Leidos Dynetics Team and Northrop Grumman to Collaborate on NASA Human Landing System Bid
Thursday, 08 December 2022 00:27
Dynetics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leidos, has announced it has submitted a bid on the Human Landing System (HLS) Sustaining Lunar Development (SLD) contract for NASA's Artemis Mission. Northrop Grumman will join the Dynetics team in this pursuit.
"We're excited to enter the competition to support NASA's Sustaining Lunar Development efforts, adding Northrop Grumman to our team," said L Martian dust devil analogues in the Mojave Desert #ASA183
Thursday, 08 December 2022 00:27
In the Mojave Desert, the sun beats down on the ground and makes pockets of low pressure. Cool air rushes into these areas, where it warms and rises, creating vortices that pick up dust. These types of dust devils aren't limited to Earth: They are found on Mars at sizes reaching 1,600 meters in diameter.
Dust devils could play a large role in the Martian climate, and they are crucial to un Artemis I Flight Day 22 - Orion Continues on its Journey Back to Earth
Thursday, 08 December 2022 00:27
Orion continues its journey back to Earth on day 22 of the 25.5-day Artemis I mission with flight controllers and engineers continuing to test the spacecraft and its systems in preparation for future flights with humans aboard.
Engineers conducted the second part of the propellant tank slosh development flight test, called propellant slosh, which is scheduled during quiescent, or less acti How can karst caves be used as terrestrial simulation platform to test and design human base in Lunar lava tube?
Thursday, 08 December 2022 00:27
If human beings want to survive on the other planets for a long time, they must first find or set up a safe, stable, and long-term shelter. Lunar lava tubes are geological structures of the moon discovered in recent years. They take the shape of hollow pipe-shaped caves formed on the surface of the planet by volcanic activity.
Because a lunar lava tube has a hard basalt roof, its internal NASA Mars helicopter Ingenuity sets altitude record on 35th flight
Thursday, 08 December 2022 00:27
NASA's Mars helicopter Ingenuity completed its 35th flight over the weekend, setting a new altitude record of 46 feet in the thin Martian atmosphere.
The 4-pound chopper's previous record was 39 feet, according to NASA's Ingenuity flight log. The helicopter was deployed from NASA's Perseverance rover that landed on the Martian surface in February 2021.
Saturday's Ingenuity flight Unusual gamma-ray burst reveals previously undetected hybrid neutron-star merger event
Thursday, 08 December 2022 00:27
The standard view of gamma-ray bursts as a signature for different types of dying stars might need a rewrite. Recent astronomical observations, supported by theoretical modeling, reveal a new observational fingerprint of neutron-star mergers, which may shed light on the production of heavy elements throughout the universe.
"Astronomers have long believed that gamma-ray bursts fell into two AIR scientists design digital ionosonde for Meridian Space Weather Monitoring Project
Thursday, 08 December 2022 00:27
Designed for the "Meridian Space Weather Monitoring Project-II", five digital ionosondes have been installed and start operation at the observatories of this Project, according to the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) on November 16, 2022.
The ionosphere stretches roughly 50 to 400 miles above Earth's surface, right at the edge of space, and Defense Innovation Unit seeks commercial options to deploy satellites in deep space
Wednesday, 07 December 2022 22:51
The Defense Innovation Unit is seeking proposals for commercial services to deploy and operate payloads in outer space beyond Earth orbit
The post Defense Innovation Unit seeks commercial options to deploy satellites in deep space appeared first on SpaceNews.
NASA and Boeing change SLS core stage assembly process
Wednesday, 07 December 2022 22:26
NASA and Boeing are changing how they assemble the core stage of the Space Launch System, moving some of the final integration work to the Kennedy Space Center.
The post NASA and Boeing change SLS core stage assembly process appeared first on SpaceNews.
Cryogenics specialist orders first satellite for detecting methane leaks
Wednesday, 07 December 2022 21:05
Absolut Group, a French cryogenic technology provider, said Dec. 7 it has ordered a demo nanosatellite for a constellation that would use sensors at very low temperatures to detect greenhouse gas leaks.
NDAA compromise bill wants more focus on satellite protection, responsive launch
Wednesday, 07 December 2022 20:17
A bipartisan compromise version of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act released overnight on Dec. 6 directs DoD to figure out a strategy to protect military satellites from threats in orbit.
How karst caves can be used as a terrestrial simulation platform to test and design human bases in lunar lava tubes
Wednesday, 07 December 2022 20:08
If human beings want to survive on the other planets for a long time, they must first find or set up a safe, stable, and long-term shelter. Lunar lava tubes are geological structures on the moon discovered in recent years. They take the form of hollow pipe-shaped caves formed on the surface of the planet by volcanic activity.
Because a lunar lava tube has a hard basalt roof, its internal environmental factors such as temperature changes, radiation doses, and the probability of being hit by meteorites are relatively limited. As such, it offers in theory an ideal human lunar habitat. Until now, more than 300 potential cave entrances have been identified on the moon. The "skylights" they display are the result of a kind of pit caused by the active lava tube collapsing.
In a new article published in Space: Science & Technology, the research team led by Gengxin Xie and Linli Guo has discussed the feasibility of using lunar lava tubes for human habitation, proposed the idea of using the Earth's karst caves to simulate extraterrestrial lava tubes, selected caves in Chongqing as the simulation site, and demonstrated the feasibility in terms of both structural and environmental aspects.
Will we ever go back to explore the ice giants? Yes, if we keep the missions simple and affordable
Wednesday, 07 December 2022 17:33
It's been over 35 years since a spacecraft visited Uranus and Neptune. That was Voyager 2, and it only did flybys. Will we ever go back? There are discoveries waiting to be made on these fascinating ice giants and their moons.
Blue Origin and Dynetics bidding on second Artemis lunar lander
Wednesday, 07 December 2022 16:43
Teams led by Blue Origin and Dynetics, runners-up in NASA’s first competition to develop a lander to transport astronauts to the lunar surface, have submitted proposals for a NASA competition to select a second lander.
New lidar technique could help robotic vehicles land safely on Mars
Wednesday, 07 December 2022 16:33
In a new study, scientists demonstrate a new lidar technique that could help robotic vehicles avoid hazards when landing during future missions to Mars or the moon. The method uses flash lidar to record full 3D images with a single laser pulse, which prevents the motion blur that is present with traditional lidar approaches.
Farzin Amzajerdian from NASA Langley Research Center will present the new findings at the Optica Laser Congress, 11–15 December 2022. The presentation, titled "Development of a 3D Flash Lidar for Terrain Sensing and Safe Landing on Planetary Bodies," will be presented on-site and online in a hybrid format.
"Lidar technology plays a critical role in future missions to the moon, Mars, and other solar system bodies since they require precision safe landing at specific locations where valuable resources may be found or may lead to important scientific discoveries," said principal investigator, Farzin Amzajerdian, Ph.D.
A streamlined design
Flash lidar is useful for several purposes throughout the process of landing robotic vehicles. As a vehicle descends to a surface, flash lidar can be used to generate 3D terrain maps from an altitude of several kilometers to reduce position error.