May and June 2024 in space
June 26, 2024 1:32 PM Subscribe
Around the sun, into orbit, towards the asteroids, to the moon and back again It's been too long since an update on humanity's space exploration. Let's catch up. There's a lot going on:
Sun
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory imaged Sol firing off two strong solar flares. The European Space Agency (ESA) published close-up footage of the Sun taken by the Solar Orbiter.
Venus
Researchers used Magellan spacecraft data from the early 1990s to determine that Venus probably has some ongoing volcanic activity.
On Earth’s surface
Construction on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile is nearly finished. In Texas SpaceX wants to produce one Starship rocket per day in their impending StarFactory.
From Earth to orbit
Successes: after months of delays, Boeing's Starliner finally launched and carried two astronauts to dock with the International Space Station (ISS), albeit with persistent helium leaks and thruster problems (previously). SpaceX launched and for the first time successfully splashed down a Starship. SpaceX reports it now carries 87% of orbital tonnage. A Long March 2C rocket carried a Franco-Chinese satellite, the Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM), into orbit to study gamma ray bursts. NASA's first Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE) cubesat rode a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Māhia, New Zealand into orbit, followed by another. Rocket Lab also orbited a South Korean Earth observing satellite as well as a solar sail experiment. GOES-U, the fourth and final satellite in the Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) – R Series, rode a Falcon Heavy into orbit.
South Korea confirmed a North Korean launch failed to reach orbit.
In Earth orbit
"For the first time in history, three different crewed vehicles, Starliner, SpaceX's Dragon, and Russia's Soyuz, were all simultaneously docked" at the ISS. Zebrafish on the Tiangong space station are "showing directional behavior anomalies, such as inverted swimming and rotary movement." (video)
NASA has delayed Starliner's return indefinitely. Leaks on the ISS are a persistent problem. The Hubble space telescope lost another gyroscope. An astronaut wants to help.
Back down to Earth
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working on making its space missions free of debris. A video clip shows a Chinese rocket falling near a village. NASA confirmed that SpaceX debris fell on North Carolina.
Earth's moon
Chang'e-6 (嫦娥六号) blasted off from Earth, traveled to the moon, then landed in the South Pole–Aitken basin, taking a selfie, and planting a flag made of stone. Two days later its ascender lifted off, carrying two kilograms of lunar material, which it delivered to its orbiter, which then transported the stuff successfully to the Earth's surface. (mix of official video footage and animation)
Lunar plans: Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced their intention to build a nuclear power plant on the moon by 2035. A Japanese billionaire canceled his planned lunar trip.
Mars
The ESA and NASA agreed on a shared Martian rover project. NASA awarded nine companies grants to develop feasibility studies for Martian missions.
To the asteroids
Beyond the orbit of Mars, heading to its first asteroid, NASA's Psyche spacecraft fired up its electric thrusters. A research team applied AI to Hubble data and found more than 1,000 new asteroids.
Saturn
NASA approved funding for the Dragonfly mission to Titan.
In the Kuiper belt
Voyager 1 restarted sending data all the way back to Earth. (previously)
Way, way beyond the solar system
The James Webb space telescope imaged the farthest known galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0.
Sun
NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory imaged Sol firing off two strong solar flares. The European Space Agency (ESA) published close-up footage of the Sun taken by the Solar Orbiter.
Venus
Researchers used Magellan spacecraft data from the early 1990s to determine that Venus probably has some ongoing volcanic activity.
On Earth’s surface
Construction on the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile is nearly finished. In Texas SpaceX wants to produce one Starship rocket per day in their impending StarFactory.
From Earth to orbit
Successes: after months of delays, Boeing's Starliner finally launched and carried two astronauts to dock with the International Space Station (ISS), albeit with persistent helium leaks and thruster problems (previously). SpaceX launched and for the first time successfully splashed down a Starship. SpaceX reports it now carries 87% of orbital tonnage. A Long March 2C rocket carried a Franco-Chinese satellite, the Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM), into orbit to study gamma ray bursts. NASA's first Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-InfraRed Experiment (PREFIRE) cubesat rode a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from Māhia, New Zealand into orbit, followed by another. Rocket Lab also orbited a South Korean Earth observing satellite as well as a solar sail experiment. GOES-U, the fourth and final satellite in the Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES) – R Series, rode a Falcon Heavy into orbit.
South Korea confirmed a North Korean launch failed to reach orbit.
In Earth orbit
"For the first time in history, three different crewed vehicles, Starliner, SpaceX's Dragon, and Russia's Soyuz, were all simultaneously docked" at the ISS. Zebrafish on the Tiangong space station are "showing directional behavior anomalies, such as inverted swimming and rotary movement." (video)
NASA has delayed Starliner's return indefinitely. Leaks on the ISS are a persistent problem. The Hubble space telescope lost another gyroscope. An astronaut wants to help.
Back down to Earth
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working on making its space missions free of debris. A video clip shows a Chinese rocket falling near a village. NASA confirmed that SpaceX debris fell on North Carolina.
Earth's moon
Chang'e-6 (嫦娥六号) blasted off from Earth, traveled to the moon, then landed in the South Pole–Aitken basin, taking a selfie, and planting a flag made of stone. Two days later its ascender lifted off, carrying two kilograms of lunar material, which it delivered to its orbiter, which then transported the stuff successfully to the Earth's surface. (mix of official video footage and animation)
Lunar plans: Roscosmos and the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced their intention to build a nuclear power plant on the moon by 2035. A Japanese billionaire canceled his planned lunar trip.
Mars
The ESA and NASA agreed on a shared Martian rover project. NASA awarded nine companies grants to develop feasibility studies for Martian missions.
To the asteroids
Beyond the orbit of Mars, heading to its first asteroid, NASA's Psyche spacecraft fired up its electric thrusters. A research team applied AI to Hubble data and found more than 1,000 new asteroids.
Saturn
NASA approved funding for the Dragonfly mission to Titan.
In the Kuiper belt
Voyager 1 restarted sending data all the way back to Earth. (previously)
Way, way beyond the solar system
The James Webb space telescope imaged the farthest known galaxy, JADES-GS-z14-0.
Thanks for this!
posted by AdamCSnider at 1:53 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
posted by AdamCSnider at 1:53 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
Great post!
posted by brambleboy at 1:56 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
posted by brambleboy at 1:56 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
Oh thank you so much!!
I found the return of the dark side of the moon space rocks particularly exciting!
posted by vacapinta at 2:12 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
I found the return of the dark side of the moon space rocks particularly exciting!
posted by vacapinta at 2:12 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
I feel like I could be a candidate on a reality show that’s watching the news about Starliner. I think it’s gonna be ok, but the mistakes of the Shuttle disasters weighs on my mind. Fingers crossed!
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:45 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 2:45 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
Awesome round up post!
As an amateur aurora hunter I'm excited about more solar flare research.
posted by freethefeet at 3:32 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
As an amateur aurora hunter I'm excited about more solar flare research.
posted by freethefeet at 3:32 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
What do you even do with one Starship per day? If the planned use case is launch from pad, land at pad, repeat... Do you build one launchpad per day? I don't get it.
posted by quillbreaker at 4:17 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
posted by quillbreaker at 4:17 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
I read somewhere that the cause of delay for Starliner is that the part with the problem will be ejected from the craft during return to earth. So if they don't research the problem up there, it's not getting researched.
posted by quillbreaker at 4:23 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
posted by quillbreaker at 4:23 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
quillbreaker, I haven't heard about that ejection.
posted by doctornemo at 4:30 PM on June 26
posted by doctornemo at 4:30 PM on June 26
That Dragonfly mission to Titan is going to be boss. Please be gentle, you big dumb heavy lift launch vehicles.
posted by credulous at 4:42 PM on June 26 [3 favorites]
posted by credulous at 4:42 PM on June 26 [3 favorites]
I haven't heard about that ejection
Last I heard it was because some of the problems are on the service module, which will be ejected, so they're doing a lot of studying. Then because of spacewalk plans, they've pushed back the departure to July 4 at the earliest. But then the spacewalks were canceled, so I don't know.
But overall, not impressed with the Starliner.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:47 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
Last I heard it was because some of the problems are on the service module, which will be ejected, so they're doing a lot of studying. Then because of spacewalk plans, they've pushed back the departure to July 4 at the earliest. But then the spacewalks were canceled, so I don't know.
But overall, not impressed with the Starliner.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 4:47 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
I'm working on Dragonfly! I'm doing some FPGA work for avionics! Really looking forward to seeing that one go!
posted by newdaddy at 6:51 PM on June 26 [9 favorites]
posted by newdaddy at 6:51 PM on June 26 [9 favorites]
We will need a complete explanation of everything you’re doing, with footnotes. 😂😅
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:14 PM on June 26 [2 favorites]
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:14 PM on June 26 [2 favorites]
What do you even do with one Starship per day?
Colonize Mars.
There are four launch pads being built, and this is before the testing is completed. So if everything in the reusability process works out, it's not one a day but 2-3 per pad per day.
Yes crazy, so is landing a rocket in the middle of the ocean and sending it back up in a week, which is currently standard practice. (actual turnaround varies, scheduling/weather and such, but it's done)
posted by sammyo at 7:30 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
Colonize Mars.
There are four launch pads being built, and this is before the testing is completed. So if everything in the reusability process works out, it's not one a day but 2-3 per pad per day.
Yes crazy, so is landing a rocket in the middle of the ocean and sending it back up in a week, which is currently standard practice. (actual turnaround varies, scheduling/weather and such, but it's done)
posted by sammyo at 7:30 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
So what do folks think about the catty prognostication that Butch and Suni may need to be rescued by an adhoc spacex launch?
posted by sammyo at 7:40 PM on June 26
posted by sammyo at 7:40 PM on June 26
That it’s catty.
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:51 PM on June 26
posted by Brandon Blatcher at 7:51 PM on June 26
Love these regular posts - thank you DoctorNemo
posted by jjderooy at 8:01 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
posted by jjderooy at 8:01 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
Oh, wow, I thought Dragonfly was already a done deal. Glad to hear it got approved, it's really amazing stuff. As always, thank you doctormemo for these posts.
posted by mollweide at 8:25 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
posted by mollweide at 8:25 PM on June 26 [1 favorite]
Wow that link about space debris falling in North Caroina links to this story about a family in Florida filing a claim with NASA this week for damages from a remnant of a 2.9-ton pallet of used batteries jettisoned from the ISS in March 2021 that crashed through their roof and two floors of their home a couple of months ago. At the time of the jettisoning, Phil Plait from Bad Astronomy said it seemed like a dangerous thing to do, as the size and density of the load made it unlikely to fully burn up in the atmosphere. An excerpt from the family's statement is eye-opening:
“If the incident had happened overseas, and someone in another country were damaged by the same space debris as in the Oteros’ case, the U.S. would have been absolutely liable to pay for those damages under the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects also known as the ‘Space Liability Convention.” We have asked NASA not to apply a different standard towards U.S. citizens or residents, but instead to take care of the Oteros and make them whole,” she said. “Here, the U.S. government, through NASA, has an opportunity to set the standard or ‘set a precedent’ as to what responsible, safe, and sustainable space operations ought to look like..."
posted by mediareport at 4:42 AM on June 27 [2 favorites]
“If the incident had happened overseas, and someone in another country were damaged by the same space debris as in the Oteros’ case, the U.S. would have been absolutely liable to pay for those damages under the Convention on International Liability for Damage Caused by Space Objects also known as the ‘Space Liability Convention.” We have asked NASA not to apply a different standard towards U.S. citizens or residents, but instead to take care of the Oteros and make them whole,” she said. “Here, the U.S. government, through NASA, has an opportunity to set the standard or ‘set a precedent’ as to what responsible, safe, and sustainable space operations ought to look like..."
posted by mediareport at 4:42 AM on June 27 [2 favorites]
A Long March 2C rocket carried a Franco-Chinese satellite, the Space Variable Objects Monitor (SVOM), into orbit to study gamma ray bursts.
Unfortunately, what goes up...
Unfortunately, what goes up...
The videos show what appears to be the first stage rocket booster of the Long March 2C rocket tumbling uncontrollably over a village in southwest China, while local residents cover their ears and run for shelter from the falling debris. There are no reports of injuries or damage to property. That said, unverified video and images show a gigantic cloud erupting at the site of the crashed rocket, and the booster itself seemingly next to a roadway.posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 6:55 AM on June 27 [1 favorite]
Story in the NY Times today: Two Killer Asteroids Are Flying by Earth, and You May Be Able to See One. The potentially visible one is 2024 MK. I haven't yet found a sky map showing where to spot it. Maybe one of my iPad apps has it?
posted by neuron at 9:14 AM on June 27 [1 favorite]
posted by neuron at 9:14 AM on June 27 [1 favorite]
The Pluto Gangsta, I think that's the same story I linked to in the post.
Now, it's the booster. The satellite seems to have journeyed safely.
posted by doctornemo at 10:46 AM on June 27
Now, it's the booster. The satellite seems to have journeyed safely.
posted by doctornemo at 10:46 AM on June 27
Right, I'm sorry -- I didn't mean to imply that the satellite failed to launch properly. Unfortunately in this case, the booster crashed and could become a serious risk to the area it landed on.
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 11:11 AM on June 27 [1 favorite]
posted by The Pluto Gangsta at 11:11 AM on June 27 [1 favorite]
No, I'm glad you made the connection. Thank you.
posted by doctornemo at 12:20 PM on June 28
posted by doctornemo at 12:20 PM on June 28
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NASA said operating on a single gyroscope is feasible
they're spinning this well
posted by HearHere at 1:47 PM on June 26 [6 favorites]