Week in images: 03-07 April 2023
Week in images: 03-07 April 2023
Discover our week through the lens
Smelly seaweed bloom heads to Florida
A large mass of Sargassum ‘seaweed’ circling around the Gulf of Mexico may soon wash up along the US west coast near Florida – depending on the right combination of currents and wind. The bloom, which may likely be the largest ever recorded, is so large that it’s visible from space.
Two recent wargames hold timely lessons for space resilience
A comparison of two recent wargames reveals that the United States’ current course of action to ensure space resilience may not adequately deter and defend against emerging new Chinese space […]
SpaceX closing in on first Starship Super Heavy launch
SpaceX offered its strongest signals yet that it is nearing the first full-scale launch of its Starship vehicle, now expected for later this month.
NASA's high-resolution air quality control instrument launches
A Falcon 9 rocket successfully blasted off from Florida into space on Friday carrying a new NASA device that can track air pollution over North America down to the neighborhood level.
The launch, which took place at 12:30 am (0430 GMT), will bring into orbit the Tropospheric Emissions Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument, which will allow scientists to monitor air pollutants and their emission sources more extensively than ever before.
The data will be used by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and other agencies responsible for tackling atmospheric pollution.
SpaceX launches Intelsat’s IS-40e high throughput satellite
SpaceX successfully launched Intelsat’s IS-40e communications satellite April 7, which will help the operator meet growing demand for connectivity on planes while also carrying its first hosted payload for NASA.
Save the date: One year until total solar eclipse sweeps US
NASA sets up Moon to Mars office
As preparations for the Artemis 2 mission ramp up, NASA has established a congressionally mandated office to oversee planning for that and future missions to the moon.
New book explores possibilities of colonizing planets, moons and beyond
Dan Razvan Popoviciu new book New Worlds: Colonizing Planets, Moons and Beyond (published by Bentham Science) explores the possibilities of transforming humanity into a multi-planetary species, while also sounding an alarm about our long-term future. It emphasizes the importance of efficiently using Earth's resources and expanding beyond the planet's borders.
In the book, Popoviciu discuss NASA awards innovative concept studies for science, exploration
Technology in development today could radically change the future of air and space exploration. Nearly silent electric aircraft could ferry people and packages around cities, a sprawling radio telescope array on the far side of the Moon could reveal new secrets about the universe, and astronauts on long-duration missions could grow their own medicines to protect their health.
These concept 
