Archive for the ‘Space News’ Category
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April 27th, 2021
A NASA Office of Inspector General report has taken a look at the space agency’s Artemis program, noting that the effort faces significant challenges.
The NASA OIG report explains that current plans to launch Artemis I in 2021 and ultimately land astronauts on the Moon by the end of 2024 are “highly unlikely.”
NASA’s current plans for the first three missions of its Artemis program include exploration missions in 2021 (uncrewed), placing the Orion spacecraft in a lunar distant retrograde orbit, where it will travel 40,000 miles beyond the Moon, or a total of roughly 280,000 miles from Earth before returning home, and 2023 (crewed) using the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, culminating in a mission landing astronauts on the surface of the Moon in late 2024.
Significant progress
OIG’s Artemis Status Update reports that NASA has made significant progress with the Artemis missions including stacking the SLS solid rocket boosters onto the mobile launcher, delivering Orion to Kennedy for final integration, and stabilizing future launch manifests.
Space Launch System (SLS) Credit: NASA/MSFC
Additionally, the OIG report points to the March 2021 second hot fire test of the SLS core stage outfitted with four RS-25 engines. In April 2021, NASA completed its analysis of over 8 minutes’ worth of data and found all primary test objectives were met. The SLS core stage is now being prepared for transport to Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Biden my time
“Although the new [Biden] Administration has publicly expressed support for the Artemis missions, it has not weighed in on the Agency’s current plans for a lunar landing by the end of 2024,” the OIG report points out.
Credit: NASA
“Nonetheless, achieving any date close to this ambitious goal—and reaching Mars in the 2030s—will require strong, consistent, sustained leadership from the President, Congress, and NASA, as well as stable and timely funding,” the OIG report adds.
Total costs
“With total costs for Artemis missions through fiscal year (FY) 2025 projected to reach $86 billion,” the OIG report underscores the fact that “NASA’s development of a deep-space human exploration capability to reach the Moon as a precursor to Mars is the Agency’s most ambitious and costliest ongoing activity.”
Credit: NASA
To read the full OIG report – Artemis Status Update – go to:
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Image of the Bardou drill hole and powdered material taken by Curiosity Mast Camera on Sol 3094, April 20, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
The Curiosity rover at Gale Crater is parked on top of Mont Mercou providing a spectacular vantage point to survey both the terrain the robot has driven over and future areas of interest.
Reports Lucy Thompson, a planetary geologist at University of New Brunswick; Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada: “Based on orbital signatures, we are expecting to encounter a transition from relatively clay-rich to sulfate-rich rocks as Curiosity continues to climb Mount Sharp. This may signify an environmental change on Mars, and imaging will help us to monitor this transition and provide context for future exploration.”
Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Right B image acquired on Sol 3099, April 25, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Imaging activities
On the planning schedule, the rover’s Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) was to acquire a long distance Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) mosaic pointed towards “Chavagnac,” within the sulfate-bearing unit behind the rover, to the south.
Along with the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument Suite evolved gas analysis (EGA) analysis of the Bardou sample, a weekend plan was full of imaging activities utilizing both the ChemCam RMI and Mastcam cameras.
Mastcam was set to acquire mosaics to document a number of sand-filled cracks on top of Mont Mercou (“Villamblard,” “Queyssac” and “Sabouret”), as well as an image of the Bardou drill hole and surrounding powder, Thompson adds.
Curiosity Mast Camera Left photo taken on Sol 3098, April 24, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Another of these sand-filled cracks (“Cherval”) will be imaged with the ChemCam RMI.
Look for dust
Environmental monitoring will include a Mastcam tau pointed towards the sun at different times of day, Mastcam crater rim extinction imaging to look for dust and Mastcam documentation of the edge of the Mont Mercou cliff.
Curiosity’s Navcam will also acquire images to monitor dust activity in the atmosphere and to investigate dust devil activity. Standard Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD), Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS), and Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) activities were also planned.
“We are excited to analyze the chemistry of the Bardou drilled sample in upcoming plans, before driving away,” Thompson concludes.
Credit: Mars Guy
Another installment of “Mars Guy” takes the viewer to the Perseverance rover at Jezero Crater.
Mars Guy is Arizona State University associate research professor Steve Ruff, a Mars geologist with decades of experience exploring the Red Planet.
Credit: Mars Guy/NASA/JPL-Caltech
This new video details the rover’s Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics & Chemicals instrument – mercifully shortened to SHERLOC.
Suit material
Mars Guy points out that the Perseverance rover carried pieces of NASA space suit material to the surface of Mars for long-term exposure testing in the harsh environment. The first extremely high resolution images have now been sent back.
Credit: Mars Guy/NASA/JPL-Caltech
Also onboard is a piece of the Martian meteorite Sayh Al Uhamer 008 (SaU008) – a meteorite found in Oman in 1999. It is the first Mars sample return, Mars Guy explains, a piece of Mars that landed on Earth to be returned to Mars via the Perseverance rover.
To view the new video, go to:
Credit: via Roscosmos
China and Russia are developing a road map to establish an international station on the Moon.
An invitation to all interested countries, international organizations and partners to cooperate in the project was made last Friday by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) and its Russian counterpart Roscosmos.
The announcement was made at a conference focused on the international Moon station in Nanjing, east China’s Jiangsu province.
In March, China and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding on jointly building an international scientific research station on the Moon.
Earth’s Moon, a dusty denizen of deep space and potential feedstock for the future.
Credit: NASA/Jeff Williams
Extensive cooperation
The CNSA and Roscosmos will promote extensive cooperation in the lunar station for the development of human space science and technology and socio-economic progress, said CNSA deputy director Wu Yanhua, according to China’s Xinhua news agency.
Wu said the station will be another important contribution by China and Russia “to promote the long-term and sustainable development of United Nations outer space activities,” the Xinhua story adds.
Chinese scientists have unveiled design of a crew Moon rover.
Credit: New China TV/GlobalLink/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Joint declaration
The joint declaration by the two countries released on Friday underscored the co-operated construction of the International Scientific Lunar Station (ISLS), emphasizing that the ISLS is open to all countries, international organizations and partners interested in cooperation in the planning, justification, design, development, implementation and operation of the ISLS.
Credit: CGTN/China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
Both “material and non-material contribution of international partners to cooperation in the field of the creation of the ISLS in any aspect of the mission at every stage” is welcomed, explains the document, and be “mutually beneficial for all participants.”
The statement by Roscosmos and KNKA (CNSA) on the creation of the lunar station also reiterated coordination of the Russian mission with the Luna-Resurs-1 orbital spacecraft and the Chinese research mission the polar region of the Moon “Chang’e-7.” That agreement also states Roscosmos and CNSA will work together on the creation of a joint Data Center for the exploration of the Moon and deep space.
The statement can be found here at:
https://www.roscosmos.ru/30837/
Credit: NASA
Much of the subsurface of Mars may well be a nice niche for microbial life.
That’s a finding from a new study published in the journal Astrobiology that looked at the chemical composition of Martian meteorites tossed off the Red Planet that eventually landed here on Earth.
New research determined that those Mars-spawned rocks — if in consistent contact with water — would generate the chemical energy needed to support microbial communities on the faraway world, similar to those that endure in the unlit depths of the Earth. Because these meteorites may be representative of vast swaths of the Martian crust, the findings suggest that much of the Mars subsurface could be habitable.
NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover image from Right Mastcam-Z Camera. Photo acquired on April 15, 2021 (Sol 54).
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Ample energy
“We don’t know whether life ever got started beneath the surface of Mars, but if it did, we think there would be ample energy there to sustain it right up to today,” says Jesse Tarnas, a postdoctoral researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory who led the study while completing his Ph.D. at Brown University.
“The big implication here for subsurface exploration science is that wherever you have groundwater on Mars, there’s a good chance that you have enough chemical energy to support subsurface microbial life,” Tarnas adds in a Brown University press statement.
Underground systems
In places like Canada’s Kidd Creek Mine, “sulfate-reducing” microbes have been found living more than a mile underground, in water that hasn’t seen the light of day in more than a billion years.
Jesse Tarnas, a Brown University graduate and postdoctoral research at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, work in Canada’s Kidd Creek Mine. Mars has right ingredients for present-day microbial life beneath its surface a new study finds.
Credit: Jesse Tarnas/ University of Toronto Stable Isotope Laboratory
According to the study paper, “radiolysis” by itself could produce sufficient redox energy to sustain a habitable environment in the subsurface of present-day Mars, one in which Earth-like microorganisms could survive wherever groundwater exists.
The ingredients for radiolysis: radioactive elements like thorium, uranium and potassium; sulfide minerals that could be converted to sulfate; and rock units with adequate pore space to trap water.
Tarnas has been working with a team co-led by Brown University professor Jack Mustard and Professor Barbara Sherwood Lollar of the University of Toronto to better understand these underground systems with an eye toward looking for similar habitats on Mars and elsewhere in the solar system. The project, called Earth 4-D: Subsurface Science and Exploration, is supported by the Canadian Institute for Advances Research.
NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover acquired this image at Jezero Crater using its Left Mastcam-Z camera on April 23, 2021 (Sol 62).
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Concentration zones
The surface of Mars is an extremely unfriendly environment, the study paper explains, a topside characterized by freezing temperatures, desiccating conditions, high levels of ionizing radiation, oxidizing chemicals, low pressures, “and a lack of liquid water that preclude any Earth-like organisms from surviving without adaptation that is unprecedented on Earth.”
“Our results demonstrate that martian subsurface groundwaters, where present, would largely be habitable for sulfate-reducing bacteria from a redox energy perspective via radiolysis alone,” Tarnas and colleagues explain in the study paper. “We present evidence for crustal regions that could support especially high cell densities, including zones with high sulfide concentrations, which could be targeted by future subsurface exploration missions.”
Digging in…on Mars.
Credit: NASA Langley Advanced Concepts Lab/Analytical Mechanics Associates
Drilling to depth
Tarnas and Mustard say in the Brown University press release, that while there are surely technical challenges involved in subsurface exploration, those challenges are not show-stoppers.
A drilling operation on Mars wouldn’t require “a Texas-sized oil rig,” Mustard says, and recent advances in small drill probes could soon put the Martian depths within reach.
“The subsurface is one of the frontiers in Mars exploration,” Mustard said. And about the prospect of finding present-day life on the Red Planet, “the subsurface is absolutely going to be where the action is.”
To access the Astrobiology journal paper – “Earth-like Habitable Environments in the Subsurface of Mars” – go to:
Core module of China’s space station.
Credit: CMS/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China is expected to launch next week the critical core module of the country’s space station from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in south China’s Hainan province.
The “Tianhe-1” core module is to be lofted by a Long March-5B Y2 rocket, reportedly ready for rollout to the launch site.
China’s space station expected to be completed around 2022.
CMS/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Earlier this week, the space-tracking ship Yuanwang-5 departed from a port in east China’s Jiangsu Province for a “maritime monitoring mission” in the Pacific Ocean, according to the Xinhua news agency. That vessel, China’s third-generation space-tracking ship, has completed 73 missions at sea, including maritime tracking of the Shenzhou spacecraft, the Chang’e lunar probe and BeiDou satellites.
Cargo spacecraft
The Long March-7 Y3 launch vehicle arrived at the Wenchang Space Launch Center to launch the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft, already at the launch site, to the station.
Additionally, a Long March-2F launch vehicle and the Shenzhou-12 crew spacecraft have arrived at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province, China.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Final preparations
At both launch sites, final preparation are underway to launch the Tianhe core module, then the Tianzhou-2 cargo spacecraft, followed by the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft with a crew of three astronauts.
According to Yang Liwei, China’s first astronaut, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) is set to send a cadre of 12 astronauts into space in 2021 and 2022 to build China’s orbiting outpost.
Crew members for the four crewed flights necessary to piece together and operate the space station have been chosen and are undergoing mission training.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
The upcoming launch of the core module is a foundational element of the Chinese orbiting complex.
“After we launch the core module, we will send a cargo spacecraft to dock with it. And then we will launch the Shenzhou-12 spacecraft,” said Yang in a recent CCTV interview. “That’s why I say it is critical this year, as all the flight missions rely on our core module and it must succeed. The launch of the core module will be a milestone indeed,” Yang added.
Go to these China Central Television (CCTV) videos about the country’s space station plans:
A fascinating look at exploration of Jezero Crater is now available for your viewing pleasure.
Who is in that martian attire?
It is “Mars Guy,” none other than Arizona State University associate research professor Dr. Steve Ruff. He’s a Mars geologist with decades of experience exploring the Red Planet.
“I’ve launched a new project oriented toward public engagement that takes advantage of my expertise and experience,” Ruff tells Inside Outer Space.
Novel in-person experience
The fresh set of videos follows the exploration of Jezero crater by the Perseverance rover and Ingenuity helicopter, presenting science, engineering, and the search for life on Mars using a novel in-person experience.
These unique videos are being developed in part with collaboration from the NASA Infiniscope project.
Two newly posted videos are “Mars Guy meets the Mars helicopter” and “Mars helicopter first flight play-by-play.”
They are available at:
Incremental Demonstrations and Research Project (SSPIDR) is a series of Integrated Demonstrations and Technology Maturation efforts at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate to address space-based power collection and transmission capabilities.
Space solar power beaming is not a new concept; yet until recently, the technology did not have a clear path forward.
In conjunction with primary industry partner Northrop Grumman, AFRL established the SSPIDR project to mature technology critical to building an operational solar power transmission system for providing reliable and logistically agile power to expeditionary forces.
Go to video at:
Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Left B image taken on Sol 3092, April 18, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover at Gale Crater is now performing Sol 3093 tasks.
Curiosity is ready to begin the drilling campaign on the “Bardou” drill target on top of “Mont Mercou” reports Mark Salvatore, a planetary geologist at the University of Michigan.
Dust Removal Tool preps new drill site. Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager photo produced on Sol 3092, April 18, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
The first day of the weekend plan (Sols 3092-3093) was slated to consist of acquiring passive spectra on this new drill target as well as additional context imaging for future targeting efforts, Salvatore adds.
Curiosity was scheduled to deploy its robotic arm to maneuver the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) into position for imaging.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3092, April 18, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Environmental imaging
On the following sol, Curiosity was set to continue imaging her surroundings as well as a Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) calibration target, followed by several rounds of environmental imaging using both the rover’s Navcam and Mastcam instruments.
These environmental observations were to occur midday, in the evening, and in the early morning hours of the following sol before handing the plan over to the next planning phase.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 3092, April 18, 2021.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“Stay tuned for some additional breathtaking images from this beautiful vantage point,” Salvatore concludes, “as well as data from the next drill target on Mars!”
Perseverance rover photo of Ingenuity micro-helicopter taken by Left Mastcam-Z Camera. Image acquired on April 18, 2021 (Sol 57).
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Up, up, and away! The Ingenuity mini-helicopter is set to make the first attempt at powered flight on another planet on Monday, April 19.
The location where NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover will observe the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s attempt at powered controlled flight at Mars is called “Van Zyl Overlook.” Photo credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Operations by the helicopter team in mission control starts at 6:15 a.m. EDT (10:15 a.m. UTC) as they receive the data and find out if Ingenuity has successfully flown.
Right Mastcam-Z Camera photo acquired on April 15, 2021 (Sol 54).
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASUMeanwhile, NASA’s Perseverance rover is soaking up the scenery, relaying imagery of its landing locale, Jezero Crater.
Meanwhile, NASA’s Perseverance rover is soaking up the scenery, relaying imagery of its landing locale, Jezero Crater.
Right Mastcam-Z Camera photo acquired on April 16, 2021 (Sol 55).
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
Right Mastcam-Z Camera image acquired on April 15, 2021 (Sol 54).
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
“We are still in the process of characterizing our surroundings in both the near and far field,” says Jim Rice, a Mastcam-Z science team member at Arizona State University.
“As for the kinds of rocks we are seeing we have multiple working hypotheses of both volcanic and sedimentary rock types at this time,” Rice tells Inside Outer Space. “Jezero Crater has provided us a marvelous landscape to explore and with our team and science payload we are looking forward to unraveling the details of all the geologic events that occurred here.”
To watch the helicopter flight attempt, go to: https://youtu.be/p1KolyCqICI
