Author Topic: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless  (Read 176877 times)

Wrangler

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #690 on: 06 October 2016, 11:34:02 »
Space.com reports that Blue Origins' 5th launch was success.  They were testing the  capsule escape system, which was done in flight.

Both the booster and the capsule returned fine. It should be note that this is historical an moment for them.  This is the 5th flight of this Stage 1 rocket!  Their retiring this one to put it into a museum.
« Last Edit: 07 October 2016, 21:12:10 by Wrangler »
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kato

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #691 on: 07 October 2016, 08:50:28 »
Arrival of ExoMars campaign:

16 October - 17:20 UTC : ExoMars separation, will be reported online.

19 October - 13:00-20:00 UTC : Event programme at ESOC (same place as for Rosetta) while TGO inserts and Schiaparelli lands, will be live-streamed and broadcast plus some sort of social media stuff via Facebook Live.

20 October - 08:00-09:00 UTC : TGO/Schiaparelli update summary at ESOC (incl. descent pictures of Schiaparelli), will be live-streamed and broadcast.

The big one includes video feeds from some ExoMars party in Rome and ESA astronaut Tim Peake chiming in from London. The short one is mostly to present the descent images, which will only be downloaded during the next communication phase after the landing.

Interestingly ESA staff actually answers questions with regard to ExoMars on Facebook.

kato

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #692 on: 08 October 2016, 10:41:09 »
Ariane 5 reached Ariane 4's record on Wednesday, now both being the launchers worldwide with the highest number of consecutive successful launches. 74, to be exact.

Atlas V, the next-most-successful, is at 55 consecutive successful launches. Offhand PSLV is at 31, CZ-2D (specifically) at 27, Delta IV at 23.

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #693 on: 13 October 2016, 10:07:55 »
Semi-New Space News...it's been confirmed a small Dwarf Planet exists outside of Pluto's orbit.  They think the UZ224 (as it's currently called) is 330 miles in size, it may or may not classify officially as Dwarf due to the murky guidelines what is the smallest a Dwarf Planet can be. 

There is a hope that the UZ224 will lead scientists into finding the elusive Ninth planet which is been talked about being beyond Pluto's orbit.  UZ224 was not spotted until 2 years ago because it was lurking in areas were normally associated with galaxy maps. 

Interesting find! I hope they find that shadow planet they think is at least twice as big as Earth.
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Maingunnery

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #694 on: 13 October 2016, 11:19:25 »
Interesting find! I hope they find that shadow planet they think is at least twice as big as Earth.
That was the one with the likely highly unusual orbit, likely a captured rogue?
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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #695 on: 13 October 2016, 12:16:28 »
That was the one with the likely highly unusual orbit, likely a captured rogue?
I'm not sure what you mean. The dwarf planet UZ224 is in a yet unknown orbit path, since it's hard to see.  The scientist were hoping if they can find out what orbit this little guy, they're hoping to see if the gravity influences what scientist THINK is larger planet looming bit further out in orbit of our solar system.
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Maingunnery

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #696 on: 13 October 2016, 12:36:57 »
I'm not sure what you mean. The dwarf planet UZ224 is in a yet unknown orbit path, since it's hard to see.  The scientist were hoping if they can find out what orbit this little guy, they're hoping to see if the gravity influences what scientist THINK is larger planet looming bit further out in orbit of our solar system.
This news:
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016/01/feature-astronomers-say-neptune-sized-planet-lurks-unseen-solar-system
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kato

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #697 on: 13 October 2016, 12:56:20 »
There's a handy factsheet from the discoverers on 2014 UZ224 here (which includes the fact that "Planet 9" wouldn't influence it at all).

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #698 on: 13 October 2016, 21:19:10 »
http://www.cnn.com/2016/10/13/health/hubble-telescope-galaxies-trnd/index.html

So, finding there are ten times the number of galaxies than thought, and knowing what we know about universal expansion and all the dark matter theories...what's this do to that whole "visible matter only makes up X% of the universe" - now that we've got, apparently, ten times the visible matter there was before?
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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #699 on: 13 October 2016, 21:23:15 »
I'm sure the Dark Matter proponents will produce 10 times as many grant requests.

The 'real' dark matter - grant request paperwork.

It'll take more than mere facts to derail that theoretical gravy train ...
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kato

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #700 on: 14 October 2016, 14:13:57 »
Since non-Russian manned launches are kinda rare:

Shenzhou 11 is being readied for a launch in two days. It will be an endurance mission of about 30 days docked to the spacelab Tiangong 2 for the two taikonauts onboard.

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #701 on: 15 October 2016, 05:00:39 »
I'm sure the Dark Matter proponents will produce 10 times as many grant requests.

The 'real' dark matter - grant request paperwork.

It'll take more than mere facts to derail that theoretical gravy train ...
Dark matter is a proposed explanation to how galaxies behave, how it relates to the grand structure of the universe is really a secondary question. If there is significantly more normal matter than previously estimated it will upset some theories about the structure of the universe, but it won't change the question about if/what dark matter is.

kato

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #702 on: 16 October 2016, 12:00:08 »
Separation of Exomars TGO and EDM (Schiaparelli) has been successful.

With a little drama unfolding when TGO initially after separation did not send telemetry; TGO had stowed its high-gain antenna for about an hour during the separation maneuver. Datalink was reacquired after a while, telemetry came in.

Wrangler

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #703 on: 19 October 2016, 09:38:45 »
The joint European and Russian Mars probe, ExoMars is making it's final approach to the red planet.

They have this awesome picture of the probe's approach to the planet!

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kato

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #704 on: 19 October 2016, 10:43:51 »
The picture was actually taken by Mars Express a few days ago, the ESA orbiter that has been in Mars orbit since 2003.

Current status at ESOC is "waiting for communications relay from Mars Express to make it to Earth". Dang that slow lightspeed...

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #705 on: 19 October 2016, 12:41:00 »
Ack, Darn NY Times fooling me.  :P Sorry.

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #706 on: 20 October 2016, 04:22:56 »
Unfortunately, it looks like Schiaparelli has Beagled :(

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37707776

The Great Ghoul strikes again?
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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #707 on: 20 October 2016, 04:49:47 »
The Martians are getting sick and tired of us throwing trash on their planet, so they shot it out of their sky.  ::)
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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #708 on: 20 October 2016, 06:21:53 »
News Flash! Telemetry gathered from the probe as it descended indicated that the Probe eject the Parachute too early and fired it's Skyhook-like rockets that was suppose to bring the probe to stand still fired too soon.  Thus its likely it came down like lump of coals on to the surface....timing everything...

What a shame.
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Maingunnery

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #709 on: 20 October 2016, 11:09:16 »

My suggestion for the next mission, make the probe impact resistant.  ;)
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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #710 on: 23 October 2016, 16:53:07 »
My suggestion for the next mission, make the probe impact resistant.  ;)

Or stick with Imperial measure   ;)
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Maingunnery

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #711 on: 23 October 2016, 16:59:41 »
Or stick with Imperial measure   ;)
I think that was the cause of a previous failure (Mars Climate Orbiter).
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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #712 on: 23 October 2016, 17:49:39 »
I think that was the cause of a previous failure (Mars Climate Orbiter).

I bet you say "deconstructive lithobraking" like it's a bad thing ...
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Maingunnery

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #713 on: 23 October 2016, 17:51:25 »
I bet you say "deconstructive lithobraking" like it's a bad thing ...
That depends upon the payload.  ;)
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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #714 on: 23 October 2016, 20:59:21 »
I would say it's expensive splat on Mars.  One of the other orbiting space probes picked up the crash site, apparently the thing was coming down 100 or so miles-per hour and had fuel explosion on impact.  The probe picked debris field.

I'm glad it didn't come down too close to one of the rovers.  One these days these miss-fires is going hit something. Too bad it's too far away for a rover to inspect the crash site.  Its more important of course to continue the main mission of science thou.   
« Last Edit: 24 October 2016, 10:19:16 by Wrangler »
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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #715 on: 24 October 2016, 08:50:35 »
 It maybe an expensive splat, but much less so than a human splat.  So let's keep sending probes, even if we get a few splattered on alien surfaces.

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #716 on: 24 October 2016, 09:40:29 »
Meanwhile, Oxford University physicists just suggested killing a sacred cow.
http://futurism.com/no-the-universe-is-not-expanding-at-an-accelerated-rate-physicists-say/
New sky study of 740 supernovae suggests that the universe's expansion is not accelerating, which appears to brush Dark Energy into a dustbin.  This should generate some interesting research.
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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #717 on: 24 October 2016, 10:39:18 »
Too bad it's too far away for a rover to inspect the crash site.
The crash site is only 53 km from Opportunity. It could go there in about 9 months.

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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #718 on: 24 October 2016, 15:56:43 »
The crash site is only 53 km from Opportunity. It could go there in about 9 months.
Wow. I didn't realize it was that close. Now it feels really tempting to attempt that trip - and investigate the crash site of another vehicle on another planet for the first time up close. Wonder if the crash site, being a highly unusual terrain feature yet with complete knowledge of what crashed there and when, might yield actual scientific information that couldn't be gained otherwise. It is a unique opportunity.
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Re: Deep Space and Interplanetary Exploration - The Universe is Timeless
« Reply #719 on: 31 October 2016, 19:24:09 »
Meanwhile in Earth Orbit, Chinese's Shenzhou-11 continues to remain docked with Tiangong-2 Space Station. The ship docked on the 18th, China certainly making steady progress in their space program.  Thou i hardly hear much about it.   
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