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Tag: Dawn Asteroid Orbiter
NASA Approves New Horizons Extended KBO Mission, Keeps Dawn at Ceres
New Horizons trajectory and the orbits of Pluto and 2014 MU69.
In an 'Independence Day' gift to a slew of US planetary research scientists, NASA has granted approval to nine ongoing missions to continue for another two years this holiday weekend.
The biggest news is that NASA green lighted a mission extension for the New Horizons probe to fly deeper into the Kuiper Belt and decided to keep the Dawn probe at Ceres forever, rather than dispatching it to a record breaking third main belt asteroid.
And the exciting extension news comes just as the agency's Juno probe is about to ignite a do or die July 4 fireworks display to achieve orbit at Jupiter – detailed here.
"Mission approved!" the researchers gleefully reported on the probes Facebook and Twitter social media pages.
"Our extended mission into the #KuiperBelt has been approved. Thanks to everyone for following along & hopefully the best is yet to come.
Dwarf planet Ceres is shown in this false-color renderings, which highlight differences in surface materials. The image is centered on Ceres brightest spots at Occator crater. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
The New Horizons spacecraft will now continue on course in the Kuiper Belt towards an small object known as 2014 MU69, to carry out the most distant close encounter with a celestial object in human history.
"Here's to continued success!"
The spacecraft will rendezvous with the ancient rock on New Year's Day 2019.
Researchers say that 2014 MU69 is considered as one of the early building blocks of the solar system and as such will be invaluable to scientists studying the origin of our solar system how it evolved.
It was almost exactly one year ago on July 14, 2015 that New Horizons conducted Earth's first ever up close flyby and science reconnaissance of Pluto – the most distant planet in our solar system and the last of the nine planets to be explored.
Pluto Explored at Last. The New Horizons mission team celebrates successful flyby of Pluto in the moments after closest approach at 7:49 a.m. EDT on July 14, 2015. New Horizons Principal Investigator Alan Stern of Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), Boulder, CO., left, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) Director Ralph Semmel, center, and New Horizons Co-Investigator Will Grundy Lowell Observatory hold an enlarged print of an U.S. stamp with their suggested update after Pluto became the final planet in our solar system to be explored by an American space probe (crossing out the words 'not yet') – at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com
The immense volume of data gathered continues to stream back to Earth every day.
"The New Horizons mission to Pluto exceeded our expectations and even today the data from the spacecraft continue to surprise," said NASA's Director of Planetary Science Jim Green at NASA HQ in Washington, D.C.
"We're excited to continue onward into the dark depths of the outer solar system to a science target that wasn't even discovered when the spacecraft launched."
This new global mosaic view of Pluto was created from the latest high-resolution images to be downlinked from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft and released on Sept. 11, 2015. The images were taken as New Horizons flew past Pluto on July 14, 2015, from a distance of 50,000 miles (80,000 kilometers). This new mosaic was stitched from over two dozen raw images captured by the LORRI imager and colorized. Annotated with informal place names. Credits: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute/Marco Di Lorenzo/Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com
While waiting for news on whether NASA would approve an extended mission, the New Horizons engineering and science team already ignited the main engine four times to carry out four course changes in October and November 2015, in order to preserve the option of the flyby past 2014 MU69 on Jan 1, 2019.
Green noted that mission extensions into fiscal years 2017 and 2018 are not final until Congress actually passes sufficient appropriation to fund NASA's Planetary Science Division.
"Final decisions on mission extensions are contingent on the outcome of the annual budget process."
Tough choices were made even tougher because the Obama Administration has cut funding for the Planetary Sciences Division – some of which was restored by a bipartisan majority in Congress for what many consider NASA's 'crown jewels.'
NASA's Dawn asteroid orbiter just completed its primary mission at dwarf planet Ceres on June 30, just in time for the global celebration known as Asteroid Day.
"The mission exceeded all expectations originally set for its exploration of protoplanet Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres," said NASA officials.
The Dawn science team had recently submitted a proposal to break out of orbit around the middle of this month in order to this conduct a flyby of the main belt asteroid Adeona.
Green declined to approve the Dawn proposal, citing additional valuable science to be gathered at Ceres.
The long-term monitoring of Ceres, particularly as it gets closer to perihelion – the part of its orbit with the shortest distance to the sun — has the potential to provide more significant science discoveries than a flyby of Adeona," he said.
The funding required for a multi-year mission to Adeona would be difficult in these cost constrained times.
However the spacecraft is in excellent shape and the trio of science instruments are in excellent health.
Dawn arrived at Ceres on March 6, 2015 and has been conducting unprecedented investigation ever since.
Dawn is Earth's first probe in human history to explore any dwarf planet, the first to explore Ceres up close and the first to orbit two celestial bodies.
The asteroid Vesta was Dawn's first orbital target where it conducted extensive observations of the bizarre world for over a year in 2011 and 2012.
The mission is expected to last until at least later into 2016, and possibly longer, depending upon fuel reserves.
Due to expert engineering and handling by the Dawn mission team, the probe unexpectedly has hydrazine maneuvering fuel leftover.
Dawn will remain at its current altitude at the Low Altitude Mapping Orbit (LAMO) for the rest of its mission, and indefinitely afterward, even when no further communications are possible.
Green based his decision on the mission extensions on the biannual peer review scientific assessment by the Senior Review Panel.
Dawn was launched in September 2007.
The other mission extensions – contingent on available resources – are: the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN), the Opportunity and Curiosity Mars rovers, the Mars Odyssey orbiter, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), and NASA's support for the European Space Agency's Mars Express mission.
Stay tuned here for Ken's continuing Earth and planetary science and human spaceflight news.
NASA Selects Aerojet Rocketdyne to Develop Solar Electric Propulsion for Deep Space Missions
This prototype 13-kilowatt Hall thruster was tested at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and will be used by industry to develop high-power solar electric propulsion into a flight-qualified system. Credits: NASA
NASA has selected Aerojet Rocketdyne to design and develop an advanced solar electric propulsion (SEP) system that will serve as a critical enabling technology for sending humans and robots on deep space exploration missions to cislunar space, asteroids and the Red Planet.
Under the 3 year, $67 million contract award, Aerojet Rocketdyne will develop the engineering development unit for an Advanced Electric Propulsion System (AEPS) with the potential for follow on flight units.
NASA hopes that the work will result in a 10 fold increase in "spaceflight transportation fuel efficiency compared to current chemical propulsion technology and more than double thrust capability compared to current electric propulsion systems."
The SEP effort is based in part on NASA's exploratory work on Hall ion thrusters which trap electrons in a magnetic field and uses them to ionize and accelerate the onboard xenon gas propellant to produce thrust much more efficiently than chemical thrusters.
The solar electric propulsion (SEP) system technology will afford benefits both to America's commercial space and scientific space exploration capabilities.
For NASA, the SEP technology can be applied for expeditions to deep space such as NASA's planned Asteroid Robotic Redirect Mission (ARRM) to snatch a boulder from the surface of an asteroid and return it to cislunar space during the 2020s, as well as to carry out the agency's ambitious plans to send humans on a 'Journey to Mars' during the 2030s.
"High power SEP is a perfect example of NASA developing cross cutting technologies to enable both human and robotic deep space missions. Basically it enables high efficiency and better gas mileage," said Steve Jurczyk, associate administrator of NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) in Washington, at a media briefing.
"The advantage here is the higher power and the higher thrust."
"Our plan right now is to flight test the higher power solar electric propulsion that Aerojet Rocketdyne will develop for us on the Asteroid Redirect Robotic Mission (ARRM), which is going to go out to an asteroid with a robotic system, grab a boulder off of an asteroid, and bring it back to a lunar orbit."
ARRM would launch around 2020 or 2021. Astronauts would blast off several years later in NASA's Orion crew capsule in 2025 after the robotic probes travels back to lunar orbit.
For industry, electric propulsion is used increasingly to maneuver thrusters in Earth orbiting commercial satellites for station keeping in place of fuel.
"Through this contract, NASA will be developing advanced electric propulsion elements for initial spaceflight applications, which will pave the way for an advanced solar electric propulsion demonstration mission by the end of the decade," says Jurczyk.
"Development of this technology will advance our future in-space transportation capability for a variety of NASA deep space human and robotic exploration missions, as well as private commercial space missions."
This 13-kilowatt Hall thruster is being evaluated at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland for advanced solar electric propulsion. Hall thrusters trap electrons in a magnetic field and use them to ionize the onboard propellant. Credits: NASA
"This is also a critical capability for enabling human missions to Mars, with respect to delivering cargo to the surface to Mars that will allow people to live and work there on the surface. Also for combined chemical and SEP systems on a spacecraft to propel humans to Mars," elaborated Jurczyk at the briefing.
"Another application is round trip robotic science missions to Mars to bring back samples – such as a Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission."
The starting point is NASA's development and technology readiness testing of a prototype 13-kilowatt Hall thruster and power processing unit at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland.
Under the contract award Aerojet Rocketdyne aims to carry out the industrial development of "high-power solar electric propulsion into a flight-qualified system."
They will develop, build, test and deliver "an integrated electric propulsion system consisting of a thruster, power processing unit (PPU), low-pressure xenon flow controller, and electrical harness," as an engineering development unit.
This engineering development unit serves as the basis for producing commercial flight units.
If successful, NASA has an option to purchase up to four integrated flight units for actual space missions. Engineers from NASA Glenn and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) will provide technical support.
"We could string together four of these engine units to get approximately 50 kilowatts of electrical propulsion capability and with that we can do significant orbital transfer operations. That then becomes the next step in deep space exploration operations that we are trying to do," said Bryan Smith, director of the Space Flight Systems Directorate at NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, at the media briefing.
"We hope to buy four of these units for the ARRM mission."
What were some of NASA's research and development (R&D) activities and further plans for Aerojet Rocketdyne?
"NASA is driving out the technology itself for feasibility. So we produced a developmental device to operate at these levels," Smith told Universe Today during the briefing.
"Other key characteristics we were looking for is the ability to do magnetic shielding. The purpose was to allow for a long life thruster operation. We investigated attributes like thermal problems and balancing the erosion mechanisms in developmental units. So we were looking for things to get longer life and feasibility in developmental units."
"Once we were comfortable with the feasibility in developmental units, we are now transferring the information, technology and knowhow into what is a production article, in this contract."
Robotic sampling arm and capture mechanism to collect a multi-ton boulder from an asteroid are under development at NASA Goddard and other agency centers for NASA's unmanned Asteroid Redirect Vehicle and eventual docking in lunar orbit with Orion crew vehicle by the mid 2020s. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com
Solar electric ion propulsion is already being used in NASA's hugely successful Dawn asteroid orbiter mission.
Dawn was launched in 2007. It orbited and surveyed Vesta in 2011 and 2012 and then traveled outward to Ceres.
Dawn arrived at dwarf planet Ceres in March 2015 and is currently conducting breakthrough science at its lowest planned science mapping orbit.
This image was taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft of dwarf planet Ceres on Feb. 19 from a distance of nearly 29,000 miles (46,000 km). It shows that the brightest spot on Ceres has a dimmer companion, which apparently lies in the same basin. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
A key part of the Journey to Mars, NASA will be sending cargo missions to the Red Planet to pave the way for human expeditions with the Orion crew module and Space Launch System.
Aerojet Rocketdyne states that "Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) systems have demonstrated the ability to reduce the mission cost for NASA Human Exploration cargo missions by more than 50 percent through the use of existing flight-proven SEP systems."
"Using a SEP tug for cargo delivery, combined with NASA's Space Launch System and the Orion crew module, provides an affordable path for deep space exploration," said Aerojet Rocketdyne Vice President, Space and Launch Systems, Julie Van Kleeck.
Aerojet Rocketdyne artists concept for solar electric propulsion system for deep space missions. Credit: Aerojet Rocketdyne
Another near term application of high power solar electric propulsion could be for NASA's proposed Mars 2022 telecom orbiter, said Smith at the media briefing.
Other NASA technology work in progress includes development of more efficient, advanced solar array systems to generate the additional power required for the larger electric thrusters.
Orbital ATK was part of the development effort and already used some of its technology development in the ultraflex solar arrays on the recent Cygnus cargo ships delivering supplies to the ISS.
Landslides and Bright Craters on Ceres Revealed in Marvelous New Images from Dawn
Ceres' Haulani Crater, with a diameter of 21 miles (34 kilometers), shows evidence of landslides from its crater rim. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Now in orbit for just over a year at dwarf planet Ceres, NASA's Dawn spacecraft continues to astound us with new discoveries gleaned from spectral and imagery data captured at ever decreasing orbits as well as since the probe arrived last December at the lowest altitude it will ever reach during the mission.
Mission scientists have just released marvelous new images of Haulani and Oxo craters revealing landslides and mysterious slumps at several of the mysterious bright craters on Ceres – the largest asteroid in the main Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter.
The newly released image of oddly shaped Haulani crater above, shows the crater in enhanced color and reveals evidence of landslides emanating from its crater rim.
"Rays of bluish ejected material are prominent in this image. The color blue in such views has been associated with young features on Ceres," according to the Dawn science team.
"Enhanced color allows scientists to gain insight into materials and how they relate to surface morphology."
Look at the image closely and you'll see its actually polygonal in nature – meaning it resembles a shape made of straight lines – unlike most craters in our solar system which are nearly circular.
"The straight edges of some Cerean craters, including Haulani, result from pre-existing stress patterns and faults beneath the surface," says the science team.
Haulani Crater has a diameter of 21 miles (34 kilometers) and apparently was formed by an impacting object relatively recently in geologic time and is also one of the brightest areas on Ceres.
"Haulani perfectly displays the properties we would expect from a fresh impact into the surface of Ceres. The crater floor is largely free of impacts, and it contrasts sharply in color from older parts of the surface," said Martin Hoffmann, co-investigator on the Dawn framing camera team, based at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen, Germany, in a statement.
The enhanced color image was created from data gathered at Dawn's High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO), while orbiting at an altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers) from Ceres.
Data from Dawn's VIR instrument shows that Haulani's surface is comprised of different materials than its surroundings.
"False-color images of Haulani show that material excavated by an impact is different than the general surface composition of Ceres. The diversity of materials implies either that there is a mixed layer underneath, or that the impact itself changed the properties of the materials," said Maria Cristina de Sanctis, the VIR instrument lead scientist, based at the National Institute of Astrophysics, Rome.
Since mid-December, Dawn has been orbiting Ceres in its Low Altitude Mapping Orbit (LAMO), at a distance of 240 miles (385 kilometers) from Ceres, resulting in the most stunning images ever of the dwarf planet.
By way of comparison the much higher resolution image of Haulani crater below, is a mosaic of views assembled from multiple images taken from LAMO at less than a third of the HAMO image distance – at only 240 miles (385 kilometers) above Ceres.
Haulani Crater at LAMO. NASA's Dawn spacecraft took this mosaic view of Haulani Crater at a distance of 240 miles (385 kilometers) from the surface of Ceres. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/PSI
Dawn has also been busy imaging Oxo Crater, which despite its small size of merely 6-mile-wide (10-kilometer-wide) actually counts as a "hidden treasure" on Ceres – because it's the second-brightest feature on Ceres!
Only the mysterious bright region comprising a multitude of spots inside Occator Crater shine more brightly on Ceres.
Most importantly, Oxo Crater is the only place on Ceres where Dawn has detected water at the surface so far. Via VIR, Dawn data indicate that the water exists either in the form of ice or hydrated minerals. Scientists speculate that the water was exposed either during a landslide or an impact.
"Little Oxo may be poised to make a big contribution to understanding the upper crust of Ceres," said Chris Russell, principal investigator of the mission, based at the University of California, Los Angeles.
The signatures of minerals detected on the floor of Oxo crater appears to be different from the rest of Ceres.
Furthermore Oxo is "also unique because of the relatively large "slump" in its crater rim, where a mass of material has dropped below the surface."
Oxo Crater on Ceres is unique because of the relatively large "slump" in its crater rim. The 6-mile-wide (10-kilometer-wide) Oxo crater is the second-brightest feature on Ceres. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/PSI
Dawn will remain at its current altitude at LAMO for the rest of its mission, and indefinitely afterward, even when no further communications are possible.
Dawn Spacecraft Unraveling Mysteries of Ceres Intriguing Bright Spots as Sublimating Salt Water Residues
This representation of Ceres' Occator Crater in false colors shows differences in the surface composition. Red corresponds to a wavelength range around 0.97 micrometers (near infrared), green to a wavelength range around 0.75 micrometers (red, visible light) and blue to a wavelength range of around 0.44 micrometers (blue, visible light). Occator measures about 60 miles (90 kilometers) wide. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
With NASA's Dawn spacecraft set to enter its final and lowest orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres, spectral measurements are enabling researchers to gradually unravel the nature of the numerous mysterious and intriguing bright spots recently discovered, and now they conclude that briny mixtures of ice and salts apparently reside just beneath certain patches of the pockmarked surface and that "water is sublimating" from the surface of an "active crater".
Indeed, excited scientists report that high resolution images and spectra from Dawn indicate that Ceres is an active world even today, according to a pair of newly published scientific papers in the journal Nature. Continue reading "Dawn Spacecraft Unraveling Mysteries of Ceres Intriguing Bright Spots as Sublimating Salt Water Residues"
Dawn Starts Steep Descent to Most Dazzling Orbit of Ceres
The most dazzling views ever seen of dwarf planet Ceres and its mysterious bright spots are what's on tap by year's end as NASA's amazing Dawn spacecraft starts a gradual but steep descent over the next two months to its lowest and final orbit around the bizarre icy body.
Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) successfully fired up the probes exotic ion propulsion system to begin lowering Dawn's orbital altitude to less than a quarter of what it has been for the past two months of intense mapping operations.
On Oct. 23, Dawn began a seven-week-long dive that uses ion thruster #2 to reduce the spacecrafts vantage point from 915 miles (1,470 kilometers) at the High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO) down to less than 235 miles (380 kilometers) above Ceres at the Low Altitude Mapping Orbit (LAMO).
Dawn is slated to arrive at LAMO by mid-December, just in time to begin delivering the long awaiting Christmas treats.
Ceres has absolutely tantalized researchers far beyond their wildest expectations.
When Dawn arrives at LAMO it will be the culmination of an eight year interplanetary voyage that began with a blastoff on September 27, 2007 by a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex-17B (SLC-17B) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
LAMO marks Dawn's fourth, lowest and final science orbit at Ceres where the highest resolution observations will be gathered and images from the framing camera will achieve a resolution of 120 feet (35 meters) per pixel.
Dawn's low altitude mapping orbit LAMO. This shows how the orbit naturally shifts slightly (relative to the sun) during the three months of LAMO, starting in blue and ending in red. The spacecraft completes each revolution in 5.5 hours, and Ceres rotates in 9.1 hours, so Dawn will be able to view the entire surface. Credit: NASA/JPL
At LAMO, researchers hope to finally resolve the enduring mystery of the nature of the bright spots that have intrigued science and the general public since they were first glimpsed clearly early this year as Dawn was on its final approach to Ceres.
Dawn arrived in orbit this past spring on March 6, 2015.
This image was taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft of dwarf planet Ceres on Feb. 19 from a distance of nearly 29,000 miles (46,000 km). It shows that the brightest spot on Ceres has a dimmer companion, which apparently lies in the same basin. See below for the wide view. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
The science team has just released a new mosaic of the brightest spots on Ceres found at Occator crater and the surrounding terrain – see above.
The images were taken from the HAMO altitude of 915 miles (1,470 kilometers) during the first of six mapping cycles. They have a resolution of 450 feet (140 meters) per pixel.
Occator measures about 60 miles (90 kilometers) across and 2 miles (4 kilometers) deep.
This image, made using images taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft during the mission's High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO) phase, shows Occator crater on Ceres, home to a collection of intriguing bright spots. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Because the spots are so bright they are generally overexposed. Therefore the team took two sets of images, with shorter and longer exposure times, to maximize the details of the interior of Occator.
"This view uses a composite of two images of Occator: one using a short exposure that captures the detail in the bright spots, and one where the background surface is captured at normal exposure."
The bright spots at Occator crater remain the biggest Cerean mystery.
So far the imagery and other science data may point to evaporation of salty water from the interior as the source of the bright spots.
"Occasional water leakage on to the surface could leave salt there as the water would sublime," Prof. Chris Russell, Dawn principal investigator told Universe Today exclusively.
"The big picture that is emerging is that Ceres fills a unique niche."
"Ceres fills a unique niche between the cold icy bodies of the outer solar system, with their rock hard icy surfaces, and the water planets Mars and Earth that can support ice and water on their surfaces," Russell, of the University of California, Los Angeles, told me.
Dawn has peeled back Ceres secrets as the spacecraft orbits lower and lower. Detailed measurements gathered to date have yielded global mineral and topographic maps from HAMO with the best resolution ever as the science team painstakingly stitched together the probes spectral and imaging products.
And the best is yet to come at LAMO.
At HAMO, Dawn' instruments, including the Framing Camera and Visible and Infrared Spectrometer (VIR) were aimed at slightly different angles in each mapping cycle allowing the team to generate stereo views and construct 3-D maps.
"The emphasis during HAMO is to get good stereo data on the elevations of the surface topography and to get good high resolution clear and color data with the framing camera," Russell explained.
This view from NASA's Dawn spacecraft is a color-coded topographic map of Occator crater on Ceres. Blue is the lowest elevation, and brown is the highest. The crater, which is home to the brightest spots on Ceres, is approximately 56 miles (90 kilometers wide). Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Ceres is a Texas-sized world, ranks as the largest object in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and may have a subsurface ocean of liquid water that could be hospitable to life.
This map-projected view of Ceres was created from images taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft during its high-altitude mapping orbit, in August and September, 2015. This color coded map can provide valuable insights into the mineral composition of the surface, as well as the relative ages of surface features. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
The mission is expected to last until at least March 2016, and possibly longer, depending upon fuel reserves.
"It will end some time between March and December," Dr. Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer and mission director based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, told Universe Today.
An artist's conception shows NASA's Dawn spacecraft flying above Ceres. This view incorporates actual imagery from the Dawn mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Posted on October 8, 2015 December 23, 2015
A Mission to a Metal World: The Psyche Mission
In their drive to set exploration goals for the future, NASA's Discovery Program put out the call for proposals for their thirteenth Discovery mission in February 2014. After reviewing the 27 initial proposals, a panel of NASA and other scientists and engineers recently selected five semifinalists for additional research and development, one or two of which will be launching by the 2020s.
With an eye to Venus, near-Earth objects and asteroids, these missions are looking beyond Mars to address other questions about the history and formation of our Solar System. Among them is the proposed Psyche mission, a robotic spacecraft that will explore the metallic asteroid of the same name – 16 Psyche – in the hopes of shedding some light on the mysteries of planet formation.
Discovered by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis on March 17th, 1852 – and named after a Greek mythological figure – Psyche is one the ten most-massive asteroids in the Asteroid Belt. It is also the most massive M-type asteroid, a special class pertaining to asteroids composed primarily of nickel and iron.
For some time, scientists have speculated that this metallic asteroid is in fact the survivor of a protoplanet. In this scenario, a violent collision with a planetesimal stripped off Psyche's outer, rocky layers, leaving behind only the dense, metallic interior. This theory is supported by estimates of Psyche's bulk density, spectra, and radar surface properties; all of which show it to be an object unlike any others in the Belt.
Promotional artwork for the proposed Psyche mission. Credit: Peter Rubin/JPL-CALTECH.
In addition, this composition of 16 Psyche is strikingly similar to that of Earth's metal core. Given that astronomers think that larger planets like Venus, Earth and Mars formed from the collision and merger of smaller worlds, Psyche could be the remains of a protoplanet that did not get to create a larger body.
Had such a planetesimal been struck by a large enough object, it would have been able to lose its lower-mass exterior while keeping its core intact. Thus, studying this 250 km (155 mile) wide body, offers a unique opportunity to learn more about the interiors of planets and large moons, whose cores are hidden beneath many miles of rock.
Dr. Linda Elkins-Tanton of Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration is the Principle Investigator of this mission. As she and her team stated in their mission proposal paper, which was originally submitted as part of the 45th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (2014):
"This mission would be a journey back in time to one of the earliest periods of planetary accretion, when the first bodies were not only differentiating, but were being pulverized, shredded, and accreted by collisions. It is also an exploration, by proxy, of the interiors of terrestrial planets and satellites today: we cannot visit a metallic core any other way.
"For all of these reasons, coupled with the relative accessibility to low- cost rendezvous and orbit, Psyche is a superb target for a Discovery-class mission that would characterize its geology, shape, elemental composition, magnetic field , and mass distribution."
The huge metal asteroid Psyche may have a strong remnant magnetic field. Credit: Damir Gamulin/Ben Weiss
A robotic mission to Pysche would also help astronomers learn more about metal worlds, a type of solar system object that scientists know very little about. But perhaps the greatest reason to study 16 Psyche is the fact that it is unique. So far, this body is the only metallic core-like body that has been discovered in the Solar System.
The proposed spacecraft would orbit Psyche for six months, studying its topography, surface features, gravity, magnetism, and other characteristics. The mission would also be cost-effective and quick to launch, since it is largely based on technology that went into the making of NASA's Dawn probe. Currently in orbit around Ceres, the Dawn mission has demonstrated the effectiveness of many new technologies, not the least of which was the xenon ion thruster.
The Psyche orbiter mission was selected as one of the Discovery Program's five semifinalists on September 30th, 2015. Each proposal has received $3 million for year-long studies to lay out detailed mission plans and reduce risks. One or two finalist will be selected to receive the program's budget of $450 million (minus the cost of a launch vehicle and mission operations) and will launch in 2020 at the earliest.
The Next Generation of Exploration: The DAVINCI Spacecraft
It's no secret that there has been a resurgence in interest in space exploration in recent years. Much of the credit for this goes to NASA's ongoing exploration efforts on Mars, which in the past few years have revealed things like organic molecules on the surface, evidence of flowing water, and that the planet once had a denser atmosphere – all of which indicate that the planet may have once been hospitable to life.
But when it comes to the future, NASA is looking beyond Mars to consider missions that will send missions to Venus, near-Earth objects, and a variety of asteroids. With an eye to Venus, they are busy investigating the possibility of sending the Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging (DAVINCI) spacecraft to the planet by the 2020s.
Led by Lori Glaze of the Goddard Spaceflight Center, the DAVINCI descent craft would essentially pick up where the American and Soviet space programs left off with the Pioneer and Venera Programs in the 1970s and 80s. The last time either country sent a probe into Venus' atmosphere was in 1985, when the Soviet probes Vega 1 and 2 both orbited the planet and released a balloon-supported aerobot into the upper atmosphere.
Model of the Vega 1 probe and landing apparatus at the Udvar-Hazy Center, Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Virginia. Credit: historicspacecraft.com
These probes both remained operational for 46 hours and discovered just how turbulent and powerful Venus' atmosphere was. In contrast, the DAVINCI probe's mission will be to study both the atmosphere and surface of Venus, and hopefully shed some light on some of the planet's newfound mysteries. According to the NASA release:
"DAVINCI would study the chemical composition of Venus' atmosphere during a 63-minute descent. It would answer scientific questions that have been considered high priorities for many years, such as whether there are volcanoes active today on the surface of Venus and how the surface interacts with the atmosphere of the planet."
These studies will attempt to build upon the data obtained by the Venus Express spacecraft, which in 2008/2009 noted the presence of several infrared hot spots in the Ganis Chasma region near the the shield volcano of Maat Mons (shown below). Believed to be due to volcanic eruptions, this activity was thought to be responsible for significant changes that were noted in the sulfur dioxide (SO²) content in the atmosphere at the time.
What's more, the Pioneer Venus spacecraft – which studied the planet's atmosphere from 1978 until its orbit decayed in 1992 – noted a tenfold decreased in the density of SO² at the cloud tops, which was interpreted as a decline following an episode of volcanogenic upwelling from the lower atmosphere.
3-D perspective of the Venusian volcano, Maat Mons, generated from radar data from NASA's Magellan mission. Credit: NASA/JPL
Commonly associated with volcanic activity here on Earth, SO² is a million times more abundant in Venus' atmosphere, where it helps to power the runaway greenhouse effect that makes the planet so inhospitable. However, any SO² released into Venus' atmosphere is also short-lived, being broken down by sunlight within a matter of days.
Hence, any significant changes in SO² levels in the upper atmosphere must have been a recent addition, and some scientists believe that the spike observed in 2008/2009 was due to a large volcano (or several) erupting. Determining whether or not this is the case, and whether or not volcanic activity plays an active role in the composition of Venus's thick atmosphere, will be central to DAVINCI's mission.
Along with four other mission concepts, DAVINCI was selected as a semifinalist for the NASA Discovery Program's latest calls for proposed missions. Every few years, the Discovery Program – a low-cost planetary missions program that is managed by the JPL's Planetary Science Division – puts out a call for missions with an established budget of around $500 million (not counting the cost of launch or operation).
The latest call for submissions took place in February 2014, as part of the Discovery Mission 13. At the time, a total of 27 teams threw their hats into the ring to become part of the next round of space exploration missions. Last Wednesday, September 30th, 2015, five semifinalists were announced, one (or possibly two) of which will be chosen as the winner(s) by September 2016.
Artist rendition of NASA's Mars InSight (Interior exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) Lander, which was selected as part of the Discovery Programs 2010 call for submissions and will be launched by 2016. Credit: JPL/NASA
These finalists will receive $3 million in federal grants for detailed concept studies, and the mission (or missions) that are ultimately chosen will be launched by December 31st, 2021. The Discovery Program began back in 1992, and launched its first mission- the Mars Pathfinder – in 1996. Other Discovery missions include the NEAR Shoemaker probe that first orbited an asteroid, and the Stardust-NExT project, which returned samples of comet and interstellar dust to Earth.
NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, the planet-hunting Kepler telescope, and the Dawn spacecraft were also developed and launched under the Discovery program. The winning proposal of the Discovery Program's 12th mission, which was issued back in 2010, was the InSight Mars lander. Set to launch in March of 2016, the lander will touch down on the red planet, deploy instruments to the planet's interior, and measure its seismic activity.
NASA hopes to infuse the next mission with new technologies, offering up government-furnished equipment with incentives to sweeten the deal for each proposal. These include a supply of deep space optical communications system that are intended to test new high-speed data links with Earth. Science teams that choose to incorporate the laser telecom unit will be entitled to an extra $30 million above their $450 million cost cap.
If science teams wish to send entry probes into the atmospheres of Venus or Saturn, they will need a new type of heat shield. Hence, NASA's solicitation includes a provision to furnish a newly-developed 3D-woven heat shield with a $10 million incentive. A deep space atomic clock is also available with a $5 million bonus, and NASA has offered to provide xenon ion thrusters and radioisotope heater units without incentives.
As with previous Discovery missions, NASA has stipulated that the mission must use solar power, limiting mission possibilities beyond Jupiter and Saturn. Other technologies may include the NEXT ion thruster and/or re-entry technology.
Posted on September 30, 2015 December 23, 2015
Scientists Tantalized as Dawn Yields Global Mineral and Topographic Maps of Ceres
Slowly but surely the mysteries of dwarf planet Ceres are being peeled back layer by layer as NASA's Dawn spacecraft orbits lower and lower and gathers detailed measurements that have now yielded global mineral and topographic maps, tantalizing researchers with the best resolution ever.
The Dawn science team has been painstakingly stitching together the spectral and imaging products captured from the lowest orbit yet achieved into high resolution global maps of Ceres, released today Sept. 30, by NASA.
"Ceres continues to amaze, yet puzzle us, as we examine our multitude of images, spectra and now energetic particle bursts," said Chris Russell, Dawn principal investigator at the University of California, Los Angeles, in a statement.
The color coded map above is providing researchers with valuable insights into the mineral composition of Ceres surface, as well as the relative ages of the surface features that were a near total mystery until Dawn arrived on March 6, 2015.
The false-color mineral map view combines images taken using infrared (920 nanometers), red (750 nanometers) and blue (440 nanometers) spectral filters.
"Redder colors indicate places on Ceres' surface that reflect light strongly in the infrared, while bluish colors indicate enhanced reflectivity at short (bluer) wavelengths; green indicates places where albedo, or overall brightness, is strongly enhanced," say officials.
"Scientists use this technique in order to highlight subtle color differences across Ceres, which would appear fairly uniform in natural color. This can provide valuable insights into the mineral composition of the surface, as well as the relative ages of surface features."
Researchers say the mineral variations at Ceres "are more subtle than on Vesta, Dawn's previous port of call."
The asteroid Vesta was Dawn's first orbital target and conducted extensive observations of the bizarre world for over a year in 2011 and 2012.
The Dawn team is meeting this week to review and publish the mission results so far at the European Planetary Science Conference in Nantes, France.
The newly released maps were created from data gathered at Dawn's current science orbit, known as the High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO) phase of the mission, during August and September.
At HAMO, Dawn is circling Ceres at an altitude of barely 915 miles (1,470 kilometers) above the heavily cratered surface.
"Dawn arrived in this third mapping orbit [HAMO] on Aug. 13. It began this third mapping phase on schedule on Aug. 17," Dr. Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer and mission director based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California, told Universe Today.
Each HAMO mapping orbit cycle lasts 11 days and consists of 14 orbits lasting 19 hours each. Ceres is entirely mapped during each of the 6 cycles. The third mapping cycle started on Sept. 9.
Dawn' instruments, including the Framing Camera and Visible and Infrared Spectrometer (VIR) will be aimed at slightly different angles in each mapping cycle allowing the team to generate stereo views and construct 3-D maps.
"The emphasis during HAMO is to get good stereo data on the elevations of the surface topography and to get good high resolution clear and color data with the framing camera," Russell told me.
"We are hoping to get lots of VIR IR data to help understand the composition of the surface better."
"Dawn will use the color filters in its framing camera to record the sights in visible and infrared wavelengths," notes Rayman.
The new maps at HAMO provide about three times better resolution than the images captured from its previous orbit in June, and nearly 10 times better than in the spacecraft's initial orbit at Ceres in April and May.
This color-coded map from NASA's Dawn shows the highs and lows of topography on the surface of dwarf planet Ceres. It is labeled with names of features approved by the International Astronomical Union. The color scale extends about 5 miles (7.5 kilometers) below the reference surface in indigo to 5 miles (7.5 kilometers) above the reference surface in white. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
The science team also released a new color-coded topographic map annotated with over a dozen Cerean feature names recently approved by the IAU.
"The names for features on Ceres are all eponymous for agricultural spirits, deities and festivals from cultures around the world. These include Jaja, after the Abkhazian harvest goddess, and Ernutet, after the cobra-headed Egyptian harvest goddess. A 12-mile (20-kilometer) diameter mountain near Ceres' north pole is now called Ysolo Mons, for an Albanian festival that marks the first day of the eggplant harvest."
The biggest Cerean mystery of all remains the nature of the bright spots at Occator crater. It's still under analysis and the team released a new color coded topographic map.
The imagery and other science data may point to evaporation of salty water as the source of the bright spots.
"Occasional water leakage on to the surface could leave salt there as the water would sublime," Russell told me.
"The big picture that is emerging is that Ceres fills a unique niche," Prof. Chris Russell, Dawn principal investigator told Universe Today exclusively.
"Ceres fills a unique niche between the cold icy bodies of the outer solar system, with their rock hard icy surfaces, and the water planets Mars and Earth that can support ice and water on their surfaces," said Russell.
"The irregular shapes of craters on Ceres are especially interesting, resembling craters we see on Saturn's icy moon Rhea," says Carol Raymond, Dawn's deputy principal investigator based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. "They are very different from the bowl-shaped craters on Vesta."
Dawn was launched on September 27, 2007 by a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta II Heavy rocket from Space Launch Complex-17B (SLC-17B) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida.
Do Ceres Bizarre Bright Spots Seen in Dazzling New Close Ups Arise from 'Water Leakage'? Dawn Science Team Talks to UT
Story/imagery updated[/caption]
The question on everyone's mind about Ceres is what the heck are those bizarre bright spots discovered by NASA's Dawn orbiter?
Since scientists believe that Ceres occupies a "unique niche" in the solar system and apparently harbors subsurface ice or liquid oceans, could the bright spots arise from subsurface "water leakage?" To find out Universe Today asked Dawn's Principal Investigator and Chief Engineer.
"Ceres fills a unique niche between the cold icy bodies of the outer solar system, with their rock hard icy surfaces, and the water planets Mars and Earth that can support ice and water on their surfaces," said Russell, of the University of California, Los Angeles.
And with Dawn recently arrived at its second lowest science mapping orbit of the planned mission around icy dwarf planet Ceres in mid-August, the NASA spacecraft is capturing the most stunningly detailed images yet of those ever intriguing bright spots located inside Occator crater.
Circling the Lights of Occator crater on Ceres. This image, made using images taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft during the mission's High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO) phase and draped over a shape model, shows Occator crater on Ceres, home to a collection of intriguing bright spots. The image has been stretched by 1.5 times in the vertical direction to better illustrate the crater's topography. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
Dawn is Earth's first probe to explore any dwarf planet and the first to explore Ceres up close. It was built by Orbital ATK.
To shed more light on what still remains rather mysterious even today, NASA has just released the best yet imagery, which was taken at Dawn's High Altitude Mapping Orbit (HAMO) phase and they raise as many questions as they answer.
Occator has captured popular fascination world-wide because the 60 miles (90 kilometers) diameter crater is rife with the alien bodies brightest spots and whose nature remains elusive to this day, over half a year after Dawn arrived in orbit this past spring on March 6, 2015.
The new imagery from Dawn's current HAMO mapping orbit was taken at an altitude of just 915 miles (1,470 kilometers). They provide about three times better resolution than the images captured from its previous orbit in June, and nearly 10 times better than in the spacecraft's initial orbit at Ceres in April and May, says the team.
So with the new HAMO orbit images in hand, I asked the team what's the latest thinking on the bright spots nature?
Initially a lot of speculation focused on water ice. But the scientists opinions have changed substantially as the data pours in from the lower orbits and forced new thinking on alternative hypotheses – to the absolute delight of the entire team!
"When the spots appeared at first to have an albedo approaching 100%, we were forced to think about the possibility of [water] ice being on the surface," Russell explained.
"However the survey data revealed that the bright spots were only reflecting about 50% of the incoming light."
"We did not like the ice hypothesis because ice sublimes under the conditions on Ceres surface. So we were quite relieved by the lower albedo."
"So what could be 50% reflective? If we look at Earth we find that when water evaporates on the desert it leaves salt which is reflective. We know from its density that water or ice is inside Ceres."
"So the occasional water leakage on to the surface could leave salt there as the water would sublime even faster than ice."
At this time no one knows how deep the potential ice deposit or water reservoir sources of the "water leakage" reside beneath the surface, or whether the bright salt spots arose from past or current activity and perhaps get replenished or enlarged over time. To date there is no evidence showing plumes currently erupting from the Cerean surface.
Video Caption: Circling Occator Crater on Ceres. This animation, made using data from NASA's Dawn spacecraft, shows the topography of Occator crater on Ceres. Credits: Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/PSI
Dawn is an international science mission and equipped with a trio of state of the art science instruments from Germany, Italy and the US. They will elucidate the overall elemental and chemical composition and nature of Ceres, its bright spots and other wondrous geological features like the pyramidal mountain object.
I asked the PI and Chief Engineer to explain specifically how and which of the instruments is the team using right now at HAMO to determine the bright spots composition?
"The instruments that will reveal the composition of the spots are the framing camera [from Germany], the infrared spectrometer, and the visible spectrometer [both from the VIR instrument from Italy], replied Dr. Marc Rayman, Dawn's chief engineer and mission director based at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
"Dawn arrived in this third mapping orbit [HAMO] on Aug. 13. It began this third mapping phase on schedule on Aug. 17."
But much work remains to gather and interpret the data and discern the identity of which salts are actually present on Ceres.
"While salts of various sorts have the right reflectance, they are hard to distinguish from one another in the visible," Russell elaborated to Universe Today.
"That is one reason VIR is working extra hard on the IR spectrum. Scientists are beginning to speculate on the salts. And to think about what salts could be formed in the interior."
"That is at an early stage right now," Russell stated.
"I know of nothing exactly like these spots anywhere. We are excited about these scientific surprises!"
Occator crater lies in Ceres northern hemisphere.
"There are other lines of investigation besides direct compositional measurement that will provide insight into the spots, including the geological context," Rayman told Universe Today.
Each of Dawn's two framing cameras is also outfitted with a wheel of 7 color filters, explained Joe Makowski, Dawn program manager from Orbital ATK, in an interview.
Different spectral data is gathered using the different filters which can be varied during each orbit.
"So far Dawn has completed 2 mapping orbit cycles of the 6 cycles planned at HAMO."
Each HAMO mapping orbit cycle lasts 11 days and consists of 14 orbits lasting 19 hours each. Ceres is entirely mapped during each of the 6 cycles. The third mapping cycle just started on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
The instruments will be aimed at slightly different angle in each mapping cycle allowing the team to generate stereo views and construct 3-D maps.
"Dawn remains at HAMO until October 23. Then it begins thrusting with the ion propulsion thrusters to reach its lowest mapping orbit named LAMO [Low Altitude Mapping Orbit]," Makowski told me.
"Dawn will arrive at LAMO on December 15, 2015."
That's a Christmas present we can all look forward to with glee!
This image was taken by NASA's Dawn spacecraft of dwarf planet Ceres on Feb. 19 from a distance of nearly 29,000 miles (46,000 kilometers). It shows that the brightest spot on Ceres has a dimmer companion, which apparently lies in the same basin. Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA
What is the teams reaction, interplay and interpretation regarding the mountains of new data being received from Dawn? How do the geologic processes compare to Earth?
"Dawn has transformed what was so recently a few bright dots into a complex and beautiful, gleaming landscape," says Rayman. "Soon, the scientific analysis will reveal the geological and chemical nature of this mysterious and mesmerizing extraterrestrial scenery."
"We do believe we see geologic processes analogous to those on Earth – but with important Cerean twists," Russell told me.
"However we are at a point in the mission where conservative scientists are interpreting what we see in terms of familiar processes. And the free thinkers are imagining wild scenarios for what they see."
"The next few weeks (months?) will be a time where the team argues amongst themselves and finds the proper compromise between tradition and innovation," Russell concluded elegantly.
Among the highest features seen on Ceres so far is a mountain about 4 miles (6 kilometers) high, which is roughly the elevation of Mount McKinley in Alaska's Denali National Park. Vertical relief has been exaggerated by a factor of five to help understand the topography. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/LPI
A batch of new results from Dawn at Ceres are expected to be released during science presentations at the European Planetary Science Congress 2015 being held in Nantes, France from 27 September to 2 October 2015.
The Dawn mission is expected to last until at least March 2016, and possibly longer, depending upon fuel reserves.
"It will end some time between March and December," Rayman told me.
The science objectives in the LAMO orbit could be achieved as soon as March. But the team wants to extend operations as long as possible, perhaps to June or beyond, if the spacecraft remains healthy and has sufficient hydrazine maneuvering fuel and NASA funding to operate.
"We expect Dawn to complete the mission objectives at Ceres by March 2016. June is a the programmatic milestone for end of the nominal mission, effectively a time margin," Makowski told Universe Today.
"The team is working to a well-defined exploration plan for Ceres, which we expect to accomplish by March, if all goes well."
"At launch Dawn started with 45 kg of hydrazine. It has about 21 kg of usable hydrazine onboard as of today."
"We expect to use about 15 kg during the nominal remaining mission," Makowski stated.
Therefore Dawn may have roughly 5 kg or so of hydrazine fuel for any extended mission, if all goes well, that may eventually be approved by NASA. Of course NASA's budget depends also on what is approved by the US Congress.
The intriguing brightest spots on Ceres lie in a crater named Occator, which is about 60 miles (90 kilometers) across and 2 miles (4 kilometers) deep. Vertical relief has been exaggerated by a factor of five. Exaggerating the relief helps scientists understand and visualize the topography much more easily, and highlights features that are sometimes subtle. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/LPI
Dawn launch on September 27, 2007 by a United Launch Alliance Delta II Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. Credit: Ken Kremer/kenkremer.com
Posted on August 8, 2015 December 23, 2015
Mysterious Bright Spots and Pyramidal Mountain Star in Dawn's Daunting Flyover of Ceres: Video
Video caption: Take a tour of weird Ceres! Visit a 2-mile-deep crater and a 4-mile-tall mountain in the video narrated by mission director Marc Rayman. Get your red/blue glasses ready for the finale – a global view of the dwarf planet in 3D. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/LPI/PSI
Mysterious bright spots and a pyramidal shaped mountain star in a daunting new flyover video of dwarf planet Ceres created from imagery gathered by NASA's history making Dawn mission – the first ever to visit any dwarf planet which simultaneously ranks as the largest world in the main asteroid belt residing between Mars and Jupiter.
Ceres was nothing more than a fuzzy blob to humankinds most powerful telescopes like the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), until the probe swooped in this year and achieved orbit on March 6, 2015.
The newly released, stunning video takes takes you on a tour like none before for a global cruise over the most fascinating features on Ceres – including the 2-mile-deep (4-km-deep) crater dubbed Occator and a towering 4-mile-tall (6 kilometer-tall) mountain as tall as any in North America.
The spectacular flyover animation was generated from high resolution images taken by Dawn's framing camera during April and May and is narrated by Marc Rayman, Dawn Chief Engineer and Mission Director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
The video concludes with a 3D view, so you'll need to whip out your handy red/blue glasses for the finale – a global view of the dwarf planet in 3D.
From the orbital altitude at that time ranging from about 8,400 miles (13,600 kilometers) to 2,700 miles (4,400 kilometers), the highest-resolution regions on Ceres have a resolution of 1,600 feet (480 meters) per pixel.
Pockmarked Ceres is an alien world unlike any other in our solar system, replete with unexplained bright spots and craters of many sizes, large and small.
Occatur has captured popular fascination world-wide because the 60 miles (90 kilometers) diameter crater is rife with a host of the bodies brightest spots and whose nature remains elusive to this day, nearly half a year after Dawn arrived in orbit this past spring.
"Now, after a journey of 3.1 billion miles (4.9 billion kilometers) and 7.5 years, Dawn calls Ceres, home," says Rayman.
The crater is named after the Roman agriculture deity of harrowing, a method of pulverizing and smoothing soil.
Dawn is an international science mission managed by NASA and equipped with a trio of science instruments from the US, Germany and Italy. The framing camera was provided by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research, Göttingen, Germany and the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
The visible and infrared mapping spectrometer (VIR), provided by Italy is an imaging spectrometer that examines Ceres in visible and infrared light.
Dawn's science team is using the instruments to investigate the light reflecting from Occator at different wavelengths.
From a distance, the crater appeared to be home to a duo of bright spots that looked like a pair of eyes. As Dawn moves ever closer, they became more resolved and now are split into dozens of smaller bright spots.
Global view of Ceres uses data collected by NASA's Dawn mission in April and May 2015. The highest-resolution parts of the map have a resolution of 1,600 feet (480 meters) per pixel. Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA/LPI/PSI
Although some early speculation centered on the spots possibly being consistent with water ice or salts, newly gathered data "has not found evidence that is consistent with ice. The spots' albedo -¬ a measure of the amount of light reflected -¬ is also lower than predictions for concentrations of ice at the surface," according to the scientists.
"The science team is continuing to evaluate the data and discuss theories about these bright spots at Occator," said Chris Russell, Dawn's principal investigator at the University of California, Los Angeles, in a statement.
"We are now comparing the spots with the reflective properties of salt, but we are still puzzled by their source. We look forward to new, higher-resolution data from the mission's next orbital phase."
Occator lies in Ceres northern hemisphere.
The huge pyramidal mountain lies farther to the southeast of Occator – at 11 degrees south, 316 degrees east.
Based on the latest calculations, the mountain sits about 4 miles (6 kilometers) high, with respect to the surface around it. That make it roughly the same elevation as Mount McKinley in Denali National Park, Alaska, the highest point in North America.
The Texas-sized world is slightly smaller than previously thought. Based on new measurements from Dawn, Ceres' average diameter to 584 miles (940 kilometers), compared to earlier estimates of 590 miles (950 kilometers).
Dawn made history in March when it simultaneously became the first probe from Earth to reach Ceres as well as the first spacecraft to orbit two extraterrestrial bodies.
It had previously visited Vesta. After achieving orbit in July 2011, Dawn became the first spacecraft from Earth to orbit a body in the main Asteroid Belt.
In sharp contrast to rocky Vesta, Ceres is an icy world.
Scientists believe that Ceres may harbor an ocean of subsurface liquid water as large in volume as the oceans of Earth below a thick icy mantle despite its small size – and thus could be a potential abode for life. Overall Ceres is estimated to be about 25% water by mass.
"We really appreciate the interest in our mission and hope they are as excited as we have been about these scientific surprises," Russell told Universe Today.
"Since we are only just beginning our investigation, I expect that there will be more surprises. So please stick with us!"
As Dawn spirals down to a lower orbit of about 1,200 miles (1,900 km) above Ceres (and then even lower) using its ion engines, new answers and new mysteries are sure to be forthcoming.
"There are many other features that we are interested in studying further," said Dawn science team member David O'Brien, with the Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, Arizona.
"These include a pair of large impact basins called Urvara and Yalode in the southern hemisphere, which have numerous cracks extending away from them, and the large impact basin Kerwan, whose center is just south of the equator."
The mission is expected to last until at least June 2016 depending upon fuel reserves.


Well, you could take online courses. Here's a sample: To swim with a knife in your mouth, be sure to keep the not-cutty part in your hole.
Took a knife fighting course once. Lots of fun.
They offer courses on that?
They use training knife made from plastic or wood though.
Going down the sail with a knife is actually pretty hard, becuase once the knife hits some stitching odds are it's going to fling itself out of the sail rather than keep cutting.
Actually, I hear it in Pat Boone's voice. Pat Boone, famous super-whitebread Christian Middle America musician, once did an album of rock covers in his own super-whitebread style titled NO MORE MR NICE GUY, which included that song.
It's hilarious, and I love it.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADAM. Did your girlfriend buy you a new knife?
No, but we did attend a knife class. I am now licensed in the state of Wisconsin to julienne carrots.
You have to get a LICENSE for that?
Also I can't believe the word "Julienning" is a word.
Aw, panel 2 looks like fun! I'd take that class if I could find it.
You go through a lot of sails that way.
…Technically, that was swords, but I have a serrated machete and can use that as a bread knife, so close enough I think.
This morning I saw a video of Prince taking part in a George Harrison tribute and Pirate bug looks like he was modelled after him. Also seeing the title I realize that obviously knife is how one would pronounce nice when a lip split open.
This could also work as an alternate origin for Heath Ledger's Joker.


A Quick Assessment: Does Your Culture Retain the "First-Day Freshness"?
Take this quick assessment that may reveal something shocking about where you work.
First, determine who the newest member of your team is. Let's say it's a man named Sam. Now ask: To what extent does Sam bring the same level of enthusiasm, passion, and commitment to excellence today in comparison to what he brought his first day on the job? Then ask: Now that Sam's been on the team for while, is he more or less collaborative than he was on day one?
And here's one more revealing question: Is the company and your team receiving Sam's discretionary effort at the levels he originally came through the door with?
Some might think that these questions are designed to assess the capabilities of a colleague. And while it's true that your answers may better ascertain Sam's value to the organization, consider that such questions determine something more significant: the health of your work culture.
Consider that while Sam is responsible for his attitude and behaviors, he can't be entirely blamed for no longer functioning with the "all-in" enthusiasm he did on day one; research proves the culture he functions in has a profound effect on the person. Organizations that have high-performing teams understand this.
What actions will you take to create an environment that encourages others to function with the enthusiasm of their first day?
What discipline will you demonstrate that reveals you're even more "all-in" than you were on your first day?
I and my pals came reading through the best advice from the website then unexpectedly developed an awful suspicion I never thanked the site owner for those techniques. My ladies are actually as a consequence joyful to read through all of them and have very much been tapping into these things. Appreciation for truly being really helpful as well as for picking out such ideal ideas millions of individuals are really desperate to be aware of. Our own sincere regret for not expressing appreciation to you sooner.


This earthy statement copper is reminiscent of the peaks and plains that we all experience throughout life.
The ridges are symbolic of mountains and the surface ares represent valleys.
It is made with a combination of mixed metals including; copper, brass and sterling silver.
A wire wrapped centerpiece that resembles a snake has been added for style.
Cuff is flexible and can be adjusted.
Standard measurements are approximately 1' wide and 6' in length. Also available in 7' and 8' inch lengths.
All products unique and custom designed. Take a look at more custom bracelets here.
If you are interested in certain alterations, message us or include a note at checkout.
As with most made by hand creations, your item will be unique and one of a kind to you. Some differences may occur in the designing process from that of photos including, color and tone variation, shapes, arrangement, texture etc. No two bracelets will be 100% identical.


text:
Q: How to store the index of a list item in to a database I have a unordered list in which I would like to search through and find the index of each item. After, I want to save that index value to a column in my access database.
So far the javascript I have is below, all this does currently is loop through the items. How can I assign that index value to a variable in ASP? or maybe a textbox.
function sort() {
  var count = document.getElementById('sortable').getElementsByTagName('li').length;

    for(var i = 0; i < count; i++)
    {
      alert(i);
    }
 }

The ASP for the list is below,

1

2

3

A: It will be easier if you count the items in the backend instead. If you do it on the client side (with JS) you will have to send the data back to the server.
If you want to use the index on the client side (or pass it to the server at some point) you can do something like this:
function sort() {
  var items = document.getElementById('sortable').getElementsByTagName('li')
  var count = items.length;

    for(var i = 0; i < count; i++)
    {
      items[i].setAttribute('data-index', i);
    }
 }

This will result in:

...

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Eritrea announced on Tuesday that it will send a cultural troupe to Ethiopia to perform in major cities across the country, a sign of improved relations between the two former foes.
The statement by the Eritrean Ministry of Information says the cultural troupe, which includes legendary and young musicians, will begin its performance in Bahir Dar on February 16th.
The Eritrean cultural troupe will also be performing jointly with legendary Ethiopian singers and musicians, the Ministry said.
Ethiopia and Eritrea ended two decades of animosity last July in a declaration signed between the two countries. Rekindling cultural relations was one of the agreements in the declaration that also saw the opening of borders, transportations and trade between the two countries.


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Joe Paretta
Location: Jim Thorpe, PA
1. Football PBP 7:20
3. Basketball PBP 6:35
7. Hockey PBP 7:04
9. Sports Update 1:50
10. Sports Report :49
12. Newscast 1:58
1. Game Recap
Sports Broadcasting Experience
2015—2016 season: Play-by-Play Announcer, Philadelphia Revolution, Eastern Hockey League (EHL)
April 2016: Public Address Announcer, Globe Bowl All-Star Football Game, Allentown, PA
Sports Broadcasting Skills
Basketball Play-by-Play
Football Play-by-Play
Hockey Play-by-Play
Sports Report and Update Anchoring
Newscast Anchoring
Related Skills & Experience
Hofstra University Sportscasting Institute – Hempstead, NY
Public Address Announcer, Uniondale High School basketball and football – Uniondale, NY
Radio Show Host, "Back to the Revolution," WJRH, Lafayette College – Easton, PA
Author, Master The Card: Say Goodbye to Credit Card Debt...Forever! (Balboa Press, 2010)
Adjunct Instructor of English (writing and literary analysis) at several colleges and universities
M.A., Hofstra University, May 1996; Major Concentration: English
B.A., Hofstra University, May 1989; Major: English; Minor: Speech Arts; member, Phi Beta Kappa
Chris Kanaly: General Manager, Philadelphia Revolution, Eastern Hockey League
Ed Ingles: former long-time WCBS Sports Director and Morning Sportscaster; current Hofstra University Mentor
Mike O'Brien: Director of Broadcasting and Media Relations, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (American Hockey League)

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Jamshidi needle
Raymond Liang, MD, FHKAM (Medicine)
Member, Education and Research Committee, Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences Society
Full paper in PDF
The Jamshidi needle is the standard instrument used for bone marrow biopsy. Bone marrow examination is commonly performed for the diagnosis and management of blood diseases. It usually involves both a marrow blood aspiration and a marrow trephine biopsy. Interpretation of a bone marrow specimen is in the context of a good clinical history, physical examination, and the results of at least a complete blood count and peripheral blood smear examination. Depending on the diagnosis, in addition to conventional morphological examination under light microscopy, the marrow specimen may be sent for immunophenotyping, cytogenetic analysis, or molecular genetic studies. For selected cases, microbiological tests, especially viral studies using immunological or molecular genetic techniques, may help establish a diagnosis.1
A dry tap may occasionally be encountered during marrow aspiration. The operator is unable to aspirate marrow blood from the biopsy site. This may be due to myelofibrosis or heavy malignant marrow infiltration. Under such circumstances, a biopsy imprint may be prepared from the trephine specimen on a clean glass slide. This allows optimal cytological examination of marrow cells by the haematopathologist.
Indications for bone marrow examination include undiagnosed anaemia, leukopaenia, thrombocytopaenia or pancytopaenia, and to investigate the cause of elevated blood counts including polycythaemia, leukocytosis, and thrombocytosis. A bone marrow evaluation is essential for the diagnosis of leukaemia and plasma cell myeloma, and for staging of lymphoma. For the latter, bilateral marrow aspiration and trephine biopsy are often recommended although studies show that unilateral biopsy is usually adequate if the length of the trephine biopsy specimen exceeds 20 mm. Bone marrow examination may also be performed in cases of unexplained splenomegaly.
The posterior superior iliac crest and spine are the chosen sites for marrow aspiration and trephine biopsy. The procedure is usually performed under local anaesthesia. Other premedications or sedation including anxiolytics or opiates are not usually necessary for adults.
The patient is advised to lie supine for at least 15 minutes following the procedure and inspected for bleeding before discharge. Paracetamol may be given to control pain. The patient should be advised that there may be slight tenderness or numbness around the puncture wound for a few days and to contact the clinic if there is increasing tenderness, swelling, or bleeding.2 The wound should be kept dry and heavy exercise should be avoided. Complications including bleeding and infection are rare.
Trepanning of bone has a very long history.3 There is evidence that the procedure was once performed on the bones of the skull to treat headache and mental illness. Obtaining a bone marrow specimen for diagnostic purposes was first performed by Pianese in 1903 in Italy, by puncturing the epiphysis of a femur. Over the years, different needles have been designed for similar purposes. The ultimate instrument, the Jamshidi needle, was designed and patented in 1971. It was named after the inventor Dr Khosrow Jamshidi, an Iranian physician.3
The original Jamshidi needle was made of stainless steel, including the handle, and was reusable (Fig). It can be used for both marrow blood aspiration and trephine biopsy.3 It is a long hollow needle with a tapering sharp cutting end and a handle at the other end, with a solid stylet inside the needle. A 20-mL syringe with no luer lock is usually used for marrow aspiration. The unique feature of this needle is that the interior diameter of its distal end tapers radially towards the cutting tip. This allows the trephine specimen to enter freely into the lumen and hence avoids crushing of the marrow tissue. As the needle has a tapering end, it is important to use the provided guidewire to push out the trephine specimen away from the sharp end, to avoid compressing marrow cells.
Figure. Jamshidi needle with stylet in situ (above) and the guidewire (below) used for detaching the marrow specimen from its lumen
Specimen was donated to the Hong Kong Museum of Medical Sciences in 2016 by the Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong
A Jamshidi needle is now the standard instrument used by haematologists worldwide for marrow aspiration and trephine biopsy. It must be sterilised before use and sharpened periodically. The original reusable Jamshidi needle, however, has now almost completely been replaced by disposable needles although its basic design is unchanged. This ensures sharpness and sterility, and a higher yield with less pain to patients.
Modification of the marrow biopsy technique is advocated only in the most difficult cases and includes use of an electric drill and guidance by computed tomography.
1. Zehnder JL. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy: indications and technique. 2016 May. Available from: http://www.uptodate.com/contents/bone-marrow-aspiration-and-biopsy-indications-and-technique. Accessed Jun 2017.
2. Le Dieu R, Luckit J, Sundarasun M. Complications of trephine biopsy. Br J Haematol 2003;121:822. Crossref
3. Parapia LA. Trepanning or trephines: a history of bone marrow biopsy. Br J Haematol 2007;139:14-9. Crossref
Copyright © 2020 Hong Kong Academy of Medicine. All rights reserved, unless otherwise noted.
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SCOTUS citizenship ruling and resources for covering #2020Census
Susy Schultz
This story is available for reprint at no cost to Chicago news outlets or blogs. Please call 312.369.6400 to see if you qualify.
At the bottom of this blog, you will find a list of resources, including local and national sources working on the census as well as articles to give you historical context.
For a list of local sources, please download this PDF USCensus source list.
SCOTUS weighs in, advocates call it a win
What's the reason? It better be good and you better not lie.
It's a familiar parental warning. But it's also apparently something the Supreme Court of the United States demands.
Civil rights advocates pushing for a full census count next year were celebrating Thursday's Supreme Court ruling in which the justices decided government did not have a good enough reason to add a question about citizenship to the 2020 Census.
"We won," said Matthew Colangelo, who argued for the New York Attorney General's office along with about 130 other plaintiffs suing to remove the question. He spoke on a national call held by the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights about next steps after the decision.
"The court held that the government had to disclose the basis for its decision," Colangelo said. And the main reason given — that the question would mean gathering better data for enforcing the Voting Rights Act — "was not valid." Or, simply put, he said, "You can't lie and the Commerce Secretary did."
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said the question was at the request of the Justice Department. As the case unfolded, evidence showed it did not. Instead, the idea came from a political strategist.
Opponents, including top experts from the Census Bureau itself, had argued the question was politically motivated and would result in an undercount of millions — most of them people of color.
Yet, there still remains a question about the question. The court blocked the census question saying the reasons were not valid. It did not dismiss the question as invalid. So, technically, the Trump Administration could come back with another reason why the government need this question. Indeed, the President responded on Twitter saying he would ask his lawyers to delay the Census "no matter how long" as they look into giving the court more information.
This ignores the timetable census officials have given — that they must start printing forms by July 1 to make the mandated deadline of April 1, 2020. And it also ignores the Constitution, which sets the deadline.
But while claiming victory, advocates were also warning that much damage has already been done, scaring too many people away from responding to the census.
The census is in the Constitution as a key government tool to use for a variety of decisions, including how to spend more than $675 billion in community funding for things such as education, justice, housing and other federal programs. It is also the mechanism government uses to determine the number of representatives each state will have in Congress. An undercount translates into a loss of seats in the House of Representatives and a loss of federal money. Illinois stands to lose both. It can also affect the number of seats in the City Council or the county board.
"This administration is clearly and deliberately seeking to undercount community members of color," said Jamal Watkins, of the NAACP. "That means we have to get out the count like no other and focus on complete count strategies."
Several lawyers during the briefing said it is crucial that people reiterate that it is against the law (title 13) for the Secretary of Commerce or anyone working on the census to give out personal information. Indeed, any information given out has to be statistical.
"Trust in the census has already been eroded and fear has already grown," said Justin Valas, policy director for Asian American Advancing Justice Chicago. "It is up to us to give them good information about why this is important." He noted that Gov. Pritzker has allocated $29 million for the census count in Illinois. "We will work hard and do our best" to allay fears and "get an accurate count."
Susy Schultz is president of Public Narrative, which is part of the Illinois Count Me In campaign. This story is available for reprint. To do so, please call Public Narrative at 312.329-6400.
U.S. CENSUS ARTICLES, STUDIES and RESOURCES
Brennan Center for Justice
National Council of State Legislators
NPR — reporter Hansi Lo Wang is amazing in his census coverage.
Follow his robust Twitter feed @hansilowang
Poynter Institute
Links for covering the 2020 Census – download file
Stories you can do about the census – PPT presentation by D'Vera Cohn, Pew Research Center
What to know about citizenship question
Facts on US immigrants previous years data
Asian Americans Advancing Justice — Count Us In 2020 — there are numerous fact sheets in various languages. Also scroll down, there are also a number of other resources from other organizations.
Color of Change — OurCount project
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
MALDEF — Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund
NAACP — National Association for the Advancement of Colored People — Legal documents
NALEO Education Fund
Project Vote
Ready Nation: Project for a Strong America — How businesses can contribute to an accurate count
Forefront Coalition
Illinois Count Me In 2020
Local census count and schedule
Population loss in Chicago and Cook County
Metro Chicago and Cook County losing increasing numbers of people to other places
Socioeconomic shifts in the Chicago region
Example of Reporting Chicago's Demographic Changes
The Atlantic "Chicago's Awful Divide"
GAO Reports on the 2020 Census
2017 High Risk Report for 2020 Decennial Census
Actions Needed to Mitigate for 2020 Census Risks
GAO recommendations on how the Census Bureau can achieve address canvassing
Funding for the Census
FCW story on the uncertainty of the Census
Brookings report on 2020 Census inaccuracy and why it matters
Analysis and Resources
Commentary on groups that most likely not participate in census
Census policies affecting red states
Interactive on estimated unauthorized immigration population
Measuring the financial loss from undercounts and critical services
GW Institute report on Census affecting geographic distribution
Initial analysis on 2020 Census
Census data on income and poverty
Map of Census undercounts
Census undercount compromises a decade of data
History of Census and 2020 Census affects on democracy
Confusion over race and ethnicity in Census
Children undercounts in Census
Red and blue states affected by undercount
Problems with the Census
The problems and usefulness in collecting household surveys
info@publicnarrative.org
Public Narrative
Walk-in Location
33 E. Congress
Suite 610H


The world's major central banks have agreed to a new set of guidelines for the foreign-exchange market, creating a road map for how individual countries' regulators should protect client information.
The document, which is expected to be made public this week, is a response to revelations last year that traders at large banks were sharing information about their clients' positions. In 2013, U.K. regulators launched a wide-ranging probe on the matter that later spread to the U.S. and Switzerland and concluded with $4.3 billion of fines levied on six banks in November.
Representatives from the foreign-exchange committees of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, the Bank of Japan and the Bank of England among others have signed off on an eight-page document that explicitly bans traders from sharing client identities and information and disclosing data that could allow someone to deduce that information.
"FX market participants should not share information with each other about their trading positions or individual trades with clients or other FX market participants beyond that necessary for the execution of a transaction," according to the document, which was reviewed by The Wall Street Journal.
Moreover, it would be the banks' responsibility to implement policies which control communication between traders. These policies should "require their personnel to refrain from passing on information that they know or suspect to be misleading," according to the document. Some exceptions would be permitted.
Canadian GDP, US Consumer Confidence, Trade Balance and important employment data including ADP Non-Farm Employment Change and the all-important Non-Farm Payrolls. Join us as we explore the top events of this week.
Last week, US labor market continued to improve with a decline in the number of jobless claims, reaching 282,000. Robust job creation and better employment conditions have strengthen the labor market spurring growth. However, the final GDP release for the fourth quarter of 2014 slightly disappointed remaining unchanged at 2.2%, below the 2.4% forecast. Despite a 4.4% jump in consumer spending, the economy shrank at an annual rate of 2.1% in the first quarter due to severe winter storms. Nevertheless, economists forecast stronger growth in the coming months, as the labor market continues its positive expansion trend.
Canada GDP: Tuesday: 12:30. The Canadian economy expanded 0.3% in December, exceeding analysts' expectations for a 0.2% gain. The reading was preceded by a 0.2% contraction in November. On a yearly base, GDP edged up 2.5% in 2014. The annual growth rate in the fourth quarter reached 2.4%, below the 3.2% posted in the third quarter. Household spending continued to be the main force in the Canadian economy increasing consumption expenditure by 2.0% on an annualized basis. Exports of goods fell 2.5%, exports of crude oil declined 6.5% and exports of refined petroleum products slumped 36.3%. Economists forecast a 0.2%growth rate in January.
US CB Consumer Confidence: Tuesday, 14:00. Consumer confidence declined more than expected in February reaching 96.4 from 103.8 in January. Economists expected a smaller drop to 99.6. Current declined to 110.2 from a revised 113.9 in January. Consumer outlook for the next six months dropped to 87.2 from a revised 97.0. Consumers were less optimistic about job prospects. However, despite the lower figures, the general level show positive trend. Consumer confidence is predicted to reach 96.6 in March.
US ADP Non-Farm Employment Change: Wednesday, 12:15. U.S. private sector gained 212,000 jobs in February following an upwardly revised reading of 250,000 in the previous month. The release was below expectations. The manufacturing and the services sectors improved the most. However, despite the weaker job gain, the private sector's outlook remains bright. Analysts expect a 231,000 job gain in the US private sector for March.
US ISM Manufacturing PMI: Wednesday, 14:00. US manufacturing sector weakened in February, dropping 0.6 points to 52.9. The reading was worse than the 53.4 points forecasted by analysts, however, the reading remained above the 50 point line, indicating continued growth. New orders fell 0.4 points to 52.5 while factory activity dropped from 56.5 in January to 53.7. Manufacturing employment also slipped from 54.1 to 51.4. Manufacturing exports continued to contract in February to 48.5, while imports softened, from 55.5 to 54. US manufacturing PMI is expected to reach 52.5 this time.
US Trade Balance: Thursday, 12:30. The U.S. trade deficit narrowed in January to $41.8 billion amid weakening in exports and imports. The 8.3% fall was broadly in line with market forecast. Imports contracted due to lower oil prices and labor strikes disrupting shipping of goods. Exports fell $5.6 million to $189.4 billion while imports dropped $9.4 billion to $231.1 billion. However, domestic production increased due to low oil prices and petroleum imports fell 23% to $17.7 billion. The U.S. trade deficit is expected to contract further to $41.5 billion.
US Unemployment Claims: Thursday, 12:30. The number of Americans filing initial claims for unemployment benefits declined more than expected last week, reaching 282K after a 291,000 addition in the prior week. The 9,000 drop continues to suggest an ongoing improvement in the US job market despite the recent volatility due to the harsh weather, softer global demand and the strong dollar. The four-week moving average fell 7,750 to 297,000 last week. The number of jobless claims is expected to reach 285,000 this week.
US Non-Farm Employment Change and Unemployment rate: Friday, 12:30. U.S. job creation strengthened in February rising 295,000 and lowering jobless rate to a more than 6-1/2 year low of 5.5%. Job gain was stronger despite harsh weather conditions disrupting activity. The report supported the Fed's rate hike move planned in June. Average hourly earnings edged up by three cents and further gains are expected. The participation rate in the US labor market has been steady at a 5-1/2 year high of 59.3%. US private sector is expected to gain 251,000 positions while the unemployment rate is expected to remain at 5.5%.
The Dollar came dangerously close to a nasty speculative spill this past week.
The fundamental developments coming out of the U.S. economy may continue to undermine the long-term bullish outlook for USD/JPY as recent headlines point to a growing dissent within the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).
The British Pound fell for the third week of the past four versus the US Dollar, hurt by disappointing economic data and generally dour trading sentiment.
The Australian Dollar is at the mercy of risk appetite trends in the week ahead as Greece fights to secure bailout funding and payrolls data informs Fed rate hike bets.
Gold prices are higher for a second consecutive week with the precious metal advancing 1.48% to trade at 1199 ahead of the New York close on Friday.
The Nikkei as you can see went back and forth during the course of the week involving quite a bit of volatility. That being the case, we ended up forming a negative candle, so it looks like we may pullback from here. If we break down below the ¥19,000 level, we could fall as low as ¥18,000 again and look for support. On the other hand, we break out to the upside we should then head to the ¥20,000 level. Either way, we don't have any interest in selling this market.
The DAX as you can see spent most of the week falling, but found enough support at the €11,600 to turn things back around and form a hammer. The hammer suggests that the market is going to continue to find buyers just below, and as a result we are buying short-term pullbacks. As far as longer-term moves are concerned, we need to find enough support in order to go long for any significant amount of time. The market is a bit overextended though, so would not surprise us at all if this market simply went sideways.
The NASDAQ as you can see fell during the course of the week, testing the 4800 level. That being the case, the market looks as if it is ready to try to find support in this general vicinity, but at this moment in time we feel that the market isn't quite ready to be bought yet. We may have to find the signals off shorter-term charts, but ultimately we believe that breaking above the 5000 level is necessary in order to start going long with any type of significant confidence off of this chart.
Gold markets as you can see rose during the course of the week, testing the $1220 level. That being the case, the market pullback and formed a little bit of a shooting star like candle. If we can break down below the $1180 level, we feel that the market will then test the $1140 level. Ultimately, we have to wonder whether or not the $1140 level is a bit of a double bottom waiting to happen, so we don't necessarily think that the markets going to break down below there. Ultimately, if we break the top of the shooting star, we should then go to the $1300 level given enough time.
The USD/JPY pair fell during the course of the week, testing the 118 level at one point. That being the case, the market did find buyers though, and we did bounce enough to form a little bit of a hammer. We believe that if we can get above the 120 level, we would be buyers and recognize that the market should continue to go to the 122 level, and then possibly the 125 level after that. Even if we break down below the bottom of the range for the week, we feel that the market has plenty of support all the way down to the 115 level.
The USD/CAD pair fell initially during the course of the week, but found enough support at the 1.24 level to turn things back around and form a hammer. The hammer of course suggests that the markets going to go much higher, and if we can break the top of that hammer we are buyers as the market should then go to the 1.28 level, followed by an attempt on the 1.30 level. We have no interest in selling, and even if we break below the bottom of the hammer, we think there's going to be plenty of support down at the 1.20 handle as well.
The NZD/USD pair tried to break out during the course of the week, but turned back around at the 0.76 level. With that, the New Zealand dollar should continue to go lower given enough time and we believe that a move below the 0.75 level since this market looking for the 0.72 level. Ultimately, we believe that the New Zealand dollar will continue to suffer at the hands of the US dollar, and a softer than expected commodity markets. Because of this, we believe that this market will in fact break down, and it will more than likely break down below the recent lows and head to the 0.70 level as well. We think that rallies continue to offer selling opportunities as well, as we see a significant amount of resistance above.
The area above the shooting star shows all kinds of resistance, and as a result we think that it's not until we get well above the 0.80 level that we can even remotely think about buying. If we do see that, this market should continue to go much higher and at that point in time we feel that it would be a bit of a trend change going forward.
Remember that the Royal Bank of New Zealand has recently stated that the level that they are comfortable with in this particular market as the 0.68 level, as it is now considered to be "fair value." Ultimately, there will always be the threat of the Royal Bank of New Zealand getting involved in the market yet again, selling off the Kiwi dollar like it did a couple of months ago.
Because of this, we feel that the New Zealand dollar will continue to have a bit of a black cloud above it, and with that we have no interest whatsoever in buying. We believe that both short-term and long-term traders will continue to apply pressure to the Kiwi dollar going forward, and therefore we expect quite a bit of selling opportunities over the course of the next several weeks.


Bentley CEVC & Copdock Primary Federation: What training does the staff have to support my child?
We recognise that staff members at our schools need specific knowledge to effectively support children with Special Educational Needs. We are committed to giving our staff members the opportunity to access such training, and facilitate an environment where expertise and knowledge is shared.
The SENCO's provide specific SEN training for staff and governors to update their knowledge.
We hold regular in house training for staff members relevant to inclusive practice.
Staff have received training on dyslexia, creating visual classrooms, strategies to support language and communication, using Numicon and MAST approach to maths.
The SENCOs' have completed the National SENCO Award related to Special Educational Needs.