10 “Out Of This World" Facts About The James Webb Space Telescope

What’s Up - April 2018

What’s Up For April? 

The Moon, Mars and Saturn and the Lyrid meteor shower!

The Moon, Mars and Saturn

The Moon, Mars and Saturn form a pretty triangle in early April, the Lyrid Meteors are visible in late April, peaking high overhead on the 22nd.

You won't want to miss red Mars and golden Saturn in the south-southeast morning skies this month. Mars shines a little brighter than last month.

By the 7th, the Moon joins the pair. From a dark sky you may see some glow from the nearby Milky Way.

Lyrid Meteors

Midmonth, start looking for Lyrid meteors, which are active from April 14 through the 30th. They peak on the 22nd.

The Lyrids are one of the oldest known meteor showers and have been observed for 2,700 years. The first recorded sighting of a Lyrid meteor shower goes back to 687 BC by the Chinese. The pieces of space debris that interact with our atmosphere to create the Lyrids originate from comet C/1861 G1 Thatcher. Comet Thatcher was discovered on 5 April 1861 by A. E. Thatcher.

In the early morning sky, a patient observer will see up to more than a dozen meteors per hour in this medium-strength shower, with 18 meteors per hour calculated for the peak. U.S. observers should see good rates on the nights before and after this peak.

A bright first quarter moon plays havoc with sky conditions, marring most of the typically faint Lyrid meteors. But Lyra will be high overhead after the moon sets at midnight, so that's the best time to look for Lyrids.

Jupiter & Juno

Jupiter will also be visible in the night sky this month! 

Through a telescope, Jupiter's clouds belts and zones are easy to see. 

And watch the Great Red Spot transit--or cross--the visible (Earth-facing) disk of Jupiter every 8 hours.

Our Juno spacecraft continues to orbit this gas giant, too!

And Juno's JunoCam citizen science team is creating exciting images of Jupiter's features based on the latest spacecraft data.

Next month Jupiter is at opposition--when it rises at sunset, sets at sunrise, and offers great views for several months!

Watch the full What’s Up for April Video: 

There are so many sights to see in the sky. To stay informed, subscribe to our What’s Up video series on Facebook. Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com.   

It’s National Composites Week! Wait, what’s a composite?

This week, we’re celebrating National Composites Week, which CompositesWorld says is about shedding some light on how “composite materials and composites manufacturing contributes to the products and structures that shape the American manufacturing landscape today.”

What exactly are composites and why are we talking about them?

Composites are building materials that we use to make airplanes, spacecraft and structures or instruments, such as space telescopes. But why are they special?

Composites consist of two or more materials, similar to a sandwich. Each ingredient in a sandwich could be eaten individually, but combining them is when the real magic happens. Sure, you could eat a few slices of cold cheese chased with some floppy bread. But real talk: buttery, toasted bread stuffed with melty, gooey Gouda makes a grilled cheese a much more satisfying nosh.

With composites—like our sandwich—the different constituent parts each have special properties that are enhanced when combined. Take carbon fibers which are strong and rigid. Their advantage compared to other structural materials is that they are much lighter than metals like steel and aluminum. However, in order to build structures with carbon fibers, they have to be held together by another material, which is referred to as a matrix. Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer is a composite consisting of carbon fibers set in a plastic matrix, which yields an extremely strong, lightweight, high-performing material for spacecraft.

Composites can also be found on the James Webb Space Telescope. They support the telescope’s beryllium mirrors, science instruments and thermal control systems and must be exquisitely stable to keep the segments aligned.

We invest in a variety of composite technology research to advance the use of these innovative materials in things like fuel tanks on spacecraft, trusses or structures and even spacesuits. Here are a few exciting ways our Space Technology Mission Directorate is working with composites:

Deployable structures on small spacecraft

We’re developing deployable composite booms for future deep space small satellite missions. These new structures are being designed to meet the unique requirements of small satellites, things like the ability to be packed into very small volumes and stored for long periods of time without getting distorted.

A new project, led by our Langley Research Center and Ames Research Center, called the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System will test deployment of a composite boom solar sail system in low-Earth orbit. This mission will demonstrate the first use of composite booms for a solar sail in orbit as well as new sail packing and deployment systems.

Nano (teeny tiny) composites

We are working alongside 11 universities, two companies and the Air Force Research Laboratory through the Space Technology Research Institute for Ultra-Strong Composites by Computational Design (US-COMP). The institute is receiving $15 million over five years to accelerate carbon nanotube technologies for ultra-high strength, lightweight aerospace structural materials. This institute engages 22 professors from universities across the country to conduct modeling and experimental studies of carbon nanotube materials on an atomistic molecular level, macro-scale and in between. Through collaboration with industry partners, it is anticipated that advances in laboratories could quickly translate to advances in manufacturing facilities that will yield sufficient amounts of advanced materials for use in NASA missions.

Through Small Business Innovative Research contracts, we’ve also invested in Nanocomp Technologies, Inc., a company with expertise in carbon nanotubes that can be used to replace heavier materials for spacecraft, defense platforms, and other commercial applications.

Nanocomp’s Miralon™ YM yarn is made up of pure carbon nanotube fibers that can be used in a variety of applications to decrease weight and provide enhanced mechanical and electrical performance. Potential commercial use for Miralon yarn includes antennas, high frequency digital/signal and radio frequency cable applications and embedded electronics. Nanocomp worked with Lockheed Martin to integrate Miralon sheets into our Juno spacecraft.

Composites for habitats

At last spring’s 3D-Printed Habitat Challenge the top two teams used composite materials in their winning habitat submissions. The multi-phase competition challenged teams to 3D print one-third scale shelters out of recyclables and materials that could be found on deep space destinations, like the Moon and Mars.

After 30 hours of 3D-printing over four days of head-to-head competition, the structures were subjected to several tests and evaluated for material mix, leakage, durability and strength. New York-based AI. SpaceFactory won first place using a polylactic acid plastic, similar to materials available for Earth-based, high-temperature 3D printers.

This material was infused with micro basalt fibers as well, and the team was awarded points during judging because major constituents of the polylactic acid material could be extracted from the Martian atmosphere.

Second place was awarded to Pennsylvania State University who utilized a mix of Ordinary Portland Cement, a small amount of rapid-set concrete, and basalt fibers, with water.

These innovative habitat concepts will not only further our deep space exploration goals, but could also provide viable housing solutions right here on Earth.

Student research in composites

We are also supporting the next generation of engineers, scientists and technologists working on composites through our Space Technology Research Grants. Some recently awarded NASA Space Technology Fellows—graduate students performing groundbreaking, space technology research on campus, in labs and at NASA centers—are studying the thermal conductivity of composites and an optimized process for producing carbon nanotubes and clean energy.

We work with composites in many different ways in pursuit of our exploration goals and to improve materials and manufacturing for American industry. If you are a company looking to participate in National Composites Week, visit: https://www.nationalcompositesweek.com.

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Counting Down to the Solar Eclipse on August 21

On Aug. 21, 2017, everyone in North America will have the chance to see a solar eclipse if skies are clear. We’re giving you a preview of what you’ll see, how to watch and why scientists are particularly excited for this eclipse.

On Aug. 21, within a narrow band stretching from Oregon to South Carolina – called the path of totality – the Moon will completely obscure the Sun, giving people on the ground a view of the total solar eclipse. Outside this path – throughout North America, and even in parts of South America – the Moon will block only a portion of the Sun’s face, creating a partial solar eclipse.

Image credit: T. Ruen

Eclipses happen when the Moon, Sun and Earth line up just right, allowing the Moon to cast its shadow on Earth. Because the Moon’s orbit is tilted with respect to the Sun-Earth plane, its shadow usually passes above or below Earth. But when they all line up and that shadow falls on Earth, we get a solar eclipse.

How to Watch the Eclipse Safely  

It’s never safe to look directly at the un-eclipsed or partially eclipsed Sun – so you’ll need special solar viewing glasses or an indirect viewing method, like pinhole projection, to watch at the eclipse.

If you’re using solar viewing glasses or a handheld solar filter, there are a few important safety tips to keep in mind:

Check a few key characteristics to make sure that you have proper solar filters – sunglasses (even very dark ones) or homemade filters are NOT safe  

Double-check that your solar filter is not scratched or damaged before you use it

Always put your solar filter over your eyes before looking up at the Sun, and look away from the Sun before removing it 

Do NOT use your solar filter while looking through telescopes, binoculars, or any other optical device, such as a camera viewfinder – the concentrated solar rays will damage the filter and enter your eyes, causing serious injury

Get all the details on safety at eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety.

No solar viewing glasses? Pinhole projection is an easy and safe way to watch the eclipse. You can create a pinhole projector from a box, or simply use any object with tiny holes – like a colander or a piece of cardstock with a hole – to project an image of the Sun onto the ground or a piece of paper.

If you are in the path of totality, there will come a time when the Moon completely obscures the Sun’s bright face. This is called totality, and it is only during this phase – which may last only a few seconds, depending on your location – that it is safe to look directly at the eclipse.

Wherever you are, you can tune into nasa.gov/eclipselive throughout the day on Aug. 21 to hear from our experts and see the eclipse like never before – including views from our spacecraft, aircraft, and more than 50 high-altitude balloons.

A Unique Chance for Scientists

Total solar eclipses provide a unique opportunity to study the Sun and Earth. During a total eclipse, the lower parts of the Sun's atmosphere, or corona, can be seen in a way that cannot completely be replicated by current human-made instruments.

The lower part of the corona is key to understanding many processes on the Sun, including why the Sun’s atmosphere is so much hotter than its surface and the origins of the Sun’s constant stream of solar material and radiation – which can cause changes in the nature of space and impact spacecraft, communications systems, and orbiting astronauts.

Photo credit: S. Habbal, M. Druckmüller and P. Aniol

For those in the path of totality, the few moments of the total solar eclipse will reveal the Sun’s atmosphere, the corona. 

Total solar eclipses are also a chance to study Earth under uncommon conditions: In contrast to the global change in light that occurs every day at dusk and dawn, a solar eclipse changes illumination of Earth and its atmosphere only under a comparatively small region of the Moon’s shadow. This localized blocking of solar energy is useful in evaluating our understanding of the Sun’s effects – temperature, for example – on our atmosphere. Of particular interest is the impact on Earth’s upper atmosphere, where solar illumination is primarily responsible for the generation of a layer of charged particles called the ionosphere.

We’re also inviting eclipse viewers around the country to become citizen scientists and participate in a nationwide science experiment by collecting cloud and air temperature data and reporting it via the GLOBE Observer smartphone app.

For more eclipse info, visit eclipse2017.nasa.gov and follow @NASASun on Twitter and NASA Sun Science on Facebook.  

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Amazing Earth: Satellite Images from 2020

In the vastness of the universe, the life-bringing beauty of our home planet shines bright. During this tumultuous year, our satellites captured some pockets of peace, while documenting data and striking visuals of unprecedented natural disasters. As 2020 comes to a close, we’re diving into some of the devastation, wonders, and anomalies this year had to offer. 

NASA’s fleet of Earth-observing satellites and instruments on the International Space Station unravel the complexities of the blue marble from a cosmic vantage point. These robotic scientists orbit our globe constantly, monitoring and notating changes, providing crucial information to researchers here on the ground. 

Take a glance at 2020 through the lens of NASA satellites:

 A Delta Oasis in Southeastern Kazakhstan

Seen from space, the icy Ili River Delta contrasts sharply with the beige expansive deserts of southeastern Kazakhstan.

When the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 acquired this natural-color image on March 7, 2020, the delta was just starting to shake off the chill of winter. While many of the delta’s lakes and ponds were still frozen, the ice on Lake Balkhash was breaking up, revealing swirls of sediment and the shallow, sandy bed of the western part of the lake.

The expansive delta and estuary is an oasis for life year round. Hundreds of plant and animal species call it home, including dozens that are threatened or endangered. 

Fires and Smoke Engulf Southeastern Australia

A record-setting and deadly fire season marred the beginning of the year in Australia. Residents of the southeastern part of the country told news media about daytime seeming to turn to night, as thick smoke filled the skies and intense fires drove people from their homes. 

This natural-color image of Southeastern Australia was acquired on January 4, 2020, by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite. The smoke has a tan color, while clouds are bright white. It is likely that some of the white patches above the smoke are pyrocumulonimbus clouds—clouds created by the convection and heat rising from a fire.

Nighttime Images Capture Change in China

A team of scientists from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and Universities Space Research Association (USRA) detected signs of the shutdown of business and transportation around Hubei province in central China. As reported by the U.S. State Department, Chinese authorities suspended air, road, and rail travel in the area and placed restrictions on other activities in late January 2020 in response to the COVID-19 outbreak in the region.

A research team analyzed images of Earth at night to decipher patterns of energy use, transportation, migration, and other economic and social activities. Data for the images were acquired with the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on the NOAA–NASA Suomi NPP satellite (launched in 2011) and processed by GSFC and USRA scientists. VIIRS has a low-light sensor—the day/night band—that measures light emissions and reflections. This capability has made it possible to distinguish the intensity, types, and sources of lights and to observe how they change.

The Parched Paraná River

Though a seemingly serene oasis from above, there is more to this scene than meets the eye. On July 3, 2020, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 captured this false-color image of the river near Rosario, a key port city in Argentina. The combination of shortwave infrared and visible light makes it easier to distinguish between land and water. A prolonged period of unusually warm weather and drought in southern Brazil, Paraguay, and northern Argentina dropped the Paraná River to its lowest water levels in decades. The parched river basin has hampered shipping and contributed to an increase in fire activity in the delta and floodplain.

The drought has affected the region since early 2020, and low water levels have grounded several ships, and many vessels have had to reduce their cargo in order to navigate the river. With Rosario serving as the distribution hub for much of Argentina’s soy and other farm exports, low water levels have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in losses for the grain sector, according to news reports.

Historic Fires Devastate the U.S. Pacific Coast

Climate and fire scientists have long anticipated that fires in the U.S. West would grow larger, more intense, and more dangerous. But even the most experienced among them have been at a loss for words in describing the scope and intensity of the fires burning in West Coast states during September 2020.

Lightning initially triggered many of the fires, but it was unusual and extreme meteorological conditions that turned some of them into the worst conflagrations in the region in decades. 

Throughout the outbreak, sensors like the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) on the NOAA-NASA Suomi NPP satellite collected daily images showing expansive, thick plumes of aerosol particles blowing throughout the U.S. West on a scale that satellites and scientists rarely see. 

This image shows North America on September 9th, 2020, as a frontal boundary moved into the Great Basin and produced very high downslope winds along the mountains of Washington, Oregon, and California. The winds whipped up the fires, while a pyrocumulus cloud from the Bear fire in California injected smoke high into the atmosphere. The sum of these events was an extremely thick blanket of smoke along the West Coast.

The Sandy Great Bahama Bank

Though the bright blues of island waters are appreciated by many from a sea-level view, their true beauty is revealed when photographed from space. The underwater masterpiece photographed above is composed of sand dunes off the coast of the Bahamas. 

The Great Bahama Bank was dry land during past ice ages, but it slowly submerged as sea levels rose. Today, the bank is covered by water, though it can be as shallow as two meters (seven feet) deep in places. The wave-shaped ripples in the image are sand on the seafloor. The curves follow the slopes of the dunes, which were likely shaped by a fairly strong current near the sea bottom. Sand and seagrass are present in different quantities and depths, giving the image it’s striking range of blues and greens.

This image was captured on February 15th, 2020, by Landsat 8, whose predecessor, Landsat 7, was the first land-use satellite to take images over coastal waters and the open ocean. Today, many satellites and research programs map and monitor coral reef systems, and marine scientists have a consistent way to observe where the reefs are and how they are faring. 

Painting Pennsylvania Hills

Along with the plentiful harvest of crops in North America, one of the gifts of Autumn is the gorgeous palette of colors created by the chemical transition and fall of leaves from deciduous trees. 

The folded mountains of central Pennsylvania were past peak leaf-peeping season but still colorful when the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite passed over on November 9, 2020. The natural-color image above shows the hilly region around State College, Pennsylvania overlaid on a digital elevation model to highlight the topography of the area.

The region of rolling hills and valleys is part of a geologic formation known as the Valley and Ridge Province that stretches from New York to Alabama. These prominent folds of rock were mostly raised up during several plate tectonic collisions and mountain-building episodes in the Ordovician Period and later in the creation of Pangea—when what is now North America was connected with Africa in a supercontinent. Those events created the long chain of the Appalachians, one of the oldest mountain ranges in the world. 

A Dangerous Storm in the Night

Ominous and looming, a powerful storm hovered off the US coastline illuminated against the dark night hues. 

The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) on NOAA-20 acquired this image of Hurricane Laura at 2:20 a.m. Central Daylight Time on August 26, 2020. Clouds are shown in infrared using brightness temperature data, which is useful for distinguishing cooler cloud structures from the warmer surface below. That data is overlaid on composite imagery of city lights from NASA’s Black Marble dataset.

Hurricane Laura was among the ten strongest hurricanes to ever make landfall in the United States. Forecasters had warned of a potentially devastating storm surge up to 20 feet along the coast, and the channel might have funneled that water far inland. It did not. The outcome was also a testament to strong forecasting and communication by the National Hurricane Center and local emergency management authorities in preparing the public for the hazards.

A Windbreak Grid in Hokkaido

From above, the Konsen Plateau in eastern Hokkaido offers a remarkable sight: a massive grid that spreads across the rural landscape like a checkerboard, visible even under a blanket of snow. Photographed by the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8, this man-made design is not only aesthetically pleasing, it’s also an agricultural insulator. 

The strips are forested windbreaks—180-meter (590-foot) wide rows of coniferous trees that help shelter grasslands and animals from Hokkaido’s sometimes harsh weather. In addition to blocking winds and blowing snow during frigid, foggy winters, they help prevent winds from scattering soil and manure during the warmer months in this major dairy farming region of Japan. 

Shadows from a Solar Eclipse

Formidable, rare, and awe-inspiring — the first and only total solar eclipse of 2020 occurred on December 14, with the path of totality stretching from the equatorial Pacific to the South Atlantic and passing through southern Argentina and Chile as shown in the lower half of the image above. The Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) on Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 16 (GOES-16) captured these images of the Moon’s shadow crossing the face of Earth. 

The “path of totality” (umbral path) for the eclipse was roughly 90 kilometers (60 miles) wide and passed across South America from Saavedra, Chile, to Salina del Eje, Argentina. While a total eclipse of the Sun occurs roughly every 18 months, seeing one from any particular location on Earth is rare. On average, a solar eclipse passes over the same parcel of land roughly every 375 years. The next total solar eclipse will occur on December 4, 2021 over Antarctica, and its next appearance over North America is projected for April 8, 2024.

For additional information and a look at more images like these visit NASA’s Earth Observatory.  

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Secrets lie deep within Jupiter, shrouded in the solar system's strongest magnetic field and most lethal radiation belts. On July 4, 2016, our Juno spacecraft will plunge into uncharted territory, entering orbit around the gas giant and passing closer than any spacecraft before. Juno will see Jupiter for what it really is, but first it must pass the trial of orbit insertion. For more information: http://www.nasa.gov/juno and http://missionjuno.swri.edu.

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2000 vs Now: 15 Years of Humans on Space Station

Humans have been living in space aboard the International Space Station 24-7-365 since Nov. 2, 2000. That’s 15 Thanksgivings, New Years, and holiday seasons astronauts have spent away from their families. 15 years of constant support from Mission Control Houston. And 15 years of peaceful international living in space. 

In November 2000, many of us stuck on Earth wished we could join (at least temporarily) the Expedition 1 crew aboard the International Space Station. Floating effortlessly from module to module, looking down on Earth from a breathtaking height of 350 kilometers.... It's a dream come true for innumerable space lovers.

But be careful what you wish for! Living on the Space Station also means hard work, cramped quarters, and... what's that smell? Probably more outgassing from a scientific experiment or, worse yet, a crewmate.

To get a feel of how long ago that was, this is what the world looked like then vs. now:

2000: Eminem released The Real Slim Shady

Now: Scott Kelly listens to  Eminem from space as part of his “Songs of a Year In Space” Spotify playlist

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2000: Cell phones were entering the mainstream

Now: Astronauts can video chat with their friends and family from space

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2000: Tom Hanks was left alone on an island in Cast Away

Now: Matt Damon is stranded on the planet Mars in The Martian

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2000: Scott Kelly had just returned from his first spaceflight on Space Shuttle Discovery to service the Hubble Telescope

Now: Scott Kelly is spending a year aboard the International Space Station for the longest mission ever embarked upon by a U.S. astronaut. 

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2000: The Playstation 2 was released

Now: A Hololens is planned to be shipped to the space station aboard SpaceX

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2000: You were instant messaging your friends from your desktop

Now: Astronauts have access to Twitter, Facebook, Vine, Instagram and Pinterest FROM SPACE

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2000: Britney went to Mars in her “Oops!...I Did It Again” music video

Now: One Direction trains for the journey to Mars in their “Drag Me Down” music video

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2000: The International Space Station was under construction

Now: It is approximately the size of an American football field and weighs nearly 1 million pounds

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2000: Space was on the cover of Time Magazine

Now: Space is on the cover of Time Magazine

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2000: Inflatable furniture was a thing

Now: An inflatable space module is a thing

What differences do you remember from 2000? Tweet it to us at @Space_Station using #15YearsOnStation. 

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Record Number of Americans Apply to #BeAnAstronaut

On Dec. 14, 2015, we announced that astronaut applications were open on USAJOBS. The window for applications closed on Feb. 18. We’re happy to announce that we have received more than 18,300 applications from excited individuals from around the country, all hoping to join the 2017 astronaut class. This surpasses the more than 6,100 received in 2012 for the most recent astronaut class, and the previous record - 8,000 applicants in 1978. 

So you applied to be an astronaut...now what?

Since the applications closed on Feb. 18, many people are curious to know…what’s next? Let us help you navigate the selection process:

Now that we have received all the applications, we will review them to determine the “Highly Qualified” applicants. This process will take place through summer 2016.

What is a “Highly Qualified” Applicant?

The diversity of experiences is what separates the highly qualified from qualified. Experience that demonstrates good leadership, fellowship and decision making are beneficial.

Between fall 2016 and spring 2017, interviewees will be brought to Johnson Space Center for evaluation. This process will help us determine the finalists, which takes place in spring 2017. 

Finally, in summer 2017, the Astronaut Candidate Class of 2017 is announced! These candidates will report to Johnson Space Center starting in August 2017. 

To view the full astronaut candidate selection process timeline, visit: http://astronauts.nasa.gov/content/timeline.htm

*Note that the high volume of applications received, dates in the timeline could be adjusted. 

Why do we need more astronauts?

We are continuing human spaceflight on the International Space Station, which has a continuous crew of six people on board. The Boeing and SpaceX commercial crew spacecraft that will travel to the station both have seats for four astronauts (the current Soyuz spacecraft, on which astronauts travel, only has three). This will add a seventh astronaut to the orbiting laboratory, and enable us to do more science!

How many astronauts will be selected?

The exact number will be determined by mission requirements, but current analysis shows about 8 - 14 astronauts will be needed. The final number will depend on updates to program plans, budgets, etc. 

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Vice President Mike Pence visited our Kennedy Space Center in Florida today. While there, he delivered remarks to the workforce and toured our complex to see progress toward sending humans deeper into space, and eventually to Mars. He also had the opportunity to see our work with commercial companies to launch humans from U.S. soil to the International Space Station. 

Finalists for a Future Mission to Explore the Solar System

We’ve selected two finalists for a robotic mission that is planned to launch in the mid-2020s! Following a competitive peer review process, these two concepts were chosen from 12 proposals that were submitted in April under a New Frontiers program announcement opportunity.

What are they?

In no particular order…

CAESAR

CAESAR, or the Comet Astrobiology Exploration Sample Return mission seeks to return a sample from 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko – the comet that was successfully explored by the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft – to determine its origin and history.

This mission would acquire a sample from the nucleus of comet Churyumov-Gerasimenko and return it safely to Earth. 

Comets are made up of materials from ancient stars, interstellar clouds and the birth of our solar system, so the CAESAR sample could reveal how these materials contributed to the early Earth, including the origins of the Earth's oceans, and of life.

Dragonfly

A drone-like rotorcraft would be sent to explore the prebiotic chemistry and habitability of dozens of sites on Saturn’s moon Titan – one of the so-called ocean worlds in our solar system.

Unique among these Ocean Worlds, Titan has a surface rich in organic compounds and diverse environments, including those where carbon and nitrogen have interacted with water and energy.

Dragonfly would be a dual-quadcopter lander that would take advantage of the environment on Titan to fly to multiple locations, some hundreds of miles apart, to sample materials and determine surface composition to investigate Titan's organic chemistry and habitability, monitor atmospheric and surface conditions, image landforms to investigate geological processes, and perform seismic studies.

What’s Next?

The CAESAR and Dragonfly missions will receive funding through the end of 2018 to further develop and mature the concepts. It is planned that from these, one investigation will be chosen in the spring of 2019 to continue into subsequent mission phases.

That mission would be the fourth mission in the New Frontiers portfolio, which conducts principal investigator (PI)-led planetary science missions under a development cost cap of approximately $850 million. Its predecessors are the New Horizons mission to Pluto and a Kuiper Belt object, the Juno mission to Jupiter and OSIRIS-REx, which will rendezvous with and return a sample of the asteroid Bennu. 

Key Technologies

We also announced that two mission concepts were chosen to receive technology development funds to prepare them for future mission opportunities.

The Enceladus Life Signatures and Habitability (ELSAH) mission concept will receive funds to enable life detection measurements by developing cost-effective techniques to limit spacecraft contamination on cost-capped missions.

The Venus In situ Composition Investigations (VICI) mission concept will further develop the VEMCam instrument to operate under harsh conditions on Venus. The instrument uses lasers on a lander to measure the mineralogy and elemental composition of rocks on the surface of Venus.

The call for these mission concepts occurred in April and was limited to six mission themes: comet surface sample return, lunar south pole-Aitken Basin sample return, ocean worlds, Saturn probe, Trojan asteroid tour and rendezvous and Venus insitu explorer.

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We Just Found Water on the Moon’s Sunlit Surface

When the first Apollo astronauts returned from the Moon in 1969, the Moon’s surface was thought to be completely dry. Over the last 20 years, orbital and impactor missions confirmed water ice is present inside dark, permanently shadowed craters around the poles. But could water survive in the Moon’s sunnier regions? Using SOFIA, the world’s largest flying observatory, we found water on a sunlit lunar surface for the first time. The discovery suggests water may be distributed across the Moon’s surface, which is a whopping 14.6 million square miles. Scientists think the water could be stored inside glass beadlike structures within the soil that can be smaller than the tip of a pencil. The amount of water detected is equivalent to about a 12-ounce bottle trapped in a cubic meter volume of soil. While that amount is 100 times less than what’s found in the Sahara Desert, discovering even small amounts raises new questions about how this precious resource is created and persists on the harsh, airless lunar surface. Learn more about the discovery: 

Water was found in Clavius Crater, one of the Moon’s largest craters visible from Earth.

The water may be delivered by tiny meteorite impacts… 

…or formed by the interaction of energetic particles ejected from the Sun. 

Follow-up observations by SOFIA will look for water in additional sunlit locations on the Moon.

We are eager to learn all we can about the presence of water in advance of sending the first woman and next man to the lunar surface in 2024 under our Artemis program. What we learn on and around the Moon will help us take the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mars.

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