{"id":19616,"date":"2019-09-06T09:30:11","date_gmt":"2019-09-06T13:30:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=19616"},"modified":"2019-09-06T20:48:30","modified_gmt":"2019-09-07T00:48:30","slug":"space-sciences-roundup-sept-6-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=19616","title":{"rendered":"Space sciences roundup &#8211; Sept.6.2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images from space-related science news items (find <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?s=Space+sciences+roundup\">previous roundups here<\/a>):<\/p>\n<p>[ <strong>Update 2<\/strong>: Unfortunately, contact with the Vikram lander was lost shortly before the landing:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Ground teams lost communication with India\u2019s first lunar landing mission moments before its scheduled touchdown on the moon Friday, suggesting the robotic research craft may have crashed during final descent. FULL STORY: <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/818lVLtShf\">https:\/\/t.co\/818lVLtShf<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/zoPr6f2DV7\">pic.twitter.com\/zoPr6f2DV7<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpaceflightNow\/status\/1170114717639200768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 6, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><strong>Update<\/strong>: Below is the live feed from the Chandrayaan-2 control center. The landing is set for some time between 4:00 and 5:00 pm EDT. The webcast will start around 3:00 EDT.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2srV-bEi_DU?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>]<\/p>\n<p>** <strong>India&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.isro.gov.in\/launcher\/gslv-mk-iii-m1-chandrayaan-2-mission\">Chandrayaan-2 mission<\/a> set for landing on the Moon<\/strong>. The Vikram Lander separated from the orbiter spacecraft on Monday and will touch down on the surface on Friday sometime between 4:00-5:00 pm EDT.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.isro.gov.in\/update\/04-sep-2019\/chandrayaan-2-update-second-de-orbiting-maneuver\">Chandrayaan-2 update: Second de-orbiting maneuver &#8211; ISRO &#8211; Sept.4.2019<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.isro.gov.in\/update\/02-sep-2019\/chandrayaan-2-update-vikram-lander-successfully-separates-orbiter\">Chandrayaan-2 update: Vikram Lander successfully separates from Orbiter &#8211; ISRO<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.isro.gov.in\/gslv-mk-iii-m1-chandrayaan-2-mission\/launch-kit-glance\">Launch Kit at a glance &#8211; ISRO<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/india-chandrayaan-2-moon-south-pole-landing-site.html\">Here&#8217;s Where India&#8217;s Chandrayaan-2 Will Land Near the Moon&#8217;s South Pole (and Why) | Space.com<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.isro.gov.in\/gslv-mk-iii-m1-chandrayaan-2-mission\/launch-kit-glance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"19620\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=19620\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/VikramLander-2019.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"776,389\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Vikram Lander\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/VikramLander-2019.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19620 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/VikramLander-2019-500x251.jpg\" alt=\"Vikram Lander\" width=\"500\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/VikramLander-2019-500x251.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/VikramLander-2019-768x385.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/VikramLander-2019.jpg 776w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The landing area is near the Moon&#8217;s south pole. From Space.com:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>That spot is a highland that rises between two craters dubbed Manzinus C and Simpelius N. On a grid of the moon&#8217;s surface, it would fall at 70.9 degrees south latitude and 22.7 degrees east longitude. It&#8217;s about 375 miles (600 kilometers) from the south pole.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The Pragyan rover will be deployed from the lander not long after the landing. The polar regions have craters with permanently shadowed floors and orbital studies indicated they contain water ice.\u00a0 The extent of the exploration activities will be limited, however. The lander and rover will operate for just one lunar day, which spans 14 earth days. They are not expected to survive the extremely frigid 14 earth day long lunar night.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.isro.gov.in\/gslv-mk-iii-m1-chandrayaan-2-mission\/launch-kit-glance\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"19619\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=19619\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PragyanRover-2019.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"809,414\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Pragyan Rover\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PragyanRover-2019.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-19619 size-medium\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PragyanRover-2019-500x256.jpg\" alt=\"Pragyan Rover \" width=\"500\" height=\"256\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PragyanRover-2019-500x256.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PragyanRover-2019-768x393.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PragyanRover-2019.jpg 809w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>China&#8217;s lunar rover Yutu-2 comes upon odd substance<\/strong> in a small crater: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/china-far-side-moon-rover-strange-substance.html\">China&#8217;s Lunar Rover Has Found Something Weird on the Far Side of the Moon | Space.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chang%27e_4\">Chang&#8217;e 4<\/a> lander\/rover combo touched down on the far side of the Moon on Jan. 3, 2019 and 12 hours later the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Chang%27e_4#Lunar_rover\">rover Yutu-2<\/a> was deployed. Since then, the rover has traveled few hundred meters. In late July, Chinese scientists examined images from the rover and noticed an &#8220;unusually colored, &#8216;gel-like&#8217; substance&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The mission&#8217;s rover, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/42890-china-moon-far-side-rover-yutu-2-success.html\" data-track-type=\"click\" data-index=\"2\" data-component=\"Inline links\" data-count=\"15\">Yutu-2<\/a>, stumbled on that surprise during lunar day 8. The discovery prompted scientists on the mission to postpone other driving plans for the rover, and instead focus its instruments on trying to figure out what the strange material is.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The rover was maneuvered back to the location where the images were taken and the mission team began studies of the material with the rover&#8217;s various cameras. So far they have not<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8230; offered any indication as to the nature of the colored substance and have said only that it is &#8220;gel-like&#8221; and has an &#8220;unusual color.&#8221; One possible explanation, outside researchers suggested, is that the substance is melt glass created from meteorites striking the surface of the moon.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19625\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19625\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/translate.google.com\/translate?sl=zh-CN&amp;tl=en&amp;u=https%3A%2F%2Fmp.weixin.qq.com%2Fs%2FkBNxLdTNXC8dDQrPfR-GuQ\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"19625\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=19625\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/CraterWithGelSubstance-July2019.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"572,570\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Crater with Gel-like substance\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;&amp;#8220;Impact crater with mysterious material&amp;#8221;. Credits: Yutu No. 2 Driving Diary 6&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/CraterWithGelSubstance-July2019.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19625\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/CraterWithGelSubstance-July2019-500x498.jpg\" alt=\"Crater with Gel-like substance\" width=\"500\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/CraterWithGelSubstance-July2019-500x498.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/CraterWithGelSubstance-July2019-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/CraterWithGelSubstance-July2019.jpg 572w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19625\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Impact crater with mysterious material&#8221;. Credits: <a href=\"https:\/\/mp.weixin.qq.com\/s\/kBNxLdTNXC8dDQrPfR-GuQ\">Yutu No. 2 Driving Diary 6<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>** <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.asteroidmission.org\/candidate-sample-sites\/\">Candidate spots<\/a> on asteroid Bennu selected for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/osiris-rex\">OSIRIS-REx<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0 to grab a sampling:\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-mission-selects-final-four-site-candidates-for-asteroid-sample-return\">NASA Selects Final Four Site Candidates for Asteroid Sample Return | NASA<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>After months grappling with the rugged reality of asteroid Bennu\u2019s surface, the team leading NASA\u2019s first asteroid sample return mission has selected four potential sites for the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft to \u201ctag\u201d its cosmic dance partner.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Since its arrival in December 2018, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has mapped the entire asteroid in order to identify the safest and most accessible spots for the spacecraft to collect a sample. These four sites now will be studied in further detail in order to select the final two sites \u2013 a primary and backup \u2013 in December.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The team originally had planned to choose the final two sites by this point in the mission. Initial analysis of Earth-based observations suggested the asteroid\u2019s surface likely contains large \u201cponds\u201d of fine-grain material. The spacecraft\u2019s earliest images, however, revealed Bennu has an especially rocky terrain. Since then, the asteroid\u2019s boulder-filled topography has created a challenge for the team to identify safe areas containing sampleable material, which must be fine enough \u2013 less than 1 inch (2.5 cm) diameter \u2013 for the spacecraft\u2019s sampling mechanism to ingest it.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/M9NrzyTKaCE?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19622\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19622\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-mission-selects-final-four-site-candidates-for-asteroid-sample-return\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"19622\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=19622\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/samplesitecandidates02_11.png\" data-orig-size=\"985,985\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"OSIRIS REx sample site candidates\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Pictured are the four candidate sample collection sites on asteroid Bennu selected by NASA\u2019s OSIRIS-REx mission. Site Nightingale (top left) is located in Bennu\u2019s northern hemisphere. Sites Kingfisher (top right) and Osprey (bottom left) are located in Bennu\u2019s equatorial region. Site Sandpiper (bottom right) is located in Bennu\u2019s southern hemisphere. In December, one of these sites will be chosen for the mission\u2019s touchdown event.&lt;br \/&gt;\nCredits: NASA\/University of Arizona&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/samplesitecandidates02_11.png\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19622\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/samplesitecandidates02_11-500x500.png\" alt=\"OSIRIS REx sample site candidates\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/samplesitecandidates02_11-500x500.png 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/samplesitecandidates02_11-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/samplesitecandidates02_11-768x768.png 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/samplesitecandidates02_11.png 985w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19622\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-mission-selects-final-four-site-candidates-for-asteroid-sample-return\">Pictured are the four candidate sample collection sites<\/a> on asteroid Bennu selected by NASA\u2019s OSIRIS-REx mission. Site Nightingale (top left) is located in Bennu\u2019s northern hemisphere. Sites Kingfisher (top right) and Osprey (bottom left) are located in Bennu\u2019s equatorial region. Site Sandpiper (bottom right) is located in Bennu\u2019s southern hemisphere. In December, one of these sites will be chosen for the mission\u2019s touchdown event. Credits: NASA\/University of Arizona&#8221;<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>** <strong>An overview of the missions &#8211; past, present, and future &#8211; to the small objects in our solar system<\/strong>: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Our_Activities\/Preparing_for_the_Future\/Discovery_and_Preparation\/Asteroids_comets_and_moons\">Asteroids, comets and moons &#8211; ESA<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>We have learned a lot from visiting the Moon, and even more from visiting other planets, but what about the thousands of other small objects that share our Solar System? Space agencies have sent several spacecraft to asteroids, comets, dwarf planets and small moons, and have ambitious plans to send more in the future.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Asteroids and comets are believed to be leftover debris from the formation of the Solar System, meaning they can help trace its history. What\u2019s more, these objects may have played a vital role in the development of our planet and terrestrial life by colliding with Earth in catastrophic impact events, bringing life-sparking organic compounds. Such collisions were more common in the early Solar System, but small objects can still impact Earth, damaging life, nature and infrastructure.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Such objects may also have brought organic matter to other planets and moons, some of which \u2013 Jupiter\u2019s moon Europa or Saturn\u2019s moon Enceladus, for example \u2013 may possess the right conditions for hosting some form of life. For all these reasons, and many more, it is important to study these objects and find out more about them.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>An update on the exoplanet search with the <a href=\"https:\/\/tess.mit.edu\/\">TESS space observatory<\/a><\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em> A discussion between NASA researcher Jon Jenkins &amp; SETI Institute Astronomer Franck Marchis about TESS spacecraft and its recent discoveries.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/VPGTplfYqvY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>A beautiful view of Jupiter from Hubble<\/strong>: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spacetelescope.org\/news\/heic1914\/?lang\">Hubble Showcases New Portrait of Jupiter | ESA\/Hubble<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"text_intro pr_first\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals the intricate, detailed beauty of Jupiter\u2019s clouds in this new image taken on 27 June 2019<a href=\"https:\/\/www.spacetelescope.org\/news\/heic1914\/?lang#1\">[1]<\/a>. It features the planet\u2019s trademark Great Red Spot and a more intense colour palette in the clouds swirling in the planet\u2019s turbulent atmosphere than seen in previous years.<\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Among the most striking features in the image are the rich colours of the clouds moving toward the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Great_Red_Spot\">Great Red Spot<\/a>. This huge <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Anticyclone\">anticyclonic<\/a> storm is roughly the diameter of Earth and is rolling counterclockwise between two bands of clouds that are moving in opposite directions toward it.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>As with previous images of Jupiter taken by Hubble, and other observations from telescopes on the ground, the new image confirms that the huge storm which has raged on Jupiter\u2019s surface for at least 150 years continues to shrink. The reason for this is still unknown so Hubble will continue to observe Jupiter in the hope that scientists will be able to solve this stormy riddle. Much smaller storms appear on Jupiter as white or brown ovals that can last as little as a few hours or stretch on for centuries.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19623\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19623\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spacetelescope.org\/news\/heic1914\/?lang\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"19623\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=19623\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/heic1914a1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"700,700\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;NASA, ESA, A. Simon (Goddard Spa&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;The NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals the intricate, detailed beauty of Jupiter\\u2019s clouds in this new image taken on 27 June 2019 by Hubble\\u2019s Wide Field Camera 3, when the planet was 644 million kilometres from Earth \\u2014 its closest distance this year. The image features the planet\\u2019s trademark Great Red Spot and a more intense colour palette in the clouds swirling in the planet\\u2019s turbulent atmosphere than seen in previous years. The observations of Jupiter form part of the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) programme.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1565280000&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Jupiter\\u2019s Colourful Palette&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Jupiter\u2019s Colourful Palette\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals the intricate, detailed beauty of Jupiter\u2019s clouds in this new image taken on 27 June 2019 by Hubble\u2019s Wide Field Camera 3, when the planet was 644 million kilometres from Earth \u2014 its closest distance this year. The image features the planet\u2019s trademark Great Red Spot and a more intense colour palette in the clouds swirling in the planet\u2019s turbulent atmosphere than seen in previous years. The observations of Jupiter form part of the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) programme.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/heic1914a1.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19623\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/heic1914a1-500x500.jpg\" alt=\"Jupiter\u2019s Colourful Palette\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/heic1914a1-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/heic1914a1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/heic1914a1.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19623\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spacetelescope.org\/news\/heic1914\/?lang\">The NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals<\/a> the intricate, detailed beauty of Jupiter\u2019s clouds in this new image taken on 27 June 2019 by Hubble\u2019s Wide Field Camera 3, when the planet was 644 million kilometres from Earth \u2014 its closest distance this year. The image features the planet\u2019s trademark Great Red Spot and a more intense colour palette in the clouds swirling in the planet\u2019s turbulent atmosphere than seen in previous years. The observations of Jupiter form part of the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) programme.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k5n_S6TBHOo?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>** <strong> The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/teles-instr\/paranal-observatory\/surveytelescopes\/vst\/\">VLT Survey Telescope<\/a> (VST) captures a magnificent stellar bird<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/news\/eso1913\/?lang\">Anatomy of a Cosmic Seagull | ESO<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_19624\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-19624\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/news\/eso1913\/?lang\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"19624\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=19624\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/eso1913a1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"700,466\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;ESO\/VPHAS+ team\/N.J. Wright (Kee&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;Colourful and wispy Sharpless 2-296 forms the \\u201cwings\\u201d of an area of sky known as the Seagull Nebula \\u2014 named for its resemblance to a gull in flight. This celestial bird contains a fascinating mix of intriguing astronomical objects. Glowing clouds weave amid dark dust lanes and bright stars. The Seagull Nebula \\u2014 made up of dust, hydrogen, helium and traces of heavier elements \\u2014 is the hot and energetic birthplace of new stars.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1565179200&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;The Rosy Glow of a Cosmic Seagull&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"The Rosy Glow of a Cosmic Seagull\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Colourful and wispy Sharpless 2-296 forms the \u201cwings\u201d of an area of sky known as the Seagull Nebula \u2014 named for its resemblance to a gull in flight. This celestial bird contains a fascinating mix of intriguing astronomical objects. Glowing clouds weave amid dark dust lanes and bright stars. The Seagull Nebula \u2014 made up of dust, hydrogen, helium and traces of heavier elements \u2014 is the hot and energetic birthplace of new stars.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/eso1913a1.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-19624\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/eso1913a1-500x333.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/eso1913a1-500x333.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/eso1913a1.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-19624\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Colourful and wispy Sharpless 2-296 forms the \u201cwings\u201d of an area of sky known as the Seagull Nebula \u2014 named for its resemblance to a gull in flight. This celestial bird contains a fascinating mix of intriguing astronomical objects. Glowing clouds weave amid dark dust lanes and bright stars. The Seagull Nebula \u2014 made up of dust, hydrogen, helium and traces of heavier elements \u2014 is the hot and energetic birthplace of new stars.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Blp5ZMfRjVY?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Parker Solar Probe completes two orbits around the sun<\/strong> since launch in August of 2018: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/goddard\/2019\/one-year-2-trips-around-sun-for-nasas-parker-solar-probe\">One Year, 2 Trips Around Sun for NASA&#8217;s Parker Solar Probe | NASA<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>In the year since launch, Parker Solar Probe has collected a <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/parkersolarprobe\/2019\/08\/01\/parker-solar-probe-completes-download-of-science-data-from-first-two-solar-encounters\/\">host of scientific data<\/a> from two close passes by the Sun.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;We&#8217;re very happy,&#8221; said Nicky Fox, director of NASA&#8217;s Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. &#8220;We&#8217;ve managed to bring down at least twice as much data as we originally suspected we\u2019d get from those first two perihelion passes.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The spacecraft carries four suites of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/goddard\/parker-solar-probe-instruments\">scientific instruments<\/a> to gather data on the particles, solar wind plasma, electric and magnetic fields, solar radio emission, and structures in the Sun&#8217;s hot outer atmosphere, the corona. This information will help scientists unravel the physics driving the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/goddard\/2018\/nasa-s-parker-solar-probe-and-the-curious-case-of-the-hot-corona\">extreme temperatures<\/a> in the corona \u2014 which is counter intuitively hotter than the solar surface below \u2014 and the mechanisms that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/goddard\/2018\/parker-solar-probe-and-the-birth-of-the-solar-wind\">drive particles and plasma<\/a> out into the solar system.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/agYB8E2AHOI?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Follow the solar mission via:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/content\/goddard\/parker-solar-probe\">Parker Solar Probe | NASA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.nasa.gov\/parkersolarprobe\/\">Parker Solar Probe Blog<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>** <strong>Mars<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>*** <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/msl\/\"><strong>Mars Curiosity Rover<\/strong><\/a><strong> continues on a trail of discoveries<\/strong> after 7 years on Mars: \u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/jpl\/new-finds-for-mars-rover-seven-years-after-landing\">New Finds for Mars Rover, Seven Years After Landing | NASA<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>NASA&#8217;s Curiosity rover has come a long way since touching down on Mars seven years ago. It has traveled a total of 13 miles (21 kilometers) and ascended 1,207 feet (368 meters) to its current location. Along the way, Curiosity discovered Mars had <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/msl\/mission\/science\/results\/\">the conditions to support microbial life<\/a> in the ancient past, among other things.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>And the rover is far from done, having just drilled its 22nd sample from the Martian surface. It has a few more years before its nuclear power system degrades enough to significantly limit operations. After that, careful budgeting of its power will allow the rover to keep studying the Red Planet.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Curiosity is now halfway through a region scientists call <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/news.php?feature=7400\">the &#8220;clay-bearing unit&#8221;<\/a> on the side of Mount Sharp, inside of <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/msl\/mission\/timeline\/prelaunch\/landingsiteselection\/aboutgalecrater\/\">Gale Crater<\/a>. Billions of years ago, there were streams and lakes within the crater. Water altered the sediment deposited within the lakes, leaving behind lots of clay minerals in the region. That clay signal was first detected from space by NASA&#8217;s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) a few years before Curiosity launched.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Check out this 360 degree view of Mars:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Curiosity captured this 360-degree panorama of a location on Mars called \u201cTeal Ridge\u201d on June 18, 2019. This location is part of a larger region the rover has been exploring called the \u201cclay-bearing unit\u201d on the side of Mount Sharp, which is inside Gale Crater. The scene is presented with a color adjustment that approximates white balancing to resemble how the rocks and sand would appear under daytime lighting conditions on Earth. Scientists are looking for signs that Mars could have supported microbial life billions of years ago, when rivers and lakes could be found in the crater.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"1600\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/NJzDNgs7Db8?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>*** <strong>Where Curiosity has been and where its going<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/spaceimages\/details.php?id=PIA23412\">Mid-2019 Map of NASA&#8217;s Curiosity Rover Mission &#8211; NASA JPL<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>This map shows the route driven by NASA&#8217;s Curiosity Mars rover, from the location where it landed in August 2012 to its location in August 2019, and its planned path to additional geological layers of lower &#8220;Mount Sharp.&#8221; The blue star near top center marks &#8220;Bradbury Landing,&#8221; the site where Curiosity arrived on Mars on Aug. 5, 2012, PDT (Aug. 6, EDT and Universal Time). Curiosity landed on Aeolis Palus, the plains surrounding Aeolis Mons (Mount Sharp) in Gale Crater.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/spaceimages\/details.php?id=PIA23412\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"19628\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=19628\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PIA23412_hires_1000x773.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1000,773\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Mid-2019 Map of NASA&amp;#8217;s Curiosity Rover Mission\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PIA23412_hires_1000x773.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-19628\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PIA23412_hires_1000x773-500x387.jpg\" alt=\"Mid-2019 Map of NASA's Curiosity Rover Mission\" width=\"500\" height=\"387\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PIA23412_hires_1000x773-500x387.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PIA23412_hires_1000x773-768x594.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/PIA23412_hires_1000x773.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a>More about the planned route for the rover from Bob Zimmerman: <a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/essays-and-commentaries\/curiositys-future-travels-2\/\">Curiosity\u2019s future travels | Behind The Black<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>*** <strong>And more reports from Bob on images of interesting features on Mars<\/strong> as seen by the orbiters:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/terraced-and-banded-hills-on-mars\/\">Terraced and banded hills on Mars<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/crater-on-the-basement-of-mars\/\">Crater on the Basement of Mars<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/monitoring-martian-pits-not-near-arsia-mons\/\">Monitoring Martian pits not near Arsia Mons<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/cliff-collapse-on-mars\/\">Cliff collapse on Mars<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>*** <strong>Bob was also the first to see the locations that SpaceX is examining for potential landings<\/strong> of Starships in the coming decade:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/essays-and-commentaries\/spacex-begins-hunt-for-starship-landing-sites-on-mars\/\">SpaceX begins hunt for Starship landing sites on Mars | Behind The Black<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.teslarati.com\/spacex-starship-mars-landing-sites-new-nasa-photos\/\">SpaceX acquires new photos of Starship landing sites with Mars-orbiting NASA satellite &#8211; Teslarati<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>*** <strong>The <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/\">Mars 2020 mission<\/a> will deploy a drone for the first time<\/strong>. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/mars-helicopter-to-fly-on-nasa-s-next-red-planet-rover-mission\">Mars Helicopter<\/a> was recently installed onto the rover:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/news.php?feature=7489\">NASA&#8217;s Mars Helicopter Attached to Mars 2020 Rover &#8211; NASA JPL<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/2019\/09\/04\/mini-helicopter-installed-on-nasas-next-mars-bound-rover\/\">Mini-helicopter installed on NASA\u2019s next Mars-bound rover \u2013 Spaceflight Now<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Engineers at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California have attached a flying helicopter drone to the belly of the Mars 2020 rover set for launch next July.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The solar-powered Mars Helicopter stands about 2.6 feet (80 centimeters) tall when fully deployed, and will become the first aircraft to fly on another planet. The robot drone will ride to the Red Planet with NASA\u2019s Mars 2020 rover, which has been assembled at JPL to begin testing in the coming weeks.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The Mars 2020 mission is scheduled for launch from Cape Canaveral on July 17, 2020, the first day of a nearly three-week window for the rover to depart Earth and head for Mars. The rover will blast off atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The rover will land at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.jpl.nasa.gov\/news\/news.php?feature=7286\">Jezero Crater<\/a> on Feb. 18, 2021.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_16005\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16005\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/resources\/21851\/mars-helicopter\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"16005\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=16005\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/marshelo1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1250,684\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Mars Helicopter\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;NASA&amp;#8217;s Mars Helicopter, a small, autonomous rotorcraft, will travel with the agency&amp;#8217;s Mars 2020 rover, currently scheduled to launch in July 2020, to demonstrate the viability and potential of heavier-than-air vehicles on the Red Planet. Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/marshelo1-1024x560.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-16005\" src=\"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/marshelo1-300x164.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"164\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/marshelo1-300x164.jpg 300w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/marshelo1-768x420.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/marshelo1-1024x560.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/marshelo1.jpg 1250w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-16005\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NASA&#8217;s Mars Helicopter, a small, autonomous rotorcraft, will travel with the agency&#8217;s Mars 2020 rover to demonstrate the viability and potential of heavier-than-air vehicles on the Red Planet. <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/resources\/21851\/mars-helicopter\/\">Credits: NASA\/JPL-Caltech<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">====<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1501187740\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=1501187740&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hobbyspace&amp;linkId=7d6f061f588b3ff2d61d5de146120cd0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fire in the Sky:<br \/>\nCosmic Collisions, Killer Asteroids, and<br \/>\nthe Race to Defend Earth<\/a><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;\" src=\"\/\/ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/e\/ir?t=hobbyspace&amp;l=am2&amp;o=1&amp;a=1501187740\" alt=\"\" width=\"1\" height=\"1\" border=\"0\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><iframe style=\"width: 120px; height: 240px;\" src=\"\/\/ws-na.amazon-adsystem.com\/widgets\/q?ServiceVersion=20070822&amp;OneJS=1&amp;Operation=GetAdHtml&amp;MarketPlace=US&amp;source=ac&amp;ref=tf_til&amp;ad_type=product_link&amp;tracking_id=hobbyspace&amp;marketplace=amazon&amp;region=US&amp;placement=1501187740&amp;asins=1501187740&amp;linkId=761512aa814951d1800f443cbc7bed63&amp;show_border=true&amp;link_opens_in_new_window=true&amp;price_color=333333&amp;title_color=0066c0&amp;bg_color=ffffff\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images from space-related science news items (find previous roundups here): [ Update 2: Unfortunately, contact with the Vikram lander was lost shortly before the landing: Ground teams lost communication with India\u2019s first lunar landing mission moments before its scheduled touchdown on the moon Friday, suggesting the robotic research &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=19616\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Space sciences roundup &#8211; Sept.6.2019<\/span> <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[75,12,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19616","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-asteroids","category-astronomy","category-space-science"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-56o","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13934,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=13934","url_meta":{"origin":19616,"position":0},"title":"Video: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sends a Dragon to ISS and lands booster at Cape","author":"TopSpacer","date":"February 19, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This morning SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 rocket with a Dragon spacecraft full of cargo heading to the International Space Station. The Dragon will berth to the station on Wednesday morning. After the first stage booster separated from the upper stage, it came back down for a powered landing onto\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;History&quot;","block_context":{"text":"History","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=6"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/02\/LandingShotFromVABRoof-TrevorMahlmann-1024x562.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5762,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=5762","url_meta":{"origin":19616,"position":1},"title":"Chang&#8217;e 3 update","author":"TopSpacer","date":"December 18, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Emily Lakdawalla\u00a0posts a review of what was said during a press conference about the Chang'e 3 mission:\u00a0Chang'e 3 update: 6 instruments active, new fan-produced landing video - The Planetary Society. Here's video of highlights of the mission so far from launch through the landing: http:\/\/youtu.be\/Rrq6-w3j888","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Chinese space&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Chinese space","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=79"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/Rrq6-w3j888\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5691,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=5691","url_meta":{"origin":19616,"position":2},"title":"Chinese Chang&#8217;e 3 spacecraft lands on the Moon!","author":"TopSpacer","date":"December 14, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"The Chinese Chang'e 3 spacecraft has landed successfully on the Moon:\u00a0Live: China lands moon probe - China.org.cn Live\u00a0 China\u2019s lunar probe Chang\u2019e 3 made a successful landing on the moon on Saturday night, Beijing Time, marking China\u2019s first spacecraft to soft-land on the surface of an extraterrestrial body. The first\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Chinese space&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Chinese space","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=79"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.china.org.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/11.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.china.org.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/11.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/live.china.org.cn\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/11.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":17142,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=17142","url_meta":{"origin":19616,"position":3},"title":"Videos: Follow the Insight Mission landing on Mars today [Update]","author":"TopSpacer","date":"November 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"[ Update: The landing was a success: NASA InSight Lander Arrives on Martian Surface | NASA ] NASA's Insight spacecraft will set down on the Martian surface today Nov. 26th at around noon PST (3 p.m. EST). NASA TV will provide live coverage: https:\/\/youtu.be\/bGD_YF64Nwk InSight was launched on May 5th\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Events&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Events","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=37"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/11\/insight_image_pillar1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":5722,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=5722","url_meta":{"origin":19616,"position":4},"title":"Space policy roundup &#8211; Dec.16.13 [Update]","author":"TopSpacer","date":"December 16, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A selection of space policy\/politics items: Space Policy Events for the Week of December 16-20, 2013 Opinion: Don't gut NASA space missions - CNN.com Export control reform process is wrapping up - Space Politics Florida must stay in commercial space game - Orlando Sentinel\/Bradenton Herald How Will Space Commuters Navigate\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Space Policy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Space Policy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3423,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=3423","url_meta":{"origin":19616,"position":5},"title":"Space policy roundup &#8211; July.15.13","author":"TopSpacer","date":"July 15, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Some space policy related links this Monday morning. Loony or logical? Bill favors national park on moon: Congressional measure would protect Apollo landing artifacts - Florida Today Space: The Final Frontier of Environmental Disasters? - Wired Science Space Policy Events for the Week of July 15-19, 2013 Future Planetary Exploration:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Space Policy&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Space Policy","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=19616"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19640,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19616\/revisions\/19640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=19616"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=19616"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=19616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}