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

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Comm Glitch Resolved; New Raw Images from Phoenix

The UHF radio on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter that had gone into standby mode yesterday was successfully restarted. The orbiter was then able to receive information from the Phoenix Mars Lander late Tuesday evening and relay the transmission to Earth, which included images and other data collected by Phoenix during the mission’s second day after landing on Mars. The radio system used by the orbiter to communicate with the lander experienced an undetermined “transient event” early Tuesday and shut itself off. This prevented sending Phoenix any new commands from Earth on Tuesday. Instead, the lander carried out a backup set of activity commands that had been sent Monday, which included taking additional pictures of itself and the landing site. Above is one of the raw, unprocessed image the lander took of itself.


We’ve gotten used to the panoramic images of Mars from the Mars Exploration Rovers, and we can expect more of the same from Phoenix. Above is the beginnings of a panoramic view of the lander and its surroundings. The Surface Stereo Imager is in the process of taking multiple images, which the imaging team will process and piece together to form a a large color panorama.

And how do these raw, black and white images become colorful photos and panoramas? At left is a calibration target on Phoenix. It has grayscale and color dots. Before launch, the calibration targets are imaged and measured very accurately, so that the imaging team back on Earth knows what the colors and different shades of grey are.

Once on Mars, a picture is taken of the target. The picture will be processed through the software they use, and if it comes out looking the same as the pictures taken of the target before launch, the imaging team knows they have processed the picture correctly. They then use the same technique to process the images of Mars surface, and produce images that are as close as possible to the “real” colors on Mars.

Here’s one more raw image, the beginnings the panorama of the entire spacecraft, of the SSI camera looking down on the spacecraft itself.

Image Source: Phoenix Gallery

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Communication Glitch for Phoenix, MRO

The UHF communications radio on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has switched to standby and was unable to relay instructions to the Phoenix lander for its activities for sol 2, which included unstowing its robotic arm. The problem arose at 0608 PDT on Tuesday. MRO did receive the sol 2 sequence from Earth – meaning the communications link between Earth and MRO continues to operate normally. But subsequently MRO reported that there had been a “problem with the handshake between MRO and Phoenix,” said Fuk Li, manager of NASA’s Mars Exploration Program. A ‘handshake’ is the set of signals the radios on the two spacecraft send each other to establish a data-communications link.

“All this is is a one-day hiccup in being able to move the arm around, so it’s no big deal,” said Ed Sedivy, Phoenix program manager at Lockheed Martin Space Systems.

The next opportunity to send commands to Phoenix will occur on Wednesday morning, when Mars Odyssey, the other spacecraft used to communicate with Phoenix, passes over the landing site. At that time, the commands that failed to reach the lander today will be transmitted. We’ll keep you posted.

Also, we’ll take this opportunity to share a couple of other tidbits about Phoenix. The image above was taken on sol 1, and shows Phoenix’s backshell off in the distance.


On board Phoenix is a weather station, contributed by the Canadian Space Agency and University of Aarhus in Denmark. The weather station was activated in the first hour after landing on Mars. Measurements are being recorded continuously. Skies were clear and sunny on Sol 1 on Mars. The temperature varied between minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit in the early morning and minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit in the afternoon. The average pressure was 8.55 millibars, which is less than a 1/100th of the sea level pressure on Earth.

This image shows the spacecraft’s robotic arm in its stowed configuration, with the a biobarrier, a shiny, protective film, that covers the arm on landing day, or Sol (Martian day) 0, and then the biobarrier was removed during lander’s first full day on Mars, Sol 1.

The “elbow” of the arm can be seen at the top center of the picture, and the biobarrier is the shiny film seen to the left of the arm.

The biobarrier is an extra precaution to protect Mars from contamination with any bacteria from Earth. While the whole spacecraft was decontaminated through cleaning, filters and heat, the robotic arm was given additional protection because it is the only spacecraft part that will directly touch the ice below the surface of Mars. After Phoenix landed, springs were used to pop back the barrier, giving it room to deploy.

These images were taken on May 25, 2008 and May 26, 2008 by the spacecraft’s Surface Stereo Imager.

News Sources: Astrobiology Magazine, JPL Phoenix News

Posted on by Ian O'Neill

The A-Train: Using Five Satellites as One to Analyze Polluted Clouds

The A-Train - 5 satellites collaborate to scan polluted clouds (NASA)

This is one of the finest examples of satellite collaboration. Five Earth-observing orbiters, four from NASA and one from France, are working together to provide the deepest analysis of cloud cover ever carried out. The satellites orbit in a close formation, only eight minutes apart, and create what is known as the “Afternoon Constellation” (or “A-Train” for short). They are so close in fact, that they can be considered to act as one satellite, capable of carrying out a vast suite of measurements on the pollution content of clouds. This work is shedding new light on the link between clouds, pollution and rainfall, a study that could never be achieved with one satellite alone…

Pollution in clouds is a critical problem for the international community. These rogue particles can seriously change the natural behaviour of clouds and entire weather systems, but until now, scientists have been uncertain about the difference in rainfall from polluted and unpolluted cloud cover. This is primarily because no single environmental satellite has been able to probe deep into clouds with the limited number of instruments it can carry. But using the collective power of five independent satellites, scientists are beginning to unlock the secrets polluted clouds have been hiding.

Particulates from pollution mixing with clouds above the US (NASA)

Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Labs (JPL) in Pasadena have recently discovered that clouds peppered with pollutant particles do not produce as much rain as their unpolluted counterparts. This finding was only possible after analysing data from the near-simultaneous measurements made by the five A-Train satellites. The constellation includes NASA’s Aqua, Aura, CloudSat and CALIPSO and the French Space Agency’s PARASOL.

“Typically, it is very hard to get a sense of how important the effect of pollution on clouds is. With the A-Train, we can see the clouds every day and we’re getting confirmation on a global scale that we have an issue here.” – Anne Douglass, project scientist at Goddard for NASA’s Aura satellite.

The A-Train is turning up some interesting, if alarming, results. When focusing on the skies above South America during the June-October dry season, the JPL team found that the increased level of agricultural burning during this period injected more aerosols into the clouds. This had the effect of shrinking the size of ice crystals in the clouds, preventing the crystals from getting large enough to fall as rain. This direct effect of burning and ice crystal formation has never been connected before the use of the A-Train. However, during wet seasons, the aerosol content in clouds appeared not to be a critical factor on the amount of rainfall.

How is it possible to distinguish between polluted and unpolluted clouds? Firstly, the A-Train’s Aura satellite measures the concentration of carbon monoxide in the clouds. This is a strong indicator for the presence of smoke and other aerosols originating from a power plant or agricultural activities. When the polluted clouds are identified, the A-Train’s Aqua satellite can be called into use. Using its Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer instrument, the size of ice crystals in polluted and unpolluted clouds can be measured. Next up is NASA’s Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission satellite that can measure the amount of precipitation (rain) from polluted and unpolluted clouds.

Through this combination of satellites, scientists are able to link pollution with clouds with precipitation. This is only one example of the flexibility behind collaborations such as A-Train, so cloud science can only go from strength to strength.

Source: Physorg.com

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Why the Phoenix Landing Site is Perfect

Permafrost on Mars (top) compared to Earth (bottom). Image credit: NASA Earth Observatory

Phoenix’s landing site may look flat and uninteresting. But actually, the site is perfect, and is exactly what the Phoenix science team was hoping for. You see, Phoenix is actually more interested in what is below the surface. From one of the first images sent back by Phoenix, a view of Mars’ surface at this site reveals a landscape familiar to polar scientists on Earth: a pattern of interlocking polygon shapes that form in permafrost that freezes and thaws seasonally. These polygon patterns were seen in orbital pictures taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, as well as other spacecraft, and these polygon shapes are part of the evidence that Mars’ polar regions harbor large quantities of frozen water.

This pair of images above shows the similarities between the surface of Mars where Phoenix landed (top) and permafrost on northeastern Spitsbergen, Svalbard (bottom) an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean north of mainland Europe, about midway between Norway and the North Pole. The polygon patterns in the permafrost form when the upper parts of the ground thaw and refreeze from season to season. The ground contracts in the winter cold, creating small spaces that fill with melted water in the summer. When winter returns and the water freezes, it acts like a wedge, enlarging the cracks.


The Phoenix landing site with polygon shapes visible from orbit via MRO.

The only difference in these photos is the Earth image shows water on the surface, and on Mars, water couldn’t pool on the surface because the low atmospheric pressure would cause any water that might bubble to the surface to sublimate. But the thaw/freeze process could presumably occur beneath Mars’ surface with far less water.

And why is this so interesting? On Earth, permafrost, glaciers, and other frozen environments can preserve organic molecules, bacteria, and fungi for hundreds of thousands, even millions, of years. The Phoenix spacecraft has scientific instruments that will dig into the frozen ground of the Martian Arctic, vaporize the soil sample, and analyze the chemistry of the vapors. Scientists hope to learn whether ice just below the surface ever thaws and whether some chemical ingredients of life are preserved in the icy soil.

That’s why Phoenix’s landing site is perfect.

Original News Source: NASA Earth Observatory

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Another HiRISE Stunner: The Full Descent Image

I hope you’re not tired of seeing HiRISE images of Phoenix, but this one shows the grandeur of Mars compared to the tininess of our spacecraft. Remember the close-up image of Phoenix descending to Mars’ surface with its parachute? Well, the HiRISE folks were holding back on us. Above is the jaw-dropping full image, with the inset being the close-up of Phoenix! What an amazing vista, and our little Phoenix is just a tiny pixel or two in the entire image. That the imaging team found Phoenix in this photo is incredible. And no, Phoenix is not heading into the crater, as it appears. The lander is actually about 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) in front of the crater. This is just so amazing.

Tell me when you’ve had enough of these images, but I’m saying, “Keep ’em coming!”

I love HiRISE even more.

BTW, the crater is informally called “Heimdall,” and is about 10 km (6 miles) wide.

Original Source: JPL Phoenix News

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

HiRISE Does It Again; Captures Phoenix On Mars’ Surface

The HiRISE Camera Imaging Team for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter keeps outdoing themselves. First, they imaged Mars’ surface in such fine detail to help choose a safe yet interesting landing site for Phoenix. Then they beat the odds and actually captured Phoenix during its descent to Mars surface, which is completely incredible. And now, in very short order they’ve located and imaged Phoenix and all its accoutrements sitting on Mars north polar region. The parachute (lower left) is easy to identify because it is especially bright and the backshell is still attached to the parachute cords. The double dark marking at right is consistent with disturbance of the ground from impact and bouncing of the heat shield, which fell from a height of about 10 kilometers. The last object (upper left) is the Phoenix Lander whose two solar panels on either side of the lander are clearly visible.

To give you a sense of scale of what you’re seeing, the solar panels are about 5.5 meters (about 18 feet) across, and about 22 pixels in this image. The parachute and lander are about 300 meters, roughly 1,000 feet, apart. All seen and imaged by MRO from orbit. Amazing.

I love HiRISE.

In other Phoenix news, the commands to activate the robotic arm will be sent Wednesday morning via communications with, appropriately enough, MRO.

See below for close-ups and the entire image without the inserts.

All these images were acquired about 22 hours after Phoenix landed at about 3:00PM local time on the surface. The rest of the HiRISE observation shows a cloud free day for Phoenix Lander operations.

Close up of the Phoenix lander.

Parachute and backshell.

Source: HiRISE

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

The Wizard Takes Off Without Dorothy: Skydiver’s Balloon Leaves Him Behind

We can only imagine the disappointment skydiver Michel Fournier must have felt watching his helium balloon take off without him, a la Dorothy in the “Wizard of Oz.” Today, Fournier was going to attempt a record setting skydiving leap from 130,000 feet (40,000 meters), about three times higher than commercial airplanes fly. But the helium balloon he was going to use to soar to the stratosphere detached from the capsule that would have carried him heavenward. Reportedly, the balloon cost at least $200,000 USD and Fournier, 64, was said to have already exhausted his finances. The former paratrooper had planned to make the attempt Monday, but had to postpone his plans because of weather conditions. What a bummer.

The balloon was inflated on the ground at the airport in North Battleford, Saskatchewan. The balloon detached and drifted away into the sky without the capsule.

Fournier appeared disappointed as he left the capsule and walked to the hanger.

Attempts in 2002 and 2003 ended when wind gusts shredded his balloon before it even became airborne.

Fournier’s jump would have broken the record for the fastest and longest free fall, the highest parachute jump and the highest balloon flight. He also hoped to bring back data that will help astronauts and others survive in the highest of altitudes.

An army of technicians, data crunchers, balloon and weather specialists arrived recently in North Battleford, a city of 14,000 near the Saskatchewan-Alberta line, for the attempt.

Fournier had planned to make the jump in his native France, but the government denied him permission because it believed the project was too dangerous. He then came to North Battleford, an agricultural and transportation hub northwest of Saskatoon.

Original News Source: PhysOrg

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Solar Blast Seen in Unprecedented Detail (Video)

Periodically our sun blasts streams of hot, ionized gas into the solar system. These eruptions, called coronal mass ejections or CMEs pose a potential threat to astronauts or satellites if aimed at Earth. On April 9, the Sun erupted with a CME, and because the eruption was located on the edge or limb of the sun, it was observed in unprecedented detail by a fleet of spacecraft, revealing new features that are predicted by computer models but are otherwise difficult to see, even for specialized sun-watching spacecraft. From these observations, astronomers have been able to create an animation of this spectacular event.

When a CME occurs, usually spacecraft watching the event need to protect themselves from the bright X-ray solar flare associate with a CME. However, since the April 9 CME occurred on the edge or limb of the Sun as viewed from Earth, the solar flare was hidden from view, which allowed spacecraft to take longer exposures and uncover fainter structures than usual.

“Observations like this are very rare,” said Smithsonian astronomer Ed DeLuca.

Using the Smithsonian-developed X-ray Telescope (XRT) aboard the Japanese Hinode sun-watching satellite, astronomers saw a spiral (helical) magnetic structure unwind as it left the Sun during the CME. Such unwinding can release energy as the magnetic field goes from a more twisted to a less twisted configuration, thereby helping to power the eruption.

Hours later, XRT revealed an inflow of material toward a feature that appears as a bright line—actually an object known as a current sheet seen edge-on. A current sheet is a thin, electrified sheet of gas where oppositely directed magnetic field lines annihilate one another in a process known as magnetic reconnection. The extended observations from XRT show that magnetic fields flow in toward the current sheet for many hours after the eruption, progressing first toward the sheet and then down to the sun’s surface.

The astronomers were able to create an animation of the event.

They also determined that the temperature of the current sheet is between 5 and 18 million degrees Fahrenheit, which matches previous measurements higher up in the corona by the Ultraviolet Coronagraph Spectrometer on the SOHO spacecraft.

Astronomers study these explosions in hope of being able to predict them and provide “space weather” forecasts.

Original News Source: Harvard Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Posted on by Ian O'Neill

China Launches Second Olympic Satellite; Will Help Earthquake Zone

Fengyun-3 launched on a Long March-4C rocket from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the Shanxi province (chinanews.com)

China is stepping up its preparations for this year’s Olympics to be held in the Chinese capital, Beijing. Concern is growing for the start of the games this summer as early August is known to be a wet period in the region. More advanced weather satellites are therefore being sent into orbit to aid the forecasting effort. This is good timing for improved weather satellite technology as the earthquake-striken Sichuan province recovery effort has been hampered by poor weather conditions. Aid and search operations will greatly benefit from better weather forecasting…

At 11:02 Beijing Time (03:02 GMT) today, one of the most advanced weather satellites to be sent into space by China was launched from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province. The satellite, called Fengyun-3, was launched by a Long March-4C carrier rocket. The ascent took 27 minutes from launch to orbital insertion.

This is the next generation in weather satellite technology for the nation. Fengyun-3 is carrying three-dimensional sensors that will measure the dynamics in the Earth’s atmosphere and climate. It will also monitor Polar Regions and ocean conditions. The sensors can measure temperature changes of 0.1F and has a spatial resolution of 250 meters (0.15 miles). This is a vast improvement on the resolution of its predecessors of only 1 kilometer (0.62 miles).

“The 250-m resolution images will be of vital significance for censoring global climate changes and possible subsequent natural disasters.” – Gao Huoshan, general director of the FY-3 research team.

Gao also describes Fengyun-3 as a key contributor to acquiring geographical data for aviation, navigation, agriculture, forestry and oceanography research. This impressive 2,295 kg (5,060 lb) satellite will be used extensively to aid weather predictions for the Olympics and will help disaster zones (such as the recent sequence of major earthquakes in the Sichuan province).

This is another Chinese success in space as the proud nation pushes for more development of homemade satellite technology. Since US rules barred the export of satellite components to China, there is a sense of urgency to develop their own direction in space. US rules do not seem to be restricting Chinese aspirations in space, China is planning for a manned Moon mission to launch soon after 2017.

Sources: China Daily, Physorg.com