Category Archives: Space Exploration

NASAs Curiosity Mars rover used its black-and-white navigation cameras to capture panoramas of this scene at two times of day; blue, orange, and green colour was added to a combination of both panoramas for an artistic interpretation of the scene.

Mars has come a long way from a smaller-sized neighbour in the solar system to a poster planet of space exploration. What all the unknown mysteries that it beholds? How has it transformed to become so lifeless?

The curious world of Mars has inspired generations of space scientists to explore the red planet like never before. At present, Marslocated about 377.2 million km away from the Earthhosts three human-made visitors roaming on the rough terrains of the planetCuriosity (2012) and Perseverance (2021) by the US and Zhurong (2021) from China.

And scientists on Earth have been receiving back-to-back unique insights from the robotic visitors wandering on this alien world.

Last month, NASAs Curiosity rover beamed back some of the most stunning landscape images of the red planet. On its solo trip to Mars, the senior-most rover continues to give us back some of the most exotic looks of the red planet. It was launched a decade ago on November 26, 2011, and landed on August 6, 2012, and continues to operate under extremely harsh conditions.

The robotic eyes of Curiosity captured a stunning vista from the slope of Mars Mount Sharp or Aeolis Mons that forms at the centre of Gale Crater. The rover captured the recent images on November 16 (the 3,299th Martian day, or sol, of the mission) soon after completing one of its drives. Curiosity stops after each drive to capture a 360-degree panorama of the surrounding landscapes by standing at Mount Sharp.

Soon after receiving this stunning image, the Curiosity team instructed the rover to capture two more landscape images at different times of 8:30 a.m. and 4:10 p.m. (local Mars time). The rover snapped back the two mosaics to scientists, and the NASA team added some artistic features like colours to portray landscape features to make it even more enchanting.

Curiositys morning view of down Mount Sharp.

Curiositys afternoon view.

The official statement from NASA reads: The team was so inspired by the beauty of the landscape, they combined two versions of the black-and-white images from different times of the day and added colours to create a rare postcard from the Red Planet."

The coloured image includes blue, orange and green colours, while the original is that of a black-and-white landscape as the rover looks down from the slope. The colours depict scenes as viewed at different times of the day like morning in the blue, afternoon in orange and a combination of both in green, says NASA.

The primary objective of Curiosity mission is to explore the Gale Crater to understand the planets past and present climate and geology. Along with this, the rover also continues to hunt for potentially habitable signs and ancient life signs.

A decade later, Perseverance rover landed on the planet earlier this year to aid Curiositys mission to understand Mars better. The US space agency NASA has specifically designed the rover to seek signs of past microbial life. Its former rover InSight (2018) played a crucial role in confirming the habitable conditions. Through Perseverance, NASA has kick-started preparing for future human exploration to Mars.

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Postcard from Mars: Curiosity Rover Sends Back Most Stunning Landscape Image of Red Planet | The Weather Channel - Articles from The Weather Channel |...

It covers three quarters of the surface of the Earth and gives our planet its distinctive blue complexion when viewed from outer space. But the source of the liquid water that sustains our seas and which has nourished life on our world for eons is a subject of major scientific debate.

Some researchers argue that water in some form has been present on our world ever since it coalesced out of swirling clouds of dust and gas 4.5 billion years ago. Earth has always been provided with a reservoir, in short.

Other scientists take a different view, however. They say that in the beginning Earth was parched and waterless and our oceans only appeared much later when ice and water rained down on our world from extraterrestrial sources. These were responsible for most of the 332,500,000 cubic miles of water that now cover our planet, it is argued.

And now, a group of British scientists has provided key backing for the idea that the origins of our seas were out of this world. They have studied grains of material found on an asteroid called 25143 Itokawa and brought back to Earth by a Japanese robot probe and concluded these support the idea we got our oceans from outer space.

The dust we have studied provides good evidence that our oceans were created from water that came from other parts of the solar system, said Luke Daly, of the University of Glasgow. It suggests that at least half the water we have on Earth filtered down from interplanetary dust.

Daly and his colleagues used atom-probe tomography to study grains of dust that were returned from 25143 Itokawa. This remarkable technique allows scientists to count the atoms in a sample one by one. In this way, it was revealed that the grains brought back from the asteroid contained significant amounts of water, the scientists state in a paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

This water was most likely created by the solar wind, a stream of particles that flows out from the Sun, added Daly. These particles would have interacted with oxygen atoms in the clouds of dust that float through the solar system to create water molecules which would have built up in the clouds over the history of the solar system.

Then, as Earth orbited the Sun it would have swept through these clouds and mopped up the dust grains and their water. In this way, water the driving force of all nature, as Leonardo da Vinci once put it would have filtered down from the skies on to our planet, it is argued.

Crucially, other bodies orbiting the Sun would also have swept up these water-bearing grains. On Earth, these little fragments of silicate have long since disintegrated but on airless asteroid 25143 Itokawa, they will have lain undisturbed on its surface, probably for billions of years, until the Japanese probe Hayabusa swept up a sample and brought it back to Earth where its contents were revealed.

The group, which also included Professor Martin Lee, of the University of Glasgow, stresses that they do not think all the water in our seas came from solar dust grains. An equally important supply would have been provided by ice in comets and asteroids that crashed on Earth. In combination, solar dust and icy comets provided us with the oceans in which life evolved, said Lee.

This last point is supported by the fact that ice from comets and asteroids contain relatively high amounts of the hydrogen isotope deuterium compared with water on Earth while solar dust contains relatively low levels of deuterium. In combination, the two sources balanced each other out to provide an isotopic signature that matches that of water on Earth.

And the discovery is important not just because it provides compelling evidence about the origin of water on Earth. It also suggests that other worlds in the solar system could have water, perhaps in the form of ice, on their surfaces with key implications for future space exploration and the search for life elsewhere in the galaxy.

Any sort of moon should be home to a renewable reservoir of water produced by the solar wind, said Daly. And that would be important for human space exploration. We need water to drink to keep our bodies going and we could also use it, by splitting water molecules into their hydrogen and oxygen components, to make rocket fuel. In the coming years, as we establish a base on the Moon, sources of water like these are likely to be invaluable. We wont have to carry water with us when we travel across the solar system.

One deposit of ice is now believed to have formed in the Shackleton crater near the south pole of the Moon and this is the main target for Nasas forthcoming Artemis programme, which aims to set up a colony there and exploit its water resources.

And the observation that interplanetary dust within our own solar system contains water also has implications for seeking life elsewhere in the galaxy, added Daly. Across our galaxy, we can observe dust clouds in other star systems where planets are forming. That suggests these worlds will have a supply of water that will allow them to develop seas and oceans and then, possibly, life of some kind.

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Out of this world: did Earths water come from icy comets and grains of space dust? - The Guardian

Theres nothing like a pandemic to give people time to contemplate the universes greatest mysteries.

Over the course of the year, uber-rich tourists, including a Star Trek legend, ventured into space. Government and privately owned space travel companies reached new milestones, and scientists continued to make discoveries.

Here are eight of the top space moments of 2021: The good, the bad, and the funny.

After a Mars-bound spacecraft reached its destination 300 million miles from Earth earlier this year, NASA succeeded in its first flight of a robotic aircraft on another planet.

Ingenuity, a small 4-pound helicopter that hitched a ride with the spacecraft, lifted 10 feet above Mars for just over 39 seconds in the thin atmosphere of the Red Planet. MiMi Aung, Ingenuitys project manager, called the April 19 achievement our Wright brothers moment.

Since then, Ingenuity has had more airtime, with over a dozen flights. In the future, flying robotic scouts may become regular sidekicks for rovers and astronauts.

"We dont know exactly where Ingenuity will lead us," acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk said in a press statement. "But todays results indicate the sky at least on Mars may not be the limit."

Two months before the drone hovered over Mars for the first time, its ride, carrying the Perseverance rover, safely touched down. The journey took seven months at more than 12,000 mph. Perseverance is one of three Mars missions going on right now: The United Arab Emirates and China also arrived in February.

Perseverance, NASAs ninth Mars rover, could be the key to answering some of the universes greatest questions. The mission is to search for evidence of former life on the desertlike planet, a reason why it landed on a narrow strip in an ancient river delta.

Over the next couple of years, the car-size rover will use a seven-foot arm to unearth (Or should we say "unmars?") rock and soil samples that could contain signs of old microscopic life.

How old, you say? Oh, maybe 3-or-so billion years.

People watch a Chinese Long March 5B rocket as it lifts off April 29, 2021.Credit: Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images

Remember that time a 10-story hunk of rocket plummeted to Earth, and we didnt know for sure where it would crash?

On May 8, a piece of Chinas biggest rocket, Long March 5B, reentered the atmosphere above the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, with most of it burning up in the process. People in the Middle East reported they saw debris, but no one was hurt.

For a brief moment, though, it gave some folks a case of Chicken Little: Despite scientists' best estimates, no one knew exactly where in the world it was going to strike. Forecasts indicated a chance the enormous rocket could rain debris on major cities.

The rocket tumbled out of control in orbit after it launched a part for the Chinese programs new space station. The flight was one of many of the countrys planned uncontrolled reentries for rockets hauling materials to build Tiangong, the heavenly palace.

Astrophysicists tracking the rocket core said it was statistically unlikely that the barreling fragment would hit land, endangering people. After all, most of the junk that plunges back to Earth burns up or splashes down. The odds of space stuff hitting the ocean are good, given that two-thirds of the planet is covered in water.

Still, many experts admonished the space agency for, yet again, taking an unexplained risk.

Sian Proctor, 51, became the first Black woman to pilot a spacecraft Sept. 15, 2021.Credit: SpaceX

SpaceX pioneered the first amateur crew to circle the world without a professional astronaut in September, a feat that signaled the arrival of the commercial space tourism industry.

The trip, known as the Inspiration4 mission, coincided with another trailblazing moment: the first Black woman to serve as a spacecraft pilot.

Sian Proctor, a 51-year-old geoscientist from Tempe, Ariz., led the all-civilian ride to orbit. The spacecraft reached an altitude of 363 miles, passing the International Space Station by about 100 miles.

Proctor was a finalist to become a NASA astronaut in 2009 but didnt make the cut. About four years later, she lived in a small building in Hawaii for several months as part of an isolation study for journeys to Mars.

On the Inspiration4 flight, the crew dined on cold pizza, took a call from Tom Cruise and dealt with a malfunctioning toilet fan, aside from taking in some spectacular views.

Proctor, who is an artist, also painted with watercolors during the three-day mission.

I wedged myself down under seat 4 in the SpaceX Dragon Capsule so that I could secure myself and my paints from floating away during the few hours it took to draw and paint, she said on Instagram.

NASA astronaut Thomas Marshburn's camera points downward toward the International Space Station during a spacewalk to replace a failed antenna system. Credit: NASA

Russia gave the International Space Station a rude awakening last month when the country ran an unannounced missile test to smash a defunct satellite.

Seven astronauts got an early morning warning from a ground controller to suit up and evacuate to their ships as debris threatened to collide with the station. The U.S. space agency said the Nov. 15 incident caused at least 1,500 pieces of wreckage to scatter, along with countless other bits too small to track.

The swirl of refuse didnt hurt anyone this time but will continue to pose dangers to astronauts over the coming years, U.S. officials said.

Russia and its space agency have denied the anti-satellite test put the space station or crewmembers in danger.

Small fragments from the explosion could puncture space suits. Such a concern led NASA to delay a spacewalk for two astronauts who needed to switch out a defunct antenna outside the station. Three days later, they carried out the task.

But the event has renewed discussions on the growing space junk problem and overarching defense issues. During Vice President Kamala Harris first National Space Council meeting this month, she condemned Russia for blasting debris across space.

As activity in space grows, we must reaffirm, yes, the rights of all nations, and we must demand responsibility from all spacefaring nations, she said. We must establish and expand rules and norms on safety and security, on transparency and cooperation, to include military, commercial and civil space activity.

The Lucy mission will study the Jovian Trojans, burgundy-tinted asteroids that lap the sun in the same orbit as Jupiter.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA launched Lucy on a grand 12-year asteroid tour this fall with plans to fly by several space rocks that share Jupiters orbit.

Lucy a mission named after a fossilized early human, who was named after The Beatles song will study the origins of the solar system. The asteroids are thought to be leftover pieces from planet formations.

The spacecraft will explore one asteroid in the solar systems main belt and seven Trojan asteroids. The latter are thought to be remnants of the early solar system trapped in stable orbits. Theyre clustered in two swarms before and after Jupiter along its course around the sun.

U.S. space officials said studying the Trojan asteroids could lead to discoveries about the solar systems evolution, in the same way Lucy, the fossil from Ethiopia, advanced our knowledge of human history.

Lucy embodies NASAs enduring quest to push out into the cosmos for the sake of exploration and science, to better understand the universe and our place within it, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.

The spacecraft launched with an Atlas V rocket Oct. 16 and will travel 4 billion miles in a sort of loop-the-loop, circling back to Earth three times for gravity boosts. That means it will be the first vehicle to return to Earths vicinity from the outer solar system.

Pentagon officials said they couldn't explain 143 sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena, or UAP, seen by Navy pilots since 2004. Credit: Screenshot taken from Department of Defense video

A frenzy surrounded a forthcoming federal government report on unidentified flying objects spanning two decades, with many believers hoping it would delve into extraterrestrials.

But when the unclassified report dropped in June, the big reveal was lackluster. The document was only nine pages and contained not one mention of aliens.

U.S. intelligence officials said they couldnt explain 143 sightings of unidentified aerial phenomena (UAP) seen by Navy pilots since 2004. The document, released by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, said 21 of those cases demonstrated technology the country couldnt recognize, including things moving without observable propulsion or with rapid acceleration.

The lack of explanation has, of course, stoked conspiracy theories about visitors from outer space.

Just before Thanksgiving, the Pentagon announced that it had formed the Airborne Object Identification and Management Synchronization Group to get to the bottom of UAP sightings in sensitive airspace.

A rendering shows where an exoplanet candidate could be located in the Whirlpool Galaxy. Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/R. DiStefano, et al.; Optical: NASA/ESA/STScI/Grendler

Scientists think they found their first planet passing a star outside this galaxy.

Researchers discovered the exoplanet candidate in the spiral Whirlpool Galaxy withNASAs Chandra X-ray Observatory, using a technique involving the study of X-ray wavelengths, according to a paper published in Nature Astronomy in October. Exoplanets are planets outside of this solar system.

This exoplanet would be about 28 million light-years away, thousands of times farther than those in the Milky Way. Astronomers believe the planet is roughly the size of Saturn, with an orbit around a neutron star or black hole at about double the distance of Saturns around the sun.

Scientists made the discovery by looking for dips in the brightness of X-rays from X-ray bright binaries, usually containing a neutron star or black hole pulling in gas from a closely orbiting companion star. The dips might indicate a planet has passed in front of a star. The new X-ray strategy could allow exoplanets to be detected at much greater distances than current optical light studies, the researchers say.

Prior to the new candidate, all known exoplanets were detected in the Milky Way, within a range of 3,000 light-years from Earth.

More data is needed to support the Whirlpool Galaxy finding, which will be challenging: If the planet exists, it wouldnt cross a star for another 70 years.

Unfortunately to confirm that were seeing a planet we would likely have to wait decades to see another transit, said co-author Nia Imara of the University of California at Santa in a news release. And because of the uncertainties about how long it takes to orbit, we wouldn't know exactly when to look.

Star Trek actor William Shatner, one of the most familiar space figures in pop culture, became a real space traveler Oct.13, 2021.Credit: Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images

An awestruck William Shatner fumbled for words to describe the experience of being slingshot to suborbit.

Jeff Bezos may have lost the billionaire space race to Virgin Galactics Richard Branson this summer, but his fledgling space tourism company Blue Origin won the hearts of Americans when it took the former Star Trek actor up to kiss the Karman line, where Earths atmosphere and outer space meet.

Shatner boldly went where no nonagenarian has gone before. At 90, he was the oldest person to go to space. Well, 66 miles up, anyway.

Blue Origins New Shepard spacecraft had its first suborbital crewed flight of four regular folks (if you consider Bezos regular) on July 20. But it was perhaps the companys second flight carrying Shatner on Oct. 13 that received more buzz.

Shatner, overwhelmed by the so-called overview effect, grasped for something profound to say about his 10-minute hayride. In a halting cadence that became a signature of his character Capt. James T. Kirk, he scatted a string of thoughts that sounded a lot like some of his poetry.

There is Mother Earth and comfort, he said to Bezos, then gestured overhead, describing the blackness of space. And there is is there death? I dont know. Is that the way death is? Whip! And its gone.

What does it mean? Who knows, but were here for Shatners journey.

I hope I never recover from this, he said.

Continue reading here:

Top space stories in 2021: Ingenuity on Mars, William Shatner goes to space, and more - Mashable

The next frontier of space exploration is accessibility. In a first, a disabled crew has taken flight in zero gravity.

The CEO of Mission: AstroAccess, Eric Ingram selected 12 disabled ambassadors to make sure that outer space is inclusive.

Sina Bahram, a blind computer scientist from North Carolina, who was part of the crew, describes the experience as ''magical.''

Also read |Billionaire Yusaku Maezawa becomes first Japanese tourist to visit International Space Station

''I've wanted to do this since I was four years old, but the underlying assumption was 'that's totally impossible'.''

Ingram was born with a rare form of arthrogryposis, a physical disability, and wants to challenge the perception that space travel is only for those who meet specific physical criteria.

''I've just been space-focused in pretty much everything I've done career-wise, which has been exciting, and having a disability, and always wanting to go to space, it was kind of always a limiting factor,'' he said.

Also read |Want to become a space tourist? Here is all you need to do

''Despite knowing that I'm not going to get accepted, I have applied to become an astronaut twice.''

The non-profit group's mission includes designing technologies with the help of disabled individuals to drive space exploration of all.

For this, they created an illusion of weightlessness for 20 seconds in a Boeing 727 which flew in large arcs.

They utilised sound or vibrations to convey information and incorporated tactile pathways for the disabled team members.

''We combined the textures for the blind or low vision group with the handholds of the mobility impairment group. So, if you've got handholds down the wall, and each of them is textured differently, that provides a different amount of information,'' said Ingram.

Link:

Inclusive outer space: First disabled crew takes flight in zero gravity - WION

With just a tad less than a week until TC Sessions: Space 2021 launches its massive knowledge payload, wed like to take this opportunity to tip our space helmets to our sponsors. Yes, they write the checks that help make this stellar event possible, but they dont just cut-checks-and-run.

They also bring considerable subject-matter expertise and mission-critical insights that can help early-stage space startups take flight and maintain orbit.

Obligatory sales pitch reminder: Dont miss your opportunity to learn about the latest trends and advances in space tech. Its prime networking territory, too. Buy your pass today.

Ready to learn more about the knowledge payload waiting for you in the sponsored presentations and breakout sessions? Read on, and check the event agenda for the specific days. Note: All listed times will automatically reflect your geographic time zone.

Fast Money, Team Space: Company Concept, Capital and Customers Disruptive and game-changing technology and entrepreneurial initiatives are the new space norm. However, a great technical design is not enough to sustain these entrepreneurial pursuits. Growing an idea across markets also takes capital and customers. Transitioning from concept to development phase is more likely to succeed when a company can obtain stable forms of capital and potential long-term customers. Todays Fast Money session with Jordan Noone (Embedded Ventures) and Chris OConnor (Harpoon Ventures) focuses on how a startup was able to identify the right venture partners to grow their business and secured opportunities to prototype and test their designs with the U.S. government. Presented by The Aerospace Corporation.

Securing Space at Speed The demand signal is clear: the U.S. government needs to spur innovative commercial capabilities to excel in an increasingly contested space domain. Hear directly from Steve Isakowitz (The Aerospace Corporation), Pete Muend (National Reconnaissance Office) and Tim Trimailo (Blackjack/CASINO, SSC/DCIR) leaders driving government-commercial collaborations about opportunities to help usher in the next era of achievement in space. Presented by The Aerospace Corporation.

How Tech Startups Do Business with the DoD and U.S. Space Force Sam Riehn (SBIR Advisors Inc.) will describe the three main problems technology startups face when working with the Dept of Defense (DoD) and the U.S. Space Force. hell discuss how you can overcome them to win multi-million-dollar deals using the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Presented by SBIR Advisors Inc.

University Showcase: New Frontiers in Space Exploration From OSAM to xGEO As space technology gets smaller and less expensive, more and more countries, universities and people can participate. Weve seen thousands of small satellites launched into earth orbit from numerous developers over the past decade, many of whom were new to space. Whats next for on-orbit servicing, assembly, and manufacturing (OSAM) and orbital debris clean up as small spacecraft move beyond earth orbit and the geostationary satellite belt (xGEO) into open space (cis-lunar space), and onto the lunar surface itself? Were showcasing university trail blazers in space exploration. Meet the people working on the projects Jonathan Black (Virginia Tech), Dr. Debra L. Emmons (The Aerospace Corporation), Kathleen C Howell (Purdue University), Moriba Jah (The University of Texas at Austin) and Ricardo Sanfelice (University of California) find out whats ahead, and how you can participate. Learn about the technologies that are shaping a world where OSAM, xGEO and cis-lunar are becoming household terms. Presented by The Aerospace Corporation.

Saving the World: One Small Sat at a Time! (Sponsored by Terran Orbital) New space companies like Terran Orbital are emerging with the capability, confidence, and financing to provide US National Security with assets that previously could only be described as conceptual. In many cases, these companies are leading the field in technology, speed, innovation, and affordability. The emerging combination of private innovation and government support is launching a new era in aerospace enterprise.

TC Sessions: Space 2021 takes place on December 14-15. Dont miss the big value in our sponsored sessions. Buy your pass right now and get ready to take away mission-critical information to help you build a better business.

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TC Sessions: Space 2021? Contact our sponsorship sales team byfilling out this form.

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Dont miss the mission-critical insights our sponsors bring to TC Sessions: Space 2021 - TechCrunch

There's lots of internet buzz about a purported moon "hut" imaged by China's farside lunar rover, Yutu 2.

Before you request a reservation at the so-called "Mystery Hut," as it was tagged in a Chinese Yutu 2 drive diary, take note:

It's just a rock on a crater rim north of the rover's last night parking location, advised Philip Stooke, professor emeritus and adjunct research professor in the Department of Geography and Institute for Earth and Space Exploration at the University of Western Ontario.

"Yutu 2 will be a bit further on by now, moving towards that crater," Stooke told Inside Outer Space. The rock is just visible in imagery snapped by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).

Related: The latest news about China's space program

"Chinese media are very eager to find all sorts of strange things on the moon. We tend to think they are all tightly controlled and just repeat the party line, but there is a ton of stuff spinning every news item into a sensational headline alien bases, millions of tons of priceless metals or unspecified substances, conspiracies about western interests in space and everything else," Stooke added.

China did recently issue a serious story about carbonaceous chondrite material discovered in a small crater, the same crater reported as harboring a "gel-like substance" two years ago, Stooke said.

Apart from serious stories, there have been lots of headlines about alien substances (or even aliens) found on the moon, the lunar expert said, all adding up to nothing more than clickbait.

"So I am not surprised that a rock which, in low-resolution images, looks roughly square and is played up as a hut or other type of building," Stooke said. "Scientifically, the rock could be interesting, and I expect it or nearby rocks on the crater rim to be studied in detail when they reach it early in 2022. But it won't look like a hut."

Leonard David is author of the book "Moon Rush: The New Space Race," published by National Geographic in May 2019. A longtime writer for Space.com, David has been reporting on the space industry for more than five decades. Follow us on Twitter@Spacedotcomor onFacebook.

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'Mystery Hut' spotted on the moon by Chinese rover is just a rock, scientist says - Space.com

Its been nearly 50 years since humans last stepped foot on the Moon. Now NASAs multifaceted space exploration program known as Artemis aims to reestablish humanitys lunar presence. The ambitious program plans not only to send the first woman and first person of color to the Moon but also to explore the mostly untouched lunar landscape. Pivotal to the Artemis program is the Artemis Gateway, a Moon-orbiting space station that is on track for an initial launch as early as November 2024. Members of the Artemis Gateway team will provide a mission overview on 13 December at AGUs Fall Meeting 2021.

We are now at the precipice of extending our boundaries beyond Earths gravity.

We are now at the precipice of extending our boundaries beyond Earths gravity, and the Gateway plays an important part, said heliophysicist Sabrina Savage of NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, a researcher with the Artemis Gateway team. It is undeniably exciting.

Among other features, the Gateway will contain living quarters, known as the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), and a docking area for lunar landers and astronauts to come and go. Unlike the Apollo missions, this capacity will allow Artemis missions to reuse spacecraft and stock up with supplies for extended lunar surface explorations.

Like the International Space Station (ISS), the Artemis Gateway will carry scientific equipment and experiments. However, the Gateway will be significantly smaller than the ISS, and it wont be permanently occupied. Its primary goal over its anticipated 15-year tour of duty will be to support Artemis missions to the lunar surface below, but another vital function rests between its titanium walls: cross-disciplinary scientific research and collaboration.

An outpost orbiting the Moon would allow new scientific projects to be undertaken, said Imke de Pater, an astronomer from the University of California, Berkeley who was not involved in the AGU presentation.

Already, Canada, Japan, and the European Space Agency (ESA) are contributing their support to several aspects of the project, including refueling, habitation, and external robotics. The Canadian Space Agency is developing an external robotic system, Canadarm3, for the Gateway. It will have an 8.5-meter-long arm, a smaller arm with more dexterity, and detachable tools. ESA will contribute refueling modules, whereas the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and ESA will both collaborate on components for the I-Hab moduleshort for international habitationwhich will provide additional living and work space.

Two important topics planned for study aboard the Gateway are the risks of long-term exposure in deep space and the real-time dynamics of space habitation, Savage said. Understanding both subjects is crucial for humans successful expansion into the celestial frontier. The Gateway provides a unique opportunity to study deep-space exposure and habitation because its orbital track will not be shielded by Earths magnetosphere. The station will therefore be exposed to true deep-space conditions like solar wind and radiation. NASA researchers back on Earth plan to compare both protected and exposed scenarios as the platform sails in and out of Earths magnetic bubble.

An outpost orbiting the Moon would advance our understanding of the formation of our solar system, other stars and planets in our own galaxy, and of the universe at large.

You get to see a variety of deep-space conditions when youre protected and when you move out of [Earths shield] and are being blasted by radiation, said Savage. Being able to test different conditions is really valuable information.

Savage underscored the opportunity to go beyond the ISS research portfolio to study human health, astrophysics, and space weather on board the Gateway. A core research goal will be to observe solar flares and the pervasive effects of dust, two challenging components of the space environment that may determine how humans will survive off Earth.

The Artemis Gateway will provide the literal foundation to allow humans to reach the Moon and the opportunity to better study spaces harsh conditions. It would advance our understanding of the formation of our solar system, other stars and planets in our own galaxy, and of the universe at large, said de Pater.

Jude Coleman (@JudeLB_Coleman), Science Writer

Link:

NASA Prepares Its Artemis Gateway to Orbit the Moon - Eos

Nearly 55 years ago, when actress Nichelle Nichols graced the screen as Lt. Nyota Uhura on the television series Star Trek, it illustrated the importance of representation. The 88-year-old trailblazer was recently honored by NASA for driving diversity in STEM forward, People reported.

Throughout her entire career, Nichols used her artistry to show Black women and girls the limitless possibilities that awaited them within the realm of space exploration. The Robbins, Ill. native made history as the first African American woman to play a lead character on television as Lt. Nyota Uhura.

A songstress and dancer, Nichols went on to be featured in different projects under the Star Trek franchise, including Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. In the 70s, Nichols founded the company Women in Motion, Inc. to use education as a vessel to empower people of color to pursue careers in the space industry.

During this years Los Angeles Comic Con festivities, Nichols was honored for her impactful and transformative work on and off the screen through an array of panels. She was diagnosed with dementia three years ago, making the commemoration even more memorable.

As part of the convention, she was awarded the NASA Exceptional Public Achievement Medal for playing an instrumental role in diversifying the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. After accepting the medal presented by NASA Astronaut Appearance Specialist Denise Young, Nichols received a standing ovation.

This is an exceptional recognition, and Im of course very proud of her for all that shes done, and the value and the meaning of her work, her son Kyle Johnson said after his mother received the award. Not just as an actress, but very real and important work that she inspired and enabled people to understand.

Nichols also received heartwarming messages from those who she has inspired, including actress Sonequa Martin-Green and Dr. Mae C. Jemison. This isnt the first time Nichols has been honored by NASA. In 1984, she received the agencys Public Service Award.

SEE ALSO:

Star Trek Trailblazer Nichelle Nichols Caught In Messy Conservatorship Battle

Vanessa E. Wyche Becomes First Black Woman To Serve As Director For NASA Center

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Legendary Actress And Activist Nichelle Nichols Honored By NASA - NewsOne

From Valentina Somini

Sixty years after the first flight outside Earth, the quality of astronauts food has improved significantly. The Space Meal Solution project that allows astronauts through the app to produce custom rosters every two weeks

In an almost natural way, space exploration is often seen as the exploits of the great navigators who allowed us to learn about our planet, from Christopher Columbus to Amerigo Vespucci, Ferdinando Magellano, James Cook, and many others whose names populate the geographical area. The maps also indicate the most strategic and dangerous lanes for ocean-going ships. And the spaceship, and the spaceship, and also the simile, the new intermediate, the cosmonauts, initially selected from among the best military pilots, are, above all, the new sailors. The idea of the ship as a tool and a way of exploration, as a means of knowing, finding and then returning, like Ulysses, always carries a part of his world, the ship. And, as all sailors know, it is of great importance to learn how to do the kitchen, provide a supply of water and food and, if necessary, organize for their production or for finding them during the voyage. At first, the board of new sailors was significantly dry: surely everything they needed, such as water, macro- and micro-nutrients, but they were all transformed and somewhat reduced to an abstract and sterile idea of food. After John Glenns first flight in 1962 accompanied by a tube of mashed meat and vegetables, the Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin lifeboat on the Eagles Lunar Module lifeboat included a lunar landing on a hot or cold water hydration system of dried foods. . Among the various foods there was also a shrimp cocktail, carefully selected for absorption. Michael Collins, who remained in orbit in the command module, as well as others during the flight, had a kind of bag with all the necessary nutritional support, which he decided months in advance and, in fact, converted into food bags that could be provided to be eaten with a teaspoon.

Today, more than half a century later, The International Space Station periodically does sailboats thanks to the Soyuz shuttles and the SpaceX space carriers that provide it with everything needed for the survival of six astronauts/sailors. Food quality has improved dramatically, weve learned how to get coffee in microgravity conditions and weve seen great pizza prepared and enjoyed in orbit, with tomato sauce acting as a glue to prevent anchovies and olives from floating freely, and yes I started studying how greenhouses could be developed to produce What is needed for long stays in space. The future, in fact, in the visions associated with programs such as ARTEMIS, to return to the Moon to stay there (at least for 3-6 months), or to begin to think and organize necessarily long-term missions on Mars (in at least two years on the Red Planet). In this case, kitchen work becomes much more complicated if not impossible unless there is a food production system directly on site. For missions this long into space, it will be essential that they have a quality of life and the ability to reconnect with our natural habitat, Earth, well above our current habitat and food is an essential component. And with this idea of reconnection, greenhouses with different technologies (hydroponic, aerobatic, hydroponics) that can be installed for example on Mars soils, paying attention not only to functional aspects but also to their use as environments there is a possibility of finding micro-terrestrial habitats, have been studied. Starting with the products of these greenhouses, organizing spaces and technological solutions in which even complex foods can be developed, which maintain the nutritional needs of a strict diet but at the same time allow the astronauts to bridge the gap, and also above all the psychology of an incredible distance from the port of departure . These are the guiding ideas that have led two leading companies in their respective sectors, Pastificio Rana for the production of fresh and packaged pasta and Coesia for the production of automatic machines and packaging, to conceptualize the Space Meal Solution project. The concept stems from the need to combine a Mediterranean diet for four astronauts, respecting the micro- and macronutrients of about 3,000 calories per day, with the need to reduce resource consumption (energy, less than 3 kW, water), food preparation time (maximum 4 hours per week as required by the strict programming of the astronauts activities and lives on a mission) and the difficulty of cooking even processed foods in the very small space of about 4 square metres. The design in an engineering kitchen unit, Engineered Space Kitchen, is developed as smartly as possible in terms of interaction with users thanks to the app. The app allows astronauts to create personalized bi-weekly menus that are balanced according to the foods provided by the greenhouses, creating the right food feel and taste for each; It also accompanies them in preparation thanks to the interaction with the robotic kitchen, making every astronaut a chef in space! The reconnection to a comfortable environment for astronauts passes through the use of traditional tools even if completely redesigned such as the versatile hood system for food processing and cooking, the pasta tower for processing pasta and also producing ravioli, and the omic ovens for pasteurization and cooking. These are likely to be The visions are ahead of their times, but they also allow us to understand the limits of resource use, the sustainability of food production and transformation processes on Earth and are an important signal for the democratization of access to space, in optics to alleviate the very difficult operating conditions to which our astronauts/sailors are now accustomed and committed. We will never be grateful enough to the hundreds of pilots, scientists, and technicians who have truly put themselves on the line for the sake of all of humanity, and I will never tire of remembering that.

December 12, 2021 (changed December 12, 2021 | 12:25 am)

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In a new MasterClass, over 13 lessons, Nye shares a timely reminder: Science isstilleverywhere.

Say the name Bill Nye, someone might yell "the science guy," and a nearby millennial will unlock a memory. They're sitting in a classroom as their teacher rolls out a cart holding an outdated television. The lights dim, the room cools. They're buckled up for what feels like the apex of all science videos.

An unforgettable theme song, "Bill, Bill, Bill" starts ringing in their ears. Wearing a snazzy bow tie, the former mechanical engineer appears on screen with a gooey experiment to explain how science permeates everything.

But since childhood, kids who grew up on the show -- myself included -- haven't all had time to think about volcanoes, comets and electric currents. We're too busy worrying about taxes, deadlines and politics.

The world has progressed since then too. Space exploration is opening up to the megarich and there's talk of settling Mars and planting a science base on the moon. The climate crisis is in full force, and for the last two years, a deadly pandemic has been imperiling the globe.

But in a new MasterClass, over 13 lessons, Nye shares a timely reminder: Science is still everywhere.

"Look around the room where you are," he said over the phone in the same enthusiastic tone of Bill Nye, the Science Guy episodes. "Every shape you can see came out of somebody's head. Somebody thought of that." That someone, he says, was likely an engineer trained in science.

To Nye, science isn't just awesome, it offers a way to look at the world. "It's about philosophy," Nye said in a much more serious tone. "It's about a way of thinking."

If there's one thing I've learned from Nye, it's that the scientific method isn't just for science.

The format goes something like this: You notice a phenomenon, come up with a hypothesis for why it's happening, design an experiment to test that hypothesis, run the experiment and see how the results stack up. Then you start over to strengthen your evidence.

"I've asked people, 'When you paint a wall, does the paint get dry from the top before the bottom or does it dry from the bottom up?' People say to me, well, which is it? And I say, try it. Don't take my word for it, try it. You can know this."

After several trials, if your hypothesis turns out to be wrong, you can make a new one. Being wrong isn't a bad thing, Nye insists, but a productive step toward truth -- and the beginning of any process is key to fostering a better outcome.

"We all want to hurry; we all want to just get started," he said of anyone painting the walls of a room. "But I claim there's great value in figuring out how much paint you're going to need, what color it's really going to be, what size and style of brush you're going to need and taking all the time to cover the furniture and the floor and everything else before you start painting."

When it comes to scientific topics, scientists perform this method with infinitesimally great detail over many, many years. As such, Nye distinguishes between matters we should personally study from the bottom up and those we must trust experts on.

At the crux of public discussions right now are two undeniably scientific topics: the global pandemic and the climate crisis. But in an era of misinformation, those discussions don't always align with scientific truth.

"We have an enormous number of people here, in the world's most technically advanced society, who don't want to get vaccinated because they believe that their online research is every bit as valid as scientific research conducted by medical professionals," Nye said, calling it his "mission in life" to help people filter past false information on the internet.

To date, over 5 million people worldwide have died of COVID-19, but according to Our World In Data, only 57% of the global population has received at least one dose of the life-saving vaccine. Among other things, the low number is the result of hesitancy and insufficient supply, particularly to low-income nations.

"We would be done with this pandemic if our society had embraced the importance of it and not only gotten vaccinated, but exported vaccines to the developing world so that we wouldn't have the omicron variant, by way of example," Nye said.

He emphasized that right now is a terrific time to place value in the work of scientists. "People are scared," he said. "And that's where knowledge is of great value -- that's how you can overcome fear."

From the lab to your inbox. Get the latest science stories from CNET every week.

Climate change, on the other hand, grows more concerning by the day. Having already heavily impacted developing regions like Bangladesh and threatening large swaths of richer countries like the US, it's responsible for an increase in forest fires, cyclones, droughts, animal extinction and several other forms of devastation.

In Climates,a season 3 episode of Bill Nye, the Science Guy, Nye uses a replica of Earth and a space heater to demonstrate global warming. "The globe is getting too warm," he said. "So, we've gotta be careful."

Twenty-six years and many fractions of a degree later -- in tandem with the conclusion of the COP26 conference, where government representatives intended to come up with a plan to cut carbon emissions that contribute to Earth's warming -- Nye says leaders "were unable or unwilling to propose and adhere to the extraordinary measures we almost certainly need to exercise."

In a nod to 2006 documentary film An Inconvenient Truth, which follows Al Gore's quest to educate the public about climate change, Nye suggests representatives express a limited reaction because it's just too "inconvenient" to stop burning coal, for instance, even though science shows coal burning could contribute to the erosion of Earth's atmosphere.

Science says climate change isn't a future possibility -- it's already happening.

Still, Nye exuded a familiar air of optimism, paralleling the mood of his MasterClass lessons. "The world is slowly changing," he said, "and I'm excited about the future because young people are not going to keep this up."

Enjoying the measuring, Nye says, is just as important as distilling a conclusion; a grand understanding of basic science can aid us on smaller scales, even serendipitously.

"We each have ancestors that took the risk of going over the hill into the unknown valley, just to see what was over there -- and made some extraordinary discovery," he said.

Nye calls the cost of endeavors like space exploration "tiny" compared with the benefits they'll one day afford us. Whether it be finding life on another world, which he believes will change our world, or something relatively simpler, "basic research is almost priceless."

"There's a hexagonal storm on the north pole of Saturn -- a six-sided storm," Nye pointed out. "You know why it has six sides and it's at the north pole of Saturn? Nobody knows. But once that's figured out, I guarantee you it will inform our understanding of weather on Earth."

Spanning 20,000 miles and whipping up winds of 200 miles per hour, this massive six-sided storm clustered around Saturn's north pole captured by NASA's Cassini mission is a sight to behold.

One reservation he has is with the concept of creating a civilization on Mars, calling it "much harder than it looks -- there's no air, there's no food." In particular, he compares a settlement on the red planet to living in Antarctica. Though humans have sailed all over the world for centuries, he said, no one has set up camp to live long-term in Antarctica.

"I'm open-minded, but Mars is really cold. I just don't think you want to settle. Having a science base where they're going outside in their spacesuits looking for stuff, that I am on board with."

In line with his dreams of a lunar base, Nye's love and curiosity for science is as potent as it was when I watched his show in science class. However, though he peppered his statements with fascinating facts -- like how cool it is that our Zoom call is powered by a multitude of transistors -- he acknowledged that over time, "you get fatigued."

"You've got to get to work, you've got to meet the writing deadline, you've got to go to the grocery store ... you don't take time to absorb and remain curious. But I would say if that's really what's happening, fight that."

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