Boulder CO (SPX) Dec 10, 2021
Astronomers spying on a stellar system located dozens of lightyears from Earth have, for the first time, observed a troubling fireworks show: A star named EK Draconis ejected a massive burst of energy and charged particles in an event that was much more powerful than anything scientists have seen in our own solar system. The researchers, including astrophysicist Yuta Notsu of the Universit

Minneapolis MN (SPX) Dec 10, 2021
If you ever wanted to be an astronomer, now is your chance. A new citizen science project, led by researchers at the University of Minnesota with support from NASA, allows volunteers to play an important role in learning more about the Sun by using their personal computers. Participants will help identify bursts of plasma coming off the Sun, called solar jets, in thousands of images captur

Tubingen, Germany (SPX) Dec 10, 2021
Black holes are one of the greatest mysteries of our Universe - for example a black hole with the mass of our Sun has a radius of only 3 kilometers. Black holes in orbit around each other give off gravitational radiation - oscillations of space and time predicted by Albert Einstein in 1916. This causes the orbit to become faster and tighter, and eventually the black holes merge in a final burst

Plainsboro NJ (SPX) Dec 10, 2021
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have uncovered a process in the swirling masses of plasma surrounding black holes and neutron stars that can cause previously unexplained emissions of light and heat. The process, known as magnetic reconnection, also jettisons huge plumes of plasma billions of miles in length. These findings can

Morgantown WV (SPX) Dec 10, 2021
Engineers at West Virginia University are propelling exploration forward by creating control software for a group of aerial robots (aerobots) that will survey the atmosphere of Venus, the second planet from the sun. According to researchers, Venus went through a climate change process that transformed it from an Earth-like environment to an inhospitable world. Studying Venus can help model

Washington DC (UPI) Dec 10, 2021
NASA's Mars helicopter may have to wait days to overcome a blocked radio signal caused by hills between it and the Perseverance rover in Jezero Crater, a NASA official said. Until then, the tiny helicopter that has captured the imagination and attention of people around the globe will sit quietly, charging its solar-powered batteries, Teddy Tzanetos, Ingenuity program lead, said in an i

Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 10, 2021
Through a new 3D real-time visualization tool, you can now explore the asteroids and comets that approach Earth's orbital neighborhood - and the spacecraft that visit these objects - with a click or a swipe. NASA's Eyes on Asteroids brings this data to any smartphone, tablet, or computer with an internet connection - no download required. Thousands of asteroids and dozens of comets are dis

Washington DC (SPX) Dec 10, 2021
Technavio analyzes the space habitat market by technology (inflatable and non-inflatable) and geography (North America, Europe, APAC, and ROW). The report expects the market to witness an incremental growth of USD 94.92 million between 2020 and 2025, accelerating at a CAGR of 8.41% during the forecast period. By technology, the market generated maximum revenue in the inflatable segment in

Orlando FL (UPI) Dec 10, 2021
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin rocket company plans to launch six people, its largest crew yet, including the daughter of late astronaut Alan Shepard and ABC News anchor Michael Strahan, into space Saturday from Texas. Blue Origin plans liftoff of the New Shepard rocket on its NS-19 mission at 8:45 a.m. CST from its Corn Ranch spaceport 160 miles east of El Paso. Launch personnel postponed a laun

Huntsville AL (SPX) Dec 10, 2021
Career inspiration can come from many places. For Space Launch System (SLS) Program Associate Manager Dr. Sharon Cobb, it was her father's work at a foundry in Birmingham, Alabama. During a family employee event, Cobb saw molten steel being poured into molds to form large ingots, large metal blocks that would later be made into usable structures, and she was hooked. "I was just fasci