China’s latest lunar mission, Chang’e 6, is carrying a mysterious secret rover strapped to the side of its lander. The purpose of the rover remains unknown, but it may be equipped with an infrared imaging spectrometer.
Results for: Science
The behavior of tiny particles in the atmosphere, known as aerosols, significantly impacts climate and weather patterns. NASA’s new satellite, PACE, aims to reduce uncertainties surrounding aerosols by providing detailed data on their size, shape, and distribution. This improved understanding will enhance climate models, enabling more accurate projections of climate change and its effects.
Boeing’s first astronaut launch, slated to carry Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station, has been postponed due to a valve problem on the Atlas V rocket. The issue, involving an oxygen pressure-relief valve on the rocket’s upper stage, halted the countdown just two hours before the planned liftoff. NASA and United Launch Alliance engineers are evaluating the valve’s condition and will decide whether to replace it or proceed with the launch as early as Tuesday night. This delay underscores the challenges faced by Boeing as it works to certify Starliner as a commercial crew vehicle capable of transporting astronauts to the ISS.
NASA’s Curiosity rover has discovered rocks on Mars rich in manganese oxide, a chemical that may indicate the presence of oxygen and life-friendly conditions on the planet billions of years ago. The discovery adds to growing evidence that Mars may have been more Earth-like than previously thought, with abundant liquid water and possibly even microbial life.
An ancient necropolis discovered near Naples, Italy, dating back approximately 2,800 years, provides insights into pre-Roman Iron Age cultures. The necropolis contains 88 burials, including men buried with weapons and women with bronze ornaments and pottery vases. Researchers speculate that the site pre-dates the Samnite people and may belong to the “Pit Tomb” culture prevalent in central and southern Italy during the Iron Age.
A new study has reaffirmed the long-held belief that Tyrannosaurus rex possessed cognitive intelligence more akin to crocodiles rather than primates. Using updated data and analysis methods, scientists estimated that T. rex’s brain likely contained between 250 million and 1.7 billion neurons, similar to modern crocodiles. This finding challenges previous estimates that suggested the dinosaur had a brain size and neuron count comparable to primates.
A long-lost experimental satellite launched in 1974 has been rediscovered by the U.S. Space Force, 25 years after it disappeared. The Infra-Red Calibration Balloon (S73-7) satellite was found using tracking data, after it had been missing for decades. The satellite was originally deployed from a larger satellite and was intended to serve as a calibration target, but failed to do so. It then drifted off into space and became part of the large amount of space junk orbiting Earth.
Scientists are investigating whether the iconic Stonehenge monument was also designed to align with the moon, in addition to its well-known solar alignments. A major lunar standstill, a rare event that occurs every 18.6 years, is underway until 2025. During this cycle, the moon rises and sets at extreme positions along the horizon. Archaeologists are now studying Stonehenge’s southeastern burials and Station Stones for potential lunar connections, noting that these features may have held special significance during the major lunar standstill.
Dark matter, a mysterious substance that comprises about 27% of the universe, has long been a subject of fascination for physicists. The leading hypothesis, known as Cold Dark Matter (CDM), proposes that dark matter is a fluid of slowly moving particles that interact with each other and everything else in the universe mainly through gravity. However, after decades of unsuccessful searches and recent astronomical anomalies, CDM is facing challenges. Physicists are now gravitating towards a different theoretical framework, known as Self-Interacting Dark Matter (SIDM), which proposes the existence of a hidden universe of dark particles and dark forces that exists in parallel with the familiar particles and forces of normal matter.
After numerous delays and setbacks, Boeing is finally ready to send astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard its Starliner spacecraft. This historic launch, scheduled for May 6, 2023, will be the first crewed flight for Starliner and will mark a significant milestone in human spaceflight. The mission, known as Crew Flight Test (CFT), will carry astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunita Williams to the ISS, where they will spend approximately one week conducting research and testing the Starliner’s systems.