Weekly Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) – 14.11.19

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Japanische Asteroidensonde Hayabusa2 hat die Ryugu-Umlaufbahn verlassen

Nach einer Serie von Forschungen und der Entnahme von Bodenproben hat die japanische Sonde Hayabusa2 am Mittwoch die Umlaufbahn des Asteroiden Ryugu mit einer Geschwindigkeit von 9,2 Zentimetern pro Sekunde verlassen. Das sei durch die Zündung von chemischen Triebwerken erfolgt, teilte die japanische Weltraumagentur JAXA mit. In […]

Farewell, Ryugu! Japan’s Hayabusa2 Probe Leaves Asteroid for Journey Home

Japan’s enterprising asteroid-sampling spacecraft began they journey home Tuesday (Nov. 12), packed full of precious space rocks that scientists can’t wait to get their hands on.

See the 4 Sites Where a NASA Spacecraft May ‘Tag’ Asteroid Bennu Next Year (Photos)

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will “tag” asteroid Bennu at one of four potential sites next year. See close-up views of the four candidate sites here!

Why Astronomers Worry About the Brightness of SpaceX’s Starlink Satellite Megaconstellation

SpaceX is planning to launch the second installment of its Starlink megaconstellation on Monday (Nov. 11), and astronomers are waiting to see — well, precisely what they will see.

NASA’s TESS Spacecraft is Finding Hundreds of Exoplanets — And is Poised to Find Thousands More

Over 99% of these alien worlds remain undiscovered — but this is about to change.

NICER Telescope Spots Brightest X-Ray Burst Ever Observed

The brightest X-ray burst ever observed by NICER released as much energy in 20 seconds as our sun does in about 10 days.

India Has a New Planetary Target in Mind: Venus

India has launched just three planetary-science spacecraft, but the country is already eyeing a new destination: Venus.

‘Pad Abort’ Success Keeps Boeing’s Starliner on Track for December Launch to Space Station

Boeing’s astronaut taxi remains on track for a December demonstration flight to the International Space Station after passing a key safety test earlier this week.

Rosetta’s ongoing science

On 12 November 2014 Philae became the first spacecraft to land on a comet as part of the successful Rosetta mission to study Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Five years later, and after the mission’s official end in 2016, Rosetta is continuing to provide insights into the origins of our Solar System.

May the Piccolo Be with You! Watch an Astronaut Perform the ‘Star Wars’ Theme in Space

InSight’s ‘Mole’ Team Peers into the Pit

Efforts to save the heat probe continue.

Common Questions about InSight’s ‘Mole’

There’s a new plan to get InSight’s “mole” moving again. The following Q&As with two members of the team answer some of the most common questions about the burrowing device, part of a science instrument called the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3).

Expedition 61 Crew Servicing Spacesuits and Science Hardware Today

The Expedition 61 crew serviced a variety of science and life support hardware today aboard the International Space Station. U.S. spacesuits are also being readied for a series upcoming cosmic repair spacewalks.

Blood Pressure, DNA Studies as Astronauts Prep for Complex Spacewalk Repairs

The Expedition 61 crew explored how microgravity is affecting a variety of biological processes in humans and microbes today. Two astronauts are also gearing up for tentatively planned spacewalks to repair a cosmic particle detector.

Red, Red Wine Launches to Space Station for Science

Fancy some space wine? A European startup recently launched some of the red stuff to the International Space Station to age in space for 12 months.

Luca to lead most challenging spacewalks since Hubble repairs

The date is set for ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano’s first spacewalk of his Beyond mission. Friday 15 November marks the start of a series of complex spacewalks to service the cosmic-particle-hunting Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer (AMS-02).

Russische Wissenschaftler denken über Sport- und Medizin-Modul für die ISS nach

Russische Wissenschaftler halten es für erforderlich, die Internationale Raumstation ISS durch ein spezielles Modul für die sportliche Betätigung und medizinische Experimente zu ergänzen. In dem Modul könnten alle Geräte für das Sporttraining, der Vakuum-Anzug Tschibis sowie die Apparaturen und Kontrollgeräte für medizinische Tests und medizinisch-biologische Forschungen installiert werden, sagte die […]

Russland strukturiert seine Forschungsarbeit in der ISS um

Russland strukturiert seine Forschungsarbeit in der Internationalen Raumstation ISS neu, um die Effektivität der Experimente zu erhöhen. Dazu werde man künftig von Langzeitexperimenten absehen, die Zulassungsvorschriften erleichtern und auch verstärkt kommerzielle Experimente aufnehmen. Zudem soll die Zusammenarbeit mit ausländischen Raumfahrtagenturen auf diesem Gebiet intensiviert werden, sagte […]

ISS-Umlaufbahn um 800 Meter angehoben

Die Umlaufbahn der Internationalen Raumstation ISS ist in der Nacht zum Freitag um 800 Meter angehoben worden. Dazu wurden am Donnerstagabend um 23.40 Uhr deutscher Zeit die Triebwerke des Weltraumfrachters Progress MS-12 für 406 Sekunden gezündet, teilte die GK Roskosmos in Moskau mit. Damit umkreist die Station die Erde nunmehr […]

Crew Focuses on Cosmic Repair Spacewalks, Practices Medical Emergency

The Expedition 61 crew is focusing on a complex series of spacewalks set to start soon to repair a cosmic particle detector. The orbital residents also conducted an emergency drill aboard the International Space Station today.

NASA Astronaut Prepares for Space Station Mission Marked by Changes

The International Space Station will reach an interesting point in its history around the 20th anniversary of continuous human occupation due to the commercial crew program.

Leading the way

The spacewalks are to service the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer or AMS, a dark matter hunter that is providing researchers with data on cosmic ray particles well beyond its three-year mission.

Space Gardening Aboard Station Ahead of Spacewalks

The Expedition 61 crewmembers started taking turns “weighing in” Wednesday before a slew of space gardening and life science activities. The orbital residents are also nearing the start of a series of spacewalks to repair the International Space Station’s cosmic particle detector.

Crew Preps for Friday Spacewalk During Continuous Science

The International Space Station’s cosmic particle detector, in operation since 2011, will get its first repair job during a series of spacewalks set to start this Friday. The Expedition 61 crew is gearing up for the spacewalk while ensuring ongoing advanced space research.

SpaceX Test-Fires Rocket for Next Launch of 60 Starlink Satellites

SpaceX has fired up the rocket booster that will ferry the company’s next batch of Starlink satellites into space.

Record-Holding Moon Mission Marks a Decade in Orbit

Among the dozens of spacecraft that have visited the moon, none can come close to the tenure of NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which recently marked a decade studying our sibling world.

NASA Opens Untouched Apollo Moon Rock Sample for First Time in 40 Years

NASA has opened one of its last pristine samples of Apollo moon rock to prepare for the return of new material by future lunar missions.

Boeing Just Sent NASA Its Moon Lander Idea for Artemis Astronauts. Here It Is.

On Tuesday (Nov. 5), Boeing delivered a proposal to NASA for a crewed lunar lander to fly astronauts to the moon in 2024 as part of the agency’s Artemis program.

A decade probing the Sun

Ten years ago, a small satellite carrying 17 new devices, science instruments and technology experiments was launched into orbit, on a mission to investigate our star and the environment that it rules in space.

Ten Suns for 10 years

Last week marked a milestone for ESA’s Proba-2 satellite: 10 years of operation in orbit around the Earth. Since its launch on 2 November 2009, Proba-2 (PRoject for OnBoard Autonomy) has probed the intricacies of the Sun and its connection to our planet, imaging and observing our star and investigating how it drives all manner of complex cosmic phenomena: from solar eruptions and flares to closer-to-home space weather effects.

The Curiosity Rover Just Took a Very Emo Photo of Its Rocky Martian Prison

Curiosity is the last functioning rover on Mars, and its lonely mission has taken the robot to a steep mountain in the middle of a vast crater.

Key methane measurements at Mars

This graphic summarises significant measurement attempts of methane at Mars. Reports of methane have been made by Earth-based telescopes, ESA’s Mars Express from orbit around Mars, and NASA’s Curiosity located on the surface at Gale Crater; they have also reported measurement attempts with no or very little methane detected.

With Mars Methane Mystery Unsolved, Curiosity Serves Scientists a New One: Oxygen

For the first time in the history of space exploration, scientists have measured the seasonal changes in the gases that fill the air directly above the surface of Gale Crater on Mars.

1st Methane, Now Oxygen: Another Possible ‘Biosignature’ Gas Is Acting Weird on Mars

Another possible biosignature gas is behaving strangely in Mars’ air.

NASA’s Mars 2020 Will Hunt for Microscopic Fossils

A new paper identifies a ring of minerals at the rover’s landing site that are ideal for fossilizing microbial life.

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

Meet Arrokoth: Ultima Thule, the Most Distant Object Ever Explored, Has a New Name

Hopefully you weren’t too attached to “2014 MU69,” because the most distant object ever explored has a new name.

Proba-2 watches Mercury transit

ESA’s Proba-2 had a ring-side seat for the transit of Mercury on 11 November 2019.

PIA23440: Jovian Vortex View

NASA’s Planet-Hunting TESS Spacecraft Snaps Spectacular Panorama of the Milky Way

NASA’s planet-hunting spacecraft created a spectacular panorama of the southern sky that shows off our home galaxy, the Milky Way.

Hubble captures a dozen Sunburst Arc doppelgangers

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have observed a galaxy in the distant regions of the Universe which appears duplicated at least 12 times on the night sky. This unique sight, created by strong gravitational lensing, helps astronomers get a better understanding of the cosmic era known as the epoch of reionisation.

Senators Propose Extending Space Station’s Life to 2030 in NASA Authorization Bill

The orbiting complex is currently expected to end operations in 2024, but a group from the U.S. Senate proposes making it available for six more years to advance in-space manufacturing.

White House Wants More Moon Money for NASA’s Artemis Program

NASA needs more money to meet its goal of landing humans on the moon in 2024, the White House recently warned Congress in a letter.

Ex-KGB-Chef des Sternenstädtchens: Ausländischer Geheimdienst wollte Spion zu einer sowjetischen Raumstation schicken

Ein ausländischer Geheimdienst wollte einen Spion zu einer sowjetischen Raumstation schicken, was jedoch vereitelt worden sei. Das hat der Ex-KGB-Chef des Kosmonautenausbildungszentrums Juri Gagarin (ZPK) im Sternenstädtchen bei Moskau, Nikolai Rybkin, am Mittwoch in Moskau bei der Präsentation eines Buches über die Angehörigen der militärischen Spionageabwehr mitgeteilt, meldet die Nachrichtenagentur […]

OIG Report On NASA Challenges

“Achieving the ambitious goals of landing humans on the Moon by 2024 and Mars in the 2030s will require strong, consistent, and sustained leadership by the President, Congress, and NASA. For its part, NASA must determine the long-term costs, set realistic schedules, define system requirements and mission planning, form or firm up international partnerships, and leverage commercial space capabilities. To this end, our oversight work has found NASA consistently struggling over the past decade to set realistic program cost and schedule goals. Therefore, the accelerated timetable for a lunar landing set out in the Artemis program further increases the risk of inefficient development programs or contract awards with increased costs due to limited competition or unstable program requirements. Although NASA has made significant progress on several fronts to further its human exploration efforts, many questions remain about the total costs, schedule, and scope of the Agency’s Moon and Mars ambitions.

A new type of fire, the fuel of the future?

Later this month a Texus rocket will launch from Esrange, Sweden, that will travel about 260 km upwards and fall back to Earth offering researchers six minutes of zero gravity. Their experiment? Burning metal powder to understand a new type of fire.

NASA’s Mars 2020 Heads Into the Test Chamber

In this time-lapse video taken at JPL, engineers move the Mars 2020 rover into a large vacuum chamber for testing in Mars-like environmental conditions.

NASA’s SOFIA Observatory: The Flying Telescope

Flying at the very tip-top of Earth’s atmosphere, SOFIA has almost as clear a view as space-based telescopes.

Starlink: SpaceX bringt 60 Internet-Satelliten ins All

Das Starlink-Programm schreitet weiter voran: Weitere 60 Satelliten sind mit einer “Falcon 9”-Rakete ins All befördert worden.

NASA’s Mars 2020 Rover Treks into Vacuum Chamber for Red Planet Survival Tests

NASA’s Mars 2020 rover was moved into a vacuum chamber and tested under Mars-like environmental conditions to prepare for its launch to the Red Planet next summer.

This Stingray-Shaped Spacecraft Could Be Perfect For Exploring Venus’ Dark Side

Could a stingray-shaped spacecraft get to the dark side of Venus by flapping its wings?

Astronauts in Space and on Earth Mark Veterans Day 2019

Generations of NASA astronauts in space and on Earth took a moment today (Nov. 11) to mark Veterans Day.

NASA’s ‘Hidden Figures’ to be Awarded Congressional Gold Medals

Four of NASA’s “hidden figures,” Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and Christine Darden, together with all of the women who contributed to the agency’s success in the space race to the moon, will be bestowed Congressional Gold Medals.

Yes, the ‘Von Braun’ Space Hotel Idea Is Wild. But Could We Build It by 2025?

Will you be planning a trip to an orbiting “space hotel” as early as 2025?

‘Snoopy in Space’ Launches Peanuts Gang on NASA Adventures on Apple TV+

Snoopy’s ongoing space adventures with NASA have launched the comic-strip beagle into a new frontier — streaming video.

Snoopy Boldly Goes to Red Planet in ‘A Beagle of Mars’

On Dec. 18, Peanuts’ Snoopy will follow in the pawprints of the Russian cosmonaut Laika and venture into space – but go where no beagle has gone before: Mars.

Is a New Particle Changing the Fate of the Universe?

A brand-new particle has possibly emerged and is altering the future destiny of our entire cosmos, a physicist says.

Human Heart Cells Beat Differently in Microgravity, Which May Benefit Astronauts

A new study shows how microgravity alters human heart muscle cells in space, helping astronauts better prepare for long-duration missions to Mars and beyond.

Materialwissenschaft: Weniger Bakterien im Weltall

Das Immunsystem von Astronautinnen und Astronauten ist im Weltall geschwächt. Umso wichtiger ist es, dass sich an Bord der Raumstation oder von Raumschiffen Krankheitserreger nicht stark vermehren und ausbreiten können. Im Saarland haben Materialwissenschaftler nun Oberflächen speziell bearbeitet, um eine solche Ausbreitung zu verhindern. Sie werden gerade auf der ISS getestet.

Can We Genetically Engineer Humans to Survive Missions to Mars?

Will we one day combine tardigrade DNA with our cells to go to Mars?

Climate Explained: Why Mars is Cold Despite an Atmosphere of Mostly Carbon Dioxide

If tiny concentrations of carbon dioxide can hold enough heat to create a global warming impact on Earth, why is Mars cold? Its atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide.

50 Jahre Mondlandung – Die verfluchte 13

Anlässlich des 50-Jährigen-Jubiläum der Mondlandung hat unser Astronomie.de-Autor Malte Bolte einen mehrteiligen Artikel erstellt.