Science News Roundup: NASA chief says Russia ties ‘solid’ as Moscow’s space chief rejects U.S. led program; Solar probe reveals sun’s tiny ‘campfires’ and more
UAE reschedules Mars mission launch to between July 20 and July 22 The United Arab Emirates has rescheduled the launch of its mission to Mars to a preliminary window between July 20 and July 22, depending on weather conditions at the launch site in Japan, the government’s communications office said on Thursday.
Following is a summary of current science news briefs.
NASA chief says Russia ties ‘solid’ as Moscow’s space chief rejects U.S.-led moon program
NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said Tuesday he still expected support from Russia’s space corporation in its Artemis moon program despite Moscow’s space chief slamming the U.S.-led lunar effort. Bridenstine said in an interview with Reuters on Tuesday “the relationship between NASA and Roscosmos is solid” and emphasized that international partners will play a key role in NASA’s plan to land humans on the lunar surface by 2024 and construct a space station orbiting the moon.
Solar probe reveals sun’s tiny ‘campfires’ in closest-ever photos
A solar probe built by the European Space Agency and NASA has delivered the closest photos ever taken of the sun’s surface, revealing a landscape rife with thousands of tiny solar flares that scientists dubbed “campfires” and offering clues about the extreme heat of the outermost part of its atmosphere. “When the first images came in, my first thought was, ‘This is not possible – it can’t be that good,'” David Berghmans, principal investigator for the Solar Orbiter spacecraft’s ultraviolet imager at the Royal Observatory of Belgium, told reporters on Thursday.
UAE reschedules Mars mission launch to between July 20 and July 22
The United Arab Emirates has rescheduled the launch of its mission to Mars to a preliminary window between July 20 and July 22, depending on weather conditions at the launch site in Japan, the government’s communications office said on Thursday. The launch of the UAE’s Hope Probe from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center has been delayed twice due to unsettled weather. The probe is set to make a seven-month journey to the red planet before orbiting it and sending back data about the atmosphere.
Scientists unravel secrets of ultra-black fish swimming the deepest depths
For fish inhabiting the immense darkness of the deep sea, being ultra-black offers great camouflage in a fish-eat-fish world. Scientists studying some of these exotic creatures now have unraveled the secret behind their extreme color. These fish – like the fangtooth, the Pacific black dragon, the anglerfish, and the black swallower – have modified the shape, size, and packing of the pigment in their skin to the point that it reflects less than 0.5% of light that hits it, researchers said on Thursday.
UAE postpones Mars mission again due to weather at Japan launch site
The United Arab Emirates has postponed the launch of its mission to Mars for a second time due to weather conditions at the launch site in Japan, the government’s communications office said on Wednesday. A new launch date in July will be announced soon, the statement on Twitter said. The UAE has said the launch window extends until Aug. 3.
Lung radiation shows promise for COVID-19 pneumonia; smoking raises risks
The following is a brief roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Lung radiation may hasten COVID-19 pneumonia recovery.
Source : devdiscourse
