Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 18, 2024
How can humans protect the Earth from "devastating asteroid and comet impacts?" According to the National Academies and their 2023-2032 Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey, ground based astronomical radar systems will have a "unique role" to play in planetary defense. There is currently only one system in the world concentrating on these efforts, NASA's Goldstone Solar System

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 18, 2024
NASA's Office of Technology, Policy and Strategy (OTPS) has launched a significant funding initiative aimed at advancing the sustainability of activities in Earth's orbit and on the lunar surface. This new effort seeks to address the critical social, economic, and policy dimensions essential for fostering sustainable practices in space exploration and utilization. With up to $300,000 alloc

Washington DC (UPI) Feb 16, 2024
NASA said Friday it is seeking applicants for a simulated yearlong Mars mission. The second of three planned ground-based missions under the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) program is slated for spring 2025. The mission involves four crew members living and working inside a 1,700-square-foot, 3D-printed base at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Tokyo (AFP) Feb 17, 2024
Japan's space agency toasted a successful blast-off for its new flagship rocket on Saturday, making it third time lucky after years of delays and two previous failed attempts. The next-generation H3 has been mooted as a rival to SpaceX's Falcon 9, and could one day deliver cargo to bases on the Moon. "I've been in the space industry for a long time, but I've never felt so happy before, a

Image: The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over Côte d'Ivoire in western Africa.

Image: Before and after satellite images from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission show the scale of the oil spill that occurred off the shores of Trinidad and Tobago’s coastline earlier this week.

London, Canada (SPX) Feb 15, 2024
A study led by Western astrobiologist Catherine Neish shows the subsurface ocean of Titan - the largest moon of Saturn - is most likely a non-habitable environment, meaning any hope of finding life in the icy world is dead in the water. This discovery means it is far less likely that space scientists and astronauts will ever find life in the outer solar system, home to the four 'giant' pla

Tucson AZ (SPX) Feb 15, 2024
NASA has big plans for its Artemis program - to return Americans to the moon for the first time since 1972 and establish a lunar base for humans by the end of the decade. With NASA funding, a team of University of Arizona engineers is using robot networks to create termite-inspired structures that will help astronauts survive the moon's harsh environment. Associate professor Jekan Thanga a

Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 15, 2024
One side effect of enjoying a very long mission is reaching fun number milestones. Usually that is "Sol 3000" or some other nice round number, but today we are planning the mathematically fun sol 2^12, also known as sol 4096. Today I was on shift as a MAHLI uplink lead, so I was excited to think about contact science targets. Unfortunately, the team determined that Curiosity's wheels are p