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Planetary Sciences Jan 17, 2023

A hybrid fission/fusion reactor could be the best way to get through the ice on Europa

In the coming years, NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) will send two robotic missions to explore Jupiter's icy moon Europa. These are none other than NASA's Europa Clipper and the ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE), ...

Astronomy Jan 6, 2023

Astronomers use 'little hurricanes' to weigh and date planets around young stars

Little 'hurricanes' that form in the disks of gas and dust around young stars can be used to study certain aspects of planet formation, even for smaller planets which orbit their star at large distances and are out of reach ...

Space Exploration Jan 5, 2023

New mass spectrometer for NASA's Europa Clipper mission

A groundbreaking new mass spectrometer designed and built by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has been delivered for integration onto NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft. Scheduled to launch in 2024 and arrive in the Jovian ...

General Physics Dec 14, 2022

Could axion decay underlie excess cosmic optical background?

The cosmic optical background (COB) is the visible light emitted by all sources outside of the Milky Way. This faint glow of light, which can only be observed using very precise and sophisticated telescopes, could help astrophysics ...

Astronomy Dec 11, 2022

Webb telescope spies hidden stars in stellar graveyard

It was one of the first famous images revealed by the James Webb Space Telescope earlier this year: a stunning shroud of gas and dust illuminated by a dying star at its heart.

Astronomy Dec 8, 2022

Hubble detects ghostly glow surrounding our solar system

Imagine walking into a room at night, turning out all the lights and closing the shades. Yet an eerie glow comes from the walls, ceiling, and floor. The faint light is barely enough to see your hands before your face, but ...

Space Exploration Dec 7, 2022

Will we ever go back to explore the ice giants? Yes, if we keep the missions simple and affordable

It's been over 35 years since a spacecraft visited Uranus and Neptune. That was Voyager 2, and it only did flybys. Will we ever go back? There are discoveries waiting to be made on these fascinating ice giants and their moons.

Astronomy Nov 8, 2022

How MIRI became Webb's coolest instrument

The NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope is widely referred to as the successor to the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. In reality, it is the successor to a lot more than that. With the inclusion of the Mid-InfraRed Instrument ...

Environment Oct 11, 2022

The Nord Stream breaches are a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities in undersea infrastructure

On the night of September 26, near the end of the calm season on the Baltic, a broiling kilometer-wide circle disturbed the face of the sea and a huge mass of methane erupted into the air. The gas formed a cloud that crossed ...

Astrobiology Sep 19, 2022

Researcher helps identify new evidence for habitability in ocean of Saturn's moon Enceladus

The search for extraterrestrial life has just become more interesting as a team of scientists, including Southwest Research Institute's Dr. Christopher Glein, has discovered new evidence for a key building block for life ...

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