{"id":21423,"date":"2020-03-19T11:55:10","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T15:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21423"},"modified":"2020-03-19T11:55:10","modified_gmt":"2020-03-19T15:55:10","slug":"space-sciences-roundup-mar-19-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21423","title":{"rendered":"Space sciences roundup &#8211; Mar.19.2020"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images from space-related science news items (find <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=107\">previous roundups here<\/a>):<\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Mars<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>The next <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/mars2020\/\">US Mars rover<\/a> given name selected by middle-school student<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/virginia-middle-school-student-earns-honor-of-naming-nasas-next-mars-rover\">Virginia Student Earns Honor of Naming NASA&#8217;s Next Mars Rover | NASA<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>ASA&#8217;s next Mars rover has a new name \u2013 <strong>Perseverance<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The name was announced Thursday by Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate, during a celebration at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia. Zurbuchen was at the school to congratulate seventh grader Alexander Mather, who submitted the winning entry to the agency\u2019s &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-invites-students-to-name-next-mars-rover\">Name the Rover<\/a>&#8221; essay contest, which received 28,000 entries from K-12 students from every U.S. state and territory.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;Alex\u2019s entry captured the spirit of exploration,\u201d said Zurbuchen. \u201cLike every exploration mission before, our rover is going to face challenges, and it\u2019s going to make amazing discoveries. It\u2019s already surmounted many obstacles to get us to the point where we are today \u2013 processing for launch. Alex and his classmates are the Artemis Generation, and they\u2019re going to be taking the next steps into space that lead to Mars. That inspiring work will always require perseverance. We can\u2019t wait to see that nameplate on Mars.\u201d<\/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\/NA64dzkk20Y?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 report on the selection of the target spot for Perseverance&#8217;s landing<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetary.org\/blogs\/guest-blogs\/2020\/heres-how-scientists-mapped-jezero.html\">Here&#8217;s How Scientists Mapped the Mars 2020 Rover&#8217;s Landing Site | The Planetary Society<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>NASA\u2019s soon-to-be-named Mars 2020 rover launches in late July or early August and will arrive on Mars in February 2021. The rover will <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetary.org\/blogs\/emily-lakdawalla\/2018\/jezero-landing-site-mars-2020-rover.html\">land near an ancient river delta<\/a>. Deltas form as rivers deposit sediment from upstream sources into standing bodies of water, like lakes or oceans. On Earth, these areas tend to teem with life. The Mars 2020 rover will search for signs of past life while collecting soil and rock samples for future return to Earth.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21439\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21439\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetary.org\/blogs\/guest-blogs\/2020\/heres-how-scientists-mapped-jezero.html\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21439\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=21439\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20200219_mars2020-global-map_f8401.png\" data-orig-size=\"840,471\" 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=\"20200219_mars2020-global-map_f840[1]\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Jezero crater is located at the northeastern edge of a volcanic region on Mars known as Syrtis Major. Credits: NASA Ames\/USGS\/JPL\/Corrine Rojas via Planetary Society&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20200219_mars2020-global-map_f8401.png\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-21439\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20200219_mars2020-global-map_f8401-500x280.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"280\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20200219_mars2020-global-map_f8401-500x280.png 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20200219_mars2020-global-map_f8401-768x431.png 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20200219_mars2020-global-map_f8401.png 840w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21439\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jezero crater is located at the northeastern edge of a volcanic region on Mars known as Syrtis Major. Credits: NASA Ames\/USGS\/JPL\/Corrine Rojas via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetary.org\/blogs\/guest-blogs\/2020\/heres-how-scientists-mapped-jezero.html\">Planetary Society<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>** <strong>Meanwhile, the rover currently operating on Mars sent a new grand panorama<\/strong>: Curiosity Mars Rover Snaps 1.8 Billion-Pixel Panorama (narrated video)<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>NASA Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada guides this tour of the rover&#8217;s view of the Martian surface. This panorama showcases &#8220;Glen Torridon,&#8221; a region on the side of Mount Sharp that Curiosity is exploring. The panorama was taken between Nov. 24 and Dec. 1, 2019, when the Curiosity team was out for the Thanksgiving holiday. Since the rover would be sitting still with few other tasks to do while it waited for the team to return and provide its next commands, the rover had a rare chance to image its surroundings several days in a row without moving. Composed of more than 1,000 images and carefully assembled over the ensuing months, the larger version of this composite contains nearly 1.8 billion pixels of Martian landscape.<\/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\/X2UaFuJsqxk?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>The interactive panorama:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>NASA\u2019s Curiosity Mars rover produced this 360-degree panorama of &#8220;Glen Torridon,&#8221; a region on the side of Mount Sharp. The panorama was taken between Nov. 24 and Dec. 1, 2019, when the mission team was out for the Thanksgiving holiday. Since the rover would be sitting still with few other tasks to do while it waited for the team to return and provide its next commands, the rover had a rare chance to image its surroundings several days in a row without moving. Composed of more than 1,000 images and carefully assembled over the ensuing months, the larger version of this composite contains nearly 1.8 billion pixels of Martian landscape.<\/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\/0fva2pH41FM?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>Curiosity rover detects organic material in Martian rock<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/press-release\/nasa-finds-ancient-organic-material-mysterious-methane-on-mars\">NASA Finds Ancient Organic Material, Mysterious Methane on Mars | NASA<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.leonarddavid.com\/study-finds-organic-molecules-consistent-with-early-life-on-mars\/\">Study Finds Organic Molecules Consistent with Early Life on Mars &#8211; Leonard David<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>NASA\u2019s Curiosity rover has found new evidence preserved in rocks on Mars that suggests the planet could have supported ancient life, as well as new evidence in the Martian atmosphere that relates to the search for current life on the Red Planet. While not necessarily evidence of life itself, these findings are a good sign for future missions exploring the planet\u2019s surface and subsurface.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The new findings \u2013 \u201ctough\u201d organic molecules in three-billion-year-old sedimentary rocks near the surface, as well as seasonal variations in the levels of methane in the atmosphere \u2013 appear in the June 8 edition of the journal Science.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Organic molecules contain carbon and hydrogen, and also may include oxygen, nitrogen and other elements. While commonly associated with life, organic molecules also can be created by non-biological processes and are not necessarily indicators of life.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>**<strong> European\/Russian ExoMars rover mission postponed till 2022<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Newsroom\/Press_Releases\/ExoMars_to_take_off_for_the_Red_Planet_in_2022\">ExoMars to take off for the Red Planet in 2022 &#8211; ESA<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"abstract article__block article__item\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Roscosmos Space Corporation have decided to postpone the launch of the second ExoMars mission to study the Red Planet to 2022.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__block\">\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The joint ESA-Roscosmos project team evaluated all the activities needed for an authorisation to launch, in order to analyse the risks and schedule. With due consideration of the recommendations provided by European and Russian Inspectors General, ExoMars experts have concluded that tests necessary to make all components of the spacecraft fit for the Mars adventure need more time to complete.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The primary goal of the mission is to determine if there has ever been life on Mars, and to better understand the history of water on the planet. The ExoMars rover, named Rosalind Franklin, includes a drill to access the sub-surface of Mars as well as a miniature life-search laboratory kept within an ultra-clean zone.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Problems with the parachutes arose last year and fully testing the solutions apparently left too little margin in the schedule:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The latest ExoMars parachutes dynamic extraction tests have been completed successfully at NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the main parachutes are ready for the two final high-altitude drop tests in March in Oregon, US.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>See also: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespacereview.com\/article\/3900\/1\">Mars in limbo &#8211; The Space Review<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>** <strong>China continues to aim for summer launch of the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Mars_Global_Remote_Sensing_Orbiter_and_Small_Rover\">Huoxing orbiter\/lander\/rover mission<\/a> to Mars<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.xinhuanet.com\/english\/2020-03\/10\/c_138862720.htm\">China tests Mars probe for 2020 Mars mission &#8211; Xinhua<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/coronavirus-china-mars-mission.html\">China&#8217;s Mars mission likely still on track for July launch despite coronavirus outbreak | Space.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-020-00739-5\">How China is planning to go to Mars amid the coronavirus outbreak &#8211; Nature<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>China\u2019s probe, called Huoxing, will include an orbiter, a lander and a rover \u2014 the first Mars probe to include all three. The project will have 13 scientific payloads, including several cameras, subsurface radar imagers and particle analyzers, as well as a magnetometer and magnetic-field detector. The mission\u2019s scientific goals include studying the Martian morphology, geology, soil and water\u2013ice distribution.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Wang says the coronavirus outbreak has affected the way his team works, but has not yet caused delays.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Several days ago, the team had to move six scientific payloads for the orbiter from Beijing to Shanghai, where they will be assembled. Instead of risking the team members getting infected on a plane or high-speed train, 3 people drove the 6 payloads in a car \u2014 a journey that took more than 12 hours.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21433\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21433\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21433\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=21433\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20181117_china-2020-rover_f8401.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"840,501\" 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;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"China 2020 Rover\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;An illustration of the rover on the China&amp;#8217;s Mars 2020 mission. Credits: Xinhua&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20181117_china-2020-rover_f8401.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-21433\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20181117_china-2020-rover_f8401-500x298.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"298\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20181117_china-2020-rover_f8401-500x298.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20181117_china-2020-rover_f8401-768x458.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/20181117_china-2020-rover_f8401.jpg 840w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21433\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An illustration of the rover mounted on the China&#8217;s Mars 2020 mission. Credits: Xinhua<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>** <strong>UAE <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hope_Mars_Mission\">Hope Mars orbiter<\/a> set to launch this summer to study Martian atmosphere<\/strong> and climate history:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The Hope Probe will be the first probe to provide a complete picture of the Martian atmosphere and its layers when it reaches the red planet&#8217;s orbit in 2021. It will help answer key questions about the global Martian atmosphere and the loss of hydrogen and oxygen gases into space over the span of one Martian year.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre is responsible for the execution and supervision of all stages of the design, development and launch of the Hope Probe in 2020.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The UAE Space Agency is funding and supervising procedures and necessary details for the implementation of this project. Following a journey of several months, the probe is expected to enter the Red Planet\u2019s orbit in 2021, coinciding with the Golden Jubilee of the Union.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21431\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21431\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HopeMarsMission\/status\/1238138086887915520\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21431\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=21431\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_02.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,1280\" 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=\"Hope Orbiter Specs\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Some specifications of the Hope Orbiter. Credits UAE&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_02-1024x1024.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-21431 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_02-500x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_02-500x500.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_02-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_02-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_02-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_02.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21431\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Some specifications of the Hope Orbiter. Credits: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HopeMarsMission\/status\/1238138086887915520\">HopeMarsMission on Twitter<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The mission will launch this July on a Mitsubishi Heavy Industries <a title=\"H-IIA\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/H-IIA\">H-IIA<\/a> rocket.<\/p>\n<p>More at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbrsc.ae\/emirates-mars-mission\">Emirates mars mission | Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre &#8211; MBRSC -UAE<\/a>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21430\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21430\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mbrsc.ae\/emirates-mars-mission\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21430\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=21430\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_01.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"867,605\" 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=\"Hope Orbiter\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_01.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-21430 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_01-500x349.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"349\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_01-500x349.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_01-768x536.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/HopeOrbiter_01.jpg 867w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21430\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Emirates Hope Orbiter in preparation for tests in vacuum chamber. Credits: UAE Space Program<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>** <strong>An update on recent activities of the Curiosity<\/strong> rover from Bob Zimmerman: <a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/essays-and-commentaries\/mars-rover-update-march-4-2020\/\">Mars rover Update: March 4, 2020 | Behind The Black<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Since my last rover update on <a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/essays-and-commentaries\/curiosity-climbs-a-hill\/\">January 13, 2020<\/a>, Curiosity has finally moved on from the base of Western butte, where it spent more than a month drilling a hole and gathering a great deal of geological data. Rather than head downhill and around the plateau and back to its planned route (as indicated by the red line in the map to the right), the Curiosity science team <a href=\"https:\/\/mars.nasa.gov\/msl\/mission-updates\/8616\/sol-2688-2689-into-the-unknown\/\">decided to push upward<\/a> and onto the Greenheugh Piedmont (as indicated by the yellow line).<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>They had always planned to reach the top of this plateau, but not for several years. First they were going to head east to study <a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/streaky-mars-slope-streaks-and-recurring-slope-lineae\/\">a recurring slope lineae<\/a> (see my <a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/essays-and-commentaries\/rover-update-october-28-2019\/\">October 2019 update<\/a>), an example of a dark streak that darkens and fades seasonally and could provide evidence of water seepage from below ground.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21425\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21425\" style=\"width: 443px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/essays-and-commentaries\/mars-rover-update-march-4-2020\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21425\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=21425\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Curiosity_Location_Sol2664croppedreduced1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"500,564\" 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=\"Curiosity Location Sol 2664\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;The trail of Curiosity&amp;#8217;s recent roving. Annotated by Bob Zimmerman&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Curiosity_Location_Sol2664croppedreduced1.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-21425\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Curiosity_Location_Sol2664croppedreduced1-443x500.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"443\" height=\"500\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Curiosity_Location_Sol2664croppedreduced1-443x500.jpg 443w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Curiosity_Location_Sol2664croppedreduced1.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 443px) 100vw, 443px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21425\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Map showing the trail of Curiosity&#8217;s recent roving. Credits: NASA with annotations by <a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/essays-and-commentaries\/mars-rover-update-march-4-2020\/\">Bob Zimmerman<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>** <strong><a href=\"http:\/\/www.leonarddavid.com\/\">Leonard David<\/a> also describes Curiosity&#8217;s roving<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21424\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21424\" style=\"width: 350px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21424\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=21424\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Curiosity-Mast-Camera-Left-Sol-2702-March-13-2020-2-350x3121-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"350,312\" 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=\"Curiosity Mast Camera Left &amp;#8211; Sol-2702 March-13-2020\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Curiosity Mast Camera Left image taken on Sol 2702, March 13, 2020. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS via Leonard David&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Curiosity-Mast-Camera-Left-Sol-2702-March-13-2020-2-350x3121-1.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21424\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/Curiosity-Mast-Camera-Left-Sol-2702-March-13-2020-2-350x3121-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"350\" height=\"312\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21424\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Curiosity Mast Camera Left image taken on Sol 2702, March 13, 2020. Credit: NASA\/JPL-Caltech\/MSSS via <a href=\"http:\/\/www.leonarddavid.com\/curiosity-mars-rover-new-imagery\/\">Leonard David<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.leonarddavid.com\/curiosity-mars-rover-examining-edinburgh\/\">Curiosity Mars Rover: Examining \u201cEdinburgh\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.leonarddavid.com\/curiosity-mars-rover-new-imagery\/\">Curiosity Mars Rover: New Imagery<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.leonarddavid.com\/curiosity-mars-rover-new-drill-sample-site\/\">Curiosity Mars Rover: New Drill Sample Site?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.leonarddavid.com\/curiosity-mars-rover-science-campaign-new-drive-planned\/\">Curiosity Mars Rover: Science Campaign, New Drive Planned<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.leonarddavid.com\/curiosity-mars-rover-drill-campaign-at-tail-end\/\">Curiosity Mars Rover: Drill Campaign at \u201cTail End\u201d<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>** <strong>Tour more sites on the marvelous Martian surface<\/strong> with <a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/\">Bob Zimmerman<\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21473\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21473\" style=\"width: 450px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uahirise.org\/ESP_062951_2255\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21473\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=21473\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/ESP_062951_2255croppedreduced1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"450,450\" 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 on Mars\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;An impact crater on Utopia Planitia. Credits: NASA, Univ. Arizona. Cropped by Bob Zimmerman&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/ESP_062951_2255croppedreduced1.jpg\" class=\"size-full wp-image-21473\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/ESP_062951_2255croppedreduced1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"450\" height=\"450\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/ESP_062951_2255croppedreduced1.jpg 450w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/ESP_062951_2255croppedreduced1-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21473\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An impact crater on Utopia Planitia that was subsequently <span class=\"observation-title-milo\">enlarged by the sublimation of water ice<\/span>. Credits: NASA, Univ. Arizona. Cropped by Bob Zimmerman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/secondary-impacts-in-water-ice-on-mars\/\">Secondary impacts in water ice on Mars | Behind The Black<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/black-dunes-and-weird-hills-on-mars\/\">Black dunes and weird hills on Mars<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/martian-dust-devil-tracks-come-and-go\/\">Martian dust devil tracks come and go<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/martian-badlands\/\">Martian badlands<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/rolling-boulders-on-mars\/\">Rolling boulders on Mars<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/summer-at-the-martian-north-pole\/\">Summer at the Martian North Pole<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/glacial-breakup-on-mars\/\">Glacial breakup on Mars<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/peering-into-a-martian-pit\/\">Peering into a Martian pit<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/enclosed-martian-canyon-filled-with-ice\/\">Enclosed Martian canyon, filled with ice<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><u>Solar system<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>** <a href=\"https:\/\/missionjuno.swri.edu\"><strong>Juno<\/strong><\/a><strong> continues to display the glorious magnificence of our largest planet<\/strong>:<\/p>\n<p>**** <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/image-feature\/jpl\/massive-beauty\">Massive Beauty | NASA<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>NASA\u2019s Juno mission captured this look at the southern hemisphere of Jupiter on Feb. 17, 2020, during the spacecraft\u2019s most recent close approach to the giant planet.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21471\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21471\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/thumbnails\/image\/pia23801.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21471\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=21471\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia238011.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1422\" 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=\"Jupiter&amp;#8217;s Southern Hemisphere\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia238011-1024x910.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-21471 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia238011-500x444.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"444\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia238011-500x444.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia238011-1024x910.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia238011-768x683.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia238011-1536x1365.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia238011.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21471\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juno captures a view of the southern hemisphere of Jupiter. Credits: NASA and Kevin M. Gill<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Not only is Jupiter the largest planet orbiting the Sun, it contains more than twice the amount of material of all other objects in the solar system combined \u2014 including all the planets, moons, asteroids and comets. In composition, Jupiter resembles a star, and scientists estimate that if it had been at least 80 times more massive at its formation, it could have become a type of star called a red dwarf rather than a planet.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>While the universe\u2019s most common elements, hydrogen and helium, make up most of Jupiter\u2019s mass, the striking clouds that are visible at the top of its atmosphere are composed mostly of ammonia and hydrogen sulfide.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>This high-resolution view is a composite of four images captured by the JunoCam imager and assembled by citizen scientist Kevin M.\u00a0Gill. The images were taken on\u00a0Feb. 17, 2020, between 10:31 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. PST (1:31 p.m. and 2:00\u00a0p.m. EST).\u00a0During that time, the spacecraft was between about 30,700 and 62,400 miles (49,500 and 100,400 kilometers) from the tops of the planet\u2019s clouds, at latitudes between about 50 and 68 degrees South.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>**** <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/image-feature\/jpl\/jupiter-storms-merging\">Jupiter Storms Merging | NASA<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>This view of Jupiter\u2019s atmosphere from NASA\u2019s Juno spacecraft includes something remarkable: two storms caught in the act of merging.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21472\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21472\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/thumbnails\/image\/pia23445.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21472\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=21472\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia234451.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1441,810\" 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=\"Big Storms on Jupiter\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia234451-1024x576.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-21472 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia234451-500x281.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia234451-500x281.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia234451-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia234451-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/pia234451.jpg 1441w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21472\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Juno spots two big storms on Jupiter. Credits: NASA and <em>Tanya Oleksuik<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The two white ovals seen within the orange-colored band left of center are anticyclonic storms \u2014 that is, storms that rotate counter-clockwise. The larger of the two ovals has been tracked for many years, as it grew in size through mergers with other anticyclonic white ovals. JunoCam was fortunate to capture this new merger, which typically takes place over the course of only a few days. The event interests scientists because the ovals had approached each other months earlier, only to move apart again.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>This merger may be the\u00a0result of perturbations due to the proximity of Oval BA, which is the larger storm just to the north of the two merging, white ovals. Oval BA is the second largest anticyclonic vortex in Jupiter&#8217;s atmosphere, second only to the famous Great Red Spot. During this pass over Jupiter, Juno gave scientists their best views of Oval BA to date.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Citizen scientist Tanya Oleksuik created this color-enhanced image using data from the JunoCam camera. The original image was taken on Dec. 26, 2019, at 10:28 a.m. PST (1:28 p.m. EST) as the Juno spacecraft performed its 24th close\u00a0flyby of the planet.\u00a0At the time, the spacecraft\u00a0was about 44,900 miles (72,200 kilometers) from the tops of Jupiter\u2019s clouds, at a latitude of about 60 degrees South.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>JunoCam&#8217;s raw images are available for the public to peruse and process into image products at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/missionjuno.swri.edu\/junocam\/processing\" target=\"null\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/missionjuno.swri.edu\/junocam\/processing<\/a>.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>More information about Juno is at\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/juno\">https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/juno<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/missionjuno.swri.edu\/\">https:\/\/missionjuno.swri.edu<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Astronomy<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>A cosmic Tarantula offers clues to the births of huge stars<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spacetelescope.org\/news\/heic2004\/\">On the Origin of Massive Stars -ESA\/Hubble<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>This scene of stellar creation, captured by the NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, sits near the outskirts of the famous Tarantula Nebula. This cloud of gas and dust, as well as the many young and massive stars surrounding it, is the perfect laboratory to study the origin of massive stars.<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21470\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21470\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.spacetelescope.org\/images\/heic2004a\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21470\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=21470\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/heic2004a1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"700,606\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;ESA\/Hubble, NASA, I. Stephens&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;This image shows a region of space called LHA 120-N150. It is a substructure of the gigantic Tarantula Nebula. The latter is the largest known stellar nursery in the local Universe. The nebula is situated more than 160 000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighbouring dwarf irregular galaxy that orbits the Milky Way.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1584525600&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;A massive laboratory&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"A massive laboratory\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;This image shows a region of space called LHA 120-N150. It is a substructure of the gigantic Tarantula Nebula. The latter is the largest known stellar nursery in the local Universe. The nebula is situated more than 160 000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighbouring dwarf irregular galaxy that orbits the Milky Way.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/heic2004a1.jpg\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-21470\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/heic2004a1-500x433.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"433\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/heic2004a1-500x433.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/heic2004a1.jpg 700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21470\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This image shows a region of space called LHA 120-N150. It is a substructure of the gigantic Tarantula Nebula. The latter is the largest known stellar nursery in the local Universe. The nebula is situated more than 160 000 light-years away in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a neighbouring dwarf irregular galaxy that orbits the Milky Way.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The bright pink cloud and the young stars surrounding it in this image taken with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spacetelescope.org\/\">NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope<\/a> have the uninspiring name LHA 120-N 150. This region of space is located on the outskirts of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/images\/tarantula\/\">Tarantula Nebula<\/a>, which is the largest known stellar nursery in the local Universe. The nebula is situated over 160 000 light-years away in the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Large_Magellanic_Cloud\">Large Magellanic Cloud<\/a>, a neighbouring irregular dwarf galaxy that orbits the Milky Way.<\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The Large Magellanic Cloud has had one or more\u00a0 close encounters in the past, possibly with the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Small_Magellanic_Cloud\">Small Magellanic Cloud<\/a>. These interactions have caused an episode of energetic star formation in our tiny neighbour \u2014 part of which is visible as the Tarantula Nebula.<\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Also known as 30 Doradus or NGC 2070, the Tarantula Nebula owes its name to the arrangement of bright patches that somewhat resemble the legs of a tarantula. It measures nearly 1000 light-years across. Its proximity, the favourable inclination of the Large Magellanic Cloud, and the absence of intervening dust make the Tarantula Nebula one of the best laboratories in which to study the formation of stars, in particular massive stars. This nebula has an exceptionally high concentration of massive stars, often referred to as super star clusters.<\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Astronomers have studied LHA 120-N 150 to learn more about the environment in which massive stars form. Theoretical models of the formation of massive stars suggest that they should form within clusters of stars; but observations indicate that up to ten percent of them also formed in isolation. The giant Tarantula Nebula with its numerous substructures is the perfect laboratory in which to resolve this puzzle as in it massive stars can be found both as members of clusters and in isolation.<\/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\/upNlphi79i4?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 dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>With the help of Hubble, astronomers try to find out whether the isolated stars visible in the nebula truly formed alone or just moved away from their stellar siblings. However, such a study is not an easy task; young stars, before they are fully formed \u2014 especially massive ones \u2014 look very similar to dense clumps of dust.<\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>LHA 120-N 150 contains several dozen of these objects. They are a mix of unclassified sources \u2014 some probably young stellar objects and others probably dust clumps. Only detailed analysis and observations will reveal their true nature and that will help to finally solve the unanswered question of the origin of massive stars.<\/em><\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Hubble has observed the Tarantula Nebula and its substructures in the past \u2014 always being interested in the formation and evolution of stars.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Sun<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>An update on solar activity from Bob Zimmerman<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/sunspot-update-the-flatline-resumes\/\">Sunspot update: The flatline resumes | Behind The Black<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>NOAA this week <a href=\"http:\/\/www.swpc.noaa.gov\/products\/solar-cycle-progression\">released<\/a> its February update of its monthly graph showing the long term sunspot activity of the Sun. Below is my monthly version, annotated as I have done every month since 2011.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>After a tiny uptick in sunspot activity <a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/sunspot-update-a-tiny-burst-of-activity-that-might-mean-something\/\">in January<\/a>, the Sun resumed the unprecedented flatlining of sunspot activity <a href=\"https:\/\/behindtheblack.com\/behind-the-black\/points-of-information\/sunspot-update-june-2019-down-to-zero-again-with-next-cycle-making-an-appearance\/\">that began last June<\/a>. Since then, the Sun has produced practically no sunspots, a drought that as far as I can tell has never happened since the 11-year sunspot cycle resumed in the 1700s (after the grand minimum in the 1600s) and astronomers began counting sunspots.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Moon<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>**<strong> More about China&#8217;s lunar sample return mission<\/strong>: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.leonarddavid.com\/chinas-lunar-sample-handling-plans-detailed\/\">China\u2019s Lunar Sample Handling Plans Detailed &#8211; Leonard David<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>China\u2019s Chang\u2019e-5 robotic lunar sample return mission is slated for liftoff later this year. That venture represents the third phase of China\u2019s lunar exploration project -returning samples from the Moon.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The reported candidate landing region for China\u2019s Chang\u2019e\u20105 lunar sample return mission is the R\u00fcmker region, located in the northern Oceanus Procellarum. The area is geologically complex and known for its volcanic activity.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The Chang\u2019e-5 mission will retrieve and return to Earth up to 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) of lunar surface and subsurface samples.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Yutu-2 reveals the structure beneath the lunar surface<\/strong> near the Chang&#8217;e-4 landing site on the Moon&#8217;s far side: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespaceresource.com\/news\/2020\/2\/change-4-and-yutu-2-reveal-moons-sub-surface\">Chang\u2019e 4 and Yutu-2 Reveal Moon\u2019s Sub-surface \u2014 The Space Resource<\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"block-yui_3_17_2_1_1584285249223_11549\" class=\"sqs-block html-block sqs-block-html\" data-block-type=\"2\">\n<div class=\"sqs-block-content\">\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>After landing for the first time on the Moon\u2019s farside, the Chang\u2019e-4 lander deployed the Yutu-2 rover, which utilized a dual-frequency Lunar Penetrating Radar (LPR). The LPR was previously tested on the Chang\u2019e-3, and uses ground penetrating radar at 60 MHz and 500 MHz. The LPR instrument collected data during the first two lunar days of Yutu-2\u2019s journey across the Von K\u00e1rm\u00e1n crater. While capable of far less depth than instruments like JAXA\u2019s LRS, the LPR on Yutu-2 has a much finer vertical resolution of about 30 centimeter.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Using the high frequency option, radar data from LPR revealed good signal penetration in the areas Yutu-2 traveled. This greatly exceeded the performance of the Chang\u2019e-3 ground penetrating radar. After combining the radargram, tomographic image, and quantitative analysis, the team produced the first picture of the lunar farside subsurface (image above).<\/em><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_21449\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-21449\" style=\"width: 500px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespaceresource.com\/news\/2020\/2\/change-4-and-yutu-2-reveal-moons-sub-surface\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"21449\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?attachment_id=21449\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/subsurface-lpr.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1000,878\" 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=\"Lunar Subsurface Structure\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;A diagram of the lunar subsurface structure as detected by the radar system on Yutu-2. Credits: &lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/subsurface-lpr.jpg\" class=\"wp-image-21449 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/subsurface-lpr-500x439.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"439\" srcset=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/subsurface-lpr-500x439.jpg 500w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/subsurface-lpr-768x674.jpg 768w, https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/subsurface-lpr.jpg 1000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-21449\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A diagram of the lunar subsurface structure as detected by the radar system on Yutu-2. Credits: Chunlai Li, et al 2020 via <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespaceresource.com\/news\/2020\/2\/change-4-and-yutu-2-reveal-moons-sub-surface\">The Space Resource<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>More about the Yutu-2&#8217;s rovings and research:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.xinhuanet.com\/english\/2020-02\/27\/c_138822921.htm\">China&#8217;s lunar rover unveils underground secrets on far side of moon &#8211; Xinhua<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.leonarddavid.com\/chinas-penetrating-farside-moon-finding\/\">China\u2019s \u201cPenetrating\u201d Farside Moon Finding &#8211; LeonardDavid.com<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.xinhuanet.com\/english\/2020-03\/02\/c_138835455.htm\">China&#8217;s lunar rover travels nearly 400 meters on moon&#8217;s far side &#8211; Xinhua<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong><u>Asteroids and Comets<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Follow comet ATLAS as it dives towards the sun<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/spaceweather.com\/archive.php?view=1&amp;day=18&amp;month=03&amp;year=2020\">Comet Atlas Is Brightening Faster Than Expected &#8211; Spaceweather.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\" align=\"left\"><em>Get ready for a wild ride. Comet ATLAS (C2019 Y4) is plunging toward the sun and, if it doesn&#8217;t fly apart first, it could become one of the brightest comets in years.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;Comet ATLAS continues to brighten much faster than expected,&#8221; says Karl Battams of the Naval Research Lab in Washington DC. &#8220;Some predictions for its peak brightness now border on the absurd.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>The comet was discovered in December 2019 by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (<a href=\"https:\/\/atlas.fallingstar.com\/home.php\">ATLAS<\/a>) in Hawaii. Astronomers quickly realized it might be special. On May 31, 2020, Comet ATLAS will pass deep inside the orbit of Mercury only 0.25 AU from the sun. If it can survive the blast furnace of solar heating, it could put on a good show.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>However, no one expected the show to start this soon. More than 2 months before perihelion (closest approach to the sun), Comet ATLAS is already &#8220;heating up.&#8221; The worldwide <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cobs.si\/\">Comet Observation Database<\/a> shows it jumping from magnitude +17 in early February to +8 in mid-March\u2013a 4000-fold increase in brightness. It could become visible to the naked eye in early April.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>&#8220;Right now the comet is releasing huge amounts of its frozen volatiles (gases),&#8221; says Battams. &#8220;That\u2019s why it\u2019s brightening so fast.&#8221;<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Check out the <a href=\"https:\/\/spaceweathergallery.com\/indiv_upload.php?upload_id=160047\">Comet C\/2019 Y4 ATLAS Images.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong><u>Exoplanets<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>** <strong>Imaging Exoplanets: From Adaptive Optics to Starshades In Space<\/strong> &#8211; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.seti.org\">SETI Institute<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Direct imaging of exoplanets \u2013 \u201cseeing\u201d the planet as a separate point of light near a star &#8211; is extremely difficult, and several decades ago, scientists used to say that it would be impossible to image Earth-like exoplanets. Today this seems possible, using some combination of adaptive optics technology, coronagraphs, or starshades.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Adaptive lets telescopes on the ground compensate for the Earth\u2019s atmosphere. Coronagraphs use ultraprecise masks inside telescopes to block the diffracted light from a bright star. Starshades combine a space telescope with a huge flower-shaped spacecraft that flies in formation to block the starlight before it even reaches the telescope&#8230;<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>So what are we waiting for? What are the technical challenges associated with developing an exoplanet-hunting space telescopes? The future NASA Wide-Field Infrared Survey telescope could test out some of these technologies by studying Jupiter-like planets, and the proposed Habitable Planets Explorer (HabEX) mission could fully integrate them in a search for earthlike planets around dozens of nearby stars.<\/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\/jMaxH-TbaJM?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.planetary.org\">Planetary Society<\/a> is supporting a project to find and observe <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetary.org\/multimedia\/planetary-radio\/show\/2020\/0226-2020-debra-fischer-joe-llama-100-earths.html\">100 Earths<\/a><\/strong>, i.e. earth size planets in habitable zones of their stars.<\/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\/DcMkyB1UaIo?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>More on this <a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetary.org\/multimedia\/planetary-radio\/show\/2020\/0226-2020-debra-fischer-joe-llama-100-earths.html\">Planetary Radio program<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><em>Yale astronomer Debra Fischer has spent decades hunting for exoplanets. Now she leads the <a href=\"http:\/\/exoplanets.astro.yale.edu\/science\/100_Earths.php\">100 Earths project<\/a> that includes the Lowell Observatory and astrophysicist Joe Llama. Debra and Joe join us for a conversation about this search for worlds that could be like our own. There\u2019s big space news in this week\u2019s edition of The Downlink at the top of the show, and Bruce Betts takes us on his weekly tour of the night sky, though it\u2019s the pre-dawn sky that may hold the most wonder. Try your hand at the space trivia contest!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe style=\"width: 100%; height: 200px; border: 0 none;\" src=\"https:\/\/art19.com\/shows\/planetary-radio-space-exploration-astronomy-and-science\/episodes\/4fab6eb8-8035-4b48-8717-0b349e6b3945\/embed?theme=dark-blue\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>===<\/em><strong><em> Amazon Ad <\/em><\/strong><em>===<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/0691175543\/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0691175543&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;tag=hobbyspace&amp;linkId=91037df1c021a34ad39cf7a3621977b9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">More Things in the Heavens:<br \/>\nHow Infrared Astronomy Is Expanding Our View of the Universe<\/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=0691175543\" 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=0691175543&amp;asins=0691175543&amp;linkId=0ba7f3e7ee3431ca0c3cc735dc73981d&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): Mars ** The next US Mars rover given name selected by middle-school student: Virginia Student Earns Honor of Naming NASA&#8217;s Next Mars Rover | NASA ASA&#8217;s next Mars rover has a new name \u2013 Perseverance. The name was &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21423\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Space sciences roundup &#8211; Mar.19.2020<\/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":[78,107],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mars","category-space-sciences-roundup"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-5zx","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":16004,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=16004","url_meta":{"origin":21423,"position":0},"title":"NASA adds a helicopter to the 2020 Mars Rover mission","author":"TopSpacer","date":"May 11, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA will include a helicopter on the\u00a0\u00a0Mars 2020\u00a0rover mission: Mars Helicopter to Fly on NASA\u2019s Next Red Planet Rover Mission\u00a0 https:\/\/youtu.be\/oOMQOqKRWjU NASA is sending a helicopter to Mars. The\u00a0Mars Helicopter, a small, autonomous rotorcraft, will travel with the agency\u2019s\u00a0Mars 2020\u00a0rover mission, currently scheduled to launch in July 2020, to demonstrate\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Mars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Mars","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=78"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/marshelo1-1024x560.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":14409,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=14409","url_meta":{"origin":21423,"position":1},"title":"NASA sounding rocket to light up Eastern Shore + College students launch Mars rovers","author":"TopSpacer","date":"May 24, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Early on the morning of May 31st, people living along the Mid-Atlantic region of the US coast may\u00a0see a big light show in the sky: \u00a0NASA Sounding Rocket will Release Early Morning Artificial Clouds Light | NASA The early morning skies along the mid-Atlantic coast will light up with luminescent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Education&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Education","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=22"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/wff-2017-e01024_01.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21692,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21692","url_meta":{"origin":21423,"position":2},"title":"Space sciences roundup &#8211; April.22.2020","author":"TopSpacer","date":"April 22, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images from space-related science news items (find previous roundups here): Mars ** NASA's Perseverance rover in final preparations for launch to Mars in July: With 13 weeks to go before the launch period of NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover opens, final preparations of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Space sciences roundup&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Space sciences roundup","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=107"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/content_messier_and_messieracropped1.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":21866,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=21866","url_meta":{"origin":21423,"position":3},"title":"Space sciences roundup &#8211; May.21.2020","author":"TopSpacer","date":"May 21, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"A sampling of recent articles, videos, and images from space-related science news items (find previous roundups here): Mars ** The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is getting ready for its launch in a few weeks. The launch period\u00a0 opens on July 17, 2020 and the target date for landing on Mars\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Mars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Mars","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=78"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/05\/24959_3-PIA23886-9001-500x345.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7751,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=7751","url_meta":{"origin":21423,"position":4},"title":"European Rover Challenge 2014: 24 teams to compete in Poland, Sept 5-7","author":"TopSpacer","date":"May 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"An announcement from the\u00a0European Rover Challenge: Mars rovers will invade Poland The registration period for the European Rover Challenge 2014 is over \u2013 24 teams, from all over the world, have applied to step up to the Challenge. The main event will be held September 5th\u00a0to 7th, at the Regional\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Contests and Games&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Contests and Games","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=16"},"img":{"alt_text":"ERC_04","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/ERC_04.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":16162,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=16162","url_meta":{"origin":21423,"position":5},"title":"Video: Curiosity rover detects organic molecules in Martian rock &#038; methane in the atmosphere","author":"TopSpacer","date":"June 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"Here is a NASA video overview plus an article about Thursday's announcement that the Curiosity rover detected organic molecules in Martian rock: Since arriving at Mars in 2012, NASA's Curiosity rover has drilled into rocks in search of organics - molecules containing carbon. Organics are the building blocks of all\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Mars&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Mars","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?cat=78"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/pia198081-1024x624.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21423","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=21423"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21475,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21423\/revisions\/21475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}