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- arstechnica.com Rocket delivered to launch site for first human flight to the Moon since 1972
We're standing by for news on NASA's decision on what to do about Orion's heat shield.
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Boeing Starliner officials may know ‘root cause’ of issues with astronaut flight
www.cnn.com Boeing Starliner officials may know ‘root cause’ of issues with astronaut flight | CNNAfter weeks of troubleshooting, NASA and Boeing officials say they better understand the issues plaguing the Starliner spacecraft, but still aren’t ready to name a return date.
tl;dr
>Heat building up inside the thrusters may be causing Teflon seals to bulge, restricting the flow of propellant.
- phys.org Chinese lunar probe finds water in moon samples
A Chinese lunar probe found traces of water in samples of the moon's soil, scientists have said, as the country pushes its ambitious space program into high gear.
- arstechnica.com We’re building nuclear spaceships again—this time for real
The military and NASA seem serious about building demonstration hardware.
- www.space.com How the CIA 'kidnapped' a Soviet moon probe during the space race
"And the Soviets were none the wiser. Sound like something from a movie script? It really happened."
- interestingengineering.com China's 30-satellite information superhighway to connect Earth, moon
Chinese scientists propose a 30-satellite network to establish an "information superhighway" between Earth and the moon.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/18256668
- arstechnica.com Mini-Neptune turned out to be a frozen super-Earth
The density makes it look like a water world, but its dim host star keeps it cool.
- www.digitalcameraworld.com Astrophotographer takes stunning photographs of the sun in incredible detail from his backyard in Arizona
“I have been imaging the sun for years,” Johnston told DCW, “Recently, I created a large aperture custom solar telescope"
- www.space.com May solar superstorm caused largest 'mass migration' of satellites in history
"The May 2024 geomagnetic storm was the first major storm to occur during a new paradigm in low Earth orbit satellite operations dominated by commercial small satellites."
A solar superstorm in May caused thousands of satellites to simultaneously maneuver to maintain altitude due to the thickening of the upper atmosphere, creating potential collision hazards as existing prediction systems struggled to cope. Space.com reports:
>According to a pre-print paper published on the online repository arXiv on June 12, satellites and space debris objects in low Earth orbit -- the region of space up to an altitude of 1,200 miles (2,000 kilometers) -- were sinking toward the planet at the speed of 590 feet (180 meters) per day during the four-day storm. To make up for the loss of altitude, thousands of spacecraft began firing their thrusters at the same time to climb back up. That mass movement, the authors of the paper point out, could have led to dangerous situations because collision avoidance systems didn't have time to calculate the satellites' changing paths.
>The solar storm that battered Earth from May 7 to 10 reached the intensity of G5, the highest level on the five-step scale used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to assess the strength of solar storms. It was the strongest solar storm to hit Earth since 2003. The authors of the paper, however, pointed out that the environment around the planet has changed profoundly since that time. While only a few hundred satellites were orbiting Earth twenty years ago, there are thousands today. The authors of the paper put the number of "active payloads at [low Earth orbit]" at 10,000. [...] The new paper points out that space weather forecasts ahead of the May storm failed to accurately predict the duration and intensity of the event, making satellite collision predictions nearly impossible.
>On the upside, the storm helped to clear out some junk as defunct satellites and debris fragments spiraled deeper into the atmosphere. The authors of the report estimate that thousands of space debris objects lost several kilometers in altitude during the storm. More powerful solar storms can be expected in the coming months as the peak of the current solar cycle -- the 11-year ebb and flow in the number of sunspots, solar flares and eruptions -- is expected in late 2024 and early 2025.
The paper can be found here.
- www.esa.int Double trouble: Gaia hit by micrometeoroid and solar storm
Launched in December 2013, ESA’s Gaia spacecraft is on a mission to map the locations and motions of more than a billion stars in the Milky Way with extreme precision.But it’s not easy being a satellite: space is a dangerous place. In recent months, hyper-velocity space dust and the strongest s...
- www.theguardian.com Signs of two gases in clouds of Venus could indicate life, scientists say
Separate teams find evidence of phosphine and ammonia, potential biomarkers on planet whose surface reaches 450C
- www.nature.com NASA cancels $450-million mission to drill for ice on the Moon — surprising researchers
The already-built rover could now be scrapped for parts.
- arstechnica.com Rocket Report: Firefly’s CEO steps down; Artemis II core stage leaves factory
Rocket Factory Augsburg completed qualification of its upper stage for a first launch this year.
- www.scientificamerican.com Europe Announces New Mission to Infamous Asteroid Apophis
ESA’s Ramses spacecraft will scout out Apophis before and after the asteroid’s super-close flyby of Earth in 2029
- www.bbc.com Moon cave discovered that could one day house humans
It is the first cave to be discovered on the Moon and could protect astronauts from radiation.
- arstechnica.com NASA’s flagship mission to Europa has a problem: Vulnerability to radiation
"What keeps me awake right now is the uncertainty."
- www.esa.int Vivid Webb portrait of interacting galaxies Penguin and Egg
A duo of interacting galaxies known as Arp 142 commemorates the second science anniversary of the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope.
>Their ongoing interaction was set in motion between 25 and 75 million years ago, when the Penguin (individually catalogued as NGC 2936) and the Egg (NGC 2937) completed their first pass. They will go on to shimmy and sway, completing several additional loops before merging into a single galaxy hundreds of millions of years from now. > >The James Webb Space Telescope takes constant observations, including images and highly detailed data known as spectra. Its operations have led to a ‘parade’ of discoveries by astronomers around the world. It has never felt more possible to explore every facet of the Universe. > >The telescope’s specialisation in capturing infrared light – which is beyond what our own eyes can detect – shows these galaxies, collectively known as Arp 142, locked in a slow cosmic dance. Webb’s observations (which combine near- and mid-infrared light from Webb’s NIRCam [Near-InfraRed Camera] and MIRI [Mid-Infrared Instrument], respectively) clearly show that they are joined by a blue haze that is a mix of stars and gas, a result of their mingling. > >. . .
And here's a followup video on the James Webb Space Telescope YouTube channel: A Tour of Arp 142
- www.theguardian.com Scientists design spacesuit that can turn urine into drinking water
Creators hope prototype, modelled on Dune ‘stillsuits’, could be used before 2030 in Nasa’s Artemis programme
- arstechnica.com SpaceX’s unmatched streak of perfection with the Falcon 9 rocket is over
An investigation into the engine failure could delay SpaceX's upcoming crew launches.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket suffered an upper stage engine failure and deployed a batch of Starlink internet satellites into a perilously low orbit after launch from California Thursday night, the first blemish on the workhorse launcher's record in more than 300 missions since 2016.
- finance.yahoo.com Astronauts confident Boeing space capsule can safely return them to Earth, despite failures
Two astronauts who should have been back on Earth weeks ago said Wednesday that they’re confident that Boeing’s space capsule can return them safely, despite a string of vexing breakdowns. NASA test pilots Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams launched aboard Boeing’s new Starliner capsule early last mon...
- abcnews.go.com NASA astronauts stuck on ISS say they feel 'confident' Boeing's Starliner can bring them home
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams said during a press conference on Wednesday they feel 'confident' Boeing's Starliner can bring them home.
- phys.org Astronomers suggest up to 60% of near-Earth objects could be dark comets
Up to 60% of near-Earth objects could be dark comets, mysterious asteroids that orbit the sun in our solar system that likely contain or previously contained ice and could have been one route for delivering water to Earth, according to a University of Michigan study.
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Question: What Niche will Ariane 6 fill compared to SpaceX?
Will it be able to compete at all costs wise, given its lack of reusability?
BBC mentioned it would probably be a decade before the ESA reaches that sort of technology.
Sorry for dumb question I haven’t been following space stuff at all. But I read a couple articles on yesterdays launch and was interested.
- www.space.com The James Webb Space Telescope finds a jeweled ring in the cosmos
A gravitationally lensed quasar looks just like a sparkling piece of jewelry.
- www.cnbc.com Space station startup Gravitics lands $125 million order from Axiom
Gravitics aims to become a manufacturer of private space stations, with designs for modules that have the "largest interior volume in a standalone spacecraft."
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90 minutes until the maiden launch of Ariane 6
Launch window opens at: 2024-07-09 19:00 UTC
Launch thread has been posted over at [email protected]:
Ariane 6 Demo Flight Launch Thread! (ESA Rideshares)
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“We need to consider alternatives to dark matter that better explain cosmological observations” (see comments for discussion)
theconversation.com We need to consider alternatives to dark matter that better explain cosmological observationsCosmology does not need dark matter or dark energy in an expanding universe that allows the constants of nature to evolve, and light loses energy as it travels vast distances.
edit: title was modified to call attention to the discussion in the comments
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The article is by Rajendra Gupta, Adjunct professor Physics @ L’Université d’Ottawa/University of Ottawa
First few lines:
> Do constants of nature — the numbers that determine how things behave, like the speed of light — change over time as the universe expands? Does light get a little tired travelling vast cosmic distances? It was believed that dark matter and dark energy explained these cosmological phenomena, but recent research indicates that our universe has been expanding without dark matter or dark energy. > > Doing away with dark matter and dark energy resolves the “impossible early galaxy problem,” that arises when trying to account for galaxies that do not adhere to expectations regarding to size and age. Finding an alternative to dark matter and energy that complies with existing cosmological observations, including galaxy distribution, is possible.
> “We need to consider alternatives to dark matter that better explain cosmological observations” (see comments for discussion)
- futurism.com China Planning to Smash Asteroid in Planetary Defense Test
China is planning to send an satellite into orbit that will then study and smash to bits a nearby asteroid in a test mission to defend Earth.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/17634058
- www.digitaltrends.com Crew is leaving simulated Mars habitat after 378 days | Digital Trends
Four volunteers for a NASA experiment have spent more than a year confined to a simulated version of a Mars habitat -- and now they're being let out.
- www.theguardian.com Scientists find desert moss ‘that can survive on Mars’
Moss that grows in Mojave desert and Antarctica may help establish life on the red planet, researchers say
- ktla.com Stadium-sized asteroid buzzes by Earth on Saturday: 5 things to know
Near miss, in this case, is a relative term: Saturday’s asteroid, 2024 MK, will come within 180,000 miles of Earth. On Thursday, meanwhile, asteroid 2011 UL21 flew within 4 million miles.
> An asteroid the size of a football stadium threaded the needle between Earth and the moon Saturday morning — the second of two astronomical near misses in three days. Near miss, in this case, is a relative term: Saturday's asteroid, 2024 MK, came within 180,000 miles of Earth. On Thursday, meanwhile, asteroid 2011 UL21 flew within 4 million miles.
> But the Saturday passage of 2024 MK — which scientists discovered only two weeks ago — coincides with a sobering reminder of threats from space. Sunday is Asteroid Day, the anniversary of the 1908 explosion of a rock from space above a Russian town — the sort of danger that, astronomers warn, is always lurking as the Earth hurtles through space... In 2013, for instance, an asteroid about 62 feet across that broke apart nearly 20 miles above Siberia released 30 times as much energy as the atomic bomb that hit Hiroshima. While most of the impact energy was absorbed by the atmosphere, the detonation triggered a shock wave that blew out windows and injured more than a thousand people.
The article points out that if Saturday's asteroid had hit earth, the impact would have "the equivalent impact energy in the hundreds of megaton approaching a gigaton," Peter Brown of Canada's Western University told the Canadian Broadcasting Service. (For comparison, most hydrogen bombs are in the 50-megaton range.) Brown said "It's the sort of thing that if it hit the east coast of the U.S., you would have catastrophic effects over most of the eastern seaboard. But it's not big enough to affect the whole world."
Meanwhile, the article adds that last Thursday's asteroid — "while it was comfortably far out in space" — was the size of Mt. Everest. "At 1.5 miles in diameter, that asteroid was about a quarter the size of the asteroid that struck the earth 65 million years ago, wiping out all dinosaurs that walked, as well as the majority of life on earth." But the risk of a collision like that "is very, very low." NASA has estimated that a civilization-ending event (like the collision of an asteroid the size of Thursday's with the Earth) should only happen every few million years. And such an impact from an asteroid half a mile in diameter or bigger will be almost impossible for a very long time, according to findings published last year in The Astronomical Journal.
NASA's catalog of large and dangerous objects like 2011 UL21 is now 95 percent complete, MIT Technology Review reported.
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Tianlong 3 booster static fire test lifts off instead
YouTube Video
Click to view this content.
Scott Manley video, looks like the hold down claps may have ripped the bottom off the booster, allowing it to take off.
- futurism.com There's an Extremely Stupid Reason NASA Scientists Can't Study China's Amazing New Moon Rocks
The US enacted a law in 2011 that forbids NASA from cooperating with China, which means it may not be able to study the latest Moon rocks.
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/17489886
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Webb finds never-before-seen structures above Jupiter's Great Red Spot
www.nasaspaceflight.com Webb finds never-before-seen structures above Jupiter's Great Red Spot - NASASpaceFlight.comUsing the joint NASA, European Space Agency (ESA), and Canadian Space Agency (CSA) James Webb…
- phys.org Tiny bright objects discovered at dawn of universe baffle scientists
A recent discovery by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) confirmed that luminous, very red objects previously detected in the early universe upend conventional thinking about the origins and evolution of galaxies and their supermassive black holes.
- gizmodo.com Wild Theory Suggests Dark Matter Could Make Stars Immortal
We take it for granted that all stars eventually die, but a quirk involving dark matter suggests those near the galactic core may last forever.
- mashable.com Aliens haven't contacted us. Scientists found a compelling reason why.
"It's like winning the lottery."
tectonic planet are rare
- arstechnica.com NASA orders more tests on Starliner, but says crew isn’t stranded in space
“I want to make it very clear that Butch and Suni are not stranded in space."
NASA and Boeing officials pushed back Friday on headlines that the commercial Starliner crew capsule is stranded at the International Space Station but said they need more time to analyze data before formally clearing the spacecraft for undocking and reentry.
- www.nasa.gov Surprising Phosphate Finding in NASA’s OSIRIS-REx Asteroid Sample - NASA
Scientists have eagerly awaited the opportunity to dig into the 4.3-ounce (121.6-gram) pristine asteroid Bennu sample collected by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx (Origins,