XRISM General Observer Program.
Download high-resolution video and images from NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio
By Francis Reddy
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
Media Contact:
Claire Andreoli
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