NASA’s Jonny Kim Heads to Space With Russian Crew on Soyuz MS-27
On April 8, 2025, an American-Russian crew launched a combined spaceflight mission early Tuesday. The Soyuz MS-27 was launched from Kazakhstan’s Baikonur Cosmodrome. NASA astronaut Dr. Jonny Kim, a former U.S. Navy SEAL and doctor, along with Russian cosmonauts Alexey Zubritsky and Sergey Ryzhikov are the part of the crew. In what will be Kim’s maiden voyage, the spacecraft blasted off on a Soyuz 2.1a rocket at 1:47 a.m. EDT and will spend eight months on board the ISS.
Soyuz MS-27 docks after brief orbital journey
According to NASA’s official launch briefing, the Soyuz MS-27 capsule is scheduled to finish a two-orbit approach before docking with the ISS’s Prichal module at around 5:04 a.m. EDT. The crew will join Commander Alexey Ovchinin’s Expedition 72 after a successful docking and hatch opening. Currently, a combination of Japanese, American and Russian astronauts are stationed there.
Expanded crew to support multiple mission objectives
As outlined by Roscosmos and NASA mission updates, the three new arrivals, namely, Ryzhikov, Zubritsky, and Kim, will support various science experiments, maintenance tasks, and visiting vehicle operations. There are many spacewalks that are also planned. Kim had expressed his desire to participate in a spacewalk in an interview with NASA TV before launch. He described the physical and mental challenges as taxing.
Background of the crew and symbolic mission details
According to statements made to collect, Kim, aged 41, credited his diverse career path to opportunity and timing. He becomes the third U.S. Navy SEAL to enter orbit. Ryzhikov, a 50-year-old veteran cosmonaut, begins his third mission, while 32-year-old Zubritsky embarks on his first. The mission’s call sign is “Favour,” and the crew’s patch honours two key milestones in space history: the 60th anniversary of the first spacewalk and 50 years since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.
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German Scientists at GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung found a new superheavy isotope, 257Sg, named Seaborgium, which reveals unexpected details about the stability and nuclear fission. This study was published in Physical Review Letters and describes how this isotope, made by fusing chromium-52 with lead-206, survived for 12.6 milliseconds, longer than usual. The rare longevity and decay into 253Rf provide new indications of how K-quantum numbers or angular momentum impact the fission resistance. The findings fill in the gaps and give us an understanding of the effects of quantum shells in superheavy nuclei, which is crucial for preventing immediate disintegration.
Challenging Traditional Views on K-Quantum Numbers and Fission
As per the study by GSI, it challenges conservative views on how K-quantum numbers impact fission. Previously, it was found that the higher K values lead to greater fission hindrance, but after getting the findings from the GSI team, a more complex dynamic emerged. They found that K-quantum numbers offer hindrance to fission, but it is still ot known that it is how much, said Dr. Pavol Mosat, the study’s co-author.
Discovery of First K-Isomeric State in Seaborgium
An important milestone is the identification of the first K-isomeric state in seaborgium. In 259Sg, the scientists found that the conversion of the electron signal occurs 40 microseconds after the nuclear formation. This is clear evidence of the high angular momentum K-isomer. These states have longer lifetimes and friction in fission in a more effective way than their ground-state counterparts.
Implications for the Theorised Island of Stability
This discovery by the scientists provides key implications for the Island of stability, which has long been theorised. It is a region where superheavy elements could have comparatively long half-lives. If K-isomers are present in the still undiscovered elements such as 120, they can enable scientists in the detection of nuclei that would otherwise decay in just under one microsecond.
Synthesising 256Sg with Ultra-Fast Detection Systems
This team of German Scientists under GSI is now aiming to synthesise 256Sg, which might decay quicker than observed or predicted. Their success is dependent on the ultra-fast detection systems created by GSI, which are capable of capturing events within 100 nanoseconds. This continued research by the team may help in reshaping the search and studying the heaviest elements in the periodic table.
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257Sg, seaborgium, K-isomer, superheavy, elements, nuclear stability, fission, GSI, TASCA, Physical Review Letters, element 120, island of stability
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