Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
According to a new research study, the far side (vastly different in terms of geology from the side visible from Earth) of the moon witnessed volcanic eruptions billions of years ago. It was collaborative research by US and Chinese scientists, based on samples collected by China’s Chang’e-6 mission. The findings have been published in ‘Nature and Science’.
Analyzing the samples, researchers found fragments of volcanic rock (formed through eruptions) that date back over 4.2 billion years ago. Using radiometric dating, they also discovered a "surprisingly young" eruption that occurred approximately 2.83 billion years ago.
Notably, volcanic activity on the Moon's near side is well-documented. The far side (also referred to as the "dark side") was first photographed in 1959 by the Soviet spacecraft Luna 3.
Using data from NASA and German satellites, an international team of scientists and researchers found a sharp and consistent decline in global freshwater levels between 2015 and 2023 compared to the average of 2002-2014. According to data, the amount of freshwater stored on land (in lakes, rivers, and underground aquifers) was 290 cubic miles lower than the average from 2002 to 2014. During droughts, as cities and farms increasingly rely on groundwater, this creates a never-ending cycle of declining water supplies.
Notably, the data comes from the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) satellites, a collaboration between NASA and the German Aerospace Centre. It suggests the Earth has officially entered a drier phase.
On Sunday evening (November 17), SpaceX launched a satellite from Florida's Space Coast for the Australian telecom company Optus. It took off from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center.
It was a Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Optus-X satellite. As planned, the rocket's first stage returned to Earth about nine minutes after liftoff and landed vertically on the SpaceX drone ship "A Shortfall of Gravitas", stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.
Falcon 9 lifts off from pad 39A in Florida pic.twitter.com/Dm3uiNSiNQ
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 18, 2024
(Credit: SpaceX)
Notably, according to a SpaceX mission description, it was the 16th launch for the Falcon 9 first-stage booster.
Recent images of astronaut Sunita Williams, currently aboard the International Space Station (ISS), sparked widespread concern regarding her health, especially her weight loss. The NASA astronaut of Indian descent has finally addressed all the concerns in her interview with the New England Sports Network (NESN).
In her words, "I think my body has changed a little bit, but I weigh the same. There are rumors that I’m losing weight, but I’m at the same weight as when I arrived here. There are a lot of changes that go on here... It's funny, I think there's some rumors around that I am losing weight and stuff... No, I am actually right at the same amount...spring mess dampener that weighs ourselves and I'm the same weight that I was when I got up here."
Speaking about the role of exercise in space, she shared, "My thighs are a little bigger, my body feels a bit different. We do a lot of squats to maintain bone density, especially in the hips and feet."
Notably, Williams and her colleague Wilmore Butch have been aboard the ISS since June as part of NASA’s Artemis program.
