NASA, JAXA bounce laser beam between moon's surface and lunar orbit
Monday, 29 July 2024 16:20
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NASA's LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) has twice transmitted a laser pulse to a cookie-sized retroreflector aboard JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) SLIM lander on the moon and received a return signal.
As LRO passed 44 miles above SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) during two successive orbits on May 24, 2024, it pinged the lander with its laser altimeter instrument as it had done eight times before. But, on these two attempts, the signal bounced back to LRO's detector.
This was an important accomplishment for NASA because the device is not in an optimal position. Retroreflectors are typically secured to the top of landers, giving LRO a 120-degree range of angles to aim toward when sending laser pulses to the approximate location of a retroreflector.
What could a future sovereign Mars economy look like?
Monday, 29 July 2024 12:11 Write a comment
What would the economy of a future Mars society look like, and how could it be self-sustaining while being completely sovereign from Earth and its own economy? This is what a recent study submitted to Space Policy hopes to address as a sole researcher discusses a model that could be used for establishing economic freedom on Mars, enabling both monetary and political stability across all Red Planets settlements.
This study, posted on the arXiv preprint server, holds the potential to help scientists, economists, and world leaders better understand plausible governmental systems used by human settlers on other worlds while maintaining sovereignty from Earth and its own governmental law and order.
Here, Universe Today discusses this incredible study with Dr. Jacob Haqq-Misra, who is the Director and a Senior Research Investigator of Blue Marble Space Institute of Science (BMSIS) and sole author of the study, regarding the motivation behind the study, significant ideas presented in the study, the importance of establishing a sovereign economic system on Mars, eliminating capital exchange between Mars and Earth, how Mars can become a sovereign entity from Earth after humans settle there, and how an economic system can be established on a sovereign Mars.
SpaceX returns to flight with Falcon 9 launch from Kennedy Space Center
Monday, 29 July 2024 12:00 Write a comment
After more than two weeks grounded by the Federal Aviation Administration, SpaceX returned to launching its workhorse Falcon 9 lifting off early July 27 from Kennedy Space Center.
The rocket took off at 1:45 a.m. carrying 23 of the company's Starlink internet satellites from KSC's Launch Pad 39-A.
The first-stage booster made its 17th trip to space and managed another recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions stationed downrange in the Atlantic.
It was the 51st launch from the Space Coast for the year, with all but three coming from SpaceX. Including California, it was the 71st operational mission for SpaceX, not including two test launches of its Starship and Super Heavy rocket from Texas.
The company's frenetic launch pace this year was ground to a halt by the FAA after a July 11 launch from California ended in a failure of the Falcon 9's upper stage.
The failure was due to liquid oxygen leak that caused its second stage engine to ice over in between its initial burn and a planned second burn to raise its orbit before deploying its payload.
Juice returns for a lunar-Earth flyby
Monday, 29 July 2024 12:00 Write a comment
Video:
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ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) is coming back to Earth.
Our fearless traveller is getting a nudge from Earth this summer, in the first of four ‘gravity assist manoeuvres’ that will put Juice on precisely the right path to arrive at Jupiter with the correct speed and direction in July 2031.
This is the second big milestone in Juice’s journey to Jupiter, with the first being the launch into space on 14 April 2023. This second helping hand takes a very different form, with Juice flying past the Moon on 19 August, lining it up to fly past
Two meteor showers will flash across the sky around the same time in late July
Monday, 29 July 2024 06:59 Write a comment
Get ready for a meteor shower doubleheader.
The Southern Delta Aquariid meteor shower peaks in late July. And this year, it will coincide with a second smaller meteor shower, the Alpha Capricornids.
The Delta Aquariids occur every year in North America's late summer. This year's peak activity happens early Tuesday morning, with an expected 15 to 20 meteors visible per hour in the Northern Hemisphere, under dark skies. Viewing should be even better in the Southern Hemisphere. The shower lasts through August 21, according to the American Meteor Society.
Around the same time, the Alpha Capricornid meteor shower should produce around five meteors per hour and lasts through August 15.
Here's what to know about the Delta Aquariids and other meteor showers.
What is a meteor shower?
Multiple meteor showers occur annually and you don't need special equipment to see them.
Most meteor showers originate from the debris of comets. The source of the Delta Aquariids is thought to be from the comet 96P/Machholz. The Alpha Capricornids originate from the comet 169P/NEAT.
When rocks from space enter Earth's atmosphere, the resistance from the air makes them very hot.
ESA blasts off at Gamescom
Monday, 29 July 2024 06:30 Write a comment
Calling all space dreamers and game developers! ESA is back at Gamescom, the world's biggest video game event, kicking off in Cologne from 21 to 25 August. Our stand is in the careers area of Koelnmesse in Hall 10.2, so buckle up for a galaxy of opportunities!
ULA prepares for final military launch of Atlas 5 rocket
Monday, 29 July 2024 04:00
Sun's Impact on Earth's Deep Interior Uncovered by Researchers
Sunday, 28 July 2024 23:31 Write a comment
Scientists have long held that deep Earth processes such as volcanic eruptions and tectonic plate movements primarily shape surface conditions, driving events like the mass extinction 66 million years ago and climate transitions. However, a new study in Nature Communications reveals that solar radiation also penetrates deep into the Earth's interior.
The research shows that solar radiation Akima Wins $480 Million Contract to Enhance U.S. Space Force Satellite Operations
Sunday, 28 July 2024 23:31 Write a comment
Akima, a leading provider of products and services to the federal government, has announced that its subsidiary, Five Rivers Analytics, has been awarded the Satellite Control Network Tracking Station Operations, Remote Site and Mission Partner Support (STORMS) contract to assist the U.S. Space Force. This indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract spans ten years and is valued at $ NASA Mars rover captures rock that could hold fossilized microbes
Sunday, 28 July 2024 23:31 Write a comment
NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has made what could be its most astonishing discovery to date: possible signs of ancient life on the Red Planet.
The six-wheeled robotic explorer came across an intriguing, arrow-shaped rock dubbed "Cheyava Falls" that may harbor fossilized microbes from billions of years ago, when Mars was a watery world.
Perseverance drilled into the enigmatic rock to col NASA Mission Enhances Understanding of Arctic Sea Ice Melt
Sunday, 28 July 2024 23:31 Write a comment
NASA has launched a new mission aimed at improving climate data modeling and understanding the rapid changes in Earth's climate, particularly in the Arctic region. Known as the Arctic Radiation Cloud Aerosol Surface Interaction Experiment (ARCSIX), this mission underscores the global impact of Arctic ice, ocean, and atmospheric changes, acting as Earth's air conditioner.
The Arctic's cooli US Army Awards SES Space and Defense Pilot Contract for Managed SATCOM Services
Sunday, 28 July 2024 23:31 Write a comment
SES Space and Defense, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SES, has been selected to provide the U.S. Army with Satellite Communications (SATCOM) as a Managed Service (SaaMS) in a pilot program under a blanket purchase agreement (BPA) valued at $3.6 million. This contract aims to offer flexible and tailored commercially leased SATCOM network services to meet evolving mission requirements. The contract Planet Labs Extends Data Provision Contract with Taylor Geospatial Institute to 2026
Sunday, 28 July 2024 23:31 Write a comment
Planet Labs PBC (NYSE: PL), a leading provider of daily Earth data and insights, has announced an extension of its contract with the Taylor Geospatial Institute (TGI) through 2026. This collaboration represents Planet's most extensive direct engagement with a university consortium. The multi-year agreement enables TGI to utilize various industry-leading products from Planet, including PlanetScop Scientists Recreate Stellar Reactions in Laboratory
Sunday, 28 July 2024 23:31 Write a comment
In space, some stars engage in a process where they draw energy and material from neighboring stars. By studying these interactions, researchers can gain insights into the formation of cosmic elements that are fundamental to planets, particles, and life on Earth.
Researchers at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and Michigan State University (MSU) have su