Bearing China's lunar exploration endeavors in mind - People's Daily

Researchers weigh the Chang'e-6 lunar samples during a returner opening ceremony at the China Academy of Space Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation in Beijing, capital of China, June 26, 2024. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Upon the complete success of the Chang'e-6 mission, which brought back the world's first samples from the far side of the moon, President Xi Jinping promptly extended his congratulations.

"The outstanding contributions you have made will always be remembered by the country and the people," Xi told all those who participated in the mission in a congratulatory message.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has always kept the country's lunar exploration endeavors in his mind.

It is a tradition for the president to extend congratulations upon the success of each Chang'e mission.

He also met representatives of space scientists and engineers who participated in the Chang'e-3, Chang'e-4 and Chang'e-5 missions, inquired about their work and life and took pictures with them.

For three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021, Xi highlighted the lunar exploration achievements in his New Year speech.

"Great undertakings are based on innovation, which is crucial for our future," Xi said in February 2019 when meeting representatives of space scientists and engineers who participated in the research and development of the Chang'e-4 mission.

Living up to Xi's expectations, China's researchers and engineers have taken a self-reliant and ingenious path in the lunar exploration program.

Chang'e-4 made history by being the first mission to achieve soft landing on the far side of the moon. Its rover Yutu-2 started roaming and conducting surveys on this rarely-explored terrain in 2019, leaving moving human trails on the far side of the moon for the first time.

Chang'e-5, launched in 2020, was China's first mission to collect and return lunar samples to Earth. Unlike sampling missions of the United States and the Soviet Union, China chose a complicated technological approach including unmanned rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit, which could bring back more samples and lay a technological foundation for manned lunar missions.

Based on the experience of Chang'e-5, Chang'e-6 made further innovations by collecting and returning lunar samples from the moon's far side, an unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history.

"We must be bold in our pursuit of innovation, acquire core technologies, strive to be the backbone of the country's aerospace industry, and scale new heights in space science and technology," said Xiong Tianci, a young designer with the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, developer of the Long March-5 carrier rockets that sent Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6 into space.

Noting that exploring the vast universe is humanity's common dream, Xi has stressed the importance of conducting international space cooperation and making contributions to the well-being of all mankind.

China's lunar exploration program stands as evidence of the country's consistent promotion of international cooperation in the field of space exploration.

China welcomes international applications for the lunar samples brought back by the Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6 missions for scientific researches. Scientists from countries such as Australia, Russia, France, the United States, Britain, and Sweden have taken part in the research of the Chang'e-5 lunar samples.

Chang'e-6 has carried four international payloads, respectively from the European Space Agency (ESA), France, Italy, and Pakistan. Chang'e-7 will carry six international scientific instruments, and Chang'e-8 will offer 200 kilograms of international payload capacity and has garnered over 30 applications.

Xi's guidance and concern on the lunar exploration program has inspired numerous scientists and engineers, who are committed to advancing major space projects, including deep space exploration, and enhancing international exchanges and cooperation.

"We will continue to foster independent innovation capabilities and improve the independent innovation system, so as to propel bigger and further steps in space exploration," said Zhang Gao, an expert involved in the development of the Chang'e-6 probe from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

(Web editor: Zhang Kaiwei, Liang Jun)

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Airplane-Size Asteroid 2024 BJ Flies Closer Than The Moon In Orbit Animation - video Dailymotion - Dailymotion

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1. Airplane-Size Asteroid 2024 BJ Flies Closer Than The Moon In Orbit Animation - video Dailymotion  Dailymotion
2. Newly discovered asteroid larger than the Great Pyramid of Giza will zoom between Earth and the moon on Saturday  Livescience.com
3. Large asteroid to pass between Earth and the moon on Saturday  CBC News
4. It's International Asteroid Day, and astronomers have much to celebrate  Space.com
5. Asteroids sweep past Earth, one of them coming closer than the moon.  USA TODAY

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2024-06-30 18:03:00Z
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Xi Focus: Bearing China's lunar exploration endeavors in mind - Xinhua

BEIJING, June 30 (Xinhua) -- Upon the complete success of the Chang'e-6 mission, which brought back the world's first samples from the far side of the moon, President Xi Jinping promptly extended his congratulations.

"The outstanding contributions you have made will always be remembered by the country and the people," Xi told all those who participated in the mission in a congratulatory message.

Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has always kept the country's lunar exploration endeavors in his mind.

It is a tradition for the president to extend congratulations upon the success of each Chang'e mission.

He also met representatives of space scientists and engineers who participated in the Chang'e-3, Chang'e-4 and Chang'e-5 missions, inquired about their work and life and took pictures with them.

For three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021, Xi highlighted the lunar exploration achievements in his New Year speech.

"Great undertakings are based on innovation, which is crucial for our future," Xi said in February 2019 when meeting representatives of space scientists and engineers who participated in the research and development of the Chang'e-4 mission.

Living up to Xi's expectations, China's researchers and engineers have taken a self-reliant and ingenious path in the lunar exploration program.

Chang'e-4 made history by being the first mission to achieve soft landing on the far side of the moon. Its rover Yutu-2 started roaming and conducting surveys on this rarely-explored terrain in 2019, leaving moving human trails on the far side of the moon for the first time.

Chang'e-5, launched in 2020, was China's first mission to collect and return lunar samples to Earth. Unlike sampling missions of the United States and the Soviet Union, China chose a complicated technological approach including unmanned rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit, which could bring back more samples and lay a technological foundation for manned lunar missions.

Based on the experience of Chang'e-5, Chang'e-6 made further innovations by collecting and returning lunar samples from the moon's far side, an unprecedented feat in human lunar exploration history.

"We must be bold in our pursuit of innovation, acquire core technologies, strive to be the backbone of the country's aerospace industry, and scale new heights in space science and technology," said Xiong Tianci, a young designer with the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, developer of the Long March-5 carrier rockets that sent Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6 into space.

Noting that exploring the vast universe is humanity's common dream, Xi has stressed the importance of conducting international space cooperation and making contributions to the well-being of all mankind.

China's lunar exploration program stands as evidence of the country's consistent promotion of international cooperation in the field of space exploration.

China welcomes international applications for the lunar samples brought back by the Chang'e-5 and Chang'e-6 missions for scientific researches. Scientists from countries such as Australia, Russia, France, the United States, Britain, and Sweden have taken part in the research of the Chang'e-5 lunar samples.

Chang'e-6 has carried four international payloads, respectively from the European Space Agency (ESA), France, Italy, and Pakistan. Chang'e-7 will carry six international scientific instruments, and Chang'e-8 will offer 200 kilograms of international payload capacity and has garnered over 30 applications.

Xi's guidance and concern on the lunar exploration program has inspired numerous scientists and engineers, who are committed to advancing major space projects, including deep space exploration, and enhancing international exchanges and cooperation.

"We will continue to foster independent innovation capabilities and improve the independent innovation system, so as to propel bigger and further steps in space exploration," said Zhang Gao, an expert involved in the development of the Chang'e-6 probe from the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. ■

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2024-06-30 10:52:00Z
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'Happy to be there': What next for the Boeing Starliner crew stranded on the ISS? - Euronews

Astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams, the first crew on Boeing’s Starliner, have been stranded on the ISS. What happens now?

The two astronauts marooned on the International Space Station (ISS) with no return date probably “have a big smile on their face and happy to be there,” according to the French former astronaut Jean-Francois Clervoy. 

Boeing Starliner test crew Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni"  Williams left Earth on June 5 and were supposed to be back eight days later. 

But several issues on the Boeing craft mean their return has been put on hold three times. According to Reuters, they might not return from orbit until July 6.

In an interview with Euronews Next, Clervoy said it is not a worrying scenario the astronauts are concentrating and doing their jobs. 

They are in close communication with the team on the ground and can call their families everyday. If anything, it gives them more time on the ISS, which he said they would "enjoy".

They are also astronauts you can trust, said the French former astronaut, who has worked with both Wilmore and Williams in the past and has a close friendship with Wilmore. 

"He's an extraordinary guy. You can confide in him 100 per cent and he'll be the guy who'll do anything to help you and save you," Clervoy said.

"He’s the kind of astronaut when you meet him, you think you'd like to fly with him. Sunita is the same, from what I know of her from a professional relationship, she's a very nice girl, very competent".

Are they stuck in space?

Media reports have said they are "stuck" on the ISS, a term which Clervoy strongly rejects.

If the ISS has to be evacuated, the Starliner can be used as a lifeboat, he said, adding that "despite the problems, Starliner is capable of fulfilling this function, with slightly degraded redundancies but it’s enough to get Bush and Sunita back safely".

Starliner can stay docked at the ISS for up to 45 days, said NASA’s commercial crew manager Steve Stich in comments to the media.

"They're not stuck. What they are is waiting for Boeing," said Laura Forczyk, owner of the space consulting firm Astralytical.

"They are looking to see how they can evaluate Starliner while it is attached to the ISS," she told Euronews Next. 

"That's because there are certain things that they cannot evaluate on the ground," Forczyk said, adding that the tests are also to see if any future Starliner would be safe to fly humans.

Forczyk also said that they have enough supplies to last for a while, as these kinds of measures are taken into account before take-off.

Even if Starliner cannot return them, SpaceX's Crew Dragon or Russia's Soyuz spacecraft could return them, though Forczyk and Clervoy said this would be unlikely. 

What went wrong with Starliner?

This is the first time that Boeing's Starliner has been launched on a manned mission. 

The spacecraft had problems even before take-off and was delayed a month due to a helium leak and power supply issues.

The leak was so small at the time that engineers believed it was still safe to take off. Helium pushes propellent to the thruster systems to move in space and slow down the journey into the Earth’s atmosphere.

After deployment, Starliner suffered five helium leaks, five failures of its 28 maneuvering thrusters, and a propellant valve failed to completely close. 

"From what I've understood, helium leaks are not worrying, but they're not normal, they're not expected," said Clervoy. 

"Boeing and NASA, which is the purchaser of the services and which is concerned because it's their [NASA] astronauts who are flying, they want to understand, they want to see how they're evolving, why the flow and where this leak is coming from," he added. 

NASA and Boeing are working on a fix and once NASA officials give the team a go-ahead for a return, Starliner's thrusters would be used to undock the capsule from the ISS and begin the six-hour journey to Earth. 

What does it mean for Boeing?

NASA wants Starliner to become the second American spacecraft to take astronauts to the ISS, alongside SpaceX’s Crew Dragon.

While the incident is embarassing for Boeing, which is also facing criticism on Earth, Clervoy is confident that NASA will continue its partnership with the aerospace giant. 

"There will probably be a delay in using Starliner until Boeing fixes the issues. But Starliner is almost there and there are just a few issues to iron out," he said, adding it could be used for routine ISS journeys soon. 

Clervoy said this is especially true as, if Russia ends its spacecraft agreement with the United States before 2030, NASA will not want to rely on the one vessel from SpaceX.

But the very fact that there are technical reasons for the delay to Earth "is something that Boeing should be concerned about," said Forczyk. 

"NASA is evaluating whether or not Boeing is a good partner for the International Space Station commercial crew programme," she added. 

"In the future, Boeing is supposed to fly up to six Starliner missions but if this mission is not fully successful to the criteria that NASA sets, then NASA could say you need to do another demo mission, which would be another cost to Boeing".

Forczyk said that in the beginning, everyone expected Boeing to be the first to carry crew to the ISS. But that NASA has "really come to rely on SpaceX" for cargo, for payloads, and crewed missions. 

This can be seen as NASA awarded SpaceX the contract to build the vehicle that will retire the ISS out of orbit from Earth. 

"What we're seeing is that SpaceX has naturally, through its actions, become the front runner and become the workhorse of the world in launch," said Forczyk. 

"And Boeing has been embarrassed in comparison".

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Asteroid flying by Earth will be difficult to spot: expert - CityNews Winnipeg

A skyscraper-sized asteroid may be whizzing between the Earth and the moon this weekend, but it may be hard to see – even with the right instruments.

That’s according to the senior manager of the planetarium and space sciences at Edmonton’s Telus World of Science.

Frank Florian says Canadians could have difficulty spotting the 2024 MK asteroid even with large telescopes. Viewers in the southern hemisphere will have a better chance of seeing it, he adds.

“This object itself is gonna be zipping by very, very quickly,” Florian said. “Those individuals that might be able to see it with their telescopes or through binoculars away from bright light, they might see it as moving fairly steadily across the sky. It’s not just gonna be sitting in one place so you constantly have to move the telescope to track it.”

Frank Florian, the the senior manager of the planetarium and space sciences at Edmonton’s Telus World of Science. (Hiba Kamal-Choufi, CityNews)

The asteroid was first spotted two weeks ago by a South African observatory and is about 120 metres to 260 metres wide.

It poses no risk to Earth.

“It’s a fairly sizeable rock in space,” Florian said. “It’s just doing a nice fly by the Earth-moon system. No need to worry or panic that it’s gonna hit the Earth or anything like that.”

The space rock made its closest approach to Earth Saturday morning, passing at about three-quarters the distance from Earth to the moon. But it could be easier to see in the evening without interference from the sun’s blinding light.

“It’s pretty far away,” Florian said. “Space is really big and these objects are quite tiny. So you need to have everything lined up perfectly for an asteroid to actually hit the Earth.”

Edmonton’s Telus World of Science on June 29, 2024. (Hiba Kamal-Choufi, CityNews)

Asteroids the size of this latest one fly by about every 25 years or so. A 2,310-metre asteroid flew safely past Earth Thursday, but it was farther away and was only visible to professional telescopes.

This latest asteroid’s passing is happening one day before Asteroid Day, held annually on June 30.

Florian says it acts as a reminder of threats from space.

“Asteroids are out there and we need to watch for them, try to figure out where they are in the orbits, and make sure if there’s ever one in the collision course with the Earth, that we do something about it.”

Edmonton’s Telus World of Science observatory on June 29, 2024. (Hiba Kamal-Choufi, CityNews)

If you miss out, mark your calendar for April 13, 2029, when an asteroid called Apophis will fly by Earth and will be visible to the naked eye from parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.

–With files from The Associated Press

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2024-06-29 23:33:02Z
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Asteroid flying by Earth will be difficult to spot: expert - CityNews Edmonton

A skyscraper-sized asteroid may be whizzing between the Earth and the moon this weekend, but it may be hard to see – even with the right instruments.

That’s according to the senior manager of the planetarium and space sciences at Edmonton’s Telus World of Science.

Frank Florian says Canadians could have difficulty spotting the 2024 MK asteroid even with large telescopes. Viewers in the southern hemisphere will have a better chance of seeing it, he adds.

“This object itself is gonna be zipping by very, very quickly,” Florian said. “Those individuals that might be able to see it with their telescopes or through binoculars away from bright light, they might see it as moving fairly steadily across the sky. It’s not just gonna be sitting in one place so you constantly have to move the telescope to track it.”

Frank Florian, the the senior manager of the planetarium and space sciences at Edmonton’s Telus World of Science. (Hiba Kamal-Choufi, CityNews)

The asteroid was first spotted two weeks ago by a South African observatory and is about 120 metres to 260 metres wide.

It poses no risk to Earth.

“It’s a fairly sizeable rock in space,” Florian said. “It’s just doing a nice fly by the Earth-moon system. No need to worry or panic that it’s gonna hit the Earth or anything like that.”

The space rock made its closest approach to Earth Saturday morning, passing at about three-quarters the distance from Earth to the moon. But it could be easier to see in the evening without interference from the sun’s blinding light.

“It’s pretty far away,” Florian said. “Space is really big and these objects are quite tiny. So you need to have everything lined up perfectly for an asteroid to actually hit the Earth.”

Edmonton’s Telus World of Science on June 29, 2024. (Hiba Kamal-Choufi, CityNews)

Asteroids the size of this latest one fly by about every 25 years or so. A 2,310-metre asteroid flew safely past Earth Thursday, but it was farther away and was only visible to professional telescopes.

This latest asteroid’s passing is happening one day before Asteroid Day, held annually on June 30.

Florian says it acts as a reminder of threats from space.

“Asteroids are out there and we need to watch for them, try to figure out where they are in the orbits, and make sure if there’s ever one in the collision course with the Earth, that we do something about it.”

Edmonton’s Telus World of Science observatory on June 29, 2024. (Hiba Kamal-Choufi, CityNews)

If you miss out, mark your calendar for April 13, 2029, when an asteroid called Apophis will fly by Earth and will be visible to the naked eye from parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.

–With files from The Associated Press

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2024-06-29 23:28:04Z
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Asteroid flying by Earth will be difficult to spot: expert - CityNews Edmonton

A skyscraper-sized asteroid may be whizzing between the Earth and the moon this weekend, but it may be hard to see – even with the right instruments.

That’s according to the senior manager of the planetarium and space sciences at Edmonton’s Telus World of Science.

Frank Florian says Canadians could have difficulty spotting the 2024 MK asteroid even with large telescopes. Viewers in the southern hemisphere will have a better chance of seeing it, he adds.

“This object itself is gonna be zipping by very, very quickly,” Florian said. “Those individuals that might be able to see it with their telescopes or through binoculars away from bright light, they might see it as moving fairly steadily across the sky. It’s not just gonna be sitting in one place so you constantly have to move the telescope to track it.”

Frank Florian, the the senior manager of the planetarium and space sciences at Edmonton’s Telus World of Science. (Hiba Kamal-Choufi, CityNews)

The asteroid was first spotted two weeks ago by a South African observatory and is about 120 metres to 260 metres wide.

It poses no risk to Earth.

“It’s a fairly sizeable rock in space,” Florian said. “It’s just doing a nice fly by the Earth-moon system. No need to worry or panic that it’s gonna hit the Earth or anything like that.”

The space rock made its closest approach to Earth Saturday morning, passing at about three-quarters the distance from Earth to the moon. But it could be easier to see in the evening without interference from the sun’s blinding light.

“It’s pretty far away,” Florian said. “Space is really big and these objects are quite tiny. So you need to have everything lined up perfectly for an asteroid to actually hit the Earth.”

Edmonton’s Telus World of Science on June 29, 2024. (Hiba Kamal-Choufi, CityNews)

Asteroids the size of this latest one fly by about every 25 years or so. A 2,310-metre asteroid flew safely past Earth Thursday, but it was farther away and was only visible to professional telescopes.

This latest asteroid’s passing is happening one day before Asteroid Day, held annually on June 30.

Florian says it acts as a reminder of threats from space.

“Asteroids are out there and we need to watch for them, try to figure out where they are in the orbits, and make sure if there’s ever one in the collision course with the Earth, that we do something about it.”

Edmonton’s Telus World of Science observatory on June 29, 2024. (Hiba Kamal-Choufi, CityNews)

If you miss out, mark your calendar for April 13, 2029, when an asteroid called Apophis will fly by Earth and will be visible to the naked eye from parts of Europe, Africa and Asia.

–With files from The Associated Press

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2024-06-29 23:27:57Z
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NASA insists Boeing Starliner crew 'not stranded' on ISS - Phys.org

Starliner docked with the ISS on June 6 for what was meant to be roughly a week-long stay, but their departure has been pushed back multiple times because of thruster malfunctions and helium leaks that came to light during the journey.

The first astronauts to fly Boeing's troubled Starliner are definitely not "stranded" at the International Space Station, NASA insisted Friday despite having no clear timeframe for bringing them home.

In an unusually defensive press call, officials attempted to put a positive spin on where things currently stood after weeks of negative headlines due to the spaceship's delayed return.

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams blasted off on June 5 following years of delays and safety scares affecting Starliner, as well as two aborted launch attempts that came as astronauts were strapped in and ready to go.

They docked the following day for what was meant to be roughly a week-long stay, but their return has been pushed back multiple times because of thruster malfunctions and helium leaks that came to light during the journey.

"Butch and Suni are not stranded in space," declared Steve Stich, NASA's commercial crew program manager.

He added the pair were "enjoying their time on the space station" and "our plan is to continue to return them on Starliner and return them home at the right time."

Before that can happen, however, ground teams need to run more testing to better understand the root causes.

It was known there was one helium leak affecting Starliner before the launch, but more leaks emerged during the flight. While non-combustible, helium provides pressure to the propulsion system.

Separately, some of Starliner's thrusters that provide fine maneuvering initially failed to kick in, delaying docking. Engineers are not sure why Starliner's computer "deselected" these thrusters, though they were able to restart all but one of them.

The thruster testing could begin July 2 and would last at least two weeks, said Stich.

"It is pretty painful to read the things that are out there," added Mark Nappi, Boeing's vice president and program manager of its Commercial Crew Program.

"We've gotten a really good test flight that's been accomplished so far, and it's being viewed rather negatively."

Teething issues with new spaceships aren't uncommon, with the Space Shuttle program facing its share of problems in its early days.

But the Starliner program has suffered from comparisons to SpaceX's Crew Dragon. Both companies were awarded multibillion dollar contracts in 2014 to provide the US space agency with rides to the ISS, with SpaceX succeeding in 2020 and carrying dozens of people since.

Aerospace giant Boeing's reputation has also nosedived in the wake of the safety scandal surrounding its 737 Max passenger jets.

© 2024 AFP

Citation: NASA insists Boeing Starliner crew 'not stranded' on ISS (2024, June 29) retrieved 29 June 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2024-06-nasa-insists-boeing-starliner-crew.html

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2024-06-29 12:00:01Z
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NASA astronauts will stay at the space station longer for more troubleshooting of Boeing capsule - Phys.org

This photo provided by NASA shows the Starliner spacecraft docked to the Harmony module of the International Space Station, orbiting 262 miles above Egypt's Mediterranean coast, on June 13, 2024. Credit: NASA via AP

Two NASA astronauts will stay longer at the International Space Station as engineers troubleshoot problems on Boeing's new space capsule that cropped up on the trip there.

NASA on Friday did not set a return date until testing on the ground was complete and said the astronauts were safe.

"We're not in any rush to come home," said NASA's commercial crew program manager Steve Stich.

Veteran NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams blasted off aboard Boeing's Starliner capsule for the orbiting laboratory on June 5. It was the first astronaut launch for Boeing after years of delays and setbacks.

The test flight was expected to last a week or so, enough time for Wilmore and Williams to check out the capsule while docked at the station. But problems with the capsule's propulsion system, used to maneuver the spacecraft, prompted NASA and Boeing to delay the flight home several times while they analyzed the trouble.

They also wanted to avoid conflicting with spacewalks by station astronauts. But a spacewalk this week was canceled after water leaked from an astronaut's spacesuit. The issue hasn't been resolved and the planned spacewalk next week was postponed.

As Starliner closed in on the space station a day after launch, last-minute thruster failures almost derailed the docking. Five of the capsule's 28 thrusters went down during docking; all but one thruster was restarted.

In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, center, pose with Expedition 71 Flight Engineers Mike Barratt, left, and Tracy Dyson, both NASA astronauts, in their spacesuits aboard the International Space Station's Quest airlock on June 24, 2024. Credit: NASA via AP

Starliner already had one small helium leak when it rocketed into orbit and several more leaks sprung up during the flight. Helium is used to pressurize fuel for the thrusters. Boeing said this week that the two problems aren't a concern for the return trip.

In delaying the astronauts' return, NASA and Boeing said they needed more time to collect information about the thruster trouble and leaks while the capsule was docked. Both are in the service module, a unit attached to the capsule that burns up during reentry.

NASA initially said the Starliner could stay docked at the space station for up to 45 days due to battery limits. But in-flight tests have shown that limit can be extended, Stich said.

Officials said they won't set a return date while they do ground tests of capsule thrusters in the New Mexico desert, which were expected to last a couple of weeks. They want to try to replicate the situation that occurred during docking.

"I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space," said Stich, adding that Starliner is designed for a mission of up to 210 days.

In this photo provided by NASA, Boeing Crew Flight Test astronauts Butch Wilmore, left, and Suni Williams pose for a portrait inside the vestibule between the forward port on the International Space Station's Harmony module and Boeing's Starliner spacecraft on June 13, 2024. Credit: NASA via AP

Stich said the astronauts could return to Earth in Starliner in the case of a space station emergency.

After the space shuttle fleet retired, NASA turned over astronaut rides to private companies. Elon Musk's SpaceX has made nine taxi flights for NASA since 2020. NASA plans to alternate between SpaceX and Boeing in ferrying crews to and from the space station.

© 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Citation: NASA astronauts will stay at the space station longer for more troubleshooting of Boeing capsule (2024, June 29) retrieved 29 June 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2024-06-nasa-astronauts-stay-space-station.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

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2024-06-29 08:56:13Z
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No return date yet for NASA astronauts who launched to space station aboard Boeing’s capsule - CityNews Kitchener

Two NASA astronauts will stay longer at the International Space Station as engineers troubleshoot problems on Boeing’s new space capsule that cropped up on the trip there.

NASA on Friday did not set a return date until testing on the ground was complete and said the astronauts were safe.

“We’re not in any rush to come home,” said NASA’s commercial crew program manager Steve Stich.

Veteran NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams blasted off aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule for the orbiting laboratory on June 5. It was the first astronaut launch for Boeing after years of delays and setbacks.

The test flight was expected to last a week or so, enough time for Wilmore and Williams to check out the capsule while docked at the station. But problems with the capsule’s propulsion system, used to maneuver the spacecraft, prompted NASA and Boeing to delay the flight home several times while they analyzed the trouble.

They also wanted to avoid conflicting with spacewalks by station astronauts.

As Starliner closed in on the space station a day after launch, last-minute thruster failures almost derailed the docking. Five of the capsule’s 28 thrusters went down during docking; all but one thruster was restarted.

Starliner already had one small helium leak when it rocketed into orbit and several more leaks sprung up during the flight. Helium is used to pressurize fuel for the thrusters. Boeing said this week that the two problems aren’t a concern for the return trip.

In delaying the astronauts’ return, NASA and Boeing said they needed more time to collect information about the thruster trouble and leaks while the capsule was docked. Both are in the service module, a unit attached to the capsule that burns up during reentry.

After the space shuttle fleet retired, NASA turned over astronaut rides to private companies. Elon Musk’s SpaceX has made nine taxi flights for NASA since 2020. NASA plans to alternate between SpaceX and Boeing in ferrying crews to and from the space station.

___

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Adithi Ramakrishnan, The Associated Press

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2024-06-28 18:41:26Z
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China's Chang'e-6 collects 1,935.3 grams of samples from the moon's far side - CGTN America

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Elon Musk's SpaceX wins $843 million to deorbit International Space Station - The Times of India

Elon Musk's SpaceX has won a $843 million contract from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to build a spacecraft that will safely deorbit the International Space Station (ISS) to its planned destruction around 2030.

What the NASA- SpaceX contract says?

Under the NASA contract, SpaceX will build a US Deorbit Vehicle to deorbit the space station and avoid risks to populated areas.NASA will take ownership of the craft and handle the deorbiting operation.
ISS is a football field-sized research lab, led primarily by the United States and Russia, and has been continuously staffed with government astronauts during its some 24 years of operation. Due to its aging components, NASA and its foreign partners have planned to destroy and deorbit it in 2030.
Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington said in a press release, “Selecting a U.S. Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations. This decision also supports NASA’s plans for future commercial destinations and allows for the continued use of space near Earth.”
To maintain its presence in the cosmic region, US' NASA is funding early development of privately built space stations in low-earth orbit like Airbus and Jeff Bezos' Blue origin.

ISS's breakdown process

As per agencies, ISS disintegration is expected to unfold in three different stages:
- Detachment of solar arrays and radiators crucial for maintaining the ISS' temperature.
- Separation of individual modules from the truss, the station's backbone structure
- Disintegrating the truss and modules
NASA has reportedly identified Point Nemo in the Pacific Ocean as the landing site for the ISS debris.

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2024-06-28 06:10:00Z
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Alberta tech company Wyvern hopes to build a better Earth from space - Global News Toronto

An Edmonton-based space tech company made up of University of Alberta alumni is uncovering new insight into the planet with the first-ever commercial hyperspectral satellite.

But what exactly is that? It sounds complicated but Chris Robson, the co-founder and CEO of Wyvern, offered a simple way to think about it.

“Imagine if you and I were on an airplane looking down. We would see forests and rivers and mountains, but if you could see with hyperspectral eyes, you wouldn’t just see a forest,” Robson said.

“You would see all the species of trees, you would see if there’s a pine beetle infestation, you would see how much water, moisture is in the dirt, in the vegetation.”

Robson holds a masters in mechanical engineering from the U of A, where he studied aerodynamic attitude control systems.

Courtesy: Wyvern

A hyperspectral map looks like an infrared heat map — but in the case of the map pictured above, different colours represent things like moisture levels, vegetation, and a camouflage vehicle hiding on the edge of a forest.

More on Science and Tech

“These colour bands are the things that allow you to figure out what sort of chemistry is going on and is happening inside of a pixel,” Robson said.

Courtesy: Wyvern

According to Robson, the types of hyperspectral images above can be useful for all sorts of sectors, including agriculture, mining, insurance and government defence.

“If you’re in forestry, it’s figuring out exactly what sort of timber inventory you have or the risk of wildfire. If you’re in energy it’s environmental remediation, it’s also measuring how much methane is leaking from your infrastructure,” Robson said.

Breaking news from Canada and around the world sent to your email, as it happens.

“There’s lots of applications; with hyperspectral there are literally thousands.”

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Images are captured using Wyvern’s Dragonette satellites. The company said it’s a game-changer for the industry — the first commercial hyperspectral satellite company in the world.

“We started this with a goal of building a better Earth from space by being able to figure out exactly what’s going on earth on any given day,” Robson said.

Wyvern launched its first three Dragonette satellites last year, aboard SpaceX rockets.

Its satellites orbit Earth 15 times a day and visit the same place on Earth every three days. It takes up to six hours to get one image.

“We have three more satellites on the way right now that’ll bring the current constellation up to six,” said Callie Lissinna, engineer and co-founder of Wyvern who also has a degree in mechanical engineering with a mathematics minor from the University of Alberta.

The team said their satellites are a cheaper alternative to drone imagery.

“It takes a lot of work to cover a very small area with a drone. Our satellites can take a 400-square-kilometre image in a few seconds,” Robson said.

“We can discover all kinds of new insights about the world, now that we have this brand-new information available for the first time,” Lissinna said.

&copy 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.

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2024-06-27 21:00:08Z
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NASA gives SpaceX the privilege of crashing the ISS into the sea - Engadget

SpaceX just won a $843 million contract to, basically, crash the International Space Station (ISS) into the sea. It’s part of a NASA program to safely deorbit the ISS within the next ten years.

The ISS has been continuously operating since 1998 and, like all things, has been aging. The space station is due to end its orbital tenure in or around 2030. However, NASA doesn’t want the whole thing just careening into Earth’s atmosphere, throwing dangerous junk everywhere like season two of Breaking Bad. The agency wants a nice and controlled re-entry. That’s where SpaceX comes in.

According to the terms of the contract, SpaceX will develop a spacecraft called the “US Deorbit Vehicle” to safely bring the ISS back to Earth without any undue risk to population centers. SpaceX’s rocket will guide it into the Pacific Ocean, where it can bother a bunch of fish and not humans.

The ISS isn’t heading to just any part of the Pacific Ocean. It’s going to the spookily-namd “spacecraft cemetery,” which is an uninhabited area between New Zealand and South America that’s absolutely littered with the remains of space stuff. All told, nearly 300 spacefaring vehicles have been laid to rest in this section of the ocean, including capsules, cargo craft, rockets and more. Many of these ships were actually used to reach the ISS, so this will be a homecoming, of a sort.

The project won’t be easy for SpaceX. The ISS is nearly a million pounds and is too massive to burn up upon re-entry. The company’s deorbiting vehicle is expected to take several years to both develop and test. The ISS will undergo a phased disintegration, meaning that the process should unfold in three stages. The rocket will first guide the solar arrays and radiators to the sea, followed by the individual modules and, finally, the primary structure, typically called the truss.

“Selecting a US Deorbit Vehicle for the International Space Station will help NASA and its international partners ensure a safe and responsible transition in low Earth orbit at the end of station operations,” said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator for Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters.

The ISS is the largest structure ever built in space and was a collaborative effort between the US, Europe, Japan, Canada and Russia. The US and its partners promise to maintain operations right to the end, but Russia’s commitment finishes in 2028. The space station costs around $3.1 billion per year to run. It is hoped that the private space industry will pick up the slack here, constructing orbiting stations that astronauts can use on a pay-per-visit basis.

To that end, plenty of private organizations have previewed their own space stations. Vast and SpaceX plan to launch one in 2025 and Blue Origin has a station called Orbital Reef preparing for launch toward the latter part of the decade. Voyager, Lockheed Martin and Nanoracks don't expect to operate their Starlab facility until at least 2027.

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2024-06-27 15:58:05Z
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'Power rivalry in space': China lunar mission fuels US misinformation - Phys.org

A barrage of space misinformation risks stoking anti-US perceptions in China.

A historic lunar mission has demonstrated China's growing scientific prowess, but the feat has set off a torrent of misinformation targeting the United States that researchers say reflects their bitter competition in space.

China is celebrating the return of the Chang'e 6 probe to Earth on Tuesday bearing rock-and-soil samples from the little-known far side of the moon, following a 53-day mission that reignited old conspiracy theories about NASA's Apollo moon landings.

AFP's fact-checkers have debunked a litany of Chinese-language posts suggesting NASA's historic mission in 1969 –- that first landed humans on the moon—was staged as well as posts misrepresenting decades-old photos from subsequent landings.

The falsehoods, researchers say, risk stoking anti-US perceptions in China amid already fraught relations between Washington and Beijing, as the superpowers engage in an intensifying space race.

"There is undeniably a great power rivalry in space between the US and China, and any kind of misinformation about the activities by either country is concerning," Saadia M. Pekkanen, from the University of Washington, told AFP.

"It is yet another way that the potential for space diplomacy can be negated in the geopolitical competition between the two countries."

When China's National Space Agency released a photo of a stone-made Chinese flag erected on the moon's far side by Chang'e-6 in early June, users on social media platform X compared it with an image of NASA astronaut Harrison H. Schmitt standing next to a US flag on the lunar surface in 1972.

Posting to tens of thousands of followers, they falsely suggested the Apollo 16 mission must have been staged because Schmitt's cloth flag was pictured being "blown" by the wind—despite NASA's explanation that it used a horizontal bar to hold it upright.

'Insecurity'

Posts comparing the images on China's Weibo platform attracted a flood of comments, with one user with more than 13 million followers writing that the photos proved that "Americans did not land on the moon".

Other users shared a photo of the German band Rammstein dressed as astronauts with their helmets off, with one sarcastic caption on Weibo reading: "Now you believe that the US moon landing was real."

Decades-old photos from NASA's Apollo missions in the late 1960s and early 1970s have also been recycled by social media users claiming they were actually from China's groundbreaking lunar mission.

Beijing has poured huge resources into its space program over the past decade in a bid to close the gap with the United States and Russia.

China aims to send a crewed mission to the moon by 2030 and plans to build a base on the lunar surface, while the United States is also planning to put astronauts back on the moon by 2026 with its Artemis 3 mission.

China's historic moon landing signifies its growing space prowess.

It was not clear whether the misinformation was fueled by Chinese state-backed actors, but the rapid spread on tightly controlled social networks has raised questions about their possible support or involvement.

"Beijing sometimes lets anti-American sentiments and false information run rampant on the Chinese internet, to allow for an escape valve for domestic tensions, and to modulate Chinese citizens' views," Isaac Stone Fish, chief executive of China-focused data company Strategy Risks, told AFP.

"Allowing conspiracy theories on the US moon landing to fester may reflect insecurity on Beijing's part on the space race between China and the United States."

'Spread a lie'

Researchers say the misinformation campaign suggests a frequent tactic of recycling existing conspiracy theories to sow online distrust.

"There is a large online community that is happy to talk about the moon landing conspiracy," Darren Linvill, from Clemson University, told AFP.

"If this audience can be harnessed to spread a lie that puts China in a more positive light, that is all the better for China."

Chinese state media coverage strongly praising the Chang'e-6 probe's success has simultaneously been critical of the United States.

Washington has warned that Beijing's space program is being used to mask military objectives and an effort to establish dominance in space.

The nationalist Global Times newspaper reported that the Chang'e-6 mission demonstrated China's "open and inclusive attitude toward international cooperation" in contrast to the United States, which it said was "busy chanting the 'China threat' in a so-called space race".

Against this backdrop, AFP debunked Chinese-language posts on Facebook, Weibo, TikTok and its Chinese sister app Douyin quoting the White House press secretary as saying that the US and China landed on "different moons" after being asked why the Chang'e-6 found "no traces" of NASA's mission.

The exchange was entirely fabricated.

"Chinese people can be justifiably proud of their lunar module's historic trip to collect samples," Stone Fish said.

"They don't need to fall victim to the old conspiracy theory that the US has staged moon landings."

© 2024 AFP

Citation: 'Power rivalry in space': China lunar mission fuels US misinformation (2024, June 27) retrieved 27 June 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2024-06-power-rivalry-space-china-lunar.html

This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

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2024-06-27 08:20:35Z
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Mountain-size 'planet killer' asteroid will make a close approach to Earth today — and you can watch it live - Livescience.com

A massive "planet killer" asteroid will make a very close approach to Earth today (June 27), safely zipping past our planet at around 58,000 mph (93,000 km/h). The "potentially hazardous," mountain-size object is one of the largest space rocks to pass close to Earth in more than a century — and you can watch the close encounter live. 

The asteroid, 2011 UL21, is a near-Earth asteroid, meaning its orbit occasionally puts it within 1.3 astronomical units (AU) of the sun — or roughly 1.3 times the average distance between Earth and the sun. 

It orbits our home star once every three years. Based on past observations, the space rock is somewhere between 1.1 and 2.4 miles (1.7 to 3.9 kilometers) wide, according to SpaceReference.org, meaning it's larger than 99% of known near-Earth asteroids, according to the European Space Agency (ESA). 

2011 UL21 is likely at least 10 times smaller than the largest space rock to ever hit Earth, the Vredefort asteroid, and around five times smaller than the rock that wiped out the dinosaurs around 66 million years ago.

However, while any potential impact from 2011 UL21 would be less extreme than these historic collisions, the asteroid still has the potential to cause damage on a continental scale and eject enough debris into the atmosphere to trigger significant climatic changes, which is why it is considered a "planet killer."    

Asteroid 2011 UL21 will zoom past at around 4.1 million miles (6.6 million km) from Earth, which is closer than it's been to our planet for at least 110 years, according to simulations by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). At this distance, it is considered a potentially hazardous object by NASA. However, this is still around 17 times farther away from our planet than the moon.

The predicted orbit of potentially hazardous asteroid 2011 UL21. (Image credit: Gianluca Masi, Virtual Telescope Project)

Although the space rock poses no threat to Earth — either now or in the future — it is interesting because it's probably one of the 10 biggest asteroids to pass within 4.7 million miles (7.5 million km) of our planet since 1900, Gianluca Masi, an astrophysicist and director of the Virtual Telescope Project (VTP), wrote in a recent statement.

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Related: 'Planet killer' asteroids are hiding in the sun's glare. Can we stop them in time?

You can watch 2011 UL21's closest approach thanks to a free livestream from the VTP, which will share the view of the asteroid from the Bellatrix Astronomical Observatory in Ceccano, Italy. The stream begins at 4 p.m. ET on June 27, with the close approach predicted to occur 15 minutes later.

You may also be able to spot the asteroid in the night sky with a decent telescope. It will be at its brightest on June 28 and June 29 and should be visible from the Northern Hemisphere if you know where to look. At its brightest, it will have a similar brightness to Proxima Centauri — the nearest known star to the sun, according to VTP.

2011 UL21 will not get this close to Earth again until 2089, when the space rock will get to within 1.7 million miles (2.7 million km) of our planet — more than two and a half times closer to us than its current approach, according to JPL simulations.

There is zero chance that any known planet killer asteroid will slam into Earth for at least the next 1,000 years. However, there will be some close calls with smaller asteroids in the next few years. For example, the asteroid Apophis, which is big enough to wipe out an entire city, will zip past Earth closer than some satellites in 2029. 

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Watch Live as Two Rare Asteroids Fly by Earth at Close Range This Week - ScienceAlert

Two rare asteroids will zoom past Earth at close range this week, within just 42 hours of each other.

Due to their size and trajectory, both of these space rocks are labeled "potentially hazardous." But that doesn't mean they pose an immediate threat to Earth.

In fact, both of them will safely fly by at thousands of miles per hour. There's a zero percent chance that either will collide with our planet, according to the European Space Agency.

Neither of these asteroids will be visible to the naked eye, but you may be able to spot them with a telescope or binoculars, Gianluca Masi, astrophysicist and founder of The Virtual Telescope Project, told Business Insider over email.

Or, you can watch them via livestreams hosted by The Virtual Telescope Project:

Use this link to watch Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21 streak past Earth on Thursday, June 27, starting at 4:00 pm ET.

And this link to watch Asteroid 2024 MK fly by on Saturday, June 29, starting at 5:00 pm ET.

Mountain-sized Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21

Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21 is one of the largest asteroids to have recently passed near Earth, Masi wrote in a press statement.

With an estimated diameter of roughly 1.4 miles, this mountain-sized space rock is larger than 99% of all known near-Earth objects, according to the European Space Agency.

Asteroid (415029) 2011 UL21 is enormous but its closest approach to Earth is comfortably far. (European Space Agency)

Asteroid 2011 UL21 falls into a class of space rocks known as "planet killers," which are at least 1.2 miles wide. If one crashed into Earth, it would cause damage on a continental scale, and potentially kick up enough dust to trigger significant climatic changes for many years, LiveScience reported.

The Chicxulub asteroid, for example, credited with the dinosaurs' demise was about 6.5 miles across and triggered global warming for an estimated 100,000 years after impact.

If a "planet killer" asteroid like 2011 UL21 collided with Earth, it could cause a mass extinction event. (Science Photo Library/Canva Pro)

Luckily, 2011 UL21 won't be coming close enough to cause any concern on Thursday. It'll sneak by Earth at a safe distance of more than 4 million miles, which is 17 times farther than the distance between Earth and the moon, Masi wrote.

But this fly-by is noteworthy because 2011 UL21 will be among the top 10 largest asteroids to pass by Earth at close range in the last 125 years, he added.

Newly discovered Asteroid 2024 MK

Asteroid 2024 MK is about the size of a football field and will pass relatively close to Earth. (European Space Agency)

Asteroid 2024 MK was first discovered earlier this month, just 13 days before it will pass by Earth at remarkably close range, according to the European Space Agency.

It's much smaller than 2011 UL21, with an estimated diameter between 390 and 885 feet. That's roughly the length of one to 2.5 football fields.

This animated map shows how close Asteroid 2024 MK will get to Earth during its upcoming close flyby. (European Space Agency)

But what this asteroid lacks in size, it should make up for in brightness. It will come within 184,000 miles of Earth, which is about 77% of the average distance between the Earth and the moon, Masi wrote.

It's close proximity will make it one of the brightest objects of its kind observed in recent history, he added.

This article was originally published by Business Insider.

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