May 14

Space Shuttle Atlantis Final Mission: A Tweeted View from the Launch

Posted in: NASA, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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Liftoff, right on schedule!

Update: 3: 40 PM 5-14-10

It’s been over an hour, and I still can’t shake the sensation–the heart-pounding, head-thumping thrill–of witnessing a space-shuttle launch.

Space Shuttle Atlantis successfully launched, for the last time, from pad 39A at 2:20 PM EDT amid a massive plume of white smoke and orange flames. It was a picture-perfect launch. I overheard one NASA Administration official say during the post-launch news conference, “Atlantis is telling us, ‘Please use me again.'” I agree.

You can view more of my photos from the launch and NASA Tweetup event at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ulanoff/sets/72157623931612379/

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See my previous journal entries and more photos, after the jump

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May 13

Jupiter Suddenly Looks Different

Posted in: science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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Anyone check out Jupiter in their telescope recently? The solar system’s largest planet seems to have lost its Southern Equatorial Belt (SEB), after a several month period where the planet remained hidden behind the sun, Popular Science reports.
This actually isn’t unprecedented; Jupiter’s bands are actually very complex cloud systems made up of ammonia ice, sulfur, and phosphorous, and are constantly changing and shifting appearance. Usually it’s not to this extent, though; the last two times this happened were 1973 and in the early 1990s, the report said.
The difference here is that it happened much more quickly this time, as the comparison photo indicates (pictured). The article said that soon–sometime within the next few weeks to a few months–a bright white spot will appear and begin “seeding the former belt with dark blobs.” Eventually, the SEB will return to its former appearance–or at least we think it will.
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May 11

Europe Chooses Cosmonauts for Mars Simulation

Posted in: science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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An 18-month simulated mission to Mars has two new members, a Frenchman and a Columbian-Italian, BBC News reports.
Both will join two Russians and a Chinese national in entering a set of steel containers on June 3rd. The Mars500 “spaceship,” located in Russia’s Institute of Biomedical Problems, has no windows; the goal is to test the physical and mental requirements of super-long spaceflight, the report said.
The containers will house all the necessary food and water, and will even feature a time delay in communications with “Earth” after the first two months of the “trip.”
After about 250 days aboard the four-container Mars500, half of the crew will enter a “landing craft” and “descend” to the planet (a fifth container) where they’ll walk around wearing modified spacesuits. More crew members will be chosen in the coming days, according to the report.
I don’t know about you, but I’m off to re-read some good Mars fiction.
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May 07

NASA Shoots Orion Capsule into the Desert Sky

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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NASA engineers have a hit a new level with testing for the Orion crew capsule, and have successfully catapulted it about a mile into the air Thursday at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, the Associated Press reports.
The idea was to test a launch-abort system, in development for four years, that could return astronauts and the capsule itself to safety in the event of a launch pad fire or other problem during the craft’s launch sequence.
The report said the test “marked the first time a launch-abort system of this type has been used for a U.S. space travel system since the Apollo rockets of the 1960s and 1970s.” NASA originally planned the Orion capsule as a way to take astronauts back to the moon, but the Obama administration has redirected resources toward building more advanced rockets.
In this capacity, one possibility is that the Orion capsule could function as an emergency escape vehicle for the International Space Station, and prevent the need to rely on Russia’s Soyuz capsule for that purpose.
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May 06

NASA to Use Ocean Floor as Underwater Lab

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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We’ve already heard of expeditions in Antarctica to simulate conditions on other planets, but this idea reaches new depths.
NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston announced Wednesday that it will again participate in the NASA Extreme Environment Missions Operation (NEEMO) mission.
The mission will use the ocean’s floor as a way to simulate the low-gravity conditions astronauts would experience on another planet’s surface. The idea is to learn how a future crew might interact with the lander, rover, robotic arms, and other gear.
The 14-day undersea expedition will take place aboard the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Aquarius Underwater Laboratory near Key Largo. In addition, teachers and students in the Middle School Aerospace Scholars program on May 11th will participate in an event to navigate a rover along a predetermined course on the ocean floor.
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May 06

Meteor Shower From Halleys Comet Peaks Today

Posted in: space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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The Eta Aquarid meteor shower, which is already underway at a modest rate and consists of debris from Halley’s Comet, will peak tonight, May 6th, Astronomy reports.
Underneath a dark sky, observers could see up to 20 meteors per hour, or about one every three minutes, the report said. That number could persist tomorrow morning and the day after as well.
The meteors “began life as tiny specks of dust” from Halley’s Comet as it passed around the Sun throughout the eons, the report said. Every May, Earth runs through the dust streams, which pass over the planet at 148,000 miles per hour. They vaporize thanks to air friction, and leave beautiful “shooting stars,” or streaks of light.
Halley’s Comet itself last passed by Earth in 1986, and is due to arrive again in 2061. (Image credit: Astronomy.com)
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May 05

Space Shuttle Launch (and Tweetup) Set for May 14

Posted in: NASA, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili

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After passing the rigorous Flight Readiness Review (FRR) that precedes every launch, the Space Shuttle Atlantis was cleared today for a scheduled liftoff at May 14 at 2:20 p.m. ET. To coincide with the launch, NASA has organized a tweetup similar to the highly successful event held last November for Atlantis’s most recent launch. This time, 150 lucky participants–including PCMag.com Editor-in-Chief Lance Ulanoff as well as myself–will travel to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for the two-day event, meet with shuttle technicians, managers, engineers, and astronauts, and view the Shuttle launch from NASA’s press site.

Today, mission managers unanimously voted to maintain the May 14 launch date, which had been tentatively set months ago. The clearance was announced moments ago at a NASA press conference.

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May 05

Upcoming NASA Telescope Passes Critical Milestone

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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NASA scientists announced that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), an infrared telescope that can look further back in the universe’s history than ever before, has officially met all science and engineering requirements ahead of its upcoming mission, Space.com reports.
The $5 billion JWST is a sort-of-successor to the Hubble Space Telescope, but its focus on the infrared spectrum means we’ll likely see less of the gorgeous astrophotography we’ve become used to from Hubble, at least from this spacecraft.
That said, the JWST can observe older light, see deeper into the universe, and provide important clues about the Big Bang and the evolution of our own solar system, the report said–not to mention the formation of star systems capable of supporting extraterrestrial life.
The JWST is scheduled to enter hardware production in 2012 ahead of its planned launch in 2014.
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May 05

Plasma Rocket Could Get Asteroid Mission

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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VASIMR, the plasma rocket capable of reducing travel time to Mars by over 80 percent, may soon get its own dedicated mission to visit an asteroid, according to Discovery News.
Originally, VASIMR (the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket) was being built as a spare for another heading to the International Space station. But by heading for an asteroid, it could serve as a powerful demonstration of VASIMR’s plasma-based technology, the report said.
“The engine is actually firing right now,” VASIMR inventor and physicist Franklin Chang-Diaz told Discovery News. “We have lots of hurdles and challenges; we have lots of work to do. But if you look at what has happened in the last five years since we left NASA, it’s been amazing.”
VASIMR is on target for a 2014 launch to the space station; Chang-Diaz is building two engine spares, one of which could set sail for a completely different mission that NASA doesn’t invest in. Check out the full report for details.
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May 04

Blizzard Rages on Saturn

Posted in: NASA, science, space, Space Tech, Today's Chili
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And here you thought the D.C. area “snowmageddon” was big–this one is about five times its size.
NASA astronomers and amateur skywatchers are currently transfixed by a massive blizzard raging on Saturn, one that’s large enough to see from Earth, Space.com reports.
The good news is that we can get much more detail about the storm, courtesy of NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, which is currently orbiting Saturn. However, NASA was first tipped off by amateur astronomers here on Earth, the report said.
Part of the problem is that Cassini’s imaging and spectrometer observations are locked in place months in advance, while the storm may appear and disappear in a matter of weeks. Cassini has other instruments dedicated to gathering weather-related data just like this, though, and is currently having a field day with the storm.
(The above image is from amateur astronomer Christopher Go, courtesy of NASA/JPL Caltech/GSFC).
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