Tag Archives: Exploration

Science

New mapping method could aid exploration of moon, Mars and beyond

Leave a comment

Researchers have discovered a method for making high-resolution maps of planetary surfaces like the moon’s by combining available imagery and topography data.

Mapping the complex and diverse surface of a world like the moon in detailed resolution is challenging because laser altimeters, which measure changes in altitudes, operate at much lower resolution than cameras. And although photographs offer a sense of surface features, it’s difficult to translate images into specific heights and depths.

However, a new method combines topographic data with degrees of shading of sunlight present in optical images to provide much more accurate assessments of landforms and structures. The development could help both astronauts and robotic explorers in the future.

Related: Rogue rocket’s moon crash site spotted by NASA probe (photos)

The new method was developed by Iris Fernandes, a now former Ph.D. student at the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark.

Different missions deliver very different data resolutions, so combining different sources of data in different resolutions presents a huge mathematical problem. What Fernandes and her then-supervisor, geophysicist Klaus Mosegaard, did differently was to focus on the mathematics of the issue, narrowing down the challenge to determine whether an equation could solve the problem.

“And it did,” Fernandes said in a statement (opens in new tab), explaining that they had found a “mathematical key to a door that had remained closed for many years.”

The new approach also requires much less computational power and is much faster than previous methods, according to the researchers.

The researchers demonstrated the technique on the moon. By combining high-resolution images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter‘s LROC camera with lower-resolution data from the spacecraft’s Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA), the authors of the paper state they increased the resolution of the topography from around 200 feet (60 meters) per pixel to 2.95 feet (0.9 m) per pixel. 

Going forward, the authors argue, the method can be applied to extract precise topographic details on rock formations on planetary bodies such as the moon, Mars, asteroids and any other worlds for which topographic data is available.

The method can support a range of different purposes, including determining the safety of astronauts and rovers or finding geologically interesting sites, and it can be applied to images coming from satellites, rovers or other spacecraft.

The research is described in an article published June 8 in the journal Planetary and Space Science (opens in new tab). 

Follow us on Twitter @Spacedotcom (opens in new tab) and on Facebook (opens in new tab). 



Read original article here

Technology

Skull & Bones: Gameplay Leak Shows Combat, On-Foot Exploration, and More

Leave a comment

Gameplay from Ubisoft’s pirate game Skull & Bones has leaked online, giving us a look at several mechanics, including naval combat and on-foot exploration.

It’s unclear which version of the game this “technical test build” is from, as Skull & Bones received a major reboot before entering an alpha stage in July 2021. Ubisoft invited some players to test an early version last month, however, meaning this leaked gameplay, shared by Wesam_L on reddit, could well be from this Insider Programme.

In this version of the game, Skull & Bones gameplay revolves around a hub area – similar to The Tower from Destiny 2 – that players will frequent in order to craft items, visit shops, take on missions, and so on. The hub, called Sainte-Anne, is “the centre of pirate activity” and thus where players are encouraged to socialise (through emotes) and organise their teams of up to three players.

Players will then head out into the world to complete quests through gameplay similar to what’s been shown before: naval battles that appear slightly more complex than those from Assassin’s Creed.

Most of Skull & Bones appears to revolve around this gameplay loop, though it’s mixed up by different types of battles, including attacks on forts and settlements, NPC ships and player ships, and bigger “world events” such as taking on a merchant and its fleet of escorts.

Players will need to prepare beforehand so they have enough resources to keep their ship in good health, and food and drink to keep their crew’s morale up. Not doing so will result in the boat being sunk (players then respawn and can return to collect their cargo) or a mutiny (where the crew takes over the ship and likely just returns the player to an outpost).

Every Ubisoft Game in Development

Players will also gain access to bigger and better ships as they level up their Infamy, which will also gradually rise through exploration, battling, treasuring hunting, and more.

Skull & Bones was first revealed five years ago in 2017 but suffered delay after delay and as of July last year had reportedly been in development for eight years.

It does appear to be inching closer to release, though, as Ubisoft is now showing it to at least some members of the public.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelancer who occasionally remembers to tweet @thelastdinsdale. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.

Read original article here

Technology

Soul Hackers 2 ‘Summoners Guide Vol. 2’ video – The Covenants and the Great One, Milady, and Exploration Guide

Leave a comment

ATLUS [1,844 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/companies/atlus”>ATLUS has released the second volume in its series of “Summoners Guide” information videos for Soul Hackers 2 [8 articles]” href=”https://www.gematsu.com/games/soul-hackers-2″>Soul Hackers 2.

The official Japanese website was also updated with a “System: Dungeon Exploration” page and a character page for R.S., which features all the new information revealed in today’s Summoners Guide video.

Get the video and full English transcript below.

■ Introduction

Hey there. I’m Ringo of Aion. This program will teach you how to be a Devil Summoner. It’s the Summoner’s Guide Volume 2. I’ve got even more useful info for you today! First, let’s go over the problems that we’re facing right now.
0:33

■ Setting: The Covenants and the Great One

Aion has predicted the world of humanity is coming to an end. Five sources of spiritual energy, known as Covenants, are key in all of this. As their name suggests, they represent a “contract”.

The Covenants have a deep history and are said to be the rainbow that bridges a contract between humans and God. When all five Covenants are gathered, it’s believed that the Great One will descend upon the world.

—Milady: “YOU…! A secret organization known as the Phantom Society pulls the strings behind the scenes and wishes to call forth the Great One.”

They are led by someone known as Iron Mask.

—Iron Mask: “Do you understand now? You can’t stop me. You can’t change fate.”

Along with their comrades within their COMPs, Aion’s agents and the Devil Summoners confront Iron Mask to stop the incoming apocalypse. That Iron Mask is one tough opponent… And he has a lot of people working under him too. I need your help. Yes, you, the Devil Summoner in front of the screen.

■ Milady

How’d you like Milady’s video that was released the other day? I’m going to introduce her in a bit more detail today.

Milady the Devil Summoner… She’s a member of the Phantom Society. Milady was the second person I revived to join me. I guess you could say she’s a level-headed realist. She tends to keep her true thoughts close to her chest… Supposedly, it has something to do with her past.

Past experiences, memories… The fact that human personalities are an accumulation of such data is part of what makes them so fascinating… But it’s intriguing how sometimes, their own past can also be what binds them.

Anyways, she sometimes still gets into arguments with Arrow and his righteous ways, but she gets along with everyone pretty well now.

Speaking of those who have a history with Milady… First, let’s talk about Iron Mask. He’s a Devil Summoner of the Phantom Society. He’s the leader of the mysterious Project “C,” and the one who ordered his subordinate to kill Milady. Supposedly, he’s romantically involved with her… But why would someone kill their own lover? So many unanswered questions…

Then there’s this other guy from Phantom Society: R.S. (voiced by Eiji Takeuchi). He’s the Devil Summoner who killed Milady on Iron Mask’s orders. He may seem ridiculous, but he’s actually very powerful. He communicates through freestyle rapping. It’d be an understatement to say he’s a bit out there.

Anyway, I revived Milady and had her join me… I have to say, she’s a fantastic fighter. She fights with sai-type COMPs, has an affinity for fire skills, and her attacks pack a serious punch. She’s very intelligent too. Maybe she’ll even learn how to recover MP while defeating enemies.

That’s all from me. I hope you all find out Milady’s charms for yourself. I think you’ll find her more and more interesting as you get to know her. As leader, I just want everyone to get along, you know?

■ Exploration Guide

Last time, you learned about the basics of combat. Today, we’ll be going over dungeon exploration. This is important stuff, so pay attention, okay?

Red enemy symbols can be found within dungeons. They will hunt you down once they notice your presence, and if caught, you will be thrown into battle with the enemy getting attack priority. Try to slash enemy symbols with Ringo’s sword. Initiating battle by cutting down enemies will put you in an advantageous state.

You can also walk around downed enemy symbols to avoid battles altogether. A bonus attack may trigger when going into combat with an enemy that was knocked down with slashing. Your allies will attack all enemies as the battle starts, tipping the battle in your favor right away.

Upon stepping into a dungeon, Ringo will send her demons out on Demon Recon. You can reunite with the demons sent on recon while exploring the dungeon. You can reunite with the demons sent on recon while exploring the dungeon.

—Hell Biker: “Frickin’ Arrow… Managed to beat me in a test of strength. He’s a tough one.”

They can find items…

—Obtained Medicine.

…or help you in other ways, such as healing.

—Kurama Tengu: “You in a hurry, Ma’am? When you rush like that, it’s easier to slip up. Why don’t you take a rest?”

Try to find and talk to your demonic allies throughout dungeons.

—Scathach: “I admire how capable you are. Here, a reward for you.”

—Scathach: “Consider this an investment in our future.”

While on Demon Recon, allied demons may introduce you to other demons that appear in the dungeon.

—Mothman: “Thanks to my clever conversational skills, demons of all shapes and sizes turn to putty in my hands.”

—Orthus: “YOU WANT TO BE MY MASTER? WELL, I’M STARVING. HOW ABOUT SOME MEAT?”

—Orthus: “IF THERE’S NO MEAT, THEN GIVE ME SOME OF YOUR TEAM’S STAMINA!”

You can negotiate with demons to enter a contract and recruit them.

—Yes.

—Orthus: “I AM ORTHUS! NICE TO MEET YOU!”

Demons can be set into COMPs to grant access to their skills.

—Milady: “I’ll burn ’em to ashes!” –> Agidyne

The COMP user’s stats are also affected, so be sure to adjust them based on what the situation. Keep an eye out for enemy symbols and strike before they do!

—Zhu Tun She: “If that’s how you feel, then there’s no other choice! I’ll join up with you, Miss!”

Work together with allied demons and conquer perilous dungeons! You have to make full use of not only your own abilities, but your demons’ powers too… Your skills as a Devil Summoner will really be put to the test.

■ Conclusion

Doesn’t that sound exciting? We now have an exciting news to share!

  • Soul Hackers 2 Premiere Hands-On Event Date: Saturday, June 4 and Sunday, June 5. Location: In Tokyo, invite only Check out our official website to apply!

Well, that’s it for today’s Summoner’s Guide. Look forward to the next one, okay? See you next time!

Read original article here

Science

China’s Alternative To NASA’s $10B James Webb Telescope Is Helping Beijing Rival The US In Deep Space Exploration

Leave a comment

The space race between the United States (US) and China is set for a new and exciting turn as the latter is geared to challenge the mammoth American telescope with its fleet of tiny satellites as they dive into deep space.

China’s scientists are creating a fleet of small satellites to conduct cutting-edge astronomical investigations that were previously only possible with massive and costly space telescopes.

To monitor the highly energetic and short-lived violent occurrences of deep space, the Chinese mission has envisioned more than 100 microsatellites, each outfitted with a smaller and lighter version of a typical X-ray telescope.

The technique contrasts sharply with the current trend of ever-larger telescopes that can look deeper into space and time.

The $10 billion James Webb telescope of the United States, which was launched in December to search for the universe’s first light after the Big Bang took more than two decades to develop and cost up to ten times than what was initially planned.

James Webb Space Telescope

In fact, in a new series of tests, NASA is looking into a new method using liquid technology that could allow it to build telescopes ten times larger than the James Webb Space Telescope.

Astrophysicists around the world believe that larger telescopes can collect more light, allowing astronomers to view smaller, darker, and farther away objects more clearly.

However, China’s departure from that approach could prove to be a breakthrough for its space program. The CATCH (Chasing All Transients Constellation Hunters) team plans to launch a pathfinder satellite next year, followed by ten orbiting satellites to test the intelligent control system.

CATCH is a constellation of hundreds of satellites. Each satellite will be equipped with a lightweight focusing X-ray telescope built separately by China. One or more transients can be tracked by a single satellite, and hundreds of satellites can work together to provide continuous monitoring of a large number of transients.

Furthermore, a vast field of vision or a high-precision constellation of satellites can be formed to cooperatively pursue some essential targets (such as gravitational wave bursts).

China’s Novel Astrophysical Experiment

Tao Lian, who is in charge of essential technology research and development for the CATCH project, stated that if the first steps are successful, the team plans to deploy the full constellation around 2030.

The expected budget for each satellite, according to Tao of Beijing’s Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Institute of High Energy Physics, is $1.6 million, with half of that going toward launch costs. She predicted that costs might be greatly reduced in a few years, with cheaper satellites and launch services provided by private enterprises, SCMP noted.

According to Yin Qianqing, another member of the CATCH team, the biggest issue will be coordinating the satellites as they function individually and in tandem.

EarthSky | Orion the Hunter, the world’s most recognizable constellation

Each “smart” microsatellite will be able to automatically initiate detection and tracking while in orbit, identify targets effectively, and correlate its findings with an astronomical phenomenon database, he elaborated.

In collaboration with North Night Vision Technology, a global optical products provider based in Kunming, Yunnan’s southwestern region, compact mirrors that match the anatomy of a lobster’s eye are being produced for the microsatellites in an unprecedented development.

The mirrors’ intricate construction is designed to gather light from various angles in the search for phenomena ranging from supernova explosions to black hole emergence, which can be detected in the X-ray sky by the incredibly hot gases they create at temperatures exceeding a million degrees Celsius.

Big Way Or Small?

Most observations rely on the collection of light particles and a bigger mirror means that it could collect more light.

However, that is a very expensive method as it takes several years to construct the primary mirror, and just assembling it in space takes no less than three months, not to mention the outstanding costs of the whole process from development to assembly.

File Image: Chinese Space Station

Nonetheless, this is the primary reason why small satellites have mostly been relegated to Earth observation and educational purposes however successful deep space discoveries have already been made using these small and considerably less expensive devices.

The Canadian-European BRITE mission employs a network of five nanosatellites to monitor brightness fluctuations in very brilliant stars, according to astronomer Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard-Smithsonian Centre for Astrophysics. “It’s true that the size of telescope matters, but there are areas where small satellites can ESA help in astronomy,” he said.

A team led by Tsinghua University in Beijing reported detecting a gamma-ray burst — the universe’s most intense explosion – with a 10cm (3.9 inch) CubeSat last November. Large gamma-ray telescopes, including Nasa’s $700 million flagship observatory Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, corroborated the discovery, which was published in The Astrophysical Journal.

If China succeeds in making breakthroughs with its constellation of micro-satellites, it could become the epitome of inexpensive Chinese technological development and aid global deep space exploration efforts effectively.



Read original article here

Science

NASA’s Curiosity Mars Rover Reroutes Away From ‘Gator-Back’ Rocks – NASA Mars Exploration

Leave a comment

To avoid patches of knife-edged rocks, the mission has taken an alternative path up Mount Sharp.

NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover spent most of March climbing the “Greenheugh Pediment” – a gentle slope capped by rubbly sandstone. The rover briefly summited this feature’s north face two years ago; now on the pediment’s southern side, Curiosity has navigated back onto the pediment to explore it more fully.

But on March 18, the mission team saw an unexpected terrain change ahead and realized they would have to turn around: The path before Curiosity was carpeted with more wind-sharpened rocks, or ventifacts, than they have ever seen in the rover’s nearly 10 years on the Red Planet.

Ventifacts chewed up Curiosity’s wheels earlier in the mission. Since then, rover engineers have found ways to slow wheel wear, including a traction control algorithm, to reduce how frequently they need to assess the wheels. And they also plan rover routes that avoid driving over such rocks, including these latest ventifacts, which are made of sandstone – the hardest type of rock Curiosity has encountered on Mars.

The team nicknamed their scalelike appearance “gator-back” terrain. Although the mission had scouted the area using orbital imagery, it took seeing these rocks close-up to reveal the ventifacts.

“It was obvious from Curiosity’s photos that this would not be good for our wheels,” said Curiosity Project Manager Megan Lin of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which leads the mission. “It would be slow going, and we wouldn’t have been able to implement rover-driving best practices.”

Curiosity Finds ‘Gator-Back’ Rocks on ‘Greenheugh’: NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover used its Mast Camera, or Mastcam, to survey these wind-sharpened rocks, called ventifacts, on March 15, 2022, the 3,415th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The team has informally described these patches of ventifacts as “gator-back” rocks because of their scaly appearance. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. Download image ›

The gator-back rocks aren’t impassable – they just wouldn’t have been worth crossing, considering how difficult the path would be and how much they would age the rover’s wheels.

So the mission is mapping out a new course for the rover as it continues to explore Mount Sharp, a 3.4-mile-tall (5.5-kilometer-tall) mountain that Curiosity has been ascending since 2014. As it climbs, Curiosity is able to study different sedimentary layers that were shaped by water billions of years ago. These layers help scientists understand whether microscopic life could have survived in the ancient Martian environment.

Why Greenheugh?

The Greenheugh Pediment is a broad, sloping plain near the base of Mount Sharp that extends about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) across. Curiosity’s scientists first noticed it in orbital imagery before the rover’s landing in 2012. The pediment sticks out as a standalone feature on this part of Mount Sharp, and scientists wanted to understand how it formed.

It also sits nearby the Gediz Vallis Ridge, which may have been created as debris flowed down the mountain. Curiosity will always remain in the lower foothills of Mount Sharp, where there’s evidence of ancient water and environments that would have been habitable in the past. Driving across about a mile (1.5 kilometers) of the pediment to gather images of Gediz Vallis Ridge would have been a way to study material from the mountain’s uppermost reaches.

“From a distance, we can see car-sized boulders that were transported down from higher levels of Mount Sharp – maybe by water relatively late in Mars’ wet era,” said Ashwin Vasavada, Curiosity’s project scientist at JPL. “We don’t really know what they are, so we wanted to see them up close.”

The Road Less Traveled

Over the next couple weeks, Curiosity will climb down from the pediment to a place it had previously been exploring: a transition zone between a clay-rich area and one with larger amounts of salt minerals called sulfates. The clay minerals formed when the mountain was wetter, dappled with streams and ponds; the salts may have formed as Mars’ climate dried out over time.

“It was really cool to see rocks that preserved a time when lakes were drying up and being replaced by streams and dry sand dunes,” said Abigail Fraeman, Curiosity’s deputy project scientist at JPL. “I’m really curious to see what we find as we continue to climb on this alternate route.”

Curiosity’s wheels will be on safer ground as it leaves the gator-back terrain behind, but engineers are focused on other signs of wear on the rover’s robotic arm, which carries its rock drill. Braking mechanisms on two of the arm’s joints have stopped working in the past year. However, each joint has redundant parts to ensure the arm can keep drilling rock samples. The team is studying the best ways to use the arm to ensure these redundant parts keep working as long as possible.

For more information about Curiosity, visit:

mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/

and

nasa.gov/curiosity

News Media Contacts

Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-2433
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov

Karen Fox / Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
301-286-6284 / 202-358-1501
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov

Read original article here

Science

Biden’s $26 billion proposal for NASA paves path for 1st human exploration on Mars

Leave a comment

The figure is 8% more than the enacted federal spending levels, or the appropriation bill from fiscal year 2022, Nelson said.

“Greater than a number, statistic, or fact is what the President’s budget request represents,” Nelson said in a statement.

“This budget reflects the Biden-Harris Administration’s confidence in the extraordinary workforce that makes NASA the best place to work in the federal government,” Nelson said. “It’s an investment in the businesses and universities that partner with NASA in all 50 states and the good-paying jobs they are creating. It’s a signal of support for our missions in a new era of exploration and discovery.”

The request was submitted to Congress Monday as part of President Joe Biden’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2023. NASA officials believe that Biden’s request will allow NASA to continue investments in the Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and the first person of color on the moon in 2025, as well as provide more research into the climate crisis and promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

Artemis mission to get lion’s share

The largest chunk of the $26 billion budget request would go toward the Artemis program.

The budget has intended $7.6 billion for deep-space exploration and $4.7 billion for exploration systems development.

Artemis is considered to be the program that will not only return humans to the moon and create a sustainable, long-lasting lunar presence, but will also prepare NASA for the first human exploration of Mars.

“Our goal is to apply what we’ve learned living and operating on the moon and continue then out into the solar system,” Nelson said. “Our plan is for humans to walk on Mars by 2040.”

The $4.7 billion would be used in support of lunar missions, like funding for the Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System rocket that will land astronauts on the moon. And $1.5 billion will go toward funding new competition to develop sustainable lunar landers, which was announced last week by NASA.

“Remember what happened after the Apollo program? You had several generations of engineers and scientists and technicians that all came out as a result of the extraordinary work in Apollo,” Nelson said. “But now, the Apollo generation has passed the torch to the Artemis generation. And this new generation is preparing to push the boundaries of what we know to be possible.”

Satellite monitoring and space tech

The budget request also includes $2.4 billion that could fund climate and weather monitoring, using satellites to observe our planet and other research to create a better understanding of the climate crisis.

The President’s budget will empower NASA to launch an Earth Information Center, Nelson said. The center will monitor greenhouse gases and other conditions on Earth in coordination with other agencies and partners, integrating data from satellites and telescopes to measure water, land, ice and the atmosphere on our planet.

Given NASA’s ongoing commercial partnerships, the agency has requested $1.4 billion for space technology research and development that could reduce costs, enhance mission capabilities and create more jobs for the US commercial space industry.

“Our partnership with industry has already allowed more scientific research, and in December, NASA signed agreements with three American companies to develop designs of space stations and other commercial destinations, first in low-Earth orbit and then who knows what, out of (low-Earth orbit).”

This budget provides funding for these efforts. It enables a commercial economy in low-Earth orbit, where the US will maintain an uninterrupted presence after the planned retirement of the International Space Station.

Noting that the first “A” in NASA stands for aeronautics, Nelson said $970 million of the budget would go toward aeronautics research that could improve aviation flights for everyone. This includes reducing the impact of the aviation industry on global climate and helping develop next-generation aircraft that will be safer, smoother, cleaner and quieter.

Lastly, there is $150 million to support NASA’s Office of STEM Engagement, providing more support for educational efforts and activities, especially in underserved areas.

Read original article here

Science

NASA’s Perseverance Celebrates First Year on Mars by Learning to Run – NASA’s Mars Exploration Program

Leave a comment

The rover has racked up a series of accomplishments, including new distance records, as it reaches the end of the first of several planned science campaigns on the Red Planet.

NASA’s Perseverance rover has notched up a slew of firsts since touching down on Mars one year ago, on Feb. 18, 2021, and the six-wheeled scientist has other important accomplishments in store as it speeds toward its new destination and a new science campaign.

Weighing roughly 1 ton (1,025 kilograms), Perseverance is the heaviest rover ever to touch down on Mars, returning dramatic video of its landing. The rover collected the first rock core samples from another planet (it’s carrying six so far), served as an indispensable base station for Ingenuity, the first helicopter on Mars, and tested MOXIE (Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment), the first prototype oxygen generator on the Red Planet.

Perseverance also recently broke a record for the most distance driven by a Mars rover in a single day, traveling almost 1,050 feet (320 meters) on Feb. 14, 2022, the 351st Martian day, or sol, of the mission. And it performed the entire drive using AutoNav, the self-driving software that allows Perseverance to find its own path around rocks and other obstacles.

‘Ch’ał’-Type Rocks at ‘Santa Cruz’: Perseverance snapped this view of a hill called “Santa Cruz” on April 29, 2021. About 20 inches (50 centimeters) across on average, the boulders in the foreground are among the type of rocks the rover team has named “Ch’ał” (the Navajo term for “frog” and pronounced “chesh”). Perseverance will return to the area next week or so. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS. Download image ›

The rover has nearly wrapped up its first science campaign in Jezero Crater, a location that contained a lake billions of years ago and features some of the oldest rocks Mars scientists have been able to study up close. Rocks that have recorded and preserved environments that once hosted water are prime locations to search for signs of ancient microscopic life.

Using a drill on the end of its robotic arm and a complex sample collection system in its belly, Perseverance is snagging rock cores from the crater floor – the first step in the Mars Sample Return campaign.

“The samples Perseverance has been collecting will provide a key chronology for the formation of Jezero Crater,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “Each one is carefully considered for its scientific value.”

Counting the Eons

Two more samples will be collected in coming weeks from the “Ch’ał” rock type (named with the Navajo term for “frog”), a set of dark, rubbly rocks representative of what’s seen across much of the crater floor. If samples of these rocks are returned to Earth, scientists think they could provide an age range for Jezero’s formation and the lake that once resided there.

Scientists can approximate the age of a planet or moon’s surface by counting its impact craters. Older surfaces have had more time to accumulate impact craters of various sizes. In the case of the Moon, scientists were able to refine their estimates by analyzing Apollo lunar samples. They’ve taken those lessons to narrow down the age estimates of surfaces on Mars. But having rock samples from the Red Planet would improve crater-based estimates of how old the surface is – and help them find more pieces of the puzzle that is Mars’ geological history.

Perseverance Lands on Mars: NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance mission captured thrilling footage of the rover landing in Mars’ Jezero Crater on Feb. 18, 2021. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech

“Right now, we take what we know about the age of impact craters on the Moon and extrapolate that to Mars,” said Katie Stack Morgan, Perseverance’s deputy project scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which manages the rover mission. “Bringing back a sample from this heavily cratered surface in Jezero could provide a tie-point to calibrate the Mars crater dating system independently, instead of relying solely on the lunar one.”

The mission hasn’t been without challenges. The rover’s first attempt at drilling a rock core came up empty, prompting an extensive testing campaign to better understand fragile rocks. The team also needed to clear out pebbles that had dropped into the part of the sampling system that holds the drill bits.

Perseverance’s airborne companion, NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, has proven similarly plucky: It was grounded for almost a month following a dust storm before recently resuming its flights. Originally slated to fly five times, the rotorcraft has successfully completed 19 flights now, providing a new perspective of Martian terrain and helping Perseverance’s team to plan the path ahead.

To the west of “Octavia E. Butler Landing,” where Perseverance started its journey, are the remains of a fan-shaped delta formed by an ancient river as it fed the lake in Jezero Crater. Deltas accumulate sediment over time, potentially trapping organic matter and possible biosignatures – signs of life – that may be in the environment. That makes this destination, which the mission expects to reach this summer, a highlight of the year to come.

More About the Mission

A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).

Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.

The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.

JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.

For more about Perseverance:

mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/

and

nasa.gov/perseverance

News Media Contacts

Andrew Good
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-2433
andrew.c.good@jpl.nasa.gov

Karen Fox / Alana Johnson
NASA Headquarters, Washington
301-286-6284 / 202-358-1501
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alana.r.johnson@nasa.gov

Read original article here

Science

Existence of Earth Trojan Asteroid Confirmed – Could Become “Ideal Bases” for Advanced Exploration of the Solar System

Leave a comment

Using the 4.1-meter SOAR (Southern Astrophysical Research) Telescope on Cerro Pachón in Chile, astronomers have confirmed that an asteroid discovered in 2020 by the Pan-STARRS1 survey, called 2020 XL5, is an Earth Trojan (an Earth companion following the same path around the Sun as Earth does) and revealed that it is much larger than the only other Earth Trojan known. In this illustration, the asteroid is shown in the foreground in the lower left. The two bright points above it on the far left are Earth (right) and the Moon (left). The Sun appears on the right. Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/Spaceengine, Acknowledgment: M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Data from NSF’s NOIRLab Show Earth Trojan Asteroid Is the Largest Found

The SOAR Telescope, part of NOIRLab’s Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, has helped astronomers refine the size and orbit of the largest known Earth Trojan companion.

By scanning the sky very close to the horizon at sunrise, the SOAR Telescope in Chile, part of Cerro-Tololo Inter-American Observatory, a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, has helped astronomers confirm the existence of only the second-known Earth Trojan asteroid and reveals that it is over a kilometer wide — about three times larger than the first.


Astronomers have confirmed the existence of the second known Earth Trojan asteroid and found that it is much bigger than the first. An Earth Trojan is an asteroid that follows the same path around the Sun as Earth does, either ahead of or behind Earth in its orbit. Called 2020 XL5 the asteroid was discovered by the Pan-STARRS1 survey telescope in 2020, but astronomers were not sure then whether it was an Earth Trojan. The SOAR Telescope operated by NOIRLab in Chile helped confirm that it is an Earth Trojan and found that it is over a kilometer across — almost three times bigger than the other Earth Trojan known.

Using the 4.1-meter SOAR (Southern Astrophysical Research) Telescope on Cerro Pachón in Chile, astronomers led by Toni Santana-Ros of the University of Alicante and the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona observed the recently discovered asteroid 2020 XL5 to constrain its orbit and size. Their results confirm that 2020 XL5 is an Earth Trojan — an asteroid companion to Earth that orbits the Sun along the same path as our planet does — and that it is the largest one yet found.

“Trojans are objects sharing an orbit with a planet, clustered around one of two special gravitationally balanced areas along the orbit of the planet known as Lagrange points,”[1] says Cesar Briceño of NSF’s NOIRLab, who is one of the authors of a paper published today in Nature Communications reporting the results, and who helped make the observations with the SOAR Telescope at Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), a Program of NSF’s NOIRLab, in March 2021.

Several planets in the Solar System are known to have Trojan asteroids, but 2020 XL5 is only the second known Trojan asteroid found near Earth.[2]

Lagrange points are places in space where the gravitational forces of two massive bodies, such as the Sun and a planet, balance out, making it easier for a low-mass object (such as a spacecraft or an asteroid) to orbit there. This diagram shows the five Lagrange points for the Earth-Sun system. (The size of Earth and the distances in the illustration are not to scale.) Credit:
NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva, Acknowledgment: M. Zamani (NSF’s NOIRLab)

Observations of 2020 XL5 were also made with the 4.3-meter Lowell Discovery Telescope at Lowell Observatory in Arizona and by the European Space Agency’s 1-meter Optical Ground Station in Tenerife in the Canary Islands.

Discovered on 12 December 2020 by the Pan-STARRS1 survey telescope in Hawai‘i, 2020 XL5 is much larger than the first Earth Trojan discovered, called 2010 TK7. The researchers found that 2020 XL5 is about 1.2 kilometers (0.73 miles) in diameter, about three times as wide as the first (2010 TK7 is estimated to be less than 400 meters or yards across).

When 2020 XL5 was discovered, its orbit around the Sun was not known well enough to say whether it was merely a near-Earth asteroid crossing our orbit, or whether it was a true Trojan. SOAR’s measurements were so accurate that Santana-Ros’s team was then able to go back and search for 2020 XL5 in archival images from 2012 to 2019 taken as part of the Dark Energy Survey using the Dark Energy Camera (DECam) on the Víctor M. Blanco 4-meter Telescope located at CTIO in Chile. With almost 10 years of data on hand, the team was able to vastly improve our understanding of the asteroid’s orbit.

This graphic shows where the Earth Trojan asteroid 2020 XL5 would appear in the sky from Cerro Pachón in Chile as the asteroid orbits the Earth-Sun Lagrange point 4 (L4). The arrows show the direction of its motion. The SOAR Telescope appears in the lower left. The asteroid’s apparent magnitude is around magnitude 22, beyond the reach of anything but the largest telescopes. Credit: NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva

Although other studies have supported the Trojan asteroid’s identification,[3] the new results make that determination far more robust and provide estimates of the size of 2020 XL5 and what type of asteroid it is.

“SOAR’s data allowed us to make a first photometric analysis of the object, revealing that 2020 XL5 is likely a C-type asteroid, with a size larger than one kilometer,” says Santana-Ros. A C-type asteroid is dark, contains a lot of carbon, and is the most common type of asteroid in the Solar System.

The findings also showed that 2020 XL5 will not remain a Trojan asteroid forever. It will remain stable in its position for at least another 4000 years, but eventually it will be gravitationally perturbed and escape to wander through space.

2020 XL5 and 2010 TK7 may not be alone — there could be many more Earth Trojans that have so far gone undetected as they appear close to the Sun in the sky. This means that searches for, and observations of, Earth Trojans must be performed close to sunrise or sunset, with the telescope pointing near the horizon, through the thickest part of the atmosphere, which results in poor seeing conditions. SOAR was able to point down to 16 degrees above the horizon, while many 4-meter (and larger) telescopes are not able to aim that low.[4].

“These were very challenging observations, requiring the telescope to track correctly at its lowest elevation limit, as the object was very low on the western horizon at dawn,” says Briceño.

Nevertheless, the prize of discovering Earth Trojans is worth the effort of finding them. Because they are made of primitive material dating back to the birth of the Solar System and could represent some of the building blocks that formed our planet, they are attractive targets for future space missions.

“If we are able to discover more Earth Trojans, and if some of them can have orbits with lower inclinations, they might become cheaper to reach than our Moon,” says Briceño. “So they might become ideal bases for an advanced exploration of the Solar System, or they could even be a source of resources.”

Notes

  1. Lagrange points are gravitationally balanced regions around two massive bodies, such as the Sun and a planet. The Earth-Sun system has five Lagrange points: L1 is between Earth and the Sun; L2 is on the opposite side of Earth from the Sun; L3 is on the opposite side of the Sun from Earth; and L4 and L5 are along Earth’s orbit, one 60 degrees ahead of our planet along its orbit and the other 60 degrees behind it. (The image in the middle of this article illustrates their positions.) Trojan asteroids are found at L4 and L5. The two Earth Trojans found so far are at L4.
  2. (function(d, s, id){ var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.6"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));

    Read original article here
Science

Ejecting Mars’ Pebbles – NASA Mars

Leave a comment

The team has made good progress implementing the initial recovery steps outlined in last week’s blog. Our first success: The upper two pebbles were ejected from the bit carousel during a test. This is great news, as these small chunks of debris are believed to be the cause of the unsuccessful transfer of the drill bit and sample tube into the carousel back on Dec. 29. Our second success: We appear to have removed most – if not all – of the cored rock that remained in Sample Tube 261.

Here is the latest…

Pebbles in Bit Carousel

Rotating Perseverance’s Bit Carousel: An annotated GIF depicts a rotational test of Perseverance’s bit carousel in which two of four rock fragments were ejected. The five images that make up the GIF were obtained by the rover’s WATSON imager on Jan. 17, 2022. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS. Download image ›

On Monday, Jan. 17, the WATSON camera imaged the bit carousel and its pebbles – and also took images underneath the rover to establish just what was down there before any recovery strategies were applied. Later that same Martian day, we rotated the bit carousel about 75 degrees before returning it back to its original position. WATSON imaging showed the two upper pebbles were ejected during the process. Tuesday night we also received the second set of under-rover images, which show two new pebbles on the surface, indicating the ejected pebbles made it fully through bit carousel and back onto the surface of Mars as planned.

The other two pebbles, located below the bit carousel, remain. It is interesting to note that some of the initial trials performed on our testbed here on Earth indicate that the location of the two leftover pebbles may not pose a significant problem with bit carousel operation, but we are continuing analysis and testing to confirm this.

Remaining Sample in Tube

Perseverance Expels Rock Fragments: A portion of a cored-rock sample is ejected from the rotary percussive drill on NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover. The imagery was collected by the rover’s Mastcam-Z instrument on Jan. 15, 2022. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS. Download image ›

On Saturday, Jan. 15, the team performed an experiment using Perseverance’s rotary-percussive drill. After the robotic arm oriented the drill with Sample Tube 261’s open end angled around 9 degrees below horizontal, the rover’s drill spindle rotated and then extended. Our remarkable Mastcam-Z instrument (which has video capability previously used to document some of Ingenuity’s flights) captured the event. The imagery from the experiment shows a small amount of sample material falling out of the drill bit/sample tube. Later that same Martian day, the bit was positioned vertically over “Issole” (the rock that provided this latest core) to see if additional sample would fall out under the force of gravity. However, Mastcam-Z imaging of 261’s interior after this subsequent maneuver showed it still contained some sample.  

Perseverance’s Sample Tube Looks Clean: This image, taken by the Mastcam-Z camera aboard NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover on Jan. 20, 2022, shows the rover successfully expelled the remaining large fragments of cored rock from a sample tube held in its drill. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS. Download image ›

Given that some of the sample had already been lost, the team decided it was time to return the rest of the sample to Mars and hopefully completely empty the tube to ready it for potentially another sampling attempt. On Monday, Jan. 17, the team commanded another operation of the rotary percussive drill in an attempt to dislodge more material from the tube. With the tube’s open end still pointed towards the surface, we essentially shook the heck out of it for 208 seconds – by means of the percussive function on the drill. Mastcam-Z imagery taken after the event shows that multiple pieces of sample were dumped onto the surface. Is Tube 261 clear of rock sample? We have new Mastcam-Z images looking down the drill bit into the sample container that indicate little if any debris from the cored-rock sample remains. The sample tube has been cleared for reuse by the project.

Future Moves

The team is still reviewing the data and discussing next steps. Like all Mars missions, we’ve had some unexpected challenges. Each time, the team and our rover have risen to the occasion. We expect the same result this time – by taking incremental steps, analyzing results, and then moving on, we plan to fully resolve this challenge and get back to exploration and sampling at Jezero Crater.

Read original article here

Science

Pebbles Before Mountains – NASA Mars

Leave a comment

NASA’s Mars 2020 mission team has been working methodically and thoroughly, making good progress on understanding the best path forward to remove the uninvited pebbles from Perseverance’s bit carousel. Over the previous weekend, and earlier this week, operational sequences were developed and tested to remove these rocky interlopers.

With terrestrial experimentation complete, we have begun executing our mitigation strategy on Mars. On Jan. 12 we did a detailed image survey of the ground below Perseverance. This was done so we would have a good idea what rocks and pebbles already exist down there before some more – from our bit carousel – join them in the not-so-distant future.  

With this below-chassis, preliminary imaging, in hand, the team embarked on a maneuver with our robotic arm I never imagined we would perform – ever. Simply put, we are returning the remaining contents of Sample Tube 261 (our latest cored-rock sample) back to its planet of origin. Although this scenario was never designed or planned for prior to launch, it turns out dumping a core from an open tube is a fairly straightforward process (at least during Earth testing). We sent commands up yesterday, and later on today the rover’s robotic arm will simply point the open end of the sample tube toward the surface of Mars and let gravity do the rest.

I imagine your next question is, “Why are you dumping out the contents of the sample tube?” The answer is that, at present, we are not certain how much cored rock continues to reside in Tube 261. And while this rock will never make my holiday card list, the science team really seems to like it. So if our plans go well with our pebble mitigation (see below), we may very well attempt to core “Issole” (the rock from which this sample was taken) again.

Which brings me to next steps in our pebble mitigation strategy: we’re sending up commands to the rover later today, ordering it to do two rotation tests of the bit carousel. These tests (the first, a small rotation; the second, larger) will execute this weekend. Our expectations are that these rotations – and any subsequent pebble movement – will help guide our team, providing them the necessary information on how to proceed. Still, to be thorough, we are also commanding the rover to take a second set of under-chassis images, just in case one or more pebbles happen to pop free.   

We expect the data and imagery from these two rotation tests to be sent to Earth by next Tuesday, Jan. 18. From there, we’ll analyze and further refine our plans. If I had to ballpark it, I would estimate we’ll be at our current location another week or so – or even more if we decide to re-sample Issole.

So there you have it. The Perseverance team is exploring every facet of the issue to ensure that we not only get rid of this rocky debris but also prevent a similar reoccurrence during future sampling. Essentially, we are leaving no rock unturned in the pursuit of these four pebbles.

Read original article here

The Ultimate News Site