Readying spacecraft to surf Venus" atmosphere
ESA's EnVision mission to Venus will perform optical, spectral and radar mapping of Earth's sister planet. But before getting down to work the van-sized spacecraft needs to "aerobrake"—lowering its orbit with thousands of passages through the plane.....»»
Cluster mission set to end with reentry over South Pacific
On 8 September 2024, the first of four satellites that make up ESA's Cluster mission will reenter Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific Ocean Uninhabited Area......»»
NASA wants clarity on Orion heat shield issue before stacking Artemis II rocket
"We have still a lot of work to do to close out the heat shield investigation." Enlarge / The Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II mission, comprising its crew and service modules, was lifted into a vacuum test chamber at NASA's K.....»»
NASA answers all of your questions on the troubled Starliner mission
With so much speculation surrounding the state of the spacecraft, the FAQ page offers a definitive guide on where the mission is at right now......»»
Amazonian drought may have long-lasting effects on carbon cycle
The 2015–2016 El Niño hit the Amazon basin hard, causing a drought that severely reduced aboveground vegetation and caused the basin to release nearly 1 gigaton of carbon into the atmosphere......»»
Against all odds, an asteroid mining company appears to be making headway
"It's not easy to ever raise for an asteroid mining company, right?" Enlarge / The Odin spacecraft passed vibration testing. (credit: Astro Forge) When I first spoke with space entrepreneurs Jose Acain and Matt Gialich a.....»»
Astronomers discover spectacular increase in the deuterium to hydrogen ratio in Venus"s atmosphere
Thanks to observations by the Solar Occultation in the Infrared (SOIR) instrument on the Venus Express space probe of the European Space Agency (ESA), researchers have discovered an unexpected increase in the abundances of two water molecule variants.....»»
Rocket Lab entered “hero mode” to finish Mars probes—now it’s up to Blue Origin
In order to send NASA's ESCAPADE mission to Mars, Blue Origin must launch in September or October. Enlarge / The two spacecraft for NASA's ESCAPADE mission at Rocket Lab's factory in Long Beach, California. (credit: Rocket Lab).....»»
Mars-bound payload on way to Florida for 1st launch of Blue Origin New Glenn
The Mars-bound twin spacecraft for NASA's ESCAPADE mission were packed up in California to be shipped out to Florida this week ahead of what would be the first ever launch of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral......»»
Watch a space station astronaut enjoy a rare treat in style
A Russian cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station on Saturday, bringing with it tons of supplies and a special delivery......»»
Meteorites give the Moon its extremely thin atmosphere
Impacts that vaporize bits of the lunar surface maintain the Moon's thin atmosphere. Enlarge / Artist's rendition of the LADEE mission above the lunar surface. (credit: NASA/ Dana Berry) The Moon may not have much of an.....»»
NASA Nears Decision Time on Boeing Starliner’s Fate
There’s now a significant chance the spacecraft’s crew will have to return to Earth on a different one—and maybe not until next year......»»
NASA acknowledges it cannot quantify risk of Starliner propulsion issues
"We don’t have enough insight and data to make some sort of simple black-and-white calculation." Enlarge / Artist's illustration of Boeing's Starliner spacecraft firing four of its orbital maneuvering engines, as it will during.....»»
NASA shuts down asteroid-hunting telescope, but a better one is on the way
The NEOWISE spacecraft is on a course to fall out of orbit in the next few months. Enlarge / Artist's illustration of NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer spacecraft. (credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) Last week, NASA deco.....»»
New parameter enhances insights into the evolution of mantle"s redox states
The oxygen fugacity (fO2) of the mantle controls the speciation and mobility of volatiles within it, influencing the composition of volatiles released during mantle-derived magmatic activity, and thereby regulating the composition of the atmosphere......»»
The atmosphere in the room can affect strategic decision-making, study finds
The atmosphere within a group can influence the outcome of strategic decision-making, according to a new study co-authored by Bayes Business School (formerly Cass). The research is published in the Academy of Management Journal......»»
A hopper could explore more than 150 km of Triton"s surface in two years
Neptune's largest moon, Triton, is one of the most biologically interesting places in the solar system. Despite being hard to reach, it appears to have active volcanoes, a thin atmosphere, and even some organic molecules called tholins on its surface.....»»
SpaceX announces first human mission to ever fly over the planet’s poles
The highest inclination flight by a human spacecraft to date is 65.1 degrees. Enlarge / The crew of Fram2 from left to right: Eric Philips, Jannicke Mikkelsen, Chun Wang, and Rabea Rogge. (credit: SpaceX) SpaceX will fl.....»»
Arctic Ocean may absorb less CO₂ than projected due to coastal erosion
As Earth warms, the Arctic Ocean's ability to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere is waning due to melting permafrost and worsening coastal erosion, according to new research......»»
Surf spots are global ally in climate fight, study finds
A first-of-its-kind study, published today in Conservation Science and Practice, has found that the forests, mangroves and marshes surrounding surf breaks store almost 90 Mt (million metric tons) of climate-stabilizing "irrecoverable carbon," making.....»»
NASA is about to make its most important safety decision in nearly a generation
Three Starliner mission managers had key roles on Columbia's ill-fated final flight. Enlarge / Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, seen docked at the International Space Station through the window of a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. (credi.....»»