SwRI to adapt mass spectrometer for Lunar missions
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 06:07
NASA has funded Southwest Research Institute's Environmental Analysis of the Bounded Lunar Exosphere (ENABLE) project, which aims to return mass spectrometry to the lunar surface. The three-year, $2.18 million program seeks to adapt a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer into a design to identify materials present on the Moon.
Mass spectrometry is an analytic technique that identifie Supermassive black holes put a brake on stellar births
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 06:07
Black holes with masses equivalent to millions of suns do put a brake on the birth of new stars, say astronomers. Using machine learning and three state of the art simulations to back up results from a large sky survey, the researchers resolve a 20-year long debate on the formation of stars. Joanna Piotrowska, a PhD student at the University of Cambridge, will present the new work today (Tuesday New sunspot catalogue to improve space weather predictions
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 06:07
Scientists from the University of Graz, Kanzelhohe Observatory, Skoltech, and the World Data Center SILSO at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, have presented the Catalogue of Hemispheric Sunspot Numbers. It will enable more accurate predictions of the solar cycle and space weather, which can affect human-made infrastructure both on Earth and in orbit. The study came out in the Astronomy and Astr A bug's life: Millimeter-tall mountains on neutron stars
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 06:07
New models of neutron stars show that their tallest mountains may be only fractions of millimetres high, due to the huge gravity on the ultra-dense objects. The research is presented today at the National Astronomy Meeting 2021.
Neutron stars are some of the densest objects in the Universe: they weigh about as much as the Sun, yet measure only around 10km across, similar in size to a large Cosmic rays help supernovae explosions pack a bigger punch
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 06:07
The final stage of cataclysmic explosions of dying massive stars, called supernovae, could pack an up to six times bigger punch on the surrounding interstellar gas with the help of cosmic rays, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Oxford. The work will be presented by PhD student Francisco Rodriguez Montero today (19 July) at the virtual National Astronomy Meeting (NA Funding partnerships launch the UK-Australia Space Bridge
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 06:07
The first collaborative activity within the UK-Australia Space Bridge framework is being launched today by Australia's SmartSat CRC, UK Science and Innovation Network, and the Satellite Applications Catapult with the support of Austrade and the Australian Space Agency.
The Satellite Applications Catapult, based at the Harwell Space Cluster in Oxfordshire, and Australia's Smartsat CRC will China's five-star red flag flies proudly on red planet
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 06:07
Four photos of Mars taken by the Tianwen 1 probe were unveiled in China last month, but the excitement generated by humanity's next great step in space exploration was shared around the world.
Just as eye-catching as images of the Martian surface itself was the Chinese national flag on the Zhurong rover's landing platform.
After the historic landing on May 15, the flag was slowly unr ExoMars orbiter continues hunt for key signs of life on Mars
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 06:00
The ESA-Roscosmos Trace Gas Orbiter has set new upper limits on how much methane, ethane, ethylene and phosphine is in the martian atmosphere – four so-called ‘biomarker’ gases that are potential signs of life.
ESA Highlights 2020: interactive format now available!
Tuesday, 20 July 2021 05:50
ESA Highlights 2020: interactive format now available!
Lynk books SpaceX flight for direct-to-cellphone satellites
Monday, 19 July 2021 21:47
TAMPA, Fla. — Lynk aims to launch multiple operational satellites on a SpaceX ride-share mission in December, ahead of plans to provide connectivity services with the constellation directly to unmodified cellphones next year.
The Virginia-based startup booked a place on a SpaceX transporter mission through ride-share service provider Spaceflight, Lynk CEO Charles Miller told SpaceNews.
Investors drop out of Momentus SPAC deal
Monday, 19 July 2021 21:40
EL PASO, Texas — Investors accounting for more than half the money in a funding round concurrent with in-space transportation company Momentus’s merger with a special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) dropped out of the deal when given the opportunity by a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Rocket Lab identifies cause of Electron failure
Monday, 19 July 2021 20:22
EL PASO, Texas — Rocket Lab said July 19 that it has identified the cause of an Electron launch failure more than two months ago and that the vehicle is ready to return to flight.
Air Force satellite completes two-year experiment to study the medium Earth orbit environment
Monday, 19 July 2021 17:16
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory announced July 19 it has completed a two-year experiment that will help better understand the effects of radiation on space hardware in medium Earth orbit.
Known as the Demonstration and Science Experiments (DSX) mission, the spacecraft was one of 24 payloads launched June 25, 2019, on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rideshare.
Freeze drying, oral health experiments make speedy return from space station aboard SpaceX Dragon
Monday, 19 July 2021 16:27
A suite of International Space Station scientific experiments soon journey back to Earth aboard the 22nd SpaceX commercial resupply services mission for NASA. Scientists on the ground look forward to having their experiments back within hours, an advantage that could provide better results. Dragon undocks from the space station July 7.
The combination of a spacecraft redesign allowing for faster unloading of research and the splashdown location near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida makes it possible to return time-sensitive experiments to scientists much faster. In addition, Kennedy's Space Station Processing Facility is home to world-class laboratories offering tools and workspace to collect data and analyze samples.
