In simulated mission, astronauts obtained direct haptic feedback from robots they control on the ground
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 13:14
Astronauts in orbit could soon be using robots to explore lunar or planetary surfaces without having to expose themselves to the dangers of the extraterrestrial environment. A paper by Kjetil Wormnes and his colleagues based at the European Space Agency (ESA), Noordwijk, The Netherlands, published in the De Gruyter journal Open Astronomy, presents a simulated geological exploration mission in which, for the first time,astronauts in the International Space Station obtained direct haptic feedback from robots that they control on the ground, "feeling" objects that they manipulate.
Human interplanetary exploration is inspirational but it is still, largely, the stuff of science fiction; it is almost 50 years since somebody last set foot on the moon, and crewed expeditions beyond our satellite are still decades away.
During the last half-century, however, many missions have taken robots to planetary surfaces, and they can operate in conditions that are far too hostile for human astronauts, but they need direct human control if they are to undertake complex missions.
Apply now for the 2022 YGT opportunities!
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 13:00
The 2022 ESA YGT opportunities are now open for applications. Positions are available in engineering, science, IT and business services. Find out more and apply now.
Looking four-ward to launch
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 12:21
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ESA astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti is all smiles alongside her Crew-4 mates during a training session at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, USA.
Samantha is the next ESA astronaut to fly to space and is expected to be launched to the International Space Station in spring 2022. This is the second mission for Samantha who spent approximately 200 days in space in 2015 for her Futura mission.
Samantha is launching with familiar faces. Fellow mission specialist Jessica Watkins was part of NASA’s NEEMO 23 crew, in which Samantha served as commander. The team spent 10 days living and working
Relativity and SpaceX bid on NASA commercial space station competition
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 11:30
Launch companies Relativity Space and SpaceX were among the companies that submitted proposals last year to NASA for initial development of commercial space stations.
The post Relativity and SpaceX bid on NASA commercial space station competition appeared first on SpaceNews.
In space race, Europe faces choice: passenger or pilot
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 10:54
As the race to send people to the Moon and beyond heats up, Europe faces calls to make a choice: Keep paying for seats on spacecraft or finally fly its own manned vehicle.
Imagine if Christopher Columbus did not have a ship to sail to the Americas, the head of the European Space Agency said recently, lamenting that the continent lacked a vessel to "explore the next frontier".
"We wil Kendall Outlines 'Operational Imperatives,' Choices During Think Tank Appearance
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 10:54
While the United States military remains "the best in the world," Department of the Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said Jan. 19 that the Air and Space Forces must move quickly to adapt and modernize to offset actions by China and others that have dented the "presumption of superiority" held by the U.S.
Kendall offered the assessment during a 45-minute "virtual fireside chat" sponsored b NASA Planes Fly into Snowstorms to Study Snowfall
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 10:54
Scientists repeatedly check the weather forecasts as they prepare aircraft for flight and perform last-minute checks on science instruments. There's a large winter storm rolling in, but that's exactly what these storm-chasing scientists are hoping for.
The team is tracking storms across the Midwest and Eastern United States in two NASA planes equipped with scientific instruments to help un NASA provides updated International Space Station Transition Plan
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 05:01
The International Space Station is a unique laboratory that is returning enormous scientific, educational, and technological developments to benefit people on Earth and is enabling our ability to travel into deep space. The Biden-Harris Administration's commitment to extend space station operations until 2030 will enable the United States to continue to reap these benefits for the next decade wh NASA asteroid tracking system now capable of full sky search
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 05:01
The NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS)-a state-of-the-art asteroid detection system operated by the University of Hawaii (UH) Institute for Astronomy (IfA) for the agency's Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO)-has reached a new milestone by becoming the first survey capable of searching the entire dark sky every 24 hours for near-Earth objects (NEOs) that c New funding to support sustainable future of space
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 05:01
The UK Space Agency is providing 1.7 million pounds for new projects to support sustainable space operations, Science Minister George Freeman announced Monday.
The 13 new projects will help track and remove dangerous debris in space. They include an AI-based tool which can take autonomous action to avoid a collision and another which will see multiple small spacecraft fired at debris befor SpaceX sucessfully launches Italian Earth-observation satellite
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 05:01
SpaceX successfully launched an Italian Earth-observation satellite, the COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation 2, from Florida after several days of setbacks.
A Falcon 9 rocket mounted with the spacecraft lifted off at 6:11 p.m. EST from Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
SpaceX scrubbed the launch three times due to weather worries and a fourth time on Sunday because a cruis New ISS National Laboratory tool expands visibility of ISS-related educational resources
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 05:01
The Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, Inc. (CASIS), manager of the International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory, has announced the release of a new online tool for educators called Expedition Space Lab. This tool is designed to provide educators with easy access to ISS-related lessons, activities, and other resources to integrate into their curriculum.
Through Expedi Sols 3371-3373: Some Lucky Breaks at the Prow
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 05:01
We continue to characterize "The Prow," which stands proud above nearby flat lying dust coated bedrock. Our sedimentologists are very keen to get grain size measurements, as this can give very valuable insights into conditions at the time the sediments were laid down.
A change in grain size can show that we have changing conditions over time, so getting MAHLI on rocks here is the highest p Why are comet heads green - but not their tails?
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 05:01
In a global collaboration, a team of researchers recently proved a 90-year-old theory on why comets' heads, but never the tails, are green.
The scientific explanation, published in PNAS on Dec. 21, has to do with the way the molecule dicarbon (C2) gets blown apart by sunlight. The other part of the story lies in an accidental discovery and a love of spectroscopic perturbations, passed from Almost on the rove again
Tuesday, 01 February 2022 05:01
We'll soon be on the move again after shaking loose some pesky pebbles that became lodged in Perseverance's bit carousel. How has the science team been making the best use of our extended stay at the Issole parking space, and preparing for our next phase of science investigations?
As outlined in our previous blog post, the team made good progress ejecting pebbles that became lodged in the