You Friggin' SUCK, Crypto.com App...

Three days ago, I found out that the mobile app I was using to buy cryptocurrency, Crypto.com, updated its program without letting users know in advance...causing me to lose around $325 (the amount that I had last time I checked my balance on Thursday, May 27) in investment. So how did I lose that $325, you ask? Well, the app is no longer compatible with my smartphone (and Crypto.com doesn't provide the ability to buy and sell coins on a PC instead), which means that I would need to buy a whole new device—even though my current Android is working fine—to regain access to my crypto. And the thought of having to spend a few hundred dollars (or over a thousand dollars if I were to finally purchase an iPhone) on a new device just to keep track of a financial investment that is currently worth less than the phone I'm viewing it on annoys the hell out of me.

So what's the cryptocurrency that I invested in, you're wondering? You guessed it— The Shiba Inu coin! I originally owned Dogecoins, but I sold all of them since 1.) I wanted to focus on buying more SHIB instead (I'm currently at 36 million coins), and 2.) the time to buy DOGE was last year. For the amount of money that you need to spend in order to acquire enough Dogecoins to make a significant profit (which would be over a thousand dollars), you can buy a hundred million to a billion Shiba coins for that same amount and patiently wait for them to go up in value over the coming years. Dogecoin, after all, took 8 years since its 2013 inception to reach where it is today...and it's not even at a dollar per coin yet.

So going back to the original point of this Blog entry, Crypto.com sucks. While my Android has been up for a replacement since last year, as mentioned in the first paragraph above it's still working well...and I find it infuriating that one app is forcing me to change my phone to regain access to my commodity. Would it be overdoing it if I said that the folks behind Crypto.com are crooks? They basically stole my money—and based on what its customer service told me through Twitter (shown below)—the only way to get it back is to unnecessarily spend cash on an unneeded device.

Combined this with the fact that the Los Angeles Lakers should've won Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns (even without Anthony Davis on the court) today, and you can see that this Sunday is garbage. For me, at least. If I do get a new phone, I'm still gonna talk trash about Crypto.com...even if I end up selling all Shiba coins and withdrawing my money from Crypto's wallet. We'll see.

Celebrating Laker Victories Today and on This Day 20 Years Ago...

Adam Pantozzi / NBA E

Less than two hours ago, the Lakers went up, 2-1, in their first-round series against the Phoenix Suns when Los Angeles emerged victorious, 109-95, in Game 3 at STAPLES Center. This was the first time Anthony Davis and LeBron James played an NBA postseason game at STAPLES Center, and also the first time since 2012 that the Lakers won a playoff match in their home arena. Kobe would've been proud.

Speaking of Kobe, today also marks 20 years since he, Shaquille O'Neal, Derek Fisher and the rest of the Lakers swept the San Antonio Spurs, 111-82, in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals. The Lakers were undefeated in the postseason, 11-0, up until their Game 1 loss in the 2001 NBA Finals. At the end, however, the Lake Show prevailed over Allen Iverson and the Philadelphia 76ers in 5 games to win the NBA championship...and made history by having the best postseason record in league history at 15-1. The Chicago Bulls had a 15-2 record at the conclusion of the 1996 NBA Playoffs.

Here's hoping that Anthony Davis, LeBron and Co. continue to play well and eventually move onto the next playoff series (obviously). I don't wanna jinx it, but with the Clippers currently down 0-2 in their matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, and the Memphis Grizzlies having taken homecourt advantage away from the No. 1 Utah Jazz, the Lakers might have a considerable chance of reaching the NBA Finals two decades after Shaq and Kobe won their back-to-back title. Happy Thursday.

PS: The photo below is actually inaccurate. It's from Game 1 of the 2001 Western Conference Finals. Game 4 took place at STAPLES Center. I'm only using this image because you know, Mamba Forever.


JAMES NIELSEN / AFP via Getty Images

Europa Clipper Update: New Discoveries on Europa Await NASA's Flagship Mission to Jupiter's Ocean Moon...

NASA / JPL - Caltech

Europa’s Interior May Be Hot Enough to Fuel Seafloor Volcanoes (News Release)

Jupiter’s moon Europa has an icy crust covering a vast, global ocean. The rocky layer underneath may be hot enough to melt, leading to undersea volcanoes.

New research and computer modeling show that volcanic activity may have occurred on the seafloor of Jupiter’s moon Europa in the recent past – and may still be happening. NASA’s upcoming Europa Clipper mission, targeting a 2024 launch, will swoop close to the icy moon and collect measurements that may shed light on the recent findings.

Scientists have strong evidence that Europa harbors an enormous ocean between its icy crust and rocky interior. The new work shows how the moon may have enough internal heat to partially melt this rocky layer, a process that could feed volcanoes on the ocean floor. The recent 3D modeling of how this internal heat is produced and transferred is the most detailed and thorough examination yet of the effect this interior heating has on the moon.

The key to Europa’s rocky mantle being hot enough to melt lies with the massive gravitational pull Jupiter has on its moons. As Europa revolves around the gas giant, the icy moon’s interior flexes. The flexing forces energy into the moon’s interior, which then seeps out as heat (think of how repeatedly bending a paperclip generates heat). The more the moon’s interior flexes, the more heat is generated.

The research, published recently in Geophysical Research Letters, models in detail how Europa’s rocky part may flex and heat under the pull of Jupiter’s gravity. It shows where heat dissipates and how it melts that rocky mantle, increasing the likelihood of volcanoes on the seafloor.

Volcanic activity on Europa has been a topic of speculation for decades. By comparison, Jupiter’s moon Io is obviously volcanic. Hundreds of volcanoes there erupt lava fountains and eject volcanic gas and dust up to 250 miles (400 kilometers) high – activity that is due to the same kind of internal heating caused by Jupiter’s pull. But Europa is farther away than Io is from its host planet, so scientists have wondered whether the effect would be similar under the icy surface.

Led by Marie Běhounková of Charles University in the Czech Republic, the authors further predicted that volcanic activity is most likely to occur near Europa’s poles – the latitudes where the most heat is generated. They also looked at how volcanic activity may have evolved over time. Long-lived energy sources give more opportunity for potential life to have developed.

Underwater volcanoes, if present, could power hydrothermal systems like those that fuel life at the bottom of Earth’s oceans. On Earth, when seawater comes into contact with hot magma, the interaction results in chemical energy. And it is chemical energy from these hydrothermal systems, rather than from sunlight, that helps support life deep in our own oceans. Volcanic activity on Europa’s seafloor would be one way to support a potential habitable environment in that moon’s ocean.

“Our findings provide additional evidence that Europa’s subsurface ocean may be an environment suitable for the emergence of life,” Běhounková said. “Europa is one of the rare planetary bodies that might have maintained volcanic activity over billions of years, and possibly the only one beyond Earth that has large water reservoirs and a long-lived source of energy.”

Direct Observations

NASA scientists will have the opportunity to put the new predictions to the test when Europa Clipper reaches its target in 2030. The spacecraft will orbit Jupiter and perform dozens of close flybys of Europa to map the moon and investigate its composition. Among the science data it collects, the spacecraft will survey the surface in detail and sample the moon’s thin atmosphere.

The surface and atmosphere observations will give scientists a chance to learn more about the moon’s interior ocean if the water percolates up through the icy crust. Scientists believe the exchange of material between the ocean and the crust would leave traces of seawater on the surface. They also believe the exchange may emit gas, and possibly even plumes of water vapor, with ejected particles that could contain materials coming from the seafloor.

As Europa Clipper measures the moon’s gravity and magnetic field, anomalies in those areas, especially toward the poles, could help confirm the volcanic activity predicted by the new research.

“The prospect for a hot, rocky interior and volcanoes on Europa’s seafloor increases the chance that Europa’s ocean could be a habitable environment,” said Europa Clipper Project Scientist Robert Pappalardo of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. “We may be able to test this with Europa Clipper’s planned gravity and compositional measurements, which is an exciting prospect.”

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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NASA / JPL - Caltech / Michael Carroll

If the INTERSTELLAR PROBE Launched on a 'Big Orange Rocket' for Its Journey to the Edge of Our Solar System, and Beyond...

Today, I read a great article on NASASpaceflight.com about how NASA and Boeing are trying to optimize the space at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in Louisiana to begin building more than two Space Launch System (SLS) core stage boosters per year. As of right now, a pair of SLS boosters are being manufactured at MAF...the core stages for Artemis 2 (which is set to launch in 2023) and Artemis 3 (which would send astronauts to the Moon for a lunar landing mission as early as 2024). NASA's goal is to maximize the space inside MAF's buildings to make room for at least three core stage boosters—which would obviously increase the construction and launch cadence for SLS rockets embarking on Artemis missions.

So what does this have to do with the Interstellar Probe, you ask? Well, NASA obtaining the ability to fabricate more than one SLS booster at a time (like it was able to do with the space shuttle's external fuel tank before this program ended a decade ago) would allow the agency to not only have core stages available for Artemis flights, but for uncrewed, non-Artemis missions as well. The lack of this ability has led to the U.S. Congress ending the mandate that the SLS launch a very important interplanetary mission—the Europa Clipper—as originally envisioned. With the Interstellar Probe, the mission planners are literally banking on the so-called Big Orange Rocket to send their spacecraft to the outer edge of our solar system next decade.

The SLS presumably has the capability to give the Interstellar Probe the necessary speed to travel at least 8 to 9 Astronomical Units (a single Astronomical Unit, or AU, equates to 93 million miles—or the distance from the Earth to the Sun) a year...which would allow the spacecraft to reach the edge of the Sun's heliosphere at 120+ AU within 15 years. SpaceX fans reading this will probably point out that the Starship/Super Heavy vehicle can probably hurl the Interstellar Probe to much greater velocities than the SLS. However, according to this article, the mission planners don't want the spacecraft to travel too fast nor too slow—as the Interstellar Probe needs to be able to accurately gather data on the solar wind during its eventual voyage into the cosmos. So assuming that its Artemis 1 test flight goes well at the end of this year (or most likely in early 2022), the SLS has a very important payload on its long-term manifest if 1.) construction space is adequately maximized within the buildings at the Michoud Assembly Facility to manufacture SLS boosters at a rapid pace, and 2.) the Interstellar Probe is greenlit by NASA within the next few years! Happy Monday.

NASA and Boeing aim to optimize the areas at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) to ramp up production of multiple SLS Core Stages and Exploration Upper Stages (EUS) for the Block 1B vehicle - set to become the SLS workhorse.

Philip Sloss overviews:https://t.co/8PCRvHAFK7

— Chris B - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) May 24, 2021

Photo of the Day: Water in a Can!

Just thought I'd share this picture I took of a can of water that I received at work over two months ago. Due to COVID-19 protocols and the need to maintain a clean environment, the TV production that I worked on handed out this unique beverage at the craft service table instead of the usual water bottles. Water cans may not, in fact, be unique—but this is the first time that I myself drank from one! Gotta love set life...for the most part.

And no, this photo isn't recent. I drank this water a few days after I worked on that production, heh. Happy Sunday!

VIPER Remains on Track to Head to the Lunar South Pole in 2023...

NASA Ames / Daniel Rutter

NASA Rover to Search for Water, Other Resources on Moon (News Release - May 20)

As part of the Artemis program, NASA is planning to send its first mobile robot to the Moon in late 2023 in search of ice and other resources on and below the lunar surface. Data from the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, would help the agency map resources at the lunar South Pole that could one day be harvested for long-term human exploration at the Moon.

VIPER’s design calls for using the first headlights on a lunar rover to aid in exploring the permanently shadowed regions of the Moon. These areas haven’t seen sunlight in billions of years and are some of the coldest spots in the solar system. Running on solar power, VIPER will need to quickly maneuver around the extreme swings in light and dark at the lunar South Pole.

“The data received from VIPER has the potential to aid our scientists in determining precise locations and concentrations of ice on the Moon and will help us evaluate the environment and potential resources at the lunar south pole in preparation for Artemis astronauts,” said Lori Glaze, director for NASA’s Planetary Science Division at the agency’s Headquarters in Washington. “This is yet another example of how robotic science missions and human exploration go hand in hand, and why both are necessary as we prepare to establish a sustainable presence on the Moon.”

NASA awarded a task order to Astrobotic for VIPER’s launch, transit and delivery to the lunar surface as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

Once on the Moon, the rover will explore lunar craters using a specialized set of wheels and suspension system to cover a variety of inclines and soil types. The rover’s design significantly enhances upon a former robotic concept to prospect the Moon called Resource Prospector, which NASA canceled in early 2018. Since then, the VIPER mission duration was extended from one to three lunar days (100 Earth days). VIPER has evolved to increase its science capabilities, enabling more data collection at the lunar surface.

VIPER will carry four instruments, including the Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrains (TRIDENT) hammer drill, the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument, the Near Infrared Volatiles Spectrometer System (NIRVSS) and the Neutron Spectrometer System (NSS). Earlier versions of these instruments will be tested on the lunar surface ahead of the VIPER mission, allowing the team to reduce risk and test instrument performance data.

Slated to arrive via Astrobotic's first flight, MSolo, NVSS and NIRVSS are among the payloads that will land on the lunar surface on one of the first CLPS deliveries to the Moon. Versions of TRIDENT and MSolo will ride to the Moon in late 2022 aboard the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment (PRIME-1) technology demonstration, delivered by Intuitive Machines on its second CLPS flight.

The VIPER design has come a long way. Following completion of its formulation phase, the agency recently approved the rover to enter the mission development phase. VIPER progress continues moving full speed ahead. NASA’s investment in the mid-size rover for mission development costs and operations is $433.5 million. The current delivery contract value for Astrobotic to deliver VIPER to the Moon through CLPS is approximately $226.5 million.

“VIPER will be the most capable robot NASA has ever sent to the lunar surface and allow us to explore parts of the Moon we’ve never seen” said Sarah Noble, program scientist for VIPER at NASA Headquarters. “The rover will teach us about the origin and distribution of water on the Moon and prepare us to harvest resources 240,000 miles from Earth that could be used to safely send astronauts even farther into space, including Mars.”

Throughout the Artemis program, NASA will send robots and humans to explore more of the Moon than ever before. When astronauts return to the lunar surface for the first time since 1972, they will follow in VIPER’s wheel prints and land at the lunar South Pole. That mission will include landing the first woman on the Moon. She will be one of two crew members paving the way for sustainable lunar exploration missions with crew.

Source: NASA.Gov

A Falcon 9 Rocket Will Send the Blue Ghost to the Moon Two Years from Now...

Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace Awards Contract to SpaceX to Launch Blue Ghost Mission to Moon in 2023 (Press Release)

CEDAR PARK, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Firefly Aerospace Inc., a leading provider of economical and dependable launch vehicles, spacecraft, and in-space services, announced today that it has awarded a contract to SpaceX to launch its Blue Ghost lunar lander in 2023. Blue Ghost will be carrying 10 payloads for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) task order 19D mission, in addition to separately-contracted commercial payloads.

Shea Ferring, Firefly Senior Vice President of Spacecraft, said, “Firefly is excited to fly our Blue Ghost spacecraft on the highly-reliable Falcon 9, which will deliver NASA instruments and technology demonstration payloads that support NASA science goals and NASA’s Artemis program. The high performance of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle permits a lunar transit using minimal Blue Ghost propulsion resources, thereby allowing the lander to deliver more than 150 kg of payload to the lunar surface.”

Firefly was awarded the CLPS 19D task order by NASA in February 2021 and has since made rapid progress on the Blue Ghost program. The team has key long lead items on order, production underway, and is conducting regular vision navigation test flights at Firefly’s one-acre Briggs, Texas lunar landscape site.

“The Blue Ghost mission will include delivery of NASA payloads that will support scientific lunar research and will contribute to developing a sustainable presence on the Moon as part of the Artemis program,” said SpaceX Vice President of Commercial Sales Tom Ochinero. “We’re honored Firefly selected Falcon 9 for launch.”

Tom Markusic, Firefly CEO, said “Firefly is excited to leverage the performance and reliability of Falcon 9 to propel Blue Ghost on the first phase of its journey to the Moon.”

Blue Ghost (named after the rare Phausis reticulata firefly) will land at Mare Crisium in the Moon’s Crisium basin and operate on-board payloads through lunar transit, during lunar orbit, and on the lunar surface for a complete lunar day (about 14 Earth days) and well into the freezing dark of lunar night.

Opportunities are open for early-career and seasoned professionals alike to work on Firefly’s lunar lander, launch vehicles, and various space-related projects.

Source: Firefly Aerospace

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SpaceX

Photo of the Day: The Lakers Earn Their (7th) Spot in the NBA Playoffs...

NBA

Just thought I'd share this photo of LeBron James shooting a clutch 3-pointer over Steph Curry that allowed the Los Angeles Lakers to defeat the Golden State Warriors, 103-100, during their Play-In Tournament game at STAPLES Center tonight. With their 7th spot in the NBA's Western Conference now clinched, the Lakers will take on the No. 2 Phoenix Suns in Arizona this Sunday, May 23. Game 1 of this first-round series will air on ABC at 12:30 PM, Pacific Time (3:30 PM, Eastern Time).

The Lakers have been a great road team during much of the 2020-'21 regular season... Here's hoping that this continues through the NBA Playoffs as well!

LeBron. Clutch. 👌

🎥: @NBATVpic.twitter.com/FeBD0m9vBS

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) May 20, 2021

The Lakers Take on the Warriors in a Playoff Before the NBA Playoffs...

Noah Graham / NBAE via Getty Images

Lakers Qualify for NBA Play-In Tournament (News Release)

The Play-In Tournament begins Tuesday, May 18 and concludes Friday, May 21. In the Western Conference, the Lakers will take on the Warriors on 5/19 at 7pm PT. If they win, the Lakers will be the 7th seed and take on the Phoenix Suns. If the Lakers lose, they would take on the winner of Memphis and San Antonio on 5/21 (time TBD) with the winner of that game being the 8th seed and would face Utah in the first round of the playoffs. Both possible play-in games for the Lakers will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN.

Here is a description of the Play-In tournament format:

The teams with the seventh-highest and eighth-highest winning percentages in each conference will each have two opportunities to win one game to earn a playoff spot. The teams with the ninth-highest and tenth-highest winning percentages in each conference will each have to win two consecutive games to earn a playoff spot.

At the conclusion of the regular season but before the first round of the playoffs, the team with the 7th-highest winning percentage in each conference will host the team with the 8th-highest winning percentage in a Play-In Game (the “Seven-Eight Game”). The winner of the Seven-Eight Game in each conference will earn the No. 7 seed.

The team with the 9th-highest winning percentage in each conference will host the team with the 10th-highest winning percentage in the “Nine-Ten Game”. The loser of the Seven-Eight Game will host the winner of the Nine-Ten Game in a Play-In Game, and the winner of that game in each conference will earn the No. 8 seed.

The winners of the Play-In tournament will receive the 7th and 8th-seeded positions in each conference. Following the Play-In Tournament, the NBA Playoffs will commence with the traditional 16-team, best-of-seven series structure. The NBA Playoffs will start on Saturday, May 22.

Source: NBA.com

Kobe Continues to be Immortalized...

Just thought I'd share this image after Kobe Bryant was officially inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during a ceremony at Uncasville, Connecticut earlier today. To quote Vanessa Bryant, who gave an acceptance speech in her late husband's honor: "He's still winning."

Congrats, Mamba.

Photo of the Day: The Lakers' Newest Championship Banner Is Finally Unveiled at STAPLES Center!

Seven months after the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Miami Heat to win the 2020 NBA Finals, the Lake Show's newest championship banner was finally unveiled to the public at STAPLES Center last night. This came before the Lakers—who were without LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Alex Caruso and Dennis Schröder due to injuries—defeated the Houston Rockets, 124-122, to remain in the 7th playoff spot in the Western Conference. While I have no expectations that the Lakers will repeat this summer (though doing so would be nice as this year marks two decades since Los Angeles went on a 15-1 postseason run to garner a second straight NBA title in the Shaq-Kobe era), I'm glad that they reminded us that they're the defending champions...and that the road to the Larry O'Brien Trophy still runs through the City of Angels.

Even though the Lakers will be starting each playoff round, should they advance, on the road. Carry on.

Voyager Update: More Amazing Discoveries Beyond the Heliosphere...

NASA / JPL - Caltech

As NASA’s Voyager 1 Surveys Interstellar Space, Its Density Measurements Are Making Waves (News Release - May 11)

In the sparse collection of atoms that fills interstellar space, Voyager 1 has measured a long-lasting series of waves where it previously only detected sporadic bursts.

Until recently, every spacecraft in history had made all of its measurements inside our heliosphere, the magnetic bubble inflated by our Sun. But on Aug. 25, 2012, NASA’s Voyager 1 changed that. As it crossed the heliosphere’s boundary, it became the first human-made object to enter – and measure – interstellar space. Now eight years into its interstellar journey, a close listen of Voyager 1’s data is yielding new insights into what that frontier is like.

If our heliosphere is a ship sailing interstellar waters, Voyager 1 is a life raft just dropped from the deck, determined to survey the currents. For now, any rough waters it feels are mostly from our heliosphere’s wake. But farther out, it will sense the stirrings from sources deeper in the cosmos. Eventually, our heliosphere’s presence will fade from its measurements completely.

“We have some ideas about how far Voyager will need to get to start seeing more pure interstellar waters, so to speak,” said Stella Ocker, a Ph.D. student at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and the newest member of the Voyager team. “But we’re not entirely sure when we’ll reach that point.”

Ocker’s new study, published on Monday in Nature Astronomy, reports what may be the first continuous measurement of the density of material in interstellar space. “This detection offers us a new way to measure the density of interstellar space and opens up a new pathway for us to explore the structure of the very nearby interstellar medium,” Ocker said.

When one pictures the stuff between the stars – astronomers call it the “interstellar medium,” a spread-out soup of particles and radiation – one might reimagine a calm, silent, serene environment. That would be a mistake.

“I have used the phrase ‘the quiescent interstellar medium’ – but you can find lots of places that are not particularly quiescent,” said Jim Cordes, space physicist at Cornell and co-author of the paper.

Like the ocean, the interstellar medium is full of turbulent waves. The largest come from our galaxy’s rotation, as space smears against itself and sets forth undulations tens of light-years across. Smaller (though still gigantic) waves rush from supernova blasts, stretching billions of miles from crest to crest. The smallest ripples are usually from our own Sun, as solar eruptions send shockwaves through space that permeate our heliosphere’s lining.

These crashing waves reveal clues about the density of the interstellar medium – a value that affects our understanding of the shape of our heliosphere, how stars form, and even our own location in the galaxy. As these waves reverberate through space, they vibrate the electrons around them, which ring out at characteristic frequencies depending on how crammed together they are. The higher the pitch of that ringing, the higher the electron density. Voyager 1’s Plasma Wave Subsystem – which includes two “bunny ear” antennas sticking out 30 feet (10 meters) behind the spacecraft – was designed to hear that ringing.

In November 2012, three months after exiting the heliosphere, Voyager 1 heard interstellar sounds for the first time. Six months later, another “whistle” appeared – this time louder and even higher pitched. The interstellar medium appeared to be getting thicker, and quickly.

These momentary whistles continue at irregular intervals in Voyager’s data today. They’re an excellent way to study the interstellar medium’s density, but it does take some patience.

“They’ve only been seen about once a year, so relying on these kind of fortuitous events meant that our map of the density of interstellar space was kind of sparse,” Ocker said.

Ocker set out to find a running measure of interstellar medium density to fill in the gaps – one that doesn’t depend on the occasional shockwaves propagating out from the Sun. After filtering through Voyager 1’s data, looking for weak but consistent signals, she found a promising candidate. It started to pick up in mid-2017, right around the time of another whistle.

“It’s virtually a single tone,” said Ocker. “And over time, we do hear it change – but the way the frequency moves around tells us how the density is changing.”

Ocker calls the new signal a plasma wave emission, and it, too, appeared to track the density of interstellar space. When the abrupt whistles appeared in the data, the tone of the emission rises and falls with them. The signal also resembles one observed in Earth’s upper atmosphere that’s known to track with the electron density there.

“This is really exciting, because we are able to regularly sample the density over a very long stretch of space, the longest stretch of space that we have so far,” said Ocker. “This provides us with the most complete map of the density and the interstellar medium as seen by Voyager.”

Based on the signal, electron density around Voyager 1 started rising in 2013 and reached its current levels about mid-2015, a roughly 40-fold increase in density. The spacecraft appears to be in a similar density range, with some fluctuations, through the entire dataset they analyzed which ended in early 2020.

Ocker and her colleagues are currently trying to develop a physical model of how the plasma wave emission is produced that will be key to interpreting it. In the meantime, Voyager 1’s Plasma Wave Subsystem keeps sending back data farther and farther from home, where every new discovery has the potential to make us reimagining our home in the cosmos.

The Voyager spacecraft were built by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which continues to operate both. JPL is a division of Caltech in Pasadena. The Voyager missions are a part of the NASA Heliophysics System Observatory, sponsored by the Heliophysics Division of the Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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Elon Musk's Favorite Cryptocurrency Just Paid for a Satellite That's Headin' Towards Lunar Orbit Aboard One of Elon's Rockets Next Year...

SpaceX

SpaceX to Launch DOGE-1 to the Moon! (Press Release - May 9)

CALGARY, AB /PRNewswire/ - Geometric Energy Corporation (GEC) announced today the DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon—the first-ever commercial lunar payload in history paid entirely with DOGE—will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Geometric Energy Corporation's DOGE-1 Mission to the Moon will involve Geometric Space Corporation (GSC) mission management collaborating with SpaceX to launch a 40kg cubesat as a rideshare on a Falcon 9 lunar payload mission in Q1 2022. The payload will obtain lunar-spatial intelligence from sensors and cameras on-board with integrated communications and computational systems.

"Having officially transacted with DOGE for a deal of this magnitude, Geometric Energy Corporation and SpaceX have solidified DOGE as a unit of account for lunar business in the space sector," said Geometric Energy's Chief Executive Officer Samuel Reid.

"This mission will demonstrate the application of cryptocurrency beyond Earth orbit and set the foundation for interplanetary commerce," said SpaceX Vice President of Commercial Sales Tom Ochinero. "We're excited to launch DOGE-1 to the Moon!"

Indeed, through this very transaction, DOGE has proven to be a fast, reliable, and cryptographically secure digital currency that operates when traditional banks cannot and is sophisticated enough to finance a commercial Moon mission in full. It has been chosen as the unit of account for all lunar business between SpaceX and Geometric Energy Corporation and sets precedent for future missions to the Moon and Mars.

POINTBLANK LLC, Mimir Solutions, and Iteration Syndicate (ITS) will collaborate with Geometric on software and hardware design for the mission. Additional payload space will be allocated to include digital art in the form of space plaques provided by GeometricLabs Corporation and Geometric Gaming Corporation.

Source: Geometric Energy Corporation

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Farewell, Bennu... OSIRIS-REx Is Headin' Home!

NASA / Goddard / University of Arizona

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Spacecraft Heads for Earth with Asteroid Sample (Press Release)

After nearly five years in space, NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) spacecraft is on its way back to Earth with an abundance of rocks and dust from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu.

On Monday, May 10, at 4:23 p.m. EDT the spacecraft fired its main engines full throttle for seven minutes – its most significant maneuver since it arrived at Bennu in 2018. This burn thrust the spacecraft away from the asteroid at 600 miles per hour (nearly 1,000 kilometers per hour), setting it on a 2.5-year cruise towards Earth.

After releasing the sample capsule, OSIRIS-REx will have completed its primary mission. It will fire its engines to fly by Earth safely, putting it on a trajectory to circle the Sun inside of Venus’ orbit.

After orbiting the Sun twice, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft is due to reach Earth Sept. 24, 2023. Upon return, the capsule containing pieces of Bennu will separate from the rest of the spacecraft and enter Earth’s atmosphere. The capsule will parachute to the Utah Test and Training Range in Utah's West Desert, where scientists will be waiting to retrieve it.

“OSIRIS-REx’s many accomplishments demonstrated the daring and innovative way in which exploration unfolds in real time,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters. “The team rose to the challenge, and now we have a primordial piece of our solar system headed back to Earth where many generations of researchers can unlock its secrets.”

To realize the mission’s multi-year plan, a dozen navigation engineers made calculations and wrote computer code to instruct the spacecraft when and how to push itself away from Bennu. After departing from Bennu, getting the sample to Earth safely is the team’s next critical goal. This includes planning future maneuvers to keep the spacecraft on course throughout its journey.

“Our whole mindset has been, ‘Where are we in space relative to Bennu?’” said Mike Moreau, OSIRIS-REx deputy project manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. “Now our mindset has shifted to ‘Where is the spacecraft in relation to Earth?’”

The navigation cameras that helped orient the spacecraft in relation to Bennu were turned off April 9, after snapping their last images of the asteroid. With Bennu in the rearview mirror, engineers are using NASA’s Deep Space Network of global spacecraft communications facilities to steer the OSIRIS-REx by sending it radio signals. By measuring the frequency of the waves returned from the spacecraft transponder, engineers can tell how fast OSIRIS-REx is moving. Engineers measure how long it takes for radio signals to get from the spacecraft back to Earth in order to determine its location.

Exceeding Mission Expectations

The May 10 departure date was precisely timed based on the alignment of Bennu with Earth. The goal of the return maneuver is to get the spacecraft within about 6,000 miles (approximately 10,000 kilometers) of Earth in September 2023. Although OSIRIS-REx still has plenty of fuel remaining, the team is trying to preserve as much as possible for a potential extended mission to another asteroid after returning the sample capsule to Earth. The team will investigate the feasibility of such a mission this summer.

The spacecraft’s course will be determined mainly by the Sun’s gravity, but engineers will need to occasionally make small course adjustments via engine burns.

“We need to do regular corrections to bring the trajectory increasingly closer to Earth’s atmosphere for the sample release, and to account for small errors that might have accumulated since the last burn,” said Peter Antreasian, OSIRIS-REx navigation lead at KinetX Aerospace, which is based in Simi Valley, California.

The team will perform course adjustments a few weeks prior to Earth re-entry in order to precisely target the location and angle for the sample capsule’s release into Earth’s atmosphere. Coming in too low could cause the capsule to bounce out of the atmosphere like a pebble skipping off a lake; too high and the capsule could burn up due to friction and heat from the atmosphere. If OSIRIS-REx fails to release the capsule, the team has a backup plan to divert it away from Earth and try again in 2025.

“There’s a lot of emotion within the team about departure,” Moreau said. “I think everyone has a great sense of accomplishment, because we faced all these daunting tasks and were able to accomplish all the objectives thrown at us. But there’s also some nostalgia and disappointment that this part of the mission is coming to an end.”

OSIRIS-REx exceeded many expectations. Most recently, in the midst of a global pandemic, the team flawlessly executed the mission’s most critical operation, collecting more than 2 ounces (60 grams) of soil from Bennu’s surface.

Leading up to sample collection, a number of surprises kept the team on its toes. For example, a week after the spacecraft entered its first orbit around Bennu, on Dec. 31, 2018, the team realized that the asteroid was releasing small pieces of rock into space.

“We had to scramble to verify that the small particles being ejected from the surface did not present a hazard to the spacecraft,” Moreau said.

Upon arrival at the asteroid, team members were also astonished to find that Bennu is littered with boulders.

“We really had this idea that we were arriving on an asteroid with open real estate,” said Heather Enos, OSIRIS-REx deputy principal investigator, based at the University of Arizona, Tucson. “The reality was a big shocker.”

To overcome the extreme and unexpected ruggedness of Bennu’s surface, engineers had to quickly develop a more accurate navigation technique to target smaller-than-expected sites for sample collection.

The OSIRIS-REx mission was instrumental in both confirming and refuting several scientific findings. Among those confirmed was a technique that used observations from Earth to predict that the minerals on the asteroid would be carbon-rich and show signs of ancient water. One finding that proved unsuccessful was that Bennu would have a smooth surface, which scientists predicted by measuring how much heat radiated off its surface.

Scientists will use the information gleaned from Bennu to refine theoretical models and improve future predictions.

“This mission emphasizes why we have to do science and exploration in multiple ways – both from Earth and from up-close in space – because assumptions and models are just that,” Enos said.

Goddard provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and the safety and mission assurance for OSIRIS-REx. Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona, Tucson, is the principal investigator. The university leads the science team and the mission's science observation planning and data processing. Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft and provides flight operations. Goddard and KinetX Aerospace are responsible for navigating the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft. OSIRIS-REx is the third mission in NASA's New Frontiers Program, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency's Science Mission Directorate Washington.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Goddard / University of Arizona / Lockheed Martin


NASA / Goddard / University of Arizona; Writer Daniel Stolte, University of Arizona

Photos of the Day: Crops in the Backyard...

Happy Mother's Day, everyone! In honor of this special occasion, here are pictures of corn that my Mom is growing in the backyard. I took these photos yesterday, in case you're wondering. The corn was planted a few weeks back, so apparently, it's gonna take a while before they are extracted and turned into a delicious snack that I can grub on while sitting at my computer typing informative Blog entries like this one. Hah! Anyways, I hope all of y'all have something special planned to celebrate the love, hard work and sacrifice that your mothers have made to give you the life that you enjoy today. Assuming, of course, that you're living a good life. Carry on!

Peregrine Update: Dogecoin Is LITERALLY Headin' to the Moon!

Astrobotic

A few hours ago, Astrobotic tweeted the photo above showing a gold-plated coin that represents the popular cryptocurrency Dogecoin. It turns out that someone submitted this item six years ago to fly aboard the Peregrine lunar lander as part of Astrobotic's Moonbox program...which, in partnership with the global shipping company DHL, allows the general public to fly time capsules aboard Astrobotic's spacecraft to the Moon's surface (for a considerable price). The online posting of this image couldn't come at a better time! Dogecoin's value is steadily going up on the market as investors who purchased this altcoin are hoping that the Shiba Inu-inspired crypto jumps to $1 a coin after Doge's biggest endorser, SpaceX founder Elon Musk, hosts tomorrow's episode of Saturday Night Live.

The Dogefather
SNL May 8

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 28, 2021

Going back to the Peregrine lunar lander, I spent some considerable cash to fly aboard the spacecraft courtesy of various time capsules that were purchased through Moonbox. Not just personal photos, videos, artwork and my name placed on an engraved chip, but my DNA has been included as well! I'll speak more about this after Peregrine finally launches and hopefully touches down safely on the Moon's surface later this year.

Dogecoin to the Moon!


Astrobotic

QueSST Update: NASA's Next X-Plane Is a Year Away from Flight...

Lockheed Martin

X-59 Team Installs Quiet Supersonic Technologies (News Release - May 5)

NASA is targeting 2022 for the first flight of the X-59 Quiet SuperSonic Technology (QueSST) research aircraft. Its mission – fly over communities to collect data that could cut passenger travel time in half without disturbing people on the ground.

NASA’s X-59 is equipped with supersonic technologies that aid in lowering the sound of the sonic boom. In this picture, the black rectangle panels are the air intakes for the environmental control system (ECS) that regulates the temperature, cabin pressure, and air distribution. The silver grate located at the rear of one of the ECS panels is the exhaust — both of these sections are traditionally housed on the underside of the plane. By placing these features on top of the X-59 wing, the wing blocks and prevents the ECS exhaust from interacting with the shock waves on the bottom of the aircraft. This unique design approach to re-shaping the shock wave pattern substantially reduces the sonic boom to more of a sonic “thump” when it reaches the ground.

Source: NASA.Gov

Peregrine Update: The General Public Will Get to See This Amazing Lunar Lander and Other Spacecraft Get Made in Person...

Astrobotic

Moonshot Space Museum Coming to Pittsburgh (Press Release)

Astrobotic announces the Moonshot Museum, where visitors will experience real spacecraft being built and be immersed in hands-on lunar exploration activities.

Astrobotic, a space robotics company located in Pittsburgh’s Northside, announced its plans to launch the Moonshot Museum, Pennsylvania’s first museum dedicated exclusively to space. The new museum, currently under construction and set to open in the summer of 2022, will be a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization co-located in a gifted facility inside Astrobotic's headquarters.

The Museum’s feature attraction will be a large clean room window through which visitors can watch real lunar landers and rovers being built and readied to fly to the Moon. Museum visitors will experience the thrill of spaceflight up close and learn about possible career paths in the $425 billion thriving space industry through interactive exhibits, educational programs, and curated experiences.

“Space is more than just rocket science. We want to provide the ‘spark’ – that moment when an individual is inspired to pursue a space or tech career who may not have otherwise done so. For Astrobotic, success is as much about execution of its other-worldly missions and business as it is about engaging with and serving the communities it is a part of,” said John Thornton, Astrobotic CEO and Chair of the Moonshot Museum’s Board of Directors. “When you mention space, people think of different things. Whether it’s stars, planets, astronauts, or engineers, a common theme is the persistence of curiosity. Curiosity is a spark that can either catch fire or fizzle out – and we want it to catch!” said Sam Moore, Executive Director of the Moonshot Museum. “Fostering confidence for those traditionally under-represented in STEAM is of vital importance,” added Moore.

The Moonshot Museum’s mission is to make space more accessible by inspiring a diverse audience to write the future of space commerce, science, exploration, and settlement. Both digital and on-site educational workshops will simulate real space missions and foster tech career awareness and readiness in the Pittsburgh region and around the world. The programs will aim to propel individuals of all backgrounds to pursue space careers across a variety of disciplines ranging from science and engineering to medicine, business, law, policy, and the humanities and arts.

“It's about creating STEAM opportunities that will change a child's life,” said Bill Peduto, Mayor of the City of Pittsburgh. “Looking in through that clean room window, they’ll be able to see something that will leave this planet, and they’ll be changed forever. It's about bringing the Moon to Pittsburgh.”

The Moonshot Museum is supported by numerous partners, and the Museum’s facilities and utilities have been gifted by Astrobotic. Seed funding and startup operations for the Moonshot Museum are made possible with the support of the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

“The Foundation made this lead gift to enable people to see first-hand Pittsburgh’s leadership role in the future of lunar travel, and to inspire young people to imagine their own futures in this exciting and growing industry,” said Sam Reiman, Director of the Richard King Mellon Foundation.

The museum is currently seeking donations through its website, and welcomes space, science, and education enthusiasts to volunteer to help run future museum programs. For more information, please visit moonshotmuseum.org.

Source: Astrobotic

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May the 4th Be with You!

Just as an FYI, I'm fully vaccinated and I now have a 5G internet connection at home... Take that, MAGA and QAnon conspiracy theorists!

PS: Happy Star Wars Day!

The INTERSTELLAR PROBE: An Exciting New Mission to the Cosmos is in the Works...

So for much of today, I've been reading online articles—like this one—about an intriguing deep space mission that's been under study by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) for quite some time now. Known as the Interstellar Probe, this spacecraft would launch in the early 2030s, possibly pass by the distant dwarf planets Quaoar or Gonggong during its voyage, and reach our solar system's heliosphere boundary just 15 years after lift-off. By comparison, it took the twin Voyager robotic probes 35 years to reach the same location. And once all is said and done, the Interstellar Probe will have traveled as far as 1,000 astronomical units (the Earth is 1 astronomical unit, or 93 million miles, from the Sun) by the time its planned 50-year mission comes to an end.

It's only fitting that JHUAPL would be the organization that's doing a study on this fascinating project. It was, after all, this laboratory that built a spacecraft which gave us our first close-up glimpse of Pluto (New Horizons) and constructed another probe that traveled to the opposite end of our solar system...literally towards the Sun (the Parker Solar Probe). Scientists say that NASA's powerful Space Launch System rocket (which will soon be prepped for its maiden flight to the Moon as we speak) will make this cosmic sojourn possible. The SLS will not be launching the Europa Clipper to Jupiter's icy moon Europa as originally intended, but this launch vehicle will have been operational for about a decade by the time it's ready to hurl the Interstellar Probe to the edge of our solar system and beyond. We'll overlook the fact that SpaceX fanboys will be foaming at the mouth to get this trailblazing explorer to depart Earth on a Starship rocket instead. I prefer SLS.

JHUAPL should complete its study of the Interstellar Probe within a year...and then submit it to NASA for consideration soon afterward. Let's cross our fingers that this project gets greenlit! Happy Monday.


NASA / Ben Smegelsky

Photos of the Day: Pooches Behind My Backyard...

Just thought I'd share these pics of these three canines milling about in my neighbor's backyard. In the beginning (which would be earlier this year, as the houses behind my home just recently completed construction in Pomona, CA), my neighbor only had one dog: the large White Shepherd. But over the past week, the two other pooches—the American Bulldog and small Lhasa Apso (or it might be a Shih Tzu; I'll just assume that it's a Lhasa Apso)—suddenly showed up to give the White Shepherd company. [Even though the White Shepherd seemingly doesn't care that he (I think my neighbor named him Kobe) has new companions who now shared the backyard with him.] Is my neighbor dogsitting for a friend or something? Hm.

As you can see, I definitely need dogs of my own. Well, that—and a new smartphone with a better camera. Happy Sunday!

On This Day in 2011: The World's Most Wanted Fugitive Is Neutralized by U.S. Navy SEALs...

At this moment a decade ago, two stealth helicopters carrying the members of SEAL Team Six flew in to Abbottabad, Pakistan to eliminate Osama bin Laden. With the 20-year anniversary of 9/11 approaching in a little over four months, it was only proper to commemorate the military operation that would ensure that the world's most wanted fugitive was wiped off the face of the Earth. Granted, Al-Qaeda continues to remain a threat today...but the death of bin Laden was a major blow to the terrorist network. There have been no major Al-Qaeda attacks on America since its leader was shot and killed by U.S. Navy SEALs in 2011—even though this was unfortunately made up for with the rise of the Islamic State and its atrocities in the Middle East a few years later.

Nevertheless, the death of Osama bin Laden was a high point in the war on terror...and one that allowed President Biden to recently announce that the United States and its allies will begin a full withdrawal of their military forces from Afghanistan by September 11. America's longest war will soon come to an end, and this is thanks to the victory that a group of elite Special Forces soldiers attained at a two-story fortified compound in Pakistan 10 years ago. Happy First Day of May (unless you live in Pakistan, where it's May 2)! Carry on.