New commercial space bill addresses mission authorization and SSA
Sunday, 05 November 2023 22:09
NASA delays Artemis lunar rover award by four months
Saturday, 04 November 2023 22:53
Endeavour assembly at Science Center starts with lifting 52-ton rockets into place
Saturday, 04 November 2023 17:50
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The space shuttle Endeavour's twin giant rockets will be hoisted by crane next week and affixed into place atop the craft's aft skirts in a first step of assembling a full-stack configuration of the shuttle at the future Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.
The two solid rocket motors—each weighing 104,000 pounds and the size of a Boeing 757 fuselage—were transported by truck in early October from Mojave Air and Space Port to the science center in South Los Angeles.
"It's actually pretty exciting. This is the first big tall pieces of the stack going into the building," California Science Center President Jeffrey Rudolph said. Each solid rocket motor measures 116 feet and makes up most of the length of the 149-foot solid rocket boosters. At liftoff, the white solid rocket boosters were set underneath Endeavour's wings and produced more than 80% of the lift during takeoff.
On Monday, the motors will be moved from their current location—next to the museum's dining terraces—a few hundred feet closer to the construction site.
The first significant action begins Tuesday, when the science center will lift the first solid rocket motor into place.
In US capital, selfies with asteroid hinting at Earth's origins
Saturday, 04 November 2023 08:28 Write a comment
In a hushed room of a museum in Washington, cameras and cell phones focus on a tiny piece of rock, no larger than a piece of gravel.
The fragment might seem insignificant, but it is a sample taken from the asteroid Bennu, which scientists are studying in the hope of discovering if asteroids actually brought the building blocks of life - carbon and water - to Earth.
Exhibited to the pub House bill would fully fund Mars Sample Return, block cooperation on ExoMars
Friday, 03 November 2023 22:04
Video: Preparing for Euclid's first images, from puzzling data to dazzling views
Friday, 03 November 2023 15:08 Write a comment
Never before has a telescope been able to create such razor-sharp astronomical images across such a large patch of the sky.
On Tuesday 7 November, ESA will release the first full-color images captured by its recently launched Euclid space telescope. These images form part of the mission's "Early Release Observations"—where Euclid was tasked with scrutinizing a set of celestial targets chosen for their public appeal and scientific value.
The five images are full of cosmic secrets waiting to be revealed. And this is just the beginning. During its six-year mission, Euclid will generate the equivalent of a million DVDs of data. These data will be used to create the biggest ever 3D map of the universe and uncover the secrets of dark matter and dark energy.
In this video, hear from the experts about how Euclid has reached this milestone. Discover how they felt when they saw the first images, and find out what these images will reveal about the cosmos.
NASA Goddard's 'spiky' antenna chamber: Signaling success for 50 years
Friday, 03 November 2023 14:34 Write a comment
On any given day, NASA's networks may communicate with more than 100 space missions. Whether the mission keeps the lines of communication open with orbiting astronauts or peers deep into the cosmos, those dozens of satellites all have one thing in common: each needs an antenna. Without one, NASA missions and their discoveries simply would not be possible.
To ensure those antennas are up to the challenges of spaceflight, for most that means rigorous testing on the ground in a simulated space environment. The Goddard ElectroMagnetic Anechoic Chamber (GEMAC) at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, has been an integral antenna proving ground for more than 50 years.
ESA's Hera mission is bringing two CubeSats along. They'll be landing on Dimorphos
Friday, 03 November 2023 14:33 Write a comment
In about one year from now, the European Space Agency will launch its Hera mission. Its destination is the asteroid Didymos, and it'll be the second human spacecraft to visit the 390-meter chunk of rock. NASA's DART mission crashed a kinetic impactor into Didymos' tiny moonlet Dimorphos as a test of planetary defense.
Hera will perform a follow-up investigation of the binary asteroid to measure the size and morphology of the impact crater on Dimorphos. To help it along, it's taking two tiny CubeSats that will land on Dimorphos.
It might seem strange that two tiny satellites will perform landings on an asteroid. But Hera is designed to fulfill different goals. First of all, it's part of the ESA's Planetary Defense program.
Revealing the Startup of the Year finalists for the SpaceNews 2023 Icon Awards
Friday, 03 November 2023 13:34
Week in images: 30 October - 03 November 2023
Friday, 03 November 2023 13:10 Write a comment
Week in images: 30 October - 03 November 2023
Discover our week through the lens
No tricks, just treats
Friday, 03 November 2023 09:36 Write a comment
Image:
No tricks, just treats Preparing for Euclid’s first images: from puzzling data to dazzling views
Friday, 03 November 2023 09:30 Write a comment
Video:
00:02:59
Never before has a telescope been able to create such razor-sharp astronomical images across such a large patch of the sky.
On Tuesday 7 November, ESA will release the first full-colour images captured by its recently launched Euclid space telescope. These images form part of the mission’s ‘Early Release Observations’ – where Euclid was tasked with scrutinising a set of celestial targets chosen for their public appeal and scientific value.
The five images are full of cosmic secrets waiting to be revealed. And this is just the beginning. During its six-year mission, Euclid will generate the equivalent of a