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.....»»
Weak magnetic field may have supported diversification of life on Earth
An unusual reduction in the strength of Earth's magnetic field between 591 and 565 million years ago coincided with a significant increase in the oxygen levels in the atmosphere and oceans, according to a paper published in Communications Earth & Env.....»»
New computer algorithm supercharges climate models and could lead to better predictions of future climate change
Earth System Models—complex computer models that describe Earth processes and how they interact—are critical for predicting future climate change. By simulating the response of our land, oceans and atmosphere to manmade greenhouse gas emissions,.....»»
NASA does Dragon shuffle prepping for Starliner launch
Parking is at a premium at the International Space Station, but NASA and SpaceX cleared out one spot as a cargo Dragon spacecraft completed its trip home with a splashdown off the Florida coast......»»
Watch SpaceX’s Crew Dragon take one of its shortest journeys on Thursday
SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft is about to take a very short journey at the International Space Station and you can watch a live stream of the maneuver......»»
An AI model to reduce uncertainty in evapotranspiration prediction
When scientists look at the Earth's available water for ecosystem services, they don't just look at precipitation. They must also account for water moving from the ground to the atmosphere, a process known as evapotranspiration (ET)......»»
New space company seeks to solve orbital mobility with high delta-v spacecraft
"If we’re going to have a true space economy, that means logistics and supply services." Enlarge / What a Supernova spacecraft might look like in orbit. (credit: Portal Space Systems) Over the course of the last seven.....»»
How to watch the first crewed flight of the Starliner spacecraft
NASA has just released the targeted flight schedule for the first crewed test mission involving Boeing's Starliner spacecraft......»»
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......»»
Probing the effects of interplanetary space on asteroid Ryugu
Analyzing samples retrieved from the asteroid Ryugu by the Japanese Space Agency's Hayabusa2 spacecraft has revealed new insights into the magnetic and physical bombardment environment of interplanetary space. The results of the study, carried out by.....»»
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
NASA has finally heard back from Voyager 1 again in a way that makes sense......»»
Astronauts arrive at Kennedy Space Center as first crew for Boeing"s Starliner spacecraft
It's not just another ride for a pair of veteran NASA astronauts who arrived to the Space Coast ahead of their flight onboard Boeing's CST-100 Starliner......»»
NASA still doesn’t understand root cause of Orion heat shield issue
“When we stitch it all together, we’ll either have flight rationale or we won’t." Enlarge / NASA's Orion spacecraft descends toward the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2021, at the end of the Artemis I mission. (credit: NASA).....»»
NASA gives Starliner’s first crewed launch the go-ahead
With the first crewed test flight of the new Boeing Starliner spacecraft less than two weeks away, NASA has given the go-ahead for the launch......»»
NASA"s Deep Space Optical Communications demonstration transmits data over 140 million miles
Riding aboard NASA's Psyche spacecraft, the agency's Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration continues to break records. While the asteroid-bound spacecraft doesn't rely on optical communications to send data, the new technology ha.....»»
Psyche spacecraft sends data back to Earth using lasers for the first time
NASA's experimental laser communication system, riding along with the Psyche spacecraft, has transmitted Psyche data from over 140 million miles away......»»
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.....»»
Artificial intelligence helps scientists engineer plants to fight climate change
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has declared that removing carbon from the atmosphere is now essential to fighting climate change and limiting global temperature rise. To support these efforts, Salk Institute scientists are harne.....»»
Airborne observations of Asian monsoon sees ozone-depleting substances lofting into the stratosphere
Powerful monsoon winds, strengthened by a warming climate, are lofting unexpectedly large quantities of ozone-depleting substances high into the atmosphere over East Asia, new research shows......»»
Recoding Voyager 1—NASA’s interstellar explorer is finally making sense again
"We're pretty much seeing everything we had hoped for, and that's always good news.” Engineers have partially restored a 1970s-era computer on NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft after five months of long-distance troubleshooting, building.....»»
A new electrochemical approach could reduce ocean acidity and remove carbon in the process
In the effort to combat the catastrophic impacts of global warming, we must accelerate carbon emissions reduction efforts and rapidly scale strategies to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and the oceans. The technologies for reducing ou.....»»