Shouzhou XIII crew finishes cargo spacecraft, space station docking test
Sunday, 09 January 2022 08:30
The Shenzhou XIII astronauts in China's space station core module have completed the manual rendezvous and docking experiment with the Tianzhou 2 cargo craft, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said Saturday.
At the beginning of the experiment, the astronauts in the core module teleoperated the Tianzhou 2 cargo craft to leave the front docking port of the core module's node cabin and mov Sol 3349: Ridges, Big and Small
Sunday, 09 January 2022 08:30
Another successful drive on Mars resulted in a dusty bedrock workspace with nodules and small raised ridges in front of the rover. Curiosity also has a view towards larger scale, dark, resistant ridges that we have noticed within the more subdued and lighter coloured, more typical bedrock in this area.
The science team decided to investigate the chemistry and texture of one of the small, r Sending Life to the Stars
Sunday, 09 January 2022 08:30
No longer solely in the realm of science fiction, the possibility of interstellar travel has appeared, tantalizingly, on the horizon. Although we may not see it in our lifetimes - at least not some real version of the fictional warp-speeding, hyperdriving, space-folding sort - we are having early conversations of how life could escape the tether of our solar system, using technology that is with New year's mission to start new phase of exoplanet research
Sunday, 09 January 2022 08:30
A mission to one of the coldest and most remote places on earth will enable a new phase in the search for distant planetary systems. University of Birmingham PhD researcher Georgina Dransfield has travelled to the Franco-Italian Concordia Research Station in Antarctica, to oversee the installation of a new state-of-the-art camera at the ASTEP (Antarctic Search for Transiting ExoPlanets) telescop No returning to climate of the past even with CO2 reduction
Sunday, 09 January 2022 08:30
While the entire world focuses on achieving carbon neutrality - zero carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions - a new research shows climate change in some regions is inevitable even if the already increased CO2 level is reduced. As CO2 decreases, the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) shifts southwards, which can trigger persistent El Nino conditions. El Nino refers to a phenomenon in which the sea su Bringing the Sun into the lab
Sunday, 09 January 2022 08:30
Why the Sun's corona reaches temperatures of several million degrees Celsius is one of the great mysteries of solar physics. A "hot" trail to explain this effect leads to a region of the solar atmosphere just below the corona, where sound waves and certain plasma waves travel at the same speed. In an experiment using the molten alkali metal rubidium and pulsed high magnetic fields, a team from t Space telescope's 'golden eye' opens, last major hurdle
Saturday, 08 January 2022 19:17
NASA completes major JWST deployments
Saturday, 08 January 2022 18:15
The primary mirror of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope unfolded into place Jan. 8, completing the major steps in the post-launch deployment of the giant observatory.
Webb deployment complete
Saturday, 08 January 2022 18:00
Today the James Webb Space Telescope team successfully fully deployed its iconic 6.4-metre, gold-coated primary mirror, completing the final stage of all major spacecraft deployments to prepare for science operations.
NASA’s Webb Telescope Reaches Major Milestone as Mirror Unfolds
Saturday, 08 January 2022 16:16
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope team fully deployed its 21-foot, gold-coated primary mirror, successfully completing the final stage of all major spacecraft deployments to prepare for science operations. From contractor to satellite operator: Q&A with Sidus Space CEO Carol Craig
Friday, 07 January 2022 20:57
Sidus Space became a public company in December to help transform the Space Coast government contractor into a commercial satellite constellation operator. SpaceNews interviewed Sidus Space CEO Carol Craig, who became the first woman owner-founder of a space company to go public, to learn more about the plans as its first satellite aims to launch late this year.
Webb's primary mirror deployment has begun
Friday, 07 January 2022 19:47
Engineers have begun the final stage of Webb's major structural deployments: the unfolding of its two primary mirror wings. These side panels, which were folded back for launch, each hold three of the observatory's 18 hexagonal, gold-coated mirror segments.
The team is beginning today with the mirror wing on the port (left) side of the observatory. Engineers must first release mechanisms that held the wing in place for launch, in order to allow the wing to deploy. The panel then rotates into position, a motor-driven process that takes about five minutes. Once the wing is extended, engineers begin a meticulous, two-hour process to securely latch it into place.
The deployment of the second primary mirror wing, planned for tomorrow, will follow the same process.
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Friday, 07 January 2022 16:50
Why doesn't Webb have deployment cameras?
Friday, 07 January 2022 14:32
As NASA's James Webb Space Telescope makes its way out to its intended orbit, ground teams monitor its vitals using a comprehensive set of sensors located throughout the entire spacecraft. Mechanical, thermal, and electrical sensors provide a wide array of critical information on the current state and performance of Webb while it is in space.
A system of surveillance cameras to watch deployments was considered for inclusion in Webb's toolkit of diagnostics and was studied in-depth during Webb's design phase, but ultimately, this was rejected.
"Adding cameras to watch an unprecedently complicated deployment of such a precious spacecraft as Webb sounds like a no-brainer, but in Webb's case, there's much more to it than meets the eye," said Paul Geithner, deputy project manager—technical for the Webb telescope at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center. "It's not as straightforward as adding a doorbell cam or even a rocket cam."
First of all, Webb is big, undergoes many configuration changes during deployment, and has many specific locations of import to deployment.
Scientist aims to ensure 'microbe-free' Mars samples
Friday, 07 January 2022 14:32
The Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover is collecting samples in search of signs of ancient microbial life, which would advance NASA's quest to explore the past habitability of Mars. The samples are set to return to Earth no earlier than 2031, as part of the Mars Sample Return campaign being planned by NASA and the European Space Agency. Before the rover went to space, NASA and its engineers worked hard to prevent Earth's microbes from contaminating Mars. Now, before the samples collected by the rover return to Earth, Florida Atlantic University is helping NASA design protocols for sterilizing Mars material and protecting our biosphere.
Gregg Fields, Ph.D., executive director of FAU's Institute for Human Health and Disease Intervention (I-HEALTH) and a professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science, is working in collaboration with a team of scientists to ensure a "microbe-free" return of Mars samples in a vessel with multiple layers of protection.