TYB
NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day
April 13, 2025
An Unusual Hole in Mars
What created this unusual hole in Mars? Actually, there are numerous holes pictured in this Swiss cheese-like landscape, with all-but-one of them showing a dusty, dark, Martian terrain beneath evaporating, light, carbon dioxide ice. The most unusual hole is on the upper right, spans about 100 meters, and seems to punch through to a lower level. Why this hole exists and why it is surrounded by a circular crater remains a topic of speculation, although a leading hypothesis is that it was created by a meteor impact. Holes such as this are of particular interest because they might be portals to lower levels that extend into expansive underground caves. If so, these naturally occurring tunnels are relatively protected from the harsh surface of Mars, making them relatively good candidates to contain Martian life. These pits are therefore also prime targets for possible future spacecraft, robots, and even human interplanetary explorers.
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
Nasa shares dazzling spider-web like night-time pictures of India from space
April 13, 2025
Nasa on Sunday shared a series of Earth images on X, captured from the International Space Station (ISS), including a stunning photo of India glowing under a layer of stars.
"When you can see the stars above, the city lights below, and the atmospheric glow blanketing Earth's horizon. Pic 1) Midwest United States Pic 2) India Pic 3) Southeast Asia Pic 4) Canada," ISS captioned the post.
The pictures received a lot of praise on social media. One user reacted to the India picture and wrote, "We spread out like spider webs".
The image captures the subcontinent aglow with a dense network of city lights, shimmering beneath a starlit sky.
Other photos in the series feature a cloud-covered view of the US Midwest, the striking coastal and inland contours of Southeast Asia, and a radiant nighttime shot of Canada, highlighted by a soft green aurora and the Earth's gentle curvature.
https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/techandscience/nasa-shares-dazzling-spider-web-like-night-time-pictures-of-india-from-space/ar-AA1CPay9
https://twitter.com/Space_Station/status/1911140246491898001
Hungarian astronauts successfully complete NASA training
APRIL 13, 2025
The astronauts of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), including Hungarian research astronaut Tibor Kapu and his reservist Gyula Cserényi, have successfully completed the astronaut training programme of NASA, the Hungarian in Orbit (HUNOR) programme said in a post on social media.
Preparation began in August 2024 at NASA‘s Johnson Space Centre in Houston, where Ax-4 crew members underwent intensive instruction and practical training.
The astronauts practised operations, emergency procedures, and performing scientific experiments in realistic models of the International Space Station modules.
The program was complemented with special modules provided by Axiom Space and SpaceX training, during which the crew members focused mainly on the Dragon capsule.
The Ax-4 astronauts have now entered the final phase of their preparation, as their launch is scheduled for May 2025 at the earliest.
Ministry announces EUR 1.5m tender for space industry support The National Economy Ministry has announced a EUR 1.5m tender for European Space Agency (ESA) support for local space industry and technology companies and research institutions.
Szabolcs Szolnoki, a deputy state secretary at the ministry, presented the details of the tender, as well as good practices for applicants, at a conference in Budapest on Friday.
With the latest tender, the amount of funding available to Hungarian space industry companies will climb to EUR 3.5m, he added.
Applications for the latest tender will be available on the esa.star system from April 22. The deadline for submitting applications is June 10.
Contracts on the support could be signed late in 2025 or early in 2026.
https://dailynewshungary.com/hungarian-astronauts-successful-nasa-program/
NASA pays tribute to Gagarin in honor of Cosmonautics Day
April 13, 2025 10:12
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration of the United States (NASA) paid tribute to cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in honor of Cosmonautics Day.
The corresponding message was posted on April 12 on the organization's page on the social network X (ex. Twitter).
"On this International Day of Human Spaceflight, we celebrate the first flight of mankind into space, which was made by Yuri Gagarin in 1961, as well as the first launch of the space shuttle (an American reusable transport spacecraft. — Ed.) in 1981," writes NASA.
The Russian crew of the International Space Station (ISS), consisting of Roscosmos cosmonauts Alexei Ovchinin, Ivan Wagner and Kirill Peskov, congratulated Russian citizens on Cosmonautics Day on April 12.
https://ina.iq/eng/39285-nasa-pays-tribute-to-gagarin-in-honor-of-cosmonautics-day.html
https://x.com/NASA/status/1911079360465084640
FAR FROM HOME Four wacky Mars home designs Nasa is eyeing for Red Planet colony – from 3D-printed ‘hives’ to cosy mushroom houses
Updated: 8:23, 13 Apr 2025
NASA considering a number of designs for its future Mars colonists, from 3D-printed habitats to structures grown from mushrooms.
To combat dangerous surface-level radiation on the Red Planet, Nasa and its partners have to get creative about where exactly future colonists will live.
Beehives
These 3D-printed domes, from architecture studio AI Space Factory, resemble beehives.
They form part of the Marsha Project, plans for vertical Martian dwellings to be printed in situ with materials from the Red Planet.
Each 'hive' houses four astronauts, with designers envisioning them being able to host a nuclear family with children included.
The design won the top prize of $500,000 in the second phase of Nasa's 3D Printed Habitat Challenge in 2018.
Regolith homes
Using materials found on Mars will be helpful, as it will save on transportation costs.
Project Olympus, from 3D-printing company Icon, hopes to construct buildings on the Moon and eventually Mars.
They are made of regolith - the rocky dust you find on the surface of the Moon and Mars.
The company won a $60million Nasa contract to build giant space homes from lunar rock in 2020 - and may well take its plans to Mars if it succeeds.
Mush-rooms
Nasa is also looking at utilising what's known as myco-architecture - the use of fungi as building blocks.
With this technique, Nasa could technically "grow" habitats on Mars, as well as the Moon.
With fungi blocks, Nasa could build dome-like structures that are then layered with ice that acts as a protective layer against radiation - and also helps feed the living fungi.
Ice house
Nasa isn't the only one considering the use of water-based ice in future Mars habitation.
SEArch+ (Space Exploration Architecture) and fellow architecture firm Clouds AO put forward the Mars Ice House in Nasa's 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.
These homes would have to be located in Mars' northern hemisphere, relying on the iciness of the region.
With just a 5cm ice shell, these homes and the astronauts that live in them would be protected against radiation - without compromising life above ground, according to the companies behind the project.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/34060246/mars-homes-designs-nasa-red-planet/
SpaceX launches 21 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket, lands booster on ship at sea
April 12, 2025
Another batch of Starlink wireless internet satellites is in orbit after a full moon-lit SpaceX launch from Florida.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Starlink 12-17 mission Saturday night (April 12) from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC).
The Falcon 9 lifted off from KSC's historic Launch Complex-39A at 8:53 p.m. EDT (0053 on April 13 GMT), carrying a stack of 21 Starlink satellites toward low Earth orbit (LEO).
The Falcon 9's first stage, a booster designated B1083, shut down its nine Merlin engines and separated from the rocket's upper stage about 2.5 minutes into flight.
Approximately six minutes later, B1083 performed a landing burn to safely touch down on SpaceX's A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship, stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
The rocket's upper stage, meanwhile, continued its ascent into LEO with its 21 payloads.
Thirteen of those satellites are equipped with SpaceX's Direct to Cell technology, which aims to help eliminate cellular dead zones for mobile devices around the globe.
In the U.S., SpaceX has partnered with T-Mobile to bring this capability to customers.
About one hour into flight, the Starlink satellites were released to begin individually maneuvering into more specific orbits to join SpaceX's growing megaconstellation.
SpaceX's Starlink network currently consists of more than 7,000 satellites, operating in a grid that blankets nearly all of the planet, save for the polar regions.
Starlink offers its users low-latency, high-speed internet from anywhere they are able to receive a satellite signal, with its network growing larger every week.
Saturday's launch was SpaceX's 42nd Falcon 9 mission of 2025. Twenty-eight of those have launched batches of Starlink satellites to join the constellation.
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-starlink-12-17-b1083-kennedy-space-center
Farewell to Conventional Rockets–China’s New Plasma Engine Surpasses NASA’s Technology, Paving the Way for Faster Mars Missions
April 13, 2025
A team of Chinese scientists from the Xi’an Aerospace Propulsion Institute has unveiled a game-changing space thruster has achieved full operation.
The 100 kilowatts magnetoplasmadynamic thruster has the potential to revolutionize space travel, with applications in interstellar journeys, interplanetary transport and deep-space exploration – and it could overtake NASA in the competition for cutting-edge propulsion techniques.
A breakthrough plasma engine
For years, scientists have trying to develop engines that allow to cover long distances without depending on expensive and limited resources.
Up until now, the alternatives included liquid fuel, nuclear energy and electric propulsion – but none of them ticks all the boxes.
Now, a Chinese research team from the Xi’an Aerospace Propulsion Institute has come up with a plasma propulsion system, working by ionizing the propellant to create plasma, which is then accelerated by an electromagnetic field to form a high-speed particle stream, thus generating thrust.
The engine design includes two main innovations:
3-D printed parts, which provide durability and precise engineering
High-temperature superconducting magnets, which increase efficiency and decrease energy loss
These factors enable the engine system to achieve an effective input power of more than 100 kilowatts.
Just to get an idea, the power levels of such engines nowadays is typically in the tens of kilowatts. The engine could be crucial to make manned space missions shorter.
The advantages of plasma engines
The reason plasma engines are getting so much attention is because they provide effective, long-lasting thrust by using electricity to ionize gas (such as argon and xenon), releasing charged particles at very high speeds – as opposed to traditional rocket engines which depend on burning fuel.
Compared to traditional engines, which propel rockets by burning fuel, plasma propulsion has the following advantages:
A higher efficiency
They cut space mission costs by removing the need for traditional fuels
Constant acceleration, making space travel way faster for manned missions
The race to deep space between China, U.S. and Russia
Russia is a direct competitor to Russia in the race to deep space exploration, as demonstrated by its own plasma engine prototype.
Russian scientists claimed to have developed a prototype of a plasma rocket engine which could slash travel time to Mars to under two months.
Currently, getting a manned mission to Mars doesn’t necessarily represent a technological barrier, but is mainly limited because of the huge amount of time it takes to get there.
With its new engine, China is now competing with Russia, while the United States is finding it hard to keep up.
It looks like China may soon overtake both the United States and Russia if it keeps developing cutting-edge technology which could be the future of space exploration.
Ongoing need for space travel innovation
The developments could completely change the way humans explore space, as this type of engine is suitable for long-distance space missions and interplanetary cargo transport.
Exploring beyond our galaxy has been a consistent goal for space agencies around the world, but developing new technologies that make it possible continues to be a challenge.
Recently, new solar panel technology was added to the International Space Station, allowing for electricity to be generated in space.
The panels are different to the ones we see here on Earth, as they are designed to withstand extreme temperatures, solar radiation and other extreme conditions in space.
The development of faster and more effective plasma engines by China and Russia could potentially revolutionize space travel in the future.
Spacecrafts powered by next-generation plasma engines could bring the first humans to Mars, instead of NASA.
China is a crucial competitor in terms of sophisticated technology development for space exploration – adding to the global competition.
https://www.lagradaonline.com/en-us/chinas-plasma-engine-surpasses-nasas-technology/
https://thehill.com/opinion/technology/5242977-commercial-lunar-payload-services/
Commercial space companies are ready for the next stage of lunar exploration
04/13/25 10:00 AM ET
Recently, some of the players in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program met with the House Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, part of the House Science, Space and Technology Committee.
The witnesses included representatives from NASA administration, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, Astrobotic Technology, Intuitive Machines and Firefly Aerospace.
Intuitive Machines made a “partially successful” lunar landing in March after a similar attempt in February 2024.
Firefly Aerospace conducted an entirely successful lunar landing also in March 2025. Astrobotic failed its first lunar landing attempt in January 2024.
The hearing covered two main topics. The first was what to do with the NASA VIPER lunar rover. The second was a discussion of the possibility of a Commercial Lunar Payload Services 2.0.
VIPER, or Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, was planned by NASA to be delivered by an Astrobotic Griffin lander to the moon’s south pole.
It would trundle across the lunar surface with a drill and a suite of instruments, searching for ice.
NASA abruptly canceled the rover in July 2024, citing cost overruns. The VIPER is essentially finished and needs only some more testing before it is sent to the moon.
The decision elicited cries of outrage from both the scientific and commercial space communities.
Some demanded that the project be revived through a commercial partnership. Intuitive Machines developed a plan to do just that, using one of its planned landers.
NASA finally put out some requests for proposals for plans to deliver the VIPER to the moon with a commercial partnership. The space agency stated that it will respond sometime in the summer of 2025.
Members of the subcommittee expressed exasperation with NASA’s decision to cancel VIPER, according to Space News.
Nicola Fox, the associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, defended the decision, stating that moving forward with the lunar rover would have adversely affected the funding of several future Commercial Lunar Payload Services missions.
Brett W. Denevi, the principal staff scientist at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, expressed skepticism about the commercial partnership approach.
“We should not expect VIPER science to happen by hoping that someone will offer to fly and operate it on their own dime,” he said.
He stated that Congress must come up with the extra money lest China become the first country to prospect for water ice on the moon.
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On the subject of Commercial Lunar Payload Services and its future, the three representatives of the commercial lunar lander companies were filled with praise for the program and would like more of the same.
The current program lasts through 2028. A Commercial Lunar Payload Services 2.0 would continue and expand the program that has NASA helping to finance commercial moon landings.
Steve Altemus, president and CEO of Intuitive Machines, suggested that Commercial Lunar Payload Services 2.0. would start delivering “infrastructure” to the lunar surface.
Infrastructure means habitats, rovers, power sources and everything else that would support the long-term exploration and development of the moon.
By 2028, if NASA’s plans hold up, the Artemis III mission should have already taken place. A Human Landing System derived from the SpaceX Starship will have delivered two astronauts and their equipment to the lunar surface.
With the Starship human landing systems’ ability to carry 100 to 150 metric tons to the moon, the first two moonwalkers since 1972 will have a lot of stuff coming with them.
The advent of the Starship human landing system could provide a lot of opportunities for commercial companies.
It could be that Artemis III will leave behind robots provided by commercial companies to continue the work of the next moonwalkers when they leave the lunar surface.
The opportunity presented by the Starship human landing system depends on NASA following through with the Artemis return to the moon program and not pursuing the pivot to Mars that Elon Musk advocates.
The moon is an opportunity for science, economic development and political soft power (i.e., beating China.)
Fortunately, Jared Isaacman, the billionaire entrepreneur who Trump nominated to be NASA administrator, has expressed his full support for a return to the moon before the end of the current presidential term.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee that oversees NASA, agreed on X, stating, “The moon mission MUST happen in President Trump’s term or else China will beat us there and build the first moonbase.”
Isaacman also noted during testimony at his confirmation hearings that while Mars is a priority, “Along the way, we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the Moon and determine the scientific, economic, and national security benefits of maintaining a presence on the lunar surface.”
Commercial Lunar Payload Services companies can play a continuing role in the opening of the lunar frontier.
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Katy Perry and Blue Origin's all-female rocket crew get Monse designer flight suits
April 13, 2025
When Katy Perry and the all-woman crew of Blue Origin's next astronaut launch lift off on Monday, they'll launch in style. Literally.
Lauren Sánchez, the journalist and author who organized the flight (she's also fiancee of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos), recruited designer Monse to reimagine Blue Origin's flight suits.
"I think the suits are elegant, but they also bring a little spice to space," Sánchez told the New York Times.
Perry and Sanchez will launch on Blue Origin's New Shepard suborbital rocket on Monday (April 14) along with "CBS Mornings" co-host Gayle King, bioastronautics research scientist and activist Amanda Nguyen, former NASA rocket scientist Aisha Bowe and film producer Kerianne Flynn.
Blue Origin's polyester flights suits are blue with some black highlights around the knees, elbows, shoulders and torso.
The Monse Blue Origin flight suits are sleeker and made of "flame-resistant stretch neoprene," per the Times. They do away with shoulder pads and black highlights on the arms and legs.
They were designed by Monse co-founders Fernando Garcia and Laura Kim, who designed her 2024 Met Gala outfit, according to the Times. Blue Origin shared a crew photo in the suits on April 12.
"Simplicity was important, and comfort, and fit," Garcia told the Times. "But we also wanted something that was a little dangerous, like a motocross outfit. Or a ski suit. Flattering and sexy."
King reportedly said the suits were "professional and feminine at the same time," according to the Times.
Blue Origin's all-female crew will fly from the West Texas Launch Site One at 9:30 a.m. EDT (1330 GMT) on Monday.
You can watch the Blue Origin all-female crew launch on Space.com, courtesy of Blue Origin, at 8 a.m. EDT (1200 GMT).
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/private-spaceflight/katy-perry-all-female-blue-origin-rocket-launch-get-monse-designer-flight-suits