Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 25, 2024
The crew of the Shenzhou XVII, stationed on China's space station, successfully repaired damage to the core module's solar wings caused by space debris. This repair was accomplished during the country's inaugural mission involving extravehicular maintenance, according to the China Manned Space Agency. The astronauts are set to return to Earth on April 30, following the completion of their

Paris, France (SPX) Apr 25, 2024
The Space Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Space ISAC) has successfully conducted a tabletop exercise titled "Saving Selene: Walking on the Moon" at the 2024 CYSAT conference in Paris. The exercise aimed to enhance proactive measures in space security by simulating a space-based mining and manufacturing crisis set in the year 2030. The exercise scenario centered around a semi-perma

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 24, 2024
Shanghai Ocean University recently revealed Wen Yao, an intelligent soft-bodied bionic fish modeled after a manta ray, concluding over a decade of research and development. This robotic fish features a wingspan of 1 meter and weighs 35 kilograms, incorporating domestically produced components that ensure high efficiency and low energy consumption. Chen Xinjun, head of the university's Scho

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Apr 24, 2024
Researchers exploring Earth's driest hot desert, the Atacama Desert in northern Chile, have uncovered a hidden microbial world 13 feet beneath the surface, shedding light on potential extraterrestrial life habitats. Despite the harsh conditions, with scarce higher life forms, the hyper-arid soil rich in salts and sulfates nurtures bacteria. While the top 80 centimeters of soil offer some p

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Apr 26, 2024
The Shenzhou XVIII manned spaceship's three astronauts successfully entered China's space station early on Friday. Later, the two groups of astronaut crew members will conduct an on-orbit rotation at the space station. During this period, six astronauts will work and live together at the space station for about five days to complete all scheduled tasks, according to the China Manned

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 25, 2024
The crew of the first Boeing Starliner space mission on Thursday arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the spacecraft's debut manned mission on May 6. Veteran NASA astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams will be commander and pilot of the Crew Flight Test mission to the International Space Station. The Boeing CST-100 Starliner is set to li

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Apr 22, 2024
Earth's geomagnetic field, while generally shielding the planet from cosmic and solar radiation, experiences periods of significant fluctuation. Not only does the magnetic north shift from its geographically defined true north, but it also undergoes complete reversals. During such reversals, previously defined poles swap positions, causing a noticeable decrease in the magnetic field's strength.

Paris, France (SPX) Apr 25, 2024
Soil sealing is an increasing concern, particularly in urban settings, leading to significant environmental impacts such as flooding, erosion, and biodiversity loss. An ESA-funded initiative, the Ulysses project, is now providing critical insights into soil sealing, aiming to mitigate soil degradation across the Mediterranean. The project employs the Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite system

London, UK (SPX) Apr 25, 2024
Researchers at the University of Oxford and MIT have identified a 3.7-billion-year-old geological record of Earth's magnetic field, which closely resembles the current geomagnetic field in its characteristics. This discovery, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, offers the earliest confirmed measurement of the magnetic field's strength, recorded at 15 microtesla, nearly half of toda

Washington DC (UPI) Apr 26, 2024
Scientists at NASA are continuing work to restore operations to its Hubble Space Telescope, after pausing them earlier in the week due to issues with the orbiting instrument's gyroscope. The space agency confirmed in a statement Friday all instruments are stable aboard the telescope, which turned 34 Wednesday, one day after NASA scientists put it into safe mode because of the ongoing is