Zhurong on course for historic journey
Thursday, 29 April 2021 07:26
If it touches down safely on the red planet and works as planned, the Tianwen 1 rover will be the sixth such vehicle deployed on Mars, following five predecessors launched by the United States.
If the semi-autonomous craft functions efficiently, it will work for at least three months and undertake comprehensive surveys of the planet.
The rover, recently named Zhurong after an ancient New View of Asteroid Ryugu's Surface
Thursday, 29 April 2021 07:26
Samples from the near-Earth asteroid (162173) Ryugu recently arrived at Earth, ready for laboratory analysis. In the meantime, ground-based measurements of Ryugu's surface are helping us to complete our picture of this nearby, rocky body.
In December 2020, the Japanese spacecraft Hayabusa2 completed a daring 6-year mission, successfully landing on near-Earth asteroid Ryugu and returning a Measuring the Moon's nano dust is no small matter
Thursday, 29 April 2021 07:26
Like a chameleon of the night sky, the Moon often changes its appearance. It might look larger, brighter or redder, for example, due to its phases, its position in the solar system or smoke in Earth's atmosphere. (It is not made of green cheese, however.)
Another factor in its appearance is the size and shape of moon dust particles, the small rock grains that cover the moon's surface. Rese Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins dead at 90
Thursday, 29 April 2021 07:26
American astronaut Michael Collins, who piloted the Apollo 11 command module while his crewmates became the first people to walk on the Moon, died on Wednesday after battling cancer, his family said.
Sometimes called "the loneliest man in history" because of his long solo flight while his colleagues loped across the lunar surface, Collins never earned the same global name recognition as Neil Arianespace's second successful launch in 72 hours
Thursday, 29 April 2021 07:26
On Wednesday, April 28, 2021 at 10:50 pm local time (01:50 UTC on Thursday, April 29), a Vega launch vehicle operated by Arianespace lifted off successfully from the Guiana Space Center, Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana (South America). This mission marked Vega's return to flight, and was also the second successful launch by Arianespace's teams in less than 72 hours.
The mission's prima Turkish lake with likely clues to Mars gains unwanted fame
Thursday, 29 April 2021 07:26
Boasting azure waters and white sands, a Turkish lake that NASA thinks hides secrets about Mars threatens to become too popular for its own good.
Lake Salda gained international renown when US scientists began poking around in preparation for the Perseverance rover mission, which has been beaming back videos from the Red Planet since February.
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory even posted a Black hole-neutron star collisions may help settle dispute over Universe's expansion
Thursday, 29 April 2021 07:26
Studying the violent collisions of black holes and neutron stars may soon provide a new measurement of the Universe's expansion rate, helping to resolve a long-standing dispute, suggests a new simulation study led by researchers at UCL (University College London).
Our two current best ways of estimating the Universe's rate of expansion - measuring the brightness and speed of pulsating and New computer model helps brings the sun into the laboratory
Thursday, 29 April 2021 07:26
Every day, the sun ejects large amounts of a hot particle soup known as plasma toward Earth where it can disrupt telecommunications satellites and damage electrical grids. Now, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University's Department of Astrophysical Sciences have made a discovery that could lead to better predictions of Europe's Vega rocket successfully launches
Thursday, 29 April 2021 07:17Europe's Vega rocket took off overnight Wednesday from French Guiana with Earth observation satellites on board, six months after losing two satellites.
The rocket left Kourou in French Guiana at around 10:50 pm local time (0150 GMT), with the mission lasting just under two hours.
The launch comes half a year after the operation lost French and Spanish satellites when the rocket fell into the sea on November 17 after a technical malfunction.
The April 28 to 29 launch carried Pleiades Neo 3, the first high resolution satellite of a new Earth observation constellation operated by Airbus.
The rocket is also carrying some lighter payload, including a Norwegian observation microsatellite used to detect radar for maritime navigation.
The Pleiades Neo satellites will offer improved geolocation tools which will help during natural disasters, according to launch provider Arianespace.
The launch is the third this year from the Kourou space centre and the 18th from a Vega.
The Vega rocket is a crucial component of Europe's ambitions to compete in the booming aerospace market, where it faces strong competition from rivals including Elon Musk's SpaceX.
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China launches main part of its 1st permanent space station
Thursday, 29 April 2021 06:59
Vega’s first launch this year
Thursday, 29 April 2021 05:55
Liftoff of Vega from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana came at 02:50 BST on 29 April (03:50 CEST; 22:50 local time on 28 April) to deliver Pléiades Neo-3 and five auxiliary payloads into their respective orbits.
Spacecraft magnetic valve used to fill drinks
Thursday, 29 April 2021 05:22
A precision magnetic valve originally designed to help steer a lander down to a comet has found a surprise terrestrial use through ESA’s Technology Transfer and Patent Office: adding flavours to beverages within a few thousandths of a second per each can or bottle.
China launches Tianhe space station core module into orbit
Thursday, 29 April 2021 03:43
HELSINKI — China successfully launched a 22-metric-ton module late Wednesday, beginning an intense period of missions for constructing the nation’s own space station.
Vega return to flight creates competition for 30-centimeter satellite imagery
Thursday, 29 April 2021 03:05
TAMPA, Fla. — Europe’s small launch vehicle Vega returned to flight April 28, carrying a next-generation imaging satellite for Airbus Defence and Space that has been held back by multiple delays.
Arianespace successfully launched the rocket 9:50 p.m.
Vega liftoff on flight VV18
Thursday, 29 April 2021 01:00
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Vega liftoff on flight VV18