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☆ Peregrine lunar lander to make fiery reentry after failed misison
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

For the vast majority of the mission, the Peregrine lander has been controlled solely by its attitude control thrusters, which are tiny engines mounted to the side of the lander and designed to maintain stability or make precision movements. What Peregrine could and couldn’t accomplishAstrobotic was able to power on some of the science instruments and other payloads on board the lander. The Peregrine lander was also able to activate a new sensor, developed by NASA, that was designed to help the spacecraft land on the moon. Likewise, an array of other payloads designed specifically to operate on the moon remain trapped aboard the Peregrine lander. The Peregrine spacecraft is also carrying various mementos, letters and even human remains that customers paid to fly on the mission.

Persons: —, Peregrine’s, Peregrine, ”, John Thornton, Astrobotic, Joel Kearns Organizations: CNN, Payload Services, Astrobotic Technology, Peregrine, NASA, U.S . Government, LRA, Carnegie Mellon University, Mexican Space Agency Locations: Pittsburgh

☆ NASA unlocks last of OSIRIS-Rex asteroid sample trapped by stuck fasteners
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Two stubborn fasteners trapped invaluable material sampled from an asteroid — but after a monthslong process, it has finally been released, NASA announced Thursday. The space agency already harvested about 2.5 ounces (70 grams) of rocks and dust from its OSIRIS-REx mission, which traveled nearly 4 billion miles to collect the unprecedented sample from the near-Earth asteroid called Bennu. But NASA revealed in October that some material remained out of reach in a capsule hidden inside an instrument called the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism — a robotic arm with a storage container at one end that collected the sample from Bennu. The sampler head is held shut by 35 fasteners, according to NASA, but two of them proved too difficult to open. What the asteroid sample has revealed so farAs of Thursday afternoon, NASA said the trapped sample material had not yet been revealed.

Persons: REx, ”, Nicole Lunning, REx curation, NASA’s, Dante Lauretta Organizations: CNN, NASA, Space Center, Johnson Space Center, University of Arizona Locations: Houston

☆ India’s Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module is headed back to Earth
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The propulsion module that powered India’s spacecraft to a historic moon landing just transitioned back into Earth’s orbit, according to the country’s space agency. The propulsion module had more fuel left over than the Indian Space Research Organization, or ISRO, had expected. The initial plan was to operate the SHAPE experiment for about three months, while the propulsion module continued whirring through lunar orbit. But because the rocket that launched the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft delivered it to such a precise orbit, the propulsion module was left with more propellant than expected. (The trial did not, however, attempt to get back into lunar orbit or reconnect with the propulsion module.

Persons: — Organizations: CNN, Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO, Soviet Union, GEO Locations: India, United States, China

☆ Virgin Galactic: Richard Branson won’t invest more money in the space tourism company he founded
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Shares of Virgin Galactic, the space tourism venture founded by Richard Branson, are plunging after the British billionaire said he has no plans to invest more money in the company as he says it has “sufficient funds” already. ET market open on Monday, Virgin Galactic stock was down 16%, trading at less than $2 per share. Virgin Galactic has had a landmark year, flying its first customers to the edge of space after years of waiting. Branson had previously sold off a large chunk of his personal investment in Virgin Galactic, ditching about $1 billion worth of stock between 2020 and 2021. Branson added in his comments to the Financial Times that he remains excited about Virgin Galactic and noted the company has “really proved itself and the technology.”

Persons: Richard Branson, Branson, hasn’t, ”, Virgin Galactic’s, Michael Colglazier’s Organizations: CNN —, Virgin Galactic, Financial Times, — Virgin, Galactic, Times, Virgin, Virgin Group, Virgin Galactic’s, VSS Unity, VSS Locations: Virgin

☆ Amazon taps SpaceX for satellite launch even though Jeff Bezos has his own rocket company
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Amazon just inked a deal with chief competitor and Elon Musk-helmed SpaceX to launch internet-beaming satellites — a move that comes even as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos pursues his own space dreams with his own rocket company, Blue Origin, and as SpaceX builds its own internet constellation. Some Amazon satellites will still ride on a large rocket made by Blue Origin, dubbed the New Glenn. Amazon is working to build a constellation of thousands of internet satellites, called Project Kuiper, that is planned to beam connectivity across the planet. The Jeff Bezos-founded company made headlines in April 2022 when it signed a contract worth billions of dollars to launch Kuiper satellites on 77 rockets built by Blue Origin — another Bezos-founded venture — as well as ULA and European launch provider Arianespace. In an interview last month, Rajeev Badyal, vice president of technology for Project Kuiper, told CNN the prototypes were wholly successful.

Persons: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Musk, Glenn, it’s, SpaceX’s, Lockheed Martin, “, ”, Amazon, Rajeev Badyal, Kuiper, ” Badyal, Badyal Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, Amazon, SpaceX Falcon, United Launch Alliance, Boeing, Lockheed, —, Cleveland Bakers, Teamsters, Fund Locations: ULA, European

☆ Mary Cleave, the first woman to fly on NASA’s space shuttle after Challenger disaster, dies at 76
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Mary Cleave, the NASA astronaut who in 1989 became the first woman to fly on a space shuttle mission after the Challenger disaster, has died at the age of 76, the space agency announced on Wednesday. “For me, space flight was great, but it was gravy on top of getting to fly in great airplanes,” she told NASA. Getting to orbitOn her first mission, flying on NASA’s Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1985, Cleave became the 10th woman to travel into space. Over the course of her two shuttle missions, Cleave spent more than 10 days in orbit. Cleave said she made the difficult decision to move on from the corps and NASA’s astronaut hub in Houston, taking a role at Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland in 1991.

Persons: Mary Cleave, “, ”, Bob Cabana, “ Mary, ” Cleave —, —, Cleave, ” Cleave, Judith Resnick, Sally Ride, Sally, Cleave “ Organizations: CNN, NASA, Challenger, Science, Colorado State University, Utah State University, Atlantis, CapCom, Ride, Goddard Space Flight, Maryland Locations: Neck , New York, Utah, Houston, Maryland, Washington , DC

☆ Research unveils gruesome history of Tasmanian tiger skins in British museum’s collection
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-29 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Warning: This article contains disturbing descriptions about the practices of colonial settlers in Tasmania and violence against Tasmanian Aboriginal peoples. “In all, Allport shipped five Tasmanian Aboriginal skeletons to Europe, proudly identifying himself as the most prolific trader in Tasmanian bodily remains,” according to the study. The colonial government allowed settlers to murder Tasmanian Aboriginal people without punishment and, in 1830, even established a bounty for the capture of Indigenous humans and Tasmanian tigers, or thylacines. Some Aboriginal Tasmanian people did survive colonial persecution, Ashby added, though at brutal costs. Their descendants make up today’s Tasmanian Aboriginal community, Ashby said.

Persons: Jack Ashby, Morton Allport, Allport, Ashby, It’s, ” Ashby, Mortan Allport, ”, incentivized Allport, William Lanne, William Crowther, Crowther, Truganini, thylacines, “ We’re, Rebecca Kilner, ” Kilner Organizations: Tasmanian Aboriginal, CNN, Cambridge University’s Museum of Zoology, Tasmanian, Allport Library, Museum of Fine Arts, State, of, Royal Society of Tasmania, Royal Society, British Museum, University Museum of Zoology, Cambridge, University of Cambridge Grappling Locations: Tasmania, United Kingdom, Europe, Belgium, of Tasmania, Great Britain, London, Bass, ”, Brussels, Tasmanian, Cambridge

☆ Steve: The aurora-like light show you can help research
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-28 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

The purple-pink streak of light indicative of Steve is shown in this image captured by Canadian photographer Neil Zeller. “It can eventually migrate south … toward the equator side of aurora and form a Steve,” Lach said. A Steve will always appear alongside an aurora, Lach and Zeller said, but not all auroras include a Steve. The Steve phenomenon is most likely to be captured around the equinoxes in the spring and fall, according to Zeller and Lach. The photos contributed by members of the public constantly help scientists improve their understanding of these light shows, she said.

Persons: CNN —, It’s, Steve, Elizabeth MacDonald, MacDonald, “, ” MacDonald, Neil Zeller, ” Zeller, … we’d, I’d, Dr, Eric Donovan, Zeller, Donovan, Chris Ratzlaff, ” Ratzlaff, Steve —, —, Donna Lach, Lach, ” Lach, Steve Earth, “ It’s, Steve I’ve, ” Organizations: CNN, Northern Hemisphere, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight, Kilkenny, Facebook, NASA, University of Calgary, DreamWorks, SAR, “ Locations: United Kingdom, Calgary , Alberta, Alberta, Canadian, Canada’s Manitoba, Manitoba, Kp0, Wyoming, Utah, Turkey, Greece, Slovakia, China, Canada

☆ SpaceX Starship: What’s next for the most powerful rocket ever built
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

CNN —Mere moments after SpaceX’s Starship system — the most powerful rocket ever built — was lost in a test flight Saturday, a somewhat complicated narrative around the vehicle began to emerge. “What we did today will provide invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship,” SpaceX said Saturday in a statement. SpaceX's mega rocket Starship launches for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on Saturday, November 18, 2023. The Starship spacecraft was then able to ignite its own engines and break away from the Super Heavy rocket booster to continue the mission. SpaceX's Starship rocket prototypes are seen at the SpaceX Starbase in Brownsville, Texas, on August 19, 2023.

Persons: CNN —, Artemis III —, Bill Nelson, SpaceX, —, Eric Gay, John Insprucker, Elon Musk, Jim Watson, Wayne Hale, they’ve, ” Hale, “, They’ve, ”, SpaceX’s, Christina Hammock Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Jeremy Hansen, Wiseman, Glover, Hammock Koch, Hansen, Artemis, Bill Ingalls, Hale, Jeff Bezos, Lakiesha Hawkins, ” Hawkins, NASA isn’t, Apollo Hale, Neil A, Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E, Aldrin Jr, ” What’s, Veronica Cardenas, Reuters It’s Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, NASA, China, Super, International Astronautical, Getty, FAA, CSA, Canadian Space Agency, Orion, Planetary Society, SLS, Origin, Blue, Kennedy Space Center, Saturn, Earth, ” CNN, Reuters, Federal Aviation Administration Locations: Starbase, Boca Chica , Texas, Baku, Azerbaijian, Boca Chica, South Texas, AFP, Texas, Washington, Florida, “, SpaceX’s, Brownsville , Texas

☆ Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship rocket and spacecraft lost in second test flight
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( Leighton Rowell | Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft successfully separated after liftoff, as the Starship lit up its engines and pushed away. SpaceX's Starship launches on its second test flight from the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, on Saturday morning. The method was used to separate the Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy rocket after liftoff. Then, the spacecraft’s flight termination system was triggered to prevent it from veering off course, bringing an early end to the test flight. After April’s explosive first test flight, SpaceX noted “success comes from what we learn, and we learned a tremendous amount.”

Persons: Eric Gay, ”, John Insprucker, Artemis, “ Congrats, Bill Nelson, —, @SpaceX, Jim Free, Elon Musk, Kate Tice Organizations: CNN, Super, Starship, SpaceX, SpaceX's, Federal Aviation Administration, Boca, FAA, NASA, SpaceX Quality Systems Engineering Locations: of Mexico, Boca Chica , Texas, Hawaii

☆ SpaceX Starship: World’s most powerful rocket ready for takeoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —After months of rebuilding and clearing red tape following the April explosion of the Starship system’s first test flight, SpaceX is set for its next attempt. The Starship spacecraft stacked atop the Super Heavy booster is intended to play a key role in the NASA Artemis III moon mission, currently slated for 2025. After its fuel is spent, the Super Heavy will detach from the Starship spacecraft and fall back toward the ocean. “These delays may seem small in the big scheme of things but … delays in each and every test flight adds up. One group of activists sued the FAA in May, alleging regulators had failed to comply with federal environmental law when they greenlit Starship’s April test flight.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, they’re, NASA Artemis, ”, Musk’s, SpaceX’s, NASA’s —, Jim Free, “, ” Musk, William Gerstenmaier —, we’re, ” Gerstenmaier, Jared Margolis Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, Super, NASA, International Astronautical, “, NASA’s, Systems, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Center for Biological Locations: Riding, Boca Chica , Texas, South Texas, Texas, Padre, of Mexico, Hawaii, Baku, Azerbaijian, China

☆ SpaceX Starship: FAA grants launch license for Friday test launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Federal regulators have granted SpaceX permission to launch a long-awaited second test flight of its Starship system — the most powerful rocket ever built — following an explosive first attempt in April. The agency then completed a safety review on October 31 for SpaceX’s planned second test flight. That process concluded on November 14, according to a statement from the agency, allowing FAA to issue the launch permit. Environmental concernsSpaceX may also face additional pushback from environmentalists ahead of — or in the wake of — the second launch attempt. The group of environmental and wildlife advocates that previously sued the FAA could still attempt to seek an injunction to stop the next launch.

Persons: “, Artemis, greenlit, William Gerstenmaier, we’re, SpaceX’s, Elon Musk, Jared Margolis Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, Federal Aviation Administration, Super, FAA, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Center for Biological Diversity Locations: of Mexico, Boca Chica , Texas, China, —

☆ Did the same collision that formed the moon create mysterious blobs inside Earth?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

The theory, called the giant-impact hypothesis, explains many fundamental features of the moon and Earth. And many scientists assumed any debris Theia left behind on Earth was blended in the fiery cauldron of our planet’s interior. They were already aware that there are two massive, distinct blobs that are embedded deep within the Earth. That’s when he learned new details about Theia, the mysterious projectile that presumably struck Earth billions of years ago. And, as a trained geophysicist, he knew of those mysterious blobs hidden in Earth’s mantle.

Persons: Qian Yuan, Yuan, ” Yuan, Hernán, ”, Steve Desch, it’s, wouldn’t, Desch, “, Dr, Seth Jacobson, —, Jacobson, Theia, ” Jacobson Organizations: CNN —, California Institute of Technology, Arizona State University, Arizona State’s School of Earth, Exploration, Arizona State, Caltech, NASA’s Ames Research Center, Michigan State University Locations: Africa, Arizona, Shanghai

☆ SpaceX fires back at FAA report suggesting its Starlink internet constellation could be deadly
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-10 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —SpaceX is asking federal regulators to correct a report that suggests the company’s Starlink satellite constellation could pose grave risks to people on Earth. The report was delivered to members of Congress by the Federal Aviation Administration, which licenses the launch and reentry of commercial spacecraft, on October 5. The letter also states that 325 Starlink satellites have already deorbited since February 2020, and no debris has been found. For purposes of this report, the FAA uses the more conservative approach,” according to the document. Starlink is mentioned 28 times in the FAA report, while Amazon’s Project Kuiper system is mentioned four times in data tables.

Persons: SpaceX, Starlink, ” Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, Federal Aviation Administration, Aerospace Corporation, FAA, Federal Communications Commission, Aerospace Corporation “, NASA Locations: China, rulemaking, United States

☆ Space station has sprung a coolant leak on backup radiator circuit, Russia says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-09 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The Russian space agency, Roscosmos, is searching for answers after one of its modules on the International Space Station sprang a coolant leak, adding to the list of mechanical issues the space agency has grappled with in low-Earth orbit over the past year. Roscosmos said Monday in a notice posted to the messaging site Telegram that the coolant leak affected a radiator circuit on the Nauka module, which is located on the Russian-controlled segment of the ISS. The Nauka module was added to the space station in July 2021, but the leak occurred on an external, backup radiator that was delivered to the ISS on a space shuttle mission in 2010, according to NASA. ‘External influences’ and space troubleThe Russian space agency has already spent nearly a year working to get its crew transportation missions back on track after one of its Soyuz spacecraft experienced a noteworthy coolant leak in late 2022 while it was attached to the space station. Roscosmos determined that the coolant leak on the Soyuz spacecraft had rendered the vehicle unsafe and decided to launch a replacement capsule to bring the crew home.

Persons: Roscosmos, Jasmin Moghbeli, Frank Rubio, — Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin —, ”, Joel Montalbano, Rubio, Prokopyev Organizations: CNN, NASA, ISS, Soyuz, Russian, Space Locations: Russian, Nauka, , Houston

☆ Amazon launches first internet satellites in bid to compete with SpaceX
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-06 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Already, SpaceX has more than 4,500 active Starlink satellites in orbit and offers commercial and residential service to most of the Americas, Europe and Australia. The Atlas V rocket carrying Amazon's prototype satellites for Project Kuiper lifted off from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. SpaceX has had the clear advantage of using its own Falcon 9 rockets to launch batches of Starlink satellites to orbit. For now, Kuiper satellites are launching on rockets built by United Launch Alliance, a close partner of Blue Origin. In addition to ULA and Blue Origin, Amazon has a Project Kuiper launch contract with European launch provider Arianespace.

Persons: “ We’ve, ”, Rajeev Badyal, Starlink, Kuiper, Elon Musk, “ I’m, Gregory Falco, Brecke Boyd, SpaceX’s, hasn’t, Jeff Bezos Organizations: CNN, Amazon, SpaceX, United Launch Alliance, Kuiper’s, United, Alliance, Atlas V, Cape Canaveral Space Force, United Nations, Cornell University, Federal Communications Commission, National Science Foundation, Wall Street, European Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, Americas, Europe, Australia, Florida, Russia, Ukraine, Starlink, ULA

☆ FCC issues first-of-its-kind space debris fine against Dish
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

“This marks a first in space debris enforcement by the Commission, which has stepped up its satellite policy efforts,” the FCC said in a news release. The objects could pose a risk of colliding with active satellites, the International Space Station or other pieces of debris, further exacerbating the risk of in-space collisions. It was launched to geostationary orbit — a field of space that begins about 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) above Earth — in 2002. But, according to the FCC, Dish did not leave enough fuel on board the satellite to make that maneuver possible. But geostationary orbit remains home to large, expensive telecommunications satellites, such as those operated by Dish, Intelsat, SES and Viasat.

Organizations: CNN — Satellite, Dish Network, Federal Communications Commission, Commission, FCC, Space, Dish, Intelsat, SES, Viasat

☆ NASA’s Frank Rubio returns home from space station
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-27 | by ( Jackie Wattles | Kristin Fisher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Record-breaking NASA astronaut Frank Rubio has finally returned to Earth, feeling the pull of the planet’s gravity for the first time in more than a year. The crew’s arrival marked the end of a long — and unexpected — journey for Rubio, who had been slated to spend only six months aboard the International Space Station. Rubio bested the previous record for the longest stay in space by a US astronaut — 355 days — which was set by NASA’s Mark Vande Hei in 2022. A view shows the Soyuz MS-23 spacecraft (on left) that carried Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin and NASA astronaut Frank Rubio back to Earth. Space station crew rotationThe Soyuz MS-24 vehicle was finally ready this month and carried NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub to the space station on September 15, paving the way for Rubio’s return on Wednesday.

Persons: Frank Rubio, Rubio, Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin —, Dmitry Petelin, Konstantin Borisov, Reuters Rubio’s, “, ”, ’ ” Rubio, —, NASA’s Mark Vande Hei, Valeri Polyakov, Prokopyev, Petelin, Roscosmos, couldn’t, Loral O’Hara, Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai, Rubio’s Organizations: CNN, NASA, Russian Soyuz, Space, Soyuz, Reuters, Houston, Roscosmos Locations: Kazakhstan, Russian, Dzhezkazgan, Ukraine, United States, Russia

☆ Blue Origin: Longtime Amazon executive to take over Jeff Bezos’ rocket company
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-25 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Jeff Bezos’ space tourism and rocket company is replacing its chief executive officer with a longtime Amazon executive. The current Blue Origin CEO, Bob Smith — a former Honeywell executive who took over the role in 2017 — will step down and make way for Dave Limp, the senior vice president of devices and services at Amazon, a spokesperson for Blue Origin said in a statement Monday. In the statement, Blue Origin said that Limp is “a proven innovator with a customer-first mindset. Blue Origin has several other high-profile projects in the works. Blue Origin struggled to deliver the BE-4 engines, encountering months of delays.

Persons: Jeff Bezos, Bob Smith —, Dave Limp, Limp, Smith, ” Limp’s, Shepard, New Shepard, Glenn, Lockheed Martin, ULA, Artemis — Organizations: CNN, Amazon, Honeywell, Blue Origin, SpaceX, Vulcan, United Launch Alliance, Lockheed, Boeing, Blue, NASA, Origin

☆ NASA astronaut heads to International Space Station on Russian rocket
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —A NASA astronaut on her inaugural spaceflight and two cosmonauts launched aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft toward the International Space Station Friday, marking the first time Russia has launched astronauts to the orbiting outpost in nearly a year. The Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 11:44 a.m. ET and began a quick, three-hour trajectory to rendezvous with the space station. Once at the space station, the group will prepare to take over operations from a trio of crew members that have been on the space station for nearly a year after launching aboard the Soyuz MS-22 vehicle. The most recent SpaceX flight arrived at the space station in August, carrying astronauts from NASA, Roscosmos, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and the European Space Agency.

Persons: Oleg Kononenko, Nikolai, Roscosmos, Frank Rubio, Rubio, Valeri Polyakov, Rubio —, O’Hara — Organizations: CNN, NASA, Russian Soyuz, Soyuz, Baikonur, Oceanographic, SpaceX, Roscosmos, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, European Space Agency Locations: Russian, Russia, Kazakhstan, Massachusetts, United States, Ukraine

☆ NASA appoints UFO research director and vows to increase study
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —An independent report found that NASA could play a crucial role in collecting more data on UFOs — or what are officially known as unidentified anomalous phenomena, the space agency announced Thursday. Ultimately, the group determined that NASA should be using satellites and other instruments to seek more information about the phenomena. In response to the findings, the space agency also announced Thursday it is appointing its first director of UAP research. “This is the first time that NASA has taken concrete action to seriously look into UAP,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a news conference. Dan Evans, NASA’s assistant deputy associate administrator for research, said during a Thursday panel that the space agency would not be publicly releasing the name of NASA’s new UAP research director in part because of the potential for harassment.

Persons: Bill Nelson, “, Nelson, they’ve, Thomas Jefferson, verity, Dan Evans, Evans, ” Nelson Organizations: CNN, NASA

☆ Small moonquakes caused by Apollo lunar lander module, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —A spacecraft left behind by US astronauts on the lunar surface could be causing small tremors known as moonquakes, according to a new study. The lunar surface is an extreme environment, oscillating between minus 208 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 133 degrees Celsius) in the dark and 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121 degrees Celsius) in direct sun, according to a news release about the study. Marusiak was not directly involved in the study, though she did have contact with the authors as a fellow expert in lunar seismology. “Every lunar morning when the sun hits the lander, it starts popping off,” said study coauthor Allen Husker, a research professor of geophysics at Caltech, in a statement. It’s important to note a key difference between the moon and Earth: On the lunar surface, there are no shifting tectonic plates that might cause catastrophic events.

Persons: Francesco Civilini, Artemis, Dr, Angela Marusiak, Marusiak, moonquakes Marusiak, “, —, ”, Allen Husker, I’m, seismometers, ” Marusiak, ” Husker Organizations: CNN, of Geophysical Research, California Institute of Technology, NASA Goddard Space Flight, NASA, University of Arizona’s, Laboratory, Caltech, Indian Space Research Organization, ISRO Locations: California

☆ Webb telescope spies signs of water on habitable-zone exoplanet
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

The Webb telescope, which can detect infrared light invisible to the human eye, searched for exactly what elements are featured in the planet’s atmosphere. On Earth, dimethyl sulfide “is only produced by life,” according to NASA. Hot ocean worldsThe discoveries about its atmospheric composition suggest it could be a “Hycean exoplanet,” a theoretical type of exoplanet that runs hot but is covered in oceans and has a hydrogen-rich atmosphere. There are no confirmed Hycean exoplanets just yet. “This means our work here is but an early demonstration of what Webb can observe in habitable-zone exoplanets.”

Persons: CNN — Waters, James Webb, Webb, Nikku Madhusudhan, Madhusudhan, —, ” Madhusudhan, ”, Savvas Constantinou Organizations: CNN, James Webb Space Telescope, NASA, Hubble, University of Cambridge, Astrophysical

☆ Astronaut Frank Rubio sets US record for longest trip in space
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Astronaut Frank Rubio has now been in low-Earth orbit for more than 355 days, breaking the record for the longest space mission by a US astronaut. Rubio — who has been on the International Space Station since September 2022 — bested the previous record, held by retired NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei, at 1:40 p.m. NASAIn the record booksIf all goes to plan, and Rubio departs on September 27, his 371-day stay will not be a world record for the longest space mission. She now serves as a private astronaut for Axiom Space, which so far has hosted two commercial trips to the space station that have allowed paying customers to experience a trip to the orbiting laboratory alongside a veteran professional astronaut. During his stay in space, Rubio has seen several crews of astronauts rotate through via SpaceX vehicles.

Persons: Frank Rubio, Rubio —, —, Mark Vande Hei, Rubio, crewmates, Sergey Prokopyev, Dmitri Petelin —, Roscosmos, Rubio’s, Vande Hei, Bill Nelson, Frank ! ” Rubio, Valeri Polyakov, Vande Hei’s, Scott Kelly, Gennadi Padalka, Peggy Whitson, Whitson, Anna Kikina, Joel Montalbano, ” Montalbano, European Space Agency — Organizations: CNN, Space Station, NASA, Russian Soyuz, Soyuz, SpaceX, Roscosmos, Space, Russian, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, European Space Agency Locations: Russian, Roscosmos, Russia, United States, Ukraine

☆ Virgin Galactic launches three paying customers to space
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Virgin Galactic notched its third commercial spaceflight, launching three paying customers on a roughly 90-minute flight that briefly touched the edge of space. Also on board were two Virgin Galactic pilots, commander Nicola Pecile and Michael Masucci. Virgin Galactic stock has shed more than 30% of its value over the past month despite the company’s recent successes. On its first commercial launch, Virgin Galactic carried members of the Italian air force and an Italian engineer on a science research mission. All told, Virgin Galactic has sold about 800 tickets, including 600 at earlier price points up to $250,000 and, more recently, another couple hundred at $450,000 per ticket.

Persons: Virgin Galactic’s, Ken Baxter, Timothy Nash, Adrian Reynard, Nicola Pecile, Michael Masucci, Beth Moses, Virgin Galactic, Richard Branson, Michael Colglazier, Jeff Bezos, Jon Goodwin, Baxter, “ I’ve, Sir Richard, ”, Ken Baxter's Organizations: CNN, Virgin Galactic, Virgin, VSS Unity, America Locations: Vegas, British, South Africa, United Kingdom, New Mexico, Texas, Italian, Antigua

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