Google and NASA are Working on an Interplanetary Internet

The Interplanetary Internet concept

[/caption]In an initiative energized by Google Vice-President and Chief Internet Evangelist Vint Cerf, the International Space Station could be testing a brand new way of communicating with Earth. In 2009, it is hoped that the ISS will play host to an Interplanetary Internet prototype that could standardize communications between Earth and space, possibly replacing point-to-point single use radio systems customized for each individual space mission since the beginning of the Space Age.

This partnership opens up some exciting new possibilities for the future of communicating across vast distances of the Solar System. Manned and robotic space craft will be interconnected via a robust interplanetary network without the problems associated with incompatible communication systems…

The project started 10 years ago as an attempt to figure out what kind of technical networking standards would be useful to support interplanetary communication,” Cerf said in a recent interview. “Bear in mind, we have been flying robotic equipment to the inner and outer planets, asteroids, comets, and such since the 1960’s. We have been able to communicate with those robotic devices and with manned missions using point-to-point radio communications. In fact, for many of these missions, we used a dedicated communications system called the Deep Space Network (DSN), built by JPL in 1964.”

Indeed, the DSN has been the backbone of interplanetary communications for decades, but an upgrade is now required as we have a growing armada of robotic missions exploring everything from the surface of Mars to the outermost regions of the Solar System. Wouldn’t it be nice if a communication network could be standardized before manned missions begin moving beyond terrestrial orbit?

When we launch a spacecraft with a unique set of sensors onboard, we often end up writing special communication and application software that is adapted to that spacecraft’s sensor systems and manipulators,” Cerf said in response to the challenges space missions face each time they are designed.

The Internet uses standard TCP/IP protocols so billions of online entities are always compatible. Although there are limitations to the Internet, it has proven to be a highly flexible and scalable system, so with the help of Google, NASA hopes to push the Internet beyond Earth. “The Interplanetary Internet project is primarily about developing a set of communication standards and technical specifications to support rich networking in space environments,” Cerf added.

This all sounds very interesting, but the challenges with building such a system require some novel techniques. How do you deal with the limitation of the speed of light? After all, it can take light 40 minutes to travel to-and-from Mars, and up to 12 hours to Pluto and back. How do you cater for planetary rotation? The transmitters/receivers won’t always be on the correct side of the planet. What happens if a satellite signal is blocked by a planet, the Sun or a moon?

Vint Cerf says the disruption of data transmission has to be confronted with a delay- and disruption-tolerant networking system, otherwise known as DTN. “It will allow us to maintain communications more effectively, getting much more data because we don’t have to be in direct line of sight with the ultimate recipient in order to transfer data,” he said.

DTN will be based on store-and-forward methods used by TCP/IP systems; if there is a disruption in signal, the transmitting station will hold data packets until the signal is re-established. However, DTN will be more robust, catering for long transmission lag-times (such as the many-hour light transmission times between Earth and the outer Solar System). “We have to cope with the fact that there is a really high potential for delay and disruption in the system,” he added.

Standard TCP/IP protocol should also work seamlessly with the DTN, allowing planetary missions to have their own distributed Internet whilst using DTN as a link through interplanetary space.

This has obvious applications for future manned missions to Mars, after all, can you imagine the first colonists without their own blog?

Source: Technology Review

Engineers Begin Shutting Down Phoenix Lander Instruments

Phoenix lander. Credit: Canadian Space Agency

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It appears the end is nigh for the Phoenix Mars Lander. Today, engineers have begun to shut down some of the lander’s instruments and heaters. But this is in hopes of extending the mission by saving power as available sunlight begins to wane with the approach of Martian autumn. But at the same time, the spacecraft requires more power to run heaters in order to survive as the temperatures decline. “If we did nothing, it wouldn’t be long before the power needed to operate the spacecraft would exceed the amount of power it generates on a daily basis,” said Phoenix Project Manager Barry Goldstein of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. “By turning off some heaters and instruments, we can extend the life of the lander by several weeks and still conduct some science.”

Today, commands were sent to disable the first heater, one that warms the robotic arm, the robotic arm camera and the TEGA instrument – the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer. Likely, this means no more digging and no more “baking and sniffing” of soil samples. Engineers say by shutting down this heater, they’ll save 250 watt-hours of power.

Before power was shut down to the arm and the camera, Phoenix took one last image of the “Holy Cow” ice patch underneath the lander.
Holy Cow under the Phoenix lander.  Credit: NASA/JPL/Caltech/U of AZ

Over the next several weeks, four survival heaters will be shut down, one at a time, in an effort to conserve power. The heaters serve the purpose of keeping the electronics within tested survivable limits. As each heater is disabled, some of the instruments are also expected to cease operations. The energy saved is intended to power the lander’s main camera and meteorological instruments until the very end of the mission.

Engineers are also preparing for solar conjunction, when the sun is directly between Earth and Mars. Between Nov. 28 and Dec. 13, Mars and the sun will be within two degrees of each other as seen from Earth, blocking radio transmission between the spacecraft and Earth. During that time, no commands will be sent to Phoenix, but daily downlinks from Phoenix will continue through NASA’s Odyssey and Mars Reconnaissance orbiters. At this time, controllers can’t predict whether the fourth heater would be disabled before or after conjunction.

In the final step, Phoenix engineers may turn off a fourth heater — one of two survival heaters that warm the spacecraft and its batteries. This would leave one remaining survival heater to run out on its own.

“At that point, Phoenix will be at the mercy of Mars,” said Chris Lewicki of JPL, lead mission manger.

The Phoenix team has parked the robotic arm on a representative patch of Martian soil. No additional soil samples will be gathered. The thermal and electrical-conductivity probe (TECP), located on the wrist of the arm, has been inserted into the soil and will continue to measure soil temperature and conductivity, along with atmospheric humidity near the surface. The probe does not need a heater to operate and should continue to send back data for weeks.

Throughout the mission, the lander’s robotic arm successfully dug and scraped Martian soil and delivered it to the onboard laboratories. “We turn off this workhorse with the knowledge that it has far exceeded expectations and conducted every operation asked of it,” said Ray Arvidson, the robotic arm’s co-investigator, and a professor at Washington University, St. Louis.

Source: JPL

New Moon

Schedule of Moon Phases
Diagram of Moon Phases

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A new moon occurs when the Earth, Sun and Moon are lined up so that the Moon is directly in between the Earth and the Sun. From this perspective, the side of the Moon covered in sunlight is turned away from the Earth, and the face we see is in shadow. The Moon takes approximately 29 days to complete the cycle from new moon to full moon and then back to new moon again. During a new moon, the Moon is in conjunction with the Sun, as seen from Earth.

Astronomers call it a “new moon”, because shortly after the Moon is completely shadowed, a think crescent peeks out from one side. This is the beginning of the Moon’s rise to brightness over the next 2 weeks. The exact time this occurs depends on your geography on Earth, but it will always occur in the Western horizon between sunset and moonset.

The orbit of the Moon isn’t exactly lined up the the orbital plane of the Sun and the planets, so it doesn’t actually get exactly between the Earth and the Sun. When this exact line does happen, the new moon is seen as a solar eclipse, darkening the Sun by various amounts depending on your position on the Earth.

We’ve got a list of all the new moons for the next few years. Here’s a list for 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Want to know every Moon phase for the next 6000 years? Here’s a handy chart from NASA, and here’s a cool image of a new crescent moon from Astronomy Picture of the Day.

You can listen to a very interesting podcast about the formation of the Moon from Astronomy Cast, Episode 17: Where Did the Moon Come From?

More Ares I Development Problems: Is it Really That Bad?

Ares I leaves Earth (NASA)

[/caption]There’s been a lot of bad news surrounding the development of the Constellation Program of late. We’ve had news of general design flaws, rebelling NASA engineers, failed parachute tests, budget overruns, vibrational issues and job losses. Now we have a new one to add to the mix, the Ares I launch vehicle could bump into the launch tower during blast-off. According to a Florida report, only a tiny gust of wind is required to cause the rocket to hit the tower or scorch it, causing catastrophic failure and/or costly damage to the pad.

You’d be forgiven for thinking Constellation is a failed project, that is obviously going to overrun, obviously going to cost too much and is obviously a waste of time. But forget the media naysayers for a moment. Despite the challenges faced by NASA engineers, a bumpy road on the way to launching the most advanced rocket system ever devised is well worth the ride…

The Orion parachute test drop didn't go so well... (NASA)
The Orion parachute test drop didn't go so well... (NASA)

Back in August, I reported on the testing of the Ares and Orion parachute systems. Very little news was available about the Ares parachute successes, so the focus was placed on the spectacular failure of the Orion test vehicle, which fell to the ground like a stone (captured in full video glory). This wasn’t a critical failure of the technology, it was more of an experimental anomaly. After all, isn’t that what test flights are all about?

Heavy lift capability comes with a price (NASA)
Ares V: Heavy lift capability comes with a price (NASA)
Then there was much emphasis placed on the predicted vibrational problems facing Ares I during launch. Fortunately, as Nancy reported on August 19th, NASA engineers had a solution. Just when the NASA engineers thought they were winning, a few days later a report comes out saying the old Apollo era crawlerway would not be able to support the weight of a fully laden Ares rocket (cue more budget over-stretching).

More bad news has come from other areas too. During the transition from the Space Shuttle to Constellation, it was estimated that 8,000 jobs would probably be lost. Even after this projected number was reduced to 3,000-4,000 job losses, US Senator Bill Nelson said that NASA job losses and an increased dependence on Russian space vehicles will result in “generating jobs in Russia.” However, this argument may not hold water for much longer as the Russian Soyuz manufacturer has run out of money.

Protesting over job losses (Canaveral Port Authority)
Protesting over job losses (Canaveral Port Authority)
Now prepare yourself for some more bad news. The Orlando Sentinel has published an article entitled “Is NASA’s Ares doomed?” Oh dear.

This headline comes in response to computer models that show the Ares I rocket could get blown into the launch tower during lift-off. Ares I could experience “liftoff drift”, a phenomenon that occurs when the rocket’s solid-fuel motor ignites, making the 309 ft (100 m) Ares I “jump” sideways. If this should occur during a breeze of a little over 12 mph (19 kmh), Ares I could fall into its launch tower, or cause severe and expensive damage to the tower under the extreme heat of its boosters.

We were told by a person directly involved [in looking at the problem] that as they incorporate more variables into the liftoff-drift-curve model, the worse the curve becomes,” said an anonymous NASA contractor. Contractors are not authorized to talk about Ares development, but the contractor continued, “I get the impression that things are quickly going from bad to worse to unrecoverable.”

The future of space travel - Artist impression of Ares V on the launchpad (NASA)
The future of space travel - Artist impression of Ares V on the launchpad (NASA)
But are these problems insurmountable? Surely NASA engineers will find a solution to this difficulty (much in the same way as they found an answer to the vibrational problems)?

There are always issues that crop up when you are developing a new rocket and many opinions about how to deal with them,” said Jeff Hanley, Constellation Program manager. “We have a lot of data and understanding of what it’s going to take to build this.”

The Orlando Sentinel also posted information about continuing rifts in NASA pointing out that a growing number of engineers are quitting the Constellation program through fears of unrealistic goals and safety concerns, calling the whole Constellation concept into question.

If they push hard enough, yes, it will fly,” said one disgruntled NASA engineer working on Ares. “But there are going to be so many compromises to be able to launch it, and it will be so expensive and so behind schedule, that it may be better if didn’t fly at all.”

In my view, any massive project like Constellation will attract its critics. Ares and Orion are new technologies where NASA engineers will have to make some huge strides to make it work. As already mentioned, the Ares rocket system is going to fly, but it might overrun in spending and schedule. However, all these challenges will be worth it when we see the first Ares I launch from Cape Canaveral in six or seven years time.

Astronaut Eugene Cernan from Apollo 17, the last mission to the Moon (NASA)
Astronaut Eugene Cernan from Apollo 17, the last mission to the Moon (NASA)
Never before have we had the opportunity to build a space technology not only used for transportation to the space station, it will be used to facilitate the next lunar mission, and eventually a trip to Mars. These projects come at a huge cost for the entire nation, but like the run-up to the Apollo missions in the 1960’s, the US needs to build an enthusiasm for the future of space flight. We are on the cusp of a huge advance for mankind, there’s no budget or timescale for that kind of achievement.

It may not be politically or economically realistic, but more money should be ploughed into NASA and Constellation. This is a momentous challenge requiring a momentous effort from the nation. Let’s just hope some of the spending promises of the presidential candidates last beyond November 4th…

Original source: Orlando Sentinel

Precious Gems Discovered on Mars

Region on Mars where opal has been discovered. Credit: NASA/JPL

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The discovery of a water-based mineral on Mars by the spectrometer on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter suggests liquid water remained on the planet’s surface a billion years later than was previously thought, and it likely played an important role in shaping the planet’s surface and possibly hosting life. Hydrated silica, commonly known as opal, has been found across large region of Mars. “This is an exciting discovery because it extends the time range for liquid water on Mars, and the places where it might have supported life,” said Scott Murchie, the principal investigator for the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. “The identification of opaline silica tells us that water may have existed as recently as 2 billion years ago.”

The water-based mineral deposits are telltale signs of where and when water was present on ancient Mars. On Earth, opals consist of at least 3-10% water, and Precious Opal, the variety used most often in jewelry, have pockets of spheres that diffract light at various wavelengths, creating colors and a beautiful, if not valuable look. Opal is found in Australia, England and the western US.

On Mars, the hydrated silica has been found around Mars “Grand Canyon”. “We see numerous outcrops of opal-like minerals, commonly in thin layers extending for very long distances around the rim of Valles Marineris and sometimes within the canyon system itself,” said Ralph Milliken of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

Until now, only two major groups of hydrated minerals, phyllosilicates and hydrated sulfates, had been observed by spacecraft orbiting Mars. Clay-like phyllosilicates formed more than 3.5 billion years ago where igneous rock came into long-term contact with water. During the next several hundred million years, until approximately 3 billion years ago, hydrated sulfates formed from the evaporation of salty and sometimes acidic water.

The newly discovered opaline silicates are the youngest of the three types of hydrated minerals. They formed where liquid water altered materials created by volcanic activity or meteorite impact on the Martian surface. One such location noted by scientists is the large Martian canyon system called Valles Marineris.

These types of minerals were also recently found in Gusev Crater by NASA’s Mars rover Spirit, are widespread and occur in relatively young terrains.

In some locations, the orbiter’s spectrometer observed opaline silica with iron sulfate minerals, either in or around dry river channels. This indicates the acidic water remained on the Martian surface for an extended period of time. Milliken and his colleagues believe that in these areas, low-temperature acidic water was involved in forming the opal. In areas where there is no clear evidence that the water was acidic, deposits may have formed under a wide range of conditions.

“What’s important is that the longer liquid water existed on Mars, the longer the window during which Mars may have supported life,” says Milliken. “The opaline silica deposits would be good places to explore to assess the potential for habitability on Mars, especially in these younger terrains.”

Source: JPL

Driving on the Moon in Your Shirtsleeves

The Small Pressureized Rover. Credit: NASA

NASA is testing out the next generation of lunar rovers, conducting field tests in the Arizona desert. Engineers, astronauts and geologists are driving rovers through terrain similar to the Moon’s surface to see if they can perform as advertised when humans return there, hopefully by 2020. One configuration of the rover leaves the crew members free to get on and off the vehicle whenever they like, but they must wear spacesuits at all times to protect them from the lunar environment. The second configuration, the Small Pressurized Rover, (SPR) adds a module on top of the rover’s chassis where the crew can sit inside in a shirt-sleeves environment as they drive the vehicle, donning spacesuits whenever they want to get out. Other concepts tested include robot scouts (think R2D2) and improved spacesuits.

Another view of the SPR.  Credit: NASA
Another view of the SPR. Credit: NASA

For the pressurized module, spacesuits hang on the outside of the vehicle, but astronauts can get into the suits from inside the rover.

For the first week of tests, the SPR has been driven on day-long trips to determine how each configuration performed. These have been some of the longest drives the prototype has ever made, but next week the group will step it up another notch or two, by going on a three-day drive through the desert in the SPR to determine how it performs and whether it’s comfortable enough for long-duration trips.
Spacesuit tests.  Credit: NASA
NASA’s 11th annual Desert RATS (Research and Technology Studies) field tests have two teams of one astronaut and one geologist to test a variety of lunar rover concepts that will help future astronauts explore the moon further than ever before, construct a long-term lunar base and conduct a wealth of science experiments. During the first use of such rovers on the Apollo missions, astronauts completed almost 20 traverses across the surface of the moon. With each successive mission, NASA improved the rovers’ capacity, increasing the number and duration of exploration missions astronauts could complete on the lunar surface.

The SPR concept could provide the astronauts’ main mode of transportation, and could also allow them the flexibility to work inside of it without the restrictions imposed by spacesuits. The adaptable vehicle features pivoting wheels that enable “crab style” movement to help the rover maneuver through difficult spots. Its cantilevered cockpit does not obstruct the driver’s visibility of the terrain ahead. Early concepts provide an exercise ergometer that allow crews to exercise while driving and simultaneously charge the vehicle’s batteries.

Lunar reconnaissance robot.  Credit: NASA
Lunar reconnaissance robot. Credit: NASA

The Mobility Chassis can be configured in an unpressurized rover (UPR) configuration, with astronauts in spacesuits riding in rotating turrets and can also be used without the pressurized module. Astronauts may also ride in the turrets with the SPR in place, minimizing time for suit changes. The modular design will also allow attachment of various tools that may be needed on a particular mission, such as winches, cable reels, backhoes and cranes.

Source: NASA

Hawking to Retire, But Not Quit

Cosmologist Stephen Hawking will retire from his post at Cambridge University next year, but he still intends to continue his exploration of time and space. University policy is that officeholders must retire at the end of the academic year in which they become 67. Hawking will reach that age on Jan. 8, 2009. Hawking is the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the university, a title once held Isaac Newton. The university said on Friday that he would step down at the end of the academic year in September, but would continue working as Emeritus Lucasian Professor of Mathematics. Hawking became a scientific celebrity through his theories on black holes and the nature of time, work that he carried on despite becoming severely disabled by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

He has written a very candid piece on living quite a full life in spite of this disease.

Hawking was born on January 8, 1942 (300 years after the death of Galileo) in Oxford, England. He attended University College in Oxford, and wanted to study mathematics, but it wasn’t available as a major, so he chose Physics instead. After three years and “not very much work,” Hawking said, he was awarded a first class honours degree in Natural Science. He then went to Cambridge to do research in Cosmology, since no one was working in that area in Oxford at the time.

After getting his Ph.D. he became first a Research Fellow, and later on a Professorial Fellow at Gonville and Caius College. 1973 Stephen came to the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, and since 1979 has held the post of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics.

Hawking first earned recognition for his theoretical work on black holes. Disproving the belief that black holes are so dense that nothing could escape their gravitational pull, he showed that black holes leak a tiny bit of light and other types of radiation, now known as “Hawking radiation.”

His 1988 book, “A Brief History of Time,” was an international best-seller; in 2001 he published “The Universe in a Nutshell,” and a children’s book, “George’s Secret Key to the Universe,” was published in 2007, which was co-authored with his daughter Lucy.

To celebrate his 65th birthday in 2007, he took a zero-gravity flight. In part, he went on the flight to bring public attention to space travel. “I think the human race has no future if it doesn’t go into space. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space,” he said.

Most of Hawkings papers are available here (type his name in the search box.)

Sources: MSNBC, Hawking’s website

Podcast: Death From the Skies, Interview with Phil Plait

Death From the Skies

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We say it all the time here on Astronomy Cast: the Universe is trying to kill us. This week, Pamela is joined by Dr. Phil Plait to discuss his new book, Death from the Skies. Phil and Pamela talk about asteroid strikes, solar flares and gamma ray bursts.

Click here to download the episode.

Or subscribe to: astronomycast.com/podcast.xml with your podcatching software.

Death From the Skies, Interview with Phil Plait – Transcript and show notes.

Podcast: Relativity, Relativity and More Relativity

Artist's impression of gravitational waves. Image credit: NASA

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Everyone loves a theme. And this week we’ve collected together some of your questions about relativity. More light speed spacecraft, twin paradoxes, and the mixing up of gravity, time and mass. If you’ve got a question for the Astronomy Cast team, please email it in to [email protected] and we’ll try to tackle it for a future show. Please include your location and a way to pronounce your name.

Click here to download the episode.

Or subscribe to: astronomycast.com/podcast.xml with your podcatching software.

Relativity, Relativity and More Relativity – Transcript and show notes.

Giveaway: When We Left Earth DVD

When We Left Earth

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I’m doing a giveaway this week, and it’s really simple. I’ve got 2 copies of the new Discovery Channel Documentary DVD, When We Left Earth – The NASA Missions (4-Disc Set in Limited Edition Tin). And I’m giving them away. To participate, just send an email to [email protected] with the subject line: When We Left Earth Giveaway. Your time to submit an email ends on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 at 11:00 am Pacific Time.

[giveaway]

Then I’ll pick two emails out of the list at random, get your physical addresses and mail out the 2 copies of the DVD set. Then I’ll delete the list of emails – this isn’t getting collected for anything.

So, if you want to participate, take a second, send me an email and I’ll add you to the draw.