Latest news with #JetPropulsionLaboratory
LeMonde
26-05-2025
- Science
- LeMonde
NASA restarts one of Voyager 1's thrusters after 21 years of inactivity
47 years and eight months after its launch, Voyager 1 continues to push the limits of what seemed possible. Currently 24.88 billion kilometers from Earth – 166 times the distance between Earth and the Sun – Voyager 1 is the farthest human-made object from our planet. The legendary NASA probe, launched in 1977 alongside its twin, Voyager 2, is set to have its mission extended a little longer since engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) announced on May 14 that they had successfully revived, remotely, a thruster critical to the spacecraft's survival. Voyager 1 navigates using the positions of stars, which it can read by controlling its roll – that is, its rotation relative to the axis of its antenna – using two thrusters (a main and a backup). Over time, leftover propellant residue deposited after each firing gradually clogged the narrow inlet pipes of the main thruster. This forced engineers to switch both Voyager 1 and 2 to their backup roll thrusters to keep them pointed at their guide stars. But the backup thruster itself gradually became "clogged," leaving the ground team with few options, especially since the main system failed in 2004. At the time, engineers concluded that the failure was "probably irreversible."
Digital Trends
23-05-2025
- Science
- Digital Trends
Perseverance's new selfie is cool, but its hunt for life in ancient rocks is even cooler
It's not only Instagram users and holiday makers snapping selfies — even robots are getting in on the action. This new image from the NASA Perseverance rover shows a selfie that's out of this world, captured as the rover collected its latest sample of martian rock. Taken on May 10, the selfie was devised to celebrate the rover's 1,500th day on Mars. As a day on Mars is just a little bit longer than an Earth day, at around 24 hours and 39 minutes, NASA measures its Mars missions in 'sols' or martian days. As well as being a fun image for scientists and the public to enjoy, it gives the engineering team on the ground the chance to check the look and the status of the rover as it has been exploring since it landed in February 2021. Recommended Videos You can see plenty of red dust covering the rover, as the surface of Mars is covered in a dusty material called regolith which gives the planet its famous red color. Dust can be quite the challenge for Mars missions, as it gets everywhere when it is whipped up by huge dust storms and can cause problems by gumming up electronics and covering solar panels. But fortunately for Perseverance, the rover may look a little grubby on the outside but its essential functions are all still working well. 'After 1,500 sols, we may be a bit dusty, but our beauty is more than skin deep,' said Art Thompson, Perseverance project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. 'Our multi-mission radioisotope thermoelectric generator is giving us all the power we need. All our systems and subsystems are in the green and clicking along, and our amazing instruments continue to provide data that will feed scientific discoveries for years to come.' Even with all the instruments working correctly, though, getting the rover to take a selfie isn't a quick job. The image was captured using Perseverance's WATSON (Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering) camera, which is located at the end of its robotic arm. As the rover was working on capturing the selfie, it also caught an unexpected photobomber: a wind feature called a dust devil which popped up in the background. 'To get that selfie look, each WATSON image has to have its own unique field of view,' explained Megan Wu, a Perseverance imaging scientist from Malin Space Science Systems. 'That means we had to make 62 precision movements of the robotic arm. The whole process takes about an hour, but it's worth it. Having the dust devil in the background makes it a classic. This is a great shot.' With its celebrations well in hand, the rover is now moving on to investigate a new area of Mars: a region called 'Krokodillen' after a Norwegian mountain ridge. This area is particularly exciting because it is thought to contain some of the oldest rocks on Mars, which could help to unlock the secrets of how the solar system formed. Here on Earth, our planet has a system of tectonics in which parts of the planet's crust are gradually pulled down toward the mantle when they meet at a fault line. That means that the rocks on Earth are essentially recycled in an ongoing cycle of melting down toward the planet's interior then rising up and cooling to become part of the surface. That's why there are very few extremely old rocks on Earth. On Mars, however, it's a different story. Mars doesn't have plate tectonics, so very old rocks can stay on its surface for billions of years. Some of these are up to 4 billion years old, or even older, so studying them can help scientists learn about how the rocky planets formed in our solar system around 4.5 billion years ago. To study these very old rocks, though, Perseverance needs to find them first. There are thought to be extremely old rocks along the edge of the huge crater in which the rover landed, called Jezero. The Jezero Crater is almost 30 miles across, likely created by a huge meteorite impact billions of years ago. When this object slammed into the martian surface, it threw up large amounts of material like huge chunks of rock which landed nearby and are still there to this day. That means that by looking along the rim of the crater, Perseverance can search for these ancient chunks of rocks and use its instruments to study them. That can also help to answer one particularly important question that scientists want to understand, which is how long there was water on Mars. They know that, although Mars is dry and arid today, it once had plentiful liquid water on its surface. It may even have looked a lot like Earth at one point — and we know that water is essential for the formation of life. What scientists don't agree on is exactly how long there was water on Mars, and whether it would have been around for long enough to give potential life the chance to develop there. So knowing exactly when Mars lost is water is a key part of understanding the planet and whether it could ever have supported life. To that end, Perseverance will be keeping a lookout for clay minerals which form in the presence of water, perhaps even formed before the impact which created the crater. These could contain potential indications of life, called biosignatures, such as organic compounds. 'If we find a potential biosignature here, it would most likely be from an entirely different and much earlier epoch of Mars evolution than the one we found last year,' said NASA scientist Ken Farley. 'The Krokodillen rocks formed before Jezero Crater was created, during Mars' earliest geologic period, the Noachian, and are among the oldest rocks on Mars.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Selfie on Mars? Here's how NASA caught a new glimpse of the Martian surface
A Martian selfie is giving Earthbound astronomers a look at environmental details on the red planet's surface. But the selfie was not taken by an extraterrestrial. Rather, it was a manmade explorer. On May 10, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover used its 1,500th sol, or Martian day, to take a selfie from the edge of the Jezero Crater called 'Witch Hazel Hill,' according to NASA on Wednesday. The selfie came together using a compilation of 59 individual pictures showing the whole rover and the Martian surface, NASA stated. 'To get that selfie look, each WATSON [Wide Angle Topographic Sensor for Operations and eNgineering] image has to have its own unique field of view,' Megan Wu, a Perseverance imaging scientist from Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, said in NASA's statement. 'That means we had to make 62 precision movements of the robotic arm. The whole process takes about an hour, but it's worth it.' Unique to the complete image is a swirling natural phenomenon seen on Earth. To the left of the center of the image is a dust devil, 'located 3 miles to the north in Neretva Vallis,' Justin Maki, Perseverance imaging lead at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said in NASA's statement. 'Having the dust devil in the background makes it a classic,' Wu said. 'This is a great shot.' Located on a gray spot just below the rover is the 'Bell Island' borehole, in which the rover collected a sample of Mars' soil, astronomers said. The selfie also gives NASA a chance to see what the Perseverance rover looks like over four years since it landed on the red planet. Though covered in dust, an American flag can still be seen on the rover's chassis. At the time the selfie was taken, Perseverance analyzed 37 rocks and boulders, collected 26 rock cores and has used its six wheels to drive more than 22 miles since it landed. New research says our universe only has a quinvigintillion years left, so make 'em good ones Video: Erupting volcanoes cause 'dancing' light show in space Massive solar flare erupts, causing radio blackouts across Earth Where will failed '70s Soviet probe land after it crashes back to Earth? Nobody knows Sorry, Pluto: The solar system could have a 9th planet after all, astronomers say Read the original article on MassLive.
NDTV
23-05-2025
- Business
- NDTV
Amid Trump's Funding Cuts, NASA Shelves WFH Policy At Jet Propulsion Lab
Amid the planned funding cuts by the Donald Trump administration, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) has ordered its more than 5,500 hybrid and telework employees to return to a full on-site work schedule. The move officially ends the work-from-home culture at JPL, which had been a fixture at the Pasadena, California lab since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. In an email to employees, the director's office stated that general telework employees will have until August 25 to fully return to their assigned work location. Meanwhile, remote telework employees, both in and outside of California, will have until Monday, October 27. "We are likely facing a very tough budget environment. This is a time to have all hands on deck and to do everything we can to ensure the best possible future for the Lab," read the email. "We weighed this decision carefully. As we return, we will focus on cultivating relationship-building, mentoring, spontaneous interactions, and real-time problem-solving, all of which drive our most innovative work and will prepare us to meet the demands of today's dynamic environment." The mandate made it clear that exceptions to the directive will be extremely rare and need to be approved by managers, director and a small committee of lab leadership. "We may make time-limited exceptions for employees who intend to relocate or return fully onsite but require additional time to do so due to extenuating circumstances, such as being impacted by the recent fires." Employees at JPL have until July 20 to indicate whether they intend to return to in-office work, or ostensibly quit their jobs. Trump's planned funding cuts The decision comes in the backdrop of NASA facing a potential 25 per cent reduction in funds via the current administration's 2026 "skinny budget" request. The cuts could affect key space programmes, many of which are run by JPL -- NASA's lead centre for robotic planetary exploration JPL has been going through a tumultuous period since last year. In February and November 2024, the agency dismissed more than 12 per cent of its workforce, or approximately 855 employees. At the time, the lab cited funding shortfalls, tied to the Mars Sample Return mission, which the 2026 budget proposal cancels outright.
Indian Express
23-05-2025
- Science
- Indian Express
Four asteroids, including a stadium-sized one, speeding towards Earth
Earth is set to witness the close, but safe, passage of several massive asteroids in the coming days. According to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, four asteroids will fly by Earth between May 23 and May 25, 2025. The largest of the group is asteroid 387746 (2003 MH4), measuring approximately 1,100 feet, which is roughly the size of a stadium. On May 23, asteroid 2025 KC, which is almost the size of a house, will fly by Earth at a safe distance of 636,000 km, posing no threat to the planet. On May 24, two more asteroids – 2025 KL and 387746 (2003 MH4), will make their closest approaches, passing at 1,910,000 km and 4,150,000 km respectively. Finally, 2025 KM will skim past Earth on May 25, with its closest approach estimated at 960,000 km. Asteroids, also known as planetoids, are rocky objects that orbit the Sun. While many originate within our solar system, formed during its early years, some may come from interstellar space. Although these space rocks frequently pass Earth, most reside in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. While the majority of asteroids are harmless, a collision with a massive one could cause significant destruction. Asteroid spotting is a routine part of modern space observation. Owing to advanced telescopes and monitoring programs like NASA's Near-Earth Object Observations, scientists regularly monitor thousands of space rocks to assess any potential threats. Most of these asteroids pass harmlessly, but spotting them early is important for planetary defence. This data also aids researchers in understanding the solar system's history. Tracking these space rocks allows for precise orbital calculations, and in rare cases of potential impact. Most importantly, it gives us time to prepare or deflect the threat in advance. NASA reports that car-sized meteorites strike Earth roughly once a year. Meanwhile, football-field-sized asteroids pass by about once every 2,000 years. The damage from an asteroid impact depends on its mass, speed, angle of entry, and the location of impact. Fortunately, most space rocks are statistically more likely to fall into oceans or uninhabited regions. (This article has been curated by Disha Gupta, intern at The Indian Express.)
