3-D Mars

The scientists managing the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter are releasing 3-D images of terrain features on Mars.

The towering 3-D features of Martian canyons and highlands are about to stand out like never before, thanks to data from a high-resolution camera on the Mars Express orbiter.

These data, collected by the camera on the European Space Agency's Mars Express, are allowing scientists to create so-called Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) to look around the Martian surface from different directions and angles, as opposed to the usual bird's-eye view from above provided by previous Mars orbiter cameras. The new data sets have now been released on the Internet, the European Space Agency announced this week.

"Understanding the topography of Mars is essential to understanding its geology," said Gerhard Neukum, HRSC lead scientist at Freie Universität (FU) in Berlin, Germany.

Creating the data for such digital models requires spacecraft to study the same Martian feature at least twice, each time from a different angle. Most previous efforts to do this have involved spacecraft making two orbital passes over features.

The Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC) only needs one overhead pass to capture images of a feature from three different angles — on approach, directly underneath and receding into the distance. The camera also obtains altitude measurements for its high-resolution images.

All that data is processed by the German Space Agency (DLR) and FU Berlin for several years before digital models of the Martian surface can start to emerge. Now researchers are selecting the best data to "stitch them together" and develop digital models on a "global scale," Fred Jansen, Mars Express senior manager, told SPACE.com.

They have examples of the images. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be an online, searchable viewer for these, or at least none I can find. Maybe someone will stitch one together in the future.

Kimchi Nine From Outer Space

Uh oh. We thought giant, glowing, radioactive haggis was bad enough. But now South Korean scientists are planning to send irradiated kimchi into space.

SEOUL (AFP) - A specially engineered version of kimchi, South Korea's beloved pickle dish, has been cleared for a historic space mission this year, officials said Wednesday.

The bacteria-free kimchi, developed by top Korean scientists, will blast off along with the country's first astronaut after being approved by Russian space authorities, they said.

Instant noodles, cinnamon tea and uncooked organic food, all developed by the state-run food research body, have also been approved for the mission due in April.

The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute said kimchi usually contains lactic acid bacteria for fermentation, but bacteria have been shown to become more virulent in space.

"The lactic acid bacterium in kimchi is a useful microbe normally, but it could threaten astronauts' health in space so that kimchi must be provided in a germ-free state," it said. 

Has anyone bothered to check if kimchi becomes more virulent in space? Giant, glowing,radioactive kimchi could soon control the space station.

(Wikipedia on kimchi here.) 

Atlantis Reaches Orbit

STS-122 carrying the European Space Agency's Columbus laboratory module has attained orbit. Despite earlier  concerns about the weather, Atlantis lifted off at 2:45 EST.

With Atlantis safely attaining orbit, NASA mission managers gave the command to proceed with main engine cutoff, or MECO, and the giant orange tank that provided fuel for the climb into space has been jettisoned. As the tank falls away and descends toward Earth, its onboard cameras record the process.

Atlantis' next stop: the International Space Station.

Cheers and shouts could be heard throughout the space center as Atlantis, carrying the STS-122 crew and Columbus Laboratory, roared off the launch pad into the mid-afternoon sky to begin the 24th mission to the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Steve Frick commands a crew of six, including Pilot Alan Poindexter and Mission Specialists Leland Melvin, Rex Walheim, Stanley Love and the European Space Agency's Hans Schlegel and Leopold Eyharts. This is the first spaceflight for Poindexter, Love and Melvin.

Third time's the charm.

This Interplanetary War Is Sponsored By The Beatles

The Daily Mail reports that some people are worried that sending messages Across the Universe could lead to A Hard Day's Night. Or something like that.

It's not as though Nasa is beaming out the Cheeky Girls back catalogue or the collected works of Florence Foster Jenkins.

Nevertheless, scientists warn that transmitting songs into deep space could put the Earth at risk of an alien attack.

They voiced fears that advertising humanity's place in the universe - as happened last week when Nasa broadcast a Beatles track towards the North Star - could attract the attention of aliens who are less friendly than ET.

Dr Douglas Vakoch of the SETI Institute, which has been leading the search for extraterrestrials, told New Scientist magazine: "Before sending out even symbolic messages, we need an open discussion about the potential risks."

They voiced fears that advertising humanity's place in the universe - as happened last week when Nasa broadcast a Beatles track towards the North Star - could attract the attention of aliens who are less friendly than ET.

Dr Douglas Vakoch of the SETI Institute, which has been leading the search for extraterrestrials, told New Scientist magazine: "Before sending out even symbolic messages, we need an open discussion about the potential risks."

A recording of the Beatles' Across the Universe was last week beamed in the direction of Polaris, also known as the North Star, by Nasa.

SETI - the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence - plans more broadcasts from its base in Mountain View, California. 

Some people worry that the creatures that listen in would be a lot like those in Alien. Others are hoping for E.T..  We here at Blue Crab Boulevard agree that there is no sense in provoking a War of the Worlds. Therefore, we respectfully request that Kenny G. be banned from the airwaves immediately.

Total Lunar Eclipse February 20

Space.com reports that a total lunar eclipse will be visible over most of North and South America on February 20. Totality will occur at 10:01 EST. It looks to be a very good one, indeed.

Mark Wednesday, Feb. 20, on your calendar as "Lunar Eclipse Night," for if the weather is fair you should have no difficulty observing a total eclipse of the moon.

The eclipse will be visible wherever the moon is above the horizon during the time frame that the eclipse is taking place. As it turns out, North and South America will turned toward the moon and will be in excellent position for this sky show.

Europe, Africa and a part of western Asia will also be able to see the eclipse, although for these regions the event will take place in hours just before sunrise on the morning of Feb. 21.

All told, given clear skies, about three billion potential eclipse viewers will be able to partake in the spectacle of the full moon becoming completely immersed in the Earth's shadow.

This will be the third total lunar eclipse within the past year. The previous two favored different parts of North America, but this one will be readily visible from start-to-finish across much of the continent, weather permitting.

I just hope it's a little warmer than it has been. Right now, standing outside for any length of time is difficult. 

January 27, 1967

Gus Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. Rest in peace.

Pad 34

We Demand Answers!

The latest flyby of the planet Mercury has sent back a stream of images for NASA scientists. Today, they released the very first image from the MESSENGER probe.

Scientists are sifting through their first new views of the planet Mercury in more than three decades thanks to images beamed home by NASA's MESSENGER probe.

The car-sized spacecraft zipped past Mercury in a Monday flyby and is relaying more than 1,200 new images and other data back to eager scientists on Earth.

"Now it's time for the scientific payoff," MESSENGER principal investigator Sean Solomon of the Carnegie Institution of Washington told SPACE.com after the flyby. "It's just a complete mix of results that we're going to get."

In one new image, released today, the planet's stark surface is shown peppered with small craters, each less than a mile (1.6 km) in diameter and carved into an area about 300 miles (482 km) across. MESSENGER used its narrow-angle camera to photograph the scene, which is dominated by a large, double-ringed crater dubbed Vivaldi after the Italian composer. While the crater was last seen by NASA's Mariner 10 probe, MESSENGER's camera observed it with unprecedented detail, researchers said.

The image released is this one:

We direct our reader's attention to the right side of the image. Now we demand to know whether AOL managed to get product placement for their AIM logo! The probe is called MESSENGER, after all….

Great Moments In Space History

Fifty years ago today, the United States attempted to launch the Vanguard Test Vehicle 3 (TV-3). from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Vanguard rocket reached a maximum altitude of four feet before returning to earth in an impressive fireball. (Check out the ramjet helicopter at the end of the newsreel, too.)

Conspiracy Theories

China is now being accused of possibly faking images sent back by its first lunar probe. The internet-fueled conspiracy theories center on an image that the Chinese government released that very closely resembles a NASA image. China vehemently denies the charges being leveled.

The head scientist of China's flagship lunar probe programme has been forced to defend the authenticity of its first published photograph after internet moon-gazers suggested it might be a copy.

The Chinese prime minister, Wen Jiabao, unveiled the first photograph sent back on the inaugural mission of the Chang-e 1 lunar probe amid much patriotic emotion last week.

But in a response to public scepticism unusual for such a token of national pride, internet bulletin boards began pointing out the similarity of the photograph to one published by NASA, the American space agency, two years ago.

Ouyang Ziyuan, head scientist of the China Lunar Exploration Project, issued a statement insisting the photograph had not been copied and really was genuine.

"China's first moon photo is absolutely not a fake,” he said, adding that though the two shots were of the same part of the moon's surface, a new crater was shown in the Chinese version.

There are a few problems with the accusations, though. First, there is a new crater in the Chinese image. Easily photoshopped, of course. Second, the shadows are hitting at completely different angles in the two images. Third, NASA has imaged the entire surface of the moon - it would be highly unlikely that China could find a totally new image anywhere on it. Could it be faked? Sure. I could photoshop the two images myself and make it look like Elvis was down there, But did China fake this? Probably not. Seems like just another silly "controversy" generated from very little "evidence".

Which means it will live forever.

Discovery Over America

Space shuttle Discovery is scheduled to land today and will be flying directly across the center of the country on its way to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. If the shuttle makes its first possible window, the route will be as follows:

On orbit 238, Discovery will cross the western coast of North America at 12:39 p.m. EST (9:39 a.m. PST), just north of Vancouver, British Columbia. 

Traveling on a southeast trajectory, the orbiter will be passing over northwestern Montana just a minute later (10:40 a.m. MST).  Four minutes later (11:44 a.m. CST), Discovery will be streaking over southern Nebraska.  After another two minutes have elapsed, it will be racing over Springfield, Missouri, and by 11:49 a.m. CST it will be over central Alabama.  At 12:55:16 p.m. EST, the shuttle will decelerate to two and a half times the speed of sound (mach 2.5), dropping to an altitude of 80,000-feet just to the northwest of Cape Canaveral.  Touchdown is scheduled for 1:01:50 p.m. EST.  

NASA has a tracking map up at their Shuttle Page:

(NASA Image)

The shuttle should be visible to the naked eye, appearing to be about as bright as Venus - but moving very fast. Even if you don't see it, you may well here the sonic booms if you are anywhere close to the flight path. 

Heroic Effort Repairs Torn Solar Panel

Astronaut Scott Parazynski has completed repairs to the torn solar panel on the International Space Station. Riding on the extreme outer end of the station's robotic arm and an extension to it, Parazynski used cobbled-together tools and fasteners to cut tangled wires that had caused the damage, then fasten the torn area back together. Following the successful repairs, the solar panel was fully deployed and locked into place.

"Excellent work guys, excellent," space station commander Peggy Whitson said, after the wing was locked in place.

"Before we do the victory dance let's get Scott safely back to structure and then we can all rejoice," Discovery commander Pamela Melroy said as the robotic arm started driving Parazynski back to the station.

Perched at the tip of a 90-foot robotic arm and boom extension, Parazynski worked at the far left end of the linked shuttle-station complex, about half a football field away from the pressurized compartments where the astronauts work and live.

The ugly snag involved a guide wire, two hinge wires and two grommets. Parazynski first clipped a hinge wire near the larger tear, using a special tool that looked like a hockey stick to make sure the panel didn't spring back and hit him.

The solar panel captures sunlight to generate electricity, and is alive with more than 100 volts of electricity, possibly as much as 160 volts.

"It's a bit of a reach here," Parazynski said as he stretched to cut part of the guide wire.

"It's what those monkey arms are for," Melroy said, referring to Parazynski's 6-foot-2 height.

As soon as Parazynski cut the guide wire, the approximately 90-foot stretch of it recoiled all the way down into a reel where fellow spacewalker Douglas Wheelock was controlling and monitoring it. To everyone's relief, it retracted smoothly. "Beautiful. Nicely done," Parazynski reported.

Animations and images from yesterday's briefing show just how dangerous this repair was. That is one long way up to be working without a net. There is only one video still capture posted at the NASA shuttle page right now, but I'm sure they will have better images up soon. Great job, folks.

Risky Business

NASA revealed plans for a spacewalk to repair a torn solar panel today. The work will entail astronaut Scott Parazynski riding the robotic arm of the International Space Station to make the repairs. One of many potential hazards is the fact that this will be "live line" work - the solar panel is producing electricity. There is no way to turn it off or safe the system.

The space agency said astronauts will attempt to repair the working power-generating solar array, which partially tore at its hinges during deployment on Oct. 30. Mission managers indicated most details are set for the spacewalk, but gave themselves a 1:08 a.m. ET (0508 GMT) deadline early Friday to ship complete instructions up to astronauts.

"We're faced with a difficult situation," said David Wolf, head of the EVA branch for the astronaut office, here at Johnson Space Center. "I think we're onto a solution that should work and get us pretty close to a permanently acceptable situation."

The extravehicular activity, or EVA, will send STS-120 astronaut Scott Parazynski on a one-hour ride on an extended robotic arm to the damage site while fellow astronaut Doug Wheelock looks on. Donning protective goggles, astronauts in space worked today to craft "cuff links" that should button up the 2.5-foot (0.76-meter) tear in the array.

If Parazynski does not effect a repair from his 90-foot-long (27-meter-long) robotic ride, mission managers said spacewalkers could try again on a following day.

Derek Hassmann, ISS lead flight director for the STS-120 mission, said teams are still working around the clock to get the complete details together for the fourth spacewalk. Management teams delayed the EVA to Saturday to buy more time.

"We knew it would be a full-court press to get there on Friday, and I'm disappointed that we didn't get there," Hassmann said. "But I'm satisfied we made a good call."

This is going to be a very dangerous EVA for Scott Parazynski. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

More Bad Space News

Astronauts successfully bolted a new solar power tower to the International Space Station today. Everything went well until the started to unfurl the second solar panel. A rip was spotted in the panel when it was about 3/4 extended.

The solar panels on the 17 1/2-ton girder that was installed at its new location Tuesday were folded up like an accordion for the move, and the first one slowly was unfurled as the seven-hour spacewalk wrapped up, gleaming like gold in the sun.

The crew kept spacewalker Scott Parazynski and Douglas Wheelock apprised of the first solar wing's unfurling as they floated back inside. Their reaction: "Wow, that's great," and "Awesome!"

"It's a good day's work right there," Parazynski said.

The astronauts abruptly stopped the unfurling of the second panel, however, as soon as they saw the rip right next to the edge. By then, the panel was about three-quarters of the way out. The astronauts beamed down photos of the torn and crumpled section so Mission Control could analyze them and determine the extent of the damage.

At Mission Control's request, the astronauts retracted the wing just a bit to ease the tension on it.

On the bright side, the inspection of the other rotary joint did not show any metal flakes or wear. Still, this hasn't been a great mission so far.

Shuttle Mission Extended One Day

NASA has extended the current shuttle mission by one day to allow additional inspections of the malfunctioning rotary joint on the International Space Station.

The work will delay Discovery's departure from the station to Monday from Sunday, a postponement that NASA said could carve a day out of the already slim six-day launch window for the next mission, when the shuttle Atlantis will fly the long-awaited Columbus laboratory to the station. That mission is targeted for launch on December 6.

For nearly two months, NASA has been aware of a potential problem with one of the station's massive rotary joints that spin the outpost's solar wing panels so they can track the sun and generate power.

But when spacewalker Dan Tani was dispatched on Sunday to investigate the problem during a spacewalk, he found shards of metal scrapings prevalent throughout the joint.

"I was quite sure there was something anomalous with the mechanism," Tani said on Monday during an in-flight interview.

He collected samples to return to Earth for analysis, but space station commander Peggy Whitson, a biochemist, conducted a preliminary experiment on Monday and discovered that the metal bits contained iron.

That was not good news. NASA had hoped the debris was coming from outside the joint, such as from one of the device's aluminum-lined thermal covers. Now engineers will be looking at parts of the rotary joint itself.

Not a good thing. The NASA website elaborates:

After analyzing photos of debris found inside the station’s starboard Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, mission managers decided to devote the mission’s fourth spacewalk Thursday to further inspection of the joint.

As a precursor to the additional rotary joint inspection spacewalk, Tuesday’s spacewalk by Mission Specialists Scott Parazynski and Doug Wheelock will include a short task to inspect the port rotary joint to provide comparison data to station managers who will spend the night developing procedures for the fourth spacewalk. All other tasks for the third spacewalk remain as trained with the focus being on installation of the P6 truss and solar array pair to its permanent location outboard of the port truss.

The crews completed final preparations for the P6 truss installation and continued outfitting and activation of avionics and systems racks inside the Harmony Node. Despite the shutdown of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Assembly in the U.S. Destiny laboratory, work continues as normal with no interruption to operations with other means of carbon dioxide scrubbing equipment on board.

Something is grinding in that joint, obviously.

Pennies From Heaven?

New York auction house Bonhams just completed the sale of a largish collection of meteorites. The space rocks were drawn from a number of sources and not all of them sold. But there were some unusual pieces in the collection. Among the objects was a mailbox - hit by a meteorite in 1984.

The pieces were drawn from collections across the world and many examples are richly coloured and intricately patterned, some bearing gemstones.

A piece priced at $1.1m (£0.53m) did not sell but an iron meteorite from Siberia fetched $123,000 (£60,000).

And a US mailbox hit by a meteorite in 1984 sold for $83,000 (£40,000).

"The results were stronger than anticipated with a near-perfect result," Bonhams meteorite specialist Claudia Florian said after the sale.

Bonhams, she added, hoped to sell the unsold lots "in the next several days".

Rocks from space = money. Who knew?