Copernical Team
Thursday, 05 August 2021 07:34
A long day for microbes, and the rise of oxygen on Earth
Bremen, Germany (SPX) Aug 03, 2021
Virtually all oxygen on Earth was and is produced by photosynthesis, which was invented by tiny organisms, the cyanobacteria, when our planet was still a rather uninhabitable place. Cyanobacteria evolved more than 2.4 billion years ago, but Earth only slowly transformed to the oxygen-rich planet we know today.
"We do not fully understand why it took so long and what factors controlled Eart
Virtually all oxygen on Earth was and is produced by photosynthesis, which was invented by tiny organisms, the cyanobacteria, when our planet was still a rather uninhabitable place. Cyanobacteria evolved more than 2.4 billion years ago, but Earth only slowly transformed to the oxygen-rich planet we know today.
"We do not fully understand why it took so long and what factors controlled Eart
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Thursday, 05 August 2021 07:34
Trapped saltwater caused mangrove death after Hurricane Irma
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 03, 2021
When Hurricane Irma hit southern Florida in September of 2017, the storm buffeted coastal mangrove forests with winds over 116 mph - strong enough to rip off leaves, break branches, and snap tree trunks in half. Of the mangrove forest damaged by Hurricane Irma, about 83% recovered after the first year. But the rest didn't, leaving scientists wondering why some trees didn't bounce back.
Usi
When Hurricane Irma hit southern Florida in September of 2017, the storm buffeted coastal mangrove forests with winds over 116 mph - strong enough to rip off leaves, break branches, and snap tree trunks in half. Of the mangrove forest damaged by Hurricane Irma, about 83% recovered after the first year. But the rest didn't, leaving scientists wondering why some trees didn't bounce back.
Usi
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Thursday, 05 August 2021 07:34
NASA satellites help plan future for Palau fish stocks
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 03, 2021
It's the weekend, and freshly caught fish sizzles on the grill. The view: an unforgettable beach and the cobalt blues of the Pacific Ocean in the backdrop.
This is not paradise. It's a typical Sunday for many people in Palau, an archipelago nation in Micronesia.
"We would go to the Rock Islands, spend a couple of nights there, and we would go fishing," recalled Fabio Siksei, a fisher
It's the weekend, and freshly caught fish sizzles on the grill. The view: an unforgettable beach and the cobalt blues of the Pacific Ocean in the backdrop.
This is not paradise. It's a typical Sunday for many people in Palau, an archipelago nation in Micronesia.
"We would go to the Rock Islands, spend a couple of nights there, and we would go fishing," recalled Fabio Siksei, a fisher
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Thursday, 05 August 2021 07:34
Experiment bound for Space Station turns down the heat
Cleveland OH (SPX) Aug 05, 2021
A lot of power means a lot of heat. NASA's future missions to explore the Moon and Mars will require enormous amounts of electrical power and hardware to support astronauts and drive new technologies. This increase in power, however, also increases the amount of heat generated-and then that heat needs to be removed so all the spacecraft systems can function.
To remove heat efficiently and
A lot of power means a lot of heat. NASA's future missions to explore the Moon and Mars will require enormous amounts of electrical power and hardware to support astronauts and drive new technologies. This increase in power, however, also increases the amount of heat generated-and then that heat needs to be removed so all the spacecraft systems can function.
To remove heat efficiently and
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Thursday, 05 August 2021 07:34
NASA launches x-ray spectrometer mission to probe mysteries of solar corona
Huntsville AL (SPX) Aug 05, 2021
NASA researchers successfully launched a sophisticated X-ray solar imager on a brief but potentially illuminating suborbital flight via sounding rocket to gather new insight regarding how and why the Sun's corona grows so much hotter than the actual surface of Earth's parent star.
Developers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, call the mission "MaGIXS" - short fo
NASA researchers successfully launched a sophisticated X-ray solar imager on a brief but potentially illuminating suborbital flight via sounding rocket to gather new insight regarding how and why the Sun's corona grows so much hotter than the actual surface of Earth's parent star.
Developers at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, call the mission "MaGIXS" - short fo
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Thursday, 05 August 2021 07:34
Juno joins Japan's Hisaki satellite and Keck Observatory to solve "energy crisis" on Jupiter
Greenbelt MD (SPX) Aug 05, 2021
Sitting more than five times the distance from the Sun as Earth, Jupiter is not expected to be particularly warm. Based on the amount of sunlight received, the average temperature in the planet's upper atmosphere should be about minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit or a chilly minus 73 Celsius. Instead, the measured value soars to around 800 degrees Fahrenheit or 426 Celsius. The source of this extra he
Sitting more than five times the distance from the Sun as Earth, Jupiter is not expected to be particularly warm. Based on the amount of sunlight received, the average temperature in the planet's upper atmosphere should be about minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit or a chilly minus 73 Celsius. Instead, the measured value soars to around 800 degrees Fahrenheit or 426 Celsius. The source of this extra he
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Thursday, 05 August 2021 07:34
North-By-Northwest for Ingenuity's 11th Flight
Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 05, 2021
We're heading northwest for the 11th flight of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which will happen no earlier than Wednesday night, Aug. 4. The mission profile is designed to stay ahead of the rover - supporting its future science goals in the "South Seitah" region, where it will be able to gather aerial imagery in support of future Perseverance Mars rover surface operations in the area.
H
We're heading northwest for the 11th flight of NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which will happen no earlier than Wednesday night, Aug. 4. The mission profile is designed to stay ahead of the rover - supporting its future science goals in the "South Seitah" region, where it will be able to gather aerial imagery in support of future Perseverance Mars rover surface operations in the area.
H
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Thursday, 05 August 2021 07:34
Helicopter scouts ridge area for Perseverance
Pasadena CA (JPL) Aug 05, 2021
Ask any space explorer, and they'll have a favorite photo or two from their mission. For Kevin Hand, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and co-lead of the Perseverance rover's first science campaign, his latest favorite is a 3D image of low-lying wrinkles in the surface of Jezero Crater. The science team calls this area "Raised Ridges." NASA's Ingenuity Mars H
Ask any space explorer, and they'll have a favorite photo or two from their mission. For Kevin Hand, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and co-lead of the Perseverance rover's first science campaign, his latest favorite is a 3D image of low-lying wrinkles in the surface of Jezero Crater. The science team calls this area "Raised Ridges." NASA's Ingenuity Mars H
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Thursday, 05 August 2021 07:45
Satellites reveal how forests increase cloud and cool climate
Forests are not only key to moderating our climate by sequestering atmospheric carbon, but they also create a cooling effect by increasing low-level cloud. A first global assessment using satellite observations has shown that for two-thirds of the world, afforestation increases low-level cloud cover, with the effect being strongest over evergreen needleleaf forest.
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Wednesday, 04 August 2021 12:31
What it takes to become Australia's first woman astronaut
I'm currently training to become Australia's first woman astronaut. I expect to fly my first suborbital mission sometime in 2023 as a payload specialist on a commercial mission. In other words, I'll be one of few certified crew members who can handle specialized scientific equipment aboard a suborbital spacecraft.
Once we're up there, my team and I expect to conduct research on Earth's atmosphere. It's an opportunity I consider out of this world. But it has taken a lot of effort for this dream to be realized.
My path to PoSSUM
As a female STEM and legal professional, my past jobs included working as a research scientist in mining and metals for BHP-Billiton, Rio Tinto and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO)—but I always loved space.
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