Lockheed Martin Awarded , NASA Contract for Rocket , To Launch From Mars.
Engadget reports that NASA hopes its Mars Sample Return Program will help the agency retrieve rock, sediment and atmospheric samples from Mars.
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That project has reportedly
taken another step forward.
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Lockheed Martin has been announced
as the company that will build the first rocket
to be launched from another planet.
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Engadget reports that the Mars Ascent Vehicle
(MAV) will be a small, lightweight rocket that
serves a crucial role in NASA's ambitious plan.
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The contract, which is reportedly worth up to
$194 million, will see Lockheed design, develop,
test and evaluate the integrated MAV system.
This groundbreaking endeavor
is destined to inspire the world when the first
robotic round-trip mission retrieves a sample
from another planet — a significant step
that will ultimately help send
the first astronauts to Mars, Bill Nelson, NASA Administrator, via Engadget.
The MAV will be brought to the surface
of Mars via a Sample Retrieval Lander.
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The lander will serve as the
MAV's launch pad for its return trip to orbit.
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Once in orbit, the European Space Agency Earth Return Orbiter will snatch the rocket using NASA's Capture, Containment and Return System.
According to Engadget, NASA's plan is to have the samples back on Earth sometime in the mid-2030s.
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We are nearing the end of the conceptual phase for this Mars Sample Return mission, and the pieces are coming together to bring home the first samples from another planet, Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator
for science at NASA headquarters, via Engadget
Astronomers Witness , Merger of 2 Black Holes, From the 'Cosmic Dawn'.
'The Independent' reports that NASA's
Webb Space Telescope has made the most
distant detection of merging black holes. .
Two gigantic black holes and the galaxies that they stood
at the center of merged together just 740 million years
after the universe was formed in the Big Bang.
One of the black holes is a staggering 50 million
times larger than our Sun, and the other
is believed to be a similar gigantic size. .
Astronomers have long wondered how supermassive black holes are so big. .
Lead author Hannah Ubler of the University of Cambridge
says the findings suggest that mergers like this ancient
example show how black holes are able to grow so rapidly.
According to Ubler, the latest Webb
discovery also suggests that black holes
have been merging since the "cosmic dawn.".
Massive black holes
have been shaping
the evolution of galaxies
from the very beginning, Hannah Ubler, lead author from the University
of Cambridge, via 'The Independent'.
In 2021, NASA launched Webb, intended
to replace the Hubble Space Telescope.
Webb is the largest and most powerful
observatory ever launched into space. .
The joint U.S.-European project surveys
the universe from a vantage point located
about 1 million miles away from Earth.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Contractor Warns of , Potential Catastrophe if NASA , Goes Ahead With Scheduled Launch.
IEN reports that a NASA contractor has publicly
urged the space agency to reconsider an
upcoming launch, warning it could end in disaster.
The news comes after the initial launch
of Boeing's Starliner was scrapped as
the result of a leaky valve just last week. .
The news comes after the initial launch
of Boeing's Starliner was scrapped as
the result of a leaky valve just last week. .
NASA has plans to attempt
another launch later this week. .
ValveTech produces valves
and other components for both
aerospace and military applications.
ValveTech produces valves
and other components for both
aerospace and military applications.
The company issued a press release
warning that a second launch
attempt could end in catastrophe. .
The statement from ValveTech
President Erin Faville called for NASA
to re-double safety checks and protocols. .
The failed launch last week would have been
the first human space flight for Boeing but was
scrubbed after a faulty valve was discovered. .
The Associated Press reported that the fluttering oxygen
pressure-relief valve on United Launch Alliance’s Atlas
rocket may have exceeded its 200,000 lifetime cycles. .
The ValveTech statement questions how
NASA, Aerojet and Boeing could have... .
... "qualified this valve for the mission
without proper supporting data or
previous history or legacy information.".
According to ValveTech, this , "goes against aerospace-industry
qualification protocols established by NASA."
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:31Published
Boeing called off its first astronaut launch, ferrying two NASA test pilots to the International Space Station, because of a valve problem on its Starliner capsule. But if engineers find a solution quickly, another countdown could be expected in the next 24-hours.
Credit: euronews (in English) Duration: 00:37Published
NASA Reestablishes , Connection With Distant , Voyager 1 Space Probe.
The news comes after engineers at
the agency worked for months
attempting to fix the 46-year-old probe.
In December, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
said that the probe, now a staggering 15 billion miles
away from Earth, was transmitting gibberish code. .
On April 23, the JPL announced that
the team was once again receiving
usable data from the spacecraft.
Currently, the probe is only
transmitting data regarding the status
of the ship's engineering systems.
The next step is to enable
the spacecraft to begin
returning science data again, JPL statement, via 'The Guardian'.
'The Guardian' reports that Voyager 1 has been in
operation for nearly half a century after launching
in 1977 with the goal of studying Jupiter and Saturn.
In August of 2012, Voyager crossed into
interstellar space, becoming the first
human-made object to leave the solar system.
The probe is currently traveling at a staggering
36,800 miles per hour through space.
NASA plans to collect data from the two
Voyager spacecraft for a few more years,
but the space agency expects to lose
contact with the probes within the next decade
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
Mars, often dubbed the "red planet," has once again intrigued scientists with a new discovery. NASA's Perseverance rover, tirelessly exploring Mars' Jezero Crater since early 2021, has stumbled upon a peculiar sight: thousands of white rocks scattered across the crater's surface. Recent images transmitted by the rover reveal over 4,000 light-toned pebble-sized rocks strewn throughout the crater floor. "These rocks are highly unusual, and we're actively working to unravel their origins," remarked Candice Bedford, a planetary scientist at Purdue University and member of the Mars 2020 science team, speaking at the Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) last month. Concurrently, NASA is wrapping up an architectural review of its Mars Sample Return (MSR) program, which aims to retrieve Martian rocks for detailed analysis back on Earth.
#NASA #PerseveranceRover #MarsDiscovery #WhiteRocks #JezeroCrater #SpaceExploration #MartianGeology #RedPlanet #MarsResearch #ScienceDiscovery
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Apple Sends iPhone Users in 92 Countries , a Spyware Attack Warning.
The message was sent on
April 10, Engadget reports. .
Apple detected that you are being targeted
by a mercenary spyware attack that is trying
to remotely compromise the iPhone
associated with your Apple ID -xxx-, Apple's warning, via Engadget.
This attack is likely targeting
you specifically because of
who you are or what you do. , Apple's warning, via Engadget.
Although it's never possible to achieve
absolute certainty when detecting such
attacks, Apple has high confidence in
this warning — please take it seriously, Apple's warning, via Engadget.
Internal information and investigations are used by the tech giant to pinpoint attacks. .
However, Apple couldn't provide any more information about the mercenary spyware attacks because it might "help attackers avoid future detection," Engadget reports. .
Apple has sent this type of message
to customers in the past.
Since 2021, people in over 150 countries
have gotten similar warnings.
Last October, journalists and politicians located in India were among those
who received such a message
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
All iOS Users Can Now , Log In to X With a Passkey.
While U.S. iOS users were given the option
to use passkeys back in January, .
global iOS users are now able to do the
same on the social media platform.
The login alternative is considered to be
safer than passwords, Engadget reports.
That's because passkeys aren't susceptible
to phishing and other schemes.
In order to use passkeys on X, open the
iOS app, click "Your account," and then
go to "Settings and privacy.".
Next, navigate to "Security and account access"
and then "Additional password protection.".
Passkeys can be found under
"Additional password protection.".
It is not clear if X intends to make the same option available for Android users, Engadget reports.
Credit: Wibbitz Top Stories Duration: 01:30Published
After planning to build a moon base and a futuristic city on Mars, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has moved his eyes towards the Jupiter’s fourth largest moon called Europa. For its highly anticipated mission..