Latest science news in Astronomy & Space

Puzzle about nitrogen solved thanks to cometary analogs

5 years ago from Physorg

One of the basic building blocks of life is nitrogen. An international consortium was able to detect ammonium salt containing nitrogen on the cometary surface of Chury thanks to a...

Salty space rock helps to solve longstanding comet mystery

5 years ago from Space.com

Researchers have identified nitrogen previously thought to be "missing" in comets, helping to solve a longstanding mystery about the icy space rocks.

Satellite megaconstellations will mar astronomers' view of heavens, study finds

5 years ago from Space.com

Two European Southern Observatory telescopes will be "moderately affected" in their observations by the rise of big, new satellite constellations, a new study finds, while wide-field telescopes will be "severely...

European Gateway experiment will monitor radiation in deep space

5 years ago from European Space Agency

The first science experiments that will be hosted on the Gateway, the international research outpost orbiting the Moon, have been selected by ESA and NASA. Europe’s contribution will monitor radiation...

Press briefing on ExoMars

5 years ago from European Space Agency

Video: 00:45:56 Replay of a press briefing on ExoMars, held on 12 March 2020. Replay of a press briefing on ExoMars, held on 12 March 2020. Participants were ESA Director General, Jan...

SpaceX plans Saturday launch from Florida to boost Starlink satellite count

5 years ago from UPI

SpaceX is aiming for a Saturday morning launch of its sixth cluster of 60 Starlink satellites from Florida.

Fluor propulsion nabs $1.8B for nuclear propulsion work

5 years ago from UPI

Fluor Marine Propulsion received a $1.8 billion contract modification for work at the Naval Nuclear Laboratory.

China's new navigation system is nearly complete with penultimate Beidou satellite launch

5 years ago from Space.com

The Chinese Beidou satellite navigation system is almost finished, thanks to the launch of a new satellite this week.

Computer model solves mystery of how gas bubbles build big methane hydrate deposits

5 years ago from Science Daily

New research has explained an important mystery about natural gas hydrate formations and, in doing so, advanced scientists' understanding of how gas hydrates could contribute to climate change and energy...

'Minor planet' bonanza: 139 new objects discovered beyond Neptune

5 years ago from Space.com

The list of Pluto's neighbors just got considerably longer, potentially boosting scientists' odds of finding the putative Planet Nine.

Coronavirus and technical issues delay a Mars mission’s launch

5 years ago from Sciencenews.org

A joint European and Russian mission to Mars is being postponed from July until sometime in 2022, as the coronavirus pandemic is preventing scientists from resolving a few technical difficulties, the European Space...

Finding comets' hidden nitrogen

5 years ago from C&EN

Ammonium salts may serve as nitrogen reservoirs on the icy bodies, suggesting a common origin for comets and the sun

Computer model solves mystery of how gas bubbles build big methane hydrate deposits

5 years ago from Physorg

New research from The University of Texas at Austin has explained an important mystery about natural gas hydrate formations and, in doing so, advanced scientists' understanding of how gas hydrates...

Look: Baekhyun recording new solo music

5 years ago from UPI

K-pop star Baekhyun is back in the studio following the release of his EP "City Lights" in July.

Getting sick in space: How would NASA handle an astronaut disease outbreak?

5 years ago from Space.com

As coronavirus continues to spread around the globe, it's interesting to ponder what would happen if such a virus were to spread in space.

Watch: Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey voice souls in 'Soul' trailer

5 years ago from UPI

Jamie Foxx, Tina Fey, Questlove, Phylicia Rashad and Daveed Diggs star in "Soul," a new animated film from Pixar and Disney.

Ammonium salts are a reservoir of nitrogen on a cometary nucleus and possibly on some asteroids

5 years ago from Science NOW

The measured nitrogen-to-carbon ratio in comets is lower than for the Sun, a discrepancy which could be alleviated if there is an unknown reservoir of nitrogen in comets. The nucleus...

Persistent influence of obliquity on ice age terminations since the Middle Pleistocene transition

5 years ago from Science NOW

Radiometric dating of glacial terminations over the past 640,000 years suggests pacing by Earth’s climatic precession, with each glacial-interglacial period spanning four or five cycles of ~20,000 years. However, the...

Europe, Russia postpone Mars rover mission amid coronavirus travel restrictions

5 years ago from CBC: Technology & Science

The European Space Agency and Russia's Roscosmos said Thursday they are postponing a planned joint mission to Mars until 2022, in part due to travel restrictions resulting from the new...

Separations between earthquakes reveal clear patterns

5 years ago from Science Daily

So far, few studies have explored how the similarity between inter-earthquake times and distances is related to their separation from initial events. In a new study, researchers show that the...

'A Quiet Place Part II' release pushed back amid coronavirus pandemic

5 years ago from LA Times - Health

Due to increasing concerns about the coronavirus, John Krasinski and Emily Blunt's "A Quiet Place Part II" will no longer hit theaters on March 20.

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket debuts on display at Space Center Houston

5 years ago from Space.com

You can now get up close, around and even under the first commercial rocket launch two missions for NASA.

Joint Russian-European Mars mission postponed over coronavirus

5 years ago from Reuters:Science

A joint Russian-European mission to send a rover to Mars has been postponed by two years because its final phase has been compromised by the coronavirus outbreak in Europe, the...

ExoMars to take off for the red planet in 2022

5 years ago from Physorg

The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Roscosmos Space Corporation have decided to postpone the launch of the second ExoMars mission to study the Red Planet to 2022.

Europe's ExoMars rover launch delayed to 2022 due to parachute problems

5 years ago from Space.com

European and Russian space leaders have decided to postpone the launch of the ExoMars rover until 2022 due to issues with its parachutes and electronic equipment.

NASA’s MMS Marks its 5th Year Breaking Records in Space

5 years ago from Science @ NASA

Portal origin URL: NASA’s MMS Marks its 5th Year Breaking Records in SpacePortal origin nid: 458827Published: Thursday, March 12, 2020 - 10:00Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Since its launch in 2015,...

India's Chandrayaan 2 is creating the highest-resolution map we have of the moon

5 years ago from Physorg

India's space organization, ISRO, launched Chandrayaan 2 to the moon last year in July. While its lander Vikram crashed on the lunar surface on September 7, the Chandrayaan 2 orbiter...

Coronavirus prompts European Southern Observatory to close facilities, cancel events

5 years ago from Space.com

The European Southern Observatory has closed several of its facilities and canceled public events in Germany and Chile in response to the coronavirus outbreak.