Tag: nasa

Oops: Failed U.S. Moon Lander Now Hurtling Back TOWARDS Earth

The NASA-backed Peregrine One moon lander is now hurtling back towards Earth after last week failing on its historic journey.

Astrobotic, which had been hoping to hoping to land the first American-made spacecraft on the Moon in more than 50 years, predicts its spacecraft will likely burn up in the atmosphere in the next few days, the BBC reports.

Experts had been working with NASA and other space companies to find the most safe and responsible way of ending Peregrine’s mission.

“The team is currently assessing options and we will update as soon as we are able,” the company noted in a social media post.

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One big…lie? As NASA delays its moon landing to 2026, conspiracy theories are reignited online – with one sceptic claiming the space agency ‘can’t figure out how they did it the first time’

It has been more than 50 years since humanity first set foot on the moon. 

And ever since, conspiracy theories that the landing was faked have been rife.

While none of these theories have any grounding in reality, that hasn’t stopped them from spreading like wildfire.

Now, as NASA delays its highly anticipated return to the moon to 2026, social media has once again been flooded with claims that man has never visited our lunar satellite. 

The delayed missions have even led some sceptics to claim that ‘they can’t figure out how they did it the first time’. 

Citing safety concerns, NASA announced that Artemis II, which will complete a lunar fly-by, has been delayed until September next year.

Meanwhile, Artemis III, which will once again put astronauts on the moon, won’t now take place until September 2026.

These sudden and unexpected delays have ignited a wave of conspiracy theory content on X (formerly Twitter).

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NASA-backed Peregrine One has ‘NO CHANCE’ of landing on the moon as leaky fuel tank has 40 hours left – and $108M craft with JFK’s DNA and other’s ashes are set to drift into the darkness

America’s first lunar lander in over 50 years has been abandoned due to critical loss of fuel during its journey to the moon.

Astrobotic, which launched the first private lunar mission Monday, revealed the Peregrine spacecraft is expected to run out of fuel in about 40 hours.

‘Given the propellant leak, there is, unfortunately, no chance of a soft landing on the moon,’ the Pittsburg-based company shared in an announcement.

The 1.2-ton lander is carrying $108 million worth of NASA instruments, a hair sample from US President John F Kennedy, and the ashes of 60 other people set to be dropped on the lunar surface.

When the fuel is expended, Peregrine’s solar panels will slip into darkness, and the batteries will quickly drain. 

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NASA WILL DEBUT ITS MYSTERIOUS X-59 ‘QUIET’ SUPERSONIC AIRCRAFT AT FAMOUS LOCKHEED MARTIN SKUNK WORKS FACILITY NEXT WEEK

NASA has announced plans to unveil its X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft next week, the American space agency said in a statement on Friday.

“NASA will provide live coverage as it reveals its X-59 aircraft at 4 p.m. EST on Friday, Jan. 12, as part of the agency’s Quesst mission to make commercial supersonic flight possible,” read a portion of the NASA statement.

The aircraft, which recently received a patriotic paint job, will see its public reveal during a ceremony at the famous Lockheed Martin Skunk Works facility in Palmdale, California.

As part of NASA’s Quesst mission, the X-59 will be flown above populated regions of the United States, after which the space agency will collect information from the public about responses to sound the aircraft produces, which will then be supplied to international regulators for assessment.

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DREAM CHASER SPACEPLANE IS GEARING UP TO HELP NASA DELIVER CARGO TO THE INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION

An innovative new spaceplane cargo system is advancing toward its first delivery to the International Space Station (ISS), as one of NASA’s commercial partners providing resupply services.

The Dream Chaser spaceplane, designed by Colorado-based Sierra Space, is an uncrewed cargo spacecraft that is expected to carry out its first demonstration mission next year, NASA said in a news release.

Currently the only commercial runway-capable spaceplane, the reusable cargo system comprises two components, the Dream Chaser, a lifting body spacecraft, and its cargo module, Shooting Star. The system, a modified HL-20 spacecraft, is designed for reuse as many as 15 times and can be prepared for launch in as little as 24 hours.

Dream Chaser’s first flight will undertake in-orbit demonstrations next year to help Sierra Space and its partners at NASA gauge its readiness for future resupply missions. Flight controllers with Sierra Space will oversee the launch, with assistance and support from NASA personnel and the agency’s launch facilities.

At the time of launch, Dream Chaser’s wings are folded within five-meter fairing panels that are jettisoned once they reach orbit, which protect the spacecraft while being carried to orbit on board a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur rocket.

On its way to the ISS, Dream Chaser’s wings are deployed, as well as solar arrays on its cargo module, Shooting Star, which can deliver pressurized and unpressurized cargo to the ISS, as well as retrieve it and bring it back to Earth. The cargo module is disposable, and after each use, it can be jettisoned before reentry.

Before entering joint operations with NASA Mission Control in Houston, Dream Chaser will first demonstrate attitude control, abort capabilities, and other crucial maneuvers well beyond the vicinity of the ISS during initial test phases. These will be followed by near-field demonstrations, which will feature sensor systems and response commands that test its ability to maneuver within proximity to the space station before ultimately being cleared to approach it.

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NASA IDENTIFIES 17 POTENTIALLY HABITABLE EARTH-SIZED ICY WORLDS, INCLUDING TWO COSMIC NEARBY NEIGHBORS

NASA researchers say they have identified 17 potentially habitable icy worlds that are approximately Earth-sized, including two that reside in our cosmic backyard.

Similar to the icy moons of Jupiter (Europa) and Saturn (Enceladus) in our solar system, these worlds are believed to contain massive oceans underneath an icy outer shell, where a combination of tidal forces and radiation might enable the types of life found in the deepest parts of Earth’s oceans.

The researchers also said that these icy worlds may contain surface geysers that erupt some of that water into space, where human-made telescopes could scan those plumes for signs of extraterrestrial life.

Dating back to the discovery of the first exoplanet in 1995, most efforts to search for life on other planets have focused on rocky worlds like Earth that orbit within their host star’s habitable zone, where temperatures would permit liquid water to exist on the planet’s surface. That’s because virtually all life on Earth uses liquid water, and Earth is the only place we have definitively found life.

For a long time, it was also believed that virtually all life forms required sunlight. However, recent discoveries of life forms in the deepest parts of Earth’s oceans that thrive in complete darkness have changed those calculations.

Dubbed “extremophiles,” these hardy organisms replace the light energy most life forms receive from the sun with thermal energy spewed by volcanic vents on the ocean floor. They also receive vital nutrients and other organic compounds from these vents, both of which are also critical to life.

These discoveries have led astrobiologists to redefine where they search for life outside Earth. Two of the most tantalizing targets are Europa and Enceladus. Scientists theorize that the tidal forces of their host planets and other moons combined with radiation energy generate enough internal heat energy that these icy moons may have oceans of seawater beneath their icy shells.

In 2005, NASA’s Cassini mission spotted geysers of water erupting from the surface of Enceladus, lending strong support to those theories. The space agency is even evaluating missions designed to fly spacecraft through those plumes and collect samples of the oceans below.

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NASA TO LAUNCH STADIUM-SIZED CRAFT OVER ANTARCTICA IN NEW MISSION TO EXPLORE COSMIC PHENOMENA

A long-duration aerial mission soon to be carried out by NASA over Antarctica will launch stadium-sized craft in support of a series of record-breaking science missions, the agency announced this week.

The Antarctic Long Duration Balloon (LDB) Campaign, which includes a trio of scientific balloon flights equipped to study a range of different phenomena, will launch at the beginning of December, according to a press release NASA issued on Monday.

The mission will employ a series of massive zero-pressure balloons, which the American space agency says will support five missions in total.

Equipped with open ducts through which gas can escape, thereby eliminating the buildup of pressure within, zero-pressure balloons expand as they accumulate heat from the rising Sun as they are being carried aloft. Conversely, as the Sun sets, heat is lost, which results in a loss of gas, which causes zero-pressure balloons to have a shorter flight duration than other inflatable systems.

However, long-duration missions can be achieved during the polar summer, a period during which the balloons remain in constant sunlight for extended periods.

One of the missions aims to break a previous long-duration balloon flight record of just over 55 days. The balloons will launch from NASA’s facility for balloon launches located close to McMurdo Station, the largest community on Earth’s southernmost continent located on the southern edge of Ross Island, Antarctica.

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EERIE GLOWS AND ELECTRON BEAMS: WHAT WERE NASA’S ‘DISSIPATION’ AND ‘BEAM-PIE’ MISSIONS INVESTIGATING OVER REMOTE ALASKA?

On Wednesday, NASA launched a sounding rocket into the early morning skies above Fairbanks, as the wavering green glow of the aurora borealis danced over the Poker Flat Research Range near Mile 30 along Alaska’s Steese Highway.

The Wednesday launch was part of NASA’s DISSIPATION mission, managed out of Goddard Space Flight Center, which aims to capture data that will help scientists understand phenomena associated with auroras, including how high-altitude solar winds dissipate their energy, and how auroras contribute to heating the atmosphere, according to a NASA statement.

Part of the mission’s focus involves a region between 60 and 180 miles over the Earth and at latitudes above 65 degrees, known as the high-latitude ionosphere-thermosphere, where energy from charged solar wind particles is dissipated.

Researchers involved said that the launch, which occurred shortly after midnight, was timed perfectly with the peak of the aurora that morning, which lasted less than half an hour.

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Prada to help design NASA spacesuits for astronauts to wear to the moon on 2025 Artemis III mission

Prada’s next runway walk will be out of this world -literally – as the designer brand will soon help design spacesuits for the 2025 Artemis III mission to the moon. 

The high-priced designer brand has been contracted by NASA to help make the suits astronauts will wear to the moon – the first visit to the lunar surface since 1972.

The contract is a partnership between the Italian company and Axiom Space which was awarded a contract to help modernize and make the suits more comfortable. 

Early versions of the suit were released in March and officials said it was designed to fit perfectly for both women and men – a necessary detail for the 2025 mission.  

The Artemis III mission is expected to be the first time in history that a woman and a person of color will walk on the moon. 

According to Reuters, Prada’s engineers will help to develop ‘solutions for materials and design features to protect astronauts against the challenge of space.’ 

Axiom also commended Prada on its use of making and using materials, stating the expertise in this area as another reason for the deal. 

Prada – more than 100 year old fashion house – is best known for their expensive bags and clothing items which can go for thousands of dollars. 

In a joint statement, the companies said Prada’s goal will also be to make the suits more comfortable for the suits for the four astronauts set to orbit. 

The astronauts on the Artemis III were named by NASA earlier this year as Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, commander Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch. 

The Houston-based Axiom was given their contract by NASA last year in an effort to modernize previous space suits. 

In the past, the suits were designed specifically for the male body and incorporated bulky fabrics and heavier equipment. 

A statement from NASA said that they support the partnership between NASA and Axiom as the deal will ensure the new suits meet critical safety standards. 

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NASA to Use Artificial Intelligence to Better Track and Monitor UFO’s

As inklings of extraterrestrial life continue to make headlines, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will begin to use advancements in artificial intelligence to better monitor the skies in the hopes that non-human eyes may help them understand unidentified flying object (UFO) sightings and other events that may indicate a non-human presence.

NASA said that artificial intelligence (AI) will be “essential” in fully understanding the data surrounding unidentified anomalous phenomena and their origins in talks that followed the release of their highly anticipated UFO report.

The report did not conclude one way or the other whether NASA believes UFO’s are of extraterrestrial origin, but in a press briefing on September 14 the Administrator of NASA emphasized that the agency would continue to use all the resources at its disposal to prove or disprove that the unidentified objects showing up all over American military radar and otherwise baffling the world’s best scientists are of extraterrestrial origin. These resources now include AI programs that can comb through very large datasets for information a human might miss or take much longer to find.

“We will use AI and machine learning to search the skies for anomalies… and will continue to search the heavens for habitable reality,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said. “AI is just coming on the scene to be explored in all areas, so why should we limit any technological tool in analyzing, using data that we have?”

NASA administrators emphasized both in the report and press briefing that data surrounding unidentified anomalous phenomenas (UAP’s) and UFO’s is often very hard to analyze or quantify partly because of the nature of the topic and partly because it’s a very large swath of data. By using new tools made possible by artificial intelligence, NASA believes they can find patterns or anomalies in data that humans have thus far been unable to find.

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