New Supplies and Research for the Space Station on This Week @NASA – July 6, 2018

TL;DR

SpaceX Dragon delivers supplies to the International Space Station, Dawn spacecraft captures images of dwarf planet Ceres, and Parker Solar Probe is equipped with a heat shield for its mission to the Sun.

Transcript

A new resupply mission arrives at the Space Station… A closer look at dwarf planet, Ceres… And the Parker Solar Probe is ready for the heat … a few of the stories to tell you about – This Week at NASA! The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station on July 2 – three days after being launched from Florida. The Dragon d... Read More

Key Insights

• 👨‍🔬 The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft successfully completed its resupply mission to the International Space Station, delivering essential supplies and research materials.
• 🙂 The Dawn spacecraft's low-altitude observations of dwarf planet Ceres are providing valuable data and images, shedding new light on its surface materials.
• 🧑‍🔬 Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have used numerical modeling to study linear features on Jupiter's moons, revealing similarities with motion in Earth's crust.
• 🥵 The Parker Solar Probe is well-equipped with a heat shield designed to protect it from the extreme temperatures near the Sun during its historic mission.
• ✋ Eta Carinae, a distant stellar system, is found to be accelerating particles to high energies, some of which may reach Earth as cosmic rays.
• 😀 Citizen scientists can contribute to tracking disease-carrying mosquitoes by downloading the GLOBE Observer app and using the Mosquito Habitat Mapper tool.
• 🙂 NASA's NuSTAR space telescope has provided data showing that Eta Carinae, located 7,500 light-years away, is an important source of cosmic rays.

Questions & Answers

Q: What did the SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft deliver to the International Space Station?

The Dragon delivered over 5,900 pounds of research, crew supplies, and hardware to the orbiting laboratory. This included investigations on DNA sequencing and cancer therapy.

Q: What is the purpose of the low-altitude observations by the Dawn spacecraft around Ceres?

The low-altitude observations will help researchers gain a better understanding of the origin of materials found on Ceres' surface, such as the largest deposits of carbonates observed outside Earth and Mars.

Q: How do linear features called "bands" and "groove lanes" on Jupiter's moons relate to Earth's crust?

Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory used a numerical model to solve mysteries about motion in Earth's crust. This same model was also used to study the linear features on Europa and Ganymede, providing insights into their behavior.

Q: How does the heat shield on the Parker Solar Probe protect it from extreme temperatures?

The heat shield is made from materials that keep the spacecraft's surroundings within its shadow at a temperature of about 85 degrees Fahrenheit, while temperatures near the Sun's surface can reach nearly 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft successfully delivered supplies and research materials to the International Space Station.

• The Dawn spacecraft has been collecting images and data from its low-altitude orbit around dwarf planet Ceres, providing new insights into its surface materials.

• Scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have simulated the transportation of subsurface ocean water to the surface of Jupiter's moons Europa and Ganymede.

• The Parker Solar Probe is prepared for its mission to the Sun, equipped with a heat shield that will protect it from extreme temperatures.