Copernical Team
New insights into the formation of organic macromolecules in space
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Astronomers from the University of Bern have revealed significant insights into how organic macromolecules form in space. These molecules, essential for life, have long intrigued scientists. The latest findings, published in Nature Astronomy, shed light on the processes behind their formation in the interstellar medium.
The researchers employed advanced observational techniques and theoret Rocket Lab prepares twin spacecraft for NASA Mars mission
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Rocket Lab has successfully integrated and tested two spacecraft that will support NASA's upcoming Mars mission. This major milestone demonstrates Rocket Lab's capability in developing interplanetary spacecraft.
The twin spacecraft, part of NASA's EscaPADE mission (Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers), are designed to study the Martian magnetosphere. The mission aims to p Has NASA found evidence of ancient life on Mars
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NASA's Perseverance rover has discovered some intriguing signs that ancient Mars could have supported life. This news comes from the analysis of a new sample of mudstone, a type of sedimentary rock, which is believed to have formed in the presence of water.
Perseverance's main mission is to search for signs of past life in Jezero crater, which was once home to an ancient river delta. The r DART reveals insights on binary asteroid system
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NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission has provided new data on the binary asteroid system it targeted. Launched with the goal of testing planetary defense techniques, DART's success in altering the trajectory of an asteroid has garnered significant scientific interest.
The mission targeted a binary asteroid system consisting of Didymos and its moonlet, Dimorphos. DART's pr Virtual engagement opportunities for Northrop Grumman's 21st Resupply Mission
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NASA invites the public to join virtual activities and events leading up to the launch of Northrop Grumman's 21st commercial resupply services mission to the International Space Station. The launch is scheduled for 8:31 p.m. EDT on Friday, Aug. 10, 2024, from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia.
The public can register to virtually attend the launch. NASA's virtual g One year on 'Mars': Inside NASA's ultra-realistic isolation study
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Sealed inside a habitat in Texas and cut off from the outside world for over a year, Kelly Haston was the commander of a first-of-its-kind simulation for NASA to prepare for a future mission to Mars.
From conducting mock "Marswalks" to tending to a vertical garden, and occasionally grappling with boredom— Haston expressed pride in advancing the cause of space exploration while admitting the experience made her reconsider the reality of life on the Red Planet.
"Going to space would be an amazing opportunity," the 53-year-old biologist told AFP.
Ariane 6: post-launch update
ULA launches top-secret Space Force payload on Atlas V rocket
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The United Launch Alliance saw its Atlas V rocket liftoff from Florida for a national security mission on Tuesday morning.
The Atlas V lifted off from Launch Complex 41, south of Kennedy Space Center, at 6:45 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, carrying a top-secret payload for the U.S. Space Force.
"Payload fairing jettison is confirmed by Atlas V from the edge of space to expose the spacecraf Repair kit for NASA's NICER mission heading to space station
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NASA will deliver a patch kit for NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, on the agency's Northrop Grumman 21st commercial resupply mission.
Boeing says Starliner hot fire test on ISS went well with return date decision coming up
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As Boeing's Starliner nears two months in space, teams performed a hot fire test of thruster performance and helium leaks on the spacecraft over the weekend to help inform the decision of when the spacecraft will come home and if its two NASA astronaut passengers will be coming with it.
Boeing announced in a press release the test of the Starliner's Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters was performed Saturday afternoon while it was docked to the International Space Station. Teams with NASA and Boeing also monitored the helium system for the Crew Flight Test mission.
"Both teams were very happy with the results," said NASA's Starliner flight director Chloe Mehring in the press release.
The spacecraft arrived at the ISS on June 6 one day after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on board.
Dubbed the Crew Flight Test mission, the astronauts are amid the first crewed flight of the spacecraft as part of Boeing's efforts to have it certified for use alongside SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
