#NEO Surveyor

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Work Is Under Way on NASA’s Next-Generation Asteroid Hunter

The mirrors for NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope are being installed and aligned, and work on other spacecraft components is accelerating.

NASA’s new asteroid-hunting spacecraft is taking shape at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Called NEO Surveyor (Near-Earth Object Surveyor), this cutting-edge infrared space telescope will seek out the hardest-to-find asteroids and comets that might pose a hazard to our planet. In fact, it is the agency’s first space telescope designed specifically for planetary defense.

Targeting launch in late 2027, the spacecraft will travel a million miles to a region of gravitational stability — called the L1 Lagrange point — between Earth and the Sun. From there, its large sunshade will block the glare and heat of sunlight, allowing the mission to discover and track near-Earth objects as they approach Earth from the direction of the Sun, which is difficult for other observatories to do. The space telescope also may reveal asteroids called Earth Trojans, which lead and trail our planet’s orbit and are difficult to see from the ground or from Earth orbit.

NEO Surveyor relies on cutting-edge detectors that observe two bands of infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye. Near-Earth objects, no matter how dark, glow brightly in infrared as the Sun heats them. Because of this, the telescope will be able to find dark asteroids and comets, which don’t reflect much visible light. It also will measure those objects, a challenging task for visible-light telescopes that have a hard time distinguishing between small, highly reflective objects and large, dark ones.

“NEO Surveyor is optimized to help us to do one specific thing: enable humanity to find the most hazardous asteroids and comets far enough in advance so we can do something about them,” said Amy Mainzer, survey director for NEO Surveyor and a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. “We aim to build a spacecraft that can find, track, and characterize the objects with the greatest chance of hitting Earth. In the process, we will learn a lot about their origins and evolution.”

Coming Into Focus

The spacecraft’s only instrument is its telescope. About the size of a washer-and-dryer set, the telescope’s blocky aluminum body, called the optical bench, was built in a JPL clean room. Known as a three-mirror anastigmat telescope, it will rely on curved mirrors to focus light onto its infrared detectors in such a way that minimizes optical aberrations.

“We have been carefully managing the fabrication of the spacecraft’s telescope mirrors, all of which were received in the JPL clean room by July,” said Brian Monacelli, principal optical engineer at JPL. “Its mirrors were shaped and polished from solid aluminum using a diamond-turning machine. Each exceeds the mission’s performance requirements.”

Monacelli inspected the mirror surfaces for debris and damage, then JPL’s team of optomechanical technicians and engineers attached the mirrors to the telescope’s optical bench in August. Next, they will measure the telescope’s performance and align its mirrors.

Complementing the mirror assembly are the telescope’s mercury-cadmium-telluride detectors, which are similar to the detectors used by NASA’s recently retired NEOWISE (short for Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission. An advantage of these detectors is that they don’t necessarily require cryogenic coolers or cryogens to lower their operational temperatures in order to detect infrared wavelengths. Cryocoolers and cryogens can limit the lifespan of a spacecraft. NEO Surveyor will instead keep its cool by using its large sunshade to block sunlight from heating the telescope and by occupying an orbit beyond that of the Moon, minimizing heating from Earth.

The telescope will eventually be installed inside the spacecraft’s instrument enclosure, which is being assembled in JPL’s historic High Bay 1 clean room where NASA missions such as Voyager, Cassini, and Perseverance were constructed. Fabricated from dark composite material that allows heat to escape, the enclosure will help keep the telescope cool and prevent its own heat from obscuring observations.

Once it is completed in coming weeks, the enclosure will be tested to make sure it can withstand the rigors of space exploration. Then it will be mounted on the back of the sunshade and atop the electronic systems that will power and control the spacecraft.

“The entire team has been working hard for a long time to get to this point, and we are excited to see the hardware coming together with contributions from our institutional and industrial collaborators from across the country,” said Tom Hoffman, NEO Surveyor’s project manager at JPL. “From the panels and cables for the instrument enclosure to the detectors and mirrors for the telescope — as well as components to build the spacecraft — hardware is being fabricated, delivered, and assembled to build this incredible observatory.”

More About NEO Surveyor

The NEO Surveyor mission marks a major step for NASA toward reaching its U.S. Congress-mandated goal to discover and characterize at least 90% of the near-Earth objects more than 460 feet (140 meters) across that come within 30 million miles (48 million kilometers) of our planet’s orbit. Objects of this size can cause significant regional damage, or worse, should they impact the Earth.

The mission is tasked by NASA’s Planetary Science Division within the Science Mission Directorate; program oversight is provided by the Planetary Defense Coordination Office, which was established in 2016 to manage the agency’s ongoing efforts in planetary defense. NASA’s Planetary Missions Program Office at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center provides program management for NEO Surveyor.

The project is being developed by JPL and is led by survey director Amy Mainzer at UCLA. Established aerospace and engineering companies have been contracted to build the spacecraft and its instrumentation, including BAE Systems, Space Dynamics Laboratory, and Teledyne. The Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado, Boulder will support operations, and IPAC-Caltech in Pasadena, California, is responsible for processing survey data and producing the mission’s data products. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

[zoomdigitaltv]

Thales Alenia Space proporcionará equipos de comunicación a la misión NEO Surveyor de la NASA 

El telescopio de la NASA que detectará asteroides potencialmente peligrosos para la Tierra Continue reading Thales Alenia Space proporcionará equipos de comunicación a la misión NEO Surveyor de la NASA 

[roversrovers]

Soon, NEOWISE will turn into the very thing it studied: A shooting star.

On December 14th 2009, the space telescope WISE (Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer) was launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, to survey the entire infrared sky in four infrared wavelength bands. During the initial phase of operation it discovered a great variety of objects, such as the first Y-type brown dwarf and exoplanets, but it proved to be especially good at discovering near earth objects when its mission was extended for four months in 2010 and given the name NEOWISE. 

After being put into hibernation in 2011, it was reactivated in 2013, continuing under the mission name NEOWISE, a name that is meaningful in two ways: It is both short for Near-Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer and describes the main function, but it also symbolizes the new life of WISE with the addition of the prefix Neo. Since the depletion of the coolant in 2010, giving WISE a “new” life became necessary, because only two of the initial four infrared detectors were still functioning, making a continuation of the original mission impossible– but it still provided enough data for a new one. 

The space telescope’s new primary role was that of an asteroid and comet hunter and as such it discovered around 3,000 Near-earth objects. Among them was its namesake, the comet NEOWISE.

However, on August 8th 2024, NEOWISE was decommissioned. This is due to the fact that it does not have any kind of propulsion engine and instead relies on a stable orbit– an orbit that is now becoming unstable because of solar activity. During the solar maximum, activities such as solar flares are heating Earth's upper atmosphere, which expands and drags satellites like NEOWISE, causing it to drop lower and lower. Predictions say that in early 2025 NEOWISE will finally burn up in our atmosphere, which we may observe as a shooting star in the sky.

NEOWISE’s story is one of great success with enough data collected to provide the scientific community for decades, and it laid important groundwork in protecting Earth and its inhabitants; a legacy that will be continued by the NEO Surveyor, expected to launch in 2027.

[reasonsforhope]

“A new space-based surveyor that will help catalog millions of near-Earth objects is now ready for budgeting and building after passing a rigorous technical review.

This year NASA completed its first-ever mission organized entirely for the purpose of planetary defense, when the DART probe slammed into an asteroid to see if it could be redirected away from a potential collision course with Earth.

Now, the NEO Surveyor mission will discover and characterize at least 90% of the near-Earth objects more than 140 meters (460 feet) across that come within 30 million miles of our planet’s orbit.

These objects are capable of causing significant regional harm, while history has shown that larger ones can be catastrophic. Humanity has gotten lucky thus far, but slow-growing wisdom has seen NASA create a Planetary Defense Coordination Office for the purpose of learning how to protect Earth from such events...

“Ground-based telescopes remain essential for us to continually watch the skies, but a space-based infrared observatory is the ultimate high ground that will enable NASA’s planetary defense strategy.”

Sitting around 1 million miles from Earth at the First LaGrange Point, NEO Surveyor will view the solar system in the infrared spectrum of light, lightwaves that are blocked by Earth’s atmosphere and therefore invisible for ground-based telescopes...

The launch date is currently proposed for June 2028.” -via Good News Network, 12/23/22

[scentedchildnacho]

Stochastic inflation...yea don't freak out no reason to get an eye twitch or spas....sure poise posture three ps yea

So there is a huge fire cloud from the mountain covering the sky don't freak out

Always exhibit grace

How are you going to get that out though if you don't exhibit symptoms though

I don't know what the fires are about its maybe clear cutting to put weird houses plantations and observatories up there.....or that's weird to have a surveyors Aztec company to supervise us all up there and they started burning weirdness down

I would also suspect they started burning down riverside neighborhoods....something kept taking in world wide detained criminals who were maybe originally wanted in Canada and hiring them to raid through for drug lords

Rawanda like 20 years after....that's don't live by me ever again

I tried to do my good deed and share my shelter arrival new hope with wait staff that can't leave their families and was cubanoed

People still trapped under paternal influance even if in fortune if it's some daddy's that I have sympathy for

I mostly have to learn simple things they as incest have very high stress states to learn...

If it's the landscaping terrorism their Cubans....fulgencio Batista first engineered rawanda in Florida so their Cubans.....little tapas is all I may eat to have my wallet lifted so

They little cup people and dump crowds on Mexicans so

The landscaping terrorists tend to enjoy neo Nazi books on nogales to the Chickasaw thieves so their Cubans

I was white and Latin and may touch pork

Guantanamo bay I think their from all over the world really random

The news just said the fires started at an airport and did start burning down homes

And that's apologies for the families around they can't be at home for a lot so

[michaelgabrill]

Work Is Under Way on NASAs Next-Generation Asteroid Hunter

The mirrors for NASA’s Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope are being installed and aligned, and work on other spacecraft components is accelerating. NASA’s new asteroid-hunting spacecraft is taking shape at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Called NEO Surveyor (Near-Earth Object Surveyor), this cutting-edge infrared space telescope will seek out the hardest-to-find asteroids and […] from NASA https://ift.tt/YXdQkEp

[spacenutspod]

NASA’s near-Earth-object-hunting mission NEOWISE is nearing its conclusion. But its work will carry on with NASA’s next-generation infrared mission: NEO Surveyor. NASA’s NEOWISE mission, operational...

[slimewizzard]

ExHeaven Mini-Campaign Checklist

Just a little checklist for me to make sure I have everything in order to make the Exheaven mini campaign work! I'll try to update every day :]

Finish all classes and archetypes

Witch Doctor, Scrapper, Cyborg, Thief, Surveyor, Junkie, Cybernetic

2. Flesh out Neo draconis prison

Make a map for the prision [possibly several], draw backgrounds of Neo Draconis and ND Max, outline all mini-quests and minor npcs

3. Flesh out major NPCs

[re] design Lucy and March, decide the type and form of Proto Valentine [and all warden droids], flesh out relationship of Lucy, Valentine and March.

4. Prepare the wiki

Make the class info easy to understand at a glance, upload the character sheet, upload cursory info on ND and ND Max, background images for ND and ND Max, cursory info on March Hiemline

5. Allow players time to come up with characters

4-5 players and 7 classes, no dupes. Everyone should have their character sheet done, a good idea of what they look like, and why they're in ND Max.

[pc7ooo]

Космический телескоп NASA NEOWISE для фотоохоты на астероиды скоро завершит работу и сгорит в атмосфере

Миссия NASA NEOWISE (Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) завершится 31 июля. В течение 14 лет космический телескоп, специально предназначенный для наблюдения за астероидами, вёл непрерывный мониторинг их активности. Из-за повышающейся солнечной активности космический аппарат, не оснащённый двигателями, не сможет оставаться на орбите и сгорит в атмосфере в конце 2024 или начале 2025 года. Его преемник, NEO Surveyor, будет запущен лишь в сентябре 2027 года. Источник изображений: planetary.org

Подробнее на https://7ooo.ru/group/2024/07/08/423-kosmicheskiy-teleskop-nasa-neowise-dlya-fotoohoty-na-asteroidy-skoro-zavershit-rabotu-i-sgorit-v-atmosfere-grss-322734108.html

[onlinevisauk]

Top 5 places to visit in Uttrakhand

Nainital, nestled in the Kumaon foothills of the Himalayas, is a picturesque hill station in Uttarakhand, India, renowned for its tranquil lakes, lush forests, and panoramic vistas. The town’s centerpiece, Naini Lake, is enveloped by verdant hills and is a hub for boating, offering serene moments amidst the breathtaking scenery. Mall Road, the bustling promenade along the lake’s edge, is dotted with shops, eateries, and colonial-era buildings, exuding an old-world charm.

Among the places to see in Nainital, the Naina Devi Temple stands out, dedicated to the presiding deity of the town, Goddess Naina Devi. Another must-visit is the Snow View Point, accessible by a scenic cable car ride, offering panoramic views of the surrounding snow-capped peaks. Eco Cave Gardens, with its interconnected caves and musical fountain, provides an entertaining escape into nature.

For those seeking adventure, Nainital offers opportunities for trekking, paragliding, and horse riding amidst its lush landscapes. Tiffin Top, also known as Dorothy’s Seat, offers breathtaking views of the Himalayas and is a popular spot for picnics and nature walks.

Nainital’s rich colonial heritage is evident in landmarks like the Governor’s House and St. John’s Church, reflecting its past as a favored retreat for the British. With its pristine beauty and array of attractions, Nainital captivates visitors with its serene ambiance and natural splendor. https://www.onlinevisa.uk/india-visa

Nestled in the picturesque foothills of the Himalayas, Mussoorie stands as a beacon of natural splendor and colonial charm. Fondly dubbed the "Queen of Hills," this quaint hill station in Uttarakhand, India, boasts breathtaking vistas, temperate climate, and a rich historical tapestry.

One of the must-visit places in Mussoorie is the iconic Gun Hill, offering panoramic views of the Himalayan range and the Doon Valley. The Mall Road, Mussoorie's bustling promenade, invites visitors to explore its array of shops, cafes, and colonial-era architecture. The tranquil Camel's Back Road, flanked by lush greenery, provides a serene backdrop for leisurely strolls.

For those seeking adventure, Kempty Falls presents an exhilarating opportunity to splash in its cascading waters amidst verdant surroundings. Lal Tibba, the highest point in Mussoorie, offers mesmerizing sunrise and sunset vistas, making it a favorite among nature enthusiasts and photographers alike.

Mussoorie also boasts several historical landmarks, including the Sir George Everest's House, the former residence of the renowned surveyor after whom Mount Everest was named. Additionally, the Christ Church, with its neo-Gothic architecture, stands as a testament to the town's colonial heritage.

Whether you're seeking tranquility in nature's embrace or eager to immerse yourself in history and culture, Mussoorie promises an unforgettable retreat amidst the Himalayan grandeur. https://www.onlinevisa.uk/india-visa

Rishikesh, nestled in the foothills of the Himalayas along the banks of the sacred Ganges River, is a serene and spiritual haven in northern India. Renowned as the "Yoga Capital of the World," Rishikesh attracts seekers and adventurers alike with its tranquil atmosphere and breathtaking natural beauty.

Among the plethora of places to see in Rishikesh, the iconic Laxman Jhula and Ram Jhula suspension bridges offer panoramic views of the river and surrounding mountains. The Beatles Ashram, also known as Chaurasi Kutia, is a must-visit for fans of the legendary band, who stayed here in the 1960s and found inspiration in its tranquil ambiance.

For spiritual seekers, the numerous ashrams and temples dotting the city offer a sanctuary for meditation and self-reflection. Parmarth Niketan, Swarg Ashram, and Neelkanth Mahadev Temple are just a few of the sacred sites worth exploring.

Adventure enthusiasts flock to Rishikesh for its thrilling activities like white-water rafting, bungee jumping, and trekking in the nearby Himalayan trails. The town also hosts an array of yoga and meditation retreats, attracting visitors from around the globe seeking inner peace and rejuvenation.

In essence, Rishikesh embodies a perfect blend of spirituality, adventure, and natural beauty, making it a must-visit destination for travelers seeking a transformative experience amidst the serene Himalayan landscape. https://www.onlinevisa.uk/india-visa

Jim Corbett National Park, nestled in the picturesque state of Uttarakhand, India, is a haven for wildlife enthusiasts and nature lovers alike. Established in 1936, it is renowned as one of the oldest national parks in India and is named after the legendary hunter-turned-conservationist, Jim Corbett. Spanning over 520 square kilometers, the park encompasses diverse landscapes ranging from dense forests to grassy plains, making it a hotspot for a wide variety of flora and fauna.

Among the must-visit places in Jim Corbett National Park is Dhikala, a scenic zone known for its panoramic views and abundant wildlife sightings. Here, visitors can indulge in thrilling jungle safaris to catch glimpses of majestic Bengal tigers, Asiatic elephants, spotted deer, and a plethora of bird species.

Another highlight is the Corbett Museum, located at Kaladhungi, which offers insights into the life and achievements of Jim Corbett, along with displays of historical artifacts and photographs.

For a serene experience, the Garjia Temple, situated amidst the lush greenery near the Kosi River, provides a spiritual retreat amidst nature's bounty.

Additionally, the Bijrani and Jhirna zones offer excellent opportunities for wildlife spotting and nature walks, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the park's pristine wilderness.

With its breathtaking landscapes and rich biodiversity, Jim Corbett National Park stands as a testament to the importance of conservation efforts and remains a cherished destination for travelers seeking a rendezvous with nature's wonders. https://www.onlinevisa.uk/india-visa

Haridwar, one of India's holiest cities, is nestled along the banks of the sacred Ganges River in the northern state of Uttarakhand. Its name translates to "Gateway to God," and rightfully so, as it's a prominent pilgrimage site for Hindus.

Among the places to see in Haridwar, the iconic Har Ki Pauri stands out. This revered ghat is believed to be the precise spot where Lord Vishnu left his footprint, drawing thousands of devotees who come to bathe in the purifying waters of the Ganges.

Another must-visit is the Mansa Devi Temple, perched atop the Bilwa Parvat hill. Pilgrims ascend by foot or via a cable car to seek blessings from the goddess Mansa Devi, known for fulfilling wishes.

For a serene escape, head to the tranquil Chandi Devi Temple, accessible by a scenic cable car ride. It's dedicated to the fierce goddess Chandi, offering panoramic views of Haridwar.

Haridwar's spirituality extends beyond temples; it's a city of vibrant culture and traditions. Witness the enchanting Ganga Aarti at dusk, where priests perform rituals amidst chanting, fire, and music, creating an atmosphere of profound devotion. https://www.onlinevisa.uk/india-visa

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

Work is underway on NASA's next-generation asteroid hunter

The mirrors for NASA's Near-Earth Object Surveyor space telescope are being installed and aligned, and work on other spacecraft components is accelerating.

NASA's new asteroid-hunting spacecraft is taking shape at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. Called NEO Surveyor (Near-Earth Object Surveyor), this cutting-edge infrared space telescope will seek out the hardest-to-find asteroids and comets that might pose a hazard to our planet. In fact, it is the agency's first space telescope designed specifically for planetary defense.

Targeting launch in late 2027, the spacecraft will travel a million miles to a region of gravitational stability—called the L1 Lagrange point—between Earth and the sun. From there, its large sunshade will block the glare and heat of sunlight, allowing the mission to discover and track near-Earth objects as they approach Earth from the direction of the sun, which is difficult for other observatories to do. The space telescope also may reveal asteroids called Earth Trojans, which lead and trail our planet's orbit and are difficult to see from the ground or from Earth orbit.

NEO Surveyor relies on cutting-edge detectors that observe two bands of infrared light, which is invisible to the human eye. Near-Earth objects, no matter how dark, glow brightly in infrared as the sun heats them. Because of this, the telescope will be able to find dark asteroids and comets, which don't reflect much visible light. It also will measure those objects, a challenging task for visible-light telescopes that have a hard time distinguishing between small, highly reflective objects and large, dark ones.

"NEO Surveyor is optimized to help us to do one specific thing: enable humanity to find the most hazardous asteroids and comets far enough in advance so we can do something about them," said Amy Mainzer, survey director for NEO Surveyor and a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. "We aim to build a spacecraft that can find, track, and characterize the objects with the greatest chance of hitting Earth. In the process, we will learn a lot about their origins and evolution."

Coming into focus

The spacecraft's only instrument is its telescope. About the size of a washer-and-dryer set, the telescope's blocky aluminum body, called the optical bench, was built in a JPL clean room. Known as a three-mirror anastigmat telescope, it will rely on curved mirrors to focus light onto its infrared detectors in such a way that minimizes optical aberrations.

"We have been carefully managing the fabrication of the spacecraft's telescope mirrors, all of which were received in the JPL clean room by July," said Brian Monacelli, principal optical engineer at JPL. "Its mirrors were shaped and polished from solid aluminum using a diamond-turning machine. Each exceeds the mission's performance requirements."

Monacelli inspected the mirror surfaces for debris and damage, then JPL's team of optomechanical technicians and engineers attached the mirrors to the telescope's optical bench in August. Next, they will measure the telescope's performance and align its mirrors.

Complementing the mirror assembly are the telescope's mercury-cadmium-telluride detectors, which are similar to the detectors used by NASA's recently retired NEOWISE (short for Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) mission.

An advantage of these detectors is that they don't necessarily require cryogenic coolers or cryogens to lower their operational temperatures in order to detect infrared wavelengths. Cryocoolers and cryogens can limit the lifespan of a spacecraft.

NEO Surveyor will instead keep its cool by using its large sunshade to block sunlight from heating the telescope and by occupying an orbit beyond that of the moon, minimizing heating from Earth.

The telescope will eventually be installed inside the spacecraft's instrument enclosure, which is being assembled in JPL's historic High Bay 1 clean room where NASA missions such as Voyager, Cassini, and Perseverance were constructed. Fabricated from dark composite material that allows heat to escape, the enclosure will help keep the telescope cool and prevent its own heat from obscuring observations.

Once it is completed in coming weeks, the enclosure will be tested to make sure it can withstand the rigors of space exploration. Then it will be mounted on the back of the sunshade and atop the electronic systems that will power and control the spacecraft.

"The entire team has been working hard for a long time to get to this point, and we are excited to see the hardware coming together with contributions from our institutional and industrial collaborators from across the country," said Tom Hoffman, NEO Surveyor's project manager at JPL.

"From the panels and cables for the instrument enclosure to the detectors and mirrors for the telescope—as well as components to build the spacecraft—hardware is being fabricated, delivered, and assembled to build this incredible observatory."

IMAGE: This artist’s concept depicts NASA’s NEO Surveyor in deep space. The black-paneled angular structure in the belly of the spacecraft is the instrument enclosure that is being built at JPL. The mission’s infrared telescope will be installed inside the enclosure. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

[momental]

The infrared space telescope of NASA's NEOWISE mission has released its 10th year of data, revealing changes in celestial objects over time. This information plays a key role in studying variable stars' brightness changes and black hole flares but is particularly focused on exploring asteroids and comets in our local cosmic neighborhood.

NEOWISE, an integral part of NASA's planetary defense strategy, refines asteroid and comet orbits and estimates their size. For instance, it has been crucial in studying the asteroid Apophis that will closely approach Earth in 2029.

From its position in low-Earth orbit, NEOWISE has recorded 1.45 million infrared measurements of over 44,000 solar system objects, including more than 3,000 Near-Earth Objects (NEOs). It has discovered 215 of these NEOs, 25 of which are comets, such as the famous comet NEOWISE.

“The space telescope has been a workhorse for characterizing NEOs that may pose a hazard to Earth in the future,” said Amy Mainzer, NEOWISE’s principal investigator. “The data that NEOWISE has generated for free use by the scientific community will pay dividends for generations.”

The mission, managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, sends data thrice a day to the U.S. Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS) network, which then delivers it to IPAC.

The Infrared Processing and Analysis Center (IPAC) at Caltech in Pasadena, California, processes raw data from the Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE), creating fully calibrated images that are available online. The center also identifies Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) and sends the data to the Minor Planet Center, the internationally recognized authority for position measurements of solar system bodies. Scientists can observe the movements of individual asteroids and comets by examining multiple images of the same area of sky taken at different times. 'The science products we generate identify specific infrared sources in the sky with precisely determined positions and brightnesses that enable discoveries to be made,' said Roc Cutri, lead scientist for the NEOWISE Science Data System at IPAC. IPAC also plans to produce data products for NASA’s NEO Surveyor, a next-generation space survey telescope slated for launch no earlier than 2027. This telescope will seek out hard-to-detect NEOs, such as dark asteroids and comets that are more visible in infrared light. NEOWISE was initially launched as the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) in 2009 to survey the entire sky. It was reactivated in 2014 and renamed NEOWISE, despite initially being designed for less than a year of operation. This extended its lifespan and allowed it to continue observing the infrared glow of comets and asteroids heated by the Sun.

Joseph Masiero, NEOWISE’s deputy principal investigator at IPAC, humorously notes, 'We are 14 years into a seven-month mission,' referring to the spacecraft he started working on at JPL just two months before its launch on Dec. 14, 2009. Masiero's career has revolved around this mission which has been constantly making new discoveries and enhancing our understanding of the universe. Unfortunately, due to the inevitable 'tyranny of orbital dynamics,' NEOWISE is predicted to cease operation in the coming years.

NEOWISE is anticipated to fall out of orbit due to solar activity, eventually dropping low enough into Earth’s atmosphere to render it unusable. Joseph Hunt, NEOWISE project manager at JPL, explains, 'NEOWISE has lasted way past its original spacecraft design lifetime. As it lacks a method to reach higher orbits, it will naturally descend so low in the atmosphere that it will become entirely unusable and burn up in the months following decommissioning.'

NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor serve the objectives of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO). Their mission, per the NASA Authorization Act of 2005, is to discover and characterize at least 90% of the near-Earth objects larger than 140 meters that come within 30 million miles of our planet’s orbit. These objects pose a significant threat, potentially causing substantial regional damage or worse upon impact with the Earth.

JPL, managed by Caltech, operates the NEOWISE mission for PDCO. The Space Dynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah, built the science instrument while Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. of Boulder, Colorado, constructed the spacecraft. The science data processing occurs at IPAC at Caltech.

More about NEOWISE can be found at:

https://www.nasa.gov/neowise

and

http://neowise.ipac.caltech.edu/

For additional information, please contact:

Ian J. O’Neill of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. at ian.j.oneill@jpl.nasa.gov or Karen Fox / Charles Blue at NASA Headquarters, Washington at karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / charles.e.blue@nasa.gov.

Source Link: NASA’s NEOWISE Extends Legacy With Decade of Near-Earth Object Data

[techtuv]

NASA Bids Farewell to Asteroid-Hunting Telescope as New Mission Takes Shape

Now, with NEOWISE approaching end-of-life due to escalating atmospheric drag, NASA is ushering in a new era of asteroid monitoring. The agency is developing the NEO Surveyor space telescope to pick up where NEOWISE leaves off, recognizing the importance of tracking potentially hazardous NEOs.

As NEOWISE operations wind down in 2025, the NEO Surveyor aims to enhance detection capabilities and inform asteroid impact prevention strategies. This new telescope builds on the strong foundation laid by NEOWISE in mapping our cosmic neighborhood.

The NEO Surveyor demonstrates NASA’s continued commitment to advancing planetary defense while expanding our knowledge of near-Earth objects.

Source:techtuv.com

[highpowerrocketryspace]

WASHINGTON — While Congress provided more funding than NASA requested for an asteroid mission, agency officials said it would not prevent a two-year slippage in its launch. The omnibus fiscal year 2023 spending bill signed into law in December ordered NASA to spend no less than $90 million on the Near Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission, a space telescope to detect asteroids near Earth. Earth as part of NASA's planetary defense efforts. NASA had only requested $39.9 million for the mission in its budget request, far less than expected, and said it would delay the mission's launch from 2026 to 2028. At a Jan. 24 meeting of NASA's Small Bodies Assessment Group (SBAG), Lori Glaze, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, said that while the extra funding was helpful, it wouldn't allow NASA to avoid this delay. "They had a very tough budget for 2023, but luckily the credits for NEO Surveyor actually gave them an extra $50 million," she said. “It's not enough to get them back in time for a 2026 launch. We're still looking at 2028, officially, but it's a huge help in moving this team forward. Congress passed the spending bill weeks after the mission passed a confirmatory review, officially known as Key Decision Point C, allowing it to enter its next phase of development. This review officially set a target launch date of no later than June 2028 and a cost estimate of $1.2 billion. "We're past confirmation and in Phase C," Amy Mainzer, survey manager for NEO Surveyor, said in a separate presentation at the January 24 SBAG meeting. "It's really great to be able to say that." She said the mission is currently working towards a launch in September 2027, nine months ahead of its formal requirement. The project is making good progress on the infrared camera the spacecraft will use to detect near-Earth objects, with the goal of finding two-thirds of such asteroids at least 140 meters in diameter in five years. Mainzer briefly touched on the budget issues faced by NEO Surveyor. This included not only the reduction of NASA's 2023 budget request, but also the agency's decision in June 2022 to cancel $33 million of the $143 million allocated in fiscal year 2022, redirecting this funding towards other projects. In late August 2022, NASA told the project to expect to have $80 million to $90 million available in fiscal year 2023 depending on advancement of congressional appropriations. “We have suffered budget cuts, it is true, but we are moving forward,” she said. "We have managed to make very good use of the funds available to us this year." Both Glaze and Mainzer addressed another concern about the mission during the SBAG meeting: its increased cost. NEO Surveyor is a version of a mission concept called NEOCam that was a finalist in NASA's Discovery program of low-cost planetary science missions, and as recently as 2019 was expected to cost no more than $600 million. The new cost estimate of $1.2 billion surprised some members of the global scientific community. “I will take ownership of this because of the delays that we put in place and some of the budgetary challenges that we imposed on the mission,” Glaze said. The two-year delay, she noted, solves short-term budgetary pressures, but increases the overall cost of the mission by stretching it. Mainzer looked at the big picture, noting the mission's goal of identifying any asteroids that could pose a risk of a serious impact on Earth. “It's a problem we know how to solve. How many global problems do we know how to solve that are on the order of a billion dollars? " she says. "It's an important thing to do."

[schizochroal]

After accidentally getting sort of obsessed the past few weeks with an old, long since broken up band, who had one prominent member go on to many years later become a quasi fascist, despite the band itself having had a very apparent left wing ideology, I've been sort of stuck on that idea of someone like, changing for the worse.

I think a lot of times people want to disregard the potential for negative change, and say things like "oh they were secretly always bigoted/racist/transphobic" and they were just later "radicalized" into being more open or extreme about it. But i don't know , I don't really buy this, and most of the arguments used to support those claims are so circumstantial that it makes it borderline unfalsifiable.

To give an example of what I'm talking about, a popular comedian might have recently started making derogatory remarks about trans people and immigrants, and aligned themselves with a neo-reactionary politician, despite having in the past participated in LGBT-rights campaigns and been known for mocking racists in their early comedy specials. Upon realizing this comedian is now a reactionary, those who try to spread the word about this will then dig up say, an off-hand comment they made about drag queens twenty years ago, or some poorly thought out joke they once made about Mexican food that went too far, and use this as proof that they "were actually always a reactionary"; discounting the possibility that these were just incidental failures in favor of the asserting that they were in fact cracks in their veneer of morality revealing their intrinsically tainted nature beneath.

But applying this logic generally leads to the situation where anyone, no matter how much their actions contradict this presupposition, can be declared a secret fascist based on any mistake or small remark that doesn't pass the muster of the internet's keenest surveyors of sin. I don't think I really need to explain too much why this is such an issue, but I do think people often don't realize that this is just the same process as before applied in reverse.