All posts tagged: space exploration

The science of getting there

The science of getting there

Published by skeptic

The idea of sending humans to Mars is often framed as a question of ambition or funding. In reality, future missions to Mars are a logistics problem shaped by physics. Distance, energy, time and mass define what is possible long before politics or budgets enter the equation. Mars sits, on average, about 225 million kilometres from Earth. That number alone doesn’t explain the difficulty. What matters is how you move people and equipment across that distance, how long it takes, and how much you have to carry to survive the journey. At the centre of it all is propulsion. Not just how you leave Earth, but how you travel through space, slow down at the other end, and potentially make the return journey. Every decision about a Mars mission – crew size, safety margins, cost – flows from that constraint. The six-month problem Using current technology, a journey to Mars typically takes between six and nine months. Orbital mechanics and the limits of chemical propulsion dictate that timeline. This duration creates a cascade of challenges. …

Climate of Earth-like rocky exoplanets mapped for first time

Climate of Earth-like rocky exoplanets mapped for first time

Published by skeptic

Utilising the James Webb space telescope(JWST), an international team has mapped the climate of rocky exoplanets with masses similar to Earth in the TRAPPIST-1 system. First discovered in 2000, TRAPPIST-1 is a red dwarf star and is thought to be about 3 billion years older than the Solar System. Further discoveries in 2016 and 2017 identified at least seven exoplanets in the star’s orbit, all likely tidally locked and with circular orbits between 1.5 and 19 days. At least four of the planets in TRAPPIST-1’s orbit- TRAPPIST-1d, TRAPPIST-1e TRAPPIST-1f and TRAPPIST-1g- are considered potentially hospitable to life, as their orbital distance allows the existence of liquid water, although there is no evidence of atmospheres on any of the planets in the system. The two planets studied, TRAPPIST-1b and TRAPPIST-1c, are believed to have temperatures differences at day and night in excess of 500 degrees Celsius and so likely do not have atmospheres. “The TRAPPIST-1 system is incredible! Seven planets, some with masses similar to Earth’s, orbit the same star. At least three planets are located …

NASA’s Artemis II mission was a historic success

NASA’s Artemis II mission was a historic success

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  The astronauts of the Artemis II mission have made it home. Their journey, which began in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 1 April, took them around the moon and further from Earth than any human has travelled before. On 10 April, they splashed down in their capsule off the coast of California. On landing, mission commander Reid Wiseman reported “four green crew members”, indicating that he, his NASA crewmates Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen were all feeling good after re-entering Earth’s atmosphere. “What a journey,” he said. This historic flight marked the first time humans have been to the moon since the Apollo 18 mission in 1972. At its most distant, the Orion capsule was 406,771 kilometres from Earth, beating the distance record set by the crew of the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. The main purpose of Artemis II was to act as a test flight for future lunar missions, a test it passed with flying colours, but there were several science goals as well. Several of them were …

Worms sent to ISS to study effects of space on the human body

Worms sent to ISS to study effects of space on the human body

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A new International Space Station (ISS) experiment aims to improve understanding of the risks of long-duration spaceflight ahead of future Moon missions. British researchers are preparing to send microscopic worms into orbit in a compact laboratory designed to examine the effects of space on the human body, as international efforts to return astronauts to the Moon accelerate. The experiment, developed by teams at the University of Exeter and the University of Leicester with backing from the UK Space Agency, will be launched today at 1:50 pm BST aboard a cargo spacecraft departing from Kennedy Space Center. Once deployed, it will expose living organisms to the combined stresses of microgravity, radiation and vacuum – conditions that continue to challenge human spaceflight. Space Minister Liz Lloyd highlighted the importance of the project: “It might sound surprising, but these tiny worms could play a big role in the future of human spaceflight. “This remarkable mission – backed by government funding – shows the ingenuity and ambition of UK space science, using a small experiment to tackle one of the biggest challenges …

The most stunning pictures from Artemis II’s flyby of the moon

The most stunning pictures from Artemis II’s flyby of the moon

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On 6 April, the astronauts of NASA’s Artemis II mission flew in a loop around the far side of the moon. They travelled more than 406,700 kilometres from Earth, further than any humans have travelled before. The four crew members – Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen – alternated shifts at the Orion capsule’s windows looking out at Earth and the moon (above). The reflection of sunlight off Earth’s surface, called earthshine, was so bright that they covered one of the windows with a spare shirt. As they passed behind the moon, the astronauts were treated to a view of areas that had never before been seen by human eyes, such as the entirety of a crater called Orientale basin (below). The dark patch at the centre of the crater is dried lava from an eruptions billions of years ago. The astronauts proposed new names for two smaller craters near Orientale: Integrity, after their spacecraft, and Carroll, after Wiseman’s late wife. Over the course of the mission, the phases of both Earth …

The Artemis II astronauts have flown around the moon

The Artemis II astronauts have flown around the moon

Published by skeptic

The near side of the moon is visible on the right, identifiable by the dark splotches that cover the surface. Left of this begins the far side that we can’t see from Earth NASA For the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972, humans have visited the moon. On 6 April, the four astronauts of NASA’s Artemis II mission flew around the far side of the moon, taking them the furthest humans have ever travelled from Earth. As they surpassed the distance record of 400,171 kilometres set by the crew of the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, mission commander Reid Wiseman made it clear that this flight is just the beginning. “We most importantly choose this moment to challenge this generation and the next to make sure this record is not long-lived,” he said during the NASA livestream of the flight. The Artemis astronauts also made two proposals of names for newfound craters: Integrity, after the Orion capsule carrying them around the moon, and Carroll, after Wiseman’s late wife. Over the course of the flyby, …

Artemis II sets human spaceflight record during historic lunar fly-by

Artemis II sets human spaceflight record during historic lunar fly-by

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The crew of Artemis II has entered its return phase after completing a landmark lunar fly-by that pushed human spaceflight farther from Earth than ever before. The four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft reached a peak distance of approximately 252,756 miles, surpassing the long-standing record set by Apollo 13. The milestone was achieved during a critical segment of the mission, when the spacecraft passed behind the Moon, temporarily cutting off communications with NASA for about 40 minutes. The blackout, a planned consequence of the Moon obstructing signals to Earth, coincided with the mission’s maximum distance from the planet. Lunar fly-by delivers scientific observations and rare views The six-hour lunar fly-by provided the crew with extended opportunities to observe and document the Moon’s surface, including regions of the far side that remain largely unseen from Earth. Using handheld digital cameras, the astronauts captured high-resolution imagery of geological features under varying lighting conditions. At closest approach, the Orion spacecraft passed roughly 4,000 miles above the lunar surface. The data gathered during this phase, including imagery, telemetry, and …

Artemis II mission launches first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years

Artemis II mission launches first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years

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The Artemis II mission has successfully launched, marking the first time in more than half a century that humans are en route to orbit the Moon. The milestone flight signals a critical step in NASA’s broader strategy to establish a sustained human presence beyond low Earth orbit. Lifting off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 6:35 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket carried four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft. The mission is designed as a full-scale test of systems required for future lunar landings under the Artemis programme. Commenting on the successful launch, NASA’s Administrator Jared Isaacman said: “This launch marks a defining moment for our nation and for all who believe in exploration, returning humanity to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years and opening the next chapter of lunar exploration beyond Apollo. “Aboard Orion are four remarkable explorers preparing for the first crewed flight of this rocket and spacecraft, a true test mission that will carry them farther and faster than any humans in …

Historic Artemis II launch sends astronauts bound for the moon

Historic Artemis II launch sends astronauts bound for the moon

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The Artemis II mission launched from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida AFP via Getty Images The first crewed mission to the moon since the Apollo programme ended in 1972 is on its way. The Artemis II mission launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on 1 April, and if all goes well, the four astronauts aboard will soon fly further than any humans have ever been from Earth. This marks only the second flight for NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and its Orion crew capsule, and its first crewed flight. The previous launch in 2022 was for the uncrewed Artemis I mission, which took a loop around the moon similar to the trajectory that is planned for Artemis II. Now that the rocket is launched, the NASA crew members Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will spend the first two days of their mission orbiting Earth and performing tests on the spacecraft itself. The most involved of these tests will be piloting Orion to dock with an older craft in orbit. …

NASA prepares for Moon mission

NASA prepares for Moon mission

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The long-anticipated Artemis II launch is entering its final hours, with NASA teams pressing through a tightly choreographed sequence of checks and preparations ahead of liftoff, scheduled no earlier than 6:24 p.m. EDT Today. At Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers and mission specialists are working methodically to ensure both the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft are fully ready for humanity’s next step toward deep space exploration. Final preparations at Kennedy Space Center As the Artemis II launch window approaches, activity at Launch Complex 39B has intensified. Engineers began the day completing critical diagnostics on the rocket’s four RS-25 engines. These engines, essential for powering the spacecraft beyond Earth’s orbit, have passed a series of health checks confirming that sensors, connections, and performance systems are functioning as expected. Attention has also turned to the rocket’s upper stage, known as the interim cryogenic propulsion stage. After completing earlier system verifications, it has now been placed in a stable, safe standby mode, ready for the next phase of operations. Meanwhile, teams have focused on …