Archive for the ‘Space News’ Category
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February 24th, 2021
Skylight opening on a huge lava tube in the Marius Hills region on the lunar near side.
Credit: NASA/Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC)/Science Operations Center, Arizona State University
Lunar lava tubes are receiving attention by the European Space Agency – considered an interesting option as long-term shelter for future human visitors to the Moon.
Credit: ESA
Through ESA’s Open Space Innovation Platform, a campaign was initiated calling for novel ideas to address detecting, mapping and exploring caves on the Moon. Also involved is the SysNova initiative, a technology assessment scheme using “technology challenges” and competition to survey a comparatively large number of alternative solutions.
Recently, teams behind two of the studies – one from the University of Würzburg and one from the University of Oviedo – were selected to take part in an ESA Concurrent Design Facility study.
Collapse of cavities
Why lava tubes on the Moon?
The presence of these features on the Moon has been well-documented with cameras on board several lunar orbiting missions. But relatively little is known about the presence and nature of subsurface cavities.
Planetary geologists have identified pits within volcanic areas of the lunar maria, perhaps related to the collapse of cavities such as lava tubes – where lava once flowed under the lunar surface.
Could they be utilized to shield astronauts from cosmic radiation and micrometeorites helping to sustain lunar expeditions? Also, do these features possibly provide access to icy water and other resources trapped underground?
Credit: University of Würzburg
Here are some exploration ideas under study:
— University of Würzburg: exploring the concept of lowering a probe using a tether to explore and characterize the entrance, walls and initial part of lunar lava tubes.
— University of Oviedo: investigated the deployment of a swarm of small robots inside a cave, as well as how to transmit data from the robots to a rover on the Moon’s surface.
Credit: University of Oviedo
Going underground
The bottom line for going underground on the Moon: Given that the Moon’s surface is covered by millions of craters, it also hosts hundreds of very steep-walled holes known as pits.
Like doorways to the underworld, photos of some pits clearly show a cavern beneath the Moon’s surface, suggesting that they are ‘skylights’ into extensive lava tubes that can be as wide as New York’s Central Park, and could extend for great distances under the lunar landscape.
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Curiosity Mast Camera Left image taken on Sol 3038, February 21, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Count ‘em: There’s now a fleet of Mars explorers busy at work in orbit and on the surface of the Red Planet, observes Scott Guzewich, an atmospheric scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Real image shows Perseverance rover being lowered to the floor of Jezero Crater by the Skycrane. Rocket engines kicked up streaks of dust during the touchdown.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
InSight’s first full selfie on Mars.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
Credit: NASA
Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission.
Credit: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center
ESA Trace Gas Orbiter at Mars.
Credit: ESA/ATG medialab
ESA’s Mars Express.
Credit: ESA/AOES Medialab
India’s MoM mission to Mars.
Credit: ISRO
China’s Tianwen-1.
Credit: CNSA
UAE’s Hope Mars orbiter.
Credit: Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center
Eleven — NASA’s Curiosity, Perseverance, InSight, Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, Europe’s Mars Express, the Trace Gas Orbiter, India’s Mars Orbiter mission, China’s Tianwen-1, and the UAE’s Hope — spacecraft are now concurrently exploring Mars from the surface and orbit.
“That incredible fleet produces synergistic science discoveries that would not be possible with any one spacecraft in isolation,” Guzewich notes.
Joint observations
Now in Sol 3040, the Curiosity Mars rover is engaged in one such joint observation with Europe’s Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO). TGO studies the chemical composition of the martian atmosphere as Curiosity does with its Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) through a “passive sky” observation.
“In a passive sky observation, ChemCam looks at the sky at different angles and positions and we are able to learn about the properties of dust, water ice clouds, and measure abundances of atmospheric gases like oxygen,” Guzewich reports. “By combining our work with TGO, we can measure the abundance of such gases from the surface all the way up to the top of the atmosphere!”
Drive to cliff
Outside of this atmospheric observation, a recently scripted plan was a routine touch-and-go.
Scientists selected a representative piece of bedrock in the workspace (“Plazac”) for Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) and the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) to study and then focused much of their remote sensing science on a fascinating cliff, “Mont Mercou,” that’s roughly 18 feet (5.5 meters) tall. The robot is driving toward this feature over the next several days of planning, Guzewich adds.
Both the robot’s Mastcam and ChemCam were slated to image Mont Mercou.
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 3039, February 22, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera view of “Mont Mercou” cliff that can be seen at the top left of this Navcam image. Taken on Sol 3038, February 21, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
The NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRISE camera system has spotted the Perseverance Rover on the surface of the Red Planet. Imagery also shows many parts of the descent system that got the safely down.
On the surface. Safe touchdown by Perseverance rover.
Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
The rover itself sits at the center of a blast pattern created by the hovering skycrane (labeled as “descent stage”) that lowered it there. The skycrane flew off to crash as at a safe distance creating a V-shaped debris pattern that points back toward the rover it came from.
Earlier in the landing sequence, Perseverance jettisoned its heatshield and parachute which crashed in the separate locations.
Perseverance heat shield.
Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
These foreign objects on the surface of Mars are highly visible now but will become dustier with time and slowly fade into the background over years. HiRISE will continue to image the Perseverance landing site to track the progress of the rover and changes in the other pieces of hardware that accompanied it.
Information provided by Shane Byrne, Deputy Principal Investigator of HiRISE team.
Descent stage crash site.
Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
Perseverance parachute spotted by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).
Credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
Russia’s Luna-25 Moon lander.
Credit: RSC Energia/Roscosmos
Russia is readying its return to the Moon – the launch of the robotic Luna-25.
“For the first time in 45 years, we are to resume exploration of the Moon. In October, the first descent module will be launched from the spaceport Vostochny, Roscosmos corporation CEO Dmitry Rogozin told Russian President Vladimir Putin last Saturday during a briefing on the corporation’s performance in 2020.
Roscosmos corporation CEO Dmitry Rogozin, discusses future space exploration plans with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Credit: Roscosmos
“More automatic lunar probes will follow. Lastly, a manned program will begin,” Rogozin told Putin.
Luna-25 testing
Acoustic tests of the automatic station Luna-25 were recently conducted at the Scientific and Production Association named after S.A. Lavochkin (part of Roskosmos). Lavochkin is the developer of the lunar-bound spacecraft.
Lunar hardware undergoes testing.
Credit: RSC Energia/Roscosmos
Within the acoustic chamber, the probe was exposed to sound waves in a wide frequency range that mimics forces that will act on the spacecraft during its boost phase from Earth.
After a series of tests, NPO Lavochkin engineers carried out a complete visual inspection of the interplanetary vehicle. Luna-25 has successfully overcome these loads, according to Lavochkin.
A Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) topographic map of the southern sub-polar region of the Moon showing the location of Boguslawsky crater [from Ivanov et al., 2015]via NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LROC) website at Arizona State University.
South pole landing
The Luna-25 spacecraft is part of the Luna-Glob project of NPO Lavochkin. The craft is a small demonstration landing station for testing basic soft landing technologies in the circumpolar region and conducting contact studies of the Moon’s south pole.
Luna-25 spacecraft is to be Soyuz-boosted moonward in October 2021. It will reportedly soft land near the lunar south pole at the Boguslavsky crater.
A portion of a new geologic map of the interior of Boguslawsky crater, proposed site of the next Russian mission to the lunar surface [Ivanov et al., 2015] via NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LROC) website at Arizona State University.
Russia is rebuilding a multi-pronged return-to-the-Moon program, one that kick-starts a 21st century round of outreach to Earth’s extraterrestrial neighbor.
There’s a lot riding on success of this Russian rekindling of lunar exploration. For more information, go to my Scientific American story on Russia’s re-launch into exploring the Moon.
“Luna-25 Lander Renews Russian Moon Rush – The former front-runner in the lunar space race aims to rekindle its exploration after nearly half a century.”
Go to:
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/luna-25-lander-renews-russian-moon-rush/
Chinese President Xi Jinping met space scientists and engineers involved in the Chang’e-5 lunar mission at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Monday. Xi inspected specimens from the Moon brought back by the return sample mission.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Chinese President Xi Jinping met space scientists and engineers involved in the research and development of the Chang’e-5 lunar mission at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Monday. Xi inspected specimens from the Moon brought back by the return sample mission.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
The successful Chang’e-5 lunar mission retrieved about 4 pounds (1,731 grams) of samples. Its lander-ascender combination successfully touched down on the near side of the Moon on December 1, collecting samples from both the lunar surface and beneath.
Chinese President Xi Jinping inspects Chang’e-5 lunar sample return capsule. Zhang Kejian, Director of the China National Space Administration advises President Xi about the mission.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
The ascender later rocketed the specimens off the Moon for transfer to an orbiter/returner for transport back to Earth.
A return capsule containing the lunar collectibles landed in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the early hours of December 17.
Go to this CCTV video at:
Curiosity Mast Camera Left image taken on Sol 3036, February 19, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now performing Sol 3038 duties – and is in “don’t forget me mode” – now joined on the Red Planet by NASA’s Perseverance robot at Jezero Crater.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
Curiosity has returned new imagery from its Gale crater locale. Here’s a representative sample showing the rover’s surrounding views:
Curiosity Mast Camera Left photo taken on Sol 3036, February 19, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Left B photo taken on Sol 3037, February 20, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3037, February 20, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager photo produced on Sol 3037, February 20, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Core module of China’s space station.
Credit: CMS/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China is pressing forward on construction of the country’s own space station. To do so, multiple classes of Long March boosters are to be utilized.
First up is lofting the station’s core module, the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft and the Shenzhou-12 piloted spacecraft.
According to China Central Television (CCTV) rendezvous and docking as well as relevant in-orbit verifications of key technologies are scheduled to be completed this year.
China’s space station expected to be completed around 2022.
CMS/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Zero error launch windows
“This is the first time that we will launch multi-type Long March rockets to build a manned space station. The carrier rocket Long March-5B will launch the core module of the space station. Then the Long March-7 carrier rocket will launch the cargo spacecraft. Later, the Long March-2F carrier rocket will carry our astronauts to our space station,” said Mou Yu, director of the General Design Department of the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.
Mou emphasized in a CCTV interview that the launch vehicles used require a high reliability of the pre-launch preparation work for the dynamical and control systems “and the zero error in the launch window.”
To piece together the space station, China will successively launch the Tianhe core capsule, Wentian and Mengtian lab modules. In addition, four Shenzhou crew-carrying spacecrafts and four Tianzhou cargo spacecrafts will also be launched to establish a rotation of astronauts to work on the space station and supply goods to sustain station operations.
Credit: China Military Online
Meanwhile, China’s space tracking ship Yuanwang-3 set sail on Saturday for the Pacific Ocean from a port in east China’s Jiangsu Province for upcoming maritime monitoring missions.
Yuanwang-3 is a second-generation Chinese space tracking ship. It has undertaken more than 90 maritime tracking and monitoring tasks for spacecraft, including the Shenzhou spaceships, Chang’e lunar probes and BeiDou satellites.
Chang’e-5 descent stage seen just before sunset on February 7, 2021.
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
NASA’s powerful LROC imaging system on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has produced a new photo of China’s Chang’e-5 descent stage sitting on the basaltic plains of Oceanus Procellarum (“Ocean of Storms”) on the Moon.
China’s Chang’e-5 lunar mission was a successful multi-phase affair involving an orbiter, a lander, an ascender, and a returner spacecraft to haul back to Earth lunar samples, doing so on December 16th.
Box indicates Chang’e-5 lander on the basaltic plains of Oceanus Procellarum (“Ocean of Storms”) on December 2, 2020. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
The Chang’e-5 descent stage was left behind on the lunar surface after the ascent stage blasted off on December 3, 2020.
NASA’s LRO passes over the Chang’e-5 landing site (43.0576°N, 308.0839°E) about once a month, each time with different illumination. Over the next two months the lighting will be optimal for stereo images from which a detailed topographic map of the landing site can be made, according to Mark Robinson, the principal investigator for the NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) at Arizona State University.
Dormant period
Meanwhile, China’s farside Moon landing mission, the Chang’e-4, has once again entered a dormant period of time within the Von Kármán crater exploration zone.
Chang’e-4’s farside landing zone.
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
Plunged into lunar night temperatures, both the lander and Yutu-2 rover have switched into dormant mode: 1:30 p.m. Friday (Beijing Time) as scheduled, and the Yutu-2 (Jade Rabbit-2) rover, at 1:48 a.m. Friday, according to the Lunar Exploration and Space Program Center of the China National Space Administration (CNSA).
The lunar day and night cycle each equal 14 days on Earth.
Good condition
According to the CNSA, the Chang’e-4 mission has been operating on the farside of the Moon for 778 Earth days as of Saturday.
China’s farside rover images Chang’e-4 lander in the distance.
Credit: CNSA/CLEP
During that stretch of time, the Yutu-2 rover has wheeled itself across the lunar landscape roughly 2,142 feet (652.62 meters). The rover is in good condition, and all scientific payloads are working normally, said CNSA.
The Yutu-2 mobile machinery has exceeded its three-month design lifespan, becoming the longest-working lunar rover on the Moon.
Movement of the Chang’e 4 rover, Yutu-2, captured in NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s LROC images.
Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University
Chang’e-4 headed for the Moon on December 8, 2018, making the first-ever soft farside touchdown on January 3, 2019 within Von Kármán crater in the South Pole-Aitken Basin.
New map
A new Yutu-2 map has been produced by Philip Stooke of the University of Western Ontario’s Department of Geography, and Institute for Earth and Space Exploration.
Credit: Philip Stooke
“Everything is based on Chinese mapping up to the 26th night, with only the crudest estimate for the 27th day, but we know it was supposed to go southwest to look at a rock and we have an overall distance of 24 meters for the day’s drive,” he told Inside Outer Space. “I think the hope now is that an ejecta block from the basalt area to the west (or excavated from the basalt under the current ejecta surface) will turn up so they can get its composition. So they will look at every decent sized rock they see.”
Real image shows Perseverance rover being lowered to the floor of Jezero Crater by the Skycrane. Rocket engines kicked up streaks of dust during the touchdown.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Newly released imagery from NASA’s Perseverance rover mission captures milestone minutes at the start of its journey.
A high-resolution still image is part of a video taken by several cameras as NASA’s Perseverance rover touched down on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. A camera aboard the descent stage captured the image.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Wheel of Perseverance rover. Image includes rocks that may be of volcanic origin.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
In addition, several images in color were released, taken by the robot sitting in Jezero Crater.
Caught on camera! NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s HiRISE camera system image of Perseverance rover mission on parachute prior to touchdown within Jezero Crater.
NASA/JPL/UArizona
Meanwhile, NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter used its powerful HiRISE camera system to capture a stunning image of Perseverance on its descent to the Martian surface.
“HiRISE was approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles) from Perseverance at the time of the image and traveling at about 3 kilometers per second (6,750 mph),” explains Shane Byrne of the HiRISE team at the University of Arizona in Tucson. “The extreme distance and high speeds of the two spacecraft were challenging conditions that required precise timing and for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to both pitch upward and roll hard to the left so that Perseverance was viewable by HiRISE at just the right moment.”
Perseverance rover deposits select rock and soil samples in sealed tubes on Mars’s surface for future missions to retrieve and bring back to Earth for detailed study.
NASA/JPL-Caltech
From the “you don’t say!” department of NASA space price tags, exploring the Red Planet is an expensive undertaking.
A new infographic from Statista offers a snap shot of NASA missions to Mars, revealing that the Perseverance rover remains the 7th most costly spacecraft in the history of the space agency’s planetary exploration program and the third most pricey Mars mission.
Credit: Statista
NASA expects to spend $2.7 billion on the project according to research from The Planetary Society, the Statista graphic shows, a figure that is expected to ascend to $2.9 billion when inflation adjustments are included at the end of its lifespan. The spacecraft itself accounted for the lion’s share of the funding at $2.2 billion while launch services came to $243 million. Two years of prime mission operations are expected to add a further $200 million.
NASA Viking missions to Mars of the 1970s.
Credit: NASA
Rack ‘em, stack ‘em
“Despite that seemingly hefty price tag, Perseverance remains the 7th most expensive spacecraft in the history of NASA’s planetary exploration program and the third most expensive Mars mission,” Niall McCarthy of Statista explains.
The just-landed rover trails NASA’s Viking 1 and 2 orbiter/lander missions of the 1970s, as well as the Curiosity rover which experienced cost growth after missing its original launch window.
“All four Mars projects remain among the most expensive missions ever undertaken by NASA,” the Statisa infographic background explains.
