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Magnetic Fields Weave Rings …
Title Magnetic Fields Weave Rings Around Stars
New View of Primordial Heliu …
Title New View of Primordial Helium Traces the Structure of Early Universe
Build Your Own Space Scrapbo …
Title Build Your Own Space Scrapbook
General Information What is an American Astronomical Society Meeting release? A major news announcement issued at an American Astronomical Society meeting, the premier astronomy conference. Back to top [ #top ]
Green Summer and Icy Winter …
PIA02645
Sol (our sun)
Multi-angle Imaging SpectroR …
Title Green Summer and Icy Winter in James Bay
Original Caption Released with Image One year ago, in late February 2000, MISR began acquiring Earth imagery. Its "first light" images showed a frozen James Bay in the Ontario-Quebec region of Canada. These more recent nadir-camera views of the same area illuminate stark contrasts between summer and winter. The left-hand image was acquired on August 9, 2000 (Terra orbit 3427), and the right-hand image is from January 16, 2001 (Terra orbit 5757). James Bay lies at the southern end of Hudson Bay. It is named for the English explorer Thomas James, who first explored the area in 1631 while searching for the Northwest Passage. Visible in these images are some of the many rivers that flow into the bay, starting at the southern tip and moving clockwise on the western side are the Harricana, Moose, Albany, and Attawapiskat. The latter enters the bay just to the west of the large, crescent-shaped Akimiski Island. MISR was built and is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Office of Earth Science, Washington, DC. The Terra satellite is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology.
Microwave Hotspots: The Olde …
Title Microwave Hotspots: The Oldest Structures Known
Explanation These spots are the oldest, most distant structures known. They are seen on the above two images of the microwave sky, north and south of our galaxy's equator, based on four-year's worth of data from NASA's COsmic Background Explorer [ http://space.gsfc.nasa.gov/astro/cobe/ed_resources.html ] (COBE) satellite (1989-1993). The spots represent temperature variations in the early universe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000503.html ]. As our universe expanded and cooled [ http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/Cosmos/CosmicMysteryTour.html ], conglomerations of mass formed. These COBE images [ http://space.gsfc.nasa.gov/astro/cobe/slide_captions.html ] confirmed that only a million years after the big-bang - which occurred roughly 15 billion years ago - parts of the universe [ http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/AppA/A1.html ] were visibly hotter than other parts. By studying the size and distribution [ http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/ApJ/journal/issues/ApJL/v464n1/5018/sc0.html ] of the spots found on the microwave background [ http://www.astro.ubc.ca/people/scott/faq_basic.html ], astronomers hope to learn what matter and processes caused the spots to form - and hence determine the composition, density, and future of our Universe [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/debate/debate98.html ]. Results from recent measurements [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000509.html ] of the cosmic microwave background are consistent with a universe stranger [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap980302.html ] than previously thought, possibly filled with unexpected [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap981230.html ] forms of dark matter and dark energy [ http://xxx.lanl.gov/abs/astro-ph/9912211 ]. A more detailed analysis might result after NASA [ http://www.nasa.gov/ ]'s Microwave Anisotropy Probe [ http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/ ] is launched in 2001.
EUVE Sky Map
Title EUVE Sky Map
Explanation The stars beyond [ http://www.anzwers.org/free/universe/index.html ] the Sun and the distant galaxies should be undetectable at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths [ http://imagers.gsfc.nasa.gov/ems/uv.html ]. At least that was the conventional wisdom when it was first realized that the space between the stars is filled with hydrogen [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap010113.html ], a strong absorber of extreme ultraviolet light. But this idea was seriously questioned as it became apparent that interstellar hydrogen was patchy [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap000412.html ] in its distribution [ http://www.sigmaxi.org/amsci/articles/00articles/ frischintro.html ] and the quest to explore [ http://ssl.berkeley.edu/euve/sci/EUVE.html ] the extreme ultraviolet sky culminated in 1992 with the launch of the EUVE [ http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/euve/euve.html ] (Extreme UltraViolet Explorer) spacecraft. An all-sky map, based on [ http://130.167.1.148/euve/survey.html ] the satellite's first six months of operation, appears above showing brightness variations in the EUV sky [ http://130.167.1.148/euve/gallery.html ] in false color (north is up). EUVE's scanning by orbit gives the picture [ http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/slideshow/html/12.html ] a striped look while other instrument artifacts are seen as crosses and data gaps are dark. Multiple images of the Moon [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap020130.html ] combine to form the short, bright dashed lines wandering along the middle of the picture. The belt stars of the familiar constellation Orion [ http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap990220.html ] are fairly easy to make out left of picture center. EUVE's science operations ceased in 2001 but it ultimately detected [ http://adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-bib_query? bibcode=2000ARA%26A..38..231B&db_key=AST&high=38cec9274908805 ] nearly 1,000 celestial objects, including over three dozen outside [ http://130.167.1.148/euve/science/ Resources_high_981201_sld002.htm ] our own galaxy. EUVE's voyage of discovery [ http://130.167.1.148/euve/sci_highlights.html ] is now complete, and the spacecraft re-entered [ ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/2002/02-019.txt ] the Earth's atmosphere yesterday at approximately 11:15 p.m. EST.
Artist's Concept of Deep Spa …
Title Artist's Concept of Deep Space 1 Encounter with Comet Borrelly
Description Press Release September 18, 2001 Veteran Spacecraft Attempts to Earn Extra Credit at Comet Like a slugger trying to pile up extra home runs after breaking the world record, a venerable NASA spacecraft already famed for bringing science fiction's ion-engine technology to life is preparing to fly daringly close to a comet on Saturday, Sept. 22. Deep Space 1, which has already completed a highly successful mission testing a number of advanced spacecraft technologies, will attempt to pass inside the mostly unknown environment just 2,000 kilometers (about 1,200 miles) from the nucleus of comet Borrelly at 2230 Universal time (3:30 p.m. PDT) on Sept. 22."It has been a tremendously rewarding effort for the small Deep Space 1 team to keep this aged and wounded bird aloft," said Dr. Marc Rayman, project manager of Deep Space 1 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "Its mission to test new technologies is already highly successful and any science we get at the comet will be a terrific bonus." By the time of the flyby Deep Space 1 will have completed three times its intended lifetime in space and its primary mission to test ion propulsion and 11 other high-risk, advanced technologies in September 1999. NASA extended the mission, taking advantage of the ion propulsion and other systems to target a chancy but exciting encounter with Borrelly. The spacecraft may tell us more about comets and their place in the solar system. The robotic explorer will attempt to investigate the comet's environment when it tries to fly through the cloud of gas and dust surrounding the comet's nucleus, known as the coma. The risks involved in gathering science data are very high, so results of this latest venture are unpredictable. The spacecraft will be traveling through a cloud of gas, dust and comet pieces to collect its data. Since Deep Space 1 wasn't built to go to a comet, it does not carry a protective shield. "We expect to be hit by debris from the comet, and at 16.5 kilometers per second (about 36,900 mph), even a tiny particle might prove fatal," said Rayman. "But this is an adventure too exciting to pass up." If all goes well, scientists will use the comet chaser's measurements to find out the nature of Borrelly's surface and to measure and identify the gases coming from the comet. The spacecraft will also attempt to measure the interaction of solar wind with the comet, a process that leads to formation of the beautiful tail. Borrelly makes a good target for study now, as it is just 1.34 astronomical units (about 200 million kilometers or 125 million miles) from the Sun -- the closest it will get for another seven years. The Sun's heat will make the gases escaping from the nucleus flow faster and more thickly, so they will be easier to study. The icy nucleus and the spacecraft will flash past each other at 16.5 kilometers per second (more than 36,900 miles per hour). The flight team is also hoping that Deep Space 1 will have enough gas to get, to the comet. The long-lived spacecraft keeps itself pointed correctly by firing small thrusters fueled by hydrazine gas. When the hydrazine runs out, Deep Space 1 will be unable to keep itself pointed correctly, and the spacecraft will die. The flight team has an estimate of how much gas is left, but a few hours' worth of gas could make all the difference in the comet encounter. As it approaches the center of the coma, the spacecraft will face its greatest challenge: to obtain pictures and infrared measurements of the nucleus. Deep Space 1 can't tell exactly where the nucleus is or what it will look like. The craft will have to locate the nucleus on its own and try to point the camera toward it as it streaks by. In late 1999, Deep Space 1 lost its star tracker, which helps determine the spacecraft's orientation. Faced with what could have been a mission-terminating injury, the controllers performed a spectacular ultra-long-distance rescue. They reconfigured the spacecraft to use the photographic camera to orient itself by the stars around it. The camera cannot align the spacecraft and snap photos of Borrelly at the same time. Instead, Deep Space 1 will have to rely on its fiber-optic gyroscopes to help maintain its orientation. But the gyros are not accurate enough by themselves, so engineers designed complex new software to help the camera stay pointed at the comet's nucleus during the critical few minutes that the probe will be close enough to try to get a view of it. More information can be found online athttp://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds1/ [ http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds1/ ]http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds1/Deep Space 1 was launched in October 1998 as part of NASA's New Millennium Program, which is managed by JPL for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.
Date 05.09.2003
Artist's Concept of Deep Spa …
PIA04496
Star Tracker
Title Artist's Concept of Deep Space 1 Encounter with Comet Borrelly
Original Caption Released with Image Press Release September 18, 2001 Veteran Spacecraft Attempts to Earn Extra Credit at Comet Like a slugger trying to pile up extra home runs after breaking the world record, a venerable NASA spacecraft already famed for bringing science fiction's ion-engine technology to life is preparing to fly daringly close to a comet on Saturday, Sept. 22. Deep Space 1, which has already completed a highly successful mission testing a number of advanced spacecraft technologies, will attempt to pass inside the mostly unknown environment just 2,000 kilometers (about 1,200 miles) from the nucleus of comet Borrelly at 2230 Universal time (3:30 p.m. PDT) on Sept. 22."It has been a tremendously rewarding effort for the small Deep Space 1 team to keep this aged and wounded bird aloft," said Dr. Marc Rayman, project manager of Deep Space 1 at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. "Its mission to test new technologies is already highly successful and any science we get at the comet will be a terrific bonus." By the time of the flyby Deep Space 1 will have completed three times its intended lifetime in space and its primary mission to test ion propulsion and 11 other high-risk, advanced technologies in September 1999. NASA extended the mission, taking advantage of the ion propulsion and other systems to target a chancy but exciting encounter with Borrelly. The spacecraft may tell us more about comets and their place in the solar system. The robotic explorer will attempt to investigate the comet's environment when it tries to fly through the cloud of gas and dust surrounding the comet's nucleus, known as the coma. The risks involved in gathering science data are very high, so results of this latest venture are unpredictable. The spacecraft will be traveling through a cloud of gas, dust and comet pieces to collect its data. Since Deep Space 1 wasn't built to go to a comet, it does not carry a protective shield. "We expect to be hit by debris from the comet, and at 16.5 kilometers per second (about 36,900 mph), even a tiny particle might prove fatal," said Rayman. "But this is an adventure too exciting to pass up." If all goes well, scientists will use the comet chaser's measurements to find out the nature of Borrelly's surface and to measure and identify the gases coming from the comet. The spacecraft will also attempt to measure the interaction of solar wind with the comet, a process that leads to formation of the beautiful tail. Borrelly makes a good target for study now, as it is just 1.34 astronomical units (about 200 million kilometers or 125 million miles) from the Sun -- the closest it will get for another seven years. The Sun's heat will make the gases escaping from the nucleus flow faster and more thickly, so they will be easier to study. The icy nucleus and the spacecraft will flash past each other at 16.5 kilometers per second (more than 36,900 miles per hour). The flight team is also hoping that Deep Space 1 will have enough gas to get, to the comet. The long-lived spacecraft keeps itself pointed correctly by firing small thrusters fueled by hydrazine gas. When the hydrazine runs out, Deep Space 1 will be unable to keep itself pointed correctly, and the spacecraft will die. The flight team has an estimate of how much gas is left, but a few hours' worth of gas could make all the difference in the comet encounter. As it approaches the center of the coma, the spacecraft will face its greatest challenge: to obtain pictures and infrared measurements of the nucleus. Deep Space 1 can't tell exactly where the nucleus is or what it will look like. The craft will have to locate the nucleus on its own and try to point the camera toward it as it streaks by. In late 1999, Deep Space 1 lost its star tracker, which helps determine the spacecraft's orientation. Faced with what could have been a mission-terminating injury, the controllers performed a spectacular ultra-long-distance rescue. They reconfigured the spacecraft to use the photographic camera to orient itself by the stars around it. The camera cannot align the spacecraft and snap photos of Borrelly at the same time. Instead, Deep Space 1 will have to rely on its fiber-optic gyroscopes to help maintain its orientation. But the gyros are not accurate enough by themselves, so engineers designed complex new software to help the camera stay pointed at the comet's nucleus during the critical few minutes that the probe will be close enough to try to get a view of it. More information can be found online at http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds1/ [ http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds1/ ]http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds1/ Deep Space 1 was launched in October 1998 as part of NASA's New Millennium Program, which is managed by JPL for NASA's Office of Space Science, Washington. The California Institute of Technology in Pasadena manages JPL for NASA.
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