Search Results - Astronauts

Homemade Triumph: Amateur Connects with International Space Station via DIY Antenna

The ISS gets more cold callers than you'd think. Credit: NASA An amateur ham radio enthusiast achieved a remarkable feat by conversing with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) using a homemade antenna. Doug, the ham radio operator, successfully established contact with the ISS during its overhead pass in July 2023, fulfilling a...

ESA’s Miniature Pinhole Thruster Enters Production Phase

Credit: IENAI Space Rocket propulsion has evolved significantly from ancient rocket-powered weapons to cutting-edge technologies propelling our space exploration. ATHENA, a palm-sized thruster system developed by a team led by Daniel Perez Grande, CEO and Co-Founder of IENAI Spain, represents a revolutionary leap in advancing tiny spacecraft across the vastness of space. In contrast to colossal...

France and Italy Collaborate to Construct a Lunar Habitat

Artist's concept of the Franco-Italian Moon habitatThales Alenia France and Italy are joining forces to create a facility for upcoming moon bases. The Franco-Italian technology company Thales Alenia Space and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) have entered into a contract to design the Multi-Purpose Habitat (MPH) for NASA's Artemis project. In recent aerospace endeavors, considerable focus...

Inspiring Students with Ham Radio and Much More

JAXA astronaut Koichi Wakata participating in a ham radio session. Credit: NASA. Being a microgravity laboratory in orbit, the International Space Station accommodates experiments across diverse scientific domains. Additionally, it serves as a platform for educational initiatives designed to foster global interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) among young individuals. The objective of...

Critical Moment: Starship’s Second Test Launch Expected This Week

Starship poised on the launchpad, prepared for its second test. Credit: SpaceX. The success of NASA's Artemis program is paramount, with the current contract involving SpaceX's Starship to transport astronauts for the Artemis III and Artemis IV lunar missions. There is no alternative means for astronauts to reach the Moon, although NASA recently opened the...

Recently identified Sun “Nanoflares” May Serve as the Origin of Solar Wind

Credit: Pixaobay While outer space lacks traditional air, it experiences a unique form of wind known as solar wind, composed of charged particles emitted by the Sun. The precise process driving this phenomenon remains unclear, but the Solar Orbiter spacecraft from the European Space Agency (ESA) has recently detected hitherto undiscovered "small-scale" eruptions on the...

Electrochemical Device Captures Carbon Dioxide at the Flick of a Switch

A ground-breaking innovation created by Rice University engineers has the potential to drastically lower the price of carbon dioxide capture from various emission sources. According to their work published in Nature, this novel method directly removes carbon dioxide from flue gas and even the atmosphere by inducing a water and oxygen electrochemical reaction. By transforming...

Gene Expression Modified: Unveiling Vulnerability to Infections in Space Travel

Astronaut in space. Credit: Unsplash. In the realm beyond Earth, the absence of gravity poses a significant hazard to the well-being of astronauts, particularly during extended missions. Gaining insights into the response of the human body to the space environment is essential for long-term space exploration and the development of countermeasures to safeguard astronaut health. Previous...

SpaceX's Starship - the vehicle that will take humans to mars

Starship Mankind’s Interplanetary Vehicle

SpaceX's Starship. Credit: SpaceX Unless you have been extremely busy, you must have heard of SpaceX's Starship fully assembled test flight. Despite the fact that the test did not go as planned, there are good lessons to take from it. It is important to notice that such an event is still a landmark for humanity,...

Flashes on the Sun Could Aid Researchers in Predicting Solar Flares

Two images of a solar active region (NOAA AR 2109) taken by SDO/AIA show extreme-ultraviolet light produced by million-degree-hot coronal gas (top images) on the day before the region flared (left) and the day before it stayed quiet and did not flare (right). The changes in brightness (bottom images) at these two times show...