NASA talks UFOs with public ahead of final report on unidentified flying objects
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 15:28NASA held its first public meeting on UFOs Wednesday a year after launching a study into unexplained sightings.
The space agency televised the hourslong hearing featuring an independent panel of experts. The team includes 16 scientists and other experts selected by NASA including retired astronaut Scott Kelly, the first American to spend nearly a year in space.
Several committee members have been subjected to "online abuse" for serving on the team, which detracts from the scientific process, said NASA's Dan Evans, adding that NASA security is dealing with it.
How much damage will lunar landings do to lunar orbiters?
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 15:01Multiple missions are destined for the moon in this decade. These include robotic and crewed missions conducted by space agencies, commercial space entities, and non-profit organizations. The risks and hazards of going to the moon are well-documented, thanks to Apollo Program and the six crewed missions it sent to the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972. But unlike the "footprints and flags" of yesterday, the plan for the coming decade is to create a "sustained program of lunar exploration and development."
This means establishing a greater presence on the moon, building infrastructure (like habitats, power systems, and landing pads), and missions regularly coming and going. Given the low-gravity environment on the moon, spacecraft kick up a lot of lunar regolith (aka.
Metal fuel for carbon-free energy on Earth… and the Moon
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 14:36Everything burns. Given the right environment, all matter can burn by adding oxygen, but finding the right mix and generating enough heat makes some materials combust more easily than others. Researchers interested in knowing more about a type of fire called discrete burning used ESA’s microgravity experiment facilities to investigate.
Tune in for first Mars livestream
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 13:00For one hour on Friday 2 June, join ESA on YouTube for a space first as live images stream down direct from Mars – this will be the closest you can get to a live view from the Red Planet.
North Korea’s spy satellite launch fails with second-stage malfunction
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 12:37A North Korean rocket failed shortly after liftoff May 31, plunging into the ocean with its spy satellite payload.
Satellite operators Viasat and Inmarsat complete merger deal
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 12:07Viasat said May 31 it closed the acquisition of Inmarsat it announced a year and a half ago after clearing all regulatory hurdles to consolidate the satellite operators.
China looks to expand scope of space operations with Shenzhou 16
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 11:12Traditionally, China's astronauts are selected from among fighter plane pilots with ample flying experience, as they can control the machinery and have the training to stay calm should an emergency arise in space. Yet among the three astronauts aboard Shenzhou XVI, which is taking them to Tiangong, China's space station, is Gui Haichao, a professor from Beihang University. He is the first
Launch signals wider-opening space sector for China
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 11:08Traditionally, China's astronauts are selected from among fighter plane pilots with ample flying experience, as they can control the machinery and have the training to stay calm should an emergency arise in space. Yet among the three astronauts aboard Shenzhou XVI, which is taking them to Tiangong, China's space station, is Gui Haichao, a professor from Beihang University. He is the first
China aims to make manned moon landing before 2030
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 11:08China plans to send astronauts to the moon before 2030, a space official said on Monday. Lin Xiqiang, deputy director of the China Manned Space Agency, said at a news conference at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China that the country's space authorities have launched the manned lunar program. "The overall goals are to realize China's first manned landing on the
BeetleSat conducts two-way data communication using proprietary expandable antenna
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 11:08BeetleSat, formerly NSLComm, a fast-growing satellite technology company building the world's first global low-Earth orbit (LEO) constellation optimized for premium point-to-point communications, has announced the successful software-defined radio (SDR) two-way data communication using its lightweight, very high data rate, expandable antenna. "Successful data transmission between our satel
SpaceX Dragon carrying Axiom crew splashes down off coast of Florida
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 11:08The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the Axiom Space Ax-2 crew successfully returned to Earth late Tuesday night, splashing down off the coast of Florida following 10 days in space. The Ax-2 crew undocked from the International Space Station Tuesday morning to make its 12-hour journey back to Earth, and splashed down at 11:04 p.m. ET in the Gulf of Mexico. "Splashdown of Dragon confirmed
AFRL helps NASA test equipment for Artemis II Mission
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 11:08The Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, and NASA worked together over the last two weeks of April 2023 along with other industry partners, such as Lockheed Martin, to test the most current iteration of an astronaut crew seat and flight suit that will be used in the Orion spacecraft during future missions to space. "NASA came to us actually several years ago, to work with them on develo
Quest for alien signals in the heart of the Milky Way takes off
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 11:08Akshay Suresh, a graduate student at Cornell University, spearheads an extraordinary scientific endeavor - a groundbreaking mission to uncover periodic signals emanating from the core of the Milky Way called the Breakthrough Listen Investigation for Periodic Spectral Signals (BLIPSS). Such repetitive patterns could be the key to unlocking the mysteries of extraterrestrial intelligence in o
New study provides novel insights into the cosmic evolution of amino acids
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 11:08All biological amino acids on Earth appear exclusively in their left-handed form, but the reason underlying this observation is elusive. Recently, scientists from Japan uncovered new clues about the cosmic origin of this asymmetry. Based on the optical properties of amino acids found on the Murchison meteorite, they conducted physics-based simulations, revealing that the precursors to the biolog
One-third of galaxy's most common planets could be in habitable zone
Wednesday, 31 May 2023 11:08Our familiar, warm, yellow sun is a relative rarity in the Milky Way. By far the most common stars are considerably smaller and cooler, sporting just half the mass of our sun at most. Billions of planets orbit these common dwarf stars in our galaxy. To capture enough warmth to be habitable, these planets would need to huddle very close to their small stars, which leaves them susceptible to