Category Archives: Multiple media

Video: New Horizons bring you in for a ‘landing’ on Pluto

In this video, color corrected images from the New Horizons probe are presented in sequence to bring you closer and closer to the surface of Pluto: A Colorful ‘Landing’ on Pluto – New Horizons

From the caption:

What would it be like to actually land on Pluto? This movie was made from more than 100 images taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft over six weeks of approach and close flyby in the summer of 2015. The video offers a trip down onto the surface of Pluto — starting with a distant view of Pluto and its largest moon, Charon — and leading up to an eventual ride in for a “landing” on the shoreline of Pluto’s informally named Sputnik Planitia.

To create a movie that makes viewers feel as if they’re diving into Pluto, mission scientists had to interpolate some of the panchromatic (black and white) frames based on what they know Pluto looks like to make it as smooth and seamless as possible. Low-resolution color from the Ralph color camera aboard New Horizons was then draped over the frames to give the best available, actual color simulation of what it would look like to descend from high altitude to Pluto’s surface.

After a 9.5-year voyage covering more than three billion miles, New Horizons flew through the Pluto system on July 14, 2015, coming within 7,800 miles (12,500 kilometers) of Pluto. Carrying powerful telescopic cameras that could spot features smaller than a football field, New Horizons sent back hundreds of images of Pluto and its moons that show how dynamic and fascinating their surfaces are. Credits: NASA/JHUAPL/SwRI

The original black-and-white “landing” movie can be viewed at:
http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/News-Center/N…

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Mars weather seen in animations of orbiter images

Check out the cool animated clips of Mars weather in action created by Justin Cowart of The Planetary Society from still images taken by the HRSC (High/Super Resolution Stereo Colour Imager) on the Mars Express spacecraft orbiting the Red Planet:

Here are a couple of examples:

 

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Dust storm over Tempe Terra, seen by Mars Express’ HRSC during a pass on June 17, 2011. This image was taken during the spacecraft’s 9520th orbit of Mars. Credits: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin (G. Neukum) / Justin Cowart

 

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Wake clouds and dust lifting in Arcadia Planitia, seen by Mars Express’ HRSC during a pass on June 30, 2011. This image was taken during the spacecraft’s 9563rd orbit of Mars. Credits: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin (G. Neukum) / Justin Cowart

 

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Videos: Moon gems from Japan’s Kaguya spacecraft

Check  out these nice views of the Moon and Earth from the Japanese Kaguya (Selene)  mission: New Gems from the Moon | The Planetary Society –

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Although the mission took place in 2007-2009, only now has

 the Japanese space agency, JAXA, […] publicly released the entire data set from Kaguya’s HDTV cameras. The iconic views are all there…plus some gems that haven’t been widely seen before. One reason they weren’t previously released may be that some of them are “marred” by lens flare and other imperfections, but I think such things lend interesting visual texture and context to the images and videos.

Enjoy a few examples below, then visit the Kaguya HDTV Data Publication System website if you want to explore further.

More than seven years after Kaguya’s planned impact on the lunar surface, it’s good to have these fresh visions, courtesy of the moon’s brave princess.

Space podcasts – Oct.11.2016

A sampling of recent space related podcasts:

** WeMartians | Follow humanity’s journey to Mars

  • WeMartians Podcast Episode 12: Mission to sMarts (feat. the crew of HI-SEAS IV) – “This special episode features interviews with all six members of the HI-SEAS IV crew, who recently completed a 1 year simulated Mars mission on the slopes of Mauna Loa. Crew members include Sheyna Gifford, Carmel Johnston, Cyprien Verseux, Christiane Heinicke, Andrzej Stewart and Tristan Bassingthwaighte.”

** This Orbital Life

  • Voices From L5 – Practical Problems with the Outer Space Treaty  – “We are joined this week by Martin Elvis, a senior astrophysicist at the Harvard Smithsonian centre for astrophysics. Martin joins us to discuss a paper regarding a potential loophole in the Outer Space Treaty and how it handles property. In this episode we highlight the need for practical considerations and questions being asked regarding space and space law and policy.”
  • Voices From L5 – To The Stars – “Phillip Lubin joins us to discuss that next step in the farthest reaches of space exploration – Interstellar travel. How can we go beyond our solar system and what might we find there? Why would we do such things? Phillip tells us about his project and the projects he’s involved with that hope to one day send out fleets of tiny ships to other stars.”

** Planetary Radio

  • Farewell Rosetta! – “The European Space Agency’s magnificent Rosetta mission ended last week as the spacecraft gently touched down on the comet it has revealed.”

** The Space Show

** John Batchelor Show

 

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