Pasadena CA (JPL) Dec 01, 2022
Still stuffed and feeling thankful our weekend plans were successful! This morning's downlink showed we had more power to play with than was modeled last week, this time due to the SAM activities running conservatively on Sols 3662 and 3663 (Thanksgiving and the day after). From this "power gift" we were able to add a whole hour to our remote science time and use our DRT for a full sol of scienc

Edmonton, Canada (SPX) Dec 01, 2022
A team of researchers has discovered at least two new minerals that have never before been seen on Earth in a 15 tonne meteorite found in Somalia - the ninth largest meteorite ever found. "Whenever you find a new mineral, it means that the actual geological conditions, the chemistry of the rock, was different than what's been found before," says Chris Herd, a professor in the Department of

Washington DC (SPX) Dec 01, 2022
The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) has issued a new Policy Statement on Human Space Flight and Exploration Programs. As both government and commercial space operations continue to evolve and expand, this statement highlights the urgency and fundamental necessity to focus more attention on human factors engineering and human performance in the design of the technologies, training and

Boulder CO (SPX) Dec 01, 2022
New Horizons remains healthy from its position deep in the Kuiper Belt, even as it speeds farther from the Earth and Sun by about 300 million miles per year! The spacecraft, which began its second extended mission on Oct. 1, also continues its record-length hibernation that began June 1 and ends March 1. Hibernation, which takes place in spacecraft "spin mode," saves fuel and wear and tear

Washington DC (SPX) Dec 02, 2022
NASA shared a response Wednesday on an independent review board established to assess plans and goals for the next generation of Earth-observing satellites: NASA's Earth System Observatory, a cutting edge suite of spacecraft that will forward understanding of our changing planet. The independent review board report examined the technical concepts developed so far for robustness as well as

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Dec 02, 2022
NASA announced Monday it intends to cancel development of its GeoCarb mission, and instead implement a plan for pursuing alternate options to measure and observe greenhouse gases. Newer options to make key greenhouse gas measurements are emerging that were not previously available for the agency when considering GeoCarb. For example, NASA's newest instrument that launched in July to the In

Vanderbijlpark, South Africa (SPX) Dec 02, 2022
Breakthrough Listen has begun observations using a powerful new instrument deployed to the MeerKAT radio telescope in the remote Karoo region of South Africa. The new search for technosignatures - indicators of technology developed by extraterrestrial intelligence - expands the number of targets searched by a factor of 1,000. The astronomers and engineers on the Breakthrough Listen team ha

Frankfurt, Germany (SPX) Dec 02, 2022
Kleos Space has partnered with leading geospatial developer platform and marketplace, UP42, to offer Kleos' RF geolocation data to their platform users. Under the partnership, Kleos' geospatial data product, Guardian LOCATE, will be available on UP42's marketplace. Guardian LOCATE provides processed geolocated radio frequency transmissions collected over key areas of interest by Kleos' sat

Berkeley CA (SPX) Dec 02, 2022
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has turned its infrared cameras on Saturn's moon Titan, giving astronomers another eye on the largest and one of the most unusual moons in the solar system. The only satellite with a dense atmosphere, it's also the only world besides Earth that has standing bodies of liquid on its surface, including rivers, lakes and seas - though the liquid is thought

Tucson AZ (SPX) Dec 02, 2022
When NASA's Viking 1 lander touched down on the surface of Mars nearly 50 years ago, its cameras imaged a boulder-strewn surface of elusive origin. New research led by Planetary Science Institute Senior Scientist Alexis Rodriguez shows the landing site may be on the margins of a megatsunami deposit, formed when a 3-kilometer asteroid impacted a northern Martian ocean about 3.4 billion years ago.