Space News & Blog Articles
NASA prepares to roll Artemis 2 core stage to the Vehicle Assembly Building
NASA’s Pegasus barge, carrying the agency’s massive SLS (Space Launch System) core stage, arrives at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Complex 39 turn basin wharf in Florida on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, after journeying from the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. The core stage is the next piece of Artemis hardware to arrive at the spaceport and will be offloaded and moved to NASA Kennedy’s Vehicle Assembly Building, where it will be prepared for integration ahead of the Artemis II launch. Image: NASA/Kim Shiflett
NASA’s took another important step in its Artemis program, designed to return humans to the Moon in preparation for missions to Mars. On Tuesday, the 212-foot-long Space launch System (SLS) core stage, nestled inside NASA’s massive Pegasus barge, completed its week-long voyage from eastern Louisiana to Florida.
EarthCARE’s multispectral imager puts clouds into context
Launched less than two months ago, ESA’s EarthCARE satellite has already returned images from two of its four instruments. Now, it has also delivered the first images from its multispectral imager, showcasing various types of clouds and cloud temperatures worldwide. This instrument is set to add valuable context to the data from EarthCARE’s other instruments.
New Horizons Measures the Background Light of the Universe
Think about background radiation and most people immediately think of the cosmic background radiation and stories of pigeon excrement during its discovery. That’s for another day though. Turns out that the universe has several background radiations, such as infrared and even gravitational wave backgrounds. NASA’s New Horizons is far enough out of the Solar System now that it’s in the perfect place to measure the cosmic optical background (COB). Most of this light comes from the stars in galaxies, but astronomers have always wondered if there are other sources of light filling our night sky. New Horizons has an answer. No!
Next Generation Event Horizon Telescope To Unlock Mysteries of Black Holes
The prospect of actually resolving the event horizon of black holes feels like the stuff of science fiction yet it is a reality. Already the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) has resolved the horizon of the black holes at the centre of the Milky Way and M87. A team of astronomers are now looking to the next generation of the EHT which will work at multiple frequencies with more telescopes than EHT. A new paper suggests it may even be possible to capture the ring where light goes into orbit around the black hole at the centre of the Milky Way.
Rapidly spinning dead stars could unveil dark matter secrets
"Cosmic lighthouses" comprised of rapidly spinning dead stars that blast out radiowaves could be used to shed new light on dark matter, the universe's most mysterious "stuff."
Happy 25th anniversary, Chandra! NASA celebrates with 25 breathtaking images from flagship X-ray observatory
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the flagship Chandra X-ray observatory, NASA has released 25 never-before-seen images of iconic astronomical objects.
June 2024 featured record-breaking heat and billion-dollar weather disasters, NOAA says
The U.S. just suffered its second-hottest June in 130 years. The month also featured four new billion-dollar weather and climate disasters.
The Ultraviolet Habitable Zone Sets a Time Limit on the Formation of Life
The field of extrasolar planet studies has grown exponentially in the past twenty years. Thanks to missions like Kepler, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), and other dedicated observatories, astronomers have confirmed 5,690 exoplanets in 4,243 star systems. With so many planets and systems available for study, scientists have been forced to reconsider many previously-held notions about planet formation and evolution and what conditions are necessary for life. In the latter case, scientists have been rethinking the concept of the Circumsolar Habitable Zone (CHZ).
21 'one-in-a-million' extreme dead stars found hiding around sun-like stars
Astronomers have detected 21 rare systems with widely separated neutron stars and sun-like stars. These binaries are "one in a million" and challenge dead star binary formation models.
Curiosity Drives Over a Rock, Cracking it Open and Revealing an Amazing Yellow Crystal
On May 30th, the Mars Curiosity rover was just minding its own business exploring Gediz Vallis when it ran over a rock. Its wheel cracked the rock and voila! Pure elemental sulfur spilled out. The rover took a picture of the broken rock about a week later, marking the first time sulfur has been found in a pure form on Mars.
SpaceX makes Starlink Roam available throughout the US
Described as "high-speed internet on the go," SpaceX's Starlink Mini is now available from coast to coast, bringing users a world-wide connection from space.
Producing Oxygen From Rock Is Harder In Lower Gravities
One of the challenges engineers face when developing technologies for use in space is that of different gravities. Mostly, engineers only have access to test beds that reflect either Earth’s normal gravity or, if they’re fortunate, the microgravity of the ISS. Designing and testing systems for the reduced, but not negligible, gravity on the Moon and Mars is much more difficult. But for some systems, it is essential. One such system is electrolysis, the process by which explorers will make oxygen for astronauts to breathe on a permanent Moon or Mars base, as well as critical ingredients like hydrogen for rocket fuel. To help steer the development of systems that will work in those conditions, a team of researchers led by computational physicist Dr. Paul Burke of the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory decided to turn to a favorite tool of scientists everywhere: models.
SpaceX wins $113 million contract to launch advanced NOAA climate satellite
SpaceX has won a $113 million contract to launch NOAA's JPSS-4 climate and weather satellite. Liftoff is targeted for 2027.
Astro-Challenge: Catching Pluto at Opposition 2024
Why July 2024 is a prime time to see distant Pluto before it fades from view.
Alien weather report: James Webb Space Telescope detects hot, sandy wind on 2 brown dwarfs
The JWST's infrared vision has seen deep into the stormy atmosphere of two brown dwarfs that form the third closest system to the sun.
Scientists waited ages to find a 'missing link' black hole — then stumbled upon 2
A missing link black hole that sits in the mass gap between stellar-mass black holes and supermassive black holes is "parked" right by the Milky Way's central black hole, Sagittarius A*.
How NASA's Nicole Stott taught 'Space Cadet' actors what astronauts 'are really all about' (exclusive)
An interview with NASA astronaut Nicole Stott for her 'Space Cadet' Hollywood advisory work.
SpaceX Starlink satellites made 50,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers in the past 6 months. What does that mean for space safety?
Satellites in SpaceX's Starlink megaconstellation made nearly 50,000 collision-avoidance maneuvers in the last six months, about double the number made in the previous half-year.
Disney 'Dreams That Soar' drone show lights up sky with Star Wars, Marvel and more sci-fi favorites
Disney magic meets drone technology in new nighttime spectacular that includes fan-favorite characters from Star Wars, Marvel and more.
Webb Telescope Sees Morning and Evening on a Hot Saturn
The James Webb Space Telescope has for the first time detected the difference between the morning and evening of a tidally locked gas giant planet.
