Weekly Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) – 15.08.19

Front Page / Titelseite

Header picture: Artist’s illustration of NASA’s Parker Solar Probe approaching the sun. (Image: © Steve Gribben/NASA/John’s Hopkins APL)

https://www.space.com/parker-solar-probe-extra-data-sun-flybys.html

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe / Parker Solar Sonde der NASA

One Year, 2 Trips Around Sun for NASA’s Parker Solar Probe

In the year since launch, Parker Solar Probe has collected a host of scientific data from two close passes by the Sun. “We’re very happy,” said Nicky Fox, director of NASA’s Heliophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. “We’ve managed to bring down at least twice as much data as we originally suspected we’d get from those first two perihelion passes.”

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Is Beaming Back Extra Data as it Buzzes the Sun

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has already completed two daring dives into the sun’s atmosphere, and now scientists have realized that they’ll be able to gather more data than expected from the mission.

NEW! Parker Solar Probe Trajectories

Parker Solar Probe makes multiple close encounters with the Sun. The primary science observations happen around the close encounters, and last about 10 days. Helioviewer.org now provides the trajectory of Parker Solar Probe as seen from SOHO and STEREO-A for the primary science observation phase.

OSRIS-REx Mission

NASA Mission Selects Final Four Site Candidates for Asteroid Sample Return – OSIRIS-REx Mission

After months grappling with the rugged reality of asteroid Bennu’s surface, the team leading NASA’s first asteroid sample return mission has selected four potential sites for the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft to “tag” its cosmic dance partner. Since its arrival in December 2018, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has mapped the entire asteroid in order to identify the safest and most accessible spots for the spacecraft to collect a sample. These four sites now will be studied in further detail in order to select the final two sites – a primary and backup – in December.

NASA Selects Final Four Site Candidates for Asteroid Sample Return

ExoMars 2020 Mission

RIA Nowosti: Modell des Landeapparates von ExoMars 2020 bei Fallschirmtest zerstört

Das Modell des Landeapparates von ExoMars 2020 ist angeblich bei einem Fallschirmtest in Schweden zerstört worden. Wie die Moskauer Nachrichtenagentur RIA Nowosti am Freitag berichtet, hatte das Fallschirmsystem versagt.

ExoMars parachute testing continues

As the second ExoMars mission, comprising a rover and surface science platform, progresses towards launch next year, teams continue to troubleshoot the parachute design following an unsuccessful high-altitude drop test last week.

ExoMars: Erneut Fehlschlag bei Fallschirm-Test für Mars-Mission

In einem Jahr soll der Rover Rosalind Franklin zum Mars starten. Dort soll er an Fallschirmen zur Oberfläche gleiten. Deren Tests laufen aber nicht rund.

Fortsetzung der ExoMars-Fallschirmtests

Letzte Woche scheiterte ein Höhentest mit den Fallschirmen für die ExoMars-Mission, die im nächsten Jahr starten soll. Sämtliche Hardware, Videos und aufgezeichnete Telemetriegeräte werden derzeit ausgewertet, um die Grundursache der Anomalie aufzudecken.

ESA setzt ExoMars-Fallschirmtests nach Fehlschlag fort

Die Europäische Weltraumorganisation ESA setzt die Fallschirmtests für die Mission ExoMars 2020 nach dem Fehlschlag vor einer Woche fort. Am 5. August war das Modell des Landeapparates auf dem Versuchsgelände im schwedischen Esrange zerstört worden, weil das Fallschirmsystem versagte. Derzeit würde die Ursachen dafür untersucht, teilte der Leiter des […]

ExoMars 2020: Der Fallschirm macht Probleme

Im kommenden Jahr will die europäische Weltraumagentur ESA ihren ersten Rover zum Mars starten. In den letzten Monaten liefen umfangreiche Tests, um sicherzustellen, dass dessen Landung auch klappt. Es gibt allerdings noch immer Probleme mit einem Hauptfallschirm von ExoMars 2020. Dies ergab ein weiterer Test vor wenigen Tagen in Schweden.

Europe and Russia Have ExoMars Parachute Problems. It Could Threaten the 2020 Mars Launch

The mission, which is scheduled to launch in July 2020, has suffered failures in two recent parachute tests.

Further title news / Weitere Schlagzeilen

Erster russischer Weltraumroboter hat in Sojus MS-14 Platz genommen – Start am 22. August zur ISS

Der erste russische humanoide Roboter Skybot F-850 hat auf dem Kosmodrom Baikonur in Kasachstan bereits in dem Raumschiff Sojus MS-14 Platz genommen. Ihm wurde der Mittelsitz des Kommandanten in der unbemannten dreisitzigen Kapsel zugewiesen, die am 22. August zur Internationalen Raumstation ISS startet.

SpaceX’s Starship Prototype Could Make Its Biggest Hop Yet This Weekend

SpaceX aims to get Starhopper, an early test prototype of the company’s Mars-colonizing Starship vehicle, about 650 feet (200 meters) off the ground this weekend, SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk said.

Watch NASA’s ‘Lemur’ Robot Climb a Cliff in Death Valley as Practice for Mars

While the Curiosity rover is adept, it can’t climb walls or scale polar caps on Mars. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has some far-out ideas for climbing robots that could explore further on other worlds.

Raumfahrt : Mini-Helikopter für Saturnmond

Die US-Raumfahrtbehörde NASA hat eine besondere Mission angekündigt: Eine Raumsonde soll eine kleine Helikopterdrohne auf dem Saturnmond Titan absetzen. Ausgestattet mit acht Rotoren soll »Dragonfly« (englisch für Libelle) knapp drei Jahre lang die Oberfläche des Himmelskörpers erkunden. Der Start von der Erde ist derzeit für 2026, die Ankunft auf Titan für das Jahr 2034 geplant …

Small Satellite Mission of the Year – NASA’s InSight Mars Lander

The first briefcase-size CubeSats to journey to another planet have been honored for their role in NASA InSight’s successful Mars landing. The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) bestowed their Small Satellite Mission of the Year award to Mars Cube One, or MarCO, Aug. 8, 2019, at the annual Small Satellite Conference in Logan, Utah. Designed and built at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, MarCO consists of two CubeSats — compact satellites made up of cube-shaped units — nicknamed WALL-E and EVE after characters in a Pixar film.

Crew Gears Up for Spacewalk, Scans Eyes and Practices Medical Emergency

The Expedition 60 crew is gearing up for an upcoming spacewalk to prepare the International Space Station for more commercial crew missions. Biomedical science also took up a portion of the astronauts’ day as they help researchers understand what happens to the human body in microgravity.

Spacewalk Targeted for Aug. 21, Crew Researching Organ Printing and Alzheimer’s

International Space Station managers have targeted Aug. 21 for the next spacewalk at the orbiting lab. NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Andrew Morgan will work outside in the vacuum of space to install a new commercial crew docking port, the International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3).

Human Research Revealing Space Impacts as Spacewalk Preps Gear Up

The Expedition 60 crew kicked off the workweek exploring stem cells and testing the printing of human tissue on the International Space Station. The astronauts are also gearing up for a spacewalk planned for next week.

Satellite Software Contest on Station as Crew Tests Organ Printing

The International Space Station is the setting today for a student competition to control tiny, free-floating satellites aboard the orbiting lab. Meanwhile, the Expedition 60 crewmembers conducted a variety of research operations and continued configuring a pair of spacesuits.

Crew Gets Ready for Next Spacewalk and New Spaceships

The International Space Station will soon see U.S., Russian and Japanese spaceships arriving and departing over the next several weeks. Meanwhile, the Expedition 60 crew is staying focused on an upcoming spacewalk while continuing ongoing microgravity research.

Chandrayaan-2 Headed for Lunar Orbit

At 02:21 IST (20:51 UTC), the spacecraft fired its main engine, changing its orbit to intersect with the Moon.

India’s Chandrayaan-2 Spacecraft Leaves Earth Behind for Trip to the Moon

India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission has marked another milestone in its journey to the moon, leaving Earth’s orbit and heading toward lunar orbit with an engine burn.

Mars

Hell-Dunkel-Schattierungen im Marshochland

Sand, Staub und Gestein in unterschiedlichen Farbtönen bedecken weitläufige Flächen in der Hochlandregion Terra Cimmeria, einer der ältesten Landschaften auf dem Mars. Die Variationen in den Farbschattierungen rühren sowohl von Unterschieden in der Mineralogie als auch von der Beschaffenheit des Oberflächenmaterials her. Die Aufnahmen wurden mit dem am DLR entwickelten Kameraexperiment HRSC aufgenommen.

Dark meets light on Mars

ESA’s Mars Express has captured the cosmic contrast of Terra Cimmeria, a region in the southern highlands of Mars marked by impact craters, water-carved valleys, and sand and dust in numerous chocolate and caramel hues.

Terra Cimmeria

Die ESA-Sonde Mars Express liefert Aufnahmen von der Hochlandregion Terra Cimmeria, einer der ältesten Landschaften auf dem Mars, die von Einschlagkratern, wassergeformten Tälern sowie Sand, Staub und Gestein in unterschiedlichen Braun- und Beigetönen geprägt ist.

Methane on Mars Isn’t Being Released by Wind Erosion

One small piece of the Mars methane mystery may have just been solved.

Jupiter

Hubble Telescope’s Gorgeous New Jupiter Views Could Help Demystify Shrinking Great Red Spot

An amazing new image of Jupiter captured by the Hubble Space Telescope could shed light on the gas giant’s mysterious atmospheric dynamics.

Hubble Showcases New Portrait of Jupiter [heic1914]

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope reveals the intricate, detailed beauty of Jupiter’s clouds in this new image taken on 27 June 2019 [1]. It features the planet’s trademark Great Red Spot and a more intense colour palette in the clouds swirling in the planet’s turbulent atmosphere than seen in previous years.

The Biggest Volcano on Jupiter’s Moon Io Is Super Active. But Does It Run Like Clockwork?

It’s stressful to hang out near the king of the solar system, and Jupiter’s moon Io bears the scars of that close relationship on its surface, which is pockmarked by a host of volcanoes.

Further news

An unexpected companion

Space Science Image of the Week: Unusually large chunk of debris orbiting comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko spotted in Rosetta imagery

Hayabusa2 Nailed its Second Touchdown on Asteroid Ryugu

JAXA’s sample collection spacecraft touched down just 60 centimeters away from its aimpoint.

NASA’s Spitzer Spies a Perfectly Sideways Galaxy

It might look like a lightsaber floating in space, but the red beam in the middle of this image is actually a galaxy seen edge-on.

Cloaked Black Hole Discovered in Early Universe using NASA’s Chandra

Found at a time only about 850 million years after the Big Bang, this black hole could help us better understand an important epoch in the history of the Universe.

Perfectly Sideways Galaxy

Galaxy NGC 5866 lies 44 million light-years from Earth and has a diameter of roughly 60,000 light-years a little more than half the diameter of our own Milky Way galaxy. From our viewpoint, NGC 5866 is oriented almost exactly edge-on, yielding most of its structural features invisible.

Bernie Sanders Pledges to Release Any Information About Aliens If He’s Elected in 2020: Report

Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (D-VT) says he’s prepared to disclose government information about UFOs if he wins in 2020.

This Next-Gen Spacesuit Could Protect Astronauts on the Moon and Mars

ILC Dover and Collins Aerospace unveiled a prototype of the Next Generation Space Suit system, which astronauts may use on the moon and Mars.

Steam-Powered Cubesats Dance in Space as One NASA Spacecraft Commands Its Twin

Using old-fashioned steam power, two cubesats executed the first coordinated maneuver in low-Earth orbit.

SpaceX’s Mars-Colonizing ‘Starship’ Prototype Coming Together in Texas (Photos)

The first orbital prototype of SpaceX’s Mars-colonizing Starship vehicle should be ready to fly soon, company founder and CEO Elon Musk said.

See China’s Cool New Rocket Fins in Action!

They may look like waffle-makers, but China’s new rocket fins are cooking up something even more special: the ability to guide rockets to a safe zone after launch.

Nuclear Reactor for Mars Outpost Could Be Ready to Fly by 2022

A new type of nuclear reactor designed to power crewed outposts on the moon and Mars could be ready for its first in-space trial just a few years from now, project team members said.

The Rocket Engine for NASA’s New Orion Spacecraft Just Aced a Critical Test (Video)

On Aug. 5, 2019, the Orion spacecraft’s main engine successfully completed a critical propulsion test.

NASA’s Next Big Space Telescope Aces Key Mirror Test (Video)

NASA’s next big space telescope is getting its light-collecting gear ready to go.

LinkSpace Reusable Rocket Prototype Makes Its Highest Flight Yet (And Lands, Too!)

The Chinese company LinkSpace successfully flew a rocket prototype on its highest flight yet, then nailed the landing as the firm pursues reusable spaceflight technology.

Gagarins Startrampe in Baikonur wird modernisiert

Die Startrampe auf dem Kosmodrom Baikonur, von der Juri Gagarin am 12. April 1961 mit seinem Wostok-Raumschiff als erster Mensch in den Weltraum geflogen ist, wird in den kommenden Jahren modernisiert.

Scott Kelly: US-Astronauten verdienen maximal 155.000 Dollar pro Jahr

Die amerikanischen Astronauten verdienen maximal 155.000 Dollar pro Jahr. Das entspreche der Gehaltsgruppe GS-15 für US-Staatsbedienstete und bei den Militärs den Bezügen eines Obersten, sagte der Vierfach-Astronaut Scott Kelly der Moskauer Nachrichtenagentur RIA Nowosti. Mit dem Interview reagierte die Agentur auf einen Beitrag der Zeitung Iswestija, die […]

Iswestija: Russische Kosmonauten verdienen ebenso viel wie ihre westlichen Kollegen

Das Gehalt der russischen Kosmonauten ist voll mit dem ihrer Kollegen von der NASA (USA), ESA (Europa), JAXA (Japan) und CSA (Kanada) vergleichbar. Das berichtet die Moskauer Zeitung Iswestija unter Berufung auf die Staatliche Korporation (GK) Roskosmos, die allerdings unter Hinweis auf das Datenschutzgesetz keine Zahlen dazu nennt.

‘Mad’ Flat-Earther’s Steam Rocket Launch Grounded by Bad Water Heater Bought on Craigslist

“Mad” Mike Hughes will have to wait until this weekend to launch after having issues with the water heater for his steam-powered rocket.

How to See LightSail 2 in the Night Sky

If your latitude is within 42 degrees of the equator, there’s a chance you may be able to spot LightSail 2’s reflective solar sail.

Martian Merlot? How a Red Wine Compound May Help Us Cope with Mars’ Gravity

Researchers recently studied the effects that a plant compound found in grapes and wine could have to preserve the density and mass of muscles in rats placed under Martian-like conditions.

Space Radiation Will Damage Mars Astronauts’ Brains

Space radiation will take a toll on astronauts’ brains during the long journey to Mars, a new study suggests.

First View of ‘Interplanetary Shock’ Spotted by NASA Spacecraft

A team of four NASA spacecraft finally caught sight of a phenomenon scientists have been hunting for years: an interplanetary shock.

Space Samples Link NASA’s Apollo 11 and Mars 2020

While separated by half a century, NASA’s Apollo 11 and Mars 2020 missions share the same historic goal: returning samples to Earth

NASA, ESA Officials Outline Latest Mars Sample Return Plans

The current strategy includes the Mars 2020 rover, a lander carrying a rover and ascent vehicle, and an Earth return orbiter.