Nozomi Makes its Earth Flyby
The Japanese space probe Nozomi, passed an important milestone on its journey to Mars Thursday night with the successfully flyby of Earth. The spacecraft passed within 11,000 km of the Earth in order to use our planet’s gravity to assist its trip to Mars. Its challenges aren’t over yet, however, since its heating system still isn’t functional and required in order to enter Mars orbit at the end of its journey. Space experts give Nozomi a 50/50 chance of being able to fix itself before reaching Mars.
Recent Posts
Planetary Protection: Why study it? What can it teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Universe Today has recently investigated a plethora of scientific disciplines, including impact craters, planetary surfaces,…
New Telescope Images of Io are so Good, it Looks like a Spacecraft Took Them
The Large Binocular Telescope (LBT), located on Mount Graham in Arizona and run by the…
South Korea is Planning to Send a Mission to Mars by 2045
It is truly wonderful to see so many nations aspiring to space exploration and trips…
A New Deep Learning Algorithm Can Find Earth 2.0
How can machine learning help astronomers find Earth-like exoplanets? This is what a recently accepted…
Cryovolcanism: Why study it? What can it teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Universe Today has had the privilege of spending the last several months venturing into a…
Io Has Been Volcanically Active for its Entire History
Jupiter's moon Io is a volcanic powerhouse. It's the most geologically active world in the…