#space_exploration

The Hubble telescope captured the galaxy NGC 685, made up of more than 100 million stars, appearing to orbit in the depths of space The average galaxy NGC 685 contains at least 100 million stars. About 58 million light-years from Earth, galaxy NGC 685 appears to be orbiting in the depths of space. The Hubble Space Telescope image, the last of six released as part of Hubble's Galaxy Week, shows the galaxy with its spiral arms dotted with countless pockets of bright blue regions called star clusters. Closer to the center of the galaxy, there are also many twisted red wisps, representing bands of gas and dust where new generations of stars form over eons. [caption id="attachment_69171" align="aligncenter" width="598"] galaxy[/caption] NGC 685: a galaxy home to millions of stars surprised Hubble NASA's accompanying description of the photo of the galaxy NGC 685 says it is located in the constellation Eridanus, measures about 60,000 light-years, and may contain at least 100 million stars. In comparison, the Milky Way is estimated to consist of approximately 100 billion stars. Despite the difference in size and number of stars, both galaxies have an interesting feature: they have a central bar that crosses the cores of the galaxies. In this image of the galaxy NGC 685, this red-flecked bar can be seen stretching horizontally within a small circle of gas and dust. Its intense brilliance is due to the many stars concentrated in a relatively small area. Previous studies have shown that such bars are observed in about two-thirds of spiral galaxies. Gas and other material flows into the galactic cores through these bridges, indicating that the galaxy's "formative period" is over, astronomers say. Although little time has been devoted to studying NGC 685, studying bar galaxies like this one helps astronomers understand how galaxies evolve and whether the process is different for our galaxy.

Hubble's image of spiral galaxy NGC 6951 shows its bright blue spiral arms, bars, patches of star clusters, and clumps of dust. The galaxy NGC 6951, which lies 78 million light-years from Earth, was captured in a new Hubble image created by the Wide Field Camera (WFC3) and the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). The image shows bright blue spiral arms, star clusters, and a dark orange dust cloud. [caption id="attachment_64740" align="aligncenter" width="780"] spiral galaxy NGC 6951[/caption] The history of this galaxy is quite amazing. About 800 million years ago, NGC 6951 was known for its high rate of star formation, but then star formation stopped for 300 million years. Over the past 25 years, six powerful supernova explosions have occurred, causing the extinction of some of these stars. The average age of a star cluster in the galaxy is between 200 and 300 million years, but some have reached the age of one billion years. An angle straight to the heart: Hubble captured a detailed image of the spiral galaxy NGC 6951 NGC 6951 is classified as a Type II Seyfert galaxy due to its infrared emission and the presence of a slow-moving gaseous environment at the center. However, some astronomers also consider it to be a low-ionization galaxy with an emission line in the core, implying a cooler and less ionized core. Near the center of the galaxy lies a supermassive black hole, which is surrounded by a ring of stars, gas, and dust with a diameter of about 3,700 light years. This ring is also known as the "central ring" and is thought to have star formation for 1 to 1.5 billion years, with 40% of its mass consisting of stars less than 100 million years old. This image of NGC 6951 is part of NASA's Hubble Photo Sharing Campaign, which features new images taken by the space telescope every day from October 2 to October 7.

Euclid Space Telescope continues to be plagued by technical problems Euclid's problems began when its guidance system failed to observe dim stars. The Euclid Fine (FGS) is a device that helps orient the telescope. Under normal conditions, FGS records known stars to determine where the telescope is pointing. Engineers extensively tested the FGS before launch, but real-world space conditions are difficult to simulate—ground tests don't always account for factors such as cosmic rays that interfere with the device's performance. [caption id="attachment_60436" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Euclid Space Telescope[/caption] To resolve a fault in the system, the Euclid mission was extended to develop a software update to correct the problem, and ESA is optimistic about the outcome of the problem. However, this is not all the problems that Euclid has encountered. One of the instruments caught strange streaks of light from time to time. The ESA command center soon determined that the Sun was to blame. Euclid Space Telescope continues to be plagued by technical problems Euclid is located at the L2 Lagrange point, sharing this space with NASA's James Webb Telescope. Here, “behind the Earth,” the Sun is behind the telescope, and the telescope is in the shadow of the Earth. To provide protection from excess radiation, the telescope has a sun shield. But the sunscreen doesn't shade everything it should. Euclid reflects a small amount of light that appears to evade the sunscreen. Euclid's visible light instrument (VIS) is sensitive enough to detect even reflected light when the instrument is turned at certain angles. In total, stray light appears in approximately 10% of VIS images. How much this will impact the success of the Euclid mission remains an open question. The European Space Agency (ESA) launched the Euclid Space Telescope from Cape Canaveral on July 1. By all accounts, the start went smoothly.

The next launch could take place in December Visitors to the SpaceX Starbase spaceport in Boca Chica now have another place against which they can take beautiful pictures. A photograph of a giant neon sign with the inscription “Gateway to Mars” was published a couple of hours ago by the head of the company, Elon Musk. [caption id="attachment_85542" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Starship launch pad[/caption] Last week, workers began installing massive white letters on a newly built wall near the Starship launch pad. Some SpaceX fans have expressed regret over the recent construction of a large wall around parts of the launch complex. They see this as another step towards gradually closing SpaceX Starbase to the public. “Gateway to Mars,” a huge neon sign appeared on the Starship launch pad The new sign appeared a couple of weeks after Starship's second launch. This time we managed to reach the stage of stage separation, but a few moments later the launch vehicle exploded. The Starship spacecraft continued its flight , but also exploded approximately 8 minutes after it began. [caption id="attachment_85543" align="aligncenter" width="780"] Starship launch pad[/caption] Musk said the next Starship could be ready to fly in December, but SpaceX needs to get approval from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The creation of low-cost solar panels for power generation in space could lead to the development of commercially viable solar power stations in orbit New research from Surry and Swansea universities shows the promise of lightweight, cost-effective solar panels that can generate energy in space using inexpensive materials. The study, the first of its kind, spanned six years and saw engineers and scientists monitor the satellite's behavior in orbit, studying how the solar panels generate power and withstand solar radiation over 30,000 orbits around the Earth. The findings could provide the basis for the development of commercially viable solar power plants in space. [caption id="attachment_73640" align="aligncenter" width="780"] space[/caption] Space energy: inexpensive and lightweight solar panels for space stations and space solar farms Spacecraft Engineering Professor Craig Underwood of Surry said, “We are thrilled that a mission that was planned for one year has continued to operate for six years. Detailed data demonstrates that solar panels withstand radiation and their thin film structure remains intact in the harsh temperature and vacuum conditions of space. This type of solar panel technology could lead to the creation of large, affordable space power stations that would generate energy and transmit it to Earth. And today we have the first proof of the reliability of this technology in orbit.” Scientists from Swansea University's Solar Energy Research Center have developed new solar panels based on a cadmium-telluride compound. They cover a larger area, are lightweight, and have significantly greater energy output compared to existing technologies, and their production is relatively low cost. The study of the performance of solar panels in orbit was carried out using instruments developed at Surry State University. The satellite itself was designed and built at the Space Technology Center of the University of Sarre with the participation of a group of interns from the Algerian Space Agency (ASAL). Although efficiency in energy production has decreased slightly over time, the researchers believe the findings indicate the viability of solar energy systems in space and their potential commercial prospects. Dr Dan Lamb, from Swansea University, said: “The successful trials of these thin-film solar cells expand funding opportunities for further development of this technology. Large solar panels for space applications are a rapidly growing segment of the space industry.”

Until October 13 The storm approaching from the Gulf of Mexico prompted organizers to delay the launch of NASA's Psyche asteroid exploration mission on SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket until October 13. The launch was originally scheduled for the morning of October 12.  The preliminary forecast suggested only a 20% chance of favorable weather conditions. This led to the decision to cancel the launch and wait for better weather on Friday and Saturday. The launch is planned from the cosmodrome. Kennedy in Florida, where the Falcon Heavy is installed on the launch pad. [caption id="attachment_65728" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch with Psyche mission for NASA asteroid exploration delayed due to weather conditions NASA officials explained that the main concerns were strong winds associated with a storm front approaching the rocket complex. The postponement of the launch to Friday is also due to the characteristics of the Falcon Heavy rocket, which has a limited number of repeated launches before requiring maintenance and refueling. The likelihood of favorable weather conditions allowing for a launch on Friday or Saturday is estimated at 50%. The Psyche mission launch window will last until October 25th.  This mission is aimed at studying the Psyche asteroid, which is located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The goal of the mission is to obtain new data about this metallic asteroid, believed to be the core of a protoplanet.

SpaceX successfully launched 21 Starlink V2 minisatellites from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California On October 9, SpaceX successfully launched 21 Starlink V2 minisatellites into low Earth orbit. The launch took place from SLC-4E at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California and was the company's 71st mission this year, moving it closer to its goal of 100 launches by 2023. SpaceX is gradually increasing the pace of launches, with Musk recently announcing plans to launch 10 missions per month by the end of the year. The first stage of B1063-14 demonstrated a record of the 14th successful flight. Previously, she played a key role in missions such as the launch of NASA's Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, NASA's Dimorphos DART mission, 51 mini-exploration satellites on the Transporter 7 mission, the launch of Iridium OneWeb satellites, SDA-0B for the Space Agency US Development Authority (SDA), and now the launch of nine Starlink missions. [caption id="attachment_64866" align="aligncenter" width="780"] SpaceX[/caption] SpaceX launched 21 Starlink V2 minisatellites Approximately 8 minutes after launch, the stage landed on the barge 'Of Course I Still Love You' in the Pacific Ocean. The first stages of the Falcon 9 rocket have landed 232 times, and used stages have been recovered and reused 204 times. The 21 Starlink V2 minisatellites launched as part of this mission will operate in an orbit at an altitude of about 530 kilometers at an angle of 53° to the Earth's equator. These satellites are designed to provide four times the bandwidth of their predecessors, further improving SpaceX's position in the Internet service provider market. The launch was the 25th for V2 minisatellites as part of the Starlink constellation. To date, SpaceX has launched a total of 5,243 Starlink satellites into orbit since 2019, of which approximately 4,884 are still operational.  The rapid expansion of Starlink's satellite broadband network has allowed the company to serve more than 2 million customers in more than 60 countries and provide high-speed Internet access to previously inaccessible areas.

The launch was originally planned for 2022 Elon Musk, the head of SpaceX, said that the company will be able to land the Starship spacecraft on Mars in three to four years. He spoke about this via video link during the International Astronautics Congress in Baku. "I think it's entirely possible to have a test unmanned landing there within the next four years," Musk told Clay Mowry, president of the International Astronautical Federation. When Musk unveiled Starship in 2016, he said SpaceX's first unmanned landing on the Red Planet would occur in 2022, and its first human flight would take place in 2024. In April, there was one Starship test flight that went out of control, after which the order was given to blow up the ship minutes after launch. The second ship is technically ready for launch, but the Federal Aviation Administration has not yet issued a license. Starship's flight to Mars has been announced, but first Elon Musk promised to catch the Super Heavy launch [caption id="attachment_64108" align="aligncenter" width="600"] Elon Musk[/caption] Musk said this week that SpaceX plans to fire the second stage engines before the spacecraft's stages fully separate: "I would say that's the riskiest part of the flight. If the engines work and the ship doesn't explode, then I think we have a decent chance of reaching orbit." Musk also predicted when the launch tower would first try to catch Super Heavy upon landing. He said there was a "decent chance" of catching the launch vehicle within the next year and possibly removing the spacecraft from orbit before the end of next year.