Mysterious phenomenon that's causing this summer to fly by... as experts reveal the devastating consequences
Earth has seen a stretch of historically shorter days this month as the planet's rotation mysteriously accelerates.
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The Independent
28 minutes ago
- The Independent
Astronauts launch to the space station after sidelined by Boeing's troubled Starliner
Astronauts sidelined for the past year by Boeing's Starliner trouble blasted off to the International Space Station on Friday, getting a lift from SpaceX. The U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew of four rocketed from NASA's Kennedy Space Center. They'll replace colleagues who launched to the space station in March as fill-ins for NASA's two stuck astronauts. Their SpaceX capsule should reach the orbiting lab this weekend and stay for at least six months. Zena Cardman, a biologist and polar explorer who should have launched last year, was yanked along with another NASA crewmate to make room for Starliner's star-crossed test pilots. The botched Starliner demo forced Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to switch to SpaceX to get back from the space station more than nine months after departing on what should have been a weeklong trip. Ensuring their safe return 'meant stepping aside," Cardman said before her launch. 'Every astronaut wants to be in space. None of us want to stay on the ground, but it's not about me,' said Cardman, the flight commander. Even after launch, "things can change at the last minute, so I'll count myself very fortunate when the hatch opens' to the space station. NASA's Mike Fincke — Cardman's co-pilot — was the backup for Wilmore and Williams on Starliner, making those three still the only ones certified to fly it. Fincke and Japan's Kimiya Yui, former military officers with previous spaceflight experience, were training for Starliner's second astronaut mission. With Starliner grounded until 2026, NASA switched the two to the latest SpaceX flight. Rounding out the crew is Russia's Oleg Platonov. The former fighter pilot was pulled a few years ago from the Russian Soyuz flight lineup because of an undisclosed health issue that he said has since been resolved. On hand for the first launch attempt on Thursday, NASA's new acting administrator, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, met with Roscosmos director general Dmitry Bakanov, an invited guest. The two discussed future collaboration, then left town after thick clouds forced a last-minute delay. 'What we learn on these missions is what's going to get us to the moon and then from the moon to Mars, which is I think the direction that NASA has to be,' Duffy said in a NASA interview. 'There's critical real estate on the moon. We want to claim that real estate for ourselves and our partners.' To save money in light of tight budgets, NASA is looking to increase its space station stays from six months to eight months, a move already adopted by Russia's space agency. SpaceX is close to certifying its Dragon capsules for longer flights, which means the newly launched crew could be up there until April. NASA is also considering smaller crews — three astronauts launching on SpaceX instead of the typical four — to cut costs. As for Starliner, NASA is leaning toward launching the next one with cargo before flying another crew. Engineers are still investigating the thruster failures and helium leaks that bedeviled Starliner following liftoff. Time is running out as NASA looks to abandon the aging space station by 2030. An air leak on the Russian side of the station remains unresolved after years of patching. 'I am not in the least worried' about the leak, which is localized, Platonov said earlier this month. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute's Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Russian and US space chiefs meet to discuss continued cooperation
Russia's space chief has visited the United States to discuss plans for continued cooperation between Moscow and Washington on the International Space Station and lunar research with NASA's acting chief, the first such face-to-face meeting in more than seven years. Dmitry Bakanov, the director of the state space corporation Roscosmos, met Thursday with NASA's new acting administrator, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, on a visit to attend the planned launch of a U.S.-Japanese-Russian crew to the space station. The launch was delayed by weather until Friday. Roscosmos said Bakanov and Duffy discussed "further work on the International Space Station, cooperation on lunar programs, joint exploration of deep space and continued cooperation on other space projects.' Once bitter rivals in the space race during the Cold War, Roscosmos and NASA cooperated on the space station and other projects. That relationship was beset with tensions after Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, but Washington and Moscow have continued to work together, with U.S. and Russian crews continuing to fly to the orbiting outpost on each country's spacecraft. Plans for broader cooperation, including possible Russian involvement in NASA's Artemis program of lunar research, have fallen apart. As Russia has become increasingly reliant on China for its energy exports and imports of key technology amid Western sanctions, Roscosmos has started cooperation with China on its prospective lunar mission. Speaking to Russian reporters after the talks with Duffy, Bakanov said that they agreed to keep working on keeping the space station in operation to the end of the decade. 'Our experts will now start working on those issues in details,' Bakanov said, praising Duffy for giving a green light for those contacts 'despite geopolitical tensions.' The Russian space chief added that he and Duffy will report the results of the meeting to Russian President Vladimir Putin and President Donald Trump to secure their blessing for potential space cooperation. 'In view of the difficult geopolitical situation, we will need to receive the necessary clearance from the leaders of our countries,' Bakanov said. He added he invited Duffy to visit Moscow and the Russia-leased Baikonur launch facility in Kazakhstan for the launch of another Russia-U.S. crew to the space station scheduled for November. 'I will put my efforts into keeping the channel of cooperation between Russia and the U.S. open, and I expect NASA to do the same,' Bakanov said.
The Guardian
2 hours ago
- The Guardian
Royal Society right to keep Elon Musk as member, says new astronomer royal
The Royal Society was right to keep Elon Musk as a fellow, the UK's new astronomer royal has said, adding there was a benefit to the private sector playing a role in space exploration. Speaking to the Guardian after becoming the first woman to hold the 350-year-old position, the planetary scientist Prof Michele Dougherty said she had not been involved in the meetings around Musk's fellowship, but that she supported the academy's stance. 'The outcome of those meetings, and I've seen emails about it, is that he remains as a fellow of the Royal Society, because the reason he was given the [fellowship] has not changed,' said Dougherty. Asked if she thought this was the correct outcome, she said: 'Yes, I do.' Musk was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in 2018 for his contribution to the space and electric vehicle industries. But over the past year, a host of scientists have called for the Royal Society to take action, saying Musk had violated the academy's code of conduct, including through his former role in leading the US department of government efficiency (Doge). In July the Guardian revealed the Royal Society had corresponded with Musk, suggesting he should consider resigning his fellowship if he felt unable to help with concerns raised by scientists about the Trump administration's attacks on research. Musk did not respond to the suggestion and the Royal Society decided to take no further action. Musk remains active in the space industry: through his company SpaceX, he hopes to colonise Mars, and its spacecraft are already used to take people and cargo to the International Space Station. His fellow billionaire Jeff Bezos is also developing rockets through his Blue Origin company. Dougherty, 62, was upbeat about the role of the private sector in space exploration. 'I think there is some real positive aspects to it, because it allows us to advance the instrumentation and the launches that would be done at a much slower pace if it was only government funding that was doing it,' she said, adding that the UK space sector, and the involvement of new companies, also benefited the economy. 'What I would like to see is a bit more joined up thinking about what the focus should be and where we want to advance things,' she said. 'But you know the launcher that Elon Musk is responsible for, where they grab the rocket fuel engine thingies and reuse them? The hair on my arms stood up on end when I saw that. It's spectacular.' Sign up to TechScape A weekly dive in to how technology is shaping our lives after newsletter promotion Dougherty said that while Mars was clearly also on the horizon for Nasa and the European Space Agency (Esa), she had never been tempted to head into space herself. 'I've never wanted to be an astronaut. I'm not brave enough,' she said. 'I think if something went wrong, I wouldn't know what to do. For me, the way I like to do my exploration is you send out instruments that are able to take the measurements for you.' Dougherty was involved with the Cassini space mission that revealed unprecedented insights into Saturn and its system. The measurements taken by her magnetometer contributed to the discovery of plumes of water vapour and ice erupting from the surface of the moon Enceladus, raising the possibility it could be habitable. Dougherty is also principal investigator of the magnetometer for the Esa's Juice mission, which is currently on its way to study Jupiter and three of its moons including Europa – a body thought to have an ice-covered ocean of salty water, making it another contender for harbouring life. Dougherty, who grew up in South Africa, said a key realisation about where to look for extraterrestrial life came after bacteria were discovered living in the depths of the Earth's oceans, where the environment is extreme. 'That's the kind of life form that I would be very surprised if we are not able to find elsewhere in our solar system,' she said. 'I'm not going to talk about little green men.' In her new role as astronomer royal, Dougherty said she hoped to share with the public, and particularly children, what scientists do and the excitement of discoveries. 'I see humankind as explorers,' she said. 'I think when we stop exploring, we would have lost a little bit of ourselves.' The best public interest journalism relies on first-hand accounts from people in the know. If you have something to share on this subject you can contact us confidentially using the following methods. Secure Messaging in the Guardian app The Guardian app has a tool to send tips about stories. Messages are end to end encrypted and concealed within the routine activity that every Guardian mobile app performs. This prevents an observer from knowing that you are communicating with us at all, let alone what is being said. If you don't already have the Guardian app, download it (iOS/Android) and go to the menu. Select 'Secure Messaging'. SecureDrop, instant messengers, email, telephone and post See our guide at for alternative methods and the pros and cons of each.
