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

Tue Dec 5 00:41:36 CST 2023

Hi all,

    Greeting from an airport :-) sound familiar :-) I’m on my way to Denmark…in New Jersey from Orlando…to Iceland, to Copenhagen, to Solderborg...I left my house at 8:30 this morning…it will be a 30 hour adventure….it should be about a10 hour flight, direct from Florida to Copenhagen but I could not book it until about 10 days before so there will be 5 stops…still, I am thankful for the opportunity, it has been too long since I have been to Denmark…I think I have been to Denmark 4 times…each has been amazing…it is very pretty at Christmas because everything is decorated, including the schools…I believe I have always been here in December every time...

The past few months have presented many challenges from so much international travel, very little sleep, and various illnesses….the flights to Morocco, Asia, and now to Denmark have all been through the night..I don’t sleep on planes, often going two full days without sleep then jumping to full speed going from city to city by train, car, plane…the time with the kids and all the events have been amazing, the rewards are indescribable….the connection with the kids has always been something I can not explain but something I feel….I know it is equal for them…I went from Covid in Morocco, spending 5 days in the US doing everything possible to get past it, which I did, going to Sri Lanka…still not feeling well, especially my throat which never had time to heal…to getting a very bad case of MRSA in Pakistan….going through the recovery reasonably well only to get the Flu which I have been trying to recover…it has been almost 3 months with no gym and no swimming…I’ve lost about 9 kilos (20lbs)...I seem to be doing ok but can not get past a lingering cough and sore throat…now on my way to Denmark with another all night flight. I’ll be about 30 hours in transit…the planes have been exceptionally cold, even though I dress for it, it is still a challenge…it will probably be after 6pm tomorrow evening when I get to the hotel…hopefully get a decent night’s sleep to start on Wed…the challenge is to enjoy it all, every minute, every hour, every day…it does not matter what we do, it only matter we enjoy what we do…I am always so thankful, I’m so appreciative of all the kindness shown to me…I can never pay it back but I can try…

I’m determined to get this letter done, at least to the point I can get it sent in the next day or two, not month or two… :-) while I was home, I managed to get the engine for my car installed, get everything connected, have a tuner tweak it and driving it around one day before I left…the space program continues to be magical with so many more countries and commercial companies taking major steps towards scientific advancement…which is great as it give so many more opportunities to get involve and competition helps speed advancement while brining cost down…

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 and smiles. STAY SAFE, TAKE CARE, Love ya, Gabe

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/topics/mars
TWO COOL LINKS: 
https://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/index.html
https://webbtelescope.org/news/first-images/gallery

NASA Sun Science <https://www.facebook.com/NASASunScience?__cft__[0]=AZX_UV96AXOT8NwKXgbt61jcX93aCWAhkE7Q2GIJpIf5S2sJ47gL1cMfxEa4srmdz_LH0fiKmbztAzD_CHBWOD1_Zplt4Qw6m0nxr447GXqVnGjrsOqt9-91W0uHDapnRymCCvHB268E_rJO6wB6_fmBL4S1v4hBSPOo_LZlj4vRlSXbuRIKgLMaqgkhQ59yfPyHip7eJSCgyTptDzXm8KQB&__tn__=-UC%2CP-y-R> 
When Parker Solar Probe gets close to the Sun, it uses its heat shield - which can block temperatures up to 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit! 
Keep an eye out for new temperature data from the heat shield here: https://go.nasa.gov/3GaHvT <https://go.nasa.gov/3GaHvTV?fbclid=IwAR2ruAFivqTBLKuKRzazpw__roRg8E-HueIQC-YVsiZrNcCZT4qwv_G_yVk>V
You can learn more about the fleet keeping an eye on the Sun throughout the #HelioBigYear <https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/heliobigyear?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZX_UV96AXOT8NwKXgbt61jcX93aCWAhkE7Q2GIJpIf5S2sJ47gL1cMfxEa4srmdz_LH0fiKmbztAzD_CHBWOD1_Zplt4Qw6m0nxr447GXqVnGjrsOqt9-91W0uHDapnRymCCvHB268E_rJO6wB6_fmBL4S1v4hBSPOo_LZlj4vRlSXbuRIKgLMaqgkhQ59yfPyHip7eJSCgyTptDzXm8KQB&__tn__=*NK-y-R> here: go.nasa.gov/HelioBigYear <http://go.nasa.gov/HelioBigYear?fbclid=IwAR0Z0ViQaqN9yOVjTfXuobOpf_2xwQkJLBRESiFZfM_CX2Zp7kVc1riwlpg>

GET THE KIDS SIGNED UP FOR THIS….JUPITER ORBITER EUROPA….
Your Name to Europa Clipper's Message in a Bottle 
https://go.nasa.gov/455Yt0

'Impossible' orange auroras spotted in UK after solar storm slams into Earth
Harry Baker <https://www.livescience.com/author/harry-baker>December 02, 2023
Most everyone knows I’m fascinated with AURORAS.. I’ve never seen one…despite 20 visits to Norway and many friends helping….I am still very thankful because in pursuing them, I’ve seen other magical things…

Extremely rare orange auroras danced in between reds and greens in the evening sky above Scotland during a geomagnetic storm on Nov. 25. (Image credit: Graeme Whipps)
Rarely seen orange auroras, which are supposed to be impossible to see, and a photobombing meteor recently shone above the U.K. after a "canyon of fire" solar storm smashed into Earth, stunning new images reveal. 

Photographer Graeme Whipps <https://www.flickr.com/photos/67966149@N04/> spotted the fiery auroras in the skies above Aberdeenshire in Scotland at around 6:00 p.m. local time on Nov. 25, Spaceweather.com reported <https://www.spaceweather.com/archive.php?view=1&day=26&month=11&year=2023>. 

The unusual hues were an "incredible sight," Whipps told Spaceweather.com. They appeared during a peak of auroral activity that lasted for around one hour, he added. Whipps also snapped a meteor that streak across the sky at another point during the lightshow.

The auroras were part of a minor (G2) geomagnetic storm — a disturbance in Earth's magnetic field <https://www.livescience.com/tag/earths-magnetic-field>, or magnetosphere — that was triggered by a fast-moving cloud of magnetized plasma, known as a coronal mass ejection <https://www.livescience.com/what-are-coronal-mass-ejections> (CME), which smashed into Earth just before the auroras appeared. 

The CME launched from a massive loop of plasma, or solar prominence, which snapped and flung off into space, leaving behind a massive valley in the solar surface known as a "canyon of fire." A similar fiery chasm was left behind by a solar eruption on Halloween <https://www.livescience.com/space/the-sun/massive-solar-eruption-carves-60000-mile-long-canyon-of-fire-into-the-sun-on-halloween-night>.

Artemis 3 astronaut moon landing unlikely before 2027
 <https://r.smartbrief.com/resp/rwghCKojllDypNdZCifPauBWcNapGJ?format=multipart>
 <https://r.smartbrief.com/resp/rwghCKojllDypNdZCifPauBWcNapGJ>
(NASA)
NASA's endeavor to return humans to the moon for the first time since the Apollo program with the Artemis 3 mission will likely be delayed because it is jeopardized by "multiple challenges" and an ambitious schedule, the U.S. Government Accountability Office announced Thursday (Nov. 30).

How to see the brightest planets in December's night sky
 <https://r.smartbrief.com/resp/rwghCKojllDypNeiCifPauBWcNbKmF?format=multipart>
 <https://r.smartbrief.com/resp/rwghCKojllDypNeiCifPauBWcNbKmF>
(Tony Rowell/Getty Images)
During December, Jupiter dominates the evening sky, while Venus continues to serve as a beacon in the predawn morning sky. While dimmer than Jupiter, Saturn too is conspicuous in the southern sky at nightfall. Full Story: Space <https://r.smartbrief.com/resp/rwghCKojllDypNeiCifPauBWcNbKmF?format=multipart> (6/1) 

The Peregrine Lunar Lander set to launch on Dec 24 <https://r.smartbrief.com/resp/rwghCKojllDypNejCifPauBWcNcuxY?format=multipart>
 <https://r.smartbrief.com/resp/rwghCKojllDypNejCifPauBWcNcuxY>
(Astrobotic)
This mission will be one for the history books for several reasons, one of which is the fact it'll be the first to launch under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, created as a way for the agency to bring payloads to the moon without having to construct all the spacecraft necessary to bring those payloads there.

SpaceX says Starship's 33-engine burn a success
 <https://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ruzmCKojllDynWsmCifPauBWcNkdrL?format=multipart>
 <https://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ruzmCKojllDynWsmCifPauBWcNkdrL>
(SpaceX)
Starship may have gone boom on Saturday, but there was a lot to like about the giant vehicle's second-ever test flight, SpaceX says. Case in point: The fact that all 33 engines of the Super Heavy first stages fired simultaneously all the through a full burn, an historic first.

James Webb Space Telescope 

Peering into the creation of the universe and traversing Mars

The James Webb Space Telescope is an orbiting infrared observatory that will look to the beginning of time and to hunt for the unobserved formation of the first galaxies, as well as to look inside dust clouds where stars and planetary systems are forming today.

Much closer to home, NASA has sent five robotic vehicles, called rovers, to Mars. Rovers help scientists in their quest to understand what different parts of the planet are made.

Super Heavy-Starship climbs high but falls short on second test flight
November 18, 2023 <https://spaceflightnow.com/2023/11/> William Harwood <https://spaceflightnow.com/author/bill-harwood/>

Starship thunders away from its launch pad on its second test flight, trailing a one thousand foot exhaust plume. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now.
SpaceX’s gargantuan Super Heavy-Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, blasted off on its second test flight Saturday and while the initial stages of the mission went smoothly, the first stage broke apart moments after separation from the Starship upper stage, which then blew itself up as it neared space.

Viewed as a successful learning experience by SpaceX, it was the second failure in a row to get the Starship upper stage into space, a frustrating disappointment for Elon Musk’s rocket company and a potentially major setback for NASA, which is counting on the Starship to carry Artemis astronauts to the surface of the moon in the next few years.

While SpaceX’s philosophy is to fly frequently, learn from mistakes and fly again, NASA will require a long string of successful missions before the agency will deem it safe to put astronauts aboard. SpaceX will no doubt resolve the issues that derailed Saturday’s flight, but every delay poses a threat to NASA’s moon landing timeline.

But SpaceX, at least, viewed the launching as more of a success than a failure.

“Congratulations to the entire SpaceX team on an exciting second integrated flight test of Starship!” the company posted on X. “Starship successfully lifted off under the power of all 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster and made it through stage separation”

Giant black hole jets pelt Earth with 'ghost particles'
 <https://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ruzmCKojllDynWspCifPauBWcNqrrS?format=multipart>
 <https://r.smartbrief.com/resp/ruzmCKojllDynWspCifPauBWcNqrrS>
(NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab)
Blazars are feeding supermassive black holes that sit at the hearts of active galaxies, blasting out enormous jets of radiation and matter. And according to new research, they could actually be pelting our planet with neutrinos — otherwise known as "ghost particles."

https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/topics/mars
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20231205/b4ad789b/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 4016FDF5-9560-4C85-9440-548D3949BF8D.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 119866 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20231205/b4ad789b/attachment-0005.jpeg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Artemis 3 astronaut moon landing unlikely before 2027.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 31354 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20231205/b4ad789b/attachment-0006.jpeg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: How to see the brightest planets in December's night sky.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 63391 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20231205/b4ad789b/attachment-0007.jpeg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: The Peregrine Lunar Lander set to launch on Dec 24.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 61492 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20231205/b4ad789b/attachment-0008.jpeg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: SpaceX says Starship's 33-engine burn a success.jpeg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 64054 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20231205/b4ad789b/attachment-0009.jpeg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Giant black hole jets pelt Earth with 'ghost particles'.png
Type: image/png
Size: 476218 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20231205/b4ad789b/attachment-0002.png>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: apple-icon-180x180.png
Type: image/png
Size: 4033 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <http://educatemotivate.com/pipermail/spacetalk_educatemotivate.com/attachments/20231205/b4ad789b/attachment-0003.png>