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Amazing ... new data says that in February, NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration's TIMED satellite and "space shrapnel from the defunct Russian Cosmos 2221 satellite" had a near miss on orbit with less than 10m separating the two. While the Russian satellite is not operational, the US satellite is in active use, but does not have the ability to change the orbit to escape such potential collisions. So the danger of #spacedebris is very real, and had the 2 collided, this would have created 1000s of new pieces of space debris, increasing the problem further. #earthandspaceexploration 21

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s DART Mission May Trigger First Human-Made Meteor Shower A recent study suggests that NASA’s Double Asteroids Redirect Test (DART) mission, which intentionally collided with the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos in September 2022, could lead to the first human-made meteor shower. The mission, designed to test Earth’s planetary defense capabilities, reshaped Dimorphos and generated over two million pounds of space debris. Researchers from Cornell University and Italy’s Polytechnic University of Milan estimate that some of this debris could reach Earth and Mars within 10 to 30 years. This debris might create a faint meteor shower visible for the next century, particularly from the southern hemisphere near the Indus constellation. However, the debris poses no threat to Earth, as it consists of tiny particles no larger than smartphones. While the chance of these fragments reaching Earth is low, scientists remain cautious, noting that the potential meteor shower would be distinct and not overlap with known meteor showers. #NASA #DARTMission #MeteorShower #SpaceDebris #PlanetaryDefense #Dimorphos #AsteroidImpact #SpaceExploration #SpaceScience #AstronomyNews

🌟 A Historic Christmas Encounter: Parker Solar Probe's Closest Flyby to the Sun 🌟 This holiday season, while many of us are gazing at twinkling lights on Earth, NASA's Parker Solar Probe is venturing closer than ever to the brightest light in our solar system—our Sun. On its incredible journey, Parker Solar Probe is achieving something truly extraordinary: 🔭 The closest-ever encounter with the Sun’s corona, the mysterious outer atmosphere that holds secrets to solar winds and space weather affecting us here on Earth. 🚀 The fastest human-made object to date, reaching speeds of up to 430,000 mph (700,000 km/h)—a record-breaking feat of engineering and exploration. This daring flyby isn’t just a technological marvel; it’s a mission to uncover the fundamental physics of our star, shedding light on how the Sun influences the solar system and paving the way for breakthroughs in heliophysics and space weather prediction. The Parker Solar Probe reminds us of humanity's boundless curiosity and our drive to push beyond limits. As it braves the extreme environment of the Sun's corona, it inspires us to explore, discover, and dream big. Kudos to the brilliant minds at NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration , The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and all the scientists, engineers, and visionaries who make missions like this possible. Here’s to a brighter future, illuminated by the insights of Parker’s journey. https://lnkd.in/eD5yWb_Z #SpaceExploration #ParkerSolarProbe #NASA #Heliophysics #STEM

You can follow the Europa Clipper's mission. NASA's Europa Clipper mission, launched on October 14, 2024, embarks on an ambitious journey to explore Jupiter's icy moon, Europa. This mission aims to investigate the moon's potential habitability by examining its subsurface ocean, which is believed to exist beneath a thick layer of ice. The Clipper will utilize a suite of scientific instruments to determine the ice shell's thickness and its interactions with the ocean below. While the mission is not designed to search for life directly, it will assess whether the conditions in Europa's ocean could support life. Scientists are particularly interested in understanding the moon's geology and the chemical composition of its ocean, which may provide insights into the potential for life beyond Earth. The Europa Clipper's findings could revolutionize our understanding of icy moons and their capacity to harbor life, making it a pivotal mission in the quest for extraterrestrial existence. https://lnkd.in/eZzGpJ-5

NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration recently completed the analysis of a recovered space object that survived re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. 🌌🔬 In March 2021, NASA ground controllers used the International Space Station's robotic arm to release a cargo pallet containing aging nickel hydride batteries, totaling about 5,800 pounds. This was done following the delivery and installation of new lithium-ion batteries as part of power upgrades on the space station. While it was expected that the hardware would fully burn up during re-entry on March 8, 2024, a piece of hardware actually survived and impacted a home in Naples, Florida. NASA worked with the homeowner to collect the item and then analyzed it at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. For more details on this fascinating story, check out the link below! 👇 https://lnkd.in/ewYQnwSb #NASA #SpaceExploration #SpaceObject #Science #Innovation #Research #NASAUpdates

Advanced Composite Solar Sail System by NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration has successfully established communication with ground operators. Launched on 23-April-2024, this microwave-sized system uses sunlight to propel the spacecraft. The aim of this mission is to broaden our perspective and improve our knowledge to strengthen future space travel. As per recent updates received last night at 11:30 pm (2:30 a.m. EDT), CubeSat passed over Santa Clara University’s Robotics System’s ground hub in California. The team confirmed a successful two-way communication with the device. CubeSat is ready for a 1-to-2-month commissioning phase to prepare itself for solar sail deployment and maneuvering test. The solar sail of spacecraft will unroll in 4 blooms spanning diagonals of the square. Its length will reach 23 feet (around 7 meters). You can read the detailed highlights about the launch and functioning here: https://lnkd.in/gqgvqmDn #renewableenergy #transportation #sustainability

Curtin University is teaming up with NASA, the University of Miami, San Jose State University, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on a new-generation satellite mission to study the colour of the ocean from space. The mission will provide vital information about ocean health and its role in climate regulation. Researchers recently deployed a 15-metre-tall buoy off the coast of Perth as part of a new project to ensure the data quality for NASA’s newly launched PACE (Plankton, Aerosols, Clouds, Ocean Ecosystems) satellite mission. Read comments from Professor David Antoine, head of Curtin’s Remote Sensing and Satellite Research Group (RSSRG) in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences and project lead engineer Andrew Gray : https://lnkd.in/g4hhmabk NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration #newgeneration #satellite #mission #OceanColour #Space #climate_regulation #Research #Earth

The EZIE (Electrojet Zeeman Imaging Explorer) mission will launch next year, providing groundbreaking measurements of the auroral electrojets. These electrical currents are about 60 miles above the ground in a layer of Earth’s atmosphere called the ionosphere, which separates Earth from surrounding space, and will give scientists greater insight into the physics of Earth’s magnetosphere, helping to create better prediction models of the effects of space weather phenomena. Blue Canyon is proud to offer our industry-leading, low-jitter pointing accuracy and heritage 6U CubeSat technology to this project, demonstrating that big science can happen with small satellites. Learn more from NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration >>> https://rtxcorp.co/3zGEgE6 #smallsats #cubesats #spacetechnology #spaceexploration #science #spaceweather #aerospace

NASA balloons study atmosphere and cosmos. Goals include determining the origins of cosmic rays and electron microbursts.

☄️ #DART impact may have created the first human meteor shower Scientists have modeled how debris from NASA's DART mission 🚀, which impacted the asteroid Dimorphos in 2022, could eventually reach Mars and Earth. The study, accepted for publication in The Planetary Science Journal, used simulations to track particles ejected from the asteroid. 🖇️ https://lnkd.in/d-FasQeR Results suggest that smaller meteoroids could reach Mars in as little as seven years, while others may enter the Earth-Moon system in a similar timeframe, although this is more challenging. These particles pose no threat to Earth but could create the first human-made meteor showers, providing an unprecedented opportunity for future observations and research into planetary defense strategies. Press review: https://lnkd.in/ef8kiPkv https://lnkd.in/dKsvGykf https://lnkd.in/dRyqVi-U https://lnkd.in/dAeXhVZY News on our website https://lnkd.in/dgUQSRMZ #DAER #DART #LICIACube Politecnico di Milano DART Team - Polimi European Space Agency - ESA NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration Dr. Eloy Peña-Asensio