UK candidates make it through to next round of European Space Agency's astronaut call
Wednesday, 16 February 2022 04:20
The window to apply for ESA's astronaut vacancy opened on 31 March 2021 and closed 18 June. This is the first call for new astronauts in over 10 years and the first-time candidates with a physical disability had been invited to apply.
Of the 22,523 valid astronaut applications received by ESA, 2,000 of these were from the UK.
Following a comprehensive screening phase, 1,361 people we China's moon sample updates lunar chronology model
Wednesday, 16 February 2022 04:20
Researchers led by Prof. YUE Zongyu and Prof. DI Kaichang from the Aerospace Information Research Institute (AIR) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and their collaborators have established an updated lunar chronology model that provides a more accurate timescale not just for lunar history but also for the evolution of planetary bodies in the inner solar system.
The research is based Final moments of planetary remnants seen for first time
Wednesday, 16 February 2022 04:20
The moment that debris from destroyed planets impacts the surface of a white dwarf star has been observed for the first time by astronomers at the University of Warwick.
They have used X-rays to detect the rocky and gaseous material left behind by a planetary system after its host star dies as it collides and is consumed within the surface of the star.
Published in the journal Nature From matter to antimatter, to and fro - trillions of times a second
Wednesday, 16 February 2022 04:20
We think of matter and antimatter as being as opposite as fire and water. There are, however, particles that can behave as representatives once of the world of matter, once the world of antimatter. An international group of scientists working on experiments at the LHCb detector have reported their measurement of the extreme speed of oscillation of these sorts of particles between the two worlds. Surprisingly high fraction of dead galaxies found in ancient galactic city
Wednesday, 16 February 2022 04:20
An international team of astronomers led by researchers at the University of California, Riverside, has discovered an unusual massive cluster of young galaxies forming in the early universe. The newly discovered growing galactic metropolis, named MAGAZ3NE J095924+022537, is a newborn galaxy cluster, or protocluster, consisting of at least 38 member galaxies, and is about 11.8 billion light-years Webb sees its first star - 18 times
Wednesday, 16 February 2022 04:20
The James Webb Space Telescope is nearing completion of the first phase of the months-long process of aligning the observatory's primary mirror using the Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument.
The team's challenge was twofold: confirm that NIRCam was ready to collect light from celestial objects, and then identify starlight from the same star in each of the 18 primary mirror segments. T Space Force to examine U.S. military needs for low-orbiting surveillance satellites
Tuesday, 15 February 2022 23:46
Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall has directed the Space Force to look broadly at military requirements for overhead surveillance that could be met by commercial constellations of satellites in low Earth orbit.
The post Space Force to examine U.S.
GAO: DoD has to step up efforts in space, cyber and artificial intelligence to compete with China
Tuesday, 15 February 2022 17:56
The U.S. Government Accountability Office in a new report warns the Defense Department to be better prepared to respond to China’s advances in space, cyberwarfare and artificial intelligence.
Virgin Galactic re-opens ticket sales for $450,000
Tuesday, 15 February 2022 15:51
Virgin Galactic, which last year flew its flamboyant founder Richard Branson to space, will re-open ticket sales to the general public starting Wednesday, for the sum of $450,000.
Previously, only people who had paid a deposit to be on a waiting list could buy new tickets—but now sales are once more open to everyone.
"We plan to have our first 1,000 customers on board at the start of commercial service later this year, providing an incredibly strong foundation as we begin regular operations and scale our fleet," said CEO Michael Colglazier in a statement.
Established in 2004, Virgin Galactic is looking to build on the success of a high profile test mission last July, which saw Branson beat Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos in their billionaire space race by a few days.
Pentagon to rein in defense and aerospace industry mergers
Tuesday, 15 February 2022 15:48
The Defense Department in a report released Feb. 15 says it will “strengthen oversight” of industry mergers amid concerns that corporate consolidation is undermining U.S. competitiveness.
The post Pentagon to rein in defense and aerospace industry mergers appeared first on SpaceNews.
Microgravity worms help solve astronauts' muscle troubles
Tuesday, 15 February 2022 15:47
A new study on nematode worms reveals that physical contact with objects can help prevent neuromuscular decline in simulated microgravity. The research, which was published in the journal iScience, provides new insights into maintaining human health in space.
Over the past 60 years, hundreds of humans have flown into space, sometimes spending up to a year on the International Space Station. Spaceflight subjects the body to near weightlessness or microgravity, which can negatively impact health.
"Progressive neuromuscular decline in microgravity is a major health concern for humans spending time in space," explains Atsushi Higashitani, a molecular biologist at Tohoku University. "Our international team investigated the underlying reasons for these changes."
The researchers studied Caenorhabditis elegans, a nematode worm that shows similar molecular and physiological effects to humans during spaceflight, including impaired muscle performance and reduced body length.
Watch live coverage of Space Summit
Tuesday, 15 February 2022 15:39
European leaders will reaffirm plans to launch Europe on a world-leading trajectory during a high-level space summit being held on 16 February in Toulouse, France. Join us for live coverage on ESA Web TV, starting at 12:45 CET.
Deep down temperature shifts give rise to eruptions
Tuesday, 15 February 2022 14:25
The astonishing force of the Tonga volcanic eruption shocked the world, but the fact that this underwater volcano actually erupted came as less of a surprise to geoscientists using satellite data to study changes in the temperature deep below Earth’s surface.
Astronomers scan the center of the Milky Way for any sign of intelligent civilizations, find nothing but silence
Tuesday, 15 February 2022 14:20
Are there civilizations somewhere else in the universe? Somewhere else in the Milky Way? That's one of our overarching questions, and an answer in the affirmative would be profound.
Humanity has pursued the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) in one form or another since shortly after the advent of radio waves in the early 20th century. Efforts have waxed and waned over the decades, but the search has never been completely abandoned.
The search detected transient hints in the form of unexplained radio waves in the past, but nothing that comprises reliable evidence.