Space Exploration

The four astronauts assigned to NASA's SpaceX Crew-12 mission have started a two-week quarantine at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to safeguard their health before launch. The crew, comprising members from NASA, the European Space Agency, and Roscosmos, is preparing for a flight to the International Space Station scheduled no earlier than February 11. This mission highlights ongoing international collaboration in space exploration.

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A European research team has developed a system of three robots to autonomously explore lava tunnels on the Moon and Mars, which could serve as protected bases for astronauts. The technology was tested successfully in volcanic caves on Lanzarote, Spain, demonstrating its potential for mapping underground environments. This mission concept aims to shield explorers from radiation and meteorite impacts.

Scientists have developed a method to monitor space debris reentering Earth's atmosphere using existing earthquake sensors. By detecting sonic booms from the debris, the technique provides precise tracking of its path and potential landing sites. This approach was tested on debris from China's Shenzhou-15 spacecraft.

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Astronomers have unveiled the largest low-frequency radio image of the Milky Way, offering unprecedented views of star formation and stellar remnants. Created using data from Australian telescopes, the image reveals hidden galactic structures in vivid radio colors. This breakthrough enhances understanding of the galaxy's star life cycles.

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have observed the ultra-hot gas giant WASP-121b losing its atmosphere over a full orbit, revealing two enormous helium tails extending across more than half its path around its star. This marks the first continuous tracking of such atmospheric escape, providing unprecedented details on the process. The findings, published in Nature Communications, highlight the complexity of exoplanetary environments.

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Astronomers have observed a supermassive black hole in the galaxy VV 340a launching a wobbling jet that expels star-forming gas at a rate of about 19 solar masses per year. This process, captured using multiple telescopes including the James Webb Space Telescope, demonstrates how black holes can regulate galaxy evolution by limiting new star formation. The jet's precession, resembling a spinning top, enhances its interaction with surrounding gas.