Space

“I cannot overstate how much knowledge is housed in this library about literally our entire universe,” she told me. “The most expansive understanding of human knowledge about space is being packed up.”

What many people don’t realize is the breathtaking extent of what constitutes ‘space knowledge.’ As planetary scientist Dave Williams told NPR back in January, the Goddard library houses “a database covering all the missions and everything that’s flown back all the way back to Sputnik.” Which institutional intel has proved crucial for designing modern missions.

https://www.standupforscience.net/

https://www.standupforscience.net/march7

This year, Norway and Andøya Space will host the symposium, which will take place over four days in Trondheim, from May 31st to June 4th.

Charlotte Bjørkmo, project manager for the symposium at Andøya Space, will welcome researchers from around the world working within atmospheric and space research.

She has worked diligently together with a committee from Andøya Space to put together this year’s event. In addition, a program committee consisting of representatives from various research institutions and universities has determined the conference topics.

For decades, scientists have searched the skies for signs of extraterrestrial technology. A study from EPFL asks a sharp question: if alien signals have already reached Earth without us noticing, what should we realistically expect to detect today?

Over the past 30 years, astronomers have cataloged about 4,000 Kuiper Belt objects (KBOs), including a smattering of dwarf worlds, icy comets, and leftover planet parts. But that number is expected to increase tenfold in the coming years as observations from more advanced telescopes pour in.

In particular, the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile will illuminate this murky region with its flagship project, the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST), which began operating last year. Other next-generation observatories, such as the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), will also help to bring the belt into focus.

“Beyond Neptune, we have a census of what’s out there in the solar system, but it’s a patchwork of surveys, and it leaves a lot of room for things that might be there that have been missed,” says Renu Malhotra, who serves as Louise Foucar Marshall Science Research Professor and Regents Professor of Planetary Sciences at the University of Arizona.

Jupiter is slightly smaller and flatter than scientists thought for decades, a new study finds.

Researchers used radio data from the Juno spacecraft to refine measurements of the solar system's largest planet. Although the differences between the current and previous measurements are small, they are improving models of Jupiter's interior and of other gas giants like it outside the solar system, the team reported Feb. 2 in the journal Nature Astronomy.

NASA astronauts will soon fly with the latest smartphones, beginning with Crew-12 and Artemis II. We are giving our crews the tools to capture special moments for their families and share inspiring images and video with the world. Just as important, we challenged long-standing processes and qualified modern hardware for spaceflight on an expedited timeline. That operational urgency will serve NASA well as we pursue the highest-value science and research in orbit and on the lunar surface. This is a small step in the right direction.

Source: NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman.

Is there a massive planet, 10 times the mass of Earth, hiding at the edge of our solar system? This is Planet Nine, the solar system’s greatest cold case, predicted by our models but never seen…. until now. Is the hunt finally nearing its end? In this video, we break down the evidence that might have finally located the "missing" planet.

The James Webb Space Telescope has given astronomers a brand new view of a dying star known as the Eye of God Nebula.

Also known as the Helix Nebula, the object is one of the closest dying stars to Earth, and Webb has captured its streaming pillars of gas in intricate, infrared detail.

What's more, Webb's view gives us an insight into how our own Sun may one day end its life, about 5 billion years from now.

https://archive.ph/cBmyW

The linked page contains a link to view the PDF file

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.today/post/45948731

As we prepare for missions beyond Earth orbit, one crucial challenge remains: keeping astronauts healthy in microgravity. Without daily exercise, their muscles, bones and cardiovascular systems weaken, which could impact mission success and astronaut safety, especially in destinations such as the moon or Mars, where crew will have to operate autonomously immediately after landing.

This is why ESA has developed the European Enhanced Exploration Exercise Device (E4D)—a compact, versatile in-flight exercise system designed to ensure astronauts stay strong and ready for the physical demands of returning to Earth or working on other planetary surfaces.

E4D combines four exercise modes: resistive training, cycling, rowing and rope pulling, offering a wide range of workouts and the flexibility to add new ones later.

"E4D is a gamechanger for astronaut health. By enabling a broader and more adaptable range of resistance exercises, it supports the preservation of muscle mass and bone integrity in microgravity, which are two of the biggest physiological challenges during long‑duration missions," says ESA's E4D principal investigator Tobias Weber.

"Just as important is E4D's self‑monitoring capability. Using an integrated camera-based motion capture system, it allows astronauts to track their performance, evaluate their movement execution and self‑correct posture in real time. This reduces reliance on ground supervision and helps ensure that every training session remains safe, precise and effective, even in the demanding environment of orbit," adds Jennifer Struble, ESA's Operations Team Lead for E4D and Co-Investigator.

"E4D is a system I'm really looking forward to using during the εpsilon mission. I really enjoy exercising for both physical and mental well-being and since it's especially important to protect our bones and muscles in microgravity, I'm excited to try the new workouts made possible in space thanks to this European technology," says ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot, who is now practicing with E4D on the ground as part of her mission preparations.

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