Astronomers detect rare neutral atomic-carbon absorbers with a deep neural network
Sunday, 19 May 2024 18:28
Write a comment
Recently, an international team led by Prof. GE Jian from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences used deep learning neural networks to search for rare weak signals in quasar spectral data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey III (SDSS-III) program. This study, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, presents a new method for exploring ga How NASA Tracked the Most Intense Solar Storm in Decades
Sunday, 19 May 2024 18:28 Write a comment
May 2024 has already proven to be a particularly stormy month for our Sun. During the first full week of May, a barrage of large solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs) launched clouds of charged particles and magnetic fields toward Earth, creating the strongest solar storm to reach Earth in two decades - and possibly one of the strongest displays of auroras on record in the past 500 year LeoLabs secures NOAA contract to advance space traffic coordination
Sunday, 19 May 2024 18:28 Write a comment
LeoLabs has received a second Consolidated Pathfinder order from NOAA's Office of Space Commerce (OSC) to support the development of the civil-led U.S. Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS).
This order allows LeoLabs to continue assisting with TraCSS as the OSC extends the live data collection period of the pathfinder project. The extension aims to explore opportunities to improve Blue Origin resumes crewed New Shepard suborbital flights
Sunday, 19 May 2024 14:09
Blue Origin flies thrill seekers to space after two year hiatus
Sunday, 19 May 2024 12:57 Write a comment
Blue Origin is set to fly adventurers to the final frontier on Sunday for the first time in nearly two years, reigniting competition in the space tourism market after a rocket mishap put its crewed operations on hold.
Six people including Black sculptor and former Air Force pilot Ed Dwight, who was controversially spurned by NASA's astronaut corps in the 1960s, will blast off at 8:52 am local time (1352 GMT) from the Launch Site One base in west Texas, the company said on social media.
Dwight—at 90 years, 8 months and 10 days—is set to become the oldest person to go to space, narrowly pipping Star Trek actor William Shatner, who was almost two months younger when he launched with Blue Origin in 2021.
Pentagon to forge deeper ties with space industry in ‘first-of-its-kind’ program
Sunday, 19 May 2024 10:06
NASA prepares for twin launches of climate science cubesats
Saturday, 18 May 2024 20:27
'Dad's going up in a rocket!' French businessman set for launch
Saturday, 18 May 2024 05:30 Write a comment
He arrived in Texas, tried on his flight suit for the first time, and is now preparing to live out his childhood dream.
On Sunday, French entrepreneur Sylvain Chiron will board a Blue Origin rocket and blast off into space, joining the select group of humans who have ventured beyond Earth's bounds.
"I never thought I'd get to do this," the 52-year-old, who hails from the mountainous southeastern region of Savoy, told AFP in an interview two days before his adventure.
"We're going to be astronauts for 15 minutes, so a bit like pretend astronauts, but astronauts nonetheless!"
Blue Origin's spaceflights are brief hops just beyond the edge of space and back again—but still allow passengers to admire the curve of the Earth while free floating during a few minutes of weightlessness.
First crewed flight of Boeing Starliner postponed again
Saturday, 18 May 2024 05:24 Write a comment
The first crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner to the International Space Station has been delayed again due to a technical issue, NASA said Friday.
The launch in Florida was scheduled for Tuesday but NASA said it is now planned for May 25 to allow teams to further assess a helium leak linked to the service module, which sits on top of the rocket.
Earlier this month, a Starliner launch was postponed just hours before lift-off, with the astronauts already strapped in, due to a separate technical issue.
"The additional time allows teams to further assess" the helium leak, NASA said on its website.
The two astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, are in the meantime staying in Houston, Texas until the mission is ready.
It is another delay in the highly anticipated mission which has faced years of delays and comes at a challenging time for Boeing, as safety questions surround the century-old aerospace titan's commercial aviation arm.
NASA is banking on Starliner's success for its goal of certifying a second commercial vehicle to carry crews to the International Space Station.
'Danger behind the beauty': More solar storms could be heading our way
Saturday, 18 May 2024 05:20 Write a comment
Tourists normally have to pay big money and brave cold climates for a chance to see an aurora, but last weekend many people around the world simply had to look up to see these colorful displays dance across the sky.
Usually banished to the poles of Earth, the auroras strayed as far as Mexico, southern Europe and South Africa on the evening of May 10, delighting skygazers and filling social media with images of exuberant pinks, greens and purples.
But for those charged with protecting Earth from powerful solar storms such as the one that caused the auroras, a threat lurks beneath the stunning colors.
"We need to understand that behind this beauty, there is danger," Quentin Verspieren, the European Space Agency's space safety program coordinator, told AFP.
Lithuania becomes 40th nation to join NASA's Artemis Accords
Friday, 17 May 2024 21:13 Write a comment
Lithuania has become the 40th nation to sign NASA's Artemis Accords, a pact that defines the peaceful exploration of space.
Aušrinė Armonaitė, Lithuania's minister of economy and innovation, signed the accords Wednesday at the Radisson Blu Lietuva hotel in the capital Vilnius, with U.S. Ambassador Kara McDonald in attendance.
"Welcome to the Artemis Accords family, Lithuania," NASA, ESA will search for 'signs of life' on Mars
Friday, 17 May 2024 20:33 Write a comment
NASA and the European Space Agency will search together for signs of life on Mars, the U.S. space administration announced Thursday.
They will collaborate on the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover, an ESA-led mission that will launch in 2028 to explore Mars. Under terms of the deal, NASA will provide special heaters and unique parts of the rover propulsion system that are required to land 
