NASA and Boeing finalize Starliner engine tests and proceed with analysis
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48NASA and Boeing engineers are currently evaluating the results from last week's engine tests conducted at NASA's White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico. These efforts are part of the preparations for the return of the Boeing Crew Flight Test from the International Space Station in the coming weeks. Teams have completed ground hot fire testing at White Sands and are in the process of analy
LRO Mini-RF data reveals extensive cave network beneath lunar surface
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48An international team of scientists has uncovered new evidence of caves beneath the Moon's surface using data from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). The re-analysis of radar data from LRO's Mini-RF (Miniature Radio-Frequency) instrument, collected in 2010, revealed a cave extending over 200 feet from the base of a pit. This pit is situated 230 miles northeast of the historic Apoll
Lunar swirls influenced by soil structure
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48Lunar swirls, characterized by their contrasting light and dark patches, exhibit more than just variations in brightness. The differences also encompass the structure of lunar soils and the grains within them. Lunar swirls are distinct high- and low-albedo patterns found on the Moon's surface, both in the dark basalt plains known as mare and the bright highland regions. The origins of thes
NASA rover finds pure sulfur crystals in Martian rock
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48Among several recent findings, the rover has found rocks made of pure sulfur - a first on the Red Planet. Scientists were stunned on May 30 when a rock that NASA's Curiosity Mars rover drove over cracked open to reveal something never seen before on the Red Planet: yellow sulfur crystals. Since October 2023, the rover has been exploring a region of Mars rich with sulfates, a kind of
Astronomers Discover Unique Orbit of Rare Exoplanet with WIYN Telescope
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48Astronomers using the WIYN 3.5-meter telescope at the U.S. National Science Foundation Kitt Peak National Observatory, a program of NSF NOIRLab, have found an exoplanet with a highly unusual orbit. This planet is on a trajectory to become a hot Jupiter and has one of the most elongated orbits of all known transiting exoplanets, as well as a reverse orbit around its star. This discovery sheds lig
Discovery of intermediate-mass black hole near galactic center
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48An international team of researchers, led by PD Dr. Florian Peissker, has identified signs of an intermediate-mass black hole while studying a star cluster near the supermassive black hole SgrA* (Sagittarius A*) at the center of our galaxy. Despite extensive research, only about ten intermediate-mass black holes have been discovered throughout the universe. These black holes, believed to h
Exoplanet's Unique Orbit Sheds Light on Formation of Massive Gas Giants
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48Astronomers have identified a planet with the most elongated orbit ever detected among transiting planets. This exoplanet's highly stretched orbit provides new insights into the formation and evolution of close-in massive gas planets, also known as hot Jupiters. Remarkably, the exoplanet orbits its star in the opposite direction to the star's rotation. The study, led by Penn State research
Life signs may survive near the surface of Enceladus and Europa
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48NASA's latest experiment indicates that if life exists in the oceans beneath the ice crusts of Europa and Enceladus, its organic molecules, such as amino acids and nucleic acids, could survive just beneath the surface ice. Despite the harsh radiation conditions, robotic landers may not need to dig deep to find these life signs. "Based on our experiments, the 'safe' sampling depth for amino
Telescope to hunt for Earth-like planets set for 2026 launch
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48Europe's upcoming space mission, a telescope designed to search for Earth-like planets beyond our solar system, is scheduled for launch at the end of 2026. The telescope, known as PLATO (PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars), aims to find nearby potentially habitable planets around Sun-like stars for detailed examination. The spacecraft will be launched on Europe's new Ariane
Early signs of Solar Cycle 26 detected nidway through Cycle 25
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48Researchers have detected early signs of the Sun's next 11-year solar cycle, despite being only halfway through the current one. This discovery was made through the observation of sound waves within the Sun. Currently at its peak or 'solar maximum,' Cycle 25 has seen the Sun's magnetic field flip, causing an increase in sunspots, flares, and coronal mass ejections. These activities result
Maxar reveals initial images from WorldView Legion satellites
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48Maxar Intelligence, a leader in secure and precise geospatial intelligence, has released the first images captured by its next-generation WorldView Legion satellites. The first two of these satellites were launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, on May 2, 2024. The 30 cm-class high-resolution images were gathered on July 16, 2024, showcasing the advanced capabilities of the
China plans to launch pilot cities to showcase BeiDou applications
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48China is gearing up to promote the extensive use of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System by designating several pilot cities to highlight BeiDou's applications in mass consumption, manufacturing, and emerging sectors such as the Industrial Internet and Artificial Intelligence (AI), according to an announcement by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). "The large-scal
New Hertz 2.0 building enhances space antenna testing at ESTEC
Friday, 19 July 2024 18:48The latest addition to ESA's ESTEC technical center in the Netherlands, the Hertz 2.0 building, stands more than 22 meters high beside its neighboring sand dunes, but here is the view inside. Seen here being lined with steel plates that will serve to insulate it from external radio signals, this spacious test area will be employed to evaluate the performance of a new generation of bigger a
Moon fests, moon movie and even a full moon mark 55th anniversary of Apollo 11 landing
Friday, 19 July 2024 16:55The cosmos is providing a full moon for the 55th anniversary of the first lunar landing this weekend, and plenty of other events honor Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's giant leap.
Aldrin, 94, the last surviving member of the Apollo 11 crew, headlines a gala at the San Diego Air and Space Museum on Saturday night. He'll be joined by astronaut Charlie Duke, who was the voice inside Mission Control for the July 20, 1969 moon landing.
Museum President Jim Kidrick couldn't resist throwing a bash "55 years to the day of one of the most historic moments in not only the history of America, but in the history of the world.
Lunar infrastructure could be protected by autonomously building a rock wall
Friday, 19 July 2024 14:23Lunar exploration equipment at any future lunar base is in danger from debris blasted toward it by subsequent lunar landers. This danger isn't just theoretical—Surveyor III was a lander during the Apollo era that was damaged by Apollo 12's descent rocket and returned to Earth for closer examination.
Plenty of ideas have been put forward to limit this risk, and we've reported on many of them, from constructing landing pads out of melted regolith to 3D printing a blast shield out of available materials.