[meteorite-list] Beating Heart of J-2x Engine Finishes Year of Successful NASA Tests
Dec. 14, 2012 Rachel Kraft NASA Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1100 rachel.h.kr...@nasa.gov Kim Henry Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Ala. 256-544-0034 kimberly.h.he...@nasa.gov Rebecca Strecker Stennis Space Center, Bay St. Louis, Miss. 228-688-3249 rebecca.a.strec...@nasa.gov RELEASE: 12-436 BEATING HEART OF J-2X ENGINE FINISHES YEAR OF SUCCESSFUL NASA TESTS WASHINGTON -- NASA on Thursday took another step toward human exploration of new destinations in the solar system. At the agency's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, engineers conducted the final test-firing of the J-2X powerpack assembly, an important component of America's next heavy-lift rocket. The J-2X engine is the first human-rated liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen engine developed in the United States in decades. Designed and built by NASA and industry partner Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, Calif., the engine will power the upper stage of NASA's 143-ton (130-metric-ton) Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The powerpack is a system of components on top of the engine that feeds propellants to the bell nozzle of the engine to produce thrust. The determination and focus by teams at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and Stennis on designing and perfecting the J-2X engine helps show the great strides of progress made on the overall program, said SLS Program Manager Todd May. We are inspired to stay the course and pursue our goal of exploring deep space and traveling farther than ever before. The powerpack was worked out separately from the engine to more thoroughly test its limits. It also can be operated under a wider range of conditions. The tests provide a trove of data to compare with analytical predictions of the performance of several parts in the turbopump and flexible ducts. These tests at Stennis are similar to doctor-ordered treadmill tests for a person's heart, said Tom Byrd, J-2X engine lead in the SLS Liquid Engines Office at Marshall in Huntsville, Ala. The engineers who designed and analyze the turbopumps inside the powerpack are like our doctors, using sensors installed in the assembly to monitor the run over a wide range of stressful conditions. We ran the assembly tests this year for far longer than the engine will run during a mission to space, and acquired a lot of valuable information that will help us improve the development of the J-2X engine. The powerpack assembly burned millions of pounds of propellants during a series of 13 tests totaling more than an hour and a half in 2012. The testing team set several records for hot-firing duration at Stennis test stands during the summer. NASA engineers will remove the assembly from the test stand to focus on tests of the fully integrated engine. Installation on a test stand at Stennis will begin in 2013. The SLS will launch NASA's Orion spacecraft and other payloads from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, providing an entirely new capability for human exploration beyond low Earth orbit. The program is managed at Marshall. For more information about the J-2X engine and NASA's Space Launch System, including links to video and images of Thursday's test, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/sls -end- __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] NASA to Provide Dec. 17 Commentary as Twin Probes End Lunar Mission
Dec. 14, 2012 Dwayne Brown Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1726 dwayne.c.br...@nasa.gov D.C. Agle Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-393-9011 a...@jpl.nasa.gov Sarah McDonnell Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge 617-253-8923 s_...@mit.edu MEDIA ADVISORY: M12-240 NASA TO PROVIDE DEC. 17 COMMENTARY AS TWIN PROBES END LUNAR MISSION PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA will provide live commentary of the scheduled lunar surface impacts of its twin Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) spacecraft beginning at 2 p.m. PST (5 p.m. EST) Monday, Dec. 17. The event will be broadcast on NASA Television and streamed on the agency's website. The two probes will hit a mountain near the lunar north pole at approximately 2:28 p.m. Monday, bringing their successful prime and extended science missions to an end. Commentary will originate from the control room at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. Coverage will last about 35 minutes and include live interviews with GRAIL team members. GRAIL's final resting place on the moon will be in shadow at the time of impact, so no video documentation of the impacts is expected. Data from the GRAIL twins are allowing scientists to learn about the moon's internal structure and composition in unprecedented detail. The two probes are being sent purposely into the moon because they do not have enough altitude or fuel to continue science operations. Media wishing to cover the end of the GRAIL mission at JPL, where they will have the opportunity to conduct interviews and watch a live feed from mission control, must contact the JPL Media Relations Office at 818-354-5011 by 11 a.m. Dec. 17. Valid media credentials are required. Non-U.S. citizens also must present valid passports. For NASA TV streaming video, schedule and downlink information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv The coverage will also be streamed live on Ustream at: http://www.ustream.tv/nasajpl2 Join the conversation on Twitter by following the hashtag #GRAIL. To learn more about all the ways to connect and collaborate with NASA, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/connect For the mission's press kit and other information about GRAIL, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/grail -end- __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Old guy braves the snakes and snails to hunt for meteorites!
Terrific read. Well done and thank you! On Dec 15, 2012, at 12:35 AM, Edwin Thompson wrote: The summer of 2012 started early for someone from rainy Oregon with a fun trip for father and son to chase after a new fall in Coloma, CA. The first trip to the new strewn field was ten days long and only a few days after the fall. Having the bordello room upstairs at the Sierra House hotel turned out to be a valuable advantage. With a bar and restaurant downstairs and being the only road house in the small, historic gold discovery town, meteorite hunters turned up there every night to compare notes. On the weekends the crew from SETI and NASA Ames would meet there for large group dinners always dog tired from another day of covering ground. The Coloma/Lotus area is on a beautiful section of the American river. It was easy to get to know local residents there. Since the primary activity during the summer is rafting the river everyone in the area is used to the summer growth in population. The town seems to have more than its share of young and attractive girls who often talk about what they know is coming each summer. They have a common saying in Coloma; you don’t lose a boyfriend, you just lose a turn. Except for the poison oak, the ticks, the dreaded star thistle and the heat, this strewn field was a delightful paradise. The smell of bay trees roasting in the hot, dry, mountain air was an olfactory delight. The sounds of splish-splashers laughing and whooping and hollering their way down the roaring rapids of deliciously cool, clear American river water made one feel like this was a vacation. And the gentle breezes that cut through the dry, hot Sierra foothill air were a welcome relief. After ten days it was really hard to return home to rainy, old Oregon. So much so that it was just that easy to rush home, pack up the trailer, reserve an extended stay at the Campground in Coloma and head right back down for the summer. It made sense, the summer was already planned for a lengthy, determined search in eastern Oregon for the fall there some five years ago and this witnessed fall in Coloma was a bird in the hand since pieces were being found. Since the summer rush had not yet arrived it was easy to get a camp site just feet from the river’s edge. A number of the camper’s live there year round so it was much like home after the first week, getting to know the neighbors and getting settled in. The only difference was that large bright ball of solar heat supply overhead that comes much earlier in the season for the folks of the Golden State. With the predictable sunshine comes other elements such as blistering afternoon temperatures and the legendary rattlesnakes not one of which was seen by this meteorite hunter in over three months of days out in the bush. This was truly disappointing. The dollars spent on snake gaiters and a go-pro camera seemed a waste. And being a serious admirer of reptiles it was hard to hear all of the stories of sightings and not to get to see one up close and in person. The days were filled with other sightings; king snakes, colorful skinks of all sizes, coyotes, foxes, turkeys galore, loads of deer and one bobcat. The hills and mountains were surprisingly steep. Mount Murphy, Mount Clark and Discovery Mountain were all tough going but the most difficult aspect of covering steep terrain were the small oval dried oak leaves that covered the hillsides in several layers and more than once proved to be more slippery than skates on ice. Over time it became difficult to tell which was more painful; blistered feet or a bruised backside. Not wanting to join the foray of hunters asking permission to hunt the private land that peppered the main body of the strewn field the decision was made to focus efforts on what might be the area where the bigger masses might have landed. After spending a week in Dave Moore Park and two weeks in Magnolia and on the river trails it was time to focus on Cronin ranch and then on to Rattlesnake Bar. Cronin Ranch was work, to say the least. Seventeen hundred acres of hillside, star thistle and poison oak (the enemy). As summer progressed, days flying by like time travel, it got hotter earlier. To beat the heat meant getting up at four a.m. and getting out to hunt at daylight. It was easy to stop by three p.m. as that was when the water in the hydration pack ran out almost with religious perfection. Shower at four, dinner at five, bed by eight and up again long before the eyes were willing to crack open. It seemed like a good waste of summer sunshine and cool sleep time but determination to find a hidden treasure or the hope of doing so can be a massive motivator. The days sped by like never before. The occasional hunter or ‘zombie’ could infrequently be spotted off in the distance. After the second month in Cronin Ranch it was
[meteorite-list] Meteorite Picture of the Day
Today's Meteorite Picture of the Day: Holbrook Contributed by: Rob Wesel http://www.tucsonmeteorites.com/mpod.asp __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Old guy braves the snakes and snails to hunt for meteorites!
Thanks for the terrific report, Edwin! The odds of finding a meteorite are never favorable, but it really is all about just savoring the outdoor adventures. Sounds like an idyllic summer to me! Cheers, Doug Ross d...@dougross.net __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] (no subject)
Hi All I have some auctions ending today and tomorrow including 25% off on a museum Norton Co. Others include Peekskill, Murchison, new Orleans and Jumapolo. See here: http://stores.eBay.com/Mile-High-Meteorites Thanks for looking -- Matt Morgan Mile High Meteorites PO Box 151293 Lakewood CO 80215 USA http://www.mhmeteorites.com Find Us on Facebook __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Looking for slice of Seymchan
Hi Im looking for Seymchan slice size 10-15cm diameter or any other STABLE pallasite Please answer me off list Thanks -[ MARCIN CIMALA ]-[ I.M.C.A.#3667 ]- http://www.Meteoryty.pl marcin(at)meteoryty.pl http://www.PolandMET.com marcin(at)polandmet.com http://www.Gao-Guenie.com GSM: +48 (793) 567667 [ Member of Polish Meteoritical Society ] __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
Re: [meteorite-list] Geminids on Toutatis?
At just a few kilometers across, Toutatis is extremely unlikely to experience any Geminid impacts. Furthermore, is isn't optically resolved, so the light of any impact would be lost in the much greater light of the reflected Sun (Toutatis has the same albedo as the Moon, and we can only see meteoroid impacts on the unlit section of the Moon- possible because we can actually resolve just that part of it). Chris *** Chris L Peterson Cloudbait Observatory http://www.cloudbait.com On 12/13/2012 9:26 AM, Francis Graham wrote: Hello I am not familiar with the imaging devices on Chang e 2 as it heads for Toutatis. But the Geminids are here, and flashes of meteor impacts from showers have been recorded as they happen on the Moon. Presumably, some Geminid impacts might happen also on Toutatis during the Chang-e 2 encounter--not too likely, but not so improbable as to be discounted. Pushbroom imaging systems would probably miss it though...well, maybe. Something I suppose to look for, but not hope for. Francis Graham __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Asteroid Toutatis Slowly Tumbles by Earth
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-397 Asteroid Toutatis Slowly Tumbles by Earth Jet Propulsion Laboratory December 14, 2012 Scientists working with NASA's 230-foot-wide (70-meter) Deep Space Network antenna at Goldstone, Calif., have generated a series of radar data images of a three-mile-long (4.8-kilometer) asteroid that made its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 12, 2012. The radar data images of asteroid Toutatis have been assembled into a short movie, available online at: http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.php?id=1175 . The images that make up the movie clip were generated with data taken on Dec. 12 and 13, 2012. On Dec. 12, the day of its closest approach to Earth, Toutatis was about 18 lunar distances, 4.3 million miles (6.9 million kilometers) from Earth. On Dec. 13, the asteroid was about 4.4 million miles (7 million kilometers), or about 18.2 lunar distances. The radar data images of asteroid Toutatis indicate that it is an elongated, irregularly shaped object with ridges and perhaps craters. Along with shape detail, scientists are also seeing some interesting bright glints that could be surface boulders. Toutatis has a very slow, tumbling rotational state. The asteroid rotates about its long axis every 5.4 days and precesses (changes the orientation of its rotational axis) like a wobbling, badly thrown football, every 7.4 days. The orbit of Toutatis is well understood. The next time Toutatis will approach at least this close to Earth is in November of 2069, when the asteroid will safely fly by at about 7.7 lunar distances, or 1.8 million miles (3 million kilometers). An analysis indicates there is zero possibility of an Earth impact over the entire interval over which its motion can be accurately computed, which is about the next four centuries. This radar data imagery will help scientists improve their understanding of the asteroid's spin state, which will also help them understand its interior. The resolution in the image frames is 12 feet (3.75 meters) per pixel. NASA detects, tracks and characterizes asteroids and comets passing close to Earth using both ground- and space-based telescopes. The Near-Earth Object Observations Program, commonly called Spaceguard, discovers these objects, characterizes a subset of them, and plots their orbits to determine if any could be potentially hazardous to our planet. JPL manages the Near-Earth Object Program Office for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. JPL is a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. D.C. Agle 818-393-9011 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. a...@jpl.nasa.gov 2012-397 __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Rocket Burn Sets Stage for Dynamic Moon Duos' Lunar Impact
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?release=2012-399 Rocket Burn Sets Stage for Dynamic Moon Duos' Lunar Impact Jet Propulsion Laboratory December 14, 2012 Mission status update PASADENA, Calif. - The lunar twins of NASA's Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission have each completed a rocket burn that has sealed their fate. The burns modified the orbit of the formation-flying spacecraft. Over the next three days, this new orbit will carry the twins lower and lower over the moon's surface. On Monday afternoon, Dec. 17, at about 2:28 p.m. PST (5:28 p.m. EST), their moon-skimming will conclude when a portion of the lunar surface - an unnamed mountain near the natural satellite's north pole - rises higher than their orbital altitude. The maneuvers began at 7:07 a.m. PST (10:07 a.m. EST) today when the Ebb spacecraft fired its main engines for 55.8 seconds, changing its orbital velocity by 10.3 mph (4.6 meters per second). Sixteen seconds later, still at 7:07 a.m. PST, the Flow spacecraft began its maneuver, executing a burn 55.4 seconds in duration with a resulting change in orbital velocity of 10.3 mph (4.6 meters per second). The spacecraft were named Ebb and Flow by elementary school students in Bozeman, Mont., who won a nationwide contest. Ebb and Flow are being sent purposely into the lunar surface because their low orbit and low fuel levels preclude further scientific operations. NASA wanted to rule out any possibility of our twins hitting the surface anywhere near any of the historic lunar exploration sites like the Apollo landing sites or where the Russian Luna probes touched down, said David Lehman, GRAIL project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. Our navigators calculated the odds before this maneuver as about seven in a million. Now, after these two successful rocket firings, there is zero chance. The unnamed mountain where the two spacecraft will make contact is on the moon's nearside, near its north pole, in the vicinity of a crater named Goldschmidt. Both spacecraft will hit the surface at 3,760 mph (1.7 kilometers per second). No imagery of the impact is expected, because the region will be in shadow at the time. Both spacecraft have been orbiting the moon since Jan. 1, 2012. The duo's successful primary mission yielded the highest-resolution gravity field map of any celestial body. Future gravity field models developed from data collected during the extended mission will be of even higher resolution. The map will provide a better understanding of how the moon, Earth and other rocky planets in the solar system formed and evolved. JPL manages the GRAIL mission for NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. The mission is part of the Discovery Program managed at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Denver built the spacecraft. For more information about GRAIL, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/grail D.C. Agle 818-393-9011 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. a...@jpl.nasa.gov Dwayne Brown 202-358-1726 NASA Headquarters, Washington dwayne.c.br...@nasa.gov Sarah McDonnell 617-253-8923 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge s_...@mit.edu 2012-399 __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] Chang'E 2 Successfully Images Asteroid Toutatis
http://www.planetary.org/blogs/emily-lakdawalla/2012/12141551-change-2-imaging-of-toutatis.html Chang'E 2 imaging of Toutatis succeeded beyond my expectations! Emily Lakdawalla Planetary Society December 14, 2012 The Chang'E 2 mission flyby of Toutatis succeeded in acquiring images. Oh my goodness, did they succeed. This is awesome. [Image] The images are much better than I expected them to be. There are also many more of them than I expected. I look forward to learning more about how they were acquired! These, in combination with the incredible radar images still being acquired from Goldstone and innumerable optical observations, make Toutatis one of the best-studied asteroids in the solar system. I'll have more to write about this in the future, but I wanted to share the news as soon as I heard it! Today, we need good news. Here is a CCTV report on the encounter -- in Chinese, obviously, so all I get is Chang-E, but the images in it are cool. Many thanks to users yaohua2000 and Cosmic Penguin at unmannedspaceflight.com for bringing this to Western attention! Yaohua2000 also provided the following summary of the encounter: Relative speed at 10.73 km/s Closest flyby at 3.2 km altitude Sequence (local time): - Dec13 15:25 Return solar panels to 180 degrees - Dec13 15:30 Switch to inertial altitude control - Dec13 15:45 Switch to star orientation 10 - Dec13 15:48 Switch to star orientation 2 - Dec13 16:20 Solar panel monitoring camera power up - Dec13 16:30 Closest flyby - Dec13 16:45 Solar panel monitoring camera power down Attached image: captured at 93-240 km distance between 16:30:09-16:30:24, maximum resolution 10 meters/pixel __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] AD - Time is running short!
Hello everybody, Well now, (almost) all the pictures have been posted on the Old Collection pages, both: http://www.impactika.com/OldIRON.htm http://www.impactika.com/OldStone.htm and I did some updating on the other 2 pages too: http://www.impactika.com/MetIRON.htm http://www.impactika.com/MetSTON.htm But now time is running very short, if you want to find your new meteorite under the Christmas tree, you will have to act very quickly. If you tell me by Monday, and if the Post Office cooperate, then it is still possible. So, hurry, go look at all those pages, and tell me what you want! Thanks! Anne M. Black www.IMPACTIKA.com impact...@aol.com __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
[meteorite-list] need help in identification
Hello dear List Members! This iron was purchased on eBay as Gibeon. After cutting, polishing and etching I have this: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/A7gXGpRzXl9qsW41LBhMleBvwVxWmoSjT0miZoa1dK0?feat=directlink https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/Bye41AsMncjWVUiY-IFjQuBvwVxWmoSjT0miZoa1dK0?feat=directlink It is absolutely obviously that it is not Gibeon. Patterns look similar to Seymchan, but it has more cracks, another patina and less stability. Seller did not respond on my emails. Any opinion will be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, Andrey Jerochov, #6240 __ Visit the Archives at http://www.meteorite-list-archives.com Meteorite-list mailing list Meteorite-list@meteoritecentral.com http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/meteorite-list
