NASA's Curiosity Mars rover takes selfie with Mont Mercou
Tuesday, 30 March 2021 04:12
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At the start of March, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover began approaching an impressive rock formation that scientists dubbed "Mont Mercou," a nickname taken from a mountain in France. Standing about 20 feet (6 meters) tall, the outcrop is captured in all its majesty in a new selfie, as well as in a pair of panoramas that offer a 3D view. The selfie shows Curiosity in front of Mont Mercou with a new Webb Telescope General Observer Scientific Programs Selected
Tuesday, 30 March 2021 04:12 Write a comment
Mission officials for NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have announced the selection of the General Observer programs for the telescope's first year of science, known as Cycle 1. These specific programs will provide the worldwide astronomical community with one of the first extensive opportunities to investigate scientific targets with Webb.
The 286 selected proposals address a wide variet NASA tests mixed reality for mission operations for exploration
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Mixed reality technologies, like virtual reality headsets or augmented reality apps, aren't just for entertainment - they can also help make discoveries on other worlds like the Moon and Mars. By traveling on Earth to extreme environments - from Mars-like lava fields in Hawaii to underwater hydrothermal vents - similar to destinations on other worlds, NASA scientists have tested out technologies Calling all future astronauts!
Tuesday, 30 March 2021 04:00 Write a comment
Applications are open for ESA’s first astronaut selection in over a decade, and all qualified candidates are encouraged to put themselves forward.
Be part of something big
Tuesday, 30 March 2021 04:00 Write a comment
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On 31 March 2021, the European Space Agency is opening the application process for its first astronaut selection in over a decade.
If you meet the minimum requirements and want to join Europe’s journey into space, this is your chance to apply.
Website esa.int/YourWayToSpace provides everything you need to know to prepare your application. All applications must be submitted to ESA’s careers website by 28 May 2021.
Inspiration4 announces crew for private SpaceX Crew Dragon mission
Tuesday, 30 March 2021 00:22 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — The private venture that purchased a SpaceX Crew Dragon flight to low Earth orbit has finalized the crew for that mission, scheduled to launch as soon as September.
The Inspiration4 mission, which describes itself as the “world’s first all-civilian mission to space,” revealed the crew that will accompany its sponsor, entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, during a March 30 event at the Kennedy Space Center.
Comet 'most pristine' object from outer space seen in Solar System
Monday, 29 March 2021 22:26 Write a comment
A newly observed interstellar comet is the most pristine visitor from outer space ever seen in our Solar System, according to a pair of studies released Tuesday detailing its unique characteristics.
Pristine, in astronomical terms, describes a comet that has never passed close enough to a star to be transformed by its searing heat.
2I/Borisov was discovered in 2019 by Ukrainian astrophys Amazon Web Services launches space accelerator program for startups
Monday, 29 March 2021 19:29 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — Amazon Web Services is launching a space accelerator program for startups, the company announced March 30.
AWS is teaming up with the U.K.-based venture investment firm Seraphim Capital to select the first 10 startups for the four-week mentoring program scheduled to begin in June.
Australian Defence Force expands Inmarsat satellite partnership
Monday, 29 March 2021 18:44 Write a comment
TAMPA, Fla. — The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has extended a contract to use British operator Inmarsat’s satellites to 2027, expanding the agreement to cover managed services.
The contract extension, worth 221 million Australian dollars ($291 million), comes a month after the U.K.
SpaceX Starship rocket explodes again after test flight
Monday, 29 March 2021 15:22 Write a comment
A fourth Starship rocket prototype for Elon Musk's SpaceX launch company exploded after a test flight on Tuesday morning in South Texas.
As with previous test flights, SpaceX flew Starship - model SN11 - to over 6 miles high above the launch facility about 180 miles south of Corpus Christi. The rocket then glided on wing flaps back to the launch pad.
Heavy fog and problems with the video Selection of the first James Webb Space Telescope General Observer Scientific Programmes
Monday, 29 March 2021 15:15 Write a comment
The General Observer scientific observations for the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope’s first year of operation have been selected. Proposals from ESA member states comprise 33% of the total number of selected proposals and correspond to 30% of the available telescope time on Webb.
UK to lead the development of the second Scout mission, HydroGNSS
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First interstellar comet may be the most pristine ever found
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Researchers discover new type of ancient crater lake on Mars
Monday, 29 March 2021 14:56 Write a comment
Researchers from Brown University have discovered a previously unknown type of ancient crater lake on Mars that could reveal clues about the planet's early climate.
In a study published in the Planetary Science Journal, a research team led by Brown Ph.D. student Ben Boatwright describes an as-yet unnamed crater with some puzzling characteristics. The crater's floor has unmistakable geologic evidence of ancient stream beds and ponds, yet there's no evidence of inlet channels where water could have entered the crater from outside, and no evidence of groundwater activity where it could have bubbled up from below.
So where did the water come from?
International training
Monday, 29 March 2021 14:46 Write a comment
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ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti has started training at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, USA. Set to launch for her second mission in spring 2022, Samantha is already getting reacquainted with International Space Station systems in a series of refresher courses.
Samantha was last on the International Space Station in 2014 for her Futura mission. She spent 200 days in space, conducting European and international scientific experiments and Space Station operations.
In the coming months, her schedule will intensify as she trains for the specific experiments and tasks she will perform in space during her second mission.
As a collaborative, international effort