Copernical Team
Wednesday, 02 November 2022 12:27
NASA prepares to say 'farewell' to InSight spacecraft
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The day is approaching when NASA's Mars InSight lander will fall silent, ending its history-making mission to reveal secrets of the Red Planet's interior. The spacecraft's power generation continues to decline as windblown dust on its solar panels thickens, so the team has taken steps to continue as long as possible with what power remains. The end is expected to come in the next few weeks.
But even as the tightknit 25-to-30-member operations team—a small group compared to other Mars missions—continues to squeeze the most they can out of InSight (short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport), they've also begun taking steps to wind down the mission.
Here's a glimpse of what that looks like.
Preserving data
The most important of the final steps with the InSight mission is storing its trove of data and making it accessible to researchers around the world.
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Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
CAPSTONE completes successful maneuver, teeing up Lunar orbit
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Washington DC (SPX) Nov 01, 2022
The CAPSTONE spacecraft successfully completed a trajectory correction maneuver on Thursday, Oct. 27, teeing up the spacecraft's arrival to lunar orbit on Nov. 13.
CAPSTONE is no longer in safe mode following an issue in early September that caused the spacecraft to spin. The team identified the most likely cause as a valve-related issue in one of the spacecraft's eight thrusters.
Th
The CAPSTONE spacecraft successfully completed a trajectory correction maneuver on Thursday, Oct. 27, teeing up the spacecraft's arrival to lunar orbit on Nov. 13.
CAPSTONE is no longer in safe mode following an issue in early September that caused the spacecraft to spin. The team identified the most likely cause as a valve-related issue in one of the spacecraft's eight thrusters.
Th
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Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
Meteorite impacts on the surface of Mars provide new details of the planet's crust
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Cologne, Germany (SPX) Nov 01, 2022
Data from two meteorite impacts on Mars recorded by NASA's InSight spacecraft provide new insights into the structure of the Martian crust. Previously, researchers had observed many quakes whose waves spread from the epicentre of a quake through the interior of the planet. Since then, they had been hoping for an event that would also generate waves traveling along the planet's surface.
On
Data from two meteorite impacts on Mars recorded by NASA's InSight spacecraft provide new insights into the structure of the Martian crust. Previously, researchers had observed many quakes whose waves spread from the epicentre of a quake through the interior of the planet. Since then, they had been hoping for an event that would also generate waves traveling along the planet's surface.
On
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Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
AIR lofts heavy payload balloon into near-space height
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Beijing, China (SPX) Oct 28, 2022
A high-altitude scientific balloon containing 1.2-ton payloads was lifted into the sky and reached an altitude of 30km in a demonstration test that helped validate the payload capacity of a near-space balloon platform.
The flight test was conducted in northwestern China's Qinghai Province on September 30, 2022 by a research team from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR), Chin
A high-altitude scientific balloon containing 1.2-ton payloads was lifted into the sky and reached an altitude of 30km in a demonstration test that helped validate the payload capacity of a near-space balloon platform.
The flight test was conducted in northwestern China's Qinghai Province on September 30, 2022 by a research team from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR), Chin
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Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
China's 'Palace in the sky' space station complete after successful launch
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Washington DC (UPI) Nov 01, 2022
China successfully launched the third and final module needed to complete the Tiangong Space Station.
The Chinese National Space Administration announced its Mengtian module arrived in low Earth orbit after a 13-hour voyage. Mengtian was carried to orbit by a Long March 5B, which was designed specifically to launch the Tiangong modules into space.
Mengtian, which translates to "Dream
China successfully launched the third and final module needed to complete the Tiangong Space Station.
The Chinese National Space Administration announced its Mengtian module arrived in low Earth orbit after a 13-hour voyage. Mengtian was carried to orbit by a Long March 5B, which was designed specifically to launch the Tiangong modules into space.
Mengtian, which translates to "Dream
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Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
Sidus Space engages Dawn Aerospace to implement propulsion technology into LizzieSat
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Cape Canaveral FL (SPX) Nov 02, 2022
Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIDU), a Space-as-a-Service company focused on mission critical hardware manufacturing combined with commercial satellite design, manufacture, launch, and data collection, announced agreement with Dawn Aerospace ("Dawn") to implement its green, chemical propulsion technology into LizzieSat.
Among the novel characteristics of Sidus Space's proprietary LizzieSat is
Sidus Space, Inc. (NASDAQ:SIDU), a Space-as-a-Service company focused on mission critical hardware manufacturing combined with commercial satellite design, manufacture, launch, and data collection, announced agreement with Dawn Aerospace ("Dawn") to implement its green, chemical propulsion technology into LizzieSat.
Among the novel characteristics of Sidus Space's proprietary LizzieSat is
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Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
How scientist developed an intelligent fuzzy logical control to stabilize solar sail?
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Beijing, China (SPX) Nov 02, 2022
Solar sail, a form of longevous spacecraft without propellant demand, attracts numerous aerospace researchers' attention. Its prolongable peculiarity enables its tremendous potential in diverse interplanetary missions. Due to the harsh space environment, it is inevitable that the spacecraft with long time on-orbit suffers the performance degradation and accident. Especially, the force model will
Solar sail, a form of longevous spacecraft without propellant demand, attracts numerous aerospace researchers' attention. Its prolongable peculiarity enables its tremendous potential in diverse interplanetary missions. Due to the harsh space environment, it is inevitable that the spacecraft with long time on-orbit suffers the performance degradation and accident. Especially, the force model will
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Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
SpaceX launches Falcon Heavy rocket for first time in three years
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Washington (AFP) Nov 1, 2022
SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket from Florida Tuesday, the first flight since 2019 of the world's most powerful rocket.
Mission USSF-44, transporting cargo for the US Space Force, including the TETRA 1 satellite, blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center around 9:40 am (1340 GMT).
Several minutes later, the rocket's two side boosters made their way back to Earth - the craft's m
SpaceX launched its Falcon Heavy rocket from Florida Tuesday, the first flight since 2019 of the world's most powerful rocket.
Mission USSF-44, transporting cargo for the US Space Force, including the TETRA 1 satellite, blasted off from the Kennedy Space Center around 9:40 am (1340 GMT).
Several minutes later, the rocket's two side boosters made their way back to Earth - the craft's m
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Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
New lab module to assist space station's completion
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Beijing (XNA) Nov 01, 2022
China's Mengtian space lab module, the third major component of the nation's Tiangong space station, was launched on Monday afternoon in a key step to complete the in-orbit assembly of Tiangong.
The lab module's carrier - a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket - blasted off at 3:37 pm from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southernmost island province of Hainan.
After flying more th
China's Mengtian space lab module, the third major component of the nation's Tiangong space station, was launched on Monday afternoon in a key step to complete the in-orbit assembly of Tiangong.
The lab module's carrier - a Long March 5B heavy-lift rocket - blasted off at 3:37 pm from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in the southernmost island province of Hainan.
After flying more th
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Wednesday, 02 November 2022 10:19
DARPA awards Spire Global contract to design satellite
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Vienna VA (SPX) Nov 02, 2022
Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a leading global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, was awarded a contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to deliver a preliminary design for a satellite that would carry an array of sensors to very low Earth orbit (VLEO) for in-situ ionosphere measurements.
The award is part of DARPA's Ouija program, which
Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a leading global provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, was awarded a contract by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to deliver a preliminary design for a satellite that would carry an array of sensors to very low Earth orbit (VLEO) for in-situ ionosphere measurements.
The award is part of DARPA's Ouija program, which
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