Trying to Avoid Nodules: Sols 3633-3634
Thursday, 27 October 2022 11:58
The long Sol 3631 drive went well, leaving the rover near exposures of nodule-rich bedrock. Because we have examined the chemical composition of nodules recently, a goal for today's planning was to find patches of bedrock that are relatively nodule-free in order to look for changes in the "background" bedrock.
So the Sol 3633 plan starts with a couple APXS integrations on "Balata," a bedro Arecibo Observatory scientists publish major study on near-earth asteroids
Thursday, 27 October 2022 11:58
The largest paper ever published on radar observations of near-Earth asteroids has been released, compiling years' worth of data from the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico.
Using delay-Doppler radar observations collected from the observatory between December 2017 and December 2019, the study includes 191 asteroids' radar cross sections and Doppler-frequency broadening. This data can be u New technique to determine age will open new era of planetary science
Thursday, 27 October 2022 11:58
The coming decade is expected to bring a veritable bonanza for the science of planets: space missions are scheduled to bring back samples of rock from the moon, Mars, the Martian moon of Phobos, and a primitive asteroid. And scientists say there is a new technique for determining the age of rocks, meteorites, and even artifacts, that could help open up a new era of discovery.
A group with Webb offers never-before-seen details of early universe
Thursday, 27 October 2022 11:58
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope was specially designed to detect the faint infrared light from very distant galaxies and give astronomers a glimpse at the early universe. The nature of galaxies during this early period of our universe is not well known nor understood. But with the help of gravitational lensing by a cluster of galaxies in the foreground, faint background galaxies can be magnifi Solar Orbiter’s unprecedented view of the quiet corona
Thursday, 27 October 2022 11:00
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The ESA-led Solar Orbiter mission has experienced its second close encounter with the Sun. It is delivering more stunning data, and at higher resolution than ever before.
The moment of closest approach took place on 12 October at 19:12 UTC (21:12 CEST), when Solar Orbiter was just 29% of the Earth’s distance from the Sun. This movie comes from 13 October, when the spacecraft’s Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) returned the highest resolution movie of the quiet corona ever taken with any instrument.
Each pixel on this movie spans 105 km on the surface of the Sun. This means that
ESA astronauts help map Europe’s light pollution from space
Thursday, 27 October 2022 08:33
Discovery funding transforms ESA patents into commercial success
Thursday, 27 October 2022 06:46
Whether sending European spacecraft to distant frontiers, studying our home planet in greater detail than ever before, or designing new launch systems, ESA activities drive the development of new technologies.
Boeing’s Starliner charges approach $900 million
Thursday, 27 October 2022 00:09
Boeing announced Oct. 26 it will take yet another charge against earnings because of delays in the CST-100 Starliner commercial crew program, bringing the total losses recorded by the company to date on the program to nearly $900 million.
DIU selects startups for U.S. military weather modeling project
Wednesday, 26 October 2022 19:43
The Defense Innovation Unit and the U.S. Air Force announced Oct. 26 they selected five companies to help build weather models using data from satellites, aerial and terrestrial sensors.
The post DIU selects startups for U.S.
New Starlink dish kit enables services ‘on any moving land object’
Wednesday, 26 October 2022 18:15
SpaceX started taking pre-orders Oct. 25 for a flat panel antenna that enables land vehicles to use its Starlink broadband service while in motion.
The post New Starlink dish kit enables services ‘on any moving land object’ appeared first on SpaceNews.
The Incredible Adventures of the Hera mission – Tales of Terrific Technology
Wednesday, 26 October 2022 15:09
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Meet Hera, our very own asteroid detective. Together with two CubeSats – Milani the rock decoder and Juventas the radar visionary – Hera is off on an adventure to explore Didymos, a double asteroid system that is typical of the thousands that pose an impact risk to planet Earth.
Suitable for kids and adults alike, this episode of ‘The Incredible Adventures of Hera’ details the miniaturised James-Bond-style technology that Hera and its CubeSats will carry aboard with them to explore their asteroid target.
Quantum Space announces first cislunar mission
Wednesday, 26 October 2022 14:00
Quantum Space, a company founded earlier this year to develop spacecraft platforms in cislunar space, announced plans Oct. 26 for its first smallsat pathfinder mission that will collect space situational awareness data.
The post Quantum Space announces first cislunar mission appeared first on SpaceNews.
Considerations for microbial survivability of ionizing radiation on Mars for sample returns
Wednesday, 26 October 2022 11:48
As the goals of Mars exploration expand to include sample return, it becomes important to protect Earth from potential extraterrestrial sources of contamination. Likewise, it is important to avoid mistaking Earth life for indigenous life brought back from Mars.
In a new study, scientists examine the effects of desiccation and freezing on microbial ionizing radiation survivability on Mars. Ancient bacteria might lurk beneath Mars' surface
Wednesday, 26 October 2022 11:48
When Mars' first samples return to Earth, scientists should be on the lookout for ancient sleeping bacteria, a new study has found.
In a first-of-its-kind study, a research team, including Northwestern University's Brian Hoffman and Ajay Sharma, found that ancient bacteria could survive close to the surface on Mars much longer than previously assumed. And - when the bacteria are buried and UCF researchers create lunar regolith bricks that could be used to construct Artemis base camp
Wednesday, 26 October 2022 11:48
As part of NASA's Artemis program to establish a long-term presence on the moon, it aims to build an Artemis base camp that includes a modern lunar cabin, rover and mobile home. This fixed habitat could potentially be constructed with bricks made of lunar regolith and saltwater, thanks to a recent discovery from a team of UCF researchers.
Associate Professor Ranajay Ghosh of UCF's Departme