Archive for August, 2019
Author: 
August 2nd, 2019
Illustration shows examples of an Earth-Moon “transportation network,” a key architectural element for access throughout cislunar space.
Credit: Purdue University image/Kate Starr
Transforming cislunar space into an economic wellspring is in the sights of a new university-based initiative.
Purdue University’s Cislunar Initiative is geared to evaluating access to cislunar space, supplying the building blocks for infrastructure, identifying and utilizing space resources, advancing the development of space policy and providing critical educational opportunities.
The “cislunar region” is the orbital area encompassing the Earth and the Moon.
David Spencer, associate professor in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics, leads the Cislunar Initiative.
Credit: Purdue University
50-year time horizon
Leader of the Initiative is David Spencer, associate professor in the School of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “The Cislunar Initiative aims to conceive, design, and enable the utilization of cislunar space over a 50-year time horizon,” Spencer notes in a university statement.
Exploration of south pole crater. Water ice-rich resource ready for processing?
Credit: NASA
There are five objectives formulated to accelerate the development of a cislunar region’s economy, Spencer explains:
— Advancing access to space, enabling frequent and sustained transportation to and within the cislunar environment.
— Envisioning and enabling the infrastructure that provides the necessary support for cislunar space exploration and development through a strong university-industry-government collaborative approach.
— Identifying and utilizing space resources and materials.
— Leading in the areas of space policy, economics and space defense.
— Initiating K-12 educational programs and courses, professional development, internships, co-ops and a Purdue curriculum for the future leaders in cislunar development.
Resources
Go to the Cislunar Initiative website at:
Also, go to this informative video that focuses on the Initiative:
Posted in 
Credit: Harbin Institute of Technology
China’s micro lunar orbiter — Longjiang-2 (also known as DSLWP-B) – crashed into the Moon’s farside on July 31 (Beijing Time), reports the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration.
Weighing 104 pounds (47 kilograms) Longjiang-2 was sent into space on May 21, 2018, together with the Chang’e-4 lunar probe’s relay satellite and entered the lunar orbit four days later.
Lifespan
The small spacecraft operated in orbit for 437 days, exceeding its one-year designed lifespan, reports China’s Xinhua news agency.
The satellite carried an ultra-long-wave detector, developed by the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, aiming to conduct radio astronomical observation and study solar radiation.
Credit: Daniel Estévez/Dwingeloo
Longjiang-2 also carried an optical camera developed by the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology of Saudi Arabia. The camera was used successfully to capture 30 high-definition images of the Moon, Xinhua notes.
Rest in pieces
“There is a new crater on the Moon,” tweeted satellite observer and astronomer working at ASTRON, the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy, Cees Bassa. On the day of the crash, he reported: “We are already 5 minutes past the moment DSLWP-B would have appeared from behind the Moon if it had not crashed. The fact that we are no longer receiving signals means it has impacted the lunar surface. RIP DSLWP-B.”
Credit: Cees Bassa
The collision with the Moon was planned since January of year, adds amateur radio expert, Daniel Estévez, and was done as a means to end the mission without leaving debris in lunar orbit.
Estévez explains that on January 24, the periapsis (low point) of the lunar orbit of DSLWP-B was lowered approximately by 310 miles (500 kilometers), so that orbital perturbations would eventually force the satellite to collide with the Moon.
Curiosity Navcam Left B photo acquired on Sol 2483, August 1, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now carrying out Sol 2484 tasks.
Mark Salvatore, a planetary geologist at the University of Michigan, reports that weekend drilling is in the plan.
Scientists have been largely interested in characterizing the large block of exposed bedrock in front of the rover to derive as much information as possible before the robot punches through the surface and exposes the rock’s interior, Salvatore adds.
Curiosity Navcam Right B image taken on Sol 2483, August 1, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Spatial variability
Curiosity has brushed the dust off of the rock and made some geochemical measurements using the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) instrument.
A recent plan, Salvatore notes, called for acquiring a multispectral image of this brushed surface in addition to two remote laser induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) measurements of the bedrock’s chemistry to determine whether there is spatial variability in the chemistry of this geologic unit.
Enigmatic feature
“We also have an opportunity to acquire a large Mastcam mosaic of the large and flat geologic feature to the south of Curiosity known as the Greenheugh pediment,” Salvatore explains. “This enigmatic feature has been a target of interest ever since Gale crater was first being considered as a potential landing site for the Curiosity rover, and so documenting it from this new vantage point has been a high priority for the geologists on the team.”
Curiosity ChemCam Remote Micro-Imager photo taken on Sol 2484, August 2, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL
Ground controllers have placed Curiosity in a good place to drill this unit over the weekend, Salvatore reports, followed by several additional days to document the new drill hole and the tailings.
“If all goes well, we should receive additional geologic data from the rover’s instruments on the mineralogy of this unit sometime next week,” Salvatore concludes. “It’ll be great to compare this location with the other drill holes acquired since the investigation of Vera Rubin ridge.”
Curiosity Navcam Left B photo taken on Sol 2483, August 1, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is presently performing Sol 2483 duties.
Reports Mariah Baker, a planetary geologist at Johns Hopkins University, the robot is currently located in the southern part of the “Visionarium,” with planning underway to start the next drill campaign.
Curiosity Mastcam left image taken on Sol 2481 of target for weekend drilling.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
“And we can’t help but take in the scenery! Perched on top of a small escarpment, we have arguably one of the best backdrops we have ever had during a drill campaign,” Baker adds. “The stunning panoramic views of Mount Sharp and surrounding terrains could truly take one’s breath away – if the lack of oxygen wasn’t enough!”
Curiosity Front Hazcam Left B photo taken on Sol 2483, August 1, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Drillable rocks
Curiosity embarked on drill Sol 1, which meant the team was focused on locating and prioritizing drillable rocks in the rover’s workspace.
The target “Glen Etive 1” was selected as the primary drill option; Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam), Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), and Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) measurements on Glen Etive 1 will provide information on the geologic and chemical properties of this rock before Curiosity starts to drill.
Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) photo produced on Sol 2483, July 31, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Distant sandstone
Baker notes that ChemCam will also target another spot on the same rock layer (“Glen Etive 2”) as well as a target on another outcrop nearby, “Ninian”.
Also in the plans were various Mastcam observations, such as documentation images of the three ChemCam targets, a stereo image of a layered rock target called “Liddel,” and a larger mosaic image of a distant sandstone unit, Baker reports.
Curiosity Navcam Right B image taken on Sol 2482, July 31, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
A set of environmental measurements rounds out recent planning, including two Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) activities, Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) monitoring, and Navcam images to monitor dust loading and dust devil activity.
Curiosity Navcam Right B image taken on Sol 2482, July 31, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“The team is eager and ready to jump into drilling at this new location, especially given the picturesque backdrop we get to enjoy while we work,” Baker concludes. “And since a full drill campaign can last weeks, we can continue to revel in the beauty of Gale crater’s vast and diverse landscapes for at least a little while longer.”
Curiosity Navcam Left B image taken on Sol 2482, July 31, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Weekend drilling
In a new update, Lucy Thompson, a planetary geologist at University of New Brunswick, says there’s anticipation regarding drill hole number three, and maybe number four within Glen Torridon.
New planning has been focused on getting more compositional and textural information on top of this small ridge that we plan to attempt drilling at the weekend, Thompson adds.
“This ridge is representative of one of the units mapped from orbit prior to landing, the ‘fractured clay bearing unit.’ We previously drilled two holes into the ‘smooth clay bearing unit’ and it will be interesting to compare the composition and mineralogy of these orbitally distinct units to each other and with the rest of the Murray formation,” Thompson explains.
Curiosity ChemCam Remote Micro-Imager photo acquired on Sol 2483, August 1, 2019.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL
Science targets
On tap is use of ChemCam to investigate the composition of two more spots (“Glen Dessary” and “Canisbay”) on the same block that scientists intend to drill to see if different layers have the same chemistry, and there will be Mastcam documentation imaging of these targets.
There’s potential for two separate contact science targets in a new plan and science team members are discussing whether they wanted two APXS and MAHLI targets or whether they want to devote one of those targets to MAHLI oblique imaging of the layers in the block they plan to drill – as opposed to imaging just the top surface.
Brushing
“We decided to brush, get APXS and MAHLI on the second potential drill target ‘Glen Etive 2,’ and then do the MAHLI oblique imaging,” Thompson points out, “to hopefully inform us of the third dimension that we will encounter when we drill, as well as of any sedimentary structures present.”
Standard environmental activities rounded out the new plan with REMS, Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) and DAN active and passive measurements, Mastcam crater rim extinction and basic tau of the sun, and a Navcam suprahorizon movie, Thompson concludes.
