Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 04, 2024
In a new study, a team of researchers led by Dimitra Atri of the NYU Abu Dhabi (NYUAD) Center for Astrophysics and Space Science calls for strengthening existing planetary protection policies to include requirements for preserving the Lunar and Martian environments. They argue that guidelines should be expanded beyond biological contamination to address issues like orbital debris, crowding, and

Paris, France (SPX) Jun 04, 2024
The first metal 3D printing aboard the International Space Station took place last Thursday in ESA's Columbus laboratory module. This achievement marks a significant step forward for in-orbit manufacturing. "This S-curve is a test line, successfully concluding the commissioning of our Metal 3D Printer," explains ESA technical officer Rob Postema. "The success of this first print, alo

London, UK (SPX) Jun 04, 2024
Stargazers will soon witness a new star in the night sky as the binary star system T Corona Borealis (T CrB) is expected to undergo a nova eruption between now and September. This event will make T CrB, currently too faint to see with the naked eye, as bright as the Northern Star (Polaris), offering a temporary new star visible to much of the world, including the UK. b>Understanding

Washington DC (UPI) Jun 3, 2024
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope again has suspended operations after entering safe mode because of an ongoing gyroscope issue that has affected the craft for the past year, according to NASA. The telescope automatically entered the safety stage Tuesday, the agency said Friday. Gyros measure the telescope's slew rates as part of the system that determines and controls precisely the directi

London, UK (SPX) Jun 04, 2024
Scientists at the University of Warwick are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze supernovae, the cosmic explosions of white dwarfs. Many stars end as white dwarfs, compact stars with the mass of the Sun but the size of Earth. Some white dwarfs explode as supernovae, releasing heavy elements like calcium and iron into the Universe, which are crucial for life. However, the exact

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jun 04, 2024
MDA Space Ltd. (TSX: MDA) announced a contract with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to support the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) project. This international effort aims to enhance understanding of the universe's formation and evolution. The SKAO is an extensive ground-based astronomy initiative involving multiple countries to build and operate two telescopes for g

Tempe AZ (SPX) Jun 04, 2024
Have you ever played hide-and-seek in a new place? It's much harder than playing at home. You only know the obvious hiding spots: under the bed, in the closet, behind the couch. The trick is trying to think of hiding spots you can't even imagine. How do you search in places you never thought could be hiding spots? That is kind of what scientists like me do when we look for alien life; we'r

Berlin, Germany (SPX) Jun 04, 2024
Skoltech scientists and their Chinese colleagues have identified conditions that could support the existence of a unique ion, termed aquodiium. This ion, described as a water molecule with two additional protons, could be stable inside Uranus and Neptune and may play a role in their unusual magnetic fields. The research was published in Physical Review B. The magnetic fields of Uranus and

Sydney, Australia (SPX) Jun 04, 2024
China's Chang'e-6 has successfully landed on the far side of the moon and will collect samples from this rarely explored terrain for the first time, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced. Supported by the Queqiao-2 relay satellite, the lander-ascender combination of Chang'e-6 landed at the designated area at 6:23 a.m. (Beijing Time) in the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) Basin.

West Lafayette IN (SPX) Jun 04, 2024
To survive on other planets, water is, of course, critical. We need it to drink, sustain crops and even create rocket fuel. But on spaceflights, checked luggage is exorbitantly expensive. Anything heavy, especially liquids like water, is bulky and costly to haul by rocket, even to our closest interplanetary neighbors. The best plan, then, is to find water at the spacecraft's destination.