Our Awesome Universe

Can Someone Give NASA a Hand with its Asteroid Canister?

Posted on October 23, 2023January 12, 2024 by onespaceman2000

^{Image (Credit): OSIRIS-REx Sample Return Capsule. (NASA/Lockheed Martin)}

Remember when you had to run the pickle jar under the faucet before you could take off the lid? Well, this can even happen to scientists. In fact, it has happened with NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) sample canister.

NASA has reported that it is still trying to get the lid off of the canister, though it has been able to collect material from outside the container. On Friday, NASA stated:

In the last week, the team at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston changed its approach to opening the TAGSAM head, which contained the bulk of the rocks and dust collected by the spacecraft in 2020. After multiple attempts at removal, the team discovered two of the 35 fasteners on the TAGSAM head could not be removed with the current tools approved for use in the OSIRIS-REx glovebox. The team has been working to develop and implement new approaches to extract the material inside the head, while continuing to keep the sample safe and pristine.

NASA stated it may take a few more weeks to resolve since the scientists need to be careful with the tools they use in the confined space.

The good news is that, even without the additional material, the team has already recovered about 70 grams of material from asteroid Bennu sample, which surpasses the agency’s goal of bringing at least 60 grams to Earth.

It is a pretty odd ending after the sample has gone through a multi-year journey before landing in the Utah desert. At least the sample canister is in a safe place while the scientists play with it.

Movie: Dune, Part Two Not Due Until Next Year

Posted on October 22, 2023October 23, 2023 by onespaceman2000

^{Image (Credit): Scene from Dune, Part Two. (Warner Bros. Pictures)}

I had been posting the planned November 3, 2023 date for the premiere of the film Dune, Part Two, but the movie has had some issues and it is not planned for March 15, 2024. Yes, I know, it’s a big disappointment.

Many of you probably already know this. I guess I haven’t been watching the press on this one because Variety magazine and others reported on the delay back in August, attributing it to the writer’s strike.

The last official trailer from Warner Bros. Pictures was three months ago, but it is worth watching again if only to prepare for what is to come (you can see a variety of other more recent trailers floating around from various parties, such as this one from Screen Culture).

I am glad the second film is coming, regardless of the delay. I will just have to re-watch the first part a few more times to get ready for the big battle.

Space Quote: The 8 Billion-Year-Old Signal

Posted on October 21, 2023October 22, 2023 by onespaceman2000

^{Image (Credit): The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope in Western Australia, which detected the 8 billion-year-old signal. (https://www.icrar.org/)}

“We were lucky to be looking at that little spot in the sky for that one millisecond after the eight billion years the pulse had travelled to catch it.”

-Statement by Ryan Shannon, an astrophysicist at Australia’s Swinburne University and co-author of a study describing the signal that was received June 10th last year, as quoted by CBS News. The same article noted that “The pulse was so powerful that — in under a millisecond — it released as much energy as the sun emits over 30 years.”

India Has Even Greater Space Ambitions

Posted on October 20, 2023 by onespaceman2000

After recently sending a rover to the Moon and a spaceship to the Sun, India announced plans to build its own space station by 2035 and also send its own astronaut to the Moon by 2040. It also wants to start work on missions to Venus and Mars. How is that for ambitious?

In a press release this week, India’s Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi stated the following:

Building on the success of the Indian space initiatives, including the recent Chandrayan-3 and Aditya L1 Missions, Prime Minister directed that India should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including setting up ‘Bharatiya Antariksha Station’ (Indian Space Station) by 2035 and sending first Indian to the Moon by 2040.

To realize this Vision, the Department of Space will develop a roadmap for Moon exploration. This will encompass a series of Chandrayaan missions, the development of a Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), construction of a new launch pad, setting up human-centric Laboratories and associated technologies.

Prime Minister also called upon Indian scientists to work towards interplanetary missions that would include a Venus Orbiter Mission and a Mars Lander.

The space race continues with India showing itself as a strong player in space, potentially replacing Russia as one of the key space-faring nations. It benefits everyone to have more nations studying our solar system. It is unfortunate that Russia has concerned itself with less dignified matters back here on Earth. Maybe it will look to the stars again one day soon.

Pic of the Week: Annular Solar Eclipse Over the U.S.

Posted on October 19, 2023 by onespaceman2000

^{Image (Credit): Lunar shadow captured on October 14, 2023. (NASA)}

This image of last week’s annular solar eclipse was captured by NASA’s Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) imager carried aboard the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCVR), which is a joint venture between NASA, NOAA, and the U.S. Air Force.

NASA made this statement regarding the image:

An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon passes in front of the Sun but is too far from Earth to completely obscure it. The Moon is at or near its farthest distance from Earth—known as its apogee—during an annular eclipse, making it look smaller in the sky. This leaves the Sun’s edges exposed in a red-orange ring, dubbed the “ring of fire.” A satellite caught an earthly view of the event, as the Moon’s shadow crossed North America.

NASA also provided a map showing those areas in the United States most impacted by the eclipse (shown below).