Farewell, WALL-E and EVE...

NASA / JPL - Caltech

Beyond Mars, the Mini MarCO Spacecraft Fall Silent (News Release)

Before the pair of briefcase-sized spacecraft known collectively as MarCO launched last year, their success was measured by survival: If they were able to operate in deep space at all, they would be pushing the limits of experimental technology.

Now well past Mars, the daring twins seem to have reached their limit. It's been over a month since engineers have heard from MarCO, which followed NASA's InSight to the Red Planet. At this time, the mission team considers it unlikely they'll be heard from again.

MarCO, short for Mars Cube One, was the first interplanetary mission to use a class of mini-spacecraft called CubeSats. The MarCOs - nicknamed EVE and WALL-E, after characters from a Pixar film - served as communications relays during InSight's landing, beaming back data at each stage of its descent to the Martian surface in near-real time, along with InSight's first image. WALL-E sent back stunning images of Mars as well, while EVE performed some simple radio science.

All of this was achieved with experimental technology that cost a fraction of what most space missions do: $18.5 million provided by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, which built the CubeSats.

WALL-E was last heard from on Dec. 29; EVE, on Jan. 4. Based on trajectory calculations, WALL-E is currently more than 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) past Mars; EVE is farther, almost 2 million miles (3.2 million kilometers) past Mars.

The mission team has several theories for why they haven't been able to contact the pair. WALL-E has a leaky thruster. Attitude-control issues could be causing them to wobble and lose the ability to send and receive commands. The brightness sensors that allow the CubeSats to stay pointed at the Sun and recharge their batteries could be another factor. The MarCOs are in orbit around the Sun and will only get farther away as February wears on. The farther they are, the more precisely they need to point their antennas to communicate with Earth.

The MarCOs won't start moving toward the Sun again until this summer. The team will reattempt to contact the CubeSats at that time, though it's anyone's guess whether their batteries and other parts will last that long.

Even if they're never revived, the team considers MarCO a spectacular success.

"This mission was always about pushing the limits of miniaturized technology and seeing just how far it could take us," said Andy Klesh, the mission's chief engineer at JPL. "We've put a stake in the ground. Future CubeSats might go even farther."

A number of the critical spare parts for each MarCO will be used in other CubeSat missions. That includes their experimental radios, antennas and propulsion systems. Several of these systems were provided by commercial vendors, making it easier for other CubeSats to use them as well.

More small spacecraft are on the way. NASA is set to launch a variety of new CubeSats in coming years.

"There's big potential in these small packages," said John Baker, the MarCO program manager at JPL. "CubeSats - part of a larger group of spacecraft called SmallSats - are a new platform for space exploration that is affordable to more than just government agencies."

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

****


NASA / JPL - Caltech

Photo of the Day: "WALL-E" Spots the Red Planet!

NASA / JPL - Caltech

NASA's First Image of Mars from a CubeSat (News Release)

NASA's MarCO mission was designed to find out if briefcase-sized spacecraft called CubeSats could survive the journey to deep space. Now, MarCO - which stands for Mars Cube One - has Mars in sight.

One of the twin MarCO CubeSats snapped this image of Mars on Oct. 3 - the first image of the Red Planet ever produced by this class of tiny, low-cost spacecraft. The two CubeSats are officially called MarCO-A and MarCO-B but nicknamed "EVE" and "WALL-E" by their engineering team.

A wide-angle camera on top of MarCO-B produced the image as a test of exposure settings. The MarCO mission, led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, hopes to produce more images as the CubeSats approach Mars ahead of Nov. 26. That's when they'll demonstrate their communications capabilities while NASA's InSight spacecraft attempts to land on the Red Planet. (The InSight mission won't rely on them, however; NASA's Mars orbiters will be relaying the spacecraft's data back to Earth.)

This image was taken from a distance of roughly 8 million miles (12.8 million kilometers) from Mars. The MarCOs are "chasing" Mars, which is a moving target as it orbits the Sun. In order to be in place for InSight's landing, the CubeSats have to travel roughly 53 million miles (85 million kilometers). They have already traveled 248 million miles (399 million kilometers).

MarCO-B's wide-angle camera looks straight out from the deck of the CubeSat. Parts related to the spacecraft's high-gain antenna are visible on either side of the image. Mars appears as a small red dot at the right of the image.

To take the image, the MarCO team had to program the CubeSat to rotate in space so that the deck of its boxy "body" was pointing at Mars. After several test images, they were excited to see that clear, red pinprick.

"We've been waiting six months to get to Mars," said Cody Colley, MarCO's mission manager at JPL. "The cruise phase of the mission is always difficult, so you take all the small wins when they come. Finally seeing the planet is definitely a big win for the team."

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

****


NASA / JPL - Caltech

InSight Update: "WALL-E" and "EVE" Refine Their Course to the Red Planet...

NASA / JPL - Caltech

NASA CubeSats Steer Toward Mars (News Release)

NASA has achieved a first for the class of tiny spacecraft known as CubeSats, which are opening new access to space.

Over the past week, two CubeSats called MarCO-A and MarCO-B have been firing their propulsion systems to guide themselves toward Mars. This process, called a trajectory correction maneuver, allows a spacecraft to refine its path to Mars following launch. Both CubeSats successfully completed this maneuver; NASA's InSight spacecraft just completed the same process on May 22.

The pair of CubeSats that make up the Mars Cube One (MarCO) mission both launched on May 5, along with the InSight lander, which is headed toward a Nov. 26 touchdown on the Red Planet. They were designed to trail InSight on the way to Mars, aiming to relay back data about InSight as it enters the planet's atmosphere and attempts to land. The MarCOs were never intended to collect any science data; instead, they are a test of miniaturized communication and navigation technology that can blaze a path for future CubeSats sent to other planets.

Both MarCO-A and B successfully completed a set of communications tests in the past couple of weeks, said John Baker, program manager for planetary SmallSats at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. JPL built both MarCO CubeSats and leads the mission.

"Our broadest goal was to demonstrate how low-cost CubeSat technology can be used in deep space for the first time," Baker said. "With both MarCOs on their way to Mars, we've already traveled farther than any CubeSat before them."

While MarCO-A corrected its course to Mars relatively smoothly, MarCO-B faced some unexpected challenges. Its maneuver was smaller due to a leaky thruster valve that engineers have been monitoring for the past several weeks. The leak creates small trajectory changes on its own. Engineers have factored in these nudges so that MarCO-B can still perform a trajectory correction maneuver. It will take several more weeks of tracking to refine these nudges so that MarCO-B can follow InSight on its cruise through space.

"We're cautiously optimistic that MarCO-B can follow MarCO-A," said Joel Krajewski of JPL, MarCO's project manager. "But we wanted to take more time to understand the underlying issues before attempting the next course-correction maneuver."

Once the MarCO team has analyzed data, they'll know the size of follow-on maneuvers. Several more course corrections will be needed to reach the Red Planet.

Should the CubeSats make it all the way to Mars, they will attempt to relay data to Earth about InSight's landing. InSight won't rely on either CubeSat for that data relay, however; that job will fall to NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Photos of the Day: The Earth and the Moon, As Seen from WALL-E One Million Kilometers Away...

NASA / JPL - Caltech

A Pale Blue Dot, As Seen by a CubeSat (News Release)

NASA's Voyager 1 took a classic portrait of Earth from several billion miles away in 1990. Now a class of tiny, boxy spacecraft, known as CubeSats, have just taken their own version of a "pale blue dot" image, capturing Earth and its Moon in one shot.

NASA set a new distance record for CubeSats on May 8 when a pair of CubeSats called Mars Cube One (MarCO) reached 621,371 miles (1 million kilometers) from Earth. One of the CubeSats, called MarCO-B (and affectionately known as "WALL-E" to the MarCO team) used a fisheye camera to snap its first photo on May 9. That photo is part of the process used by the engineering team to confirm the spacecraft's high-gain antenna has properly unfolded.

As a bonus, it captured Earth and its Moon as tiny specks floating in space.

"Consider it our homage to Voyager," said Andy Klesh, MarCO's chief engineer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. JPL built the CubeSats and leads the MarCO mission. "CubeSats have never gone this far into space before, so it's a big milestone. Both our CubeSats are healthy and functioning properly. We're looking forward to seeing them travel even farther."

The MarCO spacecraft are the first CubeSats ever launched to deep space. Most never go beyond Earth orbit; they generally stay below 497 miles (800 kilometers) above the planet. Though they were originally developed to teach university students about satellites, CubeSats are now a major commercial technology, providing data on everything from shipping routes to environmental changes.

The MarCO CubeSats were launched on May 5 along with NASA's InSight lander, a spacecraft that will touch down on Mars and study the planet's deep interior for the first time. InSight, short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, will attempt to land on Mars on Nov. 26. JPL also leads the InSight mission.

Mars landings are notoriously challenging due to the Red Planet's thin atmosphere. The MarCO CubeSats will follow along behind InSight during its cruise to Mars. Should they make it all the way to Mars, they will radio back data about InSight while it enters the atmosphere and descends to the planet's surface. The high-gain antennas are key to that effort; the MarCO team have early confirmation that the antennas have successfully deployed, but will continue to test them in the weeks ahead.

InSight won't rely on the MarCO mission for data relay. That job will fall to NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. But the MarCOs could be a pathfinder so that future missions can "bring their own relay" to Mars. They could also demonstrate a number of experimental technologies, including their antennas, radios and propulsion systems, which will allow CubeSats to collect science in the future. Later this month, the MarCOs will attempt the first trajectory correction maneuvers ever performed by CubeSats. This maneuver lets them steer towards Mars, blazing a trail for CubeSats to come.

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

****


NASA / JPL - Caltech

InSight Update #2: "WALL-E" And "EVE" Are En Route To Mars As Well!

NASA / JPL - Caltech

NASA's First Deep-Space CubeSats Say: 'Polo!' (Press Release)

NASA has received radio signals indicating that the first-ever CubeSats headed to deep space are alive and well. The first signal was received at 12:15 p.m. PST (3:15 p.m. EST) today; the second at 1:58 p.m. PST (4:58 p.m. EST). Engineers will now be performing a series of checks before both CubeSats enter their cruise to deep space.

Mars Cube One, or MarCO, is a pair of briefcase-sized spacecraft that launched along with NASA's InSight Mars lander at 4:05 a.m. PDT (7:05 a.m. EDT) today from Vandenberg Air Force Base in Central California. InSight is a scientific mission that will probe the Red Planet's deep interior for the first time; the name stands for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport.

The twin MarCO CubeSats are on their own separate mission: rather than collecting science, they will follow the InSight lander on its cruise to Mars, testing out miniature spacecraft technology along the way.

Both were programmed to unfold their solar panels soon after launch, followed by several opportunities to radio back their health.

"Both MarCO-A and B say 'Polo!' It's a sign that the little sats are alive and well," said Andy Klesh, chief engineer for the MarCO mission at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, which built the twin spacecraft.

The computers inside each MarCO CubeSat haven't been turned on since being tested at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, in mid-March, where they were prepared for launch by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems of Irvine, California. Each spacecraft had to do a lot of things right by itself for the team to hear a signal: batteries had to retain enough charge for the spacecraft to deploy their solar arrays, stabilize their attitude, turn toward the Sun and turn on their radios.

A couple of weeks will be spent assessing how the MarCO CubeSats are performing. If they survive the radiation of space and function as planned, they'll fly over the Red Planet during InSight's entry, descent and landing in November. They each have a special antenna to relay InSight's vital signs during the infamous "Seven Minutes of Terror," the crucial phase which has claimed the majority of humanity's probes sent to land on the Red Planet.

CubeSats are a kind of boxy satellite invented to teach engineering students how to build spacecraft. Today, they offer access to space for private companies and research institutions. They're just one kind of "SmallSat," which includes a broad range organized by weight class. CubeSats are generally under 33 pounds (15 kilograms), and can weigh as little as about five pounds (2.5 kilograms). They're distinctively modular, which makes it easier to buy "plug-in" parts rather than custom-design every part of the spacecraft.

NASA is taking the opportunity to test several experimental systems with MarCO. Their radios, folding high-gain antennas, attitude control and propulsion systems are all included to prove new technologies in deep space.

"We're nervous but excited," said Joel Krajewski of JPL, MarCO's project manager. "A lot of work went into designing and testing these components so that they could survive the trip to Mars and relay data during InSight's landing. But our broader goal is to learn more about how to adapt CubeSat technologies for future deep-space missions."

When InSight arrives on Mars in November, it won't rely on MarCO for sending landing data back to Earth. That job will go to NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, as well as several Earth-based astronomy telescopes. But the MarCO mission could help prove the potential for CubeSats as a kind of bring-your-own "black box" for future NASA missions.

MarCO was built by JPL, which manages InSight and MarCO for NASA. It was funded by both JPL and NASA's Science Mission Directorate. A number of commercial suppliers provided unique technologies for MarCO.

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

****


NASA TV / United Launch Alliance

InSight Update: The Mars Lander's Two Rideshare Partners Will Soon Be Ready for Launch...

NASA / JPL - Caltech

NASA Engineers Dream Big with Small Spacecraft (News Release)

Many of NASA's most iconic spacecraft towered over the engineers who built them: think Voyagers 1 and 2, Cassini or Galileo -- all large machines that could measure up to a school bus.

But in the past two decades, mini-satellites called CubeSats have made space accessible to a new generation. These briefcase-sized boxes are more focused in their abilities and have a fraction of the mass -- and cost -- of some past titans of space.

In May, engineers will be watching closely as NASA launches its first pair of CubeSats designed for deep space. The twin spacecraft are called Mars Cube One, or MarCO, and were built at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Both MarCO spacecraft will be hitching a ride on the same rocket launching InSight, NASA's next robotic lander headed for Mars. The MarCOs are intended to follow InSight on its cruise through space; if they survive the journey, each is equipped with a folding high-gain antenna to relay data about InSight as it enters the Martian atmosphere and lands.

The MarCOs won't produce any science of their own, and aren't required for InSight to send its data back home (the lander will rely on NASA's Mars orbiters for that, in addition to communicating directly with antennas on Earth). But the twins will be a crucial first test of CubeSat technology beyond Earth orbit, demonstrating how they could be used to further explore the solar system.

"These are our scouts," said Andy Klesh of JPL, MarCO's chief engineer. "CubeSats haven't had to survive the intense radiation of a trip to deep space before, or use propulsion to point their way towards Mars. We hope to blaze that trail."

The official names of these two scouts are "MarCO-A" and "MarCO-B." But to the team that built them, they're "Wall-E" and "Eva" -- nicknames based on Pixar characters. Both MarCOs use a compressed gas commonly found in fire extinguishers to push themselves through space, the same way Wall-E did in his 2008 film.

Survival is far from guaranteed. As the saying goes: space is hard. The first challenge will be switching on. The MarCO batteries were last checked in March by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems of Irvine, California, which inserted each CubeSat into a special dispenser that will propel it into space. Those batteries will be used to deploy each CubeSat's solar arrays, with the hope that enough power will be left over to turn on their radios. If power is too low, the MarCO team may hear silence until each spacecraft is more fully charged.

If both MarCOs make the journey, they'll test a method of communications relay that could act as a "black box" for future Mars landings, helping engineers understand the difficult process of getting spacecraft to safely touch down on the Red Planet. Mars landings are notoriously hard to stick.

The MarCOs could also prove that CubeSats are ready to go beyond Earth. CubeSats were first developed to teach university students about satellites. Today, they're a major commercial technology, providing data on everything from shipping routes to environmental changes.

NASA scientists are eager to explore the solar system using CubeSats. JPL even has its own CubeSat clean room, where several flight projects have been built, including the MarCOs. For young engineers, the thrill is building something that could potentially reach Mars in just a matter of years rather than a decade.

"We're a small team, so everyone gets experience working on multiple parts of the spacecraft," Klesh said. "You learn everything about building, testing and flying along the way. We're inventing every day at this point."

The MarCOs were built by JPL, which manages InSight and MarCO for NASA. They were funded by both JPL and NASA's Science Mission Directorate. A number of commercial suppliers provided unique technologies for the MarCOs.

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

****


NASA / JPL - Caltech

Meme of the Day...

Image courtesy of 9GAG Fan Page - Facebook.com

Personally speaking, I would've used a screenshot of WALL-E from the movie WALL-E for this meme...seeing as how he has sadder eyes than Stitch (from the film Lilo & Stitch, FYI), and WALL-E has been alone on Earth for hundreds of years before EVE came along. But that's just me.

REST IN PEACE, STEVE JOBS... I don't think I've ever owned an Apple product in my life (I probably shouldn't have admitted that here)...but if I did, it would be a Mac G5 (yes, I know... It's 2011, not 2004) equipped with Final Cut Pro, Final Draft and iDVD. Oh, and props to Mr. Jobs for making Pixar the awesome animation studio that it is. Despite Cars 2. That is all.

You da man, Steve. Just because.

TOY STORY 3... I watched Pixar’s latest movie last week, and despite the fact I only saw parts of the first two Toy Story films, the new installment was really good. Two of my co-workers mentioned that I should’ve seen the first two Toy Story flicks in their entirety, so that the moment where Andy drives off to college at the end of Toy Story 3 would’ve been more emotional. I disagree with that. The ending was already very emotional without me having to see the two previous films. Pixar does a wonderful job of conveying friendship, loyalty, a sense of loss and even betrayal in Part 3...which was more than you can say for Shrek Forever After (which was a decent film, but still... Give this franchise a rest, Dreamworks).



In terms of Pixar making sequels to its other hit films, a follow-on to The Incredibles would be pretty cool. And so would a sequel to Finding Nemo or Monsters, Inc. as well. No wait... Pixar is already making a sequel to Monsters, Inc. It's scheduled for release in theaters in 2012. Awesome.

UP... I saw the film last Sunday, and like Pixar’s other animated features, it was great. Call me sentimental (actually, don’t), but I would have to say that the story was pretty, um...heartwarming. That opening montage showing Carl Fredricksen enjoying life with his childhood friend-turned-wife Ellie was nicely done. You definitely see a clear motivation for why Carl would attach, like, thousands of balloons to his house to escape for a flight of adventure: He wanted to keep a life-long promise to his wife (who had long-since passed away) that involved traveling to an exotic and mysterious locale in South America called Paradise Falls.



Ironically, while the filmmakers nicely convey why Carl would leave his neighborhood (that’s an understatement) to do some explorin’, the moment of his departure actually felt kinda rushed. Overlooking the fact this is a 96 minute-long animated feature I’m talking about here, how was Carl able to attach balloons to his house so quickly? Judging from what I got from the film, Carl knew he had to do something drastic the night before folks were suppose to pick him up and send him to the Shady Oaks retirement home. So did Carl attach the balloons to his house overnight? Or were they already attached but he felt he had no use for them till the incident with that construction worker? The movie doesn’t delve into details about that [nor the fact a house floating at wind speed could reach South America (from what I presumed is a North American city) overnight as well]. Anyways...



My favorite characters in Up were actually those 'talking' dogs. Alpha, the Doberman, was the coolest one...but Dug was funny too. Kevin the bird was also hilarious. Russell the Boy Scout was a crack-up as well...but the animals stole the show. I actually think Up was slightly more entertaining than WALL-E (since that film was a bit preachy with that whole 'Protect our environment' theme, especially at the end), but like last year’s Oscar-winning robots-n-romance film, I might get Up on DVD too. We’ll see.



The short film that was shown in front of Up, Partly Cloudy, was also funny. Nice usage of that ‘babies are delivered by Storks’ theme in this clip. Baby eels... Haha.

WALL-E... I saw the film yesterday, and Pixar has done it again. Even though the title character isn’t the most original-looking (Short Circuit, anyone?), Pixar did an excellent job making him a character you can definitely root for. Not to sound sissy-ish or anything (I’ll watch the Angelina Jolie assassin flick, Wanted, some other day), but even as a dude I couldn’t help but feel for the ‘bot whenever he had that sad droopy look in his eyes. Okay, nevermind— That did sound sissy-ish. But it was interesting how WALL-E and Eve communicated with each other by only saying the other robot’s name. Whenever they said each other’s name, it meant something else [WALL-E: "Eeeve!" (Translation: "I miss you and want you to be with me.") Eve: "WALL-E!" (Translation: "I miss you too, and wanna get laid by you, robotically.") Just kidding about that last part]. In terms of the other characters, that robot (named M-O) that had to clean the dirty tracks left behind by WALL-E onboard the spaceship Axiom was cool...but is that cockroach immortal or something? If roaches could survive being squashed that many times in real life, we're f*cked.



Fred Willard’s live-action cameo in an animated film was funny...but if the movie were to take place in real life (for some odd reason, I like bringing up real life in this journal entry), the future of humanity would be screwed as we know it (at least I didn't use the "F" word this time). Mankind’s existence depends on a bunch of fatasses (who have been living in space for 700 years) recolonizing the Earth! That's a drag. Famed Star Wars sound designer Ben Burtt did a great job on the audio for the film (and also did the voice for WALL-E and M-O). That is all.



More screen shots from the film:

Revenge of the Sith Teaser Trailer: Highlights from the preview... Oh, and by the way-- I watched The Incredibles over the weekend. Good film... Pixar has done it again! Though I don't know about The Cars, though. Might be the weakest of the movies done by the animation company, from what I've seen in the trailer that was shown at the theater. Speaking of which, the ROTS trailer looks awesome on the big screen! The computer monitor doesn't do it justice.

On Friday, I watched Monsters, Inc...and needless to say, I liked it. Along with the short Pixar film that preceded it.


But what I really wanted to say was that the teaser trailer for Attack of the Clones kicked ass--despite the fact it was hella short. Not surprisingly, though, people clapped before and after the trailer was shown, and were quiet during the preview as new Star Wars movie images passed by (QUICKLY) on the big screen. So which scenes from the trailer stood out the most? Let's see...

- Natalie Portman looking GOOD as Padme in the first scene of the preview

- Several clone children going about their business inside a classroom

- Jango Fett's Slave One blasting away at an unseen target while flying through an asteroid field (actually the rings surrounding a new SW planet called Geonosis)

- Obi-Wan floating above a ray of light inside a cave (he's captured by enemy forces on Geonosis)

- THOUSANDS of clonetroopers boarding a transport ship (most likely the final scene in the film)

- A glimpse of the water world Kamino

- The glimpse of Yoda...who is COMPUTER GENERATED in this film

and last, but not least:

- Jango Fett flying in the air in a scene that takes place on Kamino

This trailer was tight...but the real one doesn't come out till 2 weeks from now, when Harry Potter is released.

Just wanted to point out that the official SW site today announced that a short teaser trailer for Episode 2 will be shown before Monsters, Inc. starting this Friday. The trailer was actually talked about on a fan site two weeks ago...with the teaser involving clips of Attack of the Clones being shown as Darth Vader's famous breathing can be heard in the background. Sounds pretty cool, but things get even cooler when Harry Potter comes out in a few weeks...since the full-length teaser trailer is rumored to appear before that film.

I haven't read any of the Harry Potter novels, but most likely I'll see the film...and you know why.