This Week in Space: Spaceports. Failed Stars. And the Lunar New Year.

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(Credit to Raul Villaverde Fraile via Share the Science).

Good morning, readers! Welcome back to This Week in Space. Here's the latest news about the crew that is currently stranded on the International Space Station. We also have news from NASA including a half billion-dollar award for an airliner of the future. And we'll check in on our favorite crash test dummies. Mainland Europe has just opened its first orbital satellite spaceport. Scientists directly photographed a "failed" star, and an astronomer captured a stunning long-exposure photograph of an ancient "guest star". We'll end with some words about the Pleiades (pictured below) and the Chinese Lunar New Year.

Stranded ISS Crew Removes Seat Liners From Damaged Soyuz MS-22

The Soyuz MS-22 capsule that docked with International Space Station received a direct hit from either a micrometeoroid, or an orbital debris. This happened just over a month ago. The capsule's cooling loop and external radiator were punctured by the impact and its coolant was ejected into space. Its passengers, NASA astronaut Frank Rubio, and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev, and Dmitri Peterlin, were left without an alternative to the trip back to planetside. Roscosmos and NASA have been having a chat with SpaceX since the debris strike. They are trying to find a way for semi-stranded crewmembers to return home.

The current plan is for Russia to scramble an empty MS-23 Soyuz. Roscosmos had originally planned to launch in March, but the launch date was moved to February 20. In the meantime, ISS crew members are working to modify the seating configuration of the MS-22 capsule. This is in case an emergency should occur on the station before MS-23 arrives.

They completed the task on Wednesday. MS-22, without its cooling system can't provide life support for the three people it carried into space. Roscosmos believes Prokopyev and Petelin would be fine in the MS-22 capsule, if necessary. This is also the agency whose spacecraft uses a "ballistic entry" mode, which one NASA astronaut described as riding a tincan through a car accident. Rubio, for his part, would join Crew-5 in Endurance, a SpaceX Dragon capsule.

The trio cannot leave until MS-23 arrives. The space station wouldn't have enough staff if they did. Since the crew expected to arrive on MS-23 will not be arriving until the next missions, it would be overcrowded. This means that Rubio, Petelin and Prokopyev will be in space for approximately twice the expected six-month duration.

Artemis 1 Mannequins Are Back At Kennedy Space Center

Artemis 1 was carrying several mannequins NASA sent to space in order to test new astronaut safety gear. The new kit also includes the AstroRad safety vest that is currently being field tested at the International Space Station. Although the agency was able to quickly retrieve the Orion capsule from the Pacific splashdown site, it took them a while to transport it overland to Florida's Kennedy Space Center. Next, the Artemis team had Orion stripped to collect sensor data and future parts. Finally, the mannequins, Helga and Zohar, are now free from Orion. All 'Moonikin Campos' mannequins are now unpacked and free from breathing.

NASA's Zohar Mannequin in the AstroRad vest, Artemis 1 mission. This is a close-up view of the AstroRad vest. Helga is in the background. (Image: NASA)

The mannequins, brimming with sensors, were the vanguard of Artemis II, which will see humans aboard. The next stop for Cmdr. is now that the mission scientists have unpacked all the mannequins. Campos will travel to Houston's Johnson Space Center. Helga, Zohar and others will continue their journey to the German Space Agency.

NASA Awards $425M to Next-Gen Aircraft Design

NASA gave Boeing almost half a million dollars Wednesday to help develop next-generation aircraft.

NASA estimates that single-aisle aircraft are responsible for almost half of all global aviation emissions due to their heavy use. NASA set out to create a more sustainable "workhorse" airplane. NASA worked for years with Boeing and other industry partners through its Sustainable Flight Demonstrator program. Boeing won the $425M prize for the Transonic Truss Braced Wing concept aircraft from this collaboration.

I CAN HEAR THIS IMAGE. NASA administrator Bill Nelson shows the scale model of Transonic Truss Braced Wing aircraft design. (Image: NASA/Joel Kowsky via NASA HQ Twitter

This design features a long, narrow aircraft with diagonal struts stabilizing its wings. This reduces drag and results in an aircraft that consumes up to 30% less fuel per hour than a traditional airliner. Up to a third of these savings can be attributed to the wing design. NASA expects to finish testing the project in the late 2020s. It is hoped that the technologies it has demonstrated can be put into service by the 2030s.

NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate associate administrator Bob Pearce stated that NASA is striving to develop game-changing technologies that will reduce aviation energy consumption and emissions in the next decades. This goal would help achieve the aviation community goal of zero carbon emissions by 2050. The Transonic Truss Braced Wing is the type of investment and concept that we need to address these challenges. Moreover, and most importantly, the technologies demonstrated in this project are a clear path to informing next-generation single-aisle aircraft. This will benefit everyone who uses air transportation.

Sweden opens Europe's first orbital launch facility

January 13th, King Carl XVI Gustaf (Sweden) and other European officials cut the ribbon at the first European orbital launch facility. Spaceport Esrange, an extension of the European Space Research Organization's (ESRO) rocket range, is being built to accommodate the new Spaceport Esrange. The European Space Research Organization (ESRO) was the precursor to the European Space Agency (or ESA).

Since the first operation of Esrange, Esrange has been involved in hundreds of suborbital rocket launch operations. To handle orbital launches, however, you will need additional equipment and facilities. After Russia's revocation of ESA access to Baikonur, this was even more critical.

Today, we opened a new launch facility in Kiruna, northern Sweden. Spaceport Esrange is a critical asset that will strengthen Europe's launch capability, improve our competitiveness, and continue to guarantee European access to space.https://t.co/4BK1sREEij pic.twitter.com/AXOUSM5FV3

Josef Aschbacher (@AschbacherJosef), January 13, 2023

Launch companies and countries prefer launch sites close to the Equator. At the equator, Earth's rotational velocity will be highest. Delta-v is less required to transport a payload into geostationary orbit if a rocket launch site is closer to the Equator. This is why the United States built its Cape Canaveral launch facility, and SpaceX and Arianespace, France, have facilities in Boca Chica (TX) and French Guiana, respectively. Although equatorial launch sites are more common than others, they aren't the only option. Russia has been operating northerly launch facilities like Baikonur for many decades.

Sweden has not yet announced Esrange's first commercial satellite client, but Esrange will use the spaceport to test its reusable rocketry program codenamed Themis. The launch of the satellite and Themis' first-stage hop tests should take place by the end of 2023.

New Images Show that 'Guest Star Supernova' Was a Stellar Collision

Asian astronomers noticed a mysterious guest star in 1181 CE. It was brightly shining for six months, then dimming. Since then, we have been trying to identify the mystery visitor, which astronomers now call Pa 30. We wrote in 2021 about an astronomer team that had identified Pa 30, a rare, powerful supernova, which originated near Earth. It left behind a star as well as an associated nebula. Dartmouth College astronomer has taken images of the star to confirm its identity.

(Image: Robert Fesen via Dartmouth College)

Robert Fesen is an astronomer at Dartmouth College, New Hampshire. He took three long exposure shots of Pa 30, using a Hiltner telescope that was part of the Kitt Peak National Observatory, Arizona. Images show a firecracker-shaped explosion with many fine filaments being ejected from the blast. They move at ten thousand miles an second. We don't know yet what they are made of.

New observations have confirmed that the star and the nebula are both remnants of a supernova type 1ax. These explosions happen when two white dwarf stars collide, most commonly a binary pair. Astronomers now know more about the age of the nebula, have confirmed its speed and determined that Pa 30 is the remnant of the "guest Star" of 1181.

The Astrophysical Journal Letters has received the new findings for publication. Fesen and his co-authors presented their findings at the 241st American Astronomical Society meeting. Fesen stated that he had never seen an object, and no supernova remnants in the Milky Way galaxy, quite like this. He also said that he and his co-authors were not able to comment on it.

Gaia Directly Images A 'Failed Star"

Astronomers used data from Gaia to image a massive exoplanet that is 13 times larger than Jupiter. The ESA says that the planet's apparent brightening suggests that its core is experiencing nuclear fusion using deuterium. These celestial bodies are formed in the same manner as stars but don't have enough mass to sustain fusion. They're often called "failed stars".

Artist's rendering Gaia, the most sophisticated galaxy mapping mission ever created. (Image: ESA)

ESA's Gaia project is currently working to create the largest 3D map ever of the Milky Way galaxy. To confirm the existence of the planet, HD 206893c, the team used the GRAVITY instrument from the Very Large Telescope (VLT).

This report has been accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics. However, it is available as a preprint at arXiv.

Skywatchers Corner

A beloved jewel that hangs high in January's night sky is the Pleiades or Seven Sisters asterism. These stars have been called by different cultures all over the globe using the same idiom as the Seven Sisters (or at most seven siblings) since ancient times. The Seven Sisters were nymphs and daughters of Pleione in classical Greek mythology. They were also companions to Artemis. The name of the constellation is likely to derive from plein meaning "to sail" because it is so important for Mediterranean sailors. The Mediterranean Sea's sailing season was delineated by the rise and fall of the Pleiades. The name Pleione, poor Pleione, was likely invented after the fact to give a backstory.

According to an apocryphal legend, the Pleiades were used by the Iroquois as a visual test. Hunters were considered keen of seeing if they could identify a specific number of stars (usually seven). There are 14 Pleiades that can be seen to the naked eye under ideal Earthly viewing conditions. For those who don't have access to an observatory, such as in the Chilean Andes desert, you may be able to see five or six.

This visual-spectrum image is part of NASA's Share the Science STEM outreach program. It shows what a high-powered telescope can see when it looks at the Pleiades. They look a bit like Ursa Major, Minor, and the Big and Small Dippers (respectively). (Image Credit and Copyright: Raul Villaverde fraile via Share the Science

The majority of constellations are visual groups of bright stars that happen by chance. They change with time. The Pleiades, however, are physically related, and travel together across the sky in the same direction. High-powered telescopes have revealed that the asterism is part a globular cluster with more than 1000 stars. The cluster contains binaries for two-thirds of its stars, while a quarter may be made up of brown dwarf stars. Astronomers have estimated that the Pleiades are approximately 115 million years of age based on detailed observations made by the lithium in the brown dwarfs.

Other places in the Sky

For Northern Hemisphere observers, C/2022 E3 (ZTF), an ethereal, green comet, is visible this month through "binoculars" or a small telescope in the predawn skies. About a week ago, it made its closest approach the Sun. It will be moving quickly across the northern sky over the next few weeks. On Feb. 2, it will come closest to Earth. Check your favorite skywatching app to see the position of the comet on the date that you are observing.

Mars entered into retrograde motion as it passed the Moon close to the Pleiades early in the week. Next in the planetary parade will be Venus and Saturn, which will be just a third of one degree apart. They'll be still within one degree visual separation Monday night. Look low in the southwest sky about 45 minutes after sunset to see the pair. On Tuesday night, you can see Jupiter just half a degree higher than the Moon by looking to the southwest.

Lunar New Year begins on January 22

Like the Gregorian calendar, solar calendars mark time in increments equal to 365 days. Lunar calendars, however, mark the year in lunar month, which is 29.5 days long. A lunar calendar year, however, is not the same length as a traditional solar calendar year. Many cultures have a lunisolar calendar. Each culture chooses its own start date. The Chinese lunisolar calendar is widely used. It states that the new year begins on either the second or third new moon following the winter solstice. This Sunday is Jan. 22, 2018.

The Year of the Water Rabbit is China's 12-year Zodiac cycle. The year for the mousedeer is the year that the Cat replaces the Rabbit in the Vietnamese Zodiac. People in East Asian culture celebrate the New Year by giving tokens of prosperity to their loved ones. These tokens are often hidden inside the red envelope. League of Legends also has a Lunar New Year celebration if you are interested in that kind of thing.

Check out these links:

• NASA Finds a Black Hole That Turns a Star into a Torus
• Scientists Find Enceladus' Snow Cover Is Deeper Than It Should
• NASA Needs Your Support to Discover New Worlds

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By: Jessica Hall
Title: This Week in Space: Spaceports, Failed Stars, and the Lunar New Year
Sourced From: www.extremetech.com/extreme/342438-this-week-in-space-spaceports-failed-stars-and-the-lunar-new-year
Published Date: Fri, 20 Jan 2023 15:32:45 +0000