How a supermassive black hole originates
Saturday, 19 June 2021 09:26
Supermassive black holes, or SMBHs, are black holes with masses that are several million to billion times the mass of our sun. The Milky Way hosts an SMBH with mass a few million times the solar mass. Surprisingly, astrophysical observations show that SMBHs already existed when the universe was very young. For example, a billion solar mass black holes are found when the universe was just 6% of i When testing Einstein's theory of general relativity, small modeling errors add up fast
Saturday, 19 June 2021 09:26
Small modeling errors may accumulate faster than previously expected when physicists combine multiple gravitational wave events (such as colliding black holes) to test Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, suggest researchers at the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom.
The findings, published June 16 in the journal iScience, suggest that catalogs with as few as 10 to 3 A wrinkle to the origins of matter in the Milky Way
Saturday, 19 June 2021 09:26
New findings published this week in Physical Review Letters suggest that carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen cosmic rays travel through the galaxy toward Earth in a similar way, but, surprisingly, that iron arrives at Earth differently. Learning more about how cosmic rays move through the galaxy helps address a fundamental, lingering question in astrophysics: How is matter generated and distributed acr Space scientists solve a decades-long gamma-ray burst puzzle
Saturday, 19 June 2021 09:26
An international team of scientists, led by astrophysicists from the University of Bath in the UK, has measured the magnetic field in a far-off Gamma-Ray Burst, confirming for the first time a decades-long theoretical prediction - that the magnetic field in these blast waves becomes scrambled after the ejected material crashes into, and shocks, the surrounding medium.
Black holes are forme Detector measures cosmic radiation on the Zugspitze
Saturday, 19 June 2021 09:26
Timepix3 was developed to detect elementary particles at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). It was then carried up to the International Space Station (ISS), where it measures the radiation dose to which astronauts and equipment are exposed. Most recently, Timepix3 has been used on the Zugspitze.
Its task is to simultaneously detect the secondary cosmic rays and radon de Mystery of galaxy's missing dark matter deepens
Saturday, 19 June 2021 09:26
When astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope uncovered an oddball galaxy that looked like it didn't have much dark matter, some thought the finding was hard to believe and looked for a simpler explanation.
Dark matter, after all, is the invisible glue that makes up the bulk of the universe's matter. All galaxies appear to be dominated by it; in fact, galaxies are thought to form in Mystery of Betelgeuse's dip in brightness solved
Saturday, 19 June 2021 09:26
When Betelgeuse, a bright orange star in the constellation of Orion, lost more than two-thirds of its brightness in late 2019 and early 2020, astronomers were puzzled.
What could cause such an abrupt dimming?
Now, in a new paper published Wednesday in Nature, an international team of astronomers reveal two never-before-seen images of the mysterious darkening --and an explanation. The Astronauts may get their spleen removed before long-distance flights
Saturday, 19 June 2021 09:26
Radiation is considered one of the main issues facing space agencies in their bid to send a manned flight to Mars, according to Russian scientists from the Institute of Biomedical Problems.
Researchers from Russia and the US have been debating whether it will be necessary to remove the spleen - the organ which primarily removes old or damaged red blood cells from the body - from astronauts Astronauts arrange new 'home' in space
Saturday, 19 June 2021 09:26
Astronauts on board the core module of China's space station have started to prepare their orbiting residence for operations over the next three months.
As soon as the three crew members-Major General Nie Haisheng, Major General Liu Boming and Senior Colonel Tang Hongbo-floated into the core module, named Tianhe, or Harmony of Heavens, on Thursday afternoon, they started to configure the e Fresh group of astronauts readying for orbit
Saturday, 19 June 2021 09:26
As construction of China's space station gradually unfolds, the country needs fresh vigor to carry out the ambitious endeavor.
Currently, the Astronaut Center of China in Beijing is training the third group of Chinese astronauts.
The 18 new astronauts-17 men and one woman-are in three groups: seven will become spacecraft pilots, another seven will eventually be space flight engineers NASA reports trouble with Hubble Space Telescope
Saturday, 19 June 2021 08:15
The Hubble Space Telescope, which has been peering into the universe for more than 30 years, has been down for the past few days, NASA said Friday.
The problem is a payload computer that stopped working last Sunday, the US space agency said.
It insisted the telescope itself and scientific instruments that accompany it are "in good health."
"The payload computer's purpose is to control and coordinate the science instruments and monitor them for health and safety purposes," NASA said.
SES strengthens Amazon Web Services cloud partnership
Friday, 18 June 2021 19:58
TAMPA, Fla. — SES has expanded its partnership with Amazon Web Services (AWS), enabling satellite customers to connect directly to its cloud-based applications.
According to SES, it is the first satellite operator to pass technical and business reviews for directly connecting with AWS cloud services, without going through a virtual private network (VPN).
Op-ed | NOAA is stalling U.S. space traffic management
Friday, 18 June 2021 15:07
As demonstrated by the uncontrolled reentry of a Chinese rocket last month, irresponsible space activities can put billions of dollars and human life at risk. Recognizing the reality of increasing space activities and the need for the national security community to focus its resources on security threats, the Trump administration issued Space Policy Directive 3 (SPD-3), “National Space Traffic Management Policy” in 2018.
The Lunar Lantern could be a beacon for humanity on the moon
Friday, 18 June 2021 14:10
In October of 2024, NASA's Artemis Program will return astronauts to the surface of the moon for the first time since the Apollo Era. In the years and decades that follow, multiple space agencies and commercial partners plan to build the infrastructure that will allow for a long-term human presence on the moon. An important part of these efforts involves building habitats that can ensure the astronauts' health, safety, and comfort in the extreme lunar environment.
This challenge has inspired architects and designers from all over the world to create innovative and novel ideas for lunar living. One of these is the Lunar Lantern, a base concept developed by ICON (an advanced construction company based in Austin, Texas) as part of a NASA-supported project to build a sustainable outpost on the moon. This proposal is currently being showcased as part of the 17th International Architecture Exhibition at the La Biennale di Venezia museum in Venice, Italy.
The Lunar Lantern emerged from Project Olympus, a research and development program made possible thanks to a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract and funding from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC).
Student experiments to blast off from NASA Wallops
Friday, 18 June 2021 13:40
After being developed via a virtual learning experience, more than 70 experiments built by university students across the United States are ready for flight on NASA suborbital flight vehicles.
The launch of a NASA Terrier-Improved Orion suborbital sounding rocket carrying some of the students' experiments will be conducted at 8 a.m. EDT, Thursday, June 24, from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The rocket launch is expected to be seen from the eastern shore of Virginia and Maryland and southern Delaware.
"One of the great attributes of the NASA suborbital flight vehicles is the ability to support educational flight activities," said Giovanni Rosanova, chief of the NASA Sounding Rockets Program Office at Wallops. "Despite the challenges that dealing with COVID 19 presented, everyone came together to make this launch happen this year after having to postpone the project in 2020.