Reuters
• Will Dunham
New data from a NASA rover show that Mars’ dust includes ultrafine particles, adding detail to a persistent environmental hazard. Dust moves through everyday winds, dust devils and storms at local, regional and global scales, making its behavior a factor that mission planners must address for future human exploration.
NASA
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New data from a NASA rover show that Mars’ dust includes ultrafine particles, adding detail to a persistent environmental hazard. Dust moves through everyday winds, dust devils and storms at local, regional and global scales, making its behavior a factor that mission planners must address for future human exploration.
Radiation measurements aboard the uncrewed Orion spacecraft during NASA’s Artemis I mission found that cosmic radiation near the Moon exceeds levels in Earth orbit, though by less than scientists might have anticipated. The data add to the evidence needed to assess radiation exposure on future crewed lunar missions.
NASA’s ultraviolet space telescope mission has cleared a major review, advancing a project that still faces uncertainty over its launch and communications. The available report does not identify the mission or specify the issues behind those uncertainties.
NASA’s systems engineering team has detailed the mission architecture for the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a planned effort aimed at finding Earth-like worlds beyond the solar system. The work comes as exoplanet research has advanced substantially since the first exoplanet was discovered in 1995.
Four volunteers who spent more than a year living and working in a simulated Mars mission are due to leave their habitat on Saturday, Oct. Separately, analog astronaut Michaela Musilova led low-visibility underwater “spacewalks” to test astronaut safety and communications protocols—using terrestrial simulations to examine challenges crews may face during space missions.
High activity
NASA launched the first test flight of its Saturn I rocket on Oct. 27, 1961. The successful flight marked an early milestone in the development of the launch vehicles that would ultimately enable the United States’ crewed lunar program, including the Saturn V.
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will use gravitational microlensing to study dark matter, but its wide-field survey design cannot perform every observation needed for the work. The Hubble Space Telescope will assist, using its complementary capabilities to help extend Roman’s scientific reach.
EraDrive has received clearance to test autonomous maneuvering software aboard NASA’s Starling satellites. The trial advances onboard navigation and control capabilities, putting spacecraft maneuver decisions closer to the vehicle rather than relying solely on ground-based direction.
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