Video: Webb flies Ariane 5: From preparation to liftoff at Europe's Spaceport
Monday, 24 January 2022 14:47
The James Webb Space Telescope lifted off on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana, at 13:20 CET on 25 December 2021 on its exciting mission to unlock the secrets of the Universe.
This timelapse shows highlights of the launch campaign from the arrival of Webb in French Guiana through to liftoff.
Every launch requires meticulous planning and preparation. For Webb, this process began about 15 years ago. Webb arrived from California on board the MN Colibri which sailed the Panama Canal to Pariacabo harbor in French Guiana. The shallow Kourou river was specially dredged to ensure a clear passage and the vessel followed high tide to safely reach port on 12 October 2021.
Though the telescope weighs only six tons, it was more than 10.5 m high and almost 4.5 m wide when folded. At Europe's Spaceport it was unpacked inside a dedicated spacecraft preparation facility fitted with walls of air filters to protect the telescope from contamination during preparations for launch.
After its arrival in the final assembly building, Webb was lifted slowly about 40 m high and then carefully maneuvered on top of Ariane 5—one of the most delicate operations during the entire launch campaign.
ESA supports the White House on greenhouse gas monitoring
Monday, 24 January 2022 12:50
When Joe Biden was inaugurated as President one year ago, he fulfilled his promise to rejoin the Paris Agreement and set a course for the US to tackle the climate crisis by supporting global efforts to limit global warming. ESA recently joined the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology by public video link to share European plans and expertise on measuring carbon dioxide and methane from space.
Webb flies Ariane 5: from preparation to liftoff at Europe’s Spaceport
Monday, 24 January 2022 12:00
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Timelapse of the James Webb Space Telescope from preparation to liftoff on Ariane 5 at Europe’s Spaceport on 25 December 2021. Proposed NTSB commercial space regulation criticized by industry and FAA
Monday, 24 January 2022 11:42
A proposal by NTSB that would give the agency a greater role in investigating failures of commercial launches is facing strong opposition from both the industry and the FAA.
The post Proposed NTSB commercial space regulation criticized by industry and FAA appeared first on SpaceNews.
Summit to ignite Europe’s bold space ambitions
Monday, 24 January 2022 11:05
European leaders will reaffirm plans to launch Europe on a world-leading trajectory during a high-level space summit to be held on 16 February in Toulouse, France.
If launched by 2028, a spacecraft could catch up with 'Oumuamua in 26 years
Monday, 24 January 2022 10:48
In October 2017, the interstellar object 'Oumuamua passed through our solar system, leaving many questions in its wake. Not only was it the first object of its kind ever observed, but the limited data astronomers obtained as it shot out of our solar system left them all scratching their heads. Even today, almost five years after this interstellar visitor made its flyby, scientists are still uncertain about its true nature and origins. In the end, the only way to get real answers from 'Oumuamua is to catch up with it.
Interestingly enough, there are many proposals on the table for missions that could do just that. Consider Project Lyra, a proposal by the Institute for Interstellar Studies (i4is), which would rely on advanced propulsions technology to rendezvous with interstellar objects (ISOs) and study them.
China’s Galactic Energy raises $200 million for reusable launch vehicle development
Monday, 24 January 2022 09:23
Chinese commercial rocket maker Galactic Energy raised $200 million in two funding rounds during the second half of 2021, the company announced Monday.
Fitness in 360° | Cosmic Kiss
Monday, 24 January 2022 08:00
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You’ve heard of spacewalking astronauts but how do astronauts run? Join ESA’s Matthias Maurer for a workout on the International Space Station’s T2 treadmill and explore Node 3 in 360°.
Astronauts living and working on the International Space Station exercise for around two hours a day six days a week to stay fit and healthy in orbit. This helps counteract muscle and bone loss caused by life in microgravity.
The T2 treadmill is attached to the wall in Node 3 and astronauts secure themselves using a harness and bungies. This creates a feeling like running on a treadmill on
On National Security | Solar power from space: Will it ever get off the ground?
Sunday, 23 January 2022 10:00
Space-based solar power is an idea that has been studied for decades. But even though the United States was a pioneer in this technology, government interest in taking it from the lab to orbit has been tepid at best.
Worldwide coordinated search for dark matter
Saturday, 22 January 2022 11:20
An international team of researchers with key participation from the PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Helmholtz Institute Mainz (HIM) has published for the first time comprehensive data on the search for dark matter using a worldwide network of optical magnetometers. According to the scientists, dark matter fields should produce a characteristic There are 40 billion billions of Black Holes in the Universe!
Saturday, 22 January 2022 11:20
With a new computational approach, SISSA researchers have been able to make the fascinating calculation. Moreover, according to their work, around 1% of the overall ordinary (baryonic) matter is locked up in stellar mass black holes. Their results have just been published in the prestigious 'The Astrophysical Journal'.
How many black holes are out there in the Universe? This is one of the Scientists are a step closer to finding planets like Earth
Saturday, 22 January 2022 11:20
The UK Space Agency has invested 25 million pounds in innovative science for the European Space Agency mission, called Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO), ensuring UK scientists and engineers, led by the University of Warwick, will take part in all aspects of the mission.
Caroline Harper, Head of Space Science at the UK Space Agency, said:
The critical milestone rev PLATO clears decisive hurdle
Saturday, 22 January 2022 11:20
The European Space Agency (ESA) has given the green light to build the flight models of the spacecraft and science payload for the PLATO mission to search for extrasolar planets. The Critical Milestone Review officially concluded on 11 January 2022. This means that the production of the hardware for the space telescope system can now commence. The German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum fur L Quantum computing in silicon hits 99% accuracy
Saturday, 22 January 2022 11:20
Australian researchers have proven that near error-free quantum computing is possible, paving the way to build silicon-based quantum devices compatible with current semiconductor manufacturing technology.
"Today's publication shows our operations were 99 per cent error-free," says Professor Andrea Morello of UNSW, who led the work with partners in the US, Japan, Egypt, and at UTS and the U Semiconductor spin qubits gain further credibility as leading platform for quantum computing
Saturday, 22 January 2022 11:20
Researchers at QuTech-a collaboration between the Delft University of Technology and TNO-have taken an important step for semiconductor spin qubits by surpassing the 99% barrier for two-qubit gate fidelity. They report on their findings in Nature on 19 January 2021 and are featured on the issue's cover. Two independent works from groups at UNSW Sydney and at RIKEN report similar results in the s