The Inquisitr » nasa

NASA says water found in moon crater

Kim LaCapria — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:50:17 +0000

The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), the robot drone that famously crashed into the moon on the same day Barack Obama was announced as the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize this year, has uncovered the strongest evidence yet of water on the moon.

Twin impacts occurred at 11:31 UTC on October 9th, striking the crater Cabeus. At a press briefing today at 9am at PST NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, CA, preliminary data was unveiled regarding the details contained in massive amounts of data collected by the spacecraft:

“We are ecstatic,” said Anthony Colaprete, LCROSS project scientist and principal investigator at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif. “Multiple lines of evidence show water was present in both the high angle vapor plume and the ejecta curtain created by the LCROSS Centaur impact. The concentration and distribution of water and other substances requires further analysis, but it is safe to say Cabeus holds water.”

NASA indicates that presence of water may not be the extent of the moon’s secrets:

“The full understanding of the LCROSS data may take some time. The data is that rich,” Colaprete said. “Along with the water in Cabeus, there are hints of other intriguing substances. The permanently shadowed regions of the moon are truly cold traps, collecting and preserving material over billions of years.”

So Terribly Wrong: Cats in Space

Duncan Riley — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:54:08 +0000

What happens if you put a cat into a zero gravity environment? The cat torturers at NASA found out and took this clip:

NASA Scrubs Launch Of Ares I-X

AHN — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:35:50 +0000

Cape Canaveral, FL (AHN) – NASA has scrubbed its Tuesday launch of the next-generation spacecraft and launch vehicle system of the Ares I-X and will try again Wednesday, NASA officials said on the agency Website. The launch’s aim was to give scientists useful data on flight characteristics, hardware, facilities and ground operations.

Using Twitter officials wrote: “Ares I-X has scrubbed for today due to bad weather. More details soon about next attempt.”

Weather along with technical difficulties led the space agency to push back the launch of the world’s largest shuttle until a noon launch window closed. Previous launch times were 8:25 a.m. and 9:49 a.m.

The test launch of the Ares I-X, is part of NASA’s Constellation program poised to transport astronauts to low-Earth orbit aboard an Orion spacecraft. The test rocket includes a real solid-rocket first stage, with a mock second stage and fake Orion crew capsule on top to simulate the intended weight and size of Ares I. The Ares I-X is the tallest booster in operation or close to be placed in service. It stands 327 feet high – 14 stories taller than NASA’s current space shuttles.

The White House asked for strict testing guidelines to be followed in anticipation of the Ares I rocket and Orion capsules to replace the current workhorses NASA employees. Researchers hope the new designs will be used to take and return astronauts to the moon by 2020.

Watch the Ares I-X rocket launch live streaming video here

Paul Short — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:38:49 +0000

NASA is about to launch it’s Ares I-X rocket for a test flight and we’ve embedded the live video stream below.

The Ares I-X rocket is NASA’s next generation space vehicle.

Live Broadcasting by Ustream

From Wikipedia’s page on the Ares I-X

Ares I-X is the first test flight in the Ares I program, a launch system for human spaceflight currently under development by the United States space agency NASA. Along with the Ares V launch system and the Altair lunar lander, Ares I and Orion are part of NASA’s Constellation Program, which is developing spacecraft for U.S. human spaceflight after the Space Shuttle fleet is retired from service in 2010.

Ares I vehicles are intended to launch Orion crew exploration vehicles. The vehicle used for the Ares I-X suborbital test flight will be similar in shape, weight and size to the planned configuration of later Ares I vehicles, but will have largely dissimilar internal hardware. Ares I-X is scheduled for launch on October 27, 2009, the 48th anniversary of the first Saturn I launch.

Info from Wikipedia. Video via Ustream.tv

NASA iPhone App Ready For Free Download

James Allen Johnson — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 19:57:23 +0000

The NASA iPhone app is the closest most of us will get to ever visiting space. The program provides users with a real time location finder so we always know exactly where the International Space Station and other spacecraft are located by using mapping software which features border information, satellite imagery and satellite images overlaid onto various maps. While the application also provides pictures from the most current missions and updates about those missions.

The software also provides the mainstays of the NASA page including the “image of the day” database, the official Twitter feed of Nasa, Videos and any available countdown clocks.

The iPhone App is free to download for nerds everywhere and features a decent interface that’s fairly intuitive and inherently full of beautiful shots from space. [GadgetCrave]

NASA to Decommisssion Satellite that Helped Shape Modern Communication

AHN — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 01:37:45 +0000

Greenbelt, MD (AHN) – After 26 years in service, NASA is retiring the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite – 1 (TDRS-1). Officials say it will be decommissioned on October 28th following communication failure.

According to NASA communications equipment that links TDRS-1 to the ground has failed and without this capability it can no longer relay science data and spacecraft telemetry to ground stations located at the White Sands Complex in Las Cruces, N.M., and on Guam.

“Our immediate plans are to develop a strategy to shut down critical payload systems aboard the satellite,” said Space Network Project Manager Roger Flaherty at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. “Then the team will execute maneuvers to raise TDRS-1’s orbit, thus eliminating potential collision dangers with other communications satellites in geosynchronous orbit.”

TDRS-1 had many firsts and virtually changed the way space travel, exploration, and long distance communication was done. Its position over the Indian Ocean successfully eliminated the “Zone of Exclusion” in an area where communications with spacecraft were previously impossible, thus providing true global coverage for all TDRS System customers.

In 1998, TDRS-1 garnished world-wide publicity when it provided the first medical teleconferencing link, complete with voice, video and imaging data from the South Pole.

Then in July 2002 engineers and medical personnel relied on TDRS-1 to provide continuous, dropout-free data during a two-hour telemedicine event involving a physician at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and physicians at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

The satellite that has contributed so much to exploration and telecommunication advancement nearly didn’t make it to orbit. When it was being launched in April 1983, TDRS-1’s upper stage failed upon deployment from the space shuttle. Engineers at Goddard came to its rescue using the tiny, one-pound thrusters on board the spacecraft. Throughout the next several months engineers painstakingly fired thrusters at the precise interval to nudge TDRS-1 into its geosynchronous Earth orbit.

Since its launch and position in orbit the satellite has inclined nearly one degree per year. This unexpected development has enabled NASA to use the satellite in ways never expected.

NASA Moon Bombing: What You Need To Know

Duncan Riley — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 08:40:05 +0000

We’re only hours away now from the moment where NASA declares war on the moon, or more specifically NASA bombs the moon.

The NASA Moon bombing takes place in two stages: the first is at 4:30 a.m. US PDT (7:30 a.m. US EDT, 10:30pm AEDT, 9:30am GMT) with the second 4 minutes later.

To watch, visit this post: Watch the NASA Moon Bombing Live Online. Links are available for the primary and secondary source, and we’ll also be looking to add an embedded live feed shortly.

Mission Specs:

LCROSS launched with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on June 18, 2009 at 2:32 p.m. PDT. The LCROSS shepherding spacecraft and the Atlas V’s Centaur upper stage rocket executed a fly-by of the moon on June 23, 2009 (LCROSS lunar swingby video stream coverage) and entered into an elongated Earth orbit to position LCROSS for impact on a lunar pole. On final approach, the shepherding spacecraft and Centaur will separate. The Centaur will act as a heavy impactor to create a debris plume that will rise above the lunar surface. Projected impact at the lunar South Pole is currently: Oct 9, 2009 at 4:30 a.m. PDT. Following four minutes behind, the shepherding spacecraft will fly through the debris plume, collecting and relaying data back to Earth before impacting the lunar surface and creating a second debris plume.

The debris plumes are expected to be visible from Earth- and space-based telescopes 10-to-12 inches and larger.

Looking for water

The LCROSS science payload consists of two near-infrared spectrometers, a visible light spectrometer, two mid-infrared cameras, two near-infrared cameras, a visible camera and a visible radiometer. The LCROSS instruments were selected to provide mission scientists with multiple complimentary views of the debris plume created by the Centaur impact.

As the ejecta rises above the target crater’s rim and is exposed to sunlight, any water-ice, hydrocarbons or organics will vaporize and break down into their basic components. These components primarily will be monitored by the visible and infrared spectrometers. The near-infrared and mid-infrared cameras will determine the total amount and distribution of water in the debris plume. The spacecraft’s visible camera will track the impact location and the behavior of the debris plume while the visible radiometer will measure the flash created by the Centaur impact.

Remember to view: NASA moon bombing live online.

Watch The NASA Moon Bombing Live Online

Duncan Riley — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 23:30:25 +0000

NASA is bombing the Moon Friday, and you can watch the unprecedented event via live stream online.

The LCROSS (Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite) mission launched in June with its main goal to look for frozen water reserves on the moon by literally blowing up an area at the Moon’s south pole.

A source of water on the Moon could provide hydrogen for fuel, and assist in the establishment of a permanent moon base.

If bombing the Moon once wasn’t enough, NASA will actually do it twice. The mission has two stages: the shepherding spacecraft and Centaur heavy impactor will separate, with the Centaur creating a debris plume that will rise above the lunar surface. The shepherding spacecraft will fly through the debris plume, collecting and relaying data back to Earth before impacting the lunar surface and creating a second debris plume.

The first impact takes place on Oct 9, 2009 at 4:30 a.m. US PDT (7:30 a.m. US EDT, 10:30pm AEDT) with the second 4 minutes later.

You can watch a live stream of the NASA Moon bombing on NASA TV or via theSLOOH telescope system. Twitter updates are available on the official LCROSS account.

From ‘Star Trek’ To NASA, Electron Beam Tech Is Latest “Green” Industry

Kim LaCapria — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 18:45:14 +0000

NASA engineers working at Langley in Virginia have made significant progress bringing “Star Trek”-tech to the modern world with Electron Beam Freeform Fabrication (EBF3) manufacturing technology.

EBF3 is the latest in government-funded, environmentally-friendly construction research and development that works under the motto: “If you can slice it, we can build it.”

The applications for the high-tech fabrication method are varied; in the near future advanced fighter jets and medical equipment could all be using parts created from EBF3.

While the technology behind the fabrication is advanced, the process itself is deceptively simple. NASA expert Karen Taminger explains, “you start with a drawing of the part you want to build, you push a button, and out comes the part.”

Using electrons and highly specialized plans, NASA is able to create devices and hardware with very little waste. Unlike traditional fabrication methods, EBF3 can make a few small items, without having to use a ton of extraneous material, and without leaving waste.

Probers Confirm Water On Moon

AHN — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 15:00:33 +0000

Washington, D.C. (AHN) – Three lunar probers equipped with NASA instruments that map mineral composition has confirmed the existence of water on the Moon.

The presence of water on the Moon was confirmed in one of three papers published in the journal Science. According to one of the papers, a Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3) onboard the Indian satellite Chandrayyan-1 detected light waves indicating a chemical bond between oxygen and hydrogen.

Larry Taylor of the University of Tennessee, co-authored the paper.

One ton of lunar soil consists of 25 percent water, Taylor said.

Two other probers that detected water on the Moon were, the U.S. spacecraft Cassini and Deep Impact.

NASA’s Chandra X-Ray Observatory Reveals New Details in Center of Milky Way Galaxy

AHN — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 09:06:08 +0000

Huntsville, AL (AHN) – NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has captured images of the center of the Milky Way galaxy that reveal new levels of the complexity.

Chandra’s use of X-rays makes it possible to penetrate the gas and dust that blocks optical light coming from the center of the galaxy.

NASA scientists say that it makes Chandra a powerful tool for studying the center of the galaxy.

For instance, a mosaic of 88 Chandra pointing creates a freeze-frame look at the galaxy. What the mosaic showed was a “freeze-frame of the spectacle of stellar evolution, from bright young stars to black holes, in a crowded, hostile environment dominated by a central, supermassive black hole,” NASA officials said in a statement.

Images and information from Chandra were presented at a recent symposium Boston, Massachusetts.

Chandra was launched in 1999, giving scientists a decade worth of images to study so far.

The Chandra program is managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

NASA Commander shares Russian training, trip to ISS on Twitter

Duncan Riley — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:52:27 +0000

NASA astronaut Jeff Williams, the commander of the next International Space Station mission is using Twitter to provide a behind the scenes look into his training in Russia and his six months on the International Space Station.

Williams is in his final month of training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia before preparing to travel to the space station aboard a Soyuz spacecraft September 30.

Once on the space station, Williams will become the first space station commander to share his experiences using Twitter, according to NASA.

You can follow Williams on Twitter at @Astro_Jeff.

Discovery Detours Florida, Touches Down In California

AHN — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 17:30:00 +0000

Stormy weather in Florida prompted the U.S. space shuttle Discovery to land at the Edwards Air Force Base in California instead of at the Kennedy Space Center on Friday.

Emerging from the space shuttle, Discovery Commander Rick “C.J.” Sturckow announced that he and six other astronauts were happy to be back after a 14-day mission to bring supplies and scientific equipment to the International Space Station.

The shuttle was supposed to land in Florida Thursday but postponed it to Friday due to unfavorable weather condition. But a rainy and cloudy Florida sky on Friday prompted Mission Control to advise landing in the backup touchdown site in California, which had pristine weather.

Meanwhile, the astronauts will fly to the Johnson Space Center in Houston Saturday while the Discovery will be flown to the Kennedy Space Center by a modified 747 after a week.

Stormy weather in Florida prompted the U.S. space shuttle Discovery to land at the Edwards Air Force Base in California instead of at the Kennedy Space Center on Friday.

Meanwhile, the astronauts will fly to the Johnson Space Center in Houston Saturday while the Discovery will be flown to the Kennedy Space Center by a modified 747 after a week.

[Image: NASA]

Shuttle Landing Delayed Until Friday Due To Bad Weather

AHN — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:52:47 +0000

Orlando, FL (AHN) – NASA on Thursday postponed to Friday the landing of the space shuttle Discovery at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center because of bad weather.

Taking weathermen’s cue of unstable weather condition, Flight Director Richard Jones decided to wave off the landing as a safety precaution. NASA’s weather observers saw the probability of anvil clouds, lightning, precipitation and thunderstorms being encountered by the Discovery in the afternoon and evening.

The Discovery was also not allowed to proceed to the alternative landing site in California Thursday. However, it will be allowed to either land at the Edwards Air Force Base or the Kennedy Space Center on Friday.

Obama Administration to launch cloud computing initiative….at NASA

Duncan Riley — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 00:45:15 +0000

The Obama Administration will launch a “cloud computing initiative” next week and they’ve picked an appropriate place to make the announcement: NASA.

According to a release from NASA today, Vivek Kundra, White House federal chief information officer will “outline his vision for a new federal government cloud computing initiative” at a press conference at NASA’s NASA’s Ames Research Center Tuesday September 15.

Details on what the announcement will be aren’t available at this stage, but NASA promises that in addition to NASA Deputy Administrator Lori Garver, “top Silicon Valley information technology leaders are scheduled to attend the news conference.”

For those who love cloud computing, the conference takes place at 10am Tuesday, with the event being simulcast on NASA TV.

(Img: new snap from the Hubble Telescope c/- NASA)

Discovery Astronauts Prepare For Return To Earth

AHN — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 04:18:22 +0000

Houston, TX (AHN) – Seven astronauts are preparing to leave the International Space Station Monday for their return trip to Earth the following day via the Discovery space shuttle.

The astronauts will take with them a portable cargo module, 5,000 pounds of unneeded items from the ISS and one ISS crew, Tim Kopra, when the space shuttle undocks and leave Tuesday.

The ISS and Discovery crew will hold a farewell gathering before the leaving astronauts assemble inside the space shuttle and close the hatch dividing the spacecraft and the orbiting platform.

The Discovery is scheduled to land in Florida Thursday.

(image: NASA)

Space Shuttle Discovery Astronauts Complete Second Spacewalk

AHN — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:00:25 +0000

Cape Canaveral, FL (AHN) – Astronauts from Space Shuttle Discovery completed the second spacewalk of their 13-day mission early Friday morning.

The second of three STS-128 spacewalks involved installing a new ammonia tank on the International Space Station.

Spacewalkers Danny Olivas and Christer Fuglesang completed that task, and several others, during a spacewalk lasting over six hours that concluded Friday morning at 12:51 a.m. EDT.

While Olivas and Fuglesang worked, Mission Specialist Mission Specialist Patrick Forrester served as the intravehicular officer and Shuttle Pilot Kevin Ford and Expedition 20 Flight Engineer Nicole Stott operated the station’s robotic arm, Canadarm2, during the excursion, NASA officials said in a statement.

And the other astronauts from the shuttle, along with the station crew members, kept busy during the spacewalk with other tasks, which included unloading more cargo.

Space Shuttle Discovery finally launches with Colbert treadmill onboard

Duncan Riley — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 05:50:15 +0000

Space shuttle Discovery, with its seven-member crew, launched at 11:59 p.m. US EDT Friday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after two aborted attempts to get the aging space orbiter off the ground.

Discovery is carrying the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, a pressurized “moving van” that will be temporarily installed to the station. According to NASA, the module will deliver storage racks; materials and fluids science racks; a freezer to store research samples; a new sleeping compartment; an air purification system. Also on board is the now famous Colbert treadmill, named after Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert.

The 13-day flight will include three spacewalks to replace experiments outside the European Space Agency’s Columbus laboratory, install a new ammonia storage tank and return the used one. Ammonia is needed to move excess heat from inside the station to the radiators located outside.

The Shuttle will rendezvous and dock with the International Space Station Sunday.

Live Discovery STS-128 coverage from Spacevidcst as follows (if you’re not on the website, click thru to watch.)

Kepler Telescope Finds Distant Planet During Test Run

AHN — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 07:41:23 +0000

Washington, DC (AHN) – NASA launched the Kepler space telescope in March, and it has already discovered a distant planet.

The planet is outside the Earth’s solar system and orbits a star the space agency refers to as HAT P-7. It is 26 times closer to its sun than the Earth is to its own.

It is so close, that the temperature on the side facing the sun is probably 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit and 1,000 degrees on the other side, Sarah Seager, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor and Kepler team member, told CNN.

The planet is about the size of Jupiter and orbits its sun in 2.2 days.

The planet’s discovery was encouraging because it was found during the telescope’s test run, NASA officials said

Asteroid alerts come to Twitter: advanced notice of human extinction now a tweet away

Duncan Riley — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 03:32:29 +0000

NASA has launched a new Twitter account that gives followers a heads up if an asteroid is about to end life on earth as we know it.

The @AsteroidAlert account provides data about near earth objects found by the NASA/ JPL asteroid watch program, and as well as doomsday tracking offers data for use by amateur astronomers.

“Most people have a fascination with near-Earth objects,” said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA’s Near-Earth Object Program Office at JP said in a media relase. “And I have to agree with them. I have studied them for over three decades and I find them to be scientifically fascinating, and a few are potentially hazardous to Earth. The goal of our Web site is to provide the public with the most up-to-date and accurate information on these intriguing objects.”

The Twitter account has been launched alongside a new Asteroid Watch website and desktop widget, “giving the public an unprecedented look at what’s going on in near-Earth space.”