Universe Today (Page 416)

Land Heavier Payloads on Mars. Aim for the Ground and Then Pull up at the Last Moment A team of researchers has devised a new strategy for landing heavier craft on Mars, which could allow for crewed missions to the Red Planet. The post Land Heavier Payloads on Mars. Aim for the Ground and Then Pull up at the Last Moment appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

We Hate Long Goodbyes, But Opportunity has Earned One NASA’s Opportunity rover has reached the end of its life. Initially designed to last 90 days, and to travel only 1000 meters (1100 yards), the rover spent almost 15 years exploring the surface of Mars. During that time, it travelled more than 45 kilometers (28 miles.) The last signal from Opportunity was on June 10th, … Continue reading “We Hate Long Goodbyes, But Opportunity has Earned One” The post We Hate Long Goodbyes, But Opportunity has Earned One appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Mars One, the Plan to Make a Reality Show on Mars, is Bankrupt According to multiple sources, Mars One – the organization intent on crowdsourcing the colonization of Mars – is apparently bankrupt. The post Mars One, the Plan to Make a Reality Show on Mars, is Bankrupt appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

InSight has Placed its Heat Probe on the Martian Surface. The Next Step is to Jackhammer Down 5 Meters and Hope it Doesn’t Encounter a Large Rock NASA’s InSight lander has finally placed its heat probe on the surface of Mars. The Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package (HP3) was deployed on February 12th, about one meter away from SEIS, the landers seismometer. Soon it’ll start hammering its way into the Martian soil. If you’re starting to get used to feats like … Continue reading “InSight has Placed its Heat Probe on the Martian Surface. The Next Step is to Jackhammer Down 5 Meters andRead More →

Another Enormous Crater Found Under the Ice in Greenland A glaciologist has discovered another enormous impact crater under more than a mile of ice in Greenland. This is on the heels of the November 2019 discovery of an impact crater in the same area under the Hiawatha Glacier. The November discovery was the first-ever crater found under ice on Earth. The two craters are … Continue reading “Another Enormous Crater Found Under the Ice in Greenland” The post Another Enormous Crater Found Under the Ice in Greenland appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Hubble Shows off the Atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune New images from Hubble have shown some interesting seasonal developments on Neptune and Uranus The post Hubble Shows off the Atmospheres of Uranus and Neptune appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

There’s Evidence that Mars is Still Volcanically Active A new study shows that Mars may very well be volcanically active. Nobody’s seen direct evidence of volcanism; no eruptions or magma or anything like that. Rather, the proof is in the water. In the past, Mars was a much warmer and wetter place. Now, Mars is still home to lots of water, mostly as … Continue reading “There’s Evidence that Mars is Still Volcanically Active” The post There’s Evidence that Mars is Still Volcanically Active appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Weekly Space Hangout: Feb 13, 2019 – Luciano Iess of the Cassini Radio Science Team Hosts: Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain) Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter) Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier ) Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org) Luciano Iess, professor of Aerospace Engineering at Sapienza University of Rome, is a member of the Cassini radio science team that recently determined, after analyzing gravity science … Continue reading “Weekly Space Hangout: Feb 13, 2019 – Luciano Iess of the Cassini Radio Science Team” The post Weekly Space Hangout: Feb 13, 2019 – Luciano Iess of the Cassini Radio Science TeamRead More →

Want to Move to Mars? A Round-Trip Ticket Will Only Cost $100,000 According to Elon Musk Elon Musk just suggested that the price for a trip to Mars and back could be as low as $100,000. He added the qualifier that the price depends on volume. So it looks like the price is anything but astronomical. In a tweet on Sunday night, Musk had this to say: Not everybody’s buying it, … Continue reading “Want to Move to Mars? A Round-Trip Ticket Will Only Cost $100,000 According to Elon Musk” The post Want to Move to Mars? A Round-Trip Ticket Will Only Cost $100,000 AccordingRead More →

Here’s a Clever idea. Build Moon Bases in Craters and then Fill them in with Lunar Regolith A student team associated with the ESA recently developed a concept for a Moon base that would rely on lunar regolith to provide protection. The post Here’s a Clever idea. Build Moon Bases in Craters and then Fill them in with Lunar Regolith appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Thanks to Gaia, We Now Know Exactly When We’ll be Colliding with Andromeda Astronomers have known for some time that the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxies will collide on some future date. The best guess for that rendezvous has been about 3.75 billion years from now. But now a new study based on Data Release 2 from the ESA’s Gaia mission is bringing some clarity to this … Continue reading “Thanks to Gaia, We Now Know Exactly When We’ll be Colliding with Andromeda” The post Thanks to Gaia, We Now Know Exactly When We’ll be Colliding with Andromeda appeared first on Universe Today. UniverseRead More →

New Horizons took this shot of MU69 as it sped away from its encounter The latest images to come from the New Horizons mission show that Ultima Thule (the first KBO to be studied up close) has an unusual shape. The post New Horizons took this shot of MU69 as it sped away from its encounter appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

New SpaceX Raptor Engine Beats the Chamber Pressure of Russia’s RD-180 Engine, According to Elon Musk Elon Musk posted the results of the Raptor engine’s recent test-firing, and claims it broke an almost 20-year old record! The post New SpaceX Raptor Engine Beats the Chamber Pressure of Russia’s RD-180 Engine, According to Elon Musk appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

This is Kepler’s Final Image Even in retirement, the Kepler space telescope is still allowing for discoveries, which include it’s “last light” images and recordings. The post This is Kepler’s Final Image appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

A Star’s Outburst is Releasing Organic Molecules Trapped in the ice Around it A new study by an international team of astronomers has discovered the presence of organic molecules in the disk of a young star. The post A Star’s Outburst is Releasing Organic Molecules Trapped in the ice Around it appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

InSight Just Put a Windshield Over its Seismometer NASA’s InSight lander arrived on Mars on November 26th, 2018. Since then, it’s been busying itself studying its landing spot, and taking its time to carefully place its instruments. It spent several weeks testing the seismometer and adjusting it, and now it’s placed the domed, protective shield over the instrument. The SEIS (Seismic Instrument for … Continue reading “InSight Just Put a Windshield Over its Seismometer” The post InSight Just Put a Windshield Over its Seismometer appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

Comet Y1 Iwamoto Tops Out in February Every year produces a handful of binocular comets, and the first one for 2019 is coming right up, with a fine apparition for Comet C/2018 Y1 Iwamoto. The post Comet Y1 Iwamoto Tops Out in February appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

The Milky Way is Actually Warped A new study by a team of Chinese scientists has shown that the galaxy actually has a warped, S-shape to it. The post The Milky Way is Actually Warped appeared first on Universe Today. Universe Today Go to SourceRead More →

ESA is Planning a Mission to the Smallest Spacerock Ever Visited: the Moon of an Asteroid For some small minority of humans, Death By Asteroid is a desirable fate. The idea probably satisfies their wonky Doomsday thinking. But for the rest of us, going out the same way the dinosaurs did would just be embarrassing. Thankfully, the ESA’s Hera mission will visit the smallest spacerock ever, and will help us avoid … Continue reading “ESA is Planning a Mission to the Smallest Spacerock Ever Visited: the Moon of an Asteroid” The post ESA is Planning a Mission to the Smallest Spacerock Ever Visited: the MoonRead More →

Weekly Space Hangout: Feb 6, 2019: Dr. Natalie Hinkel and “The Hypatia Catalog” Hosts: Fraser Cain (universetoday.com / @fcain) Dr. Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter) Dr. Kimberly Cartier (KimberlyCartier.org / @AstroKimCartier ) Dr. Morgan Rehnberg (MorganRehnberg.com / @MorganRehnberg & ChartYourWorld.org) Dr. Natalie Hinkel is a Planetary Astrophysicist at the Southwest Research Institute and a co-investigator for the Nexus for Exoplanet System Science (NExSS) research network at Arizona … Continue reading “Weekly Space Hangout: Feb 6, 2019: Dr. Natalie Hinkel and “The Hypatia Catalog”” The post Weekly Space Hangout: Feb 6, 2019: Dr. Natalie Hinkel and “The Hypatia Catalog” appeared first on Universe Today. UniverseRead More →