Science News Roundup: Asteroid sample arrives in Japan; Musk's SpaceX to stage key high-altitude and more

Phone camera may replace labs in novel testing approach; virus mutations linked to COVID-19 severity The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

Asteroid sample arrives in Japan after six-year space odyssey

Samples of an asteroid 300 million km from Earth arrived in Japan on Tuesday to applause and smiles, the climax of a six-year odyssey by a space probe pursuing the origins of life. Named for the peregrine falcon, the Hayabusa2 blasted off for the asteroid Ryugu in December 2014, overcoming an unexpectedly rough landing surface to collect samples of asteroid dust in a capsule.

Musk's SpaceX to stage key high-altitude Starship test

Elon Musk's SpaceX was set to launch a prototype of its Mars rocket Starship in its highest-altitude "hop" test from the space company's Texas facilities on Tuesday, a key trial for a rocket system that Musk hopes will land humans on the moon and eventually Mars. Musk sought to tamp down expectations for Starship's first suborbital flight using three of its new Raptor rocket engines, predicting a 30% chance of success in reaching an altitude of more than 40,000 feet. That would be vastly higher than the vehicle's first two tests at altitudes of 500 feet.

Phone camera may replace labs in novel testing approach; virus mutations linked to COVID-19 severity

The following is a roundup of some of the latest scientific studies on the novel coronavirus and efforts to find treatments and vaccines for COVID-19, the illness caused by the virus. Phone cameras may replace lab equipment in COVID-19 testing.

Gen Chuck Yeager, 'Right Stuff' test pilot who broke sound barrier, dead at 97

Chuck Yeager, the steely "Right Stuff" test pilot who took aviation to the doorstep of space by becoming the first person to break the sound barrier more than 70 years ago, died on Monday at the age of 97. Yeager's death was announced on his twitter account by his wife, Victoria.

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