Space Stories: Oceans on Ariel, Dinosaur-Killer Asteroid from Beyond Jupiter, and the Launch of the Polaris Dawn Mission

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Image (Credit): Uranus and distant galaxies as seen by the James Webb Space Telescope. (NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Forbes: “NASA’s Webb Telescope Finds Evidence For An Ocean World Around Uranus“

New observations by the James Webb Space Telescope suggest that an icy moon around Uranus may have an underground liquid ocean. Ariel is one of 27 moons around Uranus, the seventh planet from the sun and the third largest planet in the solar system. It’s one of four moons that scientists have long been interested in as part of a search for water across the solar system, the others being Umbriel, Titania and Oberon.

—Nature: “Dinosaur-killing Chicxulub Asteroid Formed in Solar System’s Outer Reaches“

The object that smashed into Earth and kick-started the extinction that wiped out almost all dinosaurs 66 million years ago was an asteroid that originally formed beyond the orbit of Jupiter, according to geochemical evidence from the impact site in Chicxulub, Mexico. The findings, published on 15 August in Science, suggest that the mass extinction was the result of a train of events that began during the birth of the Solar System. Scientists had long suspected that the Chicxulub impactor, as it is known, was an asteroid from the outer Solar System, and these observations bolster the case.

—Space Daily: “Polaris Dawn Mission Set for August 26 to Advance Commercial Space Exploration“

The Polaris Program, focused on testing and developing new spaceflight technology, is preparing to launch its first mission, Polaris Dawn, aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on Monday, August 26, 2024. This mission marks a significant step forward in commercial space exploration. Key objectives include testing a next-generation spacesuit during the first commercial spacewalk, attempting to achieve the highest altitude for a human spaceflight since the Apollo missions, and evaluating a new communication system through Starlink.

Space Stories: More Quality Control Issues at Boeing, Blue Origin’s Planned Lunar Landing, and Citizen Scientists Assisting with Exoplanet Research

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of the SLS in flight. (NASA)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—NBC News: “NASA Inspector General Gives Damning Assessment of Boeing’s Quality Control in New Report“

The report, released Thursday by NASA’s Office of Inspector General, calls into question Boeing’s standards and quality control for its part in NASA’s efforts to return astronauts to the moon. In NASA’s development of its next-generation megarocket, known as the Space Launch System, it gave Boeing the contract to build the rocket system’s powerful upper stage. But according to the report, Boeing’s quality control systems fall short of NASA’s requirements, and some known deficiencies have gone unaddressed. What’s more, the workers on the project are not, as a whole, sufficiently experienced or well trained, according to the inspector general.

—Space News: “NASA Payload to Fly on First Blue Origin Lunar Lander Mission“

A NASA payload will hitch a ride to the moon on Blue Origin’s first lunar lander mission, scheduled to launch as soon as next March. In an Aug. 6 procurement filing, NASA revealed it selected Blue Origin to fly a camera system to study how engine plumes interact with regolith at south polar regions of the moon, collecting data to support future crewed landing missions. The payload, called Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS), will fly through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

—NASA: “How NASA Citizen Science Fuels Future Exoplanet Research“

NASA’s upcoming flagship astrophysics missions, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the Habitable Worlds Observatory, will study planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. Over 5,000 exoplanets have been confirmed to date — and given that scientists estimate at least one exoplanet exists for every star in the sky, the hunt has just begun. Exoplanet discoveries from Roman and the Habitable Worlds Observatory may not be made only by professional researchers, but also by interested members of the public, known as citizen scientists.

Space Stories: A Polish Astronaut Heads to ISS, Two Astronauts Are Missing from Church, and Deadly Red Dwarves

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Image (Credit): Sławosz Uznański in ESA’s Neutral Buoyancy Facility. (ESA)

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—European Space Agency (ESA): “Sławosz Uznański from Poland Will fly to International Space Station on Rourth Axiom Space Mission“

Axiom Space announced that it is partnering with India, Hungary, and with Poland through ESA to send three national astronauts to the International Space Station on Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). ESA project astronaut Sławosz Uznański has been assigned as mission specialist under the command of Axiom Space’s Chief Astronaut Peggy Whitson...The other two Ax-4 crew members are pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India, and mission specialist Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

—Associated Press: “One Church, Two Astronauts. How a Texas Congregation is Supporting its Members on the Space Station“

…there’s no way on Earth for NASA astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Tracy Dyson to show up at Providence Baptist Church. They’re in space, orbiting the planet. More specifically, these two members are working on the International Space Station together...Dyson’s six-month mission isn’t scheduled to end until September, but Wilmore and his fellow NASA test pilot, Suni Williams, should have been back weeks ago. They are staying longer than expected following thruster failures and helium leaks on Boeing’s inaugural crew flight for its Starliner capsule. Wilmore and Williams have said they are confident the capsule will return them home safely; engineers are still poring over Starliner test data.

—University of Cambridge: “Astronomers Uncover Risks to Planets that Could Host Life“

Astronomers have discovered that red dwarf stars can produce stellar flares that carry far-ultraviolet (far-UV) radiation levels much higher than previously believed. The discovery suggests that the intense UV radiation from these flares could significantly impact whether planets around red dwarf stars can be habitable…According to researchers, UV radiation from stellar flares can either erode planetary atmospheres, threatening their potential to support life, or contribute to the formation of RNA building blocks, which are essential for the creation of life.

Space Stories: Good Time to View the Heavens, Nearby Super-Jupiter, and Spotting Deepfakes

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Credit: Vikash Kr Singh from Pixabay

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Live Science: “Why the 1st Week of August is the Best Time to See ‘Shooting Stars’ and the Milky Way — No Telescope Required“

The arrival of August means two things for stargazers — “shooting stars” and the Milky Way. In 2024, you can see both at the same time if you know exactly where and when to look…This month, there’s a new moon on Aug. 4, which will keep the post-sunset sky dark until about Aug. 8. That makes the first week of August ideal for spotting “shooting stars” — while you also look for the Milky Way. True darkness won’t come until midnight for most of the Northern Hemisphere, but look to the southeast after dark, and you’ll have a chance of seeing the Sagittarius arm of the Milky Way arching across the night sky.

—Max Planck Institute for Astronomy: “Webb Images Nearest Super-Jupiter, Opening a New Window to Exoplanet Research“

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an MPIA-led team of astronomers imaged a new exoplanet that orbits a star in the nearby triple system Epsilon Indi. The planet is a cold super-Jupiter exhibiting a temperature of around 0 degrees Celsius and a wide orbit comparable to that of Neptune around the Sun. This measurement was only possible thanks to JWST’s unprecedented imaging capabilities in the thermal infrared. It exemplifies the potential of finding many more such planets similar to Jupiter in mass, temperature, and orbit. Studying them will improve our knowledge of how gas giants form and evolve in time.

—Nature: “AI ‘Deepfake’ Faces Detected Using Astronomy Methods“

Researchers are turning to techniques from astronomy to help spot computer-generated ‘deepfake’ images — which can look identical to genuine photographs at first glance. By analysing images of faces using methods that are usually used to survey distant galaxies, astronomers can measure how a person’s eyes reflect light, which can reveal telltale signs of image manipulation.

Space Stories: Starliner Still Stuck, Space Walks Nixed, and ISS Artifacts Being Considered

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Image (Credit): Photo of the Islands of the Caribbean Sea itaken by an astronaut from inside the Cupola on the International Space Station. (NASA)

Here are some recent stories of interest related to the International Space Station (ISS).

—WFLA.com: “Astronauts Remain in Space as Boeing’s Starliner Mission Exceeds 45-day Window at ISS“

Two astronauts aboard Boeing’s Starliner remain stuck in space as the mission exceeded its 45-day battery window being docked at the International Space Station. The capsule, which arrived at the space station on June 6, was initially approved to stay for up to 45 days but with no return date set, the astronauts’ stay has been “extended indefinitely,” NBC affiliate WESH reported. NASA and Boeing said the capsule’s batteries are performing well despite the extended stay. Tuesday marked 47 days since they’ve been at the ISS.

—Space.com: “NASA delays ISS Spacewalks Indefinitely to Investigate Spacesuit Coolant Leak“

NASA says its next spacewalk will be delayed indefinitely until engineers understand more about what caused a coolant leak on June 24. Tracy Dyson, a NASA astronaut, had a brief spacesuit leak a month ago while still in the hatch of the International Space Station (ISS). She and Mike Barrett had just opened the door for a 6.5-hour spacewalk for maintenance activities, when showers of ice particles erupted from a spacesuit connection to the ISS. The spacewalk was suspended, but the astronauts were never in any danger, NASA has emphasized.

—Collectspace.com: “NASA Looking at What Artifacts to Save from ISS Before 2030 Demise“

Two years after stating there were no plans to save artifacts from the destructive end of the International Space Station (ISS), NASA is now in the early stages of identifying what small parts of the orbiting laboratory to preserve. Agency officials on Wednesday (July 17) shared the preliminary details during a media briefing about the space station’s end of life in 2030 and the selection of SpaceX to build the vehicle that will move the massive complex out of orbit such that it mostly burns up in Earth’s atmosphere and plunge any surviving fragments into a remote area of the ocean.