Sometimes it’s hard to remember that NASA also does atmospheric research too. While typically thought of as the province of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), America’s space agency also has a vested interest in exploring our atmosphere and in the technologies that enable us to do so. As such, its NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program provided a Phase I grant to a team from the University of Pennsylvania to develop a novel type of propulsion using only light to collect data in the Earth’s challenging-to-explore mesosphere.
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Rocket operators can now apply to launch to orbit from Canadian soil
A growing spaceport in Nova Scotia has one less barrier to launching orbital missions, after the Canadian government announced it would consider licensing approvals.
Venus will steal the show in the night sky throughout 2023
The planet Venus is the undisputed star of the night skies throughout 2023
5 things we want to see in The Mandalorian Season 3
The return of Lucasfilm's hit Star Wars series is around the corner. But what do we want, beyond the obvious, from the Mandalorian and Grogu's next adventure?
The new moon is the closest in nearly 1,000 years tonight
The new moon on Saturday (Jan. 21) is the closest new moon in 992 years at just 221,561 miles (356,568 km) away, but you won't be able to see anything from Earth.
Scientists find 17-pound meteorite in icy Antarctica
Scientists have returned from Antarctica with an impressive haul of meteorites, including a near-17-pound monster.
Binary Dwarf Stars Found Orbiting Each Other Every 20 Hours. They Were Once Almost Touching
A team of astrophysicists has discovered a binary pair of ultra-cool dwarfs so close together that they look like a single star. They’re remarkable because they only take 20.5 hours to orbit each other, meaning their year is less than one Earth Day. They’re also much older than similar systems.
'Tron 3' finally moving forward, with Jared Leto set to star: report
Despite the initial, jubilant reaction, there is some justifiable cause for concern with how this beloved franchise is handled.
NASA astronaut and 2 cosmonauts may stay on space station for a full year after Soyuz leak
Frank Rubio and two cosmonaut colleagues may not come home from the International Space Station until late September — six months later than initially planned.
This wild DARPA CRANE X-plane could be a giant leap in aircraft design
Aurora Flight Sciences will start the detailed design of the novel, high-performance aircraft as it powers towards an X-plane demonstration flight.
Spacewalking astronauts hit snags installing new solar array mount outside space station
A 'sticky' foothold and a stubborn strut caused problems for astronauts Koichi Wakata and Nicole Mann as they conducted a spacewalk Jan. 20 to prepare the International Space Station for new solar arrays.
Light Pollution is Obscuring the Night Sky. RIP Stargazing
A citizen science initiative called Globe at Night has some sobering news for humanity. Our artificial light is drowning out the night sky for more and more people. And it’s happening more rapidly than thought.
SpaceX rocket creates eerie blue spiral in night sky over Hawaii: reports
The Subaru Telescope spotted a spiral shape in the sky shortly after SpaceX sent a GPS satellite to space on Wednesday (Jan. 18).
James Webb Space Telescope's ground-breaking study of a planet-forming disk hints at future exoplanet discoveries
The James Webb Space Telescope has for the first time peered inside a planet-forming disk of dust surrounding a nearby star, a development promising to supercharge the search for exoplanets.
Mars helicopter Ingenuity aces 40th Red Planet flight
NASA's tiny Ingenuity helicopter flew for the 40th time on Mars Thursday (Jan. 19), covering about 584 feet (178 meters) of ground during a 92-second sortie.
Light Pollution Is Increasing Even Faster Than We Realized
The average brightness of the night sky is increasing by 10% every year, making the stars less visible.
Tiny, bright flashes on the sun could help scientists predict solar flares
Tiny but bright flashes in the sun's corona that precede solar flares could help astronomers predict when the next one might occur.
See the conjunction of Venus and Saturn in free webcast on Jan. 22
The conjunction of Venus and Saturn will be livestreamed so astronomy fans can watch it from the comfort of their homes without having to brave the bitter cold of a January evening.
This new authority will decide the fate of astronomy atop Hawaii's contested Maunakea volcano
After years of conflict, a Hawaiian mountain that's home to some of the most important astronomical observatories on Earth finds itself at peace.
1st-ever recovered US rocket stage, an artifact from Gemini 5, returns to launch site 60 years later
The first U.S. rocket stage to be recovered after its launch, an artifact from Gemini 5, has landed at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Museum, not far from where it lifted off almost 60 years ago.
A new way to Peer Into the Permanently Shadowed Craters on the Moon, Searching for Deposits of Water ice
Not all flashlights are created equal. Some are stronger, consume more power, or have features such as blinking or strobes. Some aren’t even meant for humans, such as a new project that recently received funding from a NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) Phase I award. Designed by the Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC), this flashlight doesn’t emit visible light, but it does emit x-rays and gamma rays, and the researchers on the project think it could be useful for finding resources on the Moon.
