China researching challenges of kilometer-scale ultra-large spacecraft
Friday, 27 August 2021 09:13The National Natural Science Foundation of China has outlined a five-year project for researchers to study the assembly of ultra-large spacecraft.
KyotoU to test slats of wood aboard Japan's Kibo platform on the ISS
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56Humans have relied on forests and trees - for shelter, food, and fuel - from the earliest times. As technology has advanced, timber has been utilized for buildings, ships, and railroads. And now we may be on the verge of taking wood into space. Why wood? Building in space with futuristic, 'space-age' materials might seem to be the obvious choice: lumber's fragility and combustibility might
University of Zurich and Airbus grow miniature human tissue on the International Space Station ISS
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56With the next supply flight to the International Space Station (ISS), the Space Hub of the University of Zurich (UZH) and Airbus Defence and Space are bringing an experiment into space, which is intended to further advance the industrial production of human tissue in zero-gravity conditions. With this step, space could become a workshop for producing miniature human tissue for terrestrial use in
Implantable drug delivery devices goes remote onboard the ISS
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56From Novartis to Lamborghini, Alessandro Grattoni and the Houston Methodist Research Institute have partnered with big names to leverage the International Space Station (ISS) U.S. National Laboratory for space-based research and technology development with important benefits back on Earth. Grattoni, professor and chair of the Department of Nanomedicine at the Houston Methodist Research Ins
Blue Origin launches experiments, artwork from Texas
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56Jeff Bezos' rocket company, Blue Origin, launched the 17th mission of its New Shepard rocket Thursday morning from Texas with artwork and experiments for NASA and universities. The NS-17 mission lifted off at 10:31 a.m. EDT from the company's launch facility about 150 miles east of El Paso after nearly an hour delay due to an issue with one of the experiments on board, according to a Bl
Frontier Development Lab transforms space and earth science for NASA with Google Cloud
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56Frontier Development Lab (FDL), in partnership with the SETI Institute, NASA and private sector partners including Google Cloud, are transforming space and Earth science through the application of industry-leading artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) tools. FDL tackles knowledge gaps in space science by pairing ML experts with researchers in physics, astronomy, astrobiolo
SpaceWERX ready to propel space innovation
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56SpaceWERX officially lifted off Aug. 19 during the virtual Space Force Pitch Day. The event closed with 19 small businesses securing Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contracts to advance their cutting-edge space technologies. The newly launched SpaceWERX will play a vital role in pursuing innovative technologies for the U.S. Space Force. It will operate as part of AFWERX, the De
NASA's Perseverance plans next sample attempt
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56In its search for signs of ancient microbial life on Mars, NASA's Perseverance rover is once again preparing to collect the first of many rock core samples that could eventually be brought to Earth for further study. This week, a tool on the rover's 7-foot-long (2-meter-long) robotic arm will abrade the surface of a rock nicknamed "Rochette," allowing scientists to look inside and determin
Titan-in-a-glass experiments hint at mineral makeup of Saturn moon
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56Titan, Saturn's largest moon, is a natural laboratory to study the origins of life. Like Earth, Titan has a dense atmosphere and seasonal weather cycles, but the chemical and mineralogical makeup are significantly different. Now, earthbound researchers have recreated the moon's conditions in small glass cylinders, revealing fundamental properties of two organic molecules that are believed to exi
New class of habitable exoplanets are 'a big step forward' in the search for life
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56A new class of exoplanet very different to our own, but which could support life, has been identified by astronomers, which could greatly accelerate the search for life outside our Solar System. In the search for life elsewhere, astronomers have mostly looked for planets of a similar size, mass, temperature and atmospheric composition to Earth. However, astronomers from the University of C
James Webb Space Telescope has completed testing
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56After successful completion of its final tests, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is being prepped for shipment to its launch site. Engineering teams have completed Webb's long-spanning comprehensive testing regimen at Northrop Grumman's facilities. Webb's many tests and checkpoints were designed to ensure that the world's most complex space science observatory will operate as designed onc
Space science project funding available for UK space projects
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56The joint funding call, which opens today from the UK Space Agency and Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), will facilitate and encourage collaboration between industry and academia, and support new entrants to the space sector. The 375,000 pounds Technology for Space Science fund will boost technology that will support the exploration of our universe through space-based astro
Satellite built by UMass Lowell students headed to the International Space Station
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56It's all systems go for SPACE HAUC, a miniature satellite designed and built by UMass Lowell students for NASA, which plans to send it to the International Space Station on Saturday for launch into the Earth's orbit this fall. Funded by a $200,000 grant from the space agency, the satellite was designed, built and managed by more than 100 students from UMass Lowell's Francis College of Engi
Kendall, Raymond stress importance of space and Space Force's success
Friday, 27 August 2021 07:56Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall offered unambiguous support Aug. 24 for the still evolving U.S. Space Force, noting the critical role space plays in the nation's security, the essential functions space enables in everyday life, and why access must be assured as space becomes more congested and contested. "It is impossible to overstate the importance of space-based systems to natio
Maine museum to host large chunk of Mars rock
Friday, 27 August 2021 06:52A Maine museum will play host to a chunk of rock it said is the largest intact Mars rock on Earth.
The Maine Mineral & Gem Museum said the specimen weighs 32 pounds (15 kilograms) and is about 10 inches (25 centimeters) at its longest point. The museum said the rock was the result of an asteroid impact on the surface of Mars that ejected material into an Earth-crossing orbit in space.
There are less than 500 pounds (227 kilograms) of Mars rock known to exist on Earth, the museum said.
The rock is known as "Taoudenni 002." The Bethel, Maine, museum said it will include the rock when it opens to the public on Sept. 1.
The museum said it is planning a reception with limited capacity on Aug. 31 to celebrate the acquisition of the rock. Two scientists from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration are expected to attend, the museum said.
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