NASA to help with the launch of Europe’s unlucky Mars rover
Europe's unlucky Mars rover, known as Rosalind Franklin, has gotten a boost thanks to a new cooperation agreement with NASA......»»
Tracing the origins of organic matter in Martian sediments
Although Mars presents a barren, dusty landscape with no signs of life so far, its geological features such as deltas, lakebeds, and river valleys strongly suggest a past where water once flowed abundantly on its surface. To explore this possibility,.....»»
NASA wants a cheaper Mars Sample Return—Boeing proposes most expensive rocket
"To reduce mission complexity, this new concept is doing one launch." Enlarge / The Space Launch System rocket lifts off on the Artemis I mission. (credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls) NASA is looking for ways to get rock samples.....»»
Exploration-focused training lets robotics AI immediately handle new tasks
Maximum Diffusion Reinforcement Learning focuses training on end states, not process. Enlarge (credit: boonchai wedmakawand) Reinforcement-learning algorithms in systems like ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini can work wonders.....»»
Visual observation of photonic Floquet–Bloch oscillations
Recently, the exploration of Bloch oscillations (BOs) in periodically driven quantum systems, equivalent to "Floquet systems," has drawn tremendous attention because their exotic characteristics are profoundly distinct from those in static systems. S.....»»
We need to consider conservation efforts on Mars, say researchers
Astrobiology is the field of science that studies the origins, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. In practice, this means sending robotic missions beyond Earth to analyze the atmospheres, surfaces, and chemistry of extraterr.....»»
Maker Spotlight: Rob Richards
While on an online exploration for potential exhibits for Maker Faire Bay Area 2024, I chanced upon Rob Richards and his forthcoming project, “Echoes of the Heart,” slated for Burning Man 2024. Intrigued, I reached out to learn more. Hai.....»»
Video: Using a hopping robot for asteroid exploration
One day the SpaceHopper will be deployed on space missions to explore relatively small celestial bodies such as asteroids and moons. These are thought to contain valuable mineral resources that could be of use to humankind in the future. The explorat.....»»
China publishes world"s first high-definition lunar geologic atlas
China has released a geologic atlas set of the global moon with a scale of 1:2.5 million, which is the first complete high-definition lunar geologic atlas in the world, providing basic map data for future lunar research and exploration......»»
Boeing"s Starliner joins select club of crewed US spaceships
Throughout the annals of American space exploration, a select few spacecraft have had the distinction of carrying human beings beyond Earth......»»
Earth from space: Namibian landforms
This image may resemble the surface of Mars, but it was actually captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, revealing the stunning terrain of northwest Namibia......»»
NASA selects 9 companies to work on low-cost Mars projects
NASA is expanding its plans for Mars, looking at not only a mission to bring back a sample but also smaller, lower-cost missions to enable exploration......»»
Pulsed plasma rocket (PPR): Shielded, fast transits for humans to Mars
The future of a space-faring civilization will depend on the ability to move both cargo and humans efficiently and rapidly. Due to the extremely large distances that are involved in space travel, the spacecraft must reach high velocities for reasonab.....»»
Intercropping viable for optimizing vegetable production on Mars
A group of crop systems analysts at Wageningen University and Research, in the Netherlands, has found evidence that intercropping on Mars could be a viable option for optimizing vegetable production......»»
NASA scientists gear up for solar storms at Mars
In the months ahead, two of NASA's Mars spacecraft will have an unprecedented opportunity to study how solar flares—giant explosions on the sun's surface—could affect robots and future astronauts on the Red Planet......»»
Hera asteroid mission"s side-trip to Mars
ESA's Hera asteroid mission for planetary defense will make a swingby of Mars next March, borrowing speed to help reach its target Didymos binary asteroid system......»»
The Mars Sample Return mission has a shaky future, and NASA is calling on private companies for backup
A critical NASA mission in the search for life beyond Earth, Mars Sample Return, is in trouble. Its budget has ballooned from US$5 billion to over $11 billion, and the sample return date may slip from the end of this decade to 2040......»»
If Starship is real, we’re going to need big cargo movers on the Moon and Mars
"I left SpaceX knowing the width of the Starship door." Enlarge / The author tries not to crash a lunar rover. (credit: Eric Berger) As a SpaceX engineer working on the Starship program about five years ago, Jaret Matthe.....»»
Pushing the limits of sub-kilowatt electric propulsion technology for space mission concepts
NASA has developed an advanced propulsion technology to facilitate future planetary exploration missions using small spacecraft. Not only will this technology enable new types of planetary science missions, one of NASA's commercial partners is alread.....»»
A NASA rover has reached a promising place to search for fossilized life on Mars
While we go about our daily lives on Earth, a nuclear-powered robot the size of a small car is trundling around Mars looking for fossils. Unlike its predecessor Curiosity, NASA's Perseverance rover is explicitly intended to "search for potential evid.....»»