Water Geysers on Europa Moon

SAN FRANCISCO — The apparent discovery of water geysers on Jupiter's moon Europa makes the icy body an even more attractive target for a life-hunting mission, researchers say.

Scientists announced Thursday (Dec. 12) that they had detected transient plumes of water vaporerupting from Europa's south poleand extending about 125 miles (200 kilometers) into space. The ice-covered moon is thought to contain a subsurface ocean of liquid water, and the geysers represent a way to sample this potentially life-supporting environment, NASA officials said.

"Indeed, the plumes are incredibly exciting, if they are there," Jim Green, head of NASA's planetary science division, said here Thursday at the at the annual meeting of the American Geophysical Union. "They're bringing up material from within the ocean; perhaps there's organic material that will be laying on the surface of the south pole." 

An artist's illustration of Jupiter's icy moon Europa, with a water geyser erupting in the foreground while Jupiter appears as a backdrop. Images from the Hubble Space Telescope suggest Europa may have water plumes like Saturn's moon Enceladus.

The new find, made using observations by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, could build some momentum for a mission concept the space agency is developing called the Europa Clipper.

The Europa Clipper probewould orbit Jupiter but make multiple flybys of the 1,900-mile-wide (3,000 kilometers) moon, using a number of different science instruments to study Europa's ice shell and subsurface ocean. The strategy would be similar to that employed by NASA's Cassini mission, which has made flybys of many Saturn moons since entering into orbit around the ringed planet in 2004.

"What we have been doing is studying several approaches to really understand Europa from a spacecraft in that environment, and it looks like the Clipper concept is our best one," Green said.

"Based on these [new] observations, we're going to redouble our efforts to take a good look at Clipper — its orbital trajectories, the plans for the mission architecture — to ensure that we have the right instrumentation and that we can cover this area very well and really, really understand it," he added.

Artist's concept of the Europa Clipper mission investigating Jupiter's icy moon Europa.

The Clipper could conceivably fly directly through Europa's plumes, taking samples as it goes, researchers said.

The Europa Clipper is not formally on NASA's books; it remains a concept at the moment, and some rethinking may be required to make the mission a reality. For example, its price tag — estimated last year to be $2 billion — is too high to be approved in these tough fiscal times, Green said.

The Clipper mission "is what we would call a flagship, and right now the budget horizon is such that we're deferring that kind of mission until later in the decade," he said.

The European Space Agency, meanwhile, has its own plans to study Europa. ESA plans to launch a mission called the Jupiter Icy Moon Explorer, or JUICE, in 2022, with arrival in the Jovian system slated for 2030.

JUICE will focus on three of Jupiter's moons: Ganymede, Callisto and Europa. However, the spacecraft will likely make just two flybys of Europa over the course of its mission, researchers said.

Crab Nebula

Humans who keep pretending there is no other life out there in the Universe, should consider the vast space this occupies all on it's own.

Across the Universe, every ending is a new beginning. When a massive star dies, exploding as a spectacular supernova, huge amounts of matter and energy are ejected into surrounding space, and the remnant of the explosion itself remains a hub of fierce activity for thousands of years.

One of the most iconic supernova remnants is the Crab Nebula. A wispy and filamentary cloud of gas and dust, it originated with a supernova explosion that was seen by Chinese astronomers in the year 1054. A spinning neutron star – or pulsar – remains at its centre, releasing streams of highly energetic particles into the nebula.

This composite image combines a new infrared view of the Crab Nebula, obtained with ESA’s Herschel Space Observatory, with an optical image from the archives of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope.

Herschel’s observations are shown in red and reveal the glow from cosmic dust present in the nebula. Hubble’s view, in blue, traces oxygen and sulphur gas in the nebula.

A team of astronomers studying the nebula with Herschel has revealed that this supernova remnant contains much more dust than they had expected – about a quarter of the mass of the Sun.

The new observations also revealed the presence of molecules containing argon, the first time a noble gas-based molecule has been found in space.

Argon is produced in the nuclear reactions that take place during supernova explosions, and astronomers had already detected this element in the Crab Nebula. However, it is surprising that argon bonded with other elements, forming molecules that survived in the hostile environment of a supernova remnant, with hot gas still expanding at high speeds after the explosion.

UFO Researchers and Travis Walton

Well known UFO abducte Travis Walton has passed 16 lie detector tests over the years. He was a logger and had no training in passing such tests. This is a well put together video with some interesting suggestions. Rather than making fun of the subject, we invite you to have an open mind and treat the UFO subject as research in the same way NASA and the European Space Agency are researching Mars and other planets looking for signs of life or past life.

Earth’s protective shield is weakening.

16 October 2013

With launch just a month away, ESA’s Swarm constellation has been fuelled. Engineers will soon be focusing on the careful task of attaching the three identical satellites to the upper stage of the rocket for simultaneous release into orbit around Earth.

The Swarm satellites and all the equipment needed to prepare them for liftoff arrived at the Plesetsk launch complex in Russia just over three weeks ago. The cargo plane made three round trips to transport the whole shipment amounting to about 60 tonnes from Munich, Germany.

Since their safe arrival, the three satellites have been unpacked, have undergone various tests to make sure their components work as they should, and have been fuelled with Freon 14 and tested for leaks.

The valves in the propulsion system have also been tested – which, interestingly, included listening to them with a stethoscope.

All this has not only been a technical undertaking, but also a logistical challenge because the three satellites have had to be moved one by one in and out of the fuelling hall.

The completion of fuelling marks a significant milestone in the campaign to prepare the Swarm mission for launch on 14 November at 12:02 GMT (13:02 CET).

Now that the task of fuelling has finished, the focus will turn to fixing multilayer insulation to the satellites and carrying out a set of mechanical tests.

The satellites will then be attached to the ‘Breeze’ upper stage of the Rockot launcher. Breeze and the fairing arrived from Moscow a few days ago and are being cleaned in preparation.

Swarm is ESA’s first constellation of satellites for Earth observation.

The design of the satellites is not only a result of the instrument package they carry, but also because they have to be compact enough to all fit into the launcher fairing. 

A tailor-made dispenser will ensure that the three separate simultaneously from the upper stage.

Next in ESA’s series of Earth Explorers, Swarm follows GOCE, SMOS and CryoSat.

Each satellite in this ongoing series is developed to fill gaps in our knowledge of how the planet functions and demonstrate new technologies for observing Earth from space.

Swarm is dedicated to delivering information to help us understand Earth’s magnetic field.

Equipped with magnetic sensors and flying in carefully selected orbits, the three Swarm satellites will identify and measure, very precisely, the different magnetic signals that stem from Earth’s core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere and magnetosphere – which together form our magnetic field.

Although invisible, the magnetic field and electric currents in and around Earth generate complex forces that have immeasurable impact on everyday life.

The field can be thought of as a huge bubble, protecting us from cosmic radiation and charged particles that bombard Earth in solar wind.

Swarm will provide a window into different natural processes, from those occurring deep inside the planet driving Earth’s ‘dynamo’ to weather in space resulting from solar activity. This, in turn, will yield a deeper understanding of why Earth’s protective shield is weakening.

Comet-Chasing Rosetta Spacecraft To Awaken From Deep-Space Hibernation (VIDEO)

Europe's comet-chasing space probe Rosetta has been hibernating for more than two years, but in January, the spacecraft will be jolted awake to prepare for the climax of its mission.

Rosetta launched in March 2004 and has been racing after the distant comet 67-P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko ever since. To reach the comet, the spacecraft has performed an intricate series of gravitational slingshots around Earth and Mars, which this video animation of the Rosetta flight shows

In August 2014, Rosetta will finally catch up to its comet target as it sails just inside the orbit of Jupiter, about 373 million miles (600 million km) from the sun.. [Best Close Encounters of the Comet Kind]

Scientists hope the comet images and data collected by the $1.4 billion Rosetta probe will help them piece together the early history of our solar system since comets are among the most primitive objects in our cosmic neighborhood. By searching for organic molecules on the comet's surface, Rosetta also could help scientists examine the possibility that space rocks planted the seeds of life on Earth, researchers said.

The 6,600-pound (3,000 kg) spacecraft was put in a deep sleep in July 2011 for the final and longest leg of its journey. During its hibernation, Rosetta was tilted so that its solar wings faced the sun to receive as much sunlight as possible, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).

Now mission officials are counting down to the spacecraft's wakeup call, scheduled for 1000 GMT, Jan. 20, 2014.

"We are very excited to have this important milestone in sight, but we will be anxious to assess the health of the spacecraft after Rosetta has spent nearly 10 years in space," Fred Jansen, ESA's Rosetta mission manager, said in a statement.

Once awake, the probe will still have another 5.5 million mles (9 million km) to travel before it reaches itscomet destination, according to ESA. Mission managers will use that time to activate Rosetta's instruments and perform a series of health checks.

In late May, at less than 1.2 million miles (2 million km) from its target, Rosetta is due to execute a major maneuver to prepare for its rendezvous with 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko. From that relatively short distance, the probe will also start snapping more detailed images of the comet to glean better information on its topography, rotation speed and orientation.

An artist's illustration of the European Space Agency's comet-chasing Rosetta spacecraft. Rosetta will explore Comet 67-P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko when it arrives at the object in August 2014.

Then, in August, Rosetta will arrive at the comet. Then in November 2014, it will deploy a lander named Philae to take an up-close look at the icy body, which measures about 2.4 miles (4 kilometers) across.

In its decade in space, Rosetta has already provided scientists with an up-close view of asteroids. It flew by a space rock named Steins in September 2008 and snapped close-up photos of the asteroid Lutetia in during a July 2010 flyby.

3D Printing in outer space

A metal 3D-printing revolution is entering space. AMAZE is a recently announced project that aims to perfect the printing of space-quality metal components on Earth and beyond within five years.
3D printing builds a solid object from a series of layers, each one printed on top of the last. This ‘additive manufacturing’ technique produces very complex structures with minimal waste and maximum flexibility.
Never before have titanium structures been so flexible. Leaving traditional casting techniques aside, the AMAZE team printed its logo in titanium as an intricate net shaped to millimetre precision. The project is working with materials that can withstand temperatures up to 3500°C.
Pieces like the example in this photo were shown in the London Science Museum, UK, on 15 October, where international experts presented the world’s largest metal 3D-printing project, lead by ESA and the EU.
AMAZE – Additive Manufacturing Aiming Towards Zero Waste & Efficient Production of High-Tech Metal Products – involves 28 industrial partners across Europe.
Most of the work to tune this novel technology for industrial applications on Earth is being done on the ground in laboratories. ‘Factories of the future’ are being set up in Germany, Italy, Norway and the UK. Little-to-no material is wasted and cutting the number of steps in the manufacturing chain offers enormous cost benefits.
Before taking a 3D printer to the International Space Station, ESA will test the technology on parabolic aircraft flights and suborbital rockets to see how weightlessness affects the behaviour of the liquid metals.

Energy Storage

DLR energy, transport and materials research on German Aerospace Day

We all want energy to be available when we need it. During German Aerospace Day, energy researchers at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR) will demonstrate how innovative storage devices can be used to efficiently harness energy. DLR solar researchers will show the public how much power is available from the Sun, and how they can put this energy to use in solar power plants. When people move from A to B, they want to do so quickly and easily; DLR transport researchers will show how this could be achieved in future, perhaps with fewer traffic jams. DLR materials scientists have their sights set on using 22 September to demonstrate how a 15-ton truck can remain suspended in the air for over an hour, bonded by an adhesive surface no larger than credit card. Visitors can also get to know ultra-lightweight and extremely stable materials at the Institute of Materials Research.

See full story here

JWST'S NEAR INFRARED SPECTROGRAPH (NIRSPEC)

The Near InfraRed Spectrograph (NIRSpec) is one of four instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). NIRSpec is a multi-object spectrograph capable of observing more than 100 astronomical objects simultaneously in a large field of view of ~ 3 arcminutes × 3 arcminutes. It will support JWST's four main science themes by providing low (R~100), medium (R~1000), and high-resolution (R~2700) spectroscopic observations.

NIRSpec measures 1.9m × 1.3m × 0.7 m and weighs approximately 200 kg. It is an all-reflective system with a total of 14 mirrors, seven interchangeable dispersive elements and eight interchangeable filters.

The black dome and horn-shaped assembly in the centre foreground is the calibration assembly. This will be used for on-orbit calibration and monitoring the performance of the instrument.

To the left, with one silver- and three gold-coloured squares arranged around a cylinder, is the grating wheel.

The filter wheel can just be seen at the centre, towards the back of the shot, with two of the eight interchangeable filters showing.

The camera, which focuses the light beam onto the focal plane assembly (not visible), is in the large silver box at the back left of the shot.

NIRSpec is developed by ESA with EADS Astrium Germany GmbH as the prime contractor.

Object Floating by ISS International Space Station

An object was witnessed floating by the space station, it has been referred to

as a satellite of Russian origin. 

ISS News International Space Station to receive new visitors

NASA astronaut Karen Nyberg, Russian Soyuz commander Fyodor Yurchikhin and ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano show they are ready for their launch to the International Space Station tonight.

As part of the Expedition 36/37 crew, they will spend five months on the Station. Luca’s Volare mission is Europe’s fifth long-duration flight to the orbital outpost, and the first for ESA astronaut’s new generation of astronauts selected in 2009. The mission is provided through an agreement with Italy’s ASI space agency.

This image was taken at the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan after the last press conference held before the astronauts head to into space for six months on a Soyuz spacecraft at 20:31 GMT (22:31 CEST) tonight.

Reflected in the glass are the journalists and photographers. The astronauts are behind glass to protect them from unnecessary contact with possibly infected people. All travellers on a Soyuz spacecraft spend a week in quarantine to make sure they are fit and in good health for their mission.

Our immune systems are impaired in space and unwanted bacteria and viruses in the closed artificial atmosphere of the Station could quickly multiply and infect astronauts. The quarantine before flight is one of the last hurdles in a preparation lasting years.

Watch the launch

Live transmission of the launch from Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan will start at 19:30 GMT (21:30 CEST) with liftoff at 20:31 (22:30 CEST). ESA astronaut Paolo Nespoli will provide running commentary.

Luca’s Soyuz will be taking the fast route to the International Space Station, arriving only six hours after liftoff. Live coverage of the docking will start at 02:00 GMT (04:00 CEST) on 29 May showing images from cameras on the spacecraft and the Station as well as from mission control in Russia.

Insomniacs or early birds can tune in at 03:35 GMT (05:35 CEST) to watch the hatch opening and the Station crew, Pavel Vinogradov, Alexander Misurkin and Chris Cassidy, welcome the new arrivals.

      

ESA European Space Agency Launch

Space for Europe or ESA has been very active as of late. We like that. :) Nasa should get things moving and catch up, the USA dominated this field for many years, but politics and budget issues have hampered our advancement into deep space travel.

Here is video of a recent launch:

The European Space Agency (ESA) (French: l'Agence spatiale européenne - ASE; German: Europäische Weltraumorganisation) is an intergovernmental organisation dedicated to the exploration of space, currently with 20 member states. Established in 1975 and headquartered in Paris, France, ESA has a staff of more than 2,000 with an annual budget of about €4.02 billion / US$5.38 billion (2012).

ESA's space flight program includes human spaceflight, mainly through the participation in the International Space Station program, the launch and operations of unmanned exploration missions to other planets and the Moon, Earth observation, science, telecommunication as well as maintaining a major spaceport, the Guiana Space Centre at Kourou, French Guiana, and designing launch vehicles. The main European launch vehicle Ariane 5 is operated through Arianespace with ESA sharing in the costs of launching and further developing this launch vehicle.

ESA science missions are based at ESTEC in Noordwijk, Netherlands, Earth Observation missions at ESRIN in Frascati, Italy, ESA Mission Control (ESOC) is in Darmstadt, Germany, the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) that trains astronauts for future missions is situated in Cologne, Germany, and the European Space Astronomy Centre is located in Villanueva de la Cañada, Spain.

      

UFO Evidence

We need only look to those who study the subject of UFO's and those who watch the night sky.
Most of those folks do not work for the Gov., so all this talk about disclosure seems odd.

Let's take the subject a bit more serious, there is plenty of existing ufo evidence to show that something is happening in the skies.

ESA and Russia Mars Agreement

European Space Agency and Russia

sign agreement.

ESA and the Russian federal space agency, Roscosmos, have signed a formal agreement to work in partnership on the ExoMars programme towards the launch of two missions in 2016 and 2018.

Click image for full story.