It’s not as if the world needed another symbol for the climate crisis, but now Sweden has one all to itself. After years of rising temperatures and back-to-back summer heatwaves, the southern peak of Kebnekaise, Sweden’s former tallest mountain, has melted into subservience. For decades, the glacier atop this iconic summit has been in retreat, and
PARIS — Thales Alenia Space is shedding around 6% of its workforce while rolling out a new line of reprogrammable satellites it says will benefit from an Iridium Next-style production. Some 500 employees out of 8,000 total will be leaving the Franco-Italian satellite builder, many through transfers to other parts of its majority shareholder Thales
In the dim, red light of an alien sun, scientists have found the first evidence for water in the atmosphere of a rocky planet – offering a tantalizing new target in the search for life in the universe. The intriguing world, which goes by the impersonal designation K2-18b, lies 110 light-years away in the constellation
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is a civilization scale mission, set to look back to the first galaxies formed after the Big Bang and help answer the question “are we alone in the universe?” After passing a key test at Johnson Space Center designed to simulate the cold vacuum of space, Webb is ready for
More than 40,000 years ago, the landscape of southwestern Australia was replete with giant kangaroos. One of these extinct kangaroos, known as a short-faced kangaroo, boasted a single-toed clawed foot (modern-day roos have three toes), weighed more than 260 pounds (118 kilograms), and munched on plants. According to a new study published in the journal
A fifty-year-old hypothesis predicting the existence of bodies dubbed Generic Objects of Dark Energy (GEODEs) is getting a second look in light of a proposed correction to assumptions we use to model the way our Universe expands. If this new version of a classic cosmological model is correct, some black holes could hide cores of pure
The region at the centre of our galaxy is still full of mysteries, but astronomers have just found a clue to its past: Huge, radio-emitting bubbles, extending 700 light-years either side of the galactic plane. They could be, the researchers believe, the result of a huge eruption from our galaxy’s supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*.
On March 11, 2011, Japan was struck by the most powerful earthquake in the nation’s history – a magnitude 9 temblor that triggered a tsunami with waves up to 133 feet (40 meters) high. The disaster set off three nuclear meltdowns and three hydrogen explosions at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Eight years later,
PARIS — Two years ago, AsiaSat intended to order its first dedicated high-throughput satellite. Today, AsiaSat is happy it didn’t, according to chief executive Roger Tong. “I’m glad that we didn’t jump into AsiaSat-10 two years ago, otherwise I would have a satellite that is not very economical,” Tong said Sept. 9 at the World
In the story of our species, Africa is known as the cradle of humanity. Somewhere on this vast continent, hundreds of thousands of years ago, a group of early humans is thought to have diverged from the others, ultimately spreading across Africa and the rest of the world. These were the first ancestors of modern
Astronomers may have spotted the second object ever to visit our Solar System from another star system. The object may even fly near Mars later this year, though it’s still far away. The scientists’ hunch is strong but not yet certain: Right now, the chances are much higher that the object, known as comet “C/2019
LONDON (Reuters) – Scientists for the first time have detected water in the atmosphere of an Earth-like planet orbiting a distant star, evidence that a key ingredient for life exists beyond our solar system, according to a study published on Wednesday. An artist’s impression released by NASA on September 11, 2019 shows the planet K2-18b,
PARIS – Iceye released the first images Sept. 12 from new synthetic aperture radar satellites launched in July and began offering commercial access to its three-satellite constellation. “Iceye SAR satellite constellation is soon becoming the largest of its kind in the world,” Rafal Modrzewski, Iceye CEO and co-founder, said in a statement. “In addition to
Black holes are the densest, most powerful objects in the universe. Capable of ripping entire planets and stars to pieces. This animation reveals what the smallest black holes look like compared to the largest. MORE SPACE SCIENCE CONTENT: What Would Happen If Earth Had Two Moons Where Is The Coldest Place In The Universe? Earth
In the atmosphere of an exoplanet just 111 light-years away, astronomers have just made a highly exciting discovery: they’ve detected water. As much as 50 percent of the atmosphere of K2-18b could be water vapour. But unlike other giant exoplanets on which atmospheric water has been detected, K2-18b is a super-Earth. It could be rocky,
The first module of China’s space station will soon be ready for flight but the required Long March launch vehicle remains grounded. HELSINKI — The first module for China’s planned space station has passed a final review, but the project continues to suffer launch vehicle-related delays. The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) announced Sept. 6
A pre-dawn fire on Wednesday forced Japan’s space agency to cancel the launch of an unnamed rocket meant to deliver supplies to the International Space Station, the operator said. The fire broke out near the launch pad on southern Tanegashima island at around 03:05am (1805 GMT on Tuesday), as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) was preparing
Psyche is both the name of an asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter — and the name of a NASA space mission to visit that asteroid, led by Arizona State University. Join the Psyche team to explore why this mission was selected for NASA’s Discovery Program, how we’ll get to the asteroid, what
During the age of the dinosaurs, the skies of North America were home to some of the largest flying animals the world has ever seen. New research now suggests there were at least two types of giant winged reptile living on the continent at the same time. Re-analysing a jumble of pterosaur fossils found in Alberta,
A Tokyo-based cashier allegedly stole credit card information from 1,300 customers. According to police, he used only his brain to take the information. Yusuke Taniguchi, 34, was arrested Thursday when police said they discovered he used the stolen information to purchase bags worth an estimated US$2,600 in March, according to CNN. The police intercepted that
All the comets in our Solar System may share the same origin story – and it could help explain how life on Earth came to exist. A team of American and European scientists found that 14 different comets originated at the same time and place: a protoplanetary disk orbiting near our newly-formed Sun, according to
PARIS — The launch of a Japanese cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station was postponed Sept. 10 when a fire broke out on a launch platform several hours before the scheduled liftoff. In a brief statement, launch vehicle manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) said the fire broke out on the platform carrying the H-2B
The SAC-D fully funded the $1.2 billion request for the National Security Space Launch program. It also included language to prevent changes to the Air Force launch service procurement schedule. WASHINGTON — The Senate Appropriations Committee’s subcommittee on defense on Tuesday advanced its Fiscal Year 2020 funding bill that provides $622.5 billion in base Department
American cities are as much a place for people as they are for pigeons. Our leftover pizzas, bagels, and donuts provide an endless supply of food for these birds. Plus, we feed them. City buildings also mimic the natural seaside cliffs in pigeons’ native range — North Africa, the Middle East, and Europe — making
It’s called the Palaeocene–Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM): a monumental and mysterious global warming event that scientists have never been able to fully explain. Well over 50 million years ago, this epic climate abnormality produced a massive injection of carbon into the atmosphere. The build-up lasted some 20,000 years, and sent global temperatures soaring by as
A menacing heatwave is brewing in the Pacific Ocean, and it’s got scientists worrying about the return of ‘the Blob’. Roughly five years ago, a huge patch of unusually warm ocean water appeared off the coast of North America, stretching from Mexico’s Baja California Peninsula all the way up to Alaska. It was nicknamed the
NASA is developing a new technique to forecast malaria outbreaks in Myanmar from space, as the emergence of new drug-resistant strains in Southeast Asia threatens efforts to wipe out the deadly disease globally. The goal of worldwide malaria eradication within a generation, by 2050, is “bold but attainable”, a report released this week in The
Commercial orders of geostationary communications satellites have reached double-digits for the first time since 2016, but a return to former buying rates remains unlikely, experts say. As of Aug. 30, commercial operators had ordered 10 multi-ton GEO communications satellites this year, up from five for all of 2018 and seven in 2017. Manufacturers had grown
By combining the visible and infrared capabilities of the Hubble and Spitzer space telescopes, astronomers and visualization specialists from NASA’s Universe of Learning program have created a spectacular, three-dimensional, fly-through movie of the magnificent Orion nebula, a nearby stellar nursery. Using actual scientific data along with Hollywood techniques, a team at the Space Telescope Science
Sixty-six million years ago, Earth had a very bad day indeed. A giant asteroid up to 81 kilometres (50 miles) across smashed into the coast of what is now Mexico near Chicxulub – an event thought to have triggered a wave of extinction that killed 75 percent of all life on Earth. Now, thanks to
New research on one of the most fascinating Dead Sea Scrolls suggests there’s something highly unusual about where and how it was made. Estimated to be close to 2,000 years old, the remarkably well-preserved Dead Sea Scrolls contain ancient texts of great historical importance. Since the initial discovery in 1947 by Bedouin shepherds, scholars have
Titan, Saturn’s largest moon, might have a more violent past than astronomers realised. A new study suggests that the liquid methane lakes that dot Titan’s surface may have formed when pockets of warming nitrogen exploded below the moon’s surface. This idea would solve a mystery that emerged when NASA’s Cassini mission to Saturn – which
The number of fires this year in the Amazon is the highest since 2010, reaching more than 90,000 active fires. Farmers and ranchers routinely use fires to clear the forest. But this year’s number reflects a worrisome uptick in the rate of deforestation, which had started to drop around 2005 before rebounding earlier this decade.
FILE PHOTO: Student walk past a screen during a live streaming of Chandrayaan-2 landing at an educational institute in Mumbai, India, September 7, 2019. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas/File Photo BENGALURU (Reuters) – India has located the spacecraft it was trying to land on the moon but has not been able to establish communication with it yet, the
The Senate Armed Services Committee scheduled a joint confirmation hearing on Thursday Sept. 12 for Barrett and for Ryan McCarthy, Army secretary nominee. WASHINGTON — The White House on Monday officially sent to the Senate the nomination of Barbara Barrett to be the next secretary of the U.S. Air Force. Trump announced on Twitter May
Remember the spectacle of that gigantic telescope unveiled in a mountain-ringed valley in China just a few years ago? Well, the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope (FAST) has now picked up a mysterious space signal known as a fast radio burst. Fast radio bursts or FRBs are brief but powerful pulses of energy from distant
Vector on Aug. 26 withdrew as the contractor for the Air Force Agile Small Launch Operational Normalizer (ASLON)-45 space lift mission. WASHINGTON — The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center on Monday awarded a $4.9 million contract to space startup Aevum to lift experimental satellites to low Earth orbit. The Agile Small Launch Operational
When the Boknis Eck Observatory – an environmental monitoring station on the floor of the Baltic Sea off the coast of Germany – stopped sending data on 21 August, scientists thought there was a problem with the data transmission. But when they sent divers down to check, the whole 740-kilogram (1,630-pound) car-sized kit and kaboodle
The Milky Way could be teeming with interstellar alien civilizations, according to a new study. We just don’t know about it because they haven’t paid us a visit in 10 million years. The study, published last month in The Astronomical Journal, posits that intelligent extraterrestrial life could be taking its time to explore the galaxy,
Not losing hope, the Indian Space Research Organisation continued to make all-out efforts to establish link with Chandrayaan-2”s ”Vikram” lander, now lying on the lunar surface after a hard-landing. Vikram, with rover ”Pragyan” housed inside it, hit the lunar surface after communication with the ground-stations was lost during its final descent, just 2.1 km above
Sometimes, even when you’re No. 1, it pays to follow another’s lead. A case in point is the French Government’s recent announcement to develop bodyguard spacecraft to protect its satellites against Russian and Chinese robotic spacecraft capable of rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO). These spacecraft can repair and refuel satellites and remove space debris but
NASA announces the first partnership of its kind with MAXAR Technologies to power the future lunar orbiting station. For more information, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/moontomars News release: https://go.nasa.gov/2M6HyqU Credit: NASA Music: “One Big Step” through Premiumbeat.com This video is available for download from NASA’s Image and Video Library: https://images.nasa.gov/details-NHQ_2019_0524_Powering%20Our%20Return%20to%20the%20Moon.html
Protons probably aren’t quite as big as we’d once imagined, according to the results of a sensitive physics experiment that took eight years to complete. Scientists now say our earlier measurements of proton size were off by as much as 5 percent – which might not seem like such a huge correction, but to physicists
Mathematicians have finally figured out the three cubed numbers that add up to 42. This has settled a problem that has been pondered for 65 years: namely, can each of the natural numbers below 100 be expressed as the sum of three cubes? The problem, set in 1954, is exactly what it sounds like: x3+y3+z3=k.
Earth’s magnetic poles drift over time. This is something that every airplane pilot or navigator knows. They have to account for it when they plan their flights. They drift so much, in fact, that the magnetic poles are in different locations than the geographic poles, or the axis of Earth’s rotation. Today, Earth’s magnetic north
The White House and the Pentagon are unhappy with the Senate language because it doesn’t give DoD full legal authority to establish a space service as a sixth branch of the armed forces. WASHINGTON — As Congress returns from summer recess, the White House is ramping up pressure on House and Senate leaders to make
Assuming life on Earth evolved out of a hearty primordial soup spiced with organic space dust, it’s fair to ask how such life-generating molecules came about in the first place. We now have a much better idea, thanks to a new experiment. Researchers from the US Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have shown how two relatively
WASHINGTON — After a difficult year that saw its stock price plummet and the future of its geostationary satellite business questioned, the head of Maxar Technologies says he’s optimistic about the future of both that satellite business and the overall company. Speaking at the G.research Aerospace & Defense Conference Sept. 5 in New York, Dan
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