mattotcha, 1 month ago to Astronomy

Earth, the Sun and a bike wheel: why your high-school textbook was wrong about the shape of Earth’s orbit
https://theconversation.com/earth-the-sun-and-a-bike-wheel-why-your-high-school-textbook-was-wrong-about-the-shape-of-earths-orbit-225200 #astronomy #planets #orbits #modeling

spaceflight, 4 months ago to Japan

2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣
📆 Jan. 8: The new #Vulcan rocket may launch #Astrobotic’s uncrewed lander to the #moon 🌙
📆 Jan. 20: #Japan’s #SLIM moon lander may attempt to set down on the moon 🌙
📆 Feb. 15: #IntuitiveMachines’ robotic lunar 🌙 lander may launch on a #SpaceX rocket
📆 Feb. 15: #Japan’s 🇯🇵 #H3 rocket could attempt a successful flight to orbit
📆 April 14: #NASA astronauts could fly to the #ISS aboard #Boeing’s #Starliner spacecraft for the first time
📆 May: #China 🇨🇳 could launch the #ChangE6 mission to the far side of the moon 🌙
📆 June 15: The #ESA 🇪🇺 could attempt the first launch of the #Ariane6 rocket
https://www.nytimes.com/explain/2024/astronomy-space-calendar

Not to forget some #Starship launches, depending on the #FAA 😴⏳ https://payloadspace.com/the-gao-calls-for-the-faa-to-improve-its-mishap-investigation-process/

spaceflight, 8 months ago to space

It’s crucial to understand more about the population of near-Earth #asteroids ☄️ such as Bennu that may be on an eventual collision 💥 course with our #planet 🌍. A better grasp of their composition and #orbits is key in predicting which asteroids may have the closest approaches to #Earth and when, as well as developing methods of deflecting these asteroids https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/21/world/nasa-osiris-rex-asteroid-sample-return-scn/index.html

#NASA’s #OSIRISREx livestream 10 a.m. EDT on 📆 Sept. 24 https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-invites-public-to-share-excitement-of-asteroid-sample-return

#AsteroidThreat

spaceflight, 9 months ago to random

🇪🇺 #ESA 📆 2023 Annual #SpaceEnvironment Report : Over 80 % 📈 of constellation #satellites 🛰️ launched in 2022 were inserted into #orbits from which they will decay towards #Earth in less than two years 📉 once they are no longer operational or if they lose propulsion. The increasing number of satellites reentering Earth’s atmosphere is therefore expected to continue in coming years. For older pieces of debris, the only solution is active #SpaceDebrisRemoval. https://www.esa.int/Space_Safety/ESA_s_Space_Environment_Report_2023

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mkwadee, 10 months ago to Astronomy

#Orbits of Potentially Hazardous #Asteroids
#Astronomy #Picture of the Day

https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230630.html

#APOD

spaceflight, 10 months ago to random

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 #SaxaVord #Spaceport : The first lift-off will be a #SubOrbital #rocket 🚀 made by #HyImpulse 🇩🇪, expected around 📆 October 2023. In 📆 April 2024, #RocketFactory aims to achieve the first-ever #orbital #satellite 🛰️ launch from a #LaunchPad called Fredo.

#SaxaVord will build a total of five #LaunchPads, with the site able to take #rockets up to 35 metres long 📏. https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23611304.saxavord-spaceport-shetland-just-weeks-away-recognition/

Picture : #Latitude Test Zone at SaxaVord Spaceport https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Latitude_Test_Zone_at_SaxaVord_Spaceport_1.jpg

pomarede, 11 months ago to space

Nature astro covers appreciation post

Sands of Titan (2015)

https://nature.com/nature/volumes/517/issues/7532

#universe #astronomy #astrophysics #astrodon #nature #cover #covers #naturecovers #space #science #research #planets #planet #moon #moons #satellite #satellites #saturn #titan #cassini #spacecraft

mustapipa, 1 year ago to space

For the first time, mathematicians have proved that planetary #orbits in a solar system will always be #unstable.

Once you account for gravitational attraction between the planets, everything gets complicated. You can no longer explicitly calculate the #planets’ positions and velocities over long periods of time, and must instead ask qualitative questions about how they might behave.

There could be major collisions.

#astronomy #gravity
https://www.quantamagazine.org/new-math-shows-when-solar-systems-become-unstable-20230516/

spaceflight, 1 year ago to space

#OECD #SpaceSustainability as the next major #societal challenge - Growing socio-economic dependence on #SpaceAssets

📊 Statistics

• Almost 90 countries with a #satellite 🛰️ in #orbit
• Users and applications of #SpaceBased infrastructure
• #Orbital launch history
• Monthly number of objects in #Earth’s #orbits by object type
• Overview of current impacts and related costs of #SpaceDebris 🗑️
• Affected orbits and #space applications
• Operational satellites by type of operator and orbit altitude in low-earth orbits
• Top 50 most “concerning” orbital #debris 🗑️ objects
• Payload clearance attempts in #LEO above 650 km altitude
https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/16543990-en/1/3/2/index.html?itemId=/content/publication/16543990-en&

#SpaceDebris

Picture : :ccby: :cc_nd: https://www.statista.com/chart/28309/countries-creating-the-most-space-debris

spaceflight, 1 year ago to space

#NASA's #OSAM-1 (On-#orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing) #satellite servicing and refueling ⛽ scheduled after 📆 2025 https://nexis.gsfc.nasa.gov/OSAM-1.html

#SmithsonianMagazine 📆 March 2, 2022 in 📆 2020, the aerospace company #NorthropGrumman successfully launched two “mission extension vehicles,” equipped with their own engines and fuel, that attached themselves to two commercial satellites 🛰️ and boosted them into new #orbits. #Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites by #DARPA is scheduled for 📆 2024 https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/robots-may-soon-fix-fuel-satellites-in-space-180979659

#AeroSpace #robot companies in #OpenStreetMap : https://taginfo.openstreetmap.org/tags/aerospace%3Aproduct=robot

#SpaceRobot #SpaceMaintenance