NASA’s Hubble Traces ‘String of Pearls’ Star Clusters in Galaxy Collisions

Contrary to what you might think, galaxy collisions do not destroy stars. In fact, the rough-and-tumble dynamics trigger new generations of stars, and presumably accompanying planets.

Now NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has homed in on 12 interacting galaxies that have long, tadpole-like tidal tails of gas, dust, and a plethora of stars. Hubble’s exquisite sharpness and sensitivity to ultraviolet light have uncovered 425 clusters of newborn stars along these tails, looking like strings of holiday lights. Each cluster contains as many as 1 million blue, newborn stars.

Clusters in tidal tails have been known about for decades. When galaxies interact, gravitational tidal forces pull out long streamers of gas and dust. Two popular examples are the Antennae and Mice galaxies with their long, narrow, finger-like projections.

A team of astronomers used a combination of new observations and archival data to get ages and masses of tidal tail star clusters. They found that these clusters are very young – only 10 million years old. And they seem to be forming at the same rate along tails stretching for thousands of light-years.

“It’s a surprise to see lots of the young objects in the tails. It tells us a lot about cluster formation efficiency,” said lead author Michael Rodruck of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. “With tidal tails, you will build up new generations of stars that otherwise might not have existed.”

The tails look like they are taking a galaxy’s spiral arm and stretching it out into space. The exterior part of the arm gets pulled like taffy from the gravitational tug-of-war between a pair of interacting galaxies.

Before the mergers, the galaxies were rich in dusty clouds of molecular hydrogen that simply may have remained inert. But the clouds got jostled and bumped into each other during the encounters. This compressed the hydrogen to the point where it precipitated a firestorm of star birth.

The fate of these strung-out star clusters is uncertain. They may stay gravitationally intact and evolve into globular star clusters – like those that orbit outside the plane of our Milky Way galaxy. Or they may disperse to form a halo of stars around their host galaxy, or get cast off to become wandering intergalactic stars.

This string-of-pearls star formation may have been more common in the early universe when galaxies collided with each other more frequently. These nearby galaxies observed by Hubble are a proxy for what happened long ago, and therefore are laboratories for looking into the distant past.

The Hubble Space Telescope is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, manages the telescope. The Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in Baltimore, Maryland, conducts Hubble and Webb science operations. STScI is operated for NASA by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, in Washington, D.C.

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Media Contacts:

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

Ray Villard
Space Telescope Science Institute, Baltimore, MD

Science Contact:

Michael Rodruck
Randolph-Macon College, Ashland, VA

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NASA Launches New Climate Mission to Study Ocean, Atmosphere

NASA’s satellite mission to study ocean health, air quality, and the effects of a changing climate for the benefit of humanity launched successfully into orbit at 1:33 a.m. EST Thursday.

Known as PACE, the Plankton, Aerosol, Climate, ocean Ecosystem satellite, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. NASA confirmed signal acquisition from the satellite about five minutes after launch, and the spacecraft is performing as expected.

“Congratulations to the PACE team on a successful launch. With this new addition to NASA’s fleet of Earth-observing satellites, PACE will help us learn, like never before, how particles in our atmosphere and our oceans can identify key factors impacting global warming,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Missions like this are supporting the Biden-Harris Administration’s climate agenda and helping us answer urgent questions about our changing climate.”

From hundreds of miles above Earth, the PACE mission will study the impact of tiny, often invisible things: microscopic life in water and microscopic particles in the air.

The satellite’s hyperspectral ocean color instrument will allow researchers to measure oceans and other waterbodies across a spectrum of ultraviolet, visible, and near-infrared light. This will enable scientists to track the distribution of phytoplankton and – for the first time from space – identify which communities of these organisms are present on daily, global scales. Scientists and coastal resource managers can use the data to help forecast the health of fisheries, track harmful algal blooms, and identify changes in the marine environment.

The spacecraft also carries two polarimeter instruments, Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter #2 and Spectro-polarimeter for Planetary Exploration. These will detect how sunlight interacts with particles in the atmosphere, giving researchers new information on atmospheric aerosols and cloud properties, as well as air quality at local, regional, and global scales.

With the combination of the instrument and the polarimeters, PACE will provide insights into the interactions of the ocean and atmosphere, and how a changing climate affects these interactions.

“Observations and scientific research from PACE will profoundly advance our knowledge of the ocean’s role in the climate cycle,” said Karen St. Germain, director, Earth Science Division, Science Mission Directorate, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “The value of PACE data skyrockets when we combine it with data and science from our Surface Water and Ocean Topography mission – ushering in a new era of ocean science. As an open-source science mission with early adopters ready to use its research and data, PACE will accelerate our understanding of the Earth system and help NASA deliver actionable science, data, and practical applications to help our coastal communities and industries address rapidly evolving challenges.” 

“It’s been an honor to work with the PACE team and witness firsthand their dedication and tenacity in overcoming challenges, including the global pandemic, to make this observatory a reality,” said Marjorie Haskell, PACE program executive at NASA Headquarters. “The passion and teamwork are matched only by the excitement of the science community for the data this new satellite will provide.”

Earth’s oceans are responding in many ways to climate change – from sea level rise to marine heat waves to a loss of biodiversity. With PACE, researchers will be able to study climate change’s effects on phytoplankton, which play a key role in the global carbon cycle by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and converting it into their cellular material. These tiny organisms drive larger aquatic and global ecosystems that provide critical resources for food security, recreation, and the economy.

“After 20 years of thinking about this mission, it’s exhilarating to watch it finally realized and to witness its launch. I couldn’t be prouder or more appreciative of our PACE team,” said Jeremy Werdell, PACE project scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “The opportunities PACE will offer are so exciting, and we’re going to be able to use these incredible technologies in ways we haven’t yet anticipated. It’s truly a mission of discovery.”

NASA’s Launch Services Program, based at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, managed the launch services for the mission. The PACE mission is managed by NASA Goddard, which also built and tested the spacecraft and the ocean color instrument. The Hyper-Angular Rainbow Polarimeter #2 was designed and built by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and the Spectro-polarimeter for Planetary Exploration was developed and built by a Dutch consortium led by Netherlands Institute for Space Research, Airbus Defence, and Space Netherlands.

For more information on PACE, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov/pace

-end-

Faith McKie / Karen Fox
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600 / 240-285-5155
faith.d.mckie@nasa.gov / karen.c.fox@nasa.gov

Jake Richmond
Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md.
240-713-1618
jacob.a.richmond@nasa.gov

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Jennifer M. Dooren

NASA Sets Coverage for SpaceX, Intuitive Machines First Moon Mission

As part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, SpaceX is targeting no earlier than 12:57 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 14, for a Falcon 9 launch of Intuitive Machines’ first lunar lander to the Moon’s surface. Liftoff will be from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  

Live launch coverage will air on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency’s website, with prelaunch events starting Monday, Feb. 12. Learn how to stream NASA TV through a variety of platforms, including social media.

Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander is expected to land on the Moon Thursday, Feb. 22. Among the items on its lander, the IM-1 mission will carry NASA science and technology instruments focusing on plume-surface interactions, space weather/lunar surface interactions, radio astronomy, precision landing technologies, and a communication and navigation node for future autonomous navigation technologies. 

Full coverage of this mission is as follows (all times Eastern): 

Monday, Feb. 12 

11 a.m. – Science media teleconference with the following participants:

• Susan Lederer, CLPS project scientist, NASA’s Johnson Space Center
• Farzin Amzajerdian, principal investigator, Navigation Doppler Lidar, NASA’s Langley Research Center
• Tamara Statham, co-principal investigator, Lunar Node-1, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
• Daniel Cremons, deputy principal investigator, Laser Retro-Reflector Array, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
• Nat Gopalswamy, principal investigator, Radio Observations of the Lunar Surface Photoelectron Sheath, NASA Goddard 
• Michelle Munk, principal investigator, Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies, NASA Langley 
• Lauren Ameen, deputy project manager, Radio Frequency Mass Gauge, NASA’s Glenn Research Center

Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website: 

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, media must contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 10 a.m. Feb. 12, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. The public can submit questions on social media using #AskNASA.

4:30 p.m. – Lunar delivery readiness media teleconference with the following participants: 

• Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for Exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters  
• Debra Needham, program scientist, Exploration Science Strategy and Integration Office, NASA Headquarters 
• Trent Martin, vice president, Space Systems, Intuitive Machines 
• William Gerstenmaier, vice president, Build and Flight Reliability, SpaceX 
• Arlena Moses, launch weather officer, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s 45th Weather Squadron 

Audio of the teleconference will stream live on the agency’s website: 

https://www.nasa.gov/nasatv

Media may ask questions via phone only. For the dial-in number and passcode, media must contact the Kennedy newsroom no later than 3:30 p.m. Feb. 12, at: ksc-newsroom@mail.nasa.gov. 

Wednesday, Feb. 14 

12:15 a.m. – NASA TV launch coverage begins 

12:57 a.m. – Launch 

Coverage is subject to change based on real-time operational activities. Follow the Artemis blog for updates. 

NASA launch coverage 
Audio only of the launch coverage will be carried on the NASA “V” circuits, which may be accessed by dialing 321-867-1220, -1240, or -7135. On launch day, the full mission broadcast can be heard on -1220 and -1240, while the countdown net only can be heard on -7135 beginning approximately one hour before the launch broadcast begins. 

On launch day, a “tech feed” of the launch without NASA TV commentary will be carried on the NASA TV media channel. 

NASA website launch coverage 

Launch day coverage of the mission will be available on the NASA website. Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates beginning no earlier than 12:15 a.m. Feb. 14, as the countdown milestones occur. On-demand streaming video and photos of the launch will be available shortly after liftoff. For questions about countdown coverage, contact the Kennedy newsroom at 321-867-2468. Follow countdown coverage on the Artemis blog for updates. 

Attend launch virtually 

Members of the public can register to attend this launch virtually. Registrants will receive mission updates and activities by email. NASA’s virtual guest program for this mission also includes curated launch resources, notifications about related opportunities, and a virtual guest passport stamp following a successful launch. 

Watch, engage on social media 

Let people know you’re following the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtag #Artemis. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts: 

X: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASAArtemis, @NASAMoon 

Facebook: NASA, NASAKennedy, NASAArtemis 

Instagram: @NASA, @NASAKennedy, @NASAArtemis 

In May 2019, the agency awarded a task order for scientific payload delivery to Intuitive Machines. Through Artemis, commercial robotic deliveries will perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon in advance of Artemis Generation astronaut missions to the lunar surface, in preparation for future missions to Mars.

NASA is working with several U.S. companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface through the agency’s CLPS initiative. This pool of companies may bid on task orders. A task order award includes payload integration and operations, as well as launching from Earth and landing on the surface of the Moon. CLPS contracts are indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with a cumulative maximum contract value of $2.6 billion through 2028. 

For more information about the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, see: 

https://www.nasa.gov/clps

Para obtener información sobre cobertura en español en el Centro Espacial Kennedy o si desea solicitar entrevistas en español, comuníquese con Antonia Jaramillo o Messod Bendayan a: antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov o messod.c.bendayan@nasa.gov. 

-end- 

Karen Fox / Alise Fisher 
Headquarters, Washington 
202-358-1275
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / alise.m.fisher@nasa.gov  

Nilufar Ramji  
Johnson Space Center, Houston 
281-483-5111
nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov  

Antonia Jaramillo 
Kennedy Space Center, Florida 
321-501-8425
antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov 

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Roxana Bardan

First Look: Spaceplane Stacked and Shaken at NASA Test Facility

2 Min Read

First Look: Spaceplane Stacked and Shaken at NASA Test Facility

Nose-up and bathed in soft blue lights, Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser spaceplane and its Shooting Star cargo module cast dramatic shadows onto the walls of NASA’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, as members of the media got their first glimpse of the towering 55-foot-tall stack on Feb. 1.

The spaceplane and its cargo module are undergoing testing at the facility to prepare for the extreme environment of space.

“The Armstrong Test Facility is one of NASA Glenn Research Center’s most critical assets,” said Dr. Jimmy Kenyon, center director of NASA Glenn in Cleveland, during a media event where Tom Vice, chief executive officer of Sierra Space; Phil Dempsey, transportation integration manager for the International Space Station Program; and Dr. Tom Marshburn, former NASA astronaut and chief medical officer for Sierra Space, were also on hand for interviews.

“Here, we have some of the world’s largest and most capable simulation and test facilities to test the harsh conditions that spacecraft will experience during launch and in flight.»

Dr. Jimmy Kenyon

Center Director of NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland

“Here, we have some of the world’s largest and most capable simulation and test facilities to test the harsh conditions that spacecraft will experience during launch and in flight,” Kenyon said.

Using the world’s most powerful spacecraft shaker system, NASA exposed Dream Chaser and Shooting Star to vibrations like those it will experience during launch and re-entry into the atmosphere.

Next up, Dream Chaser will move to a huge, in-ground vacuum chamber that will continue to simulate the space environment Dream Chaser will encounter on its mission. The spaceplane will be put through its paces, experiencing low ambient pressures, low-background temperatures, and dynamic solar heating.

This testing marks progress toward Dream Chaser’s first uncrewed demonstration flight to the International Space Station later this year as part of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Program. On its first flight, Dream Chaser is scheduled to deliver over 7,800 pounds of cargo.
NASA’s work with commercial industry is leading to more people, science, and commercial opportunities in space for the benefit of humanity.

“We collectively, NASA and Sierra Space, go to space to benefit life on Earth.»

Tom vice

Chief Executive Officer of Sierra Space

“We collectively, NASA and Sierra Space, go to space to benefit life on Earth,” Vice said. “The most significant industrial revolution in history is underway in space. You have to kind of step back and inhale everything you’re witnessing, the magnitude of what you’re witnessing; the signs are all around us that we are now living in the orbital age.”

Top Image Credit: Sierra Space/Shay Saldana

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NASA Selects Agencywide Acquisition Support Services Contractor

NASA has selected 8(a) vendor Seventh Sense Consulting LLC of Woodbridge, Virginia, to provide acquisition support services for non-inherently governmental functions across the agency.

The contractor will provide services agencywide, including document development support, procurement administrative services, acquisition policy support, procurement operations support, procurement source selection support, cost/pricing support, and contract closeout support. The latter will be performed at all NASA centers, and the acquisition support may be performed at any NASA center, either on-site, off-site, or hybrid.

This award will result in a single-award blanket purchase agreement to an 8(a) small business. The maximum contract value is about $77.5 million. A one-year base period begins on Friday, March 1. The contract includes up to four one-year options with the potential to extend services through Aug. 31, 2029.

For information about NASA and agency programs, visit:

https://www.nasa.gov

-end-

Abbey Donaldson
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
abbey.a.donaldson@nasa.gov

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Abbey A. Donaldson