NASA’s Mars helicopter back in the air after a long break | Digital Trends

techDecember 5, 2023 FranklinWilbur

NASA’s Mars helicopter, Ingenuity, has taken to the skies again following a month-long break in communications with Earth.

The drone-like flying machine flew for 393 meters and stayed in the air for more than two minutes. Showing no signs of trouble following its extended period on the ground, the helicopter also reached an altitude of 39 feet (11.9 meters) and hit a top speed of 11.9 mph (5,4 meters per second).

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which operates Ingenuity, revealed news of the aircraft’s 67th flight in a post on social media:

The suspension of flights was due to a break in communications between the Ingenuity team and the helicopter, caused by the sun coming between Earth and Mars.

The so-called “solar conjunction” happens every couple of years, and so this is the second time for it to affect NASA’s latest Mars mission, which also includes the Perseverance rover. NASA’s other Mars vehicles — the Curiosity rover and three Mars orbiters — have been operation on and near to the planet for much longer and so have experienced multiple solar conjunctions.

Ingenuity has performed way beyond initial expectations since becoming the first aircraft to perform powered, controlled flight on a planet other than Earth in April 2021.

In fact, it’s impressed NASA so much that it wants to design more advanced aircraft for future missions on Mars and other planets.

Ingenuity arrived on Mars as a technology demonstration, but after proving itself, the JPL team deployed it for gathering aerial imagery of the martian surface using the aircraft’s on-board camera. This imagery has been used to help map safe and efficient routes for the ground-based Perseverance rover, an advantage not available to earlier Mars missions such as Curiosity, Spirit, and Opportunity.

Perseverance continues to explore the martian surface for evidence of ancient microbial life, with scientists aiming to send some of the rover’s collections of rock and soil to Earth for closer analysis.

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Animation depicts first launch of Europe’s next-gen rocket | Digital Trends

techDecember 4, 2023 FranklinWilbur

Animation depicts first launch of Europe’s next-gen rocket | Digital Trends

The Ariane 5 rocket flew its last mission in June, leaving Europe without a heavy-lift vehicle to carry spacecraft to orbit.

Its operator, Arianespace, is working on the rocket’s successor, the Ariane 6, and revealed last week that it will take its maiden test flight no earlier than June 15, 2024.

On Sunday, the France-based aerospace company shared an animation (below) showing what a typical launch will look like, including the various phases of flight as the vehicle heads to orbit.

Ariane 6 launch animation

Arianespace is building two versions of the Ariane 6. Ariane 62 will fly with two strap-on boosters while the more powerful Ariane 64 will fly with four.

“At over 60 meters tall, Ariane 6 will weigh almost 900 tons when launched with a full payload — roughly equivalent to one and a half Airbus A380 passenger aircraft,” Arianespace said in comments accompanying the video.

The rocket’s upper stage engine, called Vinci, is fed by liquid hydrogen and oxygen and can be stopped and restarted multiple times, making it ideal for missions in which multiple satellites need to be placed in different orbits.

This will be particularly useful in so-called “rideshare” missions that will allow multiple companies to join a single flight, thereby offering customers a more cost-effective way to deploy small satellites in space.

Following satellite deployment, the Ariane 6’s upper stage will deorbit and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere, ensuring that it doesn’t become hazardous space junk that could otherwise threaten operational satellites in near-Earth orbit.

The development of the Ariane 6 is a mammoth project, involving several hundred companies in 13 European countries, led by prime contractor ArianeGroup.

France’s space agency, CNES, is currently working on the Ariane 6 launch facilities at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, the same site from where the Ariane 5 departed in its final launch five months ago.

In development since 2014, the Ariane 6’s first flight was supposed to take place in 2020, but a number of delays pushed the date to next year.

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Mars Odyssey pulls a sideways maneuver to capture horizon | Digital Trends

techDecember 4, 2023 FranklinWilbur

Mars Odyssey pulls a sideways maneuver to capture horizon | Digital Trends

A new image from a NASA orbiter shows an unusual view of Mars that captures the planet’s horizon complete with clouds. It is similar to the kinds of views of Earth that astronauts get from the International Space Station, showing what Mars would look like if seen from a similar vantage point.

The image was taken by NASA’s Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which has been orbiting the planet since 2001. In its over 20 years of operations, the orbiter made key discoveries, including some of the first detections of subsurface ice on the planet. It has also created a global map of the planet’s surface using its Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) instrument.

This unusual view of the horizon of Mars was captured by NASA’s Odyssey orbiter using its THEMIS camera via an operation that took engineers three months to plan. It’s taken from about 250 miles above the Martian surface – about the same altitude at which the International Space Station orbits Earth. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

“If there were astronauts in orbit over Mars, this is the perspective they would have,” said Jonathon Hill of Arizona State University, operations lead for Odyssey’s THEMIS camera, in a statement. “No Mars spacecraft has ever had this kind of view before.”

The THEMIS instrument is the same one that was used to capture this image from around 250 miles above the planet’s surface. The spacecraft took a series of 10 images that show the planet’s horizon from beneath the cloud layer, which was a difficult feat that took months of planning to achieve. A big challenge for capturing this image was dealing with the THEMIS camera, which is attached to the spacecraft and points straight down toward the surface.

“I think of it as viewing a cross-section, a slice through the atmosphere,” said Jeffrey Plaut, Odyssey’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “There’s a lot of detail you can’t see from above, which is how THEMIS normally makes these measurements.”

To capture a better view of the atmosphere that included layers of clouds and dust, the entire spacecraft needed to roll over onto its side while still keeping its solar panels pointed toward the sun. In order to get into the right position, the spacecraft’s communication antenna had to be pointed away from Earth, so the team was out of communication with the craft throughout the maneuver.

The spacecraft spent an entire orbit rolled onto its side, and during this time it also captured images of one of Mars’ two small moon, Phobos.

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NASA’s skywatching tips for December include a meteor shower | Digital Trends

techDecember 4, 2023 FranklinWilbur

NASA’s skywatching tips for December include a meteor shower | Digital Trends

What’s Up: December 2023 Skywatching Tips from NASA

NASA has shared its top picks for what to look out for in the night sky in the final month of the year.

Highlights include excellent views of the moon with various planets, a chance to see the peak of the Geminid meteor shower, and a rare opportunity to witness an asteroid passing by Earth.

Moon and planets

Check out the crescent moon appearing to get close with the planet Venus and the bright Spica star between December 7 and 10.

A week later, on December 17, you’ll see the moon hanging just below Saturn for the first few hours following sunset. Peering through binoculars will reveal the moon and the planet in the same field of view. At the same time, NASA also suggests trying to spot Saturn’s giant moon Titan as a faint dot just off to the side of Saturn.

On December 21 and 22, the moon appears close to Jupiter, which is easy to spot as it’s one of the brightest planets in the night sky.

Meteor shower

Pexels/Neale LaSalle

Following November’s Leonid meteor shower, this month it’s the turn of the Geminids. Described by NASA as “the year’s most reliable meteor shower,” with skywatchers potentially able to see as many as one meteor every minute.

The Geminids meteor shower peaks on the night of December 13 and the following morning. Viewers in the Northern Hemisphere can look for meteors as early as 9 or 10 p.m. on December 13, with the greatest number of meteors streaking across the sky between midnight and morning twilight.

Southern Hemisphere skywatchers will also have a view of the Geminids, but they’ll appear in the middle of the night and at about a quarter of the rate viewed in the Northern Hemisphere.

Asteroid

Last but not least, December offers a chance to see an asteroid zipping by Earth. NASA said there’s a chance you’ll be able to spot it with the naked eye, though a pair of binoculars or a telescope will offer a much better chance of tracking it down.

This month, asteroid Vesta is viewable from around 10 p.m. nightly, though the best chance to see it will come at around 1 or 2 in the morning when it’ll appear about halfway up the eastern sky, NASA says.

You’ll be able to spot Vesta in between the raised arm of Orion and the leg of Castor in Gemini. Around December 8, Vesta will appear between Betelgeuese and Propus. Watch NASA’s video at the top of this page for more information on how to track down Vesta.

For further help with understanding what you’re looking at in the night sky, be sure to try one of these astronomy apps for iOS and Android.

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Unique star system with six planets in geometric formation | Digital Trends

techDecember 3, 2023 FranklinWilbur

Unique star system with six planets in geometric formation | Digital Trends

Astronomers have discovered a rare star system in which six planets orbit around one star in an elaborate geometrical pattern due to a phenomenon called orbital resonance. Using both NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (CHEOPS), the researchers have built up a picture of the beautiful, but complex HD110067 system, located 100 light-years away.

The six planets of the system orbit in a pattern whereby one planet completes three orbits while another does two, and one completes six orbits while another does one, and another does four orbits while another does three, and so one. The six planets form what is called a “resonant chain” where each is in resonance with the planets next to it.

A rare family of six exoplanets has been unlocked with the help of the European Space Agency’s CHEOPS mission. ESA, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO

It is this chain of resonances that makes the system so unusual. “Amongst the over 5,000 exoplanets discovered orbiting other stars than our sun, resonances are not rare, nor are systems with several planets. What is extremely rare though, is to find systems where the resonances span such a long chain of six planets,” explained one of the researchers, Hugh Osborn of the University of Bern, in a statement.

An astronomical waltz reveals a sextuplet of planets

The planets in this system are all of a type called sub-Neptunes, which are planets smaller than Neptune that are unlike any of the planets in our solar system, but are thought to be some of the most common exoplanets. Planets are thought to often form in resonance, due to the gravitational forces involved, however, this delicate balance is easily thrown out by perturbations such as a passing star or an impact from a large asteroid or comet.

Orbital geometry of HD110067: Tracing a link between two neighbour planets at regular time intervals along their orbits, creates a pattern unique to each couple. The six planets of the HD110067 system together create a mesmerising geometric pattern due to their resonance-chain. — Tracing a link between two neighbor planets at regular time intervals along their orbits, creates a pattern unique to each couple. The six planets of the HD110067 system together create a mesmerizing geometric pattern due to their resonance-chain. CC BY-NC-SA 4.0, Thibaut Roger/NCCR PlanetS

Researchers are keen to investigate systems like HD110067 because it can show what a system might look like if it does not experience any of these dramatic events.

“We think only about 1% of all systems stay in resonance,” said researcher Rafael Luque of the University of Chicago. “It shows us the pristine configuration of a planetary system that has survived untouched.”

The research is presented in the journal Nature.

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Rocky planets could form in extreme radiation environment | Digital Trends

techDecember 3, 2023 FranklinWilbur

Rocky planets could form in extreme radiation environment | Digital Trends

It takes a particular confluence of conditions for rocky planets like Earth to form, as not all stars in the universe are conducive to planet formation. Stars give off ultraviolet light, and the hotter the star burns, the more UV light it gives off. This radiation can be so significant that it prevents planets from forming from nearby dust and gas. However, the James Webb Space Telescope recently investigated a disk around a star thatseems like it could be forming rocky planets, even though nearby massive stars are pumping out huge amounts of radiation.

The disk of material around the star, called a protoplanetary disk, is located in the Lobster Nebula, one of the most extreme environments in our galaxy. This region hosts massive stars that give off so much radiation that they can eat through a disk in as little as a million years, dispersing the material needed for planets to form. But the recently observed disk, named XUE 1, seems to be an exception.

This is an artist’s impression of a young star surrounded by a protoplanetary disk in which planets are forming. ESO

The researchers used James Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) to identify water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, and acetylene in the disk. Those are some of the building blocks for rocky planets and show that the disk is similar to other planet-forming disks, despite the high amount of UV radiation.

“We were surprised and excited because this is the first time that these molecules have been detected under these extreme conditions,” said one of the authors, Lars Cuijpers of Radboud University, in a statement.

The problem for this disk is that there are a number of nearby massive stars, so the disk is being bombarded by UV radiation from several sources. The disk does seem to be a bit smaller than expected, but it still appears that it could be capable of forming rocky planets. That means that rocky planets could form even in very extreme environments, if this particular disk is not an outlier.

“XUE 1 shows us that the conditions to form rocky planets are there, so the next step is to check how common that is,” said lead researcher María Claudia Ramírez-Tannus of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. “We will observe other disks in the same region to determine the frequency with which these conditions can be observed.”

The research is published in The Astrophysical Journal.

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Hubble Space Telescope is in safe mode due to a gyro problem | Digital Trends

techDecember 3, 2023 FranklinWilbur

Hubble Space Telescope is in safe mode due to a gyro problem | Digital Trends

The Hubble Space Telescope has experienced a problem with its hardware and is currently in safe mode, with science operations paused until the fault can be corrected. The problem is with one of the telescope’s three operational gyros, which are used to control the direction in which the telescope points. When a fault like this is detected, the telescope automatically goes into a safe mode in which it performs only essential operations to prevent any damage to its hardware.

“The telescope automatically entered safe mode when one of its three gyroscopes gave faulty readings,” NASA wrote in a statement. “The gyros measure the telescope’s turn rates and are part of the system that determines which direction the telescope is pointed. While in safe mode, science operations are suspended, and the telescope waits for new directions from the ground.”

The telescope went briefly into safe mode on November 19, when the fault was detected, but engineers were able to get it operational again the next day. However, the fault with the gyro persisted, and the same thing happened on November 21 and November 23. Since then, the telescope has stayed in safe mode while the engineers work out how to fix the issue.

Although any problem with the telescope hardware isn’t great, this problem isn’t a threat to the life of the telescope. NASA says that Hubble could operate with just one of its gyros if necessary, though this would require reconfiguration and would be less efficient than using all three of the gyros, so fixing the faulty gyro would be preferable. The gyros were installed in 2009 during a servicing mission, and originally there were six of them. Now, three of them remain operational.

Images of spiral galaxy M100 show the improvement in Hubble’s vision between the Wide Field/Planetary Camera and its replacement instrument, the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2. NASA, STScI

The servicing missions were necessary because when Hubble was launched in 1990, the images that it sent to Earth were blurry due to a tiny flaw in its primary mirror. A series of Space Shuttle missions took astronauts to the telescope between 1993 and 2009, at which times they made adjustments and repairs to keep the telescope operating. Hubble has now been active for over three decades.

Today, December 2, is the 30th anniversary of the first of these servicing mission, when a crew of seven worked to install a new camera and other components that turned Hubble’s images from blurry smears to the beautiful images we still see today.

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NASA astronauts sign their moon rocket | Digital Trends

techNovember 30, 2023 FranklinWilbur

NASA astronauts sign their moon rocket | Digital Trends

It’s surely the least important part of their preparations, but this week the four Artemis II astronauts had the pleasure of signing their names on a section of the launch vehicle that will blast them toward the moon in a year from now.

NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, signed the stage adapter for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, earlier this week.

The stage adapter is the topmost portion of the SLS rocket and sits just below the Orion spacecraft that will carry the four astronauts to within about 80 miles of the lunar surface in what will be the first crewed lunar trip since the Apollo missions five decades ago.

During the Artemis II launch, the stage adapter’s diaphragm will serve as a barrier to prevent harmful gases created during launch from entering the spacecraft.

NASA

In the image above, you can see the precise location of the the “Orion stage adapter” just above the SLS rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage. The adapter is five feet tall and weighs 1,800 pounds, which NASA says makes it the “smallest major element of the SLS rocket.”

As with last year’s Artemis I test mission, the adapter will be jettisoned in the early stages of the mission and will fall back to Earth.

Glover, Wiseman, Koch, and Hansen are now undergoing extensive training for next year’s 10-day mission, which will take them not only right up close to the moon’s surface, but also further from Earth than any human has ever traveled before.

In August, the four astronauts were given their first close look at the actual Orion spacecraft that will be taking them on their epic journey.

A successful mission will pave the way for the first lunar landing since 1972 when NASA plans to put the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface in the Artemis III mission, currently slated for 2025. The long-term goals of the Artemis program include building a moon base for long-duration stays, exploring more of the lunar surface, and using the moon as a launchpad for the first crewed mission to Mars.

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China shows off entirety of new space station for first time | Digital Trends

techNovember 30, 2023 FranklinWilbur

China shows off entirety of new space station for first time | Digital Trends

China’s Tiangong space station shown from above. CMSA

China has released a set of images that show for the first time the entirety of its new Tiangong space station.

Released this week by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), the images were captured from a few hundred meters above the structure by the Shenzhou 16 crew as they left the station to return to Earth at the end of last month.

China's Tiangong space station shown from above. — China’s Tiangong space station shown from above. CMSA

The images show the core Tianhe module at the center and two laboratory modules, Mengtian and Wentian, either side of it. Also visible are the Shenzhou 17 spacecraft and Tianzhou 6 cargo ship that are currently docked with the core module.

The numerous dark rectangles are the solar arrays that help to power the 90-ton Tiangong, which translates as “Heavnely Palace.” The structure bears a strong resemblance to the International Space Station (ISS), though the latter is considerably larger and heavier.

That could change, however, as according to the South China Morning Post, China plans to expand the Tiangong from a three-module, T-shaped facility to a six-module, cross-shaped one.

The first module of the Tiangong station was sent to space in April 2021 and since then China has conducted several additional launches to gradually build it out. It orbits at about 230 miles above Earth, slightly lower than the ISS, which is positioned around 250 miles above our planet.

And just like the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the ISS, Chinese taikonauts staying on the Tiangong facility spend much of their time carrying out scientific research in the unique microgravity conditions.

The Tiangong is part of China’s broader space ambitions, which include a plan to land astronauts on the moon before 2030. It’s already successfully deployed a rover on Mars and brought back a sample of lunar soil from our nearest neighbor.

NASA and its partners are planning to decommission the aging ISS in 2031, and if it doesn’t have a privately funded replacement in orbit before then, China’s facility will become the only permanently crewed station in space.

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ISS astronauts witness fiery end of Russian cargo ship | Digital Trends

techNovember 30, 2023 FranklinWilbur

ISS astronauts witness fiery end of Russian cargo ship | Digital Trends

Russia’s Progress MS-23 spacecraft burning up in Earth’s atmosphere. NASA

Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) witnessed the fiery demise of a Russian spacecraft on Wednesday as it burned up in Earth’s atmosphere at high speed.

Just hours earlier, the Progress MS-23 spacecraft, identified by NASA as Progress 84, had been docked at the orbital outpost.

Thankfully, the spectacular event was entirely planned and part of a routine procedure for Russian cargo ships departing the ISS.

But unusually, the burn-up was witnessed by the crew aboard the space station, with NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli able to get some photos of the spaceship’s final moments.

“Earlier today, Roscosmos cargo vehicle Progress undocked and departed from space station,” Moghbeli, who arrived at the ISS for the first time in August, wrote in a social media post (below) that included the dramatic images.

Earlier today, @roscosmos cargo vehicle Progress undocked and departed from @Space_Station. Nearly four hours after undocking, I was able to spot it burning up in the atmosphere and even capture a few photos of it. It happened faster than I thought and was only visible for about… pic.twitter.com/P1aFj2HvEo

— Jasmin Moghbeli (@AstroJaws) November 29, 2023

The American astronaut said that she was able to spot the spacecraft burning up about four hours after it undocked from the space station following a six-month stay in orbit.

“It happened faster than I thought and was only visible for about 2-3 minutes,” Moghbeli said. “It reminded me a bit of fireworks, especially when it broke apart.”

She also thanked ground staff who told where to look so that she would have the best chance of witnessing the space-based fireworks show.

The Progress MS-23 cargo ship docked with the ISS in May, bringing with it supplies such as food and equipment.

Unlike SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, the Progress vehicle is not reusable, so disposing of it by burning it up in Earth’s atmosphere is the most efficient way of getting rid of it. The Progress spacecraft also acts as a giant trash can, and so will have been full of garbage from the station when it met its fiery end on Wednesday.