Characterizing near-Earths asteroids (NEAs) is critical if we hope to eventually stop one from hitting us. But so far, missions to do so have been expensive, which is never good for space exploration. So a team led by Patrick Bambach of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany developed a mission concept that utilizes a relatively inexpensive 6U CubeSat (or, more accurately, two of them) to characterize the interior of NEAs that would cost only a fraction of the price of previous missions.
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Mercury has a layer of diamond 10 miles thick, NASA spacecraft finds
Using data from NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft, scientists have determined that the solar system's tiniest planet, Mercury, hides a not-so-tiny secret: a 10-mile-thick mantle of diamond.
China's tiny 'Golden Toad' rover used AI to take an epic photo on the moon's far side (video)
A new video shows how a tiny rover on China's ambitious Chang'e 6 mission used AI to snap an epic shot on the far side of the moon.
James Webb Space Telescope directly images its coldest exoplanet target yet
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have investigated a super-Jupiter that is one of the coldest exoplanets ever directly imaged.
Watch NASA's massive Artemis 2 rocket core stage arrive in Florida. Next stop: the moon (video, photos)
Artemis 2's core stage is near its launch site in Florida after sailing more than 900 miles from New Orleans. The rocket is scheduled to send NASA astronauts around the moon in 2025.
Earth-based telescope sees Boeing's Starliner approach the ISS in broad daylight (photo)
Infrared telescopes scanning the skies during the day watched as Boeing's first crewed Starliner spacecraft approached the International Space Station on June 6, 2024.
'No Man's Sky' has refreshed its universe with Worlds Part 1 update (video)
Almost eight years after its original release, No Man's Sky continues to evolve, and its most recent (free) update is changing its universe for the better.
Webb images new, cold exoplanet 12 light-years away
An international team of astronomers using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope have directly imaged an exoplanet roughly 12 light-years from Earth. While there were hints that the planet existed, it had not been confirmed until Webb imaged it. The planet is one of the coldest exoplanets observed to date.
A Closer Look at a Potential "Eyeball Planet"
New James Webb Space Telescope observations of LHS 1140b hint at a temperate water world with a nitrogen-rich atmosphere.
NASA prepares to roll Artemis 2 core stage to the Vehicle Assembly Building
NASA’s Pegasus barge, carrying the agency’s massive SLS (Space Launch System) core stage, arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Complex 39 turn basin wharf in Florida on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, after journeying from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The core stage is the next piece of Artemis hardware to arrive at the spaceport and will be offloaded and moved to NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be prepared for integration ahead of the Artemis II launch. Image: NASA/Kim Shiflett
NASA’s took another important step in its Artemis program, designed to return humans to the Moon in preparation for missions to Mars. On Tuesday, the 212-foot-long Space launch System (SLS) core stage, nestled inside NASA’s massive Pegasus barge, completed its week-long voyage from eastern Louisiana to Florida.
EarthCARE’s multispectral imager puts clouds into context
Launched less than two months ago, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has already returned images from two of its four instruments. Now, it has also delivered the first images from its multispectral imager, showcasing various types of clouds and cloud temperatures worldwide. This instrument is set to add valuable context to the data from EarthCARE’s other instruments.
New Horizons Measures the Background Light of the Universe
Think about background radiation and most people immediately think of the cosmic background radiation and stories of pigeon excrement during its discovery. That’s for another day though. Turns out that the universe has several background radiations, such as infrared and even gravitational wave backgrounds. NASA’s New Horizons is far enough out of the Solar System now that it’s in the perfect place to measure the cosmic optical background (COB). Most of this light comes from the stars in galaxies, but astronomers have always wondered if there are other sources of light filling our night sky. New Horizons has an answer. No!
Next Generation Event Horizon Telescope To Unlock Mysteries of Black Holes
The prospect of actually resolving the event horizon of black holes feels like the stuff of science fiction yet it is a reality. Already the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has resolved the horizon of the black holes at the centre of the Milky Way and M87. A team of astronomers are now looking to the next generation of the EHT which will work at multiple frequencies with more telescopes than EHT. A new paper suggests it may even be possible to capture the ring where light goes into orbit around the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way.
Rapidly spinning dead stars could unveil dark matter secrets
"Cosmic lighthouses" comprised of rapidly spinning dead stars that blast out radiowaves could be used to shed new light on dark matter, the universe's most mysterious "stuff."
Happy 25th anniversary, Chandra! NASA celebrates with 25 breathtaking images from flagship X-ray observatory
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the flagship Chandra X-ray observatory, NASA has released 25 never-before-seen images of iconic astronomical objects.
June 2024 featured record-breaking heat and billion-dollar weather disasters, NOAA says
The U.S. just suffered its second-hottest June in 130 years. The month also featured four new billion-dollar weather and climate disasters.
The Ultraviolet Habitable Zone Sets a Time Limit on the Formation of Life
The field of extrasolar planet studies has grown exponentially in the past twenty years. Thanks to missions like Kepler, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), and other dedicated observatories, astronomers have confirmed 5,690 exoplanets in 4,243 star systems. With so many planets and systems available for study, scientists have been forced to reconsider many previously-held notions about planet formation and evolution and what conditions are necessary for life. In the latter case, scientists have been rethinking the concept of the Circumsolar Habitable Zone (CHZ).
21 'one-in-a-million' extreme dead stars found hiding around sun-like stars
Astronomers have detected 21 rare systems with widely separated neutron stars and sun-like stars. These binaries are "one in a million" and challenge dead star binary formation models.
Curiosity Drives Over a Rock, Cracking it Open and Revealing an Amazing Yellow Crystal
On May 30th, the Mars Curiosity rover was just minding its own business exploring Gediz Vallis when it ran over a rock. Its wheel cracked the rock and voila! Pure elemental sulfur spilled out. The rover took a picture of the broken rock about a week later, marking the first time sulfur has been found in a pure form on Mars.
SpaceX makes Starlink Roam available throughout the US
Described as "high-speed internet on the go," SpaceX's Starlink Mini is now available from coast to coast, bringing users a world-wide connection from space.
