Space, Planets and eclipses

[JustKelli]

You may have read about this interstellar traveler named ʻOumuamua, well it isn't an alien spacecraft and definitely isn't a cigar and probably not interstellar poop lol.


Anyway it's a speedy little fella lol. How speedy you ask, it has a hyperbolic excess velocity (velocity at infinity, ) of 26.33 km/s (94,800 km/h), its speed*relative to the Sun when in interstellar space. Imagine the mess when that thing finally hits something.

[JustKelli]

This is the forthcoming LSST, it is a targeter ...



European Space Agency probe to intercept a comet

By Jonathan AmosBBC Science Correspondent

The European Space Agency is to launch another mission to a comet.

After the hugely successful Rosetta encounter with the icy dirt-ball known as 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014, officials have now selected a new venture that will launch in 2028.

It's called Comet Interceptor and will aim to catch and study an object that has come in towards the Sun from the outer reaches of the Solar System.

Scientifically, it will be led from the UK's Mullard Space Science Laboratory.

Prof Geraint Jones, who is affiliated to the University College London research centre, is the principal investigator.


The concept is a three-in-one probe: a mothership and two smaller daughter craft. They will separate near the comet to conduct different but complementary studies.

The cost for Esa is expected to be about €150m. As is customary, individual member states will provide the instrumentation and cover that tab.


Interceptor was selected on Wednesday by the agency's Science Programme Committee as part of the new F-Class series - "F" standing for fast. The call for ideas only went out a year ago.

There will now be a period of feasibility assessment with industry before the committee reconvenes to formally "adopt" the concept. At that point, the mission becomes the real deal.

The intention is to launch the probe on the same rocket as*Esa's Ariel space telescope*when it goes up at the end of the next decade. This observatory won't use the full performance of its launch vehicle, and so spare mass and volume is available to do something additional.

And it's Ariel's destination that makes Interceptor a compelling prospect.

The telescope is to be positioned at a "gravitational sweetspot" about 1.5 million km from Earth. This is an ideal position from which to study distant stars and their planets - but it also represents a fast-response "parking bay" for any new mission seeking a target

The type of comets being sought by Interceptor tend to give little notice of their impending arrival in the inner Solar System - perhaps only a few months.

That's insufficient time to plan, build and launch a spacecraft. You need to be out there already, waiting for the call.

This is what Interceptor will do. It will be sitting at the sweetspot, relying on sky surveys to find it a suitable target. When that object is identified, the probe will then set off to meet it.

The encounter will be very different from that of Rosetta at 67P. Interceptor will not orbit the comet; it will just fly past - hopefully not too quickly.

Nor will Interceptor try to repeat the landing of Rosetta's little robot, Philae.

Instead, it will be the job of those daughter craft to see if they can get in a bit closer to the comet than the mothership to acquire some more detailed information.

"The main spacecraft has the propulsion, the high-gain antenna to talk to Earth, and some instrumentation on it. That passes relatively far from the comet, about 1,000km or so upstream of the nucleus of the object. And then we deploy two cubesat-like probes that go a lot closer and do the high-risk, high-reward observations," deputy PI Dr Colin Snodgrass, from the University of Edinburgh, told BBC News.


The comets actively encountered so far by space probes have been the repeat visitors - the ones that shuffle back and forth to make a close pass around the Sun every few years.

And because they have gone close to our star on multiple occasions, they've been chemically altered by heat, particle bombardment and even numerous impacts with other bodies.

In contrast, the comets that come in from the so-called Oort Cloud - a band of icy material that resides several hundred billion km from the Sun - will be pristine. And to see one at close quarters should give scientists completely new insights into the conditions that existed at the inception of the Solar System, and potentially from even further back in time.

The risk for Interceptor is that it could be parked up for a quite some time. The Oort Cloud comet will have to have just the right trajectory for the Esa mission. A good sample of candidates will inevitably be out of range of the probe's propulsion system.

On the positive side, new Earth-based observatories, such as the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST), will soon come online. These are expected to have the sensitivity to find many more objects moving across the sky - including, possibly, more of the asteroid interlopers that occasionally pass through our Solar System from somewhere else; the bizarre cigar-shaped object 'Oumuamua being one such example.

"Yes, there's a risk we could end up sitting there with nothing really suitable," conceded Prof Mark McCaughrean, Esa's senior advisor for science and exploration. "But in the end you'd direct it at something and there are some back-up targets already identified."

These would be more of those "short period" comets. One is called 73P/Schwassmann-Wachmann, which was a possibility considered for Europe's Giotto probe in the 1980s. Giotto eventually flew past Comet Halley.

The 2028 launch is going to be quite an occasion for UK scientists. They will be leading their European partners on both the missions - Ariel and Comet Interceptor - mated atop the rocket.

Chris Lee, the head of science programmes at UK Space Agency, said: "I'm delighted that our academic community impressed Esa with a vision of what a small, fast science mission can offer.

"In 1986 the UK-led mission to Halley's Comet became the first to observe a cometary nucleus and, more recently, UK scientists took part in another iconic European comet mission, Rosetta. Now our scientists will build on that impressive legacy by attempting to visit a pristine comet for the very first time and learn more about the origins of our Solar System."

The American (Nasa) and Japanese (Jaxa) space agencies will have a part.

[JustKelli]

Today July 20th 2019 is the 50th anniversary of the moon landing and I plan on watching as many of the programs honoring it as I can find. Space just fascinates me more and more every day as I learn more about it.

If there is an end to the universe what's on the other side???

There is an insanely exciting tribute happening on the National Mall using the Washington Monument as the backdrop for images of the Apollo 11 mission that can't be missed if you are a space buff, search the 17 minute clip on YouTube and you won't be disappointed.

Here is the Saturn 5 image;

[JustKelli]

Apollo 11: One small step for man... a giant leap for space robots



*
Monday, July 22nd 2019, 5:00 pm - 50 years after the Apollo 11 moon landing, space robots are thriving!

Apollo 11's successful mission 50 years ago was the turning point in the space industry. It is comparable to the Wright brothers' flight in 1903 that marked the beginning of the aviation industry and James Watt's invention of steam engine, the landmark of the industrialization era. The first step on the lunar surface is recognized as the beginning of the space exploration age.

Recent major international space exploration and exploitation initiatives, such as the*Mars Exploration Program,*the Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program, the*International Space Station (ISS)*and*OSIRIS-Rex, aim to answer some of the fundamental questions of humankind including: What is the origin of the universe and life? What are the alternative resources of energy and materials for future generations of humans? How do we protect ourselves against extraterrestrial threats such as colliding comets or asteroids?

Artist rendering of human activity on Mars. The Curiosity rover can be seen in this image. [Pictured above]

I am the founder and director of the*Autonomous Space Robotics and Mechatronics Laboratory (ASRoM-Lab), where our research team is focused on developing algorithms and methodologies for intelligent guidance, navigation and control of next-generation space robotic systems, including free-flying manipulators and autonomous rovers.

ROBOTS IN SPACE

Today, an inseparable part of any space program is research on advanced robotic systems and their enabling technologies to successfully accomplish space missions.*Canadarm 1 and Canadarm 2*and*Dextre (SPDM: Special Purpose Dexterous Manipulator)*are examples of manipulator systems that have been used in the construction and operation of the International Space Station. The goal of the space station was to study the effects of micro-gravity and harsh outer space environments on living organisms, instrumentation and engineering technologies to become ready for the next phase of space exploration.

A sustainable space program requires reliable, fully autonomous robotic systems both for maintaining the existing space infrastructures and for building new ones beyond low Earth orbits. Autonomy is particularly essential to near-future space robotic systems as they must operate in harsh and partially understood environments. They also need to deal with fast, frequent and complex missions requiring local decisions because of lags in communication.

AUTONOMY

Every aspect of our lives, from science and technology to safety and security, is dependent on our satellite systems. Satellites provide services, including astronomical observation, telecommunication, Earth observation, global navigation system, military surveillance and weather forecasts, all of which are crucial for our day-to-day lives. To sustain their uninterrupted services on Earth and protect satellites in orbit,*on-orbit servicing*of anomalous satellites and*space debris removal*are crucial.

Following years of space exploration and exploitation, tens of thousands of pieces of man-made debris have been littered around our planet. Without an active attempt to remove these objects from orbit, future space missions are prone to failure.

A promising approach for active debris removal uses a*chaser-manipulator system, whose guidance, navigation and control during proximity operations is challenging due to the*coupled motion dynamics of the chaser and the manipulator and the uncontrolled motion of debris. In addition, to have a successful debris removal mission, the robotic operation should be resilient to unexpected scenarios such as failed attempts, changing environments and the impact during the capture phase, which can significantly affect the motion of the chaser-manipulator system and that of the debris.

An autonomous debris removal mission requires a robotic system that must include appropriate safety measures and be capable of generating local decisions based on unexpected scenarios. For example, the robotic system should be able to regain stability and change its approach direction after a failed attempt to capture debris.

The international space community is currently focused on*the Lunar Gateway*and*Deep Space Explorationprograms that require building permanent habitats in lunar and Martian orbits.

Assembly of large structures millions of miles away from the Earth requires the deployment of many cost-effective, autonomous, free-flying manipulators that collaboratively operate without human interaction for several days. These next-generation manipulators should be able to deal with dynamic environments, handle large, flexible structures and wirelessly communicate with each other.

ROVER AUTONOMY

Another category of space robotic systems is the wheeled rover platforms, which are used for planetary surface exploration. Such systems have long lifespans during which they have to traverse unknown and possibly dynamic terrains, manipulate objects, distinguish scientifically valuable samples and collect them. Due to communication challenges, they also need a large degree of intelligence to make local decisions and sometimes diagnose, repair or calibrate themselves.

Fleets of orbiters, landers and rovers have been sent to other celestial objects to search for signs of life. The most successful missions involving autonomous rovers were*Sojourner (Mars, 1997),*Spirit (Mars, 2004-2010,*Opportunity (Mars, 2003-2018)*and, finally,*Curiosity (Mars, 2012), which is still exploring the planet.

It me.@HiRISE on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter snapped this pic of moi, rollin’ around the intriguing rocks of Gale Crater's clay-bearing unit. You can see my head on the left:

The unique characteristics of rovers present challenges in their guidance, navigation and control systems. Some of these challenges include designing tires for*unknown terrains and teaching the rover how to avoid obstacles.

Another challenge is identifying the relative and absolute location of a rover. Wheel odometry - calculating where the rover is based on counting the rotations of its wheels - is a popular localization technology. But it is susceptible to significant errors over time due to wheel slips on low-traction terrains like soft soil. The obvious example of a mission failure due to losing traction is the Spirit rover*that got stuck in soft soil and became nonoperational.

[JustKelli]

This is a composite of Japan's Hayabusa2 landing on Asteroid Ryugu on July 11th. The crater is a controlled explosion to collect samples. The rover then lifted off soon after. The rover bounced off of Ryuga in February.

[JustKelli]

A new chapter is about to be written after Progress 72 fell to earth (on purpose) yesterday and put on a spectacular fireworks display in the sky over the Pacific that lasted over 3 minutes as it burned up. The Russian cargo transport contained ISS debris. 73P is the next in line to service space.

In related news SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship made its 3rd successful docking with ISS on July 27th.



This is an artist rendering of SpaceX's latest spaceship upgrade that will be revealed in mid August

[JustKelli]

TESS uncovers 'first nearby Super-Earth'
by Staff Writers

Cornell NY (SPX) Aug 02, 2019
NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a mission designed to comb the heavens for exoplanets, has discovered its first potentially habitable world outside of our own solar system - and an international team of astronomers has characterized the super-Earth, about 31 light-years away.

In a new paper in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, a team led by Lisa Kaltenegger, associate professor of astronomy and director of Cornell's Carl Sagan Institute, models the conditions under which the planet - discovered in early 2019 - could sustain life.

"This is exciting, as this is humanity's first nearby super-Earth that could harbor life - uncovered with help from TESS, our small, mighty mission with a huge reach." said Kaltenegger.

As this super-Earth exoplanet is more massive than our own blue planet, Kaltenegger said this discovery will provide insight into Earth's heavyweight planetary cousins. "With a thick atmosphere, the planet GJ 357 d could maintain liquid water on its surface like Earth and we could pick out signs of life with upcoming telescopes soon to be online," she said.

Astronomers from the Institute of Astrophysics of the Canary Islands and the University of La Laguna, both of Spain,*announced the discoveryof the system July 31 in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. They showed that the distant solar system - with a diminutive M-type dwarf sun, about one-third the size of our own Sun - harbors three planets, with one of those in that system's habitable zone: GJ 357 d.

Last February, the TESS satellite observed that the dwarf sun GJ 357 dimmed very slightly every 3.9 days, evidence of a transiting planet moving across the star's face. That planet was GJ 357 b, a so-called "hot Earth" about 22 percent larger than Earth, according to the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, which guides TESS.

Follow up observations from the ground led to the discovery of two more exoplanetary siblings: GJ 357 c and GJ 357 d. The international team of scientists collected Earth-based telescopic data going back two decades - to reveal the newly found exoplanets' tiny gravitational tugs on its host star, according to NASA.

Exoplanet GJ 357 c sizzles at 260 degrees Fahrenheit, and has at least 3.4 times Earth's mass. However, the system's outermost known sibling planet - GJ 357 d, a super-Earth - could provide conditions just like on Earth and orbits the dwarf star every 55.7 days at a distance about 20 percent of Earth's distance from the Sun. It is not yet known if this planet transits its sun.

Kaltenegger, doctoral candidate Jack Madden and undergraduate student Zifan Lin simulated light fingerprints, climates and remotely detectable spectra for the planet, which could range from a rocky composition to a water world.

Madden explained that investigating new discoveries provides an opportunity to test theories and models. "We built the first models of what this new world could be like," he said. "Just knowing that liquid water can exist on the surface of this planet motivates scientists to find ways of detecting signs of life."

[JustKelli]

Study identifies way to enhance the sustainability of manufactured soils*
by Staff Writers

Plymouth UK (SPX) Aug 02, 2019



A combination of waste materials supplemented with a product of biomass could help in the search for high quality soils, a new study suggests.

Soil degradation is posing a huge threat to global food security and every year, around 12 million hectares of cropland are lost to soil erosion.

Scientists from the University of Plymouth have demonstrated that adding biochar - a solid, carbon-rich material derived from biomass - to soil constructed from waste materials, reduces the loss of essential nutrients such as nitrogen and carbon.

This, they believe, can improve the sustainability of manufactured soils by enhancing conditions suitable to sustain plant growth, by improving moisture content, nutrient retention and carbon storage capacity.

It will also lower the soil's dependence on intensive fertiliser applications, reducing both cost and the risk of pollution from the excessive leaching of nitrogen.

The study, published in Science of the Total Environment, focused on a soil composed of waste materials, which has been deployed to support a variety of plants within natural and artificial environments over an 18-year timescale.

However, its success has relied on regular fertiliser applications to supply the required nutrients so the research objective was to measure the effect of biochar application on the retention of macronutrients over the experimental period.

Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Kate Schofield, who led the research, said: "Manufactured soils are a growing component in the fight for global food security. But for them to be effective and sustainable, they must retain and cycle nutrients without the need for significant fertiliser inputs.

This study has shown that, by combining waste material with pyrolysed biomass (charcoal), the amount of nutrients escaping can be significantly reduced. It is a promising first indication that sustainable soils from waste can be generated and something we are now looking to build on through our current research."

Mineral and organic waste materials, derived from a range of industries and activities, have the potential to be reused as components of manufactured soils.

Their uses include the manufacture of topsoils for urban grasslands and as materials for the horticulture, agriculture, amenity and restoration markets.

Through its FABsoil project, the University - in partnership with the world famous Eden Project and businesses in Cornwall, such as the Green waste Company - is leading the quest to fabricate soils which could ultimately lead to the creation of custom-made, sustainable products across a range of locations and markets.

It has received funding from Agri-Tech Cornwall, a three-year Pounds 9.6 million initiative part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, with match-funding from Cornwall Council.

FABsoil project leader Mark Fitzsimons, Professor of Environmental Chemistry, added: "There isn't a community in the world that doesn't rely on soil. But with global population growth and demand we are currently facing the genuine prospect of a soil crisis.

"The manufacture of high value soils from waste materials offers international opportunities in terms of food security, carbon sequestration and achieving a circular economy. However, it is crucial that whatever soil we create is sustainable in the long-term and that is one of the key ongoing challenges our research aims to meet."

Science Team Manager at the Eden Project Dr Rachel Warmington, who was not involved with the study but is part of the FABsoil project, added: "Since the Eden Project opened in 2001, we have been successfully growing plants in soils manufactured from waste materials. This research shows how soil 'recipes' can be developed to reduce fertiliser inputs and will be a vital component of future landscape restoration projects."

[JustKelli]

On This Day in Space! Aug. 3, 2004: MESSENGER Spacecraft Launches to Mercury

By*Hanneke Weitering*12 hours ago*Spaceflight*

On Aug. 3, 2004, NASA launched theMESSENGER spacecraft*on a historic first mission to orbit the planet Mercury.*

The spacecraft's name stands for the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging mission. It blasted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 6:15 a.m. Eastern Time and spent the next six and a half years making its way to Mercury's orbit.*

Because Mercury is so close to the Sun, a spacecraft travelling toward the planet speeds up as the sun's gravity pulls it in.*

In order to slow down enough to avoid falling into the sun, MESSENGER utilized the gravitational pull of Venus and Mercury with multiple flybys along the way. It made 15 trips around the sun before it finally*arrived in Mercury's orbitin 2011.*

[JustKelli]

The Apollo 11 coin is now available.