NASA and JAXA exchange laser signals between SLIM lander and LRO in lunar orbit
Tuesday, 30 July 2024 10:54
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has successfully transmitted a laser pulse to a small retroreflector on JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) SLIM lander on the Moon, receiving a return signal on two occasions.
During two orbits on May 24, 2024, LRO passed 44 miles above the SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) and used its laser altimeter instrument to send signals t NASA nearing completion of NISAR antenna reflector work
Tuesday, 30 July 2024 10:54
NASA is close to completing the radar antenna reflector for the NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite in California, with ongoing tests to ensure proper deployment post-launch. The drum-shaped reflector, approximately 39 feet (12 meters) in diameter, is a key NASA contribution to this collaborative mission with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This reflector will tra GMV advances Lunar rover navigation with FASTNAV project
Tuesday, 30 July 2024 10:54
The Multi-Range Navigation for Fast Moon Rovers project, known as FASTNAV, is spearheading the development of advanced navigation solutions for the next generation of lunar exploration rovers. This initiative, led by GMV's UK branch and supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) under the General Technology Support Programme (GSTP), aims to enhance rover capabilities for longer distances and h Lunar soil sample from Chang'e-5 showcased in Bangkok
Tuesday, 30 July 2024 10:54
A rare lunar soil sample from China's Chang'e-5 mission drew large crowds in Bangkok.
In collaboration with the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the lunar sample was a key feature at the Sci Power for Future Thailand Fair, which concluded on Sunday.
Displayed in a rotating crystal sphere, the 75-milligram Enhanced communication for Lunar Gateway through electric field testing
Tuesday, 30 July 2024 10:54
Engineers at NASA's Johnson Space Center have initiated electric field testing on communications hardware designed for the Gateway, the pioneering space station set to orbit the Moon.
Gateway will serve as an orbiting lab for deep space science and as a staging point for lunar exploration. This project will enable NASA and its international partners to maintain a human presence on and arou UAH study sheds light on mystery of why the solar corona is super hot
Tuesday, 30 July 2024 10:54
In a new study published in the The Astrophysical Journal, a researcher from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, explores critical aspects of a phenomenon called kinetic Alfven waves (KAWs) to provide fresh insights into an age-old heliophysics mystery. Syed Ayaz, a graduate research assistant at the UAH Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Florida universities collaborate to advance space manufacturing sector
Tuesday, 30 July 2024 10:54
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has joined forces with the University of Florida, Florida A and M University, and Florida Institute of Technology to form the Center for Science, or C-STARS. This new multi-site organization aims to propel the development of innovative medicines, electronics, and bioenergy systems in space, situated in the heart of Florida's thriving space sector. The Nationa Using AI to capture the invisible in dark matter detection
Tuesday, 30 July 2024 10:54
In the underground tunnel of the world's largest particle collider, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), beams of protons collide at nearly the speed of light, creating conditions reminiscent of the Big Bang. These collisions, occurring 350 feet beneath the France-Switzerland border, produce subatomic debris that could hold clues to the universe's "missing matter."
Duke University physicist As 
Boeing says Starliner hot fire test on ISS went well with return date decision coming up
Tuesday, 30 July 2024 09:21
As Boeing's Starliner nears two months in space, teams performed a hot fire test of thruster performance and helium leaks on the spacecraft over the weekend to help inform the decision of when the spacecraft will come home and if its two NASA astronaut passengers will be coming with it.
Boeing announced in a press release the test of the Starliner's Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters was performed Saturday afternoon while it was docked to the International Space Station. Teams with NASA and Boeing also monitored the helium system for the Crew Flight Test mission.
"Both teams were very happy with the results," said NASA's Starliner flight director Chloe Mehring in the press release.
The spacecraft arrived at the ISS on June 6 one day after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on board.
Dubbed the Crew Flight Test mission, the astronauts are amid the first crewed flight of the spacecraft as part of Boeing's efforts to have it certified for use alongside SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the ISS as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
British financial advisor Citicourt & Co plots space venture capital fund
Monday, 29 July 2024 19:36
NASA, JAXA bounce laser beam between moon's surface and lunar orbit
Monday, 29 July 2024 16:20
NASA's LRO (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter) has twice transmitted a laser pulse to a cookie-sized retroreflector aboard JAXA's (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) SLIM lander on the moon and received a return signal.
As LRO passed 44 miles above SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) during two successive orbits on May 24, 2024, it pinged the lander with its laser altimeter instrument as it had done eight times before. But, on these two attempts, the signal bounced back to LRO's detector.
This was an important accomplishment for NASA because the device is not in an optimal position. Retroreflectors are typically secured to the top of landers, giving LRO a 120-degree range of angles to aim toward when sending laser pulses to the approximate location of a retroreflector.