Second Pic of the Week: The UAE’s Amal Spacecraft Orbiting Mars

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Mars and its moon Deimos. (UAE Space Agency)

I should have used the image above as the Pic of the Week yesterday. The image was captured by the United Arab Emerates’ (UEA) Amal spacecraft orbiting Mars. It shows the Red Planet as well as one of its moons – Deimos. The spacecraft came as close as 62 miles from the moon.

In a European Geosciences Union press release, we read about another finding related to the UAE mission from Emirates Mars Mission Science Lead Hessa Al Matroushi:

We are unsure of the origins of both Phobos and Deimos…One long-standing theory is that they are captured asteroids, but there are unresolved questions about their composition. How exactly they came to be in their current orbits is also an active area of study, and so any new information we can gain on the two moons, especially the more rarely observed Deimos, has the potential to unlock new understanding of Mars’ satellites. Our close observations of Deimos so far point to a planetary origin rather than reflecting the composition of a type D asteroid as has been postulated.

Hence, we have a new discussion about the origin of the Martian moons that should keep scientists busy for some time.

Space Stories: Lost Lunar Lander, Exoplanet Elements, and the Molten Middle of Mars

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of the HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Lunar Lander orbiting the Moon. (ispace)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Astronomy.com: “Japanese Lunar Lander Loses Contact Moments Before Touchdown”

The Japanese start-up ispace attempted to become the first private company to successfully soft-land a commercial spacecraft on the Moon today (Tuesday, April 25). However, it now appears that the landing attempt — like several other such attempts in recent years — has failed…Ispace currently plans to attempt at least two more lunar landings over the next few years, applying lessons learned during today’s landing attempt to increase their odds of success.

—Phys.com: “Scientists Discover Rare Element in Exoplanet’s Atmosphere”

The rare metal terbium has been found in an exoplanet’s atmosphere for the first time. The researchers at Lund University in Sweden have also developed a new method for analyzing exoplanets, making it possible to study them in more detail…”Detecting heavy elements in the atmospheres of ultra-hot exoplanets is another step towards learning how the atmospheres of planets work. The better we get to know these planets, the greater chance we have of finding Earth 2.0 in the future,” concludes Nicholas Borsato.

—NASA: “NASA InSight Study Provides Clearest Look Ever at Martian Core”

While NASA retired its InSight Mars lander in December, the trove of data from its seismometer will be pored over for decades to come. By looking at seismic waves the instrument detected from a pair of temblors in 2021, scientists have been able to deduce that Mars’ liquid iron core is smaller and denser than previously thought.

Space Stories: Merging Galaxies, Anniversary for TESS, and Helicopter Flights on Mars

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Arp 220 as captured by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Alyssa Pagan)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—PetaPixel: “Webb Captures Star-Forming Galactic Merger Brighter Than 1 Trillion Suns’”

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured a stunning “smash-up” of two spiral galaxies. Collectively called Arp 220, the collision of the pair of galaxies has facilitated massive star formation. Arp 220 is located within the constellation Serpens, about 250 million light-years from Earth. Arp 220 gets its namesake because it is the 220th object in Hallton Art’s Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies. Arp 220 is “peculiar” because it’s an ultra-luminous infrared galaxy (ULIRG), and the nearest ULIRG to Earth.

—Phys.org: “NASA’s TESS Celebrates Fifth Year Scanning the Sky for New Worlds’”

Now in its fifth year in space, NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) remains a rousing success. TESS’s cameras have mapped more than 93% of the entire sky, discovered 329 new worlds and thousands more candidates, and provided new insights into a wide array of cosmic phenomena, from stellar pulsations and exploding stars to supermassive black holes.

—NASA: “NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Completes 50th Flight’”

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has completed its 50th flight on Mars. The first aircraft on another world reached the half-century mark on April 13, traveling over 1,057.09 feet (322.2 meters) in 145.7 seconds. The helicopter also achieved a new altitude record of 59 feet (18 meters) before alighting near the half-mile-wide (800-meter-wide) “Belva Crater.”

Television: Fired on Mars

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: WarnerMedia

A new series is coming to HBO Max on April 20th.

The series, Fired on Mars, is described as an “Existential workplace comedy set on the Martian campus of a modern tech company.” It stars Pete Davidson. It’s animated. And HBO Max seems to be doing the bare minimum to advertise it. Or, more to the point, it is doing nothing to advertise it.

Does that peek your interest of scare you away?

I am more in the latter category, but I will watch the first episode to see that I think.

Update: I watched the first few episodes and decided that was enough. It really has very little to do with Mars. The planet is just a backdrop to an office drama that is not very interesting. If you want a good science fiction office drama you would do better watching Severance on Apple TV+.

If You Thought the Skies Were Crowded, Just Wait

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Starlink.

The Washington Post recently published a story, “China’s military aims to launch 13,000 satellites to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink,” that can only terrify astronomers here on Earth trying to view the stars. The title says it all – the space race continues to clutter the skies with more and more low-Earth satellites broadcasting back to the surface. It is a dippy Dyson Sphere that contains scientists rather than energy.

Starlink’s success in Ukraine really bothers the Chinese, who see the network as a lifeline for Taiwan as well. The article quotes Chinese military researchers, who state:

Once the Starshield is completed, it will be tantamount to installing networked surveillance cameras all over the world. At that time, military operations including the launch of ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles and fighter jets will hardly escape the monitoring of the United States.

I would prefer the space race between the US and China focused on the Moon or Mars rather than local invasions, but that is the state of the world at the moment. Not that the race to the Moon was a completely tame affair. For instance, the US contemplated exploding a nuclear bomb on the surface of the Moon to impress the Russians and everyone else. Fortunately, Project A119 never happened.