22 December 2021
Scientists present the first-ever analysis of samples retrieved from Ryugu
...and measurements taken by Hayabusa2 during its mission that the ancient space rock was a rubble pile asteroid. Rubble piles form when ...sample return of a material in the gas state from deep space. Now however, scientists have had chance to analyse the...
17 February 2021
Perseverance due to land on Mars tomorrow!
... controllers also may not be able to confirm these milestones at the times listed above because of the complexity of deep-space communications. The flow of detailed engineering data (called telemetry) in near-real-time relies on a new kind of relay...
June 2015
Ultimate sunbather: NASA and ESA collaborate on Solar Orbiter
... billion times less than for near- Earth missions and so the spacecraft is equipped with a state-of-theart deep space transponder. The spacecraft is travelling so close to the S un that the solar flux it will experience is 12 times higher than...
October 2015
Earth independence: new definitions of home on Mars missions and beyond
...human and robotic skills, national and international efforts, commercial and government capabilities in Earth orbit and deep space conducting exploration, and pioneering all working together. The word ‘journey’ is also an important one to contemplate...
02 December 2014
Orion service module contract for Airbus
...contract worth $490 million on 18 November 2014 for Airbus Defence and Space to manufacture the service modules for NASA’s four crew Orion MPCV deep-space capsule. The module is to be constructed at an Airbus facility in Bremen, Germany. Based on the...
November 2016
Moon or Mars - NASA’s next logical step?
... and demonstrating capabilities that are independent of Earth. Returning to the Moon will, therefore, be a cornerstone of future deep-space human exploration. This low-angle self-portrait of NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover shows the vehicle at the ...
