Ancient diamonds show Earth was primed for life's explosion at least 2.7 billion years ago
Wednesday, 07 July 2021 04:32
A unique study of ancient diamonds has shown that the basic chemical composition of the Earth's atmosphere which makes it suitable for life's explosion of diversity was laid down at least 2.7 billion years ago. Volatile gases conserved in diamonds found in ancient rocks were present in similar proportions to those found in today's mantle, which in turn indicates that there has been no fundamenta Why does Mercury have a big iron core?
Wednesday, 07 July 2021 04:32
Scientists from Tohoku University and the University of Maryland have pinpointed the strong magnetic field of the early sun as the reason behind the radial variation of rock and metal in rocky planets' cores. This magnetic field, which pulled small iron grains inward, explains Mercury's big iron core and why Mars has so little iron in its core.
The details of their research were published A meteorite witness to the solar system's birth
Wednesday, 07 July 2021 04:32
In 2011, scientists confirmed a suspicion: There was a split in the local cosmos. Samples of the solar wind brought back to Earth by the Genesis mission definitively determined oxygen isotopes in the sun differ from those found on Earth, the moon and the other planets and satellites in the solar system.
Early in the solar system's history, material that would later coalesce into planets ha SwRI-led team addresses mystery of heavy elements in galactic cosmic rays
Wednesday, 07 July 2021 04:32
Scientists have used data from the Southwest Research Institute-led Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission to explain the presence of energetic heavy elements in galactic cosmic rays (GCRs). GCRs are composed of fast-moving energetic particles, mostly hydrogen ions called protons, the lightest and most abundant elements in the universe. Scientists have long debated how trace amounts of heavy io Satellite galaxies can carry on forming stars when they pass close to their parent galaxies
Wednesday, 07 July 2021 04:32
Historically most scientists thought that once a satellite galaxy has passed close by its higher mass parent galaxy its star formation would stop because the larger galaxy would remove the gas from it, leaving it shorn of the material it would need to make new stars. However, for the first time, a team led by the researcher at the Instituto de Astrofisica de Canarias (IAC), Arianna di Cintio, ha Kepler telescope glimpses population of free-floating planets
Wednesday, 07 July 2021 04:32
Tantalising evidence has been uncovered for a mysterious population of "free-floating" planets, planets that may be alone in deep space, unbound to any host star. The results include four new discoveries that are consistent with planets of similar masses to Earth, published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The study, led by Iain McDonald of the University of Manchester Pathfinder satellite paves way for constellation of tropical-storm observers
Wednesday, 07 July 2021 04:32
The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season was one of the most brutal on record, producing an unprecedented 30 named storms. What's more, a record-tying 10 of those storms were characterized as rapidly intensifying - some throttling up by 100 miles per hour in under two days.
To provide a more consistent watch over Earth's tropical belt where these storms form, NASA has launched a test satellite, Tiangong: astronauts are working on China's new space station - here's what to expect
Wednesday, 07 July 2021 04:32
Three astronauts on China's new space station have just performed the country's first space walk and are busy configuring the module for future crews. Named Tiangong ("heavenly palace"), the station is the Chinese National Space Agency (CNSA)'s signature project to develop China's ambitions for having humans in orbit around Earth for a long amount of time.
In planning since the late 1990s, OneWeb names winners of 2021 Innovation Challenge
Wednesday, 07 July 2021 02:50
SAN FRANCISCO – IRT Saint Exupéry, Mbryonics, Morpheus Space, Oledcomm and R3-IoT were the winners of OneWeb’s 2021 Innovation Challenge, a campaign to designed to “rethink satellite connectivity” and establish new partnerships, according to London-based OneWeb.
OneWeb announced the winners July 1 during an online event tracking the launch of 36 broadband communications satellites on an Arianespace Soyuz rocket from Russia’s Vostochny Cosmodrome.
Satellogic to public through SPAC deal
Tuesday, 06 July 2021 18:50
WASHINGTON — Earth imaging company Satellogic announced July 6 it will go public through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), raising the funding it needs to build out a constellation of 300 spacecraft.
Satellogic said it will merge with CF Acquisition Corp.
China conducts third orbital launch inside four days
Tuesday, 06 July 2021 18:01
HELSINKI — China launched a Tianlian data tracking and relay communications satellite Tuesday, marking the country’s third successful mission in four days.
The heart of a lunar sensor
Tuesday, 06 July 2021 12:37
Image:
The heart of the Exospheric Mass Spectrometer (EMS) is visible in this image of the key sensor that will study the abundance of lunar water and water ice for upcoming missions to the Moon.
This spectrometer is being delivered to NASA today as part of the PITMS instrument for its launch to the Moon later this year.
EMS is based on an ‘ion trap’, an ingenious detector device that allows researchers to identify and quantify sample atoms and molecules in a gas and allows to establish a corresponding mass spectrum. Scientists at The Open University and RAL Space are developing EMS
Significant solar flare erupts from sun
Tuesday, 06 July 2021 10:39
The sun emitted a significant solar flare peaking at 10:29 a.m. EDT on July 3, 2021. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the sun constantly, captured an image of the event.
Solar flares are powerful bursts of radiation. Harmful radiation from a flare cannot pass through Earth's atmosphere to physically affect humans on the ground, however—when intense enough—they can disturb the atmosphere in the layer where GPS and communications signals travel.
To see how such space weather may affect Earth, please visit NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center at spaceweather.gov, the U.S. government's official source for space weather forecasts, watches, warnings and alerts.
This flare is classified as an X1.5-class flare.
X-class denotes the most intense flares, while the number provides more information about its strength.
JWST passes launch review
Tuesday, 06 July 2021 10:26
WASHINGTON — The James Webb Space Telescope is one step closer to launch after a review of its Ariane launch vehicle, while NASA continues a separate review of the name of the spacecraft itself.
Raytheon to develop Long Range Standoff nuclear missiles in $2B contract
Tuesday, 06 July 2021 08:11
The Pentagon this week awarded Raytheon a contract worth up to $2 billion to develop a new nuclear cruise missile.
The contract, announced Thursday, calls for development of the new missiles through 2027, when a first flight could occur and a decision about production may be made.
The series of air-launched, Long-Range Standoff weapons would replace the Air Launched Cruise or AGM