January 2022
FPGA computing reaches new heights
... gate array (FPGA) circuits have been used in space applications for many years, including on multiple Mars rover missions. Here, the authors describe the many advantages of FPGAs and some of their applications in the space...
January 2023
Original Sin - Power, Technology and War in Outer Space
... many, ‘space’ conjures majestic images of the planets, stars and nebulae, the Apollo Moon landings, Martian rovers, or guitar-wielding astronauts on the International Space Station. These encapsulate space as a realm where humans work together...
16 December 2015
Google Lunar XPRIZE deadline extended until next year
... $5 million dollars for the runner-up. Prizes will be awarded to teams who are able to land a privately funded rover on the moon, travel 500 meters, and transmit back high definition video and images. Several smaller...
22 December 2015
First new 'ground truth' in 40 years as Chinese rover Yuto presents analysis of moon rocks
... less – are made by an alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer and a near-infrared hyperspectral imager aboard the Yutu rover. A mosaic made with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter’s Wide Angle Camera showing Chang’e-3 landing site, indicated...
08 June 2018
Curiosity discovers ancient organic molecules on Mars
The Curiosity rover which is currently trundling around the Gale Crater has found organic material in samples of mudstone, that once ...
January 2019
Visiting an asteroid to find out how life began
... small at 10 kg and 30 cm x 30 cm x 20 cm in size. While the lander could also move, using a similar mechanism to the MINERVA-II1 rovers, its main task was scientific analysis of the asteroid. The little laboratory contained a camera and instruments...
