Universe Today

April 1, 2023April 23, 2023 by Matt Williams

2033 is the Perfect Year to Send Humans to Mars (With a Bonus Venus Flyby)

According to a new report, NASA could launch a orbital-only mission to Mars in 2033. Credits: NASA

In the coming decade, NASA and China plan to send the first crewed missions (astronauts and taikonauts) to Mars. Both agencies hope to begin sending missions by 2033, coinciding with a Mars Opposition, followed by additional missions in 2035, 2037, and after. These missions will culminate with the creation of a Mars surface habitat that will enable future missions and research. Launch opportunities for these missions are limited because the distances between Earth and Mars vary considerably over time, ranging from about 56 million km (~35 million mi) to more than 400 million km (250 million mi).

The times when Earth and Mars are at their closest (known as a Mars Opposition) only occur once every 26 months. Moreover, using conventional propulsion methods, it takes missions six to nine months to travel between Earth and Mars. As a result, round-trip missions to Mars could take up to three years, dramatically increasing radiation exposure for the crew and the time they spend in microgravity. According to a recent study from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), 2033 will be a unique opportunity to send a crewed orbital mission to Mars that lasts just 1.6 years.

March 31, 2023March 31, 2023 by Nancy Atkinson

Low Gravity Simulator Lets You Jump Around in Lunar Gravity

A participant uses the MoLo facility in Milan, Italy which simulates lunar gravity. Credit: ESA.

When the Apollo astronauts landed on the Moon, they had to perform tasks in 1/6th of Earth’s gravity. At first, walking and working in this low gravity environment posed some challenges. However, the astronauts soon adapted and figured out that hopping like a bunny made it easier to get around.

The Artemis astronauts will also need to adapt to life on the Moon, and to that end, ESA has built a unique facility in a 17-meter (55 ft.) refurbished ventilation shaft.

March 31, 2023March 30, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Now We Know How a Solar Storm Took Out a Fleet of Starlinks

A view of an auroral storm from the ISS. Aurorae are one effect of solar storms like the one that took out 39 Starlink satellites in 2022. Credit: NASA/ESA/Tim Peake — A view of an auroral storm from the ISS. Credit: NASA/ESA/Tim Peake

On March 23rd, sky observers marveled at a gorgeous display of northern and southern lights. It was reminder that when our Sun gets active, it can spark a phenomenon called “space weather.” Aurorae are among the most benign effects of this phenomenon.

March 30, 2023April 2, 2023 by Matt Williams

Gravitational Waves From Colliding Neutron Stars Matched to a Fast Radio Burst

Artist’s impression of a fast radio burst traveling through space and reaching Earth. Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser

Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs) were first detected in 2007 (the Lorimer Burst) and have remained one of the most mysterious astronomical phenomena ever since. These bright radio pulses generally last a few milliseconds and are never heard from again (except in the rare case of Repeating FRBs). And then you have Gravitational Waves (GW), a phenomenon predicted by General Relativity that was first detected on September 14th, 2015. Together, these two phenomena have led to a revolution in astronomy where events are detected regularly and provide fresh insight into other cosmic mysteries.

In a new study led by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Gravitational Wave Discovery (OzGrav), an Australian-American team of researchers has revealed that FRBs and GWs may be connected. According to their study, which recently appeared in the journal Nature Astronomy, the team noted a potential coincidence between a binary neutron star merger and a bright non-repeating FRB. If confirmed, their results could confirm what astronomers have expected for some time – that FRBs are caused by a variety of astronomical events.

March 30, 2023March 30, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Plans are Underway to Build a 30 Cubic Kilometer Neutrino Telescope

Underwater neutrino detectors take advantage of location to track these fast particles. This is an artist's impression of a KM3NeT installation in the Mediterranean. Chinese scientists hope to build a bigger underwater "neutrino telescope" in the next few years. Courtesy Edward Berbee/Nikhef.

How do astronomers look for neutrinos? These small, massless particles whiz through the universe at very close to the speed of light. They’ve been studied since the 1950s and detecting them provides work for a range of very interesting observatories.

March 29, 2023August 25, 2023 by Matt Williams

China Hints at its Goals for a Lunar Base

Visualization of the ILRS, from the CNSA Guide to Partnership (June 2021). Credit: CNSA

In June 2021, China announced it was partnering with Russia to launch a lunar exploration program that would rival NASA’s Artemis Program. This program would include robotic landers, orbiters, and crewed missions that would culminate with the creation of an outpost around the Moon’s southern polar region – the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). While the details are still scant, periodic updates have provided a “big-picture” idea of what this lunar outpost will look like.

Case in point, at a recent national space conference, a team of scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) presented a list of objectives for the ILRS. According to China Science Daily, these objectives will include Moon-based astronomy, Earth observation, and lunar in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). In addition, the CAS scientists indicated that China plans to establish a basic model for a lunar research station based on two planned exploration missions by 2028, which will subsequently expand into an international base.

March 29, 2023March 29, 2023 by Matt Williams

Artemis II is Literally Coming Together

The core stage of the Artemis II rocket at NASA's MIchoud Assembly Facility. Credit: NASA/Michael DeMocker

In November 2024, NASA’s Artemis II mission will launch from Cape Canaveral, carrying a crew of four astronauts around the Moon before returning home. This will be the first crewed mission of the program, paving the way for Artemis III and the long-awaited return to the Moon in 2025. These missions will rely on the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System (SLS) super-heavy launch vehicle. At NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, teams of engineers have just finished integrating all five major structures that make up the core stage of the Artemis II rocket.

March 29, 2023March 29, 2023 by Nancy Atkinson

It's Time For Your Annual Weather Update for the Outer Solar System

Jupiter, as seen by the Hubble Space Telescope in November 2022 and January 2023. Credits: NASA, ESA, STScI, Amy Simon (NASA-GSFC), and Michael H. Wong (UC Berkeley); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI).

A couple times a year, the Hubble Space Telescope turns its powerful gaze on the giant planets in the outer Solar System, studying their cloudtops and weather systems. With the Outer Planet Atmospheres Legacy (OPAL) Program, Hubble provides us with these views and also delivers weather reports on what’s happening. Here’s an updated report and some new images of the stormy surfaces of Jupiter and Uranus.

March 28, 2023April 1, 2023 by Laurence Tognetti

Europa’s Ice Rotates at a Different Speed From its Interior. Now We May Know Why

Image of Europa taken by NASA's Juno spacecraft on Sept 29, 2022. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Southwest Research Institute/Malin Space Science Systems)

Jupiter’s moon, Europa, contains a large ocean of salty water beneath its icy shell, some of which makes it to the surface from time to time, and this vast ocean could host life, as well. Europa was most recently observed by NASA’s Juno spacecraft, but current examinations of the moon’s internal ocean are limited to computer models and simulations produced here on Earth, as no mission is actively exploring this tiny moon orbiting Jupiter. Other than the internal water occasionally breaching the icy shell and making it to the surface, what other effects could the internal ocean have on the icy shell that encloses it?

March 28, 2023March 28, 2023 by Carolyn Collins Petersen

Are We Alone? The Answer Might Be in Space Dust That’s All Around Us

When an asteroid hit the Yucatan peninsula 65 million years ago it through Earth debris to space. Could that debris carry evidence of life? And, could such an event at an alien planet carry evidence of its life to us on dust particles generated in the impact? Image courtesy Don Davis.

When it comes to looking for extraterrestrial life “out there” astronomers scan distant planets. They also look for technosignatures at alien worlds. What if the answer they seek is dust blowing on the interstellar winds?