Russian Lunar Reflector Used to Test Einstein’s Theory
This is what the Lunokhod rover released on the moon looked like in 1970. Nearly 40 years later, scientists have been able to locate the laser reflector, with the help of a telescope at Apache Point Observatory. (Courtesy of NASA) A serendipitous discovery on the...Japan’s Asteroid Probe: On Track for Australian Touchdown
Earth return of Japan’s Hayabusa asteroid probe and release of its sample capsule. Japan’s asteroid explorer, the Hayabusa spacecraft, is on track for a June 13 reentry into the Woomera Test Range in South Australia. Scientists at the Japan Aerospace Exploration...European Space Agency Backs China as Space Station Partner
A Chinese news source is reporting today that the European Space Agency (ESA) supports China’s inclusion in the International Space Station (ISS) partnership. ESA’s agency’s director-general Jean-Jacques Dordain made the remarks during a Global Lunar Conference...International Team Ready for Virtual Mars Journey
Credit: ESA Credit: ESA This week a six-person crew from Russia, Europe and China will begin their voyage to Mars! Well, sort of. The adventure is a simulated 520-day journey to the red planet, one that will test the endurance of crew members to carry out a...Venus Orbiter, Solar Sail: Successful Launch
Japan’s H-IIA Launch Vehicle has successfully lofted the Venus Climate Orbiter, a solar sail experiment and several small mini-payloads. The booster lifted off on May 21 from the Tanegashima Space Center. AKATSUKI, the Venus Climate Orbiter mission (PLANET-C), is on...Space Station Experiment: Breaking the Data Logjam
The International Space Station (ISS) is being used as a test-bed platform to help break the data logjam from Earth-orbiting satellites. NASA’s “Materials on the International Space Station Experiment” (MISSE) program, under the direction of the Naval Research...Japan Ready to Launch Venus Orbiter, Solar Sail
Japan is ready to launch its Venus Climate Orbiter “Akatsuki” as well as a small solar power sail demonstrator, the IKAROS. The two payloads will be lofted via Japan’s H-2A booster from the Tanegashima Space Center. Liftoff is slated for Monday, May 17 at 5:45 pm east...Europe’s Cargo Vehicle Readied for Flight to Space Station
Johannes Kepler Departure: Photo Credit – Astrium Europe’s “Johannes Kepler” has made one small step toward the International Space Station. As the second Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV), the huge cargo-carrying spacecraft is on its way to the European...To Mars via Moscow! New Video Details Simulated Space Travel
Starting next month, a crew of six that involves two Europeans, three Russians and one Chinese will participate in the first full-duration simulated mission to Mars. The Mars 500 experiment mimics a mission to Mars in a mockup that includes an interplanetary...Space Talk
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#NASA estimates that a human mission to Mars could take months or years with current propulsion technologies. To accelerate this timeline, NASA and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are exploring nuclear thermal propulsion.
Learn more: https://bit.ly/4f8zDlE
#ICYMI, check out the latest recap of space exploration, science and policy news from CDSE's Deep Space Extra newsletter.
Read it here: https://exploredeepspace.com/news/deep-space-extra-39-2024-09-30/
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.@NASA_Langley is testing the Lightweight Surface Manipulation System AutoNomy capabilities Development for Surface Operations (LANDO), a robotic arm designed to lift payloads and place them on the #lunar surface.
Read more: https://bit.ly/3NbFYAO
📷: NASA/David C. Bowman
#ICYMI, check out the latest recap of space exploration, science and policy news from CDSE's Deep Space Extra newsletter.
Read it here: https://exploredeepspace.com/news/deep-space-extra-38-2024-09-23/
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