Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 07, 2025
A Q&A with the lead U.S. scientist of the mission, which will track changes in everything from wetlands to ice sheets to infrastructure damaged by natural disasters. The upcoming U.S.-India NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) mission will observe Earth like no mission before, offering insights about our planet's ever-changing surface. The NISAR mission is a first-of-a-kind dua

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 06, 2025
Two sets of small commercial satellites have been integrated into the China Meteorological Administration's (CMA) weather observation framework. This marks the first time CMA has utilized data from small commercial satellites for its weather services. The Tianmu-1 constellation, consisting of 23 satellites, and the 12-satellite Yunyao-1 series began contributing data to the CMA on December

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 06, 2025
Bacteria in Wisconsin's Lake Mendota demonstrate a unique pattern of evolution, with species adapting to dramatic seasonal changes and then reverting genetically to prior states over time. According to a study published in Nature Microbiology, researchers found that hundreds of bacterial species evolve in response to shifting environmental conditions yet consistently return to near-identical gen

Madison WI (SPX) Jan 07, 2025
After so many years learning how microbes work, researchers are now digitally recreating their inner workings to tackle challenges ranging from climate change to space colonization. In my work as a computational biologist, I research ways to get microbes to produce more useful chemicals, such as fuels and bioplastics, that can be used in the energy, agricultural or pharmaceutical industrie

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 07, 2025
Citizen scientists and professional astronomers have collaborated to unveil key details about the composition of Jupiter's clouds. Findings indicate the clouds are likely made of ammonium hydrosulphide mixed with smog, refuting previous theories suggesting they consisted of ammonia ice. The research, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research - Planets, was initiated by amateur astro

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 07, 2025
New research from the University of Arizona reveals that Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, likely formed through a unique "kiss and capture" event. Unlike previous theories that compared their formation to Earth's Moon, the study suggests that two icy bodies collided, briefly stuck together, and then separated to form the binary system we observe today. "Pluto and Charon's formation has

Washington (AFP) Jan 8, 2025
US company Firefly Aerospace said Tuesday it is aiming to launch a lander to the Moon next week under an experimental NASA program that partners with the commercial sector to reduce costs. If successful, it would mark only the second time an American robot has touched down on the lunar surface since the end of the Apollo era. "Buckle up! Our road trip to the Moon is set to launch at 1:1

Washington (AFP) Jan 7, 2025
NASA announced Tuesday it may turn to Elon Musk's SpaceX or Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin to help reduce the soaring costs of returning Martian rocks collected by the Perseverance rover to Earth. Originally planned to deliver 30 sample tubes to Earth by the 2030s, the Mars Sample Return mission has faced rising expenses and delays, prompting the US space agency to explore more streamlined solutio

Cape Canaveral (AFP) Jan 6, 2025
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's company Blue Origin is poised to launch its first orbital rocket next week, marking a pivotal moment in the commercial space race currently dominated by Elon Musk's SpaceX. Named New Glenn, the rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida as soon as Wednesday 1:00 am (0600 GMT), with a backup window on Friday, according to a F

London (AFP) Jan 2, 2025
A top-secret lab in the UK is developing the country's first quantum clock to help the British military boost intelligence and reconnaissance operations, the defence ministry said Thursday. The clock is so precise that it will lose less than one second over billions of years, "allowing scientists to measure time at an unprecedented scale," the ministry said in a statement. "The trialling