Weekly Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) – 22.08.19

Front Page / Titelseite

Headline image:
ESA, „Exoplanet mission timeline
Cheops“https://www.esa.int/spaceinimages/Images/2019/03/Exoplanet_mission_timeline_Cheops

Nasa Insight Mars Lander

I’ve pressed down next to the “mole” several times, and it’s hard to make this unusual soil collapse into the pit. Soon, I’ll be out of contact for a couple of weeks during solar conjunction, but my team on Earth will keep working it. Keep sending good vibes! ✨ pic.twitter.com/dbUcnXzYzm

— NASA InSight (@NASAInSight) August 16, 2019

See NASA’s InSight Mars lander try to squish the soil

NASA’s InSight lander has a perplexing problem. The lander’s „mole,“ a device that’s designed to burrow deep under the planet’s surface, got stuck pretty quickly after it deployed early in 2019. The heat probe just isn’t digging like it’s supposed to. So InSight is patting the ground in an attempt to unstick it.

read more … https://ift.tt/33Hrf8A

via CNET https://www.cnet.com

International Space Station / Internationale Raumstation

NASA Spacewalkers Suited Up and Installing Docking Adapter

NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Andrew Morgan switched their spacesuits to battery power this morning at 8:27 a.m. EDT aboard the International Space Station to begin a spacewalk planned to last about six-and-a-half hours. The two flight engineers will install the second of two international docking adapters (IDAs) that will enable future arrivals of Boeing and SpaceX commercial crew spacecraft.

read more … https://ift.tt/2KJUtMy

via Space Station https://ift.tt/1YeiiOv

Two Astronauts Are Spacewalking Outside the International Space Station Today! Watch It Live

Two astronauts are taking a spacewalk outside the International Space Station today (August 21) to install a new docking port.

read more … https://ift.tt/2znXVpX

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Station Preps for New Docking Port During Science and Soyuz Checks

Three NASA astronauts remain focused on preparations for next week’s spacewalk at the International Space Station. The rest of the Expedition 60 focused on biology research and a pair of docked spaceships.

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via Space Station https://ift.tt/1YeiiOv

Station Orbits Higher as Crew Preps for Spacewalk and New Spaceship

The International Space Station is orbiting higher today as the Expedition 60 crew continued setting up for next week’s spacewalk. The orbiting residents also focused on space biology experiments and packing gear for return to Earth.

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via Space Station https://ift.tt/1YeiiOv

Robotics Work Prepping Docking Port Ahead of Wednesday’s Spacewalk

Robotics controllers are preparing a new commercial crew docking port for installation during a spacewalk on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Expedition 60 crew is researching life science and physics while packing a cargo ship for return to Earth next week.

read more … https://ift.tt/2ZeUCzE

via Space Station https://ift.tt/1YeiiOv

Spacewalkers Installing New Commercial Docking Port Wednesday

A new commercial crew docking port is in position on the International Space Station ready for installation during Wednesday’s spacewalk. Russia is also counting down to the launch of an unpiloted Soyuz spacecraft to the orbiting lab just a few hours after tomorrow’s spacewalk.

read more … https://ift.tt/2z8bYQ6

via Space Station https://ift.tt/1YeiiOv

Watch Spacewalkers Install New Commercial Docking Port on NASA TV

NASA astronauts Nick Hague and Andrew Morgan, assigned as flight engineers for Expedition 60 aboard the International Space Station, will begin a planned six-and-a-half-hour spacewalk from inside the Quest airlock about 8:20 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 21. Live NASA Television coverage will begin at 6:30 a.m. The duo will assist in the installation of International Docking Adapter-3 (IDA-3) to Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 on the space-facing side of the station’s Harmony module.

read more … https://ift.tt/31QQymN

via Space Station https://ift.tt/1YeiiOv

NASA to Seek Review of International Space Station As National Laboratory

NASA has ordered a review of the nonprofit organization that oversees the U.S. laboratory on the International Space Station to evaluate its commercial strengths and weaknesses.

read more … https://ift.tt/2TAX12g

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Robotics Supporting Exploration; Briefers Talk Friday About Spacewalk

The Expedition 60 crew is busy conducting space research everyday inside the International Space Station. While they work, scientists and engineers on Earth can remotely control and observe experiments attached to the outside of the orbiting lab.

read more … https://ift.tt/2KZegH1

via Space Station https://ift.tt/1YeiiOv

Moon / Mond

China’s Chang’e-4 Rover Keeps Snapping Stunning Photos of the Moon’s Far Side

China’s Chang’e-4 mission has completed eight full days of science work on the far side of the moon — and in between the experiments, the lander and rover have sent home some new photographs, too.

read more … https://ift.tt/2N7EUzN

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Chandrayaan-2 Enters Lunar Orbit

The combination lander, rover, and orbiter fired its main engine to enter orbit around the Moon at 09:02 IST (03:32 UTC) on 20 August.

read more … https://ift.tt/2zbbj0g

via Planetary Society Blog https://ift.tt/QRHOCj

India’s Chandrayaan-2 Moon Mission Successfully Enters Lunar Orbit

India’s Chandrayaan-2 mission has ticked off another key milestone in its journey to land safely on the moon: The spacecraft has successfully entered lunar orbit.

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via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Astrobotic’s Private Moon Lander Will Launch on a Vulcan Centaur Rocket in 2021

A United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur rocket will send Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander on its way toward Earth’s nearest neighbor two years from now.

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via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Texas Responds To NASA Lunar Lander Management In Alabama

„I am disappointed by the decision from NASA to not place the lunar lander program management at the Johnson Space Center (JSC),“ said Babin. „Marshall Space Flight Center does tremendous work for our nation’s space program, but the knowledge base and skill set for this task unquestionably resides at JSC where the Apollo lunar lander program was successfully managed.“

read more … https://ift.tt/2N74HYW

via NASA Watch http://nasawatch.com/

Should NASA Even Be Building A Lunar Lander In The First Place?

NASA recently issued a draft solicitation and requested comments from American companies interested in providing an integrated human landing system – a precursor to the final solicitation targeted for release in the coming months. The agency’s human lunar exploration plans are based on a two-phase approach: the first is focused on speed – landing on the Moon within five years, while the second will establish a sustained human presence on and around the Moon by 2028. The agency will use what we learn on the Moon to prepare for the next giant leap – sending astronauts to Mar

read more … https://ift.tt/2YVxFSP

via NASA Watch http://nasawatch.com/

NASA’s Artemis Moon Lander for Astronauts Will Be Born in Alabama’s ‚Rocket City‘

The lunar lander that will bring astronauts to the moon in 2024 will be born in Alabama’s „Rocket City,“ NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine announced today

read more … https://ift.tt/2YTUupP

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Erste US-Flüge zum Mond 2021 mit neuer Rakete

Die neue Vulcan-Centaur-Rakete der United Launch Alliance soll die ersten US-Flüge zum Mond seit fast 40 Jahren ermöglichen. Mit Triebwerken von Blue Origin.

read more … https://ift.tt/2MtHRvj

via heise online News https://www.heise.de/

Solar System / Sonnensystem

Jupiter’s Strange Core May Have Been Forged by a Colossal Head-On Crash

Jupiter’s dilute core could have been formed by a head-on collision 4.5 billion years ago, one new study suggests.

read more … https://ift.tt/2Z0xvc5

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

OSIRIS-REx Team Picks 4 Candidate Sample Sites on Asteroid Bennu

The sites each have unique characteristics that would advance the field of asteroid science.

read more … https://ift.tt/2MmjmQn

via Planetary Society Blog https://ift.tt/QRHOCj

Light-dark shadows in the Martian highlands

Sand, dust and rocks of different colours cover extensive areas of the Terra Cimmeria highland region, one of the oldest landscapes on Mars. The variations in colour are due to differences in the mineralogy as well as the texture of the surface material and are typical of the ancient Mars highlands.

read more … https://ift.tt/2Hf9aVS

via DLR Portal – News https://ift.tt/2XcaI9s

Beyond Solar System / Milchstraße & Kosmos

Something Weird Is Happening to the Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way

Astronomers have been watching the black hole at the center of our galaxy for 20 years, and in May, they saw something they’d never seen before.

read more … https://ift.tt/2ZdVg0A

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Hubble Telescope Spots Two Galaxies in a Doomed (but Dazzling) Dance

Two galaxies are caught in a crazy cosmic dance, pulling at each other in a fresh image from the Hubble Space Telescope.

read more … https://ift.tt/2z7x6pC

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Hubble Spots Purple ‚Jellyfish‘ Star Glowing in Abyss of Deep Space

The latest Hubble image appears to capture a cosmic jellyfish floating in space, but in reality this structure is no living creature.

read more … https://ift.tt/2PgKOSf

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Detecting the Infrared Glow of a Dark World

This infographic illustrates how astronomers using NASAs Spitzer Space Telescope observations of the LHS 3844b system could deduce how much of the combined infrared light came from the Earth-sized exoplanet.

read more … https://ift.tt/30hfwLO

via Image Gallery https://ift.tt/1M1fTQx

This Weird, Rocky Planet Has No Atmosphere

A nearby, rocky exoplanet may be just a plain rock with no atmosphere — supporting a theory that planets orbiting small stars are more susceptible to lacking an atmosphere.

read more … https://ift.tt/2Z9NTbi

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Politics / Politik

TrumpSpace: No Mention Of The Moon Thing But Rich Guys Pay NASA Rent

We’re investing in the future of human spaceflight,“ the president said, prefacing his off-the-cuff remarks on spaceflight. „And some day soon American astronauts will plant the stars and stripes on the surface of Mars.“ Trump never mentioned the Moon, or his administration’s lunar program, during this comment or in any of his subsequent remarks Thursday night.

read more … https://ift.tt/30b2wau

via NASA Watch http://nasawatch.com/

Satellite Photo Shows China’s Military Buildup in Response to Hong Kong Protests

After over 10 weeks of protests in Hong Kong, a satellite has captured an image of Chinese military vehicles gathering in Shenzhen.

read more … https://ift.tt/2KC2Qd6

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Hooray Yet Another Space Plan

„Newt Gingrich and an eclectic band of NASA skeptics are trying sell President Donald Trump on a reality show-style plan to jump-start the return of humans to the moon — at a fraction of the space agency’s estimated price tag. The proposal, whose other proponents range from a three-star Air Force general to the former publicist for pop stars Michael Jackson and Prince, envisions creating a $2 billion sweepstakes pitting billionaires Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and other space pioneers to see who can establish and run the first lunar base, according to a summary of the plan shared with POLITICO.“

read more … https://ift.tt/33JJ7Qh

via NASA Watch http://nasawatch.com/

New US Space Command Will Launch Next Week, VP Pence Says

The United States Space Command will officially be up and running by the end of the month, Vice President Mike Pence said today (Aug. 20) at a meeting of the National Space Council.

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via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Technology / Technologie

Private Dream Chaser Space Plane Will Ride New Vulcan Rocket for NASA Cargo Launches

The private Dream Chaser space plane has a new ride to the International Space Station.

read more … https://ift.tt/2TxnwFR

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Robotic Toolkit Added to NASA’s Mars 2020 Rover

The bit carousel, which lies at the heart of the rover’s Sample Caching System, is now aboard NASA’s newest rover.

read more … https://ift.tt/2MmrFMl

via Latest News – NASA’s Mars Exploration Program https://ift.tt/2gRBMK4

How SpaceX’s Starship Will Help Establish a Mars Base

As NASA works toward its long-term goal of establishing a human settlement on Mars, SpaceX is fleshing out its plans to help NASA make that dream a reality.

read more … https://ift.tt/2Z7SgCE

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Big Leap by SpaceX’s Starship Prototype Pushed to Next Week

It looks like we’ll have to wait a little longer to see Starhopper make its biggest leap yet.

read more … https://ift.tt/2KPb3cV

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

China startet erstmals neue Trägerrakete für kommerzielle Missionen

China hat am Samstag erstmals eine neue Trägerrakete für kommerzielle Missionen gestartet. Smart Dragon-1 (SD-01) sei um 12.11 Uhr Pekinger Zeit vom Weltraumbahnhof Jiuquan im Nordwesten des Landes aufgestiegen und habe drei Fernerkundungs- und Nachrichtensatelliten auf ihre vorausberechnete Umlaufbahn gebracht, meldete die Nachrichtenagentur Xinhua.

read more … https://ift.tt/31PkkZ4

via Gerhard Kowalski https://ift.tt/2TkXF6m

China’s Private ‚Smart Dragon-1‘ Rocket Aces 1st Mission

The private Smart Dragon-1 rocket, built by the China Rocket Co. Ltd., completed its first mission Saturday (Aug. 17), successfully launching three small satellites to Earth orbit, Chinese media outlets reported.

read more … https://ift.tt/2KKzvNQ

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

China Just Launched a Communications Satellite. Is It in Trouble?

A Chinese Long March 3B rocket launched a new communications satellite into orbit today (Aug. 19) — but there appears to be a problem with the satellite.

read more … https://ift.tt/2zcjn0V

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

All instruments onboard Rosalind Franklin rover

The full suite of scientific instruments, including cameras that will give us our eyes on Mars, the drill that will retrieve pristine soil samples from below the surface, and the onboard laboratory that will seek out signs of life are all installed on the ExoMars rover.

read more … https://ift.tt/30vIvvm

via ESA Space Science https://ift.tt/1urjQU2

World / Welt

Letzte Weltraum-Startrampe von Kapustin Jar wird demontiert

Die letzte noch verbliebene Rampe für Weltraumstarts auf dem Raketenschießplatz Kapustin Jar im Gebiet Archangelsk wird im Dezember 2020 demontiert. Wie die Nachrichtenagentur RIA Nowosti meldet, soll das Gelände rekultiviert werden. Von dem Komplex Woßchod (Platz 107) seien Trägerraketen des Typs Kosmos-3M und K65N aufgestiegen.

read more … https://ift.tt/2HcTFhe

via Gerhard Kowalski https://ift.tt/2TkXF6m

Rogosin scherzt über das Bohrloch in Gersts Raumschiff

Der Chef der russischen Raumfahrtagentur GK Roskosmos, Dmitri Rogosin, scheint über die großen Sorgen, die sein Job so mit sich bringt, den Humor nicht verloren zu haben. So antwortete er am Montag per Twitter auf die sicher nicht ganz unernste Frage einer gewissen Tschipo Lina „Haben […]

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via Gerhard Kowalski https://ift.tt/2TkXF6m

NASA’s Big Astrobiology Mission To Europa Makes No Mention Of Astrobiology

NASA JPL issued a press release on Monday titled „Mission to Jupiter’s Icy Moon Confirmed“. Great news for the Astrobiology community as noted by the release – except that the NASA Astrobiology website linked to in this release makes no mention of this news (maybe they will on Tuesday).

read more … https://ift.tt/2Za52Rj

via NASA Watch http://nasawatch.com/

Boeing Astronaut Reveals Mission Patches for Starliner Flight Tests

The first astronauts assigned to launch on Boeing’s new Starliner spacecraft now have a mission patch to represent their flight.

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via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

NASA Wants Ideas for Private Cargo Ships to Supply a Lunar Gateway

NASA has called for companies to submit proposals to create spacecraft that will deliver cargo to the lunar gateway.

read more … https://ift.tt/30kV50C

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

If NASA Wants to Land the 1st Woman on the Moon, Her Spacesuit Better Fit

Today (Aug. 20), the National Space Council discussed how NASA might support a mixed-gender astronaut crew.

read more … https://ift.tt/2zbQzFV

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Entertainment / Unterhaltung

That Time NASA Over-Analzyed The Value Of LEGOs

„Have you ever seen LEGO bricks float? Now is your chance! Watch former NASA Astronaut Mike Massimino unbox and build LEGO sets in zero gravity! Get inspired to join the greatest adventure ever as we work together to put an astronaut on Mars! Let’s Go!“

read more … https://ift.tt/2MmKuPf

via NASA Watch http://nasawatch.com/

2nd ‚Ad Astra‘ Trailer Teases More Spectacular Sci-Fi Starring Brad Pitt

A stunning second trailer for Brad Pitt’s intergalactic adventure film „Ad Astra“ offers a few more tantalizing details as he races through the depths of space while something called the „surge“ is threatening all life on Earth.

read more … https://ift.tt/2Z063eD

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Science / Wissenschaft

The Moon Is Brighter Than the Sun in These NASA Gamma-Ray Telescope Views

The sun is the brightest object in our skies — but it wouldn’t be if we could see incredibly energetic gamma-rays as well as visible light.

read more … https://ift.tt/2N9aFZr

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Beyond TESS: How Future Exoplanet-Hunters Will Seek Out Strange New Worlds

Ground and space telescope missions plan to further explore exoplanets discovered by NASA’s TESS spacecraft.

read more … https://ift.tt/2HaZM5B

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61

Hubble Telescope Solves a Galactic Identity Crisis for Quasars

A new study has shed more light on the mysterious quasars and settles a 20-year-old astronomical debate.

read more … https://ift.tt/2Z8dhgE

via Space.com https://ift.tt/2CqOJ61