El ‘Hubble’ recupera su esplendor

La NASA presenta las primeras imágenes tomadas con el telescopio espacial después de la última reparación

 

Las primera fotografías tomadas con el telescopio espacial Hubble renovado acaban de ser presentadas por la NASA y la Agencia Europea del Espacio (ESA). Una de ellas es de una nebulosa planetaria que parece una mariposa (denominada oficialmente NGC6302), en la que hubo, en el pasado, una estrella con cinco veces más masa que el Sol y que ahora es una espectacular envoltura de gas. La nebulosa en cuestión, que está a unos 3.000 años luz de la tierra, en nuestra Vía láctea, ha sido fotografiada en esta ocasión con una de las nuevas cámaras del Hubble: la WFC 3. El telescopio espacial, que tiene ya 19 años, fue reparado y actualizado por los astronautas el pasado mayo en la que fue su última misión de servicio. A partir de ahora el Hubble está prácticamente abandonado a su suerte ya que los astronautas no volverán a repararlo. El plan es que dure en buenas condiciones al menos hasta 2015.

“Esto significa un nuevo comienzo para el Hubble, que ahora es más potente que nunca y está equipado para funcionar durante la próxima década”, ha comentado Ed Weiler, resposnable del directorado de ciencia de la NASA.

La calibración y ensayo de los nuevos instrumentos instalados en mayo ha sido lenta y laboriosa, por lo que se ha tardado considerablemente la presentación de las nuevas capacidades del observatorio. los nuevos instrumentos instalados son más sensibles y, por tanto, mejoran su eficacia. El plan es ahora dedicar estas capacidades del telescopio a la investigación de todo tipo de objetos y procesos en el universo, desde cuerpos situados situados en la frontera de nuestro sistema Solar hasta la formación de planetas alrededor de otras estrellas o, en el universo lejano, las galaxias más jóvenes…[]

Fuente www.elpais.com

Hubble: A New Beginning News Conference 090909

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is back in business after astronauts refurbished it in May. These first snapshots from Hubble showcase the 19-year-old telescope’s new vision.

Hubble Time

Hubble Opens New Eyes on the Universe

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NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope is back in business, ready to uncover new worlds, peer ever deeper into space, and even map the invisible backbone of the universe. The first snapshots from the refurbished Hubble showcase the 19-year-old telescope’s new vision. Topping the list of exciting new views are colorful multi-wavelength pictures of far-flung galaxies, a densely packed star cluster, an eerie “pillar of creation,” and a “butterfly” nebula. With its new imaging camera, Hubble can view galaxies, star clusters, and other objects across a wide swath of the electromagnetic spectrum, from ultraviolet to near-infrared light. A new spectrograph slices across billions of light-years to map the filamentary structure of the universe and trace the distribution of elements that are fundamental to life. The telescope’s new instruments also are more sensitive to light and can observe in ways that are significantly more efficient and require less observing time than previous generations of Hubble instruments. NASA astronauts installed the new instruments during the space shuttle servicing mission in May 2009. Besides adding the instruments, the astronauts also completed a dizzying list of other chores that included performing unprecedented repairs on two other science instruments

Ahora los ultimos videos publicados por la NASA.

NASA Whats Up September 2009? Planet Jupiter

This month we’re showcasing the planet Jupiter, and we’ll be telling you about Juno — a mission to Jupiter that launches in 2011.

Juno:
This mission will conduct an in-depth study of the giant gas planet Jupiter. A spacecraft will enter polar orbit around the planet to investigate the existence of an ice-rock core; determine the amount of global water and ammonia present in the atmosphere; study convection and deep wind profiles in the atmosphere; investigate the origin of the jovian magnetic field; and explore the polar magnetosphere.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/miss…
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/fact_she…

NASA Prepares for New Juno Mission to Jupiter:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm…

Astronomisk Guide 2009:
http://www.astronomisk.dk/?download=A…

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/
NASA’s Astronomy 2009:
http://astronomy2009.nasa.gov/

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory:
“Do not go where the path may lead,” wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“Go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail.” That could be the motto of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Trailblazing has been the business of JPL since it was established by the California Institute of Technology in the 1930s. America’s first satellite, Explorer 1 which launched in 1958, was created at JPL.
In the decades that followed, we sent the first robotic craft to the moon and out across the solar system, reconnoitering all of the planets. Pushing the outer edge of exploration, in fact, is the reason JPL exists as a NASA laboratory.

In that spirit, this is an exceptionally busy period for JPL in laying new paths. An exciting step in the search for exoplanets took place recently when we launched Kepler, a spaceborne telescope that will seek out Earth-like planets as they pass in front of other stars. JPL is contributing key technology to two European Space Agency spacecraft to be launched together in April, Herschel and Planck. Later this year we will launch another observatory, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer.
They join our currently operational Spitzer Space Telescope and Galaxy Evolution Explorer astronomical missions.

Among our robotic spacecraft arrayed across the solar system, Dawn is using ion propulsion to take it into orbit around two bodies for the first time ever — the large asteroid Vesta and the dwarf planet Ceres.
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is returning exceptionally detailed photos of the Red Planet’s surface, while the rovers Spirit and Opportunity keep going far beyond the mission they were originally designed for.
Last year the Phoenix lander successfully found water ice on Mars’ arctic plains.
The flagship explorer Cassini continues its orbits of Saturn, scrutinizing the ringed planet and its moons, including the haze-shrouded Titan in an extended mission. The Voyagers are exploring the edge of our solar system.

Closer to home, a contingent of Earth-orbiting satellites monitors the lands, oceans and atmosphere of our own planet, returning important information on topics ranging from atmospheric ozone to El Nino events.
These include the Jason 2 satellite launched last year on a joint U.S./French mission to monitor Earth’s oceans.

In total, JPL has 18 spacecraft and eight instruments conducting active missions.
All of these are part of NASA’s program of exploration of Earth and space with plans to send robots and humans to explore the moon, Mars and beyond. These ventures would not be possible without NASA’s Deep Space Network managed by JPL.
This international network of antenna complexes on several continents serves as the communication gateway between distant spacecraft and the Earth-based teams that guide them. While carrying out these exploration missions, JPL also conducts a number of space technology demonstrations in support of national security and develops technologies for uses on Earth in fields from public safety to medicine, capitalizing on NASA’s investment in space technology.

The stories of these mighty things we dare are told in the pages that begin here.

Dr. Charles Elachi
Director

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

 

Launch of an Atlas-V rocket, carrying PAN for Lockheed Martin – September 08, 2009

United Launch Alliance/Lockheed Martin Space Systems – This mission was launched aboard an Atlas V 401 configuration and used a single common core booster powered by the RD-180 engine and a single engine Centaur upper stage. The launch portion of the mission was completed with spacecraft separation approximately two hours after launch.

NASA and industry partners lit up the Utah sky on Sept. 10, 2009, with the initial full scale, full-duration test firing of the first motor for the Ares I rocket. ATK Space Systems conducted the successful stationary firing of the five-segment solid development motor 1, or DM-1. ATK Space Systems, a division of Alliant Techsystems of Brigham City, Utah, is the prime contractor for the Ares I first stage. Engineers will use the measurements gathered from the test to evaluate thrust, roll control, acoustics and motor vibrations. This data will provide valuable information as NASA develops the Ares I and Ares V vehicles. Another ground test is planned for summer 2010.

Ares I – DM-1 Test of 5 Segment Motor – Mirror Camera

NASA TV
Apolo TR

Thursday, September 10th, 2009, by admin and is filed under "Astrofisica, Astronomia, Ciencia, Cosmologia, Exobiologia, Exploración, Fisica, Investigacion, Nasa, Science, Technology, Tecnologia | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ". You can leave a response here, or send a Trackback from your own site.

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