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Curiosity Navigation Curiosity Home Mission Overview Where is Curiosity? Mission Updates Science Overview Instruments Highlights Exploration Goals News and Features Multimedia Curiosity Raw Images Images Videos Audio More Resources Mars Missions Mars Sample Return Mars Perseverance Rover Mars Curiosity Rover MAVEN Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter Mars Odyssey More Mars Missions The Solar System The Sun Mercury Venus Earth The Moon Mars Jupiter Saturn Uranus Neptune Pluto & Dwarf Planets Asteroids, Comets & Meteors The Kuiper Belt The Oort Cloud 2 min read
Sols 4307-4308: Bright Rocks Catch Our Eyes
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity captured this image while exploring a rock-strewn channel of Gediz Vallis on the Red Planet. Mission scientists were particularly intrigued to investigate several bright-toned rocks (at the middle-right, bottom-right and bottom-center of the image), similar to rocks that Curiosity had encountered previously that were unexpectedly rich in sulfur. This image was taken by Left Navigation Camera aboard Curiosity on Sol 4306 — Martian day 4,306 of the Mars Science Laboratory Mission — on Sept. 16, 2024 at 12:47:18 UTC. NASA/JPL-Caltech Earth planning date: Monday, Sept. 16, 2024
We made good progress through Gediz Vallis in the weekend drive, landing in a segment of the channel containing a mix of loose rubble and other channel-filling debris. Amongst the jumbled scene, though, particular objects of interest caught our eye: bright rocks. In past workspaces in Gediz Vallis, similar bright rocks have been associated with very high to almost pure sulfur contents. As all good geologists know, however, color is not diagnostic, so we cannot assume these are the same as sulfur-rich rocks we have encountered previously. The only way to know is to collect data, and that was a significant focus of today’s plan.
We planned multiple mosaics across the examples of bright rocks visible in the image above. Mastcam and ChemCam RMI will cover “Bright Dot Lake” and “Sheep Creek” both in the right midfield of the image. Mastcam imaged the example in the bottom right corner of the image at “Marble Falls,” and ChemCam LIBS targeted one of the small bright fragments along the bottom of the image at “Blanc Lake.” There was also a small bit of bright material in the workspace, but unfortunately, it was not reachable by APXS. APXS analyzed a spot near the bright material, at target “Frog Lake,” and MAHLI was able to tack on a few extra images around that target that should capture the bright material. MAHLI also imaged a vuggy target in the workspace at “Grasshopper Flat.” The wider context of the channel was also of interest for imaging, so we captured the full expanse of the channel with one Mastcam mosaic, and focused another on mounds distributed through the channel at target “Copper Creek.”
Even with all this rock imaging, we did not miss a beat with our environmental monitoring. We planned regular RAD, REMS, and DAN measurements, mid and late day atmospheric dust observations, a cloud movie, and dust devil imaging.
Our drive is planned to take us up onto one of the ridges in the channel. Will we find more bright rocks there? Or something new and unexpected that was delivered down Gediz Vallis by some past Martian flood or debris flow? Only the channel knows!
Written by Michelle Minitti, Planetary Geologist at Framework
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Last Updated Sep 17, 2024 Related Terms
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Celebrating the First Earth Day Event at NASA Headquarters
Photo. Young attendees pose in front of the NASA Worm at the Earth Day celebration at NASA HQ. Photo credit: NASA Introduction
Organized by the Science Mission Directorate’s Science Support Office (SSO), NASA hosted its 12th annual Earth Day Celebration event from April 18–19, 2024. For the first time ever, the two-day event was held at NASA Headquarters (HQ) in Washington, DC.
The in-person event, which was free and open to the public, featured the newly installed Earth Information Center (EIC) exhibit – see Photos 1–4. The event featured 17 hands-on activities offered in NASA HQ’s East Lobby as well as two adjacent outdoor tents. Event participants were given an activity passport called the “Passport to Fun” listing all the activities and encouraging attendees to visit the stations and interact with NASA staff – see Figure 1. After completing six or more activities, attendees were able to claim giveaway items, e.g., lenticulars, NASA bags, posters, and calendars.
Photos 1–3. Student attendees at the Earth Information Center (EIC) interactive exhibit. Photo credits: NASA Photos 1–3. Student attendees at the Earth Information Center (EIC) interactive exhibit. Photo credits: NASA Photos 1–3. Student attendees at the Earth Information Center (EIC) interactive exhibit. Photo credits: NASA
Photo 4. Mark Subbarao [GSFC—Scientific Visualization Studio Lead] engages attendees with NASA science in front of the EIC Hyperwall. Photo credit: NASA Figure 1. Earth Day Activity Passport. Figure credit: NASA Prior to the event, Trena Ferrell [GSFC—Earth Science Education and Public Outreach Lead] arranged for groups of students from several local schools to visit the NASA Earth Day event. This included over 300 students from DuVal High School, Morgan State University, Howard University, Prince George’s County Environmental Academy, Prince George’s County Virtual Academy, International Hispanic School, and homeschoolers. On April 19, all of the students who were present at that time gathered for a plenary in the Webb Auditorium. Ferrell welcomed the attendees and provided introductions to prepare them for a virtual presentation by former NASA astronaut Paul Richards, who interacted with attendees and answered questions for roughly 20 minutes.
After Richard’s presentation, the attendees heard from Karen St. Germain [NASA HQ—Director of NASA’s Earth Science Division], whose in-person remarks emphasized to the students the crucial albeit less publicized studies that NASA does of our home planet. Related to this year’s Earth Day theme, “Water Touches Everything,” she discussed the ability of NASA’s Earth observing satellites to track water in all its forms as it circulates throughout the Earth system. St. Germain then answered questions from the audience for 15 minutes – see Photos 5–8.
Photo 5.Trena Ferrell [GSFC—Earth Science Education and Public Outreach Lead] welcomed student attendees to the Earth Day event. Photo credit: NASA Photos 6–7. Former NASA astronaut Paul Richards takes audience questions at the NASA Earth Day event. Photo credit: NASA Photos 6–7. Former NASA astronaut Paul Richards takes audience questions at the NASA Earth Day event. Photo credit: NASA Photo 8. Karen St. Germain [NASA Headquarters—Director of NASA’s Earth Science Division] provided remarks and answered student questions in the Webb Auditorium. Photo credit: NASA
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson visited the event on April 19, accompanied by Karen St. Germain and several NASA staff members who guided him as he explored the activities offered – see Photos 9–10.
Photo 9. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson [center, rear] spent time circulating among the NASA Earth Day hands-on activities. Here, he visits the “Measuring Light the Landsat Way” activity station, where Mike Taylor [GSFC/Science Systems and Applications, Inc.—Landsat Outreach Team] [left] explains how Landsat utilizes the electromagnetic spectrum and spectral signatures to better understand Earth. Photo credit: NASA Photo 10. [Left to right] Faith McKie [Acting NASA Press Secretary], Bill Nelson, Karen St. Germain, and Tom Wagner [Associate Director for Earth Action in the Earth Science Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate] during the Earth Day media briefing. Photo credit: NASA
Throughout the two-day event, it is estimated that as many as 1500 public participants attended along with the 300 students already discussed. While SSO staff distributed 500 activity passports, many small groups and families shared a single passport. SSO staff estimates that the true number of participants may be close to 1500 – see Photos 11–19.
Photo 11. A young Earth Day participant interacts with Ellen Gray [NASA GSFC—Earth Science News Team]. Photo credit: NASA Photo 12. Jenny Mottar [NASA HQ—Art Director for the Science Mission Directorate] and Kevin Miller [GSFC—SSO Senior Graphic Designer] hand out “Water Touches Everything” NASA Earth Day posters to student attendees. Photo credit: NASA Photos 13. Ross Walter [GSFC—Data Visualizer and Animator, Landsat Outreach Team] engages with students at the “Viewing Earth From Above with Landsat” station. Photo credit: NASA Photos 14. Students explore the Chesapeake Bay as seen by Landsat 8 with a large, vinyl floor mat. Photo credit: NASA Photo 15. Students play a Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Jeopardy game at the “GEDI Knights Measure Forests from Space” table. Photo credit: NASA Photo 16. Student attendees make ultraviolet-bead bracelets and Helio Big Year buttons at the Heliophysics station. Photo credit: NASA Photo 17. Young attendees engage with Valerie Casasanto [GSFC—Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) Outreach Lead], who helps them work on a three-dimensional glacier puzzle at the “ICESat-2: Ice, Trees, and Earth Height, If You Please!” station. Photo credit: NASA Photo 18. Young attendees engage with the “Meteorite Map Challenge.” Photo credit: NASA Photo 19. Dorian Janney [GSFC—GPM Outreach Specialist] engages visitors at the “Connect the Drops” station, where visitors learn how and why measuring global precipitation helps us better understand our home planet. Photo credit: NASA
Conclusion
NASA’s first Earth Day Celebration at NASA Headquarters was quite successful. While attendance was lower than previous events held at the more heavily trafficked Union Station or the National Mall, there was a steady stream of people throughout the exhibit on both days. It was also a great opportunity to showcase the new EIC to the public. Earth Day is the largest event organized annually by the SSO. This event requires months of planning, cross-divisional coordination, and intensive design of the hands-on activities – all carried from conceptualization through numerous revisions to implementation by more than 100 individuals from across the agency. This combined effort of SSO staff and assisting organizations results in an event that brings together thousands of visitors from a broad spectrum of ages and backgrounds to enjoy NASA science. This event would not have been possible were it not for the incredible efforts and collaboration put forth by so many of NASA’s outreach professionals. The SSO is grateful for all who helped to make this year’s Earth Day event a success and looks forward to Earth Day 2025.
Dalia Kirshenblat
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Global Science & Technology, Inc. (GSFC/GST)
dalia.p.zelmankirshenblat@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Sep 17, 2024 Related Terms
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By NASA
The Roscosmos Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft will launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station with (pictured left to right) NASA astronaut Don Pettit and Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner.Credit: Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center NASA astronaut Don Pettit will launch aboard the Roscosmos Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft, accompanied by cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, to the International Space Station where they will join the Expedition 71 crew in advancing scientific research.
Pettit, Ovchinin, and Vagner will lift off at 12:23 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 11 (9:23 p.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
Coverage will stream on NASA+, the NASA app, and the agency’s website. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of platforms including social media.
After a two-orbit, three-hour trajectory to the station, the spacecraft will automatically dock at 3:33 p.m. at the orbiting laboratory’s Rassvet module. Shortly after, hatches will open between the spacecraft and the station.
Once aboard, the trio will join NASA astronauts Tracy C. Dyson, Mike Barratt, Matthew Dominick, Jeanette Epps, Butch Wilmore, and Suni Williams, as well as Roscosmos cosmonauts Nikolai Chub, Alexander Grebenkin, and Oleg Kononenko.
NASA’s coverage is as follows (all times Eastern and subject to change based on real-time operations):
11:15 a.m. – Launch coverage begins on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
12:23 p.m. – Launch
2:30 p.m. – Rendezvous and docking coverage begins on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
3:33 p.m. – Docking
5:30 p.m. – Hatch opening and welcome remarks coverage begins on NASA+, the NASA app, YouTube, and the agency’s website.
5:50 p.m. – Hatch opening
The trio will spend approximately six months aboard the orbital laboratory as Expedition 71 and 72 crew members before returning to Earth in the spring of 2025. This will be the fourth spaceflight for Pettit and Ovchinin, and the second for Vagner.
For more than two decades, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge, and making research breakthroughs that are not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low Earth orbit economy, NASA is focusing more resources on deep space missions to the Moon as part of Artemis in preparation for future human missions to Mars.
Learn more about International Space Station research and operations at:
https://www.nasa.gov/station
-end-
Joshua Finch / Claire O’Shea
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1100
joshua.a.finch@nasa.gov / claire.a.o’shea@nasa.gov
Sandra Jones
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
sandra.p.jones@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Sep 06, 2024 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
International Space Station (ISS) Astronauts Donald R. Pettit Humans in Space ISS Research Johnson Space Center View the full article
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By NASA
Eclipsing binary stars point the way to exoplanets and many other discoveries. Be one of the first to join the new Eclipsing Binary Patrol project and help discover them! NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Eclipsing binaries are special pairs of stars that cross in front of one another as they orbit—stars that take turns blocking one another from our view. At Eclipsing Binary Patrol, the newest NASA-funded citizen science project, you’ll have a chance to help discover these unusual pairs of objects.
In Eclipsing Binary Patrol, you’ll work with real data from NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) mission. TESS collects a lot of information! But computers sometimes struggle to tell when the data show us something unimportant, like background noise or objects that aren’t stars. With your help, we can identify the correct targets and gain deeper insights into the behavior of double star systems.
“I’ve never worked as a professional astronomer, but being part of the Eclipsing Binary Patrol allows me to work with real data and contribute to actual discoveries,” said Aline Fornear, a volunteer from Brazil. “It’s exciting beyond words to know that my efforts are helping with the understanding of star systems so far away, and potentially new worlds, too!”
As a volunteer at Eclipsing Binary Patrol, your work will help confirm when a particular target is indeed an eclipsing binary, verify its orbital period, and ensure the target is the true source of the detected eclipses. You’ll be essential in distinguishing genuine discoveries from false signals. To get involved, visit our page on the Zooniverse platform and start sciencing!
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Last Updated Sep 05, 2024 Related Terms
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4 Min Read NASA Seeks Input for Astrobee Free-flying Space Robots
iss069e010815 (May 16, 2023) — UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut and Expedition 69 Flight Engineer Sultan Alneyadi observes a free-flying Astrobee robotic assistant during the testing of its operations for an upcoming student competition to control the robotic devices. Credits: NASA NASA is seeking input from American companies for the operation and use of a system of free-flying robots aboard the International Space Station as the agency continues to foster scientific, educational, and technological developments in low Earth orbit for the benefit of all.
The colorful, cube-shaped robots – named “Bumble,” “Honey,” and “Queen” – are part of the Astrobee system helping astronauts and researchers perform technology demonstrations, scientific research, and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities in the unique environment of space since 2018.
“Dozens of institutions collaborate with NASA to use the Astrobee system to test new hardware and software technologies,” said Jose Benavides, project manager for the Astrobee facilities at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, where the system was designed and built. “I’m excited to hear how respondents think Astrobee can continue to advance robotics in space.”
NASA issued a Request for Information to inform strategic planning, inviting industry to provide information to help shape the maturation of robotics in zero gravity to achieve the greatest scientific and exploration value. Responses are due Sept. 27, 2024. To learn more about the Request for Information, visit:
https://sam.gov/opp/7893fe01e7bf4ae69029b5d8915e62c5/view
iss065e389375 (9/20/2021) — NASA astronaut Shane Kimbrough poses with the Astrobee robotic free-flyers in support of the Kibo Robot Programming Challenge (Robo-Pro Challenge). The Kibo-RPC, allows students to create programs to control Astrobee, a free-flying robot aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The battery-powered robots in the Astrobee system fly around the space station’s modules using electric fans for propulsion and “see” their surroundings using lights, cameras, and other sensors. They have interchangeable “arms” that provide ways for the robots to hold objects or keep steady for tasks requiring stability, and magnets to ensure they stay securely docked when recharging.
Working autonomously, or via remote control by astronauts, flight controllers, or researchers on the ground, the robots can be used to off-load time-consuming tasks. For instance, the robots can work independently or collaboratively to assist with routine chores like space station monitoring, maintenance, inventory, experiment documentation, or moving cargo throughout the station. This allows astronauts more time to tackle complex work that only humans can perform.
Astrobee’s versatile design has allowed thousands of hours of testing on hundreds of microgravity experiments. Many have involved astronauts, but the facility also is regularly used by researchers and student teams across the world competing for the opportunity to run their programs on the robots in space.
Further developing human-robotic technology will pave the way for future crewed and uncrewed spacecraft maintenance and exploration tasks done by robots both off-planet and in deep space"
Jonathan Barlow
Astrobee Project Manager
For example, NASA’s ISAAC (Integrated System for Autonomous and Adaptive Caretaking) project, used the Astrobees to study how robots could assist spacecraft, vehicle systems, and ground operators. The technology could help NASA use robot caretakers for critical spacecraft in the agency’s Moon-to-Mars plans, including the Gateway lunar space station and Mars transit habitat vehicle, especially during the months-long periods when these spacecraft will be uncrewed.
“Our ISAAC work has proved out its technology in a high-fidelity space environment because of the ready availability of the capable Astrobee robots,” said Trey Smith, project manager for ISAAC at NASA Ames.
The project demonstrated using multiple Astrobees to autonomously collect the first robot-generated survey of a spacecraft interior. Other ISAAC firsts include the first use of a robot to locate the source of a sound in space, in collaboration with the Bosch USA SoundSee payload team, and the first time robots navigated between modules of a space station. Future robots could use ISAAC technology to transfer cargo between space vehicles or respond to a time-critical fault like a leak due to a micrometeoroid impact, all without human assistance.
“With Astrobee, we’ve learned about flying multiple robots in space alongside humans,” said Jonathan Barlow, project manager for Astrobee at NASA Ames. “Further developing human-robotic technology will pave the way for future crewed and uncrewed spacecraft maintenance and exploration tasks done by robots both off-planet and in deep space.”
The Astrobee Facility, operated out of NASA’s Ames Research Center, provides a free-flying robotic system for space station research and STEM outreach. NASA’s Game Changing Development Program, part of the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, funded Astrobee. NASA’s International Space Station Utilization Office provides ongoing funding.
iss071e464314 (Aug. 12, 2024) — NASA astronaut and Expedition 71 Flight Engineer Jeanette Epps monitors a pair of Astrobee robotic free-flying assistants as they demonstrate autonomous docking maneuvers inside the International Space Station’s Kibo laboratory module. The cube-shaped, toaster-sized devices were operating with a connecting interface system, called CLINGERS with an embedded navigation sensor, that may benefit construction in space.View the full article
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