Universe Today

August 5, 2008December 24, 2015 by Nancy Atkinson

Globular Clusters Like to Be Near the Center of the Action

Globular Clusters. Credit: NASA, ESA, and E. Peng

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Globular clusters are gravitationally bound, dense concentrations of stars. There can be hundreds of thousands of stars in a cluster, and they are so close together that it’s hard to distinguish globular clusters outside of our galaxy from stars within our own galaxy just using ground-based telescopes: in other words, these big bunches of far away stars can look like a single, nearby star. But astronomers recently used the Hubble Space Telescope’s sharp eyes to identify, incredibly, over 11,000 globular clusters in the Virgo cluster of galaxies. And in doing so, they also noticed something interesting about where the globulars are located. Globular clusters don’t seem to form uniformly from galaxy to galaxy; instead they like to be where the action is near the center of galaxy clusters. The globulars are also more prevalent in dwarf galaxies near the center of the cluster of galaxies.

Hubble’s Advanced Camera for Surveys resolved the star clusters in 100 galaxies of various sizes, shapes, and brightnesses, even in faint, dwarf galaxies. Comprised of over 2,000 galaxies, the Virgo cluster is the nearest large galaxy cluster to Earth, located about 54 million light-years away.
Astronomers have long known that the giant elliptical galaxy at the cluster’s center, M87, hosts a larger-than-predicted population of globular star clusters. The origin of so many globulars has been a long-standing mystery.

“Our study shows that the efficiency of star cluster formation depends on the environment,” said Patrick Cote of the Herzberg Institute of Astrophysics in Victoria, British Columbia. “Dwarf galaxies closest to Virgo’s crowded center contained more globular clusters than those farther away.”

M87 and Surrounding Galaxies in the Virgo Cluster. Credit: R. Gendler

The team found a bounty of globular clusters in most dwarf galaxies within 3 million light-years of the cluster’s center, where the giant elliptical galaxy M87 resides. The number of globulars in these dwarfs ranged from a few dozen to several dozen, but these numbers were surprisingly high for the low masses of the galaxies they inhabited. By contrast, dwarfs in the outskirts of the cluster had fewer globulars. Many of M87’s star clusters may have been snatched from smaller galaxies that ventured too close to it.

“We found few or no globular clusters in galaxies within 130,000 light-years from M87, suggesting the giant galaxy stripped the smaller ones of their star clusters,” explained Eric Peng of Peking University in Beijing, China, and lead author of the Hubble study. “These smaller galaxies are contributing to the buildup of M87.”

Hubble’s “eye” is so sharp that it was able to pick out the fuzzy globular clusters from stars in our galaxy and from faraway galaxies in the background. “With Hubble we were able to identify and study about 90 percent of the globular clusters in all our observed fields,” Peng said. “This was crucial for dwarf galaxies that have only a handful of star clusters.”

Evidence of M87’s galactic cannibalism comes from an analysis of the globular clusters’ composition. “In M87 there are three times as many globulars deficient in heavy elements, such as iron, than globulars rich in those elements,” Peng said. “This suggests that many of these ‘metal-poor’ star clusters may have been stolen from nearby dwarf galaxies, which also contain globulars deficient in heavy elements.”

Studying globular star clusters is critical to understanding the early, intense star-forming episodes that mark galaxy formation. They are known to reside in all but the faintest of galaxies.

“Star formation near the core of Virgo is very intense and occurs in a small volume over a short amount of time,” Peng noted. “It may be more rapid and more efficient than star formation in the outskirts. The high star-formation rate may be driven by the gravitational collapse of dark matter, an invisible form of matter, which is denser and collapses sooner near the cluster’s center. M87 sits at the center of a large concentration of dark matter, and all of these globulars near the center probably formed early in the history of the Virgo cluster.”

The fewer number of globular clusters in dwarf galaxies farther away from the center may be due to the masses of the star clusters that formed, Peng said. “Star formation farther away from the central region was not as robust, which may have produced only less massive star clusters that dissipated over time,” he explained.

Original News Source: HubbleSite Press Release

August 4, 2008December 24, 2015 by Nicholos Wethington

Rosetta Begins Tracking Asteroid Steins for Flyby

Artist's impression of Rosetta doing an asteroid flyby (ESA).

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Since waking up in early July from a brief hibernation, the Rosetta space probe has passed yet another milestone on the long journey to its rendezvous with the comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko in 2014: it has begun tracking the asteroid (2867) Steins. The spacecraft will perform a close flyby of the asteroid on September 5th, 2008, and will spend the next month taking images and science data.

Steins will remain a dot in the sky to the probe for quite a while, but these preliminary images will allow the spacecraft to get a better handle on the orbit of the asteroid, as well as its rotational period. Using the Optical, Spectroscopic, and Infrared Remote Imaging System (OSIRIS) camera, it will image the asteroid twice a week until the 25th of August, and then will take daily images until the planned flyby on September 5th. Rosetta will pass within 800 km (500 miles) of the asteroid, imaging and taking data at the relatively slow speed of 8.6 km/second (5.3 miles/second).

The trajectory of Steins has already been established from ground-based observations, but the imaging leading up to the flyby will help to optimize the trajectory of the spacecraft. The location of the asteroid is known to within 100 km presently, but the work Rosetta will be doing will narrow that down to 2 km.

“As Rosetta’s distance from Steins decreases, the precision of the measurements for Steins’ orbit will increase even further, allowing us the best possible trajectory corrections later on before closest approach, especially in early September,” said Sylvain Lodiot, from the Rosetta Flight Control Team at the European Space Operations Centre.

During the flyby of Steins, Rosetta will study the physical and chemical properties of the asteroid. It will also provide scientists with a detailed look into the kinematic properties (how fast it is spinning), and how the asteroid interacts with the solar wind. Being so close to Stein will give Rosetta a chance to analyze any satellites of the asteroid, as well as the gas and dust in the near vicinity.

Rosetta launched in March 2004, and is taking a roundabout way to get to the final destination of comet 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko. It has passed by the Earth twice â€“ once in March 2005, and once again in February 2007 â€“ with another flyby scheduled for November 2009. While doing the most recent flyby it took this spectacular image of the Earth at night with the OSIRIS camera. The lighted regions are populated areas on continents in the Northern Hemisphere.

Earth isn’t the only celestial body that the spacecraft has visited, though. It passed within 1,000 km (620 miles) of Mars in Februrary 2007, and will perform a flyby of the asteroid 21 Lutetia in 2010. This game of planetary billiards is meant to adjust the trajectory of the spacecraft, and the imaging done on the Earth, Mars and the asteroids helps the science team work out all of the bugs in the host of science instruments on board.

Once it has arrived at 67/P Churyumov-Gerasimenko, it will deploy a lander, named Philae, which will drill into the comet to study for the first time ever the compositional nature of a comet. Rosetta will orbit the comet, following it around the Sun.

If you want to keep tabs on the progress of the Rosetta mission, the ESA has a flash animation tool that allows you to zoom in on any part of the mission.

Source: ESA Press Release

August 4, 2008April 26, 2016 by Nancy Atkinson

Conflicting Results from Phoenix Science Instruments Prompts Further Study

Soil in Mars Arctic Region. Credit: NASA/JPL/Caltech/ U of Arizona

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Scientists from the Phoenix lander are analyzing conflicting results from soil samples delivered to two science instruments on the Mars lander. Two different samples analyzed by the spacecraft’s Wet Chemistry Lab both suggested one of the soil constituents may be perchlorate, a highly oxidizing substance that is considered toxic. But results from the TEGA instrument, (Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer) downloaded from the lander over the weekend indicated no evidence of perchlorate. These findings may may have prompted the reports of “provocative” science results recently. Today, Phoenix officials said any reports of the spacecraft finding life were unfounded, and over the weekend, the Phoenix spacecraft itself said, via Twitter, that reports of White House briefings were not true. NASA will hold a media teleconference on Tuesday, Aug. 5, at 2 p.m. EDT, to discuss the recent science activities. A press release from the Phoenix team today said, “Confirmation of the presence of perchlorate and supporting data is important prior to scientific peer review and subsequent public announcements.”

Scientists said that while the conflicting results are unexpected, they are working hard to understand the soil chemistry and mineralogy in the Mars northern arctic region.

“This is surprising since an earlier TEGA measurement of surface materials was consistent with but not conclusive of the presence of perchlorate,” said Peter Smith, Phoenix’s principal investigator at the University of Arizona, Tucson. “We are committed to following a rigorous scientific process. While we have not completed our process on these soil samples, we have very interesting intermediate results,” said Smith, “Initial MECA analyses suggested Earth-like soil. Further analysis has revealed un-Earthlike aspects of the soil chemistry.”

The team also is working to totally exonerate any possibility of the perchlorate readings being influenced by terrestrial sources which may have migrated from the spacecraft, either into samples or into the instrumentation. One type of perchlorate, ammonium perchlorate, is sometimes used as an oxidizer in rocket fuel.

“When surprising results are found, we want to review and assure our extensive pre-launch contamination control processes covered this potential,” said Barry Goldstein, Phoenix project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

An article on AviationWeek.com reported August 1 that the US president had been briefed on findings from Phoenix, and NASA would be ready to reveal the findings in mid-August. An article on Universe Today was based on that report. Today, Aviation Week & Space Technology stands by its report, saying that “the new information involves the “potential for life” on Mars. That potential can either be positive or negative, and the new data indicate the new soil tests are at best inconclusive, according to the information being released on the soil chemistry experiment.”

Phoenix’s Wet Chemistry Lab is part of the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer, or MECA instrument which studies soluble chemicals in the soil by mixing a soil sample with a water-based solution with several reagents brought from Earth. The inner surface of each cell’s beaker has 26 sensors that give information about the acidity or alkalinity and concentrations of elements such as chloride or perchlorate. The beaker also can detect concentrations of magnesium, calcium and potassium, which form salts that are soluble in water.

The TEGA instrument has tiny ovens that heat soil samples, and analyzers that “sniff” vapors released from substances in a sample.

Original News Source: Phoenix News

August 4, 2008December 24, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

Live Now on Paranormal Radio: “The Lucifer Project”

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In response to the recent articles on the Universe Today detailing the “Lucifer Project” doomsday scenario, I’ve been invited back as a guest on Paranormal Radio with Captain Jack. The twist is, that the show is starting now (6pm PST, 9pm EST)! Apologies for the late announcement.

The articles:

Listen live to Paranormal Radio. I’ll update this post with the recording of the show when it becomes available…

August 4, 2008December 24, 2015 by Astronomy Cast

Podcast: Rockets

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To move around in space, you need some kind of propulsion system. And for now, that means rockets. Let’s learn the underlying science of rockets, and how they work. And learn why a rocket will never let us reach the speed of light.

Click here to download the episode

Rockets – Show notes and transcript

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

August 4, 2008December 24, 2015 by Tammy Plotner

The Colors Of Summer – Albireo and Ras Algethi By Dietmar Hager

[/caption]Summertime conjurs up great images of enjoying a double dip ice cream cone, and what more wonderful way to enjoy than with two flavors? Would you like to have some fun while the Moon waxes this coming week? Then invite someone along for the ride and let’s take a look at how differently people perceive stellar color!

Let’s begin with every one’s summer favorite – Beta Cygni (RA 19 30 43 Dec +27 57 34) – Albireo. This star is an easy and colorful split in both small telescopes and binoculars… Or is it? Well-noted for its color contrast, almost every person this author has shared the eyepiece with sees it differently. The primary star is often touted as a golden yellow and the secondary as blue…but, in whose eyes? While I perceive them as orange and almost purple, many folks have reported seeing no color at all, or radical differences between them,

Since my curiosity often runs high, I asked high noted astrophotographer, Dietmar Hager to photograph Albeiro to see what results he could capture on film. Without adding additional color correction, it appears to me to be near the orange and blue end of the spectrum. Now, let’s try a far less professional method and see what we come up with…

Although it’s on the low side, try your luck with Alpha Canes Venaticorum (RA 12 56 01 Dec +38 19 06), which is better known as Cor Caroli. The “Heart of Charles” is about 130 light-years away and is an easy double for a small telescope and even binoculars. While many very noteworthy observers fail to see color in this pair, many of us can! Take a close look… Do you think the primary star is tinged a bit more on the yellow side, while the secondary is faintly blue? Sufficiently bright enough to be caught in the act with crude methods such as a camcorder or webcam, Cor Caroli is another piece of a very cool mystery…

Now move on to Alpha Herculis (RA 17 14 38 Dec +14 23 25) – Ras Algethi – and the last player in our double-dip game. While it’s a lot tougher to split, the suggestion that the M-type primary should be red to the sight isn’t always correct. Also usually noted as a colorful pair, the companion star is supposed to be quite green – a color sensed well by the dark-adapted human eye. Perhaps some of my observing companions haven’t been quite “human,” because most see it as a very pale blue. Me? I see red and green. It would seem the answers aren’t quite black and white.

So, what do all of these stars have in common? None of them are “normal.” The A component of Cor Caroli is a magnetic and spectroscopic variable which has periodic changes in its metallic absorption lines. It is the most blue at minimum. Both the A and B stars are enveloped in an intense magnetic field. Albireo’s primary star has a composite spectrum and is actually a binary – a K-type star with a spectroscopic B-type companion. The B component of Albireo is also odd – it shows strong hydrogen absorption lines. And what of Ras Algethi? Believe it or not, the red giant primary is a variable star which is shedding a huge envelope of a gas, engulfing its B companion in the process. A companion star which itself is a binary with a composite spectrum!

Take a look at all of these stars this week before the Moon obscures their position. Albireo is the “head” of Cygnus, and Cor Caroli is the bright star located about a fistwidth away from the last star in the handle of the Big Dipper (Ursa Major). However, Alpha Herculis (south of the “Keystone”) is much more difficult to find without a starchart. For simple instructions, start at Altair (the brightest star in Aquila) and look more than a handspan west/northwest for equally bright Alpha Ophiuchi that will appear alone in the field to the unaided eye. Ras Algethi will be about 2 or 3 fingerwidths to the northwest.

Have fun and enjoy all the flavors – and colors – of summer!

These awesome binary star images of Albireo and Ras Algethi were geneoursly supplied for our inspection by AORAIA member, Dietmar Hager. Thank you for sharing the telescope with us!

August 3, 2008January 22, 2021 by Ian O'Neill

Elon Musk: “I Will Never Give Up” After Falcon 1 Loss

Falcon 1 Launch attempt in 2007 (SpaceX)

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In a defiant message to his employees after Saturday’s Falcon 1 loss, Elon Musk, founder and CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) said, “I will never give up and I mean never.” This statement, along with some positive details about what went right with the launch of the 47 tonne rocket, he outlined his plans for the future direction of the corporation. Interestingly, he also overviewed what went wrong with Flight 3 as it ascended through the atmosphere. According to Musk, the first Merlin 1C rocket stage performed perfectly, but the problem occurred during stage separation, causing the first and second stages to be held together for too long. An inquiry is under way…

Watching the live video feed from the Kwajalein Atoll in the South Pacific a few hours ago was a frustrating experience. As reported by another reader of the Universe Today, the feed was low quality and pretty choppy, especially during the T-10 second countdown. But I was very excited all the same to see the Falcon 1 Merlin 1C engine light up (for two frames), blast out a puff of exhaust… only for it to stop and abort. This was at 8pm PST. According to Max Vozoff, SpaceX mission manager, some parameter was 1% out of “normal” operating limits so the Falcon 1 rocket shut down. Quickly, engineers were on the scene evaluating what had gone wrong. In an amazingly quick turn around, Vozoff had announced the ground crews were good to go and a new countdown would commence.

Within the hour, we were back to T-10 seconds and the Merlin engine blasted to life once more, this time with a lot more conviction. Before the female voice at mission control could say “two, one,” Falcon 1 had blasted off and powered away from the launchpad. It was an awesome sight (even if the video had become more choppy than before, probably due to online demand). The delight at mission control could be heard and the atmosphere was alight with enthusiasm.

But during the flight, 35 km off the ground and 140 seconds later, the video stream was suddenly cut. According to some viewers there was some anomalous rotation oscillations. Soon, we were back at mission control looking at the concerned faces of Max Vozoff and Emily Shanklin. Vozoff was listening to instructions from the flight controllers and eventually composed himself to say the following statement:

“We are hearing from the launch control center that there has been an anomaly on the vehicle. We donâ€™t have any information about what that anomaly is at this time. We will, of course, be doing an assessment of the situation and providing information as soon as it becomes available.” – Max Vozoff.

The anomaly, according to Musk, was with the stage separation not occurring when it should. The Merlin 1C engine in the first stage (which was completely designed from scratch by SpaceX) performed “picture perfect,” but the second stage rocket wasn’t able to prove itself as the launch had to be aborted. At this time, I am uncertain whether Falcon 1 was remotely destroyed or whether it was allowed to plunge into the ocean (although the latter option seems unlikely). We’ll know at a later date as to the details of this anomaly.

For now, our thoughts go out to the SpaceX scientists and engineers who have exhaustively put all their efforts into this third flight of the rocket (the previous two test flights also failed to varying degrees). For now, I’ll leave you with the full text of Elon Musk’s statement to his employees:

The full text of Saturday’s statement:

Plan Going Forward

It was obviously a big disappointment not to reach orbit on this flight [Falcon 1, Flight 3]. On the plus side, the flight of our first stage, with the new Merlin 1C engine that will be used in Falcon 9, was picture perfect. Unfortunately, a problem occurred with stage separation, causing the stages to be held together. This is under investigation and I will send out a note as soon as we understand exactly what happened.

The most important message Iâ€™d like to send right now is that SpaceX will not skip a beat in execution going forward. We have flight four of Falcon 1 almost ready for flight and flight five right behind that. I have also given the go ahead to begin fabrication of flight six. Falcon 9 development will also continue unabated, taking into account the lessons learned with Falcon 1. We have made great progress this past week with the successful nine engine firing.

As a precautionary measure to guard against the possibility of flight 3 not reaching orbit, SpaceX recently accepted a significant investment. Combined with our existing cash reserves, that ensures we will have more than sufficient funding on hand to continue launching Falcon 1 and develop Falcon 9 and Dragon. There should be absolutely zero question that SpaceX will prevail in reaching orbit and demonstrating reliable space transport. For my part, I will never give up and I mean never.

Thanks for your hard work and now on to flight four.

–Elon–

Source: SpaceX

August 2, 2008December 24, 2015 by Ian O'Neill

SpaceX Surprise Launch of Falcon 1, Suffers “Anomaly” at an Altitude of 35 km, Rocket and Payload Assumed Lost

The SpaceX Falcon 1 rocket is being prepped for launch (SpaceX)

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It was announced that the private space company, SpaceX, had set today as their launch window for their Falcon 1 rocket system to orbit the Earth. The press release reads:

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) has scheduled the launch of the Falcon 1 Flight 3 mission for Saturday, August 2nd. The launch window will open at 4:00 p.m. (PDT) / 7:00 p.m. (EDT) and remain open for five hours. If launch is delayed for any reason, SpaceX has range availability to resume countdown through August 5.

Lift-off of the vehicle will occur from SpaceX’s Falcon 1 launch site at the Kwajalein Atoll, about 2500 miles southwest of Hawaii. Falcon 1 launch facilities are situated on Omelek Island, part of the Reagan Test Site (RTS) at United States Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) in the Central Pacific.

Update: Approximately 140 seconds into the flight, Falcon 1 suffered an undisclosed anomaly. The vehicle had just switched to inertial guidance mode. At the last check, it was travelling at a velocity of 1050 m/s at an altitude of 35 km. It is assumed Falcon 1 is lost. Webcast has now been closed.

The Falcon 1 rocket system
The California-based space systems company was founded by Elon Musk in 2002 to provide a commercial alternative to launching payloads into space. SpaceX is currently carrying out a series of test flights of their Falcon 1 rocket, which is a two-stage, liquid oxygen and kerosene fuelled launch vehicle. Falcon 1 has already undergone two test flights, one in March 2006 and the second was in March 2007. The first launch failed only 29 seconds into the flight after the main engine failed, causing the loss of the rocket. The 2007 launch had more success and reached a velocity of 11,000 miles/hour, but unfortunately did not attain orbital velocity. It lost control at around 300 miles altitude and was lost. Today marks the third test flight, and hopes are high that lessons have been learnt and Falcon 1 will be successfully inserted into a stable low Earth orbit.

The Falcon 1 first stage is powered by a single Merlin 1C Regenerative engine that SpaceX developed. This is the first time the Merlin 1C will be used. The second stage is powered by a single Kestrel engine (again, developed by the company).

If successful, this third test flight will be celebrated as the first new orbital rocket to be developed and launched for over ten years; it will also be the first new US hydrocarbon engine for an orbital booster to be flown in 40 years and only the second US engine of any kind in more than a quarter of a century. What makes this historic endeavour even more impressive, is that once Falcon 1 reaches orbit (hopefully within today’s launch window), SpaceX will be the world’s first private company to develop an operational liquid fuel rocket to orbit the Earth

UPDATE (8:43pm): The webcast presenters announced an “anomaly” during Falcon 1’s ascent. We await news about this event, but it is assumed Falcon 1 is lost.

More information from today’s press release: SpaceX

August 2, 2008April 26, 2016 by Ian O'Neill

The White House is Briefed: Phoenix About to Announce “Potential For Life” on Mars

The surface zones where samples have been excavated by Phoenix (NASA)

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It would appear that the US President has been briefed by Phoenix scientists about the discovery of something more “provocative” than the discovery of water existing on the Martian surface. This news comes just as the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) confirmed experimental evidence for the existence of water in the Mars regolith on Thursday. Whilst NASA scientists are not claiming that life once existed on the Red Planet’s surface, new data appears to indicate the “potential for life” more conclusively than the TEGA water results. Apparently these new results are being kept under wraps until further, more detailed analysis can be carried out, but we are assured that this announcement will be huge…

So why is there all this secrecy? According to scientists in communication with Aviation Week & Space Technology, the next big discovery will need to be mulled over for a while before it is announced to the world. In fact, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory science team for the MECA wet-chemistry instrument that made these undisclosed findings were kept out of the July 31st news conference (confirming water) so additional analysis could be carried out, avoiding any questions that may have revealed their preliminary results. They have also made the decision to discuss the results with the Bush Administration’s Presidential Science Advisor’s office before a press conference between mid-August and early September.

Although good news, Thursday’s announcement of the discovery of water on Mars comes as no surprise to mission scientists and some are amused by the media’s reaction to the TEGA results. “They have discovered water on Mars for the third or fourth time,” one senior Mars scientist joked. These new MECA results are, according to the Phoenix team, a little more complex than the water “discovery.” Scientists are keen to point out however, that this secretive news will in no way indicate the existence of life (past or present) on Mars; Phoenix simply is not equipped make this discovery. What it can do is test the Mars soil for compounds suitable to support life. The MECA instrument does have microscopes capable of resolving bacterial-scale life forms however, but this is not the focus of the forthcoming announcement, sources say.

This new MECA discovery, combined with TEGA data will probably expose something more compelling, completing another piece of the puzzle in the search for the correct conditions for life as we know it to survive on Mars. Critical to this search is to understand how the recently confirmed water and Mars regolith behave together under the Phoenix lander in the cold Martian arctic.

The MECA instrument had already made the landmark discovery that Mars “soil” was much like the soil more familiar on Earth. This finding prompted scientists to indicate that the minerals and pH levels in the regolith could support some terrestrial plants, indicating this would be useful for future Mars settlers.

What with the discovery of water, and the discovery that Mars soil is very much like the stuff we find on Earth, it is hard to guess as to what the MECA’s second soil test has discovered. What ever it is, it sounds pretty significant, especially as NASA and the University of Arizona are taking extraordinary steps to avoid any more details being leaked to the outside world. I just hope were not getting excited over something benign…

So what will this compelling discovery be? Leave your guess below…

Source: Aviation Week

August 1, 2008April 26, 2016 by Ian O'Neill

Lunar Missions Postponed by US Military X-37B Spaceplane Launch

Artist impression of the Boeing X-37B (USAF)

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It looks like a US Air Force robotic orbiter will push back the planned launch date of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite (LCROSS). The double satellite launch, originally set for November this year, will now take place sometime early 2009. They will make way for the test flight of the orbital Boeing X-37B spaceplane, commandeering the Atlas V rocket flight originally intended for NASA. According to the Air Force, the November X-37B test flight will be a study into “risk reduction, experimentation, and operational concept development for reusable space vehicle technologies.” (There might also be some urgency due to the Shuttle decommissioning in 2010…)

The X-40 undergoing a test flight in 1998 (NASA)

The X-37B’s predecessors have undergone exhaustive testing. Based at Edwards Air Force Base, California, the US military has been testing automated spaceplanes for many years. NASA has also been heavily involved in the program. Originally tasked with developing a Space Manoeuvre Vehicle (SMV) that could either be launched by the Shuttle or by rocket, the US Air Force wanted an automated orbital vehicle that could carry out a multitude of tasks in space for up to a year. The X-40 design evolved and by 1998, the vehicle was being dropped from helicopters and allowed to land like a conventional aircraft (automatically). The X-40 military program was then passed to NASA to use as the basis of the X-37 program. After a long period of development, the X-37A was used in conjunction with Scaled Composites WhiteKnightOne (pictured below).

The X-37A carried by WhiteKnightOne in 2005 (Alan Radecki)

Now the brand new Boeing X-37B is ready to be launched to begin its first automated orbital operations, re-enter and land conventionally. The Atlas V rocket will blast off from Cape Canaveral and the X-37B will hopefully land on schedule at Edwards Air Force Base. The X-37B is 27 ft (8 m) long with a 15 ft (4.5 m) wingspan and resembles a blindfolded mini-Shuttle (it really does! See the picture at the top of the article).

Although there will be a lot of anticipation for the X-37B test flight, it is a shame for the lunar mission scientists who are currently preparing the LRO and LCROSS for their trip to the Moon. The LRO’s objective is to orbit the Moon, analysing the surface to aid future manned missions. LCROSS has something a little more spectacular planned; it will create two impact plumes during it’s kamikaze mission in aid of detecting present water in the lunar rock.

Sources: Gizmodo, Aviation Week, Design Systems