Elliptical Elegance

ESO - European Southern Observatory logo.

8 August 2018

Elliptical elegance

A glittering host of galaxies populate this rich image taken with ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope, a state-of-the-art 2.6-m telescope designed for surveying the sky in visible light. The features of the multitude of galaxies strewn across the image allow astronomers to uncover the most delicate details of galactic structure.

Annotated view of the sky surrounding NGC 5018

Whereas ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) can observe very faint astronomical objects in great detail, when astronomers want to understand how the huge variety of galaxies come into being they must turn to a different sort of telescope with a much bigger field of view. The VLT Survey Telescope (VST) is such a telescope. It was designed to explore vast swathes of the pristine Chilean night skies, offering astronomers detailed astronomical surveys of the southern hemisphere.

Wide-field view of the surroundings of NGC 5018

The powerful surveying properties of the VST led an international team of astronomers to conduct the VST Early-type GAlaxy Survey (VEGAS) [1] to examine a collection of elliptical galaxies in the southern hemisphere [2]. Using the sensitive OmegaCAM detector at the heart of the VST [3], a team led by Marilena Spavone from INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte in Naples, Italy, captured images of a wide variety of such galaxies in different environments.

NGC 5018 in the constellation of Virgo

One of these galaxies is NGC 5018, the milky-white galaxy near the centre of this image. It lies in the constellation of Virgo (The Virgin) and may at first resemble nothing but a diffuse blob. But, on closer inspection, a tenuous stream of stars and gas — a tidal tail — can be seen stretching outwards from this elliptical galaxy. Delicate galactic features such as tidal tails and stellar streams are hallmarks of galactic interactions, and provide vital clues to the structure and dynamics of galaxies.

Digitized Sky Survey image around the galaxy NGC 5018 in the constellation of Virgo

As well as the many elliptical (and a few spiral) galaxies in this remarkable 400-megapixel image, a colourful variety of bright foreground stars in our own Milky Way Galaxy also pepper the image. These stellar interlopers, such as the vividly blue HD 114746 near the centre of the image, are not the intended subjects of this astronomical portrait, but happen to lie between the Earth and the distant galaxies under study. Less prominent, but no less fascinating, are the faint tracks left by asteroids in our own Solar System. Just below NGC 5018, the faint streak left by the asteroid 2001 TJ21 (110423) — captured over several successive observations — can be seen stretching across the image. Further to the right, another asteroid  — 2000 WU69 (98603) — left its trace in this spectacular image.

Zooming into NGC 5018

While astronomers set out to investigate the delicate features of distant galaxies millions of light-years from Earth, in the process they also captured images of nearby stars hundreds of light-years away, and even the faint trails of asteroids only light-minutes away in our own Solar System. Even when studying the furthest reaches of the cosmos, the sensitivity of ESO telescopes and dark Chilean skies can offer entrancing observations much closer to home.

Panning across NGC 5018 and its surroundings

Notes:

[1] VEGAS is a deep multi-band imaging survey of early-type galaxies carried out with the VLT Survey Telescope (VST), led by Enrichetta Iodice from INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte in Naples, Italy.

[2] Elliptical galaxies are also known as early-type galaxies, not because of their age, but because they were once thought to evolve into the more familiar spiral galaxies, an idea now known to be false. Early-type galaxies are characterised by a smooth ellipsoidal shape and usually a lack of gas and active star formation. The bewildering diversity of shapes and types of galaxy is classified into the Hubble Sequence.

[3] OmegaCAM is an exquisitely sensitive detector formed of 32 individual charge coupled devices, and it creates images with 256 million pixels, 16 times greater than the ESA/NASA Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). OmegaCAM was designed and built by a consortium including institutes in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy with major contributions from ESO.

More information:

This research was presented in the paper “VEGAS: A VST Early-type GAlaxy Survey. III. Mapping the galaxy structure, interactions and intragroup light in the NGC 5018 group” by Marilena Spavone et al., to appear in the Astrophysical Journal.

The team is composed of Marilena Spavone (INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Naples, Italy), Enrichetta Iodice (INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Naples, Italy), Massimo Capaccioli (University of Naples, Naples, Italy), Daniela Bettoni (INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Italy), Roberto Rampazzo (INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Padova, Italy), Noah Brosch (The Wise Observatory and School of Physics and Astronomy Tel Aviv University, Israel), Michele Cantiello (INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Teramo, Italy), Nicola R. Napolitano (INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Naples, Italy), Luca Limatola (INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Naples, Italy), Aniello Grado (INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Naples, Italy), Pietro Schipani (INAF-Astronomical Observatory of Capodimonte, Naples, Italy).

ESO is the foremost intergovernmental astronomy organisation in Europe and the world’s most productive ground-based astronomical observatory by far. It has 15 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Germany, 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 carries out an ambitious programme focused on the design, construction and operation of powerful ground-based observing facilities enabling astronomers to make important scientific discoveries. ESO also plays a leading role in promoting and organising cooperation in astronomical research. ESO operates three unique world-class observing sites in Chile: La Silla, Paranal and Chajnantor. At Paranal, ESO operates the Very Large Telescope and its world-leading Very Large Telescope Interferometer as well as two survey telescopes, VISTA working in the infrared and the visible-light VLT Survey Telescope. ESO is also a major partner in two facilities on Chajnantor, APEX and ALMA, the largest astronomical project in existence. And on Cerro Armazones, close to Paranal, ESO is building the 39-metre Extremely Large Telescope, the ELT, which will become “the world’s biggest eye on the sky”.

Links:

ESOcast 174 Light: Elliptical Elegance: https://www.eso.org/public/videos/eso1827a/

Research paper: http://www.eso.org/public/archives/releases/sciencepapers/eso1827/eso1827a.pdf

Photos of ESO’s Survey Telescopes: http://www.eso.org/public/images/archive/category/surveytelescopes/

ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT): http://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/

VLT Survey Telescope (VST): https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/surveytelescopes/vst/

OmegaCAM: https://www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/surveytelescopes/vst/camera/

ESA/NASA Hubble Space Telescope: http://www.spacetelescope.org/about/

Images, Text, Credits: ESO/Calum Turner/Mariya Lyubenova/NAF – Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte/Marilena Spavone et al./IAU and Sky & Telescope/Digitized Sky Survey 2. Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin/Videos: ESO/Spavone et al., DSS, N. Risinger (skysurvey.org). Music: Mylonite MRP - Mylonite Recordz/Music: James Creasey.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch

SpaceX - Merah Putih Mission Success

SpaceX - Falcon 9 / Merah Putih Mission patch.

Aug. 7, 2018

Image above: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off at 1:18 a.m. EDT (0518 GMT) Tuesday with the Merah Putih communications satellite. Image Credit: SpaceX.

On Tuesday, August 7th at 1:18 a.m. EDT, Falcon 9 successfully lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida carrying the Merah Putih mission for PT Telkom Indonesia. The satellite was deployed approximately 32 minutes after liftoff into its targeted Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO).

Merah Putih Mission

Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage, which previously flew on the first Block 5 mission in May 2018, successfully landed on SpaceX's “Of Course I Still Love You” droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Merah Putih communications satellite

Merah Putih communications satellite for Telkom Indonesia. Merah Putih, previously known as Telkom 4, will provide C-band telecommunications services over Indonesia and India, replacing the aging Telkom 1 communications craft. The Merah Putih satellite was built by Space Systems/Loral.

For more information about SPaceX. visit: https://www.spacex.com/

Images, Video, Text, Credits: SpaceX/Gunter's Space Page.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Student Games, Navigation Research as Cancer Study Wraps Up

ISS - Expedition 56 Mission patch.

August 7, 2018

The six-member Expedition 56 crew was busy Tuesday juggling science hardware maintenance and a variety of research work. The orbital residents are also helping students contribute to space research and testing an ancient navigation technique.

Image above: Expedition 56 Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold works with a student-designed experiment using NanoRacks commercial science hardware. The study is researching the impacts of microgravity on tissue regeneration, concrete properties, antibiotics, and growth of plant, fungi, and bacteria. The research introduces students to the principles of space science. Image Credit: NASA.

A cancer study wrapped up last week and astronaut Serena Auñón-Chancellor stowed the life science gear today used during operations inside the Microgravity Science Glovebox. The AngieX Cancer Therapy experiment looked at endothelial cells as a potential test model for developing safer and more effective vascular-targeted drugs. The research samples were sent back to Earth Friday inside the SpaceX Dragon cargo craft for scientific analysis.

Commander Drew Feustel and Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold are getting a pair of tiny satellites, known as SPHERES, ready for a student competition. Middle school students in the United States are competing to write the best algorithms that will operate the SPHERES simulating a mission on Saturn’s moon Enceladus.

Image above: Flying over North Pacific Ocean, seen by EarthCam on ISS, speed: 27'625 Km/h, altitude: 402,17 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 August 7, 2018 at 20:14 UTC. Image Credits: Orbiter.ch Aerospace/Roland Berga.

German astronaut Alexander Gerst of ESA (European Space Agency) explored using a sextant with star maps as an emergency form of navigation in space. The study will provide insights that mission planners will use on future Orion spaceflight missions farther away from Earth.

Related links:

AngieX Cancer Therapy: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7502

SPHERES: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=679

Sextant: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7646

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

SpaceX Dragon: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/us-cargo-ship-departs-international-space-station-with-critical-scientific-research

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’s Planet-Hunting TESS Catches a Comet Before Starting Science

NASA - TESS Mission logo.

Aug. 7, 2018

Before NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) started science operations on July 25, 2018, the planet hunter sent back a stunning sequence of serendipitous images showing the motion of a comet. Taken over the course of 17 hours on July 25, these TESS images helped demonstrate the satellite’s ability to collect a prolonged set of stable periodic images covering a broad region of the sky — all critical factors in finding transiting planets orbiting nearby stars.

Over the course of these tests, TESS took images of C/2018 N1, a comet discovered by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) satellite on June 29. The comet, located about 29 million miles (48 million kilometers) from Earth in the southern constellation Piscis Austrinus, is seen to move across the frame from right to left as it orbits the Sun. The comet’s tail, which consists of gases carried away from the comet by an outflow from the Sun called the solar wind, extends to the top of the frame and gradually pivots as the comet glides across the field of view.

NASA's TESS Catches a Comet

Video above: This video is compiled from a series of images taken on July 25 by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. The angular extent of the widest field of view is six degrees. Visible in the images are the comet C/2018 N1, asteroids, variable stars, asteroids and reflected light from Mars. TESS is expected to find thousands of planets around other nearby stars. Video Credits: Massachusetts Institute of Technology/NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

In addition to the comet, the images reveal a treasure trove of other astronomical activity. The stars appear to shift between white and black as a result of image processing. The shift also highlights variable stars — which change brightness either as a result of pulsation, rapid rotation, or by eclipsing binary neighbors. Asteroids in our solar system appear as small white dots moving across the field of view. Towards the end of the video, one can see a faint broad arc of light moving across the middle section of the frame from left to right. This is stray light from Mars, which is located outside the frame. The images were taken when Mars was at its brightest near opposition, or its closest distance, to Earth.

Animation above: This sequence is compiled from a series of images taken on July 25 by the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. The angular extent of the widest field of view is six degrees. Visible in the images are the comet C/2018 N1, asteroids, variable stars, asteroids and reflected light from Mars. TESS is expected to find thousands of planets around other nearby stars. Animation Credits: Massachusetts Institute of Technology/NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

These images were taken during a short period near the end of the mission’s commissioning phase, prior to the start of science operations. The movie presents just a small fraction of TESS’s active field of view. The team continues to fine-tune the spacecraft’s performance as it searches for distant worlds.

Image above: An artist’s illustration of the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite. Image Credits: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

TESS is a NASA Astrophysics Explorer mission led and operated by MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Dr. George Ricker of MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research serves as principal investigator for the mission. Additional partners include Northrop Grumman, based in Falls Church, Virginia; NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley; the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts; MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts; and the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. More than a dozen universities, research institutes and observatories worldwide are participants in the mission.

TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite): http://www.nasa.gov/tess

Comets: http://www.nasa.gov/comets

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

Animation (mentioned), Video (mentioned), Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Rob Garner/Goddard Space Flight Center/Claire Saravia.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of July 30, 2018

ISS - Expedition 56 Mission patch.

Aug. 6, 2018

In addition to conducting investigations in the fields of human research, technology development, physical science and biology, the crew also prepared for the departure of the SpaceX Dragon capsule. Dragon returned to Earth from the International Space Station Friday, carrying research results and other station materials for analysis.

Image above: The SpaceX Dragon was packed with more than 3,800 pounds of cargo, including a variety of science samples that are being returned to Earth for further analysis. Image Credit: NASA.

Read more details about scientific work last week aboard your orbiting laboratory:

Crew member stores samples to explore changes in vision

More than half of American astronauts experience vision changes and anatomical alterations to parts of their eyes during and after long-duration space flight. It is thought that the headward fluid shift that occurs during space flight leads to increased pressure in the brain, which may push on the back of the eye, causing it to change shape. The Fluid Shifts investigation measures how much fluid shifts from the lower body to the upper body, in or out of cells and blood vessels, and determines the impact these shifts have on fluid pressure in the head, changes in vision and eye structures.

Image above: A crew member captured this image of the Mataiva atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago in French Polynesia. Image Credit: NASA.

Last week, NASA astronaut Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor collected saliva, blood, and urine at multiple points during the day and stored them in the Minus Eighty Degree Celsius Laboratory Freezer for ISS (MELFI) for later analysis.

Samplers deployed in station to test for potential hazards

Aerosols are particles suspended in the air, and include soot, dust, pollen and other natural and human-made materials. Aerosols behave differently in microgravity than on Earth, posing potential hazards for crew members breathing the air inside the space station. Aerosol Sampler collects airborne particles in the cabin air and returns them to Earth for analysis using a variety of techniques including light microscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy.

Animation above: NASA astronauts Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor and Drew Feustel pack science samples into a tray for Polar, a cold stowage-managed facility that provides transport and storage of science samples at cryogenic temperatures to and from the station, in preparation for its stowing in Dragon for return to Earth. Animation Credit: NASA.

Last week, aerosol samplers were deployed in Nodes 1 and 3 of the station. By flowing sampled air through a large thermal gradient in a narrow channel, these battery-powered samplers pull in air and collect particles. Data generated by this investigation could be used in the design and selection of particle detectors for future space travel, as long-duration human missions need to be able to monitor aerosol measurements to ensure crew health and comfort.

Chemical Garden investigation initiated

Chemical Gardens form when dissolvable metal salts are placed in an aqueous solution containing anions such as silicate, borate, phosphate, or carbonate. The most common solution used is sodium silicate, and when the two are combined, precipitation structures can form within minutes. The result is a vine-like array of buds, limbs and tubes. Gardens can range in color depending on the chemicals used.

Last week, the crew began operations for the investigation by removing the ampoule kit, breaking the seal between the ampoules and mixing the contents in both.

Learn more about the Chemical Gardens investigation here: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/chemical_gardens_ISS

Investigation studies endothelial cells

Cardiovascular diseases and cancer are the leading causes of death in developed countries. Angiex Cancer Therapy examines whether microgravity-cultured endothelial cells represent a valid in vitro model to test effects of vascular-targeted agents on normal blood vessels. Results may create a model system for designing safer drugs, targeting the vasculature of cancer tumors and helping pharmaceutical companies design safer vascular-targeted drugs.

Space to Ground: From American Soil: 08/03/2018

Last week, crew members performed microscope, sample and therapy operations for the investigation. Auñón-Chancellor observed various cell culture modules with respect to the drug treatment to which they were exposed.

Other work was done on these investigations: CEO, Space Algae, Rodent Research-7, Story Time From Space, Micro-12, Tropical Cyclone, Food Acceptability, SPHERES, Polar, Meteor, MICS, Time Perception, ELF, STAaRS BioScience-9, SCAN Testbed, CASIS PCG-11, Micro-11, Plant Habitat-01, Sally Ride EarthKAM, ACME CLD-Flame, Lighting Effects, BEST, J-SSOD, AstroPi, and BCAT-CS.

Related links:

Fluid Shifts: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1126

MELFI: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=56

Aerosol Sampler: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=2034

Chemical Gardens: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7678

Angiex Cancer Therapy: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7502

CEO: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=84

Space Algae: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7446

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

Story Time From Space: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1152

Micro-11: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1922

Micro-12: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7470

Tropical Cyclone: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1712

Food Acceptability: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7562

SPHERES: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=303

Polar: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=1092

Meteor: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1174

MICS: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7658

Time Perception: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7504

ELF: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=1738

STAaRS BioScience-9: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7783

SCAN Testbed: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=156

CASIS PCG-11: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7631

Plant Habitat-01: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=2032

Sally Ride EarthKAM: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=87

ACME CLD-Flame: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7564

Lighting Effects: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=2013

BEST: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7687

J-SSOD: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Facility.html?#id=883

AstroPi: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7534

BCAT-CS: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7668

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

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

Progress 69 (69P): https://cms.nasa.gov/feature/progress-launches-arrivals-and-departures/

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), Animation (mentioned), Video (NASA), Text, Credits: NASA/Michael Johnson/Yuri Guinart-Ramirez, Lead Increment Scientist Expeditions 55 & 56.

Greetings, Orbiter.ch

Cosmonauts Get Suits Ready for Next Spacewalk as Rest of Crew Relaxes

ISS - Expedition 56 Mission patch.

August 6, 2018

Two Expedition 56 cosmonauts are getting ready for a spacewalk set for next week as the rest of the International Space Station crew took the day off. A Russian cargo craft is also poised to take out the trash and depart the orbital lab at the end of the month.

Cosmonauts Oleg Artemyev and Sergey Prokopyev will put on their Orlan spacesuits and work outside the station’s Russian segment for about seven hours on Aug. 15. The duo will toss tiny satellites into Earth orbit, install antennas and cables on the Zvezda service module and retrieve experiments that analyzed external station surfaces and observed plasma waves.

Image above: Empty Russian Orlan spacesuits are pictured in the Pirs Docking Compartment. Image Credit: NASA.

They spent Monday installing batteries that will power their spacesuits next week for the duration of their spacewalk. Artemyev and Prokopyev also ensured their suits were sized properly and conducted leak checks. Finally, they reviewed the procedures they will use next week when they exit and enter the airlock inside the Pirs docking compartment.

The rest of the crew is relaxing today after an intense week of completing crucial space science and loading the time-sensitive research samples inside the Dragon cargo craft for its return to Earth. Dragon splashed down in the Pacific Ocean Friday and was quickly retrieved so scientists and engineers could begin analyzing the science and refurbishing the station hardware.

Image above: California Fires as Seen From the Space Station (ISS). The Earth, in all its majesty and its tragedy, is the subject of images taken aboard the International Space Station. This image of the Carr and Ferguson fires was captured by European Space Agency astronaut Alexander Gerst (@Astro_Alex), on August 3, 2018, from the station. Image Credits: NASA/Astro_Alex.

The next spacecraft due to leave the station is Russia’s Progress 69 (69P) resupply ship on Aug. 22 packed with trash and discarded gear. It launched Feb. 13 and arrived two days later loaded with over three tons of food, fuel and supplies. The 69P will deorbit on Aug. 29 after a week of engineering tests for a fiery but safe disposal over the Pacific Ocean.

Related links:

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

Progress 69 (69P): https://cms.nasa.gov/feature/progress-launches-arrivals-and-departures/

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

Getting More Out of Microbes: Studying Shewanella in Microgravity

ISS - International Space Station logo.

Aug. 6, 2018

While cities, towns, and spaceships operated entirely from energy generated by microbial sources are still the stuff of science fiction, scientific knowledge needed for such a future can build from studies like the latest microbial investigation to arrive at the International Space Station. An experiment called Investigating the Physiology and Fitness of an Exoelectrogenic Organism under Microgravity Conditions (Micro-12) was delivered to the orbiting laboratory by SpaceX CRS-15. This study advances research for fundamental science and biotechnology applications by testing the performance of an unusual bacterial microorganism known as Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 (Shewanella) in microgravity conditions.

Image above: Shewanella uses nanowires like the ones in the imagery above to seek out metals when oxygen is scarce. Image Credit: NASA.

Normally, living organisms use oxygen to transfer electrons that power their metabolisms. As the name suggests, however, exoelectrogenic organisms can pull from their external surroundings for power. Shewanella uses metals in low or no oxygen environments to create energy for itself – a trait that could come in handy for space travel.

“For human use, Shewanella is ideal for cleaning organic waste and producing electrical power at the same time,” said John Hogan, principal investigator for Micro-12 at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley.

As NASA looks ahead to missions beyond low-Earth orbit, life support and power systems will need to decrease in size while increasing in efficiency to make better use of limited resources. One way to do this is to use waste from one system to power others. Piggybacking off Shewanella’s process could be a step toward closing this loop.

Image above: Shewanella forms colonies as it grows, leading to the development of a thin slime known as a biofilm. Image Credit: NASA.

Reliability, however, is just as important as efficiency when planning for space. While Shewanella’s behavior on Earth is well documented, its reaction to and performance in microgravity is still unknown. To this end, Micro-12 will examine the organism’s use of biofilms, extracellular electron transport, and overall fitness and performance in microgravity.

These biofilms, which appear as a thin, slime-like substance, are critical to the bacteria’s ability to connect and grow. When oxygen is scarce, colonies growing on rocks use nanowires, small appendages from the biofilm, to seek out metal within the rocks and switch to their backup respiration system. Micro-12 tests whether the integrity of the organism’s biofilm is hindered by microgravity.

If the bacteria performs well, Shewanella could provide an answer to the larger search for elegant, self-sustaining waste-to-power systems for exploration vehicles. On Earth, Shewanella is also a strong candidate for energy production systems, especially in waste-rich environments.

How Bacteria That Make Electricity Could Help Us Colonize Mars

“To give you a specific example of how Shewanella could be used, think about wastewater treatment plants,” said Hogan. “There is a lot of energy in the waste from those plants that is just tossed out as sludge. But if electrodes and Shewanella are added as part of the treatment system, the plants could then produce a significant portion of their own electricity.”

Although it is the best known and most studied organism of its kind, Shewanella is not alone. Micro-12 stands to pave the way for many future microgravity studies of similar organisms.

To learn more about the Micro-12 investigation, click here: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/could-electricity-producing-bacteria-help-power-future-space-missions

Related links:

NASA’s Ames Research Center: https://www.nasa.gov/ames

Micro-12: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/experiments/explorer/Investigation.html?#id=7470

SpaceX CRS-15: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/news/SpX-15_Resupply

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), Video (NASA), Text, Credits: NASA/Michael Johnson/JSC/International Space Station Program Science Office/Morgan McAllister.

Best regards, Orbiter.ch