Archive for September 28th, 2009

Image of the Soyuz rocket after arriving at the launch pad. Launch is again on the 30th, and assuming you’ll be up at 3:14 a.m. EST you will be able to watch the launch on the live feed on the sidebar. If that doesn’t work, the backup link is also on the sidebar along the blogroll. Yahoo/NASA TV.

The Soyuz rocket is seen shortly after arrival to the launch pad Monday, Sept. 28, 2009 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch the crew of Expedition 21 and a spaceflight participant on Sept. 30, 2009. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

More dusty pictures from Eastern Australia, three images taken from two of NASA’s satellites. Aqua and Terra, Coral Sea. The first two are cropped from the same image just so you know, if it wasn’t obvious enough. Details below.

Acquired September 26, 2009

North of a major dust storm, wildfires continued to burn in Queensland, Australia, on September 26, 2009. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Terra satellite captured this true-color image the same day. Red outlines indicate hotspots associated with the fires. An especially large cluster of fires burns near Bullen Bullen Road, Mt. Moffat. Another fire burns on the southern end of Fraser Island, sending thick smoke toward the southeast.

According to a report from the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service on September 28, 2009, the fires near Bullen Bullen Road continued to burn, as they had since September 24. At the time of the report, that fire complex posed no threat to property.

Acquired September 27, 2009

The thick wall of dust that blew across Australia on September 26, 2009, hung in a slightly thinner veil over the Coral Sea on September 27. Ripples and waves shape the dust in reflection of turbulence in the air. The dust will gradually settle over the ocean, where it will provide a source of iron to phytoplankton, microscopic plant-like organisms that grow in sunlit surface water. The iron acts as fertilizer, making it possible for large phytoplankton blooms to develop. While phytoplankton are an important source of food for marine life, too much phytoplankton can rob the ocean of oxygen, creating dead zones. It is certain that ocean biologists will watch closely to see if and how the immense dust storms of September 2009 will affect Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, visible as blue-green dots in the top center of the image.

The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured this image on the afternoon of September 27, 2009. Red dots and plumes of smoke mark the locations of dozens of fires burning throughout Queensland.

With 10 days to go until impact, LCROSS’s target has been changed. From Cabeus A to Cabeus. Info below in the press release and two pictures that clearly show the impact crater. As always, you can go here for information about LCROSS.

No larger image.

NASA’s LCROSS Mission Changes Impact Crater

MOFFETT FIELD, Calif. — NASA’s Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission (LCROSS) based on new analysis of available lunar data, has shifted the target crater from Cabeus A to Cabeus (proper).

The decision was based on continued evaluation of all available data and consultation/input from members of the LCROSS Science Team and the scientific community, including impact experts, ground and space based observers, and observations from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), Lunar Prospector (LP), Chandrayaan-1 and JAXA’s Kaguya spacecraft. This decision was prompted by the current best understanding of hydrogen concentrations in the Cabeus region, including cross-correlation between the latest LRO results and LP data sets.

The general consensus of lunar experts led by the LCROSS science team is that Cabeus shows, with the greatest level of certainty, the highest hydrogen concentrations at the south pole. Further consideration of the most current terrain models provided by JAXA’s Kaguya spacecraft and the LRO Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter (LOLA) was important in the decision process.The models show a small valley in an otherwise tall Cabeus perimeter ridge, which will allow for sunlight to illuminate the ejecta cloud on Oct. 9, and much sooner than previously estimated for Cabeus. While the ejecta does have to fly to higher elevations to be observed by Earth assets, a shadow cast by a large hill along the Cabeus ridge, provides an excellent, high-contrast, back drop for ejecta and vapor measurements.

The LCROSS team concluded that Cabeus provided the best chance for meeting its mission goals. The team critically assessed and successfully advocated for the change with the Lunar Precursor Robotic Program (LPRP) office. The change in impact crater was factored into LCROSS’ most recent Trajectory Correction Maneuver, TCM7.

During the last days of the mission, the LCROSS team will continue to refine the exact point of impact within Cabeus crater to avoid rough spots, and to maximize solar illumination of the debris plume and Earth observations.

View of the Chaitén volcano, details below.

After a spectacular explosion in May of 2008, Chile’s Chaitén volcano has erupted continuously for the past 16 months. The arrival of spring in the Southern Hemisphere allowed this clear view of the ongoing eruption, which had been hidden by clouds for much of the winter. Chaitén is currently in a dome building phase. Thick lava is erupting in Chaitén’s caldera, slowly building a steep-sided dome. Eruptions of ash and steam occur when portions of the dome collapse. The town of Chaitén (located south of the volcano) remains evacuated due to the threat of flows of volcanic debris from the unstable dome.

The Advanced Land Imager (ALI) aboard the NASA/USGS Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite acquired this natural color image of Chaitén on September 27, 2009, at roughly 10:30 am local time. The U.S. Air Force Weather Agency reported an ash plume extending 56 km (35 miles) northwest of the summit at the time the image was taken.

New image posted by the LROC folks, enjoy.

Rima Ariadaeus (6.5 ° N, 12.4 ° E) is one of several linear rille systems nestled in the highlands between Mare Vaporum and Mare Tranquillitatis. Some rilles, such as Vallis Schroteri, were formed by volcanic eruptions. Other rilles, such as Rima Ariadaeus, are believed to be faults that formed as a result of tectonic activity. Some scientists believe that the linear rilles might have formed after large impact events, while others believe that the rilles were formed as a surface manifestation of deep-seated dike systems when the Moon was still volcanically active. LROC NAC images are providing scientists with data to examine the relationships of the surface features until future human lunar explorers can complete field research. However, experts agree that Rima Ariadaeus, which extends for approximately 300 km, is a fault system exhibiting a well-developed graben typical of normal fault systems on Earth.

Credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University.

The next manned Soyuz spacecraft, Soyuz TMA-16 will launch on September 30th bringing the next Expedition crew to ISS. Below is NASA’s image of the day, showing the Soyuz rocket rolled out to the launch pad.

Russian security officers walk along the railroad tracks as the Soyuz rocket is rolled out to the launch pad Monday, Sept. 28, 2009 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz is scheduled to launch the crew of Expedition 21 and a spaceflight participant on Sept. 30, 2009.
Image Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls