The Milky Way primordial history and its fossil findings
Saturday, 19 December 2020 06:32
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Just as archaeologists dig hoping to find traces of the past, an international group of astrophysicists managed to get into the thick cloud of dust around the centre of the Milky Way (also known as the bulge) discovering primordial clumps of gas and stars never found so far. They named this new class of stellar system "Bulge Fossil Fragments". A research team led by Francesco Ferraro (Department Hubble Sees a 'Molten Ring'
Saturday, 19 December 2020 06:32 Write a comment
The narrow galaxy elegantly curving around its spherical companion in this image is a fantastic example of a truly strange and very rare phenomenon. This image, taken with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, depicts GAL-CLUS-022058s, located in the southern hemisphere constellation of Fornax (the Furnace).
GAL-CLUS-022058s is the largest and one of the most complete Einstein rings ever di NASA moves Mars Sample Return program into next phase of development
Saturday, 19 December 2020 02:25 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — NASA is moving ahead with work on a pair of Mars sample return missions, although some in the planetary science community worry how the cost of that effort will affect other projects.
NASA announced Dec.
SpaceX wraps up 2020 with Falcon 9 launch of classified NRO satellite
Friday, 18 December 2020 14:12 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched a classified mission for the National Reconnaissance Office Dec. 19. It was the company’s 26th and final launch of 2020.
The Falcon 9 carrying the NROL-108 mission lifted off at 9:00 a.m.
U.S. Space Force members are now guardians
Thursday, 17 December 2020 23:39 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — The members of the U.S. Space Force finally have a name: Guardians.
Vice President Mike Pence revealed the name Dec. 18 at a ceremony at the White House for the Space Force’s one-year anniversary.
Senate passes NASA authorization act
Thursday, 17 December 2020 20:20 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — The Senate unanimously approved a NASA authorization bill Dec. 18, a largely symbolic move intended to set up work on a new version of the legislation next year.
The Senate passed by unanimous consent S.
NASA to skip repair of Orion electronics unit
Thursday, 17 December 2020 19:10 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — NASA will not repair a faulty electronics unit on the Orion spacecraft recently completed for the Artemis 1 mission after concluding there was sufficient redundancy in the overall system.
In a Dec. 17 statement, NASA said it had decided to “use as is” one of eight power and data units (PDU) on the Orion spacecraft, which provide communications between the spacecraft’s computers and other components.
Russia lifts UK telecom satellites into orbit
Thursday, 17 December 2020 18:11 Write a comment
A Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia's Far East on Friday, putting into orbit 36 UK telecommunications and internet satellites, the Roscosmos space agency said.
The launch was the first and only one to take place from the cosmodrome this year, Roscosmos told AFP.
The rocket took off at 1226 GMT, the space agency said, carrying satellites made by the British-based company OneWeb.
Nearly five hours later space agency chief Dmitry Rogozin said that all the satellites had reached their intended orbit.
"The mission has been successfully completed. Congratulations!" he said on Twitter.
Originally planned for April, the launch was delayed after OneWeb collapsed and was forced to declare bankruptcy.
Last month, the UK government and Indian telecommunications giant Bharti took control of the company, investing $500 million a piece.
The London-headquartered company is working to complete the construction of a constellation of low earth orbit satellites providing enhanced broadband and other services to countries around the world.
OneWeb's first six satellites were launched by a Russian-made Soyuz rocket from the space centre in Kourou in French Guiana in February 2019.
The company launched 34 more in February this year from the Baikonur launch site in Kazakhstan, then another 34 in March.
NASA's Webb sunshield successfully unfolds and tensions in final tests
Thursday, 17 December 2020 17:50 Write a comment
Lengthened to the size of a tennis court, the five-layer sunshield of NASA's fully assembled James Webb Space Telescope successfully completed a final series of large-scale deployment and tensioning tests. This milestone puts the observatory one step closer to its launch in 2021.
"This is one of Webb's biggest accomplishments in 2020," said Alphonso Stewart, Webb deployment systems lead for NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Recently discovered comet seen during 2020 total solar eclipse
Thursday, 17 December 2020 17:49 Write a comment
OneWeb resumes satellite deployment with Soyuz launch
Thursday, 17 December 2020 17:42 Write a comment
WASHINGTON — OneWeb resumed deployment of its broadband satellite constellation with a Dec. 18 launch of 36 satellites, the first since the company emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
A Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from the Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russia at 7:26 a.m.
Telescope photographs the next target asteroid for Hayabusa2
Thursday, 17 December 2020 17:40 Write a comment
On December 10, 2020 (Hawai'i Standard Time), the Subaru Telescope imaged the small asteroid 1998 KY26, the target of Hayabusa2's extended mission. The positional data for 1998 KY26 collected during the observations will be used to more accurately determine the orbital elements of this object.
Operated by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the asteroid explorer Hayabusa2 delivered a reentry capsule to Earth containing samples from the asteroid (162173) Ryugu on December 6 (Japan Standard Time).
Jupiter, Saturn merging in night sky, closest in centuries
Thursday, 17 December 2020 15:36 Write a comment
![Jupiter, Saturn merging in night sky, closest in centuries](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800/2020/jupitersatur.jpg "In this Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020 photo made available by NASA, Saturn, top, and Jupiter, below, are seen after sunset from Shenandoah National Park in Luray, Va. The two planets are drawing closer to each other in the sky as they head towards a "great conjunction" on Monday, Dec. 21, where the two giant planets will appear a tenth of a degree apart. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)")
Russia launches UK telecom satellites into space
Thursday, 17 December 2020 14:57 Write a comment
A Soyuz rocket blasted off from the Vostochny cosmodrome in Russia's Far East on Friday carrying 36 UK telecommunications and internet satellites, the Roscosmos space agency said.
The launch was the first and only one to take place from the cosmodrome this year, Roscosmos told AFP.
The rocket took off at 1226 GMT, Roscosmos said, carrying satellites made by the British-based company OneWeb.
Originally planned for April, the launch was delayed after OneWeb collapsed and was forced to declare bankruptcy.
Last month, the UK government and Indian telecommunications giant Bharti took control of the company, investing $500 million a piece.
The London-headquartered company is working to complete the construction of a constellation of low earth orbit satellites providing enhanced broadband and other services to countries around the world.
OneWeb's first six satellites were launched by a Russian-made Soyuz rocket from the space centre in Kourou in French Guiana in February 2019.
The company launched 34 more in February this year from the Baikanour launch site in Kazakhstan, then another 34 in March.
OneWeb plans for its global commercial internet service to be operational by 2022, supported by some 650 satellites.
"Today's launch will be the first fully commercial spacecraft launch from the Vostochny cosmodrome," Roscosmos said.
Week in images: 14 - 18 December 2020
Thursday, 17 December 2020 14:43 Write a comment
Week in images: 14 - 18 December 2020
Discover our week through the lens