Weekly Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) – 18.06.20

Front Page / Titelseite

ESAIL maritime satellite ready for launch

The ESAIL microsatellite for tracking ships worldwide – developed under an ESA Partnership Project – has completed its accommodation on Vega’s new dispenser for small satellites and is ready for launch. 

read more … https://ift.tt/30BgVji

via ESA Top News https://www.esa.int/

NASA’s Mars Rover Drivers Need Your Help

Using an online tool to label Martian terrain types, you can train an artificial intelligence algorithm that could improve the way engineers guide the Curiosity rover.

read more … https://ift.tt/30IaA5N

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

Another delay: NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope won’t launch in March 2021

We’ll have to wait a bit longer still to see NASA’s next big space telescope get off the ground.

read more … https://ift.tt/2XR9suQ

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

New Horizons‘ „Alien View“ from the Outer Solar System

NASA’s New Horizons mission deep in the Kuiper Belt has measured the parallax to two nearby stars with the help of Earth-based observers.

read more … https://ift.tt/3cS99nB

via Spacecraft and Space Missions – Sky & Telescope https://ift.tt/2Pn1818

University-built CubeSat launched with swarm of auroral science nodes

Rocket Lab successfully launched five small satellites from New Zealand Saturday for customers in the United States and Australia, including a CubeSat with a novel swarm of tiny magnetometers to measure the plasma currents that shape colorful auroras.

read more … https://ift.tt/2zqCacq

via Spaceflight Now https://ift.tt/1WxzyJC

After crane problem, ULA caps build-up of Atlas 5 rocket for Mars rover launch

United Launch Alliance has completed stacking of the major elements of the Atlas 5 rocket assigned to power NASA’s Perseverance rover toward Mars, but the mission’s launch date has been pushed back three days to July 20 after teams repaired an issue with a crane in the Atlas 5’s assembly building.

read more … https://ift.tt/2UEmVnL

via Spaceflight Now https://ift.tt/1WxzyJC

New Horizons is so Far From Earth That the Positions of the Stars Look a Little Different From its Perspective

From its current position in the Kuiper Belt, the New Horizons spacecraft recently conducted a parallax experiment that is not only groundbreaking, but historic!

read more … https://ift.tt/3htOvO7

via Universe Today https://ift.tt/2nDj081

ExoMars spots unique green glow at the Red Planet

ESA’s ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has detected glowing green oxygen in Mars’ atmosphere – the first time that this emission has been seen around a planet other than Earth.

read more … https://ift.tt/2zDpyiq

via ESA Space Science https://ift.tt/2NjpLvg

Rocket Motors for First NASA Artemis Moon Mission Arrive at Spaceport

The rocket booster segments that will help power NASA’s first Artemis flight test mission around the Moon arrived at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Monday for launch preparations.

read more … https://ift.tt/2AG0GXM

via NASA Breaking News http://www.nasa.gov/

NASA lit a fire in space to keep future astronauts safe (video)

NASA deliberately set a fire in a spacecraft to see if a „smoke eater“ and carbon dioxide scrubber could make future moon missions safer for astronauts.

read more … https://ift.tt/30M5Gob

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

Hilarious Supercut of Astronauts Falling on the Moon

The Apollo astronauts walked on the Moon, yes. But they also hopped, bounded, and shuffled. And sometimes they fell, spectacularly. That caused a lot of consternation back on the Earth, especially for the engineers who designed the Apollo spacesuits. James McBarron was an aerospace technologist who worked on spacesuits for every NASA program, from Mercury …

read more … https://ift.tt/30Np7x0

via Universe Today https://ift.tt/2nDj081

read full issue / vollständige ausgabe lesen

Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) 13.12.18

Front Page / Titelseite

China‘s spacecraft to the backside if the moon / Chinas schickt Raumsonde zur Rückseite des Monds

Chang’e-4 spacecraft enters lunar orbit ahead of first ever far side landing – SpaceNews.com

China’s Chang’e-4 lander and rover spacecraft successfully entered lunar orbit Wednesday following a four-and-half-day flight to the moon. The spacecraft entered an elliptical lunar polar orbit with a perilune of 100 kilometers at 3:45 a.m. Eastern (08:45 UTC) Dec. 12 following a lunar orbit insertion burn.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2Gecxy7

via SpaceNews.com – December 13, 2018 at 06:46AM

Chang’e-4 Successfully Enters Lunar Orbit

China’s Chang’e-4 lunar mission, the first-ever soft-landing endeavor on the lunar farside, launched successfully on 8 December at 02:23 Beijing time (7 December at 18:23 UTC) via a Long March 3B rocket from Xichang Satellite Launch Center. The launch carried a lander and a rover toward the Moon. On 12 December at 8:45 Beijing time (16:45 UTC), the spacecraft arrived in lunar orbit, preparing for a landing in early January.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2RVfEfU

via | The Planetary Society – December 13, 2018 at 06:48AM

Weltraum: Wie China als erste Nation auf der Rückseite des Mondes landen will – SPIEGEL ONLINE – Wissenschaft

Die letzten Vorbereitungen zur Reise „hinter den Mond“ laufen. Der Start der Sonde „Chang’e 4“ ist für Freitagabend deutscher Zeit vom Weltraumbahnhof im westchinesischen Xichang geplant, wie Quellen im Umfeld des chinesischen Raumfahrtprogramms der Deutschen Presse-Agentur bestätigten.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2E5SuPZ

via SPIEGEL ONLINE – December 6, 2018 at 01:35PM

Auf zur 1. Landung auf der Rückseite des Mondes

In der Fußgängerzone in Essen konnte man letztens schon einen detaillierten Blick auf die Mond-Rückseite werfen (dank eines kurzen Gastspiels des ‚Museum of the Moon‘, oben) – aber heute gegen 19:20 MEZ soll mit Chinas Chang’e-4 zum ersten Mal ein Lander nebst Rover und schon im Mai gestartetem Kommunikations-Satellit (Grafik darunter) zum Aitken-Becken (Karte in der Mitte) geschickt werden

Read more… https://ift.tt/2BXHrXC

via Skyweek Zwei Punkt Null – December 8, 2018 at 08:43AM

Chang’e 4 in Pictures: China’s Mission to the Moon’s Far Side

China launched its Chang’e 4 mission to the far side of the moon on Dec. 8, 2018 Beijing Time (Dec. 7 EST/GMT). China is the first country ever to send a rover to soft-land on the lunar farside.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2L3dKHh

via Space.com https://www.space.com- December 8, 2018 at 01:40PM

China Launches 1st Mission to Land on the Far Side of the Moon

The first-ever surface mission to the far side of the moon is underway. China’s robotic Chang’e 4 spacecraft streaked away from Earth today (Dec. 7), launching atop a Long March 3B rocket from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center at about 1:23 p.m. EST (1823 GMT; 2:23 a.m. on Dec. 8 local China time). If all goes according to plan, Chang’e 4 will make history’s first landing on the lunar far side sometime in early January. The mission, which consists of a stationary lander and a rover, will perform a variety of science work and plant a flag for humanity in a region that remains largely unexplored to date.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2B2cY9b

via Space.com https://www.space.com- December 7, 2018 at 07:56PM

China bricht zur Rückseite des Mondes auf

China ist als erste Weltraumnation zu einer Reise auf die Rückseite des Mondes aufgebrochen. Eine Rakete vom Typ „Langer Marsch 3B“ hob am Samstag vom Raumfahrtbahnhof Xichang in der südwestchinesischen Provinz Sichuan ab, um die Mondsonde „Chang’e 4“ mit einem Roboterfahrzeug an Bord in Richtung des Erdtrabanten zu schicken.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2C2aNnP

via heise online – December 10, 2018 at 07:56AM

Chang’e-4: Erdabgewandte Seite des Mondes im Visier

China macht Ernst in Sachen Monderforschung: Aktuell ist schon der zweite Rover auf dem Weg zum Erdtrabanten – und diesmal mit einem besonderer Ziel. Das Gefährt soll nämlich die erdabgewandte Seite des Mondes erforschen, die bislang nur aus dem Orbit erkundet wurde. An Bord des Landers von Chang’e-4 ist auch ein Instrument, das Kieler Physiker beigesteuert haben.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2GaIA1U

via astronews.com – der deutschsprachige Onlinedienst für Astronomie, Astrophysik und Raumfahrt – December 11, 2018 at 06:48AM

Astronaut Nick Hague describes „violent shaking“ during failed Soyuz rocket launch

For the first time, both astronaut Nick Hague and his wife are sharing dramatic details about a failed rocket launch in October. Hague was in a Soyuz rocket headed for the International Space Station when a violent booster failure forced them to abort the mission mid-flight, 31 miles above earth. „It was going perfect for the first two minutes,“ Hague told CBS News correspondent Mark Strassmann. „And then all of a sudden there was this violent shaking side to side. … And the alarm’s going off. And I see a red light that’s lit up and it says that you’ve had an emergency with the booster.“

Read more… https://ift.tt/2BXxxVM

via CBS News – December 9, 2018 at 09:25AM

Voyager 2 leaves solar system / Voyager 2 verlässt das Sonnensystem

„Voyager 2“: Hinterm Sonnenwind geht’s weiter – SPIEGEL ONLINE – Wissenschaft

Auf ganz einfache Fragen gibt es oft keine einfachen Antworten. Wo, zum Beispiel, ist eigentlich unser Sonnensystem zu Ende? Irgendwo weit hinter dem letzten Planeten Neptun muss es sein, irgendwo weit hinter dem zum Kleinplanten degradierten Pluto – und all den anderen Objekten des sogenannten Kuipergürtels, der Rumpelkammer unserer kosmischen Nachbarschaft, durch die gerade die Nasa-Sonde „New Horizons“ fliegt.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2L6n1ym

via SPIEGEL ONLINE – December 10, 2018 at 08:09PM

It’s Official! NASA’s Famed Voyager 2 Spacecraft Reaches Interstellar Space

It’s time to say goodbye to one of the most storied explorers of our age: Voyager 2 has entered interstellar space, NASA announced today (Dec. 10).Voyager 2, which launched in 1977, has spent more four decades exploring our solar system, most famously becoming the only probe ever to study Neptune and Uranus during planetary flybys. Now, it has joined its predecessor Voyager 1 beyond the bounds of our sun’s influence, a milestone scientists weren’t able to precisely predict when would occur. And intriguingly, humanity’s second crossing doesn’t look precisely like data from the first journey out.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2B4VUPB

via Space.com https://www.space.com- December 10, 2018 at 03:53PM

What’s Next for NASA’s Voyager 2 in Interstellar Space?

Voyager 2 has passed an incredible milestone in its journey to explore the solar system by entering interstellar space, but neither its travels nor its science are ending any time soon.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2C4Oy0g

via Space.com https://www.space.com- December 11, 2018 at 01:32PM

New Horizons – Ultima Thule

Ultima Thule in Sight! New Horizons Probe Snaps New Photo of Its Target

NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has beamed home another glimpse of the distant, icy body it will zoom past just three weeks from now. The small object Ultima Thule swims amid a sea of distant stars in the new composite photo, which New Horizons snapped with its Long Range Reconnaissance Imager (LORRI) camera at around midnight EST (0500 GMT) on Dec. 1.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2zSu8WN

via Space.com https://www.space.com- December 10, 2018 at 09:12PM

New Horizons: Kurskorrektur im Kuipergürtel

Das Jahr 2019 beginnt mit einem Highlight: Am 1. Januar 2019 soll die Sonde New Horizons in einem Abstand von nur 3500 Kilometern am Kuipergürtel-Objekt 2014 MU69 vorüberfliegen. Vor einigen Tagen wurde dazu ein erstes Manöver zur Kurskorrektur durchgeführt. Nie zuvor hatte man den Kurs einer Sonde in so großer Entfernung angepasst.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2BYVYlQ

via astronews.com – der deutschsprachige Onlinedienst für Astronomie, Astrophysik und Raumfahrt – December 9, 2018 at 02:47PM

Read full newspaper / Gesamte Ausgabe lesen

Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) – 08.11.18

Front Page / Titelseite

ISS: NASA 8K-Video

NASA’s 1st 8K Video from Space Is Just Awesome

High-definition video has a new home: the International Space Station. A new video from NASA shows the astronauts working on their experiments, recorded in 8K imagery so clear that it makes it feel like you’re floating right alongside them. „Microgravity unlocks new worlds of discovery,“ reads text in the video, which was a joint project of NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA). „The science being conducted aboard the International Space Station is answering questions that hold the keys to our future in space and on Earth.“

Read more… https://ift.tt/2D3GYny

via Space.com https://www.space.com- November 5, 2018 at 08:35PM

NASA veröffentlicht eindrucksvolles 8K-Video von der ISS

Auf der ISS werden nicht nur wissenschaftliche Experimente durchgeführt, sondern auch das Weltraum-Experiment an sich dokumentiert. Das geschieht jetzt auch mit Videos in 8K-Auflösung. Darin zu sehen ist das Leben auf der Raumstation und auch einige eindrucksvolle Bilder der Erde.

Read more: http://www.pcgameshardware.de/NASA-Thema-239159/News/Eindrucksvolles-8K-Video-von-ISS-1268586/

via pcgameshardware.de: http://www.pcgameshardware.de – November 6, 2018 at 09:15PM

Europäisches Servicemodule für das neue amerikanische Orion-Raumschiff / European Servicemodule for the new American Orion-Spacecraft

Neuer Aufbruch zum Mond –   Erstes Servicemodul für das amerikanische Orion-Raumschiff in Bremen übergeben

Das erste Europäische Servicemodul (ESM) für das neue amerikanische Orion-Raumschiff ist am Freitag in Bremen an die US-Luft- und Raumfahrtbehörde NASA übergeben worden. Es war am Airbus-Standort in den vergangenen vier Jahren systemführend gefertigt worden. Am 5. November soll das ESM-1 zum Kennedy Space Center (KSC) nach Florida geflogen werden,  wo es am 16. November vorgestellt wird. Dort wird es mit dem Orion-Mannschaftsmodul verbunden und auf seinen ersten unbemannten Testflug, die Exploration-Mission 1, vorbereitet.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2Qc1YfD

via Gerhard Kowalski https://ift.tt/2wJFMB0 November 2, 2018 at 01:28PM

Orion: ESA-Servicemodul auf dem Weg in die USA

Das erste Europäische Servicemodul für das NASA-Raumschiff Orion ist auf dem Weg zum Kennedy Space Center in Florida: Das Modul startete heute Morgen von Bremen aus Richtung USA und soll dort Ende der nächsten Woche vorgestellt werden. Der Erstflug des Raumschiffs Orion, mit dem später einmal Astronauten zu Mond und Mars aufbrechen könnten, ist für 2020 geplant.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2yPItD1

via astronews.com – der deutschsprachige Onlinedienst für Astronomie, Astrophysik und Raumfahrt – November 6, 2018 at 04:11PM

First Orion European Service Module to be Delivered Next Week

„Airbus will deliver the first European Service Module (ESM) for NASA’s Orion spacecraft from its aerospace site in Bremen, Germany on 5 November 2018.“

Read more… https://ift.tt/2SF0hcj

via NASA Watch http://nasawatch.com/- November 2, 2018 at 05:15PM

NASA’s Parker Solar Probe Just Made Its First Close Pass by the Sun!

One of humanity’s newest spacecraft faced a harrowing test late Monday night (Nov. 5), darting just 15 million miles (24 million kilometers) of the surface of our sun.

That spacecraft is NASA’s Parker Solar Probe, which launched in August with a daring mission to study the star that shapes our lives. To do so, it is flying a course of 24 close loops around the sun, the first of which reached what scientists call perihelion — the moment of closest approach — Monday at 10:28 p.m. EST (0328 GMT Nov. 6).

Read more… https://ift.tt/2z321Eb

via Space.com https://www.space.com- November 6, 2018 at 01:21PM

Read full newspaper / Gesamte Ausgabe lesen

Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) – 01.11.18

Front Page / Titelseite

‚It’s Going to Be Historic‘: New Horizons Team Prepares for Epic Flyby of Ultima Thule

In less than 10 weeks, NASA’s New Horizons mission will explore the most distant target ever visited by a spacecraft.  In the early-morning hours of Jan. 1, 2019, New Horizons will ring in the New Year by flying past the Kuiper Belt object (KBO) officially called 2014 MU69 but nicknamed Ultima Thule, a city-size rock regarded as a frozen relic from the birth of the solar system. Although scientists have a rough size estimate for Ultima Thule — about 23 miles (37 kilometers) wide — they don’t have much more information. They aren’t sure if it’s elongated, if it has a moon or ring system or even if it’s a single object. Indeed, some of the very limited observations of Ultima Thule suggest it might actually be two close-orbiting bodies. [NASA’s New Horizons Mission in Pictures]

Read more… https://ift.tt/2yxPt7k

via Space.com https://www.space.com- October 25, 2018 at 06:48PM

Sojus Fehlstart / Soyuz launch failure

Russian official says Soyuz rocket failure caused by an errant sensor

Although the official report on the cause of a Soyuz rocket failure won’t be released until Thursday, a Russian official disclosed its central conclusion a day early, the country’s news agency TASS reports. Sergei Krikalev, the executive director of „manned programs“ for Russia’s space corporation Roscosmos, said a sensor on board the rocket failed to properly signal the separation of the first and second stages. As a result, one of the side-mounted rocket boosters did not separate properly from the vehicle and collided with the rocket.

Read more… https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/10/russian-official-says-soyuz-rocket-failure-caused-by-an-errant-sensor/

via arstechnica https://arstechnica.com/ October 31, 2018 at 18:50PM

Krikaljow: Sensorschaden war Ursache für Sojus MS-10-Absturz

Die Ursache für den Absturz des Raumschiffes Sojus MS-10 vom 11. Oktober steht nun amtlich fest. Ein defekter Sensor, der die Abtrennung der ersten von der zweiten Sojus-FG-Raketenstufe signalisiert, habe zu dem Fehlstart geführt, teilte der Amtierende Direktor für die bemannten Programme des Raumfahrtstaatskonzerns GK Roskosmos, Sergej Krikaljow, am Mittwoch auf einer Festveranstaltung zum 55. Jahrestag des Moskauer Instituts für Medizinisch-Biologische Probleme (IMBP) mit.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2SxBBCl

via Gerhard Kowalski https://ift.tt/2wJFMB0 October 31, 2018 at 10:34AM

Havarie-Kommission gibt am 31. Oktober die Ursachen des Sojus MS-10-Fehlstarts bekannt

Offenbar sind die Ursachen des Fehlstarts des Sojus MS-10-Raumschiffes vom 11. Oktober geklärt. Die Havarie-Kommission unter Leitung von Oleg Skorobogatow werde ihre Untersuchungsergebnisse am kommenden Mittwoch bekannt geben, melden Moskauer Medien.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2CJJJdt

via Gerhard Kowalski https://ift.tt/2wJFMB0 October 27, 2018 at 08:21AM

Defekter Sensor verursachte Fehlstart von Sojus-Rakete

Ein defekter Sensor hat nach vorläufigen russischen Angaben den Fehlstart der bemannten Sojus-Rakete am 11. Oktober verursacht. Das sagte der Leiter der bemannten russischen Raumfahrt, Ex-Kosmonaut Sergej Krikaljow, in Moskau. Deshalb habe es Probleme bei der Trennung der ersten von der zweiten Raketenstufe gegeben, erklärte er.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2EVHtCS

via DW.COM https://www.dw.com- October 31, 2018 at 06:47PM

Defekter Sensor: Absturzursache für Sojus-Absturz ermittelt

Ein defekter Sensor habe nach vorläufigen russischen Angaben den Fehlstart der bemannten Sojus-Rakete am 11. Oktober verursacht. Das sagte der Leiter der bemannten russischen Raumfahrt, Ex-Kosmonaut Sergej Krikaljow, am Mittwoch nach Berichten der russischen Medienagentur Sputnik. Krikaljow trat in Moskau bei einer Festveranstaltung des russischen Instituts für medizinisch-biologische Probleme auf.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2ACQZGO

via heise online https://www.heise.de- October 31, 2018 at 06:47PM

Neuer Aufbruch zum Mond – Erstes Servicemodul für das Orion-Raumschiff ist fertig

Bis heute waren zwölf Menschen auf dem Mond – allesamt NASA-Astronauten, die sich im Rahmen des Apollo-Programms der amerikanischen Raumfahrtbehörde zwischen 1969 und 1972 auf diese beispiellose Reise gemacht haben. Am 21. Juli 2019 jährt sich die erste Mondlandung zum 50. Mal, seit dem 14. Dezember 1972 hat kein Erdenbürger mehr den Erdtrabanten betreten. Das könnte sich in absehbarer Zukunft ändern: Die NASA möchte mit ihrem Orion-Programm ein Raumschiff entwickeln und bauen, das für unterschiedlichste Zwecke im Erd-, Mond- oder auch Marsorbit eingesetzt werden kann. Das sogenannte MPCV (Multi-Purpose-Crew-Vehicle) soll erstmals 2020 vom Kennedy Space Center in Florida mit dem Space Launch System SLS, der neuen Schwerlastrakete der NASA, zu einem unbemannten Flug starten, den Mond mehrfach umrunden und anschließend wieder zur Erde zurückkehren. Ein zentraler Teil aller Orion-Raumschiffe ist das Europäische Servicemodul ESM, das im Auftrag der NASA von der Europäischen Weltraumagentur ESA zu wesentlichen Teilen in Deutschland gebaut wird. Ohne das ESM kann das neue Crew-Raumschiff Orion nicht fliegen.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2SB8RbP

via DLR Portal – News-Archiv Raumfahrt https://ift.tt/2MixW72 October 31, 2018 at 03:02PM

Tschüss Europa, hallo Mond!

Das europäische Servicemodul (ESM), das dem Orion-Raumschiff auf seiner ersten Mission um den Mond Energie und Schub geben wird, tritt Anfang nächster Woche in Bremen seine Reise in Richtung USA an. An Bord des großen Transportflugzeugs Antonov An-124 wird es am frühen Morgen des 5. November starten und am 6. November im Kennedy Space Center in Florida ankommen.

Entwickelt und gebaut in Deutschland und Italien, ist das ESM der europäische Beitrag zur Rückkehr zum Mond.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2CRXTJG

via ESA Germany https://ift.tt/2x4SuLK October 31, 2018 at 02:08PM

Rekord: So nah war noch keine Sonde an der Sonne – SPIEGEL ONLINE – Wissenschaft

Die Nasa-Sonde „Parker Solar Probe“ hat einen neuen Rekord aufgestellt. Kein Raumfahrzeug kam der Sonne bisher näher. Und in den kommenden Tagen wird es noch heißer für das Nasa-Gerät.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2COLRRs

via SPIEGEL ONLINE – October 30, 2018 at 05:50PM

A NASA Spacecraft Just Broke the Record for Closest Approach to Sun

A NASA sun-studying spacecraft just entered the record books. In April of 1976, the German-American Helios 2 probe made spaceflight’s closest-ever solar approach, cruising within 26.55 million miles (42.73 million kilometers) of the sun. But NASA’s Parker Solar Probe zoomed inside that distance today (Oct. 29), crossing the threshold at about 1:04 p.m. EDT (1704 GMT), agency officials said.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2JsdWPO

via Space.com https://www.space.com- October 29, 2018 at 09:04PM

Hubble working again / Hubble arbeitet wieder

„Hubble“: Weltraumteleskop arbeitet laut Nasa wieder

Wochenlang schlummerte „Hubble“ im Notfallmodus, nun hat das Weltraumteleskop seine Arbeit wieder aufgenommen – und beobachtet eine Galaxie.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2Jmw3qd

via SPIEGEL ONLINE http://www.spiegel.de- October 29, 2018 at 07:02PM

Hubble Space Telescope returns to science operations

The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope returned to normal operations late Friday, 26 October, and completed its first science observations on Saturday, 27 October. The observations were of the distant, star-forming galaxy DSF2237B-1-IR and were taken in infrared wavelengths with the Wide Field Camera 3. The return to conducting science comes after successfully recovering a backup gyroscope that had replaced a failed one three weeks earlier.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2EPNeBP

via ESA Science & Technology http://sci.esa.int- October 29, 2018 at 05:23PM

Hubble Space Telescope Returns to Action After Gyroscope Glitch

The Hubble Space Telescope is back. The iconic scope resumed normal operations Friday (Oct. 26) after a three-week hiatus caused by issues with two orientation-maintaining gyroscopes, NASA officials announced in an update Saturday (Oct. 27).

Read more… https://ift.tt/2OdCYCK

via Space.com https://www.space.com- October 29, 2018 at 12:40PM

Hubble Space Telescope Update

The mission engineers and scientists for the Hubble Space Telescope have been working to correct some technical issues with the gyros that point the venerable space telescope.  Hubble went into safe mode a couple of weeks ago and now seems to be back to resuming normal operations. Join Tony Darnell and Carol Christian as they discuss what happened with Hubble, how the problems were discovered and a fix found.  We’ll also explore other topics related to Hubble, such as, how much longer will it be around? Will Hubble last long enough to overlap JWST?

See video… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qhaNjlAS-U

via – October 27, 2018 at 06:44PM

NASA’s Planet Hunter Kepler / NASAs Planetenjäger Kepler

Number of Habitable Exoplanets Found by NASA’s Kepler May Not Be So High After All

The tally of potentially habitable alien planets may have to be revised downward a bit. To date, NASA’s prolific Kepler space telescope has discovered about 30 roughly Earth-size exoplanets in their host stars‘ „habitable zone“ — the range of orbital distances at which liquid water can likely exist on a world’s surface. Or so researchers had thought. New observations by the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Gaia spacecraft suggest that the actual number is probably significantly smaller — perhaps between two and 12, NASA officials said today (Oct. 26). [Photos: Gaia Spacecraft to Map Milky Way Galaxy]

Read more… https://ift.tt/2OWgYBG

via Space.com https://www.space.com- October 28, 2018 at 12:26PM

NASA Retires Kepler Space Telescope, Passes Planet-Hunting Torch

After nine years in deep space collecting data that indicate our sky to be filled with billions of hidden planets – more planets even than stars – NASA’s Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel needed for further science operations. NASA has decided to retire the spacecraft within its current, safe orbit, away from Earth. Kepler leaves a legacy of more than 2,600 planet discoveries from outside our solar system, many of which could be promising places for life.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2qjslF2

via Kepler News and Features http://www.nasa.gov/- October 30, 2018 at 08:08PM

Top Science Results from the Kepler Mission

Planets outnumber stars.

Kepler has proven there are more planets than stars in our galaxy — and knowing that revolutionizes our understanding of our place in the cosmos.

Small planets are common.

Kepler has shown us our galaxy is teeming with terrestrial-size worlds, and many of them may be similar to Earth in size and distance from their parent stars. The most recent analysis of Kepler’s discoveries concludes that 20 to 50 percent of the stars in the sky are likely to have small, possibly rocky planets that are in the habitable zones of their stars where liquid water could pool on the surface. We still have much to learn about whether any of them could host life.

Read more… https://ift.tt/2CSxyLp

via Kepler News and Features http://www.nasa.gov/- October 30, 2018 at 08:08PM

Kepler By the Numbers – Mission Statistics

Read more… https://ift.tt/2OVmkNw

via Kepler News and Features http://www.nasa.gov/- October 30, 2018 at 08:08PM

NASA’s First Planet Hunter, the Kepler Space Telescope: 2009-2018

NASA’s Kepler space telescope spent nine years in space, collecting an unprecedented dataset for science that has revolutionized our understanding of our place in the cosmos. It found our galaxy teeming with planets — more planets even than the stars — and stunned the world with many other first-of-a-kind discoveries. Profoundly, Kepler found planets that are in some ways similar to Earth, raising the prospects for life elsewhere. What did it take to lift a mission of this magnitude off the ground and keep it going? Here is a walkthrough the odyssey of the Kepler mission — from the earliest kernel of an idea, through its obstacles and into its most stunning moments of discovery and success. As NASA’s first planet-hunting mission, Kepler’s legacy will live on for generations.

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via Kepler News and Features http://www.nasa.gov/- October 30, 2018 at 08:08PM

RIP, Kepler: NASA’s Revolutionary Planet-Hunting Telescope Runs Out of Fuel

The most prolific planet-hunting machine in history has signed off. NASA’s Kepler space telescope, which has discovered 70 percent of the 3,800 confirmed alien worlds to date, has run out of fuel, agency officials announced today (Oct. 30). Kepler can no longer reorient itself to study cosmic objects or beam its data home to Earth, so the legendary instrument’s in-space work is done after nearly a decade.

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via Space.com https://www.space.com- October 30, 2018 at 08:23PM

Kepler Planet Hunting Mission Ends

„After nine years in deep space collecting data that indicate our sky to be filled with billions of hidden planets – more planets even than stars – NASA’s Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel needed for further science operations.”

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via NASA Watch http://nasawatch.com/- October 31, 2018 at 01:18AM

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Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) – 14.06.18

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NASA did find two more scraps of evidence about the kind of life that might exist on Mars. Here’s what the new research really shows.
NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover hasn’t found signs of alien life, but one of its wheeled brethren just might do so a few short years from now.
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity has identified a variety of organic molecules on the Red Planet’s surface and found that methane levels vary seasonally in its air. The discoveries aren’t proof of Mars life, but they’re consistent with the idea.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has found evidence on Mars with implications for NASA’s search for life.
  CURIOSITY Methan und organische Verbindungen entdeckt von Stefan Deiters astronews.com 8. Juni 2018
Darmstadt – Die Geheimnisse des Merkurs will die europäische Weltraumorganisation Esa mit ihrer bisher schwierigsten Mission lüften: Im Oktober schickt sie eine Raumsonde auf eine sieben Jahre lange Reise zum kleinsten Planeten unseres Sonnensystems.
The $1.1 billion Juno mission has been extended through at least July 2021, NASA officials announced yesterday (June 6). The agency will fund Juno into 2022, to cover the cost of data analysis and close-out activities.
NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft has woken up from hibernation to prepare for a historic New Year’s Day flyby.
You can now watch almost two decades of weather patterns on Earth thanks to an incredible tool from NASA.
One of the main activities in recent weeks for the BepiColombo team at Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou has been the installation of multi-layered insulation foils and sewing of high-temperature blankets on the Mercury Planetary Orbiter.The insulation is to protect the spacecraft from the ext…

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Spacecraft Mission News (Englisch, German) – 05.04.18

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In zwei Monaten fliegt der deutsche Astronaut Alexander Gerst erneut in den Weltraum. Die Heimatstadt von „Astro-Alex“ will die Mission für viele Aktionen nutzen. Auch eine Liveschalte ins All ist geplant.
Die ersten Experimente für die Horizons-Mission mit dem deutschen ESA-Astronauten Alexander Gerst sind auf dem Weg zur Internationalen Raumstation: Am 2. April 2018 ist um 22.30 Uhr Mitteleuropäischer…
Gestern startete eine Falkon Rakete mit einer Dragon Versorgungskapsel zur ISS. Mit an Bord die Zeitkapsel der DLR. Am 4. April wird sie dann gegen 13 Uhr MESZ bei der ISS ankommen.
Interview mit dem deutschen ESA-Astronauten Alexander Gerst. Alexander Gerst Foto: ESA/NASA Bei seiner Vorbereitung musste Alexander Gerst unter anderem ein Überlebenstraining in Russland
Bremen, Germany (SPX) Mar 06, 2018 – Airbus, in cooperation with IBM, is developing CIMON (Crew Interactive MObile CompanioN), an AI-based assistant for astronauts for the DLR Space Administration. The technology demonstrator, which is
The final countdown for Alexander Gerst KF5ONO’s second stay in orbit has begun
Köln (ots) – Wenn sich Astronaut Alexander Gerst in wenigen Wochen zum zweiten Mal auf den Weg ins Weltall macht, wird er ein paar ganz besondere Passagiere mit an Bord haben: Maus, Elefant und das Mainzelmännchen „Astro-Mainzel“. Die beiden Helden des ARD-Kinderfernsehens und ihr mutiger…
The European Space Agency portal features the latest news in space exploration, human spaceflight, launchers, telecommunications, navigation, monitoring and space science.
Watch European Space Agency’s Horizons News Conference on Livestream.com. ESA astronaut Alexander Gerst’s last news conference in Europe before his second launch into space. The mission is called Horizons to evoke exploring our Universe, looking further than our planet and broadening…
NASA is about to go on a journey to study the center of Mars.
NASA’s InSight Mars lander, set to launch May 5 at earliest from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, will bring a trio of powerful instruments to measure the wobbles, quakes and heat flow that reveal what’s going on deep inside the Red Planet.
InSight, the next mission to the Red Planet, will use seismology to see into the depths of Mars.
NASA’s InSight spacecraft has arrived at Vandenberg Air Force Base in central California to begin final preparations for a launch this May.
Final checkouts are completed here at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center to prepare the agency’s Parker Solar Probe for launch.
See the inner workings of the Parker Solar Probe, bound for the closest-ever approach to the sun.

Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) – 16.11.17

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Video: Cygnus Cargo Craft Rides into Orbit atop Second Upgraded Antares Rocket
Orbital ATK successfully launched an Antares 230 rocket from Pad 0A at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport located on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Sunday, November 12, 2017.
Cygnus Cargo Spacecraft Installed on ISS for Critical Supplies Delivery
The Cygnus S.S. Gene Cernan arrived at the International Space Station on Tuesday for a robotic capture and berthing to become a temporary part of the orbiting laboratory for the delivery…
Cygnus Open for Business; Crew Unloading New Bacteria, Plant and Tech Studies
The Expedition 53 astronauts are continuing to unload several thousand pounds of space cargo from the new Cygnus resupply ship that arrived Tuesday morning. Some of the new science cargo…
Cygnus Installed on Station With New Science Experiments
The Orbital ATK Cygnus cargo ship was bolted into place on the International Space Station’s Earth-facing port of the Unity module at 7:15 a.m. EST. The spacecraft will spend about three…
`Beyond A Year In Space`: Astronaut Scott Kelly`s Epic Documentary Airs on PBS Wednesday (Exclusive Clip)
Twin astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly were separated for almost a year, undergoing intensive measurements when one was in space and one was on Earth. But that was only the beginning of their…
Mystery of Pluto`s Super-Cold Weather Solved
The more we learn about Pluto, the more interesting the little world becomes. Hydrocarbon particles in Pluto’s atmosphere are responsible for the dwarf planet’s surprisingly low…
Privately Funded Team May Launch Life-Hunting Mission to Saturn Moon Enceladus
SEATTLE – A privately funded team may beat NASA to the punch when it comes to looking for life on the Saturn moon Enceladus. Breakthrough Initiatives – a program founded by billionaire tech…
Raumfahrtmedizin: Marsmission für Menschen zu gefährlich?
Eine bemannte Mission zum Mars gilt als nächster großer Schritt bei der Erkundung des Sonnensystems durch den Menschen. Die Besatzung einer solchen Expedition müsste dazu lange Zeit in…

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Spacecraft Mission News (English, German) – 26.10.17

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Relive New Horizons Probe`s Historic Discoveries with Epic NASA Video
When it flew past enigmatic Pluto on July 14, 2015, NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft had only just begun its voyage of exploration, and a new video from NASA’s ScienceCasts series takes…
New Film `Lunar Tribute` Tells Moonwalker`s Story with Drums
NEW YORK – The new documentary film „Lunar Tribute“ depicts the awe and anxiety of traveling across the „velvet“ blackness of space, and reveals the dedication of one astronaut to his…
Möglicher Standort für Basis: Kilometerlange Höhle auf dem Mond gefunden
Japanische Forscher haben dank einer inzwischen zerstörten Sonde eine bis zu 50 Kilometer lange Höhle auf dem Mond gefunden. In solch einer Höhle könnten Astronauten eine geschützte…
Nano-Satelliten: Disruption in der Raumfahrt
Mini- und Nano-Satelliten können das Raumfahrtgeschäft grundlegend veränderten. Hunderte davon sollen in den nächsten Jahren in einen Erd-Orbit befördert werden, hieß es auf der…

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