Copernical Team
Western researchers help identify origins of Martian meteorites
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An international research team has identified the specific origins of most of the Martian meteorites that are now on Earth. They've traced the meteorites to five craters where they were launched off Mars after impact. The craters are located within two volcanic regions on the red planet called Tharsis (the region containing Olympus Mons, the largest shield volcano in the solar system) and Elysiu NASA Calls for Industry Input on Lunar Logistics and Mobility Systems
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NASA is set to launch a new solicitation under its Next Space Technologies for Exploration Partnerships-2 (NextSTEP-2) initiative, inviting industry to propose studies that will enhance logistics and mobility systems on the lunar surface. This call for proposals is part of NASA's ongoing efforts to develop the necessary infrastructure for long-term human and robotic exploration of the Moon and e Polaris Dawn Mission Set for August 26 to Advance Commercial Space Exploration
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The Polaris Program, focused on testing and developing new spaceflight technology, is preparing to launch its first mission, Polaris Dawn, aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket on Monday, August 26, 2024. This mission marks a significant step forward in commercial space exploration. Key objectives include testing a next-generation spacesuit during the first commercial spacewalk, attempting to achieve Rocket engine explodes during test at UK spaceport
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A rocket engine exploded during a test launch at Britain's new spaceport in northern Scotland, officials said Tuesday, in a setback for the UK's fledgling space sector.
No one was injured in Monday evening's incident at SaxaVord Spaceport on the remote island of Unst, said the operator, German rocket manufacturer Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA).
The company hopes to launch the UK's first v Juice snaps Moon en route to Earth
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Juice snaps Moon en route to Earth August's supermoon is the first of four lunar spectacles
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Monday's supermoon is the first of four this year.
During a supermoon, the full moon inches a little closer than usual to Earth. A supermoon isn't bigger, but it can appear that way in the night sky, although scientists say the difference can be barely perceptible.
September's supermoon will coincide with a partial lunar eclipse. October's will be the year's closest approach, and November's will round out the year.
More a popular term than a scientific one, a supermoon occurs when a full lunar phase syncs up with an especially close swing around Earth. This usually happens only three or four times a year and consecutively, given the moon's constantly shifting, oval-shaped orbit.
SpaceX a week away from first private spacewalk
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Four members of a SpaceX mission that will carry out the first ever private spacewalk arrived in Florida on Monday ahead of their takeoff next week.
The five-day expedition, named Polaris Dawn, will be led by US billionaire Jared Isaacman, who already chartered the first all-civilian orbital spaceflight in 2021, called Inspiration4.
"It's been two and a half years since we announced the Polaris program. It's been a really exciting journey of development and training," Isaacman told a press conference Monday.
He did not reveal how much he has spent on the program, which includes a total of three missions and which he jointly funds with SpaceX.
For the trip, the company has developed its first generation of space suits, which are white and futuristic.
Project Helianthus—a solar-sail-driven geomagnetic storm tracker
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Solar storms captured the imagination of much of the American public earlier this year when auroras were visible well south of their typical northern areas. As the sun ramps into another solar cycle, those storms will become more and more common, and the dangers they present to Earth's infrastructure will continue to increase.
Currently, most of our early warning systems only give us a few minutes warning about a potentially destructive impending geomagnetic storm event. So a team of researchers from Sapienza University in Rome and the Italian Space Agency proposed a plan to sail a series of detectors to a point out in space where they could give us an early warning. And they want those detectors to stay on station without rockets.
The mission, known as Helianthus, the official name for a sunflower, was initially described at the 6th International Symposium on Space Sailing in June 2023.
Specialized materials could passively control the internal temperature of space habitats
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Areas of space have wildly different temperatures depending on whether they are directly in sunlight or not. For example, temperatures on the moon can range from 121 °C during the lunar "day" (which lasts for two weeks), then drop down to -133 °C at night, encompassing a 250 °C swing.
Stabilizing the temperature inside a habitat in those environments would require heating and cooling on a scale never before conducted on Earth. But what if there was a way to ease the burden of those temperature swings? Phase change materials (PCMs) might be the answer, according to a paper, appearing in Thermo, by researchers at the Universidad Politecnica de Madrid.
PCMs have been known for some time and are currently used in several industries, including batteries, solar power plants, heat pumps, and even spacecraft. Perhaps most interestingly, they've been used to cool and heat the interiors of buildings on Earth.
Boeing Starliner astronauts: What six months stuck in space may do to their perception of time
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Two astronauts marooned in space may sound like the plot of a Hollywood blockbuster, but for two NASA crew members, it is now a reality. Commander Barry Wilmore and pilot Sunita Williams are currently in limbo on the International Space Station (ISS).
They arrived in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft—the first test of the spaceship with astronauts. Wilmore and Williams were supposed to stay on the ISS for around eight days and return on the same spacecraft. But there is now debate about the safety of Starliner after it experienced helium leaks and thruster problems on its way to the ISS.
In coming days, NASA and Boeing may decide to clear Starliner to carry the astronauts back to Earth. This means their stay might not last too much longer. But if officials decide against Starliner, the astronauts face waiting an additional six months in orbit before returning.
