Spacewalkers Complete New Solar Array Installation on Station

 

EVA - Extra Vehicular Activities patch.

Dec 3, 2022

Expedition 68 Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio of NASA concluded their spacewalk at 2:21 p.m. EST after 7 hours and 5 minutes.

Image above: Astronauts (from left) Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio are pictured suited up in their spacesuits preparing for a spacewalk on Nov. 15, 2022. Image Credit: NASA.

Cassada and Rubio completed their major objectives for today to install an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array (iROSA) and disconnect a cable to ensure the 1B channel can be reactivated. They also completed an additional task to release several bolts for the upcoming iROSA installation on the 4A power channel on the port truss.

Image above: Astronaut Josh Cassada is pictured during a spacewalk on Nov. 15, 2022, to ready the space station for future rollout solar array installation work. Image Credit: NASA TV.

It was the 256th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, upgrades and maintenance, and was the second spacewalk for both astronauts. Cassada and Rubio are in the midst of a planned six-month science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

Image above: NASA spacewalker Josh Cassada rides the Canadarm2 robotic arm carrying the roll-out solar array to its installation site on the Starboard-4 truss segment. Image Credit: NASA TV.

The next U.S. spacewalk is scheduled for Monday, Dec. 19, to install an iROSA on the 4A power channel on the port truss. This will be the fourth iROSAs out of a total six planned for installation. The iROSAs will increase power generation capability by up to 30%, increasing the station’s total available power from 160 kilowatts to up to 215 kilowatts.

Related links:

Expedition 68: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition68/index.html

Quest airlock: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/joint-quest-airlock

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

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

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

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

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Did physicists create a wormhole in a quantum computer?

 

Quantum Physics logo.

Dec 3, 2022

An unusual teleportation experiment uses ordinary quantum physics, but was inspired by tunnels in an exotic ‘toy universe’.

Image above: An artistic representation of the quantum-teleportation experiment. Image Credits: inqnet/A. Mueller (Caltech).

Physicists have used a quantum computer to perform a new kind of quantum teleportation, the ability to transport quantum states between distant places, as though information could travel instantly. Although teleportation is an established technique in quantum technology, the purpose of the latest experiment was to simulate the behaviour of a passage called a wormhole through a virtual universe.

The researchers behind the experiment, described in Nature on 30 November1, say that it is a step towards using ordinary quantum physics to explore ideas about abstract universes in which gravity and quantum mechanics seem to work harmoniously together. Quantum computers could help to develop a quantum theory of gravity in these ‘toy’ universes. (Developing a quantum theory of gravity for our own Universe is one of the biggest open problems in physics.)

“It’s a test of quantum-gravity ideas on a real lab experimental test bed,” says Maria Spiropulu, a particle physicist at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena who led the study.

Tunnels in space-time

Physicists Albert Einstein and Nathan Rosen proposed the idea of wormholes — passages through space-time that could connect the centres of black holes — in 1935. They calculated that, in principle, wormholes were allowed by Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which explains gravity as an effect of the curvature of space-time. (Physicists soon realized that even if wormholes exist, they are unlikely to allow anything like the interstellar travel that features in science fiction.)

Because the latest teleportation experiment used an exotic toy universe, it didn’t simulate anything resembling the kind of wormhole that could conceivably exist in our Universe, as envisioned by Einstein and Rosen. But it can be interpreted as analogous to a wormhole in the researchers’ virtual system — quantum information fed into one side of the ‘wormhole’ reappeared on the other side.

“The surprise is not that the message made it across in some form, but that it made it across unscrambled,” write the authors of an accompanying News and Views article. “However, this is easily understood from the gravitational description: the message arrives unscrambled on the other side because it has traversed the wormhole.”

Exotic physics

The experiment was inspired by earlier research linking the physics of exotic universes and their own versions of gravity to more standard — but still virtual — quantum systems. The main idea is that some abstract versions of space-time emerge from the collective behaviour of ordinary quantum particles living in a sort of ‘shadow world’ — similar to how a 2D hologram can create the illusion of a 3D image. That ‘holographic’ behaviour dictates how the emergent space-times curve on themselves, producing the effects of gravity.

Although physicists do not yet know how to write quantum theories of gravity for emergent universes directly, they know that such phenomena should be fully encapsulated in the physics of the shadow world. This means that gravitational phenomena such as black holes — which still pose riddles to theoretical physicists — or wormholes must be compatible with quantum theory.

The latest experiment follows a scheme that co-author Daniel Jafferis, a theoretical physicist at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and his collaborators proposed in 20172. That work focused on the simplest such holographic correspondence, known as SYK after the initials of its creators. In this toy model universe, space has only one dimension, rather than three.

In the latest study, Jafferis, Spiropulu and their colleagues simulated an even more stripped-down version of such a hologram using the quantum bits, or qubits, of Google’s Sycamore processor. They expected their simulated quantum particles to reproduce some behaviours of gravity in the virtual universe — but the models were limited by the capabilities of current quantum computers. “We had to find a model that kind of preserves the gravity properties and that we can code on a quantum processor that has a limited amount of qubits,” says Spiropulu. “We shrunk it down to a baby model, and we checked that it preserves gravitational dynamics.”

“Before we worked on this project, it wasn’t obvious that a system with such a small number of qubits could exhibit this phenomenon,” Jafferis adds.

Some researchers think that this line of research is a promising pathway for developing a quantum theory of gravity for our own Universe, although others see it as a dead end. The theory tested on the Google processor “only has a very tangential relationship to any possible theories of quantum gravity in our Universe”, says Peter Shor, a mathematician at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge.

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-04201-6

Read the related News & Views: ‘A holographic wormhole traversed in a quantum computer’:  

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-022-03832-z

References:

1. Jafferis, D. et al. Nature 612, 51–55 (2022).
https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fs41586-022-05424-3

2. Gao, P., Jafferis, D. L. & Wall, A. C. J. High Energy Phys. 2017, 151 (2017).
https://doi.org/10.1007%2FJHEP12%282017%29151

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

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Flight Day 17 - Orion Fine-tunes Trajectory, Downlinks Data, Continues Test Objectives

 

NASA / ESA - Orion Crew Vehicle patch.

Dec 2, 2022

After departing distant retrograde orbit the afternoon of Thursday, Dec. 1, Orion completed a planned trajectory correction burn to fine-tune its course toward the Moon. The five-second burn occurred at 9:54 p.m. CST Thursday, and changed the spacecraft’s velocity by about 0.3 mph or less than half a foot per second.

Dec. 2, teams collected additional images with Orion’s optical navigation camera and downlinked a wide variety of data files to the ground, including data from the Hybrid Electronic Radiation Assessor, or HERA. The radiation detector measures charged particles that pass through its sensors. Measurements from HERA and several other radiation-related sensors and experiments aboard Artemis I will help NASA better understand the space radiation environment future crews will experience and develop effective protections. On crewed missions, HERA will be part of the spacecraft’s caution and warning system and will sound a warning in the case of a solar energetic particle event, notifying the crew to take shelter. NASA is also testing a similar HERA unit aboard the International Space Station.

Image above: (Dec. 1, 2022) Orion’s optical navigation camera captured this image of the Moon on flight day 16 of the Artemis I mission. Orion uses the optical navigation camera to capture imagery of the Earth and the Moon at different phases and distances, providing an enhanced body of data to certify its effectiveness under different lighting conditions as a way to help orient the spacecraft on future missions with crew. Image Credit: NASA.   

Orion carries other experiments to gather data on radiation, including several radiation area monitors about the size of a matchbox that record the total radiation dose during the mission, dosimeters provided by ESA (European Space Agency) mounted inside the cabin to collect radiation data with time stamps to allow scientists to assess dose rates during various mission phases, and three “purposeful passengers” collecting additional information on what crews will experience during future missions. Four space biology investigations, collectively called Biology Experiement-1, are examining the impact of deep space radiation on seeds, fungi, yeast, and algae.  
Orion will reenter the lunar sphere of influence on Saturday, Dec. 3, making the Moon the main gravitational force acting on the spacecraft. It will exit the lunar sphere of influence for a final time on Tuesday, Dec. 6, one day after its return powered flyby about 79 miles above the lunar surface.

Orion Crew Vehicle. Image Credits: NASA/ESA

A total of about 7,940 pounds of propellant has been used, which is about 150 pounds less that the amount expected before launch. Approximately 2,040 pounds of margin is available beyond what flight controllers plan to use for the remainder of the mission, which is nearly 130 pounds more than expected amounts before launch. About 97 gigabytes of data have been sent to the ground by the spacecraft. 

Just after 1 p.m. CST on Dec. 2, Orion was traveling 229,812 miles from Earth and 50,516 miles from the Moon, cruising at 2,512 miles per hour.

Related articles:

Artemis I Flight Day 16 – Orion Successfully Completes Distant Retrograde Departure Burn
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/12/artemis-i-flight-day-16-orion.html

Artemis I Flight Day 15 – Team Polls “Go” For Distant Retrograde Orbit Departure
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-15-team-polls-go.html

Artemis I — I Flight Day 14: Deep Space Testing Continues
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-i-flight-day-14-deep-space.html

Artemis I — Flight Day 13: Orion Goes the (Max) Distance
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-13-orion-goes-max.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 12: Orion Star Trackers, Reaction Control Thrusters Tested
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-12-orion-star.html

Artemis I enters Moon orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-enters-moon-orbit.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 11: Orion Surpasses Apollo 13 Record Distance from Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-11-orion-surpasses.html

Flight Day 10: Orion Enters Distant Retrograde Orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/flight-day-10-orion-enters-distant.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Nine: Orion One Day Away from Distant Retrograde Insertion
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-nine-orion-one-day.html

Latest Updates from Artemis I
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/latest-updates-from-artemis-i.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Six: Orion Performs Lunar Flyby, Closest Outbound Approach
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-six-orion-performs.html

Artemis powering past the Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-powering-past-moon.html

Orion Successfully Completes Lunar Flyby, Re-acquires Signal with Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/orion-successfully-completes-lunar.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Four: Testing WiFi Signals, Radiator System, GO for Outbound Powered Flyby
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-four-testing-wifi.html

NASA’s Artemis I Cameras to Offer New Views of Orion, Earth, Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/nasas-artemis-i-cameras-to-offer-new.html

Artemis I Liftoff! 50 years after Apollo 17, Orion on Its Way to the Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-liftoff-50-years-after-apollo.html

Related links:

Artemis I reference guide: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/img/Artemis%20I%20Reference%20Guide_Inter.pdf

Artemis II mission: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-first-flight-with-crew-important-step-on-long-term-return-to-the-moon-missions-to/

Callisto: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/callisto-technology-demonstration-to-fly-aboard-orion-for-artemis-i/

Track Orion: https://www.nasa.gov/trackartemis

Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Orion spacecraft (ESA): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion

Orion Spacecraft (NASA): https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Shaneequa Vereen.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Astronauts Conduct Health Checks, Research Day Before Spacewalk

 

ISS - Expedition 68 Mission patch.

Dec 2, 2022

Two astronauts are preparing to exit the International Space Station on Saturday to install a new roll-out solar array. Their Expedition 68 crewmates assisted the duo on Friday while continuing an array of advanced space science and orbital lab maintenance.

NASA Flight Engineers Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio spent Friday checking their batteries, tools, and cameras they will use on a spacewalk scheduled to begin at 7:25 a.m. EST on Saturday. The duo will exit the Quest airlock in their Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), or spacesuits, and translate over to the Starboard- 4 truss segment worksite for the seven-hour spacewalk. Once there, the spacewalkers will install the new roll-out-solar array, also known as an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or iROSA, augmenting the station’s power generation system.

Image above: The space station’s fine-tuned robotic hand, also known as Dextre, is pictured attached to the U.S. Destiny laboratory module as the orbiting lab flew 270 miles above the southern Pacific Ocean. Image Credit: NASA.

Astronauts Nicole Mann of NASA and Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) reviewed today the steps they will need to assist Cassada and Rubio during Saturday’s spacewalk. The pair will assist the astronauts in and out of their EMUs, maneuver the Canadarm2 robotic arm, as well as monitor the spacewalkers during the excursion.

Mann kicked off Friday morning as crew medical officer and conducted a health examination on Cassada and Rubio which is standard the day before a spacewalk. Mann measured the astronauts’ vital signs including temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respiratory rate.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA

Aside from assisting with spacewalk preparations, Wakata also had time for a variety of science activities at the end of the week. He started the morning inside the cupola photographing four different small satellites as they were deployed into Earth orbit from outside the Kibo laboratory module. The veteran space station resident then replaced components inside the TangoLab space research and development facility. Finally, Wakata took samples out of the BioLab incubator and photographed them for the Sutures in Space investigation that observes wound healing in microgravity.

Station Commander Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos tested 3-D printing in space before photographing station crew activities such as research, maintenance, and exercise. Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin also participated in the crew photography session before servicing the Zvezda service module’s ventilation system. Flight Engineer Anna Kikina worked on Zvezda’s power supply system and photographed the interior condition of the Rassvet and Poisk modules.

Related links:

Expedition 68: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition68/index.html

Quest airlock: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/joint-quest-airlock

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

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

Cupola: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/cupola.html

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

TangoLab: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/search.html?#q=tangolab&i=68&p=&c=&g=&s=&a=

BioLab: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=66

Sutures in Space: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8421

Zvezda service module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/zvezda-service-module.html

Rassvet module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/rassvet

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

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

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

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

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

The 2022 Geminids Meteor Shower Is Approaching

 

NASA All Sky Fireball Network logo.

 

Dec 3, 2022

The cosmos’ annual gift to sky watchers, the Geminids Meteor shower, will peak on Dec. 13-14 this year.

During peak activity and perfect weather conditions, which are rare, the Geminids produce approximately 100-150 meteors per hour for viewing. However, this year a wanning gibbous moon will make it harder to view most of the shower, resulting in only 30-40 visible meteors per hour at the peak in the Northern Hemisphere, depending on sky conditions. But the Geminids are so bright that this should still be a good show.

Bill Cooke, lead of NASA’s Meteoroid Environments Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, suggests sitting in the shade of a house or tree while also maintaining a view of the open sky to alleviate moonlight interference.

The meteor shower is coined the Geminids because the meteors appear to radiate from the constellation Gemini. According to Cooke, meteors close to the radiant have very short trails and are easily missed, so observers should avoid looking at that constellation. However, tracing a meteor backwards to the constellation Gemini can determine if you caught a Geminid (other weaker showers occur at the same time).

Gemini does not appear very high above the horizon in the Southern Hemisphere, resulting in viewers only seeing approximately 25% of the rates seen in the Northern Hemisphere, which is between 7-10 meteors per hour. Sky watchers from the Southern Hemisphere are encouraged to find areas with minimal light pollution and look to the northern sky to improve their viewing opportunities.

Image above: Over 100 meteors are recorded in this composite image taken during the peak of the Geminid meteor shower in 2014. Image Credits: Jacobs Space Exploration Group/ESSCA.

The Geminids start around 9 or 10 p.m. CST on Dec. 13, making it a great viewing opportunity for any viewers who cannot be awake during later hours of the night. The shower will peak at 6 a.m. CST on Dec. 14, but the best rates will be seen earlier around 2 a.m. local time. You can still view Geminids just before or after this date, but the last opportunity is on Dec. 17 – when a dedicated observer could possibly spot one or two on that night.

For prime viewing, find an area away from city and streetlights, bundle up for winter weather conditions, bring a blanket or sleeping bag for extra comfort, lie flat on your back with your feet facing south, and look up. Practice patience because it will take approximately 30 minutes for your eyes to fully adjust and see the meteors. Refrain from looking at your cell phone or other bright objects to keep your eyes adjusted.

The show will last for most of the night, so you have multiple opportunities to spot the brilliant streaks of light across our sky.

So where does this magnificent shower come from? Meteors are fragments and particles that burn up as they enter Earth’s atmosphere at high speed, and they usually originate from comets.

The Geminid shower originates from the debris of 3200 Phaethon  an asteroid first discovered on Oct. 11, 1983, using the Infrared Astronomical Satellite. Phaethon orbits the Sun every 1.4 years, and every year Earth passes through its trail of debris, resulting in the Geminids Shower.

Phaethon is the first asteroid to be associated with a meteor shower, but astronomers debate its exact classification and origins. Phaethon lacks an icy shell (the staple characteristic of a comet), but some consider it a “dead comet” – suggesting it once had an icy shell that melted away. Other astronomers call it a “rock comet” because Phaethon passes very close to the Sun during its orbit, which theoretically results in heating and cracking that creates debris and dust. The bottom line is Phaethon’s exact origins are still a mystery, but we do know it’s the Geminids parent body.

Geminids travel 78,000 miles per hour, over 40 times faster than a speeding bullet, but it is highly unlikely that meteors will reach the ground – most Geminids burn up at altitudes between 45 to 55 miles.

Image above: An info graphic based on 2019’s meteor camera data for the Geminids. Image Credit: NASA.

In addition to sky watching opportunities, meteor videos recorded by the NASA All Sky Fireball Network are available each morning to identify Geminids in these videos – just look for events labeled “GEM.”

And, if you want to know what else is in the sky for December, check out the video below from Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s monthly “What’s Up” video series:

What's Up: December 2022 Skywatching Tips from NASA

Happy stargazing!

Related links:

NASA All Sky Fireball Network: https://fireballs.ndc.nasa.gov/

Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL): https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/

Images (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: NASA/by Lane Figueroa.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of November 28, 2022

 

ISS - Expedition 68 Mission patch.

Dec 2, 2022

Crew members aboard the International Space Station conducted scientific investigations during the week of Nov. 28 that included examining bone loss in microgravity and studying the mechanisms of suturing and wound healing in space. The crew also began unloading and prepping other new scientific experiments and technology demonstrations that arrived on the 26th SpaceX commercial resupply mission (CRS) on Nov. 27.

Image above: The SpaceX Dragon capsule approaches the International Space Station on the company’s 26th commercial resupply mission bringing new scientific investigations and technology demonstrations for the orbiting lab. Image Credit: NASA.

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

Good bones

Long-term exposure to microgravity causes the body to lose bone mass, which can result in a condition resembling osteoporosis, an aging-related disease that causes weak and brittle bones on Earth. Two current investigations on the space station could provide insight into the mechanisms behind bone loss, supporting development of countermeasures to maintain bone health in crew members on future missions and advancing prevention and treatment for people with osteoporosis and other age-related conditions on Earth.

Image above: This image shows the CubeLab™ containing the Cellular Mechanotransduction by Osteoblasts investigation, which measures the stiffness of human osteoblasts or bone-forming cells. This research could help astronauts and people on Earth with osteoporosis, a form of bone loss. Image Credit: NASA.

The ESA (European Space Agency) investigation OSTEOGENIC CELLS looks at whether bone loss in microgravity is restricted to a particular osteogenic or bone-forming cell type. This research tests the hypothesis that the underlying mechanism is decreased bone formation rather than increased loss of existing bone. During the week, crew members installed containers to start operations for the investigation.

Cellular Mechanotransduction by Osteoblasts measures the stiffness of human bone-forming cells called osteoblasts using a device that records changes in cell shape under different pressures. Such measurements have not previously been made in microgravity. The investigation travelled to the space station in a Powered Ascent Utility Locker (PAUL), hardware that controls temperature and other conditions for investigations during their ascent, expanding the possibilities for research aboard the orbiting laboratory. Crew members captured images of cell suspensions during the week.

Sew me up, Scotty

Image above: This preflight image shows a sutured skin sample mounted on a frame for the ESA Suture in Space investigation, which monitors mechanical properties of the sutures in microgravity. Image Credit: Kayser Italia.

On future long-term space missions, crew members could face increased risk of injuries – and even the need for emergency surgery – without the ability to return to Earth for medical care. Safe and effective wound healing is therefore a critical need, but the mechanisms of wound healing and behavior of sutures in microgravity are not well understood. Suture in Space, an investigation from ESA, studies the behavior of sutured wounds and the mechanisms of tissue repair and regeneration. A better understanding of the role of mechanical stress in the healing of sutured wounds could help determine requirements for suturing materials and techniques suitable for future space missions to the Moon and Mars. During preparation for the investigation, researchers developed a new technique for keeping tissue biopsies alive longer. This capability could aid future studies on transplants, cell regeneration, and surgical techniques on Earth and in space. Crew members transferred samples to the BioLab incubator for monitoring during the week.

Other investigations involving the crew:

- Neural Integration System, an investigation from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), examines how microgravity affects the nervous system. Results could support development of countermeasures to help maintain human health and well-being on future space missions and help people with related diseases on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8809

- Rhodium Microgravity Bioprospecting-1 studies a way to search for microbes that, due to changes induced by exposure to space, may yield substances with commercial value. Results could expedite the discovery of substances in plants and animals with potential uses in medicine and industry on Earth.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8806

- Coordinated by the Italian Space Agency (ASI), OVOSPACE examines the effect of microgravity on bovine ovary cell cultures. This research could improve fertility treatments on Earth and help prepare for future human settlement in space.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8759

- 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

- Standard Measures uses cognition tests, sleep questionnaires, blood samples, and a variety of other data to examine how crew members adapt to living and working in space. Results also help monitor the effectiveness of countermeasures to maintain crew health and well-being, which supports future long-duration missions.
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7711

Space to Ground: Power Preparations: 12/02/2022

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 68: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition68/index.html

OSTEOGENIC CELLS: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1823

Cellular Mechanotransduction by Osteoblasts: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8378

Powered Ascent Utility Locker (PAUL): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7916

Suture in Space: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8421

BioLab: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=66

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

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

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

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

Images (mentioned), Video (NASA), Text, Credits: NASA/Ana Guzman/John Love, ISS Research Planning Integration Scientist Expedition 68.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Hubble Spies Emission Nebula-Star Cluster Duo

 

NASA / ESA - Hubble Space Telescope (HST) patch.

Dec 2, 2022

Against a backdrop littered with tiny pinpricks of light glint a few, brighter stars. This whole collection is NGC 1858, an open star cluster in the northwest region of the Large Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way that boasts an abundance of star-forming regions. NGC 1858 is estimated to be around 10 million years old.

Open clusters are a type of star cluster with loose gravitational attraction between the stars, which causes the cluster to be irregularly shaped and its stars to be spread out. NGC 1858 is also an emission nebula, which is a cloud of interstellar gas that has been ionized by ultraviolet wavelengths radiating off of nearby stars. The gas of the nebula emits its own light at visible wavelengths, seen here as a faint cloud that populates the middle and bottom right of the image.

The stars within this young cluster are at different phases of their evolution, making it a complex collection. Within NGC 1858, researchers have detected a protostar, a very young, emerging star, indicating that star formation within the cluster may still be active or has stopped very recently. The presence of an emission nebula also suggests that star formation recently occurred here, since the radiation required to ionize the gas of the nebula comes from stars that only live a short time.

NGC 1858 is located about 160,000 light-years away in the constellation Dorado and contains multiple massive stars, which can be seen shining brightly throughout the center of the image. The cluster is located in a crowded area of the sky, and the large number of stars around the cluster makes it difficult to study alone. To survey these distant stars, scientists relied on the Hubble Space Telescope’s unique resolution and sensitivity at visible and infrared wavelengths.

Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

For more information about Hubble, visit:

http://hubblesite.org/

http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

https://esahubble.org/

Image, Animation Credits: NASA, ESA and G. Gilmore (University of Cambridge); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)/Text Credits: NASA/Andrea Gianopoulos.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Webb tracks clouds on Saturn’s moon Titan

 

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

Dec 2, 2022

These are images of Saturn’s moon Titan, captured by the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s NIRCam instrument on 4 November 2022. The image on the left uses a filter sensitive to Titan’s lower atmosphere. The bright spots are prominent clouds in the northern hemisphere. The image on the right is a color composite image. Click here for an annotated version of this image.

Titan is the only moon in the Solar System with a dense atmosphere, and it is also the only planetary body other than Earth that currently has rivers, lakes, and seas. Unlike Earth, however, the liquid on Titan’s surface is composed of hydrocarbons including methane and ethane, not water. Its atmosphere is filled with thick haze that obscures visible light reflecting off the surface.

Scientists have waited for years to use Webb’s infrared vision to study Titan’s atmosphere, including its fascinating weather patterns and gaseous composition, and also see through the haze to study albedo features (bright and dark patches) on the surface. Further Titan data are expected from NIRCam and NIRSpec as well as the first data from Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) in May or June of 2023. The MIRI data will reveal an even greater part of Titan’s spectrum, including some wavelengths that have never before been seen. This will give scientists information about the complex gases in Titan’s atmosphere, as well as crucial clues to deciphering why Titan is the only moon in the Solar System with a dense atmosphere.

James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)

[Image Description: Side-by-side images of Saturn’s moon Titan, captured by Webb’s Near-Infrared Camera on 4 November 2022, with clouds and other features visible. Left image is various shades of red. Right image is shades of white, blue, and brown.]

Note:

This post highlights data from Webb science in progress, which has not yet been through the peer-review process.

NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Webb

Image, Animation, Text, Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA, A. Pagan (STScI), JWST Titan GTO Team.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Artemis I Flight Day 16 – Orion Successfully Completes Distant Retrograde Departure Burn

 

NASA / ESA - Orion Crew Vehicle patch.

Dec 1, 2022

Orion has left lunar orbit and is on its return journey home. The spacecraft successfully completed the distant retrograde departure burn at 3:53 p.m. CST, firing its main engine for 1 minute 45 seconds to set the spacecraft on course for a close lunar flyby before its return home.

Image above: (Dec. 1, 2022): On flight day 16, a camera mounted on one of Orion’s solar arrays snapped this image of our Moon as the spacecraft prepared to exit distant retrograde orbit during the Artemis I mission. Image Credit: NASA.

The burn changed Orion’s velocity by about 454 feet per second and was performed using the Orion main engine on the European Service Module. The engine is an orbital maneuvering system engine modified for use on Orion and built by Aerojet Rocketdyne. The engine has the ability to provide 6,000 pounds of thrust. The proven engine flying on Artemis I flew on 19 space shuttle flights, beginning with STS-41G in October 1984 and ending with STS-112 in October 2002.

Orion spacecraft’s Distant Retrograde Orbit Departure

The burn is one of two maneuvers required ahead of Orion’s splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Dec. 11. The second will occur on Monday, Dec. 5, when the spacecraft will fly 79.2 miles above the lunar surface and perform the return powered flyby burn, which will commit Orion on its course toward Earth.

Ride Along with Artemis Around the Moon (Official NASA Video)

Teams also continued thermal tests of the star trackers during their eighth and final planned test. Star trackers are a navigation tool that measure the positions of stars to help the spacecraft determine its orientation. In the first three flight days of the mission, engineers evaluated initial data to understand  star tracker readings correlated to thruster firings.

A trajectory correction burn is planned for approximately 9:53 p.m. CST today, when Orion’s auxiliary thrusters will fine-tune the spacecraft’s path.

Just after 4:30 p.m. CST on Dec. 1, Orion was traveling 237,600 miles from Earth and 52,900 miles from the Moon, cruising at 2,300 mph.

Related articles:

Artemis I Flight Day 15 – Team Polls “Go” For Distant Retrograde Orbit Departure
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-15-team-polls-go.html

Artemis I — I Flight Day 14: Deep Space Testing Continues
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-i-flight-day-14-deep-space.html

Artemis I — Flight Day 13: Orion Goes the (Max) Distance
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-13-orion-goes-max.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 12: Orion Star Trackers, Reaction Control Thrusters Tested
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-12-orion-star.html

Artemis I enters Moon orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-enters-moon-orbit.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 11: Orion Surpasses Apollo 13 Record Distance from Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-11-orion-surpasses.html

Flight Day 10: Orion Enters Distant Retrograde Orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/flight-day-10-orion-enters-distant.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Nine: Orion One Day Away from Distant Retrograde Insertion
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-nine-orion-one-day.html

Latest Updates from Artemis I
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/latest-updates-from-artemis-i.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Six: Orion Performs Lunar Flyby, Closest Outbound Approach
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-six-orion-performs.html

Artemis powering past the Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-powering-past-moon.html

Orion Successfully Completes Lunar Flyby, Re-acquires Signal with Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/orion-successfully-completes-lunar.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Four: Testing WiFi Signals, Radiator System, GO for Outbound Powered Flyby
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-four-testing-wifi.html

NASA’s Artemis I Cameras to Offer New Views of Orion, Earth, Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/nasas-artemis-i-cameras-to-offer-new.html

Artemis I Liftoff! 50 years after Apollo 17, Orion on Its Way to the Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-liftoff-50-years-after-apollo.html

Related links:

Artemis I reference guide: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/img/Artemis%20I%20Reference%20Guide_Inter.pdf

Artemis II mission: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-first-flight-with-crew-important-step-on-long-term-return-to-the-moon-missions-to/

Callisto: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/callisto-technology-demonstration-to-fly-aboard-orion-for-artemis-i/

Track Orion: https://www.nasa.gov/trackartemis

Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Orion spacecraft (ESA): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion

Orion Spacecraft (NASA): https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

Image (mentioned), Videos, Text, Credits: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)/NASA TV/SciNews.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Central Peak of the Aristarchus Crater (Moon)

 

NASA - Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) patch.

Dec 1, 2022

Aristarchus crater on the Moon

The Aristarchus crater on the Moon is about is 40 kilometres in diameter and 2700 metres deep.

Central Peak of the Aristarchus Crater

The central peak is 3000 metres wide (left-to-right) and 400 metres tall. The image was acquired by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter from an altitude of 96 kilometres.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)

LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter): http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LRO/main/index.html

Image, Video, Animation, Text, Credits: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University/Music: “Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven” courtesy of YouTube Audio Library/SciNews/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Astronauts Prepare to Grow Tomatoes, Get Ready for Spacewalk

 

ISS - Expedition 68 Mission patch.

Dec 1, 2022

The Expedition 68 crew began installing a new space botany experiment today while gearing up for a spacewalk planned for this weekend. The orbital residents are also continuing their research into the nervous system, unpacking a U.S. cargo craft, and keeping up International Space Station systems.

NASA and its international partners have been learning how to grow fresh food on the orbiting lab for several years. Today, NASA Flight Engineer Nicole Mann began installing the new Veg-05 space agriculture study that will soon grow dwarf tomatoes with the astronauts testing fertilizer techniques, microbial food safety, nutritional value, and taste. Growing fresh food during future missions farther away from Earth may promote crew morale and reduce crew dependency on space cargo missions.

Image above: Astronauts (from top) Frank Rubio and Josh Cassada work on a pair of Extravehicular Mobility Units (EMUs), or spacesuits, inside the space station’s Quest airlock. Image Credit: NASA.

Veteran station astronaut Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) serviced microbe samples being observed for the Neural Integration System biotechnology experiment. Wakata fed the microbes inside the Cell Biology Experiment Facility, a specialized incubator with an artificial gravity generator, for the study that may provide insights into neuromuscular conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.

Mann and Wakata later joined NASA astronauts Josh Cassada and Frank Rubio and continued preparing for a spacewalk planned to start at 7:25 a.m. EST on Saturday. The quartet reviewed the steps Cassada and Rubio will use to install a roll-out solar array on the station’s Starboard- 4 truss segment during the seven-hour excursion. Mann and Wakata will be inside the station supporting the duo before, during, and after the spacewalk.

Image above: NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Frank Rubio is pictured during a spacewalk tethered to the International Space Station's starboard truss structure. Image Credit: NASA.

The roll-out-solar array, also known as an International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Array, or iROSA, was extracted from inside the SpaceX Dragon resupply ship’s unpressurized trunk by ground controllers remotely commanding the Canadarm2 robotic arm. The iROSA was then placed on a starboard truss structure attachment point. From there, the spacewalkers will retrieve the roll-out solar array on Saturday and install it on the starboard truss segment. The new iROSA is augmenting the space station’s power generation system.

The space station’s three cosmonauts spent Thursday servicing a variety of life support hardware and space station gear. Roscosmos Commander Sergey Prokopyev began the day checking cameras and their components before cleaning the Zvezda service module’s ventilation system. Flight Engineer Dmitri Petelin completed his 24-hour heart monitoring activity on Thursday morning then worked on Ethernet cable connections and orbital plumbing gear. Flight Engineer Anna Kikina spent the day maintaining an assortment of station systems and their components ensuring the orbiting lab operates in tip-top shape.

Related article:

NASA to Provide Live Coverage of US Spacewalks Outside Space Station
https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-provide-live-coverage-of-us-spacewalks-outside-space-station

Related links:

Expedition 68: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition68/index.html

Veg-05: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7443

Neural Integration System: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8809

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

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

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

Zvezda service module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/zvezda-service-module.html

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

Hubble Views a Cloud-Filled, Starry Scene

 

NASA - Hubble Space Telescope patch.

Dec 1, 2022

Bright, blue-white stars of the open cluster BSDL 2757 pierce through the rusty-red tones of gas and dust clouds in this NASA Hubble Space Telescope image. Hubble captured the scene as part of a study looking at how dust in the Large Magellanic Cloud obscures ultraviolet light in four different star-forming regions of this nearby, irregular galaxy. The researchers studied growing, early-stage stars that are still accumulating mass from the clouds that envelop them. As gas and dust spirals toward a budding, young star, it releases ultraviolet light. By analyzing how this light interacts with dust, astronomers can better understand the dust’s properties in different environments.

The colors blue, green, and orange in this image represent their respective colors in the visible light spectrum. The color red represents light in the near-infrared part of the spectrum.

Hubble Space Telescope (HST)

For more information about Hubble, visit:

http://hubblesite.org/

http://www.nasa.gov/hubble

https://esahubble.org/

Image, Animation Credits: NASA, ESA, and L. Bianchi (Johns Hopkins University); Processing: G. Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)/Text Credits: NASA/Andrea Gianopoulos.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Initial Assessment Shows Excellent Performance for Artemis Moon Rocket

 

NASA - ARTEMIS Program logo.

Dec. 1, 2022

The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket performed with precision, meeting or exceeding all expectations during its debut launch on Artemis I. The world’s most powerful rocket set NASA’s Orion spacecraft on course for a journey beyond the Moon and back, and laying the foundation for the first mission with astronauts on Artemis II and humanity’s return to the lunar surface beginning with Artemis III.

“The first launch of the Space Launch System rocket was simply eye-watering,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager. “While our mission with Orion is still underway and we continue to learn over the course of our flight, the rocket’s systems performed as designed and as expected in every case.”

Rocket Camera Footage from the World's Most Powerful Rocket

The twin solid rocket booster motors responsible for producing more than 7 million pounds of thrust at liftoff reached their performance target, helping the rocket and spacecraft travel more than 27 miles from its launch site at Kennedy Space Center in Florida and reaching a speed of about 4,000 mph in just over two minutes before the boosters separated. No issues were reported for any of the booster subsystems including its avionics and thrust vector control system used for steering.

Analysis shows the rocket’s core stage and four RS-25 engines, which burned through the stage’s 735,000 gallons of propellants in just over eight minutes, met every expectation during launch as well as in the final minutes of the countdown before liftoff, when the flight computers and software are in control and many dynamic events involving pressurizing tanks, starting the engines, and igniting the boosters, happen in quick succession.

The mega Moon rocket delivered Orion within about three miles of its planned orbit altitude of 975 by 16 nautical miles, well within the planned range required for the mission, at a speed of approximately 17,500 mph. Analysis shows the rocket’s ascent and in-space software also performed as expected.

The interim cryogenic propulsion stage, the upper stage of the rocket used to perform two burns during the mission to first raise Orion’s orbit and then propel it toward the Moon, performed exactly as planned. The upper stage’s single RL-10 engine, which has powered successful missions to every planet in the solar system and to interstellar space over its more than 50 years in operation, set a single duration burn record, firing for more than 18 minutes to set Orion precisely on its multi-day outbound trek to intercept Earth’s nearest celestial neighbor.

Artemis 1 - Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft liftoff

“Performance was off by less than 0.3 percent in all cases across the board,” Sarafin said.  

Engineers will continue conducting more detailed analysis of Space Launch System performance over the next several months as the agency continues making progress building and assembling elements for the rocket for Artemis II and beyond.

“I’ve been privileged to lead the team which designed, built, tested and now flown the Space Launch System rocket on its historic first flight, the Artemis I mission,” said John Honeycutt, SLS program manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.  “With this amazing Moon rocket, we’ve laid the foundation for Artemis and for our long-term presence at the Moon. The performance of the rocket and the team supporting its maiden voyage was simply outstanding.”

The SLS Program is managed by Marshall, and many parts of the rocket were built and tested at Marshall and at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, as well as at Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. Engineers at Marshall supported the Artemis I launch real-time from the center’s SLS Engineering Support Center as well as in the Launch Control Center at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Related links:

Artemis Program: https://www.nasa.gov/artemisprogram

Artemis I: http://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Space Launch System (SLS): http://www.nasa.gov/sls

RS-25 engines: https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/multimedia/infographics.html

Orion spacecraft: http://www.nasa.gov/orion

Image, Video, Text, Credits: NASA/Lee Mohon/Rachel Kraft/Marshall Space Flight Center/Corinne Edmiston.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Artemis I Flight Day 15 – Team Polls “Go” For Distant Retrograde Orbit Departure

 

NASA / ESA - Orion Crew Vehicle patch.

Nov 30, 2022

The Artemis I mission management team met today to review the overall status of the flight test and polled “go” for Orion to depart from its distant retrograde orbit, where it has been since Nov. 25. Orion will conduct a burn to depart the orbit at 3:53 p.m. CST Thurs., Dec. 1 and begin its trek back toward Earth. 

“We are continuing to collect flight test data and buy down risk for crewed flight,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis mission manager. “We continue to learn how the system is performing, where our margins are, and how to operate and work with the vehicle as an integrated team.”

Image above: (Nov. 27, 2022) On flight day 12 of the 25.5-day Artemis I mission, a camera on the tip of one of Orion’s solar arrays captured the Moon as Orion travels in distant retrograde orbit around the Moon. Image Credit: NASA.

On Flight Day 15, Orion also performed a planned orbit maintenance burn to maintain the spacecraft’s trajectory and decrease its velocity ahead of its Thursday departure from a distant lunar orbit. During the burn, Orion used six of its auxiliary thrusters on the European Service module to fire for 95 seconds. The burn was initially planned for a shorter duration but was lengthened as part of the team’s effort to add test objectives to the mission. The 95-second burn provided additional data to characterize the thrusters and the radiative heating on the spacecraft’s solar array wings to help inform Orion’s operational constraints. All previous thruster burns were 17 seconds or less. 

Orion’s European-built service module has provided the propulsive capabilities to adjust the spacecraft’s course in space via its 33 engines of various types, and serves as Orion’s powerhouse, supplying it will electricity, thermal control, and air and water for future crews, in addition to propulsion. Artemis I is the first time NASA is using a European-built system as a critical element to power an American spacecraft. Provided by ESA (European Space Agency) and its partner Airbus Defence and Space, the service module extends NASA’s international cooperation from the International Space Station into deep space exploration.

Animation above: (Nov. 28, 2022) On flight day 13, Orion reached its maximum distance from Earth during the Artemis I mission when it was 268,563 miles away from our home planet. Orion has now traveled farther than any other spacecraft built for humans. Animation Credit: NASA.

NASA is continuing to extend its relationships with its international partners to explore the Moon under Artemis. The agency’s Gateway, a multi-purpose outpost in development to orbit the Moon that will provide essential support for long-term lunar exploration, includes contributions from ESA as well as the Canadian Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. Agencywide, NASA has more than 600 active international agreements with organizations and space agencies around the world.

Teams also elected to add four additional test objectives to Orion’s return trip to Earth to gather additional data on the spacecraft’s capabilities. Two will evaluate whether opening and closing a valve the pressure control assembly affects a slow leak rate in that system; a third will demonstrate Orion’s ability to perform attitude maneuvers at the rate that will be necessary for a test on Artemis II; and the fourth will test its capability to fly in a three degree of freedom attitude control mode, as opposed to the six degree of freedom mode it typically flies in.

Prior to today’s orbital maintenance burn, a total of 5,681 pounds of propellant had been used, 203 pounds less than values expected before launch. Some 2,004 pounds of margin is available beyond what is planned for use during the mission, a 94-pound increase above prelaunch expected values.

Just after 4 p.m. CST on Nov. 30, Orion was traveling 253,079 miles from Earth and 50,901 miles from the Moon, cruising at 2,052 mph.

Coverage of the distant retrograde orbit departure burn will begin Thursday at 3:30 p.m. CST, with the burn scheduled to occur at 3:53 p.m. Watch live on NASA TV, the agency’s website (https://www.nasa.gov/nasalive), and the NASA app.

Related articles:

Artemis I — I Flight Day 14: Deep Space Testing Continues
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-i-flight-day-14-deep-space.html

Artemis I — Flight Day 13: Orion Goes the (Max) Distance
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-13-orion-goes-max.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 12: Orion Star Trackers, Reaction Control Thrusters Tested
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-12-orion-star.html

Artemis I enters Moon orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-enters-moon-orbit.html

Artemis I – Flight Day 11: Orion Surpasses Apollo 13 Record Distance from Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-11-orion-surpasses.html

Flight Day 10: Orion Enters Distant Retrograde Orbit
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/flight-day-10-orion-enters-distant.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Nine: Orion One Day Away from Distant Retrograde Insertion
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-nine-orion-one-day.html

Latest Updates from Artemis I
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/latest-updates-from-artemis-i.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Six: Orion Performs Lunar Flyby, Closest Outbound Approach
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-six-orion-performs.html

Artemis powering past the Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-powering-past-moon.html

Orion Successfully Completes Lunar Flyby, Re-acquires Signal with Earth
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/orion-successfully-completes-lunar.html

Artemis I – Flight Day Four: Testing WiFi Signals, Radiator System, GO for Outbound Powered Flyby
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-flight-day-four-testing-wifi.html

NASA’s Artemis I Cameras to Offer New Views of Orion, Earth, Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/nasas-artemis-i-cameras-to-offer-new.html

Artemis I Liftoff! 50 years after Apollo 17, Orion on Its Way to the Moon
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/11/artemis-i-liftoff-50-years-after-apollo.html

Related links:

Artemis I reference guide: https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/img/Artemis%20I%20Reference%20Guide_Inter.pdf

Artemis II mission: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-first-flight-with-crew-important-step-on-long-term-return-to-the-moon-missions-to/

Callisto: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/callisto-technology-demonstration-to-fly-aboard-orion-for-artemis-i/

Track Orion: https://www.nasa.gov/trackartemis

Artemis I: https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-1

Orion spacecraft (ESA): https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Orion

Orion Spacecraft (NASA): https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/orion/index.html

Image (mentioned), Animation (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Shaneequa Vereen.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch