{"id":11932,"date":"2024-09-11T18:18:00","date_gmt":"2024-09-11T22:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/the-marshall-star-for-september-11-2024\/"},"modified":"2024-09-11T18:18:00","modified_gmt":"2024-09-11T22:18:00","slug":"the-marshall-star-for-september-11-2024","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zobi.alcowep.com\/bourtagshdrevxnls658739\/the-marshall-star-for-september-11-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"The Marshall Star for September 11, 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Marshall Star for September 11, 2024<\/h2>\n

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22 Min Read<\/div>\n

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe Marshall Star for September 11, 2024\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Starship Super Heavy Breezes Through Wind Tunnel Testing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

NASA and its industry partners continue to make progress toward Artemis III and beyond, the first crewed lunar landing missions under the agency\u2019s Artemis campaign. SpaceX, the commercial\u00a0Human Landing System (HLS)<\/a>\u00a0provider for Artemis III and Artemis IV, recently tested a 1.2% scale model of the Super Heavy rocket, or booster, in the transonic Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center. The Super Heavy rocket will launch the Starship human landing system to the Moon as part of Artemis.<\/p>\n

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A 1.2% scale model of the Super Heavy rocket that will launch the Starship human landing system to the Moon for future crewed Artemis missions was recently tested at NASA\u2019s Ames Research Center\u2019s transonic wind tunnel, providing valuable information on vehicle stability when re-entering Earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

During the tests, the wind tunnel forced an air stream at the Super Heavy scale model at high speeds, mimicking the air resistance and flow the booster experiences during flight. The wind tunnel subjected the Super Heavy model, affixed with pressure-measuring sensors, to wind speeds ranging from Mach .7, or about 537 miles per hour, to Mach 1.4, or about 1,074 miles per hour. Mach 1 is the speed that sound waves travel, or 761 miles per hour, at sea level.<\/p>\n

Engineers then measured how Super Heavy model responded to the simulated flight conditions, observing its stability, aerodynamic performance, and more. Engineers used the data to update flight software for\u00a0flight 3 of Super Heavy and Starship<\/a>\u00a0and to refine the exterior design of future versions of the booster. The testing lasted about two weeks and took place earlier in 2024.<\/p>\n

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Four grid fins on the Super Heavy rocket help stabilize and control the rocket as it re-enters Earth\u2019s atmosphere after launching Starship to a lunar trajectory. Engineers tested the effects of various aerodynamic conditions on several grid fin configurations during wind tunnel testing.<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

After Super Heavy completes its ascent and separation from Starship HLS on its journey to the Moon, SpaceX plans to have the booster return to the launch site for catch and reuse. The Starship HLS will continue on a trajectory to the Moon.<\/p>\n

To get to the Moon for the\u00a0Artemis missions<\/a>, astronauts will launch in NASA\u2019s Orion spacecraft aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket from the agency\u2019s Kennedy Space Center. Once in lunar orbit, Orion will dock with the Starship HLS or with Gateway. Once the spacecraft are docked, the astronauts will move from Orion or Gateway to the Starship HLS, which will bring them to the surface of the Moon. After surface activities are complete, Starship will return the astronauts to Orion or Gateway waiting in lunar orbit. The astronauts will transfer to Orion for the return trip to Earth.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Wind tunnel testing at Ames helped engineers better understand the aerodynamic forces the SpaceX Super Heavy rocket, with its 33 Raptor engines, experiences during various stages of flight. As a result of the testing, engineers updated flight control algorithms and modified the exterior design of the rocket.<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

With Artemis, NASA will explore more of the Moon than ever before, learn how to live and work away from home, and prepare for future human exploration of the Red Planet. NASA\u2019s SLS, exploration ground systems, and Orion spacecraft, along with the human landing system, next-generation spacesuits, Gateway lunar space station, and future rovers are NASA\u2019s foundation for deep space exploration.<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the HLS and SLS programs.<\/p>\n

For more information about Artemis, visit here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u203a Back to Top<\/a><\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n

NASA, Boeing Welcome Starliner Spacecraft to Earth, Close Mission<\/strong><\/h2>\n

NASA and Boeing safely returned the uncrewed Starliner spacecraft following its landing at 9:01 p.m. CDT Sept. 6 at White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico, concluding a three-month flight test to the International Space Station.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am extremely proud of the work our collective team put into this entire flight test, and we are pleased to see Starliner\u2019s safe return,\u201d said Ken Bowersox, associate administrator, Space Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters. \u201cEven though it was necessary to return the spacecraft uncrewed,\u00a0NASA and Boeing learned an incredible\u00a0amount about Starliner in the most extreme environment possible.\u00a0NASA looks forward to our continued work with the Boeing team to proceed toward certification of Starliner for crew rotation missions to the space station.\u201d<\/p>\n

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NASA and Boeing welcomed Starliner back to Earth following the uncrewed spacecraft\u2019s successful landing at 9:01 p.m. CDT Sept. 6 at the White Sands Space Harbor in New Mexico.\u00a0<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The flight on June 5 was the first time astronauts launched aboard the Starliner. It was the third orbital flight of the spacecraft, and its second return from the orbiting laboratory. Starliner now will ship to NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center for inspection and processing.<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program requires a spacecraft to fly a crewed test flight to prove the system is ready for regular flights to and from the orbiting laboratory. Following Starliner\u2019s return, the agency will review all mission-related data.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are excited to have Starliner home safely. This was an important test flight for NASA in setting us up for future missions on the Starliner system,\u201d said Steve Stich, manager of NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program. \u201cThere was a lot of valuable learning that will enable our long-term success. I want to commend the entire team for their hard work and dedication over the past three months.\u201d<\/p>\n

NASA astronauts\u00a0Butch Wilmore<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Suni Williams<\/a>\u00a0launched June 5 aboard Starliner for the agency\u2019s Boeing Crewed Flight Test from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. On June 6, as Starliner approached the space station, NASA and Boeing identified helium leaks and experienced issues with the spacecraft\u2019s reaction control thrusters. Following weeks of in-space and ground testing, technical interchange meetings, and agency reviews, NASA made the\u00a0decision<\/a>\u00a0to prioritize safety and return Starliner without its crew. Wilmore and Williams will continue their work aboard station as part of the Expedition 71\/72 crew, returning in February 2025 with the agency\u2019s SpaceX Crew-9 mission.<\/p>\n

The crew flight test is part of NASA\u2019s\u00a0Commercial Crew Program<\/a>. The goal of NASA\u2019s Commercial Crew Program is safe, reliable, and cost-effective transportation to and from the International Space Station and low Earth orbit. This already is providing additional research time and has increased the opportunity for discovery aboard humanity\u2019s microgravity testbed, including helping NASA prepare for human exploration of the Moon and Mars.<\/p>\n

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Artemis IV: Gateway Gadget Fuels Deep Space Dining<\/strong><\/h2>\n

NASA engineers are working hard to ensure no astronaut goes hungry on the\u00a0Artemis IV mission<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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A prototype of the Mini Potable Water Dispenser, currently in development at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center, is displayed alongside various food pouches during a demonstration at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center.<\/div>\n
NASA\/David DeHoyos<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

When international teams of astronauts live on\u00a0Gateway<\/a>, humanity\u2019s first space station to orbit the Moon, they\u2019ll need innovative gadgets like the Mini Potable Water Dispenser. Vaguely resembling a toy water soaker, it manually dispenses water for hygiene bags, to rehydrate food, or simply to drink. It is designed to be compact, lightweight, portable and manual, making it ideal for Gateway\u2019s relatively small size and remote location compared to the International Space Station closer to Earth.<\/p>\n

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Matt Rowell, left, an engineer at Marshall, demonstrates the Mini Portable Water Dispenser to NASA food scientists during a testing session.<\/div>\n
NASA\/David DeHoyos<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The team at\u00a0NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center<\/a>\u00a0leading the development of the dispenser understands that when it comes to deep space cuisine, the food astronauts eat is so much more than just fuel to keep them alive.<\/p>\n

\u201cFood doesn\u2019t just provide body nourishment but also soul nourishment,\u201d said Shaun Glasgow, project manager at Marshall<\/a>. \u201cSo ultimately this device will help provide that little piece of soul nourishment. After a long day, the crew can float back and enjoy some pasta or scrambled eggs, a small sense of normalcy in a place far from home.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Shaun Glasgow, right, project manager at Marshall, demonstrates the Mini Potable Water Dispenser.<\/div>\n
NASA\/David DeHoyos<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As NASA continues to innovate and push the boundaries of deep space exploration, devices like the compact, lightweight dispenser demonstrate a blend of practicality and ingenuity that will help humanity chart its path to the Moon, Mars, and beyond.<\/p>\n

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NASA to host International Observe the Moon Night 2024<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The public is invited to join fellow sky-watchers Sept. 14 for International Observe the Moon Night \u2013 a worldwide public event encouraging observation, appreciation, and understanding of the Moon and its connection to NASA exploration and discovery. This celebration of the Moon has been held annually since 2010, and this year NASA\u2019s Planetary Missions Program Office<\/a> will host an event at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. The Planetary Missions Program Office is located at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center.<\/p>\n

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International Observe the Moon Night is Sept. 14.<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The free event will be from 5:30 to 8 p.m. CDT at the Davidson Center at the rocket center. Attractions will include hands-on STEM activities, telescope viewing from the Von Braun Astronomical Society, music, face painting, a photo booth, a science trivia show, and much more.<\/p>\n

Headline entertainment will be provided by the Science Wizard, David Hagerman. The Science Wizard has appeared on national television and will perform two different science-based stage shows at the event.<\/p>\n

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NASA\u2019s Planetary Missions Program Office will host an event as part of International Observe the Moon Night at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville on Sept. 14. <\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

It\u2019s the perfect time to universally celebrate the Moon as excitement grows about NASA returning to our nearest celestial neighbor with the\u00a0Artemis<\/a>\u00a0missions. Artemis will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore areas of the lunar surface that have never been discovered before.<\/p>\n

Learn more and find other events\u00a0here.<\/a>\u00a0Happy International Observe the Moon Night!<\/p>\n

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New Hardware for Future Artemis Moon Missions Arrives at Kennedy<\/strong><\/h2>\n

From across the Atlantic Ocean and through the Gulf of Mexico, two ships converged, delivering key spacecraft and rocket components of NASA\u2019s\u00a0Artemis<\/a>\u00a0campaign to the agency\u2019s Kennedy Space Center.<\/p>\n

On Sept. 3, ESA (European Space Agency) marked a milestone in the\u00a0Artemis III<\/a>\u00a0mission as its European-built service module for NASA\u2019s Orion spacecraft completed a transatlantic journey from Bremen, Germany, to Port Canaveral, Florida, where technicians moved it to nearby Kennedy. Transported aboard the\u00a0Canop\u00e9e<\/a>\u00a0cargo ship, the European Service Module \u2013 assembled by Airbus with components from 10 European countries and the U.S. \u2013 provides propulsion, thermal control, electrical power, and water and oxygen for its crews.<\/p>\n

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On the left, the Canop\u00e9e transport carrier containing the European Service Module for NASA\u2019s Artemis III mission arrives at Port Canaveral in Florida on Sept. 3 before completing the last leg of its journey to the agency\u2019s Kennedy Space Center\u2019s Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout via truck. On the right, NASA\u2019s Pegasus barge, carrying several pieces of hardware for Artemis II, III, and IV arrives at Kennedy\u2019s Launch Complex 39 turn basin wharf Sept. 5.<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cSeeing multi-mission hardware arrive at the same time demonstrates the progress we are making on our Artemis missions,\u201d said Amit Kshatriya, deputy associate administrator, Moon to Mars Program, at NASA Headquarters. \u201cWe are going to the Moon together with our industry and international partners and we are manufacturing, assembling, building, and integrating elements for Artemis flights.\u201d<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s\u00a0Pegasus<\/a>\u00a0barge, the agency\u2019s waterway workhorse for transporting large hardware by sea, ferried multi-mission hardware for the agency\u2019s\u00a0SLS<\/a>\u00a0(Space Launch System) rocket, the\u00a0Artemis II<\/a>\u00a0launch vehicle stage adapter, the \u201cboat-tail\u201d of the core stage for Artemis III, the core stage engine section for Artemis IV, along with ground support equipment needed to move and assemble the large components. The barge pulled into NASA Kennedy\u2019s Launch Complex 39B Turn Basin on Sept. 5.<\/p>\n

The spacecraft factory inside Kennedy\u2019s Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building is set to buzz with additional activity in the coming months. With the Artemis II Orion crew and service modules stacked together and undergoing testing, and engineers outfitting the Artemis III and IV crew modules, engineers soon will connect the newly arrived European Service Module to the crew module adapter, which houses electronic equipment for communications, power, and control, and includes an umbilical connector that bridges the electrical, data, and fluid systems between the crew and service modules.<\/p>\n

The SLS rocket\u2019s cone-shaped\u00a0launch vehicle stage adapter<\/a>\u00a0connects the core stage to the\u00a0upper stage<\/a>\u00a0and protects the rocket\u2019s flight computers, avionics, and electrical devices in the upper stage system during launch and ascent. The adapter will be taken to Kennedy\u2019s Vehicle Assembly Building in preparation for Artemis II rocket stacking operations.<\/p>\n

The boat-tail, which will be used during the assembly of the SLS core stage for Artemis III, is a fairing-like structure that protects the bottom end of the core stage and\u00a0RS-25 engines<\/a>. This hardware, picked up at NASA\u2019s Michoud Assembly Facility, will join the\u00a0Artemis III core stage engine section<\/a>\u00a0housed in the spaceport\u2019s Space Systems Processing Facility.<\/p>\n

The Artemis IV SLS core stage engine section arrived from Michoud and also will transfer to the center\u2019s processing facility ahead of final assembly.<\/p>\n

Pegasus also transported the launch vehicle stage adapter for Artemis II, which was moved onto the barge at\u00a0NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center<\/a>\u00a0on Aug. 21.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Under the\u00a0Artemis<\/a>\u00a0campaign, NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and its first international partner astronaut on the lunar surface, establishing long-term exploration for scientific discovery and preparing for human missions to Mars. The agency\u2019s SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, and supporting ground systems, along with the human landing system, next-generation spacesuits and rovers, and Gateway, serve as NASA\u2019s foundation for deep space exploration.<\/p>\n

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Hubble, Chandra Find Supermassive Black Hole Duo<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Like two Sumo wrestlers squaring off, the closest confirmed pair of supermassive black holes have been observed in tight proximity. These are located approximately 300 light-years apart and were detected using NASA\u2019s\u00a0Hubble Space Telescope<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a0Chandra X-ray Observatory<\/a>. These black holes, buried deep within a pair of colliding galaxies, are fueled by infalling gas and dust, causing them to shine brightly as active galactic nuclei (AGN).<\/p>\n

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This is an artist\u2019s depiction of a pair of active black holes at the heart of two merging galaxies. They are both surrounded by an accretion disk of hot gas. Some of the material is ejected along the spin axis of each black hole. Confined by powerful magnetic fields, the jets blaze across space at nearly the speed of light as devastating beams of energy.<\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

This AGN pair is the closest one detected in the local universe using multiwavelength (visible and X-ray light) observations. While several dozen \u201cdual\u201d black holes have been found before, their separations are typically much greater than what was discovered in the gas-rich galaxy MCG-03-34-64. Astronomers using radio telescopes have observed one pair of binary black holes in even closer proximity than in MCG-03-34-64, but without confirmation in other wavelengths.<\/p>\n

AGN binaries like this were likely more common in the early universe when galaxy mergers were more frequent. This discovery provides a unique close-up look at a nearby example, located about 800 million light-years away.<\/p>\n

The discovery was serendipitous. Hubble\u2019s high-resolution imaging revealed three optical diffraction spikes nested inside the host galaxy, indicating a large concentration of glowing oxygen gas within a very small area. \u201cWe were not expecting to see something like this,\u201d said Anna Trindade Falc\u00e3o of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian in Cambridge, Massachusetts, lead author of the\u00a0paper<\/a>\u00a0published Sept. 9 in\u00a0The Astrophysical Journal<\/a>. \u201cThis view is not a common occurrence in the nearby universe, and told us there\u2019s something else going on inside the galaxy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Diffraction spikes are imaging artifacts caused when light from a very small region in space bends around the mirror inside telescopes.<\/p>\n

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A Hubble Space Telescope visible-light image of the galaxy MCG-03-34-064. Hubble\u2019s sharp view reveals three distinct bright spots embedded in a white ellipse at the galaxy\u2019s center (expanded in an inset image at upper right). Two of these bright spots are the source of strong X-ray emission, a telltale sign that they are supermassive black holes. The black holes shine brightly because they are converting infalling matter into energy, and blaze across space as active galactic nuclei. Their separation is about 300 light-years. The third spot is a blob of bright gas. The blue streak pointing to the 5 o\u2019clock position may be a jet fired from one of the black holes. The black hole pair is a result of a merger between two galaxies that will eventually collide. <\/div>\n
NASA, ESA, Anna Trindade Falc\u00e3o (CfA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Falc\u00e3o\u2019s team then examined the same galaxy in X-rays light using the Chandra observatory to drill into what\u2019s going on. \u201cWhen we looked at MCG-03-34-64 in the X-ray band, we saw two separated, powerful sources of high-energy emission coincident with the bright optical points of light seen with Hubble. We put these pieces together and concluded that we were likely looking at two closely spaced supermassive black holes,\u201d Falc\u00e3o said.<\/p>\n

To support their interpretation, the researchers used archival radio data from the Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array near Socorro, New Mexico. The energetic black hole duo also emits powerful radio waves. \u201cWhen you see bright light in optical, X-rays, and radio wavelengths, a lot of things can be ruled out, leaving the conclusion these can only be explained as close black holes. When you put all the pieces together it gives you the picture of the AGN duo,\u201d said Falc\u00e3o.<\/p>\n

The third source of bright light seen by Hubble is of unknown origin, and more data is needed to understand it. That might be gas that is shocked by energy from a jet of ultra high-speed plasma fired from one of the black holes, like a stream of water from a garden hose blasting into a pile of sand.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe wouldn\u2019t be able to see all of these intricacies without Hubble\u2019s amazing resolution,\u201d Falc\u00e3o said.<\/p>\n

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Astronomers using NASA\u2019s Hubble Space Telescope have discovered that the jet from a supermassive black hole at the core of M87, a huge galaxy 54 million light years away, seems to cause stars to erupt along its trajectory. The stars, called novae, are not caught inside the jet, but in a dangerous area near it. (NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center; lead producer: Paul Morris)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The two supermassive black holes were once at the core of their respective host galaxies. A merger between the galaxies brought the black holes into close proximity. They will continue to spiral closer together until they eventually merge \u2013 in perhaps 100 million years \u2013 rattling the fabric of space and time as gravitational waves.<\/p>\n

The National Science Foundation\u2019s Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) has detected gravitational waves from dozens of mergers between stellar-mass black holes. But the longer wavelengths resulting from a supermassive black hole merger are beyond LIGO\u2019s capabilities. The next-generation gravitational wave detector, called the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) mission, will consist of three detectors in space, separated by millions of miles, to capture these longer wavelength gravitational waves from deep space. ESA (European Space Agency) is leading this mission, partnering with NASA and other participating institutions, with a planned launch in the mid-2030s.<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory\u2019s Chandra X-ray Center controls science from Cambridge, Massachusetts and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts. Northrop Grumman Space Technologies in Redondo Beach, California was the prime contractor for the spacecraft.<\/p>\n

The Hubble Space Telescope has been operating for over three decades and continues to make ground-breaking discoveries that shape our fundamental understanding of the universe. Hubble is a project of international cooperation between NASA and ESA (European Space Agency). NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center manages the telescope and mission operations. Lockheed Martin Space, based in Denver, Colorado, also supports mission operations at Goddard. The Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, conducts Hubble science operations for NASA.<\/p>\n

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Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Betelgeuse! Stargazers Won\u2019t See Ghosts but Supergiant Star for Spooky Season<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Stargazers seeking familiar points of interest in the night sky are likely to point out Betelgeuse, the red supergiant star sometimes identified as \u201cthe shoulder of Orion.\u201d Even some 400-600 light-years distant, it\u2019s typically one of the brightest stars visible in the night sky, and the brightest of all in the infrared spectrum.<\/p>\n

Fewer space enthusiasts may know that Betelgeuse\u2019s nickname may have been mistranslated from the Arabic phrase\u00a0Ib\u1e6d al-Jauz\u0101\u2019<\/em>\u00a0in the 13th century. Depending on the nuances of pronunciation, Betelgeuse actually might be \u201cthe\u00a0armpit<\/em>\u00a0of Orion.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Betelgeuse is part of the Orion constellation. <\/div>\n
NASA<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

What may come as a surprise is that the star that inspired the naming of a ghostly movie menace is doing some hurtling of its own. Betelgeuse is actually a runaway star in the process of bidding a big galactic adios to its birthplace \u2013 the hot star association that includes Orion\u2019s Belt \u2013 and speeding away at approximately 18.6 miles per second.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s an awesome prospect, said Dr. Debra Wallace, deputy branch chief of Astrophysics at NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center. Betelgeuse is a pulsating star with an uncertain distance of roughly 548 light-years and changing luminosity. We estimate its radius is approximately 724 times larger than our Sun. If it sat at the center of our solar system, it would swallow the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Its bow shock \u2013 the \u201cwave\u201d generated by its passage through the interstellar medium \u2013 is roughly four light-years across.<\/p>\n

What cosmic force caused Betelgeuse to go on the interstellar lam from its point of origin?<\/p>\n

\u201cTypically, stars don\u2019t become runaways without receiving a big kick,\u201d Wallace said. \u201cWhat\u2019s most likely is that the competing gravity of other nearby stars ejected it outward or something else blew up in its proximity. There was a change in the dynamic interactions of the star grouping, and Betelgeuse was sent packing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Betelgeuse is only 10 million years old, but already in the twilight of its life. Given that our own small star is nearly 5 billion years, roughly halfway through its own estimated lifespan, why is Betelgeuse expected to be here today and gone tomorrow \u2013 give or take 100,000 years?<\/p>\n

\u201cThink about setting a fire in your back yard,\u201d Wallace said. \u201cThe more fuel you throw on it, the faster and hotter it burns. It\u2019s visually impressive \u2013 but gone in a flash.\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s because stars ignite a powerful chain of nuclear fusion reactions to counter their own intense gravity, which is always striving to collapse the star in on itself. For supergiants such as Betelgeuse, that delicate balance requires it to burn extremely hot and bright \u2013 but that also means it consumes its fuel supply far faster than our own modest young star.<\/p>\n

Wallace said Betelgeuse likely started its life at least 20 times the mass of Earth\u2019s Sun. It\u2019s been visible to us for millennia. Ancient Chinese astronomers would have identified it as a yellow star which has since evolved to the right, per\u00a0the Hertzsprung-Russell stellar evolution diagram<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0a 2022 study<\/a>\u00a0of the star\u2019s color evolution. When the Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy saw Betelgeuse some 300 years after the earliest Chinese observations, it had gone orange. Today, the star has taken on a fierce red color that makes it easy to find in the night sky.<\/p>\n

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This four-panel illustration reveals how the southern region of the red supergiant Betelgeuse suddenly may have become fainter for several months in late 2019 and early 2020. In the first two panels, as seen in ultraviolet light by NASA\u2019s Hubble Space Telescope, a bright, hot blob of plasma is ejected from a convection cell on the star\u2019s surface. In panel three, the expelled gas rapidly expands outward, cooling to form an enormous cloud of obscuring dust grains. The final panel reveals the huge dust cloud blocking the light from a quarter of Betelgeuse\u2019s surface, as seen from Earth. <\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cBetelgeuse likely will burn for another 100,000 years or so, depending on its mass loss rate, then could end up a blue supergiant \u2013 like Rigel, the star that serves as Orion\u2019s right knee \u2013 before it explodes,\u201d Wallace said. That supernova event, she noted, will release as much energy in a split-second as our Sun generates in its entire lifetime, though Betelgeuse is far too distant to have any effect on our solar system.<\/p>\n

Which isn\u2019t to say the red supergiant doesn\u2019t have any surprises left. In October 2019, Betelgeuse abruptly darkened, as much as half of its luminosity draining away in an event astronomers dubbed \u201cthe Great Dimming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Researchers began speculating about an early supernova, but by early 2020, Betelgeuse had\u00a0brightened once more<\/a>. Studies using NASA\u2019s Hubble Space Telescope suggested\u00a0a slightly less explosive cause<\/a>. An upwelling of a large convection cell on Betelgeuse \u2013 perhaps in honor of its flatulent namesake \u2013 had expelled a titanic outburst of superhot plasma, yielding a dust cloud that dramatically blocked the star\u2019s light for months.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re still figuring out the mechanisms which cause massive star evolution, and the advent of new telescopes has been tremendously helpful,\u201d Wallace said. \u201cWe\u2019ve only realized in the last 20 or 30 years that most massive stars are products of\u00a0binary evolution<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Was Betelgeuse part of a binary star system, and did its demise \u2013 or a cataclysmic split \u2013 turn it into a runaway? Is it possible it\u2019s still there,\u00a0having merged with<\/a>\u00a0or\u00a0still locked in a fatal dance with<\/a>\u00a0its fugitive partner? New studies suggest those may be possibilities, though Wallace notes that further intensive study is needed.<\/p>\n

Will Betelgeuse ultimately go out with a bang or a whimper? Time will tell. But don\u2019t write off the red giant just yet.<\/p>\n

Stargazers in the Northern Hemisphere seeking to spot Betelgeuse should scan the southwestern sky. Those south of the equator should look in the northwestern sky. Find a line of three bright stars clustered together, representing Orion\u2019s belt. Two brighter stars just to the north mark Orion\u2019s shoulders; the very bright left one is Betelgeuse.<\/p>\n

Learn more about Betelgeuse\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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NASA\u2019s Mini BurstCube Mission Detects Mega Blast<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The shoebox-sized BurstCube satellite has observed its first gamma-ray burst, the most powerful kind of explosion in the universe, according to a recent analysis of observations collected over the last several months.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited to collect science data,\u201d said Sean Semper, BurstCube\u2019s lead engineer at NASA\u2019s\u00a0Goddard Space Flight Center<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s an important milestone for the team and for the many early career engineers and scientists that have been part of the mission.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"BurstCube,<\/a><\/figure>
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BurstCube, trailed by another CubeSat named SNOOPI (Signals of Opportunity P-band Investigation), emerges from the International Space Station on April 18. <\/div>\n
NASA\/Matthew Dominick<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The event, called GRB 240629A, occurred June 29 in the southern constellation Microscopium. The team announced the discovery in a GCN (General Coordinates Network)\u00a0circular<\/a>\u00a0on Aug. 29.<\/p>\n

BurstCube<\/a>\u00a0deployed into orbit April 18 from the International Space Station, following a March 21\u00a0launch. The mission was designed to detect, locate, and study short\u00a0gamma-ray bursts<\/a>, brief flashes of high-energy light created when superdense objects like\u00a0neutron stars\u00a0collide. These collisions also produce\u00a0heavy elements\u00a0like gold and iodine, an essential ingredient for life as we know it.\u00a0<\/p>\n

BurstCube is the first CubeSat to use NASA\u2019s\u00a0TDRS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite)<\/a>\u00a0system, a constellation of specialized communications spacecraft. Data relayed by TDRS (pronounced \u201ctee-driss\u201d) help coordinate rapid follow-up measurements by other observatories in space and on the ground through NASA\u2019s\u00a0GCN. BurstCube also regularly beams data back to Earth using the Direct to Earth system \u2013 both it and TDRS are part of NASA\u2019s\u00a0Near Space Network<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After BurstCube deployed from the space station, the team discovered that one of the two solar panels failed to fully extend. It obscures the view of the mission\u2019s star tracker, which hinders orienting the spacecraft in a way that minimizes drag. The team originally hoped to operate BurstCube for 12-18 months, but now estimates the increased drag will cause the satellite to re-enter the atmosphere in September.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud of how the team responded to the situation and is making the best use of the time we have in orbit,\u201d said Jeremy Perkins, BurstCube\u2019s principal investigator at Goddard. \u201cSmall missions like BurstCube not only provide an opportunity to do great science and test new technologies, like our mission\u2019s gamma-ray detector, but also important learning opportunities for the up-and-coming members of the astrophysics community.\u201d<\/p>\n

BurstCube is led by Goddard. It\u2019s funded by the\u00a0Science Mission Directorate\u2019s Astrophysics Division<\/a>\u00a0at NASA Headquarters. The BurstCube collaboration includes: the University of Alabama in Huntsville; the University of Maryland, College Park; the Universities Space Research Association in Washington; the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington; and NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center.<\/p>\n

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Starship Super Heavy Breezes Through Wind Tunnel Testing NASA and its industry partners continue to make progress toward Artemis III and beyond, the first crewed lunar landing missions under the agency\u2019s Artemis campaign. SpaceX, the commercial\u00a0Human Landing System (HLS)\u00a0provider for Artemis III and Artemis IV, recently tested a 1.2% scale model of the Super Heavy [\u2026] Continue reading → <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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