Tag

Interplanetary Exploration

All articles tagged with #interplanetary exploration

science-and-technology1 year ago•6 min saved

"Minimoons: Key to Interplanetary Species, According to MIT Astrophysicist"

MIT astrophysicist Richard Binzel believes that minimoons, small asteroids moving alongside Earth, could serve as stepping stones for interplanetary exploration, particularly in missions to Mars. By utilizing in-space resources such as water-rich asteroids, the need to launch fuel from Earth could be minimized, overcoming the limitations imposed by the "tyranny of the rocket" equation. Binzel emphasizes the importance of surveying for minimoons and asteroids, highlighting the potential of space telescopes like the NEO Surveyor mission. While he envisions humans becoming an interplanetary species within the next 30 years, he sees minimoons playing a role in the initial steps of leaving the Earth-moon system for deep space exploration.

via Livescience.com|

#asteroids #interplanetary-exploration #mars-mission

space-exploration2 years ago•1 min saved

Send Your Name to Jupiter's Moon on NASA's Europa Clipper Mission

NASA is inviting space enthusiasts to submit their names to be engraved on a microchip that will be placed aboard the Europa Clipper spacecraft, set to launch in October 2024. Over 700,000 names have been submitted so far, and they will be etched alongside a poem by US poet Ada Limon. The spacecraft will travel 1.8 billion miles over six years, collecting data on Europa's atmosphere, icy crust, and subsurface ocean to determine its potential for supporting life. The project aims to inspire and ignite people's imaginations, similar to the Voyager spacecraft's time capsule in 1977.

via NDTV|

#ada-limon #europa-clipper #interplanetary-exploration

technology2 years ago•2 min saved

Origami Robot Transforms for Space Exploration

Researchers at Switzerland’s Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) have developed an origami-inspired robot called Mori3 that can morph itself into nearly any 3D object. The design is modular, allowing astronauts to use it for a wide variety of purposes in space travel. The robot can change its size, shape, and function, and can handle objects, interact with its environment, and move around. The Mori3 is intended to be a general-purpose robot, morphing itself for any task that might need to be done on a spacecraft, from external repairs in the vacuum of space to internal transportation.

via The Daily Beast|

#interplanetary-exploration #modular-design #origami

spaceflight2 years ago•4 min saved

NASA drone searches for life clues on Saturn's moon Titan.

NASA's Dragonfly drone is set to launch in 2027 and head for Saturn's largest moon, Titan, to explore its geological diversity and analyze samples extracted from its surface. Dragonfly will be equipped with a full suite of scientific instruments, including the Drill for Acquisition of Complex Organics and the Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer, to determine Titan's habitability and search for chemical markers indicative of life or pre-life. The mission is part of NASA's New Frontiers program and could provide clues to the origins of life on Earth.

via Space.com|

#astrobiology #dragonfly #interplanetary-exploration