Shanghai, China (SPX) Mar 07, 2023
A research team from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory (SHAO) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has detected radio recombination lines (RRLs) of ions heavier than helium for the first time, using the TianMa 65-m Radio Telescope (TMRT). These lines were assigned to carbon and/or oxygen ions. Ionized gas is the most widely distributed interstellar gas component and an important laborato

Gaithersburg MD (SPX) Mar 07, 2023
There's a mystery happening in some satellites facing the Sun, and scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) are on the case. The team has been trying to figure out what is clouding up and compromising the performance of tiny, thin metal membranes that filter sunlight as it enters detectors that monitor t

Melbourne, Australia (SPX) Mar 07, 2023
Astrophysicists in Australia have shed new light on the state of the universe 13 billion years ago by measuring the density of carbon in the gases surrounding ancient galaxies. The study adds another piece to the puzzle of the history of the universe. "We found that the fraction of carbon in warm gas increased rapidly about 13 billion years ago, which may be linked to large-scale hea

Mountain View CA (SPX) Mar 07, 2023
Wouldn't finding life on other worlds be easier if we knew exactly where to look? Researchers have limited opportunities to collect samples on Mars or elsewhere or access remote sensing instruments when hunting for life beyond Earth. In a paper published in Nature Astronomy, an interdisciplinary study led by SETI Institute Senior Research Scientist Kim Warren-Rhodes, mapped the sparse life hidde

University Park PA (SPX) Mar 07, 2023
Astronomers and amateurs alike know the bigger the telescope, the more powerful the imaging capability. To keep the power but streamline one of the bulkier components, a Penn State-led research team created the first ultrathin, compact metalens telescope capable of imaging far-away objects, including the moon. Metalenses comprise tiny, antenna-like surface patterns that can focus light to

Houston TX (SPX) Mar 07, 2023
NASA's 27th SpaceX commercial resupply services (CRS) mission is scheduled to launch to the International Space Station from the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida in March. The scientific experiments and technology demonstrations carried by the uncrewed Dragon spacecraft examine how the heart changes in space, test a student-designed camera mount, compare surfaces that control biofilm for

Space Coast FL (SPX) Mar 07, 2023
On Tuesday, Japan's next-generation H3 rocket failed after liftoff, prompting the space agency to issue a destruct command after concluding that the mission could not be completed. The H3 successfully launched after a failed attempt last month when the vehicle's two solid rocket boosters failed to ignite as planned, and aborted right at liftoff. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) laun

Washington DC (VOA) Mar 07, 2023
Virgin Galactic has completed improvements to its VSS Unity spaceplane. The company plans to restart a passenger flight program this year, the company said Tuesday. Virgin Galactic suspended flights of the Unity and its carrier plane, the VMS Eve, in 2021 to work on the craft. The VSS Unity launches from the surface of the Eve after that plane carries the spacecraft up. Virgin Galact

A partnership between ESA and PLAYMOBIL continues to inspire and educate children about space. It also helps to support the children’s humanitarian organisation UNICEF and its work with vulnerable children around the world.

Tokyo (AFP) March 7, 2023
Japan's next-generation H3 rocket failed after liftoff on Tuesday, with the space agency issuing a destruct command after concluding the mission could not succeed. The failure is a blow for Japan's space agency JAXA, after the rocket failed to even lift off on its first try last month. Tuesday's launch from the Tanegashima Space Center in southwestern Japan initially appeared to be a su