Latest news with #SmallSat
Time of India
29-07-2025
- Science
- Time of India
Did comets bring water to Earth? WHATSUP may know
1 2 3 4 Kolkata: Did comets bring water to Earth? WHATSUP may fetch the answer! Goutam Chattopadhyay, a senior scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, who grew up in Hooghly's Nabagram, has developed an instrument aboard a self-propelled micro-satellite to explore the mysteries of water in the solar system. The Water Hunting Advanced Terahertz Spectrometer on an Ultra-small Platform (WHATSUP) — a shoebox-sized satellite instrument — is designed to detect and analyse different forms of water in space. WHATSUP aims to help answer one of planetary science's enduring questions: Did comets bring water to Earth? "Understanding where and how water exists throughout the solar system could help identify environments potentially capable of supporting life," said Chattopadhyay. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata One of the most widely accepted theories about the origin of Earth's water suggests it was delivered by water-rich asteroids and comets during the planet's early formation. These icy bodies, which formed in the colder regions of the outer solar system, contained not only water ice but also organic molecules and volatile compounds. During the heavy bombardment phase, millions of years of impacts transferred these materials to the young Earth. Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Swelling and internal bleeding in the brain, help this baby Donate For Health Donate Now Undo by Taboola by Taboola This slow accumulation eventually provided the water that fills our oceans today. Chattopadhyay says the idea is to deploy multiple WHATSUP units as secondary payloads on future missions to Mars or other planetary bodies. Once in space, they would independently navigate toward various comets to perform high-precision, high-resolution spectroscopic measurements of different water isotopes. "In a sense, water has 'colour' — each isotope of water has a distinct spectral signature, much like how different colours of light have different frequencies. WHATSUP is designed to detect these subtle differences with exceptional accuracy. This capability could mark a major breakthrough in solving a question that fascinated scientists for decades," he explained. WHATSUP is a next-generation, ultra-compact, low-power, room-temperature submillimetre-wave spectrometer operating in the 500–600 GHz range. Designed primarily for CubeSat and SmallSat platforms, it is equally well-suited for a wide range of other space missions. What sets WHATSUP apart is its use of advanced CMOS system-on-chip electronics, an innovative low-profile, low-mass antenna, MEMS-based terahertz switching, and a novel programmable calibration load. "These cutting-edge components are integrated into a highly efficient system weighing just 2 kg and consuming less than 7 watts of power—an achievement that would have seemed impossible only a few years ago," said Chattopadhyay. The technologies developed for WHATSUP have broad applicability beyond comet missions. They can be adapted for future NASA missions to planetary and cometary bodies such as Mars, Europa, Enceladus, Venus, and Titan, as well as for Earth science and astrophysics investigations.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA Awards Launch Service Task Order for Aspera's Galaxy Mission
WASHINGTON, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA has selected Rocket Lab USA Inc. of Long Beach, California, to launch the agency's Aspera mission, a SmallSat to study galaxy formation and evolution, providing new insights into how the universe works. The selection is part of NASA's Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract. This contract allows the agency to make fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity launch service task order awards during VADR's five-year ordering period, with a maximum total contract value of $300 million. Through the observation of ultraviolet light, Aspera will examine hot gas in the space between galaxies, called the intergalactic medium. The mission will study the inflow and outflow of gas from galaxies, a process thought to contribute to star formation. Aspera is part of NASA's Pioneers Program in the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, which funds compelling astrophysics science at a lower cost using small hardware and modest payloads. The principal investigator for Aspera is Carlos Vargas at the University of Arizona in Tucson. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages the VADR contract. To learn more about NASA's Aspera mission and the Pioneers Program, visit: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE NASA Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
NASA Awards Launch Service Task Order for Aspera's Galaxy Mission
WASHINGTON, May 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- NASA has selected Rocket Lab USA Inc. of Long Beach, California, to launch the agency's Aspera mission, a SmallSat to study galaxy formation and evolution, providing new insights into how the universe works. The selection is part of NASA's Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) launch services contract. This contract allows the agency to make fixed-price indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity launch service task order awards during VADR's five-year ordering period, with a maximum total contract value of $300 million. Through the observation of ultraviolet light, Aspera will examine hot gas in the space between galaxies, called the intergalactic medium. The mission will study the inflow and outflow of gas from galaxies, a process thought to contribute to star formation. Aspera is part of NASA's Pioneers Program in the Astrophysics Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington, which funds compelling astrophysics science at a lower cost using small hardware and modest payloads. The principal investigator for Aspera is Carlos Vargas at the University of Arizona in Tucson. NASA's Launch Services Program, based at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, manages the VADR contract. To learn more about NASA's Aspera mission and the Pioneers Program, visit: View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE NASA
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Scientists Are Getting Closer to a Better Source of Rocket Fuel: Good Ol' Water
Through its WET (Water-Based Electric Thrusters) Project, the University of Bologna will be developing a new electric thruster for rockets that is propelled by water being turned into plasma through electrolysis. While prototypes of water-powered rocket thrusters and engines have been developed before, and a few have succeeded in launching CubeSats, water has not yet been used as a propellant on a large scale. Researchers involved in the WET Project are looking to create a thruster that can power a SmallSat, maybe even into deep space. Eco-friendly alternatives to fossil fuels are venturing beyond Earth—and into space. Most rocket fuels are based off fossil fuels, but these finite resources are also detrimental to the environment. Burning them releases monstrous amounts of carbon dioxide (a greenhouse gas) and nitrogen oxides or ammonia (culprits behind smog and acid rain) into the atmosphere. NASA, ESA and other space agencies, as well as research groups at other institutions, have been trying to change that by swapping these fossil fuels for water. Rocket thrusters powered by the hydrogen and oxygen in water do exist, and while NASA succeeded with using this kind of propulsion system to launch their PTD-1 CubeSat in 2021, water fuel has not yet been used on a large scale. An international team of researchers led by the University of Bologna in Italy are now going to be developing a new type of electric thruster that runs off plasma generated from water. This endeavor, known as the WET (Water-Based Electric Thrusters) Project, will involve observing the formation and behavior of water-generated plasma in order to figure out how to create a thruster that does not rely on fossil fuels but will propel rockets through the air with just as much power, if not more. 'The WET project is not just about developing an innovative technology but also about creating a new vision for the future of space exploration,' Fabrizio Ponti, professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering at the University of Bologna, said in a press release. How is plasma even made from water? Plasma is often considered the fourth state of matter—after solids, liquids, and gases—and can be achieved through electrolysis. When water is heated by an electric current, it evaporates, but under extreme heat, the molecules in that water vapor will split into their hydrogen and oxygen components. Hydrogen and oxygen atoms will then become ions and electrons (the key ingredients of plasma) under higher heat. Plasma is ionized, with an electric charge determined by the loss of electrons, since atomic nuclei at least one electron in the process. A certain amount of atoms needs to be ionized before a superheated substance can be called plasma. In rocket thrusters, the electrical energy produced from plasma formation creates kinetic thrust that blasts the rocket off into space. NASA has been experimenting with electrolysis for rocket fuel since the late 1960s. In fact, a 1969 prototype rocket engine developed at the Glenn Research Center was said to have 'advantages over more conventional control systems, including high performance, safe materials, simple storage, long lifetime, and low power requirements.' The University of Bologna plans to level up the equipment in its Alma Propulsion Laboratory in order to be able to conduct experiments and prove that their technology is viable. Though much of what will determine the upgraded aspects of the WET Project's thrusters has not yet been investigated, the researchers are planning to design one that operates at about 500-100 watts, which is the approximate range for small satellites called SmallSats. The new tech could potentially be used in deep space missions. 'Thanks to water, an eco-friendly and versatile propellant, unprecedented possibilities for deep-space exploration could open up, with particular attention to economic and environmental sustainability,' Ponti said. There is another advantage to this kind of propellant—water is everywhere in space, so running out of fuel won't be an issue for the spacecraft of the future. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?
