Europe and <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-blasts-off-historic-probe-to-touch-sun-158625/amp">NASA</a>'s Solar Orbiter took off to space on Sunday night to an unprecedented mission to capture the first images of the Sun's poles.

The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

<img alt="Solar orbiter launch" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="afc0f9aa-32e2-45ec-a653-1fb5acdd3401" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Solar-Orbiter-Lift-Off-1024x576.jpg" /> 
(Image courtesy: NASA)

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-blasts-off-historic-probe-to-touch-sun-158625/amp">NASA launches probe to go deep into Sun's scorching atmosphere</a>

The $1.5 billion spacecraft will join NASA's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-blasts-off-historic-probe-to-touch-sun-158625/amp">Parker Solar Probe</a> which was launched one&nbsp;and a half years ago.

Solar Orbiter won't go&nbsp;close enough to penetrate the Sun's crown-like outer atmosphere, like Parker.

<img alt="This illustration made available by NASA depicts the Solar Orbiter satellite in front of the sun" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8a85acae-3683-49c7-b122-f0f00ee60b83" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2847%29_3.jpg" />

(Image courtesy: NASA)

It will manoeuvre into a unique out-of-plane orbit that will take it over both poles which have&nbsp;never been photographed before.&nbsp;

According to Gunther Hasinger, the European Space Agency's science director,&nbsp;Hasinger: ''Together with powerful ground observatories, the sun-staring space duo will be like an orchestra in which although every instrument plays a different tune, but together they play the symphony of the sun."

Solar Orbiter was made in Europe, along with nine science instruments.&nbsp;The 10th instrument was provided by <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-blasts-off-historic-probe-to-touch-sun-158625/amp">NASA</a>.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/touch-the-sun-nasa-spacecraft-set-to-investigate-corona-158364">'Touch the Sun': NASA spacecraft set to investigate corona</a>

Nearly 1,000 scientists and engineers from across Europe gathered with their US&nbsp;colleagues as the rocket blasted off, illuminating the sky for miles as&nbsp;crowds jammed nearby roads and beaches.&nbsp;The rocket was visible for four full minutes after liftoff.

<img alt="Solar orbiter" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="2dd07ea4-4ea0-4675-80ea-d8e47e45630f" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/img_0194.jpg" /> 
(Image courtesy: NASA)

Solar Orbiter is a 4,000-pound spacecraft with long and slender&nbsp;instruments&nbsp;and antennas and will go past Venus in December and again next year, and then past Earth, using the planets' gravity to alter its path.

Full science operations will begin in late 2021, with the first close solar encounter in 2022 and more every six months.&nbsp;At its closest approach, Solar Orbiter will come within 26 million miles of the Sun, well within the orbit of Mercury.&nbsp;It differs from the Parker Solar Probe, by which&nbsp;is already past&nbsp;11.6 million miles within the Sun but it's flying nowhere near the poles.

Whereas,&nbsp;Solar Orbiter will inspect the elusive poles of the Sun.&nbsp;The Sun's poles are pockmarked with dark, constantly shifting coronal holes. They're hubs for the Sun's magnetic field, flipping polarity every 11 years.

Solar Orbiter's head-on views should finally yield a full 3-D view of the Sun, 93 million miles from the Earth.

Europe and NASA's Solar Orbiter took off to space on Sunday night to an unprecedented mission to capture the first images of the Sun's poles. The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Europe and NASA's Solar Orbiter took off to space on Sunday night to an unprecedented mission to capture the first images of the Sun's poles. The United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida. (Image courtesy: NASA) Also read: NASA launches probe to go deep into Sun's scorching atmosphere The $1.5 billion spacecraft will join NASA's Parker Solar Probe which was launched one and a half years ago. Solar Orbiter won't go close enough to penetrate the Sun's crown-like outer atmosphere, like Parker. (Image courtesy: NASA) It will manoeuvre into a unique out-of-plane orbit that will take it over both poles which have never been photographed before. According to Gunther Hasinger, the European Space Agency's science director, Hasinger: ''Together with powerful ground observatories, the sun-staring space duo will be like an orchestra in which although every instrument plays a different tune, but together they play the symphony of the sun." Solar Orbiter was made in Europe, along with nine science instruments. The 10th instrument was provided by NASA. Also read: 'Touch the Sun': NASA spacecraft set to investigate corona Nearly 1,000 scientists and engineers from across Europe gathered with their US colleagues as the rocket blasted off, illuminating the sky for miles as crowds jammed nearby roads and beaches. The rocket was visible for four full minutes after liftoff. (Image courtesy: NASA) Solar Orbiter is a 4,000-pound spacecraft with long and slender instruments and antennas and will go past Venus in December and again next year, and then past Earth, using the planets' gravity to alter its path. Full science operations will begin in late 2021, with the first close solar encounter in 2022 and more every six months. At its closest approach, Solar Orbiter will come within 26 million miles of the Sun, well within the orbit of Mercury. It differs from the Parker Solar Probe, by which is already past 11.6 million miles within the Sun but it's flying nowhere near the poles. Whereas, Solar Orbiter will inspect the elusive poles of the Sun. The Sun's poles are pockmarked with dark, constantly shifting coronal holes. They're hubs for the Sun's magnetic field, flipping polarity every 11 years. Solar Orbiter's head-on views should finally yield a full 3-D view of the Sun, 93 million miles from the Earth.

Solar orbiter takes off to capture first look at Sun's poles

This year's first 'supermoon' is going to be a 'Snow Moon' and will be visible across the world this weekend.&nbsp;

According to NASA, this will be a "full Moon weekend", with the Moon appearing full "for about three days centered around this time, from Friday evening to Monday morning, making this a full Moon weekend," NASA stated in its release on Tuesday.

A supermoon occurs when a full moon is closest to the Earth and appears exceptionally large.&nbsp;

The term 'Snow Moon' could be attributed to the fact that northeastern Native American tribes referred to the second full moon of winter as the 'Snow Moon'&nbsp;because of heavy snowing in February.

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/world-witnesses-longest-ever-blood-moon-eclipse-of-21st-century-155159">World witnesses longest-ever 'blood moon' eclipse of 21st Century</a>

The 'Snow Moon'&nbsp;will appear in all its might at around 2:33 am EST on February 9.&nbsp;

"The Next Full Moon is the Snow Moon, Storm Moon, Hunger Moon, Magha Purnima, Magha Puja, the Mahamuni Pagoda Festival Moon, the Chinese Lantern Festival Moon, and the Full Moon of Tu B'Shevat," NASA stated.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/in-rare-celestial-event-saturn-sun-aligned-on-earths-opposite-sides-strawberry-moon-was-sighted-147805">When Saturn, Sun aligned on Earth's opposite sides and 'Strawberry Moon' was sighted</a>

"The Moon will appear full for about three days centered around this time, from Friday evening to Monday morning, making this a full Moon weekend," it added.&nbsp;

Experts suggest that the best sight of a full moon is experienced at moonrise or moonset.

This weekend's supermoon will look its best at moonrise (around sunset) in the east on Saturday and at the time of moonset (sunrise) in the west on Sunday. 
&nbsp;

This year's first 'supermoon' is going to be a 'Snow Moon' and will be visible across the world this weekend. According to NASA, this will be a "full Moon weekend", with the Moon appearing full "for about three days centered around this time, from Friday evening to Monday morning, making this a full Moon weekend," NASA stated in its release on Tuesday.

This year's first 'supermoon' is going to be a 'Snow Moon' and will be visible across the world this weekend. According to NASA, this will be a "full Moon weekend", with the Moon appearing full "for about three days centered around this time, from Friday evening to Monday morning, making this a full Moon weekend," NASA stated in its release on Tuesday. A supermoon occurs when a full moon is closest to the Earth and appears exceptionally large. The term 'Snow Moon' could be attributed to the fact that northeastern Native American tribes referred to the second full moon of winter as the 'Snow Moon' because of heavy snowing in February. Also read: World witnesses longest-ever 'blood moon' eclipse of 21st Century The 'Snow Moon' will appear in all its might at around 2:33 am EST on February 9. "The Next Full Moon is the Snow Moon, Storm Moon, Hunger Moon, Magha Purnima, Magha Puja, the Mahamuni Pagoda Festival Moon, the Chinese Lantern Festival Moon, and the Full Moon of Tu B'Shevat," NASA stated. Also read: When Saturn, Sun aligned on Earth's opposite sides and 'Strawberry Moon' was sighted "The Moon will appear full for about three days centered around this time, from Friday evening to Monday morning, making this a full Moon weekend," it added. Experts suggest that the best sight of a full moon is experienced at moonrise or moonset. This weekend's supermoon will look its best at moonrise (around sunset) in the east on Saturday and at the time of moonset (sunrise) in the west on Sunday.

This weekend, get ready for 'Snow Moon' - first supermoon of 2020

United States astronaut Christina Koch, is all set to return to Earth today after a record stay at the International Space Station.

The leader of the first all-female spacewalk in 2019, Koch's mission could provide rich insight into deep-space travel.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/science-trending-nasa-telescope-nasa-bids-farewell-to-iconic-spitzer-space-telescope-277732">NASA bids farewell to iconic Spitzer Space Telescope</a>

Koch spent 328 days in the orbiting laboratory. The 41-year-old boarded a Russian Soyuz capsule and which was set to depart at 0230 GMT today.

If the plan works out well, the capsule will ''parachute to a safe landing on the desert steppe of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan'', Reuters reported. The touchdown is expected at 0912 GMT today with the aircraft carrying Koch, European astronaut Luca Parmitano and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov.&nbsp;

<h6><img alt="ppp" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="038a3465-e493-4201-a53f-0083f3032d06" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2812%29_9.jpg" /> 
This NASA photo released on February 4, 20202 shows NASA astronaut Christina Koch during a spacewalk on January 15, 2020 | AFP</h6>

The record for the longest continuous stay in space by a woman was previously held by NASA's Peggy Whitson.

In October 2019, Koch achieved a gender milestone during a spacewalk, which was undertaken with a fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir. This was the first time two women stepped out of the space station at the same time. 
 
In March 2019, NASA attempted an all-female spacewalk which was later called off because one of the astronauts' medium-sized spacesuits was wrongly configured. This inspired gender-heavy rhetoric within the space community. 
 
This year, astronauts on the space station are set to celebrate the 20th anniversary in low-Earth orbit. The Station has held 227 maintenance spacewalks, with almost two dozen female astronauts participating in the process. Koch and Meir conducted two more spacewalks together in January.

<h6><img alt="ppp" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="718f535b-f55a-4bc7-9c01-a98982817b8d" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2813%29_12.jpg" /> 
This NASA image shows the International Space Station, a search light, and the Moon in this long exposure photograph | AFP 
&nbsp;</h6>

According to NASA, Koch's mission would provide insight into the weightlessness of gravity. Additionally, it could also help the space organisation understand how space radiation affects the female body on long-duration spaceflights.

As NASA plans to build a permanent space station on the moon's surface within the next decade, the data from Koch's mission could prove to be immensely useful.

Scott Kelly, a US astronaut spent 340 days in orbit starting 2015. From Kelly's time in space, NASA learned that spaceflights cause the thickening of the carotid artery and retina, changes in gene expression and slight cognitive impairments for men.

Koch's mission began in March last year and was extended up to April, stretching the duration from six months to almost a year.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-space-force-unveils-camouflage-uniform-gets-trolled-on-twitter-275237">US Space Force unveils camouflage uniform, gets trolled on Twitter</a>

(With inputs from Reuters)

United States astronaut Christina Koch, is all set to return to Earth today after a record stay at the International Space Station. The leader of the first all-female spacewalk in 2019, Koch's mission could provide rich insight into deep-space travel.

United States astronaut Christina Koch, is all set to return to Earth today after a record stay at the International Space Station. The leader of the first all-female spacewalk in 2019, Koch's mission could provide rich insight into deep-space travel. Also read: NASA bids farewell to iconic Spitzer Space Telescope Koch spent 328 days in the orbiting laboratory. The 41-year-old boarded a Russian Soyuz capsule and which was set to depart at 0230 GMT today. If the plan works out well, the capsule will ''parachute to a safe landing on the desert steppe of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan'', Reuters reported. The touchdown is expected at 0912 GMT today with the aircraft carrying Koch, European astronaut Luca Parmitano and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Skvortsov. This NASA photo released on February 4, 20202 shows NASA astronaut Christina Koch during a spacewalk on January 15, 2020 | AFP The record for the longest continuous stay in space by a woman was previously held by NASA's Peggy Whitson. In October 2019, Koch achieved a gender milestone during a spacewalk, which was undertaken with a fellow NASA astronaut Jessica Meir. This was the first time two women stepped out of the space station at the same time. In March 2019, NASA attempted an all-female spacewalk which was later called off because one of the astronauts' medium-sized spacesuits was wrongly configured. This inspired gender-heavy rhetoric within the space community. This year, astronauts on the space station are set to celebrate the 20th anniversary in low-Earth orbit. The Station has held 227 maintenance spacewalks, with almost two dozen female astronauts participating in the process. Koch and Meir conducted two more spacewalks together in January. This NASA image shows the International Space Station, a search light, and the Moon in this long exposure photograph | AFP According to NASA, Koch's mission would provide insight into the weightlessness of gravity. Additionally, it could also help the space organisation understand how space radiation affects the female body on long-duration spaceflights. As NASA plans to build a permanent space station on the moon's surface within the next decade, the data from Koch's mission could prove to be immensely useful. Scott Kelly, a US astronaut spent 340 days in orbit starting 2015. From Kelly's time in space, NASA learned that spaceflights cause the thickening of the carotid artery and retina, changes in gene expression and slight cognitive impairments for men. Koch's mission began in March last year and was extended up to April, stretching the duration from six months to almost a year. Also read: US Space Force unveils camouflage uniform, gets trolled on Twitter (With inputs from Reuters)

Christina Koch, NASA astronaut to return to Earth today after record 328 days in space

NASA's Christina Koch returned to Earth safely Thursday having shattered the spaceflight record for female astronauts after almost a year aboard the International Space Station.

Koch touched down at 0912 GMT on the Kazakh steppe after 328 days in space along with Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian space agency.

Dmitry Rogozin, head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency, said the crew had returned safely.

"All is well on board, the crew are feeling well," Rogozin wrote on Twitter.

<img alt="Dmitry Rogozin" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="bddb5856-9213-426a-a09a-b822eb6b6f53" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/1_6.JPG" />

Koch, a 41-year-old Michigan-born engineer, beat the previous record for a single spaceflight by a woman -- 289 days, held by NASA veteran Peggy Whitson -- on December 28, 2019. &nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/science-trending-nasa-telescope-nasa-bids-farewell-to-iconic-spitzer-space-telescope-277732">NASA bids farewell to iconic Spitzer Space Telescope</a>

She had already made history by that point as one half of the first-ever all-woman spacewalk along with NASA counterpart Jessica Meir in October.&nbsp;

<img alt="ppp" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="038a3465-e493-4201-a53f-0083f3032d06" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%2812%29_9.jpg" />

[This NASA photo released on February 4, 20202 shows NASA astronaut Christina Koch during a spacewalk on January 15, 2020. (AFP Photo)] 
 
Koch told NBC on Tuesday that she would "miss microgravity" as she spoke to journalists ahead of the three-and-a-half hour journey back to Earth.

"It's really fun to be in a place where you can just bounce around between the ceiling and the floor whenever you want," she said, smiling as she twisted her body around the ISS.

'Make space for women'

Koch called three-time flyer Whitson "a heroine of mine" and a "mentor" in the space programme after she surpassed the 59-year-old's record.&nbsp;

She also spoke of her desire to "inspire the next generation of explorers." &nbsp;

Koch's return comes after an advert produced by the skincare brand Olay ran during an intermission in the American football Super Bowl with a call to "make space for women".&nbsp;

The advert featured NASA astronaut Nicole Stott and saw the company promise to donate up to $500,000 to the non-profit Women Who Code, which works with young women seeking careers in tech and scientific fields. &nbsp;

This year's Super Bowl was watched by over 100 million people while advert time costs more than $5 million for a 30-second commercial. &nbsp;

The first woman in space was Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova whose spaceflight in 1963 is still the only solo mission carried out by a woman.

But the cosmonauts Russia has sent to the ISS since expeditions began in 2000 have all been men with the exception of Yelena Serova's launch in 2014.

Both Tereshkova and Serova are now lawmakers in the Russian parliament, where they represent the ruling United Russia party.&nbsp;

Unlike Koch, whose stay aboard the ISS was extended, Parmitano and Skvortsov are rounding off regular six-month missions.

Parmitano handed over command of the ISS to Roscosmos' Oleg Skripochka on Tuesday.&nbsp;

The 43-year-old Italian posted regular shots of the Earth while aboard, highlighting the plight of the Amazon rainforest and describing the Alps as "like a spinal column, never bending to time".&nbsp;

Four male cosmonauts have spent a year or longer in space as part of a single mission with Valery Polyakov's 437 days the overall record.&nbsp;

Scott Kelly holds the record for a NASA astronaut, posting 340 days at the ISS before he returned home in 2016.

NASA's Christina Koch returned to Earth safely Thursday having shattered the spaceflight record for female astronauts after almost a year aboard the International Space Station.

NASA's Christina Koch returned to Earth safely Thursday having shattered the spaceflight record for female astronauts after almost a year aboard the International Space Station. Koch touched down at 0912 GMT on the Kazakh steppe after 328 days in space along with Luca Parmitano of the European Space Agency and Alexander Skvortsov of the Russian space agency. Dmitry Rogozin, head of Russia's Roscosmos space agency, said the crew had returned safely. "All is well on board, the crew are feeling well," Rogozin wrote on Twitter. Koch, a 41-year-old Michigan-born engineer, beat the previous record for a single spaceflight by a woman -- 289 days, held by NASA veteran Peggy Whitson -- on December 28, 2019. Also read: NASA bids farewell to iconic Spitzer Space Telescope She had already made history by that point as one half of the first-ever all-woman spacewalk along with NASA counterpart Jessica Meir in October. [This NASA photo released on February 4, 20202 shows NASA astronaut Christina Koch during a spacewalk on January 15, 2020. (AFP Photo)] Koch told NBC on Tuesday that she would "miss microgravity" as she spoke to journalists ahead of the three-and-a-half hour journey back to Earth. "It's really fun to be in a place where you can just bounce around between the ceiling and the floor whenever you want," she said, smiling as she twisted her body around the ISS. 'Make space for women' Koch called three-time flyer Whitson "a heroine of mine" and a "mentor" in the space programme after she surpassed the 59-year-old's record. She also spoke of her desire to "inspire the next generation of explorers." Koch's return comes after an advert produced by the skincare brand Olay ran during an intermission in the American football Super Bowl with a call to "make space for women". The advert featured NASA astronaut Nicole Stott and saw the company promise to donate up to $500,000 to the non-profit Women Who Code, which works with young women seeking careers in tech and scientific fields. This year's Super Bowl was watched by over 100 million people while advert time costs more than $5 million for a 30-second commercial. The first woman in space was Soviet cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova whose spaceflight in 1963 is still the only solo mission carried out by a woman. But the cosmonauts Russia has sent to the ISS since expeditions began in 2000 have all been men with the exception of Yelena Serova's launch in 2014. Both Tereshkova and Serova are now lawmakers in the Russian parliament, where they represent the ruling United Russia party. Unlike Koch, whose stay aboard the ISS was extended, Parmitano and Skvortsov are rounding off regular six-month missions. Parmitano handed over command of the ISS to Roscosmos' Oleg Skripochka on Tuesday. The 43-year-old Italian posted regular shots of the Earth while aboard, highlighting the plight of the Amazon rainforest and describing the Alps as "like a spinal column, never bending to time". Four male cosmonauts have spent a year or longer in space as part of a single mission with Valery Polyakov's 437 days the overall record. Scott Kelly holds the record for a NASA astronaut, posting 340 days at the ISS before he returned home in 2016.

Christina Koch, NASA astronaut returns to Earth after record 328 days in space

Meet Christina Koch, the NASA spacewalker who created history

After nearly two decades, NASA has finally bid adieu to one of its iconic telescopes.&nbsp;

Spitzer Space Telescope that has taken images of some of the most ancient objects in Universe was decommissioned on Thursday, a tweet from NASA Spitzer handle said.&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
At 2:34 pm PST on Jan. 30, 2020, Spitzer Project Manager Joseph Hunt declared the Spitzer spacecraft decommissioned. 
 
Farewell, Spitzer. Thank you for the great science. 👋<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpitzerFinalVoyage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpitzerFinalVoyage</a><a href="https://t.co/o1J0vNp2dt">https://t.co/o1J0vNp2dt</a>
— NASA Spitzer (@NASAspitzer) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAspitzer/status/1223023276986789888?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 30, 2020</a></blockquote>
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"Farewell, Spitzer. Thank you for the great science", the tweet added.&nbsp;

<img alt="NASA telescope" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d4abc4bc-d437-4a11-94e1-168d35d7f54e" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/SXUz4wFW.jpg" />

(Spitzer Space Telescope | Photo Credit: NASA)

Spitzer was the part of NASA's four Great Observatories and displayed an infrared view of the cosmos.&nbsp;

Launched in 2003, the telescope was planned only for five years, but it lasted nearly sixteen and a half years.&nbsp;

Saturn's new ring, directing light from exoplanets, and finding an entire solar system are some of the major discoveries of the Spitzer telescope.&nbsp;

Spitzer's observation also helped in discovering the oldest galaxy we've ever found.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

After nearly two decades, NASA has finally bid adieu to one of its iconic telescopes. Spitzer Space Telescope that has taken images of some of the most ancient objects in Universe was decommissioned on Thursday, a tweet from NASA Spitzer handle said.

After nearly two decades, NASA has finally bid adieu to one of its iconic telescopes. Spitzer Space Telescope that has taken images of some of the most ancient objects in Universe was decommissioned on Thursday, a tweet from NASA Spitzer handle said. At 2:34 pm PST on Jan. 30, 2020, Spitzer Project Manager Joseph Hunt declared the Spitzer spacecraft decommissioned. Farewell, Spitzer. Thank you for the great science. 👋#SpitzerFinalVoyagehttps://t.co/o1J0vNp2dt — NASA Spitzer (@NASAspitzer) January 30, 2020 × "Farewell, Spitzer. Thank you for the great science", the tweet added. (Spitzer Space Telescope | Photo Credit: NASA) Spitzer was the part of NASA's four Great Observatories and displayed an infrared view of the cosmos. Launched in 2003, the telescope was planned only for five years, but it lasted nearly sixteen and a half years. Saturn's new ring, directing light from exoplanets, and finding an entire solar system are some of the major discoveries of the Spitzer telescope. Spitzer's observation also helped in discovering the oldest galaxy we've ever found.

NASA bids farewell to iconic Spitzer Space Telescope

After 16 years of observations that helped paint a more accurate picture of the universe, one of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/glimpse-of-nasas-private-space-home-unveiled-277215">NASA's greatest</a> telescopes will go offline. The Spitzer Space Telescope, which <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/space-cookies-take-2-hours-to-bake-double-the-time-on-earth-276275">allowed scientists</a> to view objects that are cooler than stars that emit visible light, was launched in 2003 to observe the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum of the universe.

Paul Hertz, Director of Astrophysics at NASA issued a statement about the mission saying, "The advances we make across many areas in astrophysics in the future will be because of Spitzer's extraordinary legacy."

Operations of the Spitzer came to an end on January 29 and the mission team will be putting the spacecraft into a permanent hibernation mode, after which the Spitzer will continue its trajectory and travel <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-spacex-launch-with-nasa-most-probably-to-take-place-between-april-and-june-this-year-elon-musk-275498">further away from Earth</a> over time. Team members have reason to believe that it will eventually crash into a debris field.

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The legacy of <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAspitzer?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASASpitzer</a> will live on! After more than 16 years of studying the universe in infrared, the space telescope's mission has come to an end. One of our greatest observatories will be remembered for its discoveries: <a href="https://t.co/SUYSh0m6nD">https://t.co/SUYSh0m6nD</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SpitzerFinalVoyage?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#SpitzerFinalVoyage</a> <a href="https://t.co/M8rL7pfszD">pic.twitter.com/M8rL7pfszD</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1223049026171539458?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 31, 2020</a></blockquote>
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Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beyond-earth-designers-give-a-peek-into-what-life-could-look-like-on-mars-275336">Beyond Earth: Designers give a peek into what life could look like on Mars</a>

Interstellar dust was the Spitzer's primary concern, which cocoons baby stars and provides the building blocks for planets, thereby creating an invisible skeleton of galaxies across the universe. A technique called spectroscopy was used by Spitzer which allowed scientists to measure the chemical composition of space dust to learn more of the ingredients of the universe.

NASA stated that Spitzer was instrumental in revealing that galaxies in the early universe were heavier than was previously postulated, thus deepening our understanding of how galaxies evolve over time. Spitzer had to balance between being cool enough to not emit heat while travelling through space and to be far enough away from the Earth to get images without interference from the infrared environment around the planet and the moon.

The Spitzer Mission was not designed to function for 16 years, nor was it designed to be operational at its current distance from Earth. Joseph Hunt, the Project Manager issued a statement saying, "The team has had to adapt year after year to keep the spacecraft operating. But I think overcoming that challenge has given people a great sense of pride in the mission. This mission stays with you."

After 16 years of observations that helped paint a more accurate picture of the universe, one of NASA's greatest telescopes will go offline. The Spitzer Space Telescope, which allowed scientists to view objects that are cooler than stars that emit visible light, was launched in 2003 to observe the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum of the universe.

After 16 years of observations that helped paint a more accurate picture of the universe, one of NASA's greatest telescopes will go offline. The Spitzer Space Telescope, which allowed scientists to view objects that are cooler than stars that emit visible light, was launched in 2003 to observe the infrared part of the electromagnetic spectrum of the universe. Paul Hertz, Director of Astrophysics at NASA issued a statement about the mission saying, "The advances we make across many areas in astrophysics in the future will be because of Spitzer's extraordinary legacy." Operations of the Spitzer came to an end on January 29 and the mission team will be putting the spacecraft into a permanent hibernation mode, after which the Spitzer will continue its trajectory and travel further away from Earth over time. Team members have reason to believe that it will eventually crash into a debris field. The legacy of @NASASpitzer will live on! After more than 16 years of studying the universe in infrared, the space telescope's mission has come to an end. One of our greatest observatories will be remembered for its discoveries: https://t.co/SUYSh0m6nD #SpitzerFinalVoyage pic.twitter.com/M8rL7pfszD — NASA (@NASA) January 31, 2020 × Also Read: Beyond Earth: Designers give a peek into what life could look like on Mars Interstellar dust was the Spitzer's primary concern, which cocoons baby stars and provides the building blocks for planets, thereby creating an invisible skeleton of galaxies across the universe. A technique called spectroscopy was used by Spitzer which allowed scientists to measure the chemical composition of space dust to learn more of the ingredients of the universe. NASA stated that Spitzer was instrumental in revealing that galaxies in the early universe were heavier than was previously postulated, thus deepening our understanding of how galaxies evolve over time. Spitzer had to balance between being cool enough to not emit heat while travelling through space and to be far enough away from the Earth to get images without interference from the infrared environment around the planet and the moon. The Spitzer Mission was not designed to function for 16 years, nor was it designed to be operational at its current distance from Earth. Joseph Hunt, the Project Manager issued a statement saying, "The team has had to adapt year after year to keep the spacecraft operating. But I think overcoming that challenge has given people a great sense of pride in the mission. This mission stays with you."

NASA shuts down Spitzer Space Telescope after 16 years of commendable service

Glimpse of NASA's private 'space home' unveiled

Here's good news for all the space travellers who are also cookie lovers as they are successfully baked in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-spacex-hope-for-manned-mission-to-international-space-station-in-early-2020-255078">international space station</a>.&nbsp;The cookies took two hours to bake, which is approximately 10 times more than the time taken to prepare them on the Earth.&nbsp;

NASA&nbsp;astronaut&nbsp;Christina Koch shared the news on Twitter.&nbsp;“We made space cookies and milk for Santa this year,” Koch tweeted.

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We made space cookies and milk for Santa this year. Happy holidays from the <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Station?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Space_Station</a>! <a href="https://t.co/sZS4KdPmhj">pic.twitter.com/sZS4KdPmhj</a>
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Interestingly, the bakers expected a different time in space but it was not that much different.&nbsp;

“There’s still a lot to look into to figure out really what’s driving that difference, but a cool result,” Mary Murphy, a manager for US-based Nanoracks, said this week. “Overall, I think it’s a pretty awesome first experiment.”

No one knows how the cookies&nbsp;taste, as they are still sealed in individual baking pouches and packed in their spaceflight container.&nbsp;They remain frozen in a Houston area lab. The cookies are said to be the first baked item in space from raw materials.&nbsp;

Nanoracks, located near <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/china-india-have-helped-in-greening-of-earth-nasa-report-196837">Nasa</a>'s Johnson Space Center designed and built a small electric oven that was launched in the space station in November last year. There are already five frozen cookies in the space.&nbsp;

An Italian astronaut Luca Parmtano, the mater baker in December noted down all the descriptions of how he baked the cookies one by one on the prototype Zero-G oven.

The first cookie was baked for 25 minutes at 300F, ended up under baked. The baker doubled the time of baking for the next two cookies, the result came out to be okayish but not great, according to Parmtano.&nbsp;

The fourth cookie was baked for 2 hours and was a 'success'. “So this time, I do see some browning,“ Parmitano radioed. “I can’t tell you whether it’s cooked all the way or not, but it certainly doesn’t look like cookie dough anymore.”

Parmtano baked the fifth cookie at 325F for 130 minutes and it was another success. No one can still tell how they taste but the baker said he can smell the fourth and the fifth one.&nbsp;

Mike Massimino, a former NASA astronaut mentioned that is was the only beauty of baking in space. Massimino is a teacher at Columbia University and is a paid spokesman for DoubleTree by Hilton. The hotel chain that provided the dough for the cookies. And was the same they offer to their guests.

“The remainder of the home, the connection with home, I think, can’t be overstated,” Massimino said. “From my personal experience ... food is pretty important for not just nutrition but also for morale in keeping people connected to their home and their Earth.”

One of the space-baked cookies has been offered to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum for display.

Nanoracks and Zero-G Kitchen, New York City startup who collaborated with the experiment, are looking forward to more experiments for the orbiting oven and more space appliances.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Baked cookies added the advantage of having fresh food in the space and astronauts can enjoy delicious items and avoid packaged food for a while.&nbsp;

Here's good news for all the space travellers who are also cookie lovers as they are successfully baked in the international space station. The cookies took two hours to bake, which is approximately 10 times more than the time taken to prepare them on the Earth.

Here's good news for all the space travellers who are also cookie lovers as they are successfully baked in the international space station. The cookies took two hours to bake, which is approximately 10 times more than the time taken to prepare them on the Earth. NASA astronaut Christina Koch shared the news on Twitter. “We made space cookies and milk for Santa this year,” Koch tweeted. We made space cookies and milk for Santa this year. Happy holidays from the @Space_Station! pic.twitter.com/sZS4KdPmhj — Christina H Koch (@Astro_Christina) December 26, 2019 × Interestingly, the bakers expected a different time in space but it was not that much different. “There’s still a lot to look into to figure out really what’s driving that difference, but a cool result,” Mary Murphy, a manager for US-based Nanoracks, said this week. “Overall, I think it’s a pretty awesome first experiment.” No one knows how the cookies taste, as they are still sealed in individual baking pouches and packed in their spaceflight container. They remain frozen in a Houston area lab. The cookies are said to be the first baked item in space from raw materials. Nanoracks, located near Nasa's Johnson Space Center designed and built a small electric oven that was launched in the space station in November last year. There are already five frozen cookies in the space. An Italian astronaut Luca Parmtano, the mater baker in December noted down all the descriptions of how he baked the cookies one by one on the prototype Zero-G oven. The first cookie was baked for 25 minutes at 300F, ended up under baked. The baker doubled the time of baking for the next two cookies, the result came out to be okayish but not great, according to Parmtano. The fourth cookie was baked for 2 hours and was a 'success'. “So this time, I do see some browning,“ Parmitano radioed. “I can’t tell you whether it’s cooked all the way or not, but it certainly doesn’t look like cookie dough anymore.” Parmtano baked the fifth cookie at 325F for 130 minutes and it was another success. No one can still tell how they taste but the baker said he can smell the fourth and the fifth one. Mike Massimino, a former NASA astronaut mentioned that is was the only beauty of baking in space. Massimino is a teacher at Columbia University and is a paid spokesman for DoubleTree by Hilton. The hotel chain that provided the dough for the cookies. And was the same they offer to their guests. “The remainder of the home, the connection with home, I think, can’t be overstated,” Massimino said. “From my personal experience ... food is pretty important for not just nutrition but also for morale in keeping people connected to their home and their Earth.” One of the space-baked cookies has been offered to the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum for display. Nanoracks and Zero-G Kitchen, New York City startup who collaborated with the experiment, are looking forward to more experiments for the orbiting oven and more space appliances. Baked cookies added the advantage of having fresh food in the space and astronauts can enjoy delicious items and avoid packaged food for a while.

Space-baked cookies are up for grabs after testing astronauts patience

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/mushroom-producer-suffers-heavy-loss-after-typhoon-hagibis-sweeps-by-257075">Mushrooms </a>can be used to build habitats in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beyond-earth-designers-give-a-peek-into-what-life-could-look-like-on-mars-275336">Mars </a>according to a suggestion made in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-spacex-launch-with-nasa-most-probably-to-take-place-between-april-and-june-this-year-elon-musk-275498">NASA</a>'s new project.&nbsp;

This suggestion was made by the agency in a video released by it on Tuesday.

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Fabricating furniture with fungus may sound farfetched but it could be the future. 
Get the details: <a href="https://t.co/Fhyv9LFz3t">https://t.co/Fhyv9LFz3t</a> <a href="https://t.co/5WpVz6SaxM">pic.twitter.com/5WpVz6SaxM</a>
— NASA360 (@NASA360) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA360/status/1218516890227625984?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The reason behind recommending it specifically is that it is easy to transport it into space and it is also sturdy when it grows.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/beyond-earth-designers-give-a-peek-into-what-life-could-look-like-on-mars-275336">Beyond Earth: Designers give a peek into what life could look like on Mars</a>

The key focus of this concept is on the mycelium parts of a fungus which comprise of branching thread-like structures.

The agency's program is called NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) and it will check the viability of myco-architecture that could use fungi to grow habitats on Mars and the Moon.

They can construct ''complex structures with immense accuracy branching out into larger structures like mushrooms,'' according to the space organization.

This concept revolves around a three-layered dome structure comprising of water and ice on the outside, a bacteria which produces oxygen and nutrients called cyanobacteria in the middle and a layer of mycelia inside which will be responsible for feeding and growing a framework for building a habitat in Mars.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/first-spacex-launch-with-nasa-most-probably-to-take-place-between-april-and-june-this-year-elon-musk-275498">SpaceX launch with NASA may take place between April-June: Elon Musk</a>

According to Lynn Rothschild, the chief investigator on the initial stage of the project, ''at the moment, traditional habitat designs for Mars incur huge energy costs. As an alternative, mycelia can be harnessed to grow these habitats ourselves''.&nbsp;

The scientists plan on carrying habitat build of lightweight substance preferably dormant mushrooms that can be unfolded and watered on landing.

Also see:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/nasa-counts-down-to-landing-of-martian-quake-sensor-insight-178934#mars-insight-set-to-land-178924">NASA's InSight lands on Mars to peer into planet's deep interior</a>

They will transform into a fully functional human habitat without contaminating the environment of Mars.&nbsp;The middle layer of the structure will provide oxygen to the astronauts on the mission.

The design for this concept is being prepared in California's <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-secretary-of-state-mike-pompeo-warns-silicon-valley-on-china-ahead-of-trade-pact-274102">Silicon Valley</a> by NASA's Ames Research Center.

It is also envisioning a future where compact habitat can be constructed out of lightweight material with passive fungi that do not perish easily.

Mushrooms can be used to build habitats in Mars according to a suggestion made in NASA's new project. This suggestion was made by the agency in a video released by it on Tuesday.

Mushrooms can be used to build habitats in Mars according to a suggestion made in NASA's new project. This suggestion was made by the agency in a video released by it on Tuesday. Fabricating furniture with fungus may sound farfetched but it could be the future. Get the details: https://t.co/Fhyv9LFz3t pic.twitter.com/5WpVz6SaxM — NASA360 (@NASA360) January 18, 2020 × The reason behind recommending it specifically is that it is easy to transport it into space and it is also sturdy when it grows. Also read: Beyond Earth: Designers give a peek into what life could look like on Mars The key focus of this concept is on the mycelium parts of a fungus which comprise of branching thread-like structures. The agency's program is called NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) and it will check the viability of myco-architecture that could use fungi to grow habitats on Mars and the Moon. They can construct ''complex structures with immense accuracy branching out into larger structures like mushrooms,'' according to the space organization. This concept revolves around a three-layered dome structure comprising of water and ice on the outside, a bacteria which produces oxygen and nutrients called cyanobacteria in the middle and a layer of mycelia inside which will be responsible for feeding and growing a framework for building a habitat in Mars. Also read: SpaceX launch with NASA may take place between April-June: Elon Musk According to Lynn Rothschild, the chief investigator on the initial stage of the project, ''at the moment, traditional habitat designs for Mars incur huge energy costs. As an alternative, mycelia can be harnessed to grow these habitats ourselves''. The scientists plan on carrying habitat build of lightweight substance preferably dormant mushrooms that can be unfolded and watered on landing. Also see: NASA's InSight lands on Mars to peer into planet's deep interior They will transform into a fully functional human habitat without contaminating the environment of Mars. The middle layer of the structure will provide oxygen to the astronauts on the mission. The design for this concept is being prepared in California's Silicon Valley by NASA's Ames Research Center. It is also envisioning a future where compact habitat can be constructed out of lightweight material with passive fungi that do not perish easily.

Mushrooms can be used to construct habitats on Mars: NASA

After a successful rocket abort system test, SpaceX to carry humans into orbit this year

Ever wonder what life would be like on the Red Planet? An ongoing exhibition in London gives a taste of how integral design will be in humanity's journey to Mars.

'Moving to Mars' design exhibition is running till February 23 at the Design Museum in London and has more than 200 exhibits on display from <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasas-trip-to-mars-begins-in-california-clean-room-270678">NASA</a>, SpaceX, the European Space Agency and many others.&nbsp;

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I went to the moving to mars exhibition today at the London Design Museum &amp; it was awesome! I highly recommend it, they have good amount of history on spaceflight, as well as the tech being developed for future missions to Mars. It's really reinforced my eagerness to get to Mars! <a href="https://t.co/qT8vUqzc4n">pic.twitter.com/qT8vUqzc4n</a>
— Dr Maggie Lieu (@Space_Mog) <a href="https://twitter.com/Space_Mog/status/1198352326945394696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2019</a></blockquote>
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The exhibition is about all things Mars and what will it take for the mankind to reach and start a life on the Red Planet.

From Mars-inspired fashion collection, Mars city design, the first spacesuit designed for Mars surface to the first sustainable urban design for the planet - a lot more is on the display for the visitors and space enthusiasts at the exhibition.&nbsp;

Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/unique-salt-formations-found-in-utah-can-provide-insights-regarding-life-on-mars-274462">Unique salt formations found in Utah provide insights regarding life on Mars</a>

Not just this, visitors will also get a delightful experience of gazing at the high-resolution imagery from Mars which has never been seen in public before, People can also visit a full-scale Mars home, learn about the evolution of space suits and meet the Mars rovers.&nbsp;

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Moving to Mars @ The Design Museum is definitely worth checking out too, London has the best exhibitions during winter <a href="https://t.co/3rSzojv6Zl">pic.twitter.com/3rSzojv6Zl</a>
— DARNELL TEMENU (@DarnellTemenu) <a href="https://twitter.com/DarnellTemenu/status/1199384476272484352?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 26, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Àlso read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/former-indian-software-analyst-writes-national-anthem-for-mars-271894">Former Indian software analyst writes ‘national’ anthem for Mars</a>

Designers have also installed their vision on what farming will look like on the Red Planet and how transporting food for the journey to Mars will be made possible.&nbsp;

Ever wonder what life would be like on the Red Planet? An ongoing exhibition in London gives a taste of how integral design will be in humanity's journey to Mars.

Ever wonder what life would be like on the Red Planet? An ongoing exhibition in London gives a taste of how integral design will be in humanity's journey to Mars. 'Moving to Mars' design exhibition is running till February 23 at the Design Museum in London and has more than 200 exhibits on display from NASA, SpaceX, the European Space Agency and many others. I went to the moving to mars exhibition today at the London Design Museum & it was awesome! I highly recommend it, they have good amount of history on spaceflight, as well as the tech being developed for future missions to Mars. It's really reinforced my eagerness to get to Mars! pic.twitter.com/qT8vUqzc4n — Dr Maggie Lieu (@Space_Mog) November 23, 2019 × The exhibition is about all things Mars and what will it take for the mankind to reach and start a life on the Red Planet. From Mars-inspired fashion collection, Mars city design, the first spacesuit designed for Mars surface to the first sustainable urban design for the planet - a lot more is on the display for the visitors and space enthusiasts at the exhibition. Also read: Unique salt formations found in Utah provide insights regarding life on Mars Not just this, visitors will also get a delightful experience of gazing at the high-resolution imagery from Mars which has never been seen in public before, People can also visit a full-scale Mars home, learn about the evolution of space suits and meet the Mars rovers. Moving to Mars @ The Design Museum is definitely worth checking out too, London has the best exhibitions during winter pic.twitter.com/3rSzojv6Zl — DARNELL TEMENU (@DarnellTemenu) November 26, 2019 × Àlso read: Former Indian software analyst writes ‘national’ anthem for Mars Designers have also installed their vision on what farming will look like on the Red Planet and how transporting food for the journey to Mars will be made possible.

Beyond Earth: Designers give a peek into what life could look like on Mars

First <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/spacex-to-destroy-rocket-in-mock-failure-before-manned-missions-with-nasa-275010">SpaceX</a> launch of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/stripteasing-musk-launches-tesla-suv-programme-at-new-china-factory-272725">Elon Musk</a>'s company with <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eyeing-moon-nasa-hosts-first-public-astronaut-graduation-ceremony-273598">NASA </a>is&nbsp;most likely take place in the second quarter of the year, that is, between April and June this year.

The&nbsp;mission known as Demo-2 will comprise of NASA astronauts visiting the International Space Station(ISS).

Also see:<a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/after-a-successful-rocket-abort-system-test-spacex-to-carry-humans-into-orbit-this-year-275408#crew-dragon-astronaut-capsule-275394">&nbsp;After a successful rocket abort system test, SpaceX to carry humans into orbit this year</a>

Musk's rocket company cleared a significant safety test of its Dragon capsule on Sunday which was its last hurdle prior to the&nbsp;historic flight.

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Watch live as SpaceX tests Crew Dragon’s in-flight launch escape capabilities <a href="https://t.co/lcfz0LS8O9">https://t.co/lcfz0LS8O9</a>
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1218914342181036033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 19, 2020</a></blockquote>
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''The hardware required will probably be available in February or March,'' said Musk in a press conference with the representatives of SpaceX and NASA.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/spacex-launches-third-batch-of-mini-satellites-into-orbit-272623">SpaceX</a> can abort a mission safely if things go haywire after the takeoff.

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said that ''the agency along with SpaceX is contemplating on making the mission longer than previously expected''.

''However, the training required for this purpose will have to provided to the astronauts,''&nbsp;he added.

First SpaceX launch of Elon Musk's company with NASA is most likely take place in the second quarter of the year, that is, between April and June this year. The mission known as Demo-2 will comprise of NASA astronauts visiting the International Space Station(ISS).

First SpaceX launch of Elon Musk's company with NASA is most likely take place in the second quarter of the year, that is, between April and June this year. The mission known as Demo-2 will comprise of NASA astronauts visiting the International Space Station(ISS). Also see: After a successful rocket abort system test, SpaceX to carry humans into orbit this year Musk's rocket company cleared a significant safety test of its Dragon capsule on Sunday which was its last hurdle prior to the historic flight. Watch live as SpaceX tests Crew Dragon’s in-flight launch escape capabilities https://t.co/lcfz0LS8O9 — SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 19, 2020 × ''The hardware required will probably be available in February or March,'' said Musk in a press conference with the representatives of SpaceX and NASA. SpaceX can abort a mission safely if things go haywire after the takeoff. NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said that ''the agency along with SpaceX is contemplating on making the mission longer than previously expected''. ''However, the training required for this purpose will have to provided to the astronauts,'' he added.

SpaceX launch with NASA may take place between April-June: Elon Musk

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/business-economy/musk-to-testify-in-own-defense-in-defamation-trial-his-lawyer-says-264544">Elon Musk's</a> SpaceX<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/spacex-launches-first-batch-of-2020-starlink-satellites-272730"> </a>will try again on Sunday to destroy one of its own rockets in a test of a crucial emergency abort system, a day after bad weather forced the company to delay its final milestone test before flying NASA astronauts from U.S. soil.

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Latest weather data suggests sustained winds and rough seas in the recovery area during the top of tomorrow’s four-hour launch escape test window; now targeting toward the end of the window. Will continue to monitor weather and update the T-0 accordingly in the morning
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpaceX/status/1218326923316617216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 18, 2020</a></blockquote>
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If the test goes ahead, SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, an acorn-shaped pod that can seat seven astronauts, will fire thrusters to detach itself from a Falcon 9 rocket less than two minutes after liftoff, simulating an emergency abort scenario to prove it can return astronauts to safety.

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/spacex-to-destroy-rocket-in-mock-failure-before-manned-missions-with-nasa-275010">SpaceX to destroy rocket in 'mock-failure' before manned missions with NASA</a>

<img alt="SpaceX Rocket" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="036c0d6c-a1eb-4986-8682-5eb82c47b891" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%286%29_18.jpg" /> 
[ SpaceX Rocket (Courtesy: Reuters) ]

The test is crucial to qualify the capsule to fly humans to the International Space Station, a feat the National Aeronautics and Space Administration expects to come as soon as mid-2020. It follows years of development and delays as the United States has sought to revive its human spaceflight program through private partnerships.

NASA awarded $4.2 billion to Boeing and $2.5 billion to <a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/spacex-launches-first-batch-of-2020-starlink-satellites-272730">SpaceX</a> in 2014 to develop separate capsule systems capable of ferrying astronauts to the space station from U.S. soil for the first time since NASA's space shuttle program ended in 2011. The space agency has since relied on Russian spacecraft for rides to the space station.

During the test the Falcon 9 rocket's boosters will shut down roughly 12 miles (19 km) above the ocean, a mock failure that will trigger Crew Dragon's so-called SuperDraco thrusters to jet itself away at supersonic speeds of up to 1,500 miles per hour (2,400 kph).

The capsule will deploy three parachutes to slow its descent to the water, and will carry aboard two human-shaped test dummies fitted with motion sensors to collect data on the immense g-force — the effect of acceleration on the body — astronauts would be subjected to during abort.

The test was originally scheduled for mid-2019 but was delayed after a Crew Dragon capsule exploded in April on a test stand just before firing its launch abort thrusters, triggering a lengthy investigation.

SpaceX-led investigators in July zeroed in on a previously unknown explosive reaction between a titanium valve and a propellant used to ignite the thrusters. A SpaceX official said the company completed the investigation within the last week.

&nbsp;

Elon Musk's SpaceX will try again on Sunday to destroy one of its own rockets in a test of a crucial emergency abort system, a day after bad weather forced the company to delay its final milestone test before flying NASA astronauts from U.

Elon Musk's SpaceX will try again on Sunday to destroy one of its own rockets in a test of a crucial emergency abort system, a day after bad weather forced the company to delay its final milestone test before flying NASA astronauts from U.S. soil. Latest weather data suggests sustained winds and rough seas in the recovery area during the top of tomorrow’s four-hour launch escape test window; now targeting toward the end of the window. Will continue to monitor weather and update the T-0 accordingly in the morning — SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 18, 2020 × If the test goes ahead, SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, an acorn-shaped pod that can seat seven astronauts, will fire thrusters to detach itself from a Falcon 9 rocket less than two minutes after liftoff, simulating an emergency abort scenario to prove it can return astronauts to safety. Also Read: SpaceX to destroy rocket in 'mock-failure' before manned missions with NASA [ SpaceX Rocket (Courtesy: Reuters) ] The test is crucial to qualify the capsule to fly humans to the International Space Station, a feat the National Aeronautics and Space Administration expects to come as soon as mid-2020. It follows years of development and delays as the United States has sought to revive its human spaceflight program through private partnerships. NASA awarded $4.2 billion to Boeing and $2.5 billion to SpaceX in 2014 to develop separate capsule systems capable of ferrying astronauts to the space station from U.S. soil for the first time since NASA's space shuttle program ended in 2011. The space agency has since relied on Russian spacecraft for rides to the space station. During the test the Falcon 9 rocket's boosters will shut down roughly 12 miles (19 km) above the ocean, a mock failure that will trigger Crew Dragon's so-called SuperDraco thrusters to jet itself away at supersonic speeds of up to 1,500 miles per hour (2,400 kph). The capsule will deploy three parachutes to slow its descent to the water, and will carry aboard two human-shaped test dummies fitted with motion sensors to collect data on the immense g-force — the effect of acceleration on the body — astronauts would be subjected to during abort. The test was originally scheduled for mid-2019 but was delayed after a Crew Dragon capsule exploded in April on a test stand just before firing its launch abort thrusters, triggering a lengthy investigation. SpaceX-led investigators in July zeroed in on a previously unknown explosive reaction between a titanium valve and a propellant used to ignite the thrusters. A SpaceX official said the company completed the investigation within the last week.

SpaceX to try rocket failure test again after bad weather delay

Elon Musk's SpaceX is set to destroy one of its own rockets today in a bid to test an emergency abort system on an unmanned capsule. This test will the company's last milestone before carrying NASA astronauts from US soil.&nbsp;

As Reuters reported, two minutes after the rocket takes off from a launchpad in Florida, the ''Crew Dragon'' capsule will eject itself from the rocket mid-air, which would replicate an emergency abort scenario. In essence, this is SpaceX's proof of their ability to return astronauts back to earth in case of emergencies.&nbsp;

"I will tell you tomorrow will be an exciting day," Kathy Lueders, NASA's commercial crew programme manager, said on Friday.

<h6><img alt="SpaceX" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="0f81be7c-a692-485e-be3a-fdb45fc49084" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%287%29_13.jpg" /> 
Image:&nbsp;The SpaceX Crew Dragon sits atop a Falcon 9 booster rocket on Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center before a scheduled in-flight abort test at Cape Canaveral, Florida January 17, 2020 | AFP 
&nbsp;</h6>

SpaceX has been trying to fly humans for a long time. If all goes well, they may be able to fly humans to the International Space Station soon. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), this could happen as soon as mid-2020.&nbsp;

After human spaceflight programmes faced setbacks, the US decided to partner with private companies like SpaceX to accelerate the pace of development.&nbsp;

Following this, NASA awarded Boeing and SpaceX $4.2 billion and $2.5 billion in 2014 respectively. NASA expects them to make capsules capable of carrying humans. NASA's space shuttle programme ended in 2011, after which, if achieved, this will usher in the first take-off with humans since then. To access the space station, NASA now relies on Russia.

<img alt="sapce" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="85b84207-1dae-40f9-9ae8-b2086579b575" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%286%29_15.jpg" />

<h6>Image: The SpaceX Crew Dragon sits atop a Falcon 9 booster rocket on Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center before a scheduled in-flight abort test at Cape Canaveral, Florida January 17, 2020 | Reuters 
&nbsp;</h6>

The ''mock failure'' will involve considerable steps: The Falcon 9 rocket's boosters will shut down roughly 19 km above the ocean. This will trigger Crew Dragon's so-called SuperDraco thrusters to jet itself away at supersonic speeds of up to 2,400 kph.

As it nears water, the capsule would deploy three parachutes for a slow descent. In fact, two human-shaped test dummies laden in motion censors will be on-board. The data will then be used to understand the impact of G-force imposed during the abortion of the mission.

The test was originally scheduled for mid-2019 but faced delays&nbsp;after one of the capsules exploded in April before launch. After this, an investigation was launched and the organisation found an explosive reaction between a titanium valve and the capsule's rocket fuel.

SpaceX's Crew Mission Management director Benji Reed had said, "At some point, we expect that the Falcon will start to break up."

"Our Falcon 9 recovery forces will be standing by ready to go and recover as much of the Falcon as we can as safely as possible," Reed said.&nbsp;

<h6><img alt="spacex" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="f9f6a919-00e2-457f-9827-52f0d8d6153a" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%288%29_12.jpg" /> 
Image:&nbsp;Remote cameras line a field near Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center where the SpaceX Crew Dragon sits atop a Falcon 9 booster rocket the evening before a scheduled in-flight abort test at Cape Canaveral, Florida January 17, 2020 | Reuters 
&nbsp;</h6>

&nbsp;

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/spacex-launches-third-batch-of-mini-satellites-into-orbit-272623">SpaceX launches third batch of mini-satellites into orbit</a>

&nbsp;

(With inputs from Reuters)

Elon Musk's SpaceX is set to destroy one of its own rockets today in a bid to test an emergency abort system on an unmanned capsule. This test will the company's last milestone before carrying NASA astronauts from US soil.

Elon Musk's SpaceX is set to destroy one of its own rockets today in a bid to test an emergency abort system on an unmanned capsule. This test will the company's last milestone before carrying NASA astronauts from US soil. As Reuters reported, two minutes after the rocket takes off from a launchpad in Florida, the ''Crew Dragon'' capsule will eject itself from the rocket mid-air, which would replicate an emergency abort scenario. In essence, this is SpaceX's proof of their ability to return astronauts back to earth in case of emergencies. "I will tell you tomorrow will be an exciting day," Kathy Lueders, NASA's commercial crew programme manager, said on Friday. Image: The SpaceX Crew Dragon sits atop a Falcon 9 booster rocket on Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center before a scheduled in-flight abort test at Cape Canaveral, Florida January 17, 2020 | AFP SpaceX has been trying to fly humans for a long time. If all goes well, they may be able to fly humans to the International Space Station soon. According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), this could happen as soon as mid-2020. After human spaceflight programmes faced setbacks, the US decided to partner with private companies like SpaceX to accelerate the pace of development. Following this, NASA awarded Boeing and SpaceX $4.2 billion and $2.5 billion in 2014 respectively. NASA expects them to make capsules capable of carrying humans. NASA's space shuttle programme ended in 2011, after which, if achieved, this will usher in the first take-off with humans since then. To access the space station, NASA now relies on Russia. Image: The SpaceX Crew Dragon sits atop a Falcon 9 booster rocket on Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center before a scheduled in-flight abort test at Cape Canaveral, Florida January 17, 2020 | Reuters The ''mock failure'' will involve considerable steps: The Falcon 9 rocket's boosters will shut down roughly 19 km above the ocean. This will trigger Crew Dragon's so-called SuperDraco thrusters to jet itself away at supersonic speeds of up to 2,400 kph. As it nears water, the capsule would deploy three parachutes for a slow descent. In fact, two human-shaped test dummies laden in motion censors will be on-board. The data will then be used to understand the impact of G-force imposed during the abortion of the mission. The test was originally scheduled for mid-2019 but faced delays after one of the capsules exploded in April before launch. After this, an investigation was launched and the organisation found an explosive reaction between a titanium valve and the capsule's rocket fuel. SpaceX's Crew Mission Management director Benji Reed had said, "At some point, we expect that the Falcon will start to break up." "Our Falcon 9 recovery forces will be standing by ready to go and recover as much of the Falcon as we can as safely as possible," Reed said. Image: Remote cameras line a field near Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center where the SpaceX Crew Dragon sits atop a Falcon 9 booster rocket the evening before a scheduled in-flight abort test at Cape Canaveral, Florida January 17, 2020 | Reuters Also read: SpaceX launches third batch of mini-satellites into orbit (With inputs from Reuters)

SpaceX to destroy rocket in 'mock-failure' before manned missions with NASA

Four rare salt formations have been discovered on the shores of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/mexican-american-mormons-bad-blood-with-drug-cartels-260763#breakways-after-us-civil-war-260749">Great Salt Lake</a> for the first time that can provide an insight into&nbsp;salt structures found on Mars.

They were discovered by Park Rangers and Geologists and after investigation, it was found that the mounds of salt were ''mirabilite'' also known as Glauber's salt.

Guided tours of the mirabilite mounds were offered to the public on January 11 and 12 by the staff at the lake.

According to researchers, they are special because its precipitation can serve as analogues for conditions similar to that of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasas-trip-to-mars-begins-in-california-clean-room-270678">Mars</a>.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/former-indian-software-analyst-writes-national-anthem-for-mars-271894">Former Indian software analyst writes ‘national’ anthem for Mars</a>

They approximately 3 feet tall and are spread over several yards.

Their discovery at this place is highly unusual and has never been documented before.

They were found previously only in a few places across the globe, primarily in the Arctic and other polar regions due to the constant cold temperature of that place.

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A rare geologic wonder on the Great Salt Lake! 
 
Mirabilite mounds are rare and have never been documented at the Great Salt Lake. They have only been found at a few locations around the world - primarily in the Arctic. 
 
Learn more: <a href="https://t.co/fys6g33Xex">https://t.co/fys6g33Xex</a> <a href="https://t.co/PKlUwjk6dS">pic.twitter.com/PKlUwjk6dS</a>
— Utah State Parks (@UtahStateParks) <a href="https://twitter.com/UtahStateParks/status/1214687038722560001?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2020</a></blockquote>
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The reason behind their sudden appearance is the exposed shoreline due to the lowered water levels caused by droughts and water diversion at the largest natural lake of the west of Mississipi.

According to Richard Socki, a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/eyeing-moon-nasa-hosts-first-public-astronaut-graduation-ceremony-273598">NASA </a>geochemist, ''the Glauber's salt is created from the water that bubbles up from the underground''.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/smoke-plummetted-from-australian-bushfire-will-take-a-full-circuit-and-return-to-the-nation-nasa-274181">Australian bushfire smoke will take a 'full circuit' and return to the nation: NASA</a>

''The expanded shorelines along with the highly saline water of the lake means an increment in the number of places for water to bubble up from warm, sulphate-rich springs to the surface,'' he also added.

The flat terraces have been created over a period of the last few months by the concentration of tiny crystals at an individual place.

Four rare salt formations have been discovered on the shores of the Great Salt Lake for the first time that can provide an insight into salt structures found on Mars.

Four rare salt formations have been discovered on the shores of the Great Salt Lake for the first time that can provide an insight into salt structures found on Mars. They were discovered by Park Rangers and Geologists and after investigation, it was found that the mounds of salt were ''mirabilite'' also known as Glauber's salt. Guided tours of the mirabilite mounds were offered to the public on January 11 and 12 by the staff at the lake. According to researchers, they are special because its precipitation can serve as analogues for conditions similar to that of Mars. Also read: Former Indian software analyst writes ‘national’ anthem for Mars They approximately 3 feet tall and are spread over several yards. Their discovery at this place is highly unusual and has never been documented before. They were found previously only in a few places across the globe, primarily in the Arctic and other polar regions due to the constant cold temperature of that place. A rare geologic wonder on the Great Salt Lake! Mirabilite mounds are rare and have never been documented at the Great Salt Lake. They have only been found at a few locations around the world - primarily in the Arctic. Learn more: https://t.co/fys6g33Xex pic.twitter.com/PKlUwjk6dS — Utah State Parks (@UtahStateParks) January 7, 2020 × The reason behind their sudden appearance is the exposed shoreline due to the lowered water levels caused by droughts and water diversion at the largest natural lake of the west of Mississipi. According to Richard Socki, a NASA geochemist, ''the Glauber's salt is created from the water that bubbles up from the underground''. Also read: Australian bushfire smoke will take a 'full circuit' and return to the nation: NASA ''The expanded shorelines along with the highly saline water of the lake means an increment in the number of places for water to bubble up from warm, sulphate-rich springs to the surface,'' he also added. The flat terraces have been created over a period of the last few months by the concentration of tiny crystals at an individual place.

Unique salt formations found in Utah provide insights regarding life on Mars

NASA on Friday celebrated its latest class of graduating astronauts at a public ceremony in Houston, honouring a diverse and gender-balanced group now qualified for spaceflight missions including America's return to the Moon and eventual journey to Mars.

After completing more than two years of basic training, the six women and seven men were chosen from a record-breaking 18,000 applicants and represent a wide variety of backgrounds and specialities, from pilots to scientists, engineers and doctors.

The group included two candidates from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), which has participated in a joint training program with the United States since 1983.

"They are the best of the best: They are highly qualified and very diverse, and they represent all of America," said NASA Administrator <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/boeing-starliner-returning-to-earth-early-after-mission-failure-269557">Jim Bridenstine</a>.&nbsp;

The class included five people of colour, including the first Iranian-American astronaut, Jasmin Moghbeli, who flew helicopter combat missions in Afghanistan and holds an engineering degree from MIT, and geologist Jessica Watkins, who joins only a handful of black women to complete the program.

The group, known as the "Turtles," wore blue flight jumpsuits and took turns approaching the podium to receive their silver astronaut pins, as their fellow classmates paid tribute to their character in the first-ever public graduation ceremony.

The tradition of handing out pins dates back to the Mercury 7 astronauts who were selected in 1959, with participants receiving their gold pins once they complete their first spaceflights.

After being selected in 2017, the class completed training in spacewalking at NASA's underwater Neutral Buoyancy Lab, robotics, the systems of the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/spacex-launches-third-batch-of-mini-satellites-into-orbit-272623">International Space Station</a> and piloting the T-38 training jet, plus Russian language lessons.

They are the first to graduate since NASA announced the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/nasa-plans-to-send-water-hunting-robot-to-moon-surface-in-2022-258216">Artemis program</a> to return to the Moon by 2024, this time on its south pole, as the United States plans to place the next man and first woman on lunar soil and set up an orbital space station.

Part of the group's training, therefore, included studying the building blocks of that program, which are still being developed: the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/glitch-delays-european-cheops-satellite-launch-268717">Space Launch System</a> rocket, the Orion crew capsule and the gateway space station.

But NASA has already said that the crew of the first return Moon mission, Artemis 3, will be selected from previous graduates.

Astronauts play an active role in the development of spacecraft, and the current group will eventually join the ranks of the approximately 500 people in history who have ventured into space.

The 11 US astronauts bring the total number of NASA's corps up to 48.

Their diversity stands in contrast to the early years of space exploration, long dominated by white men (including all 12 people who have walked on the Moon) until Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983 and Guion Bluford the first black astronaut the same year.

It also includes Indian-American Raja Chari, an Air Force colonel and aeronautical engineer;&nbsp;Frank Rubio, a medical doctor and Blackhawk pilot; and Jonny Kim, a decorated Navy SEAL and emergency physician, who holds both a doctorate in medicine from Harvard and a mathematics degree.

"When I heard about possibly being a <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/world-to-witness-2020s-first-lunar-eclipse-today-273350">NASA</a> astronaut I thought that was a platform like no other where I could leave a huge impact on the next generation and also contribute to our nation's space exploration," Kim told reporters.

Watkins praised what she called NASA's emphasis on diversity.

"I think cultural and social change can be slow, even when it's trending in the right direction," she said.

The CSA's newest astronauts are Joshua Kutryk,&nbsp;a Royal Canadian Air Force lieutenant colonel, and Jennifer Sidey-Gibbons who holds a doctorate in engineering from the University of Cambridge where she was working as an assistant professor in combustion in the Department of Engineering.

Asked about the difficulties she faced in her career, Moghbeli said some had questioned her choices when she decided to join the military after graduating from MIT.

"In a post-September 11 world, did my parents think I was crazy? Yes, I'm pretty sure they did," she said but added that her family then gave her their full support.

"It's because of that that I'm here today, and I think everyone feels similarly, but -- that being said -- there will always be people out there that doubt.

"When I was a sixth-grader and said I was going to become an astronaut, do you think everyone was like, 'Yep, she's going to become an astronaut'? Probably not."&nbsp;

NASA on Friday celebrated its latest class of graduating astronauts at a public ceremony in Houston, honouring a diverse and gender-balanced group now qualified for spaceflight missions including America's return to the Moon and eventual journey to Mars.

NASA on Friday celebrated its latest class of graduating astronauts at a public ceremony in Houston, honouring a diverse and gender-balanced group now qualified for spaceflight missions including America's return to the Moon and eventual journey to Mars. After completing more than two years of basic training, the six women and seven men were chosen from a record-breaking 18,000 applicants and represent a wide variety of backgrounds and specialities, from pilots to scientists, engineers and doctors. The group included two candidates from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), which has participated in a joint training program with the United States since 1983. "They are the best of the best: They are highly qualified and very diverse, and they represent all of America," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. The class included five people of colour, including the first Iranian-American astronaut, Jasmin Moghbeli, who flew helicopter combat missions in Afghanistan and holds an engineering degree from MIT, and geologist Jessica Watkins, who joins only a handful of black women to complete the program. The group, known as the "Turtles," wore blue flight jumpsuits and took turns approaching the podium to receive their silver astronaut pins, as their fellow classmates paid tribute to their character in the first-ever public graduation ceremony. The tradition of handing out pins dates back to the Mercury 7 astronauts who were selected in 1959, with participants receiving their gold pins once they complete their first spaceflights. After being selected in 2017, the class completed training in spacewalking at NASA's underwater Neutral Buoyancy Lab, robotics, the systems of the International Space Station and piloting the T-38 training jet, plus Russian language lessons. They are the first to graduate since NASA announced the Artemis program to return to the Moon by 2024, this time on its south pole, as the United States plans to place the next man and first woman on lunar soil and set up an orbital space station. Part of the group's training, therefore, included studying the building blocks of that program, which are still being developed: the Space Launch System rocket, the Orion crew capsule and the gateway space station. But NASA has already said that the crew of the first return Moon mission, Artemis 3, will be selected from previous graduates. Astronauts play an active role in the development of spacecraft, and the current group will eventually join the ranks of the approximately 500 people in history who have ventured into space. The 11 US astronauts bring the total number of NASA's corps up to 48. Their diversity stands in contrast to the early years of space exploration, long dominated by white men (including all 12 people who have walked on the Moon) until Sally Ride became the first American woman in space in 1983 and Guion Bluford the first black astronaut the same year. It also includes Indian-American Raja Chari, an Air Force colonel and aeronautical engineer; Frank Rubio, a medical doctor and Blackhawk pilot; and Jonny Kim, a decorated Navy SEAL and emergency physician, who holds both a doctorate in medicine from Harvard and a mathematics degree. "When I heard about possibly being a NASA astronaut I thought that was a platform like no other where I could leave a huge impact on the next generation and also contribute to our nation's space exploration," Kim told reporters. Watkins praised what she called NASA's emphasis on diversity. "I think cultural and social change can be slow, even when it's trending in the right direction," she said. The CSA's newest astronauts are Joshua Kutryk, a Royal Canadian Air Force lieutenant colonel, and Jennifer Sidey-Gibbons who holds a doctorate in engineering from the University of Cambridge where she was working as an assistant professor in combustion in the Department of Engineering. Asked about the difficulties she faced in her career, Moghbeli said some had questioned her choices when she decided to join the military after graduating from MIT. "In a post-September 11 world, did my parents think I was crazy? Yes, I'm pretty sure they did," she said but added that her family then gave her their full support. "It's because of that that I'm here today, and I think everyone feels similarly, but -- that being said -- there will always be people out there that doubt. "When I was a sixth-grader and said I was going to become an astronaut, do you think everyone was like, 'Yep, she's going to become an astronaut'? Probably not."

Eyeing Moon, NASA hosts first public astronaut graduation ceremony

The first <a href="https://www.wionews.com/photos/things-to-about-the-lunar-eclipse-happening-tomorrow-273131#partial-lunar-eclipse%C2%A0-273116">penumbral lunar eclipse</a> of the year is&nbsp;taking&nbsp;place today, on 10th January.

During the eclipse, the Moon passes directly behind Earth and its shadow.&nbsp;&nbsp;It is one of the four penumbral lunar eclipses that will occur this year. &nbsp;

A penumbral lunar eclipse&nbsp;occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are&nbsp;in an imperfect alignment with each other.&nbsp;

The Earth blocks partial&nbsp;sunlight from directly reaching the Moon's surface and covers all or part of the Moon with the outer part of its shadow, also known as the penumbra.

It will be visible in India and several other countries across Asia, Africa and Europe.&nbsp;

In India, the lunar eclipse can be seen from 10:30 pm on Friday, January 10 till 2:42 am on&nbsp;January 11.

It is called as the 'wolf lunar eclipse', as it is the first full moon of January which was named so by the Almanac tribe of the Northern and Eastern United States.&nbsp;

The term Wolf Moon is also called Ice Moon or the Moon after Yule, Shakambhari Purnima, Paush Purnima, and Duruthu Poya.

According to the Hindu calendar, the full Moon is called the Shakambhari Purnima, the last day of the eight-day Shakambari Navratri holiday that commemorates the goddess Shakambhari. 
&nbsp; 
Taking baths in the holy waters of India is considered essential&nbsp;for Shakambari Navratri.&nbsp;

Buddhists of Sri Lanka also celebrate the day as Duruthu Poya, which to celebrate of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha's first visit to Sri Lanka.

It is absolutely safe to watch this lunar eclipse with naked eyes, unlike any solar eclipses which require eye protection gears to watch them.&nbsp;

However, a telescope will be needed it watch it. &nbsp;

According to NASA, this lunar eclipse will make way for longer days ahead.&nbsp;

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🌖 What will the Moon look like throughout 2020? Using data from our <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAMoon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASAMoon</a> Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to visualize with unprecedented fidelity, <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAGoddard?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASAGoddard</a>'s Dial-a-Moon shows each hour: <a href="https://t.co/iPrELt2wNN">https://t.co/iPrELt2wNN</a> 
 
🎦 Watch a full year of Moon phases: <a href="https://t.co/AQnn8FxCe7">https://t.co/AQnn8FxCe7</a> <a href="https://t.co/Fy6GVBelFo">pic.twitter.com/Fy6GVBelFo</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1212857694174023681?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 2, 2020</a></blockquote>
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“On the evening of the full Moon, as evening twilight ends, the brightest planet in the sky will be Venus, appearing as the evening star in the southwest about 19 degrees above the horizon. No particularly bright star will appear near overhead. The highest bright star will be Capella, appearing about 46 degrees above the northeastern horizon&nbsp; As the month progresses the background of stars will appear to shift toward the west, while Venus will appear to shift the other direction, higher in the sky each night,” according to Gordon Johnston of NASA.

The first penumbral lunar eclipse of the year is taking place today, on 10th January. During the eclipse, the Moon passes directly behind Earth and its shadow. It is one of the four penumbral lunar eclipses that will occur this year.

The first penumbral lunar eclipse of the year is taking place today, on 10th January. During the eclipse, the Moon passes directly behind Earth and its shadow. It is one of the four penumbral lunar eclipses that will occur this year. A penumbral lunar eclipse occurs when the Sun, Earth, and Moon are in an imperfect alignment with each other. The Earth blocks partial sunlight from directly reaching the Moon's surface and covers all or part of the Moon with the outer part of its shadow, also known as the penumbra. It will be visible in India and several other countries across Asia, Africa and Europe. In India, the lunar eclipse can be seen from 10:30 pm on Friday, January 10 till 2:42 am on January 11. It is called as the 'wolf lunar eclipse', as it is the first full moon of January which was named so by the Almanac tribe of the Northern and Eastern United States. The term Wolf Moon is also called Ice Moon or the Moon after Yule, Shakambhari Purnima, Paush Purnima, and Duruthu Poya. According to the Hindu calendar, the full Moon is called the Shakambhari Purnima, the last day of the eight-day Shakambari Navratri holiday that commemorates the goddess Shakambhari. Taking baths in the holy waters of India is considered essential for Shakambari Navratri. Buddhists of Sri Lanka also celebrate the day as Duruthu Poya, which to celebrate of Siddhartha Gautama Buddha's first visit to Sri Lanka. It is absolutely safe to watch this lunar eclipse with naked eyes, unlike any solar eclipses which require eye protection gears to watch them. However, a telescope will be needed it watch it. According to NASA, this lunar eclipse will make way for longer days ahead. 🌖 What will the Moon look like throughout 2020? Using data from our @NASAMoon Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to visualize with unprecedented fidelity, @NASAGoddard's Dial-a-Moon shows each hour: https://t.co/iPrELt2wNN 🎦 Watch a full year of Moon phases: https://t.co/AQnn8FxCe7 pic.twitter.com/Fy6GVBelFo — NASA (@NASA) January 2, 2020 × “On the evening of the full Moon, as evening twilight ends, the brightest planet in the sky will be Venus, appearing as the evening star in the southwest about 19 degrees above the horizon. No particularly bright star will appear near overhead. The highest bright star will be Capella, appearing about 46 degrees above the northeastern horizon As the month progresses the background of stars will appear to shift toward the west, while Venus will appear to shift the other direction, higher in the sky each night,” according to Gordon Johnston of NASA.

World to witness 2020's first Lunar eclipse today

A California-based aviation and aerospace company is in the process of creating an army of autonomous robots that could be sent to the <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrayaan-2-nasa-satellite-finds-indias-vikram-moon-lander-releases-images-of-impact-site-265811">moon</a> and mine its surface.&nbsp;

Pasadena, California situated OffWorld is a company which fans the idea of a future of robots in space. Before NASA carries out its <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/new-lunar-mission-chandrayaan-3-to-launch-in-november-2020-isro-271367">manned mission to the moon</a>, the idea is to have these robots up on the lunar surface to do the prep.

What's special about these robots is their ability to take autonomous decisions and carry out tasks on their own without needing any commands or timely supervision.&nbsp;

The robots are based on the existing technologies like mining on the earth surface and would be able to carry out tasks that have never been entrusted on machines before.&nbsp;

The company's vision is to create colonies of smart robots that would "under human supervision" aim to turn "the inner solar system into a better, gentler, greener place for life and civilization," as stated on OffWorld official website.&nbsp;

The company sees its many smart robots as the enabler of human expansion beyond planet earth. It has previously built rocket engines, spacecraft and launched several satellites. 
&nbsp;

A California-based aviation and aerospace company is in the process of creating an army of autonomous robots that could be sent to the moon and mine its surface.

A California-based aviation and aerospace company is in the process of creating an army of autonomous robots that could be sent to the moon and mine its surface. Pasadena, California situated OffWorld is a company which fans the idea of a future of robots in space. Before NASA carries out its manned mission to the moon, the idea is to have these robots up on the lunar surface to do the prep. What's special about these robots is their ability to take autonomous decisions and carry out tasks on their own without needing any commands or timely supervision. The robots are based on the existing technologies like mining on the earth surface and would be able to carry out tasks that have never been entrusted on machines before. The company's vision is to create colonies of smart robots that would "under human supervision" aim to turn "the inner solar system into a better, gentler, greener place for life and civilization," as stated on OffWorld official website. The company sees its many smart robots as the enabler of human expansion beyond planet earth. It has previously built rocket engines, spacecraft and launched several satellites.

Smart robots in the offing to help mine the moon

NASA's Mars 2020 rover will head off for the Red Planet next year. But like Voyager, Galileo and Cassini before it, the mission's epic journey began in a "clean room" in California.

One of two ultra-sterile labs used for spacecraft assembly at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, the eggshell-white room was briefly and exceptionally opened to journalists Friday.

"We need to keep the hardware as pristine and as safe as possible until we get to Mars," said David Gruel, operations manager for Mars 2020.

The Mars rover will collect samples on the planet in the search for traces of microbial life potentially dating back billions of years.

Journalists had to go through a lengthy sterilization process before entering the room "so we actually are bringing samples back from Mars, and not bringing back hair from my body or some skin from somebody else's body," explained Gruel.

Automated shoe brushes and sticky mats remove particles from shoes before guests even reach the locker room.

To prevent contamination, visitors must then don a "bunny suit" -- sleeves sealed with adhesive tape -- along with face masks, latex gloves and even beard protectors for the more hirsute.

Finally, they pass beneath a pulsating "air shower" that blasts away the last unwanted particles.

The rover itself is regularly scrubbed with isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber mop, and the lab's air is filtered 70 times per hour.

Journalists invited by NASA also had to remove foam covers from their microphones -- a breeding ground for germs. Specially approved paper and pens were provided, in place of traditional writing implements which can shed dust and other particles.

Guests are also told to refrain from wearing any makeup or perfume.

Technicians working on crucial sampling equipment are often subject to even more stringent protocols.

"They can't take a shower, bathe the day they work on the hardware," Gruel told AFP. "They can't put any hair products into their hair to style it, they can only wear one or two types of deodorant."

It is all a far cry from the early days of space exploration.&nbsp;

Engineers would frequently light up cigarettes while building the Ranger rockets that paved the way for the Apollo moon missions.&nbsp;

Costly mistakes have led to more caution. A bid to sterilize the Ranger 3 mission in 1962 accidentally fried the rocket's electronics, causing it to miss the Moon by more than 20,000 miles. &nbsp; 
&nbsp;

NASA's Mars 2020 rover will head off for the Red Planet next year. But like Voyager, Galileo and Cassini before it, the mission's epic journey began in a "clean room" in California.

NASA's Mars 2020 rover will head off for the Red Planet next year. But like Voyager, Galileo and Cassini before it, the mission's epic journey began in a "clean room" in California. One of two ultra-sterile labs used for spacecraft assembly at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, on the outskirts of Los Angeles, the eggshell-white room was briefly and exceptionally opened to journalists Friday. "We need to keep the hardware as pristine and as safe as possible until we get to Mars," said David Gruel, operations manager for Mars 2020. The Mars rover will collect samples on the planet in the search for traces of microbial life potentially dating back billions of years. Journalists had to go through a lengthy sterilization process before entering the room "so we actually are bringing samples back from Mars, and not bringing back hair from my body or some skin from somebody else's body," explained Gruel. Automated shoe brushes and sticky mats remove particles from shoes before guests even reach the locker room. To prevent contamination, visitors must then don a "bunny suit" -- sleeves sealed with adhesive tape -- along with face masks, latex gloves and even beard protectors for the more hirsute. Finally, they pass beneath a pulsating "air shower" that blasts away the last unwanted particles. The rover itself is regularly scrubbed with isopropyl alcohol and a microfiber mop, and the lab's air is filtered 70 times per hour. Journalists invited by NASA also had to remove foam covers from their microphones -- a breeding ground for germs. Specially approved paper and pens were provided, in place of traditional writing implements which can shed dust and other particles. Guests are also told to refrain from wearing any makeup or perfume. Technicians working on crucial sampling equipment are often subject to even more stringent protocols. "They can't take a shower, bathe the day they work on the hardware," Gruel told AFP. "They can't put any hair products into their hair to style it, they can only wear one or two types of deodorant." It is all a far cry from the early days of space exploration. Engineers would frequently light up cigarettes while building the Ranger rockets that paved the way for the Apollo moon missions. Costly mistakes have led to more caution. A bid to sterilize the Ranger 3 mission in 1962 accidentally fried the rocket's electronics, causing it to miss the Moon by more than 20,000 miles.

NASA's trip to Mars begins in California 'clean room'

Boeing's new&nbsp;Starliner&nbsp;spacecraft will return to&nbsp;Earth&nbsp;on Sunday, six days&nbsp;early,&nbsp;after&nbsp;a clock problem prevented a rendezvous with the International Space Station, <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrayaan-2-nasa-satellite-finds-indias-vikram-moon-lander-releases-images-of-impact-site-265811">NASA</a> and the aerospace giant confirmed Saturday.

The uncrewed&nbsp;Starliner&nbsp;capsule is now scheduled to land Sunday at 05:47 am at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico.

The capsule is currently in a low, 250-kilometre&nbsp;orbit.&nbsp;Boeing&nbsp;engineers are programming it to re-enter the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean.&nbsp;

Parachutes will slow its descent, and huge airbags will be deployed to cushion its desert landing.

Starliner's&nbsp;failure&nbsp;was the latest serious setback for&nbsp;Boeing, which is still reeling from two fatal crashes of its 737 Max airliner. The crashes, in October 2018 in Indonesia and in March 2019 in Ethiopia, claimed a total of 346 lives.

The aerospace company plans to suspend production of the plane in January.&nbsp;

Watch:&nbsp;Gravitas -&nbsp;NASA To Welcome Supersonic Commercial Travel

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-nasa-to-welcome-supersonic-commercial-travel-269033/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Too much propellant burned

The&nbsp;Starliner&nbsp;capsule was launched Friday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, but shortly&nbsp;after&nbsp;separating from its Atlas V launch rocket its thrusters failed to activate as planned, preventing it from reaching an orbit high enough to meet up with the ISS.

The space station orbits at an altitude of about 400 kilometres above sea level.&nbsp;

After&nbsp;calculating that the craft had burned too much propellant for several minutes -- owing to a clock problem --&nbsp;Boeing&nbsp;and NASA determined that the&nbsp;Starliner&nbsp;would have to return to&nbsp;Earth&nbsp;without fulfilling its planned&nbsp;mission.

Jim Chilton, senior vice president of&nbsp;Boeing's space and launch division, told reporters that "we started the clock at the wrong time."

The craft, assuming it was at a different stage of its flight, burned much more propellant than it should have.

NASA finds a bright side

The flight,&nbsp;carrying only a dummy into space,&nbsp;was meant to be a final dress rehearsal before a crewed flight.&nbsp;

But NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine insisted that the&nbsp;mission&nbsp;was not a complete&nbsp;failure.

"The NASA team and the&nbsp;Boeing&nbsp;team have been working&nbsp;hand in glove to accomplish as many of the test objectives as we can," he said.

Thus,&nbsp;Starliner&nbsp;was able to establish a communications link with the ISS, and to test in space its docking mechanism as well as its solar panels, batteries, thrusters and heat regulation system.

Chilton said the vehicle's status is "really excellent."

But a major test awaits:&nbsp;Starliner's landing Sunday in the New Mexico desert,&nbsp;one of the most dangerous phases for any space&nbsp;mission, particularly when the vehicle is designed to transport astronauts.

Starliner&nbsp;is set to re-enter the atmosphere at 25 times the speed of sound. Its thermal shield will have to resist the intense heat created by friction with the atmosphere, and its three parachutes will have to deploy correctly.&nbsp;

In a test in November only two parachutes opened, although they proved sufficient for the landing.

"The entry, descent and landing is not for the faint of heart," Chilton said.&nbsp;

NASA will have to decide whether to carry out another test flight or to trust that the vehicle is safe to carry astronauts.&nbsp;

Starliner's first crewed flight had been scheduled for&nbsp;early&nbsp;2020 -- no specific date has been announced -- a much-anticipated development ever since NASA sent up its last space shuttle in 2011. &nbsp;

Another vehicle, the Crew Dragon, has been developed by SpaceX corporation for NASA. It is expected to be ready for launch in the next several months.

NASA has committed to pay $8 billion to&nbsp;Boeing&nbsp;and SpaceX, which in return are to deliver six trips carrying four astronauts each from now to 2024.

Boeing's new Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth on Sunday, six days early, after a clock problem prevented a rendezvous with the International Space Station, NASA and the aerospace giant confirmed Saturday.

Boeing's new Starliner spacecraft will return to Earth on Sunday, six days early, after a clock problem prevented a rendezvous with the International Space Station, NASA and the aerospace giant confirmed Saturday. The uncrewed Starliner capsule is now scheduled to land Sunday at 05:47 am at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico. The capsule is currently in a low, 250-kilometre orbit. Boeing engineers are programming it to re-enter the atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean. Parachutes will slow its descent, and huge airbags will be deployed to cushion its desert landing. Starliner's failure was the latest serious setback for Boeing, which is still reeling from two fatal crashes of its 737 Max airliner. The crashes, in October 2018 in Indonesia and in March 2019 in Ethiopia, claimed a total of 346 lives. The aerospace company plans to suspend production of the plane in January. Watch: Gravitas - NASA To Welcome Supersonic Commercial Travel Too much propellant burned The Starliner capsule was launched Friday from Cape Canaveral, Florida, but shortly after separating from its Atlas V launch rocket its thrusters failed to activate as planned, preventing it from reaching an orbit high enough to meet up with the ISS. The space station orbits at an altitude of about 400 kilometres above sea level. After calculating that the craft had burned too much propellant for several minutes -- owing to a clock problem -- Boeing and NASA determined that the Starliner would have to return to Earth without fulfilling its planned mission. Jim Chilton, senior vice president of Boeing's space and launch division, told reporters that "we started the clock at the wrong time." The craft, assuming it was at a different stage of its flight, burned much more propellant than it should have. NASA finds a bright side The flight, carrying only a dummy into space, was meant to be a final dress rehearsal before a crewed flight. But NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine insisted that the mission was not a complete failure. "The NASA team and the Boeing team have been working hand in glove to accomplish as many of the test objectives as we can," he said. Thus, Starliner was able to establish a communications link with the ISS, and to test in space its docking mechanism as well as its solar panels, batteries, thrusters and heat regulation system. Chilton said the vehicle's status is "really excellent." But a major test awaits: Starliner's landing Sunday in the New Mexico desert, one of the most dangerous phases for any space mission, particularly when the vehicle is designed to transport astronauts. Starliner is set to re-enter the atmosphere at 25 times the speed of sound. Its thermal shield will have to resist the intense heat created by friction with the atmosphere, and its three parachutes will have to deploy correctly. In a test in November only two parachutes opened, although they proved sufficient for the landing. "The entry, descent and landing is not for the faint of heart," Chilton said. NASA will have to decide whether to carry out another test flight or to trust that the vehicle is safe to carry astronauts. Starliner's first crewed flight had been scheduled for early 2020 -- no specific date has been announced -- a much-anticipated development ever since NASA sent up its last space shuttle in 2011. Another vehicle, the Crew Dragon, has been developed by SpaceX corporation for NASA. It is expected to be ready for launch in the next several months. NASA has committed to pay $8 billion to Boeing and SpaceX, which in return are to deliver six trips carrying four astronauts each from now to 2024.

Boeing Starliner returning to Earth early after mission failure

X-59 Quest & The Future Of Supersonic Travel. #Gravitas #X59Quest #SupersonicTravel #NASA

Gravitas: NASA To Welcome Supersonic Commercial Travel

BJP Rajya Sabha MP R K Sinha has given Zero hour Notice in the upper house of parliament demanding Padma Award and renaming of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/pm-to-visit-bihar-tomorrow-to-attend-pu-centenary-celebrations-22411">Patna University</a> to honor late mathematician <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/bihar-cm-nitish-kumar-defends-presidents-rule-in-maharashtra-262046">Vashishtha Narayan Singh</a>.

The acclaimed mathematician had died in Patna last month.

VK Singh worked for a brief period in <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrayaan-2-nasa-satellite-finds-indias-vikram-moon-lander-releases-images-of-impact-site-265811">NASA</a> and later returned to India in 1971 to teach at<a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/iit-kanpur-student-commits-suicide-131347"> IIT Kanpur</a>.

Born on April 2, 1942, in Basantpur village of Bhojpur district in Bihar, the mathematician graduated from Patna Science College. He received his Ph.D. on Cycle Vector Space Theory in the United States.

Film director Neeraj Pathak has earlier this month announced to make a movie based on Singh's life.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP R K Sinha has given Zero hour Notice in the upper house of parliament demanding Padma Award and renaming of Patna University to honor late mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP R K Sinha has given Zero hour Notice in the upper house of parliament demanding Padma Award and renaming of Patna University to honor late mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh. The acclaimed mathematician had died in Patna last month. VK Singh worked for a brief period in NASA and later returned to India in 1971 to teach at IIT Kanpur. Born on April 2, 1942, in Basantpur village of Bhojpur district in Bihar, the mathematician graduated from Patna Science College. He received his Ph.D. on Cycle Vector Space Theory in the United States. Film director Neeraj Pathak has earlier this month announced to make a movie based on Singh's life.

RK Sinha gives zero hour notice demanding Padma Award for mathematician Vashishtha Narayan Singh

NASA has confirmed that it has found India's Vikram lander which crashed on the lunar surface in September. Watch this video to know more.

NASA finds India's Vikram lander

A Chennai-based amateur astronomer spent 8-10 hours a day to analyse moon's images which later helped NASA in locating ISRO's Vikram lander.&nbsp;

NASA early on Tuesday said that it has found the debris of <a href="https://www.wionews.com/india-news/chandrayaan-2-nasa-satellite-finds-indias-vikram-moon-lander-releases-images-of-impact-site-265811">Chandrayaan-2 Vikram lander </a>with the help of its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). NASA further said that Shanmuga Subramanian contacted the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) team with a "positive sign" of the lander's debris. The LROC team compared moon's images before and after Vikram lost contact which helped them to locate the lander.&nbsp;

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/vikram-landar-dound-by-nasa-chennai-engineer-helpd-detect-the-debris-265957/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Chandrayaan2?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Chandrayaan2</a> Vikram lander has been found by our <a href="https://twitter.com/NASAMoon?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NASAMoon</a> mission, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. See the first mosaic of the impact site <a href="https://t.co/GA3JspCNuh">https://t.co/GA3JspCNuh</a> <a href="https://t.co/jaW5a63sAf">pic.twitter.com/jaW5a63sAf</a>
— NASA (@NASA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1201597561720725506?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 2, 2019</a></blockquote>
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Subramanian tweeted on Tuesday morning that he received a mail from NASA which acknoweledged his help to find out the lander.

The Vikram lander was scheduled to land on Moon on September 7 but ISRO lost contact with lander minutes before the touchdown.&nbsp;

Subramanian said that he used to analyse images released by NASA's LROC to compare moon's earlier images with the ones after Vikram had lost contact. &nbsp;"I was spending something 8-10 hours each day for four to five hours on that. I stopped my research after I sent the tweet because I knew that this might be the probable debris," he said.&nbsp;

He then shared his results with NASA on October 3.&nbsp;

Subramanian is delighted with NASA's reponse which recognized his efforts.&nbsp;

Earlier on Tuesday morning, NASA confirmed that its moon mission Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has found the Vikram lander.

India's ambitious lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 was launched in July and intended to soft-land on Moon's south pole. The mission was on course for a successful soft-landing when ISRO lost contact with Vikram lander in the last moment.&nbsp;

(with inputs from ANI) 
&nbsp;

A Chennai-based amateur astronomer spent 8-10 hours a day to analyse moon's images which later helped NASA in locating ISRO's Vikram lander. NASA early on Tuesday said that it has found the debris of Chandrayaan-2 Vikram lander with the help of its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).

A Chennai-based amateur astronomer spent 8-10 hours a day to analyse moon's images which later helped NASA in locating ISRO's Vikram lander. NASA early on Tuesday said that it has found the debris of Chandrayaan-2 Vikram lander with the help of its Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO). NASA further said that Shanmuga Subramanian contacted the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) team with a "positive sign" of the lander's debris. The LROC team compared moon's images before and after Vikram lost contact which helped them to locate the lander. The #Chandrayaan2 Vikram lander has been found by our @NASAMoon mission, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter. See the first mosaic of the impact site https://t.co/GA3JspCNuh pic.twitter.com/jaW5a63sAf — NASA (@NASA) December 2, 2019 × Subramanian tweeted on Tuesday morning that he received a mail from NASA which acknoweledged his help to find out the lander. The Vikram lander was scheduled to land on Moon on September 7 but ISRO lost contact with lander minutes before the touchdown. Subramanian said that he used to analyse images released by NASA's LROC to compare moon's earlier images with the ones after Vikram had lost contact. "I was spending something 8-10 hours each day for four to five hours on that. I stopped my research after I sent the tweet because I knew that this might be the probable debris," he said. He then shared his results with NASA on October 3. Subramanian is delighted with NASA's reponse which recognized his efforts. Earlier on Tuesday morning, NASA confirmed that its moon mission Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has found the Vikram lander. India's ambitious lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 was launched in July and intended to soft-land on Moon's south pole. The mission was on course for a successful soft-landing when ISRO lost contact with Vikram lander in the last moment. (with inputs from ANI)

Meet Chennai's astronomer, who helped NASA in detecting ISRO's Vikram lander

Chennai engineer helps NASA detect Vikram lander's debris

India has been moving quickly in the defence and military satellite space in the past 3 years, increasing the presence of Indian strategic assets in space, with a slew of satellites launched for communication, navigation, surveillance and real-time monitoring of our vast borders, in the fourth dimension.&nbsp;

The Cartosat series of satellites, designed, developed and made in India, set a new benchmark in imagery and earth observation.&nbsp;

The Cartosat 3 satellite to be launched on November 27 by ISRO, is the best in class earth observation satellite, to be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit, at 509 kms altitude with an inclination of 97.5 degrees. &nbsp;

It is a geocentric satellite, panchromatic high resolution of less than 10 inches or 0.25 meters (Cartosat 2E had a resolution of 0.6 meters) &nbsp; – it can literally peep into a moving car, walking man or a foxhole by using adaptive optics, acousto- optical devices, in-orbit focusing using MEMs and large area-light- weight mirrors. It is a third-generation satellite, weighing 1625 kgs and is ninth in the series. As on date, this is the best in class imagery satellite and India can be justifiably proud of this achievement.&nbsp;

In the last few years, Indian defence forces used real-time satellite imagery to counter infiltration attempts, identify and destroy enemy fortifications and provided key inputs in the successful conduct of the surgical strikes.&nbsp;

Apart from the strategic application, the Cartosat 3 will also provide vital imagery for first response in disaster management, planning and utilisation of water resources, urban planning, rural development, agriculture, coastal and forest land cover and geoinformation system applications.&nbsp;

The satellite is capable of producing multispectral images and it is considered the best panchromatic high-resolution (capturing images in all the visible colours of light) with a 0.25-meter resolution. Cartosat 3 is an agile satellite that can be programmed for high-resolution spot imagery of a specific location. &nbsp;

Cartosat 3 will be launched by PSLV-C47 which in itself is a unique mission, in its XL version, with six solid strap-on motors, as it is designed to carry the payload to an orbit of 509 kms. &nbsp;

The co-passengers, of Cartosat 3 will be 13 commercial nanosatellites (also earth observation) &nbsp;from the United States, contracted by NSIL (New Space India Ltd – the newly formed commercial arm of ISRO in addition to ANTRIX), in its maiden commercial order, which is another first for this mission.&nbsp;

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL) &nbsp;

India has been moving quickly in the defence and military satellite space in the past 3 years, increasing the presence of Indian strategic assets in space, with a slew of satellites launched for communication, navigation, surveillance and real-time monitoring of our vast borders, in the fourth dimension.

India has been moving quickly in the defence and military satellite space in the past 3 years, increasing the presence of Indian strategic assets in space, with a slew of satellites launched for communication, navigation, surveillance and real-time monitoring of our vast borders, in the fourth dimension. The Cartosat series of satellites, designed, developed and made in India, set a new benchmark in imagery and earth observation. The Cartosat 3 satellite to be launched on November 27 by ISRO, is the best in class earth observation satellite, to be placed in a sun-synchronous orbit, at 509 kms altitude with an inclination of 97.5 degrees. It is a geocentric satellite, panchromatic high resolution of less than 10 inches or 0.25 meters (Cartosat 2E had a resolution of 0.6 meters) – it can literally peep into a moving car, walking man or a foxhole by using adaptive optics, acousto- optical devices, in-orbit focusing using MEMs and large area-light- weight mirrors. It is a third-generation satellite, weighing 1625 kgs and is ninth in the series. As on date, this is the best in class imagery satellite and India can be justifiably proud of this achievement. In the last few years, Indian defence forces used real-time satellite imagery to counter infiltration attempts, identify and destroy enemy fortifications and provided key inputs in the successful conduct of the surgical strikes. Apart from the strategic application, the Cartosat 3 will also provide vital imagery for first response in disaster management, planning and utilisation of water resources, urban planning, rural development, agriculture, coastal and forest land cover and geoinformation system applications. The satellite is capable of producing multispectral images and it is considered the best panchromatic high-resolution (capturing images in all the visible colours of light) with a 0.25-meter resolution. Cartosat 3 is an agile satellite that can be programmed for high-resolution spot imagery of a specific location. Cartosat 3 will be launched by PSLV-C47 which in itself is a unique mission, in its XL version, with six solid strap-on motors, as it is designed to carry the payload to an orbit of 509 kms. The co-passengers, of Cartosat 3 will be 13 commercial nanosatellites (also earth observation) from the United States, contracted by NSIL (New Space India Ltd – the newly formed commercial arm of ISRO in addition to ANTRIX), in its maiden commercial order, which is another first for this mission. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Cartosat 3: A global class strategic satelite

Ultima Thule, the farthest cosmic body ever visited by a spacecraft, has been renamed Arrokoth, or "sky" in the Native American Powhatan language, following a backlash over the previous name's Nazi connotations.

The icy rock, which orbits in the dark and frigid Kuiper Belt about a billion miles beyond Pluto, was surveyed by the NASA spaceship New Horizons in January, with images showing it consisted of two spheres stuck together in the shape of a snowman.

Its technical designation is 2014 MU69, but the New Horizons team nicknamed it Ultima Thule (pronounced Tool-ey) after a mythical northern land in classical and medieval European literature described as beyond the borders of the known world.

That name sparked an angry reaction as it was co-opted by far-right German occultists in the early 20th century as the fabled ancestral home of "Aryan" people -- the term they used to describe proto-Indo-Europeans.

Members of Thule Society founded a political party that evolved into Adolf Hitler's Nazi party, and the term remains popular in alt-right circles.

It is, for example, also the name of a Swedish white-power rock group.

The new official name, which was chosen by the New Horizons team and ratified by the International Astronomical Union, was announced in a ceremony at NASA headquarters Tuesday.

A NASA statement made no mention of the controversy.

"The name 'Arrokoth' reflects the inspiration of looking to the skies and wondering about the stars and worlds beyond our own," said Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator from Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado.&nbsp;

Phoebe Farris, a professor emeritus in art and design at Purdue University who is herself of Powhatan-Pamunkey heritage, told AFP she was asked by NASA to approach Powhatan elders for their consent, and "all the feedback was positive and perceived as an honouring.

"Since we are the original inhabitants of what is now called North America, known to us as Turtle Island, it is fitting that 'discoveries' over our skies, on our land and in our waters should be given indigenous names," she added.

Both the Hubble Space Telescope, which found the object in 2014, and the New Horizons mission at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory are operated out of Maryland, whose Chesapeake Bay region is home to the Powhatan people.

Responding to a query by AFP, NASA emphasized Ultima Thule was only ever a nickname -- but did not comment on whether the Nazi controversy played a role in it being discarded.

Negative context

But astrophysicist Simon Porter, part of the team that made the discovery and co-investigator for New Horizons' current mission as it exits the solar system, told AFP: "Basically, not enough due diligence was done.&nbsp;

"Historically that name was very positive and (we) realized afterwards that under certain contexts it was negative."

Arrokoth is an example of a "cold classical object" which has remained undisturbed since the solar system formed some 4.5 billion years ago.

"So you're looking basically back in time at a snapshot of how the planets formed," said Porter.

"We're studying the surfaces of the object, studying what it's made out of, to try and figure out how the entire solar system was built."

The New Horizons spacecraft is now at the outer edges of the Kuiper Belt that extends from the orbit of Neptune and will join Voyager 1 and 2 beyond the Sun's sphere of influence and into interstellar space.

Ultima Thule, the farthest cosmic body ever visited by a spacecraft, has been renamed Arrokoth, or "sky" in the Native American Powhatan language, following a backlash over the previous name's Nazi connotations.

Ultima Thule, the farthest cosmic body ever visited by a spacecraft, has been renamed Arrokoth, or "sky" in the Native American Powhatan language, following a backlash over the previous name's Nazi connotations. The icy rock, which orbits in the dark and frigid Kuiper Belt about a billion miles beyond Pluto, was surveyed by the NASA spaceship New Horizons in January, with images showing it consisted of two spheres stuck together in the shape of a snowman. Its technical designation is 2014 MU69, but the New Horizons team nicknamed it Ultima Thule (pronounced Tool-ey) after a mythical northern land in classical and medieval European literature described as beyond the borders of the known world. That name sparked an angry reaction as it was co-opted by far-right German occultists in the early 20th century as the fabled ancestral home of "Aryan" people -- the term they used to describe proto-Indo-Europeans. Members of Thule Society founded a political party that evolved into Adolf Hitler's Nazi party, and the term remains popular in alt-right circles. It is, for example, also the name of a Swedish white-power rock group. The new official name, which was chosen by the New Horizons team and ratified by the International Astronomical Union, was announced in a ceremony at NASA headquarters Tuesday. A NASA statement made no mention of the controversy. "The name 'Arrokoth' reflects the inspiration of looking to the skies and wondering about the stars and worlds beyond our own," said Alan Stern, New Horizons principal investigator from Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, Colorado. Phoebe Farris, a professor emeritus in art and design at Purdue University who is herself of Powhatan-Pamunkey heritage, told AFP she was asked by NASA to approach Powhatan elders for their consent, and "all the feedback was positive and perceived as an honouring. "Since we are the original inhabitants of what is now called North America, known to us as Turtle Island, it is fitting that 'discoveries' over our skies, on our land and in our waters should be given indigenous names," she added. Both the Hubble Space Telescope, which found the object in 2014, and the New Horizons mission at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory are operated out of Maryland, whose Chesapeake Bay region is home to the Powhatan people. Responding to a query by AFP, NASA emphasized Ultima Thule was only ever a nickname -- but did not comment on whether the Nazi controversy played a role in it being discarded. Negative context But astrophysicist Simon Porter, part of the team that made the discovery and co-investigator for New Horizons' current mission as it exits the solar system, told AFP: "Basically, not enough due diligence was done. "Historically that name was very positive and (we) realized afterwards that under certain contexts it was negative." Arrokoth is an example of a "cold classical object" which has remained undisturbed since the solar system formed some 4.5 billion years ago. "So you're looking basically back in time at a snapshot of how the planets formed," said Porter. "We're studying the surfaces of the object, studying what it's made out of, to try and figure out how the entire solar system was built." The New Horizons spacecraft is now at the outer edges of the Kuiper Belt that extends from the orbit of Neptune and will join Voyager 1 and 2 beyond the Sun's sphere of influence and into interstellar space.

NASA renames faraway ice world after Nazi-link backlash

Boeing said Monday it carried out a successful test of its Starliner crew capsule that is supposed to take US astronauts to the International Space Station, even though one of three main parachutes designed to ease it back to earth failed to deploy.

The test took place in the New Mexico desert at the White Sands Missile Range and lasted around 95 seconds.

The Starliner was set on a small launch pad with four engines to simulate an emergency in which the capsule, attached to the top of a rocket,&nbsp;would need to quickly separate to bring the astronauts safely back to Earth.

Its four engines ignited and blasted the Starliner at full speed to the sky. After 20 seconds, only two of its three main parachutes deployed. The spacecraft gently drifted to the ground, landing on the desert floor cushioned by large airbags.

NASA said in a statement that two out of three parachutes "is acceptable for the test parameters and crew safety."

Boeing put out a statement saying there had been a "deployment anomaly, not a parachute failure." In the aerospace industry, an anomaly is the euphemism of choice for an incident, even if there has been a serious accident.

"It's too early to determine why all three main parachutes did not deploy," Boeing said.

In his first assessment, Starliner program manager John Mulholland said that "the test team and spacecraft performed flawlessly."

"Emergency scenario testing is very complex, and today our team validated that the spacecraft will keep our crew safe in the unlikely event of an abort."

Boeing is one of the companies, along with SpaceX, that NASA has chosen to build spacecraft to shuttle astronauts to the ISS.

Since the end of the US Space Shuttle program in 2011, only the Russians with their Soyuz system have had the capacity to travel from the Earth to the ISS.

Boeing is planning to launch an unmanned Starliner capsule on December 17 to the ISS, as SpaceX did with its Crew Dragon capsule in March.

The first missions carrying humans should take place in 2020, according to NASA, but this schedule depends on the success of several upcoming tests.

SpaceX, for example, has yet to finalize parachute tests of its capsule.

"We hope we never need to use this system, but in case we ever have any trouble aboard the beautiful Atlas V on the launchpad, we know, after today's test, that we'll be able to get off safely and then come back and try again a different day," said former NASA astronaut and Boeing test astronaut Mike Fincke.

"It's been a long time since we've launched out of the United States," added Fincke, speaking after the White Sands test.

"We really appreciate our friends in Russia for having the launch vehicle and the Soyuz. I flew on it twice. It's a great launch vehicle, great spacecraft, but it's time to have more options," he said.

Boeing said Monday it carried out a successful test of its Starliner crew capsule that is supposed to take US astronauts to the International Space Station, even though one of three main parachutes designed to ease it back to earth failed to deploy.

Boeing said Monday it carried out a successful test of its Starliner crew capsule that is supposed to take US astronauts to the International Space Station, even though one of three main parachutes designed to ease it back to earth failed to deploy. The test took place in the New Mexico desert at the White Sands Missile Range and lasted around 95 seconds. The Starliner was set on a small launch pad with four engines to simulate an emergency in which the capsule, attached to the top of a rocket, would need to quickly separate to bring the astronauts safely back to Earth. Its four engines ignited and blasted the Starliner at full speed to the sky. After 20 seconds, only two of its three main parachutes deployed. The spacecraft gently drifted to the ground, landing on the desert floor cushioned by large airbags. NASA said in a statement that two out of three parachutes "is acceptable for the test parameters and crew safety." Boeing put out a statement saying there had been a "deployment anomaly, not a parachute failure." In the aerospace industry, an anomaly is the euphemism of choice for an incident, even if there has been a serious accident. "It's too early to determine why all three main parachutes did not deploy," Boeing said. In his first assessment, Starliner program manager John Mulholland said that "the test team and spacecraft performed flawlessly." "Emergency scenario testing is very complex, and today our team validated that the spacecraft will keep our crew safe in the unlikely event of an abort." Boeing is one of the companies, along with SpaceX, that NASA has chosen to build spacecraft to shuttle astronauts to the ISS. Since the end of the US Space Shuttle program in 2011, only the Russians with their Soyuz system have had the capacity to travel from the Earth to the ISS. Boeing is planning to launch an unmanned Starliner capsule on December 17 to the ISS, as SpaceX did with its Crew Dragon capsule in March. The first missions carrying humans should take place in 2020, according to NASA, but this schedule depends on the success of several upcoming tests. SpaceX, for example, has yet to finalize parachute tests of its capsule. "We hope we never need to use this system, but in case we ever have any trouble aboard the beautiful Atlas V on the launchpad, we know, after today's test, that we'll be able to get off safely and then come back and try again a different day," said former NASA astronaut and Boeing test astronaut Mike Fincke. "It's been a long time since we've launched out of the United States," added Fincke, speaking after the White Sands test. "We really appreciate our friends in Russia for having the launch vehicle and the Soyuz. I flew on it twice. It's a great launch vehicle, great spacecraft, but it's time to have more options," he said.

Boeing tests space crew capsule, reports problem with parachute

A probe launched by NASA four days after Elvis died has delivered a treasure trove of data from beyond the "solar bubble" that envelops Earth and our neighbouring planets, scientists reported Monday.

But for every mystery Voyager 2 has solved about the solar winds, magnetic fields and cosmic rays that buffet the boundary between interstellar space and the Sun's sphere of influence, a new one has cropped up.

Voyager 2 left Earth's orbit in 1977 a month before its twin Voyager 1, but took seven years longer to reach the heliosphere's outer limit some 18 billion kilometres (more than 11 billion miles) away.&nbsp;

Shaped something like a windsock in a stiff breeze, the heliosphere is formed by the Sun's magnetic field and solar winds that can reach speeds of three million kilometres per hour. &nbsp;&nbsp;

It can be compared to a cosmic supertanker ploughing through space, said Edward Stone, a professor at the California Institute of Technology and lead author of one of five articles published in Nature Astronomy.&nbsp;

"As it moves through the interstellar medium" -- the vast expanses of space between stellar fiefdoms -- "there's a wave in front, just as with the bow of a ship," Stone told journalists by phone.

Scientists hoped to answer a number of questions by comparing data sent back by the two probes, which pierced the Sun's protective bubble at different angles and locations.&nbsp;

Particle 'leakage'

"We didn't have any good quantitative data of how big this bubble is that the Sun creates around itself with supersonic solar wind and ionised plasma speeding away in all directions," Stone said.&nbsp;

Voyager 2 confirmed, for example, the existence of a "magnetic barrier" at the outer edge of the heliosphere that had been predicted by theory and observed by Voyager 1.

"But contrary to all expectations and predictions, the magnetic field direction did not change when Voyager 2 crossed the heliopause," Leonard Burlaga, a scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and lead researcher for one of the studies, told AFP.&nbsp;

The so-called heliopause is the relatively thin contact boundary where solar wind of charged particles and interstellar wind collide. &nbsp;&nbsp;

Scientists were also surprised that it took 80 days for Voyager 2 to cross this magnetic barrier, while its sister probe did so in less than a day.

And then there's the leakage enigma.

As Voyager 1 crossed the heliosphere threshold, it detected particles from outer space -- notably cosmic rays -- racing the other way.&nbsp;

"On Voyager 2, it was just the opposite," said Stone. "Once we left the heliosphere, we continued to see particles leaking from the inside out."&nbsp;

In at least one case, it was a similarity between the two missions that was perplexing.

Johnny B. Goode

"This is very strange," said Tom Krimigis, a scientist in the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University and senior author of a study reporting on measurements of charged particles.

"One crossing (of the heliopause) occurred at the solar minimum when solar activity is the least, and the other at the solar maximum," he told journalists.&nbsp;

"If we take our models at face value, we expect that there would be a bigger difference."

The Sun's activity waxes and wanes in 11-year cycles.

The missions also measured incoming cosmic rays that grew stronger as the probes approached heliopause, with direct implications for the health of manned space missions into deep space.

"If an astronaut moves closer to the source [of cosmic rays], it is going to be important to understand how much intensity there is," Stone said.

"A factor of three is big when we're talking about the effect of radiation on life."&nbsp;

Built to last five years, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 set out to explore the solar system's outer planets.&nbsp;

After 42 years in action, they are still going strong, although both will run out of power and fall silent within five years.

But that does not mean they will disappear, said Bill Kurth, a researcher at the University of Iowa and co-author of the study focusing on plasma waves.

"They will outlast Earth," he said. "They are in their own orbits around the galaxy for five billion years or longer, and the probability of them running into anything is almost zero."

If intelligent life in a far corner of the Milky Way finds either probe one day, a "golden record" including drawing of a naked man and woman, bird and whale songs, and "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry will be on board. &nbsp;&nbsp;

A probe launched by NASA four days after Elvis died has delivered a treasure trove of data from beyond the "solar bubble" that envelops Earth and our neighbouring planets, scientists reported Monday.

A probe launched by NASA four days after Elvis died has delivered a treasure trove of data from beyond the "solar bubble" that envelops Earth and our neighbouring planets, scientists reported Monday. But for every mystery Voyager 2 has solved about the solar winds, magnetic fields and cosmic rays that buffet the boundary between interstellar space and the Sun's sphere of influence, a new one has cropped up. Voyager 2 left Earth's orbit in 1977 a month before its twin Voyager 1, but took seven years longer to reach the heliosphere's outer limit some 18 billion kilometres (more than 11 billion miles) away. Shaped something like a windsock in a stiff breeze, the heliosphere is formed by the Sun's magnetic field and solar winds that can reach speeds of three million kilometres per hour. It can be compared to a cosmic supertanker ploughing through space, said Edward Stone, a professor at the California Institute of Technology and lead author of one of five articles published in Nature Astronomy. "As it moves through the interstellar medium" -- the vast expanses of space between stellar fiefdoms -- "there's a wave in front, just as with the bow of a ship," Stone told journalists by phone. Scientists hoped to answer a number of questions by comparing data sent back by the two probes, which pierced the Sun's protective bubble at different angles and locations. Particle 'leakage' "We didn't have any good quantitative data of how big this bubble is that the Sun creates around itself with supersonic solar wind and ionised plasma speeding away in all directions," Stone said. Voyager 2 confirmed, for example, the existence of a "magnetic barrier" at the outer edge of the heliosphere that had been predicted by theory and observed by Voyager 1. "But contrary to all expectations and predictions, the magnetic field direction did not change when Voyager 2 crossed the heliopause," Leonard Burlaga, a scientist at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and lead researcher for one of the studies, told AFP. The so-called heliopause is the relatively thin contact boundary where solar wind of charged particles and interstellar wind collide. Scientists were also surprised that it took 80 days for Voyager 2 to cross this magnetic barrier, while its sister probe did so in less than a day. And then there's the leakage enigma. As Voyager 1 crossed the heliosphere threshold, it detected particles from outer space -- notably cosmic rays -- racing the other way. "On Voyager 2, it was just the opposite," said Stone. "Once we left the heliosphere, we continued to see particles leaking from the inside out." In at least one case, it was a similarity between the two missions that was perplexing. Johnny B. Goode "This is very strange," said Tom Krimigis, a scientist in the Applied Physics Laboratory at Johns Hopkins University and senior author of a study reporting on measurements of charged particles. "One crossing (of the heliopause) occurred at the solar minimum when solar activity is the least, and the other at the solar maximum," he told journalists. "If we take our models at face value, we expect that there would be a bigger difference." The Sun's activity waxes and wanes in 11-year cycles. The missions also measured incoming cosmic rays that grew stronger as the probes approached heliopause, with direct implications for the health of manned space missions into deep space. "If an astronaut moves closer to the source [of cosmic rays], it is going to be important to understand how much intensity there is," Stone said. "A factor of three is big when we're talking about the effect of radiation on life." Built to last five years, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 set out to explore the solar system's outer planets. After 42 years in action, they are still going strong, although both will run out of power and fall silent within five years. But that does not mean they will disappear, said Bill Kurth, a researcher at the University of Iowa and co-author of the study focusing on plasma waves. "They will outlast Earth," he said. "They are in their own orbits around the galaxy for five billion years or longer, and the probability of them running into anything is almost zero." If intelligent life in a far corner of the Milky Way finds either probe one day, a "golden record" including drawing of a naked man and woman, bird and whale songs, and "Johnny B. Goode" by Chuck Berry will be on board.

42 years on, Voyager 2 charts interstellar space

The journey of NASA's dauntless Voyager 2 spacecraft through our solar system's farthest reaches has given scientists new insight into a poorly understood distant frontier: the unexpectedly distinct boundary marking where the sun's energetic influence ends and interstellar space begins.

The US&nbsp;space agency previously announced that Voyager 2, the second human-made object ever to depart the solar system following its twin Voyager 1, had zipped into interstellar space on November&nbsp;5, 2018 at a point more than 17.7 billion km&nbsp;from the sun. Several research papers published on Monday provided scientific details of that crossing.

Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in 1977, designed for five-year missions. Voyager 1 left the solar system at a different location in 2012. Both are now traversing the Milky Way galaxy's interstellar medium, a chillier region filling the vast expanses between the galaxy's stars and planetary systems.

The solar wind,&nbsp;the unending flow of charged particles emanating from the outer atmosphere of the sun,&nbsp;creates an immense protective bubble called the heliosphere that envelopes the solar system. The boundary of the solar system - the place where the solar wind ends and interstellar space begins,&nbsp;is called the heliopause.

Voyager 2's scientific instruments detected abrupt differences in plasma density and magnetic particles upon crossing the heliopause, the researchers said. The researchers said the heliopause appeared to be much thinner than expected.

Plasma - the fourth state of matter after solids, liquids and gases - exists in the solar system as a soup of the charged particles beaming continuously outward from the sun and clashing with interstellar plasma that darts inward from other cosmic events like stellar explosions.

"This is a very exciting time for us," California Institute of Technology physicist Edward Stone, project manager of the Voyager program, told reporters. "We will see a transition from the magnetic field inside to a different magnetic field outside, and we continue to have surprises compared to what we had expected."

The electromagnetic junction just outside the heliosphere was thought to be a deeper transitional place of intermingling cosmic weather, but Voyager 2's plasma wave instrument - built by University of Iowa researchers - detected sharp jumps in plasma density, much like two different fluids coming into contact with one another."Think of a cold front that forms when a very cold air mass comes down to the U.S. from Canada," said Don Gurnett, professor of physics at the University of Iowa. "Here we find a very hot plasma mass coming outward from the sun that encounters the cold plasma in the interstellar medium. It does not surprise me that a sharp boundary forms."

Scientists are still trying to understand the nature of interstellar space wind and how much of it can seep through the heliopause to reach planets in our solar system.

"We also have galactic cosmic rays, which are out in the interstellar space trying to flow in," Stone said, referring to the high-energy atomic particles whizzing around the universe faster than the speed of light. "And some of them, only about 30 per cent of what's outside, can actually reach Earth."

Voyager 2 entered the interstellar medium far beyond the orbit of Pluto at a spot about 120 times further from the sun than Earth's orbit.

The research was published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

The journey of NASA's dauntless Voyager 2 spacecraft through our solar system's farthest reaches has given scientists new insight into a poorly understood distant frontier: the unexpectedly distinct boundary marking where the sun's energetic influence ends and interstellar space begins.

The journey of NASA's dauntless Voyager 2 spacecraft through our solar system's farthest reaches has given scientists new insight into a poorly understood distant frontier: the unexpectedly distinct boundary marking where the sun's energetic influence ends and interstellar space begins. The US space agency previously announced that Voyager 2, the second human-made object ever to depart the solar system following its twin Voyager 1, had zipped into interstellar space on November 5, 2018 at a point more than 17.7 billion km from the sun. Several research papers published on Monday provided scientific details of that crossing. Both Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 were launched in 1977, designed for five-year missions. Voyager 1 left the solar system at a different location in 2012. Both are now traversing the Milky Way galaxy's interstellar medium, a chillier region filling the vast expanses between the galaxy's stars and planetary systems. The solar wind, the unending flow of charged particles emanating from the outer atmosphere of the sun, creates an immense protective bubble called the heliosphere that envelopes the solar system. The boundary of the solar system - the place where the solar wind ends and interstellar space begins, is called the heliopause. Voyager 2's scientific instruments detected abrupt differences in plasma density and magnetic particles upon crossing the heliopause, the researchers said. The researchers said the heliopause appeared to be much thinner than expected. Plasma - the fourth state of matter after solids, liquids and gases - exists in the solar system as a soup of the charged particles beaming continuously outward from the sun and clashing with interstellar plasma that darts inward from other cosmic events like stellar explosions. "This is a very exciting time for us," California Institute of Technology physicist Edward Stone, project manager of the Voyager program, told reporters. "We will see a transition from the magnetic field inside to a different magnetic field outside, and we continue to have surprises compared to what we had expected." The electromagnetic junction just outside the heliosphere was thought to be a deeper transitional place of intermingling cosmic weather, but Voyager 2's plasma wave instrument - built by University of Iowa researchers - detected sharp jumps in plasma density, much like two different fluids coming into contact with one another."Think of a cold front that forms when a very cold air mass comes down to the U.S. from Canada," said Don Gurnett, professor of physics at the University of Iowa. "Here we find a very hot plasma mass coming outward from the sun that encounters the cold plasma in the interstellar medium. It does not surprise me that a sharp boundary forms." Scientists are still trying to understand the nature of interstellar space wind and how much of it can seep through the heliopause to reach planets in our solar system. "We also have galactic cosmic rays, which are out in the interstellar space trying to flow in," Stone said, referring to the high-energy atomic particles whizzing around the universe faster than the speed of light. "And some of them, only about 30 per cent of what's outside, can actually reach Earth." Voyager 2 entered the interstellar medium far beyond the orbit of Pluto at a spot about 120 times further from the sun than Earth's orbit. The research was published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

NASA probe provides insight on solar system's border with interstellar space

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