NASA’s robotic spacecraft Osiris-Rex is set to begin on Tuesday a delicate operation to store the precious particles it scooped up from the asteroid Bennu, but which were leaking into space when a flap got wedged open. The probe is on a mission to collect fragments that scientists hope will help unravel the origins of
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There may be far more water on the Moon than previously thought, according to two studies published Monday raising the tantalising prospect that astronauts on future space missions could find refreshment, and maybe even fuel, on the lunar surface. The Moon was believed to be bone dry until around a decade ago, when a series of
A Chinese spacecraft is expected to land on Mars in May, state-run media reported on Thursday, citing a space agency official. The spacecraft, which left Earth in July, is set to land in Utopia Planitia, a plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars, the China News Service reported, citing Liu Tongjie, spokesman for the Mars
In a first, NASA scientists have spotted a molecule of cyclopropenylidene (C3H2) in the atmosphere of the largest of Saturn’s 62 moons, Titan. Calling this development ‘unexpected’, scientists claim that this is the first time that they have detected this molecule in an atmosphere. They found C3H2 by using a radio telescope observatory in northern
Microsoft has announced that Lobe, a machine learning tool which helps people apply deep learning and AI models quickly – without the need of writing code – into tools they are developing, is now available with image classification support. This essentially means that people can import images of the things they want Lobe to recognise,
Scientists have detected 39 gravitational-wave events that they say will further help them understand the universe, as well as explore its population of black holes and neutron stars. The latest events add to the 11 already confirmed events, taking the total number of events to 50. According to astrophysicists, this has been possible due to
On Halloween, a rare Blue Moon will appear in the sky for the first time since 2001. A Blue Moon occurs when there is more than one full moon during a month. NASA says that it coincides with Halloween every 19 years. The Moon isn’t really blue, but will be in full bloom to make
new rogue Earth-sized plant has been discovered by scientists at University of Warsaw. This is said to be the smallest free-floating planet found up until now, and it is sized somewhere between Earth and Mars. Rogue planets are essentially not bound by any star and float freely in space. They are adrift in space after
A NASA spacecraft tucked more than 2 pounds of asteroid samples into a capsule for return to Earth after losing some of its precious loot because of a jammed lid, scientists said Thursday. They won’t know the precise amount of the cosmic haul from asteroid Bennu, more than 200 million miles (322 million kilometres) away,
The Space Development Steering Committee calls on NASA to radically rethink its program to land on the moon by 2024, its Artemis program, rebuilding that lunar mission around SpaceX’s vehicle-in-development, the Starship. In fact, the Space Development Steering Committee calls on NASA to reconceive all of its programs with the Starship in mind. Why? The SpaceX Starship
This week, we’re witnessing a remarkable event. In Boca Chica, TX, SpaceX is successfully conducting its first hop of its Starship. The Starship will be the top half of a rocket designed to transport 100 passengers to the Moon and Mars. Yes, 100 passengers. And that 100-passenger capacity will make NASA and the space plans demanded
A fossilized egg laid by Mussaurus, a long-necked, plant-eating dinosaur that grew to 20 feet in length and lived in what is now Argentina is seen in image released June 17, 2020. Diego Pol/Handout via REUTERS WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Scientists have unearthed the first fossils of soft-shelled eggs laid by dinosaurs – two disparate species
(Reuters) – A mysterious 68-million-year-old fossil found on Seymour Island off Antarctica’s coast that looked like a deflated football has turned out to be a unique find – the second-largest egg on record and one that may have belonged to a huge marine reptile that lived alongside the dinosaurs. An illustration of a fossil egg
The launch pad of the Xichang Satellite Launch Center is seen the day before the Beidou-3 satellite, the last satellite of China’s Beidou Navigation Satellite System, is set to launch in Sichuan province, China June 15, 2020. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins BEIJING (Reuters) – China indefinitely postponed on Tuesday the launch of the final satellite of
Researchers perform field work in Torres Del Paine National Park, Patagonia, Chile, in this picture taken February 2020 and provided on June 11, 2020. Felipe Trueba/EPA/Handout via REUTERS SANTIAGO (Reuters) – Chilean and Argentine researchers have unearthed teeth in far-flung Patagonia belonging to a mammal that lived 74 million years ago, the oldest such remains
BEIJING (Reuters) – The Chinese Beidou navigation network will be complete this month when its final satellite goes into orbit, giving China greater independence from U.S.-owned GPS and heating up competition in a sector long dominated by the United States. FILE PHOTO: A model of the BeiDou navigation satellites system is seen at an exhibition