TechCrunch Space: Building (and testing) for the future

Futurism
China Finds Something Strange in Sample Retrieved From Moon
Lunar Graphene Chinese scientists have made an unusual discovery while analyzing the sample Chang'e-5 collected from the Moon's surface in December 2020. They found naturally occurring "few-layer graphene" for the first time, as state-run news agency Global Times reports, which could have major implications for our plans to make use of local resources once on […]
Herald Scotland
Mystery of ancient Greek device 'solved' by Glasgow astronomers
It is one of the oldest machines known to have been developed by human hand, yet its true purpose has been lost to the mists of time.
Sky News
Space station astronauts forced to shelter as Russian satellite breaks into more than 100 pieces
Astronauts on the International Space Station were forced to take shelter last night after a Russian satellite broke into more than 100 pieces. The nine astronauts living on the space station were told to shelter in their respective spacecraft, according to NASA, after the debris was spotted. NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Sunni Williams boarded their Starliner spacecraft, the Boeing-built capsule that has been docked since June 6 in its first crewed test mission on the station.
Yahoo News UK
What we know about summer COVID as UK case numbers rise
It comes as a new group of variants, known as FLiRT, have emerged in recent weeks.
Cover Media
NASA Uses Hubble And Webb Telescopes To Create 3D Visualisation Of Pillars Of Creation
The Pillars of Creation are one of the most iconic and beautiful sights in deep space - now NASA has released a 3D visualisation allowing us to see inside this stunning part of the Eagle Nebula. Made famous in 1995 by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the Pillars of Creation are giant clouds where stars are born. Using data from NASA's Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, astronomers have created a comprehensive and detailed multiwavelength look at these towering celestial structures. The four Pillars of Creation, made primarily of cool molecular hydrogen and dust, are being eroded by the fierce winds and punishing ultraviolet light of nearby hot, young stars. The finger-like structures protruding from the top of the pillars are so big they are larger than our solar system! Within these fingers are embryonic stars. The tallest pillar stretches across three light-years, three-quarters of the distance between our Sun and the next nearest star. This is not an artistic interpretation but rather is based on observational data from a science paper led by Anna McLeod, an associate professor at the University of Durham in the U.K. The new visualisation also shows how two of the world's most powerful space telescopes can work together to provide a more complex and holistic portrait of the pillars. Hubble sees objects that glow in visible light, at thousands of degrees. Webb's infrared vision, which is sensitive to cooler objects with temperatures of just hundreds of degrees pierces through obscuring dust to see stars embedded in the pillars.
Reuters Videos
Astronauts stuck aboard ISS as Starliner issues delay return
STORY: Problems with Boeing’s Starliner capsule have upended the original plans for the return of two astronauts to Earth, leaving them aboard the International Space Station as teams look at last-minute fixes. :: June 5, 2024Since its liftoff on June 5 the capsule has had five helium leaks, five maneuvering thrusters go dead and a propellant valve fail to close completely.The current problems center on Starliner’s expendable propulsion system, which is needed to back away from the ISS and position it to dive through Earth’s atmosphere. Starliner can stay docked at the ISS for up to 45 days, according to comments by NASA’s commercial crew manager Steve Stich. He said recent test-firings of the thrusters gave mission teams confidence in a safe return, though tests and reviews are ongoing. A source who spoke on the condition of anonymity said internally, NASA’s latest targeted return date is July 6. That would mean the mission, originally planned for eight days, would instead last a month. Even with the propulsion issues NASA has said Starliner would still be capable of returning the astronauts to Earth if absolutely necessary – that is, if the capsule must serve as an escape pod.If Starliner is deemed incapable of safely returning Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams, one option would be sending them home aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon.NASA and Boeing officials, as well as engineers familiar with the program, told Reuters nothing about Starliner’s current problems indicates that this would be needed.This is Starliner's first mission to orbit carrying astronauts - the final test needed before NASA can certify it as the U.S. space agency's second ride to the ISS.
The Daily Beast
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Wins $843M NASA Contract to Bring Down the International Space Station
NASA has handed Elon Musk’s SpaceX an $843 million contract to make a vehicle that will bring the International Space Station out of orbit in a few years’ time when the trailblazing laboratory is retired.The space administration on Wednesday announced that the billionaire’s company has been chosen to “develop and deliver the U.S. Deorbit Vehicle,” the spacecraft which will guide the ISS on its fiery journey through the Earth’s atmosphere.The SpaceX vehicle will “provide the capability to deorbit
CNN
Decades after the famed Kyrenia shipwreck’s discovery, researchers have a new estimate of when it sank
The timeline of a Hellenistic Kyrenia shipwreck stumped researchers for decades. But thanks to a cache of ancient almonds, a new study may have a better estimate.
The Independent
Astronauts forced to take shelter on space station after Russian satellite blows up
More than 100 pieces of debris were thrown around space, officials said
Time
How Furry Pet Rabbits Can Become Invasive Feral Pests
A new study found what makes the furry critters such masterful colonizers of countries across the world.
Associated Press
Why NASA astronauts are delayed at the space station after Boeing Starliner launch
When two veteran NASA astronauts blasted off on a test drive of Boeing's new capsule, they expected to head home from the International Space Station in a week or so. It's now three weeks and counting for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams as NASA and Boeing troubleshoot equipment problems that popped up on the way there. This week, Boeing said the Starliner capsule's problems aren’t a concern for the return trip and "the astronauts are not stranded.”
ABC News
Fossilized skull of Neanderthal child with Down syndrome reveals communal caregiving among species
Fossils from the skull of a Neanderthal child that likely had Down syndrome shed light into the collaborative and communal caregiving that likely helped the child survive to the age of 6, according to new research. The fossil fragments, excavated from the Cova Negra archaeological site in Valencia, Spain, were determined to be from a Neanderthal child's ear. The child likely lived 273,000 years ago and showed congenital malformations consistent with Down syndrome, according to a study, which was published Wednesday in Science Advances.
Business Insider
2 'potentially hazardous' asteroids will streak by Earth this week, one as big as a mountain. You can watch it live.
On Thursday and Saturday, two different asteroids will hurtle past Earth at close range. You can watch them both live.
PA Media: UK News
‘Remarkably preserved’ 500-million-year-old sea creature discovered
New findings have allowed scientists to document features in the extinct animal never seen before.
France 24
NASA picks SpaceX to carry ISS to oceanic resting place after 2030
NASA awarded on Tuesday SpaceX an $843 million contract to build the vessel that will bring the International Space Station out of its longtime orbit of Earth when its operating lifespan ends in 2030. NASA on Tuesday said it had picked SpaceX to build a vessel to carry the International Space Station back through Earth's atmosphere and on to a final resting place in the Pacific Ocean after it is retired in 2030.Elon Musk's company has been awarded a contract with a potential value of $843 millio
CNN
Ancient bone could reveal how Neanderthals cared for a child with Down syndrome
New research suggests a fossilized ear bone reveals the oldest known case of Down syndrome: a Neanderthal child who lived more than 146,000 years ago.
PA Media: Science
Last surviving woolly mammoths were inbred but not doomed to extinction – study
New analysis reveals they originated from no more than eight individuals but grew to number 200–300 within 20 generations.
Business Insider
Scientists want to pump carbon into a hole at the bottom of the ocean in a $60 million pilot project to help stop climate change
Offshore drilling could help fight climate change in the future. Instead of extracting oil from the sea floor, scientists want to trap carbon there.
Barrons.com
Elon Musk Runs the Most Valuable Car and Aerospace Companies on Earth
Recent share transactions value Elon Musk’s rocket company at $210 billion, more than Boeing, GE Aerospace, and others.
Euronews
Beat them or eat them: What should we do about invasive species in the ocean?
Should we beat them, or eat them? In this episode of Ocean Calls, we’re embarking on a journey to unravel the mysteries of invasive species in EU waters. They unsettle the delicate balance of marine ecosystems, so what can we do about them?

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