Copernical Team
Designing space exploration with the human in mind
Write a comment
When designing a new spacecraft or exploration vehicle, there is intense focus on its technical performance. Do its systems perform as expected? What kind of power does it need? Will it safely reach its destination?
Equally important, however, is whether that vehicle also works for the humans inside. Can astronauts easily reach critical controls? Do the seats conform to a crew member regar SmartSat CRC and NZ Govt unveil collaborative space research projects
Write a comment
SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (SmartSat CRC) has announced the commencement of four new space research projects jointly funded with New Zealand's Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), starting in August 2024. These initiatives mark the first phase of the Australia-New Zealand Collaborative Space Program and include projects on methane emissions monitoring, real-time gree UAH Teams shine in 2024 International CanSat Competition
Write a comment
Three teams from The University of Alabama in Huntsville's (UAH) Space Hardware Club (SHC) have achieved top national rankings in the 2024 International CanSat competition. The UAH student teams Shockwave, Snapdragon, and Moonracer secured first, third, and fourth places nationally and second, seventh, and tenth places internationally.
"The accomplishment is even more impressive considerin NASA funds research on orbital debris and Lunar sustainability
Write a comment
To support responsible space exploration, NASA's Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy (OTPS) is sponsoring research from five university teams. These teams will examine critical economic, social, and policy issues related to Earth's orbit and cislunar space.
This initiative aligns with NASA's Space Sustainability Strategy, aimed at promoting safe and sustainable space activities for Solar storm may cause northern lights to be visible from New York to Idaho
Write a comment
A solar storm could bring the northern lights to the northern United States this week, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration said.
The NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center issued a G2 geomagnetic storm watch for early Wednesday.
It said the northern lights or aurora borealis, as the phenomenon is known in the Northern Hemisphere, could become visible above "some north Stellar magnetism may influence exoplanet habitability
Write a comment
The pursuit of discovering life beyond our solar system has heightened interest in Earth-like planets within the habitable zone of their stars. However, the habitability of these exoplanets is affected by more than just their distance from the star.
A new study by Rice University's David Alexander and Anthony Atkinson broadens the definition of a habitable zone to include the star's magnet Chinese lunar probe finds water in Moon samples
Write a comment
A Chinese lunar probe found traces of water in samples of the Moon's soil, scientists have said, as the country pushes its ambitious space programme into high gear.
The Chang'e-5 rover completed its mission in 2020, returning to Earth with rock and soil samples from the Moon.
The lunar samples "revealed the presence of trace water", the group of scientists from Chinese universities wrote EarthCARE’s multispectral imager puts clouds into context
Write a comment
Launched less than two months ago, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has already returned images from two of its four instruments. Now, it has also delivered the first images from its multispectral imager, showcasing various types of clouds and cloud temperatures worldwide. This instrument is set to add valuable context to the data from EarthCARE’s other instruments.
Opinion: If we want to settle on other planets, we'll have to use genome editing to alter human DNA
Write a comment
When considering human settlements on the moon, Mars and further afield, much attention is given to the travel times, food and radiation risk. We'll undoubtedly face a harsh environment in deep space and some thinkers have been pointing to genome editing as a way to ensure that humans can tolerate the severe conditions as they venture further into the solar system.
In January, I was fortunate to attend a much-anticipated debate between astronomer royal Lord Martin Rees and Mars exploration advocate Dr. Robert Zubrin. The event at the British Interplanetary Society took on the topic of whether the exploration of Mars should be human or robotic.
In a recent book called The End of Astronauts, Lord Rees and co-author Donald Goldsmith outline the benefits of exploration of the solar system using robotic spacecraft and vehicles, without the expense and risk of sending humans along for the ride.
Lunar exploration ground sites will enhance the Near Space Network's communications services
Write a comment
NASA's LEGS can do more than help Earthlings move about the planet. Three Lunar Exploration Ground Sites, or LEGS, will enhance the Near Space Network's communications services and support of NASA's Artemis campaign.
NASA's Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program maintains the agency's two primary communications networks—the Deep Space Network and the Near Space Network, which enable satellites in space to send data back to Earth for investigation and discovery.
Using antennas around the globe, these networks capture signals from satellites, collecting data and enabling navigation engineers to track the mission. For the first Artemis mission, these networks worked in tandem to support the mission as it completed its 25-day journey around the moon.
