SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket grounded pending mishap investigation
SpaceX's stalwart Falcon 9 rocket has been grounded while the Federal Aviation Administration investigates why its first-stage booster tipped over and exploded while attempting to land after its latest launch, the agency announced Wednesday.
The rare failure came after the rocket sent the latest batch of 21 Starlink internet satellites into orbit during an early morning launch.
A webcast from Elon Musk's company showed the first stage, which normally fires its thrusters to achieve a precise upright landing, tilting and blowing up as it descended onto a droneship off the Florida coast.
Although landing the booster is a secondary objective, and no lives or public property were at risk, the reusability of the entire rocket system is crucial to SpaceX's business model.
It snapped a more than three-year streak of hundreds of successful booster landings.
"An investigation is designed to further enhance public safety, determine the root cause of the event, and identify corrective actions to avoid it from happening again," the FAA said in a statement.
NASA's Europa Clipper gets set of super-size solar arrays
The largest spacecraft NASA has ever built for planetary exploration just got its "wings"—massive solar arrays to power it on the journey to Jupiter's icy moon Europa.
NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft recently got outfitted with a set of enormous solar arrays at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Each measuring about 46½ feet (14.2 meters) long and about 13½ feet (4.1 meters) high, the arrays are the biggest NASA has ever developed for a planetary mission.
FAA pauses Falcon 9 launches to investigate failed booster landing
Guetlein outlines U.S. Space Force vision for ‘allied by design’ space systems
Sentinel-2C pre-launch media briefing
Video:
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The Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite is set for liftoff on 4 September on the last Vega rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
This recording is of a media briefing held on 29 August 2024 to offer journalists the possibility to learn more about the Sentinel-2 mission and the last flight of Vega, Europe’s nimble rocket specialising in launching small scientific and Earth observation spacecraft such as to sun-synchronous polar orbits, following the Sun.
The Sentinel-2 mission is based on a constellation of two identical satellites, Sentinel-2A and Sentinel-2B, flying in the same orbit but 180°
Galactic Energy launches six satellites with third sea launch
Shikha Ganguly, L3Harris Technologies – Leading Women in Space
International consortium with NASA reveals hidden impact of spaceflight on gut health
Scientists have uncovered how spaceflight profoundly alters the gut microbiome, revealing previously unknown effects on host physiology that could shape the future of long-duration space missions.
Led by University College Dublin (UCD) and McGill University, Canada, in collaboration with NASA and an international consortium, the research offers the most detailed profile to date of how space travel impacts the gut microbes we carry into space.
Published in npj Biofilms and Microbiomes, the study used advanced genetic technologies to examine changes in the gut microbiome, colons, and livers of mice aboard the International Space Station (ISS) over three months.
The findings reveal significant shifts in specific bacteria and corresponding changes in host gene expression associated with immune and metabolic dysfunction commonly observed in space, offering new insights into how these changes may affect astronaut physiology during extended missions.
Dr. Emmanuel Gonzalez, McGill University, and first author of the study, said, "Spaceflight extensively alters astronaut physiology, yet many underlying factors remain a mystery.
What if you flew your warp drive spaceship into a black hole?
Warp drives have a long history of not existing, despite their ubiquitous presence in science fiction. Writer John Campbell first introduced the idea in a science fiction novel called Islands of Space.
These days, thanks to Star Trek in particular, the term is very familiar. It's almost a generic reference for superliminal travel through hyperspace. Whether or not warp drive will ever exist is a physics problem that researchers are still trying to solve, but for now, it's theoretical.
Recently, two researchers looked at what would happen if a ship with warp drive tried to get into a black hole. The result is an interesting thought experiment. It might not lead to starship-sized warp drives but might allow scientists to create smaller versions someday.
Astronauts stranded in space: Unexpected eight-month stay highlights risks of space exploration
Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams took off for the International Space Station in June. The test flight aboard Boeing's Starliner was supposed to last a week, but they have yet to return.
Helium leaks and issues with the control thrusters were discovered with the spacecraft, making a safe return to Earth impossible, according to NASA.
Instead, the pair will return to Earth with the crew of an upcoming SpaceX mission, which means they will not be back until February.
But a weeklong trip turning into an eight-month journey is par for the course when it comes to space exploration, Northeastern University experts say.
