Front Page / Titelseite

Credit title picture: NASA/JPL-Caltech

So long, MarCO, and thanks for the radio transmissions

NASA says it does not expect to receive any more transmissions from the MarCO CubeSats that accompanied Insight to Mars last year.

The World’s 1st Interplanetary Cubesats Go Silent Beyond Mars

The first small spacecraft to ever leave Earth’s orbit have been silent for more than a month, NASA said today (Feb. 5) in an announcement about the pair of Mars Cube One probes nicknamed MarCO.

ISS suffers another leak, but this time of the messy, non-dangerous, type

Around 11 liters of water leaked into the International Space Station (ISS) during work to prepare for the future installation of the Urine Transfer System (UTS). Although the incident was minor compared to the more worrying pressure leak caused by a hole in the since-departed Soyuz MS-09, it once again highlights the day-to-day maintenance required on the orbital outpost that will play into lessons learned ahead of crewed deep space exploration.

Die ISS hat wieder ein Loch: Diesmal in der Weltraum-Toilette

Auf der Internationalen Raumstation ist bei Reparaturarbeiten an der Toilette eine erhebliche Menge Flüssigkeit ausgetreten.

Deep Impact: The Deep-Space Comet Hunter

NASA’s Deep Impact mission was the most-traveled deep-space comet hunter of its time.

via Space.com https://www.space.com

Coffee Lovers May Someday Brew Their Java with Space-Roasted Beans

There’s gourmet coffee, and then there’s coffee roasted by the searing heat of re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere from the edge of space.

Feature – NASA’s Insight Mars Lander

Homepage – NASA’s Insight Mars Lander

BR News – Einblick in das Innerste des Mars

Noch ist der NASA-Lander Insight auf dem Weg zum Mars. Ende November soll er dort ankommen und darauf Platz nehmen. Dieses Rendezvous wird dem Roten Planeten tatsächlich unter die Haut gehen. Die NASA ist dem Mars bereits mehrfach zu Leibe gerückt – unter anderem mit den Rovern Opportunity und Curiosity sowie den Sonden Odyssey, MRO und Maven. Am 5. Mai 2018 wurde der stationäre Lander InSight (Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport) zum Schnüffeln losgeschickt. InSight startete mithilfe einer rund 57 Meter großen Atlas-V-401-Rakete von der Vandenberg Air Force Basis in Kalifornien und soll am 26. November auf dem Roten Planeten ankommen. Dann wird der Lander für rund zwei Jahre zum geduldigen Spürhund.

Nasa’s InSight mission will target ‘Marsquakes’

InSight will be the first probe to focus its investigations predominantly on the interior of the Red Planet. The lander – due to touch down in November – will put seismometers on the surface to feel for “Marsquakes”. These tremors should reveal how the underground rock is layered – data that can be compared with Earth to shed further light on the formation of the planets 4.6 billion years ago. “As seismic waves travel through [Mars] they pick up information along the way; as they travel through different rocks,” explained Dr Bruce Banerdt, InSight’s principal investigator. “And all those wiggles you see on seismograms – scientists understand how to pull that information out. After we’ve gotten many, many Marsquakes from different directions, we can put together a three dimensional view of the inside of Mars.”

Media resources | InSight

Homepage – InSight Media Resources

Further news / Weitere Nachrichten – Insight

InSight Milestone: Wind and Thermal Shield Placed Sol 66

InSight mission has successfully placed the wind and thermal shield over the seismometer. The seismometer will now be shielded from winds and kept warm over the cold Martian nights, so the quality of its data should dramatically increase.

InSight’s Seismometer Now Has a Cozy Shelter on Mars

For the past several weeks, NASA’s InSight lander has been making adjustments to the seismometer it set on the Martian surface on Dec. 19. Now it’s reached another milestone by placing a domed shield over the seismometer to help the instrument collect accurate data. The seismometer will give scientists their first look at the deep interior of the Red Planet, helping them understand how it and other rocky planets are formed.

via Mars Insight Mission https://mars.nasa.gov/

NASA’s InSight Lander On Mars Deploys Shield for Quake-Tracking Seismometer

NASA’s InSight lander dropped an insulating cover over its Marsquake-sensing seismometer on Feb. 2, mission team members said.

International Spacestation (ISS)

Fiery Research Work and CubeSats Deployed Today

The Expedition 58 crew gathers inside the Zvezda service module for a portrait. From left are, NASA astronaut Anne McClain, Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques.

read more … https://go.nasa.gov/2Ton0cF

via Space Station https://go.nasa.gov/1YeiiOv

ISS-Besatzung setzt fünf kleine Satelliten aus

Moskau, 2. Februar 2019 — Die Besatzung der Internationalen Raumstation ISS hat fünf kleine Satelliten in den freien Weltraum ausgesetzt. Das sei mithilfe des japanischen Manipulators JEM RMS und des Startsystems NanoRacks erfolgt, twitterte die GK Roskosmos.

Crew Wraps Up Biomedical Studies; Films Station in Virtual Reality

A pair of biomedical experiments are wrapping up today aboard the International Space Station as the Expedition 58 crew began its weekend. The orbital residents are also filming a virtual reality (VR) experience and working on plumbing and life support hardware.

read more … https://go.nasa.gov/2Ut5nbA

via Space Station https://go.nasa.gov/1YeiiOv

Wissenschaft an Bord der Internationalen Raumstation

Obwohl sich derzeit kein ESA-Astronaut im Weltraum aufhält, geht die europäische wissenschaftliche Forschung im All weiter. Hier stellen wir einige der Experimente vor, die derzeit an Bord der Internationalen Raumstation ISS durchgeführt werden.

Human, Physics Research as U.S. Spaceship Preps for Departure

Anne McClain of NASA looks at a laptop computer screen inside the U.S. Destiny laboratory module during ground conference operations.

read more … https://go.nasa.gov/2S8SXZP

via Space Station https://go.nasa.gov/1YeiiOv

Astronaut Suits Up in ‘Smart’ Astroskin Jersey on Space Station

A Canadian Space Agency astronaut has deployed for the first time a new “smart” jersey designed to monitor real-time changes in its wearer’s physiology without disrupting the flow of daily activity.

Earth / Erde

Earth Looks Spectacular from Space in This Breathtaking Cosmonaut Video

From the International Space Station’s orbit about 250 miles (400 kilometers) above Earth, crewmembers enjoy unique — and stunning — views of our home planet, as new footage from the station shows once again.

Gletscherschwund Antarktis: Bessere Vorhersagen dank innovativer Radartechnologien

Der Thwaites Gletscher gehört zu den fragilsten Gletschern der Westantarktis und schmilzt mit zunehmender Geschwindigkeit unaufhaltsam in die Amundsen See. Bislang ist er für rund vier Prozent des globalen Meeresspiegelanstiegs verantwortlich und kann mit seinen verbleibenden Eismassen die Ozeane künftig um mehr als 65 Zentimeter steigen lassen.

Giant Void Hidden Under Antarctica’s Ice Threatens Vast Glacier

There’s a giant void hiding under the Antarctic ice, and it’s growing larger and more menacing by the day, a new study using satellite data finds.

TanDEM-X: Das Schmelzen eines antarktischen Gletschers

Allein das komplette Schmelzen des großen Thwaites-Gletschers in der Antarktis könnte den Meeresspiegel um mehr als 65 Zentimeter steigen lassen. Die detaillierte Entwicklung dieses eisigen Giganten lässt sich nur mithilfe von Satelliten erforschen. Daten der beiden deutschen Radarsatelliten TerraSAR-X und TanDEM-X lieferten dazu nun einen wichtigen Beitrag. (

2018 Fourth Warmest Year in Continued Warming Trend, According to NASA, NOAA

Earth’s global surface temperatures in 2018 were the fourth warmest since 1880, according to independent analyses by NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

read more … https://go.nasa.gov/2SviaNh

via Earth News http://www.nasa.gov/

NASA, NOAA to Release Update on Earth’s Climate 2018 Global Temperatures Today

Scientists with NASA will unveil the latest climate trends and global temperature measurements for Earth today (Feb. 6) and you can follow the announcement live online.

Solar System / Sonnensystem

“Mars Buggy” Curiosity Measures a Mountain’s Gravity

Smartphone-like sensors on the NASA rover were used to calculate the density of Mount Sharp, offering new clues to its formation.

read more … https://go.nasa.gov/2TqRfzA

via Latest News – NASA’s Mars Exploration Program https://go.nasa.gov/2gRBMK4

NASA’s Curiosity Rover May Have Solved a Mars Mountain Mystery with Gravity Science

NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has flexed some new scientific muscles, apparently solving a Red Planet puzzle in the process.

Rover misst Mars-Schwerkraft

Ein Rover als Gravimeter: Der Marsrover Curiosity hat die ersten Schwerkraftmessungen auf einem fremden Planeten durchgeführt – und so den Untergrund quasi „durchleuchtet“. NASA-Forscher haben dafür die Daten von Beschleunigungssensoren des Marsfahrzeugs zweckentfremdet. Das überraschende Ergebnis: Der Untergrund im Gale-Krater ist viel poröser als gedacht, wie die Wissenschaftler im Fachmagazin „Science“ berichten.

PIA22943: Jupiter Storm Tracker

Target: Jupiter Mission: Juno Instrument: JunoCam

read more … https://go.nasa.gov/2G0To1Y

via NASA’s Photojournal: Images taken by the Juno Mission https://go.nasa.gov/2bwIOko

The Mars Exploration Rovers Update: Opportunity Logs 15th Year in Silence, Team Begins ‘Hail Mary’ Efforts

As a string of dust storms moved through Meridiani Planum and over Endeavour Crater in January, Opportunity silently wrapped her fifteenth year on the surface of Mars.

Delta dive

Space Science Image of the Week: Dive into a river delta on Mars – in 3D

Chinese Moon Rover Chang’E 4 / Chinesischer Mondrover Chang’E 4

Chinese Rover and Lander Survive 1st Frigid Night on Moon’s Far Side

China’s Chang’e 4 lander and rover made it through their first night on the moon’s far side, surviving temperatures that plunged as low as minus 310 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 190 degrees Celsius).

Chinese Probe Uncovers New Mystery on the Dark Side of the Moon

The ‘dark’ side of the moon isn’t really darker than the ‘light side of the moon. But it does appear to get colder at night.

China’s Chang’e Program: Missions to the Moon

China’s many missions to explore the red moon.

Jupiter Odyssey

Tour the Jovian system with the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

Curiosity Update, Sols 2257-2312: Drilling at Rock Hall and Arrival at the Valley of Clay

Curiosity completed work at Vera Rubin Ridge with an easy drilling activity at Rock Hall. Now it has finally driven on to mineral-rick rocks that were seen from orbit, long before Curiosity arrived.

Beyond Solar System / Milchstraße & Kosmos

Hubble: Astronomen entdecken per Zufall besonders einsame Zwerggalaxie

Bei der Analyse eines Sternenhaufens in der Milchstraße haben Astronomen im Hintergrund eine Zwerggalaxie entdeckt. Sie ist fast so alt wie das Universum.

Hubble fortuitously discovers a new galaxy in the cosmic neighbourhood [heic1903]

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope to study some of the oldest and faintest stars in the globular cluster NGC 6752 have made an unexpected finding. They discovered a dwarf galaxy in our cosmic backyard, only 30 million light-years away. The finding is reported in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society:

Chance discovery

Hubble discovers a new galaxy in our cosmic backyard

Hubble Telescope Discovers ‘Living Fossil’ Galaxy in Our Milky Way’s Backyard

The Hubble Space Telescope has discovered a dwarf galaxy in our own cosmic backyard, a mere 30 million light-years from the Milky Way.

Hubble Spies Doomed Spiral Galaxy Plunging Into Coma Cluster (and Losing Gas, Too)

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope captured a stunning new view of a spiral galaxy that wandered too close to the massive Coma galaxy cluster and is being stripped of its gas.

XMM-Newton beobachtet letzte Momente eines Sterns vor dessen Verschwinden in einem Schwarzen Loch

Astronomen haben Aufnahmen des ESA-Weltraumobservatoriums XMM-Newton ausgewertet und beobachtet, wie ein Schwarzes Loch einen Stern verschlingt. XMM-Newton hat dabei ein außergewöhnlich helles und stabiles Signal empfangen, mit dessen Hilfe die Wissenschaftler auch die Drehgeschwindigkeit des Schwarzen Loches bestimmen konnten.

See the Whirlpool Galaxy Through the Eyes of the NASA’s ‘Great Observatories’

Three powerful space observatories reveal the Whirlpool Galaxy as a wonder of star formation and star death in a new video from the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) that operates the Hubble Space Telescope.

Exoplanet imaginarium

Imagine the alien worlds ESA will investigate with its three generations of exoplanet missions

When Worlds Collide: Scientists Spot Hint of a Giant Crash in Alien Solar System

Scientists peering at an alien solar system have spotted a pair of planets so different that their traits may be evidence of a massive collision.

Politics / Politik

CASIS Now Has An Official Fictitious Name

FYI @ISS_CASIS asked @NASA if they could change their name from “CASIS” to “ISS National Laboratory”. #NASA said no – but Joe Vockley at CASIS did so anyway. Now his staff is scrambling to explain this unauthorized name change in time for the #CASIS annual meeting in DC next week

White House: Space Force Under the Air Force Only a ‘First Step,’ Separate Department Not Off the Table

White House draft policy memo: After the Space Force is established, the secretary of defense has to conduct a “periodic review” and recommend a timeline for spinning off the Space Force into its own military department.

Government Shutdown May Have Done Long-Term Damage to NASA

The longest government shutdown in American history is over, but the damage it inflicted on the nation’s space program may be felt for years to come.

Juri Koptjew: Sanktionen mit schuld an Problemen in der russischen Raumfahrt

Der Vorsitzende des Wissenschaftlich-Technischen Rates der GK Roskosmos, Juri Koptjew, gibt den westlichen Sanktionen gegen sein Land eine Mitschuld an den Problemen in der zivilen und militärischen Raumfahrt. Durch diese Sanktionen sei man zu Geiseln geworden, die keinen Zugang mehr zu prinzipiell wichtigen elektronischen Bauteilen haben, […]

A Reminder From China About Space Station Lifespans

After Chang’e-4 lunar probe successfully landed on the far side of the Moon, there has been considerable discussion among the US scientific community as to whether the US should embark upon a new cooperation with China for space exploration.

Shutdown Delays Proposed Revisions to Launch Licensing Regulations

The partial government shutdown caused the Federal Aviation Administration to miss a Feb. 1 deadline for releasing a draft of revised launch licensing regulations.

Technology / Technologie

China Has a Robot Ship that Launches Small Rockets … for Science

China has built the world’s first robotic, partially submersible boat for launching sounding rockets — a technology that will help meteorologists better understand the atmosphere over Earth’s oceans.

SpaceX’s Huge Falcon Heavy Rocket Will Launch On Its 2nd Flight in March

SpaceX’s giant Falcon Heavy rocket could take to the skies five weeks from now, if everything goes according to plan.

First Responders in Space: How Satellites Save Lives During Natural Disasters

If we are to save people from natural disasters, we must continue to invest in satellites that further our ability to see the planet, because satellites provide us with important information about our planet.

Boeing’s Starliner Spacecraft Will Be Ready for 1st Test Flight in March

Boeing is on track to launch its new astronaut taxi to the International Space Station (ISS) next month.

Elon Musk Unveils SpaceX’s 1st Rocket Engine Test for Starship Rocket (Video)

SpaceX test-fired the flight version of its new Raptor rocket engine for the first time yesterday (Feb. 3), company founder and CEO Elon Musk announced.

Ariane 5 mit zwei Satelliten erfolgreich gestartet

Eine Ariane 5 ECA hat am Dienstagabend zwei Kommunikationssatelliten erfolgreich ins All gebracht. Die Europarakete mit Saudi Geostationary Satellite 1/Hellas Sat 4 und GSAT-31 an der Spitze stieg um 22.01 Uhr vom Weltraumbahnhof Kourou (Französisch-Guyana) auf, teilte Arianespace mit.

Entertainment / Unterhaltung

Tour Alien Worlds with New Multimedia Treats

While you can’t actually travel to a planet outside our solar system, these new multimedia treats are the next-best thing.

read more … https://go.nasa.gov/2RF7w27

via Kepler News and Features http://www.nasa.gov/

World / Welt

China Will Attempt 30-Plus Launches in 2019, Including Crucial Long March 5 Missions

The main contractor for the Chinese space program is planning more than 30 launches in 2019, with major missions including the crucial return-to-flight of the heavy-lift Long March 5 rocket in July.

Ein kleiner Rückschritt für den Menschen, ein riesiger Rückschlag für die Menschheit

Vor etwa 50 Jahren landeten die ersten Menschen auf dem Mond. Unvergessen bleiben Neil Armstrongs Worte, die weltweit Millionen vor den Bildschirmen verfolgten. Doch nach dem Erfolg und dem Höhepunkt des Kalten Kriegs im Weltall

Jenissej-Startplatz entsteht nur 22 Kilometer von der Stadt Ziolkowski entfernt

Fünf Spezialisten-Gruppen haben auf dem Gelände des Kosmodroms Wostotschny im Amur-Gebiet den Standort des Startkomplexes für die künftige superschwere Trägerrakete Jenissej bestimmt. Wie Moskauer Medien berichten, soll er nordwestlich der bereits bestehenden Sojus-2-Rampe und nur 22 Kilometer vom Rand der Stadt Ziolkowski gebaut werden.

First Private Lunar Spacecraft Shoots for the Moon

The private space race is about to take another great leap as Israel sends a private lander to the moon.

Riesenflugzeug Stratolaunch “Roc” in der Krise: Am Boden

Aus zwei Jumbojets ein Riesenflugzeug formen, eine fliegende Startrampe für Satelliten: Das war der Plan des US-Unternehmens Stratolaunch. Ein wahrhaft gigantisches Vorhaben, das nun von Schicksalsschlägen gebeutelt wird.

Science / Wissenschaft

Two Men Spent 340 Days in Space. Scientists Are Still Figuring Out What They’ve Learned

Between March 2015 and March 2016, a man spent a total of 357 hours being poked and prodded: sacrificing blood and urine, sweating through sprints and letting others read his journals — oh, and living on the International Space Station.

A Year After SpaceX’s 1st Falcon Heavy Launch, Starman (and a Tesla) Sail On

Elon Musk’s car has now been exploring the final frontier for a full year.

History / Geschichte

Kalenderblatt: Erster Flug eines russischen Kosmonauten an Bord eines US-Raumschiffs

Vor 25 Jahren ist erstmals ein russischer Kosmonaut in einem US-Raumschiff mitgeflogen. Sergej Krikaljow gehörte zur sechsköpfigen Besatzung des Shuttles Discovery, der am 3. Februar 1994 unter dem Kommando von Charles Bolden vom Weltraumbahnhof Cape Canaveral (Florida) aufstieg.

Columbia Disaster: What Happened, What NASA Learned

The space shuttle Columbia broke up on Feb. 1, 2003, killing its seven-member crew. An investigation led to changes in NASA procedures.