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OT: NASA / Space Exploration Thread
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Owl 69/70/75 Online
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Post: #101
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
(05-30-2020 05:02 PM)grol Wrote:  Well that felt good!

Yes it did.

Go, you beauty, go!!!
05-30-2020 05:19 PM
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #102
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
Saturn's largest moon is rapidly drifting off into space

[Image: 9657b504cd91ba8a3f6b32dd57bb1811]

Quote:Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is distancing itself from its planet at a rapid speed, astronomers announced this week. The moon is drifting away into space much faster than previously predicted, the scientists said, possibly altering their understanding of our solar system.

In 2026, NASA plans to further study the moon with its Dragonfly mission, which will arrive at Titan by 2034. The drone will monitor the moon for nearly three years to figure out if it could one day be habitable.
(This post was last modified: 06-10-2020 03:32 PM by GoodOwl.)
06-10-2020 03:29 PM
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owl at the moon Offline
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Post: #103
OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
Fling it into the inner solar system and it might be even more habitable (and easier to get to, as well)
06-11-2020 07:29 PM
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #104
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
08-01-2020 11:33 PM
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #105
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
08-12-2020 04:47 PM
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #106
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
SOFIA discovers Water on sunlit surface of Moon!

Quote:NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has confirmed, for the first time, water on the sunlit surface of the Moon. This discovery indicates that water may be distributed across the lunar surface, and not limited to cold, shadowed places.

"We had indications that H2O—the familiar water we know—might be present on the sunlit side of the Moon," said Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Now we know it is there. This discovery challenges our understanding of the lunar surface and raises intriguing questions about resources relevant for deep space exploration."

As a comparison, the Sahara desert has 100 times the amount of water than what SOFIA detected in the lunar soil. Despite the small amounts, the discovery raises new questions about how water is created and how it persists on the harsh, airless lunar surface.
(This post was last modified: 10-26-2020 01:01 PM by GoodOwl.)
10-26-2020 01:01 PM
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georgewebb Offline
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Post: #107
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
(10-26-2020 01:01 PM)GoodOwl Wrote:  SOFIA discovers Water on sunlit surface of Moon!

Quote:NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) has confirmed, for the first time, water on the sunlit surface of the Moon. This discovery indicates that water may be distributed across the lunar surface, and not limited to cold, shadowed places.

"We had indications that H2O—the familiar water we know—might be present on the sunlit side of the Moon," said Paul Hertz, director of the Astrophysics Division in the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Now we know it is there. This discovery challenges our understanding of the lunar surface and raises intriguing questions about resources relevant for deep space exploration."

As a comparison, the Sahara desert has 100 times the amount of water than what SOFIA detected in the lunar soil. Despite the small amounts, the discovery raises new questions about how water is created and how it persists on the harsh, airless lunar surface.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine (Rice '98) mentioned this in his talk today as part of Owl Together, Rice's online Homecoming week for 2020. I didn't realize the news was so hot off the presses!
(This post was last modified: 10-26-2020 03:28 PM by georgewebb.)
10-26-2020 03:28 PM
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #108
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
another SpeceX launch coming up this weekend...this time with 4 astronauts:


11-11-2020 11:47 PM
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Almadenmike Offline
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Post: #109
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
Baker College alum Shannon Walker floats into the International Space Station on Monday night:

[Image: 50611774363_7d74c894e4_c.jpg]
11-17-2020 01:25 AM
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Almadenmike Offline
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Post: #110
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
Shannon's on the far left as the joint crews begin the welcome ceremony.

[Image: 50612707427_99cf9250f6_c.jpg]
11-17-2020 02:03 AM
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #111
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
not exactly NASA, but interesting nonetheless...

Pentagon Narrows List for Space Command Headquarters to 6 Locations


Quote:Six locations are in the running to be the permanent headquarters for the U.S. Space Command, Stars and Stripes reported Thursday.

The Air Force named the finalists as Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, Offutt Air Force Base in Nebraska, Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado, Port San Antonio in Texas, and Redstone Arsenal in Alabama, the news outlet reported.

A final decision is expected in early 2021.

''The Department of the Air Force evaluated each location and will now conduct both virtual and on-site visits at each candidate location to assess which location is best suited to host the U.S. Space Command Headquarters,'' Ann Stefanek, a spokeswoman for the service, told Stars and Stripes.
11-20-2020 01:44 PM
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georgewebb Offline
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Post: #112
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
In case you're wondering, Port San Antonio is what used to be Kelly AFB. It's on the near west side of town, near the San Antonio Missions ballpark and not far from Southwest Research Institute.
11-20-2020 08:07 PM
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georgia_tech_swagger Offline
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Post: #113
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
This thread is subject to the thread clean up announcement. Mods please proactively split this thread.
11-26-2020 04:09 PM
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #114
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico Collapses Weeks After Suffering Major Damage

Quote:The renowned Arecibo Observatory radio telescope in Puerto Rico, closed because of damage, completely collapsed Tuesday morning.

"Friends, it is with deep regret to inform you that the Arecibo Observatory platform has just collapsed," tweeted Deborah Martorell, a senior meteorologist for WAPA-TV and El Nuevo Dia in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Martorell, who was at the observatory on Monday, received a call from a scientist at the site Tuesday saying the giant reflector dish and the Gregorian Dome that held instruments above it had both collapsed, El Nuevo Dia reported.

[Image: AreciboDamage.jpg?crop=16:9&widt...quality=60]
(This post was last modified: 12-01-2020 12:07 PM by GoodOwl.)
12-01-2020 12:04 PM
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #115
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
well....this is interesting...

Low Earth Orbit Visualization of satellites currently being tracked around Earth:

https://platform.leolabs.space/visualization
10-28-2021 04:58 PM
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gsloth Offline
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Post: #116
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
OK, I'm still wrapping my head around this proof of concept. This is a pretty cool use of basic physics. I do want to know more about what happens when the sled hits atmosphere and what it does when it gets closer to orbit.

11-11-2021 11:25 PM
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Tomball Owl Offline
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Post: #117
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
(11-11-2021 11:25 PM)gsloth Wrote:  OK, I'm still wrapping my head around this proof of concept. This is a pretty cool use of basic physics. I do want to know more about what happens when the sled hits atmosphere and what it does when it gets closer to orbit.


Check out the investor list. You’ll see a familiar name.
11-12-2021 08:56 AM
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #118
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
World’s largest Drone will soon be used to launch satellites into space:

Quote: World's largest #Drone will soon be used to launch satellites into space. (Digital Trends) #Robotics pic.twitter.com/MZbh9CJX0m

— James Gingerich, @Expeflow #WorkEasier #RPA (@jamesvgingerich) January 4, 2022
01-04-2022 12:44 PM
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Post: #119
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
3 Tons of Space Junk on 5,800-mph Collision Course with Moon

[Image: space-junk-on-5800-mph.jpg][Image: space-junk-on-5800-mph-1.jpg]

Quote:The moon is about to get walloped by 3 tons of space junk, a punch that will carve out a crater that could fit several semitractor-trailers.

The leftover rocket will smash into the far side of the moon at 5,800 mph (9,300 kph) on Friday, away from telescopes' prying eyes. It may take weeks, even months, to confirm the impact through satellite images.

It's been tumbling haphazardly through space, experts believe, since China launched it nearly a decade ago. But Chinese officials are dubious it's theirs.

No matter whose it is, scientists expect the object to carve out a hole 33 feet to 66 feet (10 to 20 meters) across and send moon dust flying hundreds of miles (kilometers) across the barren, pockmarked surface.

Low-orbiting space junk is relatively easy to track. Objects launching deeper into space are unlikely to hit anything and these far-flung pieces are usually soon forgotten, except by a handful of observers who enjoy playing celestial detective on the side.

SpaceX originally took the rap for the upcoming lunar litter after asteroid tracker Bill Gray identified the collision course in January. He corrected himself a month later, saying the "mystery" object was not a SpaceX Falcon rocket upper stage from the 2015 launch of a deep space climate observatory for NASA.

Gray said it was likely the third stage of a Chinese rocket that sent a test sample capsule to the moon and back in 2014. But Chinese ministry officials said the upper stage had reentered Earth's atmosphere and burned up.

But there were two Chinese missions with similar designations—the test flight and 2020′s lunar sample return mission—and U.S. observers believe the two are getting mixed up.

The U.S. Space Command, which tracks lower space junk, confirmed Tuesday that the Chinese upper stage from the 2014 lunar mission never deorbited, as previously indicated in its database. But it could not confirm the country of origin for the object about to strike the moon.

"We focus on objects closer to the Earth," a spokesperson said in a statement.

Gray, a mathematician and physicist, said he's confident now that it's China's rocket.
This 2011 image made available by NASA shows the lunar far side. The moon is about to get walloped by 3 tons of space junk, a punch that will carve out a crater that could fit several semitractor-trailers. A leftover rocket is expected to smash into the far side of the moon at 5,800 mph (9,300 kph) on Friday, March 4, 2022, away from telescopes' prying eyes. It may take weeks, even months, to confirm the impact through satellite images. Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State University via AP

"I've become a little bit more cautious of such matters," he said. "But I really just don't see any way it could be anything else."

Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics supports Gray's revised assessment, but notes: "The effect will be the same. It'll leave yet another small crater on the moon."

The moon already bears countless craters, ranging up to 1,600 miles (2,500 kilometers). With little to no real atmosphere, the moon is defenseless against the constant barrage of meteors and asteroids, and the occasional incoming spacecraft, including a few intentionally crashed for science's sake. With no weather, there's no erosion and so impact craters last forever.

China has a lunar lander on the moon's far side, but it will be too far away to detect Friday's impact just north of the equator. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will also be out of range. It's unlikely India's moon-orbiting Chandrayaan-2 will be passing by then, either.

"I had been hoping for something (significant) to hit the moon for a long time. Ideally, it would have hit on the near side of the moon at some point where we could actually see it," Gray said.

After initially pinning the upcoming strike on Elon Musk's SpaceX, Gray took another look after an engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory questioned his claim. Now, he's "pretty thoroughly persuaded" it's a Chinese rocket part, based not only on orbital tracking back to its 2014 liftoff, but also data received from its short-lived ham radio experiment.

JPL's Center for Near Earth Object Studies endorses Gray's reassessment. A University of Arizona team also recently identified the Chinese Long March rocket segment from the light reflected off its paint, during telescope observations of the careening cylinder.

It's about 40 feet (12 meters) long and 10 feet (3 meters) in diameter, and doing a every two to three minutes.

Gray said SpaceX never contacted him to challenge his original claim. Neither have the Chinese.

"It's not a SpaceX problem, nor is it a China problem. Nobody is particularly careful about what they do with junk at this sort of orbit," Gray said.

Tracking deep space mission leftovers like this is hard, according to McDowell. The moon's gravity can alter an object's path during flybys, creating uncertainty. And there's no readily available database, McDowell noted, aside from the ones "cobbled together" by himself, Gray and a couple others.

"We are now in an era where many countries and private companies are putting stuff in deep space, so it's time to start to keep track of it," McDowell said. "Right now there's no one, just a few fans in their spare time."
03-02-2022 12:39 PM
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GoodOwl Offline
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Post: #120
RE: OT: NASA/Space Thread also PLUTO/New Horizons
Pluto's peaks formed by many ice volcanoes, study says

[Image: Plutos-peaks-formed-by-many-ice-volcanoe...y-says.jpg]
NASA’s New Horizons scientists assembled this highest-resolution color view of one of two potential cryovolcanoes on the surface of Pluto in July 2015. File Photo by NASA/UPI
03-29-2022 11:30 PM
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