Exploring the potential for life on Europa through iron snow
Friday, 24 May 2024 20:22Scientists have long been intrigued by the possibility of life in the subsurface oceans of icy worlds like Europa and Enceladus. Recent research led by Dr. Nita Sahai, a professor at The University of Akron, provides important insights into this question. In a groundbreaking study published in the prestigious journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2024), Dr. Sahai and her
SpaceX launches U.S. spy satellites from California
Friday, 24 May 2024 20:22The National Reconnaissance Office on Wednesday launched a group of U.S. spy satellites early Wednesday morning. A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched the NROL-146 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 4 a.m. EDT. The mission marked the first launch of NRO's proliferated systems featuring responsive collection and rapid data delivery, it said. "Our nation's evolvi
Preligens secures AI analytics contract with new APAC customer
Friday, 24 May 2024 20:22Preligens, a leader in Geospatial Artificial Intelligence for Aerospace, Defense, and Government, has secured a contract to provide AI analytics software for high volumes of government satellite imagery. This award by a new Asia Pacific customer highlights Preligens' AI analytics capabilities and supports the expansion of its international customer base. "Since its incorporation 8 years ag
Astronomers measure the spin of a supermassive black hole for the first time
Friday, 24 May 2024 20:22Astronomers at MIT, NASA, and elsewhere have a new way to measure how fast a black hole spins, by using the wobbly aftermath from its stellar feasting. The method takes advantage of a black hole tidal disruption event - a blazingly bright moment when a black hole exerts tides on a passing star and rips it to shreds. As the star is disrupted by the black hole's immense tidal forces, half of
NASA selects instrument for solar study on ESA mission
Friday, 24 May 2024 20:22NASA has selected a new instrument to study the Sun and its massive solar eruptions. The Joint EUV coronal Diagnostic Investigation (JEDI) will capture images of the Sun in extreme ultraviolet light, revealing the mechanisms of the Sun's activity. JEDI's two telescopes will be integrated into the ESA's (European Space Agency's) Vigil space weather mission. They will focus on the middle lay
Sunspot Formation Explained by Solar Physicists
Friday, 24 May 2024 20:22A team of solar scientists has identified the origins of the mechanism driving the sun's activity and sunspots. The discovery may solve one of the oldest unsolved problems in physics. The "solar dynamo" might start in the sun's outer layers rather than its interior, said Benjamin Brown, a solar physicist at CU Boulder. "Galileo first observed the sunspots 400 years ago...But he couldn't fi
ESA and EU Strengthen Information Security Agreement
Friday, 24 May 2024 20:22The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Union (EU) have updated their security of information agreement, reinforcing their partnership. ESA and the EU have collaborated to ensure European citizens benefit from space programs. ESA has developed key components of the EU's space initiatives, such as the Galileo navigation system and the Copernicus Earth observation satellites. These
The origin of the sun's magnetic field could lie close to its surface
Friday, 24 May 2024 20:22The sun's surface is a brilliant display of sunspots and flares driven by the solar magnetic field, which is internally generated through a process called dynamo action. Astrophysicists have assumed that the sun's field is generated deep within the star. But an MIT study finds that the sun's activity may be shaped by a much shallower process. In a paper appearing in Nature, researchers at
NASA, IBM Research to Release New AI Model for Weather, Climate
Friday, 24 May 2024 20:22Working together, NASA and IBM Research have developed a new artificial intelligence model to support a variety of weather and climate applications. The new model - known as the Privthi-weather-climate foundational model - uses artificial intelligence (AI) in ways that could vastly improve the resolution we'll be able to get, opening the door to better regional and local weather and climate mode
Satellite-Based Hyperspectral Sensors Enhance Monitoring Capabilities
Friday, 24 May 2024 20:22Using satellite-based hyperspectral sensors, Orbital Sidekick offers global monitoring services. The company has launched five commercial satellites, including two in March, with plans for a sixth later this year. Co-founder and CEO Dan Katz credits the ISS National Laboratory for helping test their sensor technology. Hyperspectral imaging identifies specific chemicals and materials, provi
Bringing generative artificial intelligence to space
Friday, 24 May 2024 19:40SpaceX sets early June launch of next Starship test flight
Friday, 24 May 2024 19:12NASA and Boeing moving ahead with Starliner test flight after propulsion issues
Friday, 24 May 2024 17:583D-MAT, a thermal protection material for the Artemis Generation
Friday, 24 May 2024 16:24The 3-Dimensional Multifunctional Ablative Thermal Protection System (3D-MAT) is a thermal protection material developed as a critical component of Orion, NASA's newest spacecraft built for human deep space missions. It is able to maintain a high level of strength while enduring extreme temperatures during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere at the end of Artemis missions to the moon.
3D-MAT has become an essential piece of technology for NASA's Artemis campaign that will establish the foundation for long-term scientific exploration on the moon and prepare for human expeditions to Mars, for the benefit of all.
The 3D-MAT project emerged from a technical problem in early designs of the Orion spacecraft. The compression pad—the connective interface between the crew module, where astronauts reside, and the service module carrying power, propulsion, supplies, and more—was exhibiting issues during Orion's first test flight, Exploration Flight Test-1, in 2014.
NASA engineers realized they needed to find a new material for the compression pad that could hold these different components of Orion together while withstanding the extremely high temperatures of atmospheric re-entry.
SpaceX mega rocket Starship's next launch on June 5
Friday, 24 May 2024 15:25Starship, the world's most powerful rocket, is set for its next test flight on June 5, SpaceX announced on Friday.
The launch window from the company's Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas opens at 7:00 am local time (1200 GMT), pending regulatory approval.
It will be the fourth test for the sleek mega rocket, which is vital to NASA's plans for landing astronauts on the Moon later this decade, and to SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's hopes of eventually colonizing Mars.