Tag

Gamma Ray Bursts

All articles tagged with #gamma ray bursts

space3 days ago•6 min saved

NASA Aborts Rescue for Aging Swift Telescope as Reentry Looms

NASA canceled its planned rescue of the aging Swift gamma-ray observatory after the LINK spacecraft suffered attitude-control failures; the mission would have used robotic arms to capture Swift and raise it to a safer orbit, but ongoing control-system problems forced cancellation. With Swift losing altitude due to atmospheric drag, reentry is expected before the end of 2026, while LINK will continue rendezvous demonstrations to inform future satellite-servicing efforts.

via WIRED|

#gamma-ray-bursts #link-spacecraft #orbital-reentry

space19 days ago•130 min saved

Global telescope network captures earliest moments of a distant supernova in unprecedented detail

A network of ground- and space-based telescopes, including the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, captured the first moments and subsequent evolution of a Type Ic broad‑lined supernova roughly 500 million light-years away. The observations detail the shock breakout and early light with unprecedented clarity, and follow-up studies found no accompanying gamma-ray bursts, suggesting a possible choked jet. Researchers mapped the star’s pre‑explosion environment around a Wolf‑Rayet progenitor, and Rubin’s continued, high-cadence monitoring will provide long-term data on this event and many future supernovas.

via livescience.com|

#gamma-ray-bursts #ic-bl #shock-breakout

science27 days ago•2 min saved

LINK's Spin Complicates NASA's Swift Rescue Mission

NASA's LINK servicing spacecraft, built by Katalyst Space Technologies, is grappling with attitude-control issues after two of its three reaction wheels failed, causing it to spin and experience intermittent communications as engineers work to stabilize it. LINK is intended to rendezvous with the aging Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to nudge it into a safer, higher orbit and extend Swift's life, since Swift has about a 50% chance of uncontrolled reentry by mid-2026. NASA paused on-board science on Swift to buy time, and future plans depend on LINK's health and updated guidance and propulsion to approach and capture Swift if feasible.

via Gizmodo|

#gamma-ray-bursts #link #nasa

space27 days ago•130 min saved

Link Servicer Eyes Rescue of Swift Observatory, but Itself Faces Troubles

NASA launched the LINK servicing spacecraft to rendezvous with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory in low Earth orbit to grab and boost the aging satellite and extend its life. LINK is already experiencing attitude-control issues (two of its three reaction wheels are not working) and a thruster problem, so engineers will use its electric propulsion to stop spinning and then attempt to capture Swift with robotic arms to lift it to a higher orbit. Swift, launched in 2004 for gamma-ray-burst science, has a decaying orbit and cannot boost itself; the Swift Boost mission cost about $30 million, versus Swift’s $250 million price tag. If successful, Swift’s life is extended; if not, NASA will reassess.

via Space|

#gamma-ray-bursts #link-spacecraft #nasa

space27 days ago•2 min saved

NASA’s Swift Rescue Plan Spirals Into Trouble

NASA’s high‑risk plan to save the aging Swift gamma‑ray observatory with a space tug called LINK has hit a snag: LINK began tumbling after launch due to two failed reaction wheels and partial thruster loss, leaving ground teams scrambling to regain attitude control and maintain communications. If unresolved, Swift’s orbit could decay and it may burn up in coming months, despite the $30 million mission being pursued as a bold but valuable test.

via Futurism|

#attitude-control #gamma-ray-bursts #nasa

space28 days ago•5 min saved

Reaction wheel woes push Swift rescue mission into a spin

NASA and Katalyst’s Link rescue satellite are grappling with attitude-control problems after launch, with two of Link’s three reaction wheels inoperable and partial loss of its cold gas thruster, causing the craft to spin and suffer intermittent communications. Engineers are repurposing the electric thrusters to stabilize Link’s attitude and plan revised rendezvous with NASA’s Swift gamma-ray observatory to extend its life and test commercial satellite servicing, a high-stakes tech demonstration that aims to prevent Swift’s reentry.

via Ars Technica|

#attitude-control #gamma-ray-bursts #nasa

space1 month ago•93 min saved

Milky Way could be bigger and more lopsided after new arm measurements

New gamma-ray burst echoes mapped two of the Milky Way’s largest spiral arms, suggesting they’re about 10% farther from Earth than previously thought. The finding implies the galaxy may be wider and more massive, with asymmetry in its shape, prompting scientists to revisit estimates of the Milky Way’s size and mass.

via Live Science|

#astronomy #galaxy #gamma-ray-bursts

space1 month ago•104 min saved

Milky Way Could Be Bigger and Wider Than Previously Thought

New measurements from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA’s XMM-Newton suggest the Milky Way’s spiral arms extend about 10% farther and are roughly 3,500 light-years wider than previously estimated, based on X-ray echoes from gamma-ray bursts reflecting off dust in three arms (Perseus, Outer, and Outer Scutum–Centaurus). This direct geometric approach could revise our understanding of the galaxy’s mass distribution, rotation, and overall structure, though gamma-ray bursts are rare and the data come from only a handful of usable events.

via Space|

#galactic-mass-distribution #gamma-ray-bursts #milky-way

science1 month ago•3 min saved

Milky Way Arms Extend Further Than Previously Thought

Astronomers used light echoes from gamma-ray bursts observed by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA’s XMM-Newton to geometrically measure distances to dust clouds in the Milky Way’s spiral arms, finding the Outer and Outer Scutum-Centaurus arms are about 10% farther away than previously thought; the method could revise estimates of the Milky Way’s mass and arm structure, with the most distant arm’s dust cloud about 3,500 light-years thick and only a handful of usable GRBs observed over 25 years.

via Gizmodo|

#astronomy #dust-clouds #gamma-ray-bursts

space1 month ago•23 min saved

Milky Way's Outer Spiral Arms Extend Further Than Thought, Say X-Ray Echoes

Astronomers used X-ray echoes from rare gamma-ray bursts observed by NASA’s Chandra and ESA’s XMM-Newton to geometrically measure dust rings in the Milky Way’s spiral arms, finding the outer arms extend farther than previously known (one distant dust cloud about 3,500 light-years across). This geometry-based method, not dependent on the galaxy’s rotation, could prompt revisions to estimates of the Milky Way’s mass and structure, though its data are limited by the rarity of bright gamma-ray bursts.

via New York Post|

#astronomy #chandra #dust

science1 month ago•28 min saved

Swift Observatory Rescued: Private Link Craft Boosts Orbital Altitude to Avert Reentry

NASA and private contractor Katalyst Space Technologies launched an emergency mission to save the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory from burning up in Earth’s atmosphere, sending the Link servicing spacecraft to intercept Swift and raise its orbit by about 150 miles (from roughly 224 miles) in a nine‑month, $30 million effort to preserve the $500 million gamma‑ray‑burst observatory.

via The Verge|

#gamma-ray-bursts #katalyst-space-technologies #nasa

science1 month ago•4 min saved

Milky Way's spiral arms stretch farther into space, new measurements show

Astronomers using X-ray data from NASA’s Chandra and ESA’s XMM-Newton measure dust-ring geometry created by distant gamma-ray bursts to map the Milky Way’s outer spiral arms, finding the arm in the far reaches is about 3,500 light-years wide and implying a potential update to the Galaxy’s size and mass; the method offers a geometry-based alternative to rotation-based estimates but relies on rare bright bursts, so more observations are needed.

via Fox News|

#chandra-x-ray-observatory #gamma-ray-bursts #milky-way

science1 month ago•2 min saved

Two Long Gamma-Ray Bursts Traced to Collapsing Neutron Stars

Los Alamos researchers analyzed two long-duration gamma-ray bursts detected by Fermi and concluded they originated from neutron stars collapsing into black holes (collapsars) rather than mergers, prompting a reevaluation of long GRB origins. Using NASA data and the Chicoma supercomputer, the study supports a collapsar-based explanation and suggests kilonova-driven heavy-element synthesis may be more varied than previously thought; upcoming gravitational-wave observations could further clarify the links between GRBs, kilonovae, and heavy-element production.

via Universe Today|

#collapsars #gamma-ray-bursts #heavy-elements

space1 month ago•70 min saved

NASA bets $30M on a robotic rescue to keep the Swift telescope in orbit

NASA is pursuing a $30 million robotic mission to save the aging Swift gamma-ray burst observatory from orbital decay and prevent it from re-entering Earth. The plan envisions a small spacecraft rendezvousing with Swift to boost its orbit or attach a propulsion module, extending the telescope’s science life as it continues to detect and study gamma-ray bursts. Swift has been a mainstay of GRB science since 2004, and the rescue would aim to keep its rapid follow-up capabilities operational rather than risk losing the mission to re-entry.

via AP News|

#gamma-ray-bursts #nasa #robotic-rescue

science2 months ago•11 min saved

Vela Bursts: From Cold War Detectors to Cosmic Gamma-Ray Explosions

NASA’s Vela satellites, built to monitor nuclear tests, began registering puzzling gamma-ray flashes in the late 1960s. Initially ambiguous, sixteen bursts were later identified as cosmic gamma-ray bursts, not terrestrial or solar events. Distance estimates remained contested until BeppoSAX pinpointed afterglows in 1997, proving GRBs originate billions of light-years away and transforming gamma-ray astronomy.

via Space Daily|

#astronomy #bepposax #cosmological-distance