ScientistPankaj: Meet Endurance, a pioneering NASA moon rover designed to survive the frigid lunar night

Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Meet Endurance, a pioneering NASA moon rover designed to survive the frigid lunar night

SpaceX's 31st Dragon cargo capsule departs ISS for Earth | Space Quiz! When did NASA's Cassini spacecraft reach Saturn? | Endurance: the NASA rover designed for frigid lunar nights

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December 17, 2024

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The Launchpad

SpaceX's 31st Dragon cargo capsule departs ISS for Earth

(NASA)

SpaceX's Dragon cargo capsule undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) yesterday (Dec. 16) at 11:05 a.m. EST (1605 GMT). The spacecraft began a series of deorbit burns to complete the company's 31st commercial resupply services mission (CRS-31) for NASA, splashing down off the coast of Florida today.

Full Story: Space (12/16)

Space Quiz! When did NASA's Cassini spacecraft reach Saturn?

Learn the answer here!

Endurance: the NASA rover designed for frigid lunar nights

(NASA)

It is robotic moon machinery on steroids. Tagged as the Endurance sample return mission, it would collect bits and pieces from key lunar locations for later retrieval by future astronauts in NASA's Artemis program. Furthermore, high-value collectibles snagged from those distant spots would be hauled back to Earth by astronauts.

Full Story: Space (12/17)

Skywatching

See the moon meet up with Mars this in the night sky

(Chris Vaughan/Starry Night)

If the weather is clear where you live on Tuesday evening (Dec. 17), look low above the east-northeast horizon at around 8:00 p.m. local standard time and you'll see the waning gibbous moon, 89% illuminated, accompanied by a very bright and colorful star directly below it and two bright stars will above it.

Full Story: Space (12/16)

Spaceflight

SpaceX launches mysterious classified RRT-1 mission

(SpaceX)

SpaceX launched the mysterious RRT-1 mission from Florida's Space Coast today (Dec. 16), after high winds scuttled a previous attempt. Many space observers think the RRT-1 mission is sending an advanced GPS satellite to orbit - specifically, GPS 3-10, another member of the venerable navigation network's third generation of spacecraft. SpaceX holds a contract to launch three of these satellites for the U.S. military and had already sent one of them aloft, in January 2023.

Full Story: Space (12/16)

Science & Astronomy

Saturn's rings could be much older than scientists thought

(NASA/JPL)

Saturn's rings might not be younger than the dinosaurs as recently suggested, but nearly as old as the giant planet itself at billions of years in age, a new study says. The age of Saturn's rings has long been controversial. Some researchers had thought the iconic features formed along with Saturn about 4.5 billion years ago from the icy rubble left in orbit around it after the birth of the solar system. Others suggested the rings are very young, perhaps originating after Saturn's gravitational pull tore apart a comet or an icy moon.

Full Story: Space (12/16)

SpaceX

Watch SpaceX Starship test fire engines ahead of flight 7

(SpaceX)

Things are getting hot for SpaceX's next Starship launch. SpaceX fired up its next Starship spacecraft during an engine test over the weekend, ahead of the company's 7th orbital test flight of the gargantuan megarocket. SpaceX ignited Starship's Raptor engines for approximately 10 seconds on Sunday, Dec. 15, as a part of a series of checkouts to ensure the vehicle is healthy before being transported to the launchpad where it will be integrated with its first stage Super Heavy booster.

Full Story: Space (12/16)