Image: W-band on the run

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 21, 2023
Using data from the Spitzer space observatory, Dr Susana Iglesias-Groth, a researcher from The Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), has found evidence for the existence of the amino acid tryptophan in the interstellar material in a nearby star-forming region. The research is published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. High amounts of tryptophan were detected in t

Boulder CO (SPX) Jun 21, 2023
Near the center of the Milky Way Galaxy sits an immense object that astronomers call Sagittarius A*. This "supermassive" black hole may have grown in tandem with our galaxy, and it's not alone. Scientists suspect that similar behemoths lurk at the heart of almost all large galaxies in the cosmos. Some can get really big, said Joseph Simon, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Astro

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 21, 2023
NASA will partner with seven U.S. companies to meet future commercial and government needs, ultimately benefitting human spaceflight and the U.S. commercial low Earth orbit economy. Through unfunded Space Act Agreements, the second Collaborations for Commercial Space Capabilities-2 initiative (CCSC-2) is designed to advance commercial space-related efforts through NASA contributions of tec

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 21, 2023
Tryptophan is one of the 20 amino acids considered essential for the formation of proteins, which are key macromolecules for the development of life on Earth. This amino acid has many spectral features in the infrared, as had been previously characterized by Susana Iglesias Groth, an IAC researcher. Using data from the Spitzer Space Observatory she identifies more than 10 emission bands of

Washington DC (SPX) Jun 15, 2023
On Friday, May 19, 2023, Impossible Sensing, along with a team of scientists and engineers from SETI Institute, NASA JPL, University of Washington's Applied Physics Laboratory and other institutions onboard Ocean Exploration Trust's Exploration Vessel Nautilus expedition, successfully launched InVADER Mission's Laser Divebot into the deep waters surrounding Kingman Reef and Palmyra Atoll. This e

Dulles VA (SPX) Jun 21, 2023
Northrop Grumman Corporation's (NYSE: NOC) SpaceLogistics has sold its third Mission Extension Pod (MEP), a propulsion "jet pack" that extends the life of legacy satellites, allowing them to operate longer and more profitably. Under a purchase agreement with Intelsat, SpaceLogistics' Mission Robotic Vehicle (MRV), a servicing spacecraft equipped with robotic arms, will install the jet pack

Space Coast FL (SPX) Jun 22, 2023
An issue with a ground systems pneumatic valve caused a one-day delay of ULA's first launch of 2023; the launch was originally scheduled for June 21. United Launch Alliance's (ULA) second-to-last flight of its Delta IV Heavy rocket lit the Florida Space Coast sky on the NROL-68 mission to haul a classified payload for the U.S. government's spy satellite agency, the National Reconnaissance

Watch Mercury appear from the shadows as the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo spacecraft sped by the planet’s night side during its 19 June 2023 close flyby, and enjoy a special flyover of geologically rich terrain, along with a bonus 3D scene.

Image: Ambassador Andreas for WILD Nature Foundation