Copernical Team
Juno just saw a spacerock crash into Jupiter
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Timing is extraordinarily important in many aspects of astronomy. If an astronomer or their instrument is looking the wrong way at the wrong time, they could miss something spectacular. Alternatively, there are moments when our instruments capture something unexpected in regions of space that we were searching for something else. That is exactly what happened recently when a team of scientists, led by Rohini Giles at the Southwest Research Institute, saw an image of what is likely a meteor impacting Jupiter's atmosphere.
The team collects data from the UVS, one of the instruments on Juno, NASA's mission tasked with studying the largest solar system planet up close. UVS is Juno's ultraviolet spectrograph, which collects data in the ultraviolet spectra from 68-210 nm. Its primary mission is to study Jupiter's atmosphere and watch for its breathtaking auroras.
Recently, when reviewing a batch of images that came in from the sensor, one of Dr. Giles' colleagues noticed a huge spike in brightness in an area outside of the normal auroral zone. As with much other science, this discovery started with someone finding interesting data when they didn't expect to see it.
The search for life beyond Earth
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Mars may now be considered a barren, icy desert but did Earth's nearest neighbour once harbour life?
It is a question that has preoccupied scientists for centuries and fired up sci-fi imaginings.
After seven months in space, NASA's Perseverance rover is due to land on Mars on Thursday, in search of clues.
Why Mars?
Other planets or moons, could also harbour forms of life, so why pick Mars?
NASA says Mars is not just one of the more accessible places in the solar system and a potential future destination for humans, but exploring the planet could also help to answer "origin and evolution of life questions".
"Mars is unique across the entire solar system in that it is a terrestrial planet with an atmosphere and climate, its geology is known to be very diverse and complex (like Earth), and it appears that the climate of Mars has changed over its history (like Earth)," it adds on its Mars programme website.
An interactive map to explore Jezero crater
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Explore the landing site of NASA’s Perseverance rover and travel to scenic panoramas with this new interactive tool based on ESA Mars Express and NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter data. View on your mobile phone, and the rotation of the scene will follow the movements of your device!
Ariane 6 upper stage installed for tests
Flying fire watch
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Flying fire watch Out with the old, in with the new and a stroll around the Station
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A new year is traditionally a time to reflect and make some space for new beginnings. As many people on Earth have been making resolutions to finally eat healthier, exercise more, or pick up a book instead of turning on the television, however, there is little time for rest and reflection aboard the International Space Station.
Engineers earn NASA grant to enable flying taxis
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Imagine fleets of small aircraft able to vertically take off and land from helipads in urban areas, transporting people to and from work; or shuttles with preset routes flying people to the airport or other major hubs.
This futuristic system of flying taxis and shuttles is one step closer to reality thanks to a team of engineers led by the University of California San Diego. They received Supercomputer turns back cosmic clock
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Astronomers have tested a method for reconstructing the state of the early Universe by applying it to 4000 simulated universes using the ATERUI II supercomputer at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ).
They found that together with new observations the method can set better constraints on inflation, one of the most enigmatic events in the history of the Universe. The metho GMV-led consortium EUSTM is shaping the future of European Space Traffic Management
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The technological multinational GMV , European leader in Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST), has been chosen by the European Commission to lead a Coordination and Support Action (CSA) within the H2020 program to make proposals for a future European Space Traffic Management (STM) capability: EUSTM .
Space activity has increased exponentially in recen National Student Space Conference 2021
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The 33rd annual UKSEDS National Student Space Conference, to be held online on the 6th and 7th of March 2021, will feature talks from Kathyrn Lueders - NASA's Human Spaceflight chief, Dr Timiebi Aganaba - international expert on space law, and Dr Yuichi Tsuda - the project manager for JAXA's record breaking Hayabusa2 mission.
The National Student Space Conference is the premier event for s