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NASA has sent a whole host of spacecraft across the Solar System and even beyond. They range from crewed ships to orbit and to the Moon to robotic explorers. Among them are a range of mission classes from Flagships to Discovery Class programs. Now a new category has been announced: Probe Explorers. This new category will fill the gap between Flagship and smaller missions. Among them are two proposed missions; the Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite and the Probe Far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics. 

NASA’s new Probe Explorers program aims to cultivate creative ideas to explore the Universe. The category is one of the largest astrophysics program from the American space agency. Nicola Fox, NASA’s associate administrator of Science Mission Directorate said of the category ‘..it has taken creativity to new heights,’ adding ‘selected concepts could enable ground breaking science responsive to the top astrophysics priorities of the decade, develop key technologies for future flagship missions, and offer opportunities for the entire community.’

The two projects that have been proposed are now due for additional scrutiny. They will each received $5million to undertake a 12 month concept study. After this period, a detailed evaluation will be undertaken to select one of the proposals in 2026 to launch in 2032. The chosen mission will become the first of NASA’s Probe Explorer program.

The Advanced X-ray Imaging Satellite is planned to be a large, flat field-of-view giving a high level of spatial resolution. It’s perfectly suited to the study of supermassive black holes and how galaxies evolve. It’s principle investigator Christopher Reynolds from the University of Maryland is keen to see it build on the results of previous X-ray observatories in understanding the power sources of a number of violent events across the Universe. 

This image shows Hercules A, a galaxy in the Hercules constellation. The X-ray observations show superheated gas, and the radio observations show jets of particles streaming away from the AGN at the center of the galaxy. The jets are almost 1 million light-years long. Image Credits: X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO; visual: NASA/STScI; radio: NSF/NRAO/VLA.

The other mission in with a chance of the 2032 launch is the Probe Far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics. The observatory would be a 1.8 metre telescope designed to study the far-infrared radiation that is permeating space. The James Webb Space Telescope has an infrared capability but this new proposal will help to cover the electromagnetic spectrum which is between the JWST and radio telescopes.  Managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, it will attempt to answer questions about the origins of planets, of supermassive black holes, stars and cosmic dust. 

Annotated image of Digel Cloud 2S captured by Webb’s NIRCam (Near-Infrared Camera) and MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument), with compass arrows, a scale bar, colour key, and graphic overlays for reference. The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and east on the sky (as seen from below) is flipped relative to direction arrows on a map of the ground (as seen from above). The scale bar is labelled in light-years and arcseconds. One light-year is equal to about 9.46 trillion kilometres. One arcsecond is equal to 1/3600 of one degree of arc (the full Moon has an angular diameter of about 0.5 degrees). The actual size of an object that covers one arcsecond on the sky depends on its distance from the telescope. This image shows invisible near- and mid-infrared wavelengths of light that have been translated into visible-light colours. The colour key shows which NIRCam and MIRI filters were used when collecting the light. The colour of each filter name is the visible light colour used to represent the infrared light that passes through that filter. In the main cluster are five white arrows, which highlight the paths of five protostar jets.

The Explorers Program launched in 1958 and the Probe Explorer is just a small part is this the oldest NASA program still running today. Its main objective is to provide low cost access to space with frequent launches. Missions are science led and must be relevant to NASA’s Science Mission Directorate’s astrophysics and heliophysics program. There has been significant success from the Explorers Program in the decades since its inception from the discovery of the Earth’s radiation belts to the launch of more than 90 science led missions.

Source : NASA Establishes New Class of Astrophysics Missions, Selects Studies

The post NASA Announces a New Class of Space Missions: Probe Explorers appeared first on Universe Today.

David Baker, Demis Hassabis and John Jumper have been awarded the 2024 Nobel prize in chemistry for research on predicting protein structures and designing new proteins

Hurricanes have kept forecasters guessing this year, but with the arrival of intense storms like Helene and Milton it is clear that warming ocean waters are having an effect on the weather

More than 600 types of viruses that infect bacteria have been found living on toothbrushes and showerheads – and many of them have never been seen before

A new article shares findings from an extensive literature analysis of AI's current trajectory in health care.

Researchers show that for the first time they have achieved atomic-scale observations of grain rotation in polycrystalline materials. Using state-of-the-art microscopy tools, the scientists were able to heat samples of platinum nanocrystalline thin films and observe the mechanism driving grain rotation in unprecedented detail.

Researchers show that for the first time they have achieved atomic-scale observations of grain rotation in polycrystalline materials. Using state-of-the-art microscopy tools, the scientists were able to heat samples of platinum nanocrystalline thin films and observe the mechanism driving grain rotation in unprecedented detail.

A research team describes how they engineered an efficient new enzyme that can produce a synthetic genetic material called threose nucleic acid. The ability to synthesize artificial chains of TNA, which is inherently more stable than DNA, advances the discovery of potentially more powerful, precise therapeutic options to treat cancer and autoimmune, metabolic and infectious diseases.

Engineers have worked out how to give robots complex instructions without electricity, which could free up more space in the robotic 'brain' for them to 'think'. Mimicking how some parts of the human body work, researchers have transmitted a series of commands to devices with a new kind of compact circuit, using variations in pressure from a fluid inside it.

Engineers have worked out how to give robots complex instructions without electricity, which could free up more space in the robotic 'brain' for them to 'think'. Mimicking how some parts of the human body work, researchers have transmitted a series of commands to devices with a new kind of compact circuit, using variations in pressure from a fluid inside it.

An army of tadpoles and a stretching lynx are just some of the incredible photos winning accolades at the annual competition

A long time ago, the Milky Way Galaxy was busy being a prodigious star-formation engine. In those times, it turned out dozens or hundreds of stars per year. These days, it’s rather more quiescent, cranking out only a few per year. Astronomers want to understand the Milky Way’s star-birth history, so they focus on some of the more recent star litters to study. One of them is Westerlund 1, a young so-called “super star cluster” that looks compact and contains a diverse array of older stars. It was part of a burst of star creation around 4 to 5 million years ago.

Several observatories have looked at Westerlund 1, including the James Webb Space Telescope. Its observation is part of a project called the Extended Westerlund 1 and 2 Open Clusters survey (EWOCS) using the near-infrared camera on the telescope. Why use NIRCam to look at bright stars in an open cluster? It’s because Westerlund 1 is challenging to observe. It lies (from our point of view) behind an obscuring cloud of gas and dust that absorbs or scatters most of the visible light coming from the cluster. Infrared light gets right through, however, so that made it easier to study and characterize the stars in this cluster. It’s also observable in X-rays, allowing astronomers to pinpoint energetic sources in the cluster.

The Webb view reveals the full range of stars in Westerlund 1, making it easier to spot the various stellar types. In addition, the NIRCam image shows patches of reddish gas in and around the cluster.

A view of Westerlund 1 from the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at ESO’s Paranal Observatory. One of its stars (called W26) is a red supergiant seems to be surrounded by clouds of hydrogen gas. It’s the first ionized nebula to be seen around a red supergiant star. Courtesy European Southern Observatory. About Westerlund 1

This collection of stars may be the most massive known cluster of its kind in the Milky Way Galaxy. Astronomers estimate it contains up to 100,000 times the mass of the Sun. Its population consists almost entirely of red supergiants, yellow hypergiants, and at least one luminous blue variable, in addition to other types of giants. There’s also an X-ray pulsar in the cluster and a magnetar that formed from a supernova explosion. The whole collection occupies a region less than six light-years across.

Westerlund 1 in visible and x-ray light. Arrows point to a magnetar discovered in this super star cluster. Courtesy NASA/CXC/UCLA/M.Muno et al

Westerlund 1 probably formed about 4 to 5 million years ago in one massive burst of star formation. Its age makes it an infant in stellar “years” and many of its massive, giant-type stars have short lifetimes. Compared to the Sun’s projected 10-billion-year lifetime, just one of those supergiant stars will live only about 20 million years at the most. Then, it will explode as a supernova, scattering its remains across space.

Astronomers estimated the age of Westerlund 1 based on a comparison of older, more evolved stars to well-understood models of stellar evolution. Those models suggest typical ages of stars of varying masses. This cluster pushes the boundaries of the models, with its red and yellow supergiants, as well as Wolf-Rayet stars (highly evolved and massive). The red supergiants, for example, don’t typically get to that stage for a least 4 million years. Wolf-Rayet stars, which are extremely bright and hot, don’t live very long. Due to their brief lifetimes, these weird old stars are also quite rare.

Living with this Cluster

Westerlund 1 provides important clues about the origin and evolution of young, massive stars in clusters. The different populations there tell a story about this cluster’s formation and effect on its nearby neighborhood. First, the diverse mix of stars gives clues to its “initial mass function”. That describes the distribution of stellar masses in a cluster—that is, how many stars of different masses formed from the original star-birth crèche.

What’s equally interesting is what this cluster’s stars will do in the future. Since there are so many massive stars and so few supernovae remnants there, it’s only a matter of time before the stellar fireworks begin. Over 40 million years, more than 1,500 supernovae will occur, making Westerlund 1 a brilliant spectacle for study.

In the long term, Westerlund 1 will likely evolve from an open cluster into a spherically shaped conglomeration of stars called a globular cluster. For now, this cluster presents an extreme environment in which stars and planets (if there are any) can form. Plus, it’s rare. Only a few like it still exist in our galaxy, offering clues to that earlier era in Milky Way history when most of its stars formed. That’s why it’s considered a “laboratory” where astronomers can study the evolution of high-mass stars.

For More Information

The Exotic Stellar Population of Westerlund 1
Westerlund under the Ligh tof GAIA EDR3: Distance, Isolation, Extent, and a Hidden Population

The post The Open Star Cluster Westerlund 1, Seen by Webb appeared first on Universe Today.

Researchers introduces the first toroidal, light-driven micro-robot that can move autonomously in viscous liquids, such as mucus. This innovation marks a major step forward in developing micro-robots capable of navigating complex environments, with promising applications in fields such as medicine and environmental monitoring.

Researchers introduces the first toroidal, light-driven micro-robot that can move autonomously in viscous liquids, such as mucus. This innovation marks a major step forward in developing micro-robots capable of navigating complex environments, with promising applications in fields such as medicine and environmental monitoring.

New research has identified a novel series of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro inhibitors that may lead to potential new COVID-19 treatments that, according to preclinical testing, effectively inhibits COVID-19 and synergizes with existing anti-COVID therapies.

Brain scans of people tasting squirts of hot sauce have revealed how positive and negative expectations can influence brain activity patterns for pleasure and pain

It is thought that humans can only maintain relationships with around 150 people, a figure known as Dunbar's number, but it seems that AI models can outstrip this and reach consensus in far bigger groups

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/sciencesalon/mss475_Michael_Bernstein_2024_10_08.mp3 Download MP3

Can beliefs make you sick? Consider “The June Bug” incident from a U.S. textile factory in the early 1960s. Many employees began to feel dizzy, had an upset stomach, and vomited. Some were even hospitalized. The illness was attributed to a mysterious bug biting workers. However, when the CDC investigated this outbreak, no bugs or any other cause of the illnesses could be identified. Instead, it appears to be an illness caused by the mind — that is, sickness due to expectation.

The June Bug story is one of many striking examples of the nocebo effect, a phenomenon best summarized as the occurrence of a harmful event that stems from expecting it. The nocebo effect plays a role in side effects for some of the most commonly prescribed medications. It provides a lens for understanding how sensationalized media reports that sound alarm about public health might even become a self-fulfilling prophecy. It might even explain the mysterious symptoms associated with Havana Syndrome, during which dozens of US government employees fell ill after reportedly being exposed to an unidentified sound wave in Cuba.

We are just discovering the power behind this effect and how it can be ethically mitigated. Enlightening and startling, The Nocebo Effect is the first book dedicated to investigating this fascinating phenomenon by the foremost experts in the field.

Michael Bernstein, Ph.D., is an experimental psychologist and an Assistant Professor in The Department of Diagnostic Imaging at Brown University’s Warren Alpert Medical School. His work is focused on harnessing the placebo effect to reduce opioid use among pain patients. He is Director of the Medical Expectations Lab at Brown. He is the co-author of the new book The Nocebo Effect: When Words Make You Sick, with Charlotte Blease, Cosima Locher, and Walter Brown. https://MichaelHBernstein.com/ Twitter/X: @mh_bernstein

Shermer and Bernstein discuss:

• Placebo
• Nocebo
• Nocebo and brain imaging
• Voodoo deaths and hexes
• The psychology of placebo and nocebo effects
• The biology of placebo and nocebo effects
• The ethics of placebo and nocebo effects
• Nocebo and Covid-19
• Alternative and Complementary Medicine
• Pain, anxiety, depression and other subjective effects
• Anticipatory nausea and learning
• Risk assessment: expected dread associated + how much is known about the risk
• When Psychotherapy harms
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Side effects
• Patient-clinician interactions
• Mesmerism and Benjamin Franklin’s test
• Psychogenic illness
• Havana Syndrome.

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Researchers have just described the existence of the paradoxical Mpemba effect within quantum systems. Initially investigating out of pure curiosity, the discovery has bridged the gap between Aristotle's observations two millennia ago and modern-day understanding, and opened the door to a whole host of 'cool' -- and 'cooling' -- implications.

Researchers have just described the existence of the paradoxical Mpemba effect within quantum systems. Initially investigating out of pure curiosity, the discovery has bridged the gap between Aristotle's observations two millennia ago and modern-day understanding, and opened the door to a whole host of 'cool' -- and 'cooling' -- implications.