Heidelberg, Germany (SPX) Feb 12, 2024
Ordinarily, planets in evolved planetary systems, such as the Solar System, follow stable orbits around their central star. However, many indications suggest that some planets might depart from their birthplaces during their early evolution by migrating inward or outward. This planetary migration might also explain an observation that has puzzled researchers for several years: the relatively low

Tucson AZ (SPX) Feb 12, 2024
The unique two thin rings around the Centaur Chariklo could be shaped by an even smaller satellite. Chariklo is a Centaur, which are small bodies similar to asteroids in size but to comets in composition, that revolve around the Sun in the outer Solar System, mainly between the orbits of Jupiter and Neptune. "Rings around minor planets have only been recently discovered, and only a small n

Mountain View CA (SPX) Feb 12, 2024
The official classification now aligns with what many suspected from merely looking at the images of the strange meteorites that fell near Berlin on January 21, 2024. They belong to a rare group called "aubrites". "They were devilishly difficult to find because, from a distance, they look like other rocks on Earth," said SETI Institute meteor astronomer Dr. Peter Jenniskens. "Close up, not

Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 13, 2024
Earth planning date: Friday, February 9, 2024: We are found Curiosity at full energy and ready to go this morning. And go we did! We are at a very interesting location with lots of textures in the rocks in front of us, and many features to spot in the walls around us. Geologists feasting time! And feast we did! I counted - between Mastcam, ChemCam, the Navcams, and MARDI almost 450 individ

Paris (ESA) Feb 13, 2024
The stages that make up the central core of Europe's new rocket, Ariane 6, have left mainland Europe and are heading towards Europe's spaceport in French Guiana. Shipping across the Atlantic, the main stage and upper stage were loaded into the purpose-built hybrid sailing ship Canopee at the harbours of Bremen, Germany, and Le Havre, France. Canopee left the port of Le Havre carrying the l

Wright-Patterson AFB OH (SPX) Feb 13, 2024
In October, the NASA team revisited Wright-Patterson Air Force Base to collaborate with Air Force Research Laboratory, or AFRL, engineers, to further evaluate the latest version of astronaut crew seats and flight suits intended for the Orion spacecraft. Testing was conducted with U.S. Air Force volunteers, who met various height and weight requirements. The testing progressed into November, inco

Washington DC (SPX) Feb 13, 2024
On Earth, rocks and soil are weathered by wind and water, but what weathers surfaces on the Moon? New research investigates how ice might alter lunar soil in permanently shadowed lunar craters. The Moon is blanketed in a layer of material called regolith, made up of fragments of rock, soft lunar soil, and fines: particles less than 2 microns across (1 micron = 10-6 meter). Apollo-era astro

Regina, Canada (SPX) Feb 13, 2024
I used to love rocket launches when I was younger. During every launch, I imagined what it would feel like to be an astronaut sitting in the spacecraft, listening to that final countdown and then feeling multiple gees push me up through the atmosphere and away from our blue marble. But as I learned more about the severe limitations of human spaceflight, I turned my attention to the oldest

Washington DC (UPI) Feb 13, 2024
NASA engineers are working to close one of two dust covers, stuck open on a camera aboard NASA's Perseverance Mars rover, to help scientists resume collecting crucial data on the Red Planet, the space agency announced Tuesday. The cover prevents dust from accumulating on the optics of the Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman and Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals, or SHERLOC

Kennedy Space Center, United States (AFP) Feb 14, 2024
An American spaceship attempting a lunar landing has been rescheduled to launch early Thursday, the second private-led effort this year after the first ended in dismal failure. Intuitive Machines, the Houston company leading mission "IM-1," hopes to become the first non-government entity to achieve a soft touchdown on the Moon and land the first US robot on the surface since the Apollo missi