NASA’s bold plan to get pristine samples of Mars to Earth for analysis is facing major challenges, according to a new report. Design, cost and scheduling are all significant obstacles, an audit report of NASA’s Mars Sample Return (MSR) Program by the agency’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) finds. MSR aims to return Martian geological samples to Earth for scientific study. It involves landing on Mars to collect samples taken by the Perseverance rover and launching those samples to rendezvous with an orbiter, which will haul them to Earth. Related: NASA’s…
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Adam Sandler’s ‘Spaceman’ used NASA artifacts to create sci-fi film’s spaceship
There is a scene in the new science fiction film “Spaceman” where Adam Sandler, playing a Czech astronaut, floats by a brown duffle bag attached to one of the walls of his spaceship. There is nothing particularly notable about the scene and, in the context of the movie, there is nothing special about the bag. It is one of many such items that have come to be expected aboard a spacecraft. What sets it apart is that the bag is a real piece of space equipment. “That is a NASA…
Read MoreOukitel BP2000 power station review
KEY SPECIFICATIONS Power: 2048WhCapacity: 640,000 mAhOutput ports: 15 (5x AC, 4x USB-A (2x 12W, 2x 18W), 2x USB-C PD 100W, 1x car 12V/10A, 1x 24V/10 AV, 2x 12V/3A DC5521)Charging time: 80% charge in 53 mins using ACIP rating: NoneWeight: 50.7 lbs (23 kg)Dimensions: 480 x 296 x 322 mm We’ve reviewed several of the best power stations over the past few years, and we frequently receive requests from brands to review their products. The Outkitel BP2000 (aka FF power BP2000) caught our attention for a specific reason, which might sound…
Read MoreChina names the spacecraft that will put its astronauts on the moon (video)
China’s human spaceflight agency has given names to spacecraft being developed to put astronauts on the moon. Mengzhou is the name for the spacecraft that will take astronauts beyond low Earth orbit, while the lunar lander has been named Lanyue. Lanyue means “Embracing the Moon,” referencing the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai. China’s human spaceflight Agency, CMSA, said in a press statement that the chosen name appears in a Mao Zedong poem. Mengzhou, meanwhile, means “Dream Vessel” and fits into the naming style for China’s Shenzhou and Tianzhou spacecraft, which…
Read MoreSpaceX Starship docking system readies for moon missions in tests with NASA
Practice makes perfect, which is especially true for moon missions with astronauts on board. That’s why SpaceX and NASA recently completed more than 200 docking scenarios together with Starship hardware. Starship is the landing system that will bring astronauts to the lunar surface with the Artemis 3 mission, no earlier than 2026. Engineers at NASA’s Johnson Space Center spent 10 days using hardware from the Starship lander and NASA’s Orion orbiter (designed by Lockheed Martin) at “various approach angles and speeds,” NASA officials said in a release. “These real-world results,…
Read MorePrivate Odysseus moon lander broke a leg during historic touchdown. ‘He’s a scrappy little dude.’ (new photos)
Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus moon lander overcame a number of hurdles during its epic touchdown last week, including one or more broken legs. The 14-foot-tall (4.3 meters) Odysseus settled onto the gray dirt near the moon‘s south pole on Thursday (Feb. 22), pulling off the first American lunar landing since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. But Odysseus’ touchdown was a bit rough. Thanks to an issue with its navigation equipment, the six-legged lander came down faster than expected, onto a patch of lunar ground that was higher in elevation than…
Read MoreSpaceX to launch Crew-8 astronauts to the space station March 1: Watch live
What time is the Crew-8 launch? SpaceX is poised to launch three astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut to the International Space Station (ISS) this week on the company’s Crew-8 mission for NASA. The crew members’ spacecraft, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavor, will ride atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the historic Launch Complex-39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is currently scheduled for no earlier than Friday, March 1 at 12:04 a.m. EST (0504 GMT). Crew-8 includes NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick (mission commander), Michael Barratt (mission pilot), Jeanette Epps…
Read MoreJames Webb Space Telescope sees the infrared skeleton of a galaxy (image)
The James Webb Space Telescope’s infrared vision has transformed our view of a large, barred spiral galaxy, revealing its skeleton of dust illuminated by the glow of young stars. Visible-light images of NGC 1559, such as those taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, show a glowing whirlpool of light with bright, young star clusters scattered across spiral arms laced with lanes of black dust. The JWST has now peered past the glare, its infrared vision revealing the galaxy’s innards. The JWST’s Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) sees starlight filtered through the obscuring…
Read MoreNASA radar images show stadium-sized asteroid tumbling by Earth during flyby (photos)
A stadium-sized asteroid tumbled harmlessly past Earth this month as a powerful NASA radar system watched. Asteroid 2008 OS7 passed by Earth on Feb. 2, 2024 at a safe distance of 1.8 million miles (2.9 million kilometers), about 7.5 times farther than the Earth-moon distance. While there was no risk of the space rock harming our planet, scientists with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) used the sophisticated Goldstone Solar System Radar (GSSR) to produce a series of images of the asteroid as it passed by us. The new observations helped…
Read MoreApollo astronaut’s granddaughter opens immersive ‘Lunar Light’ moonwalk experience in Dallas
What do you get when you mix an Apollo astronaut’s legacy with a trio of shipping containers, the latest in VR technology, the cousin of a “Star Wars” robot and an escape room like no other? Well, if you are Danielle Roosa, the answer is clear: An immersive experience that can give anyone (10 years of age or older) the chance to explore the moon. Launching on Leap Day (Feb. 29) in Dallas, Texas, “The Lunar Light: Discovery” is the creation of Roosa’s “Back to Space,” a transmedia organization that…
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