Become a Citizen Astronomer

news-hub

“GALAXY CRUISE” is a Citizen Astronomy project (citizen science project in astronomy) run by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ). This project utilizes the data from a large-scale survey program using Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC), the world’s best wide-field imaging camera mounted on the Subaru Telescope. We hope that, while exploring the Universe captured by the Subaru Telescope and classifying the shapes of interacting galaxies, the public and astronomers can come together to solve the mysteries of galaxies and generate new research results.

Northrop Grumman’s MEV-1 servicer docks with Intelsat satellite

news-hub

Northrop Grumman’s satellite servicing spacecraft successfully docked with an Intelsat communications satellite Feb. 25 in a bid to keep the nearly 19-year-old satellite in service an additional five years, Northrop Grumman and Intelsat executives said Feb. 26.

“This is the first time in history a docking has ever been performed with a satellite that was not pre-designed with docking in mind, and the first time two commercial satellites have ever docked,” said Joe Anderson, vice president of operations and business development at SpaceLogistics, Northrop Grumman’s subsidiary focused on satellite servicing, on a Feb. 26 call with reporters.

NASA preparing for long-duration SpaceX commercial crew test flight

news-hub

NASA is leaning increasingly towards making SpaceX’s crewed test flight to the International Space Station a long-duration mission, a move that could alleviate concerns about a lack of crew on the station later this year.

The original plans for the Demo-2, also known as DM-2, mission called for the flight to be a relatively short one, spending no more than a couple weeks at the station. In recent months, though, agency officials have suggested that they might extend the mission for months in order to have more astronauts on the station.

STEAM Dreaming in Armidale

News Articles

STEAM Dreaming in Armidale was an outstanding opportunity – jam packed with fun and information to better understand the Indigenous culture and their traditions.

Hearing stories about the land and early Aborigines was an awesome twist on perspective. The morals and wisdom shared from special speakers as very moving and made everyone attending look at themselves and each other differently and a much more positive and motivated manner.
The Destination Imagination Kids Day workshop was a blast. Children aged 4 to 14 were engaged in a variety of activities that catered for different interests and talents.

Katherine Johnson, pioneering NASA mathematician of ‘Hidden Figures’ fame, dies at 101

news-hub

Katherine Johnson, whose career making vital calculations for NASA was immortalized in the 2016 book and movie “Hidden Figures,” has died at 101.

Johnson joined what was then called the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics in 1953 as a so-called human computer at the agency’s Langley, Virginia, office.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine was quoted as saying “Ms. Johnson helped our nation enlarge the frontiers of space even as she made huge strides that also opened doors for women and people of color in the universal human quest to explore space. Her dedication and skill as a mathematician helped put humans on the moon.”

NASA Wants Your Help Designing a Venus Rover Concept

news-hub

NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is running a public challenge to develop an obstacle avoidance sensor for a possible future Venus rover. Using a grant from the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program the challenge, titled ‘Exploring Hell: Avoiding Obstacles on a Clockwork Rover’, is seeking designs from the public for a sensor that could be incorporated into the design concept.