samedi 25 août 2018

Long March 3B launches Beidou satellites












Beidou Navigation Satellite System logo.

August 24, 2018

Long March 3B carrying Beidou-3M11 and Beidou-3M12 launch

A new pair of navigation satellites were launched on Friday by China, marking its 23rd orbital launch this year. The launch of Beidou-3M11 and Beidou-3M12 took place from the LC3 Launch Complex of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province, using a Long March-3B/Y1 (Chang Zheng-3B/Y1) launch vehicle. Launch time was 23:52 UTC and took around four hours to complete the mission.

BeiDou-3 satellites launched by Long March-3B

Also designated Beidou-35 and Beidou-36, the MEO satellites are the Medium Earth Orbit component of the third phase of the Chinese Beidou (Compass) satellite navigation system. The satellites are part of a fleet that will expand the system to a global navigation coverage.

Artist's view of a BeiDou-3 satellite by J. Huart

The satellites are using a bus that features a phased array antenna for navigation signals and a laser retroreflector, with a launch mass 1,014 kg. Spacecraft dimensions are noted to be 2.25 by 1.0 by 1.22 meters. Usually, the satellites reside in a 21,500 – 21,400 km nominal orbit at 55.5 degrees.

Three new pairs of Beidou-3M satellites are schedule to launch before years end. Beidou-3M13 and Beidou-3M14 will be launched in September, followed by Beidou-3M15 and M16 in October. Beidou-3M17 and Beidou-3M18 will be launched in November.

The Chinese Navigation Constellation

The Beidou Phase III system includes the migration of its civil Beidou 1 or B1 signal from 1561.098 MHz to a frequency centered at 1575.42 MHz – the same as the GPS L1 and Galileo E1 civil signals – and its transformation from a quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation to a multiplexed binary offset carrier (MBOC) modulation similar to the future GPS L1C and Galileo’s E1.

The Radio Navigation Satellite Service (RNSS) is very similar to that provided by GPS and Galileo and is designed to achieve similar performances.

For more information about Beidou navigation system: http://www.beidou.gov.cn/

For more information about China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC): http://english.spacechina.com/n16421/index.html

Images, Video, Text, Credits: CASC/Beidou/SciNews/NASA Spaceflight.com/Rui C. Barbosa.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Just Another Day on Aerosol Earth











NASA logo.

Aug. 25, 2018


Take a deep breath. Even if the air looks clear, it is nearly certain that you will inhale millions of solid particles and liquid droplets. These ubiquitous specks of matter are known as aerosols, and they can be found in the air over oceans, deserts, mountains, forests, ice and every ecosystem in between.

If you have ever watched smoke billowing from a wildfire, ash erupting from a volcano or dust blowing in the wind, you have seen aerosols. Satellites like NASA's Earth-observing satellites, Terra, Aqua, Aura and Suomi NPP, “see” them as well, though they offer a completely different perspective from hundreds of kilometers above Earth’s surface. A version of a NASA model called the Goddard Earth Observing System Forward Processing (GEOS FP) offers a similarly expansive view of the mishmash of particles that dance and swirl through the atmosphere.

The visualization above highlights GEOS FP model output for aerosols on August 23, 2018. On that day, huge plumes of smoke drifted over North America and Africa, three different tropical cyclones churned in the Pacific Ocean, and large clouds of dust blew over deserts in Africa and Asia. The storms are visible within giant swirls of sea salt aerosol (blue), which winds loft into the air as part of sea spray. Black carbon particles (red) are among the particles emitted by fires; vehicle and factory emissions are another common source. Particles the model classified as dust are shown in purple. The visualization includes a layer of night light data collected by the day-night band of the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on Suomi NPP that shows the locations of towns and cities.

Related links:

Goddard Earth Observing System Forward Processing (GEOS FP): https://gmao.gsfc.nasa.gov/GMAO_products/

Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS): https://jointmission.gsfc.nasa.gov/viirs.html

Suomi NPP (National Polar-orbiting Partnership): http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NPP/main/index.html

Aqua Satellite: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/aqua/index.html

Aura Satellite: https://www.nasa.gov/subject/3184/aura

Terra Satellite: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/terra/index.html

Image, Text, Credits: NASA/Yvette Smith/Joshua Stevens/Adam Voiland.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

vendredi 24 août 2018

Astronauts Busy With Exercise Study, Satellite and Astronomy Work












ISS - Expedition 56 Mission patch.

August 24, 2018

Ongoing exercise research and gym maintenance took place aboard the International Space Station to ensure astronaut health and mission success. The Expedition 56 crew members also worked on autonomous satellite operations and botany and astronomy gear.

European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst has been participating in an exercise study all week developed by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR). He has been working out in a custom t-shirt with a specialized fabric for the SpaceTex-2 experiment that may improve an astronaut’s comfort and thermal relief while working out in space.


Image above: Expedition 56 Commander Drew Feustel is inside the Harmony module working on the Protein Crystal Growth-13 experiment which is seeking to fine-tune the research process in space and help public and private organizations deliver results and benefits sooner. Image Credit: NASA.

A treadmill is getting its twice-yearly checkup today in the Tranquility module. Flight Engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor of NASA spent Friday morning checking the treadmill’s belt tension, greasing axles and replacing parts. Engineers on the ground will review its condition before the crew gets back on the treadmill for daily runs.

Commander Drew Feustel set up a pair of tiny internal satellites today, known as SPHERES, and tested the autonomous operation of the free-floating devices.  The SmoothNav experiment is researching using algorithms that spacecraft may use to operate and communicate with each other when conducting space-based tasks.


Image above: Happy Friday fellow Earthlings from the crew of Expedition 56! A.J. (Drew) Feustel, S. Auñón-Chancellor, Alexander Gerst, Oleg Artemyev, Sergey Prokopyev, Ricky Arnold. Image Credits: NASA/Ricky Arnold.

NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold worked on botany and astronomy gear inside the orbital lab. The former teacher reinstalled the Plant Habitat during the morning after some maintenance work on the Japan Kibo lab module’s EXPRESS rack.

In the afternoon, Arnold switched to the METEOR experiment installing new computer software and positioning a camera in the U.S. Destiny lab module’s Window Observational Research Facility. METEOR observes and takes spectral measurements of the chemical composition of meteors entering Earth’s atmosphere.

Related article:

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of August 20, 2018
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2018/08/space-station-science-highlights-week_24.html

Related links:

Expedition 56: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition56/index.html

SpaceTex-2: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7571

SPHERES: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=303

SmoothNav: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7532

Plant Habitat: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=2036

METEOR: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1174

European Space Agency (ESA): https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight

German Aerospace Centre (DLR): https://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/

Spot the Station: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

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

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Begins Asteroid Operations Campaign











NASA - OSIRIS-REx Mission patch.

Aug. 24, 2018

After an almost two-year journey, NASA’s asteroid sampling spacecraft, the  Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx), caught its first glimpse of asteroid Bennu last week and began the final approach toward its target. Kicking off the mission’s asteroid operations campaign on Aug. 17, the spacecraft’s PolyCam camera obtained the image from a distance of 1.4 million miles (2.2 million km).


Animation above: On Aug. 17, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft obtained the first images of its target asteroid Bennu from a distance of 1.4 million miles (2.2 million km), or almost six times the distance between the Earth and Moon. This cropped set of five images was obtained by the PolyCam camera over the course of an hour for calibration purposes and in order to assist the mission’s navigation team with optical navigation efforts. Bennu is visible as a moving object against the stars in the constellation Serpens. Animation Credits: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona.

OSIRIS-REx is NASA’s first mission to visit a near-Earth asteroid, survey the surface, collect a sample and deliver it safely back to Earth. The spacecraft has traveled approximately 1.1 billion miles (1.8 billion km) since its Sept. 8, 2016, launch and is scheduled to arrive at Bennu on Dec. 3.

“Now that OSIRIS-REx is close enough to observe Bennu, the mission team will spend the next few months learning as much as possible about Bennu’s size, shape, surface features, and surroundings before the spacecraft arrives at the asteroid,” said Dante Lauretta, OSIRIS-REx principal investigator at the University of Arizona, Tucson. “After spending so long planning for this moment, I can’t wait to see what Bennu reveals to us.”

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Approaches Asteroid Bennu

Video above: NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission launched in 2016 and now (August, 2018) is entering its approach phase. OSIRIS-REx will arrive at asteroid Bennu in December, 2018. OSIRIS-REx will help unveil the mysteries of our solar system's formation. Video Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Katrina Jackson.

As OSIRIS-REx approaches the asteroid, the spacecraft will use its science instruments to gather information about Bennu and prepare for arrival.  The spacecraft’s science payload comprises the OCAMS camera suite (PolyCam, MapCam, and SamCam), the OTES thermal spectrometer, the OVIRS visible and infrared spectrometer, the OLA laser altimeter, and the REXIS x-ray spectrometer.

During the mission’s approach phase, OSIRIS-REx will:

- Regularly observe the area around the asteroid to search for dust plumes and natural satellites, and study Bennu’s light and spectral properties;

- Execute a series of four asteroid approach maneuvers, beginning on Oct. 1, slowing the spacecraft to match Bennu's orbit around the Sun;

- Jettison the protective cover of the spacecraft’s sampling arm in mid-October and subsequently extend and image the arm for the first time in flight; and

- Use OCAMS to reveal the asteroid’s overall shape in late-October and begin detecting Bennu’s surface features in mid-November.

After arrival at Bennu, the spacecraft will spend the first month performing flybys of Bennu’s north pole, equator and south pole, at distances ranging between 11.8 and 4.4 miles (19 and 7 km) from the asteroid. These maneuvers will allow for the first direct measurement of Bennu’s mass as well as close-up observations of the surface. These trajectories will also provide the mission's navigation team with experience navigating near the asteroid.

“Bennu’s low gravity provides a unique challenge for the mission," said Rich Burns, OSIRIS-REx project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "At roughly 0.3 miles [500 meters] in diameter, Bennu will be the smallest object that any spacecraft has ever orbited.”

OSIRIS-REx Approach Trailer

Video above: NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission launched in 2016 and now (August, 2018) is entering its approach phase. Video Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Katrina Jackson.

The spacecraft will extensively survey the asteroid before the mission team identifies two possible sample sites. Close examination of these sites will allow the team to pick one for sample collection, scheduled for early July 2020. After sample collection, the spacecraft will head back toward Earth before ejecting the Sample Return Capsule for landing in the Utah desert in Sept. 2023.   

Artist's view of OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. Image Credits: NASA

NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center provides overall mission management, systems engineering and the safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson, is the principal investigator, and the University of Arizona also leads the science team and the mission’s science observation planning and data processing. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the spacecraft and is providing flight operations. Goddard and KinetX Aerospace are responsible for navigating the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA’s New Frontiers Program. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the agency’s New Frontiers Program for its Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

For more information on the mission, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/osiris-rex

Animation (mentioned), Videos (mentioned), Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Karl Hille/GSFC/Nancy Neal Jones.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of August 20, 2018












ISS - Expedition 56 Mission patch.

Aug. 24, 2018

Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted science this week on high-tech fabric, expanding space-based imaging of Earth, growing crystals and more. 

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA

Looking forward, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) “Kounotori7” HTV-7 cargo ship is scheduled to take supplies to the space station in mid-September and Expedition 56 crew members plan to conduct two spacewalks in late September.

Read more details about the scientific work aboard your orbiting laboratory:

Getting ready for Earth’s close-ups

Crew members installed the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer (DESIS) onto the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) Airlock Sliding Table. Its transfer by the JEM Remote Manipulator System (JECM-RMS) to the Multiple User System for Earth Sensing (MUSES) Platform is planned for next week to allow commissioning and performance verification operations. These are a necessary step before declaring the spectrometer operational for science.


Image above: European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst installs the DLR Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer (DESIS) on the Airlock Slide Table Install in preparation for operations next week. Image Credit: NASA.

DESIS expands the use of space-based hyperspectral imaging (using the visual to near infrared spectrum) for Earth remote sensing, producing high-value hyperspectral imagery for commercial purposes. After collection, requested images are transferred to the MUSES server for delivery to a hosted cloud for user access. DESIS has a number of commercial and humanitarian applications.

Astronaut exercise wear put to the sweat test

European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Alexander Gerst wore a special shirt and monitoring equipment during an exercise session using the Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization (CEVIS) for two ESA investigations.

One, SpaceTex-2, evaluates a fabric that provides a much higher rate of sweat evaporation and a corresponding higher evaporative heat loss than conventional cotton. Astronauts exercise daily while aboard the space station to prevent cardiovascular deconditioning and its associated health problems. Scientists suspect that lack of gravity impairs natural convective heat transfer from the body surface, affecting the comfort of crew members.


Image above: NASA astronaut Drew Feustel fills a subset of the new PCG card wells. The CASIS PCG 13 investigation seeks to enhance the way crystals are grown in a microgravity environment. Image Credit: NASA.

The other, Metabolic Space, demonstrates a wearable technology that supports cardio-pulmonary diagnosis during physical activities, yet maintains unrestricted mobility for the wearer.

Learning to control complex colloids with temperature

The crew configured the Light Microscopy Module (LMM) in the Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR) and installed a sample for Advanced Colloids Experiment-Temperature-2 (ACE-T-2), which looks at the assembly of complex structures from micron-scale colloidal particles. Regulating the temperature enables control of the particle interactions, leading to growth of complex structures.


Image above: External cameras on the International Space Station captured this picture of Hurricane Lane in the Pacific Ocean as it approached Hawaii. Image Credit: NASA.

Colloids consist of small particles suspended in a mixture. The investigation provides a better understanding of how complex interactions lead to complex structures, and the dynamics of the way these structures grow.

Demonstrating crystal growth in real time

The crew performed operations for BioServe Protein Crystallography (BPC-1) this week, observing samples and photographing sample wells using the microscope. BPC-1 seeks to demonstrate the feasibility of conducting protein crystal growth in real time aboard the space station. Crew members can observe crystal formation and adjust for follow-on experiments. This approach optimizes a scientist’s ability to grow crystals in microgravity without having to wait for samples to return to Earth and launch a follow-up investigation.

Swabbing the decks, and the curtains, for science

For the Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology (BEST) investigation, crew members swabbed surfaces on the Permanent Multi-purpose Module (PMM) blackout curtain and areas around crew quarters. They stowed the samples in a Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI). The BEST investigation studies using genetic sequencing to identify unknown microbial organisms living on the space station and how humans, plants, and microbes adapt to living in the orbiting laboratory.


Image above: ESA Astronaut Alexander Gerst remotely operates the DLR robot “Rollin’ Justin,” which is on Earth, from the International Space Station. Image Credit: ESA.

Other work was done on these investigations: : Wetlab-2 Parra,  ZeroG, Sextant Navigation, ISS HAM, MELFI, BCAT-CS, CEO, MagVector, Microbial Tracking 2, PK-4, ACE-M2, Rodent Research-7, Tropical Cyclone, Time Perception, ELF, SCAN Testbed, J-SSOD 9,  SPHERES, SmoothNav, CASIS PCG 13, Atomization, Cerebral Autoregulation, Barrios PCG, Plant Habitat and Lighting Effects.

Related links:

Expedition 56: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition56/index.html

DESIS: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1778

Japanese Experiment Module (JEM): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/jem.html

MUSES: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=1147

CEVIS: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=821

SpaceTex-2: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7571

Metabolic Space: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7574

Light Microscopy Module (LMM): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=531

Fluids Integrated Rack (FIR): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=351

ACE-T-2: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7433

BioServe Protein Crystallography (BPC-1): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7729

BEST: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7687

PMM: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/pmm.html

MELFI: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=56

Wetlab-2 Parra: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7688

ZeroG: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7712

Sextant Navigation: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7646

ISS HAM: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=337

BCAT-CS: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7668

CEO: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=84

MagVector: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1070

Microbial Tracking 2: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1663

PK-4: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1192

ACE-M2: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1197

Rodent Research-7: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7425

Tropical Cyclone: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1712

Time Perception: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7504

ELF: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1738

SCAN Testbed: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=156

J-SSOD 9: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=883

SPHERES: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=303

SmoothNav: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7532

CASIS PCG 13: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7690

Atomization: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=282

Cerebral Autoregulation: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1938

Barrios PCG: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7726

Plant Habitat: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=2032

Lighting Effects: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=2013

Spot the Station: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/

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/Michael Johnson/Yuri Guinart-Ramirez, Lead Increment Scientist Expeditions 55 & 56.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

jeudi 23 août 2018

15 Years in Space for NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope












NASA - Spitzer Space Telescope patch.

Aug. 23, 2018


Image above: This image shows an artist's impression of the Spitzer Space Telescope. The background shows an infrared image from Spitzer of the plane of the Milky Way galaxy. Image Credits: NASA/JPL.

Initially scheduled for a minimum 2.5-year primary mission, NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has gone far beyond its expected lifetime -- and is still going strong after 15 years.

Launched into a solar orbit on Aug. 25, 2003, Spitzer was the final of NASA's four Great Observatories to reach space. The space telescope has illuminated some of the oldest galaxies in the universe, revealed a new ring around Saturn, and peered through shrouds of dust to study newborn stars and black holes. Spitzer assisted in the discovery of planets beyond our solar system, including the detection of seven Earth-size planets orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1, among other accomplishments.

"In its 15 years of operations, Spitzer has opened our eyes to new ways of viewing the universe," said Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Spitzer’s discoveries extend from our own planetary backyard, to planets around other stars, to the far reaches of the universe. And by working in collaboration with NASA's other Great Observatories, Spitzer has helped scientists gain a more complete picture of many cosmic phenomena."


Image above: This artist's impression shows what the seven Earth-size planets of the TRAPPIST-1 system might look like, based on available data. No actual images of the planets exist. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

A view into the past

Spitzer detects infrared light -- most often heat radiation emitted by warm objects. On Earth, infrared light is used in a variety of applications, including night-vision instruments.

With its infrared vision and high sensitivity, Spitzer has contributed to the study of some of the most distant galaxies in the known universe. The light from some of those galaxies traveled for 13.4 billion years to reach Earth. As a result, scientists see these galaxies as they were less than 400 million years after the birth of the universe.

Among this population of ancient galaxies was a surprise for scientists: "big baby" galaxies that were much larger and more mature than scientists thought early-forming galaxies could be. Large, modern galaxies are thought to have formed through the gradual merger of smaller galaxies. But the "big baby" galaxies showed that massive collections of stars came together very early in the universe's history.

Studies of these very distant galaxies relied on data from both Spitzer and the Hubble Space Telescope, another one of NASA's Great Observatories. Each of the four Great Observatories collects light in a different wavelength range. By combining their observations of various objects and regions, scientists can gain a more complete picture of the universe.

"The Great Observatories program was really a brilliant concept," said Michael Werner, Spitzer project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "The idea of getting multispectral images or data on astrophysical phenomenon is very compelling, because most heavenly bodies produce radiation across the spectrum. An average galaxy like our own Milky Way, for example, radiates as much infrared light as visible wavelength light. Each part of the spectrum provides new information."

New worlds

In recent years, scientists have utilized Spitzer to study exoplanets, or planets orbiting stars other than our Sun, although this was not something the telescope’s designers anticipated.

With Spitzer's help, researchers have studied planets with surfaces as hot as stars, others thought to be frozen solid, and many in between. Spitzer has studied some of the nearest known exoplanets to Earth, and some of the most distant exoplanets ever discovered.

Spitzer also played a key role in one of the most significant exoplanet discoveries in history: the detection of seven, roughly Earth-size planets orbiting a single star. The TRAPPIST-1 planetary system was unlike any alien solar system ever discovered, with three of its seven planets located in the "habitable zone," where the temperature might be right for liquid water to exist on the planets' surfaces. Their discovery was an enticing step in the search for life elsewhere in the universe.

"The study of extrasolar planets was still in its infancy when Spitzer launched, but in recent years, often more than half of Spitzer’s observation time is used for studies of exoplanets or searches for exoplanets," said Lisa Storrie-Lombardi, Spitzer's project manager at JPL. "Spitzer is very good at characterizing exoplanets, even though it wasn't designed to do that."


Image above: A major part of Spitzer's scientific legacy has been the study of very distant objects in the universe. Scientists combined the power of NASA's Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes to study a multitude of extremely distant galaxies. The objects circled in white are galaxies that belong to an emerging galaxy cluster. This proto-cluster is one of the most distant ever identified. Image Credits: Subaru/NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Some other major discoveries made using the Spitzer space telescope include:

-- The largest known ring around Saturn, a wispy, fine structure with 300 times the diameter of Saturn. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2009-150

-- First exoplanet weather map of temperature variations over the surface of a gas exoplanet. Results suggested the presence of fierce winds. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2007-055

-- Asteroid and planetary smashups. Spitzer has found evidence for several rocky collisions in other solar systems, including one thought to involve two large asteroids. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-291

-- Recipe for "comet soup." Spitzer observed the aftermath of the collision between NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft and comet Tempel 1, finding that cometary material in our own solar system resembles that around nearby stars. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2005-144

-- The hidden lairs of newborn stars. Spitzer's infrared images have provided unprecedented views into the hidden cradles where young stars grow up, revolutionizing our understanding of stellar birth. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2008-023

-- Buckyballs in space. Buckyballs are soccer-ball-shaped carbon molecules   discovered in laboratory research with multiple technological applications on Earth.. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=2679

-- Massive clusters of galaxies. Spitzer has identified many more distant galaxy clusters than were previously known. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=2875

-- One of the most extensive maps of the Milky Way galaxy ever compiled, including the most accurate map of the large bar of stars in the galaxy's center, created using Spitzer data from the Galactic Legacy Mid-Plane Survey Extraordinaire project, or GLIMPSE. https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=4085


Image above: Newborn stars peek out from beneath their natal blanket of dust in this dynamic image of the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Spitzer observes infrared light, which in most cases can penetrate gas and dust clouds better than visible light. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Harvard-Smithsonian CfA.

An extended journey

Spitzer has logged over 106,000 hours of observation time. Thousands of scientists around the world have utilized Spitzer data in their studies, and Spitzer data is cited in more than 8,000 published papers.

Spitzer's primary mission ended up lasting 5.5 years, during which time the spacecraft operated in a "cold phase," with a supply of liquid helium cooling three onboard instruments to just above absolute zero. The cooling system reduced excess heat from the instruments themselves that could contaminate their observations. This gave Spitzer very high sensitivity for "cold" objects.

In July 2009, after Spitzer's helium supply ran out, the spacecraft entered a so-called "warm phase." Spitzer’s main instrument, called the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC), has four cameras, two of which continue to operate in the warm phase with the same sensitivity they maintained during the cold phase.

Spitzer orbits the Sun in an Earth-trailing orbit (meaning it literally trails behind Earth as the planet orbits the Sun) and has continued to fall farther and farther behind Earth during its lifetime. This now poses a challenge for the spacecraft, because while it is downloading data to Earth, its solar panels do not directly face the Sun. As a result, Spitzer must use battery power during data downloads. The batteries are then recharged between downloads.

"Spitzer is farther away from Earth than we ever thought it would be while still operating," said Sean Carey, manager of the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech in Pasadena, California. "This has posed some real challenges to the engineering team, and they've been extremely creative and resourceful to keep Spitzer operating far beyond its expected lifetime."

In 2016, Spitzer entered an extended mission dubbed "Spitzer Beyond." The spacecraft is currently scheduled to continue operations into November 2019, more than 10 years after entering its warm phase.

In celebration of Spitzer’s 15 years in space, NASA has released two new multimedia products: The NASA Selfies app for iOS and Android, and the Exoplanet Excursions VR Experience for Oculus and Vive, as well as a 360-video version for smartphones. Spitzer's incredible discoveries and amazing images are at the center of these new products.

JPL manages the Spitzer Space Telescope mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Science operations are conducted at the Spitzer Science Center at Caltech in Pasadena, California. Spacecraft operations are based at Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Littleton, Colorado. Data are archived at the Infrared Science Archive housed at the IPAC at Caltech. Caltech manages JPL for NASA. For more information about Spitzer, visit:

https://spitzer.caltech.edu

https://www.nasa.gov/spitzer

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Tony Greicius/JPL/Calla Cofield.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

ALPHA experiment takes antimatter to a new level












CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research logo.

August 23, 2018

In a paper published today in the journal Nature, the ALPHA collaboration reports that it has literally taken antimatter to a new level. The researchers have observed the Lyman-alpha electronic transition in the antihydrogen atom, the antimatter counterpart of hydrogen, for the first time. The finding comes hot on the heels of recent measurements by the collaboration of another electronic transition, and demonstrates that ALPHA is quickly and steadily paving the way for precision experiments that could uncover as yet unseen differences between the behaviour of matter and antimatter.


Image above: Jeffrey Hangst, spokesperson for the ALPHA experiment, next to the experiment. (Image: Maximilien Brice, Julien Ordan/CERN).

The Lyman-alpha (or 1S-2P) transition is one of several in the Lyman series of electronic transitions that were discovered in atomic hydrogen just over a century ago by physicist Theodore Lyman. The transition occurs when an electron jumps from the lowest-energy (1S) level to a higher-energy (2P) level and then falls back to the 1S level by emitting a photon at a wavelength of 121.6 nanometres.

It is a special transition. In astronomy, it allows researchers to probe the state of the medium that lies between galaxies and test models of the cosmos. In antimatter studies, it could enable precision measurements of how antihydrogen responds to light and gravity. Finding any slight difference between the behaviour of antimatter and matter would rock the foundations of the Standard Model of particle physics and perhaps cast light on why the universe is made up almost entirely of matter, even though equal amounts of antimatter should have been produced in the Big Bang.

The ALPHA team makes antihydrogen atoms by taking antiprotons from CERN’s Antiproton Decelerator (AD) and binding them with positrons from a sodium-22 source. It then confines the resulting antihydrogen atoms in a magnetic trap, which prevents them from coming into contact with matter and annihilating. Laser light is then shone onto the trapped atoms to measure their spectral response. The measurement involves using a range of laser frequencies and counting the number of atoms that drop out of the trap as a result of interactions between the laser and the trapped atoms.

The ALPHA collaboration has previously employed this technique to measure the so-called 1S-2S transition. Using the same approach and a series of laser wavelengths around 121.6 nanometres, ALPHA has now detected the Lyman-alpha transition in antihydrogen and measured its frequency with a precision of a few parts in a hundred million, obtaining good agreement with the equivalent transition in hydrogen.

This precision is not as high as that achieved in hydrogen, but the finding represents a pivotal technological step towards using the Lyman-alpha transition to chill large samples of antihydrogen using a technique known as laser cooling. Such samples would allow researchers to bring the precision of this and other measurements of antihydrogen to a level at which any differences between the behaviour of antihydrogen and hydrogen might emerge.

“We are really excited about this result,” says Jeffrey Hangst, spokesperson for the ALPHA experiment. “The Lyman-alpha transition is notoriously difficult to probe – even in ‘normal’ hydrogen. But by exploiting our ability to trap and hold large numbers of antihydrogen atoms for several hours, and using a pulsed source of Lyman-alpha laser light, we were able to observe this transition. Next up is laser cooling, which will be a game-changer for precision spectroscopy and gravitational measurements.”

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:

Journal Nature: http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41586-018-0435-1

Standard Model of particle physics: https://home.cern/about/physics/standard-model

CERN’s Antiproton Decelerator (AD): https://home.cern/about/accelerators/antiproton-decelerator

ALPHA: http://alpha.web.cern.ch/

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

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: CERN/Ana Lopes.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Global Cargo Missions Planned as Critical Research Proceeds












ISS - Expedition 56 Mission patch.


August 23, 2018

A Russian cargo ship departed the International Space Station Wednesday night as another resupply mission from Japan is planned in September. The Expedition 56 crew members also observed protein crystals, studied an ancient navigation technique and researched time perception in space.

Two Soyuz crew ships and a Progress resupply ship remain docked at the orbital lab after the Progress 69 (69P) cargo craft undocked from the Zvezda service module Wednesday at 10:16 p.m. EDT. It will orbit Earth until Aug. 29 for engineering tests monitored by Roscosmos mission controllers before deorbiting over the Pacific Ocean.


Image above: Russia’s two docked spacecraft, the Soyuz MS-09 (left) crew ship and the Progress 70 resupply ship, are pictured as the International Space Station orbited nearly 254 miles above northern Kazakhstan. Image Credit: NASA.

The next resupply mission is coming from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s “Kounotori” H-II Transfer Vehicle. It is targeted for launch Sept. 10 to deliver science, supplies and batteries for installation during a pair of spacewalks next month. Russia’s next resupply mission, the Progress 71, is targeted for a two-day trip to the station at the end of October.

Commander Drew Feustel continued working on a pair of similar protein crystal experiments today. The BioServe Protein Crystalography-1 and Protein Crystal Growth-13 studies allow astronauts to observe crystal growth in space and analyze the results. This saves researchers time without having to wait for samples to be returned to Earth for analysis.

International Space Station (ISS). Image Credit: NASA

Alexander Gerst of ESA assisted Serena Auñón-Chancellor from NASA and tested using a sextant in space for celestial navigation during an emergency. The duo worked inside the Cupola today and tested stability, positioning and sighting with the device using a star map.

Gerst then switched his attention to a European Space Agency study exploring how astronauts perceive time in space. Researchers seek to quantify subjective changes in time perception to understand how astronauts navigate, move and hear in space.

Related links:

Expedition 56: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition56/index.html

Spacewalks: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/spacewalks

BioServe Protein Crystalography-1: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7729

Protein Crystal Growth-13: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7690

Sextant in space: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7646

Perceive time in space: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7504

Roscosmos: http://en.roscosmos.ru/

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA): http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/iss_human/index.html

European Space Agency (ESA): https://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Human_Spaceflight

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.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

NASA Analyzes a Solid Ring of Cold Cloud Tops In Hurricane Lane












NASA - EOS Terra Mission patch.

Aug. 23, 2018

Lane - Formerly 14E (Eastern Pacific)

An infrared look by NASA's Terra satellite provided forecasters with temperature data in the Category 4 hurricane near Hawaii. Terra data showed a large ring of coldest and most powerful storms around Hurricane Lane's eye on Aug. 23.


Image above: On Aug. 23 at 4:15 a.m. EDT (0815 UTC) NASA's Terra satellite found the coldest temperatures of the strongest thunderstorms (yellow) in Hurricane Lane were as cold as or colder than minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62.2 Celsius) northeast and southwest of the eye. They were embedded in a large area of storms (red) that circled the eye where cloud top temperatures were as cold as or colder than minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 degrees Celsius). Image Credits: NRL/NASA.

NOAA's Central Pacific Hurricane Center or CPHC noted that a Hurricane Warning is in effect for Oahu, Maui County including the islands of Maui, Lanai, Molokai and Kahoolawe and Hawaii County. A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Kauai County, including the islands of Kauai and Niiha.

On Aug. 23 at 4:15 a.m. EDT (0815 UTC) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite analyzed cloud top temperatures in infrared light. MODIS found cloud top temperatures of the strongest thunderstorms northeast and southwest of the eye were as cold as or colder than minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62.2 Celsius). They were embedded in a large area or storms that circled the eye where cloud top temperatures were as cold as or colder than minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 degrees Celsius).

Cloud top temperatures that cold indicate strong storms that have the capability to create heavy rain. Rainfall is expected to be the biggest threat from Lane.

CPHC said, "The cloud-filled eye continues to be surrounded by a solid ring of cold cloud tops, with lightning bursts persisting in the northern eye wall for the last several hours."

CPHC also noted, "Excessive rainfall associated with Lane will impact the Hawaiian Islands into the weekend, leading to significant and life-threatening flash flooding and landslides. Lane is expected to produce total rain accumulations of 10 to 20 inches, with localized amounts in excess of 30 inches over the Hawaiian Islands."

NASA's Terra satellite. Image Credit: NASA

At 8 a.m. EDT (2 a.m. HST/1200 UTC) on Aug. 23, the eye of Hurricane Lane was located by satellite and radar near latitude 16.5 degrees north and longitude 157.3 degrees west.

NOAA's CPHC said, "Lane is moving toward the northwest near 7 mph (11 kph). This general motion is expected to continue today, with a gradual turn toward the north-northwest. On Friday, a turn toward the north is anticipated as Lane's forward motion slows even more. A turn back toward the west is expected on Saturday. On the forecast track, the center of Lane will move very close to or over the main Hawaiian Islands later today through Friday (Aug. 24)."

Maximum sustained winds are near 130 mph (215 kph) with higher gusts.  Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 40 miles (65 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 140 miles (220 km).

Lane is a powerful category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

CPHC said, "Some weakening is forecast during the next day or so, with more significant weakening thereafter. Lane is expected to remain a hurricane as it approaches the islands."

Related articles:

NASA Stares Major Hurricane Lane in the Eye
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2018/08/nasa-stares-major-hurricane-lane-in-eye.html

NASA & JAXA GPM Satellite Finds Heavy Rainfall in Powerful Hurricane Lane
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2018/08/nasa-jaxa-gpm-satellite-finds-heavy.html

For updated forecasts, visit: http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc

NASA's Terra satellite: https://terra.nasa.gov/

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, by Rob Gutro.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

mercredi 22 août 2018

ESA's Aeolus Wind Satellite Launched


















ARIANESPACE - Vega Flight VV12 Aeolus Mission poster.


23 August 2018


Image above: Vega lifts off on Arianespace’s fifth mission of 2018 from the Spaceport in French Guiana. Flight VV12 Aeolus.

ESA’s Earth Explorer Aeolus satellite has been launched into polar orbit on a Vega rocket. Using revolutionary laser technology, Aeolus will measure winds around the globe and play a key role in our quest to better understand the workings of our atmosphere. Importantly, this novel mission will also improve weather forecasting.

Aeolus liftoff replay

Carrying the 1360 kg Aeolus satellite, the Vega rocket lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at 21:20 GMT (23:20 CEST, 18:20 local time) on 22 August. Some 55 minutes later, Vega’s upper stage delivered Aeolus into orbit and contact was established through the Troll ground station in Antarctica at 00:30 CEST on 23 August.

Named after Aeolus, who in Greek mythology was appointed ‘keeper of the winds’ by the Gods, this novel mission is the fifth in the family of ESA’s Earth Explorers, which address the most urgent Earth-science questions of our time.

Aeolus satellite

“Aeolus epitomises the essence of an Earth Explorer. It will fill a gap in our knowledge of how the planet functions and demonstrate how cutting-edge technology can be used in space,” said Jan Wörner, ESA Director General.

ESA’s Director of Earth Observation Programmes, Josef Aschbacher, added, “Aeolus carries the first instrument of its kind and uses a completely new approach to measuring the wind from space.

Aeolus reveals all

“Such pioneering technology has meant that it has been a demanding mission to develop, but thanks to all the teams involved we are thrilled that this extraordinary satellite is now in orbit. We look forward to it living up to expectations!”

Highlighted by the World Meteorological Organization, the lack of direct global wind measurements is one of the major deficits in the Global Observing System.

By filling this gap, Aeolus will give scientists the information they need to understand how wind, pressure, temperature and humidity are interlinked.

This new mission will provide insight into how the wind influences the exchange of heat and moisture between Earth’s surface and the atmosphere – important aspects for understanding climate change.

Earth’s winds

Aeolus carries one of the most sophisticated instruments ever to be put into orbit. The first of its kind, the Aladin instrument includes revolutionary laser technology to generate pulses of ultraviolet light that are beamed down into the atmosphere to profile the world’s winds – a completely new approach to measuring the wind from space.

While Aeolus is set to advance science, it will also benefit society.

Although weather forecasts have advanced considerably in recent years, Aeolus will provide global wind profiles to improve the accuracy even further. In addition, its data will be used in air-quality models to improve forecasts of dust and other airborne particles that affect public health.

 Profiling the world's winds

The satellite is being controlled from ESA’s European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany. Controllers will spend the next few months carefully checking and calibrating the mission as part of its commissioning phase.

Related links:

Aeolus: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Observing_the_Earth/Aeolus

Vega-C: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Transportation/Launch_vehicles/Vega-C

Europe's Spaceport: http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Transportation/Europe_s_Spaceport

Arianespace: http://www.arianespace.com/

CNES: https://cnes.fr/en

Airbus Defence and Space: http://www.airbus.com/

Centre Spatial de Liège: http://www.csl.uliege.be/jcms/c_5053/en/home

Images, Video, Text, Credits: ESA/Arianespace /ATG medialab.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Russian Ship Taking Out Trash After Day of Biology Studies












ISS - Expedition 56 Mission patch.

August 22, 2018

A Russian cargo ship is packed and ready for departure tonight from the International Space Station after a six-month stay. Meanwhile, the Expedition 56 crew members explored a variety of biological phenomena impacted by the weightless environment of space.

Russia’s Progress 69 (69P) cargo craft will undock from the Zvezda service module tonight at 10:16 p.m. EDT packed with trash and discarded hardware. It will orbit Earth for seven more days of engineering tests before finally reentering Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean for a fiery, but safe destruction. The 69P arrived in February delivering over three tons of food, fuel and supplies for the Expedition 54 crew.


Image above: (From left) Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold and Commander Drew Feustel, both NASA astronauts, peer out from windows inside the Cupola, also known as the International Space Station’s “window to the world.” Image Credit: NASA.

Three astronauts worked three different life science experiments today to understand how living in space affects biology. The results could potentially increase the efficiency of orbital research and improve the lives of humans on Earth and in space.

Commander Drew Feustel, who leads the six-member station crew, looked at protein crystals through a microscope today for the BioServe Protein Crystalography study. The experiment is helping scientists on Earth analyze the samples in space real time, possibly saving critical research time and improving the development of disease-treating drugs.


Image above: Flying over USA, Georgia, seen by EarthCam on ISS, speed: 27'624 Km/h, altitude: 404,71 Km, image captured by Roland Berga (on Earth in Switzerland) from International Space Station (ISS) using ISS-HD Live application with EarthCam's from ISS on August 22, 2018 at 19:25 UTC. Image Credits: Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Educator astronaut Ricky Arnold of NASA took part in another similar protein crystal study today peering through a microscope and photographing research samples. The main objective of the Protein Crystal Growth-13 experiment is to fine-tune the research process in space and help public and private organizations deliver results and benefits sooner.

Exercise is critically important in space so astronauts can stay healthy while living off the Earth for long periods of time. Researchers from the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) are observing a new type of t-shirt with a specialized fabric that can help astronauts dispel heat and sweat efficiently during a space workout. Astronaut Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) exercised today in the custom t-shirt for the SpaceTex-2 study to report on its comfort and effectiveness.

Related links:

Expedition 54: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition54/index.html

BioServe Protein Crystalography: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7729

Protein Crystal Growth-13: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7690

SpaceTex-2: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7571

German Aerospace Centre (DLR): https://www.dlr.de/dlr/en/

Expedition 56: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition56/index.html

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/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

mardi 21 août 2018

Hubble’s Treasure Chest of Galaxies












NASA - Hubble Space Telescope patch.

Aug. 21, 2018


Galaxies abound in this spectacular Hubble image; spiral arms swirl in all colors and orientations, and fuzzy ellipticals can be seen speckled across the frame as softly glowing smudges on the sky. Each visible speck of a galaxy is home to countless stars. A few stars closer to home shine brightly in the foreground, while a massive galaxy cluster nestles at the very center of the image — an immense collection of maybe thousands of galaxies, all held together by the relentless force of gravity.

Galaxy clusters are some of the most interesting objects in the cosmos. They are the nodes of the cosmic web that permeates the entire universe — to study them is to study the organization of matter on the grandest of scales. Not only are galaxy clusters ideal subjects for the study of dark matter and dark energy, but they also allow for the study of farther-flung galaxies. Their immense gravitational influence means they distort the space-time around them, causing them to act like giant zoom lenses. The light of background galaxies is warped and magnified as it passes through the galaxy cluster, allowing astronomers insight into the distant — and therefore early — universe.

Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

This image was taken by Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys and Wide Field Camera 3 as part of an observing program called RELICS (Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey). RELICS imaged 41 massive galaxy clusters with the aim of finding the brightest distant galaxies for the forthcoming James Webb Space Telescope to study.

Related links:

RELICS (Reionization Lensing Cluster Survey): https://relics.stsci.edu/

For more information about Hubble, visit:

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

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

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

NASA Stares Major Hurricane Lane in the Eye












NASA - EOS Terra Mission patch.

Aug. 21, 2018

Lane - Formerly 14E (Eastern Pacific)

While passing over the Central Pacific Ocean, NASA's Terra satellite stared Hurricane Lane in the eye. Hurricane Lane continued to show a large eye surrounded by powerful storms. An infrared look by NASA's Terra satellite provided temperatures of those storms, confirming strong, high thunderstorms capable of very heavy rainfall.


Image above: On Aug. 21 at 7:15 a.m. EDT (1115 UTC) NASA's Terra satellite found coldest temperatures of strongest thunderstorms (yellow) in Hurricane Lane were as cold as or colder than minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62.2 Celsius) in the eyewall. They were surrounded by a larger area of storms with cloud tops as cold as minus 70 degrees (red) Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 degrees Celsius). Image Credits: NRL/NASA.

NOAA's Central Pacific Hurricane Center or CPHC cautioned on Tuesday, August 21, 2018, "Major Hurricane Lane expected to make a turn toward the Hawaiian Islands later this week." Interests in the main Hawaiian Islands and across the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands should continue to closely monitor the progress of Hurricane Lane. A Hurricane Watch may be required for portions of the main Hawaiian Islands on Tuesday.

On Aug. 21 at 7:15 a.m. EDT (1115 UTC) the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer or MODIS instrument aboard NASA's Terra satellite analyzed Lane's cloud top temperatures in infrared light. MODIS found cloud top temperatures of strongest thunderstorms in the eyewall were as cold as or colder than minus 80 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 62.2 Celsius). They were surrounded by a larger area of storms with cloud tops as cold as minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 56.6 degrees Celsius).Cloud top temperatures that cold indicate strong storms that have the capability to create heavy rain.

NASA's Terra satellite. Image Credit: NASA

At 5 a.m. EDT (0900 UTC) on Aug. 21 or 11 p.m. HST on Aug. 21, the eye of Hurricane Lane was located by aircraft near latitude 14.0 degrees north and longitude 151.2 degrees west. Lane is moving toward the west near 12 mph (19 kph) and this motion is expected to continue through Tuesday, with some slowing in forward speed. A gradual turn toward the northwest is expected Wednesday into Thursday, Aug. 23. Maximum sustained winds are near 150 mph (240 kph) with higher gusts. Lane is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Slight weakening is forecast over the next couple of days.

CPHC said "Large swells generated by Lane will impact the Hawaiian Islands this week. These swells will produce large and potentially damaging surf along exposed shorelines. Excessive rainfall associated with Lane could affect portions of the Hawaiian Islands from Wednesday into the weekend, leading to flash flooding and mud slides."

Related article:

NASA & JAXA GPM Satellite Finds Heavy Rainfall in Powerful Hurricane Lane
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2018/08/nasa-jaxa-gpm-satellite-finds-heavy.html

For updated forecasts, visit: http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc/

NASA's Terra satellite: https://terra.nasa.gov/

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, by Rob Gutro.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

NASA & JAXA GPM Satellite Finds Heavy Rainfall in Powerful Hurricane Lane













NASA & JAXA - Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) patch.

Aug. 21, 2018

Lane - Formerly 14E (Eastern Pacific)

Hurricane Lane had moved westward into the central Pacific Ocean far southeast of the Hawaiian Islands when NASA's GPM core observatory satellite passed above and looked it the heavy rainfall it was generating. Hurricane Lane may be a threat to portions of the Hawaiian Islands this week.


Image above: On August 19, 2018 at 12:43 p.m. EDT (1643 UTC) the GPM satellite measured rainfall intensity measurements near hurricane Lane's eye was over 143 mm (5.6 inches) per hour. Rain was falling at a rate of over 89 mm (3.5 inches) per hour in an intense feeder band wrapping around the northern side of the hurricane. The lowest cloud heights are blue while the tallest storm tops are shown in yellow.
Image Credits: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce.

Hurricane Lane intensified and had maximum sustained winds reaching about 105 knots (~ 121 mph) when GPM passed overhead on August 19, 2018 at 12:43 p.m. EDT (1643 UTC).  This made it a category three on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale.

The GPM satellite's Microwave Imager (GMI) and Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) instruments provided highly accurate information about precipitation within the hurricane. GPM's GMI revealed rainfall coverage and GPM's radar (DPR Ku Band) provided precise rainfall intensity measurements near the hurricane's eye. GPM's radar found that rain was falling at a rate of over 89 mm (3.5 inches) per hour in an intense feeder band wrapping around the northern side of the hurricane. GPM's DPR (shown in lighter shades) also measured precipitation in powerful storms in Lane's eye wall that were dropping rain at a rate of over 143 mm (5.6 inches) per hour.

The GPM satellite's radar data (DPR Ku Band) were used to provide a unique 3D cross-section view of rainfall intensity in hurricane LANE's eye wall. DPR revealed that very strong downpours there were returning radar reflectivity values greater than 57 dBZ to the GPM satellite. GPM's Ku band radar is capable of showing the 3D structure of precipitation to heights of 19 km (11.8 miles). Those GPM radar data revealed that the tops of very powerful storms in Lane's eye wall were reaching heights above 14.3 km (8.9 miles).  GPM is a joint mission between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.

GPM Video of Rainfall Inside Hurricane Lane

Video above: On August 19, 2018 at 12:43 p.m. EDT (1643 UTC) the GPM satellite measured rainfall intensity measurements near Hurricane Lane's eye was over 143 mm (5.6 inches) per hour. Rain was falling at a rate of over 89 mm (3.5 inches) per hour in an intense feeder band wrapping around the northern side of the hurricane. The lowest cloud heights are blue while the tallest storm tops are shown in yellow.
Video Credits: NASA/JAXA, Hal Pierce.

On Aug. 20, NOAA's Central Pacific Hurricane Center or CPHC in Honolulu, Hawaii cautioned "All interests in the Hawaiian Islands, including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, should continue to closely monitor the progress of Lane this week.  On the current forecast track, a Tropical Storm or Hurricane Watch may be required for parts of Hawaii later today or tonight."

At 5 a.m. HST/11 a.m. EDT/1500 UTC, the center of Hurricane Lane was located near latitude 13.7 degrees north and longitude 148.2 degrees west.  Lane is moving toward the west near 14 mph (22 kph), and this general motion is expected to continue today.  Lane is forecast to move westward at a slightly slower forward speed from tonight through early Tuesday, followed by a turn toward the west-northwest starting late Tuesday.

GPM core observatory satellite. Image Credits: NASA/JAXA

Maximum sustained winds are near 125 mph (205 kph) with higher gusts.  Lane is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.  Little change in strength is expected through early Tuesday, with some weakening possible starting late Tuesday.

CPHC cautioned "Large swells generated by Lane will impact the Hawaiian Islands this week. These swells will likely produce large and dangerous surf, as well as strong currents, along some shorelines."

For updated forecasts, visit: http://www.prh.noaa.gov/cphc

NASA GPM satellite: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GPM/main/index.html

JAXA GPM satellite: http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/gpm/

Images (mentioned), Video (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, by Harold F. Pierce/Rob Gutro.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch