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Japan's Hayabusa2 Spacecraft Returns To Earth

After 6 long years in the cold darkness of space, Japan’s Hayabusa2 spacecraft completed its mission and returned to Earth, complete with its store of asteroid dust collected from asteroid Ryugu.

According to Reuters, the mission led by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) was to find out more about the origins of the solar system, and maybe even the origin of water, which is essential in sustaining life on Earth.

The Hayabusa2 spacecraft was launched from the Tanegashima Space Centre in 2014 and landed on Ryugu after four years of travelling through the harshest environment known to man. The spacecraft then made its way back to Earth in November 2019 after collecting the relevant samples from the asteroid. 

The spacecraft landed in the Australian desert, around the Woomera area, 450km north of Adelaide. The Hayabusa team tweeted out images of the retrieval of the asteroid sample with even Elon Musk chiming in.

It is thought that asteroids were formed at the dawn of the solar system, which leads scientists to speculate that the sample could contain organic matter that may have contributed to life developing on Earth.

“What we are really doing here is trying to sample this pristine rock that has not been irradiated by the sun,” astrophysicist Lisa Harvey-Smith told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

As far as scientific research goes, this is a huge step forward. Asteroids are believed to be some of the oldest formations in the universe and unlocking its secrets could give us answers to questions that have not yet even been asked.

Are you wanting to explore the cosmos? Buy model rockets in the UK from our online store today.

from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/japans-hayabusa2-spacecraft-returns-to-earth from Jupiter Future https://jupiterfuture.tumblr.com/post/638108751989260288

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New Super Planet Discovered Using A Radio Telescope

A new super planet has been discovered for the first time using a radio telescope, with radio emissions having only detected a small number of cold brown dwarfs, as they’re also known, in the past - and all of those had first been detected by infrared surveys beforehand.

According to the Independent, brown dwarfs are, in fact, quite the opposite and are rather on the big side, anything from between 15 and 75 times the mass of Jupiter, with gaseous atmospheres similar to some of the planets in our solar system.

You may also hear them referred to as failed stars because of how they shine. Planets shine by reflecting light but stars do it by producing their own. Even though they’re so sizeable, brown dwarfs can’t sustain the nuclear fusion of hydrogen into helium, which is what makes stars shine.

Brown dwarfs do, however, emit light at radio wavelengths in much the same way that Jupiter does, accelerating charged particles such as electrons to produce radiation, including radio waves and aurorae.

This brown dwarf has been called Elegast, discovered using data from the Low-Frequency Array telescope in Europe. It was later confirmed using telescopes at the top of Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

Earlier last month (November), the government also announced that the European Space Agency has been given the go-ahead to develop the world’s first space telescope that will study how exoplanet atmospheres form and evolve.

The Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exploanet Large-Survey (or Ariel!) is expected to launch in 2029, following a rigorous review process that has been taking place this year.

Check out our range of astronomical telescopes in our online store.

from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/new-super-planet-discovered-using-a-radio-telescope from Jupiter Future https://jupiterfuture.tumblr.com/post/636942332514664448

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How To Get The Most Out Of Your Telescope

If, like many people, you’ve developed a greater interest in the night sky since the pandemic began, or maybe your kids have become avid stargazers and a telescope is on their Christmas list, there are a few factors to bear in mind before you rush out and buy astronomical telescopes in the UK.

As an article for Forbes recently pointed out, telescopes are specific scientific instruments and it really helps to know how they work if you want to get the most out of one.

There are more variations of telescopes than you might first appreciate, so begin by deciding what you want to get out of owning one (and what you want to be able to see). Also remember that if you’re considering getting started in astrophotography that you’ll need to find a telescope that enables you to take photos through it.

Another important point, according to the publication, is that to get the most out of a telescope you need to understand the night sky itself.

Spend time studying the stars without any instruments to help you. This will ensure you know where different constellations, planets and stars are located in the night sky and that, in turn, will allow you to align your telescope correctly once you’ve bought it.

Being patient is another tip worth bearing in mind because it takes time to learn not only how to navigate the night sky, but also how to get the best from your telescope to appreciate some of the finer details.

There are reports that a decade-old plan by NASA to put a large telescope on the moon could be gathering support again. If the project were to go ahead, it would see a telescope constructed on the moon’s surface, potentially allowing scientists to study the first stars to form in the universe.

from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/how-to-get-the-most-out-of-your-telescope from Jupiter Future https://jupiterfuture.tumblr.com/post/635938216237842432

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Rare Space Exploration Photos Up For Auction

A very rare photo of astronaut Neil Armstrong on the surface of the moon as among thousands of space photographs that are up for auction at world-famous auction house Christie’s in London.

According to a press release, there are over 2,400 photographs that document the ‘golden age of space exploration’, and the most comprehensive collection of such ever to have come up for auction.

“This is probably humanity’s greatest creative and ingenious achievement, landing a man safely on the surface of the moon and bringing him back to Earth,”  said James Hyslop, Head of Science and Natural History at Christie’s.

“Looking at some of these images, you can really be transported to the surface of the moon.”

The “Voyage To Another World” collection has been curated by private collector Victor Martin Malburet and is a mix of iconic images and others that were unreleased at the time by NASA.

Many of the photographs taken during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969 from the surface of the moon were of Buzz Aldrin, with Neil Armstrong being tasked with the majority of the photography, and Mike Collins remaining in orbit around the moon.

However, towards the end of the mission, Buzz took the camera and managed to get a shot of Neil, which was forgotten about in the aftermath of the history-making mission, which was only rediscovered in the 1980s. This photo is expected to be the sale’s top lot.

Another photograph due to go under the hammer is of Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin when he managed to photograph himself during a 1965 Gemini XII mission, effectively the first selfie in space!

Among the other photos up for sale are early images of the far side of the moon from the late 1950s, the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 70s, and photos taken from Mars.

Christie’s online auction runs from November 6-20, 2020.

What space photos would you love to see hanging on your wall? If you want space art posters, visit our online store!

from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/rare-space-exploration-photos-up-for-auction from Jupiter Future https://jupiterfuture.tumblr.com/post/634949215333892096

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NASA Focusing On Research To Advance Human Space Travel

NASA has announced it will fund 21 research proposals designed to advance human space exploration.

The agency has revealed that the research will specifically focus on astronaut health and performance during future long-duration missions that travel beyond low-Earth orbit.

It is hoping that this work will help it develop future manned missions to both the Moon and Mars, and potentially beyond. Through the research, NASA aims to develop technology that can improve human health and performance during space flight.

Another aim of these projects is to identify potential problems that humans may face during long-duration missions and to find ways of mitigating them.

Among the proposals selected for funding are “Recovery timeline of spaceflight-induced central nervous system changes”, which will be headed up by Rachael Seidler at the University of Florida, and “Investigating long-term structural and functional changes in the eye and brain after spaceflight”, a project being led by Brandon Macias at the Johnson Space Center.

In total, NASA will provide $19.3 million over the next one to five years to fund the various proposals it has selected.

In supporting this research, NASA intends to increase the likelihood of astronauts successfully completing their missions, as well as working to support their long-term health and wellbeing.

National Geographic recently explored how the credentials to become an astronaut have evolved over the years from early space exploration to now. Aside from needing to be in peak physical condition to undergo the rigors of space travel, the astronauts of the future will need to be able to cope psychologically with long periods of isolation.

Putting together the correct team for each mission, particularly those that will involve spending long periods on a base or travelling through space, will be crucial too.

Know someone who’s mad about space? Buy space jewelry for them so they can show off their passion with style.

from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/nasa-focusing-on-research-to-advance-human-space-travel from Jupiter Future https://jupiterfuture.tumblr.com/post/633397726318592000

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6 Space-Themed Halloween Costume Ideas

With Halloween just around the corner, there’s not long left to plan your costume and if you can’t decide, going for a space theme could be just the inspiration you’ve been looking for all this time.

What’s great about going for a costume that’s out of this world (see what we did there?) is that there are countless options to choose from, whether you want to be an astronaut, an alien, a planet, a spaceship, or a character from your favourite sci-fi space movie. The hardest part will be making up your mind!

Check out our range of space themed costumes to see if there’s something there that tickles your pickle. You could go as a rabbit astronaut, for example, or even a Stormtrooper if Star Wars is your favourite film franchise of all time.

We also have Star Trek white robe cloaks for the Trekkies among you, silver pilot jumpsuits, spacesuits for children and aquanaut astronaut cosplay costumes, so you’ll have a great time sifting through our online shop to see what you can find.

No doubt you’re all looking forward to lots of trick or treating this year, but it’s important to remember that there is still a global pandemic going on, so it’s essential that you celebrate the holiday in a covid-secure way.

There are still lots of ways in which you can celebrate Halloween 2020, whether it’s through virtual events online, community events outside and socially distanced from others, or just staying at home as a family and painting pumpkins. We’d love to hear what you’ve got planned, so get in touch to let us know.

from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/6-space-themed-halloween-costume-ideas from Jupiter Future https://jupiterfuture.tumblr.com/post/633152357868371968

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Lakes Found On Mars!

It’s amazing what we’re still learning about some of our closest neighbours in the solar system. Mars has long been a source of fascination for us and now it seems that the idea of Martian life isn’t as far-fetched as we might have thought. The latest discovery is that there are several large liquid bodies under the south pole on Mars, which have been described as subterranean lakes. Researchers made the discovery using data collected by a radar instrument on the Mars Express spacecraft, which was launched by the European Space Agency and has been orbiting the red planet since December 2003. The Independent pointed out that, as well as lending more support to the idea that there could be life on Mars, this latest discovery will also be important in “planetary protection”, which means not contaminating other worlds with life from Earth when we make it to the surface of other planets. Speaking to the BBC, co-author of the study Graziella Caprarelli, from the University of Southern Queensland, Australia, said that they believe these bodies of liquid will have a very high salinity. Scientists have even conducted experiments here on Earth showing that water with dissolved salts of magnesium and calcium perchlorate can stay liquid even at temperatures as low as -123 degrees C, the news provider revealed. “These experiments have demonstrated that brines can persist for geologically significant periods of time even at the temperatures typical of the Martian polar regions,” Ms Caprarelli stated. If you love space, pick up some space art paintings on canvas to give you an extraterrestrial view until you’re able to book a space flight and see the sights for yourself! from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/lakes-found-on-mars

from Jupiter Future https://jupiterfuture.tumblr.com/post/631129042696945664

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How Realistic Are Our Favourite Sci-Fi shows?

When Hollywood tries to take a peek into the future, the attempts are usually more art and fantasy than science and technology. Which is fine, as our favourite Sci-Fi shows are focussed on making entertaining stories rather than showing scientific realism, and liberties can be taken with what is actually possible if it serves the plot.

But there is a whole range of popular Sci-Fi films and TV series that vary wildly with their realism, from Star Trek’s warp engines and transporters and Star Wars’ hyperdrives and lightsabers to the theoretical physics in Interstellar to the Newtonian physics of The Expanse. Writers of TV shows have a lot to consider when it comes to knowing what makes a good Sci-Fi series.

Mostly, audiences are happy to enjoy the ride without questioning the realism too much. Few Trekkies question the impossibility of beaming down to the planet, or the USS Enterprise crossing vast distances in the blink of an eye.

But the concepts used in these shows need to have some basis in science. Are the show’s ships and gadgets in line with what we know is, or could be possible, even if purely theoretically? For example, beam weapons are possible, that they’d shoot bullet-like pulses and go ‘pew pew’, less likely.

In theory, on a long enough time frame, set the show far enough in the future, then any technology that can exist will exist. It might take us the best part of a year to travel to Mars now, but how long in the future might it be when it takes as much time as it does to fly from London to New York? Or London to France? Or as quick as driving to the next town?

Sometimes we find that the Sci-Fi technology used in shows not that long ago is now with us. Star Trek The Next Generation’s 24th-century PADD devices are now our 21st-century iPads. Many people, not too long ago, would have thought that easily available drones were the product of a Sci-Fi show, but here we are, and you can buy quadcopter drones now from our online store!

from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/how-realistic-are-our-favourite-sci-fi-shows from Jupiter Future https://jupiterfuture.tumblr.com/post/628879192174608384

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Space - The Solution To Tackling Global Development Issues?

When it comes to global development issues such as malaria, forced labour and human trafficking, you might not think that space would hold the answers - but it seems that this may, in fact, be the case after all, with the UK Space Agency using space to resolve problems such as these.

New funding to the tune of £3.4 million has just been made available for ten cutting-edge projects by the International Partnership Programme, designed to use space expertise in satellite technology and data services to deliver solutions to real-world problems.

To help tackle the problem of malaria, satellites and airborne and ground-based sensing technology will be used to detect breeding grounds for mosquitoes, supporting efforts to tackle the disease at its source. Sprayer drones can then be used to release biocontrol agents and kill larvae without affecting other species.

Space solutions will also be used to help protect wildlife habitats in Kenya, as well as improving resilience to flooding in Bangladesh, with the region suffering the most prolonged monsoon rains in decades.

A new National Space Innovation Programme was also recently launched, with £15 million in funding made available for projects relating to earth observation, communications and international partnerships.

The first £10 million will go towards projects focusing on the development of more advanced instruments and data analysis techniques to support climate science, and communications projects such as autonomous vehicles, AI and robotics, with satellite communications filling in the gaps in connectivity in remote areas.

Looking to buy tech gadgets right now? See what we’ve got in stock in our online shop.

from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/space-the-solution-to-tackling-global-development-issues from Jupiter Future https://jupiterfuture.tumblr.com/post/627440958682923008

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Make Sure You Catch Away, The New Netflix Space Series!

Space travel is inching ever closer, with a luxury space hotel set to launch next year and would-be citizen astronauts increasingly keen to pull on their space boots and explore the final frontier.

But given that this is still months away, we all need to find other ways in which to indulge our passion - and, thankfully, Netflix has decided to lend a helping hand with new series Away, which tells the tale of Commander Emma Green who leaves her family behind to lead an international crew of astronauts on a three-year mission to Mars.

It stars two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank, as well as Josh Charles (who you may recognise from The Good Wife) and Vivian Wu (The Last Emperor and The Pillow book), created by the team behind Parenthood.

The first season will be available on Netflix from September 4th, so we don’t have too long to wait now, with just a week or so left of August (somehow). 

But if you can’t wait that long and need your fix of interstellar action right now, there are all sorts of other shows you can catch in the meantime to help keep you going.

There are two seasons of Lost in Space to catch if you haven’t already done so, or what about Another Life, about astronaut Niko Breckenridge and her crew who go on a high-risk mission to explore the genesis of an alien artifact.

And then, of course, there’s Space Force, a Steve Carell and Greg Daniels creation centred on a group of people establishing the United States Space Force, with the aim being to get boots on the moon by 2024.

For space themed clothes and lots more, check out our online shop.

from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/make-sure-you-catch-away-the-new-netflix-space-series from Jupiter Future https://jupiterfuture.tumblr.com/post/627440958980734976

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NASA’s Perseverance Mission Sends Drone To Mars

NASA’s latest mission to Mars launched early on Thursday 30 July, sending the Perseverance rover to continue the exploration of the Red Planet, much like its predecessors, Sojourner, Spirit and Opportunity, and Curiosity.

Perseverance is a one tonne, six-wheeled robot rover, equipped with the latest technology to try and find if life ever existed on Mars, reports the BBC. However, this time, Perseverance is taking a little friend along, the first autonomous helicopter drone to fly on Mars.

The helicopter, known as Ingenuity, will be conducting its own experiment, can a drone fly on Mars. Ingenuity has been specially built for Mars, which while has less gravity than Earth, it also has a much thinner atmosphere, which could make flight quite a challenge.

The helicopter blades of Ingenuity can make over 2,000 revolutions a minute, several times the speed of helicopter blades whipping around in Earth’s atmosphere, and the aircraft is incredibly light, weighing just over 1.8kg.

The tiny drone is autonomous, deciding its own journey around the red planet, but the autonomy is not just for navigation, it’s also to help keep Ingenuity alive during the extremely cold nights on Mars. The on-board computer will help find ways for it to keep warm until the sun comes up again.

If the Ingenuity’s mission is successful, it will help guide NASA make choices about how flying drones can help in future missions to the planet. Similar drones could survey the act as scouts and survey the terrain, in particular, to places where its wheeled siblings cannot easily get, or as NASA hopes, become “full standalone science craft carrying instrument payloads.”

Perseverance and Ingenuity are due to reach Mars in February next year, and we can’t wait to see how it fares. Fun fact: Mars is the only known planet entirely populated by robots!

If you want to explore your own planet from the air, buy quadcopter drones here in the UK in our store!

from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/nasa-s-perseverance-mission-sends-drone-to-mars from Jupiter Future https://jupiterfuture.tumblr.com/post/625719625622142976

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Test Flights To Space Starting In 2021!

If your childhood dream was to be an astronaut and you love nothing more than the thought of zero gravity, you’ll probably be pretty happy to hear that human space flight company Space Perspective has just scheduled its first test flight for early next year.

According to CNN Travel, the firm - based in Florida - is setting plans in place to fly people to the edge of space, with a pilot and up to eight intrepid explorers in what has been described as a high-tech hot air balloon of sorts.

The first test flight - being launched from the Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center - will be uncrewed and carrying research payloads, but the hope is that space tourists will be able to go on six-hour trips to space in a few years’ time.

These trips will involve a two-hour gentle ascent above 99 per cent of the earth’s atmosphere to reach 100,000 ft - something that only 20 people in human history have actually done.

Passengers will then enjoy another two hours looking at the view before the spaceship heads back to splash down safely in the sea, with the amateur astronauts catching a boat back to shore.

Space Perspective founder Jane Poynter said: “We’re committed to fundamentally changing the way people have access to space - both to perform much-needed research to benefit life on earth and to affect how we view and connect with our planet.”

So it seems as though it’s a few years yet before trips to space will become a typical weekend family outing… why not bridge the gap with an astronomical telescope so you can at least keep an eye on what’s going on up there for now?

from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/test-flights-to-space-starting-in-2021 from Jupiter Future https://jupiterfuture.tumblr.com/post/625719625887383552

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Space X Splash down with Dragon Crew

Shirley Moore 04 August 2020 03:35 At first when I was watching SpaceX hit the water, I thought that all the boats were part of the crew, then I realize they are spectators. I stayed up all night making sure they were ok, coming home. Shirley Reply At first when I was watching SpaceX hit the water, I thought that all the boats were part of the crew, then I realize they are spectators. I stayed up all night making sure they were ok, coming home. Shirley Get breaking space news and the latest updates on rocket launches, sky watching events and more! Thank you for signing up to Space. You will receive a verification email shortly. There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again. No spam, we promise. You can unsubscribe at any time and we’ll never share your details without your permission. “It was truly our honour and privilege,” Hurley radioed back. Just hours earlier, while still in space, Hurley said the experience is one he won’t soon forget. Boeing isn’t ready to fly its first crewed mission, by the way: The company must first refly an unscrewed test mission to the ISS with its CST-100 Starliner capsule. Starliner’s first attempt at this milestone, in December 2019, went awry when the capsule suffered a glitch with its onboard timing system and ended up stranded in the wrong orbit to rendezvous with the station. Crew Dragon had seven potential splashdown sites in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean to choose from. A spot off the coast of Pensacola, Florida, won the honor. The weather held out nicely, giving the astronauts calm waters to land in. Gwynne Shotwell, the president of SpaceX, added: “Today is a great day. We should celebrate what we all accomplished here, bringing Bob and Doug back, but we should also think about this as a springboard to doing even harder things with the Artemis programme. And then, of course, moving on to Mars.” Once Dragon enters the atmosphere, it’ll deploy its parachutes, which will slow it until it’s traveling at a speed of just around 15 mph before it splashes down. The reason it requires such a long trip from time of departure to when it lands in the ocean is that it needs to slow down from a starting speed of around 17,500 mph when it departs the ISS. SpaceX notched this milestone with Demo-1, its uncrewed station test flight, in March 2019. So today’s parachute-aided splashdown was the second ever for a Crew Dragon capsule returning from space. (The cargo version of Dragon, which flies robotic resupply missions to the orbiting lab under a separate NASA contract, has 21 ocean landings of its own under its belt.) A SpaceX recovery ship named GO Navigator was on location to retrieve the capsule, crew and parachutes. In a news conference on Friday, Behnken and Hurley said they would have bags ready in case they experienced seasickness while waiting for pickup by the recovery crew. The astronauts reported they were doing well after splashdown and discussed some of the activities they’d undertaken while returning to Earth. The leisurely ride, they said, was broken up by a few prank calls back to Earth via satellite phone – and they asked Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO, to foot the bill. Be respectful, keep it civil and stay on topic. We delete comments that violate our policy, which we encourage you to read. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at: community@space.com. A private American astronaut taxi has now broken that stranglehold, as NASA long intended. In 2010, the space agency began funding the development of a variety of homegrown commercial spacecraft. SpaceX and Boeing emerged as the winners of this competition in 2014, each scoring multibillion-dollar contracts to finish work on their spaceflight systems and fly at least six operational crewed missions to and from the ISS for NASA. “The mission’s looking beautiful; it’s very clean,” Benji Reed, director of crew mission management at SpaceX, said during a news conference on July 29. “The data is looking great, but we want to watch all of this data and learn from it as we come back.” The SpaceX recovery ship GO Navigator met Endeavour and hoisted the capsule aboard shortly after splashdown. After a series of checkouts, recovery teams opened Endeavour’s hatch at 3:59 p.m. EDT (1959 GMT) and extracted the two astronauts about 10 minutes later. Medical personnel can now begin assessing Behknen and Hurley, making sure the two spaceflyers are in good shape after their journey home from orbit. “It’s hard to put into words just what it was like to be a part of this expedition — Expedition 63,” Hurley said during a farewell ceremony aboard the space station on Saturday (Aug. 1), the day Endeavour undocked and began its journey home. “It’ll be kind of a memory that will last a lifetime for me.” “That’s really an equally challenging problem, from a laws-of-physics standpoint,” said Reisman, who worked for SpaceX from 2011 to 2018, serving as director of crew operations during the latter part of that run. He remains a consultant for Elon Musk’s company but stressed that his views are his own; he does not speak for SpaceX. Demo-2, an end-to-end demonstration of SpaceX’s system, is the last big box that the company needs to check before starting those contracted flights. And there’s still some work to do in this regard, even though Endeavour has returned safely to Earth. Bibliography Amanda Kooser 1970, SpaceX Crew Dragon splashdown: See NASA astronauts return to …, Viewed 6 August 2020, <https://www.cnet.com/news/spacex-crew-dragon-splashdown-see-nasa-astronauts-return-to-earth/>. Nasa SpaceX crew return: Dragon capsule splashes down 1970, Viewed 6 August 2020, <https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53621102>. SpaceX Crew Dragon makes historic 1st splashdown to return … 1970, Viewed 6 August 2020, <https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-demo-2-splashdown.html>. Watch SpaceX’s Crew Dragon splash down in the Atlantic Ocean … 1970, Viewed 6 August 2020, <https://techcrunch.com/2020/08/02/watch-spacexs-crew-dragon-splash-down-in-the-atlantic-ocean-live-as-astronauts-return-to-earth/>.

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Gold and Silver shortage, let’s go to space to get some precious metals

The current state of the global economy has led to a shortage of available physical Gold and Silver bullion.Hard rock minerals could be mined from an asteroid or a spent comet. Precious metals such as gold, silver, and platinum group metals could be transported back to Earth, while iron group metals and other common ones could be used for construction in space. Being the largest body in the asteroid belt, Ceres could become the main base and transport hub for future asteroid mining infrastructure,[54] allowing mineral resources to be transported to Mars, the Moon, and Earth. Because of its small escape velocity combined with large amounts of water ice, it also could serve as a source of water, fuel, and oxygen for ships going through and beyond the asteroid belt.[54] Transportation from Mars or the Moon to Ceres would be even more energy-efficient than transportation from Earth to the Moon.[55] Hobe explains that the Outer Space Treaty “explicitly and implicitly prohibits only the acquisition of territorial property rights” but extracting space resources is allowable. It is generally understood within the space law authorities that extracting space resources is allowable, even by private companies for profit. However, international space law prohibits property rights over territories and outer space land. Hobe further explains that there is no mention of “the question of the extraction of natural resources which means that such use is allowed under the Outer Space Treaty” (2007: 211). He also points out that there is an unsettled question regarding the division of benefits from outer space resources in accordance with Article, paragraph 1 of the Outer Space Treaty.[82] The Article 11 establishes that lunar resources are “not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means.”[85] However, exploitation of resources is suggested to be allowed if it is “governed by an international regime” (Article 11.5), but the rules of such regime have not yet been established.[86] S. Neil Hosenball, the NASA General Counsel and chief US negotiator for the Moon Treaty, cautioned in 2018 that negotiation of the rules of the international regime should be delayed until the feasibility of exploitation of lunar resources has been established.[87] The broader impacts of the control subchallenge help solve open problems in industrial production and metabolic engineering. These include, respectively, the sensing of and (optimal) response to complex environments such as those found in large bioreactors, and providing a means of flux regulation to facilitate unnatural chemical production. Similar to the versatile abiotic applications of control engineering, it is anticipated that the accomplishment of generic biological control that is independent of host system and that can compensate for certain off-pathway effects, recoverable mutations and environmental fluctuations will have many uses beyond space-related applications. Additionally, solutions to the artificial life subchallenge may constitute future Earth-based medical technologies, for instance, hybrid robot versions of tumour-killing bacteria . Synthetic biological control systems for use in space. (a) A traditional feedback control system consists of a controller, an actuator, a sensor and a system to be controlled, all arranged within a feedback loop. (b) ‘Biology-in-the-loop’ control refers to contemporary electromechanical (e.g. microfluidic or optical) techniques of externally controlling a biological system. © Challenge 5 moves towards a methodology that completely integrates biological controllers (perhaps based on gene regulatory networks), actuators (perhaps one or more proteins) and sensors (perhaps levels of chemicals of interest) with the biological system to be controlled (the control subchallenge). (d) Challenge 5 also includes the case where biological controllers and the systems to be controlled constitute separate biological subsystems that individually interact with abiotic sensors and actuators, all of which are part of a larger system, e.g. a hybrid robot (the artificial life subchallenge). Accordingly, there is a need to identify the potential near-term and longer-term goals that space synthetic biology can progress towards. There is also a need to outline the anticipated techniques that can achieve these objectives, and a need to document the impact that attaining these milestones can have on the space community and, more broadly, humankind. The associated challenges and opportunities deal with the biological extraction and utilization of limited space resources, the manufacture and construction of products useful in space, the support of human life, the treatment of human health, the development of biological devices that can emulate and interact with non-biological components and, ultimately, the large-scale transformation of worlds from harsh environments into more hospitable ones. These challenges and opportunities are illustrated in figure 1, summarized in box 1, and elucidated in the following sections. Development of an infrastructure for altering asteroid orbits could offer a large return on investment.[69] Private companies like Planetoid Mines has developed ISRU equipment to mine and process minerals in space, and piggybacked a process to extract water and helium-3. Producing Curiosity class rovers, launching a satellite to LEO producing ZBLAN optical fiber, and developing space “tugs”, they are building what NASA calls the “workhorse of the solar system” propulsion and are utilizing the mission parameters from NASA’s Asteroid Redirect Mission by using a gravitational assist maneuver to redirect an asteroid to cislunar orbit mining. ISRU raw materials will be fabricated on-site for the manufacturing of building materials, landing pads, spaceports and spacecraft, and a moon base. The framers of Outer Space Treaty initially focused on solidifying broad terms first, with the intent to create more specific legal provisions later (Griffin, 1981: 733–734). This is why the members of the COPUOS later expanded the Outer Space Treaty norms by articulating more specific understandings which are found in the “three supplemental agreements” – the Rescue and Return Agreement of 1968, the Liability Convention of 1973, and the Registration Convention of 1976 . It states when natural resources exploitation is “about to become feasible”, the state parties to that treaty will agree on an appropriate international regime. But the Moon Agreement has only 18 state parties, and was never agreed to by any major space power such as Russia, China or the US. Space weather forecasting NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center (SWPC) is the official source for space weather forecasts for our nation. They forecast solar storms, much like our National Weather Service offices forecast weather here on Earth. SWPC forecasters use ground-based instruments and satellites to monitor the active regions of the Sun for any changes and issue watches, warnings, and alerts for hazardous space weather events. Just like there are categories used to classify hurricanes, there are also Space Weather Scales for communicating the severity of solar storms. To predict these storms, forecasters watch the Sun for solar flares and coronal mass ejections. Solar flares are massive explosions on the Sun’s surface. They often arise near sunspots and release a wide spectrum of photons such as X-Rays, visible light, and ultra-violet light, as well as highly energized protons outward into space. The biggest solar storms arise from coronal mass ejections (CME). A CME is an enormous bubble of plasma expelled by the Sun; it contains billions of tons of fast-moving solar particles as well as the magnetic field that binds them. The velocity of a CME can even exceed 5 million miles per hour! In 2006, the Keck Observatory announced that the binary Jupiter trojan 617 Patroclus,[16] and possibly large numbers of other Jupiter trojans, are likely extinct comets and consist largely of water ice. Similarly, Jupiter-family comets, and possibly near-Earth asteroids that are extinct comets, might also provide water. The process of in-situ resource utilization—using materials native to space for propellant, thermal management, tankage, radiation shielding, and other high-mass components of space infrastructure—could lead to radical reductions in its cost.[17] Although whether these cost reductions could be achieved, and if achieved would offset the enormous infrastructure investment required, is unknown. The US executive order acknowledges space resource mining activities are subject to international law. But from the US perspective, the relevant law is centred around the Outer Space Treaty, with the Moon Agreement playing no part. These are all “guesstimate” figures. But they serve to demonstrate just how plentiful are the resources of the Solar System, in terms of minerals, metals and energy, once we decide to go out and get them. Bibliography Asteroid mining 1970, Viewed 5 August 2020, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asteroid_mining>. Grand challenges in space synthetic biology 1970, Viewed 5 August 2020, <https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4707852/>. Sci/Tech | Gold rush in space? 1970, Viewed 5 August 2020, <http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sci/tech/401227.stm>. Space weather | National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 1970, Viewed 5 August 2020, <https://www.noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/weather-atmosphere/space-weather>. Steven Freeland 1970, Giant leap for corporations? The Trump administration wants to mine …, Viewed 5 August 2020, <https://theconversation.com/giant-leap-for-corporations-the-trump-administration-wants-to-mine-resources-in-space-but-is-it-legal-136395 from Jupiter Future - News https://www.jupiterfuture.com/blogs/space-1/gold-and-silver-shortage-let-s-go-to-space-to-get-some-precious-metals

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[jaydenmann90]

Space Tourism | ISS to become space hotel in 2020

NASA will allow Tourists to spend up to a month in the ISS complex that orbits the Earth at a price of 30,000 Euros per night.

NASA will open the International Space Station (ISS) tourism to become a space hotel. The orbital laboratory, exclusive until now for scientific projects, will receive travelers in the near future, who will arrive through shuttles such as Space X by Elon Musk. It will not be necessary to become an astronaut, but to have the approximately 50 million Euros that the trip will cost.

NASA MAKES ROOM FOR SPACE TOURISIM The North American agency will not become a travel agency, but will operate through third-party companies -which must be American- that commercialize these space getaways.

Although Russia has already started this type of space adventure tourism to the International Space Station, NASA had always rejected it.

And they will set limits: only 12 private astronauts will be able to travel to the ISS every year, as long as they reimburse estimated expenses of 35,000 dollars a day (30,000 Euros).

This amount, however, does not include transportation or other conditions to travel to space, such as previous training. The final cost of each trip would skyrocket up to 50 million dollars.

The decision, announced at Nasdaq headquarters on Friday, aims to accelerate the innovation process to develop the new economy in low Earth orbit.

These extra funds would be used by NASA as explained by its financial director, Jeff DeWitt, to be able to continue exploring space.

Announced coinciding with the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo mission, which brought the first man to the moon, the agency considers new challenges to send a new mission to the satellite, to take the first woman to the Moon, or continue exploring Mars.

The new plans of  NASA look to accelerate the process of innovation to develop a new economy in the terrestrial low orbit.

The truth is that NASA depends increasingly on private companies for funding and Donald Trump advocates the privatization of the space business.

The idea of giving the international space station commercial use is not new; for three decades, different administrations have tried it, although no company had shown interest in managing these potential trips.

Several US companies have already applied to market these space trips, which would take off in 2020

The travelers will not be the first: since 2008, seven tourists have visited the ISS after paying a figure close to 20 million dollars to Russia. Even one of them, Charles Simonyi, participated twice.

COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION The new plans of NASA, as explained by the Roby Gatens directive, now go to consult specialized companies.

However, his initial idea is to allow up to two trips per year starting in 2020 with capacity for up to 12 tourists.

They would arrive aboard capsules like the Crew Dragon and the Starliner that the SpaceX and Boeing companies are developing.

Boeing CST-100 Starliner

    Another space traveler, Anglo-American entrepreneur Richard Garriott , who visited IBD in 2008, told Business Insider that NASA “aggressively” resisted this type of flight to the facilities managed by four other agencies: those of Russia , Japan, Canada and the European Space Agency.

“He tried to dissuade us or forbid us [the trip] at one stage or another,” he explained. He could not avoid it due to different agreements and international conventions.

Now, pressed by the plans to return to the moon, where it could install a permanent mission, and the need to save the costs of maintaining the space station (about half of its annual budget, according to Business Insider), would be willing to use this formula of space tourism.

POTENTIAL STAKEHOLDERS According to The New York Times, the Bigelow Aerospace company, based in Las Vegas, already showed interest in booking these trips. It will use SpaceX ships with four seats to send space tourists.

Another company, Axiom Space, based in Houston, is also coordinating flights and expects to take off for the first time in 2020.

The US also explained that it will request proposals from the private sector to add a commercial module to the space station and will select the final project by the end of the year.

REFERENCES Space CNBC Pulse

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[jaydenmann90]

First man on the moon |...

First man on the moon | jupiterfuture.com https://www.instagram.com/p/B0Jm9EInk0F/?igshid=1rdltnwf7ygog

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[jaydenmann90]

Partial Eclipse July 16-17 2019

  A partial lunar eclipse is coming and will be visible on the night of July 16, 2019, and July 17, 2019. It will be the last lunar eclipse of 2019. The partial lunar eclipse will be visible also from a number of other places on earth.

But every jaw-dropping moment  of an eclipse is simply revealing what was there all along; somethings that, perhaps, we sometimes collectively just take for granted.

  According to reports, the Moon will enter penumbra on July 17, 2019, at around 12:12 AM. 

The Moon will enter umbra at around 1.31 am and the maximum eclipse will be seen at around at 3 am. During this partial Lunar Eclipse, the moon will travel through the Earth’s outer penumbra before and after partially sweeping through the Earth’s inner dark umbral shadow. However, according to EarthSky, the penumbral stage will be so faint that most people won’t be even able to notice it.

These dynamic lunar phenomena were feared by our ancient ancestors. Early human civilizations built their societies around season changes and annual movements of the sun, so when an eclipse occurred they believed that the natural order had been compromised. 

To them, eclipses were a harbinger of danger — quite specifically, the apocalypse. Although we no longer connect these lunations to end days, astrologically speaking, eclipses are still a very big deal.

In 2020, all four lunar eclipses will be hard-to-see penumbral eclipses. So if you’re in the right spot to watch tonight’s partial lunar eclipse, by all means do so.

The last until 2021

This will be the last time that the Earth’s dark shadow touches the moon’s surface until May 26, 2021. As interest in astrotourism grows, eclipse chasing has become an increasingly popular activity. Whether you travel to see an eclipse or are lucky enough to enjoy them as they pass over your home, there’s no denying that eclipses are powerful and humbling to experience.

But even though eclipses are major, they’re actually not that rare. In fact, each year, there are between three and seven eclipses and they often occur in clusters. An eclipse series began on July 13, 2018 and will continue through 2020 .

  Partial lunar eclipse occurs when the earth moves between the sun and moon but the three celestial bodies do not form a straight line in space. When that happens, a part of the moon’s surface is covered by the darkest, central part of the earth’s shadow, called the umbra.

More often than not, however, there is no eclipse at full moon. The full moon usually avoids being eclipsed because it swings to the north or south of the Earth’s shadow. This year, in 2019, we have 12 full moons but only two lunar eclipses.

  mnumbral eclipses are typically not discernible from a regular Moon in the skies.US space agency NASA said:

“Throughout the year, the Moon’s orbital tilt remains fixed with respect to the stars, meaning that it changes with respect to the Sun.“

About twice a year, this puts the Moon in just the right position to pass through the Earth’s shadow, causing a lunar eclipse.

As  the Moon passes into the central part of the Earth’s shadow, called the umbra, it darkens dramatically.”

Will the eclipse be visible from Asia and other countries?

The partial lunar eclipse will be visible in the majority of Asian nations, including India. The people living in the western and central region of India will witness the entire event, while those living in the eastern regions will get to see the partial lunar eclipse at moonset time in the wee hours.

This event however favours the Eastern Hemisphere, known colloquially as the “Old World”: Africa, Europe and western Asia. 

Those located in South America, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, and parts of Europe will be able to experience and see July’s lunar eclipse phenomenon firsthand. So that doesn’t exactly bode well for those that live in North America. 

South America will see the moon rise already within the Earth’s shadow. Conversely, for central and eastern Asia and Australia, the eclipse will still be in progress when the moon sets during the dawn hours of July 17.

How long will the eclipse last?

According to NASA, at least two partial lunar eclipses happen every year, but total lunar eclipses are very rare. A lunar eclipse can last for a few hours.

UK and the Partial Eclipse

This partial eclipse of the Moon will be visible from across the UK on the evening of 16/17 July, with the Moon rising already partially immersed in Earth’s deep umbral shadow.

You’ll need to find an observing site with an uninterrupted south-eastern outlook, but a humble pair of binoculars is a piece of equipment that  could enhance your enjoyment of the event.

The Moon rises at around 9pm BST (20:00 UT ) and as it climbs slowly clear of the murky south-eastern horizon it shouldn’t be too difficult to spot an increasing fraction of its disc becoming darkened behind the curved shadow of the Earth.

How clear is the Lunar features?

How clearly defined the lunar features covered by Earth’s shadow and the edge of the shadow itself appear during the eclipse depends on local sky conditions.

Make sure you have a pair of binoculars with you. For this eclipse, 65.3 per cent of the Moon’s diameter will be covered in deep shadow at the time of greatest eclipse. This occurs at 10.30pm BST (from London), by which time the Moon has hauled itself about eight degrees clear of the horizon.

The end of the umbral phase of the eclipse occurs at midnight (BST), with the Moon at an altitude of around 15 degrees.

The final chapter of this eclipse features the very subtle penumbral phase, when our satellite has moved wholly out of Earth’s deep umbral shadow. The penumbral phases of an eclipse are never easy to see, and with the Moon hanging relatively low over the south-eastern horizon, you’ll need pristine local sky conditions to see the ill-defined edge of Earth’s outer shadow steadily retreating across the lunar disc.

The end of the penumbral phase at 1.17am BST signals the end of the eclipse.

This event however favours the Eastern Hemisphere, known colloquially as the “Old World”: Africa, Europe and western Asia. 

In fact, according to paceTourismGuide.com, only those located in South America, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Australia, and parts of Europe will be able to experience and see July’s lunar eclipse phenomenon firsthand. So that doesn’t exactly bode well for those of us in North America. 

South America will see the moon rise already within the Earth’s shadow. Conversely, for central and eastern Asia and Australia, the eclipse will still be in progress when the moon sets during the dawn hours of July 17.

The moon leaves the darker shadow at midnight, and the eclipse ends when it exits the penumbra 79 minutes later.

The moon will be low throughout the eclipse, so stargazers will need an unobstructed south-eastern and southern horizon. “You’re looking for anywhere that has a low unobstructed horizon, no tall buildings and trees in the way,” said Dr Morgan Hollis from the Royal Astronomical Society.

“Unlike a solar eclipse it’s entirely safe to watch a lunar eclipse with the naked eye, so this one is fine, you don’t need any special equipment and it should be fairly warm as well, given temperatures recently, it should be good if the weather is clear and the conditions are clear.”

If the Moon were in a perfectly circular orbit, a little closer to the Earth, and in the same orbital plane, there would be total solar eclipses every new moon.

However, since the Moon’s orbit is tilted at more than 5 degrees to the Earth’s orbit around the Sun, its shadow usually misses Earth.

A solar eclipse can only occur when the moon is close enough to the ecliptic plane during a new moon. Special conditions must occur for the two events to coincide because the Moon’s orbit crosses the ecliptic at its orbital nodes twice every draconic month (27.212220 days) while a new moon occurs one every synodic month (29.530587981 days).

Solar (and lunar) eclipses therefore happen only during eclipse seasons resulting in at least two, and up to five, solar eclipses each year; no more than two of which can be total eclipses.

The magnitude of the eclipse, which refers to the maximum percent of the moon’s diameter immersed within Earth’s umbral shadow, will be 65%.

This deepest stage of the eclipse will take place at 21:30 UTC, when the dark red-brown umbra will cover the northern 65% of the moon’s diameter. The moon will appear directly overhead, or very nearly so, from the Mozambique Channel.

When an eclipse of the Moon takes place, everyone on the night side of Earth can see it. About 35% of all eclipses are of the penumbral type which are very difficult to detect, even with a telescope.

Another 30% are partial eclipses which are easy to see with the unaided eye. The final 35% or so are total eclipses, and these are quite extrordinary events to behold.

References

Fred Espenak 1970, Lunar Eclipses for Beginners, Viewed 17 July 2019, <http://www.mreclipse.com/Special/LEprimer.html>.

Last Lunar Eclipse of 2019 Occurs Tuesday, Just in Time for Apollo … 1970, Viewed 17 July 2019, <https://www.space.com/lunar-eclipse-july-2019-explained.html>.

Lunar eclipse 2019: When is the partial lunar eclipse and where is it … 1970, Viewed 17 July 2019, <https://www.itv.com/news/2019-07-16/uk-stargazers-prepare-for-partial-lunar-eclipse/>.

Solar eclipse 1970, Viewed 17 July 2019, <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_eclipse>.

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