SpaceNXT Labs is glad to present the top stories within the space industry for the month of Jan-Feb 2022.
Jupiter’s 92 Moons
Jupiter isn’t just the largest and most massive planet in the solar system — now, the gas giant also boasts the largest number of moons orbiting it after scientists discovered another 12 moons, bringing the behemoth’s total up to 92.
The orbits of the 12 hitherto undiscovered moons of Jupiter have been published by the Minor Planet Center (MPC) operated by the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, according to a new report from Sky and Telescope. (Source : space.com)
SpaceX’s 200th Falcon 9 Rocket Launch
Back down on Earth, SpaceX launched its 200th Falcon 9 rocket, carrying another batch of Starlink satellites into orbit, on Thursday. The Elon Musk-led space corporation has deployed nearly 4,000 satellites to its fledgling Starlink internet service, which offers high-speed connections in remote parts of the world. SpaceX plans to add thousands more satellites to its network in the coming years. (Source : yahoo.com)
Green Comet approaches after 50,000 years
A recently discovered comet will soon make an appearance in the night sky for the first time in 50,000 years.
Discovered on March 2, 2022 by astronomers using the Zwicky Transient Facility’s wide-field survey camera at the Palomar Observatory in San Diego County, California, the comet will make its closest approach to the sun on January 12, according to NASA.
Named C/2022 E3 (ZTF), the comet has an orbit around the sun that passes through the outer reaches of the solar system, which is why it’s taken such a long journey — and long time — to swing by Earth again, according to The Planetary Society. (Source : cnn.com)
ISS reaches full utilization
NASA has effectively reached full utilization of the International Space Station given limitations on crew time and the ability to get cargo to and from the station, an agency official said Jan. 30.
Speaking at a meeting of a National Academies committee working on the decadal survey for biological and physical sciences in space, Kirt Costello, NASA ISS chief scientist, said that the agency had reached the limits of its share of station resources to do research.
(Source : spacenews.com)
Sultan of Space suits up for ISS Mission
All suited up in astronaut gear, Sultan Al Neyadi looked 100 per cent ready for the UAE’s next big space mission. His official portrait as part of the SpaceX Crew-6 was released on Saturday.
Al Neyadi — mission specialist, Primary Crew, Crew-6 — has undergone rigorous training for the historic mission that will make him the first Arab astronaut to spend six months on the International Space Station (ISS). With just a few weeks remaining before the target February 26 liftoff, the Emirati is about to go into quarantine, which is part of the standard measures for every astronaut heading to space.
He will be blasting off with three other crew members: astronaut Stephen Bowen, spacecraft commander at Nasa, astronaut Warren Hoburg, a pilot at Nasa, and cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev, mission specialist at Roscosmos. (Source : kahleejtimes.com)
Teddy on Mars
The beaming face of a cute-looking teddy bear appears to have been carved into the surface of our nearest planetary neighbor, waiting for a passing satellite to discover it. And when the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter passed over last month, carrying aboard the most powerful camera ever to venture into the Solar System, that’s exactly what happened.
Scientists operating the HiRISE (High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment), which has been circling Mars since 2006, crunched the data that made it back to Earth, and have now published a picture of the face.
“There’s a hill with a V-shaped collapse structure (the nose), two craters (the eyes), and a circular fracture pattern (the head),” said scientists at the University of Arizona, which operates the kit. Each one of the features in the 2,000-meter (1.25-mile)-wide face has a possible explanation that hints at just how active the surface of the planet is.
“The circular fracture pattern might be due to the settling of a deposit over a buried impact crater,” the scientists said. (Source : phys.org)
Launching Solar Panels into Space
UK scientists are planning to launch brand new solar panels into space in order to solve the current energy crisis. In order to kickstart the scheme, the UK Space Agency plan to put up an initial £500,000 of taxpayers’ money to build prototypes for the project.
The scientists are planning to construct the jumbo panels, inset, to collect power from the sun’s rays, store it and beam it down. Experts at the Government-backed Satellite Applications Catapult, in Didcot, Oxfordshire, are the ones behind the energy-saving research.
Sam Alden said: “This project is a vital first step in the development of a viable Space-Based Solar Power (SBSP) solution.
“By funding SBSP, the UK Space Agency is demonstrating its commitment to this important future energy technology and that gives us a vital boost as we start this work.
(Source : mirror.co.uk)
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