Weekly Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) – 09.04.2020

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ESA: Corona-Pause für Sonden beendet

Eine gute Nachricht von der Weltraumagentur ESA: Die Beschränkungen für einige europäische Raumfahrtmissionen aufgrund der Covid-19-Pandemie werden wieder aufgehoben, die wissenschaftlichen Instrumente können also wieder Daten sammeln. Im europäischen Raumfahrtkontrollzentrum in Darmstadt bereitet man sich nun auf den Vorüberflug der Merkursonde BepiColombo an der Erde vor.

Podcast: Planetare Missionen nehmen die wissenschaftliche Arbeit wieder auf

Die planetaren Missionen der ESA arbeiten nach einer kurzen Außerbetriebstellung der wissenschaftlichen Instrumente wieder an dem, was sie am besten können: wissenschaftliche Daten aus dem Sonnensystem zu sammeln.

Space missions return to science

After a brief shutdown of science instruments and a period in ‘safe standby’, ESA’s planetary missions are getting back to what they do best, gathering science data from around the Solar System.

Spot BepiColombo during its ‘goodbye flyby’

On 10 April, BepiColombo will be visible to amateur and professional astronomers during its first – and only – Earth flyby, as the spacecraft makes its way to Mercury, the innermost planet of the Solar System. The best place to spot it is the southern hemisphere, but observers in southern locations of the northern hemisphere might also catch a parting view of the spacecraft.

Why is BepiColombo back?

BepiColombo is on its way to Mercury, but for some reason that brings it back to Earth.

BepiColombo: Schwerkraft-Bremsmanöver an der Erde mit Blick auf den Mond

Raumfahrt ist Maßarbeit in höchster Präzision. In den frühen Morgenstunden des Karfreitag (10. April) fliegt die ESA-Raumsonde BepiColombo mit über 30 Kilometern pro Sekunde von der Tagseite kommend auf die Erde zu. „Sie wird um 6.25 Uhr MESZ über dem Südatlantik in 12.677 Kilometern Höhe den […]

WFIRST Will Use Relativity to Find More Exoplanets!

When it deploys in 2025, NASA’s WFIRST mission will rely on the gravitational microlensing technique to locate exoplanets near the center of our galaxy. The post WFIRST Will Use Relativity to Find More Exoplanets! appeared first on Universe Today.

100 days from launch: NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance gets its wheels, parachute

Perseverance, the car-size robot at the heart of NASA’s life-hunting Mars 2020 mission, is scheduled to lift off from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Air Force Station during a three-week window that opens on the morning of July 17.

Take a wild ride with SpaceX in this ’emergency egress’ test for Crew Dragon (video)

ASA and SpaceX took yet another step toward a historic crewed spaceflight next month, this time prepping for a worst-case scenario on the launch pad.

Swarm of NASA nanosats to probe source of solar eruptions

NASA has selected a mission to dispatch six CubeSats, each the size of a toaster oven, to an orbit more than 20,000 miles from Earth to study massive particle ejections from the sun. The Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment, or SunRISE, mission will launch no later than July 1, 2023, after its selection by NASA as a mission of opportunity under the agency’s Explorers program.

Nicht erprobt – Kosmonauten verweigern Flug mit SpaceX

Die NASA hat die ersten 4 Personen nominiert, die mit SpaceX zur ISS fliegen sollen. Erstaunlich ist ist, wer nicht dabei ist.

Science Packing, Robotics Work Ahead of Spaceship Traffic

A U.S. cargo craft is being packed for its return to Earth next week while robotics controllers get ready to install a new European science platform on the International Space Station. The Expedition 62 crew also continued its ongoing human research activities.

Neue ISS-Besatzung machte Probesitzen in Sojus MS-16

Die neue russisch-amerikanische Besatzung, die am 9. April zur Internationalen Raumstation ISS fliegt, hat auf dem Kosmodrom Baikonur (Kasaschstan) ihr Raumschiff Sojus MS-16 eingehend inspiziert und sich mit allen Einzelheiten vertraut gemacht. Zum Schluss saßen die Russen Anatoli Iwanischin und Iwan Wagner sowie ihr amerikanischer Kollege […]

ISS-Umlaufbahn planmäßig korrigiert

Die Umlaufbahn der Internationalen Raumstation ISS ist am Donnerstag planmäßig korrigiert worden. Dazu wurden um 14.41 Uhr deutscher Zeit die Triebwerke des Frachtraumschiffes Progress MS-13 für gut sieben Minuten gezündet, teilte die GK Roskosmos mit. Dadurch umkreise die Station die Erde nunmehr auf einer mittleren Bahn zwischen […]

‘Going back to a different planet’: Astronauts will return to Earth soon amid the coronavirus pandemic

To date, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Drew Morgan and cosmonaut Oleg Skripochka have experienced the coronavirus outbreak only from afar. But that will soon change.

Video: Astronauts participate in Crew Dragon launch day dress rehearsal

Photos: Astronauts train to ride a Dragon into space

The two astronauts participated in several major training events in March, including long-duration simulations to rehearse procedures they will execute during launch on top of a Falcon 9 rocket, their docking with the International Space Station, and then departure from the orbiting lab for return to Earth.

Sojus MS-16 steht auf der Startrampe in Baikonur

Die russische Sojus-2.1a-Trägerrakete mit dem Raumschiff Sojus MS-16, das am Donnerstag die nächste Besatzung zur Internationalen Raumstation ISS bringen soll, ist am Montag in Baikonur (Kasachstan) auf der Startrampe aufgestellt worden. Die Russen Anatoli Iwanischin und Iwan Wagner sowie der Amerikaner Chris Cassidy sollen in gut […]

Station Gets Ready to Send off Cargo Ship and Welcome New Crew

A Russian rocket rolled out to its launch pad today as a new crew gets ready for liftoff to the International Space Station. Meanwhile, the Expedition 62 crew will send off a U.S. cargo craft on Tuesday packed with science and hardware. Russia’s Soyuz MS-16 crew ship stands at its launch pad in Kazakhstan today after rolling out from its processing facility at daybreak. The rocket will launch on Thursday at 4:05 a.m. carrying NASA astronaut Chris Cassidy and Roscosmos cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. The new Expedition 63 trio will dock to the rear port of the Zvezda service module at 10:15 a.m. to begin a 195-day mission. NASA TV will broadcast the launch and docking activities live starting at 3 a.m.

After problem-plagued test flight, Boeing will refly crew capsule without astronauts

Boeing officials said Monday the company’s Starliner crew capsule will fly a second time without astronauts after software problems and other issues plagued a first test flight in December, preventing the ship from reaching the International Space Station.

Rocket for next space station crew arrives on launch pad in Kazakhstan

A Russian Soyuz-2.1a rocket rolled out to a launch pad Monday at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, ready for the first crewed flight to use the modernized Soyuz booster configuration. Liftoff with two Russian cosmonauts and a veteran NASA astronaut is scheduled Thursday on an expedition to the International Space Station.

Bartolomeo connected to Columbus

Image: Bartolomeo connected to Columbus

US-Frachter von der ISS zur Erde zurückgekehrt

Ein Dragon-Frachter des SpaceX-Konzerns ist am Dienstag von der Internationalen Raumstation ISS auf die Erde zurückgekehrt. Mit knapp zwei Tonnen wissenschaftlichen Ergebnissen und ausrangierter Technik an Bord wasserte er um 20.58 Uhr deutscher Zeit im Pazifik vor der kalifornischen Küste.

Cardiac Research on the Space Station

Aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Jessica Meir conducts cardiac research inside the Life Sciences Glovebox.

Dragon Leaves Station, Returns to Earth with Valuable Science

SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 2:50 p.m. (11:50 a.m. PDT), approximately 300 miles southwest of Long Beach, California, marking the end of the company’s 20th contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station for NASA. The spacecraft returned more than 4,000 pounds of valuable scientific experiments and other cargo. Some of the scientific investigations Dragon will return to Earth include:

SpaceX Dragon cargo ship, the last of its kind, heads back to Earth from space station

A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship is headed back to Earth today (April 7) to wrap up a successful resupply mission to the International Space Station. It’s the end of an era for SpaceX.

With successful splashdown, SpaceX retires first version of Dragon spacecraft

For the final time, a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule was released from the International Space Station’s robotic arm Tuesday and splashed down hours later in Pacific Ocean southwest of Los Angeles. Beginning later this year, SpaceX will fly upgraded Dragon freighters that will dock automatically with the space station and parachute into the Atlantic Ocean east of Florida.

Submissions open for Copernicus Masters 2020

Awarding innovative solutions, developments and ideas that use Earth observation data to tackle challenges faced by business and society, the Copernicus Masters 2020 competition is now open for submissions

Locust swarms are invading Africa. Here’s how NASA satellites can help stop them.

Billions of locusts have been swarming in eastern Africa for months, ravaging crops and threatening the food source for millions of people. NASA satellites are coming to the rescue.

COVID-19: how can satellites help?

The coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has virtually paralysed daily life as we know it. Even when the spread of this highly infectious disease has been stemmed, the world will face huge challenges getting back to normal. To help support experts working in Europe’s research centres and technical organisations during these unprecedented times, ESA has issued two new initiatives related to understanding the effects that COVID-19 is imposing on society, the economy and the environment.

Antarctica’s Denman Glacier is sinking into the world’s deepest canyon

Antarctica’s Denman Glacier is falling into the world’s largest land canyon.

Ungewöhnliches Ozonloch öffnet sich über der Arktis

Wissenschaftler haben anhand von Daten des Copernicus-Satelliten Sentinel-5P einen starken Rückgang der Ozonkonzentration über der Arktis festgestellt. Ungewöhnliche atmosphärische Bedingungen, einschließlich eisiger Temperaturen in der Stratosphäre, haben zu einem Absinken der Ozonwerte geführt – und damit ein “Mini-Loch” in der Ozonschicht verursacht.

Unusual ozone hole opens over the Arctic

Scientists using data from the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite have noticed a strong reduction of ozone concentrations over the Arctic. Unusual atmospheric conditions, including freezing temperatures in the stratosphere, have led ozone levels to plummet – causing a ‘mini-hole’ in the ozone layer.

Unusual ozone hole opens over the Arctic

Starlink and the Astronomers: An Update

As Starlink satellites continue to enter low-Earth orbit — there are 360 of them now — SpaceX is working to mitigate the serious problems they pose for astronomy. The post Starlink and the Astronomers: An Update appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

Ein „cooler“ Satellit feiert Geburtstag – CryoSat-2 sammelt seit zehn Jahren Daten zu Schnee und Eis

Happy Birthday für einen „coolen“ Satelliten: CryoSat-2, der Eis- und Schnee-Satellit der Europäischen Weltraumorganisation ESA, hat vor genau zehn Jahren, am 8. April 2010, vom Kosmodrom Baikonur (Kasachstan) seine Reise in den Weltraum angetreten. Er war ursprünglich für eine dreieinhalbjährige Mission konzipiert und hat inzwischen schon eine ganze Menge „Überstunden“ […]

NASA’s next robotic moon landings in 2021 still on track despite coronavirus pandemic

NASA’s first two commercial deliveries to the moon are still on track despite the COVID-19 pandemic, according to agency leadership.

In parallel with rocket development, Firefly launches lunar lander initiative

A souped-up version of the Israeli Beresheet moon lander built in Texas could be ready to carry NASA science and technology payloads to the lunar surface before the end of 2022, according to officials from Firefly Aerospace. Firefly’s Genesis lander is one of several major projects being developed by the company headquartered just north of Austin, Texas.

NASA unveils plan for Artemis ‘base camp’ on the moon beyond 2024

NASA is forging ahead with its Artemis program to land humans on the moon by 2024, but the agency has also just offered its first plan for what a U.S. lunar presence may look like after that.

SpaceX Will be Flying Cargo to the Moon

paceX was recently awarded a contract through NASA’s Gateway Logistics Services program to provide services to the Lunar Gateway The post SpaceX Will be Flying Cargo to the Moon appeared first on Universe Today.

Choosing rocks on Mars to bring to Earth

If you could bring something back from Mars to Earth, what would you choose? This question is becoming reality, as ESA opens a call for scientists to join a NASA team working to determine which martian samples should be collected and stored by the Perseverance rover set to launch this Summer.

Why is BepiColombo back?

BepiColombo is on its way to Mercury, but for some reason that brings it back to Earth.

Spot BepiColombo during its ‘goodbye flyby’

Next stop, Enceladus? Scientists make their case for a mission to Saturn’s icy moon

NASA is headed to Saturn’s largest moon, Titan — but some scientists hope to convince the agency to send another mission to Titan’s neighbor, Enceladus, to look for signs of life.

A spacecraft headed to Mercury will observe the moon this week during an Earth flyby

The moon will stun Earthling skywatchers this evening (April 7) with the biggest full moon of the year, but later this week humans will catch a very different view of our companion, in infrared light.

Choosing rocks on Mars to bring to Earth

Could Mars samples brought to Earth pose a threat to our planet? What the coronavirus (and ‘Andromeda Strain’) can teach us.

NASA and the European Space Agency plan to haul pristine Mars samples to Earth in the near future. Should we worry about a possible ‘Andromeda Strain’ scenario?

This Galaxy Has Only One Spiral Arm

There are all kinds of odd things in the sky. Things that defy our naming conventions, and our attempts to understand them. For instance, NGC 4618, the one-armed galaxy. A spiral galaxy with only one arm may not top the list of cosmic oddities, but it does capture the minds of curious astronomers. The obvious …

Hubble Captures a Cannibal Galaxy

This remarkable spiral galaxy, known as NGC 4651, may look serene and peaceful as it swirls in the vast, silent emptiness of space, but don’t be fooled — it keeps a violent secret.

Universe’s Expansion May Not Be The Same In All Directions

This graphic contains a map of the full sky and shows four of the hundreds of galaxy clusters that were analyzed to test whether the Universe is the same in all directions over large scales.

NASA Is Going To Need A New CIO

“NASA Chief Information Officer Renee Wynn is retiring on April 30, 2020, after 30 years in Federal service. She is one of the longest-serving departmental CIOs at NASA and in the Federal Government. Before coming to NASA, Wynn spent 25 years at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), where she served in several executive roles, including as acting CIO and deputy CIO. During her NASA tenure, Wynn said she had her work cut out for her. She was instrumental in improving the Agency’s external reputation regarding cybersecurity and how information technology was managed at NASA.”

Trump unterzeichnet Anordnung über kommerzielle Nutzung der Ressourcen auf dem Mond

US-Präsident Donald Trump hat am Montag (Ortszeit) eine Anordnung (executive order) über die kommerzielle Nutzung der Ressourcen auf dem Mond und auf anderen Himmelskörpern unterzeichnet. Das Wassereis und die anderen Mondressourcen sollen den Vereinigten Staaten helfen, die Langzeit-Anwesenheit des Menschen auf dem Erdtrabanten zu sichern, heißt […]

Trump signs executive order to support moon mining, tap asteroid resources

The lunar resources that will help the United States establish a long-term human presence on and around the moon are there for the taking, the White House believes.

James Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror unfolded

Image: Deployment test of James Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror

SpaceX readies new Starship prototype for testing (video)

SpaceX is about to start putting the latest prototype of its Starship Mars-colonizing vehicle to the test.

Watch NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope unfold its golden mirror for the 1st time (video)

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has fully deployed its primary mirror for the first time, marking another milestone on its journey to space.

James Webb Space Telescope’s primary mirror unfolded

Dritter Starship-Prototyp von SpaceX explodiert

Der dritte Prototyp des Starship (Starship SN3) von SpaceX ist am Freitag in Boca Chica (Texas) bei einem Test mit flüssigem Stickstoff explodiert. Das teilte Konzernchef Elon Musk mit. Auf Youtube war zu sehen, wie der Oberteil des Raumschiffes, mit dem SpaceX einmal zum Mars fliegen […]

NASA’s Perseverance Mars Rover Gets Its Wheels and Air Brakes

After the rover was shipped from JPL to Kennedy Space Center, the team is getting closer to finalizing the spacecraft for launch later this summer.

SpaceX’s Starship SN3 prototype collapses in pressure tank test

SpaceX’s newest Starship prototype, called SN3, collapsed early Friday (April 3) during an overnight pressure tank test.

SpaceX loses third Starship prototype in cryogenic ground test

A prototype for SpaceX’s Starship space vehicle collapsed during pressure testing early Friday at the company’s facility in South Texas — the program’s third failure during such testing since November — but assembly of a new version is already underway. The stainless steel cylinder appeared to rupture near its top after filling with super-cold liquid nitrogen overnight at SpaceX’s launch site at Boca Chica, Texas. Elon Musk, SpaceX’s founder and CEO, tweeted early Friday that the accident may have been the result of a “test configuration mistake.”

Private companies find role in developing nuclear power for space travel

The private sector wants to bring nuclear power to space to enable faster and more efficient space travel.

SpaceX plans another Starlink launch next week

SpaceX is preparing to launch another batch of satellites for the Starlink Internet network from Florida’s Space Coast as soon as April 16, a sign that launch operations at Cape Canaveral could continue at a reduced pace amid the global coronavirus pandemic.

The Man Who Wanted to Fly on Mars

The Mars Helicopter is riding to the Red Planet this summer with NASA’s Perseverance rover. The helicopter’s chief engineer, Bob Balaram, shares the saga of how it came into being.

Thousands Apply to Join NASA’s Artemis Generation, #BeAnAstronaut

More than 12,000 people have applied to join NASA’s next class of astronauts, demonstrating strong national interest to take part in America’s plans to explore the Moon and take humanity’s next giant leap – human missions to Mars.

More than 12,000 apply to become an astronaut for NASA’s ‘Artemis Generation’

More than 12,000 people have applied to join what NASA is calling the “Artemis Generation,” a new class of astronauts to help the agency return humans to the moon and reach outward to Mars.

Verlust einer überragenden Persönlichkeit der europäischen Raumfahrt

Während wir, wie so viele auf der ganzen Welt, nach wie vor mit der Bekämpfung des Coronavirus und seinen Auswirkungen auf Mensch und Wirtschaft beschäftigt sind, hat uns die sehr traurige Nachricht erreicht, dass der ehemalige ESA-Generaldirektor und eine herausragende Persönlichkeit der europäischen Raumfahrt, Professor Reimar Lüst, im Alter von 97 Jahren verstorben ist.

China plant Start eines Satelliten zu Ehren von Wuhan

China plant für die zweite April-Hälfte den Start von zwei Xingyun-2-Kommunikationssatelliten des Internet-of Things (IoT)-Projekts. Der erste davon erhält den Namen Wuhan zu Ehren des Kampfes in dieser Stadt gegen das Coronavirus, meldet die Nachrichtenagentur Xinhua in Peking. Die Kuaizhou-1A-Trägerrakete stamme von der Sanjiang Group, die sich ebenfalls in dieser […]

Corona-Krise zeigt Unverzichtbarkeit der Raumfahrt

Von globaler Krisenabwehr über Arbeiten im Homeoffice bis hin zur live-Kommunikation in sozialer Isolation – in der Corona-Krise zeigt sich, wie unverzichtbar Raumfahrt und ihre Anwendungen für das Funktionieren und den Alltag unserer Gesellschaft sind. Der folgende Text wurde mit freundlicher Genehmigung des BDLI veröffentlicht.

Russland: Arbeitsproduktivität in der Raumfahrtbranche fast nur halb so hoch wie in den USA und Deutschland

Die Arbeitsproduktivität in der russischen Raumfahrtbranche hinkt weiter hinter der in den USA und in Deutschland her. Sie mache nur 55 Prozent der amerikanischen und 60 Prozent der deutschen Konkurrenz aus, ergab eine Untersuchung des Instituts für Kosmosforschung (IKI) und des Instituts für volkswirtschaftliche Prognostik der Russischen Akademie der Wissenschaften […]

Space companies rally to supply medical equipment amid pandemic

While production of rockets and satellites continues across much of the space industry amid the coronavirus pandemic, engineers at several space companies — including SpaceX, Virgin Orbit and Blue Origin — have started working on medical devices and protective equipment in response to shortages in hospitals across the United States.

Dive deep into the history of planetary exploration funding

This unique, comprehensive dataset includes the full budget history, by year, of every NASA planetary science mission and related activities.

Coronavirus pandemic forces US Space Force, SpaceX to delay GPS satellite launch

The planned launch of a SpaceX rocket this month to send a new GPS navigation satellite into orbit for the U.S. military has been delayed to June 30 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Space Force officials say.

Smart surfaces for space hygiene

While efforts continue to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus on Earth, a space-based experiment called Matiss has been investigating how ‘smart surfaces’ on the International Space Station could stop pathogens in their tracks.

Kosmologie neu betrachtet: Die Ausdehnung des Universums ist vielleicht nicht gleichmäßig

Astronomen gehen seit Jahrzehnten davon aus, dass sich das Universum in allen Richtungen gleich schnell ausdehnt. Eine neue Studie, die auf Daten der XMM-Newton-Mission der ESA, der NASA-Mission Chandra und des deutschen ROSAT-Röntgensatelliten (DLR) basiert, legt nahe, dass diese Schlüsselprämisse der Kosmologie falsch sein könnte.

Rethinking cosmology: Universe expansion may not be uniform

Astronomers have assumed for decades that the Universe is expanding at the same rate in all directions. A new study based on data from ESA’s XMM-Newton, NASA’s Chandra and the German-led ROSAT X-ray observatories suggests this key premise of cosmology might be wrong.

Here’s how Europe’s JUICE spacecraft will look for alien oceans

One of the top priorities for scientists looking to find life beyond Earth is determining which icy worlds in the outer solar system hide massive global oceans under their frozen surfaces.

Smart surfaces for space hygiene

Kosmologie neu betrachtet: Die Ausdehnung des Universums ist vielleicht nicht gleichmäßig

Rethinking cosmology: Universe expansion may not be uniform

Here’s how Europe’s JUICE spacecraft will look for alien oceans

One of the top priorities for scientists looking to find life beyond Earth is determining which icy worlds in the outer solar system hide massive global oceans under their frozen surfaces.

Smart surfaces for space hygiene

Kosmologie neu betrachtet: Die Ausdehnung des Universums ist vielleicht nicht gleichmäßig

Rethinking cosmology: Universe expansion may not be uniform

Here’s how Europe’s JUICE spacecraft will look for alien oceans

One of the top priorities for scientists looking to find life beyond Earth is determining which icy worlds in the outer solar system hide massive global oceans under their frozen surfaces.

NASA Commemorates 50th Anniversary of Apollo 13, ‘A Successful Failure’

As NASA marks the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 13 mission – which has become known as “a successful failure” that saw the safe return of its crew in spite of a catastrophic explosion – the agency is sharing a variety of resources, recognizing the triumph of the mission control team and the astronauts, and looking at how those lessons learned can

Jim Lovell: NASA astronaut and Apollo 13 commander

Jim Lovell flew on four missions to space, saw the moon twice and almost died on Apollo 13.