Space & Astronomy
- 'Mini Moon' to orbit Earth for two monthswww.bbc.com 'Mini Moon' to orbit Earth for two months
Earth is about to get a second moon for a couple of months, but it won't be visible for most people.
- Are lunar calendars more common in civilizations at lower latitudes?
Given that annual fluctuations in solar irradiation become less pronounced the closer you get to the equator, it might get less relevant to track time by referring to our position to the sun?
- SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission aiming for history with first private spacewalkphys.org SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission aiming for history with first private spacewalk
The SpaceX Polaris Dawn mission, a daring multiday orbital expedition that will feature the first-ever spacewalk by private citizens, is targeting liftoff early Tuesday, though weather could play spoilsport.
> If they launch, the highlight of the mission will be the first spacewalk composed entirely of non-professional astronauts, who will be wearing sleek, newly developed SpaceX extravehicular activity (EVA) suits outfitted with heads-up displays, helmet cameras, and an advanced joint mobility system.
- Data Centres... in Spaaace? [16m YT vid]
YouTube Video
Click to view this content.
Yewtube mirror: https://yewtu.be/watch?v=d-YcVLq98Ew
Scott Manley discusses Lumen Orbit's plan to data centres in space and whether it or not makes sense.
- The Starliner spacecraft has started to emit strange noises
On Saturday NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore noticed some strange noises emanating from a speaker inside the Starliner spacecraft.
"I've got a question about Starliner," Wilmore radioed down to Mission Control, at Johnson Space Center in Houston. "There's a strange noise coming through the speaker ... I don't know what's making it."
Wilmore said he was not sure if there was some oddity in the connection between the station and the spacecraft causing the noise, or something else. He asked the flight controllers in Houston to see if they could listen to the audio inside the spacecraft. A few minutes later, Mission Control radioed back that they were linked via "hardline" to listen to audio inside Starliner, which has now been docked to the International Space Station for nearly three months.
- Will Satellite Megaconstellations Weaken Earth’s Magnetic Field?spaceweatherarchive.com Will Satellite Megaconstellations Weaken Earth’s Magnetic Field?
Feb. 1, 2024: Something unprecedented is happening in Earth orbit. In only a few short years, the satellite population has skyrocketed, more than doubling since 2020. In the past year alone, more s…