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<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:dc="https://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"> <channel> <atom:link href="https://www.space.com/home/feed/site.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <title><![CDATA[ Space ]]></title> <link>https://www.space.com</link> <description><![CDATA[ ]]></description> <lastBuildDate>Sat, 18 May 2024 16:22:53 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en</language> <item> <title><![CDATA[ NASA's PREFIRE mission is ready to unlock the mysteries of Earth's poles ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>NASA is preparing to launch its latest climate science mission, the Polar Radiant Energy in the Far-Infrared Experiment (PREFIRE), which aims to capture brand new data on how heat is lost to space from Earth's polar regions.</p><p>PREFIRE consists of a pair of cubesats that will launch separately into near-polar orbits. The first, "Ready, Aim, PREFIRE," is set to launch no earlier than (NET) May 22, on a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/rocket-lab.html">Rocket Lab</a> <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/electron-rocket.html">Electron rocket</a> from Pad B at the company's Launch Complex 1, in Māhia, New Zealand. The second <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/29320-cubesats-spacecraft-tech-explained-infographic.html">cubesat</a>, "PREFIRE and ICE," will launch a few days later.</p><p>The pair are <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://prefire.ssec.wisc.edu/" target="_blank">designed</a> to measure far-infrared radiation — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/electromagnetic-spectrum-use-in-astronomy">wavelengths</a> longer than 15 microns — that account for about 60 percent of the total heat lost at the poles. "We've never measured that before," said PREFIRE Principle Investigator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Tristan L'Ecuyer during a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsnRgsRWjVc" target="_blank">May 15 call</a> with reporters. L'Ecuyer says PREFIRE will help scientists study how different properties at the poles, such as <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/types-of-clouds">clouds</a>, humidity and the fluctuation of the surface between frozen and liquid states, contribute to the dissipation of heat lost to <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/24870-what-is-space.html">space</a>.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/rocket-lab-back-to-back-nasa-climate-change-launches-prefire">NASA selects Rocket Lab for back-to-back climate change research launches</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_xDYEf2cK_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_xDYEf2cK_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>The Arctic is warming faster than anywhere else on <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/54-earth-history-composition-and-atmosphere.html">Earth</a>, leading to paradigm shifts for local populations and wildlife habitats at the poles, as well as global ramifications such as rising sea levels. "Ultimately, [PREFIRE] information is going to be combined with our climate models and hopefully we'll be able to improve our ability to simulate what sea level rise might look like in the future, and also how the polar <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/what-is-climate-change-explained">climate change</a> is going to affect the weather systems around the planet," L'Ecuyer said.</p><p>The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://science.nasa.gov/mission/prefire" target="_blank">PREFIRE cubesats</a> are each about the size of a loaf of bread, and contain identical thermal infrared spectrometers. Though small, their cost-effective design and singular purpose fit nicely into NASA's growing matrix of climate research missions, such as the much larger <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/spacex-launches-nasa-swot-water-monitoring-satellite">SWOT satellite</a> (Surface Water and Ocean Topography) for studying water levels across the entire planet. "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/38700-nasa-history.html">NASA</a> needs both our large missions and these smaller missions," said Karen St. Germain, NASA's Earth Science Division director at the agency's headquarters. "You can think of them in some ways as generalists versus specialists to answer this full range of questions we have about understanding the Earth as a system."</p><p>Each cubesat is equipped with a single infrared spectrometer. Mary White, PREFIRE Project Manager at NASA's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/16952-nasa-jet-propulsion-laboratory.html">Jet Propulsion Laboratory</a>, described them as a "scaled-down" version of NASA's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/41590-moon-water-ice-discovery-thrills-researchers.html">Moon Mineralogy Mapper (M3)</a> optical system during the May 15 call, and pointed out similarities with two additional missions that have successfully validated the technology — the Mars Climate Sounder (MCS) instrument on NASA's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/18320-mars-reconnaissance-orbiter.html">Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)</a>, and the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment aboard the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/22106-lunar-reconnaissance-orbiter.html">Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO)</a>.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:277px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:187.73%;"><img id="yfv9yCEGwQAHmamxyafFTk" name="1715972921.jpg" alt="An image of earth with two overlapping lines circling the planet at a slanted angle to the right. Below, the header, 'CubeSat Orbit' with the caption, 'Two spacecraft in near-polar orbits sample Arctic and Antarctic surfaces and clouds, providing multiple observations of those regions each day." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/yfv9yCEGwQAHmamxyafFTk.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="277" height="520" attribution="" endorsement="" class=""></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">PREFIRE cubesat near-polar orbits around Earth. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: University of Wisconsin-Madison)</span></figcaption></figure><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">Related Stories:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-twin-spacecraft-earth-ends-climate-change">NASA's twin spacecraft will go to the ends of the Earth to combat climate change</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-discusses-record-temperatures-climate-solutions">NASA searches for climate solutions as global temperatures reach record highs</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/climate-warming-speeding-up-despite-pledges">Earth is getting hotter at a faster rate despite pledges of government action</a></p></div></div><p>The mission's dual-satellite approach allows researchers to gain a unique perspective on changes happening at our planet's poles. "Having one cubesat would be able to sort of map out what the emission looks like in the polar regions," L'Ecuyer explained. "We'll be using the two cubesats to make measurements over the course of several hours, taking the difference between those measurements and trying to understand how the processes that are occurring in the Arctic are actually affecting the emission from the Arctic."</p><p>Like with all of NASA's climate research, White says PREFIRE data will be accessible by the public: "All NASA data are open and freely available to all scientists or all people who are interested around the world. That's part of our open science data policy, and that would certainly be true for this mission."</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/nasa-prefire-polar-climate-cubesats</link> <description> <![CDATA[ A pair of cubesats will measure far-infrared radiation from Earth's poles to improve climate predictions. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">CLGpQd7zgNazveXiq6CywX</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/C98fGziZ9c7geRRjAYp8WW.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2024 14:00:24 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Climate Change]]></category> <author><![CDATA[ jdinner@space.com (Josh Dinner) ]]></author> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/C98fGziZ9c7geRRjAYp8WW.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA/JPL-Caltech]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[Two small rectangular satellites hover above earth on opposite sides. each has a dual-panel solar array extended from two sides. The curve of Earth below is hazy and blue.]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Two small rectangular satellites hover above earth on opposite sides. each has a dual-panel solar array extended from two sides. The curve of Earth below is hazy and blue.]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ This Week In Space podcast: Episode 111 —The Big Glass Wars ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <div class="youtube-video" data-nosnippet ><div class="video-aspect-box"><iframe data-lazy-priority="low" data-lazy-src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_yHfQNIYt94" allowfullscreen></iframe></div></div><p>On <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space/episodes/111" target="_blank">Episode 111 of This Week In Space</a>, Rod and Tariq talk with Dr. John Mulchaey, Director of the Carnegie Observatories, about the threat to completing two new giant astronomical observatories.</p><p>Welcome to the Big Glass Wars! That's right, just when you thought you'd heard it all, turns out there's hot competition among a few countries to stay on the cutting edge of optical astronomy, and to do that, you need a great big hunk of glass to gather light from distant galaxies and stellar systems.</p><p>Enter the Carnegie Observatories and their partners on the Thirty Meter Telescope and the Giant Magellan Telescope. Both are currently under construction, and both are threatened by budget parsimony from the U.S. Congress.</p><p><strong>Download or subscribe</strong> to this show at:<strong> </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space" target="_blank">https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space</a>.<br><br>Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://twit.tv/clubtwit" target="_blank">https://twit.tv/clubtwit</a> </p><h2 id="space-news-of-the-week-2">Space news of the week</h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-cft-launch-delay-helium-leak">Helium leak delays Boeing's 1st Starliner astronaut launch to May 21</a></li><li><a href="https://www.space.com/blue-origin-ns-25-meet-the-crew">Blue Origin will launch these 6 space tourists on May 19, its 1st crewed mission since 2022</a></li><li><a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/05/16/1250250249/spacex-repair-hubble-space-telescope-nasa-foia" target="_blank">Private mission to save the Hubble Space Telescope raises concerns, NASA emails show</a></li><li><a href="https://www.space.com/sunspot-ar3664-will-solar-storms-return">Solar storms and Auroras!</a></li><li><a href="https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2024-04-25/telescope-hawaii-chile-national-science-foundation-astronomy" target="_blank">Opinion: America’s ‘big glass’ dominance hangs on the fate of two powerful new telescopes</a></li><li><a href="https://obs.carnegiescience.edu/" target="_blank">Carnegie Observatories</a></li><li><a href="https://www.tmt.org/" target="_blank">Thirty Meter Telescope</a></li><li><a href="https://giantmagellan.org/" target="_blank">Magellan Telescope</a></li></ul><h2 id="model-falcon-9-2">Model Falcon 9!</h2><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">TOP TELESCOPE PICK:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><figure class="van-image-figure " ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' ><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="cbAPCR7Y6HkbgamUsCtVj5" name="celestron top telescope.jpg" caption="" alt="A Celestron telescope on a white background" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/cbAPCR7Y6HkbgamUsCtVj5.jpg" mos="" link="" align="" fullscreen="" width="" height="" attribution="" endorsement="" class="pinterest-pin-exclude"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=""><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Celestron)</span></figcaption></figure><p class="fancy-box__body-text">Looking for a telescope to see planets and comets? We recommend the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?tsid=72128&GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fdp%2FB01L0EQLTI%3Ftag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dspace-us-4730590304221485000-20" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Celestron Astro Fi 102</a> as the top pick in our <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/31229-best-beginner-telescopes.html">best beginner's telescope guide</a>. </p></div></div><p>Finally, did you know you can launch your own SpaceX rocket? Model rocket maker Estes' <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/spacex-falcon-9-estes-model-rocket">stunning scale model of a Falcon 9 rocket</a> that you can pick up now. The launchable model is a detailed recreation of the Falcon 9 and retails for $149.99. You can <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://estesrockets.com/product/002161-spacex-falcon-9/" target="_blank">save 10% by using the code IN-COLLECTSPACE at checkout</a>, courtesy of our partners collectSPACE.com.</p><h2 id="about-this-week-in-space-2">About This Week In Space</h2><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://twit.tv/shows/this-week-in-space" target="_blank">This Week in Space</a> covers the new space age. Every Friday we take a deep dive into a fascinating topic. What's happening with the new race to the moon and other planets? When will SpaceX really send people to Mars? </p><p>Join Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik from <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/" target="_blank">Space.com</a> as they tackle those questions and more each week on Friday afternoons. You can subscribe today on your favorite podcatcher.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/this-week-in-space-podcast-episode-111-big-glass-wars</link> <description> <![CDATA[ On Episode 111 of This Week In Space, Rod and Tariq talk with John Mulchaey, Director of the Carnegie Observatories, about the threat to completing two new giant astronomical observatories. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">mTJowp3gRrQnxbYPaanTMb</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ABPTog64nSBEPdSSba6avE.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2024 13:58:40 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Space Movies & Shows]]></category> <author><![CDATA[ info@space.com (Space.com Staff) ]]></author> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/ABPTog64nSBEPdSSba6avE.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[TWiT]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[This Week In Space podcast: Episode 111 — The Big Glass Wars]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[This Week In Space podcast: Episode 111 — The Big Glass Wars]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ Why we're one step closer to understanding how Earth got its oceans (op-ed) ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Space enthusiasts will know — it's easy to get caught up in a wealth of fascinating developments, from missions to the lunar surface to new discoveries in exoplanet science. But as an astronomer, what has me really excited right now is a largely overlooked development here on Earth that could have profound implications for how we understand the development of life on our planet and one of its most unique features: our oceans.</p><p>With little fanfare, the forthcoming <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/vera-rubin-observatory-broad-views-universe"><u>Vera C. Rubin Observatory</u></a> in Chile marked a major construction milestone on April 27. Workers on the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html"><u>telescope</u></a> finished a reflective coating on the primary mirror, giving it the power to capture light from extremely dim objects in the night sky that we currently cannot detect on a regular basis.</p><p>With this critical component to what will be one of the most powerful telescopes on Earth, we'll be able to shed light on a question that has perplexed scientists for decades: <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/41801-earth-water-primordial-asteroids-comets.html"><u>Where did our oceans come from</u></a>?</p><p><strong>Related:</strong> <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/water-from-comets-46p-study.html"><u>How did Earth get its water? Scientists now look to 'hyperactive comets' for clues</u></a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_xDYEf2cK_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_xDYEf2cK_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>We know that the Earth's oceans were a key ingredient for the development of life, but we are still not sure how they developed. Some of us think that our oceans were delivered to us by icy <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/comets.html"><u>comets</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/51-asteroids-formation-discovery-and-exploration.html"><u>asteroids</u></a> from farther out in the solar system. Similarly, recently discovered interstellar objects like 'Oumuamua and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/interstellar-comet-borisov-most-pristine-ever"><u>2I/Borisov</u></a> may tell us about how oceans are delivered to planets around other stars.</p><p>Certain chemical properties of the Earth's oceans do not resemble what we would expect if the water was present when the Earth formed. Astronomers believe that water must have been delivered after the Earth formed, potentially from comets that originate at the farthest reaches of the solar system like the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/16144-kuiper-belt-objects.html"><u>Kuiper belt</u></a> or Oort cloud. However, when the European Space Agency's (ESA) <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/24292-rosetta-spacecraft.html"><u>Rosetta mission</u></a> measured properties of water on the Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, these chemical signatures did not match those of our oceans.</p><p>Part of the answer may come from learning more about one of the biggest new mysteries in the solar system: <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/solar-system-interstellar-object-search-lsst-jwst"><u>dark comets</u></a>.</p><p>We recently discovered seven dark comets hiding in the asteroids close to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/54-earth-history-composition-and-atmosphere.html"><u>Earth</u></a>. These objects disguise themselves like asteroids — rocky bodies that do not have any water ice in them. However, we noticed that the dark comets were accelerating in strange ways.</p><p>Comets are small bodies, like asteroids, that also contain ices such as water and carbon dioxide. When a comet heats up as it gets close to the sun, this ice becomes a gas and gets blown off the surface, producing a rocket-like acceleration and a tail of gas and dust.</p><p>These dark comets are accelerating like comets but have no tails obvious to our telescopes. If they have water ice on them, then perhaps they could have delivered Earth its oceans.</p><p>If dark comets do contain water, they could be the missing link in our understanding of where our oceans came from. It is possible that they, or dark comets like them in the past, had water that resembles our oceans.</p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_M76aVa15_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_M76aVa15_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/oumuamua.html"><u>'Oumuamua</u></a> was the first large body to be seen passing through the inner <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/16080-solar-system-planets.html"><u>solar system</u></a> that came from another star system — our first interstellar object. Like the dark comets, 'Oumuamua disguised itself as an asteroid because it had no obvious cometary tail, but it accelerated like a comet. We now think that 'Oumuamua — and the dark comets — contain ices that were invisible to us and that these unusual ices fuel their acceleration as they heat up and become gases.</p><p>Astronomers have discovered rocky planets orbiting other stars that could harbor oceans and life. We now know that these <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/17738-exoplanets.html"><u>exoplanetary systems</u></a> have ejected enough interstellar objects like 'Oumuamua and Borisov into the galaxy that a tiny fraction of them must pass through our solar system. Just as dark comets could have given us our oceans, bodies like these interstellar objects could carry ingredients essential to the development of life on rocky planets around other stars — like our Earth.</p><p><strong>Related:</strong> <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/18790-habitable-exoplanets-catalog-photos.html"><u>10 exoplanets that could host alien life</u></a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_p9v07Pk8_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_p9v07Pk8_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/dark-universe-rubin-observatory-mysteries">The mysteries of the dark universe could be solved by the Rubin Observatory</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/earth-oceans-change-color-climate-change">Climate change may be changing the color of Earth's oceans</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/life-earth-messenger-comets-asteroid-samples-ryugu-hayabusa2">Messenger comets might be why Earth has life, asteroid Ryugu samples suggest</a></p></div></div><p>The fact that we have recently discovered both the first interstellar object and the first dark comets means that we are only at the tip of the iceberg. There are likely many more of these disguised comets — both from interstellar space and native to the solar system — lurking undetected in our planetary neighborhood.</p><p>The Rubin Observatory is now one step closer to us having access to orders of magnitude more observing sensitivity than we have today. We will soon be able to find what may be hundreds of interstellar objects in our solar system as well as seeing accelerations on many new dark comets.</p><p>Could dark comets and interstellar objects be the source of life on <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/30172-six-most-earth-like-alien-planets.html"><u>Earth-like planets</u></a>? With the Rubin Observatory, we have the chance to understand these entirely new populations in the solar system and, potentially, where we came from.</p><p><em>Darryl Seligman is a research associate in the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University. His research focuses primarily on theoretical and computational planetary science and astrophysics. </em></p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/earth-oceans-origin-vera-rubin-observatory</link> <description> <![CDATA[ Earth may have gotten some of its water from 'dark comets,' and the forthcoming Vera C. Rubin Observatory could uncover key clues about these mysterious cosmic bodies. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">UJMwUjHk3qhG5LPaZhWxcN</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xGG6dBKgmkUEPU7uNKB3EB.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2024 13:00:17 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Earth]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/xGG6dBKgmkUEPU7uNKB3EB.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA image by Robert Simmon and Marit Jentoft-Nilsen, based on MODIS data]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[photo showing earth against the blackness of space]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[photo showing earth against the blackness of space]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ How to watch Blue Origin's NS-25 private space tourist mission online May 19 ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Blue Origin plans to launch its first private space tourist mission in nearly two years on Sunday (May 19), and you can watch it live online.</p><p>The mission is known as NS-25, because it will be the 25th to date for <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/19584-blue-origin-quiet-plans-for-spaceships.html">Blue Origin</a>'s <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/40372-new-shepard-rocket.html">New Shepard</a> suborbital vehicle. Six people will participate: <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/blue-origin-seventh-human-spaceflight-crew-announced">Ed Dwight</a>, the U.S.'s first-ever Black astronaut candidate; venture capitalist Mason Angel; Sylvain Chiron, the founder of French craft brewery Brasserie Mont Blanc; entrepreneur Kenneth L. Hess; retired accountant Carol Schaller; and pilot and aviator Gopi Thotakura. You can read more about each of them <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.blueorigin.com/news/new-shepard-ns-25-mission-announcement" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p>The launch window for NS-25 opens at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT; 8:30 a.m. local time in West Texas, where the launch will take place). Space.com will carry Blue Origin's webcast on this page and on our home page; the stream is scheduled to begin 40 minutes before the launch window opens.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="Blue Origin will launch Ed Dwight, the 1st-ever Black astronaut candidate, to space on next New Shepard rocket flighthttps://www.space.com/blue-origin-seventh-human-spaceflight-crew-announced">Blue Origin will launch Ed Dwight, the 1st-ever Black astronaut candidate, to space on next New Shepard rocket flight</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_hReUya8S_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_hReUya8S_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>The last crewed Blue Origin flight, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/blue-origin-ns-22-space-tourist-flight-success">NS-22</a>, happened in August 2022. Then, a month later during an uncrewed research mission, New Shepard <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/blue-origin-ns-23-mission-launch-preview">suffered an anomaly</a>. The first-stage booster was destroyed, but vehicle's capsule came back safely under parachutes.</p><p>New Shepard flights were suspended as engineers examined and addressed the anomaly, which was a "thermo-structural failure" of the nozzle on the rocket's single BE-3PM engine. Suborbital flights resumed <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/blue-origin-return-to-flight-mission-ns-24">in December 2023</a> with the uncrewed NS-24 mission.</p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/blue-origin-seventh-human-spaceflight-crew-announced">Blue Origin will launch Ed Dwight, the 1st-ever Black astronaut candidate, to space on next New Shepard rocket flight</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/blue-origin-ns-25-human-spaceflight-may-19">Blue Origin targeting May 19 for 1st crewed spaceflight since 2022</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/blue-origin-new-glenn-rocket-mated-photo">Blue Origin joins 2 stages of New Glenn rocket for the 1st time (photo)</a></p></div></div><p>New Shepard is reusable, with the rocket touching down vertically shortly after liftoff, and the capsule (with passengers) coming down under parachutes roughly 11 minutes after liftoff.</p><p>Passengers experience a few minutes of weightlessness and get to see <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/54-earth-history-composition-and-atmosphere.html">Earth</a> against the blackness of space. Prices for New Shepard flights have not been released, but competitor Virgin Galactic's seats start at $450,000 apiece.</p><p>NS-25 will be the seventh crewed New Shepard flight. The vehicle's other 18 missions have been robotic research efforts.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/blue-origin-ns-25-launch-webcast</link> <description> <![CDATA[ Blue Origin is scheduled to launch a crewed mission for the first time in nearly two years on Sunday (May 19). Here's how to watch the action live. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">hLDuhCD5NZKzBAzTvxYHB7</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7B6DaSgzQGUCJZkRWmqNfh.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2024 12:00:52 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Human Spaceflight]]></category> <author><![CDATA[ elizabeth.howell@futurenet.com (Elizabeth Howell) ]]></author> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/7B6DaSgzQGUCJZkRWmqNfh.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[Mario Tama/Getty Images]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[a tube-shaped rocket flying to space with blue sky as a background]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a tube-shaped rocket flying to space with blue sky as a background]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ James Webb Space Telescope sees Orion Nebula in a stunning new light (images) ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>The Orion Nebula may be a familiar and well-studied celestial object, but new images from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) show this star-forming cloud of gas and dust in an incredibly new and vibrant light.</p><p>The <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/orion-nebula">Orion Nebula</a>, also known as "Messier 42" (M42), is located around 1,500 light years from Earth toward the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/16659-constellation-orion.html">constellation of Orion</a>. This makes it the closest large star-forming and stellar nursery to our solar system. </p><p>Visible to the naked eye under dark skies, the Orion Nebula has been studied throughout human history, but the JWST images show it in unprecedented detail. In particular, the powerful space telescope zoomed in on the diagonal, ridge-like feature of gas and dust at the lower left quadrant of M42 called "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-orion-nebula-photo">the Orion Bar</a>."<strong> </strong></p><p>The images collected as part of the JWST's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/orions-sword-star-nursery">PDRs4All program</a> are valuable for more than their stunning beauty. This treasure trove of data will allow scientists to delve into the often messy and chaotic conditions that accompany <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/18370-universe-star-formation-rate-decline.html">star formation</a>.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-heavy-cosmic-seeds-early-universe">James Webb Space Telescope suggests supermassive black holes grew from heavy cosmic 'seeds'</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_N5BX0snG_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_N5BX0snG_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>"These images have such incredible detail that we will be scrutinizing them for many years to come. The data are incredible and will serve as benchmarks for astrophysics research for decades to come," Western University astrophysicist and PDRs4All principle investigator Els Peeters <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://news.westernu.ca/2024/05/webb-star-formation/#:~:text=The%20Webb%20images%20are%20unlike,feature%20of%20gas%20and%20dust" target="_blank">said in a statement</a>. "So far, we have explored only a tiny fraction of the data, and this has already resulted in several surprising and major discoveries."</p><h2 id="star-birth-is-messy-in-the-orion-nebula-2">Star birth is messy in the Orion Nebula</h2><p>Star formation occurs when overdense patches in gigantic clouds of gas and dust collapse under their own gravity. This forms a "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/strange-rings-protostar-exoplanet-birth">protostar</a>" wrapped in a natal cocoon of gas and dust left over from its formation. </p><p>Protostars continue to gather material from their <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/hubble-telescope-new-star-fs-tau-b">natal envelopes</a> until they have gathered enough mass to trigger the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/what-is-nuclear-fusion">nuclear fusion of hydrogen to helium</a> in their cores. This process defines a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/22437-main-sequence-star.html">main-sequence star</a> like our sun, which will have gone through this process around 4.6 billion years ago. <br><br>The situation is more complicated than it may initially sound, though, because these overdense patches aren't all the same size or mass, and they don't all collapse at the same time. <br><br>"The process of star formation is messy because star-forming regions contain stars of varying masses at different stages of their development while still embedded in their natal cloud and because many different physical and chemical processes are at play that influence one another," Peeters said.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1840px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:108.70%;"><img id="3AXEarE97NNREGVKcj8oZB" name="image4_South_M43.jpg" alt="colorful clouds of gas in space" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/3AXEarE97NNREGVKcj8oZB.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1840" height="2000" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The JWST image of the northeast region of the heart of the Orion Nebula </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA, E. Dartois, E. Habart, PDRs4All ERS team)</span></figcaption></figure><p>One of the most important aspects of understanding the gas and dust between stars or "interstellar medium" from which other stars are created is the physics of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-massive-star-radiation-probe">photo-dissociation regions</a> or "PDRs" (the PDR in PDRs4All). The chemistry and physics of PDRs are determined by how ultraviolet radiation from hot young stars interacts with gas and dust. </p><p>In the Orion Nebula, this bombardment of radiation is creating structures like the Orion Bar, which is essentially the edge of a large bubble carved out by some of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/blue-stars">massive stars that power the nebula</a>.</p><p>"The same structural details that give these images their aesthetic appeal reveals a more complicated structure than we originally thought – with foreground and background gas and dust making the analysis a bit harder," PDRs4All team member Emile Habart from the University of Paris-Saclay said. "But these images are of such quality that we can separate these regions well and reveal that the edge of the Orion Bar is very steep, like a huge wall, as predicted by theories."</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1898px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:105.37%;"><img id="tSEhqvbN3Lpb45CQjZzifj" name="image2_Orion_Bar-e1715702331404.jpg" alt="colorful clouds of gas in space" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/tSEhqvbN3Lpb45CQjZzifj.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1898" height="2000" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Orion Bar as seen by the JWST as it bombarded by radiation from hot young stars </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA, E. Dartois, E. Habart, PDRs4All ERS team)</span></figcaption></figure><p>The JWST allowed the researchers to not only see the structure of the Orion Bar like never before, but the spectrum of light from the Orion Bar also let them determine how its chemical composition varies throughout it. This is possible because chemical elements absorb and emit light at characteristic wavelengths, leaving their fingerprints on the spectrum of light passing through gas and dust.</p><p>This helped to reveal the widescale chemical makeup of M42, allowing the PDRs4All team to see how temperature, density, and radiation field strength change through the Orion Nebula.</p><p>The detection of over 600 chemical fingerprints in the spectra of the Orion Nebula over the course of this investigation could vastly improve models of PDRs.</p><p>"The spectroscopic dataset covers a much smaller area of the sky compared to the images, but it contains a ton more information," Peeters said. "A picture is worth a thousand words, but we astronomers only half-jokingly say that a spectrum is worth a thousand images."</p><h2 id="james-webb-space-telescope-leaves-other-telescopes-in-the-dust-2">James Webb Space Telescope leaves other telescopes in the dust</h2><p>The PDRs4All team also tackled a longstanding problem with previous observations of the Orion Nebula, namely a steep variation in emissions from dust in the Orion Bar, the origin of which couldn't be explained. This investigation revealed that this variation in emission was the result of a destructive process in the Orion Bar spark by radiation from massive young stars. </p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:2000px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:93.55%;"><img id="vbPV3K4jSv8y8vySmSnfm6" name="image3_Orion_North-e1715698752753.jpg" alt="colorful clouds of gas in space" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/vbPV3K4jSv8y8vySmSnfm6.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="2000" height="1871" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">JWST image captures the region northeast of the Trapezium Cluster, the heart of the Orion Nebula. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA/ESA/CSA, E. Dartois, E. Habart, PDRs4All ERS team)</span></figcaption></figure><p>"The sharp hyperspectral JWST data contains so much more information than previous observations that it clearly pointed to the attenuation of radiation by dust and the efficient destruction of the smallest dust particles as the underlying cause for these variations," team member and Institut d’Astrophysique Spatiale postdoctoral researcher Meriem El Yajouri said.</p><p>The PDRs4All team was also able to tease out details about emissions from the Orion Nebula that come from large carbon-bearing molecules known as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). These happen to be among the largest reservoirs of carbon-based materials in the cosmos, thought to account for as much as 20% of the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-1st-detection-of-diamond-like-carbon-dust-earliest-stars">carbon in the universe</a>.</p><p>Because the only life in the cosmos we are aware of is carbon-based, the study of PAHs is hugely relevant to our understanding of the existence of life on planets that form around young stars.</p><p>"We are studying what happens to carbonaceous molecules long before the carbon makes its way into our bodies," Cami added.</p><p>PAH molecules are long-lasting due to their sturdiness and resilience. Their emissions are bright, and the JWST is able to use these to determine that even with the toughness of PAHs, ultraviolet light from young stars can alter these emissions.</p><p>"It really is an embarrassment of riches," said Peeters. "Even though these large molecules are thought to be very sturdy, we found that UV radiation changes the overall properties of the molecules that cause the emission."</p><p>This revealed that ultraviolet radiation breaks apart smaller carbon molecules while larger molecules have their emissions changed. These effects are seen in different extremes across the Orion Nebulas, moving from shielded environments to more exposed regions.</p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-supernova-wreckage-neutron-star">James Webb Space Telescope spots neutron star hiding in supernova wreckage</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">—<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-detects-earliest-cosmic-web-strand">James Webb telescope detects the earliest strand in the 'cosmic web' ever seen</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-horsehead-nebula">Horsehead Nebula rears its head in gorgeous new James Webb Space Telescope images (video)</a></p></div></div><p>"What makes the Orion Bar truly unique is its edge-on geometry, giving us a ring-side seat to study in exquisite detail the different physical and chemical processes that happen as we move from the very exposed, harsh <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/1774-astronomers-determine-trigger-massive-star-formation.html">ionized region</a> into the much more shielded regions where molecular gas can form," Jan Cami, PDRs4All team member and Western University researcher said.</p><p>Using <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/machine-learning-seti-technosignatures">machine learning</a> to assess PAHs revealed that even when ultraviolet light doesn't break these molecules down, it can cause their structure to be changed.</p><p>"These papers reveal some sort of survival of the fittest at the molecular level in the harshest environments in space," Cami concluded.</p><p>The team's research is published across a series of six papers in the journal <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.aanda.org/" target="_blank">Astronomy & Astrophysics</a> </p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-orion-nebula-m42-new-light</link> <description> <![CDATA[ The Orion Nebula may be a familiar astronomical sight over Earth but that hasn't stopped the James Webb Space Telescope from seeing this star-forming region in a stunning new light. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">fPYuY8ZcG7Tsp3Qnss6wqQ</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/G4rDXvhgveBTgXQzrxcEVM.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2024 10:00:44 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[James Webb Space Telescope]]></category> <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/G4rDXvhgveBTgXQzrxcEVM.png"> <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA/ESA/CSA, E. Dartois, E. Habart, PDRs4All ERS team]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[Three images of regionsof the Orion Nebula captured by the JWST showing the familar star forming region in a vibrant new light]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Three images of regionsof the Orion Nebula captured by the JWST showing the familar star forming region in a vibrant new light]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ NASA astronauts practice 'moonwalking' in the Arizona desert (photos) ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Moonwalking in the Arizona desert?</p><p>No, it's not a remake of Michael Jackson's signature move; it's a training exercise for NASA astronauts that will be part of the future <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artemis-program.html">Artemis Program</a> of missions to the lunar surface.</p><p>The week-long expedition across the San Francisco Volcanic Field near Flagstaff, AZ, will give NASA astronauts <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nasa.gov/people/kate-rubins/" target="_blank"><u>Kate Rubins</u></a> and <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nasa.gov/people/nasa-astronaut-andre-douglas/" target="_blank"><u>Andre Douglas</u></a> the opportunity to enact moonwalk scenarios in replica spacesuits on a landscape that's similar to the moon. </p><p>Throughout the training, the team will rehearse lunar operations from start to finish and will be supported by NASA engineers and field experts on the ground and virtually with a team of flight controllers and scientists at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-astronauts-moon-walk-training-artemis-program">NASA astronaut walks on the 'moon' to get ready for Artemis landings (photos)</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_fgQX7IsU_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_fgQX7IsU_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>"Field tests play a critical role in helping us test all of the systems, hardware, and technology we'll need to conduct successful lunar operations during Artemis missions," Barbara Janoiko, director for the field test at Johnson, said <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/nasa-tests-technology-practices-artemis-moonwalks-in-arizona-desert/" target="_blank"><u>in a release</u></a>. "Our engineering and science teams have worked together seamlessly to ensure we are prepared every step of the way for when astronauts step foot on the moon again."</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:71.41%;"><img id="RQFQwpT3cvgTbHVFac62wM" name="nasa moonwalk arizona artemis.jpg" alt="two people in skeleton-like spacesuits without the outer shell walk through the desert under a bright sun" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/RQFQwpT3cvgTbHVFac62wM.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1920" height="1371" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">NASA astronaut Andre Douglas collects soil samples during the first in a series of four simulated moonwalks in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Norther Arizona on May 13, 2024. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel)</span></figcaption></figure><p>During the week, there will be four simulated moonwalks and six advanced technology runs that will follow the same protocol for operations on <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artemis-3-moon-landing-mission">Artemis 3</a> and beyond. </p><p>The technology used in the demonstrations also could be included in future Artemis program missions, including a display and navigation data stream through either augmented reality (AR) or lighting beacons that could help the crew find their way back to the lander. </p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1919px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:71.44%;"><img id="buB4d8rZNeZTQnv9Vsnc5N" name="nasa artemis moonwalk arizona.jpg" alt="two people in skeleton-like spacesuits without the outer shell walk through the desert under a bright sun" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/buB4d8rZNeZTQnv9Vsnc5N.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1919" height="1371" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">NASA astronauts Kate Rubins and Andre Douglas congratulate each other after the completion of the first simulated moonwalk in a week-long field test consisting of four simulated moonwalks and six advanced technology runs in the San Francisco Volcanic Field in Northern Arizona on May 13, 2024. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel)</span></figcaption></figure><p>"During Artemis 3, the astronauts will be our science operators on the lunar surface with an entire science team supporting them from here on Earth," Cherie Achilles, science officer for the test at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, said <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.nasa.gov/humans-in-space/nasa-tests-technology-practices-artemis-moonwalks-in-arizona-desert/" target="_blank"><u>in the same release</u></a>. "This simulation gives us an opportunity to practice conducting geology from afar in real time."</p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artemis-astronauts-moonwalking-desert-simulation-2022">NASA astronauts 'moonwalk' in the Arizona desert for our lunar future</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/artemis-3-moon-landing-mission"> NASA's Artemis 3 mission: Landing humans on the moon</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/nasa-artemis-2-moon-mission-delay-september-2025">Astronauts won't walk on the moon until 2026 after NASA delays next 2 Artemis missions</a></p></div></div><p>One of the goals of this training will be to locate any gaps or challenges that could arise with operations to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/moon-south-pole-shackleton-crater-photo">lunar south pole</a> in the way data is collected and how the team communicates with the science and flight control teams back in Houston. </p><p>After each simulated moonwalk is complete, all the teams will get together and discuss how it went and what could be learned from that specific exercise. Anything learned from this field test will be incorporated into planning for future Artemis missions including technology and commercial vendor development.</p><p>This is field test number five that's performed by NASA Johnson's Joint Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Test Team. Previous training as far back as the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/apollo-program-overview.html">Apollo program</a> has taken place in the Arizona desert due to it being a spot that's comparable with the moon's terrain featuring volcanic traits, craters and faults to navigate through. </p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/nasa-astronauts-artemis-2-moonwalk-arizona-desert</link> <description> <![CDATA[ NASA astronauts headed to Arizona desert to rehearse moonwalks and test technology for the Artemis mission. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">KfNKkuNqNibLum4a8fFtu9</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/B7GCfcQxXJGX9D6tkPz5nM.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Sat, 18 May 2024 00:00:48 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Artemis]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/B7GCfcQxXJGX9D6tkPz5nM.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA/Josh Valcarcel]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[two people in skeleton-like spacesuits without the outer shell walk through the desert under a bright sun]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[two people in skeleton-like spacesuits without the outer shell walk through the desert under a bright sun]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ Who is the 'Doctor Who' villain Maestro? And what's their relationship with the Toymaker? ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>There's a bum note at London's Abbey Road Studios. The Beatles are recording their 1963 debut LP as planned, but their music is nothing to (twist and) shout about, and they can't wait to finish the album and get back to Liverpool.</p><p>It's not the Fab Four's fault, however. In "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/watch-new-doctor-who-online-ncuti-gatwa"><u>Doctor Who</u></a>" episode "The Devil's Chord", the malevolent Maestro is sucking all the music out of the world, and even the Doctor may be powerless to stop them. (Need a guide on how to watch Doctor Who? Check out our <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/watch-new-doctor-who-online-ncuti-gatwa"><u>Doctor Who streaming guide</u></a> for how to join the space-time traveling adventure from anywhere.)</p><p>Though perhaps we shouldn't be too surprised. Maestro is closely related to old-school antagonist the Toymaker, and the family is set to open the door on a whole new pantheon of "Doctor Who" gods. Here's everything you need to know.</p><div class="product editors-choice"><div class="editors-choice__title">Editors Choice</div><a data-dimension112="44650c83-19e5-4a30-9b0e-11b6bf05938f" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="Disney Plus" data-dimension48="Disney Plus" href="https://www.disneyplus.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><figure class="van-image-figure " ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:500px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:100.00%;"><img id="iMcA5jxpJyGqMKBmHETya6" name="disney+ logo.jpeg" caption="" alt="" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/iMcA5jxpJyGqMKBmHETya6.jpeg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="500" height="500" attribution="" endorsement="" credit="" class=""></p></div></div></figure></a><p><a href="https://www.disneyplus.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-dimension112="44650c83-19e5-4a30-9b0e-11b6bf05938f" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="Disney Plus" data-dimension48="Disney Plus"><strong>Disney Plus</strong></a> is now the international home of "Doctor Who." That means that viewers outside the U.K. can watch new "Doctor Who" episodes on the streamer — as well as the three David Tennant-starring 60th anniversary episodes, and Ncuti Gatwa's first full outing as the Time Lord, "The Church on Ruby Road". </p><p>Episodes debut on Disney Plus at the same time they appear on BBC iPlayer.<a class="view-deal button" href="https://www.disneyplus.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow" data-dimension112="44650c83-19e5-4a30-9b0e-11b6bf05938f" data-action="Deal Block" data-label="Disney Plus" data-dimension48="Disney Plus">VIEW DEAL ON </a></p></div><h2 id="who-is-maestro-2">Who is Maestro?</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="JZTH3NMS3XP2erQ3pvaAaU" name="1715980100.jpg" alt="Jinkx Monsoon as the Maestro villain on Doctor Who holding a baton at a piano." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/JZTH3NMS3XP2erQ3pvaAaU.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Jinkx Monsoon as the villain Maestro in the Doctor Who episode The Devil's Chord. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Disney Plus/BBC)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Maestro (played by actor, singer and "Ru Paul's Drag Race" champion Jinkx Monsson) is a god-like entity who's been described by showrunner Russell T. Davies as "the Doctor's most powerful enemy yet." </p><p>Indeed, their ability to materialize out of pianos and other musical instruments is more than just a cabaret act, as they can control and consume music — and even manipulate the TARDIS.</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/doctor-who-villains-ranked-worst-to-best"><strong>The greatest Doctor Who villains ranked</strong></a></p><h2 id="xa0-why-does-maestro-want-to-silence-music-xa0-2"> Why does Maestro want to silence music? </h2><p>This goes way beyond any irrational early '60s anti-rock 'n' roll sentiment, because sucking the energy out of music is literally the source of Maestro's awesome power. "Every song that goes unsung feeds me," they explain. "I get stronger and stronger until I can reach out and steal the music of the spheres. Then, the universe will stop turning."</p><p>The effects of their auditory binge — which kicks off in 1925 when composer Timothy Drake (Jeremy Limb) inadvertently plays the chord that unleashes Maestro — are far reaching. By 1963, the Beatles have been transformed into talentless hacks, while newspaper headlines announcing that Soviet premier Khrushchev is threatening neighboring Finland prove that history has already been altered. By the time this twisted timeline reaches 2024, London is a post-apocalyptic wasteland. "The sound of a <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/what-would-the-earth-look-like-one-year-after-humans-go-extinct">nuclear winter</a>," says Maestro. "The purest music of all."</p><h2 id="what-apos-s-maestro-apos-s-relationship-with-the-toymaker-2">What's Maestro's relationship with the Toymaker?</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="rEs7BmfSWbtxevZ9u6guFD" name="doctor-who-devils-chord.png" alt="The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) in the "The Devil's Chord."" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/rEs7BmfSWbtxevZ9u6guFD.png" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) in the "The Devil's Chord." </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Disney Plus/BBC)</span></figcaption></figure><p>There's a good reason why that maniacal laugh sounds familiar. Maestro is the child of the Toymaker (originally known as the Celestial Toymaker), the classic 1960s "Who" villain who returned in <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/doctor-who-anniversary-special-the-giggle-viewing-guide">60th anniversary special "The Giggle"</a> (where he was played by Neil Patrick Harris). </p><p>Where Maestro holds dominion over tunes, the Toymaker is the king of games, and both rank among the few <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/doctor-who-villains-ranked-worst-to-best"><u>Doctor Who villains</u></a> capable of scaring the Doctor. In fact, the Doctor's December confrontation with the Toymaker "ripped me in half," prompting that much-talked-about, never-seen-before bigeneration.</p><p>It's worth noting, however, that even gods can possess an Achilles' heel. The Toymaker's reign of terror is foiled by a simple game of catch, while Maestro is vanquished by a well-timed Lennon/McCartney collaboration.</p><h2 id="will-maestro-return-for-a-second-movement-2">Will Maestro return for a second movement?</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="CqZoMzvf5jeNttjaBp2W6e" name="doctor-who-devils-chordfinal.jpg" alt="Jinkx Monsoon as the villain Maestro in the Doctor Who episode The Devil's Chord." src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/CqZoMzvf5jeNttjaBp2W6e.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Jinkx Monsoon as the villain Maestro in the Doctor Who episode The Devil's Chord. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Disney Plus/BBC)</span></figcaption></figure><p>That's one to file under "to be continued…" for now, though the fact their son Henry Arbinger (Kit Rakusen) turns up at Abbey Road during the song and dance routine at the end of "The Devil's Chord" may be a H.Arbinger of things to come. (See what we did there?)</p><p>Besides, Maestro clearly has some unfinished business with Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). Why does the Doctor's new companion have "Carol of the Bells" "hidden deep inside her soul?" "How can a song have so much power?" And who or what is "the Oldest One," who may or may not have been present when Ruby was abandoned outside the church on Ruby Road in the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/doctor-who-christmas-special-the-church-on-ruby-road-streaming">"Doctor Who" Christmas special</a>? <br><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/doctor-who-companions-ranked-worst-to-best"><u><strong>Doctor Who companions ranked worst to best</strong></u></a></p><h2 id="will-the-doctor-and-ruby-meet-more-gods-this-season-2">Will the Doctor and Ruby meet more gods this season?</h2><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1920px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="LRLxqKgbPTsdqhCXN4YJW4" name="doctor-who-devils-chord2.png" alt="The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) in the "The Devil's Chord."" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/LRLxqKgbPTsdqhCXN4YJW4.png" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1920" height="1080" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">The Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson) in leave the TARDIS in "The Devil's Chord." </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: Disney Plus/BBC)</span></figcaption></figure><p>Yes — and it's not just a question of faith. Seconds before he was boxed in "The Giggle", the Toymaker threatened that "my legions are coming". And as showrunner Russell T. Davies told <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.cinemablend.com/interviews/doctor-who-russell-t-davies-told-me-what-to-expect-pantheon-of-villians" target="_blank"><u>CinemaBlend</u></a>, "There are more of these gods to come. I can promise you at least three more."<br></p><p>"[We're] keeping going with this fantastical strand, of this pantheon of gods," he added on documentary show "<a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episodes/m001sx3r/doctor-who-unleashed" target="_blank">Doctor Who: Unleashed</a>." "Some of us call them the 'gods of chaos', which is a great title. I don't know if it's official but I like it. I think introducing these gods, it starts to link them together. The Toymaker seems to be the supreme being of this pantheon. He's not. There's plenty of discoveries to come with that."</p><p>So which deities are still to cross the Doctor's path? The cryptically named "the One Who Waits" seems to be the most likely candidate. The Toymaker said it was an adversary so scary that he wouldn't challenge it to a game, though the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/doctor-who-60th-anniversary-specials-air-date-trailer">Fourteenth Doctor</a> (David Tennant) seemed unaware of its existence. Maestro also warned that, "the One Who Waits is almost here!"</p><p>Of course, the all-knowing threat may be hiding in plain sight. There's been some speculation that characters breaking the fourth wall (as Maestro and the Doctor both have this season) may offer a clue to their godly status. This would also make Ruby's neighbor, Mrs. Flood (Anita Dobson), a candidate.</p><p>For now we'll have to wait and see how this plays out — because as the episode's massive musical number reminds us:" "There's always a twist at the end."</p><p><em>"Doctor Who" streams on BBC iPlayer in the UK and </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://disneyplus.bn5x.net/c/221109/564546/9358?subId1=space-us-9814179181908958571&sharedId=space-us&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.disneyplus.com%2F" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"><em>Disney Plus</em></a><em> elsewhere in the world. New episodes debut at 7pm ET/4pm PT on Fridays, and midnight on Saturdays in the UK. Our guide to </em><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/entertainment/space-movies-shows/watch-new-doctor-who-online-ncuti-gatwa"><u><em>watching new "Doctor Who" episodes</em></u></a><em> explains more.</em> </p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/who-is-the-doctor-who-villain-maestro</link> <description> <![CDATA[ The new villain Maestro is out to destroy music in 'Doctor Who' episode 'The Devil's Chord' —and they're part of a new Pantheon of godly antagonists. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">gsT4PaqYb5p3uTxqenPxgT</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HXCqf2KN8tDgrDUJ2hj9FK.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 22:00:37 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Entertainment]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/HXCqf2KN8tDgrDUJ2hj9FK.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[Disney Plus/BBC]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[Jinkx Monsoon as the Maestro villain on Doctor Who holding a baton at a piano.]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[Jinkx Monsoon as the Maestro villain on Doctor Who holding a baton at a piano.]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ Boeing's 1st Starliner astronaut launch delayed again, to May 25 ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>The first astronaut mission of Boeing's new Starliner spacecraft has been pushed back by an additional four days, to May 25.</p><p>Tuesday (May 21) had been the latest target date for the launch of <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/19367-boeing-cst-100.html">Starliner</a>'s Crew Flight Test (CFT), which will send NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore to the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/16748-international-space-station.html">International Space Station</a> (ISS) for a roughly week-long stay. </p><p>But NASA announced today (May 17) that it's now eyeing May 25 for the liftoff, which will take place atop a United Launch Alliance (ULA) <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/40250-atlas-v-rocket.html">Atlas V</a> rocket from <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/33926-cape-canaveral.html">Cape Canaveral Space Force Station</a>, on Florida's Space Coast.</p><p>"The additional time allows teams to further assess a small helium leak in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft's service module traced to a flange on a single reaction control system thruster," agency officials wrote in an <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://blogs.nasa.gov/commercialcrew/2024/05/17/nasa-boeing-now-working-toward-may-25-launch-of-crew-flight-test/" target="_blank">update today</a>.</p><p><strong>Related:</strong> <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/news/live/boeing-starliner-live-updates">Boeing Starliner 1st astronaut flight: Live updates</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_f8Qb4qXF_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_f8Qb4qXF_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>That leak was discovered earlier this week, prompting the mission team to push CFT's planned launch from today <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-cft-launch-delay-helium-leak">to May 21</a>. Further analysis of the leak suggests that it's not a huge problem, but NASA, Boeing and ULA want more time to assess the situation, agency officials wrote in today's update.</p><p>"Pressure testing performed on May 15 on the spacecraft's helium system showed the leak in the flange is stable and would not pose a risk at that level during the flight," the update reads. </p><p>"The testing also indicated the rest of the thruster system is sealed effectively across the entire service module," it continues. "Boeing teams are working to develop operational procedures to ensure the system retains sufficient performance capability and appropriate redundancy during the flight." </p><p>CFT was originally supposed to launch on May 6, but that attempt was <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-1st-launch-attempt-scrub">scrubbed a few hours before liftoff</a> when the launch team noticed a "buzzing" valve in the Atlas V's upper stage. ULA eventually decided to replace the valve, a process that required rolling the Atlas V and Starliner off the pad and back to an assembly building. That operation pushed the target launch date <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/starliner-first-astronaut-launch-delay-may-17-replace-valve">to today</a>, which became untenable after the helium leak cropped up.</p><p>Starliner and its rocket ride remain in the assembly building. Williams and Wilmore, meanwhile, are in quarantine in Houston. They'll return to Florida's Space Coast when the target launch date draws near, NASA officials said in today's update.</p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_rwkMhpJ8_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_rwkMhpJ8_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-cft-launch-delay-helium-leak">Helium leak delays Boeing's 1st Starliner astronaut launch to May 21</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-spacecraft-private-astronaut-nasa-focus">Boeing's Starliner spacecraft will not fly private missions yet, officials say</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-nasa-astronaut-arrival-launch-site-webcast">'I'm sure we'll find things out': NASA astronauts fly to launch site for 1st crewed Boeing Starliner mission to ISS (photos)</a></p></div></div><p>Boeing developed, and is flying, Starliner under a $4.2 billion contract awarded by NASA's Commercial Crew Program in 2014. SpaceX got a similar deal, worth $2.6 billion, for work on its <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/18852-spacex-dragon.html">Dragon</a> capsule.</p><p><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/18853-spacex.html">SpaceX</a> is in the middle of its eighth contracted, long-duration astronaut mission to the ISS for NASA. CFT will be Starliner's first crewed effort, the equivalent of SpaceX's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/spacex-crew-dragon-demo-2-test-flight-explained.html">Demo-2 mission</a>, a test flight that launched in May 2020. </p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/boeing-starliner-first-astronaut-launch-delay-may-25</link> <description> <![CDATA[ The first crewed mission of Boeing's new Starliner spacecraft has been pushed back by an additional four days, to May 25. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">w6VYwasvh2XXqhPQmrPFXj</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Vgm7mRorHQSZMUu3JnxPJW.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 21:23:18 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Human Spaceflight]]></category> <author><![CDATA[ mwall@space.com (Mike Wall) ]]></author> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/Vgm7mRorHQSZMUu3JnxPJW.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA via X]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[a white and brown rocket stands vertically next to a tall white building]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[a white and brown rocket stands vertically next to a tall white building]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ India's ambitious 2nd Mars mission to include a rover, helicopter, sky crane and a supersonic parachute ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>India is preparing to launch a family of seemingly sci-fi robots to Mars, perhaps as soon as late 2024.</p><p>The Mars Orbiter Mission-2 (MOM-2), or <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/india-mars-helicopter-mangalyaan-mission"><u>Mangalyaan-2</u></a> (Hindi for "Mars Craft"), is set to include a rover and a helicopter, like a robotic NASA duo already on Mars — the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/perseverance-rover-mars-2020-mission"><u>Perseverance</u></a> rover and now-grounded <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/ingenuity-mars-helicopter-perseverance-rover"><u>Ingenuity</u></a>. A supersonic parachute and a sky crane that will lower the rover onto the Martian surface will also be part of Mangalyaan-2, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) officials said last week during a presentation at the Space Applications Centre in Gujarat, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.indiatoday.in/science/story/mangalayaan-2-isro-mars-mission-sky-crane-helicopter-rover-2538652-2024-05-13" target="_blank"><u>India Today reported</u></a>.</p><p>NASA pioneered the use of a Mars sky crane in 2012 with its <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/17963-mars-curiosity.html"><u>Curiosity</u></a> rover and employed it again in 2021 to get <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/perseverance-rover-mars-2020-mission"><u>Perseverance</u></a> down. The Ingenuity helicopter was attached to Perseverance's underbelly during the journey to Mars and later <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/mars-helicopter-ingenuity-touches-down-martian-surface"><u>deployed onto the surface</u></a> for its history-making mission.</p><p><strong>Related:</strong> <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/47-mars-the-red-planet-fourth-planet-from-the-sun.html"><u>Mars: Everything you need to know about the Red Planet</u></a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_Ly3sh37V_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_Ly3sh37V_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>India aims to accomplish similar milestones, and if successful, would become the third country to land a spacecraft on Mars, after the United States and China. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/isro-begins-preparation-for-india-s-2nd-mission-to-mars-101696188317198.html" target="_blank"><u>Media reports</u></a> from late last year suggest that Mangalyaan-2 will have at least four science instruments designed to study the early history of Mars, analyze its leaking atmosphere, and look for a hypothesized dust ring around the planet generated by its two moons, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/20413-phobos-deimos-mars-moons.html"><u>Phobos and Deimos</u></a>.</p><p>Local media reports suggest that Mangalyaan-2 could launch as soon as later this year, a timeline that seems a bit ambitious, given that few key components are still in development, including the multi-instrument helicopter, the sky crane and the supersonic parachute. <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/indian-space-research-organization.html"><u>ISRO</u></a> has so far made no official announcements about the mission.</p><p>India's first Mars mission, MOM or <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/tag/india-mars-orbiter-mission"><u>Mangalyaan</u></a>, was a homegrown technology-demonstrating orbiter put together in 18 months that reached Mars in September 2014. Mangalyaan's success made India the fourth entity to get an orbiter to Mars, after the United States, the European Space Agency and the Soviet Union — but India did so on its first try, and on a shoestring budget of $74 million. For comparison, NASA's most recent Mars orbiter, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/23617-nasa-maven-mars-mission.html"><u>MAVEN</u></a>, has a price tag of about $670 million. </p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/23203-india-mars-orbiter-mission-photos.html">India's first Mars mission in pictures (gallery)</a> </p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/mars-rotor-system-test-nears-supersonic-speeds-ingenuity-flies-coincides">The Mars helicopter Ingenuity is an amazing success. NASA's already testing tech for the next generation (video)</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/indian-space-research-organization.html">ISRO: The Indian Space Research Organisation</a> </p></div></div><p>Following the accomplishment, and to celebrate the country's first foray into interplanetary space, in 2016 the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/34671-india-rupee-features-mars-mission-spacecraft.html?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Twitter&utm_campaign=socialtwitterspc&cmpid=social_spc_514648"><u>introduced an illustration</u></a> of Mangalyaan on the back of the country's highest denomination currency note of ₹2,000 (approximately $24 US). (Last May, the RBI decided to withdraw that note from circulation, following what the organization said was a successful demonetization effort to curb black money.)</p><p>Mangalyaan also inspired multiple works in Indian cinema, including the 2019 popular Hindi movie "Mission Mangal," a fictional take on the lives of the project's scientists. </p><p>ISRO designed Mangalyaan to last just six to 10 months, but the orbiter far exceeded those expectations, operating for nearly eight years before ISRO lost contact with it in April 2022.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/india-mangalyaan-2-mars-mission-rover-helicopter-sky-crane</link> <description> <![CDATA[ India's second mission to Mars will include a rover, helicopter, sky crane and a supersonic parachute, according to media reports. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">KDLsciQrSsKzh2RZyqWWxT</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EnMM9kix2PgEEcnH4LXeQg.png" type="image/png" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 21:00:01 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Mars]]></category> <media:content type="image/png" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/EnMM9kix2PgEEcnH4LXeQg.png"> <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA/ISRO/Robert Lea]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[An illustration of the Mars Orbiter Mission in orbit around Mars.]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[An illustration of the Mars Orbiter Mission in orbit around Mars.]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> <item> <title><![CDATA[ Massive sunspot that brought widespread auroras to Earth now targets Mars ]]></title> <dc:content><![CDATA[ <p>Yes, the beastly sunspot AR3664 is in the news again.</p><p>Although the sunspot has rotated out of our view, it's still quite the hotspot, having <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/sun-solar-flare-sunspot-ar3664-x88-class-may-14-2024">fired off its strongest solar flare yet</a> on Tuesday (May 14). Any bursts of solar plasma and magnetic field, known as <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/coronal-mass-ejections-cme">coronal mass ejections</a>, erupting from AR3664 will now be directed away from Earth, but scientists say there's another planet that could experience impacts from the massive sunspot: <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/47-mars-the-red-planet-fourth-planet-from-the-sun.html">Mars</a>.</p><p>"Looking at the measurements of the flare from Mars using the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://lasp.colorado.edu/maven/science/instrument-package/lpw/extreme-ultraviolet-euv-monitor/" target="_blank"><u>Extreme Ultraviolet Monitor (EUVM)</u></a> onboard <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/23617-nasa-maven-mars-mission.html">MAVEN</a>, this is by-far the largest flare we've seen since MAVEN arrived at Mars in 2014," Dr. Ed Thiemann, Heliophysicist at the University of Colorado at Boulder's <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://lasp.colorado.edu/"><u>Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP)</u></a>, told Space.com in an email. </p><p>"We haven't looked at MAVEN's atmospheric measurements yet, but based on prior events, we expect the flare rapidly heated and ionized the Martian upper atmosphere, causing the upper atmospheric temperature to perhaps double for a few hours and inflating the entire daylit hemisphere by tens of km."</p><p><strong>Related: </strong><a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/sun-solar-flare-sunspot-ar3664-x88-class-may-14-2024">Sun unleashes massive X8.7 solar flare, biggest of current cycle, from super-active monster sunspot (video)</a></p><div class='jwplayer__widthsetter'><div class='jwplayer__wrapper'><div id='futr_botr_JODASMFc_bQHItauA_div' class='future__jwplayer'><div id='botr_JODASMFc_bQHItauA_div'></div></div></div></div><p>In fact, NASA's Perseverance Mars rover has <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/multimedia/raw-images/ZL7_1150_0769036793_785EBY_N0522638ZCAM01015_0340LMJ" target="_blank"><u>a front row seat</u></a> on the Red Planet with a direct look at the sun with both AR3663 and AR3664 in view. Like Earth, with Mars being in the direct path of the CME, there will be impacts once it arrives as a solar storm is generated and interacts with the <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/16903-mars-atmosphere-climate-weather.html">Martian atmosphere</a>. And yes, that could mean a global-scale aurora for Perseverance to enjoy.</p><p>"The CME launched by the flare is on its way and it may cause global-scale aurora and energize Mars's upper ionosphere and magnetosphere," Thiemann said.</p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:1280px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:56.25%;"><img id="TABFVgajX3tq6EaFqR6axU" name="mars perseverance sunspots.jpg" alt="a grainy image of the sun showing two black spots on its visible disk" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/TABFVgajX3tq6EaFqR6axU.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="1" width="1280" height="720" attribution="" endorsement="" class="expandable"></p></div></div><figcaption itemprop="caption description" class=" inline-layout"><span class="caption-text">Zoomed in image taken by NASA's Mars Perseverance rover Left Mastcam-Z camera on May 15, 2024. Sunspot region AR3664 is toward the bottom and AR3663 is on the top right. </span><span class="credit" itemprop="copyrightHolder">(Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SpaceWeather.com)</span></figcaption></figure><p>However, unlike Earth's atmosphere, Mars does not have a magnetic field to shield it from the supercharged particles. That's why for an event like this, it's important to have MAVEN continue to keep an eye on and study Mars' upper atmosphere. </p><div class="fancy-box"><div class="fancy_box-title">RELATED STORIES:</div><div class="fancy_box_body"><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/mars-new-aurora-massive-scale">Newfound auroras on Mars defy easy explanation</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text"> — <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/solar-maximum-in-sight-but-scientists-will-have-to-wait-seven-months-after-it-occurs-to-officially-declare-it">Solar maximum: What is it and when will it occur?</a></p><p class="fancy-box__body-text">— <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/coronal-mass-ejections-cme">Coronal mass ejections: What are they and how do they form?</a></p></div></div><p>This wouldn't be the first time MAVEN was treated to a spectacular light show. In August of 2022, <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/mars-maven-two-aurora-types-simultaneously"><u>auroras were spotted</u></a> on both the day and night sides of the Red Planet with one of the events created by a solar storm. </p><p>And then earlier this year in February, our own <a data-analytics-id="inline-link" href="https://www.space.com/iss-aurora-solar-maximum-astronaut-surprise"><u>NASA astronauts were treated to quite the glow</u></a> as well from the International Space Station (ISS). Scientists are looking forward to getting data after everything pans out if the CME impacts Mars and what other impacts it might have on the planet.</p><p>"Both the flare and the CME are expected to temporarily increase the loss of Mars' atmosphere to space, and we're keenly interested in using MAVEN to measure these really big events because it gives us a window into how the earlier and more active Sun eroded away Mars's once-thick atmosphere creating the cold and arid planet we see today," Thiemann said.</p> ]]></dc:content> <link>https://www.space.com/sunspot-ar3664-mars-perseverance-rover</link> <description> <![CDATA[ After quite the aurora experience across Earth this past weekend, beastly sunspot AR3664 could give Mars quite the same solar spectacular. ]]> </description> <guid isPermaLink="false">V49qNeEe7C9qEry5ytTZq</guid> <enclosure url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kgR9mtoe2W9SrG75LqitoB.jpg" type="image/jpeg" length="0"></enclosure> <pubDate>Fri, 17 May 2024 20:00:17 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Mars]]></category> <media:content type="image/jpeg" url="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/kgR9mtoe2W9SrG75LqitoB.jpg"> <media:credit><![CDATA[NASA/JPL-Caltech]]></media:credit> <media:text><![CDATA[the sun rises through a red, dusty haze on mars]]></media:text> <media:title type="plain"><![CDATA[the sun rises through a red, dusty haze on mars]]></media:title> </media:content> </item> </channel></rss>If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
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