A Fractured Filled Plan: Sols 4073-4075
Tuesday, 23 January 2024 20:41
Pasadena CA (JPL) Jan 21, 2024
Earth planning date: Friday, January 19, 2024: This 3 sol weekend plan, like many of our recent plans (for example: here and here), focuses heavily on the fractures and cracks in this area. We are interested in cracks and fractures and the fracture fill (the material between cracks) as the chemistry and the physical features can tell us lots about conditions at the time of their formation, inclu
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ESA advances satellite testing capabilities at Europe's largest thermal vacuum facility
Tuesday, 23 January 2024 20:41
Noordwijk, Netherlands (SPX) Jan 19, 2024
In the realm of space exploration, testing equipment under conditions that mimic the unforgiving environment of space is critical. At the forefront of this endeavor is the European Space Agency's (ESA) Large Space Simulator (LSS), located at the ESTEC Test Centre in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. This mammoth facility, known for its capability to simulate the vacuum, temperature, and solar radiatio
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Intercontinental team to grow protein crystals in space
Tuesday, 23 January 2024 20:41
Tempe AZ (SPX) Jan 18, 2024
An interdisciplinary team including Alexandra Ros, professor in Arizona State University's School of Molecular Sciences and faculty member in the Biodesign Institute's Center for Applied Structural Discovery, is taking one giant leap into a new sector of the global aerospace industry.
The team has received $9.87 million from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment Endeavour Fun
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Ax-3 Crew Joins Expedition 70 in Space Station for Dual Operations and Research
Tuesday, 23 January 2024 20:41
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 23, 2024
The International Space Station (ISS), a cornerstone of global space research and cooperation, is currently bustling with activity as it houses eleven astronauts and cosmonauts from across the globe. This unique congregation of space professionals is the result of the collaboration between the seven members of Expedition 70 and the four astronauts of Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3), who commenced their t
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Iran's Qaem 100 launch vehicle deploys Sorayya satellite into orbit
Tuesday, 23 January 2024 20:41
London, UK (SPX) Jan 22, 2024
In a significant advancement for Iran's space program, the country has successfully launched the Sorayya satellite into an orbit approximately 750 kilometers above the Earth's surface. This achievement was announced by the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Isa Zarepour, who highlighted the launch as setting a new record for Iran in terms of the altitude reached by its space
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Space Policy Official Details Approach to Maintaining U.S. Edge
Tuesday, 23 January 2024 20:41
Washington DC (SPX) Jan 21, 2024
The Defense Department is laser focused on deterring aggression through critical investments and sound decisions that will shape U.S. and allied space capabilities for years to come, the Pentagon's top space policy official said.
John F. Plumb, assistant secretary of defense for space policy, underscored the critical role DOD's space enterprise will play in meeting the nation's top nationa
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Ohio research project selected for International Space Station
Tuesday, 23 January 2024 20:41
Athens OH (SPX) Jan 21, 2024
Aresearch project designed by a group of Ohio University students will soon be traveling to the International Space Station (ISS). During the fall semester, Ohio students from across the University had the opportunity to design projects and write proposals for the Student Spaceflight Experiment Program's Mission 18 to the ISS.
Under the leadership of Dr. Sarah Wyatt, professor of environme
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Buried water ice at the Martian equator
Tuesday, 23 January 2024 20:41
Paris (ESA) Jan 19, 2024
Windswept piles of dust, or layers of ice? ESA's Mars Express has revisited one of Mars's most mysterious features to clarify its composition. Its findings suggest layers of water ice stretching several kilometres below ground - the most water ever found in this part of the planet.
Over 15 years ago, Mars Express studied the Medusae Fossae Formation (MFF), revealing massive deposits up to
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Generating stable qubits at room temperature
Tuesday, 23 January 2024 20:41
Fukuoka, Japan (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
In a study published in Science Advances, a group of researchers led by Associate Professor Nobuhiro Yanai from Kyushu University's Faculty of Engineering, in collaboration with Associate Professor Kiyoshi Miyata from Kyushu University and Professor Yasuhiro Kobori of Kobe University, reports that they have achieved quantum coherence at room temperature: the ability of a quantum system to mainta
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Light-matter interaction: broken symmetry drives polaritons
Tuesday, 23 January 2024 20:41
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 15, 2024
An international team of scientists provide an overview of the latest research on light-matter interactions. A team of scientists from the Fritz Haber Institute, the City University of New York and the Universidad de Oviedo has published a comprehensive review article in the scientific journal Nature Reviews Materials. In this article, they provide an overview of the latest research on polariton
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A massive cluster is born
Tuesday, 23 January 2024 08:00
This image from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope features an H II region in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC), a satellite galaxy of our Milky Way. This nebula, known as N79, is a region of interstellar atomic hydrogen that is ionised, captured here by Webb’s Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI).
N79 is a massive star-forming complex spanning roughly 1630 light-years in the generally unexplored southwest region of the LMC. N79 is typically regarded as a younger version of 30 Doradus (also known as the Tarantula Nebula), another of Webb’s recent targets. Research suggests that N79 has a star formation efficiency
China's LandSpace achieves new feat with Zhuque-3's Vertical Recovery Test
Monday, 22 January 2024 14:18
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jan 22, 2024
In a significant advancement for China's burgeoning space sector, the Zhuque-3 reusable rocket has successfully completed its first vertical return technology test at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. This achievement marks a crucial step forward for the maiden flight of the country's first stainless steel liquid carrier rocket, heralding a new era of cost-efficient and environmentally consci
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ESA's Marcus Wandtembarks on historic Muninn Mission aboard ISS
Monday, 22 January 2024 14:18
Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jan 22, 2024
In a significant milestone for European space exploration, ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt, along with colleagues Michael Lopez-Alegria, Walter Villadei, and Alper Gezeravci, embarked on the Axiom Mission 3 (Ax-3), docking with the International Space Station at 10:57 GMT on Saturday, January 20. This event marked the beginning of what is known as the Muninn mission, setting a precedent for f
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Eutelsat OneWeb and Paratus South Africa join forces to enhance satellite connectivity in South Africa
Monday, 22 January 2024 14:18
Paris, France (SPX) Jan 22, 2024
Eutelsat Group (Euronext Paris, London: ETL), a key player in the satellite communications industry, has announced a significant development in its partnership with Paratus South Africa, a leading specialist in connectivity solutions. This collaboration marks an important step in enhancing Paratus South Africa's connectivity offerings through the integration of Eutelsat OneWeb's services.
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GMV and Astroscale UK spearhead new ESA initiative for improved satellite collision avoidance
Monday, 22 January 2024 14:18
Madrid, Spain (SPX) Jan 22, 2024
In a significant advancement in satellite collision avoidance technology, GMV, in collaboration with Astroscale UK, has been awarded a new activity under the European Space Agency's (ESA) CREAM (Collision Risk and Automated Mitigation) cornerstone. This initiative, an extension of the CREAM#2 activity, aims to develop an alternative commanding path for late collision avoidance maneuvers (CAM), l
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