In order for future lunar exploration missions to be successful and land more precisely, engineers must equip spacecraft with technologies that allow them to “see” where they are and travel to where they need to be. Finding specific locations amid the moon’s complicated topography is not a simple task. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-12-image-based-spacecraft-safely-moon.html…
Tag: Navigation
The ESA Starts a New Commercial Sector in Space: Removing Space Debris
Long-time Slashdot reader SonicSpike brings some big news from outer space. European Space Agency announced this week that they’re signing “a €86 million ($102 million USD) contract with an industrial team led by the Swiss start-up ClearSpace SA to purchase a unique service: the first removal of an item of space debris from orbit” in the year 2025. “With this contract…
China Built the First Electric Car Designed Exclusively For Ride-Hailing
Two of China’s top companies have joined forces to design, develop, and build an electric car for the express purpose of ride-hailing. The Verge reports: The vehicle is an adorable green hatchback called the D1, and it was developed by Didi Chuxing, the top ride-hailing company in China that notoriously defeated Uber in 2016, and BYD, one of the leading electric…
Video: Connecting Earth with the moon
Lunar exploration relies on the extensive expertise that is on hand across ESA. As a new lunar economy emerges, it will create new opportunities involving robots, habitats and transportation. Missions to the moon share similar communication and navigation needs that could be satisfied using a constellation of lunar satellites. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-video-earth-moon.html…
Six Reasons Why Google Maps Is the Creepiest App On Your Phone
VICE has highlighted six reasons why Google Maps is the creepiest app on your phone. An anonymous reader shares an excerpt from the report: 1. Google Maps Wants Your Search History: Google’s “Web & App Activity” settings describe how the company collects data, such as user location, to create a faster and “more personalized” experience. In plain English, this means that…
Time transfer performance of BDS-3 satellites improved
Time transfer technology based on navigation satellites started in the 1980s. The conventional common view (CV), all-in-view (AV) and precise point positioning (PPP) time comparison methods based on global navigation satellite system (GNSS) satellites have been widely used in remote and high-precision time comparison activities. Source: https://phys.org/news/2020-11-bds-satellites.html…
SpaceX Starship as a trash collector in Earth orbit?
SpaceX Starship’s many tasks may include launching humans into space, carrying satellites into orbit and — perhaps — removing troublesome pieces of space debris. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/spacex-starship-clean-up-space-junk…
An Underwater Navigation System Powered by Sound
GPS isn’t waterproof. The navigation system depends on radio waves, which break down rapidly in liquids, including seawater. To track undersea objects like drones or whales, researchers rely on acoustic signaling. But devices that generate and send sound usually require batteries — bulky, short-lived batteries that need regular changing. Could we do without them? From a report: MIT researchers think so….
‘Time Cells’ Discovered In Human Brains
Researchers have identified cells in the human brain that are responsible for episodic memories. The study has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. NPR reports: The cells are called time cells, and they place a sort of time stamp on memories as they are being formed. That allows us to recall sequences of events or…
Top 10 things to know about asteroid Bennu
Take a video tour of asteroid Bennu’s remarkable terrain and read a list of 10 cool things scientists know about this pristine remnant from the early days of our solar system. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/top-10-things-to-know-about-asteroid-bennu-video-tour…