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 Ian O'Neill

Japanese Special Brew: Space Beer

In 1985, Coke was flown into space. The carbon dioxide fizzed all the way through the zero-G blob (NASA)

Well, the title is a little misleading. It should read something like, “Japanese Scientists Brew Beer from Barley that Spent Five Months on the International Space Station,” but that seemed a little too long. It’s not actually beer brewed in space, more beer made from ingredients grown on the ISS. Regardless, the idea is pretty cool. A Japanese company wants to produce 100 bottles of space beer, but commercializing the product may not be a reality quite yet. Even if you might not be able to buy space beer at your local pub, there might not be much different from the normal stuff anyway. But it is a step in the right direction toward the first bar on the Moon or Mars…

The Japanese, known for their traditional alcoholic tipple Saké, are about to become known for their space beer brewing exploits too. Using third-generation barley grown on the ISS for 5 months in 2006, the brewing company Sapporo is hoping to roll out their first 100 bottles of “Space Beer” by this November. The company has been working with Okayama University biologist Manabu Sugimoto and the Russian space agency on producing edible products grown in orbit. This is all in the effort to aid the science behind growing sustainable produce in space for future long-term missions, greatly benefiting future manned settlement plans on the Moon, and eventually Mars.

“In the future, we may reach a point where humans will spend an extended period of time in space and must grow food to sustain ourselves […] In the long run, we hope our space research will be not just about producing food, but about enjoying food and relaxing [in space].” – Manabu Sugimoto.

Sapporo Classic Beer (Toby Oxborrow)

On analysing the DNA of barley grown in space and comparing it with barley grown here on Earth, there appears to be no difference between the strains. These results will be presented in July at a conference in Canada with a focus on the cultivation of plants in a space environment. Barley is a hardy plant, allowing it to grow in challenging environments in a range of temperatures. It is also high in fibre and nutrients, essential for the health of astronauts and future space colonists. Making beer from barley grown in space may seem pretty inconsequential, but once this is achieved, more products familiar here on Earth may be grown and manufactured in space.

As for brewing beer in a zero-G environment, this may be many years off. In separate experiments held by NASA in the 1980’s on carbonated drinks, it was found that the “fizz” cannot rise in the liquid (as there is no gravity, pictured top). The foam you’d associate with the head on a pint of beer would be non-existent in zero-G as the bubbles become suspended within the liquid. This has the unappealing effect of producing “wet burps” when drunk by astronauts – the liquid does not become separated from the gas, expelling the gas by belching also expels some liquid. This is one of the main reasons why carbonated drinks are not on the ISS menu.

For now, space beer, drunk in space, will probably be confined to consumption on planets, where gravity will help alleviate any messy burps…

Sources: Physorg.com, New Scientist

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 Ian O'Neill

Eta Carinae and the “Cosmic Cauldron” in Unprecedented Detail – New Images from the VLT

Eta Carinae. Taken with the NACO near-infrared adaptive optics instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope (ESO/VLT)

To celebrate the Very Large Telescope’s (VLT) 10th birthday on Tuesday, it was us who received the gifts. The European Southern Observatory (ESO) released two magnificent astronomical images of two nebulae, both very different, but spectacular all the same. One is the iconic scene of Eta Carinae (a.k.a. Homunculus, “little man” in Latin, pictured), the nebula produced by a single dying star just before it goes supernova. The second is of the large nebula NGC 3576, setting the scene for the “Cosmic Cauldron”, where the clouds are constantly churned up by the birth of newborn stars. These new images have applied some of the most advanced astronomy techniques to remove atmospheric blurring, bringing us the most detailed look into these nebulae we have ever experienced…

The VLT is located high on the Chilean mountain of Cerro Paranal, over 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) above sea level. The Atacama desert in northern Chile provides ideal, stable observation conditions to resolve the fine structure of astronomical objects four billion times fainter than what can be observed with the naked eye. The observatory consists of a group of four 8.2 metre telescopes, and an astronomical interferometer. For the last ten years the VLT has produced some of the most iconic images in the history of astronomy. The VLT was one of the first observatories to capture infrared images of extrasolar planets 2M1207b and GQ Lupi b. It also discovered the most distant gamma-ray burst and possibly the farthest observed (and therefore youngest) galaxy ever discovered, Abell 1835 IR1916. It has also uncovered evidence that there may be a supermassive black hole sitting in the centre of our galaxy. Still, it captures some of the deepest images of space we have ever seen.

Star forming NGC 3576, a gigantic region of glowing gas about 100 light-years across (ESO/VLT)

Probably the most familiar image is of the twin bulges of the clouds of hot matter being blown from the dying bright star of Eta Carinae (pictured top). This is one of the finest examples of a star going through the last phase of its life as a “luminous blue variable”. The hot gas forming the “Homunculus” originates from a great outburst observed in 1843 and some time in the next 100,000 years, the star will die, exploding as a supernova. This new image is 6 to 7 times better resolved than previous images of Eta Carinae as the VLT has applied some of the most advanced adaptive optical technology (called NACO) to remove the blurring effect of the atmosphere. Now, the fine scale of Eta Carinae can be seen, clearly showing the jets blasting from the central star and the bipolar structure.

A second (bigger) nebula can also be found in the direction of the constellation of Carina, it is called NGC 3576. This vast region (stretching 100 light-years across) is located in a volume of space far beyond Eta Carinae, some 9,000 light-years from the Earth. The image of NGC 3576 (pictured above) shows, in awesome detail, the violent nature of the cradle for newborn stars. The nebula is thought to be very young, only 1.5 million years old, with massive stars emitting intense radiation and stellar winds, ejecting the clouds from where they grew up.

Researchers from the University of Cologne in Germany are studying NGC 3576 using the VLT to deduce the number of young stars that still have protoplanetary disks. From this study, astronomers hope to understand the lifetime of these planet-forming disks, how the star’s radiation influences lifetime and how stellar collisions will affect disk evolution.

For now, I’ll leave the science to the researchers and enjoy the beauty of these striking VLT images…

Source: ESO

Posted on by Ian O'Neill

What is the Fastest Spinning Object in the Solar System? Near-Earth Asteroid 2008 HJ

The asteroid Eros, it might be big but it doesnt spin as fast as 2008 HJ (NASA)

A British astronomer has discovered a strange spinning object. The fact that it is spinning in itself is not strange, but the speed it is doing so has raised some eyebrows. The near-Earth asteroid 2008 HJ has been spotted spinning at a rate of one rotation every 42.7 seconds, breaking the record for the fastest rotating natural object in the Solar System. It is so fast that it has been designated as a “super-fast rotator”. What makes this discovery even more interesting was that it was spotted by an amateur astronomer when using the Australian Faulkes Telescope South observatory, operating it remotely over the Internet, in his Dorset home in the south of the UK…

Asteroid 2008 HJ smashes the previous record for fastest rotating object by 35 seconds. The previous record holder was asteroid 2000 DO8 (discovered eight years ago) with a rotational period of 78 seconds. This new discovery comes from a new project funded by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), which gives UK schools and colleges access to the world-class Faulkes Telescopes based in Australia and Hawaii. This finding is one of four recent successes in the search for small near-Earth asteroids under 150 meters in diameter. In April this year, the first significant discovery by the project was of asteroid 2008 GP3 with a measured rotation period of 11.8 minutes.

The orbit of NEO 2008 HJ (NASA/JPL Small Body Database)

Perhaps even more exciting than the discovery itself is who spotted asteroid 2008 HJ in the first place. This isn’t a news release from the Australian observatory, it isn’t even an announcement from an academic institution; the discovery was made by retiree Richard Miles from the comfort of his own home. Miles is an amateur astronomer and vice-president of the British Astronomical Association (BAA). He was able to carry out his research via a remote connection to the Faulkes Telescope South on the other side of the planet, in the UK. This charity based program enables enthusiasts and students to control the research-grade two-metre diameter telescopes, and the discoveries are coming thick and fast.

“A discovery like this demonstrates the capabilities of amateur astronomers and school students to produce exciting scientific results if given the right tools. By providing Richard with access to a big telescope we have smashed the previous record, and opened up the search for even faster objects to UK amateur astronomers and school students. This helps to put all that classroom science, maths and IT to real use!” – Dr Paul Roche, Director of the Faulkes Telescope Project at Cardiff University, Wales

The finding of the 12×24 metre asteroid appears to be consistent with near-Earth asteroid theory, and many sub-minute period asteroids can be expected. It’s just that not very many have been discovered as yet, so with the help of UK schools and amateur astronomers, more can be expected to be found.

Near-Earth asteroids are a concern for the future of the planet as there are many Earth-crossing rocky bodies that could cause significant damage to us on the ground should one come our way. Although the skies appear clear for now, our knowledge of these rogue objects is very limited. It is generally understood that these spinning pieces of rock (often weighing in at thousands of tonnes) are fragments from ancient collisions in the early Solar System. Projects such as Faulkes have an obvious advantage in increasing our knowledge in that it opens up observation time to a vast number of astronomers.

For more information on the Faulkes Telescopes, go to the project website »

Source: SpaceRef.com

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