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NASA spacecraft survives closest-ever approach to the sun | Science, Climate & Tech News
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A NASA spacecraft is “safe” after making the closest-ever approach to the sun by a human-made object, the space agency says. The Parker Solar Probe came within 3.8 million miles of the sun’s surface on Christmas Eve, NASA said. It travelled at 430,000 miles per hour as it flew into our nearest star’s outer atmosphere,…
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Europa Clipper: NASA spacecraft blasts off to find out if Jupiter moon can support life | Science & Tech News
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A NASA spacecraft has launched from Florida on a mission to find out if Jupiter’s icy moon Europa could support life. The craft, called Europa Clipper, was on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket which blasted off from Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral under sunny skies. Its launch had been delayed for several days by…
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Boeing’s faulty Starliner spacecraft heading back to Earth – leaving astronauts in orbit | Science & Tech News
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The Starliner space capsule which developed faults as it transported two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) is to be flown back to Earth unmanned on Friday. It should be taking test pilots Sunita “Suni” Williams and Commander Barry “Butch” Wilmore back to Earth, but the pair are staying on the ISS instead…
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Strange noises coming from faulty Boeing spacecraft aren’t serious, says NASA | Science & Tech News
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Strange noises that were heard coming from the Boeing Starliner currently docked on the International Space Station (ISS) are not serious, says NASA. Astronaut Butch Wilmore, who has been stuck on the ISS with his colleague Suni since early July because of Starliner’s problems, told mission control he could hear “strange” sounds coming from the…
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Juice spacecraft to pass over Earth in ‘world first’ fly-by | Science & Tech News
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The European Space Agency’s Juice craft will return to Earth tonight, taking part in a “world first” fly-by. Flight controllers will guide the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice), with UK-made scientific instruments on board, past the moon and then Earth. The risky manoeuvre will take Juice on a shortcut to Jupiter via Venus, using the…
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Asteroid to zoom past Earth in 2029 – and a spacecraft will follow it | Science & Tech News
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A massive asteroid will skim past Earth in 2019 in an “extremely rare natural phenomenon” – and a spacecraft will be sent to track it. It’s hoped the findings from the European Space Agency (ESA) mission will help defend our planet from any similar objects on a collision course in the future. The asteroid 99942…
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China lands Chang’e-6 spacecraft on far side of moon in mission to bring back samples for first time | Science & Tech News
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China has landed a spacecraft on the far side of the moon to collect soil and rock samples and bring them back to Earth for the first time. The Chang’e-6 craft touched down in a huge crater known as the South Pole-Aitken Basin at 6.23am Beijing time on Sunday (11.23pm on Saturday in the UK),…
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Voyager 1: NASA’s longest-running spacecraft back in touch with Earth after five months of silence | Science & Tech News
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NASA’s longest-running spacecraft Voyager 1 is sending information back to Earth again for the first time since November. Scientists have managed to fix a problem on the probe, which was launched 46 years ago, after five months of silence. On 14 November last year, Voyager 1 stopped sending usable data back to Earth, even though…
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Japan’s SLIM spacecraft regains power nine days after historic lunar landing | Science & Tech News
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Japan’s SLIM spacecraft has regained power more than a week after it ran out of electricity after landing on the moon. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said it re-established communication with its lander late on Sunday, nine days after Japan became the fifth country to put a spacecraft on the moon. The Smart Lander…
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Japan hails ‘pinpoint’ moon landing – but spacecraft loses power after less than three hours | Science & Tech News
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Japan’s moon lander touched down with “pinpoint” precision, its space agency has said, after the country become the fifth in the world to successfully reach lunar soil. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), also known as the “moon sniper”, landed within 100m (328ft) of its target, out-striping conventional accuracy targets, it was announced on…