ASU scientists determine origin of strange interstellar object
Tuesday, 16 March 2021 06:01
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In 2017, the first interstellar object from beyond our solar system was discovered via the Pan-STARRS astronomical observatory in Hawaii. It was named 'Oumuamua, meaning "scout" or "messenger" in Hawaiian. The object was like a comet, but with features that were just odd enough to defy classification.
Two Arizona State University astrophysicists, Steven Desch and Alan Jackson of the School Ancient light illuminates matter that fuels galaxy formation
Tuesday, 16 March 2021 06:01 Write a comment
Using light from the Big Bang, an international team led by Cornell University and the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory has begun to unveil the material which fuels galaxy formation.
"There is uncertainty on the formation of stars within galaxies that theoretical models are unable to predict," said lead author Stefania Amodeo, a Cornell postdoctoral researc LAMOST reveals new footprints of the Gaia-Sausage-Enceladus merger event
Tuesday, 16 March 2021 06:01 Write a comment
Looking up at the starry sky, the deep Universe appears quiet and mysterious. It is hard to imagine that the ancient dwarf galaxy Enceladus violently collided and was torn apart by our own Milky Way Galaxy, leaving behind the cries of a whole new generation of children from the hundred-handed giant.
Recently, SCIENCE CHINA: Physics, Mechanics and Astronomy published an (Editor's Focus) art New 3D Printed CubeSat measures electromagnetic effects of space storms
Tuesday, 16 March 2021 06:01 Write a comment
Today Roboze, a manufacturer of industrial 3D printing technology for extreme end-use applications, announced it has been selected by the University of Colorado Boulder to optimize the design and 3D printed components for a CubeSat project within the college's department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences. The CubeSat will spend at least six months in orbit measuring electromagnetic waves emitted Cosmic lens reveals faint radio galaxy
Tuesday, 16 March 2021 06:01 Write a comment
Radio telescopes are the world's most sensitive radio receivers, capable of finding extremely faint wisps of radio emission coming from objects at the farthest reaches of the universe. Recently, a team of astronomers used the National Science Foundation's Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) to take advantage of a helping hand from nature to detect a distant galaxy that likely is the faintest r Lightning strikes played a vital role in life's origins on Earth
Tuesday, 16 March 2021 06:01 Write a comment
Lightning strikes were just as important as meteorites in creating the perfect conditions for life to emerge on Earth, geologists say.
Minerals delivered to Earth in meteorites more than 4 billion years ago have long been advocated as key ingredients for the development of life on our planet.
Scientists believed minimal amounts of these minerals were also brought to early Earth throu Congressional Democrats urge Biden to cut defense spending
Monday, 15 March 2021 21:58 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — A March 16 letter signed by 50 House Democrats urges President Joe Biden to reduce the Pentagon’s budget to pay for other activities.
The letter is intended to influence the president’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2022 which the administration is expected to submit to Congress in early May.
U.S. Space Force would support commercial services to remove orbital debris
Monday, 15 March 2021 21:27 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — Vice Chief of Space Operations of the U.S. Space Force Gen. David Thompson said it would make sense for the government to pay companies to clean up space junk if such services existed.
Satellite operators want a seat at the table in space security discussions
Monday, 15 March 2021 20:28 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — Companies that operate commercial satellites should participate in the growing conversation about rules of behavior in space, a Eutelsat executive said March 16.
How to ensure space remains a peaceful environment is a central question that government and military officials from the United States and other countries continue to debate.
Loft Orbital purchases satellite antennas from Anywaves
Monday, 15 March 2021 15:40 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — Loft Orbital is buying antennas for an upcoming mission from French provider Anywaves, a deal the companies see as a sign of a growing European ecosystem of space startups.
Anywaves announced March 16 it sold two S-band antennas to Loft Orbital, which will install them on its YAM-3 spacecraft launching in June on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rideshare mission.
Keeping up with Thomas
Monday, 15 March 2021 15:16 Write a comment
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ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet will serve as commander of the International Space Station towards the end of his second mission, called Alpha, currently slated to begin on 22 April this year. The announcement was made during today’s press briefing.
Thomas will be the fourth European to hold the post of commander, after ESA astronauts Frank De Winne, Alexander Gerst and Luca Parmitano. During the briefing, Thomas remarked how three back-to-back European commanders underscores the growing role of Europe in space exploration and is a testament to the hard work of ESA colleagues.
‘I am unbelievably humbled and honoured’, said Thomas.
China to construct commercial spaceport to support booming space industry
Monday, 15 March 2021 15:13 Write a comment
HELSINKI — China will establish a commercial spaceport in the coming years to support the rapid growth of private space activities in the country.
Scientists unearth meteorite from the birth of the solar system
Monday, 15 March 2021 14:12 Write a comment
Scientists believe they have identified a meteorite formed in the first million years of our solar system, making it the oldest known meteor of volcanic origin.
The space rock, which began its journey some 4.5 billion years ago, has already proved an "exceptional" witness to the building blocks of the planets.
Known as Erg Chech 002, the meteorite was discovered in May 2020 by meteor hunters in the Algerian Sahara desert. It had rested undisturbed for "at least 100 years", according to Jean-Alix Barrat, a geochemist at France's Brest University.
In a recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, Barrat and his colleagues describe its discovery and several rare features.
There are 43 officially documented fragments, but "probably about a hundred" either still in the ground or unaccounted for, said the study.
Alpha pre-launch press briefing
Monday, 15 March 2021 13:30 Write a comment
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Watch the replay of the virtual press event in which ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet talks about his upcoming ‘Alpha’ mission to the International Space Station.
Set to launch on 22 April, Thomas will be the first ESA astronaut to fly on a SpaceX Crew Dragon being launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida, USA. In this event we will also hear from ESA ISS Utilisation Planning Team Leader Kirsten MacDonell, and Head of the ESA Human and Robotic Exploration Strategy & Coordination Group Didier Schmitt.
