What is the Moon's true origin story
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Erie PA (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
Over six missions to the moon, from 1969 to 1972, Apollo astronauts collected more than 800 pounds of lunar rock and soil. Chemical and isotopic analysis of that material showed that it was similar to the rock and soil on Earth: calcium-rich, basaltic and dating to about 60 million years after the solar system formed. Using that data, the planetary scientists who gathered at the Kona Confe
Over six missions to the moon, from 1969 to 1972, Apollo astronauts collected more than 800 pounds of lunar rock and soil. Chemical and isotopic analysis of that material showed that it was similar to the rock and soil on Earth: calcium-rich, basaltic and dating to about 60 million years after the solar system formed. Using that data, the planetary scientists who gathered at the Kona Confe
An interstellar instrument takes a final bow
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Boston MA (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
They planned to fly for four years and to get as far as Jupiter and Saturn. But nearly half a century and 15 billion miles later, NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft have far exceeded their original mission, winging past the outer planets and busting out of our heliosphere, beyond the influence of the sun. The probes are currently making their way through interstellar space, traveling farther than an
They planned to fly for four years and to get as far as Jupiter and Saturn. But nearly half a century and 15 billion miles later, NASA's twin Voyager spacecraft have far exceeded their original mission, winging past the outer planets and busting out of our heliosphere, beyond the influence of the sun. The probes are currently making their way through interstellar space, traveling farther than an
Hera probe ready for near-earth asteroid study
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
Asteroids have long posed a potential threat to Earth, and the European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera mission is set to explore ways to mitigate these risks. Hera, developed in Germany, will embark on a two-year journey to study the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system as part of an international planetary defense effort. Scheduled for launch between 7 and 27 October 2024 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape
Asteroids have long posed a potential threat to Earth, and the European Space Agency's (ESA) Hera mission is set to explore ways to mitigate these risks. Hera, developed in Germany, will embark on a two-year journey to study the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid system as part of an international planetary defense effort. Scheduled for launch between 7 and 27 October 2024 on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape
NASA seeks innovators for lunar waste competition
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Huntsville AL (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
A new NASA competition, the LunaRecycle Challenge, is open and offering $3 million in prizes for innovations in recycling material waste on deep space missions. As NASA continues efforts toward long-duration human space travel, including building a sustained human presence on the Moon through its Artemis missions, the agency needs novel solutions for processing inorganic waste streams like
A new NASA competition, the LunaRecycle Challenge, is open and offering $3 million in prizes for innovations in recycling material waste on deep space missions. As NASA continues efforts toward long-duration human space travel, including building a sustained human presence on the Moon through its Artemis missions, the agency needs novel solutions for processing inorganic waste streams like
NASA's use of rover prototype on Earth will pave way for Artemis V lunar surface travel
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Washington DC (UPI) Oct 2, 2024
When astronauts eventually traverse the moon's surface as part of the planned Artemis lunar missions, they'll have a prototype to thank. NASA engineers at the Johnson Space Center are designing a new lunar rover prototype called the Ground Test Unit. The space agency said Wednesday it plans to have the vehicle available for the Artemis V moon mission. "The Ground Test Unit will h
When astronauts eventually traverse the moon's surface as part of the planned Artemis lunar missions, they'll have a prototype to thank. NASA engineers at the Johnson Space Center are designing a new lunar rover prototype called the Ground Test Unit. The space agency said Wednesday it plans to have the vehicle available for the Artemis V moon mission. "The Ground Test Unit will h
NASA advances Lunar rover testing for Artemis Missions
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
As NASA's Artemis missions approach, astronauts returning to the Moon will be equipped with a human-rated Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) to enhance their exploration of the lunar surface. The unpressurized rover will play a key role in enabling diverse scientific research and discoveries. At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers are developing a prototype for the rover, known as t
As NASA's Artemis missions approach, astronauts returning to the Moon will be equipped with a human-rated Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) to enhance their exploration of the lunar surface. The unpressurized rover will play a key role in enabling diverse scientific research and discoveries. At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, engineers are developing a prototype for the rover, known as t
NASA selects companies for lunar communication and network studies
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
NASA has chosen Intuitive Machines of Houston and Aalyria Technologies Inc. of Livermore, California, to conduct capability studies aimed at advancing space communication and exploration technologies. These studies are intended to provide NASA with insights into industry capabilities and innovations, laying the groundwork for partnerships with commercial communications and navigation providers.
NASA has chosen Intuitive Machines of Houston and Aalyria Technologies Inc. of Livermore, California, to conduct capability studies aimed at advancing space communication and exploration technologies. These studies are intended to provide NASA with insights into industry capabilities and innovations, laying the groundwork for partnerships with commercial communications and navigation providers.
Magnetized magma intrusions identified as sources of lunar magnetic anomalies
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
A team of researchers led by Professor Shuo Yao from China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and her doctoral student Hongyi Wang has revealed that magnetized magma intrusions are the source of two lunar magnetic anomalies. Using a 3D amplitude inversion technique originally developed at the University of British Columbia's Geophysical Inversion Facility (UBC-GIF), the team has made significan
A team of researchers led by Professor Shuo Yao from China University of Geosciences (Beijing) and her doctoral student Hongyi Wang has revealed that magnetized magma intrusions are the source of two lunar magnetic anomalies. Using a 3D amplitude inversion technique originally developed at the University of British Columbia's Geophysical Inversion Facility (UBC-GIF), the team has made significan
Webb reveals unusual jets of volatile gas from icy Centaur 29P
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
Inspired by the half-human, half-horse creatures that are part of Ancient Greek mythology, the field of astronomy has its own kind of centaurs: distant objects orbiting the Sun between Jupiter and Neptune. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has mapped the gases spewing from one of these objects, suggesting a varied composition and providing new insights into the formation and evolution of the sol
Inspired by the half-human, half-horse creatures that are part of Ancient Greek mythology, the field of astronomy has its own kind of centaurs: distant objects orbiting the Sun between Jupiter and Neptune. NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has mapped the gases spewing from one of these objects, suggesting a varied composition and providing new insights into the formation and evolution of the sol
The PI's Perspective: The Science Never Sleeps
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Boulder CO (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is healthy and speeding across the Kuiper Belt. Today, we crossed a distance marker of note, passing 60 times as far from the Sun as Earth is. Put in perspective, that means we're almost twice as far out as Pluto was when we explored it! This summer, we had three sets of groundbased astronomical observing dates, each three days long, on the giant Japanese Sub
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft is healthy and speeding across the Kuiper Belt. Today, we crossed a distance marker of note, passing 60 times as far from the Sun as Earth is. Put in perspective, that means we're almost twice as far out as Pluto was when we explored it! This summer, we had three sets of groundbased astronomical observing dates, each three days long, on the giant Japanese Sub
SwRI team detects carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on Pluto's moon Charon
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
A research team led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has made the first detection of carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on the surface of Charon, Pluto's largest moon, using data from the James Webb Space Telescope. These findings build upon Charon's known surface composition, which includes water ice, ammonia-bearing materials, and organic compounds linked to its unique gray and red hue
A research team led by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has made the first detection of carbon dioxide and hydrogen peroxide on the surface of Charon, Pluto's largest moon, using data from the James Webb Space Telescope. These findings build upon Charon's known surface composition, which includes water ice, ammonia-bearing materials, and organic compounds linked to its unique gray and red hue
UTA physicists explore possibility of life beyond Earth
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Arlington TX (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
Are there planets beyond Earth where humans can live? The answer is maybe, according to a new study from University of Texas at Arlington physicists examining F-type star systems. Stars fall into seven lettered categories according to their surface temperature. They also differ in other factors including mass, luminosity, and radius. F-types are in the middle of the scale, hotter and more
Are there planets beyond Earth where humans can live? The answer is maybe, according to a new study from University of Texas at Arlington physicists examining F-type star systems. Stars fall into seven lettered categories according to their surface temperature. They also differ in other factors including mass, luminosity, and radius. F-types are in the middle of the scale, hotter and more
Probing the early Universe for clues about Reionization
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
Scientists are delving deep into the origins of the universe, focusing on the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) - a pivotal time when the first stars and galaxies formed and ionized the primordial hydrogen that filled the universe. This era, where ionized gas bubbles began to appear and coalesce, set the foundation for galaxy formation as we know it today. While we can't travel back to witness t
Scientists are delving deep into the origins of the universe, focusing on the Epoch of Reionization (EoR) - a pivotal time when the first stars and galaxies formed and ionized the primordial hydrogen that filled the universe. This era, where ionized gas bubbles began to appear and coalesce, set the foundation for galaxy formation as we know it today. While we can't travel back to witness t
South America treated to rare 'ring of fire' eclipse
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Puerto San Julian, Argentina (AFP) Oct 2, 2024
Skygazers on the tip of South America were treated Wednesday to a spectacular "ring of fire" solar eclipse that was visible from Chile's Easter Island before heading to mainland Patagonia. The rare spectacle - which happens when the Sun momentarily all but disappears as the Moon crosses its path - drew dozens of tourists, photographers and astronomy enthusiasts to the Pacific island of 7
Skygazers on the tip of South America were treated Wednesday to a spectacular "ring of fire" solar eclipse that was visible from Chile's Easter Island before heading to mainland Patagonia. The rare spectacle - which happens when the Sun momentarily all but disappears as the Moon crosses its path - drew dozens of tourists, photographers and astronomy enthusiasts to the Pacific island of 7
SwRI solar wind plasma sensor integrated into NOAA satellite
Thursday, 03 October 2024 12:30
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 03, 2024
The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has successfully delivered and integrated its Solar Wind Plasma Sensor (SWiPS) into a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite designed to track space weather. SWiPS is designed to measure ions originating from the Sun, particularly the fast-moving ions associated with coronal mass ejections, which can have significant impacts on Ea
The Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has successfully delivered and integrated its Solar Wind Plasma Sensor (SWiPS) into a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite designed to track space weather. SWiPS is designed to measure ions originating from the Sun, particularly the fast-moving ions associated with coronal mass ejections, which can have significant impacts on Ea