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Space News
Spaceflightnow
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Axiom Mission 4 delayed due to Dragon capsule readiness
- The fifth Dragon spacecraft, tail number C213, will not be ready to support the flight of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station until next month, delaying the launch targeting from May 29 to at least June 8.
- The delays in readiness of the C213 Dragon spacecraft have impacted multiple missions over the years, with problems identified in propulsion, environmental control systems, and a battery that needed replacement.
- Axiom Mission 4 crew includes Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, Mission Specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Mission Specialist Tibor Kapu, with the mission planned for a roughly two-week stay on the space station.
- NASA also announced plans for Crew-11 mission and SpaceX’s 33rd Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission to the ISS, with future commercial space stations aiming to continue crewed work in microgravity post the ISS retirement.
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Livescience
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Image Credit: Livescience
James Webb telescope reveals 'impossible' auroras on Jupiter that have astronomers scratching their heads
- On Christmas Day in 2023, scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope to capture rapidly-changing features in Jupiter's auroras.
- The observations could help explain how Jupiter's atmosphere is heated and cooled, as reported in a study published in Nature Communications.
- The researchers focused on infrared light emitted by the trihydrogen cation, H3+, to understand its role in cooling Jupiter's atmosphere.
- Puzzling data was discovered when comparing JWST's infrared observations with Hubble's ultraviolet observations of Jupiter's auroras, leaving scientists with unanswered questions.
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Nasa
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Image Credit: Nasa
Wednesday Boasted Health Scans in Space and More Dragon Cargo Stowage and Advanced Science Experiments for the Expedition 73 Crew
- Expedition 73 crew on the International Space Station completed health scans, cargo stowage, and advanced science experiments on Wednesday.
- NASA Flight Engineers and JAXA astronaut were involved in transferring dragon cargo stowage and receiving medical scans via the Health Maintenance Systems.
- Various crew members worked on tasks like replacing equipment in the Advanced Space Experiment Processor, conducting eye ultrasound, monitoring plant growth, and recording data for experiments.
- In-flight maintenance activities included reinforcing video cables, inspecting station parts, terminating autocycle on spacesuit batteries, and swapping drying agent packs in the GLACIER freezer/refrigerator.
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Arstechnica
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Image Credit: Arstechnica
A privately developed Australian rocket is ready for a historic launch
- Gilmour Space, a venture-backed startup in Australia, is preparing for a historic launch of its small rocket named Eris.
- The rocket is set to launch from the company's privately owned spaceport on Australia's northeastern coastline, marking the first attempt to reach orbit with an Australian-designed and built rocket.
- The launch window for Gilmour's Eris rocket spans 10 hours on Thursday local time, with a window from 5:30 pm EDT Wednesday to 3:30 am EDT Thursday in the United States.
- The upcoming launch is a test flight, following successful engine tests and countdown rehearsals last year, although potential delays due to weather, system checks, or technical issues have been acknowledged by Gilmour.
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Livescience
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Image Credit: Livescience
The universe is dying much faster than scientists thought, new study suggests
- A new study suggests that the universe could be dying much quicker than previously thought, with a theoretical maximum lifespan estimated at around 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 years.
- This estimate is based on the decay of stellar remnants, with a new upper limit proposed by researchers, significantly shorter than the previous estimate of 101,100 years.
- The study underscores the inevitability of all things decaying, although there is still ample time left to achieve remarkable feats.
- Stars evolve into different remnants like white dwarfs and neutron stars, with the most massive ones ending in supernovae or black holes that can eventually evaporate.
- The researchers' theory suggests that all massive objects could decay, similar to black holes, through a process called gravitational pair production, leading to their eventual demise.
- The new findings highlight the potential lifespan of various stellar remnants and theorize that supermassive black holes could survive up to 1096 years.
- While the universe may not necessarily last as long as these estimates suggest, it is projected that galaxies will run out of material for star formation within that timeframe.
- In around 17 trillion years, the last stars in the universe are expected to have died, leaving only the stars in our own Galaxy visible to our human eyes.
- Our sun is predicted to expand and die in approximately 5 billion years, making our solar system uninhabitable well before the rest of the stars meet their end.
- The study on stellar remnant decay has been described as fascinating, showing that these remnants have a maximum possible lifetime before they decay through processes akin to Hawking radiation.
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Nasa
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Image Credit: Nasa
NASA to Participate in Next Private Astronaut Mission Teleconference
- NASA will participate in a teleconference hosted by Axiom Space regarding the launch of Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station.
- The Axiom Mission 4 crew includes astronauts from ESA, ISRO, and representatives from Poland and Hungary.
- The launch is scheduled for June 8, 2025, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a four-person multinational crew conducting research experiments in microgravity during the mission.
- NASA aims to develop a low Earth economy through commercial space strategies, using the ISS as a platform for research and preparation for future deep space missions.
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Nasa
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Image Credit: Nasa
NASA, Partners Adjust Summer 2025 Space Station Flight Planning
- NASA and its partners are adjusting launch opportunities for upcoming space station missions to allow more time for finalizing mission plans, spacecraft readiness, and logistics.
- The new targeted launch opportunities include Axiom Mission 4 in June, NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 in late July, and NASA's SpaceX 33rd Commercial Resupply Services in late August.
- Axiom Mission 4 will involve private astronauts launching aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft to work alongside the Expedition 73 crew for a short time, conducting various activities on the orbiting laboratory.
- NASA astronauts and international partners will also participate in upcoming missions, including Crew-11 and the 33rd commercial resupply mission by SpaceX in August, aiming to deliver supplies, conduct science experiments, and maintain the space station's altitude.
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Nasa
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Image Credit: Nasa
NASA Observes First Visible-light Auroras at Mars
- NASA's Perseverance Mars rover made history by detecting green auroras for the first time on Mars on March 15, 2024, during a solar storm.
- Unlike Earth, Mars lacks a global magnetic field leading to different types of auroras such as solar energetic particle (SEP) auroras.
- SEP auroras on Mars occur when energetic particles from the Sun interact with the Martian atmosphere, causing it to glow across the night sky.
- NASA coordinated with various teams to capture visible images and spectra of the SEP aurora from Mars' surface during the solar storm.
- The team strategically selected a strong Coronal Mass Ejection (CME) to trigger visible-light auroras on Mars for observation.
- Data from Perseverance and MAVEN's instruments confirmed the presence of solar energetic particles during the aurora observation.
- The successful detection of these auroras opens up new possibilities for future auroral research and potential observations by astronauts on Mars' surface.
- NASA's Perseverance and MAVEN missions played crucial roles in observing and understanding these phenomena, aiding in preparing for human exploration of Mars.
- This collaborative effort highlighted the importance of cross-mission coordination in capturing unique astral events like the green auroras on Mars.
- The observed 557.7 nm emission from solar energetic particles suggests that future Martian astronauts might witness similar auroras during their missions.
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Nasa
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Image Credit: Nasa
NASA’s Magellan Mission Reveals Possible Tectonic Activity on Venus
- New research based on NASA's Magellan mission data suggests that tectonic activity may be deforming Venus' surface, indicating ongoing tectonics on the planet.
- Coronae, vast quasi-circular features on Venus, are believed to be shaped by tectonic processes caused by molten material from the planet's mantle.
- A recent study published in Science Advances reveals new evidence of tectonic activity beneath Venus' coronae.
- Researchers studied coronae, which are thought to be locations where plumes of hot material rise from the mantle, influencing the planet's lithosphere.
- The study, led by Gael Cascioli, suggests that coronae on Venus could provide insights into Earth's past and present subsurface processes.
- NASA's upcoming VERITAS mission aims to provide high-resolution gravity data to further understand Venus' geological processes.
- Coronae formation on Venus involves various tectonic processes like subduction and lithospheric dripping, different from Earth's tectonic activities.
- The VERITAS mission will use advanced instruments to map Venus' surface, measure its gravitational field, and study its interior structure.
- Future data from VERITAS could revolutionize our understanding of Venus' geology, drawing parallels to early Earth's geological evolution.
- The Magellan mission, managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, made significant contributions to understanding Venus' geological features.
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Nasa
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Image Credit: Nasa
Hubble Pinpoints Young Stars in Spiral Galaxy
- The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope recently identified young stars in the spiral galaxy NGC 1317.
- NGC 1317, located more than 50 million light-years from Earth, exhibits a bright blue ring hosting hot, young stars.
- Data from Hubble's observations in collaboration with the ALMA array in the Atacama Desert helped astronomers study cold gas clouds and the formation of young stars.
- Hubble's teamwork with advanced facilities across the electromagnetic spectrum contributes to groundbreaking astronomical discoveries.
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Livescience
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Image Credit: Livescience
Lights on Mars! NASA rover photographs visible auroras on Red Planet for the first time
- NASA's Perseverance rover captured the first-ever photo of visible auroras on Mars, caused by a solar storm colliding with the planet's magnetic field.
- While not as visually stunning as Earth's auroras, Mars' auroras were emitted in visible wavelengths for the first time in the solar system.
- The faint green lights on Mars are believed to be the first auroras captured using visible light only, raising hopes for future human observation.
- Researchers positioned the rover to photograph the auroras after predicting that a solar storm would hit Mars.
- The detected green hues from the auroras were emitted by excited oxygen molecules in Mars' thin atmosphere.
- Humans may observe auroras on Mars in the future as solar particles increase and atmospheric dust decreases.
- The weak auroras were barely visible and appeared only after editing out the glare from Mars' moon, Phobos.
- Other planets in the solar system, like Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune, also exhibit extraterrestrial auroras, albeit in non-visible spectra.
- Solar storms triggering auroras on planets like Earth, Mars, and Venus have become more common during the peak of the sun's activity cycle.
- Mars' limited atmosphere still has enough gas to emit colorful auroras, despite lacking a proper magnetic field to shield it from solar winds.
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Nasa
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Image Credit: Nasa
NASA Studies Reveal Hidden Secrets About Interiors of Moon, Vesta
- NASA studies using gravity data from spacecraft orbiting the Moon and asteroid Vesta reveal new insights into their internal structures.
- The Moon study focused on tiny variations in its gravity caused by tidal deformation, leading to the most detailed gravitational map to date that aids in future lunar missions.
- A second study on Vesta suggests a uniform internal structure rather than distinct layers, challenging previous theories about the asteroid's composition.
- Led by Ryan Park, both studies utilized NASA supercomputers to analyze gravity variations and understand the composition of planetary bodies like the Moon and Vesta.
- The Moon's near side shows more flexing than the far side, indicating differences in internal structure possibly due to volcanic activity billions of years ago.
- The Vesta study used rotational properties to reveal a more homogeneous structure with a small core, contrasting with expectations of differentiated layers.
- By measuring inertia changes, scientists can infer the distribution of mass inside asteroids like Vesta, shedding light on their formation and evolution.
- NASA's technique for studying planetary interiors can be applied to other bodies like Io, Ceres, and Jupiter's moons, offering insights across the solar system.
- The studies highlight the importance of gravity data in understanding planetary structures without the need for surface data, opening avenues for future exploration.
- Ryan Park's team continues to apply their technique to various celestial bodies, expanding our knowledge of the diverse compositions and formations in the solar system.
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Knowridge
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Image Credit: Knowridge
Why collect asteroid samples?
- China's Tianwen-2 mission is set to launch this month to retrieve asteroid samples from Kamoʻoalewa, following successful missions by the U.S. and Japan in studying asteroid samples on Earth.
- Asteroid sample return missions are crucial for scientists as they provide physical samples for in-depth analysis using various tools like CT scans and electron microscopes.
- The collection process and analysis of asteroid samples offer new scientific insights in understanding asteroid compositions and histories.
- Japan's Hayabusa2 mission targeted carbon-rich asteroid Ryugu, revealing insights about its composition through the sample collection process.
- NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned samples from Bennu, allowing scientists to study the capsule's reentry through networked instruments, aiding in atmospheric studies.
- Researchers discovered water-rich clay and evaporite minerals in the Bennu sample, suggesting a wet and muddy past for the asteroid, potentially harboring organic molecules.
- Asteroid mining missions like NASA's Psyche mission aim to explore metallic asteroids for valuable metals, offering insights into Earth's core and commercial interests in space.
- Psyche mission lays groundwork for understanding the metals present in asteroids, paving the way for potential future commercial asteroid mining operations.
- Asteroid sample return missions serve as a bridge between scientific exploration and potential commercial endeavors in space.
- While asteroid mining remains a concept, missions like Psyche provide valuable data on asteroid compositions and formations for future endeavors.
- These missions highlight the significance of asteroid samples in unraveling cosmic mysteries and laying the foundation for future space exploration.
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Spaceflightnow
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Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral
- SpaceX is preparing to launch 28 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- The Starlink 6-67 mission aims to add 28 more spacecraft to the existing 7,400 satellites in low Earth orbit.
- Launch from Space Launch Complex is scheduled for 12:38 p.m. (1638 UTC), with live coverage by Spaceflight Now starting an hour before liftoff.
- The weather forecast is favorable for the launch, with a 95 percent chance of good weather during ascent and SpaceX using Falcon 9 booster 1090 for the mission.
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Nasa
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Image Credit: Nasa
NASA Glenn Showcases Stirling Engine Technology at Piston Powered Auto-Rama
- NASA Glenn Research Center showcased Stirling engine technology at the Piston Powered Auto-Rama in Cleveland.
- The event featured NASA's free-piston Stirling power convertor known for its record of 14 years maintenance-free operation.
- Attendees learned about NASA's use of space nuclear power for deep space exploration with radioisotope power systems.
- Over 57,500 people attended the Piston Powered Auto-Rama event.
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