Microchip announces space-qualified COTS-based radiation-hardened power converters
Wednesday, 24 February 2021 04:50
As reliance on communication and weather satellites grows and space research expands in scope and mission, new technology is required to help speed spaceflight system design and production. Microchip Technology Inc. has announced the expansion of its SA50-120 power converter family with nine new units based on its Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) technology. This technology provides developers wi Satellite designed and built by MSU students sent to space station
Wednesday, 24 February 2021 04:50
Culminating years of work, a small satellite designed and built by Montana State University launched Feb. 20 aboard a cargo resupply rocket bound for the International Space Station.
The bread loaf-sized satellite, called by the acronym IT-SPINS, will dock at the space station until later this spring, then be propelled into orbit and commence a more than six-month mission of measuring the DoD focus on climate could shape future investments in weather satellites
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 22:20
WASHINGTON — Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin last month directed the Pentagon to develop plans to prepare for the impact of climate change and extreme weather. The new guidance is intended to shape policies and budgets over the next several years, including investments in satellites for weather monitoring.
Apollo rock samples capture key moments in the Moon's early history, study find
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 21:27
Volcanic rock samples collected during NASA's Apollo missions bear the isotopic signature of key events in the early evolution of the Moon, a new analysis found. Those events include the formation of the Moon's iron core, as well as the crystallization of the lunar magma ocean—the sea of molten rock thought to have covered the Moon for around 100 million years after the it formed.
The analysis, published in the journal Science Advances, used a technique called secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) to study volcanic glasses returned from the Apollo 15 and 17 missions, which are thought to represent some of the most primitive volcanic material on the Moon. The study looked specifically at sulfur isotope composition, which can reveal details about the chemical evolution of lavas from generation, transport and eruption.
"For many years it appeared as though the lunar basaltic rock samples analyzed had a very limited variation in sulfur isotope ratios," said Alberto Saal, a geology professor at Brown University and study co-author. "That would suggest that the interior of the Moon has a basically homogeneous sulfur isotopic composition.
U.S. to support international effort to set rules of behavior in space
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 18:18
WASHINGTON — The United States and allies are drafting language in support of an international effort to adopt rules of behavior in space, U.S. Space Command’s Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt told SpaceNews.
Burt is the commander of U.S.
Inmarsat hires Nokia executive as new CEO
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 14:22
WASHINGTON — Satellite operator Inmarsat has hired the former president and chief executive of Nokia as its new chief executive, succeeding Rupert Pearce.
Inmarsat announced Feb.
ClimaCell to launch dozens of radar satellites to improve forecasts
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 13:50
SAN FRANCISCO — Weather data company ClimaCell announced plans Feb. 24 to launch dozens of radar satellites.
“We are building the first of its kind proprietary satellites equipped with radar, and launching them into space to improve weather monitoring and forecasting capabilities,” Shimon Elkabetz, ClimaCell CEO and co-founder, said in a statement.
How were the Trojan asteroids discovered and named?
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 13:01
On Feb. 22, 1906, German astrophotographer Max Wolf helped reshape our understanding of the solar system. Again.
Born in 1863, Wolf had a habit of dramatically altering the astronomy landscape. Something of a prodigy, he discovered his first comet at only 21 years old. Then in 1890, he boldly declared that he planned to use wide-field photography in his quest to discover new asteroids, which would make him the first to do so. Two years later, Wolf had found 18 new asteroids. He later became the first person to use the "stereo comparator," a View-Master-like device that showed two photographs of the sky at once so that moving asteroids appeared to pop out from the starry background.
Image: ISS Biolab facility
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 12:54
Does this image make you anxious or are you already tracking where all the wires go? If the latter, you might have what it takes to be an astronaut!
It is an exciting time for space. With NASA's latest rover safely on Mars and ESA's call for the next class of astronauts, the space industry is teeming with possibilities.
This image taken in ESA's Columbus laboratory on the International Space Station is a snapshot of the many opportunities in space research and exploration.
In the center is the Biolab facility, a fridge-sized unit that hosts biological experiments on micro-organisms, cells, tissue cultures, small plants and small invertebrates. Performing life science experiments in space identifies the role that weightlessness plays at all levels of an organism, from the effects on a single cell up to a complex organism—including humans.
The facility has enabled researchers to make some remarkable discoveries, most notably that mammalian immune cells required a mere 42 seconds to adapt to weightlessness, prompting more questions but also an overall positive outlook for long-duration human spaceflight.
The pink glow in the image is from the greenhouse that has enabled many studies on plant growth in space.
SpaceX raises $850 million in latest round
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 12:21
WASHINGTON — SpaceX confirmed Feb. 23 it has raised $850 million in a new funding round as the company continues work on two capital-intensive but potentially lucrative projects.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, SpaceX stated it had raised $850 million from 69 investors in its latest round.
Astronautics training for space professionals
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 12:08
Astronautics is the discipline of designing, building, and operating space vehicles. This field of endeavor addresses the design of space missions, spacecraft and in-orbit operations. Related technological areas include rocket engines,launch vehicles, orbital mechanics, satellite dynamics and control, space navigation and numerous others. An astronautics education provides the foundation for pos How were the trojan asteroids discovered and named
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 12:08
On Feb. 22, 1906, German astrophotographer Max Wolf helped reshape our understanding of the solar system. Again. Born in 1863, Wolf had a habit of dramatically altering the astronomy landscape.
Something of a prodigy, he discovered his first comet at only 21 years old. Then in 1890, he boldly declared that he planned to use wide-field photography in his quest to discover new asteroids, whi Israel and US begin Arrow 4 development
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 12:08
The Israel Missile Defense Organization (IMDO), in the Directorate of Defense Research and Development of the Israel Ministry of Defense, and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency (MDA) have begun the development of the Arrow 4 interceptor. Arrow 4 will be the next generation of endo-exoatmospheric interceptors for the Arrow Weapon System, which today consists of Arrow 2 and Arrow 3 interceptors. Scientists link star-shredding event to origins of universe's highest-energy particles
Tuesday, 23 February 2021 12:08
A team of scientists has detected the presence of a high-energy neutrino - a particularly elusive particle - in the wake of a star's destruction as it is consumed by a black hole. This discovery, reported in the journal Nature Astronomy, sheds new light on the origins of Ultrahigh Energy Cosmic Rays - the highest energy particles in the Universe.
The work, which included researchers from m