To Sicily and beyond: ESA, partners debate future of space transportation
Monday, 11 July 2022 08:25
How can Europe exploit its technical, industrial and financial strengths to ensure it remains a leader in space transportation in the 2030s and beyond? How can ESA, Europe’s national space agencies and institutions, and both established and new industrial partners better co-ordinate their efforts to meet global competition that demands innovation and cost-reduction?
These were just a few of the questions discussed during an ESA-hosted roundtable conference held on 27-28 June in Palermo, Sicily. The event, called “Shared Vision for the Future of Space Transportation in Europe”, saw more than 100 representatives of Europe’s space sector discuss the technical and
ESA to embolden Europe's space exploration
Monday, 11 July 2022 07:55
A 12-strong star-studded advisory group is to guide ESA’s human and robotic space exploration as the agency aims to increase European ambitions in space.
The James Webb Space Telescope, by the numbers
Monday, 11 July 2022 07:11
The most powerful space telescope ever built, James Webb is set to deliver its first full-color scientific images to the world Tuesday.
Here is an overview of this feat of human ingenuity, in five key figures.
More than 21 feet
The centerpiece of the observatory is its huge main mirror, measuring more than 21 feet (6.5 meters) in diameter and made up of 18 smaller, hexagonal-shaped mirrors.
The observatory also has four scientific instruments: cameras to take pictures of the cosmos, and spectrographs, which break down light to study which elements and molecules make up objects.
ESA by Interrail
Monday, 11 July 2022 06:35
Vincent Müller, a recent school-leaver, will visit all of ESA’s European sites in the next two weeks. The lucky winner of a free Interrail ticket from the DiscoverEU programme, he decided to use the ticket to make this journey and will share his experiences in a blog to enthuse young people to pursue a career in space.
Asteroid Bennu Reveals its Surface is Like a Plastic Ball Pit
Monday, 11 July 2022 05:54
After analyzing data gathered when NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected a sample from asteroid Bennu in October 2020, scientists have learned something astonishing: The spacecraft would have sunk into Bennu had it not fired its thrusters to back away immediately after it grabbed dust and rock from the asteroid's surface.
It turns out that the particles making up Bennu's exterior are so l Surface of asteroid Bennu soft like plastic ball pit, OSIRIS-REx spacecraft finds
Monday, 11 July 2022 05:54
An amazing surprise greeted NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft as it touched down on the asteroid Bennu in 2020 - The asteroid was not what it seemed - according to research published Thursday in the journals Science and Science Advances.
After it analyzed data from the spacecraft, NASA said it would have sunk into the asteroid if it hadn't fired thrusters to lift off as soon as it collecte Porosity of the moon's crust reveals bombardment history
Sunday, 10 July 2022 12:42
Around 4.4 billion years ago, the early solar system resembled a game of space rock dodgeball, as massive asteroids and comets, and, later, smaller rocks and galactic debris pummeled the moon and other infant terrestrial bodies. This period ended around 3.8 billion years ago. On the moon, this tumultuous time left behind a heavily cratered face, and a cracked and porous crust.
Now MIT scie Surprise - Again! Asteroid Bennu Reveals its Surface is Like a Plastic Ball Pit
Sunday, 10 July 2022 12:42
After analyzing data gathered when NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected a sample from asteroid Bennu in October 2020, scientists have learned something astonishing: The spacecraft would have sunk into Bennu had it not fired its thrusters to back away immediately after it grabbed dust and rock from the asteroid's surface.
It turns out that the particles making up Bennu's exterior are so l Searching for Sand Transport
Sunday, 10 July 2022 12:42
Perseverance is currently stopped for sampling at Skinner Ridge rock. Sampling activities constitute an important aspect of Perseverance's mission, and the rover's strategic path is developed around sampling stops. During these stops, the rover must remain stationary for at least twelve sols in order to conduct proximity science and activities related to abrasion and coring. But being parked in NASA Mirrors on ESA Pathfinder to Empower Space Geodesy
Sunday, 10 July 2022 12:42
NASA will supply the upcoming European Space Agency (ESA) Lunar Pathfinder mission with an array of laser retroreflectors, mirrored devices that reflect light back at its source. The retroreflectors will offer new opportunities for lunar science and space geodesy.
Geodesy is the scientific discipline that seeks to map Earth's shape, orientation, and gravity field. Space geodesy uses satell Everyone gets to savour the Avanavero flavours: Sols 3528-3529
Sunday, 10 July 2022 12:42
Both the CheMin and SAM instruments have dined on the Avanavero drill samples and have decided their appetites are sated. CheMin has completed X-ray diffraction mineralogical analysis of the Avanavero drill sample, and SAM their Evolved Gas Analysis. Both instrument teams are satisfied with their analyses and SAM are not opting to do a Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry run.
Now it is th Follow CAPSTONE's Four-Month Journey to the Moon in Real Time
Sunday, 10 July 2022 12:42
NASA's microwave oven-sized CubeSat dubbed CAPSTONE is flying solo, blazing an unusual yet efficient deep space route to the Moon. The CubeSat is heading toward an unique orbit intended in the future for Gateway, a lunar space station built by the agency and its commercial and international partners that will support science and human exploration under Artemis.
During the next four months, Jacobs Awarded $3.9B Engineering and Science Contract at NASA
Sunday, 10 July 2022 12:42
Jacobs (NYSE:J) was awarded the JSC Engineering, Technology, and Science (JETS) II contract at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
Jacobs is scheduled to begin contract transition on Aug. 1 to continue providing engineering and scientific products and technical services for NASA at Johnson Space Center (JSC). The contract maximum value is estimated at approximately $3.9 billion ov Experts find way to make better use of lunar samples
Sunday, 10 July 2022 12:42
Though China now has more than 1.7 kilograms of lunar soil gathered from its historic Chang'e 5 mission, the government practices a prudent policy when it comes to distributing these valuable samples to researchers.
Professor Wang Zaicong, a senior researcher at the School of Earth Sciences of the China University of Geosciences in Wuhan, Hubei province, said his team received 200 milligra Can China claim ownership rights on the Moon
Sunday, 10 July 2022 12:42
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson recently expressed concerns over China's aims in space, and in particular, that China would, in some way, claim ownership over the Moon and stop other countries from exploring it. In an interview with a German newspaper, Nelson cautioned, "We must be very concerned that China is landing on the Moon and saying: 'It's ours now and you stay out.'" China immediately de