Category Archives: Space Science

Astronomy, Space films and videos, Space Science

Video: “In Saturn’s Rings” shows space exploration at its most spectacular

The new documentary film In Saturn’s Rings, narrated by LeVar Burton, shows striking scenes of space travel and exploration using only actual images observed with telescopes, space probes, and astronaut cameras. No computer generated artists’ creations are included but techniques developed by Ken Burns and Walt Disney give 3-D impressions of objects like Saturn and its rings. The super high-resolution film will be available on “Giant Screen, IMAX, Fulldome Planetariums“. Check out the trailer for the film:

From the caption:

In Saturn’s Rings is a groundbreaking giant-screen movie adventure that takes audiences on a space exploration journey of the mind, heart, and spirit, from the Big Bang to the awe-inspiring rings of Saturn.

Narrated by LeVar Burton, In Saturn’s Rings is created entirely of more than 7.5 million stunning images of Earth, the Milky Way, and the Saturn taken by Hubble, Cassini, and other NASA space telescopes looking deep into the past.

The film is made with 2D multiplane parallax techniques developed by Walt Disney combined with Ken Burns technique to avoid using any type of camera projection, 3D models, visual FX, texture maps etc. We also feature some high resolution time lapse photography.

Visit insaturnsrings.com to learn more about how this film was made, screening and release info and more. 

Trailer music is custom version of track from Neumann Films.

Updates on when and where the film will be shown are available at In Saturn’s Rings (@InSaturnsRings) | Twitter

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Mars, Rockets, Space Science

Video: InSight Lander successfully launched to Mars

In a heavy fog, as is common where Vandenberg AFB lies on the California coast, an Atlas V rocket blasted off this morning and successfully deployed the InSight spacecraft into a trajectory that will take it to Mars for a landing in November.

(See earlier postings here and here about the Insight mission.)

Two MarCO CubeSats, which will demonstrate communications and propulsion technologies for deep space missions with smallsats, were also deployed. First contact attempt will be noon Pacific time.

Other reports, photos & videos of the launch:

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Mars, Space Science, Space Systems

Videos: Launch nears for the InSight mission to Mars

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The Atlas V carrying the InSight Mars lander is set to lift off on Saturday morning from Vandenberg AFB in California at 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 am EDT)  (See earlier posting here.) The vehicle is scheduled to land on Mars in the western Elysium Planitia region at around noon Pacific time on Monday, Nov. 26th.

Webcast coverage of the launch will start at 3:30 am PDT (6:30 EDT): NASA Live: InSight Mars Launch | NASA

A couple of reports on the mission:

More videos about InSight:

** InSight Countdown to T-Zero: From the West Coast to the Red Planet

** InSight Countdown to T-Zero, Episode 2: Into the Fairing

** A pre-launch briefing on the science of the Insight mission :

https://youtu.be/Ixo8RGDf5dU

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Mars, Space Science, Space Systems

Videos: Insight Lander mission to Mars set to lift off on Saturday

A ULA Atlas V rocket is ready for launch this Saturday morning to send the Insight Lander to Mars, where it will use a seismograph and other instruments to study the interior of the Red Planet. Liftoff is set for 7:05 am EDT (4:05 am PDT, 1105 GMT). NASA TV coverage of the launch from Vandenberg AFB in California will start at 6:30 am EDT. On Thursday at 4:00 pm EDT, NASA TV will broadcast a pre-launch briefing about the mission.

InSight will be the first mission to peer deep beneath the Martian surface, studying the planet’s interior by measuring its heat output and listening for marsquakes, which are seismic events similar to earthquakes on Earth. It will use the seismic waves generated by marsquakes to develop a map of the planet’s deep interior. The resulting insight into Mars’ formation will help us better understand how other rocky planets, including Earth, were and are created.

JPL manages the InSight mission for the agency’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. InSight is part of NASA’s Discovery Program, managed by the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. The spacecraft, including cruise stage and lander, was built and tested by Lockheed Martin Space in Denver.

Several European partners, including France’s space agency, the Centre National d’Étude Spatiales, and Germany’s DLR, are supporting the mission.

Here is an overview of the mission from NASA:

Lockheed-Martin was the lead contractor building the spacecraft:

https://youtu.be/nX_oyiP_nKM

Here is a science briefing on the mission held back in March:

The Planetary Society‘s “Planetary Post with Robert Picardo” reports from the spacecraft clean room:

More about the mission:

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Mars, Space Science, Space Systems

Mars: Update on the rovers + A sample return mission overview

Check out Bob Zimmerman’s latest update on what the Curiosity and Opportunity rovers on Mars have been up to: Mars rover update: April 27, 2018 | Behind The Black

Curiosity’s exploration of Vera Rubin Ridge is extended, while an attempt by Opportunity to climb back up Perseverance Valley to reach an interesting rock outcrop fails.

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Here is an overview of NASA JPL’s goal of one day bringing back a sample of Martian soil to earth: