September 2023 – Page 16

Crucial test of Europe’s long-delayed Ariane 6 rocket delayed

September 1, 2023 NeRD

Hotfire testing of the new Ariane 6 rocket has been delayed due to problems with ground equipment. Test firing of the huge Ariane 6 rocket’s core stage did not take place as planned on Aug. 29 at Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, the European Space Agency announced via X (formerly known as Twitter) a day later. The cause was a technical issue affecting the control system that governs the rocket’s critical fluid operations, used for filling the launcher and the automated countdown. “Specialists are working on a solution. The…

Student-Focused Scientific Balloon Mission Inspires Future Generation

September 1, 2023 NeRD

Team members from the University of Colorado Boulder and Colorado School of Mines pose with their flight-ready payload set to fly with the HASP mission during NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program’s fall campaign in Fort Sumner, N.M. From left, Elsa Carreras, Benjamin Hellem, Erick Bueno, and Chloe Zentner. Not pictured: team members Shuyu Song, Hallie Hill, and Peter Braza. u003cstrongu003eCredits: NASAu003c/strongu003e The fall campaign of NASA’s Scientific Balloon Program is underway at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF) balloon launch site in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. The program will launch a…

Atomic clocks on Earth could reveal secrets about dark matter across the universe

September 1, 2023 NeRD

Scientists are using atomic clocks to investigate some of the universe’s greatest mysteries, including the nature of dark matter, in a laboratory. In the process, they say they’re bringing cosmology and astrophysics “down to Earth.” The project, which is a collaboration between the University of Sussex and the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in the U.K., uses the ticks of these incredibly precise clocks to hunt for hitherto unknown ultra-light particles. These particles could be connected to dark matter, the mysterious substance that makes up an estimated 85% of all matter…

NASA to Discuss Psyche Asteroid Mission, Optical Communications Demo

September 1, 2023 NeRD

NASA will host a news conference at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Sept. 6, to discuss the agency’s upcoming Psyche mission, which will be its first to visit a metal-rich asteroid. Riding along with Psyche is a laser transceiver for NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration.

Georgia, Texas Students to Hear from NASA Astronauts Aboard Station

September 1, 2023 NeRD

Students from Georgia and Texas will have separate opportunities next week to hear from NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station.