transportation:space
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| transportation:space [2026/06/05 21:19] – [Black Hole] timb | transportation:space [2026/06/17 19:55] (current) – [Antenna] timb | ||
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| + | == Human Error Caused a $4.1 Million Mishap at NASA’s Deep Space Network == | ||
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| + | A NASA investigation blamed poor training and procedures for damage to a 70-meter radio frequency antenna. | ||
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| + | Passant Rabie - June 17, 2026, 2:30 pm ET | ||
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| + | NASA officials wrapped up an investigation into an incident that caused significant damage to one of its largest Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas, finding that operators were stretched beyond their usual roles to keep the facility operating. | ||
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| + | The Mishap Investigation Board issued its final report on the incident, blaming software weaknesses, human error, and an undocumented failure for the mishap. The 230-foot-wide radio antenna remains offline while NASA gets to work on its repairs, which the agency estimates will cost somewhere between $4.1 and $4.6 million. | ||
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| + | “We are committed to learning everything we can from this incident, and we’ve already begun putting those lessons into practice, | ||
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| + | == How Serious Is the Universe’s Expansion Problem? == | ||
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| + | The Hubble tension—a disagreement over the universe' | ||
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| + | Gayoung Lee - June 15, 2026, 7:30 am ET | ||
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| + | With consistent, impressive leaps in observational technology, cosmology keeps running into all kinds of issues. One infamous problem is called the Hubble tension. Namely, the two main ways scientists measure the Hubble constant, which represents the universe’s expansion rate, don’t agree. Whether that’s a scientific skill issue or evidence of some unidentified physics, scientists also don’t agree. | ||
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| + | To be clear, the numerical difference is not that big. The method that uses the cosmic microwave background (CMB), or the leftover radiation from the Big Bang, has the constant at 41 or 42 miles (67 or 68 kilometers) per second per megaparsec (a unit of distance about 3.3 million light-years). The other approach that uses local observations of galaxies and supernova puts it at 45 miles (73 kilometers). | ||
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| + | == Parker Solar Probe makes another flyby of the sun, solar energy bags a win, and more science stories == | ||
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| + | Cheyenne MacDonald - June 13, 2026 9:30 am EST | ||
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| + | NASA this week announced the four-person crew that will lead its Artemis III mission in 2027: NASA astronauts Andre Douglas, Frank Rubio and Randy Bresnik along with ESA's Luca Parmitano as the flight' | ||
| + | Parker Solar Probe' | ||
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| + | NASA's Parker Solar Probe made another close pass around the sun this week, getting 3.8 million miles from the surface and reaching a speed of 430,000 mph. This marked its 28th flyby, and matched the speed and distance records the probe first set back in December 2024. It's hit those numbers five times since. The spacecraft began its latest approach on June 3, and transmitted a beacon tone on Thursday to signal to the team that all is well. | ||
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| + | The Parker Solar Probe has been studying our star for eight years, incrementally getting closer and closer to the surface. It launched in 2018 and made its first close approach to the sun that fall, when it came within 15 million miles of the sun's surface. For its first flyby, it reached a maximum speed of 213,200 mph. Despite the harsh conditions in the sun's vicinity — the heat shield reaches an estimated 1,700 degrees F when the spacecraft is closest to the sun — the Parker team says the probe still appears to be doing well after all this time. Below the heat shield, the Parker probe is protected by thermal blankets which have kept the temperature of the spacecraft itself consistent during these flybys. | ||
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| + | "That temperature consistency is a major indicator of spacecraft health," | ||
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| + | Read More: https:// | ||
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transportation/space.1780694373.txt.gz · Last modified: by timb
