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Added on the 07/07/2022 16:30:16 - Copyright : Euronews EN
The continuing volcanic eruption of Mount Etna on the island of Sicily could be sighted on Tuesday. The 10,922 foot high mountain has been spewing lava since Monday. Mount Etna is Europe's most active volcano and lies between the cities of Messina and Catania. The current eruption originates at the south-eastern crater and is visible from the east coast of Sicily. The last time Etna erupted was in May 2016 and, according to experts, the current eruption does not threaten nearby settlements.
This four-wheeled robot rover is undergoing its final trials on Japan's Tottori Sand Dunes before it will be flown into space and out to its final test - a 1,640 foot ride on the surface of the moon. Called the Moonraker, the rover was built by Team Hakuto of Japan to compete with 15 other teams from all over the world for the $20 million dollar grand prize in the Google Lunar XPrize competition. Google's Lunar XPrize competition calls for participating teams to create a rover, launch it into space, land it on the moon, have it travel at least 1,640 feet, and then send images of its travels back to the earth. The first team to successfully complete the challenge will take home the grand prize. Team Hakuto, which means 'white rabbit' in Japanese, is well on its way to securing the prize money - their Moonraker rover is scheduled to be launched from Earth by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket soon. The purpose is to create a cheap machine to help humans easily explore the moon, and maybe even prepare it for colonization. The Hakuto team hope that the Moonraker will be able to explore holes on the moon's surface and perhaps discover cave systems. The future looks interesting indeed.
NASA unveils its Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 2 space mission, at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral in Florida. The mission scheduled for late 2024, will take a crew of four astronauts to the Moon. IMAGES
NASA's Orion space capsule splashes down safely in the Pacific, completing the Artemis-1 mission -- a more than 25-day journey around the Moon with an eye to returning humans there in coming years. IMAGES
People in Tokyo watch the longest partial lunar eclipse in 600 years from the rooftop of a highrise building. IMAGES
Ash covers the streets of the town of Milo at the foot of Mount Etna, which is continuing to spew smoke, ash and lapilli. IMAGES