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Livescience
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Image Credit: Livescience
NASA delays historic Artemis missions — yet again
- NASA has announced further delays to its Artemis program, pushing back the launch dates for Artemis 2 and Artemis 3.
- Artemis 2, initially scheduled for September 2025, will now launch in April 2026, while Artemis 3, originally planned for late 2026, is moved to mid-2027.
- The delay is due to the need for additional preparation time for the Orion capsule, which sits atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
- Despite the delays, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety of astronauts and the mission's success.
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Livescience
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Image Credit: Livescience
'Eight billion bucks or bust': From pirates to 'stupid mistakes' — the wild story of how James Webb Space Telescope almost failed to launch
- Congress approved the funding of the James Webb Space Telescope but under a rigid budget cap of $8bn. Budget overruns, bureaucratic malfeasance, congressional oversight, accidents, and "stupid mistakes" repeatedly created havoc with the budget and the launch timeline for the JWST deep into the 2010s.
- Mike Menzel, the Senior project manager, would tell the review boards "what he needed was 'margin' — shorthand not just for the margin of error, but also beyond the margin of error. 'The normal rules don't apply here', Menzel would say."
- The launch date slipped from October 2018 to June 2019, and then a further delay to spring 2020 as a result of budget overruns and accidents. In January 2019, Congress approved a further $800m infusion, bringing the total expenditures to $8.8bn. In July 2020, the telescope would launch no sooner than October 31, 2021.
- The telescope couldn't be shipped as if it were cargo aboard a freighter; instead, it required a special temperature and humidity-controlled container, which survived a 16-day, 5,800-mile passage down the west coast of Mexico, through the Panama Canal, up the Kourou River to the Port de Pariacabo, and into the processing facility near the launch site in French Guiana.
- A high tension clamp band snapped off, shaking the observatory, but an inspection revealed no damage.
- The James Webb telescope finally launched from French Guiana on December 25, 2021, to the relief of astronomers and scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, viewers around the world, and the author who tells the story of the telescope's conception, development, and execution in his book "Pillars of Creation: How the James Webb Telescope Unlocked the Secrets of the Cosmos."
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Nasa
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Image Credit: Nasa
Annual Science Conference to Highlight NASA Research
- NASA scientists will present research findings at the annual American Geophysical Union conference.
- The research includes results from experiments conducted during the 2024 solar eclipse.
- The conference will cover topics such as Earth science, planetary science, and heliophysics.
- Media events and briefings will feature NASA scientists discussing various topics.
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Universe Today
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Image Credit: Universe Today
Advanced Civilizations Could be Indistinguishable from Nature
- The Fermi Paradox is based on the fact that our galaxy is home to hundreds of billions of stars, with many or even most of them likely hosting multiple planets.
- Even if only a small percentage become technological space-faring civilizations, there should still be many of them.
- There are many proposed solutions to the paradox, including the Great Filter solution as well as the Kardashev Scale.
- Lukáš Likavčan examines the underlying assumptions in a new research article, proposing the concept of the “grass of the Universe” to understand viable inhabitation of the Earth.
- Likavčan argues that the technosphere is only a transitory layer, and that rapid growth is not a sustainable development pattern, rendering the Kardashev Scale useless.
- Likavčan proposes the concept of genesity, which is life as we do not know it.
- Therefore, it’s a planet that’s primary and sustainable development that’s necessary, rather than the growth of the technosphere.
- This story tells of the convergence of the technosphere with the planet’s pre-existing conditions.
- Instead of humans being primary, or even existing life being primary, it’s planets that are primary.
- Therefore, the successful technosphere is one that folds back into the biosphere.
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Medium
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Image Credit: Medium
How Artificial Solar Eclipses Could Revolutionize Our Understanding of the Sun
- The recent launch of European satellites designed to create artificial solar eclipses presents a significant leap in our understanding of the sun and its mysterious corona.
- The Proba-3 mission offers extended study of the sun with two satellites flying in formation to simulate the effect of a total solar eclipse, providing up to six hours of 'on-demand' totality each time.
- This new approach allows scientists to deeply research the sun's corona and explore the phenomena of CMEs, potentially helping to understand why the corona is hotter than the sun's surface.
- The success of this mission in emulating a solar eclipse with artificial precision has the potential to change our general understanding of the event, as well as stimulate developments in space-based observation techniques.
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Nasa
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Robots, Microbes, and Plants Pack Research Schedule at End of Week
- Robotic tentacles, antibiotic resistant microbes, and space agriculture were the top research areas aboard the International Space Station at the end of the week.
- NASA astronaut Suni Williams tested a robotic free-flyer with tentacle-like arms to capture orbital debris and demonstrated docking maneuvers.
- NASA Flight Engineer Don Pettit sequenced microbial DNA to study antibiotic resistant organisms in microgravity.
- NASA Flight Engineer Nick Hague processed bacteria and yeast samples for understanding food and medicine production in space.
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Nasa
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Image Credit: Nasa
NASA’s ASTRO CAMP – and its Impact – Continues to Grow in FY2024
- NASA’s ASTRO CAMP program for promoting STEM education surpassed all previous milestone marks by partnering with 373 community sites including 50 outside the U.S. in FY2024 to inspire youth, families & educators.
- The initiative reached a range of ethnic & multiethnic groups with more African-American participants than Hispanic.
- Almost 150,000 students took part in the program, a 30% increase from fiscal year 2023.
- ACCP trained 1,454 facilitators during Educator Professional Development sessions, a 25.3% increase from FY2023.
- NASA Science Mission Directorate Science Activation program’s activities offer real-world opportunities for students to enhance scientific understanding and contribute to NASA science missions while inspiring lifelong learning.
- The ACCP theme was “NASA Science … Fire to Water to Ice and Beyond!”
- The program covered materials and activities related to NASA science missions, astrophysics, heliophysics, Earth science, and planetary science.
- ASTRO CAMP began at NASA Stennis as a single one-week camp in the 1990s. Since then, it has developed into several adaptable models for worldwide expansion.
- Contact Kelly Martin-Rivers or Maria Lott for becoming a NASA ASTRO CAMP DNA Collaborative Community Partner.
- For info about the ASTRO CAMP Collaborative Community Partner Program, visit: https://www.nasa.gov/stennis/stem-engagement-at-stennis/nasa-accp/.
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Insider
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Image Credit: Insider
NASA is delaying sending astronauts back to the moon — but it still thinks it can beat China
- NASA has delayed the Artemis-2 mission to 2026 due to Orion capsule heat shield issues.
- The delay also affects Artemis-3 moon landing, now planned for 2027.
- NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said the mission is still ahead of China's moon landing plans in 2030.
- The Artemis program has faced technical problems and delays, causing concerns about its future.
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Guardian
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Image Credit: Guardian
Nasa announces further delays in Artemis moon missions
- Nasa announces further delays in Artemis moon missions
- The next Artemis mission, sending astronauts around the moon and back, has been delayed until April 2026.
- The subsequent astronaut landing mission using SpaceX’s Starship is planned for the following year.
- The delays are due to potential policy changes under president-elect Donald Trump’s administration.
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Earthsky
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Image Credit: Earthsky
Why is Jupiter closest to Earth 1 day before opposition?
- Jupiter will be closest to Earth on December 6, 2024, when the distance will be at its minimum for the year, which is 380 million miles, or 611 million km.
- Less than 24 hours later, on December 7 at 21 UTC (4 p.m. CDT), Jupiter will reach opposition when it is opposite the sun in our sky, just as the Earth flies between the sun and Jupiter. That’s when Jupiter will be 471 million miles, or 759 million km, distant from the sun and 34 light-minutes away from Earth.
- Jupiter’s last opposition, when the Earth was between it and the sun, was on November 3, 2023 and before that on September 26, 2022, when it was closest to the Earth it had been in 70 years.
- The reason for Jupiter being closest to Earth one day before opposition is because of the elliptical orbit of both Earth and Jupiter around the sun, which causes the distance between them to vary.
- Jupiter’s perigee, or the point in its orbit closest to Earth each year, fell at the same time as its perihelion, or the point in its orbit closest to the sun every 12 years, in September 2022, which led to the close approach of Jupiter.
- Since space is vast, Jupiter’s orbit has still been affected by its closest point to the sun in 2022 and is slowly getting farther from the sun every day.
- Earth and Jupiter have nearly circular orbits, but are slightly elliptical causing Jupiter’s distance from the sun to vary. Earth always reaches perihelion around January 4 each year, whereas Jupiter’s perihelion falls on different dates each year, every twelve years.
- After reaching aphelion, or the point furthest from the sun, in February 2017, Jupiter was moving closer to the sun each day, until it reached perihelion in September 2022. Now it is moving farther away from the sun, every day and will continue to do so until 2028.
- On December 6, 2024, Jupiter will make its closest approach to Earth and will reach opposition less than 24 hours later, on December 7 at 21 UTC.
- Jupiter’s closest point to the Earth in 2024 will be 380 million miles, or 611 million km.
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Arstechnica
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Image Credit: Arstechnica
Rocket Report: NASA delays Artemis again; SpinLaunch spins a little cash
- Rocket Report: NASA delays Artemis again; SpinLaunch spins a little cash
- The Trump administration announces commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman as the nominee for next NASA Administrator.
- Orbex pauses construction of its launch site in Scotland and will use SaxaVord Spaceport in the Shetland Islands instead.
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Nasa
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Image Credit: Nasa
Hubble Spots a Spiral in the Celestial River
- The Hubble Space Telescope has spotted a spiral galaxy known as NGC 1637.
- NGC 1637 is located 38 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Eridanus, the River.
- The galaxy shows evidence of star formation, with pink clouds and bright blue stars in its spiral arms.
- NGC 1637 previously hosted a supernova named SN 1999EM, which was the brightest supernova seen in 1999.
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Earthsky
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Image Credit: Earthsky
Deep-sky photos for November 2024: Editor’s picks
- November 2024 saw some stunning deep-sky photos from EarthSky's community astrophotographers.
- Jeremy Likness from Newport, Oregon, combined data from multiple sessions over years to capture the North America Nebula.
- Egidio Vergani in Milan, Italy, captured the California Nebula in the constellation Perseus, located 1,000 light-years away from Earth.
- Steven Bellavia from Smithfield, Virginia, captured the Soul Nebula, located in Cassiopeia with several small open clusters and small emission nebulae.
- Andy Dungan from Cotopaxi, Colorado netted the Spider and Tadpole nebulae in Auriga.
- Catherine Hyde from Cambria, California, captured IC 1396, the Elephant Trunk Nebula, after 16 hours of total integration time.
- Mohammed Abdallah from Suez, Egypt, captured Thor’s Helmet or Baby Yoda, an emission nebula in its pre-supernova stage and created by the Wolf-Rayet star.
- The Heart Nebula or IC 1805, an emission nebula of glowing gas and dark dust clouds lit up by young stars heating the surrounding material, was captured by Rui Santos from Leiria, Portugal.
- Another capture of the Heart Nebula was made by Andy Dungan on November 7, with greater level of detail.
- Steven Bellavia in Southold, New York, snapped planetary nebula Jones 1, discovered by Rebecca Jones in 1941 in the constellation Pegasus.
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Arstechnica
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Image Credit: Arstechnica
How did the CEO of an online payments firm become the nominee to lead NASA?
- President-elect Donald Trump intends to nominate entrepreneur and commercial astronaut Jared Isaacman as the next administrator of NASA.
- Isaacman, who founded a payment processing company at 16 years old, is viewed positively by the space community.
- Isaacman is seen as having a wealth of experience in entrepreneurial enterprise and working with both NASA and SpaceX.
- His nomination is regarded as an ideal choice for NASA's new era of increased cooperation with commercial spaceflight.
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