Author: NeRD

What the 1st analysis of China’s Chang’e 6 lunar far side samples revealed

NeRD

We finally have a glimpse of the first-ever samples collected from the far side of the moon. The first paper on the samples collected from China’s Chang’e 6 lunar probe reveals that the specimens differ in some ways from those collected from the moon’s near side. Thus, they could provide fresh insights and lead to new theories about the moon and its evolution. China launched its complex, 53-day-long Chang’e 6 lunar far side sample return mission in early May. A lander scooped and drilled for samples inside an area known…

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This Week In Space podcast: Episode 129 —Back From Mars!

NeRD

Back From Mars! – Dr. Pascal Lee Returns to Discuss Recent Work at His Mars Simulation Base – YouTube Watch On On Episode 129 of This Week In Space, Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik talk with Dr. Pascal Lee about his Mars Simulation Base in the Arctic. Devon Island, a polar desert in the High Arctic, is one of the most convincing Mars analogs on Earth. That’s why Pascal Lee built his NASA-affiliated research base there. On this episode he returns to discuss his summer field work, Martian volcanoes, and…

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NASA invites public to design Artemis moon mission navigation tech

NeRD

NASA is seeking the public’s help for innovative solutions to help Artemis astronauts navigate in and around the lunar south pole. The Artemis program aims to land humans on the moon for the first time since the Apollo missions managed to achieve the feat over 50 years ago. Astronauts will land near the lunar south pole, where permanently shadowed regions may contain areas of water ice that could be accessed to support future missions to Mars. The Lunar Navigation Challenge, which officially opened on Sept. 4, seeks ideas for a…

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Boeing Space & Defense chief Ted Colbert is leaving: reports

NeRD

Boeing is getting a new space chief. Ted Colbert will no longer be CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, one of the aerospace giant’s subdivisions, according to media reports. Those reports cite a staff memo circulated today (Sept. 20) by Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, who took the top job in August. “At this critical juncture, our priority is to restore the trust of our customers and meet the high standards they expect of us to enable their critical missions around the world,” Ortberg said in the memo, according to…

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Cards Against Humanity sues SpaceX for $15 million over land dispute

NeRD

Cards Against Humanity has just filed a $15 million lawsuit against SpaceX. The Chicago-based Cards Against Humanity (CAH) — the company behind the bestselling adult party game in which players use cards to create either wonderfully clever or hilariously disturbing strings of phrases — distributed a statement on Friday (Sept. 20) blasting Elon Musk and SpaceX for allegedly encroaching upon and damaging land that CAH purchased in 2017. This land is located along the U.S.-Mexico border, and CAH bought it as part of a movement to thwart former President Donald…

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India aims for 2028 launch of Venus orbiter as part of ambitious space roadmap

NeRD

India has greenlit four major space projects, including the Chandrayaan-4 moon sample return mission, a Venus orbiter and the nations first space station module. The Indian government allocated $2.7 billion for the ambitious projects, a substantial investment that officials say is certain to encourage “maximum participation” from the nation’s burgeoning private sector.  “India’s ambitious space vision and roadmap have now been given the wings to fly high,” ISRO chairman S. Somanath told Indian news channel NDTV.  The $2.7 billion was approved on Wednesday (Sept. 18) by the nation’s cabinet chaired…

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NASA Awards $1.5 Million at Watts on the Moon Challenge Finale

NeRD

Team H.E.L.P.S. (High Efficiency Long-Range Power Solution) from The University of California, Santa Barbara won the $1 million grand prize in NASA’s Watts on the Moon Challenge. Their team developed a low-mass, high efficiency cable and featured energy storage batteries on both ends of their power transmission and energy storage system. Credit: NASA/GRC/Sara Lowthian-Hanna NASA has awarded a total of $1.5 million to two U.S. teams for their novel technology solutions addressing energy distribution, management, and storage as part of the agency’s Watts on the Moon Challenge. The innovations from…

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Honoring Hidden Figures

NeRD

NASA/Joel Kowsky Joylette Hylick, left, and Katherine Moore, right, accept the Congressional Gold Medal on behalf of their mother, Katherine Johnson, during a Sept. 18, 2024, ceremony recognizing NASA’s Hidden Figures. Katherine Johnson, Dr. Christine Darden, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary W. Jackson were awarded Congressional Gold Medals in recognition of their service to the United States. A Congressional Gold Medal was also awarded in recognition of all the women who served as computers, mathematicians, and engineers at the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics and NASA between the 1930s and 1970s.…

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NASA Data Helps Protect US Embassy Staff from Polluted Air

NeRD

4 Min Read NASA Data Helps Protect US Embassy Staff from Polluted Air This visualization of aerosols shows dust (purple), smoke (red), and sea salt particles (blue) swirling across Earth’s atmosphere on Aug. 23, 2018, from NASA’s GEOS-FP (Goddard Earth Observing System forward processing) computer model. Credits: NASA’s Earth Observatory United States embassies and consulates, along with American citizens traveling and living abroad, now have a powerful tool to protect against polluted air, thanks to a collaboration between NASA and the U.S. State Department. Since 2020, ZephAir has provided real-time…

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Hubble Lights the Way with New Multiwavelength Galaxy View

NeRD

Hubble Space Telescope Home Hubble Lights the Way with New… Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Home Overview About Hubble The History of Hubble Hubble Timeline Why Have a Telescope in Space? Hubble by the Numbers At the Museum FAQs Impact & Benefits Hubble’s Impact & Benefits Science Impacts Cultural Impact Technology Benefits Impact on Human Spaceflight Astro Community Impacts Science Hubble Science Science Themes Science Highlights Science Behind Discoveries Hubble’s Partners in Science Universe Uncovered Explore the Night Sky Observatory Hubble Observatory Hubble Design Mission Operations Missions to Hubble Hubble vs…

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