Beijing (XNA) Oct 06, 2022
The Wentian lab module of China's Tiangong space station has been repositioned to dock with a radial port on the station's Tianhe core module on Friday afternoon, which marked a key step in Tiangong's in-orbit assembly, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The agency said in a news release that during the hour-long operation that finished at 12:44 pm, Wentian was moved from the axia

Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 06, 2022
The Curiosity team continues with our "Canaima" drill campaign. [Today's] 2-sol plan will provide our first look at the minerals present within this sample. This is complementary but different than the chemical compositions provided by ChemCam and APXS before we drilled. CheMin uses X-ray diffraction to confirm crystalline mineralogy, they direct a beam of X-rays, as fine as a human hair, throug

Ile-Ife, Nigeria (The Conversation) Oct 06, 2022
Every year in October nearly 100 countries organise activities to mark World Space Week. The theme this year is space and sustainability. In this interview, Adejuwon Soyinka, West Africa regional editor at The Conversation Africa, asks Etim Offiong about how far Africa has come in the space age and what benefits the continent stands to gain from its investment in space technology. Russia's

West Lafayette IN (SPX) Oct 06, 2022
Purdue University chemists have uncovered a mechanism for peptide-forming reactions to occur in water - something that has puzzled scientists for decades. "This is essentially the chemistry behind the origin of life," said Graham Cooks, the Henry Bohn Hass Distinguished Professor of Analytical Chemistry in Purdue's College of Science."This is the first demonstration that primordial molecu

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 06, 2022
Cosmic rays constitute high-energy protons and atomic nuclei that originate from stars (both within our galaxy and from other galaxies) and are accelerated by supernovae and other high-energy astrophysical objects. Our current understanding of the Galactic cosmic ray energy spectrum suggests that it follows a power-law dependence, in that the spectral index of protons detected within a certain e

Following unusual seismic disturbances in the Baltic Sea, several leaks were discovered last week in the underwater Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines, near Denmark and Sweden. Neither pipeline was transporting gas at the time of the blasts, but they still contained pressurised methane – the main component of natural gas – which spewed out producing a wide stream of bubbles on the sea surface.

With the unexplained gas release posing a serious question about the incident’s environmental impact, a suite of complementary Earth observation satellites carrying optical and radar imaging instruments were called

Diversity and inclusiveness are at the heart of the ESA’s values and are high on the ESA Agenda 2025 as key elements to complete the ESA Transformation. Eight steps, aimed at advancing these values as concrete initiatives, will pave the way for continuous improvement.

NOAA is preparing to launch the Joint Polar Satellite System-2 on Nov. 1 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The post Next NOAA weather satellite launching just in time appeared first on SpaceNews.

Kennedy Space Center, United States (AFP) Oct 5, 2022
A SpaceX rocket carrying a Russian crew member blasted off from Florida Wednesday on a voyage that carries significant symbolism as war rages in Ukraine. Anna Kikina, the only female cosmonaut in service, is part of the Crew-5 mission, which also includes one Japanese and two American astronauts. "Let's do this," said Nicole Mann, commander of the Crew Dragon capsule and the first Native

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 5, 2021
Two new communications satellites are deployed into space after launching aboard an Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. The United Launch Alliance launch went smoothly with liftoff at 5:36 p.m. Tuesday, followed by the jettisoning of the Atlas V's three solid rocket boosters two minutes later and the separation of its first stage about 4.5 minutes after liftoff.