Space exploration and technology

[nandu]

10 eyes in the sky give India space edge

10 eyes in the sky give India space edge

CHENNAI: With the successful launch of Cartosat-2B on Monday, India has reached a `critical constellation' of 10 active remote sensing satellites in space, which gives it a clear edge in the region for monitoring borders and movements across them.

While mapping and infrastructure development are seen as primary applications of a remote sensing satellite, its use in spying is often underplayed. A combination of four Cartosats (1,2,2A and 2B) hovering 630 km above earth allows India to keep areas under close and prolonged surveillance. Multiple satellites ensure that a particular geographical area can be `revisited' every 48 hours.

Three of the cartosats now in orbit have a spatial resolution of less than one metre (0.8 m for Cartosat-2B), which means that they can observe and photograph objects smaller than a car. Cartosat-2B's steerability of 26 degrees allows it to stay focused on the object for a longer duration while on the move as compared to the other remote sensing satellites, which have a range of applications.

"The latest addition enhances our revisit capability and ensures continuity of services. The revisit capability of one such satellite is about 10 days, but with four such satellites, we can revisit an area almost every other day. With Cartosat-1 (launched in 2005) likely to complete its mission in another year, Cartosat-2B ensures there is no break in services,'' Isro spokesperson S Satish told TOI.

China has launched nine remote sensing satellites in the `Yaogan' series since 2006 using its Long March range of rockets. With the addition of Cartosat-2B to the constellation, India has matched if not outdone China in remote sensing. Pakistan, meanwhile, is still working on its first remote sensing satellite PRSSS, which it plans to launch next year with China's help.

Asked specifically about Cartosat-2B's applications in surveillance, Isro chairman K Radhakrishnan said: "Depending on the user's imagination, it can be used for surveillance and intelligence (gathering).''

India was working on its indigenous radar imaging satellite Risat-1, an all-weather satellite which uses a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and multiple antennas to see through clouds and darkness, when the 2008 Mumbai attacks happened. This prompted the nation to speed up and launch the Israeli Risat-2 satellite with SAR on April 20, 2009. Risat-1 is scheduled for launch late this year.

Cartosats use panchromatic cameras to take black and white pictures of earth. While cartosat-1 weighed 1560 kg and had a spatial resolution of 2.5 metres and a swathe of 30 km, the later versions had a finer spatial resolution of less than a metre and a swathe of 9.6 km.

Going around in a 630-km high polar sun synchronous orbit, Cartosat-2B carries a 64GB solid state recorder which stores images which can be later transmitted to the ground station when the satellite comes within the visibility range. The Spacecraft Control Centre, Bangalore will be continuously monitoring the satellite's health with the help of the ISTRAC network of ground stations at Bangalore, Lucknow, Mauritius, Biak in Indonesia, Svalbard in Norway and Troll in Antarctica.

http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/NEWS/newsrf.php?newsid=13159

 

[A.V.]

launching the sats is fine and having it too is great what is india doing to protect its space assests its sats and others what advancement has been done on this filed is the next big question

 

[nandu]

Hubble captures massive 'stellar cradle'

The new image of NGC 2467 acquired by NASA/ESA Hubble telescope.

PARIS : A stellar nursery giving birth to hot young stars in distant Universe has been captured by Hubble Space Telescope.

The star-forming region, NGC 2467, lies in the southern constellation of Puppis around 13,000 light years away from Earth. A vast cloud of gas, mostly hydrogen, NGC 2467 serves as an incubator for new young stars.

While some youthful stars have emerged from the cloud, emitting fierce ultraviolate radiation and thereby illuminating the entire region, many others still remain hidden.

Studies have shown that most of the radiation comes from the single hot and brilliant massive star just above the centre of the image. Its fierce radiation has cleared the surrounding region and some of the next generation stars are forming in the denser regions around the edge, ESA said in its Hubble site.

The new-found 'stellar cradle' would help astrophyscists determine the distance and chemical composition of galaxies some of which contain massive star-forming regions having tens of thousands of stars.

http://www.brahmand.com/news/Hubble-captures-massive-stellar-cradle/4451/1/11.html

 

[LETHALFORCE]

One Tiny Satellite In Space, Whiz Kids Plan Two More

http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/One_Tiny_Satellite_In_Space_Whiz_Kids_Plan_Two_More_999.html

Driven by their maiden success in placing a tiny satellite in polar orbit early this week, the young pioneers are raring to launch two more satellites.

"The successful launch and placing of our first pico-satellite (StudSat) in the earth's lower orbit has inspired us to build two similar satellites for the next launch," the project's core member G Kartik said here.

Riding piggy back on India's advanced remote sensing satellite Cartosat-2B and three other satellites, the 850gm cubical StudSat was launched onboard the polar satellite launch vehicle (PSLV-C15) on Monday by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) from its spaceport Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 80km northeast of Chennai.

"We were thrilled to see the 44m tall rocket soaring into a clear sky with our first experimental satellite as the smallest payload and were excited when we learnt that it was successfully placed in the designated polar sun synchronous orbit 630km away from the earth, 22 minutes after a perfect lift-off," Kartik said.

Kartik, who graduated in BE (mechanical) this year from Nitte Meenakshi Institute of Technology (NMIT) in this tech hub, is part of the 14-member core team, which designed and built the satellite with a CMOS camera installed inside and four small solar panels mounted on to generate energy for orbiting over the next 12 months.

The complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) is a chip that holds data without need for a external power source.

"Our joy knew no bounds when we received the first signal from StudSat at 11.02am, about 70 minutes after the launch, at the ground station we have set up in the institute campus. Since then, we have been getting the beacon signal indicating that the satellite's health parameters are normal," project leader Chetan Angadi said.

The country's first pico-satellite project team was formed in January 2009 as a consortium with about 40 under-graduates from four engineering colleges from Karnataka and three from Andhra Pradesh under the aegis of the state-run Indian space agency.

"The objective of the project was to educate college students about space technology and encourage them to build mini satellites with the required infrastructure, including a communication link and a ground station to capture images of the earth with a 90m resolution and receive the telemetry data," Kartik said.

Though StudSat is orbiting over the earth's twin polar regions (north and south) and crosses Bangalore four-five times a day, emitting the signal at a frequency of 437.05 megahertz (MHz), it is yet to stabilise in sun synchronous orbit to switch on its camera.

"When the camera is switched on after the satellite's solar panels are fully charged by next week, it will perform remote sensing and capture images of the surface of the earth with a 90m resolution, which will be the best achieved by any pico-satellite in the world," said Angadi, a BE graduate in electronics.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/Greening_The_Moon_And_Mars_999.html

Greening The Moon And Mars

Future manned missions to the Moon
or Mars could use plants as bio-harvesters to extract valuable elements from the alien soils, researchers say.

Now they hope to launch new experiments to follow up on tests done with plants and lunar regolith during NASA's Apollo program that landed men on the Moon.

Lunar regolith is a loose mixture of dust, soil, broken rock and other related materials that lie on top of solid bedrock. The Apollo-era research showed that returned lunar samples of the regolith did not have toxins or contain alien life-form contaminants that could threaten plants, animals or humans on Earth.

Yet limited use of the precious lunar regolith meant that scientists could not study how well plants fared when grown in regolith.

"In spite of the fact that we absolutely admire the innovative science done in the Apollo era, the question of whether a plant could grow if you plop a seed in lunar regolith hasn't been answered," said Robert Ferl, a geneticist at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

Ferl and Anna-Lisa Paul, another geneticist at the University of Florida, hope to pick up where the Apollo-era experiments left off. Renewed research could take advantage of the powerful tools developed in the past several decades for studying molecular biology and genetics, and see how plants react on a molecular level by turning on or off their genes in response to regolith.

New studies could also push the potential shown in how plants apparently derived some nutrients from lunar regolith. That could go beyond the dreams of lunar agriculture to transform plants into planetary harvesters, and ultimately help sustain human bases on alien soil.

"It's not just about using lunar and Mars regolith to grow plants," Paul explained. "It's about capturing nutrients that might otherwise be lost to us."

The review study of Apollo-era plant experiments was detailed in the April issue of the journal Astrobiology.

Safety first
NASA took great precautions with samples returned during the first manned missions to the Moon by building the Lunar Receiving Lab (LRL) at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. The LRL facility's design intended to ensure that no dangerous contaminants or unknown alien life forms escaped to threaten Earth's biosphere, even as researchers began carrying out biological experiments with the lunar regolith.

Any planetary protection fears faded quickly as the first studies showed that plants did not wither and die from contact with lunar samples. About 35 plant species remained in good health after lunar samples from the Apollo 11 and 12 missions had been rubbed onto the leaves and placed at their base. Similarly, animals did not suffer from any ill effects during exposure to lunar samples.

In fact, one study found that germinated seedlings and plant cultures seemed to enjoy nutritional benefits from the lunar samples. The lunar dust and regolith contained certain elements useful for plant growth, such as iron, magnesium and manganese, even if it mostly lacked necessary elements such as nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and potassium.

That pointed to the possibility of using plants to biologically harvest nutrients or minerals from the Moon, and suggested that lunar farms could contribute to life-support beyond just feeding astronauts.

"In one interesting model put out a few years ago, plants would live in low-pressure pods on the surface," Ferl said. "Astronauts or lunar colonists would go out in pressure suits to capture them."

Taking the next step
The plants may have survived and even thrived a small sprinkling or rubbing of lunar material, but researchers say many unknowns remain after the last lunar soil experiments that took place 30 years ago.

For instance, none of the Apollo-era experiments examined how lunar material affected the microorganisms such as bacteria or fungi that normally assist plants in harvesting nutrients. Even microbes from human astronauts might interact with the plant roots in the region of soil known as the rhizosphere.

"You have the colonization of the plant roots by a host of organisms that break down and transport materials," Paul said. "These things facilitate the harvesting of molecules from the substrate in which the plant is growing."

New experiments don't need to wait for a return trip to the Moon, according to the researchers. They already have plans that would require just a few grams of the hundreds of kilograms of lunar regolith collected by NASA.

Just one gram of lunar regolith could support the growth of several Arabidopsis plants related to cabbage and radish, Paul pointed out. That model organism represented the first plant to have its genome sequenced, and so would provide a great baseline for lunar biology experiments.

From Earth to the Moon and Mars
Those experiments would not only answer questions about basic plant biology, but also provide the seeds of knowledge for developing ecology off of Earth.

"One goal is to use plants for life-support and find out the best means to do that, and [figure out if] plants use lunar resources to do that," Ferl said. "The other question is what the limits of terrestrial life are, and does the Moon's surface represent a place that terrestrial biology can inhabit."

That approach could also help tackle problems related to growing plants in Martian regolith. Some studies on Earth have already tested plant growth in Mars-simulant regolith augmented with certain chemicals, even if a Martian sample has yet to reach Earth.

In the end, the same need to use all available resources and help sustain human colonists would become even greater for a trip to Mars. "Going to Mars is so much more difficult, because the concept of taking all your resources with you for the whole trip becomes more difficult," Paul said. "The drivers that would point toward using plants for life support actually become more crucial."

Planting the seeds
More Earth experiments also could help engineers and scientists better design future orbital or extraterrestrial farms.

"Testing on extreme environments on Earth could be very useful to identify critical design aspects to be fixed prior to build and fly a demonstration system on the [International Space Station]," said Claudio Finetto, an engineering consultant for Thales Alenia Space-Italia in Torino, Italy.

Finetto and colleagues Cesare Lobascio and Alessandro Rapisarda calculated that a bio-regenerative life support system with just 20 percent of food re-supplied from Earth would become more convenient for an 18-person moon base inhabited for longer than five years, as opposed to relying on complete food re-supply from Earth.

Their work is detailed in the May-June issue of the journal Acta Astronautica. The Lunar FARM concept also grew out of a post-graduate course in SpacE Exploration and Development Systems (SEEDS) Second Edition at Politecnico di Torino, where Finetto worked with Salvatore Cusumano, Daniele Renzoni, Amir Sabbagh and Cosimo Sinesi.

Even if NASA has scrapped immediate plans to return to the Moon, Finetto agreed that a manned Mars mission could benefit from a self-sustaining approach. He added that a spacecraft greenhouse could support astronauts on the Martian surface just as easily as during the six-month journeys to and from the red planet.

More advanced robots could also reduce the amount of time human astronauts spend on cultivating their plants, according to Finetto.

That still looks a long way off from the Apollo-era experiments with bits of lunar regolith sprinkled atop plants. But someday, robots could maintain a self-sustaining greenhouse orbiting above Mars as human explorers focus on science and exploration down on the surface below.

 

[nrj]

SpaceX Unveils Heavy-Lift Vehicle Plan

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The U.S. government should lead development of a nuclear thermal propulsion system for a future Mars mission and leave new heavy-lift launchers to commercial entities, Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) says.

Unveiling conceptual plans for a family of Falcon X and XX future heavy-lift vehicles at last week's AIAA Joint Propulsion conference here, SpaceX McGregor rocket development facility director Tom Markusic said, "Mars is the ultimate goal of SpaceX."

The company, which until now has focused mostly on development of vehicles to transport cargo and humans to low Earth orbit (LEO), believes its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launchers could be evolved into a heavy-lift family that will provide the basis for a Mars-capable architecture.

For the transition from Earth to Mars, however, SpaceX believes nuclear thermal is the preferred propulsion means for the piloted aspect of the mission, while solar-electric power could be used to transport supplies.

The U.S. government "should take the lead on nuclear and commercial industry should take the lead on building heavy-lift launch vehicles," Markusic says. "Low-level propulsion technology research and development should be government-led, with a transition to flight development in 2025."

Markusic's call flies in the face of SpaceX's usual advocacy for industrially driven competition and Commercial Orbital Transportation Services (COTS)-like procurement. However, he says "the government should only lead the propulsion element development where there is no existing commercial capability, or a high risk of capital loss."

For cargo to Mars, SpaceX's architecture suggests tugs powered by clusters of solar-electric powered thrusters. The 100-kw. tugs each would carry around 4 metric tons of payload and take 390 days for the round trip.

The plan envisages a fleet of up to 10 tugs rotating between LEO and Mars orbit, with vehicles being serviced and turned at a terminus based on the International Space Station.

For landing and ascending on Mars or its moon Phobos, SpaceX is proposing a liquid oxygen (Lox)/methane powered propulsion system capable of delivering a payload of approximately 35 metric tons. In-situ derived methane could be used for fuel, while existing engines now in development by ATK or Xcor Aerospace could provide the basis for initial units.

SpaceX's long-discussed Merlin 2 Lox/rocket propellant-fueled engine, capable of a projected 1.7 million lb. of thrust at sea level and 1.92 million lb. in a vacuum, would provide the power for the Falcon X and XX heavy launch vehicles.

Slated to be introduced on more capable variants of the Falcon 9 Heavy, the Merlin 2 "could be qualified in three years for $1 billion," Markusic says.

Three Merlin 2s would power the first stage of Falcon X, a 300-ft. plus tall vehicle capable of placing 38,000 kg. in LEO.

A growth development, dubbed Falcon X Heavy, would employ nine engines clustered in three cores. Collectively these would generate 10.8 million lb. of thrust at liftoff and boost 125,000 kg. to orbit. The ultimate launch vehicle, the Falcon XX, stands as tall as the Saturn V, is configured with six engines in a single core and is designed to lift 140,000 kg. to LEO.

"It's just a question of is it going to be our generation or the next that's going to do these things," Markusic says. "I think there's a growing wave of people who'd like to do this. It's really critical to just get started. There's an incredible amount of technology out there that we can grab. A piloted mission to Mars by 2020-2025 can be accomplished if we start building and testing hardware now."

Source

 

[Pintu]

Boeing offers Isro tech help for 2016 manned space trip - India - The Times of India

Boeing offers Isro tech help for 2016 manned space trip
Prashanth G N, TNN, Sep 6, 2010, 06.28am IST

BANGALORE: The Indian Space Research Organisation has an offer too tempting to resist: Boeing has said it is ready to collaborate and offer technological know-how to Isro for its human space flight programme, scheduled tentatively for 2016.

This will include construction of a crew vehicle to the International Space Station (ISS), journey to the station and re-entry into earth's atmosphere, which is the most crucial aspect of the programme.

Dr Vivek Lall, vice-president and India country head, Boeing Defense, Space and Security told TOI: "Boeing has initiated discussions with Isro to offer our support to India's human space flight programme. With our legacy in space exploration design, development and integration, we believe we can provide value-added assistance to India's national programme."

Lall added: "We plan to submit a formal request to the US Department of State to enable us to proceed down this path should our services be accepted."

The senior Boeing official pointed out that Nasa had offered a Commercial Crew Development (CCDev) contract to Boeing with Bigelow Aerospace as a key team mate to initiate the design and development architecture of commercial transport to and from ISS.

"This programme opens the door for collaboration between Boeing and Isro in areas of commercial crew transportation."

Boeing has offered collaboration in four specific areas, one of them in which Isro has already begun work.

 

[tony4562]

China waited long enough and only launched manned-space program after thorough preparation and maturation of indigenous technologies. India on the other hand seems to be hastened into this only by china's success.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

China waited long enough and only launched manned-space program after thorough preparation and maturation of indigenous technologies. India on the other hand seems to be hastened into this only by china's success.

Chinese mission failed crashing into the moon Indian misson succeeded even after being hastened as you say.

A Smashing Finale: China’s Lunar Probe Crashes Into the Moon | 80beats | Discover Magazine

And many say the Chinese moon video is a fake.

 

[alphatechnocrat]

Like my friends mentioned we should be careful to not rush this and make a mistake. A successful manned mission is a great achievement but a failure while trying to do so will be the greatest of embarrassments.

 

[Patriot]

Vandenberg launches Minotaur IV

by Staff Writers
Vandenberg AFB CA (SPX) Sep 27, 2010
Team Vandenberg launched a Minotaur IV rocket at 9:41 p.m. Sept. 25 from Space Launch Complex-8 here.

The Minotaur IV launched the Space-Based Space Surveillance satellite, a first-of-its-kind satellite that can detect and track orbiting space objects from space.

The 30th Space Wing commander, Col. Richard Boltz, was the launch decision authority.

"SBSS will greatly enhance our existing space situational awareness capability, a capability vital to protecting our space-based assets," said Colonel Boltz.

This launch was a combined effort between the 30th Space Wing, Orbital Sciences Corporation, The Boeing Company, Ball Aerospace and the Space and Missile Systems Center.

"This evening's launch was our third launch in eight days, and I am extremely proud of Team Vandenberg for all the hard work and dedication they've put into these important missions."

This launch was a combined effort between the 30th Space Wing, Orbital Sciences Corporation, The Boeing Company, Ball Aerospace and the Space and Missile Systems Center.

The Minotaur IV launch vehicle provides the ability to deliver payloads up to 3000 kilograms on long range, suborbital trajectories. It utilizes residual Peacekeeper solid rocket motors combined with Orbital's commercial launch vehicle technologies.



Vandenberg launches Minotaur IV

 

[Patriot]

First Boeing SBSS Satellite Sends Initial Signals From Space

by Staff Writers
El Segundo CA (SPX) Sep 27, 2010
Boeing has acquired initial on-orbit signals from the first Space Based Space Surveillance (SBSS) satellite following its launch at 9:41 p.m. Pacific time on Sept. 25 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The signals indicate that the satellite is functioning normally and is ready to begin orbital maneuvers and operational testing.

The SBSS Block 10 satellite, which was built for the U.S. Air Force by a Boeing-led team that includes Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., was launched by an Orbital Sciences Minotaur IV rocket. The first signals from the advanced space surveillance satellite were received a short time later. The Boeing SBSS Satellite Operations Center at Schriever Air Force Base, Colo., confirmed that the satellite is healthy.

When it goes into operation with the Air Force, the SBSS satellite will be the service's only space-based sensor capable of detecting and monitoring debris, satellites and other space objects without the disruptions from weather, atmosphere or time of day that limit ground-based observations.

The satellite and its ground system will dramatically improve the accuracy and timeliness of tracking and monitoring capabilities, and provide the flexibility to quickly respond to new and changing mission requirements.

The satellite and its ground system will dramatically improve the accuracy and timeliness of tracking and monitoring capabilities, and provide the flexibility to quickly respond to new and changing mission requirements.
"The United States depends on space assets for security, communications, weather forecasting, and many other essential services," said Craig Cooning, vice president and general manager, Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems.

"America's adversaries recognize this increasing dependence, which makes the need for enhanced space situational awareness more and more vital. Today, the Air Force and Boeing SBSS team are delivering this advanced capability to the nation."

Shortly after launch, the SBSS satellite began an automated sequence that deployed solar arrays, pointed them at the sun, and initialized satellite operations.

For the next two weeks, operators will perform health checks on the satellite bus, followed by payload checkout. Tests include sending simulated space situational awareness tasks to the SBSS Satellite Operations Center, which will send commands to the satellite and collect data from those tasks for the Air Force Joint Space Operations Center. The SBSS system is expected to be ready to perform its mission and be turned over to the Air Force within 60 days.

"The successful launch of SBSS is an important milestone to ensure that this nation's assets are protected," said David L. Taylor, president and CEO of Ball Aerospace. "We are proud to be a leader in providing critical technology development to the Air Force's space situational awareness mission."

Boeing is responsible for overall program management; systems engineering and integration; design and development of the SBSS Satellite Operations Center at Schriever; and system operations and maintenance. Ball Aerospace developed, designed, manufactured, integrated and tested the satellite, using the Boeing-built onboard mission data processor.

 

[Patriot]

New space telescope to provide information on black holes :: Brahmand.com

BERLIN (BNS): Scientists hope to discover more about the origin of the universe with brand new information about black holes expected to be provided by the International X-Ray Observatory (IXO) when it is launched into space in 2021.

The German-Russian experiment eROSITA will do the preliminary work - searching the whole sky for a specific kind of black hole - upermassive black holes which developed at the dawn of the universe.

Scientists expect that -- among other things -- approximately three million new black holes will be found with this mission. IXO will then be responsible for their systematic investigation.

Study of the planned X-ray telescope IXO. A NASA
photo

IXO can capture the X-radiation of very distant black holes, because this kind of radiation penetrates -- in an unhindered way -- cosmic dust, which is the most frequently occurring impediment on the way.

The telescope being planned by space agencies NASA, ESA and Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA will become the largest X-ray telescope ever.

Its dimensions are gigantic - the surface of the mirror alone, which is to capture, for example, the cosmic X-radiation of black holes, will be 1300 square metres in size. It will consist of commercially available silicon wafers with pores of a few millimetres underneath.

The quality of these "hidden" surfaces will be tested at the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) with a monochromatic X-ray pencil beam. The new measuring device has been installed at PTB's synchrotron radiation laboratory at BESSY II in Berlin-Adlershof, a PTB press release said.

In addition, the new space telescope is also expected to provide new information about neutron stars and stellar black holes, the second type of black hole which develops when especially massive stars explode.

 

[Patriot]

Scientists spot asteroid heading towards Earth :: Brahmand.com

CAMBRIDGE (BNS): A "potentially hazardous asteroid" will approach the Earth in mod-October but will not hit the planet, scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have said.

The asteroid, about 150 feet in diameter and designated '2010 ST3', was detected by the Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS) PS1
telescope on September 16 when it was about 20 million miles away.

The asteroid spotted by the Pan-STARRS telescope. A PS1SC photo

This is the first "potentially hazardous object" (PHO) detected by the Pan-STARRS telescope, the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said in a statement.

A PHO can cause devastation on a regional scale if it ever hits our planet. Such impacts are estimated to occur once every few thousand years.

The newly-detected asteroid, however, does not pose any threat to the Earth, the scientists said.

 

[Patriot]

Astronomers find habitable planet outside solar system :: Brahmand.com

WASHINGTON (AP): Astronomers say they have for the first time spotted a planet beyond Earth in what is sometimes called the Goldilocks zone for life: where crucial conditions for life to exist are just right.

Not too far from its star, not too close. So it could contain liquid water. The planet itself is neither too big nor too small for the proper surface, gravity and atmosphere.

It is just right. Just like Earth.

"This really is the first Goldilocks planet," said co-discoverer R Paul Butler of the Carnegie Institution of Washington.

The new planet sits directly in the middle of what astronomers refer to as the habitable zone, unlike any of the nearly 500 other planets astronomers have found outside Earth's solar system. It also is in Earth's galactic neighbourhood, suggesting that plenty of Earth-like planets circle other stars.

Finding a planet that could potentially support life is a major step toward answering the timeless question: Are we alone?

Scientists have jumped the gun before on proclaiming that planets outside Earth's solar system were habitable only to have them turn out to be not quite so conducive to life.

This one, however, is so clearly in the right zone that five outside astronomers told The Associated Press it seems to be the real thing.

"This is the first one I'm truly excited about," said Penn State University's Jim Kasting. He said this planet is a "pretty prime candidate" for harbouring life.

Life on other planets does not mean ET. Even a simple single-cell bacteria or the equivalent of shower mold would shake perceptions about the uniqueness of life on Earth.

But there remain many unanswered questions about this strange planet. It is about three times the mass of Earth, slightly larger in width and much closer to its star -- 14 million miles away versus 93 million. It is so close to its version of the sun that it orbits every 37 days. And it does not rotate much, so one side is almost always bright, the other dark.

Temperatures can be as hot as 71 Celsius or as frigid as minus 4 Celsius below zero, but in between - in the land of constant sunrise - it would be "shirt-sleeve weather," said co-discoverer Steven Vogt of the University of California at Santa Cruz.

It is unknown whether water exists on the planet, and what kind of atmosphere it has. Because conditions are ideal for liquid water, however, and because there always seems to be life on Earth where there is water, Vogt believes "that chances for life on this planet are 100 per cent."

The astronomers' findings are being published in Astrophysical Journal and were announced by the National Science
Foundation on Wednesday.

 

[Patriot]

Russian company to build 'space hotel' with home comforts

Moscow (AFP) Sept 29, 2010
A Russian company on Wednesday announced plans to launch a comfortable space hotel for tourists who up to now have shared cramped accommodation with astronauts, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The company, Orbital Technologies, plans to launch the first module of the hotel in 2015-16, its chief executive Sergei Kostenko told RIA Novosti at a presentation.

A cosy fit, the first module will measure just 20 cubic metres (706 cubic feet) and have four cabins, designed for up to seven passengers, who would go into orbit using the Soyuz shuttle, Kostenko said.

Up to now space tourists, who have included the Canadian founder of the Cirque du Soleil, Guy Laliberte, have squeezed into the International Space Station (ISS) along with cosmonauts and animal life including fruit flies.

The new hotel will offer more comforts than the ISS, Kostenko said.

"Our planned module inside will not remind you of the ISS. A hotel should be comfortable inside, and it will be possible to look at the Earth through large portholes," Kostenko said, calling it a "cosmic hotel".

The space hotel will be aimed at wealthy individuals and people working for private companies who want to do research in space, Kostenko said.

The space tourism programme was halted earlier this year as the crew numbers on the ISS increased, leaving no room for extra passengers.

Kostenko said that the project has "found Russian and American investors, and we are talking about hundreds of millions of dollars", without elaborating.

"At the moment, the project is already at the design stage," he said.

The space hotel would be built by Russian spacecraft manufacturer Energia, the company's website says. It would follow the same orbit as the ISS.

Kostenko told RIA Novosti that "a number of agreements on partnership have already been signed" with Energia and the Russian space agency.

The company's website cites the deputy head of Russian space agency Roskosmos, Vitaly Davydov, as saying that "the suggested project is extremely interesting".

 

[Patriot]

Turkey To Launch Intelligence Satellite In 2012

Istanbul, Turkey (XNA) Oct 04, 2010
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that Turkey would launch a national intelligence satellite in 2012.

The intelligence satellite named "Gokturk" was being built by Turkish engineers, the prime minister said during an amphibious ship launching ceremony in Tuzla, Istanbul.

The semi-official Anatolia news agency quoted him as saying: " Thus, we have ended our foreign dependence in the construction of particularly military ships."

According to an earlier report, Turkey will launch RASAT, the first observation satellite designed and produced by Turkish engineers, from Yasny Launch Base located in a southwestern Russian blast bordering Kazakhstan this year.

RASAT was produced by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey - Space Technologies Research Institute and funded by the State Planning Organization.

Erdogan said Turkish defense industry products could compete in international arena, and they used to meet only 25 percent of Turkish Armed Forces' need in 2001.

"However, our defense industry products met 46 percent of our need at the end of 2009," he added.

Erdogan said 50 percent of Turkey's defense needs would be met by Turkish companies at the end of 2010.

Defense industry's turnover rose to 2.4 billion US dollars from 1 billion dollars between 2002 and 2009. It would reach 3 billion dollars by the end of 2010.



XINHUANEWS

 

[Patriot]

NASA's Webb Telescope MIRI Instrument Takes One Step Closer To Space

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Oct 05, 2010
A major instrument due to fly aboard NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is getting its first taste of space in the test facilities at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in the United Kingdom. The Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) has been designed to contribute to areas of investigation as diverse as the first light in the early Universe and the formation of planets around other stars.

"The start of space simulation testing of the MIRI is the last major engineering activity needed to enable its delivery to NASA. It represents the culmination of 8 years of work by the MIRI consortium, and is a major progress milestone for the Webb telescope project," said Matt Greenhouse, NASA Project Scientist for the Webb telescope Integrated Science Instrument Module, at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.

The James Webb Space Telescope represents the next generation of space telescope and, unlike its predecessor Hubble, it will have to journey far from home. Its ultimate destination is L2, a gravitational pivot point located 1.5 million kilometers (930,000 miles) away, on the opposite side of the Earth from the Sun. Here it is cool enough for the MIRI to obtain exquisite measurements that astronomers will use to help decipher the Universe.

"At L2 we are at an environmentally stable point where we can be permanently shaded from light from the Sun and Earth. That allows us to reach the very low temperatures - as low as 7K (- 447.1 Fahrenheit) in the case of MIRI - that are necessary to measure in the mid-infrared," says Jose Lorenzo Alvarez, MIRI Instrument Manager for European Space Agency (ESA).

The MIRI provides imaging, coronagraphy and integral field spectroscopy over the 5-28 micron wavelength range. It is being developed as a partnership between Europe and the U.S. The MIRI is one of four instruments flying aboard the Webb telescope. The other instruments include: NIRSpec (a near-infrared spectrograph), NIRCam (a near-infrared camera), and TFI (a tunable filter imager).

One of the jewels in the MIRI's crown is the potential to observe star formation that has been triggered by an interaction between galaxies.

Artist's conception of the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). MIRI is an imager/spectrograph that covers the wavelength range of 5 to 27 micrometers, with a possible spectrographic coverage up to 29 micrometers. Credit: NASA

This phenomena has been difficult to study with Hubble or ground-based telescopes since the optical and near-infrared light from these newly formed stars is hidden from view by clouds of dust that typically surround newly formed stars This will not be a problem for MIRI, as it is sensitive to longer wavelengths of light in the range 5 to 28 microns, which can penetrate the dust.

However, keeping the MIRI at a colder temperature than on Pluto, for a sustained period of time, was one of the biggest engineering challenges facing those charged with constructing the instrument.

"A critical aspect, to achieving the right sensitivity, is to ensure stable operation at 7 Kelvin (- 447.1 Fahrenheit) that will last for the five years of the mission," explains Alvarez.

This past spring, the flight model of the MIRI began to take shape as the key sub-assemblies - the imager, the spectrometer optics, and the input-optics and calibration module - were delivered to RAL for integration.

Each of the optical sub-assemblies of the MIRI had at that stage already, separately, undergone exhaustive mechanical and thermal testing to make sure they can not only survive the rigors of a journey to L2, but also remain operational for the life of the mission. At RAL, the sub-assemblies were integrated into the flight model and are now being tested again, as a complete instrument, using a specially designed chamber developed at RAL to reproduce the environment at L2.

For the purposes of these environmental and calibration tests the Webb telescope optics are simulated using the MIRI Telescope Simulator (MTS) that was built in Spain. Following completion of these tests, the MIRI will be shipped to NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., U.S. next spring, when the instrument will be integrated with the Webb's Integrated Science
Instrument Module.

When the MIRI eventually reaches its sheltered position, located four times further away from the Earth than the Moon, scientists can begin probing the Universe's secrets, including its earliest days. "We'd like to try and identify very young galaxies, containing some of the first stars that formed in the Universe," says Gillian Wright, European Principal Investigator for MIRI based at the U.K. Astronomy Technology Centre, Edinburgh, U.K.

With the current generation of space telescopes, distinguishing between a galaxy mature enough to have a central black hole and a young galaxy at a high redshift is troublesome, as they appeared similar in the near-infrared. A key to the MIRI's potential success is its ability to see through cosmic dust.

When stars form they burn through the elements, creating dust which ends up in the interstellar medium of the galaxy. The re-radiated emission from this dust creates a spectrum markedly different from that of a galaxy with no dust; the emission is expected to be 5-10 times stronger in the mature galaxy.

"MIRI provides a diagnostic of whether there has been a previous generation of stars that had gone supernova and created dust. In the first generation of stars there would be no dust or black holes because there hadn't been time to make any," explains Wright.

The astronomers who will use the MIRI and the James Webb Space Telescope are also particularly keen to explore the formation of planets around distant stars, another area where the ability to peer through the dust becomes important.

"MIRI is absolutely essential for understanding planet formation because we know that it occurs in regions which are deeply embedded in dust," said Wright. MIRI's beam width of 0.1 arc seconds allows the instrument to image 30-35 Astronomical Units (AU) of a proto-planetary disc.

With most such discs thought to be hundreds of AU across, the MIRI can build up highly resolved mosaics of these planetary nurseries in unprecedented detail.

With its spectrometer, the MIRI could even reveal the existence of water and/or hydrocarbons within the debris, paving the way for investigations into the habitability of other planetary systems.

The James Webb Space Telescope is a joint project of NASA, ESA and the Canadian Space Agency
.

 

[Patriot]

Lockheed Martin to launch 'GeoEye-2' satellite

SUNNYVALE (BNS): Lockheed Martin Space Systems is designing and building a new commercial Earth-imaging satellite 'GeoEye-2' under a fixed-price contract to support the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's EnhancedView commercial imagery programme.

GeoEye-2 will be launched aboard an Atlas V rocket provided by Lockheed Martin Commercial Launch Services which is expected to be ready for launch in early 2013.

An artistic concept of Earth-imaging satellite 'GeoEye-2'.

The spacecraft, based on the latest generation of the LMx configure to order low earth orbit bus product line initiated with IKONOS. The spacecraft will feature a new high-resolution ITT camera that has been in development for more than two years.

Recently, the team has successfully completed a System Requirements Review on schedule, proving the design maturity and readiness for the Preliminary Design Review set for later this year.

"We look forward to deliver even greater remote sensing capabilities as we work swiftly to deliver a total system solution and achieve mission success on the GeoEye-2 programme," Allen Anderson, Lockheed Martin's GeoEye-2 programme director said.

In August 2010, GeoEye was awarded an EnhancedView contract worth up to $3.8 billion for over the next 10 years.





Lockheed Martin to launch 'GeoEye-2' satellite :: Brahmand.com

 

[Patriot]

WISE Captures Key Images Of Comet Mission Destination

comet Hartley 2 captured by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. Photo by: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA.


Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 06, 2010
NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, caught a glimpse of the comet that the agency's EPOXI mission will visit in November. The WISE observation will help the EPOXI team put together a large-scale picture of the comet, known as Hartley 2.

"WISE's infrared vision provides data that complement what EPOXI will see with its visible-light and near-infrared instruments," said James Bauer, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "It's as if WISE can see an entire country, and EPOXI will visit its capital."

WISE's infrared vision will allow the telescope to get a new estimate of the size of the comet's nucleus, or core, as well as a more thorough look at the sizes of dust particles that surround it. This information, when combined with what EPOXI finds as it gets closer to Hartley 2, will reveal how the comet has changed over time.

On Nov. 4, the EPOXI mission, which uses the already "in flight" Deep Impact flyby spacecraft, will reach its closet approach to Hartley 2. The spacecraft will examine the dusty, icy body in detail as it flies by, providing the best, extended view of a comet in history. WISE and several other ground- and space-based telescopes are participating in the viewing, working together to tackle mysteries about our solar system's origins that are frozen inside comets.

For stargazers, opportunities to view the comet are possible throughout October. On Wednesday, Oct. 20, Hartley 2 will reach its closest approach to Earth since it was discovered in 1986. The comet will be approximately 17.7 million kilometers away (11 million miles) and should be visible with the naked eye near the constellation Perseus if viewed in dark skies. Observers will need binoculars or telescopes from urban areas in the Northern Hemisphere. Southern Hemisphere stargazers will be able to see the comet later in the month.

WISE captured its view of the comet during an ongoing scan of the sky in infrared light. The mission has been busy cataloging hundreds of millions of objects, from comets to distant, powerful galaxies. In late September, it used up its frozen cryogen coolant as expected and began a new phase of its survey. Called the NEOWISE Post-Cryogenic Mission, it primarily focuses on finding additional asteroids and comets. To date, the WISE mission has observed more than 150,000 asteroids and 110 comets, including Hartley 2.

"Astronomers can reference our catalogue to get detailed infrared data about their favorite asteroid or comet," said Amy Mainzer, the principal investigator of NEOWISE at JPL. "Space missions can also use our observations for more information on their targets, as EPOXI is doing."

WISE's view of Hartley 2 was taken on May 10, 2010. It gives astronomers a unique look at the comet, complementing what other telescopes can see. Because WISE scanned the whole sky, it captured the most extensive view of Hartley 2's trail, the dusty path left by the comet on its repeated journey around the sun.

Bauer said, "We want to know how the comet behaves as it comes toward the sun and out of deep freeze. The WISE image is one critical puzzle piece of many that will give a comprehensive view of the behavior of the comet through the time of the encounter."

The comet started to show signs of activity in the spring, spitting out gas and dust. By July, there were clear jets of gas. "Comparing the dust early on to what we see later with EPOXI helps us understand how the activity started on Hartley 2," said Michael A'Hearn, the principal investigator of EPOXI at the University of Maryland in College Park.

The term EPOXI is a combination of the names for the two extended mission components: the Extrasolar Planet Observations and Characterization (EPOCh), and the Hartley 2 flyby, called the Deep Impact eXtended Investigation (DIXI). The name NEOWISE comes from combining WISE and the acronym for near-Earth object, NEO.











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