Orbiter.ch Space News

mercredi 27 juin 2018

A Japanese probe reaches its target asteroid

JAXA - Hayabusa2 Mission patch.

June 27, 2018

The Hayabusa2 probe arrived Wednesday near its target asteroid to study the origin of life. Hayabusa2 has stabilized 20 kilometers from Ryugu, which is currently about 280 million kilometers from our planet.

Asteroid Ryugu seen from a distance of around 40km

The Japanese probe Hayabusa2 arrived Wednesday, after a journey of 3.2 billion kilometers, ready for its target asteroid where it must collect information on the birth of the solar system and the origin of life.

At 9:35 (00H35 GMT), after more than three years of travel, Hayabusa2 has stabilized 20 kilometers from Ryugu, which is currently about 280 million kilometers from our planet, announced the Japanese Space Agency (Jaxa).

Artist's view of Hayabusa2 arrival at Ryugu

The probe will now maintain this distance the time to fulfill its scientific purpose, the high point of which is throwing a projectile on Ryugu violently to cause a shock on the surface and collect the dust thus created.

The ultimate goal is to help enrich the knowledge of our space environment "to better understand the formation of the solar system and the emergence of life on Earth," says Jaxa.

2nd mission of this type for Japan

The first photos taken at 40 kilometers from Ryugu by Hayabusa2, launched at the end of 2014, excited the director of the mission: "the craters are visible, the rocks too, and the geographical structure seems to vary from one place to another", commented Yuichi Tsuda, on the website dedicated to this new space adventure.

Ryugu, which owes its name to a mythical castle of a Japanese folk tale, was originally presented as having a spherical shape, but it turns out to be different, close to the cube, he says.

This is the second mission of this type for Japan, the first having been an epic full of twists. "This time we want a mission less weighted with various problems," said the team.

Hayabusa2 images during Ryugu approach

As with the original Hayabusa mission (towards the asteroid Itokawa), the goal is to collect dust from the subsoil of this rocky celestial body that contains carbon and water, to try to understand what organic and aqueous matter were originally present in the solar system. The return to Earth is expected in 2020.

Hayabusa2 will also drop on Ryugu a robot called Minerva2 and an autonomous analyzer named Mascot, designed by the French National Center for Space Studies (Cnes) and its German counterpart DLR.

Mascot, whose lifespan is only a dozen hours, will use four instruments, including a spectral microscope developed by the French Institute of Space Astrophysics that will allow to know the mineralogical composition of the soil of the Earth. asteroid with the number 162173.

JAXA Press Release: http://global.jaxa.jp/press/2018/06/20180627_hayabusa2.html

More information: http://global.jaxa.jp/projects/sat/hayabusa2/

http://www.hayabusa2.jaxa.jp/topics/20180625je/index_e.html

Images, Text, Credits: JAXA/NXP/AFP/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

CASC - Long March-2C launches twin satellites

CASC - China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation logo.

June 27, 2018

Long March-2C rocket launch (illustration). Image Credit: Xinhua

A Long March-2C rocket successfully launched new-tech experiment twin satellites from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, Sichuan province, on 27 June 2018, at 03:30 UTC (11:30 local time).

Long March-2C launches twin satellites

A Chinese Long March 2C rocket will launch two inter-satellites network.

According to official sources, the satellites entered their intended orbit and their mission is to link the inter-satellite network and conduct new technology tests on Earth-observation satellites.

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC): http://english.spacechina.com/n16421/index.html

Image (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: CASC/CCTV+/SciNews.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

mardi 26 juin 2018

Crew Sets Up Station for New Research Delivery Aboard Dragon

ISS - Expedition 56 Mission patch.

June 26, 2018

The Expedition 56 crew members are configuring the International Space Station for several new experiments being delivered on the upcoming SpaceX Dragon cargo mission. The orbital residents also explored space physics and serviced U.S. spacesuits.

NASA astronauts Drew Feustel and Ricky Arnold worked on science hardware today to support new research being delivered aboard Dragon when it arrives Monday at 7 a.m. EDT. The duo also continued studying the robotics procedures necessary to capture Dragon after its approach and rendezvous next week.

Feustel cleaned a mouse habitat for the Rodent Research-7 experiment observing microbes in the gastrointestinal system in mice. Arnold checked out the functionality of the Veggie facility that will process plants for the Veg-03 study researching how to grow food in space.

Image above: Canada’s 57.7-foot-long robotic arm, also known as the Canadarm2, with a latching end effector at its tip (used to grapple approaching spacecraft and portable data grapple fixtures) is pictured in the foreground as the International Space Station was orbiting over the Caspian Sea. Image Credit: NASA.

Flight Engineer Serena Auñón-Chancellor looked at how cement solidifies in space exploring its microstructure and material properties. Results could impact the design of lightweight space habitats and improve cement and concrete processing on Earth.

Finally, Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency looked at spacesuit gear and set up the Quest airlock for future spacewalk operations. Gerst purged nitrogen from the suit’s oxygen lines and helped ground controllers prepare for overnight oxygen leak checks.

Related links:

Expedition 56: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition56/index.html

SpaceX Dragon: https://www.nasa.gov/spacex

Mouse habitat: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=1537

Rodent Research-7: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7425

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

Veg-03 study: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1159

Cement solidifies in space: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7658

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

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

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

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

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of June 18, 2018

ISS - Expedition 56 Mission patch.

June 26, 2018

Scientific operations continued aboard the International Space Station as crew members finished up post EVA (spacewalk) activities. Soon, new hardware, supplies and research materials will be delivered aboard the SpaceX CRS-15 Dragon.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA

Here are more details on some of the science that happened this week aboard your orbiting laboratory:

New sensor installed in preparation for investigation

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) MagVector investigation studies how Earth’s magnetic field interacts with an electrical conductor. Using extremely sensitive magnetic sensors placed around and above a conductor, researchers gain insight into ways that the magnetic field influences how conductors work. This research not only helps improve future experiments aboard the station and other electrical experiments, but it could offer insights into how magnetic fields influence electrical conductors in general, the backbone of our technology on Earth.

Image above: Eurpoean Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst performs the GRASP experiment, which studies how the body adapts to the microgravity environment. GRASP uses virtual reality headsets as a way to understand how important gravity is, compared to the other senses, when reaching for an object. Image Credit: NASA.

Last week, crew installed a 3D sensor array in preparation for upcoming runs of the investigation.

Cultural questionnaire completed by crew members

The station serves as home, office and recreation room for astronauts. They share this confined space far above the Earth with crew members from different countries and cultures for as long as six months or more. At the same time, maintaining individual well-being and crew harmony is important for the crew and mission success.

The Culture, Values, and Environmental Adaptation in Space (At Home In Space) investigation, sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency, looks at changes in perceptions about home in space and the ways a unique culture may develop aboard the station during a mission.

Last week, crew members completed At Home in Space questionnaires to be analyzed by researchers.

Plants undergo thinning activities

Understanding how plants grow and thrive in harsh environments, both on Earth and in space, is important for advancements in agriculture. The Advanced Plant Habitat Facility (Plant Habitat) is a fully-automated facility used to conduct plant bioscience research and provides a large, enclosed, environmentally-controlled chamber aboard the space station.

Image above: NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold performs plant thinning operations for the Plant Habitat-1 investigation. Image Credit: NASA.

The Plant Habitat-1 compares differences in genetics, metabolism, photosynthesis, and gravity sensing between plants grown in space and on Earth. This investigation provides key insights on major changes occurring in plants exposed to microgravity. The investigation began with the growth of Arabidopsis, small flowering plants related to cabbage and mustard. Arabidopsis is of particular interest because it contains the thale cress, a model organism and the first plant to have its entire genome sequenced. Last week, thinning activities were performed on the plants before being placed into single foil packs and inserted into MiniCold bags.

Space to Ground: Clearing the Cosmos: 06/22/2018

lundi 25 juin 2018

Crew Gets Ready for Dragon, Studies Space Impacts on Health and Physics

ISS - Expedition 56 Mission patch.

June 25, 2018

The Expedition 56 crew members are getting ready for the arrival next week of the 15th SpaceX Dragon mission to the International Space Station. The space residents also explored how microgravity impacts health and physics today while setting up a variety of cubesats for deployment.

Image above: The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft is pictured in the grips of the Canadarm2 robotic arm as the International Space Station was orbiting above northern Africa on May 5, 2018. Image Credits: NASA.

The Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX that will launch the Dragon space freighter into Earth orbit is due to lift off Friday at 5:41 a.m. EDT and take a three-day trip to the orbital laboratory. The commercial space freighter will be loaded with almost six thousand pounds of new science experiments, crew supplies and space station hardware.

NASA astronaut Ricky Arnold will be backed up by Commander Drew Feustel in the Cupola when he commands the Canadarm2 to grapple Dragon Monday at 7 a.m. The duo is reviewing procedures and training on a computer this week for the rendezvous and capture activities. Robotics controllers on the ground will then take over after the capture and remotely install Dragon a couple of hours later to the Harmony module where it will remain for 32 days. NASA TV will broadcast live the Dragon science briefings, launch, capture and installation activities.

Image above: Sunrise over Thailand, seen by EarthCam on ISS, speed: 27'605 Km/h, altitude: 408,29 Km, image captured by Roland Berga (on Earth in Switzerland) from International Space Station (ISS) using ISS-HD Live application with EarthCam's from ISS on June 25, 2018 at 22:48 UTC. Image Credits: Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Feustel started the workweek collecting and stowing biological samples for the Multi-Omics study that is observing how gut microbes may affect an astronaut’s immune system. He then worked on the Atomization experiment that is researching liquid spray processes to potentially improve the design of jet and rocket engines.

NASA astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor installed a cubesat deployer on a multi-purpose experiment platform that will soon be placed outside the Japanese Kibo laboratory module. It will deploy nine different cubesats to continue space research and demonstrate space applications.

Related links:

Multi-Omics: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1689

Cubesats: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cubesats/index.html

Expedition 56: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition56/index.html

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

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

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Mark Garcia/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

NASA Technologies Significantly Reduce Aircraft Noise

NASA logo.

June 25, 2018

A series of NASA flight tests has successfully demonstrated technologies that achieve a significant reduction in the noise generated by aircraft and heard by communities near airports.

The Acoustic Research Measurement (ARM) flights, which concluded in May, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California, tested technology to address airframe noise, or noise that is produced by non-propulsive parts of the aircraft, during landing. The flights successfully combined several technologies to achieve a greater than 70 percent reduction in airframe noise.

Image above: The ARM flights were flown on NASA’s SubsoniC Research Aircraft Testbed G-III aircraft, or SCRAT, at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in California. NASA combined three technologies, including Landing Gear Noise Reduction, landing gear cavity treatments, and the Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge flexible wing flap, to demonstrate a reduction in airframe noise in excess of 70 percent. This may reduce aircraft noise for communities that live near airports. Image Credits: NASA/Ken Ulbrich.

“The number one public complaint the Federal Aviation Administration receives is about aircraft noise,” said Mehdi Khorrami, an aerospace scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center in Virginia, and principal investigator for Acoustic Research Measurement. “NASA’s goal here was to reduce aircraft noise substantially in order to improve the quality of life for communities near airports. We are very confident that with the tested technologies we can substantially reduce total aircraft noise, and that could really make a lot of flights much quieter.”

NASA tested several experimental designs on various airframe components of a Gulfstream III research aircraft at Armstrong, including landing gear fairings and cavity treatments designed and developed at Langley, as well as the Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE) wing flap, which had previously been flight-tested to study aerodynamic efficiency. The aircraft flew at an altitude of 350 feet, over an 185-sensor microphone array deployed on the Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

The Landing Gear Noise Reduction technology element addressed airframe noise caused by airflow moving past the landing gear on approach. The experimental landing gear tested by NASA features fairings that are porous along their front, meaning they consist of many tiny holes that, in part, allow some of the air to flow through the fairing, while also deflecting some of the airflow around the landing gear.

Image above: While porous concepts for landing gear fairings have been studied before, NASA’s design was based on extensive computer simulations to produce the maximum amount of noise reduction without the penalty of increasing aerodynamic drag. The landing gear cavity was treated with a series of chevrons near its leading edge, and a net stretched across the opening to alter airflow, aligning it more with the wing. Image Credits: NASA/Ken Ulbrich.

Porous concepts have been studied before, but the unique design developed by NASA resulted from highly detailed computer simulations that led NASA engineers to what they believe is the ideal design for maximum noise reduction without increasing aerodynamic drag.

Another area of focus was landing gear cavities, also a known cause of airframe noise. These are the regions where the landing gear deploys from the main body of an aircraft, typically leaving a large cavity where airflow can get pulled in, creating noise. NASA applied two concepts to these sections, including a series of chevrons placed near the front of the cavity with a sound-absorbing foam at the trailing wall, as well as a net that stretched across the opening of the main landing gear cavity. This altered the airflow and reduced the noise resulting from the interactions between the air, the cavity walls, and its edges.

To reduce wing flap noise, NASA used an experimental, flexible flap that had previously been flown as part of the ACTE project, which investigated the potential for flexible, seamless flaps to increase aerodynamic efficiency. As opposed to conventional wing flaps that typically feature gaps between the flap and the main body of the wing, the ACTE flap, built by FlexSys Inc. of Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a seamless design that eliminates those gaps.

Significant reduction in aircraft noise must be realized in order for air transportation growth to maintain its current trend. The reduction of airframe noise using NASA technology is an important achievement in this effort, as it may lead to quieter aircraft, which will benefit communities near airports and foster expanded airport operations.

“This airframe noise reduction produced by NASA technology is definitely momentous, and the best part is that it directly benefits the public,” said ARM Project Manager Kevin Weinert. “While there are obvious potential economic gains for the industry, this benefits the people who live near major airports, and have to deal with the noise of aircraft coming in to land. This could greatly reduce the noise impact on these communities.”

For more information about NASA’s aeronautics research, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch

Adaptive Compliant Trailing Edge (ACTE): https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/programs_projects/ACTE/index.html

Landing Gear Noise Reduction technology: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/armstrong/feature/NASA_Tech_Reduces_Airframe_Noise.html

Aeronautics: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/aeronautics/index.html

Future Aircraft: https://www.nasa.gov/subject/7565/future-aircraft

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/J.D. Harrington/Sean Potter/Armstrong Flight Research Center/Matt Kamlet.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Will We Know Life When We See It? NASA-led Group Takes Stock of the Science

Exoplanets - Exobiology logo.

June 25, 2018

In the last decade we have discovered thousands of planets outside our solar system and have learned that rocky, temperate worlds are numerous in our galaxy. The next step will involve asking even bigger questions. Could some of these planets host life? And if so, will we be able to recognize life elsewhere if we see it?

Image above: Artist's conception of what life could look like on the surface of a distant planet. Image Credit: NASA.

A group of leading researchers in astronomy, biology and geology have come together under NASA’s Nexus for Exoplanet System Science, or NExSS, to take stock of our knowledge in the search for life on distant planets and to lay the groundwork for moving the related sciences forward.

“We’re moving from theorizing about life elsewhere in our galaxy to a robust science that will eventually give us the answer we seek to that profound question: Are we alone?” said Martin Still, NASA exoplanet scientist at Headquarters, Washington.

In a set of five review papers published last week in the scientific journal Astrobiology, NExSS scientists took an inventory of the most promising signs of life, called biosignatures. They considered how to interpret the presence of biosignatures, should we detect them on distant worlds. A primary concern is ensuring the science is strong enough to distinguish a living world from a barren planet masquerading as one.

The assessment comes as a new generation of space and ground-based telescopes are in development. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will characterize the atmospheres of some of the first small, rocky planets. Other observatories— such as the Giant Magellan Telescope and the Extremely Large Telescope, both in Chile— are planning to carry sophisticated instruments capable of detecting the first biosignatures on faraway worlds.

Image above: Life can leave "fingerprints" of its presence in the atmosphere and on the surface of a planet. These potential signs of life, or biosignatures, can be detected with telescopes. Image Credits: NASA/Aaron Gronstal.

Through their work with NExSS, scientists aim to identify the instruments needed to detect potential life for future NASA flagship missions. The detection of atmospheric signatures of a few potentially habitable planets may possibly come before 2030, although whether the planets are truly habitable or have life will require more in-depth study.

Since we won’t be able to visit distant planets and collect samples anytime soon, the light that a telescope observes will be all we have in the search for life outside our solar system. Telescopes can examine the light reflecting off a distant world to show us the kinds of gases in the atmosphere and their "seasonal" variations, as well as colors like green that could indicate life.

These kinds of biosignatures can all be seen on our fertile Earth from space, but the new worlds we examine will differ significantly. For example, many of the promising planets we have found are around cooler stars, which emit light in the infrared spectrum, rather than our sun’s high emissions of visible-light.

Image above: Abiotic processes can fool us into thinking a barren planet is alive. Rather than measuring a single characteristic of a planet, we should consider a suite of traits to build the case for life. Image Credits: NASA/Aaron Gronstal.

“What does a living planet look like?” said Mary Parenteau, an astrobiologist and microbiologist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley and a co-author. “We have to be open to the possibility that life may arise in many contexts in a galaxy with so many diverse worlds — perhaps with purple-colored life instead of the familiar green-dominated life forms on Earth, for example. That’s why we are considering a broad range of biosignatures.”

The scientists assert that oxygen — the gas produced by photosynthetic organisms on Earth — remains the most promising biosignature of life elsewhere, but it is not foolproof. Abiotic processes on a planet could also generate oxygen. Conversely, a planet lacking detectable levels of oxygen could still be alive — which was exactly the case of Earth before the global accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere.

“On early Earth, we wouldn’t be able to see oxygen, despite abundant life,” said Victoria Meadows, an astronomer at the University of Washington in Seattle and lead author of one of the papers. “Oxygen teaches us that seeing, or not seeing, a single biosignature is insufficient evidence for or against life — overall context matters.”

Image above: Since the data we collect from planets will be limited, scientists will quantify how likely a planet has life based on all the available evidence. Follow-up observations are required for confirmation. Image Credits: NASA/Aaron Gronstal.

Rather than measuring a single characteristic, the NExSS scientists argue that we should be looking at a suite of traits. A planet must show itself capable of supporting life through its features, and those of its parent star.

The NExSS scientists will create a framework that can quantify how likely it is that a planet has life, based on all the available evidence. With the observation of many planets, scientists may begin to more broadly classify the “living worlds” that show common characteristics of life, versus the “non-living worlds.”

“We won’t have a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer to finding life elsewhere,” said Shawn Domagal-Goldman, an astrobiologist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and a co-author. “What we will have is a high level of confidence that a planet appears alive for reasons that can only be explained by the presence of life.”

Related links:

Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS): https://nexss.info/

Five review papers: https://www.liebertpub.com/toc/ast/18/6

Astrobiology: https://www.nasa.gov/content/the-search-for-life

Exoplanets: https://www.nasa.gov/content/the-search-for-life

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Sarah Loff/Felicia Chou.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch