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Another record-breaker: Two galaxies date to only 300 million years after the Big Bang. How did they grow so big and bright so quickly?

The post Webb Telescope Finds Strangely Bright Galaxies at Cosmic Dawn appeared first on Sky & Telescope.

SpaceX launched its giant Starship rocket for the fourth time ever this morning (June 6) in a dramatic and nail-biting liftoff.

The First Responder UAS Wireless Data Gatherer Challenge (UAS 6.0) seeks innovators with applicable expertise across and beyond the UAS ecosystem. For public safety and the greater good, contribute invaluable knowledge and ingenuity in artificial intelligence (AI), radio communications and mapping, Internet of Things (IoT), cybersecurity, and more. Challenge results will support the public safety community and its partners to improve real-time situational awareness and save lives while operating in potentially dangerous radio-complex outdoor environments without fixed communications infrastructure or  satellite communications. You can make a difference!

Government Agency: National Institute of Standards and Technology

Open Date: May 2024

Close Date: July 2024

For more information, visit: https://firstresponderuas.org/

More people Googled 'northern lights' in May 2024 than in any other month in Google's history. Here we explore the science behind the search trends and uncover why May saw such a spike in sun-related searches.

The 2024 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Data Challenge ushers in a groundbreaking opportunity for university students to identify challenges and present solutions toward the evolution of the National Airspace System (NAS) into a more information-centric entity. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and advanced analytics, participants are invited to tackle pressing challenges within aviation safety, operational efficiency, sustainable aviation, and the exploration of novel NAS applications. This challenge not only highlights the FAA’s commitment to innovation and safety but also opens the door for the next generation of data scientists and engineers to contribute meaningful solutions that could shape the future of aviation.

Government Agency: Federal Aviation Administration

Award: $100,000 in total prizes

Open Date: Phase 1: February 2024; Phase 2: September 2024

Close Date: Phase 1: August 2024; Phase 2: March 2025

For more information, visit: https://www.herox.com/FAADataChallenge2024

The two spacecraft of the Chang'e 6 mission met and docked in orbit over the moon on Thursday (June 6) to transfer samples the moon's far side. They'll now be returned to Earth.

Gene editing holds the promise to treat genetic diseases at the source by correcting the faulty genetic patterns within our cells. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has launched the TARGETED (Targeted Genome Editor Delivery) Challenge to advance genome editing technology by sourcing innovative solutions for delivering genome editors to somatic cells. The Challenge is open to qualified groups or teams from organizations or institutions, particularly those in the genome editing or vehicle delivery fields, and will take place in three phases: Proposal, Preliminary Data, and Final Data, Independent Testing, and Validation.

Government Agency: National Institutes of Health

Award: $6,000,000 in total prizes

Open Date: Phase 1: May 2023; Phase 2: December 2023; Phase 3: April 2025

Close Date: Phase 1: October 2023; Phase 2: January 2025; Phase 3: TBD

For more information, visit: https://www.freelancer.com/nih/targeted-challenge

SpaceX is getting ready to launch its massive Starship rocket today - watch the livestream of the event here

SpaceX is getting ready to launch its massive Starship rocket today - watch the livestream of the event here

ESA's Mars Express orbiter surveyed the vast Nili Fossae trenches, which formed following a massive impact billions of years ago, when water flowed over the Martian surface.

Thirty-four years is a long time for a telescope. Yet, that is how long the veteran workhorse of NASA’s space telescope fleet has been operating. Admittedly, Hubble was served by several repair missions during the space shuttle era. Still, the system has been floating in the void and taking some of humanity’s most breathtaking pictures ever captured since April 24th, 1990. But now, time seems to be finally catching up with it, as NASA plans to limit some of its operations to ensure its continued life, starting with gyroscopes. 

Hubble has six gyroscopes, which are intended to help it orient in the right direction and ensure it stays oriented in that direction while it takes the extremely long-exposure, detailed images it is famous for. The six gyroscopes currently installed replaced six older ones during the final shuttle servicing mission in 2009. As one of the few moving components on Hubble, lasting 15 years without maintenance is pretty impressive.

That being said, not all of them lasted that long – only three are operational at this point, with the other three having failed at some point over the last 15 years. And on May 24th, the telescope was sent into safe mode by another failed gyro. This isn’t the first time that particular problem has happened either. Previous errors caused by the same gyro have caused Hubble to go into safe mode multiple times over the past few months. While engineers can reset it, the same problem repeatedly happening means it will probably continue.

Scott Manley explains how the gyros work on Hubble, and how the engineers plan to keep them working.
Credit – Scott Manley YouTube Channel

The problem is that the gyro is “saturating,” meaning that the sensor that shows its speed is maxing out even when the gyro itself isn’t moving near that speed. Since the spacecraft slewing at maximum speed could cause potential issues, the safe thing to do when reading a maximum speed on a gyro is to go into “safe mode” and ensure the spacecraft doesn’t wildly swing in one direction.

Operating in that mode makes sense, especially if the sensor readings are correct, but they make it almost impossible to move accurately if sensor readings aren’t correct. Given the previous efforts by Hubble’s engineering team to fix the problem, it appears at least one of the three remaining gyros is effectively inoperable from now on. So, the team now has a choice.

They could continue to operate with two gyros, or they could only use one and alternate which one they are using to not cause undue wear and tear on whichever one is selected for service first. According to a press release from the agency, operating with two gyros is effectively the same as operating with one, whereas operating with three had significant advantages in terms of speed and accuracy. So, the engineering team has decided that Hubble will operate in one gyro mode from now on.

Fraser discusses some of Hubble’s most iconic images – it’s set of Deep Fields.

This isn’t the first time it’s done so—Hubble effectively operated in one-gryo mode for a short time back in 2008 when the previous set of gyros was failing. It also operated in two-gyro mode from 2005 to 2009, when all the original gyros were replaced. So it is certainly possible, but what impact will it have?

It will take longer to lock on to targets, which is hardly surprising given the telescope’s age, but detrimental if it was hoping to catch transient events such as a supernova. It also won’t be able to track any moving objects that are closer than Mars, such as the occasional comet or asteroid. Typically, those types of objects weren’t the focal point of Hubble’s observations anyway. While Hubble will indeed have to slow down, its support team believes it can continue operations through at least the rest of this decade in this new mode.

Luckily, it is no longer alone in its role as the workhorse space telescope. The James Webb Space Telescope has far surpassed its observational capabilities; the Nancy Grace Roman Telescope, due to launch in 2027, will contribute additional functionality to make up for Hubble’s slowing pace. Hubble itself will always have a place in astronomy nerds’ hearts. Its Deep Field image is my favorite picture and sparked my love for astronomy as a kid. And I’m not alone – NASA recently rejected billionaire Jared Isaacman’s plan to service the aging telescope as part of a series of Dragon capsule missions. But even without additional help from the ground, Hubble hopefully still has a long, fruitful life ahead of it when it continues its science operations in mid-June.

Learn More:
NASA – NASA to Change How It Points Hubble Space Telescope
UT – Hubble Pauses its Science Again
UT – The Venerable Hubble Space Telescope Keeps Delivering
UT – Hubble Sees a Brand New Triple Star System

Lead Image:
This image of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope was taken on May 19, 2009, after deployment during Servicing Mission 4.
Credit – NASA

The post It’s Time for Hardworking Hubble to Slow Down a Little appeared first on Universe Today.

Blood pressure guidelines are the same for men and women despite important sex differences in hypertension risk

Our galaxy has collided with many others in its lifetime. ESA’s Gaia space telescope now reveals that the most recent of these crashes took place billions of years later than we thought.

People who had higher levels of xylitol in their blood were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke within the next three years, with lab experiments suggesting the sweetener promotes blood clotting

People who had higher levels of xylitol in their blood were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke within the next three years, with lab experiments suggesting the sweetener promotes blood clotting

Most pregnant people take prenatal supplements, but weak regulation means these products don’t necessarily provide the needed nutrients

NASA astronaut Bob Hines helped bring the first Boeing Starliner to the International Space Station. Now he's part of the large ground team supporting Crew Test Flight, which launched May 21.

Following months of meticulous testing to ensure that it will deliver first-class data on air quality around the world, the new Copernicus Sentinel-5 instrument has been delivered to Airbus in France ready to be installed on the first MetOp Second Generation weather satellite.

Most orangutans take seven years to learn to make their own beds