Articles tagged with Astrodynamics
A team of Rensselaer researchers is sending an army of microorganisms into space to investigate the effects of microgravity on biofilm formation and development. The goal is to better understand how gravity affects human-bacteria relationships, aiming to develop new ways to prevent biofilms from posing a health threat to astronauts.
GOES-13 replaces GOES-12, providing coverage for the eastern US, including the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico. The satellite helps predict weather and storms, supporting fast and accurate weather forecasts and warnings.
Researchers have taken the first close-up pictures of Epsilon Aurigae's mysterious dark companion, revealing a geometrically thin, dark, dense, but partially translucent cloud. The images show that the basic paradigm was right despite slim probability, and provide new insights into the system's shape and surface characteristics.
The latest weather satellite, GOES-15, reached its proper orbit after a flawless launch and will undergo checkout in mid-August 2010. The satellite is expected to capture the first visible image on April 5 and provide weather observations covering over 50% of the Earth's surface.
A team of researchers led by Bruce Macintosh has won the AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize for their groundbreaking discovery of multiple planets orbiting a distant star. The study, published in Science, provides new insights into the detection and characterization of exoplanets.
The GOES-P spacecraft has been fueled and prepared for its 14-year orbit around the Earth. Engineers conducted propulsion system pressurization and leak checks to prevent fuel leaks. The launch vehicle is currently processing on stand, with a March 1 target date.
The GOES-P spacecraft is proceeding through final checks before its launch on March 1. The Imager, Sounder and Solar X-Ray Imager have completed cleaning and inspections, while optical port covers are being installed as the last mechanism to be deployed in orbit.
The GOES-P spacecraft is being processed at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, Florida, as part of its preparation for launch. Instrument testing and cleaning on the Solar X-Ray Imager and Imager and Sounder have been completed successfully.
A new simulation by researchers at the American Museum of Natural History and University of Cambridge shows that regions of outward and inward migration in a protoplanetary disk can safely trap planets on orbits. This helps explain how Earth formed without falling into the Sun.
Researchers discover CoRoT-7b, an earth-like planet, is believed to be the rocky remains of a Saturn-sized gas giant. Computer models reveal that the planet's mass loss and tidal migration led to its transformation.
The PARASOL satellite has been maneuvered to leave its position within the A-Train constellation, a group of five NASA satellites orbiting the Earth in close proximity. The move will enable data sharing with other satellites while leaving a temporary data gap that will be filled by Glory's launch in 2010.
Astronomers have discovered that blue stragglers, which appear youthful despite being older than expected, steal mass from companion stars through stellar smashups. In a star cluster, binary systems brush up against each other, sometimes leading to collision-course orbits and the formation of more massive stars.
Researchers have discovered two new planetary systems with low-mass 'super-Earths' orbiting nearby sun-like stars. The planets are smaller than previously discovered worlds and may be habitable.
Astronomers have directly imaged a faint celestial body orbiting the star GJ 758, estimated to be between 10 and 40 Jupiter masses. The discovered planet, GJ 758 B, has a temperature of around 330 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest companion of a Sun-like star ever imaged.
The TacSat-4 spacecraft has completed environmental and performance testing, awaiting launch. The mission provides near global coverage of Ultra High Frequency (UHF) channels for communications, data exfiltration, and Blue Force Tracking.
The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite GOES-14 has completed its post-launch test phase and is now in on-orbit storage to await duty. The satellite will remain in this mode until needed to replace a failed spacecraft, reducing launch delay from one year to less than a week.
The NASA team has completed instrument testing on the GOES-P spacecraft, ensuring its instruments function as expected. The spacecraft is now undergoing testing of subsystems and mechanical activities before its launch in March 2010.
New research suggests that dirty stars with a high abundance of elements like iron and oxygen are more likely to host planets. The study's findings support the idea that the composition of a star reflects its disk, leading to an increased number of exoplanets around such stars.
Engineers at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center use a laser ranging system to track the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft as it orbits the moon. The system provides distance measurements accurate to four inches, improving map accuracy and navigation.
The study reveals two distinct dust disks around the star 51 Ophiuchi, with the inner disk spanning 4 Astronomical Units from the star and tapering off rapidly. The outer disk extends hundreds of times farther and appears more puffed up, holding smaller particles similar in size to those in smoke.
Researchers used high-resolution spectrograph to reveal unexpected tilt of up to 70 degrees from vertical in binary star DI Herculis. The discovery resolves longstanding mystery and sheds light on formation and evolution of binary stars, with implications for Einstein's theory of relativity.
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics has announced its honorees for the AIAA Honors and Awards, recognizing outstanding achievements in space automation and robotics, space operations and support, and space systems. The awards will be presented at the AIAA SPACE 2009 Conference and Exposition.
The NASA-operated GOES-O satellite reached its geosynchronous orbit at 89.5 degrees west longitude on July 8, 2009, after a series of maneuvers to raise its perigee to approximately 22,300 miles above the Earth. The solar array was successfully deployed on July 9, and all spacecraft subsystems reported nominal performance.
The NASA and NOAA GOES-O satellite has successfully launched into space, enhancing weather forecasting and monitoring environmental events globally. The satellite will be renamed GOES-14 after a 24-day orbit adjustment and will provide vital data to the United States.
The Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has entered lunar orbit, marking a crucial milestone for the mission, which aims to compile high-resolution maps of the lunar surface and survey it at various spectral wavelengths.
UC Berkeley researchers have found that Betelgeuse, the bright reddish star in the constellation Orion, has steadily shrunk over the past 15 years. The star's diameter has decreased by more than 15% since 1993, a change that is striking to observe.
Astronomers have found evidence of planet destruction caused by a star's tides, with some planets falling into their parent stars. The research uses computer models and observations to show that the tidal forces can misshape the star's surface, leading to the planet's demise.
A North Carolina State University researcher has developed a method to deflect asteroids by attaching a long tether and ballast to the incoming object, changing its center of mass and orbit. This system shows promise in altering the motion of an asteroid to miss hitting Earth.
After completing the Launch and Early Orbit Phase (LEOP), GOCE's control systems have been confirmed to be operating normally. The Satellite-to-Satellite Tracking Instrument (SSTI) has also been successfully switched on, enabling autonomous orbit determinations.
The NOAA-N Prime spacecraft has been launched into space, improving weather forecasting and monitoring environmental events around the world. The satellite will collect vital data on the Earth's surface and atmosphere, supporting NOAA's weather forecasts and providing critical inputs for search and rescue operations.
Researchers developed a precise orbit determination method for the Jason-1 satellite using on-board GPS data, achieving centimeter-level accuracy. The study found that the method provided highly accurate GPS-based solutions, with systematic biases between POE and orbit solutions and SLR residual statistics.
The NOAA-N Prime satellite will provide vital data inputs for NOAA's weather forecasts and support the Search and Rescue Satellite-Aided Tracking System. The satellite has instruments that can detect solar winds, impair communications, and affect astronaut safety.
The new solar system orbits a dusty young star named HR8799, with three planets roughly 10 times the mass of Jupiter. The discovery allows scientists to study planets as individuals, providing insights into their atmospheres and composition.
Researchers have captured the first-ever images of three giant planets orbiting the star HR 8799. The planets, each about ten times the mass of Jupiter, have complex atmospheres with dusty clouds that trap and re-radiate heat.
SHIMMER successfully observed Polar Mesospheric Clouds (PMCs) during the northern season of 2008, measuring diurnal variation with a single peak per day. The observation is unique among satellites that have studied PMCs and has important implications for inferring long-term trends from historical space-based observations.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has directly observed a planet circling another star, Fomalhaut b. The exoplanet orbits Fomalhaut at a distance of 10.7 billion miles, 10 times that of Saturn from the sun.
The IBEX spacecraft will conduct high-altitude orbits to investigate and capture images of the interstellar boundary, a region where the solar system meets interstellar space. The two-year mission will provide insights into the dynamic interactions between the hot solar wind and cold expanse of space.
The Interstellar Boundary Explorer (IBEX) mission will conduct extremely high-altitude orbits above Earth to investigate and capture images of processes taking place at the farthest reaches of the solar system. The spacecraft will provide scientists with a new understanding of the global interaction between our sun and the galaxy.
GLAST successfully launched on June 11 and is now safely in orbit approximately 350 miles above the Earth's surface. Engineers are conducting daily checks to ensure all systems function correctly before turning on its instruments.
A team of European astronomers has discovered a triple system of super-Earths around the star HD 40307 using the HARPS instrument. The planets have masses between 4.2 and 9.4 times that of Earth, and orbit the star with periods ranging from 4.3 to 20.4 days.
Researchers at the University of Rochester found that planets or low-mass stars orbiting dying stars create breathtaking objects in the sky. The study explores how these companions shape planetary nebulae through spiral waves and magnetic fields, producing striking shapes like the Dumbbell Nebula.
The MESSENGER spacecraft will make its first flyby of Mercury on January 14, 2008, capturing images of large portions of the planet never seen before. The encounter will provide critical gravity assist needed to keep the spacecraft on track for its orbit insertion around Mercury.
An international team of astronomers has successfully detected and monitored the polarized light scattered in an exoplanet's atmosphere for the first time. The study reveals that the exoplanet, HD189733b, has a swollen atmosphere with particles scattering blue light, similar to Earth's atmosphere.
Researchers at Yale University have discovered a massive stellar black hole, located in a distant galaxy, which challenges the current understanding of how these objects form. The black hole has a mass of 15.65 times that of the sun and was detected using precise measurements of its gravitational effects on nearby stars.
Astronomers have described the double asteroid Antiope in unprecedented detail, revealing its unique orbit and shape. The asteroid consists of two rubble-pile chunks of material, tidally locked and rotating around each other at the same speed as they orbit.
A team of international researchers has found an asteroid whose rotation speed increases due to re-radiation of solar energy from its surface. The study confirms that non-gravitational forces play a crucial role in asteroid evolution and could potentially affect asteroid collisions with Earth.
Researchers found that Enceladus's geysers spray ice particles, creating reflective surfaces on other Saturn moons and altering their appearance. The study suggests that Enceladus's geological activity supports the possibility of liquid water beneath its surface.
The Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) mission uses a constellation of 5 space probes to track the origin of magnetic storms and their impact on aurorae. The probes will observe over 30 substorms and coordinate with ground-based cameras to discover the time history of these events.
UCF, UCLA astronomers have made the first direct observation of distinct day and night temperatures on a planet orbiting another star. The team used NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to measure infrared light emitted by the planet upsilon Andromedae b at five points around its orbit.
Researchers have discovered a binary asteroid system where two asteroids orbit around each other, creating a unique and fascinating phenomenon. The larger object is spinning so fast that it has been flattened into a flying saucer shape, with the lowest points on the surface actually forming the highest ridges.
The IAU defined a planet as a celestial body in orbit around the Sun with sufficient mass to assume hydrostatic equilibrium. The new definition includes our solar system's eight recognized planets and a distinct class of dwarf planets, including Pluto.
Researchers have found evidence of a binary system in the Quintuplet cluster, where two massive stars are orbiting each other. The discovery of 'pinwheel-shaped' dust spirals around these stars provides further proof of their dual nature and corrects previous estimates of their sizes.
Astronomers have found four stable groups of asteroids around the Sun: Kuiper Belt, Jupiter Trojans, main asteroid belt, and now Neptune Trojans. The new discoveries suggest a large population of high-inclination Neptune Trojans, which may have formed after giant planets settled into their orbits.
Astronomers have found a blue ring around Uranus, similar to Saturn's blue ring in Enceladus' orbit, attributed to submicron-sized material and subtle forces acting on dust particles. The discovery suggests that the two outer rings share a common explanation for their blue color.
Astronomers have calculated the density of binary asteroid Patroclus, suggesting it is composed mostly of water ice covered by a patina of dirt. The team proposes that Patroclus and other Trojan asteroids may be dirty snowballs formed in the outer reaches of the solar system.
A team of researchers from UCLA has discovered a group of over 30 young stars near a supermassive black hole, contradicting the idea that such an environment should prevent star formation. The stars' orbits suggest they formed in a massive star cluster and migrated towards the black hole.
Two nearly identical spacecraft, STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory), were shipped to NASA Goddard Space Flight Center for pre-launch tests. The twin observatories will explore coronal mass ejections and their impact on space weather, obtaining unique 3-D images of the sun.
Astronomers have discovered the smallest extra-solar planet to date, orbiting a pulsar in a planetary system resembling our own inner solar system. The new planet is estimated to be one-fifth the mass of Pluto and has an orbit approximately six times larger than its third planet.
Scientists have discovered minerals in comet dust similar to those found on Earth, providing insights into the solar system's formation. The Spitzer space telescope has captured detailed images of Comet Encke, helping researchers model how comets eject particles as they orbit the sun.
Researchers have discovered FK Comae Berenices, a rare fast-rotating yellow giant with high levels of coronal magnetic activity. The star's rotation is roughly 200 miles per second, making it an 'extreme case' of sun-like magnetic activity.