The far side of the moon (often mistakenly referred to as the “dark side” of the moon) never faces Earth due to the sphere’s elliptical orbit and synchronous rotation. For the first time, information—including a photograph—has been transmitted from the hemisphere by way of China’s National Space Administration’s Yutu-2 rover. While this might not seem like that big of a deal, it marks significant achievements and technological …
Tag: Satellites
Ethiopia’s First Satellite Launching in 2019
With China’s financial assistance, Ethiopia will be sending its first-ever observatory satellite into space next year. The capsule is heading into the skies for three to five years in order to collect data on climate and weather changes. Costing $8 million to design and produce, the satellite will launch from China, but have control based out of Ethiopia. While it seems like a joint venture by the …
Gravity Images Reveal Lost Continents Under Antarctica
For four years, the European Space Agency’s Gravity field and Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) satellite accumulated data on Earth’s gravitational field. Now, scientists are using that information to best understand what lies beneath Antarctica’s ice sheets. Here, they’re learning that East and West Antarctica bear fundamental differences, including lithosphere thickness. Underneath the former, there are actually several similarities to the continent’s closest neighbors. Read more at VICE.