Happy Halloween, Everyone!

Creed Bratton from NBC's The Office (I miss that show) cracks me up!





And the Joker clip in all its (low-res) glory:

On This Day in 1991: Gaspra Is Visited by an Emissary from Earth...

USGS / NASA / JPL

It was 30 years ago today that asteroid Gaspra became the first object in the Main Asteroid Belt to be visited by a robotic explorer...which was NASA's Galileo spacecraft as it made its way to Jupiter (where Galileo would arrive on December 7, 1995).

I was in 6th grade when the Gaspra flyby took place—and it was one of the coolest space highlights for me that year! (I started becoming obsessed with space exploration back in 3rd grade.)

Galileo visited another asteroid named Ida on August 28, 1993. On February 17, 1994, a member of Galileo's mission team discovered that a small moon that would later be named Dactyl orbited Ida. I probably should've waited till 2023 and '24 to commemorate the 30th anniversary of these events, respectively. Oh well.

The VIPER Rover Has Achieved a Major Developmental Milestone on Its Path to the Moon...

NASA Ames / Daniel Rutter

NASA’s Artemis Rover Passes Critical Design Review (Press Release)

NASA’s first lunar mobile robot, the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) has passed its Critical Design Review (CDR), a critical milestone indicating that the rover has a completed design and has been approved by an independent NASA review board. The mission can now turn its attention to the construction of the rover itself, which will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket for delivery to the Moon by Astrobotic’s Griffin lander under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.

As part of the Artemis program, the VIPER mission is managed out of NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, and its primary objective is to get a close-up view of the location and concentration of ice as well as other resources at the Moon’s South Pole. By using an onboard suite of instruments developed across the agency and with commercial partners, the mission will be able to identify and eventually map where ice and other resources exist across and below the lunar surface. This resource mapping mission will bring NASA a significant step closer to its goal of the first long-term presence on the Moon and add to our understanding of the origin of lunar water.

“The VIPER team has been focused on completing the design of this clever little mission, bringing us to this culminating review,” said Daniel Andrews, VIPER project manager. “With an approved design, the team now looks toward turning that design into real hardware, bringing VIPER to life in 2022.”

Construction of the rover will begin in late 2022 at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, while the rover flight software and navigation system design will take place at Ames. Astrobotic will receive the complete rover with its scientific instruments in mid-2023 in preparation for launch later that year.

VIPER’s Design Passed its Final Test

The CDR is the final review that focuses on the system’s design. Ensuring that the rover’s systems and the instruments are able to work together is no easy task. Passing the mission’s CDR builds upon a series of previous Critical Design Assessments (CDA), where independent reviewers evaluated VIPER’s systems individually.

The earlier CDA’s focused on functions such as flight navigation systems and software, thermal and mechanical systems, and more. The CDR ensured these components are all capable of working together in a fully functional robotic system ready to explore the lunar surface.

Since VIPER passed its earlier milestone called the Preliminary Design Review, or PDR, the system design has evolved considerably, focusing on how to safely conduct maximum science on the lunar surface. The selection of the region west of Nobile Crater as the rover’s landing site was specifically chosen to be a good match for the capabilities of the overall VIPER system while also meeting all science goals.

A Design Ready to Reveal the Moon’s Secrets

This final, approved rover design weighs 992 pounds in total and can travel at a speed of 0.45 miles per hour. It uses a solar-charged battery with a peak power of 450 watts and features mounted headlights – the first NASA rover to do so. Using its cameras and headlights, VIPER will navigate around hazards and traverse into craters while staying connected to Earth using the Deep Space Network.

The rover and its components have been tested to endure the extreme lunar environment and answer key questions about the composition of the Moon. Using a hammer drill and three science instruments, VIPER will analyze drill cuttings for ice and other resources. VIPER will also study the soil and gasses in the lunar environment.

“Science will influence the VIPER mission in real-time unlike any mission that has come before this,” said Anthony Colaprete, VIPER lead project scientist. “It’s exciting to have the design approved and our collective ideas realized with this mission.”

Source: NASA.Gov

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Time flies when you’re building a Moon rover!

Using 3D-printed and metal pieces, we’ve assembled a full-scale model of VIPER, our #Artemis Moon rover. Check out our practice run, and stay tuned for the final build in 2022: https://t.co/JFslNtvLLq pic.twitter.com/MWH0nQvsOx

— NASAhhh!! 😱 Ames 👻💀 (@NASAAmes) October 21, 2021

Just Got My Third COVID Vaccine Shot!

Earlier today, I went to a local CVS Pharmacy to get my Pfizer-BioNTech booster shot!

My second dose was received on April 21, so yesterday marked six months since I became fully vaccinated...making me eligible for today's injection.

Another factor that made me eligible is the fact that I work as a background actor in the entertainment industry. I have to remove my mask every single time the camera is about to roll—and then put it back on once the director yells "cut."

I've done exactly a dozen mandatory COVID-19 tests since I resumed getting booked on production gigs last month (with more tests scheduled for this Sunday and next week), making it prudent for me to get a booster shot to ensure that I would remain safe on set.

There's a huge chance that a second booster will probably be needed in another six months, but I'll worry about that when the time comes (which would be next April)!

Anyways, I'm a lot happier in the photo above than I appear to be. Have a nice weekend!

Photos of the Day: Celestial Bodies Above Downtown LA...

Just thought I'd share these pictures that I took of downtown Los Angeles when I was at work in the City of Angels exactly one week ago today.

In the image above, Jupiter, the Moon and Saturn (in that order) loom high above the Wilshire Grand Center...while in the photo directly below, Jupiter and the Moon hover over other buildings in the L.A. skyline.

These pictures were taken from Los Angeles Center Studios—using my Google Pixel 4A smartphone. Happy Thursday!

Hubble's Successor Will Soon Begin Launch Preparations in South America!

NASA / Chris Gunn

NASA’s Webb Space Telescope Arrives in French Guiana After Sea Voyage (Press Release)

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope successfully arrived in French Guiana Tuesday, after a 16-day journey at sea. The 1,500-mile voyage took Webb from California through the Panama Canal to Port de Pariacabo on the Kourou River in French Guiana, on the northeastern coast of South America.

The world’s largest and most complex space science observatory will now be driven to its launch site, Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, where it will begin two months of operational preparations before its launch on an Ariane 5 rocket, scheduled for Dec. 18.

Once operational, Webb will reveal insights about all phases of cosmic history – back to just after the Big Bang – and will help search for signs of potential habitability among the thousands of exoplanets scientists have discovered in recent years. The mission is an international collaboration led by NASA, in partnership with the European and Canadian space agencies.

“The James Webb Space Telescope is a colossal achievement, built to transform our view of the universe and deliver amazing science,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Webb will look back over 13 billion years to the light created just after the Big Bang, with the power to show humanity the farthest reaches of space that we have ever seen. We are now very close to unlocking mysteries of the cosmos, thanks to the skills and expertise of our phenomenal team.”

After completing testing in August at Northrop Grumman's Space Park in Redondo Beach, California, the Webb team spent nearly a month folding, stowing, and preparing the massive observatory for shipment to South America. Webb was shipped in a custom-built, environmentally controlled container.

Late in the evening of Friday, Sept. 24, Webb traveled with a police escort 26 miles through the streets of Los Angeles, from Northrop Grumman's facility in Redondo Beach to Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach. There, it was loaded onto the MN Colibri, a French-flagged cargo ship that has previously transported satellites and spaceflight hardware to Kourou. The MN Colibri departed Seal Beach Sunday, Sept. 26 and entered the Panama Canal Tuesday, Oct. 5 on its way to Kourou.

The ocean journey represented the final leg of Webb's long, earthbound travels over the years. The telescope was assembled at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, starting in 2013. In 2017, it was shipped to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston for cryogenic testing at the historic “Chamber A” test facility, famous for its use during the Apollo missions. In 2018, Webb shipped to Space Park in California, where for three years it underwent rigorous testing to ensure its readiness for operations in the environment of space.

“A talented team across America, Canada, and Europe worked together to build this highly complex observatory. It’s an incredible challenge – and very much worthwhile. We are going to see things in the universe beyond what we can even imagine today,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “Now that Webb has arrived in Kourou, we’re getting it ready for launch in December – and then we will watch in suspense over the next few weeks and months as we launch and ready the largest space telescope ever built.”

After Webb is removed from its shipping container, engineers will run final checks on the observatory’s condition. Webb will then be configured for flight, which includes loading the spacecraft with propellants, before Webb is mounted on top of the rocket and enclosed in the fairing for launch.

"Webb’s arrival at the launch site is a momentous occasion,” said Gregory Robinson, Webb’s program director at NASA Headquarters. “We are very excited to finally send the world’s next great observatory into deep space. Webb has crossed the country and traveled by sea. Now it will take its ultimate journey by rocket one million miles from Earth, to capture stunning images of the first galaxies in the early universe that are certain to transform our understanding of our place in the cosmos.”

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NASA / Chris Gunn

A Lakers Legend Finally Calls It Quits...

Good luck in your retirement, Pau Gasol! I found out earlier today that the 2-time L.A. Lakers champion—who spent the final year of his basketball career playing for the FC Barcelona team in Spain—is officially hanging up his jersey after playing in the NBA for almost 20 years.

After winning two titles with Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Lamar Odom and company in 2009 and 2010, respectively, Gasol's jersey No. 16 should be hanging up on the rafters (preferably near Kobe's No. 24 jersey) at STAPLES Center as soon as possible. He did, after all, turn the Lake Show into a championship contender when he joined the team in February of 2008.

And of course, Gasol should become a Hall of Fame inductee within the next few years, too.

It was cool seeing Gasol play in person back on January 28, 2016...when his Chicago Bulls took on Kobe and the Lake Show at STAPLES Center. Gasol's team won that game decisively, 114-91, but it's all good.

Can't hate on a former player who gave the Lakers its 15th and 16th NBA championships in franchise history, respectively. Godspeed, Pau!

A hero in Los Angeles. A hoops legend around the world.

Congrats on your retirement, Pau. pic.twitter.com/ODzWHXgq94

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 5, 2021

It was never a matter of IF we will retire #16 but WHEN. Congratulations on your retirement @paugasol 💜💛 #StayTuned #LakersLove https://t.co/CMJ5BJBl1O

— Jeanie Buss (@JeanieBuss) October 5, 2021

BepiColombo Makes the First Flyby of Its Future Home Planet...

BepiColombo’s first views of Mercury (News Release)

The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has captured its first views of its destination planet Mercury as it swooped past in a close gravity assist flyby last night.

The closest approach took place at 23:34 UTC on 1 October at an altitude of 199 km from the planet’s surface. Images from the spacecraft’s monitoring cameras, along with scientific data from a number of instruments, were collected during the encounter. The images were already downloaded over the course of Saturday morning, and a selection of first impressions are presented here.

“The flyby was flawless from the spacecraft point of view, and it’s incredible to finally see our target planet,” says Elsa Montagnon, Spacecraft Operations Manager for the mission.

The monitoring cameras provide black-and-white snapshots in 1024 x 1024 pixel resolution, and are positioned on the Mercury Transfer Module such that they also capture the spacecraft’s structural elements, including its antennas and the magnetometer boom.

Images were acquired from about five minutes after the time of close approach and up to four hours later. Because BepiColombo arrived on the planet’s nightside, conditions were not ideal to take images directly at the closest approach, thus the closest image was captured from a distance of about 1000 km.

“It was an incredible feeling seeing these almost-live pictures of Mercury,” says Valetina Galluzzi, co-investigator of BepiColombo’s SIMBIO-SYS imaging system that will be used once in Mercury orbit. “It really made me happy meeting the planet I have been studying since the very first years of my research career, and I am eager to work on new Mercury images in the future.”

“It was very exciting to see BepiColombo’s first images of Mercury, and to work out what we were seeing,” says David Rothery of the UK’s Open University who leads ESA’s Mercury Surface and Composition Working Group. “It has made me even more enthusiastic to study the top quality science data that we should get when we are in orbit around Mercury, because this is a planet that we really do not yet fully understand.”

Although the cratered surface looks rather like Earth’s Moon at first sight, Mercury has a much different history. Once its main science mission begins, BepiColombo’s two science orbiters – ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter and JAXA’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter – will study all aspects of mysterious Mercury from its core to surface processes, magnetic field and exosphere, to better understand the origin and evolution of a planet close to its parent star. For example, it will map the surface of Mercury and analyse its composition to learn more about its formation. One theory is that it may have begun as a larger body that was then stripped of most of its rock by a giant impact. This left it with a relatively large iron core, where its magnetic field is generated, and only a thin rocky outer shell.

Mercury has no equivalent to the ancient bright lunar highlands: its surface is dark almost everywhere, and was formed by vast outpourings of lava billions of years ago. These lava flows bear the scars of craters formed by asteroids and comets crashing onto the surface at speeds of tens of kilometers per hour. The floors of some of the older and larger craters have been flooded by younger lava flows, and there are also more than a hundred sites where volcanic explosions have ruptured the surface from below.

BepiColombo will probe these themes to help us understand this mysterious planet more fully, building on the data collected by NASA’s Messenger mission. It will tackle questions such as: What are the volatile substances that turn violently into gas to power the volcanic explosions? How did Mercury retain these volatiles if most of its rock was stripped away? How long did volcanic activity persist? How quickly does Mercury’s magnetic field change?

“In addition to the images we obtained from the monitoring cameras we also operated several science instruments on the Mercury Planetary Orbiter and Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter,” adds Johannes Benkhoff, ESA’s BepiColombo project scientist. “I’m really looking forward to seeing these results. It was a fantastic night shift with fabulous teamwork, and with many happy faces.”

BepiColombo’s main science mission will begin in early 2026. It is making use of nine planetary flybys in total: one at Earth, two at Venus, and six at Mercury, together with the spacecraft’s solar electric propulsion system, to help steer into Mercury orbit. Its next Mercury flyby will take place 23 June 2022.

Source: European Space Agency

ABOVE: All images by ESA/BepiColombo/MTM