Copernical Team
Astrobotic to conduct NASA JPL studies for Mars missions
Astrobotic has been selected by NASA's Mars Exploration Program for two studies of commercial services aimed at supporting cost-effective, frequent missions to Mars. The studies will explore commercial payload delivery and surface imaging services to enable future scientific missions to the Red Planet. The two studies will focus on large payload delivery and hosting services, and Mars surf
Starfish Space secures $37M contract for Otter satellite mission
Space Systems Command (SSC) awarded Starfish Space a $37.5 million Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract to develop, launch, and operate an Otter satellite vehicle for a docking mission to provide two years of augmented maneuver for National Security Space assets. In collaboration with the Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) SpaceWERX Program, Starfish Space, Space Safari, and S
New Horizons expand research with unique observations
Scientists with NASA's New Horizons mission are pursuing new research goals and making unique astrophysical and heliospheric observations with the suite of instruments onboard the New Horizons spacecraft. This project takes advantage of the spacecraft's position in the distant Kuiper Belt, avoiding viewing obscurations closer to Earth. Launched in 2006, New Horizons aimed to understand the
What is "time" for quantum particles
Physicists from Darmstadt propose a new method to measure the time it takes for particles to tunnel, challenging previous experiments that suggested particles could move faster than the speed of light. This phenomenon, known as quantum tunneling, allows particles to pass through barriers even if they don't have enough energy to go over them. This effect has practical applications, such as in fla
Appropriate exercise is an important part of crew health during space missions
Future missions to the moon and Mars must address many challenges, including preventing loss of bone and muscle tissue in astronauts. Research on the International Space Station is helping to address this challenge.
Without Earth's gravity, both bone and muscle atrophy, or become smaller and weaker. Early on, scientists realized that exercise is a critical part of maintaining healthy bones and muscles in space, just as it is on Earth. From simple elastic bands on early missions, exercise hardware has become increasingly advanced. Current equipment includes the Advanced Resistive Exercise Device (ARED) weight-lifting system, a second generation-treadmill called T2, and the Cycle Ergometer with Vibration Isolation and Stabilization System (CEVIS) cycling machine. Studies continue to refine this equipment as well as the intensity and duration of how astronauts use it, with crew members now averaging two hours of exercise per day.
Installed in 2008, ARED uses a piston and flywheel system to provide loading that essentially mimics weightlifting in weightlessness.
NASA study provides new look at orbital debris, potential solutions
New data analysis indicates that NASA and its partners could have more cost-effective methods for dealing with the growing issue of orbital debris than previously thought.
A new report from NASA's Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy provides agency leadership with new insight about how to measure the risks presented by orbital debris.
"Growing activity in Earth's orbit has brought us everything from faster terrestrial communications to a better understanding of our changing climate," said Charity Weeden, who leads NASA's OTPS. "These blossoming opportunities are resulting in a more crowded space environment. This study is part of NASA's work to rapidly improve our understanding of that environment as outlined in NASA's recently released Space Sustainability Strategy, by applying an economic lens to this critical issue.
Another short delay for Boeing Starliner, now targeting May 25
NASA and Boeing need more time to make sure a helium leak on its CST-100 Starliner is low enough risk to send humans into space.
So the launch of NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams has now been pushed to May 25 targeting a 3:09 p.m. liftoff atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41.
The duo were sitting in the capsule on the pad with about two hours left on the countdown clock on May 6 when a problem with a fluttering valve on the upper stage of the Atlas V forced mission managers to scrub.
After rolling the rocket back to ULA's Vertical Integration Facility near the pad and switching out the valve, managers found a second issue with a small helium leak on the Starliner's service module.
The source of the leak was traced to a flange on a reaction control thruster, and teams performed pressure tests that showed the leak was "stable and would not pose a risk at that level during the flight," according to a NASA press release.
NASA, Sierra Space deliver Dream Chaser spaceplane to Florida for launch preparation
New phase for Sunrise partnership
A contract marking the next phase of ESA’s Sunrise Partnership Project with Eutelsat Group will ensure critical technologies are built for next generation 5G connectivity in Europe expected in 2026.
Stunning meteor captured by ESA's fireball camera in Cáceres, Spain
ESA's fireball camera in Cáceres, Spain, captured this stunning meteor on Saturday night, 18 May 2024.