Astronomers have announced that Earth has a new mini-moon, a small asteroid apparently captured into Earth orbit 3 years ago. It’s been designated 2020 CD3.
Archive for the ‘space’ category: Page 688
Feb 26, 2020
Mars lander reveals new details about the Red Planet’s strange magnetic field
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: space
The magnetic field in one zone on Mars is about 10 times stronger than scientists expected, and it’s changing rapidly.
New data gathered from NASA’s InSight lander, which has been on the Red Planet for a little over a year now, shows that the planet’s magnetic field fluctuates rapidly. InSight is the first landing mission to carry a magnetic sensor, which allows it to measure these fields from up close.
Feb 25, 2020
Astra, DARPA prepare for upcoming launch challenge
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: space, transportation
Astra and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are readying for the first launch in a dual-mission “launch challenge”. Astra, the launch contractor, is currently conducting final preparations ahead of the launch of their Rocket 3.0 vehicle, nicknamed “1 of 3”. Both missions will launch from the Pacific Spaceport Complex – Alaska (PSCA) in Kodiak, Alaska. The first launch attempt is scheduled for 3:30 PM ET on February 27. The window stretches until March 1.
Astra and the DARPA launch challenge
Thursday’s launch will be the third for Astra, coming after two launches in July and November 2018. Both launched from the PSCA in Alaska. These were originally believed to be failures. However, Astra stated that the first was successful, and the second was only “shorter than planned”. Neither were designed to reach orbit, as they didn’t have functioning second stages.
Feb 25, 2020
Tissue-box-size satellite created by Rice University students to help tackle space junk
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: mapping, space
Rice University students are developing a research satellite to help alleviate the space junk orbiting our planet.
The OwlSat CubeSat will collect data over the course of one year to see how extreme ultraviolet radiation, which is always emitted from the sun but becomes more intense during events such as solar flares, can alter a satellite’s path in low-Earth orbit, the area where the International Space Station resides. Better understanding a satellite’s orbit can help prevent collisions that can create space junk, said Ryan Udell, president of Rice University’s chapter of Students for the Exploration and Development of Space.
“We don’t have a fool-proof way of mapping orbits,” Udell said. “There are very good predictors out there, but we can’t fully predict it.”
Feb 25, 2020
What can the coronavirus outbreak teach us about bringing Mars samples back to Earth?
Posted by Brent Ellman in categories: biotech/medical, space
A new virus called SARS-CoV-2 is a coronavirus that has caused an outbreak of a disease called COVID-19. But what does that have to do with Mars?
Feb 25, 2020
Mars is humming. Scientists aren’t sure why
Posted by Nare Khachatryan in categories: robotics/AI, space
Feb 25, 2020
NASA Remembers Hidden Figure Katherine Johnson
Posted by Alberto Lao in category: space
With slide rules and pencils, Katherine Johnson’s brilliant mind helped launch our nation into space.
No longer a Hidden Figure, her bravery and commitment to excellence leaves an eternal legacy for us all: https://youtu.be/E8wBJ71zJ34
Feb 24, 2020
University Deletes Press Release Claiming Evidence of Bugs on Mars
Posted by Roderick Reilly in category: space
“I, personally, have pareidolia with respect to insects, beetles in particular,” Maddison told Space.com. “I’ve worked on beetles for decades; I have collected many thousands of beetles around the world. Through the years I have built into my brain a pattern-recognition system for picking out beetles.”
In other words, Rosomer is probably wrong, even though he probably thinks he’s right.
“I do not think there are insects on Mars,” Maddison added. “The photographs that are in that press release you sent are entirely unconvincing, as they fall within the range expected in zillions of non-insect objects photographed in lowish resolution on a Marscape.”
Feb 24, 2020
Gravitational Waves Have Revealed a Stellar Mystery
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: physics, space
A surprising star collision is making scientists rethink what they know about the universe.
Feb 23, 2020
Scientists Found Breathable Oxygen in Another Galaxy for the First Time
Posted by Paul Battista in category: space
Molecular oxygen is a key component of the air humans breathe, and now astronomers have spotted it a half-billion light years away. But don’t hold your breath for quasar whippets.