Can you ace our 2021 news quiz? Give it a try!
Tag: space
Perseverance Rover Starts Two-Year Mission on Mars
NASA’s rover, Perseverance, landed on Mars on Feb. 18 and begins a two-year search for signs of ancient life.
Christina Koch Returns to Earth and Makes History
NASA astronaut Christina Koch returned to Earth on February 6 after spending 328 days on the International Space Station (ISS). Data from her trip will help NASA understand how different people are affected by space travel.
Are Too Many Satellites Ruining Our View Of Space?
Some astronomers say the growing number of satellites orbiting the Earth is making it harder for them to observe and learn from the universe.
Canadian Astronaut To Board ISS
The International Space Station is a spacecraft that orbits the Earth; it is part laboratory and part home for astronauts. And soon it will have a new resident.
Canadian astronaut David Saint-Jacques will make the journey to the ISS on December 3. The launch is set for 6:30 a.m. He will remain on the spacecraft for about six months.
It is his first mission as an astronaut. It is the 17th space flight for the Canadian Astronaut Corps, according to the Canadian Space Agency.
While he is on board the ISS, Saint-Jacques will conduct experiments and demonstrate technology.
Stunning New Colour-Enhanced Pictures of Jupiter
NASA recently released new pictures of Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system. The photos were taken by the Juno spacecraft. Many of the black-and-white images, sent back to Earth by Juno, have been colourized by people to better show the clouds swirling around the planet. The Juno spacecraft was launched in 2011. Its mission was “to examine Jupiter’s chemistry, atmosphere, interior structure and magnetosophere,” according to a NASA website. Juno arrived at Jupiter in 2016, looking for “clues to its origin and evolution.” Since that time, it has been orbiting (flying around) Jupiter, taking pictures and sending them digitally back to Earth.
Scientist Stephen Hawking Dead At Age 76
When we think of scientific geniuses, we may think of Albert Einstein, Marie Curie or Ada Lovelace. Stephen Hawking was right up there with the most brilliant minds of any generation. He passed away last week, at the age of 76.
It would take a book — or a movie (there are both) — to even scratch the surface of his accomplishments, his tremendous sense of humour, his influence on millions of people and the vast depths of his knowledge.
He helped the world better understand black holes and string theory. Black holes are extremely dense regions in space. We can’t see them. In fact, we can understand what they are only by how they affect things around them. Hawking furthered our understanding of them and many other areas of physics. His groundbreaking work changed science forever.
Cave On The Moon Could Be Base For Astronauts
Scientists from JAXA, the Japanese space agency, say they have discovered an enormous underground cave on the moon.
The discovery is exciting because the cave could provide a safe place for astronauts to live and work on future missions to the moon.
In 2009, a lunar probe launched by JAXA sent back images of the cave’s entrance. The probe used radar to determine the underground structures below the entrance and sent the information back to JAXA to be analyzed.
In October, JAXA announced that there appears to be a cavern about 50 kilometres (31 miles) long and 100 metres (328 feet) wide leading from the opening.
Scientists say the cave could make an ideal base for astronauts. It would protect the astronauts and their equipment from the extreme heat and cold on the moon’s surface. It would also help keep them safe from micrometeorites (tiny particles of space dust) that land on the moon, and from the harmful rays of the sun.
Cassini: Mission Accomplished
The Cassini space probe’s 20-year mission to Saturn is over. On September 15, at 4:55 a.m. Eastern Time on Earth, the spacecraft entered the atmosphere around Saturn. Moments later, it was destroyed. Cassini was launched in 1997. It had been […]
Former Astronaut To Be Canada’s Next Governor General
Julie Payette will be Canada’s next Governor-General, replacing David Johnston. She will start her new job on October 2.
Payette, 53, is a former astronaut, who spent more than 25 days in space.
She speaks six languages.
