Hubble Sees Red Giant Blow a Bubble

NASA - Hubble Space Telescope patch.

July 6, 2012

Camelopardalis, or U Cam for short, is a star nearing the end of its life. As stars run low on fuel, they become unstable. Every few thousand years, U Cam coughs out a nearly spherical shell of gas as a layer of helium around its core begins to fuse. The gas ejected in the star’s latest eruption is clearly visible in this picture as a faint bubble of gas surrounding the star.

U Cam is an example of a carbon star, a rare type of star with an atmosphere that contains more carbon than oxygen. Due to its low surface gravity, typically as much as half of the total mass of a carbon star may be lost by way of powerful stellar winds. Located in the constellation of Camelopardalis (The Giraffe), near the North Celestial Pole, U Cam itself is much smaller than it appears in this Hubble image. In fact, the star would easily fit within a single pixel at the center of the image. Its brightness, however, is enough to saturate the camera's receptors, making the star look much larger than it is.

The shell of gas, which is both much larger and much fainter than its parent star, is visible in intricate detail in Hubble’s portrait. This phenomenon is often quite irregular and unstable, but the shell of gas expelled from U Cam is almost perfectly spherical.

Links:

    ESA Hubble site: http://www.spacetelescope.org/

    NASA Hubble site: http://hubblesite.org/

Image, Text, Credit: ESA / NASA.

Cheers, Orbiter.ch

SolarImpulse - Europe, here we come!

SolarImpulse - Destination Morocco patch.

July 6, 2012

The long awaited moment has finally arrived. This morning at 05:17AM (UTC), Friday 6 July, HB-SIA, piloted by Bertrand Piccard, took-off from its temporary home in Rabat, leaving the Moroccan soil to make its way back to Europe.

HB-SIA, piloted by Bertrand Piccard, ready to flight

The flight had originally been scheduled for this past Tuesday, 3 July, but due to a sudden change in weather conditions, it was postponed. The wait seemed to be long as, in our minds, we had psychologically begun our “goodbyes” to Morocco while our tummies began preparing for jamón and paellas.

But that day has finally come and our mouths are already watering. For those of us that were cheering for Italy in the Euro Cup finals, we just need ensure not to make any uncomfortable slips as we might miss our chance to a nice Spanish meal. In fact, when Bertrand was asked whether he was ready to talk about fútbol, he replied he’s more comfortable speaking about larger balls than those kicked around in stadiums, balls more like balloons that fly in the skies… I think it’s a good strategy and I might adopt a spinoff to secure a Salud! to a soothing glass of red. 

SolarImpulse takeoff from Rabat

On more serious terms, today’s flight still remains particularly challenging due to strong crosswinds over the Iberian Peninsula. The initial part of the flight will be smooth, leading HB-SIA towards Tangier and over the Strait of Gibraltar. However, once Bertrand enters Spain, he will need to navigate west of Seville to a first holding point. This is where the winds are expected to be stronger, up to 35-40 knots, which will have a tendency to push the Solar Impulse prototype eastward. The aircraft will therefore need to steer far enough to the West to ensure it is not pushed east of the planned track. Bertrand will then fly towards Toledo and finally to Madrid. A short holding is planned around the Spanish capital, but just long enough to get the green light from the Control Tower for Bertrand to being his final descent.

HB-SIA takeoff from Rabat to Madrid

But at least Bertrand is not alone. This is the first time HB-SIA has a passenger in addition to the pilot. A Moroccan fly has decided to try its luck and taste some of the flavors on the other side of the Strait! Do we have an insect size oxygen mask in the cockpit, anybody?

Expected Landing: Barajas- Madrid Airport (Spain) after 11:00 PM (UTC).

For more information and see online the flight: http://live.solarimpulse.com/

Images, Video, Text, Credits: SolarImpulse / Jean Revillard.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Ariane 5 ECA orbits EchoStar XVII and MSG-3

ESA / Arianespace - Ariane 5 ECA - VA207 poster / MSG-3 Satellite logo.

July 6, 2012

Arianespace launch a success

 Ariane 5 ECA liftoff with EchoStar XVII and MSG-3

On Thursday, July 5, Arianespace successfully launched two satellites: the dedicated Internet satellite EchoStar XVII for the American operator Hughes Network Systems, and the MSG-3 weather satellite for Eumetsat, the European Meteorological Satellite organization.

Launch of Ariane 5 with EchoStar 17 and MSG-3

63rd Ariane 5 launch, 49th success in a row

Today's successful Ariane 5 launch once again proves the launcher's operational capabilities. Ariane 5 handles a complete range of missions, from commercial launches into geostationary orbit to launches into special orbits.

Separation of MSG-3 of the second stage of Ariane 5 ECA rocket

This was the 63rd launch of an Ariane 5, and the 49th successful launch in a row.

Arianespace's latest successful mission, the third Ariane 5 launch in 2012, clearly shows that its launch Service & Solutions continue to set the global standard and guarantee independent access to space for all customers, including national and international space agencies, private operators and governments.

302nd and 303rd satellites launched by Arianespace from French Guiana

Arianespace offers the launch services that best match the demanding requirements of leading operators worldwide.

EchoStar XVII spacecraft

EchoStar XVII is the second satellite launched by Arianespace for the American operator Hughes, a subsidiary of EchoStar Corporation. A high-power Ka-band satellite, EchoStar XVII will offer broadband Internet services to companies and individuals in North America. EchoStar XVII is the 37th satellite built by Space Systems/Loral to be launched by Arianespace.

MSG-3 (Meteosat Second Generation) description

MSG-3 (Meteosat Second Generation) is part of a European family of four geostationary meteorological detection and observation satellites. It is the ninth satellite to be launched by Arianespace for Eumetsat. The first two MSG satellites were launched by Arianespace in 2002 and 2005.

 MSG-3 in geostationary orbit

For more information about Arianespace, visit: http://www.arianespace.com/index/index.asp

For more information about  EchoStar, visit: http://www.echostar.com/

For more information about  EUMETSAT, visit: http://www.eumetsat.int/Home/index.htm

Images, Video, Text, Credits: Arianespace / ESA / EUMETSAT / Space Systems / Loral.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Melas Dorsa reveals a complex geological history on Mars

ESA - Mars Express Mission patch.

5 July 2012

(Click on the images for enlarge)

 Melas Dorsa in full colour

ESA’s Mars Express has imaged an area to the south of the famed Valles Marineris canyon on the Red Planet, showing a wide range of tectonic and impact features.

Melas Dorsa in context

On 17 April, the orbiter pointed its high-resolution stereo camera at the Melas Dorsa region of Mars. This area sits in the volcanic highlands of Mars between Sinai and Thaumasia Plana, 250 km south of Melas Chasma. Melas Chasma itself is part of the Valles Marineris rift system.

The image captures wrinkle ridges, some unusual intersecting faults and an elliptical crater surrounded by ejecta in the shape of a butterfly and with a strange ‘fluid-like’ appearance.

Melas Dorsa impact crater perspective view

Elliptical craters like this 16 km-wide example are formed when asteroids or comets strike the surface of the planet at a shallow angle.

Scientists have suggested that a fluidised ejecta pattern indicates the presence of subsurface ice which melted during the impact. Subsequent impacts have created a number of smaller craters in the ejecta blanket.

Zoom view of flooded crater

The rim of another large crater is visible in the upper centre part of the image, but it appears mostly to have been almost buried during some distant epoch by volcanic dust and ash.

This makes any detailed study of it almost impossible. However, its centre shows
concentric deposits that could provide insights into the composition of the volcanic material that buried it.

Melas Dorsa topography

Several wrinkle ridges can be seen across the image. These form when horizontal compression forces in the crust pushes the crust upwards.

To the left, the ridges are bisected by crustal displacement faults. These have cut into the ridges and the surrounding surface at some later epoch. This highlights the different tectonic phases responsible the formation of this region.

Melas Dorsa 3D anaglyph

Related links:

Mars Express: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/index.html

High Resolution Stereo Camera: http://berlinadmin.dlr.de/Missions/express/indexeng.shtml

Behind the lens: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMSXE1PGQD_0.html

Frequently asked questions: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEM76D9OY2F_0.html

Mars Express blog: http://webservices.esa.int/blog/blog/7

Mars Webcam: http://www.esa.int/vmc

For specialists:

ESA Planetary Science archive (PSA): http://www.rssd.esa.int/PSA

NASA Planetary Data System: http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/mars_express/hrsc.htm

HRSC data viewer: http://hrscview.fu-berlin.de/

Images, Text, Credits: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin (G. Neukum) / NASA / MGS / MOLA Science Team.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

CERN scientists discover new subatomic particle that could be the Higgs Boson

CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research logo.

July 4, 2012

Image above: Proton-proton collision in the CMS experiment producing four high-energy muons (red lines). The event shows characteristics expected from the decay of a Higgs boson but it is also consistent with background Standard Model physics processes (Image: CMS).

Scientists at the CERN research centre have discovered a new subatomic particle that could be the elusive Higgs boson, which is believed to be crucial in the formation of the universe.

“I can confirm that a particle has been discovered that is consistent with the Higgs boson theory,” said John Womersley, chief executive of the UK’s Science & Technology Facilities Council, at an event in London.

Joe Incandela, spokesman for one of the two teams hunting for the Higgs particle told an audience at CERN near Geneva: “This is a preliminary result, but we think it’s very strong and very solid.”

Scientists hunting the elusive subatomic “Higgs” particle will unveil findings on Wednesday that take them nearer to understanding how the Big Bang at the dawn of time gave rise to stars, planets and even life.

Physicists who have been smashing particles together at near light-speed at the CERN laboratory near Geneva have already seen tantalising glimpses of the “Higgs boson”, the missing piece of the fundamental theory of physics known as the Standard Model.

The world of science now awaits a mass of evidence big enough to be deemed a formal discovery.

 Breakthrough in quest for ‘God Particle’ is “only the beginning”

The secrecy surrounding

Wednesday’s announcement has fuelled speculation that nearly 40 years of research have reached a climax.

CERN accidentally released a video on its website briefly overnight announcing a “new particle” had been observed, but CERN representatives declined to comment on whether that was what would be announced later in the day.

“This video was released due to a technical glitch on our side here at CERN. The final results have not yet been released,” CERN press officer Renilde Vanden Broeck said in Melbourne.

She said the organisation had prepared several videos for a range of outcomes for Wednesday’s announcement. A CERN physicist who knows what will be announced said the discovery was not necessarily definitive.

 Best of Higgs Field Theory physicists

Note:

CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, is one of the world’s largest and most respected centres for scientific research. Its business is fundamental physics, finding out what the Universe is made of and how it works. At CERN, the world’s largest and most complex scientific instruments are used to study the basic constituents of matter — the fundamental particles. By studying what happens when these particles collide, physicists learn about the laws of Nature.

The instruments used at CERN are particle accelerators and detectors. Accelerators boost beams of particles to high energies before they are made to collide with each other or with stationary targets. Detectors observe and record the results of these collisions.

Founded in 1954, the CERN Laboratory sits astride the Franco–Swiss border near Geneva. It was one of Europe’s first joint ventures and now has 20 Member States.

Related link:

CERN accidentally released a video: http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/tomchiversscience/100168877/something-like-the-higgs-boson-has-been-found-probably/

Find out more:

    Press release: CERN to give update on Higgs search as curtain raiser to ICHEP conference: http://press.web.cern.ch/press/PressReleases/Releases2012/PR16.12E.html

    ATLAS: http://www.atlas.ch/news/2012/ATLAS-ICHEP-results.html

    CMS: http://cms.web.cern.ch/news/july-4th-seminar-new-cms-higgs-search-results

    About the Higgs Boson: http://press.web.cern.ch/press/background/B01-Higgs_en.html

Image, Videos, Text, Credits: CERN / CMS / Reuters / Euronews.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

NASA Astronaut Stephen K. Robinson Leaves Agency

NASA logo.

July 03, 2012

NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson has left the space agency. Robinson ends his 36-year NASA career as a veteran of three spacewalks with more than 48 days of spaceflight experience. Robinson will become a professor at the University of California at Davis in the fall of 2012. His last day at NASA was June 30.

Robinson began work with NASA as a cooperative education student in 1975 at the agency's Ames Research Center at Moffett Field, Calif. He was selected for the astronaut corps in 1995. Robinson served as a mission specialist on four spaceflights, including space shuttle missions STS-85 in 1997, STS-95 in 1998, STS-114 in 2005 and STS-130 in 2010. On his second spaceflight, Robinson was one of Sen. John Glenn's crewmates during Glenn's historic return to space after 36 years.

NASA Astronaut Stephen Robinson

His third flight was NASA's 2005 return to flight mission after the loss of shuttle Columbia in February 2003. During STS-114, Robinson performed the only in-flight spacewalk to repair of a shuttle’s heat-shield. During his final spaceflight, Robinson orchestrated the spacewalks and the complex robotic installation of the Tranquility node and cupola onto the International Space Station.

"Steve will be sorely missed by the Astronaut Office," said Janet Kavandi, director of Flight Crew Operations. "He was a fellow classmate, and I will personally miss his ever-positive attitude and smiling face. We wish him the best in his future endeavors, and we are confident that he will be a positive influence and wonderful mentor to inquisitive minds at the University of California at Davis."

Robinson holds a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and aeronautical engineering from the University of California at Davis and a master of science and doctorate in mechanical engineering from Stanford University.

For Robinson's complete biography, visit: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/robinson.html

Image, Text, Credit: NASA.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

X-raying the beating heart of a newborn star

ESA - XMM-Newton Mission patch.

3 July 2012


The violent behaviour of a young Sun-like star spinning at high speed and spewing out super-hot plasma has been revealed thanks to the combined X-ray vision of three space telescopes, including ESA’s XMM-Newton.

Animation depicting V1647 Ori.

Along with data from NASA’s Chandra and Japan’s Suzaku, the findings shed new light on one of the most fundamental issues in astronomy: the birth of stars like our own Sun.

Such stars form from clouds of gas and dust. These collapse under gravity and develop a dense protostar at their centre, surrounded by an orbiting disc of gas and dust.

The protostar continues to grow as material in the disc works its way towards the centre and falls onto the newborn star at speeds of up to a few hundred kilometres per second.

However, rather than falling onto the protostar, a small fraction of the material is ejected in the form of high-speed jets emanating from the north and south poles of the star.

These jets can be highly variable, pointing to energetic activity in the innermost regions.

But the thick gas and dust envelope surrounding the central star makes it hard to see what is going on.

X-rays can penetrate this dense, obscuring region, and by monitoring variations in the intensity of X-ray emission for the young Sun-like star V1647 Ori, astronomers have been able to deduce what might be happening behind the dusty disc cloaking the star.

The star resides 1300 light-years away in McNeil’s Nebula and was observed with XMM-Newton, Chandra, and Suzaku during two multi-year outbursts. The first lasted from 2003 to 2006; the second has been under way since 2008.

During these extended outbursts the star displays faster growth in mass, a surge in X-ray emission and a dramatic increase in temperature to 50 million degrees celsius.

“We think that magnetic activity on or around the stellar surface creates the super-hot plasma,” says Kenji Hamaguchi, lead author of the paper published in the Astrophysical Journal.

“This behaviour could be sustained by the continual twisting, breaking, and reconnection of magnetic fields, which connect the star and the disc, but which rotate at different speeds.

X-ray lightcurve of V1647 Ori. Credit: Hamaguchi et al.

“Magnetic activity on the stellar surface could also be caused by accretion of material onto it.”

In addition, another variation in X-ray emission was found to repeat regularly, with a period around just one day.

For a star of V1647 Ori’s size, this implies that it is spinning as fast as it can without ripping itself to pieces.

At the same time, matter falls onto the star in large pancake-shaped hotspots on opposite sides of the stellar surface.

“We think the super-hot plasma is located on the surface of the star, which rotates with a one day period,” says Dr Hamaguchi.

“The rising and falling in flux that we see would probably be due to the emergence and disappearance of the bright hot spot in our line of sight.”

Yet the regular heartbeat of X-ray emission seen at various times between 2004 to the present day suggest that despite the chaotic behavior, the large-scale configuration of the star–disc system remains stable over timescales of several years.

“These observations of V1647 Ori by this trio of X-ray satellites provide new insight into what might be happening inside the dusty discs of newly-forming stars,” said Norbert Schartel, ESA’s Project Scientist for XMM-Newton.

Notes for Editors:

“X-raying the Beating Heart of a Newborn Star: Rotational Modulation of High-energy Radiation from V1647 Ori” by K. Hamaguchi et al. is published in the Astrophysical Journal, vol. 754, 20 July 2012.

Animation caption:

Artist impression of what might be happening behind the thick dust disc surrounding the young Sun-like star V1647 Ori. X-ray observations by ESA’s XMM-Newton, NASA’s Chandra and Japan’s Suzaku space observatories have probed the interior of the dust disc to find a rapidly-rotating star spinning with a period of one day. At 80% the mass of our Sun and with a diameter approximately four times larger, spinning at this rate nears break-up speed for a star of this size. The data also suggest that matter is accreting onto the stellar surface in two pancake-shaped hotspots located on opposite sides of the star, in which the matter heats up and the high temperature plasma is confined. Credits: C. Carreau.

More about XMM-Newton:

XMM-Newton overview: http://www.esa.int/esaSC/120385_index_0_m.html

XMM-Newton factsheet: http://www.esa.int/esaSC/SEM14YS1VED_index_0.html

XMM-Newton operations: http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Operations/SEMI2HZTIVE_0.html

Graphic (mentioned), Video, Text, Credits: ESA / C. Carreau.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch