Proba-3 Mission Prepares for Precision Formation Flying with Laser Metrology Tests
Friday, 01 March 2024 11:17In a significant step toward realizing the European Space Agency's (ESA) ambitious Proba-3 mission, a crucial laser-based test campaign is currently underway at Redwire Space's facilities in Kruibeke, Belgium. This mission, poised to revolutionize our approach to observing the sun, involves two satellites, namely the 'Occulter' and the 'Coronagraph,' which will maintain a precise formation
Iran launches imaging satellite through Russia
Friday, 01 March 2024 11:17Russia on Thursday put into orbit an Iranian remote sensing and imaging satellite, state media said in Tehran, drawing condemnation from the United States. The launch of "Pars-I" with the Russian Soyuz-2.1b rocket was broadcast live by state television in Iran. The satellite was launched from Russia's Vostochny base, some 8,000 kilometres (5,000 miles) east of Moscow, according to the of
Depositional Processes of the Margin Unit
Friday, 01 March 2024 11:17There has been much discussion and interest regarding the origin of the Margin unit. The Margin unit has gained interest due to the presence of carbonates and its implications for the paleoenvironment and biosignature preservation of ancient Mars. There are several possible origins for the Margin unit, and further analysis of these rocks will shed light on what environment the Margin unit
Bunsen Peak Piques Interest
Friday, 01 March 2024 11:17Perseverance has continued its traverse west through the Margin unit. As the rover drives, images and data are obtained using instruments such as Mastcam-Z, Navcam, and SuperCam to track any changes in the chemistry or appearance of the rocks. Along the way, the science team used these images to pick out an exciting rock named Bunsen Peak. This rock was intriguing because it stands tall am
In The Presence Of Royalty: Sols 4112-4113
Friday, 01 March 2024 11:17Earth planning date: Wednesday, February 28, 2024: Over the weekend Curiosity successfully drilled into 'Mineral King!' The drilling stopped a little short of the target depth, however we think there was enough sample to be sent for analysis. 'Mineral King' has now been analyzed within the CheMin instrument, and we are awaiting the results. After we see those results tomorrow morning, we w
Ice shell thickness reveals water temp on ocean worlds
Friday, 01 March 2024 11:17Decades before any probe dips a toe - and thermometer - into the waters of distant ocean worlds, Cornell astrobiologists have devised a novel way to determine ocean temperatures based on the thickness of their ice shells, effectively conducting oceanography from space. Available data showing ice thickness variation already allows a prediction for the upper ocean of Enceladus, a moon of Sat
Astronomers reveal a new link between water and planet formation
Friday, 01 March 2024 11:17Researchers have found water vapour in the disc around a young star exactly where planets may be forming. Water is a key ingredient for life on Earth and is also thought to play a significant role in planet formation, yet, until now, astronomers have never been able to map how water is distributed in a stable, cool disc - the type of disc that offers the most favourable conditions for plan
Astronomers discover heavy elements after bright gamma-ray burst from neutron star merger
Friday, 01 March 2024 11:17An international team of astronomers - including Clemson University astrophysicist Dieter Hartmann - obtained observational evidence for the creation of rare heavy elements in the aftermath of a cataclysmic explosion triggered by the merger of two neutron stars. The massive explosion unleashed a gamma-ray burst, GRB230307A, the second brightest in 50 years of observations and about 1,000 t
First US moon lander in half a century stops working a week after tipping over at touchdown
Friday, 01 March 2024 08:28The first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon since the Apollo astronauts fell silent Thursday, a week after breaking a leg at touchdown and tipping over near the lunar south pole.
Intuitive Machines' lander, Odysseus, lasted longer than the company anticipated after it ended up on its side with hobbled solar power and communication.
Week in images: 26 February - 1 March 2024
Friday, 01 March 2024 08:10Week in images: 26 February - 1 March 2024
Discover our week through the lens
Top 5: Space for your health
Friday, 01 March 2024 08:00Space has led to technological innovations with wide-ranging applications in healthcare. Beyond consumer gadgets, such as wireless headsets and scratch-resistant lenses, space exploration is a catalyst for understanding the human body and advancing scientific results that benefit people worldwide. Here are Europe’s top 5 stories in space for your health.
Gravity affects everything we do and everything that happens inside and around us. On Earth’s surface, everything is subject to an average gravitational acceleration of 9.81 m/s2, or what we call 1 g. This acceleration keeps us grounded but it also influences all reactions and phenomena around us, from falling apples
Earth from Space: Dawson-Lambton Glacier home to penguins
Friday, 01 March 2024 08:00Space Team Europe: focus on Ariane 6
Friday, 01 March 2024 08:00Meet the people working on the testing of Ariane 6. Europe’s next rocket, Ariane 6, has passed all its qualification tests in preparation for its first flight, and now the full-scale test model will be removed from the launch pad to make way for the real rocket that will ascend to space.
To make way for launch, teams from ArianeGroup, France’s space agency CNES and ESA have started to remove the Ariane 6 test model by disconnecting the cables and fuel lines that pass through the launch tower.
Find out about the progress being made at the end of
To the moon and back: NASA's Artemis II crew rehearses splashdown
Thursday, 29 February 2024 20:02Their mission around the moon is not expected until September 2025 at the earliest, but the four astronauts on NASA's Artemis II mission are already preparing for their splashdown return.
Over the past week, the three Americans and one Canadian chosen for the historic moon mission have been training at sea with the US Navy off the coast of California.
"This is crazy. This is the stuff of movies, and we're living it every day," said veteran NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman, the mission's commander, Wednesday at the San Diego Naval Base.
SpaceX delays Crew-8 launch, but lines up Starlink launch instead
Thursday, 29 February 2024 19:09Bad weather conditions on the launch corridor for a human spaceflight from Kennedy Space Center have prompted a two-day delay, so SpaceX took the opportunity to roll out and try and shoehorn a launch without humans from nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday.
The Crew-8 mission set to take up three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station was originally targeting a liftoff just after midnight early Friday, but because of poor offshore conditions for the flight track of the Crew Dragon Endeavour including high winds and waves along the eastern seaboard, SpaceX and NASA opted to delay the launch attempt until Saturday night.
Now the Falcon 9 with the four crew of NASA's Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps, and Roscosmos's Alexander Grebenkin is targeting 11:16 p.m. Saturday to lift off from KSC's Launch Pad 39-A.
"In the unlikely case of an abort during launch or the flight of Dragon, the wind and wave conditions must be within acceptable conditions for the safe recovery of the crew and spacecraft," reads an update posted to NASA's website.