astronauts

This tech startup’s Flex modular moon rover for astronauts could lead to Mars cars

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Modular moon rovers could reduce the costs of surface exploration of the moon and, potentially, human Mars excursions, a California-based space-tech startup envisions. The start-up, called Venturi Astrolab, announced the development  of its Flexible Logistics and Exploration (Flex) rover on March 10. The rover, the company said in a statement will “enhance lunar and planetary … Read more

NASA astronauts on spacewalk prep space station for new solar array

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The International Space Station is now ready for the addition of an upgraded solar array after two NASA astronauts completed a nearly seven-hour spacewalk on Tuesday (March 15). Expedition 66 crewmates Kayla Barron and Raja Chari secured brackets and erected struts at the base of one of the space station’s eight original power-providing arrays, preparing … Read more

2 NASA astronauts performing spacewalk early Tuesday: Watch it live

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Two NASA astronauts will conduct a spacewalk outside the International Space Station on Tuesday morning (March 15), and you can watch it live. Kayla Barron and Raja Chari are scheduled to step outside the orbiting lab Tuesday at 8:05 a.m. EDT (1205 GMT), kicking off a roughly 6.5-hour spacewalk designed to help pave the way … Read more

How do viruses affect astronauts in space? Here’s what we know so far.

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About 15 hours into the Apollo 7 mission, Cmdr. Walter Schirra Jr. came down with a head cold, and before long, all three mission astronauts were sick.  Mucus collected in their heads without any gravity to weigh it down, which made the astronauts extremely uncomfortable. They even refused to wear their helmets during landing. The … Read more

Spacesuit design: Amplifying footsteps might help astronauts find their feet on Mars

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Spacesuits tend to muffle sounds, but hearing our footsteps may provide useful cues about our environment and reduce the risk of tripping Space 2 March 2022 By Matthew Sparkes A mock-up spacesuit boot used in tests Maryam Al Kuwaitti Astronauts sent to explore Mars may be more sure-footed if their boots are fitted with microphones to … Read more

The European Space Agency wants to be able to launch its own astronauts

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The European Space Agency (ESA) is pushing for its members to back a program to allow it to independently send astronauts to space and set ambitious, long-term human exploration goals. While Europeans have been flying to space since the 1970s, only three countries — the Soviet Union (now Russia), the United States and China — … Read more

Astronauts, Australian airport mark 60 years since John Glenn first orbited Earth

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The latest U.S. astronauts to follow John Glenn into orbit and the Australian city that lit up for his mission 60 years ago both celebrated the legacy of Glenn’s historic American spaceflight. The four NASA crew members currently on board the International Space Station marked the anniversary in a video while the airport in Perth, … Read more

Astronauts snap stunning views of February’s Full Snow Moon from space (photos)

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Astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS) captured stunning views of February’s Full Snow Moon this week. Full moons occur when the moon is on the opposite side of the Earth from the sun, which happens roughly every 29.5 days. The Full Snow Moon arrived on Wednesday (Feb. 16) at 11:57 a.m. EST (0457 GMT), … Read more

Mount Etna is erupting and astronauts are watching it from space

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The majestic Mount Etna is erupting so strongly in the Mediterranean that it’s catching the attention of the International Space Station crew. Members of Expedition 66 currently in orbit shared some views of space of the highly active volcano, which has erupted dozens of times in the past year alone.  “@astro_luca’s home volcano #Etna is … Read more