Tag: NASA spacecraft

635266kmph! NASA sets new speed record with Parker Solar Probe! Craft turns fastest human-made object
14Oct By adminNo Comments
Technology

635266kmph! NASA sets new speed record with Parker Solar Probe! Craft turns fastest human-made object

[ad_1] In the depths of space, the Parker Solar Probe, launched by NASA in 2018 to explore the Sun, has achieved a remarkable milestone. Racing around our star at an astonishing speed of 635266kmph, it has become the fastest human-made object in history, surpassing the legendary SR-71 Blackbird by nearly 180 times.Breaking the Speed BarrierImagine hurtling through space at such incredible velocity, completing 15 Earth circumnavigations in an hour. This incredible feat occurred during the probe's 17th orbit around the Sun, only three years after setting its previous speed record of 586,863 kph, Business Insider reported. What makes the Parker Solar Probe's achievement even more remarkable is that it doesn't rely on artificial propulsion. Instead, it follows a precisely planned orbit arou...
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NASA spacecraft delivering biggest sample yet from an asteroid
23Sep By adminNo Comments
Technology

NASA spacecraft delivering biggest sample yet from an asteroid

[ad_1] Planet Earth is about to receive a special delivery — the biggest sample yet from an asteroid.A NASA spacecraft will fly by Earth on Sunday and drop off what is expected to be at least a cupful of rubble it grabbed from the asteroid Bennu. closing out a seven-year quest. The sample capsule will parachute into the Utah desert as its mothership, the Osiris-Rex spacecraft, zooms off for an encounter with another asteroid. Scientists anticipate getting about a half pound (250 grams) of pebbles and dust, much more than the teaspoon or so brought back by Japan from two other asteroids. No other country has fetched pieces of asteroids, preserved time capsules from the dawn of our solar system that can help explain how Earth — and life — came to be.Sunday's landing concludes a 4 billion-...
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Bad news! NASA loses contact with iconic Voyager 2 spacecraft
30Jul By adminNo Comments
Technology

Bad news! NASA loses contact with iconic Voyager 2 spacecraft

[ad_1] The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) faces a temporary communication challenge with its intrepid spacecraft, Voyager 2, as it continues its interstellar journey between stars. The issue arises from an inadvertent misalignment of the antenna, rendering the spacecraft unable to receive commands or transmit data back to Earth. Despite this setback, NASA remains optimistic about resolving the problem during the next scheduled orientation reset in October. Voyager 2, a testament to human engineering and exploration, stands as one of the most distant artificial object in space, second only to its predecessor, Voyager 1.Antenna Misalignment Causes Temporary Communication LossThe anomaly occurred on July 21 when a series of planned commands inadvertently caused Voyage...
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Lockheed Martin Selected to Develop Nuclear Propelled Spacecraft
27Jul By adminNo Comments
Technology

Lockheed Martin Selected to Develop Nuclear Propelled Spacecraft

[ad_1] A Department of Defense agency and NASA picked Lockheed Martin Corp. to design and develop the first nuclear thermal rocket engine to be tested in space, part of a program called DRACO.Through a contract announced on Wednesday with the federal research and development organization known as Darpa, Lockheed Martin will design and build the nuclear-propelled engine along with an experimental spacecraft, called X-NTRV. The goal will be to launch the spacecraft with the nuclear engine in 2027. NASA will commit $300 million to DRACO, while the US Space Force will provide the launch vehicle and pad for the X-NTRV vehicle. The idea of nuclear thermal propulsion has long been considered as a way to send shortened crewed missions to Mars. Such engines could produce high thrust, but more ef...
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How close can astronauts get to the Sun?
24Jul By adminNo Comments
Technology

How close can astronauts get to the Sun?

[ad_1] Do you think any crewed spacecraft could ever reach anywhere close to Sun? Well, Nasa's Parker Solar Probe successfully traversed through the Sun's upper atmosphere, known as the corona, and collected valuable samples of particles and magnetic fields in that region. This was the historic moment for humankind. However, even for it, reaching close to the Sun has its own challenges.Cooling spaceships is a challenge, but not an insurmountable one as the field of thermal protection has made substantial advancements. Missions like Bepi Colombo, exploring Mercury, and the Parker Solar Probe and Solar Orbiter got very cose due to their sophisticated cooling systems and highly reflective materials. Their survival in such harsh conditions esured that they send valuable data back to Earth. ...
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The enigma behind the Geminid Meteor shower unravelled
24Jun By adminNo Comments
Technology

The enigma behind the Geminid Meteor shower unravelled

[ad_1] Recent findings have shed light on the mysterious origins of the annual Geminid meteor shower. In a NASA blog post on June 14, 2023, Desiree Apodaca from the Goddard Space Flight Center revealed intriguing insights suggesting that a high-speed collision or a gaseous explosion could be responsible for creating the Geminid meteor stream.Unlike other meteor showers such as the Delta Aquariids or the Perseids, which are caused by debris from icy comets orbiting the sun, the Geminid meteors have a different source.For several decades, scientists have known that the parent body of the Geminids is not a fragile comet but a solid asteroid named 3200 Phaethon, as EarthSky reported. The behavior of Phaethon is peculiar. While most asteroids do not exhibit such characteristics, Phaethon, as...
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NASA reveals secrets of the Solar Wind-take a bow Parker Solar Probe!
20Jun By adminNo Comments
Technology

NASA reveals secrets of the Solar Wind-take a bow Parker Solar Probe!

[ad_1] NASA sent the Parker Solar Probe on a daring mission to study the Sun's outermost atmosphere, known as the corona, and since then, scientists have made it reveal secrets about the solar wind that impacts the Earth in various ways. Solar wind is a continuous flow of charged particles called plasma, which is released from the Sun's corona out into space. Parker Solar Probe spacecraft, operated by NASA, was launched in 2018 with the primary objective of investigating the Solar Wind and its impact on Earth.In a recent study published in Nature, researchers unveiled new insights into the Solar Wind based on data collected by the Parker Solar Probe, as reported by VOA English Learning. The spacecraft made history in 2021 by entering the Sun's Corona for the first time, reaching a dista...
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Asteroid hunting Lucy looks back at Earth from space! NASA shares astounding photo
9Jan By adminNo Comments
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Asteroid hunting Lucy looks back at Earth from space! NASA shares astounding photo

[ad_1] The amazing cameras on NASA’s asteroid hunting Lucy spacecraft have captured captivating images of Earth. Whenever we mention the word Earth, the image that pops up in our mind is of a round blue planet hanging in space. However, NASA's Lucy spacecraft, designed to explore asteroids near Jupiter looked back at Earth and captured captivating images of our home planet and Moon. The color? All in grey. Informing about the same, NASA's Earth Observatory said, "A spacecraft designed to investigate ancient asteroids near Jupiter will reach those distant targets with a little help from Earth. NASA's Lucy spacecraft is using Earth's gravity to help propel it beyond Mars. In the process, its cameras have captured captivating images of our home planet." The Terminal Tracking C...
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Smashing success: NASA asteroid strike results in big nudge in save-the-world test
12Oct By adminNo Comments
Technology

Smashing success: NASA asteroid strike results in big nudge in save-the-world test

[ad_1] A spacecraft that plowed into a small, harmless asteroid millions of miles away succeeded in shifting its orbit, NASA said in announcing the results of its save-the-world test. The space agency attempted the test two weeks ago to see if in the future a killer rock could be nudged out of Earth's way. “This mission shows that NASA is trying to be ready for whatever the universe throws at us,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a briefing at the space agency's headquarters in Washington. The Dart spacecraft carved a crater into the asteroid Dimorphos on Sept. 26, hurling debris out into space and creating a cometlike trail of dust and rubble stretching several thousand miles (kilometers). It took consecutive nights of telescope observations from Chile and South Afric...
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Asteroid strike! Earthlings should sleep better, says Elena Adams
27Sep By adminNo Comments
Technology

Asteroid strike! Earthlings should sleep better, says Elena Adams

[ad_1] NASA's DART successfully a slammed spacecraft into an asteroid 9.6 mn km away at 22,500 kmph. NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test also known as DART – the world's first planetary defence technology demonstration – successfully smashed a spacecraft into its target, the Asteroid Dimorphos, on September 26. The process included crashing a 570kg spacecraft into binary asteroid 65803 Didymos' moonlet Dimorphos to deflect it from its route by using kinetic impact. NASA stated that DART represents an unprecedented success for planetary defence, but it is also a mission of unity with a real benefit for all humanity.“Our first planetary defense test was a success and I think we can clap to that,” NASA's Adams said to appla...
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