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Customizable drinks could provide essential nutrients during space missionsAfter the success of Artemis II, longer space journeys are expected, raising new health and nutritional challenges for astronauts. Current space foods rely on dried, shelf-stable items.... Read more -
NASA draws on industry for Mars telecommunications networkOn Thursday, NASA issued a Request for Proposal (RFP), seeking industry collaboration for the Mars Telecommunications Network.... Read more -
Mathematical method calculates most efficient Earth-moon route yetResearchers have developed a mathematical method that enables more precise calculations of the most economical travel routes between the orbits of celestial bodies. To demonstrate this method, they calculated a more efficient path between Earth's and the moon's orbits than any previously described in the scientific literature. The study is... Read more -
Spain gears up for August total solar eclipseSpain, one of the few places in the world where a total solar eclipse will be visible in August, has begun preparations for an event it hopes will shift tourism away from the beaches and toward the countryside.... Read more -
Will future missions to the moon be sustainable? It may depend on whom you askThere's a new space race to the moon, and this time the ambitions are not just to visit but to stay. NASA's Artemis program aims to establish a long-term human presence on the lunar surface in the 2030s. China, India, Japan and a number of private companies all have lunar... Read more -
Wristwatch-like device enables assessment of health risks for astronauts on mission to the moonJust a few hours before the Orion spacecraft crossed the sky en route to the moon on April 1, mechatronics engineer Rodrigo Trevisan Okamoto received confirmation he had been waiting for since the Artemis 2 mission was announced in 2023. The email from NASA stated that the crew of the... Read more -
NASA bets big on nuclear engines to cut journey times to MarsNasa is developing ways to use nuclear power to send spacecraft to their destinations. Nuclear propulsion could greatly reduce the journey time to Mars, perhaps cutting a voyage of more than six months to three or four months.... Read more -
NASA fuel cell tests pave way for energy storage on the moonWith a small blue crane, four researchers hoist a cylindrical fuel cell, which looks like a stack of flattened silver and gold soda cans bundled together, into the air and lower it into a rectangular cart on wheels. A tangle of tubes and wires spirals away from the system, where... Read more -
Resilient quantum sensor monitors Earth's magnetic field from space for 10 monthsFrom navigation to solar weather forecasting, many different areas of research require space-based sensors to measure Earth's magnetic field as accurately as possible at any given moment. So far, however, existing sensors have consistently struggled with effects including drift, interference from the spacecraft itself, and the harsh conditions of orbit.... Read more -
The material science behind a spacecraft's impact armorAerospace engineers have to consider numerous factors when designing a spacecraft, but one that comes up more and more often is the need to design against micrometeoroids and orbital debris (MMOD). While most designers understand the threat, designing structural solutions capable of withstanding the hypervelocity impacts these undercontrolled pieces of... Read more -
Katalyst wraps testing at NASA Goddard for Swift boost missionA daring mission to lift NASA's sinking Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is now one step closer to launch this June. On May 4, Katalyst Space Technologies completed environmental tests of its LINK robotic servicing spacecraft at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. LINK will meet up with Swift... Read more -
Asteroid Apophis will skim past Earth in 2029, and a new joint mission plans to watch every changeThe European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to deepen collaboration in planetary defense, alongside a dedicated agreement for collaboration on the Rapid Apophis Mission for Space Safety (Ramses) to the near-Earth asteroid Apophis.... Read more -
The moon's largest impact crater scattered something priceless—and Artemis may be heading straight into itA new study, published in Science Advances, has refined some important details about the moon's largest and oldest impact crater, which stretches more than 1,200 miles (2,000 km) on the far side of the moon. The new details can help guide some of the planning for NASA's upcoming Artemis mission... Read more -
Spaceflight leaves astronauts' joints unchanged after 18 days on ISS, early data suggestResearchers at National Jewish Health have published new findings demonstrating that short-duration spaceflight may not significantly impact lower extremity joint structures, while also identifying a promising, noninvasive tool to monitor astronaut musculoskeletal health on future long-duration missions.... Read more -
Meet the fleet: NASA Armstrong continues legacy of flight researchNASA's home for experimental flight is welcoming more flyers to its already high-performing fleet as it continues to support science and aeronautics test missions—continuing the legacy of pioneers like Neil Armstrong.... Read more
