Two NASA astronauts stuck in space have flown long missions before
Saturday, 07 September 2024 08:21
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The two NASA astronauts left behind at the International Space Station following the return of Boeing's troubled capsule are Navy test pilots who have ridden out long missions before.
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are now full-time station crew members along with the seven others on board.
Two astronauts are left behind in space as Boeing's troubled capsule returns to Earth empty
Saturday, 07 September 2024 08:21 Write a comment
Boeing's first astronaut mission ended Friday night with an empty capsule landing and two test pilots still in space, left behind until next year because NASA judged their return too risky.
Six hours after departing the International Space Station, Starliner parachuted into New Mexico's White Sands Missile Range, descending on autopilot through the desert darkness.
It was an uneventful close to a drama that began with the June launch of Boeing's long-delayed crew debut and quickly escalated into a dragged-out cliffhanger of a mission stricken by thruster failures and helium leaks.
NASA removes ESCAPADE from inaugural New Glenn launch
Friday, 06 September 2024 22:02
BepiColombo completes fourth Mercury flyby
Friday, 06 September 2024 19:10 Write a comment
The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission successfully carried out its fourth of six gravity assist flybys at Mercury, capturing critical data and views of two distinct impact craters. These flybys utilize Mercury's gravity to steer the spacecraft for its final arrival in orbit around the planet in November 2026.
The closest approach occurred on 4 September 2024 at 23:48 CEST (21:48 UTC), with Bepi How bright is the universe's glow? Study offers best measurement yet
Friday, 06 September 2024 19:10 Write a comment
Scientists have traveled to the edges of the solar system, virtually, at least, to capture the most accurate measurements to date of the faint glow that permeates the universe-a phenomenon known as the cosmic optical background.
The new study, published Aug. 28 in The Astrophysical Journal, draws on observations from NASA's New Horizons spacecraft, which whizzed past Pluto in 2015 and is n Iron winds detected on ultra-hot exoplanet WASP-76 b
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An international group of astronomers, including researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the PlanetS National Centre of Competence in Research, has uncovered the presence of iron winds in the atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiter, WASP-76 b. This planet, with temperatures soaring beyond 2000 degrees Celsius, has been a focal point for scientists as they explore the extreme atmospheri Researchers unveil unusual orbital behavior in exoplanet TOI-1408c
Friday, 06 September 2024 19:10 Write a comment
A research team led by Lund University in Sweden has identified an exoplanet exhibiting peculiar orbital movement, challenging current understandings of planetary system dynamics. This newly discovered planet, TOI-1408c, located 455 light-years away, appears to be involved in complex interactions with its larger neighbor, TOI-1408b, a hot gas giant.
TOI-1408c, with a mass approximately eig Video: Mars rover trials
Friday, 06 September 2024 16:39 Write a comment
Rover trials in a quarry in the U.K. showing a four-wheeled rover, known as Codi, using its robotic arm and a powerful computer vision system to pick up sample tubes.
The rover drives to the samples with an accuracy of 10 cm, constantly mapping the terrain. Codi uses its arm and four cameras to locate the sample tube, retrieve it and safely store it on the rover—all of it without human intervention.
At every stop, the rover uses stereo cameras to build up a 180-degree map of the surroundings and plan its next maneuvers. Once parked, the camera on top of the mast detects the tube and estimates its position with respect to the rover. The robotic arm initiates a complex choreography to move closer to the sample, fetch it and store it.
The sample tubes are a replica of the hermetically sealed samples inside which NASA's Perseverance rover is collecting precious Martian soil inside. To most people on Earth, they resemble lightsabers.
Boeing's troubled Starliner spaceship to return to Earth sans crew
Friday, 06 September 2024 15:47 Write a comment
Boeing's problem-plagued Starliner is set to finally depart the International Space Station (ISS) on Friday, returning to Earth without astronauts after NASA deemed the risk too great.
The century-old aerospace giant's reputation has taken a hammering over thruster malfunctions and helium leaks its spaceship encountered on its way up to the orbital outpost in June, and the US space agency's Rocket Lab confirms launch date for second Kineis IoT constellation mission
Friday, 06 September 2024 15:47 Write a comment
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB) has announced the launch window for its 53rd Electron mission. This mission will be the second of five dedicated launches for the French company Kineis. The mission, named 'Kineis Killed the RadIOT Star,' is set to launch from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand, within a 14-day window starting on September 17, 2024, NZST.
Following just th MIT team wins grand prize at First Nations launch competition
Friday, 06 September 2024 15:47 Write a comment
The members of the MIT First Nations Launch team had never built a drone before when they faced the 2024 NASA First Nations Launch High-Power Rocket Competition. This year's challenge invited teams to design, build, and launch a high-power rocket carrying a scientific payload that deploys mid-air and safely returns to the ground, integrating Indigenous methodologies.
The eight-student team Europe's Vega rocket launches in French Guiana
Friday, 06 September 2024 15:47 Write a comment
Europe's Vega rocket launched Wednesday from French Guiana, an AFP journalist said, carrying a satellite which will help combat natural disasters.
Delayed by a day due to "electrical issues on the ground links", according to French firm Arianespace, the launch in Kourou finally took place at 10:50 pm (0150 GMT Thursday).
"Successful lift-off for the last Vega mission from Europe's spacep Spacecraft flies closer to Mercury than planned after thruster glitch
Friday, 06 September 2024 15:47 Write a comment
A spacecraft carrying European and Japanese probes passed closer to Mercury than originally planned overnight after thruster problems delayed the mission to study the little-known, Sun-scorched planet.
The BepiColombo mission launched in 2018 on a winding path that had been intended to enter the orbit of the planet closest to the Sun in December 2025.
But in April, a glitch with the sp Sierra Space completes acoustic testing for Shooting Star cargo module at KSC
Friday, 06 September 2024 15:47 Write a comment
Sierra Space, a prominent player in the commercial space sector and defense technology, has announced the successful completion of acoustic testing for its Shooting Star cargo module at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. This achievement marks an important milestone as the spacecraft nears launch readiness. The testing, conducted within the Space Systems Processing Facility (SSPF) for the first time,