Orbiter.ch Space News

mercredi 14 novembre 2018

Dual Cargo Missions Set for Friday Launch and Sunday Delivery

ISS - Expedition 57 Mission patch.

November 14, 2018

Dismal weather on Virginia’s Atlantic coast has pushed back the launch of a U.S. cargo craft to the International Space Station one day to Friday. Russia’s resupply ship is still on track for its launch to the orbital lab from Kazakhstan less than nine hours later on the same day.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA

Mission managers from NASA and Northrop Grumman are now targeting the Cygnus space freighter’s launch on Friday at 4:23 a.m. EST from Pad-0A at Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Cygnus sits atop an Antares rocket packed with approximately 7,400 pounds of crew supplies, science experiments, spacesuit gear, station hardware and computer resources.

Cygnus will separate from the Antares rocket when it reaches orbit nine minutes after launch and begin a two-day journey to the station’s Unity module. Its cymbal-shaped UltraFlex solar arrays will then unfurl to power the vehicle during its flight. Expedition 57 astronauts Alexander Gerst and Serena Auñón-Chancellor will be in the cupola to greet Cygnus Sunday and capture the private cargo carrier with the Canadarm2 robotic arm at 4:35 a.m.

Image above: Two rockets stand at their launch pads on opposite sides of the world. Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket (left) with its Cygnus cargo craft on top stands at its launch pad in Virginia. Russia’s Progress 71 rocket is pictured at its launch pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. Image Credit: NASA.

Russia rolled out its Progress 71 (71P) resupply ship today at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan where it stands at the launch pad for final processing. The 71st flight of a Progress cargo craft to the orbital laboratory is scheduled for launch Friday at 1:14 p.m. Cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev will be monitoring the arrival of 71P when it automatically docks to the rear port of the Zvezda service module Sunday at 2:30 p.m.

Image above: Northop Grumman's Antares Rocket on the Pad. Awash in floodlights, the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus spacecraft onboard, is seen on Pad-0A, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. This will be Northrop Grumman's 10th contracted cargo resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station. Cygnus will deliver about 7,500 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Photo Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky.

Gerst and Prokopyev started Wednesday morning training for the arrival of 71P. The pair practiced commanding and manually docking the vehicle on a computer in the unlikely event the Russian cargo craft is unable to dock on its own. Gerst then moved on to Cygnus capture training after lunchtime with Auñón-Chancellor following up before the end of the day. NASA TV will cover live the launch, capture and docking of both Cygnus and Progress on Friday and Sunday.

Related links:

Expedition 57: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition57/index.html

Cygnus: https://cms.nasa.gov/feature/northrop-grumman-cygnus-launches-arrivals-and-departures/

Progress 71 (71P): https://cms.nasa.gov/feature/progress-launches-arrivals-and-departures/

NASA TV: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Animation (mentioned), Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia/Yvette Smith.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Extended life for ESA's science missions

ESA - European Space Agency patch.

14 November 2018

ESA's Science Programme Committee (SPC) has confirmed the continued operations of ten scientific missions in the Agency's fleet up to 2022.

After a comprehensive review of their scientific merits and technical status, the SPC has decided to extend the operation of the five missions led by ESA's Science Programme: Cluster, Gaia, INTEGRAL, Mars Express, and XMM-Newton. The SPC also confirmed the Agency's contributions to the extended operations of Hinode, Hubble, IRIS, SOHO, and ExoMars TGO.

This includes the confirmation of operations for the 2019–2020 cycle for missions that had been given indicative extensions as part of the previous extension process, and indicative extensions for an additional two years, up to 2022 [1].

The decision was taken during the SPC meeting at ESA's European Space Astronomy Centre near Madrid, Spain, on 14 November.

ESA's science missions have unique capabilities and are prolific in their scientific output. Cluster, for example, is the only mission that, by varying the separation between its four spacecraft, allows multipoint measurements of the magnetosphere in different regions and at different scales, while Gaia is performing the most precise astrometric survey ever realised, enabling unprecedented studies of the distribution and motions of stars in the Milky Way and beyond.

ESA fleet in the Solar System

Many of the science missions are proving to be of great value to pursue investigations that were not foreseen at the time of their launch. Examples include the role of INTEGRAL and XMM-Newton in the follow-up of recent gravitational wave detections, paving the way for the future of multi-messenger astronomy, and the many discoveries of diverse exoplanets by Hubble.

Collaboration between missions, including those led by partner agencies, is also of great importance. The interplay between solar missions like Hinode, IRIS and SOHO provides an extensive suite of complementary instruments to study our Sun; meanwhile, Mars Express and ExoMars TGO are at the forefront of the international fleet investigating the Red Planet.

Another compelling factor to support the extension is the introduction of new modes of operation to accommodate the evolving needs of the scientific community, as well as new opportunities for scientists to get involved with the missions.

[1] Every two years, all missions whose approved operations end within the following four years are subject to review by the advisory structure of the Science Directorate. Extensions are granted to missions that satisfy the established criteria for operational status and science return, subject to the level of financial resources available in the science programme. These extensions are valid for the following four years, subject to a mid-term review and confirmation after two years.

Related links:

ESA's Cluster: http://sci.esa.int/cluster

ESa's Gaia: http://sci.esa.int/gaia

ESA's INTEGRAL: http://sci.esa.int/integral

ESA's Mars Express: http://sci.esa.int/mars-express

ESA's XMM-Newton: http://sci.esa.int/xmm-newton

ESA's collaboration:

ESA's Hinode: http://www.isas.jaxa.jp/en/missions/spacecraft/current/hinode.html

ESA's Hubble: http://sci.esa.int/hubble

ESA's IRIS: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/iris/index.html

ESA's SOHO: http://sci.esa.int/soho

ESA's ExoMars TGO: http://exploration.esa.int/mars

Image, Text, Credits: ESA/Luigi Colangeli.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

mardi 13 novembre 2018

U.S., Russian Rockets Preparing to Resupply Station This Weekend

ISS - Expedition 57 Mission patch.

November 13, 2018

A U.S. rocket stands at its launch pad at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia counting down to a Thursday morning launch. On the other side of the world in Kazakhstan, a Russian rocket is being processed for its launch Friday afternoon. Both spaceships are hauling several tons of food, fuel, supplies and new science to resupply the Expedition 57 crew aboard the International Space Station.

First, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter is set to blastoff atop the Antares rocket Thursday at 4:49 a.m. EST from Virginia’s Atlantic coast. Next, Russia will roll out its Progress 71 (71P) cargo craft for a launch Friday at 1:14 p.m. from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.

Image above: Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus resupply spacecraft is seen on Pad-0A after being raised into a vertical position, Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2018 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Image Credit: NASA.

Cygnus will then lead the 71P on a dual journey to the orbital laboratory where the two spaceships will arrive on Sunday just hours apart. Cygnus will get there first when Commander Alexander Gerst assisted by Flight Engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor captures the private cargo carrier at 4:35 a.m. with the Canadarm2 robotic arm. After some rest, cosmonaut Sergey Prokopyev will monitor the automated docking of the 71P to the Zvezda service module’s rear port at 2:30 p.m.

Image above: The Russian Progress 60 cargo craft is seen shortly after undocking from the Space Station, Dec. 19, 2005. The unpiloted Russian Progress 71 cargo ship is scheduled to launch Friday, Nov. 16, to the orbiting laboratory, bringing food, fuel and supplies to the crew. Image Credit: NASA.

Gerst and Serena trained today for the robotic capture of Cygnus on Sunday reviewing approach and rendezvous procedures. Gerst first started his day reviewing details about a new free-flying robotic assistant that uses artificial intelligence before moving on to protein crystal research. Serena worked on the Life Sciences Glovebox then moved on to orbital plumbing tasks.

The duo also joined Prokopyev for ongoing eye checks in conjunction with doctors on the ground. Prokopyev primarily worked in the Russian segment throughout Tuesday on life support maintenance and science experiments.

Related links:

NASA TV: https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Expedition 57: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition57/index.html

Free-flying robotic assistant: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7639

Protein crystal research: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7741

Life Sciences Glovebox: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=7676

Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/index.html

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Hubble Spots a Lonely Blue Dwarf

NASA - Hubble Space Telescope patch.

Nov. 13, 2018

This captivating image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field Camera 3 shows a lonely dwarf galaxy 100 million light-years away from Earth. This image depicts the blue compact dwarf galaxy ESO 338-4, which can be found in the constellation of Corona Australis (the Southern Crown).

Blue compact dwarf galaxies take their name from the intensely blue star-forming regions that are often found within their cores. One such region can be seen embedded in ESO 338-4, which is populated with bright, young stars voraciously consuming hydrogen. These massive stars are doomed to a short existence, despite their vast supplies of hydrogen fuel. The nuclear reactions in the cores of these stars will burn through these supplies in only millions of years — a mere blink of an eye in astronomical terms.

The young, blue stars nestled within a cloud of dust and gas in the center of this image are the result of a recent galaxy merger between a wandering galaxy and ESO 388-4. This galactic interaction disrupted the clouds of gas and dust surrounding ESO 338-4 and led to the rapid formation of a new population of stars.

Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

For more information about Hubble, visit:

http://hubblesite.org/
http://www.nasa.gov/hubble
http://www.spacetelescope.org/

Image, Animation, Text, Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA/Text credit: European Space Agency (ESA)/NASA/Karl Hille.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

lundi 12 novembre 2018

Time for lead collisions in the LHC

CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research logo.

Nov. 12, 2018

The first collisions of lead nuclei mark the start of the latest LHC heavy-ion run

Image above: The first lead-lead collisions of 2018 send showers of particles through the ALICE detector (Image: ALICE/CERN).

The lead ion run is under way. On 8 November at 21:19, the four experiments at the Large Hadron Collider - ALICE, ATLAS, CMS and LHCb - recorded their first collisions of lead nuclei since 2015. For three weeks and a half, the world’s biggest accelerator will collide these nuclei, comprising 208 protons and neutrons, at an energy of 5.02 teraelectronvolts (TeV) for each colliding pair of nucleons (protons and neutrons). This will be the fourth run of this kind since the collider began operation. In 2013 and 2016, lead ions were collided with protons in the LHC.

Collisions of lead nuclei will allow physicists to study specific phenomena such as quark-gluon plasma, a state of matter that is thought to have existed during the very first moments of the Universe, when the temperature was so high that quarks and gluons were not confined by the strong force into protons and neutrons. The previous runs with lead nuclei have already produced a vast amount of data about the properties of quark-gluon plasma. Evidence of many other phenomena, including light-by-light scattering, has also been found in heavy ion collisions.

Among the four LHC experiments, the ALICE experiment specialises in studies of the strong interaction and the quark-gluon plasma. The experiment aims to perform more precise measurements of various phenomena, such as the melting and regeneration of quarkonia – particles consisting of a heavy quark and anti-quark pair. A Facebook live event will take place on Tuesday 13 November at 4pm (CET) on CERN Facebook page.

Image above: Event display from the first lead-lead LHC collisions in 2018, recorded by the LHCb detector. (Image: LHCb/CERN).

The accelerator teams intend to rise to various challenges for the 2018 run. “We want to maximise the luminosity in order to generate as much data as possible and prepare for future runs, especially at the High-Luminosity LHC”, says John Jowett, the physicist in charge of the LHC heavy ion runs. Luminosity is a key parameter of a collider that indicates the number of collisions that can be produced in a given period of time. During the last heavy ion run in 2015, the luminosity achieved was over three and a half times higher than the LHC’s design luminosity. This time the LHC team is aiming even higher.

A new configuration of the accelerator optics has been implemented to increase the squeezing of the beams at the collision points. The next step will be to reduce the spacing between the bunches of nuclei that make up each beam, thereby increasing the number of bunches.

The experts have been getting ready for the run for several months, carrying out extensive analyses and measurements to increase the performance of the injectors as the lead nuclei are actually prepared by a chain of four accelerators before being sent to the LHC.

Image above: One of the first lead-ion collisions in 2018 recorded by the CMS detector. (Image: CMS/CERN).

These heavy-ion collisions will last three and a half weeks, with the last beams scheduled for the morning of 3 December.

Image above: Event display of one of the first lead-lead collision recorded by the ATLAS detector in 2018. (Image: ATLAS/CERN).

The accelerators will then be shut down for a two-year technical shutdown that will allow major upgrades to be made to accelerators and detectors.

These heavy-ion collisions will last three and a half weeks, with the last beams scheduled for the morning of 3 December.

Watch the Facebook Live on Tuesday 13 November at 4pm (CET) on CERN Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cern/

Note:

CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centres for scientific research. Its business is fundamental physics, finding out what the Universe is made of and how it works. At CERN, the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the basic constituents of matter — the fundamental particles. By studying what happens when these particles collide, physicists learn about the laws of Nature.

The instruments used at CERN are particle accelerators and detectors. Accelerators boost beams of particles to high energies before they are made to collide with each other or with stationary targets. Detectors observe and record the results of these collisions.

Founded in 1954, the CERN Laboratory sits astride the Franco–Swiss border near Geneva. It was one of Europe’s first joint ventures and now has 22 Member States.

Related links:

Large Hadron Collider (LHC): https://home.cern/science/accelerators/large-hadron-collider

ALICE: https://home.cern/science/experiments/alice

ATLAS: https://home.cern/science/experiments/atlas

CMS: https://home.cern/science/experiments/cms

LHCb: https://home.cern/science/experiments/lhcb

Quark-gluon plasma: https://home.cern/science/physics/heavy-ions-and-quark-gluon-plasma

For more information about European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), Visit: https://home.cern/

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: CERN/Corinne Pralavorio.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

dimanche 11 novembre 2018

Rocket Lab - It's Business Time Launch

Rocket Lab - It's Business Time Mission 3 patch / Irvine CubeSat Stem Program 01 patch.

Nov. 11, 2018

It's Business Time lift-off 11 November 2018

Rocket Lab successfully launched 'It's Business Time' at 16:50 NZDT (03:50 UTC), Sunday 11th November.

It's Business Time Launch - 11/11/2018

Rocket Lab reaches orbit again, deploys more satellites

Rocket Lab has continued the success of its 2018 orbital launch program with the launch of seven payloads to orbit today. The mission, named ‘It’s Business Time,’ marks Rocket Lab’s second successful orbital launch and deployment of customer satellites.

NABEO drag sail technology demonstrator

Rocket Lab’s Electron launch vehicle lifted-off from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Māhia Peninsula at 16:50 on 11 November NZDT (03:50 UTC). After first reaching orbit on Electron's second stage, the Curie kick stage successfully separated and circularized its orbit before deploying six satellites for customers Spire Global, Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems, Fleet Space Technologies and the Irvine CubeSat Stem Program. Curie also carried NABEO, a drag sail technology demonstrator, designed and built by High Performance Space Structure Systems GmbH, to passively de-orbit inactive small satellites and reduce space junk.

Fleet Space Technologies nanosatellite

Rocket Lab founder and chief executive Peter Beck says the mission marks a new era in access to space.

“The world is waking up to the new normal. With the Electron launch vehicle, rapid and reliable access to space is now a reality for small satellites,” says Beck.

Tyvak Nano-Satellite

“We’re thrilled to be leading the small satellite launch industry by reaching orbit a second time and deploying more payloads. The team carried out a flawless flight with incredibly precise orbital insertion. ” he says.

Rocket Lab is poised for high-frequency launches in 2019 thanks to production facilities that enable rapid mass Electron production, as well as a private launch complex licensed to launch up to 120 times per year.

Rocket Lab's Electron on the company's New Zealand launchpad

“With two orbital launches down for 2018, we’re not resting on our laurels. We have a burgeoning customer manifest, so we’re moving onto the next mission within a few weeks – the incredibly exciting ELaNa 19 mission for NASA in December.”

Related links:

Spire Global: https://spire.com/

Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems: http://www.tyvak.com/

CubeSat Stem Program: https://www.irvinecubesat.org/

NABEO: http://www.hps-gmbh.com/en/portfolio/subsystems/deployable-dragsails-adeo/

Fleet Space Technologies: https://www.fleet.space/

Rocket Lab: https://www.rocketlabusa.com/

Images, Video, Text, Credits: Rocket Lab/Günter Space Page/FST/Tyvak.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

vendredi 9 novembre 2018

Crew Ends Week Researching Space Physics, Biology and Time

ISS - Expedition 57 Mission patch.

November 9, 2018

A crew of three from around the world are heading into the weekend aboard the International Space Station. The Expedition 57 trio from the United States, Russia and Germany studied a variety of space phenomena today including physics, biology and time perception.

Flight Engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor joined Commander Alexander Gerst for eye checks first thing Friday morning. The duo then split up for a science-filled day and preparations for the next U.S. cargo mission.

Serena spent most of the day in the Japanese Kibo lab module mixing protein crystal samples and stowing them in an incubator for later analysis. She moved on to a little space gardening for the VEG-03 study before stowing gear that sequences ribonucleic acid, or RNA, from unknown microbes living in the station.

Image above: Flight Engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor checks on plants being grown for botany research aboard the International Space Station. NASA is exploring ways to keep astronauts self-sufficient as humans learn to live longer and farther out into space and beyond low-Earth orbit. Image Credit: NASA.

Serena also found time to set up a command panel for communications with a Cygnus cargo craft when it arrives to resupply the station Nov. 18. The resupply ship from U.S. company Northrop Grumman is being packed and readied for launch atop an Antares rocket Nov. 15 at 4:49 a.m. EST. from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

Gerst spent over an hour in the European Columbus lab module today researching how astronauts perceive time in space including its physical and mental impacts. The German astronaut from ESA (European Space Agency) also configured a specialized microscope for more protein crystal observations.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA