OF SPECIAL INTEREST
Celebrate the Heliophysics Big Year: NASA’s Science Mission Directorate comprises four divisions: Astrophysics, Heliophysics, Planetary Science, and Earth Science. From time to time, a division will institute a year or so long outreach effort. When I was at HQ, the emphasis was on the “Year of the Solar System.” Now, we are in the middle of an 18-month “Heliophysics Big Year.” The 2024 total Solar eclipse was one of the big events of the Big Year, and the ongoing data from the Parker Solar Probe, the Solar Dynamics Observatory, and other assets make for good engagement material. Free Heliophysics and Math Webinars are available, too; find out more at: https://science.nasa.gov/learning-resources/science-activation/celebrate-the-heliophysics-big-year-with-free-heliophysics-and-math-webinars-from-nasa-heat. [Didja know that there are 27 spacecraft in 20 missions in Space right now observing the Sun? Not all of them are NASA’s, but that’s still a lot!]
Parker Solar Probe Milestone: The highly-successful PSP completed its 20th very close approach to the Sun, tying its own record by passing only 4.51 million miles from the Sun’s “surface” on June 29. PSP will repeat the feat on September 30, then, with a gravity assist from Venus on November 6, it will return to within 3.8 million miles of the Sun on December 24. Two more very-close passes are scheduled after that. Congratulations to mission PI, Nicola Fox, who is now head of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. For a summary of the recent pass, see: https://phys.org/news/2024-07-nasa-parker-solar-probe-20th.html; NASA’s PSP website is here: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/parker-solar-probe ; APL’s PSP website is here: https://parkersolarprobe.jhuapl.edu. [By the way, Dr. Fox gave a training session for my Docents when I was still at NASM. She is one of the most gifted speakers to which I have had the pleasure of listening!]
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.
R.I.P. MGen Joe Engle: Astronaut Joe Engle passed away on July 10; he was 91. Joe Henry Engle was born on August 26, 1932, in Chapman, Kansas. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering in 1955, where he was also in the Air Force ROTC program. He received his wings in 1958, and began flying the F-100 at George AFB in California, where his flying skills attracted the attention of Chuck Yeager, who recommended him for the USAF Test Pilot School, from which Joe graduated in 1971. He joined the Flight Test Group at Edwards, becoming an X-15 pilot in June, 1963; he had applied to be in NASA’s third Astronaut group along with Charles Bassett and Michael Collins, but the USAF pulled his application to make him an X-15 pilot (he was the last living X-15 pilot when he passed). He flew the X-15 above the 50-mile “Astronaut Line” twice in the course of making 16 total X-15 flights. Knowing he would soon rotate out of flight test, Engle applied to, and was accepted in, NASA’s fifth Astronaut group. He was the back-up LMP for Apollo 14, which normally meant he would be the prime LMP for Apollo 17, but he was pulled in favor of geologist Harrison Schmidt, since A17 would be the final mission to the Moon and NASA hadn’t sent an actual geologist yet. Deke Slayton offered him a consolation prize choice: Skylab, the ASTP, or Space Shuttle. Joe picked the latter (since it was most like flying a plane). He was commander of one of the two crews who conducted test flights with the Enterprise, served as back-up commander for STS-1, and commanded STS-2 and STS-51-I, logging over 225 hours in orbit. His numerous honors and awards included induction into the National Aviation Hall of Fame, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, several DSMs, two DFCs, and many more. For more info on this fine pilot, see here and here. He will be missed by many.
Another Loss: Keyboardist Rod Argent recently announced that he would no longer perform in public, citing health reasons. His Zombies were one of the last of the groups from “back in the day” still performing at the level that made them so wildly popular, and I enjoyed seeing him work the keyboard on a number of occasions. Sigh.
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 three of them already, one about D-Day, 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!
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.
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 a recent Item of the Week, 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 next week have been the subject of previous Items of the Week. CHECK THEM OUT (AGAIN) HERE.
Monday, July 22, would have been the 123rd birthday of famed aviator and bar owner, Pancho Barnes. For more about her amazing life, see here.
Monday, July 22, is also the 91st anniversary of the completion of Wiley Post’s solo round-the-world flight. For more about Wiley and this flight, see here.
Tuesday, July 23, is the 94th anniversary of the untimely death of aviation pioneer, Glenn Hammond Curtiss. For more about his life and accomplishments, see here.
Tuesday, July 23, is also the 52nd anniversary of the launch of the Earth Resources Technology Satellite, later renamed Landsat 1, the first of a series of successful and valuable satellites. For more on the utilization of Earth orbit, see here.
Tuesday, July 23, is also the 25th anniversary of the Eileen Collins becoming the first woman to command a Space Shuttle mission, STS-93, which launched the Chandra X-ray Observatory. For more about Chandra, one of the “Great Observatories,” see here.
Wednesday, July 24, is the 74th anniversary of the first rocket launch at Cape Canaveral, instead of the White Sands Missile Range, where a V-2 had gone awry and landed in Juarez. For more on that part of White Sands history, see here.
Wednesday, July 17, is also the 49th anniversary of the last splashdown in a NASA spacecraft, the command module of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. For more on the ASTP, see here. For more on the 25-year gap between this event and the one immediately above, see the Item of the Week in this installment of Air and Space this Week.
Thursday, July 18, is the 115th anniversary of Louis Bleriot making the first flight across the English Channel. Less than three years later, Harriet Quimby became the first woman to fly the Channel. For more about her all-too-brief but illustrious aviation career, see here.
Friday, July 19, is the 77th anniversary of President Truman’s signing of the National Defense Act of that year, establishing the U.S. Air Force as a separate Armed Forces branch. For more on the USAF’s early years, see here.
Friday, July 19, is also the 61st anniversary of the launch of the Syncom 2 satellite, the first to be placed successfully in a geosynchronous orbit. For more on the math behind geosynchronous and geostationary orbits, see here.
Sunday, July 28, is the 79th anniversary of the crash of a B-25 Mitchell bomber into the Empire State Building, killing 19 and injuring 29. For more about this tragic event, and the amazing survival of elevator operator Betty Lou Oliver, see here.