Galaxy Aerospace Ghana

[GalaxySpaceNewsGH:Nigeria Unveil First Mars Rover] In October, a Pan-Atlantic University (PAU) team developed Nigeria’s first Mars rover prototype, Trailblazer. The team secured second place at the African Rover Challenge, a competition showcasing engineering talent across the continent. They received a prize of ZAR 2,000 (USD 113.9). The African Rover Challenge required participants to design and build a small, mobile Mars rover prototype. While not designed for actual Mars conditions, the prototype needed to demonstrate wireless control and an independent power source. The competition involved two primary stages: a launch stage and a Mars simulation stage. https://lnkd.in/eDFZVNp7 #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #SpaceN

[100th Woman In Space, Emily Calandrelli, Stands Up To 'Small Men' On The Internet: 'I Should Have Expected This.'] Emily Calandrelli made history on Nov. 22, 2024, when she became the 100th woman to go to space. But thanks to "small men on the internet," the monumental milestone was marred by misogyny, Calandrelli told Live Science. Footage of the historic launch, led by aerospace company Blue Origin, was shared by the company to social media. But it wasn't long before misogynistic, objectifying comments began to flood in. However, Calandrelli has not let this deter her from sharing her excitement she put the video back up on social media in a post that has received over 6 million views across TikTok and Instagram as of Friday (Dec. 6). Spaceflight is still a heavily male dominated industry according to World Space Flight statistics trackers and United States Airforce Definitions, 714 people have been to space as of Dec. 6, 2024. Only 14% have been female. More details of Calandrelli's career running up to the launch can be found in Space.com's interview with the 100th woman in space. Source: https://lnkd.in/ecJiTasc #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #SpaceNews

[SpaceX Test-Fires Super Heavy Booster For 7th Starship Launch] SpaceX is gearing up for the seventh test flight of its Starship megarocket, which could take place in just a month or so. The company conducted a static-fire test with Flight 7's Super Heavy first-stage booster today (Dec. 9), briefly igniting its 33 Raptor engines at a pad at SpaceX's Starbase facility in South Texas. The company documented the milestone on X today, posting three photos and a short video of the test. SpaceX has not yet announced a launch date for Starship's seventh test flight, but the company appears to be eyeing Jan. 11; an email sent by NASA to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration identifies that date as the target. Starship consists of two stainless-steel stages, both of which are designed to be fully and rapidly reusable. The upper stage is a 165-foot-tall (50 meters) spacecraft known as Starship, or just Ship. When Ship is stacked atop Super Heavy, Starship stands about 400 feet (122 m) tall bigger that any other rocket in history. Starship is also the most powerful launcher ever built, boasting nearly twice the liftoff thrust of NASA's Space Launch System moon rocket. Starship's six test flights to date occurred in April and November of 2023 and March, June, October and November of this year. The megarocket has performed quite well, especially on its last two missions. On each occasion, both Super Heavy and Ship made it to space as planned and survived their trip back down to Earth in one piece. And, on Flight 5, Super Heavy returned safely to its launch tower, which caught the booster using its "chopstick" arms the strategy SpaceX plans to use eventually for both Super Heavy and Ship, to make reflight as quick and efficient as possible. SpaceX aimed to repeat the booster catch on Flight 6, but communication issues with the tower scuttled that try, and Super Heavy diverted to splash down in the Gulf of Mexico. Source: https://lnkd.in/eVb56KCV #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #SpaceNews

[Sun Unleashes Surprise X-class Solar Flare Triggering Radio Blackout Over Southern Africa] The sun appears to have woken from its slumber with an impulsive X-class solar flare, the most powerful class of solar flare. The dramatic eruption originated from sunspot region 3912, reaching its peak at 4:06 a.m. EST (0906 GMT) on Dec. 8, and was accompanied by a coronal mass ejection (CME) — a large plume of magnetic field and plasma from the sun. When CMEs (also known as solar storms) hit Earth's magnetosphere they can trigger active geomagnetic storm conditions resulting in impressive auroras. Earth may receive a glancing blow from the CME released Dec. 8 but only mild impacts are predicted, according to Space Weather Physicist Tamitha Skov. "The #solarstorm launched will graze Earth to the west. Sadly, the coming fast solar wind streams might deflect the structure even further to the west. Expect only mild impacts by midday December 11," Space Weather Physicist Tamitha Skov wrote in a post on X. What are solar flares? Solar flares are powerful bursts of energy originating from the sun's surface that release strong bursts of electromagnetic radiation. Solar flares are categorized into five classes: A, B, C, M, and X. Each step up represents a tenfold increase in strength. A-class flares are the weakest and generally go unnoticed on Earth, while X-class flares are the most intense and can have significant impacts, such as disrupting satellites and causing radio blackouts. Within each class, a numerical scale (e.g., X1, X2, X10, etc.) provides more detail about the flare's energy level. Radio blackouts Following the eruption of an X-class solar flare, shortwave radio blackouts were observed over southern Africa, the area illuminated by the sun at the time of the outburst. These radio disruptions, which are typical during powerful solar events, are caused by the intense release of X-rays and extreme ultraviolet radiation accompanying the flare. Radiation from solar flares travels to Earth at the speed of light, ionizing the upper atmosphere when it arrives. This ionization increases the density of the atmosphere, affecting high-frequency shortwave radio signals used for long-distance communication. Source: https://lnkd.in/eEu3Dm2j #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #SpaceNews

Nobel Prize Day, celebrated on December 10, marks the anniversary of Alfred Nobel’s death in 1896 and honors the prestigious awards established in his will. The Nobel Prizes, recognizing exceptional achievements in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Literature, Peace, and Economic Sciences, are presented annually on this day. The main ceremony takes place in Stockholm, Sweden, while the Peace Prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway. Celebrate the day by learning about past and present laureates, exploring their contributions, or reflecting on how these awards inspire progress and innovation worldwide. #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #SpaceNews

Human Rights Day, observed every year on December 10, marks the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) by the United Nations General Assembly in 1948. This historic document outlines the fundamental rights and freedoms to which every individual is entitled, regardless of race, gender, nationality, or background. #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #SpaceNews

Dewey Decimal System Day, celebrated on December 10, honors Melvil Dewey, the creator of the Dewey Decimal Classification system in 1876. This widely used library system organizes books into 10 main categories, ranging from 000 to 999, to make them easily accessible. Celebrate the day by visiting a library to explore the system, learning how to use it to find books, or sharing your favorite library memories with #DeweyDecimalDay. #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #SpaceNews

Rockets are specialized vehicles designed for different tasks. Some, like launch rockets, send satellites or supplies into space, while sounding rockets are smaller and used for experiments and atmospheric studies. Orbital rockets are built to place payloads into stable orbits around planets, and military rockets serve defensive purposes, such as missiles. Crewed rocket safely transport astronauts to space destinations like the Moon or Mars, and experimental rocket test new technologies for future space missions. Each type plays a unique role in science, exploration, or defense. https://lnkd.in/eTrKgfH4 #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #SpaceNews

[Innovation on Wheels: Inside Nigeria’s First Mars Rover Prototype] In October, a Pan-Atlantic University (PAU) team developed Nigeria’s first Mars rover prototype, Trailblazer. The team secured second place at the African Rover Challenge, a competition showcasing engineering talent across the continent. They received a prize of ZAR 2,000 (USD 113.9). The African Rover Challenge required participants to design and build a small, mobile Mars rover prototype. While not designed for actual Mars conditions, the prototype needed to demonstrate wireless control and an independent power source. The competition involved two primary stages: a launch stage and a Mars simulation stage. Space in Africa interviewed the Pan-Atlantic University team to explore the details of their Trailblazer project and the team’s future objectives. The core innovation lies in creating a flexible platform that can be reconfigured for different use cases while maintaining a consistent technological foundation. Each industry could request specific modifications, creating a custom solution built upon our core rover technology. Ultimately, we aim to demonstrate that cutting-edge technology developed in Nigeria can be globally competitive and locally transformative. We’re not just building a rover but creating a technological ecosystem that can drive innovation across multiple industries, showcasing the potential of Nigerian engineering and technological expertise. Source: https://lnkd.in/e3GE9yhp #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #SpaceNews

[SpaceX Launches 23 Starlink Internet Satellites From Florida] SpaceX launched another batch of its broadband satellites from Florida on Dec. 8. A Falcon 9 rocket launched 23 Starlink spacecraft, including 13 with direct-to-cell capabilities, from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sunday at 12:12 a.m. EST (0512 GMT). The rocket's first stage came down for a landing on the SpaceX droneship "A Shortfall of Gravitas" in the Atlantic Ocean about eight minutes after launch as planned. It was the second liftoff and touchdown for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description. The Falcon 9's upper stage, meanwhile, successfully deployed the 23 satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) as planned. Sunday morning's launch was the 123rd Falcon 9 liftoff of the year. Nearly 70% of these missions have been devoted to building out the Starlink megaconstellation, the largest network of satellites ever assembled. LEO currently houses more than 6,800 operational Starlink spacecraft, about 350 of which are capable of beaming service directly to cellphones. Source: https://lnkd.in/eauGiZ-W #galaxyaerosgh #space #spaceexploration #SpaceNews