Experiment on photosynthesis is heading to the space station to explore effects of microgravity
Friday, 02 August 2024 14:20
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An experiment aimed at learning more about how plants grow in space will be aboard a National Aeronautics and Space Administration launch in early August from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
A Northrop Grumman Cygnus spacecraft perched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will carry the plants to the orbiting laboratory, where astronauts will tend to them before the plants are returned to Earth.
The experiment created by scientists at the Department of Energy's Pacific Northwest National Laboratory will look at how two different types of grass grow on the space station. A PNNL team led by biologist Pubudu Handakumbura designed the experiment and will compare the results from space to identical plants being grown at the Kennedy Space Center.
Umbra ventures into custom satellite manufacturing
Friday, 02 August 2024 14:00
Week in images: 29 July - 02 August 2024
Friday, 02 August 2024 12:10 Write a comment
Week in images: 29 July - 02 August 2024
Discover our week through the lens
SpaceX lines up next 2 Space Coast launches on Friday and Saturday
Friday, 02 August 2024 12:00 Write a comment
SpaceX shot up three Falcon 9 rockets from three launch pads last weekend once the Federal Aviation Administration gave its grounded rocket the OK to return to flight. Now it's set to go another round.
First up is a Falcon 9 launch of 23 more Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39-A during a four-hour window that opens at 12:19 a.m. Eastern Time August 2. Backup options fall to early August 3 starting at 12:19 a.m.
Space Launch Delta 45's weather squadron forecasts a 95% chance of favorable conditions, which drops to 80% in the event of a 24-hour delay.
The first-stage booster for the mission is making its 12th flight and will attempt a recovery landing downrange in the Atlantic Ocean on board the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas.
The launch would be the 54th from the Space Coast for the year and 50th for SpaceX with United Launch Alliance responsible for the other four.
SpaceX's record pace was slowed for a couple of weeks in July after an issue with the Falcon 9's upper stage during a launch from California that was tracked to a liquid oxygen leak blamed on a sense line connected to a supply tank.
NASA pushes Boeing Starliner return meeting to at least next week
Friday, 02 August 2024 11:50 Write a comment
Despite NASA officials last week stating a return readiness review might happen this week for Boeing's Starliner, teams instead continue to go over data for the spacecraft before any decision on its departure from the International Space Station.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams await the decision of whether or not they will be able to climb back aboard the spacecraft for its return to Earth to complete the Crew Flight Test mission. That readiness review was pushed to next week at the earliest, according to an update from NASA.
The duo launched aboard Starliner atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station back on June 5 for what was originally planned to be about an eight-day mission to the ISS. On their way to a June 6 docking, though, the spacecraft suffered failures on five of its 28 reaction control thrusters as well as several helium leaks in the service module that houses the thrusters.
NASA and Boeing decided to perform ground tests on a similar thruster to mimic conditions on the flight up and what the thrusters would face on the way back down to Earth as well as using a former service module that was never launched to figure out the likely reason behind the helium leaks.
NASA and Boeing Progress on Crew Flight Test Data Evaluation
Friday, 02 August 2024 11:43 Write a comment
"NASA and Boeing teams continue analyzing data from recent ground and spacecraft testing as they evaluate the Starliner spacecraft's propulsion system during NASA's Boeing Crew Flight Test mission."
Teams are taking their time to analyze the results of recent docked hot-fire testing, finalize flight rationale for the spacecraft's integrated propulsion system, and confirm system reliability Graphene Discovered in Lunar Soil Sample from Chang'e 5 Mission
Friday, 02 August 2024 11:43 Write a comment
A recent study published in National Science Review has identified the presence of naturally formed few-layer graphene in a lunar soil sample. This remarkable finding comes from a team of researchers led by Professors Meng Zou, Wei Zhang, and Senior Engineer Xiujuan Li from Jilin University, along with Wencai Ren from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Metal Research. The sample, an o Key Insights into Rapid Formation of Giant Planets
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A team of researchers at LMU has developed a novel model that explains the formation of giant planets like Jupiter. This model provides deeper insights into planetary formation processes and may broaden our understanding of planetary systems. Our solar system is familiar: the Sun at the center; rocky planets Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars; the asteroid belt; gas giants Jupiter and Saturn; ice g Euclid Invites Public to Help Classify Galaxy Shapes
Friday, 02 August 2024 11:43 Write a comment
Euclid, the mission dedicated to mapping the Universe, is set to capture images of hundreds of thousands of distant galaxies. In November 2023 and May 2024, Euclid revealed its first high-quality images, showcasing a wide array of cosmic features, from nearby nebulas to distant galaxy clusters. Each image includes numerous distant galaxies in the background.
Over the next six years, Euclid ATLAS Space Operations swiftly integrates TROPICS spacecraft
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In May 2024, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted an 85% chance of above-normal activity for the Atlantic hurricane season. This marked the fifth consecutive year with such a prediction, potentially making 2024 the eighth year in the past decade to record above-normal activity. With the increasing destructive power of these storms, timely and detailed tropical cyc Skylo and Particle Enhance IoT Development with Satellite Connectivity
Friday, 02 August 2024 11:43 Write a comment
Skylo Technologies, a leader in non-terrestrial network (NTN) communications, has joined forces with Particle, a prominent provider of edge-to-cloud IoT infrastructure, to simplify satellite connectivity, management, and deployment for developers.
By integrating Skylo's satellite connectivity with Particle's IoT platform, developers now have access to a comprehensive, multi-radio solution Reticulate Micro Unveils $10M Regulation A Capital Raise
Friday, 02 August 2024 11:43 Write a comment
Reticulate Micro, Inc., a company specializing in commercial and defense technology, has announced the launch of its Regulation A stock offering aimed at raising up to $10 million. The funds will support Reticulate's market and product launch efforts, particularly its flagship VAST product, which provides ultra-efficient streaming video and situational awareness in bandwidth-limited environments NASA Project Pioneers Future of Rocket Manufacturing
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NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, has been at the forefront of incorporating additive manufacturing technologies, widely known as 3D printing, to develop stronger, lighter materials and innovative manufacturing processes for rocket components.
The Rapid Analysis and Manufacturing Propulsion Technology (RAMPT) project, led by NASA Marshall, stands at the leading ed 
