As a free-flying, cube-shaped robot dubbed Astrobee zipped through the International Space Station today, the Expedition 63 trio aboard was occupied with upkeep and experiment maintenance tasks.
Astrobee is autonomous, and therefore no additional burden to the busy schedule of Commander Chris Cassidy of NASA and Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Ivanishin and Ivan Vagner. Masterminded to assist the spare-faring crew with routine chores and give controllers on the ground an easy way to survey the station's interior, the robot is currently flying about to capture additional video and imagery for later study.
While you're here, how about this:
US Air Force 'chameleon' satellites can be reconfigured in orbit | New Scientist
Next year will see the launch of a satellite that can reconfigure itself in orbit to take on new missions.
Hypergiant Industries of Austin, Texas, is developing a group of these satellites, dubbed the chameleon constellation, under a contract for the US Air Force. Each satellite's software is designed to be updated in orbit and change how its hardware operates – something that isn't normally possible.
The Strange, Misshapen Orbits of Planet-Forming Disks in a Triple-Star System - Universe Today
Whatever we grow up with, we think of as normal. Our single solitary yellow star seems normal to us, with planets orbiting on the same, aligned ecliptic. But most stars aren’t alone; most are in binary relationships. And some are in triple-star systems.
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Two teams of astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA) have looked into a young solar system called GW Orionis (GW Ori) that contains three stars. They’ve found that the orbits of the young, still-forming planets in this system are strange and misshapen. Their orbits are much different than the planets in our own Solar System.
Virgin Orbit asks OneWeb bankruptcy court to mandate payment for canceled launches - SpaceNews
WASHINGTON — Virgin Orbit has asked OneWeb's bankruptcy court to require OneWeb pay $46.3 million on a contract termination fee for 35 LauncherOne missions it canceled in 2018.
Virgin Orbit sued the megaconstellation startup 15 months ago over a 2015 launch contract that called for 39 LauncherOne missions, with options for 100 more. OneWeb canceled all but four of those launches, none of which have occurred.
Virgin Orbit asserted that the cancellation triggered a $70 million termination fee, of which $46.3 million remains outstanding. OneWeb said in August 2019 that the contract allowed for termination without cause, and for prior payments — of which it made $66 million — to apply to the termination fee.
While you're here, how about this:
COMSAT expands hardware footprint with new Orbit Communications Systems agreement
HERNDON, Va. , Sept. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- COMSAT, the global satellite connectivity solutions provider and member of the Satcom Direct family, is further expanding its international terminal, hardware and service footprint following the signing of a new distribution agreement with global provider of airborne and maritime satellite solutions, Orbit Communications Systems Inc. (Orbit) .
The addition of Orbit's Multi-Purpose Terminals (MPT) bolsters the extensive COMSAT portfolio, positioning COMSAT as a single source for both hardware and connectivity services for demanding government customers worldwide.
Is There a Black Hole in Our Backyard? - The New York Times
What is an astrophysicist to do during a pandemic, except maybe daydream about having a private black hole?
Although it is probably wishful thinking, some astronomers contend that a black hole may be lurking in the outer reaches of our solar system. All summer, they have been arguing over how to find it, if indeed it is there, and what to do about it, proposing plans that are only halfway out of this world.
The speculation began back in 2016 when Michael Brown and Konstantin Batygin, astronomers at the California Institute of Technology, proposed that the weird motions of a few ice balls billions of miles beyond Pluto could be evidence of a previously unknown and unsuspected object way, way out there in the dark.
SpaceX-Launched ‘Mighty Mice’ Stay Swole After Month in Orbit – CBS San
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Bulked-up, mutant “mighty mice” held onto their muscle during a monthlong stay at the International Space Station, returning to Earth with ripped bodybuilder physiques, scientists reported Monday.
The findings hold promise for preventing muscle and bone loss in astronauts on prolonged space trips like Mars missions, as well as people on Earth who are confined to bed or need wheelchairs.
Photo shows a normal mouse and a “twice-muscled” mouse developed at the The Jackson Laboratory of the University of Connecticut School of Medicine in Farmington, Conn. (Dr. Se-Jin Lee/University of Connecticut School of Medicine via AP)
U.K. Backs Orbiting 'Supercomputer' In Sign Of Space Ambitions
Happening on Twitter
Today, we remember the lives lost on Sept. 11, 2001, and the heroism of first responders: https://t.co/rSL9LCG9xo… https://t.co/WIlSbOV529 NASA Fri Sep 11 15:45:01 +0000 2020
New York City shines. This photo, taken from the station in February 2020 by @Astro_Jessica, captures the city's r… https://t.co/PhlMwyqpGV Space_Station (from Low Earth Orbit) Fri Sep 11 15:52:46 +0000 2020
✨ We're looking for the next class of NASA flight directors, and today is the last day to apply. Be part of the te… https://t.co/H27Ky5qcfm NASA Thu Sep 10 16:38:00 +0000 2020
As a free-flying, cube-shaped robot dubbed Astrobee zipped through the station today, the Exp 63 trio aboard was oc… https://t.co/fILpirxPjA Space_Station (from Low Earth Orbit) Thu Sep 10 18:02:46 +0000 2020
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