Discover NASA’s Artemis II Moon Mission Astronauts: Meet the Team Leading Our Lunar Exploration

Posted on January 31, 2026 by Igor Mitreski

Three highly skilled NASA astronauts are embarking on an exciting mission into space. Reed Wiseman, a former Navy officer who transitioned to astronaut status in 2009, brings significant experience, having spent six months aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in 2014.

Reed Wiseman and daughters.
Provided by Reid Wiseman

Since the passing of his wife in 2020, Wiseman has taken on the challenging role of raising two children as a single parent. He acknowledges the stress that comes with being an astronaut, noting that the thrill of the mission is often tempered by the sacrifices it demands from their families.

“I’m a dedicated single father to two daughters,” he shared with NBC’s “TODAY” during a candid interview with fellow crew members. “While it might be easier to relax on the couch with a football game, the reality is that we have four individuals ready to undertake extraordinary and groundbreaking explorations in our civilization.”

Wiseman expressed hope that the outcomes of this monumental mission will validate the sacrifices made by the families of the crew.

“We often look toward the moon and proudly state, ‘We’ve been there.’ However, for this generation—both current and future, known as the Artemis generation—they will look at the moon and proudly declare, ‘We are there,'” he emphasized.

A pendant featuring Jeremy Hansen’s family birthstones accompanied by the engraving “Moon and Back”.
Provided by Jeremy Hansen

Each astronaut will carry personal tokens on their historic flights around the moon. Wiseman and Koch will carry letters from their families, while Grover plans to bring a Bible, wedding ring, and a cherished heirloom for his daughters. Hansen will carry a moon pendant featuring his family’s birthstone and the phrase “Moon and Back.” These items serve as meaningful mementos and ways for the astronauts to connect their families to the journey.

Koch, a veteran of profound space missions, holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman, having spent a remarkable 328 days on the ISS in 2019. Alongside fellow astronaut Jessica Meir, she made history with NASA’s first all-female spacewalk.

Christina Koch with her husband and dog.
Provided by: Christina Koch

Koch expressed her contentment about not participating in another significant milestone, stating her excitement for her colleagues who are set to leave footprints on the lunar surface.

“I’m genuinely thrilled to see familiar faces taking steps toward walking on the moon. However, if that is not my destiny, I am completely at peace with it,” Koch mentioned, noting NASA has yet to assign a crew for the Artemis III mission.

Victor Glover with his family.
Provided by: Victor Glover

In a similar vein, Grover previously participated in a historic flight, flying the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule to the ISS in 2020. Glover, a former U.S. Navy captain and test pilot, was transitioned from his position in the U.S. Senate when he was selected for NASA’s astronaut program in 2013. Grover and his wife are parents to four children.

Hansen, marking his spaceflight debut, is set to become the first Canadian to explore lunar terrain. A graduate of the Canadian Space Agency’s astronaut program in 2009, he previously served as a fighter pilot and colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces.

With three children, Hansen highlighted the camaraderie that has developed among the crew, remarking that they’ve formed a familial bond through years of intense training together.

Jeremy Hansen with his family.
Provided by Jeremy Hansen

The upcoming Artemis II launch will be only the second deployment of NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket paired with the Orion capsule. The inaugural launch, Artemis I, conducted an unmanned mission that circled the moon over three years ago.

Wiseman, Koch, Grover, and Hansen view this mission as a crucial stepping stone towards the Artemis III ambition, which aims to land four astronauts near the moon’s polar regions in 2027. Throughout their mission, the crew will practice docking procedures in Earth orbit, conduct scientific experiments, and evaluate various systems inside the Orion capsule, serving as a trial run for a forthcoming lunar landing.

“To us, achieving success is synonymous with landing on the moon during Artemis III,” Koch stated. “Success is always Artemis 100. Everything we do is centered around that.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

NASA Moves Moon Rocket to Launch Pad for Upcoming Astronaut Mission

Posted on January 17, 2026 by Igor Mitreski

NASA is set to roll out a massive 322-foot-tall rocket towards its launch pad this Saturday, a crucial milestone in the preparation for its highly anticipated Artemis II mission, which aims to send four astronauts around the moon.

The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will transport the Orion capsule containing the astronauts, beginning its slow four-mile trek from NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7 a.m. ET. Viewers can catch the event, known as the “rollout,” live on NASA’s YouTube channel.

This event marks the beginning of essential tests and rehearsals that will pave the way for the first manned flight to the moon in over 50 years. Artemis II is tentatively scheduled for launch between February 6 and 11, with additional windows available in March and April.

The rollout is a critical phase for mission managers as they assess the rocket’s health and safety prior to setting a formal launch date.

“These are the kind of days we are living in,” stated John Honeycutt, chairman of the Artemis II mission management team, during a recent press conference.

Artemis II will feature a crew of four, including NASA astronauts Reed Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. They are scheduled to spend 10 days in space, initially orbiting Earth before heading into lunar orbit.

The deployment process is expected to take up to 12 hours. The Crawler Transporter, a giant mobile platform, will carry the 11 million-pound Artemis II rocket to NASA’s historic launch pad 39B, previously used in the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs.

NASA has indicated that the stacked rocket will move forward at a cautious pace, approximately 1 mile per hour.

Upon reaching the launch pad, preparations will begin for the essential launch day walkthrough, known as a wet dress rehearsal. This procedure includes refueling the rocket and conducting all standard protocols leading up to the T-29 second mark on the countdown, as detailed by Artemis launch director Charlie Blackwell Thompson.

“Launch day will closely mirror a wet dress rehearsal,” she explained. “The two main differences are sending our team to the pads and proceeding past the 29-second mark.”

This wet dress rehearsal serves as an opportunity for mission managers to evaluate the rocket’s systems in a real-world context while allowing engineers to identify any potential fuel leaks or technical issues.

If any problems arise, the rocket will be returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building for necessary repairs. However, if everything proceeds smoothly, NASA may soon announce a target launch date.

The Artemis II mission will serve as the most rigorous test yet for the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft, marking the first time the system will carry a crew.

During their time in the Orion capsule, astronauts will test the spacecraft’s docking capabilities and life support systems while in orbit around both Earth and the Moon.

Success in this mission will establish a foundation for Artemis III, slated for 2027, aiming to land astronauts near the moon’s south pole.

Returning to the moon has emerged as a priority for the U.S. government, particularly amid a new space race with China, which aims to land its own astronauts on the Moon by 2030.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

BepiColombo Mission Launches in 2026: Unveiling the Secrets of Mercury

Posted on January 6, 2026 by Igor Mitreski

Artist’s Impression of BepiColombo Spacecraft Near Mercury

Source: ESA/ATG Media Lab

In 2026, the highly anticipated BepiColombo spacecraft is set to orbit Mercury, promising to unlock the planet’s long-standing mysteries.

BepiColombo is a collaborative mission involving the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). This intricate mission includes the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio), tethered to the Mercury Transport Module (MTM).

Since its launch in 2018, the MTM has made six flybys of Mercury, skillfully utilizing the planet’s gravity to facilitate its descent into orbit, a method pioneered by Giuseppe “Bepi” Colombo.

This mission has already gathered crucial scientific insights, including data about the solar wind and high-resolution imagery of Mercury’s surface. However, the MPO’s advanced instruments, including X-ray spectrometers, remain inactive due to obstructions by the MTM.

In September 2026, the MPO and Mio will detach from the MTM, embarking on their final descent into orbit, completing this phase by November when their focus will shift to detailed studies of Mercury.

According to Charlie Feldman, a researcher at the University of Leicester who contributed to the MPO’s instruments, “We’re hopeful that our equipment will function as intended. With the extensive time invested in building it, the excitement comes with a degree of anxiety.”

Alongside capturing intricate details of Mercury’s magnetosphere, the MPO will extensively map and analyze the planet’s surface using its spectrometer and other tools. “This represents the first X-ray imagery of an extraterrestrial surface,” Feldman noted.

Such observations may unravel enigmas surrounding the significant X-ray emissions detected from Mercury’s night side in prior missions. Additionally, the spacecraft will assess X-rays emitted from the sun-facing side, unearthing new insights into Mercury’s geological composition and evolution. “Deciphering how planets formed gives us a broader understanding of solar system dynamics,” Feldman stated.

Exploring Space and Astronomy in Japan: The Land of the Rising Sun

Experience Japan’s unique blend of astronomy and culture, featuring cutting-edge research institutes and breathtaking starry skies. Explore prestigious locations like JAXA Tsukuba Space Center, the Nobeyama Radio Observatory, and the Tanegashima Space Center, while marveling at the celestial beauty above the Japanese Alps and Yakushima.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

2026 Mars Mission Aims to Uncover Satellite Secrets

Posted on January 2, 2026 by Igor Mitreski

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MMX Spacecraft to Explore Mars Moons

Credit: JAXA

MMX spacecraft visiting Mars moon — MMX Spacecraft to Explore Mars Moons

Credit: JAXA

The mystery surrounding the origins of Mars’s moons, Phobos and Deimos, may soon be unraveled with the launch of the MMX spacecraft, set to return samples from Phobos to Earth in 2026.

“While we understand the origin of Earth’s moon, the origins of Phobos and Deimos remain unclear,” says Emelia Brannagan-Harris from the Natural History Museum in London. “By exploring the origins of these moons, we aim to gain insights into Mars’s evolutionary history.”

There are two leading theories regarding how these moons came to orbit Mars. The first theory suggests that they are remnants of asteroids that either merged and then separated or closely orbit each other. The second theory posits that they may have formed from an asteroid impact on Mars, similar to the formation of Earth’s moon.

Currently, evidence supports neither scenario definitively. However, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s Mars Moon Explorer (MMX), scheduled for launch in 2026, is equipped to clarify which theory holds true. This spacecraft will observe both moons and send a rover to gather samples from Phobos’s surface and subsurface.

If the observations reveal a prevalence of carbon-rich materials and water, it could support the theory of asteroid capture. Conversely, if such materials are absent, we may need to await the analysis of the collected samples, expected to return to Earth by 2031.

The Phobos samples will include both surface material and samples from beneath the surface. Testing this material will allow scientists to investigate signs of past dissolution, potentially indicating interactions with Mars’s atmosphere or surface.

Regardless of the origins of Phobos, its close orbit around Mars suggests it may hold well-preserved samples from early Mars. “Phobos might also contain ancient debris from Mars’s period of liquid water, offering significant insights into the planet’s history,” Brannagan-Harris emphasizes.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

What Does Russia’s Failure to Launch a Crewed Mission Mean for the ISS?

Posted on December 1, 2025 by

Soyuz spacecraft launched on November 27th

Roscosmos Space Agency, via AP/Alamy

The International Space Station (ISS) might be facing a significant shift towards reduced international collaboration. A critical launch site in Russia, the only one capable of sending humans into orbit, has been heavily damaged and could remain non-operational for up to two years. This situation presents a challenging dilemma for NASA: either shoulder increased expenses and duties or consider decommissioning the ISS.

The Soyuz spacecraft took off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on November 27, transporting two cosmonauts alongside an American astronaut. While all three arrived at the ISS safely, subsequent evaluations of the launch pads revealed that a crucial multi-layered support structure, which is typically retracted during the initial launch phases, had collapsed into the flame trench, sustaining significant damage.

According to reports, repairs might take as long as two years. The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, stated that damage repairs will begin “soon.” The actual extent of the issues remains uncertain.

While the Baikonur Cosmodrome has several launch pads, the damaged one, Site 31, Launch Pad 6, has been operational since 1958 and is the only pad configured for manned missions. David Amato from Imperial College London notes that alternative Russian launch facilities face similar complications that eliminate their viability. The Plesetsk Cosmodrome, located 650 kilometers northeast of St. Petersburg, is positioned too far north for efficient ISS launches, while Vostochny Cosmodrome, near the Chinese border, lacks sufficient infrastructure.

“Many space missions hinge on critical vulnerabilities like this, particularly those that are winding down, such as the ISS,” Amato indicated.

Certainly, the ISS’s operational lifespan has exceeded expectations, having initially been planned for decommissioning in 2020, with several delays thereafter. Current intentions forecast a gradual descent to lower orbits beginning next year, potentially lasting until 2030, after which the crew will dismantle its functional and historic equipment before its final descent toward Earth, expected to fully disintegrate by 2031. Details regarding this process can be found here: “A 400-ton mass of flame is hurtling through the upper atmosphere at orbital velocity.”

Should Russia withdraw, NASA would likely need to further invest in resources and funds to maintain ISS operations—a daunting prospect, especially since the program is nearing its conclusion.

However, Amato casts doubt on whether the U.S. aims to fully terminate the ISS. Without it, both the U.S. and Europe would lack a venue for astronauts, leading to minimal incentives to launch personnel into orbit until longer-term projects like a commercial space station or lunar habitats are established. In contrast, China, America’s principal economic competitor, operates a flourishing space station.

“The optics are not favorable,” Amato noted, “and losing the ISS would be substantial since invaluable research facilitated by this platform would cease to exist.”

The ISS’s inception in the 1990s emerged from a different geopolitical context. Following the Soviet Union’s collapse, there was a mutual interest in launching a collaborative initiative between the former superpowers. The ISS was meticulously crafted to foster not only cooperation but to necessitate it. The Russian orbital segment (ROS), managed by Roscosmos, plays a critical role in trajectory control, while the US orbital segment (USOS), overseen by NASA and collaborated on with European, Japanese, and Canadian space agencies, is solar-powered. Cooperation is essential for both components to function effectively.

However, relationships have soured, and current tensions between the United States and Russia parallel geopolitical strains on Earth, a reality worsened by Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Should Russia entirely pull out from the ISS partnership, NASA and its counterparts would face the daunting task of transporting not only astronauts but also crucial supplies like fuel and food—a responsibility previously managed by Russia. NASA would have to address these adjustments. There are more complex inquiries to address, notably regarding the formal management and operation of the Russian section of the ISS. Given recent budget reductions, NASA must scrutinize the feasibility of such an undertaking.

As of this writing, many of Roscosmos’ websites are down, and inquiries regarding the condition of Site 31 have gone unanswered. The European and Canadian space agencies have also not replied to media requests for commentary on the situation with Roscosmos. New Scientist reports.

Nadie Russell, a NASA Public Relations Officer, told New Scientist that the agency would “collaborate closely with our international partners, including Roscosmos, to ensure the safe operation of the ISS and its crew.” Nonetheless, Russell refrained from addressing specific queries about Russia’s ongoing involvement or whether contingency measures are in place should Russia choose to disengage.

Russia has time to evaluate these matters before its next crewed flight to the ISS, slated for July, although it must quickly formulate a strategy to rectify the issues at Baikonur.

Lia Nani Alconcel, a professor at the University of Birmingham in the UK, points out that there are alternatives for crewed travel to the ISS, such as SpaceX’s Dragon capsule, which has successfully transported American astronauts to orbit. Should U.S.-based SpaceX become the sole option for reaching the ISS, it would represent a stark reversal from the early 2000s, when the U.S. was dependent on Russia for crew transport after the retirement of the Space Shuttle.

“Contractual issues may arise regarding launch agreements, but those are legal matters, not engineering challenges,” Alconcel remarked.

This alternative approach could ease some burdens on NASA and alleviate the pressure of urgently needing to establish a new program to compensate for the loss of Russian expertise and capabilities.

“Roscosmos specifically trains astronauts for essential tasks related to the Russian orbital segment, making it a formidable challenge for NASA to independently operate the ISS,” Alconcel explained, highlighting that NASA is pursuing a similar approach on the American segment.

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International Space Station/
Russia

Source: www.newscientist.com

Planetary Scientists Suggest Mission to Investigate Upcoming Interstellar Comet

Posted on September 5, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Researchers at the Southwest Research Institute have completed a study outlining how the proposed spacecraft could fly by interstellar comets, offering valuable insights into properties of these bodies throughout the solar system. Leveraging recent findings from interstellar comet 3i/Atlas, they explored mission concepts and concluded that the proposed spacecraft could potentially intercept and observe 3i/Atlas.

Hubble captured this image of 3i/Atlas when it was 446 million km (277 million miles) from Earth on July 21, 2025. Image credits: NASA/ESA/David Jewitt, UCLA/Joseph Depasquale, Stsci.

In 2017, interstellar object 1i/’oumuamua became the first interstellar comet identified within the solar system.

Following that, the second interstellar comet, 2i/Borisov, was discovered in 2019, and recently, 3i/Atlas was identified this year.

“These novel types of objects present the first true opportunity for humanity to closely examine bodies formed in other star systems,” said Dr. Alan Stern, a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute.

“Flybys of interstellar comets could yield unparalleled insight into their composition, structure, and characteristics, significantly enhancing our understanding of the solid body formation process in diverse star systems.”

Scientists estimate that numerous interstellar objects from distant origins cross Earth’s orbit each year, with up to 10,000 potentially entering Neptune’s orbit in certain seasons.

Dr. Stern and colleagues tackled unique design challenges while defining the costs and payload requirements for interstellar comet missions.

The hyperbolic trajectories and high velocities of these bodies present challenges for current avoidance methods, but this study indicated that Flybee reconnaissance is both feasible and cost-effective.

“The trajectory of 3i/Atlas falls within the intermittent range of missions we designed, and the scientific observations taken during such flybys would be groundbreaking,” stated Dr. Matthew Freeman from the Southwest Institute.

“The proposed mission would involve a rapid, frontal flyby, allowing us to gather substantial valuable data while also serving as a blueprint for future missions to other interstellar comets.”

The research establishes a significant scientific objective for its mission targeting interstellar comets.

Understanding the physical characteristics of a body sheds light on its formation and evolution.

Investigating the composition of interstellar comets may aid in explaining their origins and how evolutionary forces have shaped them since their inception.

Another objective is to thoroughly examine the coma of an object, the escaping atmosphere emanating from its center.

To devise mission orbital options, researchers created software to generate representative synthetic populations of interstellar comets, calculating the minimum energy trajectories from Earth to each comet’s pathway.

Software analyses have indicated that low-energy rendezvous trajectories are achievable, often requiring fewer resources during launch and flight compared to other solar system missions.

Scientists utilized the software to determine the trajectory the proposed spacecraft may have taken from Earth to intercept 3i/Atlas.

They found that the mission could potentially have reached 3i/Atlas.

“It’s incredibly promising regarding the emergence of 3i/Atlas,” noted Dr. Mark Tapley, an orbital mechanics expert at the Southwest Research Institute.

“We have demonstrated that there’s no need to launch any existing technology or mission frameworks that NASA has already employed to engage these interstellar comets.”

Source: www.sci.news

Women’s Mission to Mars: An Opera on Acquiring the Red Planet’s Toxic Technical Resources

Posted on August 6, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Writing an opera centered around Mars? Mars represents more than just a celestial body; it embodies philosophy and ideology. Humanity’s perception of it evolves over time, mirroring the complex blend of beliefs, aspirations, dreams, and fears that characterize each era.

In 1965, NASA’s Mariner 4 flew by Mars, delivering the first detailed images of the red planet back to Earth. Before this mission, our knowledge of Mars was limited to telescope observations, where the planet was imagined as a lush environment that might harbor life. Mariner 4 unveiled a starkly different reality: a barren, cratered landscape devoid of life. President Lyndon B. Johnson declared, “It may just be that, as we know, it’s more unique than many people think, along with its humanity. We need to remember this.” The New York Times went even further.

Imagine life in the summer of 1965 if you hadn’t yet been born. In June, Ed White became the first American astronaut to walk in space. His experience was so profound that Soviet astronaut Alexei Leonov referred to it as “the saddest moment of my life” upon re-entering the capsule. Life Magazine celebrated White with a dedicated issue titled “A Glorious Walk in the Universe.” Shortly thereafter, images from Mariner 4 were broadcast, revealing Mars’s desolation. We had just entered a summer filled with dreams of the cosmos, a time of belief that we might not be alone; those dreams, however, were soon overshadowed.

Historic… The first female spaceflight crew including Lauren Sanchez, third from the left. Photo: Blue Origin Handout/EPA

Fast forward 60 years later, space and technology continue to captivate our attention. Spring was bustling with events. In April, the first all-female spaceflight led by then-fiance billionaire Jeff Bezos, Lauren Sanchez, launched using a rocket developed by Bezos’ Blue Origin. In May, another billionaire, Elon Musk, resigned amidst controversies surrounding Doge, all while sporting a “Occupied Mars” T-shirt.

In June, billionaire venture capitalist Peter Thiel shared in an interview with the New York Times, “Mars appears to be more than a science project. It’s a political undertaking.” By July, scientists presented findings at the National Astronomical Conference showing ancient riverbeds on Mars, challenging earlier beliefs regarding water on the planet. Sotheby’s auctioned a large piece of Martian meteorite for around $5.3 million (£4 million). Meanwhile, President Trump signed an executive order aimed at “preventing the federal government from overstepping.”

So, why create an opera about Mars? Because discussing Mars means exploring our own identities, aspirations for the future, and the mechanisms of current power dynamics.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/2qRYC5C4lI8?wmode=opaque&feature=oembed" title="MARS | Trailer" height="480" width="854" allowfullscreen="

Watch the trailer for Mars

To write the opera about Mars, how do we proceed? First, we select a script. The choice of author Mark O’Connell was natural; we are both intrigued by AI, Silicon Valley, and the ideological currents that permeate everyday life, from transhumanism and futurism to rising concerns around fertility rates in Western nations.

Our research dives deep, adopting a Hard Science Fiction perspective. We begin with everyday logistics. How do astronauts exercise, eat, shower, and use the restroom? Can a pregnancy be carried to term in zero gravity or under Mars’ weaker gravitational pull, which is 38% of Earth’s? The answers vary, ranging from the benign (using advanced resistance exercise equipment) to the concerning (one option involves tying a woman to an underground centrifuge during pregnancy).

“I turned to AI,” remarked Walche and her co-director Tom Creed during rehearsals. Photo: Ste Murray

The vast distance from Earth to Mars (about 140 million miles) complicates real-time communication. I pondered the dynamics of relationships in a scenario where conversations could only happen through audio notes. Each line of inquiry led to more questions: If we find life on another planet, how will it alter our understanding of ourselves and the cosmos? Is there a legal framework in place? Does the 1967 Outer Space Treaty hold? Are we humans destined to repeat the harrowing patterns of colonization, or can we carve a different path?

Our opera centers around an all-female mission. Four astronauts—Svetlana, Sally, Judith, and Valentina—named after the first four women in space, board the spacecraft Buckminster en route to Mars. Their quest is to find water to support existing colonies.

Their journey is arduous, further complicated by the scant entertainment options and reruns of *The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills*. Upon nearing Mars, they learn that their mission has become the target of a hostile takeover by Shadowfax Ventures, helmed by libertarian billionaire Axel Parchment. They now face isolation, the looming specter of corporate authoritarianism, and the existential question of alien life.

As we dived into the plot, the next challenge was to creatively encompass this expansive narrative acoustically. I envisioned the actual sounds astronauts would experience in different space environments: the roar of rocket propulsion, the hum of life support systems, and mechanical sounds. We meticulously analyzed audio recordings from the International Space Station, crafting ways to replicate these auditory experiences.

The Irish National Opera’s production premiered
At the Galway Arts Festival in July. Photo: Pat Redmond

I immersed myself in hours of space audio—whistles, auroras, interstellar recordings from Voyager 1, and even humorous moments like Chris Hadfield’s lighthearted accounts of using the ISS restroom, alongside studies of various exoplanets. The community at Space Exploration Stack Exchange assisted with inquiries about musical instruments functioning in 38% gravity and the sound quality of trumpets and violins on Mars.

Interestingly, astronauts seem drawn to synth music. A playlist shared by Dutch astronaut Andre Kuipers revealed a taste for Vangelis, Mike Oldfield, and Brian Eno, leading me to incorporate synthesizers into both the orchestra and the spacecraft. For our antagonists, I leaned into AI to define their musical character, which was humorously labeled as “bad EDM.” They demonstrated a propensity for chaotic sounds, driving me to explore genres like “Bro Step” and “Fashwave.”

In our opera, the astronauts confront the challenges of a troubling future, resilient against the odds. Our vision, shaped by Mark’s and my imagination, captures not only resistance and hope but also moments of rebellion and joy. Throughout the summer, our team remained aware of the stark human challenges and anxieties outside the rehearsal space. This awareness drove us to explore the significance of our own world, amidst a perceived power dynamic favoring a select few wealthy individuals imposing their will on the greater populace.

Source: www.theguardian.com

This Year’s Weed Warrior: A Man’s Mission to Protect the Sonoran Desert

Posted on May 3, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

As Don Pike embarks on his daily stroll, he laces up his brown hiking boots, takes hold of his walking stick and bucket hat, and steps outside. A mere ten feet later, he skillfully navigates around barbed wire to enter the Tonto National Forest. Unlike the typical Tonto scenery, where the ground is strewn with dry grass between native plants and trees, this area feels stark, unfriendly, and barren.

The reason for this desolation is that Mr. Pike is engaged in weed removal.

“I’ve eliminated them so effectively that I can’t find any in this region,” remarked Pike, 84, a retired resident of Maine who has found great joy in his cherished desert and installed floor-to-ceiling windows in his living room.

Mr. Pike is in a battle against buffel grass and fountain grass, two invasive species that are spreading throughout the Sonoran desert. These plants suffocate native flora, elevate the risk and intensity of wildfires, and jeopardize a vibrant ecosystem.

His fight against this encroaching vegetation began nearly 15 years ago. Since then, he estimates he and his team of volunteers have cleared 550 acres of the approximately 14,000 acres they manage. In 2024, his efforts earned him the title of Arizona Weed Manager of the Year.

The work of volunteers like Pike has long been essential in supplementing federal land management, as government officials note that funding for their programs has been lacking for years. However, volunteers like Pike are becoming more crucial than ever given the reductions in federal workforce instigated by the Trump administration and its push for government efficiency.

“It will be vital for federal agencies to find innovative ways to attract individuals,” Pike stated from his back porch in March. “There are many who are eager to get involved, especially those with considerable skills.”

Source: www.nytimes.com

Soviet-era Spacecraft Poised to Re-enter Earth After Half a Century of Failed Venus Mission

Posted on May 2, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

A Soviet-era spaceship aims to land on Venus, with plans for it to return to Earth in the near future.

Currently, it is uncertain where the mass of half-ton metal will descend and how much will survive the journey. Experts are monitoring space debris.

Dutch scientist Marco Langbroek estimates that the spacecraft may re-enter Earth’s atmosphere around May 10th.

“There are risks involved, but there’s no need for excessive concern,” Langbroek stated in an email.

The object is relatively small, and even if it remains intact, the likelihood of it causing damage is similar to that of encountering a random meteorite fall, which occurs annually. “The chance of being struck by lightning in your lifetime is far greater,” he added.

He also mentioned that the spacecraft could potentially impact someone or something; however, this scenario cannot be entirely dismissed.

The Soviet Union sent the spacecraft, known as Cosmos 482, into orbit in 1972 as part of its Venus mission series. It never successfully launched from Earth orbit due to a rocket malfunction.

Most of its counterparts fell back within a decade, yet Langbroek and others believe the landing capsule, a spherical object about three feet (1 meter) in diameter, has been in a highly elliptical orbit for the past 53 years, gradually descending.

There is a substantial possibility that the over 1,000-pound (approximately 500 kilograms) spacecraft could endure re-entry. It was designed to withstand the harsh conditions of Venus’ atmosphere, which is thick with carbon dioxide, according to Langbroek from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

Experts are skeptical about the longevity of its parachute system. Additionally, heat shields might have deteriorated over extended periods in orbit.

Jonathan McDowell of the Harvard Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory mentioned in an email that while the spacecraft would benefit from an intact heat shield, if it manages to re-enter successfully, “a half-ton metal object will be falling from the sky.”

The spacecraft is projected to re-enter around 51.7°N and 51.7°S, passing near London, Edmonton, Alberta, and Cape Horn, South America. However, given that much of the Earth is covered by water, “the chances are favorable.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Inside the Mission Where He Captured His First Video of a Giant Squid

Posted on April 26, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

As it emerged, it was yet another journey into the abyss, cloaked in darkness: mid-water, a delicate, ethereal shape transitioning into another realm.

A remotely operated vehicle, Subathian, recorded the first footage of a giant squid stable in its natural habitat in the southern ocean near Antarctica. The giant squid can grow up to 10 meters (33 feet) in length, making it the heaviest invertebrate on the planet, yet until now, it remained elusive.

This remarkable discovery occurred during a 35-day expedition to the Southern Sandwich Islands, a secluded volcanic arc in the Southern Ocean, aboard the Folcole (too).

The expedition aimed to expedite the discovery of deep-sea species, but nobody anticipated encountering one of the ocean’s most elusive giants.

“We were operating Subathian at a depth of about 2,000 meters that day for trench work,” stated Dr. Michelle Taylor, Chief Scientist of the Expedition and Senior Lecturer at Essex University, as reported by BBC Science Focus.

While Subathian navigated through the cerulean waters, we remained in the control room, surrounded by high-resolution cameras and screens displaying sensor data from the vehicle. A group of scientists observed intently as we monitored the water column.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzpog9h8hlo

On March 9th, at a depth of approximately 600 meters (nearly 2,000 feet), the pilot spotted something and began to hover.

“None of us aboard were squid specialists, but we quickly recognized it as a stunning glass squid,” Taylor recounted. “We documented it for about three minutes before resuming our mission to explore the ocean floor.”

The giant squid is among the planet’s most enigmatic creatures. Until now, they had only been seen as dead specimens—either accidentally caught by fishing boats or found in a whale’s stomach. Documenting a living specimen is akin to discovering a unicorn in marine biology.

Furthermore, the squid was not yet fully grown. “It was a juvenile,” Taylor explained. “It lacked some physical features of adult squid, but it was definitely not fully developed. Its size was quite modest for a giant squid.”

Remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Subathian is recovered by research vessel Folcole after another successful mission to explore the depths of the ocean – Alex Ingle/Schmidt Ocean Institute

The footage streamed live on YouTube during the dive was initially flagged by audience members.

Taylor consulted with Dr. Kat Bolstad, a cephalopod expert at Auckland Institute of Technology, along with other colleagues, who confirmed their identification with the aid of the 4K video footage captured during the dive.

Telltale clues included a distinctive hook along the squid’s arm.

“[Knowing it’s a colossal squid], I find it both beautiful and extraordinary,” Taylor remarked.

While the giant squid garnered headlines, it was not the singular highlight of the Folcole (too) expedition. About a month ago, researchers also captured the first in situ footage of a glacial glass squid.

Both sightings resulted from lengthy, meticulous dives conducted by Subathian, which can descend up to 4,500 meters (3 miles), enhancing the role of “telepresence” in scientific exploration.

This is the first confirmed footage of a glacier glass squid captured in January – Rov Subathian/Schmidt Ocean Institute

“It’s a new milestone, bringing the world into the deep sea in ways that were once impossible,” Taylor states. “Science enthusiasts and the general public can engage directly with our findings, often possessing extensive knowledge about what we observe.”

Taylor emphasizes that the mission’s deeper purpose transcends mere discovery; it aims to enhance the understanding and protection of deep-sea life.

“This is the last frontier,” she emphasizes. “It’s perplexing why we pursue other planets when we barely comprehend our own oceans.”

The Ocean Census seeks to expedite the discovery of new species, yet this process remains painstakingly slow. Often, it takes over a decade from specimen collection to formal recognition.

In its initial years, the project has already documented more than 800 new species, focusing on uncharted areas and fostering collaboration with a global network of taxonomists.

The sighting of the giant squid may have been serendipitous, but for Taylor, it marks merely the beginning.

“There is still much left to discover,” she asserts.

About our experts

Michelle Taylor is a senior lecturer in the Faculty of Life Sciences at the University of Essex. Her research focuses on the deep sea and its diverse habitats. As the lead investigator of the Ocean Census, she headed the Japan Foundation-Necton Marine Census team on the South Sandwich Islands expedition.

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Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Private Moonlander to go silent two weeks into moon mission

Posted on March 17, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The Light out The first private Lunar Lander A completely successful moon mission.

Firefly Air Space Blue Ghost Lander We were silent over the weekend to close out NASA’s two-week science experiment. The end came when the moon sets, but no longer provides energy Lander’s solar panels.

“The mission is complete,” Firefly CEO Jason Kim said late Sunday night via X. “But the ghosts still live in our hearts and minds.

Lander was open for five hours on a moonlit night, as planned before his death on Sunday evening. Photos of the moon sunset and glow will be released on Tuesday, Kim said.

Blue Ghost was launched by Cape Canaveral in January as part of NASA’s commercial monthly distribution program. It landed on March 2nd at the northeastern edge of the moon. Carrying drills, vacuums and other scientific and technical equipment for NASA. Firefly confirmed on Monday that all 10 experiments worked.

Later last week, Blue Ghost observed a solar eclipse of the total sun from the moon. This is a total lunar eclipse, as seen from the Earth.

Texas-based Firefly has become the first private company to land on the moon without falling or crashing after a series of failed missions by other companies over the past few years. Only five countries in the US, Russia, China, India and Japan have successfully landed.

The lunar lander of the Japanese company shared the SpaceX Rocket Ride, but took an even longer route to reach the moon. That Lander from Ispace is targeting a touchdown in early June.

Another Texas company, an intuitive machine, lay down in a crater near the moon’s Antarctic earlier this month, dooming the mission. This was the second imperfect mission for the intuitive machine. That first Lander brought the US back to the moon for the first time since the Apollo era after a perfect landing that hindered communication last year.

Firefly is already working on the next moon lander, and is striving to land one lunar a year.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Hera Asteroid Mission Captures Breathtaking Image of Deimos, Moon of Mars

Posted on March 13, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Mars appears bright blue in this near-infrared image taken by Hera's spacecraft. The month's deimos is a dark mark towards the center of the image

ESA

Space exploration mission to study asteroids that NASA deliberately crashed a spacecraft three years ago takes stunning bonus images of Mars and its moon Deimos is on the way to his final destination.

NASA's 2022 Double Planet Redirect Test (DART) was an attempt to show that bodies on a collision course with the planet could be deliberately redirected to avoid catastrophic effects. Observations from Earth showed that NASA successfully alters the orbit of the asteroid by crushing the 610-kilogram ship into distant asteroid shaped leaves at 6.6 km/sec. Dimorphos did not present any risk to the Earth, and simply acted as a subject.

Hera is a subsequent European Space Agency mission designed to explore the effects of crashes in detail. The craft is the size of a small car weighing 1081 kilograms when fully fueled. It was released on October 7, 2024 from Cape Canaveral, Florida, aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket, and on March 12, 2025 I made a flyby to Mars on my way to the asteroid.

Deimos looks dark surrounded by Mars

ESA

Hera came close to 5,000 kilometers to the surface of Mars, received a gravity boost and cast it at Dimorphos. The operation reduced travel time by months and saved fuel.

It was very close to Mars, but I was able to turn on the trio of sensors to take detailed photos of some of the planets. Demos in the same frame. We captured images, infrared cameras and hyperspectral imagers that can sense different colors beyond the limits of the human eye using a 1020 x 1020 pixel resolution.

Hera moved at 9 km/sec compared to Mars, allowing him to image Deimos, a distance of just 1000 kilometers, ranging from 12.4 kilometers long. You can also photograph the side of the moon, which is attractively trapped from Mars, but that's not very common.

Deimos shines much brighter than Mars in this shot taken by Hera's thermal infrared imager

ESA/JAXA

The first concept behind the Hera mission was that it existed when Dart collided with Dimorphos, but delays in funding made it impossible. It will arrive a few years after the impact.

The mission also features two miniature satellites, called Juventus and Milani, or Cubesat. Rather than rotating the traits, these will fly before them and make a drastic pass at smaller, risky distances to collect data. Both are expected to look better if they eventually land on an asteroid and do everything they can in the distance.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hu31-crtr9s

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Source: www.newscientist.com

NASA’s Spherex set to launch after delays, will map 450 million galaxies on mission

Posted on March 12, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

The new NASA Observatory was launched into space on Tuesday with a mission that would help scientists unravel what happened in the first fraction one second after the Big Bang.

The Spherex mission (short for Universe History, Reionization Epoch, Ice Explorer’s Spectroscopic Optical Meter) is designed to map the entire sky, study millions of galaxies, and stitch together how the universe has formed and evolved.

According to NASA, it has been postponed several times since late February to help engineers evaluate the rocket and its components recently due to bad weather at launch sites.

The cone-shaped spacecraft ended Tuesday at approximately 8:10pm above the Space Sex Falcon 9 rocket from Van Denburg Space Force Base in California. Also, to get into orbit there were four suitcase-sized satellites deployed on another mission by NASA to study the sun.

The $488 million Spherex Observatory will investigate the entire sky four times over a two-year mission. Spacecraft instruments observe the universe in 102 different colors or wavelengths.

The Spherex Observatory, located horizontally, allows you to see all three layers of photon shields and telescopes.
BAE System / NASA

Colors in the infrared range have longer wavelengths than what the eye sees, so they are essentially invisible to humans. However, in the universe, infrared light from stars, galaxies and other celestial bodies contains important information about composition, density, temperature and chemical composition.

A technique known as spectroscopy allows scientists to analyze infrared light and divide it into different colors, just like the way prisms divide sunlight into colorful rainbows. Therefore, data collected by the Spherex Observatory gives researchers insight into the chemistry and other properties of hundreds of millions of galaxies in the universe.

NASA said these observations would help scientists study how galaxies are formed, trace the origins of Milky Way waters, and connect what happened later. The Big Bang that Created the Universe Approximately 13.8 billion years ago.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

NASA to launch Spherex Space Telescope for Sky Scanning Mission

Posted on February 28, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Impressions of the artists of Spherex Space Telescope

NASA/JPL-Caltech

The latest addition to NASA's Space Telescope Fleet will be launched this weekend and will soon scan the entire sky in near-infrared wavelength ranges, collecting a wealth of data on more than 450 million galaxies.

The history of the universe, the reionization epoch, and the spectrophotometer for Ice Explorer (Spherex) will be released on March 2nd on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:09 pm local time.

It carries a camera with filters that divide the light that enters like a prism and beams different parts of the spectrum into 102 separate color sensors. As the telescope pans around the sky, it slowly tightens the full image pixels pixel by pixel. This strategy allows you to use a relatively small and simple camera to do what you need to have a heavy, expensive suite of sensors, even without moving parts.

“If you slowly scan the sky slowly by moving the telescope, after a sufficient amount of time, every pixel in the sky is observed over a very wide wavelength range, giving you a coarse spectrum of every bit of the sky that has never been done before.” Richard Ellis University College London. “It's a very small space telescope, but it has some very unique features.”

Ellis says this rich dataset allows for accidental discoveries. “There's a high chance that you'll find something unexpected,” he says.

Infrared data is outside the human vision range, allowing scientists to determine the distance of objects and learn how to form galaxies. It can also be used to determine the chemical composition of an object, potentially revealing the presence of water and other important components.

The interesting stuff thrown by Spherex can be investigated in a more focused way using NASA's existing space telescope fleet.

Christopher Conseris At the University of Manchester in the UK, Spherex says it doesn't match the JWST solution or create similarly adoring images, but it says it will become a “maintainer” for scientific discovery.

“JWST can point to a part of the sky and take some big photos [and reveal] Something completely new. And Spherex really can't do the same thing,” he says. “It's going to be an analysis that takes years, and it's going to cover the sky many times.”

Spherex orbits the Earth 14.5 times a day away from the Earth's surface, completing 11,000 orbits over a two-year lifespan. Three cone-shaped shields protect the instrument from the Earth's radiant heat and interference from the sun.

The same rocket will be released on the polarimeter, another NASA mission to unify the Corona and Heliosphere Fair (punch), which will study the solar winds of the sun.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Athena, the intuitive moon lander machine, poised for explosive mission on the lunar surface

Posted on February 24, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Artist's impression of the moon's Athena spaceship

NASA

This week, a private space mission was launched on the moon, aiming to reach the southernmost point we've ever visited on the moon. The Athena spacecraft, built by an intuitive US-based machine, will be released from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida at 12:17am on February 27th (7:17pm on February 26th). It will be installed on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Also, several other missions hitch on the same rocket, including expeditions that mine asteroids.

The intuitive machine became the first private company to succeed on the moon last year when Odysseus' spacecraft landed near the moon's Antarctica. The spacecraft's instruments remained in operation, but Odysseus made a troublesome landing, flipped over, limiting the amount of data the equipment could collect, and shortening the mission.

The company hopes for a cleaner landing as Athena begins its descent towards the end of March. The planned landing site is near the highest mountain on the moon, the lunar mewton, about 60 kilometers from Antarctica, and Athena's attempts have become the most southern approach to date. If the ship is successful, it will start a moon night and operate for several weeks on par with the moon in a day before it loses power.

Athena carries over 10 musical instruments and missions from both NASA and other private companies. That's not all. The Falcon 9, the same one that fires Athena at the moon, also carries three unrelated spacecraft. These are asteroid-controlled spacecraft from space company Astroforge, and the first mission of this kind will investigate potential minable metal space rocks later this year. You can also map water to the moon along with NASA's lunar satellite aboard, looking for future landing sites. The third spacecraft, built by epic aerospace, is designed to help other satellites move between orbits.

Once Athena lands, NASA instruments will excavate up to 1 meter into the lunar soil to sample it, then look at water sediments and other chemicals. NASA would like to know if these will be present in sufficient quantities for future astronauts to be used as part of the Artemis Moon Landing, which is planned for the agency to be released in 2027. It's there.

Several small rovers will also be released near the landing site, including the plant pot-sized Yaokirovers of Japanese company Dimon. The heavier 10kg mobile autonomous exploration platform (MAPP), built by Space Company Lunar Outspost, explores and creates 3D maps of landing sites, testing how the 4G phone network built by Nokia works in a Lunar environment. Masu. Sitting on a mapp will be a much smaller, ant-sized robot built by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The intuitive machine deploys a suitcase-sized hopping robot called Grace. Grace runs a series of four hops, jumping into the air up to 100 meters, travelling a distance of about 200 meters until it lands in a deep, permanently shaded crater. Scientists have seen evidence that these areas do not get warmer than -170°C (-274°F), but have never been visited in person. Grace scans the bottom of this crater. This crater is scanned for about 45 minutes, about 20 meters below, before popping out again.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Gaia Announces Most Detailed Map of Milky Way to Date, Achieves Skyscan Milestone in Mission

Posted on January 17, 2025 by Igor Mitreski

Released on December 19, 2013, ESA's star mapping satellite “Gaia” We are now nearing the sky, but this does not mean the mission is complete. Technical tests are scheduled in the weeks before Gaia moves into its “retirement” orbit, with two major data releases scheduled for around 2026 and the end of the century, respectively.

An artist's impression of the Milky Way galaxy based on data from ESA's Gaia Space Telescope. Image credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC / Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.

ESA Director of Science Carol Mandel said: “Today, as the science observations conclude, we celebrate this amazing mission that has exceeded all our expectations, extending almost twice its original predicted lifetime.” said.

“The treasure trove of data collected by Gaia has given us unique insight into the origin and evolution of the Milky Way galaxy, and has also provided insight into astrophysics and the solar system in ways we still don't fully understand. It transformed science.”

“Gaia is built on Europe’s unique excellence in astronomical measurements and will leave a lasting legacy for future generations.”

“After 11 years in space, surviving micrometeorite impacts and solar storms along the way, Gaia has completed collecting scientific data,” said Gaia project scientist Johannes Sahlmann.

“All eyes are now on preparing for the next data release.”

“We are excited to carry out this incredible mission and are excited about the discoveries that await us.”

An annotated artist's impression of the Milky Way galaxy, based on data from ESA's Gaia Space Telescope. Image credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC / Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.

Gaia has used the three instruments many times over the course of its mission to observe and chart the stars' positions, distances, movements, changes in brightness, compositions, and numerous other characteristics.

This will allow Gaia to achieve its primary goal of building the largest and most accurate map of the Milky Way, displaying our home galaxy like no other mission has been able to achieve to date. is completed.

“Gaia has changed our impression of the Milky Way, so it contains major changes from previous models,” said Stefan Payne Waldenaar, a science visualizer at the House of Astronomy and the IAU Directorate of Astronomy Education. said.

“Even basic ideas such as the rotation of the galaxy's central bar, the distortion of the disk, the detailed structure of the spiral arms, and the interstellar dust near the sun have been revised.”

“Still, we are still speculating about the distant parts of the Milky Way based on incomplete data.”

“As more Gaia data is released, our view of the Milky Way will become even more accurate.”

Gaia's science and engineering teams are already hard at work preparing for Gaia Data Release 4 (DR4), scheduled for 2026.

The amount and quality of data is increasing with each release, and Gaia DR4, with an expected 500 TB data product, is no exception.

Additionally, it will cover the first 5.5 years of the mission, which is the length of the mission as originally planned.

“This is the release of Gaia that the community has been waiting for, but it's exciting considering it only covers half of the data collected,” said Dr. Antonella Valenari, an astronomer at the National Institute of Astronomical Sciences. Ta.

“Although the mission is currently suspending data collection, it will be business as usual for many years to come as we continue to make these impressive datasets available.”

Over the past decade, Gaia has accumulated more than 3 trillion observations of nearly 2 billion stars and other astronomical objects, revolutionizing the way we see our home galaxy and neighboring universe, and advancing its mission. You have completed the empty scan stage. Image credit: ESA / Gaia / DPAC / Stefan Payne-Wardenaar.

After several weeks of testing, Gaia will leave its current orbit around Lagrangian Point 2, 1.5 million km from Earth, away from the Sun and be placed into a final heliocentric orbit far from Earth's sphere of influence. .

The spacecraft is scheduled to be passivated on March 27, 2025 to avoid harm or interference with other spacecraft.

During the technical test, Gaia's orientation is changed, temporarily making it several orders of magnitude brighter and making it much easier to observe with small telescopes.

Gaia mission manager Uwe Lammers said: “Gaia will shine among the stars before her sad retirement and will treat us with this final gift to bid her farewell.”

“This is a moment to celebrate this transformative mission and to thank all the teams who have worked hard for more than a decade to operate Gaia, plan observations, and ensure the smooth return of valuable data to Earth.”

Source: www.sci.news

European Clipper mission to Jupiter’s icy moons launched by NASA

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

For decades, Jupiter’s icy moons have been considered one of the most promising places in the solar system to search for extraterrestrial life. Europa, thought to have an underground ocean and a potentially habitable environment, has long been considered an attractive target in our cosmic backyard.

Now humans are ready to take a closer look at Jupiter’s fourth largest moon.

NASA is scheduled to launch a new robotic mission to Jupiter as soon as noon Monday. The probe, named Europa Clipper, is the largest spacecraft the company has ever built for a planetary science mission.

Assuming no further launch delays, Europa Clipper is scheduled to lift off Monday at 12:06 pm ET aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The launch was originally scheduled for Thursday, but NASA was forced to cancel due to Hurricane Milton, which made landfall late Wednesday near Siesta Key along Florida’s west coast. Kennedy Space Center was closed as the storm battered the state, bringing high winds and heavy rain to much of the Florida peninsula.

The delay was a minor setback in a mission that took more than a decade to plan and develop.

“It feels surreal,” said Jordan Evans, mission project manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “There were battles at every level, from the early stages of the initial concept of the mission, to getting approval, passing each milestone and overcoming various problems along the way. At this point, the team was ready. It’s incredible to watch.”

Europa Clipper is not embarking on a life-detecting mission. Rather, they will study the composition of the icy moon, as well as its internal structure and geology. This information could help scientists determine whether Europa currently has the right ingredients to support life, or whether they existed at some point.

“We’re looking for a habitable environment,” said Bonnie Blatty, mission deputy project scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. “We believe that liquid water is a necessity for life, and that it exists. Whether through active geology or something else, we need the right chemistry to act like a battery to propel life. It’s energy.”Parallel.”

Blatty said there is strong scientific evidence that a vast ocean lurks beneath the moon’s icy surface. In fact, Europa’s interior ocean is estimated to be twice the volume of all of Earth’s oceans combined, according to NASA.

A mosaic image of Jupiter’s moon Europa acquired by a camera aboard NASA’s Galileo spacecraft on November 25, 1999.
NASA

Europa Clipper is scheduled to enter Jupiter’s orbit in 2030 after a six-year, 1.8 billion mile journey.

The 49 flybys of the moon over four years will provide researchers with new insights.

“We’ll definitely be able to tell how thick the ice crust is and whether there are small ponds there,” Blatty said. “As for the ocean, I think we will someday find out how deep it is.”

To make these observations, the spacecraft will fly through a harsh radiation environment created by Jupiter’s massive magnetic field, which NASA says is about 20,000 times stronger than Earth’s.

“If we were to go into orbit around Europe and do research, even the most radiation-resistant electronic equipment would likely be destroyed by radiation within a month or two,” Evans said. said.

Instead, mission managers developed a way for the probe to orbit Jupiter in harmony with the icy moon. This is a kind of cosmic duet that could help protect equipment from prolonged exposure to harsh radiation.

“So every six times Europa orbits Jupiter, or every 21 days, we’ll be at a precise position in space, right next to Europa,” Evans said. “And because each flyby will be different, we will be able to cover almost the entire world’s moon.”

However, the team will need to exercise patience. Before reaching Jupiter, the spacecraft will first pass Mars and then circle Earth again, using the gravity of both planets to blast it deep into space.

Europa was discovered in 1610 by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei. This icy object is the fourth largest of Jupiter’s 95 known moons.

Several space probes have previously observed Europa, including NASA’s Voyager 1, Voyager 2, and Galileo missions, but this will be NASA’s first dedicated mission to the Moon, and will be the first mission for NASA to go beyond Earth. This will be my first time researching the ocean world.

This milestone has been a long time coming for Blatty, who wrote a paper on Europa as a graduate student at Cornell University in the 1980s.

“I’ve actually only been in this role for two and a half years. I didn’t start it,” she said. “But I’m so happy to be back to something so near and dear to my heart. It’s truly a dream.”

Source: www.nbcnews.com

SpaceX Crew Makes History with First ‘Stand-Up’ Private Spacewalk During Polaris Dawn Mission

Posted on September 12, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Jared Isaacman looks out the hatch of the Dragon capsule.

SpaceX

SpaceX made history today when its private astronauts conducted the first-ever private spacewalk as part of the Polaris Dawn mission.

As SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft orbited Earth at an altitude of about 740 km at a speed of more than 25,000 km per hour, the two astronauts partially ejected from the spacecraft, one at a time.

The four-man crew began evacuating the cabin at 10:31 GMT, eventually manually opening the hatch at approximately 10:50 GMT. All crew members were wearing new SpaceX spacesuits that have been thoroughly tested on Earth but not in orbit.

Jared Isaacman, the mission commander, head of SpaceX's Polaris program and billionaire co-financier, was the first person to step out of the spacecraft and look down at Earth. “It certainly is a perfect world from up here,” Isaacman said, lifting his head and torso from the capsule.

Isaacman then went through a series of suit mobility and safety checks before returning to his seat in the spacecraft a few minutes later, after which Crew Dragon fired its thrusters to maintain an optimal orbit and SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis performed a spacewalk.

Neither Isaacman nor Gillis fully exited the spacecraft, making the event technically a stand-up extravehicular activity (SEVA) rather than a full spacewalk. Previous SpaceX promotional materials for the mission stated: Astronauts completely exit the capsule.

While all previous spacewalks to date have been conducted by government-trained astronauts, the Polaris Dawn crew will be all civilians: along with Isaacman and Gillis are retired U.S. Air Force test pilot Scott Poteet and SpaceX engineer Anna Menon.

Isaacman also took part in SpaceX's groundbreaking flight in 2021, which was the first orbital spaceflight with only private citizens on board. That flight used the exact same Crew Dragon spacecraft as the latest mission.

SpaceX's Polaris Dawn mission is reminiscent of earlier space programs of the 1960s and 1970s because the Crew Dragon capsule does not have an airlock, making it one of the most dangerous spacewalks ever attempted.

Once SEVA is complete, the remainder of the mission will see the crew spend up to two more days in orbit before returning to Earth.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

First private spacewalk launched by SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission

Posted on September 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Polaris Dawn launch

SpaceX

SpaceX launched the Polaris Dawn mission to attempt the first-ever private spacewalk, and one of the most dangerous spacewalks ever attempted.

The four-person crew will spend up to five days in Earth orbit, with two crew members performing an extravehicular activity (EVA) on the third day. During this EVA, the spacecraft will be depressurized for about two hours. The two remaining crew members will also need to wear space suits.

This is different from other modern spacewalks, which typically use an airlock to seal the craft off the vacuum of space while the astronauts are outside. The Crew Dragon capsule used in this mission has no airlock, making it more similar to the early days of spaceflight in the 1960s and 1970s. Additionally, all previous spacewalks have been conducted by government-trained astronauts, while the Polaris Dawn crew is civilian.

Although the spacesuits have been thoroughly tested on Earth, they are a new design, and the risks are compounded by the fact that the flight will be farther from Earth than any other human spaceflight since the end of the Apollo program in 1972.

The flight’s mission commander is SpaceX’s Polaris program chief and billionaire co-founder Jared Isaacman. The rest of the crew is retired Air Force test pilot Scott Poteat and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon.

The Crew Dragon capsule used on this flight was named “Resilience” and was its third launch aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. The reusable Falcon 9 first stage returned to Earth and landed on SpaceX’s Just Read the Instructions drone over the Atlantic Ocean.

SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsules are also used to transport astronauts and supplies to and from the International Space Station, and one of them is scheduled to return NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams to Earth in early 2025 after they were stranded when their launch vehicle, the Boeing Starliner, encountered problems.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

For the First Time, NASA’s Endurance Mission Measures Earth’s Bipolar Electric Field

Posted on August 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

First hypothesized over 60 years ago Bipolar electric field Polar winds are the primary driver of a constant outflow of charged particles into space above the Earth’s poles. These electric fields lift charged particles in the upper atmosphere to higher altitudes than usual, and may have shaped the evolution of Earth in ways that are still unknown.

Collinson othersThey report that a potential drop of +0.55 ± 0.09 V exists between 250 km and 768 km due to the planetary electrostatic field, generated solely by the outward pressure of ionospheric electrons. They experimentally demonstrate that the Earth’s ambipolar field controls the structure of the polar ionosphere, increasing its scale height by 271%. Image courtesy of NASA.

Since the 1960s, spacecraft flying over Earth’s poles have detected streams of particles streaming from Earth’s atmosphere into space.

Theorists predicted these outflows, named them polar winds, and stimulated research to understand their causes.

Some outflow from the atmosphere was expected — intense, unobstructed sunlight should send some atmospheric particles escaping into space, like water vapor evaporating from a pot of water — but the observed polar winds were more puzzling.

Many of the particles inside were cold and showed no signs of heating, but they were moving at supersonic speeds.

“Something must be attracting these particles to the outer reaches of the atmosphere,” said Dr. Glynn Collinson, Endurance mission principal investigator and a researcher at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

The electric fields, hypothesized to be generated at subatomic levels, would be incredibly weak and their effects would be expected to be felt only for distances of hundreds of miles.

For decades, detecting it has been beyond the limits of existing technology.

In 2016, Dr Collinson and his colleagues began inventing a new instrument that they thought would be suitable for measuring Earth’s bipolar magnetic field.

The team’s equipment and ideas were perfectly suited for a suborbital rocket flight launched from the Arctic.

The researchers named the mission “Antarctic Expedition,” in honor of the ship that carried Ernest Shackleton on his famous 1914 Antarctic voyage. Endurance.

They set course for Svalbard, a Norwegian island just a few hundred miles from the North Pole and home to the world’s northernmost rocket launch site.

“Svalbard is the only rocket launch site in the world that can fly through the polar winds and make the measurements we need,” said Dr Susie Ingber, an astrophysicist at the University of Leicester.

Endurance was launched on May 11, 2022, reaching an altitude of 768.03 kilometers (477.23 miles) and splashing down in the Greenland Sea 19 minutes later.

Over the 518.2 kilometres (322 miles) altitude where Endurance collected data, it measured a change in electrical potential of just 0.55 volts (V).

“Half a volt is almost meaningless – it’s about the strength of a watch battery – but it’s just right for describing polar winds,” Dr Collinson said.

Hydrogen ions, the most abundant type of particle in the polar wind, experience an outward force from this field that is 10.6 times stronger than gravity.

“That’s more than enough to counter gravity, in fact to launch you into space at supersonic speeds,” said Dr. Alex Grosser, a research scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center and Endurance project scientist.

Heavier particles are also accelerated: an oxygen ion at the same altitude, immersed in this 0.5 volt electric field, loses half its mass.

In general, scientists have found that bipolar magnetic fields increase what’s called the scale height of the ionosphere by 271%, meaning the ionosphere remains denser up to higher altitudes than it would be without the bipolar magnetic field.

“It’s like a conveyor belt that lifts the atmosphere up into space,” Dr Collinson said.

The Endurance discovery has opened up many new avenues of exploration.

The polarity field, as a fundamental energy field of the Earth alongside gravity and magnetism, may have continually shaped the evolution of the atmosphere in ways that we are only now beginning to explore.

Because it is generated by the internal dynamics of the atmosphere, similar electric fields are expected to exist on other planets, including Venus and Mars.

“Any planet with an atmosphere should have a bipolar magnetic field, and now that we’ve finally measured it we can start to learn how it has shaped our planet and other planets over time,” Dr Collinson said.

Team result Published in a journal Nature.

_____

G.A. Collinson others2024. Earth’s bipolar electrostatic field and its role in the escape of ions into space. Nature 632, 1021-1025;doi:10.1038/s41586-024-07480-3

This article is a version of a press release from NASA Goddard Space Flight Center.

Source: www.sci.news

SpaceX delays launch of private Polaris mission for second time

Posted on August 28, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

SpaceX has once again delayed the launch of its Polaris Dawn mission, which was supposed to take four private citizens into space, this time citing bad weather forecasts.

The company attributed the postponement to adverse weather conditions off the Florida coast, without specifying whether their main concern was the potential impact on the spacecraft’s water landing in case of an emergency or the safety of the crew during their return home after the five-day journey.

Billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott Kidd, and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon are set to launch early on Wednesday for what will be the first all-civilian crew spacewalk.

Isaacman noted in a post on X that the Polaris Dawn mission will face significant limitations due to the expected splashdown conditions as the capsule will not dock with the International Space Station, and astronauts might have to wait for improved weather conditions.

“With no ISS rendezvous and limited life support supplies, it’s crucial for us to verify re-entry weather conditions before the launch,” he stated.

Alternate launch dates were initially set for Thursday, but SpaceX canceled both launches due to the weather outlook. The company has yet to announce new launch dates.

“The team will continue monitoring the weather for favorable launch and return conditions,” SpaceX shared on X.

An earlier launch attempt on Tuesday was called off after a helium leak was detected on the launch pad.

In addition to attempting the first all-civilian spacewalk, Polaris Dawn aims to reach the highest orbital altitude humans have reached since the final Apollo moon mission in 1972. The mission will also test new spacesuits and other technologies for future long-duration expeditions, potentially providing valuable research to support SpaceX’s long-term goal of launching missions to the Moon and eventually Mars.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

First private spacewalk to be featured in SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission

Posted on August 22, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

A groundbreaking space mission known as Polaris Dawn is set to take off next week with four private citizens on board. The mission is expected to feature the first ever spacewalk conducted entirely by a civilian crew.

The commander of the mission is billionaire entrepreneur Jared Isaacman, who is also the founder and CEO of Shift4, a payment processing company. Polaris Dawn is the first of three spaceflights funded and organized by Isaacman in collaboration with SpaceX, collectively known as the Polaris Program. This will be the first private SpaceX mission to reach orbit in 2021.

The crew of three includes pilot Scott Kidd-Poteet, a retired Air Force Lt. Col., and SpaceX engineers Sarah Gillis and Anna Menon. They will be venturing into space aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket for a planned five-day mission.

One of the highlights of the mission will be a spacewalk on the third day, where two crew members will exit the capsule via cables and spend up to 20 minutes in space. This is a historic moment as until now, spacewalks have been carried out exclusively by astronauts from government space agencies.

During the spacewalk, the Crew Dragon capsule will be fully exposed to the vacuum of space at an altitude of 435 miles above Earth. To prepare for this event, all four astronauts will don SpaceX-designed spacesuits for testing and future long-duration missions.

The mission aims to inspire people to dream big and push the boundaries of human exploration beyond Earth. The crew, including Isaacman, have undergone extensive training over the past two years in preparation for this momentous journey.

In addition to conducting science experiments and testing technology during the mission, the crew will also raise funds for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, continuing Isaacman’s philanthropic efforts in space.

Details regarding the cost, objectives, and timeline of future Polaris flights have not been disclosed by Isaacman at this time.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Plans explained by Polaris mission commander

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

summary

SpaceX is gearing up for its next private mission scheduled for August 26, which will mark the company’s inaugural spacewalk endeavor.
The crew of four includes billionaire Shift4 founder Jared Isaacman, his colleague Scott Poteat, and SpaceX employees Anna Menon and Sara Gillis.
The Polaris Dawn mission is the first of three flights purchased by Isaacman from SpaceX.

SpaceX is getting ready to launch its next private mission by the end of this month, which will be its first attempt to send astronauts into space.

Polaris Dawn Mission — Billionaires and Shift 4 Founder Jared Isaacman Purchased from SpaceX in 2022 The spacecraft, the final mission of the human spaceflight program known as Project Polaris, is scheduled to lift off from Florida in the early hours of August 26th.

“We don’t have the freedom to launch whenever we want,” Isaacman said. “It was pretty close to dawn, which is very appropriate given the mission.” CNBC’s Space Investments In an interview last month.

Isaacman said, Historic Inspiration 4 Flights in 2021 He will again lead a four-person crew, with longtime colleague Scott Poteat joining as pilot, and SpaceX employees Anna Menon and Sara Gillis serving as the flight’s medical director and mission specialist, respectively.

The multi-day journey won’t be a destination-specific one, but rather a free-flight mission on an orbit that will hopefully take the crew far from Earth.

“We will be reaching much higher altitudes than any human has reached in over 50 years,” Isaacman said.

But the highlight of Polaris Dawn will be its planned spacewalks.

Extravehicular activities (EVAs) have been a routine part of NASA astronaut missions for years, such as when the space agency needs to perform maintenance outside the International Space Station, but no private company has ever attempted an EVA until now.

Isaacman said he understood that the spacewalk would mean he and his crew would be “surrounded by death,” and he was ready to embrace the moment. I have been thoroughly trained.

“The only thing that comes close to that is a vacuum chamber. It almost feels like being in a vacuum or in space. … You can actually feel the pressure changes, the temperature changes and the psychological stress of being in a very hostile environment,” Isaacman said.

Five-day mission planning

Isaacman also detailed Polaris Dawn’s daily schedule, which will remain in space for up to five days.

The first day will be all about finding the time when the risk from micrometeorite orbital debris is minimal, which will determine the exact time for Polaris Dawn to launch. After reaching the 190-kilometer by 1,200-kilometer orbit, the crew will conduct a thorough checkout of SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft Resilience, Isaacman said.

“It’s really important to make sure there are no defects in the aircraft before we go up to an altitude of 1,400 kilometers,” Isaacman said.

The spacecraft also traveled through what are known as high radiation zones. South Atlantic Anomaly.

“Ideally we want to get as low as possible because even at 200 kilometres the radiation levels are quite high,” Isaacman said. “Two or three high-altitude passes through the South Atlantic Anomaly will account for nearly the entire radiation load of the mission, equivalent to three months on the International Space Station.”

The second day will focus on some of the scientific research Polaris Dawn plans to accomplish, with a total of about 40 experiments. The crew will also prepare for the spacewalk and test their spacewalk suits.

“That way we can make sure there’s nothing unexpected happening in microgravity compared to what we could test on Earth,” Isaacman said.

Day 3 is the big day – spacewalk.

Spacewalk

So who on the crew will be doing the spacewalk?

“It’s fair to say that all four of us are working together. There’s no airlock, there’s a vacuum inside the spacecraft,” Isaacman said.

Two of the crew members (Isaacman and Gillis) will travel outside of Dragon, while Poteet and Menon will remain on board as support.

The spacewalk is expected to take two hours from start to finish, and Isaacman stressed that it is “really a test and development” process.

“We want to learn as much as we can about the spacesuit and its operation, but there is a finite amount of oxygen and nitrogen available,” Isaacman said.

Polaris Dawn will livestream the spacewalk, and mission commanders stressed that there will be “multiple cameras” inside and outside the capsule.

From left: Anna Menon, Scott Poteat, Jared Isaacman and Sara Gillis.
SpaceX

Brand new space suit

A key piece of equipment that makes EVA possible is SpaceX’s spacesuit.

For the past few years, the company has been using its minimalist, black-and-white IVA suits (Internal Vehicle Activity suits, or IVA suits worn by astronauts in emergencies) to develop its EVA suits, which Isaacman said are the result of hundreds of hours of testing different materials over the years.

“So our main goal is to learn as much as we can about the suit,” Isaacman said.

“It’s all about building the next generation of spacesuits. We continue to refine the design of this suit so that SpaceX can manufacture hundreds and thousands of suits in the future for operations on the Moon, Mars and in space. [low Earth orbit]”, and many other things. Building a new spacewalk suit is no easy task,” he added.

Polaris Dawn aims to push the boundaries of private spaceflight, and Isaacman hopes the mission will be inspiring, just like his first orbital flight.

“That’s the inspiration aspect. Anything that’s different from what we’ve seen in the last 20 or 30 years excites people and makes them think, ‘If this is what I’m seeing today, what will it be like tomorrow or a year from now?'”

Read Isaacman’s Q&A with CNBC’s Investing in Space newsletter here.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

352 new binary asteroid candidates discovered by ESA’s Gaia mission

Posted on August 13, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Binary asteroid systems have attracted the attention of the scientific community due to their intriguing properties and significant impact on our understanding of the Solar System. Unlike single asteroids, binary systems provide unique insights into many fundamental processes, including planetary formation and evolution, collision dynamics, and gravitational interactions.

Gaia has discovered possible moons around 352 asteroids that are not known to have companion stars. Image courtesy of ESA.

Asteroids are fascinating celestial objects that hold unique insights into the formation and evolution of our solar system.

Binary stars are even more fascinating because they allow astronomers to study how different objects in the universe form, collide, and interact.

With our unique all-sky scanning function, ESA's Gaia satellite Since its launch in 2013, it has made a number of important asteroid discoveries.

In Data Release 3, Gaia pinpointed the positions and movements of more than 150,000 asteroids. That precision has allowed scientists to probe deeper, looking for asteroids that exhibit a characteristic “wobble” caused by the gravitational pull of their orbiting companion stars.

Gaia has also collected data on the asteroid's chemistry, compiling the largest ever collection of asteroid reflectance spectra – light curves that reveal an object's color and composition.

More than 150,000 orbits determined in Gaia's Data Release 3 were refined as part of the mission's Focused Product Release last year, making them 20 times more accurate.

Gaia's upcoming Data Release 4 (due after mid-2026) is expected to reveal the orbits of even more asteroids.

“Binary asteroids are difficult to find because most are very small and far away from Earth,” said Dr Luana Liberato, an astronomer at the Observatory of the Côte d'Azur.

“Although just under one in six asteroids are predicted to have companion stars, only half a billion of the one million known asteroids have been found to be in binary systems.”

“But this discovery shows that there are many more asteroid moons still waiting to be discovered.”

“If confirmed, this new discovery adds 352 potential binary systems, nearly doubling the known number of moon-bearing asteroids.”

“Gaia is proving to be an excellent asteroid explorer, working hard to unlock the secrets of the universe, both within our solar system and beyond,” said Dr Timo Prusti, ESA's Gaia project scientist.

“This discovery highlights the Gaia data release as a major improvement in data quality and demonstrates the incredible new science made possible by this mission.”

a paper A paper describing the results has been published in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

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L. Liberato others2024. Binary asteroid candidate in the Gaia DR3 astronomical measurements. A&A 688, A50;doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202349122

This article was based on an original release from ESA.

Source: www.sci.news

An Ambitious New Space Mission on a Collision Course with an Approaching Asteroid

Posted on July 16, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

To prevent a fate similar to the dinosaurs, The European Space Agency (ESA) has initiated work on a groundbreaking planetary defense mission known as the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Security (RAMSES).

RAMSES is designed to rendezvous with 99942 Apophis, an asteroid the size of a cruise ship, and accompany it as it approaches Earth in April 2029.

Apophis, with a diameter of about 375 meters, will pass within 32,000 kilometers of Earth’s surface on April 13, 2029. This rare event will be visible to the naked eye in parts of Europe, Africa, and Asia, attracting global attention. An asteroid of this size only comes this close once every 5,000 to 10,000 years.

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Astronomers believe that Apophis is unlikely to collide with Earth in the next 100 years, but the 2029 flyby will provide scientists with a unique opportunity to observe a close encounter.

The ESA’s Ramses spacecraft is set to reach Apophis two months before the closest approach, allowing monitoring of any physical changes to the asteroid caused by Earth’s gravity.

Ramses is scheduled to launch in April 2028 and arrive at Apophis by February 2029. The mission aims to observe and study how Earth’s gravity affects Apophis, potential landslides, and any new material beneath the asteroid’s surface.

Patrick MichelGerry McClellan, CNRS Director of Research at the Observatory of the Côte d’Azur, emphasized the significance of the mission, stating: “There is much we still don’t know about asteroids, but now, nature is bringing one to us to conduct the experiment itself. All we need to do is watch as Apophis is stretched and compressed by powerful tidal forces.”

Ramses will utilize a variety of scientific instruments to comprehensively study Apophis, analyzing its shape, surface, orbit, rotation, and more.

The collected data will be closely examined by scientists to understand the asteroid’s composition, structure, and how to deflect potentially hazardous asteroids in the future.

Experts predict that Earth’s tidal forces could alter the asteroid’s rotation, potentially causing earthquakes and landslides. They hope that Ramses’ flyby will offer detailed observations of how Apophis is affected by the close encounter.

Additionally, NASA is redirecting its OSIRIS-REx spacecraft (now renamed OSIRIS-APEX) towards Apophis, set to arrive about a month after the 2029 flyby.

OSIRIS-REx was the first US mission to collect samples from an asteroid, returning material from Bennu to Earth in September 2023. After successfully delivering the sample, the spacecraft was renamed OSIRIS-APEX for its new mission to explore Apophis.

“Ramses will demonstrate humanity’s capability to deploy a reconnaissance mission to rendezvous with an approaching asteroid in just a few years,” said Richard Moisle, head of ESA’s Planetary Defence Division.

A decision on the full implementation of Ramses will be made at ESA’s Ministerial Council meeting in November 2025. If approved, Ramses will not only enhance knowledge of asteroid deflection but also provide valuable scientific insights into the solar system’s formation and evolution.

read more:

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

NASA Successfully Completes First Mission Simulating Astronaut Life on Mars

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

NASA is working on developing the technology to send astronauts to Mars. Early 2030s The mock journey was the first of three planned journeys to the habitat as part of NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission.

Upon emerging from the habitat, the volunteers were welcomed by a cheering crowd.

“Hello. It’s really great to be able to say hello to you all,” CHAPEA Commander Haston said with a laugh.

The mission aimed to test how the group would handle the challenges humans would encounter on Mars. The crew faced environmental stress, communication delays, and limited resources. They consumed preserved foods as well as vegetables they cultivated during their quarantine.

Brockwell, who also serves as an aeronautical engineer, structural engineer, and public works manager at CHAPEA, noted that the mission provided valuable insights on sustainability.

“I’m thankful for the opportunity to implement the concept that resources should be used at a sustainable rate and waste should be managed effectively,” he said.

The crew of the first CHAPEA mission arrived at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on July 6 after completing a one-year mission.
Josh Valcarcel / NASA / CHAPEA

“Without following these principles we cannot live, dream, create, or explore for long periods of time. But if we do follow them we can achieve and sustain amazing and inspiring things, like exploring other worlds,” Brockwell added.

Mars Dune Alpha is located at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The habitat is A sandbox full of red sand There, participants will simulate a “Mars walk.” The habitat will have private rooms, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. There will also be areas for medical, recreational, fitness, and work activities, according to NASA.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

NASA’s revolutionary new mission using solar sails may pave the way for interstellar travel

Posted on April 26, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Humanity has always dreamed of traveling beyond our solar system to the stars, but the vastness of the universe has kept us grounded. Our closest star, Proxima Centauri, is a staggering 4.24 light years away, which is too far for us to wait patiently.

Recently, on April 23, NASA launched the Advanced Composite Solar Sail System from New Zealand, a system that uses lightweight sails to propel spacecraft instead of traditional rockets. This development has excited both experts and science fiction fans, as it opens up possibilities for long-distance space travel.

How solar sail works

Instead of using thrusters and fuel like traditional spacecraft, solar sail systems use reflective sails to absorb momentum from photons emitted by the sun. This technology enables spacecraft to gain acceleration without the limitations of fuel. In space, where there is no air resistance, a slight push from the sun is all that’s needed for propulsion.

Solar sails operate similar to sailing ships, utilizing the momentum of photons for movement. By harnessing the sun’s energy, spacecraft can travel far distances at manageable speeds.

How fast can an interstellar probe travel with a solar sail?

The speed of a solar sail system depends on factors like the size of the sail, spacecraft mass, and distance from the sun. With creative maneuvers like slingshot maneuvers and potential laser boosts, spacecraft using solar sails can achieve speeds close to 20% of the speed of light.

Future solar sail systems could reach speeds up to 20 percent of the speed of light. – Image credit: NASA/Aero Animation/Ben Schweighart

Will humanity ever be able to sail to another planet?

Potentially, solar sail technology could pave the way for human interstellar travel in the future. However, there are challenges, such as sustaining long-term missions for generations and addressing relativistic effects caused by near-light speed travel.

What exactly is NASA's solar sail mission?

NASA’s Advanced Composite Solar Sail System is a demonstration of solar sail technology that aims to test a new lightweight boom made of flexible materials. The mission involves a CubeSat deploying an 80 square meter sail in orbit to gather data for future solar sail missions.

About our experts

patrick johnson is an associate professor at Georgetown University with expertise in quantum mechanics. He authored the book “Star Wars Physics” and has contributed to scientific journals like Physical Review.

Source: www.sciencefocus.com

Reclaiming the Stolen: Looty’s Bold Mission to Return the Rosetta Stone

Posted on April 25, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

ILast March, two men in tracksuits, hockey masks and matching laundry bags headed to the British Museum. Just outside, police on patrol asked two strange-looking men where they were going. “We’re going to the British Museum to loot the stolen goods,” one of them said. “See you there then!” replied the policewoman.

However, no arrests were made as nothing incriminating occurred. What actually happened was that one of the British Museum’s most famous objects, an artifact that, according to Egyptologist Monica Hanna, is a “symbol of Western cultural power” and “a symbol of British imperialism,” Rosetta’s “digital It was a robbery. stone.

The robbers, along with Hanna, who they had invited with them, went to the exhibit room where the stone monument was displayed and created a detailed 3D scan of it on an iPad. This effectively provided “looters” with a completely legal digital copy of the 196 BC artifact. But their goal is not just to digitize the Rosetta Stone, but to use location-based augmented reality technology (or geo-AR) to locate the Rosetta Stone in its place of origin, Rashid (or Rosetta) in Egypt. The idea was to return the images to local people and make them available for viewing. Send objects from your smartphone.

The two men behind the masks were Chidi Nwaubani and Ahmed Abokor, London-based product designers and creative consultants, respectively. Together they are booty, a radical “artist” collective and technology company founded in 2021, whose purpose is to “loot” cultural artifacts stolen from museums. First, we 3D scan them and then share them as enhanced digital artwork through non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

Because NFTs provide public proof of ownership of digital files, Looty’s method of “stealing” and redistributing works of art is connected to the lack of transparency often associated with institutions founded in colonial times. The aim is to challenge the fading of. The British Museum was embroiled in a scandal in August last year, when it was revealed that around 2,000 artefacts were stolen due to poor record-keeping, and that around half of its collection of around 8 million items had not been fully catalogued. However, the museum, which was founded in the 18th century, is once again facing scandal. public calculation.

“They’re less interested in the artifact and more concerned with the fact that they have it,” Abokor said. “Once again, it’s all about power.”

From organizing one of the main things interactive exhibit From its exhibition at the Venice Architecture Biennale last year to its installation at NFT Paris this February, Looty is taking the world of art and technology by storm. In November, they special projects department 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair. Continuing his Rosetta Stone heist project, Abokor had created a replica of the Rosetta Stone wrapped in cloth and rope. Visitors can scan the stone using the QR code included in the piece’s description, which activates an animation on their mobile phone for an augmented reality (AR) experience that shows Rosetta’s Stone in its true size and glory. became.

Nwaubani and Abokor’s partnership dates back nearly 20 years, when they met at university in London and bonded over a shared creative spirit and African heritage. Nwaubani grew up mainly around Guildford and developed her interest in technology early by “coding her games on computers with floppy discs”. However, she experienced severe racism at school and her father, a university professor from Nigeria, forced her to change schools.

They recall that when they were young, their parents would give them an “alternative” history lesson in European museums, explaining where objects “really” came from. This helped cultivate their curiosity about Africa’s rich and often misrepresented history, and taught them that power and politics are deeply rooted in art.

Nwaubani first came up with the idea for Looty around Christmas 2020. The group is named after Queen Victoria’s Pekingese dog, which British soldiers looted from the Summer Palace in China in 1860. Read the report The results revealed that 90-95% of Africa’s cultural heritage is housed in major museums outside Africa. Inspired by the NFT boom, Nwaubani conceived the project “around the idea of ‘Can we take back something that has already been stolen?'”

The technology that helps make this concept of digital looting and repossession a reality is Lidar, a form of 3D scanning that stands for “Light Detection and Ranging” and uses eye-safe laser beams to see the world in 3D. “You can see. Lidar allows Looty to digitally record artifacts and render them in 3D. She then made them available on the blockchain as her NFTs, doing what Nwaubani describes as a “counter-imagination of the original” and cutting through the bureaucratic bureaucracy that prevents people in developing countries from seeing these works of art in person. avoid unnecessary processes.

Before Rosetta, their first project was Benin bronzes. This is another hotly debated colonial relic that dots Western museums. Looty has released a limited collection of 25 bronze NFTs based on the head of an oba (king) looted from the British Museum. 20% of each sale goes to the Looty Fund, which gives grants to young African artists, especially Nigerian artists.

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What they discovered is that the museum world is still adapting to the era of massive digitization. The British Museum says on its website that it allows 3D photography and printing of objects for non-commercial purposes and asks visitors to “exercise caution and respect” for “culturally sensitive” objects.

“When the British army attacked the Kingdom of Benin, [in 1897] There was no law prohibiting it. Otherwise, we will legislate to legalize it,” says Nwaubani. “We are now in a time where there are no laws regulating our actions.”

“And technology advances faster than the law,” Abokor added.

…

Source: www.theguardian.com

Close-Up View of Io’s Unique Features Captured by NASA’s Juno Mission

Posted on April 20, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

In December 2023 and February 2024, NASA’s Juno spacecraft will fly extremely close to Jupiter’s volcanic moon Io, coming within about 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) of the surface and obtaining the first close-up images of the moon’s northern latitudes. Planetary scientists have now turned images collected during the flight into animations that show two of Io’s most dramatic features: its mountains and a nearly glassy rock formed by cooling lava called Loki Patera. It emphasized the smooth lake.

The JunoCam instrument aboard NASA’s Juno spacecraft imaged Io, the most geologically active object in the solar system, on February 3, 2024, from a distance of approximately 7,904 km (4,911 miles) . Image credit: NASA/SwRI/MSSS.

“There are only a few scattered volcanoes on the island of Io, and we captured some of them active,” said Juno principal investigator and Southwest Research Institute cosmologist. said Scott Bolton, director of science and engineering.

“We also obtained great close-ups and other data about a 200 km (127 mile) long lava lake called Loki Patera.”

“It shows in amazing detail how these crazy islands are embedded in the middle of a potential magma lake fringed with hot lava.”

“The specular reflections that our instruments record about the lake suggest that parts of Io’s surface are glass-smooth, reminiscent of the obsidian glass produced in volcanoes on Earth. “

Map generated using data collected by Juno microwave radiometer (MWR)’s instruments revealed that Io not only has a relatively smooth surface compared to Jupiter’s other Galilean moons, but also has poles that are colder than the mid-latitudes.

During Juno’s long-term mission, the spacecraft will fly closer to Jupiter’s north pole with each pass.

This change in direction allows the MWR instrument to improve the resolution of Jupiter’s polar cyclones.

This data allows us to compare multiple wavelengths at the poles and reveals that not all polar cyclones are created equal.

“Perhaps the most striking example of this difference is seen in the central cyclone at Jupiter’s north pole,” said Dr. Steve Levin, Juno project scientist and researcher at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory. states.

“Although clearly visible in both infrared and visible light images, the microwave signature is not as strong as other nearby storms.”

“This indicates that its subsurface structure must be very different from other cyclones.”

“As the MWR team continues to collect more and better microwave data in every orbit, we expect to develop more detailed 3D maps of these interesting polar storms.”

Source: www.sci.news

Europa Clipper: NASA’s Mission to Jupiter’s Moons Explores Possibility of Extraterrestrial Life

Posted on March 22, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Artist’s impression of the European Clipper near its namesake moon

NASA

Instruments aboard a NASA spacecraft scheduled to launch to Europe later this year could directly detect cellular material ejected from Jupiter’s icy moons, increasing the chances of finding life.

Europa is of scientific interest because researchers believe there is a vast saltwater ocean beneath its thick icy shell. It is also surrounded by an orbiting blanket of ice grains and dust, believed to be the remains of material kicked up after the meteorite struck.

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft was launched in October and is scheduled to arrive at its destination in 2030, flying close to the moon but not landing on it. Ten experiments will be carried out aimed at studying Europa’s internal structure, including its ocean chemistry and potential habitability for extraterrestrial life.

One of these is the SUrface Dust Analyzer (SUDA), a type of instrument known as a mass spectrometer. The mission will collect material ejected from the moon and reveal its chemical composition, including potential organic molecules and salts.

SUDA was not designed to look for signs of life in Europe, but now Frank Postberg and his colleagues at Germany’s Freie Universität Berlin, who are working on the device, have shown that it can detect fragments of cellular material, potentially providing evidence of modern life.

“If life on Europa follows the same principle of having membranes and DNA made from amino acids… [those chemicals] “It will be the deciding blow of my life,” he says.

“This is an interesting result because these ice grains hit the instruments in space at speeds of 4 to 6 kilometers per second,” say team members. Fabian Krenner at the University of Washington. “We showed that we can still identify cellular material.”

These extreme velocities cause particles to collide with SUDA with high kinetic energy, breaking large molecular structures into smaller component parts for analysis. To simulate this kinetic energy, the team shot water droplets with a laser. I put the following sample into water. Sphingopyxis alascensisa bacterium known to survive in frigid marine environments, making it a potential alternative to life on Europa.

When the laser hits the droplet, it breaks up into tiny droplets that hit the SUDA detector. The researchers discovered that they could distinguish between fragmented cellular material, including fatty acids and amino acids, which are abundant in cell membranes.

“We have now simulated the presence of cells inside a single ice grain without any pretreatment, which may be a valid case for what we see in Europe,” Klenner said. To tell. The next step, he says, is to repeat the experiment using different types of cell cultures.

Murti Gudipati He works on SUDA at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., but is not involved in the research. The results should reflect what could happen to the spacecraft, he said. Watch while on duty.

But the ability to clearly distinguish cellular material from other organic molecules and salts depends on the specific composition of the ice grains released from Europa, he says. If SUDA detects many other complex organic molecules and salts mixed in with the ice grains, it may be difficult for researchers to reliably detect cellular material, Gudipati says.

the current, NASA says When asked, “Europa Clipper is not a life-detecting mission. Its primary science goal is to determine whether there is a place beneath Europa’s surface where life could exist.” new scientist The agency was unable to respond prior to publication about whether the new research changes the mission’s goals.

topic:

Source: www.newscientist.com

NASA’s DART mission may have reshaped the asteroid moon Dimorphos

Posted on February 29, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

On September 26, 2022, NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) mission successfully impacted Dimorphos, the natural satellite of the near-Earth binary asteroid Didymos. New numerical simulations show that the DART impact triggered global deformation and resurfacing of Dimorphos.

The asteroid moon Dimorphos was seen by NASA’s DART spacecraft 11 seconds before impact. His DRACO imager aboard DART captured this image from a distance of 68 km (42 miles). This image was the last one to include all dimorphos in the field of view. Image credit: NASA/Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.

DART was a planetary defense mission that demonstrated the possibility of using kinetic impactors to alter the orbits of asteroids.

The collision was successful and highly effective, resulting in Dimorphos’ orbital period around Didymus being shortened from its original 11 hours and 55 minutes to 33 minutes.

The LICIACube Unit Key Explorer (LUKE) instrument aboard the cubesat took images of the system between 29 seconds and 320 seconds after impact, showing the ejecta stream and other debris that spread for several kilometers from the impact site. revealed a complex pattern.

Furthermore, the dramatic brightening of the Didymos system due to solar illumination of the ejected impact ejecta was observed by ground-based and space-based telescopes for many weeks after the impact.

These three Hubble images capture the breakup of Dimorphos when it was intentionally collided by DART on September 26, 2022. The top panel, taken two hours after impact, shows the ejecta cone (estimated at 1,000 tons of dust). The center frame shows dynamic interactions within the Didymos-Dimorphos binary system that begin to distort the cone of ejecta patterns approximately 17 hours after impact. The most notable structure is a rotating windmill-shaped feature. The windmill is connected to Didymus’s gravitational pull. In the bottom frame, Hubble captures debris being pushed back into the comet-like tail by the pressure of sunlight on tiny dust particles. This spreads out into a column of debris, with the lightest particles traveling fastest and furthest away from the asteroid. The mystery deepens after Hubble recorded the tail splitting into two for several days. Image credit: NASA/ESA/STScI/Jian-Yang Li, PSI/Joseph DePasquale, STScI.

In a new study, University of Bern scientist Sabina Raducan and colleagues use realistic constraints on the mechanical and compositional properties of dimorphos, informed by DART’s initial results, to create a state-of-the-art impact The DART impact was modeled using physical code.

The simulations that best match observations of the impact suggest that Dimorphos is weakly cohesive, similar to asteroids Bennu and Ryugu, and lacks large rocks on its surface.

The researchers suggest that Dimorphos may be a pile of debris formed by the rotational shedding and re-accumulation of material ejected from Didymos.

Their model also suggests that DART’s impact may not have created an impact crater, but instead may have changed the shape of the moon as a whole, a process known as global deformation, which could have been caused by material from within. It also indicates that it may have caused the resurfacing of Dimorphos.

The discovery provides further insight into the formation and characteristics of binary asteroids and could have implications for future exploration, including ESA’s Hera mission and asteroid deflection efforts.

“ESA’s future Hera mission may discover reformed asteroids rather than well-defined craters,” the authors concluded.

their paper It was published in the magazine natural astronomy.

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SD Raducan other. Physical properties of the asteroid Dimorphos obtained from the DART impact. Nat Astron, published online on February 26, 2024. doi: 10.1038/s41550-024-02200-3

Source: www.sci.news

The Odysseus Spacecraft: The First Civilian Mission to Successfully Land on the Moon

Posted on February 23, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Photo taken by the Odysseus spacecraft in lunar orbit

intuitive machine

Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander has landed on the moon. This is the first time a private company has landed a spacecraft on the moon, a welcome success after a string of recent high-profile landing failures by other companies.

The Odysseus spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket on February 14 for the flight, called the IM-1 mission. It entered lunar orbit on February 21st and landed near the moon's south pole on February 22nd.

Live footage from air traffic controllers became tense as the scheduled landing time passed without any contact from the lander. Finally, minutes after Odysseus was scheduled to land, Tim Crane, mission director in Intuitive Machines' mission control room, said, “We're receiving a signal. It's faint, but it's definitely there.'' “I'm doing it.”

The signal indicated that the spacecraft had landed on the moon, but the state of the spacecraft is still unknown. However, the landing was successful. “We know this has been a pain, but we're on the surface,” said Stephen Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines. “Welcome to the moon”

Before this landing, three other companies attempted to send landers to the moon. SpaceIL's Beresheet spacecraft was launched in 2019, and ispace's Hakuto-R mission was launched in 2022, but both crash-landed and were destroyed.

Astrobotic's Peregrine lander didn't even get very far after launching in January. A fuel leak forced the operators to return to Earth to burn up in the atmosphere. The success of the IM-1 has brought Intuitive Machines into an elite club. To date, only the national space agencies of the Soviet Union, the United States, China, India, and Japan have successfully landed on the moon.

Now that we have landed safely, we can begin the second part of the IM-1 mission. Odysseus carried six NASA payloads and six commercial payloads to the Moon. Some of these already serve that purpose, such as landing aids and cameras to take pictures of the landing. Some people have succeeded simply by reaching the moon. Perhaps most notable is artist Jeff Koons' collection of his 125 small sculptures. Other instruments are also now beginning their missions, including instruments that will measure how the moon's surrounding environment affects its surface.

The IM-1 mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, through which government contracts are awarded to private companies to build spaceflight capabilities through public-private partnerships. Three more moon landings are planned through CLPS in 2024, including an Intuitive Machines mission to harvest water ice from the moon's south pole.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Intuitive Machines to Launch Spaceship Odysseus on Moon Mission

Posted on February 13, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Odysseus spacecraft scheduled to launch to the moon on February 14th

space x

US company Intuitive Machines is soon to become the first private company to land a spacecraft on the moon. Three previous efforts by other companies have failed, highlighting the perilous path ahead for Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander.

The spacecraft, nicknamed Odysseus, is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on February 14. It will fly aboard a Falcon 9 rocket manufactured by SpaceX. If the mission, called IM-1, goes well, Odysseus should land near the moon's south pole on February 22.

The goal of the IM-1 mission, in addition to proving that private companies can land on the moon, is to deliver six NASA payloads and five commercial payloads to the lunar surface. NASA's equipment includes tools to study how the landing itself blows away plumes of lunar dust, several instruments to help the aircraft land safely, and to measure radio waves and make sure they are on the moon's surface. Contains equipment to measure how it affects Commercial payloads include a camera that will be dumped from the lander before landing to take photos of the landing, and 125 small sculptures by artist Jeff Koons, designed to establish an archive of human knowledge on the lunar surface. Includes tip.

IM-1 is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, a series of government and private sector contracts designed to accelerate exploration and develop the lunar economy. This is his second mission in CLPS. The first mission, Astrobotic's Peregrine lander, suffered a fuel leak shortly after liftoff in January and failed to reach the moon.

There have been two attempts by private companies to land on the moon, SpaceIL's Beresheet spacecraft and iSpace's Hakuto-R, but both crash-landed and were destroyed. If Odysseus succeeds where other landers have failed, Intuitive Machines' next step will be to send another Nova-C lander to the moon's south pole, equipped with a drill to harvest subsurface ice. That mission is planned for March 2024.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Japan prepares for precision ‘lunar sniper’ landing mission

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

TOKYO — Japan will attempt a precision landing on Friday, aiming to become the fifth country to land a spacecraft on the moon. This would be a boost for a space program that has been hit by a wave of setbacks and overshadowed by rival China.

was namedmoon sniper'', the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)'s spacecraft is attempting to land within 100 meters (328 feet) of its target, but JAXA says the technology is unprecedented and that it will It is said to be essential in the search for human habitability.

Japan is increasingly seeking to play a larger role in space, partnering with Washington to counter China's military and technological might.Japan boast In collaboration with many private space startup companies, astronaut To the moon as part of NASA's Artemis program.

However, JAXA has faced multiple setbacks, including launch failure In March, a new flagship rocket, the H3, was announced, aimed at matching cost competitiveness with private rocket providers like SpaceX.

JAXA's Smart Lander for Lunar Exploration (SLIM) spacecraft will begin its 20-minute touchdown phase on a one-way mission at midnight Saturday (15:00 GMT Friday), covering an area about two kinetic tracks on the lunar surface. Attempt to land at the target location. The slope of a crater just south of the moon's equator.

“No other country has achieved this. If Japan can prove that it has this technology, it will provide a huge advantage for future international missions like Artemis,” said Shinichiro Sakai, JAXA's SLIM project manager. said.

Chandrayaan 3 in India in August Had made The historic touchdown to the Moon's South Pole was a major technological feat considering the rugged terrain and underlines India's rise as a nation. Major players In space.

JAXA emphasizes that its high-precision technology will be a powerful tool in future exploration of the hilly lunar poles, which are considered a potential source of oxygen, fuel and water. Japan is also planning an unmanned lunar polar exploration jointly with India in 2025.

Professor Kazuto Saiki of Ritsumeikan University, who developed the SLIM near-infrared camera that analyzes lunar rocks after landing, says, “Japan cannot compete with the United States, China, and India in terms of resources when it comes to developing lunar surface projects.'' .

“We should focus on building popular technologies such as pinpoint landings and near-infrared cameras that foreign exploration projects aim to adopt.”

JAXA has twice landed on small asteroids, but landing on the moon is much more difficult due to gravity, as seen in many recent failures.

Last year, a Japanese probe to start ispace crashes into the moon RussiaThe Luna 25 followed suit. A lander from American startup Astrobotic suffered a fuel leak last week. Force Giving up a touchdown attempt.

“Mistakes happen, but Japan is a very experienced space power and has been conducting very complex space operations for many years,” said Bredin Bowen, an associate professor at the University of Leicester who specializes in space policy. To tell.

“Japan may not be as big as the old United States or the Soviet Union or today's China, but it has always been there in terms of capability and niche advanced technology.''

SLIM's high-precision landing “won't be a game changer,” but its demonstration and the construction of lightweight spacecraft that Japan has been pursuing could reduce the cost of each mission and bring moonshots to space agencies around the world. Bowen added that there is.

JAXA says it will take up to a month to verify whether SLIM achieved its high-precision goals after touchdown.

Upon landing, SLIM will also deploy two mini-probes, a hopping vehicle the size of a microwave oven and a wheeled rover the size of a baseball, to take photos of the spacecraft. The robot was jointly developed by technology giant Sony Group, toy maker Takara Tomy, and several Japanese universities.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Artemis moon mission delayed by NASA

Posted on January 10, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

NASA’s efforts to return astronauts to the moon have been delayed once again.

The agency announced Tuesday that the next Artemis mission, which will fly four astronauts around the moon in a next-generation capsule, will launch in September 2025 instead of later this year.

A subsequent mission to actually land astronauts near the moon’s south pole is scheduled to be postponed to September 2026.

NASA said the two flights will be postponed to allow enough time to test new technology on the Orion spacecraft for the manned moon exploration mission.

“We are returning to the Moon like never before, and astronaut safety is a top priority for NASA as we prepare for future Artemis missions,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. stated in a statement.

The extra time will also give the team an opportunity to complete their investigation and troubleshooting of issues that occurred during the first unmanned Artemis test flight in late 2022, NASA said. Those outstanding investigations include scrutiny of battery issues and issues with components related to the Orion capsule’s ventilation and temperature control systems, officials said.

“Artemis is a long-term exploration campaign that will conduct science on the Moon with astronauts and prepare for future human missions to Mars,” Amit Kshatriya, deputy assistant administrator for Exploration Systems Development at NASA Headquarters, said in a statement. Ta. “That means we need to get it right as we develop and fly the underlying systems so we can safely execute these missions.”

The setback comes after years of stagnation and budget overruns in the Artemis program. NASA spent more than $42 billion over more than a decade developing the new Space Launch System Mega rocket and Orion spacecraft to bring astronauts back to the moon.

Last year, NASA’s Inspector General released a report outlining challenges surrounding the Artemis program’s enormous price tag and ambitious schedule. The report estimates that each Artemis launch will cost $4.2 billion, making it difficult to continue the lunar mission alongside NASA’s other exploration goals.

The Artemis project was named after the Greek goddess who was Apollo’s twin sister. As part of this effort, NASA envisions launching regular missions to set up base camps on the moon before eventually heading to Mars.

The commercial space industry is expected to play an important role in the Artemis program. Companies such as Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are developing a variety of components and vehicles to support NASA’s efforts.

The agency is also considering awarding contracts to private companies to transport scientific experiments and equipment to the moon’s surface. One such company, Astrobotic Technology, launched a commercial lander to the moon on Monday, but shortly after launch the rover suffered a failure that would prevent it from reaching the moon’s surface, the company said. announced.

Renewed interest in the moon extends beyond NASA and the United States. India’s space agency landed a robotic spacecraft on the moon last year, and China, which already installed a lander and probe on the far side of the moon in 2019, also plans to ramp up its lunar exploration program in the coming years.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Artemis Mission to the Moon Delayed by NASA

Posted on January 9, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

NASA's Space Launch System and Artemis I Orion spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center, Florida

NASA

It looks like it will take a little longer than expected to send astronauts back to the moon. NASA has postponed the Artemis II flight, originally scheduled to orbit four astronauts around the moon in late 2024, until September 2025. The Artemis III mission, which will land astronauts on the moon for the first time since 1972, has also been postponed from its original plan. From 2025 to 2026 at the earliest.

NASA officials said in a Jan. 9 press conference that the decision was made to ensure the safety of the crew and allow time to fully test all components of the spacecraft.

“We want to emphasize that safety is our top priority…and as we prepare to send our friends and colleagues on this mission, we are committed to launching as safely as possible. “We are here,” the NASA deputy administrator said. gym free During the briefing session. “We'll leave when you're ready.”

One cause for concern was that during the test, the heat shield of the Orion spacecraft (the Artemis program's crew capsule) flared up a bit more than expected, dropping some charred debris. “This heat shield is an ablative material and is supposed to char, but it's not what we expected and some of that char will be released from the vehicle,” NASA officials said. Amit Kshatriya said during a briefing.

NASA is investigating why this happened, as well as analyzing several problems that occurred during the test, including a defect in a valve that could affect the spacecraft's life support systems. I am currently in the process of doing so. “We know how to fix it,” Kshatriya said. “All we need to do is take the time to work to the standards of workmanship we expect from a human-rated vehicle.”

Finally, there were some potential problems with the giant new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's abort system. These are the systems that separate Orion and fly it to safety in the event of a problem with the rocket itself, so these electrical problems can be characterized and fixed before humans are on board. Especially important.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

The Hera mission to revisit an asteroid destroyed by NASA is scheduled for 2024

Posted on January 2, 2024 by Igor Mitreski

Hera will soon head to the asteroid Dimorphos with CubeSats

ESA/Science Directorate

The European Space Agency (ESA) is sending a mission to find out what happened to an asteroid that NASA collided with in 2022. The Hera mission, scheduled to launch in October, will head to the asteroid Dimorphos, which NASA collided with during the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART). Mission.

The purpose of DART was to see if crashing a spacecraft into an asteroid would be a good way to protect Earth if one were to come our way.we know the impact Change the trajectory of Dimorphos The collisions around parent asteroid Didymos shorten each orbit by about 33 minutes, but details are not known about exactly how the collisions affected the asteroid or what happened next. do not have.

“To determine whether the impact left a crater or completely changed the shape of the asteroid, another spacecraft will need to return to the crime scene, because with the current data, either scenario is possible. That's why,” says Hera Mission Director. patrick michel At the Côte d'Azur Observatory in France. “Hera is a detective who will thoroughly investigate the effects.”

The mission consists of a main spacecraft that will fly up to 1 kilometer to Dimorphos, and two smaller cube-shaped satellites that are intended to land on the surface and see it up close. This research will not only be crucial for simulating potentially dangerous asteroids and how to deflect them in the future, but will also provide important scientific insights.

“Collisions have played an important role in the entire history of the solar system. We started the growth of planets through collisions, and all solid surfaces are full of impact craters,” Michel says. “If we're going to build a complete model of the solar system's collision history, we need to understand how these collisions work.” And it helps clarify how those conflicts work for us.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Military spaceplane embarks on a covert mission

Posted on December 29, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

The U.S. military’s X-37B spacecraft departed Thursday on another top-secret mission expected to last at least several years.

As with previous missions, the reusable plane, which resembles a mini space shuttle, carried sensitive experiments. No one is on board.

The spaceplane took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center at night aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, but was delayed for more than two weeks due to technical problems.

This was the seventh flight for the X-37B, which has been in orbit for more than a decade since its debut in 2010.

The military’s X-37B spacecraft will launch on Thursday from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on its seventh mission to orbit.
Joe Skipper/Reuters

The last flight was the longest ever, lasting two and a half years before ending on the runway at Kennedy Airport a year ago.

Space Force officials declined to say how long the orbital test vehicle would remain in flight or what it would carry, other than for NASA experiments to measure the effects of radiation on materials.

Manufactured by Boeing, the X-37B resembles NASA’s retired space shuttle. But at 29 feet long, it’s only a quarter of the size. We don’t need astronauts. The X-37B is equipped with an autonomous landing system.

It is designed to take off vertically like a rocket, but land horizontally like an airplane, and orbit at a height of between 150 and 500 miles. Two X-37Bs are based in Kennedy’s former shuttle hangar.

Source: www.nbcnews.com

Solar Activity Brings NASA’s NEOWISE 10-Year Mission to a Close

Posted on December 20, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

NEOWISE Mission

This artist’s concept shows the Wide Field Infrared Surveyor (WISE) spacecraft orbiting the Earth. The NEOWISE mission will find and characterize asteroids.
Credit: NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology

Infrared space telescopes searching for asteroids and comets have collected vast amounts of observations, but are now at the mercy of the sun, which is accelerating their demise.

NASA’s Neowise It’s been a busy 10 years. Since its resumed mission began on December 13, 2013, the space telescope has discovered once-in-a-lifetime comets, observed more than 3,000 near-Earth objects, strengthened international planetary defense strategies, and It has helped other NASA missions rendezvous with distant space. asteroid. This is just a partial list of achievements.

But all good things must come to an end. Solar activity is pushing NEOWISE (short for Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer) out of orbit. By early 2025, the spacecraft is expected to have fallen far enough into Earth’s atmosphere that it will become unusable. Eventually it will re-enter the atmosphere and burn up completely.

Approximately every 11 years, the Sun goes through a cycle of increasing activity, peaking during a period called solar maximum. Explosive events such as solar flares and coronal mass ejections will become more frequent, heating the Earth’s atmosphere and causing it to expand. Atmospheric gases increase the drag on satellites as they orbit the Earth, slowing them down. Now, as the Sun approaches its next maximum, NEOWISE will no longer be able to maintain its orbit above the atmosphere.

Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE is a composite of several heat-sensitive infrared images taken by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission on March 27, 2020. Appears as a blurry red dot.
Credit: NASA/JPL-California Institute of Technology

“The mission has been planning for this day for a long time. After several years of lull, the sun is waking up again,” said NEOWISE co-principal investigator and researcher at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, California. said Joseph Masiello, a scientist with the organization IPAC. “With us at the mercy of solar activity and no means of staying in orbit, NEOWISE is now slowly spiraling back to Earth.”

wise beginnings

The past decade has meant a second life for the spacecraft. Managed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, NEOWISE is part of another mission launched in 2009, the Wide-Field Infrared Surveyor (wise). Data from WISE and NEOWISE is used to study distant galaxies, cold stars, and explosions. white dwarf Stars, gas-emitting comets, near-Earth asteroids, etc.

In 2010, WISE achieved its scientific goal of conducting an all-sky infrared survey with far greater sensitivity than previous surveys. WISE mission also discovered tens of millions of actively feeding supermassive black holes across the sky.through disc detective In this project, citizen scientists used WISE data to find circumstellar disks, which are clouds of gas, dust, and debris that rotate around stars.

Infrared wavelengths, which are invisible to the naked eye, are emitted by warm objects. To ensure that the heat generated by WISE itself does not interfere with observations in infrared wavelengths, the spacecraft relied on cryogenic coolant. NASA put the spacecraft into hibernation in February 2011 after it ran out of coolant and WISE mapped the sky twice.

Without the coolant, space telescopes could no longer observe the coldest objects in the universe, but they could still see near-Earth asteroids and comets heated by the sun. So NASA restarted the spacecraft in 2013 with a more specialized role in mind. The goal is to support planetary defense efforts by investigating and studying objects that may wander into Earth’s orbit and pose a potential collision hazard.

In addition to relying on missions to explore these objects, astronomers use that data to understand the object’s size, albedo, or how much sunlight its surface reflects, and the composition of its structure. You can also collect clues about the minerals and rocks you find.

“NEOWISE demonstrates the importance of deploying infrared space exploration telescopes as part of NASA’s planetary defense strategy while also monitoring objects in our solar system and beyond,” said lead researcher Amy, from the University of Arizona in Tucson. Mainzer said. .

Mainzer also leads NASA’s future plans. NEO surveyor, built on the NEOWISE tradition. The next generation of infrared space telescopes will search for celestial objects close to the Earth, such as dark asteroids and comets that do not reflect much visible light, or objects that approach the Earth from the direction of the sun. Sun. The launch is scheduled for 2027. JPL-Managed missions will also explore objects known as Earth Trojans – asteroids that lead or follow our planet’s orbit. The first one is wise discovery In 2011.

Comet NEOWISE and beyond

Since becoming NEOWISE, the mission has scanned the entire sky more than 20 times and made 1.45 million infrared measurements on more than 44,000 Solar System objects. This includes over 3,000 near-Earth objects, 215 of which were discovered by his NEOWISE. Data from the mission helped refine the orbits of these objects, while also measuring their sizes.

Its strength is in revealing the characteristics of asteroids near the Earth. In 2021, NEOWISE became a key component of an international planetary defense exercise focused on the dangerous asteroid Apophis.

The mission also discovered 25 comets, including long-period comet C/2020 F3 (NEOWISE). The comet was a dazzling object visible in the Northern Hemisphere for several weeks in 2020, making it the first comet to be visible to the naked eye since 2007, when Comet McNaught was primarily visible in the Southern Hemisphere.

Future researchers will use WISE in 2010, long after observations were made to characterize the asteroid Dinkinesh, in support of NASA’s Lucy mission before the October 2023 encounter. Just as we used the data, we will continue to rely on the vast archive of NEOWISE observations to make new discoveries.

“This is a bittersweet moment. We are sad to see this pioneering mission come to an end, but we know there are even more treasures hidden in the survey data,” Masiello said. “NEOWISE has a vast archive that covers a very long period of time and will inevitably advance the science of the infrared universe long after the spacecraft leaves.”

Mission details
NEOWISE and NEO Surveyor are part of NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The NASA Authorization Act of 2005 directs NASA to discover and characterize at least 90% of near-Earth objects larger than 140 meters (460 feet) in diameter that come within 30 million miles (48 million kilometers) of Earth’s orbit. did. An object of this size could cause significant damage to the region, and it would be even worse if it crashed into Earth.
JPL manages and operates PDCO’s NEOWISE mission within the Science Mission Directorate. The Astrodynamics Laboratory in Logan, Utah, built the scientific instrument. Ball Aerospace & Technologies of Boulder, Colorado, built the spacecraft. Scientific data processing will take place at IPAC at the California Institute of Technology. Caltech manages JPL for NASA.

Source: scitechdaily.com

Dragonfly: NASA’s Drone Mission Set for 2028

Posted on December 18, 2023 by Igor Mitreski

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Dragonfly Mission

An artist’s impression of a dragonfly flying over the dunes of Saturn’s moon Titan. NASA has cleared the mission team to proceed with development for a July 2028 launch.Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL/Steve Gribben

The Dragonfly mission is moving toward building nuclear-powered drones. SaturnThe satellite Titan is aiming to be launched in 2028. The mission, which will involve extensive collaboration and technological advances, aims to investigate Titan’s organic matter and its potential links to life.

NASA’s Dragonfly mission team is moving forward with the next stage of development of an innovative car-sized nuclear-powered drone that plans to fly and land over the organic-rich sands of Saturn’s large moon Titan.

NASA has cleared Dragonfly to proceed with design and manufacturing work on its final mission, known as Phase C. The launch preparation date was revised to July 2028.

Artist’s impression of a dragonfly on the surface of Titan. Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins APL

Overcome challenges and prepare for Titan: “The Dragonfly team successfully overcame many technical and programmatic challenges in this bold attempt to collect new science on Titan,” said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.

Dragonfly, NASA’s only mission to the surface of another oceanic world, is designed to probe the complex chemistry that is the precursor to life. It will be equipped with cameras, sensors and samplers to survey the area. The water froze on the surface of the ice.

Artist’s impression of a dragonfly flying over Titan. Credit: Johns Hopkins University/APL

Teamwork and technical milestones: “Dragonfly is a very bold experiment that has never been done before,” said Elizabeth “Zibi” Turtle, Dragonfly principal investigator at APL.

Saturn’s largest satellite that will collect data in 2028. Credit: Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory

Collaborative initiatives and future expectations: “The dedication of the Dragonfly team was nothing short of heroic,” said Bobby Brown, APL Director of Space Exploration.

APL manages NASA’s Dragonfly mission. The team includes key partners from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland; Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado; Sikorsky, Lockheed Martin Corporation. NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California. NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Marine Space Science Systems (San Diego, California); Honeybee Robotics, Pasadena, California; NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. French Space Agency (CNES) in Paris. German Aerospace Center (DLR) in Cologne, Germany. and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) in Tokyo.

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Source: scitechdaily.com