{"id":10662,"date":"2022-02-23T19:46:11","date_gmt":"2022-02-23T11:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/landsat-9-declared-operational-ixpe-returns-first-science-imagery\/"},"modified":"2022-02-23T19:46:11","modified_gmt":"2022-02-23T11:46:11","slug":"landsat-9-declared-operational-ixpe-returns-first-science-imagery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/landsat-9-declared-operational-ixpe-returns-first-science-imagery\/","title":{"rendered":"Landsat 9 declared operational, IXPE returns first science imagery"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
This image of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A combines some of the first X-ray data collected by NASA\u2019s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, shown in magenta, with high-energy X-ray data from NASA\u2019s Chandra X-Ray Observatory, in blue. Credits: NASA\/CXC\/SAO\/IXPE<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Two NASA satellites launched late last year are operational and returning imagery \u2014 one looking back at planet Earth and another peering into the cosmos in search of new insights into the remnants of dead stars.<\/p>\n

NASA\u2019s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, or IXPE, mission has returned data from the first of at least several dozen celestial targets mapped out for two years of primary science observations.<\/p>\n

IXPE, which launched Dec. 9 from Florida on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, started its science observations last month. On Feb. 14, NASA released the first imagery from the $214 million astronomy mission.<\/p>\n

The mission\u2019s first target was Cassiopeia A, or Cas A, a giant debris cloud surrounding a super-dense skeleton of a dead star around 11,000 light years away. Cassiopeia A formed when a star estimated to be five times more massive than the sun exploded in a violent supernova. The light from that event reached Earth around 350 years ago.<\/p>\n

The explosion shot matter from the star\u2019s interior out into space in all directions at nearly the speed of light, leaving behind the star\u2019s collapsed core. IXPE\u2019s data will help astronomers study the magnetic field around the neutron star by observing the X-ray glow from nearby gas heated by the explosion.<\/p>\n

The observatory observed Cassiopeia A for about three weeks. Cassiopeia A was the first of 33 planned science targets selected for the first year of IXPE\u2019s mission, according to Martin Weisskopf, IXPE\u2019s principal investigator from NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center.<\/p>\n

One composite image released by NASA combines X-ray data gathered by the Chandra X-ray Observatory with measurements from IXPE. Chandra, which launched in 1999, is much larger than IXPE and offers sharper views of distant X-ray sources.<\/p>\n

Chandra\u2019s first image was also of Cassiopeia A, NASA said, revealing a combat object at the center of the luminous cloud to be a neutron star or black hole.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe IXPE image of Cassiopeia A is as historic as the Chandra image of the same supernova remnant,\u201d Weisskopf said in a statement. \u201cIt demonstrates IXPE\u2019s potential to gain new, never-before-seen information about Cassiopeia A, which is under analysis right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

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NASA\u2019s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer spacecraft ready for encapsulation inside the payload fairing of its SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket before launch in December. Credit: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

IXPE is sensitive to X-ray in a new way.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the first space mission tuned to measure the polarization signal of X-ray light. Similar previous telescopes, which must be in space to detect cosmic X-rays, have imaged X-ray sources in high angular resolution, measured their spectroscopy, or chemical fingerprints, and studied the time variation of X-ray signals.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy doing this mission, we are adding two variables to the astrophysics toolkit to understand these sources,\u201d Weisskopf said before IXPE\u2019s launch. \u201cThat\u2019s the degree of polarization, and the direction associated with polarization.\u201d<\/p>\n

The polarization of X-ray light a measurement of the direction of its electromagnetic field, a telltale signal that can inform astrophysicists about the extreme environments around black holes and supermassive objects, including the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.<\/p>\n

IXPE\u2019s three identical telescopes can measure the energy, position, time of arrival, and polarization of each X-ray photon they collect. The spacecraft, made by Ball Aerospace, extended a boom about a week after launch in December to configure the telescopes for observations.<\/p>\n

Flying in an equatorial orbit roughly 373 miles (600 kilometers) above Earth, IXPE is a partnership between NASA and the Italian Space Agency, which provided the mission\u2019s X-ray detectors and a ground station Kenya to receive science data from the satellite when it flies overhead.<\/p>\n

IXPE will help astronomers measure the spin rate of back holes, using polarization data to determine the energy from an X-ray source.<\/p>\n

The mission will also look at the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, known as Sagittarius A*. IXPE\u2019s measurements may confirm whether the black hole was much brighter just a few hundred years ago, as some scientists believe.<\/p>\n

IXPE will also look at more distant targets, such as blazers at the centers of other galaxies. Blazars have powerful jets of radiation that happen to be aimed directly at Earth.<\/p>\n

The mission will also study the polarization of X-rays coming from magnetars, which have the strongest magnetic fields of any star, some one thousand trillion times more intense than Earth\u2019s magnetic field.<\/p>\n

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This image from NASA\u2019s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer maps the intensity of X-rays coming from the observatory\u2019s first target, the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. Colors ranging from cool purple and blue to red and hot white correspond with the increasing brightness of the X-rays. The image was created using X-ray data collected by IXPE between Jan. 11-18. Credits: NASA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Landsat 9 remote sensing satellite, meanwhile, is now operational after several months of post-launch commissioning since its liftoff Sept. 27 from California aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket.<\/p>\n

The mission is a joint project managed by NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey. Landsat 9 is the newest in a line of remote sensing satellites developed by NASA and USGS, providing a continuous, unbroken stream of imagery of Earth\u2019s land surfaces since 1972.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe imagery from Landsat 9 is fantastic,\u201d said Del Jenstrom, Landsat 9 project manager at NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center. \u201cI am incredibly proud of our joint agency and contractor team for executing a very thorough and highly successful on-orbit commissioning campaign, bringing this important mission into operational status.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ground teams maneuvered Landsat 9 into an orbit just below that of its predecessor, Landsat 8, to cross-calibrate the new satellite\u2019s mapping camera and infrared survey instrument. Satisfied with Landsat 9\u2019s good performance, managers announced Jan. 31 that the new spacecraft would begin regular operational imaging. Data from Landsat 9 became publicly available Feb. 10.<\/p>\n

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his natural color image of the San Francisco Bay was captured by Landsat 9\u2019s new Operational Land Imager 2 instrument. Landsat 9 which launched Sept. 27, 2021, is now in its operational phase. Credit: NASA\/USGS Landsat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Landsat 9 flies in a polar orbit about 438 miles (705 kilometers) above Earth, collecting visible and thermal infrared imagery used to track changes in land cover, water quality, glacier flow, and other properties of Earth\u2019s surface. The thermal infrared data from Landsat satellites \u2014 essentially measurements of heat coming from Earth\u2019s surface \u2014 provide information on irrigation and water usage.<\/p>\n

Scientists and forest managers use Landsat data to measure the impact of wildfires and chart the growth of cities, making the Landsat satellites \u201csomething like a Swiss Army knife,\u201d said Jeff Masek, NASA\u2019s project scientist for the Landsat mission.<\/p>\n

One method of calibrating Landsat 9\u2019s instruments involved pointing the satellite toward the full moon, a steady source of light. The testing since Landsat 9\u2019s launch also confirmed the satellite\u2019s Thermal Infrared Sensor 2, or TIRS 2 instrument, is not afflicted with the same problems with stray light that degraded some infrared images from Landsat 8, according to NASA.<\/p>\n

Landsat 9, like Landsat 8, takes medium-resolution wide-area pictures. The two satellites working in tandem will cover all of Earth\u2019s land masses every eight days.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Landsat user base is eager to get another observatory that will double the frequency with which they can get this high-quality data,\u201d Masek said in a statement. \u201cThis is really going to benefit research in areas like snow cover, crop monitoring and water quality.\u201d<\/p>\n

Landsat 9 will also work in concert with other land imaging satellites, such as the European Sentinel 2 missions, to extend the continuous global coverage of land masses since the launch of Landsat 1 in 1972.<\/p>\n

The new Landsat 9 satellite replaces Landsat 7, which is operating well beyond its design life. Landsat 7 will be moved into a different orbit, where it will wait for docking of a NASA robotic satellite servicing mission that will attempt to refuel the aging satellite later this decade.<\/p>\n

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Circular irrigated farm fields near Alexandria, Egypt appear in blue in this image captured by the new Thermal Infrared Sensor 2 aboard Landsat 9. TIRS-2 measures surface temperature, so the cool, irrigated fields stand out against the warmer arid lands. Image credit: NASA\/USGS Landsat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Built by Northrop Grumman, Landsat 9 is designed for a five-year operating life, but could function years longer. Landsat 8, also designed for a five-year mission, earlier this month passed the ninth anniversary since its launch.<\/p>\n

NASA said it will hand over command of Landsat 9 to USGS in May. Before then, engineers will complete work on a software update for uplink to the satellite to make its data recorders less susceptible to radiation, an issue identified during recent checkouts.<\/p>\n

As of Feb. 10, Landsat 9 had collected more than 57,000 images, and will continue producing at a rate of about 750 images per day, NASA said.<\/p>\n

Data from Landsat satellites are provided to users around the world free of charge. NASA says the Landsat archive includes more than 8 million images captured since 1972.<\/p>\n

Email the author.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This image of the supernova remnant Cassiopeia A combines some of the first X-ray data collected by NASA\u2019s Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer, shown in magenta, with high-energy X-ray data from NASA\u2019s Chandra X-Ray Observatory, in blue. Credits: NASA\/CXC\/SAO\/IXPE Two NASA satellites launched late last year are operational and returning imagery \u2014 one looking back at planet […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10662"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10662"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10662\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10662"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10662"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10662"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}