Weekly - Sunita Williams to return to Earth only next year on SpaceX craft and more
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NASA deploys solar sail
Last week, NASA announced that its demonstration ‘solar sail’ technology or Advanced Composite Solar Sail System (ACS3) was successfully deployed in space. The spacecraft which was launched in April has large reflective sails that push the spacecraft forward not using wind, but the energy of the photons emitted from the sun. The spacecraft will now be put through multiple tests by the team to check its manoeuvrability and more.
Sunita Williams to return to Earth only next year on SpaceX craft
Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore docked at the ISS on June 5th. Their return after an 8-day stay was delayed due to multiple issues in the Boeing Starliner spacecraft that was supposed to bring them back, including gas leaks and malfunctioning thrusters. After nearly 2 months, NASA has finally announced that the Astronauts will not be returning on Boeing’s spacecraft, but in SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft next year. SpaceX’s craft will take off to the ISS next month for a routine crew rotation, with 2 seats left empty for the ‘stranded’ astronauts and will return in February 2025. The Boeing spacecraft will return to Earth in September without any astronauts.
China reports to have produced water from lunar soil
Last week, Chinese scientists made a groundbreaking discovery. They have been reported to have generated water from lunar soil. While experimenting with samples collected by the Chang’e-5 moon mission in 2020, they found that lunar soil contains high amounts of Hydrogen, which when reacts with other elements at very high temperatures, forms water vapour. This is a massive discovery as it has brought the possibility of a sustainable moon base closer than ever to reality.
Polaris Dawn delayed again
SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn mission which will attempt to conduct the first-ever commercial spacewalk was delayed again recently on 30th August. The launch was delayed due to concerns over bad weather. The new launch date has not been announced yet.
Perseverance to climb out of Jezero crater for first time
NASA’s Perseverance rover landed in Mars’ Jezero crater in 2021 and since then it has discovered ancient lakebeds, produced oxygen on Mars, discovered volcanic rocks and more. However, one thing that it has never done is venture out of the crater it landed in. This is exactly what it has begun to do last week. The climb is a steep one and considering the amount of samples it will encounter on its way, it might be the most ambitious mission the rover has undertaken.
