"Man will never reach the moon regardless of all future scientific advances."

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City moths may have evolved smaller wings due to light pollution

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 8:01pm
Populations of moths living in urban places may have evolved smaller wings to limit how much bright city lights disrupt their lives
Categories: Astronomy

City moths may have evolved smaller wings due to light pollution

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 8:01pm
Populations of moths living in urban places may have evolved smaller wings to limit how much bright city lights disrupt their lives
Categories: Astronomy

Giant sequoia trees are growing surprisingly quickly in the UK

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 8:01pm
Since their introduction in the 1800s, giant sequoia trees in the UK have grown up to 55 metres tall and capture 85 kilograms of carbon a year on average
Categories: Astronomy

Giant sequoia trees are growing surprisingly quickly in the UK

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 8:01pm
Since their introduction in the 1800s, giant sequoia trees in the UK have grown up to 55 metres tall and capture 85 kilograms of carbon a year on average
Categories: Astronomy

Astronomers Propose a 50-Meter Submillimeter Telescope

Universe Today - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 5:17pm

Some parts of the Universe only reveal important details when observed in radio waves. That explains why we have ALMA, the Atacama Large Millimetre-submillimetre Array, a collection of 7-meter and 12-meter radio telescopes that work together as an interferometer. But, ALMA-type arrays have their limitations, and astronomers know what they need to overcome those limitations.

They need a radio telescope that’s just one single, massive dish.

Many astronomical objects emit radio waves. From massive galaxies to individual molecules, radio waves and the observatories that sense them provide insights into these objects in ways that other observatories can’t. But there’s a problem. In order to do radio astronomy with a usable signal-to-noise ratio, astronomers need huge antennae or dishes. That’s why ALMA exists. It’s a collection of dishes working together via interferometry to create a much larger dish.

But as powerful as ALMA is, and as much as it continues to make a huge contribution to astronomy, it has its limitations.

That’s why some in the astronomical community are calling for a new radiotelescope with one single large dish. It’s called AtLAST, for the Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope, and the idea has been fermenting for a few years. Now, a new paper is fine-tuning the idea.

The paper is “Design of the 50-meter Atacama Large Aperture Submm Telescope,” and it’s currently in pre-print. The lead author is Tony Mroczkowski, an astronomer and submillimetre instrument specialist at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), one of the organizations behind ALMA.

“Submillimetre and millimetre wavelengths can reveal a vast range of objects and phenomena that are either too cold, too distant, or too hot and energetic to be measured at visible wavelengths,” the paper states. They point out that the astronomical community has “highlighted the need for a large, high-throughput sub-mm single dish” radio observatory that can advance radio astronomy.

“The Atacama Large Aperture Submillimeter Telescope (AtLAST), with its 50-m aperture and 2o maximal field of view, aims to be such a facility,” they explain.

Their paper presents the full design concept for AtLAST.

This is the CAD drawing of AtLAST. Note the truck shown for scale. The telescope’s innovative rocking chair design drives its functionality. Image Credit: Mroczkowski et al. 2024, AtLAST.

AtLAST’s large 50-meter aperture is its critical feature. Smaller apertures, even when combined together in an interferometer like ALMA, can only see more extreme features due to noise. That’s why two or more smaller dishes can’t replace a single large one.

There are some large-aperture radio antennae, like the Japanese Nobeyama 45 m telescope and the IRAM 30 m telescope. But due to their designs they can’t observe as well as AtLAST will. AtLAST will be able to see closer to the spectral energy distribution (SED) peak of galaxies and will be able to observe far infrared (FIR) emission lines in the interstellar medium and in high-redshift galaxies. ALMA can observe these SEDs and FIRs, but not as well as AtLAST will.

Existing large dishes also have smaller fields of view (FOV.) But AtLAST’s design was driven by the need for a larger FOV of 2 degrees. This will give AtLAST a much higher mapping speed for science cases that need large fields of several hundred degrees square.

AtLAST’s overarching scientific goal is multifaceted. The telescope will perform the most complete, deepest, and highest-resolution survey of the Milky Way. This includes gas clouds, protoplanetary disks, protostars, and dust. AtLAST will even survey some parts of the Local Group of Galaxies. The radio telescope will even be able to detect complex organic molecules, the precursors to life.

The gas and dust in the Universe is of particular interest to AtLAST. Much of the gas and dust in the Universe is cold and dense. The interstellar medium (ISM) consists of clouds of gas and dust that have unique spectral signatures in the sub-millimetre range. ALMA has given us some of our best looks at these structures with high-resolution images of some of the fine details of the ISM. But single-dish antennae have given astronomers glimpses of other discoveries waiting to be made. That’s one of the reasons the international astronomy community is so enthusiastic about AtLAST.

AtLAST will also be able to take a census of star-forming galaxies at high redshifts. It’ll also map out the reionization of the Universe and track the Universe’s dust, gas, and metallicity across cosmic time.

AtLAST will dig into the deeper, fundamental aspects of galaxies by examining the circumgalactic medium (CGM). The CGM is cold gas and dust that exists in galactic haloes and shapes the evolution of galaxies. This material is invisible at other wavelengths.

This graphic shows some of the details of the CGM, though much of it is uncertain. At the very center are the galaxy’s red central bulge and blue gaseous disk. Gaseous outflows emerge in pink and orange, and some is recycled back into the galaxy. The diffuse gas is shown in mixed tones to reflect its multiple sources. The accreting gas is moving directly into the galaxy. Image Credit: Tumlinson J. et al. 2017.

The radio telescope’s single-dish design has some advantages over ALMA that are separate from its dish size and its field of view. As a single-dish antenna, AtLAST will be able to switch targets quickly and even track moving targets. It’ll employ several different scanning modes, as well as tracking modes that allow the telescope to track comets, asteroids, and near-Earth objects. Its innovative rocking chair design is behind some of AtLAST’s performance, a design it shares with extremely large optical telescopes like the ELT.

This cutaway view shows some of AtLAST’s details. Note the green human-sized figures for scale. Image Credit: Mroczkowski et al. 2024, AtLAST.

AtLAST will be designed to last many decades. It’ll have six instrument bays and will allow rapid switching between instruments. With a nod to our changing climate, AtLAST will be powered by renewable energy.

But what it’s really all about is science.

“The design presented here is expected to meet all of the specifications set for AtLAST to achieve its broad scientific goals,” the paper states. The details of the design allow it to meet the stringent requirements needed to reach its goals. “Namely, these are the large field of view, the high surface
accuracy, fast scanning and acceleration, and the need to deliver a sustainable, upgradeable facility that will serve a new generation of astronomers and remain relevant for the next several decades.”

It’s a complex project, as are all astronomical observatories. But as technology advances, so does the complexity. There’s a lot of work yet to be done and quite a bit of time before construction can even begin.

“Despite the amount of work that remains to be done, AtLAST is on track to potentially begin construction, if fully funded, later this decade,” the authors conclude.

The post Astronomers Propose a 50-Meter Submillimeter Telescope appeared first on Universe Today.

Categories: Astronomy

Why does the US want to ban TikTok?

New Scientist Space - Cosmology - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 5:15pm
The US House of Representatives is voting on a bill that would require TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or risk a nationwide ban
Categories: Astronomy

Why does the US want to ban TikTok?

New Scientist Space - Space Headlines - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 5:15pm
The US House of Representatives is voting on a bill that would require TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or risk a nationwide ban
Categories: Astronomy

Water-themed plaque to fly on Europa Clipper to Jupiter's icy ocean moon

Space.com - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 5:00pm
NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, which is dedicated to studying Jupiter's icy ocean moon, will carry with it a metal plaque etched with the ripples created by the many ways humans say "water."
Categories: Astronomy

NASA Expanding Lunar Exploration with Upgraded SLS Mega Rocket Design

NASA - Breaking News - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 4:52pm
A final round of certification testing for production of new RS-25 engines to power the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, beginning with Artemis V, is underway at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.  Block 1B will also be built to house new-production RS-25 core stage engines that will operate routinely at 111% of their rated power versus the Block 1 RS-25 engines that operate at 109%, providing almost 2,000 more pounds of payload to the Moon.NASA

By: Martin Burkey

As NASA prepares for its first crewed Artemis missions, the agency is making preparations to build, test, and assemble the next evolution of its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket. The larger and power powerful version of SLS, known as Block 1B, can send a crew and large pieces of hardware to the Moon in a single launch and is set to debut for the Artemis IV mission.

“From the beginning, NASA’s Space Launch System was designed to evolve into more powerful crew and cargo configurations to provide a flexible platform as we seek to explore more of our solar system,” said John Honeycutt, SLS Program manager. “Each of the evolutionary changes made to the SLS engines, boosters, and upper stage of the SLS rocket are built on the successes of the Block 1 design that flew first with Artemis I in November 2022 and will, again, for the first crewed missions for Artemis II and III.”

Early manufacturing is already underway at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, while preparations for the green run test series for its upgraded upper stage are in progress at nearby Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

New Upgrades for Bolder Missions

While using the same basic core stage and solid rocket booster design, and related components as the Block 1, Block 1B features two big evolutionary changes that will make NASA’s workhorse rocket even more capable for future missions to the Moon and beyond. A more powerful second stage and an adapter for large cargos will expand the possibilities for future Artemis missions.

“The Space Launch System Block 1B rocket will be the primary transportation for astronauts to the Moon for years to come,” said James Burnum, deputy manager of the NASA Block 1B Development Office. “We are building on the SLS Block 1 design, testing, and flight experience to develop safe, reliable transportation that will send bigger and heavier hardware to the Moon in a single launch than existing rockets.”

The in-space stage used to send the first three Artemis missions to the Moon, called the interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS), uses a single engine and will be replaced by a larger, more powerful four-engine stage called the exploration upper stage (EUS). A different battery is among the many changes that will allow EUS to support the first eight hours of the mission following launch compared to the current ICPS two hours. All new hardware and software will be designed and tested to meet the different performance and environmental requirements.

The other configuration change is a universal stage adapter that connects the rocket to the Orion spacecraft. It also offers more than 10,000 cubic feet (286 cubic meters) of space to carry large components, such as modules for NASA’s future Gateway outpost that will be in lunar orbit to support crew between surface missions and unique opportunities for science at the Moon.

: Technicians at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans on Feb. 22 prepare elements that will form part of the midbody for the exploration upper stage. The midbody struts, or V-struts, will create the cage-like outer structure of the midbody that will connect the upper stage’s large liquid hydrogen tank to the smaller liquid oxygen tank. Manufacturing flight and test hardware for the future upper stage is a collaborative effort between NASA and Boeing, the lead contractor for EUS and the SLS core stage.

Together, those upgrades will increase the payload capability for SLS from 59,000 pounds (27 metric tons) to approximately 84,000 pounds (38 metric tons). The four RL10 engines that will be used during the exploration upper stage green run test series at Stennis are complete, and work on the Artemis IV core stage is in progress at nearby Michoud.

More Opportunities

The evolved design also gives astronaut explorers more launch opportunities on a path to intercept the Moon. With four times the engines and almost four times the propellant and thrust of ICPS, the EUS also enables two daily launch opportunities compared to Block 1’s more limited lunar launch availability.

Among other capabilities, both astronauts and ground teams will be able to communicate with the in-space stage and safely control it while using Orion’s docking system to extract compenents destined for Gateway from the stage adapter.

NASA is working to land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon and commercial human landing systems, next-generation spacesuits, and rovers on the lunar surface. SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts, and supplies to the Moon in a single launch.

News Media Contact

Corinne Beckinger
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala.
256.544.0034
corinne.m.beckinger@nasa.gov

Categories: NASA

SpaceX stacks Starship ahead of 3rd test flight (photos)

Space.com - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 4:32pm
SpaceX has stacked Starship ahead of the megarocket's highly anticipated third test flight, which could take place as soon as Thursday (March 14).
Categories: Astronomy

A rare nova ignites a 'new star' in the sky this year. Here's how to see it

Space.com - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 4:00pm
A nova named T Coronae Borealis is expected to decorate the night sky between February and September 2024 for the first time in 80 years. Here's how you can see the event.
Categories: Astronomy

Russia and China announce plan to build shared nuclear reactor on the moon by 2035, 'without humans'

Space.com - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 3:00pm
The proposed nuclear reactor, which could be transported and assembled without human assistance, would provide energy to a lunar base that Russia and China have agreed to build together.
Categories: Astronomy

Icy Impactor Might Explain the Formation of Mars’s Moons

Sky & Telescope Magazine - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 2:51pm

In a new study, scientists suggest an impact with a giant icy object could explain the formation of Mars's moons, Phobos and Deimos.

The post Icy Impactor Might Explain the Formation of Mars’s Moons appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Categories: Astronomy

Tech Today: Suspended Solar Panels See the Light

NASA - Breaking News - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 2:05pm

2 min read

Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) The Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System is an example of a concentrated solar power plant, which works by having hundreds of reflective panels heating up a central tower. The problem of keeping sunlight directed at the receiver throughout the day brought Jim Clair to request NASA’s help in validating the suspended design now used in Skysun solar power systems.Credit: Cliff Ho/U.S. Department of Energy

In the 80 years since the shocking collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington, engineers have designed suspended structures to minimize their universal weakness: resonance. If not designed to deal with oscillations caused by forces like wind, the frequency of these forces would cause tensions to build and inevitably break the structure.

When Jim Clair examined how to focus mirrors at a concentrated solar energy power plant, he thought about suspending the mirrors on cables but remembered the images of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge shaking itself apart. To determine how well these suspended solar panels would hold up to potentially destructive oscillations, Clair, and his company Skysun LLC in Cleveland, Ohio, sought the help of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in 2016 to verify his design was safe from dangerous resonance.

The Skysun Solar Pollinator is designed to be suspended above plants that thrive in partial shade, and it can generate up to two kilowatts of power. The suspended design was validated by Glenn Research Center dynamicists under the Adopt-A-City program. Credit: Skysun LLC

Trevor Jones, a dynamicist at Glenn, went to nearby Lorain County Community College to work with a prototype of the system. Jones induced vibrations in the cables with hammers and took measurements of the resulting oscillations. Based on this data, Jones designed a program that could accurately model the design’s tensile strength against wind-induced oscillations at any scale. With the dimensions plugged in, the program did the math and proved that Clair’s idea would work without shaking apart.

Today, Skysun builds various suspended solar energy generation systems, ranging from the hammock-like Skysun Solar Pollinator to full-sized solar pergolas that provide both electricity and shade.

Read More Share Details Last Updated Mar 12, 2024 Related Terms Explore More 5 min read NASA’s Network of Small Moon-Bound Rovers Is Ready to Roll Article 6 days ago 2 min read Back on Earth: NASA’s Orion Capsule Put to the Test Before Crewed Mission Article 7 days ago 2 min read Tech Today: Semiconductor Research Leads to Revolution in Dental Care  Article 1 week ago Keep Exploring Discover Related Topics

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Categories: NASA

NASA Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara Read First Woman

NASA Image of the Day - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 2:03pm
Expedition 70 Flight Engineers (from left) Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O'Hara, both NASA astronauts, are pictured inside the International Space Station's cupola holding NASA's first graphic novel, "First Woman."
Categories: Astronomy, NASA

Mars attracts: How the Red Planet influences Earth's climate and seas

Space.com - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 2:01pm
Scientists have discovered a surprising 2.4-million-year-cycle in deep-sea sediments that indicates Mars has an influence on Earth's oceans and climate.
Categories: Astronomy

Communications Services Project

NASA - Breaking News - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 1:59pm
Overview

NASA’s Communications Services Project, known as CSP, is pioneering a new era of space communications by partnering with industry to provide commercial space relay communications services for NASA missions near Earth. CSP’s goal is to validate and deliver these commercial communication services to the Near Space Network by 2030. To meet this goal, CSP provided $278.5 million in funding to six domestic partners to develop and demonstrate space relay communication capabilities.

CSP aims to deliver innovative capabilities to meet NASA mission needs, while simultaneously supporting the growing commercial space communications market in the United States. CSP intends for future commercial space relay communication services to also support other government agencies and commercial space flight companies, further bolstering the domestic space industry.

Capability Development and Demos

CSP’s Capability Development and Demonstration (CDD) sub-project is responsible for ensuring commercial space relay capabilities will be available to support NASA missions and ready for validation in 2028. The CDD sub-project also conducts insight into industry activities, primarily through partnership agreements such as the Funded Space Act Agreements (FSAAs) CSP established with six industry partners.

To contact the CSP Capability Development and Demonstrations team, email the Capability Development and Demonstration Sub-Project Manager, Dave Chelmins, dchelmins@nasa.gov.

Mission Support

CSP’s Mission Support (MS) sub-project supports NASA missions as they prepare to make the transition to commercial space relay communication services. The MS sub-project leads CSP’s Commercial Services User Group and conducts simulations to help mission better understand the benefits and impacts of transitioning to commercial communication services. In addition, the MS sub-project facilitates demonstrations between early-adopter NASA missions and commercial service providers.

To contact the CSP Mission Support team, email Mission Support Sub-Project Manager, Ryan Richards, ryan.m.richards@nasa.gov.

Service Infusion

CSP is developing a set of service requirements that commercial providers must meet before they can provide operational services to NASA missions. The CSP Service Infusion (SI) sub-project is responsible for developing, and coordinating, these service requirements with key stakeholders including the mission community, the Near Space Network, and NASA’s mission directorate leadership. The CSP SI sub-project is also responsible for validating commercial services and transitioning these services to the NSN for operational use.

To contact the CSP Service Infusion team, contact Service Infusion Sub-Project Manager, Jennifer Rock, jennifer.l.rock@nasa.gov.

Near Earth Operations Testbed

CSP’s Near Earth Operations Testbed (NEO-T) sub-project develops advanced hardware-in-the-loop emulation capabilities that allow NASA missions interact with commercial space relay communication services from the comfort of the laboratory. NEO-T will allow direct connections between mission hardware and actual commercial provider systems, and supports missions from planning through system integration phases, and beyond.

To contact the CSP Near Earth Operations Testbed team, email the NEO-Testbed Sub-Project Manager, Nang Pham, nang.t.pham@nasa.gov.

FSAA Partners

NASA’s Communications Services Project has six Funded Space Act Agreements (FSAA) with industry partners to develop and demonstrate commercial space relay communication services.

Inmarsat Government Inc.

Inmarsat Government will demonstrate a variety of space-based applications enabled by their established ELERA worldwide L-band network and ELERA satellites.

Kuiper Government Solutions LLC

Kuiper will deploy over 3,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit that link to small customer terminals on one end and a global network of hundreds of ground gateways on the other.

SES Government Solutions

SES will develop a real-time, high-availability connectivity solution enabled by their established geostationary and medium-Earth orbit satellite constellations.

Space Exploration Technologies

SpaceX plans to connect their established Starlink constellation and extensive ground system to user spacecraft through optical intersatellite links for customers in low-Earth orbit.

Telesat U.S. Services LLC

Telesat plans to leverage their Telesat Lightspeed network with optical intersatellite link technology to provide seamless end-to-end connectivity for low-Earth orbit missions.

Viasat Incorporated

Viasat’s Real-Time Space Relay service, enabled by the anticipated ViaSat-3 network, is designed to offer a persistent on-demand capability for low-Earth orbit operators.

Contact Us

CSP is managed by NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, under the direction of NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program. SCaN serves as the program office for all of NASA’s space communications activities, presently enabling the success of more than 100 NASA and non-NASA missions.

To contact NASA’s Communications Services Project, email the CSP Manager, Dr. Peter Schemmel, peter.j.schemmel@nasa.gov.

To contact the Space Communications and Navigation program, email scan@nasa.gov.

Categories: NASA

NASA Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara Read “First Woman”

NASA - Breaking News - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 1:57pm
NASA/Loral O’Hara

In this image from Jan. 12, 2024, NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli (left) and Loral O’Hara pose with a copy of “First Woman”, NASA’s first graphic novel, inside the International Space Station’s cupola. The interactive graphic novel chronicles the adventures of fictional astronaut Callie Rodriguez, the first woman to explore the Moon. Through Callie’s journey, “First Woman” features real-life technologies developed by NASA to enable future missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Moghbeli and O’Hara were interviewed by the graphic novel’s writers, and their experiences helped develop Callie’s character.

O’Hara, a former Girl Scout, launched to the space station on Sept. 15, 2023, for a six-month stay. She and her fellow Expedition 70 crew members study an array of microgravity phenomena to benefit humans living on and off the Earth. Moghbeli launched to the International Space Station as Commander of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-7 mission on Aug. 26, 2023. She returned to Earth with the rest of Crew-7 on March 12, 2024.

Download, read, and interact with issues 1 and 2 of “First Woman.”

Image Credit: NASA/Loral O’Hara

Categories: NASA

NASA’s Europa Clipper Solar Arrays Successfully Deploy at Kennedy Space Center 

NASA - Breaking News - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 1:53pm
Technicians working inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida unfolded and fully extended the first of two five-panel solar arrays built for NASA’s Europa Clipper in preparation for inspection and cleaning as part of assembly, test, and launch operations.

On March 6, technicians working inside the Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida unfolded and fully extended the first of two five-panel solar arrays for the agency’s Europa Clipper spacecraft. Each solar array measures 46.5 feet in length. For the operation, the team suspended the solar array on a gravity offload support system that helps support the weight of the solar array while it’s here on Earth. Up next, technicians will begin inspecting and cleaning as part of assembly, test, and launch operations. Planned to arrive at Jupiter in April 2030, the mission will study Jupiter’s moon Europa, which shows strong evidence beneath its icy crust of a global ocean over twice the volume of all Earth’s oceans. The spacecraft will ship to Florida later this year from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab in Southern California in preparation for launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39A. 

Photo credit: NASA/Ben Smegelsky

Categories: NASA

You could win a chance to watch 2024's total solar eclipse from a jet. Here's how

Space.com - Tue, 03/12/2024 - 1:26pm
Public charter jet service JSX has opened up a sweepstakes for its total solar eclipse flight in Dallas, Texas. There will be 6 winners, and each winner can bring a guest.
Categories: Astronomy