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New gel fuel could make rocket and satellite propulsion easier to controlA kerosene-based gel developed by Concordia researchers could make rocket and satellite fuels easier to store and control.... Read more -
NASA's Voyager 1 conserves power, resolves brief communications pauseNASA's Voyager team is celebrating two recent developments with the Voyager 1 spacecraft: In September, they successfully completed a months-long effort to stretch the spacecraft's diminishing power supply. Then, on Oct. 20, an unexpected loss of communication with the spacecraft resolved itself after 48 hours, before the team sent commands... Read more -
Space station experiment to probe plant disease risks for future moon and Mars missionsAs NASA and its partners prepare for longer human missions beyond Earth, University of Florida researchers are investigating a challenge that could affect astronauts' ability to grow fresh food in space: plant disease.... Read more -
Built to take the blast: Students test prototype landing pad to make moon landings saferAs NASA works toward a sustained human presence on the moon, researchers at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, are helping solve one of the most pressing challenges facing future lunar missions: how to land spacecraft safely without damaging the landing... Read more -
Could next-gen artificial intelligence help map out future space outposts?Planning a successful trip can be challenging, especially when your destination is in outer space. Even before liftoff, space missions require extraordinary amounts of scientific preparation and data analysis to succeed, which can take years to complete. However, as space agencies race to establish a permanent presence on the moon,... Read more -
Autonomous rendezvous system overcomes simulated spacecraft failures in lab testsThere is a problem in low Earth orbit, and it's growing. According to the European Space Agency, there are about 19,440 satellites on orbit, 3,540 of which are nonfunctioning and/or not emitting a signal to warn other spacecraft of their location. The need to service these sleepwalking satellites in space... Read more -
First light: Hera resolves two asteroids instead of oneThe European Space Agency's Hera spacecraft for planetary defense has resolved its two target asteroids separately for the first time, revealing the binary nature of the Didymos system, currently some 197 million km (122 million miles) away from Earth.... Read more -
Perseverance offers clues to protect crews from ultrafine Mars dustOver 1,645 Martian days, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover measured the fine and ultrafine Martian dust particles found clinging to samples of spacesuit materials that are carried aboard the rover, including particles small enough to penetrate the lungs and enter the bloodstream. The findings are published in the Proceedings of the... Read more -
NASA adopting Apollo's urgency to build a moon base and land astronauts within 2 yearsNASA is moving fast on its plans to build a moon base and return astronauts to the lunar surface in as little as two years.... Read more -
Everyday Mylar turned into a promising insulator for lunar habitatsEstablishing a long-term presence on the moon will require solving challenges that are easy to overlook on Earth. Lunar temperatures, for instance, can vary from hundreds of degrees below zero to boiling, making effective insulation essential for lunar habitats.... Read more -
Artemis I: Crystals of experimental detectors record radiation doses near the moonDo cosmic radiation doses near the moon differ significantly from those received by astronauts in low Earth orbit? Experimental lithium fluoride detectors, installed aboard the Orion spacecraft during the Artemis I mission, have now made it possible to obtain preliminary estimates.... Read more -
Autonomous triangular modules could build tomorrow's mega-observatoriesPrivate companies are getting better at launching more mass into space with larger rockets. But there is still a major constraint on the size of objects we can get into orbit—fairing size. This places physical constraints on the overall shape of what we can launch and severely limits the sizes... Read more -
There should be black holes in our neighborhood. Can we find them?Scientific estimates show that there should be between about 100 million and 1 billion stellar-mass black holes in the Milky Way. But they aren't easy to locate. They're not like supermassive black holes (SMBH) at the centers of galaxies. Those are usually easy to spot for different reasons.... Read more -
SpaceX turns a profit after a string of losses as its satellite and computer leasing businesses soarSpaceX reported a bigger quarterly profit than expected Tuesday as its satellite communications operations and its business of leasing computing power to other companies boomed.... Read more -
Using eyedrops in space—wearable patch offers a new approachApplying eyedrops is difficult in space, where there is almost no gravity. A KAIST research team has developed a wearable patch that delivers eyedrops to the eye without relying on gravity. The research team was led by Professor Ki-Hun Jeong from the Department of Bio and Brain Engineering, in collaboration... Read more
