Satellite-based radar could spot faulty bridges from space

Researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, California, and the University of Bath are developing a technique that uses satellite radar imaging to monitor the safety of bridges and other large-scale infrastructure. Us… Continue reading Satellite-based radar could spot faulty bridges from space

It’s NICER in Orbit

Given the sheer volume of science going on as the International Space Station circles above our heads every 90 minutes or so, it would be hard for any one experiment to stand out. ISS expeditions conduct experiments on everything from space medicine to astrophysics and beyond, and the instruments needed …read more

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Earth's eighth persistent lava lake found on remote sub-Antarctic island

In this image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission, a distinct hotspot can be seen in ...

Many of us will know what bubbling lakes of lava within volcanoes look like. After all, we’ve seen them our entire lives in movies, TV shows and cartoons. But that doesn’t mean they’re common. In fact, only seven lava lakes have been found so far, until now. After 30 years of suspecting the existence and location of the eighth, a team of scientists has finally confirmed it – within the crater of a remote, Subantarctic island volcano.

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Mission plans for SULIS solar storms project revealed

Mission plans for SULIS, a UK-led solar project designed to answer fundamental questions about the physics of solar storms, have been revealed. Using a cluster of small, formation-flying satellites known as CubeSats, SULIS will directly measu… Continue reading Mission plans for SULIS solar storms project revealed

Mary Sherman Morgan, Rocket Fuel Mixologist

In the fall of 1957, it seemed as though the United States’ space program would never get off the ground. The USSR had launched Sputnik in October, and this cemented their place in history as the first nation in space. If that weren’t bad enough, they put Sputnik 2 into …read more

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Declassified spy satellite photos reveal accelerating ice loss at Earth's "third pole"

Recently declassified US spy satellite images reveal Himalayan glaciers have been melting at an accelerating rate

It’s not entirely news that the Earth’s ice budget is under threat from a warming climate, but a new study has looked into just how fast that’s happening. Using recently declassified spy satellite photos, researchers found that compared to the last quarter of the 20th century, Himalayan glaciers have been melting twice as fast this century. In a rare piece of good news, a separate study has shown that a Greenland glacier has gained ice for the third year in a row.

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LightSail 2 CubeSat launches next week to test photon propulsion system that could take us interstellar

Like the seafarers of old, future spacecraft could be getting around under the power of sails. But of course, with no wind in space, these sails are catching another method of propulsion – photons from starlight. The tech is soon due to be de… Continue reading LightSail 2 CubeSat launches next week to test photon propulsion system that could take us interstellar

ESA's reusable Space Rider capsule would carry equipment to orbit and back

The ESA has outlined Space Rider, a reusable capsule for experiments in low-Earth orbit

Space flight requires quite a lot of single-use machinery, and when you’re talking about multi-million dollar rockets that are used once, that gets pretty expensive and wasteful. Companies like SpaceX have made in-roads towards reusable rockets, and now ESA has outlined its own reusable Space Rider capsule, which would carry scientific equipment to the edge of space and back several times over.

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Swarm of 105 tiny Sprite ChipSats successfully deployed

If you thought SpaceX launching 60 Starlink satellites at once was impressive, Cornell University has managed 105 small satellites. The ChipSats, called Sprites, forming a swarm of cracker-sized nanosatellites were deployed from the Kicksat-2… Continue reading Swarm of 105 tiny Sprite ChipSats successfully deployed