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Copernical Team

Copernical Team

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International consortium with NASA reveals hidden impact of spaceflight on gut health
Experimental design. Credit: npj Biofilms and Microbiomes (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41522-024-00545-1

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 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 , 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.

Thursday, 29 August 2024 09:00

Sentinel-2C pre-launch media briefing

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Video: 00:52:00

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°

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NASA's Europa Clipper gets set of super-size solar arrays
NASA’s Europa Clipper is seen here on Aug. 21 at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Engineers and technicians deployed and tested the giant solar arrays to be sure they will operate in flight. Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux

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.

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The first-stage booster tilted and blew up as it descended onto a droneship
The first-stage booster tilted and blew up as it descended onto a droneship.

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 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 , 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 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.

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New algorithm enhances autonomous spacecraft safety
A close approach to a model comet in the Caltech Autonomous Robotics and Control Lab. This robotic spacecraft simulator mimics a space environment by floating on a low friction cushion of air and using air thrusters to maneuver. In newly published research, this robot is used by researchers at Caltech to demonstrate new capability for safe, real-time, autonomous fault estimation.
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Falcon 9 rocket
Credit: Unsplash/CC0 Public Domain

Billionaire Jared Isaacman's return trip to space on the Polaris Dawn mission is having to wait a little longer after a launch pad issue forced one delay and now the weather has taken the next two launch opportunities off the board.

First, a helium leak on the launch pad Monday night forced SpaceX to hold off a planned overnight launch attempt of Isaacman and three crewmates aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Resilience atop a Falcon 9 rocket from KSC's Launch Pad 39-A. Then SpaceX said weather in the recovery area would take off both early Wednesday and early Thursday morning opportunities.

"Due to unfavorable weather forecast in Dragon's splashdown areas off the coast of Florida, we are now standing down from tonight and tomorrow's Falcon 9 launch opportunities of Polaris Dawn," SpaceX posted on X late Tuesday. "Teams will continue to monitor weather for favorable launch and return conditions."

It's uncertain if SpaceX would try for an early Friday morning launch opportunity.

"The ascent corridor is go, it's the splashdown locations day 5 that are not favorable," Isaacman posted late Tuesday to X.

Wednesday, 28 August 2024 12:35

How biofilms can help or hinder spaceflight

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How can biofilms help or hinder spaceflight?
Graphic depicting the various uses of biofilms. Credit: NASA

As humans spread into the cosmos, we will take a plethora of initially Earth-bound life with us for the ride. Some might be more beneficial or potentially harmful than others. And there is no lifeform more prevalent on Earth than bacteria. These tiny creatures and fungi, their long-lost cousins on the evolutionary tree, have a habit of clumping together to form a type of structure known as a biofilm.

Biofilms are ubiquitous in Earth-bound environments and have been noticed on for decades. But what potential dangers do they pose? More interestingly, what possible problems can they solve?

A paper from a group of scientists focused on in the journal Biofilm provides a high-level overview of the state of the science of understanding how biofilms work in space and where it might need to go for us to establish a permanent human presence off-world.

The paper is divided into five sub-sections, each of which examines how biofilms might impact them.

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Paris, France (SPX) Aug 26, 2024
As the countdown to the launch of the Copernicus Sentinel-2C satellite on September 4th progresses, the team at Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, has completed a crucial step by sealing the satellite within the Vega rocket's fairing. Once deployed into orbit, Sentinel-2C will continue the mission of delivering high-resolution imagery for diverse applications in land, water, and
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London, UK (SPX) Aug 27, 2024
The UK Space Agency has awarded grants of up to GBP 400,000 each to several pilot projects aimed at exploring new ways to use satellite data and services in industries such as transport, logistics, and financial services. These projects will combine satellite data with terrestrial technologies like AI, quantum computing, machine learning, and geospatial data to deliver innovative solutions for U
Wednesday, 28 August 2024 21:39

Groundwork begins for LISA space detector

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Berlin, Germany (SPX) Aug 27, 2024
In early 2024, the European Space Agency approved the launch of LISA, the first gravitational-wave observatory in space, set for 2034. Unlike ground-based detectors, LISA will observe a distinct part of the gravitational-wave spectrum, revealing new types of signals. This advancement presents significant challenges for scientists, who must now develop theoretical frameworks and data-analys
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