Friday, October 11, 2024

SPACE/COSMOS

Jupiter's Great Red Spot Is Acting Very Strangely, Puzzling Scientists

Noor Al-Sibai

Thu, October 10, 2024 


Great Ball of Fire

Jupiter's Giant Red Spot (GRS) is large enough to swallow the entire Earth — and as new imagery from Hubble suggests, it's a lot weirder than previously thought.

Between December 2023 and March 2024, the Hubble Space Telescope took a closer look at the massive and mysterious "anticyclone" that has long fascinated astronomers and found that not only does its size keep changing, but that it appears to be, well, jiggling.

"While we knew its motion varies slightly in its longitude, we didn’t expect to see the size oscillate," explained NASA's Amy Simon, a director at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center, in a statement. "As far as we know, it’s not been identified before."

This ginormous storm is, as NASA points out, the largest in our Solar System. In 1979, the Voyager spacecraft clocked its diameter at a whopping 14,500 miles across — but per more recent Hubble observations, it's shrunken to a mere 10,250 miles.

With these latest Hubble images taken over 90 days, the GRS seems to be behaving like a stress ball. The white clouds around it even sort of resemble a squeezing hand — an incredible coincidence that drives home how fascinating this finding really is.

[video src="https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/hubble-grs-2023-2024-stsci-01j948e7p897jnszr4gqd1pjq3.mp4" /]

Proper Look


Simon noted that despite having been observed by astronomers for centuries, the GRS had never been repeatedly imaged over time before this three-month dedicated look.

"With Hubble’s high resolution," she said, "we can say that the GRS is definitively squeezing in and out at the same time as it moves faster and slower."

"That was very unexpected, and at present, there are no hydrodynamic explanations," she added.

Simon and her team's findings could have implications for studying hurricanes on Earth as well.

"As it accelerates and decelerates, the GRS is pushing against the windy jet streams to the north and south of it," explained Mike Wong, co-investigator of the new research from the University of California at Berkeley, in the agency's statement. "It's similar to a sandwich where the slices of bread are forced to bulge out when there's too much filling in the middle."

As of now, the team is still investigating possible explanations for the spot's strange behavior — but we can be sure Simon's team will be looking at the eye-shaped spot even closer now that they know how weird it is.

More on the GRS: James Webb Observes Mysterious Structures Above Jupiter's Great Red Spot


Past life on Mars? Here's what new NASA evidence points to.

Mashable

Wed, October 9, 2024 


NASA's Curiosity rover takes in a desolate view of Mars at Gale crater in 2021.


Cold, dry, and barren: Mars doesn't look like it could be a haven for life — at least not the kind humans are familiar with.

Despite the Red Planet's appearance, scientists have wondered for decades about the possibility of microbial life inhabiting Mars in the distant past. Now a new study, based on data collected by NASA's Curiosity rover, is peeling back another layer of the mystery. For the first time, researchers measured the isotopic composition of carbon-rich minerals found in Gale Crater, a region laced with dried rivers and gullies and being explored by the rover.

The findings Curiosity beamed millions of miles back to Earth were not optimistic, at least in terms of the potential for life above ground.

"Our samples are not consistent with an ancient environment with life (biosphere) on the surface of Mars," said David Burtt, lead author of the study, in a statement, "although this does not rule out the possibility of an underground biosphere or a surface biosphere that began and ended before these carbonates formed."

The new paper, published in the National Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, suggests two possible ways carbon-rich minerals could have formed at Gale crater: a series of alternating wet and dry periods at the site or salty-ice conditions. These two different ancient climate scenarios could be summed up as bleak and bleaker when it comes to supporting life.

SEE ALSO: NASA's Mars rovers had a gangbusters summer of rocks

Curiosity snapping a selfie on Mars

NASA's Curiosity rover snaps a selfie image on lower Mount Sharp in Gale crater in August 2015. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / MSSS

In an environment that swings like a pendulum from wet to dry, the region would intermittently shift from more habitable to less habitable, said Jennifer Stern, a co-author. In frigid temperatures near the planet's equator, the environment would be hostile for living things because most water would be frozen and inaccessible for chemistry or biology.

"And what is there is extremely salty and unpleasant for life," she added in a statement.

This isn't the first time scientists have theorized these possible climate scenarios for ancient Mars. Computer modeling of the planet, based on the presence of certain minerals and rock formations, have led scientists down this path before, but this is the first time they've had isotopic evidence from Martian rocks to bolster those ideas.

Imagining ancient Mars

An artist interprets what Gale crater on Mars might have looked like during one of its ancient, wet periods. Credit: NASA illustration

Scientists have sought life on Mars since the first spacecraft touched down on its surface in 1976. Mounting evidence from robotic explorers, especially from Curiosity and its twin Perseverance, has shown the Red Planet to have once been warmer and wetter, perhaps more than 3 billion years ago.

The rover pair had a highly productive summer, including Perseverance's discovery of a spotted rock with the most compelling signs of ancient dead Martian life yet, though a sample would need to be shipped back to Earth for confirmation. A research team also recently published more evidence of a vast ocean of water below the planet’s surface. And where there's water on Earth, there's often life.

Scientists are interested in Mars' carbon-rich rocks because they are like climate time capsules. Their minerals can hold onto clues about the environments in which they formed, such as the temperature and acidity of the water, and the ingredients within the water and air. Curiosity made the isotope measurements by heating the samples to over 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit and analyzing the released gasses.


Isotopes are versions of an element with different masses. As water evaporates, light versions of carbon and oxygen are more likely to escape into the atmosphere, while heavier versions tend to remain and get incorporated into rocks.

The isotope values of the sampled materials indicate lots of evaporation, the team says, suggesting that they probably formed in a climate that could only support transient liquid water — that is, water that comes from melted ice when temperatures rise and the surface pressure is right.

The heavy isotope values in the samples are much higher than what’s seen on Earth for carbonate minerals. Furthermore, they are the heaviest carbon and oxygen isotope values recorded for any Martian materials. Although evaporation can cause oxygen isotope changes on Earth, the changes measured in the Martian samples were two to three times greater, Burtt said.

Orbiter looking down at a Martian cave

Astrobiologists believe caves like this one on Mars could potentially harbor life. Credit: NASA / JPL / Univ. of Arizona

"The fact that these carbon and oxygen isotope values are higher than anything else measured on Earth or Mars points towards a process (or processes) being taken to an extreme," he said.

But this doesn't discount the possibility of life. The Red Planet appears to have a network of deep caves formed by ancient volcanic vents. Within them could be liquid water, traces of long-deceased bacteria or fungi, or, some scientists believe, perhaps even existing microbial life.

Caves can host complex ecosystems, inhabited by extremophiles that munch on rocks and convert the material into energy for life. Because of this, many astrobiologists want nothing more than to go spelunking on Mars.

This dazzling NASA image shows the biggest super star cluster in our galaxy


Westerlund 1 is a young cluster of stars up to 100,000 times bigger than our sun.


Mariella Moon
·Contributing Reporter
Thu, October 10, 2024 

ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, M. Zamani


The James Webb Space Telescope continues to capture images of space that are clearer and more detailed than what we've seen before. One of the latest images it has taken is of a "super star cluster" called Westerlund 1, and it shows an abundant collection of heavenly bodies, shining brightly like gemstones. Super star clusters are young clusters of stars thousands of times bigger than our sun that are all packed in a small area. Our galaxy used to produce more clusters billions of years ago, but it doesn't churn out as many stars anymore, and only a few super star clusters still exist in the Milky Way.

Westerlund 1 is the biggest remaining super star cluster in our galaxy, and it's also the closest to our planet. It's located 12,000 light-years away, made up of massive stars between 50,000 and 100,000 times the mass of our sun within a region that measures six light-years across. Those stars include yellow hypergiants that are around a million times brighter than our sun, as well. Since the stars populating the cluster have a comparatively short life, scientists believe it's only around 3.5 to 5 million years old. That's pretty young in the cosmic scale. As such, it's a valuable source of data that could help us better understand how massive stars form and eventually die. We won't be around to see it, but the cluster is expected to produce 1,500 supernovae in less than 40 million years.


Astronomers captured an image of the super star cluster as part of an ongoing survey of Westerlund 1 and another cluster called Westerlund 2 to study star formation and evolution. To take the image, they used Webb's Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam), which was also recently used to capture a gravitationally lensed supernova that could help shed light on how fast our universe is expanding.

California officials reject more SpaceX rocket launches, with some citing Musk's X posts

Salvador Hernandez
Fri, October 11, 2024

A SpaceX rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base near Lompoc, Calif., in 2022. (NASA / Associated Press)


SpaceX's plans to launch more rockets from the California coast were rejected by a state commission this week, with some officials citing Elon Musk's political posts on X and raising concerns about the billionaire's labor record at his companies.

The plan to increase the number of rocket blasts into space up to 50 a year was rejected by the California Coastal Commission on Thursday despite assurances from Space Force and Air Force officials that they would increase efforts to monitor the effects that rocket launches have on nearby wildlife.

The military also vowed to mitigate the reach of sonic booms that often span across 100 miles of coastline, an issue that has caused controversy.


Members of the California Coastal Commission commended Space Force and Air Force representatives for reaching an agreement, but some cited their concerns about Musk, the owner of SpaceX, before rejecting the plan.

Among the issues raised were Musk's decision to insert himself in the presidential race, his spreading of conspiracy theories, the labor record of his companies and derogatory comments he has made about the transgender community.

"We're dealing with a company, the head of which has aggressively injected himself into the presidential race," commission Chair Caryl Hart said.

Military officials argue that launches by SpaceX, a leading contractor at Vandenberg Space Force Base, should be considered a federal activity because all of its launches benefit military objectives, regardless of whether the payloads being carried by the rockets are for the government or for Musk's private satellite internet company, Starlink.

As such, Space Force officials don't have to obtain a permit or permission from the California Coastal Commission for rocket launches; they only need to reach an agreement to mitigate the effects.

But commissioners in recent months have questioned whether SpaceX launches, which carry private Starlink equipment on up to 87% of their flights, should be considered private activity. That would mean that Musk's company would have to obtain permission from the California agency for launches carrying private equipment.

Military officials have gone before the commission repeatedly this year to try to significantly increase the number of SpaceX launches, and officials said they plan to once again ask for another increase — for up to 100 annually — by early next year. But Musk's recent social media posts, and his growing presence and influence in national and global affairs, have become a concern by commission members considering an agreement that would see SpaceX increase its activities in California.

"This company is owned by the richest person in the world with direct control of what could be the most expansive communications system in the planet," Commissioner Mike Wilson said. "Just last week that person was talking about political retribution."

Wilson asked how could members of the commission be assured that equipment being launched would benefit U.S. interests if most of it was for the benefit of a private company.

"Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking [the Federal Emergency Management Agency] while claiming his desire to help hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet," Commissioner Gretchen Newsom said.

This is not the first time SpaceX and the state commission have clashed over an increase in rocket launches.

Earlier this year, SpaceX sought to increase the number of launches from six to 36 a year, but commissioners noted the request came after the number of launches had already been exceeded.

During a meeting in April, commissioners once again pushed back at the argument from military officials that all SpaceX activities benefited the U.S. government and should therefore be considered federal activity. Commissioners pointed to reports that Starlink had refused to allow Ukraine, a U.S. ally, to use its satellite internet service to help carry out an attack against Russia in September 2022.

In a post on X, Musk said there was a request from Ukraine to activate Starlink services with the intent to sink a Russian fleet, but that he did not agree to it because Starlink would then be "explicitly complicit in a major act of war and conflict escalation."

A spokesperson for SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment for this article. A spokesperson previously said in an email that all launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base, including commercial ones, were considered federal activity.

The commission rejected the agreement Thursday on a 6-4 vote.

Officials at Vandenberg Space Force Base said despite the vote, they were not deterred from working with the commission and finding a solution.

"Today's vote hasn't changed the [Department of the Air Force's] or Vandenberg's unwavering commitment to preserving the California coastline and the precious species that reside there," Ravi Chaudhary, assistant secretary of the Air Force for energy, installations and environment, said in a statement. "The Space Force's dedication to collaboration here is in many ways unprecedented — so is our commitment to ensuring dialogue continues."

Space Force officials in August had rejected commission demands to increase monitoring and mitigation efforts, frustrating commissioners tasked with preserving the California coast. But on Thursday, military officials had seemingly reversed their stance, agreeing to commission requests to increase monitoring and to set up an interagency working group that includes U.S. Fish and Wildlife, the National Marine Fisheries Service and the Federal Aviation Administration to address concerns as the number of launches increases.

"We hear you, and we're committed to working with you," Chaudhary said.

The plan would have allowed SpaceX to conduct up to 50 rocket launches a year from the military base in Santa Barbara County, but the company is expected to double that number by early 2025 as it continues to push its reach into space exploration as a leading Space Force contractor.

On Thursday, members of the commission lauded military officials for their work to reach an agreement, but plainly stated their main concern is that it should be SpaceX representatives who should be before the commission to obtain permits for the company's growing rocket program, not military officials.

"It is essential that SpaceX apply for a [Coastal Development Permit]," Hart said. "We're going to hit a wall here."

SpaceX's rapid expansion has pitted the company against state and federal agencies at times. Musk, who also owns X, has used the social media company to criticize the FAA after the agency proposed fining SpaceX over license requirements, and for delays over the licensing for the SpaceX Starship 5.

The California Coastal Commission also raised concerns this year over the launches after residents reported that sonic booms were jolting and startling residents and wildlife across the coast. Initially, military officials reported sonic booms from rocket blasts out of Vandenberg Space Force base were rare. But Air Force officials in June acknowledged sonic booms were regularly reaching across more than 100 miles of coastline from Santa Barbara County to as far as Los Angeles County.

Residents from Lompoc to Camarillo reported feeling the impacts of the booms for months, and Space Force officials said changes in flight trajectories have made the sonic booms audible to people in Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles counties.

Worries about the expanding reach and impact of the sonic booms prompted members of the commission to ask military officials to better monitor and mitigate the effects of the rocket launches.

The commission can't unilaterally impose restrictions or conditions on the military, which uses SpaceX as a military contractor, but it works to reach agreements with the military to mitigate the effects on the environment and coast.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.


California Rejects Bid to Increase Starlink Launches, Citing Musk's Controversies

PC Mag
Fri, October 11, 2024 at 1:24 PM MDT·3 min read


A California commission rejected a request to conduct more Starlink satellite launches at a local base, partly because of SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s conduct.

As Politico reports, the California Coastal Commission voted 6-4 on Thursday to deny a proposal to let SpaceX increase Falcon 9 launches from 36 to 50 for the rest of this year.

The commission oversees such proposals because rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base can cause sonic booms and release debris, creating environmental impacts such as disturbing local wildlife. But during Thursday’s hearing, the commissioners also expressed concerns with Musk’s activities in recent years, including his controversial tweets.

“Right now, Elon Musk is hopping about the country, spewing and tweeting political falsehoods and attacking FEMA while claiming his desire to help the hurricane victims with free Starlink access to the internet,” said Commissioner Gretchen Newsom (no relation to California Governor Gavin Newsom).


She then criticized SpaceX for offering Starlink access as a "sick ploy to gain customers that are facing tremendous burden and dire straits" since it requires hurricane victims to spend $349 on Starlink hardware in order to receive only a month of free internet access.

In her opposition, Newsom also cited a Reuters report about 600 unreported workplace injuries at SpaceX as another cause for concern, along with Musk's plan to move the company's headquarters to Texas despite receiving subsidies from California.

Others, such as Commissioner Justin Cummings, voted in favor of the proposal but still had reservations about SpaceX potentially acting against US interests. Specifically, Cummings alluded to how Musk denied a Ukrainian military request to activate Starlink to facilitate an attack on Russian forces.

“You all, and we are trying to operate in an apolitical space. The person who controls these companies has enough power to not work in the best interest—when they feel like it—of our allies,” Cummings said.

The denial could delay future Starlink launches from Vandenberg, which is on the coast near Santa Barbara. However, during the meeting, it was noted that the US military could override the vote, forcing the California commission to pursue mediation or a lawsuit. The commission also noted that SpaceX seeks to increase Falcon 9 launches to 100 in 2025.


More launches will help SpaceX further expand Starlink, according to a commission document. But surprisingly, the proposal didn’t come from SpaceX directly. Instead, the request came from the US Air Force and Space Force. The military wants to clear the flights because SpaceX has become a major provider of US government space missions. This includes developing Starshield, a satellite internet system for national security purposes that taps Starlink technology.

Not all the commissioners were convinced that the US military should be advocating for SpaceX since only a minority of the launches will contain US government payloads. “I do believe that the Space Force has failed to establish that SpaceX is a part of the federal government, part of our defense,” Commissioner Dayna Bochco said in voting to deny the proposal.

Some commissioners also took issue with SpaceX's decision not to send a representative to the meeting; instead, a company executive only shared a statement over a Zoom call during the hearing. "With Starlink, SpaceX has deployed a global broadband network that supports critical communications for the Department of Defense and numerous federal, state, and local agencies," SpaceX Senior Director of Government Affairs Mat Dunn said. (This now includes providing emergency satellite internet access to phones in hurricane-ravaged areas.)

In the meantime, the company's Falcon 9 launches have been temporarily grounded, pending an FAA investigation into a malfunction that occurred with a flight last month.

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