NASA proposes final extension of ISS cargo contracts
Sunday, 05 March 2023 20:15
NASA is proposing extending three existing contracts to transport cargo to and from the International Space Station through the anticipated end of the station in 2030, rather than recompete them.
Sols 3759-3761: More Analyses of the Tapo Caparo Drill Sample
Sunday, 05 March 2023 04:50
Pasadena CA (JPL) Mar 03, 2023
Curiosity is in the middle of a drill campaign at Tapo Caparo to characterize the rhythmically laminated unit of the Marker Band. Earlier this week CheMin got a first taste of this sample, and now it is SAM's turn.
The focus of the 3-sol weekend plan is to drop off some sample to SAM, and then perform an Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA) - which involves heating up the sample to very high tempera
Curiosity is in the middle of a drill campaign at Tapo Caparo to characterize the rhythmically laminated unit of the Marker Band. Earlier this week CheMin got a first taste of this sample, and now it is SAM's turn.
The focus of the 3-sol weekend plan is to drop off some sample to SAM, and then perform an Evolved Gas Analysis (EGA) - which involves heating up the sample to very high tempera Sol 3756: Sit back and wait for the data to roll in
Sunday, 05 March 2023 04:50
Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 28, 2023
Today we planned a single sol plan. We are in the middle of the Tapo Caparo drill campaign. In yesterday's plan we delivered 2 portions of sample to our CheMin instrument for mineralogy. That analysis will run overnight on Mars which corresponds to the middle of the day Tuesday, on Earth. That meant we did not have any new information to react to this morning for planning.
We still have pl
Today we planned a single sol plan. We are in the middle of the Tapo Caparo drill campaign. In yesterday's plan we delivered 2 portions of sample to our CheMin instrument for mineralogy. That analysis will run overnight on Mars which corresponds to the middle of the day Tuesday, on Earth. That meant we did not have any new information to react to this morning for planning.
We still have pl University Teams forge forward in NASA Moon metal production challenge
Sunday, 05 March 2023 04:50
Washington DC (SPX) Mar 06, 2023
Seven university teams were selected to develop concepts supporting metal production on the Moon in NASA's 2023 annual Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge: Lunar Forge.
The awards total about $1.1 million, with values between $120,000 and $180,000 based on each team's proposed concept. The challenge is a unique collaboration between NASA's Space Technology Missi
Seven university teams were selected to develop concepts supporting metal production on the Moon in NASA's 2023 annual Breakthrough, Innovative and Game-Changing (BIG) Idea Challenge: Lunar Forge.
The awards total about $1.1 million, with values between $120,000 and $180,000 based on each team's proposed concept. The challenge is a unique collaboration between NASA's Space Technology Missi Solid-gas carbonate formation during dust events on Mars
Sunday, 05 March 2023 04:50
Weihai, China (SPX) Mar 06, 2023
A joint research team led by Dr. Xiaohui Fu and Dr. Zhongchen Wu from Shandong University, China, proposed a new carbonate formation mechanism in Martian dust activities based on simulation experimental studies.
Carbonates are general products of aqueous processes on Earth. For Mars, carbonate minerals have been considered a sink for an early dense CO2 atmosphere. Orbital spectroscopic inv
A joint research team led by Dr. Xiaohui Fu and Dr. Zhongchen Wu from Shandong University, China, proposed a new carbonate formation mechanism in Martian dust activities based on simulation experimental studies.
Carbonates are general products of aqueous processes on Earth. For Mars, carbonate minerals have been considered a sink for an early dense CO2 atmosphere. Orbital spectroscopic inv First ever Canadian lunar rover will hunt for water ice on the moon
Sunday, 05 March 2023 04:50
Edmonton, Canada (SPX) Mar 06, 2023
The first ever Canadian rover to set wheels on the moon is currently under construction for a mission set to launch as early as 2026. The rover will explore the south polar region of the moon in a search for water ice in the lunar soil.
Rovers are simply "mobile robotic vehicles that allow us to explore the surfaces of other planets," explains Chris Herd, a professor in the Department of E
The first ever Canadian rover to set wheels on the moon is currently under construction for a mission set to launch as early as 2026. The rover will explore the south polar region of the moon in a search for water ice in the lunar soil.
Rovers are simply "mobile robotic vehicles that allow us to explore the surfaces of other planets," explains Chris Herd, a professor in the Department of E Hansel and Gretel's breadcrumb trick inspires robotic exploration of caves on Mars and beyond
Sunday, 05 March 2023 04:50
Tucson AZ (SPX) Mar 06, 2023
House hunting on Mars could soon become a thing, and researchers at the University of Arizona are already in the business of scouting real estate that future astronauts could use as habitats. Researchers in the UArizona College of Engineering have developed technology that would allow a flock of robots to explore subsurface environments on other worlds.
"Lava tubes and caves would make per
House hunting on Mars could soon become a thing, and researchers at the University of Arizona are already in the business of scouting real estate that future astronauts could use as habitats. Researchers in the UArizona College of Engineering have developed technology that would allow a flock of robots to explore subsurface environments on other worlds.
"Lava tubes and caves would make per What we learned from the asteroid-smashing DART mission
Sunday, 05 March 2023 04:50
Boston MA (SPX) Mar 06, 2023
On Sept. 26, 2022, at precisely 6:14 p.m. ET, a box-shaped spacecraft no bigger than a loveseat smashed directly into an asteroid wider than a football field. The planned impact knocked the space rock off its orbit, showing for the first time that an asteroid can potentially be deflected away from Earth.
The spacecraft was the key part of DART, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test, whic
On Sept. 26, 2022, at precisely 6:14 p.m. ET, a box-shaped spacecraft no bigger than a loveseat smashed directly into an asteroid wider than a football field. The planned impact knocked the space rock off its orbit, showing for the first time that an asteroid can potentially be deflected away from Earth.
The spacecraft was the key part of DART, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test, whic Ozone-measuring Instrument on NOAA-21 Satellite Captures its First Images
Sunday, 05 March 2023 04:50
Washington DC (SPX) Mar 06, 2023
On February 9, 2023, an ozone-measuring instrument on the recently launched NOAA-21 satellite opened its doors and, over the course of a week, gathered data for its first global image. The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) consists of three sensors that monitor Earth's ozone layer and track its recovery.
The map above, created using OMPS data, shows total ozone concentrations in the
On February 9, 2023, an ozone-measuring instrument on the recently launched NOAA-21 satellite opened its doors and, over the course of a week, gathered data for its first global image. The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) consists of three sensors that monitor Earth's ozone layer and track its recovery.
The map above, created using OMPS data, shows total ozone concentrations in the Humanity's quest to discover the origins of life in the universe
Sunday, 05 March 2023 04:50
Zurich, Switzerland (SPX) Mar 06, 2023
"We are living in an extraordinary moment in history," says Didier Queloz, who directs ETH Zurich's Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life and the Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe at Cambridge. While still a doctoral student Queloz was the first to discover an exoplanet - a planet orbiting a solar-type star outside of Earth's solar system. A discovery for which he would later receive
"We are living in an extraordinary moment in history," says Didier Queloz, who directs ETH Zurich's Centre for Origin and Prevalence of Life and the Leverhulme Centre for Life in the Universe at Cambridge. While still a doctoral student Queloz was the first to discover an exoplanet - a planet orbiting a solar-type star outside of Earth's solar system. A discovery for which he would later receive The outburst of a neutron star reveals the nature of phenomena only observed in black holes
Sunday, 05 March 2023 04:50
La Laguna, Spain (SPX) Mar 06, 2023
X-ray binaries are systems formed by a compact object, a neutron star or a black hole, and a star of a similar size to the Sun. The compact object swallows matter from the companion star through a disk that emits large amounts of light, especially in X-rays. This process in which the compact object attracts matter, known as accretion, usually occurs in violent eruptions during which the system b
X-ray binaries are systems formed by a compact object, a neutron star or a black hole, and a star of a similar size to the Sun. The compact object swallows matter from the companion star through a disk that emits large amounts of light, especially in X-rays. This process in which the compact object attracts matter, known as accretion, usually occurs in violent eruptions during which the system b Dark matter halos: the key to understanding galaxies
Sunday, 05 March 2023 04:50
Buenos Aires, Argentina (SPX) Mar 06, 2023
We have come a long way in understanding the universe around us, thanks to current technological advances, such as the construction of huge telescopes or satellites with increasingly powerful instruments. However, it is disturbing that most of the universe components (matter and energy) are still unknown to us. In the "recipe" to "build" a universe like ours, we have to put two ingredients that
We have come a long way in understanding the universe around us, thanks to current technological advances, such as the construction of huge telescopes or satellites with increasingly powerful instruments. However, it is disturbing that most of the universe components (matter and energy) are still unknown to us. In the "recipe" to "build" a universe like ours, we have to put two ingredients that Major collaboration reveals new insights on binary star systems
Sunday, 05 March 2023 04:50
Oxford UK (SPX) Mar 06, 2023
Scientists have long been intrigued by X-ray binary star systems, where two stars orbit around each other with one of the two stars being either a black hole or a neutron star. Both black holes and neutron stars are created in supernova explosions and are very dense - giving them a massive gravitational pull. This makes them capable of capturing the outer layers of the normal star that orbits ar
Scientists have long been intrigued by X-ray binary star systems, where two stars orbit around each other with one of the two stars being either a black hole or a neutron star. Both black holes and neutron stars are created in supernova explosions and are very dense - giving them a massive gravitational pull. This makes them capable of capturing the outer layers of the normal star that orbits ar NASA and Roscosmos planning to add mission to seat barter agreement
Sunday, 05 March 2023 00:07
NASA is working with the Russian government to update an agreement to allow Russian cosmonauts to fly on the next two SpaceX crew rotation missions to the International Space Station.
New results from NASA's DART planetary defense mission confirm we could deflect deadly asteroids
Saturday, 04 March 2023 14:20
What would we do if we spotted a hazardous asteroid on a collision course with Earth? Could we deflect it safely to prevent the impact?
Last year, NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission tried to find out whether a "kinetic impactor" could do the job: smashing a 600kg spacecraft the size of a fridge into an asteroid the size of an Aussie Rules football field.
Early results from this first real-world test of our potential planetary defense systems looked promising. However, it's only now that the first scientific results are being published: five papers in Nature have recreated the impact, and analyzed how it changed the asteroid's momentum and orbit, while twostudies investigate the debris knocked off by the impact.
The conclusion: "kinetic impactor technology is a viable technique to potentially defend Earth if necessary".