Paris (ESA) Jan 20, 2021
An ESA-supported effort put an intelligent road up in Finnish Lapland through its paces, assessing its suitability for testing autonomous vehicles in some of Europe's most challenging driving conditions. "If autonomous vehicles can drive well here, they can drive almost anywhere," says Sarang Thombre of the Finnish Geospatial Research Institute, managing the Arctic-PNT project. "Our

Bethesda MD (SPX) Jan 21, 2021
Now that NASA is leading the development of the Artemis lunar habitation program that will send men and women to the Moon within the next few years, this may be a good time to preview at least one aspect of the environment that the astronauts will experience when they arrive, i. e., trash from Earth. Since 1959, the lunar surface has experienced a barrage of man-made attacks of various kin

Baikonur, Kazakhstan (SPX) Jan 21, 2021
Astroscale reports that its End-of-Life Services by Astroscale-demonstration (ELSA-d) satellite has arrived at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, ready for anticipated launch on March 20, 2021. ELSA-d will launch on a Soyuz rocket operated by GK Launch Services. "We can now begin the final phase of pre-launch activities, including integration of the satellite on the rocket and operatio

Boston MA (SPX) Jan 21, 2021
The elusive axion particle is many times lighter than an electron, with properties that barely make an impression on ordinary matter. As such, the ghost-like particle is a leading contender as a component of dark matter - a hypothetical, invisible type of matter that is thought to make up 85 percent of the mass in the universe. Axions have so far evaded detection. Physicists predict that i

Washington DC (UPI) Jan 20, 2021
SpaceX launched another shipment of 60 Starlink satellites from Florida on Wednesday morning, adding to a rapidly growing cluster of high-speed broadband communications spacecraft. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off as planned at 8:02 a.m. EST into a cool, blue winter sky from Complex 39 at Kennedy Space Center. The satellites deployed into their intended orbit one hour and four minutes aft

Houston TX (SPX) Jan 21, 2021
Once upon a time, seasons in Gale Crater probably felt something like those in Iceland. But nobody was there to bundle up more than 3 billion years ago. The ancient Martian crater is the focus of a study by Rice University scientists comparing data from the Curiosity rover to places on Earth where similar geologic formations have experienced weathering in different climates. Iceland'

Cornell NY (SPX) Jan 21, 2021
Far below the gaseous atmospheric shroud on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, lies Kraken Mare, a sea of liquid methane. Cornell astronomers have estimated that sea to be at least 1,000 feet deep near its center - enough room for a potential robotic submarine to explore. After sifting through data from one of the final Titan flybys of the Cassini mission, the researchers detailed their finding

Boulder CO (SPX) Jan 21, 2021
New Horizons is healthy and continues to send data back from the Kuiper Belt, even as it speeds farther and farther from the Earth and the Sun. But the mission's jam-packed plans for new Kuiper Belt exploration this year are not the subject of this PI Perspective. Instead, I want to concentrate on a very special anniversary, taking place today - our 15th anniversary of launch! That's

Washington DC (UPI) Jan 20, 2021
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stepped down as planned Wednesday and posted a message on Twitter to thank employees and all who supported his tenure at the space agency. Bridenstine, who left on the day of President Joe Biden's inauguration, made a public plea for continued support of NASA and planned missions to the moon and Mars. He referenced historic disagreements at the

Lake heatwaves – periods of extreme warm surface water temperature in lakes – may become hotter and longer by the end of the 21st century, according to a new study published in Nature, increasing the link between climate change and extreme events.