There’s an argument to be made that some astronomical pictures are better inspirational tools than all of the science that the missions that took them might have collected during their lifetimes. This author personally had his interest in space exploration sparked when he first saw the Ultra Deep Field and then had it permanently ingrained in his brain with the Pale Blue Dot and the associated book. The fact that they have individual names (Earth Rise, The Blue Marble, etc.) shows their importance to our collective understanding of our planet and our place in the Universe. Now, we might have a new one, as we’ve received a spectacular view of our Moon and a crescent Earth from the Artemis 1 mission.
Space News & Blog Articles
Live coverage: NASA’s Orion spacecraft heads for splashdown after moon mission
Live coverage of the flight of the Space Launch System moon rocket and Orion spacecraft on NASA’s Artemis 1 mission . Text updates will appear automatically below; there is no need to reload the page. Follow us on Twitter.
NASA TV's live coverage of Orion splashdown
NASA's live video feed from Orion
Trio of Spacecraft Launch for the Moon
NASA’s Lunar Flashlight, iSpace’s Hakuto R from Japan, and the United Arab Emirates' Rashid rover are all headed to the Moon after launching aboard a SpaceX rocket.
Who owns the moon?
Does anyone have sovereignty over the moon? And can anyone buy it?
See the Geminid meteor shower light up the night sky this week on Dec. 14
Skywatchers willing to brave the cold of mid-December can catch the peak of the Geminid meteor shower on Wednesday (Dec. 14).
NASA's adventurous Parker Solar Probe spacecraft zips past the sun again today
The spacecraft will make its 14th close approach to our star, whipping through extreme conditions at tremendous speeds.
Watch NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft return to Earth on Sunday
NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft will return to Earth on Sunday (Dec. 11) after nearly a month in space, and you can watch the homecoming live.
SpaceX launches Japanese lander, UAE rover to the moon
On Sunday morning (Dec. 11), a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched a private Japanese moon lander that's carrying a UAE rover, among other payloads.
Live coverage: Falcon 9 launch and landing on tap overnight
Live coverage of the countdown and launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Falcon 9 rocket will launch a commercial lunar lander for the Japanese company ispace. Follow us on Twitter.
To Fight Climate Change, We Could Block the Sun. A Lightweight Solar Sail Could Make it Feasible
Can we build an enormous umbrella to dim the Sun? Such a feat would be a megaproject on a scale like no other. It would take at least 400 dedicated rocket launches a year, for ten years (There have been 172 rocket launches by all nations so far in 2022). The project would weigh in at 550,000 tons: at its lightest. And it would be an ecological experiment that puts us all – the entire planet – in the petri dish, with high risk and high reward. But could such a project actually reverse climate change and bring us back from the brink of global disaster?
Perseverance’s Latest Sample is Just Crumbled Regolith. When Scientists get Their Hands on it, we’ll Learn so Much About how to Live on Mars
The Mars Sample Return (MSR) part of Perseverance’s mission is picking up – literally. For the past few months, the rover has concentrated on picking up samples that will eventually be returned to Earth as part of the future Mars Sample Return mission. Back on Earth, plenty of advanced technologies can poke and prod the samples in ways that would never be feasible to launch with a spacecraft. However, if scientists decide to poke or prod Perseverance’s latest collections, they might have a hard time because they are made of regular regolith.
Orion moonship closes in for Sunday re-entry and splashdown
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION
A camera on one of the Orion spacecraft’s four solar array wings captured this view of a crescent Earth on Saturday, Dec. 10, the Artemis 1 mission’s final full day in space. Credit: NASAOrion's 'Easter eggs' revealed: NASA flew secret messages to the moon on Artemis 1
It can now be revealed that NASA's Orion spacecraft carried secret messages to the moon on its Artemis 1 mission. What's more, the hidden notes were in plain sight the entire time.
A New Way to Produce Primordial Black Holes in the Early Universe
Primordial black holes remain an intriguing option to potentially explain dark matter. A new study has found a plausible scenario for creating them in the early universe.
Iconic Earthrise By Artemis 1, Rule-Breaking GRB, SpaceX Launches Starshield
Construction Begins on the Square Kilometer Array. Artemis I’s iconic crescent Earthrise picture. A gamma-ray burst that breaks all the rules. SpaceX launches a new service.
We Could Simulate Living in Lunar Lava Tubes in Caves on Earth
Simulation is key to space exploration. Scientists and engineers test as many scenarios as possible before subjecting their projects to the harshness of space. It should not be any different with the future living quarters of explorers on the Moon. One of the most commonly cited locations for a future permanent lunar base is in the relatively recently discovered lava tube caves scattered throughout the lunar mare. Simulating such an environment on Earth might be difficult, but a team from the Center for Space Exploration in China thinks they might have a solution – using karst caves to simulate lunar lava tubes.
What time does the Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft splash down on Dec. 11 to end NASA's moon mission?
NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft will end a 26-day mission to the moon on Sunday, Dec. 11, and here's what time to watch.
'Star Trek: Discovery' Season 4 warps onto home video and is 24% off for the holidays
Relive all the outer space heroics of Star Trek: Discovery season 4 on Blu-ray, DVD, and Limited Edition Blu-ray Steelbook and save 24%.
NASA rolls Artemis 1's huge launch tower off pad for repairs, upgrades (photos)
The huge tower that supported the epic liftoff of NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission last month has left the launch pad.
How NASA's Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft will splash down to end its moon mission in 8 not-so-easy steps
The Artemis 1 mission will end nearly a month in space with a series of wild landing steps, from skipping off of Earth's atmosphere to splashing down in the ocean.
Relive the Artemis 1 launch as the Orion spacecraft prepares to return (photos)
As Orion quickly closes the gap between the moon and Earth ahead of its Pacific Ocean splashdown on Sunday (Dec. 11), we're looking back at the epic launch that got us here.