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https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/wise-delivers-millions-of-galaxies-stars-asteroids

WISE Delivers Millions of Galaxies, Stars, Asteroids

Astronomers across the globe can now sift through hundreds of millions of galaxies, stars and asteroids collected in the first bundle of data from NASA's WISE mission.

Astronomers across the globe can now sift through hundreds of millions of galaxies, stars and asteroids collected in the first bundle of data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) mission."Starting today thousands of new eyes will be looking at WISE data, and I expect many surprises," said Edward (Ned) Wright of UCLA, the mission's principal investigator.WISE launched into space on Dec. 14, 2009 on a mission to map the entire sky in infrared light with greatly improved sensitivity and resolution over its predecessors. From its polar orbit, it scanned the skies about one-and-a-half times while collecting images taken at four infrared wavelengths of light. It took more than 2.7 million images over the course of its mission, capturing objects ranging from faraway galaxies to asteroids relatively close to Earth.Like other infrared telescopes, WISE required coolant to chill its heat-sensitive detectors. When this frozen hydrogen coolant ran out, as expected, in early October, 2010, two of its four infrared channels were still operational. The survey was then extended for four more months, with the goal of finishing its sweep for asteroids and comets in the main asteroid belt of our solar system.The mission's nearby discoveries included 20 comets, more than 33,000 asteroids between Mars and Jupiter, and 133 near-Earth objects (NEOs), which are those asteroids and comets with orbits that come within 28 million miles (about 45 million kilometers) of Earth's path around the sun. The satellite went into hibernation in early February of this year.Today, WISE is taking the first major step in meeting its primary goal of delivering the mission's trove of objects to astronomers. Data from the first 57 percent of the sky surveyed is accessible through an online public archive. The complete survey, with improved data processing, will be made available in the spring of 2012. A predecessor to WISE, the Infrared Astronomical Satellite, served a similar role about 25 years ago, and those data are still valuable to astronomers today. Likewise, the WISE legacy is expected to endure for decades."We are excited that the preliminary data contain millions of newfound objects," said Fengchuan Liu, the project manager for WISE at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "But the mission is not yet over -- the real treasure is the final catalog available a year from now, which will have twice as many sources, covering the entire sky and reaching even deeper into the universe than today's release."Astronomers will use WISE's infrared data to hunt for hidden oddities, and to study trends in large populations of known objects. Survey missions often result in the unexpected discoveries too, because they are looking everywhere in the sky rather than at known targets. Data from the mission are also critical for finding the best candidates for follow-up studies with other telescopes, including the European Space Agency's Herschel observatory, which has important NASA contributions."WISE is providing the newest-generation 'address book' of the infrared universe with the precise location and brightness of hundreds of millions of celestial objects," said Roc Cutri, lead scientist for WISE data processing at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif. "WISE continues the long tradition of infrared sky surveys supported by Caltech, stretching back to the 1969 Two Micron Sky Survey."So far, the WISE mission has released dozens of colorful images of the cosmos, in which infrared light has been assigned colors we see with our eyes. The whole collection can be seen athttp://wise.ssl.berkeley.edu/gallery_images.html.The public archive for astronomers is online athttp://wise2.ipac.caltech.edu/docs/release/prelim/index.html. Instructions for astronomy enthusiasts wanting to try their hand at using the archive are athttp://wise.ssl.berkeley.edu/wise_image_service.html.JPL manages and operates the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The principal investigator, Edward Wright, is at UCLA. The mission was competitively selected under NASA's Explorers Program managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The science instrument was built by the Space Dynamics Laboratory, Logan, Utah, and the spacecraft was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. Science operations and data processing take place at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.More information is online athttp://www.nasa.gov/wiseandhttp://wise.astro.ucla.eduandhttp://jpl.nasa.gov/wise.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/spacecraft-data-suggest-saturn-moons-ocean-may-harbor-hydrothermal-activity

Spacecraft Data Suggest Saturn Moon's Ocean May Harbor Hydrothermal Activity

The hidden ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus could be home to present-day hydrothermal activity, according to two new studies by scientists with NASA's Cassini mission.

Fast Facts:› Cassini finds first evidence of active hot-water chemistry beyond planet Earth› Findings in two separate papers support the notion› The results have important implications for the habitability of icy worldsNASA's Cassini spacecraft has provided scientists the first clear evidence that Saturn's moon Enceladus exhibits signs of present-day hydrothermal activity which may resemble that seen in the deep oceans on Earth. The implications of such activity on a world other than our planet open up unprecedented scientific possibilities."These findings add to the possibility that Enceladus, which contains a subsurface ocean and displays remarkable geologic activity, could contain environments suitable for living organisms," said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "The locations in our solar system where extreme environments occur in which life might exist may bring us closer to answering the question: are we alone in the universe."Hydrothermal activity occurs when seawater infiltrates and reacts with a rocky crust and emerges as a heated, mineral-laden solution, a natural occurrence in Earth's oceans. According to two science papers, the results are the first clear indications an icy moon may have similar ongoing active processes.The first paper, published this week in the journal Nature, relates to microscopic grains of rock detected by Cassini in the Saturn system. An extensive, four-year analysis of data from the spacecraft, computer simulations and laboratory experiments led researchers to the conclusion the tiny grains most likely form when hot water containing dissolved minerals from the moon's rocky interior travels upward, coming into contact with cooler water. Temperatures required for the interactions that produce the tiny rock grains would be at least 194 degrees Fahrenheit (90 degrees Celsius)."It's very exciting that we can use these tiny grains of rock, spewed into space by geysers, to tell us about conditions on -- and beneath -- the ocean floor of an icy moon," said the paper's lead author Sean Hsu, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Colorado at Boulder.Cassini's cosmic dust analyzer (CDA) instrument repeatedly detected miniscule rock particles rich in silicon, even before Cassini entered Saturn's orbit in 2004. By process of elimination, the CDA team concluded these particles must be grains of silica, which is found in sand and the mineral quartz on Earth. The consistent size of the grains observed by Cassini, the largest of which were 6 to 9 nanometers, was the clue that told the researchers a specific process likely was responsible.On Earth, the most common way to form silica grains of this size is hydrothermal activity under a specific range of conditions; namely, when slightly alkaline and salty water that is super-saturated with silica undergoes a big drop in temperature."We methodically searched for alternate explanations for the nanosilica grains, but every new result pointed to a single, most likely origin," said co-author Frank Postberg, a Cassini CDA team scientist at Heidelberg University in Germany.Hsu and Postberg worked closely with colleagues at the University of Tokyo who performed the detailed laboratory experiments that validated the hydrothermal activity hypothesis. The Japanese team, led by Yasuhito Sekine, verified the conditions under which silica grains form at the same size Cassini detected. The researchers think these conditions may exist on the seafloor of Enceladus, where hot water from the interior meets the relatively cold water at the ocean bottom.The extremely small size of the silica particles also suggests they travel upward relatively quickly from their hydrothermal origin to the near-surface sources of the moon's geysers. From seafloor to outer space, a distance of about 30 miles (50 kilometers), the grains spend a few months to a few years in transit, otherwise they would grow much larger.The authors point out that Cassini's gravity measurements suggest Enceladus' rocky core is quite porous, which would allow water from the ocean to percolate into the interior. This would provide a huge surface area where rock and water could interact.The second paper, recently published in Geophysical Research Letters, suggests hydrothermal activity as one of two likely sources of methane in the plume of gas and ice particles that erupts from the south polar region of Enceladus. The finding is the result of extensive modeling by French and American scientists to address why methane, as previously sampled by Cassini, is curiously abundant in the plume.The team found that, at the high pressures expected in the moon's ocean, icy materials called clathrates could form that imprison methane molecules within a crystal structure of water ice. Their models indicate that this process is so efficient at depleting the ocean of methane that the researchers still needed an explanation for its abundance in the plume.In one scenario, hydrothermal processes super-saturate the ocean with methane. This could occur if methane is produced faster than it is converted into clathrates. A second possibility is that methane clathrates from the ocean are dragged along into the erupting plumes and release their methane as they rise, like bubbles forming in a popped bottle of champagne.The authors agree both scenarios are likely occurring to some degree, but they note that the presence of nanosilica grains, as documented by the other paper, favors the hydrothermal scenario."We didn't expect that our study of clathrates in the Enceladus ocean would lead us to the idea that methane is actively being produced by hydrothermal processes," said lead author Alexis Bouquet, a graduate student at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Bouquet worked with co-author Hunter Waite, who leads the Cassini Ion and Neutral Mass Spectrometer (INMS) team at Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.Cassini first revealed active geological processes on Enceladus in 2005 with evidence of an icy spray issuing from the moon's south polar region and higher-than-expected temperatures in the icy surface there. With its powerful suite of complementary science instruments, the mission soon revealed a towering plume of water ice and vapor, salts and organic materials that issues from relatively warm fractures on the wrinkled surface. Gravity science results published in 2014 strongly suggested the presence of a 6-mile- (10-kilometer-) deep ocean beneath an ice shell about 19 to 25 miles (30 to 40 kilometers) thick.The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the mission for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Cassini CDA instrument was provided by the German Aerospace Center. The instrument team, led by Ralf Srama, is based at the University of Stuttgart in Germany. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.More information about Cassini, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/cassiniandhttp://saturn.jpl.nasa.govUpdated on March 11, 2015 at 2:50pm(PST) to include information on the role of French and American scientists

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-airs-sees-hurricane-douglas-tropical-storm-hanna-from-space

NASA's AIRS Sees Hurricane Douglas, Tropical Storm Hanna From Space

Wild weather sweeping in from the Pacific and the Gulf of Mexico is bringing flooding rains, high winds, and dangerous storm surges to Hawaii and Texas.

NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) was monitoring two storm systems as they took aim at portions of Hawaii and Texas on July 26. Perched on NASA's Aqua satellite, AIRS is an instrument that studies Earth's weather and climate.As of 11 a.m. local time, Hurricane Douglas was sweeping toward Hawaii with the potential to directly hit portions of the islands, from Maui to Kauai, in the late afternoon or evening. The purple areas in the AIRS image - taken at 1:53 a.m. local time on July 26 - indicate very cold clouds high in the atmosphere that are generally linked to heavy rainfall. Warmer clouds closer to Earth's surface show up as green and blue, and orange areas indicate cloud-free parts of the sky.The Category 1 hurricane was packing maximum sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kph) on the morning of July 26. Douglas' storm surge is forecast to push water levels as high as 3 feet (0.9 meters) above normal tides. The storm could dump as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain onto isolated parts of the Hawaiian Islands.Tropical Storm HannaTropical Storm Hanna made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane around 5 p.m. local time over Padre Island, Texas, on July 25. Since then, the storm has lost steam, weakening to a tropical storm in the early morning hours of July 26, and then to a tropical depression by the afternoon. The purple areas in the AIRS image - taken at 1:35 a.m. local time on July 26 - show regions within the tropical storm with cold clouds high in Earth's atmosphere that tend to produce heavy rainfall. The National Hurricane Center predicts that Hanna will continue over northeastern Mexico, where it will dissipate by late in the day on July 27.NASA's AIRS instrument captured this image of Tropical Storm Hanna at 1:35 a.m. local time on July 26, 2020, as the storm swept over southern Texas and northeastern Mexico.Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechFull Image DetailsAIRS, in conjunction with the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU), senses emitted infrared and microwave radiation from Earth to provide a three-dimensional look at Earth's weather and climate. Working in tandem, the two instruments make simultaneous observations down to Earth's surface. With more than 2,000 channels sensing different regions of the atmosphere, the system creates a global, three-dimensional map of atmospheric temperature and humidity, cloud amounts and heights, greenhouse gas concentrations and many other atmospheric phenomena. Launched into Earth orbit in 2002, the AIRS and AMSU instruments fly aboard NASA's Aqua spacecraft and are managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, under contract to NASA. JPL is a division of Caltech.More information about AIRS can be found at:https://airs.jpl.nasa.gov/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/dawn-captures-sharper-images-of-ceres

Dawn Captures Sharper Images of Ceres

Craters and mysterious bright spots are beginning to pop out in the latest images of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft.

Craters and mysterious bright spots are beginning to pop out in the latest images of Ceres from NASA's Dawn spacecraft. These images, taken Feb. 12 at a distance of 52,000 miles (83,000 kilometers) from the dwarf planet, pose intriguing questions for the science team to explore as the spacecraft nears its destination.The image is available at:http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA19056"As we slowly approach the stage, our eyes transfixed on Ceres and her planetary dance, we find she has beguiled us but left us none the wiser," said Chris Russell, principal investigator of the Dawn mission, based at UCLA. "We expected to be surprised; we did not expect to be this puzzled."Dawn will be gently captured into orbit around Ceres on March 6. As the spacecraft delivers better images and other data, the science team will be investigating the nature and composition of the dwarf planet, including the nature of the craters and bright spots that are coming into focus. The latest images, which have a resolution of 4.9 miles (7.8 kilometers) per pixel, represent the sharpest views of Ceres to date.The spacecraft explored the giant asteroid Vesta for 14 months during 2011 and 2012. Scientists gained numerous insights about the geological history of this body and saw its cratered surface in fine detail. By comparing Vesta and Ceres, they will develop a better understanding of the formation of the solar system.Dawn's mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital ATK, Inc., of Dulles, Virginia, designed and built the spacecraft. JPL is managed for NASA by the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. The framing cameras were provided by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Gottingen, Germany, with significant contributions by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research, Berlin, and in coordination with the Institute of Computer and Communication Network Engineering, Braunschweig. The visible and infrared mapping spectrometer was provided by the Italian Space Agency and the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics, built by Selex ES, and is managed and operated by the Italian Institute for Space Astrophysics and Planetology, Rome. The gamma ray and neutron detector was built by Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico, and is operated by the Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona.For more information about Dawn, visit:http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/new-selfie-shows-curiosity-the-mars-chemist

New Selfie Shows Curiosity, the Mars Chemist

The NASA rover performed a special chemistry experiment at the location captured in its newest self-portrait.

A new selfie taken by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover is breathtaking, but it's especially meaningful for the mission's team: Stitched together from 57 individual images taken bya camera on the end of Curiosity's robotic arm, the panorama also commemorates only the second time the rover has performeda special chemistry experiment.The selfie was taken on Oct. 11, 2019 (Sol 2,553) in a location named "Glen Etive" (pronounced "glen EH-tiv"), which is part of the"clay-bearing unit,"a region the team has eagerly awaited reaching since before Curiosity launched. Visible in the left foreground are two holes Curiosity drilled named "Glen Etive 1" (right) and "Glen Etive 2" (left) by the science team. The rover can analyze the chemical composition of rock samples by powderizing them with the drill, then dropping the samples into a portable lab in its belly called Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM).About 984 feet (300 meters) behind the rover is Vera Rubin Ridge, which Curiositydepartednearly a year ago. Beyond the ridge, you can see the floor of Gale Crater and the crater's northern rim. Curiosity has been ascending Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall) mountain inside the crater.The special chemistry experiment occurred on Sept. 24, 2019, after the rover placed the powderized sample from Glen Etive 2 into SAM. The portable lab contains 74 small cups used for testing samples. Most of the cups function as miniature ovens that heat the samples; SAM then "sniffs" the gases that bake off, looking for chemicals that hold clues about the Martian environment billions of years ago, when the planet was friendlier to microbial life.But nine of SAM's 74 cups are filled with solvents the rover can use for special "wet chemistry" experiments. These chemicals make it easier for SAM to detect certain carbon-based molecules important to the formation of life, called organic compounds.Because there's a limited number of wet-chemistry cups, the science team has been saving them for just the right conditions. In fact, the experiment at Glen Etive is only the second time Curiosity has performed wet chemistry since touching down on Mars in August 2012."We've been eager to find an area that would be compelling enough to do wet chemistry," said SAM Principal Investigator Paul Mahaffy of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. "Now that we're in the clay-bearing unit, we've finally got it."Clay-based rocks are good at preserving chemical compounds, which break down over time and when bombarded by radiation from space and the Sun. The science team is intrigued to see which organic compounds, if any, have been preserved in the rocks at Glen Etive. Understanding how this area formed will give them a better idea of how the Martian climate was changing billions of years ago.While this marks Curiosity's second wet-chemistry experiment, it is the rover's first on a drilled sample. In December 2016, whenCuriosity's drill malfunctioned, the rover still had a bit of sand that had been scooped up in a place called "Ogunquit Beach." It wasn't a drilled sample, but the team wasn't sure whether they'd get the drill working and be able to perform wet chemistry in the future. So they delivered the Ogunquit Beach sand into one of SAM's wet chemistry cups since there was still science to be gained.Scientists consider Glen Etive a strategic location that will reveal more about how the clay-bearing unit formed. They built upon the valuable dress rehearsal at Ogunquit Beach to make adjustments that improved the recent experiment.The results will be known next year. "SAM's data is extremely complex and takes time to interpret," Mahaffy said. "But we're all eager to see what we can learn from this new location, Glen Etive."The individual images in this selfie were taken by the Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), a camera on the end of the rover's robotic arm. The images are stitched together into a panorama, and the robotic arm is digitally removed from the composite.MAHLI was built by Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego. The SAM instrument suite was built at Goddard Space Flight Center with significant elements provided by industry, university, and national and international NASA partners. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for the NASA Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL designed and built the project's Curiosity rover.More information about Curiosity:https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/http://nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-brings-mars-landing-to-viewers-everywhere

NASA Brings Mars Landing to Viewers Everywhere

NASA's InSight lander is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet at approximately noon PST on Nov. 26, with a new suite of instruments to probe below the Martian surface.

NASA's Mars Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport (InSight) lander is scheduled to touch down on the Red Planet at approximately noon PST (3 p.m. EST) on Nov. 26, and viewers everywhere can watch coverage of the event live on NASA Television, the agency'swebsiteand social media platforms.Launched on May 5, InSight marks NASA's first Mars landing since the Curiosity rover in 2012. The landing will kick off a two-year mission in which InSight will become the first spacecraft to study Mars' deep interior. Its data also will help scientists understand the formation of all rocky worlds, including our own.InSight is being followed to Mars by two miniature NASA spacecraft, jointly called Mars Cube One (MarCO), the first deep-space mission for CubeSats. If MarCO makes its planned Mars flyby, it will attempt to relay data from InSight as it enters the planet's atmosphere and lands.InSight and MarCO flight controllers will monitor the spacecraft's entry, descent and landing from Mission Control at JPL.Broadcast ScheduleAll NASA TV news conferences will be available on the agency's website atwww.nasa.gov/live. Briefing times and speakers are subject to change. The public may ask questions on social media during the events by tagging them with #askNASA.Wednesday, Nov. 2110 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST) - News conference: Mission engineering overview11 a.m. PST (2 p.m. EST) - News conference: Mission science overviewSunday, Nov. 2510 a.m. PST (1 p.m. EST) - News conference: Final pre-landing update1 p.m. PST (4 p.m. EST) - NASA Social: InSight team Q&AMonday, Nov. 26: Landing Day11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PST (2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST) - Live landing commentary on the NASA TV Public Channel and online. In addition, an uninterrupted, clean feed of cameras from inside JPL mission control, with mission audio only, will be available at the same time on the NASA TV Media Channel, atwww.nasa.gov/ntvand athttps://www.youtube.com/user/JPLraw/live.About 12 noon PST (3 p.m. EST) - Expected time of InSight touchdown on MarsNo earlier than 2 p.m. PST (5 p.m. EST) - Post-landing news conferenceTo watch news conferences and commentary online, you can also visit:http://www.youtube.com/nasajpl/liveA complete list of ways to watch online can be found at:https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/timeline/landing/watch-online/Public Viewing Parties Around the WorldAbout 80 live viewing events for the public to watch the InSight landing will be held worldwide. Major viewing locations include:--Times Square, New York*--American Museum of Natural History, New York--Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, New York--Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Chantilly, Virginia*--U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville, Alabama*--Space Center Houston*--Adler Planetarium, Chicago--Denver Museum of Nature and Science--California Science Center, Los Angeles*--For a complete list of landing event watch parties, go to:https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/timeline/landing/watch-in-person/*These venues will have NASA representativesResourcesAn InSight landing press kit is available at:https://go.nasa.gov/insight_pkJPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission.A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument, with significant contributions from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, the Swiss Institute of Technology (ETH) in Switzerland, Imperial College and Oxford University in the United Kingdom, and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the wind sensors.For more detailed information on the InSight mission, visit:https://mars.nasa.gov/insightFollow the InSight mission on social media at:https://twitter.com/NASAInSighthttps://facebook.com/NASAInSightFind more information about MarCO here:https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/cubesat/missions/marco.php

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/magellan-radar-mapping-results

Magellan Radar Mapping Results

Magellan Project scientists today described the results of the first 243-day radar mapping cycle of Venus as the spacecraft continued in a second cycle of exploring the cloud-shrouded surface of our nearest planetary neighbor.

Magellan Project scientists today described the results of the first 243-day radar mapping cycle of Venus as the spacecraft continued in a second cycle of exploring the cloud-shrouded surface of our nearest planetary neighbor.The first mapping cycle, begun last Sept. 15, imaged 84 percent of the planet. The cycle ended May 15 and the second cycle, to map the remainder of the surface, began immediately.The spacecraft's orbit was trimmed on May 17 to enhance its altimetry coverage of Venus. The altimetry instrument measures the heights of features on the surface.Dr. Stephen Saunders, project scientist, gave a summary of science findings during the first cycle and compared radar images from the first two orbits last August when the radar instrument was being tested with new data covering the same surface area.Saunders and the other Magellan scientists addressed a news conference at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.Saunders reviewed global features, emphasizing wind streaks, large features called coronas and the continent-sized upland, Aphrodite Terra.Dr. James Head of Brown University, a member of the science team, discussed volcanic features and global distribution of volcanoes, and described the search for surface changes during the second mapping cycle.Dr. Gordon Pettengill of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, principal investigator of the radar science group, released new altimetry and radiometry results with emphasis on western Aphrodite Terra, and the peculiar characteristics of festoon -- looped or curved -- lava flows.New radar images were released, along with a new video creating a simulated flight over a three-dimensional Venus surface. The tape shows a large area of distinctive impact craters and a closeup of strange volcanoes called "pancake domes."818-354-5011

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/assembly-begins-on-nasas-next-tool-to-study-exoplanets

Assembly Begins on NASA’s Next Tool to Study Exoplanets

The Coronagraph Instrument on NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will study planets around other stars. Putting it together will require a highly choreographed dance.

Scientists have discovered more than 5,000 exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system. As technologies for studying these worlds continue to advance, researchers may someday be able to search for signs of life on exoplanets that are similar in size, composition, and temperature to Earth. But to do that they’ll need new tools, like those being tested on theCoronagraph Instrumenton NASA’sNancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. The instrument will block the light from each distant star it observes so that scientists can better see the planets around the star, and it will demonstrate technologies needed to eventually study potentially habitable planets with future missions.The Coronagraph Instrument team has already designed the cutting-edge instrument and built the components. Now they have to put the pieces together and run tests to make sure they operate as intended. “It’s like all the separate tributaries are finally coming together to form the river,” said Jeff Oseas, product delivery manager for the Coronagraph Instrument’s optical subsystem at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.The Coronagraph Instrument on NASA’s Roman Space Telescope is designed to block the light from a star and capture the much fainter light from orbiting planets. This video explains how the complex instrument works.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterThe process kicked off recently at JPL and will take more than a year. Once complete, the Coronagraph Instrument will be shipped to the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and incorporated into the Roman observatory.JPL engineer Gasia Bedrosian leads the assembly and testing process as the instrument’s integration and test product delivery manager. She likes to say that while integration and testing are technically the last steps in building an instrument, they’re actually part of the process from the beginning.In 2018, Bedrosian started working on a set of assembly plans for something that’s never been built before. She and her team then spent another two years collaborating with various subject matter experts and project members to review and adjust the plan, ensuring all the pieces would come together on time and in the right order. The process will resemble a well-choreographed ballet that involves heavy duty cranes, lasers, and vacuum chambers the size of buses.The Roman Coronagraph Instrument consists of two key sections, including the optical bench. Light from the telescope is directed through series of components that suppress light from a star while allowing the light from orbiting planets to pass through.Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechFull Image DetailsEngineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are shown assembling the electrical palette for the Coronagraph Instrument.Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechFull Image DetailsRoughly the size and shape of a baby grand piano, the Coronagraph Instrument is composed of two main sections that will stack on top of each another: the optical bench and the instrument electronics pallet.The more delicate of the two is the optical bench, which contains 64 elements, such as mirrors and filters, designed to remove as much starlight as possible without suppressing the light from planets. This approach to finding and studyingexoplanetsis called direct imaging, and it is expected to be the best way to study the atmospheres and surface features of rocky worlds similar to Earth. Some of the optical components on the Coronagraph Instrument are so small they’re barely visible to the naked eye.The pallet, or bottom layer, houses the electronics that receive instructions from the Roman spacecraft and return the Coronagraph Instrument’s scientific data. The electronics also control the mechanical components on the optical bench as well as the instrument heaters. The optical bench will be stacked by crane atop the electronics pallet. Because the two layers have to be aligned with each other to within a fraction of a millimeter, the team will use lasers to get them positioned just right over the course of four days.Get the Latest JPL NewsSUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTEREye for DetailIntegration and testing teams will often use digital 3D models of the instrument to help make their plans, but nothing can compare to seeing the object in a real space. That’s why the coronagraph team made use of an augmented reality headset that lets users see a virtual projection of a 3D object and the world around them. The headset is alsoused by the Mars Curiosity rover teamto see in 3D the Martian terrain that the rover drives over.“We learned a lot from that exercise,” said Bedrosian. “We could get a sense of how tight the access would be at certain points of integration by literally laying on the floor and getting visuals of under the instrument. It showed us when it would be beneficial to lift the entire instrument with a crane, or if we were going to need a specialized tool to do our work at that angle. It helped make a lot of our plans safer and simpler.”Once assembled, the Coronagraph Instrument will undergo a series of tests, including almost a month of dynamical testing to simulate the rocket ride into space. It will then be put in a vacuum chamber that replicates the space environment to check that the hardware remains aligned and operating correctly.“It’s exciting to finally start putting all the pieces together,” said Bedrosian. “It’s definitely a delayed gratification, because we’ve spent so long preparing. But now that we’re here and my team members are talking about the hardware arriving, I can hear the excitement in their voices.”More About the MissionThe Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is managed at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, with participation by JPL and Caltech/IPAC in Southern California, the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, and a science team comprising scientists from various research institutions. The primary industrial partners are Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colorado; L3Harris Technologies in Melbourne, Florida; and Teledyne Scientific & Imaging in Thousand Oaks, California.The Roman Coronagraph Instrument was designed and is being built at JPL, which manages the instrument for NASA. Contributions were made by ESA (the European Space Agency), the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the French space agency Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Germany. Caltech, in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA.For more information about the Roman telescope, visit:https://roman.gsfc.nasa.gov/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-jpl-satellites-dissect-powerful-hurricane-matthew

NASA JPL Satellites Dissect Powerful Hurricane Matthew

Hurricanes like Matthew are a lot more than meets the "eye." Images from several JPL satellites and instruments give scientists a wealth of information to analyze the storm.

Hurricane forecasters use many different types of data to forecast a storm's intensity and track. NASA satellites and airborne instruments, including several developed and operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, contribute to scientists' understanding of tropical cyclones and help improve forecasts.Here are some of the latest data on Hurricane Matthew from JPL-developed satellites and instruments:High-Altitude Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR)Taking Matthew's TemperatureJPL's HAMSR instrument flew above Hurricane Matthew on Oct. 7 aboard a NASA Global Hawk aircraft. Right: atmospheric temperatures overlaid atop ground-based radar and satellite visible images. Reds are areas without clouds; blues show ice and heavy precipitation. Upper left: Global Hawk visible image. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech HAMSR team/NOAA SHOUT Team/NASA Global Hawk Team› Larger imageA hurricane is like an engine: the more it revs up, the warmer it gets. A JPL-developed microwave sounder called the High-Altitude Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) can measure a hurricane's atmospheric temperature and humidity, even in the presence of clouds, and can also be used to measure rain and ice from Earth's surface to the top of the storm's convective clouds.HAMSR has been flying repeatedly over Hurricane Matthew aboard a NASA Global Hawk unmanned aircraft as part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Sensing Hazards with Operational Unmanned Technology (SHOUT) field campaign.The image montage shows observations from HAMSR as it crisscrossed above Matthew at an altitude of about 55,000 feet (16,764 meters) in the early morning hours of Oct. 7, as the storm was approaching Florida's east coast. The "swaths" are about 30 miles (48 kilometers) wide. The large image at right shows the temperature of the upper atmosphere above Matthew's core. The temperature is proportional to the storm's intensity -- the higher the temperature over the core relative to the environment, the more intense the storm. The HAMSR data are overlaid atop a ground-based radar image and satellite visible image. Red colors (warm) depict areas without clouds, while blue colors (very cold) represent scattering due to ice in the atmosphere and heavy precipitation. The image in the lower left shows the HAMSR data alone. The image in the upper left was taken by a camera aboard the Global Hawk.As the Global Hawk prepared to return home to NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, it captured one last look inside Matthew's spiral cloud bands. The red colors show cloud bands without precipitation, while blue colors show rain bands. The Global Hawk's location is just past the eye (the red circle in the center of the image).JPL's High-Altitude Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuit Sounding Radiometer (HAMSR) instrument captured this look inside Hurricane Matthew's spiral clouds on Oct. 7, 2016, flying on a NASA Global Hawk unmanned aircraft. Red colors show cloud bands without precipitation; blues show rain bands. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech HAMSR team/NOAA SHOUT Team/NASA Global Hawk Team› Larger imageThe HAMSR data were transmitted in real time via a communications satellite to the ground, where they were immediately processed and shared with the SHOUT scientists, who use them for situational awareness. They were also posted on a public web server. Images and data were also shared with forecasters at the NOAA/National Weather Service's National Hurricane Center.HAMSR was developed at JPL as part of NASA's technology development program. For more on HAMSR, visit:http://microwavescience.jpl.nasa.gov/instruments/hamsr/CloudSatTaking a 3D Slice of the StormNASA's CloudSat flew east of Hurricane Matthew's center on Oct. 6 at 11:30 a.m. PDT (2:30 p.m. EDT), intersecting parts of Matthew's outer rain bands and revealing Matthew's anvil clouds (thick cirrus cloud cover), with cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds beneath (lower image). Reds/pinks are larger water/ice droplets. Credit: NASA/JPL/The Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere (CIRA), Colorado State University› Larger imageNASA's CloudSat satellite flew to the east of the center of Hurricane Matthew on Oct. 6 at 11:30 a.m. PDT (2:30 p.m. EDT and 18:30 UTC), intersecting portions of Matthew's outer rain bands. Although the overpass did not directly intersect the storm center, CloudSat data reveal Matthew's anvil clouds (thick cirrus cloud cover), with cumulus and cumulonimbus clouds visible beneath the cirrus. Red and pink colors in the CloudSat overpass indicate areas of higher reflectivity (larger water and/or ice droplets) throughout the clouds.For more on CloudSat, visit:http://cloudsat.atmos.colostate.edu/homeSoil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP)A New Measure of Matthew's WindsNASA's SMAP radiometer instrument measured Hurricane Matthew's wind speeds at 4:52 a.m. PDT (7:52 a.m. EDT) at up to 132 miles per hour (59 meters per second). SMAP has excellent sensitivity to extreme winds, far beyond that of typical scatterometer instruments now in orbit. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech› Larger imageThe radiometer instrument on NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite can measure a hurricane's wind speeds. SMAP observations of Hurricane Matthew, taken at 4:52 a.m. PDT (7:52 a.m. EDT and 11:52 UTC) on Oct 7, found wind speeds up to 132 mph (59 meters per second). SMAP has excellent sensitivity to extreme winds, far beyond that of typical scatterometer instruments now in orbit. This is because SMAP's L-band is not affected by rain and can provide accurate wind speeds regardless of rain conditions.For more information on SMAP, visit:http://smap.jpl.nasa.gov/Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS)A 3D Map of Matthew's Atmospheric Temperature, Water Vapor and CloudsAt 11:29 p.m. PDT on Oct. 6 (2:29 a.m. EDT on Oct. 7), NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument on NASA's Aqua satellite produced this false-color infrared image of Matthew as the storm moved up Florida's central coast. The image shows the temperature of Matthew's cloud tops or the surface of Earth in cloud-free regions, with the most intense thunderstorms shown in purples and blues. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech› Larger imageAt 11:29 p.m. PDT on Oct. 6 (2:29 a.m. EDT and 6:29 UTC on Oct. 7), NASA's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument aboard NASA's Aqua satellite produced this false-color infrared image of Matthew as the storm moved up the coast of central Florida. Hurricane Nicole is visible to the right in the Atlantic.The AIRS data create an accurate 3-D map of atmospheric temperature, water vapor and clouds, data that are useful to forecasters. The image shows the temperature of Matthew's cloud tops or the surface of Earth in cloud-free regions. The coldest cloud-top temperatures appear in purple, indicating towering cold clouds and heavy precipitation. The infrared signal of AIRS does not penetrate through clouds. Where there are no clouds, AIRS reads the infrared signal from the surface of the ocean waters, revealing warmer temperatures in orange and red.For more information on AIRS, visit:http://airs.jpl.nasa.gov/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/new-study-finds-sumatra-still-at-high-risk-for-big-quake

New Study Finds Sumatra Still at High Risk for Big Quake

Two large quakes beneath Sumatra in 2007 did not adequately relieve built-up stress, according to a study that includes a JPL researcher and radar data.

Two large quakes beneath Sumatra in 2007 did not adequately relieve built-up stress, according to a study that includes a JPL researcher and radar data.For more information, go to the Caltech release

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/astronomers-find-planet-hotter-than-most-stars

Astronomers Find Planet Hotter Than Most Stars

A newly discovered Jupiter-like world is so hot, it's being vaporized by its own star.

A newly discovered Jupiter-like world is so hot, it's being vaporized by its own star.With a dayside temperature of more than 7,800 degrees Fahrenheit (4,600 Kelvin), KELT-9b is a planet that is hotter than most stars. But its blue A-type star, called KELT-9, is even hotter -- in fact, it is probably unraveling the planet through evaporation."This is the hottest gas giant planet that has ever been discovered," said Scott Gaudi, astronomy professor at The Ohio State University in Columbus, who led a study on the topic. He worked on this study while on sabbatical at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. The unusual planet is described in the journal Nature and at a presentation at the American Astronomical Society summer meeting this week in Austin, Texas.KELT-9b is 2.8 times more massive than Jupiter, but only half as dense. Scientists would expect the planet to have a smaller radius, but the extreme radiation from its host star has caused the planet's atmosphere to puff up like a balloon.Because the planet is tidally locked to its star -- as the moon is to Earth -- one side of the planet is always facing toward the star, and one side is in perpetual darkness. Molecules such as water, carbon dioxide and methane can't form on the dayside because it is bombarded by too much ultraviolet radiation. The properties of the nightside are still mysterious -- molecules may be able to form there, but probably only temporarily."It's a planet by any of the typical definitions of mass, but its atmosphere is almost certainly unlike any other planet we've ever seen just because of the temperature of its dayside," Gaudi said.The KELT-9 star is only 300 million years old, which is young in star time. It is more than twice as large, and nearly twice as hot, as our sun. Given that the planet's atmosphere is constantly blasted with high levels of ultraviolet radiation, the planet may even be shedding a tail of evaporated planetary material like a comet."KELT-9 radiates so much ultraviolet radiation that it may completely evaporate the planet," said Keivan Stassun, a professor of physics and astronomy at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, who directed the study with Gaudi.But this scenario assumes the star doesn't grow to engulf the planet first."KELT-9 will swell to become a red giant star in a few hundred million years," said Stassun. "The long-term prospects for life, or real estate for that matter, on KELT-9b are not looking good."The planet is also unusual in that it orbits perpendicular to the spin axis of the star. That would be analogous to the planet orbiting perpendicular to the plane of our solar system. One "year" on this planet is less than two days.KELT-9b is nowhere close to habitable, but Gaudi said there's a good reason to study worlds that are unlivable in the extreme."As has been highlighted by the recent discoveries from the MEarth collaboration, the planet around Proxima Centauri, and the astonishing system discovered around TRAPPIST-1, the astronomical community is clearly focused on finding Earthlike planets around small, cooler stars like our sun. They are easy targets and there's a lot that can be learned about potentially habitable planets orbiting very low-mass stars in general. On the other hand, because KELT-9b's host star is bigger and hotter than the sun, it complements those efforts and provides a kind of touchstone for understanding how planetary systems form around hot, massive stars," Gaudi said.The KELT-9b planet was found using one of the two telescopes called KELT, or Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope. In late May and early June 2016, astronomers using the KELT-North telescope at Winer Observatory in Arizona noticed a tiny drop in the star's brightness -- only about half of one percent -- which indicated that a planet may have passed in front of the star. The brightness dipped once every 1.5 days, which means the planet completes a "yearly" circuit around its star every 1.5 days.Subsequent observations confirmed the signal to be due to a planet, and revealed it to be what astronomers call a "hot Jupiter" -- the kind of planet the KELT telescopes are designed to spot.Astronomers at Ohio State, Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Vanderbilt jointly operate two KELTs (one each in the northern and southern hemispheres) to fill a large gap in the available technologies for finding exoplanets. Other telescopes are designed to look at very faint stars in much smaller sections of the sky, and at very high resolution. The KELTs, in contrast, look at millions of very bright stars at once, over broad sections of sky, and at low resolution."This discovery is a testament to the discovery power of small telescopes, and the ability of citizen scientists to directly contribute to cutting-edge scientific research," said Joshua Pepper, astronomer and assistant professor of physics at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, who built the two KELT telescopes.The astronomers hope to take a closer look at KELT-9b with other telescopes -- including NASA's Spitzer and Hubble space telescopes, and eventually the James Webb Space Telescope, which is scheduled to launch in 2018. Observations with Hubble would enable them to see if the planet really does have a cometary tail, and allow them to determine how much longer that planet will survive its current hellish condition."Thanks to this planet's star-like heat, it is an exceptional target to observe at all wavelengths, from ultraviolet to infrared, in both transit and eclipse. Such observations will allow us to get as complete a view of its atmosphere as is possible for a planet outside our solar system," said Knicole Colon, paper co-author who was based at NASA Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley during the time of this study.The study was largely funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through an NSF CAREER Grant, NSF PAARE Grant and an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship. Additional support came from NASA via the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Exoplanet Exploration Program; the Harvard Future Faculty Leaders Postdoctoral Fellowship; Theodore Dunham, Jr., Grant from the Fund for Astronomical Research; and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.For more information about exoplanets, visit:https://exoplanets.nasa.gov

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/alaska-tundra-source-of-early-winter-carbon-emissions

Alaska Tundra Source of Early-Winter Carbon Emissions

Warmer temperatures and thawing soils may be driving an increase in emissions of carbon dioxide from Alaskan tundra to the atmosphere, particularly during the early winter.

Warmer temperatures and thawing soils may be driving an increase in emissions of carbon dioxide from Alaskan tundra to the atmosphere, particularly during the early winter, according to a new study supported by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). More carbon dioxide released to the atmosphere will accelerate climate warming, which, in turn, could lead to the release of even more carbon dioxide from these soils.A new paper led by Roisin Commane, an atmospheric researcher at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, finds the amount of carbon dioxide emitted from northern tundra areas between October and December each year has increased 70 percent since 1975. Commane and colleagues analyzed three years of aircraft observations from NASA's Carbon in Arctic Reservoirs Vulnerability Experiment (CARVE) airborne mission to estimate the spatial and seasonal distribution of Alaska's carbon dioxide emissions. They also studied NOAA's 41-year record of carbon dioxide measured from ground towers in Barrow (the name recently changed back to Utqiagvik), Alaska. The aircraft data provided unprecedented spatial information, while the ground data provided long-term measurements not available anywhere else in the Arctic. Results of the study are published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.The soils that encircle the high northern reaches of the Arctic (above 60 degrees North latitude) hold vast amounts of carbon in the form of undecayed organic matter from dead vegetation. This vast store, accumulated over thousands of years, contains enough carbon to double the current amount of carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere.During the Arctic summer, the upper layers of soil thaw and microbes decompose this organic matter, producing carbon dioxide. When cold temperatures return in October, the thawed soil layers begin to cool, but high rates of carbon dioxide emissions continue until the soil freezes completely."In the past, refreezing of soils may have taken a month or so, but with warmer temperatures in recent years, there are locations in Alaska where tundra soils now take more than three months to freeze completely," said Commane. "We are seeing emissions of carbon dioxide from soils continue all the way through this early winter period.""Data from Barrow show steady increases of both atmospheric carbon dioxide and temperature in late fall and early winter," said co-author Colm Sweeney of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences in Boulder, Colorado. "This new research demonstrates the critical importance of these long-term monitoring sites in verifying the subtle feedbacks, such as increases in carbon dioxide, which may amplify the unprecedented warming we are seeing throughout the Arctic."CARVE flew an instrumented NASA aircraft to measure atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases over Alaska from April to November in 2012, 2013 and 2014. These data, along with satellite data on the vegetation status and ground data to provide a year-round context and a long-term record, gave the scientists a detailed picture of carbon emissions at the regional level."One of CARVE's main objectives was to challenge the idea that carbon dioxide respiration stopped as soon as the snow fell and the land surface froze," said Charles Miller, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, and CARVE principal investigator. "The CARVE flights prove that microbial respiration continues in tundra soils months after the surface has frozen."By comparing simultaneous measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide, Commane and her co-authors split apart their estimates of the total carbon budget of Alaska into contributions from the three major sources of atmospheric carbon: burning of fossil fuels by people; wildfires; and microbes decomposing organic matter in the soil. In sparsely populated Alaska, the soil microbes were a much bigger source of atmospheric carbon than fossil fuel burning. Wildfires were a big source of atmospheric carbon in just one year of the CARVE experiment, 2013."Tundra soils appear to be acting as an amplifier of climate change," said co-author Steve Wofsy, a Harvard atmospheric scientist. "We need to carefully monitor what it's doing up there, even late in the year when everything looks frozen and dormant.""The entire Alaska region is responding to climate change," said professor Donatella Zona of San Diego State University in California, who was not affiliated with the study. "Surface measurements suggest that the amount of carbon lost from Arctic ecosystems to the atmosphere in the fall might have been increasing over the past decades. By better capturing these cold season processes and putting previous smaller-scale measurements into a bigger context, this study will help scientists improve climate models and predictions of Arctic climate change."Commane, Sweeney, Miller and their colleagues plan to expand on this work with NASA's Arctic-Boreal Vulnerability Experiment (ABoVE) field campaign, now in its second season in Alaska and northwest Canada. As part of the broader ABoVE effort, they will make airborne measurements of carbon dioxide and methane each month from April through October.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-mars-mission-tours-california

NASA Mars Mission Tours California

InSight will be the first mission to another planet launched from the West Coast. It launches from Vandenberg Air Force Base in May.

Scientists and engineers with NASA's next mission to Mars will be touring California cities starting this month.NASA'sInSight missionwill be the first interplanetary launch from the West Coast. In preparation for its May launch, theMars InSight Roadshowis stopping at cities along the earthquake-prone California coast to explain how the robotic lander will study Mars' deep interior using seismology and other geophysical measurements.The Roadshow brings family-friendly science activities, exhibits and public talks to communities throughout California, making comparisons between earthquakes and the marsquakes that InSight will try to detect. The Roadshow will also partner with local and national organizations along the way, promoting planetary science and showing the benefits of NASA earthquake data gathered by Earth-observing satellites. All the museums are members of theNASA Museum Alliance.InSight's launch window opens May 5 at Vandenberg Air Force Base near Lompoc, northwest of Santa Barbara. InSight stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport. It will be the first mission to study the deep interior of Mars, using an ultra-sensitive seismometer, a heat-flow probe and other instruments. InSight is led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.What to Expect:"Make Your Own Marsquake" demo, in which members of the public jump and see seismometer readings on a screenInterviews with NASA scientists and engineersColorful backdrops and selfie stationsModels of the InSight spacecraftMars globe "cutaways" showing the interior of MarsVirtual reality headsets used to see panoramas of MarsWho to Expect:Members of InSight's mission and science teamsJPL's Mars public engagement teamNASA Solar System AmbassadorsTour Dates:The following dates are confirmed. Additional dates, including ones in Southern California, will be added.March 30-31, Redding, CATurtle Bay Exploration Park, ExhibitMarch 30, Redding, CAShasta Union High School District's David Marr Theater, Public TalkApril 13-15, Sacramento, CAPowerhouse Science Center, ExhibitApril 18-22 (Media Day on April 18), San Francisco, CAExploratorium, Exhibits and Public TalksApril 27-29, San Luis Obispo, CASan Luis Obispo Children's Museum, ExhibitApril 28, San Luis Obispo, CACal Poly San Luis Obispo, Public TalkMay 2-3, Santa Maria, CASanta Maria Valley Discovery Museum, ExhibitMay 2, Lompoc, CADick DeWees Community & Senior Center, ExhibitMay 3, Lompoc, CALompoc Public Library, Public TalkMay 4, Santa Maria, CAAllan Hancock College, Exhibit and Public TalkMay 19, Santa Barbara, CASanta Barbara Museum of Natural History, ExhibitAnd more to come! Find future dates and details at:https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/participate/roadshow/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/7-things-to-know-about-the-mars-2020-perseverance-rover-mission

7 Things to Know About the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover Mission

NASA's next rover to the Red Planet launched on July 30 and will land on Feb. 18, 2021. These highlights will get you up to speed on the ambitious mission.

In less than a month, NASA expects to launch the Mars 2020 Perseverance mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Loaded with scientific instruments, advanced computational capabilities for landing, and other new systems, the Perseverance rover is the largest, heaviest, most sophisticated vehicle NASA has ever sent to the Red Planet."Perseverance sets a new bar for our ambitions at Mars," said Lori Glaze, planetary science director at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "We will get closer than ever before to answering some of science's longest-standing questions about the Red Planet, including whether life ever arose there."Get the Latest JPL NewsSubscribe to the NewsletterWhat drives Perseverance's mission and what will it do at the Red Planet? Here are seven things to know:1. The Perseverance rover draws on the NASA - and scientific - spirit of overcoming challenges.The rover has a tough mission. Not only does it have to land on a treacherous planet, it has to work on its science goals: searching for signs of ancient microbial life, characterizing the planet's geology and climate, collecting carefully selected rock and sediment samples for future return to Earth, and paving the way for human exploration beyond the Moon.These activities epitomize why NASA chose the namePerseverancefrom among the 28,000 essays submitted during the "Name the Rover" contest. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the months leading up to the launch in particular have requiredcreative problem solving, teamwork, and determination."Building this incredibly sophisticated rover has been the hardest thing I've ever been a part of as an engineer," said Ray Baker, the mission's flight system manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "While coronavirus added significant challenges and logistics, the team has shown great determination and diligence to build a rover we can be proud to send to Mars. We can't wait to see the many years of dedication pay off at the launch pad."2. Perseverance builds on the lessons of other Mars rovers.NASA's modest first rover - Sojourner - demonstrated in 1997 that a robot could rove on the Red Planet. Spirit and Opportunity, which landed in 2004, found evidence that the planet once hosted running water before becoming a frozen desert. Curiosity, which has been exploring Mars since 2012, discovered that its landing site, Gale Crater, was home to of a lake billions of years ago, with an environmentthat could have supported microbial life.Perseverance aims to take the next step, seeking, as a primary goal, to answer one of the key questions ofastrobiology: Are there any signs that life once existed on Mars?3. The rover will be landing in a place with high potential for finding signs of past microbial life.Jezero Crateris 28 miles (45 kilometers) wide and sits on the western edge of Isidis Planitia, a giant basin just north of the Martian equator dug out long ago when a space rock hit the surface. Sometime between 3 billion and 4 billion years ago at Jezero, a river flowed into a body of water the size of Lake Tahoe."The science team has had many discussions internally and externally about where the next Mars rover should go," said Ken Farley, the mission's project scientist, based at Caltech in Pasadena. "We ultimately chose Jezero Crater because it is such a promising location for finding organic molecules and other potential signs of microbial life."4. Perseverance will also be collecting important data about Mars' geology and climate.Mars orbiters have been collecting images and other data from Jezero Crater from about 200 miles (322 kilometers) above, but finding signs of ancient life on the surface will require much closer inspection. It demands a rover like Perseverance, which can look for signs that may be related to life and can analyze the context in which they were found to see if they were biological in origin.Understanding Mars' past climate conditions and reading the geological history embedded in its rocks will also give us a sense of why Earth and Mars - which formed from the same primordial stuff - ended up so different.5. Perseverance is the first leg of a round trip to Mars.Verifying ancient microscopic life on Mars carries an enormous burden of proof. Perseverance is the first rover to bring a sample-gathering system to Mars that will package promising examples of rocks and sediments for return to Earth by a future mission.AMars Sample Return campaignis being planned by NASA and the European Space Agency because here on Earth we can investigate the samples with instruments too large and complex to send to Mars. Terrestrial laboratories would be used to establish whether any potential signs of life detected by the rover are definitive evidence of past life.6. Perseverance carries instruments and technology that will pave the way for human missions to the Moon and Mars.TheTerrain-Relative Navigationsystem, which autonomously helps the rover avoid hazards during landing, and the Mars Science Laboratory Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation 2 (MEDLI2) sensor suite, which gathers crucial data during the journey through the Martian atmosphere, will helpfuture human missionsland more safely and with larger payloads on other worlds.Perseverance also has features that will help astronauts once they're on the surface of another world: improved self-driving smarts for more efficient travel and the Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyzer (MEDA) instrument suite, which will provide key information about weather, climate, and dust. Meanwhile, the Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment (MOXIE) technology demonstration aims to produce oxygen from Mars' carbon dioxide atmosphere, demonstrating a way future explorers might produce oxygen for rocket propellant as well as for breathing.7. You will get to ride along.The Perseverance rover and other parts of the Mars 2020 spacecraft feature 23cameras- more cameras than any interplanetary mission in history. They'll help engineers put together a high-definition view of the landing process after the rover safely touches down on Mars on Feb. 18, 2021, and they'll deliver images of the landscape and scientific specimens in breathtaking detail. And as with previous Mars missions, this one plans to make raw and processed images available on themission's website.Perseverance also carries three silicon chips with the names of nearly11 million people who signed upto ride with the mission.You can follow Perseverance's adventure on social media @NASAPersevere and @NASAMars.For more highlights and other details about the launch, check out the mission's press kit:https://go.nasa.gov/perseverance-launch-press-kitFor more on the mission, visit:https://mars.nasa.gov/perseverance/For more about NASA's Moon to Mars plans, visit:https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-spacecraft-makes-great-catchheads-for-touchdown

NASA Spacecraft Makes Great Catch...Heads for Touchdown

Team Stardust, NASA's first dedicated sample return mission to a comet, passed a huge milestone today by successfully navigating through the particle and gas-laden coma around comet Wild 2 (pronounced "Vilt-2").

Team Stardust, NASA's first dedicated sample return mission to a comet, passed a huge milestone today by successfully navigating through the particle and gas-laden coma around comet Wild 2 (pronounced "Vilt-2"). During the hazardous traverse, the spacecraft flew within about 230 kilometers (143 miles) of the comet, catching samples of comet particles and scoring detailed pictures of Wild 2's pockmarked surface.Closest approach was at about 19:22 Universal Time (11:22 a.m. Pacific Standard Time). The spacecraft's radio signal was received on Earth 21 minutes and 40 seconds later, at 11:44 a.m. PST."Things couldn't have worked better in a fairy tale," said Tom Duxbury, Stardust project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif."These images are better than we had hoped for in our wildest dreams," said Ray Newburn of JPL, a co-investigator for Stardust. "They will help us better understand the mechanisms that drive conditions on comets.""These are the best pictures ever taken of a comet," said Principal Investigator Dr. Don Brownlee of the University of Washington, Seattle. "Although Stardust was designed to be a comet sample return mission, the fantastic details shown in these images greatly exceed our expectations."The collected particles, stowed in a sample return capsule onboard Stardust, will be returned to Earth for in-depth analysis. That dramatic event will occur on January 15, 2006, when the capsule makes a soft landing at the U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range. The microscopic particle samples of comet and interstellar dust collected by Stardust will be taken to the planetary material curatorial facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, for analysis.Stardust has traveled about 3.22 billion kilometers (2 billion miles) since its launch on February 7, 1999. As it closed the final gap with its cometary quarry, it endured a bombardment of particles surrounding the nucleus of comet Wild 2. To protect Stardust against the blast of expected cometary particles and rocks, the spacecraft rotated so it was flying in the shadow of its "Whipple Shields." The shields are named for American astronomer Dr. Fred L. Whipple, who, in the 1950s, came up with the idea of shielding spacecraft from high-speed collisions with the bits and pieces ejected from comets. The system includes two bumpers at the front of the spacecraft -- which protect Stardust's solar panels -- and another shield protecting the main spacecraft body. Each shield is built around composite panels designed to disperse particles as they impact, augmented by blankets of a ceramic cloth called Nextel that further dissipate and spread particle debris."Everything occurred pretty much to the minute," said Duxbury. "And with our cometary encounter complete, we invite everybody to tune in about one million, 71 thousand minutes from now when Stardust returns to Earth, bringing with it the first comet samples in the history of space exploration."Scientists believe in-depth terrestrial analysis of the samples will reveal much about comets and the earliest history of the solar system. Chemical and physical information locked within the cometary particles could be the record of the formation of the planets and the materials from which they were made. More information on the Stardust mission is available athttp://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov.Stardust, a part of NASA's Discovery Program of low-cost, highly focused science missions, was built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colo., and is managed by JPL for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/far-northern-permafrost-may-unleash-carbon-within-decades

Far Northern Permafrost May Unleash Carbon Within Decades

Permafrost in the far northern Arctic will thaw enough to become a source of carbon to the atmosphere in 40 to 60 years.

Permafrost in the coldest northern Arctic -- formerly thought to be at least temporarily shielded from global warming by its extreme environment -- will thaw enough to become a permanent source of carbon to the atmosphere in this century, with the peak transition occurring in 40 to 60 years, according to a new NASA-led study.The study calculated that as thawing continues, total carbon emissions from this region over the next 300 years or so will be 10 times as much as all human-produced fossil fuel emissions in the single year 2016.The study, led by scientist Nicholas Parazoo of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, found that warmer, more southerly permafrost regions will not become a carbon source until the end of the 22nd century, even though they are thawing now. That is because other changing Arctic processes will counter the effect of thawing soil in these regions.The finding that the colder region would transition sooner than the warmer one came as a surprise, according to Parazoo. "Permafrost in southern Alaska and southern Siberia is already thawing, so it's obviously more vulnerable," he said. "Some of the very cold, stable permafrost in the highest latitudes in Alaska and Siberia appeared to be sheltered from extreme climate change, and we didn't expect much impact over the next couple hundred years."Permafrost is soil that has remained frozen for years or centuries under topsoil. It contains carbon-rich organic material, such as leaves, that froze without decaying. As rising Arctic air temperatures cause permafrost to thaw, the organic material decomposes and releases its carbon to the atmosphere in the form of the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide and methane.Parazoo and his colleagues used data on soil temperatures in Alaska and Siberia from the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, with a numerical model from the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, that calculates changes in carbon emissions as plants grow and permafrost thaws in response to climate change. They assessed when the Arctic will transition to a carbon source instead of the carbon-neutral area it is today -- with some processes removing about as much carbon from the atmosphere as other processes emit. They divided the Arctic into two regions of equal size, a colder northern region and a warmer, more southerly belt encircling the northern region.There is far more permafrost in the northern region than in the southern one. Over the course of the model simulations, northern permafrost lost about five times more carbon per century than southern permafrost.The southern region transitioned more slowly in the model simulations, Parazoo said, because plant growth increased much faster than expected in the south. Plants remove carbon dioxide from the air during photosynthesis, so increased plant growth means less carbon in the atmosphere. According to the model, as the southern Arctic grows warmer, increased photosynthesis will balance increased permafrost emissions until the late 2100s.Results of the study are published in the journal The Cryosphere. To read the paper, visit:https://www.the-cryosphere.net/12/123/2018/Updated on 3/6/18 at 4:10 p.m. to clarify the total amount of Arctic carbon emitted by thawing permafrost, in paragraph 2, and adding a link to the study

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/new-international-ocean-satellite-completes-testing

New International Ocean Satellite Completes Testing

A team of engineers in the U.S. and Europe subjected the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft to a battery of trials to ready it for liftoff later this year.

Once the state-of-the-art Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite launches in November, it will collect the most accurate data yet on sea level - a key indicator of how Earth's warming climate is affecting the oceans, weather and coastlines. But first, engineers need to ensure that the spacecraft can survive the rigors of launch and of operating in the harsh environment of space. That's where meticulous testing comes in.At the end of May, engineers finished putting the spacecraft - which is being built in Germany - through a battery of tests that began in November 2019. "If it can survive all the abuse we deliberately put it through on the ground, then it's ready for space," said John Oswald, the mission's deputy project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich spacecraft is a part of the Copernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS (Continuity of Service) mission, a joint U.S.-European effort in which two identical satellites will be launched five years apart. The spacecraft will join the Copernicus constellation of satellites that constitutes the European Union's Earth Observation Programme. Once in orbit, each satellite will collect sea level measurements down to the centimeter for 90% of the world's oceans. The data will add to almost 30 years of information gathered by an uninterrupted series of joint U.S.-European satellites, creating an unprecedented - and unbroken - 40-year sea level dataset. The spacecraft will also measure the temperature and humidity of Earth's atmosphere, which can be used to help improve weather forecasts and hurricane predictions.These measurements are important because the oceans and atmosphere are tightly connected. "We're changing our climate, and the clearest signal of that is the rising oceans," said Josh Willis, the mission's project scientist at JPL. "More than 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases is going into the ocean." That heat causes seawater to expand, accounting for about one-third of the global average of modern-day sea level rise. Meltwater from glaciers and ice sheets account for the rest."For climate science, what we need to know is not just sea level today, but sea level compared to 20 years ago. We need long records to do climate science," said Willis.Six scientific instruments are key to that task. Two of them will work in concert to measure the distance from the satellite to the ocean's surface. That information - combined with data from three other instruments that precisely establish the satellite's position in orbit and a sixth that will measure vertical slices of the atmosphere for temperature and humidity - will help determine sea levels around the world.Put Through Their PacesTo ensure that the scientific instruments will work once they get into space, engineers sent the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich to a testing facility near Munich and ran the satellite through a gauntlet starting in November 2019.First up: the vibration test, where the engineers subjected the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite to the kinds of shaking it will experience while attached to a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasting into orbit. Then in December, engineers tested the spacecraft in a big vacuum chamber and exposed it to the extreme temperatures that it will encounter in space, ranging from 149 to minus 292 degrees Fahrenheit (65 to minus 180 degrees Celsius).The next two trials took place in late April and May. The acoustics test, performed in April, made sure the satellite could withstand the loud noises that occur during launch. Engineers placed the spacecraft in a roughly 1,000-square-foot (100-square-meter) chamber outfitted with enormous speakers. Then they blasted the satellite with four 60-second bursts of sound, with the loudest peaking around 140 decibels. That's like standing next to a jet's engine as the plane takes off.Finally, in the last week of May, engineers performed an electromagnetic compatibility test to ensure that the sensors and electronics on the satellite wouldn't interfere with one another, or with the data collection. The mission uses state-of-the-art instruments to make precise measurements, so the smallest interference could compromise that data.Normally, JPL engineers would help to conduct these tests in person, but two of the trials took place after social-distancing safety measures had been established due to the coronavirus pandemic. So team members worked out a system to support their counterparts in Germany remotely.To account for the nine-hour time-zone difference, engineers in California pulled shifts from midnight to 10 a.m. for several weeks, consulting with colleagues in Germany through phone calls, video conferences, chat rooms and text messages. "It was confusing sometimes, keeping all the channels and groups going at the same time in the middle of the night, but I was impressed with our team," said Oswald.The upshot of all that effort? "The tests are complete and the preliminary results look good," Oswald said. Team members will spend the next several weeks completing the analysis of the test results and then preparing the satellite for shipment to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California for launch this fall.About the MissionCopernicus Sentinel-6/Jason-CS is being jointly developed by the European Space Agency (ESA), the European Organisation for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), with funding support from the European Commission and support from France's National Centre for Space Studies (CNES).The first Sentinel-6/Jason-CS satellite that will launch was named after the former director of NASA's Earth Science Division, Michael Freilich. It will follow the most recent U.S.-European sea level observation satellite, Jason-3, which launched in 2016 and is currently providing data.NASA's contributions to the Sentinel-6 mission are three of the science instrument payloads for each of the two Sentinel-6 satellites, including the Advanced Microwave Radiometer, the Global Navigation Satellite System - Radio Occultation, and the Laser Reflector Array. NASA is also contributing launch services for those satellites, ground systems supporting operation of the JPL-provided science instruments, the science data processors for two of these instruments, and support for the international Ocean Surface Topography Science Team.To learn more about NASA's study of sea level rise, visit:https://sealevel.nasa.gov

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/less-algae-not-clearer-water-keeps-tahoe-blue

Less Algae, Not Clearer Water, Keeps Tahoe Blue

Lake Tahoe's iconic blueness is more strongly related to the lake's algal concentration than to its clarity.

Lake Tahoe's iconic blueness is more strongly related to the lake's algal concentration than to its clarity, according to research in "Tahoe: State of the Lake Report 2015," released today by the Tahoe Environmental Research Center (TERC) of the University of California, Davis. The lower the algal concentration, the bluer the lake.Data from a research buoy in the lake, owned and operated by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, enabled Shohei Watanabe, a postdoctoral researcher at TERC, to create a Blueness Index that quantified Lake Tahoe's color for the first time.The assumption that lake clarity is tied to blueness has driven advocacy and management efforts in the Lake Tahoe Basin for decades. But Watanabe's research showed that at times of the year when the lake's clarity increases, its blueness decreases, and vice versa.Watanabe combined the blueness measurements with data on clarity. Clarity is measured by observing the depth at which a dinner-plate-sized white disk remains visible when lowered into the water. He was surprised to find that blueness and clarity did not correspond. In fact, they varied in opposite directions.This is due to seasonal interplay among sediment, algae and nutrients in the lake. Clarity is controlled by sediment. Blueness is controlled by algal concentration, which in turn is controlled by the level of nutrients available to the algae.The JPL buoy used in the study is one of four buoys established by NASA with support from TERC to calibrate and validate measurements taken by satellites flying overhead. "This particular buoy has instruments beneath the water looking up and an instrument on the buoy looking down," said JPL's Simon Hook, who collaborated with Watanabe during his research. "The combination of instruments in and above the water was used in this study to look at how light is being scattered and attenuated. That tells you something about both the color and the clarity of the lake."The finding is good news, according to Geoffrey Schladow, director of TERC and a civil engineering professor at UC Davis. "It shows that we better understand how Lake Tahoe works, and it reinforces the importance of controlling nutrient inputs to the lake, whether from the forest, the surrounding lawns or even from the air. It's particularly encouraging that blueness has been increasing over the last three years."For more information on Watanabe's research and other highlights of the State of the Lake report, visit:http://news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=11265NASA uses the vantage point of space to increase our understanding of our home planet, improve lives and safeguard our future. NASA develops new ways to observe and study Earth's interconnected natural systems with long-term data records. The agency freely shares this unique knowledge and works with institutions around the world to gain new insights into how our planet is changing.For more information about NASA's Earth science activities, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/earth

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-eyes-study-louisianas-changing-wetlands

NASA 'Eyes' Study Louisiana's Changing Wetlands

NASA has completed an intensive study of Louisiana Gulf Coast levees and wetlands, using three research aircraft carrying advanced instruments.

NASA recently completed an intensive study of Louisiana Gulf Coast levees and wetlands, making measurements with three advanced imaging instruments on three research aircraft.NASA instruments fly over the Gulf Coast one to three times per year to keep consistent records of ground subsidence -- the gradual sinking of an area of land -- which can compromise the integrity of roads, buildings and levee systems. Scientists also closely monitor vegetation changes in the coastal wetlands to better understand how to preserve them. The marshlands not only are home to a delicate ecosystem, but also serve as a natural barrier between land and sea. During storms and hurricanes, the wetlands slow the influx of water into more heavily populated areas. As these wetlands become overly saturated by rising sea levels and the vegetation within them dies, the protection provided by these areas is reduced, jeopardizing the local communities and economy."This was a great opportunity to use instruments that work together to create a more complete picture of the changing Louisiana delta," said Randall Friedl, manager of the Earth System Science Formulation Office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. The instruments were all developed at JPL.The instruments were:-- The Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar (UAVSAR) instrument, an imaging radar uniquely designed to measure how Earth locations change between repeat flights over the same path.-- The Next-Generation Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRISng), which observes changes in light reflected from Earth to obtain accurate, quantitative characterizations of the composition and features of Earth's surface.-- The Air Surface Water and Ocean Topography (AirSWOT) instrument, an airborne prototype of a planned spaceborne precision radar instrument that will use a new technique to measure changes in Earth's water surfaces over time.According to Friedl, the instruments work synergistically together to characterize key wetland properties, such as the extent of flooding, seasonal flooding dynamics and vegetation type.The goal of the research is to provide data to federal and local agencies, which use the information to determine where to concentrate resources and combat the negative effects of wetland loss and floods. The data will also be used to improve modeling of delta land building and can be applied to help restore deltas worldwide.UAVSAR flew on a C-20A research aircraft and the other two instruments flew on a B200 King Air. Both aircraft are based at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center facility in Palmdale, California.An area of particular interest on this mission was the Wax Lake Delta. According to Cathleen Jones of JPL, the Wax Lake Delta is one of the few deltas in the world that is actually growing through natural sedimentation processes. Jones and Michael Lamb of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, were co-principal investigators for the Wax Lake Delta study."Most deltas are highly engineered, inhabited areas that are in danger from a combination of subsidence and sea level rise. This happens because dams upstream and levees in the delta prevent the natural process of sedimentation from offsetting subsidence," said Jones.For more information about NASA's Earth science activities, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/earthFor more information about NASA's Airborne Science Program, visit:http://airbornescience.nasa.gov

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/rosetta-comet-outburst-captured

Rosetta Comet Outburst Captured

A dramatic outburst from Rosetta's target comet is recorded by several instruments, including the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer, which uses NASA-built electronics.

The European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft has been witnessing growing activity from comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko as the comet approaches perihelion (its closest point to the sun during its orbit). On July 29, while the spacecraft orbited at a distance of 116 miles (186 kilometers) from the comet, it observed the most dramatic outburst to date. Early science results collected during the outburst came from several instruments aboard Rosetta, including the Double Focusing Mass Spectrometer (DFMS), which uses NASA-built electronics. The DFMS is part of the spacecraft's Rosetta Orbiter Spectrometer for Ion and Neutral Analysis (ROSINA) instrument.When the outburst occurred, the spectrometer recorded dramatic changes in the composition of outpouring gases from the comet when compared to measurements made two days earlier. As a result of the outburst, the amount of carbon dioxide increased by a factor of two, methane by four, and hydrogen sulfide by seven, while the amount of water stayed almost constant."This first quick look at our measurements after the outburst is fascinating," said Kathrin Altwegg, principal investigator for the ROSINA instrument from the University of Bern, Switzerland. "We also see hints of heavy organic material after the outburst that might be related to the ejected dust."But while it is tempting to think that we are detecting material that may have been freed from beneath the comet's surface, it is too early to say for certain that this is the case."A sequence of images taken by Rosetta's scientific camera OSIRIS shows the sudden onset of a well-defined, jet-like feature emerging from the side of the comet's neck. The jet, the brightest seen to date, was first recorded in an image taken at 6:24 a.m. PDT (9:24 a.m. EDT, 13:24 GMT) on July 29, but not in an image taken 18 minutes earlier. The jet then faded significantly in an image captured 18 minutes later. The OSIRIS camera team estimates the material in the jet was traveling at 33 feet per second (10 meters per second), at least.A composite of the three images taken by Rosetta's OSIRIS is online at:http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.govOn Thursday, Aug. 13, the comet and Rosetta will be 116 million miles (186 million kilometers) from the sun -- the closest to the sun they will be in their 6.5-year orbit. In recent months, the increasing solar energy has been warming the comet's frozen ices -- turning them to gas -- which pours out into space, dragging dust along with it. The period around perihelion is scientifically very important, as the intensity of the sunlight increases and parts of the comet previously cast in years of darkness are flooded with sunlight. The comet's general activity is expected to peak in the weeks following perihelion.Comets are time capsules containing primitive material left over from the epoch when the sun and its planets formed. Rosetta's lander, Philae, obtained the first images taken from a comet's surface and will provide analysis of the comet's possible primordial composition. Rosetta is the first spacecraft to witness at close proximity how a comet changes as it is subjected to the increasing intensity of the sun's radiation. Observations are helping scientists learn more about the origin and evolution of our solar system and the role comets may have played in seeding Earth with water, and perhaps even life.Rosetta is a a European Space Agency mission with contributions from its member states and NASA. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the U.S. contribution of the Rosetta mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL also built the MIRO instrument and hosts its principal investigator, Samuel Gulkis. The Southwest Research Institute (San Antonio and Boulder) developed the Rosetta orbiter's IES and Alice instruments, and hosts their principal investigators, James Burch (IES) and Alan Stern (Alice).For more information on the U.S. instruments aboard Rosetta, visit:http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.govMore information about Rosetta is available at:http://www.esa.int/rosetta

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/asteroid-juno-grabs-the-spotlight

Asteroid Juno Grabs the Spotlight

Toward the end of September, the sun will turn a spotlight on the asteroid Juno, giving that bulky lump of rock a rare featured cameo in the night sky.

Toward the end of September, the sun will turn a spotlight on the asteroid Juno, giving that bulky lump of rock a rare featured cameo in the night sky. Those who get out to a dark, unpolluted sky will be able to spot the asteroid's silvery glint near the planet Uranus with a pair of binoculars."It can usually be seen by a good amateur telescope, but the guy on the street doesn't usually get a chance to observe it," said Don Yeomans, manager of NASA's Near Earth Object Program Office at JPL. "This is going to be as bright as it gets until 2018."Juno, one of the first asteroids discovered, is thought to be the parent of many of the meteorites that rain on Earth. The asteroid is composed mostly of hardy silicate rock, which is tough enough that fragments broken off by collisions can often survive a trip through Earth's atmosphere.Though pockmarked by bang-ups with other asteroids, Juno is large; in fact, it is the tenth largest asteroid. It measures about 234 kilometers (145 miles) in diameter, or about one-fifteenth the diameter of the moon.The asteroid, which orbits the sun on a track between Mars and Jupiter, will be at its brightest on Sept. 21, when it is zooming around the sun at about 22 kilometers per second (49,000 miles per hour). At that time, its apparent magnitude will be 7.6, which is about two-and- a-half times brighter than normal. The extra brightness will come from its position in a direct line with the sun and its proximity to Earth. (The asteroid will still be about 180 million kilometers [112 million miles] away, so there is no danger it will fall towards Earth.)Skywatchers with telescopes can probably see Juno from now until the end of the year, but it is most visible to binoculars in late September. On or before Sept. 21, look for Juno near midnight a few degrees east of the brighter glow of Uranus and in the constellation Pisces. It will look like a gray dot in the sky, and each night at the end of September, it will appear slightly more southwest of its location the night before. By Sept. 25, it will be closer to the constellation Aquarius and best seen before midnight.For more information:http://neo.jpl.nasa.gov/.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/here-comes-the-rainagain

Here Comes the Rain...Again

It's raining again in Southern California, even though most of the west is having a drought.

It's raining again in Southern California, even though most of the west is having a drought. JPL oceanographer Dr. Bill Patzert studies the ocean's role in climate and has some opinions about these recent deluges and how they fit into the big climate picture. He approaches this wet season with characteristic dry wit.Q: What's going on in the Pacific right now (image from Mar. 6)?A: The latest Jason image shows a pool of higher-than-normal sea level, or warmer waters, centered at the Dateline in the mid-to west Pacific. Look at the red area at about 180 degrees west. But to the east, sea levels are lower, and the water is cooler, from the coast of Peru out to 150 degrees west. I'd call this situation neither an El Niño nor La Niña. It's la nada.Q: What's causing all this rain?A: Southern California is being battered by one low-pressure system after another. These storms start in the North Pacific. They break off from the polar jet stream and wander south. These storms are slow, they're wet and they're definitely cold.Big rains from El Niños are usually much warmer. They normally hit the southwestern United States later in the season than these did and they come from the south and southwest. In contrast, this stuff is coming from the Gulf of Alaska.Once again, it has been a mediocre year for surfing-that's another reason not to blame El Niño. El Niños are always a surfer's delight, dude.We're getting Seattle's rain and we don't know exactly why. Mother Nature can be messy, and sometimes you just don't know all the answers. There is some good news, though. Southern Californian reservoirs and aquifers are brimming, giving us some relief from our six years of local drought.Q: Does this mean the drought is over?A: No, definitely not. The rainfall here is very local; most of the west is still locked in a multi-year drought. The big picture is that the drought is continuing.Q: What is the ocean's role in climate?A: The oceans are the memory of the climate system. Understanding these great heat reservoirs is a key to forecasting climate.Media contact: Alan Buis (818) 354-0474Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.Written by: Rosemary Sullivant

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-logs-second-successful-flight

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Logs Second Successful Flight

The small rotorcraft’s horizons were expanded on its second flight.

Keep up with the latest helicopter news in themission blog.NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter successfully completed its second Mars flight on April 22 – the 18th sol, or Martian day, of its experimental flight test window. Lasting 51.9 seconds, the flight added several new challenges tothe first, which took place on April 19, including a higher maximum altitude, longer duration, and sideways movement.“So far, the engineering telemetry we have received and analyzed tell us that the flight met expectations and our prior computer modeling has been accurate,” said Bob Balaram, chief engineer for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We have two flights of Mars under our belts, which means that there is still a lot to learn during this month of Ingenuity.”Get the Latest JPL NewsSUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTERFor this second flight test at “Wright Brothers Field,” Ingenuity took off again at 5:33 a.m. EDT (2:33 a.m. PDT), or 12:33 p.m. local Mars time. But where Flight One topped out at 10 feet (3 meters) above the surface, Ingenuity climbed to 16 feet (5 meters) this time. After the helicopter hovered briefly, its flight control system performed a slight (5-degree) tilt, allowing some of the thrust from the counter-rotating rotors to accelerate the craft sideways for 7 feet (2 meters).“The helicopter came to a stop, hovered in place, and made turns to point its camera in different directions,” said Håvard Grip, Ingenuity’s chief pilot at JPL. “Then it headed back to the center of the airfield to land. It sounds simple, but there are many unknowns regarding how to fly a helicopter on Mars. That’s why we’re here – to make these unknowns known.”NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter hovers over Jezero Crater during its second experimental flight test on April 22, 2021. The imagery was captured by the Perseverance rover’s Mastcam-Z imager.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSSOperating an aircraft in a controlled manner at Mars is far more difficult than flying one on Earth. Even though gravity on Mars is about one third that of Earth’s, the helicopter must fly with the assistance of an atmosphere with only about 1% of the density at Earth’s surface. Each second of each flight provides an abundance of Mars in-flight data for comparison to the modeling, simulations, and tests performed back here on Earth. And NASA also gains its first practical experience operating a rotorcraft remotely at Mars. These datasets will prove invaluable for potential future Mars missions that could enlist next-generation helicopters to add an aerial dimension to their explorations.The Ingenuity Mars Helicopter project is a high-risk, high-reward technology demonstration. If Ingenuity were to encounter difficulties during its 30-sol mission, the science-gathering of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover mission wouldn’t be impacted.As with the first test, the Perseverance rover obtained imagery of the flight attempt from 211 feet (64.3 meters) away at “Van Zyl Overlook” using its Navcam and Mastcam-Z imagers. The initial set of data – including imagery – from the flight was received by the Ingenuity team beginning at 9:20 a.m. EDT (6:20 a.m. PDT).“For the second flight, we tried a slightly different approach to the zoom level on one of the cameras,” said Justin Maki, Perseverance project imaging scientist and Mastcam-Z deputy principal investigator at JPL. “For the first flight, one of the cameras was fully zoomed in on the takeoff and landing zone. For the second flight we zoomed that camera out a bit for a wider field of view to capture more of the flight.”Because the data and imagery indicate that the Mars Helicopter not only survived the second flight but also flew as anticipated, the Ingenuity team is considering how best to expand the profiles of its next flights to acquire additional aeronautical data from the first successful flight tests on another world.More About IngenuityThe Ingenuity Mars Helicopter was built by JPL, which also manages this technology demonstration project for NASA Headquarters. It is supported by NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, and Space Technology Mission Directorate. NASA’s Ames Research Center and Langley Research Center provided significant flight performance analysis and technical assistance during Ingenuity’s development.At NASA Headquarters, Dave Lavery is the program executive for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter. At JPL, MiMi Aung is the project manager and J. (Bob) Balaram is chief engineer.For more information about Ingenuity:https://go.nasa.gov/ingenuity-press-kitandhttps://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopterMore About PerseveranceA key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars isastrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includesArtemismissions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance:nasa.gov/perseveranceandmars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/study-finds-drought-recoveries-taking-longer

Study Finds Drought Recoveries Taking Longer

Land ecosystems are taking longer to recover from droughts, and incomplete recovery may become the norm in places, with tree deaths and increased greenhouse gas emissions.

As global temperatures continue to rise, droughts are expected to become more frequent and severe in many regions during this century. A new study with NASA participation finds that land ecosystems took progressively longer to recover from droughts in the 20th century, and incomplete drought recovery may become the new normal in some areas, possibly leading to tree death and increased emissions of greenhouse gases.In results published Aug. 10 in the journal Nature, a research team led by Christopher Schwalm of Woods Hole Research Center, Falmouth, Massachusetts, and including a scientist from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, measured recovery time following droughts in various regions of the world. They used projections from climate models verified by observations from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite and ground measurements. The researchers found that drought recovery was taking longer in all land areas. In two particularly vulnerable regions -- the tropics and northern high latitudes -- recovery took ever longer than in other regions.Schwalm noted that in model projections that assumed no new restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions (the so-called business-as-usual scenario), "Time between drought events will likely become shorter than the time needed for land ecosystems to recover from them.""Using the vantage point of space, we can see all of Earth's forests and other ecosystems getting hit repeatedly and increasingly by droughts," said study co-author Josh Fisher of JPL. "Some of these ecosystems recover, but, with increasing frequency, others do not. Data from our 'eyes' in space allow us to verify our simulations of past and current climate, which, in turn, helps us reduce uncertainties in projections of future climate."The scientists argue that recovery time is a crucial metric for assessing the resilience of ecosystems, shaping the odds of crossing a tipping point after which trees begin to die. Shorter times between droughts, combined with longer drought recovery times, may lead to widespread tree death, decreasing the ability of land areas to absorb atmospheric carbon.The research is funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA. Other participating institutions include Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff; the University of Utah, Salt Lake City; Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, California; the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; the U.S. Forest Service, Ogden, Utah; Arable Labs Inc., Princeton, New Jersey; the National Snow and Ice Data Center, Boulder, Colorado; Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee; the University of Maine, Orono; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, Washington; the University of Illinois, Urbana; the University of Nevada, Reno; and Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/radar-images-capture-big-slowly-tumbling-asteroid

Radar Images Capture Big, Slowly Tumbling Asteroid

Astronomers have used the world's two most powerful radar telescopes to make the most detailed images ever obtained for an asteroid in a near-Earth trajectory.

Astronomers have used the world's two most powerful radar telescopes to make the most detailed images ever obtained for an asteroid in a near-Earth trajectory.With an average diameter of about 3.5 kilometers (2 miles), 1999 JM8 is the largest near-Earth asteroid ever studied in detail. Although this object can pass fairly close to Earth in celestial terms, astronomers concur that an actual encounter with Earth is not of concern in the next few centuries.The new images, obtained with NASA's Goldstone Solar System Radar in California and the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, reveal that 1999 JM8 is a several-kilometer-wide object with a peculiar shape and an unusually slow and possibly complex spin state, said Dr. Lance Benner of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, who led the team of astronomers. The images are available online athttp://photojournal.jpl.nasa.govorhttp://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/~lance/1999JM8.html."It will take much more data analysis to determine the object's shape and exact rotation state," Benner said. "But just from looking at the images we can see that this nearby world is extremely peculiar. At this point we do not understand what some of the features in the images are, much less how they originated." The asteroid was discovered on May 13, 1999, at a U.S. Air Force telescope in New Mexico that is part of the Lincoln Near Earth Asteroid Research Project, managed by the Lincoln Laboratories of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The discovery provided adequate notice for radar observations to be scheduled at Goldstone from July 18 to August 8 and at Arecibo from August 1-9 during the asteroid's close approach to 8.5 million kilometers (5.3 million miles), the equivalent of 22 Earth-Moon distances."Although Arecibo is the more sensitive telescope, Goldstone is more fully steerable, and we took advantage of the complementary capabilities of the two antennas," noted Benner. "The discovery of this object weeks before its closest approach was a stroke of luck," he said. "The asteroid won't come this close again for more than a thousand years."Asteroid 1999 JM8 bears a striking resemblance to Toutatis, a similar-sized, slowly rotating object also studied in detail with radar, said Dr. Scott Hudson of Washington State University, who is an expert in using radar images to determine the shapes of asteroids."The fact that both these several-kilometer-wide asteroids are in extremely slow spin states suggests that slow rotators are fairly common among near-Earth asteroids," he said. "However, although collisions are thought to be the primary process that determines asteroid spin states, we don't know how the slow, complex states come about."The radar imaging technique uses transmissions of sophisticated coded waveforms and computer determinations of how echoes are distributed in range and frequency, instead of their angular distribution, as in normal optical pictures. "Our finest resolution is 15 meters (49 feet) per pixel, which is finer than that obtained for any other asteroid, even for spacecraft" said Dr. Jean-Luc Margot, one of the team members from Arecibo Observatory. "To get that kind of resolution with an optical telescope, you'd need a mirror several hundred meters across. Radar certainly is the least expensive way of imaging Earth- approaching objects."The images show impact craters with diameters as small as 100 meters (330 feet) -- about the length of a football field -- and a few as large as 1 kilometer (0.6 miles). "The density of craters suggest that the surface is geologically old, and is not simply a chip off of a parent asteroid," said Dr. Michael Nolan, a staff scientist at the Arecibo Observatory. "We also see a concavity that is about half as wide as the asteroid itself, but we're not sure yet whether or not it's an impact crater."This is hardly the first time that radar has revealed a near-Earth asteroid with peculiar characteristics, said Dr. Steven Ostro of JPL, who has led dozens of asteroid radar experiments. Radar studies have revealed a stunning array of exotically shaped worlds with compositions ranging from solid metal to low-density carbonaceous rock and rotation periods ranging from 11 minutes to more than a week. "These are very, very strange places," he said. "I really envy the coming generations of space explorers who will visit them."In addition to Benner, Hudson, Margot, Nolan and Ostro, the radar team included Drs. Jon D. Giorgini, Raymond F. Jurgens, Donald K. Yeomans and Martin A. Slade from JPL, and Donald B. Campbell from Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.The radar observations were supported by NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. The Goldstone Solar System Radar is part of NASA's Deep Space Network. The Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico is part of the National Astronomy and Ionosphere Center, which is operated by the Cornell University under a cooperative agreement with the National Science Foundation and with support from NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.818-354-5011

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-kepler-mission-announces-a-planet-bonanza

NASA's Kepler Mission Announces a Planet Bonanza

NASA's Kepler mission announced Wednesday the discovery of 715 new planets.

NASA's Kepler mission announced Wednesday the discovery of 715 new planets. These newly verified worlds orbit 305 stars, revealing multiple-planet systems much like our own solar system.Nearly 95 percent of these planets are smaller than Neptune, which is almost four times the size of Earth. This discovery marks a significant increase in the number of known small-sized planets more akin to Earth than previously identified exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system."The Kepler team continues to amaze and excite us with their planet-hunting results," said John Grunsfeld, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "That these new planets and solar systems look somewhat like our own, portends a great future when we have the James Webb Space Telescope in space to characterize the new worlds."Since the discovery of the first planets outside our solar system roughly two decades ago, verification has been a laborious planet-by-planet process. Now, scientists have a statistical technique that can be applied to many planets at once when they are found in systems that harbor more than one planet around the same star.To verify this bounty of planets, a research team co-led by Jack Lissauer, planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., analyzed stars with more than one potential planet, all of which were detected in the first two years of Kepler's observations -- May 2009 to March 2011.The research team used a technique called verification by multiplicity, which relies in part on the logic of probability. Kepler observes 150,000 stars, and has found a few thousand of those to have planet candidates. If the candidates were randomly distributed among Kepler's stars, only a handful would have more than one planet candidate. However, Kepler observed hundreds of stars that have multiple planet candidates. Through a careful study of this sample, these 715 new planets were verified.This method can be likened to the behavior we know of lions and lionesses. In our imaginary savannah, the lions are the Kepler stars and the lionesses are the planet candidates. The lionesses would sometimes be observed grouped together whereas lions tend to roam on their own. If you see two lions it could be a lion and a lioness or it could be two lions. But if more than two large felines are gathered, then it is very likely to be a lion and his pride. Thus, through multiplicity the lioness can be reliably identified in much the same way multiple planet candidates can be found around the same star."Four years ago, Kepler began a string of announcements of first hundreds, then thousands, of planet candidates --but they were only candidate worlds," said Lissauer. "We've now developed a process to verify multiple planet candidates in bulk to deliver planets wholesale, and have used it to unveil a veritable bonanza of new worlds."These multiple-planet systems are fertile grounds for studying individual planets and the configuration of planetary neighborhoods. This provides clues to planet formation.Four of these new planets are less than 2.5 times the size of Earth and orbit in their sun's habitable zone, defined as the range of distance from a star where the surface temperature of an orbiting planet may be suitable for life-giving liquid water.One of these new habitable-zone planets, called Kepler-296f, orbits a star half the size and 5 percent as bright as our sun. Kepler-296f is twice the size of Earth, but scientists do not know whether the planet is a gaseous world, with a thick hydrogen-helium envelope, or it is a water world surrounded by a deep ocean."From this study we learn planets in these multi-systems are small and their orbits are flat and circular -- resembling pancakes -- not your classical view of an atom," said Jason Rowe, research scientist at the SETI Institute in Mountain View, Calif., and co-leader of the research. "The more we explore the more we find familiar traces of ourselves amongst the stars that remind us of home."This latest discovery brings the confirmed count of planets outside our solar system to nearly 1,700. As we continue to reach toward the stars, each discovery brings us one step closer to a more accurate understanding of our place in the galaxy.Launched in March 2009, Kepler is the first NASA mission to find potentially habitable Earth-size planets. Discoveries include more than 3,600 planet candidates, of which 961 have been verified as bona-fide worlds.The findings papers will be published March 10 in The Astrophysical Journal and are available for download at:http://www.nasa.gov/ames/kepler/digital-press-kit-kepler-planet-bonanzaAmes is responsible for the Kepler mission concept, ground system development, mission operations and science data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., managed Kepler mission development. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colo., developed the Kepler flight system and supports mission operations with the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado in Boulder. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore archives, hosts and distributes Kepler science data. Kepler is NASA's 10th Discovery Mission and was funded by the agency's Science Mission Directorate. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.For more information about the Kepler space telescope, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/kepler

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/collaboration-finds-a-rolling-moon

Collaboration Finds a Rolling Moon

Bob Pappalardo gets by with a little help from his friends. Pappalardo is a newly hired JPL planetary scientist who credits a collaborative effort with colleagues for a recent unusual discovery based on images from Cassini.

Bob Pappalardo gets by with a little help from his friends. Pappalardo is a newly hired JPL planetary scientist who credits a collaborative effort with colleagues for a recent unusual discovery based on images from Cassini.New research shows that Saturn's moon Enceladus -- an active, icy world with an unusually warm south pole - may have performed an unusual trick for a planetary body. Enceladus literally rolled over, explaining why the moon's hottest spot is at the south pole."It's astounding that Cassini found a region of current geological activity on an icy moon that we would expect to be frigidly cold, especially down at this moon's equivalent of Antarctica," said Pappalardo, co-author of a paper published in late May in Nature. "We think the moon rolled over to put a deeply seated warm, active area there."Pappalardo co-authored the study with Francis Nimmo, a geophysicist and assistant professor of Earth sciences at UC Santa Cruz, whose Mars research familiarizes him with a similar issue, where a big lump on the side of that planet caused Mars to "reorient" and put that lump at the equator.Nimmo and Pappalardo calculated the effects of a low-density blob beneath the surface of Enceladus and showed it could cause the moon to roll over by up to 30 degrees and put the blob at the pole.Pappalardo also credits "unspoken collaborator" Jeff Moore, his former officemate at Arizona State University and currently a planetary geologist at Ames Research Center. "Jeff and I were discussing how much Enceladus appears to be like the Uranus moon Miranda," said Pappalardo, who wrote his dissertation on Miranda."We were just blown over when we saw the geologic activity at Enceladus' south pole and saw how the hot spot area was somewhat like one of the coronae on Miranda," he said. Coronae are circular to elliptical features marked by a ring of concentric ridges and grooves, and are thought to result from the rise of material in the planet's interior.Also, Pappalardo said, images from Cassini's Enceladus flyby in July 2005 that show the "tiger-stripe" region suggesting fault lines caused by tectonic stress are somewhat reminiscent of the coronae on Miranda."This is an example of how you see new data and say, 'Aha, this makes sense.' A lot of this builds on the experience that comes from previous work - from knowing the literature, from understanding how it might be similar to or different from other planetary bodies."We don't have a global map of Enceladus yet," he said, "but another interesting possibility is that maybe we'll see the evidence of other places on the surface that used to be like the hot spot is today.""I'm happy we've been able to put together this team of researchers who might not have otherwise talked about this topic," Pappalardo added. "It's satisfying and exciting for me to come back to the first real research I ever did as a graduate student, because I believe Miranda holds a lot of keys to early planetary evolution. I never would have thought we'd effectively have more information - more data - about Miranda by studying another satellite."I think by studying Enceladus we're seeing that geology in action, which is great in science."While Pappalardo has found his Enceladus studies "thrilling," he would like to take his efforts in comparative science to another level."My goal is to try my best to bring a Europa mission to JPL," he said. "Europa almost certainly has a global subsurface ocean. Enceladus may have liquid water in pockets and spots - it's not clear if that liquid water is global or how deep it might be - but Europa has had time to 'cook' for 4 billion years. Enceladus might get to the point where any liquid water might freeze up, but I don't know. The bottom line is that Europa has the astrobiological potential that is calling for us to get there, explore it, and understand it."

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/first-ever-snapshot-released-of-mother-earth-from-mars

First-Ever Snapshot Released of Mother Earth from Mars

Have you ever wondered what you would see if you were on Mars looking at Earth through a small telescope?

Have you ever wondered what you would see if you were on Mars looking at Earth through a small telescope? Now you can find out, thanks to a unique view of our world recently captured by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft currently orbiting the red planet.This first-ever image of its kind not only shows Mother Earth as a tiny alien world in the vast darkness of space, but also includes a view of the giant planet Jupiter and some of its larger moons. The camera aboard Mars Global Surveyor photographed both planets in an alignment, as seen in the evening sky of Mars, at 6 a.m. Pacific Time (9 a.m. EDT) on May 8, 2003."From our Mars orbital-camera perspective, we've spent the last six-and-a-half years staring at Mars right in front of us," said Dr. Michael Malin, president and chief scientist of Malin Space Science Systems, of San Diego, who operates the camera aboard Mars Global Surveyor. "Taking this picture allowed us to look up from that work of exploring Mars and take in a more panoramic view. This image gives us a new perspective on that neighborhood, one in which we can see our own planet as one among many."The image is available on the Internet at:http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04531orhttp://www.msss.com/mars_images/moc/2003/05/22/.The image of Earth actually shows our home as a planetary disc, in a "half-Earth" phase. The image has been specially processed to allow both Earth and the much darker Moon to be visible together. The bright area at the top of the image of Earth is cloud cover over central and eastern North America. Below that, a darker area includes Central America and the Gulf of Mexico. The bright feature near the center-right of the crescent Earth consists of clouds over northern South America.The image also shows the Earth-facing hemisphere of the Moon, since the Moon was on the far side of Earth as viewed from Mars. The slightly lighter tone of the lower portion of the image of the Moon results from the large and conspicuous ray system associated with the crater Tycho.The image also shows Jupiter and three of its four Galilean moons: Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa. At the time, Jupiter's giant red spot had rotated out of view, and, the other so-called Galilean satellite, Io, was behind Jupiter as seen from Mars. This image has been specially processed to show both Jupiter and its satellites, since Jupiter was much brighter than the three satellites.Mars Global Surveyor, one of the most successful missions to Mars ever undertaken, has been orbiting the red planet since September 1997. The mission has examined the entire martian surface and provided a wealth of information, including some stunning high-resolution imagery, about the planet's atmosphere and interior.Evaluation of landing sites for NASA's two Mars Exploration Rover missions and the British Beagle 2 lander mission has relied heavily on mineral mapping, detailed imagery and topographic measurements by Mars Global Surveyor. NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers and the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission, which carries the Beagle 2 mission, are due to launch this summer and arrive at Mars in late December 2003 and January 2004.More information about Mars Global Surveyor is available athttp://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/.The Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., manages Mars Global Surveyor for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. JPL's industrial partner is Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, which developed and operates the spacecraft. Malin Space Science Systems and the California Institute of Technology built the Mars Orbiter Camera, and Malin Space Science Systems operates the camera from its facilities in San Diego, Calif.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-phoenix-mars-lander-continues-tests-with-rasp

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander Continues Tests with Rasp

The team operating NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander plans to tell the lander today to do a second, larger test of using a motorized rasp to produce and gather shavings of frozen ground.

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The team operating NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander plans to tell the lander today to do a second, larger test of using a motorized rasp to produce and gather shavings of frozen ground.The planned test is a preparation for putting a similar sample into one of Phoenix's laboratory ovens in coming days. The instrument with the oven, the Thermal and Evolved- Gas Analyzer (TEGA), will be used to check whether the hard layer exposed in a shallow trench is indeed rich in water ice, as scientists expect, and to identify some other ingredients in the frozen soil.The rasp flings some of the shavings that it produces directly into an opening on the back of the scoop at the end of the lander's robotic arm. The test planned for today differs in several ways from the first test of the rasp on Mars, on July 15."First, we will scrape the terrain before rasping, to expose fresh terrain for sampling," said Richard Volpe of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., an engineer for the Phoenix robotic arm team. "Second, we will rasp four times in a row, twice the amount previously. Third, the scoop blade will be run across the rasp holes to pick up as much of the tailings as possible."The test area is in the bottom of a trench about 5 centimeters (2 inches) deep, informally named "Snow White," which is also the planned site for acquiring an icy sample for the TEGA instrument. The team wants to be sure to be able to collect and deliver the sample quickly, and early in the Martian morning, in order to minimize the amount of ice lost to vaporization before the material is sealed into the oven. Today's plans include using the Robotic Arm Camera to check repeatedly for any changes in the collected sample during seven hours after getting it into the scoop.The Phoenix mission is led by Peter Smith of the University of Arizona with project management at JPL and development partnership at Lockheed Martin, Denver. International contributions come from the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel; the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark; Max Planck Institute, Germany; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. For more about Phoenix, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/phoenixandhttp://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/astronaut-neil-armstrong-1930-2012

Astronaut Neil Armstrong 1930-2012

Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon during the 1969 Apollo 11 mission, has died.

WASHINGTON -- The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Charles Bolden regarding the death of former test pilot and NASA astronaut Neil Armstrong. He was 82."On behalf of the entire NASA family, I would like to express my deepest condolences to Carol and the rest of Armstrong family on the passing of Neil Armstrong. As long as there are history books, Neil Armstrong will be included in them, remembered for taking humankind's first small step on a world beyond our own."Besides being one of America's greatest explorers, Neil carried himself with a grace and humility that was an example to us all. When President Kennedy challenged the nation to send a human to the moon, Neil Armstrong accepted without reservation."As we enter this next era of space exploration, we do so standing on the shoulders of Neil Armstrong. We mourn the passing of a friend, fellow astronaut and true American hero."Additional information about Armstrong is available on the Web at:http://www.nasa.govhttp://www.neilarmstronginfo.com

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/martian-meteorological-phenomena

Martian Meteorological Phenomena

Rare Martian meteorological phenomena have been found in pictures of Mars taken by the Viking Orbiter 1 spacecraft, managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

Rare Martian meteorological phenomena have been found in pictures of Mars taken by the Viking Orbiter 1 spacecraft, managed for NASA by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.Weather activity never before observed on Mars was discovered in images taken on an exceptionally clear Martian day on Feb. 22, 1980.Several prominent Martian features and at least two meterological anomalies are visible in mosaic of 102 frames taken that day. The photo-mosaic is probably the best wide area view of the Mars surface yet obtained.The most remarkable weather activity in the mosaic appears as sharp, dark line which curves north and east from the huge volcano Arsia Mons in the Tharsis Ridge. Scientists believe this line is either weather front or atmospheric shock wave. Nothing like this weather phenomenon has ever been seen before on Mars.The second unusual weather activity consists of four small clouds that hover just north of the Lowell crater. Though two of the clouds are so close together as to be almost inseparable even in high enlargement, four clearly separate cloud shadows are cast on the planet surface. The largest cloud is about 32 kilometers (20 miles) in length.Judging from the distance between the clouds and shadows, the clouds float at an altitude of nearly 28 kilometers (91,000 feet). The shadows, which are cast to the south of the clouds, indicate that the photographs near the center of the mosaic were taken close to noon, local Martian time. Distinct cloud pattern shadows are rarely apparent on the face of Mars.Viking Orbiter 1, which entered Mars orbit June 19, 1976, is nearing the end of four years of planetary operations, but continues to transmit an average of 30 pictures day to mission control at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.818-354-5011

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/new-jpl-deep-sea-probe-to-be-tested-in-monterey-aquarium-kelp-forest

New JPL Deep Sea Probe to Be Tested in Monterey Aquarium Kelp Forest

A new aluminum deep sea probe, the prototype of one designed to withstand crushing pressures and extreme temperatures, is set to be lowered to depths of 9 meters (30 feet) in Monterey Bay Aquarium's giant kelp forest July 28 as part of NASA's hunt for clues to life's origins.

A new aluminum deep sea probe, the prototype of one designed to withstand crushing pressures and extreme temperatures, is set to be lowered to depths of 9 meters (30 feet) in Monterey Bay Aquarium's giant kelp forest July 28 as part of NASA's hunt for clues to life's origins.Scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, will sink the new package of underwater cameras, temperature sensors, optics and a spectrometer into the emerald waters of a controlled aquatic environment to test the capabilities of more advanced instruments to explore the interior of volcanic vents. These cracks in the sea floor, occurring at depths of between 500 meters and 4,000 meters (1,650 feet and 13,200 feet), are known to nurture a pageantry of macabre bottom-dwellers such as salps, siphonophores, crustaceans and gelatinous animals only recently discovered at such depths."These instruments will be able to record water temperatures in the throat of a vent, capture video and low- and- high- resolution still images of the walls of the vent, and record spectral or fluorescent signatures of minerals and bioluminescent life dwelling in these crevices," said Dr. Arthur Lane, manager of the Underwater Volcanic Vent Mission probe at JPL. "The experiment will demonstrate a more sophisticated set of instruments that will be used in late August and September to probe the Pitcairn, McDonald and Teahitia seamounts near Tahiti, where hydrothermal vents range from 900 meters to 3,600 meters (2,970 feet to 11,880 feet) in depth."The mission will gather preliminary data and serve as a stepping stone in the development of technology and instrument housing required in the search for evidence of life in extreme, high-pressure liquid environments. This information will aid in NASA's proposed efforts to develop technologies capable of exploring more extreme liquid and ice environments, such as Lake Vostok in Antarctica, and eventually, to send instrumented probes to the Martian polar caps and frozen oceans on Jupiter's moon, Europa, and Saturn's moon, Titan.The discovery of gelatinous material in underwater volcanic vents has opened a new chapter in the search for life and organisms that can survive in extreme environments. Hydrothermal vents and the biological communities thriving in these remote pockets of the sea floor are found primarily at tectonic plate junctions at temperatures ranging from nearly 80 to almost 400 degrees Celsius (170 to 750 degrees Fahrenheit) and at pressures as high as 6,000 pounds per square inch. Typical water temperatures inside the vents range from 200 to more than 350 degrees C (392 to 662 degrees F) and drop quickly to ambient temperatures of about 4 degrees C (39 degrees F) outside of the vents.To date, organisms living near the vents are known to inhabit only the waters outside of the vents. Layers of gelatinous material attached to the vents are presumed to be organic and the product of living organisms. Researchers have reported that on at least one occasion the gel appeared to emanate directly from a vent throat."If there are indeed life forms present inside these vents, their presence may challenge accepted notions of the temperature ranges at which life can function," Lane said.Last year, Lane and colleague Lloyd French of JPL, in collaboration with Dr. Gary McMurtry of the University of Hawaii, developed and deployed an instrumented probe into the Forbidden Vent Fields near the summit of the Loihi seamount, an underwater Hawaiian volcano. That probe was tested last year in Monterey aquarium's kelp tank before its deployment in Hawaii."The probe was capable only of limited visual imaging and temperature determination at depths of approximately 1,500 meters (4,950 feet)," French said. "Since that time, we've been able to increase the depths at which these instruments can operate to more than 4,000 meters (13,200 feet). The free-standing package of instruments will be able to acquire temperature data, video imaging and high-resolution digital stills. This year we're also testing a new light source and spectrographic instrument to see if we can gather more information about the bacterial growth -- what looked like thin veils of jellyfish-like material -- we observed last year around the Loihi vent."During the mission this August and September, scientists will use the French research vessel L'Atalante to test their instrument probe in several deep ocean volcanic vents in the South Pacific. Using a deep submersible called Nautile, equipped with a robotic arm, they will place the 142-centimeter (56-inch) titanium tube housing the instruments inside several vents in the area to investigate the presence and nature of organic matter.Once the technology has been developed and demonstrated to work at depths of 4,000 meters (13,200 feet), the probe's external shell will be modified for use in sub-glacial lakes like Lake Vostok, an ancient freshwater lake that appears to extend about that deep beneath Antarctic's surface. The design may also become a prototype for a probe that could penetrate Mars' icy polar caps and search for microbial life, or explore a liquid ocean thought to lie 7 kilometers to 8 kilometers (about 4 miles to 5 miles) below the icy surface of Europa.The Tahiti underwater volcanic vent mission is a collaboration of the international POLYNAUT campaign in the South Pacific, conducted by the French Institute of Research and Exploitation of the Sea, with involvement from the University of Hawaii and NASA/JPL. JPL's work on the project is conducted for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, DC. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA.818-354-5011

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/ceres-temporary-atmosphere-linked-to-solar-activity

Ceres' Temporary Atmosphere Linked to Solar Activity

Solar particles free water molecules from the surface of Ceres, allowing them to escape and create a tenuous atmosphere, according to a new study.

Scientists have long thought that Ceres may have a very weak, transient atmosphere, but mysteries lingered about its origin and why it's not always present. Now, researchers suggest that this temporary atmosphere appears to be related to the behavior of the sun, rather than Ceres' proximity to the sun. The study was conducted by scientists from NASA's Dawn mission and others who previously identified water vapor at Ceres using other observatories."We think the occurrence of Ceres' transient atmosphere is the product of solar activity," said Michaela Villarreal, lead author of the new study in theAstrophysical Journal Lettersand researcher at the University of California, Los Angeles.Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt that lies between Mars and Jupiter. When energetic particles from the sun hit exposed ice and ice near the surface of the dwarf planet, it transfers energy to the water molecules as they collide. This frees the water molecules from the ground, allowing them to escape and create a tenuous atmosphere that may last for a week or so."Our results also have implications for other airless, water-rich bodies of the solar system, including the polar regions of the moon and some asteroids," said Chris Russell, principal investigator of the Dawn mission, also at UCLA. "Atmospheric releases might be expected from their surfaces, too, when solar activity erupts."Before Dawn arrived in orbit at Ceres in 2015, evidence for an atmosphere had been detected by some observatories at certain times, but not others, suggesting that it is a transient phenomenon. In 1991, the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite detected hydroxyl emission from Ceres, but not in 1990. Then, in 2007, the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope searched for a hydroxide emission, but came up empty. The European Space Agency's Herschel Space Observatory detected water in the possible weak atmosphere, or "exosphere," of Ceres on three occasions, but did not on a fourth attempt.As Dawn began its thorough study of Ceres in March 2015, scientists found ample evidence for water in the form of ice. The spacecraft's gamma ray and neutron detector (GRaND) has found that the uppermost surface is rich in hydrogen, which is consistent with broad expanses of water ice. This ice is nearer to the surface at higher latitudes, where temperatures are lower, a 2016 study published in the journal Science found. Ice has been detected directly at the small bright crater called Oxo and in at least one of the craters that are persistently in shadow in the northern hemisphere. Other research has suggested that persistently shadowed craters are likely to harbor ice. Additionally, the shapes of craters and other features are consistent with significant water-ice content in the crust.Because of this evidence for abundant ice, many scientists think that Ceres' exosphere is created in a process similar to what occurs on comets, even though they are much smaller. In that model, the closer Ceres gets to the sun, the more water vapor is released because of ice sublimating near or at the surface.But the new study suggests comet-like behavior may not explain the mix of detections and non-detections of a weak atmosphere."Sublimation probably is present, but we don't think it's significant enough to produce the amount of exosphere that we're seeing," Villarreal said.Villarreal and colleagues showed that past detections of the transient atmosphere coincided with higher concentrations of energetic protons from the sun. Non-detections coincided with lower concentrations of these particles. What's more, the best detections of Ceres' atmosphere did not occur at its closest approach to the sun. This suggests that solar activity, rather than Ceres' proximity to the sun, is a more important factor in generating an exosphere.The research began with a2016 Science studyled by Chris Russell. The study, using GRaND data, suggested that, during a six-day period in 2015, Ceres had accelerated electrons from the solar wind to very high energies.In its orbital path, Ceres is currently getting closer to the sun. But the sun is now in a particularly quiet period, expected to last for several more years. Since their results indicate Ceres' exosphere is related to solar activity, study authors are predicting that the dwarf planet will have little to no atmosphere for some time. However, they recommend that other observatories monitor Ceres for future emissions.Dawn is now in its extended mission and studying Ceres in a highly elliptical orbit. Engineers are maneuvering the spacecraft to a different orbital plane so that Ceres can be viewed in a new geometry. The primary science objective is to measure cosmic rays to help determine which chemical elements lie near the surface of Ceres. As a bonus, in late April, the sun will be directly behind Dawn, when the spacecraft is at an altitude of about 12,300 miles (20,000 kilometers). Ceres will appear brighter than before in that configuration, and perhaps reveal more secrets about its composition and history.The Dawn mission is managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital ATK Inc., in Dulles, Virginia, designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Italian Space Agency and Italian National Astrophysical Institute are international partners on the mission team. For a complete list of mission participants, visit:http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/missionMore information about Dawn is available at the following sites:http://www.nasa.gov/dawnhttp://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/small-troughs-growing-on-mars-may-become-spiders

Small Troughs Growing on Mars May Become 'Spiders'

Erosion-carved troughs that grow and branch during multiple Martian years may be infant versions of larger features known as Martian "spiders."

Erosion-carved troughs that grow and branch during multiple Martian years may be infant versions of larger features known as Martian "spiders," which are radially patterned channels found only in the south polar region of Mars.Researchers using NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) report the first detection of cumulative growth, from one Martian spring to another, of channels resulting from the same thawing-carbon-dioxide process believed to form the spider-like features.The spiders range in size from tens to hundreds of yards (or meters). Multiple channels typically converge at a central pit, resembling the legs and body of a spider. For the past decade, researchers have checked in vain with MRO's High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera to see year-to-year changes in them."We have seen for the first time these smaller features that survive and extend from year to year, and this is how the larger spiders get started," said Ganna Portyankina of the University of Colorado, Boulder. "These are in sand-dune areas, so we don't know whether they will keep getting bigger or will disappear under moving sand."Dunes appear to be a factor in how the baby spiders form, but they may also keep many from persisting through the centuries needed to become full-scale spiders. The amount of erosion needed to sculpt a typical spider, at the rate determined from observing active growth of these smaller troughs, would require more than a thousand Martian years. That is according to an estimate by Portyankina and co-authors in arecent paper in the journal Icarus. One Martian year lasts about 1.9 Earth years."Much of Mars looks like Utah if you stripped away all vegetation, but 'spiders' are a uniquely Martian landform," said Candice Hansen of the Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona, a co-author of the report.Carbon-dioxide ice, better known as "dry ice," does not occur naturally on Earth. On Mars, sheets of it cover the ground during winter in areas near both poles, including the south-polar regions with spidery terrain. Dark fans appear in these areas each spring.Hugh Kieffer of the Space Science Institute in Boulder put those factors together in 2007 to deduce the process linking them: Spring sunshine penetrates the ice to warm the ground underneath, causing some carbon dioxide on the bottom of the sheet to thaw into gas. The trapped gas builds pressure until a crack forms in the ice sheet. Gas erupts out, and gas beneath the ice rushes toward the vent, picking up particles of sand and dust. This erodes the ground and also supplies the geyser with particles that fall back to the surface, downwind, and appear as the dark spring fans.This explanation has been well accepted, but actually seeing a ground-erosion process that could eventually yield the spider shapes proved elusive. Six years ago, researchers using HiRISEreportedsmall furrows appearing on sand dunes near Mars' north pole at sites where eruptions through dry ice had deposited spring fans. However, those furrows in the far north disappear within a year, apparently refilled with sand.The newly reported troughs near the south pole are also at spring-fan sites. They have not only persisted and grown through three Mars years so far, but they also formed branches as they extended. The branching pattern resembles the spidery terrain."There are dunes where we see these dendritic [or branching] troughs in the south, but in this area, there is less sand than around the north pole," Portyankina said. "I think the sand is what jump starts the process of carving a channel in the ground."Harder ground lies beneath the sand. Forming a spider may require ground soft enough to be carved, but not so loose that it refills the channels, as in the north. The new research sheds light on how carbon dioxide shapes Mars in unearthly ways.MRO began orbiting Mars in 2006. "The combination of very high-resolution imaging and the mission's longevity is enabling us to investigate active processes on Mars that produce detectable changes on time spans of seasons or years," said MRO Deputy Project Scientist Leslie Tamppari of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. "We keep getting surprises about how dynamic Mars is."The University of Arizona, Tucson, operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder. JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the MRO Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the orbiter and collaborates with JPL to operate it. For additional information about the project, visit:http://mars.nasa.gov/mro

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/from-the-field

From the Field

Take a group of strangers, put them in a harsh environment, and give them a challenging mission to accomplish -- scientists who do field research have much more experience with this than reality television producers ever will.

Click forFlash and HTMLversions of "Desert Dispatches."Take a group of strangers, put them in a harsh environment, and give them a challenging mission to accomplish -- scientists who do field research have much more experience with this than reality television producers ever will.JPL scientists have covered the globe from Antarctica to the Arctic Circle in their quest for knowledge about planet Earth and worlds beyond our own. Recently, JPL's Mark Helmlinger and four British students from Oxford University headed off into the Nevada desert to rendezvous with NASA's Earth-orbiting Terra satellite. Helmlinger will be filing regular field reports along the way, reporting on both the professional and personal challenges they'll confront.The purpose of their expedition is to help ensure that the measurements made by one of Terra's instruments, the Multi-angle Imaging Spectro-Radiometer, are as accurate as possible. The spectroradiometer measures sunlight reflected off Earth's surface and from particles in the atmosphere, such as haze layers, dust, and clouds. Scientists use these measurements in a variety of different ways, but one of the most important is to study climate.Calibrating an instrument like the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer would be fairly simple if it were sitting in a laboratory. But since it is orbiting 700 kilometers (435 miles) above Earth's surface, the process is a bit more complicated.As part of the instrument calibration team, Helmlinger and his four summer helpers will make precise measurements on the ground of sunlight coming down and reflecting back up, while at the same time, directly above them, the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer makes its own measurements from space. Also at the same time, NASA's ER-2 aircraft will make similar observations of the identical target from its vantage point in the stratosphere with an airborne version of the spectroradiometer. Once all the data are collected and compared, they'll be used to calibrate the spaceborne instrument.The ChallengeFor their efforts to succeed, the calibration team will need several of what they call "golden days," those in which everything falls into place. "We have to have clear weather over the target, no haze and no clouds," says Helmlinger. "It also needs to be calm at the airfield, because the airplane can't take off or land in a cross-wind. We need to have airspace clearance, which can be an issue because of where our targets are located. All the instruments, both airborne and on the ground, must be working as well. That's a lot that needs to go right."The calibration exercises are planned for two different locations, Railroad Valley and Black Rock Desert. Both are large, dry lakebeds in Nevada about 480 kilometers (300 miles) apart. "They make big, bright calibration targets," says Helmlinger. Both sites are remote, and the local environment can be challenging. Helmlinger and his student assistants, whom he likes to call "Hellwinger's Irregulars," will be making the trip in a recreational vehicle crammed with a mountain of equipment. It will also serve as their home for the six weeks or so that they'll be spending in the desert. "Sometimes the journey itself is an adventure," says Helmlinger.Helmlinger and the Irregulars have a limited number of opportunities to get the data they need. If they miss one, they'll have to wait five to seven days for the satellite to come back to the same spot and try again. "That's why two dry lakebed, or playa, targets on two different orbits have been chosen," explains Helmlinger, "to increase the chances of success." If all goes well, they may finish everything up in a few weeks; if not, they could be out in the desert for much longer.The reward for all this effort is a better understanding of Earth's surface, atmosphere and climate. The "ground truth" data collected by the field experiments help researchers make the most of the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer. It will also be used to help calibrate several other Earth-observing instruments, including JPL's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder flying on NASA's Aqua satellite.The calibration team's first attempt for a "golden day" was June 22, meaning Helmlinger and the Irregulars were in place in Railroad Valley with everything set up and ready to go by dawn. It's a long way from Pasadena and Oxford to the Nevada desert and from space to the desert floor. A lot can happen in between.Stay tuned.Media contact: Alan Buis (818) 354-0474Written by: Rosemary Sullivant

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/eclipse-balloons-to-study-effect-of-mars-like-environment-on-life

Eclipse Balloons to Study Effect of Mars-Like Environment on Life

Microbes carried to the edge of space during the Aug. 21 eclipse will be analyzed by NASA's Ames Research Center and JPL.

Steps forward in the search for life beyond Earth can be as simple as sending a balloon into the sky. In one of the most unique and extensive eclipse observation campaigns ever attempted, NASA is collaborating with student teams across the U.S. to do just that.A larger initiative,NASA's Eclipse Balloon Project, led by Angela Des Jardins of Montana State University, is sending more than 50 high-altitude balloons launched by student teams across the U.S. to livestream aerial footage of the Aug. 21 total solar eclipse from the edge of space to NASA's website."Total solar eclipses are rare and awe-inspiring events. Nobody has ever live-streamed aerial video footage of a total solar eclipse before," said Angela Des Jardins. "By live-streaming it on the Internet, we are providing people across the world an opportunity to experience the eclipse in a unique way, even if they are not able to see the eclipse directly."A research group at NASA's Ames Research Center, in California's Silicon Valley, is seizing the opportunity to conduct a low-cost experiment on 34 of the balloons. This experiment, called MicroStrat, will simulate life's ability to survive beyond Earth -- and maybe even on Mars."The August solar eclipse gives us a rare opportunity to study the stratosphere when it's even more Mars-like than usual," said Jim Green, director of planetary science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "With student teams flying balloon payloads from dozens of points along the path of totality, we'll study effects on microorganisms that are coming along for the ride."NASA will provide each team with two small metal cards, each the size of a dog tag. The cards have harmless, yet environmentally resilient bacteria dried onto their surface. One card will fly up with the balloon while the other remains on the ground. A comparison of the two will show the consequences of the exposure to Mars-like conditions, such as bacterial survival and any genetic changes.The results of the experiment will improve NASA's understanding of environmental limits for terrestrial life, in order to inform our search for life on other worlds.Mars' atmosphere at the surface is about 100 times thinner than Earth's, with cooler temperatures and more radiation. Under normal conditions, the upper portion of our stratosphere is similar to these Martian conditions, with its cold, thin atmosphere and exposure to radiation, due to its location above most of Earth's protective ozone layer. Temperatures where the balloons fly can reach minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit (about minus 37 Celsius) or colder, with pressures about a hundredth of that at sea level.During the eclipse, the similarities to Mars only increase. The Moon will buffer the full blast of radiation and heat from the Sun, blocking certain ultraviolet rays that are less abundant in the Martian atmosphere and bringing the temperature down even further."Performing a coordinated balloon microbiology experiment across the entire continental United States seems impossible under normal circumstances," said David J. Smith of Ames, principal investigator for the experiment and mentor for theSpace Life Science Training Program, the intern group developing flight hardware and logistics for this study. "The solar eclipse on August 21st is enabling unprecedented exploration through citizen scientists and students. After this experiment flies, we will have about 10 times more samples to analyze than all previously flown stratosphere microbiology missions combined."Student Teams Observing the EclipseBeyond the opportunity for NASA to conduct science, this joint project provides the opportunity for students as young as 10 years old to be exposed to the scientific method and astrobiology -- research about life beyond Earth. Since ballooning is such an accessible and low-cost technique, the project has attracted student teams from Puerto Rico to Alaska.The data collected by the teams will be analyzed by NASA scientists at Ames and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California; collaborators at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York; scientists funded by the National Science Foundation and National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration; faculty members and students at the teams' institutions, as well as the public."This project will not only provide insight into how bacterial life responds to Mars-like conditions, we are engaging and inspiring the next generation of scientists," said Green. "Through this exciting 'piggyback' mission, NASA is collaborating with scientists of the future to take a small step in the search for life beyond our planet."

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-epoxi-flyby-reveals-new-insights-into-comet-features

NASA EPOXI Flyby Reveals New Insights Into Comet Features

Scientists say initial images from today's flyby of comet Hartley 2 provide new information about the comet's volume and material spewing from its surface.

PASADENA, Calif. - NASA's EPOXI mission spacecraft successfully flew past comet Hartley 2 at 7 a.m. PDT (10 a.m. EDT) Thursday, Nov. 4. Scientists say initial images from the flyby provide new information about the comet's volume and material spewing from its surface."Early observations of the comet show that, for the first time, we may be able to connect activity to individual features on the nucleus," said EPOXI Principal Investigator Michael A'Hearn of the University of Maryland, College Park. "We certainly have our hands full. The images are full of great cometary data, and that's what we hoped for."EPOXI is an extended mission that uses the already in-flight Deep Impact spacecraft. Its encounter phase with Hartley 2 began at 1 p.m. PDT (4 p.m. EDT) on Nov. 3, when the spacecraft began to point its two imagers at the comet's nucleus. Imaging of the nucleus began one hour later."The spacecraft has provided the most extensive observations of a comet in history," said Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington. "Scientists and engineers have successfully squeezed world-class science from a re-purposed spacecraft at a fraction of the cost to taxpayers of a new science project."Images from the EPOXI mission reveal comet Hartley 2 to have 100 times less volume than comet Tempel 1, the first target of Deep Impact. More revelations about Hartley 2 are expected as analysis continues.Initial estimates indicate the spacecraft was about 700 kilometers (435 miles) from the comet at the closest-approach point. That's almost the exact distance that was calculated by engineers in advance of the flyby."It is a testament to our team's skill that we nailed the flyby distance to a comet that likes to move around the sky so much," said Tim Larson, EPOXI project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "While it's great to see the images coming down, there is still work to be done. We have another three weeks of imaging during our outbound journey."The name EPOXI is a combination of the names for the two extended mission components: the Extrasolar Planet Observations and Characterization (EPOCh), and the flyby of comet Hartley 2, called the Deep Impact Extended Investigation (DIXI). The spacecraft has retained the name "Deep Impact." In 2005, Deep Impact successfully released an impactor into the path of comet Tempel 1.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the EPOXI mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate. The spacecraft was built for NASA by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colo.For more information about EPOXI, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/epoxiandhttp://epoxi.umd.edu/.For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:http://www.nasa.gov.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/stardust-prepares-to-pick-up-speed-from-earths-gravity-assist

Stardust Prepares to Pick Up Speed From Earth's Gravity Assist

As it completes the first of three laps of about a billion miles each around the heart of the solar system, NASA's Stardust spacecraft is getting ready for a pit stop of sorts, flying by Earth in mid-January for a gravitational speed boost.

As it completes the first of three laps of about a billion miles each around the heart of the solar system, NASA's Stardust spacecraft is getting ready for a pit stop of sorts, flying by Earth in mid-January for a gravitational speed boost. The added energy will put Stardust on course to meet Comet Wild 2 (pronounced "vilt-2") in January 2004."It's a big event in the sense that it's a mission milestone," said Dr. Donald Brownlee, a University of Washington astronomy professor and the mission's principal investigator. "We don't have to do anything during the flyby. It's all celestial mechanics."The Earth-gravity-assist phase of the mission actually began on Nov. 14, as the desk-sized craft cruised toward Earth after traveling beyond the orbit of Mars. Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., have made course changes and other adjustments to ensure that Stardust gains the proper amount of energy from Earth's gravity.The gravity boost will lengthen the spacecraft's orbit, setting up its rendezvous with Wild 2 in early 2004. Stardust will capture particles being boiled off the comet's surface by solar heating. During the gravity-assist phase, the closest Earth approach will be at 3:20 a.m. PST on Jan. 15, as the spacecraft flies just southeast of the southern tip of Africa. It will be traveling about 5,950 kilometers (3,700 miles) from the Earth's surface and moving at about 36,050 kilometers per hour (22,400 miles per hour)."The science of the mission is basically ahead of us," Brownlee said. "We've dealt with a number of problems, but they have been fewer than most spacecraft experience."Perhaps the most heart-stopping problem came last Nov. 9- 10, when Stardust was bombarded by photons from a solar flare some 100,000 times larger than normal. The energy overwhelmed the navigation camera, which is used to help pilot Stardust by focusing on stars and planets and then comparing that image with a star map in its memory. Normally the camera sees only a few stars at a time, but in this case its electronic imaging chip interpreted the solar flare's photon flashes as thousands of stars. The spacecraft went into safe mode, with its solar panels pointed toward the sun. Eventually the photon flashes faded and ground controllers were able to reset the star camera.There also has been some intriguing science. The Cometary and Interstellar Dust Analyzer, operated by Germany's Max- Planck-Institut fr Extraterrestrische Physik, came up with an unexpected analysis of interstellar particles the spacecraft encountered."The surprise is that they were high-molecular-weight materials, probably large organic molecules," Brownlee said. "It would be something analogous to tar or coal."Stardust was launched from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Feb. 7, 1999, and this is its first return to its home planet. Thenext encounter with Earth comes in January 2006, when the return capsule will separate from the spacecraft and parachute into the Utah desert. The capsule will carry comet material and interstellar dust particles, captured in a wispy material called aerogel. The particles will be sent to laboratories around the world for analysis. It is expected the samples will yield clues to the origins of the solar system and possibly life itself.The spacecraft's encounter with the comet will occur just outside the orbit of Mars, 242 million miles from Earth. There is a possibility that Stardust may be visible from the west coast of the United States and the Pacific Ocean just after the flyby, for observers using sophisticated telescopes with CCD detectors.Mission collaborators are the NASA, JPL, the University of Washington, and Lockheed Martin Astronautics in Denver. Other key team members include The Boeing Co., The Max-Planck- Institut, NASA Ames Research Center and the University of Chicago. The Stardust mission is managed by JPL for NASA's Office of Space Science. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.For more information on the mission, seehttp://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/satellites-see-double-jeopardy-for-socal-fire-season

Satellites See Double Jeopardy for SoCal Fire Season

New insights into two factors that are creating a potentially volatile Southern California wildfire season come from an ongoing project using NASA and Indian satellite data.

PASADENA, Calif. - New insights into two factors that are creating a potentially volatile Southern California wildfire season come from an ongoing project using NASA and Indian satellite data by scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; and Chapman University, Orange, Calif.The scientists tracked the relationship between rainfall and the growth and drying-out of vegetation in recent months, during an abnormally dry year. They found the timing of rains triggered regional vegetation growth in January and early February, which then dried out faster than normal during a period of low rainfall, strong winds and high temperatures in March and April. The combination likely elevates wildfire risks by increasing available fuel.The two institutions are combining satellite datasets to monitor moisture changes in vegetation and soil across Southern California's vast wilderness areas in order to identify early warning signs of potential wildfires. The scientists are using measurements of soil moisture change from the Indian Oceansat-2 satellite scatterometer (OSCAT) and of vegetation stress from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor on NASA's Aqua satellite."The increased soil moisture from the rains, as observed by OSCAT, occurred at an opportune time at the start of the vegetation growth season," said JPL scientist Son Nghiem, principal investigator of the project. "This timing enhanced vegetation growth early this year, particularly in Ventura County, supplying significant new fire fuel, despite one of the driest overall rainfall seasons on record. Had the rains fallen earlier, when the vegetation was in a dormant state, the effects would have been minimal." OSCAT measurements provide insight into how much rainwater sinks into the soil to enhance vegetation growth.The resulting stress on vegetation and abnormal dry-out, which occurred even before the start of the dry season, has been seen in measurements by fire agencies at various sampling locations and in satellite data from MODIS across the Southland, notes Professor Menas C. Kafatos, who leads the Chapman University team.Nghiem said the unusual conditions this season underscore the challenge local fire officials face in tracking how soil moisture changes in response to precipitation and affects the condition of vegetation. The conditions also highlight the potential for using satellite observations to enhance fire information and management systems.The satellite data will support decision-making by wildland fire authorities, including fire departments in Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange Counties, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Weather Service Forecast Office in Oxnard, Calif. While that office is not responsible for fire management, it supports local fire agencies by issuing fire weather forecasts, watches and warnings to four California counties, which are home to 11 million people. The collaboration between scientists and fire agencies will allow them to develop satellite data products that will be combined with other information to improve the assessment of wildfire danger.Orange County fire planning specialist George Ewan recently hosted the scientists during a field excursion in Black Star Canyon, where he demonstrated how he carefully collects snippets of brush growth and returns them to his laboratory at the Orange County Fire Authority headquarters in Irvine, Calif., to measure the moisture content of the vegetation.But collection of plant samples is simply not feasible for all areas of concern across California and the rest of the United States, Nghiem said. "Mountainous wildlands are difficult to access, and collecting data manually in them is laborious," he said. "The potential payoff from this satellite research is significant, both for California's extensive and complex terrain and for the many regions around the world threatened by wildfires each year."Kafatos noted that "the combination of satellite observations with live fuel moisture estimates and calculations from our teamwork is opening new vistas in this important scientific application serving society.""The initial results of this effort are very promising examples of putting satellite observations into practical use for fire management and public benefit," said Lawrence Friedl, director of the NASA Applied Sciences program in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington.The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/mars-exploration-rover-status-report-rovers-resume-driving

Mars Exploration Rover Status Report: Rovers Resume Driving

After six weeks of hunkering down during raging dust storms that limited solar power, both of NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have resumed driving.

After six weeks of hunkering down during raging dust storms that limited solar power, both of NASA's Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have resumed driving.Opportunity advanced 13.38 meters (44 feet) toward the edge of Victoria Crater on Aug. 21. Mission controllers were taking advantage of gradual clearing of dust from the sky while also taking precautions against buildup of dust settling onto the rover."Weather and power conditions continue to improve, although very slowly for both rovers," said John Callas of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif, project manager for the rovers. With the improved energy supplies, both rovers are back on schedule to communicate daily. Opportunity had previously been conserving energy by going three or four days between communications.No new storms have been lifting dust into the air near either solar-powered rover in the past two weeks. Skies are gradually brightening above both Spirit and Opportunity. "The clearing could take months," said rover Project Scientist Bruce Banerdt. "There is a lot of very fine material suspended high in the atmosphere."As that material does settle out of the air, the powdery dust is accumulating on surfaces such as the rovers' solar panels and instruments. More dust on the solar panels lessens the panels' capacity for converting sunlight to electricity, even while more sunlight is getting through the clearer atmosphere.Opportunity's daily supply of electricity from its solar panels reached nearly 300 watt-hours on Aug. 23. That is more than twice as much as five weeks ago, but still less than half as much as two months ago. It is enough to run a 100-watt bulb for three hours.One reason the rover team chose to drive Opportunity closer to the crater rim was to be prepared, if the pace of dust accumulation on the solar panels increases, to drive onto the inner slope of the crater. This would give the rover a sun-facing tilt to maximize daily energy supplies. The drive was also designed to check performance of the rover's mobility system, so it included a turn in place and a short drive backwards.The next day, a favorable wind removed some dust from Opportunity's solar panels, providing a boost of about 10 percent in electric output. This forestalled the need to hurry to a sun-facing slope. The team is still excited to get Opportunity inside Victoria Crater to examine science targets on the inner slope that were identified in June, shortly before dust storms curtailed rover activities. An estimate of how soon Opportunity will enter the crater will depend on assessments in coming days of how dust may be affecting the instruments and of how much energy will be available.On Spirit, dust on the lens of the microscopic imager has slightly reduced image quality for that instrument, although image calibration can compensate for most of the contamination effects. The team is experimenting with ways to try dislodging the dust on the lens. Spirit's solar arrays are producing about 300 watt hours per day as dust accumulation on them offsets clearing skies. Spirit drove 42 centimeters (17 inches) backwards on Aug. 23 to get in position for taking images of a rock that it had examined with its Moessbauer spectrometer. The rover team is planning additional drives for Spirit to climb onto a platform informally named "Home Plate."

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-scientists-to-discuss-2016-climate-trends-impacts

NASA Scientists to Discuss 2016 Climate Trends, Impacts

NASA climate experts will discuss recent trends in global temperatures and Arctic sea ice, plus research to better understand their impacts, on a July 19 media telecon.

Climate experts from NASA will discuss recent trends in global temperatures and Arctic sea ice, as well as research now underway to better understand their impacts, during a media teleconference at 10 a.m. PDT (1 p.m. EDT) Tuesday, July 19.NASA scientists track global temperature and sea ice data as part of the agency's mission to better understand our changing planet. The agency's Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) in New York will release its analysis of June global surface temperatures prior to this teleconference.The teleconference participants are:• Gavin Schmidt, GISS director• Walt Meier, sea ice scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland• Nathan Kurtz, project scientist for NASA'sOperation IceBridgeat Goddard• Charles Miller, deputy science lead for theArctic Boreal Vulnerability Experiment(ABoVE) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CaliforniaThe panelists will take questions during the briefing on Twitter using the hashtag #askNASA.Audio of the briefing will stream live at:http://www.nasa.gov/liveFor more information about NASA's Earth science programs, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/earth

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/trailblazing-new-earth-satellite-put-to-test-in-preparation-for-launch

Trailblazing New Earth Satellite Put to Test in Preparation for Launch

During three weeks in a thermal vacuum chamber in Bengaluru, India, the joint NASA-ISRO satellite demonstrated its hardiness in a harsh, space-like environment.

NISAR, the trailblazing Earth-observing radar satellite being developed by the United States and Indian space agencies, passed a major milestone on Nov. 13, emerging from a 21-day test aimed at evaluating its ability to function in the extreme temperatures and the vacuum of space.Short for NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar, NISAR is the first space hardware collaboration between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organisation, or ISRO, on an Earth-observing mission. Scheduled to launch in early 2024, the satellite will scan nearly all the planet’s land and ice twice every 12 days, monitoring the motion of those surfaces down to fractions of an inch. It will be able to observe movements from earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic activity and track dynamic changes inforests, wetlands, and agricultural lands.The NISAR satellite stayed in this ISRO antenna testing facility for 20 days in September as engineers evaluated the performance of its L- and S-band radar antennas. The foam spikes lining the walls, floor, and ceiling prevent radio waves from bouncing around the room and interfering with measurement.Credit: ISROFull Image DetailsThe thermal vacuum test occurred at ISRO’s Satellite Integration and Test Establishment in the southern Indian city of Bengaluru. It’s one of a battery of tests the satellite will face leading to launch. Other tests will ensure it can withstand the shaking, vibration, and jostling that it will encounter during launch.See a 3D Model of NISAR in SpaceNISAR, partially covered in gold-hued thermal blanketing, entered the vacuum chamber on Oct. 19. Over the following week, engineers and technicians lowered the pressure to an infinitesimal fraction of the normal pressure at sea level. They also subjected the satellite to an 80-hour “cold soak” at 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees Celsius), followed by an equally lengthy “hot soak” at up to 122 F (50 C). This simulates the temperature swings the spacecraft will experience as it is exposed to sunlight and darkness in orbit.ISRO and JPL teams worked around the clock during the three-week period, testing the performance of the satellite’s thermal systems and its two primary science instrument systems –the L-band and S-band radars– under the most extreme temperature conditions they will experience in space.After it launches in early 2024, NISAR will scan nearly all of the planet’s land and ice twice every 12 days. In orbit, the satellite will extend its solar panels and nearly 40-foot (12-meter) radar antenna reflector, which resembles a snare drum and will unfold at the end of a 30-foot (9-meter) boom extending from the spacecraft.Credit: NASA-JPL/CaltechThis latest round of testing followed 20 days of testing in September in which engineers used ISRO’s compact antenna test facility to evaluate whether the radio signals from the two radar systems’ antennas passed requirements. Blue foam spikes lining the facility’s walls, floor, and ceiling prevent radio waves from bouncing around the room and interfering with measurement.With thermal vacuum and compact antenna tests successfully done, NISAR will soon be fitted with its solar panels and its nearly 40-foot (12-meter) radar antenna reflector, which resembles a snare drum and will unfold in space at the end of a 30-foot (9-meter) boom extending from the spacecraft.Get the Latest JPL NewsSUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTERThe satellite will undergo additional tests before being packed up and transported about 220 miles (350 kilometers) eastward to Satish Dhawan Space Centre, where it will be mounted atop ISRO’s Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark II rocket and sent into low Earth orbit.More About the MissionNISAR 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. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, leads the U.S. component of the project and is providing the mission’s L-band SAR. NASA is also providing the radar reflector antenna, the deployable boom, a high-rate communication subsystem for science data, GPS receivers, a solid-state recorder, and payload data subsystem. U R Rao Satellite Centre (URSC) in Bengaluru, which leads the ISRO component of the mission, is providing the spacecraft bus, the launch vehicle, and associated launch services and satellite mission operations. ISRO’s Space Applications Centre in Ahmedabad is providing the S-band SAR electronics.To learn more about NISAR, visit:https://nisar.jpl.nasa.gov/NISAR Is Coming Together in India

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Mars Exploration Rover Mission Status

The first in-flight checkouts of the science instruments and engineering cameras on NASA's twin Spirit and Opportunity spacecraft on their way to Mars have provided an assessment of the instruments' condition after the stressful vibrations of launch.

The first in-flight checkouts of the science instruments and engineering cameras on NASA's twin Spirit and Opportunity spacecraft on their way to Mars have provided an assessment of the instruments' condition after the stressful vibrations of launch.The instrument tests run by the Mars Exploration Rover flight team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., finished with performance data received Tuesday from two of the spectrometers on Opportunity.Each rover's suite of science instruments includes a stereo panoramic camera pair, a microscope camera and three spectrometers. The tests also evaluated performance of each spacecraft's engineering cameras, which are a stereo navigation camera pair, stereo hazard-avoidance camera pairs on the front and back of the rover, and a downward-pointing descent camera on the lander to aid a system for reducing horizontal motion just before impact.All 10 cameras on each spacecraft - three science cameras and seven engineering cameras on each - performed well. One of the three spectrometers on Spirit returned data that did not fit the expected pattern. The other two spectrometers on Spirit and all three on Opportunity worked properly. Teams have been busy since the tests began nearly three weeks ago analyzing about 200 megabits of instrument data generated from each spacecraft."All the engineering cameras are healthy," said JPL imaging scientist Dr. Justin Maki. "We took two pictures with each engineering camera -- 14 pictures from each spacecraft. Even when the cameras are in the dark, the images give characteristic signatures that let us know whether the electronics are working correctly."The science cameras on each rover - the Pancam color panoramic cameras and the Microscopic Imagers - all performed flawlessly. A spectrometer on each rover for identifying minerals from a distance, called the miniature thermal emission spectrometer, or mini-TES, also worked perfectly on each rover.Two other spectrometers - an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer and a Mössbauer spectrometer - are mounted on an extendable arm for close-up examination of the composition of rocks and soil. Both instruments on Opportunity, as well as Spirit's alpha particle X-ray spectrometer worked properly. The Mössbauer spectrometer on Spirit is the one whose test data did not fit the pattern expected from normal operation."The Mössbauer results we just received from Opportunity are helping us interpret the data that we've been analyzing from Spirit," said Dr. Steve Squyres of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., principal investigator for the suite of science tools on each rover. "Some of the theories we had developed for what might be causing the anomalous behavior of the Mössbauer instrument on Spirit have been eliminated by looking at the data from the one on Opportunity."The remaining theories focus on an apparent problem in movement of a mechanism within the instrument that rapidly vibrates a gamma-ray source back and forth."The Mössbauer spectrometer on Spirit is working, and even if we don't come up with a way to improve its performance, we'll be able to get scientific information out of the data it sends us from Mars," Squyres said. "But it's a very flexible instrument, with lots of parameters we can change. We have high hopes that over the coming months we'll be able to understand exactly what's happened to it and make adjustments that will improve its performance. And if the Mössbauer spectrometer on Opportunity behaves on Mars the way it did today, we'll get beautiful data from that instrument."The two types of spectrometers on the rovers' extendable arms complement each other. The alpha particle X-ray spectrometers provide information about what elements are in a rock. The Mössbauer spectrometers give information about the arrangement of iron atoms in the crystalline mineral structure within a rock.As of 6 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time August 7, Spirit will have traveled 157.1 million kilometers (97.6 million miles) since its June 10 launch, and Opportunity will have traveled 82.7 million kilometers (51.4 million miles) since its July 7 launch. After arrival, the rovers will examine their landing areas for geological evidence about the history of water on Mars.JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Additional information about the project is available from JPL athttp://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/merand from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., athttp://athena.cornell.edu.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/mars-exploration-rover-mission-status-11

Mars Exploration Rover Mission Status

Engineers on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover team are investigating possible causes and remedies for a problem affecting the steering on Spirit.

Engineers on NASA's Mars Exploration Rover team are investigating possible causes and remedies for a problem affecting the steering on Spirit.The relay for steering actuators on Spirit's right-front and left-rear wheels did not operate as commanded on Oct. 1. Each of the front and rear wheels on the rover has a steering actuator, or motor, that adjusts the direction in which the wheels are headed independently from the motor that makes the wheels roll. When the actuators are not in use, electric relays are closed and the motor acts as a brake to prevent unintended changes in direction.Engineers received results from Spirit today from a first set of diagnostic tests on the relay. "We are interpreting the data and planning additional tests," said Rick Welch, rover mission manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "We hope to determine the best work-around if the problem does persist."Spirit and its twin, Opportunity, successfully completed their three-month primary missions in April and five-month mission extensions in September. They began second extensions of their missions on Oct. 1. Spirit has driven more than 3.6 kilometers (2.2 miles), six times the distance set as a goal for mission success. It is climbing into uplands called the "Columbia Hills."JPL's Jim Erickson, rover project manager, said, "If we do not identify other remedies, the brakes could be released by a command to blow the fuse controlling the relay, though that would make those two brakes unavailable for the rest of the mission." Without the steering-actuator brakes, small bumps or dips that a wheel hits during a drive might twist the wheel away from the intended drive direction."If we do need to disable the brakes, errors in drive direction could increase. However, the errors might be minimized by continuing to use the brakes on the left-front and right-rear wheels, by driving in smaller segments, and by adding a software patch to reset the direction periodically during a drive," Erickson said. Engineers believe the steering-brake issue is not related to excessive friction detected during the summer in the drive motor for Spirit's right-front wheel, because the steering actuator is a different motor.Meanwhile, the team continues to use Spirit's robotic arm and camera mast to study rocks and soils around the rover, without moving the vehicle until the cause of the anomaly is understood and corrective measures can be implemented.JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Mars Exploration Rover project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Additional information about the project is available from JPL athttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/and from Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., athttp://athena.cornell.edu.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-curiosity-reaches-mars-ridge-where-water-left-debris-pileup

NASA’s Curiosity Reaches Mars Ridge Where Water Left Debris Pileup

Believed to be a remnant of powerful ancient debris flows, Gediz Vallis Ridge is a destination long sought by the rover’s science team.

Three billion years ago, amid one of the last wet periods on Mars, powerful debris flows carried mud and boulders down the side of a hulking mountain. The debris spread into a fan that was later eroded by wind into a towering ridge, preserving an intriguing record of the Red Planet’s watery past.Drag your cursor around within this 360-degree video to explore the view captured by the Mastcam on NASA’s Curiosity while the Mars rover was stopped next to Gediz Vallis Ridge.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS/UC BerkeleyNow, after three attempts, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has reached the ridge, capturing the formation in a 360-degree panoramic mosaic. Previous forays were stymied by knife-edged“gator-back” rocksand too-steep slopes. Followingone of the most difficult climbsthe mission has ever faced, Curiosity arrived Aug. 14 at an area where it could study the long-sought ridge with its 7-foot (2-meter) robotic arm.“After three years, we finally found a spot where Mars allowed Curiosity to safely access the steep ridge,” said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity’s project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “It’s a thrill to be able to reach out and touch rocks that were transported from places high up on Mount Sharp that we’ll never be able to visit with Curiosity.”The rover has been ascending the lower part of 3-mile-tall (5-kilometer-tall)Mount Sharpsince 2014, discovering evidence of ancient lakes and streams along the way. Different layers of the mountain represent different eras of Martian history. As Curiosity ascends, scientists learn more about how the landscape changed over time. Gediz Vallis Ridge was among the last features on the mountain to form, making it one of the youngest geological time capsules Curiosity will see.Rare PeekThe rover spent 11 days at the ridge, busily snapping photos and studying the composition of dark rocks that clearly originated elsewhere on the mountain. The debris flows that helped form Gediz Vallis Ridge carried these rocks – andothers lower on the ridgeline, some as large as cars – down from layers high on Mount Sharp. These rocks provide a rare insight into material from the upper mountain that Curiosity can examine.The route NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover has taken while driving through the lower part of Mount Sharp is shown as a pale line here. Different parts of the mountain are labeled by color; Curiosity is currently near the top end of Gediz Vallis Ridge, which appears in red.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ESA/University of Arizona/JHUAPL/MSSS/USGS Astrogeology Science CenterFull Image DetailsThe rover’s arrival at the ridge has also provided scientists the first up-close views of the eroded remnants of a geologic feature known as a debris flow fan, where debris flowing down the slope spreads out into a fan shape. Debris flow fans are common on both Mars and Earth, but scientists are still learning how they form.“I can’t imagine what it would have been like to witness these events,” said geologist William Dietrich, a mission team member at the University of California, Berkeley, who has helped lead Curiosity’s study of the ridge. “Huge rocks were ripped out of the mountain high above, rushed downhill, and spread out into a fan below. The results of this campaign will push us to better explain such events not just on Mars, but even on Earth, where they are a natural hazard.”Get the Latest JPL NewsSUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTEROn Aug. 19, the rover’sMastcamcaptured 136 images of a scene at Gediz Vallis Ridge that, when pieced together into a mosaic, provide a 360-degree view of the surrounding area. Visible in that panorama is the path Curiosity took up the mountainside, including through “Marker Band Valley,” whereevidence of an ancient lakewas discovered.While scientists are still poring over the imagery and data from Gediz Vallis Ridge, Curiosity has already turned to its next challenge: finding a path to the channel above the ridge so that scientists can learn more about how and where water once flowed down Mount Sharp.More About the MissionCuriosity was built by JPL, which is managed by Caltech in Pasadena, California. JPL leads the mission on behalf of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.For more about Curiosity, visit:http://mars.nasa.gov/mslGet the latest mission updates from the Curiosity teamFind out where Curiosity is nowSee raw images from Curiosity’s cameras

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HiRISE Views NASA's InSight and Curiosity on Mars

New images taken from space offer the clearest orbital glimpse yet of InSight as well as a view of Curiosity rolling along.

The HiRISE camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter recently sent home eye-catching views of the agency's InSight lander and its Curiosity rover.HiRISE has been monitoring InSight's landing site in the Elysium Planitia region of the Red Planet for changes to the surface, such as dust-devil tracks. Taken on Sept. 23, 2019, at an altitude of 169 miles (272 kilometers) above the surface, the new image is NASA's best view yet of InSight from space. It clearly shows the two circular solar panels on either side of the lander body, spanning 20 feet (6 meters) from end to end.The bright spot on the lower side of the spacecraft is the dome-shaped protective cover over InSight'sseismometer. The dark halo surrounding the spacecraft resulted from retrorocket thrusters scouring the surface during landing, while dust devils created the dark streaks that run diagonally across the surface.Several factors make this image crisper thana set of imagesreleased after InSight's November 2018 landing. For one thing, there's less dust in the air this time. Shadows are offset from the lander because this is an oblique view looking west. The lighting was also optimal for avoiding the bright reflections from the lander or its solar panels that have obscured surrounding pixels in other images. However, bright reflections are unavoidable with the seismometer cover just south of the lander because of its dome shape.Driven by CuriosityHiRISE has also been keeping tabs on NASA's Curiosity, which is roughly 373 miles (600 kilometers) from InSight, exploring a region called"the clay-bearing unit."A GIF released today shows Curiosity as a gray speck as it traveled 1,106 feet (337 meters) from a location within the clay-bearing unit called "Woodland Bay" (top center) to "Sandside Harbour" (bottom center, near the dark sand patch) between May 31 and July 20, 2019.Look carefully and you can even see the rover's tracks arcing to the right side of the second image.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, manages the InSight, MRO and Curiosity missions for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is a division of Caltech. The University of Arizona in Tucson operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. in Boulder, Colorado. MRO was built by Lockheed Martin Space.Find more information about InSight, Curiosity, MRO and HiRISE at:https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/https://mars.nasa.gov/mro/About InSightInSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission.A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), are supporting the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to NASA, with the principal investigator at IPGP (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris). Significant contributions for SEIS came from IPGP; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland; Imperial College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom; and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the temperature and wind sensors.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-sets-new-dates-for-saucer-shaped-test-vehicle-flight

NASA Sets New Dates for Saucer-Shaped Test Vehicle Flight

NASA's LDSD project plans to fly its rocket-powered, saucer-shaped landing technology test vehicle into near-space from Kauai, Hawaii, this weekend.

NASA's Low-Density Supersonic Decelerator (LDSD) project plans to fly its rocket-powered, saucer-shaped landing technology test vehicle into near-space from the U.S. Navy's Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai, Hawaii, later this week.NASA has identified five potential launch dates for the high-altitude balloon carrying the LDSD experiment: June 28, 29, 30, July 1 and 3. The launch window for Saturday, June 28 extends from 8:15 to 9:30 a.m. Hawaii Standard Time (11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. PDT / 2:15 to 3:30 p.m. EDT).The test will be carried live via Ustream and simulcast on NASA Television.The vehicle originally was scheduled for its first test flight earlier in June, but unacceptable weather conditions prevented the launch.Decisions to attempt launch of the LDSD test will be made the day before each launch opportunity date. NASA will issue launch advisories via the mission website, media advisories and on Twitter at:https://twitter.com/NASA_Technologyandhttps://twitter.com/NASANASA will stream live video of the test via Ustream at:http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2The video may be intermittent based on test activities. Consult the LDSD website for real-time updates of the test.For NASA TV streaming video, schedules and downlink information, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/nasatvAfter the balloon reaches an altitude of 120,000 feet, the rocket-powered test vehicle will be dropped. Seconds later, its motor will fire, carrying it to 180,000 feet and as fast as about Mach 3.8. LDSD carries several onboard cameras.More information about the LDSD space technology demonstration mission is online at:http://go.usa.gov/kzZQNASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate funds the LDSD mission, a cooperative effort led by JPL. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages LDSD within the Technology Demonstration Mission Program Office. NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, Virginia, is coordinating support with the Pacific Missile Range Facility and providing the balloon systems for the LDSD test.For more information about the Space Technology Mission Directorate, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/spacetech

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Students Launch Buoys to Verify TOPEX/Poseidon Data

Teams of high school and junior high students will launch buoys into Galveston Bay, Texas, to verify altimeter measurements from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite in an experiment that will help oceanographers better understand ocean dynamics and calculate global sea level rise.

Teams of high school and junior high students will launch buoys into Galveston Bay, Texas, to verify altimeter measurements from the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite in an experiment that will help oceanographers better understand ocean dynamics and calculate global sea level rise.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory-sponsored buoy "float-off" will take place at 10 a.m. Central Time on Wednesday, May 15, in Galveston Bay, near Eagle Point, Texas.Each team of students has designed and built their own buoy and each buoy is equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver which helps the students precisely track its location. The buoys will record sea level and wave height measurements along a track on the water as TOPEX/Poseidon flies overhead. This information will be used in conjunction with data from several tide gauges in the area to validate the satellite's performance.GPS is an array of 24 satellites that was originally developed by the U.S. Department of Defense. By measuring signals from these satellites, users can pinpoint their precise location almost anywhere on Earth."It's crucial that we have continuing calibration of the satellite's altimeter height measurements to help us determine if the global sea level is rising," said Dr. George Born, a TOPEX/Poseidon science team member at the University of Colorado, Boulder. "Locally, verifying the measurements of sea level in Galveston Bay will prove useful in improving tide models by providing a reality check.""Galveston Bay is an ideal site for us to conduct this experiment. As the TOPEX/Poseidon satellite passes directly over the center of the bay, there are numerous tide gauges to further verify the measurements and relatively low waves," said Amy Neuenschwander of the University of Texas Center for Space Research (UTCSR). "This bay is Texas' most important coastal environment, containing natural resources which are self-renewing as long as the bay remains healthy and productive.""Improved tide and circulation models will improve the ability to track pollutants such as oil spills in the bay as well as improving biological models," Born added. "Hence, the experiment has the long-term potential of contributing to the maintenance of a healthy ecosystem in the bay."The "float-off" is part of an on-going educational outreach program between JPL, UTCSR and the Texas Space Grant Consortium (TSGC), in conjunction with the Colorado Center for Astrodynamics Research (CCAR) and the Colorado Space Grant Consortium (CSGC). The Texas students are from two Houston area high schools, Friendswood and Pearland, and one middle school, Seabrook Intermediate. The Colorado students are from Boulder High School and the University of Colorado.TOPEX/Poseidon, a joint program of NASA and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, the French space agency, uses a radar altimeter to precisely measure sea-surface height. Launched in August 1992, the satellite measures the sea-surface with an unprecedented accuracy of less than 5 centimeters.TOPEX/Poseidon is part of NASA's Office of Mission to Planet Earth, a coordinated, long-term research program to study the Earth as a global system. TOPEX/Poseidon's sea-surface height data are essential to a better understanding of the role oceans play in regulating global climate, one of the least understood areas of climate research.The Jet Propulsion Laboratory manages the U.S. portion of the TOPEX/Poseidon mission for NASA.818-354-5011

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/erickson-takes-rover-reins-as-cook-joins-2009-mission

Erickson Takes Rover Reins as Cook Joins 2009 Mission

At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., James K. Erickson becomes project manager for the Mars Exploration Rover Project today as his predecessor, Richard A. Cook, switches to the development of an even more capable Mars rover for launch in 2009.

At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., James K. Erickson becomes project manager for the Mars Exploration Rover Project today as his predecessor, Richard A. Cook, switches to the development of an even more capable Mars rover for launch in 2009.Cook becomes deputy project manager for NASA's Mars Science Laboratory, the future rover mission whose project manager, Peter C. Theisinger, managed the Mars Exploration Rover Project from its inception in mid-2000 until February 2004, when Cook succeeded him.The rovers Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars in January and successfully completed all of the predetermined criteria for mission success in the following three months. NASA approved an extended mission for getting bonus work out of the robotic geologists through September. Both rovers remain healthy, though the harsh martian environment could end their operations at any point. "We are adapting to a pace of sustained exploration of the two landing sites," Erickson said. "The fun part of the job is working with the highest caliber engineers and scientists. The challenge is to lead without getting in their way."Erickson was project manager for NASA's Galileo mission to Jupiter for three years prior to joining the rover project as mission manager in 2001. During 30 years at JPL, he has also worked on the Viking missions to Mars, the Voyager missions to outer planets and the Mars Observer mission. He earned a bachelor's degree in applied physics from Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, Calif., and a master's in business administration and project management from West Coast University, Los Angeles. He lives in Glendale, Calif.Cook was flight operations manager for the Mars Pathfinder project, which put a lander and small rover on Mars in 1997. He joined JPL in 1989 and worked on the Magellan mission to Venus prior to Pathfinder. He earned a bachelor's in engineering physics from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a master's in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas, Austin. He lives in Santa Clarita, Calif.Guy Webster (818) 354-6278Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.2004-151

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/a-comet-lands-in-pasadena

A 'Comet' Lands in Pasadena

JPL is participating in AxS 2014, an arts and sciences celebration in Pasadena, California, which includes an interactive comet sculpture on display through Oct. 5.

AxS (pronounced axis) is a citywide festival produced by the Pasadena Arts Council that celebrates the California town as the "City of Art and Science." It runs through Oct. 5.JPL space science-related highlights of the festival include:"Metamorphosis"Nine-feet-high and lit from within, this steel sculpture emits a fine water mist and was inspired by the comet which the Rosetta spacecraft is currently orbiting. The sculpture will also be on display at the JPL Open House, Oct. 11 and 12."REALSPACE"Data and imagery from NASA's Curiosity Mars rover, the Dawn mission's exploration of giant asteroid Vesta, and the optical science of light and space are the subjects of various works in this exhibition.For specific dates, times, locations and other information on all AxS events, visit:http://axsfestival.org/2014/For details regarding the free 2014 JPL Open House, see:http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2014-330

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-nustar-helps-solve-riddle-of-black-hole-spin

NASA's NuSTAR Helps Solve Riddle of Black Hole Spin

Two X-ray space observatories have measured definitively, for the first time, the spin rate of a black hole with a mass 2 million times that of our sun.

PASADENA, Calif. -- Two X-ray space observatories, NASA's Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) and the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton, have teamed up to measure definitively, for the first time, the spin rate of a black hole with a mass 2 million times that of our sun.The supermassive black hole lies at the dust- and gas-filled heart of a galaxy called NGC 1365, and it is spinning almost as fast as Einstein's theory of gravity will allow. The findings, which appear in a new study in the journal Nature, resolve a long-standing debate about similar measurements in other black holes and will lead to a better understanding of how black holes and galaxies evolve."This is hugely important to the field of black hole science," said Lou Kaluzienski, a NuSTAR program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington.The observations also are a powerful test of Einstein's theory of general relativity, which says gravity can bend space-time, the fabric that shapes our universe, and the light that travels through it."We can trace matter as it swirls into a black hole using X-rays emitted from regions very close to the black hole," said the coauthor of a new study, NuSTAR principal investigator Fiona Harrison of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "The radiation we see is warped and distorted by the motions of particles and the black hole's incredibly strong gravity."NuSTAR, an Explorer-class mission launched in June 2012, is designed to detect the highest-energy X-ray light in great detail. It complements telescopes that observe lower-energy X-ray light, such as XMM-Newton and NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. Scientists use these and other telescopes to estimate the rates at which black holes spin.Until now, these measurements were not certain because clouds of gas could have been obscuring the black holes and confusing the results. With help from XMM-Newton, NuSTAR was able to see a broader range of X-ray energies and penetrate deeper into the region around the black hole. The new data demonstrate that X-rays are not being warped by the clouds, but by the tremendous gravity of the black hole. This proves that spin rates of supermassive black holes can be determined conclusively."If I could have added one instrument to XMM-Newton, it would have been a telescope like NuSTAR," said Norbert Schartel, XMM-Newton Project Scientist at the European Space Astronomy Center in Madrid. "The high-energy X-rays provided an essential missing puzzle piece for solving this problem."Measuring the spin of a supermassive black hole is fundamental to understanding its past history and that of its host galaxy."These monsters, with masses from millions to billions of times that of the sun, are formed as small seeds in the early universe and grow by swallowing stars and gas in their host galaxies, merging with other giant black holes when galaxies collide, or both," said the study's lead author, Guido Risaliti of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Mass., and the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics.Supermassive black holes are surrounded by pancake-like accretion disks, formed as their gravity pulls matter inward. Einstein's theory predicts the faster a black hole spins, the closer the accretion disk lies to the black hole. The closer the accretion disk is, the more gravity from the black hole will warp X-ray light streaming off the disk.Astronomers look for these warping effects by analyzing X-ray light emitted by iron circulating in the accretion disk. In the new study, they used both XMM-Newton and NuSTAR to simultaneously observe the black hole in NGC 1365. While XMM-Newton revealed that light from the iron was being warped, NuSTAR proved that this distortion was coming from the gravity of the black hole and not gas clouds in the vicinity. NuSTAR's higher-energy X-ray data showed that the iron was so close to the black hole that its gravity must be causing the warping effects.With the possibility of obscuring clouds ruled out, scientists can now use the distortions in the iron signature to measure the black hole's spin rate. The findings apply to several other black holes as well, removing the uncertainty in the previously measured spin rates.For more information on NASA's NuSTAR mission, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/nustar.For more information on ESA's XMM-Newton mission, visit:http://go.nasa.gov/YUYpI6.The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/topexposeidon-confirms-condition-for-el-nino

TOPEX/Poseidon Confirms Condition for El Nino

Sea surface measurements taken by the U.S./French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite have confirmed that conditions are ripe for development of an El Nio event in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean this winter.

Sea surface measurements taken by the U.S./French TOPEX/Poseidon satellite have confirmed that conditions are ripe for development of an El Nio event in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean this winter.Data from the radar altimeter onboard TOPEX/Poseidon reveal a new Kelvin wave moving toward the western coast of South America. A Kelvin wave is a large warm water mass that moves along the equator in the Pacific Ocean. Such Kelvin wave pulses sometimes give rise to El Nio conditions in the eastern equatorial Pacific.Using near real-time data from TOPEX/Poseidon, this most recent wave pulse has been confirmed by Drs. Jim Mitchell and Gregg Jacobs of the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi."This wave was generated in early August at the equator around 160 East longitude and moved eastward in the form of a bulge of sea surface elevation of 10 to 15 centimeters above normal," said Jacobs.The Kelvin wave pulse which began in August may have faded in strength in early October. At this time, the rise of sea surface in the west is indicative of the onset of a stronger Kelvin wave.The NRL team continues to monitor these developments in addition to using numerical ocean models to better understand the evolution of the Kelvin wave's strength, Mitchell said.The data confirm an advisory issued recently by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Analysis Center that El Nio conditions would continue in 1993-94.This Kelvin wave, plus other oceanographic and meteorological indicators, has indicated a strong potential for the redevelopment of the El Nio conditions that have persisted through two consecutive winters in 1991 and 1992, according to the NOAA advisory."The rise of warm water hinders cold deep waters from reaching the surface. Off the coast of South America, cold deep waters bring vital nutrients to sea life. When the Kelvin wave reaches South America, the deep waters no longer reach the surface and the fish stocks become severely depleted," according to Jacobs.The El Nio phenomenon has been blamed for causing devastating weather conditions around the world including severe floods in the Midwest, colder than normal winters in the eastern United States and wetter than normal conditions in California.The TOPEX/Poseidon mission is addressing long-term climate issues. By mapping the circulation of the world's oceans over several years, scientists can better understand how the ocean transports heat, influences the atmosphere and affects long-term climate, said Dr. Lee-Lueng Fu, TOPEX/Poseidon project scientist at JPL.Data from the satellite are distributed monthly for analysis by more than 200 scientists around the world.JPL manages the NASA portion of the joint U.S./French TOPEX/Poseidon mission. Launched Aug. 10, 1992, it is the second satellite in NASA's Mission to Planet Earth program, a long-term effort to study Earth as a global environmental system.818-354-5011

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/dawn-captures-video-on-approach-to-asteroid-vesta

Dawn Captures Video on Approach to Asteroid Vesta

Scientists working with NASA's Dawn spacecraft have created a new video showing the giant asteroid Vesta as the spacecraft approaches this unexplored world in the main asteroid belt.

PASADENA, Calif. – Scientists working with NASA's Dawn spacecraft have created a new video showing the giant asteroid Vesta as the spacecraft approaches this unexplored world in the main asteroid belt.The video loops 20 images obtained for navigation purposes on June 1. The images show a dark feature near Vesta's equator moving from left to right across the field of view as Vesta rotates. Images also show Vesta's jagged, irregular shape, hinting at the enormous crater known to exist at Vesta's south pole.The images were obtained by a framing camera during a 30-minute period and show about 30 degrees of a rotation. The pixel size in these images is approaching the resolution of the best Hubble Space Telescope images of Vesta."Like strangers in a strange land, we're looking for familiar landmarks," said Jian-Yang Li, a Dawn participating scientist from the University of Maryland, College Park. "The shadowy spot is one of those -- it appears to match a feature, known as 'Feature B,' from images of Vesta taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope."Before orbiting Vesta on July 16, Dawn will gently slow down to about 75 mph (120 kilometers per hour). NASA is expecting to release more images on a weekly basis, with more frequent images available once the spacecraft begins collecting science at Vesta."Vesta is coming more and more into focus," said Andreas Nathues, framing camera lead investigator, based at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany. "Dawn's framing camera is working exactly as anticipated."The Dawn mission is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., designed and built the Dawn spacecraft. The framing cameras were developed and built under the leadership of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany. The German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin made significant contributions in coordination with the Institute of Computer and Communication Network Engineering in Braunschweig. The framing camera project is funded by the Max Planck Society, DLR and NASA. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. For more information about Dawn, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/dawn. You can follow the mission on Twitter at:http://twitter.com/NASA_Dawn.More information about JPL is online at:http://www.jpl.nasa.gov.The video from Dawn also will air Monday afternoon on NASA Television's Video File. For NASA TV downlink information, schedules and links to streaming video, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/ntv.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/ground-piercing-radar-on-nasa-mars-orbiter-ready-for-work

Ground-Piercing Radar on NASA Mars Orbiter Ready for Work

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has extended the long-armed antenna of its radar, preparing the instrument to begin probing for underground layers of Mars.

NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has extended the long-armed antenna of its radar, preparing the instrument to begin probing for underground layers of Mars.The orbiter's Shallow Subsurface Radar, provided by the Italian Space Agency, will search to depths of about one kilometer (six-tenths of a mile) to find and map layers of ice, rock and, if present, liquid water.The radar's antenna had remained safely folded and tucked away throughout the flight to Mars from Aug. 12, 2005, to March 10, 2006, and while the orbiter used the friction of dipping into the top of Mars' atmosphere 426 times in the past six months to shrink the size of its orbit. Latches on the restraints were popped open on Sept. 16, and the spring-loaded twin arms of the antenna unfolded themselves. Subsequent information from the spacecraft indicates that each arm properly extended to its 5 meter (16.4 feet) length."The deployment of the antenna has succeeded. It went exactly as planned," said Dr. Enrico Flamini, the Italian Space Agency's program manager for the Shallow Subsurface Radar. "Now the excitement builds about what the radar will find hiding beneath the surface of Mars."A radar-team engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., Ali Safaeinili, said, "Motion sensors on Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter gave us good evidence that the antenna had deployed successfully. The amount of antenna vibrations as the arms unfolded was within the range anticipated."The radar received its first radio echo from the Martian surface during a test on Sept.18, providing a preliminary indication that the entire instrument is working properly. Researchers will use the instrument for more test observations at the end of this month. Communication with all spacecraft at Mars will be intermittent during most of October while that planet is behind the sun from Earth's perspective. The two-year-long main science phase of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission will begin in November."We will use the Shallow Radar to map buried channels, to study the internal structure of ice caps and to see boundaries between layers of different materials," said Dr. Roberto Seu of the University of Rome La Sapienza, leader of the instrument's science team. "The data will provide our first detailed look just under the Martian surface, where ices might reside that would be accessible for future explorers."The radar instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter will complement a similar instrument that went into use last year on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding. The two instruments use different radar frequencies. The one on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter can discriminate between thinner layers, but cannot penetrate as deep underground, compared with the one on Mars Express. Both result from Italian and American partnership in using radar for planetary probes.Alcatel Alenia Spazio-Italia, in Rome, is the Italian Space Agency's prime contractor for the instrument. Astro Aerospace, of Carpineria, Calif., a business unit of Los Angeles-based Northrop Grumman Corp., developed the antenna as a subcontractor to Alcatel Alenia.Further information about the Shallow Subsurface Radar is online atwww.sharad.org. For more detailed information about the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, seewww.nasa.gov/mission_pages/MRO/main. The mission is managed by JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, for the NASA Science Mission Directorate, Washington. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, is the prime contractor and built the orbiter.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/mars-pathfinder-passes-global-surveyor-on-its-way-to-mars

Mars Pathfinder Passes Global Surveyor on Its Way to Mars

Like two ships passing in the night, NASA's Mars Pathfinder spacecraft will begin to overtake Mars Global Surveyor tonight, moving closer to Mars than its companion orbiter and closing in for the final four-month approach to the red planet.

Like two ships passing in the night, NASA's Mars Pathfinder spacecraft will begin to overtake Mars Global Surveyor tonight, moving closer to Mars than its companion orbiter and closing in for the final four-month approach to the red planet.Mars Pathfinder, a lander carrying a small rover and science instruments to Mars, has less than half of its total distance to complete now, said Dr. Robin Vaughan, Pathfinder navigation team member at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The spacecraft will overtake Mars Global Surveyor at 0100 Universal Time on March 15 (5 p.m. Pacific Standard Time tonight, March 14).At the time of the event, Mars Pathfinder will be 43.7 million kilometers (27 million miles) from Earth and 69.7 million kilometers (43.2 million miles) from Mars. The spacecraft is more than halfway along its arcing flight path, on which it will have traveled a total of 497 million kilometers (309 million miles) by the time it reaches Mars."Although Pathfinder was launched about a month after Mars Global Surveyor, it is traveling faster than Surveyor and is on a shorter flight path to the red planet," said Brian Muirhead, Pathfinder project manager at JPL. "Whereas Mars Global Surveyor will take 10 months to reach Mars, Pathfinder takes only seven months. Once we reach Mars, we dive directly into the Martian atmosphere. The descent will only take about four minutes, and we should be on the surface of Mars by about 10 a.m. Pacific time on July 4th."Pathfinder is on a different type of trajectory to Mars than Mars Global Surveyor. Called a "Type 1" trajectory, the spacecraft does not have to travel as far to intercept Mars. Mars Global Surveyor will log a total of 700 million kilometers (435 million miles) in its flight path toward the red planet."The advantage to using a Type 1 trajectory is that you have to travel less than one-half of the way around the Sun to intercept Mars," Vaughan said. "So Pathfinder takes 212 days to reach Mars, while Mars Global Surveyor will spend 309 days to reach the planet."Mars Global Surveyor is on a "Type 2" trajectory, taking it more than 180 degrees around the Sun to intercept the planet. A major difference in this type of trajectory is that the spacecraft travels at a slower velocity with respect to the Sun. Subsequently, the craft requires less fuel to slow down at Mars than if it had followed Pathfinder's trajectory. For instance, Pathfinder is currently traveling at 27 kilometers per second (60,700 miles per hour), while Mars Global Surveyor is traveling at about 26.75 kilometers per second (59,800 miles per hour)."Less fuel translates into simpler, smaller spacecraft and less expense," said Glenn Cunningham, Mars Global Surveyor project manager. "Mars Global Surveyor also will employ a fairly new technique requiring very little fuel to drop down into its mapping orbit. The technique is called 'aerobraking,' and takes advantage of the drag of the Martian atmosphere. As the spacecraft dips down into the top of the atmosphere at its closest point to the planet each orbit, the drag from the atmosphere on the spacecraft will reduce its orbital speed. This drops the altitude of the highest part of the orbit, changing it from the initial elliptical shape to the circular shape required for mapping the planet."Aerobraking was first demonstrated successfully with the Magellan spacecraft, which mapped the surface of cloud-covered Venus using a sophisticated radar-imaging system. Magellan aerobraked into the Venusian atmosphere in October 1994, sending back data about Venus' thick sulfur and carbon dioxide-choked atmosphere until it burned up in the planet's sizzling temperatures. Mars Global Surveyor, however, will not dip so far into the much thinner Martian atmosphere that it would burn up.Pathfinder is scheduled to perform two more flight path corrections and, possibly, a fifth maneuver to keep it on course for landing on Mars on July 4. The last two maneuvers will occur near the end of the cruise phase, on May 7 and June 24, when the spacecraft is close to Mars. If necessary, a fifth maneuver will be executed just a few hours before entry into the Martian atmosphere on July 4. Mars Global Surveyor will perform its second trajectory correction maneuver on March 20. Engineers are continuing to explore possible ways of freeing a broken damper arm that is wedged in the joint of one of the solar arrays, so that the panel locks in place.The Mars Pathfinder and Mars Global Surveyor missions are managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. Pathfinder is the second in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost spacecraft designed to carry out highly focused science goals. Mars Global Surveyor is the first spacecraft in a decade-long program of robotic exploration, called the Mars Surveyor Program.818-354-5011

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/from-mars-rover-panorama-above-perseverance-valley

From Mars Rover: Panorama Above 'Perseverance Valley'

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recorded a panoramic view before entering the upper end of a fluid-carved valley that descends the inner slope of a crater's rim.

NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity recorded a panoramic view before entering the upper end of a fluid-carved valley that descends the inner slope of a large crater's rim.The scene includes a broad notch in the crest of the crater's rim, which may have been a spillway where water or ice or wind flowed over the rim and into the crater. Wheel tracks visible in the area of the notch were left by Opportunity as the rover studied the ground there and took images into the valley below for use in planning its route."It is a tantalizing scene," said Opportunity Deputy Principal Investigator Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis. "You can see what appear to be channels lined by boulders, and the putative spillway at the top of Perseverance Valley. We have not ruled out any of the possibilities of water, ice or wind being responsible."Opportunity's panoramic camera (Pancam) took the component images of the scene during a two-week driving moratorium in June 2017 while rover engineers diagnosed a temporary stall in the left-front wheel's steering actuator. The wheel was pointed outward more than 30 degrees, prompting the team to call the resulting vista Pancam's "Sprained Ankle" panorama. Both ends of the scene show portions of Endeavour Crater's western rim, extending north and south, and the center of the scene shows terrain just outside the crater.The team was able to straighten the wheel to point straight ahead, and now uses the steering capability of only the two rear wheels. The right-front wheel's steering actuator has been disabled since 2006. Opportunity has driven 27.95 miles (44.97 kilometers) since landing on Mars in 2004.On July 7, 2017, Opportunity drove to the site within upper Perseverance Valley where it will spend about three weeks without driving while Mars passes nearly behind the sun from Earth's perspective, affecting radio communications. The rover's current location is just out of sight in the Sprained Ankle panorama, below the possible spillway. Opportunity is using Pancam to record another grand view from this location.After full communications resume in early August, the team plans to drive Opportunity farther down Perseverance Valley, seeking to learn more about the process that carved it.For more information about Opportunity's adventures on Mars, visit:https://mars.nasa.gov/mer

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/the-many-faces-of-rosettas-comet-67p

The Many Faces of Rosetta's Comet 67P

Images from ESA Rosetta indicate that the surface of its target comet has had growing fractures, collapsing cliffs and massive rolling boulders.

Images returned from the European Space Agency's Rosetta mission indicate that during its most recent trip through the inner solar system, the surface of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko was a very active place - full of growing fractures, collapsing cliffs and massive rolling boulders. Moving material buried some features on the comet's surface while exhuming others. A study on 67P's changing surface was released Tuesday, March 21, in the journal Science."As comets approach the sun, they go into overdrive and exhibit spectacular changes on their surface," said Ramy El-Maarry, study leader and a member of the U.S. Rosetta science team from the University of Colorado, Boulder. "This is something we were not able to really appreciate before the Rosetta mission, which gave us the chance to look at a comet in ultra-high resolution for more than two years."Most comets orbit our sun in highly elliptical orbits that cause them to spend most of their time in the extremely cold outer solar system. When a comet approaches the inner solar system, the sun begins to warm the ice on and near the comet's surface. When the ice warms enough it can rapidly sublimate (turn directly from the solid to the vapor state). This sublimation process can occur with variable degrees of intensity and time-scales and cause the surface to change rapidly. Between August 2014 and September 2016, Rosetta orbited comet 67P during the comet's swing through the inner-solar system."We saw a massive cliff collapse and a large crack in the neck of the comet get bigger and bigger," said El-Maarry. "And we discovered that boulders the size of a large truck could be moved across the comet's surface a distance as long as one-and-a-half football fields."In the case of the boulder, Rosetta's cameras observed a 282-million-pound (130-million-kilogram), 100-feet-wide (30-meter) space rock to have moved 150 yards (460 feet, or 140 meters) from its original position on the comet's nucleus. The massive space rock probably moved as a result of several outburst events that were detected close to its original position.The warming of 67P also caused the comet's rotation rate to speed up. The comet's increasing spin rate in the lead-up to perihelion is thought to be responsible for a 1,600-foot-long (500-meters) fracture spotted in August 2014 that runs through the comet's neck. The fracture, which originally extended a bit longer than the Empire State Building is high, was found to have increased in width by about 100 feet (30 meters) by December 2014. Furthermore, in images taken in June 2016, a new 500- to 1,000-foot-long (150 to 300 meters) fracture was identified parallel to the original fracture."The large crack was in the 'neck' of the comet -- a small central part that connects the two lobes," said El-Maarry. "The crack was extending--indicating that the comet may split up one day."Understanding how comets change and evolve with time gives us important insights into the types and abundance of ices in comets, and how long comets can stay in the inner solar system before losing all their ice and becoming balls of dust," said El-Maarry. "This helps us better understand the conditions of the early solar system, and possibly even how life started."A link to an ESA press release with more information on the El-Maarry paper in Science can be found here:http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Before_and_after_unique_changes_spotted_on_Rosetta_s_cometIn a second Rosetta study released Tuesday, this one published in Nature Astronomy, scientists make the first definitive link between an outburst of dust and gas from the nucleus of 67P and the collapse of one of its prominent cliffs, which also exposed the comet's pristine, icy interior.A link to an ESA press release on the Nature Astronomy paper can be found here:http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space_Science/Rosetta/Collapsing_cliff_reveals_comet_s_interiorComets are time capsules containing primitive material left over from the epoch when the sun and its planets formed. Rosetta was the first spacecraft to witness at close proximity how a comet changes as it is subjected to the increasing intensity of the sun's radiation. Observations will help scientists learn more about the origin and evolution of our solar system and whether comets brought life-sustaining water and organic molecules to the Earth.Rosetta is an ESA mission with contributions from its member states and NASA. Rosetta's Philae lander is provided by a consortium led by the German Aerospace Center, Cologne; Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Gottingen; French National Space Agency, Paris; and the Italian Space Agency, Rome. JPL, Pasadena, California, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the U.S. contribution of the Rosetta mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL also built the MIRO instrument and hosts its principal investigator, Mark Hofstadter. The Southwest Research Institute (San Antonio and Boulder, Colorado), developed the Rosetta orbiter's IES and Alice instruments and hosts their principal investigators, James Burch (IES) and Joel Parker (Alice).For more information on the U.S. instruments aboard Rosetta, visit:http://rosetta.jpl.nasa.govMore information about Rosetta is available at:http://www.esa.int/rosetta

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/small-asteroid-is-earths-constant-companion

Small Asteroid Is Earth's Constant Companion

A small asteroid has been discovered in an orbit around the sun that keeps it as a constant companion of Earth, and it will remain so for centuries to come.

A small asteroid has been discovered in an orbit around the sun that keeps it as a constant companion of Earth, and it will remain so for centuries to come.As it orbits the sun, this new asteroid, designated 2016 HO3, appears to circle around Earth as well. It is too distant to be considered a true satellite of our planet, but it is the best and most stable example to date of a near-Earth companion, or "quasi-satellite.""Since 2016 HO3 loops around our planet, but never ventures very far away as we both go around the sun, we refer to it as a quasi-satellite of Earth," said Paul Chodas, manager of NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object (NEO) Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "One other asteroid -- 2003 YN107 -- followed a similar orbital pattern for a while over 10 years ago, but it has since departed our vicinity. This new asteroid is much more locked onto us. Our calculations indicate 2016 HO3 has been a stable quasi-satellite of Earth for almost a century, and it will continue to follow this pattern as Earth's companion for centuries to come."A small asteroid has been discovered in an orbit around the sun that keeps it as a constant companion of Earth, and it will remain so for centuries to come.Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechIn its yearly trek around the sun, asteroid 2016 HO3 spends about half of the time closer to the sun than Earth and passes ahead of our planet, and about half of the time farther away, causing it to fall behind. Its orbit is also tilted a little, causing it to bob up and then down once each year through Earth's orbital plane. In effect, this small asteroid is caught in a game of leap frog with Earth that will last for hundreds of years.The asteroid's orbit also undergoes a slow, back-and-forth twist over multiple decades. "The asteroid's loops around Earth drift a little ahead or behind from year to year, but when they drift too far forward or backward, Earth's gravity is just strong enough to reverse the drift and hold onto the asteroid so that it never wanders farther away than about 100 times the distance of the moon," said Chodas. "The same effect also prevents the asteroid from approaching much closer than about 38 times the distance of the moon. In effect, this small asteroid is caught in a little dance with Earth."Asteroid 2016 HO3 was first spotted on April 27, 2016, by the Pan-STARRS 1 asteroid survey telescope on Haleakala, Hawaii, operated by the University of Hawaii's Institute for Astronomy and funded by NASA'sPlanetary Defense Coordination Office. The size of this object has not yet been firmly established, but it is likely larger than 120 feet (40 meters) and smaller than 300 feet (100 meters).TheCenter for NEO Studies websitehas a complete list of recent and upcoming close approaches, as well as all other data on the orbits of known NEOs, so scientists and members of the media and public can track information on known objects.For asteroid news and updates, follow AsteroidWatch on Twitter:http://www.twitter.com/AsteroidWatch

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-will-inspire-world-when-it-returns-mars-samples-to-earth-in-2033

NASA Will Inspire World When It Returns Mars Samples to Earth in 2033

This advanced mission architecture will include two sample recovery helicopters.

NASA has finished the system requirements review for its Mars Sample Return Program, which is nearing completion of the conceptual design phase. During this phase, the program team evaluated and refined the architecture to return the scientifically selected samples, which are currently in the collection process by NASA’s Perseverance rover in the Red Planet’s Jezero Crater.The architecture for the campaign, which includes contributions from the European Space Agency (ESA), is expected to reduce the complexity of future missions and increase probability of success.“The conceptual design phase is when every facet of a mission plan gets put under a microscope,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “There are some significant and advantageous changes to the plan, which can be directly attributed to Perseverance’s recent successes at Jezero and the amazing performance of our Mars helicopter.”This advanced mission architecture takes into consideration a recently updated analysis of Perseverance’s expected longevity. Perseverance will be the primary means of transporting samples to NASA’sSample Retrieval Landercarrying theMars Ascent Vehicleand ESA’s Sample Transfer Arm.As such, the Mars Sample Return campaign will no longer include the Sample Fetch Rover or its associated second lander. The Sample Retrieval Lander will include two sample recovery helicopters, based on the design of the Ingenuity helicopter, which has performed 29 flights at Mars and survived over a year beyond its original planned lifetime. The helicopters will provide a secondary capability to retrieve samples cached on the surface of Mars.Get the Latest JPL NewsSUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTERThe ESAEarth Return Orbiterand its NASA-providedCapture, Containment, and Return Systemremain vital elements of the program architecture.With planned launch dates for the Earth Return Orbiter and Sample Retrieval Lander in fall 2027 and summer 2028, respectively, the samples are expected to arrive on Earth in 2033.With its architecture solidified during this conceptual design phase, the program is expected to move into its preliminary design phase this October. In this phase, expected to last about 12 months, the program will complete technology development and create engineering prototypes of the major mission components.This refined concept for the Mars Sample Return campaign was presented to the delegates from the 22 participating states of Europe’s space exploration program, Terrae Novae, in May. At their next meeting in September, the states will consider the discontinuation of the development of the Sample Fetch Rover.“ESA is continuing at full speed the development of both the Earth Return Orbiter that will make the historic round-trip from Earth to Mars and back again; and the Sample Transfer Arm that will robotically place the sample tubes aboard the Orbiting Sample Container before its launch from the surface of the Red Planet,” said David Parker, ESA director of Human and Robotic Exploration.The respective contributions to the campaign are contingent upon available funding from the U.S. and ESA participating states. More formalized agreements between the two agencies will be established in the next year.“Working together on historic endeavors like Mars Sample Return not only provides invaluable data about our place in the universe but brings us closer together right here on Earth,” said Zurbuchen.The first step in the Mars Sample Return Campaign is already in progress. Since it landed atJezero CraterFeb. 18, 2021, the Perseverance rover has collected 11 scientifically compelling rock core samples and one atmospheric sample.Bringing Mars samples to Earth would allow scientists across the world to examine the specimens using sophisticated instruments too large and too complex to send to Mars and would enable future generations to study them. Curating the samples on Earth would also allow the science community to test new theories and models as they are developed, much as the Apollo samples returned from the Moon have done for decades. This strategic NASA and ESA partnership will fulfill a solar system exploration goal, a high priority since the 1970s and in the last three National Academy of Sciences Planetary Science Decadal Surveys.Learn more about the Mars Sample Return Program:https://mars.nasa.gov/msr/NASA Begins Testing Robotics to Bring First Samples Back From MarsDropped in the Name of Science, Mars Sample Return Design Holds Up

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassini-heading-to-titan-after-tagging-enceladus

Cassini Heading to Titan after Tagging Enceladus

Scientists rate Cassini's 10th flyby of Enceladus... a 10.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft is on its way to a flyby of Saturn's largest moon, Titan, after capturing some stunning images of Enceladus. One view shows the hazy outline of Titan behind Saturn's rings, with the dark curve of Enceladus at the bottom.In other images, Enceladus put its craggy face forward, exhibiting some of the fractures and cratering that have made the Saturnian moon a favorite of both planetary scientists and outer-planet mission groupies. A view of Enceladus' terminator was taken by NASA's Cassini spacecraft on May 18 from approximately 75,000 kilometers (46,500 miles) away.Cassini sent back numerous images May 18, 2010, as it finished the first leg of its planned double flyby. Cassini passed within about 435 kilometers (270 miles) of the Enceladus surface.Cassini is heading toward Titan for a flyby that occurs in the late evening May 19 Pacific time, which is in the early hours of May 20 UTC. Because of a fortuitous cosmic alignment, Cassini can catch glimpses of these two contrasting worlds within less than 48 hours, with no maneuver in between.The main scientific goal at Enceladus was to watch the sun play peek-a-boo behind the water-rich plume emanating from the moon's south polar region. Scientists using the ultraviolet imaging spectrograph will be able to use the flickering light to measure whether there is molecular nitrogen in the plume. Ammonia has already been detected in the plume, and scientists know heat can decompose ammonia into nitrogen molecules. Determining the amount of molecular nitrogen in the plume will give scientists clues about thermal processing in the moon's interior.The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Cassini orbiter was designed, developed and assembled at JPL.More raw images from the Enceladus flyby, dubbed "E10," are available at:http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/photos/raw/More information on the Titan flyby, dubbed "T68," is online at:http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/flybys/titan20100520/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-mars-2020-heads-into-the-test-chamber

NASA's Mars 2020 Heads Into the Test Chamber

In this time-lapse video taken at JPL, engineers move the Mars 2020 rover into a large vacuum chamber for testing in Mars-like environmental conditions.

In this time-lapse video, taken on Oct. 9, 2019, at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, bunny-suited engineers move the Mars 2020 rover from a high bay in the Spacecraft Simulator Building into the facility's large vacuum chamber for testing in Mars-like environmental conditions."Whenever you move the rover, it is a big deal," said Mars 2020 engineer Chris Chatellier of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. "There is a technician on every corner, and other engineers and safety inspectors are monitoring and assisting every step of the way. Every move is choreographed, briefed and rehearsed."After chamber testing, the 2020 rover was moved back to JPL's Spacecraft Assembly Facility where it is undergoing radio-emissions testing.Mars 2020 will launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida in July 2020. It will land at Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA's Artemislunar exploration planswill establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028. We will use what we learn on the Moon to prepare to send astronauts to Mars.For more information about the mission, go to:https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-collects-first-mars-sample-of-new-science-campaign

NASA’s Perseverance Collects First Mars Sample of New Science Campaign

The rover continues its hunt for rocks worthy of bringing to Earth for further study.

NASA’s Perseverance rover cored and stored the first sample of the mission’s newest science campaign on Thursday, March 30. With each campaign, the team explores and studies a new area. On this one, the rover is exploring the top of Jezero Crater’s delta. Perseverance has collected a total of 19 samples and threewitness tubes, and it recently deposited10 tubes as a backup cacheon the Martian surface as part of the NASA-ESA (European Space Agency)Mars Sample Return campaign.Scientists want to study Martian samples with powerful lab equipment on Earth to search forsigns of ancient microbial lifeand to better understand the water cycle that has shaped the surface and interior of Mars.This animation shows NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover collecting a rock sample from an outcrop the science team calls “Berea” using a coring bit on the end of its robotic arm. The images were taken by one of the rover’s front hazard cameras.Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechCored from a rock the science team calls “Berea,” this latest sample is the 16th cored rock sample of the mission (there are also samples of regolith – or broken rock and dust – as well as Mars atmosphere;read more about the samples). The science team believes Berea formed from rock deposits that were carried downstream by an ancient river to this location. That would mean the material could have come from an area well beyond the confines of Jezero Crater, and it’s one reason why the team finds the rock so promising.What’s the weather on Mars? See Perseverance’s daily report“The second reason is that the rock is rich in carbonate,” said Katie Stack Morgan, deputy project scientist for Perseverance at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Carbonate rocks on Earth can be good at preserving fossilized lifeforms. If biosignatures were present in this part of Jezero Crater, it could be a rock like this one that could very well hold their secrets.”A Climate PuzzleOne big puzzle is how Mars’ climate worked back when this area was covered with liquid water. Because carbonates form due to chemical interactions in liquid water, they can provide scientists a long-term record of changes in the planet’s climate. By studying the carbonate in the Berea sample, the science team could help fill in the gaps.“The Berea core highlights the beauty of rover missions,” said Perseverance’s project scientist, Ken Farley of Caltech in Pasadena. “Perseverance’s mobility has allowed us to collectigneous samplesfrom the relatively flat crater floor during the first campaign, and then travel to thebase of the crater’s delta, where we found fine-grainedsedimentary rocksdeposited in a dried lakebed. Now we are sampling from a geologic location where we find coarse-grained sedimentary rocks deposited in a river. With this diversity of environments to observe and collect from, we are confident that these samples will allow us to better understand what occurred here at Jezero Crater billions of years ago.”This image shows the rock core from “Berea” inside inside the drill of NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. Each core the rover takes is about the size of a piece of classroom chalk: 0.5 inches (13 millimeters) in diameter and 2.4 inches (60 millimeters) long.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSSFull Image DetailsWith this latest sample stored safely in a sample tube in the rover’s belly, the six-wheeler will continue to climb Jezero’ssedimentary fantoward the next bend in the dry riverbed, a location the science team is calling “Castell Henllys.”More About the MissionA key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars isastrobiology, including caching samples that may contain signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith.Get the Latest JPL NewsSUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTERSubsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA, would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includesArtemismissions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.More highlights of Perseverance’s first two years on Mars:https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/mission/highlights/For more about Perseverance:https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/a-little-glitz-goes-a-long-way-for-nasas-genesis

A Little Glitz Goes a Long Way for NASA's Genesis

It seems everyone benefits from a little "bling bling" now and then. Hollywood icons use six-carat jewels to decorate themselves; eastern ayurvedic doctors use precious gems to make medicine; and scientists on NASA's Genesis mission, due to return Sept. 8, use sapphire, silicon, gold and diamond to collect raw solar wind particles in outer space.

It seems everyone benefits from a little "bling bling" now and then. Hollywood icons use six-carat jewels to decorate themselves; eastern ayurvedic doctors use precious gems to make medicine; and scientists on NASA's Genesis mission, due to return Sept. 8, use sapphire, silicon, gold and diamond to collect raw solar wind particles in outer space."The exciting thing about Genesis is that the data it returns will be important for understanding how our solar nebula developed into a planetary system," said Genesis Project Scientist Dr. Amy Jurewicz at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "Genesis data can bridge much of this gap because independent evidence suggests that the outer portion of the Sun, what we are sampling, hasn't changed in the past 4.5 billion years."In the Brilliant BeginningTo successfully capture raw solar wind, Genesis flew a million miles away, outside Earth's magnetic field, which alters the particles, and hovered in its own orbit for 29 months. Scientists grappled with several challenges while pondering ways to keep the samples pristine during and after collection. First off, they had to find a proper way to collect and transport the samples. The largest collector consists of five bicycle-tire-sized collector arrays, each loaded with 54 or 55 hexagonal wafers measuring about 4 inches (10 centimeters) in diameter. These wafers consist of 15 different high-purity materials including aluminum, sapphire, silicon, germanium, gold and diamond-like amorphous carbon -- all chosen for their durability, purity, cleanliness, retentiveness and ease of analysis."The materials we used in the Genesis collector arrays had to be physically strong enough to be launched without breaking; retain the sample while being heated by the Sun during collection; and be pure enough that we could analyze the solar wind elements after Earth-return," Jurewicz said.Each collector array was assigned to catch various types of solar wind. Genesis's goal was to collect billions of atoms of solar particles heavier than hydrogen, equivalent to "a few grains of salt," according to Genesis Principal Investigator Dr. Donald Burnett of the California Institute of Technology.Since the solar wind was implanted near the surface of each wafer, the ability to differentiate the implanted solar wind from impurities within the wafer itself, as well as surface contamination from handling and terrestrial transport, was an important science issue."On an atomic scale, think of a collector as billiard balls in a large rack," Jurewicz said. "The process of solar-wind collection would be like dropping extra billiard balls into that rack. Now let's say that the billiard balls we use for collection are all red and solar wind atoms are green. After collection, it will be obvious if green balls were added to that rack of purely red balls. If we had started with an 'impure' mix of red and green billiard balls, then we would not know if the green balls were new and from the Sun."Once the solar wind particles were collected, the wafers had to be able to retain them while warming under the Sun's rays. Each type of wafer will retain different solar wind elements. Sapphire was used because it can retain sodium under these conditions. Silicon, which comprises approximately half of the materials used in the collector arrays, does not retain sodium but does retain many other elements, including the important rock-forming element magnesium.Geometry was also used to enhance researchers' ability to analyze the sample. By making some of the collector materials thin and mounting them on a rigid, inert structure (e.g. silicon on sapphire), the effects of impurities in the collector material were minimized by only analyzing the thin layer.The Treasured ReturnGenesis completed the science-collection phase of the mission in April 2004, securing the collector wafers and their precious cargo in its sample return capsule for the five-month trip back to Earth. It will be NASA's first sample return mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.Once positioned on the side of Earth opposite the Sun, the spacecraft will separate from the capsule. A drogue parachute will slow the capsule during its fall through Earth's atmosphere. Flying high above the Utah desert, the capsule will then deploy a parafoil -- much like that of a skydiver -- and coast down over the Utah Test and Training Range until a helicopter hooks the parafoil, capturing it in midair. The solar samples will then be taken to NASA's Johnson Space Center for analysis and later made available for analysis by other laboratories the world over."I believe that everyone - NASA, the general public and even scientists outside of the planetary science community - will be amazed at how much this one mission will teach us," Jurewicz said.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-mars-rover-has-uncertain-future-as-sixth-anniversary-nears

NASA's Mars Rover has Uncertain Future as Sixth Anniversary Nears

NASA's Mars rover Spirit will mark six years of unprecedented science exploration and inspiration for the American public on Sunday.

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Mars rover Spirit will mark six years of unprecedented science exploration and inspiration for the American public on Sunday. However, the upcoming Martian winter could end the roving career of the beloved, scrappy robot.Spirit successfully landed on the Red Planet at 8:35 p.m. PST on Jan. 3, 2004, and its twin Opportunity arrived at 9:05 p.m. Jan. 24, 2004. The rovers began missions intended to last for three months but which have lasted six Earth years, or 3.2 Mars years. During this time, Spirit has found evidence of a steamy and violent environment on ancient Mars that was quite different from the wet and acidic past documented by Opportunity, which has been operating successfully as it explores halfway around the planet.A sand trap and balky wheels are challenges to Spirit's mobility that could prevent NASA's rover team from using a key survival strategy for the rover. The team may not be able to position the robot's solar panels to tilt toward the sun to collect power for heat to survive the severe Martian winter.Nine months ago, Spirit's wheels broke through a crusty surface layer into loose sand hidden underneath. Efforts to escape this sand trap barely have budged the rover. The rover's inability to use all six wheels for driving has worsened the predicament. Spirit's right-front wheel quit working in 2006, and its right-rear wheel stalled a month ago. Surprisingly, the right-front wheel resumed working, though intermittently. Drives with four or five operating wheels have produced little progress toward escaping the sand trap. The latest attempts resulted in the rover sinking deeper in the soil."The highest priority for this mission right now is to stay mobile, if that's possible," said Steve Squyres of Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y. He is principal investigator for the rovers.If mobility is not possible, the next priority is to improve the rover's tilt, while Spirit is able to generate enough electricity to turn its wheels. Spirit is in the southern hemisphere of Mars, where it is autumn, and the amount of daily sunshine available for the solar-powered rover is declining. This could result in ceasing extraction activities as early as January, depending on the amount of remaining power. Spirit's tilt, nearly five degrees toward the south, is unfavorable because the winter sun crosses low in the northern sky.Unless the tilt can be improved or luck with winds affects the gradual buildup of dust on the solar panels, the amount of sunshine available will continue to decline until May 2010. During May, or perhaps earlier, Spirit may not have enough power to remain in operation."At the current rate of dust accumulation, solar arrays at zero tilt would provide barely enough energy to run the survival heaters through the Mars winter solstice," said Jennifer Herman, a rover power engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.The team is evaluating strategies for improving the tilt even if Spirit cannot escape the sand trap, such as trying to dig in deeper with the wheels on the north side. In February, NASA will assess Mars missions, including Spirit, for their potential science versus costs to determine how to distribute limited resources. Meanwhile, the team is planning additional research about what a stationary Spirit could accomplish as power wanes."Spirit could continue significant research right where it is," said Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis, deputy principal investigator for the rovers. "We can study the interior of Mars, monitor the weather and continue examining the interesting deposits uncovered by Spirit's wheels."A study of the planet's interior would use radio transmissions to measure wobble of the planet's axis of rotation, which is not feasible with a mobile rover. That experiment and others might provide more and different findings from a mission that has already far exceeded expectations."Long-term change in the spin direction could tell us about the diameter and density of the planet's core," said William Folkner of JPL. He has been developing plans for conducting this experiment with a future, stationary Mars lander. "Short-period changes could tell us whether the core is liquid or solid," he said.In 2004, Opportunity discovered the first mineralogical evidence that Mars had liquid water. The rover recently finished a two-year investigation of a half-mile wide crater called Victoria and now is headed toward Endeavor crater, which is approximately seven miles from Victoria and nearly 14 miles across. Since landing, Opportunity has driven more than 11 miles and returned more than 132,000 images.JPL manages the rovers for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.For more information about the rovers, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/roversorhttp://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/ceres-bright-spots-seen-in-striking-new-detail

Ceres' Bright Spots Seen in Striking New Detail

The brightest spots on the dwarf planet Ceres gleam with mystery in new views delivered by NASA's Dawn spacecraft.

The brightest spots on the dwarf planet Ceres gleam with mystery in new views delivered by NASA's Dawn spacecraft. These closest-yet views of Occator crater, with a resolution of 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel, give scientists a deeper perspective on these very unusual features.The new up-close view of Occator crater from Dawn's current vantage point reveals better-defined shapes of the brightest, central spot and features on the crater floor. Because these spots are so much brighter than the rest of Ceres' surface, the Dawn team combined two different images into a single composite view -- one properly exposed for the bright spots, and one for the surrounding surface.Scientists also have produced animations that provide a virtual fly-around of the crater, including a colorful topographic map.http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=pia19890http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=pia19891Dawn scientists note the rim of Occator crater is almost vertical in some places, where it rises steeply for 1 mile (nearly 2 kilometers).Views from Dawn's current orbit, taken at an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers), have about three times better resolution than the images the spacecraft delivered from its previous orbit in June, and nearly 10 times better than in the spacecraft's first orbit at Ceres in April and May."Dawn has transformed what was so recently a few bright dots into a complex and beautiful, gleaming landscape," said Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer and mission director based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. "Soon, the scientific analysis will reveal the geological and chemical nature of this mysterious and mesmerizing extraterrestrial scenery."The spacecraft has already completed two 11-day cycles of mapping the surface of Ceres from its current altitude, and began the third on Sept. 9. Dawn will map all of Ceres six times over the next two months. Each cycle consists of 14 orbits. By imaging Ceres at a slightly different angle in each mapping cycle, Dawn scientists will be able to assemble stereo views and construct 3-D maps.Dawn is the first mission to visit a dwarf planet, and the first to orbit two distinct solar system targets. It orbited protoplanet Vesta for 14 months in 2011 and 2012, and arrived at Ceres on March 6, 2015.Dawn's mission is managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. UCLA is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital ATK Inc., in Dulles, Virginia, designed and built the spacecraft. The German Aerospace Center, Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Italian Space Agency and Italian National Astrophysical Institute are international partners on the mission team. For a complete list of mission participants, visit:http://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov/missionMore information about Dawn is available at the following sites:http://dawn.jpl.nasa.govhttp://www.nasa.gov/dawn

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/stardust-mission-status-3

Stardust Mission Status

NASA's comet-bound spacecraft, Stardust, successfully completed a critical deep space maneuver, positioning itself on a course to encounter comet Wild 2 in January 2004 and collect dust from the comet.

NASA's comet-bound spacecraft, Stardust, successfully completed a critical deep space maneuver, positioning itself on a course to encounter comet Wild 2 in January 2004 and collect dust from the comet.At 21:56 Universal Time (1:56 p.m. Pacific Time), January 18, Stardust fired its thrusters for nearly 111 seconds, increasing the speed of the spacecraft by 2.65 meters per second (about 6 miles per hour)."This is the maneuver that sets us up for the bigger maneuver. It's a combination of increasing the speed of the spacecraft and at the same time putting it on the path to reach Wild 2," said Robert Ryan, Stardust's mission manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "It's like the setup pass in a basketball game. Now we're ready to shoot the basket."The spacecraft responded exactly as planned, said Ryan, although communication was tricky. Stardust is currently the farthest solar-powered object from the Sun, over 395 million kilometers (245 million miles) away. The spacecraft's signal confirming it had completed the maneuver took almost 30 minutes to reach Earth.In January 2004, Stardust will fly through the halo of dust that surrounds the nucleus of comet Wild 2. The spacecraft will return to Earth in January 2006 to make a soft landing at the U.S. Air Force Utah Test and Training Range. Its sample return capsule, holding microscopic particles of comet and interstellar dust, will be taken to the planetary material curatorial facility at NASA's Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, where the samples will be carefully stored and examined.Stardust's cometary and interstellar dust samples will help provide answers to fundamental questions about the origins of the solar system. More information on the Stardust mission is available athttp://stardust.jpl.nasa.gov.Stardust, a part of NASA's Discovery Program of low-cost, highly focused science missions, was built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics and Operations, Denver, Colo., and is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. The principal investigator is astronomy professor Donald E. Brownlee of the University of Washington in Seattle.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/ninth-thematic-conference-on-geologic-remote-sensing

Ninth Thematic Conference on Geologic Remote Sensing

Earthquakes and environmental hazards will be among topics discussed at a scientific conference Feb. 8-11 in Pasadena, Calif., co-sponsored by NASA.

Earthquakes and environmental hazards will be among topics discussed at a scientific conference Feb. 8-11 in Pasadena, Calif., co-sponsored by NASA.More than 500 participants from 37 countries are expected at the Ninth Thematic Conference on Geologic Remote Sensing organized by the Environmental Research Institute of Michigan.The June 1992 Landers, Calif., earthquake and its aftermath will be discussed by Jet Propulsion Laboratory and California Institute of Technology researchers in a special session Thursday, Feb. 11, chaired by Dr. Robert Crippen of JPL.The conference will take place at the Pasadena Convention Center.Sponsors and participating agencies in addition to NASA include Amoco, Arco Oil and Gas, BHP-Utah Mines, Chevron Overseas Production, Cominco, Conoco, Exxon Production Research, Intera Information Technologies, Texaco Exploration and Production, the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Department of Energy.818-354-5011

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-spacecraft-put-in-launch-configuration

NASA's Perseverance Rover Spacecraft Put in Launch Configuration

Stacking spacecraft components on top of each other is one of the final assembly steps before a mission launches to the Red Planet.

Engineers working on NASA'sPerseverance rover missionat the Kennedy Space Center in Florida have begun the process of placing the Mars-bound rover and other spacecraft components into the configuration they'll be in as they ride on top of the United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket. The launch period for the mission opens on July 17 - just 70 days from now.Called "vehicle stacking," the process began on April 23 with the integration of the rover and its rocket-powered descent stage. One of the first steps in the daylong operation was to lift the descent stage onto Perseverance so that engineers could connect the two with flight-separation bolts.When it's time for the rover to touch down on Mars, these three bolts will be released by small pyrotechnic charges, and the spacecraft will execute the sky crane maneuver: Nylon cords spool out through what are called bridle exit guides to lower the rover 25 feet (7.6 meters) below the descent stage. Once Perseverance senses it's on the surface, pyrotechnically-fired blades will sever the cords, and the descent stage flies off. The sky crane maneuver ensures Perseverance will land on the Martian surface free of any other spacecraft components, eliminating the need for a complex deployment procedure."Attaching the rover to the descent stage is a major milestone for the team because these are the first spacecraft components to come together for launch, and they will be the last to separate when we reach Mars," said David Gruel, the Perseverance rover assembly, test, and launch operations manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages rover operations. "These two assemblies will remain firmly nestled together until they are about 65 feet [20 meters] over the surface of Mars."On April 29, the rover and descent stage were attached to thecone-shaped back shell, which contains the parachute and, along with the mission's heat shield, provides protection for the rover and descent stage during Martian atmospheric entry.Whether they are working on final assembly of the vehicle at Kennedy Space Center, testing software and subsystems at JPL or (as the majority of the team is doing)teleworkingdue to coronavirus safety precautions, the Perseverance team remains on track to meet the opening of the rover's launch period. No matter what day Perseverance launches, it will land at Mars' Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021.The Perseverance rover's astrobiology mission will search for signs of ancient microbial life. It will also characterize the planet's climate and geology, collect samples for future return to Earth, and pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet. The Perseverance rover mission is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA'sArtemis lunar exploration plans.For more information about the mission, go to:https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/For more about NASA's Moon to Mars plans, visit:https://www.nasa.gov/topics/moon-to-mars

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassini-beams-back-first-images-from-new-orbit

Cassini Beams Back First Images from New Orbit

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has sent to Earth its first views of Saturn's atmosphere since beginning the latest phase of its mission.

NASA's Cassini spacecraft has sent to Earth its first views of Saturn's atmosphere since beginning the latest phase of its mission. The new images show scenes from high above Saturn's northern hemisphere, including the planet's intriguing hexagon-shaped jet stream.Cassini began its new mission phase, called its Ring-Grazing Orbits, on Nov. 30. Each of these weeklong orbits -- 20 in all -- carries the spacecraft high above Saturn's northern hemisphere before sending it skimming past the outer edges of the planet's main rings.Cassini's imaging cameras acquired these latest views on Dec. 2 and 3, about two days before the first ring-grazing approach to the planet. Future passes will include images from near closest approach, including some of the closest-ever views of the outer rings and small moons that orbit there."This is it, the beginning of the end of our historic exploration of Saturn. Let these images -- and those to come -- remind you that we've lived a bold and daring adventure around the solar system's most magnificent planet," said Carolyn Porco, Cassini imaging team lead at Space Science Institute, Boulder, Colorado.The next pass by the rings' outer edges is planned for Dec. 11. The ring-grazing orbits will continue until April 22, when the last close flyby of Saturn's moon Titan will once again reshape Cassini's flight path. With that encounter, Cassini will begin its Grand Finale, leaping over the rings and making the first of 22 plunges through the 1,500-mile-wide (2,400-kilometer) gap between Saturn and its innermost ring on April 26.On Sept. 15, the mission's planned conclusion will be a final dive into Saturn's atmosphere. During its plunge, Cassini will transmit data about the atmosphere's composition until its signal is lost.Launched in 1997, Cassini has been touring the Saturn system since arriving in 2004 for an up-close study of the planet, its rings and moons. Cassini has made numerous dramatic discoveries, including a global ocean with indications of hydrothermal activity within the moon Enceladus, and liquid methane seas on another moon, Titan.For details about Cassini's ring-grazing orbits, visit:https://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/news/2966/ring-grazing-orbitsThe Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, ESA (European Space Agency) and the Italian Space Agency. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, manages the mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington. JPL designed, developed and assembled the Cassini orbiter.More information about Cassini is at:http://www.nasa.gov/cassinihttp://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/a-planetary-quintet-is-dancing-across-the-skies

A Planetary Quintet is Dancing Across the Skies

For the next month, early risers will have a chance to feast their eyes on a rare lineup of five planets.

"When the moon is in the seventh house, and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planets, and love will steer the stars."Well, it's not quite like the song about the dawning of the Age of Aquarius, but our solar system is experiencing an uncommon lineup that should be quite a treat for sky-watchers. The solar system itself hasn't changed -- it's just that the timing of the planets orbiting the sun puts them into a lineup that makes for good viewing by Earthlings.From now until about Feb. 20, early risers will stand a good chance of seeing five planets simultaneously in the pre-dawn sky: Mercury, Venus, Saturn, Mars and Jupiter (technically six, if you count the Earth you're standing on). Those planets should be visible to the naked eye. Of course, if you happen to have binoculars or a telescope, you'll get an even better view.The last appearance by the quintet on one nighttime stage was in December 2004 and January 2005. If you miss this month's viewing opportunity, the five will be back in the evening sky in late July through mid-August, but Mercury and Venus won't be easily visible from northern latitudes.If you go outside during the five-planet display, and if weather conditions are favorable, here's what you should be able to see: Jupiter will rise in the evening, then Mars will pop up after midnight, followed by Saturn, brilliant Venus, and finally, Mercury. All five will be visible from southeast to southwest between 6 and 6:30 a.m. local time, over the span. Earth's moon will also join the cosmic display from Jan. 23 to Feb. 7. During that time, the moon will shift from the west-northwest to east-southeast and will be visible near the five planets and some stars.During the day and night between Jan. 27 and 28, the morning view of the moon will switch from right of Jupiter to left of Jupiter. Then, on Feb. 1, the moon will be visible near Mars, followed by an appearance near Saturn on Feb. 3. On Feb. 6, the moon, Mercury and dazzling Venus will appear in a triangular formation before sunrise.For Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, the rare planetary lineup reminds him how far we have come in exploring our solar system."NASA spacecraft have visited each one of the five planets that we will be able to see over the next few weeks, as well as Uranus, Neptune and Pluto," Green said. "We can be proud that American curiosity, technology and determination are helping us unlock many mysteries about our solar system."

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/hubble-spies-ancient-star-clusters-with-a-violent-past

Hubble Spies Ancient Star Clusters With a Violent Past

A colorful image showing violent star formation triggered when two galaxies bumped into each other has been captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

A colorful image showing violent star formation triggered when two galaxies bumped into each other has been captured by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.In the image, the starburst galaxy M82 has a disturbed appearance caused by violent activity after an ancient encounter with its large galactic neighbor, M81. The image, taken by Hubble's Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2, designed and built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., is online athttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pictures/wfpc.The huge lanes of dust that crisscross M82's disk are another telltale sign of the flurry of star formation. Below the center and to the right, a strong galactic wind is spewing knotty filaments of hydrogen and nitrogen gas. More than 100 super star clusters -- very bright, compact groupings of about 100,000 stars -- appear as white dots sprinkled throughout the galaxy's central area. The dark area just above center is a huge dust cloud.A collaboration of European and American scientists used these clusters to date the interaction between M82 and M81 to about 600 million years ago, when a region called M82 B (the bright area just below and to the left of the central dust cloud) exploded with new stars. Scientists have found that this ancient starburst was triggered by the encounter with M81. The results are published in the February 2001 issue of the Astronomical Journal.This discovery provides evidence linking the birth of super star clusters to violent interaction between galaxies. These clusters also provide insight into the rough-and-tumble universe of long ago, when galaxies bumped into each other more frequently.M82 is located 12 million light-years from Earth in the constellation Ursa Major. The picture was taken Sept. 15, 1997. The natural-color composite was constructed from three exposures taken with blue, green and red filters.The Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, Md., manages space operations for the Hubble Space Telescope for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. The Institute is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy Inc., for NASA under contract with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and the European Space Agency. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.Additional information about the Hubble Space Telescope is available athttp://www.stsci.edu. More information about the Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 is available athttp://wfpc2.jpl.nasa.gov.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/phoenix-makes-first-trench-in-science-preserve

Phoenix Makes First Trench in Science Preserve

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander began digging in an area called "Wonderland" early Tuesday, taking its first scoop of soil from a polygonal surface feature within the "national park" region that mission scientists have been preserving for science.

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander began digging in an area called "Wonderland" early Tuesday, taking its first scoop of soil from a polygonal surface feature within the "national park" region that mission scientists have been preserving for science.The lander's Robotic Arm created the new test trench called "Snow White" on June 17, the 22nd Martian day, or sol, after the Phoenix spacecraft landed on May 25. Newly planned science activities will resume no earlier than Sol 24 as engineers look into how the spacecraft is handling larger than expected amounts of data.During Tuesday's dig, the arm didn't reach the hard white material, possibly ice, that Phoenix exposed previously in the first trench it dug into the Martian soil.That's just what scientists both expected and wanted. The Snow White trench is near the center of a relatively flat hummock, or polygon, named "Cheshire Cat," where scientists predict there will be more soil layers or thicker soil above possible white material.The Snow White trench is about two centimeters deep (about three-quarters of an inch) and 30 centimeters (about a foot) long. The Phoenix team plans at least one more day of digging deeper into the Snow White trench.They will study soil structure in the Snow White trench to decide at what depths they will collect samples from a future trench planned for the center of the polygon.Meanwhile, the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) instrument continues its ongoing experiment in the first of its eight ovens.TEGA has eight separate tiny ovens to bake and sniff the soil to look for volatile ingredients, such as water. The baking is performed at three different temperature ranges.The Phoenix mission is led by Peter Smith of the University of Arizona with project management at JPL and development partnership at Lockheed Martin, located in Denver. International contributions come from the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland; the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark; Max Planck Institute, Germany; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. For more about Phoenix, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/phoenixandhttp://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-eyes-dissect-californias-massive-rim-fire

NASA 'Eyes' Dissect California's Massive Rim Fire

New images from NASA's Aqua and Terra spacecraft offer unique perspectives on the large and destructive Rim Fire burning in and near California's Yosemite National Park.

The Rim Fire burning in and near Yosemite National Park in California continues to grow and move its way up in the record books. As of Aug. 27, CAL FIRE (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) reports that the fire, which started Aug. 17, had consumed nearly 180,000 acres, making it the seventh largest wildfire in California's recorded history. The fire is one of 10 active major wildfires burning across California as of Aug. 27.New satellite images from NASA's Aqua and Terra spacecraft illustrate some of the many facets of the fire's effects on the landscape and atmosphere. The fire's plume of carbon monoxide pollution is shown in a new image from Aqua's Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) instrument. The still image was acquired Aug. 26.The AIRS image shows a three-day running average of daily measurements of carbon monoxide present at an altitude of 18,000 feet (5.5 kilometers) above Earth, as well as its global transport. AIRS is most sensitive to carbon monoxide at this altitude, which is a region conducive to long-range transport of the smoke. The abundance of carbon monoxide is shown in parts per billion, with the highest concentrations shown in yellows and reds.At ground level, carbon monoxide can pose a variety of health risks and is an ingredient in the production of ground-level ozone, which causes numerous respiratory problems. As the carbon monoxide from the fire is lofted into the atmosphere, it becomes caught in the lower bounds of the mid-latitude jet stream, which swiftly transports it around the globe.The carbon-monoxide plume from the Rim Fire now extends into Canada. Even more prominent in the image are the carbon-monoxide emissions from widespread human-set agricultural fires in Africa and South America, and fires in the northern forests of Asia.A different perspective on the Rim Fire comes from NASA's Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra spacecraft. On the morning of Aug. 23, Terra passed over the fire, allowing MISR's nadir (vertical-viewing) camera to capture an image of extensive, brownish smoke. The imaged area measures 236 by 215 miles (380 by 346 kilometers).MISR views every scene it observes from nine different angles. This unique design allows it to measure the height of smoke plumes using stereoscopic techniques. A second MISR image shows a 121-by-165-mile (194-by-266 kilometer) portion of the scene, where the smoke is thickest. The colors indicate the height of the top of the smoke plume above sea level. The data show that the smoke particles have reached altitudes as high as 4 miles (6.5 kilometers).These heights have not been corrected for the effects of wind, but have an uncertainty of less than 0.6 mile (1 kilometer). Elevated smoke can be transported great distances from the source, affecting air quality downwind. For example, Reno, Nev., has reported air quality well into the range considered unhealthy for all individuals as a result of smoke from this wildfire.AIRS and MISR were built and are managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. Terra and Aqua are managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. The MISR data were obtained from the NASA Langley Research Center Atmospheric Science Data Center. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.More information about AIRS can be found athttp://airs.jpl.nasa.gov. More information about MISR can be found athttp://www-misr.jpl.nasa.gov/.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/a-conversation-with-rosaly-lopes

A Conversation with Rosaly Lopes

Dr. Rosaly Lopes is on the team for one of the Galileo instruments that has returned information about active volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io.

Dr. Rosaly Lopes is on the team for one of the Galileo instruments that has returned information about active volcanoes, the near-infrared mapping spectrometer, or NIMS.Scientists using NASA's Galileo spacecraft have made many discoveries about the volcanoes on Jupiter's moon Io since Galileo began orbiting Jupiter in 1995. The spacecraft's final three encounters with Io are in August and October, 2001, and January 2002.Dr. Rosaly Lopes, a volcanologist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is on the science team for one of the Galileo instruments that has returned information about active volcanoes, the near-infrared mapping spectrometer, or NIMS. She is a native of Brazil who earned her doctorate from the University of London. In September 1979, she was doing field research at Mt. Etna, on the Italian island of Sicily, when a crater only about a mile away from her exploded and killed several people. "I really learned to respect volcanoes," Lopes said.Q:How did you get interested in studying volcanoes on Io?A:I studied volcanoes on Earth and Mars for my Ph.D. I had just started in 1979, the year Voyager discovered volcanoes on Io, so that was a great excitement. My opportunity to study volcanoes on Io came with Galileo, when I started planning the Io observations for NIMS.Q:How volcanic is Io?A:We consider Io the most volcanic body in the solar system because its volcanoes put out the most heat. We have found more than 100 volcanoes on Io, but Earth has more than 600 active volcanoes, so it's not the number that make Io the most volcanic. It'sthe heat output. Io is only about one-third as big as Earth, but it puts out about twice the energy. One of Io's volcanoes, Loki, is more powerful than all of Earth's volcanoes combined.Q:Are Io's volcanoes like Earth's volcanoes?A:Yes and no. The types of eruptions we have observed on Io are similar to types of eruptions on Earth -- lava flows, calderas, fire fountains like in Hawaii -- but there are some very different aspects. One is that lava on Io is much hotter than any lava that flows on Earth today. Billions of years ago Earth had lava that hot. Another difference is that the calderas, the volcanic craters, on Io are much larger than on Earth. Lava flows are much larger, too. [An Io volcano named] Amirani has a lava flow 300 kilometers [190 miles] long, and that's much longer than any on Earth. Globally, Io erupts more than 100 times as much lava per year as Earth, including Earth's undersea eruptions.Q:Where could you go on Earth that might look like Io?A:The big island of Hawaii has the Kilauea volcano that has been active for about two decades. Yellowstone is a large caldera that has many areas with brightly colored sulfur. Stromboli [in Italy] has been active for at least 2,000 years. Some very old lava flows on Earth, such as some in South Africa, are a composition called komatiite, which we think is the composition of Io's lavas. Probably the most similar place on Earth just in terms of the great amount of volcanic activity is under the ocean at the mid-ocean ridge.Q:What makes Io so volcanic?A:Although both Earth and Io have active volcanism, the way the volcanism happens is quite different. On Earth, volcanism is tied to plate tectonics, and we don't believe Io has plate tectonics. Io is in a tug of war between Jupiter and Europa and Ganymede, two of the other large moons of Jupiter, and that is what heats it up. If Io weren't in its very peculiar orbit around Jupiter, it wouldn't have active volcanism. It would have cooled off a long time ago.Q:Some people say Io looks like a pizza. What are all those bright colors?A:We think the bright colors are due to sulfur in various forms but that the very dark colors are due to active lavas. Every place we see high temperatures, if we look at the surface we see dark materials. That would be the olives on the pizza. The reds are deposits from the plumes of volcanoes. With time, the reds become yellow because of changing to a different form of sulfur. We're still quite puzzled by what some of the very small green areas are. We joke and call them golf courses. They may be areas rich in sulfur but contaminated by another material. Another possibility is they are very olivine- rich lava. Olivine is a green mineral.Q:What is there about Io that is still a mystery to you?A:We still don't know if Io has its own magnetic field, like the Earth does. That would help us understand the interior. We hope we will still get an answer from Galileo about that. There are other questions that will still remain after Galileo. What is the composition of the lavas? We are using their temperature to say what is the most likely composition based on comparison with lavas on Earth, but we don't really know whether lavas on Io are something entirely different. We won't know that until we can go back with more refined instruments or maybe someday go there and bring back some samples. When we study volcanoes on Earth, one of the first things we do is collect samples of lava and take them back to the lab, but for Io, that's a long way in the future.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/additional-details-on-the-large-feb-15-fireball-over-russia

Additional Details on the Large Feb. 15 Fireball over Russia

New data fill in some gaps in the story of a fireball that entered Earth's atmosphere near Chelyabinsk, Russia, on Feb. 15.

Update: March 21, 2013 2pm PSTThe large fireball (technically, called a "superbolide") observed on the morning of Feb. 15, 2013, in the skies near Chelyabinsk, Russia, was caused by a relatively small asteroid approximately 17 to 20 meters in size (about 18.6 to 21.9 yards) that entered Earth's atmosphere at high speed and at a shallow angle. In doing so, it released a tremendous amount of energy, fragmented at high altitude, and produced a shower of pieces of various sizes that fell to the ground as meteorites.The fireball was observed not only by video cameras and low-frequency infrasound detectors, but also by U.S. government sensors. Information on the composition of the meteor was also derived from meteorite fragments found in the Chelyabinsk area. With this new data incorporated, the details of the impact have become clearer.At 9:20:20 a.m. local time (3:20:20 UTC) the meteor entered Earth's atmosphere over the Kazakhstan/Russia border. As it descended through the upper atmosphere, it traveled northwest into Russia. The impactor's trajectory approached Earth along a direction that remained within 15 degrees of the direction of the sun. Asteroid detection telescopes cannot scan regions of the sky this close to the sun.During the atmospheric entry phase, an impacting object is both slowed and heated by atmospheric friction. In front of it, a bow shock develops where atmospheric gases are compressed and heated. Some of this energy is radiated to the object, causing it to ablate, and in most cases, break apart. Fragmentation increases the amount of atmosphere intercepted and so enhances ablation and atmospheric braking. The object disintegrates when the force from the unequal pressures on the front and back sides exceeds its tensile strength. This disruption, or disintegration, usually occurs around the time of maximum brightness.Thirteen seconds after atmospheric entry, at 9:20:33 a.m. local time (03:20:33 UTC), the fireball, traveling at a velocity of 11.6 miles per second (18.6 kilometers per second), achieved its maximum brightness just south of Chelyabinsk, Russia, at an altitude of 14.5 miles (23.3 kilometers). The approximate effective diameter of the asteroid is estimated to be about 18 meters (about 19.7 yards), and its mass about 11,000 tons. Approximate total impact energy of the Chelyabinsk Fireball, in kilotons of TNT explosives (the energy parameter usually quoted for a fireball), is 440 kilotons. Note that these estimates of total energy, diameter and mass are very approximate. The Chelyabinsk event was an extraordinarily large fireball, the most energetic impact event recognized since the 1908 Tunguska blast in Russian Siberia.The U.S. government sensor data also provides an approximate path for the Chelyabinsk impactor. A similar calculation can be made from analysis of video records of the event; both methods yield similar results. This path through the atmosphere reinforces that the fireball was not associated with asteroid 2012 DA14, which made a very close flyby of Earth just over 16 hours later. This is known because the two objects approached the Earth from completely different directions and had entirely different orbits around the sun. And, their compositions are dissimilar. The meteorite fragments emanating from the fireball are reportedly composed of silicate-rich ordinary chondrites, whereas the telescopic spectral data of asteroid 2012 DA14 suggest a carbon-dominated composition with abundant calcium- and aluminum-rich inclusions.NASA detects, tracks and characterizes asteroids and comets passing close to Earth using both ground- and space-based telescopes. The Near-Earth Object Observations Program, commonly called "Spaceguard," discovers these objects, characterizes a subset of them, and plots their orbits to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet.JPL manages the Near-Earth Object Program Office for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.More information about asteroids and near-Earth objects is at:http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/asteroidwatch. More information about asteroid radar research is at:http://echo.jpl.nasa.gov/. More information about the Deep Space Network is at:http://deepspace.jpl.nasa.gov/dsn.---------------------------------------------------------------------------------Update: February 15, 2013 7pm PSTNew information provided by a worldwide network of sensors has allowed scientists to refine their estimates for the size of the object that entered that atmosphere and disintegrated in the skies over Chelyabinsk, Russia, at 7:20:26 p.m. PST, or 10:20:26 p.m. EST on Feb. 14 (3:20:26 UTC on Feb. 15).The estimated size of the object, prior to entering Earth's atmosphere, has been revised upward from 49 feet (15 meters) to 55 feet (17 meters), and its estimated mass has increased from 7,000 to 10,000 tons. Also, the estimate for energy released during the event has increased by 30 kilotons to nearly 500 kilotons of energy released. These new estimates were generated using new data that had been collected by five additional infrasound stations located around the world - the first recording of the event being in Alaska, over 6,500 kilometers away from Chelyabinsk. The infrasound data indicates that the event, from atmospheric entry to the meteor's airborne disintegration took 32.5 seconds. The calculations using the infrasound data were performed by Peter Brown at the University of Western Ontario, Canada."We would expect an event of this magnitude to occur once every 100 years on average," said Paul Chodas of NASA's Near-Earth Object Program Office at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "When you have a fireball of this size we would expect a large number of meteorites to reach the surface and in this case there were probably some large ones."The trajectory of the Russia meteor was significantly different than the trajectory of the asteroid 2012 DA14, which hours later made its flyby of Earth, making it a completely unrelated object. The Russia meteor is the largest reported since 1908, when a meteor hit Tunguska, Siberia.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------Preliminary information indicates that a meteor in Chelyabinsk, Russia, is not related to asteroid 2012 DA14, which is flying by Earth safely today.The Russia meteor is the largest reported since 1908, when a meteor hit Tunguska, Siberia. The meteor entered the atmosphere at about 40,000 mph (18 kilometers per second). The impact time was 7:20:26 p.m. PST, or 10:20:26 p.m. EST on Feb. 14 (3:20:26 UTC on Feb. 15), and the energy released by the impact was in the hundreds of kilotons.Based on the duration of the event, it was a very shallow entry. It was larger than the meteor over Indonesia on Oct. 8, 2009. Measurements are still coming in, and a more precise measure of the energy may be available later. The size of the object before hitting the atmosphere was about 49 feet (15 meters) and had a mass of about 7,000 tons.The meteor, which was about one-third the diameter of asteroid 2012 DA14, was brighter than the sun. Its trail was visible for about 30 seconds, so it was a grazing impact through the atmosphere.It is important to note that this estimate is preliminary, and may be revised as more data is obtained.http://www.nasa.gov/topics/solarsystem/features/asteroidflyby.html

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/voyagers-science-papers-presented-at-american-geophysical-union

Voyager's Science Papers Presented at American Geophysical Union

Science papers and poster presentations on Voyager's encounter with Neptune were scheduled Dec. 4-5, the first two days of the 5-day 1989 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union at San Francisco.

Science papers and poster presentations on Voyager's encounter with Neptune were scheduled Dec. 4-5, the first two days of the 5-day 1989 Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union at San Francisco.Members of the Voyager science teams from various institutions in addition to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, have been analyzing Voyager 2 data since the August encounter in preparation for first publication of their papers in Science magazine in December.Dr. Edward Stone of the California Institute of Technology, project scientist for the Voyager 1 and 2 missions, is to chair the day long sessions, and additionally planned public presentation on the encounter at the Cathedral Hill Hotel Tuesday night, Dec. 5.The spacecraft made its closest approach to Neptune Aug. 25, observed the large moon Triton few hours later and then continued downward from the ecliptic plane for the final part of its mission, to search for the end of the sun's influence in space.During its final planetary encounter at Neptune, Voyager 2 passed by the swirling blue cloud-tops of the planet at little more than 3,000 miles. It sailed past icy, pink and blue Triton, returning images of the surface of the moon and at least two 5mile high geysers.Voyager science data has determined Neptune's rotation of 16 hours, 7 minutes. It revealed probable interior of mixture of liquified gases, melted ice and melted rock with an outer layer of hydrogen, helium and methane.Voyager also revealed that Neptune is the densest of the four giant outer planets, about 64 percent denser than if it were composed entirely of water.Earth-based telescope observations had hinted for years at cloud systems on Neptune, but Voyager 2's cameras returned spectacular images of southern latitude storm system, called by scientists the Great Dark Spot.About as large as Earth's diameter, 8,000 miles across, the storm circles Neptune in retrograde direction, opposite the planet's rotation. It is in an atmospheric zone with winds of more than 700 miles per hours.The Voyager 2 spacecraft found six new moons and confirmed that Neptune does have complete rings, not just ring arcs, as had been thought.The most surprising find, however, were the volcano-like geysers on the frozen surface of Triton probably driven by gaseous nitrogen.Stone said it is surprising that geysers would be active in the moon's surface temperature of minus 400 degrees Fahrenheit and surface pressure of only 14 microbars, or 14-millionths of the sea-level pressure on Earth.The Neptune encounter marked the end of the Voyager 2planetary exploration phase and the beginning of its interstellar mission. Voyager 1 completed its planetary exploration phase as it left Saturn in 1980 and is currently searching above the ecliptic plane for the outer boundary of the solar wind.The Voyagers are controlled, and their data returned, through NASA's Deep Space Network complexes in California's Mojave Desert, near Madrid, Spain, and near Canberra, Australia.The Voyager project is managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., for NASA's Office of Space Science and Applications.818-354-5011

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-tracks-heat-wave-over-us-southwest

NASA Tracks Heat Wave Over US Southwest

While one science instrument mapped the dome of high pressure that settled over the southwestern U.S. in early July, another captured ground surface temperatures.

Just weeks after the Pacific Northwest enduredrecord-shattering temperatures, another heat wave scorched the U.S. Southwest. This heat wave, which started around July 7, tied or broke several all-time records in California, Nevada, northern Arizona, and southern Utah.Two instruments – NASA’s Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) aboard the Aqua satellite, and the agency’s ECOsystem Spaceborne Thermal Radiometer Experiment on Space Station (ECOSTRESS) – tracked the heat wave, providing visualizations of it.The AIRS instrument captured the progression of a slow-moving heat dome across the southwestern U.S from July 1 to July 12. The animation of the AIRS data (above) shows surface air temperature anomalies – values above or below long-term averages. The hottest areas, shown in pink, experienced surface air temperatures more than 10 degrees Fahrenheit (5.6 degrees Celsius) above average. Surface air temperature is something that people directly feel when they are outside.On July 8, 2021, NASA’s ECOSTRESS instrument, aboard the space station captured ground surface temperature data over California. Areas in red – including Death Valley – had surpassed 86 degrees Fahrenheit by 7 a.m. local time, well above average ground surface temperatures for the area.Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechOn July 8, NASA’s ECOSTRESS instrument, attached to theInternational Space Station, captured ground surface temperature data over California. In the image (middle image), areas in red – including Death Valley – had surpassed 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) by 7 a.m. local time, well above average ground surface temperatures for the area.On July 9, Death Valley recorded a high air temperature of 130 F, which fell just a few degrees short of the official all-time surface air temperature record of 134 F set in 1913. On July 11, Bishop, California, hit an all-time high of 111 F and Stovepipe Wells, California, set a new record for daily average temperature with 118 F. Numerous other daily, monthly, and all-time records were set throughout the inland areas of central and Southern California and northern Arizona.More information about AIRS can be found at:https://airs.jpl.nasa.gov/More information about ECOSTRESS can be found at:https://ecostress.jpl.nasa.gov/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-jpl-names-rolling-stones-rock-on-mars

NASA-JPL Names 'Rolling Stones Rock' on Mars

NASA's Mars InSight mission honored one of the biggest bands of all time at Pasadena concert.

More photos and videos as they become available:https://go.nasa.gov/MarsRocksFor decades, the music of The Rolling Stones has had a global reach here on Earth. Now, the band's influence extends all the way to Mars. The team behind NASA's InSight lander has named a Martian rock after the band: 'Rolling Stones Rock.'The Rolling Stones - Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood - were delighted with the news and commented, "What a wonderful way to celebrate the 'Stones No Filter' tour arriving in Pasadena. This is definitely a milestone in our long and eventful history. A huge thank you to everyone at NASA for making it happen."A little larger than a golf ball, the rock appeared to have rolled about 3 feet (1 meter) on Nov. 26, 2018, propelled by InSight's thrusters as the spacecraft touched down on Mars to study the Red Planet's deep interior. In images taken by InSight the next day, several divots in the orange-red soil can be seen trailing Rolling Stones Rock. It's the farthest NASA has seen a rock roll while landing a spacecraft on another planet.The team behind NASA's InSight lander has informally named a rock on Mars "Rolling Stones Rock" after the band. ."The name Rolling Stones Rock is a perfect fit," said Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division in Washington. "Part of NASA's charter is to share our work with different audiences. When we found out the Stones would be in Pasadena, honoring them seemed like a fun way to reach fans all over the world."Actor Robert Downey Jr. made the announcement Thursday, Aug. 22 at Pasadena's Rose Bowl Stadium before the iconic band took the stage. Backstage before making the announcement, Downey said, "Cross-pollinating science and a legendary rock band is always a good thing..."Before The Rolling Stones took the stage at the Rose Bowl Stadium for a concert on Aug. 22, 2019, actor Robert Downey Jr. announced to the crowd that a rock on Mars had been named for the band by NASA's Mars InSight lander team. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a division of Caltech, manages InSight for NASA. JPL is located about three miles away from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. Credit: Rolling Stones .The InSight mission is led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, just up the road from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Having helped NASA land all of its Mars missions since 1997, JPL geologist Matt Golombek is a rock star in his own right. He and fellow scientists count rocks and assess the safety of potential landing sites."I've seen a lot of Mars rocks over my career," Golombek said. "This one probably won't be in a lot of scientific papers, but it's definitely one of the coolest."Official scientific names for places and objects throughout the solar system - including asteroids, comets and locations on planets - can be designated only by the International Astronomical Union. But scientists working with NASA's Mars rovers have given lots of unofficial nicknames to rocks and other geological features. Doing so makes it easier for them to discuss different objects and refer to them in science papers. So while the name Rolling Stones Rock is informal, it will appear on working maps of the Red Planet.NASA will use its robotic missions to Mars to help prepare for eventual human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon, NASA'sArtemisprogram is the next step in human exploration. It is a part of NASA's broader Moon to Mars exploration approach, which will quickly and sustainably explore the Moon and enable humanity's next giant leap to Mars.About InSightJPL manages InSight for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. InSight is part of NASA's Discovery Program, managed by the agency's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Lockheed Martin Space in Denver built the InSight spacecraft, including its cruise stage and lander, and supports spacecraft operations for the mission. A number of European partners, including France's Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES) and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), support the InSight mission. CNES provided the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure (SEIS) instrument to NASA, with the principal investigator at Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris (IPGP). Significant contributions for SEIS came from IPGP; the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany; the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) in Switzerland; Imperial College London and Oxford University in the United Kingdom; and JPL. DLR provided the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) instrument, with significant contributions from the Space Research Center (CBK) of the Polish Academy of Sciences and Astronika in Poland. Spain's Centro de Astrobiología (CAB) supplied the temperature and wind sensors.For more about InSight, visit:https://mars.nasa.gov/insight/http://nasa.gov/insight

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/next-departure-for-mars-stands-ready-to-fly

Next Departure for Mars Stands Ready to Fly

A NASA robotic explorer equipped to dig up and analyze icy soil on Mars sits atop a 13-story tall stack of rocket engines prepared for liftoff before sunup on Saturday.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- A NASA robotic explorer equipped to dig up and analyze icy soil on Mars sits atop a 13-story tall stack of rocket engines prepared for liftoff before sunup on Saturday.A Delta II launch vehicle will carry the Phoenix Mars Lander into Earth orbit and, about 90 minutes later, give it the push needed to send it to Mars. A three-week period when planetary positions are favorable for this launch begins with an opportunity at 2:26:34 a.m. PDT (5:26:34 a.m. EDT) on Aug. 4. A second opportunity the same day, if needed, will come at 3:02:59 a.m. PDT (6:02:59 a.m. EDT)."We have worked for four years to get to this point, so we are all very excited," said Barry Goldstein, Phoenix project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena. "Our attention after launch will be focused on flying the spacecraft to our selected landing site, preparing for surface operations, and continuing our relentless examination and testing for the all-important descent and landing on May 25 of next year."Phoenix will travel 679 million kilometers (422 million miles) in an outward arc from Earth to Mars. It will determine whether icy soil on far northern Mars has conditions that have ever been suitable for life.Studies of potential landing sites by spacecraft orbiting Mars led NASA to approve a site at 68.35 degrees north latitude -- the equivalent of northern Alaska -- and 233.0 degrees east longitude."Phoenix investigates the recent Odyssey discovery of near-surface ice in the northern plains on Mars," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson. "Our instruments are specially designed to find evidence for periodic melting of the ice and to assess whether this large region represents a habitable environment for Martian microbes."The Phoenix mission was proposed in 2002 by an international team led by Smith. Twenty-four other teams also submitted proposals to be the first Mars Scout mission. NASA chose Phoenix in 2003. Phoenix uses a lander structure built for the 2001 Mars Surveyor mission, which was scaled down before launch to an orbiter-only mission."The spacecraft system and software development matured early in the program. This enabled us to thoroughly test a stable lander design over the entire integration and test schedule period," said Ed Sedivy, spacecraft program manager for Lockheed Martin Space Systems.The Phoenix mission is led by Smith, with project management at the JPL and development partnership at Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver. The NASA Launch Services Program at Kennedy Space Center and the United Launch Alliance are responsible for the Delta II launch service. International contributions are provided by the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland; the University of Copenhagen, Denmark; the Max Planck Institute, Germany; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.Additional information on Phoenix is available online at:http://www.nasa.gov/phoenixandhttp://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu. Additional information on NASA's Mars program is available online at:http://www.nasa.gov/mars.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-juno-spacecraft-refines-its-path-to-jupiter

NASA's Juno Spacecraft Refines its Path to Jupiter

NASA's solar-powered Juno spacecraft successfully refined its flight path Wednesday with the mission's first trajectory correction maneuver.

Juno Mission Status ReportPASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's solar-powered Juno spacecraft successfully refined its flight path Wednesday with the mission's first trajectory correction maneuver. The maneuver took place on Feb. 1. It is the first of a dozen planned rocket firings that, over the next five years, will keep Juno on course for its rendezvous with Jupiter."We had a maneuver planned soon after launch but our Atlas V rocket gave us such a good ride we didn't need to make any trajectory changes," said Rick Nybakken, Juno project manager from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "It is good to get another first under our belt. This burn couldn't have gone any better."The trajectory correction maneuver, which adjusts the spacecraft's flight path, began at 10:10 a.m. PST (1:10 p.m. EST) on Feb. 1. The Juno spacecraft's thrusters fired for 25 minutes, consumed about 6.9 pounds (3.11 kilograms) of fuel and changed the spacecraft's speed by 3.9 feet, or 1.2 meters, per second. The next big maneuver for Juno will occur in late August of 2012 when Juno executes its first of two deep space maneuvers to set the stage for its Earth flyby - and gravity assist - on its way to Jupiter.Launched on Aug. 5, 2011, Juno is 182 days and 279 million miles (449 million kilometers) into its five-year, 1,740-million-mile (2,800-million-kilometer) journey to Jupiter. Once in orbit, the spacecraft will orbit the planet's poles 33 times and use its collection of eight science instruments to probe beneath the gas giant's obscuring cloud cover to learn more about Jupiter's origins, structure, atmosphere and magnetosphere, and look for a potential solid planetary core.Juno's name comes from Greek and Roman mythology. The god Jupiter drew a veil of clouds around himself to hide his mischief, and his wife, the goddess Juno, was able to peer through the clouds and reveal Jupiter's true nature.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. The Juno mission is part of the New Frontiers Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.More information about Juno is onlineathttp://www.nasa.gov/junoandhttp://missionjuno.swri.edu.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/opportunity-emerges-in-a-dusty-picture

Opportunity Emerges in a Dusty Picture

NASA still hasn't heard from the Opportunity rover, but at least we can see it again.

NASA still hasn't heard from the Opportunity rover, but at least we can see it again.A new image produced by HiRISE, a high-resolution camera aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), shows a small object on the slopes of the Red Planet's Perseverance Valley. That object is Opportunity, which was descending into the Martian valley when a dust storm swept over the region a little more than 100 days ago.The storm was one of several that stirred up enough dust to enshroud most of the Red Planet and block sunlight from reaching the surface. The lack of sunlight caused the solar-powered Opportunity to go into hibernation.The rover's team at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, hasn't heard from it since.On Sept. 11,JPL began increasing the frequency of commands it beams to the 14-year-old rover.The tau -- a measurement of how much sunlight reaches the surface -- over Opportunity was estimated to be a little higher than 10 during some points during the dust storm. The tau has steadily fallen in the last several months. On Thursday, Sept. 20, when this image was taken, tau was estimated to be about 1.3 by MRO's Mars Color Imager camera.This image was produced from about 166 miles (267 kilometers) above the Martian surface. The white box marks a 154-foot-wide (47-meter-wide) area centered on the rover.The University of Arizona in Tucson operates HiRISE, which was built by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp., in Boulder, Colorado. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.For more, visit:https://www.uahirise.org/ESP_056955_1775Updates about Opportunity can be found here:https://mars.nasa.gov/mer/mission/status.html

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-curiosity-rover-begins-next-mars-chapter

NASA's Curiosity Rover Begins Next Mars Chapter

After collecting drilled rock powder from a very scenic area, NASA's Curiosity rover is driving toward uphill destinations as part of its two-year mission extension.

After collecting drilled rock powder in arguably the most scenic landscape yet visited by a Mars rover, NASA's Curiosity mobile laboratory is driving toward uphill destinations as part of its two-year mission extension that commenced Oct. 1.The destinations include a ridge capped with material rich in the iron-oxide mineral hematite, about a mile-and-a-half (two-and-a-half kilometers) ahead, and an exposure of clay-rich bedrock beyond that.These are key exploration sites on lower Mount Sharp, which is a layered, Mount-Rainier-size mound where Curiosity is investigating evidence of ancient, water-rich environments that contrast with the harsh, dry conditions on the surface of Mars today."We continue to reach higher and younger layers on Mount Sharp," said Curiosity Project Scientist Ashwin Vasavada, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. "Even after four years of exploring near and on the mountain, it still has the potential to completely surprise us."Hundreds of photos Curiosity took in recent weeks amid a cluster of mesas and buttes of diverse shapes are fresh highlights among the more than 180,000 images the rover has taken since landing on Mars in August 2012. Newly available vistas include the rover'slatest self-portraitfrom the color camera at the end of its arm and ascenic panoramafrom the color camera at the top of the mast."Bidding good-bye to 'Murray Buttes,' Curiosity's assignment is the ongoing study of ancient habitability and the potential for life," said Curiosity Program Scientist Michael Meyer at NASA Headquarters, Washington. "This mission, as it explores the succession of rock layers, is reading the 'pages' of Martian history -- changing our understanding of Mars and how the planet has evolved. Curiosity has been and will be a cornerstone in our plans for future missions."The component images of the self-portrait were taken near the base of one of the Murray Buttes, at the same site where the rover used its drill on Sept. 18 to acquire a sample of rock powder. An attempt to drill at this site four days earlier had halted prematurely due to a short-circuit issue that Curiosity had experienced previously, but the second attempt successfully reached full depth and collected sample material. After departing the buttes area, Curiosity delivered some of the rock sample to its internal laboratory for analysis.This latest drill site -- the 14th for Curiosity -- is in a geological layer about 600 feet (180 meters) thick, called the Murray formation. Curiosity has climbed nearly half of this formation's thickness so far and found it consists primarily of mudstone, formed from mud that accumulated at the bottom of ancient lakes. The findings indicate that the lake environment was enduring, not fleeting. For roughly the first half of the new two-year mission extension, the rover team anticipates investigating the upper half of the Murray formation."We will see whether that record of lakes continues further," Vasavada said. "The more vertical thickness we see, the longer the lakes were present, and the longer habitable conditions existed here. Did the ancient environment change over time? Will the type of evidence we've found so far transition to something else?"The "Hematite Unit" and "Clay Unit" above the Murray formation were identified from Mars orbiter observations before Curiosity's landing. Information about their composition, from the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, made them high priorities as destinations for the rover mission. Both hematite and clay typically form in wet environments.Vasavada said, "The Hematite and the Clay units likely indicate different environments from the conditions recorded in older rock beneath them and different from each other. It will be interesting to see whether either or both were habitable environments."NASA approved Curiosity's second extended mission this summer on the basis of plans presented by the rover team. Additional extensions for exploring farther up Mount Sharp may be considered in the future. The Curiosity mission has already achieved its main goal of determining whether the landing region ever offered environmental conditions that would have been favorable for microbial life, if Mars has ever hosted life. The mission found evidence of ancient rivers and lakes, with a chemical energy source and all of the chemical ingredients necessary for life as we know it.The mission is also monitoring the modern environment of Mars, including natural radiation levels. Along with other robotic missions to the Red Planet, it is an important piece of NASA'sJourney to Mars, leading toward human crew missions in the 2030s. JPL, a division of Caltech in Pasadena, California, manages the Mars Science Laboratory Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate and built the project's Curiosity rover. For more information about Curiosity, visit:http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/cassini-huygens-mission-status-report-5

Cassini-Huygens Mission Status Report

The Cassini spacecraft beamed back information and pictures tonight after successfully skimming the hazy atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan.

The Cassini spacecraft beamed back information and pictures tonight after successfully skimming the hazy atmosphere of Saturn’s moon Titan. NASA's Deep Space Network tracking station in Madrid, Spain, acquired a signal at about 6:25 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time (9:25 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time). As anticipated, the spacecraft came within 1,200 kilometers (750 miles) of Titan's surface.At the time, Cassini was about 1.3 billion kilometers (826 million miles) from Earth. Numerous images, perhaps as many as 500, were taken by the visible light camera and were being transmitted back to Earth. It takes 1 hour and 14 minutes for the images to travel from the spacecraft to Earth. The downlink of data will continue through the night into the early morning hours. Cassini project engineers will continue to keep a close watch on a rainstorm in Spain, which may interrupt the flow of data from the spacecraft.The flyby was by far the closest any spacecraft has ever come to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, perpetually drenched in a thick blanket of smog. Titan is a prime target of the Cassini-Huygens mission because it is the only moon in our solar system with an atmosphere. It is a cosmic time capsule that offers a look back in time to see what Earth might have been like before the appearance of life.The Huygens probe, built and operated by the European Space Agency, is attached to Cassini; its release is planned on Christmas Eve. It will descend through Titan's opaque atmosphere on Jan. 14, 2005, to collect data and touch down on the surface.The latest information and images from Cassini are available athttp://www.nasa.gov/cassini. Additional information on the mission and raw images are athttp://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov.The Cassini-Huygens mission is a cooperative project of NASA, the European Space Agency and the Italian Space Agency. The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages the Cassini-Huygens mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/asteroids-hydrogen-make-great-recipe-for-life-on-mars

Asteroids, Hydrogen Make Great Recipe for Life on Mars

Laser blasts in lab tests suggest asteroid bombardment could have provided key ingredients for life on ancient Mars.

A new study reveals asteroid impacts on ancient Mars could have produced key ingredients for life if the Martian atmosphere was rich in hydrogen. An early hydrogen-rich atmosphere on Mars could also explain how the planet remained habitable after its atmosphere thinned. The study used data from NASA'sCuriosity roveron Mars and was conducted by researchers on Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument team and international colleagues.These key ingredients are nitrites (NO2) and nitrates (NO3), fixed forms of nitrogen that are important for the establishment and sustainability of life as we know it. Curiosity discovered them in soil and rock samples it took as it traversed within Gale Crater, the site of ancient lakes and groundwater systems on Mars.To understand how fixed nitrogen may have been deposited in the crater, researchers needed to recreate the early Martian atmosphere here on Earth. The study, led by Dr. Rafael Navarro-González and his team of scientists at the Institute of Nuclear Sciences of the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City, used a combination of theoretical models and experimental data to investigate the role hydrogen plays in altering nitrogen into nitrites and nitrates using energy from asteroid impacts.The paperwas published in January in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.In the lab, the group used infrared laser beam pulses to simulate the high-energy shockwaves created by asteroids slamming into the atmosphere. The pulses were focused into a flask containing mixtures of hydrogen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide gases, representing the early Martian atmosphere. After the laser blasts, the resulting concoction was analyzed to determine the amount of nitrates formed. The results were surprising, to say the least."The big surprise was that the yield of nitrate increased when hydrogen was included in the laser-shocked experiments that simulated asteroid impacts," said Navarro-González. "This was counterintuitive as hydrogen leads to an oxygen-deficient environment while the formation of nitrate requires oxygen. However, the presence of hydrogen led to a faster cooling of the shock-heated gas, trapping nitric oxide, the precursor of nitrate, at elevated temperatures where its yield was higher."Although these experiments were conducted in a controlled lab environment millions of miles from the Red Planet, the researchers wanted to simulate the results obtained from Curiosity using the SAM instrument on the rover. SAM takes samples drilled from rock or scooped up from the surface by the rover's mechanical arm and bakes them to look at the chemical fingerprints of the released gases."SAM on Curiosity was the first instrument to detect nitrate on Mars," said Christopher McKay, a co-author of the paper at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley. "Because of the low levels of nitrogen gas in the atmosphere, nitrate is the only biologically useful form of nitrogen on Mars. Thus, its presence in the soil is of major astrobiological significance. This paper helps us understand the possible sources of that nitrate."Why were the effects of hydrogen so fascinating? Although the surface of Mars is cold and inhospitable today, scientists think that a thicker atmosphere enriched in greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide and water vapor may have warmed the planet in the past. Some climate models show that the addition of hydrogen in the atmosphere may have been necessary to raise temperatures enough to have liquid water at the surface."Having more hydrogen as a greenhouse gas in the atmosphere is interesting both for the sake of the climate history of Mars and for habitability," said Jennifer Stern, a planetary geochemist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and one of the co-investigators of the study. "If you have a link between two things that are good for habitability - a potentially warmer climate with liquid water on the surface and an increase in the production of nitrates, which are necessary for life - it's very exciting. The results of this study suggest that these two things, which are important for life, fit together and one enhances the presence of the other."Even though the composition of the early Martian atmosphere remains a mystery, these results may provide more pieces for solving this climate puzzle.NASA is exploring our solar system and beyond, uncovering worlds, stars and cosmic mysteries near and far with our powerful fleet of space and ground-based missions. Experimental and theoretical work by Navarro-González was funded by the National Autonomous University of Mexico in Mexico City and the National Council of Science and Technology of Mexico. American co-authors received funding from NASA's Mars Science Laboratory project and French co-authors received funding from the National Center for Space Studies (CNES), Paris, France. NASA's Mars Exploration Program for the agency's Science Mission Directorate (SMD) in Washington funded all work related to the operation of the Curiosity rover, the SAM instrument, and the use of NASA facilities and resources to retrieve and analyze the data. Goddard provided the SAM instrument. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, built the rover and manages the project for SMD.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-selects-cubesat-smallsat-mission-concept-studies

NASA Selects CubeSat, SmallSat Mission Concept Studies

JPL's concept to study Venus was included among the 10 studies selected.

NASA has selected 10 studies under the Planetary Science Deep Space SmallSat Studies (PSDS3) program to develop mission concepts using small satellites to investigate Venus, Earth's moon, asteroids, Mars and the outer planets.For these studies, small satellites are defined as less than 180 kilograms in mass (about 400 pounds).CubeSatsare built to standard specifications of 1 unit (U), which is equal to about 4x4x4 inches (10x10x10 centimeters). They often are launched into orbit as auxiliary payloads, significantly reducing costs."These small but mighty satellites have the potential to enable transformational science," said Jim Green, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "They will provide valuable information to assist in planning future Announcements of Opportunity, and to guide NASA's development of small spacecraft technologies for deep space science investigation."NASA's Science Mission Directorate is developing a small satellite strategy, with the goal of identifying high-priority science objectives in each discipline that can be addressed with CubeSats and SmallSats, managed for appropriate cost and risk. This multi-disciplinary approach will leverage and partner with the growing commercial sector to collaboratively drive instrument and sensor innovation.The PSDS3 awardees were recognized this week at the 48th Lunar and Planetary Society Conference in The Woodlands, Texas. The total value of the awards is $3.6 million.The recipients are:VenusChristophe Sotin, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California: Cupid's Arrow, a 66-pound (30-kilogram) probe to measure noble gases and their isotopes to investigate the geological evolution of Venus and why Venus and Earth have evolved so differently.Valeria Cottini, University of Maryland, College Park: CubeSat UV Experiment (CUVE), a 12-unit CubeSat orbiter to measure ultraviolet absorption and nightglow emissions to understand Venus' atmospheric dynamics.MoonSuzanne Romaine, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, Cambridge, Massachusetts: CubeSat X-ray Telescope (CubeX), a 12-unit CubeSat to map the elemental composition mapping of airless bodies such as the moon, to understand their formation and evolutionary history using X-ray pulsar timing for deep space navigation.Timothy Stubbs, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland: Bi-sat Observations of the Lunar Atmosphere above Swirls (BOLAS), tethered 12-unit CubeSats to investigate the lunar hydrogen cycle by simultaneously measuring electromagnetic fields near the surface of the moon, and incoming solar winds high above.AsteroidsJeffrey Plescia, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, Maryland: Asteroid Probe Experiment (APEX), a SmallSat with a deployable seismometer to rendezvous with the asteroid Apophis and directly explore its interior structure, surface properties, and rotational state.Benton Clark, Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, Littleton, Colorado: CubeSat Asteroid Encounters for Science and Reconnaissance (CAESAR), a constellation of 6-unit CubeSats to evaluate the bulk properties of asteroids to assess their physical structure, and to provide constraints on their formation and evolution.MarsDavid Minton, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana: Chariot to the Moons of Mars, a 12-unit CubeSat with a deployable drag skirt to produce high-resolution imagery and surface material composition of Phobos and Deimos, to help understand how they were formed.Anthony Colaprete, NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, California: Aeolus, a 24-unit CubeSat to directly measure vertically-resolved global winds to help determine the global energy balance at Mars and understand daily climate variability.Icy Bodies and Outer PlanetsKunio Sayanagi, Hampton University, Virginia: Small Next-generation Atmospheric Probe (SNAP), an atmospheric entry probe to measure vertical cloud structure, stratification, and winds to help understand the chemical and physical processes that shape the atmosphere of Uranus.Robert Ebert, Southwest Research Institute, San Antonio: JUpiter MagnetosPheric boundary ExploreR (JUMPER), a SmallSat to explore Jupiter's magnetosphere, including characterizing the solar wind upstream of the magnetosphere to provide science context for future missions such as the Europa Clipper.For more information about NASA's CubeSat activities, visit:https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/cubesats/index.html

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/recently-reactivated-nasa-spacecraft-spots-its-first-new-asteroid

Recently Reactivated NASA Spacecraft Spots Its First New Asteroid

A NASA spacecraft revived from hibernation last year has made the first asteroid discovery of its new mission.

NASA's Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) spacecraft has spotted a never-before-seen asteroid -- its first such discovery since coming out of hibernation last year.NEOWISE originally was called the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE), which had made the most comprehensive survey to date of asteroids and comets. The spacecraft was shut down in 2011 after its primary mission was completed. But in September 2013, it was reactivated, renamed and given a new mission, which is to assist NASA's efforts to identify the population of potentially hazardous near-Earth objects (NEOs). NEOWISE also can assist in characterizing previously detected asteroids that could be considered potential targets for future exploration missions.NEOWISE's first discovery of its renewed mission came on Dec. 29 -- a near-Earth asteroid designated 2013 YP139. The mission's sophisticated software picked out the moving object against a background of stationary stars. As NEOWISE circled Earth scanning the sky, it observed the asteroid several times over half a day before the object moved beyond its view. Researchers at the University of Arizona used the Spacewatch telescope at the Kitt Peak National Observatory southwest of Tucson to confirm the discovery. Peter Birtwhistle, an amateur astronomer at the Great Shefford Observatory in West Berkshire, England, also contributed follow-up observations. NASA expects 2013 YP139 will be the first of hundreds of asteroid discoveries for NEOWISE."We are delighted to get back to finding and characterizing asteroids and comets, especially those that come into Earth's neighborhood," said Amy Mainzer, the mission's principal investigator from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "With our infrared sensors that detect heat, we can learn about their sizes and reflectiveness."2013 YP139 is about 27 million miles (43 million kilometers) from Earth. Based on its infrared brightness, scientists estimate it to be roughly 0.4 miles (650 meters) in diameter and extremely dark, like a piece of coal. The asteroid circles the sun in an elliptical orbit tilted to the plane of our solar system and is classified as potentially hazardous. It is possible for its orbit to bring it as close as 300,000 miles from Earth, a little more than the distance to the moon. However, it will not come that close within the next century.WISE discovered more than 34,000 asteroids and characterized 158,000 throughout the solar system during its prime mission in 2010 and early 2011. Its reactivation in September followed 31 months in hibernation.NEOWISE will continue to detect asteroids and comets. The observations will be automatically sent to the clearinghouse for solar system bodies, the Minor Planet Center in Cambridge, Mass., for comparison against the known catalog of solar system objects and to determine orbit if the object is not known. A community of professional and amateur astronomers will provide follow-up observations, establishing firm orbits for the previously unseen objects.Infrared sensors, similar to the cameras on NEOWISE, are a powerful tool for discovering, cataloging and understanding the asteroid population. Some of the objects about which NEOWISE will be collecting data could become candidates for NASA's announced asteroid initiative, which will be the first mission to identify, capture and relocate an asteroid for astronauts to explore. The initiative represents an unprecedented technological feat that will lead to new scientific discoveries and technological capabilities that will help protect our home planet and achieve the goal of sending humans to an asteroid by 2025.JPL manages the project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah, built the science instrument. Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colo., built the spacecraft. Science operations and data processing take place at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.An image of asteroid 2013 YP139, taken by NEOWISE, is available athttp://go.nasa.gov/1cNF9T7.More information about NEOWISE is available online athttp://www.nasa.gov/wise.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/saturn-with-a-side-of-bacon

Saturn With a Side of Bacon

Take a peek inside the Cassini team's beloved tradition of Friday breakfast together.

Take a peek inside the Cassini team's beloved tradition ofFriday breakfasttogether.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-new-mineral-dust-detector-readies-for-launch

NASA’s New Mineral Dust Detector Readies for Launch

Designed to analyze airborne dust to see how it might affect climate, the EMIT mission launches to the International Space Station on Thursday, July 14.

Each year, strong winds carry more than a billion metric tons – or the weight of 10,000 aircraft carriers – of mineral dust from Earth’s deserts and other dry regions through the atmosphere. While scientists know that the dust affects the environment and climate, they don’t have enough data to determine, in detail, what those effects are or may be in the future – at least not yet.Set to launchto the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Thursday, July 14, at 8:44 p.m. EDT (5:44 p.m. PDT), NASA’sEarth Surface Mineral Dust Source Investigation(EMIT) instrument will help fill in those knowledge gaps. EMIT’s state-of-the-art imaging spectrometer, developed by the agency’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, will collect more than a billion dust-source-composition measurements around the globe over the course of a year – and in doing so, significantly advance scientists’ understanding of dust’s influence across theEarth system.Using image spectrometer technology developed at JPL, NASA’s EMIT mission will map the surface composition of minerals in Earth’s dust-producing regions, helping climate scientists better understand the impact of airborne dust particles in heating and cooling the planet’s atmosphere.Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechLive coveragefrom NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida will air on NASA Television, theNASA app, and the agency’swebsite. Prelaunch events on Wednesday, July 13, include a 2 p.m. EDT (11 a.m. PDT) climate conversation on NASA TV with Kate Calvin, NASA’s chief scientist and climate advisor, and Robert Green, EMIT’s principal investigator at JPL.Here are five things to know about EMIT:1. It will identify the composition of mineral dust from Earth’s arid regions.Desert regions produce most of the mineral dust that makes its way into the atmosphere. They’re also largely remote, making it difficult for scientists to collect soil and dust samples over these vast areas by hand.From its perch on the space station, EMIT will map the world’s mineral dust source regions. The imaging spectrometer will also provide information on the color and composition of dust sources globally for the first time. This data will help scientists understand which kinds of dust dominate each region and advance their understanding of dust’s impact on climate and the Earth system today and in the future.As depicted in this illustration, NASA’s EMIT will be attached to Express Logistics Carrier 1, a platform on the International Space Station that supports external science instruments. The mission will help scientists better understand the role of airborne dust in heating and cooling the atmosphere.Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech2. It will clarify whether mineral dust heats or cools the planet.Right now, scientists don’t know whether mineral dust has a cumulative heating or cooling effect on the planet. That’s because dust particles in the atmosphere have different properties. For instance, some particles may be dark red, while others may be white.The color matters because it determines whether the dust will absorb the Sun’s energy, as dark-colored minerals do, or reflect it, as light-colored minerals do. If more of the dust absorbs the Sun’s energy than reflects it, it’ll warm the planet, and vice versa.EMIT will provide a detailed picture of how much dust comes from dark versus light minerals. That information will allow scientists to determine whether dust heats or cools the planet overall, as well as regionally and locally.Get the Latest JPL NewsSUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER3. It will help scientists understand how dust affects different Earth processes.Mineral dust particles vary in color because they’re made of different substances. Dark red mineral dust gets its color from iron, for example. The composition of dust particles affects how they interact with many of Earth’s natural processes.For instance, mineral dust plays a role in cloud formation and atmospheric chemistry. When mineral dust is deposited in the ocean or forests, it can provide nutrients for growth, acting like fertilizer. When it falls on snow or ice, the dust accelerates melting, leading to more water runoff. And for humans, mineral dust can be a health hazard when inhaled.EMIT media reelEMIT will collect information on 10 important dust varieties, including those that contain iron oxides, clays, and carbonates. With this data, scientists will be able to assess precisely what effects mineral dust has on different ecosystems and processes.4. Its data will improve the accuracy of climate models.In the absence of more specific data, scientists currently characterize mineral dust in climate models as yellow – a general average of dark and light. Because of this, the effects that mineral dust may have on climate – and that climate may have on mineral dust – are not well represented in computer models.Color and composition information gathered by EMIT will change that. When the instrument’s data is incorporated, the accuracy of climate models is expected to improve.Teachable Moment: Learn More About NASA’s Mission to Study Dust in Earth’s Atmosphere5. It will help scientists predict how future climate scenarios will affect the type and amount of dust in our atmosphere.As global temperatures rise, arid regions may become even drier, possibly resulting in larger (and dustier) deserts. To what extent this might happen depends on several factors, including how much temperatures rise, how land use changes, and how rainfall trends change.By incorporating EMIT’s global dust source composition data into models and predictions, scientists will gain a better understanding of how the amount and composition of dust in arid regions may change under different climate and land-use scenarios. They’ll also gain a better understanding of how these changes may impact climate in the future.More About the MissionEMIT was developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California. It will launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX’s 25th commercial resupply services mission for NASA. Once EMIT begins operation, its data will be delivered to the NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) for use by other researchers and the public.To learn more about the mission, visit:https://earth.jpl.nasa.gov/emit/

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/study-looks-more-closely-at-mars-underground-water-signals

Study Looks More Closely at Mars’ Underground Water Signals

A new paper finds more radar signals suggesting the presence of subsurface ‘lakes,’ but many are in areas too cold for water to remain liquid.

In 2018, scientists working with data from ESA’s (the European Space Agency’s) Mars Express orbiter announced a surprising discovery: Signals from a radar instrument reflected off the Red Planet’s south pole appeared to reveal a liquid subsurface lake. Several more such reflections have been announced since then.In a new paper published in the journalGeophysical Research Letters, two scientists at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California describe finding dozens of similar radar reflections around the south pole after analyzing a broader set of Mars Express data, but many are in areas that should be too cold for water to remain liquid.Get the Latest JPL NewsSUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER“We’re not certain whether these signals are liquid water or not, but they appear to be much more widespread than what the original paper found,” said Jeffrey Plaut of JPL, co-principal investigator of the orbiter’sMARSIS(Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding) instrument, which was built jointly by the Italian Space Agency and JPL. “Either liquid water is common beneath Mars’ south pole or these signals are indicative of something else.”Frozen Time CapsuleThe radar signals originally interpreted as liquid water were found in a region of Mars known as the South Polar Layered Deposits, named for the alternating layers of water ice, dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide), and dust that have settled there over millions of years. These layers are believed to provide a record of how the tilt in Mars’ axis has shifted over time, just as changes in Earth’s tilt have created ice ages and warmer periods throughout our planet’s history. When Mars had a lower axial tilt, snowfall and layers of dust accumulated in the region and eventually formed the thick layered ice sheet found there today.By beaming radio waves at the surface, scientists can peer below these icy layers, mapping them in detail. Radio waves lose energy when they pass through material in the subsurface; as they reflect back to the spacecraft, they usually have a weaker signal. But in some cases, signals returning from this region’s subsurface were brighter than those at the surface. Some scientists have interpreted these signals to imply the presence of liquid water, which strongly reflects radio waves.Plaut and Aditya Khuller, a doctoral student at Arizona State University who worked on the paper while interning at JPL, aren’t sure what the signals indicate. The areas hypothesized to contain liquid water span about 6 to 12 miles (10 to 20 kilometers) in a relatively small region of the Martian south pole. Khuller and Plaut expanded the search for similar strong radio signals to 44,000 measurements spread across 15 years of MARSIS data over the entirety of the Martian south polar region.Unexpected ‘Lakes’The analysis revealed dozens of additional bright radar reflections over a far greater range of area and depth than ever before. In some places, they were less than a mile from the surface, where temperatures are estimated to be minus 81 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 63 degrees Celsius) – so cold that water would be frozen, even if it contained salty minerals known as perchlorates, which can lower the freezing point of water.Khullernoted a 2019 paperin which researchers calculated the heat needed to melt subsurface ice in this region, finding that only recent volcanism under the surface could explain the potential presence of liquid water under the south pole.“They found that it would take double the estimated Martian geothermal heat flow to keep this water liquid,” Khuller said. “One possible way to get this amount of heat is through volcanism. However, we haven’t really seen any strong evidence for recent volcanism at the south pole, so it seems unlikely that volcanic activity would allow subsurface liquid water to be present throughout this region.”What explains the bright reflections if they’re not liquid water? The authors can’t say for sure. But their paper does offer scientists a detailed map of the region that contains clues to the climate history of Mars, including the role of water in its various forms.“Our mapping gets us a few steps closer to understanding both the extent and the cause of these puzzling radar reflections,” said Plaut.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/comet-hunters-first-images-on-the-ground

Comet Hunter's First Images on the Ground

JPL Mission controllers have begun receiving the first of 72 anticipated images of comet Tempel 1 taken by NASA's Stardust spacecraft.

PASADENA, Calif. -- Mission controllers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., have begun receiving the first of 72 anticipated images of comet Tempel 1 taken by NASA's Stardust spacecraft.The first six, most distant approach images are available athttp://www.nasa.gov/stardustandhttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov. Additional images, including those from closest approach, are being downlinked in chronological order and will be available later in the day.A news conference will be held at 12:30 p.m. PST (3:30 p.m. EST) to allow scientists more time to analyze the data and images.Stardust-NExT is a low-cost mission that expands on the investigation of comet Tempel 1 initiated by NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft. JPL, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, manages Stardust-NExT for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, Washington, D.C. Joe Veverka of Cornell University, Ithaca, N.Y., is the mission's principal investigator. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft and manages day-to-day mission operations.More information about Stardust-NExT is available athttp://stardustnext.jpl.nasa.gov.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/antarcticas-effect-on-sea-level-rise-in-coming-centuries

Antarctica's Effect on Sea Level Rise in Coming Centuries

How will Antarctica's melting ice sheet affect sea level rise hundreds of years in the future? Scientists now have a more accurate model to answer this question.

There are two primary causes of global mean sea level rise - added water from melting ice sheets and glaciers, and the expansion of sea water as it warms. The melting of Antarctica's ice sheet is currently responsible for 20-25% of global sea level rise.But how much of a role will it playhundreds of yearsin the future?Scientists rely on precise numerical models to answer questions like this one. As the models used in predicting long-term sea level rise improve, so too do the projections derived from them. Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, have discovered a way to make current models more accurate. In doing so, they have also gotten one step closer to understanding what Antarctica's ice sheet - and the sea level rise that occurs as it melts - will look like centuries from now."Unlike most current models, we included solid Earth processes - such as the elastic rebound of the bedrock under the ice, and the impact of changes in sea level very close to the ice sheet," said JPL's Eric Larour, first author of the study. "We also examined these models at a much higher resolution than is typically used - we zoomed in on areas of bedrock that were about 1 kilometer instead of the usual 20 kilometers."The scientists found that projections for the next 100 years are within 1% of previous projections for that time period; however, further into the future, they observed some significant differences."We found that around the year 2250, some of these solid Earth processes started to offset the melting of the ice sheet and the consequent sea level rise," Larour said. In other words, they actually slowed the melting down.The team noted that a hundred years even further into the future - by 2350 - this slowdown means that the melting of the ice sheet is likely to contribute 29% less to global sea level rise than previous models indicated."One of the main things we learned was that as grounded ice retreats inland, the bedrock under it lifts up elastically," said Erik Ivins, a co-author of the study. "It's similar to how a sofa cushion decompresses when you remove your weight from it. This process slows down the retreat of the ice sheet and ultimately the amount of melting."Although this sounds like good news, the scientists say it's important to keep it in perspective. "It's like a truck traveling downhill that encounters speed bumps in the road," said Larour. "The truck will slow down a bit but will ultimately continue down the hill" - just as the ice sheet will continue to melt and sea level will continue to rise.The breakthrough of this study, he added, was to "reach resolutions high enough to capture as many of these 'speed bumps' as possible and determine their effects in Antarctica while also modeling sea level rise over the entire planet."The study, titled "Slowdown in Antarctic Mass Loss from Solid Earth and Sea-Level Feedback," was published today in Science.More information on the study can be found at:https://vesl.jpl.nasa.gov/sea-level/slr-uplift

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/can-poor-air-quality-mask-global-warmings-effects

Can Poor Air Quality Mask Global Warming's Effects?

In the 1900s, the U.S. warmed everywhere except the Southeast, where warming didn't begin till the 1990s. A study finds air quality improvements may have played a role.

During the 20th century, the average temperature of the continental United States rose by almost 1 degree Fahrenheit (0.5 degree Celsius) -- everywhere, that is, except in the Southeast. There, until the 1980s, the temperature actually decreased slightly. Climate scientists dubbed this peculiar phenomenon the "warming hole," and it was the cause of much speculation. But beginning in the 1990s, temperatures in the Southeast began to warm again, and in the early years of the 21st century this warming has accelerated.A new study published in the journal Remote Sensing presents evidence that a significant improvement in air quality in the region may have contributed to the disappearance of the warming hole after about 1990 -- and that other polluted regions outside the United States, such as China and India, may experience the same phenomenon.One major factor in poor air quality is airborne aerosols -- tiny particles of dust, soot from wood burning, coal and oil combustion, or sulfates created by precursor gases emitted from factories and car exhaust, to name a few sources. Aerosols can decrease temperature by dimming sunlight at Earth's surface and by increasing the amount and lifetimes of clouds, which reflect sunlight back into space.After the warming hole mysteriously disappeared, various studies proposed possible causes: changes in cloud cover, precipitation or in the amount of aerosols produced by air pollution. In 2006, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began implementing a more stringent cap on the concentration of aerosol particles smaller than about 1/10,000th of an inch (2.5 micrometers) in diameter. To comply with the regulation, many U.S. power utilities and industrial companies began reducing their use of coal and installing filters to reduce emissions.A similar change to temperature trends occurred in Europe in the 1980s after new regulations improved air quality there. Because reduced aerosol particle concentrations allow more sunlight to reach Earth's surface, the scientists hypothesized that the improvements in U.S. air quality could also be responsible for the temperature change over the Southeast.To test this hypothesis, a team led by Mika Tosca, a researcher at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California (who is now with the School of the Art Institute of Chicago), used three surface temperature data sets. The data sets were compiled by the University of Delaware, the University of California (UC) at Berkeley, and the Global Historical Climatology Network (which compiles surface temperature and precipitation data). They also used aerosol data from two satellite instruments: the Multi-angle Imaging SpectroRadiometer (MISR) instrument on NASA's Terra satellite, launched in 1999, and the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar with Orthogonal Polarization (CALIOP) on the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) satellite, a joint mission between NASA and the French space agency, CNES, launched in 2006.The data show that between 2000 and 2015, while summertime temperatures in the Southeast United States increased by roughly 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit (0.75 degree Celsius), significantly faster than the increase in the continental United States during the 20th century, the amount of summertime aerosols decreased overall by about 20 percent, with a much steeper decline after 2007. The timing of this decline coincided with the implementation of the new EPA standards.To help determine how much of the temperature change was caused by the changes in aerosols, Tosca and colleagues used a model that simulates how the sun's energy travels through Earth's atmosphere, using the MISR and CALIOP satellite data as inputs. The increase in sunlight shown in the model results matches well with daily measurements taken at a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) solar radiation monitoring station in Goodwin Creek, Mississippi, suggesting that the decrease in aerosols is a plausible explanation for most of the disappearance of the warming hole.Tosca acknowledges that linkages between aerosols and clouds could also play a role. The next step would be to run a more sophisticated climate model that takes into account clouds and the aerosols' effects on them. The team would also like to apply this kind of analysis to other areas with high air pollution levels, such as China and India. They hypothesize that these areas might have "warming holes" of their own -- regions where the effects of climate change are being muted by the high concentrations of aerosols in the atmosphere. If these areas reduce air pollution in the future, they might experience a sudden temperature jump as well."Overall, the goal is to more accurately predict what will happen to our planet," Tosca said. "This type of observation-based research gives us better models, better models give us better forecasts, and better forecasts enable better policy."The study is titled "Attributing Accelerated Summertime Warming in the Southeast United States to Recent Reductions in Aerosol Burden: Indications from Vertically-Resolved Observations." Other institutions participating in the study included the Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology, a cooperative agreement between NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County; the Naval Research Laboratory in Monterey, California; and the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. MISR was built and is managed by JPL, and CALIOP is jointly administered by NASA and the French space agency, Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasa-opportunity-rover-finishes-walkabout-on-mars-crater-rim

NASA Opportunity Rover Finishes Walkabout on Mars Crater Rim

The latest work assignment for NASA's long-lived Mars rover Opportunity is a further examination of an area where the robot just completed a walkabout.

PASADENA, Calif. - The latest work assignment for NASA's long-lived Mars rover Opportunity is a further examination of an area where the robot just completed a walkabout."If you are a geologist studying a site like this, one of the first things you do is walk the outcrop, and that's what we've done with Opportunity," said Steve Squyres, the mission's principal investigator at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y.Coming up on its ninth anniversary, Opportunity still is a capable robotic explorer. It has been investigating a crater-rim site where observations from orbiting Mars spacecraft detected traces of clay minerals, which form under wet, non-acidic conditions that can be favorable for life. The rover's current activities were presented at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.The rover team chose this site as a driving destination years earlier. The site is named Matijevic Hill in honor of the late Jacob Matijevic, who led the engineering team for the twin Mars exploration rovers Spirit and Opportunity for several years.Opportunity drove about 1,160 feet (354 meters) in a counterclockwise circuit around Matijevic Hill in October and November, bringing the total miles driven on the mission to 22 miles (35.4 kilometers). Researchers used the rover to survey the extent of Matijevic Hill outcrops and identify the best places to investigate further."We've got a list of questions posed by the observations so far," Squyres said. "We did this walkabout to determine the most efficient use of time to answer the questions. Now we have a good idea what we're dealing with, and we're ready to start the detailed work."The hill is on the western rim of Endeavour Crater, a bowl 14 miles (22 kilometers) in diameter. An impact from a celestial object dug this crater more than 3 billion years ago, pushing rocks onto the rim from a greater depth than Opportunity reached during its first several years on Mars. Since the impact, those rocks may have been altered by environmental conditions. Sorting out the relative ages of local outcrops is a key to understanding the area's environmental history."Almost nine years into a mission planned to last for three months, Opportunity is fit and ready for driving, robotic-arm operations and communication with Earth," said the mission's deputy project scientist, Diana Blaney, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.Two outcrops of high interest on Matijevic Hill are "Whitewater Lake" and "Kirkwood." Whitewater Lake is light-toned material that science team members believe may contain clay. Kirkwood contains small spheres with composition, structure and distribution that differ from other iron-rich spherules, nicknamed blueberries, that Opportunity found at its landing site and throughout the Meridiani Planum area it has explored. Squyres calls the Kirkwood spheres "newberries.""We don't know yet whether Whitewood Lake and Kirkwood are from before or after the crater formed," he said. "One of the most important things to work out is the order and position of the rock layers to tell us the relative ages. We also need more work on the composition of Whitewater and debris shed by Whitewater to understand the clay signature seen from orbit, and on the composition of the newberries to understand how they formed."NASA launched Spirit and Opportunity in 2003. Both completed their three-month prime missions in April 2004 with Spirit ceasing operations in 2010. The mission's goal is to learn about the history of wet environments on ancient Mars. JPL manages the Mars Exploration Rover Project for NASA's Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.For more information about Opportunity, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/rovers.You can follow the project on Twitter and on Facebook at:http://twitter.com/MarsRoversandhttp://www.facebook.com/mars.rovers.JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/grail-launch-less-than-one-month-away

GRAIL Launch Less Than One Month Away

GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B - completed their final inspections and were weighed one final time at the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., on Tuesday.

NASA's twin lunar probes – GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B - completed their final inspections and were weighed one final time at the Astrotech Space Operations facility in Titusville, Fla., on Tuesday. The two Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft will orbit the moon in formation to determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon. GRAIL's launch period opens Sept. 8, 2011, and extends through Oct. 19. For a Sept. 8 liftoff, the launch window opens at 5:37 a.m. PDT (8:37 a.m. EDT) and remains open through 6:16 a.m. PDT (9:16 a.m. EDT).Later this week, the two spacecraft will be loaded side-by-side on a special adapter and packaged inside a payload fairing that will protect them during their launch into space. Next week, GRAIL is expected to make the trip from Astrotech to Launch Complex 17 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station where it will be mated with its United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket.GRAIL-A and GRAIL-B will fly in tandem orbits around the moon for several months to measure its gravity field in unprecedented detail. The mission will answer longstanding questions about Earth's moon, and provide scientists a better understanding of how Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed.NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the GRAIL mission. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, is home to the mission's principal investigator, Maria Zuber. The GRAIL mission is part of the Discovery Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Launch management for the mission is the responsibility of NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.More information about GRAIL is online at:http://grail.nasa.gov.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/phoenix-digs-mars

Phoenix Digs Mars

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has been digging and excavating Martian soil with its nearly 8-foot-long robotic arm. New images, like this one in 3D, show the trenchwork taken on Oct. 7.

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has been digging and excavating Martian soil with its nearly 8-foot-long robotic arm. New images, like this one in 3D, show the trenchwork taken on Oct. 7.To learn more about the image, go tohttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/phoenix/images.php?fileID=16591

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/earth-day-portrait-is-first-one-snapped-by-mars-odyssey

Earth Day Portrait is First one Snapped by Mars Odyssey

NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft turned its multipurpose camera homeward last week and took its first picture -- a shot of a faint crescent Earth -- as the spacecraft heads off toward its destination, the planet Mars.

NASA's 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft turned its multipurpose camera homeward last week and took its first picture -- a shot of a faint crescent Earth -- as the spacecraft heads off toward its destination, the planet Mars.The image was taken as part of the calibration process for the thermal emission imaging system, the camera system that is one of three science instrument packages on the spacecraft. The imaging system will study the Martian surface in both visible and infrared light and will help determine what minerals are present. It also will map landscapes on Mars at resolutions comparable to that of NASA's Landsat Earth observing satellite."The spacecraft team did a fantastic job to image the Earth. These images are spectacular, especially given how far away we were. They have given us the first-ever thermal- infrared view of Earth and the moon from interplanetary space," said Dr. Philip Christensen, principal investigator for the spacecraft's thermal emission imaging system at Arizona State University, Tempe.The visible light image shows the night side of the crescent Earth looking toward the South Pole. Taken at the same time, the infrared image measures temperature, showing its "night-vision" capability to observe Earth even in the dark."The instrument measured a low surface temperature of minus 50 degrees Celsius (minus 58 degrees Fahrenheit) for Antarctica in winter, and a high of 9 degrees Celsius (48.2 degrees Fahrenheit) at night in Australia," Christensen said. "These temperatures agree remarkably well with observed temperatures of minus 63 degrees Celsius at Vostok Station in Antarctica, and 10 degrees Celsius in Australia. Thus we demonstrated that the instrument can accurately measure temperatures, even from a distance of more than 3 million kilometers (2 million miles)."These observations of Antarctica provide an excellent test for how the imaging system will perform at Mars, where afternoon temperatures are comparable to those in the winter night at Earth's South Pole. The Antarctic continent, which was uncharted less than 100 years ago, was the last landmass observed by Odyssey as it left Earth on its way to Mars.The images were taken on April 19 and are available athttp://www.jpl.nasa.gov/pictures/odysseyhttp://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/odysseyandhttp://themis.asu.eduThe Odyssey spacecraft continues to be in excellent health with all its systems working normally."Not only was this a successful calibration of the instrument, it demonstrated that we can accurately point the spacecraft, and it put the team members through their paces," said David A. Spencer, the Odyssey mission manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif.Today at 5 a.m. Pacific time, Odyssey was 4,639,830 kilometers (2,883,050 miles) from Earth and traveling at a speed of 3.3 kilometers per second (7,474 miles per hour) relative to the Earth.More information about the Mars Exploration Program can be found athttp://mars.jpl.nasa.govThe Mars Odyssey mission is managed by JPL for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington, D.C. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena. The Odyssey spacecraft was built by Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver. The thermal emission imaging system was built by Raytheon Santa Barbara Remote Sensing, Santa Barbara, Calif, and is operated by Arizona State University.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-dawn-captures-first-image-of-nearing-asteroid

NASA's Dawn Captures First Image of Nearing Asteroid

NASA's Dawn spacecraft has obtained its first image of the giant asteroid Vesta, which will help fine-tune navigation during its approach.

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Dawn spacecraft has obtained its first image of the giant asteroid Vesta, which will help fine-tune navigation during its approach. Dawn is expected to achieve orbit around Vesta on July 16, when the asteroid is about 188 million kilometers (117 million miles) from Earth.The image from Dawn's framing cameras was taken on May 3 when the spacecraft began its approach and was approximately 1.21 million kilometers (752,000 miles) from Vesta. The asteroid appears as a small, bright pearl against a background of stars. Vesta is also known as a protoplanet, because it is a large body that almost formed into a planet."After plying the seas of space for more than a billion miles, the Dawn team finally spotted its target," said Carol Raymond, Dawn's deputy principal investigator at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "This first image hints of detailed portraits to come from Dawn's upcoming visit."Vesta is 530 kilometers (330 miles) in diameter and the second most massive object in the asteroid belt. Ground- and space-based telescopes obtained images of the bright orb for about two centuries, but with little surface detail.Mission managers expect Vesta's gravity to capture Dawn in orbit on July 16. To enter orbit, Dawn must match the asteroid's path around the sun, which requires very precise knowledge of the body's location and speed. By analyzing where Vesta appears relative to stars in framing camera images, navigators will pin down its location and enable engineers to refine the spacecraft's trajectory.Dawn will start collecting science data in early August at an altitude of approximately 1,700 miles (2,700 kilometers) above the asteroid's surface. As the spacecraft gets closer, it will snap multi-angle images, allowing scientists to produce topographic maps. Dawn will later orbit at approximately 200 kilometers (120 miles) to perform other measurements and obtain closer shots of parts of the surface. Dawn will remain in orbit around Vesta for one year. After another long cruise phase, Dawn will arrive in 2015 at its second destination, Ceres, an even more massive body in the asteroid belt.Gathering information about these two icons of the asteroid belt will help scientists unlock the secrets of our solar system's early history. The mission will compare and contrast the two giant bodies shaped by different forces. Dawn's science instruments will measure surface composition, topography and texture. Dawn will also measure the tug of gravity from Vesta and Ceres to learn more about their internal structures. The spacecraft's full odyssey will take it on a 5-billion-kilometer (3-billion-mile) journey, which began with its launch in September 2007.Dawn's mission to Vesta and Ceres is managed by JPL for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. Dawn is a project of the directorate's Discovery Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala.The University of California in Los Angeles is responsible for overall Dawn mission science. Orbital Sciences Corp. of Dulles, Va., designed and built the spacecraft. The framing cameras were developed and built under the leadership of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Katlenburg-Lindau in Germany, with significant contributions by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin and in coordination with the Institute of Computer and Communication Network Engineering in Braunschweig. The framing camera project is funded by NASA, the Max Planck Society and DLR.For more information about Dawn, visit:http://www.nasa.gov/dawn.More information about JPL is online at:http://www.jpl.nasa.gov. Follow us via social media, including Facebook and Twitter. Details are at:http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/social.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-perseverance-rover-22-days-from-mars-landing

NASA’s Perseverance Rover 22 Days From Mars Landing

Seven minutes of harrowing descent to the Red Planet is in the not-so-distant future for the agency’s Mars 2020 mission.

NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission is just 22 days from landing on the surface of Mars. The spacecraft has about 25.6 million miles (41.2 million kilometers) remaining in its 292.5-million-mile (470.8-million-kilometer) journey and is currently closing that distance at 1.6 miles per second (2.5 kilometers per second). Once at the top of the Red Planet’s atmosphere, an action-packed seven minutes of descent awaits – complete with temperatures equivalent to the surface of the Sun, a supersonic parachute inflation, and the first ever autonomous guided landing on Mars.Only then can the rover – the biggest, heaviest, cleanest, and most sophisticated six-wheeled robotic geologist ever launched into space – search Jezero Crater for signs of ancient life and collect samples that will eventually be returned to Earth.Get the Latest JPL NewsSUBSCRIBE TO THE NEWSLETTER“NASA has been exploring Mars since Mariner 4 performed a flyby in July of 1965, with two more flybys, seven successful orbiters, and eight landers since then,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “Perseverance, which was built from the collective knowledge gleaned from such trailblazers, has the opportunity to not only expand our knowledge of the Red Planet, but to investigate one of the most important and exciting questions of humanity about the origin of life both on Earth and also on other planets.”Composed of multiple precisely aligned images from the Context Camera on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, this annotated mosaic depicts a possible route the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover could take across Jezero Crater as it investigates several ancient environments that may have once been habitable.Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechJezero Crateris the perfect place to search for signs of ancient microbial life. Billions of years ago, the now-bone-dry 28-mile-wide (45-kilometer-wide) basin was home to an actively-forming river delta and lake filled with water. The rock and regolith (broken rock and dust) that Perseverance’sSample Caching Systemcollects from Jezero could help answer fundamental questions about the existence of life beyond Earth. Two future missions currently in the planning stages by NASA, in collaboration with ESA (European Space Agency), will work together to bring the samples back to Earth, where they will undergo in-depth analysis by scientists around the world using equipment far too large and complex to send to the Red Planet.“Perseverance’s sophisticated science instruments will not only help in the hunt for fossilized microbial life, but also expand our knowledge of Martian geology and its past, present, and future,” said Ken Farley, project scientist for Mars 2020, from Caltech in Pasadena, California. “Our science team has been busy planning how best to work with what we anticipate will be a firehose of cutting-edge data. That’s the kind of ‘problem’ we are looking forward to.”After nearly 300 million miles (470 million kilometers), NASA’s Perseverance rover completes its journey to Mars on Feb. 18, 2021. But, to reach the surface of the Red Planet, it has to survive the harrowing final phase known as Entry, Descent, and Landing.Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechTesting Future TechWhile most of Perseverance’s seven science instruments are geared toward learning more about the planet’s geology andastrobiology, the mission also carries technologies more focused on future Mars exploration.MOXIE(Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment), a car-battery-size device in the rover’s chassis, is designed to demonstrate that converting Martian carbon dioxide into oxygen is possible. Future applications of the technology could produce the vast quantities of oxygen that would be needed as a component of the rocket fuel astronauts would rely on to return to Earth, and, of course, the oxygen could be used for breathing as well.Click anywhere on the image to interactive with it. This visualization lets you follow each stage of the harrowing entry, descent, and landing sequence. You can learn what the spacecraft will experience and how it’s engineered to respond in order to stay on course during its Feb. 18, 2021 landing.View the full experience. Credit: NASA/JPL-CaltechTheTerrain-Relative Navigation systemhelps the rover avoid hazards.MEDLI2(the Mars Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation 2) sensor suite gathers data during the journey through the Martian atmosphere. Together the systems will help engineers design future human missions that can land more safely and with larger payloads on other worlds.Another technology demonstration, theIngenuity Mars Helicopter, is attached to the belly of the rover. Between 30 and 90 days into the rover’s mission, Ingenuity will be deployed to attempt the first experimental flight test on another planet. If that initial flight is successful, Ingenuity will fly up to four more times. The data acquired during these tests will help the next generation of Mars helicopters provide an aerial dimension to Mars exploration.Getting Ready for the Red PlanetLike people around the world, members of the Mars 2020 team have had to make significant modifications to theirapproach to workduring the COVID-19 pandemic. While a majority of the team members have performed their jobs via telework, some tasks have required an in-person presence at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which built the rover for the agency and is managing the mission. Such was the case last week when the team that will be on-console at JPL during landing went through a three-day-long COVID-adapted full-up simulation of the upcoming Feb. 18 Mars landing.“Don’t let anybody tell you different – landing on Mars is hard to do,” said John McNamee, project manager for the Mars 2020 Perseverance rover mission at JPL. “But the women and men on this team are the best in the world at what they do. When our spacecraft hits the top of the Mars atmosphere at about three-and-a-half miles per second, we’ll be ready.”Less than a month of dark, unforgiving interplanetary space remains before the landing.NASA Televisionand theagency’s websitewill carry live coverage of the event from JPL beginning at 11:15 a.m. PST (2:15 p.m. EST).More About the MissionA key objective of Perseverance's mission on Mars isastrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith.Subsequent missions, currently under consideration by NASA in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.The Mars 2020 mission is part of a larger program that includes missions to the Moon as a way to prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Charged with returning astronauts to the Moon by 2024, NASA will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028 through NASA'sArtemis lunar exploration plans.JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.For more about Perseverance:mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/nasa.gov/perseveranceFor more information about NASA's Mars missions, go to:https://www.nasa.gov/mars

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/with-thick-ice-gone-arctic-sea-ice-changes-more-slowly

With Thick Ice Gone, Arctic Sea Ice Changes More Slowly

The Arctic Ocean's sea ice blanket has already lost most of its old ice and two-thirds of its thickness. The younger ice is thinning more slowly and variably.

The Arctic Ocean's blanket of sea ice has changed since 1958 from predominantly older, thicker ice to mostly younger, thinner ice, according tonew researchpublished by NASA scientist Ron Kwok of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. With so little thick, old ice left, the rate of decrease in ice thickness has slowed. New ice grows faster but is more vulnerable to weather and wind, so ice thickness is now more variable, rather than dominated by the effect of global warming.Working from a combination of satellite records and declassified submarine sonar data, NASA scientists have constructed a 60-year record of Arctic sea ice thickness. Right now, Arctic sea ice is the youngest and thinnest its been since we started keeping records. More than 70 percent of Arctic sea ice is now seasonal, which means it grows in the winter and melts in the summer, but doesn't last from year to year. This seasonal ice melts faster and breaks up easier, making it much more susceptible to wind and atmospheric conditions.Kwok's research, published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters, combined decades of declassified U.S. Navy submarine measurements with more recent data from four satellites to create the 60-year record of changes in Arctic sea ice thickness. He found that since 1958, Arctic ice cover has lost about two-thirds of its thickness, as averaged across the Arctic at the end of summer. Older ice has shrunk in area by almost 800,000 square miles (more than 2 million square kilometers). Today, 70 percent of the ice cover consists of ice that forms and melts within a single year, which scientists call seasonal ice.Sea ice of any age is frozen ocean water. However, as sea ice survives through several melt seasons, its characteristics change. Multiyear ice is thicker, stronger and rougher than seasonal ice. It is much less salty than seasonal ice; Arctic explorers used it as drinking water. Satellite sensors observe enough of these differences that scientists can use spaceborne data to distinguish between the two types of ice.Thinner, weaker seasonal ice is innately more vulnerable to weather than thick, multiyear ice. It can be pushed around more easily by wind, as happened in the summer of 2013. During that time, prevailing winds piled up the ice cover against coastlines, which made the ice cover thicker for months.The ice's vulnerability may also be demonstrated by the increased variation in Arctic sea ice thickness and extent from year to year over the last decade. In the past, sea ice rarely melted in the Arctic Ocean. Each year, some multiyear ice flowed out of the ocean into the East Greenland Sea and melted there, and some ice grew thick enough to survive the melt season and become multiyear ice. As air temperatures in the polar regions have warmed in recent decades, however, large amounts of multiyear ice now melt within the Arctic Ocean itself. Far less seasonal ice now thickens enough over the winter to survive the summer. As a result, not only is there less ice overall, but the proportions of multiyear ice to seasonal ice have also changed in favor of the young ice.Seasonal ice now grows to a depth of about six feet (two meters) in winter, and most of it melts in summer. That basic pattern is likely to continue, Kwok said. "The thickness and coverage in the Arctic are now dominated by the growth, melting and deformation of seasonal ice."The increase in seasonal ice also means record-breaking changes in ice cover such as those of the 1990s and 2000s are likely to be less common, Kwok noted. In fact, there has not been a new record sea ice minimum since 2012, despite years of warm weather in the Arctic. "We've lost so much of the thick ice that changes in thickness are going to be slower due to the different behavior of this ice type," Kwok said.Kwok used data from U.S. Navy submarine sonars from 1958 to 2000; satellite altimeters on NASA's ICESat and the European CryoSat-2, which span from 2003 to 2018; and scatterometer measurements from NASA's QuikSCAT and the European ASCAT from 1999 to 2017.

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/dawn-holding-in-second-mapping-orbit

Dawn Holding in Second Mapping Orbit

NASA's Dawn spacecraft is healthy and stable, after experiencing an anomaly in the system that controls its orientation.

DAWN MISSION STATUS REPORTNASA's Dawn spacecraft is healthy and stable, after experiencing an anomaly in the system that controls its orientation. It is still in its second mapping orbit 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers) above dwarf planet Ceres.On June 30, shortly after turning on its ion engine to begin the gradual spiral down to the next mapping orbit, its protective software detected the anomaly. Dawn responded as designed by stopping all activities (including thrusting), reconfiguring its systems to safe mode and transmitting a radio signal to request further instructions. On July 1 and 2, engineers made configuration changes needed to return the spacecraft to its normal operating mode. The spacecraft is out of safe mode, using the main antenna to communicate with Earth.Dawn will remain at its current orbital altitude until the operations team has completed an analysis of what occurred and has updated the flight plan.Because of the versatility of Dawn's ion propulsion system and the flexibility of the mission's plan for exploring Ceres, there is no special "window" for starting or completing the spiral to the third mapping orbit. The plans for the third and fourth mapping orbits can be shifted to new dates without significant changes in objectives or productivity.More information on the Dawn mission is online at:http://www.nasa.gov/dawnhttp://dawn.jpl.nasa.gov