The science of spin as asteroseismologists confirm older stars rotate faster than expected
Friday, 23 April 2021 11:09Stars spin faster than expected as they age according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Birmingham which uses asteroseismology to shed new light on this emerging theory. All stars, like the Sun, are born spinning. As they grow older, their spin slows down due to magnetic winds in a process called 'magnetic braking'. Research published in 2016 by scientists at Carnegie O
Mars-directed coronal mass ejection erupts from the sun
Friday, 23 April 2021 11:09NASA's STEREO-A and ESA/NASA's SOHO spacecraft detected a coronal mass ejection, or CME, leaving the sun on April 17 at 12:36 p.m. EDT. This CME did not impact Earth but did move toward Mars, passing the planet in the late evening and early morning hours of April 21 and 22.
The CME reached Mars two days after NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter became the first aircraft in history to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. NASA tracks such solar eruptions because solar eruptions can trigger particle and radiation events that pose a risk to astronauts and sensitive spacecraft electronics.
Asteroid that hit Botswana in 2018 likely came from Vesta
Friday, 23 April 2021 11:07An international team of researchers searched for pieces of a small asteroid tracked in space and then observed to impact Botswana on June 2, 2018. Guided by SETI Institute meteor astronomer Peter Jenniskens, they found 23 meteorites deep inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and now have published their findings online in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science.
"Combining the observations of the small asteroid in space with information gleaned from the meteorites shows it likely came from Vesta, second largest asteroid in our solar system and target of NASA's DAWN mission," said Jenniskens.
Mission Alpha in images
Friday, 23 April 2021 09:40Mission Alpha in images
Image gallery of the Mission Alpha
Mission Alpha launch in images
Friday, 23 April 2021 09:40Mission Alpha launch in images
Image gallery of the Mission Alpha
SpaceX launches NASA Crew-2 mission
Friday, 23 April 2021 09:02KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — SpaceX launched a Crew Dragon spacecraft carrying four astronauts from three nations April 23 as the commercial crew program moves firmly into operations.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A here at 5:49 a.m.
Mission Alpha liftoff
Friday, 23 April 2021 09:00Liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon spacecraft with ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet, NASA astronauts Megan McArthur and Shane Kimbrough, and Japanese astronaut Aki Hoshide. The Crew-2 spend around 24 hours travelling to the International Space Station. The rocket lifted off at 11:49 on 23 April 2021 from Launchpad 39A in Cape Canaveral at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, USA.
Thomas is the first ESA astronaut to fly in space in a vehicle other than the Russian Soyuz or the US Space Shuttle, and the first ESA astronaut to leave Earth from Florida, USA, in
China rolls out Long March 5B rocket for space station launch
Friday, 23 April 2021 08:16HELSINKI — China is set to launch the first module for its own space station next week after rolling out a Long March 5B rocket at Wenchang spaceport late Thursday.
Astronauts arrive at pad for SpaceX flight on used rocket
Friday, 23 April 2021 07:10ESA-backed autonomous driving lab set for Italy
Friday, 23 April 2021 07:10Central Italy – already home to an ambitious national autonomous driving research initiative – will be the site of the ESA-backed P-CARS laboratory, intended to certify positioning devices for use within driverless cars.
SpaceX set for pre-dawn launch to ISS
Friday, 23 April 2021 07:00SpaceX is set to launch its third crew to the International Space Station an hour before sunrise Friday, recycling a rocket and spacecraft for the first time.
The Crew-2 mission blasts off from pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 5:49 am Eastern Time (0949 GMT), after being delayed a day by adverse weather along the flight path.
Around 2:30 am (0630 GMT), Thomas Pesquet of France—the first European on a SpaceX mission—along with Americans Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur and Japan's Akihiko Hoshide strode out in their suits to say goodbye to their families.
Earth from Space: Laizhou Bay
Friday, 23 April 2021 07:00The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over the sediment-stained waters in Laizhou Bay, located on the southern shores of the Bohai Sea, on the east coast of mainland China.
Lockheed Martin wins $27 million contract modification for integration of DARPA’s Blackjack satellites
Thursday, 22 April 2021 21:37WASHINGTON — The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency increased Lockheed Martin’s contract for satellite integration work for the Blackjack program by $27.3 million, the agency announced April 22.
DARPA a year ago selected Lockheed Martin as the satellite integrator for Blackjack, a project to demonstrate a network of small satellites in low Earth orbit for military communications, missile warning and navigation.
NASA and the new urgency of climate change
Thursday, 22 April 2021 19:14“Climate change” is changing. There has been a growing push by scientists, environmental advocates and others to refer to the Earth’s changing climate as a “climate crisis” or even “climate emergency” to better reflect the severity of the problem and the urgency to take action to mitigate the worst of its effects.
Space Force selects Boeing, Northrop Grumman to develop jam-resistant communications satellites
Thursday, 22 April 2021 19:09WASHINGTON — Boeing and Northrop Grumman have been selected to develop jam-resistant communications payloads for the U.S. Space Force’s Protected Tactical Satcom program.
The Space and Missile Systems Center in February 2020 and March 2020 awarded Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman contracts for $191 million, $240 million and $253 million, respectively, to design prototype payloads for the Protected Tactical Satcom program known as PTS.