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NASA VIPER robotic moon rover team raises its mighty mast
A team of engineers lifts the mast into place atop of NASA’s VIPER robotic Moon rover in a clean room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Credit: NASA/Helen Arase Vargas

NASA's VIPER—short for the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover—now stands taller and more capable than ever, thanks to its mast.

VIPER's mast, and the suite of instruments affixed to it, looks a lot like the 's "neck" and "head." The mast instruments are designed to help the team of rover drivers and real-time scientists send commands and receive data while the rover navigates around hazardous crater slopes, boulders, and places that risk communications blackouts. The team will use these instruments, along with four science payloads, to scout the lunar South Pole.

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partial eclipse
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Don't be alarmed when the sky goes dark on April 8. A total solar eclipse will traverse North America, crossing Mexico, the United States, and Canada. This event will mark the only total solar eclipse visible from the United States until 2044. The full path of totality, as it's called, will begin on Mexico's Pacific Coast, cross northwestern Pennsylvania and New York state, and exit at the Atlantic Coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

A occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, completely obscuring the sun from view. Those situated in the path of totality will see the moon fully cover the sun, the resulting shadow plunging the area into darkness during the day.

If the weather permits, spectators may also observe the "ring of fire," a term NASA uses to describe the stunning visual effect when the sun's outer atmosphere is visible as a luminous ring around the moon's silhouette against the darkened sky.

Here's what you need to know to experience this awe-inspiring event.

When is the next total solar eclipse?

The total solar eclipse will occur on April 8.

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solar eclipse glasses
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

On April 8, North America will experience a total solar eclipse, stretching across parts of Mexico, the U.S. and Canada, with approximately 31.6 million people living in the path of totality. According to NASA, every contiguous state in the U.S., along with parts of Alaska and Hawaii, will witness at least a partial solar eclipse.

With all eyes toward the sky during an eclipse, Dr. Dawn Davis, a dermatologist at Mayo Clinic, says it's important to protect your eyes and your skin from ultraviolet (UV) light damage. You'll need with special-purpose solar filters for viewing, and you should take precautions to safeguard your skin from the sun's rays during long periods outside.

And when it comes to protection, she says is for the skin only—never for the eye itself.

A is when the moon completely blocks the sun, temporarily darkening the sky. Looking directly at the sun can cause damage to the retina due to the strong amount of UV light.

"If you would like to see the solar eclipse, you will need to have special solar eclipse glasses," says Dr.

Japan moon probe put to sleep again

Monday, 01 April 2024 07:28
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moon
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain

Japan's valiant moon lander was put to sleep again after unexpectedly surviving its second ultra-chilly long lunar night, the space agency said Monday.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM)—dubbed the "Moon Sniper" for its landing precision—touched down in January, making Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a soft lunar landing.

But the unmanned lightweight spacecraft, carrying a mini-rover that moves like a turtle, landed at a wonky angle that left its facing the wrong way.

Defying pessimistic predictions, the probe was revived in late February once the lunar night—which lasts about 14 Earth days—ended.

Despite facing temperatures as low as -130 degrees Celsius (-200 degrees Fahrenheit), it repeated the feat last week and transmitted new images back to Earth.

On Monday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced the probe has been put back to sleep again on Sunday.

"During this operation, we mainly checked the status of several devices by turning on switches and applying loads," JAXA said on social media platform X.

"Although there are some malfunctions in some functions of MBC, it still works, so we are carefully checking its status," it said, referring to the Multi-band Camera used to examine lunar rocks.

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Washington DC (UPI) Mar 30, 2024
SpaceX on Saturday launched a Falcon9 rocket supporting the Eutelstat 36D mission from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The rocket took off at 5:52 p.m. EST, right at the open of a two-hour time window SpaceX had previously given for launch. The payload is a Eutelsat 36D geostationary telecommunications satellite, which is designed to provide TV broadcasting and government se

Mars Express achieves 25,000 orbits

Saturday, 30 March 2024 23:14
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Paris, France (SPX) Mar 28, 2024
Celebrating a significant milestone, ESA's Mars Express has completed its 25,000th orbit around Mars, capturing yet another breathtaking view of the Red Planet to commemorate this achievement. The latest image, taken from a high altitude by the High Resolution Stereo Camera (HRSC), showcases the vast Tharsis region, known for hosting Mars's most colossal volcanoes, and features a surprise appear
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 28, 2024
For the first time, the Wide-field Imager for Parker Solar Probe (WISPR), operated by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), has documented the formation of turbulence within solar transients, marking a significant breakthrough in solar physics. This discovery, detailed in the Astrophysical Journal, was made possible by the WISPR instrument aboard NASA's Parker Solar Probe (PSP), highlighting
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Berlin, Germany (SPX) Mar 28, 2024
In a groundbreaking study, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) team has provided new insights into the complex environment surrounding the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), located 27,000 light-years from Earth. This latest research unveils images of spiral magnetic fields encircling Sgr A*, a phenomenon previously observed in the larger M87* black hole, suggesting pote
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Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 28, 2024
In a significant advancement of China's space endeavors, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) successfully launched the Yunhai 3B satellite into orbit using the Long March 6A carrier rocket. The launch occurred at the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in Shanxi province at 6:51 am on Wednesday, marking a notable achievement in the country's space mission portfolio. T
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