NASA has some interesting events and focus areas in store for this week. Here are some of them.
Massive Black Holes Moving Toward Collision
Astronomers have spotted and snapped two different black hole pairs within a collision course of two dwarf galaxies. KY3 reports that shots were captured through the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, a space telescope that was deployed on board a NASA space shuttle in 1999. Specialists say that the material surrounding the black holes may reach up to millions of degrees and create x-rays. Because of this, Chandra was enabled to observe them.
Science Alert reports that the first pair is within the Abell 133 cluster, which is around 760 million light years from earth. The other is situated within the Abell 1758S cluster, which is around 3.2 billion light years away from earth.
According to SciTechDaily, this serves as the first evidence for this forthcoming encounter. It also offers vital information regarding how black holes grew in the early universe.
SpaceX Crew-6 Flight Set For Deployment
On February 21, members who are set to join the NASA SpaceX Crew-6 mission reportedly reached the Kennedy Space Center before their deployment to the ISS (International Space Station). According to Space, this mission will serve as the ninth crewed flight of SpaceX and also the fourth crewed flight for the Crew Dragon Endeavor.
Four crew members are set to arrive at the ISS. This includes Stephen Bowen and Warren "Woody" Hoburg from NASA, Sultan Al-Neyadi from the United Arab Emirates, and Andrey Feyaev from Roscosmos. Al-Neyadi is reportedly the first from the UAE to participate in a lengthy space mission. The crew is set to be deployed by February 27 from the Launch Complex.
Perseverance Rover's 2nd Anniversary on Mars
Just recently, the Perseverance Rover has celebrated its second year on Mars since it first landed on the planet in February 2021. SciTechDaily reports that, since then, the rover has moved more than 9 miles away, gathered 18 samples, and snapped hundreds of thousands of shots.
Moreover, according to NASA, the rover has also checked and collected data on hundreds of interesting geologic qualities. It also culled 15 cores or rocks and made the first sample depot across a different world.
One of the Perseverance rover's key objectives is astrobiology. This covers caching samples that could hold life signs of ancient microbes. The rover will also be characterizing Mars's previous climate and geology. It will also pave the path for humans to examine the red planet. Moreover, it will also be the first space mission to collect and cache regolith and rocks from Mars.
RELATED ARTICLE: What Was Mars Like in the Past? Scientists Say Red Planet Was More Beautiful Than Earth Before
Check out more news and information on NASA Missions in Science Times.
