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This is the Closest OSIRIS-REx has Gotten to Bennu. Just 680 Meters Above the Asteroid
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft has been at asteroid Bennu since Dec. 3rd, 2018. On that day, it went from travelling to the asteroid to travelling around it. Since then it’s been surveying and mapping Bennu. Now OSIRIS-REx (Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer) has reached a new milestone. On June 12th, the spacecraft executed …
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New Ideas to Reduce Muscle Loss During Spaceflight
One of the obstacles to long space missions is the muscle loss that astronauts suffer from. It’s called atrophy, and NASA says that astronauts can lose up to 20% muscle mass during missions of only 5 to 11 days. This muscle loss affects what are called “anti-gravity muscles,” including calf muscles, the quadriceps and the …
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Carnival of Space #616
It’s that time again! This week’s Carnival of Space is hosted by Pamela Hoffman at the Everyday Spacer blog. Click here to read Carnival of Space #616. And if you’re interested in looking back, here’s an archive to all the past Carnivals of Space. If you’ve got a space-related blog, you should really join the carnival. …
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Weekly Space Hangout: June 19, 2019 – Corey Gray, Lead Operator at the LIGO Hanford Observatory
Hosts: Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain) Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier ) Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org) Dr. Brian Koberlein (briankoberlein.com / @BrianKoberlein) Tonight we are pleased to welcome Corey Gray, Lead Operator at the LIGO Hanford Observatory. Corey earned dual Bachelor of Science degrees in Physics and Applied Mathematics from …
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Martian Clouds Might Start with Meteor Trails Through the Atmosphere
On Earth, clouds form when enough droplets of water condense out of the air. And those droplets require a tiny speck of dust or sea salt, called a condensation nuclei, to form. In Earth’s atmosphere, those tiny specks of dust are lofted high into the atmosphere where they trigger cloud formation. But on Mars? Mars …
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Inflatable Heat Shield Could Deliver Heavy Payloads to Worlds With a Thick Atmosphere
NASA is testing out a new inflatable heat shield which could enable them to send heavier missions to Mars, as well as Venus and Titan.
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Earth has a Water Cycle. Mars has a Dust Cycle
To say there are some myths circulating about Martian dust storms would be an understatement. Mars is known for its globe-encircling dust storms, the likes of which are seen nowhere else. Science fiction writers and Hollywood movies often make the dust storms out to be more dangerous than they really are. In “The Martian,” a …
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Satellites Equipped With a Tether Would be Able to De-Orbit Themselves at the end of Their Life
A new technology that allows satellites to de-orbit themselves at the end of their lives could help mitigate the problem of space debris.
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Robotic asteroid mining spacecraft wins a grant from NASA
This year, the NASA's NIAC Program is looking at some really interesting ideas - such as a water-powered, laser-shooting, asteroid-mining spacecraft!
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Saltwater Similar to the Earth’s Oceans has been Seen on Europa. Another Good Reason Why We Really Need to Visit This Place
Jupiter’s moon Europa is an intriguing world. It’s the smoothest body in the Solar System, and the sixth-largest moon in the Solar System, though it’s the smallest of the four Galilean moons. Most intriguing of all is Europa’s subsurface ocean and the potential for habitability. The scientific consensus is that Europa has a subsurface ocean …
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