Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 05, 2024
The 3.5-meter secondary mirror for the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has been successfully installed on the Simonyi Survey Telescope at Cerro Pachon, Chile. Created by Corning Advanced Optics and polished by L3Harris Technologies, this glass mirror is the first permanent element of the telescope's advanced wide-field optical system and will play a key role in advancing our understanding of the Unive

Boston MA (SPX) Aug 05, 2024
While the moon lacks any breathable air, it does host a barely-there atmosphere. Since the 1980s, astronomers have observed a very thin layer of atoms bouncing over the moon's surface. This delicate atmosphere - technically known as an "exosphere" - is likely a product of some kind of space weathering. But exactly what those processes might be has been difficult to pin down with any certainty.

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 05, 2024
When the door to NASA's Mars Dune Alpha habitat in Houston closed, Georgia Tech alumnus Ross Brockwell was virtually transported 152 million miles to the Red Planet as part of the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission. For 378 days, Brockwell, a 1999 civil engineering graduate, and three other crew members took part in this study, designed to explore the challenge

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 05, 2024
This weekend, a variety of novel biomedical investigations, technology demonstrations, and physical science projects are set to launch to the International Space Station (ISS). Northrop Grumman's 21st Commercial Resupply Services (NG-21) mission, contracted by NASA, will deliver over 900 pounds of essential research and supplies, including more than 20 payloads sponsored by the ISS National Labo

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 05, 2024
As part of NASA's SpaceX Crew-10 mission, four crew members are set to embark on a long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS) no earlier than February 2025. The crew includes NASA astronauts Commander Anne McClain and Pilot Nichole Ayers, JAXA astronaut Mission Specialist Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Kirill Peskov. Their mission represents t

Washington DC (UPI) Aug 3, 2024
SpaceX scrubbed plans to launch a re-supply mission to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday morning because of unfavorable weather conditions. The Falcon 9 was scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:29 a.m. ET. A backup launch opportunity is 11:02 a.m. ET Sunday. But the 45th Weather Squadron predicts only

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Aug 05, 2024
Auroras are natural luminous phenomena caused by the interaction of electrons falling from the sky and the upper atmosphere. Most of the observed light consists of emission lines of neutral or ionized nitrogen and oxygen atoms and molecular emission bands, and the color is determined by the transition energy levels, molecular vibrations and rotations. There is a variety of characteristic colors

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 05, 2024
NASA is dedicated to exploring the potential for life beyond Earth, although no credible evidence of extraterrestrial life has been found yet. This exploration addresses fundamental questions, including whether humanity is alone in the universe. Researchers investigating the possibility of extraterrestrial life consider various forms of life, from microbial to complex civilizations. Detect

Washington DC (UPI) Aug 3, 2024
SpaceX scrubbed plans to launch a re-supply mission to the International Space Station from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on Saturday morning because of unfavorable weather conditions. The Falcon 9 was scheduled to launch from Space Launch Complex 40 at 11:29 a.m. ET. A backup launch opportunity is 11:02 a.m. ET Sunday. But the 45th Weather Squadron predicts only

Washington DC (UPI) Aug 2, 2024
SpaceX launched 23 Starlink satellites into orbit early Friday morning from the Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A. The Falcon 9 rocket blasted off at 1 a.m., EDT, with the first stage returning to Earth to stick its Atlantic Ocean landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. SpaceX moved back the launch for nearly an hour into the launch window, which started at 12:19 a.m.