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Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 01, 2024
Examining atmospheres around planets beyond our solar system is a crucial step in the search for extraterrestrial life. Astronomist Sebastian Zieba, using data from the James Webb Space Telescope, has been studying small rocky exoplanets. Although no signs of life have been detected yet, his research remains significant for future studies. Zieba graduated cum laude on 25 June. "The holy gr
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University Park PA (SPX) Jul 01, 2024
A recent discovery by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) confirmed that luminous, very red objects previously detected in the early universe upend conventional thinking about the origins and evolution of galaxies and their supermassive black holes. An international team, led by Penn State researchers, using the NIRSpec instrument aboard JWST as part of the RUBIES survey identified th
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 03, 2024
the space agency hosted a meeting to share knowledge with companies developing future commercial destinations at the agencys Johnson Space Center in Houston. The discussion could aid in developing safe, reliable, innovative, and cost-effective space stations. Industry representatives from more than 20 companies attended. The program focused on the space agencys planned use of commercial de
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Tucson AZ (SPX) Jul 02, 2024
The sun barely peeks over the horizon as a suitcase-like transport box exits Steward Observatory, home to the University of Arizona Department of Astronomy. Inside, held snugly in place by foam, is precious cargo: CatSat, the university's first satellite built entirely by students. After loading it into the back of the car, Shae Henley and Walter Rahmer, both engineering students at UArizo
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Milan, Italy (SPX) Jul 08, 2024
Milan, Italy's fashion and financial capital, is a city that effortlessly combines history, culture, and modernity. From its stunning architecture to its world-renowned shopping districts, Milan offers a plethora of experiences for every traveler. At the heart of this bustling metropolis lies the Milan Cathedral, or Duomo di Milano, an architectural marvel that has captivated visitors for cen
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Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 01, 2024
The majority of stars in our galaxy host planets, with sub-Neptunes, which are planets sized between Earth and Neptune, being the most common. Estimating their density has been a significant challenge for scientists because the method used to measure their mass highlights two distinct populations: dense and less dense. Recent work by the NCCR PlanetS, the University of Geneva (UNIGE), and the Un
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 03, 2024
Cosmic Shielding Corporation (CSC), providers of the worlds leading space radiation shielding technologies, will be utilized to develop an AI-capable space computer that uses the Nvidia Jetson Orin NX GPU. This will mark the first time a GPU from the latest Nvidia Orin ecosystem has been sent to space and will be part of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base, Califor
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Madrid, Spain (SPX) Jul 02, 2024
Sateliot, the first company to operate a low-Earth orbit (LEO) nanosatellite constellation with 5G IoT standards and that extends coverage of Mobile Telecom Operators to any place in the planet, has successfully integrated its satellite communication stack with Leaf Space's Ground Segment as a Service (GSaaS) Network. This milestone is crucial for the upcoming Transporter-11 mission by SpaceX, d
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 03, 2024
Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIDU) has announced that in partnership with the space agency Stennis Space Center, the primary objectives of the the space agency Autonomous Satellite Technology for Resilient Applications (ASTRA) payload mission were successfully met on July 1, 2024. Collaborating closely with the the space agency Stennis Autonomous Systems Laboratory (ASL) team, Sidus Space co
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A handy attachment could make lunar construction a breeze
Chariot rover with LANCE attachment undergoing testing at the Moses Lake test site. Credit: Mueller et al.

Moving large amounts of regolith is a requirement for any long-term mission to the moon or Mars. But so far, humanity has only sent systems capable of moving small amounts of soil at a time—primarily for sample collection. Sending a large, dedicated excavator to perform such work might be cost-prohibitive due to its weight, so why not send a bulldozer attachment to a mobility unit already planned for use on the surface?

That was the thought process of an interdisciplinary team of engineers from NASA and the Colorado School of Mines. They came up with the Lunar Attachment Node for Construction and Excavation—or LANCE.

LANCE is an attachment to NASA's Chariot rover prototype, which was originally designed to be the primary mobility system for astronauts returning to the moon. However, it was designed in 2007, when the original NASA Lunar Architecture plan was to establish a permanent lunar base in 2019.

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Swarms of orbiting sensors could map an asteroid's surface
Artist’s depiction of the MIDEA mission. Credit: Sigrid Close (Elschot)

It seems like every month a new story appears announcing the discovery of thousands of new asteroids. Tracking these small body objects from ground and even space-based telescopes helps follow their overall trajectory. But understanding what they're made of is much more difficult using such "remote sensing" techniques.

To do so, plenty of projects get more up close and personal with the asteroid itself, including one from Dr. Sigrid Elschot and her colleagues from Stanford, which was supported by NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts back in 2018. It uses an advanced suite of plasma sensors to detect an asteroid's surface composition by utilizing a unique phenomenon—meteoroid impacts.

The project, known as the Meteroid Impact Detection for Exploration of Asteroids (MIDEA), has an architecture that has become more prominent as of late—a swarm of smallsats coordinated around a mothership. In this case, the smallsats are plasma sensors with one specific purpose: to detect characteristics of the plume of debris from the asteroid after a meteoroid hits it.

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