Space Archives - Disasters News

Feb262025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

AI Powered Satellite System Reveals Stark Green Space Inequality in Karachi

Breaking News, Learning & Developments, Space, Tech

A research team led by NYU Associate Professor Rumi Chunara has developed an advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system that accurately tracks urban green spaces using satellite imagery offering a crucial tool for healthier city planning. The system significantly outperforms traditional methods, which have historically failed to capture up to 37% of urban vegetation. Breaking New Ground in Urban Mapping To validate their approach, researchers tested the system in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, known for its mix of dense urban sprawl and highly varied vegetation. The AI, built on enhanced DeepLabV3+ segmentation models, was trained using a technique called ‘green augmentation,’ which adjusts training data to account for different lighting and seasonal conditions. This innovation ...

Feb242025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

How Satellites AI Supercomputers Are Changing the Battle Against Wildfires

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Learning & Developments, Space, Tech

As wildfires raged through Los Angeles in January 2025, cutting-edge technology played a crucial role in firefighting efforts. Satellites, artificial intelligence, and advanced computer models helped firefighters track, predict, and combat the fast-moving blazes. Fire detection has come a long way from the early 20th-century lookout towers built after the devastating Great Fire of 1910. Today, California alone has over 1,100 cameras scanning for smoke, with AI continuously analyzing images to detect fires before they spread. NOAA satellites provide real-time heat signatures, fire perimeter mapping, and air quality assessments. Once a fire is detected, predicting its behavior becomes essential. Advanced computer simulations use fuel models, terrain data, and real-time weather forecast...

Feb122025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Bennu Asteroid Potential Impact How a Collision Could Trigger Global Climate Crisis and Food Insecurity

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Space

Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid, is classified as a "rubble pile" object a loose collection of rocky materials rather than a solid mass. It currently makes its closest approach to Earth every six years, coming within about 186,000 miles (299,000 km). Scientists estimate there is a one-in-2,700 chance that Bennu could collide with Earth in September 2182. If Bennu were to strike our planet, the consequences would be catastrophic. New research based on computer simulations has outlined the likely effects of such an impact, which would include immediate devastation and long-term global disruptions to climate, atmospheric chemistry, and photosynthesis. These disruptions could last for three to four years, according to the study published in the journal Science Advances. Lan Dai, a postdocto...

Feb12025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Doomsday Rock? NASA Flags Asteroid That Might Strike Earth in 2032

Breaking News, Disasters, Space

NASA has identified an asteroid, 2024 YR4, that carries a 1-in-83 chance of colliding with Earth on December 22, 2032. If the asteroid, estimated to be 130 to 300 feet in diameter, strikes a densely populated area, it could unleash devastation equivalent to 8 megatons of TNT 500 times the power of the Hiroshima bomb. Discovered on December 27, 2024, by the NASA-funded ATLAS station in Chile, 2024 YR4 quickly appeared on NASA’s Sentry risk list, which tracks potentially hazardous space rocks. However, experts emphasize that early impact probabilities often change with further observations, and there is still a 99% chance the asteroid will miss Earth. NASA continues to monitor the asteroid’s trajectory closely, collecting more data to refine its impact risk. While past asteroids have b...

Jan182025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Sunita Williams Returns to Spacewalking After 12 Years, Tackles ISS Maintenance with Colleague Nick Hague

Breaking News, Space

Indian-origin NASA astronaut Sunita Williams stepped outside the International Space Station (ISS) on Thursday for her first spacewalk in 12 years, alongside fellow astronaut Nick Hague. The spacewalk, designated as US Spacewalk 91, marks Williams’ eighth career extravehicular activity and Hague’s fourth. The mission, expected to last approximately six and a half hours, involves critical maintenance and upgrades to the ISS. Wearing an unmarked spacesuit as spacewalk crew member 2, Williams worked alongside Hague, who donned a suit with red stripes as spacewalk crew member 1. The duo's tasks include replacing a rate gyro assembly, which supports the station’s orientation control, and installing patches on light filters for the Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) X-ray t...

Jan182025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Supermassive Black Hole 700 Million Times the Sun’s Mass Fires Energy Beam at Earth

Breaking News, Space

Astronomers have unveiled the most ancient blazar ever observed a supermassive black hole from the early universe shooting an energy beam directly toward Earth. This cosmic behemoth, with a mass equivalent to 700 million suns, offers scientists a rare glimpse into the universe’s formative years. Published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, the study titled Properties and Far-infrared Variability of a z = 7 Blazar marks a breakthrough in understanding supermassive black holes. The newly identified blazar, named J0410−0139, lies an astounding 12.9 billion light-years away. Its energy beam has traveled nearly 13 billion years to reach Earth, originating just 800 million years after the Big Bang. This makes it the farthest blazar ever detected, outpacing the previous record-holder by ...

Jan172025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Shocking Discovery revel Supermassive Black Hole Targets Earth with Giant Energy Beam

Breaking News, Learning & Developments, Space, Tech

Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole in a distant galaxy shooting a powerful energy beam directly toward Earth. Dubbed J0410−0139, this rare cosmic phenomenon belongs to a category of black holes known as blazars. With a mass approximately 700 million times that of the Sun, the black hole dates back to the early universe, about 800 million years ago. The discovery was made using data from leading observatories, including the Atacama Large Millimeter Array, the Magellan Telescopes, and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile, along with NASA’s Chandra Observatory in orbit around Earth. “The alignment of J0410−0139’s jet with Earth gives us a rare opportunity to study the inner workings of a supermassive black hole,” said Emmanuel Momjian, co-...

Jan142025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Dr. V. Narayanan Takes Charge as ISRO Chief, Secretary of Space Department

Breaking News, Space, Thoughts & Talks

On January 14, 2025, Dr. V. Narayanan, a distinguished scientist and pioneer in India’s space propulsion systems, assumed charge as Secretary, Department of Space, Chairman of the Space Commission, and Chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). His extensive contributions to India’s space programs have positioned him as a key figure in the country’s advancements in space technology and exploration. Dr. Narayanan’s career at ISRO spans four decades, beginning in 1984. Prior to his new role, he served as the Director of the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), where he led the development of cutting-edge propulsion systems, including liquid, semi-cryogenic, and cryogenic technologies for launch vehicles, as well as chemical and electric propulsion systems for satellite...

Jan132025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Winter Storm Paralyzes Mid-Atlantic as NOAA Satellites Prove Vital

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Disasters, Space, Tech

On January 6, 2025, a ferocious winter storm swept through Washington, D.C., and the Mid-Atlantic region, bringing life to a halt with heavy snowfall, icy winds, and widespread disruptions. As the storm wreaked havoc across states, NOAA's National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) played a critical role in forecasting and mitigating its impact, proving indispensable in the face of extreme weather. The storm began its journey across the Central Plains, leaving a trail of heavy snow and plunging temperatures in states like Missouri, Kansas, and Ohio. By the time it reached the Mid-Atlantic, it had gathered strength, blanketing Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia in thick layers of snow. In the nation’s capital, over five inches of snow accumulated by eve...

Jan102025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Future of Space Science: ISRO Chief S Somanath Inspires Students at START 2025 Launch

Breaking News, Space

In a virtual keynote at the launch of ISRO's START 2025 programme, Chairman S Somanath painted an inspiring yet realistic picture of space science. Addressing 20,000 students from over 560 institutions, he emphasized that the field is not just about the thrill of exploring the universe but also about rigorous, time-intensive work. “Space science isn’t just excitement; it’s about crunching numbers, solving formulas, and building systems like satellites, rockets, and sensors,” he said, underlining the demanding nature of the discipline. The START programme, which runs until January 29, aims to introduce students to both the thrilling and technical aspects of space missions. “We’ll talk about our exciting space missions, but also the science behind orbits, trajectories, and rocket build...