Pandora is a small satellite designed to characterize exoplanet atmospheres and their host stars. It is slated to observe at least 20 different planets during its one year of science operations.

Looks like an interesting mission, which will look for hazes, clouds and water in exoplanets and help search for any indications that life may exist out side of our solar system.

There are some good contenders out there, but nothing concrete has, as yet, been found and there does seem to be quite a few criteria for this.

• NASA Pandora
  • Science Daily Article
• NASA Exoplanets
• Spectroscopy of Exoplanets
• ScienceDaily – Extra Solar Planets

Discuss

• Open Astronomy – Matrix
• Science forums – Exoplanets

Tags

#NASA,#Pandora,#Exoplanets,#Atmosphere,#Composition,#Mission

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Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, named Ghost Riders in the Sky, launched from pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 1:11 a.m. EST on January 15, 2025. Blue Ghost separated from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in a highly elliptical Earth orbit at 2:17 a.m. EST and established communications with Firefly’s Mission Operations Center in Cedar Park, Texas, at 2:26 a.m. EST. As Blue Ghost continues its journey to the Moon, follow along with Firefly’s mission updates all along the way.

Update

2/3/2025 – Landing successful @ 8:30 am

Links

• Mission page
• FireFly Space

Tags

#NASA,#BlueGhost

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Updates from the Parker solar probe mission

An Update from NASA

Papers and research

• arXiv- Parker Solar Probe: Four Years of Discoveries at Solar Cycle Minimum

• arXiv – Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe: Multi-viewpoint messengers of the inner heliosphere

  The spacecraft is expected to send back detailed telemetry data on its status on Jan. 1.
  

• Mission Page

  • Mission update

• @johncarlosbaez@mathstodon.xyz/113709013707911366">Fedi post

Tags

#NASA,#Mission,#TheSun,#Parker

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One of the consequences of Trumps DEI policy is that the NASA website has had to remove information, information on the women pioneers at NASA, the very people, who helped put people in to space, on the moon and bring them back to Earth.

This is HAPPENING now, thanks to Trump and MAGA.

Thankfully, there are people who are working to archive this information so it can be preserved for future generations. I have downloaded the above graphic so it can be included here. I have also put links to Wikipedia (or other)pages. There are a few gaps which I can add in later.

• Katherine Johnson
• Anita Liang
• Sally Ride
• Diana Carballosa
• Hidden Figures
  • Dorothy Vaughn
  • Mary Jackson
• Mae Jemison
• Christa McAuliffe

You CANNOT rewrite history.

Tags

#History,#NASA,#Women

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NASA Spacecraft ‘Touches Sun’ In Defining Moment For Humankind

It may be Christmas Day, this does not mean science has stopped, Just spotted this update to the Parker Probe mission.

An update from Forbes on the Parker Probe mission

Not sure if / when the communication black out is going to be, but it seems so far so good for the mission.

• Mission Page
• @johncarlosbaez@mathstodon.xyz/113709013707911366">Fedi post

Tags

#NASA,#Mission,#TheSun,#Parker

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I guess it would not be Christmas without a big space event taking place. 2024 is no exception, this year is the turn of the NASA Parker solar probe attempting the closest flyby.

I was reminded about this after seeing the BBC headlines today, mission details are below.

• NASA Parker Solar Probe

Discussion

Should be able to discuss further on Mastodon or on Science Forums.

Tags

#NASA,#Space,#Science,#SolarProbe

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The Hubble Telescope has measured the size of our nearest Earth-sized exoplanet. The planet orbits the star LTT 1445A, which is part of a triple system of three red dwarf stars that is 22 light-years away in the constellation Eridanus.

• Paper PDF

Tags

#NASA,#ESA,#NEWS,#Science,#Hubble,#ExoPlanet

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Just reposting a modified version of this:

Upcoming

Completed

Links

• NASA
  • NASA Artemis

Tags

#NASA,#Artemis,#Moon,#Missions

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A 3 part series by Dr Pamela L Gay @starstryder@astrodon.social

My 3 part series, Space Exploration v Economics, is LIVE.

1 – Science Budgets versus Congress and rising costs

2- NASA’s Fixed-Cost Contracts Change Vendor (and NASA’s) Risks

3 – Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 leaves NASA no room for mistakes

Tags

#NASA,#SpaceExploration,#Economics

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“Intuitive Machines' IM-1 mission made history on Feb. 22, with the first successful Moon landing*

This will be the first of several missions before the next Atemis mission to fly a crewed mission around the moon, before the Artemis III mission to land humans on the moon in a few years.

Exciting times ahead. You can read more about the IM-1 mission here

Tags

#Space,#Moon,#Lander,#Mission,#IntuitiveMachines,#NASA

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