Tag: NASA
NASA’s Lucy Probe Discovers Mini Moon of Asteroid Dinkinesh
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft just completed a flyby of asteroid Dinkinesh, a small asteroid located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, and discovered something new: a mini-moon in its small orbit. Dinkinesh itself measures just half a mile across, and its tiny satellite is even smaller, [more…]
NASA Psyche Mission: Features of the Psyche space vehicle
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, roughly the size of a tennis court when its solar arrays are deployed, is equipped with cutting-edge technology and science instruments. Its main computer, flight software, and telecommunications systems were developed by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), while Maxar Technologies provided the main body [more…]
NASA’s Bennu sample collection exceeds target, recovery thwarted by stuck screws
At the Johnson Space Center, the team processing NASA’s asteroid Bennu sample has successfully collected 2.48 ounces (70.3 grams) of rocks and dust, surpassing the agency’s goal of 60 grams. The collected sample includes material found on the outside and inside of the sampler head, accessed through [more…]
OSIRIS-REx mission’s contribution to navigation technology
The team at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center has been refining their optical navigation software, GIANT, which played a crucial role in guiding the OSIRIS-REx mission to the asteroid Bennu. Optical navigation uses visual data from cameras or other sensors to navigate, similar to how humans do. [more…]
ESA’s Hera Mission Joins NASA’s DART in Groundbreaking Planetary Defense Efforts
The Hera mission The European Space Agency (ESA) is developing a space vehicle called Hera, planned to launch in October 2024. The Hera mission’s main goal is to learn more about the Didymos binary asteroid system, which consists of the asteroid Didymos and its smaller moon Dimorphos. [more…]