United News of Bangladesh

NASA’s Mars rover Perseverance has discovered rocks in an ancient dry river channel that could contain potential signs of past microscopic life, scientists reported Wednesday. Researchers emphasized that detailed analysis of the samples collected by Perseverance—ideally in laboratories on Earth—is necessary before any conclusions can be drawn. While noting that the findings “certainly are not the final answer,” NASA’s science mission chief, Nicky Fox, described the discovery as “the closest we’ve actually come to finding ancient life on Mars.” Perseverance, which has been exploring the Martian surface since 2021, cannot detect life directly. The rover is equipped with a drill to collect rock samples and tubes to store them from locations considered most likely to have supported life billions of years ago. The samples are awaiting eventual return to Earth, although NASA is exploring faster and more cost-effective ways to achieve this. Calling the discovery “exciting,” independent scientists Janice Bishop of the SETI Institute and Mario Parente of the University of Massachusetts Amherst cautioned that non-biological processes could also explain the findings. Lead researcher Joel Hurowitz of Stony Brook University told The Associated Press, “All we can say is that one possible explanation is microbial life, but there could be other processes that created these features.” He added that the sample is the most compelling candidate so far in the rover’s search for signs of ancient life. The discovery was published in the journal Nature. Collected last summer, the sample comes from reddish, clay-rich mudstones in Neretva Vallis, a river channel that once flowed into Jezero Crater. The sedimentary outcrop, known as the Bright Angel formation, was studied by Perseverance’s science instruments before the rover drilled into it. In addition to organic carbon, a key building block of life, Hurowitz’s team found tiny mineral specks, nicknamed “poppy seeds” and “leopard spots,” enriched with iron phosphate and iron sulfide. On Earth, these compounds form when microorganisms consume organic material. “There is no evidence of microbes on Mars today,” Bishop and Parente wrote in an accompanying editorial, “but if any had existed on ancient Mars, they might have produced sulfides by reducing sulfate minerals in a lake at Jezero Crater.” Although there is no evidence of present-day Martian life, NASA has long targeted past watery environments on Mars that may have supported life billions of years ago. Perseverance was launched in 2020, with initial plans to return samples to Earth by the early 2030s. However, the timeline has now been pushed into the 2040s due to rising costs, currently estimated at $11 billion. Until the samples are transported back to Earth, scientists will rely on Earth-based experiments to study their potential for harboring ancient life, Hurowitz said. NASA acting Administrator Sean Duffy noted that budgets and timing will guide future efforts and suggested that advanced equipment might be sent to Mars to analyze the samples on-site. “All options are on the table,” he said. Ten titanium sample tubes were previously deposited on the Martian surface as a backup to those aboard the rover, forming part of NASA’s ongoing but still uncertain sample return mission.

NASA has released the first high-resolution images of the main-belt asteroid Donaldjohanson, revealing its unusual peanut-like shape following a key encounter by the Lucy spacecraft earlier this year. The images were captured on April 20, when the Lucy mission performed a fly-by of the asteroid, located in the solar system’s main asteroid belt. The milestone serves as a crucial test ahead of the mission’s primary goal — exploring Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. Using its L'LORRI imager, Lucy captured the high-resolution images just minutes before its closest approach to the asteroid. The photos reveal that Donaldjohanson is larger than previously estimated, measuring approximately 8 kilometers long and 3.5 kilometers wide at its broadest point. Its elongated, peanut-like shape features a rough, cratered surface. According to NASA, the asteroid rotates slowly, taking 251 hours to complete one full rotation. Scientists are now analyzing the fly-by data to gain further insights into the asteroid's structure and composition. Sharing the newly released image, NASA wrote, “Asteroid Donaldjohanson as seen by the Lucy spacecraft from a range of about 1,700 miles (2,700 km), about 3.2 minutes before closest approach on April 20, 2025. This is the highest resolution image yet of the entire asteroid, taken just before it overfilled the L'LORRI field of view. The smallest visible features are about 130 feet (40 meters) across. The illumination conditions, with the Sun almost behind Lucy, greatly reduce the contrast of topographic details.” Chinese scientists develop new device to convert tire friction into clean energy The asteroid is named after anthropologist Donald Johanson, who discovered the famous fossilised skeleton known as “Lucy,” a key find in the study of human ancestry. NASA’s Lucy mission takes its name from the fossil, the agency confirmed. NASA scientists described the successful fly-by as a "dress rehearsal," demonstrating that both the spacecraft and mission team are prepared for the main objective — exploring Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. The spacecraft is currently in a quiet cruise phase, traveling through the main asteroid belt at speeds exceeding 30,000 mph (50,000 km/h). Lucy is expected to begin its Trojan asteroid encounters in August 2027, starting with asteroid Eurybates. Over the course of less than 15 months, the mission will conduct four encounters and observe at least six asteroids, including two small satellites identified by the Lucy team. Source: NDTV

NASA’s Lucy mission has captured stunning new images during its latest asteroid flyby, revealing a bizarre, elongated space rock with an uneven, lumpy shape. Released on Monday, the photos came just one day after Lucy’s close encounter with the asteroid, which served as a trial run ahead of more high-stakes missions near Jupiter. The asteroid, dubbed Donaldjohanson, turned out to be larger than scientists had predicted — stretching roughly 5 miles (8 kilometers) in length and about 2 miles (3.5 kilometers) across at its widest. With its peculiar, bowling pin-like form, the asteroid was too large to be fully captured in the spacecraft’s first image set. NASA expects that more data downloaded in the coming week will provide a clearer picture of the asteroid’s structure and dimensions. Lucy came within just 600 miles (960 kilometers) of Donaldjohanson during Sunday’s flyby, which took place in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The asteroid was named in honor of paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson, who discovered the famous early human fossil “Lucy” in Ethiopia 50 years ago — the spacecraft’s namesake. Launched in 2021, Lucy is on a long-term mission to explore the mysterious Trojan asteroids that orbit near Jupiter. Over the next eight years, it’s set to perform flybys of eight different Trojans, with the final one scheduled for 2033.                

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is gearing up for a close encounter with a small asteroid this weekend, offering scientists a glimpse into the early days of the solar system—and a test run for a bigger journey to come. Launched in 2021, Lucy is on a 12-year mission to study a total of 11 asteroids, including a rare group known as the Trojans that orbit near Jupiter. Sunday’s flyby marks the second asteroid encounter for the spacecraft and will serve as a trial ahead of its first Trojan asteroid rendezvous in 2027. AI-enabled drone deployed in Germany to accelerate wildfire detection and response   This weekend, Lucy will pass wihin 596 miles (960 kilometers) of an asteroid named Donaldjohanson, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The asteroid is roughly 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) long, though its exact dimensions and shape remain uncertain—a mystery Lucy aims to help solve as it speeds by at over 30,000 mph (48,000 kph). Donaldjohanson is believed to be a fragment of a much larger object shattered in a cosmic collision around 150 million years ago. Unlike typical round space rocks, scientists suspect this one could have an unusual shape—possibly elongated like a bowling pin or snowman, similar to Arrokoth, the distant Kuiper Belt object NASA explored in 2019. There’s also a chance it could be two separate elongated asteroids. “We don’t know what to expect. That’s what makes this so cool,” said Hal Levison, the mission’s lead scientist at the Southwest Research Institute. “It’s not going to be a basic potato. We already know that.” Lucy will power up all three of its science instruments during the flyby to collect images and data. But because the spacecraft must rotate its antenna away from Earth to track the asteroid, no live communication will be possible during the encounter. Scientists at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Control in Colorado expect to begin receiving data roughly 12 minutes after it’s transmitted across the 139 million miles (223 million kilometers) separating Earth from the asteroid. Among those watching closely will be Donald Johanson, the paleontologist for whom the asteroid is named. He discovered the famous human ancestor “Lucy” in Ethiopia 50 years ago—after whom the spacecraft is named—and plans to be at Mission Control for the flyby. If all goes as planned, Lucy’s brief encounter with the asteroid will offer valuable practice and insights before it moves on to its ultimate target: the mysterious Trojan asteroids near Jupiter, remnants from the solar system’s formation more than 4 billion years ago.    

International Hope School Bangladesh (IHSB) is making its fourth appearance at the NASA Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC), representing Bangladesh on a global stage once again. This year, IHSB is the only high school team from Bangladesh selected to participate in both categories of the competition—the human-powered challenge and the remote-controlled challenge. SSC, equivalent exams begin across country Hosted annually by NASA, the HERC is a renowned event that engages students from around the world in hands-on engineering challenges inspired by real-world problems in space exploration. The 2024 edition kicked off on April 10 at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, USA. As a returning participant, IHSB is showcasing its continued dedication to STEM innovation. With an expanded team and enhanced vision, the 26-member group has been working tirelessly on research, design, and testing to prepare for this year's challenge. The team is being mentored by advisors Abul Kalam Azad and Moonzoor Morshed, with technical guidance from Shahidul Hassan Monti and Iftekhar Hossain. Student team leads Shajadi Ayman Sultana and Mahjabin Alam Roshni are leading the charge in this ambitious endeavour. Accompanying the team are Kamrul Ahsan, head of the senior section at IHSB’s Uttara branch; Rockibul Karim, deputy head of the Gulshan branch; and teachers Adnan Shihab Ahmed and Saima Samad. School chairman Timothy Donald Fisher encouraged the team with a heartfelt message: "You are not only representing the school but your country. Carry the green and red with honour and make Bangladesh proud." "We are extremely grateful for our technical advisor teachers. Their guidance, resilience, and patience helped us turn our rovers into reality,’ said the student team. SSC, equivalent exam begins Thursday "From research papers, presentations, to engineering – our team is dedicated to shining in all sectors of the challenge. This esteemed competition plays an integral role in providing young enthusiasts with an amazing opportunity, especially those with a keen interest in STEM and robotics,” the team also said. "Every member of the team brings passion and expertise to the table, and together, we’re building a project that is not just about competition; it is about creating a real-world impact, it added. NASA’s HERC continues to be a vital platform for encouraging student innovation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The event brings together student teams from around the globe to develop creative solutions to the challenges of space exploration.

Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Tuesday said Bangladesh’s commitment to the Artemis Accords will enhance the country’s engagement with NASA and the international community. “By signing the accords, Bangladesh builds upon an important foundation for the open, responsible and peaceful exploration of space,” he said. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) congratulated Bangladesh as the 54th nation to commit to the safe and responsible exploration of space that benefits humanity. Dr Yunus to hold breakfast meetings with Chinese, Korean investors to fast-track investment Bangladesh and NASA signed the Artemis Accords, marking a significant step in non-military space exploration.

Just over a day after launching, a SpaceX crew capsule arrived at the International Space Station on Sunday, bringing the replacements for NASA’s two stranded astronauts. The four newcomers — from the U.S., Japan, and Russia — will spend the next few days getting acquainted with the station’s operations from Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. Afterward, the two will board their own SpaceX capsule later this week to wrap up an unexpectedly extended mission that began last June. What's Pi Day all about? Math, science, pies and more Wilmore and Williams had anticipated being gone for only a week when they launched on Boeing’s first astronaut flight, but they marked the nine-month milestone earlier this month. The Boeing Starliner capsule faced so many issues that NASA insisted it return empty, leaving its test pilots behind to await a SpaceX lift. Their ride finally arrived in late September, but with a reduced crew of two and two vacant seats reserved for the return journey. Additional delays occurred when their replacements’ brand-new capsule required extensive battery repairs. An older capsule took its place, pushing their return back by a couple of weeks to mid-March. Saturn’s moon count soars: 128 new moons discovered Weather permitting, the SpaceX capsule carrying Wilmore, Williams, and two other astronauts will undock from the space station no earlier than Wednesday and splash down off Florida's coast.

NASA is switching off two science instruments on its long-running twin Voyager spacecraft to save power. The space agency said Wednesday an instrument on Voyager 2 that measures charged particles and cosmic rays will shut off later this month. Last week, NASA powered down an instrument on Voyager 1 designed to study cosmic rays. The energy-saving moves were necessary to extend their missions, Voyager project manager Suzanne Dodd at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory said in a statement. The twin spacecraft launched in 1977 and are currently in interstellar space, or the space between stars. Voyager 1 discovered a thin ring around Jupiter and several of Saturn’s moons, and Voyager 2 is the only spacecraft to visit Uranus and Neptune. Last-minute problems with SpaceX's mega rocket Starship forces delay of latest test flight Each spacecraft still has three instruments apiece to study the sun's protective bubble and the swath of space beyond. Voyager 1 is over 15 billion miles (24.14 billion kilometers) from Earth and Voyager 2 is over 13 billion miles (20.92 billion kilometers) away.

A private lunar lander carrying a drill, vacuum and other experiments for NASA touched down on the moon Sunday, the latest in a string of companies looking to kickstart business on Earth's celestial neighbor ahead of astronaut missions. Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander descended from lunar orbit on autopilot, aiming for the slopes of an ancient volcanic dome in an impact basin on the moon’s northeastern edge of the near side. Confirmation of successful touchdown came from the company's Mission Control outside Austin, Texas, following the action some 225,000 miles (360,000 kilometers) away. “You all stuck the landing. We’re on the moon,” Firefly’s Will Coogan, chief engineer for the lander, reported. An upright and stable landing makes Firefly — a startup founded a decade ago — the first private outfit to put a spacecraft on the moon without crashing or falling over. Even countries have faltered, with only five claiming success: Russia, the U.S., China, India and Japan. A half hour after landing, Blue Ghost started to send back pictures from the surface, the first one a selfie somewhat obscured by the sun's glare. The second shot included the home planet, a blue dot glimmering in the blackness of space. Two other companies’ landers are hot on Blue Ghost’s heels, with the next one expected to join it on the moon later this week. Private company rockets toward the moon in the latest rush of lunar landing attempts Blue Ghost — named after a rare U.S. species of fireflies — had its size and shape going for it. The squat four-legged lander stands 6-foot-6 (2 meters) tall and 11 feet (3.5 meters) wide, providing extra stability, according to the company. Launched in mid-January from Florida, the lander carried 10 experiments to the moon for NASA. The space agency paid $101 million for the delivery, plus $44 million for the science and tech on board. It’s the third mission under NASA’s commercial lunar delivery program, intended to ignite a lunar economy of competing private businesses while scouting around before astronauts show up later this decade. Firefly’s Ray Allensworth said the lander skipped over hazards including boulders to land safely. Allensworth said the team continued to analyze the data to figure out the lander's exact position, but all indications suggest it landed within the 328-foot (100-meter) target zone in Mare Crisium. The demos should get two weeks of run time, before lunar daytime ends and the lander shuts down. It carried a vacuum to suck up moon dirt for analysis and a drill to measure temperature as deep as 10 feet (3 meters) below the surface. Also on board: a device for eliminating abrasive lunar dust — a scourge for NASA’s long-ago Apollo moonwalkers, who got it caked all over their spacesuits and equipment. On its way to the moon, Blue Ghost beamed back exquisite pictures of the home planet. The lander continued to stun once in orbit around the moon, with detailed shots of the moon's gray pockmarked surface. At the same time, an on-board receiver tracked and acquired signals from the U.S. GPS and European Galileo constellations, an encouraging step forward in navigation for future explorers. The landing set the stage for a fresh crush of visitors angling for a piece of lunar business. Another lander — a tall and skinny 15-footer (4 meters tall) built and operated by Houston-based Intuitive Machines — is due to land on the moon Thursday. It’s aiming for the bottom of the moon, just 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the south pole. That’s closer to the pole than the company got last year with its first lander, which broke a leg and tipped over. Despite the tumble, Intuitive Machines' lander put the U.S. back on the moon for the first time since NASA astronauts closed out the Apollo program in 1972. Plane that flipped over in Canada highlights some of the dangers of holding kids on your lap A third lander from the Japanese company ispace is still three months from landing. It shared a rocket ride with Blue Ghost from Cape Canaveral on Jan. 15, taking a longer, windier route. Like Intuitive Machines, ispace is also attempting to land on the moon for the second time. Its first lander crashed in 2023. The moon is littered with wreckage not only from ispace, but dozens of other failed attempts over the decades. NASA wants to keep up a pace of two private lunar landers a year, realizing some missions will fail, said the space agency's top science officer Nicky Fox. “It really does open up a whole new way for us to get more science to space and to the moon," Fox said. Unlike NASA’s successful Apollo moon landings that had billions of dollars behind them and ace astronauts at the helm, private companies operate on a limited budget with robotic craft that must land on their own, said Firefly CEO Jason Kim. Kim said everything went like clockwork. “We got some moon dust on our boots," Kim said.

Asteroid samples fetched by NASA hold not only the pristine building blocks for life but also the salty remains of an ancient water world, scientists reported Wednesday. The findings provide the strongest evidence yet that asteroids may have planted the seeds of life on Earth and that these ingredients were mingling with water almost right from the start. "That's the kind of environment that could have been essential to the steps that lead from elements to life,” said the Smithsonian Institution’s Tim McCoy, one of the lead study authors. NASA's Osiris-Rex spacecraft returned 122 grams (4 ounces) of dust and pebbles from the near-Earth asteroid Bennu, delivering the sample canister to the Utah desert in 2023 before swooping off after another space rock. It remains the biggest cosmic haul from beyond the moon. The two previous asteroid sample missions, by Japan, yielded considerably less material. CIA believes COVID most likely originated from a lab but has low confidence in its own finding Small amounts of Bennu’s precious black grains — leftovers from the solar system's formation 4.5 billion years ago — were doled out to the two separate research teams whose studies appeared in the journals Nature and Nature Astronomy. But it was more than enough to tease out the sodium-rich minerals and confirm the presence of amino acids, nitrogen in the form of ammonia and even parts of the genetic code. Some if not all of the delicate salts found at Bennu — similar to what’s in the dry lakebeds of California’s Mojave Desert and Africa’s Sahara — would be stripped away if present in falling meteorites. “This discovery was only possible by analyzing samples that were collected directly from the asteroid then carefully preserved back on Earth," the Institute of Science Tokyo’s Yasuhito Sekine, who was not involved in the studies, said in an accompanying editorial. Combining the ingredients of life with an environment of sodium-rich salt water, or brines, “that’s really the pathway to life,” said McCoy, the National Museum of Natural History's curator of meteorites. “These processes probably occurred much earlier and were much more widespread than we had thought before."