space - The Purbottar

17 Jun

China launches crewed space mission to its new space station

editor0 CommentsNorth EastChina, international, space

China has launched three astronauts into orbit to begin occupation of the country's new space station. Astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo are to spend three months aboard the Tianhe module some 380km above the Earth. It will be China's longest crewed space mission to date and the first in nearly five years. The crew successfully docked with the space station just over seven hours after the launch. Their Shenzhou-12 capsule took off atop its Long March 2F rocket on Thursday. Lift-off from the Jiuquan satellite launch centre in the Gobi desert was at 09:22 Beijing time (01:22…

17 Jun

Shenzhou-12 launch declared success in boost to China’s space power ambitions.

editor0 CommentsTech ByteChina, space, TECHNOLOGY

China launched aspacecraft on Thursday, June 17, 2021, carrying three astronauts to part of a space station still under construction for the longest stay in low Earth orbit by any Chinese national. A Long March 2F rocket transporting the Shenzhou-12, or Divine Vessel, bound for the space station module Tianhe blasted off at 9:22 a.m. Beijing time (0122 GMT) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern Gansu province. The launch time saw bright blue skies with near perfect visibility at the launch center on the edge of the Gobi Desert. Among the astronauts in China's space mission, Nie Haisheng…

15 Jun

Scientists at TESS project find 2 exoplanets orbiting a Sun-like star

editor0 CommentsNorth Eastinternational, NASA, science, space, TESS

A new discovery is creating a buzz in the scientific community. Citizen scientists, part of the Planet Hunters TESS project, have found two exoplanets orbiting a Sun-like star. Royal Astronomical Society lists over a dozen citizen scientists, who participated in the project led by Nasa, to have published the new discoveries. The sun-like star, dubbed as HD 152843, is about 352 light-years away from Earth and is about the same mass as the Sun But it's about 1.5 times bigger and brighter. Orbiting this massive star are two exotic worlds and, if compared to our Sun, they lie within the orbit of Mercury.…

14 Jun

Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark, along with two other crew members to head for Space

editor0 CommentsBusinessauction, INDIA, jeff bezos, space

A mystery person has paid $28m in an auction held on Saturday, for a seat on Jeff Bezos's first crewed spaceflight by Jeff's own company, Blue Origin. The company said that the winner's identity would be revealed in the coming weeks. The other two crew members of the 20 July flight are Mr Bezos' brother Mark and an unnamed space tourist. The bidding process attracted interest from more than 140 countries. After a nearly month, the top bid had stood at just under $5m, but once Saturday's online auction got under way that figure rose more than five times. "The…

10 Jun

Annular Solar Eclipse to be seen on Thursday

editor0 CommentsNorth Eastinternational, solar eclipse, space

On Thursday, much of the Northern Hemisphere will get to witness a solar eclipse. This particular event is what's termed an annular eclipse, will see the Moon move across the face of our star but not completely block out the light coming from it. Instead, there will be just a thin sliver of brilliance left to shine around the Sun's disc. The eastern United States and northern Alaska, along with much of Canada, Greenland, and parts of Europe and Asia will get to experience the phenomenon. Do not to try to look at the Sun with the naked eye, this…

03 Jun

Nasa reveals Venus missions for 2030

editor0 CommentsNorth EastNASA, science, space, Venus

With two new missions to Venus, Nasa plans to examine the planet's atmosphere and geological features. These missions are due to launch between 2028 and 2030. The missions have each been awarded $500m (£352m) in funding. Nasa administrator Bill Nelson said the missions would offer the "chance to investigate a planet we haven't been to in more than 30 years". The missions were picked following a peer-review process and were chosen based on their potential scientific value and the feasibility of their development plans. The last probe to visit the planet was the Magellan orbiter in 1990. However other vessels…

20 May

China releases first pictures taken by its Zhurong rover on Mars.

editor0 CommentsNorth EastChina, international, mars, space

The forward view shows the landscape ahead of the robot as it sits on its landing platform; the rear-looking image reveals Zhurong's solar panels. The rover touched down on the Red Planet early on Sunday, Beijing time. In doing so, it made China only the second nation - after America - to successfully put a probe on the surface of Mars and operate it for a significant length of time. Chinese scientists hope get at least 90 Martian days of service out of the six-wheeled robot at its location on Utopia Planitia, a vast terrain in the planet's northern hemisphere.…

14 May

Russia plans to make the first movie shot in space

editor0 CommentsEntertainment, HealthISS, movie, Russia, space

Russia has chosen a famous actress and an award-winning director to fly to the International Space Station and make what it calls the first movie in space. Yulia Peresild, 36, and Klim Shipenko, 37, will blast off in a Russian rocket from Baikonur cosmodrome on 5 October. The drama has the working title Challenge. Russia's Roscosmos space agency says it wants to show space opening up for a wider range of people. Nasa and actor Tom Cruise also plan to make a film aboard the space station. It is not yet clear when their Hollywood space movie, announced last year,…

07 May

Here are 8 interesting locations that you could visit while visiting Mars in the future.

editor0 CommentsNorth Easteducation, mars, science, space

Mars is a planet of vast contrasts — huge volcanoes, deep canyons, and craters that may or may not host running water. It will be an amazing location for future tourists to explore, once we put the first Red Planet colonies into motion. The landing sites for these future missions will likely need to be flat plains for safety and practical reasons, but perhaps they could land within a few days' drive of some more interesting geology. Here are some locations that future Martians could visit. Olympus Mons NASA/MOLA Science Team/ O. de Goursac, Adrian Lark Olympus Mons is the…

05 May

Veteran Astronaut Michael Collins dies at 90

editor0 CommentsNorth Eastapollo 11, Michael Collins, NASA, space

Michael Collins - one of the three crew members of the first manned mission to land on the Moon, Apollo 11 in 1969 - has died aged 90, his family say. He died on Wednesday after "a valiant battle with cancer. He spent his final days peacefully, with his family by his side," they said. Collins stayed in lunar orbit as his colleagues Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the Moon. Aldrin, 91, is now the only surviving member of the mission. Paying tribute to Collins, Aldrin wrote in a tweet: "Dear Mike, Wherever you have been or will be,…