Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 11, 2024
GPS technology typically provides location accuracy within a few meters, but many of us have experienced moments where it drifts by hundreds of meters or produces entirely wrong coordinates. One contributing factor to this inaccuracy is the number and alignment of satellites in the receiver's line of sight. GPS satellites are equipped with precise atomic clocks and constantly broadcast the

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Sep 12, 2024
LandSpace, one of China's leading private rocket manufacturers, made significant progress toward developing a reusable rocket with a successful vertical takeoff and vertical landing (VTVL) test on Wednesday. The Beijing-based company used an experimental rocket for the test at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert of northwestern China. In this test, the rocket ascended to

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 12, 2024 dwarf-planet-ceres-consus-crater
New research by scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) challenges previous assumptions about the origins of the dwarf planet Ceres. The study, published in the 'Journal of Geophysical Research Planets', reveals evidence that Ceres may have formed in the asteroid belt rather than migrating from the outer reaches of the Solar System. The key findings are based on

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Sep 12, 2024
Researchers and cloud enthusiasts now have a new resource to explore unique cloud formations on Mars. The German Aerospace Centre (DLR) in Berlin has developed a comprehensive 20-year database of cloud and storm images, providing scientists with deeper insights into Martian atmospheric features. The "Mars Cloud Atlas" is now available to the public at https://hrscteam.dlr.de/public/data.php. Dan

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Sep 11, 2024
China's reusable experimental spacecraft successfully returned to Earth on Friday, following a 268-day orbital mission, as announced by the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. This marks a significant step in the development of China's reusable spacecraft technologies, paving the way for more affordable and efficient space travel between Earth and outer space, according to a statement from the laun

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Sep 12, 2024
NASA's contributions to technological innovation and its ability to inspire future STEM leaders are at risk due to critical issues related to infrastructure, budgetary mismatches, and a focus on short-term goals, according to a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. Commissioned by Congress as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, the report highlight

Washington (AFP) Sept 12, 2024
A pioneering private crew made history Thursday with the first-ever spacewalk by non-professional astronauts, marking a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry. The SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, led by fintech billionaire Jared Isaacman, launched early Tuesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, journeying deeper into the cosmos than any humans in the past 50 years, since t

Washington DC (UPI) Sep 11, 2024
An American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts successfully launched Wednesday for a six-month mission to the International Space Station and the transition from one mission crew to another. Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexey Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner departed Earth in a live-streamed event with NASA astronaut Don Pettit on time at 12:23 p.m. EDT aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft atop a Soy

Washington DC (UPI) Sep 11, 2024
The Polaris Dawn mission on Tuesday reached an orbit of 870 miles above the Earth's surface, the farthest humans have been away from the planet since the 1970s. It marked the farthest orbit of Earth since the Gemini missions during the Apollo era. The private space mission, paid for by billionaire Jared Isaacman reached the milestone orbit on a SpaceX Dragon capsule. Space