Avaruus

[Teräsmies]

Pitkä marssi 6A raketin ensimmäinen laukaisu onnistui.

Long March 6A - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[StepanRudanskij]

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NASA to make announcement Wednesday regarding Hubble Telescope​

NASA will make an announcement Wednesday regarding a new observation from the Hubble Telescope the agency says is "one for the record books."

NASA to make announcement Wednesday regarding Hubble Telescope

NASA will make an announcement Wednesday regarding a new observation from the Hubble...

www.theintelligencer.com

 

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Sunspot counts have now exceeded predictions for 18 straight months. The monthly value at the end of March was more than twice the forecast, and the highest in nearly 7 years.​

The "official forecast" comes from the Solar Cycle Prediction Panel, a group of scientists representing NOAA, NASA and International Space Environmental Services (ISES). The Panel predicted that Solar Cycle 25 would peak in July 2025 as a relatively weak cycle, similar in magnitude to its predecessor Solar Cycle 24. Instead, Solar Cycle 25 is shaping up to be stronger.​

In March 2022, the sun produced 146 solar flares, including one X-flare and 13 M-flares. Auroras were sighted as far south as Colorado (+38N) and Nebraska (+42N). Multiple shortwave radio blackouts disrupted communications on ships at sea and airplanes flying over the poles. If current trends continue, April will be even busier​

spaceweather.com

 

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An integral part of NASA’s plan to return astronauts to the moon this decade is the Lunar Gateway, a space station that will be humanity’s first permanent outpost outside of low Earth orbit. Gateway, a partnership between NASA, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is intended to support operations on the lunar surface while also serving as a staging point for exploration to Mars.

Gateway will be significantly smaller than the International Space Station (ISS), initially consisting of just two modules with additional modules to be added over time. The first pieces of the station to reach lunar orbit will be the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE) attached to the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO), scheduled to launch together on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket in November 2024. The relatively small size of Gateway is possible because the station won’t be crewed most of the time—astronauts may pass through for a few weeks, but the expectation is that Gateway will spend about 11 months out of the year without anyone on board.

This presents some unique challenges for Gateway. On the ISS, astronauts spend a substantial amount of time on station upkeep, but Gateway will have to keep itself functional for extended periods without any direct human assistance

Meet the Lunar Gateway’s Robot Caretakers

The relatively small size of Gateway is possible because the station won’t be crewed most of the time—astronauts may pass through for a few weeks, but the expectation is that Gateway will spend about 11 months out of the year without anyone on board.

spectrum.ieee.org

 

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UCLA scientists have discovered a new source of super-fast, energetic electrons raining down on Earth, a phenomenon that contributes to the colorful aurora borealis but also poses hazards to satellites, spacecraft and astronauts.

The researchers observed unexpected, rapid "electron precipitation" from low-Earth orbit using the ELFIN mission, a pair of tiny satellites built and operated on the UCLA campus by undergraduate and graduate students guided by a small team of staff mentors.

By combining the ELFIN data with more distant observations from NASA's THEMIS spacecraft, the scientists determined that the sudden downpour was caused by whistler waves, a type of electromagnetic wave that ripples through plasma in space and affects electrons in the Earth's magnetosphere, causing them to "spill over" into the atmosphere.

Their findings, published March 25 in the journal Nature Communications, demonstrate that whistler waves are responsible for far more electron rain than current theories and space weather models predict.

UCLA researchers discover source of super-fast 'electron rain'

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 31, 2022 - UCLA scientists have discovered a new source of super-fast, energetic electrons raining down on Earth, a phenomenon that contributes to the colorful aurora borealis but also poses hazards to satelli

www.spacedaily.com

"ELFIN is the first satellite to measure these super-fast electrons," said Xiaojia Zhang, lead author and a researcher in UCLA's department of Earth, planetary and space sciences. "The mission is yielding new insights due to its unique vantage point in the chain of events that produces them."

Central to that chain of events is the near-Earth space environment, which is filled with charged particles orbiting in giant rings around the planet, called Van Allen radiation belts. Electrons in these belts travel in Slinky-like spirals that literally bounce between the Earth's north and south poles. Under certain conditions, whistler waves are generated within the radiation belts, energizing and speeding up the electrons. This effectively stretches out the electrons' travel path so much that they fall out of the belts and precipitate into the atmosphere, creating the electron rain.

One can imagine the Van Allen belts as a large reservoir filled with water - or, in this case, electrons, said Vassilis Angelopolous, a UCLA professor of space physics and ELFIN's principal investigator. As the reservoir fills, water periodically spirals down into a relief drain to keep the basin from overflowing. But when large waves occur in the reservoir, the sloshing water spills over the edge, faster and in greater volume than the relief drainage. ELFIN, which is downstream of both flows, is able to properly measure the contributions from each.

The low-altitude electron rain measurements by ELFIN, combined with the THEMIS observations of whistler waves in space and sophisticated computer modeling, allowed the team to understand in detail the process by which the waves cause rapid torrents of electrons to flow into the atmosphere.

The findings are particularly important because current theories and space weather models, while accounting for other sources of electrons entering the atmosphere, do not predict this extra whistler wave-induced electron flow, which can affect Earth's atmospheric chemistry, pose risks to spacecraft and damage low-orbiting satellites.

The researchers further showed that this type of radiation-belt electron loss to the atmosphere can increase significantly during geomagnetic storms, disturbances caused by enhanced solar activity that can affect near-Earth space and Earth's magnetic environment.

"Although space is commonly thought to be separate from our upper atmosphere, the two are inextricably linked," Angelopoulos said. "Understanding how they're linked can benefit satellites and astronauts passing through the region, which are increasingly important for commerce, telecommunications and space tourism."

Superfast precipitation of energetic electrons in the radiation belts of the Earth - Nature Communications

Energetic electron densities in the radiation belt increases during geomagnetic storms. Here, the authors show oblique whistler mode waves enhance electron losses and create strong fluxes of about 100 keV electrons precipitating into the atmosphere, that should be considered in radiation belt...

www.nature.com

 

[rty19]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1514245996036997125

 

[rty19]

mielenkiintoinen päätös

Vice President Kamala Harris announces US ban on anti-satellite missile tests

Vice President Kamala Harris announced the Biden administration is applying a self-imposed ban on anti-satellite missile testing during remarks in California.

abcnews.go.com

 

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Here's the flight profile. The Electron is 18 meters tall; the bottom 12 meters are the first stage. For this mission it will lift off from New Zealand on its way to a sun-synchronous orbit 520 kilometers high. The first stage burns out after the first 70 km. Two minutes and 32 seconds into the flight, it drops off, following a long arc that in the past would have sent it crashing into the ocean, about 280 km downrange.

But Rocket Lab has now equipped its booster with heat shielding, protecting it as it falls tail-first at up to 8,300 kilometers per hour. Temperatures should reach 2,400 °C as the booster is slowed by the air around it.

At an altitude of 13 km, a small drogue parachute is deployed from the top end of the rocket stage, followed by a main chute at about 6 km, less than a minute later. The parachute slows the rocket substantially, so that it is soon descending at only about 36 km/h.

A Helicopter Will Try to Catch a Rocket Booster Mid-Air

Rocket Lab's first-of-its-kind recovery attempt could rescue boosters from watery graves, if successful

spectrum.ieee.org

 

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For more than three years, NASA has been intensely focused on the Artemis Moon program. This high-profile international effort, spearheaded by the US space agency at a cost of nearly $7.5 billion per year, seeks to return humans to the lunar surface in the mid-2020s and establish a sustainable presence in deep space.

But in recent years, NASA has been funding a second, much smaller-scale Moon program, at just 3 percent of the cost of Artemis. This is the "Commercial Lunar Payload Services" program, which seeks to use private companies to send small- and medium-size landers to the Moon's surface for primarily science-based missions. Its budget is about $250 million per year.

This program, known as CLPS, is showing some promising signs and will beat the Artemis program to the Moon by at least a couple of years. Moreover, it represents a bold new effort by NASA's Science division, which is seeking to leverage the emerging commercial space sector to radically increase scientific and exploration capabilities. If successful, the CLPS model of exploration could be extended to Mars and beyond.

But will it be successful? We're about to find out.

NASA is supporting some seriously risky missions to the Moon—it’s about time

"The entrepreneurial ecosystem is one of the core strengths of the United States."

arstechnica.com

 

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Jätän tämän asian Mr Manleyn käsiteltäväksi.

 

[tulikomento]

Kuutukikohta ydinvoimalla.

Nasa aikoo viedä ydinvoimalan Kuuhun

Tukikohdan laitteet saavat pienestä ydinvoimalasta virtaa ehkä jo ennen 2030-lukua.

www.tiede.fi

 

[tulikomento]

Katselin juuri äsken tämän dokkarin. On tuo Elon Musk kyllä melkoinen ukko.

Paluu avaruuteen | Netflix – viralliset sivut

Elon Muskin ja SpaceX-insinöörien historiallinen hanke pyrkii palauttamaan Nasan astronautit kansainväliselle avaruusasemalle ja mullistamaan avaruusmatkailun.

www.netflix.com

 

[Suluttaja]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1520123439163617280

 

[Marakatti]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1520123439163617280

Oisivat voineet jättää ulos sankarit ku pitää pelleillä tuollakii.

 

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As part of its Artemis program to return humans to the Moon this decade, NASA has a minimum requirement that its "human landing system" must be able to deliver 865 kg to the lunar surface. This is based on the mass of two crew members and their equipment needed for a short stay.

However, in selecting SpaceX's Starship vehicle to serve as its human lander, NASA has chosen a system with a lot more capability. Starship will, in fact, be able to deliver 100 metric tons to the surface of the Moon—more than 100 times NASA's baseline goal.

"Starship can land 100 tons on the lunar surface," said Aarti Matthews, Starship Human Landing System program manager for SpaceX. "And it’s really hard to think about what that means in a tangible way. One hundred tons is four fire trucks. It’s 100 Moon rovers. My favorite way to explain this to my kids is that it's the weight of more than 11 elephants."

SpaceX engineer says NASA should plan for Starship’s “significant” capability

"We all need to be thinking bigger and better and really inspirationally about what we can do."

arstechnica.com

 

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For a few milliseconds last Thursday night, an enormous (100 km wide) red ring of light appeared over west Texas. Thomas Ashcraft photographed it from across the state line in New Mexico:

This is an "ELVE"--short for Emissions of Light and Very Low Frequency Perturbations due to Electromagnetic Pulse Sources. It's a rare species of sprite discovered in 1990 by cameras onboard the space shuttle. Ashcraft may have just taken the best ever picture of one from the ground.​

"The ELVE was generated by a super-strong lightning stroke that occurred over west Texas near the town of Borger at April 28 2022 0439:10.5326 UT," says Ashcraft. "Note also the sprite elements at the bottom of the ELVE."​

The lightning bolt was so strong, it generated an intense electromagnetic pulse (EMP). The red ring marks the spot where the EMP hit Earth's ionosphere. Normal lightning bolts carry 10 to 30 kilo-ampères of current; this bolt was about 10 times stronger than normal.​

spaceweather.com

Eli, lyhyesti, luontaisesti toteutunut EMP näyttää tuolta ja ilmiö on hyvin, hyvin harvinainen

 

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Cosmic Shielding Corporation (Cosmic Shielding), the leading space radiation management company and creator of Plasteel technology, today announced an agreement with European in-space manufacturing tech start-up Space Forge to test Cosmic Shielding's radiation shielding technology aboard Space Forge's new small class vehicle. The ForgeStar-0 will be launching on Virgin Orbit's LauncherOne this Summer from Spaceport Cornwall. Space Forge recently announced that, along with partners, it is developing a world-first service incorporating both launch and return of a new small class of vehicle - the ForgeStar - that can be deployed from conventional launchers to provide rapid, reliable and reusable in-space infrastructure.

This initial mission from Cornwall is an opportunity for Space Forge to test key elements of their return technology and Cosmic Shielding will send a small sample of their revolutionary, patented radiation shielding composite called Plasteel to confirm the survivability of the composite while exposed to the harsh environment of space.

This will be Cosmic Shielding's first orbital test of the company's proprietary advanced composite, which is based on materials tested by NASA SRAG. Plasteel has structural properties exceeding traditional alloys used in spacecraft, with shielding properties superior to water and is lighter, cheaper, and easy to manufacture.

"This inaugural mission is a big step forward for us and we are excited that we will not only be trialing our own technology but working with Cosmic Shielding to confirm the survivability of Plasteel in space," said Andrew Bacon, CTO and Co-founder of Space Forge. "Radiation protection is one of the big challenges for space technology and we are delighted to be using our ForgeStar platforms for research into new solutions."

"We're thrilled to have Cosmic Shielding on our first mission," continued Joshua Western, CEO and Co-founder of Space Forge. "Their mission to increase the longevity of space systems with this revolutionary technology mirrors our drive to both increase access to space alongside return and reuse of spacecraft. We look forward to continuing to collaborate with innovative companies like Cosmic Shielding who are at the forefront of the industry."

A small sample of 3D printed Plasteel composite will be mounted to ForgeStar-0 and exposed to the harsh environment of space. Cameras will be used to monitor the sample and look for any degradation over time with a planned duration of at least nine months in low Earth orbit (LEO). As part of this mission, Space Forge will also be testing the deployment of their future low cost return technology, ready for a re-entry and landing test on the ForgeStar-1 next year.

"Our ultimate goal is to make the space industry more sustainable, cost effective, and safer, which is why we say we are working to build a better frontier," said Yanni Barghouty, co-founder and CEO of Cosmic Shielding.

"If we are going to be successful with in-space manufacturing in the future, streamlined logistics are imperative. Having a single, multifunctional composite, like Plasteel, makes building in space or extreme environments much simpler, cheaper, and safer. We are very confident that the Plasteel sample will perform well in this initial test with Space Forge and are eager to see the technology in space, which is a very important step in our continued growth towards building entire space structures, like factories in space, from this composite in the future."

Cosmic Shielding plans to modernize the way spacecraft are manufactured by making them safer, cheaper, faster, and less complex to build. When integrated in spacecraft, Plasteel provides complete micrometeoroids and orbital debris protection and protection from radiation for sensitive components and people.

Furthermore, combining the material cost savings and 3D printed manufacturing process, Cosmic Shielding's Plasteel spacecraft will be manufactured and delivered in approximately one week following order, cost up to 50 percent less than traditional aluminum satellite structures, and offer tremendous environmental benefits.

"Having a long-term reduction of waste in orbit is not possible without proper shielding," added Barghouty. "Manufacturing spacecraft from safer, stronger materials in combination with advancements in on-orbit servicing technology will help us move away from the idea that satellites are disposable, creating a more sustainable space ecosystem."

Cosmic Shielding to test Plasteel radiation shielding aboard Space Forge satellite

Atlanta GA (SPX) May 03, 2022 - Cosmic Shielding Corporation (Cosmic Shielding), the leading space radiation management company and creator of Plasteel technology, today announced an agreement with European in-space manufacturing

www.spacedaily.com

 

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A lightweight member of Russia's Angara rocket family launched its first orbital mission last week, sending a military payload aloft, according to reports.

The Angara 1.2 rocket launched on April 29 from Plesetsk Cosmodrome, which is roughly 500 miles (800 kilometers) north of Moscow, according to RussianSpaceWeb.com, which is run by Russian independent journalist Anatoly Zak.

Launch success was confirmed by Russian state media, but with few details. The state-run outlet TASS said the rocket was launched "in the interests of the Russian Defense Ministry." The spacecraft has been designated Kosmos-2555 and is sending telemetry correctly, the ministry added in the report.

"The elegant, light Angara came through for us and successfully passed the test. I congratulate everyone involved with the successful launch," Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russia's space agency Roscosmos, wrote on Telegram, per a second TASS report April 29.

The satellite launched into a near-polar orbit. Its path has been confirmed by the U.S. Space Force, which found it in an inclination of 96.5 degrees to the equator, in an initial orbit that was 173 miles by 183 miles (279 by 294 km) in altitude.

New Russian rocket launches military satellite on 1st mission

The successful launch was confirmed by Roscosmos.

www.space.com

The Angara 1.2 can lift up to 3.8 tons (3.4 tonnes) to low-Earth orbit, RussianSpaceWeb stated, a fraction of the estimated 24.5 tons (22.2 tonnes) of payload that the thrice-flown Angara A5 heavy-lift rocket can heft into space.