Category: Space
Tim Peake: Investment in R&D allows UK to reap rewards
Investment in science, and research and development is key for the UK to reap the rewards of future technologies, astronaut Tim Peake has said. He said the Government is recognising how important it is to invest in the sector, but there is always more that can be done. Major Peake said the benefits are seen…
UK Space Agency commits £347m a year to European Space Agency
The UK Space Agency has committed £374 million a year to the European space programme. The funding will contribute towards international space initiatives to address climate change, deliver high-speed mobile technology and return the first samples from Mars. The £347 million per year for five years will deliver international space programmes, with the UK Space…
Dead satellites ‘pose very big’ danger to Earth
Around two-thirds of the satellites orbiting Earth are dead, posing a “very big danger” to the planet, European space ministers have heard. The European Space Agency (ESA) is proposing a mission to tackle the growing problem of space debris, its director general said. Speaking at the agency’s ministerial council in Seville, Spain, Johann-Dietrich Worner said…
Sleeping on the job might help astronauts reach Mars, says ESA
Mars (Nasa/Esa/PA) Putting astronauts into a state of suspended animation could make it easier to reach other planets, the European Space Agency (ESA) said. The agency said its researchers examined how hibernation would affect the design of a crewed mission to Mars and concluded that it could help to significantly shrink…
Over 1 in 3 Brits think humans will live in space
More than a third of Britons believe humans will inevitably have to live in space due to the Earth becoming increasingly uninhabitable. While the public sector dominated space exploration in the 20th century, the space race this century has been revolutionised by the private sector. And it seems increasingly likely that people will look to…
Mercury to make rare transit of the sun on Monday
Those looking towards the sun on Monday may notice a tiny black disc moving across the glowing orb in a rare celestial event. A transit of Mercury will take place when the smallest planet in the solar system passes between the Earth and the sun. The last time this happened was in 2016, and the…
Boeing capsule completes major flight test in desert
Boeing’s capsule for astronauts has undergone its first major flight test, shooting a mile into the air then parachuting back to the New Mexico desert. The Starliner capsule carried no crew, just a test dummy for the one-and-a-half-minute test of the launch abort system. Only two of the three main parachutes opened, but both NASA…
NASA probe Voyager 2 reaches interstellar space after 42 years
NASA Voyager 2 has reported back with its initial cosmic findings – a year after becoming the second man-made object to “leave” the Solar System. The probe blasted off from Earth 42 years ago – 16 days before its twin spacecraft, Voyager 1 – and crossed the outer edge of the Sun’s protective bubble, known…
First all-female spacewalk makes NASA history
The first ever all-female spacewalk has kicked off at the International Space Station (ISS). US astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir made history as they floated out of the orbiting space laboratory 12 minutes ahead of schedule at 12.38pm BST on October 18 to replace a faulty power unit. This is Ms Koch’s fourth spacewalk…
NASA brings all-female spacewalk forward after space station power failure
NASA has moved the first all-female spacewalk to this week because of a power system failure at the International Space Station. Astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir will now venture out Thursday or Friday, instead of next Monday. A battery power controller failed over the weekend, prompting the change. The women will replace the broken…
