Science, Space, Health & Robotics News - Page 285

Despite being more than 30 years old, the Hubble Space Telescope is still one of the leading telescopes in the world for the incredible images it can produce.

The European Space Agency (ESA) released a new image taken with Hubble's Wield Field Camera 3, and it shows what appears to look like a massive cosmic "sword" stabbing through a "heart". The image is actually showcasing two twin jets of ionized gas being propelled out in two separate jets from the poles of a newborn star. The star is named IRAS 05491+0247, and it's located 1,300 light-years from Earth within the constellation we refer to as Orion.

The ESA wrote on the post the following, "Herbig-Haro objects actually release a lot of light at optical wavelengths, but they are difficult to observe because their surrounding dust and gas absorb much of the visible light. Therefore, the WFC3's ability to observe at infrared wavelengths - where observations are not as affected by gas and dust - is crucial to observing [Herbig]-Haro objects successfully." Hubble will soon be replaced with the James Webb Space Telescope, the world's most powerful space telescope. To find out more about the James Webb Space Telescope, check out this link here.

A senior space official reported on August 30 that new cracks have been found on the Zarya module of the International Space Station.

The report comes from a Russian cosmonaut who said that the situation is "bad" and that the cracks could eventually spread and cause fissures over time. As for the history of the Zarya module, it was the first module of the International Space Station ever launched on November 20, 1998.

Vladimir Solovyov, a chief engineer of rocket and space corporation Energia, said, "Superficial fissures have been found in some places on the Zarya module." Adding, "This is bad and suggests that the fissures will begin to spread over time." Solovyov has previously said that the ISS is beginning to appear aged and that after 2025 he expects there will be an "avalanche" of broken equipment. For more information on this story, check out this link here.

A company has received the first-ever check from NASA to commence mining on the moon. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson presented the check to Lunar Outpost.

The company that has been awarded the check is Lunar Outpost, a Colorado-based space startup company were awarded the check under the space resource contract that was announced on August 23 during the 36th annual Space Symposium. Lunar Outpost CEO Justin Cyrus has presented the check by NASA Administrator Bill Nelson.

Nelson explained why the check is so little, "We had contractual terms with them when they produce their first element. We would give them 10% of their contract award. I am happy to present a check for 10% of their bid. Justin, here's a check for 10 cents." While the amount that was awarded to the company is somewhat humorous, Cyrus explains, "This sets a legal and procedural framework that will be utilized for generations and decades to come for companies like ours and many others to go out and collect resources from the lunar surface from other planetary bodies and make them basically useful for humanity."

Sometimes science can be humorous, and a team of researchers from Australia, Canada, and the United States who were observing octopuses may have stumbled across one of those times.

In a new paper that has appeared on the bioRxiv preprint server, which means the paper is yet to be peer-reviewed, a team of researchers observed female octopuses engaged in object-throwing more times than previously anticipated. The researchers traveled to Jervis Bay, Sydney, Australia, and saw that female octopuses throw shells, silt, and other objects at males attempting to mate with them.

Not only do the female octopuses throw the material at the males, but they also hide the material under their body after they have gathered it, concealing it until the time is right to throw it. The researchers observed one female octopus throwing sea material at a male ten times. Additionally, researchers saw males attempt to duck the material and were recorded to be successful half of the time. For more information on this story, check out this link here.

The CEO of SpaceX, Elon Musk has said that his company will be attempting to catch the largest flying object ever with robot chopsticks.

Musk has taken to his Twitter account to announce the news, and if you think that there is no chance that Musk or SpaceX can pull this off, it's not the first time the concept has been discussed. The idea was originally proposed by a startup company called Small Stars, who released a video to its YouTube channel that poses the question - Can SpaceX Really Catch Starships? The video can be found below if you wish to understand the concept in its entirety.

Back in April, Musk tweeted that "Starship booster, largest flying object ever designed, will be caught out of sky by launch tower. Big step forward, as reflight can be done in under an hour." Now, Musk has said that "SpaceX will try to catch largest ever flying object with robot chopsticks. Success is not guaranteed, but excitement is!" Musk followed up with a time frame by saying that the first catch will be attempted with Booster 5, Starships booster.

If you are interested in space, you are most likely interested in the International Space Station (ISS). So, how about you go on a tour?

European Space Agency (ESA) ISS astronaut Thomas Pesquet has decided to be your guide as the ESA has posted a video to its YouTube channel that details a new series that will take viewers on a tour through the floating laboratory with 360-degree cameras. The new series is appropriately named Space Station 360 and will allow the viewer to control the camera to look around in their desired location.

As for the video above, Pesquet details the Node 2 module, giving explanations for all of the features contained within it. Node 2 is described as a "connecting module" or "communication module", and is the "crossroads" of the ISS. The module is where cargo vehicles dock, tools are stored, sleeping stations, and more. If you are interested in more of this unique ISS tour, check out this link here.

The successor to the Hubble Space Telescope is moving closer and closer to its launch. Introducing the James Webb Space Telescope, the world's most powerful space telescope.

Anyone who is interested in space and all of the subcategories that can be derived from the topic is excited about the launch of the James Webb Telescope, as the power the telescope brings to the table will allow for researchers to observe the universe like they never have before. NASA is currently preparing for the launch of the telescope.

Gregory Robinson, Webb's program director at NASA headquarters in Washington, said, "NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has reached a major turning point on its path toward launch with the completion of final observatory integration and testing. We have a tremendously dedicated workforce who brought us to the finish line, and we are very excited to see that Webb is ready for launch and will soon be on that science journey."

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has fired off a shot at Blue Origin CEO Jeff Bezos after Amazon sent a letter to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

Amazon sent a letter to the FCC asking the regulatory agency not to allow SpaceX to launch a new set of its Starlink satellites, and in response to the letter SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has taken to his Twitter account to poke some fun at former Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Musk said that it "Turns out Besos retired in order to pursue a full-time job filing lawsuits against SpaceX ..."

This isn't the first time a company run by Bezos has pushed for regulation of SpaceXs' plans as Blue Origin earlier this month has moved to sue NASA over its decision to award SpaceX a $2.9 billion contract to construct the next lunar lander. The decision to sue NASA and the previous arguments put forward by Blue Origin has resulted in numerous delays with the construction of the new lunar lander, which has now raised concern about the likelihood of NASA being able to put humans back on the moon in 2024.

NASA is sending launching another resupply trip to the International Space Station with SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft.

The Dragon spacecraft launched aboard the Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida with more than 4,800 pounds of cutting-edge science for researchers aboard the laboratory to enjoy. The cargo delivery is scheduled to arrive on Monday. It includes ants, avocados, a human-sized robotic arm, and numerous testing equipment designed to monitor astronaut health progression.

Other items aboard the cargo shipment are fresh foods such as lemons, ice cream for the floating laboratories, seven astronauts, shrimp, plant test subjects, seeds, weeds, concrete samples, solar cells, and more. All of the items aboard the cargo ship will be exposed to weightlessness and studied by the astronaut researchers in their respective fields. Assisting the astronauts in their study will be Gitai Inc.'s robotic arm that is designed to take on mundane tasks from astronauts, freeing up their time to accomplish something more of value.

The International Space Station (ISS) will soon be getting a bunch of new cutting-edge science toys to play around with in microgravity.

SpaceX will be transporting the cargo aboard the company's Dragon resupply spacecraft that launched at 3:14 a.m. EDT Sunday on a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The cargo's weight comes in at a total of 4,800 pounds and includes new experiments, supplies for the astronauts aboard the floating laboratory, and hardware.

The Dragon spacecraft will automatically dock with the ISS on Monday, August 30 and will stay at the ISS for around a month while astronauts aboard the lab remove the cargo and prepare for Dragon's separation. Below is what science is included in the cargo.