Science | Common News Update

Aug42020 by adminNo Comments

James Lovelock: Gaia theory creator on coronavirus and turning 101

James Lovelock, one of Britain’s greatest scientists, is famous for developing the Gaia hypothesis, which sees the Earth as a self-regulating system.In his long and influential career, he also revealed the chemicals that were destroying the ozone layer.He’s just celebrated his 101st birthday and the BBC's chief environment correspondent Justin Rowlatt visited him at his home in Dorset.Let's block ads! (Why?) BBC News - Science & Environment

Aug32020 by adminNo Comments

Other mammals lose out in panda conservation drive

Science

Saving the giant panda is one of the big success stories of conservation.Decades of efforts to create protected habitat for the iconic mammal has pulled it back from the brink of extinction.But, according to a new study, while many other animals in the same landscape have benefited from this conservation work, some have lost out.Leopards, snow leopards, wolves and Asian wild dogs have almost disappeared from the majority of protected areas.Driven to near extinction by logging, poaching and disease, their loss could lead to "major shifts, even collapse, in ecosystems", said researchers in China.Without the likes of leopards and wolves, deer and livestock can roam unchecked, causing damage to natural habitats, with knock-on effects...

Aug32020 by adminNo Comments

Watch live: NASA astronauts head home in SpaceX capsule

Science

ORLANDO, Fla., Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Two NASA astronauts left the International Space Station on Saturday evening in SpaceX's groundbreaking Crew Dragon capsule, headed for an at-sea landing Sunday afternoon off Pensacola, Fla., in the Gulf of Mexico. The astronauts, flying in the capsule they named Endeavour, began to undock from the International Space Station at 7:30 p.m. EDT, a few minutes ahead of schedule. They are to splash down at 2:48 p.m. EDT Sunday. Advertisement During the undocking, a command from Earth released 12 hooks on the International Space Station that had held the SpaceX capsule in place. Then, two very quick engine burns fully separated the capsule from the space station at 7:35 p.m. EDT, followed by a longer engine burn that further distanced Endeavor from the space stat...

Aug22020 by adminNo Comments

NASA astronauts splash down safely in SpaceX capsule

Science

Aug. 2 (UPI) -- Two NASA astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on Sunday afternoon, completing a two-month mission that sent them to the International Space Station to test SpaceX's groundbreaking Crew Dragon shuttle capsule. Astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken landed gently in the Endeavour capsule off Pensacola, Fla., at 2:48 p.m. EDT, assisted by two sets of parachutes that slowed the descent. A crew from the SpaceX Go Navigator hoist the capsule onto the vessel. Advertisement The crew was delayed from leaving the capsule initially because technicians detected unacceptable levels of dinitrogen tetroxide, one of the two fuels used in Crew Dragon, coming from the service section of the capsule. That section is sealed off from the area in which the astronauts ride, but enginee...

Aug22020 by adminNo Comments

Nasa SpaceX crew return: Astronauts set for ocean splashdown

Science

US astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken have undocked their Dragon Endeavour capsule from the space station to begin their return to Earth.The pair are expected to splash down off the coast of Florida just after 14:45 EDT (19:45 BST) on Sunday.A successful landing would mean America once again has a fully serviceable, fully certified means of getting its own people into orbit and back.This capability was lost when the country retired its shuttles in 2011. Astronauts begin historic mission on private craft What is the SpaceX Crew Dragon? The US space agency Nasa and its commercial partner, SpaceX, have chosen a splashdown location well away from Hurricane Isaias, which looks as though it will track up the eastern coast of Florid...