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.....»»
Mature forests are vital in frontline fight against climate change, research reveals
Mature forests have a key role to play in the fight against climate change—extracting carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and locking it into new wood, a new study reveals......»»
Steve Jobs" mega yacht bashed a billionaire"s boat in Italy
In what is possibly the slowest speed nautical crash ever, Steve Jobs' yacht struck another billionaire's vessel.Steve Jobs' Venus hits another yacht [Instagram/Ricardo Salinas Pliego]A pair of luxury yachts came into contact with each other off the.....»»
NASA says goodbye to our planetary protector, the asteroid-spotting NEOWISE mission
Fifteen years after a launch that was intended to begin just a seven month mission, NASA's NEOWISE spacecraft has finally shut down......»»
Powering enzymes with light to make ammonia
The Earth's atmosphere contains large amounts of nitrogen in the form of dinitrogen gas (N2). Converting N2 to ammonia (NH3) is critical for making the fertilizer needed for agriculture......»»
Model suggests spewing metal nanorods into Mars" atmosphere could warm the planet by 30 K
A small team of engineers and geophysicists from Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of Central Florida has found, via modeling, that creating millions of metal nanorods from material on the Martian surface and then.....»»
NASA Retires Asteroid-Hunting Telescope
NASA’s NEOWISE telescope has searched for asteroids, brown dwarfs and luminous galaxies. The spacecraft will soon burn up in Earth’s atmosphere.....»»
How efficiently different US forests will remove atmospheric carbon in the future
Forests absorb carbon by capturing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, making forest carbon stocks an important resource against climate change. In research published in Ecology and Evolution, investigators examined existing tree regeneration pattern.....»»
NASA is about to offer an update on the troubled Starliner mission
NASA is set to offer an update on Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, which has been stuck at the International Space Station since early June......»»
NASA chief will make the final decision on how Starliner crew flies home
"I especially have confidence since I have the final decision." Enlarge / SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Cargo Dragon spacecraft, seen here with the new launch tower and access arm at SLC-40. (credit: SpaceX) NASA on Tuesd.....»»
How to watch Cygnus dock at the ISS early on Tuesday
Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus spacecraft is about to dock with the International Space Station on its 21st resupply mission......»»
NASA likely to significantly delay the launch of Crew 9 due to Starliner issues
The primary reason for the delay is rather surprising. Enlarge / Boeing's Starliner spacecraft is lifted to be placed atop an Atlas V rocket for its first crewed launch. (credit: United Launch Alliance) NASA is planning.....»»
Cygnus spacecraft suffers issue on the way to the space station
NASA had an issue with the Cygnus spaceship shortly after it launched for the ISS on Sunday, but engineers are still aiming to achieve the planned docking time......»»
NASA Is ‘Evaluating All Options’ to Get the Boeing Starliner Crew Home
Eight weeks after the Starliner spacecraft launched, NASA is still looking for possible answers to its technical issues—including the possibility of SpaceX lending a hand......»»
Researchers identify useful emission lines in the sun"s outer atmosphere
When studying the solar spectrum, researchers often search for specific emission lines: prominent wavelengths emitted by ions as their electrons transition from higher to lower energy levels. Emission spectra of two iron ions, Fe IX and Fe X, are par.....»»
Scientists pin down the origins of the moon"s tenuous atmosphere
While the moon lacks any breathable air, it does host a barely-there atmosphere. Since the 1980s, astronomers have observed a very thin layer of atoms bouncing over the moon's surface. This delicate atmosphere—technically known as an "exosphere"—.....»»
NASA pushes Boeing Starliner return meeting to at least next week
Despite NASA officials last week stating a return readiness review might happen this week for Boeing's Starliner, teams instead continue to go over data for the spacecraft before any decision on its departure from the International Space Station......»»
First full 2-D spectral image of aurora borealis from a hyperspectral camera
Auroras are natural luminous phenomena caused by the interaction of electrons falling from the sky and the upper atmosphere. Most of the observed light consists of emission lines of neutral or ionized nitrogen and oxygen atoms and molecular emission.....»»
Venus" "continents" suggest surprising link to early Earth
New research has revealed that Venus, often considered Earth's inhospitable twin, may share a surprising geological history with our own planet......»»
Scientists find a human "fingerprint" in the upper troposphere"s increasing ozone
Ozone can be an agent of good or harm, depending on where you find it in the atmosphere. Way up in the stratosphere, the colorless gas shields the Earth from the sun's harsh ultraviolet rays. But closer to the ground, ozone is a harmful air pollutant.....»»
There are 2,000-plus dead rockets in orbit—here’s a rare view of one
A Japanese company becomes the first to approach a piece of space junk in low-Earth orbit. Enlarge / Astroscale's ADRAS-J spacecraft captured these views of the H-IIA rocket upper stage on July 15. (credit: Astroscale) T.....»»