ESA selects four new Earth Explorer mission ideas
As humans exert greater pressure on natural processes, understanding the intricate workings of our Earth system is increasingly vital for effective action on mitigation and adaption strategies. ESA’s Earth Explorer missions yield a wealth of astonishing findings, serving as the bedrock of scientific research in this field. Now, four new concepts have been selected to […]
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter Team Says Goodbye … for Now
NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, right, stands near the apex of a sand ripple in an image taken by Perseverance on Feb. 24, about five weeks after the rotorcraft’s final flight. Part of one of Ingenuity’s rotor blades lies on the surface about 49 feet (15 meters) west of helicopter (left of center in the image). […]
A Clinical Decision Support System for Earth-independent Medical Operations
Deep space exploration requires a paradigm shift in astronaut medical support toward Earth-independent medical operations. Currently, astronauts rely on real-time communication with ground-based medical providers. However, as the distance from Earth increases, so do communication delays and disruptions. Deep space exploration crews will need to autonomously detect, diagnose, treat, and prevent medical conditions. One potential […]
Space Life Science Highlights
1 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) Spaceflight Atrophy Studied with Machine Learning Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria Found on ISS Mutating to Become Functionally Distinct On-demand Nutrient Production System for Long-duration Missions A Clinical Decision Support System for Earth-independent Medical Operations in Space Keep Exploring Discover More Topics From NASA NASA Biological […]
BioNutrients Flight Experiments
iss068e036727 (Jan. 3, 2023) — NASA astronaut and Expedition 68 Flight Engineer Nicole Mann works in the International Space Station’s Harmony module on the BioNutrients-2 investigation that uses genetically engineered microbes to provide nutrients, and potentially other compounds and pharmaceuticals, on demand in space. NASA On-demand nutrient production system for long-duration missions When astronauts embark […]
Spaceflight Atrophy Studied with Machine Learning
ISS032-E-011701 (4 Aug. 2012) — NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, Expedition 32 flight engineer, equipped with a bungee harness, exercises on the Combined Operational Load Bearing External Resistance Treadmill (COLBERT) in the Tranquility node of the International Space Station. NASA Background: Even intense exercise by astronauts cannot compensate for muscle atrophy caused by microgravity. Atrophy occurs, […]
NASA’s VIPER Gets Its Head and Neck
A team of engineers lifts the mast into place atop of NASA’s VIPER robotic Moon rover in a clean room at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. To source
New York Students to Hear from NASA Astronaut Aboard Space Station
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 mission specialist Jeanette Epps is pictured training inside a Dragon mockup crew vehicle at the company’s headquarters in Hawthorne, California. Credit: SpaceX Students from Syracuse City School District and Le Moyne College in Syracuse, New York, will have an opportunity this week to hear from alumna and NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps aboard […]
NASA Refines National Space Technology Development Priorities
3 min read Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater) As NASA focuses on exploring the Moon, Mars, and the solar system for the benefit of humanity, the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) is shifting how it prioritizes technology development . As part of this refinement effort, NASA is asking the American aerospace […]
A Solar Neighborhood Census, Thanks to NASA Citizen Science
4 min read A Solar Neighborhood Census, Thanks to NASA Citizen Science This artist’s concept by citizen scientist William Pendrill shows, at left, a cool brown dwarf called a T Dwarf, and, at right, a warmer brown dwarf passing in front of a distant star. Pendrill, also an illustrator, participates in Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, […]
Sleeping giant surprises Gaia scientists
Wading through the wealth of data from ESA’s Gaia mission , scientists have uncovered a ‘sleeping giant’. A large black hole, with a mass of nearly 33 times the mass of the Sun, was hiding in the constellation Aquila, less than 2000 light-years from Earth. This is the first time a black hole of stellar […]
EarthCARE out of the box
After being packed up in Germany, a long voyage to the US and then a month in storage, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has been carefully lifted out of its transport container so that the team at the launch site can start getting it ready for its big day in May. To source