What's Up? The Space Place

Hey Space Placers! I'm back and NASA begins its 56th year of operations on October 1, 2013. Ironically, portions of NASA will be shut on that day if the U.S. Congress fails to reach an agreement on the U.S. budget. NASA has stated that Mission Control for the International Space Station (ISS) will continue to operate. Read More About It:  http://www.nasa.gov/news/budget/index.html#.UkoDahYbRlI ISS successfully docked the Cygnus re-supply module - congratulations Orbital Sciences for this historic first. In the NASA photo ISS astronauts have opened the Cygnus hatch to prepare for offloading of over a ton of supplies  http://www.nasa.gov/content/canadarm2-captures-cygnus/index.html#.UkoEKBYbRlI ISS has now had two commercial companies resupply it, Space X was first with its Dragon resupply ship and Orbital was second with Cygnus. Boeing and Sierra Nevada Corporation are the final two commercial suppliers to ISS that are preparing their spacecraft for resupplying ...

Hey SPace Placers! Found a computer here in Baton Rouge, Louisiana so I can get a quick blog to you.   Read this story about a rock on Mars that is very surprisingly like Earth: http://www.caltech.edu/content/scientists-find-martian-igneous-rock-surprisingly-earth Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! I will be gone for the next few days - until next Monday actually - without connectivity. So enjoy this story abut how you can use your computer to participate in useful and timely astronomical research  http://www.icrar.org/news/news_items/media-releases/theskynet-t2-is-born . I look forward to being back with you again. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Here is the scoop from NASA on how amateur astronomers are doing in observing Comet ISON. I myself have not tried to find the comet yet but I hope to in October-November. Here is the story and video  http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/24sep_ison2/ Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Here is an excellent video that explains Comet ISON and what is to come as the comet gets closer and closer to the Sun:  http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/observingblog/Comet-ISON-video-223911871.html Amateur astronomers are observing and photographing the comet now and its speed has increased to over 70,000+ miles per hour. Comet ISON's speed will continue to increase as it gets closer to the Sun. The next big event is October 1 when Comet ISON passes by very close to Mars. Every spacecraft and mission will be looking to the Martian skies to catch a glimpse of ISON. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! A software glitch caused a wave off of Orbital's Cygnus resupply ship to the ISS yesterday. The next approach will be attempted in about 48 hours. Read More About It:  http://www.nasa.gov/content/cygnus-rendezvous-delayed-48-hours/#.UkAWGhYbRlI Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Happy Fall at 4:44 p.m. EDT today. The nights are getting longer and we will soon be on standard time so we will really have longer nights. The air will begin to chill at night and we start the three month march towards winter. Here is a great article that explains the meaning of the season:  http://www.skyandtelescope.com/community/skyblog/observingblog/Equinox-b-224270151.html Enjoy! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! NASA officially announced on September 20, 2013, that the historic Deep Impact (DI) cometary mission has been lost after 4.7 BILLION miles and almost 9 years in space and a slew of spaceflight firsts  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/deepimpact/media/deepimpact20130920.html#.Uj4KahYbQlI In June 2005 I co-authored a feature article for Sky and Telescope magazine on Deep Impact with my colleague Elizabeth Warner, University of Maryland. DI was an ambitious mission attempting to do what had never been done before - rendezvous with a comet and launch a second impactor spacecraft to intercept and hit the comet. Oh, by the way, the impactor was totally computer controlled to compute and complete the intercept which it did in spectacular fashion on July 4, 2005. What a mission spectacular that was! DI was fully functional and had plenty of fuel so the  spacecraft was sent to flyby another comet and was used to carry out observations of stars and exopl...

Hey Space Placers! Saw my first fireball in quite a long time last night at 7:32 p.m. EDT here in Northern Virginia. It was still strong twilight so the brightness was diminished somewhat but I still estimated it to be about -10 or about the brightness of the First Quarter Moon. Tough to estimate real brightness when it is still pretty light out. The fireball was very compact but was bright white. There was no sound or detonations. It went from west to east and it was nearly overhead when I saw it - I actually saw the point of it starting but could not see the end point due to trees blocking my view. I and about 20 others made a report to the American Meteor Society -  http://www.amsmeteors.org/fireball_event/2013/ Sky Guy - Want to See More of them in VA

Hey Space Placers,    The results are in from Mars and Curiosity says Mars is Methane-less - my words, not hers.   This is a surprise and a disappointment. Surprise because previously reported data from US and International scientists had detected Methane and a disappoint as the presence of Methane could be an indicator of life. These previous data sets came from observations made from orbit and Earth. Curiosity is capable of detecting low levels of Methane and the absence of such detection means that Mars has very little Methane. Read More About It Here: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1519 Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Saw Antares-Cygnus from Northern Virginia and the Harvest Moon last night AND this morning. Both were great sights. Did you know that when the Moon sets in the West that it is titled nearly 90 degrees from the view we have when it rises? Fun to see the Man in the Moon, or Woman, or Rabbit, tilted - it's like they are laying down after a long night. It's caused by the rotation of the Earth away from the direct alignment with the Moon when it rises in the East. It is always most pronounced at Full Moon near the equinoxes. Anyway, here's a cool video that shows what the interior of our Milky Way looks like. Read the background info and then marvel at what data presentation can provide as you watch the video -  http://www.mpe.mpg.de/3286155/News_20130912 Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Well, if you get to see the Antares Cygnus resupply launch tomorrow - see my previous post, why not look for the Full Harvest Moon at sunset? This is the Full Moon that occurs nearest to the Autumnal Equinox for the Northern Hemisphere which in 2013 is September 22. In North America the Moon is Full on the night of the 18th-19th. When you see the Full Harvest Moon rising with the shorter amount of daylight, and if you are not in a light polluted viewing location, you can see why farmers of old welcomed the extra light. They were able to bring in the harvest by the light of the Full Moon. The effect is best experienced if you are near a field of corn or wheat and see the moon light falling upon the landscape. The smell of the air is a harbinger of fall and soon the smell of leaves and the Earth will fill your lungs. Enjoy the view of the hopefully golden-yellow orb of the Harvest Moon. It will be in the east awaiting your gaze at sunset. Read More About It...

Hey Space Placers! Another historic launch from NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility in Virginia. This time it is a day time launch of a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The launch will be visible along the U.S. East Coast with launch scheduled for 10:50 a.m. EDT. More details on the ISS Antares Cygnus resupply mission, the first for Orbital Sciences Corporation, based in Dulles, VA, is here:  http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/release.asp?prid=869 Viewing details are here:  http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/Orb-D1/ Good Viewing! Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Check out the new video that shows a 360-degree view of our Moon. It was compiled using images from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Pretty awesome:  http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130916.html Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Here is an interesting story, especially if you like weather, specifically lightning. NASA has sent an instrument called "Firestation" to the International Space Station (ISS) that was installed by the station's robotic arm, that will observe and gather data on lightning above the cloud tops. Firestation - NASA Scientists have discovered that a lot goes on above the clouds when lightning goes off. Strange red and blue light events, called sprites and elves respectively as well as Terrestrial Gamma-ray Flashes (TGFs), have been documented. In fact, during some of these TGFs the Earth mimics a supernova event by the production of powerful TGFs. These phenomena are not well understood and Firestation is the perfect answer to get more data. ISS flies over many thunderstorms as she makes her way around the world 16 times a day. With Firestation attached to the ISS it will be able to detect and record these events. It is pretty amazing that the m...

Hey Space Placers! Wanted to share my thoughts with you on Starship Voyager 1. “Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Voyager 1. Her continuing mission is to boldly go where no human has gone before.”   To “Star Trek” fans these words will have a familiar ring but instead of “Enterprise” it is the starship Voyager 1 we are talking about. That my dear reader is a historic substitution.  NASA officially announced on Thursday, September 12, 2013,  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/voyager/voyager20130912.html#.UjR3ABYbSFI   that the 36-year old Voyager 1 spacecraft had crossed into interstellar space on August 25, 2012. The delay in the announcement was due to the scientific process taking its time to gather, check and re-check data to make sure of the resultant findings. I have little doubt that historians of science will be studying this watershed moment of human history in great detail. This spaceflight first takes its place r...

Hey Space Placers! UPDATE: Listen to interstellar space:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=LIAZWb9_si4 Voyager 1 has now been officially determined to be in interstellar space and may have been for the past year. NASA held a news conference today to make the announcement about the 36 year-old spacecraft that is now over 12-billion miles from the Sun. You can Read More About It Here:  http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/12sep_voyager1/ This is a milestone that is singularly unique in the whole history of humanity. Voyager 1 and her sister ship Voyager 2 in possibly 3 or so years, will roam amongst the stars of the Milky Way Galaxy. Conceivably they could outlast their makers in terms of time. The Voyagers have enough nuclear fuel to operate certain instruments and their radios to stay in contact with Earth through at least 2020. Their unique voyages of exploration will continue to expand our knowledge of, and our prese...

Hey Space Placers! This photo has gone viral as it shows a frog flying at launch of LADEE. I just hope our fine amphibian friend is OK. Sky Guy Loves Frogs in VA

Hey Space Placers! A ROCK COMET?  That is what astronomers are stating they have confirmed the Sun grazing Phaethon - formerly an asteroid behaving at times like a comet  - to be using NASA's STEREO spacecraft. Using STEREO which consists of two spacecraft that observe the Sun from different angles, including the far side of the Sun as seen from Earth, astronomers observed a tail. Previous attempts to capture Phaethon in the act of having a tail failed because until STEREO, researchers could never observe the space rock as it was too close to the Sun. STEREO caught Phaethon's tail during a close pass to the Sun as can be seen in the photo above. Researchers think that during these close approaches to the Sun the rock on the surface literally gets too hot crumbles into dust much like desert mud flats. The pressure from the Sun then causes this loose material to form the tail that is observed. This also helps explain what fuels the Geminid Meteor Shower each D...

Hey Space Placers! On Wednesday, September 11, at 3 p.m. PDT, NASA is going to provide an update on the Asteroid Initiative - the mission concept to capture and redirect an asteroid. The discussion will be streamed for the public. NASA will also provide information on the 96 ideas accepted for further review out of the more than 400 submitted following its request for submissions. Read More ABout It:  http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/september/nasa-discusses-asteroid-initiative-progress-at-aiaas-space-2013/#.Ui7_qxYbRFI Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! LADEE is A-OK. The issue with the spacecraft's reaction wheels has been resolved and the mission is proceeding as planned. Get the latest updates on Twitter -  LADEE   @NASALADEE -  and  http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ladee/main/index.html Speaking of social media, NASA has established an Instagram account. Here are portions of NASA's press release: NASA is launching an official Instagram profile that will take its fans on an out-of-this-world journey through images of Earth and beyond. "We're constantly looking to expand our social media portfolio to include tools that will best tell NASA's story of exploration and discovery," said NASA Press Secretary Lauren Worley. "Instagram has a passionate following of users who are hungry for new and exciting photos. We believe we have some of the most engaging images on and off the planet -- and we can't wait to engage with Instagrammers." Aeronautics, astrophysics, Earth sci...

Hey Space Placers! Go outside after sunset tonight and check out the thin crescent Moon and brilliant Venus in the west - it will be an eye catching pair -  http://www.skyandtelescope.com/observing/home/Crescent-Moon-and-Venus-Put-on-a-Show-222505621.html The Moon should display Earthshine - that beautiful blue-gray tint that is on the unlit portion of the Moon caused by the reflection of sunlight off of the Earth's clouds and oceans. Use binoculars for a better view. Sky & Telescope.com Wave to LADEE on her way to the Moon. I hope you saw my posted video of the launch - it was spectacular and a lot of people saw LADEE on the East Coast. Americans cherish their space program. I hear it every time I speak about it. Over 400 hits and counting on my You Tube video of the launch and all of the hits on my blog about LADEE are proof positive. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! Enjoy the view! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVz9uW8-86A Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! I am operating on just 4 hours of sleep after being up 24 hrs and driving almost 600 miles to see LADEE launch last night. It was so worth it! The turn out at Wallops Island was the largest in the facility's history according to people I interviewed. There was also a HUGE turnout of the public to Virginia's Eastern Shore to see the launch as well - unofficial rumor had it as high as 30,0000 people - absolutely wonderful. I have some pics of the steady car stream to share later. The countdown and liftoff went like clock work and lift off was at exactly 11:27 p.m. EDT into a star lit sky. I have a video that I will share with you when I process it. Much more later - I need some coffee right now. Sky Guy in VA

Hey SPace Placers! Check out all the links and LADEE graphics here at WTOP  http://www.wtop.com/904/3442740/The-Space-Place I'm off to Wallops Island and hope to blog to you from there. Sky Guy in VA

Hey Space Placers! If all goes well NASA’s next mission to the Moon will solve a scientific puzzle left over from the days of the Apollo Moon flights in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s. Astronauts on Apollo missions 8, 10, 15 and 17 reported seeing pale, luminous lunar “twilight rays” about 10-seconds before lunar sunrise and sunset. Scientists then were at a loss as to what they could be. Read More About It: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2013/03sep_ladee / NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) - pronounced LAD-EE - is scheduled for launch Friday at 11:27 p.m. EDT. The night time launch will be visible over a wide area with potentially millions of people throughout the Northeast states able to view the launch - see my accompanying blog on how to see the LADEE launch. Artist's Concept of LADEE Above the Moon NASA You may be asking why the “atmosphere and dust” aspects of the LADEE mission - a good question indeed. Believe it or not...

Hey Space Placers! UPDATED: Latest schedule from NASA on LADEE public and media events: http://www.nasa.gov/press/2013/september/nasa-announces-media-public-events-for-upcoming-lunar-mission-launch/#.UihhOhYbTFI History will be made with the first ever launch of a lunar mission from NASA’s Wallops Island, Virginia, launch facility scheduled for Friday at 11:27 p.m. The night time launch will be visible over a wide area with potentially millions of people throughout the Northeast states able to see the launch of NASA’s Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) - see my accompanying blog on LADEE. A visibility map and instructions on how to see the Minotaur V rocket/LADEE spacecraft in the sky are here: http://www.orbital.com/NewsInfo/MissionUpdates/MinotaurV/index.shtml   Be sure to scroll through the graphics to find a state or landmark near you that shows the flight path from that location - very nifty indeed as done by Orbital. NASA, in partne...

Hey Space Placers! Amateur astronomers are viewing and photographing Comet ISON in the pre-dawn sky using large backyard telescopes in the 10-inches plus range. The comet is small and has a tail but is difficult to find under less than excellent conditions. Read More About It:  http://www.universetoday.com/104458/ready-set-observe-how-to-see-comet-ison-in-the-early-morning-sky/ Comet ISON shows a small, compact coma and short, faint tail in this photo made by Hungarian astrophotographer Krisztian Sarneczky on Aug. 31, 2013. Credit: K. Sárneczky / Konkoly Observatory courtesy of Universe Today The good news is that the comet will improve its position in the sky as time goes on. How bright it will become is anyone's guess at this point. The BETTER news is that you can tune in live on the Internet to see the comet via Slooh telescopes on the night of September 4-5, 10:30 p.m. PDT, 1:30 a.m  EDT(on the 5th). Here is the link for more details:  http://events.sl...

Hey Space Placers! For those of you in the U.S. Happy Labor Day! I tell my audiences that stars are like people. They come in all sizes and colors, they are born, they produce "offspring" in the form of planets, they live, they die. Doctors have used twins to study human health because you can learn a lot from following the course of the lives of each of them to see how they age, what happens to them and then apply that knowledge to other humans. Astronomers do the same thing in their study of stars. They are classified according to their masses relative to our own Sun which determines their temperature, color, longevity and manner of death. They also search for stars that are identical to our star, the Sun, so they can learn more about the Sun. It was recently announced that a solar twin had been discovered that is 8.2 billion years old as compared to our Sun's age of 4.6 billion years. HIP 102152 is in the constellation Capricornus and is 250 light years away....

Hey Space Placers! In my presentations to the public I often tell audiences that NASA does much that is not related to space. The just announced discovery of a 460-mile mega-canyon buried under the ice sheet of Greenland is a case in point. Flying an Orion P-3B former anti-submarine/maritime patrol aircraft now fitted with  ice penetrating radar, NASA's Operation IceBridge that studies polar ice just announced the discovery. The canyon is larger than the well known Grand Canyon and was discovered after decades of radar data was put together to reveal the giant structure. The canyon is thought to be similar to a river channel and predates the Greenland ice sheet. Polar ice studies will continue and who knows what else will be discovered.  Read More About It:  http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science- at- nasa/2013/29aug_megacanyon/ Sky Guy in VA