Spacedaily.com

Wenchang, China (AFP) May 03, 2024
China launched a probe on Friday to collect samples from the far side of the Moon, a world first as Beijing pushes ahead with an ambitious programme that aims to send a crewed lunar mission by 2030. A rocket carrying the Chang'e-6 lunar probe blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Centre in southern China's Hainan province just before 5:30 pm (0930 GMT), AFP journalists near the site s

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 02, 2024
Researchers from the University of Waterloo, in collaboration with the University of British Columbia, have observed what they term a "cosmic glitch," indicating a deviation in gravity's behavior on a vast cosmic scale. For a century, Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity has been the cornerstone of our understanding of gravity, asserting its influence across not just three physic

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 01, 2024
Over the course of its elliptical orbit, the moon Enceladus is squeezed unevenly by Saturn's gravitational pull and deforms from a spherical shape into a football shape and back again. This cyclic stress causes a phenomenon called "tidal heating" within Enceladus and dissipates enough energy to maintain what is believed to be a global ocean underneath the moon's icy crust. At Enceladus's s

Sydney, Australia (SPX) May 06, 2024
Following the recent return of the Shenzhou-17 spacecraft, seeds that experienced space radiation for nearly a year aboard China's space station have arrived back on Earth. These seeds are now part of critical breeding experiments. The seeds, including alfalfa and oats, were exposed to space radiation on the space station's biology exposure equipment for 11 months, provided by the Lanzhou

Los Angeles CA (SPX) May 06, 2024
White dwarfs, remnants of stars like the Sun, pack a mass equivalent to the Sun's but are as small as Earth, making up 97% of our galaxy's stars. The transformation of a star into this dense state marks the stellar lifecycle's end, rendering our galaxy a celestial necropolis. The chemical composition of white dwarfs, especially the unexpected presence of heavy metals like silicon, magnesiu

Paris, France (SPX) May 06, 2024
Recently, ESA's EarthCARE satellite was removed from its transport container at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, beginning an intensive period of preparation for its upcoming launch. The team conducted detailed inspections and testing to ensure the satellite was in optimal condition for its mission. Ensuring the cleanliness of EarthCARE was a critical step in optimizing the perform

Washington DC (SPX) May 02, 2024
Continuing from Phase I, researchers are expanding on the development of a power source that transforms the paradigm of thermal power conversion. The thermoradiative cell (TRC), operating analogously to a solar cell but in reverse, converts heat from a radioisotope source into infrared light, which is then emitted into space, generating electricity. Initial studies demonstrated a potential gener

Washington DC (UPI) May 2, 2024
SpaceX successfully launched the Maxar 1 mission carrying two next-generation WorldView Legion satellites Thursday in California. The mission launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base at approximately 11:36 a.m. local time. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was used. The 20th launch and landing of the Falcon 9 first stage was completed by 11:45 a.m. Pacific Time. The two satellites

Paris, France (SPX) May 02, 2024
Gravity, a fundamental force in our everyday lives, continues to puzzle scientists: Is it a geometric force as Einstein suggested, or does it follow quantum mechanics? Researchers from the University of Amsterdam and Ulm have introduced an innovative experiment to explore this, avoiding the challenges of previous methods that required entangling massive objects, which often lose their quantum pr

Washington (AFP) May 4, 2024
Throughout the annals of American space exploration, a select few spacecraft have had the distinction of carrying human beings beyond Earth. Next week, Boeing is poised to join this elite group with the long-awaited launch of its Starliner capsule, just the sixth class of vessel built in the United States for NASA astronauts. Here's a recap of their storied past, marked by groundbreaking