. 24/7 Space News .
STELLAR CHEMISTRY
NASA's NICER Does the Space Station Twist
by Staff Writers
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 20, 2018

File image of NICER

This time-lapse video, obtained June 8, 2018, shows the precise choreography of NASA's Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) as it studies pulsars and other X-ray sources from its perch aboard the International Space Station. NICER observes and tracks numerous sources each day, ranging from the star closest to the Sun, Proxima Centauri, to X-ray sources in other galaxies.

Movement in the movie, which represents a little more than one 90-minute orbit, is sped up by 100 times.

One factor in NICER's gyrations is the motion of the space station's solar arrays, each of which extends 112 feet (34 meters). Long before the panels can encroach on NICER's field of view, the instrument pirouettes to aim its 56 X-ray telescopes at a new celestial target.

As the movie opens, the station's solar arrays are parked to prepare for the arrival and docking of the Soyuz MS-09 flight, which launched on June 6 carrying three members of the Expedition 56 crew. Then the panels reorient themselves and begin their normal tracking of the Sun.

Neutron stars, also called pulsars, are the crushed cores left behind when massive stars explode. They hold more mass than the Sun in a ball no bigger than a city. NICER aims to discover more about pulsars by obtaining precise measures of their size, which will determine their internal make-up.

An embedded technology demonstration, called Station Explorer for X-ray Timing and Navigation Technology (SEXTANT), is paving the way for using pulsars as beacons for a future GPS-like system to aid spacecraft navigation in the solar system - and beyond.


Related Links
Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER)
Stellar Chemistry, The Universe And All Within It


Thanks for being there;
We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain.

With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords.

Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year.

If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter
$5+ Billed Monthly


paypal only
SpaceDaily Contributor
$5 Billed Once


credit card or paypal


STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Students digging into data archive spot mysterious X-ray source
Paris (ESA) Aug 13, 2018
An enigmatic X-ray source revealed as part of a data-mining project for high-school students shows unexplored avenues hidden in the vast archive of ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray Observatory. When XMM-Newton was launched in 1999, most students who are finishing high school today were not even born. Yet ESA's almost two-decade old X-ray observatory has many surprises to be explored by the next generation of scientists. A taste of new discoveries was unveiled in a recent collaboration between scientis ... read more

Comment using your Disqus, Facebook, Google or Twitter login.



Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
NASA Administrator Views SLS Progress During First Visit to Marshall

Goonhilly and Spacebit parpace to accelerate commercial space exploration through blockchain technology

NASA Administrator Plans to Meet With Russian Space Agency Chief in Near Future

India to send manned mission to space by 2022: Modi

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Aerojet Rocketdyne Expands Solid Rocket Motor Center of Excellence at Arkansas Facility

Stennis Begins 5th Series of RS-25 Engine Tests

Student Experiments Soar with Early Morning Launch from Wallops

NASA Administrator Views Progress Building SLS and Orion Hardware

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Six Things About Opportunity'S Recovery Efforts

The Science Team Continues to Listen for Opportunity as Storm Diminishes

Planet-Encircling Dust Storm of Mars shows signs of slowing

Aerojet Rocketdyne delivers power generator for Mars 2020 Rover

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
China unveils Chang'e-4 rover to explore Moon's far side

China's SatCom launch marketing not limited to business interest

China to launch space station Tiangong in 2022, welcomes foreign astronauts

China solicits international cooperation experiments on space station

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
ISRO to launch GSAT-32 in Oct 2019 to replace GSAT-6A which went incommunicado days after launch

New Image Gallery For The Planetary Science Archive

'We're at Beginning of New Phase of Utilizing Space For Peaceful Purposes'

NASA invests in concepts for a vibrant future commercial space economy

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Wearable 'microbrewery' saves human body from radiation damage

Scientists develop way to supercool liquids without freezing them

Scientists squeeze nanocrystals in a liquid droplet into a solid-like state and back again

PhD student develops spinning heat shield for future spacecraft

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Scientists discovered organic acid in a protoplanetary disk

Impact of a stellar intruder on our solar system

Iron and titanium in the atmosphere of exoplanet orbiting KELT-9

Ultrahot planets have starlike atmospheres

STELLAR CHEMISTRY
Study helps solve mystery under Jupiter's coloured bands

Million fold increase in the power of waves near Jupiter's moon Ganymede

New Horizons team prepares for stellar occultation ahead of Ultima Thule flyby

High-Altitude Jovian Clouds









The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.