The ISS orbit will be increased by a kilometer at the end of February

 

ROSCOSMOS - Russian Vehicles patch.

Feb 16, 2022

The next correction of the orbital height of the International Space Station is scheduled for February 26, 2022 in order to form ballistic conditions before the launch of the manned spacecraft Soyuz MS-21 into orbit (March 18) and the landing of the Soyuz MS-19 descent vehicle (March 30).

International Space Station (ISS)

According to preliminary data from the ballistic and navigation support service of the TsNIIMash Mission Control Center (part of the Roscosmos State Corporation), at 04:37 Moscow time it is planned to issue a command to turn on the engines of the Progress MS-18 cargo ship docked to the Zvezda service module Russian segment of the ISS. They should work 372.5 seconds and give an impulse of 0.54 m / s. It is expected that after the corrective maneuver, the average height of the station's orbit will increase by 1.1 km - up to 417.94 km.

The parameters of the ISS orbit after the corrective maneuver should be:

- Orbital period: 92.87 min;
- Orbital inclination: 51.66 degrees;
- Minimum orbit height: 415.40 km;
- Maximum orbit height: 435.97 km.

For the entire duration of the ISS flight, 315 corrections of its orbital height were made, including 166 with the help of the Progress cargo spacecraft engines. Before the arrival of the new Russian crew on the Soyuz MS-21 to the ISS on March 11, 2022, another correction of the station's orbit is scheduled.

Currently, a crew of Roscosmos cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov (station commander) and Petr Dubrov, as well as NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei, Raja Chari, Thomas Marshburn, Kayla Barron and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer are working on board the ISS.

Related links:

ROSCOSMOS Press Release: https://www.roscosmos.ru/34177/

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

MCC: https://www.roscosmos.ru/34177/

Progress MS-18: https://www.roscosmos.ru/tag/progress-ms-18/

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

Soyuz MS-21: https://www.roscosmos.ru/34177/

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

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

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Russian Cargo Craft Nears Station, U.S. Space Freighter at Launch Pad

 

ISS - Expedition 66 Mission patch.

Feb 16, 2022

A Russian resupply ship is targeting the International Space Station for a cargo delivery early Thursday. While two cosmonauts get ready to support the cargo craft’s arrival, the rest of the Expedition 66 crew juggled lab maintenance, space research, and robotics training ahead of a U.S. cargo mission due to launch on Saturday.

Nearly three-and-a-half tons of food, fuel, and supplies are racing toward the orbiting lab today aboard the ISS Progress 80 resupply ship from Roscosmos. Station Commander Anton Shkaplerov and Flight Engineer Pyotr Dubrov will be monitoring the cargo craft’s automated approach on Thursday when it docks to the Poisk module at 2:06 a.m. EST. The duo continued training today on the tele-robotically operated rendezvous unit, or TORU, preparing for the unlikely event the Progress 80 would need to be manually docked.

Image above: Russia’s Progress 76 resupply ship is pictured approaching the space station in July of 2020. Image Credit: NASA.

Another cargo craft rolled out to its launch pad on Tuesday at the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The U.S. Cygnus space freighter from Northrop Grumman is loaded with over 8,300 pounds of station hardware and new science experiments. It will launch atop an Antares rocket on Saturday at 12:40 p.m. and reach the station for a capture with the Canadarm2 robotic arm on Monday at 4:35 a.m.

NASA Flight Engineers Raja Chari and Kayla Barron trained today for the capture activities on the robotics workstation and will be on duty Monday monitoring Cygnus’ approach and rendezvous. Controllers on the ground will take over robotics duties after Cygnus is captured and remotely install the U.S. cargo craft to the Unity module’s Earth-facing port where it will stay for just over three months.

Image above: Antares rocket carrying U.S. Cygnus space freighter on the launch-pad. Image Credit: Northrop Grumman.

The station’s other three astronauts focused on ongoing equipment servicing and microgravity science in the midst of this week’s cargo activities. NASA Flight Engineers Mark Vande Hei and Thomas Marshburn wrapped up the cooling component work on the COLBERT treadmill in the Tranquility module. Marshburn also set up an Astrobee robotic free-flyer with a smart phone video guidance sensor being tested remotely by controllers on Earth. ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Matthias Maurer swapped hardware inside the waste and hygiene compartment, the station’s restroom, before computer operations on human research gear.

Related articles:

Russian Cargo Craft Blasts off to Resupply Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/02/russian-cargo-craft-blasts-off-to.html

Join the NG CRS-17 Virtual NASA Social to Experience the Cargo Launch from Wallops
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/join-the-ng-crs-17-virtual-nasa-social-to-experience-the-cargo-launch-from-wallops

Related links:

Expedition 66: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition66/index.html

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

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

Unity module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/unity

COLBERT treadmill: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7587

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

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

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/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Fighting Fire with Fire: New Space Station Experiments Study Flames in Space

 

ISS - Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction (SoFIE) patch.

Feb 16, 2022

Americans can feel safer in their homes now than decades ago thanks to studies and standards that have removed highly flammable materials in clothing, beds, and furniture. NASA relies on similar studies and standards to protect astronauts when selecting materials for spacesuits and spacecraft.

But fire behaves differently in space. Changes in gravity and air flow can alter the way it spreads and make it harder to extinguish. So, how do engineers design fire safe homes for the Moon, where only 12 people have walked, or Mars, where no human has even visited? How do they study flammability in these little-known environments?

Image above: To demonstrate flame growth, decay, and extinction in space, a preliminary test called Burning and Suppression of Solids (BASS) burned a synthetic resin on the space station several years ago. The top row shows the flame growing, while the bottom row shows it going out. Image Credit: NASA.

The Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction (SoFIE) project, a set of experiments launching aboard Northrop Grumman’s 17th cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station, could light the way to a deeper understanding of fire in space. SoFIE will run in the station’s Combustion Integrated Rack, which features a chamber where experiments can burn safely.

“With NASA planning outposts on other planetary bodies like the Moon and Mars, we need to be able to live there with minimal risk,” said Paul Ferkul, SoFIE project scientist at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland. “Understanding how flames spread and how materials burn in different environments is crucial for the safety of future astronauts.”

SoFIE will help NASA select materials and designs for spacesuits, cabins, and habitats. The experiments also will help NASA identify the best ways to put out fires or smoldering materials in space as it prepares to go farther and stay longer.

"On Earth, gravity has a profound influence on flames, but in the reduced gravity of space, fire can behave unexpectedly and could be more hazardous,” Ferkul said.

Image above: NASA astronaut and Expedition 66 Flight Engineer Thomas Marshburn configures the Combustion Integrated Rack to begin SoFIE operations. Image Credit: NASA.

The station’s unique microgravity environment enables scientists to study the true nature of flames isolated and unaltered by gravity. The resulting data, which could never be collected on Earth, can then be applied to mathematical models that predict how those materials would burn in lunar, Martian, or other environments.

“SoFIE builds on NASA’s prior flammability research,” said Lauren Brown, a project manager at Glenn. “Like other flame studies, this research will home in on how things ignite, burn, and are extinguished in space. It will provide a foundation for continuing human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit.”

SoFIE consists of five investigations to study the flammability of plexiglass, cotton-based fabrics, and other materials commonly used in spaceflight.

The Five Experiments

- Residence Time Driven Flame Spread will investigate steady and unsteady flame spread using thin spaceflight materials. Varying the thickness of the test materials helps scientists understand when a fire will grow or go out.

- Narrow Channel Apparatus will measure flame spread across thick, flat surfaces and compare the results with those from a device used on Earth to test the flammability of spaceflight materials.

- Growth and Extinction Limit will concentrate on the flame growth, decay, and extinction over the surface of a solid sphere. This will improve understanding of how thick and round materials heat inside and how the air flow around a sphere affects flame spread.

- Material Ignition and Suppression Test consists of a small combustion wind tunnel, a cylindrical material sample, radiant heaters, an igniter, and supporting instrumentation.

- Spacecraft Materials Microgravity Research on Flammability will correlate Earth gravity flammability test data with data under ventilated microgravity conditions.

Although SoFIE’s purpose is to study spacecraft fire safety, data from the experiments could help improve fire safety on Earth. The data will add to the existing body of knowledge that could improve screening tests to evaluate fire-safe materials for the home, office, aircraft, or other uses.

NASA plans to operate SoFIE until November 2025 and may accept proposals for additional experiments during that time.

The Biological and Physical Sciences Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate provides funding for SoFIE and related investigations.

Related links:

Solid Fuel Ignition and Extinction (SoFIE): https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/space/iss-research/iss-fcf/cir/sofie/

Combustion Integrated Rack: https://www1.grc.nasa.gov/space/iss-research/iss-fcf/cir/

NASA’s Glenn Research Center: https://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/home/index.html

Biological and Physical Sciences: https://science.nasa.gov/biological-physical

Future Human Spaceflight: https://www.nasa.gov/subject/3204/future-human-spaceflight

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/Kelly Sands/Glenn Research Center/Mike Gianonne.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Supermassive black hole caught hiding in a ring of cosmic dust

 

ESO - European Southern Observatory logo.

Feb 16, 2022

Galaxy Messier 77 and close-up view of its active centre

The European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer (ESO’s VLTI) has observed a cloud of cosmic dust at the centre of the galaxy Messier 77 that is hiding a supermassive black hole. The findings have confirmed predictions made around 30 years ago and are giving astronomers new insight into “active galactic nuclei”, some of the brightest and most enigmatic objects in the universe.

Active galactic nuclei (AGNs) are extremely energetic sources powered by supermassive black holes and found at the centre of some galaxies. These black holes feed on large volumes of cosmic dust and gas. Before it is eaten up, this material spirals towards the black hole and huge amounts of energy are released in the process, often outshining all the stars in the galaxy.

A close-up view of Messier 77’s active galactic nucleus

Astronomers have been curious about AGNs ever since they first spotted these bright objects in the 1950s. Now, thanks to ESO’s VLTI, a team of researchers, led by Violeta Gámez Rosas from Leiden University in the Netherlands, have taken a key step towards understanding how they work and what they look like up close. The results are published today in Nature.

By making extraordinarily detailed observations of the centre of the galaxy Messier 77, also known as NGC 1068, Gámez Rosas and her team detected a thick ring of cosmic dust and gas hiding a supermassive black hole. This discovery provides vital evidence to support a 30-year-old theory known as the Unified Model of AGNs.

Dazzling galaxy Messier 77

Astronomers know there are different types of AGN. For example, some release bursts of radio waves while others don’t; certain AGNs shine brightly in visible light, while others, like Messier 77, are more subdued. The Unified Model states that despite their differences, all AGNs have the same basic structure: a supermassive black hole surrounded by a thick ring of dust.

According to this model, any difference in appearance between AGNs results from the orientation at which we view the black hole and its thick ring from Earth. The type of AGN we see depends on how much the ring obscures the black hole from our view point, completely hiding it in some cases.

Artist’s impression of the active galactic nucleus of Messier 77

Astronomers had found some evidence to support the Unified Model before, including spotting warm dust at the centre of Messier 77. However, doubts remained about whether this dust could completely hide a black hole and hence explain why this AGN shines less brightly in visible light than others.

“The real nature of the dust clouds and their role in both feeding the black hole and determining how it looks when viewed from Earth have been central questions in AGN studies over the last three decades,” explains Gámez Rosas. “Whilst no single result will settle all the questions we have, we have taken a major step in understanding how AGNs work.”

The active galaxy Messier 77 in the constellation of Cetus

The observations were made possible thanks to the Multi AperTure mid-Infrared SpectroScopic Experiment (MATISSE) mounted on ESO’s VLTI, located in Chile’s Atacama Desert. MATISSE combined infrared light collected by all four 8.2-metre telescopes of ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) using a technique called interferometry. The team used MATISSE to scan the centre of Messier 77, located 47 million light-years away in the constellation Cetus.

“MATISSE can see a broad range of infrared wavelengths, which lets us see through the dust and accurately measure temperatures. Because the VLTI is in fact a very large interferometer, we have the resolution to see what’s going on even in galaxies as far away as Messier 77. The images we obtained detail the changes in temperature and absorption of the dust clouds around the black hole,” says co-author Walter Jaffe, a professor at Leiden University.

Wide-field image of the sky around Messier 77

Combining the changes in dust temperature (from around room temperature to about 1200 °C) caused by the intense radiation from the black hole with the absorption maps, the team built up a detailed picture of the dust and pinpointed where the black hole must lie. The dust — in a thick inner ring and a more extended disc — with the black hole positioned at its centre supports the Unified Model. The team also used data from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, co-owned by ESO, and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory’s Very Long Baseline Array to construct their picture.

“Our results should lead to a better understanding of the inner workings of AGNs,” concludes Gámez Rosas. “They could also help us better understand the history of the Milky Way, which harbours a supermassive black hole at its centre that may have been active in the past.”

Artist’s animation of the active galactic nucleus of Messier 77

The researchers are now looking to use ESO’s VLTI to find more supporting evidence of the Unified Model of AGNs by considering a larger sample of galaxies.

Team member Bruno Lopez, the MATISSE Principal Investigator at the Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur in Nice, France, says: “Messier 77 is an important prototype AGN and a wonderful motivation to expand our observing programme and to optimise MATISSE to tackle a wider sample of AGNs."

The Unified Model of active galactic nuclei

ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), set to begin observing later this decade, will also aid the search, providing results that will complement the team’s findings and allow them to explore the interaction between AGNs and galaxies.

More information:

This research was presented in the paper “Thermal imaging of dust hiding the black hole in the Active Galaxy NGC 1068” (doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-04311-7) to appear in Nature.

The team is composed of Violeta Gámez Rosas (Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, Netherlands [Leiden]), Jacob W. Isbell (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Heidelberg, Germany [MPIA]), Walter Jaffe (Leiden), Romain G. Petrov (Université Côte d’Azur, Observatoire de la Côte d’Azur, CNRS, Laboratoire Lagrange, France [OCA]), James H. Leftley (OCA), Karl-Heinz Hofmann (Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, Bonn, Germany [MPIfR]), Florentin Millour (OCA), Leonard Burtscher (Leiden), Klaus Meisenheimer (MPIA), Anthony Meilland (OCA), Laurens B. F. M. Waters (Department of Astrophysics/IMAPP, Radboud University, the Netherlands; SRON, Netherlands Institute for Space Research, the Netherlands), Bruno Lopez (OCA), Stéphane Lagarde (OCA), Gerd Weigelt (MPIfR), Philippe Berio (OCA), Fatme Allouche (OCA), Sylvie Robbe-Dubois (OCA), Pierre Cruzalèbes (OCA), Felix Bettonvil (ASTRON, Dwingeloo, the Netherlands [ASTRON]), Thomas Henning (MPIA), Jean-Charles Augereau (Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Institute for Planetary sciences and Astrophysics, France [IPAG]), Pierre Antonelli (OCA), Udo Beckmann (MPIfR), Roy van Boekel (MPIA), Philippe Bendjoya (OCA), William C. Danchi (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, USA), Carsten Dominik (Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands [API]), Julien Drevon (OCA), Jack F. Gallimore (Department of Physics and Astronomy, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA), Uwe Graser (MPIA), Matthias Heininger (MPIfR), Vincent Hocdé (OCA), Michiel Hogerheijde (Leiden; API), Josef Hron (Department of Astrophysics, University of Vienna, Austria), Caterina M.V. Impellizzeri (Leiden), Lucia Klarmann (MPIA), Elena Kokoulina (OCA), Lucas Labadie (1st Institute of Physics, University of Cologne, Germany), Michael Lehmitz (MPIA), Alexis Matter (OCA), Claudia Paladini (European Southern Observatory, Santiago, Chile [ESO-Chile]), Eric Pantin (Centre d'Etudes de Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France), Jörg-Uwe Pott (MPIA), Dieter Schertl (MPIfR), Anthony Soulain (Sydney Institute for Astronomy, University of Sydney, Australia [SIfA]), Philippe Stee (OCA), Konrad Tristram (ESO-Chile), Jozsef Varga (Leiden), Julien Woillez (European Southern Observatory, Garching bei München, Germany [ESO]), Sebastian Wolf (Institute for Theoretical Physics and Astrophysics, University of Kiel, Germany), Gideon Yoffe (MPIA), and Gerard Zins (ESO-Chile).

MATISSE was designed, funded and built in close collaboration with ESO, by a consortium composed of institutes in France (J.-L. Lagrange Laboratory — INSU-CNRS — Côte d’Azur Observatory — University of Nice Sophia-Antipolis), Germany (MPIA, MPIfR and University of Kiel), the Netherlands (NOVA and University of Leiden), and Austria (University of Vienna). The Konkoly Observatory and Cologne University have also provided some support in the manufacture of the instrument.

The European Southern Observatory (ESO) enables scientists worldwide to discover the secrets of the Universe for the benefit of all. We design, build and operate world-class observatories on the ground — which astronomers use to tackle exciting questions and spread the fascination of astronomy — and promote international collaboration in astronomy. Established as an intergovernmental organisation in 1962, today ESO is supported by 16 Member States (Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom), along with the host state of Chile and with Australia as a Strategic Partner. ESO’s headquarters and its visitor centre and planetarium, the ESO Supernova, are located close to Munich in Germany, while the Chilean Atacama Desert, a marvellous place with unique conditions to observe the sky, hosts our telescopes. ESO operates three observing sites: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its Very Large Telescope Interferometer, as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. Also at Paranal ESO will host and operate the Cherenkov Telescope Array South, the world’s largest and most sensitive gamma-ray observatory. Together with international partners, ESO operates APEX and ALMA on Chajnantor, two facilities that observe the skies in the millimetre and submillimetre range. At Cerro Armazones, near Paranal, we are building “the world’s biggest eye on the sky” — ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope. From our offices in Santiago, Chile we support our operations in the country and engage with Chilean partners and society.

Links:

Uncovering a Black Hole in an Immense Dust Cloud (ESOcast 251 Light)
https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso2203a/

Research paper: https://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso2203/eso2203a.pdf

Photos of the VLT/VLTI: http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/category/paranal/

For journalists: subscribe to receive our releases under embargo in your language: https://www.eso.org/public/outreach/pressmedia/#epodpress_form

For scientists: got a story? Pitch your research: http://www.eso.org/sci/publications/announcements/sciann17463.html

ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (ELT): https://elt.eso.org/

Images Credits: ESO/Jaffe, Gámez-Rosas et al./ESO/M. Kornmesser and L. Calçada/ESO, IAU and Sky & Telescope/NASA/ESA, Digitized Sky Survey 2/Videos Credits: ESO/M. Kornmesser and L. Calçada and M. Kornmesser/Text, Credits: ESO/Bárbara Ferreira/MATISSE Project Scientist, Observatoire de la Côte d’ Azur, Nice/Romain Petrov/MATISSE Principal Investigator/Bruno Lopez/Leiden University/Walter Jaffe/Violeta Gámez Rosas.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Vein, Eye Scans as Russian Cargo Mission Orbits Toward Station

 

ISS - Expedition 66 Mission patch.

Feb 15, 2022

Vein scans and hardware maintenance kept the Expedition 66 crew busy on Tuesday aboard the International Space Station. Meanwhile, Russia’s 80th space station cargo mission is orbiting Earth and on schedule to arrive at the orbiting lab early Thursday.

Three astronauts were scheduled on Tuesday afternoon for a series of vein and eye scans with doctors on the ground monitoring in real time. The station trio from NASA and ESA (European Space Agency) gathered inside the Columbus laboratory module and used the Ultrasound 2 device to image each other’s neck, shoulder, and leg veins. NASA astronauts Mark Vande Hei and Thomas Marshburn kicked off the biomedical work Tuesday afternoon. German astronaut Matthias Maurer joined them afterward wrapping up the vein and eye examinations. Doctors uses the data to understand how living in microgravity affects the human body.

Image above: From left, NASA’s Expedition 66 Flight Engineers Thomas Marshburn, Raja Chari and Mark Vande Hei pose for a portrait inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module. Image Credit: NASA.

Marshburn and Maurer had joined each other earlier in the day for maintenance on the COLBERT treadmill in the Tranquility module. Maurer began the work before lunchtime repairing cooling components on the exercise device. Marshburn followed up in the afternoon temporarily stowing the workout gear ahead of more work planned for the 11-year-old treadmill.

NASA Flight Engineers Kayla Barron and Raja Chari split their day working on satellite hardware and life support gear. Barron spent Tuesday morning in the Kibo laboratory module uninstalling the small satellite orbital deployer. Its most recent deployment was a series of scientific and educational CubeSats delivered on the last SpaceX Cargo Dragon mission. Chari spent part of his day removing air and flushing the station’s water recovery system.

International Space Station (ISS). Animation Credit: NASA

Nearly three tons of food, fuel, and supplies aboard the ISS Progress 80 cargo craft successfully reached orbit late Monday after its liftoff from Kazakhstan on Monday at 11:25 p.m. EST. Cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Pyotr Dubrov will be on duty monitoring the Russian resupply ship when it automatically docks to the Poisk module on Thursday at 2:06 a.m. EST.

Shkaplerov cleaned Poisk on Tuesday morning making space to begin cargo transfers after the Progress 80’s arrival. The station commander from Roscosmos later joined Dubrov for an ongoing study that explores ways to pilot future spacecraft and robots on planetary missions.

Related article:

Russian Cargo Craft Blasts off to Resupply Station
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2022/02/russian-cargo-craft-blasts-off-to.html

Related links:

Expedition 66: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition66/index.html

Columbus laboratory module: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/structure/elements/europe-columbus-laboratory

Ultrasound 2: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=736

COLBERT treadmill: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7587

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

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

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

Pilot future spacecraft and robots: https://www.energia.ru/en/iss/researches/human/24.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

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

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

How light is a neutrino? The answer is closer than ever

 

Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) logo.

Feb 15, 2022

Latest effort to weigh the elusive particle produces a more precise estimate of its upper limit.

Image above: The Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment has produced the most precise measurement of the neutrino’s mass yet. Image Credit: Markus Breig.

Physicists have taken a step towards nailing down the mass of the neutrino, perhaps the most mysterious of all elementary particles.

The team at the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN) experiment in Germany reports that neutrinos have a maximum mass of 0.8 electron volts. Researchers have long had indirect evidence that the particles should be lighter than 1 eV, but this is the first time that this has been shown in a direct measurement. The results were reported on 14 February in Nature Physics (1).

The previous upper limit of 1.1 eV was reported by KATRIN in 2019 (2). The experiment has so far been able to put only an upper bound on the mass. But researchers say that it might be able to make a definite measurement once it finishes collecting data in 2024, and is the only experiment in the world capable of doing this.

“If the KATRIN experiment was to pinpoint a neutrino mass before reaching their sensitivity goal of 0.2 eV, it would be extremely exciting,” says Julia Harz, a theoretical particle physicist at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. In particular, it could give guidance on how to improve cosmological theories, she adds.

Energetic electrons

KATRIN weighs neutrinos produced by the nuclear decay of tritium, a radioactive isotope of hydrogen. When a tritium nucleus transmutes into a helium one, it ejects an electron and a neutrino (or, more accurately, a particle with an equal mass called an antineutrino). The neutrino is lost, but the electron is channelled into a 23-metre-long, steel vacuum chamber shaped like a Zeppelin airship, where its energy is measured precisely.

Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN)

The electron carries almost all of the energy released during the tritium’s decay, but some is lost with the neutrino. The value of this shortfall can be used to calculate the particle’s mass.

KATRIN’s 2019 results were based on an initial run of the experiment in April and May that year, when the tritium beam was operating at one-quarter of its full strength. The latest result is based on data from the first full-strength run, which took place later in 2019. These data imply an upper bound of 0.9 eV, which goes down to 0.8 eV when combined with the earlier results.

Although the estimate has tightened, it is still not possible to report a lower bound for the neutrino’s mass. The data still do not rule out the possibility that the mass is zero, says KATRIN member Magnus Schlösser, a particle physicist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. But other lines of evidence, in particular from cosmological observations, show that the neutrino cannot be massless.

It is still possible that even after 2024, KATRIN will be unable to measure the neutrino’s minimum mass: if the mass is less than 0.2 eV, it could lie outside the experiment’s sensitivity.

Schlösser compares the quest to the Spanish conquistadors’ search for a mythical city of gold. “It’s like looking for El Dorado,” he says. “You shrink the possibility for where you can find it.”

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00430-x

References:

1. The KATRIN Collaboration. Nature Phys. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-021-01463-1 (2022).

2. Aker, M. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 123, 221802 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1103%2FPhysRevLett.123.221802

Related link:

Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino (KATRIN): https://www.katrin.kit.edu/

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

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

New laser station lights the way to debris reduction

 

ESA - European Space Agency emblem.

Feb 15, 2022

In brief

ESA's Izaña-1 laser ranging station in Tenerife, Spain, has recently undergone months of testing and commissioning, passing its final tests with flying colours. As it reached ‘station acceptance’, it was handed over to ESA from the German company contracted to build it, DiGOS. The station is a technology testbed and a vital first step in making debris mitigation widely accessible to all space actors with a say in the future of our space environment.

In-depth

From satellite tracking to debris

ESA's laser ranging station in Tenerife aims its green laser to the sky

Imagine lasers pointing from Earth into the skies, seeking out satellites and bits of space trash and measuring their positions and trajectories to prevent catastrophic collisions. You don’t have to try too hard – this is very nearly the day-to-day reality at ESA’s new Izaña 1 (IZN-1) laser ranging station in Tenerife, Spain.

IZN-1, developed and now operated by ESA, is a testbed for future technologies and was installed in mid-2021 at the Teide Observatory. The station, telescope and laser have undergone months of testing and commissioning and since July last year have aimed the green beam of concentrated light to the sky to actively detect, track and observe active satellites.

The IZN-1 laser ranging station in Tenerife is the first of its kind

At present, the laser operates at 150mW but it will soon be upgraded so it can also track debris objects with a much more powerful infrared laser with an average power of 50 Watts.

“Currently, only satellites fitted with retroreflectors can be tracked from ESA’s Izaña station, making up just a proportion of the total population,” explains Clemens Heese, Head of Optical Technologies.

ESA's laser focus on space debris

“The station will be upgraded in the next couple of years, enabling it to perform the same vital ranging services with uncooperative targets – vitally, debris objects and older satellites without retroreflecting patches.”

The first of many in Europe

While dozens of laser tracking stations are dotted around Europe, the Izaña station’s dual functionality makes it a first. Built by German company DiGOS, the remotely controlled Izaña station can also be used for optical communications and is intended to become a state-of-the-art, fully autonomous robotic system. It is hoped to be the first of many across the globe.

The technology, relatively new in the history of ground-based observations of space debris, will mean the station can track previously invisible defunct objects lurking above the blue daytime skies.

Collision avoidance: what's the cost?

As ESA’s newest addition to the Space Safety family, Izana-1 provides support for vital collision avoidance and provides a testbed for new sustainable technologies like laser momentum transfer or coordination of space traffic.

Such satellite and debris tracking capability in Europe could contribute to building and accessing a European catalogue of space objects.

Lasers in space. Is that … safe?

But hold on, there are birds, planes, astronauts above us! Doesn’t aiming lasers into the sky come with an unacceptable risk? Fortunately, lasers used for satellite and debris tracking would be a disappointment to any self-respecting Bond villain.

Ultimately, the IZN-1 station will use a power of under 100 Watts, giving the Izaña laser about 1/20th of the energy of an electric kettle.

ESA's laser ranging station in Tenerife shines a light on debris problem

These pinpoint light sources shine short pulses of light at their target, determining the distance, velocity and orbit of each one with millimetre precision, calculated from the time it takes to complete the return journey.

Although such lasers don’t come anywhere close to cutting through, or even nudging (yet) the objects they target, they can damage sensitive optical instruments on satellites and the paths of aircraft must be considered.

IZN-1: ESA's laser focus on the sky

“If lasers strike planes they can be very dangerous, as pilots can become distracted and in worst-case scenarios, lose control,” explains Andrea di Mira, ESA Optoelectronics Engineer.

“We are very, very careful that this does not happen, with a set of sensors scanning the sky for aircraft to ensure our lasers do not get remotely close to them”.

These lasers also have the potential to disrupt telescopes studying the night’s sky. To prevent this, the Laser Traffic Control System (LTCS) was introduced by the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) – much like IZN-1 helps to prevent collisions between objects in orbit, the LTCS software prevents ‘collisions’ between laser light and areas of observation. Additionally, switching to an infrared laser frequency can minimize conflicts with astronomers.

A vital step towards space traffic control

As the era of New Space is now fully underway, large constellations are being launched to the skies consisting of thousands, sometimes tens of thousands of satellites.

Current, costly methods of collision avoidance will be futile as numbers increase and as such the international space community will need to establish a method of space traffic control.

Image above: As part of ESA’s ‘Protect Accelerator’, the Agency is prioritising the protection of space assets from the increasing problem of debris, as well as the effects of extreme solar events; space weather.

For this, precise and rapid determination of the location, velocity and orbit of space objects will be vital, and ESA’s IZN-1 station will provide a much-needed testbed for this technology, far more accurate than current radar methods, to be developed.

Laser focus on the future

In the near future, ESA’s IZN-1 station will be a fully autonomous, highly productive satellite and debris tracking station. It will also be used to test the concept of ‘networked space debris laser ranging’ to build a satellite catalogue.

Operators at ESA's IZN-1 laser ranging station

When it comes to optical communication, it will also be upgraded to receive signals with a very high data rate of 10 gigabits and beyond (adhering to international standards) from satellites in low-Earth orbit 400 km away.

Izaña will then become part of a planned European Optical Nucleus Network, the first operational optical communication ground station service of its kind that will be made available to the wider commercial space community.

The scales of the space debris problem

On top of all this, the station provides an opportunity to test and develop technologies underpinning ‘laser momentum transfer’, in which lasers would not merely shine a light on debris objects but very gently nudge them into new orbits, out of the way of potential collisions and out of the busiest orbital highways.

As IZN-1 is welcomed into to ESA’s Space Safety family, so is a bright future of sustainable technologies, vital for a responsible future in orbit and beyond.

Related links:

Space Debris: https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security/Space_Debris

Safety & Security: https://www.esa.int/Safety_Security

Teide Observatory: https://www.iac.es/en/observatorios-de-canarias/teide-observatory

DiGOS: https://digos.eu/

Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC): https://www.iac.es/

European Optical Nucleus Network: https://artes.esa.int/projects/european-optical-nucleus-network-eonn

Images, Video, Text, Credits: ESA/UNOOSA.

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