US Moon lander 'permanently' asleep after historic landing: Company
Monday, 25 March 2024 07:53
An uncrewed American lander that became the first private spaceship on the moon has met its ultimate end after failing to "wake up," the company that built it said.
Houston-based Intuitive Machines said late Saturday that the lander, named Odysseus, had not phoned home this week when its solar panels were projected to receive enough sunlight to turn on its radio.
The lander touched down at a wonky angle on February 22, but was still able to complete several tests and send back photos before its mission was determined to have ended a week later, as it entered a weeks-long lunar night.
Intuitive Machines had hoped that it might "wake up" once it received sunlight again, as Japan's SLIM spaceship—which landed upside down in January—did last month.
Building ChatGPT-style tools with Earth observation
Monday, 25 March 2024 07:27
Imagine being able to ask a chatbot, “Can you make me an extremely accurate classification map of crop cultivation in Kenya?” or “Are buildings subsiding in my street?” And imagine that the information that comes back is scientifically sound and based on verified Earth observation data.
ESA, in conjunction with technology partners, is working to make such a tool a reality by developing AI applications that will revolutionise information retrieval in Earth observation.
Accelerating the ‘‘Data Management to Decision Chain’’ in Military Space Operations
Monday, 25 March 2024 04:40
NASA touts space research in anti-cancer fight
Sunday, 24 March 2024 18:58
Experiments in the weightless environment of space have led to "crazy progress" in the fight against cancer, NASA officials said at a recent event highlighting an important and personal initiative of US President Joe Biden.
Space is "a unique place for research," astronaut Frank Rubio said at the event in Washington.
The 48-year-old, a physician and former military helicopter pilot, conducted cancer research during his recent mission to the International Space Station (ISS), orbiting some 400 kilometers (250 miles) above the Earth's surface.
Not only do cells there age more rapidly, speeding up research, their structures are also described as "purer."
"They all don't clump together (as they do) on Earth because of gravity. They are suspended in space," enabling better analysis of their molecular structures, NASA chief Bill Nelson told AFP in an interview.
Research conducted in space can help make cancer drugs more effective, Nelson added.
Pharmaceutical giant Merck has conducted research on the ISS with Keytruda, an anti-cancer drug that patients now receive intravenously.
Its key ingredient is difficult to transform into a liquid. One solution is crystallization, a process often used in drug manufacturing.
Life Detection on Ice Moons Could Be Within Reach, New Study Shows
Sunday, 24 March 2024 14:59
A joint study by the University of Washington, Seattle, and Freie Universitat Berlin has found that ice grains ejected from moons orbiting Saturn and Jupiter may carry detectable signs of life. This discovery comes ahead of the upcoming space missions aiming to explore these extraterrestrial bodies more closely.
Lead author Fabian Klenner, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Was New Insights into Cosmic Dawn: First Stars Shape the Early Universe
Sunday, 24 March 2024 14:59
Advanced simulations on supercomputers, led by Dr. Ke-Jung Chen of the Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Academia Sinica (ASIAA), have unveiled how the masses of the earliest stars critically influenced the characteristics of the universe's first galaxies. Published in the Astrophysical Journal, this research marks a significant advancement in understanding the early cosmos.
About 2 Gaia's Discovery Illuminates Ancient Star Streams Shaping the Milky Way
Sunday, 24 March 2024 14:59
ESA's Gaia space telescope has made a interesting discovery in the history of the Milky Way by identifying two ancient star streams, Shakti and Shiva, which played a crucial role in the formation of our galaxy over 12 billion years ago. These streams, predating the oldest parts of the Milky Way's spiral arms and disc, offer unprecedented insights into the early stages of galactic formation. Sidus Space Revolutionizes Satellite Communication with Advanced 3D-Printed LizzieSat
Sunday, 24 March 2024 14:59
Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ: SIDU), a pioneering Space and Data-as-a-Service satellite firm, has achieved a significant milestone by establishing two-way communications with its innovative 3D-printed satellite, LizzieSat. This achievement underscores Sidus' commitment to advancing earth observation and remote sensing capabilities through Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (Geo-AI).
LizzieSat EPFL Study Illuminates How the Brain Understands Body Movement and Position
Sunday, 24 March 2024 14:59
Scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding how the brain senses our body's position and movement, known as proprioception. This discovery, led by Alexander Mathis at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), offers significant insights into a process that allows humans to move freely without the need to visually monitor their limbs.
Proprioception relies on a net Spacecraft with first Belarussian woman cosmonaut takes off
Saturday, 23 March 2024 23:53
Marina Vasilevskaya, Belarus' first woman cosmonaut, was aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft that blasted off successfully on Saturday headed for the International Space Station, the Russian Roscosmos space agency said.
"The Soyuz took off from Baikonur" in Kazakhstan at 1236 GMT, Roscosmos said in a statement, adding that the spacecraft went into orbit "as planned".
Initially programm NASA and SpaceX: Enhancing Space Exploration with the 30th Resupply Mission
Saturday, 23 March 2024 23:53
The International Space Station (ISS) anticipates the arrival of critical scientific experiments and technology demonstrations from NASA's latest commercial resupply mission, undertaken by SpaceX. This mission, marking the 30th of its kind, focuses on advancing studies crucial for understanding sea ice dynamics and facilitating plant growth in the microgravity of space.
Launched from Cape Rocket Lab Marks Milestone with Successful Launch of NRO Mission from US Soil
Saturday, 23 March 2024 23:53
Rocket Lab USA, Inc. (Nasdaq: RKLB), a major player in launch services and space systems, has successfully executed the NROL-123 mission, named 'Live and Let Fly', for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). This mission, launched on March 21, 2024, at 03:25 EDT using the Electron launch vehicle from Launch Complex 2 in Wallops, Virginia, signifies Rocket Lab's first launch for the NRO from U.