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Copernical Team
NASA marks 20 years since space shuttle Columbia disaster
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![A wreath is presented by, from left, Bob Cabana, Associate Administrator of NASA; Janet Petro, NASA KSC director, and Sheryl Chaffee, daughter of Apollo 1 astronaut Roger Chaffee, during NASA's Day of Remembrance ceremony, hosted by the Astronauts Memorial Foundation at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Thursday, Jan. 26, 2023. NASA is marking the 20th anniversary of the space shuttle Columbia tragedy with somber ceremonies during its annual tribute to fallen astronauts. Credit: Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel via AP NASA marks 20 years since space shuttle Columbia disaster](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2023/nasa-marks-20-years-si.jpg)
NASA's Webb Telescope receives top space foundation award
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![The protostar within the dark cloud L1527, shown in this image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), is embedded within a cloud of material feeding its growth. Ejections from the star have cleared out cavities above and below it, whose boundaries glow orange and blue in this infrared view. The upper central region displays bubble-like shapes due to stellar “burps,” or sporadic ejections. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI. Image processing: J. DePasquale, A. Pagan, and A. Koekemoer (STScI) NASA's Webb Telescope receives top space foundation award](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2023/nasas-webb-telescope-r-3.jpg)
Asteroid coming exceedingly close to Earth, but will miss
BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter compare notes at Venus
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![The convergence of BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter spacecraft at Venus in August 2021 was a rare opportunity to investigate the "stagnation region," an area of the Venusian magnetosphere where some of the largest effects of the interaction between Venus and the solar wind are observed. Credit: EuroPlanet Society BepiColombo and Solar Orbiter compare notes at Venus](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2023/bepicolombo-and-solar.jpg)
The convergence of two spacecraft at Venus in August 2021 has given a unique insight into how the planet is able to retain its thick atmosphere without the protection of a global magnetic field.
The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission, en route to study Mercury, and the ESA/NASA Solar Orbiter, which is observing the sun from different perspectives, are both using a number of gravity-assists from Venus to change their trajectories and guide them on their way.
The Sample Transfer Arm – A helping hand for Mars
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The mission to return martian samples back to Earth will see a European 2.5 metre-long robotic arm pick up tubes filled with precious soil from Mars and transfer them to a rocket for an historic interplanetary delivery.
The sophisticated robot, known as the Sample Transfer Arm or STA, will play a crucial role in the success of the Mars Sample Return campaign.
The Sample Transfer Arm is conceived to be autonomous, highly reliable and robust. The robot can perform a large range of movements with seven degrees of freedom, assisted by two cameras and a myriad of
Radar images capture new Antarctic mega-iceberg
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Using radar images from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission, the animation shows the A81 iceberg breaking away from the Brunt Ice Shelf on 25 January 2023. The new berg is estimated to be around 1550 sq km, which is around the size of Greater London, and is approximately 150 m thick. It calved when the crack known as Chasm-1 split northwards severing the west part of the ice shelf.
The white square indicated the final breakpoint near the McDonald Ice Rumples.
Routine monitoring from satellites offers unparalleled views of events happening in remote regions. The Copernicus Sentinel-1 mission carries
Hibernation. We research. You benefit.
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Did you know that ESA is researching human hibernation for long distance spaceflight to Mars or beyond?
Hibernating astronauts could be the best way to save mission costs, reduce the size of spacecraft by a third and keep crew healthy on their way to Mars. An ESA-led investigation suggests that human hibernation goes beyond the realm of science-fiction and may become a game-changing technique for space travel.
When packing for a return flight to the Red Planet, space engineers account for around two years’ worth of food and water for the crew.
Torpor during hibernation is an induced state that
Expansion of ESA’s 5G/6G Hub moves ahead
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An ambitious new development phase of ESA’s 5G/6G Hub has begun.
NASA measures underground water flowing from Sierra to Central Valley
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Saving Earth-based explorers and enabling exploration
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