Planetary surface Current Affairs, GK & News

NASA announces its New Frontiers program

NASA has recently announced its New Frontiers program, called Dragonfly mission, to explore Saturn’s largest moon – Titan. It’s the only moon in our solar system that has an atmosphere.The rotorcraft will fly to dozens of promising locations on Titan looking for pre-biotic chemical processes common on both Titan and Earth. The mission will launch ..

Topics: Dragonfly • Life on Titan • New Frontiers program • Oceanus • Planetary science • Planetary surface • Planets of the Solar System • Saturn • Spacecraft • Titan

Scientists of Japan creates first-ever artificial crater on an asteroid ‘Ryugu’

The Japanese scientists have successfully created the first-ever artificial crater on an asteroid ‘Ryugu’. It’s a step towards shedding light on how the solar system evolved. The announcement comes after the Hayabusa2 probe fired an explosive device at the Ryugu asteroid early this month to blast a crater in the surface and scoop up material. ..

Topics: 162173 Ryugu • Asteroid • Hayabusa 2 • Hayabusa2 • In Japan • MINERVA • Planetary science • Planetary surface • Spacecraft • Spaceflight

Japan’s Hayabusa2 to take samples from Ryugu asteroid

The Hayabusa 2 was launched in late 2018 to study the Ryugu asteroid. The mission was to take samples and also monitor the asteroid for a year and a half. It carried 4 small rovers that will investigate the asteroid. Now, the mission has gone a step further to fire a bullet on the asteroid. ..

Topics: Asteroid • Asteroid mining • Hayabusa 2 • Hayabusa2 • Japan • Outer space • Planetary defense • Planetary surface • Sample-return mission • Spacecraft • Spaceflight

UAE to launch Mars Mission “HOPE” by 2020

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has recently announced to launch Mars Mission “HOPE”, which is expected to be launched by 2020. Upon launch, it will become the first mission to Mars by any Arab or Muslim country. The aim of the mission is to enrich the capabilities of Emirati engineers and to increase human knowledge ..

Topics: Climate of Mars • Exploration of Mars • Hope Mars Mission • In spaceflight • InSight • Mars • Planetary surface • Spacecraft • Spaceflight

Source of Water on Moon discovered

Scientists have discovered that the most likely source of water on Moon is the constant stream of charged particles from the Sun known as the solar wind. As per Researchers, ice inside permanently shadowed polar craters on the Moon, which is also known as cold traps, could contain hydrogen atoms ultimately derived from the solar ..

Topics: Chemistry • Hydrogen • Lunar water • Moon • Natural sciences • Physical sciences • Planetary science • Planetary surface • Solar System • Solar wind • Space plasmas • Space science