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Copernical Team
Food science research could help astronauts eat well on future Mars missions
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![Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain astronaut](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2022/astronaut-2.jpg)
If space is the final frontier, it's food that will get us there in good shape, and UBC researchers are making sure that our food will be up to the task.
Dr. John Frostad, an assistant professor in chemical and biological engineering who studies the science of food, leads a team that is creating new ways of encapsulating omega-3 fatty acids so that they can go the distance.
Omega-3 is essential to mental sharpness. Even a couple of days without omega-3 in our diets may dull our brains and have us feeling less than our best. However, our bodies cannot produce it naturally so we must find it in the foods we eat, such as fish, flaxseed, or often by taking supplements.
"For astronauts and others on space missions, the difficult part is ensuring that omega-3 stays fresh and viable in whatever form—capsules or liquid—it is stored in," explains Dr. Frostad.
"The shelf life of most omega-3 capsules is around two years, but space missions can go for longer than that and they must be self-sufficient. You can't do a grocery run every couple of months.
Engineers ready innovative robotic servicing of geosynchronous satellites payload for launch
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![Members of the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) team prepare flight Robotic Arm System (RAS) #1 for thermal vacuum (TVAC) testing in Washington, D.C. June 16, 2022. TVAC testing exposes flight hardware to a vacuum environment and cycles over a wide range of temperatures to ensure the hardware will survive the harsh environment of space. Credit: U.S. Navy/Sarah Peterson NRL engineers ready innovative robotic servicing of geosynchronous satellites (RSGS) payload for launch](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2022/nrl-engineers-ready-in-1.jpg)
Gearing up for the Moon with Pangaea
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![Gearing up for the Moon](https://www.esa.int/var/esa/storage/images/esa_multimedia/images/2022/11/gearing_up_for_the_moon_with_pangaea/24566326-1-eng-GB/Gearing_up_for_the_Moon_with_Pangaea_card_full.jpg)
Outlining the requirements for a rendezvous mission with an interstellar visitor
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![LSST detection rate and intercept ∆v as a function of interstellar object size or wait time. Dark regions correspond to q = 3.6 ± 0.5 and light regions signify the 95% Poisson confidence intervals for the light regions. The gray dashed line corresponds to an ‘Oumuamua-like object, and the plot shows results for an order of magnitude in size centered around ‘Oumuamua. Credit: <i>arXiv</i> (2022). DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2211.02120 Outlining the requirements for a rendezvous mission with an interstellar visitor](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2022/outlining-the-requirem.jpg)
Suspected Chinese rocket debris found in Philippine waters
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![In this photo released by Xinhua News Agency, the Long March-5B Y4 carrier rocket carrying the space lab module Mengtian blasts off from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in south China's Hainan Province on Oct. 31, 2022. Philippine officials said Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022, suspected debris from a recent Chinese rocket launch has been found at sea off two provinces and they were pressing efforts for Manila to ratify two U.N. treaties that allow people to seek compensation for damage or injury from space launches. Credit: Hu Zhixuan/Xinhua via AP, File Suspected Chinese rocket debris found in Philippine waters](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2022/suspected-chinese-rock.jpg)
Cargo ship reaches space station despite jammed solar panel
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![This photo provided by NASA shows a Northrop Grumman cargo ship about to be captured by the International Space Station’s robot arm on Wednesday, Nov. 9, 2022. The capsule delivered more than 8,000 pounds of supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday, despite a jammed solar panel. Credit: NASA via AP Cargo ship reaches space station despite jammed solar panel](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2022/cargo-ship-reaches-spa.jpg)
A Northrop Grumman capsule delivered several tons of supplies to the International Space Station on Wednesday despite a jammed solar panel.
The shipment arrived two days after launching from Virginia.
What is ESA’s Moonlight initiative?
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Going to the Moon was the first step. Staying there is the next ambition.
ESA is a key partner in NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to return people to the Moon by the end of the decade. Dozens of other international public and private missions are setting their sights on the lunar surface in the coming years.
But to achieve a permanent and sustainable presence on the Moon, reliable and autonomous lunar communications and navigation services are required.
This is why ESA is working with its industrial partners on the Moonlight initiative, to become the first off-planet commercial
Alpha Data powers NASA's climate change mineral dust detector on Space Station
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Copernicus LSTM Expansion mission helping climate change adaptation
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Satellites help scientists track dramatic wetlands loss in Louisiana
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![](https://www.spxdaily.com/images-bg/louisiana-wetlands-loss-bg.jpg)