New research into astronaut nutrition
Nutrition has been crucial in every era of exploration on Earth, from the days when scurvy plagued sailors to the last century, when polar explorers died from malnutrition or, in some cases, nutrient toxicity. New research sheds light on the risks of inadequate nutrition and food supply, leading to poor health and performance of astronauts during missions, as well as to poor health in the long term (nutrition and food-related risks).
Studies of the cardiovascular and muscular systems under altered gravity conditions
Even intense physical activity by astronauts cannot compensate for the muscle atrophy caused by microgravity. This atrophy occurs, in part, due to the mechanism regulating calcium absorption. Recent studies have shown that spaceflight alters calcium absorption by muscles. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying these changes are poorly understood.
The composition and structure of dark matter: theories and mysteries
According to the research team, their results also allow them to more accurately determine what proportion of the energy and matter in the Universe is dark energy. They reached their conclusions after analyzing observations of galaxy clusters made by the eROSITA X-ray telescope, which scans the entire sky above Earth in search of detectable galaxy clusters. eROSITA is mounted on Spektr-RG, a Russian-German space telescope launched into Earth orbit in 2019.
The concept of “Einstein ring” and its connection with dark matte
An Einstein ring is an extremely rare type of gravitationally lensed object, first predicted by Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. Gravitational lensing occurs when the immense gravity of a massive foreground object, such as a galaxy cluster or a black hole, bends spacetime around it; light emitted by more distant objects, such as galaxies or supernovae, passing through this curved spacetime also appears curved from our perspective on Earth.
Basic principles of the Europa Clipper spacecraft, which studies the astrobiological potential of habitable worlds
Europa Clipper is NASA’s first spacecraft designed to explore an ocean world beyond Earth. Its goal is to find out if the ice-covered moon Europa is habitable. With its antennas and solar panels fully deployed, Europa Clipper is the largest spacecraft ever designed by NASA for a planetary mission. Europa Clipper’s flyby of Mars prepares it for its second gravity assist, a close encounter with Earth in December 2026.
Mars’ gravitational pull may influence Earth’s climate
Every 2.4 million years, Mars tugs on Earth so hard that it reshapes the ocean floor. New geological research suggests that Mars’ gravity pulls Earth closer to the sun in cycles lasting millions of years, warming our climate.
Video reports from other planets and systems? Our Sun can provide such an opportunity
Plans to use a solar lens date back to the 1970s. More recently, astronomers have proposed developing a fleet of small, lightweight CubeSats that would deploy solar sails to accelerate them to 542 AU. Once there, they would slow down and coordinate their maneuvers, creating an image and sending data back to Earth for processing.
Rogue planets captured by the Sun are able to make their way into the solar system
The Sun scoops up rogue planets as they fly by. The Sun is capable of capturing both small planets and Jupiter-sized gas giants that stray too close; our star then keeps them at the edge of the solar system.
The mechanism by which black holes glow remains an unsolved mystery for scientists
A team of astronomers studied 16 supermassive black holes that shoot powerful beams into space to track where the beams, or jets, are pointing now and where they were pointing in the past. Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Baseline Array (VLBA) at the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO), they found that some of the beams had changed direction by a large amount.
Gravity and life: new discoveries
Scientists have found geological evidence that the gravitational interaction between Mars and Earth is driving the 2.4-million-year deep-sea circulation cycle and global warming. What happens if the moon disappears? Stars can strip entire planets of their atmospheres. Discovery of retrograde orbits.
Magnetic Universe. New discoveries – from everyday use to neutron stars
Scientists smashed atom against atom and unleashed a magnetic monster. A groundbreaking experiment has created a field so strong it could eclipse the grip of a neutron star. Rotating magnets can create levitation that is almost impossible to physics. For the first time, physicists had a clear understanding of how individual atoms behave like waves.
Laws formulated by a 17th century scientist are used in modern space technologies
The story of how we understand planetary motion would be impossible to tell if not for the work of the German mathematician Johannes Kepler. Kepler’s Three Laws describe how the planets orbit the Sun. They describe 1 – how planets move in elliptical orbits with the Sun as the focus, 2 – a planet covers the same area of space in the same amount of time, regardless of where it is in its orbit, and 3 – the period revolution is proportional to the size of its orbit.