Saturn's Moon Enceladus

And now onto another moon - Saturn's moon Enceladus. Just as we wonder about Pluto's changing surface and Charon's canyons, this moon is believed to have seas below the surface that could harbor life. The image above from the Cassini spacecraft provides a full view of the beautiful surface of this distant moon. 

NASA has more to say on this:

Do some surface features on Enceladus roll like a conveyor belt? A leading interpretation of images taken of Saturn's most explosive moon indicate that they do. This form of asymmetric tectonic activity, very unusual on Earth, likely holds clues to the internal structure of Enceladus, which may contain subsurface seas where life might be able to develop.  Pictured above is a composite of 28 images taken by the robotic Cassini spacecraft in 2008 just after swooping by the ice-spewing orb. Inspection of these images show clear tectonic displacements where large portions of the surface all appear to move all in one direction. On the image right appears one of the most prominent tectonic divides: Labtayt Sulci, a canyon about one kilometer deep. The small magnitude of Enceladus' wobble as it orbits Saturn might indicate damping by a globally extending underground ocean layer.

One possible mission being considered by NASA is called Enceladus Life Finder (ELF), which would entail a spacecraft flying through the moon's plume of surface material and returning the sample to Earth for further study.  An intriguing idea that will tell us much more about what is happening on the moon. 

New Horizon Images of Charon

NASA's New Horizons continues to send one stunning shot after another.  The image above is from Pluto's moon Charon.  As with Mars, you can see a great canyon scarring the surface of the moon.  NASA notes:

High-resolution images of the Pluto-facing hemisphere of Charon, taken by New Horizons as the spacecraft sped through the Pluto system on July 14 and transmitted to Earth on Sept. 21, reveal details of a belt of fractures and canyons just north of the moon's equator. This great canyon system stretches more than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) across the entire face of Charon and likely around onto Charon's far side. Four times as long as the Grand Canyon, and twice as deep in places, these faults and canyons indicate a titanic geological upheaval in Charon's past.

NASA expected even higher resolution images to be transmitted shortly.  New Horizons will be transmitting these amazing images over the next year or so.  The gift that keeps giving. 

Weekend's Supermoon Eclipse

I like this photo from last Sunday in Washington, DC. We will not see a supermoon eclipse again until 2033. I wonder what our space budget will look like in 2033. 

Maybe this Congress should see this as a warning from the gods that they are fed up with the threat of another government shutdown.  Whatever works. 

Image Credit: AP Photo/J. David Ake

Water Located on Mars

It does not sound like news since Mars and water have been discussed for many years, yet in this case the issue is not water in the past but water on the surface today.  This is a very different story.  The new evidence comes from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Here is what NASA has to say:

Using an imaging spectrometer on MRO, researchers detected signatures of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen on the Red Planet. These darkish streaks appear to ebb and flow over time. They darken and appear to flow down steep slopes during warm seasons, and then fade in cooler seasons. They appear in several locations on Mars when temperatures are above minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 Celsius), and disappear at colder times.

 What does this mean?  The press release continues:

“It took multiple spacecraft over several years to solve this mystery, and now we know there is liquid water on the surface of this cold, desert planet,” said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “It seems that the more we study Mars, the more we learn how life could be supported and where there are resources to support life in the future.”

That is key - existing life and future life.  We may want to determine the former before we become the latter.  We are certainly making progress as we poke, observe, and roam the Red Planet. 

Space Port: "It's Like Nazi Germany"

You would think the residents of Texas would be happy to host a SpaceX launch facility because of the jobs and attention it brings to a community.  But you would be wrong, or at least as it relates to a few local residents.  The residents of the beach community Boca Chica Village have complained that they have to deal with traffic checkpoints and restricted travel every time SpaceX has a launch. 

According to a recent article in Bloomberg titled "The Tiny Town that Hates Elon Musk," some of the residents have turned against the company and are evening considering sit-ins on the beach during launch day.  The article states:

Even some die-hard SpaceX supporters are questioning the sacrifices they’re being asked to make, including the possibility of being asked to evacuate their homes on certain launch days. Frank Kawalski, who moved to Boca Chica from Key West, Florida, a decade ago, unfurled a giant "Welcome SpaceX" sign on his house when he heard the company was coming to town. Today?  "I’ve never left my house for hurricanes or anything," said Kawalski, who owns three homes in Boca Chica and lives with his son, 4 dogs, 7 cats, 12 macaws and a pet rattlesnake named Low Rider.

I presume Texas is still happy with the deal, but some placating of the company's neighbors may be necessary.  One way to keep them happy is to build the town a nice private bar with a view of the launches, and throw in a few drinks and a barbecue with each launch.  Keeping the neighbors happy should not be rocket science.

Image Credit:  Bloomsberg

New Pictures from Pluto

New Horizons caught plenty of amazing shots of Pluto during its July flyby and the image above is one great example. I wasn't expecting mountains ranges like these or an atmosphere. The dead little dwarf planet seems more lively than we could have imagined. 

NASA notes:

Just 15 minutes after its closest approach to Pluto on July 14, 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft looked back toward the sun and captured this near-sunset view of the rugged, icy mountains and flat ice plains extending to Pluto’s horizon. The smooth expanse of the informally named Sputnik Planum (right) is flanked to the west (left) by rugged mountains up to 11,000 feet (3,500 meters) high, including the informally named Norgay Montes in the foreground and Hillary Montes on the skyline. The backlighting highlights more than a dozen layers of haze in Pluto’s tenuous but distended atmosphere. The image was taken from a distance of 11,000 miles (18,000 kilometers) to Pluto; the scene is 230 miles (380 kilometers) across.

Image Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

This is Your Body in Space

This drawing from NASA walks you through the effects of space on the human body, as well as the effects of the human body on space. It focuses on what is happening to astronaut Scott Kelly during his one year on the International Space Station. Between his drinking of recycled urine to his creation of unique shooting stars, it sounds like quite an adventure.

Spacecraft or Ice Breakers?

I used to think the battle over a cold planet would take place on the moon or Mars, but it appears the territorial battles are taking place at the North Pole. With the Russians restarting their arctic military bases, the Chinese sending warships to the region the other week, and the U.S. contemplating spending billions on new icebreakers, it seems the new terra nova race may be more terrestrial than previously thought. The northern reaches are now open to competition because of global climate change, which makes raw materials much more accessible.  Yes, the global climate change some do not want NASA to monitor is now a new reason to move funds from space exploration to mineral exploration backed up by the US military.  Heck, who needs to grab an asteroid when everything is for the taking here at home? 

Here is the White House's position on these changes:

Climate change is reshaping the Arctic in profound ways. The global Arctic has warmed approximately twice as fast as the rest of the world, resulting in significant impacts on land and sea. Among the most noticeable changes is the retreat of Arctic sea ice, which has experienced significant, sustained declines in both extent and thickness in recent decades...As sea-ice cover diminishes because of climate change, marine traffic is expected to increase in the Arctic, including traffic from fishing and mineral exploration to cargo shipping and tourism...That is why the Administration will propose to accelerate acquisition of a replacement heavy icebreaker to 2020 from 2022, begin planning for construction of additional icebreakers, and call on Congress to work with the Administration to provide sufficient resources to fund these critical investments. These heavy icebreakers will ensure that the United States can meet our national interests, protect and manage our natural resources, and strengthen our international, state, local, and tribal relationships.

Can we do it all?  Explore the Arctic and Mars?  Certainly.  We fought a war while putting men on the moon.  Yet that is not the ideal situation at anytime, and especially in these budget-cutting times. Let's hope we have the vision and the funding to build both Martian rovers and icebreakers.   

Image Credit:  F-22 on a runway with Alaska's Chugach Mountains as a backdrop (Michael Dinneen for LA Times)

Smithsonian Restores the USS Enterprise

Do you have any early photos of the USS Enterprise from the first season of Star Trek? The Smithsonian is putting out a call for such images as it attempts to restore the ship to its original condition (the image above is from 1964).  As you can see from the image below, what the museum received in 1967 was in pretty tough shape.

The Smithsonian notes:

 The ship has been modified eight times since it was built in 1964. But the studio model's 1967 appearance in the episode “Trouble with Tribbles” was the last time the Enterprise was modified during the original "Star Trek" television series.

Fans are encouraged to submit firsthand, original images or film of the ship under construction, during filming or on public display at any time before 1976.

If you have anything you can share that can help with this archiving event, please contact StarshipEnterprise@si.edu.

Great Image: Dione and Saturn

The image above was taken last December by the Cassini spacecraft. The soft colors of Saturn are a strong contrast with the colorless moon. The European Space Agency provides more details on the photo:

The images used to create this view were obtained with the Cassini-Huygens wide-angle camera at a distance of approximately 603 000 kilometres from Dione through a filter sensitive to wavelengths of ultraviolet light.

Giovanni Domenico Cassini discovered Dione in 1684, it being one of the four moons he identified and named Sidera Lodoicea, or "the stars of Louis," to honor king Louis XIV.  A comparison of Dione to the Earth and its moon is shown below.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Space Science Institute

Kickstarter to the Rescue Again

Would you buy a manual regarding the NASA logo shown above? It appears many will based on a recent Kickstarter campaign, which collected approximately $636,000 as of earlier today.  That is pretty good given the goal of the campaign was to collect only $158,000.  

For your $79 contribution you get a copy of the original manual for a logo that lasted from 1974 to 1992.  And why is this so important to the thousands of donors?  The site tries to explain it:

As design nerds, we think the Worm is almost perfect, and the system behind it is a wonderful example of modernist design and thinking.

But for everyone, we think the Worm and its design system represent an agency whose goal is to explore space and push the boundaries of science. Where the Meatball feels cartoon-like and old fashioned; the worm feels sleek, futuristic, forward-thinking. All good things for a space agency at the bleeding-edge of science and exploration. 

We think this manual and others like it—regardless of the organization—are a beautiful example of rational, systematic design. The NASA manual is one of those examples that sets the standard for design excellence—a document well worth preserving for the future as a learning tool, a gorgeous object, and a moment in design history.

I guess there is something for everyone.  I have no problem with the current "meatball" NASA logo, but tastes will differ.  By the way, who is pushing the meatball manual? 

Update: NASA has decided to issue the worm manual for free as a pdf file. I wonder how the thousands that paid $79 per copy feel about that. 

Image Credit:  The patch is from p. 9.2 of the manual.

Space Station Traffic Picking Up

The crew of the International Space Station (ISS) just went to nine yesterday as the Russian Soyuz spacecraft (TMA-18M) docked at the station and Sergey Volkov of Roscosmos, Andreas Mogensen of the European Space Agency, and Aidyn Aimbetov of the Kazakh Space Agency stepped aboard. We are already a long way from earlier this year when we were worried about even getting supplies to the station after numerous rocket explosions.  Since then, a Russian Soyuz resupplied the station and just last week a Japanese mission added more emergency supplies. 

The NASA image above shows the ISS configuration with all of the attached capsules. The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft is docked to the Poisk mini-research module. The Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft is docked to the Zvezda service module. The ISS Progress 60 spacecraft is docked to the Pirs docking compartment. The Soyuz TMA-17M spacecraft is docked to the Rassvet mini-research module. Japan’s “Kounotori” HTV-5 is berthed to the Harmony module.

Great Image: Twin Jet Nebula

The image above was captured by the Hubble Space Telescope.  You are viewing the Twin Jet Nebula where two stars are thought to be at its heart.  NASA provides more on this amazing image:

It is called the Twin Jet Nebula as well as answering to the slightly less poetic name of PN M2-9.

The M in this name refers to Rudolph Minkowski, a German-American astronomer who discovered the nebula in 1947. The PN, meanwhile, refers to the fact that M2-9 is a planetary nebula. The glowing and expanding shells of gas clearly visible in this image represent the final stages of life for an old star of low to intermediate mass. The star has not only ejected its outer layers, but the exposed remnant core is now illuminating these layers — resulting in a spectacular light show. However, the Twin Jet Nebula is not just any planetary nebula, it is a bipolar nebula.

Ordinary planetary nebulae have one star at their center, bipolar nebulae have two, in a binary star system. Astronomers have found that the two stars in this pair each have around the same mass as the sun, ranging from 0.6 to 1.0 solar masses for the smaller star, and from 1.0 to 1.4 solar masses for its larger companion. The larger star is approaching the end of its days and has already ejected its outer layers of gas into space, whereas its partner is further evolved, and is a small white dwarf.

This Hubblecast video provides more on the nebula above and others. 

Send Your Name to Mars

You have until September 8th to share your name with NASA if you want it added to a silicon microchip on the InSight Mars lander.  The InSight spacecraft will launch next March and the lander is expected to be on the surface of Mars by September 2016.  The lander's mission is to investigate the interior of the planet:

The mission is the first dedicated to the investigation of the deep interior of the planet. It will place the first seismometer directly on the surface of Mars to measure Martian quakes and use seismic waves to learn about the planet's interior. It also will deploy a self-hammering heat probe that will burrow deeper into the ground than any previous device on the Red Planet. These and other InSight investigations will improve our understanding about the formation and evolution of all rocky planets, including Earth.

Go here to add your name.  And go here to learn more about the InSight spacecraft and lander. 

Send Mr. Sterner to a Deserted Island

In discussing the upcoming movie The Martian in a recent issue of SpaceNews, Eric R. Sterner, who served as NASA’s associate deputy administrator for policy and planning and in the Department of Defense, was not all that optimistic about the movie's impact on planning for future Mars missions:

Sadly, if the space community seeks to turn “The Martian” into a commercial for sending people to Mars, we will fail miserably. The 2000 movie “Castaway” was nominated for multiple awards, including an Academy Award for Tom Hanks. It did not increase public support for sending people to deserted islands. Neither will “The Martian” bring them closer to Mars.

I can understand Mr. Sterner's frustration, but I am somewhat optimistic that a good film, just like a good television series, can stir a nation and especially its youth.  Will inspired youth get us to Mars tomorrow?  Certainly not.  But who knows where they will take us down the road.  And I think Mars is a little more inspiring than a deserted island.

A New Direction for NASA

One Direction recently used the NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for a music video of their new song "Drag Me Down."   The Wall Street Journal notes:

Each One Direction member was shot in a different part of the Space Vehicle Mockup Facility as they “trained” to go into space. Liam Payne got to check out the International Space Station replica, while Louis Tomlinson got behind the wheel of the Space Exploration Vehicle rover. Niall Horan tried out the Partial Gravity Simulator, and Harry Styles had a meet cute with the human-like Robonaut.

This is a unique and wise use of NASA's facilities to engage the young.  Earlier this year NASA created its own short music video pertaining to its Space Launch System. If you want attention you need to find ways to stimulate the next generation.  

The One Direction song lyrics could also be something that NASA needs to sing to Congress these days:

With your love, nobody can drag me down
Nobody, nobody
Nobody can drag me down
Nobody, nobody
Nobody can drag me down

Great Image: Helix Nebula

It is almost as if the universe was looking back at us in this Spitzer Space Telescope image.  The Helix nebula is about 650 light years away.  NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory provides more details:

A dying star is throwing a cosmic tantrum in this combined image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX), which NASA has lent to the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. In death, the star's dusty outer layers are unraveling into space, glowing from the intense ultraviolet radiation being pumped out by the hot stellar core. 

This object, called the Helix nebula, lies 650 light-years away, in the constellation of Aquarius. Also known by the catalog number NGC 7293, it is a typical example of a class of objects called planetary nebulae. Discovered in the 18th century, these cosmic works of art were erroneously named for their resemblance to gas-giant planets.

And should you want more images from Spitzer to view throughout the year, check out this digital calendar.  NASA is celebrating the 12th anniversary of the space telescope. 

Get Ready for The Martian

What happens when you are left behind on Mars for four years?  And no, this is not a Mars One scenario.  Instead, it is the new film The Martian with Matt Damon.  Take a look at the trailer to see what's in store for you. 

The film will be released October 2nd.  Unlike last year's film Interstellar, also starring Matt Damon, this film is a little closer to home and reality.  Mars enthusiasts, prepare yourselves!

Help Name the Exoplanets

If you are looking to name something outside the solar system, a few exoplanets await you. The International Astronomical Union has a list of 20 exoplanets in need of a name.  All you need to do is visit this site to vote. 

For instance, four planets orbit mu Arae above and the voting allows you to vote in clusters, naming both the sun and orbiting planets.  One of the naming clusters is shown below and has a Portuguese theme.   

Voting is open until October 31 and the winners will be announced in November (the timeline and rules are here).  Here is your chance to impact a whole new world. 

Pluto: Let the Mapping Begin

The naming of Pluto's features has already begun, as you can see above.  Visit Our Pluto for the map above as well as the ongoing efforts to bring definition to the dwarf planet's surface.  It appears these names have been submitted to the International Astronomical Union (IAU) for consideration, so nothing is official yet. 

Last month the site noted:

Today we are pleased to announce our initial slate of names to be proposed to the IAU. We received so many great suggestions that winnowing down the list was a real challenge. Nevertheless, we limited our proposal to about ten names in each theme so as not to overwork the IAU nomenclature working group too heavily. There will be many more features to name, so rest assured that the names that didn't make the initial list will be used eventually. If your favorite name is not on these lists, please be patient!

Take a look at this IAU press release from 2013 regarding the naming of Pluto's new moons for more on the naming process:

After the discovery, the leader of the research team, Mark Showalter (SETI Institute), decided to call for a public vote to suggest names for the two objects. To be consistent with the names of the other Pluto satellites, the names had to be picked from classical mythology, in particular with reference to the underworld — the realm where the souls of the deceased go in the afterlife. The contest concluded with the proposed names Vulcan, Cerberus and Styx ranking first, second and third respectively. Showalter submitted Vulcan and Cerberus to the IAU where the Working Group for Planetary System Nomenclature (WGPSN) and the Committee on Small Body Nomenclature (WGSBN) discussed the names for approval.

The Backside of the Moon

We now have another perspective of our home planet, and this time it includes the backside of the moon, which we never get to view here on Earth.  Our planet is certainly a bright, shiny object compared to its moon.  The new view comes from the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) placed between the Earth and sun to provide warning about incoming solar storms, thereby giving government agencies and the private sector time to prepare. 

DSCOVR was launched last February on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.  Now located 1 million miles from Earth at a point where the Earth and Sun's gravity cancel one another out (called L1), it operates as a partnership between National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NASA, and the U.S. Air Force. 

Go here for more information on the DSCOVR mission and you can also learn more about the mission via this video.

Image Credits:  NOAA

Great Image: Group of Galaxies

The image above provides a nice assortment of galaxies from spiral to elliptical.  They almost seem to be lined up and showing off in this image.  It is fascinating to see.  Here is NASA's story: 

Sometimes galaxies form groups. For example, our own Milky Way Galaxy is part of the Local Group of Galaxies. Small, compact groups, like Hickson Compact Group 87 (HCG 87) shown above, are interesting partly because they slowly self-destruct. Indeed, the galaxies of HCG 87 are gravitationally stretching each other during their 100-million year orbits around a common center. The pulling creates colliding gas that causes bright bursts of star formation and feeds matter into their active galaxy centers. HCG 87 is composed of a large edge-on spiral galaxy visible near the image center, an elliptical galaxy visible to its right, and a spiral galaxy visible near the top. The small spiral near the center might be far in the distance. Several stars from our Galaxy are also visible in the foreground. Studying groups like HCG 87 allows insight into how all galaxies form and evolve.

The image below is another group of galaxies, this time VV166.  You can learn more about the image here.

 Top Image Credit: GMOS-S Commissioning Team, Gemini Observatory
 Bottom Image Credit: Gemini Observatory/AURA

$100 Million More for SETI

The search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) advanced the other week when Yuri Milner (named after Yuri Gagarin, the first man in space) pledged $100 million to assist with this ongoing work.  He made his money in international investing and now he wants to help science in an area of thin funding.  The project is part of his ongoing Breakthrough Initiatives project.

Mr. Milner has pledged the funds over a 10-year period in a project called Breakthrough Listen.  The funds will go to covering 10 times more area in the sky than current SETI programs using three primary telescopes – the 100 Meter Robert C. Byrd Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, the USA (“Green Bank Telescope”), and the 64-metre diameter Parkes Telescope in New South Wales, Australia (“Parkes Telescope”).

The increased flow of data will be fed into the existing SETI@home program and its millions of linked volunteer computers from around the world to more rapidly analyze the information for signs of intelligent communication.

A separate project, Breakthrough Message, pledges  $1 million to those who can craft digital message representing all of us here on Earth to be sent out into the universe.

It is interesting to see Dr. Stephen Hawking at the kickoff given his fears about alien intelligence. He is probably fine with listening, but any message would probably be "please stay away." It is also great to see Frank Drake and Ann Druyan helping to lead this program.

One telescope that was considered for use is the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.  However, it was not to be. You can read the long drawn-out story in ScientificAmerican.  The last paragraph in the article says it all - we have a choice to learn and grow or bury our knowledge in a hole in the ground.

Spaceship Two: Now We Know

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has found the crash related to Virgin Galactic's Spaceship Two was the result of pilot error.  The NTSB press release on the investigation stated:

the co-pilot’s premature unlocking of the spaceship’s feather system as a result of time pressure and vibration and loads that he had not recently experienced.

Virgin Galactic later tweeted:

We thank the @NTSB for their professionalism, expertise, and insight, and we welcome the results of their investigation.

 and then: 

With impartial experts from @NTSB having found the #SpaceShipTwo design fundamentally sound, we move forward with confidence.

The question now is whether the next spacecraft can avoid these human issues. And new questions have come up regarding the location of the crash near population centers, including a high school, indicating greater Federal oversight of future flights may be required.  

This "Earth" is a Little Closer

Why go 1,400 light years to exoplanet Kepler-452b when HD 219134b is only 21 light years away? In fact you can see it with the naked eye - well the star it orbits, that is. The exoplanet was detected by the Spitzer Space Telescope. 

Here is the tale from NASA:

This artist's rendition shows one possible appearance for the planet HD 219134b, the nearest confirmed rocky exoplanet found to date outside our solar system. The planet is 1.6 times the size of Earth, and whips around its star in just three days. Scientists predict that the scorching-hot planet -- known to be rocky through measurements of its mass and size -- would have a rocky, partially molten surface with geological activity, including possibly volcanoes.

Okay, so it is not that promising as a candidate for extraterrestrial life, but it is nearby.  In fact, it is the closest exoplanet spotted to date.

Photo Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech