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Inflatable space habitats introduced by Max Space

Wednesday, July 31, 2024 by Richard Harris

Max Space, an entrepreneurial space company, recently introduced its unique expandable habitat architecture. Max Space has demonstrated that its proprietary expandable technology can be scaled upwards in size indefinitely while maintaining structural predictability. This attribute makes the company peerless in the space habitation market by opening the door to large-sca...

Deep Purple telescope is one step closer to launch

Wednesday, July 10, 2024 by Richard Harris

In January 2024, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) space hardware team completed the qualification of the Deep Purple payload. This payload is set to be aboard NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator-R (PTD-R) satellite, scheduled for launch this summer. Once operational, Deep Purple will observe ultraviolet (UV) and short-wave infrared (SWIR...

Voyager 1 resumes sending science data from all four instruments

Sunday, June 16, 2024 by Richard Harris

NASA's Voyager 1 spacecraft is once again conducting normal science operations after addressing a technical issue from November 2023. The team partially resolved the problem in April by initiating the return of engineering data, including health and status updates of the spacecraft. On May 19, the mission team sent a command to start returning science data. Two of t...

NASA to adjust Hubble Space Telescope orientation

Tuesday, June 11, 2024 by Richard Harris

NASA is set to change how it directs the Hubble Space Telescope, transitioning it to operate using only one gyroscope (gyro). This decision follows a series of tests and careful considerations. The telescope, which entered safe mode on May 24, will remain in this state until the transition is complete. This adjustment will allow Hubble to continue its astronomical obser...

OSIRIS REx samples reveals surprises from asteroid Bennu

Friday, May 17, 2024 by Freeman Lightner

NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission returned to Earth with a pristine sample from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, offering a unique glimpse into the solar system's early history. The spacecraft collected 121.6 grams (.27 lbs) of material from Bennu's surface in 2020, which is the largest sample ever retrieved from an asteroid. NASA's asteroid sample redefines so...

Voyager 1 phones home for first time since 2023

Wednesday, May 15, 2024 by Richard Harris

At NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, the Voyager mission team convened on April 20, 2024, in anticipation of updates on Voyager 1's recent technical challenges. At 6:40 AM, the team erupted in celebration upon receiving engineering data from Voyager 1 for the first time since November 2023. This breakthrough occurred after the team had rep...

Luminous Pro 11 introduces deep space imaging capabilities

Wednesday, April 10, 2024 by Richard Harris

Luminos Pro 11 brings the universe to your fingertips with its latest iOS update, offering enhanced star databases, weather forecasts for stargazers, and innovative eclipse tracking features. John Stephen, a key supplier of Luminos software, highlights the update’s commitment to improving user experience for both amateur and professional astronomers. With new widg...