Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 31, 2024
Since the first X-ray image of a comet was taken in 1996, researchers have intensely studied charge exchange in collisions between highly charged ions and atoms or molecules, a process critical for astrophysical modeling. In simulating observed X-ray spectra, astrophysicists depend on precise atomic data, where spin statistics are traditionally considered a fundamental guideline. A new stu

Ann Arbor MI (SPX) Oct 31, 2024
Almost 14 billion years ago, at the very beginning of the Big Bang, a mysterious energy drove an exponential expansion of the infant universe and produced all known matter, according to the prevailing inflationary universe theory. That ancient energy shared key features of the current universe's dark energy, which is the largest mystery of our time by at least one objective standard: It ma

Greenbelt MD (SPX) Oct 31, 2024
NASA's Coronal Diagnostic Experiment (CODEX) is ready to launch to the International Space Station to reveal new details about the solar wind including its origin and its evolution. Launching in November 2024 aboard SpaceX's 31st commercial resupply services mission, CODEX will be robotically installed on the exterior of the space station. As a solar coronagraph, CODEX will block out the b

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 31, 2024
A recent study from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) has mapped significant variations in temperature across the Local Hot Bubble (LHB), a low-density region surrounding our Solar System filled with hot gas emitting in soft X-rays. This discovery, based on the eROSITA All-Sky Survey data, suggests that ancient supernova events expanded and heated this bubble. Additiona

Paris, France (SPX) Oct 31, 2024
The European Space Agency's Ariel mission has officially entered its assembly phase at Airbus Defence and Space in Toulouse, France. The structural model of the Ariel spacecraft, designed to advance our understanding of distant exoplanet atmospheres, is now under construction. This model will undergo intense tests that are critical to validating the spacecraft's readiness for the conditions it w

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 31, 2024
As part of its BALIS project, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) has inaugurated a pioneering test facility in Empfingen dedicated to advancing fuel cell propulsion systems for various modes of transportation. The BALIS project focuses on developing fuel cell systems with an output of approximately 1.5 megawatts, aimed at future applications in shipping and aviation. This state-of-the-art f

Miami FL (UPI) Oct 31, 2024
SpaceX on Wednesday successfully launched a new batch of Starlink satellites into orbit after previously launching 200 similar missions. A Falcon 9 rocket fitted with 23 Starlink satellites launched into low-Earth orbit on time at approximately 5:10 p.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The space mission's live-stream began minutes prio

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Oct 31, 2024
The crew of China's Shenzhou 19 mission successfully docked with the Tiangong space station on Wednesday, commencing their tenure aboard the orbital outpost. Mission Commander Senior Colonel Cai Xuzhe, along with Lieutenant Colonels Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze, were warmly greeted by the Shenzhou 18 crew, initiating a five-day transition period before the current occupants return to Earth early next week.

Laurel MD (SPX) Oct 31, 2024
A recent study indicates that Uranus' small moon Miranda may contain a subsurface ocean, challenging prior assumptions about the moon's formation and characteristics and positioning it among a select few worlds in our solar system with potential habitats for life. "To find evidence of an ocean inside a small object like Miranda is incredibly surprising," said Tom Nordheim, a planetary scie

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Oct 30, 2024
Water extraction in space is critical for expanding human exploration of the Solar System. Led by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), a new technique is being validated to harvest water from the Moon. Through the LUWEX research project, dedicated to testing lunar water extraction and purification for in-situ resource use, researchers at the Technical University (TU) Braunschweig have conducted la