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Many space fans have been following the successful launch of the Boeing Starliner, another commercial organisation aiming to make space more accessible. It successfully reached the International Space Station, delivering Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams into orbit but it wasn’t without a hitch. Three of its thrusters experienced problems and there were ‘five small leaks on the service module.’ The crew and ground teams are working through safety checks of power and habitability. To ensure a safe return of the astronauts NASA has extended the mission by four days to 18th June. 

Boeing Starliner is a reusable (partly) spacecraft designed to transport crews to low Earth orbit. NASA is the lead customer so, once certification has been achieved, will be used to deliver astronauts regularly to the ISS. It consists of a crew capsule that can be used ten times and an expendable service module. Measuring 4.6 metres in diameter it is slightly larger than the Apollo Command module that was a part of the historic Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins mission to the Moon.

The Apollo 10 command/service module nicknamed “Charlie Brown” orbiting the Moon as seen from the lunar module. Credit: NASA

The Boeing Starliner launch marked its first crewed trip into orbit, with the objective of data collection for certification by NASA for regular crewed missions to ISS. The tests are numerous and include; running the spacecraft in minimal power mode (for when docked to ISS), checking suitability to support crew on its own in the event of an emergency, performing habitability studies for a four person crew and a multitude of other system checks. The module has been docked to ISS since 6th June. 

Teething problems for any new module are always expected but when the word ‘leak’ pops up it is most definitely a cause for concern. In the case of Starliner, five small leaks have been detected in the service module helium manifolds. When Starliner launched, the ground team already knew there was one leak in the propulsion system but now, four more have been detected! The flight engineers initially suspected a flaw in a manifold seal or possibly even faulty installation but now, with the four additional leaks they’re trying to understand if there is a common problem.

The leaks are not the only problem that has been experienced. As Starliner approached ISS, it relied upon precise pulses from the 28 reaction control thrusters. During this critical phase of the docking process, five of them failed. More accurately, the spacecraft control software deduced they were not working and deselected them. The first docking window was missed as a result but the crew were able to test and restart four of the five engines allowing them to safely dock. Engineers are still looking into the thruster problem but are confidence it will allow the safe return of the astronauts. 

International Space Station. Credit: NASA

As for the helium leak, flight engineers have examined the leak rate and confirmed that Starliner has sufficient margin to support a return trip to Earth. With Starliner docked to the ISS the manifolds are all closed preventing any helium loss until the return trip which takes just seven hours. Even with the manifolds open and the rate of leak there is sufficient helium to support 70 hours of flight time. 

Ground support teams are continuing to work through the problems and the return plan. They will explore tolerances and possible operational mitigations for the remainder of the mission. As the team depart from the ISS, no earlier than 18th June they will slowly adjust orbit away from the Space Station. A deorbit burn will be completed before entering the atmosphere and landing in south-western United States.

Source : NASA, Boeing Progress on Testing Starliner with Crew at Space Station

The post Starliner Has Five Leaks appeared first on Universe Today.

Although multiple antivaccine investigations have failed to deliver any substantive evidence of alleged crimes, the latest antivax flops won't flip anyone.

The post “Fauci Files” and Florida’s Grand Jury Investigations Fail to Deliver first appeared on Science-Based Medicine.

The estimated greenhouse gas emissions caused by the war in Ukraine are equivalent to around 175 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, and Ukraine plans to include the associated climate damage in its compensation claim against Russia

Researchers used supercomputers to create nearly 4 million simulated images depicting the cosmos.

Engineers have developed microscopic robots, known as microrobots, capable of swimming through the lungs to deliver cancer-fighting medication directly to metastatic tumors. This approach has shown promise in mice, where it inhibited the growth and spread of tumors that had metastasized to the lungs, thereby boosting survival rates compared to control treatments.

Engineers have developed microscopic robots, known as microrobots, capable of swimming through the lungs to deliver cancer-fighting medication directly to metastatic tumors. This approach has shown promise in mice, where it inhibited the growth and spread of tumors that had metastasized to the lungs, thereby boosting survival rates compared to control treatments.

Most neutron stars spin rapidly, completing a rotation in seconds or even a fraction of a second. But astronomers have found one that takes its time, completing a rotation in 54 minutes. What compels this odd object to spin so slowly?

When a massive supergiant star explodes as a supernova, it leaves a collapsed core behind. The extreme pressure forces protons and electrons to combine into neutrons. Since they’re made almost entirely of neutrons, we call them neutron stars. These stellar remnants are extremely small and extremely dense. Only black holes have greater density.

Due to the conservation of angular momentum, neutron stars start to spin rapidly, often rotating as fast as several hundred times per second. Astronomers have found more than 3,000 radio-emitting neutron stars, and out of all of them, only a very small number rotate slowly.

We usually detect neutron stars by their electromagnetic radiation and call them pulsars. Astrophysicists also call the ones with slow rotations long-period radio transients. There’s uncertainty around their slow rotation speeds and if they’re even neutron stars, and the most recently discovered one isn’t helping remove the uncertainty.

In new research in Nature Astronomy, a team of researchers presented the discovery of ASKAP J1935+2148, a long-period radio transient about 16,000 light-years away. The paper is “An emission-state-switching radio transient with a 54-minute period.” The lead author is Dr. Manisha Caleb from the University of Sydney in Australia.

“Long-period radio transients are an emerging class of extreme astrophysical events of which only three are known,” the paper’s authors write. “These objects emit highly polarized, coherent pulses of typically a few tens of seconds duration, and minutes to approximately hour-long periods.”

Researchers have proposed different explanations for these long-period objects, including highly-magnetic white dwarfs and highly-magnetic neutron stars called magnetars. But the research community hasn’t reached a consensus.

ASKAP J1935+2148 has an extremely long period of 53.8 minutes and three distinct emission states. Its bright pulse state lasts between 10 and 50 seconds, and its weaker pulse state, 26 times dimmer, lasts about 370 milliseconds. It also exhibits what’s called a “quenched state” with no pulses.

This image took six hours to acquire and shows the new object close to the magnetar SGR 1935+2154. The six hours of observations revealed the object’s long-period emissions. Image Credit: Caleb, M., Lenc, E., Kaplan, D.L. et al. An emission-state-switching radio transient with a 54-minute period. Nat Astron (2024). CC 4.0

Astronomers discovered the puzzling object accidentally while observing an unrelated gamma-ray burst with the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) telescope in October 2022. The observations revealed ASKAP J1935+2148’s bright pulses of radio emissions. In about six hours of observations, the object emitted four bright pulses lasting from 10 to 50 seconds. Light curve inspections and follow-up observations with the MeerKAT radiotelescope revealed the object’s entire pulsing pattern.

“This discovery relied on the combination of the complementary capabilities of ASKAP and MeerKAT telescopes as well as the ability to search for these objects on timescales of minutes while studying how their emission changes from second to second! Such synergies are allowing us to shed new light on how these compact objects evolve,” said Dr. Kaustubh Rajwade, paper co-author and an Astronomer at the University of Oxford.

The three emission states, each different from the others, are puzzling. The researchers needed to verify that each signal from each state came from the same point in the sky. The fact that each signal had the same time of arrival (TOA), as determined by both ASKAP and MeerKAT observations, indicates a single source.

“What is intriguing is how this object displays three distinct emission states, each with properties entirely dissimilar from the others. The MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa played a crucial role in distinguishing between these states. If the signals didn’t arise from the same point in the sky, we would not have believed it to be the same object producing these different signals.”

ASKAP detected the object’s strong, bright pulse mode, while MeerKAT detected its fainter, weak pulse mode. Both telescopes detected the quiescent mode.

This figure from the research shows the light curves detected by ASKAP and MeerKAT. A critical part of the results is that the ASKAP and MeerKAT arrived in phase with one another. Image Credit: Caleb, M., Lenc, E., Kaplan, D.L. et al. An emission-state-switching radio transient with a 54-minute period. Nat Astron (2024). CC 4.0

“In the study of radio-emitting neutron stars, we are used to extremes, but this discovery of a compact star spinning so slowly and still emitting radio waves was unexpected,” said paper co-author Ben Stappers, Professor of Astrophysics at the University of Manchester. “It is demonstrating that pushing the boundaries of our search space with this new generation of radio telescopes will reveal surprises that challenge our understanding.”

The nature of the emissions and the rate of change of the spin periods strongly suggest that ASKAP J1935+2148 is a neutron star. However, the researchers say they can’t rule out a highly magnetized white dwarf. Since astrophysicists think that white dwarfs become highly magnetized as binaries, and there are no other white dwarfs nearby, the neutron star explanation is more likely.

The object’s radius also doesn’t conform to our understanding of white dwarfs. “However, the implied radius is ~0.8? solar radii, leading us to conclude that this source cannot be expected by standard white-dwarf models,” the researchers explain. White dwarfs are only slightly larger than Earth, which seems to eliminate one as the potential source.

Only follow-up observations and more dedicated studies can reveal the object’s true nature. Either way, whether it’s a white dwarf or a neutron star, the object will open another window into the extreme physics of either type of object. Our understanding of both objects is only decades old, so there’s bound to be lots left to discover.

“It is important that we probe this hitherto unexplored region of the neutron-star parameter space to get a complete picture of the evolution of neutron stars, and this may be an important source to do so,” the authors conclude.

The post Astronomers Find the Slowest-Spinning Neutron Star Ever appeared first on Universe Today.

As the winner of the Longitude Prize on Antimicrobial Resistance is announced, chair of the prize committee Martin Rees, the UK's Astronomer Royal, explains why it pays to reward ideas

Earth observations are one of the most essential functions of our current fleet of satellites. Typically, each satellite specializes in one kind of remote sensing – monitoring ocean levels, for example, or watching clouds develop and move. That is primarily due to the constraints of their sensors – particularly the radar. However, a new kind of sensor undergoing development could change the game in remote Earth sensing, and it recently received a NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) grant to further its development.

That new sensor technology is known as a Rydberg sensor, and it uses quantum theory to detect a broad band of radar signals all at once. The grant went to Darmindra Arumugam of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, who specializes in remote sensing and has worked with the technology for years. So why are Rydberg sensors so special?

In a typical remote sensing application, a sensor is launched on a satellite that is very good at detecting a particular frequency of light. In radar terms, these are broken up into several different “bands,” each covering anywhere from a few megahertz to a few gigahertz. Some are more familiar than others, such as UHF (ultra-high frequency—300-1000 MHz), but some are more esoteric, such as the Ku band from 12-18 GHz.

Here’s a presentation on the topic Dr. Arumugam gave to NC State’s Electrical and Computer Engineering Department
Credit – NC State ECE

Each of these bands is good at monitoring one particular system back on Earth. For example, NASA uses the VHF (30-300 MHz) to study Earth’s tomography and the UHF band to study snow and rainfall. However, each of these frequencies would require its own specially designed antenna to detect, so any system that would attempt to have detection capabilities over a wide range of frequencies, and thereby be monitoring a wide range of different systems, would get more and more expensive as additional bands were added to the system.

That’s where Rydberg sensors come in. They are a novel type of sensor that uses the quantum state of a single atom to detect a broad band of different electromagnetic waves. For example, a single Rydberg sensor could detect signals from the HF band all the way up through the Ka-band at the faster end of the radar spectrum. This would allow a satellite with a single sensor to monitor all the different systems that radar can detect remotely.

Explaining the functioning of a Rydberg sensor requires a relatively complete understanding of quantum mechanics. Rydberg sensors are named after a quantum state known as the Rydberg state, which is extraordinarily sensitive to its environment. To get to the Rydberg state, engineers have to zap a single atom of Rubidium or Cesium with a laser to make it grow to an extraordinarily large state – almost to the size of a bacteria. They then optically monitor changes in the atom, which is affected by signals in the radar bands previously mentioned. The supporting optical system then analyzes the changes in the atom and can correlate those changes to changes in the signal at a particular frequency band.

In this AstronomyCast episodes, Fraser and Pamela discuss why remote sensing is so useful.

Several proofs of concepts have already been shown, such as those provided by the National Institutes of Standards and Technology. But they have yet to be applied to space – and that is where Dr. Arumugam’s research comes in. His NIAC-funded project is to develop a Rydberg sensor that can be launched on a satellite and detect a broad band of radar signals, including those that monitor the cryosphere, where ice and snow are present on land. With a single Rydberg sensor, Dr. Arumugam hopes to capture all the data for a complete picture of how Earth’s glaciers, snow melt, and ice pack change over time. 

That is still a long way off, as rides into space aren’t well known for being gentle, and so far, Rydberg sensors have only ever been shown to work in a lab. But, given that the technology is only ten years old, there is much potential room for improvement, which is precisely what NIAC grants are for. As Dr. Arumugam says at the end of his proposal write-up, this technology “[has great] potential to generate interest within NASA, the public, and industry…” If it works how theorists expect it to, he will be proven right.

Learn More:
Darmindra Arumugam – Crysopheric Rydberg Radar
UT – Mapping Lava Tubes on the Moon and Mars from Space
UT – Satellite Images Can Help Predict When Underwater Volcanos are About to Erupt
UT – Satellites can Track Microplastics From Space

Lead Image:
Graphical depiction of Rydberg sensing radars.
Credit – Darmindra Arumugam

The post How a Single Atomic Sensor Can Help Track Earth’s Glaciers appeared first on Universe Today.

Louisiana's southeastern corridor is sometimes known colloquially as 'Cancer Alley' for its high cancer incidence rates connected to industrial air pollution. Most of the region's air pollution-related health risks are attributed to ethylene oxide, a volatile compound used to make plastics and sterilize medical equipment. Researchers measured concerning levels of ethylene oxide in this area with mobile optical instruments, a technique they say could improve health risk assessments.

Scientists have for the first time observed how atoms in magnesium oxide morph and melt under ultra-harsh conditions, providing new insights into this key mineral within Earth's mantle that is known to influence planet formation.

Including 'tactile emoticons' into social media communications can enhance communication, according to a new study.

In a feat aimed at understanding how cells move and creating new ways to shuttle drugs through the body, scientists say they have built a minimal synthetic cell that follows an external chemical cue and demonstrates a governing principle of biology called 'symmetry breaking.'

Engineers have created a patch that combines sensors and bacteria to interact with the body.

Engineers have created a patch that combines sensors and bacteria to interact with the body.

Researchers have used inkjet printing to create a compact multispectral version of a light field camera. The camera, which fits in the palm of the hand, could be useful for many applications including autonomous driving, classification of recycled materials and remote sensing.

A team aims to improve options for renewable energy storage through work on an emerging technology -- liquids for hydrogen storage.

Researchers have adapted a class of techniques employed in astronomy to unblur images of far-away galaxies for use in the life sciences, providing biologists with a faster and cheaper way to get clearer and sharper microscopy images.

Complex metal alloys enter a new era of predictive design for aerospace and other high-temperature applications.

Weight-loss drugs are proving their worth against addiction, high blood pressure and even depression, so let’s stop criticising them as a quick fix and start exploring their true potential