Russian space station is leaking air in above normal volumes but according to NASA, the leak presence no danger to the Russian & American crew.

Your Story: Air leak in international space station | No danger to astronauts: NASA

Asteroid collision with Earth - US space agency NASA has said that an asteroid will fly past the Earth on Thursday which would be just 28,254 km from the Earth's surface.&nbsp;

Watch:

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/a-giant-asteroid-just-whizzed-past-earth-and-no-one-had-a-clue-239162/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo">The asteroid would be speeding at around 27, 900 km per hour, the space agency said.</div>

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/asteroid-heading-towards-earth-a-day-before-us-elections-nasa-322513">Also Read:&nbsp;Asteroid heading towards Earth a day before US elections</a>

The asteroid named 2020 SW is around 15 to 30 feet wide, the NASA scientists said, which is roughly the size of a small bus.

The rock which was discovered just last week will continue on its journey around the Sun and wouldn't return to the Earth's atmosphere before 2041, scientists said.

According to EarthSky, the asteroid is so small that the Earth's gravity is expected to change the rock's course when it goes past the Earth. However, it will be a close call as it will pass just 7 per cent of the Moon’s distance and will be passing closer than geostationary satellites which are placed 35,888 km from our planet’s surface.&nbsp;

However, EarthSky said that "there is no risk of impact." The rocks is expected to be at its closet when it passes over Australia or New Zealand.

However, there is bad news for stargazers as it won't be visible through the naked eye but can be viewed through a 6 or 8-inch diameter telescope and is likely to increase in brightness as it approaches the Earth.

"The space rock is currently in the constellation of Pegasus the Flying Horse, and will then move to the constellation of Pisces the Fish," EarthSky said.

Asteroid collision with Earth - US space agency NASA has said that an asteroid will fly past the Earth on Thursday which would be just 28,254 km from the Earth's surface.

Asteroid collision with Earth - US space agency NASA has said that an asteroid will fly past the Earth on Thursday which would be just 28,254 km from the Earth's surface. Watch: The asteroid would be speeding at around 27, 900 km per hour, the space agency said. Also Read: Asteroid heading towards Earth a day before US elections The asteroid named 2020 SW is around 15 to 30 feet wide, the NASA scientists said, which is roughly the size of a small bus. The rock which was discovered just last week will continue on its journey around the Sun and wouldn't return to the Earth's atmosphere before 2041, scientists said. According to EarthSky, the asteroid is so small that the Earth's gravity is expected to change the rock's course when it goes past the Earth. However, it will be a close call as it will pass just 7 per cent of the Moon’s distance and will be passing closer than geostationary satellites which are placed 35,888 km from our planet’s surface. However, EarthSky said that "there is no risk of impact." The rocks is expected to be at its closet when it passes over Australia or New Zealand. However, there is bad news for stargazers as it won't be visible through the naked eye but can be viewed through a 6 or 8-inch diameter telescope and is likely to increase in brightness as it approaches the Earth. "The space rock is currently in the constellation of Pegasus the Flying Horse, and will then move to the constellation of Pisces the Fish," EarthSky said.

Asteroid alert: Space rock to zip past Earth today, will be closer than geostationary satellites

International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday was moved away in orbit on Tuesday in order to avoid collision with space debris. NASA said that the ISS carried out a '150 second reboost' to avoid 'unknown' space debris. As per NASA's calculations, the space debris was to pass by the ISS at a distance of 1.39 km, an extremely short range in space.

Currently, there are 3 astronauts at the ISS. NASA instructed them, 'out of abundance of caution', to move to the Russian section of the ISS closer to Soyuz spacecraft. This would have helped to extract the astronauts safely in case of any emergency.

ISS is currently orbiting the earth at the speed of 27,568km/h (17,130 mph). At this speed, even a small object can create damage to ISS, repair work of which is a costly affair going up to the tune of millions of dollars.

NASA stressed that there was no danger to the astronauts.

The issue with space debris

Space debris is a huge impediment in space exploration. According to Daily Mail, there are 160 million pieces of debris around Earth. These include large objects like defunct, old satellite and also small in dimensions of a few centimeters. But all of them are capable of causing great damage to satellites that are functioning.

Amid global calls for comprehensive action to control space debris, UK announced funding for clean up of the space through its space agency UKSA.

The £1 million funding (around $12,96,880) will be used to clear space debris, even though no concrete way to remove it has been formulated yet. 
&nbsp;

International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday was moved away in orbit on Tuesday in order to avoid collision with space debris. NASA said that the ISS carried out a '150 second reboost' to avoid 'unknown' space debris.

International Space Station (ISS) on Tuesday was moved away in orbit on Tuesday in order to avoid collision with space debris. NASA said that the ISS carried out a '150 second reboost' to avoid 'unknown' space debris. As per NASA's calculations, the space debris was to pass by the ISS at a distance of 1.39 km, an extremely short range in space. Currently, there are 3 astronauts at the ISS. NASA instructed them, 'out of abundance of caution', to move to the Russian section of the ISS closer to Soyuz spacecraft. This would have helped to extract the astronauts safely in case of any emergency. ISS is currently orbiting the earth at the speed of 27,568km/h (17,130 mph). At this speed, even a small object can create damage to ISS, repair work of which is a costly affair going up to the tune of millions of dollars. NASA stressed that there was no danger to the astronauts. The issue with space debris Space debris is a huge impediment in space exploration. According to Daily Mail, there are 160 million pieces of debris around Earth. These include large objects like defunct, old satellite and also small in dimensions of a few centimeters. But all of them are capable of causing great damage to satellites that are functioning. Amid global calls for comprehensive action to control space debris, UK announced funding for clean up of the space through its space agency UKSA. The £1 million funding (around $12,96,880) will be used to clear space debris, even though no concrete way to remove it has been formulated yet.

International Space Station moved in orbit to avoid collision with space debris

NASA on Monday revealed its latest plan to return astronauts to the Moon in 2024, and estimated the cost of meeting that deadline at $28 billion, $16 billion of which would be spent on the lunar landing module.

Congress, which faces elections on November 3, will have to sign off on the financing for a project that has been set by US President Donald Trump as a top priority. The $28 billion would cover the budgetary years of 2021-25.

In a phone briefing with journalists Monday on the Artemis mission to return human beings to the Moon, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine noted that "political risks" were often the biggest threat to NASA's work, especially before such a crucial election.

Barack Obama cancelled plans for a manned Mars mission, after his predecessor spent billions of dollars on the project.

If Congress approves the first tranche of $3.2 billion by Christmas, "we're still on track for a 2024 moon landing," Bridenstine said.

"To be clear, we're going to the South Pole," he said, ruling out the sites of the Apollo landings on the Moon's equator between 1969 and 1972. "There's no discussion of anything other than that."

Three different projects are in competition to build the lunar lander that will carry two astronauts -- one of them a woman -- to the Moon from their vessel Orion.

The first one is being developed by Blue Origin, founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, in partnership with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper. The other two projects are being undertaken by Elon Musk's SpaceX and by the company Dynetics.

The first flight, Artemis I, scheduled for November of 2021, will be unmanned: the new giant rocket SLS, currently in its test phase, will take off for the first time with the Orion capsule.

Artemis II, in 2023, will take astronauts around the Moon but will not land.

Finally, Artemis III will be the equivalent of Apollo 11 in 1969, but the stay on the Moon will last longer -- for a week -- and will include two to five "extravehicular activities."

"The science that we would be doing is really very different than anything we've done before," said Bridenstine. "We have to remember during the Apollo era, we thought the moon was bone dry. Now we know that there's lots of water ice and we know that it's at the South Pole."

NASA on Monday revealed its latest plan to return astronauts to the Moon in 2024, and estimated the cost of meeting that deadline at $28 billion, $16 billion of which would be spent on the lunar landing module.

NASA on Monday revealed its latest plan to return astronauts to the Moon in 2024, and estimated the cost of meeting that deadline at $28 billion, $16 billion of which would be spent on the lunar landing module. Congress, which faces elections on November 3, will have to sign off on the financing for a project that has been set by US President Donald Trump as a top priority. The $28 billion would cover the budgetary years of 2021-25. In a phone briefing with journalists Monday on the Artemis mission to return human beings to the Moon, NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine noted that "political risks" were often the biggest threat to NASA's work, especially before such a crucial election. Barack Obama cancelled plans for a manned Mars mission, after his predecessor spent billions of dollars on the project. If Congress approves the first tranche of $3.2 billion by Christmas, "we're still on track for a 2024 moon landing," Bridenstine said. "To be clear, we're going to the South Pole," he said, ruling out the sites of the Apollo landings on the Moon's equator between 1969 and 1972. "There's no discussion of anything other than that." Three different projects are in competition to build the lunar lander that will carry two astronauts -- one of them a woman -- to the Moon from their vessel Orion. The first one is being developed by Blue Origin, founded by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, in partnership with Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Draper. The other two projects are being undertaken by Elon Musk's SpaceX and by the company Dynetics. The first flight, Artemis I, scheduled for November of 2021, will be unmanned: the new giant rocket SLS, currently in its test phase, will take off for the first time with the Orion capsule. Artemis II, in 2023, will take astronauts around the Moon but will not land. Finally, Artemis III will be the equivalent of Apollo 11 in 1969, but the stay on the Moon will last longer -- for a week -- and will include two to five "extravehicular activities." "The science that we would be doing is really very different than anything we've done before," said Bridenstine. "We have to remember during the Apollo era, we thought the moon was bone dry. Now we know that there's lots of water ice and we know that it's at the South Pole."

NASA plans mission to moon by 2024, to cost $28 billion

After the discovery of a gas that provides strong evidence of the presence of living organisms in Venus, NASA is considering giving approval to a mission to the planet on the solar system.&nbsp;

On Monday, a team of scientists confirmed the presence of phosphine in Venus, a flammable gas present on Earth which provides evidence of the existence of living organisms.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/potential-sign-of-alien-life-detected-on-inhospitable-venus-327530">Potential sign of alien life detected on inhospitable Venus</a>

The US space agency is reveiwing four proposals, including two robotic probes on Venus, which can be approved by next April.&nbsp;

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-seeking-explorers-for-mining-on-the-moon-all-nationalities-welcome-326795">NASA seeking explorers for mining on the moon, all nationalities welcome</a>

One of the proposals is called DAVINCI+, which intends to probe the Venusian atmosphere.

"Davinci is the logical one to choose if you're motivated in part by wanting to follow this up - because the way to follow this up is to actually go there and see what's going on in the atmosphere," said David Grinspoon, an astrobiologist working on the DAVINCI+ proposal, as quoted by news agency Reuters.&nbsp;

The name of the second proposal on Venus is VERITAS, that would target on understanding the planet's geological history.&nbsp;

Earlier NASA chief Jim Bridenstine called the findings about Venus "most significant development" and called for "prioritising Venus".&nbsp;

"Life on Venus? The discovery of phosphine, a byproduct of anaerobic biology, is the most significant development yet in building the case for life off Earth," he said on Twitter.&nbsp;

After the discovery of a gas that provides strong evidence of the presence of living organisms in Venus, NASA is considering giving approval to a mission to the planet on the solar system.

After the discovery of a gas that provides strong evidence of the presence of living organisms in Venus, NASA is considering giving approval to a mission to the planet on the solar system. On Monday, a team of scientists confirmed the presence of phosphine in Venus, a flammable gas present on Earth which provides evidence of the existence of living organisms. Also read | Potential sign of alien life detected on inhospitable Venus The US space agency is reveiwing four proposals, including two robotic probes on Venus, which can be approved by next April. Also read | NASA seeking explorers for mining on the moon, all nationalities welcome One of the proposals is called DAVINCI+, which intends to probe the Venusian atmosphere. "Davinci is the logical one to choose if you're motivated in part by wanting to follow this up - because the way to follow this up is to actually go there and see what's going on in the atmosphere," said David Grinspoon, an astrobiologist working on the DAVINCI+ proposal, as quoted by news agency Reuters. The name of the second proposal on Venus is VERITAS, that would target on understanding the planet's geological history. Earlier NASA chief Jim Bridenstine called the findings about Venus "most significant development" and called for "prioritising Venus". "Life on Venus? The discovery of phosphine, a byproduct of anaerobic biology, is the most significant development yet in building the case for life off Earth," he said on Twitter.

Life on Venus? NASA considering probe to find possible life

The European space agency (ESA) signed a deal worth 129 million euros ($154 million) on Tuesday to make a spacecraft for a joint project with NASA looking at how to deflect an asteroid heading for Earth.

NASA is due to launch a spacecraft in June 2021 set on a collision course with the Dimorphos asteroid to test whether it would be possible to nudge objects that might be threatening Earth onto a safer path.

ESA will then launch its spacecraft - named Hera after the Greek goddess of marriage - in October 2024 to map the resulting impact crater and measure the asteroid’s mass, reaching the area in late 2026 for a six-month survey.

The mission is reminiscent of the 1998 film Armageddon, in which actor Bruce Willis plays a member of a team sent to destroy an asteroid to save Earth.

“We want to try for the first time to steer an asteroid on its potential collision course with Earth,” ESA director Rolf Densing told Reuters television.

Dimorphos has a diameter of 160 metres, about the width of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, which ESA said was big enough to destroy an entire city if it were to hit Earth.

Hera, set to be only the size of a desk, should navigate autonomously around the asteroid while it collects data. It will also launch mini satellites - 10 cm cubes which will be able to fly much closer to the asteroid’s surface.

Marco Fuchs, chief executive of German space and technology group OHB that will develop the Hera craft, said trying to divert an asteroid was like “playing billiards” and noted the challenge of steering towards such a small celestial body.

“You have to steer very precisely, you have to find it first and then approach it in such a way that you can really observe what has happened as a result of the impact of the American probe,” he said.

The European space agency (ESA) signed a deal worth 129 million euros ($154 million) on Tuesday to make a spacecraft for a joint project with NASA looking at how to deflect an asteroid heading for Earth.

The European space agency (ESA) signed a deal worth 129 million euros ($154 million) on Tuesday to make a spacecraft for a joint project with NASA looking at how to deflect an asteroid heading for Earth. NASA is due to launch a spacecraft in June 2021 set on a collision course with the Dimorphos asteroid to test whether it would be possible to nudge objects that might be threatening Earth onto a safer path. ESA will then launch its spacecraft - named Hera after the Greek goddess of marriage - in October 2024 to map the resulting impact crater and measure the asteroid’s mass, reaching the area in late 2026 for a six-month survey. The mission is reminiscent of the 1998 film Armageddon, in which actor Bruce Willis plays a member of a team sent to destroy an asteroid to save Earth. “We want to try for the first time to steer an asteroid on its potential collision course with Earth,” ESA director Rolf Densing told Reuters television. Dimorphos has a diameter of 160 metres, about the width of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, which ESA said was big enough to destroy an entire city if it were to hit Earth. Hera, set to be only the size of a desk, should navigate autonomously around the asteroid while it collects data. It will also launch mini satellites - 10 cm cubes which will be able to fly much closer to the asteroid’s surface. Marco Fuchs, chief executive of German space and technology group OHB that will develop the Hera craft, said trying to divert an asteroid was like “playing billiards” and noted the challenge of steering towards such a small celestial body. “You have to steer very precisely, you have to find it first and then approach it in such a way that you can really observe what has happened as a result of the impact of the American probe,” he said.

European space agency signs deal for asteroid defence mission

NASA&nbsp;on Thursday launched an effort to pay companies to mine resources on the moon, announcing it would buy from them rocks, dirt and other lunar materials as the US&nbsp;space agency seeks to spur private extraction of coveted off-world resources for its use.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
✨ We're looking for the next class of NASA flight directors, and today is the last day to apply. 
 
Be part of the team leading astronauts on missions to the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Artemis?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Artemis</a> missions to the Moon: <a href="https://t.co/6fRdqmQF6J">https://t.co/6fRdqmQF6J</a> <a href="https://t.co/MUITVVaRl1">pic.twitter.com/MUITVVaRl1</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1304096801109180422?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 10, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

NASA&nbsp;Administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote in a blog post accompanying the announcement that the plans would not violate a 1967 treaty that holds that celestial bodies and space are exempt from national claims of ownership.

<img alt="NASA" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="3ca9a100-dd8b-43bf-8033-dd7910bb450a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2852%29_4.jpg" />

FILE PHOTO:&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;Administrator Jim Bridenstine speaks about the upcoming year's budget during an address to the workers at&nbsp;NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US&nbsp;March 11, 2019/REUTERS

The initiative, targeting companies that plan to send robots to mine lunar resources, is part of&nbsp;NASA's goal of setting what Bridenstine called "norms of behavior" in space and allowing private mining on the moon in ways&nbsp;that could help&nbsp;sustain future astronaut missions.&nbsp;

NASA&nbsp;said it views the mined resources as the property of the company, and the materials would become "the sole property of&nbsp;NASA" after purchase.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bezoss-blue-origin-and-musks-spacex-to-collaborate-in-building-nasas-lunar-lander-296099">Bezos's Blue Origin and Musk's SpaceX to collaborate in building NASA's lunar lander</a>

Under&nbsp;NASA's Artemis program, President Donald Trump's administration envisions a return of American astronauts to the moon by 2024.&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;has cast such as mission as a precursor to a future first human voyage to Mars.

"The bottom line is we are going to buy some lunar soil for the purpose of it demonstrating that it can be done," Bridenstine said during an event hosted by the Secure World Foundation, a space policy organization.

Bridenstine said&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;eventually&nbsp;would buy more types of resources such as ice and other materials that may be discovered on the moon.&nbsp;

NASA&nbsp;in May set the stage for a global debate over the basic principles governing how people will live and work on the moon, releasing the main tenets of what it hopes will become an international pact for moon exploration called the Artemis Accords. This would permit companies to own the lunar resources they mine, a crucial element in allowing&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;contractors to convert the moon's water ice for rocket fuel or mine lunar minerals to construct landing pads.

Under the initiative disclosed on Thursday,&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;offered to purchase limited amounts of lunar resources and asked companies to offer proposals. Under contracts whose terms would vary,&nbsp;a company mining on the moon would collect lunar rocks or dirt to sell to&nbsp;NASA&nbsp;without having to bring the resources back to Earth.

&nbsp; "This is one small step for space resources, but a giant leap for policy and precedent," said&nbsp;Mike Gold,&nbsp;NASA's chief of international relations.

"They are paying the company to sell them a rock that the company owns. That's the product," Joanne Gabrynowicz, former&nbsp;editor-in-chief of the Journal of Space Law, said in an interview. "A company has to decide for itself if it's worth taking the financial and technological risk to do this to sell a rock."

NASA on Thursday launched an effort to pay companies to mine resources on the moon, announcing it would buy from them rocks, dirt and other lunar materials as the US space agency seeks to spur private extraction of coveted off-world resources for its use.

NASA on Thursday launched an effort to pay companies to mine resources on the moon, announcing it would buy from them rocks, dirt and other lunar materials as the US space agency seeks to spur private extraction of coveted off-world resources for its use. ✨ We're looking for the next class of NASA flight directors, and today is the last day to apply. Be part of the team leading astronauts on missions to the @Space_Station and #Artemis missions to the Moon: https://t.co/6fRdqmQF6J pic.twitter.com/MUITVVaRl1 — NASA (@NASA) September 10, 2020 × NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote in a blog post accompanying the announcement that the plans would not violate a 1967 treaty that holds that celestial bodies and space are exempt from national claims of ownership. FILE PHOTO: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine speaks about the upcoming year's budget during an address to the workers at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, US March 11, 2019/REUTERS The initiative, targeting companies that plan to send robots to mine lunar resources, is part of NASA's goal of setting what Bridenstine called "norms of behavior" in space and allowing private mining on the moon in ways that could help sustain future astronaut missions. NASA said it views the mined resources as the property of the company, and the materials would become "the sole property of NASA" after purchase. Also read: Bezos's Blue Origin and Musk's SpaceX to collaborate in building NASA's lunar lander Under NASA's Artemis program, President Donald Trump's administration envisions a return of American astronauts to the moon by 2024. NASA has cast such as mission as a precursor to a future first human voyage to Mars. "The bottom line is we are going to buy some lunar soil for the purpose of it demonstrating that it can be done," Bridenstine said during an event hosted by the Secure World Foundation, a space policy organization. Bridenstine said NASA eventually would buy more types of resources such as ice and other materials that may be discovered on the moon. NASA in May set the stage for a global debate over the basic principles governing how people will live and work on the moon, releasing the main tenets of what it hopes will become an international pact for moon exploration called the Artemis Accords. This would permit companies to own the lunar resources they mine, a crucial element in allowing NASA contractors to convert the moon's water ice for rocket fuel or mine lunar minerals to construct landing pads. Under the initiative disclosed on Thursday, NASA offered to purchase limited amounts of lunar resources and asked companies to offer proposals. Under contracts whose terms would vary, a company mining on the moon would collect lunar rocks or dirt to sell to NASA without having to bring the resources back to Earth. "This is one small step for space resources, but a giant leap for policy and precedent," said Mike Gold, NASA's chief of international relations. "They are paying the company to sell them a rock that the company owns. That's the product," Joanne Gabrynowicz, former editor-in-chief of the Journal of Space Law, said in an interview. "A company has to decide for itself if it's worth taking the financial and technological risk to do this to sell a rock."

NASA seeking explorers for mining on the moon, all nationalities welcome

September 05 in history: Great London fire, NASA launch and more

September 3 in history: First official Polo tournament, Viking 2 lands on Mars and more

After a car-sized asteroid went past the Earth, NASA scientists say an asteroid twice the size of&nbsp;the Great Pyramid of Giza is set to hit the&nbsp;Earth's orbit on Sunday.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/students-from-gujarat-in-india-spot-an-asteroid-heading-towards-earth-316642">Also Read: Students from Gujarat in India spot an asteroid heading towards Earth</a>

The asteroid called the "Near-Earth Object" will be entering the Earth's orbit on September 6, according to NASA scientists.

The huge object is reportedly travelling at a speed of 31,400mph. The scientists have reportedly been tracking it since 2010. The asteroid, dubbed 465824 (2010 FR), will be 4.6 million miles away from the Earth and poses no threat to our planet, however, it has been classified as "close approach"&nbsp;by NASA.

The asteroid is reported to be 120-270 metres in diameter which is twice as big as the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt.

An SUV-sized asteroid had passed Earth's orbit last month which was 1,830 miles away, the closest an asteroid has ever been observed passing the planet.

The asteroid named "2020 QG" was reportedly three to six meters long moving at nearly eight miles per second, the scientists had said.

NASA had said that similarly sized asteroids pass by Earth at a similar distance a few times per year, however, they are&nbsp;difficult to record, unless they&nbsp;head&nbsp;directly towards the planet, in which case the explosion in the atmosphere is usually noticed.

After a car-sized asteroid went past the Earth, NASA scientists say an asteroid twice the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza is set to hit the Earth's orbit on Sunday.

After a car-sized asteroid went past the Earth, NASA scientists say an asteroid twice the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza is set to hit the Earth's orbit on Sunday. Also Read: Students from Gujarat in India spot an asteroid heading towards Earth The asteroid called the "Near-Earth Object" will be entering the Earth's orbit on September 6, according to NASA scientists. The huge object is reportedly travelling at a speed of 31,400mph. The scientists have reportedly been tracking it since 2010. The asteroid, dubbed 465824 (2010 FR), will be 4.6 million miles away from the Earth and poses no threat to our planet, however, it has been classified as "close approach" by NASA. The asteroid is reported to be 120-270 metres in diameter which is twice as big as the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. An SUV-sized asteroid had passed Earth's orbit last month which was 1,830 miles away, the closest an asteroid has ever been observed passing the planet. The asteroid named "2020 QG" was reportedly three to six meters long moving at nearly eight miles per second, the scientists had said. NASA had said that similarly sized asteroids pass by Earth at a similar distance a few times per year, however, they are difficult to record, unless they head directly towards the planet, in which case the explosion in the atmosphere is usually noticed.

Asteroid bigger than Great Pyramid of Giza to hit Earth's orbit this week

NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has spotted a galaxy which resembled to TIE Fighter, a famous and fictional ship from Star Wars.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/artificial-intelligence-identifies-50-new-planets-from-nasa-data-323333" hreflang="en">Artificial Intelligence identifies 50 new planets from NASA data</a>

This galaxy is 500 million light-years away from Cassiopeia. The galaxy is called TXS 0128+554. It is an active galaxy that emits more life than all of the stars within the galaxy altogether.

This galaxy was originally discovered in 2015 through gamma rays. However, scientists haven’t had a full grasp of what it looked like until now.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/indian-satellite-astrosat-detects-uv-light-from-galaxy-93-billion-light-years-away-from-earth-322936" hreflang="en">Indian satellite AstroSat detects UV light from galaxy 9.3 billion light-years away from Earth</a>

Matthew Lister, Purdue University professor and lead author of the study that examined the galaxy, said it reminded him of “Star Wars.”

He said: "We zoomed in a million times closer on the galaxy using the (Very Long Baseline Array’s) radio antennas and charted its shape over time. The first time I saw the results, I immediately thought it looked like Darth Vader’s TIE fighter spacecraft from ‘Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.’"&nbsp;

"That was a fun surprise, but its appearance at different radio frequencies also helped us learn more about how active galaxies can change dramatically on decade time scales," he added.&nbsp;

NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has spotted a galaxy which resembled to TIE Fighter, a famous and fictional ship from Star Wars. Also read: Artificial Intelligence identifies 50 new planets from NASA data This galaxy is 500 million light-years away from Cassiopeia.

NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has spotted a galaxy which resembled to TIE Fighter, a famous and fictional ship from Star Wars. Also read: Artificial Intelligence identifies 50 new planets from NASA data This galaxy is 500 million light-years away from Cassiopeia. The galaxy is called TXS 0128+554. It is an active galaxy that emits more life than all of the stars within the galaxy altogether. This galaxy was originally discovered in 2015 through gamma rays. However, scientists haven’t had a full grasp of what it looked like until now. Also read: Indian satellite AstroSat detects UV light from galaxy 9.3 billion light-years away from Earth Matthew Lister, Purdue University professor and lead author of the study that examined the galaxy, said it reminded him of “Star Wars.” He said: "We zoomed in a million times closer on the galaxy using the (Very Long Baseline Array’s) radio antennas and charted its shape over time. The first time I saw the results, I immediately thought it looked like Darth Vader’s TIE fighter spacecraft from ‘Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.’" "That was a fun surprise, but its appearance at different radio frequencies also helped us learn more about how active galaxies can change dramatically on decade time scales," he added.

NASA scientists discover a galaxy similar to Star Wars 'TIE Fighter'

Glaciers have been melting increasingly due to climate change, and it was widely believed that they end up in oceans upon melting. However, recent studies have found that'll meltwater does not go into the oceans.

The volume of lakes formed by glacier's meltwater has increased to 50 per cent in the last 30 years, new satellite images and data has revealed.

"We have known that not all meltwater is making it into the oceans immediately," lead author Dan Shugar, a geomorphologist and associate professor at the University of Calgary, said in a statement.

"But until now there were no data to estimate how much was being stored in lakes or groundwater."

The study was published in&nbsp;Nature Climate Change on Monday. Shugar believes the study will help other scientists and researchers in identifying hazards to communities that live near these&nbsp;unstable lakes. The study can also help improve the accuracy of the estimates in sea level.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/greenland-ice-has-shrunk-beyond-return-study-finds-320639">Also read:&nbsp;Greenland ice has shrunk beyond return, study finds</a>

The glacier lakes are highly unstable and pose a threat to communities living near it, as they are&nbsp;dammed by ice or sediment composed of loose rock and debris. The water from these lakes can cause heavy floods.

Known as glacial lake outbursts, this kind of flooding has been responsible for thousands of deaths in the last century, as well as the destruction of villages, infrastructure and livestock, according to the study, published in Nature Climate Change.

The most recent recorded incident was a glacial lake outburst that washed through the Hunza Valley in Pakistan in May.

The other main sources of sea level rise are ice sheets and the expansion of ocean water as it warms.

"In the past 100 years, 35 percent of global sea-level rises came from glacier melting," Anders Levermann, climate professor at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Impact told media.

The glacier melt has increased as the Earth's temperature has increased one degree Celsius since preindustrial times&nbsp;and the temperature in high-mountain areas have increased twice that pace.

The recent study is based on&nbsp;based on 250,000 scenes from NASA's Landsat satellite missions. Through these images, it has been estimated that the current glacial lakes volume at more than 150 cubic kilometres (37 cubic miles), equivalent to one-third the volume of Lake Erie in the United States or twice the volume of Lake Geneva.

Earlier this year, the UN Development Programme had also estimated a threat to almost seven million people from the&nbsp;3,000 glacial lakes that have formed&nbsp;in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region.

Glaciers have been melting increasingly due to climate change, and it was widely believed that they end up in oceans upon melting. However, recent studies have found that'll meltwater does not go into the oceans.

Glaciers have been melting increasingly due to climate change, and it was widely believed that they end up in oceans upon melting. However, recent studies have found that'll meltwater does not go into the oceans. The volume of lakes formed by glacier's meltwater has increased to 50 per cent in the last 30 years, new satellite images and data has revealed. "We have known that not all meltwater is making it into the oceans immediately," lead author Dan Shugar, a geomorphologist and associate professor at the University of Calgary, said in a statement. "But until now there were no data to estimate how much was being stored in lakes or groundwater." The study was published in Nature Climate Change on Monday. Shugar believes the study will help other scientists and researchers in identifying hazards to communities that live near these unstable lakes. The study can also help improve the accuracy of the estimates in sea level. Also read: Greenland ice has shrunk beyond return, study finds The glacier lakes are highly unstable and pose a threat to communities living near it, as they are dammed by ice or sediment composed of loose rock and debris. The water from these lakes can cause heavy floods. Known as glacial lake outbursts, this kind of flooding has been responsible for thousands of deaths in the last century, as well as the destruction of villages, infrastructure and livestock, according to the study, published in Nature Climate Change. The most recent recorded incident was a glacial lake outburst that washed through the Hunza Valley in Pakistan in May. The other main sources of sea level rise are ice sheets and the expansion of ocean water as it warms. "In the past 100 years, 35 percent of global sea-level rises came from glacier melting," Anders Levermann, climate professor at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Change Impact told media. The glacier melt has increased as the Earth's temperature has increased one degree Celsius since preindustrial times and the temperature in high-mountain areas have increased twice that pace. The recent study is based on based on 250,000 scenes from NASA's Landsat satellite missions. Through these images, it has been estimated that the current glacial lakes volume at more than 150 cubic kilometres (37 cubic miles), equivalent to one-third the volume of Lake Erie in the United States or twice the volume of Lake Geneva. Earlier this year, the UN Development Programme had also estimated a threat to almost seven million people from the 3,000 glacial lakes that have formed in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region.

Glacier lakes have increased 50% in last 30 years: Study

In a groundbreaking first, British researchers have identified 50 new planets using artificial intelligence.

A research team led by David Armstrong at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom&nbsp;created a&nbsp;machine learning&nbsp;algorithm and trained it using data on confirmed planets and false-positives from&nbsp;NASA's retired Kepler mission.&nbsp;

The scientists&nbsp;then used the algorithm on a dataset of still unconfirmed planetary candidates from Kepler, resulting in fifty new confirmed planets and the first to be validated by machine learning.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/growing-dent-on-earths-magnetic-field-can-damage-satellites-and-navigation-321602" hreflang="en">Growing dent on Earth’s magnetic field can damage satellites and navigation</a>

Their results were reported in a new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, where they also perform the first large scale comparison of such planet validation techniques.

Previous machine learning techniques have ranked candidates, but never determined the probability that a candidate was a true planet by themselves, a required step for planet validation.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/car-sized-asteroid-becomes-closest-ever-seen-passing-earth-nasa-321591" hreflang="en">Car-sized asteroid becomes closest ever seen passing Earth: NASA</a>

These 50 exoplanets,&nbsp;range from worlds as large as Neptune to smaller than the Earth, with orbits as long as 200 days to as little as a single day. By confirming that these fifty planets are real, astronomers can now prioritise these for further observations with dedicated telescopes.

"The algorithm we have developed lets us take fifty candidates across the threshold for planet validation, upgrading them to real planets. We hope to apply this technique to large samples of candidates from current and future missions like TESS and PLATO,"&nbsp;Armstrong said.

"In terms of planet validation, no-one has used a machine learning technique before. Machine learning has been used for ranking planetary candidates but never in a probabilistic framework, which is what you need to truly validate a planet. Rather than saying which candidates are more likely to be planets, we can now say what the precise statistical likelihood is. Where there is less than a 1 per cent&nbsp;chance of a candidate being a false positive, it is considered a validated planet," added Armstrong.

"Probabilistic approaches to statistical machine learning are especially suited for an exciting problem like this in astrophysics that requires incorporation of prior knowledge,&nbsp;from experts like Dr Armstrong&nbsp;and quantification of uncertainty in predictions. A prime example when the additional computational complexity of probabilistic methods pays off significantly," Dr Theo Damoulas from the University of Warwick Department of Computer Science, and Deputy Director, Data Centric Engineering and Turing Fellow at The Alan Turing Institute, said.

Once built and trained the algorithm is faster than existing techniques and can be completely automated, making it ideal for analysing the potentially thousands of planetary candidates observed in current surveys like TESS.

The researchers argue that it should be one of the tools to be collectively used to validate planets in future.

"Almost 30 per cent of the known planets to date have been validated using just one method, and that`s not ideal. Developing new methods for validation is desirable for that reason alone. But machine learning also lets us do it very quickly and prioritise candidates much faster. We still have to spend time training the algorithm, but once that is done it becomes much easier to apply it to future candidates," Dr Armstrong said.

"You can also incorporate new discoveries to progressively improve it. A survey like TESS is predicted to have tens of thousands of planetary candidates and it is ideal to be able to analyse them all consistently. Fast, automated systems like this that can take us all the way to validated planets in fewer steps let us do that efficiently," added Dr Armstrong.

In a groundbreaking first, British researchers have identified 50 new planets using artificial intelligence. A research team led by David Armstrong at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom created a machine learning algorithm and trained it using data on confirmed planets and false-positives from NASA's retired Kepler mission.

In a groundbreaking first, British researchers have identified 50 new planets using artificial intelligence. A research team led by David Armstrong at the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom created a machine learning algorithm and trained it using data on confirmed planets and false-positives from NASA's retired Kepler mission. The scientists then used the algorithm on a dataset of still unconfirmed planetary candidates from Kepler, resulting in fifty new confirmed planets and the first to be validated by machine learning. Also read: Growing dent on Earth’s magnetic field can damage satellites and navigation Their results were reported in a new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, where they also perform the first large scale comparison of such planet validation techniques. Previous machine learning techniques have ranked candidates, but never determined the probability that a candidate was a true planet by themselves, a required step for planet validation. Also read: Car-sized asteroid becomes closest ever seen passing Earth: NASA These 50 exoplanets, range from worlds as large as Neptune to smaller than the Earth, with orbits as long as 200 days to as little as a single day. By confirming that these fifty planets are real, astronomers can now prioritise these for further observations with dedicated telescopes. "The algorithm we have developed lets us take fifty candidates across the threshold for planet validation, upgrading them to real planets. We hope to apply this technique to large samples of candidates from current and future missions like TESS and PLATO," Armstrong said. "In terms of planet validation, no-one has used a machine learning technique before. Machine learning has been used for ranking planetary candidates but never in a probabilistic framework, which is what you need to truly validate a planet. Rather than saying which candidates are more likely to be planets, we can now say what the precise statistical likelihood is. Where there is less than a 1 per cent chance of a candidate being a false positive, it is considered a validated planet," added Armstrong. "Probabilistic approaches to statistical machine learning are especially suited for an exciting problem like this in astrophysics that requires incorporation of prior knowledge, from experts like Dr Armstrong and quantification of uncertainty in predictions. A prime example when the additional computational complexity of probabilistic methods pays off significantly," Dr Theo Damoulas from the University of Warwick Department of Computer Science, and Deputy Director, Data Centric Engineering and Turing Fellow at The Alan Turing Institute, said. Once built and trained the algorithm is faster than existing techniques and can be completely automated, making it ideal for analysing the potentially thousands of planetary candidates observed in current surveys like TESS. The researchers argue that it should be one of the tools to be collectively used to validate planets in future. "Almost 30 per cent of the known planets to date have been validated using just one method, and that`s not ideal. Developing new methods for validation is desirable for that reason alone. But machine learning also lets us do it very quickly and prioritise candidates much faster. We still have to spend time training the algorithm, but once that is done it becomes much easier to apply it to future candidates," Dr Armstrong said. "You can also incorporate new discoveries to progressively improve it. A survey like TESS is predicted to have tens of thousands of planetary candidates and it is ideal to be able to analyse them all consistently. Fast, automated systems like this that can take us all the way to validated planets in fewer steps let us do that efficiently," added Dr Armstrong.

Artificial Intelligence identifies 50 new planets from NASA data

Scientists have found a radiation-resistant bacteria can survive at least three years exposed in orbit, suggesting simple life forms could manage the long journey between between Earth and Mars unprotected.

The Japanese scientists behind the research said Wednesday the finding lends credence to so-called "panspermia theory", which posits that microbes can travel from one planet to another, seeding life on arrival.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/indian-satellite-astrosat-detects-uv-light-from-galaxy-93-billion-light-years-away-from-earth-322936">Also read|&nbsp;Indian satellite AstroSat detects UV light from galaxy 9.3 billion light-years away from Earth</a>

To test the theory, the researchers deposited a bacteria called Deinococcus radiodurans outside the International Space Station at an altitude of 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the Earth.

Despite enduring the harsh environment of outer space and exposure to strong UV and large temperature changes, the bacteria was still alive in parts after three years.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/iss-crew-switch-cabins-to-look-for-source-of-small-cabin-air-leak-322157">Also read|&nbsp;ISS crew switch cabins to look for source of small cabin air leak</a>

"I knew it would survive after carrying out various experiments in the lab, but when it came back alive, I was relieved," Akihiko Yamagishi, study author and emeritus professor at Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, told AFP.

The results show that the bacteria could weather a journey between Mars and Earth, and opens up intriguing possibilities, he said.

"Everyone thinks the origin of life started on Earth, but the new findings indicate that other planets could also be where life began."

Yamagishi and his team hope to carry out similar experiments outside the Van Allen radiation belt, which would expose the bacteria to even more radiation.

Scientists believe that more than three billion years ago Mars was much warmer than today and was covered in rivers and lakes, conditions which could have led to simple microbial life.

The discovery, published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, comes with Mars back in the headlines as three missions head for the Red Planet.

They include the Hope probe from the United Arab Emirates, the Tianwen-1 from China and Mars 2020 from the United States, all of which are taking advantage of a period when the Earth and Mars are nearer to each other than usual.

Scientists have found a radiation-resistant bacteria can survive at least three years exposed in orbit, suggesting simple life forms could manage the long journey between between Earth and Mars unprotected.

Scientists have found a radiation-resistant bacteria can survive at least three years exposed in orbit, suggesting simple life forms could manage the long journey between between Earth and Mars unprotected. The Japanese scientists behind the research said Wednesday the finding lends credence to so-called "panspermia theory", which posits that microbes can travel from one planet to another, seeding life on arrival. Also read| Indian satellite AstroSat detects UV light from galaxy 9.3 billion light-years away from Earth To test the theory, the researchers deposited a bacteria called Deinococcus radiodurans outside the International Space Station at an altitude of 400 kilometres (250 miles) from the Earth. Despite enduring the harsh environment of outer space and exposure to strong UV and large temperature changes, the bacteria was still alive in parts after three years. Also read| ISS crew switch cabins to look for source of small cabin air leak "I knew it would survive after carrying out various experiments in the lab, but when it came back alive, I was relieved," Akihiko Yamagishi, study author and emeritus professor at Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, told AFP. The results show that the bacteria could weather a journey between Mars and Earth, and opens up intriguing possibilities, he said. "Everyone thinks the origin of life started on Earth, but the new findings indicate that other planets could also be where life began." Yamagishi and his team hope to carry out similar experiments outside the Van Allen radiation belt, which would expose the bacteria to even more radiation. Scientists believe that more than three billion years ago Mars was much warmer than today and was covered in rivers and lakes, conditions which could have led to simple microbial life. The discovery, published Wednesday in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, comes with Mars back in the headlines as three missions head for the Red Planet. They include the Hope probe from the United Arab Emirates, the Tianwen-1 from China and Mars 2020 from the United States, all of which are taking advantage of a period when the Earth and Mars are nearer to each other than usual.

Bacteria can survive cosmic trip: International Space Station study

August 25 in history: Demonstration of the first telescope, first spacecraft to enter Interstellar space and more

The US Presidential elections are always a huge affair and comes with its own problems and controversies. This year, with the ongoing pandemic, problems have doubled up. However, to make matters worse, an asteroid is headed towards the United States.

The celestial object, 2018VP1, is headed towards the Earth and that too on November 02 — a day before the much-controversial elections.

Center for Near Earth Objects Studies at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has claimed the asteroid is&nbsp;diameter is 0.002 km, or about 6.5 feet, but probably won't have a deep impact.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/car-sized-asteroid-becomes-closest-ever-seen-passing-earth-nasa-321591">Also read|&nbsp;Car-sized asteroid becomes closest ever seen passing Earth: NASA</a>

The asteroid, which was first discovered in Palomar Observatory in California in 2018, can have three imoacts but NASA has observed that "based on 21 observations spanning 12.968 days", there is only a&nbsp;0.41 per cent chance of the asteroid actually hitting the Earth.

The upcoming US Presidential elections have always been facing problems due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that has made it difficult for voters to go to voting centres to vote. The US lawmakers are urging people to opt for mail-in voting, which the US President Donald Trump feels will be an "embarassment" for the country.

Trump is re-running for the post of President against Joe Biden, who is winning the race, as per the early polls. The elections are scheduled for November 03, with Trump claiming that the results will not be announced for weeks.

The US Presidential elections are always a huge affair and comes with its own problems and controversies. This year, with the ongoing pandemic, problems have doubled up.

The US Presidential elections are always a huge affair and comes with its own problems and controversies. This year, with the ongoing pandemic, problems have doubled up. However, to make matters worse, an asteroid is headed towards the United States. The celestial object, 2018VP1, is headed towards the Earth and that too on November 02 — a day before the much-controversial elections. Center for Near Earth Objects Studies at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has claimed the asteroid is diameter is 0.002 km, or about 6.5 feet, but probably won't have a deep impact. Also read| Car-sized asteroid becomes closest ever seen passing Earth: NASA The asteroid, which was first discovered in Palomar Observatory in California in 2018, can have three imoacts but NASA has observed that "based on 21 observations spanning 12.968 days", there is only a 0.41 per cent chance of the asteroid actually hitting the Earth. The upcoming US Presidential elections have always been facing problems due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, that has made it difficult for voters to go to voting centres to vote. The US lawmakers are urging people to opt for mail-in voting, which the US President Donald Trump feels will be an "embarassment" for the country. Trump is re-running for the post of President against Joe Biden, who is winning the race, as per the early polls. The elections are scheduled for November 03, with Trump claiming that the results will not be announced for weeks.

Asteroid heading towards Earth a day before US elections: NASA

In one of the rare instances, three crew members onboard the International Space Station (ISS) will be spending the weekend in the Russian area of the vessel.

NASA’s Chris Cassidy and Russia’s Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin will be shifting to be able to search for the source of a cabin air leak, NASA and Russian space agency Roscosmos announced.

“In September 2019, NASA and its international partners first saw indications of a slight increase above the standard cabin air leak rate,” NASA said in a statement.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/growing-dent-on-earths-magnetic-field-can-damage-satellites-and-navigation-321602">Also read:&nbsp;Growing dent on Earth’s magnetic field can damage satellites and navigation</a>

According to sources, the leak was identified by a machine used to measure the amount of&nbsp;nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the station. The machine is reportedly used by the Russian segment of the vessel.

The process is something that has been taught to the crew members during their training and is considered to be in the&nbsp;on-board documentation.

This decision was taken by&nbsp;Roscosmos and NASA jointly. Both the bodies have assured that there is no danger to the crew or thr space station.

In one of the rare instances, three crew members onboard the International Space Station (ISS) will be spending the weekend in the Russian area of the vessel. NASA’s Chris Cassidy and Russia’s Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin will be shifting to be able to search for the source of a cabin air leak, NASA and Russian space agency Roscosmos announced.

In one of the rare instances, three crew members onboard the International Space Station (ISS) will be spending the weekend in the Russian area of the vessel. NASA’s Chris Cassidy and Russia’s Ivan Vagner and Anatoly Ivanishin will be shifting to be able to search for the source of a cabin air leak, NASA and Russian space agency Roscosmos announced. “In September 2019, NASA and its international partners first saw indications of a slight increase above the standard cabin air leak rate,” NASA said in a statement. Also read: Growing dent on Earth’s magnetic field can damage satellites and navigation According to sources, the leak was identified by a machine used to measure the amount of nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide in the station. The machine is reportedly used by the Russian segment of the vessel. The process is something that has been taught to the crew members during their training and is considered to be in the on-board documentation. This decision was taken by Roscosmos and NASA jointly. Both the bodies have assured that there is no danger to the crew or thr space station.

ISS crew switch cabins to look for source of small cabin air leak

NASA researchers are tracking an evolving dent&nbsp;on Earth’s magnetic field splitting in two, that could impact satellites, navigation and spacecraft.

Earth’s magnetic field acts like a protective shield around the planet, repelling and trapping charged particles from the Sun.

But an unusually weak spot in the field called the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA)&nbsp;stretching out between South America and southwest Africa, allows these particles to dip closer to the surface than normal.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/car-sized-asteroid-becomes-closest-ever-seen-passing-earth-nasa-321591" hreflang="en">Car-sized asteroid becomes closest ever seen passing Earth: NASA</a>

Particle radiation in this region can knock out onboard computers and interfere with the data collection of satellites that pass through it, a key reason why NASA scientists want to track and study the anomaly.

<iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qpdQcw_52iM" width="560"></iframe>

The South Atlantic Anomaly, new data has also shown, is weakening and expanding westward. Moreover, it's splitting into two lobes, rather than one large one, which will cause further headaches for managing satellite missions.

If satellites traveling through this weak area in the magnetic field are hit by energized particles, they can short-circuit, glitch or even sustain permanent damage. So satellite operators regularly shut down satellite components when they travel through the anomaly so they don't risk losing key instruments or the whole satellite.

The&nbsp;International Space Station, which is in low-Earth orbit, also passes through the SAA. It is well protected, and astronauts are safe from harm while inside.

However, the ISS has other passengers affected by the higher radiation levels: Instruments like the&nbsp;Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation&nbsp;mission, or GEDI, collect data from various positions on the outside of the ISS.

These random hits may usually only produce low-level glitches, but they do carry the risk of causing significant data loss, or even permanent damage to key components.

According to NASA, the Earth's magnetic field is produced by its molten, iron-rich core, which is in a constant state of motion 1,800 miles below the surface. These motions act like a generator, which is known as the geodynamo, and the electric currents that the movements create produce the magnetic field.

NASA researchers are tracking an evolving dent on Earth’s magnetic field splitting in two, that could impact satellites, navigation and spacecraft. Earth’s magnetic field acts like a protective shield around the planet, repelling and trapping charged particles from the Sun.

NASA researchers are tracking an evolving dent on Earth’s magnetic field splitting in two, that could impact satellites, navigation and spacecraft. Earth’s magnetic field acts like a protective shield around the planet, repelling and trapping charged particles from the Sun. But an unusually weak spot in the field called the South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) stretching out between South America and southwest Africa, allows these particles to dip closer to the surface than normal. Also read: Car-sized asteroid becomes closest ever seen passing Earth: NASA Particle radiation in this region can knock out onboard computers and interfere with the data collection of satellites that pass through it, a key reason why NASA scientists want to track and study the anomaly. The South Atlantic Anomaly, new data has also shown, is weakening and expanding westward. Moreover, it's splitting into two lobes, rather than one large one, which will cause further headaches for managing satellite missions. If satellites traveling through this weak area in the magnetic field are hit by energized particles, they can short-circuit, glitch or even sustain permanent damage. So satellite operators regularly shut down satellite components when they travel through the anomaly so they don't risk losing key instruments or the whole satellite. The International Space Station, which is in low-Earth orbit, also passes through the SAA. It is well protected, and astronauts are safe from harm while inside. However, the ISS has other passengers affected by the higher radiation levels: Instruments like the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation mission, or GEDI, collect data from various positions on the outside of the ISS. These random hits may usually only produce low-level glitches, but they do carry the risk of causing significant data loss, or even permanent damage to key components. According to NASA, the Earth's magnetic field is produced by its molten, iron-rich core, which is in a constant state of motion 1,800 miles below the surface. These motions act like a generator, which is known as the geodynamo, and the electric currents that the movements create produce the magnetic field.

Growing dent on Earth’s magnetic field can damage satellites and navigation

NASA has announced that its researchers are actively tracking the South Atlantic Anomaly.

Your Story: NASA explores Earth's 'Magnetic dent'

An asteroid the size of an SUV passed 1,830 miles&nbsp;above Earth, the closest asteroid ever observed passing by our planet, NASA said Tuesday.

If it had been on a collision course with Earth, the asteroid, named 2020 QG, would likely not have caused any damage, instead disintegrating in the atmosphere, creating a fireball in the sky, or a meteor, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said in a statement.

The asteroid, which was about three to six meters&nbsp;long, passed above the southern Indian Ocean on Sunday at 0408 GMT.&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/this-is-when-the-universe-will-end-321273" hreflang="en">This is when the universe will end!</a>

It was moving at nearly eight miles per second, well below the geostationary orbit of about 22,000 miles at which most telecommunication satellites fly.

The asteroid was first recorded six hours after its approach by the Zwicky Transient Facility, a telescope at the Palomar Observatory at the California Institute of Technology, as a long trail of light in the sky.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/deep-sea-expedition-uncovers-30-new-species-in-galapagos-depths-321360" hreflang="en">Deep-sea expedition uncovers 30 new species in Galapagos depths</a>

The US space agency said that similarly sized asteroids pass by Earth at a similar distance a few times per year.

But they're difficult to record, unless they're heading directly towards the planet, in which case the explosion in the atmosphere is usually noticed as in Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013, when the explosion of an object about 66 feet long shattered windows for miles, injuring a thousand people.

One of NASA's missions is to monitor larger asteroids (460 feet) that could actually pose a threat to Earth, but their equipment also tracks smaller ones.

"It's really cool to see a small asteroid come by this close, because we can see the Earth's gravity dramatically bends its trajectory," said Paul Chodas, the director of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA.

According to the JPL's calculations, the asteroid turned by about 45 degrees due to Earth's gravitational pull.

An asteroid the size of an SUV passed 1,830 miles above Earth, the closest asteroid ever observed passing by our planet, NASA said Tuesday. If it had been on a collision course with Earth, the asteroid, named 2020 QG, would likely not have caused any damage, instead disintegrating in the atmosphere, creating a fireball in the sky, or a meteor, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said in a statement.

An asteroid the size of an SUV passed 1,830 miles above Earth, the closest asteroid ever observed passing by our planet, NASA said Tuesday. If it had been on a collision course with Earth, the asteroid, named 2020 QG, would likely not have caused any damage, instead disintegrating in the atmosphere, creating a fireball in the sky, or a meteor, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said in a statement. The asteroid, which was about three to six meters long, passed above the southern Indian Ocean on Sunday at 0408 GMT. Also read: This is when the universe will end! It was moving at nearly eight miles per second, well below the geostationary orbit of about 22,000 miles at which most telecommunication satellites fly. The asteroid was first recorded six hours after its approach by the Zwicky Transient Facility, a telescope at the Palomar Observatory at the California Institute of Technology, as a long trail of light in the sky. Also read: Deep-sea expedition uncovers 30 new species in Galapagos depths The US space agency said that similarly sized asteroids pass by Earth at a similar distance a few times per year. But they're difficult to record, unless they're heading directly towards the planet, in which case the explosion in the atmosphere is usually noticed as in Chelyabinsk, Russia in 2013, when the explosion of an object about 66 feet long shattered windows for miles, injuring a thousand people. One of NASA's missions is to monitor larger asteroids (460 feet) that could actually pose a threat to Earth, but their equipment also tracks smaller ones. "It's really cool to see a small asteroid come by this close, because we can see the Earth's gravity dramatically bends its trajectory," said Paul Chodas, the director of the Center for Near-Earth Object Studies at NASA. According to the JPL's calculations, the asteroid turned by about 45 degrees due to Earth's gravitational pull.

Car-sized asteroid becomes closest ever seen passing Earth: NASA

The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal probe into whether NASA`s former head of human spaceflight gave Boeing Co improper guidance during a lucrative lunar-lander contract competition, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The Justice Department has sent subpoenas to NASA, Boeing and Doug Loverro, who led the agency`s marquee space travel program until he resigned abruptly in May, as part of a grand-jury investigation into the possible violation of federal procurement laws, the sources said.

In the probe, opened in June, prosecutors are focusing on communication between Loverro and Boeing space executive Jim Chilton in late January, during a blackout period for the Human Landing System competition, one of the sources said.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasas-ingenuity-mars-helicopter-recharges-its-batteries-in-flight-320348">Also read:&nbsp;NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter recharges its batteries in flight</a>

Representatives for Boeing and Loverro declined to comment. NASA declined to comment on personnel matters and the status of any investigation, but said the agency was confident in its procurement processes.

The probe was earlier reported by the Wall Street Journal.

The investigation, and an earlier probe by a NASA watchdog, has cast a shadow over one of NASA`s most ambitious endeavors: sending humans back to the moon from U.S. soil for the first time in nearly half a century.

In April, NASA bypassed Boeing — an industry juggernaut with deep ties to space travel — and awarded contracts worth a combined $1 billion to Elon Musk`s SpaceX, Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos` Blue Origin, and Leidos Inc affiliate Dynetics to build lunar landing vehicles that can carry astronauts to the moon by 2024.

Boeing was removed from the competition, NASA said in April, without explaining why.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/nasa-drops-racially-charged-nicknames-of-celestial-bodies-319130">Also read:&nbsp;NASA drops racially charged nicknames of celestial bodies</a>

Two people briefed on a NASA watchdog investigation told Reuters Boeing`s removal was over its contact with Loverro.

The sources said NASA`s Office of Inspector General found that Loverro told Boeing during a blackout period the company`s proposal was incomplete and discussed aspects of the bid that were missing.

After discussions with Loverro, Boeing officials submitted another version during the blackout period, raising legal concerns among agency procurement staff, one of the people said.

Loverro abruptly resigned in May after less than a year on the job, telling employees in an email seen by Reuters that he took certain "risks" to meet NASA`s 2024 moon deadline.

"It is clear that I made a mistake in that choice for which I alone must bear the consequences," Loverro said, without explaining the mistake he was referring to.

The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal probe into whether NASA`s former head of human spaceflight gave Boeing Co improper guidance during a lucrative lunar-lander contract competition, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday.

The U.S. Justice Department has opened a criminal probe into whether NASA`s former head of human spaceflight gave Boeing Co improper guidance during a lucrative lunar-lander contract competition, two people familiar with the matter said on Friday. The Justice Department has sent subpoenas to NASA, Boeing and Doug Loverro, who led the agency`s marquee space travel program until he resigned abruptly in May, as part of a grand-jury investigation into the possible violation of federal procurement laws, the sources said. In the probe, opened in June, prosecutors are focusing on communication between Loverro and Boeing space executive Jim Chilton in late January, during a blackout period for the Human Landing System competition, one of the sources said. Also read: NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter recharges its batteries in flight Representatives for Boeing and Loverro declined to comment. NASA declined to comment on personnel matters and the status of any investigation, but said the agency was confident in its procurement processes. The probe was earlier reported by the Wall Street Journal. The investigation, and an earlier probe by a NASA watchdog, has cast a shadow over one of NASA`s most ambitious endeavors: sending humans back to the moon from U.S. soil for the first time in nearly half a century. In April, NASA bypassed Boeing — an industry juggernaut with deep ties to space travel — and awarded contracts worth a combined $1 billion to Elon Musk`s SpaceX, Amazon.com Inc founder Jeff Bezos` Blue Origin, and Leidos Inc affiliate Dynetics to build lunar landing vehicles that can carry astronauts to the moon by 2024. Boeing was removed from the competition, NASA said in April, without explaining why. Also read: NASA drops racially charged nicknames of celestial bodies Two people briefed on a NASA watchdog investigation told Reuters Boeing`s removal was over its contact with Loverro. The sources said NASA`s Office of Inspector General found that Loverro told Boeing during a blackout period the company`s proposal was incomplete and discussed aspects of the bid that were missing. After discussions with Loverro, Boeing officials submitted another version during the blackout period, raising legal concerns among agency procurement staff, one of the people said. Loverro abruptly resigned in May after less than a year on the job, telling employees in an email seen by Reuters that he took certain "risks" to meet NASA`s 2024 moon deadline. "It is clear that I made a mistake in that choice for which I alone must bear the consequences," Loverro said, without explaining the mistake he was referring to.

US prosecutors probe ex-NASA official, Boeing over space contract: sources

Headed to the Red Planet with the Perseverance rover, the pioneering helicopter is powered up for the first time in interplanetary space as part of a systems check.

NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter received a checkout and recharge of its power system on Friday (August 7), one week into its near seven-month journey to Mars with the Perseverance rover.

This marks the first time the helicopter has been powered up and its batteries have been charged in the space environment.

During the eight-hour operation, the performance of the rotorcraft's six lithium-ion batteries was analyzed as the team brought their charge level up to 35 per cent. The project has determined a low charge state is optimal for battery health during the cruise to Mars.

"This was a big milestone, as it was our first opportunity to turn on Ingenuity and give its electronics a 'test drive' since we launched on July 30," said Tim Canham, the operations lead for Mars Helicopter at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

"Since everything went by the book, we'll perform the same activity about every two weeks to maintain an acceptable state of charge," Canham added. The 4-pound (2-kilogram) helicopter -- a combination of specially designed components and off-the-shelf parts — is currently stowed on Perseverance's belly and receives its charge from the rover's power supply. 
 
Once Ingenuity is deployed on Mars' surface after Perseverance touches down, its batteries will be charged solely by the helicopter's own solar panel. If Ingenuitysurvives the cold Martian nights during its preflight checkout, the team will proceed with testing.

"This charge activity shows we have survived launch and that so far we can handle the harsh environment of interplanetary space. We have a lot more firsts to go before we can attempt the first experimental flight test on another planet, but right now we are all feeling very good about the future," said MiMi Aung, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter project manager at JPL. 
 
The small craft will have a 30-Martian-day (31-Earth-day) experimental flight-test window. If it succeeds, Ingenuity will prove that powered, controlled flight by an aircraft can be achieved at Mars, enabling future Mars missions to potentially add an aerial dimension to their explorations with second-generation rotorcraft.

Headed to the Red Planet with the Perseverance rover, the pioneering helicopter is powered up for the first time in interplanetary space as part of a systems check.

Headed to the Red Planet with the Perseverance rover, the pioneering helicopter is powered up for the first time in interplanetary space as part of a systems check. NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter received a checkout and recharge of its power system on Friday (August 7), one week into its near seven-month journey to Mars with the Perseverance rover. This marks the first time the helicopter has been powered up and its batteries have been charged in the space environment. During the eight-hour operation, the performance of the rotorcraft's six lithium-ion batteries was analyzed as the team brought their charge level up to 35 per cent. The project has determined a low charge state is optimal for battery health during the cruise to Mars. "This was a big milestone, as it was our first opportunity to turn on Ingenuity and give its electronics a 'test drive' since we launched on July 30," said Tim Canham, the operations lead for Mars Helicopter at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "Since everything went by the book, we'll perform the same activity about every two weeks to maintain an acceptable state of charge," Canham added. The 4-pound (2-kilogram) helicopter -- a combination of specially designed components and off-the-shelf parts — is currently stowed on Perseverance's belly and receives its charge from the rover's power supply. Once Ingenuity is deployed on Mars' surface after Perseverance touches down, its batteries will be charged solely by the helicopter's own solar panel. If Ingenuitysurvives the cold Martian nights during its preflight checkout, the team will proceed with testing. "This charge activity shows we have survived launch and that so far we can handle the harsh environment of interplanetary space. We have a lot more firsts to go before we can attempt the first experimental flight test on another planet, but right now we are all feeling very good about the future," said MiMi Aung, the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter project manager at JPL. The small craft will have a 30-Martian-day (31-Earth-day) experimental flight-test window. If it succeeds, Ingenuity will prove that powered, controlled flight by an aircraft can be achieved at Mars, enabling future Mars missions to potentially add an aerial dimension to their explorations with second-generation rotorcraft.

NASA's Ingenuity Mars helicopter recharges its batteries in flight

The deadly Beirut explosion, that took nearly 165 lives, has caused severe damage in the city. To map the extent of this damage, NASA used satellite-derived data.

NASA's&nbsp;Advnaced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) analysed the&nbsp;satellite-derived synthetic aperture radar data to map the likely extent of damage with the help of&nbsp;the Earth Observatory of Singapore.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/lebanese-leaders-were-informed-of-risk-posed-by-explosives-at-port-in-july-reports-319592">Also read|&nbsp;Lebanese leaders were informed of risk posed by explosives at port in July: Reports</a>

"Synthetic aperture radar data from space shows ground surface changes from before and after a major event like an earthquake. In this case, it is being used to show the devastating result of an explosion," NASA report reads.

In the map, the dark red pixels represent the areas that have been severely damaged by the explosion, areas marked in orange have been moderately hit and the yellow-marked portions reveal the areas which have sustained somewhat less damage.&nbsp;Each colored pixel represents an area of 30 meters (33 yards).

NASA released the map on its official website. With the help of the map, the authorities can detect the areas where people might be severely affected and would require emergency assistance.

The explosion&nbsp;in Beirut happened on August 4 and affected more than 6,000 people with more than 20 people still missing.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" src="https://w3.cdn.anvato.net/player/prod/v3/anvload.html?key=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%2FaXU9LzExNDQwNDY1L1dpb25ld3NfVmlkZW8vV2lvbmV3c19QcmVyb2xsJmRlc2NyaXB0aW9uX3VybD1bcGxhY2Vob2xkZXJdJmVudj12cCZpbXBsPXMmY29ycmVsYXRvcj0mdGZjZD0wJm5wYT0wJmdkZnBfcmVxPTEmb3V0cHV0PXZhc3Qmc3o9NjQweDQ4MCZ1bnZpZXdlZF9wb3NpdGlvbl9zdGFydD0xIn19LCJoZWFsdGhBbmFseXRpY3MiOnt9fSwiaHRtbDUiOnRydWV9" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

The deadly Beirut explosion, that took nearly 165 lives, has caused severe damage in the city. To map the extent of this damage, NASA used satellite-derived data.

The deadly Beirut explosion, that took nearly 165 lives, has caused severe damage in the city. To map the extent of this damage, NASA used satellite-derived data. NASA's Advnaced Rapid Imaging and Analysis (ARIA) analysed the satellite-derived synthetic aperture radar data to map the likely extent of damage with the help of the Earth Observatory of Singapore. Also read| Lebanese leaders were informed of risk posed by explosives at port in July: Reports "Synthetic aperture radar data from space shows ground surface changes from before and after a major event like an earthquake. In this case, it is being used to show the devastating result of an explosion," NASA report reads. In the map, the dark red pixels represent the areas that have been severely damaged by the explosion, areas marked in orange have been moderately hit and the yellow-marked portions reveal the areas which have sustained somewhat less damage. Each colored pixel represents an area of 30 meters (33 yards). NASA released the map on its official website. With the help of the map, the authorities can detect the areas where people might be severely affected and would require emergency assistance. The explosion in Beirut happened on August 4 and affected more than 6,000 people with more than 20 people still missing. ×

NASA maps Beirut blast damage through satellite images

NASA, in the wake of the global anti-racism movement, has decided to do away with racially charged nicknames of celestial bodies.

NASA is examining its use of phrases for planets, galaxies and other cosmic objects "as part of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion."

First ones that appear in the should-be dropped list are -- "Eskimo Nebula" and "Siamese Twins Galaxy".

"Nicknames are often more approachable and public-friendly than official names for cosmic objects, such as Barnard 33, whose nickname 'the Horsehead Nebula' invokes its appearance. But often seemingly innocuous nicknames can be harmful and detract from the science," NASA said in a release this week.

The renaming trend followed worldwide protests against racism and police brutality after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police.

The space agency says it "will use only the official, International Astronomical Union designations in cases where nicknames are inappropriate."

"Eskimo" is commonly used in Alaska to refer to Inuit and Yupik people, according to the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska.

"Siamese twins" is an antiquated expression for conjoined twins, based on brothers from Siam (now Thailand) who were used as sideshow freaks in the 19th century. 
&nbsp;

NASA, in the wake of the global anti-racism movement, has decided to do away with racially charged nicknames of celestial bodies. NASA is examining its use of phrases for planets, galaxies and other cosmic objects "as part of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

NASA, in the wake of the global anti-racism movement, has decided to do away with racially charged nicknames of celestial bodies. NASA is examining its use of phrases for planets, galaxies and other cosmic objects "as part of its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion." First ones that appear in the should-be dropped list are -- "Eskimo Nebula" and "Siamese Twins Galaxy". "Nicknames are often more approachable and public-friendly than official names for cosmic objects, such as Barnard 33, whose nickname 'the Horsehead Nebula' invokes its appearance. But often seemingly innocuous nicknames can be harmful and detract from the science," NASA said in a release this week. The renaming trend followed worldwide protests against racism and police brutality after George Floyd was killed by Minneapolis police. The space agency says it "will use only the official, International Astronomical Union designations in cases where nicknames are inappropriate." "Eskimo" is commonly used in Alaska to refer to Inuit and Yupik people, according to the Alaska Native Language Center at the University of Alaska. "Siamese twins" is an antiquated expression for conjoined twins, based on brothers from Siam (now Thailand) who were used as sideshow freaks in the 19th century.

NASA drops racially charged nicknames of celestial bodies

Nearly a quarter of Bangladesh has been inundated with floodwaters, according to the latest satellite images of the country captured by NASA recently. Watch report.

Bangladesh floods: NASA images reveal stark flood situation

Astronauts Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley traveled to the space station in May aboard a Crew Dragon capsule built and run by SpaceX

NASA Astronauts return to Earth | Dragon capsule splashes down in Gulf of Mexico

NASA astronauts&nbsp;Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley had a successful splash down in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday 2:48pm.

Behnken and Hurley had a 21-hour overnight journey aboard Crew Dragon "Endeavor", and had a successful landing in the calm waters of&nbsp;Gulf of Mexico, despite warnings of hurricane.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Good splashdown of Dragon confirmed! Welcome back to Earth, <a href="https://twitter.com/AstroBehnken?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AstroBehnken</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Astro_Doug?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Astro_Doug</a>! <a href="https://t.co/0vAS3CcK9P">pic.twitter.com/0vAS3CcK9P</a>
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1289996815824117760?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

With this, the two astronauts completed their two-months long journey that started on May 31. The mission was important as it was the first time a private company was able to launch a human-controlled spacecraft and bring them back. For NASA, it was the first time since&nbsp;its shuttle program retired in 2011, as since then NASA has relied on Russia's space program to launch its astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS).

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
.<a href="https://twitter.com/AstroBehnken?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AstroBehnken</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Astro_Doug?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Astro_Doug</a> have been lifted out of the water and are aboard the Go Navigator. Welcome home. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaunchAmerica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaunchAmerica</a> <a href="https://t.co/gjqUcLMy8X">pic.twitter.com/gjqUcLMy8X</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1290004579862667264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

NASA astronauts are conducting tests and checking the status of the seven-seater spacecraft after a successful spin around the orbit. The craft has been observed to be in a "very healthy" condition&nbsp; in the initial reports.

For the process of splashdown, the on-board thrusters and two sets of parachutes worked autonomously to slow down the capsule. This helped bring the speed of&nbsp;17,500 miles per hour in orbit down to 350 mph upon atmospheric reentry, and eventually 15 mph at splashdown.

During reentry to Earth's atmosphere, the capsule's outer shell withstood temperatures as high as 3,500 Fahrenheit while Behnken and Hurley, wearing SpaceX`s white flight suits strapped inside the cabin, experienced 85 Fahrenheit.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"To anybody who has touched Endeavour, you should take a moment to just cherish this day." 
 
Touching words from <a href="https://twitter.com/Astro_Doug?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Astro_Doug</a> as <a href="https://twitter.com/AstroBehnken?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AstroBehnken</a> is safely brought out of the spacecraft. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaunchAmerica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaunchAmerica</a> <a href="https://t.co/0yKUWbD9Ed">pic.twitter.com/0yKUWbD9Ed</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1290017583635234821?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

After spending a night in the space on Saturday en route Earth, the astronauts were woken up to messages from their sons.&nbsp;"Good morning Dragon Endeavor," Hurley's son said in a recorded message sent to the capsule. "I'm happy you went into space but I'm even happier that you're coming back home."

As astronaut Behnken was being brought out of the spacecraft, Doug said, "To anybody who has touched Endeavour, you should take a moment to just cherish this day."&nbsp;

The astronauts met their families and addressed the nation soon after which was live broadcasted by NASA on its Twitter account.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
👀 Views of <a href="https://twitter.com/AstroBehnken?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AstroBehnken</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Astro_Doug?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Astro_Doug</a> being greeted by family members as they step off the plane at Ellington Field. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LaunchAmerica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LaunchAmerica</a> <a href="https://t.co/aHNLuD01Xt">pic.twitter.com/aHNLuD01Xt</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1290071192850911239?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

"We're both super, super proud having been just a small part of the team that accomplished bringing those spaceflights back to the Florida coast and bringing that capability back to America," astronaut Behnken said.&nbsp;

The US President Donald Trump, who was also present at the launch site, congratulated and thanked the NASA and SpaceX team through a tweet. "Great to have NASA Astronauts return to Earth after very successful two month mission. Thank you to all!," he tweeted.&nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Great to have NASA Astronauts return to Earth after very successful two month mission. Thank you to all!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1289997897723863040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Retweeting the splashdown video from NASA, he further added, "Astronauts complete first splashdown in 45 years. Very exciting!"

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley had a successful splash down in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday 2:48pm. Behnken and Hurley had a 21-hour overnight journey aboard Crew Dragon "Endeavor", and had a successful landing in the calm waters of Gulf of Mexico, despite warnings of hurricane.

NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley had a successful splash down in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday 2:48pm. Behnken and Hurley had a 21-hour overnight journey aboard Crew Dragon "Endeavor", and had a successful landing in the calm waters of Gulf of Mexico, despite warnings of hurricane. Good splashdown of Dragon confirmed! Welcome back to Earth, @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug! pic.twitter.com/0vAS3CcK9P — SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 2, 2020 × With this, the two astronauts completed their two-months long journey that started on May 31. The mission was important as it was the first time a private company was able to launch a human-controlled spacecraft and bring them back. For NASA, it was the first time since its shuttle program retired in 2011, as since then NASA has relied on Russia's space program to launch its astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). .@AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug have been lifted out of the water and are aboard the Go Navigator. Welcome home. #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/gjqUcLMy8X — NASA (@NASA) August 2, 2020 × NASA astronauts are conducting tests and checking the status of the seven-seater spacecraft after a successful spin around the orbit. The craft has been observed to be in a "very healthy" condition in the initial reports. For the process of splashdown, the on-board thrusters and two sets of parachutes worked autonomously to slow down the capsule. This helped bring the speed of 17,500 miles per hour in orbit down to 350 mph upon atmospheric reentry, and eventually 15 mph at splashdown. During reentry to Earth's atmosphere, the capsule's outer shell withstood temperatures as high as 3,500 Fahrenheit while Behnken and Hurley, wearing SpaceX`s white flight suits strapped inside the cabin, experienced 85 Fahrenheit. "To anybody who has touched Endeavour, you should take a moment to just cherish this day." Touching words from @Astro_Doug as @AstroBehnken is safely brought out of the spacecraft. #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/0yKUWbD9Ed — NASA (@NASA) August 2, 2020 × After spending a night in the space on Saturday en route Earth, the astronauts were woken up to messages from their sons. "Good morning Dragon Endeavor," Hurley's son said in a recorded message sent to the capsule. "I'm happy you went into space but I'm even happier that you're coming back home." As astronaut Behnken was being brought out of the spacecraft, Doug said, "To anybody who has touched Endeavour, you should take a moment to just cherish this day." The astronauts met their families and addressed the nation soon after which was live broadcasted by NASA on its Twitter account. 👀 Views of @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug being greeted by family members as they step off the plane at Ellington Field. #LaunchAmerica pic.twitter.com/aHNLuD01Xt — NASA (@NASA) August 2, 2020 × "We're both super, super proud having been just a small part of the team that accomplished bringing those spaceflights back to the Florida coast and bringing that capability back to America," astronaut Behnken said. The US President Donald Trump, who was also present at the launch site, congratulated and thanked the NASA and SpaceX team through a tweet. "Great to have NASA Astronauts return to Earth after very successful two month mission. Thank you to all!," he tweeted. Great to have NASA Astronauts return to Earth after very successful two month mission. Thank you to all! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 2, 2020 × Retweeting the splashdown video from NASA, he further added, "Astronauts complete first splashdown in 45 years. Very exciting!"

NASA astronauts successfully reach Earth aboard SpaceX capsule

'Thanks for flying SpaceX': NASA astronauts complete a historic space mission

Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, the&nbsp;first US astronauts to reach the International Space Station (ISS) in nearly a decade, have successfully undocked from the ISS on Saturday late night.

The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is now en route its way back to the Earth.

SpaceX confirmed on Twitter by tweeting, "Separation confirmed. Dragon performing 4 departure burns to move away from the @Space_Station" along with a video.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Separation confirmed. Dragon performing 4 departure burns to move away from the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a> <a href="https://t.co/ea14fozdO8">pic.twitter.com/ea14fozdO8</a>
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1289706785469677568?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

The two American astronauts' capsule is set to undock around 2334 GMT (7:30pm). However, the NASA is still observing the&nbsp;Hurricane Isaias — a category one storm that battered the Bahamas on Friday and was churning toward Florida.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/hurricane-might-delay-spacex-nasa-return-trip-from-iss-317469">Also read:&nbsp;Hurricane might delay SpaceX-NASA return trip from ISS</a>

"Conditions are 'Go' at the primary targeted site, off the coast (of) Pensacola, and alternate site off the coast of Panama City in the Gulf of Mexico for splashdown and recovery on Sunday, Aug 2," NASA said in a blog post.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go… <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LandAmerica?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LandAmerica</a> <a href="https://t.co/FvyzeA58sb">pic.twitter.com/FvyzeA58sb</a>
— Bob Behnken (@AstroBehnken) <a href="https://twitter.com/AstroBehnken/status/1289576302333145089?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

Bob Behnken, in an ISS ceremony aboard said that earlier "the hardest part was getting us launched. But the most important part is bringing us home."

SpaceX is also running a live webcast of Crew Dragon's return to Earth.

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Webcast of Crew Dragon’s return to Earth from the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@space_station</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/AstroBehnken?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AstroBehnken</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Astro_Doug?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Astro_Doug</a> → <a href="https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK">https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK</a> <a href="https://t.co/xZmI41Zw5S">https://t.co/xZmI41Zw5S</a>
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1289671305835327488?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

&nbsp;

Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, the first US astronauts to reach the International Space Station (ISS) in nearly a decade, have successfully undocked from the ISS on Saturday late night.

Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, the first US astronauts to reach the International Space Station (ISS) in nearly a decade, have successfully undocked from the ISS on Saturday late night. The SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft is now en route its way back to the Earth. SpaceX confirmed on Twitter by tweeting, "Separation confirmed. Dragon performing 4 departure burns to move away from the @Space_Station" along with a video. Separation confirmed. Dragon performing 4 departure burns to move away from the @Space_Station pic.twitter.com/ea14fozdO8 — SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 1, 2020 × The two American astronauts' capsule is set to undock around 2334 GMT (7:30pm). However, the NASA is still observing the Hurricane Isaias — a category one storm that battered the Bahamas on Friday and was churning toward Florida. Also read: Hurricane might delay SpaceX-NASA return trip from ISS "Conditions are 'Go' at the primary targeted site, off the coast (of) Pensacola, and alternate site off the coast of Panama City in the Gulf of Mexico for splashdown and recovery on Sunday, Aug 2," NASA said in a blog post. All my bags are packed, I’m ready to go… #LandAmerica pic.twitter.com/FvyzeA58sb — Bob Behnken (@AstroBehnken) August 1, 2020 × Bob Behnken, in an ISS ceremony aboard said that earlier "the hardest part was getting us launched. But the most important part is bringing us home." SpaceX is also running a live webcast of Crew Dragon's return to Earth. Webcast of Crew Dragon’s return to Earth from the @space_station with @AstroBehnken and @Astro_Doug → https://t.co/bJFjLCzWdK https://t.co/xZmI41Zw5S — SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 1, 2020 ×

'I am ready to come home': SpaceX Crew Dragon undocks from ISS to return to Earth

Shanmuga Subramanian, a Chennai-based techie and space enthusiast who was credited by NASA, late last year for spotting the debris of India's Chandrayaan 2 moon probe, Vikram lander, which crash landed near the south pole of the moon, has come up with his latest find.

This time he claims to have possibly spotted the skeleton of the Vikram lander and also the pragyaan rover that might have rolled out onto the lunar surface. The claim is based on a similar method he had employed for the earlier find, by studying and comparing open source moon images shared by NASA. After having written to both ISRO and NASA, he is enthusiastically hoping for the best.&nbsp;

Shanmuga Subramanian told WION that his earlier find was of the debris (perhaps a part of the payload that the vikram lander was carrying on-board) from the crash landing, as also acknowledged by NASA.

But this time around, he's likely to have located the outer shell of the Vikram lander and also the pragyan rover which has rolled out onto the lunar surface. He has also tweeted out images of his possible find and mailed them to ISRO and NASA, who would be the best authorities to judge and confirm the possible find. &nbsp;

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Chandrayaan2's Pragyan "ROVER" intact on Moon's surface &amp; has rolled out few metres from the skeleton Vikram lander whose payloads got disintegrated due to rough landing | More details in below tweets <a href="https://twitter.com/isro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@isro</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan2</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VikramLander?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VikramLander</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PragyanRover?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PragyanRover</a> (1/4) <a href="https://t.co/iKSHntsK1f">pic.twitter.com/iKSHntsK1f</a>
— Shan (Shanmuga Subramanian) (@Ramanean) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ramanean/status/1289405848821800965?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 1, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

When asked about what led him to embark on this tedious search again, he says he was spending the recent weeks trying to locate other debris on the moon such as the first-ever probe sent by the erstwhile Soviet union.&nbsp;

"Using an open-source NASA software I've been looking at various regions in-depth. The area was around where the earlier debris was spotted was also of particular interest" he told WION.&nbsp;

He says that the most interesting aspect was a few images clicked by NASA in January, that were made publicly available in May.&nbsp;

"This image was more illuminated due to the then prevailing lighting conditions in that region and enabled me to spot much more. Generally that region is poorly lit. My latest find ( possibly vikram lander and pragyan rover) is around 500-700 meters towards the right of &nbsp;the debris that I located last year" he says.&nbsp;

The image he has tweeted out has markings that point to the objects that are suspected to be the vikram lander, the pragyan rover and also the possible tracks of the rover.&nbsp;

Leaving it upto ISRO to confirm, Subramanian suspects that the wheeled rover might have eventually rolled out from the lander after the crash landing.

"May be it was pre-programmed to roll out or maybe the lander received ISRO's command to roll our the rover. The lander and rover may have been communicating &nbsp;back and forth. But, perhaps this could have been a case of one-way communication. While the lander and rover could communicate, &nbsp;it was perhaps not able to relay the signals back to Earth after the harsh landing" he says.&nbsp;

WION also got the receipt of Subramanian's e-mail confirmed from ISRO chairman Dr.K.Sivan. "He has sent us the image and we have shared it with our experts for analysis" Dr. Sivan told WION.&nbsp;

India's second moon-probe Chandrayaan 2 was launched on July 22nd last year and had attempted a moon-landing on September 7th. However, the much anticipated landing happened to end-up in a crash landing, after ISRO lost contact with the vikram lander, barely at an altitude of 2.1km from the lunar surface.

India is also working on chandrayaan 3, the country's thrid moon probe, and it is expected to be launched sometime in 2021.&nbsp;

Shanmuga Subramanian, a Chennai-based techie and space enthusiast who was credited by NASA, late last year for spotting the debris of India's Chandrayaan 2 moon probe, Vikram lander, which crash landed near the south pole of the moon, has come up with his latest find.

Shanmuga Subramanian, a Chennai-based techie and space enthusiast who was credited by NASA, late last year for spotting the debris of India's Chandrayaan 2 moon probe, Vikram lander, which crash landed near the south pole of the moon, has come up with his latest find. This time he claims to have possibly spotted the skeleton of the Vikram lander and also the pragyaan rover that might have rolled out onto the lunar surface. The claim is based on a similar method he had employed for the earlier find, by studying and comparing open source moon images shared by NASA. After having written to both ISRO and NASA, he is enthusiastically hoping for the best. Shanmuga Subramanian told WION that his earlier find was of the debris (perhaps a part of the payload that the vikram lander was carrying on-board) from the crash landing, as also acknowledged by NASA. But this time around, he's likely to have located the outer shell of the Vikram lander and also the pragyan rover which has rolled out onto the lunar surface. He has also tweeted out images of his possible find and mailed them to ISRO and NASA, who would be the best authorities to judge and confirm the possible find. Chandrayaan2's Pragyan "ROVER" intact on Moon's surface & has rolled out few metres from the skeleton Vikram lander whose payloads got disintegrated due to rough landing | More details in below tweets @isro #Chandrayaan2 #VikramLander #PragyanRover (1/4) pic.twitter.com/iKSHntsK1f — Shan (Shanmuga Subramanian) (@Ramanean) August 1, 2020 × When asked about what led him to embark on this tedious search again, he says he was spending the recent weeks trying to locate other debris on the moon such as the first-ever probe sent by the erstwhile Soviet union. "Using an open-source NASA software I've been looking at various regions in-depth. The area was around where the earlier debris was spotted was also of particular interest" he told WION. He says that the most interesting aspect was a few images clicked by NASA in January, that were made publicly available in May. "This image was more illuminated due to the then prevailing lighting conditions in that region and enabled me to spot much more. Generally that region is poorly lit. My latest find ( possibly vikram lander and pragyan rover) is around 500-700 meters towards the right of the debris that I located last year" he says. The image he has tweeted out has markings that point to the objects that are suspected to be the vikram lander, the pragyan rover and also the possible tracks of the rover. Leaving it upto ISRO to confirm, Subramanian suspects that the wheeled rover might have eventually rolled out from the lander after the crash landing. "May be it was pre-programmed to roll out or maybe the lander received ISRO's command to roll our the rover. The lander and rover may have been communicating back and forth. But, perhaps this could have been a case of one-way communication. While the lander and rover could communicate, it was perhaps not able to relay the signals back to Earth after the harsh landing" he says. WION also got the receipt of Subramanian's e-mail confirmed from ISRO chairman Dr.K.Sivan. "He has sent us the image and we have shared it with our experts for analysis" Dr. Sivan told WION. India's second moon-probe Chandrayaan 2 was launched on July 22nd last year and had attempted a moon-landing on September 7th. However, the much anticipated landing happened to end-up in a crash landing, after ISRO lost contact with the vikram lander, barely at an altitude of 2.1km from the lunar surface. India is also working on chandrayaan 3, the country's thrid moon probe, and it is expected to be launched sometime in 2021.

Vikram lander and Pragyan rover spotted? Techie awaits ISRO, NASA nod

The first US astronauts to reach the International Space Station in nearly a decade might not come home this weekend as scheduled because of Hurricane Isaias.

Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley blasted off from Cape Canaveral on May 30 on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon, and are supposed to splash down off the coast of Florida on Sunday afternoon.

For now, undocking remains scheduled for approximately 7:34 pm (2334 GMT) Saturday, and splashdown at 2:42 pm (1842 GMT) on Sunday.

But NASA said it was keeping a watchful eye on Hurricane Isaias -- a category one storm that battered the Bahamas on Friday and was churning toward Florida.

NASA would make a final call about six hours prior to undocking.

The potential splashdown sites are in the Gulf of Mexico and along Florida's Atlantic coast.

The mission marked the first time a crewed spaceship launched into orbit from American soil since 2011 when the Space Shuttle program ended. It was also the first time a private company has flown to the ISS carrying astronauts. 
&nbsp;

The first US astronauts to reach the International Space Station in nearly a decade might not come home this weekend as scheduled because of Hurricane Isaias. Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley blasted off from Cape Canaveral on May 30 on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon, and are supposed to splash down off the coast of Florida on Sunday afternoon.

The first US astronauts to reach the International Space Station in nearly a decade might not come home this weekend as scheduled because of Hurricane Isaias. Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley blasted off from Cape Canaveral on May 30 on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon, and are supposed to splash down off the coast of Florida on Sunday afternoon. For now, undocking remains scheduled for approximately 7:34 pm (2334 GMT) Saturday, and splashdown at 2:42 pm (1842 GMT) on Sunday. But NASA said it was keeping a watchful eye on Hurricane Isaias -- a category one storm that battered the Bahamas on Friday and was churning toward Florida. NASA would make a final call about six hours prior to undocking. The potential splashdown sites are in the Gulf of Mexico and along Florida's Atlantic coast. The mission marked the first time a crewed spaceship launched into orbit from American soil since 2011 when the Space Shuttle program ended. It was also the first time a private company has flown to the ISS carrying astronauts.

Hurricane might delay SpaceX-NASA return trip from ISS

nasa

Nasa, News on Nasa, stories on Nasa, articles on Nasa, Nasa stories at Wion, Nasa news, Nasa latest news