OF SPECIAL INTEREST
OSIRIS-REx Mission is Awarded the Collier Trophy: The Collier Trophy is awarded annually by the National Aeronautic Association for outstanding aerospace achievements. The Trophy itself resides at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. The most recent award was announced last March, honoring the achievements of the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft and research team. A ceremony was held at NASM on June 13 with the team present for the installation of the bronze plaque with the mission’s name on the Trophy. For more information on this happy occasion, see: https://www.nasa.gov/image-article/nasas-osiris-rex-etched-into-collier-trophy-aerospace-history.
Other OSIRIS-REx News (Wow!): Early analysis of the samples of asteroid Bennu returned to Earth by OSIRIS-REx shows that they contain organic chemistry (does not equal “biological”), with carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen present. Further, the sample contains a lot of clay minerals, including serpentine, similar to mid-ocean rocks on Earth. Further, the OSIRIS-REx sample shows the presence of water-soluble magnesium-sodium phosphates, in more abundance and purity than was found in the samples of asteroid Ryugu returned by Japan’s Hayabusa 2 spacecraft in 2020 (see below). The observed chemistry suggests that Bennu was made of the same stuff as the proto-solar nebula and may have had abundant water incorporated in it from the beginning. For more on this intriguing development, see: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/06/240626151925.htm.
Asteroid Ryugu’s Organics: Initial analysis the sample of Ryugu’s surface material returned to Earth in December, 2020, by the Hayabusa 2 spacecraft, showed a “rich complement of organic molecules” (remember, “organic” means “contains carbon compounds,” not “biological!”). “The discovery adds support to the idea that organic material from Space contribute to the inventory of chemical components necessary for life.” The bulk chemistry of the sample is “mostly consistent” with that of carbonaceous chondrite meteors. For a summary of this work, see here; for the abstract of the paper in Science, see here
Policy Food for Thought: The scientifically-important “pristine” surface environment of the Moon and Mars can easily be contaminated badly by human activity, even presence. The trapped water at the lunar south pole took billions of years to accumulate; is it OK to use it for a quick visit that has short-term political more than scientific importance, and then it’s lost and gone forever? Such planetary protection issues have caused some scientists to “call for strengthening existing planetary protection policies beyond the space surrounding Earth to include requirements for preserving the Lunar and Martian environments. In addition to biological contamination, they argue that guidelines should be expanded to address more than orbital debris, crowding, and security issues. They also recommend adding compliance incentives to all existing and improved sustainability policies.” Find out more here and here, and for a similar idea …
Planetary Protection Matters! Some of you may remember The Andromeda Strain and the efforts NASA exerted to make sure the Apollo astronauts didn’t bring a pathogen back from the Moon (shades of War of the Worlds!). Planetary Protection is a big deal at NASA, both protecting Earth from Space germs but also protecting the contamination of other places by Earth pollution. Dylan Taylor published an interesting article on the topic in The Space Review recently; you can see it at: https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4798/1! However, …
Another Aspect of “Planetary Protection”: LEO and higher orbits are increasingly congested with large constellations of active satellites and many tons of debris, large and small, from previous missions. Spacefaring nations can have the value of their assets aloft negated by a rogue operator who detonates fragmentation bombs in orbit (or sets off large electromagnetic pulses). The need for a technology that can remove such debris safely and economically is becoming more and more apparent to all.
A number of companies are working on this problem. One of them, Astroscale Japan, was in the news lately, with their ADRAS-J satellite “successfully completed the safe and controlled approach to an unprepared space debris object – a rocket upper stage – to a relative distance of approximately 50 meters.” The spent upper stage was from the Japanese H-2A rocket that launched the GEOSAT Earth-observation satellite in 2009. For more about Astroscale and the ADRAS-J, see: https://www.space.com/astroscale-space-junk-probe-photo and https://www.technologyreview.com/2024/02/27/1089065/first-mission-dead-rocket.
Jack Cross: I have met an interesting fellow on-line via one of NASM’s wonderful Docents. His name is Jack Cross, and he proudly served in the U.S. Navy from 1950 to 1954 as a Bosun’s Mate. He was on a series of warships at first, then he moved over to the USS Yellowstone, a tender that served the Navy’s Sixth Fleet. He joined the Navy and saw the world!
Now retired, Jack has put together a series of picture-rich PowerPoint presentations. He kindly gave me permission to post one of them already, about D-Day, and he has sent me two others that I’m posting this week, one about “A Day of Mercy in the Sky,” and one about his Navy career, which gives a real interesting look at what Navy life was like at the start of the Cold War. Check all three out on the Archive: Other Stuff page of the website! Thank you, Jack!
NASA Supports Commercial Space Activities: NASA has to juggle its concern over Planetary Protection with its obligations under the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 (that created NASA) called for the new agency to disseminate its technology for public benefit. The entire purpose of NASA’s Technology Transfer office, a standing feature in Air and Space this Week, is to support commercial activities, including those based in Space, some of which require a human presence. To see how NASA is involved, see their webpages starting with: https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/commercial-space.
FOLLOW UP: An example of NASA/Commercial beneficial partnership is, of course, the Global Positioning System. Another is commercial remote sensing from LEO, for a variety of applications; see the U.S. Space Foundation Hall of Fame entry in the Benefits: Spinoff section of the A+StW website.
A Sad Time for JPL: Not only did former JPL Head, Ed Stone, pass away two weeks ago, JPL’s legendary project manager Tony Spear died on June 3 at La Jolla. He was the driving force behind the Mars Pathfinder lander and Sojourner rover, the first mission with significant Internet outreach and the first to use the innovative air bag landing technique. He served 50+ years at JPL, and had a deserved reputation as a tough-but-fair manager who would take risks when the potential scientific return justified it. He was respected by all who worked with him. For more information about this outstanding guy, see: https://www.dailynews.com/2024/06/06/he-was-an-adventurer-anthony-tony-spear-chance-taking-former-jpl-manager-dies-at-87.
R.I.P. Bill Anders: Apollo 8 pilot USAF MGen (ret.) William Anders, who took the iconic photograph “Earthrise,” was killed in an airplane crash last week. The cause of the crash is under investigation. For NASA Administrator Bill Nelson’s remarks, see here; for more about the crash, see here; for more about the Apollo 8 mission and crew, see here.
UPDATE: Buzz Aldrin authored a Tribute to Bill Anders, posted on June 14 by Aviation Week; see here: https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/space/opinion-buzz-aldrin-pays-tribute-apollo-8-astronaut-bill-anders. Bill and Buzz were both in NASA’s third astronaut class, and they both trained for the Apollo 8 mission, Bill on the prime crew and Buzz on the back-up crew (which put him on Apollo 11). Buzz’s remarks are worth a read.
UPDATE: See “Through the Eyes of Bill Anders,” on NASM’s Facebook page: https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/through-eyes-bill-anders
Evolution vs. Earth’s Magnetic Field: The Earth’s magnetic field reverses polarity periodically, as well-evidenced in the geological record. During the transition, more of the solar wind (high-energy particles) reaches the Earth’s surface, potentially enhancing the rate of mutation. But those intervals of beneficial vulnerability typically do not last very long. One did, however, a 26-year low, centered around 565 million years ago. The increased solar wind bombardment would affect both the biosphere (by mutation) and the atmosphere (increasing oxygenation). Fossils from that time period, as dated by numerous radiometric data, show a high rate of change between microscopic life and more complex life. Recent research suggests that there is a link between the lull in the magnetic field and the relatively-abrupt changes in life complexity. For a summary of the work in Eos, see here; for the paper in Communications Earth & Environment, see: https://www.nature.com/articles/s43247-024-01360-4.
The Moon and Amaey Shah: I’ve been in the public engagement/education business, in one form or another, for most of my adult life. My work continues in retirement as a member of the JPL Solar System Ambassador volunteer program; Air and Space this Week is part of that effort. Public E/E is quite rewarding, but it is at times frustrating since you seldom ever find out if you made an impact on a young person’s mind.
A story came out recently about the citizen science contribution made by a young boy who was grievously ill. It was a tough situation, but still heartwarming. I won’t telegraph anything more of it and urge you to read it for yourself, here: https://science.nasa.gov/get-involved/citizen-science/the-moon-and-amaey-shah.
Personally, I am heartened to see the citizen science program that helped Amaey. It was developed by a very good friend of mine from my time at NASA, Brian Day, at NASA Ames Research Center. He has served as the Education/Public Outreach lead for at least one of NASA’s missions (LADEE) and he is now the science lead on NASA’s Solar System Treks Project, a set of open-science portals that make it easier to analyze the surfaces of the moons and planets in our Solar System. The SSTP has a citizen science component, called MoonDiff (https://trek.nasa.gov/moondiff), where YOU can search for changes in the Moon’s surface, such as an impact event.
[Brian Day has curly hair and I used to tease him about me confusing him with Brian May, the lead guitarist from Queen who just happens to hold a Ph.D. in astronomy. Little did I know that my successor at NASA would actually be able to help get Brian May to be part of the New Horizons outreach team; he was at APL for the Pluto fly-by celebration. Way to go, LC!]
Amaey’s story is an important example of how Space-related outreach can benefit all of us, and the results are there for all of us to see in real-time.
As only YOU can!
[Sometimes, very rarely, you don’t need to use MoonDiff to see where a recent impact occurred; you might see it in real-time as Daichi Fujii at the Hiratsuka City Museum in Japan did; see here: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/space-rock-slammed-into-moon-the-explosion-was-seen-from-japan/vi-BB1npotF?ocid=msedgntp&pc=HCTS&cvid=6b36d3231f8a4c0686ec7f29bddc17ed&ei=39!]
For Those of You in the Colorado Springs Area: The Space Foundation Discovery Center on Garden of the Gods Avenue has been undergoing a significant expansion and updating, and has reopened as of June 1. Find out more about it at: https://discoverspace.org and more about the Space Foundation at: https://www.spacefoundation.org.
Yerkes Observatory Renovation Update: NASA’s “Great Observatories” are the four satellites NASA launched some 20 or so years ago to study astronomical objects at visible wavelengths and at wavelengths that cannot penetrate Earth’s atmosphere. They are the Hubble Space Telescope, the Compton Gamma-Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope. Compton and Spitzer are gone, Hubble is suffering gyro problems, and Chandra’s funding future is uncertain.
The “Great Observatories” were described the March 23 and 30, 2020 installments of Air and Space this Week, combining the two into a single Item in the Archive: Past Items page of the A+StW website, here: https://www.airandspacethisweek.com/assets/pdfs/20200323 Great Observatories.pdf.
I also included the Yerkes Observatory in Wisconsin as the fifth Great Observatory for a variety of reasons. I went to high school not far from Yerkes and had the pleasure of visiting it, it has the largest refracting telescope ever used, the architecture of its buildings is both beautiful and unique, and it’s a favorite of Dave DeVorkin, my friend and colleague from NASM. Alas, it had fallen on hard financial times at the time of the A+StW piece, and its future was somewhat uncertain. I included a 2020 update in the Item, with a hopeful note on Yerkes’ future – it had been acquired by the Yerkes Future Foundation and the Chicago Sun-Times had run a story about the YFF’s plans.
I can now happily report that the Observatory is undergoing renovation, and that the Grainger Company is doing the work. Grainger has posted a corporate feel-good piece about this project, one I’m glad to spotlight since a friend brought it to my attention (THANKS, PC!). Now I’m bringing it to yours; see: https://www.grainger.com/know-how/inspiration/kh-video-yerkes-observatory?gucid=N:N:AP:Paid:OB:CSM-2925:HAHJXF:20511006:APZ_1&gucid=N:N:AP:Paid:OB:CSM-2925:HAHJXF:20511006:APZ_1&dicbo=v4-Vh8xhsp-1080379056! Don’t miss the pictures and YouTube video imbedded within!
Jim Green is At It Again! Mars Sample Return: My über-boss during my stint at NASA a decade ago was Jim Green. A fine leader, scientist, and gentleman, revered by all who know him. He retired as Chief Scientist at NASA a while back, but still is coming up with interesting ideas.
You may recall that NASA is having difficulty acquiring sufficient funds for a Mars Sample Return mission that would pick up the samples Perseverance has been acquiring during its roving at Jezero Crater. NASA had issued a Request for Information in mid-April, looking for innovative ideas to get the samples to Earth more economically. On May 8, Jim gave a talk at the Explore Mars 2024 Humans to Mars Summit conference in Houston. He presented a mission concept during his talk that would involve a single SLS launch that would deliver a 44,000-pound payload to Mars, comprising an inflatable descent aero shell, a propulsive descent module, a two-stage Mars Ascent Vehicle, a rover to collect the samples, and a sample encapsulation system. The mission proposed would be significantly less expensive than earlier estimates.
For more on this really interesting development, see: https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/space/mars-sample-return-option-emerges-2024-humans-mars-summit.
UPDATE: NASA has announced proposal development funding for a Mars sample retrieval mission for seven proposals of 48 submitted for NASA’s request for less-expensive and faster options. “Lockheed Martin, SpaceX, Aerojet, Blue Origin, Quantum Space, Northrop Grumman and Whittinghill Aerospace were awarded firm fixed-price contracts worth up to $1.5 million, NASA said on June 7.”
For more on this development, see: https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/space/nasa-funds-studies-mars-sample-return-mission-options.
Space Militarization Concerns: Military satellites are detectable and difficult to defend against hostile action. Recently, Russian spacecraft have been making “unfriendly” maneuvers around some French satellites for years, understandably causing some concern in Paris. For example, Russia launched a satellite named “Luch-Olymp” in 2014, and it tried to intercept signals from the French/Italian military communications satellite Athena-Fidus in 2017. China is also conducting mysterious satellite maneuvers in orbit. Mutual satellite reconnaissance has kept the World safe for decades, so these new developments can be rather unsettling. Find out more about this situation at: https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/space/patrol-spacecraft-are-urgently-needed-french-space-commander-says.
AGU’s Wide. Open. Science. The American Geophysical Union has posted a year-end summary of “how researchers are advancing and expanding the reach of Earth and Space sciences. Check it out at: https://eos.org/agu-news/wide-open-science!
NEW FEATURE OF SPECIAL INTEREST: IN THE NATIONAL AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM
I recently had the privilege of visiting the National Air and Space Museum, both the original building on the National Mall, now undergoing renovation, and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy building at Dulles Airport, where a number of planes and other artifacts normally downtown are now on display. A number of Docents and museum staff get A+StW, and I thought I could expand the Of Special Interest section to include info relating to NASM programming, collection, and research. I hope the new material makes you want to made the trip to see NASM in person!
When you go to NASM’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, be sure to visit the Gossamer Albatross, the subject of last week’s Item, in the Ultralight Aircraft section!
DOCENTS (and all others interested in Solar System exploration history): If you don’t have an on-line copy of Fordham University’s Asif A. Siddiqi’s fabulous book, Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, you should. You can find it at: https://www.nasa.gov/connect/ebooks/beyond_earth_detail.html.
Check out Space Oddities: “Astronomy and space exploration news, panel discussions, competitions, documentaries, special guests, fun quizzes and more, brought to you by a panel of professionals and enthusiasts who formerly worked together on the radio station Astro Radio. In our new home here on YouTube we will continue with our passion for bringing the Universe to everybody.” Live on YouTube, Mondays at 3 PM EDT. See: https://www.youtube.com/@SpaceOdditiesLive/about!
IMPORTANT ANNIVERSARIES in the next two weeks have been the subject of previous Items of the Week. CHECK THEM OUT (AGAIN) HERE.
Monday, July 1, is the 112th anniversary of the death of famed aviatrix Harriet Quimby. For more about her and her remarkable career, see here.
Monday, July 1, is also the 32nd anniversary of the start of Operation Provide Promise, the longest-running aerial supply mission in history. For more about it and the Berlin Airlift, see here.
Monday, July 1, is also the 20th anniversary of the launch of the Cassini spacecraft toward Saturn. For more about its successful mission, see here.
Thursday, July 4, is the 79th anniversary of the first rocket launch at Wallops (Island) Flight Facility. For more about this interesting place, the home of Freddy Frogronaut, see here.
Thursday, July 4, is also the 27th anniversary of the landing on Mars by the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft, carrying the Sojourner rover. This was NASA’s first Internet-supported mission, and intense interest required the first use of mirror sites. For more about it all, see here.
Friday, July 5, is the 81st anniversary of waist-gunner Benjamin Warmer III shooting down seven attacking fighters over Sicily. For information on Ben and his feat, see here.
Sunday, July 7, is the 46th anniversary of the discovery of Pluto’s moon, Charon. For more about it, Pluto, and the New Horizons mission, see here.
Sunday, July 7, is the 43rd anniversary of the first solar-powered flight over the English Channel, by Stephen Ptacek in the Solar Challenger. For more about human- and solar-powered flight, see here.
Sunday, July 7, is the 26th anniversary of launch of the Fobos 1 spacecraft toward Mars. It failed. For more about how difficult robotic exploration of Mars is, see here.
Monday, July 8, is the 21st anniversary of the launch of the successful Mars rover, Opportunity. See the link immediately above for a summary of Mars exploration to date.
Wednesday, July 10, is the 62nd anniversary of the launch of Telstar 1, a communications satellite that made the first live TV sent from the U.S. to Europe possible. For more information on communications satellites and the utilization of low-Earth orbit, see here.
Thursday, July 11, is the 45th anniversary of the re-entry of the Skylab Space Station. For more about Skylab, see here.
Friday, July 12, is the 162nd anniversary of the authorization of the Medal of Honor by Congress. Later, the MoH was awarded retro-actively for worthy actions prior to the MoH’s establishment. The first action so recognized has links to the Smithsonian. To find out more about it (it’s one of my favorite Items), see here.
Friday, July 12, is also the 53rd anniversary of Benjamin Davis, former commander of the Tuskegee Airmen, becoming the first black Air Force General. For more about him and the Airmen, see here.
Saturday, July 13, is the 79th anniversary of the activation of the White Sands Proving Grounds. For more about this place important to rocketry development, see here.
Sunday, July 14, is the 59th anniversary of the first fly-by of Mars, by the amazing Mariner 4 spacecraft. For more about that mission, see here.
Sunday, July 14, is also the 9th anniversary of the fly-by of Pluto by the New Horizons spacecraft. I strongly suspect that its’ doing so fifty years to-the-day after Mariner 4 flew by Mars is not a co-incidence... For more about New Horizons and Pluto, see here.