Andromeda galaxy M31 taken in November 2013

Credit image: +Chris Sinclair 

[Update] Successful space launch of GPS Satellite with Delta 4 rocket from Cape Canaveral

Dear readers,

yesterday night, the United launch Alliance performed with success its space launch of GPS satellite (GPS IIF-5) for the US AirForce. The payload has been orbited by the Delta 4 rocket developed by the private company. The launch took place from the Space Launch Complex-37 in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 8:59 pm EST on Thursday February 20th. 

Credit : United Space Alliance

GPS IIF-5 is the fifth in a series of the next-generation of GPS satellites and will join the navigation system utilizing 24 spacecrafts in 6 different planes in orbit around 17700 km of altitude. This ultimate generation of satellite provides an improved accuracy and enhanced performed for GPS users, for civil and military applications.

The liftoff has been also taken in picture by Sam Wolfe photographer

Credit : Sam Wolfe

Source

[Update] : Enjoy the video provided by SpaceVids.tv

Kate Upton in weightlessness with the Zero-G aircraft

Dear readers,

the model Kate Upton is very well known, and we don't have to present her. But this week, the model and the science have been united to experiment the zero gravity. The experiment took place on-board a +Boeing+ plane, the B727. In Europe the +CNES (French Space Agency) work with a similar gear, but in a +Airbus Group plane, A300-Zero-G. The A300 Zero-g looks very much like a conventional aircraft, with a few special modifications dedicated for this experiment.

Theweightlessness is attained through a series of aerobatic maneuvers known as parabolas, where the pilot pulls the plane up at 45 degrees to an altitude around 8500 meters, and then pushes the aircraft into a descent to create zero gravity for 20-30 seconds.

Since 2003, the A300 Zero-g is used by +European Space Agency, ESA and the +CNES for their research programs to keep track of main cryogenic propulsion stages falling backing to Earth during Ariane 5 launches. 

But this time, the model Kate Upton defied gravity for the Sports Illustrated’s 2014 Swimsuit Issue. And it was insanely awesome. Enjoy the picture and the video:

Credit image : +Sports Illustrated 

Source

Publication IJETAE: Space Debris Removal System

Moby Dick asteroid 2000 EM26 is missing - Help astronomers find It

Dear readers,

last Monday, February 18th, the asteroid called 2000 EM26 or Moby Duck with its 270 meters of diameter passed close to Earth. the Slooh's robotic telescope on Mount Teide in the Canaries Island should monitored the asteroid called 2000EM26. However, because of frozen conditions, the telescop didn't work normally as illustrated on the picture below.

Credit: +Slooh 

Yesterday night Slooh published a file about the only picture provided during the night of February 17th by Slooh and the Dubai Astronomy Group: "Somewhere in this image, amongst the trailing star field, there should be a static round point of light – the light reflecting from an asteroid some 394­886ft in diameter (­270m). Based on the orbital data held by +NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, this is where Potentially Hazardous Asteroid 2000 EM26 should have been. So if it’s not here, where was this chunk of primordial space rock as it made its closest approach to Earth on Feb. 17th 2014?"

Credit image: +Slooh 

Yesterday night Slooh announced officially that they are still looking for the asteroid. If you find it please contact Slooh as soon possible.

Stay Tuned

First picture of the asteroid 2000 EM26 from Dubai

Dear readers,

yesterday we told you about an hazardous asteroid of 270 meters of diameter. The asteroid called 2000 EM26 should be followed by the Slooh telescop in the Canary islands. Unfortunately, the Slooh's robotic telescope on Mount Teide which monitored the asteroid didn't work because of frozen conditions. 

Pictures from Dubai had been proposed by the Dubai Astronomy group. Look it is there :

Credit image : Dubai Astronomy group

Stay tuned for incoming pictures

[Update there]

Milky way taken by amateur photographer from Loch More, Caithness Scotland

Credit image : +Chris Sinclair 

A potentially hazardous asteroid of 270 meters of diameter close to Earth today

Dear readers,

in less then 10 hours now, the asteroid called 2000 EM26 will pass very close to Earth. The potentially hazardous asteroid has been estimated to have a diameter around 270 meters. Its trajectory should be very close to Earth around 8.8 of the distance Earth-Moon, and could be seen from Earth.

Enjoy this live steam of the hazardous asteroid with the video below :

Credit video: +Slooh 

Stay tuned

Update : Yesterday, the Slooh's robotic telescope on Mount Teide should monitored the asteroid 2000EM26 didn't work because of frozen conditions, but a first pictures had been proposed by the Dubai Astronomy group. 

The OAS Sky Notes Feb 2014

Yutu, the Chinese lunar rover is still alive after its abnormality

Dear readers,

Last night, China announced that the Yutu rover is still alive after its abnormality. “Yutu has come back to life!” said Pei Zhaoyu, the spokesperson for China’s lunar probe program, according to a breaking news report by the state owned Xinhua news agency.

 Credit : CNSA/CCTV

The rover landed on the Moon on December 14th, however, the January 25th an abnormality emerged before the rover entered its second dormancy at dawn on Saturday as the lunar night fell, according to SASTIND. The equipment failure may block the solar panel. If the panels cannot be closed, the rover will almost certainly freeze during the two week span. As said, the moon environment is really critical. 

Actually, one night on the Moon is about 14 days on Earth, during which the temperature falls below minus 180 Celsius. During the lunar night, there is no sunlight to provide power to Yutu's solar panel.

Today all the China people are so glad to heard that the first spacecraft Yutu sent on the Moon ground is still continuing its exploration of the lunar surface. Yutu can be translate as "Jade Rabbit" which corresponds to the rabbit in Chinese mythology that lives on the Moon as a pet of the Moon goddess Chang’e.

For the moment the space engineer of the China lunar program are still working on the identification of the abnormality. "Yutu failed to power-up Monday, February 11th, and data about its current condition and repair progress is still being collected and analyzed,” Xinhua reported.

Stay tuned

Amateur photography of the Flame and Horsehead Nebulae

Credit image: +Chris Sinclair 

The picture has been done with Celestron CG5 GoTo mount, Skywatcher ED80 Refractor and Canon 1100D. This was 50 images at ISO 6400 and 50 seconds, then another 15 images at ISO1600 and 50 seconds. All stacked with Deepskystacker

Progress M-22M docks with ISS 6 hours after its launch

Dear followers,

last Wednesday, February 5, the Progress M-22M spacecraft was launched by a Soyuz-U rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 4:23pm UTC. The Russian Progress M-22M, has successfully docked to ISS just 6 hours after launching from Baikonur. 

The space launch happened Less than 24 hours since its Progress M-20M cargo craft undocked from the International Space Station (ISS), following six months in residence.

Credit: +Roscosmos press service

The craft is full of cargo and supplies for the 6 membered Expedition 38 crew. Docking occurred at 22:22 UTC. With around 750 flights, the Soyuz-U is the most-flown orbital launch system ever developed.

Live the docking to the International Space Station in video :

Successful launch and orbiting of 2 satellites by Ariane 5

Dear followers,

yesterday, the European space rocket, Ariane 5, performed its first 2014 launch from Kourou, French Guiana. Ariane 5 orbited 2 telecommunications satellites, Athena-Fidus and ABS-2 at  21:30 UTC (February 6th).

Credit: +CNES 

Athena-Fidus (Access on THeatres for European Nations Allied forces - French Italian Dual Use Satellite) is a telecommunications satellite developped by the large collaboration between France and Italia. Developed for CNES, the Italian space agency ASI, the French Defense agency (DGA) and the Italian Ministry of Defence, it will deliver telecommunications services to French and Italian military and civil protection forces, complementing capacity already provided by the Syracuse and SICRAL satellites.

In an other hand, ABS-2 is a telecommunications satellite that will enable the operator Asia Broadcast Satellite (ABS) to deliver telecommunications, television, multimedia and data transmission services to Asia, Russia, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

Enjoy the European Ariane 5 rocket blasted off from Kourou in French Guiana

Credit: +Arianespace 

Dingo Gap, the dune of sand taken in 360° by Curiosity on Mars

Dear followers,

after 526 days on Mars, the curiosity rover from +NASA continue to explore the surface for the red planet until a dune of sand called Dingo Gap.

Credit image: +NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory 

A new 360° panorama has been proposed +Andrew Bodrov. The panorama shows the Dingo Gap taken during the 530th Martian day. The dune is about 1 m high.

Mars Panorama - Curiosity rover: Martian solar day 530 in The World


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Stay tuned

Impressive shot of the Orion Nebula and Running Man Nebula

Credit image: +Chris Sinclair 

North pole of Saturn from Cassini

Credit: +NASA 

NGC 6357 near NGC 6334 in the constellation Scorpius taken by the Hubble Space Telescope

Credit image: +Hubble Space Telescope 

Chinese moon rover Yutu has a mechanical control anomaly

Dear followers,

few days ago, we propose you an amazing work performed thanks to pictures taken by the Chinese moon rover, called Yutu or Change's 3. However, last weekend, an "abnormality occurred due to complicated lunar surface environment," announced the the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND) from China. 

The abnormality emerged before the rover entered its second dormancy at dawn on Saturday as the lunar night fell, according to SASTIND. The equipment failure may block the solar panel. If the panels cannot be closed, the rover will almost certainly freeze during the two week span. As said, the moon environment is really critical. Actually, one night on the Moon is about 14 days on Earth, during which the temperature falls below minus 180 Celsius. During the lunar night, there is no sunlight to provide power to Yutu's solar panel.

 Credit: CNSA/CCTV

The Chang'e-3 lunar probe soft-landed on the Moon on December 14th after couple days in lunar orbit. The rover separated from the lander hours later.

The success of the Chang'e-3 mission makes China the third country to soft-land a spacecraft on lunar soil after the United States and the former Soviet Union. During this mission, China collaborates with ESA, the +European Space Agency, ESA for the communication part.

Milky Way taken from the North Coast of Scotland

Credit image : +Chris Sinclair 

Atlas 5 lift-off carrying TDRS-L Satellite from Cape Canaveral

Credit: +NASA