Archive for the ‘satellites’ category: Page 4
Oct 25, 2024
Titan’s Atmosphere and Climate: Lessons from an Alien World
Posted by Laurence Tognetti, Labroots Inc. in categories: climatology, computing, satellites
Dr. Lauren Schurmeier: “The methane clathrate crust warms Titan’s interior and causes surprisingly rapid topographic relaxation, which results in crater shallowing at a rate that is close to that of fast-moving warm glaciers on Earth.”
How does Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, have such a methane-rich atmosphere? This is what a recent study published in The Planetary Science Journal hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated how methane that resides with Titan’s crust could be responsible for the lack of depth in Titan’s impact craters, which could explain why Titan’s atmosphere has so much methane, as well. This study holds the potential to help researchers better understand the formation and evolution of Titan and whether it could host life as we know it.
For the study, the researchers used computer models to simulate the formation and evolution of impact craters on Titan, of which only approximately 90 have been identified via satellite imagery from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft.
Continue reading “Titan’s Atmosphere and Climate: Lessons from an Alien World” »
Oct 25, 2024
Space Force Is Tracking New Debris Field After Communications Satellite Breaks Apart
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: satellites
This follows the failure of another satellite from the same series that may have been due to a meteoroid impact.
Oct 20, 2024
Kallaway (@kallaway) • Instagram reel
Posted by Shailesh Prasad in category: satellites
196K likes, — kallaway on October 10, 2024: This company lets you order sunlight from an app. Wild.
It’s like Uber Eats for the Sun.
The company is called Reflect Orbital.
Oct 16, 2024
NASA Confirms Solar Maximum: Brace for Massive Flares and Epic Geomagnetic Storms
Posted by Genevieve Klien in category: satellites
NASA and NOAA have declared the Sun’s solar maximum, noting increased sunspot activity and heightened solar events that influence Earth’s space weather.
This period is linked to significant geomagnetic storms and aurora displays, with potential disruptions to satellites and communication systems.
Oct 16, 2024
Satellite Constellation Projects Ready For Takeoff
Posted by Robert Bosnjak in categories: internet, satellites
So, does anyone thinks that perhaps there are too many sats in orbit? what will be when they all deploy? Earth Sky 1956 clear of any sat at least of human origin and after that mayor astronomy problem with sats in orbit.
International competition is intensifying for the deployment of satellite constellations into orbit, notes Statista’s Katharina Buchholz.
Satellite constellations — the most well-known being SpaceX’s Starlink — are designed to provide high-speed global Internet access.
Continue reading “Satellite Constellation Projects Ready For Takeoff” »
Oct 15, 2024
France and Germany join U.S.-led space defense coalition
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in categories: military, satellites
France and Germany are joining the coalition at a time of heightened tension in space, with both China and Russia demonstrating their ability to disrupt or destroy satellites. Operation Olympic Defender aims to deter such actions through collective defense, shared intelligence, and the promotion of international norms for responsible space activity.
Germany’s official entry into Operation Olympic Defender was marked by a formal ceremony in Berlin, where Whiting joined Lt. Gen. Gunter Schneider, director-general for military strategy and operations at the German Ministry of Defence, and representatives from Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
“Space is truly a team sport. The addition of Germany to our roster of growing like-minded partners contributes to our collective ability to address the growing threats in the domain,” said Whiting.
Oct 12, 2024
Startup takes new approach to space-based solar power
Posted by Genevieve Klien in categories: finance, satellites, solar power, sustainability
WASHINGTON — A startup led by a founder of a financial services company is taking a new approach to space-based solar power intended to be more scalable and affordable than previous concepts.
Aetherflux announced Oct. 9 plans to develop and ultimately deploy a constellation of satellites in low Earth orbit that will collect solar power and beam it to Earth using infrared lasers. The company is planning to demonstrate this technology with a small satellite launching by early 2026.
The concept is a departure from many previous concepts for space-based solar power (SBSP), which have involved large arrays in geostationary orbit. Those systems would transmit their power using microwaves to large rectennas on the ground. Such concepts have been studied for more than half a century but have not advanced beyond the drawing board.
Oct 11, 2024
The Creepy Sounds The Earth Made When Its Magnetic Field Flipped Will Haunt Your Dreams
Posted by Shubham Ghosh Roy in category: satellites
Tens of thousands of years ago, the Earth’s magnetic field flipped — and now, scientists have recreated the haunting sound it made during that cataclysmic event.
Using data from the European Space Agency’s three-satellite Swarm mission delving deep into our planet’s magnetic field, Danish and German researchers have managed to map and recreate the sounds of what is known as the Laschamp event, which resulted in Earth’s magnetic field briefly flipping 41,000 years ago.
Oct 9, 2024
Twisted Black Hole Accretion Disks Revealed by XRISM’s Cutting-Edge X-Ray Vision
Posted by Saúl Morales Rodriguéz in categories: cosmology, satellites
XRISM is transforming our understanding of supermassive black holes and their galactic neighborhoods, providing high-resolution X-ray spectra that reveal complex structures like twisted accretion disks.
This groundbreaking international space mission, a collaboration between JAXA, NASA, and ESA, is only beginning to unveil the intricate details of black holes and their impact on galaxy formation, with early data already confirming long-held hypotheses.
Initial data from an international space mission is confirming decades of hypotheses about the galactic environments surrounding supermassive black holes. Yet, even more thrilling is the satellite behind this data—the X-Ray Imaging and Spectroscopy Mission (XRISM)—is just getting started providing such unparalleled insights.