Pic of the Week: Eyeing the Ring Nebula

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Ring Nebula as captured by the JWST. (ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, M. Barlow (University College London), N. Cox (ACRI-ST), R. Wesson (Cardiff University))

This week’s image comes from the Jame Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam). It shows the Ring Nebula, which is approximately 2,500 light-years away. It looks like a heavenly eyeball. with an Earth-colored iris.

Here is more on the image from NASA:

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope has observed the well-known Ring Nebula with unprecedented detail. Formed by a star throwing off its outer layers as it runs out of fuel, the Ring Nebula is an archetypal planetary nebula. Also known as M57 and NGC 6720, it is both relatively close to Earth at roughly 2,500 light-years away. This new image provides unprecedented spatial resolution and spectral sensitivity. For example, the intricate details of the filament structure of the inner ring are particularly visible in this dataset. There are some 20,000 dense globules in the nebula, which are rich in molecular hydrogen. In contrast, the inner region shows very hot gas. The main shell contains a thin ring of enhanced emission fromcarbon-based molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Roughly ten concentric arcs are located just beyond the outer edge of the main ring. The arcs are thought to originate from the interaction of the central star with a low-mass companion orbiting at a distance comparable to that between the Earth and the dwarf planet Pluto. In this way, nebulae like the Ring Nebula reveal a kind of astronomical archaeology, as astronomers study the nebula to learn about the star that created it.

NASA Gets Ready for a Thursday Launch to Asteroid Psyche

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Image (Credit): The Psyche spacecraft sits aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket earlier today at Launch Complex 39A. (NASA/Aubrey Gemignani)

After a number of delays, the Psyche mission appears ready to go as the spacecraft sits at Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch is scheduled for tomorrow at 10:16 a.m. EDT.

The spacecraft will not reach the metal-rich asteroid Psyche until 2029. It will then orbit the asteroid for about two years collecting data to learn more about an object that astronomers believe may contain clues about the formation of the rocky planets closest to the Sun.

The scientific goals of the mission are to:

  • Understand a previously unexplored building block of planet formation: iron cores.
  • Look inside terrestrial planets, including Earth, by directly examining the interior of a differentiated body, which otherwise could not be seen.
  • Explore a new type of world. For the first time, examine a world made not of rock and ice, but metal.

NASA has a good track record this years with asteroid missions, so let’s hope the positive track record continues with tomorrow’s launch.

Update: Bad weather had delayed the launch until Friday, October 13th.

Image (Credit): Artist’s rendering of asteroid Pysche. (NASA)

Annual International Mars Society Convention

Posted on by onespaceman2000

If you missed the Annual International Mars Society Convention last weekend in Arizona, you will soon be able to catch up on all of the presentations.

First, you can find abstracts on all of the convention presentations here, which includes many topics, such as:

  • Investigating the Effects of Time-Delayed Communications on the Crew Mission Support;
  • Terraform Earth, then Mars;
  • Methods for Choosing Government Officials in the Mars Context;
  • Space and Ocean exploration as the Alternative to World War III;
  • Agriculture on Mars; and
  • Advancements in Sustainable Materials for Revolutionizing Mars Exploration.

Next, you can find the recordings of many of the presentations from past conventions on the Society’s YouTube page. I expect you will soon see recordings from the latest convention on this same Youtube page as well.

It’s a great service for interested parties who could not make it to the conventions. I recommend you check it out.

Space Stories: Fancy Space Suits, Giant Blinding Satellites, and More Russian Space Station Leaks

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Dezeen

Here are some recent stories of interest.

—Dezeen: “Prada Designing Lunar Spacesuits for NASA Moon Mission“

Fashion house Prada has teamed up with commercial space company Axiom Space to create lunar spacesuits for NASA’s Artemis III mission, which will be the first crewed moon landing since 1972. Called Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU), the suits will be designed to give astronauts “advanced capabilities for space exploration,” Prada said. They are an evolution of NASA’s Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) spacesuit design and will use “innovative technologies and design” to be more flexible and provide more protection against the harsh lunar environment, according to the brand.

—Scientific American: “Giant Satellite Outshines Most Stars in the Sky“

On some nights, one of the brightest objects in the sky is neither a planet nor a star. It is a telecommunications satellite called BlueWalker 3, and at times it outshines 99% of the stars visible from a dark location on Earth, according to observations reported today in Nature. BlueWalker 3 is the most brilliant recent addition to a sky that is already swarming with satellites. The spaceflight company SpaceX alone has launched more than 5,000 satellites into orbit, and companies around the globe have collectively proposed launching more than half a million satellites in the coming years — a scenario that astronomers fear could hamper scientific observations of the Universe.

—The Guardian: “Third Space Station Leak in a Year Prompts Doubts About Russia’s Programme“

The Russian segment of the International Space Station (ISS) has sprung its third coolant leak in under a year, raising new questions about the reliability of the country’s space programme even as officials said crew members were not in danger. Flakes of frozen coolant spraying into space were seen in an official live feed of the orbital lab provided by Nasa on Monday, and confirmed in radio chatter between US mission control and astronauts. “The Nauka module of the Russian segment of the ISS has suffered a coolant leak from the external (backup) radiator circuit, which was delivered to the station in 2012,” Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Telegram, adding temperatures remained normal in the affected unit.

Movie: A Million Miles Away

Posted on by onespaceman2000
Credit: Amazon Prime

I recently watched the movie A Million Miles Away after experiencing a summer with no blockbuster films addressing anything interesting related to space travel or alien life. I was happy that this new movie (available on Amazon Prime last month) addressed both, but the “alien” life related to migrant farmers seeking a better life in America.

You will quickly become hooked on the dreams of future astronaut José Hernández as he winds a narrow path to become a NASA flight engineer. You can see a clip of the film here.

The first hour of the film covers the story of his youth, education, and start of a family. After that, you are with him as he is tested by NASA trainers in a way that few of us can imagine. His story intertwines with the Shuttle Columbia disaster, which add another interesting and somber layer to his story.

The film is later interlaced with images of the actors and real persons, including images of José Hernández as he worked on the International Space Station.

Its a great story for the entire family. Yes, it is old story about following your dreams, but it also shows what other may sacrifice along the way to make the dreams of a child or spouse possible.

Rotten Tomatoes shows an Audience Score of 96 percent. I agree with the audience on this one.

Image (Credit): Astronaut José Hernández. (NASA)