Great Space

2022-03-16 21:36:08 Russia says it will not strand American astronaut in space despite media reports
Mark Vande Hei is still coming home on a Russian capsule on March 30th

Last week, a flurry of news reports worryingly claimed that Russia was threatening to strand an American astronaut on the International Space Station in direct response to sanctions placed on the country as it continues to invade neighboring Ukraine. But Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos is trying to put those fears to rest, saying that it will bring home the astronaut as planned.

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2022-03-15 16:16:01 Tiny Star Unleashes Gargantuan Beam of Matter and Antimatter

This image from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and ground-based optical telescopes shows an extremely long beam, or filament, of matter and antimatter extending from a relatively tiny pulsar, as reported in our latest press release. With its tremendous scale, this beam may help explain the surprisingly large numbers of positrons, the antimatter counterparts to electrons, scientists have detected throughout the Milky Way galaxy.

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2022-03-11 20:54:13 Aerospace startup reveals new modular lunar rover for carrying people and cargo on the Moon

Aerospace startup Venturi Astrolab revealed its new interplanetary rover designed to transport cargo and people across the surface of the Moon — and eventually Mars. The company says it plans to build a fleet of these rovers over the coming decade to help NASA and commercial companies establish a long-term presence on the Moon.

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2022-03-10 20:50:55 NASA’s Psyche Gets Huge Solar Arrays for Trip to Metal-Rich Asteroid

NASA’s Psyche mission is almost ready for its moment in the Sun – a 1.5-billion-mile (2.4-billion-kilometer) solar-powered journey to a mysterious, metal-rich asteroid of the same name. Twin solar arrays have been attached to the spacecraft body, unfolded lengthwise, and then restowed. This test brings the craft that much closer to completion before its August launch.

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2022-03-05 21:37:20 NASA Studies ‘New’ 50-Year-Old Lunar Sample to Prep for Return to Moon

People say good things come to those who wait. NASA thinks 50 years is the right amount of time as it begins tapping into one of the last unopened, Apollo-era lunar samples to learn more about the Moon and prepare for a return to its surface.

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2022-03-03 17:30:20 Russia holds OneWeb rocket launch hostage, issues conditional demands

In its latest response to international sanctions and growing geopolitical tensions, Russia’s state space corporation, Roscosmos, is making a list of demands of its customer OneWeb before it agrees to launch the company’s upcoming mission this week. OneWeb’s satellites were scheduled to take off on top of a Russian Soyuz rocket on March 5th in Kazakhstan, but in light of these new demands, it seems likely that launch will not take place.

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2022-03-01 20:03:19 European Space Agency claims joint Russian Mars rover probably won’t launch this year

A joint Russian-European mission to Mars will likely be delayed in light of new sanctions against Russia and the country’s ongoing assault of Ukraine. The delay is the latest space partnership to feel the side effects of Russia’s invasion here on Earth.

Known as ExoMars, the mission entails sending a series of robotic spacecraft to Mars, culminating in the launch of a robotic rover to explore the Red Planet’s surface. The European Space Agency and Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos have been working together on the program for the last decade.

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2022-02-28 22:13:42 Russian space director’s wild threats could have real implications for the ISS

The announcement of new sanctions against Russia provoked a strong reaction from the head of Russia’s space program, Dmitry Rogozin, who seemed to threaten that the restrictions would destroy Russia’s partnership with NASA and lead to the demise of the International Space Station. Though Rogozin is known for his bluster and provocative statements, his comments did spark concern over what NASA would do if the Russians abruptly pulled out of the ISS program — a move that could be a substantial problem.

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2022-02-25 20:47:05 US and Russia still tethered by International Space Station during Ukraine conflict

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, tensions between the US and Russia are particularly strained here on Earth, prompting concerns that friction could inevitably spill over into the two countries’ longstanding partnership in space. For now, both NASA and Russia say they are still working together to keep the International Space Station operational, as they’ve done during past international turmoil.

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2022-02-23 23:34:15 'Tatooine-like' planet spotted from Earth points to future discoveries

Astronomers want to spot more such worlds with double sunrises. Kepler-16b, seen in this artist's impression, orbits two stars and has double sunsets, just like Tatooine in Star Wars.

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