Tag: NASA
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NASA shuts down asteroid-hunting telescope, but a better one is on the way
Last week, NASA decommissioned a nearly 15-year-old spacecraft that discovered 400 near-Earth asteroids and comets, closing an important chapter in the agency’s planetary defense program. From its position in low-Earth orbit, the spacecraft’s infrared telescope scanned the entire sky 23 times and captured millions of images, initially searching for infrared emissions from galaxies, stars, and…
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NASA shuts down asteroid-hunting telescope, but a better one is on the way
Last week, NASA decommissioned a nearly 15-year-old spacecraft that discovered 400 near-Earth asteroids and comets, closing an important chapter in the agency’s planetary defense program. From its position in low-Earth orbit, the spacecraft’s infrared telescope scanned the entire sky 23 times and captured millions of images, initially searching for infrared emissions from galaxies, stars, and…
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NASA chief to scientists on budget cuts: “I feel your pain”
Ars Technica recently had the opportunity to speak with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who has now led the US space agency for more than three years. We spoke about budget issues, Artemis program timelines, and NASA’s role as a soft power in global diplomacy. What follows is a very lightly edited transcript of the conversation…
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NASA chief to scientists on budget cuts: “I feel your pain”
Ars Technica recently had the opportunity to speak with NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who has now led the US space agency for more than three years. We spoke about budget issues, Artemis program timelines, and NASA’s role as a soft power in global diplomacy. What follows is a very lightly edited transcript of the conversation…
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As it happened: NASA officials discuss latest on Boeing Crew Flight Test
NASA officials continue to review data on the Starliner spacecraft as they determine how best to conclude the mission and return both the spacecraft as well as its crew back to Earth. Follow along with our live blog for updates from the media teleconference, which is set to begin at 1 p.m. EDT (1700 UTC).…
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NASA is about to make its most important safety decision in nearly a generation
As soon as this week, NASA officials will make perhaps the agency’s most consequential safety decision in human spaceflight in 21 years. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are nearly 10 weeks into a test flight that was originally set to last a little more than one week. The two retired US Navy test…
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Gaia detects more than 350 possible asteroid moons
Astronomers have found more than 350 possible moons around asteroids by analyzing data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope. While asteroids known to have moons, also known as binary asteroids, have been studied by Gaia before, this is the first time the telescope has been used to discover new binary asteroids. “Binary asteroids…
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Cybertrucks on Mars? Space advocates and NASA consider ideas for sample return
These AI images of a “Cybertruck on Mars” were created by the Stable Diffusion image generation program, running on Tesla’s Dojo supercomputer in 2022. (Tesla via YouTube) Tesla’s Cybertruck may look ungainly on Earth, but a pressurized version of the vehicle might be just the thing for gathering up samples of Martian rock and soil…
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NASA sends final command to its NEOWISE spacecraft, ending more than a decade of asteroid observations
This 2013 artist’s concept shows the NASA’s WISE spacecraft, in its orbit around Earth. In September of 2013, engineers brought the mission out of hibernation to hunt for more asteroids and comets in a project called NEOWISE. Graphic: NASA A spacecraft that helped bolster planetary defense is now at the end of its operational mission.…
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NASA says Boeing Starliner test crew may have to return in SpaceX capsule in 2025
An image captured through the window of a docked SpaceX Dragon capsule shows Boeing’s Starliner capsule hooked up to the International Space Station. (NASA Photo) Continuing concerns about the thruster system on Boeing’s Starliner space capsule may lead NASA to decide against letting astronauts take the craft back down to Earth from the International Space…