As NASA’s astronaut crew, engineers, and mission specialists prepare to make history with the forthcoming launch, here are five things you should know about Artemis II, its crew, and what its scientific missions will include while in orbit.

The Artemis II Mission

A focal point of the Artemis II mission involves the fact that this will be the first time NASA has launched a crew aboard its foundational deep space rocket, the SLS (Space Launch System), and the agency’s new Orion spacecraft.

While in orbit, the mission will provide NASA with the first real opportunity to test the operability of the spacecraft’s systems while having a space-bound crew on board. Not only that, but the mission’s trajectory will carry its astronaut crew farther than any human has traveled into space.

Fundamentally, Artemis II will offer a proving ground for NASA’s most state-of-the-art space exploration capabilities, while setting the pace for future missions that will travel to the lunar surface and, if all goes according to plan, establish a long-term presence on the Moon. This will not only support ongoing lunar science and exploration but will mark an important steppingstone on the path toward eventual crewed explorations of Mars. 

The Crew: First of “The Artemis Generation”  

NASA has selected a team of four astronauts for the Artemis II mission. The crew consists of Commander Reid Wiseman, a former Naval aviator and Chief of the Astronaut Office; Pilot Victor Glover, also a former Naval aviator who previously served as a pilot on the SpaceX Crew-1 mission; Mission Specialist Christina Koch, who currently holds the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman; and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, a Canadian Space Agency astronaut.

(Left to Right): CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, NASA astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch, will comprise the Artemis II crew (Image Credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett).

Notably, this foursome will be the first crew to carry NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft in a journey around the Moon, offering the first full systems test of the spacecraft’s capabilities in a full-scale space mission.

Astronaut Health Experiments

The Artemis II crew will perform a range of science experiments during their mission, many of which will focus on astronaut health to provide NASA with an unprecedented look at the impact of deep space travel on humans. Here’s a quick look at several of the health-related experiments the Artemis II crew will be conducting.

• ARCHeR: NASA’s Artemis Research for Crew Health and Readiness (ARCHeR) will focus on monitoring the crew’s sleep patterns, activity while on board, and overall well-being, which will inform future planning efforts to ensure optimal human health and performance in space.

NASA image depicting the actigraphy device that certain Artemis II astronauts will wear during their mission around the Moon. The device will measure the crew members’ motion, sleep patterns, and exposure to light

(Image Credit: NASA/Helen Arase Vargas).

• AVATAR: The A Virtual Astronaut Tissue Analog Response (AVATAR) study will comprise investigations into the effects of increased exposure to radiation and microgravity that the Artemis II crew will experience, monitored using organ-on-a-chip devices.
• Immune Biomarkers: During Artemis II, blood and saliva samples will also be monitored to study the impact of deep space travel on the immune system.
• Artemis II Standard Measures: Ongoing health information will be provided by each Artemis II astronaut, which will be stored in a data bank for use in future studies related to astronaut health.
• Radiation Studies: Additional monitoring of radiation levels within and outside the Orion capsule will allow NASA’s science team to characterize the deep space environment.

Lunar Science Studies

Since Artemis II marks the first time humans have journeyed to the Moon in more than 50 years, marking what NASA has dubbed “The Artemis Generation” of space exploration, the mission will collect large volumes of data related to lunar science.

During the crew’s passage by the far side of the Moon, the NASA astronauts will perform a three-hour analysis and image collection operation to photograph the Moon’s ancient lava flows, impact craters, and geological features.

Preparation for this portion of their mission included studies on Earth in moonlike environments like deserts and rocky landscapes, which help to inform them about many of the features they will document.

Other Artemis II Mission Objectives

• CubeSats: A range of other scientific studies will during the Artemis II mission, which will enable further studies that will be undertaken remotely by several of NASA’s international partners around the world, which include the transport of CubeSats aboard Artemis II.

“Space agencies from Germany, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina will fly CubeSats aboard Artemis II,” NASA’s Artemis II website states. “The CubeSats, which have their own distinct objectives from NASA’s primary mission of sending four astronauts around the Moon, will be deployed in high Earth orbit.”

“In addition to the CubeSats, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) will conduct radiation research,” NASA’s statement reads.

• Payload Management: While the Artemis II astronauts are hard at work in deep space, back on Earth at the Payload and Mission Operations Division at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, NASA’s flight control team will be continuously monitoring the crew’s progress, while also managing several additional science priorities aboard the spacecraft from the facility’s Lunar Utilization Control Area.
• 

See Also

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Gets Photobombed in Latest Red Planet Robotic Selfie

• Real-Time Science Operations: Additionally, NASA will have a team specializing in the study of impact craters, lunar ice, tectonic activity, and volcanism on hand to provide real-time analysis and additional resources to the Artemis crew, all of which will be transmitted from the Science Evaluation Room located in the mission control facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.
• Space Weather Studies: Since Artemis II will be carrying humans far beyond Earth’s magnetosphere, the magnetic bubble that shields our planet from potentially harmful space weather emanating from the Sun, scientists at NASA, as well as its partners at NOAA, will be offering ongoing space weather forecasting to the Artemis II mission manager, flight director, and console operators throughout the duration of the mission.

Specifically, the NASA and NOAA teams will be watching for potential coronal mass ejections (CMEs) and solar flares, which have the potential to impact not only certain capabilities of the systems on board the spacecraft but also could potentially have a harmful impact on human health.

One Step Beyond

Once the official launch window for Artemis II has been determined, NASA will begin final preparations for launching the astronaut crew on its roughly 10-day mission from Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

From there, the Artemis II crew will spend its first couple of days testing Orion’s systems, as well as undertaking a targeting demonstration while still close to Earth. From there, the team will begin their journey toward the Moon.

A burn from Orion’s European-built service module will propel the spacecraft into a four-day-long outbound trajectory, which will carry the Artemis II astronauts around the Moon’s far side on a figure-eight path that will extend more than 230,000 miles from Earth, and about 4,600 miles beyond the Moon at its farthest point.

Following the crew’s loop around the Moon, the mission will then enter a fuel-efficient free-return path that will rely on the gravitational properties of the Earth and the Moon to help bring Orion back home, which will eliminate any significant requirement for propulsion on the crew’s way home.

In the final phase of their return, the crew will endure a high-speed, high-temperature reentry not unlike past crewed missions have undergone before they splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego. There, recovery teams comprised of NASA and Department of Defense personnel will retrieve the Artemis II astronauts.

In the days ahead, NASA will provide ongoing details as its teams continue preparations for the forthcoming launch, marking a major leap for human space exploration in the twenty-first century, and the initiation of the Artemis Generation of crewed deep space missions to study the Moon and beyond.

• Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com
  

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{ https://thedebrief.org/category/space/ }

31-01-2026 om 22:09 geschreven door peter  

Out-of-control Chinese rocket smashes into the South Pacific Ocean - after Britain was put on red-alert over the potential of falling debris

• READ MORE: Step–by–step graphic reveals what will happen during Artemis II

By WILIAM HUNTER, SENIOR SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY REPORTER

An out-of-control Chinese rocket has crashed into the Southern Pacific Ocean, after Britain readied the emergency alert system over fears of falling debris. 

Earlier today, the UK government asked mobile network providers to ensure the alert system is operational, in preparation for a potential impact.

However, the rocket has now safely landed in the ocean some 1,200 miles (2,000 km) southeast of New Zealand. 

The rocket, a Chinese Zhuque–3 launched in early December, crashed to Earth at 12:39 GMT, according to the US Space Force. 

With an estimated mass of 11 tonnes, the EU's Space Surveillance and Tracking (SST) agency had cautioned that ZQ–3 R/B was 'quite a sizeable object deserving careful monitoring.' 

While the vast majority of space debris which falls on Earth either burns up in the atmosphere or is never found, experts say we can be certain this rocket fell safely. 

Dr Marco Lanbroek, a debris tracking expert from the Delft University of Technology, says he 'strongly suspects' that the US Space Force observed the re-entry fireball using a space-based satellite. 

This puts an end to intense uncertainty over the rocket's potential landing site, after predictions suggested it could hit Northern Europe and the UK. 

The government asked mobile network operators to ensure the national emergency alert system is ready, as an out–of–control Chinese rocket (pictured) hurtles to Earth 

The rocket was launched by private space firm LandSpace from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China's Gansu Province on December 3, 2025.

The experimental rocket, dubbed ZQ–3 R/B, successfully reached orbit, but its reusable booster stage, modelled after the SpaceX Falcon 9, exploded during landing.

The upper stages and its 'dummy' cargo, in the form of a large metal tank, have been slowly slipping out of orbit.  

The rocket's shallow angle of re–entry had made it extremely difficult to predict exactly where any of the pieces might fall.

At the time, Professor Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer from the Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and expert on tracking space debris, told the Daily Mail: 'It will pass over the Inverness–Aberdeen area at 1200 UTC, so there's a small – a few per cent – chance it could re–enter there, otherwise it won't happen over the UK.'

It is not uncommon for pieces of rocket and satellite debris to fall to Earth, with debris passing over the UK about 70 times a month.

The overwhelming majority of the material is burned up upon re–entry due to friction with the atmosphere.

Despite earlier predictions that the rocket could land over Europe and the UK, observations now show that it has landed safely in the ocean  

The UK government asked mobile network providers to ensure the alert system is operational, in preparation for the possibility of an alert being issued 

In some cases, very large pieces of debris or fragments of heat–resistant materials, such as stainless steel or titanium, can make it to Earth.

However, these pieces generally disperse over the oceans or unpopulated areas.

The government also stresses that the 'readiness check' conducted by the mobile network providers is a routine practice that does not indicate that an alert will be issued.

A UK government spokesperson told the Daily Mail: 'It is extremely unlikely that any debris enters UK airspace.

'As you'd expect, we have well rehearsed plans for a variety of different risks including those related to space, that are tested routinely with partners.'

While there is almost no chance that this falling rocket will cause damage to life or property, researchers have warned that the risk of space debris is increasing.

The only recorded case of someone being hit by space debris occurred in 1997, when a woman was struck but not hurt by a 16–gram piece of a US–made Delta II rocket.

The rocket was launched by private space firm LandSpace from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China's Gansu Province on December 3, 2025. It has been slowly falling out of orbit since and has now crashed back to Earth

This is not the first time that a Chinese rocket has fallen to Earth. In 2024, fragments of a Long March 3B booster stage fell metres from homes in China's Guangxi province 

As the number of commercial launches increases, so too does the volume of 'uncontrolled' re–entries.

A recent study by scientists at the University of British Columbia suggested that there is now a 10 per cent chance that one or more people will be killed by space junk in the next decade.

Likewise, researchers have increasingly warned that falling debris could pose a threat to air travel, with a 26 per cent chance of something falling through some of the world's busiest airspace in any given year.

Read More

•  'The smell would be intolerable!' NASA reveals cramped quarters where astronauts will live for days 

The actual chances of a plane being hit are currently very small, but a large piece of space junk could lead to widespread closures and travel chaos.

However, a 2020 study estimated that the risk of any given commercial flight being hit could rise to around one in 1,000 by 2030.

Nor is this the first time that a large Chinese–made rocket has unexpectedly crashed out of orbit.

In 2024, an almost complete Long March 3B booster stage fell over a village in a forested area of China's Guangxi Province, exploding in a dramatic fireball.

WHAT IS SPACE JUNK? MORE THAN 170 MILLION PIECES OF DEAD SATELLITES, SPENT ROCKETS AND FLAKES OF PAINT POSE 'THREAT' TO SPACE INDUSTRY

There are an estimated 170 million pieces of so-called 'space junk' - left behind after missions that can be as big as spent rocket stages or as small as paint flakes - in orbit alongside some US$700 billion (£555bn) of space infrastructure.

But only 27,000 are tracked, and with the fragments able to travel at speeds above 16,777 mph (27,000kmh), even tiny pieces could seriously damage or destroy satellites.

However, traditional gripping methods don't work in space, as suction cups do not function in a vacuum and temperatures are too cold for substances like tape and glue.

Grippers based around magnets are useless because most of the debris in orbit around Earth is not magnetic.

Around 500,000 pieces of human-made debris (artist's impression) currently orbit our planet, made up of disused satellites, bits of spacecraft and spent rockets

Most proposed solutions, including debris harpoons, either require or cause forceful interaction with the debris, which could push those objects in unintended, unpredictable directions.

Scientists point to two events that have badly worsened the problem of space junk.

The first was in February 2009, when an Iridium telecoms satellite and Kosmos-2251, a Russian military satellite, accidentally collided.

The second was in January 2007, when China tested an anti-satellite weapon on an old Fengyun weather satellite.

Experts also pointed to two sites that have become worryingly cluttered.

One is low Earth orbit which is used by satnav satellites, the ISS, China's manned missions and the Hubble telescope, among others.

The other is in geostationary orbit, and is used by communications, weather and surveillance satellites that must maintain a fixed position relative to Earth. 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

31-01-2026 om 20:52 geschreven door peter  

Op zo’n 5 miljard lichtjaar afstand heerst de immense sterrenstelselcluster MACS J1149. De James Webb-ruimtetelescoop legt dit kosmische zwaargewicht nu met ongekende scherpte vast en onthult hoe zijn verpletterende zwaartekracht het licht van het vroege heelal buigt en vervormt.

Diep in het sterrenbeeld Leeuw (Leo), op een duizelingwekkende afstand van ongeveer 5 miljard lichtjaar, heerst een ware titan: sterrenstelselcluster MACS J1149.5+2223. Deze verzameling van honderden sterrenstelsels, bijeengehouden door de allesbepalende zwaartekracht, is nu vastgelegd in verbluffend detail door de James Webb-ruimtetelescoop. Het nieuwe beeld onthult niet alleen de indrukwekkende inwoners van de cluster zelf, maar ook hoe dit kosmische zwaargewicht fungeert als een natuurlijke telescoop voor het observeren van de verste uithoeken van het universum.

De James Webb-ruimtetelescoop legde deze opname van MACS J1149.5+2223 vast met zijn Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam), een compositie van zes verschillende golflengten van 0,9 tot 4,44 micrometer, om de structuur en samenstelling van de sterrenstelsels in ongekend detail te onthullen. Foto: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, C. Willott (National Research Council Canada), R. Tripodi (INAF – Astronomical Observatory of Rome). Klik hier om de foto zoombaar te openen, hier om deze te bekijken in ESASky browser of hier om deze (printbaar .tif-bestand) op de hoogste resolutie te downloaden.

Een natuurlijk zwaartekrachtlens laboratorium

De werkelijke kracht van MACS J1149 schuilt in zijn kolossale massa. De zwaartekracht van deze cluster is zo immens dat ze de structuur van ruimtetijd rondom zich vervormt. Licht van sterrenstelsels die nog eens véél verder weg staan, moet op zijn miljarden jaren durende reis naar de aarde door dit vervormde gebied reizen. Het gevolg is een fenomeen dat astronomen gravitationele lensing noemen: het licht wordt afgebogen en versterkt, alsof het door een kosmisch vergrootglas gaat. Op Webbs opname (hierboven) is dit overal zichtbaar, van subtiel uitgerekte sterrenstelsels tot bizarre, gerekte vormen.

Een kosmische celebrity onder de loep

Deze eigenschap maakt MACS J1149 tot een ware ‘celebrity’ voor astronomen. De cluster was eerder al één van de zes nauwlettend onderzochte regio’s door het baanbrekende Frontier Fields-programma van de Hubble-ruimtetelescoop, specifiek geselecteerd vanwege zijn sterke lenswerking. Ook de Very Large Telescope van de Europese Zuidelijke Sterrenwacht (ESO) heeft zijn blik op de cluster gericht, maar ook radiogrondtelescopen en orbitale röntgentelescopen zoals Chandra hebben MACS J1149 vaker onderzocht. Recent onderzoek gebruikt deze voorgaande waarnemingen in combinatie met nieuwe gegevens om de massa-verdeling binnen dergelijke clusters en hun rol in de evolutie van sterrenstelsels verder te duiden.

Webbs uitzonderlijke gevoeligheid in het infrarood gaat nu een stap verder. Zijn instrumenten, zoals NIRSpec en NIRCam, worden ingezet in programma’s zoals CANUCS om via clusters als MACS J1149 de allervroegste sterrenstelsels te bestuderen. Ze ontrafelen hun stervorming, chemie en de rol die ze speelden tijdens het tijdperk van de reïonisatie, toen de eerste lichtbronnen de kosmische duisternis doorbraken na de oerknal.

We schreven vaker over dit onderwerp, lees bijvoorbeeld ook ‘Eén jaar na de lancering van James Webb kunnen astronomen hun geluk niet op: de telescoop maakt het onzichtbare en ondenkbare zichtbaar‘ of ‘De eerste sterrenstelsels in het universum waren veel helderder dan verwacht‘.

Een venster op het vroege heelal

De nieuwe James Webb-opname is dus meer dan een adembenemend plaatje. Het is het begin van een nieuw hoofdstuk in de studie van deze kosmische reus. Door het lensvermogen van MACS J1149 te combineren met Webbs ongeëvenaarde scherpte, kunnen astronomen verder terugkijken in de tijd dan ooit tevoren. Op deze manier blijft deze cluster, een reus op 5 miljard lichtjaar afstand, ons een uniek venster bieden op de geboorte en evolutie van de eerste structuren in ons universum.

• De afgelopen decennia zijn er prachtige foto’s gemaakt van interstellaire nevels, sterrenstelsels, planeten, andere hemellichamen en in de ruimtevaart. Ieder weekend halen we een indrukwekkende ruimtefoto uit het archief. Genieten van alle foto’s? Bekijk ze op deze pagina. Heb je zelf bijzondere (astro)foto’s die je wil delen met ons? Stuur ze in via ons mailadres o.v.v. ‘Ruimtefoto’!

Bronmateriaal

• "A celebrity cluster in the spotlight" - ESA/Webb
  
• "Hubble uses cosmic lens to discover most distant star ever observed" - ESA/Hubble
  
• "Galaxy cluster MACS j1149.5+223 and a supernova four times over" - ESA/Hubble
  
• "Galaxy cluster MACS J1149+2223" - ESA/Hubble
  
• "Icarus (MACS J1149+2223 Lensed Star 1)" - NASA/Hubble
• "MACS J1149.5+2233: A Fusion of Galaxy Clusters" - Harvard/Chandra
  
• Afbeelding bovenaan dit artikel: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, C. Willott (National Research Council Canada), R. Tripodi (INAF - Astronomical Observatory of Rome)

Laatst aangepast op: 29 januari 2026

{ https://scientias.nl/nieuws/astronomie-ruimtevaart/  }

30-01-2026 om 20:48 geschreven door peter  

NASA is gearing up for the first crewed journey to the Moon in over half a century, a mission that could launch as soon as two weeks from now.

And next year, the agency will finally attempt to return astronauts to the lunar surface itself as part of its Artemis 3 mission, which will dramatically increase the already considerable stakes.

Particularly when it comes to stepping out of the spacecraft — the agency has yet to pick between Blue Origin and SpaceX’s offerings in that regard — staying protected from the extreme temperature swings, space radiation, and lack of atmosphere is extremely challenging.

That’s not to mention the physical limitations of an extremely bulky spacesuit, which could physically tax astronauts even more than stepping outside of the International Space Station during a spacewalk.

As Ars Technica reports, former NASA astronaut and microbiologist Kate Rubins, who retired last year and has logged 300 days in space, recently voiced her concerns over the Moon suit that private space company Axiom Space has been developing for NASA as part of a $228 million contract.

“What I think we have on the Moon that we don’t really have on the space station that I want people to recognize is an extreme physical stress,” she said during a recent meeting of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Besides not getting any sleep, Rubin warned that people will be “in these suits for eight or nine hours” and doing extravehicular activities (EVAs) “every day.”

Compared to the suits NASA astronauts wore during the Apollo missions, the Axiom Space suit is considerably heavier. While a sixth of gravity will greatly alleviate some of that heft, they still weigh in at 300 pounds. At the same time, Moon walkers will enjoy greatly enhanced flexibility, allowing them to kneel down to pick up objects, for instance.

“I think the suits are better than Apollo, but I don’t think they are great right now,” Rubin warned, noting “flexibility issues” and the reality that “people are going to be falling over.”

In remarks directly to Ars, Rubin elaborated, emphasizing that the suits are “definitely much better than Apollo,” but remain “still quite heavy.”

Even something as simple as getting back up after a fall — as demonstrated by the many Apollo astronauts who took a tumble while on the Moon — involves a type of “jumping pushup,” as Rubins told Ars, which is a “non-trivial” and “risky maneuver.”

Not everybody is as concerned about the Axiom Space suit. Current NASA astronaut and physician Mike Barratt argued in remarks during the committee meeting that the “suit is getting there,” pointing out that “we’ve got 700 hours of pressurized experience in it right now.”

“Bending down in the suit is really not too bad at all,” he added.

NASA still plans to conduct plenty of tests involving the suit, including parabolic flight, which can simulate the partial gravity of the Moon’s surface. The agency has already put the suit through its paces underwater at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Lab.

The agency has until sometime next year to finalize the design for its long-awaited Artemis 3 mission to the lunar surface. At the same time, NASA still has plenty of decisions to make, including how to get down to the lunar surface in the first place.

More on Artemis: 

• Experts Warn That There’s Something Wrong With the Moon Rocket NASA Is About to Launch With Astronauts Aboard

{https://futurism.com/ }

29-01-2026 om 23:34 geschreven door peter  

NASA shared an unusual photo taken by the Curiosity mission. It shows the rover’s “night shift.”

The Curiosity rover is equipped with LED lights. They are part of the MAHLI camera mounted at the end of its robotic arm. Sometimes scientists use them during the day to illuminate areas that are in shadow, such as the interior of boreholes and intake tubes leading to instruments at the bottom of the rover.

In the earlier stages of the mission, the Curiosity team also used these LEDs at night to search for layers or other features on the walls of drill holes that would help them better understand the composition of the rock. But since the mission changed its drilling method, the holes have become too rough and dusty to see any details. 

However, Curiosity recently used LEDs again at night. This happened after drilling a rock called Nevado Sajama on November 13, 2025. After studying the images, the mission specialists noticed that the walls of the borehole were smooth enough to attempt to find layers, and decided to try illuminating the borehole at night. It is this operation that is captured in the image presented.

The drilling at Nevado Sajama was carried out during an exploration of a region full of geological formations known as “boxworks.” These formations crisscross the surface for many kilometers and, when viewed from space, look like giant spider webs.

• According to NASA

• Posted in News, Tech

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/news-en/science-en/ }

29-01-2026 om 23:26 geschreven door peter  

A momentous event in the history of space exploration is about to take place: for the first time in 54 years, humans will return to the Moon. As part of the Artemis II mission, four astronauts will orbit the Moon and then return to Earth. The entire journey will take ten days.

The Artemis II mission would not have been possible without Artemis I. As part of Artemis I, NASA launched the super-heavy SLS rocket for the first time and tested the Orion spacecraft in deep space. The experience gained during its implementation laid the foundation for the further development of the lunar program. With the launch of Artemis II fast approaching, let’s take a look back at how the predecessor mission went and admire some of its best photos.

Artemis I was launched into space on November 16, 2022. This launch marked the debut of the super-heavy SLS rocket, which is capable of carrying up to 95 tons of cargo into orbit. Incidentally, its first-stage engines, boosters, and side boosters were inherited from the Space Shuttle program.

Eight hours after launch, the upper stage of the SLS performed a maneuver that directed Orion toward the Moon, after which it separated from the spacecraft and was directed into Earth’s atmosphere.

There were no humans aboard Orion. Three mannequins equipped with sensors that measured radiation, acceleration, and vibration levels during flight played the role of the crew. One of them, dressed in a flight suit, was seated in the commander’s chair.

The journey to the Moon took five days. On November 21, Orion performed a close flyby of the Moon, after which it activated its main engine, entering a distant retrograde orbit around the satellite.

While Orion was in a distant orbit around the Moon, NASA engineers monitored the spacecraft’s behavior and collected data on the radiation environment. The spacecraft also took a series of selfies showing it against the backdrop of Earth and the Moon.

On November 28, Orion reached a distance of 432,210 km from Earth. This is the maximum distance achieved during the Artemis I mission.

On December 1, the spacecraft reactivated its engine and left its distant retrograde orbit, beginning its journey home.

On December 5, Orion flew 128 km above the surface of the Moon and performed a maneuver that allowed it to leave the Moon’s gravitational influence.

In the following days, the spacecraft made several course corrections while mission specialists prepared for its landing.

The main engine of the Orion spacecraft.

Source: NASA

On December 11, 2022, Orion entered Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of 11.2 km/s, which is much higher than missions returning to Earth from the ISS. The spacecraft’s heat shield sustained more damage than expected, but still reliably protected the contents of the crew capsule.

The Orion capsule successfully splashed down west of the California coast near Guadalupe Island. It was soon picked up by a ship and then taken to port. This marked the official end of the Artemis I mission.

You can find out more about the Artemis II mission flight plan in our article.

• Posted in Articles, Questions

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/news-en/science-en/ }

29-01-2026 om 23:17 geschreven door peter  

With the first launch window for Artemis II now just days away, NASA has shared a glimpse inside the cramped quarters of the Orion spacecraft.

Four astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen – will spend 10 days living inside the capsule as they whizz around the moon.

During that time, the crew will stay in a tiny, equipment–filled space, no larger than the back of a Ford Transit.

While NASA says it will use the mission to learn how crews adjust to tight quarters, space fans have pointed out one very obvious problem.

Although Orion is equipped with a toilet and washing facilities, many commenters wondered just how hygienic the capsule will be after a week and a half in space.

On X (formerly Twitter), one sceptical commenter wrote: 'No mention of how they will be in extremely close quarters and will have to change each other's diapers and wipe.

'The smell would be intolerable.'

Another concerned commenter asked: 'Do they change their clothes at all and if so, since there is a woman in the crew, is there privacy for that and toileting?'

Four astronauts will spend 10 days living inside the cramped confines of the Orion spacecraft 

Although Orion has 30 per cent more habitable volume than the Apollo capsule, it is still smaller than the back of a Ford Transit. Pictured (left to right): Jeremy Hansen, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch

On X, some space enthusiasts had serious concerns about the smell that could be caused by four astronauts living, exercising, and using the bathroom in such a small space 

During the Artemis II mission, the four–person crew will launch from Kennedy Space Centre on a round trip passing around the far side of the moon.

Once their Space Launch System (SLS) rocket has pushed the astronauts out into orbit, the early stages will detach and leave Orion to drift by itself through space.

While Orion has 30 per cent more space than the Apollo capsule, it is still absolutely tiny for four people.

Measuring just 3.35 metres (11 feet) in height and five metres (16.5 feet) in diameter at the base, Orion has a habitable volume of just 9.34 cubic metres (330 cubic feet).

For comparison, a Ford Transit van typically has 10 cubic metres (353 cubic feet) of storage in the back.

Conditions are so cramped that NASA wants to study how the crew physically and psychologically adapt to their time in space.

In a video posted to X, NASA explains: 'To better understand how isolation, confinement, and other aspects of spaceflight affect human health and performance, Artemis II crew members will evaluate their activity levels, sleep patterns, movements and interactions for a study called Artemis Research for Crew Health and Readiness – or ARCHR for short.'

The astronauts will wear sports–watch–like wristbands to measure their movements and sleep patterns in real time, as well as completing surveys and motor control tests before and after flight.

Other concerned space fans were worried that there might not be privacy for washing, changing, or using the toilet in the tiny confines of the Orion capsule 

Despite the obvious challenges, a number of commenters on social media were bizarrely unimpressed by the technological and human achievements of spaceflight 

The crew will sleep for eight hours per day in sleeping bag–like hammocks that attach to handrails (pictured) 

In the biggest upgrade over Apollo, Orion features a separate toilet compartment hidden behind a panel in the floor (circled in red)

The Artemis II crew

Reid Wiseman – Commander 

- A US Navy aviator and test pilot with 27 years of experience.

- Wiseman has previously spent 165 days in space onboard the ISS

Victor Glover – Pilot

- A US Navy aviator and test pilot with 3,500 flight hours in more than 40 aircraft 

- Glover served as Flight Engineer on the ISS during a 168–day mission

Christna Koch – Mission specialist

- An engineer and scientist specialising in electrical engineering

- Holds the record for longest spaceflight by a woman, spending consecutive days on the ISS

Jeremy Hansen – Mission specialist

- Selected by the Canadian Space Agency to join Artemis II

- A Canadian Armed Forces fighter pilot, physicist, and experienced aquanaut

However, despite these obvious challenges, some space enthusiasts remained bizarrely unimpressed.

One commenter wrote on X: 'Relax. Once you get used to it, it'll be fine. I could do the trip to Mars in a freakin' Apollo capsule.'

Another said: 'So NASA's gonna put Fitbits on the astronauts? Cool, I've been wearing one for over three years.'

Despite the small amount of space, NASA has managed to fit in a few comforts that should make the journey more bearable.

For those concerned about the smell, Orion is fitted with a modified version of the toilet from the International Space Station known as the Universal Waste Management System.

This is essentially an elaborate vacuum cleaner with a seat and a specialised nozzle that operates by 'using air flow to pull fluid and solid waste away from the body'.

Compared to the toilet on the ISS, Orion's lavatory has been modified to fit in an even smaller space and to be more practical for female astronauts.

Perhaps most importantly, NASA has even found enough space on Orion to fit the toilet in its own tiny room.

The toilet room will also allow astronauts to wash in relative privacy, using liquid soap, flannels and rinseless shampoo to stay clean. Pictured: A training mockup of the Artemis II toilet used to practice on Earth 

The crew will use a similar toilet to the one found on the ISS, known as the Universal Waste Management System (pictured), that uses 'air flow to pull fluid and solid waste away' 

Orion even has room for a compact gym with a flywheel system (pictured) that allows for simple resistance exercises 

On Apollo, astronauts had to simply float in a corner while doing their business, but Artemis II's crew have the luxury of a tiny cabin in the 'floor' of the capsule.

Read More

• Step-by-step graphic reveals exactly what will happen during NASA's Artemis II mission to the moon 

Speaking in a video blog, Artemis II crewmember Jeremy Hansen described this as 'the one place we can go during the mission where we can actually feel like we're alone for a moment.'

This hygiene bay also offers the crew a place to wash in relative privacy, using liquid soap, flannels, and rinseless shampoo to remain clean.

To stay healthy and prevent muscle atrophy while in microgravity, Orion even packs in a compact gym for the astronauts to use.

The crew will use a flywheel device for simple resistance exercises like rowing, squats, and deadlifts for 30 minutes every day.

Artemis II: Key facts

Launch date: NASA has identified three possible launch windows for Artemis II in the coming months: From February 6 to February 11, from March 6 to March 11, and from April 1 to April 6.

Mission objective: To complete a lunar flyby, passing the 'dark side' of the moon and test systems for a future lunar landing.

Total distance to travel: 620,000 miles (one million km)

Mission duration: 10 days 

Estimated total cost: $44 billion (£32.5 billion)

• NASA Space Launch System rocket: $23.8 billion (£17.6 billion)
• Orion deep–space spacecraft: $20.4 billion (£15 billion)

Crew: 

• Commander Reid Wiseman
• Pilot Victor Glover
• Mission Specialist Christina Koch
• Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen

Mission Stages:

1. Launch from Kennedy Space Centre Launch Pad 39B
2. Manoeuvre in orbit to raise the perigee using the Cryogenic Propulsion Stage
3. Burn to raise apogee using the Cryogenic Propulsion Stage
4. Detach from Cryogenic Propulsion Stage and perform translunar injection
5. Fly to the moon over four days
6. Complete lunar flyby at a maximum altitude of 5,523 miles (8,889 km) above the moon's surface
7. Return to Earth over four days.
8. Separate the crew module from the European Service Module and the crew module adapter
9. Splashdown in the Pacific Ocean  

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

29-01-2026 om 21:56 geschreven door peter  

Is THIS where aliens are hiding? NASA discovers an exoplanet 146 light–years away that's 'remarkably similar to Earth' – and it could be habitable

• READ MORE: Scientists baffled by a LEMON-shaped planet

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

It's one of the biggest unanswered questions in science: are there aliens out there, and if so, where are they hiding?

Now, a discovery by NASA raising the tantalising possibility that we're not alone after all. 

The US space agency has discovered an exoplanet 146 light–years away that is 'remarkably similar to Earth'. 

Dubbed HD 137010 b, the planet might fall just within the outer edges of its star's 'habitable zone', meaning there could be liquid water on its surface and a suitable atmosphere for life. 

However, any potential aliens living on this planet would need to be well adapted for cold weather. 

'Although of a stellar type similar to our Sun, the star, HD 137010, is cooler and dimmer,' NASA explained. 

'That could mean a planetary surface temperature no higher than –90°F (–68°C). 

'By comparison, the average surface temperature on Mars runs about –85°F (–65°C).'

Dubbed HD 137010 b, the planet might fall just within the outer edges of its star's 'habitable zone', meaning there could be liquid water on its surface and a suitable atmosphere for life

NASA's scientists discovered the rocky exoplanet using data gathered by the Kepler Space Telescope.

This discovery comes from a single 'transit' – the planet crossing its star's face – which was detected during Kepler's second mission, K2. 

While one transit doesn't sound like much, this was enough for the scientists to estimate the exoplanet's orbital period. 

By tracking the time it took for the planet's shadow to move across its sun's face, the team estimated that the planet has an orbital period of 10 hours, compared to Earth's 13 hours. 

Their calculations also suggest it's probably freezing, although there is a chance HD 137010 b could turn out to be a temperate or even a watery world, according to NASA. 

'It would just need an atmosphere richer in carbon dioxide than our own,' the team explained. 

Based on modelling of the planet's possible atmospheres, NASA says there is a 40 per cent chance that the planet falls within the 'conservative' habitable zone around the star, and a 51 per cent chance that it falls within the broader 'optimistic' habitable zone.

'The planet has about a 50–50 chance of falling beyond the habitable zone entirely,' the experts cautioned. 

To confirm whether or not the planet is habitable, the researchers will now conduct follow–up observations – although they admit this is going to be 'tricky'. 

'The planet's orbital distance, so similar to Earth's, means such transits happen far less often than for planets in tighter orbits around their stars (it's a big reason why exoplanets with Earth–like orbits are so hard to detect in the first place),' NASA explained. 

'With luck, confirmation could come from further observation by the successor to Kepler/K2, NASA's TESS (the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), the still–functioning workhorse for planetary detection, or from the European Space Agency's CHEOPS (CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite).

'Otherwise, gathering further data on planet HD 137010 b might have to wait for the next generation of space telescopes.'

KEY DISCOVERIES IN HUMANITY'S SEARCH FOR ALIEN LIFE

Discovery of pulsars

British astronomer Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell was the first person to discover a pulsar in 1967 when she spotted a radio pulsar.

Since then other types of pulsars that emit X-rays and gamma rays have also been spotted.

Pulsars are essentially rotating, highly magnetised neutron stars but when they were first discovered it was believed they could have come from aliens.

'Wow!' radio signal

In 1977, an astronomer looking for alien life in the night sky above Ohio spotted a radio signal so powerful that he excitedly wrote 'Wow!' next to his data.

In 1977, an astronomer looking for alien life in the night sky above Ohio spotted a radio signal so powerful that he excitedly wrote 'Wow!' next to his data

The 72-second blast, spotted by Dr Jerry Ehman through a radio telescope, came from Sagittarius but matched no known celestial object.

Conspiracy theorists have since claimed that the 'Wow! signal', which was 30 times stronger than background radiation, was a message from intelligent extraterrestrials.

Fossilised Martian microbes

In 1996 Nasa and the White House made the explosive announcement that the rock contained traces of Martian bugs.

The meteorite, catalogued as Allen Hills (ALH) 84001, crashed onto the frozen wastes of Antarctica 13,000 years ago and was recovered in 1984. 

Photographs were released showing elongated segmented objects that appeared strikingly lifelike.

Photographs were released showing elongated segmented objects that appeared strikingly lifelike (pictured)

However, the excitement did not last long. Other scientists questioned whether the meteorite samples were contaminated. 

They also argued that heat generated when the rock was blasted into space may have created mineral structures that could be mistaken for microfossils. 

Behaviour of Tabby's Star in 2005 

The star, otherwise known as KIC 8462852, is located 1,400 light years away and has baffled astronomers since being discovered in 2015.

It dims at a much faster rate than other stars, which some experts have suggested is a sign of aliens harnessing the energy of a star.

The star, otherwise known as KIC 8462852, is located 1,400 light years away and has baffled astonomers since being discovered in 2015 (artist's impression)

Recent studies have 'eliminated the possibility of an alien megastructure', and instead, suggests that a ring of dust could be causing the strange signals.

Exoplanets in the Goldilocks zone in 2017 

In February 2017 astronomers announced they had spotted a star system with planets that could support life just 39 light years away.

Seven Earth-like planets were discovered orbiting nearby dwarf star 'Trappist-1', and all of them could have water at their surface, one of the key components of life.

Three of the planets have such good conditions, that scientists say life may have already evolved on them. 

Researchers claim that they will know whether or not there is life on any of the planets within a decade, and said: 'This is just the beginning.' 

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

29-01-2026 om 21:25 geschreven door peter  

NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope continues to reveal the secrets of the universe, three and a half decades after its launch, as a new AI technique from the European Space Agency (ESA) identifies more than 800 previously unreported space objects.

Launched in 1990 and still in operation, the Hubble Space Telescope has amassed a vast archive of data over its decades spent scanning the universe. Now, a recent paper in Astronomy & Astrophysics reports the identification of 1,300 unusual objects by AI in just two and a half days, many of which have never appeared in the astronomical literature.

Hubble Image Analysis

The astronomers behind the new research fed their AI neural network 100 million image cutouts from the Hubble Legacy Archive. These cutouts are tiny—only dozens of pixels wide—yet the AI was able to meaningfully determine what they contained.

Galaxies accounted for most of the anomalous cutouts, typically undergoing mergers or other unusual interactions that distorted their morphologies or left them trailing long streams of stars and gas. Other cutouts were identified as spacetime distortions that bent light from distant galaxies into arcs or rings before it reached Hubble.

Small image cutouts from the Hubble Legacy Archive revealed strange anomalies when analyzed by AnomalyMatch.

Credit: NASA, ESA, David O’Ryan (ESA), Pablo Gómez (ESA), Mahdi Zamani (ESA/Hubble)

More unusual cosmic features were also identified, including galaxies resembling jellyfish with strange tentacle-like streams of gas, and edge-on planet-forming disks that appear like hamburgers in the images (several of which can be seen above).

Perhaps most notably, dozens of the objects were so bizarre that they did not fit any existing classification.

Developing AnomalyMatch

The sheer scale of data amassed in the continually expanding archives of Hubble and other telescopes has become so large that it defies traditional human-led analysis. These advanced space observatories generate data at a rate far exceeding that of earlier eras in astronomy. Prior attempts to open the data to citizen scientists have met with some success, but the backlog has grown too large for those initiatives to fully address. Until now, astronomers have relied on manual analysis and the occasional fortunate discovery made while examining specific targets.

While Hubble was constructed by NASA, ESA researchers David O’Ryan and Pablo Gómez developed the solution leveraged by the team for its analysis of this torrent of data. Specifically, the pair created a neural network called AnomalyMatch, which is designed to examine collections of imagery far more quickly than humans can. Still, AnomalyMatch was trained to perform pattern recognition similar to that of humans, allowing it to “learn” to identify rare and unusual objects hidden in the data.

“Archival observations from the Hubble Space Telescope now span 35 years, offering a rich dataset in which astrophysical anomalies may be hidden,” said lead author David O’Ryan.

Among the objects discovered was a collision ring galaxy, a type of disrupted or bent ring-shaped galaxy.

Credit: NASA, ESA, David O’Ryan (ESA), Pablo Gómez (ESA), Mahdi Zamani (ESA/Hubble)

Exploring Hubble and Other Telescopes

Although the team’s initial paper focuses on data retrieved using the Hubble Space Telescope, the technique can be applied more broadly as well. Other platforms, such as ESA’s Euclid mission, are generating vast amounts of data that AnomalyMatch could help process. Crucially, O’Ryan and Gómez’s neural network results have been manually reviewed by astronomers, who have so far confirmed 1,300 of the anomalies flagged by AnomalyMatch.

“This is a powerful demonstration of how AI can enhance the scientific return of archival datasets,” co-author Pablo Gómez said. “The discovery of so many previously undocumented anomalies in Hubble data underscores the tool’s potential for future surveys.”

Future advanced space observatories will also benefit from the implementation of AnomalyMatch. For instance, NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will provide a wider field of view than the James Webb Space Telescope, offering yet another enormous data set for astronomers to search through in the years ahead.

The paper, “Identifying Astrophysical Anomalies in 99.6 Million Source Cutouts from the Hubble Legacy Archive using AnomalyMatch,” appeared in Astronomy & Astrophysics on December 16, 2025.

• Ryan Whalen covers science and technology for The Debrief. He holds an MA in History and a Master of Library and Information Science with a certificate in Data Science. He can be contacted at ryan@thedebrief.org, and follow him on Twitter @mdntwvlf.

{ https://thedebrief.org/category/space/ }

28-01-2026 om 23:24 geschreven door peter  

Story by Gege L

Perseverance looks upstream along Neretva Vallis, the ancient river valley which once fed water into Jezero crater, over 3.5 billion years ago. The light-toned rocks in the foreground comprise fine-grained mudstones of the Bright Angel formation.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

New findings from NASA's Perseverance rover have revealed evidence of wave-formed beaches and rocks altered by subsurface water in a Martian crater that once held a vast lake—considerably expanding the timeline for potential habitability at this ancient site. In an international study led by Imperial College London, researchers uncovered that the so-called "Margin unit" in Mars's Jezero crater preserves evidence of extensive underground interactions between rock and water, as well as the first definitive traces of an ancient shoreline.

Perseverance views potential shoreline deposits in the Eastern Margin Unit with Mastcam-Z on Sol 934.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS

These are compelling indicators that habitable, surface water conditions persisted in the crater (home to a large lake around 3.5 billion years ago) further back in time than previously thought. "Shorelines are habitable environments on Earth, and the carbonate minerals that form here can naturally seal in and preserve information about the ancient environment," said lead author Alex Jones, a Ph.D. researcher in the Department of Earth Science and Engineering (ESE) at Imperial.

"Our findings therefore have exciting implications for Mars's past climate and habitability, while providing new insights into a geologic unit which has long had a debated origin." The work is published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets.

From rock to beach

Deployed on Mars since 2021 to search for signs of past life, NASA's Perseverance rover spent nearly a year extensively exploring the "Margin unit," a geologic unit lining the inner rim of Jezero crater between 2023 and 2024. The unit was a critical target for exploration since it is rich in carbonate minerals; these precipitate from liquid water and often trap organic molecules on Earth, making them excellent at preserving any potential biosignatures that are present in the environment.

Before Perseverance's arrival, the origin of the unit was contested—some scientists proposed that it formed as a sedimentary deposit along the edge of the ancient Jezero lake, while others argued it was an igneous rock later altered by water.

The study analyzed a multitude of high-resolution outcrop and grain-scale images captured by Perseverance's cameras to confirm that both hypotheses are in fact true to some degree.

It showed that much of the unit's structure and grain-scale texture is consistent with an altered igneous rock, likely formed from a large magma chamber or lava lake in the crater. After it cooled and solidified, crystals of olivine within the unit were heavily altered by circulating carbon dioxide-rich subsurface water, transforming into iron- and magnesium-carbonates. These findings therefore offer exciting evidence of sustained water-rock activity deep beneath the surface.

"This transformation, which builds on recently published work we also contributed to, indicates that water circulated below the surface of the Margin unit, altering the rock over vast timescales," said study author Professor Sanjeev Gupta of Imperial's Department of Earth Science and Engineering. "On Earth, this kind of subsurface hydrothermal environment is known to support microbial life."

Revealing the shoreline

Perhaps the most intriguing discovery lay in the lower-elevation regions of the Margin unit. Here, the team identified clearly layered sandstones containing rounded, sand-sized grains of olivine and carbonate. These sedimentary rocks have structures that are textbook indicators of waves acting in a shoreline environment.

"We are looking at what was once a beach," said Jones, who carried out the work during the first year of his Ph.D., with Professor Gupta and Dr. Rob Barnes, a Research Associate in the Department. "The waves of the Jezero lake eroded and reworked the local, igneous bedrock, rounding the grains and depositing them as a sandy layer along the shore."

He added, "The fact that this ancient beach sits underneath the Jezero river delta also tells us that the calm lake conditions that are hospitable for life existed here even earlier than we previously thought."

Extending the habitability window at Jezero

The evidence of water-rich conditions extending further back into the history of Jezero crater builds on Jones's recent work which found evidence of a comparatively young, perched lake at Jezero crater.

The international study, led by the group at ESE, investigated a series of rocks (called the "Bright Angel" formation) in the upstream reaches of the dried-up river valley which once fed water into the former Jezero lake.

Surprisingly, rather than the sandy or gravelly deposits typically left behind by rivers, the team found thick layers of mudstone: evidence that this part of the valley was once underwater. Their work suggests that billions of years ago, the valley was blocked, forming a dammed lake upstream.

Both these studies drew on crucial skills that Jones first gained from his undergraduate degree in the Department, including geologic mapping, sedimentology, stratigraphy and igneous petrology. "This fittingly showcases how our core teaching is exploited on real space missions that are striving to answer some of life's most fundamental and pertinent questions," said Professor Gupta.

Return to Earth

Now, three core samples collected by Perseverance from the Margin unit, and one from the Bright Angel formation, are awaiting return to Earth by the forthcoming Mars Sample Return mission. Laboratory analyses of these samples will allow scientists to precisely date igneous and sedimentary events at the crater, decode the climate conditions from carbonate chemistry, and search for signs of any potential biosignatures preserved in the samples.

"These findings show that the history of water in Jezero crater was far more complex in both time and space than we imagined," said Jones, who is also a student collaborator on NASA's Mars 2020 mission. "Jezero crater continues to prove it is the ideal place to investigate past habitability on Mars, and to help answer the question of whether life ever emerged."

More information: 

• Alexander J. Jones et al, Stratigraphy of Carbonate‐Bearing Rocks at the Margin of Jezero Crater, Mars: Evidence for Shoreline Processes?, Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets (2026). DOI: 10.1029/2025je009111

• Provided by Imperial College London
• This story was originally published on Phys.org.
  

{ https://phys.org/ }

28-01-2026 om 18:44 geschreven door peter  

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

27-01-2026 om 23:56 geschreven door peter  

{ https://www.universetoday.com/ }

27-01-2026 om 23:44 geschreven door peter  

High-resolution map shows dark matter's gravity pulled normal matter into galaxies

Scientists have created the highest resolution map of the dark matter that threads through the universe—showing its influence on the formation of stars, galaxies and planets.

The research, including astronomers from Durham University, UK, tells us more about how this invisible substance helped pull ordinary matter into galaxies like the Milky Way and planets like Earth.

The findings, using new data from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (Webb), are published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The study was jointly led by Durham University, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and the École Polytechnique Fédéral de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland.

The new map confirms previous research and provides new details about the relationship between dark matter and the normal matter from which we—and everything we can touch or see—are made.

When the universe began, dark matter and normal matter were probably sparsely distributed.

Scientists think dark matter clumped together first and then pulled in normal matter, creating regions where stars and galaxies began to form.

How dark matter shaped the universe

In this way, dark matter determined the large-scale distribution of galaxies we see in the universe today.

By prompting galaxy and star formation to begin earlier than they would have otherwise, dark matter also played a role in creating the conditions for planets to eventually form. Without it we might not have the elements in our galaxy that allowed life to appear.

Research co-lead author Dr. Gavin Leroy, of the Institute for Computational Cosmology, Department of Physics, Durham University, said, "By revealing dark matter with unprecedented precision, our map shows how an invisible component of the universe has structured visible matter to the point of enabling the emergence of galaxies, stars, and ultimately, life itself.

"This map reveals the invisible but essential role of dark matter, the true architect of the universe, which gradually organizes the structures we observe through our telescopes."

Understanding dark matter's elusive nature

Dark matter does not emit, reflect, absorb, or block light, and it passes through regular matter like a ghost.

However, it does interact with the rest of the universe through gravity, something the new map shows with a new level of clarity.

Evidence for this interaction lies in the degree of overlap between maps of dark matter and normal matter.

According to the research, Webb's observations confirm that this close alignment cannot be a coincidence. Instead, the astronomers say it is due to dark matter's gravity pulling normal matter toward it throughout cosmic history.

Research co-author Professor Richard Massey, in the Institute for Computational Cosmology, Department of Physics, Durham University, said, "Wherever you find normal matter in the universe today, you also find dark matter.

"Billions of dark matter particles pass through your body every second. There's no harm, they don't notice us and just keep going.

"But the whole swirling cloud of dark matter around the Milky Way has enough gravity to hold our entire galaxy together. Without dark matter, the Milky Way would spin itself apart."

Mapping the universe with Webb

The area covered by the new map is a section of sky about 2.5 times larger than the full moon, in the constellation Sextans.

Webb peered at this region for a total of about 255 hours and identified nearly 800,000 galaxies, with many detected for the first time.

The scientific team then looked for dark matter by observing how its mass curves space itself, which in turn bends the light traveling to Earth from distant galaxies—as if the light of those galaxies has passed through a warped windowpane.

The map contains about 10 times more galaxies than maps of the area made by ground-based observatories and twice as many as the Hubble Space Telescope.

It reveals new clumps of dark matter and captures a higher-resolution view of the areas previously seen by Hubble.

Sharper images and future research

Research co-lead author Dr. Diana Scognamiglio, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said, "This is the largest dark matter map we've made with Webb, and it's twice as sharp as any dark matter map made by other observatories.

"Previously, we were looking at a blurry picture of dark matter. Now we're seeing the invisible scaffolding of the universe in stunning detail, thanks to Webb's incredible resolution."

To refine measurements of the distance to many galaxies for the map, the team used Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI).

Durham University's Center for Extragalactic Astronomy was involved in the development of MIRI, which was designed and managed through launch by JPL.

The wavelengths detected by MIRI make it adept at detecting galaxies obscured by cosmic dust clouds.

The team next plans to map dark matter throughout the entire universe, using the European Space Agency's (ESA) Euclid telescope and NASA's upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

They will learn more about dark matter's fundamental properties and how dark matter might have changed over cosmic history.

However, that patch of sky studied in this latest research will be the reference on which all future mapping will be fine-tuned and compared.

More information: 

• Diana Scognamiglio, An ultra-high-resolution map of (dark) matter, Nature Astronomy (2026). 

DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02763-9. www.nature.com/articles/s41550-025-02763-9

• Provided by Durham University

RELATED VIDEOS

{ Phys org }

27-01-2026 om 20:53 geschreven door peter  

Story by Nicolae Bochis

The NASA sign at the Kennedy Space Center

© SNEHIT PHOTO/Shutterstock

In 2026, NASA will move from long-running development and testing into a phase defined by action, readiness, and progress. After years shaped by delays, redesigns, and risk reductions, many of NASA's most ambitious programs are finally lining up for execution. The result will be a year that could redefine how humans explore space and how science missions are delivered. Human spaceflight is once again the central focus.

After more than 50 years, humans are planning to return to the Moon. At the same time, the agency is testing new ways to communicate across deep space, manage crews, and operate complex systems from Earth. Meanwhile, the next-generation Nancy Grace Roman telescope is finished and preparing to launch, while NASA continues to build strong partnerships with commercial companies to improve its means to search for life outside Earth. Together, these efforts make 2026 more than just another year of planning. It represents a moment when planning turns into progress.

Read more: What's Happening To Earth Right Now Can't Be Explained By Climate Models

1. Artemis II is going back to the Moon

Photo of the Artemis II crew shown at the space center in Houston, Texas

© Tada Images/Shutterstock

In 2026, NASA plans to take a major step in returning humans to the Moon with the Artemis II mission. This flight will be the first time astronauts reach the moon since the final Apollo mission concluded in 1972. A crew of four astronauts aboard NASA's Orion spacecraft will leave Earth from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission is planned to launch no later than April 2026, but NASA is actually aiming for a possible launch even sooner.

• Moon After 54 Years!

The trip will last only 10 days, during which the spacecraft will loop around the Moon and return to Earth. The astronauts won't land on the Moon because the true purpose of the Artemis II mission is to test life support, navigation, communication, and other systems with humans aboard in a deep-space environment. That said, Artemis II is more than just a technical tryout. It's a confidence builder for the later Artemis missions planned to take astronauts to the lunar surface, Mars' surface, and beyond. The excitement for Artemis II is global. NASA invited the public to sign up and have their names fly around the Moon during the mission. Projects like this can help people around the world feel more connected to space exploration in 2026.

2. NASA hones in on search-for-life missions

Artist's concept of the Habitable Worlds Observatory

© NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio - KBR Wyle Services, LLC/Jonathan North, KBR Wyle Services, LLC/Walt Feimer, NASA/GSFC/Claire Andreoli

In early January 2026, NASA announced that it was hearing proposals from companies who could help advance technology on the successor to James Webb, the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). NASA plans to have HWO serve as a space telescope designed to image Earth-like planets orbiting distant suns and analyze their atmospheres for signatures of life. This new flagship telescope will push beyond what Hubble and James Webb can do. While these existing telescopes also have coronagraphs, or devices that block starlight so that scientists can get a better look at orbiting planets, HWO is expected to have one that is thousands of times more powerful.

NASA awarded three-year contracts to seven companies to build the technical foundations for HWO. Among these are some major players including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems. In a statement, NASA administrator Jared Isaacman  said humanity is ready to find life beyond Earth and that he believes developing such technology is a matter of urgency. HWO is NASA's boldest step yet in answering the question: Are we alone in the universe? 

3. Laser-based communication is implemented

Illustration depicting transmits between NASA's Psyche spacecraft and Earth-based observatories

© NASA/JPL-Caltech

In recent years, NASA has been pushing the limits of how space communication works. Until now, spacecraft were using traditional radio waves to communicate with Earth. Now, new technologies are laser-based. They use pulses of light to send information, packing far more data in each transmission. This breakthrough could transform how missions share high-definition images, video, and scientific data across millions of kilometers.

NASA already successfully demonstrated how Deep Space Optical Communication (DSOC) works. The Psyche spacecraft, launched in October 2023, is equipped with this new technology, and it already received laser-encoded data over record-breaking distances. The first stream was, funnily enough, a video of a cat chasing a laser pointer. Throughout 2024 and 2025, the DSOC onboard Psyche continued to beat distance records.

This successful demonstration lays the groundwork for the operational use of laser communication in crew-supported missions like Artemis II. NASA will fly the Orion Artemis II Optical Communication System (O2O) aboard the Orion spacecraft. The Artemis crew will be able to send 4K ultra-high definition video, voice, procedures, images, and science data for the duration of the mission.

The Nancy Grace Roman telescope finishes its final tests

An engineer inspecting the primary mirror for NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

© NASA/Chris Gunn

NASA's next great space telescope, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has officially moved from construction to completion. After years of development, the spacecraft's physical build is finished, and all major components have been assembled and integrated. Roman is NASA's next flagship telescope that combines Hubble-like resolution with a field view 100 times larger. That means it's capable of capturing huge cosmic areas in a single image.

The next step is to launch this space telescope. Final testing and preparations are ongoing as engineers simulate the launch vibrations, cold of space, and long-term operations far from Earth to make sure this next-generation telescope will be fully operational before the launch. The telescope is scheduled to go online in May 2027, but as the work progresses fast, there are indications that the launch could be moved to September 2026. While the launch preparations continue, the scientific community is already gearing up. In 2025, NASA ca }ed for research proposals using the Ronan telescope. It could be that 2026 sees some of these come to life.

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26-01-2026 om 22:30 geschreven door peter  

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26-01-2026 om 22:02 geschreven door peter  

Moisture in Mars atmosphere could provide water for future human inhabitants, research finds

By ELEANOR MANN, JUNIOR NEWS REPORTER

Moisture extracted from the atmosphere of Mars could provide a valuable alternative water supply if humans are ever to inhabit the red planet, a study has found. 

However, the research from a Strathclyde University academic found that ice located beneath the surface of Mars would provide the most viable long-term solution. 

Dr Vassilis Inglezakis examined the various ways of obtaining water on Mars in a paper in the Advances In Space Research journal. 

The planet has several potential sources of H2O - including underground ice, soil moisture, and atmospheric vapour.

While underground ice could provide a long-term solution, Dr Inglezakis's research noted there are unlikely to be any accessible deposits near locations where explorers would land.

Harvesting water from the atmosphere is challenging as it requires more power and energy - but he suggested it could provide an alternative in areas were subsurface ice is inaccessible, or as a backup supply.

Dr Inglezakis, from the university's Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, said: 'Reliable access to water would be essential for human survival on Mars, not only for drinking but also for producing oxygen and fuel, which would reduce dependence on Earth-based supplies.

'This study is one of the first to compare the various technologies that could be deployed to recover water in a Martian environment.

Mars has several potential sources of H20 - including underground ice, soil moisture, and atmospheric vapour

'It also puts forward new ideas for atmospheric water harvesting, offering potentially valuable alternatives where other sources are inaccessible.'

The paper discusses each method in terms of energy demands, scalability, and suitability for different Martian conditions.

The analysis suggests subsurface ice is the most viable long-term water source.

The study examined ways of obtaining water on Mars

Nasa/ESA

Dr Inglezakis added: 'While the search for water continues and much of Mars remains unexplored, a clear understanding of available technologies and their realistic applications will be key to supporting sustained missions and eventual settlement.

'The research offers insights for future space exploration missions, supporting efforts to make them more self-sufficient and sustainable.'

{ https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

26-01-2026 om 21:50 geschreven door peter  

See dark matter like NEVER before: NASA reveals one of the most detailed maps of the elusive substance yet – confirming its vital influence on the universe

• READ MORE: Image shows elusive substance that makes up 25% of universe

By SHIVALI BEST, SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR 

NASA has revealed one of the most detailed maps of dark matter yet.

Taken by the James Webb Space Telescope, the map suggests the elusive substance acts as a hidden framework on which entire galaxies are built. 

According to researchers from Durham University, it could help to unravel the mystery of the formation of our Milky Way – as well as planet Earth. 

'Wherever you find normal matter in the Universe today, you also find dark matter,' explained Professor Richard Massey, co–author of the study. 

'Billions of dark matter particles pass through your body every second. 

'There's no harm, they don't notice us and just keep going.

'But the whole swirling cloud of dark matter around the Milky Way has enough gravity to hold our entire galaxy together. 

'Without dark matter, the Milky Way would spin itself apart.'

NASA has revealed one of the most detailed maps of dark matter yet. Taken by the James WebbSpace Telescope, the map suggests the elusive substance acts as a hidden framework on which entire galaxies are built

Dark matter is described as the 'glue' that holds the universe together. 

However, because it's invisble, understanding exactly what it is or what is does has proved difficult. 

Scientists have previously suggested that when the universe began, dark matter and normal matter were sparsely distributed.

Dark matter clumped together first, before pulling in normal matter, creating regions where stars and galaxies began to form.

By prompting this formation, dark matter also played a role in creating the conditions for planets to form – eventually allowing life to appear. 

To prove this is the case, the research team turned to NASA's James Webb – the largest and most powerful telescope ever launched to space.

This allowed them to map dark matter with 'unprecedented precision'.

Because dark matter is invisible, the team looked for it by observing how its mass curves space itself, which in turn bends the light travelling to Earth from distant galaxies.

Because dark matter is invisible, the team looked for it by observing how its mass curves space itself, which in turn bends the light travelling to Earth from distant galaxies

The research team turned to NASA's James Webb – the largest and most powerful telescope ever launched to space

The map shows that dark matter interacts with the rest of the universe through gravity – seen by the degree of overlap between maps of dark and normal matter. 

'By revealing dark matter with unprecedented precision, our map shows how an invisible component of the Universe has structured visible matter to the point of enabling the emergence of galaxies, stars, and ultimately life itself,' explained Dr Gavin Leroy, co–author of the study. 

'This map reveals the invisible but essential role of dark matter, the true architect of the Universe, which gradually organises the structures we observe through our telescopes.'

In total, the area covered by the map is a section of sky about 2.5 times larger than the full moon, in the constellation Sextans. 

It includes nearly 800,000 galaxies – about 10 times more than Webb's predecessor, Hubble, was able to observe.  

Dr Diana Scognamiglio, co–author of the study from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said: 'This is the largest dark matter map we've made with Webb, and it's twice as sharp as any dark matter map made by other observatories.

'Previously, we were looking at a blurry picture of dark matter. 

'Now we're seeing the invisible scaffolding of the Universe in stunning detail, thanks to Webb's incredible resolution.'

The team now plans to map dark matter through the entire universe, using the European Space Agency's Euclid telescope alongside NASA’s upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope.

Dark matter: The mysterious substance that makes up 85% of the universe that scientists cannot confirm

Dark matter is a hypothetical substance said to make up roughly 85 per cent of the universe.

The enigmatic material is invisible because it does not reflect light, and has never been directly observed by scientists.

Astronomers know it to be out there because of its gravitational effects on known matter.

The European Space Agency says: 'Shine a torch in a completely dark room, and you will see only what the torch illuminates.

Dark matter is a hypothetical substance said to make up roughly 27 per cent of the universe. It is thought to be the gravitational 'glue' that holds the galaxies together (artist's impression)

'That does not mean that the room around you does not exist.

'Similarly we know dark matter exists but have never observed it directly.'

The material is thought to be the gravitational 'glue' that holds the galaxies together.

Calculations show that many galaxies would be torn apart instead of rotating if they weren't held together by a large amount of dark matter.

Just five per cent the observable universe consists of known matter such as atoms and subatomic particles.

{  https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/index.html }

26-01-2026 om 21:24 geschreven door peter  

The super-heavy Space Launch System rocket is what allows the Orion spacecraft not only to go into space, but also to fly to the Moon. The history of their creation was not easy, and the design deserves to be described in detail.

The dream of returning to the Moon

Soon, four astronauts may embark on a journey around the Moon as part of the Artemis II mission. If this happens, it will be a great success not only for the United States but for all of humanity. But most of all, it will be a success for the NASA engineers who created the super-heavy Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft, as well as their European colleagues who developed the service module for the latter.

All these devices are true works of engineering genius. However, their path to space flight was extremely difficult and long. It all began in 2003, when the Columbia shuttle disaster forced the US to reconsider how and by what means it planned to explore space in the future. At that time, the main focus was on returning to the Moon. However, the giant Saturn-V rocket, which was used to send the Orion spacecraft there in the 1960s and 1970s, was no longer available, and it proved impossible to resume its production.

The response to this was the Constellation program, adopted in 2004. It involved the creation of two rockets: Ares I and Ares V. The first was larger and two-stage. With a height of 94 m, it was designed to carry 25.4 tons of payload into orbit. It was intended to carry the Orion manned spacecraft together with the Altair landing module.

Ares V was supposed to be smaller, also two-stage, and was supposed to launch the Orion upper stage into orbit. In space, both parts were supposed to connect and fly to the Moon. Outwardly, everything looked quite realistic, but in 2010, it was acknowledged that the program had failed due to underfunding, and of all the above, only the Orion spacecraft is at some stage of readiness.

Constellation was canceled, but plans to return to the Moon were not abandoned. In 2011, a new program called Artemis was adopted, in which only the Orion spacecraft remained from Constellation. Only now, instead of two large rockets, one giant rocket was to send it to the Moon. It was named the Space Launch System, or SLS.

SLS design

The Space Launch System is a three-stage rocket that can exist in several variants, depending on the tasks assigned to it. For the first three missions carried out under the Artemis program, a smaller variant called Block 1 is used. Its height is 98 m, and its mass when fueled is 2,610 tons.

The “zero” stage in SLS is a pair of solid-fuel boosters. They are a modification of similar accelerators that were used for the Space Shuttle program. However, while the space shuttle used four segments connected in series, each with a diameter of 3.71 m, the lunar rocket has five, so each booster is actually over 50 m long.

A mixture of ammonium perchlorate, aluminum, and iron oxide enclosed within plastic is used as fuel. Segments containing this material burn out sequentially, propelling the SLS away from Earth and providing its initial acceleration.

After they have worked and separated, the main stage begins to operate. It is a huge metal tank with a diameter of 8.4 meters and a height of 65 meters. For comparison, this is equivalent to two nine-story residential buildings placed one on top of the other. Inside are tanks of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, a cryogenic unit for their maintenance, and four RS-25 engines at the bottom. These were also used on the shuttle.

The upper stage of the rocket is called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS). It is essentially a modified upper stage of the Delta III rocket.

It is 8.8 m high and 4 m in diameter. Inside are tanks containing liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen. There is only one engine. In the Artemis I mission, it was an RL10B-2. In the second mission, it was replaced with a more powerful RL10C-2. The engine is designed for launch in the upper layers of the atmosphere.

Above all, this is the Orion spacecraft. It consists of two parts: a command module built by Lockheed Martin and a service module built in Europe by Airbus Defence and Space.

The command module is a truncated cone with a diameter of 5.03 m and a height of 3.3 m. Inside, there is room for a crew of four astronauts, control systems, and scientific equipment. Attached to the bottom is a service module in the form of a cylinder with a diameter of 4 m and a height of 4 m. Its main purpose is to propel the spacecraft through space and supply its systems with electricity. To do this, it is equipped with an engine, its own fuel tanks, and folding solar panels. All of this is an adaptation of the systems used on the European ATV cargo spacecraft.

The long road to space

As you can easily see, most of the SLS components are not new, but are already used versions. This was done to make its creation cheaper and faster.

However, it was still not possible to complete everything on time. The Artemis program was supposed to begin with an unmanned flight around the Moon. Initially, it was planned that this would happen in 2017. But as time went on, it became increasingly clear that there would simply not be enough time to quickly assemble and test this most complex puzzle in the world.

Many components could not even be manufactured on time. Therefore, the Artemis I mission dates kept getting pushed back. First to 2019, then to 2020. At the same time, the rest of the plans had to be changed as well.

The SLS and Orion, designed for the Artemis I mission, were first transported to the launch pad in March 2022. But that was not the end of the horror that accompanied its first launch. The rocket was refueled several times, a launch simulation was conducted, technical problems were found, and it was returned to the assembly shop. This continued until November, when it was finally launched.

Overall, the Artemis I mission was successful in terms of the flight to the Moon itself. There were problems with the spacecraft that were launched together with Orion as an additional payload, but this did not interfere with the plans to explore the Moon.

Much more attention was paid to the Orion spacecraft, which, upon returning to Earth, was found to have problems with its heat shield, designed to protect it from atmospheric friction. The problem was not unsolvable, but it did require attention.

But then it turned out that while the first SLS was being prepared for launch, the schematics used to manufacture its components were compromised, and many things had to be redesigned. Therefore, it will not be possible to launch the second mission as quickly as possible.

At one point, delays in the Artemis II launch schedule led to fears that it would never happen. Criticism reached its peak in February 2025, when Elon Musk himself joined in. He stated that the SLS should be recognized as a non-viable concept and that instead of the Moon, it should fly to Mars.

For a while, it seemed as if this idea would prevail. But then Starship, which was supposed to fly to the fourth planet from the Sun, suffered several accidents, and the technical staff of the Artemis project managed to solve the problem and complete the assembly of the rocket.

And now it has been delivered to the launch pad. This means that at least this launch will not be canceled due to technical problems. Another issue is that the procedure that took everyone involved six months of work and a lot of nerves in 2022 may now begin. Before launch, engineers must ensure that everything is working properly, and to do this, they will fuel the rocket and carry out all the procedures that will take place during launch. Except for the actual ignition of the engines.

Everything may work as it should the first time around. However, it is more likely that it will not. And then, the rocket will have to be brought back, and the launch postponed. After all, no one promised that it would be easy. But the rocket will only fly when everyone is confident that the technology is working as it should and the people on board are safe.

• Posted in Articles

{  https://universemagazine.com/en/news-en/science-en/ }

25-01-2026 om 20:41 geschreven door peter  

In less than two weeks, NASA is scheduled to launch its Artemis 2 mission, the first crewed journey to the Moon in over half a century. The Space Launch Rocket has already been rolled out to the launch pad, setting the stage for a historic mission.

While the crew won’t be attempting to land on the lunar surface this time around — that milestone is reserved for Artemis 3 — it’s an extremely ambitious and highly complex mission.

And as CNN reports, some experts aren’t convinced of NASA’s reassurances that the Orion spacecraft that will carry the astronauts is safe to use.

Specifically, NASA has spent years since its successful uncrewed Artemis 1 mission studying how the extreme temperatures during reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere affect Orion’s heat shield.

The Orion capsule sustained major damage after making its return in 2022. It cracked and chipped as a result of the extreme conditions during reentry.

Over two years after the mission concluded, NASA said it had identified the root cause, with engineers determining that the “gases generated inside the heat shield’s ablative outer material called Avcoat were not able to vent and dissipate as expected.”

“This allowed pressure to build up and cracking to occur, causing some charred material to break off in several locations,” the agency wrote in a December 2024 statement.

Yet instead of making major material changes to the heat shield itself after the fact — the Artemis 2 heat shield was assembled and installed even before the Artemis 1 mission — NASA opted to adjust the Artemis 2 mission’s flight path instead, to ensure a gentler reentry.

“Based on the data, we have decided — NASA unanimously and our decision-makers — to move forward with the current Artemis II Orion capsule and heat shield, with a modified entry trajectory,” former NASA administrator Bill Nelson announced at the time.

But not everybody is convinced that the space agency has sufficiently addressed the issue ahead of its first crewed Moon mission.

“What they’re talking about doing is crazy,” former NASA astronaut and heat shield expert Charlie Camarda told CNN.

Camarda has since teamed up with several other NASA research scientists, calling on the agency to heed their warnings.

“We could have solved this problem way back when,” he told the broadcaster. “Instead, they keep kicking the can down the road.”

NASA made changes to the way it applied the special Avcoat material to the Orion capsule from a honeycomb-like structure, as applied during Apollo missions, to larger blocks in order to simplify manufacturing, testing and installing it.

The material is designed to char and erode during “skip reentry,” a maneuver that NASA uses in which the spacecraft skips over the atmosphere like a stone before diving in. However, when it dipped back in during Artemis 1, gases built up below the heat shield, causing it to crack and break off.

The space agency is adamant that its new reentry path for Artemis 2 won’t result in gases building up in a similar manner.

“We won’t go as high on that skip, it’ll just be a loft,” Artemis flight director Rick Henfling told CNN.

Still, Camarda and other former NASA astronauts and engineersare warning that there could still be danger.

“The reason this is such a big deal is that when the heat shield is spalling — or you have big chunks coming off — even if the vehicle isn’t destroyed, you’re right at the point of incipient failure now,” thermal protection materials expert and NASA veteran Dan Rasky told CNN. “It’s like you’re at the edge of the cliff on a foggy day.”

How much of a danger a cracked heat shield poses remains a subject of debate.

“Will the heat shield crack? Yes, it’s going to crack,” former NASA astronaut Danny Olivas, who worked on the heat shield investigation, told CNN.

Nonetheless, Olivas is convinced that NASA did enough. Even if it were to crack, he says, the space agency built in redundancies in the form of several layers of defense below the Avcoat layer that will keep astronauts safe.

“I think in my mind, there’s no flight that ever takes off where you don’t have a lingering doubt,” he added. “But NASA really does understand what they have. They know the importance of the heat shield to crew safety, and I do believe that they’ve done the job.”

NASA’s recently sworn-in administrator, Jared Isaacman, is equally convinced.

“We have modified our reentry profile,” he told CNN affiliate WESH last week. “We have regained margin to safety, and I feel very good about that with Artemis 2.”

More on Artemis 2: 

• NASA Says It’s Hitting the Gas, Speedrunning Next Moon Mission

{ https://futurism.com/category/astronomy  }

23-01-2026 om 21:25 geschreven door peter  

Soon, people may not only fly to Mars, but also stay there to live. And if that happens, they will have to find a way to obtain water there. Recently, scientists have compiled all the recipes for how this can be done.

Water extraction on Mars

A new study examines how future human missions to Mars could obtain one of the planet’s most important resources: water. The article, “Martian aqua: occurrence of water and appraisal of acquisition technologies,” published in the journal Advances in Space Research, presents a comparative analysis of potential water extraction technologies for use on the Red Planet.

It also assesses the feasibility of extracting water from various Martian sources, including underground ice, wet soil, and atmospheric vapor, based on the results of previous studies that identified these sources.

Human habitation

Despite the documented widespread presence of water in various forms on Mars, most of it remains inaccessible to early explorers. This new analysis brings these discoveries together and focuses on assessing how effectively water can be collected to support human habitation.

The author, Dr. Vassilis Inglezakis from the Department of Chemical and Process Engineering at the University of Strathclyde, said: “Reliable access to water would be essential for human survival on Mars, not only for drinking but also for producing oxygen and fuel, which would reduce dependence on Earth-based supplies.”

This study is one of the first to compare different technologies that can be used to collect water on Mars. It also offers new ideas for collecting atmospheric water, which could be a valuable alternative where other sources are unavailable.

The most promising sources of water

The article discusses each method in terms of energy costs, scalability, and suitability for different conditions on Mars. The analysis shows that subsurface ice is the most promising long-term source of water, while soil moisture and atmospheric vapor can provide additional reserves, especially in emergency situations or remote locations.

While the search for water continues and much of Mars remains unexplored, a clear understanding of available technologies and their realistic application will be key to supporting long-term missions and future colonization. The study provides insight for future space missions, supporting efforts to make them more self-sufficient and sustainable.

• According to phys.org

• Posted in News, Science

{ https://universemagazine.com/en/news-en/science-en/ }

23-01-2026 om 21:13 geschreven door peter