Space news and Exploration II

[Politico]

They are blowing stuff up left and right. What a bunch of idiots.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Reaction Engines UK will have new tests of their Skylon Single stage to orbit Sabre Spaceplane engines prototype

Reaction Engines Ltd. have begun their latest round of rocket engine testing in Westcott, UK. The SABRE engine requires a novel design of the rocket engine's thrust chamber and nozzle to allow operation in both air-breathing and rocket modes, as well as a smooth transition between the two. The Advanced Nozzle project is demonstrating the...

 

[ScienceRocks]

New Horizons two weeks from Pluto flyby
Posted on June 30, 2015 by William Harwood
New Horizons two weeks from Pluto flyby Spaceflight Now

STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION


New Horizons captured this view Pluto and its moon Charon early June 29. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute

NASA’s New Horizons probe, now just 10 million miles from Pluto and 14 days from a historic July 14 flyby, is operating in near flawless fashion, making increasingly detailed observations of the enigmatic dwarf planet and its large moon Charon, project engineers and scientists reported Tuesday.

“If you’ve been looking at the pictures on the (New Horizons) website, you can see that Pluto and Charon are becoming more distinct in their surface features,” said mission operations manager Alice Bowman. “Every day is bringing new features into light.”

Streaking through space at more than 30,000 mph, New Horizons is on track to pass within about 7,800 miles of Pluto a few seconds shy of 7:50 a.m. EDT (GMT-4) on July 14. Fourteen minutes later, the spacecraft will pass within 17,900 miles of Charon, the largest of Pluto’s five known moons.

Throughout the encounter, New Horizons will train its cameras and other instruments on Pluto and its retinue of moons for unprecedented close-range observations, revealing a never-before-seen world at the edge of the solar system.

Over the next few days, Bowman said, engineers plan to uplink the complex sequence of commands that will be executed aboard the spacecraft during the flyby. At the same time, they will be analyzing the probe’s flight path to determine whether another small trajectory correction maneuver might be needed to make sure the spacecraft hits the desired close-approach aim point.

 

[ScienceRocks]

http://arxiv.org/abs/1506.09072

No evidence for activity correlations in the radial velocities of Kapteyn's star

Stellar activity may induce Doppler variability at the level of a few m/s which can then be confused by the Doppler signal of an exoplanet orbiting the star. To first order, linear correlations between radial velocity measurements and activity indices have been proposed to account for any such correlation. The likely presence of two super-Earths orbiting Kapteyn's star was reported in Anglada et al. (2014, MNRAS 443L, 89A), but this claim was recently challenged by Robertson et al. (2015, ApJ 805L, 22R) arguing evidence of a rotation period (143 days) at three times the orbital period of one of the proposed planets (Kapteyn's b, P=48.6 days), and the existence of strong linear correlations between its Doppler signal and activity data. By re-analyzing the data using global optimization methods and model comparison, we show that such claim is incorrect given that; 1) the choice of a rotation period at 143 days is unjustified, and 2) the presence of linear correlations is not supported by the data. We conclude that the radial velocity signals of Kapteyn's star remain more simply explained by the presence of two super-Earth candidates orbiting it. We also advocate for the use of global optimization procedures and objective arguments, instead of claims lacking of a minimal statistical support.

 

[ScienceRocks]

 

[ScienceRocks]

New model of cosmic stickiness favors 'Big Rip' demise of universe
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/06/150630155221.htm


The universe can be a very sticky place, but just how sticky is a matter of debate.

That is because for decades cosmologists have had trouble reconciling the classic notion of viscosity based on the laws of thermodynamics with Einstein's general theory of relativity. However, a team from Vanderbilt University has come up with a fundamentally new mathematical formulation of the problem that appears to bridge this long-standing gap.

The new math has some significant implications for the ultimate fate of the universe. It tends to favor one of the more radical scenarios that cosmologists have come up with known as the "Big Rip." It may also shed new light on the basic nature of dark energy.

 

[ScienceRocks]

It's the pits: Comet appears to have sinkholes, study says
Jul 1, 1:18 PM (ET)By MALCOLM RITTER
Excite News - It s the pits Comet appears to have sinkholes study says


(AP) This Dec. 21, 2014 photo made by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft and...Full Image

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NEW YORK (AP) — Comets are basically dirty snowballs, but it turns out they can have a very Earth-like feature: sinkholes.

That's what scientists think after analyzing data from a comet observed by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft. The researchers suggest that 18 large holes on its surface are sinkholes, created by the collapse of its surface into a porous interior.

Some pits are hundreds of yards deep, which gives glimpses of the comet's interior. In some cases, the pits were seen spewing jets of gas and dust, as the sun's warmth turned the ice inside them into a gaseous form.

Other comets have pits too, but they don't look like the apparent sinkholes on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

 

[Vikrant]

It's the pits: Comet appears to have sinkholes, study says
Jul 1, 1:18 PM (ET)By MALCOLM RITTER
Excite News - It s the pits Comet appears to have sinkholes study says


(AP) This Dec. 21, 2014 photo made by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft and...Full Image

p {margin:12px 0px 0px 0px;}

NEW YORK (AP) — Comets are basically dirty snowballs, but it turns out they can have a very Earth-like feature: sinkholes.

That's what scientists think after analyzing data from a comet observed by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft. The researchers suggest that 18 large holes on its surface are sinkholes, created by the collapse of its surface into a porous interior.

Some pits are hundreds of yards deep, which gives glimpses of the comet's interior. In some cases, the pits were seen spewing jets of gas and dust, as the sun's warmth turned the ice inside them into a gaseous form.

Other comets have pits too, but they don't look like the apparent sinkholes on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko.

Neat looking rock!

 

[ScienceRocks]

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/...age=20150701-2

New color images from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft show two very different faces of the mysterious dwarf planet, one with a series of intriguing spots along the equator that are evenly spaced. Each of the spots is about 300 miles in diameter, with a surface area that's roughly the size of the state of Missouri.

Scientists have yet to see anything quite like the dark spots; their presence has piqued the interest of the New Horizons science team, due to the remarkable consistency in their spacing and size.

 

[ScienceRocks]

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/progress-m28m.html


The launch of Progress M-28M was originally planned for Aug. 6, 2015, however after the loss of Progress M-27M on April 28, the next cargo mission to the ISS was moved forward. A draft of the emergency schedule penciled the launch as early as June 30, however it was eventually set for July 3, at 07:52 Moscow Time, when orbital mechanics would enable a fast six-hour rendezvous profile with the station. In contrast, the launch on June 30, would require a two-day flight. However, within 24 hours after the new flight manifest had been approved, a previously unplanned ISS maneuver on June 8 to avoid space junk forced mission planners to switch to a two-day rendezvous profile even in case of an on-time launch on July 3 at 07:55 Moscow Time.

 

[longknife]

We Can't Resupply the International Space Station


But the Russians certainly can! See video @ Progress resupply craft successfully en route for ISS euronews world news

 

[Vikrant]

...

India’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) will lift off on its 30th flight from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, on July 10 with the heaviest ever payload (1,440kg) ever for a commercial launch.

PSLV-C28 will launch the UK’s three identical optical earth observation satellites (DMC3) built by Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL), each weighing 447kg.

It will also carry a micro and a nano satellite, both for the UK. Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) will be using the high-end XL version of PSLV for the ninth time.

“India has established itself as an efficient commercial launch pad for foreign satellites.

...

India s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle Isro to put 5 UK satellites in orbit on July 10 - IBC World News

 

[ScienceRocks]

Progress 60 spacecraft shakes off the bad luck to re-supply the ISS
By Anthony Wood - July 6, 2015 3 Pictures

The Russian-made Progress 60 cargo craft has successfully docked with the International Space Station (ISS) following a two-day orbital rendezvous period. In the wake of a series of spacecraft losses, the successful execution of the Progress 60 mission will allow the space station's crew and administrators to breath a little easier.

 

[ScienceRocks]

NASA releases more photos from Pluto

These are the most recent high-resolution views of Pluto sent by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft, including one showing the four mysterious dark spots on Pluto that have captured the imagination of the world. The Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) obtained these three images between July 1 and 3 of 2015, prior to the July 4 anomaly that...


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NASA Dawn in second orbit around Ceres after recovering from system anomaly

NASA's Dawn spacecraft is healthy and stable, after experiencing an anomaly in the system that controls its orientation. It is still in its second mapping orbit 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) above dwarf planet Ceres. On June 30, shortly after turning on its ion engine to begin the gradual spiral down to the next mapping orbit, its protective...

 

[ScienceRocks]

Sky News ^ | July 6, 2015

Experts discover dark material is being constantly replenished and say: "Something must be doing that at a fairly prolific rate."Evidence of alien life is "unequivocal" on the comet carrying the Philae probe through space, two leading astronomers have said. The experts say the most likely explanation for certain features of the 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet, such as its organic-rich black crust, is the presence of living organisms beneath an icy surface. Rosetta, the European spacecraft orbiting the comet, is also said to have picked up strange "clusters" of organic material that resemble viral particles. But neither Rosetta nor its lander probe, Philae,...

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Well, if this is true then it is mind blowing news.

 

[ScienceRocks]

Opportunity's 7th Mars winter to include new study area
16 hours ago by Guy Webster

Enlarge
Road trip! This compilation of images from hazard-avoidance cameras on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity between January 2004 and April 2015 shows the rover's-eye-view of the Martian marathon covering 26.2 miles(42.2 kilometers) from …more

Operators of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity plan to drive the rover into a valley this month where Opportunity will be active through the long-lived rover's seventh Martian winter, examining outcrops that contain clay minerals.

Opportunity resumed driving on June 27 after about three weeks of reduced activity around Mars solar conjuntion, when the sun's position between Earth and Mars disrupts communication. The rover is operating in a mode that does not store any science data overnight. It transmits the data the same day they're collected.

The rover is working about half a football field's length away from entering the western end of "Marathon Valley," a notch in the raised rim of Endeavour Crater, which is about 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter. Opportunity landed on Mars in 2004 and has been studying the rim of Endeavour since 2011.

Engineers and scientists operating Opportunity have chosen Marathon Valley as the location for the solar-powered rover to spend several months, starting in August, to take advantage of a sun-facing slope loaded with potential science targets.

Marathon Valley stretches about three football fields long, aligned generally east-west. Observations of the valley using the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have detected exposures of clay minerals holding evidence about ancient wet environmental conditions. Researchers plan to use Opportunity to investigate relationships among these clay-bearing deposits.

The team plans to drive Opportunity this month to sites on the valley's northern side, where the slope faces south. Right now, it is early autumn in the southern hemisphere of Mars. The shortest day of the hemisphere's winter won't come until January. As the sun's daily track across the northern sky gets shorter, the north-facing slope on the southern side of the valley will offer the advantage of tilting the rover's solar panels toward the sun, to boost the amount of electrical energy production each day.

Phys.org media player ...














Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-07-opportunity-7th-mars-winter-area.html#jCp

 

[ScienceRocks]

Latest NASA map of Pluto will get 1000 times better over the 2 weeks

This is the latest map of Pluto created from images taken from June 27 to July 3 by the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) on New Horizons, combined with lower-resolution color data from the spacecraft’s Ralph instrument. The center of the map corresponds to the side of Pluto that will be seen close-up during New Horizons’ July 14 flyby....

 

[ScienceRocks]

Prandtl-m, the aircraft which could be the first to fly on Mars

Since the ’90s, NASA has been actively exploring the surface of Mars. Armstrong Flight Research Centar is testing a prototype of an autonomous aircraft called Prandtl-m which could be the first to fly on Mars. Its name comes from Preliminary Research Aerodynamic Design to Land on Mars.
Prandtl-m will be a small, autonomous aircraft made of fiberglass or carbon fiber causing it to weigh less than 2.6 pounds. Since Mars has less gravity (0.377 gravity ratio) than the Earth, this weight will allow the aircraft to fly more efficiently. This year Nasa will be conducting some high-altitude tests with Prandtl-m at 100,000 feet and 450,000 feet to simulate what would be like to fly in Martian airspace.

The plan is to fold-up Prandtl-m inside spacecraft. Once the spacecraft reaches Mars, Prandtl-m will be deployed over the planet. It will be able to glide through its atmosphere for 20 miles and gather various data. After the glide, the aircraft will land and probably will continue to operate with a different function.

 

[ScienceRocks]

NASA just released a new image of Pluto, first since @NASANewHorizons anomaly on July 4

 

[ScienceRocks]

Third generation space telescope 1000 times better than Hubble could scan exoplanets for decent statistics of whether life is common

There is a proposed High-Definition Space Telescope (HDST) which would have a mirror up to 12 meters across. That's 5 times the width of the 2.4-metre Hubble, which revolutionized astronomy with its sharp views of the cosmos, and nearly twice as wide as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), which is being readied for its 2018 launch. An...