JWST Unveils Potential Ice World in Habitable Zone
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 18:58
A team, including a University of Michigan astronomer, has discovered a promising exoplanet, LHS 1140 b, which may be an ice or water world within the habitable zone.
The study, led by Universite de Montreal, indicates that LHS 1140 b is unlikely to be a mini-Neptune, a type of small gas giant. Located about 48 light-years away in the constellation Cetus, this exoplanet is one of the most Exolaunch Deploys Satellites on Ariane 6 Inaugural Launch
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 18:58
Exolaunch, a global leader in launch mission management, integration, and satellite deployment services, has successfully deployed four satellites aboard the maiden flight of Arianespace's Ariane 6. The launch took place on Tuesday, July 9 at 1600 GFT from the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. This mission, representing customers ESA, NASA, and Spacemanic, underscores Exolaunch's piv New Method to Enhance Microbe Viability for Space and Extreme Environments
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 18:58
Researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital and MIT have developed a novel technique to ensure microbial therapeutics remain effective under extreme conditions. These advancements are pivotal for applications in space exploration, healthcare, and agriculture.
Extremophiles, microorganisms thriving in harsh environments like Yellowstone's hot springs and Antarctica's icy depths, offer insig NASA Mission to Study Mysteries in the Origin of Solar Radio Waves
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 18:58
Scientists first noticed these radio waves decades ago, and over the years they've determined the radio waves come from solar flares and giant eruptions on the Sun called coronal mass ejections, or CMEs, which are a key driver of space weather that can impact satellite communications and technology at Earth. But no one knows where the radio waves originate within a CME.
The CURIE mission a First SKA-Mid Dish Installed in South Africa
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 18:58
A team from the SKAO, South African Radio Astronomy Observatory (SARAO), and China's CETC54 successfully mounted the 15-meter-wide main reflector onto the SKA-Mid telescope pedestal in South Africa. This milestone is part of a larger effort involving a consortium from ten countries, led by CETC54, which is also manufacturing the dishes.
Over the past year, construction has accelerated at S Researchers Uncover New Insights into Neutron Star Matter
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 18:58
Neutron stars, with their extreme densities and mysterious interiors, remain enigmatic to astrophysicists. Despite having a radius of around twelve kilometers, they can possess over twice the mass of the sun, with matter packed up to five times denser than an atomic nucleus. Alongside black holes, neutron stars are the densest objects in the universe. Under such intense conditions, matter can tr Predicting and Mitigating the Impact of Auroras on Earth's Infrastructure
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 18:58
Auroras, long a source of wonder and myth, have a newfound significance in our technologically reliant world. The same space weather phenomena that create these stunning light displays can also induce currents that threaten electrical infrastructure, such as pipelines. Recent research published in *Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences* reveals that the angle at which interplanetary shocks s UC Riverside Study Offers Insights into Early Life on Earth
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 18:58
Despite decades of research, much remains unknown about the origins and early evolution of life on Earth. A recent paper from the University of California - Riverside aims to bridge this gap, suggesting future studies that could also inform climate change predictions and the search for extraterrestrial life.
"This paper strives to inform the Earth sciences community where the research need AEI hunting for more space investments after closing $1.28 billion fund
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 17:56
Astronauts confident Boeing space capsule can safely return them to Earth, despite failures
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 15:38
Two astronauts who should have been back on Earth weeks ago said Wednesday that they're confident that Boeing's space capsule can return them safely, despite a string of vexing breakdowns.
NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing's new Starliner capsule early last month, the first people to ride it. Helium leaks and thruster failures almost derailed their arrival at the International Space Station, and have kept them there much longer than planned. Now the earliest they could return may be the end of July, officials said.
Gateway: The first lunar space station
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 14:20
An interplay of light and shadows cast the docking ports for Gateway, humanity's first space station around the moon, into sharp relief.
Built by NASA commercial partner Northrup Grumman, HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost), is one of four modules where international teams of astronauts will live, conduct science, and prepare for missions to the lunar South Pole region. The module's main structure is currently undergoing testing in Turin, Italy.
One docking port inside HALO is where a cargo spacecraft and Gateway's Lunar View module, provided by ESA (European Space Agency), will dock. The docking port outside of HALO is where the SpaceX Starship and the Blue Origin Blue Moon Human Landing Systems will dock during the Artemis IV and V missions, respectively.
Gateway will launch to lunar orbit with the Power and Propulsion Element, provided by Maxar Space Systems, and later expand with ESA's Lunar I-Hab and Lunar View modules, the Crew and Science Airlock provided by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center, advanced external robotics provided by CSA (Canadian Space Agency), and critical hardware from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
Using microwave sintering to produce 'space brick' for a future moon base
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 14:13
The recent discovery of energy resources on the moon, such as water ice, has refocused interest on its potential as a sustainable hub for space exploration. NASA has also announced the Artemis mission, aiming for long-term human presence on the lunar surface. However, infrastructure expansion, such as lunar base construction, plays a vital role.
Yet, transporting construction materials from Earth to the lunar surface via landers incurs a significant cost of 1.2 million USD per kilogram. Weight directly translates to cost, making the transportation of construction materials from Earth to the moon nearly impossible.
To address this problem, Korea Institute of Civil Engineering and Building Technology, has developed technology for producing construction materials using in-situ resources from the moon.
Hubble finds evidence for rare black hole in Omega Centauri
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 14:00
An international team of astronomers has used more than 500 images from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope spanning two decades to detect seven fast-moving stars in the innermost region of Omega Centauri, the largest and brightest globular cluster in the sky. These stars provide compelling new evidence for the presence of an intermediate-mass black hole.
X-Bow raises $70 million to boost solid rocket motor production
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 13:22
The end of Chevron deference and what Loper Bright means for the space industry
Wednesday, 10 July 2024 12:00