Senate expresses 'significant concerns' over NASA's Mars sample-retrieval plan
Thursday, 20 July 2023 06:39
Washington DC (UPI) Jul 20, 2023
NASA's plans to retrieve samples of soil from Mars and fly them back to Earth seemingly is in deep trouble with a Senate committee.
On Wednesday, a Senate appropriations committee offered only $300 million for the plan for the fiscal year 2024, well short of the $949 million for which the space agency is asking.
The mission requires several vehicles. The Perseverance rover, which is
NASA's plans to retrieve samples of soil from Mars and fly them back to Earth seemingly is in deep trouble with a Senate committee.
On Wednesday, a Senate appropriations committee offered only $300 million for the plan for the fiscal year 2024, well short of the $949 million for which the space agency is asking.
The mission requires several vehicles. The Perseverance rover, which is SpaceX aborts launch of Starlink satellites
Thursday, 20 July 2023 06:39
Washington DC (UPI) Jul 20, 2023
With only seconds remaining in the countdown late Tuesday, SpaceX aborted the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket with a payload of Starlink satellites.
The mission was to deploy 15 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit where they were to join the thousands of other orbitals making up the company's Internet-emanating constellation.
However, with only 5 seconds before the scheduled lift of
With only seconds remaining in the countdown late Tuesday, SpaceX aborted the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket with a payload of Starlink satellites.
The mission was to deploy 15 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit where they were to join the thousands of other orbitals making up the company's Internet-emanating constellation.
However, with only 5 seconds before the scheduled lift of NASA selects SwRI to lead DIMPLE lunar lander/rover instrument suite
Thursday, 20 July 2023 06:39
San Antonio TX (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
NASA has selected Southwest Research Institute to lead a $50 million lunar lander/rover instrument suite, Dating an Irregular Mare Patch with a Lunar Explorer, or DIMPLE, designed to understand if the Moon has been volcanically active in the geologically recent past. DIMPLE, which was developed by SwRI, will use cameras and radioisotope-based dating to determine the age and composition of an ano
NASA has selected Southwest Research Institute to lead a $50 million lunar lander/rover instrument suite, Dating an Irregular Mare Patch with a Lunar Explorer, or DIMPLE, designed to understand if the Moon has been volcanically active in the geologically recent past. DIMPLE, which was developed by SwRI, will use cameras and radioisotope-based dating to determine the age and composition of an ano Does this exoplanet have a sibling sharing the same orbit
Thursday, 20 July 2023 06:39
Munich, Germany (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have found the possible 'sibling' of a planet orbiting a distant star. The team has detected a cloud of debris that might be sharing this planet's orbit and which, they believe, could be the building blocks of a new planet or the remnants of one already formed. If confirmed, this discovery would be the strongest evidence
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), astronomers have found the possible 'sibling' of a planet orbiting a distant star. The team has detected a cloud of debris that might be sharing this planet's orbit and which, they believe, could be the building blocks of a new planet or the remnants of one already formed. If confirmed, this discovery would be the strongest evidence Has the standard cosmological model been brocken or just cracked
Thursday, 20 July 2023 06:39
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
A global consortium of astrophysicists spearheaded by teams from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Germany, Harvard University in the United States, and Durham University in the United Kingdom, have taken a bold stride towards understanding the cosmos. The team has recently simulated the formation of galaxies and cosmic structures across vast expanses of space.
A unique aspect o
A global consortium of astrophysicists spearheaded by teams from the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Germany, Harvard University in the United States, and Durham University in the United Kingdom, have taken a bold stride towards understanding the cosmos. The team has recently simulated the formation of galaxies and cosmic structures across vast expanses of space.
A unique aspect o AROBS Engineering Takes Lead Role in Space Rider Project Software Verification and Validation
Thursday, 20 July 2023 06:39
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
The Romanian software services company, AROBS Engineering, part of AROBS Group, has been announced as the primary industrial partner and consortium leader for the software verification and validation of Europe's first reusable space transportation system, Space Rider. This project, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), is expected to revolutionize access to low orbit.
Space Rider's ce
The Romanian software services company, AROBS Engineering, part of AROBS Group, has been announced as the primary industrial partner and consortium leader for the software verification and validation of Europe's first reusable space transportation system, Space Rider. This project, funded by the European Space Agency (ESA), is expected to revolutionize access to low orbit.
Space Rider's ce CHAPEA Mars Simulation program a test bed for food systems and crop cultivation
Thursday, 20 July 2023 06:39
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
The initial crew selected for NASA's Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission 1, a ground-based Mars habitat simulation, is set to evaluate the efficacy of growing fresh produce in isolation. Commenced on June 25 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the four-member crew will conduct a series of operations over a year's span, and won't have the facility of fresh food
The initial crew selected for NASA's Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission 1, a ground-based Mars habitat simulation, is set to evaluate the efficacy of growing fresh produce in isolation. Commenced on June 25 at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, the four-member crew will conduct a series of operations over a year's span, and won't have the facility of fresh food Ancient river is helping Perseverance Mars Rover do its work
Thursday, 20 July 2023 06:39
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jul 20, 2023
The six-wheeled geologist is getting some assistance in its search for diverse rock samples that could be brought to Earth for deeper investigation.
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover sealed the tube containing its 20th rock core sample on June 23 (the 832nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission), and the mission's science team is excited about its potential.
That's because this sample was
The six-wheeled geologist is getting some assistance in its search for diverse rock samples that could be brought to Earth for deeper investigation.
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover sealed the tube containing its 20th rock core sample on June 23 (the 832nd Martian day, or sol, of the mission), and the mission's science team is excited about its potential.
That's because this sample was New study reveals Roman Telescope could find 400 Earth-mass rogue planets
Thursday, 20 July 2023 06:39
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
New research by scientists from NASA and Japan's Osaka University suggests that rogue planets - worlds that drift through space untethered to a star - far outnumber planets that orbit stars. The results imply that NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, set to launch by May 2027, could find a staggering 400 Earth-mass rogue worlds. Indeed, this new study has already identified one such candida
New research by scientists from NASA and Japan's Osaka University suggests that rogue planets - worlds that drift through space untethered to a star - far outnumber planets that orbit stars. The results imply that NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, set to launch by May 2027, could find a staggering 400 Earth-mass rogue worlds. Indeed, this new study has already identified one such candida Boeing's Millennium Space Systems amplifies small satellite production
Thursday, 20 July 2023 06:39
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
Millennium Space Systems, a subsidiary of Boeing [NYSE: BA], marked an important milestone on July 18, 2023, as it celebrated the success of its Small Satellite Factory (SSF). Initially unveiled to the public in 2022, the SSF has risen to the challenge of satisfying an uptick in contracts for proliferated satellite constellations.
This rapid expansion of production capabilities reflects th
Millennium Space Systems, a subsidiary of Boeing [NYSE: BA], marked an important milestone on July 18, 2023, as it celebrated the success of its Small Satellite Factory (SSF). Initially unveiled to the public in 2022, the SSF has risen to the challenge of satisfying an uptick in contracts for proliferated satellite constellations.
This rapid expansion of production capabilities reflects th Wind River VxWorks software chosen for Astroscale's Space Debris Solution ELSA-M
Thursday, 20 July 2023 06:39
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
Wind River, an industry leader in intelligent system software, has announced that its VxWorks software will be utilized in the command of the Astroscale ELSA-M Servicer spacecraft's On-Board Computer (OBC). This announcement reflects Wind River's ongoing commitment to supporting the unique challenges and complexities of space missions.
Astroscale, a company dedicated to developing innovati
Wind River, an industry leader in intelligent system software, has announced that its VxWorks software will be utilized in the command of the Astroscale ELSA-M Servicer spacecraft's On-Board Computer (OBC). This announcement reflects Wind River's ongoing commitment to supporting the unique challenges and complexities of space missions.
Astroscale, a company dedicated to developing innovati Shenzhou XVI crew set to conduct their first EVA
Thursday, 20 July 2023 06:39
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jul 20, 2023
The Shenzhou 16 astronauts aboard China's Tiangong Sspace Station are set for their first-ever spacewalk, as confirmed by the China Manned Space Agency.
In a recent press statement issued on Wednesday, the agency affirmed that the Shenzhou XVI team, which includes Commander Major General Jing Haipeng, Colonel Zhu Yangzhu, a spaceflight engineer, and Professor Gui Haichao, the science paylo
The Shenzhou 16 astronauts aboard China's Tiangong Sspace Station are set for their first-ever spacewalk, as confirmed by the China Manned Space Agency.
In a recent press statement issued on Wednesday, the agency affirmed that the Shenzhou XVI team, which includes Commander Major General Jing Haipeng, Colonel Zhu Yangzhu, a spaceflight engineer, and Professor Gui Haichao, the science paylo ESA preparing for “assisted reentry” of Aeolus spacecraft
Wednesday, 19 July 2023 23:13
The European Space Agency is in the final stages of performing an “assisted reentry” of an Earth science spacecraft, an effort that will attempt to bring the satellite down over the ocean in a little more than a week.
Space Force changed launch procurement plan due to concerns about capacity
Wednesday, 19 July 2023 20:46
The decision to add a third provider was driven by a projected growth in demand for satellite launches and concerns about a shortage of heavy-lift rockets later this decade.
We could get large amounts of water from the moon by directing the sun at it
Wednesday, 19 July 2023 17:51
One of the most commonly discussed challenges when starting our species' space exploration journey is how to get the resources necessary for life off of the Earth. Typically this is thought of as two things—water and oxygen, but, luckily, oxygen can be supplied by splitting apart a water molecule, so the most critical resource we could find in space is water.
Commonly called a "volatile" in the language of space resources, water has been the focal point of many plans for in-situ resource utilization on the moon, Mars, and elsewhere. Some of those plans have been well thought out, others not. One particular showed some promise when it was selected as part of NASA's Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) funding back in 2019, and here we'll take a closer look at it.
The concept, published in a report titled "Thermal Mining of Ices on Cold Solar System Bodies" but hereafter referred to as "thermal mining," is the brainchild of George Sowers, a space resource expert and Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM).