#01

The Parker Solar Probe was launched towards the sun in 2018 and soon flew closer to the sun than any other spacecraft ever had. At its closest approach, the probe actually flies through the outer atmsophere of the sun, called the corona, and science findings are starting to come in. "The research revealed never-before-seen activity in the plasma and energy at the edges of the sun's atmosphere, including reversals of the sun's magnetic field and "bursts" in its stream of electrically charged particles, called solar wind." Lots of fun stuff as the spacecraft tries to answer questions like why the the sun's atmosphere is hotter than the surface of the star, and what causes solar wind to accelerate away from the sun? Watch for more results coming as the Parker Probe makes 21 more close approaches to the sun over the next 6 years.

#02

"Science teams will embark by land, sea and air as part of multi-year campaigns funded by NASA’s Earth Venture program ... Campaigns will conduct science on a variety of platforms. High-altitude aircraft will observe chemistry in the stratosphere, far beyond the reach of commercial planes, to study the impact of intense storms that breach the troposphere, where most weather occurs. A flotilla of autonomous gliders and floats will take to the Pacific Ocean to measure temperature and salinity at and below the water’s surface to better understand the exchange of heat between ocean and atmosphere. Researchers will descend on wetlands by foot and boat to study how sea level rise is affecting delta ecosystems." NASA selects five projects as part of its Earth Ventures program.

#03

"It will be one of the most daunting, complicated and, potentially, scientifically rewarding missions ever undertaken to the red planet. Ministers at a recent meeting of the European Space Agency (ESA) have fully committed to plans to collect samples from the surface of Mars and return them to Earth, in a joint effort with NASA. Official approval for the NASA budget to cover this mission is anticipated early next year." Did you hear that? The pieces are coming together for a sample return mission to Mars! This is a science goal over 30 years in the making and its great to see progress being made.

NASA's Mars 2020 rover will launch next summer and complete the first piece of the sample retrieval puzzle, caching martian rocks in hermetically sealed tubes for later retrieval. Although the 2020 rover looks similar to Curiosity which has been on Mars since 2012, there are key differences. Here's a handy guide to what you need to know.

#04

Back in mid-November the Monterrey Bay Research Institute set off to explore the midwater habitat, the region of the sea deep enough that light doesn't penetrate, but not so deep that you an see the sea floor. The researches had some cool equipment with them too, including a tool to measure sea creatures' metabolic rates in the high pressure environment where they live as opposed to on the surface. Lots of great research, you can catch up on some of their daily updates yourself. 

#05

The International Space Station has a piece of seriously cool science hardware called the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS). The 2 billion dollar instrument has been searching for dark matter for the last 8.5 years, but has been running on fumes lately. NASA is in the middle of a series of five separate spacewalks to fix the ailing instrument, but its not going to be easy. Scientific America with a nice write up on what the instrument is and why it is so hard to repair.

#06

Recall that Indian moon probe that apparently crashed on the moon back in September? Well NASA claims the crash site has finally been identified. Even cooler is that the man credited with the find is an amatuer space enthusiast from India named Shanmuga Subramanian, who identified the crash site as part of a NASA citizen scientist effort. Yes you can be an explorer too!

#07

 A fun video to end things today of NASA testing a 130ft tall fuel tank to structural failure. "The liquid hydrogen tank was subjected to more than 260% of its expected flight loads before failing. Eventually, it ruptured and buckled, right when engineers calculated it would." Sounds to me like a success! A tank of the same design will be used in NASA's next generation rocket, the SLS. 

What to Read Next

Reading material that I've found worthwhile, often related to exploration, sometimes just a good book worth picking up!

Looking for a book to get you in the mood for the holidays AND covers one of the most audacious manned space missions ever? Then Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First Journey to the Moon by Robert Kurson i for you! The book tells the story of how Apollo 8, the first mission to successfully send men into lunar orbit, a feat so audacious that the Soviets didn't believe the Americans would even try, came to be a resounding success and a turning point in the space race. The mission was also the source of the iconic earthrise image and now famous Christmas Eve transmission to Earth from lunar orbit.

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This newsletter was produced as a private venture and not in the author's capacity as an employee of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory/California Institute of Technology or of Griffith Observatory. Any views and opinions expressed herein or on exploreandobserve.com are his own and not those of his employers.

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