#NASA’s Orion capsule begins new water drop tests

#NASA’s Orion capsule begins new water drop tests

“#NASA’s Orion capsule begins new water drop tests” NASA engineers at the Virginia-based Langley Research Center have begun a new series of four water-impact drop tests using a test version of the agency’s Orion spacecraft capsule.  The tests, conducted at Langley’s Landing and Impact Research Facility Hydro Impact Basin in Hampton, will simulate various landing scenarios in order to help researchers get a clearer…

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#Alabama ‘supercell’ that produced tornado captured in satellite imagery

#Alabama ‘supercell’ that produced tornado captured in satellite imagery

“#Alabama ‘supercell’ that produced tornado captured in satellite imagery” This week’s severe weather in the Mid-South was visible from outer space.  Stunning imagery from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) GOES East satellite captured the Thursday “supercell” that produced a large tornado in Alabama near Brent and Centerville. “In the 16-second timelapse, you can see the lightning that accompanied the storm during March…

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#Earth safe from asteroid for 100 years says NASA

#Earth safe from asteroid for 100 years says NASA

“#Earth safe from asteroid for 100 years says NASA” Whew, now here’s some good cosmic news: NASA has given Earth the all clear for the next century from a particularly menacing asteroid. The space agency announced this week that new telescope observations have ruled out any chance of Apophis smacking Earth in 2068. That’s the…

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#Astronomers capture new polarized view of a black hole

#Astronomers capture new polarized view of a black hole

“#Astronomers capture new polarized view of a black hole” Scientists from the international Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration announced Wednesday that they had been able to map the magnetic fields around a black hole using polarized light waves for the first time, releasing a stunning image of the supermassive object at the center of the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy. The team…

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#Tasters savor fine wine that orbited Earth

#Tasters savor fine wine that orbited Earth

“#Tasters savor fine wine that orbited Earth” BORDEAUX, France — It tastes like rose petals. It smells like a campfire. It glistens with a burnt-orange hue. What is it? A 5,000-euro bottle of Petrus Pomerol wine that spent a year in space. Researchers in Bordeaux are analyzing a dozen bottles of the precious liquid —…

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#’Space junk’ races at 10 times the speed of a bullet

#’Space junk’ races at 10 times the speed of a bullet

“#’Space junk’ races at 10 times the speed of a bullet” In space, no one can see the minuscule threats that risk total annihilation. Now circling Earth’s orbit are more than 128 million pieces of refuse leftover from degrading satellites, byproducts of past flight missions and other cosmic accidents — and that’s just counting the…

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#Mars is first inner planet after Earth to have core measured

#Mars is first inner planet after Earth to have core measured

“#Mars is first inner planet after Earth to have core measured” NASA’s InSight spacecraft has measured the size of Mars’ core for the first time.  The spacecraft launched in May 2018 and successfully landed on the red planet in November of that year.  InSight — which is short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport — was created to study the early evolution of terrestrial planets…

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#NASA, SpaceX sign agreement to enhance space safety

#NASA, SpaceX sign agreement to enhance space safety

“#NASA, SpaceX sign agreement to enhance space safety” NASA said on Thursday it had signed an agreement with billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX that would focus on avoiding collisions between the agency’s spacecraft and the rocket company’s large constellation of satellites. The agreement would enhance data sharing between NASA and Starlink, SpaceX’s space internet venture, to…

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#Mars rover sends back grinding, squealing sounds of driving

#Mars rover sends back grinding, squealing sounds of driving

“#Mars rover sends back grinding, squealing sounds of driving” CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — NASA’s newest Mars rover has sent back the first-ever sounds of driving on the red planet — a grinding, clanking, banging affair that by Earth standards would be pretty worrisome. The noises made by Perseverance’s six metal wheels and suspension on the first test…

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