International Space Station Experiment Expands DNA Research Toolkit Using CRISPR

 

ISS - International Space Station logo.

Aug 14, 2021

Studying DNA repair is key to future space exploration, which could expose humans to risk of DNA damage caused by radiation. Conditions in space also could affect the way the body repairs such damage, potentially compounding that risk.

Thanks to the work of four students, a team of researchers, and the first use in space of the CRISPR genome editing technique, a recent investigation aboard the International Space Station successfully generated breaks in the DNA of a common yeast, directed the method of repair, and sequenced the patched-up DNA to determine whether its original order was restored. The Genes in Space-6 researchers reported this first completion of the entire process in space in a published paper.

Image above: NASA astronaut Nick Hague runs an analysis with the miniPCR hardware for Genes in Space-6 during Expedition 59. This experiment explored how space radiation damages DNA and how cells repair that damage in microgravity. Image Credit: NASA.

These results significantly expand the space station’s molecular biology toolkit, enabling studies of DNA repair and a variety of other biological investigations in microgravity.

The body repairs double-strand breaks in DNA – the severing of both of the intertwined strands of the double helix – one of two major ways. In one method, bases may be added or deleted. The other method rejoins the strands without changing the DNA sequence. Technical and safety concerns had prevented study of these repair processes aboard the space station until now.

Genes in Space-6 was the brainchild of four students from Minnesota: Aarthi Vijayakumar, Michelle Sung, Rebecca Li, and David Li. They earned the opportunity to participate in this research as a part of the Genes in Space program, a national contest that challenges students in grades 7 through 12 to design DNA analysis experiments using the ISS U.S. National Lab and tools aboard the station. The team also are co-authors on the results paper.

Image above: NASA astronaut Christina Koch works on the Genes in Space-6 investigation, which developed a system to generate and repair double-strand DNA breaks in a yeast and sequence the DNA to determine whether the repair restored its original order or made errors. Image Credit: NASA.

To generate DNA breaks at specific locations, the team used a genome editing technique called CRISPR, which stands for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats. These are short, repeated sequences of DNA in bacteria with viral DNA sequences in between them. Bacteria transcribe the viral DNA sequences to RNA, which then guides a specific protein to the viral DNA and cuts it. Scientists harnessed this naturally-occurring immune response to create the technique.

By using CRISPR, the researchers can create precisely-controlled breaks in a known location of the genome, eliminating possible risks from random damage. That laid the groundwork for allowing DNA repair to occur in space, providing the opportunity to gain insight into the type of repair mechanism used.

Image above: Canadian Space Agency (CSA) astronaut David Saint-Jacques is shown during set up for analysis for the Genes in Space-6 investigation. Image Credit: NASA.

“Understanding whether one type of repair is less error-prone has important implications,” says Sarah Wallace, a microbiologist in the Biomedical Research and Environmental Sciences Division at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. “Could a therapeutic be developed to encourage one pathway over the other, or do we need more radiation shielding, or both? It is important to gain this understanding to help ensure that we are protecting the crew and helping them recover in the best possible way.”

Performing the entire process in space – rather than causing a break, freezing the sample and sending it into space to repair – makes it possible to determine the effects of spaceflight conditions, and only spaceflight conditions, on the process.

Image above: From left, then-high school student Aarthi Vijayakumar, MIT student David Li, and high school students Michelle Sung and Rebecca Li talk about their Genes in Space experiment during a What’s On Board science briefing for NASA Social participants at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 29, 2019, just prior to launch of the investigation to the space station. Image Credit: NASA.

Genes in Space and other DNA-related research on the space station also has produced advances in the hardware needed. Tools on Earth do not necessarily lend themselves to spaceflight, says Sarah Rommel, the paper’s primary author and a researcher in the Microbiology Laboratory at Johnson. “We cannot take exactly what we have on Earth and simply put it in space, because we have to keep the crew and all the environmental life systems on board safe. For example, we made our own custom kits for the whole process, looking at how to use the least amount of the safest materials and still get the best science.”

“While more work is needed to understand potential preferences toward DNA repair processes used in space, this work demonstrated the sophistication of what can be done with the molecular tools onboard,” adds Wallace. “Having an entire molecular laboratory in space is just going to explode what we can do there, including more complex investigations such as this CRISPR work. We also are looking at how to put these methods into other settings such as hospital rooms. The ability to generate near-real time data could provide a huge benefit in dealing with the anti-microbial resistance crisis and in resource-limited environments.”

With the results confirming that researchers now can precisely edit a gene in space, Rommel and Wallace hope other researchers start using this tool. “We validated that it is not too complicated to do in space,” Rommel says. “It worked as it was intended, and it did what it was supposed to do.”

Related links:

Genes in Space-6: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/studying-dna-breaks-in-space

Published paper: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0253403

ISS U.S. National Lab: https://www.issnationallab.org/

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

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

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Ana Guzman/JSC/International Space Station Program Research Office/Melissa Gaskill.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Crew Unpacking Cygnus and Gearing Up for U.S., Russian Spacewalks

 

ISS - Expedition 65 Mission patch.

August 13, 2021

Spacewalk on ISS. Animation Credit: NASA

Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo craft is open for business and the Expedition 65 crew has begun unpacking its more than four tons of cargo. Two astronauts and two cosmonauts are also gearing up for a series of spacewalks to outfit the International Space Station.

Flight Engineers Megan McArthur and Thomas Pesquet started their day transferring frozen science samples from inside the Cygnus space freighter to the orbital lab for later observation. The duo was on duty early Thursday to capture Cygnus with the Canadarm2 robotic arm following its day-and-a-half trip that began with a launch from Virginia. NASA Flight Engineer Shane Kimbrough took over Friday afternoon and continued offloading Cygnus’ brand new science, supplies and hardware.

Image above: Astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Megan McArthur are inside the cupola with the Northrop Grumman Cygnus space freighter just outside behind them. Image Credit: NASA.

NASA Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei spent the day scrubbing cooling loops inside a pair of U.S. spacesuits that he and Commander Akihiko Hoshide will be wearing soon. The two astronauts are preparing for a spacewalk later this month to ready the Port-4 truss structure for future Roll-Out Solar Array installation work.

In the Russian segment of the orbital lab, cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov spent the afternoon configuring the Nauka Multipurpose Laboratory Module. The duo from Roscosmos is ramping up for a pair of spacewalks in September when they will go outside the station to outfit Nauka and ready the new module for science operations.

Related links:

Expedition 65: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition65/index.html

Port-4 truss structure: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/truss-structure

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

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

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

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

NASA, Boeing to Move Starliner to Production Facility for Propulsion System Evaluation

 

Boein & NASA - Starliner OFT-2 Mission patch.

August 13, 2021

NASA and Boeing have decided to postpone the launch of Orbital Flight Test-2 to the International Space Station as teams continue work on the CST-100 Starliner propulsion system.

Engineering teams have been working to restore functionality to several valves in the Starliner propulsion system from inside United Launch Alliance’s Vertical Integration Facility that did not open as designed during the launch countdown for the Aug. 3 launch attempt. The valves connect to thrusters that enable abort and in-orbit maneuvering.

Image above: Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner spacecraft is in view in the United Launch Alliance Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 on Aug. 9, 2021. Photo credit: Boeing.

“We made a lot of progress to open the valves from inside the Vertical Integration Facility, and the NASA-Boeing teams did a great job doing everything we could to get ready for this launch opportunity,” said Kathryn Lueders, associate administrator for NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. “Although we wanted to see Starliner fly in this window, it’s critical that our primary focus is the safety of the crew transportation system – for the safety of the space station and the crew members that will be flying on these vehicles. We’ll only fly this test when we think we are ready, and can complete the mission objectives.”

Status of the Starliner OFT-2 spacecraft

Inside the VIF, Boeing was able to prompt nine of 13 valves open that previously were in the closed position using commanding, mechanical, electrical and thermal techniques. Teams will now begin the process to move Starliner back to Boeing’s Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility in Florida for deeper-level troubleshooting of four propulsion system valves that remain closed and more detailed analysis on the spacecraft.

“Mission success in human spaceflight depends on thousands of factors coming together at the right time,” said John Vollmer, vice president and program manager, Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program. “We’ll continue to work the issue from the Starliner factory and have decided to stand down for this launch window to make way for other national priority missions.”

NASA, Boeing and ULA will establish a new launch date once the issue is resolved.

Related article:

NASA, Boeing Continue to Work Toward Understanding Starliner Service Module Valve Performance Issue
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/08/nasa-boeing-continue-to-work-toward.html

Related links:

Commercial Crew: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/commercial/crew/index.html

Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner: http://www.boeing.com/space/starliner/launch/index.html

Kennedy Space Center (KSC): https://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/home/index.html

Image (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: NASA/Linda Herridge/SciNews.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Sights and sounds of a Venus flyby

 

ESA - European Space Agency patch.

August 13, 2021

ESA’s Solar Orbiter and BepiColombo spacecraft made a historic Venus flyby earlier this week, passing by the planet within 33 hours of each other and capturing unique imagery and data during the encounter.

BepiColombo’s close Venus encounter

The ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter spacecraft flew past Venus on 9 August at a distance of 7995 km, while the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission skimmed past at just 552 km from the planet’s surface on 10 August. The flybys were needed to give the spacecraft a gravity assist to help them reach their next destinations. BepiColombo will make the first of six flybys at Mercury during the night of 1-2 October, before entering orbit in 2025. Solar Orbiter will make a close Earth flyby on 27 November, before further Venus slingshots will tilt its inclination in order to get the first-ever views of the Sun’s poles.

The Venus flybys required extremely precise deep-space navigation work, ensuring that the spacecraft were on the correct approach trajectories accurate to within just a few kilometres at a distance of 187.7 million km from Earth.

Sound of a close Venus flyby

Feeling the heat

As expected during BepiColombo’s close flyby, the spacecraft modules felt a rapid increase of heat as it passed from the nightside to dayside of the planet. The JAXA Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), situated inside the sunshield, recorded an increase of 110 degrees Celsius on one of its eight solar panels, from -100ºC to +10ºC. Within the spacecraft itself only an increase of 2-3 degrees was observed, demonstrating the effectiveness of the insulation.

On the European Mercury Transfer Module, a temperature increase of 50 degrees was observed on the spacecraft radiator, while the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) recorded a change of about 20 degrees.

Gravity tug

Both Solar Orbiter and BepiColombo also felt the immense gravitational pull of the planet in the angular momentum of their reaction wheels, which are used to maintain spacecraft attitude, keeping it pointing on course.

The Italian Spring Accelerometer (ISA) onboard the BepiColombo MPO recorded the accelerations measured by the spacecraft with great sensitivity. The ISA team then translated the acceleration data into frequency to make them audible to the human ear. The resulting sound is rich with interesting effects due to the planet’s gravity acting on the spacecraft structure, the response of the spacecraft to the rapid temperature changes, and the reaction wheels that are working hard to compensate for these effects.

Accelerometer data during BepiColombo’s Venus flyby

The accelerometer also felt the tidal effects acting on the spacecraft as it flew at different distances past Venus. The very small difference in gravitational attraction between BepiColombo’s centre of mass and ISA relative to Venus could be detected, the first time an accelerometer recorded this effect at another planet. The team is analysing this precious data and will use the measurement as a reference to fine-tune the instrument ahead of the scientific phase at Mercury.

Multipoint science

Many of the science instruments were on during the flybys, using the opportunity to collect data on the Venusian magnetic, plasma and particle environment around the spacecraft. Moreover, the unique aspect of the dual flyby is that the two datasets can be compared from locations not usually sampled by a planetary orbiter.

The magnetometer teams from both spacecraft report they saw the effects of the flyby in their data, allowing a rare glimpse into the solar wind interaction with a planetary atmosphere.

The sound of the solar wind at Venus

The BepiColombo MPO magnetometer team created a simple sonification of the variability of the total magnetic field as they flew past Venus. The audio captures low-frequency wind-like noises caused by the solar wind and its interaction with Venus. The sudden transition of the spacecraft into the very calm solar wind at the bow shock (the location where the planet’s magnetosphere meets the solar wind) is clearly recorded.

The Solar Orbiter magnetometer team also describes the magnetic field increasing in magnitude due to the compression of the field as they travelled past the flanks of the planet, and then a sharp drop as they crossed the bow shock back into the solar wind again.

Flying through Venus’ magnetic environment

And while Solar Orbiter crossed through the tail of the magnetosphere and out of the bow shock into the solar wind, BepiColombo was ‘upstream’, so the teams will know the input magnetic field conditions throughout the encounter to see how Venus has affected the solar wind downstream. It will take many weeks to make a detailed analysis of the two datasets.

Sensors on both BepiColombo MPO and MMO were also monitoring for ions circulating in the magnetosphere and in the close vicinity of Venus. Particles follow electromagnetic fields, and are also strongly related to processes in the ionosphere and atmosphere. For example, the SERENA/PICAM ion particle detector on MPO clearly measured a peak in hydrogen ion density during the closest approach. SERENA is the Search for Exospheric Refilling and Emitted Natural Abundances instrument suite and PICAM is the Planetary Ion Camera.

Flying by Venus

With the close encounter, MPO’s MErcury Radiometer and Thermal infrared Imaging Spectrometer (MERTIS) could capture spectra of the Venus atmosphere while the planet completely filled its field of view. Such high resolution spectra of Venus have not been obtained since the Venera 15 mission in the early 1980s. A first look at the MERTIS data shows the expected band of carbon dioxide and hints of more spectral features. The detailed analysis revealing the thermal structure in the atmosphere and potentially sulphur dioxide abundance will take many weeks. Apart from the scientific value of this data, it will also help to verify the instrument calibration in preparation for the first thermal infrared observations of Mercury by a spacecraft.

Venus photobomb

It was not possible to take high-resolution imagery of Venus with the science cameras onboard either mission, but both could use other instruments to capture black-and-white imagery.

Solar Orbiter captures Venus glare

Solar Orbiter’s SoloHI imager observed the nightside of Venus in the days before closest approach. SoloHI usually takes images of the solar wind – the stream of charged particles constantly released from the Sun – by capturing the light scattered by electrons in the wind. In the days leading up to the Venus flyby, the telescope caught the dramatic glare of the planet’s dayside. The footage shows Venus moving across the field of view from the left, while the Sun is off camera to the upper right. The planet's nightside, the part hidden from the Sun, appears as a dark semicircle surrounded by a bright crescent of light.

BepiColombo’s three monitoring cameras captured a series of black-and-white snapshots, starting from the approach over the nightside, through closest approach and in the days after as the planet faded from view. The full set of images from the flyby is available in the Planetary Science Archive.

BepiColombo’s second Venus flyby in images

Where to next?

Solar Orbiter and BepiColombo both have one more flyby this year.

During the night of 1-2 October BepiColombo will see its destination for the first time, making its first of six flybys of Mercury at a distance of just 200 km distance. The two planetary orbiters will be delivered into Mercury orbit in late 2025, tasked with studying all aspects of this mysterious inner planet from its core to surface processes, magnetic field, and exosphere, to better understand the origin and evolution of a planet close to its parent star.

On 27 November, Solar Orbiter will make a final flyby of Earth at 460 km, kicking off the start of its main mission. It will continue to make regular flybys of Venus to progressively increase its orbit inclination to best observe the Sun’s uncharted polar regions, which is key to understanding the Sun’s 11 year activity cycle.

BepiColombo is a partnership between ESA and JAXA.
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo

Solar Orbiter is a partnership between ESA and NASA.
https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Solar_Orbiter

Related article:

BepiColombo’s close Venus encounter
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/08/bepicolombos-close-venus-encounter.html

Image, Videos, Animation, Text, Credits: European Space Agency (ESA).

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of August 9, 2021

 

ISS - Expedition 65 Mission patch.

Aug 13, 2021

Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of August 9 that included using engineered tissues to study muscle loss, advancing plant growth in space, and running a computer-based education program.

Image above: The Pacific Ocean is visible in this view through a window of the space station’s cupola. Image Credit: NASA.

The space station has been continuously inhabited by humans for 20 years, supporting many scientific breakthroughs. The orbiting lab provides a platform for long-duration research in microgravity and for learning to live and work in space, experience that supports Artemis, NASA’s program to go forward to the Moon and on to Mars.

Here are details on some of the microgravity investigations currently taking place:

Minimizing muscle loss

Image above: This preflight image shows the BioCell bioreactor that houses engineered muscle tissue for the Cardinal Muscle investigation, which tests potential drugs to treat muscle loss. Image Credits: Palo Alto Veterans Institute for Research.

As people on Earth age, they lose muscle mass, a condition called sarcopenia. Because this condition progresses slowly, though, it is difficult to identify drugs that might treat it. Astronauts experience a similar loss of muscle mass during spaceflight, but it happens much faster. Cardinal Muscle tests whether engineered tissues cultured in space could take advantage of this accelerated loss and support development of a model for quickly assessing possible drugs prior to human clinical trials. Prevention and treatment of muscle loss become more important as the length of space missions increases, and drugs that diminish muscle loss also could help people on Earth. After the experiment arrived aboard the Northrop Grumman CRS-16 Cygnus spacecraft this week, the crew inserted BioCells containing the tissues into the incubation facility.

Improving the space garden

Image above: NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough checks Hatch Chile pepper plants growing in the Advanced Plant Habitat (APH) for the Plant Habitat-04 experiment. The station crew and ground researchers will monitor growth of the peppers for about four months before harvesting them. Image Credit: NASA.

Food fresh from the garden adds appeal to any meal, especially those served in space. A number of studies on the space station have proven that plants can grow in microgravity. Current investigations examine the health benefits of plants, including growing peppers in space for the first time. Food that is nutritious and appealing is key to the health and well-being of crew members and, ultimately, the success of their mission.

HRF Veg, part of a project using the Veggie facility that includes Veg-04A, Veg-04B, and Veg-05, focuses on the overall health benefits to crew members of having various plants and fresh food available. The investigation uses psychological surveys and crew evaluations of the flavor and appeal of plants that are grown on the space station for other investigations.

Plant Habitat-04 spices things up a bit, growing New Mexico Hatch Green Chili peppers in the Advanced Plant Habitat. Peppers have not been grown in space before because they take a long time to germinate, grow, and develop fruit. Researchers evaluated more than two dozen pepper varieties from around the world before selecting Española Improved peppers. These peppers have a Scoville heat rating of 2000-4000 (less than half that of a jalapeno), but their spiciness could change in microgravity. The investigation includes microbial analysis to improve understanding of plant-microbe interactions in space, assessment of flavor and texture, and nutritional analysis. The crew trimmed the plants to enhance growth and took photos during the week.

Students program computers in space

Students across Europe use two augmented Raspberry Pi computers aboard the space station for an education program coordinated by ESA (European Space Agency). The AstroPi computers are equipped with hardware that can measure the space station environment, detect how the station moves through space, and pick up Earth’s magnetic field. One computer carries an infrared camera and the other a standard visible spectrum camera. Students respond to various software and hardware challenges addressing diverse needs in the space industry such as survival in the space environment, measurement and calibration, hardware re-configurability, and image processing. For Mission Space Lab, competitors run an experiment aboard the space station for up to six months. Mission Zero, suitable for beginners, allows students to send a message to the space station. Mission Zero 2019-2020 involved a record 6,351 teams of students and young people from 25 countries running their programs on the space station’s Astro Pi computers. By supporting the teaching of computing and coding, the program helps motivate students to study science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. During the week, crew members recorded a message announcing a new AstroPi unit and the 2021/22 AstroPi Challenge.

Other investigations on which the crew performed work:

- Standard Measures collects a set of core measurements from astronauts before, during, and after long-duration missions to create a data repository to monitor and interpret how humans adapt to living in space.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7711

- Cell Science-04 examines the genes involved in tardigrade (water bear) adaptation and survival in high stress environments, both short-term and across multiple generations. The results could advance understanding of the stress factors affecting humans in space.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7672

- Robo-Pro Challenge, sponsored by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), gives students the opportunity to create software programs to control one of the Astrobee free-flying robots aboard the space station. The experience helps build critical skills and encourages students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7979

- ISS Ham Radio provides students, teachers, parents, and others the opportunity to communicate with astronauts using ham radio units. Before a scheduled call, students learn about the station, radio waves, and other topics, and prepare a list of questions on topics they have researched.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=337

- Cool Flames Investigation with Gases, part of the ACME series of studies, observes chemical reactions of cool flames, which burn at lower temperatures. Nearly impossible to create in Earth’s gravity, cool flames are easily created in microgravity and studying them may improve understanding of combustion and fires on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8270

- Food Acceptability looks at how the appeal of food changes during long-duration missions. Whether crew members like and actually eat foods directly affects caloric intake and associated nutritional benefits.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7562

- Mochii demonstrates a miniature scanning electron microscope that images and measures particles on the space station in real time. Such particles can cause equipment malfunctions and threaten crew health, and currently, samples must be returned to Earth for analysis, causing delays in addressing possible risks.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=7657

Space to Ground: Honoring Ellison: 08/13/2021

Related links:

Expedition 65: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition65/index.html

Cardinal Muscle: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8509

HRF Veg: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8434

Veggie: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=374

Veg-04A: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7896

Veg-04B: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7895

Plant Habitat-04: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8276

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

AstroPi: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7534

ISS National Lab: https://www.issnationallab.org/

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

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

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

Images (mentioned), Video (NASA), Text, Credits: NASA/Ana Guzman/John Love, ISS Research Planning Integration Scientist Expedition 65.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

NASA at Your Table: Where Food Meets Methane

 

NASA logo.

Aug 13, 2021

Today, human sources are responsible for 60% of global methane emissions, coming primarily  from the burning of fossil fuels, decomposition in landfills and the agriculture sector. Nearly a quarter of methane emissions can be attributed to agriculture, much of which is from raising livestock. Rice cultivation and food waste are also important sources of agricultural methane, as nearly a third of all food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted.

At NASA, scientists study the global methane budget to better understand the primary sources of methane emissions and how they contribute to climate change. In addition to the human sources, methane is also produced in natural settings. The greatest natural source of methane is wetlands, which contribute 30% of global methane emissions. Other natural sources of methane emissions include the oceans, termites, permafrost, vegetation and wildfires.

Atmospheric methane concentrations have more than doubled since the Industrial Revolution because of intensive use of oil, gas and coal, rising demand for beef and dairy products and increased production of food and organic waste. Although the increase in atmospheric methane concentrations slowed appreciably near the end of the 20th Century, concentrations have been increasing substantially since 2006, likely as a result of rising emissions from raising livestock, renewed reliance on natural gas and, in recent years, wetlands and global warming.

NASA Models Methane Sources, Movement Around Globe

Video above: NASA’s new 3-dimensional portrait of methane shows the world’s second largest contributor to greenhouse warming as it travels through the atmosphere. Combining multiple data sets from emissions inventories and simulations of wetlands into a high-resolution computer model, researchers now have an additional tool for understanding this complex gas and its role in Earth’s carbon cycle, atmospheric composition, and climate system. The new data visualization builds a fuller picture of the diversity of methane sources on the ground as well as the behavior of the gas as it moves through the atmosphere. Video Credits: NASA/Scientific Visualization Studio.

The Greenhouse Effect and Methane

Greenhouse gases, including methane, contribute to chemical reactions and climate feedbacks. The greenhouse gas molecules trap solar energy by acting like a thermal blanket. Energy from the sun is absorbed by Earth’s surface, though some of this energy is reflected into the atmosphere. The absorbed energy is also re-emitted at infrared wavelengths. Some of the reflected and re-emitted energy re-enters space, but the rest is trapped in the atmosphere by greenhouse gases. Over time, the captured heat warms our climate, increasing global temperatures.

Image above: Greenhouse gases in our atmosphere act like a blanket trapping heat from the Sun. This causes global temperatures to rise as the amount of greenhouse gases increases. Image Credits: NASA/Jesse Kirsch.

The human-driven temperature increases can have an impact on methane released from natural sources. For example, permafrost can thaw naturally and emit methane into the atmosphere, but humans have increased the rate at which permafrost thaws due to human-caused warming.

Methane is the world’s second largest contributor to global warming, after carbon dioxide. Although carbon dioxide is more abundant than methane in the atmosphere, a single molecule of methane more effectively traps heat than a single molecule of carbon dioxide.

However, the lifetime of a molecule of methane is shorter than a molecule of carbon dioxide because of natural chemical processes that are quicker at scrubbing methane out of the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. This means that if methane emissions were to decline and the natural chemical scrubbing of methane maintained, atmospheric methane could decrease dramatically in just ten years. Decreasing the amount of methane put into the atmosphere could have a significant and nearly immediate impact on reducing the near-term effects of climate change and may contribute to keeping global temperature change below 2-degrees Celsius.

Why Cows Produce Methane

Cattle, such as dairy cows or beef cattle produce methane as a by-product of digestion. Cattle are ruminant animals, meaning they have specialized digestive systems that allow them to process foods that cannot be digested by humans and most other animals, like fresh grass and uncooked grain. When food enters a bovine’s stomach, it undergoes a process called enteric fermentation: microbes and bacteria partially break down the food particles, which then ferment in the part of the stomach called the rumen. As the food particles ferment, they produce methane. Every time cattle belch - and, to a smaller extent, flatulate - methane is expelled and enters the atmosphere, where it acts as a greenhouse gas.

Image above: Methane fast facts: Methane is responsible for 20% of global warming since the Industrial Revolution; In 2018, the food system contributed 33% of all human-caused GHG emissions; In 2015, livestock contributed to 10% of US methane emissions; Methane is about 30 times more potent than CO2 over the span of a century; Europe and the Arctic are the only two regions whose methane emissions decreased from 2000 to 2018; Atmospheric methane concentrations have more than doubled in the last 200 years. Image Credits: NASA/Jesse Kirsch.

NASA’s Eyes on Methane

While methane concentrations are well observed, emissions have to be inferred based on a variety of factors. NASA scientists use a variety of methods to track methane emissions. To get the most accurate estimates possible, they use emissions inventories from countries around the world, simulate wetland methane emissions, and combine this with ground-based, airborne and satellite data using atmospheric models.

In California (and some other regions), researchers fly aircraft equipped with NASA’s Airborne Visible Infrared Imaging Spectrometer – Next Generation, or AVIRIS-NG, and collect highly calibrated data. This data is used in the California Methane Survey, a project jointly funded by NASA, the California Air Resources Board and the California Energy Commission to rapidly identify and report methane leaks.

In Alaska and Northwestern Canada, NASA researchers use satellites, aircraft and field research to better understand methane emissions from thawing permafrost as part of the Arctic Boreal and Vulnerability Experiment, or ABoVE. Researchers have discovered that carbon-rich permafrost is thawing at increasingly high rates, likely as a result of human-induced climate change, making the Arctic an important potential source of methane emissions. According to scientific estimates, this region’s soils store five times more carbon than has been emitted by all human activities in the last 200 years.

NASA researchers combine the data from missions like ABoVE and the California Methane Survey with their knowledge of how methane behaves in the atmosphere to create methane computer models. These models can help scientists and policy makers understand past, current, and future atmospheric methane patterns.

Paths Toward Reduced Methane Emissions

Researchers in a variety of fields have looked into potential solutions to decrease global methane emissions. For example, biogas systems reduce methane emissions by transforming waste from livestock, crops, water and food into energy. Biogas is produced through the same natural process that occurs in landfills to break down organic waste. However, biogas systems harness the gas that is produced and use it as a clean, renewable and reliable energy source rather than let it release into the atmosphere as a greenhouse gas.

A study led by Professor Ermias Kebreab from the University of California-Davis discovered that introducing a few ounces of seaweed into beef cattle diets could reduce their methane emissions by over 82%.

These types of technological – and biological – innovations may provide decision-makers, ranchers and others with more options for managing our future methane.

Image Credits: NASA/Jesse Kirsch/courtesy of Tracy Schohr.

Related links:

Study led by Professor Ermias Kebreab from the University of California-Davis: https://www.ucdavis.edu/news/feeding-cattle-seaweed-reduces-their-greenhouse-gas-emissions-82-percent

California Methane Survey: https://earthdata.nasa.gov/learn/articles/mapping-methane-in-california

Arctic Boreal and Vulnerability Experiment, or ABoVE: https://above.nasa.gov/

Climate: https://www.nasa.gov/subject/3127/climate

Video (mentioned), Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA's Earth Science News Team/Ellen Gray/by Emily Fischer.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

BepiColombo’s close Venus encounter

 

ESA - BepiColombo Mission patch.

August 12, 2021

A stunning sequence of 89 images taken by the monitoring cameras on board the European-Japanese BepiColombo mission to Mercury, as the spacecraft made a close approach of Venus on 10 August 2021.

The sequence includes images from all three Monitoring Cameras (MCAM) onboard the Mercury Transfer Module, which provides black-and-white snapshots in 1024 x 1024 pixel resolution. It is not possible to image with the high-resolution camera suite during the cruise phase. The images have been lightly processed to enhance contrast and use the full dynamic range. A small amount of optical vignetting is seen in the corners of some of the images.

Flying by Venus

The first image is from MCAM 1, and was taken at 13:41:02 UTC, prior to close approach. As such, the spacecraft was still on the nightside of the planet, but the dayside can just be seen creeping into view. Part of the spacecraft’s solar array can also be seen.

The second image was taken by MCAM 2 at 13:51:56 UTC, two seconds after closest approach. With the Venus surface just 552 km away, the planet fills the entire field of view. The camera is not able to image detail of the planet’s atmosphere. The image also captures the Mercury Planetary Orbiter’s medium gain antenna and magnetometer boom.

The rest of the sequence is from MCAM 3, while the spacecraft was pointed at Venus, and then as it slews away and gradually recedes from view, covering the time period 13:53:56 UTC on 10 August until 12:21:26 UTC on 11 August. The high gain antenna of the Mercury Planetary Orbiter is also seen changing orientation as it points towards Earth.

BepiColombo’s close Venus encounter

The music accompanying the compilation was composed especially for the occasion, by Anna Phoebe.

The images were captured during the second of two Venus flybys, and the third of nine flybys overall. The flybys are gravity assist manoeuvres needed to help steer the spacecraft on course for Mercury. During its seven-year cruise to the smallest and innermost planet of the Solar System, BepiColombo makes one flyby at Earth, two at Venus and six at Mercury in order to approach the orbit around Mercury. Its first Mercury flyby will take place 1-2 October 2021 from a distance of just 200 km.

BepiColombo Venus flyby

BepiColombo, which comprises ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is scheduled to reach its target orbit around the smallest and innermost planet of the Solar System in 2025. The spacecraft will separate and enter into their respective orbits before starting their science mission in early 2026.

BepiColombo: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo_overview2

Animation, Image, Text, Credits: ESA/BepiColombo/MTM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO/Video: ESA/BepiColombo/MTM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO ; Music: Anna Phoebe, additional soundscapes by Mark McCaughrean, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Cygnus Arrival and Hatch Open Complete

 

ISS - Expedition 65 Mission patch.

August 12, 2021

The Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft’s hatch was opened this afternoon after successful rendezvous and berthing operations. At 6:07 a.m. EDT, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur used the International Space Station’s robotic Canadarm2 to grapple the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet monitored Cygnus systems during its approach. Cygnus was then bolted into place on the International Space Station’s Earth-facing port of the Unity module at 9:42 a.m. EDT. Cygnus will remain at the space station for about three months until the spacecraft departs in November.

Image above: The Cygnus space freighter attached to the station robotic arm following a day-and-a-half trip after its launch from Virginia. Image Credit: NASA TV.

The spacecraft’s arrival brings more than 8,200 pounds of research and supplies to space station. Highlights of cargo aboard Cygnus include research studying 3D printing using simulated lunar regolith, seeking to utilize microgravity to develop new means to treat a degenerative muscle condition on Earth, investigating new tactics to control heat during operations in space and during the intense heating of reentry, and testing a technology to remove carbon dioxide from spacecraft atmospheres with applications to future NASA exploration missions.

These are just a sample of the hundreds of investigations currently being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA

NASA has continued to assess any integrated impacts to the space station from the inadvertent firing of thrusters on the newly arrived Russian Nauka module. Routine operations have continued uninterrupted since the event, with the space station prepared for the arrival of multiple spacecraft. Consistent with NASA policies, an investigation team is being formed to review the activity. NASA’s team will begin with identifying team members and defining the scope of the investigation. The team will focus on analyzing available data, cooperating with our Russian colleagues for any information they require for their assessment, and coordinating with the other international partners.

Related article:

Cygnus Installed on Unity Module for Cargo Transfers
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/08/cygnus-installed-on-unity-module-for.html

Related links:

Expedition 65: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition65/index.html

3D printing using simulated lunar regolith: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8429

Treat a degenerative muscle condition on Earth: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8509

Control heat during operations in space: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=2064

Remove carbon dioxide from spacecraft atmospheres: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7635

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

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

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

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

CERN - SPS experiments are back in action

 

CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research logo.

August 12, 2021

Experiments restart at the Super Proton Synchrotron, CERN’s second-largest accelerator

Image above: The Super Proton Synchrotron, CERN’s second-largest accelerator. (Image: CERN).

The Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) lives up to its superlative designation. It’s CERN’s second-largest accelerator and is the last link in the accelerator chain that feeds particle beams to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). What’s more, it supplies beams to a range of non-LHC experiments that address an impressive array of topics, from precision tests of the Standard Model of particle physics to studies of the quark–gluon plasma, a state of matter believed to have existed shortly after the Big Bang.

Following hot on the heels of the restart of the Proton Synchrotron Booster and the Proton Synchrotron after the second long shutdown of CERN’s accelerator complex, the SPS and its experiments are now also back in action.

The SPS delivers particle beams to all of CERN’s North Area (NA) experiments, to the associated test beam areas, as well as to the AWAKE experiment, which investigates the use of a wakefield created by protons zipping through a plasma to accelerate charged particles, and to the HiRadMat facility, which tests materials and accelerator components in extreme conditions.

The NA experiments are an essential strand of the Laboratory’s experimental programme. NA58/COMPASS studies how quarks and gluons form composite particles such as protons and pions. NA61/SHINE investigates the quark–gluon plasma and takes particle measurements for neutrino and cosmic-ray experiments. NA62 studies rare kaon decays and searches for new heavy neutral leptons. NA63 investigates radiation processes in strong electromagnetic fields. NA64 searches for new particles that could carry a new force between visible matter and dark matter, or that could make up dark matter themselves. Last but not least, NA65, a new experiment that was approved in 2019, will take measurements of tau neutrinos for neutrino experiments and for tests of the Standard Model.

NA62 has just restarted taking data for physics studies, and the remaining experiments will start doing so in the coming weeks and months. Highlights include the start of NA65 in September and the first pilot runs in October for experiments proposed in the Physics Beyond Colliders initiative, such as AMBER (the successor of COMPASS) and NA64m (NA64 running with beams of muons).

“It’s always a thrill to witness the restart of the experiments, as is to see the fresh data that they deliver, not least after the extensive upgrades they have undergone over the past two years,” says Johannes Bernhard, the leader of the Liaison to Experiments section at CERN. “And if the past seasons of data-taking are any indication, there will be plenty of new physics results to digest and to direct future studies.”

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:

Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS): https://home.cern/about/accelerators/super-proton-synchrotron

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

Proton Synchrotron Booster: https://home.cern/science/accelerators/proton-synchrotron-booster

Proton Synchrotron: https://home.cern/science/accelerators/proton-synchrotron

AWAKE experiment: https://home.cern/science/accelerators/awake

HiRadMat facility: https://hiradmat.web.cern.ch/

NA58/COMPASS: https://home.cern/science/experiments/compass

NA63: https://home.cern/science/experiments/na63

NA64: https://home.cern/science/experiments/na64

NA65: https://na65.web.cern.ch/

AMBER: https://home.cern/news/news/physics/meet-amber

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

Physics Beyond Colliders initiative: https://pbc.web.cern.ch/

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

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

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

The Lagoon Nebula Gives Birth to Stars

 

NASA - Chandra X-ray Observatory logo.

Aug 12, 2021

Known as NGC 6523 or the Lagoon Nebula, Messier 8 is a giant cloud of gas and dust where stars are born. At about 4,000 light years from Earth, Messier 8 provides astronomers an excellent opportunity to study the properties of very young stars. Many infant stars give off copious amounts of high-energy light including X-rays, which are seen in the Chandra data (pink). The X-ray data have been combined with an optical image of Messier 8 from the Mt. Lemmon Sky Center in Arizona (blue and white).

Chandra X-ray Observatory: http://www.nasa.gov/chandra

Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; Optical: Adam Block/Mount Lemmon SkyCenter/University of Arizona/Text Credit: NASA/Yvette Smith.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Cygnus Installed on Unity Module for Cargo Transfers

 

Northrop Grumman - Cygnus CRS-16 Mission patch.

August 12, 2021

Image above: The Cygnus space freighter approaches the space station following a day-and-a-half trip that began with a launch from Virginia. Image Credit: NASA TV.

At 6:07 a.m. EDT, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur used the International Space Station’s robotic Canadarm2 to grapple the Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft as ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet monitored Cygnus systems during its approach. The spacecraft were flying about 260 miles above the Atlantic Ocean southwest of Lisbon, Portugal, at the time of capture.

NG-16 S.S. Ellison Onizuka Cygnus capture

The Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft was bolted into place on the International Space Station’s Earth-facing port of the Unity module at 9:42 a.m. EDT. Cygnus will remain at the space station for about three months until the spacecraft departs in November.

Image above: Aug. 12, 2021: International Space Station Configuration. Four spaceships are parked at the space station including Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus space freighter, the SpaceX Crew Dragon and Russia’s Soyuz MS-18 crew ship and ISS Progress 78 resupply ship. Image Credit: NASA.

NG 16 S S Ellison Onizuka Cygnus berthing

The spacecraft’s arrival brings more than 8,200 pounds of research and supplies to space station. Highlights of cargo aboard Cygnus include:

From dust to dorm

Using resources available on the Moon and Mars to build structures and habitats could reduce how much material future explorers need to bring from Earth, significantly reducing launch mass and cost. The Redwire Regolith Print (RRP) study demonstrates 3D printing on the space station using a material simulating regolith, or loose rock and soil found on the surfaces of planetary bodies such as the Moon. Results could help determine the feasibility of using regolith as the raw material and 3D printing as a technique for on-demand construction of habitats and other structures on future space exploration missions.

Maintaining muscles

As people age and become more sedentary on Earth, they gradually lose muscle mass, a condition called sarcopenia. Identifying drugs to treat this condition is difficult because it develops over decades. Cardinal Muscle tests whether microgravity can be used as a research tool for understanding and preventing sarcopenia. The study seeks to determine whether an engineered tissue platform in microgravity forms the characteristic muscle tubes found in muscle tissue. Such a platform could provide a way to rapidly assess potential drugs prior to clinical trials.

Taking the heat out of space travel

Longer space missions will need to generate more power, producing more heat that must be dissipated. Transitioning from current single-phase heat transfer systems to two-phase thermal management systems reduces size and weight of the system and provides more efficient heat removal. Because greater heat energy is exchanged through vaporization and condensation, a two-phase system can remove more heat for the same amount of weight than current single-phase systems. The Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE) aims to develop a facility for collecting data about two-phase flow and heat transfer in microgravity. Comparisons of data from microgravity and Earth’s gravity are needed to validate numerical simulation tools for designing thermal management systems.

Cooler re-entries

The Kentucky Re-Entry Probe Experiment (KREPE) demonstrates an affordable thermal protection system (TPS) to protect spacecraft and their contents during re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere. Making these systems efficient remains one of space exploration’s biggest challenges, but the unique environment of atmospheric entry makes it difficult to accurately replicate conditions in ground simulations. TPS designers rely on numerical models that often lack flight validation. This investigation serves as an inexpensive way to compare these models to actual flight data and validate possible designs. Before flying the technology on the space station, researchers conducted a high-altitude balloon test to validate performance of the electronics and communications.

Getting the CO2 out

Four Bed CO2 Scrubber demonstrates a technology to remove carbon dioxide from a spacecraft. Based on the current system and lessons learned from its nearly 20 years of operation, the Four Bed CO2 Scrubber includes mechanical upgrades and an improved, longer-lasting absorbent material that reduces erosion and dust formation. Absorption beds remove water vapor and carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, returning water vapor to the cabin and venting carbon dioxide overboard or diverting it to a system that uses it to produce water. This technology could improve the reliability and performance of carbon dioxide removal systems in future spacecraft, helping to maintain the health of crews and ensure mission success. It has potential applications on Earth in closed environments that require carbon dioxide removal to protect workers and equipment.

Mold in microgravity

An ESA investigation, Blob, allows students aged 10 to 18 to study a naturally-occurring slime mold, Physarum polycephalum, that is capable of basic forms of learning and adaptation. Although it is just one cell and lacks a brain, Blob can move, feed, organize itself, and even transmit knowledge to other slime molds. Students replicate experiments conducted by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet to see how the Blob’s behavior is affected by microgravity. Using time-lapse video from space, students can compare the speed, shape, and growth of the slime molds in space and on the ground. The National Center for Space Studies (CNES) and the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) in France coordinate Blob.

These are just a sample of the hundreds of investigations currently being conducted aboard the orbiting laboratory in the areas of biology and biotechnology, physical sciences, and Earth and space science. Advances in these areas will help keep astronauts healthy during long-duration space travel and demonstrate technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions as part of NASA’s Moon and Mars exploration approach, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

Cygnus also will deliver a new mounting bracket that astronauts will attach to the port side of the station’s backbone truss during a spacewalk planned for late August. The mounting bracket will enable the installation of one of the next pair of new solar arrays at a later date.

Related articles:

Cygnus Solar Arrays Deployed
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/08/cygnus-solar-arrays-deployed.html

Liftoff of Northrop Grumman CRS-16 to Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/08/liftoff-of-northrop-grumman-crs-16-to.html

Related links:

Redwire Regolith Print (RRP): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8429

Cardinal Muscle: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8509

Flow Boiling and Condensation Experiment (FBCE): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=2064

Kentucky Re-Entry Probe Experiment (KREPE): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8022

Four Bed CO2 Scrubber: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7635

Blob: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8530

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

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

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

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

ISRO - GSLV-F10 fails to launch EOS-03

 

ISRO - GSLV-F10 / EOS-03 Mission logo.

August 12, 2021

Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk II (GSLV-F10) liftoff

A Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk II (GSLV-F10) launched the EOS-03 satellite from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, India, on 12 August 2021, at 00:13 UTC (05:43 IST).

GSLV-F10 fails to launch EOS-03

The satellite was not placed into the desired orbit due to a problem with the third cryogenic stage. According to ISRO, “EOS-03 is a state-of-the-art agile Earth observation satellite”.

Problem with the third cryogenic stage of GSLV-F10

The rocket and satellite are lost in the Indian Ocean. The GSLV-F10 mission was the fourteenth flight of ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV).

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO): https://www.isro.gov.in/

Images, Video, Text, Credits: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch