Archive for the ‘Space News’ Category
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December 24th, 2020
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Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now performing Sol 2981 tasks.
“We made it,” reports Abigail Fraeman, a planetary geologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “After a quick jaunt across the rrubbly’ unit, Curiosity has reached the ‘Sands of Forvie’ in time for the holidays.”
Dunes! Curiosity Mast Camera Left imagery taken on Sol 2979, December 23, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
This sand sheet is approximately 1,312 feet (400 meters) across and a kilometer wide. “The views looking out over it are spectacularly scenic,” Fraeman adds.
Last Monday, Mars researchers made a mega, 10-sol plan to cover the holiday period, and the drive that took Curiosity to the edge of the sand sheet was in the first sol of that plan.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image acquired on Sol 2980, December 23, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
A plan of three more sols will happen at the end of that mega-plan.
“In other words,” Fraeman notes, “the activities we planned today won’t execute on Mars until next Earth calendar year!”
Wheel scuff
The star of the recently scripted three sol plan is a scuff where the rover’s wheel will be used to cut across one of the large ripples in the Sands of Forvie and allow scientists to observe its interior structure.
Also in the plan is collecting Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) observations of two sand targets named “Corryhabbie Hill” and “Mill Loch,” and a small rock named “Fethaland.”
Researchers will additionally acquire Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) and Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) data on a ripple crest at a target named “Braewick Beach” and a different small rock in the workspace named “Ronas Hill.”
Curiosity Mast Camera Left image taken on Sol 2979, December 23, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
These observations will be complemented by several Mastcam and Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) mosaics of the area, including a 360˚ Mastcam mosaic. Observations to monitor the environment and change detection images are also sprinkled throughout the plan, Fraeman points out.
Looking back on 2020
“As 2020 comes to a close, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on everything Curiosity has accomplished this (Earth) year. In March, we climbed the Greenheugh pediment, setting mission records for steepest contact science (26.9˚) and steepest climb (32˚) along the way,” Fraeman reports. “We also set a mission record for largest elevation change on our way back when we descended 11 meters in a single drive, which project scientist Ashwin Vasavada pointed out to me is the height of a three-story building!”
Curiosity took this selfie at a site nicknamed “Mary Anning” where the robot snagged three samples of drilled rock on its way out of the Glen Torridon region, which scientists believe preserves an ancient habitable environment.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
2020 also saw drilling and analyzing six samples of Martian rock, ranking 2020 with 2016 as “Earth year where Curiosity drilled the most.”
Over the summer, scientists performed special wet chemistry experiments on two of those drilled samples, including the first use of tetramethylammonium hydroxide (TMAH), to better understand their composition.
“Finally, we completed collection of our fourth full meteorological record of Mars when we celebrated our fourth Martian year on the surface,” Fraeman says. “The science team has been working remotely for years, but Curiosity’s engineering team at JPL went fully remote starting in March. I am truly astonished by how much we’ve accomplished operating the rover from our dining room tables and makeshift home offices over the last 41 weeks, and I am so proud of this team.”
“Wishing health and happiness to everyone in this holiday season,” Fraeman concludes, “and we’ll see you again in 2021!”
Curiosity rover approaching the “Sands of Forvie” sand sheet that looms just off in the distance of the image. Photo taken by Left Navigation Camera on Sol 2977, December 20, 2020
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has just begun Sol 2980 operations.
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 2979, December 23, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Reports Michelle Minitti, a planetary geologist at Framework in Silver Spring, Maryland, a newly devised plan covers the ten sols that span the holidays here on Earth, “enabling Curiosity to keep exploring Gale crater while the scientists and engineers that guide her every move get a well-deserved break.”
Most of those sols contain only Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) weather and Radiation Assessment Detector (RAD) monitoring activities, as these regular measurements are easy to plan and relatively low risk to the robot operating for many sols without the team checking in regularly.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo taken on Sol 2979, December 23, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Drive to the edge
“Three of the sols of the holiday contain more extensive activities, including a drive to the edge of the ‘Sands of Forvie’ sand sheet that Curiosity will study more extensively to start the new year,” Minitti explains. “So while the sand and ripples that cap the Sands of Forvie evoke a beach vacation, the holiday will not be all relaxation for Curiosity. At least she will have a lovely view.”
The first sol of the plan starts with surveying the bedrock and sand in the rover workspace with both Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) and Mastcam.
Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Left B image acquired on Sol 2979, December 23, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
ChemCam will shoot representative bedrock at “Buness,” bedrock and a prominent white vein at “Aithsting,” and a small sand ripple among the bedrock blocks at “Trodra.”
“These analyses will help us keep track of how rock and sand chemistry change as we approach the ‘Sands of Forvie’ sand sheet that looms just off in the distance,” Minitti adds.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo taken on Sol 2979, December 23, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Bedrock features
Mastcam will acquire a large mosaic covering the blocks around the rover to get a detailed look at the structures and alteration features in the bedrock, in addition to imaging two other bedrock blocks, “Quothquan” and “Elishader,” that each exhibit interesting textures.
ChemCam then turns its eyes upward to acquire a long distance Remote Micro-Imager RMI) mosaic of sulfate-bearing layers found within the portion of Mount Sharp that makes up the next major phase of Curiosity’s exploration.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera photo taken on Sol 2979, December 23, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Wind-induced changes
“Next, Curiosity will drive toward the Sands of Forvie, where she will spend the majority of the holiday. ChemCam will acquire two autonomously-targeted rasters off to the starboard side of the rover,” Minitti adds.
The robot’s Mastcam and Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) will watch for wind-induced changes in the sand around and under the rover, respectively.
Curiosity’s Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) experiment will search for hydrogen in the subsurface under the rover in active mode right after the drive and in passive mode later during its beach stay.
Clouds overhead
The rest of the observations Curiosity acquires will be pointed skyward.
Both early morning and near midday, Navcam and Mastcam will measure the amount of dust in the atmosphere, and Navcam will shoot dust devil movies.
Early and mid-morning, Navcam will acquire movies to look for clouds overhead. ChemCam will collect a passive spectral observation of the atmosphere, and the Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) will analyze atmospheric argon, Minitti concludes.
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now performing Sol 2978 tasks.
Curiosity’s Location as of Sol 2972. Distance Driven 14.78 miles (23.78 kilometers)
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 2977, December 20, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 2977, December 20, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 2977, December 20, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Right B photo taken on Sol 2976, December 20, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 2977, December 20, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Curiosity Chemistry & Camera Remote Micro-Imager photo acquired on Sol 2977, December 20, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL
Curiosity Chemistry & Camera Remote Micro-Imager photo taken on Sol 2976, December 19, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL
Newly relayed imagery shows the robot’s sandy and rocky surroundings:
“Tourist” photograph of Apollo 17’s Jack Schmitt taken by Gene Cernan prior to beginning exploration during EVA-3.
Credit: NASA
Apollo 17 moonwalker, Harrison Schmitt’s new Chapter 12 is now online.
“Pages of History” constitutes the seventh installment of “Apollo 17: Diary of the Twelfth Man” – with other chapters to follow.
This captivating section chronicles EVA-3, the continuation of the exploration of the lunar surface at Taurus-Littrow on the third day after landing back in December 1972.
View of the Rover from Challenger’s LMP window prior to the beginning of EVA-3 showing its equipment and the repaired fender. Credit: NASA
Co-editor of this diary, Ronald Wells explains that added features to this chapter include the ability to download some photos in a window separate from the text at higher resolution which will cover most of the browser screen, and can also be enlarged for further examination by clicking areas of the image.
Evidence of events
“Apollo 17’s third and final day of exploration can be interpreted to have provided evidence of events occurring within a few tens of millions of years of the birth of the Moon and its parent Solar System, as well as documentation on four of the major, basin-forming impacts that occurred within the first billion years of Solar System history,” Schmitt explains.
Part of Taurus-Littrow Valley seen from Station 8. Credit: NASA
The chapter ends with the return to the lunar module and a close-out of EVA-3, Schmitt adds, “so far the most recent in history, which includes my Olympic record-breaking hammer throw!”
To access this unique diary, go to:
Technicians extract the lunar sample container from the return capsule.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Fresh from the Moon via China’s Chang’e-5 mission about 3.8 pounds (1,731 grams) of lunar samples have been transferred to the National Astronomical Observatory under the Chinese Academy of Science on Saturday in Beijing.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
The container loaded with the specimens was carefully extracted from the recovered return capsule, and then escorted to the National Astronomical Observatory for opening.
Credit: CCTV
Credit: XinhuaVideo/Inside Outer Space screengrab
The samples are sealed in the nearly vacuum lunar environment. They will be unsealed under vacuum condition in China’s first lunar sample laboratory at the National Astronomical Observatory.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Hou Jianguo, President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, addressed a special ceremony, handing over the collectibles to researchers charged with storage, analysis and sample research.
Difficult space mission
The return capsule of Chang’e-5 mission parachuted into north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in the early hours of Thursday.
The 8.2 metric ton Chang’e-5 comprised an orbiter, a lander, an ascender and a returner.
The sample return mission was launched on November 24 by a Long March 5 heavy-lift carrier rocket at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China’s Hainan province, setting out on China’s most complex space mission and a first to retrieve lunar samples since 1976.
Photo taking during surface sampling.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
The lander-ascender combination touched down on the north of the Mons Rümker in Oceanus Procellarum, also known as the Ocean of Storms, on the near side of the Moon on December 1st.
The Moon sampling operation was completed on December 2, spanning about 19 hours. Regolith and rock were packed into a vacuum container inside the ascender which blasted off the Moon on December 3, later linking up with the orbiter/returner vehicles and transferring the lunar samples into the reentry capsule.
Fresh samples from the Moon delivered by China’s Chang’e-5 return capsule.
Credit: Xinhua News Video/Inside Outer Space screengrab
The orbiter/returner made two orbital maneuvers after traveling in a near-circular lunar orbit for nearly six days. After the maneuvers, the pair entered a Moon-Earth transfer trajectory on Sunday and began to fly back toward Earth.
Return to Earth
The orbiter/returner separated from each other early on Thursday morning. The reentry capsule with its precious cache of lunar specimens touched down at a preset landing site in Siziwang Banner of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region. It was then airlifted to Beijing, where scientific personnel successfully removed the lunar sample container after related processing work.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
“We have delivered the lunar samples to the research units, hoping they can achieve more results. This is a very important moment for us. We anticipate that with the lunar samples, we can take more resolute steps in building China into a major power in space exploration,” said Hu Hao, chief designer of the third phase of China’s lunar exploration program.
Li Chunlai, deputy chief designer of the third phase of China’s lunar exploration program said that “our ground-based research team will start the work on the storage, preparation and processing of the samples for further research. Lunar samples study is long-term, systemic work, and so there will be more scientific results achieved along the way.”
Go to these newly issued videos that show the lunar sample container and the transfer of the Moon specimens from China National Space Administration (CNSA) to the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) for research.
Credit: Larry Kuznetz
You could call him the Coronavirus spaceman.
Larry Kuznetz is on a mission. A recently formed startup is called Planetary ProTech and has two key goals: Develop a unique spacesuit for Mars explorers by 2025 and a “Q-suit” for Earth by 2021.
A 50-year veteran of the space program, Kuznetz was a flight controller during Apollo, worked on the space shuttle program, and was a life science experiment manager for the International Space Station. He is an inventor, entrepreneur and currently teaches Mars spacesuit design at UC Berkeley.
MarsSuit Project.
Credit: Larry Kuznetz
Photo of the Q-suit being tested in Japan, replete with barrier to entry/barrier to exit design, as well as face to face exposure elimination, super filters and other MarsSuit attributes.
Credit: Larry Kuznetz
Alien environment
“The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed our vulnerability to pathogens as small as 1.5 microns. Imagine then the chaos that might ensue from even smaller pathogens being inadvertently returned from the alien environment of space,” Kuznetz told Inside Outer Space. “Precautions must be taken now before serious planetary exploration begins. And they must be embodied in space suits of the future starting with Mars.”
What Mars has to do with Coronavirus is quite a bit, Kuznetz contends.
First of all, the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) is an international group that’s responsible for planetary protection, both forward and backwards.
“Forward means if you send a spacecraft to another planet, like Mars for example, you’re required to try and prevent the dissemination and spread of earthborn contaminants for both ethical and scientific reasons, Kuznetz explains. “For the former, do not do to other worlds what we’ve done to planet Earth. And for the latter, don’t deposit human effluent in the biosphere of that other world…because if you’re looking for life you’ll find it. And it’ll be you not aliens,” he adds.
Digging in…on Mars.
Credit: NASA Langley Advanced Concepts Lab/Analytical Mechanics Associates
What lurks on Mars?
As for backward contamination, it’s forward in reverse and that’s where Cronavirus comes in.
On the Red Planet, nobody knows what lurks in the canyons of Candor Chasma or the valleys of Valles Marineris.
“But if it’s anything like Coronavirus you better not bring it back home. And that is what led to the MarsSuit project, a university/public/government/industry Hypernet using web resources to hypercharge the development of a radically different spacesuit for Mars,” says Kuznetz.
There are many reasons why the MarsSuit has to be different from all others before it: 38% gravity on Mars makes all prior spacesuits far too heavy; the carbon dioxide-laden atmosphere, as light as it is, would render current life-support systems functionless, Kuznetz adds.
Then there’s the dust and the cold that would foul many of the mechanical systems. And most relevant, Kuznetz points out that present suit designs are a magnet for dust and all creatures in it, big and small, a clear violation of backward contamination rules.
Credit: Larry Kuznetz/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Preliminary design
“After decades of thinking about this and vetting it through hundreds of students, engineers, professionals, and the interested public, we’ve got a preliminary design for this MarsSuit,” Kuznetz says.
This by the way, Kuznetz observes, is not the first suit designed to protect us against pathogens carried back from another planet. A biological isolation garment (BIG) was created during project Apollo to shield humans from potential “moon bugs” toted back by early Apollo crewmembers.
It’s all about space technology brought back to Earth, Kuznetz notes.
“It is not a big stretch to imagine some of these elements migrating into Coronavirus-fighting Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to allay the fears of frontline medical personnel. Most of my time these days is spent advancing the design of such a suit. This includes materials, testing, cost effectiveness, ease of manufacturing and a host of other considerations,” Kuznetz says.
On Earth recovery, Apollo 11 crew donned Biological Isolation Garments to protect Earth from possible Moon bugs.
Credit: NASA
“I can’t reveal more as it is proprietary,” Kuznetz makes clear, “but rest assured it will look nothing like a BIG suit. At the moment, things are looking good and we are optimistic. Hopefully, this MarSuit derivative will soon take the forefront against Covid-19 and its insidious relatives waiting in the rafters. We are now actively soliciting partnerships either inside or outside the aerospace industry to produce the Q-suit in quantity, including manufacturers of PPE and hazmat suits,” he concludes.
For website references, MarsSuit development resources can be found on twitter under ME 292 and on YouTube at:
A video demo link is available at:
Press briefing featured China space officials.
Credit: XinhuaVideo/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China space planners are outlining future space exploration goals, bolstered by the success of their Chang’e-5 lunar sample return mission.
Credit: XinhuaVideo/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program, said the country plans to build a prototype for a scientific research station at the south pole of the Moon by 2030.
Moon missions
In a China Daily report, Wu Yanhua, deputy head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said Chang’e-6 will collect samples from the Moon’s south pole or possibly sample the farside of the Moon.
Queqiao relay spacecraft is in a halo orbit around the second Lagrangian (L2) point of the Earth-Moon system, utilized to set up a communication link between the Earth and the Moon’s farside.
Credit: CNSA
The Chang’e-6 farside destination will depend on a still-functioning Queqiao relay satellite, Wu said, now in use to support the Chang’e-4 lander/Yutu-2 rover that continues to explore the farside of the Moon since January 2019. Queqiao, was stationed in a halo orbit near the Earth-Moon L2 point in June 2018 to enable communications between the Chang’e-4 mission on the lunar farside and the Earth.
At a Chinese Foreign Ministry press briefing that focused on the success of the Chang’e-5 lunar sample mission, Wu also noted that the Chang’e-7 and Chang’e-8 missions will investigate the technological viability of international cooperation to establish a robotic scientific research outpost on the Moon in the coming 15 years.
China’s space station scheduled to be operational in 2020’s.
Photo credit: CMSA
Space Station
As to whether China will undertake manned lunar missions, Wu said the decision will be made after the nation puts its crewed space station into service, which is scheduled to take place in 2022.
Credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Wu also stated at the December 17 press event that 2021-2022 will be extremely busy, according to China’s Xinhua news service.
Wu said a total of 11 missions are planned to put in place China’s space station, including the construction of the core module that is set to be launched in the first half of next year, two lab capsules, as well as four piloted craft and four cargo craft.
Go to these recently released videos:
— We plan to build a prototype for a scientific research station at the South Pole of the moon by 2030, says the chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program.
— What are China’s plans for future space exploration?
— Press briefing on China’s Chang’e-5 lunar mission
Sol 2972 Distance Driven 14.78 miles (23.78 kilometers)
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now performing Sol 2975 tasks.
After two busy sols of science, the rover will continue to drive even further into the rubbly terrain on her way to a large sand sheet just south of its current location (seen in the background of this Navcam left image taken on Sol 2972, December 15, 2020.)
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“With the successful completion of Monday’s drive, Curiosity has entered a new geologic unit that is characterized by a particularly rubbly surface texture,” reports Mariah Baker, a planetary geologist at the Center for Earth & Planetary Studies, Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum.
“From orbit, this distinct geomorphology is also accompanied by a unique spectral signature, which piqued the team’s interest and motivated a short contact science stop within this unit,” Baker adds. “The ground truth data acquired during this stop will be crucial in determining why the rocks here look so different from others we have encountered along the traverse.”
Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Left B image taken on Sol 2974, December 18, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Science blocks
A recent plan called for two hefty 2-hour-long science blocks and no drive, which allowed scientists to collect double the data at this unusual stop before the rover drives away.
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera photo acquired on Sol 2974, December 17, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Full contact science with the rover’s Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer (APXS) and Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) was planned for a pair of targets, “Cod Baa” and “Carn Mor” (with a bonus MAHLI observation on “An Dun”), and the dual science blocks were filled to the brim with remote science activities.
Chemistry and Camera Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) measurements and Mastcam documentation images were to be acquired on bedrock targets “Cod Baa,” “Northmavine,” and “St Abbs,” as well as soil target “Houster.”
Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager photo produced on Sol 2974, December 17, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Rock surfaces, sand ripples
Four Mastcam mosaics will provide extended coverage of nearby rock surfaces and sand ripples, and two long distance ChemCam Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) observations allow a closer look at distant rock outcrops, Baker explains.
“Two Mastcam multispectral observations will also provide additional data on the rubbly surface around the rover,” Baker adds.
“Along with acquiring data on the local geology, the team also planned a large set of observations aimed at studying current environmental conditions.”
Curiosity Chemistry & Camera Remote Micro-Imager (RMI) photo taken on Sol 2974, December 17, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL
Busy sols of science
The first science block planned called for Navcam zenith and suprahorizon movies, a Mastcam tau image to measure atmospheric dust levels, and a Navcam image of the rover deck to monitor wind.
The second science block was slated to include two Navcam line-of-sight observations, a Navcam dust devil survey, and a Mastcam image of the crater rim, all of which will help assess ongoing dust activity.
“After two busy sols of science, the rover will continue to drive even further into the rubbly terrain on her way to a large sand sheet just south of our current location,” Baker concludes.
Curiosity Left Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 2970. The ground under the robot’s wheels now has small pebbles and is generally smooth. But right ahead of the rover is a different unit with much larger blocks of rock that has a distinct “rubbly” texture in images from orbit.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover is now performing Sol 2974 tasks.
The robot is currently sitting at the edge of two geologic units, and a newly formed plan was focused on helping find that boundary and begin to determine the differences between them, reports Scott Guzewich, an atmospheric scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
According to the plan, after a quick touch-and-go on one of the pebbles nearby (“Torness”), the rover’s Mastcam will take a large stereo mosaic of the boundary between these two geologic units and its Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) device will target three nearby rocks for Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) analysis.
Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager photo produced on Sol 2972, December 15, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Left B image taken on Sol 2973, December 16, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Sand sheet
“Then we’ll perform a short drive — a “bump” in rover-speak — onto this rubbly unit where we’ll plan more contact science in Wednesday’s plan,” Guzewich adds.
Meanwhile, farther ahead is a large sand sheet that Curiosity will investigate after the New Year.
Environmental researchers are keeping an eye on dust devil activity over the sand sheet with two Navcam dust devil searches, Guzewich concludes.
Curiosity Front Hazard Avoidance Camera Right B photo acquired on Sol 2972, December 15, 2020.
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
