Copernical Team
Bumping to a Better Position: Sols 3973-3974
Earth planning date: Monday, October 9, 2023: After the drive this weekend, Curiosity has arrived at another light-toned band that we hope to evaluate for drilling before solar conjunction begins next month. We have some light-toned, slightly nodular rocks in our workspace serving as potential drill target candidates.
The goal today at the start of planning was to do contact science with A Boom, crackle, pop: Sounds of Earth's crust
If you could sink through the Earth's crust, you might hear, with a carefully tuned ear, a cacophany of booms and crackles along the way. The fissures, pores, and defects running through rocks are like strings that resonate when pressed and stressed. And as a team of MIT geologists has found, the rhythm and pace of these sounds can tell you something about the depth and strength of the rocks aro Surrey Satellite joins forces with the Air and Space Institute
Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) is delighted to announce a partnership with centre of excellence and training provider, The Air and Space Institute. SSTL's Head of Customer Training Stu Jones is pictured (right) with ASI's Assistant Principle Ross Tarnowski (left), visiting ASI's soon to be completed dedicated Aerospace building in Newark, Notts.
By joining forces with ASI, SSTL First month of science for Huginn
Andreas Mogensen had a busy first month in space, with plenty of science from sleeping in orbit and capturing pictures of thunderstorms to making chocolate mousse. Here is an overview of Andreas’s first month of science on the Space Station.
New Gaia release reveals rare lenses, cluster cores and unforeseen science
Today, ESA's Gaia mission releases a goldmine of knowledge about our galaxy and beyond. Among other findings, the star surveyor surpasses its planned potential to reveal half a million new and faint stars in a massive cluster, identify over 380 possible cosmic lenses, and pinpoint the positions of more than 150 000 asteroids within the Solar System.
Russian ISS segment springs third leak in under a year
Liquid has leaked from the Russian portion of the International Space Station but the crew are not in any danger, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Monday.
"The Nauka module of the Russian segment of the ISS has suffered a coolant leak from the external (backup) radiator circuit, which was delivered to the station in 2012," Roscosmos said on Telegram suggesting there was no danger to the orbiting laboratory.
Last month, two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut landed back on Earth after spending a year at the ISS.
The three men had traveled on a Russian Soyuz to the ISS last year, in a mission that was meant to last only six months.
But the Soyuz suffered a leak probably due to impact from a tiny meteorite, so Moscow sent another rocket with no crew onboard.
The Russians and American then carried out the mission of the crew that was due to replace them.
The trio spent a year on the ISS—a rare venue for cooperation between the US and Russia—as tensions between Washington and Moscow intensified over the conflict in Ukraine.
Russia reports coolant leak in backup line at space station and says crew not in danger
Atlas V launches from Cape Canaveral with prototype Amazon satellites
A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket climbed through the Space Coast skies carrying a pair of prototype satellites to orbit on the first of what's planned to be dozens of launches for Amazon.
The Project Kuiper Protoflight mission's goal is to help Amazon nail down how it wants to construct the entirety of its planned 3,236-satellite constellation that aims to offer global broadband internet service and compete with the likes of SpaceX's Starlink and other satellites systems.
The Atlas V made its 99th trip off the planet launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 41 at 2:06 p.m. at the opening of a two-hour window. It was ULA's 158th mission since it began operations in 2006.
"Bird is away," posted ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno on social media after liftoff. "Hot, straight and normal,"
The payload weights were not revealed as Amazon has been tight-lipped with its prototype designs, but the Atlas V was in its slim 501 configuration meaning it used a 5.4-meter fairing and no external solid rocket boosters to get the payloads to the target 311 mile altitude.
Planned launch has SpaceX back on task on Space Coast
SpaceX handed over the Space Coast spotlight for a short time last week with United Launch Alliance managing an Atlas V liftoff for Amazon, but Elon Musk's company is back to the business of sticking more of its Starlink satellites into orbit.
A Falcon 9 rocket with 22 more of its second-generation of internet satellites is slated to lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station's Space Launch Complex 40 at 9:18 p.m. with five backup windows from 9:57 p.m. through 12:35 a.m. Monday and another six backups Monday night starting at 8:42 p.m. running through early Tuesday at 12:10 a.m.
Space Launch Delta 45's weather squadron forecasts an 80% chance for good conditions and 95% chance in the event of a 24-hour delay.
The first-stage booster for the mission is making its 14th flight, and will attempt another recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas down range in the Atlantic.
It would mark the 55th launch by all companies from the Space Coast in 2023 with all but four coming from SpaceX. ULA has managed three including the Amazon launch on Friday while startup Relativity Space launches its 3D-printed Terran 1 rocket back in March.
Coolant leaked from Russian part of ISS, crew safe: Roscosmos
Liquid has leaked from the Russian portion of the International Space Station but the crew are not in any danger, the Russian space agency Roscosmos said on Monday.
"The Nauka module of the Russian segment of the ISS has suffered a coolant leak from the external (backup) radiator circuit, which was delivered to the station in 2012," Roscosmos said on Telegram suggesting there was no danger to the orbiting laboratory.
Last month, two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut landed back on Earth after spending a year at the ISS.
The three men had traveled on a Russian Soyuz to the ISS last year, in a mission that was meant to last only six months.
But the Soyuz suffered a leak probably due to impact from a tiny meteorite, so Moscow sent another rocket with no crew onboard.
The Russians and American then carried out the mission of the crew that was due to replace them.
The trio spent a year on the ISS—a rare venue for cooperation between the US and Russia—as tensions between Washington and Moscow intensified over the conflict in Ukraine.
