This Week’s Top Space Stories!

September 12, 2022

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Bask within the Harvest Moon, keep tuned for Artemis 1 updates, and have a good time Voyager 1’s forty fifth anniversary in space! These are among the prime tales this week from House.com.

Harvest Moon is right here!

This sky map exhibits the situation of the Harvest Moon, full moon of September 10, 2022, with Jupiter and Neptune. (Picture credit score: Starry Evening Software program)

Benefit from the full moon this Saturday (Sept. 10)! Generally known as the Harvest Moon, this occasion marks the second when Earth’s pure satellite shines totally illuminated as a result of it’s reverse the sun within the sky.

The Harvest Moon rises at a handy time for these within the Northern Hemisphere. Its early night look intently coincides with sundown, and farmers have used moonlight to work later into the night time than they might have in any other case.

Full story: An early Harvest Moon rises Saturday. Here’s what to expect for September’s full moon.
Extra: Harvest Moon 2022: See the full moon rise near Jupiter and Neptune (Sept. 10)

NASA hopes its Artemis 1 mission can fly later this month

The bottom of the Artemis 1 moon rocket with technicians working on its fuel lines

NASA’s House Launch System (SLS) rocket is seen at Launch Pad 39B Thursday, Sept. 8, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy House Middle in Florida as groups work to exchange the seal on an interface, known as the fast disconnect, between the liquid hydrogen gas feed line on the cell launcher and the rocket. (Picture credit score: NASA/Chad Siwik)

NASA introduced two doable launch dates for the premiere flight of its Space Launch System rocket. However earlier than this heavy carry car ignites a whole bunch of hundreds of gallons of cryogenic gas to ship the Artemis 1 mission to the moon, NASA should repair a persistent propellant leak. Artemis groups should overcome just a few different hurdles, too, just like the recertification of flight termination system batteries and the necessity to plan round different NASA space missions additionally occurring this month.

Full story: NASA targets Sept. 23 for next Artemis 1 launch attempt, but a lot has to go right

See additionally: Fuel leak delays NASA’s Artemis 1 moon mission launch

SpaceX ignites Starship engines and creates a brush fireplace

SpaceX Starship fires engines in test under blue sky

SpaceX’s Ship 24 Starship prototype performs a six-engine static fireplace in South Texas on Sept. 8, 2022. (Picture credit score: SpaceX)

On Thursday (Sept. 8), SpaceX fired up its deep-space Starship prototype and it triggered a grass fireplace. The six engines of this car, known as Ship 24, roared to life for a seconds-long “static check” at SpaceX’s South Texas facility. The comb fireplace prompted the native fireplace division to the scene as a security precaution.

Full story: SpaceX fires up all 6 engines of Starship prototype ahead of orbital test flight (video)

Auroras placed on a vibrant present

The Northern Lights appear in the sky through a layer of smoke

The Northern Lights seem within the sky by way of a layer of smoke attributable to a number of wildfires within the early hours of September 4, 2022 in Banff Nationwide Park, Alberta, Canada. (Picture credit score: Lance King/Getty Photographs)

Auroras shined throughout the Northern Hemisphere this week. Charged particles burst from the sun on Sept. 2 in an occasion often known as a coronal mass ejection, and though this solar explosion was reasonable, this materials triggered the attractive shows when it will definitely reached Earth and interacted with the planet’s magnetic discipline. The occasion signifies that the star is changing into more and more lively alongside its 11-year cycle.

Full story: Stream of solar wind brings stunning aurora to north American skies

Pleased birthday in space, Voyager 1!

Voyager 1 spacecraft in interstellar space

Voyager 1, launched in September 1977, is at the moment exploring the farthest edges of the solar system. (Picture credit score: NASA)

This week NASA celebrates its iconic Voyager 1 mission. The spacecraft is at the moment on a journey by way of the farthest explored outskirts of our nook of the universe. It launched into space on Sept. 5, 1979, just a few quick weeks after its companion, Voyager 2, started its journey. Voyager 1 as soon as revealed Jupiter and Saturn like by no means earlier than, and it now swims by way of interstellar space greater than 14.6 billion miles (23.5 billion kilometers) from Earth.

Full story: NASA’s iconic Voyager 1 marks 45 years in space

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks to astronauts

vice president kamala harris in nasa mission control

Vice President Kamala Harris in NASA’s Mission Management on the company’s Johnson House Middle on Sept. 9, 2022. (Picture credit score: NASA)

On Friday (Sept. 9), U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris chaired a gathering of the Nationwide House Council and spoke with astronauts onboard the Worldwide House Station. Expedition 67 astronauts Jessica Watkins, Kjell Lindgren and Bob Hinds informed Harris concerning the station’s experiments as she addressed them from Mission Management at NASA’s Johnson House Middle in Houston.

Full story: VP Harris congratulates astronauts, promotes teamwork between Earth and space

Huge purple Betelgeuse just lately sported one other coloration

An image of Betelgeuse star as a bright orange light

A picture of Betelgeuse as seen from the Pure park of Cabo de Gata, Almería, Andalusia, South of Spain. (Picture credit score: Javier Zayas Images/Getty Photographs)

Historic data present that, not too way back, a vibrant star within the vibrant Orion constellation made a vital transition. The purple star Betelgeuse is on the finish of its life, and exhibits what the sun will seem like in just a few billion years. After researchers scanned historic descriptions of the star, they realized that the celestial ruby boasted one other coloration just some millennia in the past.

Full story: Discovery suggests red supergiant Betelgeuse was actually yellow 2,000 years ago

NASA faucets Axiom House for moon spacesuits

Artist's impression of two spacesuited astronauts holding moon rocks

Artist’s impression of two spacesuited astronauts engaged on the moon. (Picture credit score: NASA)

NASA is as soon as once more partnering with the private-sector, this time to develop spacesuits for its moonbound Artemis astronauts. It is too early to inform when precisely NASA will launch Artemis 3, the primary mission since 1972 to plant boots on the lunar floor. However to organize for that lofty aim, NASA has chosen Houston firm Axiom Space to construct the clothes. Axiom House can also be aiming to construct the primary personal space station in low-Earth orbit.

Full story: NASA picks spacesuit maker for 1st Artemis moonwalkers

Milky Way’s arms could have dislodged comets that struck younger Earth

This illustration of the Milky Way shows the spiral arms

This illustration of the Milky Way exhibits the spiral arms that Earth passes by way of roughly each 200 million years. (Picture credit score: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

Scientists reached fascinating conclusions concerning the Milky Way‘s impact on Earth’s crust. In a brand new research, they peered into historical Earth rocks which have stood the check of time. Crystals inside these rocks point out that thick interstellar clouds inside our galaxy’s main spiral arms pelted Earth with comets.

Full story: Earth’s perilous journey through the Milky Way’s spiral may shape the planet’s geology

Arianespace rocket launches a hefty communications satellite into orbit

Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket launches at night

An Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket launches the Eutelsat Konnect VHTS satellite from French Guiana on Sept. 7, 2022. (Picture credit score: Arianespace)

On Wednesday (Sept. 7), French-Italian aerospace producer Thales Alenia House noticed the largest spacecraft they constructed go to space. Their Eutelsat Konnect VHTS communications satellite reached Earth orbit because of an Arianespace Ariane 5 rocket. The European launch car lifted off from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

Full story: Ariane 5 rocket launches biggest Eutelsat satellite ever

See additionally: China launches 2 orbital missions in less than 2 hours (videos)

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