The first space hurricane ever was spotted in August 2014, consisting of “an eddy of plasma, a type of superhot, charged gas found throughout the solar system,” reports Business Insider. “And instead of rain, this storm brought showers of electrons.” From the report: In August 2014, satellites observed a swirling mass with a quiet center more than 125 miles above the…
Tag: International Space Station
Boeing Starliner test flight postponed
An unmanned test mission of Boeing’s Starliner space capsule, which is eventually to transport astronauts to the International Space Station, has had to be postponed, NASA said Monday. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-03-boeing-starliner-flight-postponed.html…
New brine processor increases water recycling on International Space Station
NASA’s newest technology demonstration, which launched on Northrop Grumman’s 15th commercial resupply services mission, is designed to improve water recycling on the International Space Station and boost the efficiency of water recycling for the Artemis generation. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-03-brine-processor-recycling-international-space-1.html…
International Space Station archives fuel new scientific discoveries
When scientists complete an experiment aboard the International Space Station, the ramifications of that work have just begun. NASA carries on a legacy of decades of biological research data, fueling new discoveries long after studies wrap up in space. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-03-international-space-station-archives-fuel.html…
Watch ISS spacewalk February 28
On Sunday, February 28, 3 astronauts will perform the first in a pair of International Space Station spacewalks to ready the station for solar array upgrades. How to watch live. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/watch-iss-spacewalk-feb-mar-2021…
Big ideas in small packages: The seeds and worms making their way to the ISS
On Feb. 20, 2021, Northrop Grumman will launch its Cygnus cargo spacecraft aboard an Antares rocket to deliver several tons of cargo and supplies to the International Space Station for its 15th resupply mission (CRS-15). Included in these bulky supplies will be a handful of items that weigh no more than a few grams—a sampling of seeds, some microscopic proteins, and…
Researchers developing drugs to enable longer space missions
The University of Adelaide is sending pills to the International Space Station (ISS) to determine if it will be possible to produce medicine in space to enable longer-term space missions. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-drugs-enable-longer-space-missions.html…
This is what happens to spacecraft when they re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere
When one of the Russian Progress resupply ships undocks from the International Space Station, timing is everything. The Progress needs to fire its engines at just the right time to instigate the deorbit burn in order for the ship to enter the atmosphere at just the right place so that its destructive re-entry occurs over the Pacific Ocean. That way, any…
Astronauts test virus-fighting surface coating
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are conducting experiments with an antimicrobial surface coating designed to fight the spread of bacteria and viruses. Source: https://phys.org/news/2021-02-astronauts-virus-fighting-surface-coating.html…
Can you see Canopus, the 2nd-brightest star?
Here’s how to spot Canopus, the 2nd-brightest star in the sky as seen from Earth, on February evenings. Source: https://earthsky.org/brightest-stars/few-know-the-second-brightest-star-canopus…