[Spacetalk] https://www.nasa.gov/index.html; https://spaceflightnow.com

[Gabe Gabrielle]

hi all,

 HAPPY EASTER and HAPPY PASSOVER to all who celebrate…one of the most amazing things I have learned in traveling around the world speaking with kids is... they are all the same….it is surreal…it can be India, Australia, Norway, Denmark, Singapore, Trinidad, Brazil, Egypt, Sweden, Pakistan, South Africa…it doesn’t matter…they dress differently, speak different languages, come from different cultures…but they act exactly the same…when I see how they interface with each other, how they smile, how they give hugs, how they genuinely care in their innocence…it is absolutely amazing…so I always suggest we share in each others Holidays, recognize the special events that unite us in our day to day lives…and learn to get along as adults they way we do as kids… 

 So much of the space program is focused on Perseverance on Mars…the pictures and videos have simply been amazing….so clear, so “real”, it is like we are there…with so much more to come…we are all awaiting the first flight of Ingenuity, the little helicopter which will make its first flight this month, tentatively scheduled for April 8th…it will be spectacular to see this fly on Mars, taking videos to share with us while looking ahead for areas of interest that Perseverance will explore…all of which will be shared through amazing pictures and videos…I hope you can find time to share this special event in the classroom…it will be such a huge step in exploration… 

The Spaced Program has many missions and events to share…it is an exciting time with so many opportunities for kids to get involved as well as find careers in their future…from cook to astronaut and everything in between…the space program is growing so much…internationally and commercially…

We have to stay positive and always be thankful… remembering to do our best, enjoy everything we do, believe in ourselves, and let those we care about most know (I always say this, we all need to take it to heart) …hugs & smiles... :-) :-) STAY SAFE, TAKE CARE, Love ya, Gabe


NASA Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Prepares for First Flight
 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia24466_mars_helicopter.jpg>
An illustration of NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter flying on Mars
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
NASA is targeting no earlier than April 8 for the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter to make the first attempt at powered, controlled flight of an aircraft on another planet. Before the 4-pound (1.8-kilogram) rotorcraft can attempt its first flight, however, both it and its team must meet a series of daunting milestones.

Ingenuity remains attached to the belly of NASA’s Perseverance rover, which touched down on Mars Feb. 18. On March 21, the rover deployed the guitar case-shaped graphite composite debris shield that protected Ingenuity during landing. The rover currently is in transit to the “airfield” where Ingenuity will attempt to fly. Once deployed, Ingenuity will have 30 Martian days, or sols, (31 Earth days) to conduct its test flight campaign.
“When NASA’s Sojourner rover landed on Mars in 1997, it proved that roving the Red Planet was possible and completely redefined our approach to how we explore Mars. Similarly, we want to learn about the potential Ingenuity has for the future of science research,” said Lori Glaze, director of the Planetary Science Division at NASA Headquarters. “Aptly named, Ingenuity is a technology demonstration that aims to be the first powered flight on another world and, if successful, could further expand our horizons and broaden the scope of what is possible with Mars exploration.”
Flying in a controlled manner on Mars is far more difficult than flying on Earth. The Red Planet has significant gravity (about one-third that of Earth’s) but its atmosphere is just 1% as dense as Earth’s at the surface. During Martian daytime, the planet’s surface receives only about half the amount of solar energy that reaches Earth during its daytime, and nighttime temperatures can drop as low as minus 130 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 90 degrees Celsius), which can freeze and crack unprotected electrical components.
To fit within the available accommodations provided by the Perseverance rover, the Ingenuity helicopter must be small. To fly in the Mars environment, it must be lightweight. To survive the frigid Martian nights, it must have enough energy to power internal heaters. The system – from the performance of its rotors in rarified air to its solar panels, electrical heaters, and other components – has been tested and retested in the vacuum chambers and test labs of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.
“Every step we have taken since this journey began six years ago has been uncharted territory in the history of aircraft,” said Bob Balaram, Mars Helicopter chief engineer at JPL. “And while getting deployed to the surface will be a big challenge, surviving that first night on Mars alone, without the rover protecting it and keeping it powered, will be an even bigger one.”
Deploying the Helicopter
Before Ingenuity takes its first flight on Mars, it must be squarely in the middle of its airfield – a 33-by-33-foot (10-by-10-meter) patch of Martian real estate chosen for its flatness and lack of obstructions. Once the helicopter and rover teams confirm that Perseverance is situated exactly where they want it to be inside the airfield, the elaborate process to deploy the helicopter on the surface of Mars begins.  
“As with everything with the helicopter, this type of deployment has never been done before,” said Farah Alibay, Mars Helicopter integration lead for the Perseverance rover. “Once we start the deployment there is no turning back. All activities are closely coordinated, irreversible, and dependent on each other. If there is even a hint that something isn’t going as expected, we may decide to hold off for a sol or more until we have a better idea what is going on.”
The helicopter deployment process <https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8699/how-nasas-mars-helicopter-will-reach-the-red-planets-surface/> will take about six sols (six days, four hours on Earth). On the first sol, the team on Earth will activate a bolt-breaking device, releasing a locking mechanism that helped hold the helicopter firmly against the rover’s belly during launch and Mars landing. The following sol, they will fire a cable-cutting pyrotechnic device, enabling the mechanized arm that holds Ingenuity to begin rotating the helicopter out of its horizontal position. This is also when the rotorcraft will extend two of its four landing legs.
During the third sol of the deployment sequence, a small electric motor will finish rotating Ingenuity until it latches, bringing the helicopter completely vertical. During the fourth sol, the final two landing legs will snap into position. On each of those four sols, the Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering (WATSON) imager will take confirmation shots of Ingenuity as it incrementally unfolds into its flight configuration. In its final position, the helicopter will hang suspended at about 5 inches (13 centimeters) over the Martian surface. At that point, only a single bolt and a couple dozen tiny electrical contacts will connect the helicopter to Perseverance. On the fifth sol of deployment, the team will use the final opportunity to utilize Perseverance as a power source and charge Ingenuity’s six battery cells.
“Once we cut the cord with Perseverance and drop those final five inches to the surface, we want to have our big friend drive away as quickly as possible so we can get the Sun’s rays on our solar panel and begin recharging our batteries,” said Balaram.
On the sixth and final scheduled sol of this deployment phase, the team will need to confirm three things: that Ingenuity’s four legs are firmly on the surface of Jezero Crater, that the rover did, indeed, drive about 16 feet (about 5 meters) away, and that both helicopter and rover are communicating via their onboard radios. This milestone also initiates the 30-sol clock during which time all preflight checks and flight tests must take place.
“Ingenuity is an experimental engineering flight test – we want to see if we can fly at Mars,” said MiMi Aung, project manager for Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at JPL. “There are no science instruments onboard and no goals to obtain scientific information. We are confident that all the engineering data we want to obtain both on the surface of Mars and aloft can be done within this 30-sol window.”
As with deployment, the helicopter and rover teams will approach the upcoming flight test methodically. If the team misses or has questions about an important preflight milestone, they may take one or more sols to better understand the issue. If the helicopter survives the first night of the sequence period on the surface of Mars, however, the team will spend the next several sols doing everything possible to ensure a successful flight, including wiggling the rotor blades and verifying the performance of the inertial measurement unit, as well as testing the entire rotor system during a spin-up to 2,537 rpm (while Ingenuity’s landing gear remain firmly on the surface).
https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/25769/mars-helicopter-prepares-for-takeoff/ <https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/25769/mars-helicopter-prepares-for-takeoff/> 

For more information about Ingenuity: https://go.nasa.gov/ingenuity-press-kit <https://go.nasa.gov/ingenuity-press-kit> and https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter <https://mars.nasa.gov/technology/helicopter>
For more about Perseverance: nasa.gov/perseverance <https://nasa.gov/perseverance>c and mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/ <https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/>
For more images related to this release, go to: https://go.nasa.gov/3tNe822 <https://go.nasa.gov/3tNe822>

NASA's Mars Curiosity rover snaps scenic selfie at 'Mont Mercou'

click the link below for an amazing panoramic view... 
https://www.livescience.com/mars-curiosity-rover-selfie-mont-mercou-photo.html?utm_source=Selligent&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=LST_Newsletter&utm_content=LST_Newsletter+&utm_term=2868862 


First X-rays from Uranus Discovered
 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/uranus.jpg>

Astronomers have detected X-rays from Uranus for the first time, using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory. This result may help scientists learn more about this enigmatic ice giant planet in our solar system.

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and has two sets of rings around its equator. The planet, which has four times the diameter of Earth, rotates on its side, making it different from all other planets in the solar system. Since Voyager 2 was the only spacecraft to ever fly by Uranus, astronomers currently rely on telescopes much closer to Earth, like Chandra and the Hubble Space Telescope, to learn about this distant and cold planet that is made up almost entirely of hydrogen and helium.

In the new study, researchers used Chandra observations taken in Uranus in 2002 and then again in 2017. They saw a clear detection of X-rays from the first observation, just analyzed recently, and a possible flare of X-rays in those obtained fifteen years later. The main graphic shows a Chandra X-ray image of Uranus from 2002 (in pink) superimposed on an optical image from the Keck-I Telescope obtained in a separate study in 2004. The latter shows the planet at approximately the same orientation as it was during the 2002 Chandra observations.

What could cause Uranus to emit X-rays? The answer: mainly the Sun. Astronomers have observed that both Jupiter and Saturn scatter X-ray light given off by the Sun, similar to how Earth’s atmosphere scatters the Sun’s light. While the authors of the new Uranus study initially expected that most of the X-rays detected would also be from scattering, there are tantalizing hints that at least one other source of X-rays is present. If further observations confirm this, it could have intriguing implications for understanding Uranus.

One possibility is that the rings of Uranus are producing X-rays themselves, which is the case for Saturn’s rings. Uranus is surrounded by charged particles such as electrons and protons in its nearby space environment. If these energetic particles collide with the rings, they could cause the rings to glow in X-rays. Another possibility is that at least some of the X-rays come from auroras on Uranus, a phenomenon that has previously been observed on this planet at other wavelengths. 

On Earth, we can see colorful light shows in the sky called auroras, which happen when high-energy particles interact with the atmosphere. X-rays are emitted in Earth’s auroras, produced by energetic electrons after they travel down the planet’s magnetic field lines to its poles and are slowed down by the atmosphere. Jupiter has auroras, too. The X-rays from auroras on Jupiter come from two sources: electrons traveling down magnetic field lines, as on Earth, and positively charged atoms and molecules raining down at Jupiter’s polar regions. However, scientists are less certain about what causes auroras on Uranus. Chandra’s observations may help figure out this mystery.

Uranus is an especially interesting target for X-ray observations because of the unusual orientations of its spin axis and its magnetic field. While the rotation and magnetic field axes of the other planets of the solar system are almost perpendicular to the plane of their orbit, the rotation axis of Uranus is nearly parallel to its path around the Sun. Furthermore, while Uranus is tilted on its side, its magnetic field is tilted by a different amount, and offset from the planet’s center. This may cause its auroras to be unusually complex and variable. Determining the sources of the X-rays from Uranus could help astronomers better understand how more exotic objects in space, such as growing black holes and neutron stars, emit X-rays

A paper describing these results appears in the most recent issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research and is available online <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fagupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com%2Fdoi%2F10.1029%2F2020JA028739&data=04%7C01%7Clee.a.mohon%40nasa.gov%7C549f1fad713643d18da408d8f45f0e53%7C7005d45845be48ae8140d43da96dd17b%7C0%7C0%7C637528036391338834%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=xlw6wv4ERzIBRPlqWxnXDFAWou9qUcFOYez7DPUvqdg%3D&reserved=0>. The authors are William Dunn (University College London, United Kingdom), Jan-Uwe Ness (University of Marseille, France), Laurent Lamy (Paris Observatory, France), Grant Tremblay (Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian), Graziella Branduardi-Raymont (University College London), Bradford Snios (CfA), Ralph Kraft (CfA), Z. Yao (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing), Affelia Wibisono (University College London).

NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X-ray Center controls science from Cambridge Massachusetts and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.

Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXO/University College London/W. Dunn et al; Optical: W.M. Keck Observatory

Read more from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. <https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/2021/uranus/>
For more Chandra images, multimedia and related materials, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/chandra <http://www.nasa.gov/chandra>
Last Updated: Apr 1, 2021
Editor: Lee Mohon

NASA Invites Public to Share Excitement of Agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 Mission
 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/bb_crew.jpg>
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Crew Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1 mission to the International Space Station on Nov. 15, 2020, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission is targeted for no earlier than Thursday, April 22, at 6:11 a.m. EDT.
Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky
 <applewebdata://80E81085-063E-4048-9A9D-31FB0918AA0A>
By Emily McLeod Sulkes
NASA's Kennedy Space Center

NASA invites the public to take part in virtual activities and events ahead of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-2 <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-spacex-to-launch-second-commercial-crew-rotation-mission-to-international-space-station> mission. Liftoff of the Crew Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket with astronauts is targeted for no earlier than 6:11 a.m. EDT Thursday, April 22, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-2 mission will carry NASA astronauts Shane Kimbrough and  Megan McArthur – who will serve as the mission’s spacecraft commander and pilot, respectively – along with Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Akihiko Hoshide and ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Thomas Pesquet, who will serve as mission specialists. 
The crew is scheduled to work aboard the International Space Station through the fall of 2021, conducting science research in areas such as medical technology, human health, and materials to benefit life on Earth.
Live coverage and countdown commentary will begin at 2 a.m. EDT on NASA Television and the agency’s website <http://www.nasa.gov/live>, as well as YouTube <https://www.youtube.com/nasa>, Twitter <https://twitter.com/nasa>, Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/NASA/>, LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/company/nasa>, Twitch <https://www.twitch.tv/nasa>, Daily Motion <https://www.dailymotion.com/NASA>, and Theta.TV <https://www.sliver.tv/win/nasa>.
Members of the public can attend the launch virtually, <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nasas-spacex-crew-2-launch-registration-141482073691?aff=feature> receiving mission updates and opportunities normally reserved for on-site guests. NASA’s virtual guest experience for Crew-2 includes curated launch resources, a behind-the-scenes look at the mission, notifications about NASA social interactions, and the opportunity for a virtual launch passport stamp following a successful launch.
Organizations hosting launch-focused events are also encouraged to register <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nasas-spacex-crew-2-launch-registration-141482073691?aff=feature> and let NASA know that you’re doing so. This would include school groups, museums, or even colleagues watching together! If you plan to gather in person with others to watch the launch, NASA recommends following all Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and local rules regarding COVID-19. 
Members of the public and organizations can share in the journey through a variety of activities, including:
Virtual Launch Passport Print, fold, and get ready to fill your  <>virtual passport <https://go.nasa.gov/38VqQnM>. Stamps will be emailed following launches to those who register <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/nasas-spacex-crew-2-launch-registration-141482073691?aff=feature> via email through Eventbrite.
Watch and Engage on Social Media
Stay connected with the mission on social media, and let people know you’re following Crew-2 on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram using the hashtag #LaunchAmerica. Follow and tag these accounts:
Twitter: @NASA <https://twitter.com/NASA>, @Commercial_Crew <https://twitter.com/Commercial_Crew>, @Space_Station <http://www.twitter.com/Space_Station>, @NASAKennedy <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.twitter.com%2Fnasakennedy&data=04%7C01%7Ckathleen.h.ellis%40nasa.gov%7C1cca43c967444131841508d8ed5562f0%7C7005d45845be48ae8140d43da96dd17b%7C0%7C0%7C637520298270710633%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=pugcbyzf1e9CFHSz5TIGhBssG9rmae3k88e9L%2FWJAsE%3D&reserved=0>
Facebook: NASA <https://www.facebook.com/NASA>, NASACommercialCrew <https://www.facebook.com/NASACommercialCrew>, ISS Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/ISS/>, Kennedy Space Center <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fnasakennedy&data=04%7C01%7Ckathleen.h.ellis%40nasa.gov%7C1cca43c967444131841508d8ed5562f0%7C7005d45845be48ae8140d43da96dd17b%7C0%7C0%7C637520298270730547%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=R1w7G9JsYwDOknNraGKlpBIF4EFL5JDp3pZ01ZbkxhE%3D&reserved=0>
Instagram: NASA <https://www.instagram.com/nasa/>, ISS Instagram <https://instagram.com/iss/>, NASAKennedy <https://gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fnasakennedy&data=04%7C01%7Ckathleen.h.ellis%40nasa.gov%7C1cca43c967444131841508d8ed5562f0%7C7005d45845be48ae8140d43da96dd17b%7C0%7C0%7C637520298270750462%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=A7ve3gM4Ud0E6TUs3rZySnjrUpZqU9U3u518%2BDXxSUQ%3D&reserved=0>
Click here <https://www.nasa.gov/subject/19027/crew2/> to find out more about the Crew-2 mission.
Last Updated: Mar 30, 2021
Editor: James Cawley

Dark matter could be made of black holes from the beginning of time
By Tom Metcalfe - Live Science Contributor <https://www.livescience.com/author/tom-metcalfe> 3 days ago
An analysis of ripples in space-time suggests the mysterious substance consists of primordial black holes. 


(Image credit: Shutterstock)
Dark matter, the mysterious substance that exerts gravitational pull but emits no light, might really consist of vast concentrations of ancient black holes created at the very start of the universe, according to a new study.
That conclusion comes from an analysis of the gravitational waves, or ripples in space-time <https://www.livescience.com/space-time.html>, produced by two distant collisions between black holes and neutron stars <https://www.livescience.com/neutron-star.html>. 
The ripples — labeled GW190425 <https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ab745ahttps:/www.aei.mpg.de/145358/gw190425-binary-neutron-star-merger> and GW190814 <https://www.ligo.caltech.edu/news/ligo20200623> — were detected in 2019 by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in Washington and Louisiana, and the Virgo Interferometer near Pisa, Italy. A previous analysis suggested the ripples were produced by collisions between black holes between 1.7 and 2.6 times the mass of our sun and either a smaller neutron star or a much larger black hole.
But that would make one of the objects in each collision what astrophysicists call a solar-mass black hole, with roughly the mass of the sun.

Dark matter 'annihilation' may be causing the Milky Way's center to glow
By Mara Johnson-Groh - Live Science Contributor <https://www.livescience.com/author/mara-johnson-groh> 3 days ago
Dark matter could explain the mysterious light



A mysterious glow in the center of the Milky way. (Image credit: Mattia Di Mauro (ESO/Fermi-Lat))
A mysterious glow coming from the center of the Milky Way might be caused by annihilating dark matter <https://www.livescience.com/dark-matter.html> — elusive matter that emits no light. 
According to new research, heavy dark matter particles may be destructively colliding at the center of the galaxy, creating elementary particles, as well as gamma rays — the unexplained light seen emanating from the galactic center. 
The source of this unexplained light, called the galactic center excess (GCE), has been debated by scientists ever since it was discovered in 2009. When analyzing data from NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope, scientists noticed a faint glow of gamma rays <https://www.livescience.com/50215-gamma-rays.html> that couldn't be explained by known sources. In the years since, scientists have proposed a range of sources, from dark matter to more conventional sources, such as extremely fast-spinning stars called millisecond pulsars. 




-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20210404/1cc4c8ae/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: pia24466_mars_helicopter.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 87426 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20210404/1cc4c8ae/attachment.jpeg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 535duZ4qJNT4qrcAPAPU6W-970-80.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 78045 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20210404/1cc4c8ae/attachment-0001.jpeg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: uranus.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 87632 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20210404/1cc4c8ae/attachment-0002.jpeg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: bb_crew.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 41868 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20210404/1cc4c8ae/attachment-0003.jpeg>