Copernical Team
NASA to decide Saturday on return of stranded astronauts
NASA is expected to decide Saturday whether two astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station aboard Boeing's Starliner should return on that craft - or brace for a longer wait to fly home with rival SpaceX.
The latter solution would not only create a fresh public relations headache for Boeing, but possibly result in astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams spending a total of Researchers identify effective materials for protecting astronauts from harmful cosmic radiation on Mars
Researchers have identified specific materials, including certain plastics, rubber, and synthetic fibers, as well as Martian soil (regolith), which would effectively protect astronauts by blocking harmful space radiation on Mars. These findings could inform the design of protective habitats and spacesuits, making long-duration Mars missions more feasible. Because Mars lacks Earth's thick atmosphere and magnetic field, astronauts exploring the planet would be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation.
Dimitra Atri, Investigator, Center for Astrophysics and Space Science and Group Leader of the Mars Research Group at NYU Abu Dhabi's Center for Astrophysics and Space Science, and lead author Dionysios Gakis from the University of Patras in Greece, report these new findings in "Modeling the effectiveness of radiation shielding materials for astronaut protection on Mars," appearing in the journal The European Physical Journal Plus.
Could 2 NASA astronauts be stuck at the space station until next year? A decision is imminent
Will two NASA astronauts return to Earth soon in their troubled Boeing capsule? Or wait at the International Space Station for a ride home next year with SpaceX?
NASA has been wrestling with that decision ever since Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams arrived at the orbiting lab in early June on what was supposed to be a weeklong test flight.
Comparing two proposed NASA missions to Jupiter's moon Io
Thanks to NASA's Juno mission to the Jupiter system, we're getting our best looks ever at the gas giant's volcanic moon Io. Even as Juno provides our best views of the moon, it also deepens our existing questions. Only a dedicated mission to Io can answer those questions, and there are two proposed missions.
Io is well-known as the most geologically active world in the solar system, and it's not even close.
Ariane 6 blueprint
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Ariane 6 blueprint First views from Juice’s science camera
Since ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) flew by the Moon and Earth earlier this week, we’ve seen images from its monitoring cameras and we’ve seen images from its navigation camera. Today we reveal the first images from its scientific camera, JANUS, designed to take detailed, high-resolution photos of Jupiter and its icy moons.
Week in images: 19-23 August 2024
Week in images: 19-23 August 2024
Discover our week through the lens
AI-Powered Robot Dog Enhances Detection of Invasive Fire Ant Nests
A collaborative team of researchers from China and Brazil has developed an innovative method using a robotic dog and artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and control nests of the Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA), a pest that poses significant environmental and economic threats globally. The research, published in the journal *Pest Management Science*, showcases how the integration of Xiaomi's 'Cyb Kuva Space launches first commercial hyperspectral satellite Hyperfield-1 via SpaceX
Finnish company Kuva Space has successfully launched its first commercial microsatellite, Hyperfield-1, aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 smallsat rideshare mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The satellite has established initial contact, marking the beginning of Kuva Space's expansive constellation plan. This network is set to deliver daily Earth observation by 2027 and achieve unin EarthDaily Analytics Secures $1.7M Contract with Malaysia's MySpatial for Advanced Geospatial Solutions
EarthDaily Analytics ("EDA") has entered into a $1.7 million contract with MySpatial, a prominent geospatial mapping company in Malaysia that serves both government and private sectors. The agreement, which started in July 2024 and spans an initial term of four years, will grant MySpatial and its clients access to EDA's data and analytics capabilities. These resources will support various applic