Image: Juice snaps Moon en route to Earth
Space News & Blog Articles
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Polaris Dawn astronauts, set to perform first commercial spacewalk, arrive in Florida ahead of launch
The crew of the Polaris Dawn mission pose in front of the Alpha jets they flew in on to the Kennedy Space Center. Left to right: Mission Specialist Anna Menon, Pilot Scott “Kidd” Potent, Commander Jared Isaacman, Mission Specialist Sarah Gillis. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now
The four-member crew of what is set to be an historic spaceflight arrived in Florida on Monday. Against the backdrop of clear blue skies and summertime humidity, the quartet of astronauts descended from the camouflage clad Dassault Alpha jets owned by the mission’s commander, Jared Isaacman.
Live coverage: SpaceX to launch 22 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket launch from Cape Canaveral
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket stood at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station ahead of a static fire test of the first stage booster. It will be used to launch the Starlink 10-5 mission. Image: Adam Bernstein/Spaceflight Now
SpaceX is preparing to launch another batch of Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit. A Falcon 9 rocket will carry 22 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit after launching from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Earth-like exoplanets might be in short supply for the Habitable Worlds Observatory
How common are Earth-like exoplanets—also called exo-Earths—and which exoplanetary systems should we target to find them? This is what a recently submitted study hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated potential targets for the planned Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), which was recommended during the Decadal Survey on Astronomy and Astrophysics 2020 (Astro2020) and is slated to launch in the 2040s. Most notably, HWO will use the direct imaging method to identify exo-Earths, and this study holds the potential to create a more scientifically cost-effective approach for identifying and studying exoplanets.
Europe's JUICE Jupiter probe zooms by the moon in historic flyby (photos)
Europe's JUICE Jupiter probe swung by the moon for a "gravity assist" on Monday (Aug. 19), and it snapped photos to commemorate the historic encounter.
SpaceX Polaris Dawn crew lands at launch site ahead of 1st-ever private spacewalk mission (photos, video)
The crew of SpaceX's private Polaris Dawn mission has arrived at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida as their historic mission inches closer to launch.
SpaceX completes static fire of Falcon 9 rocket ahead of Starlink and Crew 9 missions
On Monday, SpaceX fired the nine Merlin engines on its Falcon 9 rocket ahead of the planned launch of the Starlink 10-5 mission on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. The booster, B1085, will also launch the Crew-9 mission for NASA no earlier than Sept. 24. Image: Spaceflight Now
SpaceX completed a test fire of a brand-new Falcon 9 rocket that will eventually carry the Crew 9 mission to the International Space Station. The static fire test and a “shakedown” mission were ordered for the booster after it suffered moisture intrusion on its way from SpaceX’s McGregor test facility in Texas to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Telescopes capture Jupiter-bound JUICE probe during historic Earth-moon flyby (photos)
Telescopes caught a glimpse of Europe's JUICE probe as it swings by Earth and the moon for a gravitational assist on its way to explore Jupiter's icy moons.
What is Weyland-Yutani? The 'Alien' universe megacorporation explained
A history of the Weyland-Yutani Corporation in the 'Alien' franchise.
Ancient Rocks in Mars’ Jezero Crater Confirm Habitability
According to NASA’s Perseverance rover, ancient rocks in Jezero Crater formed in the presence of water. These sedimentary rocks are more than 3.5 billion years old and may predate the appearance of life on Earth. When and if these samples are returned to Earth, scientists hope to determine if they hold evidence of ancient Martian life.
Watch Chinese researchers test out new Mars and moon rover tech (video)
Researchers from universities across China are testing out their designs for rovers for exploring the moon and Mars.
We Know When a Black Hole Will Have its Next Feast
Black holes are notoriously destructive to stars near them. Astronomers often see flashes representing the death throes of stars collapsing past the event horizon, a black hole they got too close to. However, in rare instances, a star isn’t wholly swallowed by its gigantic neighbor and is pulled into an orbit, causing a much slower death, which would probably be more painful if stars could feel anything. A new study using X-ray results from Chandra and some other instruments details a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy far, far away that is slowly devouring a star it has captured in an orbit, and it could teach them more about a variety of interest physical processes.
Mars rock samples show signs of water in Jezero Crater — could life have once existed there?
NASA's Perseverance rover didn't find organic matter within the rocks, but scientists will keep looking.
With space agencies racing to the moon, scientists are making a lunar 'time zone'
Scientists aiming to build a lunar GPS are trying to create a new lunar 'time zone' that's standardized with Earth time.
'Once-in-a-lifetime' photo: Perseid meteors, northern lights and rare glowing arc shine over 11th-century castle
The astonishing scene played out over an 11th Century Corfe Castle, U.K., overnight on Aug. 12 and Aug. 13.
Why Juice is coming back to Earth
Video: 00:09:15
ESA’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) returns to Earth on 19–20 August 2024, to complete the world's first Lunar-Earth gravity assist. Flight controllers will guide the spacecraft past the Moon and then Earth itself, ‘braking’ the spacecraft. This manoeuvre may seem counterintuitive but will allow Juice to take a shortcut via Venus on it's way to Jupiter.
Doritos new safe-for-outer-space chips set for blast off: Here's how to get your own
Doritos is launching a new limited-edition flavor with an out-of-this-world mission to make space history while supporting an important cause.
Sentinel-2C fully loaded
Image: Sentinel-2C fully loaded
Scottish rocks could hold clues about Earth's past as a snowball
A recent study confirms a European rock formation likely holds the clues to what was once a "snowball Earth."
Superman movies ranked, worst to best
A ranking of the six solo Superman movies from worst to best.
Help scientists find new black holes with this free smartphone app
Developed by the Dutch Black Hole Consortium, the Black Hole Finder app allows the public to help sort through thousands of images to identify potential targets of interest.
