Copernical Team
Crew-7 astronauts depart ISS after nearly 200 days in space
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After a slightly extended stay on board the International Space Station, four astronauts from four international space agencies climbed aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance and began their return trip to Earth.
Crew-7 is made up of NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.
The quartet that launched from Kennedy Space Center back on Aug. 26, 2023 arrived to the ISS one day later to begin their 197-day stay, the second longest among the now eight completed SpaceX Crew Dragon trips so far to the ISS under NASA's Commercial Crew Program. Only Crew-2 in 2021 bested their stay, and by just one day.
They departed the station at 11:20 a.m. EDT and now have a more than 18-hour ride home. Depending on the weather, they are slated to splash down at one of seven target locations off the coast of Florida in either the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday around 5:50 a.m. EDT with live coverage beginning on NASA TV at 4:30 a.m.
SpaceX knocks out Canaveral launch during busy week with Crew-7 return, possible Starship launch
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SpaceX sent up another batch of Starlink satellites on Sunday night from the Space Coast while prepping for the return of Crew-7 from the International Space Station and the potential third test flight of the Starship and Super Heavy.
A Falcon 9 carrying 23 of SpaceX's internet satellites for its growing constellation lifted off at 7:05 p.m. Eastern from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40.
The first-stage booster flew for the 11th time with a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions downrange in the Atlantic.
SpaceX said the fairings for the mission were used only 25 days ago when they launched on the USSF-124 mission, and this marks the fastest turnaround for fairing reusability,.
This was the 16th launch from the Space Coast in 2024, but the beginning of a busy week for SpaceX as it's set to launch more Starlink satellites from California a few hours later on Sunday night, more from Cape Canaveral as early as Wednesday and support the return of the Crew Dragon Endurance from the International Space Station with its four passengers on the Crew-7 mission.
Astra Space goes private as it recovers from Space Coast launch failures
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The value of publicly traded Astra Space has been falling since it shelved a rocket design that only went for 2 for 7 on launches, including two highly visible failures from the Space Coast. Now the company is going private.
Once valued at more than $2.1 billion, the Alameda, California-based company closed at about $20 a share on the Nasdaq Stock Market in February 2021, months before its first orbital success with its Rocket 3 design. It has since made a steady drop in value. including the threat of delisting from Nasdaq last year and the potential for bankruptcy looming.
The deal announced Thursday calls for a group that includes company cofounder and CEO Chris Kemp and cofounder and CTO Adam London to buy back company shares for $0.50 per share. The stock was trading at $0.55 on Friday morning. The closing price was $0.86 per share on Wednesday.
The takeover transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2024.
The company managed to reach orbit in November 2021 during a demonstration flight for the Space Force from Alaska and that led to its first launch attempt from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in March 2022.
Contract for new Galileo atomic clock tech signed
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ESA, on behalf of the European Commission, has signed a €12 million contract with Leonardo S.p.A (Italy) and Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica to design and develop a new ultra-precise atomic clock technology for Galileo.
Joining forces on the complexities of clouds and aerosols
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In just a few months, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite will be lofted into orbit to fill in a piece of the complex climate puzzle – that piece being how clouds and aerosols, small particles such as dust suspended in the air, affect Earth’s energy balance.
With the climate crisis upon us, this information is needed more urgently than ever – so much so, that the science of clouds and aerosols has been prioritised by the European Commission and ESA as part of their new Earth System Science Initiative.
Webb & Hubble confirm Universe’s expansion rate
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NGC 5468 – Cepheid host galaxy We've been here before: AI promised humanlike machines - in 1958
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A roomsize computer equipped with a new type of circuitry, the Perceptron, was introduced to the world in 1958 in a brief news story buried deep in The New York Times. The story cited the U.S. Navy as saying that the Perceptron would lead to machines that "will be able to walk, talk, see, write, reproduce itself and be conscious of its existence."
More than six decades later, similar claim Tying Knots Inside Lasers
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What do you picture in your mind's eye when you hear the word "laser"? A light saber? A cat toy? The sensor at the supermarket reading barcodes as fast as the eye can blink?
These are all lasers, but there are so many more in so many sizes and colors with capabilities that have yet to be tapped or even imagined. Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics Alireza Mara NASA's Europa Jupiter Mission will be packed with humanity's messages
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NASA said Friday the Europa Clipper Jupiter mission set to launch in October will carry profound messages from humanity as it gathers scientific data to determine if there are life-supporting conditions.
The Europa Clipper spacecraft will be headed for Jupiter's moon, Europa.
In addition to scientific instruments for experiments and data collection, it will include an engraving o Refined approach to tracking maneuvers of space targets enhances accuracy
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Researchers at the Beijing Institute of Technology have made significant strides in tracking non-cooperative space targets through maneuvering, unveiling a novel methodology that substantially boosts tracking accuracy. Their study, focusing on maneuvering trajectories, introduces a dual-model approach for real-time and precise tracking, marking a leap in space surveillance capabilities.
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