To commemorate Voyager 2's flyby of Neptune's largest moon, Triton, twenty years ago, NASA has released new pictures of Triton drawn from Voyager data. At first blush, the pictures have a lunar aspect, complete with craters and features formed by vulcanism. On Triton, however, the sculpting tool of geologic activity would be ice, not lava.
Voyager, of course, was an astounding success, perhaps still the high point of unmanned space exploration. Voyagers 1 and 2 conducted the first reconnaissance of the outer Solar System, delighting the public and often befuddling scientists with our first quick glimpses of the wondrous realms of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
Both Voyagers are well beyond the planets now, headed into interstellar space. Both are still functioning, too, sending back data about their surroundings-- a testament to the engineers and workers who built them.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
Maintaining ISS
After the retirement of the space shuttle, whenever that happens, supplying ISS with needed consumables and new equipment will have to be done another way. Russia and Europe have cargo ships to take more of that task, and Japan is ready to launch its first unmanned cargo ship.
The Russian Soyuz, at present, will be the only vehicle capable of delivering people to ISS and bringing them home, although Europe is considering developing its own manned spaceflight capability. Various U. S. private companies are also trying to develop a private manned spacecraft capable of orbital flight.
Japan is working under an interesting restriction. If it can't launch this month, the launch will be delayed until February so as not to interfere with the nation's fishing season. The fishing industry is an important piece of the Japanese economy. Japan's launch facility is on the coast, and fisherman don't want spent rocket stages crashing into the Pacific scaring away their livelihood.
The Russian Soyuz, at present, will be the only vehicle capable of delivering people to ISS and bringing them home, although Europe is considering developing its own manned spaceflight capability. Various U. S. private companies are also trying to develop a private manned spacecraft capable of orbital flight.
Japan is working under an interesting restriction. If it can't launch this month, the launch will be delayed until February so as not to interfere with the nation's fishing season. The fishing industry is an important piece of the Japanese economy. Japan's launch facility is on the coast, and fisherman don't want spent rocket stages crashing into the Pacific scaring away their livelihood.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
MRO Sidelined
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which put itself into safe mode on August 26 for the fourth time this year, will be kept in safe mode for several weeks as engineers work to find a permanent solution.
MRO is the most powerful probe to ever orbit Mars, and has returned more data and images than all other missions combined.
NASA expects MRO to go back to delivering that data and those images after the problem is resolved.
MRO is the most powerful probe to ever orbit Mars, and has returned more data and images than all other missions combined.
NASA expects MRO to go back to delivering that data and those images after the problem is resolved.
Friday, September 4, 2009
Watching Space Junk
Space debris in low Earth has recently begun to emerge as a serious problem for space operations, both manned and unmanned. The most recent demonstration of that potential involved ISS and STS-128.
A rather large piece of an Ariane 3 rocket launched in 2006 came within a mile of ISS this week. The shuttle is docked at ISS, and 13 people are currently in the complex. A mile might seem like a wide miss, but in orbital space, given the consequences of a collision, it's uncomfortably close. Add to that the fact that NASA had been monitoring that piece of space junk for several days and predicted it would miss ISS by two miles, and there may be even more cause for concern.
If humanity is serious about a future in space, before we get too carried away with Moon trips and Mars ships and space hotels, perhaps the governments of Earth should get together, bring in private industry, and find a way to deal with the problem of space debris in low Earth orbit before it causes a real disaster.
A rather large piece of an Ariane 3 rocket launched in 2006 came within a mile of ISS this week. The shuttle is docked at ISS, and 13 people are currently in the complex. A mile might seem like a wide miss, but in orbital space, given the consequences of a collision, it's uncomfortably close. Add to that the fact that NASA had been monitoring that piece of space junk for several days and predicted it would miss ISS by two miles, and there may be even more cause for concern.
If humanity is serious about a future in space, before we get too carried away with Moon trips and Mars ships and space hotels, perhaps the governments of Earth should get together, bring in private industry, and find a way to deal with the problem of space debris in low Earth orbit before it causes a real disaster.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Finding Exo-Moons
NASA's Kepler probe is designed to find Earth-sized planets around other stars. Now, scientists have determined it will also be possible to find "exo-moons"-- moons orbiting exo-planets.
As Kepler will detect planets by noting dips in the light from a star as a planet passes between Kepler and the star it will also be possible to detect wobbling in the planet's movement that would be due to the pull of a moon's gravity on the planet.
The best kind of planet for such a moon search would be one similar to Saturn-- large, but not very dense-- that a moon's gravity could move around. That brings up an interesting possiblity. A Saturn-like planet orbiting in the habitable zone of a star might not be a good candidate to harbor life, but a substantial enough moon of that planet could be.
As Kepler will detect planets by noting dips in the light from a star as a planet passes between Kepler and the star it will also be possible to detect wobbling in the planet's movement that would be due to the pull of a moon's gravity on the planet.
The best kind of planet for such a moon search would be one similar to Saturn-- large, but not very dense-- that a moon's gravity could move around. That brings up an interesting possiblity. A Saturn-like planet orbiting in the habitable zone of a star might not be a good candidate to harbor life, but a substantial enough moon of that planet could be.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
TubeSats
NewSpace company Interorbital Systems is pioneering an innovative approach designed to give more access to orbital space. The company's TubeSat is billed as the first personal satellite and priced so that individuals can purchase them.
TubeSats are being sold in "kits" that include the satellite bus, power system, basic yet flexible operating system, and launch on IOS' NEPTUNE 30 vehicle. Launches are scheduled to begin next year. The satellite will be put into a low Earth orbit that will bring it back to Earth after perhaps a few months, so the program will not add to the orbital debris problem.
Cost of a TubeSat is $8,000 total, which will put them within reach of individual researchers, for example, as well as small businesses. Uses of a TubeSat are wide ranging, from microgravity research to Earth imaging to even such projects as space burials.
According to personal communications with IOS CEO Randa Milliron, in the first few weeks of the program, four kits have aleady been sold, and more than twenty are pending.
TubeSats are being sold in "kits" that include the satellite bus, power system, basic yet flexible operating system, and launch on IOS' NEPTUNE 30 vehicle. Launches are scheduled to begin next year. The satellite will be put into a low Earth orbit that will bring it back to Earth after perhaps a few months, so the program will not add to the orbital debris problem.
Cost of a TubeSat is $8,000 total, which will put them within reach of individual researchers, for example, as well as small businesses. Uses of a TubeSat are wide ranging, from microgravity research to Earth imaging to even such projects as space burials.
According to personal communications with IOS CEO Randa Milliron, in the first few weeks of the program, four kits have aleady been sold, and more than twenty are pending.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Wildfire Threat
The huge wildfire still burning out of control in southern California can be seen from space. It also could yet affect mankind's efforts to comprehend the universe.
Over the weekend, the so-called Station Fire, the largest of the wildfires in the area, directly threatened JPL, a critical center in the development and directiion of unmanned space exploration. That danger is past, at least for now, but the fire has moved on to threaten Mount Wilson. Mount Wilson Observatory is not only a leader in Earth-based astronomical research today, it has a century of leadership behind it. George Hale, founder of the observatory, determined the nature of sunspots there. Harlow Shapley helped determine the Solar System's place in the Milky Way Galaxy there, and Edwin Hubble showed that the Milky Way is simply one of inumerable galaxies there.
Over the weekend, the so-called Station Fire, the largest of the wildfires in the area, directly threatened JPL, a critical center in the development and directiion of unmanned space exploration. That danger is past, at least for now, but the fire has moved on to threaten Mount Wilson. Mount Wilson Observatory is not only a leader in Earth-based astronomical research today, it has a century of leadership behind it. George Hale, founder of the observatory, determined the nature of sunspots there. Harlow Shapley helped determine the Solar System's place in the Milky Way Galaxy there, and Edwin Hubble showed that the Milky Way is simply one of inumerable galaxies there.
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