NASA Curiosity Rover Sends Back First Mars Soil Data
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| Martian soil |
NASA announced on Oct., 30, 2012 the first analysis of Martian soil by the Chemistry and Mineralogy (CheMin) experiment on NASA’s Curiosity rover. The soil sample taken during Curiosity’s third scoop on October 15 revealed the presence of crystalline feldspar, 
pyroxenes and olivine mixed with some amorphous (non-crystalline) material.
pyroxenes and olivine mixed with some amorphous (non-crystalline) material.
NASA said that the soil sample taken within Gale Crater resembles what could be found in volcanic soils in Hawaii on Earth.
“Much of Mars is covered with dust, and we had an incomplete understanding of its mineralogy,” David Bish, CheMin co-investigator with Indiana University in Bloomington, said in a press release. “We now know it is mineralogically similar to basaltic material, with significant amounts of feldspar, pyroxene and olivine, which was not unexpected. Roughly half the soil is non-crystalline material, such as volcanic glass or products from weathering of the glass.”
Curiosity first delivered the soil sample to its ChemMin instrument for X-ray diffraction analysis on October 17 (Sol 71). By directing an X-ray beam at a sample and recording how X-rays are scattered, the instrument was able to help identify and quantify minerals on Mars for the first time.
“Our team is elated with these first results from our instrument,” David Blake, principal investigator for CheMin, said in the press release. “They heighten our anticipation for future CheMin analyses in the months and miles ahead for Curiosity.”
NASA believes that the soil sample analysed by the CheMin instrument is likely a blend of globally distributed dust and larger sand-sized particles derived from local sources. The space agency said during a teleconference on Tuesday that it plans on keeping Curiosity at this Rocknest spot on Mars for another week or so.
Blake said that engineers had to shrink the size of Curiosity’s CheMin instrument from the industry standard Refrigerator size, to a shoebox size. This instrument is a compact X-ray diffraction instrument that is about 10 inches on each side.
CheMin is equipped with a charged couple device (CCD), which detects both the position and energy of each X-ray photon. The technology in this CCD was originally developed by NASA and has become widely used in commercial digital cameras. When soil is delivered to CheMin, it is funneled into one of the windowed areas in the cell assemblies. These cell pairs act like a tuning fork, vibrating at 2,000 times per second.
When particles are vibrated, they flow like liquid, and this movement enables the instrument’s X-ray beams to hit all of the grains in random orientations over time. Implementing the powder vibration system was a crucial step in enabling small portable X-ray diffraction instruments because many of the moving parts in conventional X-ray diffraction instruments could be eliminated.
“So far, the materials Curiosity has analyzed are consistent with our initial ideas of the deposits in Gale Crater recording a transition through time from a wet to dry environment,” Bish said. “The ancient rocks, such as the conglomerates, suggest flowing water, while the minerals in the younger soil are consistent with limited interaction with water.”
Scientists have used an X-ray diffraction instrument to examine the paintings on the west wall in the tomb of King Tutankhamen. The commercial instrument used in situations like this derived from technology developed for the CheMin.
NASA said once Curiosity departs Rocknest, it will continue its journey towards Glenelg.
Curiosity has been stationed at Rocknest for nearly a month now, and during its time there it was able to perform its first scoop of Martian soil.
Source: http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1112722681/mars-curiosity-soil-analysis-103012/
NASA Sees Entire Sun, SDO Gives 360 Degree View
Each of these images was captured from a different perspective by one of NASA’s Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft on Oct. 14, 2012. The image on the left, STEREO-B, shows a dark vertical line slightly to the upper left of centre. Only by looking at the image on the right, captured by STEREO-A from a different direction, is this feature revealed to be a giant prominence of solar material bursting through the sun’s atmosphere.
Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft on Oct. 14, 2012. The image on the left, STEREO-B, shows a dark vertical line slightly to the upper left of centre. Only by looking at the image on the right, captured by STEREO-A from a different direction, is this feature revealed to be a giant prominence of solar material bursting through the sun’s atmosphere. 
On the evening of Oct. 25, 2006, the twin Solar Terrestrial Relations Observatory (STEREO) spacecraft launched into space, destined for fairly simple orbits: both circle the sun like Earth does, STEREO-A traveling in a slightly smaller and therefore faster orbit, STEREO-B traveling in a 
larger and slower orbit. Those simple orbits, however, result in interesting geometry. As one spacecraft gained an increasing lead over Earth, the other trailed further and further behind. In February of 2011, each STEREO spacecraft was situated on opposite sides of the sun, and on Sept. 1, 2012, the two spacecraft and and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (at Earth) formed an equal-sided triangle, with each observatory providing overlapping views of the entire sun.
larger and slower orbit. Those simple orbits, however, result in interesting geometry. As one spacecraft gained an increasing lead over Earth, the other trailed further and further behind. In February of 2011, each STEREO spacecraft was situated on opposite sides of the sun, and on Sept. 1, 2012, the two spacecraft and and the Solar Dynamics Observatory (at Earth) formed an equal-sided triangle, with each observatory providing overlapping views of the entire sun.
Since its launch in 2006, the STEREO spacecraft have drifted further and further apart to gain different views of the sun.
By providing such unique viewpoints, STEREO has offered scientists the ability to see all sides of the sun simultaneously for the first time in history, augmented with a view from Earth’s perspective by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO). In addition to giving researchers a view of active regions on the sun before they even come over the horizon, combining two views is crucial for three-dimensional observations of the giant filaments that dance off the sun’s surface or the massive eruptions of solar material known as coronal mass ejections (CMEs). Examine the images below to see how a feature on the sun can look dramatically different from two perspectives.
SpaceX Dragon Cargo Craft Returns To Earth After Historic First Mission
The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft was released from the International Space Station’s robotic arm by the Expedition 33 crew on October 28, 2012 at 9:29 a.m. EDT. Dragon performed three burns to place it on a trajectory away from the station and began its return trip to Earth.
A 10-minute, 40-second deorbit burn beginning at 2:28 p.m. slowed Dragon down for its descent, culminating in a parachute-assisted splashdown 250 miles off the coast of Baja California at 3:20 p.m. Dragon is the only space station cargo craft capable of returning a significant amount of supplies back to Earth, including experiments.
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| The SpaceX Dragon cargo craft manoeuvres away from the International Space Station. |
The ground team at Mission Control Houston remotely commanded the station’s robotic arm to uninstall Dragon from the Earth-facing port of the Harmony node at 7:19 a.m. after Expedition 33 Commander removed the bolts and latches of the Common Berthing Mechanism that had secured the cargo craft to the station since Oct 10. A set of programmed commands to Canadarm2 then manoeuvred Dragon out to the 15-meter release point, where Commander and Flight Engineer ungrappled Dragon and backed the arm away.
Dragon delivered 882 pounds of supplies to the orbiting laboratory, including 260 pounds of crew supplies, 390 pounds of scientific research, 225 pounds of hardware and several pounds of other supplies. Dragon is returning a total of 1,673 pounds, including 163 pounds of crew supplies, 866 pounds of scientific research, and 518 pounds of vehicle hardware.
SpaceX’s Dragon capsule returned to Earth safely splashing down in the Pacific Ocean about 400 kilometres off the coast of southern California. Inside the capsule are 758 kg of return cargo including hardware, supplies, and a GLACIER freezer packed with scientific samples, including blood and urine samples of the astronauts on the space station, being returned for medical analysis. Currently, Dragon is the only craft capable of returning a significant amount of supplies to Earth, and this mission marks the first time since the retirement of the space shuttle that NASA has been able to return research samples for analysis. Both NASA and SpaceX were thrilled with the success of the mission.
It may be called, Dragon was launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket on Oct. 7 at 8:35 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, beginning NASA’s first contracted cargo delivery flight, designated SpaceX CRS-1, to the station.
Source: http://www.universetoday.com/98224/timelapse-dragons-departure-from-the-iss
