Copernical Team
A bumpy road ahead for Curiosity: Sols 3876-3879
Our latest assessment period over sols 3872 and 3873 was a "touch and go" plan: some contact science and other observations, followed by a drive. We performed some imaging and DRT (Dust Removal Tool) brushing on the "Madero" bedrock target, to allow for contact science using APXS.
For some of our Mastcam imaging, we also move the arm out of the way as to reduce shadow in our images. Our pl Final Ariane 5 blasts off amid Europe rocket crisis
Europe's workhorse Ariane 5 rocket blasted off for a final time on Wednesday, with its farewell flight after 27 years of launches coming at a difficult time for European space efforts.
Faced with soaring global competition, the continent has unexpectedly found itself without a way to independently launch heavy missions into space due to delays to the next-generation Ariane 6 and Russia withd A space rocket hotter than the Sun
UK aerospace company Pulsar Fusion has started constructing the largest practical nuclear fusion rocket engine ever built.
The 8-metre fusion chamber is being assembled in Bletchley, England and when fired in 2027, will temporarily become the hottest place in the solar system creating exhaust speeds of over 500,000 MPH.
Researchers at Pulsar Fusion hope to reach several hundred- mill Taking flight and making a splash
Last week, members of ESA’s astronaut support teams participated in a helicopter underwater escape training. This training is mandatory for people involved in astronaut landing operations, including flight surgeons and photographers, who capture the key moments of an astronaut mission.
Europe-wide space-enabled aviation approaches take off
Commercial air passengers across Europe will soon experience fewer flight delays and greener travel thanks to pilots being able to use satellites to route their planes.
Ariane 5 bows out in style: dual payloads, perfect delivery
Europe’s Ariane 5 rocket has completed its final flight, placing two payloads – the German aerospace agency DLR’s Heinrich Hertz experimental communications satellite and the French communications satellite Syracuse 4b – into their planned geostationary transfer orbits.
NASA's moon rover prototype conquers steep, scary lander exit test
NASA's VIPER—short for Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover—recently completed another successful round of rigorous tests of the agency's first robotic moon rover's ability to drive off the Astrobotic Griffin lunar lander and onto the lunar surface. Called an egress, this hours-long operation is one of the most critical and trickiest parts of VIPER's 100-day mission. It could be even trickier if VIPER's off-ramps onto the moon are super steep or tilted due to uneven terrain.
First ultraviolet data collected by European Space Agency's JUICE mission
Astrotourism—chasing eclipses, meteor showers and elusive dark skies from Earth
For years, small groups of astronomy enthusiasts have traveled the globe chasing the rare solar eclipse. They have embarked on cruises to the middle of the ocean, taken flights into the eclipse's path and even traveled to Antarctica. In August 2017, millions across the U.S. witnessed a total solar eclipse visible from Oregon to South Carolina, with a partial eclipse visible to the rest of the continental U.S.
The interest in astronomical events that this eclipse sparked will likely return with two eclipses visible in the U.S. during the next year—the annular solar eclipse on Oct. 14, 2023, and the total eclipse on April 8, 2024. But astro-tourism—traveling to national parks, observatories or other natural, dark-sky locations to view astronomical events—isn't limited just to chasing eclipses.
According to a recent study, 80% of Americans and one-third of the planet's population can no longer see the Milky Way from their homes because of light pollution.
Lockheed Martin targets small businesses via Next Generation Interceptor
Lockheed Martin, under the banner of its Next Generation Interceptor (NGI) program, has collaborated with three small businesses to foster growth within the defense industrial sector. This initiative is part of the Department of Defense (DoD) Mentor-Protege Program that facilitates prime contractors to function as mentors, enhancing the business and technical acumen of small businesses.
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