US Space Program - a thread

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NASA restarts it's moon projects:-​

First Rollout of NASA's Artemis I Moon Rocket (Official NASA Broadcast)​

 

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Hot Fire Engine Test for the Artemis Moon Rocket​

 

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Innovative 3D Telemedicine to Help Keep Astronauts Healthy

Holoportation is a type of capture technology that allows high-quality 3D models of people to be reconstructed, compressed and transmitted live anywhere in real time.

www.nasa.gov

Innovative 3D Telemedicine to Help Keep Astronauts Healthy​

During almost two-years of the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth of telemedicine and new ways of reaching people has changed and developed. In October 2021, NASA flight surgeon Dr. Josef Schmid, industry partner AEXA Aerospace CEO Fernando De La Pena Llaca, and their teams were the first humans “holoported” from Earth into space.


NASA flight surgeon, Dr. Josef Schmid gives a space greeting Oct. 8, 2021, as he is holoported on to the International Space Station.


Using the Microsoft Hololens Kinect camera and a personal computer with custom software from Aexa, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet had a two-way conversation with live images of Schmid and De La Pena placed in the middle of the International Space Station. This was the first holoportation handshake from Earth in space.



Holoportation team members are seen projected virtually on the International Space Station, Oct. 8, 2021. From left are Andrew Madrid, Dr. Fernando De La Pena Llaca, RIhab Sadik, Dr. Joe Schmid, Kevin Bryant, Mackenzie Hoffman, Wes Tarkington.

Holoportation is a type of capture technology that allows high-quality 3D models of people to be reconstructed, compressed and transmitted live anywhere in real time, Schmid said. When combined with mixed reality displays such as HoloLens, it allows users to see, hear, and interact with remote participants in 3D as if they are actually present in the same physical space. Holoportation has been in use since at least 2016 by Microsoft, but this is the first use in such an extreme and remote environment such as space.

“This is completely new manner of human communication across vast distances,” Schmid said. “Furthermore, it is a brand-new way of human exploration, where our human entity is able to travel off the planet. Our physical body is not there, but our human entity absolutely is there. It doesn't matter that the space station is traveling 17,500 mph and in constant motion in orbit 250 miles above Earth, the astronaut can come back three minutes or three weeks later and with the system running, we will be there in that spot, live on the space station.”

NASA is demonstrating this new form of communication as a precursor for more extensive use on future missions. Plans are to use this next with two-way communication, where people on Earth are holoported to space and astronauts are placed back on earth. “We'll use this for our private medical conferences, private psychiatric conferences, private family conferences and to bring VIPs onto the space station to visit with astronauts.”



The next step after that is to combine holoportation with augmented reality, to truly enable Tele-mentoring.



“Imagine you can bring the best instructor or the actual designer of a particularly complex technology right beside you wherever you might be working on it. Furthermore, we will combine augmented reality with haptics. You can work on the device together, much like two of the best surgeons working during an operation. This would put everyone at rest knowing the best team is working together on a critical piece of hardware,” Schmid said.



Holoportation and tools like it could have great implications on the future of deep space travel. As plans shape up for missions to Mars, an obstacle to overcome will be the communication delays that are present during the travel to and from Mars. A delay of up to 20 minutes each way will present a unique challenge to communication whether through simple radio transmissions, video streams or new methods such as Holoportation. Communication is critical, whether for medical or mission support reasons, or staying in touch with family members. The crew will need to be connected with Earth and Mission Control, no matter where humans explore.

There are also direct applications here on Earth. Whether in other extreme environments such as Antarctica, offshore oil rigs or military operation theaters, this type of technology may help people in such situations communicate, bringing people together no matter the distance or environmental challenges.

 

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NASA Shows Off Psyche Spacecraft to Media

Members of the media were invited to a clean room at JPL to interview mission leaders and see the asteroid-orbiting spacecraft before it ships to Florida for its August launch.

www.jpl.nasa.gov

NASA Shows Off Psyche Spacecraft to Media​

Members of the media were invited to a clean room at JPL to interview mission leaders and see the asteroid-orbiting spacecraft before it ships to Florida for its August launch.

Engineers are putting the final touches on NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, which is set to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in August on its journey to a metal-rich asteroid of the same name. Members of the media got a chance to see the spacecraft up close in a clean room at the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on Monday, April 11. Reporters also interviewed mission leaders, including Psyche’s principal investigator, Lindy Elkins-Tanton from Arizona State University, and its project manager, Henry Stone from JPL.

“Welcoming reporters into the clean room gives the public a glimpse of the years of hard work that have gone into this mission,” said Brian Bone, Psyche’s assembly, test, and launch operations manager at JPL. “Thanks to the Psyche team’s determination and skill, we’re in the final stretch of readying the spacecraft to head out to our launch site in Florida."
To prevent the van-size spacecraft from bringing Earth bacteria into space, reporters wiped down their equipment with isopropyl alcohol and donned protective smocks and hair coverings before entering the High Bay 2 clean room in the Lab’s storied Spacecraft Assembly Facility. NASA is set to ship Psyche to the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida for launch this summer.

The spacecraft will fly by Mars for a gravity assist in May 2023 and, in early 2026, orbit around asteroid Psyche in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists think the asteroid, which is about 173 miles (280 kilometers) at its widest point, may consist largely of metal from the core of a planetesimal, one of the building blocks of the rocky planets in our solar system: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. If so, it could provide a unique opportunity to study how planets like our own Earth formed.

The mission has been in the phase known as assembly, test, and launch operations since March 2021. Optimal launch periods to the main asteroid belt are limited, so over the last year, the team has worked against the clock to complete assembly. They recently attached the largest solar arrays ever installed at JPL and have put the spacecraft through a series of rigorous tests to simulate the extreme conditions that a NASA spacecraft endures. After undergoing electromagnetic, thermal-vacuum, vibration, shock, and acoustic testing, Psyche has been cleared to proceed. The launch period opens Aug. 1.

More About the Mission

Arizona State University leads the Psyche mission. JPL, which is managed by Caltech for NASA, is responsible for the mission’s overall management, system engineering, integration and test, and mission operations. Maxar Technologies in Palo Alto, California, provided the high-power solar electric propulsion spacecraft chassis.

JPL also is providing a technology demonstration instrument called Deep Space Optical Communications that will fly on Psyche in order to test high-data-rate laser communications that could be used by future NASA missions.

Psyche is the 14th mission selected as part of NASA’s Discovery Program.

 

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These 8 NASA missions just got more time to explore Mars, asteroids and the solar system

Mars, the moon and asteroids will get a deeper look from these spacecraft.

www.space.com

These 8 NASA missions just got more time to explore Mars, asteroids and the solar system​

NASA's Curiosity rover will be taking shots like this on Mars for another three years. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS)

Eight interplanetary spacecraft have a go to continue their missions at Mars, the moon or various asteroids.



NASA extended these the work of these missions "due to their scientific productivity and potential to deepen our knowledge and understanding of the solar system and beyond," the agency said in a statement.


The decision to keep these longstanding missions going happened after independent reviews of their work, including academia, industry and NASA input. The panel evaluations comprising 50 reviewers "validated that these eight science missions hold substantial potential to continue bringing new discoveries and addressing compelling new science questions," the agency said.

1) Curiosity rover on Mars​

NASA's Curiosity rover imaged Mars using its navigation cameras. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Curiosity, also known as the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL), landed on Mars in 2012 and will explore for another three years. It has spent several years climbing Mount Sharp (Aeolis Mons) after landing on the Red Planet's Gale Crater. It is on a long-term hunt to understand how water, and potential conditions for life, arose in that region of the planet.


"In its fourth extended mission, MSL will climb to higher elevations, exploring the critical sulfate-bearing layers which give unique insights into the history of water on Mars," NASA stated.

2) Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter at the moon​

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed the Apollo 11 lunar module and the rest of the mission's landing site in 2009. (Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University)

The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has been in operation since 2009, and will work for another three years. It is best-known for mapping surface detail of the moon in high-definition, tracking down landing missions (or crashes) past and present, and seeking preserves of ice water on the moon.


NASA will be using its data in planning for its Artemis moon-landing program that plans boots on the surface no earlier than 2025, the agency said, giving LRO another three years for this work.


"LRO will continue to study the surface and geology of the moon," NASA stated of the extension. "The evolution of LRO's orbit will allow it to study new regions away from the poles in unprecedented detail, including the permanently shadowed craters near the poles where water ice may be found. LRO will also provide important programmatic support for NASA's efforts to return to the moon."

3) OSIRIS-APEX/OSIRIS-REx at asteroid Apophis​

NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft captured this image of the asteroid Bennu using its MapCam imager on Dec. 12, 2018. (Image credit: NASA/Goddard/University of Arizona)

The Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission will have another stop after dropping off pieces of asteroid Bennu at Earth in 2023. The spacecraft, in flight since 2016, will be redirected to visit Apophis, a near-Earth asteroid that was once deemed a slight threat to Earth in 2068. The mission will also acquire a new name: OSIRIS-Apophis Explorer (APEX).


The renamed mission will orbit Apophis shortly after the asteroid safely comes within 20,000 miles (32,000 kilometers) of Earth in 2029, NASA stated. "It plans to study changes in the asteroid caused by its close flyby of Earth, and use the spacecraft’s gas thrusters to attempt to dislodge and study the dust and small rocks on and below Apophis’ surface."


OSIRIS-APEX will have a new principal investigator: Daniella DellaGiustina, a planetary scientist at the University of Arizona who is deputy principal investigator on the current mission, OSIRIS-REx. The principal investigator for OSIRIS-REx, planetary scientist Dante Lauretta from the same university, will pivot to analyzing samples from Bennu after their return.

4) MAVEN at Mars​

An artist's depiction of NASA's MAVEN spacecraft in orbit around Mars. (Image credit: NASA/GSSFC)

The Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission (MAVEN) launched in November 2013 to look at changes in the atmosphere of the Red Planet. It is suspected that gradual erosion of the atmosphere over the eons led to less running water at the surface of Mars, when pressure dropped.


The extended mission, which will clock another three years, "plans to study the interaction between Mars' atmosphere and magnetic field during the upcoming solar maximum," NASA stated. "MAVEN's observations as the sun's activity level increases toward the maximum of its 11-year cycle will deepen our understanding of how Mars' upper atmosphere and magnetic field interact with the sun."


MAVEN will also acquire a new principal investigator: Shannon Curry, a planetary scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. (The previous one, Bruce Jakosky from the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the U

5) InSight Mars lander​

NASA's InSight lander snapped this image of the area in front of it on July 20, 2021. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

nSight landed on Mars in 2018 and has been useful in getting information on "marsquakes" to learn more about the planet's interior and how that evolved over the eons.


The spacecraft has been working well, aside from the failure of a below-surface probe known as a "mole" and gradual dust buildup on its solar panels. Given its shaky power status, the mission has a few more months tacked on its mission until the end of 2022, but may not last that long.


"The extended mission will continue InSight's seismic and weather monitoring if the spacecraft remains healthy," NASA stated. "However, due to dust accumulation on its solar panels, InSight's electrical power production is low, and the mission is unlikely to continue operations for the duration of its current extended mission unless its solar panels are cleared by a passing 'dust devil' in Mars’ atmosphere."

6) New Horizons in the Kuiper Belt​

New Horizons launched in 2006 and has visited two worlds so far: dwarf planet Pluto in 2015, and the Kuiper Belt object Arrokoth (2014 MU69) in 2019. The mission is expected to fly as far as 63 astronomical units (or Earth-sun distances) in its next three years, but what is coming next (and if another flyby is planned) is still under wraps.


"The New Horizons spacecraft can potentially conduct multi-disciplinary observations of relevance to the solar system, and NASA's heliophysics and astrophysics divisions. Additional details regarding New Horizons' science plan will be provided at a later date," NASA stated.

7) Mars Odyssey​

This stunning view shows what an explorer might see on the Red Planet's north pole. This image is a 3D view created from observations recorded by the THEMIS instrument on NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft. Image released May 26, 2016. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/Arizona State University, R. Luk)

The Mars Odyssey spacecraft started work in 2001 and continues to work well in its third decade in space. While NASA warned the mission is running low on propellant, it hopes to squeeze another three years from the mission. Besides being a remote scientist, Odyssey serves as a relay for other Mars spacecraft on the surface in sending their communications back to Earth.


On the science side, NASA stated, "Mars Odyssey's extended mission will perform new thermal studies of rocks and ice below Mars’ surface, monitor the radiation environment, and continue its long-running climate monitoring campaign."

8) Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter​

A new crater on Mars, which appeared sometime between September 2016 and February 2019, shows up as a dark smudge on the landscape in this high-resolution photo from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona)

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been in service since 2005 and provides a long-term view of the surface of the Red Planet. It charts changes in sand dunes, ice caps and other features and also keeps an eye on missions on the Red Planet.


Aside from the loss of one instrument (the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, or CRISM) due to a loss of coolant that shut down one of the two spectrometers, the mission should operate for another three years. MRO will continue its relay services for surface missions, too.


"In its sixth extended mission, MRO will study the evolution of Mars’ surface, ices, active geology, and atmosphere and climate. In addition, MRO will continue to provide important data relay service to other Mars missions," NASA stated.

 

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Hubble telescope spots stunning 'Hidden Galaxy' hiding behind our own Milky Way

If it weren't for all the interstellar matter in the way, IC 342 would be one of the brightest galaxies in the sky.

www.space.com

Hubble telescope spots stunning 'Hidden Galaxy' hiding behind our own Milky Way​

If it weren't for all the interstellar matter in the way, IC 342 would be one of the brightest galaxies in the sky.

This new view of the spiral galaxy IC 342, also known as Caldwell 5, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope was released by NASA on May 11, 2022. Seen here is a zoomed-in view. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, P. Sell (University of Florida), and P. Kaaret (University of Iowa); Image processing: G. Kober (NASA Goddard/Catholic University of America))

Behold the "Hidden Galaxy" coming into view.

This glorious Hubble Space Telescope image showcases spiral galaxy IC 342, also known as Caldwell 5. No matter what you call this galaxy, scientists have had some difficulty observing it due to obstacles in the way, earning it its "hidden" nickname, according to NASA.


"It appears near the equator of the Milky Way's pearly disk, which is crowded with thick cosmic gas, dark dust, and glowing stars that all obscure our view," NASA wrote in a May 11 statement(opens in new tab).

The Hubble Space Telescope's full view of the spiral galaxy IC 342, aka Caldwell 5. The galaxy is 11 million light-years away and 50,000 light-years across. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, P. Sell (University of Florida), and P. Kaaret (University of Iowa); Image processing: G. Kober (NASA Goddard/Catholic University of America))


Hubble can peer through the debris, to an extent, as the telescope does have infrared capabilities. Infrared light is less scattered by dust and allows a clearer view of the galaxy in behind the interstellar matter.

"This sparkling, face-on view of the center of the galaxy displays intertwined tendrils of dust in spectacular arms that wrap around a brilliant core of hot gas and stars," NASA wrote of the picture.

"This core is a specific type of region called an H II nucleus — an area of atomic hydrogen that has become ionized. Such regions are energetic birthplaces of stars where thousands of stars can form over a couple million years."

The blue stars ionize or energize the hydrogen surrounding their birthplaces due to emitting ultraviolet light, NASA said. The galaxy would be one of the brightest galaxies in our sky if there was not so much dust in the way.

IC 342 is also relatively close in galactic terms, only 11 million light-years from Earth. It's about half the diameter of our own Milky Way (50,000 light-years across), making it relatively large, too.

Hubble has been in space for a generation and has photographed this galaxy several times before. You can also spot its imaging of IC 342 in 2017(opens in new tab) and 2010(opens in new tab).

 

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Perseverance Mars rover spots weird snake-head rock and balancing boulder (photo)

This is a truly otherworldly landscape.

www.space.com

NASA's Mars rover Perseverance snapped this photo of a balancing boulder and snake-head rock on June 12, 2022, using its Mastcam-Z camera system. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)

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Landscape starting to get a little weird...hopefully it doesn't find the cyclops

 

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Hubble Peers at Mysterious Cosmic ‘Keyhole’

This peculiar portrait from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope showcases NGC 1999, a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion.

www.nasa.gov

 

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LOFTID Inflatable Heat Shield Test A Success, Early Results Show - NASA

NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, launched on Nov. 10, 2022, to demonstrate inflatable heat shield technology that

www.nasa.gov

LOFTID Inflatable Heat Shield Test A Success, Early Results Show​

NASA's Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator, or LOFTID, launched on Nov. 10, 2022, to demonstrate inflatable heat shield technology that could be key to landing humans on Mars.

About an hour after launch on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket, LOFTD inflated and deployed in space. After being released by the Centaur upper stage, the heat shield, or aeroshell, began its perilous re-entry journey through Earth's atmosphere, entering the atmosphere at more than 18,000 miles per hour. LOFTID created enough drag to slow to less than 80 miles per hour by the end of its demonstration. At this point, LOFTID's onboard parachutes deployed, carrying the heat shield to a gentle splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

The team recovered the LOFTID aeroshell within a few hours, and early indications show that the demonstration was successful. In addition to achieving its primary objective of surviving the intense dynamic pressure and heating of re-entry, it appears that the aft side of the heat shield – opposite LOFTID's nose – was well protected from the re-entry environment. This suggests that inflatable aeroshells can keep payloads safe during atmospheric entry.

Full study of LOFTID's performance is expected to take about a year. The results of the LOFTID demonstration will inform future designs for inflatable heat shields that could be used to land heavier payloads on worlds with atmospheres, including Mars, Venus, Saturn's moon Titan, and Earth.

Learn more about LOFTID at: nasa.gov/loftid

 

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Artemis I Launch to the Moon (Official NASA Broadcast) - Nov. 16, 2022​

NASA

 

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Collins Aerospace selected to develop new space station spacesuit - SpaceNews

NASA has selected Collins Aerospace to develop a next-generation spacesuit for the space station, replacing aging suits that have become a safety concern.

spacenews.com

 

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Orion passing the moon

Cool!

 

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