Week in images: 08-12 January 2024
Space News & Blog Articles
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This Week's Sky at a Glance, January 12 – 21
The evening Moon passes Saturn, then Jupiter. Venus and Mercury march in lockstep in the eastern dawn. Capella, as always, paces Orion's bright foot. And who's winning the Sirius-Betelgeuse race?
Astronomers Discover “Invisible” Galaxy
A radio survey has serendipitously uncovered a galaxy with no visible stars.
A Self-Eating Engine Could Make Rockets More Efficient
There can’t be many ideas that beat the crazy yet ingenious idea of a rocket engine that actually uses part of the fuselage for fuel! Typically a rocket will utilise multiple stages so that excess weight can be jetisoned allowing the rocket to be as efficient as possible. Now a team in Scotland is working on a rocket engine that actually consumes part of its body to use as fuel, reducing weight and providing even more thrust so that greater payloads can be used.
Watch live: liftoff of Marcus Wandt to space
Tune in from Wednesday 17 January from 20:15 GMT/21:15 CET to see ESA project astronaut Marcus Wadnt take off to the International Space Station for his first mission, Muninn. Live coverage will run on ESA Web TV channel two.
SpaceX delays Starlink satellite launch from West Coast
File photo a a Falcon 9 prior to a Starlink satellite delivery mission. Image: SpaceX.
SpaceX pushed back to Saturday the launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from California due to unfavorable weather for booster recovery in the Pacific Ocean. The launch, carrying 22 Starlink satellites, will add to the more than 5,300 satellites already in orbit.
Astronauts ready for first, all-European mission to the International Space Station
(Left to right) Ax-3 Mission Specialist Marcus Wandt, Pilot Walter Villadei, Commander Michael López-Alegría, Mission Specialist Alper Gezeravcı. Image: Axiom Space
For the third time, Axiom Space is preparing a charter mission to the International Space Station. The Ax-3 mission carries the distinction of featuring an all-European crew, with Commander Michael López-Alegría being a dual citizen of both the United States and Spain.
Watch the mind-bending new trailer for sci-fi epic '3 Body Problem' (video)
Netflix released an epic new trailer for its upcoming epic sci-fi series, "3 Body Problem" based on the bestselling trilogy of novels by Cixin Liu.
There are Mysteries at Venus. It’s Time for an Astrobiology Mission
When scientists detected phosphine in Venus’ atmosphere in 2020, it triggered renewed, animated discussions about Venus and its potential habitability. It would be weird if the detection didn’t generate interest since phosphine is a potential biomarker. So people were understandably curious. Unfortunately, further study couldn’t confirm its presence.
Japanese earthquake on Jan. 1 shifted coastline over 800 feet, satellite photos show
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck Japan on Jan. 1, causing uplift that extended the coastline along areas of the Noto Peninsula by up to 820 feet (250 meters), as new satellite images show.
NASA awards another $100 million for private space stations
NASA has awarded nearly $100 million in additional funding to commercial space station partners that are developing low Earth orbit destinations.
China's record-breaking Gravity-1 rocket aces amazing debut launch from ship at sea (video)
The Gravity-1 solid rocket, built by Chinese company Orienspace, aced its first-ever launch today (Jan. 11), sending three satellites to orbit.
Parker Solar Probe Skims the Sun on its 18th Flyby
The fasted object ever made by humans has completed another milestone. The Parker Solar Probe recently celebrated the new year by completing its 18th flyby of the Sun.
Planetesimals Are Buffeted by Wind in their Nebula, Throwing Debris into Space
Before planets form around a young star, the protosolar disk is populated with innumerable planetesimals. Over time, these planetesimals combine to form planets, and the core accretion theory explains how that happens. But before there are planets, the disk full of planetesimals is a messy place.
SpaceX's new direct-to-cell Starlink satellites relay their 1st text messages
SpaceX just broke in its newly launched direct-to-cell Starlink satellites, using them to send text messages for the first time.
Solar Electric Propulsion Systems are Just What we Need for Efficient Trips to Mars
There are many different ways to get to Mars, but there are always tradeoffs. Chemical propulsion, proven the most popular, can quickly get a spacecraft to the red planet. But they come at a high cost of bringing their fuel, thereby increasing the mission’s overall cost. Alternative propulsion technologies have been gaining traction in several deep space applications. Now, a team of scientists from Spain has preliminary studied what it would take to send a probe to Mars using entirely electric propulsion once it leaves Earth.
See the elusive planet Mercury at its best and brightest on Friday
The elusive planet Mercury reaches its furthest point from the sun on Friday (Jan. 12), with this separation allowing skywatchers a rare chance to spot the tiny planet.
Private Peregrine moon lander powers up lunar payloads despite propulsion anomaly
Astrobotic's latest mission update on its Peregrine moon lander indicates that, despite a crippling propulsion system anomaly, the mission's payloads are working as planned.
Satellite Data Shows US East Coast is Sinking
Based on satellite imagery, geologists have determined major cities on the U.S. Atlantic coast are sinking, some areas as much as 2 to 5 millimeters (.08-0.2 inches) per year. Called subsidence, this sinking of land is happening at a faster rate than was estimated just a year ago. In a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, researchers say their analysis has far-reaching implications for community and infrastructure resilience planning, particularly for roadways, airport runways, building foundations, rail lines, and pipelines.
January's new moon welcomes Mercury as a 'morning star'
The first new moon of 2024 occurs on January 11, leaving the skies dark for stargazers to find Mercury at its most visible during its greatest separation from the sun.
Nearby exoplanet may be rich in life-giving water, study finds
Researchers have just come a step closer to uncovering the secrets of an alien planet that may be the most likely of all known extrasolar worlds to host life.
