ND Professor patents 3D printing of spacesuits
Thursday, 27 June 2024 05:32
Grand Forks ND (SPX) Jun 27, 2024
Imagine being an astronaut on NASA's envisioned long-haul flight to Mars, and the unthinkable happens: components on your spacesuit break.
Given that Mars is roughly 140 million miles from Earth, getting replacement parts or a new suit is not an option. But Pablo de Leon, chair of UND's Department of Space Studies, has come up with a system to manufacture spacesuits and other parts while o

Predicting bodily changes in astronauts through blood sample analysis
Thursday, 27 June 2024 05:32
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jun 27, 2024
The acceleration of space exploration, spurred by astronaut recruitment and private space travel, signals a future where space travel becomes more common. However, many questions remain about the physical changes humans experience in space.
Known effects of weightlessness include muscle atrophy, reduced bone density, and fluid distribution changes. Recent research on mice and other organis

NASA picks SpaceX to carry ISS to its watery graveyard after 2030
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35
Washington (AFP) June 26, 2024
NASA on Tuesday said it had picked SpaceX to build a vessel to carry the International Space Station back through Earth's atmosphere and on to a final resting place in the Pacific Ocean after it is retired in 2030.
Elon Musk's company has been awarded a contract with a potential value of $843 million to develop and deliver the spaceship, dubbed the US Deorbit Vehicle.
"Selecting a US Deo

20 Years after 'Hyper-X', UVA team makes NASA hypersonic breakthrough
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35
Charlottesville VA (SPX) Jun 27, 2024
What if the future of space travel were to look less like Space-X's rocket-based Starship and more like NASA's "Hyper-X," the hypersonic jet plane that, 20 years ago this year, flew faster than any other aircraft before or since?
In 2004, NASA's final X-43A unmanned prototype tests were a milestone in the latest era of jet development - the leap from ramjets to faster, more efficient scram

Perseverance Engineers Revive SHERLOC Instrument on Mars Rover
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 27, 2024
After six months of diligent effort, the SHERLOC instrument on NASA's Perseverance Mars rover is operational again, enabling the rover to continue its search for ancient microbial life.
The SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals) instrument recently analyzed a rock target with its spectrometer and camera for the first time since enco

Surprising phosphate discovery in Bennu asteroid sample
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 27, 2024
Scientists have eagerly anticipated the analysis of the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA's OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security - Regolith Explorer) mission since it arrived on Earth last fall. Researchers hoped this material would reveal secrets of the solar system's past and the prebiotic chemistry that could

Shocked quartz reveals evidence of historical cosmic airburst
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35
Santa Barbara CA (SPX) Jun 27, 2024
Researchers continue to expand the case for the Younger Dryas Impact hypothesis. The idea proposes that a fragmented comet smashed into the Earth's atmosphere 12,800 years ago, causing a widespread climatic shift that, among other things, led to the abrupt reversal of the Earth's warming trend and into an anomalous near-glacial period called the Younger Dryas.
Now, UC Santa Barbara emeritu

Bennu sample reveals solar system's original ingredients, possible watery history
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 27, 2024
A detailed analysis of rocks and dust from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, collected by NASA's University of Arizona-led OSIRIS-REx mission, has unveiled significant discoveries.
The OSIRIS-REx Sample Analysis Team found that Bennu contains the primary components that formed our solar system. The dust from Bennu is rich in carbon, nitrogen, and organic compounds, essential for life. The sam

'Power rivalry in space': China lunar mission fuels US misinformation
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35
Hong Kong (AFP) June 27, 2024
A historic lunar mission has demonstrated China's growing scientific prowess, but the feat has set off a torrent of misinformation targeting the United States that researchers say reflects their bitter competition in space.
China is celebrating the return of the Chang'e 6 probe to Earth on Tuesday bearing rock-and-soil samples from the little-known far side of the Moon, following a 53-day mi

Chang'e 6 mission returns with Moon samples from far side
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 27, 2024
The reentry capsule of the Chang'e 6 mission was opened in Beijing on Wednesday afternoon, reported China Central Television.
The capsule was transported to Beijing earlier on Wednesday morning by airplane and subsequently taken to the China Academy of Space Technology, where it was designed and constructed.
During a brief ceremony at the academy on Wednesday afternoon, engineers ope

Scientists Excited by Martian Air Samples in NASA's Mars Tubes
Thursday, 27 June 2024 03:35
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 27, 2024
Atmospheric scientists are eager to analyze the air enclosed with each rock and soil sample collected by NASA's Perseverance rover, viewing it as a treasure trove for atmospheric studies.
With each rock core sealed in its titanium sample tubes by NASA's Perseverance Mars rover, atmospheric scientists find themselves increasingly excited. These samples, which will be delivered to Earth as p

NASA awards SpaceX contract for space station deorbit vehicle
Wednesday, 26 June 2024 22:14

Why NASA astronauts are delayed at the space station after Boeing Starliner launch
Wednesday, 26 June 2024 18:10
When two veteran NASA astronauts blasted off on a test drive of Boeing's new capsule, they expected to head home from the International Space Station in a week or so.
It's now three weeks and counting for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams as NASA and Boeing troubleshoot equipment problems that popped up on the way there.
Three potential landing dates were called off and their flight home is now on hold.
This week, Boeing said the Starliner capsule's problems aren't a concern for the return trip and "the astronauts are not stranded.