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NASA

Space Station Innovations in Your Cart…

Tablets, smart appliances, and other technologies that are an indispensable part of daily life are no longer state-of-the-art compared to the research and technology development going on over our heads. As we celebrate 20 years of humans continuously living and working in space aboard the International Space Station, we’re recapping some of the out-of-this-world tech development and research being done on the orbiting lab too.Our Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) helps redefine state-of-the-art tech for living and working in space. Here are 10 technologies tried and tested on the space station with helping hands from its astronaut occupants over the years.1. Astronaut Wanna-BeesAstronauts on the space station are responsible for everything from conducting science experiments and ...

SpaceX to launch Intuitive Machines’ 2nd Moon lander, 3 rideshare spacecraft – Spaceflight Now

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SpaceX

SpaceX to launch Intuitive Machines’ 2nd Moon lander, 3 rideshare spacecraft – Spaceflight Now

Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander, named Athena, is prepared for encapsulation inside SpaceX Falcon 9 payload fairings. Beneath the lander are rideshare payloads from Epic Aerospace (front), AstroForge (right), and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (behind). Image: SpaceX via Intuitive Machines Intuitive Machines is preparing to head back to the Moon following its first trip a year ago. The company based in Houston, Texas, will send another of its Nova-C class vehicles to attempt a landing no earlier than March 6 and begin a 10-Earth day-long mission. The mission begins with a launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket scheduled for no earlier than Feb. 26 at 7:16 p.m. EST (0016 UTC). This is the fourth mission to launch as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Program. It’s ...

View the Great Bear’s contrasting spiral galaxies – Astronomy Now

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Astronomy

View the Great Bear’s contrasting spiral galaxies – Astronomy Now

M108 and M109 in Ursa Major are fine galaxies of dissimilar appearance that are curiously somewhat overlooked. Early spring sees the return of the galaxies, monumental rotating structures of many millions of gravitationally bound stars amid interstellar dust and gas that span tens of thousands or more light years in diameter. They’re not termed ‘island universes’ for nothing! The constellation of Ursa Major, the Great Bear, is prime galaxy country, with five Messier-designated gems leading its pack of outstanding targets. Messier 109 (NGC 3992) is a fine face-on barred spiral galaxy which imagers will find irresistible. Image: Ron Brecher. Messier 108 (NGC 3556) and 109 (NGC 3992) understandably take a back seat to the majesty of Messier 101, the Pinwheel Galaxy, and the peerless pairing ...

AI can decode digital data stored in DNA in minutes instead of days

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Science

AI can decode digital data stored in DNA in minutes instead of days

DNA can store digital data, such as visual and audio filesScience Picture Co / Alamy Artificial intelligence can read data stored in DNA strands within 10 minutes rather than the days required for previous methods, bringing DNA storage closer to practical use in computing. “DNA can store vast amounts of data in an extremely compact form and remain intact for thousands of years,” says Daniella Bar-Lev at the University of California, San Diego. “Additionally, DNA is naturally replicable, offering a unique advantage for long-term data preservation.” But retrieving the information encoded within DNA is a monumental challenge because the strands are mixed and jumbled together when stored. During the data-encoding process, individual strands are sometimes replicated im...

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NASA

NASA employees advised to delay responses to “what did you do” email

WASHINGTON — NASA employees are being advised not to immediately respond to an email sent over the weekend by the Office of Personnel Management despite a threat by Elon Musk that failing to respond would result in losing their jobs.NASA employees, along with others across the federal government, received an email from OPM Feb. 22 with the subject line “What did you do last week?” The email asked employees to respond with a list of their accomplishments in the last week.“Please reply to this email with approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished last week and cc your manager,” the email stated, adding that they should not provide any links, attachments or classified information. The email gave a deadline of 11:59 p.m. Eastern Feb. 24.The message came hours after a social media post b...