We’re about to learn a lot more about exoplanets. The ESA has just approved the construction of its Ariel mission, which will give us our first large survey of exoplanet atmospheres. The space telescope will help us answer fundamental questions about how planets form and evolve.
Continue reading “ESA’s Ariel Mission is Approved to Begin Construction”A Practical Use for Space Power: Beaming Energy to Probes on Venus
A few weeks ago, a team of scientists from Caltech announced that they had successfully transmitted energy from an orbiting satellite down to Earth. It wasn’t a lot of energy, but it showed that it was possible.
Eventually, we might be able to beam energy from solar satellites down to Earth, making solar energy available almost anywhere and helping combat climate change. But there’s another potential use: powering surface probes on Venus.
Continue reading “A Practical Use for Space Power: Beaming Energy to Probes on Venus”ESA’s ARIEL Mission Will Study the Atmospheres of More Than 1,000 Exoplanets
We found our first exoplanets orbiting a pulsar in 1992. Since then, we’ve discovered many thousands more. Those were the first steps in identifying other worlds that could harbour life.
Now planetary scientists want to take the next step: studying exoplanet atmospheres.
The ESA’s ARIEL mission will be a powerful tool.
Continue reading “ESA’s ARIEL Mission Will Study the Atmospheres of More Than 1,000 Exoplanets”Why Visit Just one Moon When you Could Explore Them all?
The Solar System’s moons are intriguing objects for exploration. Especially moons like Europa and Enceladus. Their subsurface oceans make them primary targets in the search for life.
But why not send one spacecraft to visit several moons? NASA’s about to launch its Lucy mission which will visit 8 separate asteroids. Could the same be done for a mission to multiple moons?
For a spacecraft to do that, it would have to do a little dance with the notorious three-body problem, which makes a stubborn partner. A new study presents a possible way to do that.
Continue reading “Why Visit Just one Moon When you Could Explore Them all?”