Category Archives: Space Exploration

As climate change warms the planet, sea levels rise, and wildfires become commonplace, humans edge more precariously onto the precipice of a much harsher landscape. According to experts, humanitys environmental woes are so severe that a global-scale ecological catastrophe is already underway.

During such dire times, questions remain about the issues we are focusing our money and energy into. Among them, whether the current pursuit of space exploration and its cost is foolish or a cynical bet against planet Earths survival.

Spaceflight isnt just a master-minded escape plan for the richest among us, though. The key to saving our planet, and humanity, partly relies on the innovations from space exploration. The commercial sector has already adopted inventions that were funded or designed by space agencies. These include several ecology-based projects like one that uses LED light color that triggers growth for indoor agriculture or satellites used to predict the weather and document climate change. Space technologies are evolving and can help us harness a more sustainable world.

Frontier Technologies

Innovations like artificial intelligence, The Internet of Things (IoT), 5G networks and other robotic mechanics are paving the way for sustainability initiatives on Earth and in space. Incorporating these innovations into frontier technologies, or Space 2.0 technologies, can actively help to fight climate change. AI tools, in particular, can help reduce air pollution, hydrological risk, while also environmentally managing e-waste. For example, AIs predictive analytics fostered by space monitoring can forecast metrics on air quality, solar/clouds, temperature and more regarding its ability to help decrease air pollution.

Additionally, 5G supported by new-age communication satellites can manage smart water supplies and help reduce water loss inefficiencies. As water is one primary medium through which well experience climate changes effects, 5G can be instilled into smart water management systems. In doing so, it offers real-time remote sensing that ensures faster response times, minimizes disruption flows, and reduces unaccounted water loss. At the same time, it can also support planning and operations via accurate demand predictions and cost savings via energy optimization for cities and states. Singapore uses a system called WaterWise in conjunction with the Public Utilities Board of Singapore (PUB). It achieves its sustainability goals by utilizing hundreds of sensors that feed insights into data-analytic tools, installed island-wide to detect pipe leaks and monitor water pressure, flow and quality.

Additionally, IoT networks, also supported by communication satellites, could manage smart infrastructure to help reduce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases.

Communication technologies, in particular, could be key in meeting sustainability targets outlined by the Paris Agreement, which limit global warming to 1.5 celsius. Among these innovations, Space 2.0 technologies, the second generation of space systems.

Satellites to Track Weather and Climate Data

Satellite technology is one of the most crucial space tools to help curb the climate change crisis. Satellite data, communications, and its applications provide high-resolution, real-time global monitoring of the planet. Today, over 160 satellites measure various climate change indicators.

They also continue to provide data so scientists can track changes to geological features like ice sheets. Launched in 2018, NASAs Ice, Cloud and land Elevation Satellite spacecraft (ICESat-2) monitors the thinning of sea ice and indicates how ice cover had disappeared from coastal parts of Greenland and Antarctica. Their latest satellite was developed to provide extra information on how ice cover decreases or changes over a year. Scientists use the data from these next-generation satellites which take measurements every 85 centimeters along the ground path to hopefully improve forecasts for rising sea levels and global weather and climate patterns.

Satellite imagery and climate data also supports sectors like agriculture, offering benefits to the communities they serve. Amazon Web Services and Digital Earth Africa use Open Data Cube to make global satellite data more accessible and can be used to help farmers improve food production to reduce hunger, tackle unregulated mining and its knock-on effects, and identify new opportunities for economic growth.

Space Sensors

Today, more than 600 remote sensing satellites monitor borders to make the world more transparent. Within the context of climate change, it also helps protect ecological systems and wildlife on Earth. The International Cooperation for Animal Research Using Space (Icarus) Initiative is one initiative that incorporates ISS satellite to monitor and protect wildlife. Scientists use this to track migratory patterns of birds and other animals from space with the help of small transmitters attached to their backs. This data is then processed back to the ISS, where it is transmitted to Earths facilities and offers a synopsis of animal life on Earth that is later synthesized into environmental data.

Whats more, space sensors also give Earth the benefit of reducing emissions from heating systems. Miniaturized ceramic gas sensor technology, originally developed for measuring oxygen levels aboard spacecraft reentry, is now used for systems that control heater combustion, a major source of pollutants. The system reduces exhaust gases that harm the environment and helps heating systems work at an optimum level, reducing fuel use by 15 to 20 percent.

While space technologies arent the end-all-be-all answer to improve climate change on Earth, they play a significant role in supporting how we manage life at home. According to the UN, over half of essential climate change variables can only be measured from space. In the future, investments in these tools will only increase and the need to advance other life-sustaining technologies on extraterrestrial planets will be needed too.

Consider how one day, we will build outposts on the moon and Mars that must replicate and sustain all of our planets life-giving essentials off-world. As such, we will need technologies capable of recycling essential resources like water, food, air to make these planets renewable and self-sustaining for current and future space exploration missions. Its the progress we make in developing these innovations that we will continue to harness as models to preserve Earths wellbeing. Its safe to say, the way to sustainability is up.

Written by Dylan Taylor.

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Why the Future of Humanity Relies on Space Exploration - CEOWORLD magazine

Last Monday, after traveling about a million miles, the James Webb Telescope reached its new home.

NASAs telescope is now parked in a space called L2 a region between the gravitational fields of the Earth and sun where it could spend the next 10 or more years surveilling outer space.

The Webb telescope, which was launched Dec. 25, is being controlled from the Space Telescope Institute in Baltimore.

On Feb. 3, from 12:30 1:30 p.m., experts at Johns Hopkins University will host a live virtual discussion on developments in space exploration, including the Webb telescope, space weather, the Parker Solar Probe, and upcoming space missions.

The discussion moderated by Chuck Bennett, professor and director at Space@Hopkins will include Hopkins professors Adam Riess and Sabine Stanley, as well as Jason Kalirai, mission area executive for civil space at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

The event is part of the universitys Congressional Briefing Series, which allows policymakers, staff, and members of the public to gain insights from Johns Hopkins experts.

The event is free, but registration is required.

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Johns Hopkins to host discussion on civilian space exploration, discovery, and research Feb. 3 - - Baltimore Fishbowl

The first time German astronaut Alexander Gerst took off into space, he was overwhelmed. Hed seensatellite photos of Earthbefore, but they were nothing in comparison with the real thing.

I [saw] the Earth with my own eyes for the very first time and all of a sudden, this huge, gigantic planet that I thought was infinite, maybe with infinite resources or things like that, appeared dauntingly small in the light of the blackness of infinity. And that caused me to see Earth differently."

Gerst was part of the International Space Station (ISS) Expedition 40 and 41 from May to November 2014. Hereturned to space again as part of Expedition 56 and 57 in June 2018.

German astronaut Alexander Gerst

"It was revealing [for me] to fly to space for the first time, he said. As a geophysicist, we know exactly the diameter of the Earth, the thickness of the atmosphere. I thought I knew it all."

Gerst, who spoke during last week's 14th European Space Conference, said space exploration can offer a solution to the climate crisis by taking a step back and looking at the "problem from the outside."

"We astronauts have to transport that view, that change in perspective [back] to Earth."

Before satellites were first launched into space in the mid-20th century, we knew very little about the dynamics of our climate. Today, numerous satellites collect information which helps us piece together the story of our changing planet. In 1985, they helped discover the hole in the ozone layer, and data from space remains key to tackling global warming.

Some satellites monitor signs of climate change, such as melting ice caps, rising sea levels and amounts of CO2 in the atmosphere. The Jason-3 satellite (pictured), launched in 2016, can make precise measurements of global sea levels, a key indicator of climate change. The data will give us a stronger understanding of just how our oceans are being affected by increased temperatures.

Space technology has paved the way for the development of increasingly sophisticated surveying and monitoring tools which can track everything from deforestation to illegal fishing ships and even oil spills. This way, researchers know exactly when and where environmental and legal action needs to be taken.

Satellites play a vital role in tracking natural disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires and floods. As well as providing an early warning for those on the ground, they also help authorities track the intensity of the event and understand the scale of the devastation. Monitoring storm systems helps generate better climate models to predict future disasters.

Growing plants in space has already taught us valuable lessons which can be applied to sustainable agriculture on Earth. Astronauts on the International Space Station have discovered they can use less water to grow vegetables, and China recently made history by germinating a cotton seed on the far side of the moon. As our planet warms, this knowledge could be vital for farmers.

Unfortunately, space technology has also had a negative impact on the environment. Every time a rocket is launched it produces a plume of exhaust smoke filled with bits of soot and a chemical called alumina, which can build up in the stratosphere and deplete the ozone. Space agencies are looking to lessen their use of "ozone-depleting substances" and are researching more eco-friendly fuels.

There are currently more than 20,000 trackable pieces of space junk in orbit around Earth, including everything from old rockets to bolts and screws. They're not technically part of Earth's ecosphere, but if we're not careful the junk may become so dense that satellites won't be able to function properly and provide us with the data we so desperately need.

Author: Ineke Mules

While space exploration demands a considerable amount of money from the EU budget, Gerst argues that its worth it.

The benefits of technologies developed to support space exploration are not merely restricted to sustaining human life in space, he said.

Space experience helps lead researchers to develop technologies that we can use on Earth, things that we need to save the planet," Gerst said.

Gerst said they conducted experiments on the space station that investigated how plant roots know which direction to grow. This question is being heavily researched in order to develop plants that can grow their roots more quickly to find water deep in dry soil.

"That is something that will come in very handy if climate change really changes a lot of areas that formerly were green and now they're dry, he said.

European Space Agency (ESA) Director General Josef Aschbacher noted that more than half of the climate parameters such as sea surface temperature, glacier melting, the melting of the polar ice caps and sea level rise are measured in space.

Without satellites, we wouldnt know the extent of climate change," Aschbacher said, adding that without this information, it would be difficult to make and implement decisions related to the climate crisis.

During a virtual interview with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen from space last week, German astronaut and materials scientist Matthias Maurer, who is currently on a six-month SpaceX science mission, noted the many climate change-related details observable from space.

Flying at the height of around 400 kilometers above the planet and circling Earth 16 times a day, Maurer said they can see slashed and burned forests, drought and lakes that used to be on the maps.

"We can also see that human mining puts a lot of scars into the surface of our planet, he said.

Maurer said they are also able to observe natural events happening in real time, like the recent flooding in Brazil or theeruption of the underwater volcano in Tonga.

He added that the Copernicus Earth observation fleet provides data that is important for politicians to act upon.

Copernicus is the European Union's Earth observation program. It offers information services that draw from satellite and non-space data.

Maurer launched in November last year on the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance spacecraft for a mission to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions.

An issue frequently brought up with space exploration is the debris it leaves floating around in space.

There are fears that with more private companies vying to go to the moon, such as billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX, more junk will fill the atmosphere.

According to the ESA's January 2022 update on space junk, there are some 30,600 debris objects regularly tracked by Space Surveillance Networks.

Maurer said his space station experienced a space debris collision warning just two weeks ago. The stations planning teams on the ground had to calculate if the debris had the potential to hit them.

"That shows us that there is a lot of debris here in space, and it's a very important topic, not only for the ISS because it puts us at risk, but also because of the older satellites that we have."

Maurer noted there needs to be action taken to avoid future space debris. The ESA has declared that by 2030, they want to have a net contribution to space debris. Maurer said this would not onlymean they need to take action to remove massive parts from space, but also to reduce the introduction of new space particles.

Both Maurer and Gerst are optimistic that the findings from space exploration could help politicians and scientists find solutions to the climate crisis, using the famous words "there is no Planet B."

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Space exploration could be Earths saving grace - DW (English)

A new startup run by a former acting NASA administrator hopes to capitalize on the recent zeal for lunar space exploration by building robotic outposts and spacecraft to send to space near the Moon. Their goal is to create a fleet of robotic helpers that can do a variety of tasks near the Moon, such as providing internet capabilities, collecting data, refueling spacecraft, and assembling structures in lunar space.

The company called Quantum Space was formed in 2021. At the helm is Steve Jurczyk, who served as NASAs associate administrator beginning in 2018, before becoming the agencys acting administrator when President Biden was inaugurated. After retiring in May, Jurczyk decided to team up with three additional entrepreneurs and experts in the space industry to create this new company based out of Maryland.

Jurczyk, who is the president and CEO of the company, says Quantum Space is focused on the Moon since NASA is also focused on returning there. The space agencys primary human spaceflight enterprise at the moment is Artemis, a massive initiative to send the first woman and the first person of color to the lunar surface. Along with performing a series of human landings, NASA is also partnering with various commercial companies to send a fleet of landers and rovers to the Moon to explore the environment. Given all of these proposed lunar missions, Quantum Space felt like there was an opportunity to create vehicles that could be useful in the area.

We know theres going to be a lot of activity around and on the Moon in the coming decade, primarily driven by Artemis, Jurczyk tells The Verge. But you know, national security where civil spaces goes, national security will have to go also. Jurczyk anticipates Space Force and other military entities might leverage NASAs lunar exploration and become customers in the future.

Jurczyk says he envisions multiple types of vehicles that Quantum Space can build in the coming years to aid with the future influx of Moon missions. First, the company hopes to create a robotic outpost that could potentially help with communication in the region of space between regular Earth orbits and the Moon, known as cislunar space. NASA has a concept for creating an internet-like system of communications infrastructure around the Moon called LunaNet, which would be less reliant on Earth technologies for navigation, communication, and data relays. Jurczyk says his companys robotic outpost could be involved. We believe we can be a node or nodes in that network, for both spacecraft in orbit as well as spacecraft on the surface, he says.

Along with communications, the outpost could also do observations of Earth or the lunar surface, as well as host payloads for collecting data on the lunar environment. The company also envisions providing space traffic services for spacecraft traveling around the Moon. There are also options to observe the climate of Earth from a unique vantage point, as well as characterize near-Earth objects like asteroids. Quantum Space sees its outpost being at a specific point in space between the Earth and the Moon known as an Earth-Moon Lagrange point, where the gravity and centripetal forces between the two bodies are just right for spacecraft to remain relatively stable. The particular Lagrange point that Quantum Space is aiming for is called L1, and its about 38,100 miles from the Moons surface.

In the long term, Quantum Space also wants to create its own robotic servicing spacecraft essentially, a satellite mechanic that can refuel the outpost and other nearby vehicles, as well as conduct repairs. That way the outpost can have an extended lifetime in cislunar space. Such an idea would leverage the capabilities of the growing satellite servicing industry, which is already trying to create servicing robots that can fix satellites in orbit around the Earth.

Quantum Spaces focus on deploying robots in cislunar space gives it a unique advantage, according to Jurczyk. Plenty of commercial space companies are focused on building passenger space stations that can live in Earths orbit, as NASA plans to eventually retire the International Space Station and move beyond that area of space to the Moon. Quantum Spaces outpost will only be robotic, so no people can live on board. And Jurczyk says there arent many companies with a history of building vehicles for the lunar environment.

Theres really no legacy systems to compete with there, says Jurczyk. we can sort of be a first mover to establish capabilities and services in cislunar.

Since Quantum Space is a fledgling company, theres still a long road ahead one that begins with fleshing out the design of their spacecraft. As for a budget, the initial seed funding is coming from one of the four co-founders, Kam Ghaffarian. Ghaffarian, CEO of investment firm IBX, has helped fund various other space ventures like Axiom Space, Intuitive Machines, and more.

Right now, the company is working toward a pathfinder mission that would send a test robot to the Earth-Moon Lagrange point as early as spring of 2024. The goal would be to demonstrate many of the capabilities that Quantum Spaces future outpost would do, such as Earth and lunar observations, communication capabilities, and more.

Its a lot to do within the next two years, but there may be quite a bit more time before NASAs exploration of the Moon picks up. The space agency was eyeing its first human lunar landing in 2024, but recently delayed that to 2025 at the earliest. With key rockets and hardware for Artemis facing repeated delays, there should be ample time to flesh out the cislunar space economy.

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New company run by former NASA leader aims to build robotic outpost near the Moon - The Verge

Space travel is all about momentum.

Rockets turn their fuel into momentum that carries people, satellites and science itself forward into space. 2021 was a year full of records for space programs around the world, and that momentum is carrying forward into 2022.

Last year, the commercial space race truly took off. Richard Branson and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos both rode on suborbital launchesand brought friends, including actor William Shatner. SpaceX sent eight astronauts and 1 ton of supplies to the International Space Station for NASA. The six tourist spaceflights in 2021 were a record. There were also a record 19 people weightless in space for a short time in December, eight of them private citizens. Finally, Mars was also busier than ever thanks to missions from the U.S., China and United Arab Emirates sending rovers, probes or orbiters to the red planet.

In total, in 2021 there were 134 launches that put humans or satellites into orbitthe highest number in the entire history of spaceflight. Nearly 200 orbital launches are scheduled for 2022. If things go well, this will smash last years record.

Im an astronomer who studies supermassive black holes and distant galaxies. I have also written a book about humanitys future in space. Theres a lot to look forward to in 2022. The moon will get more attention than it has had in decades, as will Jupiter. The largest rocket ever built will make its first flight. And of course, the James Webb Space Telescope will start sending back its first images.

I, for one, cant wait.

Getting a rocket into orbit around Earth is a technical achievement, but its only equivalent to a half a days drive straight up. Fifty years after the last person stood on Earths closest neighbor, 2022 will see a crowded slate of lunar missions.

NASA will finally debut its much delayed Space Launch System. This rocket is taller than the Statue of Liberty and produces more thrust than the mighty Saturn V. The Artemis I mission will head off this spring for a flyby of the moon. Its a proof of concept for a rocket system that will one day let people live and work off Earth. The immediate goal is to put astronauts back on the moon by 2025.

Concept art for NASA's Artemis 1 mission.

ESA

NASA is also working to develop the infrastructure for a lunar base, and its partnering with private companies on science missions to the Moon. A company called Astrobotic will carry 11 payloads to a large crater on the near side of the moon, including two mini-rovers and a package of personal mementos gathered from the general public by a company based in Germany. The Astrobotic lander will also be carrying the cremated remains of science fiction legend Arthur C. Clarkeas with Shatners flight into space, its an example of science fiction turned into fact. Another company, Intuitive Machines, plans two trips to the moon in 2022, carrying 10 payloads that include a lunar hopper and an ice mining experiment.

Russia is getting in on the lunar act, too. The Soviet Union accomplished many lunar firstsfirst spacecraft to hit the surface in 1959, first spacecraft to soft-land in 1966 and the first lunar rover in 1970but Russia hasnt been back for over 45 years. In 2022, it plans to send the Luna 25 lander to the moons south pole to drill for ice. Frozen water is an essential requirement for any moon base.

While NASAs Space Launch System will be a big step up for the agency, Elon Musks new rocket promises to be the king of the skies in 2022.

The SpaceX Starshipthe most powerful rocket ever launchedwill get its first orbital launch in 2022. Its fully reusable, has more than twice the thrust of the Saturn V rocket and can carry 100 tons into orbit. The massive rocket is central to Musks aspirations to create a self-sustaining base on the moon and, eventually, a city on Mars.

Part of what makes Starship so important is how cheap it will make bringing things into space. If successful, the price of each flight will be $2 million. By contrast, the price for NASA to launch the Space Launch System is likely to be over $2 billion. The reduction in costs by a factor of a thousand will be a game-changer for the economics of space travel.

The moon and Mars arent the only celestial bodies getting attention next year. After decades of neglect, Jupiter will finally get some love, too.

The European Space Agencys Icy Moons Explorer is scheduled to head off to the gas giant midyear. Once there, it will spend three years studying three of Jupiters moonsGanymede, Europa and Callisto. These moons are all thought to have subsurface liquid water, making them potentially habitable environments.

Additionally, in September 2022, NASAs Juno spacecraftwhich has been orbiting Jupiter since 2016is going to swoop within 220 miles of Europa, the closest-ever look at this fascinating moon. Its instruments will measure the thickness of the ice shell, which covers an ocean of liquid water.

All this action in the solar system is exciting, but 2022 will also see new information from the edge of space and the dawn of time.

After successfully reaching its final destination, unfurling its solar panels and unfolding its mirrors in January, NASAs James Webb Space Telescope will undergo exhaustive testing and return its first data sometime midyear. The 21-foot (6.5-meter) telescope has seven times the collecting area of the Hubble Space Telescope. It also operates at longer wavelengths of light than Hubble, so it can see distant galaxies whose light has been redshiftedstretched to longer wavelengths by the expansion of the universe.

By the end of the year, scientists should be getting results from a project aiming to map the earliest structures in the universe and see the dawn of galaxy formation. The light these structures gave off was some of the very first light in history and was emitted when the universe was only 5 percent of its current age.

When astronomers look out in space they look back in time. First light marks the limit of what humanity can see of the universe. Prepare to be a time traveler in 2022.

Chris Impey is a professor of astronomy at the University of Arizona.

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4 Major Space Exploration Projects to Watch for in 2022 From NASA to SpaceX - Daily Beast

February 2, 2022

A new center at Arizona State University aims to help us better understand the history of early stars, galaxies and black holes to enhance our knowledge of the universe.

The Beus Center for Cosmic Foundations was founded in theSchool of Earth and Space Explorationthrough a generous gift by philanthropists Leo and Annette Beus.

We have witnessed great outcomes at ASU and are grateful to be a part of this new opportunity to advance cosmic exploration, said Leo Beus, co-founder of Beus Gilbert McGroder PLLC who has practiced law in the Valley for 51 years. This investment enables us to support highly skilled researchers in their quest to understand the beginnings of stars and galaxies.

In addition to establishing a new center, the $8 million endowed gift includes a named professorship and named chair.

This center provides a legacy we can leave to our children and grandchildren who love exploring the stars as much as Leo and I do, Annette Beus said. Its always rewarding to see how our investments advance the universitys mission.

The Beuses have made a lasting impact on Arizona State University through their philanthropic investments that include theBeus Center for Law and Society, Sun Devil Athletics, theBeus Compact X-ray Free Electron Laser (CXFEL) Labin theBiodesign Instituteand numerous scholarships to increase student access to a college education.

Leo and Annette Beus are longtime supporters of ASU and are critical to the universitys mission and success, ASU PresidentMichael M. Crowsaid.This recent investment will advance current research in star formation as well as ASUs world-renowned space program.

ASU researchers have access to the most advanced astronomical observatories globally and in Earths orbit. The Beuses investment will help researchers understand what first stars were like and how they interplay with their galactic environments. In conjunction with ASU engineers and instrument developers, the center unites a premier group in the development and deployment of technologies and techniques to enable transformational observations of the universe.

"The Beus Center for Cosmic Foundations will allow faculty and students at ASU to explore the origins of the universe like never before, saidKenro Kusumi, dean of natural sciences in The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. As a leader in cosmology and astronomy research, the School of Earth and Space Exploration continues to create new technologies that revolutionize our ability to understand the universe."

School of Earth and Space Exploration DirectorMeenakshi Wadhwasaid the center builds upon ASUs tradition of leading major advances in understanding the formation of galaxies and stars.

The Beus Center will help to advance this research into the next era of discovery through cutting-edge observational and theoretical astrophysics, as well as the development of innovative new technologies and tools for such research, Wadhwa said. In doing so, it will play a key role in advancing a core mission of our school by combining science and engineering for exploration and discovery.

Judd Bowman, professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration, will serve as the inaugural endowed chair of the center and is recognized for his teams pioneering instrument, opening new views of the birth of stars that was named among the top 10 "Breakthroughs of the Year by Physics World.

This generous gift from the Beuses enables ASU researchers to make new discoveries into one of humanitys oldest questions: What is our place in the cosmos? Bowman said. Were looking forward to accelerating our research into one of the most mysterious events in the history of the universe the birth of the first stars.

Allison Noble, an assistant professor in the School of Earth and Space Exploration, will serve as the inaugural endowed professor.

There are still so many unanswered questions in the field of galaxy formation and evolution, and the Beus Center for Cosmic Foundations will bring together experts at ASU and attract researchers from around the world to investigate each transformational epoch in the history of the universe from the birth of galaxies at cosmic dawn, to their peak assembly at cosmic noon, and to their final stage today at cosmic dusk, Noble said.

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New center launches with focus on early stars and galaxies - Arizona State University

UASpaces BAMA-1, a small CubeSat satellite made by the company Astra, will launch into space this Saturday, Feb. 5.

Nine UA students are traveling to Cape Canaveral, Florida, to watch the launch in person. Members, advisers and supporters of UASpace can watch the launch through Astras livestream beginning at 11 a.m. CST.

BAMA-1 will launch from Rocket 3.3, created by Astra, a company founded in 2016 that makes low-cost rockets, and will orbit 312 miles above Earth. This will be the first rocket Astra has launched with a commercial payload and the first satellite launched into space by The University of Alabama.

In fall 2019 UASpace wrote a proposal to NASA to be part of the CubeSat Launch Initiative. In this program, NASA partners with schools and universities to launch CubeSats into space.

In 2020 NASA announced the satellites chosen to be part of the 11th round of the initiative; The University of Alabamas BAMA-1 was one of them.

BAMA-1, a satellite the size of a loaf of bread, is testing drag sail technology. This technology will eliminate excessive space debris and shorten the deorbiting time of satellites.

John Baker, the faculty adviser for UASpace and a professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics, said excessive space debris is a current issue.

The concern is that at some point in time you will get cascade collisions, Baker said. There will be so much debris that it will remove the ability to effectively use that orbit for satellites. Its important that we start deorbiting things when they are at the end of their useful life, and the drag sail will do that.

Ian Noonan, the president of UASpace and chief technical officer of BAMA-1, said a satellite with current technology deorbits in an average of five years, but he foresees that BAMA-1s drag sail technology will deorbit in anywhere from 50 days to five months.

Noonan, a fourth-year aerospace engineering and MBA student, joined UASpace, formerly a CubeSat club, in 2018 after hearing Baker encourage engineering students to join.

Im very proud of this group and the work we have accomplished, Noonan said. Im grateful to have been given this opportunity.

Baker said the goal of UASpace was not just to create the CubeSat.

The goal was also to inspire the next generation, especially in areas of Alabama that may not see the opportunity to go to college or participate in something like this, he said.

UASpace has worked with local middle and high schools to encourage space exploration and engineering. In March 2020, the group created educational YouTube videos and worksheets. The worksheets cover science and math skills while also explaining UASpaces CubeSat program for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Because the project has taken almost three years to complete, many students worked with BAMA-1 but graduated before the launch.

We are really proud of these students who have gone through this program and the teams that we have. We have hit roadblocks, but we have found solutions together, said Rohan Sood, a faculty adviser for UASpace and a professor of aerospace engineering and mechanics.

Mike Pope, an adviser for UASpace and a marketing professor, encourages students of all majors to join UASpace. In addition to learning about space exploration and engineering, students also learn program management and skills to communicate about technical subjects.

I think I am most excited for the students who have come through, supported the program and are in industry now, Pope said. Just to be at this stage is very gratifying. We helped, but most of it was on the students shoulders.

Abby Feeder, the project manager for the BAMA-1 CubeSat program, will graduate this spring with an MBA and masters degree in aerospace engineering. Feeder said UASpace is in the beginning phases of planning its next CubeSat, BAMA-2.

We are going to see how the [BAMA-1] launch goes, Feeder said. We are going to take that and make the next generation by adding in new technology, broadening the scope of what we want to do as its mission, and get as many students involved as possible.

Feeder said UASpace will work with members, NASA and industry partners to decide what mission is best for BAMA-2.

NASA funded the BAMA-1 CubeSats launch from Astras Rocket 3.3. Lockheed Martin, Linc Research and the Alabama Space Grant Consortium funded the creation of the BAMA-1 CubeSat. UASpace has also received donations from the UA aerospace engineering and mechanics department.

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Ready for liftoff: UASpace launches satellite - The Crimson White - The University of Alabama Crimson White

Picture Venus. You know, the second planet from the sun, where the clouds are shot through with sulfuric acid and the surface is hot enough to melt lead.

What color is it?

For the longest time, I thought of Venus as caramel-colored, swirled with golds, yellows, and brownswarm colors that matched the planets reputation for being a scorching world covered in volcanoes. And then I saw a picture of Venus that James ODonoghue, a planetary astronomer, shared online recently. It was not any toasty shade, not even close. It was milky-white and featureless. A big old space pearl. This is what it looks like to a human being flying by, ODonoghue wrote in his post.

Whaaat? That couldnt be right. I went to my bookshelf and pulled out some space books, flipping to their pages on Venus. In National Geographics Space Atlas, Second Edition: amber. In The Smithsonian History of Space Exploration: butterscotch. In a thick magazine called the Book of the Solar System: gold. My editor sent me pictures of the illustrations from her toddlers books on the solar system, and they showed more of the same. It seemed as if we had all been bamboozled, hoodwinked, led astray. I had seen pictures of Venus in muted shades beforeId used one in a story about the planets atmospherebut this other nondescript, alabaster world seemed wrong. It didnt resemble a planet frequently described as hellish, where the surface conditions have crumpled any spacecraft that made it through the poison clouds and dared to land.

I was so stunned that I reached out to one of my best Venus sources and demanded, Why didnt you tell me? Suddenly I had questions about the whole solar system, and so did the rest of The Atlantics Science desk. As one of my colleagues asked, when I told him about the true nature of Venus, Is Jupiters Great Red Spot even red?

It turns out that almost nothing in space is quite as vibrant as you think it is. Venus is only the beginning.

Read: Venus, the best and brightest

The most widespread image of Venusas an ochre, almost molten worldisnt a real picture, at least not in the typical way we think of pictures; it was made using radio waves. In the early 90s, a NASA spacecraft equipped with radar technology settled into orbit around Venus. Every time the probe, named Magellan, came close to the planet, it collected strips of data from all over Venus and sent them back to Earth. Eventually, the mission amassed enough strips to produce the first-ever radar map of the Venusian surface. We cant see radio waves, so astronomers translated them into colors that we can. They could have picked any color palette, ODonoghue told me. He imagines they went with this particular set because it befit the harsh, burnt landscape of Venus.

The Magellan shot was a significant upgrade over existing images of Venuss exterior, captured by a space probe in the 70s, which showed creamy-white cloud tops and not much else. Suddenly, mountains and craters were visible. The scientists who study Venus loved the orangey version, even though it was an interpretation, Martha Gilmore, a planetary geologist at Wesleyan University who studies the Venusian surface, told me. That color has permeated the Venus community since then, she said. Its in our logos.

Sorry to our human eyeballs, but apparently Venus just looks better in wavelengths we cant visually process. Because its sulfuric-acid clouds are so bright and reflective, the planet itself looks pretty bland from space in the visible spectrum, Paul Byrne, a planetary scientist at Washington University who studies Venus, told me. That image of a muted Venus Id used before was the planet in ultraviolet. Where the radar image helped tease out Venuss surface features, ultraviolet brought out swirly structures in its fast-moving clouds.

Read: The Photoshoppers behind dreamy Jupiter photos

Like Venuss classic portrait, most of the pictures of planets and other astronomical objects that youve seen, in textbooks or on NASA websites, are not natural-color views. Theyre rendered in different wavelengths, stitched together from raw data. Or the colors that really would be visible to the naked eye are adjusted in some way, heightened in order to show a more textured view of these worlds, to make their features pop, whether mountains or storms. We dont turn up our noses at artificial color, Candy Hansen, a senior scientist at the Planetary Science Institute who leads the imaging team on a Jupiter mission, once told me. We love artificial color.

So although in most pictures the Great Red Spot looks like a glob of marinara, in natural color the giant storm is more of a dusty rose. Seen from space, Mars is more brown than red. Saturn isnt really so yellow; its actually the kind of nice neutral youd paint a living room. Uranus is more gray than it is teal, and Neptune is a lovely azure, but not that blue. Plutos heart-shaped glacier doesnt stand out as much in true color.

Read: Astronomers are now obsessed with a particular gas on Venus

And the sun? The sun is nearly always depicted as yellow-orange when in space, even though its actually white in space, ODonoghue said. Its actually a lot of extra work to pull off a realistic sun in a space graphic, because a white ball looks really odd. Once again, whaaat?

So if Venus is a ping-pong ball on the outside, what color is it below the clouds? Scientists know that the surface is made of rock that resembles basalt found on Earth, which is dark gray, Byrne said. But chemical reactions between the rock and the atmosphere could turn the surface reddish. The Soviet missions that landed on the Venusian surface in the 70s and 80s took color photographs, revealing a yellowy landscape, before they succumbed to the harsh environment. But the true color was difficult to determine because Venuss atmosphere filters out blue light.

Astronomers will get a fresh look when a new NASA mission, designed to fly right through Venuss atmosphere and toward the surface, arrives in the early 2030s. Those pictures will be in near-infrared wavelengths, but astronomers will once again translate them into more distinct colors for the public to marvel at. Those images are bound to be stunning in their own way, but now that Im past the shock of it, I can understand the appeal of Venus the way wed see it ourselves, as the pearl of the solar system. Its a beautiful planet, Byrne said. Even if theres, like, a bunch of different ways to die there.

Link:

The Planets Aren't the Color You Probably Think They Are - The Atlantic

Armstrong's restored spacesuit goes on display

The spacesuit that Apollo 11's Neil Armstrong wore on the moon is back on display in mint condition. The suit was rehabbed before it was unveiled Tuesday by Vice President Mike Pence at the Air and Space Museum. (July 16)

AP, AP

HYANNIS Tales of the skies will be told closer to the sea when the Massachusetts Air and Space Museum reopens this spring in downtown Hyannis.

The two-year-old boutique museum, which explores the history of aviation and space exploration with a focus on ties to Massachusetts people and companies, has relocated to 434 Main St., in a former furniture store that was most recently an annex to Sturgis Charter Public Schools east campus.

Officials last week moved almost all of its equipment, materials and exhibits which have included a spacesuit, a vintage F-106 fighter flight simulator and a three-quarter-scale Aeronca single-engine airplane model into storage at the new site in advance of some hoped-for renovations to the space, according to Keith Young, director of public relations. The relocation came after the museum's lease ended in late November because of planned redevelopment around its original home atthe Capetown Plaza strip mall along Route 132.

Both officials of the museum which waschallenged by opening just a few weeks before the pandemic began and the downtown business district believe the new lease at the Main Street location will be a boon for various reasons.

While the exhibition space about 5,000 square feet is about the same size as the former site, Youngsaid, another 2,100 square feet is available for other uses. One big difference will be a room where the museum can for the first time offer talks, presentations and community events, he said.

More: Fact check: WikiLeaks did not release footage that proves moon landing staged

We expect to see an increase in foot traffic in the downtown area vs. having to drive to the Route 132 plaza, Young said, though he notes there is plenty of parking for visitors, too.We're excited to be moving on to Main Street and we're looking forward to a good year, he said. Hopefully, all of the Cape will see a rebound from difficulties in tourism, (and)were excited and hopeful.

The museum will now also bepart of what Elizabeth Wurfbain, executive director of the Hyannis Main Street Business Improvement District, called a sense of an enclave of similar sites and a nexus of cultural institutions within walking distance.

She named the Cape Cod Melody Tent, the HyArts District, the John F. Kennedy Hyannis Museum, the Zion Union Heritage Museum and the Cape Cod Maritime Museum as parts of that. I think that it's so smart for (the air and space museum)to be in this historic district rather than where they were before, she said.I think they wanted to be part of a community thats walkable and that has the year-round population using the downtown as well as the visitors.

Wurfbain particularly noted the connection between space and President Kennedys push to put a man on the moon. One of the Massachusetts Air and Space Museum exhibits is a Gemini spacesuit made by the David Clark Co., of Worcester.

Hyannis businesses aim to draw families and other visitors to the Main Street area, saidWurfbain, and another attraction like the museum is welcome as part of plans by the town, the Business Improvement District and the Hyannis Chamber of Commerce.

"Everybody is looking for something to do," she said of visitors and residents. While there are a lot of activities and events downtown, more and more we have to add in things like playgrounds, museums, public spaces that are interactive or even private businesses that offer something to do. Thats key. … That family-friendly atmosphere is a big, important branding point … that theres something for everyone on Main Street.

The air and space museum was founded as a nonprofit organization in 2007 and had raised more than $1 million when it opened, but had never had a physical location, Joseph Dini, chairman of the museums board of directors and its vice president and CFO, told the Times in 2020. The Cape location was finally chosen, he said then, because the opportunities for us, the Cape and visitors are boundless in Hyannis.

Roland Bud Breault, former longtime manager of Barnstable Municipal Airport who retired in 2018, is a member of the museums board of directors, according to the museum website.

Massachusetts' achievements in air and space touted when the museum first opened include inventions that helped man get to the moon; an attempt to fly a glider off the Old North Church in the 1700s; the first aerial photograph, taken over Boston Common from a tethered balloon in the 1800s; the flight of the first seaplanes off Gloucester in the early 1900s; the worlds first liquid fuel rocket being fired in Worcester in the 1930s; and the first commercial jet engines being built by General Electric in Lynn during the 1940s.

More: Nearly 'dead last': Cyr, other leaders push to change low state spending on tourism

On Monday, Young declined to be more specific than spring about the museums reopening date because bids have not yet gone out for the hoped-for construction work on the new space. Exactly how the museum will be reconfigured, and how much of the proposed renovation can happen, when, and how much it will all cost will depend on bids, and supply and worker availability, he said.

Those factors may impact funds and our availability to move forward (with renovations) and we may have to pivot," he said, "but as of right now, Im pretty hopeful that well be OK.

Contact Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll at kdriscoll@capecodonline.com. Follow on Twitter: @KathiSDCCT.

Excerpt from:

Air and space museum to relaunch in spring on Main Street, Hyannis - Cape Cod Times

Chihiro Naruke, a Ph.D. student in Utah State Universitys Department of Plants, Soils & Climate, was awarded first prize in her division at the American Geophysical Union conference for presenting her findings on how root growth affects the pore space of soil. Narukes research is aimed at predicting and designing the ideal plant growth system in microgravity conditions.

She was awarded first prize for her presentation in the Unsaturated Zone domain of the student competition, which included a cash prize of $350. Described as the most influential event in the world dedicated to the advancement of Earth and space sciences, the AGU conference took place virtually and in-person with over 25,000 attendees from more than 100 countries and brought together researchers, scientists, educators, students and policymakers. The organizations members aim to gain and communicate greater understanding of our planet and environment and our role in preserving its future.

The AGU conference was the second presentation for Naruke during the fall 2021 semester. She previously won fourth place for a combined oral and poster presentation on related research focused on microgravity growing conditions at the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America International Annual Meeting that took place in Salt Lake City in November.

Presenting at the SSSA conference was a great experience, and I was able to relax a bit more when I was presenting at the AGU, Naruke said. Presenting at both conferences were milestones in my motivation toward research, and I can use this experience to improve my work and future presentations.

Naruke shared that she decided to attend USU because of the agricultural opportunities available in the United States and recommendations from her master's degree adviser, Masaru Sakai, at Mie University in Japan. Sakai previously worked as a post-doctoral fellow at USU in the Environmental Soil Physics Lab. USU has a decadeslong record of research focused on growing plants aboard spacecraft, both in studying specific plants and developing the chambers in which they can grow. The ability to produce food in space is a critical part of preparing for long-term space exploration and presents many challenges, including optimizing lighting, temperature control and delivering nutrients and moisture to plants root zones when liquids and other materials dont behave in microgravity as they do on Earth.

Despite an initial lack of funding for her specific research, Naruke chose to come to USU. She also worked hard on her English skills as it was her second language.

I am impressed with how rapid the transformation in her writing, reading and speaking abilities has been, said Professor Scott Jones, an environmental soils physicist who serves as her faculty adviser. This award is much more appreciated and deserved considering English is her second language.

Jones shared that one of the most rewarding aspects of working as a faculty member comes from mentoring students and helping them publish their first papers.

That feat generally comes with a lot of hard work, frequent frustration, and substantial satisfaction when the final manuscript is finally accepted, Jones said. Chihiro is now working under a NASA grant and published her first peer-reviewed manuscript in August, and has several other papers in development.

Read the rest here:

USU Student Wins Award for Research That Could Help Plants Grow in Space - usu.edu