Columbus OH (SPX) Oct 19, 2022
Meteors may help astronomers devise a new way to locate dark matter - mysterious and invisible particles that have so far only been discerned by the effect they have on the natural world. Five times more prevalent than ordinary matter, dark matter makes up about 85% of the total mass of the universe, and about a quarter (26.8%) of the universe's total mass and energy. Humans are unable to

Princeton NJ (SPX) Oct 19, 2022
Imagine taking a star twice the mass of the Sun and crushing it to the size of Manhattan. The result would be a neutron star-one of the densest objects found anywhere in the Universe, exceeding the density of any material found naturally on Earth by a factor of tens of trillions. Neutron stars are extraordinary astrophysical objects in their own right, but their extreme densities might als

Baltimore MD (SPX) Oct 20, 2022
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured a lush, highly detailed landscape - the iconic Pillars of Creation - where new stars are forming within dense clouds of gas and dust. The three-dimensional pillars look like majestic rock formations, but are far more permeable. These columns are made up of cool interstellar gas and dust that appear - at times - semi-transparent in near-infrared ligh

San Antonio TX (SPX) Oct 19, 2022
Southwest Research Institute scientists have compiled 41 solar occultation observations of Saturn's rings from the Cassini mission. The compilation, published recently in the scientific journal Icarus, will inform future investigations of the particle size distribution and composition of Saturn's rings, key elements to understanding their formation and evolution. "For nearly two decades, N

Boston MA (SPX) Oct 19, 2022
NASA hit a bullseye in late September with DART, the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, which flew a spacecraft straight at the heart of a nearby asteroid. The one-way kamikaze mission smashed into the stadium-sized space rock and successfully reset the asteroid's orbit. DART was the first test of a planetary defense strategy, demonstrating that scientists could potentially deflect an asteroid he

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 20, 2022
Astra celebrates cumulative committed orders for more than 200 engines and two full programs of Astra Spacecraft Enginesalready delivered. "I'm thrilled that Astra has achieved both milestones: over 200 engines ordered and delivery of two full programs," said Chris Kemp, Founder, Chairman, and CEO of Astra, "Thank you to our customers for their confidence in our team and products, and cong

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Oct 20, 2022
ARCA Space started the first sale for the AMi Exploration (AMiE) utility token, issued in the Avalanche blockchain. For this first sale ARCA Space made available 675,676 tokens from the total of 1 billion issued. The regular price of one token is $0,1, and for this first sale the price is $0,075. The AMiE Token could be purchased with the USDt native token in the Avalanche blockchain. The

Pasadena CA (JPL) Oct 20, 2022
After journeying this summer through a narrow, sand-lined pass, NASA's Curiosity Mars rover recently arrived in the "sulfate-bearing unit," a long-sought region of Mount Sharp enriched with salty minerals. Scientists hypothesize that billions of years ago, streams, and ponds left behind the minerals as the water dried up. Assuming the hypothesis is correct, these minerals offer tantalizing

Beijing, China (SPX) Oct 19, 2022
An enormous number of near-Earth asteroid (NEA) orbit around the Sun, and among them 2072 NEAs, which are recorded in the Minor Planet Center (MPC) database, belong to the class of potential hazardous near-Earth asteroids (PHAs). These PHAs frequently make close approaches to Earth's orbit, and therefore, the hazard caused by PHAs is still a very real and ever-present threat. Faced with potentia

Washington DC (UPI) Oct 19, 2021
NASA has approved resumption of routine spacewalks outside the International Space Station after a seven-month pause and after finishing an October flight readiness review. The review was the last step in an investigation into a "close call" on a spacewalk in March. Three spacewalks are planned, beginning sometime in mid-November, to work on installation of roll out solar arrays