Copernical Team
Drop it like it's hot: Space Rider model falls gracefully
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Over the last four months, the Space Rider team has been running a drop-test campaign whereby a full-scale model of the future orbital laboratory is dropped from a helicopter to test and qualify the deployment of its parachutes, at Salto di Quirra in Sardinia, Italy.
The Space Rider project is an uncrewed laboratory about the size of two minivans that will be able to stay in orbit for up to two months. The spacecraft comes in two parts, an orbital module that supplies everything it needs to fly around our planet and a reentry module that brings Space Rider and its experiments back to Earth.
Over the course of this test campaign that started in April and is expected to finish in autumn, the teams are using a model of Space Rider that has a similar weight distribution as the real 3,000 kg reentry module. This allows the team to test the parachutes, parafoil and control winches that automatically guide the spacecraft to a soft touchdown on Earth.
Dropped from a maximum height of 3.5 km, drogue chutes deploy to help slow down the test model to a safe speed to extract the parafoil that will allow the spacecraft to be steered to a landing strip.
Promising early tests for variable-thrust landing engine
Mermaid on salty Mars
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Mermaid on salty Mars Astronomers use AI to Detect Stars Consuming Planets
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Astronomers have recently discovered hundreds of "polluted" white dwarf stars within the Milky Way. These stars are actively consuming planets in their orbit, providing a valuable opportunity to study the interiors of these distant, disintegrated planets. However, finding these stars has traditionally been a challenge.
Previously, astronomers had to manually sift through vast amounts of su NASA uses digital models to enhance aeronautical innovation
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As NASA advances its aeronautics research, the agency is leveraging Model-Based Systems Analysis and Engineering (MBSAE) to ensure the collective benefits of various technologies. MBSAE digitally simulates the integration of multiple technologies into a cohesive system using advanced digital tools and computing programs.
The objective is to optimize the next generation of aviation technolo Plasma Bubble Confirmed as Source of Persistent Emission in Fast Radio Burst FRB20201124A
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Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) have emerged as one of the most intriguing puzzles in modern astrophysics. These brief but intense bursts of radio waves release an enormous amount of energy in just a few milliseconds, placing them among the most energetic phenomena in the cosmos. Discovered just over a decade ago, FRBs primarily originate from extragalactic sources, yet their precise origins remain unc AI Competition Targets Exoplanet Atmospheres
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The European Space Agency's Ariel space mission and the NeurIPS 2024 machine learning conference are hosting a competition to address one of astronomy's most challenging data analysis problems: extracting faint exoplanetary signals from noisy space telescope observations. Participants will have the opportunity to contribute to exoplanet atmosphere research and compete for a prize pool of $50,000 ISS Crew Conducts Historic Archaeological Survey in Space
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An archaeological strategy adapted for space used daily photos to reveal how astronauts actually use areas aboard the International Space Station - and how this differs from intended uses. Justin Walsh of Chapman University, California, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on August 7, 2024.
More than 270 people from 23 countries have visited the Intern Safran Expands US Production of Small Satellite Propulsion Systems
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Safran Electronics and Defense is ramping up its U.S. production capabilities for small satellite propulsion systems to address the rising demand in the commercial and defense markets. Announced at the 2024 Small Satellite Conference in Logan, Utah, this strategic move aims to support the North American small satellite market, projected to exceed $5 billion by 2030.
The "Made-in-the-USA" E Boeing Starliner astronauts might not return to Earth until next year, NASA says
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Boeing Starliner astronauts, stranded at the International Space Station after a weeklong test flight turned into a two-month stay due to thruster problems, may be forced to fly home on SpaceX in 2025, NASA has admitted.
NASA updated reporters Wednesday at a news conference, which Boeing did not attend, on the timeline for crew members Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. The astronauts hav 
