Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Lunar Art

NASA recently invited college and high school students to submit artwork for a contest on the theme “Life and Work on the Moon.” NASA encouraged students to form inter-disciplinary teams, so that art and humanities students could collaborate with science and engineering students, “to produce the most well-informed art work possible.” NASA just announced the winners of the contest. The first place submission is above, and is called Traffic Jam, by Justin Burns, a sophomore at the University of Memphis.

Why would an institution like NASA sponsor an art contest? “Once humans establish a presence on the Moon, the arts will be a desired facet of life there, as they are here on Earth,” says NASA’s art contest web page. “It is our intention to provoke non-science and engineering students to think about the science and engineering required to achieve the conditions suitable for humans to live and work on the moon. It is also our intention to help the science and engineering communities appreciate valuable contributions from other communities, particularly the arts.”

See more of the winners below:


2nd Place: “A Busy Day on the Moon” by Johnathan Culpepper, Senior, Medgar Evers College

3rd Place: “Enabling Exploration” by Lann Brumlilk and Corey DiRutigliano, Graduate Students, University of Cincinnati

4th Place: “Perseid Meteor Shower on a Newly Terra-formed Moon” by Ellen Ladwig, Senior, University of Missouri, St. Louis

High School Division: Tie for 1st Place:

“Pole Colony” by Asa Shultz, High School Senior, Home-schooled, Covenant Academy

“To the Moon and Beyond” by William Zhang, High School Sophomore, Skoldberg Art Academy

Source: NASA Art Contest page

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Meet Us in St. Louis

I’ll be attending the American Astronomical Society/Astronomy Society of the Pacific Meeting in St. Louis for the next few days, starting Saturday, May 31 with some educational workshops and symposiums, and then Monday-Thursday is the AAS conference. This will be my first conference as a journalist, and I’m looking forward to being overwhelmed and star-struck.

If you’ll be there, or if you happen to be in the St. Louis area, we are planning a “Astroblogger Meet-Up” on Tuesday, June 3 at 7:00 pm at KitchenK bar & restaurant. The big names who will be there: Pamela Gay from Astronomy Cast and Star Stryder, Phil Plait from Bad Astronomy, Chris Lintott from Chris Lintott’s Universe and Galaxy Zoo, and Tammy Plotner and me (Nancy) from Universe Today, and more. Please join us if you can!

If you can’t be in St. Louis, we’ll try to bring the conference to you via reports and articles here on UT and liveblogging on Astronomy Cast Live.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Phoenix News & Weather; Full Panorama Complete, Arm “Raring To Go”

Phoenix’s Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) has finished its initial survey of the area surrounding the Phoenix lander, and returned the images to Earth for completion of the first panorama, seen above. “The panorama takes your around the entire scene,” said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith. “We see this “hummocky” terrain, with troughs in between the hummocks. In the background we can see the backshell and parachute.” Also visible are disturbances in the soil caused by the landing. And one of the most important aspects of the image shows the robotic arm now up and off the lander, with its scoop in the ready position. Flight Software Lead Matt Robinson reported, “The arm is busted loose now and is raring to go!”

Robinson said the arm is now unstowed out of all its launch restraints, and it required movement from all four of the joints to break loose of the bio-barrier that covered the arm during its journey from Earth. However, it will probably be next week before any digging is done with the arm. The team will first need to determine the stability of the lander. The camera on the end of the arm will look up under the lander to make sure everything is stable, and that each footpad is secure.


Smith said the rocks in the area are fist size, and there are ample places between the rocks to dig down to look for the ice layer thought to lie beneath the Martian surface. Data from the Odyssey spacecraft has indicated water in the form of ice lies beneath the Mars arctic region. Smith added that smaller rocks can be moved by robotic arm, if necessary, to get a good place to dig.

As customary, the science team has begun naming the rocks in the area to help distinguish them, and are using themes from fairy tale characters from Humpty Dumpty, The Legend of sleepy hollow, and Alice in Wonderland.


The “scoop” on the end of Phoenix’s robotic arm is now up and off the lander.

Science team is looking at the patterns in the rocks, and patterns in how they are distributed around the hummocks and troughs. “We do not have a full spectral analysis of any of the rocks, so its early to say anything about their composition,” Smith said. “That’s high on our list of things to do.” He added that the 12 spectroscopic filters on the SSI should be able to tell us if they are the same as the five other locations we’ve studied on Mars. He also offered a couple of clues about the rocks: Many are flat like paving stones, which may be a clue to their origin, and the rocks seem to be brighter than the surface rather than darker.

The SSI can also be used to create stereoscopic images that allow them to get elevation information. Additionally, the camera on the end of the arm, while not stereoscopic, can take one image and then be moved slightly to create stereoscopic images. The suite of science instruments on the arm also includes a microscopic imager with resolution 6 times better than the MER instruments.

Asked how he thought the mission has been going so far, Phoenix project manager Barry Goldstein said, “We’ve exceeded even our optimistic goals.”

And now, here’s the latest weather report from the Phoenix landing site:

Quicktime hi-res movie of the terrain to the northwest of the Phoenix lander.

Link for Mars Weather Widget — Get Mars Weather on your desktop!
Image sources: Phoenix Gallery

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

New “Map” Could Help Solve Ancient Mysteries of Our Galaxy

Milky Way. Image Credit: Atlas of the Universe

An international team of astronomers from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey unveiled a new detailed map of the chemical composition of more than 2.5 million stars in the Milky Way. This new map could help reveal the unknown ancient history of our galaxy. “With the new SDSS map, astronomers can begin to tackle many unsolved mysteries about the birth and growth of the Milky Way,” said Zeljko Ivezic, a University of Washington astronomer, and leader of the study.

Astronomers use the term “metals” to describe all elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, including the oxygen we breathe, the calcium in our bones, and the iron in our blood. Although hydrogen, helium and traces of lithium were created at the beginning of the Universe in the Big Bang, all other elements (such as iron and carbon) were forged in the cores of stars or during the explosive deaths of massive stars.

As a result, stars that formed early in the history of the Galaxy (some 13 billion years ago) were made of gas that had few metals created by the generations of stars that came before. These “metal-poor stars” provide astronomers with a chemical fingerprint of the origin and evolution of the elements. As subsequent generations of stars formed and died, they returned some of their metal-enriched material to the interstellar medium, the birthplace of later generations of stars, including our Sun.

Previous chemical composition maps were based on much smaller samples of stars and didn’t go as far as the distances surveyed by SDSS-II — a region extending from near the Sun to about 30,000 light years away. The construction and first implications of the map are described in a paper titled “The Milky Way Tomography with SDSS: II. Stellar Metallicity,” slated to appear in the August 1 issue of The Astrophysical Journal.

“By mapping how the metal content of stars varies throughout the Milky Way, astronomers can decipher star formation and evolution, just as archaeologists reveal ancient history by studying human artifacts,”explained University of Washington graduate student Branimir Sesar, a member of the research team.

Sources: ArXiv, Sloan Digital Sky Survey

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Buzz Lightyear Joins Space Shuttle Crew

Buzz Lightyear will be on the next space shuttle mission, set to launch on Saturday, May 31. No kidding. “We are thrilled that Buzz’s lifelong dream of space travel finally will come true thanks to NASA,” said Jay Rasulo, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “This launch fulfills his dream, and we hope it will inspire countless children to stay interested in science and believe in their own dreams.” NASA announced today a new educational initiative partnership with Disney theme parks, which will kick off with space shuttle Discovery’s launch. A 12-inch-tall Buzz Lightyear action figure will be carried aboard the shuttle as part of the partnership to encourage students to pursue studies in science, technology and mathematics, one of NASA’s main educational goals.

Beginning on May 31, new online games will be available on NASA’s Kids Club which will feature Buzz Lightyear. And it sounds like NASA’s “Toys in Space” program might be dusted off or revived.

Disney’s Youth Educational Series and NASA have developed an online program known as the Space Ranger Education Series. It includes educational games for students, as well as materials for educators to download and integrate into their classroom curriculum.

“NASA is excited to help students understand the science and engineering currently underway on the International Space Station,” said Joyce Winterton, NASA assistant administrator for Education.
“The educational games and resources from this partnership will allow students to explore the science and math behind space exploration with a beloved character.”

Source: NASA

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Europe Unveils Concept for Manned ATV

Here’s a futuristic-looking concept for a manned vehicle of the not-so-distant future. Buoyed by the success of the Jules Verne Automated Transfer Vehicle, the European space company EADS Astrium unveiled their plans to evolve the ATV – currently a cargo carrier for the International Space Station – to a manned vehicle. There’s just one little hurdle to overcome: currently, the ATV isn’t capable of returning to Earth without burning up in the atmosphere. But Astrium says the cost for the upgrade would be reasonable, and an additional crew-capable vehicle would certainly come in handy for the ISS when the shuttles are retired in 2010.

Jules Verne successfully docked to the space station in April of this year using its sophisticated navigation, rendezvous and docking technologies. Astrium believes a crewed version of the ATV is the logical next step.

The idea is to use the current avionics and propulsion systems of the Jules Verne, but insert a crew compartment in place of the current cargo section.

Astrium says the work to upgrade the vehicle would be done in two stages. The first would be to give the freighter a means of returning non-human items to Earth safely – something it currently can’t do.
Astrium says this stage could be flying by 2013 and would cost “well below one billion euros” to achieve.

If all goes well, the re-entry freight capsule could then be upgraded to carry three astronauts in a second stage of development.

Astrium estimates maiden voyage of a crewed capsule would be 2017 at the earliest. While the US’s new Orion spacecraft is scheduled to be ready by 2014, its always nice to have a back-up.

A model of a proposed European manned spaceship was on display at the Berlin Air Show.

Original News Source: BBC

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

“Where In The Universe” Challenge #7

With all the excitement of Phoenix’s successful landing and subsequent activities, I almost forgot that its time for another “Where In The Universe” challenge. So, I’ve been blazing across the internet, trying to shoot off another version of this challenge without causing a conflagration or bursting into spontaneous human combustion (OK, I know that doesn’t really happen, but it fits here.)

I have to admit this image is really unusual. It almost looks like something found painted on a cave wall, but this is an actual image taken of the surface of a planetary body. It’s time to make your guesses, and no peeking below before you do…..

This image was chosen in honor of Phoenix. Still puzzled?

These are fire scars in an Australian desert. This image was taken in November of 2002 by a crew member on board the International Space Station. These unusual bright orange fire scars show up on the underlying sand dunes in the Simpson Desert, 300 kilometers east of Alice Springs. The background is an intricate pattern of sand cordons that angle across the view from lower left to upper right. These cordons are mostly green in this image, showing that, although they were once shifting, they have become more or less static—“tied down” by a vegetation mat of desert scrub.

The fire scars were produced by a fire in 2002, and are certainly not there anymore, unless a new fire has created new scars like this. According to scientists, the image suggests a time sequence of events: Fires first advanced into the view from the lower left—parallel with the major dune trend and dominant wind direction. Then the wind shifted direction by about 90 degrees so that fires advanced across the dunes in a series of frond-like tendrils. The sharp tips of the fronds show where the fires burned out naturally.

Over time these scars are erased as vegetation grows back.

How’d you do?

And let’s hear it one more time for the latest spacecraft on Mars! Phoenix, you really light my fire!

Image source: NASA Earth Observatory

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Spitzer Spies Ghostly Magnetar

Spitzer Space Telescope Image of Magnetar SGR 1900+14

If only it were closer to Halloween. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope has captured an infrared image showing a ghostly ring extending seven light-years across around the corpse of a massive star, called a magnetar . The collapsed star, called Magnetar SGR 1900+14, is unlike anything ever seen before. Scientists believe this object may have formed in 1998 when the magnetar erupted in a giant flare. They believe the crusty surface of the magnetar cracked, sending out a flare, or blast of energy, that excavated a nearby cloud of dust, leaving an outer, dusty ring. “The universe is a big place and weird things can happen,” said Stefanie Wachter of NASA’s Spitzer Science Center.

Wachter is lead author of a paper about the findings in this week’s Nature. The ring is oblong, with dimensions of about seven by three light-years. It appears to be flat, or two-dimensional, but the scientists said they can’t rule out the possibility of a three-dimensional shell.

Magnetars are formed when a giant star ends its life in a supernova explosion, leaving behind a super dense neutron star with an incredibly strong magnetic field. These are the cores of massive stars that blew up in supernova explosions, but unlike other dead stars, they slowly pulsate with X-rays and have tremendously strong magnetic fields. The ring seen by Spitzer could not have formed during the original explosion, as any material as close to the star as the ring would have been disrupted by the supernova shock wave.

This composite image was taken using all three of Spitzer’s science instruments. The blue color represents 3.6-micron infrared light taken by the infrared array camera, green is 16-micron light from the infrared spectograph, and red is 24-micron radiation from the multiband imaging photometer.

Original News Source: NASA

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Listen to Phoenix Descend

Europe’s Mars Express orbiter picked up the signal that Phoenix was transmitting as it descended to Mars’ surface on May 25. The data from the Mars Express Lander Communication system (MELACOM) tracked Phoenix and the signal was received on Earth soon after the Phoenix landing. The Mars Express Flight Control Team has now processed the signals, and the sounds of Phoenix descending are audible, loud and clear. ESA says the signal was tracked successfully, even during the expected transmission blackout window of the descent, until the lander was out of Mars Express’s view. The transmission blackout window is caused because of ionization around the probe, which builds up as the lander descends through the atmosphere and only very weak signals come through.

The closest Mars Express got to Phoenix was 1550 km. Then, as Mars Express flew away, the lander deployed its parachute, separated from it and landed. Then the signal from the lander was cut off.

Listening to the recording, you’ll notice the Doppler effect, which is very similar to what we hear when listening to the whistle of a passing train, of Phoenix and Mars Express getting closer and then farther away from each other.

Link to the sound recording.

The rest of the recording, the start and the end, contains background noise generated by Mars Express itself.

During the descent, all of the capabilities of Mars Express were focussed on tracking Phoenix with MELACOM. Unfortunately, the science observations carried out during the descent did not lead to the anticipated results.

Over the next few days, Mars Express will monitor Phoenix using MELACOM 15 more times; at least one of these will be used to demonstrate and confirm that the ESA spacecraft can be used as a data relay station for NASA, receiving data from the surface and transmitting test commands to the lander, which may be important if any issues remain with the communication troubles between Phoenix and the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Source: ESA

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Countdown Begins for STS-124; Will Bring Supplies for ISS Toilet Repair

Countdown for the next space shuttle mission, STS-124 will begin today, Wednesday May 28 at 3:00 pm EDT. Launch is scheduled for Saturday, May 31 at 5:02 pm EDT. The mission will deliver Japan’s Kibo pressurized module to the station, as well as some last minute, very important equipment: parts to repair a balky toilet on board the space station. The pump that separates the solids from the gas wastes for the toilet has been working only sporadically. The replacement parts are being flown in from Russia today, hand-carried in a diplomatic pouch, and will be added to the payload on board space shuttle Discovery. “Clearly, having a working toilet is a priority for us,” said NASA’s Scott Higginbotham, mission manager in the International Space Station and Spacecraft Processing Directorate. STS-124 is the 123rd flight of the space shuttle, the 26th flight to the station and the 35th flight for space shuttle Discovery.

Mission managers report everything looks good for launch on Saturday. The flight crew will be arriving today. All systems on the shuttle are in good shape and the Kibo module is securely installed in Discovery’s payload bay. Kibo is the largest pressurized module ever delivered to the ISS, but at 32,000 pounds (14,515 kilograms), it’s not the heaviest payload ever launched on board a shuttle. That was the S3/S4 truss delivered last year, which weighed 35,678 pounds (16,183-kilograms).

10 minute launch window starts at 4:57 pm, and launch is targeted for the middle of window at 5:02 pm. STS-124 is a 14 day mission, with 3 EVAs planned from the ISS airlock. If any launch delays occur, they could continue with four launch attempts in five days, and the only constraint is the GLAST launch planned for June 5.

In addition to the Kibo module and crew, 975 lbs of equipment will be going up on the flight, including the last minute addition of toilet repair parts, which Higginbotham described as “fairly significant pieces of hardware.” For more info on the toilet, see Jim Oberg’s article on MSNBC.

Currently, the weather looks good for a the Saturday launch.

Image: The STS-124 crew members pose for a portrait at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. From the left are astronauts Mark Kelly, commander; Ken Ham, pilot; Karen Nyberg, Ron Garan, Mike Fossum, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Akihiko Hoshide, and astronaut Greg Chamitoff, all mission specialists. Photo credit: NASA