NASA takes delivery of Orion Artemis I spacecraft

After fears that it might require disassembly, Lockheed Martin has completed work on the Artemis I Orion spacecraft and has formally transferred possession to NASA's Exploration Ground Systems team at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingNASA takes delivery of Orion Artemis I spacecraft

InSight’s Mars “mole” abandoned after two years of troubleshooting

NASA and DLR have officially called it quits on InSight's "mole." The instrument was designed to drill deep into the Martian soil, but soon hit a snag and has now been abandoned after almost two years of troubleshooting failed to resolve the issue.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingInSight’s Mars “mole” abandoned after two years of troubleshooting

ThermaSat design would see CubeSats propelled by jets of steam

Howe Industries has submitted the design for a solar-powered steam rocket engine for propelling CubeSats to the National Science Foundation. With only two moving parts, ThermaSat uses a thermal condenser to flash boil water into superheated steam.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingThermaSat design would see CubeSats propelled by jets of steam

Elon Musk reveals catch and quick release plans for Super Heavy booster

Controlled landings of its Falcon 9 boosters have become almost de rigueur for SpaceX, but Elon Musk has revealed different plans for the Falcon 9's bigger sibling, the Super Heavy booster – catching it using the launch tower arm.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingElon Musk reveals catch and quick release plans for Super Heavy booster

James Webb telescope unfolds its tennis court-sized sunshield

A next-generation space observatory has inched closer to lift-off, with NASA unfolding the James Webb Space Telescope’s five-layer sunshield in the same way it expects it to after arriving in orbit, as part of successful testing here on Earth.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingJames Webb telescope unfolds its tennis court-sized sunshield

The 10 most bizarre space discoveries of 2020

Space is an incredibly weird place. From extreme exoplanets to stars with strange fates, clues to an old mystery and the beginnings of a brand new one, here are 10 of the weirdest astronomical discoveries that blew our minds this year.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingThe 10 most bizarre space discoveries of 2020

Astronomers precisely trace distance to oldest and farthest known galaxy

Astronomers have precisely measured the distance to the oldest and farthest known galaxy. Light left GN-z11 around 13.4 billion years ago, when the universe was a cosmic toddler, meaning this galaxy marks the very edge of the observable universe.

Source of Article

Continue ReadingAstronomers precisely trace distance to oldest and farthest known galaxy