I will try to watch my two favorites, The Empire Strikes Back and Rogue One.
May the 4th be With You
Audit Report: Is NASA Ready for Artemis II?
The NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG) issued an audit report earlier this week, NASA’s Readiness for the Artemis II Crewed Mission to Lunar Orbit, that expressed concerns about problems with the Artemis I test flight mission in late 2022. For example, the report noted:
…the Artemis I test flight revealed critical issues that need to be addressed before placing crew on the Artemis II mission. In particular, the test flight revealed anomalies with the Orion heat shield, separation bolts, and power distribution that pose significant risks to the safety of the crew…Specifically, NASA identified more than 100 locations where ablative thermal protective material from Orion’s heat shield wore away differently than expected during reentry into Earth’s atmosphere…Beyond the Orion anomalies, the Artemis I launch-induced environment caused greater than expected damage to ML-1 elevators, electrical equipment, enclosure panel doors, and pneumatic tubing, requiring extensive repairs that will cost more than $26 million, roughly 5 times more than the $5 million the EGS Program had originally set aside for postArtemis I launch repairs.
While NASA is already working on repairs and improvements in each of these areas, it still puts a bit of a damper on NASA’s earlier video about all of the successes of Artemis I. NASA has already lost too many astronauts to heat shield issues in the past, so this is a serious matter that needs to be resolved before putting humans in the Orion capsule.
The OIG auditors made six recommendations to NASA management. NASA concurred with these recommendations, but noted that the audit was conducted at a difficult time, stating:
Being audited in the middle of a development process presents several challenges including disruptions to ongoing workflow and priorities due to the reallocation of resources and the coordination challenges associated with audit activities.
Of course, auditors are never really welcome at any point in the process. If they come too late, they are accused of shooting the dead.
NASA conducted the test flight to learn about such issues, so in that sense it was a success. Hopefully, the space agency can make the necessary improvements while keeping the Artemis II mission on track given that it has already been delayed.
Pic of the Week: Close-up of the Horsehead Nebula
This week’s image comes from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). It shows a close-up of the well known Horsehead Nebula, which is about 1,375 light years from Earth. The clarity of the many galaxies in the distance makes this an even more amazing image.
Here is more about the image from the Webb Space Telescope site:
This image of the Horsehead Nebula from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope focuses on a portion of the horse’s “mane” that is about 0.8 light-years in width. It was taken with Webb’s NIRCam (Near-infrared Camera). The ethereal clouds that appear blue at the bottom of the image are filled with a variety of materials including hydrogen, methane, and water ice. Red-colored wisps extending above the main nebula represent both atomic and molecular hydrogen. In this area, known as a photodissociation region, ultraviolet light from nearby young, massive stars creates a mostly neutral, warm area of gas and dust between the fully ionized gas above and the nebula below. As with many Webb images, distant galaxies are sprinkled in the background.
Space Stories: New Observatory in Chile, Why Exoplanets Spiral Towards their Sun, and Citizens Help Find an Exoplanet
Here are some recent stories of interest.
—University of Tokyo: “New Observatory in Chile—the Highest in the World—Aims to Reveal Origins of Planets, Galaxies and More“
At an altitude of 5,640 meters, the University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO), built on the summit of a desert mountain in northern Chile, is the highest astronomical observatory in the world, which should give it unrivaled capabilities, but presents some novel challenges…”Construction on the summit of Cerro Chajnantor was an incredible challenge, not just technically, but politically too. I have liaised with Indigenous peoples to ensure their rights and views are considered, the Chilean government to secure permission, local universities for technical collaboration, and even the Chilean Health Ministry to make sure people can work at that altitude in a safe manner. Thanks to all involved, research I’ve only ever dreamed about can soon become a reality, and I couldn’t be happier.”
—Durham University: “Scientists Explain Why Some Exoplanets are Spiraling Towards their Stars“
According to existing theories, the closeness of hot Jupiters should create powerful gravitational ‘tidal waves’ between the planet and star. Over billions of years, these tides transfer energy, causing the planets to spiral inwards until they are eventually consumed by their stars. However, some hot Jupiters like WASP-12b seem to be spiralling in way too quickly for the theories to explain. Scientists were missing a key part of the mystery. Our scientists say they have found the missing piece – magnets!
—Simons Foundation: “Citizen Scientists Help Discover Record-Breaking Exoplanet in Binary Star System“
With an orbit longer than those of most of its brethren, the new planet spotted by volunteer planet hunters and confirmed by Flatiron Institute scientists and their colleagues could offer insights into how exoplanets form and remain stable in multi-star systems…The newfound planet — formally called TOI 4633 c, but nicknamed Percival (after a character from the “Harry Potter” book series) by the scientists — was first identified by citizen scientists sifting through data collected by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
Podcast: Crash Course Pods – The Universe
If you are looking for another podcast on astronomy with some deep ideas, then you will want to tune into Crash Course Pods: The Universe. It’s a discussion between author John Green (Looking for Alaska, The Fault in Our Stars) and Dr. Katie Mack, a theoretical astrophysicist and author of The End of Everything (Astrophysically Speaking). It is not your usual combination for such a show, but it works.
Only one episode has been release to date, but it is enough to keep your head spinning. It may also merit another listen just to be certain you heard what you think you heard. The topic is the beginning of the universe, which is not the straightforward tale I have been hearing for the past number of years. The Big Bang is much more complex, and her statement about hydrogen goes beyond that of Carl Sagan, who said we are all “Star Stuff.” She notes that we are still mostly made of hydrogen atoms that were created in the first two minutes of the universe, so a lot of us precedes the stars.
Dr. Mack noted that her students sometimes find it difficult to follow her stories, so this is your warning that you are jumping into the deep end with this podcast. The only saving grace is John Green’s questions and humor to keep us afloat.
Just try it our for yourself. I think you will want to stick around for the second episode.
Our Awesome Universe 