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

Fri Nov 18 18:51:17 CST 2022

Hi all,
I actually started this over three weeks ago after returning from Sri Lanka and India….I am now 12 days into my visit to Brazil with 7 more days here, home for 12 days then to Norway to return 2 days before Christmas…so much for completing the update…tomorrow evening I am on my way back to the US…I really will try to get this mailed tonight…remember to go to the subject links for the latest info…

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… STAY SAFE, TAKE CARE, Love ya, Gabe

SEE THE ISS:
https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/sightings/index.cfm <https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/sightings/index.cfm> 

The most spectacular event is the successful launch or Artemis1…the long awaited mission is on its way to the moon and to deep space…I really wanted to see this but I was committed to Brazil and spending time with the kids…this is most important…I did watch live stream in Brazil…of course it was nothing like being there at KSC but still impressive…

Liftoff! NASA’s Artemis I Mega Rocket Launches Orion to Moon
 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/nhq202211160203.jpg>
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches on the Artemis I flight test, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I mission is the first integrated flight test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and ground systems. SLS and Orion launched at 1:47am ET from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center.
Credits: NASA/Bill Ingalls
Following a successful launch of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the most powerful rocket in the world, the agency’s Orion spacecraft is on its way to the Moon as part of the Artemis program. Carrying an uncrewed Orion, SLS lifted off for its flight test debut at 1:47 a.m. EST Wednesday from Launch Pad 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  

The launch is the first leg of a mission in which Orion is planned to travel approximately 40,000 miles beyond the Moon and return to Earth over the course of 25.5 days. Known as Artemis I <https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/>, the mission is a critical part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, in which the agency explores for the benefit of humanity. It’s an important test for the agency before flying astronauts on the Artemis II <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-s-first-flight-with-crew-important-step-on-long-term-return-to-the-moon-missions-to/> mission. 

“What an incredible sight to see NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft launch together for the first time. This uncrewed flight test will push Orion to the limits in the rigors of deep space, helping us prepare for human exploration on the Moon and, ultimately, Mars,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.  

 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/52503690288_9bb22ec573_o.jpeg>
NASA’s Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft launches on the Artemis I flight test, Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022, from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. NASA’s Artemis I mission is the first integrated flight test of the agency’s deep space exploration systems: the Orion spacecraft, Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, and ground systems. SLS and Orion launched at 1:47 a.m. EST, from Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center.
Credits: NASA/Joel Kowsky
After reaching its initial orbit, Orion deployed its solar arrays and engineers began performing checkouts of the spacecraft’s systems. About 1.5 hours into flight, the rocket’s upper stage engine successfully fired for approximately 18 minutes to give Orion the big push needed to send it out of Earth orbit and toward the Moon.  

Orion has separated from its upper stage and is on its outbound coast to the Moon powered by its service module, which is the propulsive powerhouse provided by ESA (European Space Agency) through an international collaboration. 

“It’s taken a lot to get here, but Orion is now on its way to the Moon,” said Jim Free, NASA deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “This successful launch means NASA and our partners are on a path to explore farther in space than ever before for the benefit of humanity.”

Over the next several hours, a series of 10 small science investigations and technology demonstrations, called CubeSats <https://www.nasa.gov/launching-science-and-technology.html>, will deploy from a ring that connected the upper stage to the spacecraft. Each CubeSat has its own mission that has the potential to fill gaps in our knowledge of the solar system or demonstrate technologies that may benefit the design of future missions to explore the Moon and beyond. 
Orion’s service module will also perform the first of a series of burns to keep Orion on course toward the Moon approximately eight hours after launch. In the coming days, mission controllers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston will conduct additional checkouts <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/additional-artemis-i-test-objectives-to-provide-added-confidence-in-capabilities-0> and course corrections as needed. Orion is expected to fly by the Moon on Nov. 21, performing a close approach of the lunar surface on its way to a distant retrograde orbit <https://www.nasa.gov/feature/orion-will-go-the-distance-in-retrograde-orbit-during-artemis-i/>, a highly stable orbit thousands of miles beyond the Moon.  
“The Space Launch System rocket delivered the power and performance to send Orion on its way to the Moon,” said Mike Sarafin, Artemis I mission manager. “With the accomplishment of the first major milestone of the mission, Orion will now embark on the next phase to test its systems and prepare for future missions with astronauts.”  
The SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft arrived at Kennedy’s Launch Pad 39B on Nov. 4 where they rode out Hurricane Nicole. Following the storm, teams conducted thorough assessments of the rocket, spacecraft, and associated ground systems and confirmed there were no significant impacts from the severe weather.
Engineers previously rolled the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) Sept. 26 ahead of Hurricane Ian and after waving off two previous launch attempts Aug. 29 due to a faulty temperature sensor <https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/08/30/nasa-targets-sept-3-for-next-artemis-i-moon-mission-launch-attempt/>, and Sept. 4 due to a liquid hydrogen leak <https://blogs.nasa.gov/artemis/2022/09/03/nasa-to-stand-down-on-artemis-i-launch-attempts-in-early-september-reviewing-options/> at an interface between the rocket and mobile launcher. Prior to rolling back to the VAB, teams successfully repaired the leak and demonstrated updated tanking procedures. While in the VAB, teams performed standard maintenance to repair minor damage to the foam and cork on the thermal protection system and recharge or replace batteries throughout the system. 
Artemis I is supported by thousands of people around the world, from contractors who built Orion and SLS, and the ground infrastructure needed to launch them, to international and university partners, to small businesses supplying subsystems and components.  
Through Artemis <https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/> missions, NASA will land the first woman and the first person of color on the surface of the Moon, paving the way for a long-term lunar presence and serving as a steppingstone for astronauts on the way to Mars. 
View more photos of Artemis I at: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzG1pG <https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjzG1pG>

Check out this video on the link below... in case you may not have seen it, even if you did, it is worth a second look….

https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-1-moon-mission-launch?utm_campaign=58E4DE65-C57F-4CD3-9A5A-609994E2C5A9 <https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-1-moon-mission-launch?utm_campaign=58E4DE65-C57F-4CD3-9A5A-609994E2C5A9> 

BECOME A CITIZEN ASTRONOMER <http://www.whatsupthespaceplace.com/search/label/BECOME%20A%20CITIZEN%20ASTRONOMER> 

I thought this is very interesting for those who love astronomy…I know so many who do….check it out...

http://www.whatsupthespaceplace.com/2022/10/become-citizen-astronomer.html? <http://www.whatsupthespaceplace.com/2022/10/become-citizen-astronomer.html?>

Uranus' weird tilt may be the work of a long-lost moon
By Paul Sutter <https://www.space.com/author/paul-sutter>  published 3 days ago

Uranus is tipped on its side and scientists aren't sure why. (Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXO/University College London/W. Dunn et al; Optical: W.M. Keck Observatory)
Uranus is just plain weird, and one of the weirdest things about it is its tilt. 

Uranus <https://www.space.com/45-uranus-seventh-planet-in-earths-solar-system-was-first-discovered-planet.html> has the largest tilt in the solar system, at 98 degrees, which means it spins almost perfectly perpendicular to the direction of its orbit. Astronomers have long suspected that a series of giant impacts early in the planet's formation did the job of flipping Uranus on its side, but new research suggests a much less violent cause: a satellite of Uranus that wandered away. 

All the planets of the solar system <https://www.space.com/16080-solar-system-planets.html> have orbital tilts less than 30 degrees — except Uranus. The whole Uranus system is flipped onto its side, affecting not just the planet's rotation but also its rings and moons, too, which orbit around the planet perpendicular to the planet's motion around the sun <https://www.space.com/58-the-sun-formation-facts-and-characteristics.html>.

 Photos of Uranus, the tilted giant planet <https://www.space.com/13017-photos-uranus-tilted-planet-rings-moons.html>

NASA’s InSight Waits Out Dust Storm
 <https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/pia25287-1041.jpg>
NASA’s InSight Mars lander took this final selfie on April 24, 2022, the 1,211th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The lander’s solar panels have become covered with dust since the lander touched down on Mars in November 2018, which has led to a gradual decline in its power level.
Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech
 <applewebdata://A262F408-944E-4ABC-9506-EF1DDC3DC4B8>
InSight’s team is taking steps to help the solar-powered lander continue operating for as long as possible. 

NASA’s InSight mission, which is expected to end in the near future <https://mars.nasa.gov/news/9191/nasas-insight-still-hunting-marsquakes-as-power-levels-diminish/?site=insight>, saw a recent drop in power generated by its solar panels as a continent-size dust storm swirls over Mars’ southern hemisphere. First observed on Sept. 21, 2022, by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO <https://mars.nasa.gov/mro/>), the storm is roughly 2,175 miles (3,500 kilometers) from InSight and initially had little impact on the lander. The mission carefully monitors the lander’s power level, which has been steadily declining as dust accumulates on its solar arrays. By Monday, Oct. 3, the storm had grown large enough and was lofting so much dust that the thickness of the dusty haze in the Martian atmosphere had increased by nearly 40% around InSight. With less sunlight reaching the lander’s panels, its energy fell from 425 watt-hours per Martian day, or sol, to just 275 watt-hours per sol. InSight’s seismometer has been operating for about 24 hours every other Martian day. But the drop in solar power does not leave enough energy to completely charge the batteries every sol. At the current rate of discharge, the lander would be able to operate only for several weeks. So to conserve energy, the mission will turn off InSight’s seismometer for the next two weeks. “We were at about the bottom rung of our ladder when it comes to power. Now we’re on the ground floor,” said InSight’s project manager, Chuck Scott of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “If we can ride this out, we can keep operating into winter – but I’d worry about the next storm that comes along.” The team had estimated that InSight’s mission would end sometime between late October of this year and January 2023, based on predictions of how much the dust on its solar panels will reduce its power generation. The lander has long-since surpassed its primary mission and is now close to the end of its extended mission <https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8829/nasa-extends-exploration-for-two-planetary-science-missions/?site=insight>, conducting “bonus science” by measuring marsquakes, which reveal details about the deep interior of the Red Planet <https://mars.nasa.gov/news/8996/nasas-insight-reveals-the-deep-interior-of-mars/?site=insight>.

TITAN, Saturn’s Largest moon...

Saturn’s largest moon is an exceptional environment in our Solar System. With its methane-filled lakes, icy volcanoes, and underground caves, it seems worlds apart from our own Earth. But the first geomorphological map of Titan reveals that while its landscape is incredibly impressive and diverse, these factors actually make it strangely similar to Earth.

Other than Earth, Titan is the only other body in the Solar System that is known to have stable liquid on its surface. But unlike Earth, Titan’s lakes, rivers, and seas are made up of the liquid methane and ethane that rain down from its clouds. Titan is also the only moon with a substantial atmosphere and dense-enough air to allow a person to walk through its rough landscape without a spacesuit to weigh them down (although what with the methane rain and lakes, you would have some other hazards to contend with…).
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