Rocket engine startup sees opportunities in crowded launch market
Monday, 03 May 2021 19:18
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WASHINGTON — The small launch sector is crowded, and getting more so. But Will Roper believes there is still room in the market for suppliers of rocket engines that innovate fast and adapt to changing demands.
Johnson Space Center director steps down
Monday, 03 May 2021 17:53 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — The head of NASA’s Johnson Space Center is stepping down from his post because of health issues, but will remain with the agency as an adviser.
In a three-minute video published May 3, Mark Geyer announced that he would leave the position of director of the Houston-based center in order to focus on treatment for an unspecified cancer diagnosed a year ago.
Image: Hubble views a dazzling cosmic necklace
Monday, 03 May 2021 13:34 Write a comment
The interaction of two doomed stars has created this spectacular ring adorned with bright clumps of gas—a diamond necklace of cosmic proportions. Fittingly known as the "Necklace Nebula," this planetary nebula is located 15,000 light-years away from Earth in the small, dim constellation of Sagitta (the Arrow).
A pair of tightly orbiting sun-like stars produced the Necklace Nebula, which also goes by the less glamorous name of PN G054.203.4. Roughly 10,000 years ago, one of the aging stars expanded and engulfed its smaller companion, creating something astronomers call a "common envelope." The smaller star continued to orbit inside its larger companion, increasing the bloated giant's rotation rate until large parts of it spun outwards into space. This escaping ring of debris formed the Necklace Nebula, with particularly dense clumps of gas forming the bright "diamonds" around the ring.
The pair of stars which created the Necklace Nebula remain so close together—separated by only several million miles—that they appear as a single bright dot in the center of this image.
Lessons learned from a simulated asteroid strike
Monday, 03 May 2021 13:12 Write a comment
In an alternate reality playing out at this year's international Planetary Defense Conference, a fictional asteroid crashes over Europe, 'destroying' a region about 100 km wide near the Czech Republic and German border. The scenario was imagined, but the people who took part are very real, and the lessons learnt will shape our ability to respond to dangerous asteroids for years to come.
How salty is Enceladus' ocean under the ice?
Monday, 03 May 2021 12:20 Write a comment
An icy satellite of Saturn, Enceladus, has been a subject of increasing interest in recent years since Cassini captured jets of water and other material being ejected out of the south pole of the moon. One particularly tantalizing hypothesis supported by the sample composition is that there might be life in the oceans under the ice shells of Enceladus. To evaluate Enceladus' habitability and to figure out the best way to probe this icy moon, scientists need to better understand the chemical composition and dynamics of Enceladus' ocean.
Specifically, an appropriate salinity could be important for habitability. Like the porridge of the Three Bears, the salt level of the water must be just right for life to thrive. Too high a salinity could be threatening to life, and too low a salinity may indicate a weak water-rock reaction, limiting the amount of energy available to life.
Mid-latitude glaciers on Mars could supply water to human explorers
Monday, 03 May 2021 12:10 Write a comment
By Earth standards, the surface of Mars is the picture of desolation. It's not only irradiated and cold enough to make Antarctica look balmy, but it's also one-thousands times drier than the driest places on Earth. However, beneath the super-arid surface of the Red Planet, there are abundant supplies of water ice that could someday be accessible to human explorers (and even settlers).
This is especially the case in the mid-latitude region known as Arcadia Planitia, a smooth plain located in Martian northern lowlands. According to new research conducted with support from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), the region shows signs of glaciers and glacier activity. These findings could prove very useful for the future human landings and exploration of Mars, not to mention potential settlement.
The study, which recently appeared in the scientific journal Icarus, was led by Shannon Hibbard—a Ph.D. candidate in geology and planetary science at the University of Western Ontario (UWO). She was joined by Dr. Gordon R. Osinski of UWO's Institute for Earth and Space Exploration (IESE), and Etienne Godin, a data scientist at the Center for Northern Studies at Laval University; and Nathan Williams and Matthew Golombek of NASA JPL.
Chinese company claims to be working on a Starship-like rocket
Monday, 03 May 2021 12:04 Write a comment
Last weekend, China celebrated its sixth "National Space Day" in Nanjing, an event that highlights advances China has made in space. Similar to Space Day that is held each year on the first Thursday in May (this year, it will be held on May 7th), the goal is to foster interest in space exploration and the STEMS so as to inspire the next generation of astronauts and aerospace engineers.
This year, the festivities focused on the Chang'e-5 mission (which showcased some of the lunar samples it brought back), and the name of China's first Mars rover (Zhurong) – which will be landing on the Red Planet later this month. But another interesting snippet was a video presented by one of China's main rocket manufacturers that showed demonstrated that they are working on a rocket similar to the Starship.
The video, titled "One Hour Global Arrival in the Space Transportation System," was presented by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) – one of the country's main state-owned rocket manufacturers.
Space law and the fight against space debris
Monday, 03 May 2021 10:42 Write a comment
Space is getting crowded. More than 100 million tiny pieces of debris are spinning in Earth orbit, along with tens of thousands of bigger chunks and around 3,300 functioning satellites.
Large satellite constellations such as Starlink are becoming more common, infuriating astronomers and baffling casual skywatchers. In the coming decade, we may see many more satellites launched than in all Stratolaunch set for second hypersonic vehicle test
Monday, 03 May 2021 10:42 Write a comment
Aerospace company Stratolaunch's carrier aircraft, which is designed to launch hypersonic and space vehicles, is performing its second test flight in California's Mojave Desert, the company said on Thursday.
"We are airborne," the company said in a statement. "Currently performing various flight test maneuvers."
The aircraft will complete its test flight at about 2 p.m. Eastern Time New brain-like computing device mimics associative learning
Monday, 03 May 2021 10:42 Write a comment
Researchers have developed a computing device that is capable of learning by association, essentially merging storage and memory capacity.
Researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Hong Kong used organic electromagnetic chemical "synaptic transistors" to simultaneously store and process information, according to a study published Friday in Nature Communications. China's Fengyun weather data freely available for EO applications
Monday, 03 May 2021 10:42 Write a comment
Many meteorological satellite networks are constantly scanning Earth, providing vital research data and real-time life-saving weather information. Since China began its initial development in 1970, the Fengyun (FY) series of meteorological satellites have advanced considerably throughout more than 50 years.
While FY satellites primarily focus on the atmosphere, they are capable of observin Starry night at the Ariane 6 launch base
Monday, 03 May 2021 08:15 Write a comment
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A timelapse under the stars on the Ariane 6 launch base at Europe’s Spaceport Vega-C: power and versatility
Monday, 03 May 2021 08:05 Write a comment
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Europe’s new launch vehicle, Vega-C, is near completion. Elements will soon be shipped to Kourou for assembly and preparation for Vega-C’s inaugural flight.
This new launcher improves its Vega predecessor by offering more power and versatility at similar cost. This new design allows Vega-C to transport larger and heavier payloads into space making it a world-class competitor on the global launcher market while ensuring Europe’s independent access to space.
Connecting the Dots | Assessing top-down pollution
Monday, 03 May 2021 06:00 Write a comment
Satellites are leading the charge in the battle against climate change, providing critical insights about Earth that can only be gained from space. But are they also contributing to the problem?
Putting aside environmental impacts of the rockets that launch them to orbit, satellites inject a complex mix of chemicals into the atmosphere when their computers, fuel tanks and other onboard materials vaporize upon reentry.
Latin America looks to space, despite limitations on ground
Monday, 03 May 2021 05:57 Write a comment
Mars missions, astronauts coming and going at the International Space Station, China's increasingly ambitious space program. Space-related news is flowing, and not just from the world's richest, biggest nations. Take Latin America.
On Feb. 17, the congress in Nicaragua, one of the region's poorest, most conflict-prone nations, approved a law creating a space agency. Costa Rica, known for relative growth and stability, did the same on Feb. 18, the day that the NASA rover Perseverance landed on Mars to look for signs of ancient life.