Copernical Team
NASA talks UFOs with public ahead of final report on unidentified flying objects
NASA held its first public meeting on UFOs Wednesday a year after launching a study into unexplained sightings.
The space agency televised the hourslong hearing featuring an independent panel of experts. The team includes 16 scientists and other experts selected by NASA including retired astronaut Scott Kelly, the first American to spend nearly a year in space.
Several committee members have been subjected to "online abuse" for serving on the team, which detracts from the scientific process, said NASA's Dan Evans, adding that NASA security is dealing with it.
One spacecraft could visit all of Saturn's inner large moons
If you've ever played Kerbal Space Program, you know how difficult it can be to get your spacecraft into the orbit you want. It's even more difficult in real life. This is why it's pretty impressive to see a proposal to study all of Saturn's large inner moons in one go.
At a broad level, orbits are pretty simple. Planets and moons are basically ellipses. Once set into motion, spacecraft generally follow an elliptical or parabolic path, so it's just a matter of lining up your spacecraft's orbit with your destination and point of origin. You can do the calculations by hand if you know the math.
Once hostile, NASA holds first public meeting on UFOs
The truth is out there—but we're going to need to look harder.
Scientists at NASA's first ever public meeting on "unidentified anomalous phenomena"—more commonly called UFOs—called Wednesday for a more rigorous scientific approach to clarify the origin of hundreds of mysterious sightings.
The space agency announced last year it was analyzing observations in the sky that can't be identified as aerial or natural phenomena—a subject that has long fascinated the public but was shunned by mainstream science.
Metal fuel for carbon-free energy on Earth… and the Moon
Everything burns. Given the right environment, all matter can burn by adding oxygen, but finding the right mix and generating enough heat makes some materials combust more easily than others. Researchers interested in knowing more about a type of fire called discrete burning used ESA’s microgravity experiment facilities to investigate.
Tune in for first Mars livestream
For one hour on Friday 2 June, join ESA on YouTube for a space first as live images stream down direct from Mars – this will be the closest you can get to a live view from the Red Planet.
Orion European Service Module-4 logo
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Orion European Service Module-4 logo China looks to expand scope of space operations with Shenzhou 16
Traditionally, China's astronauts are selected from among fighter plane pilots with ample flying experience, as they can control the machinery and have the training to stay calm should an emergency arise in space.
Yet among the three astronauts aboard Shenzhou XVI, which is taking them to Tiangong, China's space station, is Gui Haichao, a professor from Beihang University. He is the first Private flight with 2 Saudi astronauts returns from space station with Gulf of Mexico splashdown
High winds halt Spanish rocket launch
The maiden flight of the Spanish-built Miura 1 rocket was canceled Wednesday due to high winds, startup PLD Space said, in a setback for development of the small-scale space launcher.
"We have no green light, there are gusts of wind at high altitude above our limits. That means we don't have sufficiently safe conditions to launch," a commentator said on PLD Space's livestream of the lift-off, which was to be Spain's first.
It will be several days before a new launch window opens, the commentator added.
Standing just 12 meters (40 feet) tall, the small rocket was to fly 100 kilometers (62 miles) above the Earth's surface from a military base in southern Spain.
While that distance would put it in outer space, the rocket is not powerful enough to reach orbit.
Wednesday's sub-orbital launch had been slated to bring a payload with micro-gravity experiments, as well as setting up PLD Space's plans for future rockets.
"The idea is to learn and to minimize risks for the first flights of the Miura 5", said PLD Space cofounder Raul Verdu, referring to a launcher the firm hopes will place satellites into orbit from 2025.
Wanted: European commercial cargo service for space stations around Earth
ESA invites European companies to submit proposals for commercial cargo transportation services to and from the International Space Station and future commercial low Earth orbit outposts.