April 2022

A section of the LHC tunnel (Photo courtesy CERN)

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The LHC (Large Hadron Collider), the largest particle accelerator in the world, has resumed work in preparation for the new work program, code-named Run 3, which is scheduled to start in July. The initial operations are the ones necessary to test the equipment after more than three years of update work. On April 22, the first proton beams were injected in opposite directions into the 27-kilometer the LHC ring. If all goes as planned, Run 3 will begin in July pending the completion of other works that will lead to the enhanced version called High Luminosity the LHC (HiLumi LHC or simply HL-LHC).

The Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft docking with the International Space Station (Image NASA TV)

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A few hours ago, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft docked to the International Space Station’s Harmony module completing the first part of its Crew-4 or SpaceX Crew-4 mission that began almost 16 hours earlier with its launch. After checking that the pressure is correctly balanced, the hatch will be opened to allow Robert Hines, Samantha Cristoforetti, Jessica Watkins, and Kjell Lindgren to enter the Station.

SpaceX's Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft starting its Crew-4 mission blasting off atop a Falcon 9 rocket (Image NASA TV)

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A little while ago, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft blasted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in its Crew-4 or SpaceX Crew-4 mission with Robert Hines, Samantha Cristoforetti, Jessica Watkins, and Kjell Lindgren . After about eleven minutes, it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage and went en route to carry out its mission. This is the 4th crewed mission of the Crew Dragon spacecraft within the normal rotation of the International Space Station crew. This is also the first mission for the Freedom.

The Crew Dragon Endeavor spacecraft splashing down at the end of the Ax-1 mission (Photo courtesy SpaceX)

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A few hours ago, SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Endeavour spacecraft concluded its Ax-1 mission by splashing down without problems. On board were Michael López-Alegría, Larry Connor, Eytan Stibbe, and Mark Pathy, who ended this completely private space mission in the Atlantic Ocean after leaving the International Space Station about 16 hours earlier. Shortly after splashing down, the SpaceX ship called the “Megan” went to retrieve the Endeavour and its crew to transport them to the coast.

The galaxies NGC 1385, NGC 1566, NGC 3344, and NGC 6503

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An article published in “The Astrophysical Journal” reports the results of a study conducted on 108 galaxies containing nuclear star clusters in search of intermediate-mass black holes. A team of researchers used NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory to look for the traces of this type of black hole that has so far been very elusive. In 29 of these galaxies, they found emissions they believe came from this type of black hole and traces of the destruction of thousands of stars. This suggests that intermediate-mass black holes grow by devouring stars.