NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol, Climate, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite successfully launched and reached on Thursday, February 10th. The mission took off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, at 1:33 am EST 10:33 pm (PST) atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. About five minutes after launch, NASA confirmed that ground stations on Earth had acquired a signal from the satellite and were receiving data on its operational status and capabilities post-launch. For the next three years, the mission will monitor Earth’s ocean and atmosphere and study the effects of climate change.
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Muninn Mission completed: Interview with Marcus Wandt
Video: 00:04:36
ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt from Sweden is back to Europe less than 24 hours after his return to Earth. Marcus is back to Cologne, Germany, after spending 20 days in space. He underwent initial medical checks aboard the boat before being flown by helicopter to shore and boarding a plane to Europe.
The Event Horizon Telescope Zooms in on a Black Hole's Jet
Although supermassive black holes are common throughout the Universe, we don’t have many direct images of them. The problem is that while they can have a mass of millions or billions of stars, even the nearest supermassive black holes have tiny apparent sizes. The only direct images we have are those of M87* and Sag A*, and it took a virtual telescope the size of Earth to capture them. But we are still in the early days of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT), and improvements are being made to the virtual telescope all the time. Which means we are starting to look at more supermassive black holes.
Final flight of Muninn
Image:
The SpaceX Dragon with the Axiom Mission 3 crew inside as they undocked from the International Space Station on 7 February at 14:20 GM/15:20 CET. ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt together with Walter Villadei, Alper Gezeravcı and Michael López-Alegría spent 20 days in space, conducting science and technology demonstrations in a mission that can be described as a sprint.
Marcus Wandt returns to Earth after his first spaceflight
After 20 days in space, ESA project astronaut Marcus Wandt returned to Earth today at 13:30 GMT/14:30 CET, marking the end of his Muninn mission to the International Space Station (ISS).
This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 9 – 17
The first-quarter Moon passes the Pleiades, then Aldebaran. Cassiopeia stands on end. For the southern U.S., Canopus culminates far under Sirius.
ESA marks Women and Girls in Science Day 2024
We're joining the global community this weekend in celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. As part of our efforts to inspire the next generation of scientists, engineers and space enthusiasts, we're featuring three young professionals working with us. Here's a glimpse into the projects they're working on, and stay tuned for their videos on ESA’s Instagram for a peek into a day in their lives at ESA.
How Venus Ended Up with a Mini-Moon Named Zoozve
A quasi-satellite of Venus has just received an unusual name.
Fragments From That Asteroid That Exploded Above Berlin Have Been Recovered and They're Really Special
On January 21st, 2024, a meter-sized asteroid (2024 BX1) entered Earth’s atmosphere and exploded over Berlin at 12:33 am UTC (07:45 pm EST; 04:33 pm PST). Before it reached Earth, 2024 BX1 was a Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) with an orbit that suggests it was part of the Apollo group. The fragments have since been located by a team of scientists from the Freie Universität Berlin, the Museum für Naturkunde (MfN), the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Technische Universität Berlin, and the SETI Institute and identified as a rare type of asteroid known as “aubrites.”
Webb Telescope Unveils 19 Galaxies in a New Light
A James Webb Space Telescope survey known as PHANGS has revealed exquisite, just-published details in 19 nearby galaxies.
SpaceX launches billion-dollar environmental research satellite for NASA
A long exposure shows the Falcon 9 climbing to orbit and the first-stage entry and landing burns. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now.
SpaceX launched an environmental research satellite for NASA early Thursday, a nearly $1 billion spacecraft that survived multiple cancellation threats and is now poised to shed new light on climate change and the complex interplay of heat-trapping carbon, aerosols and sea life on global scales.
Does Saturn's "Death Star" Moon Harbor an Ocean?
New evidence, based off of NASA's Cassini measurements of Mimas's orbit, suggests the icy "Death Star" moon might have a subsurface ocean.
SpaceX launches Starlink mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base supporting the Starlink 7-13 mission. Image: SpaceX
Update 8:00 p.m. EST: SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket and recovered the first stage booster on a droneship.
NASA's Juno Mission Makes Closest Flyby Past Io
Juno has revealed Jupiter's volcanic moon Io as never before.
Where Will You Be on Eclipse Day: April 8, 2024?
Does this question leave you feeling worried that you are too late to make plans? It shouldn’t!
SpaceX successfully launches NASA’s PACE mission on polar orbit flight
The Falcon 9 with NASA’s PACE mission atop stands ready for launch at pad 40. Image: SpaceX.
Update 2:30 a.m. EST: SpaceX and NASA confirm a successful launch.
My Stellar Love Affair with the Pleiades
When we observe the little wonders of the sky, we can form deep personal connections.
NASA’s PACE mission aims to vastly increase understanding of the oceans, atmosphere
NASA’s PACE spacecraft inside a clean room at Astrotech Space Operations in Titusville, FL. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now
From the oceans to the atmosphere, there’s still quite a bit we don’t understand about our planet. NASA’s latest Earth-observing spacecraft hopes to greatly expand our knowledge of the globe in just a few years.
Hubble Reveals Possible Water-Vapor World
New Hubble Space Telescope observations reveal the warm sub-Neptune GJ 9827d might have a steamy atmosphere.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, February 2 – 11
Under Orion is the Hare, which you may know, and under the Hare is the Dove, which you may not. February the best month for both.
