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April
11, 2002
Greetings!
News from out of this world:
------------------
Hot off the presses: Chandra X-ray Observatory has studied two separate
supernova remnants, or neutron stars, and found evidence that they may, in
fact, be composed of a new form of matter. The neutrons within them may be
partly, or entirely, broken down into quarks. This finding, if confirmed,
would be of fundamental importance in physics, and demonstrates the value
of using space as a physics laboratory. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2002/0211/index.html
Other CXO news: Chandra Finds Well-Established Black Holes In Distant
Quasars - surprisingly, they look much the same as younger quasars,
suggesting that they formed early and haven't changed
much. http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2002/highzqso/index.html
Still more CXO news: like snowballs in a blast furnace, Chandra has
identified relatively cool lumps of gas around two large galaxies, within a
much hotter cloud of gas that surrounds them. So why don't they
melt? http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2002/0150/index.html
------------------
Astronomers using RXTE have shown that the "tempo" of x-ray variations from
a black hole is related to its mass. The smaller the black hole, the
slower its "beat". This could help pin down the masses of distant black
holes. Story at
http://www.cnn.com/2002/TECH/space/04/09/black.holes/index.html , RXTE at
http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/xte/xte_1st.html
------------------
Radar Pushes Limits of Asteroid Impact Prediction - we're getting better at
this, and there's no reason to sell the farm. Story, with links to images
and animations, at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2002/release_2002_79.html
------------------
NASA Spacecraft Finds Comet Has Hot, Dry Surface - a little surprising, for
an icy body. Results from when our Deep Space 1 spacecraft flew by comet
Borrelly in September, at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2002/release_2002_80.html
------------------
Primitive bacteria exist in huge numbers deep in the Earth, living on
hydrogen gas produced in rocks. Sounds kinda dreary, but they don't
mind. http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/releases/2002/02_37AR.html
------------------
Some mission status updates:
After three weeks of in-orbit checkout, the Hubble Space Telescope has been
declared healthy. However, the calibration process for the instruments will
continue for another two months. The first Early Release Observations taken
with the Advanced Camera for Surveys will be available in maybe 3-4
weeks. http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2002/02-051.htm
Voyager Maintenance from 7 Billion Miles Away (that's about 10,000,000,000
clicks for you metric types) - setting a record for long-distance repairs
at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/solar_system/features/voyager.html
Our Cassini spacecraft successfully completed a course adjustment April 3
during its journey toward Saturn. It's been 4.5 years since launch, and
only about 2 to go.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2002/release_2002_78.html
------------------
Cheers!
January 22,2001
------------------
Relics of an ancient eruption that tore through a cluster of galaxies were
recently uncovered by our Chandra X-ray Observatory. The discovery implies
that galaxy clusters are the sites of enormously energetic and recurring
explosions. http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/02_releases/press_010802.html
------------------
Like a hyperactive child, the Universe had an energetic youth, according to
a new result using data from the Two-Micron All Sky Survey
(2MASS). Evidence of early star formation at
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2002/02-003.htm P.S. this afternoon we are hosting a press conference here at HQ to discuss
related results from Hubble, about rates of starbirth in the VERY early
Universe. You will probably be able to find that story online after 2pm
EST at http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr.html
------------------
Scientists using RXTE see a few glitches in an otherwise flawless spin of a
pulsar, revealing the strange physics of the high-pressure interior of the
pulsar. A hiccuping neutron star at http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2002/02-006.htm
------------------
NASA scientists using the Chandra X-ray Observatory have measured the
distribution of dark matter in an elliptical galaxy and found that this
mysterious substance exists in high concentrations throughout most of
galaxy. The finding narrows the field of candidate theories that can
explain dark matter. http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2002/02-002.htm
------------------
We have terminated the Full-sky Astrometric Mapping Explorer mission due to
projected cost increases uncovered during mission studies. A shame,
because it would have been cool science. The FAME page is still up at
http://www.usno.navy.mil/FAME/
if you want to check it out.
------------------
Flight controllers of our 2001 Mars Odyssey mission report that the
aerobraking phase is proceeding right on schedule and should be completed
soon, followed by the start of "normal" science operations. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_247.html
------------------
Do you like Junkyard Wars? NASA and its corporate partners will support
robotics education for about 200 high schools in 2002 by sponsoring teams
that will participate in a national robotics competition. We here in the
Office of Space Science coordinate NASA's involvement in this
program. ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2001/01-255.txt
------------------
Finally, HESSI launch is still slated for January
24. http://hesperia.gsfc.nasa.gov/hessi/
Cheers!
Nov 16, 2001
Just a few items of note in Space Science this week:
------------------
Along with the European Space Agency, we are performing tests of the
communications system between our Cassini Saturn orbiter and the ESA
Huygens Titan probe. The two craft will need to talk clearly to each other
when they arrive at Saturn in July 2004. Story at http://spaceflightnow.com/news/n0111/16huygens/
------------------
The brightening and dimming of the sun may account for a 1,500-year
cycle of cooling and warming on parts of the Earth. We're living in the
Sun's atmosphere at http://www.cnn.com/2001/TECH/space/11/16/solar.cycles.ap/index.html
------------------
Our Genesis spacecraft will fire its engine today to enter its
primary science orbit around the L1 Lagrangian point between earth and the
Sun, where it will start to capture particles of the solar wind to bring
back to Earth. Story at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_222.html
Actually, the engine firing should have occurred about 30 minutes ago; you
should be able to find out soon at http://genesismission.jpl.nasa.gov/
------------------
NASA is doing several things related to this weekend's Leonid
meteor shower. There's a press release about it at ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2001/01-222.txt
, but don't just read about the Leonids - go out and watch them if you
can. Watching comet dust vaporize is fun and entertaining!
------------------
Finally, just a note that we have another launch coming up: our TIMED
mission to study the upper reaches of Earth's atmosphere is scheduled for
liftoff on December 7. Read up on TIMED and follow progress at http://www.timed.jhuapl.edu/
Cheers!
Nov 14, 2001
Greetings, universe fans,
Lots of news in Space Science:
------------------
Sky survey lowers estimate of asteroid impact risk - Sloan data suggests
that there's only a 1-in-5000 chance of an asteroid wiping out
civilization
in the next century. Previous estimates were about 1-in-1500.
The sky is
not yet falling at http://www.sdss.org/news/releases/20011108.asteroid.html
------------------
Mars news:
Volcanoes Still Active on Mars? New Evidence for Ongoing Volcanism and
Water Release - science bubbling at
http://www.geosociety.org/pubntrst/pr/01-54.htm
Discovery of Buried Impact Craters on Mars Widens Possibility of an
Ancient
Martian Ocean - an intoxicated scientist at
http://www.geosociety.org/pubntrst/pr/01-56.htm
Finally, here at NASA HQ, we have selected 10 scientific investigations
for
the 2005 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) mission. Part of our
future
Mars program gets defined at
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2001/01-220.txt
------------------
The most powerful explosions in the universe, gamma-ray bursts, may come
with a 10-second warning: an equally violent burst of ultra-high-energy
particles called neutrinos. But detecting them won't be
easy. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/11/011106084012.htm
More GRB news: the afterglow of a gamma ray burst, first detected by our
HETE-2 satellite, has been seen in x-ray, optical, and radio
wavelengths. Story at
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2001/01-218.txt ; HETE-2 at
http://space.mit.edu/HETE/
------------------
Using data from SOHO, scientists now have the first clear picture of what
lies beneath sunspots, and have peered inside the Sun to see swirling
flows
of electrified gas or plasma that create a self-reinforcing cycle, which
holds a sunspot together. This solves a major puzzle about the Sun,
not
that there aren't plenty more remaining. Story at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast07nov_1.htm?list52322
, SOHO at
http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/
------------------
First Estimate of the Formation Temperature of Ammonia Ice in a Comet -
suggesting at the comet was formed between the orbits of Saturn and Uranus
in the primordial Solar System nebula. A potential new tool for
studying
comets at
http://www.subaru.naoj.org/Science/press_release/2001/11/index.html
------------------
NASA's 2002 Budget appropriation has been passed by both houses of
Congress, and is headed to the President for signature. I've posted
the
Space Science excerpts at
http://spacescience.nasa.gov/announce/2002approp.htm
------------------
Reminder - the Leonid meteor shower this weekend could be a fantastic
display. Rates of over 1000 meteors per hour have been
predicted. Definitely worth climbing out of bed! Details at
http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast08nov_1.htm
------------------
Cheers!
A
few items:
------------------
New pictures of the south polar cap on Mars, and a global view of the dust
storm occurring there, have been released by the imaging team for our Mars
Global Surveyor
spacecraft. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_188.html
------------------
While Hubble continues to show off the wonders of the cosmos, its 2.4-meter
(94.5-inch) diameter back-up mirror goes on permanent display, starting
tomorrow, as part of the "Explore The Universe" exhibit in the Smithsonian
Institution's National Air and Space Museum here in
Washington. ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2001/01-185.txt
------------------
Also tomorrow: our Deep Space 1 spacecraft will be swinging by Comet
Borrelly for its final act. Will it make it? http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_187.html
------------------
Data from the Digitized Sky Survey has played an important supporting role
in helping radio and X-ray astronomers discover an ancient black hole
speeding through the Sun's galactic neighborhood. An interesting piece of
detective work at http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/29/
------------------
Like a frozen turkey that just won't thaw, a strange star near the center
of the Milky Way is surprising astronomers with its remarkably low
temperature. More Chandra results at http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/01_releases/press_090601freeze.html
------------------
Finally, thanks to my many readers, including many from overseas, who sent
kind and thoughtful notes following last week's attack on America. I also
received many requests for an online address for Dr. Sagan's remarks. The
quote (and image of a distant Earth) can be found at
http://www.seds.org/billa/psc/pbd.html , and a very nice printable poster
version (1.8MB .pdf file) is available at http://www.seds.org/billa/psc/pbd.html
.
It looks great if you have a good printer and lots of ink. I'd also like to correct an
error I made a couple of "issues" ago: I said that the Earth's oceans reflect
light better than the land. In fact, the opposite is true. The error was completely mine;
the original story, about the possibility of using brightness variations to characterize
extrasolar planets, is at http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=5874
.
Best wishes.
Science@NASA is based in the United States, but among many of its subscribers are
a substantial number of readers from other countries. In recent days many of them
have written to expressing their sympathies and horror at the events of Sept. 11th. Their
messages, attached below, reveal how the
heart-breaking loss of life in New York, Washington, D.C., and
Pennsylvania touches everyone. The staff of Science@NASA extend its
heartfelt condolences to the many victims of Tuesday's tragedy, and
thank its friends overseas for their kind messages of support as it
resumes, later today, a regular schedule of scientific story-telling.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
TO: [email protected]
FROM: [email protected] Dear Mr. Koczor, All of us are shocked by the awful events that
have occurred yesterday in New York and in Washington and we wish to extend our sympathy
to you and your colleagues. If there is any way that we can help, please let us know.
Sincerely, Inna Mardanyan Moscow, Russia
****************************
TO: [email protected]
FROM: [email protected]
Dear friends,
Your colleagues from Paleontological Institute of Moscow are with you.
Our sympathy, thoughts and support are yours. And will always be.
Best regards, Alexei Rzanov, Galina Ushatinskaya, and all colleagues from Moscow
****************************
TO: [email protected]
FROM: [email protected] Dear Ron, We are very sorry and really left astonished and
speechless with terrorism struck US yesterday. We sincerely wish and hope that everything
is OK for you and all the American colleagues and families.
Yours, Sophia
Athens, Greece
****************************
TO: [email protected]
FROM: [email protected]
Dear Dr Phillips As my only point of contact with the United States is through your
science@NASA website, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to the American
people, our thoughts and prayers especially go out to the relatives and friends of those
who perished in the awful events that
occurred yesterday
Yours Sincerely
Tony Aggett
United Kingdom
*****************************
TO: [email protected]
FROM: [email protected] We would like to offer our deepfelt sympathy, concern and
prayers to our friends and colleagues in the US at this dreadful time, Margaret and Alex
Mazzolini
Melbourne, Australia
*****************************
TO: [email protected]
FROM: [email protected] We are absolutely shocked by horrible events in the U.S. It is
unbelievable...Accept my condolences...Today our world has changed. What will happen to
our world?
Take care,
Prof Omarov
Alma Aty, Khazakstan
*****************************
TO: [email protected]
FROM: [email protected] As the President of CANADIAN Environmental Science and Research
Group and
on behalf of the Team of CESAR Group I would like to send our heart felt
sorrow to those family members who lost relatives in these vicious and
despicable attacks on democracy. God Bless America!
Jack Pender
Canada
*****************************
From: Rafael C�rdenas Santacruz
To: [email protected] Sincere greetings Dr. Koczor, Ron Together with my
family, we feel very sorry for the regrettable incidents
in New York. We are with you with all our hearts. Rafael Cardenas Santacruz
Scientific Technician
Bogota, Columbia
*****************************
TO: [email protected]
FROM: [email protected] In the 1930's Stalin deported and murdered 25,000 Finns that
were peacefully living on the Soviet side of the border. It was a blind terror action
against civilians, a complete ethnical cleaning of the Karelia county. Without successful
defensive fight in the following winter war
1939 when Stalin tried to invade Finland (5 of my uncles were killed, my
father injured), we would, according to recently discovered documents from
Moscow, all have been deported to Siberia, and I would not sit here and
study your website. These terrorists try to create a world of that kind. We do not want
this world anymore!
All the best for you in the USA Jarl
Helsinki, Finland
****************************
Necochea, 11/9/01
TO: [email protected] NASA:
Hi�, My name is Maria. I am aware of the attack that has been perpetrated
against your country, and I am very sad. I live in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I am 14 years
old and there is not much that I can do to help, but I profoundly admire you and you have
my moral support. I would like to ask you a favor. Please reach an agreement without wars,
but I hope those responsible are found, so that peace will be extended throughout the
world.
Sincerely, Maguie.
*****************************
From: Jonathon Dugdale
To: [email protected]
Sent: 9/11/01 12:37 PM
Subject: Condolences On behalf of all the employees and stakeholders of ApexMail I would
like to say that we share in your shock, grief and pain resulting from today's unspeakable
and cowardly assault. Our thoughts and prayers are with you and the people of America.
Jonathon Dugdale
Apexmail, Inc Canada
The following is by courtesy of Craig Tupper and Space Science at NASA,and is a weekly
service
Greetings, universe fans.
A few recent items of interest at http://spacescience.nasa.gov
:
---------------------
The "giant impact" theory, first proposed in the mid-1970s to explain how
the Moon formed, has received a major boost as new results demonstrate for
the first time that a single impact could yield the current Earth-Moon
system. And did you know that Earth's day used to be only 5 hours
long? http://www.swri.org/9what/releases/canupmoon.htm
---------------------
Well Preserved Meteorite Yields Clues to Carbon Evolution in Space - a
fresh meteorite, unlike other similar space rocks, contains very few amino
acids, the building blocks of proteins. Implications for the origins of
life at http://www.asu.edu/asunews/Releases/Meteor0801.htm
---------------------
Because the Earth's oceans reflect light better than the land, it would
appear to "flicker" in brightness to a far distant observer. This fact
might provide an additional technique for eventually locating an Earth-like
planet around another star. Story at
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=5874 , and check out
Terrestrial Planet Finder (a big goal for our future) at
http://tpf.jpl.nasa.gov/
---------------------
Violent gas collisions that produced supersonic shock fronts in a dying
star are seen in a new, detailed image from our Hubble Space
Telescope. The future of the Sun in 5 billion years at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_179.html
---------------------
A spiky landscape of bright ice and dark dust shows signs of slow but
active erosion on the surface of Jupiter's moon Callisto in new images from
our Galileo spacecraft. The pictures give the highest resolution view ever
seen of any of Jupiter's moons. So what causes the erosion? Story at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_178.html , Galileo at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/
---------------------
We have selected seven new recipients for grants to institutions to help
implement our education and outreach program. And the winners
are...
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2001/01-175.txt
Cheers!
Greetings! Thanks to my many readers who noticed that
spacescience.nasa.gov had not been updated for a while. It's nice to know someone's
watching! I've been on vacation, now I'm back and here's the latest and coolest:
---------------------
A team of astronomers has found a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting a faint
nearby star similar to our Sun. There are now two large known planets in
this system, in orbits comparable to that of Jupiter, raising intriguing
prospects of finding a solar system like our own. Press release at
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2001/01-166.txt , images at
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/press/01/newplanet.htm
---------------------
There's a very cool (but large, 3mb or more) animated movie or our CONTOUR mission,
scheduled for launch next summer to visit some comet
nuclei. Worth it! http://www.contour2002.org/news3.html
---------------------
A nearby young star recently gave birth to millions of comets, and now it
is destroying them, according to new observations using our Far Ultraviolet
Spectroscopic Explorer spacecraft. Fickle. http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2001/01-81.htm
---------------------
Astronomers using our Chandra X-ray Observatory have taken a look at the
plane of the Milky Way galaxy and found that its X-ray glow comes from hot
and diffuse gas. The findings help to settle a long-standing mystery about
the source of the X-ray emission from the galactic plane. http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/01_releases/press_080901.html
---------------------
NASA scientists recently proposed a new explanation for the rise of oxygen
in Earth's early atmosphere - an event that may have jumpstarted the
evolution of complex life.
http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=5687
---------------------
New Hubble Space Telescope snapshots reveal dramatic activities within the
core of the galaxy NGC 3079, where a lumpy bubble of hot gas is rising from
a cauldron of glowing matter. Pretty cosmic violence at
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2001/28/
---------------------
Our Galileo spacecraft is transmitting scientific information from its most
recent dash past Jupiter's moon Io. Details at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2001/release_2001_172.html
---------------------
A prototype of an airplane that someday may fly over Mars has successfully
completed a high-altitude flight
test. http://amesnews.arc.nasa.gov/releases/2001/01_58AR.html
---------------------
Scientists have successfully tested a key instrument for GLAST, our
next-generation gamma-ray telescope that will eventually stare down the
barrel of massive black hole particle jets. Story at
http://www.gsfc.nasa.gov/news-release/releases/2001/01-78.htm , GLAST at
http://www-glast.sonoma.edu/
---------------------
Cheers!
Greetings!
A few new things posted in the past week at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/
:
Space Science News for February 10, 2000
Kamikaze Comets: Ninety-two sungrazing comets discovered by the Solar and Heliospheric
Observatory appear to have come from the breakup of a single gigantic comet more than 2000
years ago. SOHO's 100th - 102nd comet discoveries came just this week. FULL STORY at
http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast10feb_1.htm
<a href="http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast10feb_1.htm">Kamikaze
Comets</a>
NEWS NOTE: Launch of the Japanese/U.S. Astro-E spacecraft occurred last night, but the
spacecraft has been lost. The Japanese project website
carries this statement:
"After 6 years of hard work by a dedicated staff of scientists, engineers,
and administrators, Astro-E was launched on February 10, 2000 at 1030 JST, from Kagoshima
Space Center... Unfortunately, there was a problem with the first stage of the M V rocket.
Astro-E could not obtain the necessary
altitude for a proper orbit. As a result, the satellite was declared unusable."
This mission was described in a recent SpaceScience.com science news story,
"Colder than Space."
http://spacescience.com/headlines/y2000/ast07feb_1.htm
For more information about the launch see
http://www.astro.isas.ac.jp/xray/mission/astroe/astroeE.html
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--------------------
Our Stardust spacecraft has successfully completed a three-part deep space
maneuver designed to keep it on target for an Earth gravity assist in
January 2001. After whipping by the home planet, Stardust will head for a
meeting with comet Wild-2 in January 2004.
status report: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/status/std/sd20000126.html
Stardust home: http://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov/
--------------------
Mission managers have decided to send another set of commands to Mars to
investigate the possibility that a signal detected by a radio dish at
California's Stanford University came from Mars Polar Lander. There's no
real hope that any science can be salvaged, but it would be interesting to
know that the spacecraft landed successfully.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/mpl/status/mpl20000125.html
--------------------
Hubble Space Telescope is back in business, as made dramatically evident in
stunning new celestial pictures of remote galaxies and a colorful dying star released
Monday. I often stay away from superlatives, but I just gotta leave that
"stunning" in there for these images, especially that "dying star".
galaxies: http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2000/08/index.html
dying star (Eskimo nebula):
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2000/07/index.html
--------------------
Several new images from Chandra were released last week, including:
Chandra Images Seething Cauldron of Starburst Galaxy (M82) -
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cycle1/0094/index.html
Chandra Finds "Cool" Black Hole at the Heart of Andromeda (M31) -
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cycle1/0007/index.html
Chandra Discovers X-ray Source at the Center of Our Galaxy (looks like a
black hole) - http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cycle1/0204/index.html
Chandra Finds Oxygen Ring in Ashes of Exploded Star -
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cycle1/0015/index.html
Chandra Finds X-ray Star Bonanza in Orion Nebula -
http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cycle1/0054/index.html
--------------------
We have decided to delay the High Energy Transient Explorer (HETE-2) launch
to the mid-May time frame, in order to perform additional testing. Once we
get it up there, HETE-2 will go about its business of detecting and localizing gamma-ray
bursts (enormously energetic cosmic explosions).
Learn more at http://space.mit.edu/HETE/
Space Science News 1/18/2000
Greetings!
As expected, a ton of results were released at last week's American
Astronomical Society meeting. Of course, not all of them involved data our
spacecraft... but many of them did, and there was a lot of exciting stuff!
Here's some of the best, plus a few more things that aren't AAS related:
-------------------
In what has been hailed as a major discovery, our Chandra X-ray Observatory has resolved
most of the X-ray background, a pervasive glow of X-rays throughout the Universe, which
was first discovered in the early days of space exploration. Before now, scientists have
not been able to discern the
origin of the hard, or high-energy, X-ray background, because until Chandra
no telescope has had the technology to resolve it. At the same time, Chandra may have
revealed the most distant objects ever seen in the Universe, and discovered two puzzling
new types of cosmic objects.
http://chandra.harvard.edu/press/00_releases/press_011400bg.html
-------------------
The planetary dust disk around the star Beta Pictoris is dynamically "ringing like a
bell," according to astronomers investigating NASA Hubble Space Telescope
images. They think that the disk may have been "rung" by the passing of a
nearby star around 100,000 years ago.
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2000/02/
-------------------
A team of astronomers conducting a systematic search for supermassive black
holes has discovered three more of the mysterious objects lurking in the centers of nearby
elliptical galaxies, and suggest that black holes formed
early and influenced galactic evolution.
http://www.umich.edu/~newsinfo/Releases/2000/Jan00/r011000c.html
-------------------
Astronomers using a new technique to measure cosmic distances (based on
Hipparcos data) are finding that the universe may be expanding faster than
previously thought. http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/cfa/ep/kstanek0100.html
-------------------
Astronomers using data from COBE and 2MASS have announced the discovery of a new cosmic
signal that should lead to a better understanding about the creation of stars in the early
universe.
http://www.uclanews.ucla.edu/Docs/SWHL005.html
-------------------
A primordial soup of complex organic chemicals that could be the precursors
of life is cooked up very quickly after the birth of stars, new research based on ISO data
suggests.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20000112/sc/life_out_there_1.html
-------------------
Peering deep into a distant galaxy, astronomers have obtained a glimpse of
what may be the youngest massive star clusters ever observed.
http://www.news.wisc.edu/thisweek/view.msql?id=3538
-------------------
Astronomers using Hubble have found that the ages of three globular
clusters in a nearby galaxy are very different, with one of the clusters
being only about 100 million years old. The findings have implications for
theories of galaxy evolution.
http://www.washington.edu/newsroom/news/2000archive/
01-00archive/k011200.htm
l
-------------------
Two international teams of astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope and ground-based
telescopes in Australia and Chile have discovered the first
examples of isolated stellar-mass black holes adrift among the stars in our
galaxy. http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2000/03/index.html
-------------------
Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope imaged the Bubble Nebula, an expanding shell
of gas from a dying star, with unprecedented clarity. For
the first time, they are able to understand the geometry and dynamics of
this very complicated system. More info and beautiful pics at
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/2000/04/
-------------------
NASA scientists taking a census of large asteroids in our solar system
neighborhood have cut their estimate in half.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2000/neat.html
-------------------
We currently have two large scientific balloons flying simultaneously over
Antarctica. One is studying the Sun, the other is looking at Earth's aurora. You can
keep track of the flights through the NSBF web site by going to http://192.149.107.80/default.html and
clicking on "Operations," then "Antarctica Operations," then whichever
flight track you wish to view
first. Fun!
-------------------
The extended halo of half-million-degree gas that surrounds the Milky Way
was generated by thousands of exploding stars, or supernovae, as our galaxy
evolved, according to new observations by our Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic
Explorer (FUSE) spacecraft.
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2000/00-005.txt
More FUSE results
announced at the AAS are available at the FUSE page,
http://fuse.pha.jhu.edu/
-------------------
A sequence of colorful images detailing a stellar explosion in another galaxy show a
supernova's massive, morphing shock wave, providing scientists with a case study in the
structure and evolution of the events.
Story at http://explorezone.com/archives/00_01/07_supernova_evolution.htm
-------------------
The Mars Polar Lander flight team has ended all attempts to regain communications with the
spacecraft. JPL press release at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2000/mplend.html
-------------------
Astronomers from around the world will gather in Japan later this month to
present the most detailed images of quasars ever seen, produced with data
from the Very Long Base Interferometry Space Observatory Program. JPL
press release at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/2000/spacevlbi.html
-------------------
Finally, don't miss the total lunar eclipse this Thursday night, January
20. A good page for details is at
http://sunearth.gsfc.nasa.gov/eclipse/SEextra/TLE2000Jan20.html
Cheers!
*********************************************************
December 14, 1999
Hello universe fans,
Here's what's new in Space Science at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/
:
----------------------
Still no word from Mars Polar Lander or Deep Space 2. Attempts will be
made to spot MPL using the Mars Global Surveyor; if anything can be seen,
it might help us understand what went wrong. There's a story on this at
http://www.space.com/science/solarsystem/mpl_search_991213.html
; the
latest JPL mission status report is at
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/news/mpl991210.html
In better Mars news, a team of astronomers using data from Mars Global
Surveyor has found evidence consistent with ancient oceans on Mars.
story: http://www.brown.edu/Administration/News_Bureau/1999-00/99-060.html
images: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/sci/mola/dec10-99rel/ocean_paper.html
MGS page: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/
----------------------
>From May 10-12, 1999, the solar wind that blows constantly from the Sun
virtually disappeared -- the most drastic and longest-lasting decrease ever
observed. Remember to check the weather before you go out into space!
Story and images at
http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/news/9912/immovies.html
----------------------
The European Space Agency's X-ray Multi-Mirror spacecraft was launched
successfully on December 10, and seems to be doing well so far. We are
playing a role in this mssion, which in many ways complements our Chandra
X-ray Observatory.
ESA XMM page: http://sci.esa.int/missions/xmm/
GSFC press release describing our involvement:
ftp://pao.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/PAO/Releases/1999/99-137.htm
Meanwhile, a Chandra image of the Hydra A galaxy cluster has revealed a
possible solution to a puzzle about the fate of such huge clusters. Press
release at ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-142.txt
, image
at http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/0087/
----------------------
Frozen bugs! Scientists have discovered a microbial world hidden deep
beneath the frozen Antarctic ice that could help them learn more about how
life can survive under extreme conditions on other planets or moons. What
about in the fridge?
http://george.arc.nasa.gov/dx/basket/pressrelease/99_81AR.html
----------------------
Hubble Servicing Mission 3A launch on shuttle mission STS-103 was reset
(again) for December 16, and seems to be on track.
http://hubble.gsfc.nasa.gov/
----------------------
For years astronomers have been looking for the cause of the 1843 explosion
of the stellar system Eta Carinae, and to explain the strange hourglass shape. A team of
astronomers using ESA's infrared space telescope, ISO, have now succeeded, putting the
blame firmly on a previously undetected very massive 'donut' of dust.
http://sci.esa.int/missions/newsitem.cfm?TypeID=18&ContentID=8091
Cheers!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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SPACE SCIENCE NEWS DECEMBER 7, 1999:
There are a lot of disappointed folks around here. Most of you probably
know from news reports that we have failed to hear from either the Mars
Polar Lander or the Deep Space 2 microprobes after their arrival at Mars on
December 3. Following another failed attempt last night, mission controllers for
Mars Polar Lander acknowledge that they hold out very little hope of communicating with
the spacecraft. The Deep Space 2 microprobes have also been silent, and are probably lost
as well. The latest JPL status report is at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/marsnews/mpl/status/mpl991207.html
.
Assuming the worst, my condolences go to the project teams and to everyone involved, who
worked hard to attempt what will always be a technological feat - landing on another
planet.
Of course, we hate failure around here, not only for the loss of science
but also for the loss of U.S. taxpayer money. Rest assured that we will be
scrutinizing our entire program from top to bottom, including the way we
have implemented the "Faster-Better-Cheaper" philosophy. However, it is
worth pointing out that despite several failures in the past year, small/cheap Space
Science spacecraft have had about the same failure rate as larger missions -- around 10%,
excluding rocket failures. That doesn't mean that there is no room for improvement,
but the conclusion that F-B-C has inherently led to more failures is poorly supported by
the evidence. Space is a risky business, and the trade-offs between risk, cost, and other
factors will continue to be debated. But we cannot go back to the days when
spacecraft routinely cost $1 billion each.
In other, mostly better news:
---------------------
Massive clouds of gas, discovered long ago but only recently identified as
being within the margins of the Milky Way, play a key role in the ability
of the galaxy to churn out new stars by raining gas onto the plane of the
galaxy. Story and images at
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/46/index.html
---------------------
Galileo has completed the closest-ever encounter with Jupiter's volcanic
moon Io, but not before giving ground controllers a Thanksgiving day
white-knuckler. Once again, the Galileo team came through brilliantly.
Story at http://galileo.jpl.nasa.gov/news/status/status991125.html
---------------------
A team of astronomers has found six new planets orbiting nearby stars. This
brings the total number of known planets outside the solar system to 28,
all of which have been found within the last five years. HQ press release
at ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-140.txt
---------------------
Hubble Servicing Mission 3A launch on shuttle mission STS-103 was recently
reset for December 11, and now looks like it will slip another day or two due to
additional minor shuttle fixes. Follow the action at
http://hubble.gsfc.nasa.gov/ and
http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/status/stsstat/current.htm
---------------------
Links to the Mars Network project, currently under study as a possible
future element within our Mars Surveyor program, have been added to our
Missions pages.
Mars Network: http://marsnet.jpl.nasa.gov/
Missions pages: http://spacescience.nasa.gov/missions/index.htm
---------------------
Here's a bit of legal-ese that you may be interested in:
Pursuant to the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA), as
amended (42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the Council on Environmental quality
Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA (50 CFR
Parts 1500-1508), and NASA policy and procedures (14 CFR Subpart 1216.3), NASA has
prepared and issued a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for the Mars Surveyor
2001 Mission. The DEIS addresses the potential environmental impacts associated with
continuing the preparations for and implementing the Mars Surveyor 2001 (MS 01) mission.
Interested parties are invited to submit comments or environmental concerns on or before
January 17, 2000, or 45 days from the date of publication in the Federal Register of the
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's notice of availability of the MS 01 mission DEIS,
whichever is later.
The DEIS is at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/pubs/Mars01EIS/ms01webpage.html
---------------------
A rock-hunting robot that we are supporting is being sent to Antarctica on
a mission that will likely turn up the first meteorites discovered by a
machine rather than a human. MSNBC story at
http://www.msnbc.com/news/340170.asp ,
project page at
http://www.bigsignal.net/
Best wishes.
From: Craig Tupper <[email protected]>
What's new at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/ :
11/10/99
------------------
The first report from the Mars Climate Orbiter failure investigation board was released
today. Many of you already know that the primary cause was a ailure to convert
English units to metric. The report identifies a number of other "process"
problems that allowed this error to go undetected. A lot of folks are sweating to
make sure this doesn't happen again.press release: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-134.txt
Board report: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/reports/1999
/MCO_report.pdf
(that's 355kb in Adobe Acrobat format; get the reader free at
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep.html
)
------------------
PBS television in the U.S. will be airing Life Beyond Earth, a two-hour special that tells
the story of humanity's search for extraterrestrial life, tonight and this weekend.
Looks like a great show, featuring Dr. Timothy Ferris, author of The Whole Shebang
(and several other excellent books). Schedule and a few more details at (you'll have to
cut and paste this enormous URL-sorry!)
http://www.pbs.org/plweb-cgi/fastweb?getdoc+whatson+whatson+
7335+0+wAAA+%28whatson%3AAREA%29%26AND%26%28
Life%29%26AND%26%28science%3Awosubjects%29%26AND
%26%28199911%3Awomonth%29
or just check your local listings.
------------------
Evidence shows lots of galaxies made the background glow - results from the Infrared
Space Observatory, with implications for the early history of the universe.
Story at http://explorezone.com/archives/99_11/10_esa_galaxies.htm
ISO page at http://isowww.estec.esa.nl/
------------------
A test flight was successfully conducted recently of a pumpkin-shaped balloon half the
size of a football field, and approximately one-tenth the volume of our planned Ultra Long
Duration Balloon (ULDB). The ULDB will stay aloft at altitudes of up to 115,000 feet
(35 kilometers) for as long as 100 days with more than a ton of scientific
instruments. For some experiments, this could be cheaper than going to space,
and just as effective. This is a capability we have wanted for a long time;
now it may be just around the corner.
press release: ftp://pao.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/PAO/Releases/1999/
W99-112.htm
balloon page: http://www.wff.nasa.gov/pages/scientificballoons.html
------------------
Hubble Servicing Mission 3A has been delayed a few days due to a decision to change out
one of shuttle Discovery's engines. The new target date is December 6. http://hubble.gsfc.nasa.gov/
--------------------
Last week we gave the go-ahead to ASPERA-3, the first Mission of Opportunity to be
selected as part of our Discovery Program. The ASPERA (Analyzer of Space Plasmas and
Energetic Atoms) experiment is one of seven scientific instruments that will fly on the
European Space Agency's Mars Express mission, planned to launch in mid-2003. The main
objective of the mission is to search for sub-surface water from orbit and drop a lander
on the Martian surface. ASPERA-3 doesn't have a web page yet; when it does I will
link to it at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/missions/index.htm
.
Meanwhile, you can check out the ESA Mars Express page at
http://sci.esa.int/missions/marsexpress/
, or our Discovery program page at
http://discovery.nasa.gov/index.html
--------------------
Astronomers using radio telescopes have gained their first glimpse of the region near a
black hole at the heart of a distant galaxy, where a powerful stream of subatomic
particles spewing outward at nearly the speed of light is formed into a beam, or jet.
These are the most detailed images ever of the center of the galaxy M87, some 50 million
light-years away.
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/43/
Meanwhile, our Chandra X-ray Observatory has made an extraordinary image of Centaurus A, a
nearby galaxy noted for its explosive activity. This image shows an x-ray jet from
another black hole in unprecedented detail.
http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast26oct99_1.htm
--------------------
Ancient iron-rich rocks point to early occurrence of land-based life on Earth --
implications for astrobiology at
http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/psun-air101899.html
--------------------
Hubble has allowed astronomers to resolve, for the first time, hot blue stars deep inside
an elliptical galaxy. Hubble confirms that the ultraviolet light comes from a population
of extremely hot helium-burning stars at a late stage in their life.
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/40/
--------------------
The latest images from Mars Global Surveyor suggest the presence of
"pseudocraters", formed by explosions due to the interaction of molten lava with
a water-rich surface, a long time ago. So where did Mars' water go? http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/
10_22_99_gsa_cones/index.htm
--------------------
The popular image of young planetary systems as thin, spinning pancakes of cosmic dust and
debris may be changed by a new computer model that shows how a disk of debris is
transformed into a very distinct ring once Pluto-like bodies start to form.
http://www-cfa.harvard.edu/cfa/ep/kenyon1099.html
--------------------
The closest-ever image of Jupiter's moon Io, taken during a flyby of the volcanic moon by
our Galileo spacecraft, shows a lava field near the center of an erupting volcano.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/99/glliohighres.html
Cheers!
Craig
23 October 1999
---------------------
Not too long ago a story came out with evidence from Hubble that some giant stars
had swallowed up giant planets. That story is at http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/24/index.html
. Now there are new observations suggesting that many smaller, sun-like stars may
also have swallowed giant planets. Or maybe not. Story at
http://www.newscientist.com/ns/19991023/newsstory12.html
---------------------
The Florida Today newspaper has posted an excellent section on life elsewhere in the
universe, covering many of the issues and the status of current research.
http://www.flatoday.com/space/explore/special/contact/index.htm
---------------------
Hubble examines the Rotten Egg Nebula, a pretty picture and a good story with implications
for the understanding of dying stars, at http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/39/
---------------------
The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) has recorded a series of 3 rapid-fire
coronal mass ejections on the Sun. The sun has been a bit less active than predicted
lately, but it is still gearing up for "solar maximum", perhaps in the
middle of next year.
SOHO page: http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/
Nice story at http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast15oct99_1.htm
---------------------
More solar news: Bright Rings Found around Sunspots Show Why Spots Are Dark, Cast
Shadow on Solar Models-we still have a lot to learn about the most important star in
our sky. National Science Foundation press release at
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/press/99/pr9963.htm
.
Cheers!
October 12, 1999
What's new at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/ :
--------------------
Two complementary surveys by independent teams of astronomers using Hubble show that the
hubs of some galaxies formed early in the Universe, while others formed more slowly,
across a long stretch of time. Press release at ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-107.txt
Now, for lots of interesting tidbits about our neck of the cosmic woods, the solar system:
--------------------
Two teams of researchers have proposed the existence of an unseen planet or a failed star
circling the sun, far beyond the orbit of Pluto. The idea is based on a study of the
orbits of long period comets, visitors from the Oort cloud. Fascinating story at http://www.msnbc.com/news/
320182.asp?cp1=1
--------------------
An international team of astronomers using a ground-based telescope has discovered a moon
orbiting the asteroid (45)Eugenia. The pictures are the first of an asteroidal satellite
taken from Earth, and the second ever taken; the Galileo spacecraft previously discovered
a moon around the asteroid Ida.
Story at http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/nsf-asa100699.html
Ida image at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/mess34/Moon1.html
And in current Galileo news, it seems that sulfuric acid -- a corrosive chemical found on
Earth in car batteries -- exists on the frozen surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa.
Are there any implications for the possibility of life there? There's a press
release at
ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-112.txt
, and an image is
available at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/
--------------------
Neptune and Uranus contain a high proportion of methane, which researchers have now
shown can turn into diamond at the high temperatures and pressures found inside
these planets. Don't ask your local jeweler for one of these, yet.
http://www.urel.berkeley.edu/urel_1/CampusNews/PressReleases/
releases/9-30-1999a.html
--------------------
Scientists studying high-resolution images from our Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft have
concluded there is no evidence of shorelines that would have surrounded oceans that may
have once existed on Mars.
Images and discussion at
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/msss/camera/images/grl_99_shorelines
/index.html
Press release: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-114.txt
--------------------
Cheers!
September 17, 1999
Latest Space Science News.
Greetings,
What's new at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/ :
-------------------
Curved cracks on Europa present additional strong evidence for a subsurface ocean,
according to a new study based on Voyager and Galileo data. Let's go fishin'. story
at http://www.spaceviews.com/1999/09/16c.html
nifty animations at http://pirlwww.lpl.arizona.edu/~hoppa/science.html
Galileo: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/
Voyager: http://vraptor.jpl.nasa.gov/voyager/voyager.html
-------------------
Hubble Spies Giant Star Clusters Near Galactic Center - peering through the dust, HST sees
violent starbirth activity.
http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/30/
-------------------
Our Mars Climate Orbiter (MCO) spacecraft fired its maneuvering engines yesterday
morning for 15 seconds, to adjust its flight path for arrival at Mars next week.
Meanwhile, the first image of Mars from MCO has been released. It doesn't look like much,
but that's what you get from 4.5 million kilometers away. It does show that the
camera is working.
Engine firing story: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/status/mco/mco990915.html
MCO page with first image: http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/orbiter/
-------------------
Evidence supporting one of two competing ideas about the rate and timing of star formation
in the universe has been released. The new study suggests that most stars formed very
early in the history of the universe.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/09/990915080958.htm
-------------------
Massive black holes may be the force behind half of the universe's radiation produced
after the Big Bang, chipping away the coveted power monopoly believed to be held by
ordinary stars.
ftp://pao.gsfc.nasa.gov/pub/PAO/Releases/1999/99-098.htm
-------------------
The first image from Chandra's High Resolution Camera has been released, showing a 3000
year old supernova remnant. While Chandra continues to perform well, the team is
addressing a concern with part of the Advanced Charge-coupled Device Imaging Spectrometer
(ACIS) science instrument.
HRC image: http://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/0050/index.html
ACIS concern:
http://www1.msfc.nasa.gov/NEWSROOM/news/
status/chandrastatus/chandrastatus49.html
-------------------
Although inspections and repairs of electrical wiring are continuing, Space Shuttle
managers last week announced tentative target launch dates for the next two Shuttle
missions. Managers established the Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 3A as the next
Shuttle flight, and had targeted launch for no earlier than Oct. 28, 1999. But that
was before Hurricane Floyd shut down the Kennedy Space Center the last couple days.
A new launch date should be announced soon. You can follow the mission at
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/
Cheers!
September 8, 1999
Hello space science fans,
What's new at http://spacescience.nasa.gov :
---------------------
A new study of images from Mars Pathfinder (has it really been two years?) has revealed a
number of dust devils. Story and short "movie" at
http://explorezone.com/archives/99_09/08_dust_devils.htm
---------------------
The discovery of a new type of low-surface-brightness reflection nebula around aging stars
has provided important clues about how stars lose mass and form planetary nebulae.
Live 5 billion years and watch the sun do it!
http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/uiu-ntp090799.html
---------------------
Recent observations have confirmed that magnetic fields are a critical component
controlling when and how stars form.
http://www.eurekalert.org/releases/uiuc-mfg090799.html
---------------------
A troupe of four galaxies imaged by HST is performing an intricate dance, orchestrated by
the mutual gravitational forces acting between them. A pretty picture at http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/31/index.html
---------------------
Uranus' 20th moon found - the third discovered this year. This is almost becoming
routine! http://www.space.com/science/astronomy/
uranian_moons.html
---------------------
Dr. Anne Kinney, currently with the Space Telescope Science Institute, has been appointed
our Science Program Director for the Astronomical Search for Origins & Planetary
Systems. I'll get a bio posted ASAP on our Senior Personnel page at http://spacescience.nasa.gov/ossbios.htm
---------------------
Liquid water found in a second meteorite - by the same researcher who announced the first
discovery last month. Watch out for this long url:
http://www.chron.com/content/interactive/space/astronomy/news/
1999/solarsys/
990907.html
---------------------
On Mars, there is a white rock mound covering over 200 square kilometers. According to a
team of researchers in Scotland and Turkey, the mound looks like those built by bacteria
over 3 billion years ago here on Earth.
http://www.newscientist.com/ns/19990904/newsstory12.html
---------------------
The near-term shuttle launch schedule (including the launch date of the next Hubble
servicing mission) has not yet shaken out. The shuttle folks are still wrestling
with wiring problems; obviously, safety is a paramount concern. Story at
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/
shuttle_wiring990903.html
---------------------
Cassini Moon images show camera is in top form - Cassini did some useful things while it
was slingshotting past earth. Story at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/99/csmoonimagead.html
---------------------
Finally, a couple things I haven't posted yet but bear watching: Mars Climate
Orbiter will be arriving at the Red Planet and going into orbit on September 23; you can
follow that at
http://mpfwww.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/orbiter/
. And the U.S. House of Representatives is meeting a few blocks away from me right
now, debating NASA's FY 2000 Budget (the scary version passed by the House Appropriations
committee). More news on that later.
Cheers
September 1, 1999
Greetings!
Here's what's new at http://spacescience.nasa.gov
:
----------------------
The best news, in case you hadn't heard: NASA UNVEILS FIRST IMAGES FROM CHANDRA
X-RAY OBSERVATORY - It works! YESSS!!! The first 2 images, of supernova
remnant Cass A and a distant quasar, were released last Thursday, and each of them held a
surprise. Then, over the weekend Chandra made the most precise measurements ever
recorded of the energy output from the 10-million-degree corona of a star. A new era
in astronomy has begun.
Chandra home and first images: http://chandra.harvard.edu/index.html
Stellar corona measurement:
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/nr/1999/chandra.html
----------------------
The near-term shuttle launch schedule, including the launch date for the next Hubble
servicing mission, may be announced tomorrow. I'll post it on the Space Science web
as soon as we hear from the shuttle folks. You can also follow the shuttle mission story
at
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/future/sts-103.html
----------------------
There was a coronal mass ejection from the Sun over the weekend (not a rare event in
itself), carrying perhaps billions of tons of plasma, that was thought to have the
potential for generating significant aurorae on Earth, since it was headed close to our
vicinity. However, our space weather seems to be little affected as yet. You
think it's hard to forecast hurricanes?
CME story: http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast31aug99_1.htm
space weather page: http://www.sel.noaa.gov/today.html
----------------------
On Thursday, September 2 at 10-11 p.m. Eastern time, ABC TV will be showing “Looking
for Life” (i.e., in space) as part of an ongoing "Nightline" series.
Astrobiology makes the networks! Featuring music from They Might Be Giants, amongst
other intriguing elements. ABC promo at
http://abcnews.go.com/onair/Nightline/nlpt990729_promo.html#sept2
----------------------
The closest pictures ever taken by Galileo of Jupiter's volcanic moon Io,and several other
new images, are now available at
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/galileo/
----------------------
Astronomers have used the world's two most powerful radar telescopes to make the most
detailed images ever obtained for an asteroid in a near-Earth trajectory. This one
looks like a spud, too.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/99/1999jm8.html
----------------------
Cracking open a meteorite that fell in West Texas last year, scientists found, much to
their surprise, a drop of salty water.
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/meteorite990826.html
----------------------
Pulsars are small spinning neutron stars which send out beams of radio waves. A pulsar has
been found that is spinning slower than current theory predicts is possible. I guess
nobody ever taught it astrophysics.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/08/990825183711.htm
----------------------
A strip of gentle, rolling plains near the Martian South Pole will serve as a welcome mat
when our Mars Polar Lander touches down on the Red Planet on December 3. The landing
site was unveiled last week.
press release, images and more info: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msp98/lander/
----------------------
Symbiotic Star Blows Bubbles into Space - A tempestuous relationship between an unlikely
pair of stars may have created an oddly shaped, gaseous nebula that resembles an hourglass
nestled within an hourglass. HST results and pretty images at http://oposite.stsci.edu/pubinfo/pr/1999/32/
Cheers!
Date: 8/24/99
Just a few new things at http://spacescience.nasa.gov
:
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Our Chandra X-ray Observatory has been successfully completing its post-launch checkout,
and the first images from the world's most powerful x-ray telescope will be unveiled at a
media briefing at 1 p.m. EDT Thursday, August 26. The images include the spectacular
remnants of a supernova and other astronomical objects. The Hubble of X-rays has
arrived! The CXO page is at http://chandra.harvard.edu
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Cassini successfully completed a highly accurate pass of Earth on August 17. Those
navigators at JPL really know how to fly! Cassini picked up a boost in speed,
sending the spacecraft on toward Saturn in 2004. And while Cassini was flying by
earth, it was taking scientific measurements in collaboration with another of our
spacecraft, Polar, which routinely studies the regions over Earth's poles.
Flyby story: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/releases/99/csearthflyby.html
.
Science story: http://science.nasa.gov/newhome/headlines/ast17aug99_1.htm
Cassini: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/
Polar: http://www-istp.gsfc.nasa.gov/istp/polar/
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We have selected three very small satellites, called the Nanosat Constellation Trailblazer
mission, as the agency's latest mission in the New Millennium Program. The mission will
validate methods of operating several spacecraft as a system, and test eight technologies
in the harsh space environment near the boundary of Earth's protective magnetic field, or
magnetosphere. The New Millennium program has already given us DS1, which has
successfully tested ion propulsion and other technologies, and DS2, which will be slamming
into Mars in December.
press release: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1999/99-095.txt
New Millennium: http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/
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Links to the Wide Field Camera 3, a future Hubble Space Telescope science instrument to be
installed in 2003 on Servicing Mission 4, have been added to our Missions in Development
page. WFC3 is at http://wfc3.gsfc.nasa.gov/
Cheers!
Plasma, Plasma, Everywhere
A new model of the plasmasphere surrounding our world
Sept. 7, 1999: As photographed from space, the Earth looks like it is floating in
a black void. But, unseen by our eyes and most cameras, the Earth is actually surrounded
by a complex system of interacting electric and magnetic fields, electric currents and
charged particles called the magnetosphere.
Right: If a camera didn't compensate for the bright sunlight in space, stars would be seen
in the background and the Earth would appear as a bright white orb. Because distant stars
aren't as bright as the Earth, a low photo exposure results in a black background.
The magnetosphere provides a barrier between our planet and particles continually given
off by the Sun's corona called the "solar wind." These particles constitute a
plasma - a mixture of electrons (negatively charged) and ions (atoms that have lost
electrons, resulting in a positive electric charge).
Plasma is not a gas, liquid, or solid - it is the fourth state of matter. Plasma often
behaves like a gas, except that it conducts electricity and is affected by magnetic
fields. On an astronomical scale, plasma is common. The Sun is composed of plasma, fire is
plasma, fluorescent and neon lights contain plasma.
"99.9 percent of the Universe is made up of plasma," says Dr. Dennis Gallagher,
a plasma physicist at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. "Very little material in
space is made of rock like the Earth."
The plasma of the magnetosphere has many different levels of temperature and
concentration. The coldest magnetospheric plasma is most often found in the plasmasphere,
a donut-shaped region surrounding the Earth's middle. But plasma from the plasmasphere can
be detected throughout the magnetosphere because it gets blown around by electric and
magnetic forces.
Above: Artist's concept of the magnetosphere. The rounded,
bullet-like shape represents the bow shock as the magneto-
sphere confronts solar winds. The area represented in gray,
between the magnetosphere and the bow shock, is called the
magnetopause. The Earth's magnetosphere extends about 10
Earth radii toward the Sun and perhaps similar distances
outward on the flanks The magnetotail is thought to extend as
far as 1,000 Earth radii away from the Sun.
Gallagher has developed a general model to describe the density of the plasma surrounding
the Earth. His paper, "Global Core Plasma Model," will be published in the
Journal of Geophysical Research. "Core plasma" refers to the low-energy plasma
(zero to 100 electron volts) that makes up the plasmasphere. The plasmasphere extends out
to as little as 2 to 3 Earth radii and, under quiet conditions on the evening side,
perhaps more than 6 Earth radii.(Because conditions in space constantly vary and regions
never have exact boundaries, plasma physicists measure the plasmasphere relative to the
size of Earth: 4,000 miles [6,400 km] is about one Earth radius.) The extent of the
plasmasphere depends on space weather activity. High levels of activity erode the
plasmasphere; long periods of quiet allow the plasmasphere to expand.
Rockets, satellites and the space shuttle have flown in parts of the core plasma
neighborhood. By taking various measurements of this region, scientists have gradually
come to understand the basic nature of the entire plasmasphere.
(Click on this figure for animation)
"We've been flying in plasma for over 40 years and have slowly gained a statistical
picture of what things are like, such as the density and proportion of oxygen, hydrogen,
and helium," says Gallagher.
But our understanding of the plasmasphere is not complete. For one thing, all the various
measurements have resulted in many independent models of specific plasma regions. By
combining previous work, Gallagher's model attempts to describe, mathematically, a
general, complete image of the plasmasphere.
"This model begins to paint a picture, but it's something of a Frankenstein's
monster," says Gallagher, referring to how his model is pieced together from several
different, dissimilar models. "A significant issue is how you smooth the
stitches."
Gallagher's model combines the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) model for low
altitudes with higher altitude models. The part of our atmosphere that contains plasma -
the ionosphere - is generally 90 to 1,000 km (54-620 mi.) above the ground.
The shorter wavelengths of sunlight, ranging from the ultraviolet to X-rays, ionize the
Earth's upper atmosphere by tearing electrons off atoms. The ions and electrons do not
readily recombine in the ionosphere because particle collisions are infrequent in the
rarified atmosphere. Ionospheric densities range from a peak of about 1 million
particles/cm3 down to many thousands of particles/cm3. The densities continue to fall as
you move to higher altitudes.
From the equator to the middle latitudes of Earth, the ionosphere joins smoothly with the
plasmasphere. Beyond the outer boundary of the plasmasphere, the densities of plasma in
the magnetosphere can fall as low as 0.01 particles/cm3.
"The plasma environment around the Earth is a natural extension of Earth's
atmosphere, ionized by the Sun," says Gallagher. "Any planet that has an
atmosphere is going to have energy from the Sun imparted to the atoms. The consequences
are that lighter elements escape. But Earth's magnetic field traps much of this escaping
gas. A planet like Mars that has, at best, a weak magnetic field, also has a very thin
atmosphere. Some researchers have speculated that the Earth's magnetic field may play a
role in slowing the loss of our atmosphere into space."
Our atmosphere provides pressure, proper temperature, and oxygen - fundamental
requirements for life on Earth. Without the atmosphere, one side of our planet would
freeze while the other would broil under intense solar radiation.
Gallagher's model may contribute to our understanding of how the Earth's plasma affects
our quality of life. Radio waves and power lines are affected by the presence of plasma,
as are satellites and the Space Shuttle. Plasma can cause an electric charge to accumulate
on one part of a spacecraft but not another, sometimes resulting in an electric arc, or
discharge. These electric arcs can disrupt or destroy sensitive electronic components.
Gallagher will be able to refine his model with data from the IMAGE satellite, due to
launch in February 2000. IMAGE will give us a better picture of the Earth's magnetosphere,
and because plasma is bound to magnetic fields, IMAGE should also improve our
understanding of how the plasmasphere and the magnetosphere interact.
Artist's concept of the interaction between
the magnetosphere and the Sun. The Earth's
magnetic field provides a barrier to the solar
wind
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