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Metal Scar Found on Cannibal Star WD 0816-310 | European Southern Observatory
Using European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have found a metal ‘scar’ imprinted on the surface of a dead star. This video summarizes the discovery.
When a star like our Sun reaches the end of its life, it can ingest the surrounding planets and asteroids that were born with it. This seems to be the case of the white dwarf WD 0816-310, the Earth-sized remnant of a star similar to, but somewhat larger than, our Sun.
The scar the team observed is a concentration of metals imprinted on its surface. These metals seem to originate from a planetary fragment as large as or possibly larger than Vesta, which is about 500 kilometers across and the second-largest asteroid in the Solar System.
Metal Scar Found on Cannibal Star WD 0816-310 | European Southern Observatory
Using European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have found a metal ‘scar’ imprinted on the surface of a dead star. This video summarizes the discovery.
When a star like our Sun reaches the end of its life, it can ingest the surrounding planets and asteroids that were born with it. This seems to be the case of the white dwarf WD 0816-310, the Earth-sized remnant of a star similar to, but somewhat larger than, our Sun.
The scar the team observed is a concentration of metals imprinted on its surface. These metals seem to originate from a planetary fragment as large as or possibly larger than Vesta, which is about 500 kilometers across and the second-largest asteroid in the Solar System.
Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus Moon Lander Location Found | NASA LRO
NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft, orbiting the Moon since 2009, has imaged Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus (Odie) Nova-C lunar lander (the IM-1 mission) near crater Malapert A in the South Pole region of the Moon.
On February 22, 2024, the IM-1 Mission Nova-C Moon Lander, named "Odysseus," became the first American spacecraft to land on the Moon’s surface since the NASA Apollo 17 moon landing in 1972.
NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative allows NASA to send science investigations and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface. Under Artemis, NASA will study more of the Moon than ever before, and CLPS will demonstrate how NASA is working with commercial companies to achieve robotic lunar exploration.
Celestial 'Fossils': Globular Cluster NGC 1841 in Mensa | Hubble
This densely populated group of stars is the globular cluster known as NGC 1841. It is found within the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy to our Milky Way galaxy that lies about 162,000 light-years away. Satellite galaxies are galaxies that are bound by gravity in orbits around a more massive host galaxy. We typically think of our galaxy’s nearest galactic companion as being the Andromeda Galaxy, but it would be more accurate to say that Andromeda is the nearest galaxy that is not in orbit around the Milky Way galaxy. In fact, our galaxy is orbited by tens of known satellite galaxies that are far closer than Andromeda, the largest and brightest of these is the LMC. It is easily visible to the naked eye from the southern hemisphere (although this is decreasingly the case due to light pollution).
The LMC is home to many globular clusters. These celestial bodies fall somewhere between open clusters—much less dense and tightly bound—and small, compact galaxies. Increasingly sophisticated observations have revealed the stellar populations, and other characteristics of globular clusters, to be varied and complex. It is not well understood how these tightly-packed clusters form. However, there are certain consistencies across all globular clusters. They are very stable and are capable of lasting a long time. Thus, they can be very old. This means that globular clusters often contain large numbers of very old stars. This makes them akin to celestial ‘fossils’. Just as fossils provide insight into the early development of life on Earth, globular clusters such as NGC 1841 can help us learn about very early star formation in galaxies.
Image Description: A cluster of stars. Most of the stars are very small and uniform in size. They are bluish and cluster more densely together towards the center of the image. A number appear larger in the foreground. The stars give way to a dark background at the corners.
Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA, A. Sarajedini, F. Niederhofer
NOAA GOES-U Weather Satellite Arrives at NASA's Kennedy Space Center
On January 23, 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-U satellite arrived in Florida to prepare for its upcoming launch. GOES-U is the final satellite in the GOES-R Series, the Western Hemisphere’s most advanced weather-observing and environmental monitoring system.
GOES-U is in its final stage of preparations before liftoff. NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than April 30, 2024, for the launch of GOES-U on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Video Credits: NOAA, NASA, CIRA
Additional GOES-U footage courtesy of Lockheed Martin
How to Ship a Spacecraft: NOAA GOES-U Weather Satellite | Lockheed Martin
Have you ever wondered how Lockheed Martin ships a spacecraft? We had to move GOES-U from the Lockheed Martin facility in Colorado to its launch site in Florida. 🚀 The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) GOES-U, the fourth and final satellite in the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) – R Series, the Western Hemisphere’s most advanced weather-observing and environmental monitoring system, is entering the final stage of preparations before liftoff. NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than April 30, 2024, for the launch of GOES-U on a Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
This Week's Stargazing: See Jupiter's Great Red Spot (Feb. 26-March 3, 2024) | BBC
Learn how to see Jupiter's Great Red Spot pass across the face of the planet in this week's stargazing podcast, Star Diary February 26 to March 3, 2024 for the Northern Hemisphere.
NASA RS-25 Moon Rocket Engine Nozzle Remove & Replace| Stennis Space Center
In early February 2024, teams at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, completed an RS-25 nozzle remove-and-replace procedure as part of an ongoing hot fire series on the Fred Haise Test Stand. Using a specially adapted process and tools, team installed a new production nozzle for the second half of an ongoing 12-test series. NASA is completing a second hot fire series to certify production of new RS-25 engines by lead engines contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne for future Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.
Artemis II Rocket Boosters: NASA “Worm” Logo Added | Kennedy Space Center
Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida completed painting the NASA “worm” logotype onto the booster motor segments that will form the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s twin solid rocket boosters for Artemis II, the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis campaign. Crews began painting the logo Jan. 22, 2024, and completed the painting and priming process Feb. 16, 2024.
When fully stacked, the SLS boosters stand 17 stories tall and are the largest, most powerful solid propellant boosters ever flown, providing more than 75% of the thrust at liftoff. Spanning 25 feet end to end—or roughly the length of one booster motor segment—the red logotype will be clearly visible on either side of the mega rocket’s boosters during launch and flight.
Artemis II will be NASA’s first crewed flight test of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft around the Moon to verify today’s capabilities for humans to explore deep space and pave the way for long-term exploration and science on the lunar surface.
Parabolic Flights: How NASA Uses Airplanes for Research
What is a parabolic flight? And why are researchers eager to take a ride? NASA Life Sciences Project Scientist Dr. Gioia Massa talks about the research platform that simulates microgravity.
What’s Behind This Door? NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Lab | Johnson Space Center
This episode of "What's Behind this Door?" features the Neutral Buoyancy Lab (NBL). It showcases how the facility is used for International Space Station spacewalks and training, the important role of the dive teams, and how the facility will be used to prepare for the Artemis Program. In 1966, NASA began to use neutral buoyancy as a tool for spacewalk training, a method astronauts still rely on today.
As you drive by buildings at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC), did you ever stop to wonder what's behind some of the doors? We did too, so we created the "What's Behind this Door?" series. These will be 2- 3-minute video series targeted for both JSC employees and social media audiences. The series gives a behind-the-scenes look and explores behind different doors and facilities at NASA's Johnson Space Center.
The Moon's Schomberger Crater | Intuitive Machines' Odysseus Lunar Lander
On February 22, 2024, Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lunar lander captured a wide field of view image of Schomberger Crater on the Moon "approximately 125 miles (200 km) uprange from its intended landing site, at approximately about 6 miles (10 km) altitude." Schomberger is a prominent lunar impact crater that lies in the southern part of the Moon, in the area near the limb.
On Feb. 22, 2024, the IM-1 Mission Nova-C Moon Lander, named "Odysseus," became the first American spacecraft to land on the Moon’s surface since the NASA Apollo 17 moon landing in 1972. It appears that the lander is in a horizontal orientation instead of a vertical one and that communication with the lander remains an issue. Intuitive Machines hopes to provide post-landing pictures and an update on the spacecraft's operational capabilities and status over the next several days.
China's Chang'e 3 Mission, the first Chinese landing on the Moon in 2013, was the first spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976.
In 2023, after the Chandrayaan-3 Lander successfully soft-landed on the Moon, India became the fourth country, after the United States, Russia and China, to accomplish this.
NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative allows NASA to send science investigations and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface. Under Artemis, NASA will study more of the Moon than ever before, and CLPS will demonstrate how NASA is working with commercial companies to achieve robotic lunar exploration.
A Commercial U.S. Lander Arrives on The Moon | This Week @NASA
Week of February 23, 2024: A commercial United States lander arrives on the Moon, discussing science on the International Space Station, and preparing for the next space station crew rotation mission . . . a few of the stories to tell you about—This Week at NASA!
On February 22, 2024, the IM-1 Mission Nova-C Moon Lander, named "Odysseus," became the first American spacecraft to land on the Moon’s surface since the NASA Apollo 17 moon landing in 1972. It appears that the lander is in a horizontal orientation instead of a vertical one and that constant and reliable communications with the lander remains an issue. Over the weekend, Intuitive Machines hopes to provide the first pictures and an update on the spacecraft's operational capabilities and status.
China's Chang'e 3 Mission, the first Chinese landing on the Moon in 2013, was the first spacecraft to soft-land on the Moon since the Soviet Union's Luna 24 in 1976.
In 2023, after the Chandrayaan-3 Lander successfully soft-landed on the Moon, India became the fourth country, after the United States, Russia and China, to accomplish this.
NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative allows NASA to send science investigations and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface. Under Artemis, NASA will study more of the Moon than ever before, and CLPS will demonstrate how NASA is working with commercial companies to achieve robotic lunar exploration.
China Names Its Crewed Moon Exploration Vehicles Mengzhou & Lanyue
The China Manned Space Engineering Office (CMSEO) on Feb. 24, 2024, unveiled the official names of the new vehicles for its future crewed lunar exploration missions. After an open solicitation and selection, the new-generation crewed spacecraft and the lunar lander for the missions were named Mengzhou and Lanyue, respectively.
According to an earlier report, China plans to land its astronauts on the moon before 2030. The plan is to launch two carrier rockets to send a lunar lander and a manned spacecraft, respectively, to a lunar orbit. The craft and the lunar lander will rendezvous and dock with each other, and then astronauts will enter the lander.
The names of the new vehicles were solicited from the public in an event launched last August, which drew enthusiastic participation from across the country. The two names chosen were selected from nearly 2,000 submissions.
"The names Mengzhou and Lanyue of the two new space vehicles carry distinct characteristics of China and the times, and have rich cultural connotations. The manned spacecraft Mengzhou and the lunar lander Lanyue, together with the Long March-10 carrier rocket, will carry forward Chinese people's dream of exploring the vast universe and reaching the moon," said Ji Qiming, director assistant of the CMSEO.
The new-generation spacecraft Mengzhou has two versions—one for lunar exploration and the other for carrying astronauts to China's space station.
Video Credit: China Manned Space Agency (CMSA)/CCTV
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