Year End: Top 8 science news from 2024 – from eclipse, NASA mission and Sunita Williams stranded in space. mint

Year end 2024: The year 2024 was filled with incredible developments in the space and science sectors across the world.

Livemint looks at the top eight such stories of the year, including the once-in-a-lifetime North American coast-to-coast eclipse, NASA’s decision to delay its Artemis manned and unmanned Moon missions (and subsequent Mars missions), Contacts are included. Voyager 1, located in deep space, and Sunita Williams’ space journey.

NASA delays Artemis II to April 2026, Artemis III to mid-2027

NASA, the United States national space agency, said on December 5 that it was officially delaying its Artemis Moon mission programs. NASA said the Artemis program has been dealt a blow, pushing the Artemis II crew test flight to April 2026 (from September 2025) and the Artemis III mission to mid-2027.

According to the space agency, engineers will continue to prepare the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis II crew test flight. The new date reflects the time needed to correct deficiencies in the Orion capsule’s environmental control and life support systems.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson called the Artemis mission “the most daring, technologically challenging, collaborative, international effort ever undertaken by humanity”, and said significant progress had been made over the past four years and that he was “proud” of it. . Advance in space exploration. Read details about Artemis II (crewed mission) and Artemis III (landing mission) here.

Sunita Williams’ ‘Salad’ leap into space farming

NASA astronaut Sunita Williams, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), is leading groundbreaking research with leafy green lettuce. As commander of the station, Williams is reportedly focusing on growing “outrageous” romaine lettuce in microgravity.

This research is important for understanding how different amounts of water affect plant growth, which has important implications for future space missions and agricultural progress on Earth. Additionally, the study aims to provide insight into sustainable agricultural practices that can be applied in space and on Earth. Information gained from the project could be important for designing agricultural systems that support astronauts on space missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Chandrayaan-3 sent data: Was there ever a magma ocean on the surface of the Moon?

Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)’s Chandrayaan-3 moon mission, which landed on the moon’s south pole last year, sent back data in August 2024 supporting the theory that Earth’s satellite was once covered in an ocean of magma , as published in an analysis. Journal Nature revealed.

The analysis looked at measurements and samples of lunar soil that were recorded and collected by Chandrayaan-3’s Pragyaan rover at multiple points along a 100-meter track on the lunar surface. The rover was deployed by the mission’s Vikram lander, which made a soft landing near the moon’s south pole on August 23, 2023.

From 8 days to 8 months – Sunita Williams, Barry Wilmore stranded in space until 2025

NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry ‘Butch’ Wilmore flew to the ISS on June 5 – a mission that was to last eight days before returning to Earth. According to reports, they are now on an extended eight-month stay in space, with a possible return in 2025 – skipping the summer, and not attending Christmas and New Year celebrations with family and friends.

The astronauts, Williams, 58, and Wilmore, 61, left aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which detected problems before the return trip and kept them both on the ISS until NASA found a solution.

Total solar eclipse 2024: Coast-to-coast view of North America

Since the next coast-to-coast eclipse won’t happen for another 21 years, millions of people in North America were treated to the rare event of a total solar eclipse in April this year. A huge audience, including a few hundred million residents living in or near the eclipse path and many visitors from far and wide, watched the event, making it the largest eclipse audience ever seen on the continent. Marks in.

As the total solar eclipse began its diagonal journey over land, Texas found itself largely under clouds. The eclipse’s trajectory began off the mainly clear Pacific coast of Mexico, passed through Texas and 14 other US states in 1 hour and 40 minutes, and then plunged into the North Atlantic near Newfoundland, Canada. The moon’s shadow traveled more than 4,000 miles (6,500 km) across the continent, leaving behind a trail of awe and wonder.

Gaganyaan’s unmanned mission likely in March next year

India’s most ambitious space project, ISRO’s Gaganyaan unmanned mission is likely to launch as early as March next year in preparation for a manned mission in 2026. The Indian Space Research Organization will reportedly deploy ships carrying scientists at observation points in the Pacific Ocean. Unmanned missions to monitor the North Atlantic Ocean.

The success of this unmanned mission will mark a milestone in the history of India and may set the stage for the launch of the manned mission of Gaganyaan in 2026. The four astronauts are currently in training for a three-day mission, during which they will travel through space, orbiting at high altitude. 400 km, and then return to Earth, ending with landing in Indian territorial waters.

Voyager-1’s cosmic return! NASA gets faint signal thanks to backup transmitter from 1981

Traveling billions of kilometers from Earth into interstellar space, the Voyager 1 spacecraft, 15 billion miles away, has once again established communication with Earth, albeit with a faint signal. NASA successfully reestablished contact with Voyager-1 on October 24 after a brief interruption caused by the activation of its fault protection system.

Voyagers 1 and 2 have been operating for over 47 years and are the only two spacecraft currently operating in interstellar space. Their advanced age has increased the frequency and complexity of technical issues, posing new challenges for the mission engineering team.

No snow on Japan’s Mount Fuji in October – first time in 130 years

In another example of climate change, Japan’s Mount Fuji became snowless in October this year, the latest date of absence of snowfall in its 130-year record. According to a CNN report, the country’s highest peak is usually covered with snow by October, but as of October 30, there was still no sign of snow.

The volcano’s snow cover begins to form on average on October 2. In 2023, ice was first detected on 5 October. Speaking to AFP, Yutaka Katsuta, a forecaster at the Kofu local meteorological office, said, “Temperatures were high this summer, and these high temperatures continued into September, blocking cold winds” that bring snow. It also acknowledged that climate change could affect the delay in snowfall formation.