NASA's Mars helicopter succeeds in historic first flight
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 11:19
NASA successfully flew its mini helicopter Ingenuity on Mars early Monday, the first powered flight on another planet and a feat the agency likened to "our Wright brothers moment."
The four pound (1.8 kilogram) rotorcraft lifted off at 3:34 am Eastern Time (0734 GMT), rose to a height of 10 feet (three meters), swiveled its tissue-box sized body, swayed in a gentle Martian breeze and then to NASA Crew 2 science payload to carry human tissue growth studies to ISS
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 11:19
NASA's Crew 2 payload is scheduled to carry several important science experiments to the International Space Station this week.
During a press briefing on Monday, investigators detailed several of the experiments slated to make the trip to ISS.
Several of the experiments involve the growth of biological tissues in 3D, which can allow scientists to study the development and behavi Tracking the progress of fusion power through 60 years of neutral particle analysis
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 11:19
As the world's energy demands grow, so too does growing concern over the environmental impact of power production. The need for a safe, clean, and reliable energy source has never been clearer. Fusion power could fulfil such a need.
A review paper published in EPJ H examines the 6-decade history of neutral particle analysis (NPA), developed in Ioffe Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia, a v Spotting greenhouse gas super-emitters
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 11:19
NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California is providing the instrument that will enable a nonprofit organization called Carbon Mapper to pinpoint and measure methane and carbon dioxide (CO2) point-sources from space.
The data collected by the instrument will help to find super-emitters - the small percentage of individual sources that are responsible for a significant fraction Peering through the clouds of Earth's 'Evil Twin'
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 11:19
U.S. Naval Research Laboratory scientists were recently left scratching their heads over a familiar sight in the sky. Venus images are nothing new, but a solar probe surprised the researchers by seeing through the planet's clouds. NRL's Wide-field Imager for Parker Solar Probe (WISPR) took a stunning image of Earth's celestial neighbor Venus last year that left researchers searching for answers Baked meteorites yield clues to planetary atmospheres
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 11:19
In a novel laboratory investigation of the initial atmospheres of Earth-like rocky planets, researchers at UC Santa Cruz heated pristine meteorite samples in a high-temperature furnace and analyzed the gases released.
Their results, published April 15 in Nature Astronomy, suggest that the initial atmospheres of terrestrial planets may differ significantly from many of the common assumption As different as day and night
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 11:19
Telescopes are getting better and better at detecting the components of exoplanet atmospheres. But what can those components tell us about a planet's climate? It turns out that water vapor may be especially useful in this regard.
As we find more and more exoplanets, we're realizing that our solar system may be the exception to the rule! The menagerie of exoplanets we've discovered so far i Researchers identify five double star systems potentially suitable for life
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 11:19
Almost half a century ago, the creators of Star Wars imagined a life-sustaining planet, Tatooine, orbiting a pair of stars. Now, scientists have found new evidence that five known systems with multiple stars, Kepler-34, -35, -38, -64 and -413, are possible candidates for supporting life.
A newly developed mathematical framework allowed researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi and the U Astronaut Samantha on sharing the skies with debris
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 10:00
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ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti spent 199 days on the International Space Station, during her record-breaking Futura mission. So what's it like to share the skies with space debris? Did she see any signs of damage while she was up there? How often was the risk of debris on her mind?
In this interview with Operations Editor Rosa Jesse, Samantha tells all, as well as describing the rigorous training astronauts go through in case of debris impact and why its so important we address this issue to ensure the future of all space activities.
ESA and FAO unite to tackle food security and more
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 09:00
With ESA positioned as a world-class provider of Earth observation data and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) leading international efforts to defeat hunger, the two organisations have teamed up to exploit their particular fields of expertise to better address major global issues such as food security, and to take further advantage of the digital transformation in agriculture.
SpaceX set to take four astronauts to ISS Thursday
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 06:43
SpaceX is preparing to carry four astronauts to a crowded International Space Station on Thursday, in the second routine mission since the United States resumed crewed space flight, and the first with a European.
Liftoff is planned for 6:11 am Eastern Time (1011 GMT) on April 22, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The mission, called Crew-2, involves US astronauts Shane Kimbrough and Megan McArthur, along with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s Akihiko Hoshide, and the European Space Agency (ESA)'s Thomas Pesquet.
Time to Act
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 06:30
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The launch of Sputnik, humankind’s first satellite, in 1957 marked the dawn of a new era for the people of the 'Pale Blue Dot'.
Decades later, our planet is now surrounded by spacecraft carrying out extraordinary work to study our changing climate, save lives following disasters, deliver global communication and navigation services and help us answer important scientific questions.
But these satellites are at risk. Accidental collisions between objects in space can produce huge clouds of fast-moving debris. These clouds can spread and damage additional satellites with cascading effect, eventually making the most useful orbits around Earth no longer
Ingenuity success opens door for future Mars helicopter missions
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 06:05
WASHINGTON — The successful flight of NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter on Mars paves the way for its use on future missions, agency officials said, but exactly when and how remain to be determined.
At a press conference April 19, project officials said Ingenuity’s first flight, also the first powered flight by an aircraft on another world, opened the door to using similar vehicles in future exploration of the planet.
20 years of ESA on the ISS
Tuesday, 20 April 2021 06:00
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This month marks the 20th anniversary of the first European mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
On 19 April 2001, Italian ESA Astronaut, Umberto Guidoni launched to the ISS on space shuttle Endeavour for a mission that included installing the Canadarm2 robotic arm and transferring scientific equipment and experiments.
Since then, there have been a further 26 European missions to the ISS and three ESA astronauts have served as commander. ESA astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Matthias Maurer will both launch to the ISS this year.
The ISS has hosted more than 3000 scientific experiments and is providing vital insights
U.S. Army approves plans for a future ‘tactical space layer’
Monday, 19 April 2021 22:59
WASHINGTON — U.S. Army leaders have signed off on plans to explore the use of satellites in low Earth orbit to give soldiers dedicated surveillance, navigation and imaging capabilities.
The Army’s effort is called “tactical space layer” and is led by the U.S.