Gediz Vallis Ridge Rising: Sols 3650-3652
Saturday, 12 November 2022 23:38Curiosity is continuing to climb towards a Gediz Vallis ridge viewing spot, and we can already get a glimpse of it rising in the distance. In today's plan we will collect a large stereo Mastcam mosaic of the parts of Gediz Vallis ridge that were visible to us today, and this image combined with the ones we hope to collect from our end of drive location on Monday, will help the team decide if we
Synthetic black holes radiate like real ones
Saturday, 12 November 2022 23:38Black holes are the most extreme objects in the universe, packing so much mass into so little space that nothing - not even light - can escape their gravitational pull once it gets close enough. Understanding black holes is key to unravelling the most fundamental laws governing the cosmos, because they represent the limits of two of the best-tested theories of physics: the theory of general rela
Black holes don't always power gamma-ray bursts, new research shows
Saturday, 12 November 2022 23:38Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) have been detected by satellites orbiting Earth as luminous flashes of the most energetic gamma-ray radiation lasting milliseconds to hundreds of seconds. These catastrophic blasts occur in distant galaxies, billions of light years from Earth. A sub-type of GRB known as a short-duration GRB starts life when two neutron stars collide. These ultra-dense stars have the
Searching for traces of dark matter with neutron spin clocks
Saturday, 12 November 2022 23:38Cosmological observations of the orbits of stars and galaxies enable clear conclusions to be drawn about the attractive gravitational forces that act between the celestial bodies. The astonishing finding: visible matter is far from sufficient for being able to explain the development or movements of galaxies. This suggests that there exists another, so far unknown, type of matter. Accordingly, i
2400 new eyes on the sky to see cosmic rainbows
Saturday, 12 November 2022 23:38The Subaru Telescope successfully demonstrated engineering first light with a new instrument that will use about 2400 fiberoptic cables to capture the light from heavenly objects. Full operation is scheduled to start around 2024. The ability to observe thousands of objects simultaneously will provide unprecedented amounts of data to fuel Big Data Astronomy in the coming decade. In addition
China's cargo spacecraft sets new world record
Saturday, 12 November 2022 23:38The Tianzhou 5 cargo spacecraft launched on Saturday morning has docked with the Tiangong space station around noon, setting a world record for the fastest rendezvous and docking operations between two spacecraft, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The Tianzhou 5 was placed into a low-Earth orbit by a Long March 7 rocket that blasted off at 10:03 am at the Wenchang Space Launch
ESA seeks funding for navigation technology programs at ministerial
Saturday, 12 November 2022 22:15The European Space Agency is requesting several hundred million euros at its upcoming ministerial council meeting for new satellite navigation technologies from low Earth orbit to the moon.
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Unmanned, solar-powered US space plane back after 908 days
Saturday, 12 November 2022 19:44X-37B space plane completes its sixth mission, lands after nearly 30 months in orbit
Saturday, 12 November 2022 18:38The X-37B space plane operated by the U.S. Space Force landed Nov. 12 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Florida, setting a new endurance record
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NASA: Moon rocket endured hurricane, set for 1st test flight
Saturday, 12 November 2022 08:24NASA's moon rocket needs only minor repairs after enduring a hurricane at the pad and is on track for its first test flight next week, a top official said Friday.
"Right now, there's nothing preventing us" from attempting a launch on Wednesday, said NASA's Jim Free, an associate administrator.
The wind never exceeded the rocket's design limits as Hurricane Nicole swept through Kennedy Space Center on Thursday, according to Free. But he acknowledged if the launch team had known in advance that a hurricane was going to hit, they likely would have kept the rocket indoors. The rocket was moved out to the pad late last week for its $4.1 billion demo mission.
Gusts reached 100 mph (160 kph) atop the launch tower, but were not nearly as strong farther down at the rocket.
'Like the Moon': Astronauts flock to Spanish isle to train
Saturday, 12 November 2022 08:24Kneeling on the edge of a deep crater, astronaut Alexander Gerst uses a chisel to collect a sample of volcanic rock which he carefully puts inside a white plastic bag.
Gerst is not on the Moon, even if it looks like it. He is in the middle of Los Volcanes Natural Park on the island of Lanzarote in Spain's Canary Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa.
With its blackened lava fields, craters and volcanic tubes, Lanzarote's geology can be uncannily similar to that of the Moon and Mars—so much so that the European Space Agency (ESA) and NASA have for years been sending astronauts to the island to train.
"This place has lavas that are very, very similar to the ones that we find on the Moon," Gerst, a 46-year-old German astronaut with the ESA, told AFP.
He said the island was "a unique training ground".
SES eagerly awaiting the flexibility O3b mPower promises
Saturday, 12 November 2022 00:34At a time of unprecedented change in the satellite communications sector, fleet operator SES is eagerly awaiting the December launch of its first Boeing-built O3b mPower broadband satellites.
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NASA moving ahead with Nov. 16 Artemis 1 launch attempt
Friday, 11 November 2022 22:03NASA is moving ahead with the next Artemis 1 launch attempt on Nov. 16 after finding no major repairs required to the Space Launch System and Orion from Hurricane Nicole.
Starfish books launch for in-orbit satellite docking mission next fall
Friday, 11 November 2022 21:07Starfish Space said Nov. 9 it plans to perform the first satellite docking test using electric propulsion next fall, when its Otter Pup demonstrator will attempt to rendezvous with another spacecraft in low Earth orbit.