Tracking agricultural-related deforestation
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:27The global trade in agricultural commodities provides food, fuel and fibre to consumers around the world. Commodity production, however, is also linked with negative environmental impacts, including the loss and degradation of forested land.
Approximately 90% of global deforestation is driven by agricultural expansion – a phenomenon which has roots in the global demand for products such as palm oil, soy and beef. New research reveals how satellites can be used to map and monitor forest-cover changes and help implement effective zero deforestation commitments.
Astroscale's ELSA-d completes complex rendezvous operation
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00Astroscale Holdings Inc. ("Astroscale"), the market leader in satellite servicing and long-term orbital sustainability across all orbits, has announced that, despite several unexpected setbacks, its End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) mission successfully completed further controlled close-approach rendezvous operations between its two spacecraft in orbit. The technol
Physicists develop ideal testing conditions of solar cells for space applications
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00Researchers at the University of Oklahoma, with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the University of North Texas, the NASA Glenn Research Center and several collaborators within the space power community, have recently published a paper in the journal Joule that describes the optimal conditions for testing perovskite solar cells for space. Perovskites are a material used in a type o
MDA completes first commercial sale of Canadarm3 technology to Axiom space
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00MDA Ltd. (TSX:MDA), a leading provider of advanced technology and services to the rapidly expanding global space industry, has announced the first commercial sale of its Canadarm3 technology to Axiom Space. The contract is for the delivery of 32 external robotic interfaces for Axiom Space's Axiom Station which is now under construction and on schedule to be the world's first commercial spa
Satellogic announces multiple launch agreement with SpaceX
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00Satellogic Inc. (NASDAQ: SATL), a leader in sub-meter resolution Earth Observation ("EO") data collection, reports it has signed a new Multiple Launch Agreement ("MLA") with SpaceX reserving launch capacity for its next 68 satellites. This new MLA follows the current MLA covering 2022 launches, and confirms that SpaceX continues to be Satellogic's preferred vendor for rideshare missions, meeting
NIC4 awarded satcomm service provider registry prototype contract for US Space Force
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00NIC4, a subsidiary of Network Innovations, has been awarded a Service Provider Registry (SPR) prototype, a component of the Satellite Communications (SATCOM) Enterprise Management and Control (EM&C). This software development effort is for the U.S. Space Force (USSF), Space Systems Command (SSC) through the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) as an Other Transactional Authority (OTA) Agreem
Maritime Launch plans inaugural flight for 2023
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00Maritime Launch Services Inc. (NEO: MAXQ) (MLSI) and Reaction Dynamics (RDX) are pleased to announce that they have signed a letter of intent to conduct launches from Spaceport Nova Scotia, expected to begin in 2023. These launches will provide the country sovereign launch capabilities and add Canada to the short list of "Launching States." This partnership will advance the continuing plan
To sample or not to sample
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00One of the prime objectives of the Perseverance mission is to collect a diverse cache of rock samples for eventual return to Earth. Among the highest priority rocks to sample are those that make up the well-preserved delta located on the western side of Jezero crater. This delta was one of the key attributes that made this landing site so appealing for the search for ancient Martian life.
DARPA seeks proposals leading to in-space demonstration of nuclear thermal rocket
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00DARPA is seeking proposals for Phases 2 and 3 of the Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program for the design, development, fabrication, and assembly of a nuclear thermal rocket engine. The goal is to execute an in-space flight demonstration of nuclear thermal propulsion in fiscal year 2026. The overall objective of DRACO is to enable time-critical missions over va
After ISS command change, NASA's Crew-3 prepares to undock for trip home
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00NASA's Crew-3 astronauts are preparing to undock from the International Space Station on Thursday after a six-month stay at the orbital outpost. Raja Chari, Kayla Barron and Tom Marshburn of NASA, along with Matthias Maurer of Germany, are expected to board their Dragon spacecraft and close the hatch at 11:20 p.m. EDT, ahead of undocking from the ISS for the trip back to Earth. C
All the science in half the time: Sols 3464-3465
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00We have cleared the "Greenheugh pediment" and the mix of sandy, steep, and rough terrain that challenged our drives up and down it. However, we are finding that as we make our way up Mount Sharp along a new route, some of the same driving gremlins are with us. Yesterday's drive made it just about all the way to its endpoint, but Curiosity encountered higher than expected tilts as she attem
Kacific launches all-in-one CommsBox for disaster relief
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00Kacific Broadband Satellites Group is launching an innovative emergency connectivity solution, CommsBox, designed to provide broadband service in emergency or disaster zones rapidly. Kacific CommsBox is a transportable, all-in-one satellite communications product that can be rapidly deployed in disaster zones when other communication channels fail. The turnkey solution is designed to meet
NASA's EMIT will map tiny dust particles to study big climate impacts
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00Blown by wind across continents and oceans, dust does more than make skies hazy, congest lungs, and leave a film on windshields. Also known as mineral dust or desert dust, it can influence weather, hasten snowmelt, and fertilize plants on land and in the ocean. Particles from North Africa can travel thousands of miles around the globe, sparking phytoplankton blooms, seeding Amazonian rainforests
BRICS to use big data to achieve sustainable development goals
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00The Chinese Academy of Sciences will enhance dialogue and collaboration with peers from BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - to use big data as a tool to achieve sustainable development, scientists said during the BRICS Forum on Big Data for Sustainable Development, which began on Tuesday. Entrusted by CAS President Hou Jianguo, Zhang Yaping, vice-president of
New study reveals the effect of extended space flight on astronauts' brains
Thursday, 05 May 2022 08:00Long-duration space flight alters fluid-filled spaces along veins and arteries in the brain, according to new research from Oregon Health & Science University and scientists across the country.
The study published today in the journal Scientific Reports.
"These findings have important implications as we continue space exploration," said senior author Juan Piantino, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics (neurology) in the OHSU School of Medicine. "It also forces you to think about some basic fundamental questions of science and how life evolved here on Earth."
The research involved imaging the brains of 15 astronauts before and after extended tours of duty on the International Space Station.
Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to measure perivascular space—or the space around blood vessels—in the brains of astronauts prior to their launch and again immediately after their return. They also took MRI measurements again at one, three and six months after they had returned. Astronauts' images were compared with those taken of the same perivascular space in the brains of 16 Earth-bound control subjects.
Comparing before and after images, they found an increase in the perivascular spaces within the brains of first-time astronauts, but no difference among astronauts who previously served aboard the space station orbiting earth.