April 2021 – Page 10 – NeRDs Moonbase

Russia joins China’s mission to sample an asteroid and study a comet

April 18, 2021 NeRD

China has selected a Russian science payload to fly on an upcoming mission to sample a near-Earth asteroid and later visit a main-belt comet. China is aiming to launch the ambitious mission around 2024. First, it will collect samples from the small near-Earth asteroid Kamo’oalewa. Then, the spacecraft will return to Earth to deliver the samples and use the planet’s gravity to send the spacecraft toward the main asteroid belt to orbit the Comet 133P/Elst–Pizarro. Russia will now join the mission with instruments built by the Space Research Institute of…

NASA to Attempt First Controlled Flight on Mars As Soon As Monday

April 17, 2021 NeRD

NASA is targeting no earlier than Monday, April 19, for the first flight of its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter at approximately 3:30 a.m. EDT (12:30 a.m. PDT).

NASA’s NICER Probes the Squeezability of Neutron Stars

April 17, 2021 NeRD

Matter in the hearts of neutron stars – dense remnants of exploded massive stars – takes the most extreme form we can measure. Now, thanks to data from NASA’s NICER, an X-ray telescope on the International Space Station, scientists have discovered that this mysterious matter is less squeezable than some physicists predicted.

SpaceX test-fires rocket ahead of Crew-2 astronaut launch for NASA

April 17, 2021 NeRD

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX has fired up the rocket that will ferry its next crew of astronauts to the International Space Station next week. The private spaceflight company conducted a static-fire test on Saturday (April 22) of its Falcon 9 rocket at Pad 39A here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The test is one of the last major milestones ahead of a planned launch on Thursday (April 22). The routine preflight test kicked off the countdown to the highly-anticipated flight of the company’s second operational mission of its Dragon…

NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity aces troublesome spin test

April 17, 2021 NeRD

NASA’s experimental Mars helicopter Ingenuity nailed a crucial spin test after the first try ended abruptly, delaying the chopper’s groundbreaking flight attempt. During the test, successfully completed on Friday (April 16), the grounded helicopter spun its blades at the speed required for flight, about 2,400 revolutions per minute. The Ingenuity team is evaluating the new data and data about a previously initiated software tweak to decide a new flight date for the 4-lb. (1.8 kilogram) helicopter, according to a NASA statement released Friday night. When Ingenuity first attempted the test,…

Space photos: The most amazing images this week!

April 17, 2021 NeRD

A satellite performs a distant docking with a novel space vehicle, a Caribbean volcano awakens and a musical adaptation of three iconic celestial objects intrigues listeners in a new set of videos. These are some of the top photos this week from Space.com. La Soufrière (Image credit: Maxar Technologies) The volcano La Soufrière, located on the main island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, began erupting on April 9. Satellite company Maxar Technologies published this image via Twitter, showing a bird’s-eye view of April 8’s volcanic activity that preceded…

NASA Astronaut Kate Rubins, Crewmates Return Safely to Earth

April 17, 2021 NeRD

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, along with Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, returned to Earth on Saturday, following six months living and working aboard the International Space Station.

As Artemis Moves Forward, NASA Picks SpaceX to Land Next Americans on Moon

April 16, 2021 NeRD

NASA is getting ready to send astronauts to explore more of the Moon as part of the Artemis program, and the agency has selected SpaceX to continue development of the first commercial human lander that will safely carry the next two American astronauts to the lunar surface.

Space Station Science Highlights: Week of April 12, 2021

April 16, 2021 NeRD

Scientific activities conducted aboard the International Space Station the week of April 12 included testing autonomous robots, harvesting leafy green plants, and measuring radiation dose throughout the space station.

NASA Statement on Nomination of Pam Melroy for Agency Deputy Administrator

April 16, 2021 NeRD

The following is a statement from Acting NASA Administrator Steve Jurczyk on Friday’s announcement of the intended nomination by President Joe Biden of former NASA astronaut Pam Melroy to serve as the agency’s deputy administrator: