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Category: space – Page 818

Countdown To Mars: Launch of the NASA 2020 Perseverance Rover

Team with NASA to send off the Perseverance rover to Mars — from the convenience of your own home. The mission launches from Cape Canaveral, Florida, this summer, and you’re invited to participate remotely — with a global, collective launch countdown where you can submit your own videos, take a photo on Mars or next to the rover, dive into an interactive launch packet, and sign up to send your name to Mars on a future space mission.

After a seven-month journey to the Red Planet, the rover will land in Jezero Crater, an ancient lakebed with intriguing geology. In its search for astrobiological evidence of ancient microbial life, Perseverance will gather rock and soil samples there for future return to Earth. It will also characterize the planet’s climate and geology and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet.

In addition, Perseverance carries the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, a technology demonstration that marks the first attempt at powered, controlled flight on another planet.

Astronaut Explains What It’s Like to Photograph Earth from the ISS

Yesterday, the official Twitter account of the International Space Station posted a short video interview in which NASA astronaut Doug Hurley explains what it’s like to try and capture the beauty of Earth from 250 miles above.

It’s a short video, but Col. Hurley tries to describe the feeling of looking down at the Earth from the edge of space, passing over recognizable landmarks and marveling at the beauty of it all—then trying your best to convey that feeling in every photo.

“Personally, it’s just trying to convey to as many people as we can … just what we see with our eyes when we look out the window up here. And how different it is to view the Earth from space than it is to be standing on the ground somewhere,” says Hurley. “[We’re] just trying to convey that it’s just an emotional response that you have when you look down at the planet.”

Light “Hypernucleus” Predicted to Be Stable Despite Having Two Strange Quarks

Calculations predict that a light ‘hypernucleus’ containing a particle with two strange quarks will be stable

Adding an exotic particle known as a Xi hyperon to a helium nucleus with three nucleons could produce a nucleus that is temporarily stable, calculations by RIKEN nuclear physicists have predicted. This result will help experimentalists search for the nucleus and provide insights into both nuclear physics and the structure of neutron stars.

Normal atomic nuclei consist of protons and neutrons, which are collectively known as nucleons. Each proton and neutron in turn is made up of three quarks. Quarks come in six types: up, down, strange, charm, bottom and top. But protons and neutrons consist only of up and down quarks.

The F-16’s Replacement Won’t Have a Pilot at All

Innovation.

The U.S. Air Force plans to have an operational combat drone by 2023. The service plans to build out a family of unmanned aircraft, known as Skyborg, capable of carrying weapons and actively participating in combat. The Air Force’s goal is to build up a large fleet of armed, sort-of disposable jets that don’t need conventional runways to take off and land.

The Air Force, according to Aviation Week & Space Technology, expects to have the first operational Skyborg aircraft ready by 2023. Skyborg will be available with both subsonic and supersonic engines, indicating both attack and fighter jet versions. The basic design (or designs) will likely be stealthy, carrying guided bombs, air defense suppression missiles, and air-to-air missiles inside internal weapons bays. Interesting, according to AvWeek, the Air Force is considering Skyborg as a replacement not only for the MQ-9 Reaper attack drone but early versions of the F-16 manned fighter.

Parker Solar Probe Spies Newly-Discovered Comet NEOWISE

Our Parker Solar Probe was at the right place at the right time to capture a unique view of comet #NEOWISE on July 5. Parker Solar Probe’s position in space gave the spacecraft an unmatched view of the comet’s twin tails when it was particularly active just after its closest approach to the Sun, called perihelion. https://go.nasa.gov/3fkqTdm

The first image is unprocessed data from Parker Solar Probe’s WISPR instrument, which takes images of the Sun’s outer atmosphere and solar wind in visible light.

The twin tails of comet NEOWISE are seen more clearly in the second image. This version of the image has been processed to increase contrast and remove excess brightness from scattered sunlight, revealing more detail in the comet tails.

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