NASA publishes the exact date on which a 50-meter asteroid that will not hit the Earth

 

Asteroid Watch logo.

March 21, 2023

"We have been tracking a new asteroid called 2023 DW that has a very small probability of hitting Earth in 2046." With this message, NASA has warned of the probability of a 50-meter asteroid colliding with the Earth's surface in a few years.

Through a statement, the space agency has announced that if there is an impact, it would happen on February 14, 2046 at 1.8 million kilometers. Today, according to NASA experts, the rocky body is 0.12 astronomical units from our planet, traveling at a speed of 24.63 kilometers per second with respect to the Sun.

Near Earth Asteroid

"When new objects are discovered for the first time, several weeks of data are needed to reduce uncertainties and adequately predict their orbits in the future," they point out in the aforementioned statement from the space agency.

However, and despite the fact that NASA has begun monitoring to control the asteroid and its possible impact against Earth, "the probability of a collision is extremely unlikely and there is no reason for public attention or concern," they indicate from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Editor's note:

Every day, more or less large asteroids pass between the Earth and the Moon. And now that they (the asteroids) are under global surveillance and NASA's DART mission has been a success, we have the possibility of diverting them from their trajectory. As the ESA (European Space Agency) says: dinosaurs had no space agencies.

Related article:

NASA System Predicts Small Asteroid to Pass Close by Earth This Week
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/01/nasa-system-predicts-small-asteroid-to.html

Related links:

NASA's asteroid watch: https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroid-watch

Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS): https://cneos.jpl.nasa.gov/

Minor Planet Center (MPC): https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/

Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO): https://www.nasa.gov/planetarydefense/overview

Eyes on Asteroids: https://eyes.nasa.gov/apps/asteroids/

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

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Crew Spends Day Preparing for New Research and Operations Aboard the Space Station

 

ISS - Expedition 68 Mission patch.

March 20, 2023

Following the arrival of the uncrewed SpaceX CRS-27 resupply vehicle last week, the Expedition 68 crew continues transferring the 6,200 pounds of research hardware and supplies between the International Space Station and the cargo vehicle.

NASA Flight Engineer Frank Rubio spent his day participating in a cell biology experiment and replacing the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device cable arm rope to ensure proper tension in the cable-pulley system. Rope routing is critical for crew members to exercise in space, allowing crew members to experience load or resistance to help maintain muscle strength and mass during long periods in space.

Image above: This view of Mount Shasta in California was photographed from the International Space Station as it orbited 260 miles above on Feb. 12, 2023. Image Credit: NASA.

NASA flight engineers Woody Hoburg and Stephen Bowen and Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi from UAE (United Arab Emirates) inserted ice bricks into the station’s Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory for ISS (MELFI) for temperature conditioning.  MELFI is a cold storage unit that maintains experiment samples at ultra-cold temperatures throughout a mission and supports a wide range of life science experiments by preserving biological samples (such as blood, saliva, urine, microbial or plant samples) collected aboard the space station for later return and analysis back on Earth.

Hoburg installed the Tanpopo-5 hardware and samples onto the slide table in the Japanese Experiment Module airlock. The investigation studies the possibility of the survival and growth of organisms in the space environment and on extraterrestrial planets, such as Mars. Hoburg also performed a hearing test with on-orbit hearing assessment headset and software, and took sound measurements using the acoustic monitor.

Animation above: The last rays of an orbital sunset fade below Earth's horizon in this photograph from the International Space Station as it orbited 269 miles above the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of southern Argentina. Images Credit: NASA/Animation Credit: Orbiter.ch Aerospace.

Alneyadi spent his day wearing the Bio-Monitor garment and headband for a 48-hour session. The instrument is equipped with sensors to measure physiological parameters to assess the effect of space travel on heart health.

Meanwhile, Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin spent their day gathering cargo items to return in the Soyuz MS-22 spacecraft, slated to undock from the station’s Rassvet module on March 28.

Related links:

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

Advanced Resistive Exercise Device: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html#id=973

Minus Eighty Degree Laboratory for ISS (MELFI): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=56

Tanpopo-5: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=8877

Bio-Monitor: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=7392

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/Heidi Lavelle.

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Messier 7

 

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

March 20, 2023

Image above: This Hubble image of M7 captures both visible and infrared wavelengths. Image Credits: NASA, ESA, D. Bennett (University of Maryland), and K. Sahu (STScI); Image Processing: Gladys Kober.

Visible right next to the stinger of the scorpion in the constellation Scorpius, Messier 7 is an easy naked-eye target for stargazers in southern latitudes. The second-century astronomer Claudius Ptolemy first recorded this open star cluster in 130 AD, earning it the nickname Ptolemy's Cluster.

Image above: The smaller, ground-based image (lower left) taken by the European Southern Observatory, illustrates the small area of Messier 7 that Hubble observed. Image Credits: NASA, ESA, D. Bennett (University of Maryland), K. Sahu (STScI), and ESO; Image Processing: Gladys Kober.

Open star clusters contain stars formed from the same initial cloud of gas and dust and are typically irregular in shape. Over time, as open clusters revolve around a galaxy, gravitational disruptions from other cosmic objects can disperse the stars. Ptolemy’s Cluster is one of more than a thousand open clusters in the Milky Way and contains about 80 stars. Residing about 980 light-years from Earth, M7 likely formed about 220 million years ago.

Image above: This star chart for M7 represents the view from mid-northern latitudes for the given month and time. Image Credits: Image courtesy of Stellarium.

Astronomer Charles Messier added the cluster to his catalog in May 1764. M7 is the southernmost Messier object, making it challenging to see for those in northern latitudes. It is located close to Messier 6, the Butterfly Cluster, and both can be spotted without binoculars or small spotting telescopes. Both M7 and M6 are best viewed from the northern hemisphere around 10 p.m. in July, when the Scorpio constellation is highest in the sky.

Related links:

Stellarium Astronomy Software (free): https://stellarium.org/

Previous Object: Messier 5: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/messier-5

Next: Messier 8 (The Lagoon Nebula): https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/messier-8-the-lagoon-nebula

Back to Hubble's Messier Catalog: https://www.nasa.gov/content/goddard/hubble-s-messier-catalog#grid

Hubble Space Telescope (HST): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/hubble/main/index.html

Images (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Andrea Gianopoulos.

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NASA Connects All Major Structures of Artemis II Moon Rocket Core Stage

 

NASA - ARTEMIS Program logo.

Mar 20, 2023

Teams at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans have fully integrated all five major structures of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s core stage for Artemis II, the first crewed Artemis mission that will send four astronauts around the Moon and return them home. Technicians joined the engine section to the rest of the rocket stage March 17. Next, teams will integrate the four RS-25 engines to the engine section to complete the stage.

Located at the bottom of the 212-foot-tall core stage, the engine section is the most complex and intricate part of the rocket stage, helping to power Artemis missions to the Moon. In addition to its miles of cabling and hundreds of sensors, the engine section is a crucial attachment point for the RS-25 engines and two solid rocket boosters that produce a combined 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff. It houses the engines and includes vital systems for mounting, controlling, and delivering fuel from the propellant tanks to the engines.

The core stage for Artemis II is built, outfitted, and assembled at Michoud. Through Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone for astronauts on the way to Mars.

Related links:

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

Artemis II: http://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii

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

Moon to Mars: https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars/

Image Credits: NASA/Michael DeMocker/Text Credits: NASA/Lee Mohon.

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Ingenuity helicopter flies 48th flight on Mars

 

NASA - Ingenuity Mars Helicopter logo.

March 20, 2023

The 48th flight of Ingenuity was aimed at repositioning the helicopter and imaging science targets along the way.

Animation above: Data provided by the helicopter will help the Perseverance team. Animation Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS.

In Short

- NASA has extended the operation of the Ingenuity helicopter

- The little helicopter has completed 48 flights on Mars

- Flight on Mars is challenging because Red Planet has significantly lower gravity

It was on April 19, 2021, when the air on the surface of Mars was suddenly disturbed, and four rotors began hovering air amidst them as Ingenuity rose from the surface for its maiden flight. In the two years since that maiden flight, the little helicopter has completed 48 such flights.

Flight 48 – By the Numbers

- Flight: 48
- Flight date:  No earlier than 03/18/2023
- Horizontal flight distance: 1,271.7 feet (387.6 meters)
- Flight time:  142.36 seconds
- Flight altitude: 40 feet (12 meters)
- Heading: Northwest
- Flight speed: 10.4 mph (4.65  meters per second)  
- Goal of flight: Reposition of the helicopter and image science targets along the way

During its 48th flight on Mars, the helicopter travel-led nearly 387 meters, climbing to an altitude of 12 meters above the surface of the Red Planet. The flight was captured by the Perseverance rover, which dropped it on the surface of Mars two years ago. The helicopter flew at a speed of 4.65 -meters per second.

"Ingenuity is well beyond its “warranty” at this point, but has been zipping along with me, keeping up for as long as it can as we move together uphill," the Perseverance rover tweeted with a video showing the helicopter traversing in the air above the surface of Red Planet.

 

Video above: Perseverance's Mastcam-Z Views Ingenuity's 47th Takeoff: NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter is seen here at the starting point of its 47th flight on Mars. Video Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS.

The 48th flight was aimed at repositioning the helicopter and imaging science targets along the way.

NASA had extended the operation of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars as it entered into a science campaign with the Perseverance rover, where it will support the Perseverance rover, trundling on the surface. In its science operations, Perseverance is trying to look for evidence of ancient microbial life in the inhospitable terrain.

Animation above: Ingenuity Mars Helicopter testing its rotors. Animation Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS.

Data provided by the helicopter will help the Perseverance team assess potential science targets and help in imaging geologic features too far afield (or outside of the rover’s traversable zone).

Flight on Mars is challenging because the Red Planet has a significantly lower gravity one-third that of Earth’s and an extremely thin atmosphere with only 1 per cent of the pressure at the surface compared to our planet.

Image above: Ingenuity Mars Helicopter landed on Mars. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

More About Ingenuity

The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages the project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley and NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity’s development. AeroVironment Inc., Qualcomm, and SolAero also provided design assistance and major vehicle components. Lockheed Space designed and manufactured the Mars Helicopter Delivery System.

Related link:

Ingenuity Mars Helicopter: https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter/

Image (mentioned), Animations (mentioned), Video (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

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Canada: Schoolchildren saved the lives of future astronauts

 

Cubes In Space logo.

March 19, 2023

A class of gifted people discovered that the Epipen used in case of allergy turned into a dangerous poison once in space and NASA did not know it.

Image above: Very effective against anaphylactic shock on Earth. the Epipen is unusable in space. Image Credit: Getty Images.

You can't think of everything before a space mission, but you should. Thus, NASA had never considered whether the Epipen could be safely used on board a space vehicle. This adrenaline auto-injector is used on earth in case of anaphylactic shock due to an allergic reaction. It can therefore be part of the first aid kit if an astronaut has an allergy.

Students at an elementary school in Ottawa, Canada, part of a program for gifted learners, wondered. And their proposal was selected by NASA to be included among the experiments of the Cubes in Space program. The latter allows schoolchildren to carry out tests in space, by embedding their experiments in satellite cubes.

The students therefore placed in two cubes, one embarked on a rocket, the other on a space balloon, a sample of pure epinephrine (the basic substance used in Epipen) and a solution found in these syringes. Analyzed on their return to earth, these substances showed astonishing modifications.

Mutated to benzoic acid

While 87% of the epinephrine was still pure, 13% had transformed into highly toxic benzoic acid derivatives. As for the Epipen solution, it no longer contained any trace of epinephrine, as noted by ZME Science. This means that an astronaut unaware of this and victim of an anaphylactic shock would not have been treated by an injection of Epipen, or even would have even been poisoned. These transformations are undoubtedly the result of the exposure of products to space radiation.

The students are now working on the sequel, that is to say finding a capsule that would allow the Epipen not to transform in space. Otherwise, you will have to find another product for allergic shocks.

Related links:

Cubes in Space: https://www.cubesinspace.com/

ZME Science: https://www.zmescience.com/science/news-science/school-kids-show-nasa-how-life-saving-epipens-become-poison-guns-in-space/

Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: ATS/Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

Chinese scientists hold out hope for silent Zhurong Mars rover

 

CNSA - Tianwen-1 (天問-1) Mission to Mars logo.

March 19, 2023

The approaching Martian summer could bring new life to the mission.

Image above:  A selfie taken by China's Zhurong Mars rover during the Tianwen-1 mission.  Image Credits: CNSA/China News Service.

China's Mars rover may be stuck, but scientists using data from the mission are still hopeful that the vehicle can reactivate and explore once more.

Zhurong, which is part of China's Tianwen 1 Mars mission, landed in Utopia Planitia in May 2021. The rover entered a dormant mode in May 2022, effectively allowing it to hibernate during winter in the planet's northern hemisphere.

It was supposed to autonomously resume activities in December last year, around the time of Mars' northern spring equinox, when temperatures and lighting conditions were more favorable for the solar-powered vehicle. That has not happened.

However, Yi Xu, an associate professor at the Space Science Institute at Macau University of Science and Technology, told (opens in new tab) VICE World News that there may still be hope for Zhurong.

China has not commented on the status of Zhurong, but images from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) prove the rover has remained stationary for a while.

The MRO images show that "it's covered by the sand and the dust, so it definitely hurts its ability to transform sunlight to electricity," Xu said.

"We have to wait, because now it's spring, and later, that'd be the summer season on Mars. Then it should receive more sunlight and the temperature also increases," Yi said. "When the battery is fully charged, then the rover or the instrument may operate again."

China's Mars rover Zhurong remains powered amid sun transit. Video Credit: CGTN

Zhurong has active means of cleaning its solar arrays, but its period of inactivity in an area prone to dust storms has apparently impacted its ability to generate electricity and retain heat. Zhurong does not have a radioisotope heater unit, like other rovers including China's Yutu moon explorers, but instead has a pair of "windows" allowing a chemical called n-undecane to store heat energy.

The rover was expected to wake up autonomously when two conditions are met. These are key components reaching a temperature of greater than 5 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 15 degrees Celsius) and energy generation of greater than 140 watts.

Xu is a co-author of a recent paper that used data from Zhurong's ground-penetrating radar to build a picture of the layers immediately below the Martian surface and reveal complex layering.

Whether or not Zhurong rises again, the mission already exceeded its planned lifetime of three Earth months. The rover has also, like its companion Tianwen 1 orbiter, completed its primary science goals.

Related articles:

NASA Mars orbiter reveals China’s Zhurong rover has not moved for months
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/02/nasa-mars-orbiter-reveals-chinas.html

China silent on fate of Zhurong Mars rover on 2nd anniversary of Tianwen-1 mission
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/02/china-silent-on-fate-of-zhurong-mars.html

What’s happened to China’s first Mars rover?
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/01/whats-happened-to-chinas-first-mars.html

China’s Tianwen-1 Mars orbiter and rover appear to be in trouble
https://orbiterchspacenews.blogspot.com/2023/01/chinas-tianwen-1-mars-orbiter-and-rover.html

Related link:

China National Space Administration (CNSA): http://www.cnsa.gov.cn/

Image (mentioned), Video (mentioned), Text, Credits: CNSA/Space.com/By Andrew Jones.

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