LRO’s view of Chandrayaan 2 landing site obscured by shadows – Spaceflight Now

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NASAs Galileo spacecraft captured this view of the moon in 1992 on its mission to Jupiter. Credit: NASA

An overflight last week of the Chandrayaan 2 landing site on the moon by NASAs Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has turned up no clear sign of the lost Indian lander. Another flyover with better lighting conditions is scheduled next month.

LROs high-resolution camera is searching for Indias Vikram lander, part of the Indian Chandrayaan 2 lunar mission, after ground teams lost contact with the spacecraft during a lunar landing attempt Sept. 6.

LROflew over the area of the Vikram landing site on Sept. 17 when local lunar time was near dusk; large shadows covered much of the area, NASA said in a statement. The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) acquired images around the targeted landing site, but the exact location of the lander was not known so the lander may not be in the camera field of view.

In any case, hopes of contacting the Vikram lander have waned since the Sept. 6 landing attempt. Officials from the Indian Space Research Organization said imagery from the countrys Chandrayaan 2 orbiter, which launched in tandem with the Vikram lander, had located the landing craft on the moon.

All possible efforts are being made to establish communication with (the) lander, ISRO said in a statement Sept. 10.

ISRO has not released any of the Chandrayaan 2 images claimed to show the Vikram lander, and officials did not confirm whether the lander appeared to be intact on the lunar surface, or if the imagery suggested the spacecraft crashed. The final telemetry data from Vikram indicated it was plummeting toward the moon at high speed.

Even if the Vikram lander landed intact, the spacecraft was only designed for a two-week mission, leaving little hope of recontacting the lander. The sun has set on the Vikram landing site, located near the lunar south pole, and the lander was not designed to survive the frigid, dark lunar night.

NASA said the LRO camera team is analyzing the new imagery to see if the Vikram lander is visible amid the long shadows at the landing site.

LRO will next fly over the landing site on October 14 when lighting conditions will be more favorable, NASA said. NASA will make the results of the Sept. 17 flyover available as soon as possible after a necessary period of validation, analysis, and review.

The Vikram lander carried a rover named Pragyan the Sanskrit word for wisdom and several scientific instruments, including cameras, seismic sensors, rock composition payloads, and an underground thermal conductivity probe. Vikram, named for the father of Indias space program, also carried a U.S.-provided laser reflector, which NASA intended to use to make precise measurements of the distance between the Earth and the moon.

The Chandrayaan 2 orbiter, which continues its mission, carries its own science instruments. The orbiters payloads include a high-resolution mapping camera and sensors designed search for water molecules on the moon.

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Fresh batteries, experiments on the way to the International Space Station – Spaceflight Now

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A Japanese H-2B rocket lifts off with the eighth HTV resupply freighter. Credit: MHI/JAXA

A Japanese H-2B rocket fired into orbit Tuesday from the Tanegashima Space Center with an automated cargo freighter loaded with more than 4.1 tons of batteries, experiments, spacewalk equipment, water and provisions for the International Space Station.

The unpiloted cargo ship lifted off at 1605:05 GMT (12:05:05 p.m. EDT) Tuesday from Launch Pad No. 2 at Tanegashima, an oceanfront spaceport on an island in southern Japan.

The 186-foot-tall (56.6-meter) H-2B rocket proceeded through an apparently trouble-free countdown Tuesday. After filling the rocket with super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants, the H-2B launch team managed by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries gave approval to proceed with final launch preps, culminating in ignition of two liquid-fueled LE-7A main engines at T-minus 5.2 seconds.

After passing a computer-run health check, the H-2B rocket fired four strap-on solid rocket boosters to climb away from the Tanegashima Space Center with more than 2 million pounds of thrust.

Liftoff occurred at 1:05 a.m. local time in Japan, two weeks after a previous H-2B countdown was halted by a dramatic fire on the launch pad.

Japanese engineers called off the missions first launch attempt Sept. 10 after the fire, and ground crews returned the H-2B rocket to its assembly building for inspections. Officials determined the fire was likely caused by static electricity and high concentrations of oxygen that dripped from the rockets main engines during the Sept. 10 countdown.

After instituting unspecific corrective actions, MHI returned the H-2B rocket to the launch pad a half-day before Tuesdays launch to begin a new countdown.

No such trouble occurred Tuesday, and the H-2B rocket quickly turned to the southeast to climb into space over the Pacific Ocean. The precise launch time Tuesday was set to allow Japans eighth H-2 Transfer Vehicle to enter an orbit aligned with the orbital plane of the International Space Station, setting the stage for an automated laser-guided rendezvous Saturday.

The H-2B rocket shed its four solid rocket boosters, payload fairing, and first stage in the first six minutes of the mission. A second stage powered by a single hydrogen-fueled LE-5B engine delivered the HTV supply ship into a preliminary orbit around 15 minutes after liftoff.

Japanese mission controllers confirmed the barrel-shaped HTV launched into an on-target orbit, and the cargo freighter began charging its batteries with its body-mounted solar panels.

Tuesdays launch made the H-2B rocket eight-for-eight in launches since debuting on Japans first HTV resupply mission in 2009.

The HTV 8 mission is also known as Kounotori 8. Kounotori means white stork in Japanese.

Packed with some 8,326 pounds (3,777 kilograms) of equipment, experiments and crew provisions, the Kounotori 8 spacecraft will approach the space station in autopilot mode Saturday. The space station crew will use the labs Canadian-built robotic arm to capture the HTV supply ship around 7:15 a.m. EDT (1115 GMT) Saturday, then bring the spacecraft to a berthing port on the stations Harmony module.

The crew inside the station will get to work unpacking 5,313 pounds (2,410 kilograms) of cargo inside the HTVs pressurized logistics carrier. Meanwhile, robots outside the station will extract a pallet from the HTVs unpressurized cargo bay containing six lithium-ion batteries to upgrade the space stations power system.

Astronauts Nick Hague and Andrew Morgan on the space station will conduct five spacewalks the first is set for Oct. 6 to begin installing the fresh batteries, which will replace aging and less-capable nickel-hydrogen batteries on the P6 solar array module on the far port side of the stations truss backbone.

The Kounotori 8 mission will deliver the third set of six lithium-ion batteries to upgrade the space stations four huge U.S.-built external power modules, each of which features solar array wings that span 240 feet (73 meters) tip-to-tip. The sixth HTV mission in 2016 carried the first set of new batteries to the station, followed by a second batch last year on the Kounotori 7 resupply mission.

A final set of six batteries will launch on the ninth HTV flight next year.

Each solar array section powers two electrical channels with 12 charging nickel-hydrogen batteries, and NASA is replacing the old batteries in power truss section with six lighter, more efficient lithium-ion batteries.

JAXA uses the HTV missions as part of its contribution to the space station program. Each HTV cargo freighter measures about 33 feet (10 meters) long and about 14 feet (4.4 meters) in diameter.

The Kounotori 8 mission is also carrying food, fresh drinking water, a high-pressure gas tank to recharge the space stations internal atmosphere with oxygen and nitrogen, and spacewalking tools, such as high-definition cameras and equipment for a series of repair spacewalks planned later this year for the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer-2 cosmic ray experiment.

The HTV will also deliver research payloads to the space station.

One of the experiments will demonstrate a high-speed satellite laser communications system developed by JAXA and Sony Computer Science Laboratories. The technology demonstrator will test a laser link with a ground station, which can accommodate higher-bandwidth communications than radio systems.

This technology, which employs a laser for in-orbit mass-data communication, will likely be widely used not only in the telecommunications industry, but in the future as a means of communication in the field of exploration, said Koichi Wakata, a JAXA vice president, in a statement. Specifically, it can be used as a means of communication between the Earth and the International Space Station, the moon, and Mars. There is a wide range of potential applications, such as communication with the moon rovers.

TheSmall Optical Link for International Space Station, or SOLISS, experiment willbe mounted on an experiment platform outside the space stations Japanese Kibo laboratory module.

Sony CSL is taking advantage of the in-orbit demonstrations to complete our long-distance laser communication system, said Hiroaki Kitano, president of Sony CSL. It will be the first step for Sony to build upon the results of these demonstrations and put it into practical use in society as we commercialize it.

The opportunity to use Kibo for the in-orbit demonstrations makes it possible to greatly advance the research and development of the optical communication system, much more quickly than if we had launched a small satellite for the same purpose on our own, Kitano said. The SOLISS system is built using consumer components. After the demonstrations, we will retrieve the SOLISS unit and perform follow-up analyses, which we expect will further accelerate our commercialization process.

Japans Hourglass experiment also launched on the eighth HTV mission to help scientists investigate the behavior of soil and rock particles under low gravity, simulating the conditions future probes might encounter on a small planet or asteroid.

New hardware for a cellular biology experiment rack is also flying to the space station on the Kounotori 8 spacecraft, expanding the stations capabilities for biological research.

Three CubeSats are also riding to the station inside the Kounotori 8 spacecraft. Once they arrive at the station, astronauts will transfer them to the Japanese Kibo module, where they will install them into a deployer for release into orbit through an airlock.

The 2-pound (1-kilogram) NARSSCube 1 nanosatellite was developed by Egypts National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Science in partnership with the Kyushu Institute of Technology in Japan. It carries a low-resolution imaging camera.

The AQT-D CubeSat, which weighs 8.1 pounds (3.7 kilograms) and is about the size of a shoebox, will demonstrate a water-based satellite propulsion system. The AQT-D mission is led by the University of Tokyo.

Rwandas first satellite, named RWASAT 1, also launched Tuesday. Officials say the satellite will aid agricultural and environmental monitoring.

The Japanese HTV cargo delivery flight is the first of two missions launching to the International Space Station in less than 24 hours.

A Russian Soyuz crew ferry ship is set for liftoff Wednesday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan with Russian cosmonaut, NASA astronaut and the first Emirati space flier. The Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft will reach the station less than six hours after liftoff, while the HTV cargo mission is taking a longer rendezvous profile.

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NASA’s 61st birthday: 15 best spacewalk photos, space selfies and other incredible moments in spaceflight – Firstpost

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tech2 News StaffOct 01, 2019 16:42:34 IST

This is a picture of Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques, just as he completes his first spacewalk in April this year. He was accompanied on the 6.5-hour spacewalkby fellowastronaut Anne McClain, to restore power to a robotic arm on the ISS. Image: NASA

NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei snappedaselfie portrait,more popularly called a space-selfie,in the first spacewalk of the year 2018. He anda fellowastronaut performed maintenance on the Canadian robotic arm of the ISS. Image: NASA

Astronaut Anne McClain is an engineer, a US army soldier and a scientistwho has worked aboard the International Space Stationon two space expeditions. McClain is pictured here, 250 miles above the planet, performing spacesuit maintenance for her first spacewalk. Image credit: Instagram/NASA

A file photo of three astronauts Michael Collins, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin before the moon landing that took place on 20 July 1969. Image: NASA

NASA astronaut Serena Aun-Chancellor gives group hugs to the students of Excel Academy Public Charter school after a presentation about her experience on Expeditions 56 and 57 onboard the International Space Station. Image: NASA

NASA astronaut Joe Acaba waits with Canadian and Russian space agencies as they travel from Karaganda to Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan to welcome the three agencies astronauts as they return after 204 days in space during expedition 58 and 59. Image credit: NASA

Hollywood actor Brad Pitt, seated at the Space Operations Center at NASA Headquarters in Washington spoke with NASA astronaut Nick Hague who was onboard the International Space Station. Pitt stars as an astronaut inan upcoming film Ad Astra, and asked Hague many questions about astronaut life, including what it is like to live, work andhave mealsaboard the ISS. Image: NASA

Astronaut Anne McClain said on her first journey to space, "Putting this journey into words will not be easy, but I will try. I am finally where I was born to be." Image: NASA

In this photo, command module pilot of the Apollo 11 mission Michael Collins practices in a simulator at the Kennedy space center, a month before their scheduled takeoff and historic landing on the moon. Image credit: NASA

This is a file photo of Christine Darden, one of the women dubbed a 'human computer' during NASA's early years, at work. These designated math wizzes did the number-crunching for mechanical engineers at NASA. Not satisfied with just sitting on the sidelines, sheaspired todesigncomputer programs forthe agency, going on to become one of the few women who worked as a NASA aerospace engineers in its early years. Image credit: NASA

This is Christopher Kraft Jr. seated at the Flight Director console during the Gemini-Titan V flight simulation. He created the idea of a NASA mission control and developed the operational procedure and culture of controlling a complex, multifaceted space launch or mission from a handful of well-equipped control rooms. Image: NASA

This is Margaret Brennecke, the first welding engineer to work in the Material and Processes Laboratory at NASA. Her work in the field of aluminum alloys waskey tothe success ofthe Apollo program. Image: NASA

NASA astronaut Drew Feustel outside the airlock during a spacewalk which lasted six hours and 49 minutes. He and astronaut Ricky Arnold installed high-def cameras to enhance the views of the space station. Image: NASA

Pictures here isMae Jemison (left), the first black woman in space, who was launched aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1992.Walking alongsideJemison is spacesuit technician Sharon McDougle (right). Image: NASA

An emotional picture where the astronauts on Expedition 57 return home and meet their family. Cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin of Roscosmos and astronaut Nick Hague of NASA, embrace their families after landing at the Krayniy Airport, Kazakhstan. Image: NASA

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Ad Astra predicts the future of commercial space flight, and it’s a $125 blanket – SYFY WIRE

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Ad Astra presents a bold, visually stunning image of what space travel could look like in the not-too-distant future. A space antenna pierces through the upper limits of the atmosphere, lunar buggies make a mad dash over a desolate moonscape, and a massive rocket comes in for a rough landing on the dust-swept surface of Mars. And yet, the most jaw-dropping moment comes when Brad Pitt pays $125 for a blanket and pillow.

Pitt plays astronaut Roy McBride, who finds himself on a mission to the outer reaches of the solar system in an effort to stop a potentially world-ending event originating in Neptune's orbit. He'll eventually blast off from a top-secret Martian moon base, but he needs to get to the moon first, and his bosses have him fly commercial to avoid causing a public panic. So, McBride catches a ride on a Virgin Atlantic shuttle to the moon, as one does.

"The production team behind Ad Astra contacted us a couple of years ago and asked if they could use our branding in the movie," a representative for Virgin Atlantic tells SYFY WIRE. "They were keen to work with us as they thought commercial airlines might, in the future, start flying to the moon. We thought it was a really fun concept and were really happy to get involved."

In Ad Astra, commercial space flight is treated in a pretty mundane way perhaps similar to the earlier days of air travel, when passengers dressed up for flights and flying was a luxury, but still a normal, fairly unexciting experience. When McBride gets to the moon, the base has all the charm of an airport layover, complete with familiar fast-food restaurants and a Hudson News (Hudson Group did not respond to SYFY WIRE's request for comment about its lunar outpost).

There are some companies now, in the real world, that are making fledgling steps into commercial space travel of this sort, such as SpaceX and Blue Origin, and NASA is planning on eventually sending some astronauts into space via private spacecraft, similar to what happens in the movie.

In fact, Richard Branson's Virgin group already has a company that's engaging in a (much more limited) sort of commercial spaceflight. That company is Virgin Galactic, though the Ad Astra team was interested in using the traditionally terrestrial Virgin Atlantic's branding as a means of showing just how much commercial travel had changed by the time of the movie, the Virgin rep explains.

But, the casual future of commercial space travel seen in the movie is still a ways away and a long time coming.

"I signed up with Pan Am to fly to the moon in 1969. You see where that got us," John M. Logsdon, Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University, explains. Logsdon, who specializes in the history and policy of space travel, recalls that the now-defunct airline had a booth at the Kennedy Space Center where would-be moon men could reserve a seat on a trip that never came. It wouldn't have been too dissimilar from a scene in the previous year's 2001: A Space Odyssey, which featured a Pan Am space clipper making commercial jaunts to the stars.

Ad Astra is hardly the first movie to capture society's dreams of catching a flight to the moon with as much ease as one travels to JFK or LAX. The film is set in the ambiguous near-future, but given that the main plot involves two generations of astronauts, it's probably safe to assume it's at least 50 years in the future, and probably more.

"All right, so here we are at 2019," Logsdon says. "You have various companies with ambitions to provide commercial-like transportation to orbit and beyond, including the moon. None of them are anywhere close to doing that. We haven't had a human to the moon for 47 years."

That's not to say Virgin Atlantic or some other company couldn't make such travel a reality, but Logsdon says we should all temper our expectations.

"There are folks that think that within 50 years there will be settlements on the moon, and regular transportation between the Earth and the moon," he says. "There's no fundamental technical reason why that can't happen, but it's multiple steps away from where we are now."

"We have no current plans to start flying to the moon but you never know what might happen in the future," the Virgin rep adds. "The team at Virgin Atlantic are always innovating and launching new routes for our customers, so the moon could possibly be next.

Okay, but when and if we do travel to the moon, will we really need to shell out $125 for a simple blanket and pillow?

"I can't conceive of having basic economy on those flights where you have to pay for everything," Logsdon says. He notes that Elon Musk's SpaceX already has a customer signed up for a trip around the moon, and while the exact price that Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa paid for his ticket hasn't been made public, $100 million isn't an outlandish estimate.

"You have to do a lot of cost reduction for Virgin Atlantic or Southwest or some equivalent services in 50 years," Logsdon says, adding that the $125 pillow seems to indicate that Ad Astra's commercial space travel still isn't all that cheap. "The fact that they charge that price suggests that it's a very small portion of what they're charging for fare, and that these flights are not going to be economy flights."

According to Virgin, though, that pillow price tag might be the most implausible part of the whole sci-fi adventure.

"We'd never charge $125 for a blanket!" the rep says. "All food, drinks, and amenities on Virgin Atlantic are always free!"

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Ad Astra predicts the future of commercial space flight, and it's a $125 blanket - SYFY WIRE

A Gadfly’s Perspective on Human Spaceflight – The Wire

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Late last year, the Government of India sanctioned Rs 10,000 crore for the countrys first human spaceflight programme, to be fulfilled by 2022. Under this project, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) plans to send three Indian astronauts to low-Earth orbit for a little less than a week and return them safely.

Colloquially called Gaganyaan, the project is part of Indias efforts to portray itself as a global space power or at least place itself at par with China.

Politicians that typically balk when asked to invest in climate-change mitigation or fundamental research jump at the chance to release the purse strings for spaceflight even if they are of dubious relevance. Case in point: the space command, which India, China and the US are currently setting up. Indeed, as a result of such showmanship and megalomania, the leaders of these countries are militarising space in earnest. If taken to its logical conclusion, this will further wreck a world already divided along religious, racial, class and caste lines.

Such space projects are useful when demagogues are looking for something to blow their trumpets over, at the expense of asking whether there are any real science outcomes. This is why especially when governments announce new space initiatives we need to raise uncomfortable questions about their overall guiding logic and benefits.

One such question is of priorities: is it worth investing in a programme that may not be able to produce any concrete social benefits?

Any large technological programme with massive investment is highly likely to produce marginal benefits, sometimes called spin-offs. Oft-quoted examples include the development of the World Wide Web and the synchrotron both at CERN, the European lab for research in nuclear physics. Satellite-based space missions have gone beyond that, however, having changed the way we communicate and observe the natural universe in revolutionary ways. ISRO has also made commendable contributions, particularly in light of its humble yet entrepreneurial beginnings in Thumba, a small hamlet near Thiruvananthapuram, in 1963.

Also read:ISRO Doesnt Have a Satisfactory Answer to Why It Wants to Put Indians in Space

But the potential benefits that could accrue from human spaceflight are not very clear, at least not immediately. Lori Garver, a former deputy administrator of NASA, wrote in The Washington Post earlier this year:

NASA remains one of the most revered and valuable brands in the world, and the agency is at its best when given a purpose. But the public doesnt understand the purpose of spending massive amounts of money to send a few astronauts to the moon or Mars. Are we in another race, and if so, is this the most valuable display of our scientific and technological leadership? If science is the rationale, we can send robots for pennies on the dollar.

The celebrated physicist Steven Weinberg is also a well-known science communicator. His latest book, Third Thoughts (2018), includes an article he wrote in 2013 in the journal Space Policy. In the article, he rebuts a paper entitled The essential role of human space flight published in the same journal. The paper reads:

should the US and nations at large pursue a human spaceflight program (and if so, why)? I offer an unwavering positive answer Space exploration is a human activity that is intrinsically forward-looking, and as such, has positive potential. Both national and international space programs can galvanize the population, inspire the youth, foster job-creation, and motivate the existing workforce. The nature of the enterprises involvedtheir scale, novelty, and complexityrequires a steady and continuous upward progression toward greater societal, scientific and technological development. That is, in order to overcome the challenges of human spaceflight, progress is required. More to the point, the survival of humanity depends on expanding beyond the confines of our planet. Human spaceflight, in short, presents us with an opportunity to significantly advance the nation and the global community.

In his article, Weinberg refutes the key arguments in favour of human spaceflight, saying that space-based observatories like the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) and the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) have broadened our understanding of the universe. More recent breakthroughs on the origin and evolution of the universe have all been derived from data generated by these observatories.

The Hubble space telescope also belongs in this league, and its mantle as the most significant space-based observatory will soon be passed on to the James Webb Space Telescope. Additionally, robotic missions like the Curiosity rover on Mars, the Yutu rover on the Moon, JUNO around Jupiter and the Hayabusa 2 probe at the Ryugu asteroid (not his examples but just as relevant) are expanding our horizons. Weinberg then asks the same question of human spaceflight: What are its benefits?

Some have said that astronauts experiences can inspire others and generates a certain potential for greatness for the present and future generations. But Weinberg is dismissive of this aspect: Manned spaceflight is a spectator sport, which can be exciting for spectators, but this is not the sort of excitement that seems to lead to anything serious.

The question about benefits is not asked rhetorically but as an instance of holding missions concerned with sending humans to space up to the same scrutiny reserved for other, often less prestigious, expeditions.

In addition, we must also ask what the priorities of our publicly funded space science and technology initiatives are. Sending humans to space without an overarching vision that answers such questions will cost us dearly as a nation.

Consider the US National Academy of Sciences decadal strategyfor Earth Science and Applications from Space (ESAS). Such peer-reviewed surveys are notable for sampling the aspirations of the scientific community, enabling larger bodies to build a prioritised programme of science goals that can play a major role in the US. For example, ESAS 2017 declared that NASA should prioritise the study of the global hydrological cycle; the distribution and movement of mass between oceans, ice sheets, groundwater and the atmosphere; and changes in surface biology and geology.

Also read:If Chandrayaan 2 Was a 90-95% Success Is the Answer, Whats the Question?

India already has satellites that assist monitor Earth dynamics, including earthquakes, landslides, large-scale groundwater extraction, atmospheric moisture and winds, sea conditions, and its scientists collaborate with agencies that use satellites to study ice-sheets and glaciers. Such observations provide inputs to develop hazard mitigation programmes.

ISRO should focus on such applications, and the science thereof, in a more purposeful manner and fix targets to develop comprehensive Earth observation systems; and on building linkages to higher education centres in the country that could then conduct research based on the data obtained from Earth and planetary observation systems. And it should locate these projects within a list of priorities and a broader scientific agenda that has been justified to the government. It makes more sense to leave human spaceflight, at least when we know a mission-critical part of the 21st century is just beginning, to those with fewer goals on their hands.

C.P. Rajendranis a professor of geodynamics at the Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru.

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A Gadfly's Perspective on Human Spaceflight - The Wire

321 Launch: The space news you might have missed – Florida Today

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A September 2019 rendering shows SpaceX's Starship launching from the company's Boca Chica, Texas facility.(Photo: SpaceX)

Welcome to 321 Launch, our wrap-up of the biggest space news you might have missed over the last week. Here's what's happening:

Musk provides update on Starship in Texas

It was a windy and rainy Saturday in Texas, but that didn't stop SpaceX CEO Elon Musk from delivering an update on the company's next-generation launch vehicle to hundreds of employees, attendees and media representatives. From the use of stainless steel to updated timelines on the vehicle's flights, here's what we learnedfrom the event in Boca Chica.

NASA opens call for Artemis lunar landers

NASA's final call for American-developed Artemis lunar landers is out, and the agency is looking for detailed proposals from spaceflight partners and industry. The first selected company will take humans to the moon in 2024, while the second will do the same in 2025. Proposals are due by Nov. 1.

More on the timeline and proposal processhere.

If you like space and trivia is your thing...

...then you should consider hanging out with us, FLORIDA TODAY's space team, at Playalinda Brewing Company's Brix Project in Titusville next month. For $27, you get drinks, food, trivia, and ... well, quality time with us! Get your tickets here.

Contact Emre Kelly at aekelly@floridatoday.com or 321-242-3715. Follow him on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.

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321 Launch: The space news you might have missed - Florida Today

He almost died near Lenox. Now he wants to find the duo who saved him. – WSB Atlanta

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He almost died near Lenox. Now he wants to find the duo who saved him.

ATLANTA - A walk in the park nearly turned deadly for James W. Kennedy.

Kennedy fell head-first onto an asphalt walkway at Lenox Park near Buckhead the night of Sept. 24. The 70-year-old severed his temporal artery, which runs along both temples, and was bleeding heavily.

Before the ambulance arrived, a man and a woman ran over. The man took off his shirt and the woman used the shirt to apply pressure to Kennedy's head wound.

Doctors told Kennedy the pair saved his life. Kennedy told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution he has a "burning desire" to find and thank them both, but all he has is a picture of the woman taken as she was helping him.

A DeKalb County Fire Department engine and an ambulance rushed Kennedy to Atlanta Medical Center, but neither agency had a record of the couple's identity.

"I would have died at Lenox Park, if it were not for the immediate actions of John and Jane Doe," Kennedy said.

He and his wife were staying the night at a nearby hotel on day three of their 25-day roadtrip to Arizona for his wife's 50th high school reunion.

Kennedy is recovering at his home near Cocoa Beach, Florida which is part of the "Countdown Coast," earning the name from all the aerospace industry at and around Cape Canaveral. Kennedy is part of that legacy.

He was the director of NASA's Kennedy Space Center (no relation), which has launched many NASA aircraft into space and now serves as a hub for commercial space flight.

Kennedy took over the Center inJune 2003, four months after the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated and killed all seven crew members.

In the director role, he oversaw 15,000 government and contract employees,according to the 2006 announcement of his retirement.

Before he was director, Kennedy was called to active duty with the Air Force after getting an undergraduate degree from Auburn University in 1972,according to an online NASA biography. He went on to get a masters from Georgia Southern University in 1977.

He's sent many people into space, but Kennedy is hoping his message to the pair that saved his life won't just go into the ether: "Thank you to two good Samaritans, my guardian angels, for their support to a fellow American in his time of need."

Anyone who knows the identity of the pair can email the reporter at ben.brasch@ajc.com, who will connect them with Kennedy.

This article was written byBen Brasch, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

2019 Cox Media Group.

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He almost died near Lenox. Now he wants to find the duo who saved him. - WSB Atlanta

Meir’s journey to space will inspire other Mainers to take flight – Bangor Daily News

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Students are often encouraged, as they should be, to test their limits and reach for the stars. NASA Astronaut and Caribou native Jessica Meir seems to have taken that sort of advice quite literally.

On Wednesday, Meir became the first Maine woman to travel to space when the Soyuz MS-15 spacecraft launched from Kazakhstan and circled Earth four times before sojourning to the international space stations some 220 miles above the planet. The six hour trip, only slightly longer than the time it takes to drive from Caribou to Kittery, is an astronomically impressive achievement for Meir, who is fulfilling her dream to walk in space.

In the Caribou High School Class of 1995 yearbook, Dr. Meirs future goal was listed as to go for a space walk, current Caribou High School Principal Travis Barnes said Wednesday. Our team wants to show students and community members that they too can achieve their goals and dreams with hard work, education and vision.

According to local school and town officials, Caribou students will be able to chat live with Meir from the space station on Oct. 29. This will be an invaluable learning opportunity for Caribous next generation of dreamers, who Maine and the world will need to dare to do what seems unlikely or even impossible.

Meir previously spoke with Caribou students in 2016, and emphasized the importance of not giving up in the face of adversity. While she was selected among more than 6,000 applicants for NASAs 21 class of astronauts in 2013, she had first applied and been rejected four years earlier.

At that point, I could have easily given up and decided not to apply again because I didnt want to get rejected again. The entire process of applying and interviewing is really lengthy and consuming, mentally and psychologically, and at the time I honestly thought it would be the same result. Meir told students three years ago. Luckily, I stuck to it and persevered. Just in the back of my head, knowing that it was the dream Ive had for my entire life, I couldnt not apply. I just wasnt prepared to give up on it yet.

Now the dream is real, and for the next six months in space, she is part of a team that will conduct over 250 experiments that, according to NASA, arent possible here on Earth. The astronauts will also venture outside the station on spacewalks to work on equipment used to shine more light on how we understand dark matter and study the origins of the universe. How cool is that?

I think what Im looking forward to the most is, as a scientist, understanding more about all of these different effects of microgravity in the spaceflight environment, and participating as both an operator and a subject for a wide variety of investigations, she told Space.com before the mission. Im also really looking forward to the potential to do a spacewalk since thats really what Ive always envisioned myself doing really my whole life.

Meir is the first Maine woman, and at least the third Maine native, to travel to space. Space.com asked her if she would like to be the first woman on the moon.

I would absolutely love to be the first woman on the moon. That would be my ideal mission, she responded. It is time for us to go back to the moon, and I think that we will be able to do that in the near future and I would love to be the one on that mission.

So even when one dream is realized, Meir proves there is always more to explore.

Meirs experience can inspire young Maine women and men to follow their own passions and dreams, and to redefine what people view as achievable. We hope students in Caribou and around the state will notice the contagious excitement that Meir radiated when the hatch opened and she entered the international space station for the first time. It was a moment of great accomplishment, of joy, and of persistence rewarded.

Its a little bit hard to believe that were here. It actually felt a lot like being in the simulator, until things started moving, she said in a NASA video shortly after arriving at the space station. And then, we started noticing the view. And its interesting, because we were pretty busy, so its easy to just get in the moment and forget exactly what were doing until we looked out the window Its pretty surreal to be here now, but we feel great.

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Meir's journey to space will inspire other Mainers to take flight - Bangor Daily News

Rocket Lab crows about launch, SpaceX zipwires, and a monster mock-up arrives at Kennedy – The Register

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Roundup While shy and retiring Elon Musk may have made a big noise with his big rocket, there was plenty other news for space fans to chew over in the last week.

Small-sat upstart RocketLab has set the date kind of for its ninth Electron launch. The mission, still from the company's New Zealand Launch Complex 1, is scheduled for lift-off during a 24-day window, which opens on 14 October (UTC).

The company is still some way from achieving the cadence it boasts of, with the launch window opening almost two months after the successful "Look Ma, No Hands" mission.

There have been some manifest shenanigans, however, with the original customer for this mission requesting a later launch date. The slip has allowed fellow upstart satellite operator Santa Clara-based Astro Digital to nab the Electron for its satellite.

The name of the mission is a nod to the operator's Corvus satellite platform. The Corvus genus of birds includes ravens, rooks and... crows. Geddit?

The launch announcement came as the company completed a major milestone toward erecting an Electron at its Launch Complex 2 in Virginia, USA.

Construction of the pad began in February 2019 and in recent weeks the launch platform was installed. The strongback, which lifts the Electron vertically, is due for installation imminently and the remaining work consists of fitting and testing connections ahead of completion in December 2019.

The first launch from US soil is expected in "early 2020".

While Elon Musk bragged about Starship, NASA's boffins continued their methodical plod toward a Space Launch System (SLS) launch with a full scale mock-up of the SLS arriving by barge to demonstrate that the functional version can be processed by the venerable space port.

Those with long memories will remember similar activities with Space Shuttle Enterprise and the External Tank ahead of Columbia's first launch.

The Pathfinder stage arrived on NASA's Pegasus barge and was moved into the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) for a month of testing. The team plans to practice stacking manoeuvres ahead of the long-awaited arrival of actual Artemis I hardware.

That core stage, which will send an uncrewed Orion capsule around the Moon, must first undergo a full test firing, with all flight hardware, at Stennis Space Center ahead of finally arriving at Kennedy in 2020.

Japan's HTV-8 was successfully bolted to the International Space Station (ISS) over the weekend with ground controllers dealing with the attachment after astronauts captured the thing with the station's robotic arm.

As well as a number of experiments on board the freighter, the Kounotori 8 H-II Transfer Vehicle also carries six new lithium-ion batteries and adapter plates to replace ageing nickel-hydrogen units on the ISS.

The arrival comes as the ISS prepares to see its existing nine-person crew reduced to six as Alexey Ovchinin, Nick Hague and spaceflight participant Hazzaa Ali Almansoori pack their bags for a return to Earth onboard Soyuz MS-12.

The trio are due to leave the station on Thursday ahead of a 5pm (Kazakhstan time) landing.

SpaceX continued its slow progress towards flying a crew to the ISS despite the NASA Administrator launching a toy or two from his pram at ongoing commercial crew delays.

Last week's test concerned getting astronauts away from the launch pad in the event of an emergency before lift-off.

Two evacuation exercises were demonstrated by astronauts Bob Behnken and Shannon Walker. The first was an "expedited non-emergency egress", which saw the 'nauts saunter back from the white room at the end of the crew access arm and descend by the launch tower's elevator.

The second was the altogether more exciting emergency egress, which involved clambering into the slidewire baskets which would whisk the crew to an armoured vehicle on the ground.

Sadly, although the crew demonstrated improvements made to those baskets since the Shuttle era, it was an empty, weighted basket that got to take the wild ride to the ground and show off the updated braking mechanisms.

There was also no Crew Dragon capsule present for the crew to actually escape from. SpaceX has yet to demonstrate an inflight abort for an uncrewed mission ahead of the first crewed mission from the launchpad since the days of the Space Shuttle.

Arianespace's next launcher, the Ariane 6, took a big step toward launch as the rocket's Vulcain 2.1 liquid-fuelled engine completed a 15-month test campaign at the DLR German Aerospace Center in Lampoldshausen.

The last firing of the engine (one of two demonstration models) lasted for nearly 11 minutes, bringing the total operation during testing to almost 11 hours. During a launch, the engine will be expected to fire for eight minutes, propelling the Ariane 6 to an altitude of 200km.

A refurbishment for vibration testing is next on the agenda along with combined tests with a fully representative main stage. The qualification of the Vinci upper stage engine was completed in October 2018 although a static firing of the final qualification model of Ariane 6's P120C solid-fuel booster in French Guiana is still pending.

Finally, as the 2024 boots-on-the-Moon date creeps closer, NASA is seeking proposals for getting humans there and back again, otherwise known as the Artemis programme.

The final call to industry comes after two earlier drafts, and NASA expects proposals by 1 November because, well, the clock is ticking.

The agency plans to make multiple awards to industry for development and demonstration of a human landing system. The first company selected will handle the 2024 landing. The second company will take care of a landing in 2025.

It's going to be a challenge. As NASA acknowledges: "Typical spaceflight hardware can take six to eight years to develop." There is less than five years to go before the agency hopes to get the humans back on the lunar surface.

To that end, NASA has cut the number of contract deliverables to just 37.

While the agency still hopes that a lander and Orion capsule will launch separately and meet at the Lunar Gateway space station, NASA is "open to alternative, innovative approaches".

However, dropped is NASA's desire to make its lunar lander refuelable. In order to give industry a fighting chance of making that 2024 date, the requirement, originally set when the goal was 2028, has been removed.

Although NASA would really like to have the option at some point in the future.

Otherwise Artemis risks losing much of its much-vaunted sustainability in favour of another Apollo-style rush to the Moon.

For those wondering about the challenge of building a lunar lander, we'd recommend the "Spider" episode of HBO's From The Earth To The Moon series.

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India’s Lost Moon Lander Is Somewhere in This NASA Photo – Space.com

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An image released by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter team on Sept. 17, 2019, shows the Vikram lander's attempted touchdown site.

(Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University)

It looks like just a barren moonscape of craters, but somewhere in this image is a hunk of metal and electronics that carried a country's hopes of lunar science.

The image was captured through NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Camera's technology on Sept. 17 as the spacecraft flew over the targeted landing site of India's Chandrayaan-2 mission. That project's lander, dubbed Vikram, fell silent in the final minutes of its touchdown procedure on Sept. 6. The India Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which oversees the mission, spent two weeks trying to establish communications with the lander.

ISRO has said it was able to spot the lander with the orbiter component of the Chandrayaan-2 mission, but the agency has not released those photographs. NASA wanted to help the effort, but LRO's angle on the scene was suboptimal during its first flyover of the targeted landing site after the attempt.

Related: India's Chandrayaan-2 Mission to the Moon in Photos

The Vikram lunar lander should have touched down somewhere inside the blue circle in this image released by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter on Sept. 17, 2019.

(Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University/Space.com)

The Vikram lander was targeting a patch of high ground between two craters called Simpelius N and Manzinus C. The last tracking data the lander sent back to Earth before falling silent suggested that the robot was off course, and according to a NASA statement, the lander's location is still uncertain.

LRO has passed over the region only once since the landing attempt, and at the time, the sun was setting, casting stark shadows that imaging specialists knew in advance could prevent the orbiter from spotting Vikram. The NASA mission will fly over the targeted landing site again next month, when its chances of spotting the lander will be more favorable.

Despite the silence from Vikram and ISRO's reticence to release images of the lander, the agency holds that the overall Chandrayaan-2 mission is a success, meeting between 90% and 95% of its objectives. The orbiter was designed to spend a year circling the moon from pole to pole.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to clarify the nature of the image released by NASA. Email Meghan Bartels at mbartels@space.com or follow her @meghanbartels. Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom and on Facebook.

Need more space? You can get 5 issues of our partner "All About Space" Magazine for $5 for the latest amazing news from the final frontier!

(Image credit: All About Space magazine)

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NASA will air a gazillion ISS spacewalks over the next few months – CNET

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Anne McClain during a spacewalk on the ISS on March 22.

NASA has a smorgasbord of spacewalks on tap for the next three months. The space agency announced the upcoming International Space Station action on Monday.

NASA's live TV feed is expected to broadcast "what may become a record pace of 10 complex spacewalks" starting on Sunday, Oct. 6. This rate of spacewalks has not been seen since the ISS was completed in 2011, NASA said.

The spacewalks will focus on necessary station maintenance tasks. The first half of the slate will involve replacing solar array batteries as part of an ongoing upgrade process. We watched a previous battery-replacement spacewalk in March. This project has been underway since early 2017.

The next five spacewalks are expected to begin in November and will tackle the refurbishment of the station'sAlpha Magnetic Spectrometer, a particle physics detector attached to the exterior of the ISS. This instrument is on a mission to help scientists investigate some heavy-duty subjects, including dark matter and antimatter. NASA describes it as looking for "what the universe is made of and how it began."

If you plan to (slowly) binge-watch all of the spacewalks, you'll need to tune in starting on Sunday around 4:50 a.m. PT for the first battery-replacement stroll in space. NASA Television coverage will start at 3:30 a.m.

NASA will announce scheduling details for the other spacewalks as they get closer, but you can go ahead and get pumped for all the upcoming spacesuit action.

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NASA will air a gazillion ISS spacewalks over the next few months - CNET

Asteroid alert: NASA tracked rock about to skim Earth at 23,400mph tonight – Will it hit? – Express.co.uk

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The asteroid, dubbed Asteroid 2018 FK5, will come flying by on an Earth Close Approach trajectory. The asteroid will arrive close to Earth later tonight (Tuesday, October 1). US space agency NASA expects Asteroid FK5 to make an appearance around 11.56pm BST (10.56pm UTC). When this happens, the rock will shoot by at speeds of around 10.48km per second or 23,443mph (37,728kph).

The speedy asteroid was first observed flying around the solar system on March 28, 2018.

NASA has since calculated the objects size, speed and trajectory based on a total of 33 observations.

The asteroid was determined to be a so-called Near-Earth Object or NEO.

All NEOs are comets and asteroids in the inner solar system that approach Earth from a close distance.

READ MORE: How often do asteroids hit Earth? What is the danger?

Frequently, NEOs of varying sizes cross Earths orbit and sometimes they strike the planet head-on.

NASA said: As they orbit the Sun, Near-Earth Objects can occasionally approach close to Earth.

Note that a close passage astronomically can be very far away in human terms: millions or even tens of millions of kilometres.

Asteroid FK5 is estimated to measure somewhere in the range of 19ft to 42ft (5.8 m to 13m) across.

READ MORE: Watch major asteroid DESTROY Earth in fiery crash simulation

At the upper end of this scale, the asteroid is about as tall as Brachiosaurus dinosaur.

At the lower end of NASAs estimate, the space rock is comparable in size to an adult giraffe.

If an object this small entered the atmosphere, it would safely burn up before striking the ground.

NASA said any object up to 82ft (25m) in diameter is unlikely to survive the fiery descent through the atmosphere.

READ MORE:NASA unveils $600m planetary defence system

Despite its incredibly fast approach today, the asteroid will not come close enough to strike.

At its closest, NASA predicts the asteroid will miss our home planet from a distance of about 0.03405 astronomical units (au).

A single astronomical unit is the distance from Earth to the Sun about 93 million miles (149.6 million km).

In other words, the asteroid will safely fly by from a distance of about 3.16 million miles (5.09 million km).

1. A football field-sized space rock slams into the planet roughly once every 2,000 years, according to NASA.

2. Some of the bigger objects in the asteroid belt measure around 583 miles across.

3. NASA estimates a car-sized asteroid collides with Earth about once a year.

4. Comets are different from asteroids because they are covered in icy layers that sublimate in space.

5. If a meteor survives the descent through the atmosphere it is called a meteorite.

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Asteroid alert: NASA tracked rock about to skim Earth at 23,400mph tonight - Will it hit? - Express.co.uk

A black hole is shredding a star, and NASA caught the incredible space event on camera – USA TODAY

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Astronomers think the supermassive black hole weighs around six million times the sun's mass and is located about 375 million light-years away. USA TODAY

NASA has given us another historic glimpse into the wonders of spaceafter releasing a video that shows a star-shredding black hole in a galaxy millions of light-years away.

The amazing footage of the "cataclysmicphenomenon" was taken by NASAs planet-hunting Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS.

Astronomers think the supermassive black hole weighs around 6 million times the suns mass and is located about 375 million light-years away in a galaxy of similar size to the Milky Way, NASA said.

The incredible event, called a tidal disruption, is veryrare and occurs once every 10,000 to 100,000 years in galaxies like the Milky Way.

Hey, Ariana Grande!NASA interns had a blast remixing your song to promote moon mission

It came from outer space: Newly discovered comet is likely interstellar visitor

When a star gets too close, the intense tides of ablack holebreak apart the starinto a stream of gas, according to NASA. As shown in the video, the tail of that stream breaksaway from the black hole while other parts of it swing back around and create a halo of debris.

Scientists believe the star in the video may have been about the same size as our sun.

The event, named ASASSN-19bt, was first discovered on Jan. 29 by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae telescope network, a worldwide network of 24robotic telescopes headquartered at Ohio State University.

NASA says that scientists have only been able to observe about 40tidal disruptions in history and TESS was able to capture one after launching in April 2018.

For TESS to observe (the event) so early in its tenure, and in the continuous viewing zone where we could watch it for so long, is really quite extraordinary, said Padi Boyd, TESS project scientist at NASAs Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.

Future collaborations with observatories around the world and in orbit will help us learn even more about the different outbursts that light up the cosmos.

Follow Adrianna Rodriguez on Twitter: @AdriannaUSAT.

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A black hole is shredding a star, and NASA caught the incredible space event on camera - USA TODAY

NASA news: An incredible black hole appeared on Jupiter – What is this ‘dramatic image’? – Express.co.uk

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The dramatic image was snapped by NASAs probe and enhanced by citizen scientist Kevin Gill. The picture features Jupiters upper hemisphere where a pitch-black and round shadow has appeared. NASAs Juno took the picture on its 22nd close flyby of the Gas Giant on September 11, 2019. During the flyby, the spacecraft dipped to a distance of just 4,885 miles (7,862km) above the planets cloud tops.

So, what exactly is the dark shadow blemishing the surface of the solar systems biggest planet?

Could it be a black hole threatening to trap Jupiter in the unavoidable grip of its gravity?

Thankfully, the black hole is completely harmless and is the result of Jupiters moon Io passing directly in front of the Sun.

NASA said: Jupiters volcanically active moon Io casts its shadow on the planet in this dramatic image from NASAs Juno spacecraft.

READ MORE: Jupiters magnetic field is CHANGING and you wont believe why

As with solar eclipses on the Earth, within the dark circle racing across Jupiters cloud tops, one would witness a full solar eclipse as Io passes in front of the Sun.

Such events occur frequently on Jupiter because it is a large planet with many moons.

According to the USspaceagency, the Gas Giant boasts a total of 75 lunar satellites.

Similarly to Saturn, NASAs 1979 Voyager probe also discovered a faint ring of material running around the planet.

READ MORE:NASA spacecraft will hunt for life on Jupiter's moon Europa

However, unlike most of the other planets in the solar system, the Sun never moves far away from the planets equator.

Jupiters axis is not tilted highly when compared to its orbit, meaning the Sun often crosses paths with Jupiters moons.

As a result, NASA said dark shadows like the one above often fall on the planets cloudy surface.

The exact same effect takes place on Earth during a spectacular total solar eclipse.

READ MORE: NASAs Juno spacecraft captures stunning image of gas giant

NASA said: Junos close proximity to Jupiter provides an exceptional fish-eye view, showing a small fraction near the planets equator.

The shadow is about 2,200 miles (3,600km) wide, approximately the same width as Io, but appears much larger relative to Jupiter.

A little larger than Earths Moon, Io is perhaps most famous for its many active volcanoes, often caught lofting fountains of ejecta well above its thin atmosphere.

All of Junos raw images are shared online in the JunoCam archive and NASA encourages members of the public to play around with and process them as they see fit.

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NASA news: An incredible black hole appeared on Jupiter - What is this 'dramatic image'? - Express.co.uk

Former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly tells crowd at UCCS to ‘do the hard things’ – Colorado Springs Gazette

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As a former NASA astronaut who spent 520 days in space the second-longest stint and traveled more than 143 million miles through the cosmos, Capt. Scott Kelly knows a thing or two about taking the road less traveled.

The best part about being in space is that its a really, really hard thing to do, Kelly told more than 1,000 people Tuesday night, all huddled on the event center bleachers at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.

Thats what I want to talk to you about today, Kelly said. Its about doing the hard things, not the easy things.

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Hard things for Kelly included taking risks, such as becoming a test pilot for the Navy. Kelly admits he struggled, in school and flying planes. But that didnt stop him.

In my experience, when I was able to put all these things together, what I learned was that the sky is not the limit ... he said. Theres a trait that a lot of successful people have: that risk-taking mentality ... In certain points of your life, taking risks and seeing what you can be able to achieve is really an incredible trait that people have.

Kelly lived aboard the International Space Station as a commander for 340 days through three expeditions. His time aboard the space station set the record for the accumulated number of days spent in space, the single longest space mission by an American astronaut.

In this Oct. 22, 2015 photo, Expedition 45 Commander Scott Kelly tries on his spacesuit inside the U.S. Quest airlock of the International Space Station. (NASA via AP)

A unique aspect to his career was that his identical twin brother, Mark Kelly, was also a NASA astronaut. The Kelly brothers are the only twin astronauts in NASA history.

In 2015, NASA studied them to compare the effects on the human physiological, molecular and behavioral lenses. Scott spent a year at the ISS while Mark worked at ground control. When Scott returned, his body had undergone several genetic changes, most notably to his chromosomes. Researchers found the ends of Scotts chromosomes, called the telomeres, lengthened instead of shortening as they had expected.

It was a high-risk mission, Scott said, but it helped kick-start genetic testing on people during space travel, further propelling mankind into space studies. Scott said it was the most important thing hes done in his life.

Of course I learned a lot about empathy and being a good human on this planet, he said.

When you look out at planet Earth from space, you dont see political borders like you do on maps and globes of the Earth. You see a planet. You know that there people down there, and were all in this thing together called humanity.

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Former NASA astronaut Scott Kelly tells crowd at UCCS to 'do the hard things' - Colorado Springs Gazette

Asteroid alert: NASA tracks three space rocks heading past Earth at once Will they hit? – Express.co.uk

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The asteroids are flying in Earths direction on trajectories dubbed by astronomers Earth Close Approaches. The asteroids will all come screaming by on Monday, September 30. NASA expects the first of the three tracked space rocks, Asteroid 2019 SH3, to appear around 2.37am BST (1.37am UTC) next week. On its closest approach, the rock will reach speeds of around 14.16km per second or 31,675mph (50,976kph).

According to NASAs Center for Near Earth Object Studies (CNEOS), all three space rocks are classified as Near-Earth Objects (NEOs).

NEOs are comets and asteroids trapped in the inner solar system that come very close to our planet.

Occasionally, an asteroid will come close enough to Earths orbit for NASA to monitor its trajectory for the possibility of impact.

The space agency said: As they orbit the Sun, Near-Earth Objects occasionally approach close to Earth.

FIND OUT MORE: How often do asteroids hit Earth? What is the danger

CNEOS calculates the motion of all NEOs forwards to 2200 AD and backwards to 1900 AD, and determines the times and distances of the Earth close approaches.

The first of the three asteroids is thespacerock known as Asteroid 2019 SH3.

Asteroid SH3 is the second largest of the trio, estimated to measure somewhere between 62.3ft to 137.8ft (19m to 42m) in diameter.

The asteroid is flying through space at speeds of around 31,675mph (50,976kph).

The rocks closest approach to Earth will occur around 2.37am BST (1.37am UTC) on Monday.

READ MORE:Expert fears NASA can't stop an asteroid impact - 'Insanely irresponsible'

Shortly after, Asteroid 2019 SN3 will skim the planet around 12.46pm BST (11.46am UTC).

The asteroid is the smallest of the three space rocks.

NASA estimates SN3 measures somewhere in the range of 42.6ft to 95ft (13m to 29m) across.

The asteroid is travelling through space at speeds of around 7.68km per second or 17,179mph (27,648kph).

READ MORE: Billions of people will die in asteroid impact - shock warning

The final of the three asteroids is the space rock known as Asteroid 2019 SP.

Asteroid SP measures in the range of 111.5ft to 249ft (34m to 76m) making it the largest of the trio.

The asteroid will close-in on Earths location around 6.41pm BST (5.41am UTC).

During the approach, NASA said the space rock will travel at speeds of 15.06km per second or 33,688mph (54,216kph).

Thankfully, there is no need to sound the alarm bells just yet because all three space rocks will safely miss the planet.

The closest of the three rocks, Asteroid SN3, will approach Earth from a distance of 0.00565 astronomical units.

A single astronomical unit equals about 93 million miles (149.6 million km), which is the distance from the Sun to Earth.

Asteroid SN3 will drastically cut this down to just 525,200 miles (845,227km) on Monday only twice as far as the Moon is.

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Litecoin Price Changed by 3.49 percent – ICO Brothers

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As at 2019-09-30 average Litecoin price is 55.59362276 USD, 0.00673723 BTC, 0.31343281 ETH.

Litecoin LTC/CNYT on BitAsset exchange is 55.24. The trading volume on BitAsset is 26336127.00.

At the same time Litecoin LTC/BTC on Birake exchange is 55.64. The trading volume on Birake is 6485.58.

Litecoin LTC/BTC on Whitebit exchange is 55.23. The trading volume on Whitebit is 536278.00.

Litecoin LTC/USDT on Piexgo exchange is 55.24. The trading volume on Piexgo is 18338.35.

Litecoin LTC/USDT on Exrates exchange is 55.26. The trading volume on Exrates is 17600328.00.

In this regard, 24 hour trading volume is 1845225273.27410000 USD or 223617.50234426 BTC. At the same time Litecoin market capitalization is 3522909056 USD or $426931 BTC.

Litecoin average change within 24 hour is 3.49 against USD, 0.83 against BTC, -1.22 against ETH. Weekly report: -22.57 against USD, -7.54 against BTC, -9.86 against ETH. Monthly report: -11.63 against USD, 2.21 against BTC, -16.44 against ETH.

Its noteworthy that is issued into circulation Litecoin.

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Litecoin Gets Back To The Lower Border Of The Channel – Benzinga

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Litecoin is changing hands at $56.35. The coin is range-bound on Thursday amid market indecision. Cryptocurrency traders try to come to grips with the recent sell-off and figure out what to do next. LTC shifted to sixth place in the global cryptocurrency rating. The market capitalization of the coin settled at $3.6 billion.

Looking technically, LTC/USD needs to recover at least above $60.00 to mitigate the initial bearish pressure and allow for an extended recovery towards $62.00 strengthened by the middle line of four-hour Bollinger Band. Once it is out of the way, the upside is likely to gain traction towards even stronger hurdle created by a confluence of technical indicators clustered around psychological $70.00. The above-said indicators include SMA200 (Simple Moving Average) one-hour, SMA50 and SMA200 one four-hour chart.

On the downside, the local support is located at $56.00 (the lower line of one-hour Bollinger Band) A sustainable move lower will attract new sellers and push the price towards September 25 low at $53.06. This barrier is likely to slow down the bears and initiate a rebound.

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Litecoin Gets Back To The Lower Border Of The Channel - Benzinga

The Hard Week Thats Been Hitting Litecoin – Live Bitcoin News

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Litecoin, the sixth-largest cryptocurrency by market cap, has had something of a rough week, and is experiencing up-and-down behavior like nobodys business.

To be fair, Litecoin isnt alone in its present dilemma. Bitcoin, for example, is currently trading in the $8,100 range roughly $2,000 less than where it was when last week ended. Ethereum is also down for the count, trading at around $168 at press time from last weeks high of $190.

Litecoin, however, seems to be getting hit harder. According to Joe DiPasquale, the CEO of crypto hedge fund Bit Bull Capital:

Litecoin has been under pressure since the halving of the block reward failed to boost price and it wasnt helped by concerns surrounding funding for future development. The current price drop is simply the result of these fundamental issues and the fact that Litecoin closely follows bitcoin.

In the long run, bitcoin and Litecoin seem to share a very unique relationship, to say the least. Whenever bitcoin goes up, so does Litecoin. If bitcoin falls, Litecoin is sure to follow. The two seem to be tied together and work together regardless of what other cryptocurrencies might do. Thus, as it stands, since bitcoin is traversing through the doldrums, Litecoin is duty bound to engage in the same behavior.

Akbar Thobhani, the CEO and founder of SFOX, believes that the halving of last month likely has the most to do with Litecoins present dilemma. He comments:

Halvenings of any major cryptocurrency, historically, have correlated with increased volatility as traders are uncertain about the effect that the change in the rate of new coin supply will have on the coins price. SFOX previously suggested that the Litecoin halving could correspond with more LTC volatility, and we appear to be observing that trend. As with any asset class, lasting value comes from fundamentals such as number of users and transactions, and these are the metrics to watch as Litecoin and other cryptocurrencies continue to grow.

At the same time, the currency has shown a relatively active level of resilience, and at press time, Litecoin has jumped up by roughly three percent in the last 24 hours, spiking from its new low of $54 to about $55 at press time.

Unfortunately, whats not great is that the currency was hitting highs of roughly $145 during the summer of 2019, and just last week, was trading in the $70 range, which is still considerably better than its present position. Still, though, its market cap has reached an impressive $4.6 billion and its one of the few top ten cryptocurrencies that have expanded in price during this time.

Thats not to say, however, that theres not a lot of catching up to do (the same can be said for many coins).

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The Hard Week Thats Been Hitting Litecoin - Live Bitcoin News

Tether (USDT) Becomes Fourth Biggest Cryptocurrency, Trumping Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Litecoin (LTC) – U.Today

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Atomic wallet successfully launched the loyalty program for its users, and it is based on Binance Chain. A multi-level membership program provides cashback for AWC owners, which can reach $300 a month.

Regarding the innovations, Atomic Wallet CEO, Konstantin Gladych, said the following:

As Atomic Wallet is rapidly growing and getting popularity within the crypto community, our membership program will help to all crypto enthusiasts not only enjoy using Atomic but also to get benefits of AWC token.

To start receiving cashback from Atomic, the users account must have none the less 1000 AWC tokens; payments are made for using the built-in exchange service. The algorithm is quite simple; the more users hold tokens, the more they will receive at the end of the month.

Screenshot of Atomic Wallet application

Atomic has divided its loyalty program into four main levels: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Depending on how much AWC you hold, the cashback may rise from 0.25% to 1%, and the limit too. On the Bronze level, it will be $100, but moving forward to Platinum it gonna rise to $300 cashback limit per month, which is pretty nice.

For those who do not know, Atomic is a universal cryptocurrency wallet that supports more than 500 coins and tokens without deposits and is suitable for most OS.

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Tether (USDT) Becomes Fourth Biggest Cryptocurrency, Trumping Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Litecoin (LTC) - U.Today