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Space News Update — August 30, 2013 —

Contents

In the News

Story 1:

Former JPL Director Bruce Murray Dies at 81

Story 2:

Giant Black Hole Caught Rejecting Material

Story 3:

NASA Data Reveals Mega-Canyon under Greenland Ice Sheet

Departments

The Night Sky

ISS Sighting Opportunities

Space Calendar

NASA-TV Highlights

Food for Thought

Space Image of the Week

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1. Former JPL Director Bruce Murray Dies at 81

Flags have been lowered to half-staff at NASA's Jet Propulsion

Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., to honor the passing of its

former director, planetary scientist Bruce C. Murray, who died today

(Aug. 29) at age 81 after a long illness.

Murray led JPL from 1976 to 1982, during a period of several

landmarks for the exploration of our solar system. Viking 1 and 2

landed on Mars in the summer of 1976, becoming the first American

spacecraft to touch down on the Red Planet. Soon after, the ambitious

Voyager 1 and 2 missions were launched; the spacecraft flew by

Jupiter and Saturn, snapping the first detailed images of the two huge

gas giants and their moons.

Though Murray ran up against serious budget cuts during his tenure,

but he brought several important projects to JPL, including the joint

Netherlands/United Kingdom/U.S. Infrared Astronomy Satellite. He

also salvaged the Galileo mission, which eventually launched in 1989

and was the first spacecraft to examine Jupiter and its moons for an

extended period.

"He worked tirelessly to save our nation's planetary exploration capability at a tumultuous time when there was

serious consideration for curtailing future missions," current JPL director Charles Elachi, said in a statement.

"Long after returning to Caltech as a professor he continued to be an important voice in expressing the

importance of space exploration."

In 1979, Murray co-founded the Planetary Society with the late astronomer Carl Sagan and engineer Louis

Friedman. The nonprofit group, which still exists today, is dedicated to exploring the solar system and directs

several citizen-funded initiatives. (Its current CEO is Bill Nye.)

Murray earned his doctorate in geology from MIT. After a stint at Standard Oil, he served two years in the U.S.

Air Force and then jointed Caltech in 1960, working in planetary astronomy, according to a statement of JPL.

Before coming to the helm of JPL, he played an important role on the science teams for lab's early Mariner

missions, using images captured by the spacecraft to start constructing a geologic history for the Red Planet. He

was also part of the Mariner 4 imaging team that captured the first close-up of Mars in 1964. After leaving

NASA, Murray became a professor of planetary science and geology at Caltech.

Murray is survived by his wife, Suzanne Moss, five children and grandchildren.

Source: Space.com Return to Contents

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2. Giant Black Hole Caught Rejecting Material

Astronomers using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory have taken a major step in explaining why material

around the giant black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy is extraordinarily faint in X-rays. This

discovery holds important implications for understanding black holes.

New Chandra images of Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), which is located about 26,000 light-years from Earth, indicate

that less than 1 percent of the gas initially within Sgr A*'s gravitational grasp ever reaches the point of no

return, also called the event horizon. Instead, much of the gas is ejected before it gets near the event horizon and

has a chance to brighten, leading to feeble X-ray emissions.

These new findings are the result of one of the longest observation campaigns ever performed with Chandra.

The spacecraft collected five weeks' worth of data on Sgr A* in 2012. The researchers used this observation

period to capture unusually detailed and sensitive X-ray images and energy signatures of super-heated gas

swirling around Sgr A*, whose mass is about 4 million times that of the sun.

"We think most large galaxies have a supermassive black hole at their center, but they are too far away for us to

study how matter flows near it," said Q. Daniel Wang of the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, who led

of a study published Thursday in the journal Science. "Sgr A* is one of very few black holes close enough for

us to actually witness this process."

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The researchers found that the Chandra data from Sgr A* did not support theoretical models in which the X-

rays are emitted from a concentration of smaller stars around the black hole. Instead, the X-ray data show the

gas near the black hole likely originates from winds produced by a disk-shaped distribution of young massive

stars.

"This new Chandra image is one of the coolest I've ever seen," said co-author Sera Markoff of the University of

Amsterdam in the Netherlands. "We're watching Sgr A* capture hot gas ejected by nearby stars, and funnel it in

towards its event horizon."

To plunge over the event horizon, material captured by a black hole must lose heat and momentum. The

ejection of matter allows this to occur.

"Most of the gas must be thrown out so that a small amount can reach the black hole", said Feng Yuan of

Shanghai Astronomical Observatory in China, the study's co-author. "Contrary to what some people think, black

holes do not actually devour everything that's pulled towards them. Sgr A* is apparently finding much of its

food hard to swallow."

The gas available to Sgr A* is very diffuse and super-hot, so it is hard for the black hole to capture and swallow

it. The gluttonous black holes that power quasars and produce huge amounts of radiation have gas reservoirs

much cooler and denser than that of Sgr A*.

The event horizon of Sgr A* casts a shadow against the glowing matter surrounding the black hole. This

research could aid efforts using radio telescopes to observe and understand the shadow. It also will be useful for

understanding the effect orbiting stars and gas clouds may have on matter flowing toward and away from the

black hole.

Source: Space Ref Return to Contents

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3. NASA Data Reveals Mega-Canyon under Greenland Ice Sheet

Data from a NASA airborne science mission reveals evidence of a large and previously unknown canyon

hidden under a mile of Greenland ice.

The canyon has the characteristics of a winding river channel and is at least 460 miles (750 kilometers) long,

making it longer than the Grand Canyon. In some places, it is as deep as 2,600 feet (800 meters), on scale with

segments of the Grand Canyon. This immense feature is thought to predate the ice sheet that has covered

Greenland for the last few million years.

"One might assume that the landscape of the Earth has been fully explored and mapped," said Jonathan Bamber,

professor of physical geography at the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom, and lead author of the

study. "Our research shows there's still a lot left to discover."

Bamber's team published its findings Thursday in the journal Science.

The scientists used thousands of miles of airborne radar data, collected by NASA and researchers from the

United Kingdom and Germany over several decades, to piece together the landscape lying beneath the

Greenland ice sheet.

A large portion of this data was collected from 2009 through 2012 by NASA's Operation IceBridge, an airborne

science campaign that studies polar ice. One of IceBridge's scientific instruments, the Multichannel Coherent

Radar Depth Sounder, operated by the Center for the Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets at the University of Kansas,

can see through vast layers of ice to measure its thickness and the shape of bedrock below.

In their analysis of the radar data, the team discovered a continuous bedrock canyon that extends from almost

the center of the island and ends beneath the Petermann Glacier fjord in northern Greenland.

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At certain frequencies, radio waves can travel through the ice and bounce off the bedrock underneath. The

amount of times the radio waves took to bounce back helped researchers determine the depth of the canyon. The

longer it took, the deeper the bedrock feature.

"Two things helped lead to this discovery," said Michael Studinger, IceBridge project scientist at NASA's

Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "It was the enormous amount of data collected by IceBridge

and the work of combining it with other datasets into a Greenland-wide compilation of all existing data that

makes this feature appear in front of our eyes."

The researchers believe the canyon plays an important role in transporting sub-glacial meltwater from the

interior of Greenland to the edge of the ice sheet into the ocean. Evidence suggests that before the presence of

the ice sheet, as much as 4 million years ago, water flowed in the canyon from the interior to the coast and was

a major river system.

"It is quite remarkable that a channel the size of the Grand Canyon is discovered in the 21st century below the

Greenland ice sheet," said Studinger. "It shows how little we still know about the bedrock below large

continental ice sheets."

The IceBridge campaign will return to Greenland in March 2014 to continue collecting data on land and sea ice

in the Arctic using a suite of instruments that includes ice-penetrating radar.

Source: NASA Return to Contents

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The Night Sky

Source: Sky & Telescope Return to Contents

Friday, August 30

By about 9 p.m. now (depending on where you

live), W-shaped Cassiopeia has risen as high in the

northeast as the Big Dipper is in the northwest.

Midway between them, and a bit higher, is Polaris.

Cassiopeia will grow more ascendant over the

Dipper in the coming weeks and months as the

seasons turn.

Before dawn tomorrow morning, Jupiter shines

left of the waning crescent Moon in the east. They're

in Gemini, as shown at right. Look for Orion way off

to their right.

Saturday, August 31

Before dawn Sunday morning, the waning Moon

shines inside a quadrilateral of Pollux, Jupiter, Mars,

and Procyon, as shown at right.

Sunday, September 1

Look east after dark for the Great Square of

Pegasus balancing on one corner. Its stars are 2nd

and 3rd magnitude. From the Square's left corner

runs Andromeda's main line of 2nd-magnitude stars,

similarly spaced.

Monday, September 2

Right after dark at this time of year, bright Vega

shines almost straight overhead for skywatchers at

mid-northern latitudes. Whenever Vega is highest,

it's the sign that rich Sagittarius is at its highest in the

south. Work through the Sagittarius area with your

charts and scope before it sinks low for the night and

the season.

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ISS Sighting Opportunities For Denver:

No Sighting Opportunities for Denver through Sept. 11

Sighting information for other cities can be found at NASA’s Satellite Sighting Information

NASA-TV Highlights (all times Eastern Daylight Time)

August 31, Saturday

8 a.m. – Replay of ISS Expedition 38/39 Crew News Conference (Tyurin, Mastracchio and Wakata) – HQ (All

Channels)

1 p.m. – Replay of ISS Expedition 38/39 Crew News Conference (Tyurin, Mastracchio and Wakata) – HQ (All

Channels)

5 p.m. – Replay of ISS Expedition 38/39 Crew News Conference (Tyurin, Mastracchio and Wakata) – HQ (All

Channels)

10 p.m. – Replay of ISS Expedition 38/39 Crew News Conference (Tyurin, Mastracchio and Wakata) –

HQ (All Channels)

Watch NASA TV online by going to the NASA website. Return to Contents

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Space Calendar

Aug 30 - Comet 154P/Brewington At Opposition (0.956 AU)

Aug 30 - Comet 133P/Elst-Pizarro Closest Approach To Earth (1.772 AU)

Aug 30 - Comet 79P/du Toit-Hartley Closest Approach To Earth (1.914 AU)

Aug 30 - Asteroid 2 Pallas Occults TYC 4828-00264-1 (10.8 Magnitude Star)

Aug 30 - Asteroid 2008 PW4 Near-Earth Flyby (0.037 AU)

Aug 30 - Asteroid 15332 CERN Closest Approach To Earth (1.586 AU)

Aug 30 - 30th Anniversary (1983), STS-8 Launch (Guy Bluford, 1st African-American in Space)

Aug 31 - Comet C/2012 S3 (PANSTARRS) Perihelion (2.308 AU)

Aug 31 - Comet 266P/Christensen Perihelion (2.328 AU)

Aug 31 - Comet 95P/Chiron Closest Approach To Earth (16.605 AU)

Aug 31 - Asteroid 2010 CD55 Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU)

Aug 31 - Asteroid 6377 Cagney Closest Approach To Earth (1.673 AU)

Aug 31 - Asteroid 34901 Mauna Loa Closest Approach To Earth (2.350 AU)

Aug 31 - Kuiper Belt Object 145452 (2005 RN43) At Opposition (39.656 AU)

Aug 31-Sep 07 - Merrit Summer Star Quest 2013, near Merrit, Canada

Sep 01 - Comet C/2013 G5 (Catalina) Perihelion (0.929 AU)

Sep 01 - Comet 102P/Shoemaker Perihelion (1.968 AU)

Sep 01 - Comet 74P/Smirnova-Chernykh At Opposition (3.777 AU)

Sep 01 - Asteroid 26121 (1992 BX) Occults HIP 20231 (6.2 Magntude Star)

Sep 01 - Asteroid 2009 WH106 Near-Earth Flyby (0.054 AU)

Sep 01 - Asteroid 2013 GH66 Near-Earth Flyby (0.067 AU)

Sep 01 - Asteroid 2865 Laurel Closest Approach To Earth (1.539 AU)

Sep 01 - Asteroid 9523 Torino Closest Approach To Earth (1.764 AU)

Sep 01 - Asteroid 4115 Peternorton Closest Approach To Earth (2.112 AU)

Sep 02 - Asteroid 3 Juno Occults TYC 5741-02620-1 (11.4 Magnitude Star)

Sep 02 - Asteroid 6434 Jewitt Closest Approach To Earth (0.792 AU)

Sep 02 - Asteroid 4305 Clapton Closest Approach To Earth (2.106 AU)

Source: JPL Space Calendar Return to Contents

Seated from left to right are Daniel C. Brandenstein, pilot; Richard H. Truly, commander; and Guion S. Bluford Jr., Mission specialist. Standing from left to right are Dale A. Gardner, mission specialist; and William E. Thornton, mission specialist.

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Food for Thought

New Evidence Suggests Earthlings Started Life As Martians

Scientists have long posited life on Earth may have started somewhere else in the universe, many pointing to the

Red Planet. Now, new evidence is emerging that may hold some truth to that long-debated theory.

Professor Steven Benner, from the Westheimer Institute for Science and Technology, gave a speech today at the

Goldschmidt 2013 conference in Florence, Italy describing how life on Earth may have kickstarted on Mars.

Benner said an oxidized mineral form of the element molybdenum, which is thought to be a crucial building

block for the origin of life, could only have been available on the surface of our Martian neighbor some 34

million miles away and not here on Earth. He also pointed out “recent studies show that these conditions,

suitable for the origin of life, may still exist on Mars.”

Scientists have long wondered how atoms first joined to create the three crucial components of life: RNA, DNA

and proteins. The molecules that combined to form genetic material are much more complex than the carbon-

based chemicals believed to have existed on Earth some three billion years ago, when life first began to take

shape. Most scientists assume RNA was the first of these molecules to appear.

However, the process is much more involved than just RNA appearing on Earth.

“It’s only when molybdenum becomes highly oxidized that it is able to influence how early life formed,”

explained Prof Benner. “This form of molybdenum couldn’t have been available on Earth at the time life first

began, because three billion years ago the surface of the Earth had very little oxygen, but Mars did. It’s yet

another piece of evidence which makes it more likely life came to Earth on a Martian meteorite, rather than

starting on this planet.”

The research presented by Prof Benner tackles two paradoxes that make it difficult for scientists to comprehend

how life may have jump-started on Earth.

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The first is dubbed the “tar paradox.” Prof Benner explained all living things are made of organic matter, but if

you add energy such as heat or light to the mix and let them be, they do not create life, but rather something

more similar to tar, oil or asphalt.

“Certain elements seem able to control the propensity of organic materials to turn into tar, particularly boron

and molybdenum, so we believe that minerals containing both were fundamental to life first starting,” said

Professor Benner. “Analysis of a Martian meteorite recently showed that there was boron on Mars; we now

believe that the oxidized form of molybdenum was there too.”

The second paradox is that life struggled to take hold on Earth because it was totally covered by water,

preventing sufficient concentrations of boron to form, which is typically found in very arid climates, such as

Death Valley. But also, water is corrosive to RNA, which scientists believe was the first genetic molecule to

appear on Earth.

“What’s quite clear is that boron, as an element, is quite scarce in Earth’s crust,” Prof Benner told BBC News,

“but Mars has been drier than Earth and more oxidizing, so if Earth is not suitable for the chemistry, Mars might

be.

“The evidence seems to be building that we are actually all Martians; that life started on Mars and came to Earth

on a rock,” said Prof Benner. “It’s lucky that we ended up here nevertheless, as certainly Earth has been the

better of the two planets for sustaining life. If our hypothetical Martian ancestors had remained on Mars, there

might not have been a story to tell.”

Source: Red Orbit Return to Contents

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Space Image of the Week

A Sagittarius Triplet Image Credit & Copyright: Tony Hallas

Explanation: These three bright nebulae are often featured in telescopic tours of the

constellation Sagittarius and the crowded starfields of the central Milky Way. In fact, 18th century cosmic

tourist Charles Messier cataloged two of them; M8, the large nebula left of center, and colorful M20 on the

right. The third, NGC 6559, is above M8, separated from the larger nebula by a dark dust lane. All three are

stellar nurseries about five thousand light-years or so distant. The expansive M8, over a hundred light-years

across, is also known as the Lagoon Nebula. M20's popular moniker is the Trifid. Glowing hydrogen gas creates

the dominant red color of the emission nebulae, with contrasting blue hues, most striking in the Trifid, due to

dust reflected starlight. The colorful skyscape recorded with telescope and digital camera also includes one of

Messier's open star clusters, M21, just above the Trifid.

Source: APOD Return to Contents