Activism, General, SpaceCasts

Video: TMRO 9.31 – “The SpaceX Interplanetary Transport System”

The latest TMRO.tv program focused on the Mars transportation architecture that Elon Musk outlined last week (see earlier posting):  The SpaceX Interplanetary Transport System – TMRO

This week we had big news so we made a big show. All of the TMRO correspondents are in studio to talk about the SpaceX Interplanetary Transport System. What we do know, what we don’t know. This is still a developing plan, so please leave your comments below on what you think!

News topics discussed:

* India launches ScatSat
* Rosetta Mission Ends With “Crunchdown” On Comet
* SeaLaunch gets a new lease on life while Firefly’s lease may have expired
* Russian Space Station Crews To Be Reduced Starting in 2017

TMRO is viewer sponsored:

TMRO:Space is a crowd funded show. If you like this episode consider contributing to help us to continue to improve. Head over to http://www.patreon.com/tmro for information, goals and reward levels. Don’t forget to check out our SpacePod campaign as well over at http://www.patreon.com/spacepod

Europa, Titan, & other deep space sites, Gas giants Saturn, Jupiter, et al, Space Science

Videos: Four Days at Saturn + Public lecture: Cassini’s Epic Journey at Saturn

This time lapse video made by the  Cassini spacecraft shows four rotations of Saturn:

NASA’s Cassini spacecraft stared at Saturn for nearly 44 hours in April 2016 to obtain this movie showing four Saturn days.

Cassini will begin a series of dives between the planet and its rings in April 2017, building toward a dramatic end of mission — a final plunge into the planet, six months later.

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The Cassini Mission to Saturn, which was launched in 1997 and reached the ringed planet in 2004, will come to an end in September 2017 when the spacecraft will dive into the atmosphere of the gas giant.  Earl Maize, Cassini Project Manager, and Linda Spilker, Cassini Project Scientist, gave a lecture on Saturn and the Cassini mission this past week:

This public talk presented highlights of Cassini’s ambitious inquiry at Saturn and an overview of science observations in the final orbits. There was a discussion of Cassini’s exciting challenges, and promise of the final year of the mission, ultimately flying through a region where no spacecraft has ever flown before.

Activism, General, SpaceCasts

Videos: TMRO 9.30 – Create your own Martian Garden + TMRO Spacepod shorts

The most recent TMRO.tv program is now available on line: Create your own Martian Garden – TMRO

We are joined by Mark Cusimano from The Martian Garden — We discuss what Martian Regolith is and how you can use simulated Martian Regolith to create your own Mars garden!

News topics discusses:

* Soyuz MS-02 suffers anomaly with dangerous repairs ahead
* ESA’s Rosetta Will Gently Lithobrake onto Comet 67P
* SpaceX anomaly update
* Wildfires Delay Launch And Threaten Structures at Vandenberg
* ULA announces free cubesat ride winners
* Pluto Probably Has A 100km thick Subsurface Ocean

Here are a couple of recent TMRO Spacepod short video reports:

** The ISS is MELTING! – Space Pod 09/21/16 – TMRO

Lisa Stojanovski explains why the International Space Station is melting wax to help future spacecraft.

** 5th New Shepard Flight Announced – SpacePod 09/14/16 – TMRO

This week, Space Mike covers the announcement for the next flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket, and an ambitious test they will perform during the flight.

TMRO is viewer supported:

TMRO:Space is a crowd funded show. If you like this episode consider contributing to help us to continue to improve. Head over to http://www.patreon.com/tmro for information, goals and reward levels. Don’t forget to check out our SpacePod campaign as well over at http://www.patreon.com/spacepod

Asteroids & Comets, Space Science

ESA Rosetta mission ends with spacecraft impacting the surface of Comet 67P/C-G

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The European Space Agency (ESA) ended the Rosetta mission to Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko today by maneuvering the spacecraft onto (or, more likely, into) the surface of the comet: Mission complete: Rosetta’s journey ends in daring descent to comet – ESA

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Comet landing site: Sequence of images captured by Rosetta during its descent to the surface of Comet 67P/C-G on 30 September.

ESA’s historic Rosetta mission has concluded as planned, with the controlled impact onto the comet it had been investigating for more than two years. 

Confirmation of the end of the mission arrived at ESA’s control centre in Darmstadt, Germany at 11:19 GMT (13:19 CEST) with the loss of Rosetta’s signal upon impact.

Rosetta carried out its final manoeuvre last night at 20:50 GMT (22:50 CEST), setting it on a collision course with the comet from an altitude of about 19 km. Rosetta had targeted a region on the small lobe of Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, close to a region of active pits in the Ma’at region.

The descent gave Rosetta the opportunity to study the comet’s gas, dust and plasma environment very close to its surface, as well as take very high-resolution images.

Pits are of particular interest because they play an important role in the comet’s activity. They also provide a unique window into its internal building blocks.

The information collected on the descent to this fascinating region was returned to Earth before the impact. It is now no longer possible to communicate with the spacecraft.

This video shows the trajectory that led the spacecraft into the comet:

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Here is a video preview of Rosetta’s final act from TMRO.tv:

TMRO Astronomer Jared Head gives us a review of the incredible Rosetta mission from the European Space Agency, and then gives us a preview of what to expect in it’s final days ahead at the end of the mission.

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Living in Space, Space Systems, SpaceCasts

Video: “Space to Ground” – ISS update – Sept.30.2016

The latest “Space to Ground” report on activities related to the Int. Space Station includes a view of astronaut Kate Rubins inside Bigelow Aerospace‘s expandable BEAM module :

Everyone can participate in space