Webb takes its first exoplanet image
Thursday, 01 September 2022 13:02
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Webb takes its first exoplanet image NASA, Axiom Space to launch second private astronaut mission to ISS in 2023
Thursday, 01 September 2022 11:15
NASA and Axiom Space said Wednesday that they plan to launch a second private astronaut mission to the International Space Station in 2023.
The spaceflight, coordinated by the U.S. space agency and the private Houston-based infrastructure developer, will be designated as Axiom Mission 2, or Ax-2 and will launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in the second quarter of 2023, N Latest Galileo satellites join constellation with enhanced, faster fix
Thursday, 01 September 2022 10:24
Europe’s latest Galileo satellites in space have joined the operational constellation, transmitting navigation signals to three billion users across planet Earth as well as relaying distress calls to rescuers. Their entry into service follows a summer test campaign and will result in a measurable increase in positioning accuracy and improved data delivery performance of the overall Galileo system.
Firefly hires new CEO ahead of second launch
Thursday, 01 September 2022 10:05
Firefly Aerospace has hired an executive with extensive experience in aerospace and defense as its next CEO as the company gears up for its second orbital launch attempt.
The post Firefly hires new CEO ahead of second launch appeared first on SpaceNews.
One small step for a robot
Thursday, 01 September 2022 08:04
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One small step for a robot NASA and SpaceX finalize extension of commercial crew contract
Thursday, 01 September 2022 06:36
NASA announced Aug. 31 that it has extended its commercial crew contract with SpaceX, adding five missions for more than $1.4 billion.
The post NASA and SpaceX finalize extension of commercial crew contract appeared first on SpaceNews.
After NASA’s asteroid impact, ESA’s Hera comes next
Thursday, 01 September 2022 06:35
This month NASA’s DART spacecraft will collide with the smaller of the two Didymos asteroids in deep space, attempting to shift its orbit in what will be humankind’s first test of the ‘kinetic impactor’ planetary defence technique. Meanwhile, down on the ground, ESA’s follow-on mission to Didymos has reached its own crucial milestone.
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Inflatable Moon base Pakistan inundated
Thursday, 01 September 2022 06:02
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Data captured from space by Copernicus Sentinel-1 on 30 August was used to map the extent of flooding that is currently devastating Pakistan .Heavy monsoon rainfall has led to more than a third of the country now being underwater. Intelsat’s Galaxy 15 mutes payload as it drifts into other satellite paths
Wednesday, 31 August 2022 21:50
Intelsat said the Galaxy 15 broadcast satellite that stopped responding to commands earlier this month shut down its payload Aug. 31, reducing the risk of interfering with signals from other spacecraft.
The post Intelsat’s Galaxy 15 mutes payload as it drifts into other satellite paths appeared first on SpaceNews.
U.S. Space Command calls for investment in technologies for deep space missions
Wednesday, 31 August 2022 17:53
U.S. Space Command's Lt. Gen. John Shaw said 'one of the challenges that we will have as a nation is understanding the lunar environment'
The post U.S. Space Command calls for investment in technologies for deep space missions appeared first on SpaceNews.
MOXIE experiment reliably produces oxygen on Mars
Wednesday, 31 August 2022 17:00
On the red and dusty surface of Mars, nearly 100 million miles from Earth, an instrument the size of a lunchbox is proving it can reliably do the work of a small tree.
The MIT-led Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, or MOXIE, has been successfully making oxygen from the Red Planet's carbon-dioxide-rich atmosphere since February 2021, when it touched down on the Martian surface as part of NASA's Perseverance rover mission.
In a study published in the journal Science Advances, researchers report that, by the end of 2021, MOXIE was able to produce oxygen on seven experimental runs, in a variety of atmospheric conditions, including during the day and night, and through different Martian seasons. In each run, the instrument reached its target of producing six grams of oxygen per hour—about the rate of a modest tree on Earth.
Researchers envision that a scaled-up version of MOXIE could be sent to Mars ahead of a human mission, to continuously produce oxygen at the rate of several hundred trees. At that capacity, the system should generate enough oxygen to both sustain humans once they arrive, and fuel a rocket for returning astronauts back to Earth.
Webb's first full-color images, data are set to sound
Wednesday, 31 August 2022 16:35
There's a new, immersive way to explore some of the first full-color infrared images and data from NASA's JWST—through sound. Listeners can enter the complex soundscape of the Cosmic Cliffs in the Carina Nebula, explore the contrasting tones of two images that depict the Southern Ring Nebula, and identify the individual data points in a transmission spectrum of hot gas giant exoplanet WASP-96 b.
A team of scientists—including Kim Arcand of the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian—musicians, and a member of the blind and visually impaired community worked to adapt JWST's data, with support from the JWST mission and NASA's Universe of Learning.
"Music taps into our emotional centers," says Matt Russo, a musician and physics professor at the University of Toronto. "Our goal is to make Webb's images and data understandable through sound—helping listeners create their own mental images."
These audio tracks support blind and low-vision listeners first, but are designed to be captivating to anyone who tunes in.
"These compositions provide a different way to experience the detailed information in Webb's first data.
Researchers find spaceflight may be associated with DNA mutations, increased risk of heart disease and cancer
Wednesday, 31 August 2022 14:10
MAVEN and EMM make first observations of Mars' patchy proton aurora
Wednesday, 31 August 2022 13:55