Copernical Team
NASA Solar Sail Technology Passes Crucial Deployment Test
In his youth, NASA technologist Les Johnson was riveted by the 1974 novel "The Mote in God's Eye," by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven, in which an alien spacecraft propelled by solar sails visits humanity. Today, Johnson and a NASA team are preparing to test a similar technology.
NASA continues to unfurl plans for solar sail technology as a promising method of deep space transportation. Th SwRI scientists uncover water molecules on asteroids using SOFIA data
In a groundbreaking study that leverages the retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) data, scientists at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) have made a seminal discovery of water molecules on the surface of asteroids.
This finding, derived from the examination of four silicate-rich asteroids with the FORCAST instrument, marks the first time such molecules have SETI Institute Utilizes Advanced Ellipsoid Technique in Quest for Extraterrestrial Signals
In a groundbreaking development for the field of astrophysics and the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI), researchers from the SETI Institute, Berkeley SETI Research Center, and the University of Washington have introduced an innovative approach employing the SETI Ellipsoid technique. Utilizing data from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission, this method enhances Voyager Space and Palantir Forge Alliance to Boost National Security in Space
Voyager Space and Palantir USG have announced a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and teaming agreement. This partnership is set to explore and enhance national security capabilities within the commercial space domain, marking a significant advancement in the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) technologies in space exploration and security.
The collaborat Meet NASA's Twin Spacecraft Headed to the Ends of the Earth
Two new miniature NASA satellites will start crisscrossing Earth's atmosphere in a few months, detecting heat lost to space. Their observations from the planet's most bone-chilling regions will help predict how our ice, seas, and weather will change in the face of global warming.
About the size of a shoebox, the cube satellites, or CubeSats, comprise a mission called PREFIRE, short for Pol Japan postpones next-gen rocket launch over weather
Japan's space agency on Tuesday postponed the launch of its next-generation rocket planned for this week due to expected bad weather, after two previous attempts ended in failure.
The H3 rocket had been scheduled to lift off on Thursday from the southern island of Tanegashima.
Billed as a flexible and cost-effective new flagship, it was to carry two small satellites during the mission, i Apollo to Artemis: Why America is betting big on private space
A private Houston-based company is set this week to lead a mission to the Moon which, if successful, will mark America's first lunar landing since the end of the Apollo era five decades ago.
Reputation will be on the line when Intuitive Machines' Nova-C spaceship will launch atop a SpaceX rocket on Wednesday, following recent completed touchdowns by China, India and Japan.
So why entrus Sun's surprising activity surge in Solar Orbiter snapshot
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See how the Sun changed between February 2021 and October 2023. As the Sun approaches the maximum in its magnetic activity cycle, we see more brilliant explosions, dark sunspots, loops of plasma, and swirls of super-hot gas.
The Sun goes through a cycle of activity that lasts around 11 years. It is caused by the ‘solar dynamo’, the process that generates the Sun’s magnetic field. At the beginning of this cycle (the solar minimum) there is relatively little activity and few sunspots. Activity steadily increases until it peaks (the solar maximum) and then decreases again to a minimum.
The most recent
Air pollution fluctuations over the Po Valley
The Po Valley, nestled in northern Italy, is renowned for its picturesque landscapes and rich agricultural history. However, the region is also grappling with a persistent environmental challenge: air pollution. The unique geographical and meteorological conditions of the Po Valley contribute to fluctuations in air quality – impacting the health of its residents.
Space waltz
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ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt shared this video with sequences of his microgravity training on the International Space Station on social media with the caption:
“The training prepared me for most of my tasks during the #Muninn mission on the Space Station. But one thing that is difficult to train for is the feeling of microgravity, or how much I have to push myself to get my body translating into the velocity I want, or how I turn into a corner in a good way, or how I reposition myself. That is difficult to train, so I had to practice
