Categories
Science USA

Perseverance rover confirms ancient lake on Mars

Between May and December 2022, Perseverance drove from the crater floor onto the delta, a vast expanse of 3 billion-year-old sediments that, from orbit, resembles the river deltas on Earth…reports Asian Lite News

NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has verified lake sediments at the base of the Jezero crater, confirming the presence of an ancient lake on Mars, and reinforcing hope that traces of life may exist on the Red Planet, according to a study.

The research, published in the journal Science Advances, shows that at some point, the crater filled with water, depositing layers of sediments on the crater floor.

The lake subsequently shrank and sediments carried by the river that fed it formed an enormous delta. As the lake dissipated over time, the sediments in the crater were eroded, forming the geologic features visible on the surface today.

The periods of deposition and erosion took place over aeons of environmental changes, the radar indicates, confirming that inferences about the Jezero crater’s geologic history based on Mars images obtained from space are accurate.

“From orbit we can see a bunch of different deposits, but we can’t tell for sure if what we’re seeing is their original state, or if we’re seeing the conclusion of a long geological story,” said David Paige, professor of Earth, planetary and space sciences at University of California-Los Angeles.

“To tell how these things formed, we need to see below the surface,” Paige said.

The rover, which is about the size of a car and carries seven scientific instruments, has been exploring the 30-mile-wide crater, studying its geology and atmosphere and collecting samples since 2021. Perseverance’s soil and rock samples will be brought back to Earth by a future expedition and studied for evidence of past life.

Between May and December 2022, Perseverance drove from the crater floor onto the delta, a vast expanse of 3 billion-year-old sediments that, from orbit, resembles the river deltas on Earth.

As the rover drove onto the delta, Perseverance’s Radar Imager for Mars’ Subsurface Experiment (RIMFAX) instrument fired radar waves downward at 10-centimetre intervals and measured pulses reflected from depths of about 20 metres below the surface.

With the radar, scientists can see down to the base of the sediments to reveal the top surface of the buried crater floor.

Years of research with ground-penetrating radar and testing of RIMFAX on Earth have taught scientists how to read the structure and composition of subsurface layers from their radar reflections. The resulting subsurface image shows rock layers that can be interpreted like a highway road cut.

RIMFAX imaging revealed two distinct periods of sediment deposition sandwiched between two periods of erosion. The researchers reported that the crater floor below the delta is not uniformly flat, suggesting that a period of erosion occurred prior to the deposition of lake sediments.

The radar images show that the sediments are regular and horizontal — just like sediments deposited in lakes on Earth. The existence of lake sediments had been suspected in previous studies, but has been confirmed by this research.

A second period of deposition occurred when fluctuations in the lake level allowed the river to deposit a broad delta that once extended far out into the lake, but has now eroded back closer to the river’s mouth.

ALSO READ-Musk backs moon base, cities on Mars

Categories
-Top News Science USA

NASA proposes solar-powered plane to explore Mars

The aircraft will be able to overcome the low density of the Martian atmosphere with a magnitude higher than conventional subsonic aircraft…reports Asian Lite News

US space agency NASA has proposed to develop a new mobility Mars exploration platform that will use solar energy to explore the Red Planet.

The Mars Aerial and Ground Intelligent Explorer (MAGGIE) is a compact fixed wing aircraft with ultra-high productivity efficiency powered by solar energy to fly in the Martian atmosphere.

It will have vertical take-off/landing (VTOL) capability, enabled by advanced deflected slipstream technology with CoFlow Jet (CFJ).

“MAGGIE would be able to perform the first global-scale atmospheric mission at Mars and revolutionise our capability of exploring almost the entirety of the Martian surface. It is the first concept to enable ongoing exploration of this region of Mars and would provide a substantial leap in capability for NASA’s exploration of the Red Planet,” the agency said in a statement.

The attractiveness of airborne missions on Mars has been amply demonstrated by the Ingenuity helicopter, which landed on the Red Planet in February 2021 attached to the belly of NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover.

Originally tasked with only five test flights to prove its “pioneering” technology, Ingenuity helicopter exceeded all expectations with 72nd flights on the Red Planet.

“MAGGIE would be similarly engaging to the public, both in its audacity, and in the variety of environments it could explore, study, and image. The technology would also enhance VTOL aircraft technology on Earth and other planets,” NASA said.

The aircraft will be able to overcome the low density of the Martian atmosphere with a magnitude higher than conventional subsonic aircraft.

The range of MAGGIE for a fully charged battery per 7.6 sol is 179 km at altitude of 1,000 m. The total range of MAGGIE per Martian year is 16,048 km.

The representative mission for MAGGIE presented would conduct three atmospheric and geophysical investigations.

These include a study of the origin and timing of the Martian core dynamo from the weak magnetic fields found in the large impact basins, a regional investigation of the source of methane signals detected by the Tunable Laser Spectrometer on the Mars Science Laboratory in Gale crater, and mapping of subsurface water ice at high resolution in the mid-latitudes where it has been observed from orbit.

The conceptual MAGGIE system study indicates that the concept appears to be feasible, but needs to be further investigated, designed, and verified under Martian atmospheric conditions in Phase I, NASA said.

ALSO READ-NASA Delays Crewed Flight to 2025

Categories
-Top News USA

NASA Delays Crewed Flight to 2025

The space agency said that ensuring crew safety is the primary driver for the Artemis II schedule changes…reports Asian Lite News

The US space agency has pushed back its manned Artemis mission to the Moon to 2025 that will send the first woman and first person of colour on the lunar surface.

NASA will now target September 2025 for Artemis II, the first crewed Artemis mission around the Moon, and September 2026 for Artemis III, which is planned to land the first astronauts near the lunar South Pole.

Artemis IV, the first mission to the Gateway lunar space station, remains on track for 2028.

The first mission, Artemis II, was supposed to take place later this year.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement that they have learned a lot since Artemis I, and the success of these early missions relies on “our commercial and international partnerships to further our reach and understanding of humanity’s place in our solar system”.

“Artemis represents what we can accomplish as a nation – and as a global coalition. When we set our sights on what is hard, together, we can achieve what is great,” he added.

The space agency said that ensuring crew safety is the primary driver for the Artemis II schedule changes.

“As the first Artemis flight test with crew aboard the Orion spacecraft, the mission will test critical environmental control and life support systems required to support astronauts,” said NASA.

NASA’s investigation into unexpected loss of char layer pieces from the spacecraft’s heat shield during Artemis I is expected to conclude this spring.

The new timeline for Artemis III, said NASA, aligns with the updated schedule for Artemis II, which ensures the agency can incorporate lessons learned from Artemis II into the next mission, and acknowledges development challenges experienced by NASA’s industry partners.

“We are letting the hardware talk to us so that crew safety drives our decision-making. We will use the Artemis II flight test, and each flight that follows, to reduce risk for future Moon missions,” said Catherine Koerner, associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

NASA said that it has asked both Artemis human landing system providers — SpaceX and Blue Origin — to begin applying knowledge gained in developing their systems as part of their existing contracts toward future variations to potentially deliver large cargo on later missions.

“Artemis is a long-term exploration campaign to conduct science at the Moon with astronauts and prepare for future human missions to Mars. That means we must get it right as we develop and fly our foundational systems so that we can safely carry out these missions,” said Amit Kshatriya, manager of NASA’s Moon to Mars Program Office.

ALSO READ-‘US to Include Int’l Astronaut on NASA’s Artemis Moon Mission by 2030’

Categories
-Top News Science USA

NASA laser message beams video of a cat from deep space

The short ultra-high definition video, which was uploaded before launch on NASA’s Psyche mission on October 13, features an orange tabby cat named Taters, the pet of a JPL employee, chasing a laser pointer, with overlayed graphics…reports Asian Lite News

NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications experiment beamed an ultra-high definition streaming video of a cat from a record-setting 31 million kilometres, or about 80 times the Earth-Moon distance.

The milestone, part of NASA technology demonstration aimed at streaming very high-bandwidth video and other data from deep space — enabling future human missions beyond Earth orbit — was achieved on December 11.

The short ultra-high definition video, which was uploaded before launch on NASA’s Psyche mission on October 13, features an orange tabby cat named Taters, the pet of a JPL employee, chasing a laser pointer, with overlayed graphics.

The graphics illustrate several features from the tech demo, such as Psyche’s orbital path, Palomar’s telescope dome, and technical information about the laser and its data bit rate.

Tater’s heart rate, colour, and breed are also on display.

“This accomplishment underscores our commitment to advancing optical communications as a key element to meeting our future data transmission needs,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy.

“Increasing our bandwidth is essential to achieving our future exploration and science goals, and we look forward to the continued advancement of this technology and the transformation of how we communicate during future interplanetary missions,” Melroy added.

The demo transmitted the 15-second test video via a cutting-edge instrument called a flight laser transceiver.

The video signal took 101 seconds to reach Earth, sent at the system’s maximum bit rate of 267 megabits per second (Mbps).

Capable of sending and receiving near-infrared signals, the instrument beamed an encoded near-infrared laser to the Hale Telescope at Caltech’s Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, where it was downloaded.

Each frame from the looping video was then sent “live” to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, where the video was played in real time.

This latest milestone comes after “first light” was achieved on November 14. Since then, the system has demonstrated faster data downlink speeds and increased pointing accuracy during its weekly checkouts.

On the night of December 4, the project demonstrated downlink bit rates of 62.5 Mbps, 100 Mbps, and 267 Mbps, which is comparable to broadband internet download speeds. The team was able to download a total of 1.3 terabits of data during that time.

“Despite transmitting from millions of miles away, it was able to send the video faster than most broadband internet connections,” said Ryan Rogalin, the project’s receiver electronics lead at JPL.

As Psyche travels to the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, the technology demonstration will send high-data-rate signals as far out as the Red Planet’s greatest distance from Earth. In doing so, it paves the way for higher-data-rate communications capable of sending complex scientific information, high-definition imagery, and video in support of humanity’s next giant leap: sending humans to Mars.

ALSO READ-MBRSC Hosts NASA Administrator

Categories
-Top News India News USA

NASA Head Visits India, UAE

Nelson’s visit to India will fulfil a commitment as part of the US and India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology initiated by President Joe Biden…reports Asian Lite News

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson is set to travel to India and the UAE beginning Monday for a series of meetings with key government officials.

Nelson will also meet with space officials in both countries to deepen bilateral cooperation across a broad range of innovation and research-related areas, especially in human exploration and Earth science, the American space agency NASA said in a release.

Nelson’s visit to India will fulfil a commitment as part of the US and India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology initiated by President Joe Biden.

In the India leg, Nelson will visit several locations, including the Bengaluru-based facilities where the NISAR spacecraft, a joint Earth-observing mission between NASA and its Indian counterpart ISRO, is undergoing testing and integration for launch in 2024.

NISAR is short for NASA ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar.

As the first satellite mission between NASA and ISRO, NISAR is a revolutionary Earth-observing instrument, the first in the Earth System Observatory, that will measure Earth’s changing ecosystems, dynamic surfaces, and ice masses, providing information about biomass, natural hazards, sea level rise, and groundwater, key information to guide efforts related to climate change, hazard mitigation, agriculture, and more.

Laurie Leshin, director, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), recently told ANI that scientists from both space agencies — ISRO and NASA — are working closely on the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) mission to help make sure that they make the most out of the data that will be coming down from the spacecraft.

“We are so excited to be working between NASA and ISRO on NISAR, which is a radar machine to looks at the surface of the earth and how it is changing. In India, they are interested in understanding how the mangrove environment at the coasts is changing. We will understand how ice sheets are changing and how earthquakes and volcanoes are happening all over the world…There are many different aspects to understanding our earth better,” Leshin told ANI in Bengaluru earlier this month.

NISAR is an equal collaboration between NASA and ISRO and marks the first time the two agencies have cooperated on hardware development for an Earth-observing mission.

About the size of an SUV and partially wrapped in gold-coloured thermal blanketing, the satellite’s cylindrical radar instrument payload contains two radar systems.

While in the UAE, Nelson will also participate in the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference. It will be the first time a NASA administrator has attended the conference.

Also, during the visit, students in each country will have the opportunity to meet with Nelson to discuss science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education and their roles as members of the Artemis Generation. (ANI)

ALSO READ: NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission delivers 1st ever asteroid sample

Categories
-Top News USA

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission delivers 1st ever asteroid sample

The asteroid sample will help researchers to learn about how our planet and solar system formed, as well as the origin of organics that may have led to life on Earth…reports Asian Lite News

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission has successfully delivered the first-ever rock sample from asteroid Bennu on Earth.

The OSIRIS-REx (short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security–Regolith Explorer), carried an estimated 8.8 ounces of rocky material collected from the surface of the asteroid Bennu in 2020.

The pristine asteroid sample capsule landed in the Utah desert in the US at 10.55 a.m. EDT (8.25 p.m. IST). “TOUCHDOWN! The #OSIRISREx sample capsule landed at the Utah Test and Training Range at 10.52 a.m. ET (1452 UTC) after a 3.86-billion mile journey,” NASA wrote in a post on X.

“This marks the US’ first sample return mission of its kind and will open a time capsule to the beginnings of our solar system,” the post adder According to the US space agency, the pieces of 4.6 billion-year-old space rock will “act as a time capsule from the earliest days of our solar system”.

“Bennu is one of the most potentially hazardous asteroids, and the sample returned by OSIRIS-REx will help us better understand the types of asteroids that could come our way,” Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator wrote on X.

The asteroid sample will help researchers to learn about how our planet and solar system formed, as well as the origin of organics that may have led to life on Earth.

OSIRIS-REx and military recovery team members aboard four helicopters and two backup ground vehicles waited just outside the capsule’s designated landing area on the Department of Defense’s Utah Test and Training Range in order to get to the capsule as quickly as possible once it touches down.

The team’s goal is to get the capsule to a temporary clean room on the range as soon as possible to protect it from contamination from the Earth’s environment.

The sample will remain safe, since the capsule is protected by a heat shield that regulates the temperature inside, keeping the sample below 167 degrees Fahrenheit, reminiscent of Bennu’s surface.

Once retrieved, the sample will be documented, cared for, at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, and later distributed for analysis to scientists worldwide.

After releasing its sample capsule toward Earth OSIRIS-REx spacecraft fired its engines to divert past Earth toward its new mission to asteroid Apophis and was renamed OSIRIS-APEX.

Roughly 1,000 feet wide, Apophis will come within 20,000 miles of Earth — less than one-tenth the distance between Earth and the Moon — in 2029.

OSIRIS-APEX is scheduled to enter orbit of Apophis soon after the asteroid’s close approach of Earth to see how the encounter affected the asteroid’s orbit, spin rate, and surface.

ALSO READ-NASA Lauds India, Hails Artemis Partnership

Categories
-Top News India News Science

Moon’s South Pole Is Full Of ‘Mystery’

The South Pole of Moon has deep craters shielded from sunlight for billions of years….reports Asian Lite News

The Moon’s South Pole, according to NASA, is full of “mystery, science and intrigue”, a media report said.

There are deep craters which have been shielded from sunlight for billions of years, where temperatures can plummet to astonishing lows of -248-degree C (-414 F), BBC reported.

Notably, India’s moon lander part of the Chandrayaan-3 mission successfully set its four legs softly and safely on the lunar surface in the South Pole on Wednesday evening as planned.

Water is one key reason why scientists want to explore the area around the lunar South Pole, BBC reported.

Scientists believe frozen water might have accumulated in cold polar regions over millions of years and could provide a unique sample for scientists to analyse and understand the history of water in our solar system.

If the water ice on the Moon turns out to be possible to extract, some hope it could eventually be used by astronauts, reducing the amount of water that would have be blasted into space on crewed missions, BBC reported.

Also, water molecules can be broken into hydrogen and oxygen atoms – which could perhaps one day be used as propellants for rockets.

Meanwhile, BBC reported on India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission — “This is a massive moment for India and it bumps them up the space superpower list.”

Landing on the Moon is far from easy – as Russia’s attempt this week highlighted – and many missions have failed, including India’s first attempt in 2019.

But it was second time lucky, and India now joins three other nations – the US, the former Soviet Union and China – which have successfully touched down on the lunar surface.

And they’re now ready to explore an area where no other spacecraft has been before – the lunar South Pole, BBC reported.

There’s growing scientific interest here. The craters in this region are permanently in shadow and contain frozen water. This would be a crucial resource for future human exploration – Nasa’s Artemis mission, which is sending astronauts to the Moon, is targeting this region too, the report said.

ALSO READ: The Wait Is Finally Over For K. Sivan, The Ex-Chief Of ISRO

Categories
-Top News India News USA

NASA Lauds India, Hails Artemis Partnership

PM Modi announced India joining the Artemis Accords, and US Vice President Kamala Harris thanked him for the decision….reports Asian Lite News

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Bill Nelson on Wednesday congratulated India and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on the successful soft landing of Chandrayaan-3.

He also hailed the India-US partnership on Artemis Accords which aims to establish a common vision via a practical set of principles, guidelines, and best practices.

“Congratulations @isro on your successful Chandrayaan-3 lunar South Pole landing! And congratulations to #India on being the 4th country to successfully soft-land a spacecraft on the Moon. We’re glad to be your partner on this mission!” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on X (formerly Twitter).

The Artemis Accord is a non-binding agreement with no financial commitments. The purpose of these Accords is to establish a common vision via a practical set of principles, guidelines, and best practices to enhance the “governance of the civil exploration and use of outer space with the intention of advancing the Artemis program”.

Earlier in June, during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s state visit to the US, India became the 27th country to sign the Artemis Accords.

PM Modi announced India joining the Artemis Accords, and US Vice President Kamala Harris thanked him for the decision.

NASA administrator Bill Nelson and India’s ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu participated in the signing ceremony.

“On behalf of NASA, on behalf of President Biden and Vice President Harris, we are very pleased to grow our partnership with India here on Earth and in space,” said Administrator Bill Nelson.

“As we venture farther out into the cosmos than ever before, how we go is as important as what we do when we reach our destinations. We want to go in a peaceful way. We want to go in a transparent way. And we want to support each other in times of trouble. We are very grateful for India’s leadership in signing the Artemis Accords and look forward to all that we will accomplish together,” he stated.

Indian envoy Taranjit Singh Sandhu said that India is taking a landmark step in becoming a party to the Artemis Accords, a momentous occasion for our bilateral space cooperation.

“We reiterate India’s commitment to space exploration underpinned by new levels of cooperation and progress. India is a responsible space power and places the highest importance on the peaceful and sustainable use of outer space. We are confident that the Artemis Accords will advance a rule-based approach to outer space. It also underlines our collective belief that exploration is not just the pursuit of knowledge – of knowing the unknown – but is a catalyst in advancing the betterment of humanity. In that sense, signing of these Accords highlights the evolution of a partnership into one for global good,” Sandhu stated.

NASA, in coordination with the US Department of State, established the Artemis Accords in 2020 together with seven other founding member nations. The Artemis Accords reinforce and implement key obligations in the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. They also reinforce the commitment by the United States and signatory nations to the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behaviour that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.

Additional countries will sign the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead, as NASA continues to work with its international partners to establish a safe, peaceful, and prosperous future in space. Working with both new and existing partners will add new energy and capabilities to ensure the entire world can benefit from our journey of exploration and discovery, NASA said in a statement. (ANI)

ALSO READ: India’s Moon Triumph Ignites Talks On Global Space Race

Categories
-Top News Science USA

Kshatriya to head NASA’s new Moon to Mars office

In the new role, Kshatriya is responsible for programme planning and implementation for human missions to the Moon and Mars.A…reports Asian Lite News

Indian-origin software and robotics engineer, Amit Kshatriya has been appointed as first head of NASA’s new Moon to Mars Programme Office at the agency’s headquarters in Washington.

The new office aims to carry out NASA’s human exploration activities at the Moon and Mars for the benefit of humanity.

“The Moon to Mars Programme Office will help prepare NASA to carry out our bold missions to the Moon and land the first humans on Mars,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, in a statement.

“The golden age of exploration is happening right now, and this new office will help ensure that NASA successfully establishes a long-term lunar presence needed to prepare for humanity’s next giant leap to the Red Planet.”

As directed by the 2022 NASA Authorization Act, the Moon to Mars Programme Office focuses on hardware development, mission integration, and risk management functions for programmes critical to the agency’s exploration approach that uses Artemis missions at the Moon to open a new era of scientific discovery and prepare for human missions to Mars.

This includes the Space Launch System rocket, Orion spacecraft, supporting ground systems, human landing systems, spacesuits, Gateway, and more related to deep space exploration.

The new office will also lead planning and analysis for long-lead developments to support human Mars missions.

The office resides within the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD), and Kshatriya, appointed as deputy associate administrator, will report to its Associate Administrator Jim Free.

Kshatriya previously served as acting deputy associate administrator for Common Exploration Systems Development, providing leadership and integration across several of the programmes that now fall within the new office.

In the new role, Kshatriya is responsible for programme planning and implementation for human missions to the Moon and Mars.A

He will direct and lead the programmes to ensure Artemis and Mars planning, development, and operations are consistent with ESDMD requirements, and will serve as the single point of focus for risk management.

Kshatriya began his career in the space programme in 2003, working as a software engineer, robotics engineer, and spacecraft operator primarily focused on the robotic assembly of the International Space Station.

From 2014 to 2017, he served as a space station flight director, where he led global teams in the operations and execution of the space station during all phases of flight.

From 2017 to 2021, he became deputy, and then acting manager, of the ISS Vehicle Office, where he was responsible for sustaining engineering, logistics, and hardware programme management.

In 2021, he was assigned to NASA Headquarters in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate as an assistant deputy associate administrator, where he was an integral part of the team that returned a spacecraft designed to carry humans to the Moon during the Artemis I mission.

Son of first-generation Indian immigrants to the US, Kshatriya holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California, and a Master of Arts in Mathematics from The University of Texas at Austin.

He has also been decorated with the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal for actions as the lead flight director for the 50th expedition to the space station, as well as the Silver Snoopy — an award that astronauts bestow for outstanding performance contributing to flight safety — for his actions as lead robotics officer for the Commercial Orbital Transportation Services Dragon demonstration mission to the orbiting laboratory.

ALSO READ: US Congressional hearing examines repression in Tibet

Categories
USA

Valentine’s Day 2046: Asteroid Alert

NASA officials have advised that the odds of impact could change significantly as more observations of the asteroid are collected and further analysis is carried out….reports Asian Lite News

NASA’s Planetary Defence Coordination Office has announced that a newly discovered asteroid, known as 2023 DW and roughly the size of an Olympic swimming pool, has a “small chance” of colliding with Earth on Valentine’s Day in 2046.

While projections by the European Space Agency suggest the asteroid has a 1 in 625 chance of impact, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Sentry system has calculated the odds closer to 1 in 560.

However, despite topping NASA’s risk list with a ranking of 1 on the Torino Impact Hazard Scale, the chance of a collision is still extremely unlikely, with no cause for public concern, according to Davide Farnocchia, a navigation engineer at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

NASA officials have advised that the odds of impact could change significantly as more observations of the asteroid are collected and further analysis is carried out.

ALSO READ: Big businesses support Biden’s price cuts