Posts Tagged ‘system’
May 21, 2011
by yaska77
At 04:30 ET (08:30 GMT/09:30 BST) Endeavour’s crew finished a focused inspection of the shuttle’s heat shield, after thermal tile damage was spotted when the orbiter performed it’s “back-flip” manoeuvre on approach to docking on Wednesday.
Endeavour during "back-flip" manoeuvre (Click to supersize) - Credit: NASA
This “focused inspection” took three up-close images of the damaged tile and two data-takes using the laser on the Orbiter Boom Sensor System, giving a three-dimensional understanding of the damage area.
The data gathered will be closely compared to similar damage seen on STS-118 which was eventually cleared for re-entry with no repairs needed, and at present it is expected this newly gathered imagery will allow the MMT (Mission Management Team) to clear Endeavour in much the same way.
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Posted in Image gallery, NASA, yaska77 | Tagged boom, close-up, damage, Endeavour, focused, heat, imaging, inspection, management, mission, MMT, NASA, orbiter, photography, postaweek2011, sensor, shield, STS-118, STS-134, system, team, thermal, tile | Leave a Comment »
May 18, 2011
by yaska77
Sounds hard to believe doesn’t it? Fact is though, Astronomers have discovered a new class of Jupiter-sized planets floating alone in space, away from the light of any star. It’s believed these lone worlds were probably ejected from developing planetary systems after intense gravitational reaction with other planets or stars.
A joint Japan-New Zealand survey scanned a portion of the center of the Milky Way during 2006 and 2007, revealing evidence for up to 10 free-floating planets roughly the mass of Jupiter. These lone orbs (also known as orphan planets), are incredibly difficult to spot and had remained hidden until now.
Artist's Impression - Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Free-floating planets had been predicted, but their actual discovery could have big implications for planetary formation and evolution theories. The data indicates there are many more free-floating Jupiter-mass planets that can’t be seen, with early estimates by the team behind this discovery suggesting they could outnumber stars by possibly two to one.
In addition, these worlds are thought to be at least as common as planets that orbit stars, which could mean there are hundreds of billions of lone planets in our Milky Way galaxy alone. Without a central star to circle, planets outside of the recognised “solar system” model move around the centre of our galaxy the same as our Sun and the other stars do.
The study (led by Takahiro Sumi from Osaka University in Japan) appears in the next issue of the journal “Nature“.
Read the full article in more detail on the NASA Site
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Posted in Galaxy, NASA, yaska77 | Tagged astrophysics, experiment, gravitational, Japan, journal, Jupiter, lensing, lone, microlensing, milky way, MOA, NASA, Nature, New Zealand, observations, OGLE, optical, orphan, planetary, planets, postaweek2011, star, survey, system | 1 Comment »
May 17, 2011
by yaska77
Today the crew of Endeavour STS-134 will perform the standard scan of the space shuttle’s thermal protection system, using the Orbiter Boom Sensor System attached to the end of Endeavour’s robotic arm.
While the inspection is underway, Mission Specialists Mike Fincke and Drew Feustel will work on preparing the spacesuits onboard the shuttle that will be transferred to the International Space Station after docking on Wednesday for use during the mission’s four spacewalks.
Endeavour's robotic arm grapples the Orbiter Boom Sensor System - Credit: NASA TV
The STS-134 crew started its first full day in orbit with a wakeup call at 23:56 EDT Monday (03:56 GMT/04:56 BST Tuesday), which was “Beautiful Day” by U2, played for Commander Mark Kelly.
During the 16-day mission, Endeavour and its crew will deliver the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS) to the ISS, and spare parts including two S-band communications antennas, a high-pressure gas tank and additional spare parts for Dextre.
Source: NASA
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Posted in yaska77 | Tagged 18th, Alpha, AMS, beautiful day, boom, Commander, Dextre, docking, Drew Feustel, Endeavour, International, ISS, Magnetic, mark kelly, may, Mike Fincke, Mission Specialist, NASA, orbiter, postaweek2011, protection, sensor, shuttle, skywatching, space, Spectrometer, Station, STS-134, system, thermal, U2, Wednesday | Leave a Comment »
April 29, 2011
by yaska77
NASA has fuelled up the external tank ready for the planned launch of Endeavour at 20:47 BST (15:47 EDT).
There are actually two compartments inside the Shuttle’s external fuel tank. The liquid oxygen tank occupies the top third of the bullet-shaped container and has been filled with 143,000 gallons of liquid oxygen (chilled to -298 degrees Fahrenheit). The liquid hydrogen tank fills the bottom two-thirds and holds 385,000 gallons of liquid hydrogen (chilled to -423 degrees Fahrenheit).
NASA is reporting a 70% “Go” for today’s launch, as recent storm systems have dissipated (as dramatically captured in the NASA Image of the Day, taken Thursday 28th April!)
Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls
The launch can be watched live on NASA TV, or on this blog as we’ll be showing the feed here!
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Posted in Image gallery, NASA, yaska77 | Tagged 29th, April, centre, day, Endeavour, external, Florida, fuel, image, ISS, Kennedy, launch, NASA, of, postaweek2011, shuttle, space, storm, STS-134, system, tank, the | Leave a Comment »
