Tucson AZ (SPX) Feb 11, 2021
It is now possible to capture images of planets that could potentially sustain life around nearby stars, thanks to advances reported by an international team of astronomers in the journal Nature Communications. Using a newly developed system for mid-infrared exoplanet imaging, in combination with a very long observation time, the study's authors say they can now use ground-based telescopes

Boston MA (SPX) Feb 09, 2021
From Star Trek's replicators to Richie Rich's wishing machine, popular culture has a long history of parading flashy machines that can instantly output any item to a user's delight. While 3D printers have now made it possible to produce a range of objects that include product models, jewelry, and novelty toys, we still lack the ability to fabricate more complex devices that are essentially

Moscow (Sputnik) Feb 11, 2021
In December, SpaceX won $885.5 million from the US Federal Communications Commission to support the company's Starlink satellite network. Multibillionaire SpaceX CEO Elon Musk told Twitter users on Tuesday when Starlink, a worldwide broadband network created by a constellation of satellites, could launch an initial public offering. The tech mogul said that it will launch an IPO when

London, UK (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
The first-ever launch into space from British soil is now one step closer, with the government today (10 February 2021) publishing its environmental guidance for the spaceflight regulator. A newly established consultation will also set out how the regulator, which will oversee all launch and space activity from the UK, should meet environmental objectives - helping ensure space travel fits

Bethesda MD (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
There is no doubt that humans are going to Mars. It is simply a question of how and when. However, there are many fundamental concerns that must be dealt with. Some of these address crew safety, radiation exposure, long travel times, life support on Mars and return options. We already know that low energy methods of transfer can take eight months each way and minimum Mars surface time between re

San Antonio TX (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
A Southwest Research Institute scientist has updated Mars chronology models to find that terrains shaped by ancient water activity on the planet's surface may be hundreds of millions of years older than previously thought. This new chronology for Mars, based on the latest dynamical models for the formation and evolution of the solar system, is particularly significant as the days count dow

Tempe AZ (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover will land on Mars Feb. 18, 2021. Onboard the rover is the ASU-led mast-mounted camera system "Mastcam-Z," which can zoom from wide angle to telephoto, take 3D images and videos, and take photos in up to 11 unique colors. ASU will hold a live landing watch party on Feb. 18 beginning at 11:30 a.m. Arizona time (MST) with Mastcam-Z principal investigator Ji

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
NASA is improving a flight software system to help create and certify essential software for the lunar Gateway. As part of the Artemis program, NASA will send astronauts to the Moon and establish a sustained lunar presence by the end of the decade. The Gateway will provide a waypoint for lunar exploration and allow astronauts to live and work in lunar orbit as well as host science instrume

Beijing (XNA) Feb 12, 2021
Precise braking near Mars has helped China's probe Tianwen 1 successfully enter the orbit around the red planet on Wednesday, according to the country's space scientists. Yang Yuguang, a researcher with China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation Limited, told the Science and Technology Daily that the braking is a key and risky step in the Mars exploration mission, which requires a hi

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 12, 2021
Meet Kirsten Howley, the real-life astrophysicist working to prevent an asteroid "Armageddon" In the 1998 movie "Armageddon," an asteroid the width of Texas is about to hit Earth. The heroes who stop it in the nick of time are a group of orange-suited Americans, all men. Life isn't always like the movies. Not that an asteroid couldn't slam into Earth, mind you. Asteroids - most