Merry Christmas 2010

Dragon X Aerospace wish you all a Happy Merry Christmas 2010.... And a Happy New Year 2011!!!

ANGKASA Last Launch (Phantom X) Confirm For Launch 09 Dec 2010

ANGKASA's Phantom X MUP-1 (Extender 10) was confirm for launch 09 December 2010, at 8am (Malaysia Time). All system was set ready and no error detected currently, weather condition still holding for 100% favourable, and ANGKASA is still having a counting on T- 8:38.

"GO!!!" Phantom X!!! You are GO for launch!!

Giving For GO To Phantom X

ANGKASA Malaysia (organization) had giving a GO for Phantom X MUP-1 (Extender 10) to launch on 09 December 2010, Thursday at 8am (Malaysia Time).

Launch was rescheduled to 8am window, and by we still counting for 2 days, the weather condition was still in 95% favourable, and launch window is still open for 09 December 2010.

2 days ago, Phantom X had a complete mock up of its Shuttle Capable & Gravitational Detected Booster (GDB).

Phantom X Deliberating For Delay

Targeted for 09 December 2010, Thursday launch of Phantom X MUP-1 (Extender 10) is now deliberating by ANGKASA for delay. On 24 November 2010, Wednesday, Phantom X's Gravitation Detected Booster (GDB) had an Ignition & Burning Test at Launch Complex 7.

But during the test, the Ignition Burn Pod (IBP) of the GDB booster had detected an error. The IBP broke off during the test in the evening. Engineer had to bring it back to SVAC for service. The service/repair of the booster's IBP will took almost a week or less.

ANGKASA Malaysia (organization)'s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Cameron Tan, said that the new launch opportunity will be opened on 13 December 2010, Monday, if the problem had not been solved. But SVAC engineer will try the best to complete it faster to prevent any delay.

Halfway For Phantom X (Extender 10)

ANGKASA Malaysia (organization) had just updated Phantom X's manufacture progress in the Space Vehicle Assembly Center (SVAC). Shuttle Capable, Extender 10, has been completed of 25%. ANGKASA expected that the Descending & Recovery Chute would be installed onto Extender 10 on next week. Last week, ANGKASA had installed up of the four units of Side Stereoscopic Rejected Flaps (SSRFs), which will function as the Launch Abort System (LAS) during the launch, and as the Balancing Pilot (BP) during descend. So far, the four SSRFs is still in a good status.

The Gravitation Detected Booster (GDB), which is still working on at SVAC, High Bay 3, had completed of 50%. In the morning, engineer installed the Internal Fuel Tank (IFT) into the GDB booster. Fuel will be filled into the IFT half an hour before launch. Four roll particles had located at the sides of the IFT to support the center position of the tank. The Ignition Burn Pod (IBP) was also cleared and closed tightly to prevent some of the damages occur. The Phantom X's GDB booster will be used for an Ignition & Burn Test on this Wednesday, 24 November 2010 at Launch Complex 7. Then the Roll Control Systems (RoCSs) will be installed next week after the test.

The overall of the Phantom X vehicle had completed of 37.5%. The launch window for the last rocket launch for ANGKASA is still open on 09 December 2010, Thursday, at 7.30am. Due to the weather condition of the day before the launch, if the weather condition wan unfavourable, then the launch will be delayed and the new window will be deliberated. For now, countdown is still continue on 18 days to launch.

Phantom X MUP-1 (Extender 10) Expected For Launch December 2010

New project Phantom X MUP-1, will be carrying on a Shuttle Capable, Extender 10 was expected to be launch from Launch Complex 21 on this December 2010 for ANGKASA's final/last rocket launch.

Last Aquarius mission, test onto Extender 10's second Descending & Recovery Chute Test on 21 October 2010 night launch at 7.15pm had go 30%. But for the final test of the Phantom X will be the engine's Ignition & Burning Test that will be done on 24 November 2010, 6pm targeted.

As a result, ANGKASA (organization)'s CEO, Cameron Tan has given a confirmation launch date on 09 December 2010, 7.30am at Launch Complex 21. Any delay will be due to the technical problem found & weather condition of the day.

GTM Completed Underwater Mission

On 31 August 2010, Tuesday, Dragon X had successfully remove the completed mission of the Geocentric Tracker Molecule (GTM) from the pond water. A few of bacteria and pollution had collected inside of the centre tank of the GTM.

Aquarius Redied For Mission

Aquarius originally planned for mission on 20 August 2010, Friday had redied. Srubed by a stormy weather condition. Aquarius is again planned for mission on today's at 1:35pm launch window.

GTM Clear For Underwater Mission

Dragon X had successfully located the Geocentric Tracker Molecule, or also as known as GTM, into a pond. The Deep Ocean Coordinates (DOC) payload system, GTM touched down onto the underwater land on 31 July 2010, Saturday, at 2:19pm (MLT).

Originally scheduled mission for GTM was on 02 June 2010, Wednesday. But because of the GTM's development problem, the mission was readied to 31 July 2010. GTM touched down perfectly onto the underwater land by its four landing gears at 2:19pm. The first underwater images was taken and received 15 minutes after GTM touched down.

"GTM would not be durable in the underwater for mission of more than a month. GTM was just can be stand for operating in the underwater for 1 month." told Dragon X. Since GTM began its cleaning mission, its was the ninth days for GTM to stand on operation.

Good Luck, GTM!

Aquarius Finally Home To SVAC

On 19 July 2010, Monday, the 28 centimeters height reusable rocket, Aquarius had finally home to Dragon X's Space Vehicle Assembly Center (SVAC). A long ride journey of 22km from Kota Bharu had used for about 34 minutes. Aquarius had safety return home to SVAC at 3.34pm (Malaysia Local Time).
When Aquarius was set right on High bay 3-1A, a quick check has been made. A few part of Aquarius was not in a proper status. "After the quick check onto Aquarius when he was set right onto High Bay 3-1A, we discovered that there were about two parts had dent." added by Cameron into the report.

The Upper Dome & the Burn Pod Protection System (BPPS) had out of the shape. In additional, Dragon X will be trying to solve the Aquarius' damages before the recovery chute was installed. Then the final confirmation for the experiment test could be decided. Replacing Extender 10 for the Descending & Recovery Chute Test 1 on 19 August 2010, Thursday.

NSC’10 Poster Contest is now open for submission... submit before 30 August 2010!

On the occation of the National Space Challenge Prime Minister's Trophy 2010 (NSC '10), to be organized by the National Space Agency (ANGKASA) & Dragon X, children from aged 8 up to 11 years old (Before 30 November 2010) are invited to design a poster based to the theme:

"Space Technology to Help the Earth"

Partial Lunar Eclipse of 26 June 2010

Tonight, the Partial Lunar Eclipse of 26 June 2010, or also the first Lunar Eclipse in 2010 was just ended up at about 9pm (Malaysia Local Time).

The greatest eclipse which is started at about 7:59pm, during the Lunar rises at the East of the sky. A part of the Moon was covered by the Earth's Shadow. The image shown that the first capture of the eclipse by Dragon X.

The Cyber-Shot Astronomical Terrestrial Telescope 125 Power 50mm - ATL 20mm's was used by Dragon X for captured the Partial Lunar Eclipse photo.

Aquarius Roll Back To SVAC For The Next Trip Mission

Aquarius, last mission for the water rocket launch on 17 June 2010, is also a reusable 28 centimeter rocket. Launch in a perfect altitude at 3.15 meter high.

Aquarius is now roll back to SVAC for a service before continue its second trip to the Green Reusable Competition at Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Chung Cheng on 05 July 2010.

Aquarius Water Rocket Test Perfectly Completed

On 17 June 2010, Thursday, Dragon X had completed a water rocket launch test for the research onto the development flight of the Phantom X, the Liquid Kerosene (LKE) powered reusable rocket.

Aquarius, is a 24 centimeter rocket used for the water rocket launch test on the last Thursday by Dragon X. Aquarius: A zodiac symbol for Chinese Calendar. The named was selected by Dragon X is from the water test, this is because the Aquarius is also known as "water" in Chinese.

For the water rocket launch test, Dragon X's CEO, Cameron Tan said, " The launch is totally perfect, for the 24 centimeter rocket had launch into 315 centimeter altitude above sea level, and it was totally great and perfect for the next development of the Phantom X launch vehicle.".

Dragon X's Environment Research Officer, Angelyn Tan said that the launch is perfect by no Earth environment pollution and effected.......

But whatever, Dragon X is still continued and working onto the Phantom X Project, developing a new Liquid Kerosene powered reusable rocket. And for the updates maintaining, Phantom X MUP-1 first demo flight and maiden flight is still scheduled on 09 December 2010, Thursday, 7:30am at Launch Complex 21.

Stay tuned for the next updated...^^

Partial Lunar Eclipse of 26 June 2010

Penumbral Eclipse Begins: 08:57:21 UT (04:57:21pm MLT)

Partial Eclipse Begins: 10:16:57 UT (06:16:57pm MLT)

Greatest Eclipse: 11:38:27 UT (07:38:27pm MLT)

Partial Eclipse Ends: 12:59:50 UT (08:59:50pm MLT)

Penumbral Eclipse Ends: 14:19:34 UT (10:19:34pm MLT)

Enjoy very much.......^^

Earth Atmosphere Disappeared From View

On the last 09 June 2010 and 10 June 2010, for the whole day sky, clouds had covered all surface of Kota Bharu Kelantan. Just a few of Sunlight entered to the Earth surface. The atmosphere above for Kota Bharu, Kelantan had disappeared from our view on this two days......

Image: This is what the Sun view on 09 June 2010 from the sky.

"The Sun was not seen in these two days. From our vission, there was no atmosphere and Sun be view......." said Dragon X's CEO, Cameron Tan in the statement.

But started from today, on 11 June 2010, Friday........... A suddenly, the sky was view perfectly and the atmosphere and the Sun could be seen. Bad weather for previous two days, and good weather for todays..........

Image: This is what the Sun view on 11 June 2010 from the sky.

S-XOR To Go For Mission

Dragon X Aerospace Administration (Dragon X) is ready for active the new payload responsible for Solar Flare, Solar Cycle & Solar Heat Infrared observation and interpet. The new designed of the Solar X Observatory Rejectment (S-XOR) is schedule for mission on 17 August 2010, Tuesday at 5:00pm (Malaysia Local Time). Dragon X will observed and record the data from the Sun and the effection to the Earth. Other else, NASA's Solar Dynamic Observatory (SDO) is observing the Sun in the Earth orbit of 34000km above New Mexico.

Other, the Sun is very important to us and to all living organism. Sun released out four infrared to the Earth, each of them is the heat infrared. So, Dragon X's S-XOR is going to observe and interpet the data record from the Sun and to transform the Solar Heat into an external electricity power to be used.

Shuttle Capable -- Extender-10 In Building Now

The Shuttle Capable ~ or name as the Extender-10 is now being manufacture and building in the Space Flight Research Center. All preparation will be made on 27 July 2010, as for its first Descending & Recovery Chute Test 1 on 19 August 2010, Thursday, 5:30pm (MLT) at Launch Complex 7, most for the rocket test facilities.

NASA Outlines Big Plans for Humanoid Robot

In September 2010, NASA's Discovery Shuttle will delivery Robonaut 2 -- "R2" -- to the International Space Station, where it will become the first humanoid robot to travel and work in space. R2 Pupms Iron--

Click at the image to visit R2 home page and to watch R2 video in action--

Hello world!!! R2 shows of his manual dexterity. You can watch R2 write in this video--

Mystery Found In The Sky

This picture was taken by Cameron on 5 days ago at the East of the Sky. The computer had zoom it to the maximumpoint and we find out that the object is in a mystery shape similiar to the UFO. The object was taken after a flash of light hit the area before the picture was snap.

Dragon X found that this mystery maybe any of the reflection from the Earth Atmosphere or it is really the Undentified Flying Object, the UFO.

UFO Found Near The Sun

What are you think that this is??? A UFO.............? Passing across the Earth Sky near to the Sun....................

This file was found and taken by Dragon X' CEO, Cameron Tan

Catch the moon and Mercury after sunset on April 15

Mercury will be set 45 minutes earlier after sunset in a week ago from 08 April 2010. Try searching for the Moon and Mercury about 35 to 55 minutes after sunset.

Equinox Sky Show

When the sun sets on Saturday, March 20th, a special kind of night will fall across the Earth. It's an equal night.

Or as an astronomer would say, "it's an equinox." It's the date when the sun crosses the celestial equator heading north. Spring begins in one hemisphere, autumn in the other. The day and night are of approximately equal length.

To celebrate the occasion, Nature is providing a sky show.

It begins as soon as the sky grows dark. The Moon materializes first, a fat crescent hanging about a third of the way up the western sky. Wait until the twilight blue fades completely black and you will see that the Moon is not alone. The Pleiades are there as well.

The Moon and the Pleiades are having a close encounter of rare beauty. There's so little space between the two, the edge of the Moon will actually cover some of cluster's lesser stars. According to David Dunham of the International Occultation Timing Association, this is the best Moon-Pleiades meeting over the United States until the year 2023.

A similar Moon-Pleiades conjunction photographed by Marek Nikodem of Szubin, Poland, in July 2009.

The Pleiades are a cluster of young stars some 440 light years from Earth. They formed from a collapsing cloud of interstellar gas about 100 million years ago. By the standards of astronomy, that's really young. The Earth under your feet is almost 50 times older. Dinosaurs were roaming our planet long before the Pleiades popped into being.

Only about seven of the Pleiades are visible to the unaided eye. The "Seven Sisters" are Sterope, Merope, Electra, Maia, Taygete, Celaeno and Alcyone, named after daughters of the mythological Greek god Atlas. Together, they form the shape of a little dipper, which is why the Pleiades are often mistaken for the Little Dipper, an asterism of Ursa Minor.

Binoculars are highly recommended for this event.

First, scan the Moon. You'll see craters, mountains and lava seas. Note that you can see the entire Moon, not just the brightly-lit crescent. The Moon's dark terrain is illumined by a ghostly glow called "Earthshine." It is the light of our own blue planet shining down on the Moon.
Next, scan the sky around the Moon. The Pleiades come into sharp focus---and they are more than seven. Dozens of faint "sisters" can be seen through even modest optics.

This night doesn't sound equal. It sounds much better than that.

Experience the equinox!

The Wizard Nebula

This image of the open star cluster NGC 7380, also known as the Wizard Nebula, is a mosaic of the images from the WISE mission spanning an area of the sky of about 5 times the size of the full moon. NGC 7380 is located in the constellation Cepheus about 7,000 light years from Earth within the Milky Way Galaxy. The star cluster is embedded in a nebula, which span some 110 light years. The star of NGC 7380 have emerged from this star-forming region in the last 5 million years or so, making it a relatively young cluster.

WISE, the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer mission, scans the entire sky in infrared light, picking up the glows of hundreds of millions of objects and producing millions of images. The mission is designed to uncover objects never seen before, including the coolest stars, the universe's most luminous galaxies and some of the darkest near-Earth asteroids and comets. It vast catalogs will help answer fundamental questions about the origins of planets, stars and galaxies.

WISE join two other infrared mission in space - NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the Herschel Space Observatory, a European Space Agency mission. WISE is different these missions in that it will survey the entire sky. It is designed to cast a wide net to catch all sorts of unseen cosmic treasures, including rare oddities. All four infrared detectors aboard WISE were used to make this image.

NGC 7380 was discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1787. Her brother, William Herschel, discovered infrared light in 1800.

IMSS 4 In Assembly Now

Headline:

Scheduled launch of the International Malaysia Space System (IMSS 4) launch vehicle on 30 June 2010, Wednesday, as launch onto the Geocentric Tracker Molecule (GTM-1) payload to the Deep Ocean Coordinates (DOC) is now assembly at SVAC, High Bay 3.

Mission:

On 17 March 2010, Wednesday, Dragon X's Space Vehicle Assembly Team is now assembling the IMSS 4's Capsule 1.A at the SVAC, High Bay 3. As planned in 3 months assembly, manufacture and preparation for the end of June launch. Dragon X will planned the IMSS 4 to launch by the Liquid Compression System (LCS) to save the launch cost for Dragon X.

Launch Site is also targeted at Launch Complex 39. But if in an emergency that the launch site is not completly ready for IMSS 4, the Launch Complex 21 or Launch Complex 22 will be open for the launch. As in progress, IMSS 4's Booster 10.V planned for manufacture at SVAC in starting of April 2010. And the booster is to arrive to SVAC on 20 June 2010, Sunday, for a mock-up to the capsule.

"Final, hope that IMSS 4 assembly was in a success condition!"

EX Explosion 2 Launch "Perfect"???

Headline:
On 16 March 2010, Tuesday, EX Explosion 2 had completed just only a half launch of the test. EX Explosion 2 is originally aim for the attraction force and the explosion pressure area data record, but at 04:13:37pm (MLT), EX 2 just "go" for only half of the mission. None explosion was produce by EX 2 in today launch/mission.

Problem Found:
EX Explosion 2 could not able to produce the explosion in its second missile test in the EX Program that was launched by the preceding Secret Space Agency (SSA) in 2007. Mission Operation Center (MOC) reported that the half launch of the EX 2 missile is causes by the same technical problem found on 15 March 2010, Monday night. The EX 2's Under Dome Burning System (UDBS) was found as the problem of this missile half launch. Yesterday night, the Space Vehicle Assembly Team at SVAC has fixed and troubleshoot the UDBS error, but on today's launch, the EX 2's UDBS was against causes the EX Explosion 2 missile for the half launch. According to MOC and Dragon X, the EX Explosion 2's second missile test in the EX Program could be reported as a halfly success in this mission.

Dragon X is planned for its next rocket launch onto the International Malaysia Space System 4 (IMSS 4) for mission on 30 June 2010, Wednesday. Schedule could be made as the EX Explosion 2 missile has completed its mission on today's launch. But Dragon X CEO, Cameron Tan also told that the next EX Explosion 3 missile test for the vibration, attraction force and explosion pressure area data record will be made for the next experiment in the next rocket schedule.

Next Rocket Preparation:
Dragon X rocket mission was schedule for the IMSS 4 launch vehicle for transporting the new Microtech production Geocentric Tracker Molecule (GTM-1) to the Deep Ocean Coordinates (DOC). The GTM-1 mission is to clean and filterate the bacteria in the water and resupply some oxygen to the under water living things. As planned, the IMSS 4 capsule assemble materials is targeted by Dragon X to arrive to SVAC, Hight Bay 3 on next week. As a preparation for its fourth mission in the IMSS Program. An was also planned as the second last flight for the IMSS launch vehicle in the IMSS Program. Dragon X would be using the new designed for the Mission User Prototype (MUP) rocket system, Phantom X launch vehicle in the Phantom X Project.

EX Explosion 2 is "Go" for Launch

Headline:

Dragon X's EX Explosion 2 schedule for its second launch in the EX Program on today, 16 March 2010, Tuesday at 4.10pm (MLT). Originally rollout date plan for EX 2 is on 15 March 2010, Monday (Yesterday) had be delayed to today. Because of the technical problem found on EX 2's Under Dome Nurning System (UDBS) yesterday night at the Space Vehicle Assembly Center (SVAC). The problem will effected the explosion produce for the EX 2's under dome, so that the burning would now be produced.

Fix:

But today, with the good weather conditions occur for 100% favourable weather, and the technical problem on EX2's UDBS had be fixed, so the launch will be continue at the same schedule window at 4.10pm (Malaysia Local Time).

60 Earth Hour 2010

Global warming is now the greatest threat we have ever faced. Light pollution causes us to lose sight of our true place in the universe. But we can make a difference if we act together.Join Earth Hour 2010 & Light Pollution Campaign at Planetarium Negara. Switch off your light for 60 minutes on 27 March and stop global warming before it’s too late. Enjoy a deep night with the Milky Way arching overhead.

Date :
27 March 2010 (Saturday)
Venue :
Planetarium Negara, 53, Jalan Perdana, 50480 Kuala Lumpur

See you on 27 March @ Planetarium Negara!

EX Explosion 2, Prepare for Launch

Headline:
Dragon X’s 25 centimeter (0.25 meter) EX Explosion 2 missile is set for a final preparation yesterday. Dragon X reschedule the EX Explosion 2 for launch in the final launch date confirmed on 16 March 2010, Tuesday.
Detail:
EX Explosion is designed by the preceding Secret Space Agency (SSA) in 2007. The two years storing designed is to be used for its second missile test in the EX Program. EX designed is a safe explosion missile ever made. EX will be explode into a vibration and an attraction force released. EX had be confirmed for a safe used by the Chief Director, Lawson Law, which is also Dragon X’s Weapon Defense Director. The safe used confirmation was made in the first EX exploded experiment on March 2008 onto the EX Explosion 1.

Rollout:
Space Vehicle Assembly Team is to go for a soft rollout onto EX Explosion 2 missile. The EX Explosion 2 missile is to rollout from the SVAC, High Bay 3-1A to the Launch Complex 7 at Dragon X Aerospace on 15 March 2010, Monday, at 5.30pm (targeted). All preparation included the Final Check (FC) is to complete five hours before rollout. Dragon X plans for EX Explosion 2 to be out filling fuels at the launch complex, right an hour before launch.

Time Plan for the Day:
3.30pm: Fuel arrive to Launch Complex 7
3.40pm: Fuel out filling into EX Explosion 2
3.50pm: Fuel leaky check and position check
4.00pm: EX Explosion 2 Final Check (FC) at LC 7
4.05pm: T-5 minutes in counting for “go” of EX Explosion 2
4.08pm: Under burning starts
4.10pm: EX Explosion 2 launch (Exploded)
4.11pm: MOC collecting attraction force and area data
4.15pm: Mission end

Stay tune to Dragon X for the latest EX Explosion 2 updates. For an explanation, EX Explosion 2 is set for a final reschedule and confirmation launch date on 16 March 2010, Tuesday, at 4.10pm (MLT).

Cool Movie: SDO Destroys a Sundog

Last week, on Feb. 11th, the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) lifted off from Cape Canaveral on a five-year mission to study the sun. Researchers have called the advanced spacecraft the "crown jewel" of NASA's heliophysics fleet. SDO will beam back IMAX-quality images of solar explosions and peer beneath the stellar surface to see the sun's magnetic dynamo in action.
SDO is designed to amaze—and it got off to a good start.

"The observatory did something amazing before it even left the atmosphere," says SDO project scientist Dean Pesnell of the Goddard Space Flight Center.

Moments after launch, SDO's Atlas V rocket flew past a sundog hanging suspended in the blue Florida sky and, with a rippling flurry of shock waves, destroyed it. Click on the image below to launch a video recorded by 13-year-old Anna Herbst at NASA's Banana River viewing site—and don't forget to turn up the volume to hear the reaction of the crowd.

SDO has a close encounter with a sundog. Movie formats: 10 MB Quicktime, 1 MB mpeg-4.

"I couldn't believe my eyes," says Anna. "The shock waves were so cool." Anna traveled with classmate Amelia Phillips three thousand miles from Bishop, California, to witness the launch. "I'm so glad we came," says Amelia. "I've never seen anything like it!"

Sundogs are formed by plate-shaped ice crystals in high, cold cirrus clouds. As the crystals drift down from the sky like leaves fluttering from trees, aerodynamic forces tend to align their broad faces parallel to the ground. When sunlight hits a patch of well-aligned crystals at just the right distance from the sun, voila!--a sundog.

"When the Atlas V rocket penetrated the cirrus, shock waves rippled through the cloud and destroyed the alignment of the crystals," explains atmospheric optics expert Les Cowley. "This extinguished the sundog."

Videos by other photographers at Banana River show the shock waves particularly well. Here's one from Romeo Durscher of Stanford, California, and another from Barbara Tomlinson of Beachton, Georgia.

In the past, says Cowley, there have been anecdotal reports of atmospheric disturbances destroying sundogs—for instance, "gunfire and meteor shock waves have been invoked to explain their disruption. But this is the first video I know of that shows the effect in action."

Sundogs are formed by the refracting action of plate-shaped ice crystals.

The effect on the crowd was electric.

"When the sundog disappeared, we started screaming and jumping up and down," says Pesnell. "SDO hit a home run: Perfect launch, rippling waves, and a disappearing sundog. You couldn't ask for a better start for a mission."

SDO is now in orbit. "The observatory is doing great as the post-launch checkout continues," he reports. "We'll spend much of the first month moving into our final orbit and then we'll turn on the instruments. The first jaw-dropping images should be available sometime in April."
Believe it or not, Pesnell says, the best is yet to come.

Sky Tonight [February 2010]

Sky Info for February 2010

The image above shows the position of the planets, stars, constellations and selected Deep Sky Objects (DSO's) in mid-February (2010) at about 7:00pm MST from Las Cruces, New Mexico. It is also valid for late January at 8:00pm and early March at 6:00pm. Clicking on the map will bring up a larger printable (inverted) image. To use the chart, hold it over your head with the direction indicators pointing in the appropriate direction. Many features will be impossible to see in a location polluted by poorly-designed lighting. Most of the DSO's will require binoculars or a telescope.

Mercury

Mercury is visible during the first half of February in the pre-dawn East.






Venus

Venus is lost in the Sun's glare for much of February. It emerges toward the end of the month as the evening star (low in the West).





Mars

Mars rises before sunset. It is now past opposition, but will remain a good viewing target for a few months.





Jupiter


Jupiter is very low in the Western sky at dusk. By mid-month, it will be lost in the Sun's glow.




Saturn



Saturn rises around 9:00 during January.




Uranus/Neptune


Neptune is lost in the Sun's glare. Uranus is still high enouth to view for an hour or so after dark.

Are TGFs Hazardous to Air Travelers?

Instruments scanning outer space for cataclysmic explosions called gamma-ray bursts are detecting intense flashes of gamma-ray energy right here in the friendly skies of Earth. These terrestrial gamma-ray flashes, or TGFs, blast through thunderstorms close to the altitude where commercial airliners fly.

In fact, they could be too close for comfort.

In a recent study,* scientists estimated that airline passengers could be exposed to 400 chest X-rays worth of radiation by being near the origin of a single millisecond blast. Joe Dwyer of the Florida Institute of Technology took part in that research, which used observations from NASA's Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager, or RHESSI, to estimate the danger TGFs pose.

"We believe the risk of encountering a TGF in an airplane is very small," says Dwyer. "I wouldn't hesitate to take a flight. Pilots already avoid thunderstorms because of turbulence, hail, and lightning, and we may just have to add TGFs to the list of reasons to steer clear of those storms."
But, he stresses, "it's worth looking into."

Lightning might not be the only reason to avoid thunderstorms. TGFs sometimes come blasting out of these clouds, too.

NASA's Gamma-ray Burst Monitor (GBM) on the Fermi Gamma-ray Telescope will help evaluate the hazards.

"GBM provides the best TGF data we have so far," says Dwyer. "It gets better measurements of their spectra than any previous instrument, giving us a more accurate idea of just how energetic they are."

Although TGFs are quite brief (1-2 milliseconds), they appear to be the most energetic events on Earth. They belch destructive gamma-rays packing over ten million times the energy of visible light photons – enough punch to penetrate several inches of lead.

"It's amazing," says Jerry Fishman, a co-investigator for the Gamma-ray Burst Monitor. "They come blasting right through the whole Fermi spacecraft and light up all of our detectors. Very few cosmic gamma-ray bursts manage to do this!"

The origin of TGFs is still a mystery, but researchers know this much: TGFs are associated with thunderstorms and lightning. "We think the electric field in a thunderstorm may get so strong that the storm itself turns into a gamma-ray factory," says Dwyer. "But we don't know exactly how or why or where inside the storm this happens."

So no one yet knows how often, if ever, planes end up in the wrong place at the wrong time.

A cartoon sketch of electric and magnetic fields in a thunderstorm and some of the phenomena they produce. TGFs may be just one aspect of thunderstorm activity in addition to elves, sprites, blue jets and ordinary lightning.

It's possible that lightning bolts trigger TGFs. Or maybe TGFs trigger lightning bolts. Researchers aren't sure which comes first. GBM's excellent timing accuracy – to within 2 microseconds – will help solve this riddle.

"For some of the TGFs, we've pinpointed the associated lightning," says Dwyer. "This information along with the spectrum should help us figure out how deep in the atmosphere a TGF source is and how many gamma-rays it's emitting. Then we can determine the altitude and location they're coming from in the thunderstorm."

Fishman offers some good news: "If TGFs originate near the tops of thunderstorms and propagate upward from there, airline passengers would be safe."

By looking closely at a TGF's life cycle, that is, how quickly it turns on and off, GBM may also help researchers calculate how large and concentrated the gamma-ray source is. If the gamma-rays are emitted over a large region, the radiation dose would be diluted and much less harmful.
"But if the source is compact and the gamma-rays originate close to an aircraft, then that could be a problem," says Fishman.

The radiation dose from an ordinary lightning leader vs. the dose from a TGF. Both phenomena are associated with electron beams. Tighter, more compact beams deliver a greater effective dose. Details of this model may be found in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Geophysical Research (Atmospheres). Look for "Estimation of the fluence of high-energy electron bursts produced by thunderclouds and the resulting radiation doses received in aircraft" by J. Dwyer et al. (in press).

"Of course the smaller the source the lower the odds of a plane ending up close to it," adds Dwyer.

GBM wasn't designed to look for TGFs, but GBM co-investigator Michael Briggs has greatly enhanced its sensitivity to them by writing new software.

"TGFs have really been an afterthought for missions so far," says Dwyer. RHESSI, for example, points at the sun, but the RHESSI team figured out a way to measure TGFs by detecting gamma-rays coming in through the satellite's backside. "All these instruments have been pointing across the universe, while right over our heads these monsters are going off!"

"Now the whole field of TGFs is on fire," says Fishman. "People are jumping on the bandwagon to try to figure them out."