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NASA astronaut on board Soyuz spacecraft returns to Earth with two crew members
A Russian Soyuz spacecraft successfully brought back a crew of three, including a NASA astronaut, from the International Space Station. The Soyuz MS-24/70S commander, Oleg Novitskiy, along with Marina Vasilevskaya from Belarus and NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara, landed in Kazakhstan at 3:17 a.m. EDT. The picture-perfect landing was met by Russian recovery crews who assisted the crew out of the Soyuz descent module.
Novitskiy and Vasilevskaya, who had spent two weeks aboard the space station, returned to Earth on the older Soyuz MS-24 spacecraft. The returning crewmates were in good health and high spirits as they underwent medical checks and acclimated to the pull of gravity.
During her 204 days in space, O’Hara completed over 3,000 orbits and 86.6 million miles. Novitskiy and Vasilevskya clocked in 14 days, covering 224 orbits and 5.9 million miles. The crew expressed gratitude and awe at the experience, with Vasilevskaya sharing emotions of incredibility and appreciation.
Vasilevskaya, a proud citizen of Belarus, expressed her gratitude and joy at the experience of being in space. Despite political tensions between nations, the cooperation in space exploration remains strong.
O’Hara, Novitskiy, and Vasilevskaya underwent further checks before heading to respective destinations. O’Hara flew to Houston, while the Russian crewmates proceeded to Star City in Moscow.
The remaining crew members on the International Space Station are gearing up for their continued mission. O’Hara’s return marked the completion of a complex rotation of crew members, ensuring the station’s operations are running smoothly.
NASA’s recent Crew Dragon flights have facilitated crew changes and mission success, with meticulous planning and execution.
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Further Support for Gravitational Wave Background in the Universe
The discovery of the gravitational wave background in 2016 marked a significant milestone in our understanding of the Universe. This groundbreaking discovery was further validated by the release of a second data set from the European Pulsar Timing Array, along with the addition of data from the Indian Pulsar Timing Array. These complementary studies have provided more evidence for the existence of the gravitational wave background, shedding light on the cosmic phenomena that shape our universe.
Gravitational waves are ripples in spacetime that are generated by violent processes such as merging black holes and colliding neutron stars. Predicted by Einstein in 1916 as part of his General Theory of Relativity, these waves have the ability to travel through space, largely unimpeded by any obstacles in their path. The first detection of gravitational waves in 2015 by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) confirmed their existence, originating from a gravitational merger between two black holes located 1.3 billion light years away.
The recent confirmation of the gravitational wave background by the European and Indian Pulsar Timing Arrays indicates that we are detecting a combined signal from the mergers of supermassive black holes. This random distribution of gravity waves that permeates the Universe offers a new avenue for studying the cosmos, akin to the Cosmic Background Radiation. The collaborative efforts of various observatories and research institutions have enabled us to delve deeper into the mysteries of the Universe.
Utilizing pulsar timing arrays as galaxy-sized detectors, researchers have been able to monitor and analyze the pulse arrival times of galactic pulsars on Earth. By detecting subtle patterns in these signals, they can uncover the presence of the gravitational wave background. The latest study led by J. Antoniadis from the Institute of Astrophysics in Greece delves into the implications of the low-frequency signals observed in the recent data releases from various pulsar timing array systems.
The accumulation of data from multiple sources has provided undeniable evidence for the existence of the gravitational wave background. With ongoing Pulsar Timing Array projects, the signals of the low-frequency gravity waves will become more distinct, offering a wealth of opportunities to explore the Universe in this novel way. The focus now shifts towards interpreting these signals to unlock the secrets of the cosmos.
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