Science, Space, Health & Robotics News - Page 1

NASA successfully gathered more samples from asteroid Bennu than it initially anticipated, with the OSIRIS-REx mission now being deemed more than a success.

NASA's ORISIS-REx spacecraft delivered more than 120 grams of Bennu asteroid samples back to Earth on September 24, 2023, with the space agency now saying it was the largest asteroid sample ever collected in space and more than twice the total amount of weight than what was required for the mission to be called a success.

NASA needed to recover at least 60 grams of asteroid material to meet the goals of the mission, and when the Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAGSAM) head was opened, researchers basked their eyes on the treasure trove of ancient asteroid material.

A team of researchers studied four asteroids using sensitive instruments and, for the first time, detected key molecules that are needed for life to exist.

The research was recently published in The Planetary Science Journal and details an analysis conducted on four silicate-rich asteroids. These asteroids were analyzed by the retired Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA), which was a telescope equipped with a plane that was operated by NASA and the German Aerospace Center.

SOFIA's Faint Object InfraRed Camera (FORCAST) instrument provided data on the four asteroids, and researchers found evidence of the presence of water molecules on the surface of two of the space rocks. It should be noted that water molecules have previously been detected in asteroid samples that have been returned to Earth, but this is the first time scientists have detected the presence of water on the surface of an asteroid currently in space.

It's currently extremely expensive to get anything with significant weight into space, let alone travel from one space bearing to another.

For these reasons and many others, NASA is throwing money into the research and development of alternative ways of spacecraft propulsion, and the space agency just hit a critical milestone in the development of one of those alternative methods - solar sails. NASA has successfully rolled back or deployed one of the four quadrants of a massive solar sail currently being constructed at Redwire Space facility in Longmont, Colorado.

The idea behind the solar sail is similar to a sail on a boat, but instead of wind pushing the spacecraft, the solar sail absorbs and reflects sunlight, giving it energy and, therefore, propulsion. More specifically, when light from the Sun hits the solar sail, the momentum of the photons transfers a portion of their momentum onto it. This is a small transfer of momentum with a single photon, but since the Sun and the solar system are abundant with them, the solar sail, at least in theory, could travel much faster than the chemical rockets we see today.

Elon Musk, the head of SpaceX, teased when the Starship, the world's most powerful rocket, will attempt its second orbital test flight.

The SpaceX CEO took to X to share some information regarding the next time Starship will take to the skies. The new information came to light in a reply Musk made to the rapper Ye (Kanye West), who asked, "Where my rocket ship?". Musk wrote in response to Ye's tweet that SpaceX's massive rocket ship is expected to take flight "in about 3 weeks". Musk finished up his tweet by saying that despite the third orbital launch attempt being around the corner, he would recommend "waiting for a few more test flights before hopping on board".

For those who don't know, Starship is SpaceX's biggest and best rocket that is currently undergoing development with the overall goal of successfully reaching orbit. The rocket is slated to be the transportation method to the Moon and Mars, but its two orbital test flights, unfortunately, ended in the rocket exploding. However, the process of launching new technology involves explosions, and after every launch, SpaceX learns more about how the 400-foot-tall rocket handles.

Last week, the Sun released an extremely powerful solar flare, and NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory snapped an incredible image showcasing the fiery outburst.

The solar flare occurred on February 9 and was an X-class solar flare, the most intense classification given to solar flares. These powerful blasts from our local star can cause some problems on Earth, and as you can probably imagine, the larger the blast, the bigger the problems. Luckily, in this case, the solar flare occurred on the side of the Sun facing away from Earth, with solar physicist Keith Strong mentioning this point on X by writing, "Goodness knows how big this flare would have been if it had happened this side of the sun."

Solar flares such as this one are often accompanied by a Coronal Mass Ejection (CME), a large wave of plasma that erupts into space in a specific direction similar to a wave. These CMEs can cause disruptions on Earth if their trajectory lines up with the planet. CME impacts result in geomagnetic storms that can cause many problems for Earth-orbiting satellites, power grids, radio signals, and GPS satellites.

Metal 3D printing is coming to space thanks to a new custom metal 3D printer designed by Airbus for the European Space Agency (ESA) that is now aboard the International Space Station. Not to be confused with the polymer-based 3D printers used on the ISS using plastic materials, this is the real deal - "metal being melted using a laser."

The ESA's metal 3D printer was sent to the ISS aboard the Cygnus NG-20 resupply mission and could be a game-changer for both the International Space Station and space exploration as we know it. With the ability to 3D print metal, spare parts or even brand new ones could be effectively 'manufactured' in orbit without relying on rockets and resupply missions.

3D metal printing is very different from using plastic, with the stainless steel wire of this custom printer heated up to a 1,400 degrees Celsius melting point compared to 200 degrees Celsius for plastic wire.

The head of Xbox, Phil Spencer, has quelled fears that Microsoft is planning on eventually stopping production of Xbox consoles, a theory that was birthed out of the recent reports that Xbox games are coming to PlayStation.

The report that Xbox was going to bring exclusive titles such as Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Starfield and more over to PlayStation spawned theories that Microsoft was going to eventually stop production of the Xbox console.

As wild and unfounded as these theories were, they have now been slashed by Xbox head Phil Spencer, who reportedly said at a town hall meeting with fellow Xbox colleagues that Microsoft has no intention of stopping production of the Xbox and that the console remains critical to company's plans moving forward.

A team of researchers discovered what is being described and reported as the world's first 1,700-year-old intact chicken egg with contents inside.

Scientists excavated the chicken egg from Berryfields near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, and upon discovery, four eggs were identified, but only one was intact with contents still within. A report from the BBC describes the discovery of the egg as a "world's first." The egg was found in a waterlogged pit, and the organic materials within this pit persevered it all these years. The 1,700-year-old egg was taken to labs for analysis, where it underwent Micro CT scans and 3D pictures.

Edward Biddulph, the senior project manager at Oxford Archaeology overseeing the excavation of the egg, told the BBC that scientists were "blown away when we saw the contents in there, as we might have expected them to have leeched out." Conservator Dana Goodburn-Brown conducted additional examinations at the University of Kent, who took the egg in for 3D imaging and concluded with the results the egg still contained its liquid content.

Much like some hobbits and creatures of Middle-Earth, NASA's Mars helicopter has been ordained with a special honor.

NASA's Mars helicopter named Ingenuity ended its mission after an impressive 72 flights on the surface of the Red Planet, and to celebrate its many achievements while also honoring its success, NASA has decided to nickname its final resting place. The choice of its final resting place is called "Valinor Hills," which is named after the fictional location within J.R.R Tolkien's legendarium that includes "The Lord of the Rings," "The Silmarillion," and more.

For those that don't know, Valinor is a place in Tolkien's epic fantasy that is exclusively returning to their homeland in what could be viewed as Tolkien's version of heaven (even though Tolkien hated allegory). The honor of stepping foot in Valinor was exclusive to elves, with a few exceptions, such as some hobbits and men. The location is briefly mentioned a few times throughout Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings Triology, and is specifically mentioned by Gandalf to Pippin before the battle of Minas Tirith.

A Florida man has filed a lawsuit against the creators behind a robot surgeon that caused damage to a patient that ultimately led to their death.

Harvey Sultzer filed a wrongful death lawsuit that claims his late wife, Sandra Sultzer, suffered health complications following her procedure at the Baptist Health Boca Ration Regional Hospital in September 2021. The operation involved treatment of her colon cancer and included the use of a da Vinci surgical robot. For those who don't know, the da Vinci robot is a multi-armed, remote-controlled device that is used to assist in surgery.

The electrosurgical instruments equipped with the robot are manufactured by a company called ISI, with the University of South Florida confirming the system, which is used to mimic a surgeon's hand movements, was used during the operation. According to the lawsuit, Sandra suffered a thermal injury to her small intestine, which led to a perforation and further medical intervention.