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.....»»
So what are we to make of the highly ambitious, private Polaris spaceflight?
They flew high, they walked in space, and finally early on Sunday, they landed. Enlarge / Crew Dragon enters Earth's atmosphere on Sunday morning as recovery boats await. (credit: SpaceX) A white spacecraft, lightly toas.....»»
Boeing "ran out of time" on Starliner: astronaut stuck on ISS
A US astronaut stuck on the International Space Station said Friday he believed Boeing's Starliner could have carried him home, if more time had been available to work through the beleaguered spacecraft's issues......»»
Navy captains don’t like abandoning ship—but with Starliner, the ship left them
"As the commander or pilot of your spacecraft, you don’t want to see it go off without you." Enlarge / NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams wave to their families, friends, and NASA officials on their way to the laun.....»»
Starliner astronauts speak of ‘tough times’ watching their spacecraft depart without them
Two NASA astronauts have spoken publicly for the first time since the Boeing Starliner departed from the International Space Station without them......»»
Exploring ternary metal sulfides as electrocatalysts for carbon dioxide reduction reactions
One of the most promising avenues for actively reducing CO2 levels in the atmosphere is recycling it into valuable chemicals via electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reactions. With a suitable electrocatalyst, this can be achieved under mild conditions and.....»»
Researchers identify novel approach to minimize nitrogen loss in crops
While agriculture producers apply nitrogen fertilizer to supply nutrients to their crops, they can't always keep those nutrients in the soil for maximum efficiency, often losing them into the atmosphere or water supply as nitrates and nitrous oxide......»»
Microbe dietary preferences found to influence effectiveness of carbon sequestration in deep ocean
The movement of carbon dioxide (CO2) from the surface of the ocean, where it is in active contact with the atmosphere, to the deep ocean, where it can be sequestered away for decades, centuries, or longer, depends on a number of seemingly small proce.....»»
Two private astronauts took a spacewalk Thursday morning—yes, it was historic
"Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry." Enlarge / Jared Isaacman emerges from the Dragon spacecraft on Thursday morning. (credit: SpaceX webcast) The Polaris Dawn mission to.....»»
Watch this orbital sunset from a Crew Dragon spacecraft way above Earth
SpaceX has shared a some stunning images and a short video showing an orbital sunset as seen from the Polaris Dawn Crew Dragon way above Earth......»»
How to watch SpaceX’s first-ever spacewalk from a Crew Dragon tonight
Two non-professional astronauts are about to conduct the first-ever spacewalk from a Crew Dragon spacecraft and also the first-ever commercial spacewalk......»»
NASA"s EZIE mission set for 2025 launch
In 2025, NASA will launch its first mission to image the magnetic fingerprint of intense electrical currents that flow high in our atmosphere when auroras shimmer above Earth's poles......»»
Soyuz craft heads to space station with 2 Russians and 1 American
A Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russians and an American blasted off Wednesday for an express trip to the International Space Station......»»
Amid Boeing"s Starliner troubles, WA space industry thrives
It'd be reasonable to think Washington's space economy has a lot riding on Boeing's Starliner, the spacecraft that left two astronauts stranded on the International Space Station and headed back to Earth with an empty cabin Friday......»»
Voyager 1 team accomplishes tricky thruster swap
Engineers working on NASA's Voyager 1 probe have successfully mitigated an issue with the spacecraft's thrusters, which keep the distant explorer pointed at Earth so that it can receive commands, send engineering data, and provide the unique science.....»»
Pollution of the potent warming gas methane soars and people are mostly to blame
The amount and proportion of the powerful heat-trapping gas methane that humans spew into the atmosphere is rising, helping to turbocharge climate change, a new study finds......»»
Unprecedented heat wave on the Tibetan plateau: Study highlights land-atmosphere interactions
Heat waves are generally thought to occur in hot, lowland regions—but what happens when extreme heat strikes the frigid, high-altitude Tibetan Plateau? Is the definition of a heat wave the same at 5,000 meters above sea level as it is in the plains.....»»
Researchers find live fungi, bacteria and viruses high in the Earth"s atmosphere
A team of climate, health and atmospheric specialists in Spain and Japan has found abundant live fungi, bacteria and viruses high in the Earth's atmosphere. In their study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the group co.....»»
Polaris Dawn takes to the skies, setting the stage for a daring private spacewalk
Weather had confounded the launch attempt for nearly two weeks. Enlarge / A Crew Dragon spacecraft separates from the upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket on Tuesday morning. (credit: SpaceX) A Falcon 9 rocket streaked into.....»»
NASA spacecraft to study Jupiter moon"s underground ocean cleared for October launch
NASA on Monday approved next month's launch to Jupiter's moon Europa after reviewing the spacecraft's ability to withstand the intense radiation there......»»
NASA will proceed with final preps to launch Europa Clipper next month
After a four-month review, NASA says suspect transistors on Europa Clipper are good to go. Enlarge / The main body of NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft is reflected in one of the mission's deployable solar array wings during testi.....»»