Posted on by Jason Major

Fragments of Meteorite Worth Their Weight in Gold

Fragments collected from the April 22 fireball over central California. (Franck Marchis)

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Actually it’s more like 3.5 times their weight in gold, according to today’s market value… and meteorite experts from SETI and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.

During the daylight hours of April 22, 2012, reports came in from all over the north central California area of an extremely bright fireball — described as a “glittering sparkler” — and accompanying loud explosion. It was soon determined that this was the result of a meteoroid about the size of a minivan entering the atmosphere and disintegrating. It was later estimated that the object weighed about 70 metric tons and detonated with a 5-kiloton force.

Read more about the California fireball event here.

Over a thousand meteorite hunters scrambled to the area, searching for any traces of the cosmic visitor’s remains. After a few days, several pieces of the meteorite were found and reported by five individuals, adding up to 46 grams in total.

Those pieces could be worth over $9,000 USD, according to Bill Cooke of NASA’s Meteoroid Environment Office at Marshall Space Flight Center.

Based on today’s market, that’s about 3.6 times the value of gold (about $1,660 per troy ounce — 31.1 grams).

The high value is due to the extreme rarity of the meteorite fragments. The California fireball is now known to have been created by a CM chondrite, a type of carbonaceous meteorite with material characteristics similar to comets.

SETI Institute's Franck Marchis and the chondrite fragments (F. Marchis)

According to Franck Marchis, Planetary Astronomer at the Carl Sagan Center of the SETI Institute and one of the coordinators of the meteorite reporting teams, CM chondrites appear to have been altered by water, and have deuterium-to-hydrogen ratios in line with what’s been measured in the tails of comets Halley and Hyakutake.

They also have been found to contain organic compounds and amino acids, lending to the hypothesis that such meteorites may have helped supply early Earth with the building blocks for life.

But due to their fragile composition, they are also incredibly rare. Only 1% of known meteorites are CM chondrites, making even the small handful of fragments found in California very valuable.

“This will be only the third observed CM fall in the US, after Crescent, OK, in 1936, (78 g) and Murray, KY, in 1950 (13 kg),” Marchis told Universe Today.

As far as what the finders will do with the fragments, that’s entirely up to them.

“They can sell them on eBay or they can lend them to the scientists… or make a donation.” Marchis said.

Just goes to show that all that glitters really isn’t gold — it could be even better.

Read more in an article by Sara Reardon on New Scientist, and read more on the comet/chondrite connection here. And the ongoing search for pieces of what’s now being referred to as the “Sutter’s Mill Meteorite” can be followed here and here.

The largest CM chondrite ever recovered was from a fall in Murchison, Australia on September 28, 1969. The total mass of its collected fragments weighed in at over 100 kg (220 lbs).

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Video: NASA’s Pursuit of Light and Big Science

The folks at NASA Goddard’s multimedia division have outdone themselves this time on a new video compilation which, really, shows how NASA dreams big science. Its asks the big questions of why we really explore and how important these explorations can be. It shows views of the Earth, the planets, the Sun, and the endless universe beyond. The video description says it best: “Come for the cool, stay for the music, take away a sense of wonder to share. It’s six minutes from Earth to forever, and you can see it here!”

And what will be lost if NASA is allowed to just fade away through neglect? If you live in the US, contact your Congress members and encourage them to support NASA. Currently NASA’s budget isn’t big enough to even show up as a line on a pie chart, and represents 0.46% of the US budget — less than half a penny for every dollar spent in the US, and has been relatively unchanged for 25 years.

Here’s a graph of what NASA’s percentage of the budget has been like over time:

“NASA contributes to society in massively huge ways in terms of technological, economical, and inspirational progress,” says the website Penny4NASA. “The progress that we have seen in the last 40 years comes largely from the world’s extremely talented scientists and engineers. Now, talk to most any scientist and/or engineer of the last 40 years, and we are willing to bet that they were drawn into their chosen field by something NASA related.”

Check out Penny4NASA for more information and to sign a petition to ask for more funding for NASA.

Posted on by Nancy Atkinson

Viewing Alert: New Interview Series with Neil Armstrong

Apollo 11 landing site. Credit: NASA

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There’s a new four-part interview series with Apollo astronaut Neil Armstrong, and part 1 is now available for viewing. The first man to walk on the Moon gives a personal commentary on Apollo 11’s historic lunar landing, his thoughts on leadership and taking risks to innovate for the future. With the future of NASA’s program currently under scrutiny, throughout the series Armstrong will talk about his position on the policy direction of the space agency, speaks candidly on his early life, and even tackles conspiracy theorist claims that the Moon landing never happened – using images from Google Moon to demonstrate their path. The series also includes previously unseen footage of the lunar descent. Armstrong doesn’t give many interviews, and the show’s producers say this is the first on-camera interview Armstrong has done since 2005. The episodes are from evoTV’s series, The Bottom Line.

The different parts will be released over the next few weeks:

Part 1 – Space Race: now available

Part 2 – Blast Off available 8 May

Part 3 – Giant Leap available 15 May

Part 4 – Presidential Pride available 22 May

Posted on by Jason Major

NASA’s STEREO Spots a New Nova

STEREO-B image of Sagittarii 2012 (STEREO/SECCHI/NASA/NRL)


While on duty observing the Sun from its position in solar orbit, NASA’s STEREO-B spacecraft captured the sudden appearance of a distant bright object. This flare-up turned out to be a nova — designated Sagittarii 2012 — the violent expulsion of material and radiation from a re-igniting white dwarf star.

Unlike a supernova, which is the cataclysmic collapse and explosion of a massive star whose core has finally fused its last, a nova is the result of material falling onto the surface of a white dwarf that’s part of a binary pair. The material, typically hydrogen and helium gas, is drawn off the white dwarf’s partner which has expanded into a red giant.

Eventually the white dwarf cannot contain all of the material that it has sucked in from its neighbor… material which has been heated to tremendous temperatures on its surface as it got compressed further and further by the white dwarf’s incredibly strong gravity. Fusion occurs on the dwarf’s outermost layers, blasting its surface out into space in an explosion of light and energy.

This is a nova — so called because, when witnessed in the night sky, one could suddenly appear as a “new star” in the heavens — sometimes even outshining all other visible stars!

An individual nova will soon fade, but a white dwarf can produce many such flares over time. It all depends on how rapidly it’s accreting material (and how much there is available.)

Over the course of 4 days, Sagittarii 2012 reached a magnitude of about 8.5… still too dim to be seen with the unaided eye, but STEREO-B was able to detect it with its SECCHI (Sun Earth Connection Coronal and Heliospheric Investigation) instrument, which is sensitive to extreme ultraviolet wavelengths.

The video above was made from images acquired from April 20 – 24, 2012.

It’s not known yet how far away Sagittarii 2012 is but rest assured it poses no threat to Earth. The energy expelled by a nova is nowhere near that of a supernova, and although you wouldn’t want to have a front-row seat to such an event we’re well away from the danger zone.

What this does show is that STEREO-B is not only a super Sun-watching sentinel, but also very good at observing much more distant stars as well!

Thanks to @SungrazerComets for the heads-up on this novel nova!

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Posted on by Ken Kremer

SpaceX Falcon 9 Set for Critical Engine Test Firing on Monday, April 30

The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft rests on top of the Falcon 9 rocket at SpaceX’s launch site in Cape Canaveral, FL. Credit: SpaxeX

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On Monday, April 30, SpaceX (Space Exploration Technologies) is all set to conduct a critical static engine test fire of the Falcon 9 rocket at the firm’s launch pad on Cape Canaveral, Florida.

If all goes well, SpaceX and NASA are targeting a May 7 liftoff of the rocket and Dragon spacecraft at 9:38 AM, bound for the International Space Station (ISS). This launch signifies the first time that a commercial company is attempting to dock at the ISS.

The Falcon 9 rocket with the Dragon bolted on top was rolled out to the pad at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) on the transporter-erecter on Sunday morning (April 29), SpaceX spokesperson Kirstin Grantham told Universe Today.

“The Falcon 9 is vertical. Fueling begins Monday,” said Grantham.

On Sunday night, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk tweeted: “Dragon review completed. All systems now ready for full thrust hold down firing on Monday.”

Today the 180 foot long rocket was moved about 600 feet on rail tracks from the processing hanger to Pad 40 in anticipation of the engine test firing.

During the hotfire test, all nine of the powerful liquid fueled Merlin 1C first stage engines will be ignited at full power for two seconds as part of a full launch dress rehearsel for the flight, dubbed COTS 2. SpaceX engineers will run through all launch procedures on Monday as though this were an actual launch on launch day.

This is the second Falcon 9 launch for NASA as part of the agency’s Commercial Orbital Transportation Services program designed to enable commercial firms to deliver cargo to the ISS following the retirement of NASA’s fleet of Space Shuttles. The first Falcon 9 COTS test flight took place in December 2010.

The Dragon spacecraft being rotated before it is mated to the Falcon 9 rocket in SpaceX’s hangar in Cape Canaveral, FL. CREDIT: NASA

You can watch a live webcast of the engine test at www.spacex.com starting at 2:30 PM ET/ 11:30 AM PT, with the actual static fire targeted for 3:00 PM ET/ 12:00 PM PT according to SpaceX.

SpaceX is under contract to NASA to conduct twelve resupply missions to the ISS to carry cargo back and forth for a cost of some $1.6 Billion.

This SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket inside the processing hanger at Pad 40 is due for liftoff on May 7, 2012 to the ISS. The Falcon 9 booster was moved on rail tracks to the pad on April 29 and the Merlin 1C first stage engines (at right) will be test fired on April 30. Credit: Ken Kremer
Posted on by Ken Kremer

Millions Mesmerized by Shuttle Enterprise over Freedom’s Beacon in New York

NASA’s Space Shuttle Enterprise mounted atop 747 Jumbo Jet Mesmerizes Millions above Statue of Liberty on April 27, 2012. Credit: Ken Kremer

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Millions upon Millions of Humans have passed through Freedoms’s Beacon at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island in the New York Metropolitan area in hope of a better life for themselves and their families.

Today, on Friday April 27, Freedom’s Beacon mesmerized millions of the World’s Citizens anew – and in an unforgettable way – as NASA’s Space Shuttle Enterprise proudly flew over the Statue of Liberty in the waning moments of her triumphant final flight, to the cheers of throngs of people from across the globe.

Enterprise flew several times over and about historic sites and landmarks around the Big Apple while piggybacked snugly atop NASA’s modified 747 Jumbo Jet – formally known as the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) and designated as NASA 905.

I witnessed the Enterprise fly over from around the Statue of Liberty and Liberty State Park in New Jersey as she made several exciting passes over and around the New York- New Jersey- Connecticut tri state region, delighting in excess on 10 million avid spectators.

Spectators awed by Enterprise over Statue of Liberty. Credit: Ken Kremer

Enterprise voyaged as far north as the Tappan Zee Bridge, around the Hudson River and over nearby spots on Long Island and New Jersey. All in all traversing over millions of homes, buildings and businesses to everyone’s delight.

I heard many people express these sentiments to me and in local new reports: “I’ve never saw anything like this. It’s fantastic – two planes flying on top of one another. I never imagined anything like this and I’m so happy to see the Enterprise.”

And I met and listened to folks speaking dozens of languages – who made the special journey today to be with Lady Liberty and the Enterprise.

Enterprise soars above US Flag during NYC fly over on April 27, 2012. Credit: Ken Kremer

While many folks were well aware of the Enterprise’s impending flyover, through New York’s extensive media reporting – this region is my home turf – many others were caught totally unawares. Nevertheless they were all thrilled, especially the kids.

Some people even stopped on the George Washington and Tappan Zee Bridges, among others, pulled over to the side to get out of their vehicles and take in and enjoy the spectacular once- in-a-lifetime view and snap priceless photos.

Some out of town tourists even wondered if the Enterprise flyover was a “Daily Show” – somehow put on by the Intrepid, Air, Sea and Space Museum – which is the permanent new and final home to the only-of- its-kind prototype shuttle vehicle. No, they were informed. It’s just a one-time April 27 Big Apple Special. And it’s Free !

Space Shuttle Enterprise departed Dulles Airport mounted atop NASA’s 747 around 9:39 a.m. EDT and arrived in New York around 10:30 a.m. EDT. It was a cool and partly cloudy day in the 50’s and blustery with wind gusts around 40 MPH.

She finally touched down at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport at about 11:22 a.m. after I watched her take a last dazzling spin over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge.

Enterprise flies over the Verrazano Narrows Bridge on April 27, 2012. Credit: Ken Kremer

The space shuttle is the most complex machine built by humanity, and stands as a powerful beacon to the future and what humans can accomplish if only we put our minds and efforts towards the task.

The Enterprise was the first of NASA’s Space Shuttles orbiters to be built and was used in landmark tests that paved the way for the entire Shuttle fleet and the first shuttle launch in 1981.

In June, the Enterprise will be placed on a barge and towed by tugboat to the Intrepid. She will be hoisted by crane onto the flight deck and open for display to the public in July 2012.

Enterprise is named after the fictional starship in the world renowned and beloved TV science fiction series – “Star Trek”.

About 1500 VIP guests greeted the Enterprise after landing at JFK, including actor Leonard Nimoy, Star Trek’s “Mr. Spock.”

Spock (Nimoy) welcomed Enterprise to New York and pronounced his famous Vulcan greeting –

“This is a reunion for me. Thirty-five years ago, I met the Enterprise for the first time.”

“Live Long and Prosper !”

Posted on by Jason Major

Enterprise Arrives at the Big Apple

The test shuttle Enterprise is ferried to New York City on April 27, 2012 (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

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Icons of America are captured together in a fantastic photo by NASA photographer Bill Ingalls, taken on the morning of April 27, 2012 from Jersey City, NJ. The Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building… and Enterprise, the first space shuttle, seen as it was ferried toward its eventual new home at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

After several days of delays due to weather, the SCA with mounted Enterprise took off from Washington Dulles International Airport this morning.

Watch a video of Enterprise flying over New York here.

Enterprise was the first shuttle built for NASA. It was used to conduct test flights in the atmosphere and never flew into space, yet the data gathered from its experimental flights were integral to the development of the shuttle program.

Originally housed at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Enterprise will be demated from the SCA (Shuttle Carrier Aircraft) and placed on a barge that will travel on a 2-day trip up the Hudson to the Intrepid Museum on June 4.

Enterprise departs Dulles on Friday, April 27. (NASA/Smithsonian Institution/Mark Avino)
Enterprise over Manhattan, its future home seen below. (Click for description.) NASA/Robert Markowitz.

Enterprise will open for display to the public on July 19.

See more details on the Intrepid Museum’s website.

 

Posted on by Jason Major

Cassini Exposes Phoebe As More Planet Than Moon

Color-composite image of Phoebe as seen by Cassini in 2009.

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Saturn’s curious moon Phoebe features a heavily-cratered shape and orbits the ringed planet backwards at a considerable distance of over 8 million miles (12.8 million km). According to recent news from the Cassini mission Phoebe may actually be a Kuiper Belt object, having more in common with planets than it does with any of Saturn’s other satellites.

132 miles (212 km) in diameter, Phoebe is the largest of Saturn’s irregular moons — a cloud of small, rocky worlds held in distant orbits at highly inclined paths. Its backwards (retrograde) motion around Saturn and dense composition are dead giveaways that it didn’t form in situ within the Saturnian system, but rather was captured at some point when it strayed too close to the gas giant.

In fact it’s now thought that Phoebe may be a remnant from the formation of the Solar System — a planetesimal — with its own unique history predating its adoption into Saturn’s extended family of moons.

“Unlike primitive bodies such as comets, Phoebe appears to have actively evolved for a time before it stalled out,” said Julie Castillo-Rogez, a planetary scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “Objects like Phoebe are thought to have condensed very quickly. Hence, they represent building blocks of planets. They give scientists clues about what conditions were like around the time of the birth of planets and their moons.”

Although Phoebe is heavily eroded and irregularly-shaped today at one time it may have been much rounder. But an early composition of radioactive elements would have generated heat, and as it warmed it “deflated” through compression, growing denser and denser.

Map of Phoebe's surface. (NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSI/Cornel)

Now, Phoebe exhibits a similar density to Pluto — another denizen of the Kuiper Belt.

At some point Phoebe may even have had water, kept liquid by its radioactive heat. That is, until the heat faded and it froze, creating the icy surface detected by Cassini’s instruments.

Still, Cassini’s study of Saturn’s moons has provided scientists with clues to what was happening much earlier on in the Solar System. What caused Phoebe to drift inwards to be caught up in orbit around Saturn? How did it survive such a supposed shuffling of planets and other worlds did not? As Cassini continues its investigation answers — and undoubtedly even more questions — will be uncovered.

Read more on NASA’s news release here.

Image: NASA/JPL/SSI. Color composition by Gordan Ugarkovic.

Posted on by Ken Kremer

Enterprise “GO” for Big Apple Fly Over on April 27 – NYC Viewing Guide

Space Shuttle Enterprise will Fly from DC to NYC on April 27. Enterprise is mounted atop NASA 747 Carrier Jet at Dulles Airport and all set for ferry flight and fly around of NYC before landing at JFK airport. Enterprise is bolted on top of the Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA) and visible from the upper levels of a Daily Parking Garage at Dulles Airport. Credit: Ken Kremer

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Unless the weather changes drastically, Space Shuttle Enterprise will depart Dulles International Airport and the D.C. area on her final ferry flight for her history making Big Arrival at the Big Apple on Friday morning, April 27 and a spectacular fly around of the New York City Metro area and towering Skyscrapers.

NASA managers have given the “GO” for takeoff of Enterprise early Friday morning. Enterprise is primed and mounted atop NASA 905 – the specially modified Boeing 747 Shuttle Carriar Aircraft (SCA) that transports all the orbiters on cross country ferry trips; see my photo above.

In less than 24 hours, New York City will be the permanent new home to the Enterprise, NASA’s first shuttle vehicle.

From around 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Enterprise atop the SCA will fly at quite low altitudes over various landmarks and historic locations in the New York City metropolitan area, putting on a dramatic sky show for millions of residents and visitors in the local New York and New Jersey region.

The mated duo is expected to make one or more mind bending, not-to-be-missed low passes over the iconic Statue of Liberty, her new home at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum Museum and other breathtaking locales throughout Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and New York’s waterways, before landing at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport.

Space Shuttle Enterprise flew over New York City only once before of June 10, 1983 on a return flight from display at the Paris Air Show in France and a European tour of Germany, Italy and the UK. Richard Drew / AP

The public is invited to view the momentous Enterprise fly over atop the 747 from the flight deck of the Intrepid at Pier 86. The museum plans to open early.

Viewers can expect magnificent viewing opportunities inside New York City, from the ground level and up to the top of skyscrapers like the Empire State Building, as well as unparalleled Manhattan skyline views across the river from the New Jersey shoreline, stretching north and south along the Hudson River.

Depending on how far north the SCA flies, Enterprise might also be visible from nearby areas of Westchester and Rockland Counties and Connecticut.

The exact flyover route depends on weather and operational constraints and has not been released for security reasons.

The weather forecast is favorable with sunny and breezy conditions expected with temperatures around 50 degrees F. Winds gusts are the only potential hang up at this time. Dress warmly.

1500 VIP’s from New York will greet Enterprise after landing at JFK.

Enterprise will depart directly from Dulles for New York. Unlike the two hour long flyaround arrival of Space Shuttle Discovery to the D.C. area and Dulles on April 17, there will be no fly around of the DC area for this ferry flight of Enterprise.

Barely a week ago, Enterprise and Discovery swapped places at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center outside Washington, D.C. following a nose to nose shuffle and meet up attended by a crowd of about 10,000 visitors.

Space Shuttle Enterprise and the SCA flew very briefly over New York City just once before in 1983 on a return trip from display at the Paris Air Show in France and an international tour of Germany, Italy, the UK and Canada.

You can catch beautiful view and photos of the takeoff of Enterprise from Dulles very easily from the upper levels of the Daily Parking garages. See my photo of Enterprise strapped to the SCA Jumbo Jet at Dulles herein and in this preview story.

Ken will be on hand for the history making Grand Entrance of the Enterprise over Manhattan’s skyline. Feel free to send me your Enterprise photos to post here at Universe Today.

Don’t miss this once-in-a-lifetime chance to see space history as a path finding NASA Space Shuttle – named after Star Trek’s Starship Enterprise – fly’s over the greatest city on Earth !

The Shuttle Enterprise rolled out in 1976 with the cast of Star Trek !
In 1976, NASA's space shuttle Enterprise rolled out of the Palmdale manufacturing facilities and was greeted by NASA officials and cast members from the 'Star Trek' television series. From left to right they are: NASA Administrator Dr. James D. Fletcher; DeForest Kelley, who portrayed Dr. "Bones" McCoy on the series; George Takei (Mr. Sulu); James Doohan (Chief Engineer Montgomery "Scotty" Scott); Nichelle Nichols (Lt. Uhura); Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock); series creator Gene Rodenberry; an unnamed NASA official; and, Walter Koenig (Ensign Pavel Chekov). Credit: NASA
Posted on by Ken Kremer

Outer Space – Mind Blowing Video from Jupiter and Saturn

Video Caption: This mesmerizing video unveils incredibly amazing sequences around Jupiter and Saturn from NASA’s Cassini and Voyager missions set to stirring music by “The Cinematic Orchestra -That Home (Instrumental)”. Credit: Sander van den Berg

Don’t hesitate 1 moment ! Look and listen to this mind blowing video of the Jupiter and Saturnian systems.

If you love the wonders of the hitherto unknown Universe unveiled before your eyes – and long to explore – feast your eyes on this short new video right now titled simply; “Outer Space”. Continue reading “Outer Space – Mind Blowing Video from Jupiter and Saturn”