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Live like an Astronaut

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
According to the dictionary, an astronaut is a person who is professionally trained to travel in a spacecraft. "Astronaut" is the term used by NASA since the start of their space programme. The Russian Federal Space Agency (or its Soviet predecessor) uses the term "cosmonaut". These two became popularised during the 1960's space race between [...]

Chandrayaan-3 to land near Lunar south pole

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) mission Chandrayaan-3 is due to land near the lunar south pole today. This will be the first Moon landing so close to the south pole. The landing will be soft, meaning the lander will survive on the surface. A rover, stored inside the lander, will roll out and explore [...]

Jupiter Great Red Spot

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
by Alexandra Pais Jupiter hosts the most wide and strong windstorm known in the solar system. The Great Red Spot is a huge anticyclone of hydrogen and helium winds, powered from inside the planet. It is probably the same storm that has been seen since the first telescopes were targeted to Jupiter’s surface, more than [...]

Downstream Applications – what, how, who?

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
Most startups create so-called downstream applications that make use of satellite data from the Copernicus or the Galileo programmes. Copernicus is the European Union programme of Earth Observation, which monitors our planet and environment. Galileo is Europe’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), providing improved positioning and timing information for European services and users. Copernicus, named [...]

On the Shoulders of Giants

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
The phrase "on the shoulders of giants" is often attributed to Sir Isaac Newton, although its origins can be traced back to earlier sources. The phrase captures the idea that knowledge and progress build upon the work and insights of those who came before us. It signifies the acknowledgment of the contributions of predecessors and [...]

Spectrometers and Spectrographs in Space and on Earth

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
Spectroscopy is the study of spectra, spectrography is the recording of the spectra, and spectrometry is the measure of spectra. The three terms are used almost interchangeably in astronomy, astrophysics and other disciplines. Spectra (plural of spectrum) are ways to look at light (or electromagnetic waves) where different wavelengths are represented separately. An example we [...]

Solar power and JUICE’s massive panels

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
On its way to Jupiter, JUICE is moving away from the Sun. Sunlight is getting fainter and fainter, which becomes a problem if your spacecraft's electronics is designed to be powered by solar energy. Solution: massive solar panels. Juno, a NASA mission, had the previous record of solar panel area. JUICE now holds the record. [...]

Tides, altimetry and its applications

Author Pedro LacerdaNo Opinions
Ganymede, Europa and Callisto are all believed to have oceans of liquid water under their icy surfaces. But why don't those oceans freeze? Where is the heat coming from? The answer is tidal forces from Jupiter. We all know about tides on Earth. Each day, the ocean level goes up and down with about 6 [...]
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