NASA engineer develops tiny, high-powered laser to find water on the moon
Thursday, 25 August 2022 12:08
Finding water on the moon could be easier with a Goddard technology that uses an effect called quantum tunneling to generate a high-powered terahertz laser, filling a gap in existing laser technology.
Locating water and other resources is a NASA priority crucial to exploring Earth's natural satellite and other objects in the solar system and beyond. Previous experiments inferred, then confirmed the existence of small amounts of water across the moon. However, most technologies do not distinguish among water, free hydrogen ions, and hydroxyl, as the broadband detectors used cannot distinguish between the different volatiles.
ESA ready for “historic” Artemis 1 mission
Thursday, 25 August 2022 10:59
European officials are as excited as their American counterparts about the upcoming Artemis 1 launch that will bring them one step closer to flying European astronauts to the moon.
The post ESA ready for “historic” Artemis 1 mission appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA astronaut ready for Soyuz flight to ISS
Thursday, 25 August 2022 10:02
A NASA astronaut flying to the International Space Station on a Soyuz spacecraft next month says his training hasn’t been affected by tensions with Russia or uncertainty about the status of his mission.
Scientists take another theoretical step to uncovering the mystery of dark matter, black holes
Thursday, 25 August 2022 10:01
Much of the matter in the universe remains unknown and undefined, yet theoretical physicists continue to gain clues to the properties of dark matter and black holes. A study by a team of scientists including three from Stony Brook University proposes a novel method to search for new particles not currently contained in the standard model of particle physics. Their method, published in Nature Com How scientist established a two-stage solar flare early warning system?
Thursday, 25 August 2022 10:01
Solar flares are solar storm events driven by the magnetic field in the solar activity area. When the flare radiation comes to the Earth's vicinity, the photo-ionization increases the electron density in the D-layer of the ionosphere, causing absorption of high-frequency radio communication, scintillation of satellite communication, and enhanced background noise interference with radar. Statisti Uranus to begin reversing path across the night sky on Wednesday
Thursday, 25 August 2022 10:01
As part of a cosmic phenomenon called retrograde motion, Uranus - the second-to-last planet in our solar system - will reverse its eastward course on Wednesday and begin moving west in the sky for a few months.
Retrograde motion occurs as the Earth moves around the sun and the stellar views at night change little by little. The orbit, in turn, makes objects like planets in our solar s Curiosity Versus the Sand Again: Sols 3566-3567
Thursday, 25 August 2022 10:01
The "road" through Paraitepuy pass continues to challenge our intrepid Curiosity rover. We attempted to cross another large sand ripple (formally called a transverse aeolian ridge, or TAR) in Tuesday's plan.
However, we found out this morning that Curiosity had automatically stopped the drive when the rover's wheels slipped more than expected right before they reached the crest of the TAR. Sol 3565: Over, Around, and Through
Thursday, 25 August 2022 10:01
We filled much of today's plan imaging the wonders around and ahead of us as we pick our way through "Paraitepuy Pass" - the towering buttes, geologic relationships, and layers that have drawn our attention for a literal decade.
But it is also fun to look back on how we got to where we are. The image above traces a small segment of our path traversing the obstacles that guard the pass - ov Slow and steady does it on Sol 3564
Thursday, 25 August 2022 10:01
We are making slow but steady progress through the "Paraitepuy pass," having passed the approximate halfway point over the weekend. Today's one sol plan found us staring around the corner at the neck of the pass and considering our drive path forward.
Sometimes, our drive forward is smooth and flat ... neither word can be used here! Our drive forward has abundant sand and sharp rocks, so f Scientists say exoplanet 100 light years from Earth may be covered with deep ocean
Thursday, 25 August 2022 10:01
A team of researchers have discovered an exoplanet about 100 light years away from Earth in the Draco constellation, and they say the world appears to be covered in a deep ocean.
The exoplanet - called TOI-1452b - is slightly larger than the Earth and is located in a "Goldilocks zone," where temperatures are neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to exist. Therefore, astronomer Keele researchers study turbulence raging inside distant stars
Thursday, 25 August 2022 10:01
Stunning new images created by Keele researchers highlight the turbulent flow of energy inside distant stars.
They were created using the 3D simulation software "PROMPI", which scientists have been using to investigate stellar interiors with the aim of understanding the science of stellar evolution and black holes.
For years scientists have used one-dimensional models to explain and Team Miles prepares for inflight test of new thruster technology
Wednesday, 24 August 2022 22:29
Team Miles founder Wesley Faler has spent more than a decade developing and refining the water-fueled plasma thrusters set to fly for the first time on a cubesat launching alongside the NASA Artemis-1 mission.
The post Team Miles prepares for inflight test of new thruster technology appeared first on SpaceNews.
‘State of the space industrial base’ report calls for national plan to compete with China
Wednesday, 24 August 2022 19:39
The "State of the Space Industrial Base 2022" report urges the U.S. government to lay out a national strategy for space that embraces the private sector as a key partner
The post ‘State of the space industrial base’ report calls for national plan to compete with China appeared first on SpaceNews.
Working in tandem: NASA's networks empower Artemis I
Wednesday, 24 August 2022 19:16
NASA's Artemis missions are returning humanity to the Moon and beginning a new era of lunar exploration. Soon, the agency plans to launch the Artemis I mission, an uncrewed flight test that will take a human-rated spacecraft farther than any before.
Although uncrewed, Artemis I will test essential systems for future crewed missions to the lunar region, including the first-ever launch of NASA's most powerful rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). The SLS rocket will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, and enter a complex orbit to bring the Orion spacecraft to the Moon.
NASA Wallops launch supports SpEED Demon testing science instruments
Wednesday, 24 August 2022 19:12
A sounding rocket launch testing science instruments for future missions was successfully conducted at 9:16 p.m. EDT, Aug. 23, 2022, from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.
The Terrier-Improved Malemute carried the Sporadic-E ElectroDynamics Demonstration mission, or SpEED Demon, to an apogee of 100 miles before descending and landing in the Atlantic Ocean. The experiment was not planned to be recovered.
The purpose of the SpEED Demon mission was to test new instrumentation along with heritage instruments that have flown on other sounding rocket missions, but not together.
The SpEED Demon instruments will be further improved based on results from this launch and will subsequently fly on a science mission targeted for summer 2024 from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands and possibly many other sounding rocket opportunities.
"This was an excellent mission. Preliminary analysis shows that we flew through a Sporadic E event on the downleg and the data looks great. We'll be looking at the performance of all instruments to get us ready for the 2024 launch," said Aroh Barjatya, SpEED Demon principal investigator and director of the Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida.