Liquid nitrogen spray could clean up stubborn moon dust
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 15:24
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A liquid nitrogen spray developed by Washington State University researchers can remove almost all of the simulated moon dust from a space suit, potentially solving what is a significant challenge for future moon-landing astronauts.
The sprayer removed more than 98% of moon dust simulant in a vacuum environment with minimal damage to spacesuits, performing better than any techniques that have been investigated previously. The researchers report on their work in the journal, Acta Astronautica.
While people have managed to put men on the moon, they haven't figured out how to keep them clean there. Similar to the clingiest packaging peanuts, moon dust sticks to everything that it touches. Worse than the packing peanuts, the dust is composed of very fine particles that are the consistency of ground fiberglass.
"Moon dust is electrostatically charged, abrasive and gets everywhere, making it a very difficult substance to deal with," said Ian Wells, first author on the paper and a senior in WSU's School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering.
China to expand its space station, international astronaut selection underway
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 13:59 Write a comment
China is planning to expand its Tiangong space station with a multi-functional module to enhance its capabilities.
Japan selects first new astronauts in 14 years to support Artemis program
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 13:24 Write a comment
Japan’s space agency JAXA said Feb.
SpaceX launches first upgraded Starlink satellites
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 12:46 Write a comment
SpaceX launched the first set of upgraded Starlink satellites for its second-generation constellation Feb.
Surgeon, scientist named Japan's first new astronauts in 13 years
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 11:17 Write a comment
Japan's space agency JAXA named its first new astronaut candidates in over 13 years on Tuesday, with a surgeon and a climate scientist chosen from more than 4,000 applicants.
Ayu Yoneda, a 28-year-old surgeon for Tokyo's Japanese Red Cross Medical Center, will become just the third woman ever to join the space training programme. Japan's six current astronauts are all men.
She will be joined by Makoto Suwa, 46, a senior disaster risk management specialist at the World Bank, who made the cut after an unsuccessful first application more than a decade ago.
Yoneda said she was "elated and surprised" to learn she had been chosen.
"I felt a sense of responsibility and mission," she told reporters.
Suwa, speaking by video from the United States, said he was "so excited that I haven't been able to sleep".
The pair, chosen from 4,127 applicants, will now begin a two-year training programme and, if successful, could join International Space Station missions and become the first Japanese astronauts to reach the Moon.
China says will train foreign astronauts for space station
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 11:16 Write a comment
China says it will soon begin training foreign astronauts for trips to its newly completed orbiting space station.
Long a source of national pride and symbol of technological advancement, the Chinese space program is taking on a new diplomatic and political role, much in the way the United States and former Soviet Union leveraged theirs.
First ispace mission on track for April lunar landing
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 11:07 Write a comment
Japanese lunar lander developer ispace said Feb. 27 that its first mission remains on track to attempt a landing in two months as it makes progress on its next two missions.
Yusaku Maezawa, Entrepreneur and First Private Japanese Citizen to Visit the ISS, Invests U.S. $23 Million in Astroscale
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 06:33 Write a comment
Astroscale Holdings Inc. ("Astroscale"), the market leader in satellite servicing and long-term sustainability across all orbits, has received an investment of U.S. $23 million from Yusaku Maezawa, the first private Japanese citizen to visit the International Space Station (ISS).
"Mr. Maezawa's investment is a testament to the importance of space sustainability, and we are deeply grateful Space Force, Air Force partner to establish new Space Test Course
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 06:33 Write a comment
The U.S. Air and Space Forces have partnered to create the new Space Test Course, which will instruct Guardians on test and evaluation processes, in order to conduct robust and methodical system testing on space-flight equipment at the Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Space Force Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. David D. Thompson and Air Force Vice Chief of Staff DARPA, Services Demonstrate Battlefield Airspace Deconfliction Software
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 06:33 Write a comment
DARPA's Air Space Total Awareness for Rapid Tactical Execution (ASTARTE) program recently demonstrated new automated flightpath-planning software that successfully deconflicted friendly missiles, artillery fire, and manned and unmanned aircraft while avoiding enemy fires in a simulated battle in contested airspace.
In a demonstration held at the U.S. Army's Mission Command Battle Lab, Ft. AFRL establishes one-stop shop for partnerships
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 06:33 Write a comment
The Air Force Research Laboratory established a new Strategic Partnering Directorate, or AFRL/SP, to achieve greater alignment, effectiveness and efficiencies in supporting partnership priorities across the Department of the Air Force's science and technology, or S and T, enterprise. The Air Force Manpower and Personnel Directorate signed an organizational change request Dec. 22, 2022, after app Commercial Space: NASA Has an App for That
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 04:35 Write a comment
Research balloons, satellites, and planetary landers may have little in common, but NASA has written a program that can help operate all these craft and more. This open-source software framework, called core Flight System (cFS), is similar to a smartphone operating system in that it serves as the foundation for apps developed to perform spaceflight functions. Now, Red Canyon Software Inc. is bui Gilmour Space and Atomos Space sign MoU for launch and in-space transfers
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 04:35 Write a comment
Gilmour Space Technologies and Atomos Space have announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore a multi-year contract for Gilmour and Atomos to mutually purchase services for launch and in-space transportation.
The partnership will see Atomos contract Gilmour for launch services on its Eris and upcoming orbital launch vehicles. In addi UK companies to provide services for future Moon missions
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 04:35 Write a comment
The UK Space Agency has announced over 50 million pounds for UK companies to develop communication and navigation services for missions to the Moon.
The new funding is part of the European Space Agency's Moonlight programme, which aims to launch a constellation of satellites into orbit around the Moon, from 2028.
This will allow future astronauts, rovers, science experiments and ot Astronomers discover metal-rich galaxies in early universe
Tuesday, 28 February 2023 04:35 Write a comment
While analyzing data from the first images of a well-known early galaxy taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), Cornell University astronomers discovered a companion galaxy previously hidden behind the light of the foreground galaxy - one that surprisingly seems to have already hosted multiple generations of stars despite its young age, estimated at 1.4 billion years old.
"We fo