Archive for the ‘space’ category: Page 392
Oct 25, 2021
Digital Twins of Martian Cities — Alfredo Munoz — 2021 Mars Society Virtual Convention
Posted by Chris J. Kent in categories: economics, government, space
Alfredo Munoz — Digital Twins of Martian Cities as a new frontier for Space Analogs.
From the 24th Annual International Mars Society Convention, held as a Virtual Convention worldwide on the Internet from October 14–17, 2021. The four-day International Mars Society Convention, held every year since 1,998 brings together leading scientists, engineers, aerospace industry representatives, government policymakers and journalists to talk about the latest scientific discoveries, technological advances and political-economic developments that could help pave the way for a human mission to the planet Mars.
Oct 25, 2021
An astronomer at Japan’s space agency is making simple animations that reveal the surprising physics of the solar system
Posted by Alberto Lao in categories: physics, space
As a scientist at both NASA and JAXA, James O’Donoghue has studied the planets. In his free time, he makes award-winning animations of them.
Oct 24, 2021
BepiColombo completes first Mercury flyby, science provides insight into planet’s unique environment
Posted by Alberto Lao in categories: science, space
On October 1 2021, the joint European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) BepiColombo spacecraft successfully performed its first flyby of the solar system’s innermost planet, Mercury. The flyby is the first in a set of six such events BepiColombo will complete before entering orbit around Mercury in late 2025.
Following the flyby, initial science returns from different instruments onboard BepiColombo revealed interesting details about the environment surrounding Mercury, as well as details on the planet itself.
Oct 24, 2021
Astronomers catch a preview of the Sun’s grisly demise
Posted by Atanas Atanasov in category: space
Scientists have long known the fate of our solar system – and likely the fate of Earth itself. Our Sun will eventually become a red giant and swallow Earth.
Oct 24, 2021
The Technologies That Could Finally Make Space Elevators a Reality
Posted by Gemechu Taye in categories: engineering, solar power, space, sustainability
Like the Stanford Torus, the O’Neill Cylinder, and the Generation Ship, the Space Elevator is one of those ideas that keep popping up! Just when you think scientists and engineers have given up on it, there’s a new round of theoretical studies that assert how it could be done. You might say that the Space Elevator is an idea that’s too good to let go of.
Considering the benefits involved, this should come as no surprise. Granted, the cost in terms of money, resources, and time would be considerable, as are the engineering and logistical challenges involved. But for the one-time price of creating this megastructure, we would be able to realize space-based solar power, habitats in orbit, cities on the Moon and Mars, and more!
Continue reading “The Technologies That Could Finally Make Space Elevators a Reality” »
Oct 23, 2021
NASA targets February launch for Artemis 1 moon mission
Posted by Alberto Lao in category: space
With NASA’s powerful new 322-foot-tall moon rocket fully stacked at Kennedy Space Center, managers said Friday that Feb. 12 is the soonest the unpiloted Artemis 1 mission could blast off toward lunar orbit, a date that hinges on the outcome of a critical fueling test on the launch pad in January.
Oct 23, 2021
If you ever wanted to help find new planets, now’s your chance
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: space
Oct 23, 2021
A Vast “Magnetic Tunnel” May Surround Earth and Our Entire Solar System
Posted by Quinn Sena in categories: physics, space
A University of Toronto astronomer’s research suggests the solar system is surrounded by a magnetic tunnel that can be seen in radio waves.
Jennifer West, a research associate at the Dunlap Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics, is making a scientific case that two bright structures seen on opposite sides of the sky – previously considered to be separate – are actually connected and are made of rope-like filaments. The connection forms what looks like a tunnel around our solar system.
The data results of West’s research have been published in the Astrophysical Journal.
Oct 23, 2021
Something Really Wants our Attention. One Object Released 1,652 Fast Radio Bursts in 47 Days
Posted by Quinn Sena in category: space
Researchers working with the 500-Meter FAST telescope in China reported 1,652 fast radio bursts in 47 days coming from a single source.
The energetic phenomena known as Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) are one of the greatest cosmic mysteries today. These mysterious flashes of light are visible in the radio wave part of the spectrum and usually last only a few milliseconds before fading away forever. Since the first FRB was observed in 2,007 astronomers have looked forward to the day when instruments of sufficient sensitivity would be able to detect them regularly.