Space Station Science Highlights: Week of September 2, 2019

ISS - Expedition 60 Mission patch.

Sept. 7, 2019

Recent scientific studies conducted on the International Space Station include growing crystals and moss in space and studying how microgravity affects fluids in the body. The Expedition 60 crew enjoyed time off for the Labor Day holiday and also began preparing for the arrival of a JAXA H-II Transfer Vehicle, HTV-8, currently scheduled for Sept. 14. The space station provides a platform for long-duration research on how living in microgravity affects the human body and testing technologies for traveling farther into deep space, which supports Artemis, NASA’s plans to go forward to the Moon and on to Mars.

Here are details on some of the science conducted on the orbiting laboratory during the week of Sept. 2:

Drawing a better bull’s-eye on cancer proteins

The crew took microscopic images of solutions and crystals in the wells of experiment growth plates for the Microgravity Crystals investigation. This experiment crystallizes a membrane protein that is integral to tumor growth and cancer survival. Efforts to crystallize this protein on Earth have yielded unsatisfactory results, but previous research indicates that crystals grow more successfully on the space station. Large, well-ordered protein crystals can provide detailed knowledge of the three-dimensional structure of proteins. Results may support development of cancer treatments that more effectively home in on their intended target, producing fewer side effects.

Measuring how fluid shifts affect vision and eye structure

Image above: This Chibis hardware creates and measures Lower Body Negative Pressure as part of the Fluid Shifts experiment. Image Credit: NASA.

The crew performed the second of three weeks of measurements and ultrasound scans for Fluid Shifts. This investigation measures how much fluid shifts from the lower to the upper body and in or out of cells and blood vessels in microgravity in an effort to determine how these shifts affect fluid pressure in the head, vision and eye structures. The experiment also measures response to a technique of subjecting the lower half of the subject’s body to slightly lower pressure, which creates enough difference in pressure to draw fluid from the head toward the feet. This procedure, called lower body negative pressure, could help mitigate some of the effects of space flight-induced fluid shifts. Astronauts can experience vision and eye changes during and after long-duration space flight and study results may lead to development of ways to prevent these effects.

Growing tiny plants in space

Image above: NASA astronaut Nick Hague works on hardware for Space Moss, an investigation that grows mosses aboard the space station to determine how microgravity affects their growth, development and other features. Image Credit: NASA.

The crew initiated the third run of Space Moss, inserting it into the Plant Experiment unit and attaching the unit to the Cell Biology Experiment Facility (CBEF) incubator. This investigation determines how microgravity affects the growth, development and other features of moss. Tiny plants without roots, mosses need only a small area for growth, an advantage for their potential use in space and future bases on the Moon or Mars.

Other investigations on which the crew performed work:

- Rodent Research-17 (RR-17) uses young and old mice to evaluate the physiological, cellular and molecular effects of microgravity and spaceflight.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7992

Image above: NASA astronaut Christina Koch works on the rodent research facility Habitat unit, which can house as many as 10 mice for up to 90 days, making possible investigations such as Rodent Research-17. Image Credit: NASA.

- The Micro-15 investigation examines the mechanisms behind observations that microgravity affects stem cell differentiation and proliferation and gene expression using three-dimensional cultures of mammalian stem cells.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7653

- The ISS Experience creates virtual reality videos from footage covering different aspects of crew life, execution of science and the international partnerships involved on the space station.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7877

- BEST studies the use of DNA sequencing to identify unknown microbial organisms on the space station and to understand how humans, plants and microbes adapt to living in space. It uses a swab-to-sequencer process that does not require culturing of organisms.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7687

- Food Acceptability examines changes in the appeal of food aboard the space station during long-duration missions. “Menu fatigue” from repeatedly consuming a limited choice of foods may contribute to the loss of body mass often experienced by crew members, potentially affecting astronaut health, especially as mission length increases.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7562

- Probiotics studies whether beneficial bacteria, or probiotics, can improve the intestinal microbiota of crew members and perhaps help improve their immune function on long-duration space missions.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=2047

- Standard Measures captures a consistent and simple set of measures from crew members throughout the ISS Program to characterize adaptive responses to and risks of living in space.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7711

Space to Ground: Category 5: 09/06/2019

Related links:

Expedition 60: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition60/index.html

Artemis: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis

Microgravity Crystals: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7977

Fluid Shifts: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1126

Space Moss: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7892

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), Video (NASA9, Text, Credits: NASA/Michael Johnson/Vic Cooley, Lead Increment Scientist Expedition 60.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

NASA Goddard Creates CGI Moon Kit as a Form of Visual Storytelling

NASA - Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) patch.

Sept. 6, 2019

A new NASA out-of-this-world animation allows humanity to experience their closest galactic neighbor as never before through an online “CGI Moon kit.”

Smartphones have allowed millions to become amateur photographers, but capturing the perfect picture can still be difficult under certain conditions. So, imagine trying to capture an image of a 3D object while simultaneously moving at almost a mile per second. The light source over 93 million miles away and the entire surface must also be accurately mapped topographically down to a level of 100 feet.

Animation above: This animation illustrates how color and displacement maps are used in 3D animation software to paint and model an object like the Moon. Animation Credits: NASA/Goddard/Scientific Visualization Studio.

These are the challenging conditions NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has overcome for the 10 years – and counting – orbiting Earth’s Moon.

Using data and imagery from LRO, Ernie Wright brings the Moon to life in unprecedented detail. Wright is a science visualizer who works at the Scientific Visualization Studio at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. He created the online CGI Moon kit.

The purpose of the CGI Moon kit is to make NASA’s data more accessible to 3-D artists. Wright initially created the 3D Moon map as a Scientific Visualization Studio (SVS) resource, but after receiving multiple requests for the data used to create his Moon visualizations, he decided to share his creation as a way for artists to connect with the LRO mission.

“[The Moon kit] will bring the LRO data within reach of lots of other artists who want to do the kinds of things that I do,” Wright said.

One of the primary goals for the LRO is to accurately map the topography of the Moon to prepare for safer landing to sights of interest for the Artemis program. Two gadgets on this spacecraft have been key components: The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) and the Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA).

Image above: This color map, available as 24-bit RGB TIFFs of various sizes, is centered on 0° longitude. Image Credits: NASA/Goddard/Scientific Visualization Studio.

LROC works like a scanner, building an image line-by-line, using the motion of the spacecraft over the lunar surface to build an image. LOLA uses laser pulses to detect the dimensions of the Moon. A single laser pulse is sent down and divided into five separate beams. The pulses reach the Moon’s surface and bounces back to the spacecraft. LOLA then measures the nanoseconds it takes for the beam to return as a means of reading the Moon’s topography. If a beam comes back quickly, LOLA can tell that the landscape has a high elevation. If the beam comes back weaker, the surface is rough and power from the beam was scattered.

After collecting a set amount of data, the spacecraft sends the bits and bytes of information to receivers on Earth, and the LRO team is tasked with processing and interpreting the raw data.

LRO scientist Noah Petro at NASA Goddard understands the value of Wright’s work, and the social implications it holds for connecting the LRO mission with the general public. Petro acknowledges the stunning visuals as a key component for the LRO Mission’s success. “He can help tell the story using the LRO data, and illustrate difficult-to-communicate ideas or concepts, of whatever the story might be,” Petro said, “so I think he’s already had some influence on how people consume the information, when they don’t even know it.”

Wright explains creating and sharing the Moon is the easy part. The real challenge is in setting the scene. In order to successfully tell a story to the audience, Wright takes lighting, location, and the overall big picture into strong consideration.

“Using 3D animation software is a lot like filming live action, with lights, cameras, props and sets” Wright said, “but visualization is more like filming a documentary. You’re being factual, but you’re also creating a narrative.”

When he created a video showing the Apollo 17 landing site, Wright took an approach that would focus on highlighting the path of the astronauts. The sight on the Moon is smaller than a pixel, and zooming into the sight and showing the rover tracks all fuel the ultimate goal of telling the story of the images captured by LRO.

Image above: The displacement map, at 64, 16, and 4 pixels per degree, centered on 0° longitude. Available as either floating-point TIFFs in kilometers, relative to a radius of 1737.4 km, or 16-bit TIFFs in half-meters, relative to a radius of 1,747,400 meters. Image Credits: NASA/Goddard/Scientific Visualization Studio.

“We’re putting the pictures back into context, Wright said, “we’re putting them back where they came from.”

The extensive amount of data is readily available online, but without an extensive background in the LRO’s technology, the information can be difficult to interpret. Visual animations make this public data digestible for those without a technical science background. “All of this data is publicly available but not as accessible as it could be,” Wright said, “so, in releasing this in a form that a lot of people can appreciate and use.” Because of this, the importance of connecting this science with art and imagery is crucial for the mission to achieve its full potential.

And as NASA prepares for Artemis, Wright’s animations assist in planning for safer, more successful missions. There is now enough data where Wright can use his computer program to make animations depicting what specific areas on the Moon will look like in 2024. This allows scientists to find further target zones for upcoming exploration.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). Image Credit: NASA

By making the most data ever collected by a planetary spacecraft accessible to a general audience, Wright’s work can be found in a wide range of places, from textbooks, to online templates, to backdrops at events.

“He can tell the story that helps us communicate what we do much better than I think just us alone,” Petro said.

For more information about LRO, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/lro

To access the Moon kit, visit: https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/4720

Artemis program: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/what-is-artemis/

Images (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Karl Hille/Goddard Space Flight Center, by Natalie Didomenico.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Chandrayaan-2 Vikram Moon lander lost signal

ISRO - Chandrayaan-2 Moon Mission logo.

Sept. 6, 2019

On the day of landing (today), the Lander (Vikram) separate from the Orbiter and then will perform a series of complex maneuvers comprising of rough braking and fine braking.

Images of Lunar Surface captured by Terrain Mapping Camera -2 (TMC-2) of Chandrayaan 2

Imaging of the landing site region prior to landing will be done for finding safe and hazard-free zones. Vikram will attempt to make a soft landing in a high plain between two craters — Manzinus C and Simpelius N — at a latitude of about 70° South on 7th September 2019.

Images of Lunar Surface captured by Terrain Mapping Camera -2 (TMC-2) of Chandrayaan 2 

 

Images of Lunar Surface captured by Terrain Mapping Camera -2 (TMC-2) of Chandrayaan 2

The Chandrayaan-2 lunar mission attempted to soft land the Vikram lander near South Pole of the Moon on 6 September 2019. At an altitude of 2.1 km the communications with the lander were lost.

Chandrayaan-2 Vikram landing on the Moon

Related articles & link:

Chandrayaan-2 managed to get into lunar orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2019/08/chandrayaan-2-managed-to-get-into-lunar.html

GSLV MkIII-M1 Successfully Launches Chandrayaan-2 spacecraft
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2019/07/gslv-mkiii-m1-successfully-launches.html

Moon mission for an Indian probe
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2019/07/moon-mission-for-indian-probe.html

GSLV-Mk III - M1 / Chandrayaan-2 Mission: https://www.isro.gov.in/launcher/gslv-mk-iii-m1-chandrayaan-2-mission

Images, Video, Text, Credits: ISRO/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Soyuz MS-14 Bearing Russian Cargo Safely Back on Earth

ROSCOSMOS - Soyuz MS-14 / Skybot F-850 Mission patch.

September 6, 2019

The Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft bearing Russian gear and supplies is safely back on Earth after parachuting to a landing in south-central Kazakhstan at 5:32 p.m. EDT (3:32am Kazakhstan time on Saturday, Sept. 7).  Landing occurred about 87 miles southeast of the town of Dzhezkazgan. Roscosmos personnel are on-site and have recovered the vehicle for postflight analysis.

Image above: The Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft on it’s way back to Earth after departing from the International Space Station on Friday, September 6, 2019. Image Credit: NASA.

Earlier, at 2:14 p.m., while flying about 260 miles above the border between northeastern China and southeastern Russia, the unpiloted vehicle undocked and departed from the International Space Station’s aft-facing port of the Zvezda service module for the short voyage home.

Soyuz MS-14 undocking and departure

The uncrewed Russian Soyuz spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Aug. 21, carrying 1,450 pounds of cargo to replenish the Expedition 60 crew residing at the orbital outpost. Part of its payload included a humanoid robot that was tested aboard the space station before being loaded back for its return trip. The MS-14’s flight also helped to validate the spacecraft’s compatibility for a revamped Soyuz booster rocket, which will be used to transport crews beginning spring 2020.

Related links:

Expedition 60: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition60/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

Image (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: NASA/Norah Moran/SciNews.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

JAXA Spacecraft Carries Science, Technology to the Space Station

JAXA - H-II Transfer Vehicle-8 (HTV-8) Mission patch.

Sept. 6, 2019

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) cargo ship H-II Transfer Vehicle-8 (HTV-8) is scheduled to lift off Sept. 10 at 5:33 p.m. EDT (6:33 a.m. Japan Standard Time) to the International Space Station from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center, 10 years after JAXA launched its first HTV mission. HTV-8 arrives at the space station on Sept. 14.

Image above: The Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) developed an uncrewed cargo transfer craft, called the H-II Transfer Vehicle (HTV), to deliver supplies to the International Space Station. This image shows the HTV-7 resupply ship after its release from the Canadarm2 robotic arm as the space station orbited above the Pacific Ocean some 311 miles west of Baja California. Image Credit: NASA.

Here are details about some of the scientific investigations and facilities heading to the orbiting lab on HTV-8.

Preparing for dusty landings

The new Hourglass investigation examines how different levels of gravity affect the behavior of granular materials such as regolith, dust that covers the surface of planets and planetary-like bodies. A better understanding of the behavior of these granular materials supports design of spacecraft for future landings on the Moon, Mars and other celestial bodies.

Image above: Samples for the Hourglass investigation include lunar, Mars and Phobos regolith simulants, Alumina beads, and Toyoura and Slica sands. Image Credit: NASA.

Scientists are conducting similar research on regolith and granular materials using the space station’s Hermes research facility. Hermes provides long duration exposure to microgravity and the vacuum of space.

Better space-to-ground and space-to-space communication 

The Demonstration of Small Optical Communication System (SOLISS) investigation demonstrates new technology for future broadband data communication in space. SOLISS is an optical system mounted on the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM), an external platform providing continuous exposure to space for a variety of experiments. SOLISS technology allows transmission of large amounts of data from the space station, as well as from satellites in geostationary orbit to ground stations.

Related article:

JAXA and Sony CSL to Conduct In-Orbit Demonstrations of Long-Distance Laser Communication
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2019/08/jaxa-and-sony-csl-to-conduct-in-orbit.html

Predicting flammability in microgravity

FLARE explores the flammability of materials in microgravity by burning various solid fuels under different conditions inside a flow tunnel. Microgravity significantly affects how combustion occurs, but current tests of the flammability of materials for crewed space missions do not consider the effect of gravity. This investigation demonstrates a new way to predict flammability in microgravity that could fill this gap and significantly improve fire safety aboard spacecraft on future exploration missions. Final components of the FLARE module arrive on the cargo ship.

Related links:

H-II Transfer Vehicle-8 (HTV-8): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/htv.html

Hourglass: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8007

Hermes: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/hermes-to-bring-asteroid-research-to-the-iss

Small Optical Communication System (SOLISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7750

Japanese Experiment Module (JEM): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=134

FLARE: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7880

JAXA HTV-8 Mission: http://iss.jaxa.jp/en/htv/mission/htv-8/

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/JSC/International Space Station Program Science Office/Melissa Gaskill.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Mapping Dorian’s Damage to the Bahamas

NASA logo.

September 6, 2019

Image above: A damage assessment map derived from satellite data shows conditions on one island in the Bahamas on Sept. 2. Red and yellow areas are likely the most damaged. Image Credits: NASA-JPL, Caltech, Earth Observatory of Singapore.

NASA has created and provided to emergency response organizations a detailed damage assessment map of the Bahamas based on satellite data after Hurricane Dorian hit the islands earlier this week.

For over a week, a response team from NASA’s Earth Science Disasters Program has worked to create maps of impacts and potential impacts from the storm and make them available to decision makers.

The new damage assessment map used satellite data from the European Union’s Sentinel-1 Copernicus instrument to identify areas (shown in red and yellow) that were likely most affected by the storm’s Category 5 winds and storm surge. The map was created by the Advanced Rapid Imaging and Analysis team at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in collaboration with the European Space Agency, the California Institute of Technology and the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

The region shown in the map is Marsh Harbour, a town in the Abaco Islands, a group of Bahamian islands and cays that form a 120-mile–long chain. Marsh Harbour is the commercial center of the Abacos.

NASA’s Disasters Program has also been contacted by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency for assistance in providing high-resolution flood maps. That agency’s disaster response teams are attempting to reach inundated areas, many of which remain inaccessible. This type of map will give Bahamian officials a better understanding of flood impacts and where the help is most urgently needed. – Jim Schultz.

NASA’s Disasters Program: https://disasters.nasa.gov/

Tropical Cyclone: https://blogs.nasa.gov/disaster-response/category/tropical-cyclone/

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Steve Cole.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Expedition 60 Studies the Keys to Survive and Thrive in Space

ISS - Expedition 60 Mission patch.

September 5, 2019

As the week near its close, the crew of Expedition 60 caught up on maintenance activities while also continuing science investigations integral for the future of space exploration to destinations further into the solar system.

ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano performed servicing to the EXPRESS Rack located in the Columbus lab of the International Space Station. The EXPRESS Rack is instrumental in supporting science experiments, providing structural interfaces for power, data, cooling water and more to facilitate investigations in microgravity.

Image above: The unpiloted Soyuz MS-14 spacecraft approaches the International Space Station for an automated docking. Image Credit: NASA TV.

NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Andrew Morgan continued examinations for Fluid Shifts, conducting remotely guided ultrasounds to track the movement of fluids within the body. Spread out over several weeks, the various measurements investigate if long-duration spaceflight can cause severe and lasting physical damage to an astronaut’s eyes. Aboard the orbiting laboratory, a Lower Body Negative Pressure device is being evaluated as a possible intervention for any harmful effects.

Flight Engineer Christina Koch, meanwhile, spent time on Rodent Research habitat cleaning and feeding protocols. Such experiments, as a byproduct of learning how microgravity affects animals, provides relevant insight to human space exploration, basic biology and knowledge that can positively impact human health on Earth.

Flight Engineer Luca Parmitano of ESA (European Space Agency) worked with the Biomolecule Extraction and Sequencing Technology (BEST) investigation, completing cell sample transfers. BEST evaluates the feasibility of sequencing to identify unknown microbial organisms living aboard the orbiting laboratory. One added benefit, too, is the experiment furthers research in understanding how humans, plants and microbes adapt to microgravity.

Image above: NASA astronauts (from left) Christina Koch, Nick Hague and Andrew Morgan gather for a portrait inside the International Space Station’s “window to the world,” the seven-windowed cupola. Image Credit: NASA.  

Crew members performed scheduled maintenance on the Space Moss investigation — a plant-growth experiment attached to the Cell Biology Experiment Facility incubator. Moss, tiny plants without roots, need only a small area to thrive, and thus have potential in space far beyond low-Earth orbit, like on future Moon or Martian bases.

The countdown is on for cosmonauts Alexander Skvortsov and Alexey Ovchinin, who will wrap up packing the Soyuz MS-14 with gear before the spaceship returns to Earth Friday, Sept. 6. Viewers can watch NASA Television as it follows the undocking of the unpiloted vehicle, which begins at 1:45 p.m. EDT for a scheduled undocking at 2:14 p.m. The vehicle is anticipated to land at 5:34 p.m. in Kazakhstan, but with no NASA TV coverage.

Related links:

Expedition 60: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition60/index.html

EXPRESS Rack: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=598

Fluid Shifts: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1126

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

NASA Television: https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive/

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/Catherine Williams.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

NASA Measures Dorian’s Heavy Rainfall from Bahamas to Carolinas

NASA & JAXA - Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)/ NASA - EOS Aqua Mission logo.

Sep. 05, 2019

Dorian – Atlantic Ocean

Hurricane Dorian continues to generate tremendous amounts of rainfall, and has left over three feet of rain in some areas of the Bahamas and is now lashing the Carolinas. NASA’s IMERG product provided a look at those rainfall totals.

Image above: By September 5, Hurricane Dorian had dumped heavy rain on coastal South Carolina. An even greater accumulation of over 10 inches was occurring off shore along the path of Dorian’s inner core. In part because of Hurricane Dorian’s forward motion during the past two days, the recent rainfall totals have remained below the 36-inch accumulation observed when Dorian was stalled over the Bahamas. The graphic shows the distance that tropical-storm force (39 mph) winds extend from Hurricane Dorian’s low-pressure center as reported by the National Hurricane Center. The Saffir-Simpson intensity category is the number following the “H” in the label on the image. Credit: NASA Goddard.

By Thursday morning, September 5, Hurricane Dorian had dumped heavy rain on coastal South Carolina.  An even greater accumulation of over 10 inches was occurring off shore along the path of Dorian’s inner core.  In part because of Hurricane Dorian’s forward motion during the past two days, the recent rainfall totals have remained below the 36-inch accumulation observed when Dorian was stalled over the Bahamas.

NASA has the ability to estimate the rainfall rates occurring in a storm or how much rain has fallen. Rainfall imagery was generated using the Integrated Multi-satEllite Retrievals for GPM or IMERG product at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. These near-realtime rain estimates come from the NASA IMERG algorithm, which combines observations from a fleet of satellites in the GPM or Global Precipitation Measurement mission constellation of satellites, and is calibrated with measurements from the GPM Core Observatory as well as rain gauge networks around the world. The measurements are done in near-real time, to provide global estimates of precipitation every 30 minutes.

The storm-total rainfall at a particular location varies with the forward speed of the hurricane, with the size of the hurricane’s wind field, and with how vigorous the updrafts are inside the hurricane.

Image above: This false-colored infrared image taken from NASA’s Aqua satellite on Sept. 4 at 2:29 p.m. EDT (18:29 UTC) shows Dorian after it re-strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane off the Georgia and South Carolina coast. The image shows a clear eye in the storm. Intense storms capable of generating heavy rainfall appear in purple. Image Credits: NASA JPL/Heidar Thrastarson.

Warnings and Watches on Sept. 5

NOAA’s National Hurricane Center noted the following warnings and watches on Sept. 5. A Storm Surge Warning is in effect from the Savannah River to Poquoson, VA, Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds, Neuse and Pamlico Rivers and Hampton Roads, VA.  A Hurricane Warning is in effect from the Savannah River to the North Carolina/Virginia border and for the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect from the North Carolina/Virginia border to Chincoteague, VA, and for the Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point southward. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for north of Chincoteague VA to Fenwick Island, DE and the Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point to Drum Point, the Tidal Potomac south of Cobb Island, Woods Hole to Sagamore Beach, MA, Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, MA.

NHC:  Dorian’s Status on Sept. 5

Image above: This near visible image taken from NASA’s Aqua satellite on Sept. 4 at 2:29 p.m. EDT (18:29 UTC) shows Dorian after it re-strengthened into a Category 3 hurricane off the Georgia and South Carolina coast. Image Credits: NASA JPL/Heidar Thrastarson.

NHC’s latest bulletin at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) noted the eye of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 32.1 degrees North, longitude 79.3 degrees West. That puts the eye of Dorian about 70 miles (115 km) south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina. Dorian is now moving toward the north-northeast near 8 mph (13 kph).   Maximum sustained winds are near 115 mph (185 km/h) with higher gusts.  Dorian is a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.  Some fluctuations in intensity are expected this morning, followed by slow weakening through Saturday. However, Dorian is expected to remain a hurricane for the next few days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles (315 km). Charleston International Airport recently reported a wind gust of 61 mph (98 kph). The estimated minimum central pressure based on Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter data is 959 millibars.

Dorian’s Forecast Path

The National Hurricane Center forecast calls for Dorian to turn toward the northeast by tonight, and a northeastward motion at a faster forward speed is forecast on Friday.  On the forecast track, the center of Dorian will continue to move close to the coast of South Carolina today, and then move near or over the coast of North Carolina tonight and Friday.  The center should move to the southeast of extreme southeastern New England Friday night and Saturday morning, and approach Nova Scotia later on Saturday.

Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GPM/main/index.html

For more about NASA’s IMERG, visit: https://pmm.nasa.gov/gpm/imerg-global-image

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

For updated forecasts, visit NOAA’s NHC: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, by Owen Kelley/Rob Gutro.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Satellite Captures Four Tropical Cyclones from Space

NOAA & NASA - Goes Mission logo.

Sept. 5, 2019

On Sept. 4, 2019, a loose chain of tropical cyclones lined up across the Western Hemisphere. At the time of this image (1:10 p.m. EDT) Hurricane Juliette in the East Pacific and Hurricane Dorian in the Atlantic were both category 2 storms.

Meanwhile, Tropical Storm Fernand packed sustained winds of 45 mph and had just recently made landfall over northeastern Mexico. Gabrielle strengthened into a tropical storm on September 4 over the eastern Atlantic, and had sustained winds of 50 mph around the time of this image.

Image above: Labeled image of the chain of tropical cyclones lined up across the Western Hemisphere on Sept. 4, 2019. Image Credits: NASA Earth Observatory/Joshua Stevens; NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service.

Data for the simulated natural-color image were acquired with the Advanced Baseline Imager on the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) 16. GOES-16 is operated by NOAA; NASA helps develop and launch the GOES series of satellites.

GOES (Geostationary Environmental Operational Satellites): http://www.nasa.gov/goes/

Images, Text, Credits: NASA/Brian Dunbar/NASA Earth Observatory/Joshua Stevens; NOAA National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. Caption: Kathryn Hansen.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

NASA Research Gives New Insight into How Much Atmosphere Mars Lost

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center logo.

Sept. 5, 2019

A key tracer used to estimate how much atmosphere Mars lost can change depending on the time of day and the surface temperature on the Red Planet, according to new observations by NASA-funded scientists. Previous measurements of this tracer – isotopes of oxygen – have disagreed significantly. An accurate measurement of this tracer is important to estimate how much atmosphere Mars once had before it was lost, which reveals whether Mars could have been habitable and what the conditions might have been like.

Mars is a cold, inhospitable desert today, but features like dry riverbeds and minerals that only form with liquid water indicate that long ago it had a thick atmosphere that retained enough heat for liquid water – a necessary ingredient for life – to flow on the surface. It appears that Mars lost much of its atmosphere over billions of years, transforming its climate from one that might have supported life into the desiccated and frozen environment of today, according to results from NASA missions such as MAVEN and Curiosity and going back to the Viking missions of 1976.

Image above: This artist’s concept depicts the early Martian environment (right) – believed to contain liquid water and a thicker atmosphere – versus the cold, dry environment seen at Mars today (left). Image Credits: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

However, many mysteries about the Red Planet’s ancient atmosphere remain. “We know Mars had more atmosphere. We know it had flowing water. We do not have a good estimate for the conditions apart from that – how Earthlike was the Mars environment? For how long?” said Timothy Livengood of the University of Maryland, College Park and NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Livengood is lead author of a paper on this research published online in Icarus August 1.

One way to estimate how thick the original atmosphere of Mars was is to look at isotopes of oxygen. Isotopes are versions of an element with different mass due to the number of neutrons in the atomic nucleus. Lighter isotopes escape to space faster than heavier isotopes, so the atmosphere that remains on the planet gets gradually enriched in the heavier isotope. In this case, Mars is enriched compared to Earth in the heavier isotope of oxygen, ¹⁸O, versus the lighter and much more common ¹⁶O. The measured relative amount of each isotope can be used to estimate how much more atmosphere there was on ancient Mars, in combination with an estimate for how much faster the lighter ¹⁶O escapes, and assuming that the relative amount of each isotope on Earth and Mars was once similar.

The problem is that measurements of the amount of ¹⁸O compared to ¹⁶O on Mars, the ¹⁸O/¹⁶O ratio, have not been consistent. Different missions measured different ratios, which results in different understandings of the ancient Martian atmosphere. The new result provides a possible way to resolve this discrepancy by showing that the ratio can change during the Martian day. “Previous measurements on Mars or from Earth have obtained a variety of different values for the isotope ratio,” said Livengood. “Ours are the first measurements to use a single method in a way that shows the ratio actually varying within a single day, rather than comparisons between independent devices. In our measurements, the isotope ratio varies from being about 9% depleted in heavy isotopes at noon on Mars to being about 8% enriched in heavy isotopes by about 1:30pm compared to the isotope ratios that are normal for Earth oxygen.”

This range of isotope ratios is consistent with the other reported measurements. “Our measurements suggest that the previous work all may have been done correctly but disagreed because this aspect of the atmosphere is more complex than we had realized,” said Livengood. “Depending where on Mars the measurement was made, and what time of day on Mars, it is possible to get different values.”

The team thinks the change in ratios during the day is a routine occurrence due to ground temperature, in which the isotopically heavier molecules would stick to cold surface grains at night more than the lighter isotopes, then are freed (thermally desorb) as the surface warms up during the day.

Since the Martian atmosphere is mostly carbon dioxide (CO₂), what the team actually observed were oxygen isotopes attached to carbon atoms in the CO₂ molecule. They made their observations of the Martian atmosphere with the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility on Mauna Kea, Hawaii, using the Heterodyne Instrument for Planetary Winds and Composition developed at NASA Goddard. “While trying to understand the broad spread in estimated isotope ratios that we retrieved from the observations, we noticed that they were correlated with the surface temperature that we also obtained,” said Livengood. “That was the insight that set us on this path.”

The new work will help researchers refine their estimates of the ancient Martian atmosphere. Because the measurements can now be understood to be consistent with the results of such processes in other planets’ atmospheres, it means they are on the right track for understanding how the Martian climate changed. “It shows that the atmospheric loss was by processes that we more or less understand,” said Livengood. “Critical details remain to be worked out, but it means that we don’t need to invoke exotic processes that could have resulted in removing CO₂ without changing the isotope ratios, or changing just some ratios in other elements.”

The research was funded by the former NASA Planetary Astronomy Program, now the NASA Solar System Observations Program. NASA is exploring our Solar System and beyond, uncovering worlds, stars, and cosmic mysteries near and far with our powerful fleet of space and ground-based missions.

Related links:

Icarus August 1: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0019103518307097?dgcid=author

MAVEN: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/maven/main/index.html

Curiosity (MSL): https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/

Viking: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/viking-1/

Mars: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/journeytomars/index.html

Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC): https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/home/index.html

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Bill Steigerwald/Nancy Jones.

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NASA Satellite Spots a Mystery That's Gone in a Flash

NASA - Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) patch.

September 5, 2019

Image above: This visible-light image of the Fireworks galaxy (NGC 6946) comes from the Digital Sky Survey, and is overlaid with data from NASA's NuSTAR observatory (in blue and green). Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

Pops of bright blue and green in this image of the Fireworks galaxy (NGC 6946) show the locations of extremely bright sources of X-ray light captured by NASA's NuSTAR space observatory. Generated by some of the most energetic processes in the universe, these X-ray sources are rare compared to the many visible light sources in the background image. A new study, published in the Astrophysical Journal, offers some possible explanations for the surprise appearance of the green source near the center of the galaxy, which came into view and disappeared in a matter of weeks.

The primary objective of the NuSTAR observations was to study the supernova - the explosion of a star much more massive than our Sun - that appears as a bright blue-green spot at upper right. These violent events can briefly produce enough visible light to outshine entire galaxies consisting of billions of stars. They also generate many of the chemical elements in our universe that are heavier than iron. 

The green blob near the bottom of the galaxy wasn't visible during the first NuSTAR observation but was burning bright at the start of a second observation 10 days later. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory later observed that the source - known as an ultraluminous X-ray source, or ULX - had disappeared just as quickly. The object has since been named ULX-4 because it is the fourth ULX identified in this galaxy. No visible light was detected with the X-ray source, a fact that most likely rules out the possibility that it is also a supernova.

"Ten days is a really short amount of time for such a bright object to appear," said Hannah Earnshaw, a postdoctoral researcher at Caltech in Pasadena, California, and lead author on the new study. "Usually with NuSTAR, we observe more gradual changes over time, and we don't often observe a source multiple times in quick succession. In this instance, we were fortunate to catch a source changing extremely quickly, which is very exciting."

Possible Black Hole

The new study explores the possibility that the light came from a black hole consuming another object, such as a star. If an object gets too close to a black hole, gravity can pull that object apart, bringing the debris into a close orbit around the black hole. Material at the inner edge of this newly formed disk starts moving so fast that it heats up to millions of degrees and radiates X-rays. (The surface of the Sun, by comparison, is about 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit, or 5,500 degrees Celsius.)

Most ULXs are typically long-lived because they're created by a dense object, like a black hole, that "feeds" on the star for an extended period of time. Short-lived, or "transient," X-ray sources like ULX-4 are far more rare, so a single dramatic event - like a black hole quickly destroying a small star - might explain the observation.

However, ULX-4 might not be a one-off event, and the paper's authors explored other potential explanations for this object. One possibility: The source of ULX-4 could be a neutron star. Neutron stars are extremely dense objects formed from the explosion of a star that wasn't massive enough to form a black hole. With about the same mass as our Sun but packed into an object about the size of a large city, neutron stars can, like black holes, draw in material and create a fast-moving disk of debris. These can also generate slow-feeding ultraluminous X-ray sources, although the X-ray light is produced through slightly different processes than in ULXs created by black holes.

Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR). Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Neutron stars generate magnetic fields so strong they can create "columns" that channel material down to the surface, generating powerful X-rays in the process. But if the neutron star spins especially fast, those magnetic fields can create a barrier, making it impossible for material to reach the star's surface.

"It would kind of be like trying to jump onto a carousel that's spinning at thousands of miles per hour," said Earnshaw.

The barrier effect would prevent the star from being a bright source of X-rays except for those times when the magnetic barrier might waver briefly, allowing material to slip through and fall onto the neutron star's surface. This could be another possible explanation for the sudden appearance and disappearance of ULX-4. If the same source were to light up again, it might support this hypothesis.

"This result is a step towards understanding some of the rarer and more extreme cases in which matter accretes onto black holes or neutron stars," Earnshaw said.

NuSTAR is a Small Explorer mission led by Caltech and managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. NuSTAR was developed in partnership with the Danish Technical University and the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The spacecraft was built by Orbital Sciences Corp. in Dulles, Virginia. NuSTAR's mission operations center is at the University of California Berkeley, and the official data archive is at NASA's High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center. ASI provides the mission's ground station and a mirror archive. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

Astrophysical Journal: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ab20cd

To read more about NASA's NuSTAR mission, go here: https://www.nustar.caltech.edu/

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

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Installing high luminosity in the tunnel

CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research logo.

4 September, 2019

The first definitive component of the High-Luminosity LHC, an absorber designed to protect the machine, has been installed in the LHC

Image above: The TANB absorber was installed in the LHC tunnel to protect the accelerator components from particles produced by collisions occurring in the LHCb experiment. (Image: Maximilien Brice/CERN).

The component concerned, known as a TANB, is the first definitive component of the High-Luminosity LHC to be installed in the Large Hadron Collider tunnel. An inauguration ceremony on Friday, 30 August, marked the arrival of this piece of equipment for the future collider.

The High-Luminosity LHC, which will be commissioned in 2026, will boost the performance of the current accelerator by substantially increasing the number of collisions in the experiments. Luminosity, which corresponds to the number of potential collisions per second per surface unit, is a crucial indicator of an accelerator’s performance. The higher the luminosity, the higher the probability of new discoveries.

Increasing the number of collisions, and therefore the number of particles in circulation, requires the protection of the LHC’s equipment to be reinforced, as particles that diverge from the trajectory can collide with sensitive components such as superconducting magnets and interfere with their operation. Protection is particularly important near the experiments. The billions of collisions occurring every second inside the detectors create the particles that are studied by the physicists. While almost all of these particles shoot off into the detector that surrounds the collision point, a miniscule number of them are emitted towards the tube where the beam circulates and can therefore reach the accelerator equipment.   

The aim of the TANB absorber is thus to protect the accelerator equipment by stopping the particles near the LHCb experiment. During the current second long technical shutdown that will continue until 2021, the LHCb experiment will undergo major upgrades to enable it to record five times as many collisions from 2021 onwards. This collision rate will be kept at the same level for the LHCb when the High-Luminosity LHC comes into service.

“Two of the same type of absorbers are already used on either side of the ATLAS and CMS experiments,” explains project leader Francisco Sanchez Galan.  “However, we had to come up with a new design for LHCb, notably owing to a lack of space inside the accelerator.” Space is at a premium in the LHC, especially around the experiments. Therefore, it was necessary to design the simplest and most compact absorber possible.

Large Hadron Collider (LHC). Animation Credit: CERN

Simplifying things can sometimes turn out to be very complicated. After a detailed design study and numerous simulations, engineers proved that it was possible to design an absorber that was more compact yet just as effective by positioning the equipment further away. Several models were proposed and the optimal absorber was finalised on paper before being manufactured in Germany.  It measures only 65 centimetres in depth, as opposed to 5 metres for previous models.

An innovative positioning table was developed at the same time. “All its actuators are positioned on the side with easy access. We had to develop this model because the lack of space makes difficult the adjustment of traditional tables on all four sides, and in addition we needed to limit intervention time,” says Francisco.

Finally, the TANB’s integration was complicated by the lack of space. “Moving components and modifying the beam line allowed us to proceed millimetre by millimetre,” underlines Francisco. Mission accomplished, “thanks to the collaboration between numerous teams”, he smiles.  Two TANB models have now been installed on both sides of the LHCb, ready for the next collision run and high luminosity.

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 23 Member States.

Related link:

High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC): https://home.cern/science/accelerators/high-luminosity-lhc

Large Hadron Collider (LHC): https://home.web.cern.ch/topics/large-hadron-collider

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

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

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

LS2 Report: ATLAS upgrades are in full swing

CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research logo.

4 September, 2019

The assembly of the new muon small wheels and the upgrades on the electronics and trigger systems are progressing well 

Image above: One of the new small wheels of ATLAS, which you can see at Building 191 during the CERN Open Days (Image: CERN).

A few months ago, the ATLAS Collaboration presented its schedule for the second long shutdown 2 (LS2) concerning the detector’s repair, consolidation and upgrade activities. Since then, the experiment’s LS2 programme has been refined to best meet needs and constraints.

Although ATLAS was originally supposed to install two new muon detectors in the forward regions (new small wheels) – measuring 9.3 metres in diameter and developed to trigger and measure muons precisely despite the increased rate of collisions expected at the High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) – only one will be installed during LS2. “While considerable progress has been made on the assembly, the second wheel will not be ready before the end of LS2. So we decided to aim for installing that one in the next year-end technical stop (YETS, at the end of 2021),” says Ludovico Pontecorvo, ATLAS Technical Coordinator. A replacement of the first small wheel (on side A of the detector) is foreseen for August 2020.

Another major component of the Phase-1 upgrade for ATLAS is the improvement of the trigger selection for the operation at the future HL-LHC, which requires new electronics to achieve a higher resolution of the electromagnetic calorimeter’s trigger. It also involves upgrading the level-1 trigger processors, and installing new electronic cards for the trigger and data-acquisition (TDAQ) system. “The installation of new electronics for the liquid-argon calorimeter is proceeding smoothly and we are advancing through the different stages of production for the TDAQ deliverables. The upgrade of the infrastructure and the necessary maintenance work is almost completed. The first phase of our HL-LHC upgrade programme has started,” says Ludovico Pontecorvo.

In parallel, the consolidation of the detector system is progressing according to schedule. “We have replaced cooling connectors connecting the modules of the tile calorimeter to the overall cooling infrastructure in almost all 256 modules of the calorimeter and the standard maintenance of the read-out electronics is ongoing. In addition, the scintillators located between the central barrel and the extended barrels of the tile calorimeter are currently being installed,” adds Ludovico Pontecorvo.

ATLAS teams are also preparing for the following long shutdown (LS3, starting in 2024), which will see the installation of an all-new inner tracker. Located at the centre of the ATLAS detector, the role of the inner tracker is to measure the direction, momentum and charge of electrically charged particles produced in each proton–proton collision. During LS3, an all-silicon inner tracker will replace the current one, using state-of-the-art silicon technologies to keep pace with the HL-LHC rate of collisions. The manoeuvre to lower and insert this new element (2 m in diameter, 7 m long) looks arduous, so, in March, the team in charge of its installation took advantage of the shutdown to practice the procedure in the cavern with a mock-up of the tracker. The two lowering options tested required a great meticulousness, given that, at the worst moment, the margin was only a few centimetres.

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 23 Member States.

Related links:

High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC): https://home.cern/science/accelerators/high-luminosity-lhc

Inner tracker: https://atlas.cern/discover/detector/inner-detector

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

ATLAS upgrades in LS2: https://cerncourier.com/atlas-upgrades-in-ls2/

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

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: CERN/Anaïs Schaeffer.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

A Concrete Advantage for Space Explorers

ISS - International Space Station logo.

Sept. 4, 2019

When humans go to the Moon or Mars to stay, they will need to construct safe places in which to live and work. The most widely used building material on Earth, concrete, may be the answer. It is strong and durable enough to provide protection from cosmic radiation and meteorites and it may be possible to make it using materials available on these celestial bodies.

Concrete is a mixture of sand, gravel and rocks glued together with a paste made of water and cement powder. While that sounds simple, the process is quite complex, and scientists still have questions about the chemistry and microscopic structures involved and how changes in gravity may affect the process.

A recent investigation on the International Space Station examined cement solidification in microgravity to help answer those questions. For the Microgravity Investigation of Cement Solidification (MICS) project, researchers mixed tricalcium silicate (C₃S) and water outside of Earth’s gravity for the first time. The main mineral component of most commercially available cement, C₃S controls many of its chemical reactions and properties. MICS explored whether solidifying cement in microgravity would result in unique microstructures and provided a first comparison of cement samples processed on the ground and in microgravity.

Image above: European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst works on the MICS experiment aboard the International Space Station. Observations of how cement reacts in space during the hardening process may help engineers better understand its microstructure and material properties, which could improve cement processing techniques on Earth and lead to the design of safe, lightweight space habitats. Image Credit: NASA.

The investigators reported their results in a paper published in Frontiers in Materials, “Microgravity Effect on Microstructural Development of Tri-calcium Silicate (C₃S) Paste.” https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmats.2019.00083/full

“On missions to the Moon and Mars, humans and equipment will need to be protected from extreme temperatures and radiation, and the only way to do that is by building infrastructures on these extraterrestrial environments,” said principal investigator Aleksandra Radlinska of Pennsylvania State University. “One idea is building with a concrete-like material in space. Concrete is very sturdy and provides better protection than many materials.”

Another significant advantage of concrete is that explorers could theoretically make it with resources available on those extraterrestrial bodies, such as dust on the Moon, also known as lunar regolith. That would eliminate the need to transport construction materials to the Moon or Mars, significantly reducing cost.

Scientists know how concrete behaves and hardens on Earth, but do not yet know whether the process is the same in space. “How will it harden? What will be the microstructure?” said Radlinska. “Those are the questions we’re trying to answer”

The researchers created a series of mixtures that varied the type of cement powder, number and type of additives, amount of water, and time allowed for hydration. As the grains of cement powder dissolve in water, their molecular structure changes. Crystals form throughout the mixture and interlock with one another. On first evaluation, the samples processed on the space station show considerable changes in the cement microstructure compared to those processed on Earth. A primary difference was increased porosity, or the presence of more open spaces. “Increased porosity has direct bearing on the strength of the material, but we have yet to measure the strength of the space-formed material,” said Radlinska.

Image above: These images compare cement pastes mixed in space (above) and on the ground (below). The sample from space shows more porosity, or open spaces in the material, which affects concrete strength. Crystals in the Earth sample also are more segregated. Image Credits: Penn State Materials Characterization Lab.

“Even though concrete has been used for so long on Earth, we still don’t necessarily understand all the aspects of the hydration process. Now we know there are some differences between Earth- and space-based systems and we can examine those differences to see which ones are beneficial and which ones are detrimental to using this material in space,” said Radlinska. “Also, the samples were in sealed pouches, so another question is whether they would have additional complexities in an open space environment.”

The microgravity environment of the station is critical to these first looks at how cement may hydrate on the Moon and Mars. An on-board centrifuge can simulate gravity levels of those extraterrestrial bodies, something not possible on Earth. Evaluation of cement samples containing simulated lunar particles processed aboard the orbiting laboratory at different levels of gravity is currently ongoing.

NASA ScienceCasts: Cementing Our Place in Space

Showing that concrete can harden and develop in space represents an important step toward that first structure built on the Moon using materials from the Moon. “We confirmed the hypothesis that this can be done,” Radlinska said. “Now we can take next steps to find binders that are specific for space and for variable levels of gravity, from zero g to Mars g and in between.”

Related links:

Microgravity Investigation of Cement Solidification (MICS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7658

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), Video, Text, Credits: NASA/Michael Johnson/JSC/International Space Station Program Science Office/Melissa Gaskill.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch