Image (Credit): Hanukkah display on the ISS. (NASA)
Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli did her part to celebrate the Hanukkah holiday while on board the International Space Station (ISS). The Iranian-American NASA astronaut created the window display shown above as well as a video of a spinning dreidel.
In the ABC7 story accompanying the video, Ms. Moghbeli stated:
In my household, we celebrate both Christmas and Hanukkah so I’ve brought some items for both to celebrate with my family.
I challenge anyone here on Earth to match this window display. It is out of this world.
Image (Credit): The Progress 86 resupply ship approaches the ISS. (NASA)
This week’s image shows the Roscosmos Progress 86 cargo craft approaching the International Space Station (ISS) last Sunday with three tons of needed supplies. The space craft almost appears to be performing ballet. I expect everyone one on board the station was happy to see it arriving, hopefully loaded with some holiday treats.
The Russian cargo craft needed to be guided in manually by cosmonauts after the auto system failed. Backup systems are great, but fully functioning space systems are better. I guess the Russians got some practice that day.
Image (Credit): The ISS’s Zarya module (in the image bottom to center). (NASA)
On this day in 1998, two modules, the Russian Zarya and American Unity, were joined in Earth orbit to create the International Space Station (ISS).
The ISS was built by five space agencies involving 15 nations. NASA notes that 273 people from 21 countries have visited the ISS over the years to assist with more than 3,300 research and educational investigations. The station has been busy, and pretty expensive at more than $150 billion to design and build.
Back in 2012, Astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson stated:
If the United States commits to the goal of reaching Mars, it will almost certainly do so in reaction to the progress of other nations – as was the case with NASA, the Apollo program, and the project that became the International Space Station.
Eleven years later, the ISS continues to orbit the Earth while plans are still being made to return to the Moon and visit Mars. Maybe Dr. Tyson was right given our current race with China to the Moon. We sometimes need that extra push to move towards the stars (as least in terms of crewed flights).
Science and commerce may be headed for a clash on remote terrain: the Moon. For the first time in half a century, NASA is sending a craft to the lunar surface, with the launch at the end of this year of Peregrine Mission 1, a lander built by the private company Astrobotic Technology. Dozens of other craft will soon follow, many as part of NASA’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon. Most researchers are looking forward to a new golden age of exploration and science. But some are worried. They foresee that the advent of private landers will lead to a “Moon rush,” as companies race to grab valuable minerals and resources while trampling over scientifically important lunar sites. With space law offering little or no protection to these areas, researchers are starting to lobby governments and international agencies to do something before it’s too late.
Researchers at Penn State have discovered an unusually massive planet, LHS 3154b, orbiting an ultracool dwarf star. This finding, contradicting current theories, prompts a reassessment of star and planet formation processes. The discovery of a planet that is far too massive for its sun is calling into question what was previously understood about the formation of planets and their solar systems, according to Penn State researchers. In a paper published on November 30 in the journal Science, researchers report the discovery of a planet more than 13 times as massive as Earth orbiting the “ultracool” star LHS 3154, which itself is nine times less massive than the sun. The mass ratio of the newly found planet with its host star is more than 100 times higher than that of Earth and the sun.
If a passing star came near the solar system, Earth would probably be fine – but there is a small chance our entire world could get thrown to the outer reaches of the solar system, crash into another planet or even get stolen by the wandering star. The other planets in the solar system could suffer similar fates, and Mercury in particular would be at risk of falling into the sun.
The legislative branch’s audit arm, the Government Accountability Office (GAO), has some bad news regarding the Artemis mission to the moon – the landing on the Moon may need to wait until 2027.
As of September 2023, the Human Landing System program had delayed eight of 13 key events by at least 6 months. Two of these events have been delayed to 2025—the year the lander is planned to launch. The delays were caused in part by the Orbital Flight Test, which was intended to demonstrate certain features of the launch vehicle and lander configuration in flight. The test was delayed by 7 months to April 2023. It was then terminated early when the vehicle deviated from its expected trajectory and began to tumble. Subsequent tests rely on successful completion of a second Orbital Flight Test.
The Human Landing System was awarded to SpaceX, which has been having a few issues getting everything to work on schedule. Of course, this is just one of many issues that contribute to potential delays (such as the space suit), but I expect SpaceX does not want to be labeled as the drag on the program when we are trying to beat the Chinese to the Moon.
The audit report is comprehensive and serves as a warning that things are slipping and may continue to slip without sufficient attention.
Artemis represent an international effort to bring together the best parties from the government and private sector for something amazing. The Apollo missions to the Moon were run by one country as a central government program. This is a chance for everyone to shine using a whole new approach. We just need to keep up the momentum.
Our Awesome Universe 