Berkeley CA (SPX) Jun 15, 2023
Using a complex cast of metal-studded pigments, proteins, enzymes, and co-enzymes, photosynthetic organisms can convert the energy in light into the chemical energy for life. And now, thanks to a study published June 14 in Nature, we know that this organic chemical reaction is sensitive to the smallest quantity of light possible - a single photon. The discovery solidifies our current under

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jun 15, 2023
On 16 June 2023, the time will have come. The final European Ariane 5 launcher is scheduled to lift off at 23:26 CEST (18:26 local time) from the European Spaceport at Kourou in French Guiana, carrying the German communications satellite 'Heinrich Hertz' and the French military satellite 'Syracuse 4B' into orbit. The 117th Ariane 5 flight, VA261, will release the Heinrich Hertz satellite into a

Tucson AZ (SPX) Jun 14, 2023
Sodium chloride, better known as table salt, isn't exactly the type of mineral that captures the imagination of scientists. However, a smattering of tiny salt crystals discovered in a sample from an asteroid has researchers at the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory excited, because these crystals can only have formed in the presence of liquid water. Even more intriguing,

Madrid (AFP) June 17, 2023
The maiden flight of Spain's first rocket was aborted Saturday after countdown ended because of a last-minute technical problem, the start up PLD Space said. The launch of the Miura 1 in the southwestern provence of Huelva was "automatically aborted" as some of the umbilicals - which are used to provide power and fuel to rockets - did not release as it should, Raul Torres, a co-founder of

Image: New ways to space

Week in images: 12-16 June 2023

Discover our week through the lens

Image: Copernicus Sentinel-3’s wide view captures the eastern edge of the Mediterranean and surrounding countries.

Beijing, China (SPX) Jun 16, 2023
China has performed a radiation biological exposure experiment outside the country's Mengtian lab module for the first time, a milestone achievement in radiation biology and space science research, according to a report by Science and Technology Daily. The experiment equipment was jointly developed by the National Space Science Center under the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Dalian Ma

Tucson AZ (SPX) Jun 16, 2023
An innovative flashlight to allow scientists to see the dark areas of the Moon to better understand their composition has been selected to participate in NASA's Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program. The EmberCore Flashlight: Long Distance Lunar Characterization with Intense Passive X- and Gamma-ray Source Phase 1 project is a 9-month concept feasibility study that will evaluate sour

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jun 16, 2023
Superfast, subatomic-sized particles called muons have been used to wirelessly navigate underground in a reportedly world first. By using muon-detecting ground stations synchronized with an underground muon-detecting receiver, researchers at the University of Tokyo were able to calculate the receiver's position in the basement of a six-story building. As GPS cannot penetrate rock or water, this