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

Sat Jun 12 07:07:30 CDT 2021

good morning all,

 I hope everyone is doing great…many schools in the US are finishing for the summer…from what I can tell, the goal is to have all students back in school after the summer…with no social distancing or masks required…I guess we will see what happens as the summer progresses…things seem to be getting better…it really is challenging, to me, to try to understand what is best for everyone…many people are vaccinated, I believe all kids will be getting it soon…but many people refuse and I am sure they will not permit their kids to get it as well…with summertime in Florida, so many attractions and businesses opening up more and more, tourists coming from all over the world, we will see how well the virus will stay contained, especially with variant strains still surfacing. 

  Tuesday evening I will do the first live presentation with an audience since March of 2020…it will be in support of Thrive Clermont Summer PopUp 2021 with high school students…I know it will be exciting…hopefully the start of more in the US leading to international visits, although I have no idea when….

  The space program is still going forward…Curiosity, Perseverance, and Ingenuity doing amazing exploration of Mars…the Solar Eclipse was seen in many parts of the world…if you have never seen one and have the opportunity…be sure to see it, especially if you can see TOTALITY…when the moon completely blocks the sun…new missions to Venus, continuing missions and space walks on the ISS, the Solar system and beyond…

 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’s Perseverance Rover Begins Its First Science Campaign on Mars
 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia24663-mastcam-zs-360-degree-view-of-van-zyl-overlook_with-rover_supplemental-1041.jpg>
Perseverance’s Mastcam-Z imaging system captured this 360-degree panorama at “Van Zyl Overlook,” where the rover parked during Ingenuity helicopter’s first flights. The 2.4-billion-pixel panorama consists of 992 images stitched together.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS
 <applewebdata://3CAC5B65-EFDC-4C48-AA7D-0869B146BA92>
The six-wheeled scientist is heading south to explore Jezero Crater’s lakebed in search of signs of ancient microbial life. 

On June 1, NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover kicked off the science phase of its mission by leaving the “Octavia E. Butler” landing site. Until recently, the rover has been undergoing systems tests, or commissioning, and supporting the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter’s month of flight tests.
During the first few weeks of this first science campaign, the mission team will drive to a low-lying scenic overlook from which the rover can survey some of the oldest geologic features in Jezero Crater, and they’ll bring online the final capabilities of the rover’s auto-navigation and sampling systems.
 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia24600-1-1041.jpg>
This image looking west toward the Séítah geologic unit on Mars was taken from the height of 33 feet (10 meters) by NASA’s Ingenuity Mars helicopter during its sixth flight, on May 22, 2021.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
 <applewebdata://3CAC5B65-EFDC-4C48-AA7D-0869B146BA92>
By the time Perseverance completed its commissioning phase on June 1, the rover had already tested its oxygen-generating MOXIE <https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8926/nasas-perseverance-mars-rover-extracts-first-oxygen-from-red-planet/> instrument and conducted the technology demonstration flights of the Ingenuity helicopter <https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8942/nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-completes-first-one-way-trip/>. Its cameras had taken more than 75,000 images <https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/raw-images/>, and its microphones had recorded the first audio soundtracks of Mars <https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8892/another-first-perseverance-captures-the-sounds-of-driving-on-mars/>.

“We are putting the rover’s commissioning phase as well as the landing site in our rearview mirror and hitting the road,” said Jennifer Trosper, Perseverance project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “Over the next several months, Perseverance will be exploring a 1.5-square-mile [4-square-kilometer] patch of crater floor. It is from this location that the first samples from another planet will be collected for return to Earth by a future mission.”
The science goals of the mission are to study the Jezero region in order to understand the geology and past habitability of the environment in the area, and to search for signs of ancient microscopic life. The team will identify and collect the most compelling rock and sediment samples, which a future mission could retrieve and bring back to Earth for more detailed study. Perseverance will also take measurements and test technologies to support future human and robotic exploration of Mars.
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/jpl/nasa-s-perseverance-rover-begins-its-first-science-campaign-on-mars 

https://spotthestation.nasa.gov  

'Ring of fire' solar eclipse wows skywatchers (Photos)
By Jeanna Bryner - Live Science Editor-in-Chief <https://www.livescience.com/author/jeanna-bryner> 2 days ago
The first solar eclipse <https://www.livescience.com/32671-whats-a-solar-eclipse.html> of the year did not disappoint.

Early Thursday morning, the moon <https://www.livescience.com/earths-moon.html> almost entirely blocked the sun, leaving only a "ring of fire" visible. Though skygazers in only a few places (parts of Canada, Greenland and northern Russia) were treated to this annular eclipse (the fiery ring effect), plenty of other spots were located along the path of the partial solar eclipse.

People in parts of the eastern United States and northern Alaska, much of Canada, and parts of the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and northern Africa, were in prime spots to catch the moon take a big bite out of the sun during the partial solar eclipse (weather permitting). Here's a look at some of the stunning views captured by eclipse watchers.

(Image credit: Islam Dogru/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
New York was treated to a partial solar eclipse this morning, as seen in this eerie image captured on June 10, 2021. 

(Image credit: Brian Lawless/PA Wire/PA Images)
 <applewebdata://3CAC5B65-EFDC-4C48-AA7D-0869B146BA92>The partial solar eclipse hangs behind a statue of Our Lady, Star Of The Sea on Bull Wall in Dublin, on June 10, 2021. Skywatchers in the U.K. and Ireland saw a crescent sun instead of the “ring of fire” formed by the annular eclipse.

(Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)
 <applewebdata://3CAC5B65-EFDC-4C48-AA7D-0869B146BA92>Bill Ingalls, senior contract photographer for NASA Headquarters, was set up in Arlington, Virginia, where he had fantastic views of Washington, D.C. Here, the moon has taken a bite out of the sun. 

(Image credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls)
 <applewebdata://3CAC5B65-EFDC-4C48-AA7D-0869B146BA92>From Arlington, Ingalls had a terrific view of the U.S. Capitol Building, seen here as the sun rises behind it. 

During an annular or partial solar eclipse, no part of the phenomenon is safe to watch without proper solar eclipse glasses or other appropriate filters. Looking directly at the sun can damage your eyes. 

(Image credit: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
 <applewebdata://3CAC5B65-EFDC-4C48-AA7D-0869B146BA92>Advertisement

The sun rises next to the Statue of Liberty during the partial solar eclipse on June 10, 2021, in New York City. Part of the U.S. saw the partially eclipsed sunrise, while other parts of the Northern Hemisphere were treated to the "ring of fire" effect from the annular solar eclipse. Here, Lady Liberty's crown is lit up from the sun's rays. 

 TOTALITY…when you can remove the eye protector and look directly at the sun….I did not see it this time but did a few years ago…it was, without a doubt, 
one of the most amazing things I have ever seen….there are no words to adequately describe it but its brilliance create a life long memory….

(Image credit: Halumi Daorana)
The Inuit village of Qaanaaq in northern Greenland saw a remarkable view of the annular eclipse on June 10, 2021. Qaanaaq, located halfway between the Arctic circle and the North Pole, has a population of 650 people. 

One resident, Panigpak Daorana, said he was looking forward to experiencing the solar eclipse so he could compare it with one he saw as a young boy. "That time it got much darker as the moon was bigger, closer to Earth," Daorana said in a statement. "Now it only got a little darker and the sky bluer. And I could notice how it got a bit colder."

Daorana's daughter, Halumi Daorana, snapped this image of the ring of fire.

Jupiter's largest moon revealed in stunning detail in first close-up images in 20 years
By Ben Turner - Staff Writer <https://www.livescience.com/author/ben-turner> 2 days ago
These are the first close-ups of Ganymede in over 20 years.

 <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.livescience.com/jupiter-moon-ganymede-photos-juno.html>  <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Jupiter%27s%20largest%20moon%20revealed%20in%20stunning%20detail%20in%20first%20close-up%20images%20in%2020%20years&url=https://www.livescience.com/jupiter-moon-ganymede-photos-juno.html>  <http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.livescience.com/jupiter-moon-ganymede-photos-juno.html&title=Jupiter%27s%20largest%20moon%20revealed%20in%20stunning%20detail%20in%20first%20close-up%20images%20in%2020%20years>  <http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.livescience.com/jupiter-moon-ganymede-photos-juno.html&media=https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3z4LXKDGaP4xFnaqGEbsiS-1200-80.jpg>  <https://share.flipboard.com/bookmarklet/popout?title=Jupiter%27s%20largest%20moon%20revealed%20in%20stunning%20detail%20in%20first%20close-up%20images%20in%2020%20years&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.livescience.com%2Fjupiter-moon-ganymede-photos-juno.html>  <mailto:?subject=I%20found%20this%20webpage&body=Hi,%20I%20found%20this%20webpage%20and%20thought%20you%20might%20like%20it%20https://www.livescience.com/jupiter-moon-ganymede-photos-juno.html>

An image of Ganymede obtained by Juno's June 7 flyby. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS)
Swooping low over Jupiter's largest moon, Ganymede, NASA's Juno probe has snapped the first close-up photographs of the frozen giant in more than two decades — and they're breathtaking. 

Juno zoomed as close as 645 miles (1,038 kilometers) from the icy surface of the solar system's <https://www.livescience.com/our-solar-system.html> largest moon Monday (June 7), giving the spacecraft just a 25-minute window to snap photos — long enough for five exposures —— before it zipped away on its 33rd orbit of Jupiter. 

Two photos from the flyby released by NASA Tuesday (June 8) — one of Ganymede's light, sun-facing side and the other of its dark side — show an icy, inhospitable surface pockmarked with craters from asteroid impacts, as well as long, narrow striations possibly caused by tectonic fault lines. 

Physicists link 'quantum memories' in early step toward quantum internet
By Charlie Wood - Live Science Contributor <https://www.livescience.com/author/charlie-wood> 2 days ago
Two novel demonstrations bring the backbone of the quantum internet, quantum repeaters, a little closer.

 <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.livescience.com/quantum-internet-repeater.html>  <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Physicists%20link%20%27quantum%20memories%27%20in%20early%20step%20toward%20quantum%20internet&url=https://www.livescience.com/quantum-internet-repeater.html>  <http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.livescience.com/quantum-internet-repeater.html&title=Physicists%20link%20%27quantum%20memories%27%20in%20early%20step%20toward%20quantum%20internet>  <http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.livescience.com/quantum-internet-repeater.html&media=https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/fMzfFLuQrmY6WnB4tcMNbX-1200-80.jpg>  <https://share.flipboard.com/bookmarklet/popout?title=Physicists%20link%20%27quantum%20memories%27%20in%20early%20step%20toward%20quantum%20internet&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.livescience.com%2Fquantum-internet-repeater.html>  <mailto:?subject=I%20found%20this%20webpage&body=Hi,%20I%20found%20this%20webpage%20and%20thought%20you%20might%20like%20it%20https://www.livescience.com/quantum-internet-repeater.html>

Physicists take steps toward a quantum internet with a new way to link light particles. (Image credit: MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images)
When the precursor to today's internet carried its first message in 1969, clunky but functional classical computers had already been around for decades <https://www.computerhistory.org/timeline/computers/>. Now, physicists are designing the embryonic threads of a whole new internet for moving and manipulating a radically different type of information: the quantum bit, or "qubit." And this time, they aren't waiting for the corresponding computers to exist first. 

Two teams have now demonstrated an ensemble of technologies essential to building the backbone of such a network — devices known as quantum repeaters. The researchers managed, for the first time, to use light particles to bind two crystals separated by tens of meters into a single quantum mechanical system and verify the connection in a simple way. The experiments foreshadow a future where institutions across the planet can take advantage of a bizarre type of connection called entanglement <https://www.livescience.com/what-is-quantum-entanglement.html>. 

"This is for sure a new step for quantum repeater applications," said Julien Laurat, a physicist at Sorbonne University in France, who was not involved in the research. 

Venus wins stunning 3rd new mission, this time from Europe
By Meghan Bartels <https://www.space.com/author/meghan-bartels> 1 day ago
EnVision will follow NASA's DAVINCI+ and VERITAS.

 <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.space.com/esa-announces-envision-venus-mission>  <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Venus%20wins%20stunning%203rd%20new%20mission%2C%20this%20time%20from%20Europe&url=https://www.space.com/esa-announces-envision-venus-mission>  <http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.space.com/esa-announces-envision-venus-mission&title=Venus%20wins%20stunning%203rd%20new%20mission,%20this%20time%20from%20Europe>  <http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.space.com/esa-announces-envision-venus-mission&media=https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HGyQaUBhjrGsPG7H26CyrK-1200-80.jpg>  <https://share.flipboard.com/bookmarklet/popout?title=Venus%20wins%20stunning%203rd%20new%20mission%2C%20this%20time%20from%20Europe&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Fesa-announces-envision-venus-mission>  <mailto:?subject=I%20found%20this%20webpage&body=Hi,%20I%20found%20this%20webpage%20and%20thought%20you%20might%20like%20it%20https://www.space.com/esa-announces-envision-venus-mission>

An artist's depiction of Earth, Venus and ESA's EnVision spacecraft. (Image credit: NASA/JAXA/ISAS/DARTS/Damia Bouic/VR2Planets)
Venus <https://www.space.com/44-venus-second-planet-from-the-sun-brightest-planet-in-solar-system.html> scientists have long complained that the planet wasn't getting its due in robotic investigators. But those days are over: space agencies have announced three new missions to Earth's mysterious twin in just over a week.

On June 2, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson announced that the agency would pursue two new Venus missions <https://www.space.com/nasa-unveils-2-venus-missions-veritas-davinci> dubbed DAVINCI+ and VERITAS, aiming to launch the spacecraft between 2028 and 2030. Today (June 10), the European Space Agency (ESA) joined the rush to Venus, announcing that it would launch a mission dubbed EnVision to the planet in the early 2030s.

"A new era in the exploration of our closest, yet wildly different, Solar System neighbour awaits us," Günther Hasinger, ESA's director of science, said in a statement <https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/ESA_selects_revolutionary_Venus_mission_EnVision>. "Together with the newly announced NASA-led Venus missions, we will have an extremely comprehensive science programme at this enigmatic planet well into the next decade."

Earth's aurora origin mystery solved by 'surfing' electrons 
By Daisy Dobrijevic <https://www.space.com/author/daisy-dobrijevic> 2 days ago
They provide the boost needed for aurora displays

 <https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.space.com/aurora-origin-mystery-solved-by-electrons>  <https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Earth%27s%20aurora%20origin%20mystery%20solved%20by%20%27surfing%27%20electrons%20&url=https://www.space.com/aurora-origin-mystery-solved-by-electrons>  <http://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https://www.space.com/aurora-origin-mystery-solved-by-electrons&title=Earth%27s%20aurora%20origin%20mystery%20solved%20by%20%27surfing%27%20electrons%20>  <http://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https://www.space.com/aurora-origin-mystery-solved-by-electrons&media=https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/XdGGXyJoR4zD2wbKxzgLVo-1200-80.jpg>  <https://share.flipboard.com/bookmarklet/popout?title=Earth%27s%20aurora%20origin%20mystery%20solved%20by%20%27surfing%27%20electrons%20&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Faurora-origin-mystery-solved-by-electrons>  <mailto:?subject=I%20found%20this%20webpage&body=Hi,%20I%20found%20this%20webpage%20and%20thought%20you%20might%20like%20it%20https://www.space.com/aurora-origin-mystery-solved-by-electrons>

A surfer and the aurora borealis in Utakleiv, Norway (Image credit: OLIVIER MORIN/AFP via Getty Images)
The aurora borealis found in the Northern Hemisphere and aurora australis in the Southern Hemisphere have captivated humankind since the dawn of civilization. These natural light shows provide the closest opportunity we can get to experiencing space weather — conditions that are caused by activity on the sun's surface and as such, they follow the solar cycle <https://www.space.com/11974-solar-cycle-sun-activity.html>. 

Auroras <https://www.space.com/15139-northern-lights-auroras-earth-facts-sdcmp.html> are caused when electrons emitted from the sun as part of the 'solar wind <https://www.space.com/22215-solar-wind.html>' hurtle towards Earth and are funneled down Earth's magnetic field lines where they then collide with oxygen and nitrogen molecules in the ionosphere — the upper atmosphere between 50 and 370 miles (80 and 600 kilometers). The absorption of energy by oxygen and nitrogen ions causes them to move to an 'excited' high-energy state. To relax, the molecules re-radiate the energy as light, which is presented as ribbons of greens and red hues in the sky — the aurora. 

Though scientists understand what causes auroras, a mystery remained — just how do these electrons accelerate to speeds of up to 45 million miles per hour on the last stretch of their journey into the ionosphere? A team of physicists led by the University of Iowa now have the answer, their findings were published online on June 7 <https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=92X1588396&xcust=space_us_8214381451137864000&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fs41467-021-23377-5.epdf%3Fsharing_token%3DQ0rjm5h2j_KavQboPe5r0NRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0Nipe223V5hYGHe-RFuAQXUauChqVoyT7zITbpx_l9I4d9y3fMVLy0n3sVw5SJRoc_II7uBqXU-SzFM3JaTK6_kNmWDs_aEyfCQVLoWqqw15NsYjbFSXvak0yfuKrH76x8%253D&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.space.com%2Faurora-origin-mystery-solved-by-electrons> in the journal Nature Communications.

Earth's Atmospheric Glow and Star Trails
 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/iss065e081769.jpg>
The beauty of our home planet is shown in this long exposure photograph. Taken from the International Space Station <https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html> as it orbited 267 miles above the Indian Ocean, it reveals Earth's atmospheric glow and star trails.

Image Credit: NASA

Wow of the Week

 <http://support.planetary.org/site/R?i=W7Yjv0w90cpZhylFSQ3M8g>

Planetary Society supporter Andrew C. Stewart shared this painting of an imagined settlement on one of Jupiter’s moons, with the gas giant looming in the distance. As Juno peers down at Enceladus <http://support.planetary.org/site/R?i=a-KB9aIMMcwPOTGXJRmhcw>, we can imagine what it might look like to gaze back up from the icy surface.

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