samedi 18 septembre 2021

SpaceX Inspiration4 Back on Earth

 







SpaceX - Inspiration4 Mission patch.


Sep 18, 2021

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience capsule

SpaceX Inspiration4 splashdown

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience capsule, with the Inspiration4 crew onboard, splashdown on 18 September 2021, at 23:07 UTC (19:07 EDT) in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida. Inspiration4 is SpaceX’s first orbital mission with space tourists: Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski and Sian Proctor. Crew Dragon Resilience previously supported the Crew-1 mission.

The Inspiration4 crew: Chris Sembroski, Dr. Sian Proctor, Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux

SpaceX Inspiration4 recovery operations and astronauts egress

The Inspiration4 crew, Jared Isaacman, Hayley Arceneaux, Chris Sembroski and Sian Proctor, was successfully recovered from SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience on 18 September 2021, after a successful nighttime splashdown at 23:07 UTC (19:07 EDT) in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Florida.

Related articles:

SpaceX - INSPIRATION4 MISSION
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/09/spacex-inspiration4-mission.html

SpaceX, NASA Enables Commercial Crew, Private Astronaut Missions
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/09/spacex-nasa-enables-commercial-crew.html

Related link:

SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/

Images, Videos, Text, Credits: SpaceX/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of September 13, 2021

 







ISS - Expedition 65 Mission patch.


Sep 18, 2021

Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of Sept. 13 that included detecting and quantifying human stressors during spaceflight, examining 3D structures assembled from small particles, and using microorganisms to study how life adapts to the extreme environment of space.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation 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:

Studying stressors of spaceflight


Image above: NASA astronaut Megan McArthur participates in robotics training for the Behavioral Core Measures experiment, which aims to detect and quantify how space stressors affect the behavioral health and performance of crew members. Image Credit: NASA.

Sources of stress during long-duration spaceflight often include confinement, isolation, partial gravity, and disruption of the normal daylight cycle. The Behavioral Core Measures investigation aims to detect and quantify how these stressors affect the behavioral health and performance of crew members. Through a suite of standardized tests, the study consistently measures mood, stress, sleep quality, cognition, fatigue, and performance, information useful for future exploration missions. The data provides insight into the health and performance capabilities of crew members after long-duration spaceflight. Specifically, it could offer an understanding of the ability of crew members to conduct duties after landing on Mars. During the week, crew members performed a simulated robotic manipulation task for the investigation.

3D particle assembly in space


Image above: NASA astronaut Kate Rubins poses for a photo while conducting operations on ACE-T-11, an investigation that could further advancements in 3D printing and additive manufacturing. Image Credit: NASA.

The ACE-T-11 study examines complex 3D structures assembled from small particles suspended in fluid, known as colloids. Microgravity eliminates several complicating factors in this process, making it possible to produce these structures and control basic interactions between particles using external sources such as temperature and light. Future long-duration missions need the ability to repair and replace materials without spare parts and specialized facilities, and this investigation could advance technologies for doing so with 3D printing. This technology could also support production of improved materials for various applications on Earth. This week, crew members conducted sample runs for the experiment and collected images for analysis.

Water bears managing microgravity


Image above: Astronaut Akihiko Hoshide of JAXA studies microorganisms known as “water bears” to help determine what genes help it to adapt best in microgravity. Image Credit: NASA.

Tardigrades, organisms also known as “water bears,” are extremely hardy and so are uniquely valuable for studying how life responds to spaceflight. The Cell Science-04 investigation examines which genes water bears use for adapting and surviving in high-stress environments. This study could provide an understanding of how the space environment affects human health and performance and help guide safe and productive long-term human presence in space in the future. During the week, crew members concluded final runs of this experiment and prepared samples for return to ground.

Other investigations on which the crew performed work:

- The Genes in Space-8 investigation tests a new technology for monitoring the expression of genes that control liver enzymes involved in metabolism of medicines. The study could provide insight into how spaceflight affects these genes and help develop new medicines that can account for the changes.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8438

- For an ESA (European Space Agency) investigation, Blob, students study the influence of microgravity on a naturally-occurring slime mold. Results from ground experiments in schools are compared with those from operation of the study on the space station by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8530

- Four Bed CO2 Scrubber demonstrates improvements in technology for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere aboard spacecraft. Better reliability and performance of carbon dioxide removal systems in future spacecraft will help to maintain the health of crews and ensure mission success.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7635
    
- The Kibo Robot Programming Challenge-2, hosted by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), allows students to control a free-flying  Astrobee robot aboard the station. The project provides students with hands-on experience with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics in space.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7979

- Based on previous research, space alters the relationship between humans and microbes in the crewed habitat. Touching Surfaces, an ESA investigation, aims to determine suitable approaches for reducing and preventing microbial contamination on the space station.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8540

- For Eklosion, a crew member tends a Marigold grown in a vase aboard the station. The ESA investigation documents the flower’s growth and the psychological benefits of the link it establishes between the crew member and Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8358

- Standard Measures collects a set of representative physical and psychological measurements from astronauts before, during, and after long-duration space station missions to help characterize the adaptive responses of humans to space.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7711

- Redwire Regolith Print demonstrates 3D printing on the space station using a material simulating regolith, or loose rock and soil that is 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.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8429

- The ISS Experience is a virtual reality film series documenting life and research aboard the space station. Filmed over multiple months, it includes crew activities ranging from conducting science experiments to preparing for a spacewalk.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7877

Space to Ground: Space Construction: 09/17/2021

Related links:

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

Behavioral Core Measures: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7537

ACE-T-11: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7882

Cell Science-04: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7672

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

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

vendredi 17 septembre 2021

ISS orbit altitude correction is scheduled for September 24

 






ROSCOSMOS - Russian Vehicles patch.


Sep. 17, 2021

Controlling the orbital motion of the International Space Station is a complex work that is being continuously carried out by specialists from subsidiaries of the State Corporation Roscosmos. The main task is the formation of ballistic conditions for the launch of transport ships to the ISS and the descent of Russian manned spacecraft into the most favorable area.

On October 5, 2021, the launch of the Soyuz MS-19 manned transport vehicle is planned from the Baikonur cosmodrome. Its rendezvous with the ISS is planned to be carried out according to an "ultra-short" two-turn scheme with docking just three hours after launch. To do this, ballistics specialists need to ensure the position of the ISS relative to the spacecraft at the end of the section of its launch into orbit by the launch vehicle with great accuracy. In addition, 12 days after the launch of the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft, another spacecraft, Soyuz MS-18, will leave the station.

ISS reboost by Progress cargo spacecraft

It takes about six months to form the ISS orbit, in which both the implementation of a "superfast" rendezvous scheme and the subsequent landing of the launch vehicle with the crew of the spacecraft are possible: for example, to launch the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft and land the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft since May of this year, it is necessary to carry out five corrections of the station's orbit parameters. Orbital maneuvers of the ISS usually increase the average altitude of its orbit, but in this case, at the final stage of the formation of the ISS orbit, it was necessary to lower it in order to ensure the landing of the Soyuz MS-18 crew in a given area.

The next correction of the ISS orbit altitude is scheduled for September 24. According to preliminary data from the ballistic and navigation service of the TsNIIMash Mission Control Center (part of the Roscosmos State Corporation), the engines of the Zvezda service module of the ISS Russian segment will be turned on at 17:23 Moscow time and will run for 48 seconds. The impulse value will be 0.66 m / s. After carrying out the corrective maneuver, the station's orbit altitude will decrease by 1.2 km.

ISS orbit parameters after the corrective maneuver:

- Orbital period: 92.91 min;
- Orbital inclination: 51.66 degrees;
- Minimum orbital altitude: 418.5 km;
- Maximum orbit height: 438.5 km.


Now the crew of Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Peter Dubrov, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, who arrived on April 9, 2021 on the Soyuz MS-18 spacecraft, as well as crew members of the Crew Dragon spacecraft NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan MacArthur, ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide.

Related links:

ROSCOSMOS Press Release: https://www.roscosmos.ru/32611/

TsNIIMash: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/cniimash/

MCC: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/cup/

Soyuz MS-18: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/sojuz-ms-18/

Soyuz MS-19: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/sojuz-ms-19/

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/mks/ 

Image, Text, Credits: ROSCOSMOS/MCC/NASA/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

BEAM Open for Cargo Transfers as Robotics, Eye Checks Continue

 







ISS - Expedition 65 Mission patch.


September 17, 2021

The Expedition 65 crew opened up BEAM today and transferred cargo for return to Earth aboard the SpaceX Cargo Dragon resupply ship. The orbital residents also worked on robotics, continued eye checks, and configured new life support gear.

Commander Akihiko Hoshide from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) opened up the station’s first commercial module BEAM, Bigelow Expandable Activity Module, today for cargo work. He was assisted by ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet as they transferred some of the stowed hardware from BEAM into the Cargo Dragon for return to Earth at the end of the month.


Image above: Portions of the space station, including BEAM seen at right attached to the Tranquility module, are seen in this picture taken in August. Image Credit: NASA.

Robotics has also kept the crew busy this week aboard the International Space Station. Today, NASA Flight Engineers Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough practiced capturing a cargo craft using a virtual Canadarm2 robotic arm on a computer. McArthur also checked audio sensors on the Astrobee robotic free-flyers that monitor the orbiting lab’s acoustic environment.

Kimbrough spent the afternoon finalizing connections of a new carbon dioxide (CO2) removal device in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module. Called the Four Bed CO2 Scrubber, the new life support gear seeks to demonstrate advanced technology that will support future human missions longer and farther into space.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: ESA

Vision is a key factor during long term space missions and doctors on the ground continuously monitor how microgravity affects an astronaut’s eyes. Once again, NASA Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei took on the crew medical officer role and scanned Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Novitskiy‘s eyes with an ultrasound device. Vande Hei, who is staying in space until March 2022, then set up optical coherence tomography gear and imaged the veteran cosmonaut’s retinas.

Roscosmos Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov continued configuring Russia’s Nauka multipurpose laboratory module today. He connected ethernet cables and installed a laptop computer inside the new science module. Pesquet also trained on a pair of unique interfaces to operate the new European Robotic Arm that is attached to Nauka.

Related links:

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

Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/bigelow-expandable-activity-module.html

Astrobee: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=1891

U.S. Destiny laboratory module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/us-destiny-laboratory

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.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Hubble Takes a Closer Look at its 31st Anniversary Image

 







NASA & ESA - Hubble Space Telescope patch.


Sep 17, 2021


This comparison of two images shows puffing dust bubbles and an erupting gas shell – the final acts of a monster star’s life.

These new views showcase the dual nature of the star AG Carinae, which was the target of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s 31st anniversary image in April 2021. This new perspective is the result of Hubble’s observations of the star in 2020 and 2014, along with others captured by the telescope’s Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 in 1994.

The first image showcases details of ionized hydrogen and nitrogen emissions from the expanding shell of the nebula (seen here in red). In the second image, the color blue delineates the distribution of dust that shines in reflected star light. Astronomers think powerful stellar winds coming off of the star formed and shaped the dust bubbles and filaments. The nebula is about five light-years wide, similar to the distance from here to the nearest star beyond the Sun, Proxima Centauri.

AG Carinae is formally classified as a Luminous Blue Variable because it is a hot (emitting blue light), brilliant star that varies in brightness. Such stars are quite rare because few are so massive. Luminous Blue Variable stars continuously lose mass in the final stages of life. The star is waging a tug-of-war between gravity and radiation pressure to avoid self-destruction. As the star begins to run out of fuel, its radiation pressure decreases, and gravity begins to take hold. Stellar material succumbs to gravity and falls inward. It heats up and is explosively ejected into the surrounding interstellar space. This process continues until enough mass is lost and the star reaches a stable state.

The spectacular nebula surrounding AG Carinae formed by material ejected from the star during several of its past outbursts. The nebula is approximately 10,000 years old, and the observed velocity of the gas is approximately 43 miles per second. While this nebula looks like a ring, it is in fact a hollow shell whose center was cleared of gas and dust by a powerful stellar wind travelling roughly 124 miles per second. The gas (composed mostly of ionized hydrogen and nitrogen) in these images appears as a thick bright red ring, which appears doubled in places – possibly the result of several outbursts colliding into each other. The dust, seen here in blue, formed in clumps, bubbles, and filaments and was shaped by the stellar wind.

Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

Scientists who observed the star and its surrounding nebula note that the ring is not perfectly spherical. It appears to have bipolar symmetry. This could mean the mechanism producing the outburst may be the result of a disk in the center, or the star may have a companion (known as a binary star). An alternative and simpler theory is that, like many massive stars, AG Carinae may rotate very fast.

For more information about Hubble, visit:

http://hubblesite.org/

http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

http://www.spacetelescope.org/

Text Credits: European Space Agency (ESA)/NASA/Lynn Jenner/Image, Animation Credits: ESA/Hubble and NASA, A. Nota, C. Britt.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Captures a Mars Rock Feature in 3D

 





NASA - Ingenuity Mars Helicopter logo.


Sep 17, 2021

The rotorcraft captures nuances of rocky outcrop during aerial reconnaissance.


Image above: This 3D view of a rock mound called “Faillefeu” was created from data collected by NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during its 13th flight at Mars on Sept. 4, 2021. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter provided a 3D view of a rock-covered mound during its 13th flight on Sept. 4. The plan for this reconnaissance mission into the “South Seítah” region of Mars’ Jezero Crater was to capture images of this geologic target – nicknamed “Faillefeu” (after a medieval abbey in the French Alps) by the agency’s Perseverance rover team – and to obtain the color pictures from a lower altitude than ever before: 26 feet (8 meters).

Ingenuity Mars Helicopter photo reconnaissance. Animation Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

About 33 feet (10 meters) wide, the mound is visible just north of the center of the image, with some large rocks casting shadows. Stretching across the top of the image is a portion of “Artuby,” a ridgeline more than half a mile (900 meters) wide. At the bottom of the image, and running vertically up into the middle, are a few of the many sand ripples that populate South Seítah.

Best viewed with red-blue glasses, this stereo, or 3D, view (also called an anaglyph) was created by combining data from two images taken 16 feet (5 meters) apart by the color camera aboard Ingenuity.


Image above: This image of an area the Mars Perseverance rover team calls “Faillefeu” was captured by NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during its 13th flight at Mars on Sept. 4, 2021. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

More About Ingenuity

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages the operations demonstration activity during its extended mission for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA’s Science, Aeronautics Research, and Space Technology mission directorates. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity’s development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Martin Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System.

Ingenuity Mars Helicopter: https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/

More About Perseverance

A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith.

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

For more about Perseverance:

https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ and https://nasa.gov/perseverance

Images (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Tony Greicius/Karen Fox/Alana Johnson/JPL/DC Agle.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

New type of dark energy could solve Universe expansion mystery

 







Astrophysics logo.


Sep. 17, 2021

Hints of a previously unknown, primordial form of the substance could explain why the cosmos now seems to be expanding faster than theory predicts.


Image above: Data from the Atacama Cosmology Telescope suggest the existence of two types of dark energy at the very start of the Universe. Image Credits: Giulio Ercolani/Alamy.

Cosmologists have found signs that a second type of dark energy — the ubiquitous but enigmatic substance that is pushing the current Universe’s expansion to accelerate — might have existed in the first 300,000 years after the Big Bang.

Two separate studies — both posted on the arXiv preprint server in the past week (1,2) — have detected a tentative first trace of this ‘early dark energy’ in data collected between 2013 and 2016 by the Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT) in Chile. If the findings are confirmed, they could help to solve a long-standing conundrum surrounding data about the early Universe, which seem to be incompatible with the rate of cosmic expansion measured today. But the data are preliminary and don’t show definitively whether this form of dark energy really existed.

“There are a number of reasons to be careful to take this as a discovery of new physics,” says Silvia Galli, a cosmologist at the Paris Institute of Astrophysics.

The authors of both preprints — one posted by the ACT team, and the other by an independent group — admit that the data are not yet strong enough to detect early dark energy with high confidence. But they say that further observations from the ACT and another observatory, the South Pole Telescope in Antarctica, could provide a more stringent test soon. “If this really is true — if the early Universe really did feature early dark energy — then we should see a strong signal,” says Colin Hill, a co-author of the ACT team’s paper1 who is a cosmologist at Columbia University in New York City.

Mapping the CMB

Both the ACT and the South Pole Telescope are designed to map the cosmic microwave background (CMB), primordial radiation sometimes described as the afterglow of the Big Bang. The CMB is one of the pillars of cosmologists’ understanding of the Universe. By mapping subtle variations in the CMB across the sky, researchers have found compelling evidence for the ‘standard model of cosmology’. This model describes the evolution of a Universe containing three primary ingredients: dark energy; the equally mysterious dark matter, which is the primary cause of the formation of galaxies; and ordinary matter, which accounts for less than 5% of the Universe’s total mass and energy.

Current state-of-the-art CMB maps were provided by the European Space Agency’s Planck mission, which was active between 2009 and 2013. Calculations based on Planck data predict — assuming that the standard model of cosmology is correct — exactly how fast the Universe should be expanding now. But for the past decade or so, increasingly accurate measurements of that expansion, based on observations of supernova explosions and other techniques, have found it to be 5–10% faster (3).

Theorists have suggested a plethora of modifications to the standard model that could explain this difference. Two years ago, cosmologist Marc Kamionkowski at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, and his collaborators suggested an extra ingredient for the standard model (4). Their ‘early dark energy’ — which made more precise an idea that they and other teams had been working on for several years — would be a sort of fluid that permeated the Universe before withering away within a few hundred thousand years of the Big Bang. “It’s not a compelling argument, but it’s the only model we can get to work,” says Kamionkowski.

Early dark energy would not have been strong enough to cause an accelerated expansion, as ‘ordinary’ dark energy is currently doing. But it would have caused the plasma that emerged from the Big Bang to cool down faster than it would have otherwise. This would affect how CMB data should be interpreted — especially when it comes to measurements of the age of the Universe and its rate of expansion that are based on how far sound waves were able to travel in the plasma before it cooled into gas. Planck and similar observatories use features that were left in the sky after this transition to make such calculations.

The two latest studies find that the ACT’s map of the CMB’s polarization fits better with a model including early dark energy than with the standard one. Interpreting the CMB on the basis of the early dark energy model and ACT data would mean that the Universe is now 12.4 billion years old, about 11% younger than the 13.8 billion years calculated using the standard model, says Hill. Correspondingly, the current expansion would be about 5% faster than the standard model predicts — closer to what astronomers calculate today.

Inconsistencies remain

Hill says that he was previously sceptical about early dark energy, and that his team’s findings surprised him. Vivian Poulin, an astrophysicist at the University of Montpellier in France and a co-author of the second study2 based on ACT data, says it was reassuring that his team’s analysis agreed with the ACT team’s own. “The lead authors are very, very hard-nosed, conservative people, who really understand the data and the measurements,” Kamionkowski says.

But Galli warns that the ACT data seem to be inconsistent with calculations by the Planck team, which she was part of. And although the ACT’s polarization data might favour early dark energy, it is unclear whether its other major set of data — its map of CMB temperatures — shows such a preference. For these reasons, she adds, it will be crucial to cross-check the results using the South Pole Telescope, an experiment she is part of.

Wendy Freedman, an astronomer at the University of Chicago in Illinois who has contributed to some of the most precise measurements of cosmic expansion, says that the ACT-based results are interesting, if preliminary. “It is important to pursue different models” and compare them with the standard one, she says.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-02531-5

References:

1. Hill, J. C. et al. Preprint at https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.04451 (2021).

2. Poulin, V., Smith, T. L. & Bartlett, A. Preprint at https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.06229 (2021).

3. Di Valentino, E. et al. Class. Quantum Grav. 38, 153001 (2021).
https://doi.org/10.1088%2F1361-6382%2Fac086d

4. Poulin, V., Smith, T. L., Karwal, T. & Kamionkowski, M. Phys. Rev. Lett. 122, 221301 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1103%2FPhysRevLett.122.221301

Related link:

Atacama Cosmology Telescope (ACT): https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02126-6

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: Nature/Davide Castelvecchi.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Path set for commercial communications around the Moon

 







ESA - European Space Agency patch.


Sep. 17, 2021

ESA confirmed a contract signature yesterday with Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL) to be the main customer for their Lunar Pathfinder satellite launching in 2024 that will provide communications services around the Moon.

Lunar Pathfinder

A whole suite of lunar exploration missions is on the horizon, many of which have ESA involvement. These include NASA’s Artemis programme, commercial lunar landers, Russia’s Luna 25 and 27 landers and the future European Large Lunar Lander (EL3).

Lunar Pathfinder is a first step towards ESA’s ambitious Moonlight vision to create a network of communications and data relay satellites serving users worldwide. Such satellites could also provide navigation data for lunar exploration, just as today we navigate using Galileo and GPS on Earth.

Infographic: Infographic: Moonlight - Navigation for the Moon

The far side and polar regions of the Moon are a particular area of interest to space agencies as a potential source of resources for water, fuel and oxygen. A communications relay satellite such as Lunar Pathfinder is necessary to ensure continuous contact for both robots and humans.

“Exploration is about discovery and returning knowledge to Earth, so in the new era of lunar exploration we require a robust and fast communications service,” says ESA’s director of Human and Robotic Exploration, David Parker. “SSTL’s Lunar Pathfinder service will be available to all, enabling lower cost lunar science, technology demonstration and commercial exploration. As a leader in lunar exploration, ESA plans to use its services extensively.”

Extending satnav to the Moon

SSTL’s Phil Brownnett said “We are delighted to sign up ESA as our anchor customer for communication services from our Lunar Pathfinder mission.  We have been collaborating with ESA since 2018 to scope Lunar Pathfinder for the commercial market, and we look forward to realising our ambition to provide cost effective services and navigation data for users all over the world.”

The Lunar Pathfinder mission also hosts two separate ESA experiments, the first testing the possibility of using existing navigation satellites for positioning on the Moon and the second a space weather monitor to understand radiation levels around the Moon – important for human explorers.

To the Moon!

Furthermore, NASA will provide a laser retro-reflector payload allowing comparison with the orbit positioning data from ESA’s navigation experiment. ESA is also discussing with NASA how Lunar Pathfinder could support its wider lunar exploration programme.

The contract was confirmed by ESA’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, David Parker, and SSTL’s Managing Director, Phil Brownnett, on 15 September 2021 at The Royal Society in London. Amanda Solloway, UK Government Science Minister, Josef Aschbacher, ESA’s Director General, Paul Bate, Chief Executive of the UK Space Agency, and SSTL’s Executive Chairman, Sir Martin Sweeting were also in attendance.

Related links:

Human and Robotic Exploration: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration

Exploration: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Exploration

ESA - European Space Agency: https://www.esa.int/

Images, Text, Credits: ESA/NASA/T. Pesquet/SSTL.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

China Space Station - Shenzhou-12 Crew's Back on Earth

 







CMS - China Manned Space logo.


Sep 17, 2021

Shenzhou-12 landing

The Shenzhou-12 crew, astronauts Nie Haisheng (commander), Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, has landed at the Dongfeng landing site, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north China, on 17 September 2021, at 05:34 UTC (13:34 local time).

Shenzhou-12 landing

Shenzhou-12 astronauts after landing

The Shenzhou-12 crew, astronauts Nie Haisheng (commander), Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo, has landed at the Dongfeng landing site, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, north China, on 17 September 2021, at 05:34 UTC (13:34 local time).

Shenzhou-12 astronauts after landing

Related articles (archives):

China Space Station - Shenzhou-12 radial rendezvous test explained
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/09/china-space-station-shenzhou-12-radial.html

China Space Station - Shenzhou-12 astronauts present the Tianhe core module
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/09/china-space-station-shenzhou-12.html

Successful second spacewalk on the China Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/08/successful-second-spacewalk-on-china.html

China Space Station - Shenzhou-12 crew prepares for second spacewalk
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/08/china-space-station-shenzhou-12-crew.html

China Space Station - Shenzhou-12 astronauts test their health
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/08/china-space-station-shenzhou-12.html

CMS - Shenzhou-12 - one month on board the China Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/07/cms-shenzhou-12-one-month-on-board.html

First spacewalk on the China Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/07/first-spacewalk-on-china-space-station.html

China Space Station - The Tianhe core module has Hall-effect thrusters - CSS astronauts unpack EVA spacesuit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/06/china-space-station-tianhe-core-module.html

China Space Station - Shenzhou-12 crew begins three-month mission
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/06/china-space-station-shenzhou-12-crew.html

China sends its first crew to its Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/06/china-sends-its-first-crew-to-its-space.html

Long March-7 Y3 launches Tianzhou-2 & Tianzhou-2 docking to the Tianhe Core Module
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/05/long-march-7-y3-launches-tianzhou-2.html

Tianhe completes in-orbit checks & Long March-7 Y3 ready to launch Tianzhou-2
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/05/tianhe-completes-in-orbit-checks-long.html

China Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/05/china-space-station.html

For more information about China National Space Administration (CNSA), visit: http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/

Images, Videos, Text, Credits: China National Space Administration (CNSA)/China Media Group(CMG)/China Central Television (CCTV)/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

jeudi 16 septembre 2021

SpaceX - INSPIRATION4 MISSION

 







SpaceX - Dragon Crew / Inspiration4 patch.


Sep. 16, 2021

Inspiration4 launch. Image Credits: SpaceX/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga

On Wednesday, September 15 at 8:02 p.m. EDT, 00:02 UTC on September 16, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 successfully launched the Inspiration4 mission – the world’s first all-civilian human spaceflight to orbit – from historic Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Approximately three days after liftoff, Dragon and the crew of Inspiration4 will splash down at one of several possible landing sites off the Florida coast. Follow Dragon’s journey in the tracker above as the Inspiration4 crew orbits Earth approximately every 90 minutes.

Inspiration4 launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing

Inspiration4 is commanded by Jared Isaacman, founder and CEO of Shift4 Payments and an accomplished pilot and adventurer. Joining him are Medical Officer Hayley Arceneaux, a physician assistant at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and pediatric cancer survivor; Mission Specialist Chris Sembroski, an Air Force veteran and aerospace data engineer; and Mission Pilot Dr. Sian Proctor, a geoscientist, entrepreneur, and trained pilot.

Distance from the Earth


Infographic by SpaceX (Click on the image for enlarge)

Mission Objectives:

RAISE $200M FOR ST JUDE

The Inspiration4 mission is part of Jared’s ambitious fundraising goal to give hope to all kids with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. Visit St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to learn how you can help the Inspiration4 crew reach their $200M fundraising goal.

Dr. Sian Proctor, Jared Isaacman, Chris Sembroski, Hayley Arceneaux. Image Credit: SpaceX

STUDY THE HUMAN BODY IN SPACE

During their multi-day journey in orbit, the Inspiration4 crew will conduct scientific research designed to advance human health on Earth and during future long-duration spaceflights.

Dragon

Crew Dragon whit cupola. Image Credit: SpaceX

Dragon is traveling to an apogee of approximately 575 kilometers — flying farther than any human spaceflight since the Hubble missions. Dragon’s new cupola observation dome is the largest contiguous space window ever flown. Designed, tested, and qualified for flight in six months, it replaced the mechanism used on Dragon’s previous flight to autonomously dock to the International Space Station. The three-layer observation dome was put through an extensive qualification process, including thermal, vibration, structural environments, and life-cycle to verify capability.

Related article:

SpaceX, NASA Enables Commercial Crew, Private Astronaut Missions
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/09/spacex-nasa-enables-commercial-crew.html

Related link:

SpaceX: https://www.spacex.com/

Images (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: SpaceX/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

3D VR Cam Stowed During Eye Checks on Station

 







ISS - Expedition 65 Mission patch.


September 16, 2021

A 3D virtual reality camera that filmed Sunday’s spacewalk has been returned to the inside of the International Space Station. Meanwhile, the Expedition 65 continued its space biology research and lab maintenance activities on Thursday.

A specialized video camera that filmed Sunday’s spacewalk in immersive virtual reality was grappled by the Canadarm2 robotic arm and placed on a pallet outside of the Kibo laboratory module. The camera was retracted into Kibo’s airlock Thursday morning where ESA (European Space Agency) Flight Engineer Thomas Pesquet retrieved and stowed it. The cinematic videos are part of a research program called ISS (international Space Station) Experience and are downlinked to Earth to excite and bring gravity-bound audiences closer to space.


Image above: Russia’s Soyuz MS-18 crew ship and the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module are pictured 264 miles above the city lights of eastern Europe. Image Credit: NASA.

NASA Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei was the crew medical officer again on Thursday, this time scanning the eyes of Roscosmos Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov with an ultrasound device. Afterward, Vande Hei set up optical coherence tomography gear and imaged Dubrov’s retinas. Eye health is critical during long term space missions as doctors continue exploring how microgravity affects vision.

Commander Akihiko Hoshide of the Japan Aerospace Exploration (JAXA) spent Thursday morning setting up computers and cables before reconfiguring the Cell Biology Experiment Facility for upcoming research. In the afternoon, Hoshide installed a light on a spacesuit helmet then worked on transfers from the SpaceX Cargo Dragon resupply ship.


Image above: The Moon seen from the International Space Station by ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet on 30 May 2021. Image Credits: ESA/Thomas Pesquet.

Ensuring the station remains in tip-top shape, NASA Flight Engineers Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur worked on life support hardware in the U.S. segment of the orbiting lab. Kimbrough installed a new carbon dioxide remover in the U.S. Destiny laboratory module. McArthur replaced components inside the Tranquility module’s oxygen generator.

Dubrov and Pesquet tested hardware installed in the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module that will soon communicate with and control the European robotic arm. Roscosmos Flight Engineer Oleg Novitskiy spent the day servicing orbital plumbing gear in the station’s Russian segment.

Related article:

ISS prepares for re-docking of Russian spacecraft
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/09/iss-prepares-for-re-docking-of-russian.html

Related links:

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

Canadarm2 robotic arm: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/mobile-servicing-system.html

Kibo laboratory module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/japan-kibo-laboratory

ISS (international Space Station) Experience: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7877

Cell Biology Experiment Facility: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=333

U.S. Destiny laboratory module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/us-destiny-laboratory

Tranquility module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/tranquility/

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/Mark Garcia.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

ISS prepares for re-docking of Russian spacecraft

 







ISS - International Space Station emblem.


Sep. 16, 2021

In accordance with the Russian flight program of the International Space Station, on September 28, 2021, it is planned to re-dock the Soyuz MS-18 manned transport vehicle from the Rassvet small research module to the newly arrived multipurpose laboratory module Nauka.

Nauka (Science) Multipurpose Laboratory Module

According to preliminary data from the Main Operational Control Group of the Russian Segment of the ISS (Rocket and Space Corporation Energia named after SP Korolev, part of the State Corporation Roscosmos), the estimated separation time of the spacecraft is 15:21 Moscow time, the autonomous flight will be preliminarily 40 minutes. Re-docking will be carried out in manual mode by the spacecraft commander, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky with the participation of flight engineers - Roscosmos cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov and NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei.

Russia pressing forward on ISS expansion

This operation will be carried out in order to release the docking station of the Rassvet module, to which the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft is to dock on October 5, 2021, as well as to check the operation of the docking equipment of the multipurpose laboratory module, which became part of the Russian segment of the station at the end July. For this, first of all, the Soyuz MS-18 manned spacecraft will be docked to Nauka, and then the Progress MS-17 cargo vehicle. It is he who will prepare the International Space Station for the reception of the new "Prichal" nodal module. From July 2, 2021 to the present, the Russian "truck" is docked to the small research module "Poisk"; it is scheduled to undock on October 21. After two days of autonomous flight, as expected, it will automatically dock to the nadir node of the Nauka module.

Prichal Node Module

Now, at the docking port of the Nauka module, there is a special adapter (ring-pad), which allows the Russian Soyuz MS and Progress MS spacecraft to dock to it, so the Progress MS-17 cargo vehicle will take it away with it upon final undocking. with the station. After such a two-stage check, the Prichal module will be docked to the docking station, which is scheduled to launch at the end of November this year.

UM (Prichal, NM, Progress-MS-UM)

In the near future, the crew of the Soyuz MS-18 manned spacecraft will conduct an onboard training for the upcoming operation. Oleg Novitsky, Petr Dubrov and Mark Vande Hei, together with the specialists of the Main Operational Control Group, will work out the preparation steps and the redocking sequence itself. As part of a three-hour training session, they will work out the planned work and check the condition of the equipment, in step-by-step consultations with Russian specialists on Earth.

Currently, seven crew members are on board the International Space Station: Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitsky and Petr Dubrov, NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Shane Kimbrough and Megan MacArthur, European Space Agency astronaut Thomas Pesquet, and JAXA astronaut Akihiko Hoshide. Roscosmos cosmonaut Anton Shkaplerov, as well as space flight participants - actress Yulia Peresild and director Klim Shipenko are to arrive on the Soyuz MS-19 spacecraft.

Related links:

ROSCOSMOS Press Release: https://www.roscosmos.ru/32590/

Soyuz MS-18: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/sojuz-ms-18/

Progress MS-17: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/progress-ms-17/

Nauka (Science): https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/nauka/

International Space Station (ISS): https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/mks/

RSC Energia: https://www.roscosmos.ru/32590/

Images, Text, Credits: ROSCOSMOS/RSC Energia/NASA/Gunter's Space Page/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Jingle, Pluck, and Hum: Sounds from Space

 







NASA - Chandra X-ray Observatory logo.


Sep 16, 2021

Space is mostly quiet. Data collected by telescopes is most often turned into silent charts, plots, and images. A “sonification” project led by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and NASA’s Universe of Learning program transforms otherwise inaudible data from some of the world’s most powerful telescopes into sound. This effort makes it possible to experience data from cosmic sources with a different sense: hearing.

The latest installment of this sonification project features a region where stars are forming (Westerlund 2), the debris field left behind by an exploded star (Tycho’s supernova remnant), and the region around arguably the most famous black hole (Messier 87). Each sonification has its own technique to translate the astronomical data into sounds that humans can hear.

Westerlund 2:

Data Sonification: Westerlund 2 (Multiwavelength)

Video Credits: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida).

This is a cluster of young stars – about one to two million years old – located about 20,000 light-years from Earth. In its visual image form, data from Hubble (green and blue) reveals thick clouds where stars are forming, while X-rays seen from Chandra (purple) penetrate through that haze. In the sonified version of this data, sounds sweep from left to right across the field of view with brighter light producing louder sound. The pitch of the notes indicates the vertical position of the sources in the image with the higher pitches towards the top of the image. The Hubble data is played by strings, either plucked for individual stars or bowed for diffuse clouds. Chandra’s X-ray data is represented by bells, and the more diffuse X-ray light is played by more sustained tones.

Tycho:

Data Sonification: Tycho's Supernova Remnant

Video Credits: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida).

Beginning in the center, the sonification of the Tycho supernova remnant expands outward in a circle. The image contains X-ray data from Chandra where the various colors represent small bands of frequency that are associated with different elements that are moving both toward and away from Earth. For example, red shows iron, green is silicon, and blue represents sulfur. The sonification aligns with those colors as the redder light produces the lowest notes and blue and violet create the higher-pitched notes. Color varies over the remnant, but the lowest and highest notes (red and blue) dominate near the center and are joined by other colors (mid-range notes) towards the edge of the remnant. White corresponds to the full range of frequencies of light observable by Chandra, which is strongest toward the edge of the remnant. This light is converted to sound in a more direct way as well, by interpreting frequencies of light as frequencies of sound and then shifting them lower by 50 octaves so that they fall within the human hearing range. The different proportions of iron, silicon, and sulfur across the remnant can be heard in the changing amounts of the low-, mid-, and high-frequency peaks in the sound. The field of stars in the image as observed by Hubble is played as notes on a harp with the pitch determined by their color.

M87:

Data Sonification: M87

Video Credits: NASA/CXC/SAO/K.Arcand, SYSTEM Sounds (M. Russo, A. Santaguida).

The giant black hole in Messier 87 (M87 for short) and its surroundings have been studied for many years and by a range of telescopes including Chandra (blue) and the Very Large Array (red and orange). This data shows that the black hole in M87 is sending out massive jets of energetic particles that interact with vast clouds of hot gas that surround it. To translate the X-rays and radio waves into sound, the image is scanned beginning at the 3 o’clock position and sweeping clockwise like a radar. Light farther from the center is heard as higher pitched while brighter light is louder. The radio data are lower pitched than the X-rays, corresponding to their frequency ranges in the electromagnetic spectrum. The point-like sources in X-ray light, most of which represent stars in orbit around a black hole or neutron star, are played as short, plucked sounds.

Westerlund 2, Tycho, M87 pictured from Chandra X-ray Observatory. Image Credits: NASA/CXC

The data sonification project is led by the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) with NASA's Universe of Learning program. NASA's Science Activation program strives to enable NASA science experts and to incorporate NASA science content into the learning environment effectively and efficiently for learners of all ages. The collaboration was driven by visualization scientist Dr. Kimberly Arcand (CXC) and astrophysicist Dr. Matt Russo with musician Andrew Santaguida (both of the SYSTEM Sounds project).

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-ray Center controls science from Cambridge, Massachusetts and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts. NASA's Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Read more from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory: https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2021/sonify4/

For more Chandra images, multimedia and related materials, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/chandra

Related link:

NASA's Universe of Learning program: https://www.universe-of-learning.org/

Image (mentioned), Videos (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Lee Mohon/Marshall Space Flight Center/Molly Porter/Chandra X-ray Center/Megan Watzke.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

China Space Station - Shenzhou-12 radial rendezvous test explained

 







CMS - China Manned Space logo.


Sep. 16, 2021

Shenzhou-12 radial rendezvous

Shenzhou-12 radial rendezvous test explained

The Shenzhou-12 radial rendezvous test explained by Yang Haifeng (Leader of the flight control technology team, Shenzhou-12) and Xie Yongchun (Director of the Technology Committee, 502 Research Institute, CAST).

Related articles (archives):

China Space Station - Shenzhou-12 astronauts present the Tianhe core module
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/09/china-space-station-shenzhou-12.html

Successful second spacewalk on the China Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/08/successful-second-spacewalk-on-china.html

China Space Station - Shenzhou-12 crew prepares for second spacewalk
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/08/china-space-station-shenzhou-12-crew.html

China Space Station - Shenzhou-12 astronauts test their health
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/08/china-space-station-shenzhou-12.html

CMS - Shenzhou-12 - one month on board the China Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/07/cms-shenzhou-12-one-month-on-board.html

First spacewalk on the China Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/07/first-spacewalk-on-china-space-station.html

China Space Station - The Tianhe core module has Hall-effect thrusters - CSS astronauts unpack EVA spacesuit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/06/china-space-station-tianhe-core-module.html

China Space Station - Shenzhou-12 crew begins three-month mission
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/06/china-space-station-shenzhou-12-crew.html

China sends its first crew to its Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/06/china-sends-its-first-crew-to-its-space.html

Long March-7 Y3 launches Tianzhou-2 & Tianzhou-2 docking to the Tianhe Core Module
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/05/long-march-7-y3-launches-tianzhou-2.html

Tianhe completes in-orbit checks & Long March-7 Y3 ready to launch Tianzhou-2
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/05/tianhe-completes-in-orbit-checks-long.html

China Space Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2021/05/china-space-station.html

For more information about China National Space Administration (CNSA), visit: http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/

Image, Video, Text, Credits: China National Space Administration (CNSA)/China Media Group(CMG)/China Central Television (CCTV)/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

What’s going on with the ozone?

 






ESA - Altius Mission patch.


Sep. 16, 2021

World governments agreed in the late 1980s to protect Earth’s ozone layer by phasing out ozone-depleting substances emitted by human activities, under the Montreal Protocol. The phase out of these substances has not only helped protect the ozone layer for future generations but has also protected human health and ecosystems by limiting the harmful ultraviolet radiation from reaching Earth. On 16 September, the International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer, we take a closer look at this year’s ozone hole.

The ozone layer in the atmosphere protects Earth from potentially harmful ultraviolet radiation. In the 1970s, scientists discovered that the ozone layer was being depleted.

Atmospheric conditions of ozone vary naturally depending on temperature, weather, latitude and altitude, while substances ejected by natural events such as volcanic eruptions can also affect ozone levels. However, these natural phenomena couldn’t explain the levels of depletion observed and it was discovered that certain human-made chemicals were the cause.

Ozone depletion is greatest at the South Pole. This depletion creates what is known as the ‘ozone hole.’ From August to October, the ozone hole increases in size – reaching a maximum between mid-September and mid-October.

The Montreal Protocol was created in 1987 to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production and consumption of these harmful substances, which is slowly leading to its recovery. Some of the ozone-depleting substances emitted by human activities remain in the stratosphere for decades, meaning that ozone layer recovery is a very slow, long process.

The Montreal Protocol demonstrates the power of international commitment to protecting our environment. Satellite data provide a good means to monitor changes of the ozone layer on global scale. Ozone measurements from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite extend the European time-series that started in 1995 with the Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME).

These data can be used for long-term trend monitoring and provide ozone measurements just three hours after measurement time to the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS), operated by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) for ozone monitoring and forecasting.

Size of the 2021 ozone hole

The ozone hole today

Data from Sentinel-5P was used to show that last year’s ozone hole over the Antarctic was one of the largest and deepest in recent years. The hole grew rapidly from mid-August and peaked at around 25 million sq km on 2 October. The large ozone hole was driven by a strong, stable and cold polar vortex which kept the temperature of the ozone layer over Antarctica consistently cold. This was in stark contrast with the unusually small ozone hole that formed in 2019.

This year, the ozone hole’s evolution appears to be similar to last year’s size, currently around 23 million sq km – reaching an extent larger than Antarctica. According to CAMS, the 2021 ozone hole has considerably grown in the last two weeks and is now larger than 75% of ozone holes at that stage in the season since 1979.

Antje Inness, a senior scientist at ECMWF, commented, “This ozone evolution is what we would expect given the current atmospheric conditions. The progress of the ozone hole over the coming weeks will be extremely interesting.”

ESA’s Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission manager, Claus Zehner, added, “Sentinel-5P ozone measurements are a key contribution to global ozone monitoring and forecasting in the frame of the Copernicus programme.

“The monitoring of the ozone hole over the South Pole must be interpreted carefully as the size, duration and the ozone concentrations of a single hole are influenced by the local wind fields, or meteorology, around the South Pole. Nevertheless, we expect a closing of the ozone hole over the South Pole by the year 2050.”

A map of the ozone hole over the South Pole on 16 September 2021

Looking ahead

Satellites orbiting above are the only way of measuring the ozone’s recovery and change in a consistent and systematic manner. Most ozone-measuring satellites, such as the Copernicus Sentinel-5P mission, provide a value for the amount of ozone in a column – meaning the total amount of ozone in a column of air from the ground to the top of the atmosphere. In conjunction, profiles, which show concentrations at different altitudes, are also needed to gain the full picture.

The upcoming Atmospheric Limb Tracker for Investigation of the Upcoming Stratosphere (Altius) mission, set to launch in 2025, will deliver profiles of ozone and other trace gases in the upper atmosphere to support services such as weather forecasting, and to monitor long-term trends.

Altius

Altius carries a high-resolution 2D imager that observes ozone from side-on, at Earth's limb or atmospheric boundary. This limb-sounding technique allows ozone to be viewed at different altitudes, thereby providing vertical profiles of different ozone concentrations. As well as ozone, Altius will also deliver profiles of other trace gases such as nitrogen dioxide, water vapour and aerosol information.

Read more about the mission here: Altius: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Altius

Related links:

International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer: https://www.un.org/en/observances/ozone-day

Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite: https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Copernicus/Sentinel-5P/Antarctic_ozone_hole_is_one_of_the_largest_and_deepest_in_recent_years

Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME): https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Meteorological_missions/MetOp/About_GOME-2

Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS): https://atmosphere.copernicus.eu/

European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF): https://www.ecmwf.int/

Atmospheric Limb Tracker for Investigation of the Upcoming Stratosphere (Altius): https://www.esa.int/Applications/Observing_the_Earth/Altius

Animation, Images, Text, Credits: ESA/Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data (2021), processed by DLR/Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service/ECMWF/QinetiQ Space.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch