Latest news with #LunarReconnaissanceOrbiter
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First Post
3 days ago
- Science
- First Post
How does Isro save satellites from collision?
The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) saved its satellites from collision 11 times in 2024 by performing collision avoidance manoeuvres. read more India saved its satellites from collision 11 times in 2024, according to Isro's Indian Space Situational Assessment Report (ISSAR) report. The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) in the report said that it saved six satellites in the low-Earth orbit (LEO) and four in the geostationary orbit (GEO) from collision. The Isro also said that it prevented the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter from a planetary collision. The Isro said that an orbit maintenance manoeuvre was originally scheduled for Chandrayaan-2 on November 26, 2024, but it was advanced to Nov. 11 to mitigate conjunctions with Nasa's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), which were predicted to occur on Nov. 15-16. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Isro prevents such collisions by performing collision avoidance manoeuvres (CAM). These are planned changes in a spacecraft or a satellite's trajectory in space to avoid running into some other space object, which can be a body in the space, satellites, or debris from other satellites. The Isro performs such manoeuvres after conducting Space Situational Awareness (SSA) assessments to see whether an object in the space is going to be in the close vicinity of a spacecraft or a satellite. Such objects can include space debris, natural objects like asteroids and meteoroids, and energy and particle flux. ALSO READ: From a slow start to a concrete policy, how India has shaped space research with hits and misses Isro's System for Safe and Sustainable Operations Management (IS4OM) functions as the nodal entity for all space sustainability efforts, including SSA assessments and to improve compliance with internationally-recognised guidelines on the long-term sustainability of outer space activities. Isro in the report said that it conducts analyses to predict close approaches by other space objects to Indian space assets. In case of any critical close approach, CAMs are carried out to rule out or minimise the collision risk. Last year, the Isro said that the Combatant Space Operations Center of the US Space Command had issued more than 53,000 alerts Isro's Earth-orbiting satellites. These alerts were analysed using more accurate orbital data from flight dynamics and 11 collision avoidance manoeuvres were conducted — as mentioned above. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The Isro released the following graph to show the CAMs conducted in recent years: Cumulative number of collision avoidance manoeuvres (CAMs) performed for Earth-orbiting satellites of Isro till 2024. (Photo: Isro) The number of CAMs was less in 2024 compared to the previous year because improved close approach analysis methodology with larger conjunction screening volume and usage of more accurate ephemerides helped to meet collision avoidance requirements by adjusting orbit maintenance manoeuvres on several occasions and avoiding exclusive CAMs, according to Isro. Last year, the Isro said, all manoeuvre plans, including those of the CAMs, were subjected to close approach risk analysis to rule out any potential close approach with other neighbouring space objects imminently after the manoeuvres. In doing so, the report said that 89 manoeuvre plans were revised to avoid post-manoeuvre close approaches with other space objects for LEO satellites and on two occasions manoeuvre plans were revised such for GEO satellites.
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Firefly's Blue Ghost On Moon Seen By Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
The Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander on the moon was captured by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. Credit: | imagery courtesy: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University / Firefly Aerospace | edited by Steve Spaleta
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Dead Athena moon lander seen inside its crater grave from lunar orbit (photos)
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. We now have shots of the Athena moon lander's final resting place. Athena, the second lunar lander from Houston company Intuitive Machines, tipped over during its touchdown on March 6, ending up on its side within a small crater near the moon's south pole. This orientation prevented the lander's solar panels from capturing enough sunlight, and Intuitive Machines declared Athena dead on March 7. (The company's first moon lander, named Odysseus, also tipped over during its historic February 2024 touchdown but was able to operate for longer on the lunar surface.) Athena beamed home a few shots of its surroundings before giving up the ghost. And we now have views of the lander and its crater grave from on high, courtesy of NASA's sharp-eyed Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). On March 7, LRO captured a gorgeous oblique photo of Athena and its landing site — the Mons Mouton region, about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the lunar south pole. Then, three days later, the probe snapped another pic, which provided a closer look at Athena on the shadowed floor of a 65-foot-wide (20 meters) crater. Related: Private Intuitive Machines moon lander declared dead after falling on its side in crater at the lunar south pole Athena's mission, known as IM-2, was supported by NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which puts agency science instruments on private moon landers. The experiments on board Athena — and the ride-along robots, like Colorado company Lunar Outpost's MAPP rover and Intuitive Machines' hopping spacecraft "Grace" — didn't get their planned science time on the lunar surface. But the lander did survive for a while before its batteries died. And its brief life could help pave the way for future work in the area, which is thought to harbor large stores of water ice, Intuitive Machines said. "This southern pole region is lit by harsh sun angles and limited direct communication with the Earth," the company wrote in a March 7 mission update. "This area has been avoided due to its rugged terrain, and Intuitive Machines believes the insights and achievements from IM-2 will open this region for further space exploration." Related stories: — Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter: A guide to NASA's venerable lunar orbiter — The moon: Everything you need to know about Earth's companion — There's lots of water on the moon for astronauts. But is it safe to drink? Athena hit the gray dirt just four days after another CLPS-supported lander, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost, touched down in the moon's northern hemisphere. LRO, which has been studying the moon from lunar orbit since 2009, has also captured photos of Blue Ghost. The Firefly lander remains healthy and is expected to continue operating until March 16, when the sun sets over its locale.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Tonight's Full 'Blood Worm Moon' Is Visible From Every U.S. State—and It'll Make the Moon Red
The first total lunar eclipse since 2022 will turn the moon a haunting crimson for over an hour. The eclipse will be visible in the Western Hemisphere in every state in the U.S. The eclipse will start around 1 a.m. EDT on Friday, and the totality will happen between about 2:30 a.m. and 3:30 a.m. EDT. A celestial spectacle is in store tonight that will make the moon appear an eerie shade of red. On the night of March 13 and early into March 14, stargazers in North America and South America will have a front row seat to a total lunar eclipse. The event, the first of its kind in nearly three years, will gradually unfold between 11:57 p.m. and 6 a.m. EDT. Totality, the point at which the moon enters the Earth's inner shadow (umbra) and begins a visual transformation, will occur between 2:26 a.m. and 3:31 a.m. EDT. During this stage, which is expected to last 65 minutes, the lunar surface will transition from its traditional pearly white to a deep, ruddy red, giving way to the prolonged spectacle of the "blood moon." A total lunar eclipse occurs when the Earth passes directly between the moon and the sun, casting its shadow fully over the lunar surface. During totality, the moon enters Earth's umbra—the darkest, central part of its shadow—and gradually dims. While Earth blocks direct sunlight from reaching the moon, some of the sun's light still filters through the planet's atmosphere. This phenomenon, known as Rayleigh scattering, creates the same effect that makes sunrises and sunsets so vivid, and paints the moon in an eerie, red glow. 'The red is the projection of all the sunrises and sunsets onto the lunar surface,' Noah Petro, Project Scientist for NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter mission, told Forbes. 'We see it turn red not because of some mythical fire-breathing dragon, but because of the properties of the Earth's atmosphere scattering light.' Unlike solar eclipses, which require special glasses for viewing every phase except totality, lunar eclipses are perfectly safe to view with the naked eye. If anything, all you'll need is a blanket, lawn chair, and a hot cup of coffee. They're also quite forgiving with uneven weather conditions thanks to their long duration, so if a cloud briefly obscures the moon during totality, waiting several minutes for it to pass won't spoil the fun. Should the March weather, however, decide to present something more dull and grey, don't despair. Eclipse gurus Anne Buckle and Graham Jones of will be hosting a live stream of the event starting at 1 a.m. EDT on March 14. If the haunting glow of the blood moon sparks your passion for total lunar eclipses, you won't have long to wait to catch it again. On Sept. 7, another striking show will captivate stargazers across Asia, Africa, Australia, and Europe. For those in the Americas, the next total lunar eclipse arrives in March 2026. Read the original article on Travel & Leisure
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Secrets in the shadows: What lunar eclipses teach us about Earth
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Ready for a show? On the night of March 13 into the early hours of March 14, a total lunar eclipse will occur as the moon moves into the Earth's umbra, or shadow, turning the bright white lunar surface an eerie red. (It's no wonder this phenomenon is nicknamed the "blood moon.") But eclipses aren't only an entertaining astronomical show — they have practical implications for science, too. While eclipses might've inspired fear in many ancient civilizations, they also inspired scientific discovery. "In ancient Greece, philosophers realized that the Earth is round because the shape of the Earth's shadow on the moon is always curved during an eclipse," Christine Shupla, education manager at the Lunar Planetary Institute, told "This is perhaps one of the best-known discoveries from lunar eclipses." Today, lunar eclipses still teach us a lot about our planet, especially our atmosphere. The reddish color associated with total lunar eclipses occur because sunlight travels through our atmosphere and refracts towards the moon — the atmosphere scatters shorter-wavelength colors like blues and greens, allowing reds and oranges to reach the moon. It's the same reason why sunsets and sunrises feature those beautiful warm tones. But the moon isn't always the same color during a total lunar eclipse. "How dark and what color the moon appears will tell us more about the changing composition of our own atmosphere," says Shupla. "For instance, sometimes the moon appears reddish, but other times it is much darker and brown-grey, for instance, after a large volcanic eruption has occurred." We're also able to learn a bit about the moon during lunar eclipses, too, especially from lunar spacecraft. NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) "has made observations during prior eclipses, mainly focusing on how quickly the surface temperature changes once the moon is in the Earth's shadow," Noah Petro, LRO project scientist, told "Some of the observations have shown that the surface doesn't cool down uniformly. That is, there are differences in surface properties around small craters that are only due to changes in the upper few centimeters of the surface, which is something we normally wouldn't detect." LRO won't be taking active measurements during this eclipse, but it'll still be affected by it. The solar-powered spacecraft won't encounter direct sunlight during the eclipse, which lasts hours, affecting its power supply. "We put the spacecraft into an optimal orbit so that we fully charge our battery prior to the eclipse, turn off the instruments so we don't drain the battery, and then wait until the battery is recharged before turning the instruments back on," says Petro. "Think of it like putting your phone in low-power mode if you are away from a charger for an extended time." Related stories: — What time is the 'Blood Moon' total lunar eclipse this week?— Where will the 'Blood Moon' total lunar eclipse be visible this week? — Lunar eclipses 2025 — When, where & how to see them As more spacecraft land on the moon and begin their scientific operations — and, perhaps, as humans return to the moon through NASA's Artemis program — we'll likely continue to learn more about lunar eclipses and their effect on the moon itself. In the meantime, for us Earth-bound viewers, it's just time to enjoy the show! "Unlike a solar eclipse, which can only be observed by those people along the path that the moon's shadow makes on the Earth, a lunar eclipse can be seen by everyone who can see the moon at that time — everyone on the same side of the Earth," says Shupla. For this March 2025 lunar eclipse, more than a billion people will be able to see the moon turn red. And keep a sharp eye out — you never know what you might see during the eclipse. "In 2019, observers saw the flash of light from an impact on the moon during an eclipse," says Shupla. Catch up with the latest lunar eclipse news and events with our lunar eclipse live blog.
