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NASA Celebrates the 40th Anniversary of Skylab

NASA will commemorate the 40th anniversary of America’s first space station Monday, May 13, with a televised roundtable discussion featuring Skylab astronauts, a current astronaut and agency managers planning future space missions.

The discussion, open to NASA employees and the public, will begin at 2:30 p.m. EDT in the James Webb Auditorium of NASA Headquarters at 300 E St. SW in Washington. The event will air live on NASA Television and the agency’s website.

NASA launched Skylab on May 14, 1973. It was the nation’s first foray into significant scientific research in microgravity. The three Skylab crews proved humans could live and work effectively for long durations in space. The knowledge gathered during Skylab helped inform development and construction of the International Space Station, just as the research and technology demonstrations being conducted aboard the ISS will help shape a new set of missions that will take Americans farther into the solar system.

The bottom image is the original Skylab concept

This sketch of Skylab was drawn by George E. Mueller, NASA associate administrator for Manned Space Flight. This concept drawing was created at a meeting at the Marshall Space Flight Center on Aug. 19, 1966. The image details the station’s major elements. In 1970, the station became known as Skylab. Three crewed Skylab missions (Skylab 2 in May 1973; Skylab 3 in July 1973; and Skylab 4 in November 1973) were flown, on which experiments were conducted in space science, Earth resources, life sciences, space technology and student projects.

Read more about Skylab at NASA History in:
SKYLAB, Our First Space Station
Living and Working in Space: A History of SKYLAB

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World’s Largest Infrared Space Telescope Shuts Down Forever

After nearly four years mapping the “hidden universe,” the largest infrared telescope ever launched into space has reached the end of its life, European Space Agency officials say.

The $1.4 billion Herschel Space Observatory has exhausted the vital supply of liquid helium coolant that allowed it make the most sensitive and detailed observations of the cosmos in infrared light, ESA officials announced Monday (April 29).

The infrared space telescope’s official end was recorded by a ground station in Australia, which recorded an increase in temperature for all of the spacecraft’s instruments during the telescope’s daily communications session. It began its mission in May 2009. [Amazing Photos from the Herschel Space Telescope]

“Herschel has offered us a new view of the hitherto hidden universe, pointing us to a previously unseen process of star birth and galaxy formation, and allowing us to trace water through the universe from molecular clouds to newborn stars and their planet-forming discs and belts of comets,” ESA’s Herschel project scientist Göran Pilbratt said in a statement.

Named for famed 18th century astronomer William Herschel, the space telescope was the most powerful infrared observatory ever launched to space until it stopped functioning this week. It has a main mirror 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) across nearly 1.5 times larger than Hubble Space Telescope, and was designed to chart the universe in the far-infrared to sub-millimeter wavelengths of light.

“Herschel gave us the opportunity to peer into the dark and cold regions of the universe that are invisible to other telescopes,”> said John Grunsfeld, NASA’s associate administrator for science missions. The U.S. space agency was a partner with ESA in the Herschel mission.

The Herschel space observatory is responsible for some amazing images of far-off cosmic wonders, such as its dazzling views of the Eagle Nebula and Andromeda Galaxy. Its helium-cooled instruments allowed astronomers to study far away starburst galaxies and star formation closer to home in the Milky Way. The coolant kept Herschel’s instruments chilled to a temperature of minus 455 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 271 degrees Celsius), but that supply was expected to evaporate over time.

“It feels like losing a member of the family,” Herschel mission officials wrote in Twitter post at the mission’s end. “Almost 4 incredibly intense years in space.”

The Herschel observatory collected more than 35,000 scientific observations and 25,000 hours of data. According to ESA officials, that plethora of data will be Herschel’s main contribution to the world of science.

“The archive will become the legacy of the mission,” ESA officials explained in a statement. “It is expected to provide even more discoveries than have been made during the lifetime of the Herschel mission.”

NASA scientists said the Herschel mission’s effect on astronomy will far outlast the four-year mission itself.

“Herschel has improved our understanding of how new stars and planets form, but has also raised many new questions,” said Paul Goldsmith, NASA Herschel project scientist at JPL, said in a statement. “Astronomers will be following up on Herschel’s discoveries with ground-based and future space-based observatories for years to come.”

The space telescope has also paved the way for future missions focused on observing the universe in infrared wavelengths, ESA officials added.

“The mission resulted in a number of technological advancements applicable to future space missions and potential spin-off technologies,” ESA officials said. “The mission saw the development of advanced cryogenic systems, the construction of the largest telescope mirror ever flown in space, and the utilization of the most sensitive direct detectors for light in the far-infrared to millimeter range.”

Stay Curious, Watch: The Herschel Story (via space.com)

image 1: This artist’s illustration shows the European Space Agency’s infrared Herschel Space Obsevatory set against a background image of the Vela C star-forming region. The space telescope launche din 2009 and ended its mission in 2013. credit: ESA/PACS & SPIRE Consortia, T. Hill, F. Motte, Laboratoire AIM Paris-Saclay, CEA/IRFU – CNRS/INSU – Uni. Paris Diderot, HOBYS Key Programme Consortium

image 2: Each of the thousands of dots in this image is an entire galaxy containing billions of stars, revealed in a region of space called the Lockman hole, which allows a clear line of sight out into the distant universe, as seen by the Herschel Space Observatory. See more amazing images obtained by Herschel since its launch in May, 2009

image 3: ESA Herschel space observatory image of Andromeda (M31) using both PACS and SPIRE instruments to observe at infrared wavelengths of 70 mm (blue), 100 mm (green) and 160 mm and 250 mm combined (red). Image released Jan. 28, 2013. credit: ESA/Herschel/PACS & SPIRE Consortium, O. Krause, HSC, H. Linz

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NASA Chief Urges Congress to Fund Private Astronaut Taxis

American astronauts could be forced to fly on Russian spacecraft beyond 2017 if Congress continues to cut funding for private crewed vehicles, NASA chief Charles Bolden says.

On Tuesday (April 30), NASA announced that it will pay $70.7 million each for six more seats aboard Russian Soyuz space capsules. The $424 million deal keeps Americans launching to the International Space Station aboard the Soyuz through 2016, with return and rescue services extending until June 2017.

Funding cuts to NASA’s Commercial Crew Program have delayed the development of private American space taxis, making this latest deal with the Russians necessary, Bolden said. And future cuts could bring about the purchase of even more Soyuz seats, he added. [The Top 10 Private Spaceships]

“Even this delayed availability will be in question if Congress does not fully support the President’s fiscal year 2014 request for our Commercial Crew Program, forcing us once again to extend our contract with the Russians,” Bolden wrote in a blog post Tuesday.

Filling the shuttle’s shoes
NASA is encouraging the development of private American spaceships to fill the cargo- and crew-carrying void left by the 2011 retirement of the agency’s iconic space shuttle fleet.

NASA signed billion-dollar deals with two companies — California-based SpaceX and Orbital Sciences Corp., which is headquarted in Virginia — to fly unmanned supply missions to the space station.

SpaceX has already completed two of its contracted 12 missions using its Dragon capsule and Falcon 9 rocket. Orbital successfully test-flew its Antares rocket for the first time last month and aims to launch a demonstration mission to the orbiting lab with Antares and its Cygnus spacecraft in the next few months.

But things are progressing more slowly on the crew-carrying side. NASA had hoped that at least one homegrown private spaceship would be ready to carry astronauts by 2015, but the timeline has slipped because Congress failed to fund commercial crew at the level President Barack Obama requested, Bolden said.

The Obama Administration asked for $850 million and $830 million for the program in its fiscal year 2012 and 2013 federal budget requests, respectively. But Congress eventually approved just $406 million and $489 million.

“If NASA had received the President’s requested funding for this plan, we would not have been forced to recently sign a new contract with Roscosmos [the Russian Federal Space Agency] for Soyuz transportation flights,” Bolden wrote.

Watch: What it’s Like To Ride Russia’s Soyuz Spaceship

Meeting the deadline
Bolden isn’t alone in prodding Congress to approve the full $821 million for commercial crew in President Obama’s fiscal year 2014 budget request, which was released last month.

“We strongly urge Congress to provide the necessary appropriations to keep the program on schedule,” Commercial Spaceflight Federation president Michael Lopez-Alegria, a former NASA astronaut, said in a statement. “In difficult economic times, extending the offshoring of American jobs to Russian rocket companies is not a practice the American taxpayers should support.”

If NASA does have to buy more Soyuz seats in the future, the price may well be higher than it is today. After all, the per-seat price went up $8 million in the last two years. (NASA paid $62.7 million per astronaut in its previous Soyuz deal, which was announced in March 2011.)

The three leading private contenders to fly NASA astronauts to and from the space station are SpaceX, aerospace giant Boeing and Colorado-based Sierra Nevada Corp.

SpaceX is developing a manned version of its Dragon capsule. Boeing is working on a capsule of its own, called the CST-100, while Sierra Nevada is building a space plane called Dream Chaser.

Watch: American Space Program Revitalized By Private Firms?

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Loss Of The Night (Android App)

Take part in a world-wide citizen science project that measures star visibility and light pollution. Help create a database for research on health, environment and society by telling scientists which stars you can see at your location.

In many parts of the world, the night sky shines with waste artificial light from poorly designed street lamps. This light pollution spoils the beauty of the stars and changes the natural environment.

But light pollution is not only a problem for astronomy. Scientists all over the world are studying how light pollution affects health, society, and the environment. Based on the well-known Google Sky Map, this app is a tool to measure star visibility without expensive equipment. Just look up to the sky, find certain stars, and tell us whether you can see them or not!

Using the Loss of the Night app is fun, educational, promotes citizen science, and is an active contribution to protect the environment.
Stargazing connects you to the universe, especially in places free of light pollution. Find out how many stars you can see, and compare it to other areas on the GLOBE at Night map. Learn about the stars and constellations, and find places where you can still see the Milky Way. If you’re lucky enough to live in such a place, let others know! Counting stars is a great experience and family activity!

Make a change! Most light pollution is caused by bad lamp design, although overly lit areas contribute as well. By finding areas with good lighting design, you will help other communities learn what works. This will keep our bedrooms darker, and the sky full of stars. Proper design also saves energy and money!

Take an active part in science! The Loss of the Night app allows students to measure light pollution and star visibility for their own science projects, and at the same time become part of a global citizen science network. Measurements are sent anonymously to the GLOBE at Night database (www.GLOBEatNight.org), a citizen science project that has monitored light pollution since 2006. GLOBE at Night creates worldwide maps of star visibility and light pollution, which scientists can use to analyse correlations between light pollution and health, biodiversity, life quality, and many more factors.

You are also welcome to get into contact with the light pollution researchers from Verlust der Nacht that built this app, and learn about their other projects (www.verlustdernacht.de). The app provides some basic information on the history, importance, and consequences of artificial light at night.

magnitude: stars in sky
0-1: 2-8
1-2: 8-25
2-3: 25-100
3-4: 100-250
4-5: 250-800
5: thousands

(Use this table to convert the faintest star you saw into an estimate of how many stars you can see at your location)

via International Dark-Sky Association

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A key unknown in lunar science is to what extent the Moon is a melted, radially layered planet like Earth or a primordial unmelted relic of the early solar system, like many asteroids. A new era of lunar exploration is underway, offering major new insights into this decades-old question.

In this week’s podcast, planetary scientist Ben Weiss of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology reviews current understanding of the lunar interior and shares new results from spacecraft observations and studies of Apollo samples.

Image: NASA/JPL/Galileo Spacecraft

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Laser Trails and Star Trails

40 minutes of exposure time on the summit of Mauna Kea. Keck II was using the laser adaptive optics system. From left to right are the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope, Subaru, Keck I and II, Caltech Submillimeter Observatory, and NASA Infrared Telescope Facility. — Sean Goebel

(Source: ikenbot)

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Road To Rainbow Galaxy | markg«

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Sun Emits Mid-Level Flare

A burst of solar material leaps off the left side of the sun in what’s known as a prominence eruption. This image combines three images from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory captured on May 3, 2013, at 1:45 pm EDT, just as an M-class solar flare from the same region was subsiding. The images include light from the 131-, 171- and 304-angstrom wavelengths.

The sun emitted a mid-level solar flare, peaking at 1:32 pm EDT on May 3, 2013. Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth’s atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however — when intense enough — they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel. This disrupts the radio signals for as long as the flare is ongoing, and the radio blackout for this flare has already subsided.

This flare is classified as an M5.7-class flare. M-class flares are the weakest flares that can still cause some space weather effects near Earth. Increased numbers of flares are quite common at the moment, as the sun’s normal 11-year activity cycle is ramping up toward solar maximum, which is expected in late 2013.

Credit: NASA/SDO/AIA

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Several tiny satellites are featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 33 crew member on the International Space Station, on October 4, 2012. The satellites were released outside the Kibo laboratory using a Small Satellite Orbital Deployer attached to the Japanese module’s robotic arm on October 4, 2012. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency astronaut Aki Hoshide set up the satellite deployment gear inside the lab and placed it in the Kibo airlock. The Japanese robotic arm then grappled the deployment system and its satellites from the airlock for deployment.

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Kathryn Hire installing the Cupola on STS-130. (x)

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Sun Emits Mid-Level Flare