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.....»»
NASA and NOAA rank 2024 ozone hole as 7th-smallest since recovery began
Healing continues in the atmosphere over the Antarctic: a hole that opens annually in the ozone layer over Earth's southern pole was relatively small in 2024 compared to other years. Scientists with NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin.....»»
Global fleet of undersea robots reveals the phytoplankton hidden beneath the ocean"s surface
Phytoplankton—microscopic plant-like organisms—are the foundation of the marine food web, sustaining everything from tiny fish to multi-ton whales while also playing a critical role in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere......»»
Haunting whispers from the Martian landscape make for a spooky "soliday"
The Perseverance rover lurks in the quiet, cold, desolate landscape of Jezero crater on Mars, a place masked in shadows and haunted by past mysteries. Built to endure the planet's harsh conditions, Perseverance braves the thin atmosphere and extreme.....»»
How life began on Earth: Model suggests ancient Earth had organic-rich atmosphere
The key to unlocking the secrets of distant planets starts right here on Earth. Researchers at Tohoku University, the University of Tokyo, and Hokkaido University have developed a model that considers various atmospheric chemical reactions to estimat.....»»
How life began on Earth: Modeling the ancient atmosphere
The key to unlocking the secrets of distant planets starts right here on Earth. Researchers at Tohoku University, the University of Tokyo, and Hokkaido University have developed a model that considers various atmospheric chemical reactions to estimat.....»»
Volcanic "cryptic carbon" emissions may be a hidden driver of Earth"s past climate
An international team of geoscientists led by a volcanologist at Rutgers University-New Brunswick has discovered that, contrary to present scientific understanding, ancient volcanoes continued to spew carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from deep with.....»»
Modified metal-organic framework can capture benzene in the atmosphere to tackle a major health risk
Scientists have developed a new material capable of capturing the harmful chemical benzene from the polluted air, offering a potential solution for tackling a major health and environmental risk......»»
Intensive fishing on the seabed increases the release of carbon, researchers find
Flatfish and shrimp are caught in the North Sea by using trawls that are dragged across the seabed. This releases carbon into the water and carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, as shown by the latest research at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon......»»
Using multimode propulsion for more efficient trips in space
Over the span of two projects, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign investigated using a propulsion concept known as multimode propulsion to get spacecraft to the moon and developed a technique to design optimal multimode transf.....»»
Is it true that trees pollute the air?
Methane is the most famous volatile organic compound (VOC) in our atmosphere. This week, our host George Zaidan follows up on a Reactions subscriber's question about the 600 teragrams of a less famous VOC released every year: isoprene......»»
Plans to Destroy the International Space Station Preview a Bigger Orbital Junk Problem
A special spacecraft will guide the space station through Earth’s atmosphere, but what about other large pieces of space debris?.....»»
Saturn"s moon Titan has insulating methane-rich crust up to six miles thick
Saturn's largest moon, Titan, is the only place other than Earth known to have an atmosphere and liquids in the form of rivers, lakes and seas on its surface. Because of its extremely cold temperature, the liquids on Titan are made of hydrocarbons li.....»»
A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft has set a new record
SpaceX's Crew-8 members are on their way home from the International Space Station aboard a record-breaking Crew Dragon spacecraft......»»
NASA begins new deployable solar array tech demo on Pathfinder spacecraft
NASA recently evaluated initial flight data and imagery from Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-4 (PTD-4), confirming proper checkout of the spacecraft's systems including its on-board electronics as well as the payload's support systems such as the.....»»
Scientists Propose Shooting $200 Trillion Worth of Pulverized Diamonds Into Atmosphere
Scientists Propose Shooting $200 Trillion Worth of Pulverized Diamonds Into Atmosphere.....»»
Not just a surf wagon: Volkswagen has big plans for ID Buzz EV as its global robotaxi platform
Volkswagen's ID Buzz electric vehicle represents the company's global robotaxi platform. It's undergoing both hardware and software updates as the company works toward a 2026 launch of commercial service......»»
Watch SpaceX’s Starship splashdown in the Indian Ocean at end of fifth test
We heard a lot about SpaceX's spectacular catch of the Super Heavy rocket last week, but what happened to the Starship spacecraft that it put in orbit?.....»»
Watch SpaceX’s Starship splash down in Indian Ocean at end of fifth test
We heard a lot about SpaceX's spectacular catch of the Super Heavy rocket last week, but what happened to the Starship spacecraft that it put in orbit?.....»»
Could injecting diamond dust into the atmosphere help cool the planet?
A multi-institutional team of climatologists, meteorologists and Earth scientists has found evidence that dropping diamond dust from an airplane into the atmosphere could cool the planet. In their study published in the journal Geophysical Research L.....»»
Old data yield new secrets as NASA"s DAVINCI preps for Venus trip
Due to launch in the early 2030s, NASA's DAVINCI mission will investigate whether Venus—a sweltering world wrapped in an atmosphere of noxious gases—once had oceans and continents like Earth......»»