Here are today’s most important updates from the realm of Science and Space.
NASA's Sunita Williams formally transferred command of the ISS to the Russian cosmonaut Alexey Ovchinin, days before her departure for Earth. The historic event highlighted mutual cooperation between Roscosmos and National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The Indian-American astronaut's leadership has been crucial to keeping the station running during her tenure. “We will miss you,” she said as she handed over the command to Ovchinin. Williams is preparing to return to Earth with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Nick Hague, Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, and others. The SpaceX Crew-10 mission, which is scheduled to launch on March 12 and 13, will determine when they depart from space. Williams will head out with her fellow crew members on March 19 following a week-long handover procedure with Crew-10.
Muks Robotics, a Pune-based company, is at the forefront of developing cutting-edge robots designed for planetary exploration, specifically targeting missions to the Moon and Mars. Founded by Dr. Mukesh Bangar, the company is working on advanced robots like Spaceo Prime, a conscious bipedal humanoid robot, and Robo Prime for Mars missions. These robots are engineered to collect and analyze planetary data on-site, providing real-time inferences and critical data directly to Earth. Muks Robotics is developing robots that can explore areas inaccessible to humans, paving the way for sustainable human presence on other planets.
NASA's Athena lunar lander, part of the IM-2 mission, has stopped functioning after a challenging landing on the Moon. The lander, designed by Intuitive Machines, touched down approximately 250 meters from its intended target in the Mons Mouton region near the lunar south pole. This marked the southernmost lunar landing and surface operations ever achieved, but the mission was cut short due to unforeseen circumstances. Athena landed inside a crater, which proved to be a critical factor in the mission's demise. Despite this setback, mission controllers managed to activate several program and payload milestones, including NASA's PRIME-1 suite, before the lander's batteries depleted. The PRIME-1 suite is equipped with a drill designed to study water ice beneath the lunar surface.
Having children might keep your brain fitter and younger, according to a new study, which highlights that despite the challenges associated with parenting such as exhaustion and stress, having children may enrich a person's life in the long run, providing much-needed cognitive stimulation, physical activity, and social interaction. “We find parenting more children is associated with higher brain-wide functional connectivity, especially in networks associated with movement and sensation," the study stated. The implications could be far-reaching and help scientists combat loneliness and dementia in an aging population, especially since fewer people are having kids these days.
