Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 27, 2024
The Solar System has some new lunar members-the first new moon of Uranus discovered in more than 20 years, and likely the smallest, as well as two new moons of Neptune, one of which is the faintest moon ever discovered by ground-based telescopes. The discoveries were announced by the International Astronomical Union's Minor Planet Center. "The three newly discovered moons are the faintest

Laurel MD (SPX) Feb 27, 2024
Speeding through the outer edges of the Kuiper Belt, almost 60 times farther from the Sun than Earth, the New Horizons Venetia Burney Student Dust Counter (SDC) instrument is detecting higher than expected levels of dust - the tiny frozen remnants of collisions between larger Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs) and particles kicked up from KBOs being peppered by microscopic dust impactors from outside of

Cincinnati OH (SPX) Feb 27, 2024
In the three years since NASA's Perseverance rover touched down on Mars, the NASA science team has made the daily task of investigating the red planet seem almost mundane. The rover and its helicopter sidekick Ingenuity have captured stunning images of Mars and collected 23 unique rock core samples along 17 miles of an ancient river delta. One science team member, University of Cinci

Washington (AFP) Feb 26, 2024
An American lunar lander that tipped over during touchdown has sent back its first images from the farthest south any vessel has ever landed on the Moon. The uncrewed Odysseus, built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, returned the United States to Earth's cosmic neighbor last week after a five-decade absence, in a first for the private sector. But one of its legs caught on the surface

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 27, 2024
NASA's groundbreaking OSIRIS-REx mission has set a new benchmark in space exploration by delivering a staggering 4.29 ounces (121.6 grams) of asteroid material to Earth, marking the largest ever asteroid sample collection. The spacecraft's triumphant return on September 24, 2023, with samples from asteroid Bennu, not only surpassed the mission's initial goal of 60 grams but also highlighted the

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 26, 2024
In a significant collaboration between private sector innovation and military space operations, ATLAS Space Operations, a frontrunner in Ground Software as a Service (GSaaS), has successfully supported the U.S. Space Force's VICTUS NOX program through a contract with Millennium Space Systems, a Boeing Company. This partnership underscores the pivotal role of rapid, adaptable ground support in ad

Washington DC (SPX) Feb 27, 2024
Researchers are studying data from a recent suborbital flight test to better understand lunar regolith, or Moon dust, and its potentially damaging effects as NASA prepares to send astronauts back to the lunar surface under the Artemis campaign. The experiment, developed jointly by NASA and the University of Central Florida, sheds light on how these abrasive dust grains interact with astronauts,

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 27, 2024
In a strategic move poised to significantly impact the landscape of space situational awareness and safety, LeoLabs, a front-runner in monitoring space activity, has announced the appointment of Tony Frazier as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). With a storied career at the confluence of commercial space ventures and national security, Frazier's leadership is expected to catalyze LeoLabs' gr

Washington DC (UPI) Feb 26, 2024
Japan's Aerospace Exploration Agency said very early Monday they have regained communication with the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon exploration vehicle after nearly a month. The Japanese space agency said on social media minutes after 12 a.m. local time that after sending a command to the machine, known as SLIM, a response had unexpectedly been received back. "Confirming th

Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 27, 2024
On Feb. 2, a large asteroid safely drifted past Earth at a distance of about 1.8 million miles (2.9 million kilometers, or 7 0.5 times the distance between Earth and the Moon). There was no risk of the asteroid - called 2008 OS7 - impacting our planet, but scientists at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California used a powerful radio antenna to better determine the size, rotation,