Probe | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net KitGuru.net - Tech News | Hardware News | Hardware Reviews | IOS | Mobile | Gaming | Graphics Cards Fri, 09 Sep 2016 11:09:39 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.4.3 https://www.kitguru.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/cropped-KITGURU-Light-Background-SQUARE2-32x32.png Probe | KitGuru https://www.kitguru.net 32 32 NASA successfully launched Osiris-REx asteroid miner on 7 year trip https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/nasa-successfully-launched-osiris-rex-asteroid-miner-on-7-year-trip/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/nasa-successfully-launched-osiris-rex-asteroid-miner-on-7-year-trip/#comments Fri, 09 Sep 2016 11:09:39 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=305593 NASA's Osiris-REx spacecraft has been successfully launched into a hyperbolic trajectory aboard an Atlas V rocket. The asteroid miner will spend the next seven years catching up with the Bennu asteroid, orbiting it and taking a sample from its surface, before returning to Earth. Lifting off at 7:05 PM local time at the Kennedy Space Center …

The post NASA successfully launched Osiris-REx asteroid miner on 7 year trip first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
NASA's Osiris-REx spacecraft has been successfully launched into a hyperbolic trajectory aboard an Atlas V rocket. The asteroid miner will spend the next seven years catching up with the Bennu asteroid, orbiting it and taking a sample from its surface, before returning to Earth.

Lifting off at 7:05 PM local time at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Atlas V 411 configuration used a combination of liquid fuel RD-180 engine and a single solid rocket booster. It's an interesting design, with off-centre booster placement, but thanks to engine vectoring was able to stay straight and true on its mission, launching the payload successfully out of Earth's influence without incident.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULfQdFY9PQM']

But uniqueness of the rocketry configuration aside, the Bennu mission itself is an exciting one. While the Japanese Hayabusa space craft returned the first samples of an asteroid in 2010, they totalled less than a gram of material. With Osiris-REx, the plan is to capture close to a kilogram of asteroid, before returning it to Earth for analysis.

To acquire the sample, the plan is for Osiris-REx to approach close to the surface of the asteroid, before hitting it with a burst of gas. It's hoped that dislodged material can then be collected and stored, before making the trip home.

osirisrex

Artist's interpretation of the sampling process. Source: NASA

It's hoped that since Bennu is estimated to be several billion years old, it will us a much greater insight into the history of the solar system and potentially hint at where life on Earth may have come from. The only catch is that it's going to take some time – seven years in fact – to make its round trip.

Part of that is because it needs to catch up with Bennu in the first place. To make that possible, Osiris-REx will pass by the Earth in September next year in order to gain a gravity assist, speeding it up, essentially for ‘free' without the use of additional fuel or power. Once it arrives around 2018, Osiris-REx will spend at least two and a half years orbiting and sampling the asteroid, before beginning the return trip.

The sample capture pod is expected to touch back down on Earth on 24th September 2023, while the orbiter will remain at Bennu for further study.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Fingers crossed for you Osiris-REx. It's bizarre to imagine remembering writing about your launch a near decade from now. The world is going to be very different when you return. 

The post NASA successfully launched Osiris-REx asteroid miner on 7 year trip first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/nasa-successfully-launched-osiris-rex-asteroid-miner-on-7-year-trip/feed/ 3
Apple agrees to pay out in Italy tax office deal https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/apple-agrees-to-pay-out-in-italy-tax-office-deal/ https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/apple-agrees-to-pay-out-in-italy-tax-office-deal/#respond Wed, 30 Dec 2015 15:01:50 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=279193 It seems that Apple and the Italian Tax Office have managed to come to a settlement agreement following a tax fraud investigation. Between 2008 and 2013, the Italian tax office believed that Apple owed around €880 million in corporation tax through its Italian subsidiary ‘Apple Italia', but the company had only paid €30 million. The probe …

The post Apple agrees to pay out in Italy tax office deal first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
It seems that Apple and the Italian Tax Office have managed to come to a settlement agreement following a tax fraud investigation. Between 2008 and 2013, the Italian tax office believed that Apple owed around €880 million in corporation tax through its Italian subsidiary ‘Apple Italia', but the company had only paid €30 million.

The probe revealed that Apple had been booking its sales in Italy through Ireland, where its European HQ is based. The obvious reason for this is that the tax rates are much lower compared to other parts of Europe and has become a controversial loophole in Apple's tax arrangements.

apple_store_2-1024x552

As Reuters reports, La Repubblica, an Italian newspaper, reported today that Apple has agreed to pay 318 million euros to settle the case though this number has yet to be confirmed by Apple or the Italian government.

KitGuru Says: Apple's tax arrangements have been a controversial point of discussion this year, particularly here in Europe. 

The post Apple agrees to pay out in Italy tax office deal first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/lifestyle/mobile/apple/matthew-wilson/apple-agrees-to-pay-out-in-italy-tax-office-deal/feed/ 0
New Horizons Pluto update, new images, more coming today https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-pluto-update-new-images-more-coming-today/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-pluto-update-new-images-more-coming-today/#comments Fri, 17 Jul 2015 11:31:53 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=259498 It's already been a few days since the New Horizons space craft made its historic flyby of the furthest flung planetary entity the human race has ever visited: Pluto. It took some awe inspiring images, the first of which we've begun to get our first look at, but there is so much more to come. …

The post New Horizons Pluto update, new images, more coming today first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
It's already been a few days since the New Horizons space craft made its historic flyby of the furthest flung planetary entity the human race has ever visited: Pluto. It took some awe inspiring images, the first of which we've begun to get our first look at, but there is so much more to come. Take for example the recent image of Pluto's moon Charon up close and personal, and the new break down of everything Pluto by a member of the New Horizons team.

charon

Charon is the largest moon in the Plutonian system and it has some unique features which we're only just beginning to learn about, as this is by far the best view we've ever had of the far flung stellar body. Like the large depression in the upper left which has a peak in its middle.

The much closer image of the moon's surface was taken about an hour and a half before New Horizon's closest approach with Pluto, at a distance of just 49,000 miles. The picture is noteworthy for its craters, which was something that was missing from several parts of Pluto, which suggested geological activity; something the was considered very unlikely until these images started appearing.

One of the most compelling images that's showed up in the last few hours however has been the 3D creation of the original ice mountain image released of Pluto. It's not entirely accurate, as it was made using photoclinometry to estimate heights based on light and shadow.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37TNyDHZExA']

Amy Shira Teitel of the New Horizons team also gives us an exciting breakdown of Pluto in just over a minute, explaining much of what we know and have recently learned about the dwarf planet.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hm6ga-g9ACU']

More Pluto and New Horizons news is expected later, with a NASA press conference taking place at 1PM EDT (5PM GMT).

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: There's nothing quite like space exploration to make you feel part of the human race, rather than a member of a local community or nation. We're all striving for this sort of stuff together. Or at least we should be.

The post New Horizons Pluto update, new images, more coming today first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-pluto-update-new-images-more-coming-today/feed/ 2
New Horizons confirms Pluto is bigger than we thought https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-confirms-pluto-is-bigger-than-we-thought/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-confirms-pluto-is-bigger-than-we-thought/#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2015 08:08:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=258831 Poor Pluto. Once part of the collective of nine planets that make up our solar system, it was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2005, after the discovery of the larger Eris – a trans-Neptunian object – forced scientists to consider the formal definition of “planet;” unfortunately for Pluto it didn't make the cut. However, …

The post New Horizons confirms Pluto is bigger than we thought first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Poor Pluto. Once part of the collective of nine planets that make up our solar system, it was reclassified as a dwarf planet in 2005, after the discovery of the larger Eris – a trans-Neptunian object – forced scientists to consider the formal definition of “planet;” unfortunately for Pluto it didn't make the cut. However, as if in an attempt to prove us wrong, Pluto has turned out to be slightly larger than it was originally thought, with the New Horizons probe confirming that it is bigger than previous estimations.

Over the past decade since Pluto's reclassification, many individuals have postulated that it is of various sizes, ranging from 2306 kilometres in diameter, to 2368KM. It turns out however that Pluto is in-fact 2,370KM in diameter, larger than anyone expected. It means that Pluto's surface area is roughly equivalent to that of Russia.

However this size increase does have some ramifications. It means that Pluto is less dense than previously thought, which suggests that there is a higher density of ice in its interior and a little less rock.

plutoplanets
Image source: NASA

As much as it may remain a dwarf planet though, Pluto's moons are far smaller. We will get a better view of them soon, but Nix is estimated to be just 20 miles across, whilst Hydra is closer to 30 miles in diameter.

This is all only possible thanks to the approach of the New Horizons probe, which after almost a decade in the inky blackness of space and billions of miles traversed, is now set to flyby Pluto in the next few hours. However, due to the distance between the control centre and the probe, there will be no direct control and to make sure that processing capabilities and power are conserved, scientists will have no contact with New Horizons until it has completed its complicated series of manoeuvres and picture taking.

It's said that we'll hear about the success or failure of New Horizons in the early hours of Wednesday morning, with images and scientific data to follow in the coming days – though it will take many months to receive all of the space craft's measurements and readings.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Fingers crossed for you New Horizons. Do us proud. 

The post New Horizons confirms Pluto is bigger than we thought first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/new-horizons-confirms-pluto-is-bigger-than-we-thought/feed/ 3
Philae comet lander space probe wakes up https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/philae-comet-lander-space-probe-wakes-up/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/philae-comet-lander-space-probe-wakes-up/#comments Mon, 15 Jun 2015 08:08:52 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=254561 It's been seven long months since anyone has heard from the Philae lander, which was touched down on a comet, hundreds of millions of miles from earth, in a descent that was fraught with nail biting triumphs. After 60 hours though, its batteries ran dry, as it had managed to land in an area of near consistent …

The post Philae comet lander space probe wakes up first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
It's been seven long months since anyone has heard from the Philae lander, which was touched down on a comet, hundreds of millions of miles from earth, in a descent that was fraught with nail biting triumphs. After 60 hours though, its batteries ran dry, as it had managed to land in an area of near consistent shade. However, now that it's closer to the sun, its brief periods of sunlight are enough to power it back up and the European Space Agency has begun communicating with it once again.

There had been no guarantee that even as Philae drew closer to its power source, that it would be able to turn back on, but the decade+ old hardware did its just admirably and re-established contact with its parent craft Rosetta, which in turn beamed back its confirmed reinvigoration to Earth, where the ESA informed the world. It's now hoped that Philae will be able to transmit some of the scientific data it still had on board when it shut down last year and also carry out new experiments and take photographs as the comet reaches its closest point to the sun.

philae23

It's expected that as 67P nears the great stellar body, it will continue to heat up and that may cause some strange activity aboard the comet, potentially sending up jets of gas, or even parts breaking off to form the tail. It will reach its closest approach to the sun in August and will be at a distance of 127 million miles from it at that time.

The only worry is, that as it gets closer, Philae itself may overheat, though at this time, it's racing through space at a comfortable – relatively – minus 35 degrees celsius.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: It's great to see Philae come back online, if for no other reason than the ESA does a great job of making all of its space craft feel as if they are talking to one another. 

The post Philae comet lander space probe wakes up first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/philae-comet-lander-space-probe-wakes-up/feed/ 1
Rosetta successfully releases Philae Lander for comet descent https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/rosetta-successfully-releases-philae-lander-for-comet-descent/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/rosetta-successfully-releases-philae-lander-for-comet-descent/#comments Wed, 12 Nov 2014 09:15:47 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=221528 Update: The confirmation has come through. Philae has successfully separated from the Rosetta Probe “flawlessly” and now begins its multiple hour descent. This is quite an emotional moment for the Probe's crew back here on Earth, as Philae and Rosetta have travelled through space inseparably for over 10 years and now begin the next stage …

The post Rosetta successfully releases Philae Lander for comet descent first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Update: The confirmation has come through. Philae has successfully separated from the Rosetta Probe “flawlessly” and now begins its multiple hour descent. This is quite an emotional moment for the Probe's crew back here on Earth, as Philae and Rosetta have travelled through space inseparably for over 10 years and now begin the next stage of their journeys alone.

Original Story: Just two days ago we learned the news that the Rosetta probe, currently in orbit around a comet named 67P hundreds of millions of miles away, was readying to separate its lander Philae. It was initially thought that by now we'd have the lander portion of the space craft on the surface of 67P, but a problem with the lander's thrusters (designed to prevent it bouncing off of the surface) caused a slight delay. However the European Space Agency has given it the go ahead to land anyway, using just the harpoons and feet screws to secure it in place.

At the time of writing, the Rosetta team is waiting on confirmation that the probe has released the lander and that the descent has begun. The signal of any movements made or steps taken by Rosetta can take up to half an hour to reach us, so we're just playing the waiting game right now.

You can watch the live steam of it here.

esa
The ESA's team is quiet, but clearly confident while they wait for confirmation

Beyond the separation, there is the descent stage to consider, which once begun will take around seven hours to complete. Confirmation of a landing on 67P will hopefully appear around 4PM this afternoon. From there, Philae can begin taking pictures and studying the structure of a comet for the first time, hopefully giving us a unique insight into how parts of our solar system were formed, potentially even giving us a hint of how planets are seeded with life.

Discuss on our Facebook page, HERE.

KitGuru Says: Congratulations to the ESA team and fingers crossed for the next steps. 

The post Rosetta successfully releases Philae Lander for comet descent first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/rosetta-successfully-releases-philae-lander-for-comet-descent/feed/ 1
Watch live as the Rosetta probe circularises comet orbit https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/watch-live-as-the-rosetta-probe-circularises-comet-orbit/ https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/watch-live-as-the-rosetta-probe-circularises-comet-orbit/#respond Wed, 06 Aug 2014 09:17:15 +0000 http://www.kitguru.net/?p=206078 Update: It's done it. Rosetta has reached the comet! The Rosetta Probe was launched into the cosmos over a decade ago back in March 2004, with plans to have it rendezvous with a comet, begin orbiting it – essentially sticking to it like the moon does with the Earth – and eventually land on it. This will …

The post Watch live as the Rosetta probe circularises comet orbit first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
Update: It's done it. Rosetta has reached the comet!

The Rosetta Probe was launched into the cosmos over a decade ago back in March 2004, with plans to have it rendezvous with a comet, begin orbiting it – essentially sticking to it like the moon does with the Earth – and eventually land on it. This will give us whole new swathes of data on the structure of comets, how they interact with other aspects of the solar system and make it all the more easier for us to land astronauts on an asteroid in the future. And today, it's set to begin the final leg of its journey.

rosetta
CG image of the Rosetta probe. 

Set to begin its retrograde burn in the next few minutes, allowing it to slow down enough that the comet's tiny gravitational pull will allow it to eventually orbit the body, Rosetta's journey has had scientists on tenterhooks for years. It entered hibernation over two years ago before being awoken this year, to help conserve power. It's also used the gravitational pull of the Earth and Mars to help accelerate it to the speeds needed to intercept the speeding comet, known as 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko.

Rosetta is equipped with a four megapixel camera that will be able to give us images of the comet as it approaches and enters a stable orbit. The plan is to have Rosetta orbit at around 100KM distance, until it wants to drop off its small probe body known as Philae.

http://livestre.am/6XD.

Watch live streaming video from eurospaceagency at livestream.com

Philae is a small robotic lander attached to the Rosetta probe, that will give us the first contact images of human hardware with a comet, giving us our first real look at what it's made of. It will also be able to use a variety of instruments to analyse the comet, such as an X-Ray spectrometer, which will look at its chemical composition, a gas chromatrograph to see if any volatile components are present, an infrared scanner to look beneath the surface of the comet and a magnetometer, among several other tools and sensors.

Unfortunately with all the action set to take place in the next 30 minutes or so, there's a lot of people trying to view the livestream right now and it's almost impossible to have it load without buffering, but I'd still recommend giving it a go if you're a fan of space exploration, as this is a landmark day in human space adventuring.

KitGuru Says: It's worth remembering that this is a 10 year mission that involves getting caught in the gravity of something that is so weak, it only requires 0.47 metres per second of propulsion to escape it. 

The post Watch live as the Rosetta probe circularises comet orbit first appeared on KitGuru.]]>
https://www.kitguru.net/channel/science/jon-martindale/watch-live-as-the-rosetta-probe-circularises-comet-orbit/feed/ 0