NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) have paired up for a challenge to build food systems for Mars missions and other deep-space destinations. The Deep Space Food Challenge aims to generate new food production technologies or systems, which would have little waste produced or resources required. Astronauts should be able to focus on their missions and have food production as only a secondary requirement, according to challenge documents, so that they can focus on science — the main purpose of their work in space. The ideal result will be…
Read MoreMonth: March 2021
Space Station View of Sun Over Earth From Space
This view of Earth’s horizon as the Sun sets over the Pacific Ocean was taken by the Expedition 7 crew onboard the International Space Station in 2003.
Read MoreNASA Selects Geostationary and Extended Orbits Imager Phase A Contracts
NASA has selected L3Harris Technologies Inc. of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and Raytheon Company of El Segundo, California, for the Geostationary and Extended Orbits (GEO-XO) Imager (GXI) Phase A Study contracts.
Read MoreUranus is belching X-rays and is weirder than we ever thought
The more scientists study it, the weirder Uranus gets. The newest mystery to add to the planet’s repertoire? Astronomers have detected X-rays from the strange world — and while some of the signal may be reflected emissions from the sun, some appear to be coming from the planet itself, according to a NASA statement. That’s according to new research that analyzed observations of Uranus gathered by NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory in 2002 and 2017. Related: Photos of Uranus, the tilted giant planet A composite image of the planet Uranus shows…
Read MoreMutual Event Season Heats Up at Jupiter
Jupiter is usually the one occulting and eclipsing the Galilean moons, but this observing season the moons also eclipse and occult one another. The post Mutual Event Season Heats Up at Jupiter appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreBits of Theia Might Be in Earth’s Mantle
A “smoking gun” for the ancient calamity that formed Earth’s large Moon may still exist deep in the mantle of our planet. The post Bits of Theia Might Be in Earth's Mantle appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreBelieving Isn’t Seeing: Teaching Astronomy for the Visually Impaired
I looked up at the clear spring sky, drinking in photons from the Big Dipper. Then I closed my eyes, feeling the wind, and imagining ancient starlight greeting my eyelids. What’s astronomy like if you’re blind? Snagging a binocular view of the Beehive Cluster, I marveled at this perennial favorite, harbinger of sunny days and […] The post Believing Isn't Seeing: Teaching Astronomy for the Visually Impaired appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreHuge volcanic eruption didn’t cause climate change and mass extinction 140 million years ago
This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Space.com’s Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Joshua Davies, Professor, Sciences de la Terre et de l’atmosphère, Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) Brenda Chung Rocha, Professor, Geosciences, Universidade de São Paulo Nicolas Greber, Assistant professor, Geochemistry, Université de Berne Mass extinctions are times in Earth’s past when large proportions of life suddenly and catastrophically died. These have occurred periodically over the past 550 million years. The exact causes of these extinctions are not fully understood, but there appears to be…
Read MorePenny J. Pettigrew, ISS Payload Communications Manager at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center
As a payload communications manager Penny J. Pettigrew spends most days in the Payload Operations Integration Center at Marshall Space Flight Center.
Read MoreInterstellar Comet Was Pristine Sample of Planet Formation
New analysis shows that Comet 2I/Borisov, which zipped nearest the Sun in late 2019, was unlike any comet we’ve seen before. The post Interstellar Comet Was Pristine Sample of Planet Formation appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
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