{"id":197336,"date":"2026-07-26T05:37:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T11:07:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=197336"},"modified":"2026-07-26T05:37:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T11:07:15","slug":"praxis-a-nasa-mission-to-graze-planet-rings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=197336","title":{"rendered":"PRAXIS: a NASA mission to graze planet rings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"picture verticle\"><picture><!--[if IE 9]><video style=\"display: none;\"><![endif]--><source media=\"(min-width: 1600px)\" sizes=\"960px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/todays-paper\/tp-miscellaneous\/tp-others\/b3zhk0\/article70855811.ece\/alternates\/LANDSCAPE_1200\/Big_shot_shape1GBKFRFAPJ.4.jpg.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1599px)\" sizes=\"640px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/todays-paper\/tp-miscellaneous\/tp-others\/b3zhk0\/article70855811.ece\/alternates\/LANDSCAPE_1200\/Big_shot_shape1GBKFRFAPJ.4.jpg.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 321px) and (max-width: 767px)\" sizes=\"400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/todays-paper\/tp-miscellaneous\/tp-others\/b3zhk0\/article70855811.ece\/alternates\/LANDSCAPE_660\/Big_shot_shape1GBKFRFAPJ.4.jpg.jpg\"\/><source media=\"(max-width: 320px)\" sizes=\"320px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/todays-paper\/tp-miscellaneous\/tp-others\/b3zhk0\/article70855811.ece\/alternates\/LANDSCAPE_320\/Big_shot_shape1GBKFRFAPJ.4.jpg.jpg\"\/><!--[if IE 9]><\/video><![endif]--><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/theme\/images\/th-online\/1x1_spacer.png\" alt=\"In March 2026, the Webb and Hubble space telescopes teamed up to observe Saturn and acquire a richer understanding of its atmosphere. This image shows Webb\u2019s view. The rings are bright because they are made of water ice, which is very reflective.\" title=\"In March 2026, the Webb and Hubble space telescopes teamed up to observe Saturn and acquire a richer understanding of its atmosphere. This image shows Webb\u2019s view. The rings are bright because they are made of water ice, which is very reflective.\" data-original=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/theme\/images\/th-online\/1x1_spacer.png\" class=\"lead-img\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<p class=\"caption\">\n                    In March 2026, the Webb and Hubble space telescopes teamed up to observe Saturn and acquire a richer understanding of its atmosphere. This image shows Webb\u2019s view. The rings are bright because they are made of water ice, which is very reflective.<br \/>\n                                          | Photo Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute\/NASA\n                                      <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"content-body-71269143\">\n<div class=\"schemaDiv\" id=\"schemaDiv\" itemprop=\"articleBody\">PRAXIS is an acronym of \u2018Planetary Rings Autonomous EXploration with In-situ Sampling\u2019. NASA has just selected a mission concept called \u2018PRAXIS\u2019 for its Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) 2026 phase I funding.<\/p>\n<p>The mission will consist of a bio-inspired robotic explorer driven by an artificial intelligence (AI) model. It will be capable of directly sampling particles from planetary ring systems \u2014 something no mission has ever attempted before. The mission\u2019s selection for NIAC was guided by open questions in the science of planets\u2019 rings that NASA\u2019s Planetary Science Decadal Survey has flagged as important.<\/p>\n<p>These questions include how planetary rings form, how they evolve, and what ring particles are made of.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than fly through a ring \u2014 which would pose collision hazards \u2014 PRAXIS currently plans to just graze the ring plane. Specifically, once it has picked a target particle, the spacecraft will perform a touch-and-go sample of the particle\u2019s surface using a long deployable boom, staying at a safe distance from the moving ring particles. Once it has a sample, the craft will move on to another region or gap in the rings to sample from another area.<\/p>\n<p>When it has a sample, small instruments will snag free-floating particles and the AI model will help measure particle size, porosity, and composition.<\/p>\n<p>Being selected for NIAC phase-I finding means the PRAXIS team can start running simulations and studying system design. If the idea advances to phase II, the team can start building a physical prototype. According to its developers, the PRAXIS sampling system can be used in missions to study many ringed planets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"update-publish-time article-published-time-end\">\n<p class=\"publish-time-new\"> Published <span>&#8211; July 26, 2026 04:18 pm IST<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/science\/praxis-a-nasa-mission-to-graze-planet-rings\/article71269143.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In March 2026, the Webb and Hubble space telescopes teamed up to observe Saturn and acquire a richer understanding of its atmosphere. This image shows Webb\u2019s view. The rings are bright because they are made of water ice, which is very reflective. | Photo Credit: Space Telescope Science Institute\/NASA PRAXIS is an acronym of \u2018Planetary&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":197337,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-197336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-national-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Big_shot_shape1GBKFRFAPJ.4.jpg.jpg","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":197684,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=197684","url_meta":{"origin":197336,"position":0},"title":"NASA Astronaut Chris Williams Returns to Earth After Successful Space Mission &#8211; chshyd.in","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 27, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"NASA Astronaut Chris Williams Returns to Earth After Successful Space Mission\u00a0\u00a0chshyd.inNASA Astronaut Chris Williams, Crewmates Return from Space Station\u00a0\u00a0NASA (.gov)U.S.-Russian space crew lands safely in Kazakhstan after an 8-month stint on the ISS\u00a0\u00a0The HinduThe Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft with two Russian cosmonauts and an American astronaut has undocked from the ISS,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NASA-Astronaut-Chris-Williams-Returns-to-Earth.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NASA-Astronaut-Chris-Williams-Returns-to-Earth.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NASA-Astronaut-Chris-Williams-Returns-to-Earth.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NASA-Astronaut-Chris-Williams-Returns-to-Earth.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/NASA-Astronaut-Chris-Williams-Returns-to-Earth.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":193338,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=193338","url_meta":{"origin":197336,"position":1},"title":"Sun sets on Vulcan Centaur as NASA moves SunRISE to SpaceX Falcon Heavy","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 14, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"SCIENCE Solar observatory awaits a new launch date after its original ride hit booster trouble NASA has performed a rocket switcheroo and will launch its SunRISE mission on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy instead of the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur on which it was originally booked to fly. The\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5229516.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5229516.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5229516.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5229516.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5229516.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":194132,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=194132","url_meta":{"origin":197336,"position":2},"title":"A 4-billion-year-old weather report. 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NASA\u2019s Perseverance Mars rover uncovered evidence that a 245-foot-thick (75 metre) pile of ancient rock was formed by asteroids repeatedly smashing into\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/32da900b-f500-4742-b7ce-206d3038b590.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/32da900b-f500-4742-b7ce-206d3038b590.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/32da900b-f500-4742-b7ce-206d3038b590.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/32da900b-f500-4742-b7ce-206d3038b590.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/32da900b-f500-4742-b7ce-206d3038b590.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":197352,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=197352","url_meta":{"origin":197336,"position":3},"title":"U.S.-Russian space crew lands safely in Kazakhstan after an 8-month stint on the ISS","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Russian Soyuz MS-28 space capsule with NASA astronaut Chris Williams and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev on board descends near Kazakh town of Zhezkazgan, Kazakhstan on Sunday (July 26, 2026). | Photo Credit: AP A U.S.-Russian space crew landed safely in the steppes of Kazakhstan on Sunday (July\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;National News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"National News","link":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?cat=7"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kazakhstan_Russia_Space_Station_13178.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kazakhstan_Russia_Space_Station_13178.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kazakhstan_Russia_Space_Station_13178.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kazakhstan_Russia_Space_Station_13178.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newslink360.space\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Kazakhstan_Russia_Space_Station_13178.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":193775,"url":"https:\/\/newslink360.space\/?p=193775","url_meta":{"origin":197336,"position":4},"title":"Cosmic Rescue: NASA scrambles to save a falling space telescope","author":"Ajay Kumar Verma","date":"July 15, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"To save the telescope, standard engineering luxuries were bypassed. 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