Tag: space exploration

SpaceX Starship launch: Fourth test succeeds as both stages splash into sea

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Starship blasted off from Boca Chica, Texas

SpaceX

SpaceX’s Starship, the largest rocket ever constructed, has made a successful fourth test flight, with both its first and second stages carrying out their missions as planned before splashing down into different oceans.

After lift-off from SpaceX’s site at Boca Chica, Texas, at 7.50am local time, one of the 33 Raptor engines on the Super Heavy first stage failed to ignite. Despite this, the rocket continued to space and both stages separated cleanly.

Super Heavy splashed down as planned around 7 minutes after lift-off in the Gulf of Mexico, not far from the launch site. The booster successfully fired its engines after plummeting back to Earth from over 100 kilometres up, slowing from over 4000 kilometres per hour to a hover just metres above the sea, before the live feed cut off and it plunged into the water.

Meanwhile, Starship reached orbit at an altitude of over 200 kilometres and travelled at more than 27,000 kilometres per hour. During its descent back to Earth, at around 60 kilometres above the surface, livestream video from SpaceX showed apparent damage to one of its four control fins, and the camera lens appeared to crack. As it reached the Indian Ocean, it appeared to hover before falling into the sea.

This fourth flight test focused on getting Starship back from orbit after its previous test reached space for the first time. SpaceX chose to perform “soft splashdowns” in the ocean because a touchdown on land is currently deemed too risky. Instead, the vehicles use their engines to slow their descent, line up as if they were landing back at base and gently plop into the water.

Eventually, the hope is that returning from space to dry land will allow the vehicles to be refurbished and reused, as SpaceX already does with its Falcon 9 rocket.

Today’s launch was the company’s fourth with Starship, and included software and hardware upgrades, and changes to the launch procedure, after lessons learned from previous tests. The first test in April last year exploded before the first and second stages could separate, while another in November saw the second, upper stage reach space but self-destruct when it stopped transmitting data, with the first stage blowing up just after separation.

SpaceX’s third Starship test flight on 14 March was at least a partial success as it reached space, carried out fuel transfer tests and travelled further and faster than ever before. But the craft failed to make its scheduled soft landing after losing attitude control mid-flight.

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June 6, 2024
Solar Orbiter mission unveils slow solar wind mystery

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In a significant scientific milestone, researchers have inched closer to unravelling the enigmatic origins of the ‘slow’ solar wind.

Thanks to data collected during the Solar Orbiter spacecraft’s initial close pass by the Sun, this new research provides groundbreaking insights into the formation of the solar wind, a phenomenon that has intrigued scientists for decades.

Understanding solar wind

Solar wind consists of a continuous stream of charged plasma particles emanating from the Sun, travelling at velocities ranging from hundreds to over 500 kilometres per second.

These streams are categorised into ‘fast’ solar wind, which exceeds 500 kilometres per second, and ‘slow’ solar wind, which falls below this speed.

When solar wind reaches Earth’s atmosphere, it can create mesmerising Northern Lights.

However, larger plasma releases, known as coronal mass ejections, can pose significant risks to satellites and communication systems.

Solar Orbiter: A cutting-edge scientific laboratory

Despite extensive observations over the years, the precise sources and mechanisms that propel solar wind plasma away from the Sun have remained elusive, particularly for the slower variant.

Launched in 2020 by the European Space Agency (ESA) with support from NASA, the Solar Orbiter mission aims to demystify these processes.

One of the mission’s key objectives is to trace the solar wind back to its origins on the Sun’s surface.

Described as the most sophisticated scientific laboratory ever sent to the Sun, the Solar Orbiter is equipped with ten different scientific instruments.

Some of these instruments collect and analyse solar wind samples in situ as they pass the spacecraft, while others capture high-resolution images of the Sun’s surface activities.

By integrating photographic and instrumental data, scientists have made unprecedented strides in pinpointing the origin of the slow solar wind.

The role of the Sun’s corona

The disparity in the speeds of the fast and slow solar winds is attributed to the different regions of the Sun’s corona from which they emerge.

The corona, the outermost layer of the Sun’s atmosphere, is divided into the ‘open’ and ‘closed’ corona.

The open corona features magnetic field lines that anchor to the Sun at one end and extend into space at the other, facilitating the escape of solar material and generating the fast solar wind.

Conversely, the closed corona comprises regions where magnetic field lines are anchored to the solar surface at both ends, forming large bright loops over magnetically active areas.

Occasionally, these loops break, allowing solar material to escape temporarily before reconnecting and re-establishing a closed loop. This breakage and reconnection typically occur where the open and closed corona meet.

Testing theories with Solar Orbiter

One of Solar Orbiter’s missions is to test the hypothesis that the slow solar wind originates from the closed corona and escapes through the process of magnetic field lines breaking and reconnecting.

The scientific team employed the spacecraft’s instruments to measure the ‘composition’ or makeup of the solar wind streams.

The composition of heavy ions in solar material varies depending on whether it comes from the hotter, closed corona or the cooler, open corona.

By analysing the solar wind streams collected by Solar Orbiter and correlating them with images of the Sun’s surface, the team confirmed that the slow wind streams originated from the region where the open and closed corona intersect.

This finding substantiates the theory that the slow solar wind can escape from closed magnetic field lines through the process of breaking and reconnection.

These groundbreaking observations mark a significant advance in understanding the mechanisms behind the slow solar wind.

As Solar Orbiter continues its mission, further data will likely provide even deeper insights into the dynamic processes governing our closest star and its influence on the Solar System.

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May 28, 2024
Euclid mission discovers more mysteries of the dark Universe

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A ‘treasure trove’ of data, including papers authored by UK scientists, has been released from the Euclid space telescope alongside the largest images of the Universe ever taken from space.

The European Space Agency’s Euclid mission launched in July 2023 to map the ‘dark Universe’.

This involves observing two billion galaxies to create a 3D map of the Universe and gathering data on how its structure has formed over its cosmic history.

The images and papers released today represent early findings—from only 24 hours of observations—giving a glimpse into Euclid’s power to hunt for new planets, study dark matter, and answer fundamental questions.

What has the Euclid mission found a year on from its launch?

The scientific papers include one by Professor Mark Cropper from UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory, which gives an overview of Euclid’s VIS optical camera.

It’s one of the largest ever sent into space and is supported by £20m of UK Space Agency funding.

He explained: “The VIS camera we developed will not only contribute beautiful images but help us answer fundamental questions about the role of dark energy and dark matter in the evolution of the Universe.”

Another paper from Professor Nina Hatch at the University of Nottingham, examines a group of galaxies known as the Perseus Cluster.

It’s a key target for research as galaxy clusters like this can only be formed with the presence of dark matter.

“Euclid’s images of the Perseus cluster revealed a faint glow between the galaxies, known as intracluster light,” said Professor Nina Hatch.

“This light can help us map dark matter if we understand where the intracluster stars came from.

“Our work supports the Euclid mission to understand dark energy and dark matter, especially in forming structures like the Perseus cluster.”

The Euclid Science Ground Segment

In addition to the VIS instrument, the UK is also playing a major role in the Euclid Science Ground Segment, which processes the data returned from the telescope into science ready products.

A consortium of UK universities led by the University of Edinburgh provides the weak lensing data processing pipelines, a critical element of the mission’s science.

Professor Andy Taylor from the University of Edinburgh, who leads the UK’s Euclid data analysis team and the Euclid gravitational lensing data analysis, said: “The image of the galaxy cluster, Abell 2390, is a spectacular demonstration of Euclid’s ability to carry out the highest quality gravitational lensing survey we had hoped for.”

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May 24, 2024
MIT astronomers discover giant, superlight ‘WASP-193b’ planet

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A team of astronomers have identified a unique and puzzling planet known as WASP-193b that has a density similar to cotton candy.

Discovered by researchers from MIT and the University of Liège, WASP-193b is a giant, superlight, distant planet in the Milky Way.

The planet is larger than Jupiter in size (around 50%) but only has a tenth of its density, making it the second lightest planet among the 5,400 discovered to date, with the Neptune-like Kepler 51d being the lightest.

These enigmatic characteristics pose an array of challenges to our current understanding of planet formation.

Co-lead author Francisco Pozuelos, a senior researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalucia, explained: “We don’t know where to put this planet in all the formation theories we have right now because it’s an outlier of all of them.

“We cannot explain how this planet was formed based on classical evolution models. Looking more closely at its atmosphere will allow us to obtain an evolutionary path of this planet.”

The Wide Angle Search for Planets

The Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP), an international collaboration of academic institutions, discovered WASP-193b using their two robotic observatories.

These observatories, located in the northern and southern hemispheres, use arrays of wide-angle cameras to measure the brightness of thousands of stars across the sky.

Between 2006 and 2008, and again from 2011 to 2012, the WASP-South observatory detected periodic transits, or dips in light, from WASP-193. This bright, sun-like star is located 1,232 light years from Earth.

The observed periodic dips in brightness indicated the presence of a planet orbiting the star every 6.25 days. The amount of light blocked during each transit suggested the planet was a giant, similar in size to a super Jupiter.

Estimating the mass of WASP-193b

To determine the planet’s mass, astronomers employed the radial velocity technique. This method involves analysing the star’s spectrum to detect shifts caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet.

A more massive planet closer to its star causes greater shifts in the star’s spectrum, helping scientists estimate its mass.

Despite obtaining high-resolution spectra of WASP-193b from various ground-based telescopes, astronomers struggled to measure the planet’s mass.

The reason was that the planet was too light to exert a detectable gravitational pull on its star. This made it difficult to calculate its mass using radial velocity.

Ultimately, following multiple data analyses, the astronomers confirmed that the planet was extremely light – around 0.14 the mass of Jupiter.

Moreover, its density is around 0.059 grams per cubic centimetre, whereas Jupiter is 1.33 grams per cubic centimetre, and Earth is a more substantial 5.51 grams per cubic centimetre.

Future research

Researchers believe that WASP-193b is primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, similar to other gas giants in the galaxy.

However, WASP-193b’s atmosphere is likely far more inflated, extending tens of thousands of kilometres beyond Jupiter’s atmosphere.

The mechanism behind such an extensive and low-density atmosphere remains unexplained by current planetary formation theories.

To gain a deeper understanding of WASP-193b, the research team plans to use a technique developed by de Wit.

This method involves deriving key atmospheric properties, such as temperature, composition, and pressure at various depths. These properties will help accurately determine the planet’s mass.

WASP-193b is considered an excellent candidate for further study, particularly with advanced observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope.

By leveraging these powerful tools, researchers hope to uncover more details about this unusual, fluffy world.

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May 15, 2024
Did the Webb Telescope really find signs of life on an exoplanet?

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After exciting reports last year, did the James Webb Space Telescope actually find signs of life on an exoplanet?

In 2023, NASA’s flagship telescope identified biosignature gas in the atmosphere of an exoplanet called K2-18b, indicating signs of life.

The findings inferred that K2-18b, which is located 120 light years away from Earth, had several conditions that could support life as we know it.

However, despite the news sparking significant excitement among the scientific community and public alike, new research from UC Riverside suggests the findings may not indicate alien life. Well, not yet.

K2-18b’s composition

Most exoplanets are not comparable to Earth, as their temperatures, atmosphere, and climates cannot support life as we know it on Earth.

K2-18b, on the other hand, is different. This exoplanet receives around the same amount of solar radiation as Earth.

Moreover, if the atmosphere is removed as a factor, K2-18b has a similar temperature to our planet.

The exoplanet’s atmosphere is predominantly hydrogen, whereas Earth’s is nitrogen.

Signs of water

The findings fuelled speculation that there are oceans of water on K2-18b, making the exoplanet a ‘Hycean’ world, meaning a combination of a hydrogen atmosphere and water oceans.

Additionally, Cambridge researchers used Webb to identify methane and carbon dioxide in K2-18b’s atmosphere, another sign of life.

Shang-Min Tsai, UC Riverside project scientist and paper author, explained: “What was icing on the cake, in terms of the search for life, is that last year these researchers reported a tentative detection of dimethyl sulfide, or DMS, in the atmosphere of that planet, which is produced by ocean phytoplankton on Earth.”

Investigating DMS

Due to Webb’s data not being able to conclusively prove signs of life on an exoplanet, the UC Riverside researchers investigated whether DMS could accumulate to detectable levels on K2-18b.

The researchers utilised computer models incorporating DMS physics and chemistry within the hydrogen atmosphere.

They concluded that distinguishing DMS from methane in the data is improbable due to significant overlap and that the instrument is limited in this regard.

Nevertheless, they speculate that detectable DMS levels could accumulate if plankton or other life forms were to produce substantially more DMS—around 20 times the current Earth levels.

Future search for Alien life

Detecting life on distant exoplanets poses challenges due to their vast distances from Earth.

To detect DMS on K2-18b, the Webb telescope requires a more sensitive instrument capable of detecting infrared wavelengths.

Fortunately, such an instrument is slated for use later this year, promising a definitive answer regarding the presence of life on K2-18b.

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May 3, 2024
Running around a ‘wall of death’ could keep moon settlers fit

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A research participant runs around a circular wall with a bungee cord to simulate the reduction in weight on the moon

Alberto E. Minetti et al.

Future moon settlers could exercise by running around the inside of a circular wall – and just a few laps a day could counteract some of the negative effects of low lunar gravity.

The moon’s gravitational pull is about one-sixth as strong as that of Earth. This means lunar astronauts’ bodies support much less weight, and an extended stay would cause their muscles to atrophy and their bones to get less dense. Microgravity conditions also affect the way blood flows around the body, harming the cardiovascular system.

Taking inspiration from the “wall of death” stunt performed by motorcycle riders, Gaspare Pavei at the University of Milan in Italy and his colleagues have come up with a novel way for lunar settlers to combat these ill effects.

High-speed motorcycles can travel along a circular wall without slipping thanks to a combination of friction and centripetal force. People can’t run quickly enough to do that on Earth, says Pavei. “But we wanted to see if it was feasible for us to do it on the moon.”

The team members hired an amusement park wall of death that was roughly 9.7 metres in diameter and 5 metres high. They separately attached two volunteers by a bungee cord to a pole high above the wall to support their weight, which made them functionally 83 per cent lighter – equivalent to their weight on the moon.

Both runners were able to complete a few laps around the wall at speeds of around 6 metres per second.

The force experienced by the volunteers while in contact with the wall was similar in magnitude to gravity on Earth. “What we recreated by running horizontally on the vertical wall is a sort of artificial gravity,” says Pavei.

On the moon, that would be enough force to counter the main issues of low gravity, such as bone density loss and cardiovascular fitness, he says. “Running twice a day, for a few minutes at a time, should be enough.”

The exercise could also be used to help astronauts prepare for their return to Earth, he says.

“From the perspective of experimental design and scientific analysis, this study looks robust, important and relevant,” says Ilan Kelman at University College London. “Especially considering the limited space in any lunar settlement, this experiment is a helpful and needed contribution to understanding time and cost-efficient ways of keeping moon settlers healthy.”

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May 1, 2024
How India has slowly but surely become a major player in space

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India’s space agency has been remarkably successful in recent years, growing the country’s prestige on the global stage – and the 2024 election is unlikely to change that

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April 30, 2024
Mystery of orbital decay of hot Jupiters revealed in new study

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A Durham University study has uncovered a new mechanism that could solve the mystery of the orbital decay of hot Jupiters.

The researchers propose that stellar magnetic fields play a crucial role in dissipating the gravitational tides responsible for the orbital decay of hot Jupiter exoplanets.

The study is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.

What are hot Jupiters?

Hot Jupiters are massive, gaseous planets similar to Jupiter that orbit extraordinarily close to their parent stars. They complete one orbit in only a few days.

The close proximity between planet and star produces gravitational tides that transfer orbital energy, causing the planets to spiral inwards over billions of years until they are eventually consumed.

WASP-12b is a hot Jupiter whose decaying orbit will send it into its host star WASP-12 in a few million years.

Current theories cannot explain the observation of orbital decay in this system.

Theories have revealed a new mechanism

According to the team, which also included scientists from the University of Leeds and Northwestern University, strong magnetic fields within certain sun-like stars can dissipate the gravitational tides from hot Jupiters very effectively.

The tides create inward waves inside the stars.

When the waves come into contact with magnetic fields, they get converted into different types of magnetic waves that travel outwards and eventually disappear.

Dr Craig Duguid of Durham University, said: “This new mechanism has wide reaching implications for the survival of short period planets and particularly hot Jupiters.

“It opens a new avenue of tidal research and will help guide observational astronomers in finding promising targets to observe orbital decay.

“It is also quite exciting that this new mechanism could be observationally tested within our lifetime.”

Finding additional hot Jupiters

The findings suggest that some nearby stars could be good targets for searching for additional hot Jupiter planets with decaying orbits.

If found, they could provide more evidence about how magnetic fields impact the tides from these planets.

The research has the potential to reveal where the dissipated tidal energy goes within the star’s interior.

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April 29, 2024
A circular space economy is more than just rocket science
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In the North East of England, industry and academia have joined forces to develop the relevant skills to enable a truly circular space economy.

Through the work of companies such as 3S Northumbria, the idea of a circular economy for human operations in outer space has gained increasing traction.

The idea of minimising waste and maximising the use of resources through reuse, recycling, and repurposing offers a tangible, sustainable future for humanity as it looks to transition into a spacefaring species.

Therefore, establishing a skilled workforce capable of driving this circular economy in space is crucial. The North East of England emerges as an ideal hub for nurturing and developing the skills, and more importantly, the mindset, for delivering such a fundamental element of sustainable space operations.

The region has a rich tradition of innovation, resilience, and adaptability amongst the workforce, which can be seen through its industrial heritage rooted in shipbuilding, steelworking, and coal mining.

Academic collaboration

Yet, the past is not the only consideration when developing the necessary skills to explore and exploit outer space. The Northeast has embedded academic excellence within its ecosystem in universities such as Durham,¹ Northumbria,² Newcastle,³ Sunderland,⁴ and Teesside.⁵

These institutions offer cutting-edge research in space manufacturing, astrophysics, optical, and instrumentation applications, as well as developing new knowledge in social sciences, space policy, and space law. These academic resources provide fertile ground for nurturing the interdisciplinary expertise required to develop the circular economy for space.

Why the North East?

The North East boasts a vibrant, collaborative ecosystem with industry, government and academia all looking to develop and drive innovation in the space sector. This collaborative ethos accelerates the development of technology and skill sets that are essential for developing a more sustainable approach to space exploration.

This is coupled with infrastructure investment in the northeast, particularly in advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and renewable energy, which all lay the ground for space-related ventures. The development of state-of-the-art testing facilities and research centres provides the necessary infrastructure for prototyping, testing, and scaling novel space technologies that will place the UK at the forefront of the new space economy.

Developing a specialist workforce

Despite its many advantages, the question remains about what specialist skills will be needed to help develop a truly sustainable and circular economy in outer space. Operating in space presents unique challenges, and simply leveraging existing aerospace and technological infrastructure will not guarantee success in embedding sustainable practices in outer space.

At 3S Northumbria Ltd, we are working with academics at Durham University⁶ and Northumbria Law School⁷ to identify the key skills and workforce requirements needed to engage and embed a circular approach to working in outer space.

First, and most obviously, there will need to be significant interdisciplinary collaboration. Given the multifaceted nature of space exploration and the requirements of sustainable resource utilisation, collaboration among scientists, engineers, policymakers, and those directly involved in the industry will be crucial for success.

Such a cross-disciplinary workforce will necessarily include engineering expertise in aerospace, mechanical, electrical, and materials engineering. This will be essential for developing space-based infrastructure such as recycling systems to reuse defunct satellites and resource extraction, where the reuse of components containing precious metals is not possible.

Allied to this will be the need to develop robotics and automation specialists, together with coders and software engineers who can design and operate autonomous systems for in-orbit servicing, manufacturing, and maintenance tasks.

In addition to the technical, engineering, and data management side of sustainable space operations, a whole range of ancillary and connected opportunities could emerge.

Professionals with knowledge of sustainable design principles may well be essential to ensure that equipment for use in outer space is designed with longevity and resource efficiency in mind.

Supply chain management will be needed to coordinate the logistics of transporting materials and equipment to and from space,e as well as managing inventory and distribution of raw materials.

This will require the creation of a workforce with an ethos of innovation and creativity yet with environmental stewardship and resource efficiency at the heart of the new space economy.

Solving the challenges of developing a circular space economy

The complexity of the space environment, coupled with the increasing volume of space traffic, poses challenges regarding the amount of information needed about the position of all space objects in Earth’s orbit.

3S Northumbria Ltd is committed to developing and enhancing the provision of data in space, working in partnership with Exo-Analytic Solutions, a world leader in Space Situational Awareness and Space Domain Awareness at all orbits more than 8,000km from Earth.

As the orbital environment gets busier, the number of objects that need tracking will increase. 3S Northumbria Ltd is committed to developing a new breed of orbital information engineers who will provide enhanced space situational awareness for operators and be versed in the regulatory requirements of space operations.

Building a workforce with these diverse skills and expertise will present a new challenge. Operating in traditional academic silos is no longer an acceptable option. Entrepreneurs with a new mindset are needed to develop strategies to minimise waste and pollution in space environments and navigate the complex regulatory landscape. They will need to recognise the opportunities that the space economy offers while advocating for policies that support sustainable practices.

The North East of England is ideal for developing such a skilled workforce. Its industrial heritage, academic excellence and collaborative ecosystem are ideally tailored for the challenges of developing a circular economy in space.

References
Please note, this article will also appear in the 18th edition of our quarterly publication.
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April 24, 2024
Astronomers uncover massive stellar black hole in the Milky Way

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Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery, identifying the most massive stellar black hole ever found in the Milky Way galaxy.

This extraordinary stellar black hole find comes as a result of data analysis from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission, revealing a peculiar ‘wobbling’ motion exerted on its orbiting companion star.

Verification of the black hole’s mass, an astounding 33 times that of the Sun, was accomplished using data from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) and other ground-based observatories.

A giant among stellar black holes

Stellar black holes, formed from the collapse of massive stars, have previously been identified in the Milky Way, typically averaging about ten solar masses.

However, the newfound stellar black hole, designated Gaia BH3 or BH3, breaks records with its staggering 33 solar masses.

Even the previous most massive stellar black hole in our galaxy, Cygnus X-1, pales in comparison at 21 solar masses.

Proximity to Earth

Adding to its significance, BH3 is remarkably close to Earth, residing a mere 2,000 light-years away in the constellation Aquila.

Its unexpected proximity has astonished astronomers, who stumbled upon the discovery while scrutinising Gaia observations ahead of an impending data release.

Analysis of BH3

To authenticate their find, the Gaia collaboration conducted meticulous analyses, incorporating data from ground-based observatories like the Ultraviolet and Visual Echelle Spectrograph (UVES) instrument on ESO’s VLT.

These observations unveiled crucial properties of the companion star, facilitating precise measurement of BH3’s mass.

The discovery holds implications for our understanding of stellar evolution. Astronomers have long speculated about the formation of high-mass black holes from metal-poor stars, which retain more mass over their lifetimes.

Artist’s impression shows the orbits of both the star and BH3. Credit: ESO/L. Calçada

BH3’s metal-poor companion star corroborates this theory, providing a direct link between metal-poor stars and high-mass black holes.

Gaia collaboration member Pasquale Panuzzo, an astronomer at the Observatoire de Paris, emphasised the uniqueness of the discovery: “No one was expecting to find a high-mass black hole lurking nearby, undetected so far. This is the kind of discovery you make once in your research life.”

Future prospects

Further observations of the stellar black hole could unveil deeper insights into its history and behaviour.

Instruments like the GRAVITY on ESO’s VLT Interferometer offer the potential to investigate whether BH3 is actively accreting matter from its surroundings, shedding light on the dynamics of this intriguing celestial object.

The revelation of Gaia BH3 represents a significant milestone in astrophysical research, offering a window into the extraordinary phenomena occurring within our galactic neighbourhood.

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April 16, 2024