Tag: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

China’s Discovery of Lunar Mineral Could Add to Fuller View of the Moon

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Chinese scientists recently announced their discovery of a new lunar mineral among samples collected from the moon during a mission two years ago, adding to the body of knowledge of the Earth’s satellite that had been the focus of earlier space exploration. The scientists found a single crystal of a new phosphate mineral that they have named Changesite-(Y) while analyzing particles of lunar basalt, or hardened fragments of lava, The Global Times, a state-run newspaper and website, reported. The discovery was announced last Friday and was connected to Chang’e-5, a…

Harvest Moon Lights Up Skies and Marks Start of Festivals Worldwide

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If you’re someone who rejoices at every sign of fall, you may want to look out at the moon this weekend. Across the United States and especially in places with clear skies, a full moon that signals summer is nearing its end will be visible. Because of the way light travels through the atmosphere and the moon’s location on the horizon, the moon appears reddish orange. The harvest moon, whose name grew out of its utility to farmers who harvested crops in the fall before the advent of artificial lighting,…

Chinese Rover’s Moon Cube and Other Solar System Mysteries

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Moon Cube and Mysteries of the Solar System Shannon Stirone🔭 Gazing at the planets and stars CNSA/EPA, via Shutterstock This week, images taken by China’s lunar rover, Yutu-2, showed a cube-shaped object on the moon’s surface. Did aliens leave an artifact on the moon? Or is it the latest case of mistaken identity around our solar system? → NYT

As U.S. Hunts for Chinese Spies, University Scientists Warn of Backlash

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That fear comes as China has started to experience a reverse brain drain. Over the last decade, a growing number of Chinese scientists have been lured back to the country by the promise of ample funding, impressive titles and national pride. More recently, scientists returning to China have cited a hostile environment in the United States as a factor. Westlake University, a research university in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, has recruited an impressive roster of talent, including many who once held faculty positions at top American schools. In…

International Space Station Dodges Chinese Space Junk

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On Wednesday, about six hours before NASA’s Crew-3 mission launched to orbit, the International Space Station was forced to maneuver itself to avoid a piece of debris spawned by a Chinese antisatellite weapon test in 2007. The piece of junk was projected to enter what’s called the “pizza box,” a square-shaped zone 2.5 miles deep and 30 miles wide, where the station sits in the middle. NASA officials keep close eyes on the zone using data models on the location of objects in space kept by the U.S. Space Command.…

NASA’s Perseverance Rover Stashes First Mars Rock Sample

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NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars has confirmed the successful collection of its first rock sample. “One down, a lot more to go!” Kenneth A. Farley, professor of geochemistry at the California Institute of Technology and the mission’s project scientist, said in an email. On Monday night, NASA announced that the rover had sealed the tube that contains the rock core, which is slightly thicker than a pencil, and put it away for safekeeping in its belly. That and other collected samples will be dropped to the ground to be collected…