Solar sailing technology has been a dream of many for decades. The simple elegance of sailing on the light waves of the sun does have a dreamy aspect to it that has captured the imagination of engineers as well as writers. However, the practicalities of the amount of energy received compared to that needed to move useful payloads have brought those dreams back to reality. Now, a team led by Amber Dubill of John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and supported by the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program is developing new solar sail architecture that might have already found its killer app – heliophysics.
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ESA is Developing Microbe-Killing Coatings to Make Spaceflight Healthier
Humans aren’t the only living things in place onboard the ISS. Bacteria, which has found a way to integrate itself into every biome on Earth, has also found a home in the aseptic microgravity of the space station high above it. Unfortunately, this poses a hazard to both the astronauts that live on the ISS and the station itself. But now, a team of researchers funded by ESA and the Instituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT) think they have a solution – make the surfaces on the ISS antimicrobial.
Spectacular Hubble image captures 'grand spiral' galaxy
The spiral arms of NGC 3631 are bursting with star-forming regions captured in a stunning Hubble Space Telescope image.
Stratolaunch reveals its first hypersonic design for high-altitude flights
Stratolaunch's Talon-A test vehicle will eventually drop from the biggest airplane ever built, known as the Roc.
Gaze Into the Heart of a Grand Spiral Galaxy
Here’s Hubble doing what Hubble does best.
Do Trojan exoplanets exist?
Investigating these co-orbiting worlds in our own solar system may help us predict prevalence in extrasolar systems.
Low Earth orbit: Definition, theory and facts
Low Earth orbit is the lowest altitude a satellite can travel around our planet.
Possible early tau Herculid meteors caught on camera
Reports are coming in from observers who caught a few early shooting stars.
These star-forming spirals look like galactic UFOs
The Hubble Space Telescope captured the otherworldly image of IC 564 when it looked at this region to learn more about 'clumpy' star formation.
James Webb Space Telescope will study two strange 'super-Earths'
Officials promise geology 'from 50 light-years away,' as they train the James Webb Space Telescope's high-precision spectrographs on two exoplanets.
Planets in Binary Systems Could be Habitable, But They’d Form Differently
Most of the stars in the Milky Way are single stars. But between one-third and one-half of them are binary stars. Can habitable planets form in these environments?
Want to see the potential tau Herculids meteor shower? Here's what to expect, according to NASA.
If you're hoping to see the potential tau Herculids meteor shower, NASA advises you to check the weather and be ready for the unexpected.
UK-launched rocket promises to transform microsatellite launch business
A full scale-prototype of Orbex’s Prime launcher. Credit: Orbex
The first launch of the Orbex Prime ‘eco-rocket’ from a remote launch pad in the Highlands of Scotland is expected at the end of the year or in early 2023. A full-scale prototype of Prime, billed as the world’s most environmentally-friendly rocket, was unveiled to the public for the first time this month.
A 'trove' of black hole discoveries emerge from dwarf galaxies
These finds could shed light on how supermassive black holes form in galaxies like our Milky Way.
Humans have big plans for mining in space — but there are many things holding us back
Setting up any kind of off-Earth mining industry will be no small feat. Let's look at what we're up against.
Ultracold gas bubbles on the space station could reveal strange new quantum physics
The test was designed to study how gas behaves in microgravity, and the results may lead to future experiments with the fifth state of matter, Bose-Einstein condensates.
Possible outburst of tau Herculids meteors tonight!
A potential meteor shower may emerge from Hercules tonight (May 31-31). Keep your eyes peeled and your fingers crossed.
Post-flight interview with Matthias Maurer | Cosmic Kiss
Video: 00:07:10
Interview with ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer after the conclusion of his 177-day mission on the International Space Station. During his time in orbit, Matthias supported over 35 European experiments and even more international experiments on board. The outcomes of these experiments will advance our knowledge in areas ranging from human health to materials science, benefiting life on Earth and the future of space exploration. Other highlights included his spacewalk to improve and maintain the Space Station. More about the Cosmic Kiss mission: https://www.esa.int/cosmickiss
A black hole formed by a lopsided merger may have gone rogue
Astronomers have spotted the first evidence of a merger event that gave a black hole a kick that left it traveling at around 3 million mph — fast enough for it to escape its host galaxy.
A mysterious intergalactic force is pushing against the Milky Way
It sounds like the premise of a bad sci-fi movie: There's some mysterious entity, beyond the boundaries of our galaxy, that is pushing against us with incredible force.
Best binoculars {year}: Top picks for stargazing, wildlife and more
Our list of the best binoculars for stargazing, birdwatching and more.
