Tokyo (AFP) Jan 17, 2024
Japan's "Moon Sniper" spacecraft will attempt a historic touchdown on the lunar surface this weekend using pinpoint technology the country hopes will lead to success where many have failed. With its Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission, Japan wants to become the fifth nation to pull off a fiendishly tricky soft landing on the rocky surface. Only the United States, the Sovie

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 17, 2024
Merida Aerospace, a Tampa-based aerospace company, is set to make a substantial contribution to the space exploration and education landscape in Mexico. Drawing inspiration from the renowned U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama, the ambitious project seeks to position Mexico as a significant player in the rapidly expanding space economy. The National Rocket and Space Center,

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Jan 17, 2024
NASA, in partnership with the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force, is initiating an innovative program aimed at fostering small satellite development skills among higher education institutions. This collaborative effort seeks to provide comprehensive systems engineering training to faculty and students, enhancing their proficiency in small satellite technology. As part of the University Na

Perth, Australia (SPX) Jan 16, 2024
Curtin-led research has for the first time precisely dated some of the oldest fossils of complex multicellular life in the world, helping to track a pivotal moment in the history of Earth when the seas began teeming with new lifeforms - after four billion years of containing only single-celled microbes. Lead author PhD student Anthony Clarke, from the Timescales of Mineral Systems Group wi

Tucson AZ (SPX) Jan 16, 2024
Using impact craters as a dating tool, Planetary Science Institute Research Scientist Alexander Morgan has determined maximum timescales for the formation of Martian valley networks shaped by running water. "Mars today is a global desert, but its surface preserves extensive evidence of past flowing water, including what appear to be river valleys. The timescale over which these valleys for

Bristol UK (SPX) Jan 16, 2024
New research has cracked a vital process in the creation of a unique rock type from the Moon. The discovery explains its signature composition and very presence on the lunar surface at all, unravelling a mystery which has long eluded scientists. The study, published in Nature Geoscience, reveals a key step in the genesis of these distinctive magmas. A combination of high temperature labora

Newcastle UK (SPX) Jan 15, 2024
Newcastle University research turns to ancient hot springs to explore the origins of life on Earth. The research team, funded by the UK's Natural Environmental Research Council, investigated how the emergence of the first living systems from inert geological materials happened on the Earth, more than 3.5 billion years ago. Scientists at Newcastle University found that by mixing hydrogen, b

Syracuse NY (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
At the center of most large galaxies lives a supermassive black hole (SMBH). The Milky Way has Sagittarius A*, a mostly dormant SMBH whose mass is around 4.3 million times that of the sun. But if you look deeper into the universe, there are vastly larger SMBHs with masses that can reach up to tens of billions of times the mass of our sun. Black holes grow in mass by gravitationally consumi

Yuma AZ (SPX) Jan 15, 2024
A modified parachute system for Boeing's Starliner spacecraft for NASA's Commercial Crew Program was tested over the Arizona desert on Jan. 9. Parachute deployment and a soft landing of the test article were visually confirmed. Preliminary data analysis of this two-parachute test suggest the primary test objectives were met. Engineering teams will continue to review the results, inspect the test

Pullman WA (SPX) Jan 12, 2024
Researchers have taken the first steps toward finding liquid solvents that may someday help extract critical building materials from lunar and Martian-rock dust, an important piece in making long-term space travel possible. Using machine learning and computational modeling, Washington State University researchers have found about half a dozen good candidates for solvents that can extract m