samedi 3 septembre 2022

NASA to Stand Down on Artemis I Launch Attempts in Early September, Reviewing Options

 







NASA - ARTEMIS 1 Mission patch.


Sept. 3, 2022

After standing down on today’s Artemis I launch attempt when engineers could not overcome a hydrogen leak in a quick disconnect, an interface between the liquid hydrogen fuel feed line and the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, mission managers met and decided they will forego additional launch attempts in early September.


Image above: NASA’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Image Credit: NASA.

Over the next several days, teams will establish access to the area of the leak at Launch Pad 39B, and in parallel conduct a schedule assessment to provide additional data that will inform a decision on whether to perform work to replace a seal either at the pad, where it can be tested under cryogenic conditions, or inside the Vehicle Assembly Building.

To meet the requirement by the Eastern Range for the certification on the flight termination system, currently set at 25 days, NASA will need to roll the rocket and spacecraft back to the VAB before the next launch attempt to reset the system’s batteries. The flight termination system is required on all rockets to protect public safety.

During today’s launch attempt, engineers saw a leak in a cavity between the ground side and rocket side plates surrounding an 8-inch line used to fill and drain liquid hydrogen from the SLS rocket. Three attempts at reseating the seal were unsuccessful. While in an early phase of hydrogen loading operations called chilldown, when launch controllers cool down the lines and propulsion system prior to flowing super cold liquid hydrogen into the rocket’s tank at minus 423 degrees F, an inadvertent command was sent that temporarily raised the pressure in the system. While the rocket remained safe and it is too early to tell whether the bump in pressurization contributed to the cause of the leaky seal, engineers are examining the issue.

Because of the complex orbital mechanics involved in launching to the Moon, NASA would have had to launch Artemis I by Tuesday, Sept. 6 as part of the current launch period. View a list of launch windows here:

Artemis I Mission Availability
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/artemis-i-mission-availability

Related articles:

Artemis I Launch Attempt Scrubbed (Again)
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/09/artemis-i-launch-attempt-scrubbed-again.html

Second try for the Artemis I Moon flight
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/08/second-try-for-artemis-i-moon-flight.html

Engineers Assess Data After Scrub, Mission Managers to Meet Tuesday Afternoon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/08/engineers-assess-data-after-scrub.html

NASA to Provide Update on Artemis I Moon Mission Status
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-provide-update-on-artemis-i-moon-mission-status

ARTEMIS 1 - Launch Attempt Scrubbed
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/08/artemis-1-launch-attempt-scrubbed.html

Related links:

Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/

Space Launch System (SLS): https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

Orion spacecraft: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

European Service Module (ESM): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion/Orion_European_Service_Module_kit

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Rachel Kraft.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Artemis I Launch Attempt Scrubbed (Again)

 







NASA - ARTEMIS 1 Mission patch.


Sept. 3, 2022

Engineers Warming Up Area of Leak to Attempt Resealing, Core Stage LOX in Replenish


Image above: NASA’s Space Launch System rocket with the Orion spacecraft aboard is seen atop a mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B on September 3, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Engineers are continuing troubleshooting efforts to address a liquid hydrogen leak in a cavity in the quick disconnect where the flight side and ground side plates join. They once again will attempt to warm up the quick disconnect to try to reset the seal.

The liquid oxygen tank of the core stage is full and is being replenished as some of the super cooled propellant boils off.

Reoccurrence of Liquid Hydrogen Leak Detected


A liquid hydrogen leak has reoccurred again in a cavity between the ground and flight side plates of a quick disconnect in the engine section. Teams are discussing additional troubleshooting efforts.

Liquid Hydrogen Flow to Core Stage Resumes

Launch controllers have started flowing liquid hydrogen to the core stage again after troubleshooting the reoccurrence of a leak. This time engineers attempted to reseat the seal in a quick disconnect cavity where the leak occurred by applying pressure to it with helium.

Teams Troubleshoot Reoccurrence of Liquid Hydrogen Leak


As engineers increased the pressure on the flow of liquid hydrogen into the core stage, a leak reoccurred. Engineers will attempt to reseat the seal in the quick disconnect cavity where the leak has been detected. This time they will stop flowing liquid hydrogen to the tank, close the valve used to fill and drain it, then increase pressure on a ground transfer line using helium to to try to reseal it.

Launch controllers are continuing to flow liquid oxygen to the core stage.

Liquid Hydrogen Leak Detected Once Again

After the third troubleshooting attempt, the liquid hydrogen leak has occurred again. Teams are discussing next steps.

Artemis I Launch Attempt Scrubbed

 


The launch director waived off today’s Artemis I launch attempt at approximately 11:17 a.m. EDT. Teams encountered a liquid hydrogen leak while loading the propellant into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket.  Multiple troubleshooting efforts to address the area of the leak by reseating a seal in the quick disconnect where liquid hydrogen is fed into the rocket did not fix the issue. Engineers are continuing to gather additional data.

Artemis I aborted launch- 3 September 2022

NASA Update:

NASA to Provide Artemis I Launch Update Saturday
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-provide-artemis-i-launch-update-saturday

Related articles:

Second try for the Artemis I Moon flight
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/08/second-try-for-artemis-i-moon-flight.html

Engineers Assess Data After Scrub, Mission Managers to Meet Tuesday Afternoon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/08/engineers-assess-data-after-scrub.html

NASA to Provide Update on Artemis I Moon Mission Status
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-provide-update-on-artemis-i-moon-mission-status

ARTEMIS 1 - Launch Attempt Scrubbed
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/08/artemis-1-launch-attempt-scrubbed.html

Related links:

Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/

Space Launch System (SLS): https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

Orion spacecraft: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

European Service Module (ESM): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion/Orion_European_Service_Module_kit

Images, Video, Text, Credits: NASA/Rachel Kraft/NASA TV/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

CASC - Long March-4C launches Yaogan-33-02

 







CASC - CZ-4C Y52 / Long March-4C - Yaogan-33-02 Mission patch.


Sep 3, 2022

Long March-4C carrying Yaogan-33-02 liftoff

A Long March-4C launch vehicle launched the Yaogan-33-02 (遥感三十三号02) remote-sensing satellite from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province, China, on 2 September 2022, at 23:44 UTC (3 September, 07:44 local time).

Long March-4C launches Yaogan-33-02

According to official sources, the satellite has successfully entered the planned orbit and “will be used for scientific experiments, land resources surveys, crop yield estimation, and disaster prevention and relief”.

Yaogan-33

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

Images, Video, Text, Credits: China Central Television (CCTV)/China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC)/SciNews/Gunter's Space Page/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

vendredi 2 septembre 2022

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of August 29, 2022

 







ISS - Expedition 67 Mission patch.


Sep 2, 2022

Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of Aug 29 that included examining changes in muscle properties in space, testing a radiation protection garment, and studying the mechanisms behind bone loss.


Image above: The Gulf of California reflects the sun in this photograph taken as the space station orbited 258 miles above. Archangel Island, part of the Mexican state of Baja California, seems to float in the sun’s reflection. Image Credit: NASA.

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

Managing Muscles

Previous studies suggest that muscle tone and stiffness decrease during spaceflight and that inflight exercise seems to mitigate these muscle changes. The ESA (European Space Agency) Myotones investigation observes changes in muscle properties during long-term spaceflight. Results could provide researchers with insight into human resting muscle tone and support development of better countermeasures for future space missions as well as alternative rehabilitation treatments for those experiencing the effects of aging and restricted mobility on Earth. Crew members took measurements of experiment target areas during the week.

Portable protection


Image above: The AstroRad Vest, shown here floating in the space station, is designed to protect crew members from radiation caused by unpredictable solar particle events. Astronauts perform daily tasks while wearing the vest and provide input on its fit, feel, and range of motion, feedback that contributes to improving the vest design. Image Credit: NASA.

AstroRad Vest, sponsored by the ISS U.S. National Lab, tests a vest designed to protect astronauts from radiation caused by unpredictable solar particle events. Astronauts perform daily tasks while wearing the vest, providing input on its fit, feel, and the range of motion it allows, contributing to improving the vest design. Results could help protect crew members from possible harmful effects of radiation on future missions to the Moon and Mars and improve radiation protection garments used on Earth. During the week, crew members wore the vest, documented range of motion tests, and completed a survey on the device.

No bone (loss) about it

Phospho-Aging, an investigation from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), examines molecular mechanisms behind aging-like symptoms that occur more rapidly in microgravity, such as bone loss and muscle atrophy. Previous research identified calciprotein particles (CPPs) as a factor in aging in mammals. CPPs induce chronic inflammation and systemic tissue damage and could be a mechanism behind accelerated aging in space. Results may indicate whether countermeasures that target CPPs would help protect astronauts on future missions. The investigation also may provide evidence that bone loss from osteoporosis and osteopenia are causes of aging and not merely symptoms of it, and that interventions to prevent such loss could contribute to longer, healthier lives on Earth. The crew gathered blood and urine samples for the investigation during the week.

Other investigations involving the crew:


Image above: This image shows a Nano Step Cartridge with Nano Step Specimen Cell ready for insertion into JAXA’s Solution Crystallization Observation Facility (SCOF) to begin the crystal growth experiment. Advanced NanoStep seeks to improve the quality and success rate of crystals grown in microgravity. Image Credit: NASA.

- Advanced Nano Step, a JAXA investigation, monitors and records how specific impurities affect the development and quality of protein crystals grown in microgravity. This investigation aims to improve the rate of crystal growth and help scientists understand impurities that deteriorate quality, which could contribute to research in space and on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7468

- Airborne Particulate Monitor (APM) demonstrates an instrument for measuring and quantifying the concentration of small and large particles in spacecraft air. The data could shed light on the sources of particles and help protect air quality in spacecraft to keep astronauts healthy and comfortable on future missions.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7936
 
- ISS Ham Radio sessions engage students, teachers, parents, and other members of the community in direct communication with astronauts via ground-based amateur radio units. This experience helps inspire interest in science, technology, engineering, and math.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=337

- ESA’s NutrISS assesses body composition and energy balance using wearable sensors. Results could lead to improved physical health and quality of life for astronauts and better clinical management of malnourished, obese, or immobilized patients on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7875

- Wireless Compose-2, an investigation from ESA, demonstrates an infrastructure for wireless transmission of data and a smart shirt for measuring forces generated by the heart as it moves blood. This technology could help monitor the health of astronauts on future missions and this investigation also could improve use of the technology on the ground.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8563

- For Crew Earth Observations (CEO), crew members photograph Earth, recording how the planet changes over time due to human activity and natural events. Scientists have used these images in multiple ways and the investigation also makes it possible to monitor disasters and direct response on the ground.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=84

Space to Ground: Outfitting the Arm: 09/01/2022

The space station, a robust microgravity laboratory with a multitude of specialized research facilities and tools, has supported many scientific breakthroughs from investigations spanning every major scientific discipline. The ISS Benefits for Humanity 2022 publication details the expanding universe of results realized from more than 20 years of experiments conducted on the station.

Related links:

Expedition 67: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition67/index.html

Myotones: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7573

AstroRad Vest: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7803

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

Phospho-Aging: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8278

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 67.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

The Crater Farm

 







NASA - Magellan Mission patch.


Sep 2, 2022


Image above: In a Magellan image dubbed the "Crater Farm" we see the curious layering of volcanic activity and impact craters. Published: February 10, 2012. Image Credits: NASA/JPL.

Three impact craters are displayed in this three-dimensional perspective view of the surface of Venus taken by NASA's Magellan, the first deep space probe launched by a space shuttle. The center of the image is located at approximately 27 degrees south latitude, 339 degrees east longitude in the northwestern portion of the Lavinia Planitia region of Venus.

Magellan mission, Venus global view. Image Credits: NASA/JPL

Three impact craters are displayed in this three-dimensional perspective view of the surface of Venus. The center of the image is located at approximately 27 degrees south latitude, 339 degrees east longitude in the northwestern portion of Lavinia Planitia.

What Scientists/Engineers Say About This Image:

"I remember when I first laid my eyes on a press release image from early on in the Magellan mission of an area informally called the 'Crater Farm.' I could see in that one image that there was something really strange about Venus. It still seems really strange now, even though this image is from the early 90s. The Crater Farm image shows these very pristine looking craters, super-imposed on a volcanic background that are not lapping up at all onto the edge of the craters.

Magellan Mission to Venus. Image Credits: NASA/JPL

At least in this one image there was all this luminous volcanic activity that somehow stopped while the planet got covered up with craters. Of course, that shouldn't be the history of a reasonable planet; that the volcanism should stop and the craters should keep going -- that is unless that planet has a weird history. I remember looking at that picture and thinking that there is something weird going on here and that it has important implications for the whole history of the planet, its climate, its atmosphere, its geology. And I still think that that is true. Venus sort of became a focus of a big part of my career -- figuring out what is weird about Venus as represented in that picture."

--David Grinspoon: Curator of Astrobiology, Denver Museum of Nature and Science.

Related links:

NASA's Magellan: https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/magellan/in-depth/

Venus: http://www.nasa.gov/venus

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Michael Bock.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Cosmonaut Spacewalkers Complete Robotics Spacewalk

 







EVA - Extra Vehicular Activities patch.


Sept. 2, 2022

Expedition 67 Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineer Denis Matveev, both of Roscosmos, concluded their spacewalk at 5:12 p.m. EDT after 7 hours and 47 minutes.


Image above: The European robotic arm is seen attached to the Nauka module of the International Space Station, the worksite for today’s spacewalk by two cosmonauts. Image Credit: NASA.

Artemyev and Matveev completed their major objectives, which included relocating an external control panel for the European robotic arm from one operating area to another and testing a rigidizing mechanism on the arm that will be used to facilitate the grasping of payloads. In addition, the duo extended a Strela telescoping boom from the Zarya module to the Poisk module.


Image above: Spacewalkers Oleg Artemyev (bottom left) and Denis Matveev (right) extend the Russian Strela cargo crane from the Zarya module toward the Poisk module following work on the European robotic arm. Image Credit: NASA TV.

Additional spacewalks are planned to continue outfitting the European robotic arm and to activate Nauka’s airlock for future spacewalks. The work on the European robotic arm will be used to move spacewalkers and payloads around the Russian segment of the station.

Russian spacewalkers extend cargo crane outside space station

This was the eighth spacewalk in Artemyev’s career, and the fourth for Matveev. It was the eighth spacewalk at the station in 2022 and the 253rd spacewalk  for space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

ROSCOSMOS Press Releases:

Российские космонавты в шестой раз в этом году вышли в открытый космос / Russian cosmonauts went out into open space for the sixth time this year
https://www.roscosmos.ru/38166/

Космонавты подготовили к работе европейский манипулятор снаружи МКС / The astronauts prepared the European manipulator outside the ISS for work
https://www.roscosmos.ru/38175/

Related links:

Expedition 67: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition67/index.html

Zarya module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/zarya-cargo-module

Poisk module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/poisk-mini-research-module-2

European Robotic Arm (ERA): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/International_Space_Station/European_Robotic_Arm

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

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

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

China Space Station (CSS) - Shenzhou-14 astronauts complete first spacewalk

 







CMS - China Manned Space logo.


Sep 2, 2022

Shenzhou-14 astronauts (Taikonauts) complete first spacewalk

According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the first extravehicular activity of the Shenzhou-14 (神舟十四号) mission was completed on 1 September 2022, at 18:33 UTC (2 September, at 00:33 China Standard Time), when astronauts Chen Dong (陈冬, commander) and Liu Yang (刘洋) safely returned to the Wentian Laboratory Module  (问天实验舱).

Shenzhou-14 astronauts complete first spacewalk

Related articles & link:

China Space Station (CSS) - Shenzhou-14 astronauts begin first spacewalk
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/09/china-space-station-css-shenzhou-14.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Rice grows in the Wentian Laboratory Module
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/08/china-space-station-css-rice-grows-in.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Shenzhou-14 astronauts enter Wentian
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/china-space-station-css-shenzhou-14.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Wentian docking
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/china-space-station-css-wentian-docking.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Wentian launch
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/china-space-station-css-wentian-launch.html

CSS - Long March-5B ready to launch Wentian & Xuntian space telescope prototype phase
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/css-long-march-5b-ready-to-launch.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Tianzhou-3 undocking
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/china-space-station-css-tianzhou-3.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Shenzhou-14 hatch opening
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/06/china-space-station-css-shenzhou-14_5.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Shenzhou-14 Crew launch & Shenzhou-14 docking
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/06/china-space-station-css-shenzhou-14.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Tianzhou-4 docking
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/05/china-space-station-css-tianzhou-4_10.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Tianzhou-4 launch
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/05/china-space-station-css-tianzhou-4.html

What’s next for the China Space Station in 2022 and 2023
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/04/whats-next-for-china-space-station-in.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 Central Television (CCTV)/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

jeudi 1 septembre 2022

Crew Preps for Friday Spacewalk and Conducts Skin Healing Research

 







ISS - Expedition 67 Mission patch.


September 1, 2022

Two cosmonauts are finalizing preparations for a spacewalk to configure the European robotic arm (ERA) for payload operations on the outside of the International Space Station. The rest of the Expedition 67 crew is continuing to research how to heal wounds in the microgravity environment.

Roscosmos Commander Oleg Artemyev and Flight Engineer Denis Matveev have been given the go to exit the space station’s Poisk airlock on Friday at 9:20 a.m. EDT beginning a spacewalk to continue outfitting Europe’s robotic arm. The duo was joined today by Flight Engineer Sergey Korsakov for a final procedures review and last minute Orlan spacesuit checks ahead of the planned six-hour spacewalk.


Image above: Roscosmos cosmonauts (from left) Denis Matveev and Oleg Artemyev are pictured during a spacewalk on April 18, 2022, to configure the European robotic arm. Image Credits: NASA/ROSCOSMOS.

The spacewalkers will complete the tasks left unfinished during the previous spacewalk that took place on Aug. 17. The tasks Artemyev and Matveev are scheduled to complete include relocating the ERA’s external control panel and testing the arm’s ability to grasp payloads. Korsakov will help the two cosmonauts in and out of their spacesuits, monitor the spacewalking activities, and maneuver the ERA on Friday.

The orbiting lab’s four other astronauts spent the entire day in the Kibo laboratory module learning how to heal wounds in weightlessness. A key characteristic of living and working in space is the accelerated aging of skin that astronauts experience. Researchers are studying those molecular processes and how they affect the healing process potentially advancing wound treatments both in space and on Earth.


Image above: The European robotic arm (ERA) is pictured extending out from the Nauka multipurpose laboratory module during a mobility test several days after Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Denis Matveev activated the ERA during a seven-hour and 42-minute spacewalk on April 28, 2022. Image Credit: NASA.

Using Kibo’s Life Science Glovebox, NASA astronauts Kjell Lindgren, Bob Hines, and Jessica Watkins, along with Samantha Cristoforetti of ESA (European Space Agency) practiced surgical techniques including biopsies, suture splints, and wound dressing. The quartet will continue the biomedical research on Friday helping NASA and its international partners keep astronauts safe and healthy on long-term space missions while improving health conditions on Earth.

Related article (NASA):

NASA Sets TV Coverage for Russian Spacewalk
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-sets-tv-coverage-for-russian-spacewalk

Related links:

Expedition 67: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition67/index.html

Poisk airlock: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/poisk-mini-research-module-2

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

Wounds in weightlessness: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8227

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

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

Lacerta’s Star Outshines a Galaxy

 







NASA - Hubble Space Telescope patch.


Sept. 1, 2022


A little-studied star, TYC 3203-450-1, upstages a galaxy in this Hubble Telescope image from December 2017. Both the star and the galaxy are within the Lizard constellation, Lacerta. However, the star is much closer than the much more distant galaxy.

Astronomers studying distant objects call these stars “foreground stars” and they are often not very happy about them, as their bright light is contaminating the faint light from the more distant and interesting objects they actually want to study.

Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

For more information about Hubble, visit:

http://hubblesite.org/

http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

https://esahubble.org/

Image, Animation Credits: ESA/Hubble & NASA/Text Credits: European Space Agency (ESA)/NASA/Monika Luabeya.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

NASA’s Juno Mission Reveals Jupiter’s Complex Colors

 







NASA - JUNO Mission logo.


Sept. 1, 2022


NASA’s Juno spacecraft observed the complex colors and structure of Jupiter’s clouds as it completed its 43rd close flyby of the giant planet on July 5, 2022.

Citizen scientist Björn Jónsson created these two images using raw data from the JunoCam instrument aboard the spacecraft. At the time the raw image was taken, Juno was about 3,300 miles (5,300 kilometers) above Jupiter’s cloud tops, at a latitude of about 50 degrees. North is up. At that moment, the spacecraft was traveling at about 130,000 mph (209,000 kilometers per hour) relative to the planet.

The first image (left) was processed to portray the approximate colors that the human eye would see from Juno’s vantage point. The second image (right) comes from the same raw data, but in this case Jónsson digitally processed it to increase both the color saturation and contrast to sharpen small-scale features and to reduce compression artifacts and noise that typically appear in raw images. This clearly reveals some of the most intriguing aspects of Jupiter’s atmosphere, including color variation that results from differing chemical composition, the three-dimensional nature of Jupiter’s swirling vortices, and the small, bright “pop-up” clouds that form in the higher parts of the atmosphere.

Juno orbiting Jupiter

JunoCam's raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at https://missionjuno.swri.edu/junocam/processing.  More information about NASA citizen science can be found at https://science.nasa.gov/citizenscience and https://www.nasa.gov/solve/opportunities/citizenscience.

More information about Juno is at https://www.nasa.gov/juno and https://missionjuno.swri.edu. For more about this finding and other science results, see https://www.missionjuno.swri.edu/science-findings.

Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS/Image processing by Björn Jónsson © CC NC SA/Animation Credit: NASA/Text Credits: NASA/Tony Greicius.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

China Space Station (CSS) - Shenzhou-14 astronauts begin first spacewalk

 







CMS - China Manned Space logo.


Sep 1, 2022

Astronaut Chen Dong (陈冬, commander) begin EVA

According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the first extravehicular activity of the Shenzhou-14 mission began on 1 September 2022. At 10:26 UTC (18:26 China Standard Time), astronaut Chen Dong (陈冬, commander) successfully opened the airlock of the Wentian Laboratory Module (问天实验舱).

Shenzhou-14 astronauts begin first spacewalk

By 11:09 UTC (19:09 China Standard Time), astronaut Chen Dong and astronaut Liu Yang (刘洋) successfully exited the Wentian Laboratory Module and began the planned activities.

Related articles & link:

China Space Station (CSS) - Rice grows in the Wentian Laboratory Module
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/08/china-space-station-css-rice-grows-in.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Shenzhou-14 astronauts enter Wentian
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/china-space-station-css-shenzhou-14.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Wentian docking
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/china-space-station-css-wentian-docking.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Wentian launch
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/china-space-station-css-wentian-launch.html

CSS - Long March-5B ready to launch Wentian & Xuntian space telescope prototype phase
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/css-long-march-5b-ready-to-launch.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Tianzhou-3 undocking
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/07/china-space-station-css-tianzhou-3.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Shenzhou-14 hatch opening
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/06/china-space-station-css-shenzhou-14_5.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Shenzhou-14 Crew launch & Shenzhou-14 docking
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/06/china-space-station-css-shenzhou-14.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Tianzhou-4 docking
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/05/china-space-station-css-tianzhou-4_10.html

China Space Station (CSS) - Tianzhou-4 launch
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/05/china-space-station-css-tianzhou-4.html

What’s next for the China Space Station in 2022 and 2023
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/04/whats-next-for-china-space-station-in.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 Central Television (CCTV)/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

After NASA’s asteroid impact, ESA’s Hera comes next

 







ESA - Hera Mission patch.


Sept. 1, 2022

This month NASA’s DART spacecraft will collide with the smaller of the two Didymos asteroids in deep space, attempting to shift its orbit in what will be humankind’s first test of the ‘kinetic impactor’ planetary defence technique. Meanwhile, down on the ground, ESA’s follow-on mission to Didymos has reached its own crucial milestone.

DART impacting Dimorphos

The main 780-m diameter Didymos asteroid is orbited by the 160-m diameter Dimorphos ‘moonlet’. DART, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirect Test, will impact Dimorphos on 26 September, which should shift its orbital trajectory in a small but measurable way, observable from Earth.

Hera, her CubeSats, and their rocky target destination

Next comes ESA’s Hera spacecraft, which will fly to Didymos to perform a close-up survey of the aftermath of impact, gathering key information such as the size of DART’s crater, the mass of Dimorphos and its make-up and internal structure. Hera’s extra data will help turn the DART deflection experiment into a well-understood, repeatable technique that might one day be needed for real.

Hera asteroid mission’s first step

“The Hera team is currently in the midst of our Critical Design Review, which is the last mission’s last major review before launch acceptance,” explains Karim Mellab, Hera’s Assembly, Integration and Test manager.

“At the same time, we are working at such a compressed schedule – with the launch planned for October 2024 – that we are already advancing in construction and integration. The flight model of the Hera spacecraft is fast taking shape at OHB in Bremen, Germany, and at Avio in Colleferro, Italy. Meanwhile functional testing of mission systems is ongoing on OHB's Avionics Test Bench at Bremen.”

Dimorphos asteroid to scale with Rome's Colosseum

The main purpose of the Critical Design Review is to confirm the design readiness of the Hera spacecraft, its instruments and interfaces with other mission segments, such as its launcher, ground infrastructure, and the two miniature ‘CubeSats’ that Hera will deploy upon arrival at the Didymos system.

Undertaken by an expert review board and involving hundreds of documents and data packages, the process covers all aspects of the mission’s readiness to safely perform its set goals in time and on schedule.

Milani studies asteroid dust

The shoebox-sized Milani CubeSat – which will carry out spectral measurements of asteroid dust – and Juventas CubeSat – which will perform the first radar probe of an asteroid – have already passed their Critical Design Reviews, as has the TIRI thermal infrared instrument being supplied to Hera by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, JAXA.

Juventas studies asteroid's internal structure

“Successful completion of the CDR brings us a step nearer to space,” adds Karim. “At the same time the Hera team will be watching closely as DART approaches Dimorphos. Its impact is a moment that we have been looking forward to for many years – our two missions were originally conceived together. And the initial glimpses of Dimorphos that DART sends back as it homes in on its target will be the very first time we get to see a place that all of us in the Hera team have been imagining for a very long time.”

The Incredible Adventures of the Hera mission – presenting Hera

Related links:

NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirect Test (DART): https://www.nasa.gov/specials/pdco/index.html#dart

ESA’s Hera spacecraft: https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Hera/Hera

OHB: https://www.ohb.de/

Avio: https://www.avio.com/

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA): https://global.jaxa.jp/

Space Safety: https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety

Hera mission: https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/Hera

Images, Animation, Video, Text, Credits: ESA/Science Office/OHB.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Webb takes its first exoplanet image & Webb’s First Full-Color Images, Data Are Set to Sound

 







NASA / ESA / CSA-ASC - James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) patch.


Sept. 1, 2022


For the first time, astronomers have used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to take a direct image of an exoplanet. The exoplanet is a gas giant, meaning it has no rocky surface and could not be habitable. The image, as seen through four different light filters, shows how Webb’s powerful infrared gaze can easily capture worlds beyond our Solar System, pointing the way to future observations that will reveal more information than ever before about exoplanets.

The exoplanet in Webb’s image, called HIP 65426 b, is about six to eight times the mass of Jupiter. It is young as planets go – about 15 to 20 million years old, compared to our 4.5-billion-year-old Earth.

Astronomers discovered the planet in 2017 using the SPHERE instrument on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile and took images of it using short infrared wavelengths of light. The Webb image, taken in mid-infrared light, reveals new details that ground-based telescopes would not be able to detect because of the intrinsic infrared glow of Earth’s atmosphere.

Researchers have been analysing the data from these observations and are preparing a paper they will submit to journals for peer review. But Webb's first capture of an exoplanet already hints at future possibilities for studying distant worlds.

Since HIP 65426 b is about 100 times farther from its host star than Earth is from the Sun, it is sufficiently distant from the star that Webb can easily separate the planet from the star in the image.

Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) and Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) are both equipped with coronagraphs, which are sets of tiny masks that block out starlight, enabling Webb to take direct images of certain exoplanets like this one.

Taking direct images of exoplanets is challenging because stars are so much brighter than planets. The HIP 65426 b planet is more than 10 000 times fainter than its host star in the near-infrared, and a few thousand times fainter in the mid-infrared. While this is not the first direct image of an exoplanet taken from space – the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has captured direct exoplanet images previously – HIP 65426 b points the way forward for Webb’s exoplanet exploration.

In each filter image, the planet appears as a slightly differently shaped blob of light. That is because of the particulars of Webb’s optical system and how it translates light through the different optics. Purple shows the NIRCam instrument’s view at 3.00 micrometres, blue shows the NIRCam instrument’s view at 4.44 micrometres, yellow shows the MIRI instrument’s view at 11.4 micrometres, and red shows the MIRI instrument’s view at 15.5 micrometres. These images look different because of the ways that the different Webb instruments capture light. The small white star in each image marks the location of the host star HIP 65426, which has been subtracted using the coronagraphs and image processing. The bar shapes in the NIRCam images are artifacts of the telescope’s optics, not objects in the scene.

These observations were lead with a large international collaboration by Sasha Hinkley, associate professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.

Notes:

NIRSpec was built for ESA by a consortium of European companies led by Airbus Defence and Space (ADS) with NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre providing its detector and micro-shutter subsystems. ESA also provided 50% of MIRI, which was designed and built by a consortium of nationally funded European Institutes (The MIRI European Consortium) in partnership with JPL and the University of Arizona.

This image highlights Webb’s science in progress, which has not yet been through the peer-review process.

Webb’s First Full-Color Images, Data Are Set to Sound

There’s a new, immersive way to explore some of the first full-color infrared images and data from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope – through sound. Listeners can enter the complex soundscape of the Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula, explore the contrasting tones of two images that depict the Southern Ring Nebula, and identify the individual data points in a transmission spectrum of hot gas giant exoplanet WASP-96 b. “Music taps into our emotional centers,” said Matt Russo, a musician and physics professor at the University of Toronto. “Our goal is to make Webb’s images and data understandable through sound – helping listeners create their own mental images.”

Webb’s Cosmic Cliffs Sonification

Webb Telescope Data, Translated to Sound — Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula

A team of scientists, musicians, and a member of the blind and visually impaired community worked to adapt Webb’s data, with support from the Webb mission and NASA’s Universe of Learning.

A near-infrared image of the Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula, captured by NASA’s Webb Telescope, has been mapped to a symphony of sounds. Musicians assigned unique notes to the semi-transparent, gauzy regions and very dense areas of gas and dust in the nebula, culminating in a buzzing soundscape.

The sonification scans the image from left to right. The soundtrack is vibrant and full, representing the detail in this gigantic, gaseous cavity that has the appearance of a mountain range. The gas and dust in the top half of the image are represented in blue hues and windy, drone-like sounds. The bottom half of the image, represented in ruddy shades of orange and red, has a clearer, more melodic composition.

Brighter light in the image is louder. The vertical position of light also dictates the frequency of sound. For example, bright light near the top of the image sounds loud and high, but bright light near the middle is loud and lower pitched. Dimmer, dust-obscured areas that appear lower in the image are represented by lower frequencies and clearer, undistorted notes.

Webb’s Southern Ring Nebula Sonification

Webb Telescope Data, Translated to Sound — Southern Ring Nebula

NASA’s Webb Telescope uncovered two views of the Southern Ring Nebula – in near-infrared light (at left) and mid-infrared light (at right) – and each has been adapted to sound.

In this sonification, the colors in the images were mapped to pitches of sound – frequencies of light converted directly to frequencies of sound. Near-infrared light is represented by a higher range of frequencies at the beginning of the track. Mid-way through, the notes change, becoming lower overall to reflect that mid-infrared includes longer wavelengths of light.

Listen carefully at 15 seconds and 44 seconds. These notes align with the centers of the near- and mid-infrared images, where the stars at the center of the “action” appear. In the near-infrared image that begins the track, only one star is heard clearly, with a louder clang. In the second half of the track, listeners will hear a low note just before a higher note, which denotes that two stars were detected in mid-infrared light. The lower note represents the redder star that created this nebula, and the second is the star that appears brighter and larger.

Webb’s Exoplanet WASP-96 b Sonification

Webb Telescope Data, Translated to Sound — Exoplanet WASP-96 b

NASA’s Webb Telescope observed the atmospheric characteristics of the hot gas giant exoplanet WASP-96 b – which contains clear signatures of water – and the resulting transmission spectrum’s individual data points were translated into sound.

The sonification scans the spectrum from left to right. From bottom to top, the y-axis ranges from less to more light blocked. The x-axis ranges from 0.6 microns on the left to 2.8 microns on the right. The pitches of each data point correspond to the frequencies of light each point represents. Longer wavelengths of light have lower frequencies and are heard as lower pitches. The volume indicates the amount of light detected in each data point.

The four water signatures are represented by the sound of water droplets falling. These sounds simplify the data – water is detected as a signature that has multiple data points. The sounds align only to the highest points in the data.

Mapping Data to Sound

These audio tracks support blind and low-vision listeners first, but are designed to be captivating to anyone who tunes in. “These compositions provide a different way to experience the detailed information in Webb’s first data. Similar to how written descriptions are unique translations of visual images, sonifications also translate the visual images by encoding information, like color, brightness, star locations, or water absorption signatures, as sounds,” said Quyen Hart, a senior education and outreach scientist at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. “Our teams are committed to ensuring astronomy is accessible to all.”

This project has parallels to the “curb-cut effect,” an accessibility requirement that supports a wide range of pedestrians. “When curbs are cut, they benefit people who use wheelchairs first, but also people who walk with a cane and parents pushing strollers,” explained Kimberly Arcand, a visualization scientist at the Chandra X-ray Center in Cambridge, Massachusetts, who led the initial data sonification project for NASA and now works on it on behalf of NASA’s Universe of Learning. “We hope these sonifications reach an equally broad audience.”

Preliminary results from a survey Arcand led showed that people who are blind or low vision, and people who are sighted, all reported that they learned something about astronomical images by listening. Participants also shared that auditory experiences deeply resonated with them. “Respondents’ reactions varied – from experiencing awe to feeling a bit jumpy,” Arcand continued. “One significant finding was from people who are sighted. They reported that the experience helped them understand how people who are blind or low vision access information differently.”

“One significant finding was from people who are sighted. They reported that the experience helped them understand how people who are blind or low vision access information differently.”

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

These tracks are not actual sounds recorded in space. Instead, Russo and his collaborator, musician Andrew Santaguida, mapped Webb’s data to sound, carefully composing music to accurately represent details the team would like listeners to focus on. In a way, these sonifications are like modern dance or abstract painting – they convert Webb’s images and data to a new medium to engage and inspire listeners.

Christine Malec, a member of the blind and low vision community who also supports this project, said she experiences the audio tracks with multiple senses. “When I first heard a sonification, it struck me in a visceral, emotional way that I imagine sighted people experience when they look up at the night sky.”

There are other profound benefits to these adaptations. “I want to understand every nuance of sound and every instrument choice, because this is primarily how I’m experiencing the image or data,” Malec continued. Overall, the team hopes that sonifications of Webb’s data help more listeners feel a stronger connection to the universe – and inspire everyone to follow the observatory’s upcoming astronomical discoveries.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world's premier space science observatory. Webb will solve mysteries in our solar system, look beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probe the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).

These sonifications are a result of a collaboration between the NASA’s Universe of Learning program and the James Webb Space Telescope. The Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) leads data sonification as a NASA’s Universe of Learning partner. Science experts affiliated with the Webb mission provide their expertise on Webb observations, data, and targets.

NASA's Universe of Learning is part of the NASA Science Activation program, from the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. The Science Activation program connects NASA science experts, real content and experiences, and community leaders in a way that activates minds and promotes deeper understanding of our world and beyond. Using its direct connection to the science and the experts behind the science, NASA's Universe of Learning provides resources and experiences that enable youth, families, and lifelong learners to explore fundamental questions in science, experience how science is done, and discover the universe for themselves.

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, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Related links:

Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/MIRI_factsheet

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Webb

NASA’s Universe of Learning: https://universe-of-learning.org/

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/webb/main/index.html

Image, Videos, Animation Credits: NASA/Jamie Adkins/ESA/CSA, A Carter (UCSC), the ERS 1386 team, and A. Pagan (STScI)/Christine Pulliam (STScI)/GSFC/Laura Betz.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch