Friends of NASA (FoN) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to building international support for peaceful space exploration, commerce, scientific discovery, and STEM education.
NASA's Space to Ground: Watershed Moment | Week of July 14, 2023
NASA's Space to Ground is your weekly update on what's happening aboard the International Space Station. Note: Northrop Grumman’s 19th commercial resupply mission is launching no earlier than Tuesday, August 1, 2023.
Station Commander: Sergey Prokopyev of Roscosmos (Russia)
Roscosmos (Russia): Flight Engineers Dmitri Petelin & Andrey Fedyaev
Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi of the United Arab Emirates (UAE)
NASA: Flight Engineers Frank Rubio, Stephen Bowen, Warren Hoburg
An international partnership of space agencies provides and operates the elements of the International Space Station (ISS). The principals are the space agencies of the United States, Russia, Europe, Japan, and Canada. The ISS has been the most politically complex space exploration program ever undertaken.
Learn more about the important research being operated on Station:
A GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle (LVM3-M4) successfully launched the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, India, on July 14, 2023, at 09:05 UTC (14:35 local time). Chandrayaan-3, ISRO’s third lunar exploration mission, consists of a propulsion module, a lander and a rover.
After reaching the moon, Chandrayaan-3 is planned to land about 70.9 degrees south of the lunar equator. Chandrayaan-3 is India's effort to become the fourth country, after the United States, Russia and China, to successfully soft-land on the Moon.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft would also be the first to land at the lunar south pole, an area of special interest for space agencies and private space companies because of the presence of water ice that could support future surface activities.
A GSLV Mk-III launch vehicle (LVM3-M4) successfully launched the Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission, from the Second Launch Pad (SLP) of the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota, India, on July 14, 2023, at 09:05 UTC (14:35 local time). Chandrayaan-3, ISRO’s third lunar exploration mission, consists of a propulsion module, a lander and a rover.
After reaching the moon, Chandrayaan-3 is planned to land about 70.9 degrees south of the lunar equator. Chandrayaan-3 is India's effort to become the fourth country, after the United States, Russia and China, to successfully soft-land on the Moon.
The Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft would also be the first to land at the lunar south pole, an area of special interest for space agencies and private space companies because of the presence of water ice that could support future surface activities.
Chandrayaan-3, which means “moon vehicle” in Sanskrit, is expected to take off aboard a Launch Vehicle Mark III rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Center at Sriharikota in southern Andhra Pradesh state at 2:30 p.m. local time (5 a.m. ET) on July 14, 2023.
After reaching the Moon, the Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander is planned to touchdown about 70.9 degrees south of the lunar equator. Chandrayaan-3 is India's effort to become the fourth country, after the United States, Russia and China, to successfully soft-land on the Moon.
Image Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
Ribbons & Pearls: Spiral Galaxy NGC 1398 in Fornax | ESO
This picture shows spectacular ribbons of gas and dust wrapping around the pearly center of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1398. This galaxy is located in the constellation of Fornax (The Furnace), approximately 65 million light-years away.
Rather than beginning at the very middle of the galaxy and swirling outwards, NGC 1398’s graceful spiral arms stem from a straight bar, formed of stars, that cuts through the galaxy’s central region. Most spiral galaxies—around two thirds—are observed to have this feature, but it is not yet clear whether or how these bars affect a galaxy’s behavior and development.
This image comprises data gathered by the FOcal Reducer/low dispersion Spectrograph 2 (FORS2) instrument, mounted on the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) at Paranal Observatory, Chile. It shows NGC 1398 in striking detail, from the dark lanes of dust mottling its spiral arms, through to the pink-hued star-forming regions sprinkled throughout its outer regions.
The Toby Jug Nebula: IC 2220| Gemini South Telescope
A billowing pair of nearly symmetrical loops of dust and gas mark the death throes of an ancient red-giant star, as captured by Gemini South, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab. The resulting structure, said to resemble an old style of English jug, is a rarely seen bipolar reflection nebula. Evidence suggests that this object formed by the interactions between the dying red giant and a now-shredded companion star.
The glowing nebula IC 2220, nicknamed the Toby Jug Nebula owing to its resemblance to an old English drinking vessel, is a rare astronomical find. This reflection nebula, located about 1,200 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Carina (the keel), is a double-lobed, or bipolar, cloud of gas and dust created and illuminated by the red-giant star at its center. This end-of-life phase of red giant stars is relatively brief, and the celestial structures that form around them are rare, making the Toby Jug Nebula an excellent case study into stellar evolution.
This image showcases the Toby Jug Nebula’s magnificent, nearly symmetrical double-looped structure and glowing stellar heart. These features are unique to red giants transitioning from aging stars to planetary nebulae and therefore offer astronomers valuable insight into the evolution of low- to intermediate-mass stars nearing the end of their lives as well as the cosmic structures they form.
At the heart of the Toby Jug Nebula is its progenitor, the red-giant star HR3126. Red giants form when a star burns through its supply of hydrogen in its core. Without the outward force of fusion, the star begins to contract. This raises the core temperature and causes the star to then swell up to 400 times its original size. Though HR3126 is considerably younger than our Sun—a mere 50 million years old compared to the Sun’s 4.6 billion years—it is five times the mass. This allowed the star to burn through its hydrogen supply and become a red giant much faster than the Sun.
As HR 3126 swelled, its atmosphere expanded and it began to shed its outer layers. The expelled stellar material flowed out into the surrounding area, forming a magnificent structure of gas and dust that reflects the light from the central star. Detailed studies of the Toby Jug Nebula in infrared light have revealed that silicon dioxide (silica) is the most likely compound reflecting HR3126’s light.
Astronomers theorize that bipolar structures similar to those seen in the Toby Jug Nebula are the result of interactions between the central red giant and a binary companion star. Previous observations, however, found no such companion to HR3126. Instead, astronomers observed an extremely compact disk of material around the central star. This finding suggests that a former binary companion was possibly shredded into the disk, which may have triggered the formation of the surrounding nebula.
In about five billion years from now, when our Sun has burned through its supply of hydrogen, it too will become a red giant and eventually evolve into a planetary nebula. In the very distant future, all that will be left of our Solar System will be a nebula as vibrant as the Toby Jug Nebula with the slowly cooling Sun at its heart.
The image was processed by NOIRLab’s Communication, Education & Engagement team as part of the NOIRLab Legacy Imaging Program. The observations were made with Gemini South on Cerro Pachón in Chile using one of the dual Gemini Multi-Object Spectrographs (GMOS). Though spectrographs are designed to split light into various wavelengths for study, the GMOS spectrographs also have powerful imaging capabilities, as demonstrated by this exceptional view of the Toby Jug Nebula.
Image Credits: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Rodriguez (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab)
Moon Stance: European Astronauts Alexander Gerst & Samantha Cristoforetti
European Space Agency astronauts Alexander Gerst of Germany and Samantha Cristoforetti of Italy stand in a Norwegian fjord escorted by a waning crescent Moon. The pair is fully equipped for their first field expedition on lunar geology, as part of an intensive training week with the European Space Agency’s PANGAEA course.
Alexander and Samantha are wearing a digitally enhanced geology toolkit: a belt with a microscope, a spectrometer and a chest rig with a tablet to record their movements and document their findings. The astronauts also carry a rock hammer, a magnifying lens, sampling bags, a magnet and cue cards to help them identify rocks for science.
The duo was about to embark on a hunt to locate rare Earth rocks similar to those found in the heavily cratered highlands of the Moon—anorthosites. These rocks are billions of years old and originated from deep within the Earth. Anorthosites have been carved by Arctic glaciers in the mountains surrounding the small fishing village of Nusfjord.
Top European planetary scientists follow the astronauts closely to fill any knowledge gaps the might have about lunar science. The trainees have gained an extensive set of geological knowledge and skills, and are trained to work with scientists and explore autonomously as if they were exploring the surface of the Moon.
Alexander and Samantha are also supported by a series of tools and an app, a sort of ‘space tablet’ called the Electronic Field Book that helps them identify and record minerals and rocks, interact with a remote science team and collect the promising samples.
The digital tool is tested in each PANGAEA edition to support lunar exploration with future NASA Artemis missions in mind.
The Spanish Dancer Galaxy: NGC 1566 Twirls into View | NOIRLab
CosmoView 42: This image, taken by astronomers using the U.S. Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, captures the galaxy NGC 1566 as it twirls, flinging its arms through the vastness of space. Colloquially nicknamed the Spanish Dancer, this spiral galaxy is often studied by astronomers learning about galaxy groups, stars of different ages, and galactic black holes.
Distance: 20 million light years
Video Credits: Dark Energy Survey
DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)
Zooming to The Spanish Dancer Galaxy: NGC 1566 | NOIRLab
This video zooms into the galaxy NGC 1566. The galaxy twirls into view from the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab in Chile. Colloquially nicknamed the Spanish Dancer, spiral galaxy NGC 1566 is often studied by astronomers learning about galaxy groups, stars of different ages, and galactic black holes.
Distance: 20 million light years
Video Credits: Dark Energy Survey
DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)
The Spanish Dancer Galaxy: NGC 1566 | Victor Blanco Telescope in Chile
This image, taken by astronomers using the U.S. Department of Energy-fabricated Dark Energy Camera on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of the National Science Foundation’s NOIRLab, captures the galaxy NGC 1566 as it twirls, flinging its arms through the vastness of space. Colloquially nicknamed the Spanish Dancer, this spiral galaxy is often studied by astronomers learning about galaxy groups, stars of different ages, and galactic black holes.
Distance:20 million light years
Image Credits: Dark Energy Survey DOE/FNAL/DECam/CTIO/NOIRLab/NSF/Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA)
Image Processing: T.A. Rector (University of Alaska Anchorage/NSF’s NOIRLab), J. Miller (Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab), M. Zamani & D. de Martin (NSF’s NOIRLab)
China Unveils Initial Plans for Crewed Moon Landing | CCTV
China plans to land its taikonauts on the moon before 2030 to carry out scientific exploration, according to a preliminary plan released by the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Wednesday, July 12, 2023, at the 9th China (International) Commercial Aerospace Forum in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, central China.
The plan is to launch two carrier rockets to send a lunar lander and a crewed spacecraft to a lunar orbit, respectively. The craft and lunar lander will rendezvous and dock with each other, and then taikonauts will enter the lander.
As the lunar lander descends and arrives at the preset area on the lunar surface, taikonauts will carry out scientific tasks and collect samples.
After completing the planned tasks, taikonauts will return to the lander, which will lift them back to the lunar orbit to dock with their spacecraft.
In the final step, the spacecraft will fly taikonauts back to Earth with lunar samples.
Chinese researchers are working on the development of the Long March-10 carrier rocket, a new generation of crewed spacecraft, lunar lander, lunar landing spacesuit, crewed lunar rover, and other equipment, explained Zhang Hailian, deputy chief designer at this space industry forum.
The new carrier rocket will have three and a half stages with a carrying capacity of about 27 tonnes to the lunar transfer orbit, and the rocket body is five meters in diameter.
The new generation of manned spacecraft has three parts—an escape tower, a re-entry capsule, and a service capsule, Zhang said, adding that the new spaceship will employ module designs that can satisfy the needs of both near-Earth and deep-space explorations.
The lunar landing spacecraft will consist of two parts—a landing section and a propulsion section, and can send two taikonauts to the lunar surface at the same time.
The lunar rover will weigh 200 kg and can accommodate two taikonauts.
In addition, the spacesuit being developed for the moon landing, with a single working time of no less than eight hours, will feature better mobilities to help taikonauts walk, climb, squat, drive, and operate machines.
Zhang said China would also explore the construction of a lunar scientific research station and carry out systematic and long-term lunar exploration and related technical tests and verification.
Unfolding the Universe: The James Webb Space Telescope
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is unfolding the universe, and revealing sights humanity has never seen before. In this video, astronomers describe working with the telescope and how the images and data are collected. From first images to routine operations: experts at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, MD explain how the images are processed, and turned from raw data to the spectacular full-color images seen on the internet.
China Successfully Launches First Methane-powered Rocket to Earth Orbit | CGTN
China's ZhuQue-2 has become the world's first rocket using methalox as a propellant to fly to orbit, marking a major breakthrough in the cutting-edge technology dominated U.S. companies like SpaceX. The 49.5-meter-long Zhuque-2 lifted off from Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 9:00 p.m. Eastern time on July 11, 2023. The Zhuque-2 mission carried no payload and the rocket’s first stage was not recovered.
A methane-liquid oxygen propellant mix offers advantages in performance and reduces issues of soot formation and coking for purposes of reusability.
Zhuque-2 surpassed a range of other methalox rockets, including SpaceX’s Starship, the ULA Vulcan, Blue Origin’s New Glenn, Rocket Lab’s Neutron and Terran R from Relativity Space, in reaching orbit. However, these other launch vehicles will be much larger and offer greater payload capacity.
This successful launch also makes Landspace the second private Chinese launch firm to reach orbit with a liquid propellant rocket. It follows the success of Space Pioneer with its Tianlong-2 rocket in April 2023.
CGTN's Zheng Yibing provides details at the launch site.
Meet the Mars Samples: Robine and Malay (Samples 6 & 7) | NASA/JPL
Meet two of the Martian samples that have been collected and are awaiting return to Earth as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign. As of late June 2023, NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has collected and sealed 20 scientifically selected samples inside pristine tubes. The next stage is to get them back for study.
Considered one of the highest priorities by the scientists in the Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey 2023-2032, Mars Sample Return would be the first mission to return samples from another planet and provides the best opportunity to reveal the early evolution of Mars, including the potential for ancient life. NASA is teaming with the European Space Agency (ESA) on this important endeavor.
Learn more about Samples No. 6 and 7—“Robine” and “Malay”—a pair of rock cores collected by Perseverance from the “Issole” outcrop in Jezero Crater. When the rover used its drill’s abrasion bit to grind away the surface of “Issole,” its cameras spotted an intriguing sulfate crystal resembling the shape of a polar bear. Mineral types within this target rock are known by scientists on Earth to be capable of preserving signs of ancient life.
A key objective for Perseverance's mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, as well as be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).
Mission Name: Mars 2020
Rover Name: Perseverance
Main Job: Seek signs of ancient life and collect samples of rock and regolith (broken rock and soil) for possible return to Earth.
NASA's "Espacio a Tierra" | A la mitad: 7 de julio de 2023
Espacio a Tierra, la versión en español de las cápsulas Space to Ground de la NASA, te informa semanalmente de lo que está sucediendo en la Estación Espacial Internacional.
Where does space begin? Well, it depends. There is no sharp boundary that marks the end of the atmosphere and the beginning of space. However, no matter where you draw the line in the sand—or the air—Earth’s atmosphere is full of all kinds of interesting aspects. This is why scientists like Doug Rowland are studying our atmosphere's many layers.
.jpg)
