In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Systems

Videos: Space habitat reports – Nov.8.2023

November 8, 2023 TopSpacer

This week’s selection of videos about space stations and living in space including NASA’s latest Space to Ground report for the International Space Station:

** In Space Production Applications (InSPA) – NASA Johnson

Ensuring U.S. leadership of in-space manufacturing in low Earth orbit by enabling the use of the ISS National Laboratory to demonstrate the production of advanced materials and products for terrestrial markets.

Learn more about InSPA: https://www.nasa.gov/inspa

**ESA Astronaut Mogensen Talks with European Space Agency Leaders, Space Summit 2023 – Nov. 6, 2023 – European Space Agency, ESA

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 70 Commander Andy Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) discussed living and working in space with ESA Summit Meeting attendees during an in-flight interview Nov. 6. Mogensen is in the midst of a long-duration mission on the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions.

** Space Station Crew Answers Brighton, Tennessee Student Questions – Nov. 8, 2023 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, NASA Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut and Space Station Commander Andy Mogensen discussed living and working in space during an in-flight event Nov. 9 with students attending Brighton Elementary School in Brighton, Tennessee. Moghbeli and Mogensen are in the midst of a science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

** Experiment Samples from Chinese Space Station Delivered to Scientists – CCTV Video News Agency

A batch of scientific experimental samples from China’s Tiangong space station were handed over to scientists on Tuesday for subsequent research and studies following the return of the Shenzhou-16 crew to Earth.

** Resources:

Look Up: New NASA App Helps Stargazers Spot Space Station | NASA – Nov.2.2023
Spot the Station | NASA – Get notifications for when ISS will fly over your location

** Highlight: Aotearoa NZ S – Nov 7, 2023 12:34 NZDT – ISS Above

Captured from NASA’s EHDC6 Live views of the Earth from the International Space Station

** Highlight: Early morning over the Sahara – Algeria / Niger – Nov 6, 2023 06:10 UTC – ISS Above

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

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Astronomy, Education, Space participation

Night sky highlights for November 2023

November 2, 2023 TopSpacer

Check out the night sky this month, November 2023. Here are videos highlighting the top sights to observe.

** What’s Up: November 2023 Skywatching Tips from NASA – NASA JPL

What are some skywatching highlights in November 2023?
The Leonid meteors peak, Saturn sits in the celestial sea, and Venus and Jupiter are visible on opposite sides of the sky.

0:00 Intro
0:13 Moon & planet highlights
1:31 Leonid meteors peak
2:21 The water constellations
3:46 November Moon phases

Additional information about topics covered in this episode of What’s Up, along with still images from the video, and the video transcript, are available at https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/skywatch….

** Tonight’s Sky: November 2023 – Space Telescope Science Institute – Tonight’s Sky

In November, hunt for the fainter constellations of fall, including Pisces, Aries, and Triangulum. They will guide you to find several galaxies and a pair of white stars. Stay tuned for space-based views of spiral galaxy M74 and the Triangulum Galaxy, which are shown in visible, infrared, and ultraviolet light.

About this Series

“Tonight’s Sky” is a monthly video of constellations you can observe in the night sky. The series is produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute, home of science operations for the Hubble Space Telescope, in partnership with NASA’s Universe of Learning. This is a recurring show, and you can find more episodes—and other astronomy videos—at https://hubblesite.org/resource-galle….

** What to see in the night sky: November 2023 – BBC Sky at Night Magazine

Pete Lawrence and Paul Abel reveal what to see in the night sky this month.

Find out what you can see in the night sky tonight, including Venus bright in the dark morning sky, Jupiter at opposition, the Leonid Meteor Shower, the Moon’s Mare Orientale, the Leonid Meteor Shower and the mighty Andromeda Galaxy.

Click on the time codes below to jump to some of November 2023’s night-sky highlights.

00:00 – Intro
01:07 – Venus as a bright morning star
03:30 – Jupiter at opposition
04:48 – Saturn and its moons
09:10 – Uranus and Neptune
10:35 – Jupiter moon events
11:55 – Lunar occultation of Venus
13:15 – Mare Orientale
15:03 – Leonid meteor shower
16:56 – Great Square of Pegasus
24:35 – Andromeda Galaxy

** Sky & Telescope’s Sky Tour Podcast – November 2023 | Shooting stars and the Andromeda Galaxy – Sky & Telescope Youtube

Our monthly Sky Tour #astronomy #podcast provides an informative and entertaining 10-minute guided tour of the nighttime sky. Listen to the November episode and seek out some shooting #stars, then spot some bright #planets, follow some celestial fish, and track down the #Andromeda #Galaxy. Grab your curiosity, and come along on this month’s Sky Tour.

Videos: Space habitat reports – Nov.1.2023

November 1, 2023 TopSpacer

This week’s selection of videos about space stations and living in space including NASA’s latest Space to Ground report for the International Space Station:

** Spacewalk with Astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara: Nov. 1, 2023 (Official NASA Broadcast) – NASA

NASA astronauts Jasmin Moghbeli and Loral O’Hara are taking a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Wednesday, Nov. 1, to remove electronics gear and replace hardware supporting the station’s solar arrays. The spacewalk is expected to begin at approximately 8:05 a.m. EDT (1205 UTC) and last for around six and a half hours.

Moghbeli (wearing the suit with red stripes) and O’Hara (wearing the unmarked suit) arrived at the ISS earlier this year and are both crew members of Expedition 70, which began on Sept. 27, 2023. This is the first spacewalk for both astronauts.

Follow our space station blog for updates: https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/
Learn more about the Expedition 70 crew: https://www.nasa.gov/mission/expediti…

** SpaceX CRS-29 Research: Overview – ISS National Lab

SpaceX’s 29th Commercial Resupply Services mission to the International Space Station (ISS) will launch an array of investigations intended to bring value to humanity and enable commerce in low Earth orbit. The ISS National Laboratory is sponsoring more than 25 payloads on this mission, from microbes to brain organoids and even mucus for more effective delivery of therapeutics. This video highlights the latter investigation, Gaucho Lung, and the research team’s efforts to understand the role of mucus lining to deliver medication to the lungs.

** Space Station Crew Answers Baldwin, New York, Student Questions – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, NASA Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli discussed living and working in space during an in-flight event October 27 with students attending the Baldwin Union Free School District in Baldwin, New York. Moghbeli is in the midst of a science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

** Chinese astronauts enter Tiangong space station after docking – VideoFromSpace

China’s Shenzhou 17 crew Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin completed ingress into the Tiangong space station shortly after docking on Oct. 26, 2023. Launch wrap: https://www.space.com/china-launches-…

** China’s Shenzhou 16 crew undocks from space station for return trip – VideoFromSpace

Shenzhou 16 taikonauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao are on their way back to Earth from the Tiangong space station after undocking on Oct. 30, 2023. Watch the landing live: https://www.space.com/shenzhou-16-cre…

** Touchdown! China’s Shenzhou 16 crew lands back on Earth after 5 months on Tiangong space station – VideoFromSpace

Shenzhou 16 taikonauts Jing Haipeng, Zhu Yangzhu and Gui Haichao returned to Earth from the Tiangong space station on Oct. 30, 2023 (Oct. 31 – Beijing time). Their spacecraft touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. [Full Story](https://www.space.com/china-shenzhou-…)

** Ax-3 Mission Crew Media Roundtable – Axiom Space

Axiom Space held a virtual media roundtable with the astronauts of Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3), the first all-European commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

In an historic venture, three countries – Italy, Türkiye, and Sweden through the European Space Agency (ESA) – have united for Ax-3. Axiom Space’s Chief Astronaut Michael López-Alegría (dual citizen of the U.S. and Spain), former NASA astronaut and Axiom Mission 1 commander, will serve as the Ax-3 commander. Italian Air Force Col. Walter Villadei will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are Alper Gezeravcı of Türkiye and European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Marcus Wandt of Sweden.

As part of Ax-3, Türkiye is sending its first astronaut to space in a larger effort to expand the nation’s space exploration capabilities and establish a national human spaceflight program. Ax-3 will also be the first commercial spaceflight mission for an ESA-sponsored astronaut. For Italy, the Ax-3 mission represents a whole-of-country effort to foster its endeavor for safe, secure, and effective access to space.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Ax-3 crew aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to the ISS from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than January 2024. Once docked, the Ax-3 astronauts plan to spend up to 14 days on board implementing a full mission comprised of microgravity research, educational outreach, and commercial activities.

Learn more about Ax-3: https://axiom.space/ax3

** Space habitation articles of interest:

** Snowfall from ID to WY and finishing over CO | Oct 30, 2023 08:38 MDT – ISS Above

Winter snowfall is visible from ID – across WY (Yellowstone NPS / GrandTeton NPS), finishing over CO (Fort Collins)
captured live from the Space Station at 8:38 a.m. MDT Oct 30, 2023

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

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In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Systems

Videos: “Space to Ground” & other space habitat reports – Oct.25.2023

October 25, 2023 TopSpacer

This week’s selection of videos about space stations and living in space including NASA’s latest Space to Ground report for the International Space Station:

** Expedition 70 Space Station Crew Talks with 2023 ASCEND Conference Oct. 23, 2023 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 70 Flight Engineers Loral O’Hara and Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Oct. 23 with ASCEND conference attendees in Las Vegas. O’Hara and Moghbeli are in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

** Expedition 70 Space Station Crew Talks with Fox News Digital Originals, Yahoo News – Oct. 17, 2023 – NASA Video

Aboard the International Space Station, Expedition 70 Flight Engineers Jasmin Moghbeli of NASA and Andy Mogensen of ESA (European Space Agency) discussed life and work aboard the orbital outpost during an in-flight interview Oct. 17 with Fox News Digital and Yahoo News. Mogensen and Moghbeli are in the midst of a long-duration mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars.

** Science Launching on SpaceX’s 29th Cargo Resupply Mission to the Space Station – NASA

The 29th SpaceX commercial resupply services (CRS) mission for NASA carries scientific experiments and technology demonstrations, including studies of enhanced optical communications and measurement of atmospheric waves. The uncrewed SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida no earlier than Nov. 5.

Details: https://go.nasa.gov/402KJSA

** Meet Ax-3 – Axiom Space

Meet the Ax-3 Crew!
Four Astronauts
Five Nations
The first all European commercial astronaut mission
Redefining the pathway to LEO

The structure forms the basis of the first of two inhabitable modules that are to be connected to the International Space Station (ISS). The structure is being built in Turin, Italy, by Thales Alenia Space.

“The first module shell is effectively completed,” Jason Aspiotis, Axiom’s director of in-space infrastructure and logistics, said at AIAA’s Ascend conference here on Oct. 23. “A lot of the subsystems that will populate the underlying structure–think about life support systems, avionics, propulsion, [guidance, navigation and control systems], power, communications, all that good stuff–we’re developing in a lab in Houston.”

Hab One hatches have also been fabricated, tested and prepared for delivery to Thales Alenia Space to support Hab One pressure testing, the company says.

The first module is to be shipped to Houston by 2024 for final assembly and integration at Axiom Space’s factory at Ellington Airport. The company plans to launch the Hab One module in 2026.

** Shenzhou-17 crew announced – SciNews

On 25 October 2023, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) has announced the crew for the Shenzhou-17 mission: Hongbo Tang (汤洪波, commander), Shengjie Tang (唐胜杰) and Xinlin Jiang (江新林). The Long March-2F Y17 (长征二号F遥十七) launch vehicle will launch the Shenzhou-17 (神舟十七) crew spacecraft from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, Gansu Province, China, on 26 October 2023, at 03:14 UTC (11:14 China Standard Time). Shenzhou-17 is the sixth crew of three astronauts on a mission to the China Space Station (中国空间站).

** SR Academy Space Habitats Committee Webinar, with Werner Grandl and Jerry Stone – Space Renaissance

Living in space in a zero- or low-gravity environment like the Moon or Mars causes danger to human health, such as bone demineralization or muscle atrophy. In the long run space habitats need gravity simulation by rotating around their main axis. The AGOS (Artificial Gravity Orbital Station) project was designed as a rotating space station and a possible successor of the present ISS. The station is built of cylindrical modules and a structural framework. SpaceX Falcon launchers are proposed to transport the modules to Low Earth Orbit. The initial stage 1 of AGOS has a mass of 270 metric tons and a diameter of 102 meters. 24 crew members can live and work in a 0.9 g environment. In the far future, Near Earth Asteroids (NEAs) can be mined to utilize their mineral resources. When the mining process is finished, we can build a rotating habitat inside a hollow asteroid. As an example, we have taken the asteroid 2008EV5 with a diameter of approx. 450 meters. A toroidal structure of 240 m diameter is rotating inside the asteroid´s hull. The stony hull provides shelter against radiation and meteorites. 2,000 inhabitants can live on the inner surface of the torus. Nutrition is provided by vertical farming and aquaculture. In the coming centuries, we can utilize about 10,000 NEAs for mining and use some hundreds of them to carry human habitats.

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) – NASA

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ESO: Observation of the most distant fast radio burst (FRB) to date

October 19, 2023 TopSpacer

A new report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO):

Astronomers detect most distant fast radio burst to date

An international team has spotted a remote blast of cosmic radio waves lasting less than a millisecond. This ‘fast radio burst’ (FRB) is the most distant ever detected. Its source was pinned down by the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) in a galaxy so far away that its light took eight billion years to reach us. The FRB is also one of the most energetic ever observed; in a tiny fraction of a second it released the equivalent of our Sun’s total emission over 30 years.

The discovery of the burst, named FRB 20220610A, was made in June last year by the ASKAP radio telescope in Australia [1] and it smashed the team’s previous distance record by 50 percent.

“Using ASKAP’s array of dishes, we were able to determine precisely where the burst came from,”

says Stuart Ryder, an astronomer from Macquarie University in Australia and the co-lead author of the study published today in Science.

“Then we used [ESO’s VLT] in Chile to search for the source galaxy, [2] finding it to be older and further away than any other FRB source found to date and likely within a small group of merging galaxies.”

The discovery confirms that FRBs can be used to measure the ‘missing’ matter between galaxies, providing a new way to ‘weigh’ the Universe.

Current methods of estimating the mass of the Universe are giving conflicting answers and challenging the standard model of cosmology.

“If we count up the amount of normal matter in the Universe — the atoms that we are all made of — we find that more than half of what should be there today is missing,”

says Ryan Shannon, a professor at the Swinburne University of Technology in Australia, who also co-led the study.

“We think that the missing matter is hiding in the space between galaxies, but it may just be so hot and diffuse that it’s impossible to see using normal techniques.”

“Fast radio bursts sense this ionised material. Even in space that is nearly perfectly empty they can ‘see’ all the electrons, and that allows us to measure how much stuff is between the galaxies,”

Shannon says.

Finding distant FRBs is key to accurately measuring the Universe’s missing matter, as shown by the late Australian astronomer Jean-Pierre (‘J-P’) Macquart in 2020. “J-P showed that the further away a fast radio burst is, the more diffuse gas it reveals between the galaxies. This is now known as the Macquart relation. Some recent fast radio bursts appeared to break this relationship. Our measurements confirm the Macquart relation holds out to beyond half the known Universe,” says Ryder.

“While we still don’t know what causes these massive bursts of energy, the paper confirms that fast radio bursts are common events in the cosmos and that we will be able to use them to detect matter between galaxies, and better understand the structure of the Universe,”

says Shannon.

The result represents the limit of what is achievable with telescopes today, although astronomers will soon have the tools to detect even older and more distant bursts, pin down their source galaxies and measure the Universe’s missing matter. The international Square Kilometre Array Observatory is currently building two radio telescopes in South Africa and Australia that will be capable of finding thousands of FRBs, including very distant ones that cannot be detected with current facilities. ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope, a 39-metre telescope under construction in the Chilean Atacama Desert, will be one of the few telescopes able to study the source galaxies of bursts even further away than FRB 20220610A.

Notes

[1] The ASKAP telescope is owned and operated by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, on Wajarri Yamaji Country in Western Australia.

[2] The team used data obtained with the FOcal Reducer and low dispersion Spectrograph 2 (FORS2), the X-shooter and the High Acuity Wide-field K-band Imager (HAWK-I) instruments on ESO’s VLT. Data from the Keck Observatory in Hawai’i, US, was also used in the study.

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