Periodicity search as a tool for disentangling the contaminated colour light curve of CoRoT 102781750?

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Authors: M. Paparó, M. Chadid, E. Chapellier, J. M. Benk?, R. Szabó, K. Kolenberg, E. Guggenberger, Zs. Regály, M. Auvergne, A. Baglin and W. W. Weiss.<br />Astronomy & Astrophysics Vol. 531 , page A135<br />Published online: 01/07/2011<br />
Keywords:
stars: variables: RR Lyrae ; stars: individual: CoRoT 102781750 ; stars: oscillations ; stars: activity ; circumstellar matter ; space vehicles.

Secular spin-down of the AMP XTE J1751-305

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Authors: A. Riggio, L. Burderi, T. Di Salvo, A. Papitto, A. D’Aì, R. Iaria and M. T. Menna.<br />Astronomy & Astrophysics Vol. 531 , page A140<br />Published online: 01/07/2011<br />
Keywords:
stars: neutron ; stars: magnetic field ; pulsars: general ; pulsars: individual:XTE J1751-305 ; X-rays: binaries.

A Letter to Charles F. Bolden, Jr. NASA Administrator

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Not really part of the letter :) . Image made from images by NASA and Daniel Wetmore

 

Letter From Astronauts and Apollo Veterans Regarding Space Shuttle Retirement and Risk to ISS Operations

June 30, 2011

Charles F. Bolden, Jr.
Administrator National Aeronautics and Space Administration
NASA Headquarters
300 E Street, S.W. Washington, D.C. 20546

Dear Administrator Bolden,

We believe that the planned retirement of the Space Shuttle fleet after the flight of STS-135 next month will create an unacceptable flight risk for maintaining safe and reliable operations of the International Space Station (ISS). As you well know, the shuttles are the only spacecraft that can provide independent spacewalks for critical ISS repairs.

If an incident or life support failure rendered the ISS uninhabitable, repair spacewalks to restore operations would not be possible from the space station. In a worst case scenario, deterioration and loss of systems on an abandoned ISS could result in an uncontrolled, catastrophic reentry with risks to populated areas around the world. This would have significant ramifications to foreign relations and liability for the United States, Russia and the other countries who participate as partners on the International Space Station. The recent near miss of space debris, which caused the ISS astronauts to seek shelter in the Soyuz spacecraft, is a reminder that a catastrophic accident is a stark possibility.

This issue was the subject of a commentary article we co-authored, published in the June 12th edition of the New York Daily News, which is enclosed.

The Space Shuttle fleet is the only spacecraft, now operating or under development, that is equipped with the airlocks, life support supplies and robotic arm needed to support the required two-person spacewalking repair crews. We believe the Space Shuttle fleet should be kept in service to provide the capability of independent repair spacewalks in the event that the International Space Station is crippled by a systems failure or accident. The Space Shuttles would also be available to support one or two logistics and science missions per year, provide unmatched capacity to return components and scientific experiments to Earth (with low gravitational loads on crew and cargo during reentry) and extend the reliability of space station operations with a Service Life Extension Program.

The capability of the Space Shuttles to provide the independent repair spacewalks, critical for restoring operations on a disabled ISS, would also be vital for protecting the ISS cargo and crew transport business of the emerging commercial space industry. Keeping the shuttle fleet in service would also comply with a new, internationally accepted flight criteria that we believe should be established: Any object placed in orbit that is too large for an uncontrolled reentry must have a spacecraft available to support independent EVA repairs.

To maintain this vital life safety margin for long-term ISS operations we are requesting the following:

*Congress should request an immediate, 3 week, impartial study and hold emergency hearings on this matter.

*In these hearings, Congress should consider passing emergency legislation ordering NASA to halt all work on modifying the Space Shuttle fleet for museum display. Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour should be stored at Kennedy Space Center in the Orbiter Processing Facility and maintained in such a manner as to keep them flightworthy. Moreover, the Vehicle Assembly Building, Crawler-Transporters, Launch Complex 39-A, Shuttle Landing Facility and other facilities and support equipment needed for Space Shuttle operations should be maintained in place to support future Space Shuttle flights.

*NASA and its International Space Station partners should consider the shared responsibility of developing funding solutions for the continued operation of the Space Shuttle fleet to ensure the long-term safety of space station operations. NASA led plans, as well as commercial alternatives to operate the shuttles commercially, should be presented to Congress and considered to reduce costs and budget impacts.

*To avoid any gap in providing independent repair spacewalks as a safety contingency for the space station, Congress, NASA and the ISS partners should evaluate the option of postponing the launch of STS – 135 until more external fuel tanks and other parts can be built to support additional shuttle flights in 2012.

We appreciate your consideration of our recommendation for NASA and Congress to take immediate action to reverse the retirement of the Space Shuttles. The Space Shuttles are the only solution for restoring space station operations with independent spacewalk repair capabilities. Given the risks and liabilities for NASA and the ISS partners if the International Space Station is crippled by a systems failure or accident, the Space Shuttles are too valuable an asset to be retired into museums. Sincerely,

Christopher C. Kraft
Former Director of NASA Manned Spaceflight Center
Houston, Texas

Scott R. Spencer
Transportation Management Consultant
Wilmington, Delaware

Endorsed by:

Robert L. Crippen, Pilot STS-1, Commander (STS-7, STS-41C & STS-41G)
Frederick H. Hauck, Pilot STS-7, Commander (STS-51A & STS-26)
Walter Cunningham, LM Pilot, Apollo 7
Neil A. Armstrong, Commander, Apollo 11
James A. Lovell, Jr., Commander, Apollo 13
Eugene A. Cernan, Commander, Apollo 17
Gene Kranz, Director of Mission Operations – Flight Director
Tom Moser, NASA Space Station Program Director
John W. Robinson, Chairman, Space Propulsion Synergy Team

cc: President Barack Obama
Vice President Joseph Biden
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson
U.S. Representative Ralph Hall

Titan

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Cassini image of Titan. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

 

Here’s a very nice image from the Cassini spacecraft of Saturn’s moon Titan.  The line cutting across the picture is Saturn’s rings.

One of the reasons I like this image is the very nice look at the dark areas on the moon, our usual view is cloud shrouded.  This view is possible because the camera used a spectral filter sensitive of the near-infrared light which cuts through the clouds.

Titan is an amazing place.  The moon is about half again as large as our moon and 80 percent more massive, in fact it is larger than Mercury although Mercury with its cool make up has a mass nearly twice Titan. It is the only moon with a substantial atmosphere and other than Earth it is the only place we know of so far that holds stable bodies surface liquid.  The moon is much too cold to have liquid water and instead it rains methane.  Can life exist on Titan and/or in its methane seas?  Could be, although it will likely be a long time before we find out.  Life there would be very cool indeed.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Site update:

Part 2 was completed today.  So far, so good

Don’t forget to order the Pigeon constellation shirt if you are going to because today is the sale – See Tuesday’s post.

Pigeon Constellation

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Pigeon Constellation Tee Shirt on sale Thursday. Click for a different view.

 

I saw this tee shirt the other day and got a kick out of it.  Turns out there is going to be a one day sale on Thursday, June 30, 2011 and this particular shirt is going to be just $ 3.00.  Yes just three bucks.  I’m going to get one or two.

Here’s the link directly to the Pigeon constellation shirt.  There are many other shirts available at Headlineshirts with designs covering a variety of views.  I might get the cat one too, after looking around there are a few I might get.

Anyways, to get the $3.00 price on the Pigeon shirt just add the sale code: SPACEBIRD on the check out page.

Site Maintenance

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I am having to change some things due to some server issues (AGAIN..GRRR). I will be making the changes today so the site may act a bit funky until I can get things worked out.

Hopefully this will put an end to some of the problems in accessing the site.

No, Really Guys. This Is Incredible

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On Saturday’s riddle, I featured M64, the Sleeping Beauty Galaxy.  Now, take a look at why this is called the Beauty:

NASA/Hubble ST - The Sleeping Beauty/M64

Can you believe that?  She doesn’t look real, does she?  It’s almost as if this incredible sight was deliberately painted, then stuck out 24 million light years away, waiting for someone to happen upon her.

You are seeing the result of two galaxies colliding about a billion years ago.  The center, where you see white blaze, is rotating clockwise.  In the outer portion of the galaxy you see this black, gaseous area.  This area is rotating counter-clockwise.  Now, where the two regions meet, the “shear”, there is this incredible explosion of new, hot, blue stars.  That’s the result of the tremendous forces involved pushing and moving against each other.  Around those gorgeous blue stars, you’ll see pink emission nebulae.  This is where the light from the stars is shining into the interstellar gasses and dust, and reflecting this glorious pink color (which our Hubble picked up).

The Beauty lies in the Coma Berenices constellation.  This is a fascinating region of the cosmos.  The Coma Berenices was named after an historical figure, one of the few constellations to do so.  In this case, the honor went to Queen Berenices II of Egypt.  Although Coma Berenices isn’t a very large constellation, she contains the Northern portion of the Virgo Cluster, along with several globular clusters.  She boasts eight Messier objects; one of which is the Beauty.  You will find a tremendous number of galaxies here, assorted nebulae, quasars, and the Northern Galactic Pole.

Enjoy.

Google+ 2 days | Gene Expression

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Google+ for the Blogger and Researcher:

After a couple days of playing with it, I haven’t quite identified what it is for, or at least how I’m going to use it differently from twitter or facebook, but so far I am generally impressed – it’s easy, intuitive, and fast. It also allows you a level of selective privacy that – while possible to achieve – is very clunky on Facebook. It only took me 10 minutes on the web interface and another 10 minutes after downloading the Android app to figure out how it all worked. And Google+ is already far better integrated into the mobile user experience than Facebook is (though this is to be expected for a phone that runs Android).

Yes. I haven’t used Google+ much, but:

1 – The user experience is manifestly superior to Facebook’s still. Interaction with the UI is more fluid and natural. Again, this may be due to the fact that it can be superior because the user base is small. No idea.

2 – The circles are great. My Facebook requests I mentally put into two categories. One category are people who I recognize immediately. I know them. Another category are people I’m vaguer ...