We look at the physics behind one of the coolest moments in The Last Jedi and ask: would it work, and what would it really do?
Space News & Blog Articles
Tune into the SpaceZE News Network to stay updated on industry news from around the world.
NASA official says Starliner demo mission not likely to launch until next year
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft returned to the Commercial Crew and Cargo Processing Facility at Kennedy Space Center on Aug. 19 for troubleshooting. Credit: Boeing
The head of NASA’s space operations division said this week an unpiloted test flight of Boeing’s Starliner crew capsule to the International Space Station, delayed from August by valve problems, will likely not launch until next year.
NASA completes swing arm test on SLS launch platform
A view of NASA’s Space Launch System inside High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building. This picture was taken Sept. 17 after retraction of work platforms ahead of the Umbilical Release and Retract Test. Credit: NASA/Frank Michaux
The swing arms on the mobile launch tower for NASA’s Space Launch System released and retracted Sunday night inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, another key test on the march toward liftoff of the Artemis 1 moon mission.
NASA announces reorganization of human spaceflight directorate
Kathy Lueders, who has led NASA’s Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate for more than a year, will be the associate administrator for the new Space Operations Mission Directorate. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
NASA announced Tuesday that the agency’s human spaceflight division will split into two new mission directorates, one focused on space operations and another on deep space exploration, returning to the organizational structure of a decade ago.
Astronomers Discover an Intermediate-Mass Black Hole as it Destroys a Star
Supermassive black holes (SMBH) reside in the center of galaxies like the Milky Way. They are mind-bogglingly massive, ranging from 1 million to 10 billion solar masses. Their smaller brethren, intermediate-mass black holes (IMBH), ranging between 100 and 100,000 solar masses, are harder to find.
3,600 Years ago, a 50-Meter-Wide Meteor Exploded in the Sky and Destroyed a City Near the Dead Sea
An archeological dig has uncovered evidence of a massive cosmic airburst event approximately 3,600 years ago that destroyed an entire city near the Dead Sea in the Middle East. The event was larger than the famous Tunguska airburst event in Russia in 1908, with a blast 1,000 times more powerful than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. The event flattened the thriving city of Tall el-Hammam, located in what is now Jordan.
Apophis: The asteroid we thought might hit us
Though we can now be certain the asteroid Apophis will not strike Earth in 2029, its close passage offers us a unique scientific opportunity.
Shredded Star Reveals Elusive Middle-Mass Black Hole
Astronomers have used the death of a star to uncover details about a hidden intermediate-mass black hole.
Meteor showers and shooting stars: Formation, facts and discovery
Watching a meteor shower on a clear, dark night is an unforgettable experience.
Flying on Mars getting tougher as Ingenuity helicopter gears up for 14th hop
NASA's Ingenuity helicopter is getting ready for its 14th Red Planet flight, but the thinning Martian air is making such sorties more and more challenging.
A Particle Physics Experiment Might Have Directly Observed Dark Energy
About 25 years ago, astrophysicists noticed something very interesting about the Universe. The fact that it was in a state of expansion had been known since the 1920s, thanks to the observation of Edwin Hubble. But thanks to the observations astronomers were making with the space observatory that bore his name (the Hubble Space Telescope), they began to notice how the rate of cosmic expansion was getting faster!
FAA releases draft environmental review of SpaceX's Starship
The FAA's draft environmental review of SpaceX's Starship operations suggests the program can likely proceed with its first orbital launch, although protecting wildlife could be a stumbling block.
William Shatner eager to see 'vastness of space' when he launches with Blue Origin
Satellites have captured a dramatic volcanic eruption that is shaking a Spanish island after half a century of silence.
Hubble telescope spots a 'Space Triangle' galaxy crash spawning new stars
Video: 00:02:40
ESA astronaut Thomas Pesquet takes you on a tour of the International Space Station like no other. Filmed with a 360 camera, the Space Station 360 series lets you explore for yourself alongside Thomas’s explanation – episode five is NASA’s Node-1, also known as Unity.
'Moonfall' pulls scenes from space shuttle Endeavour move 10 years ago
Looking to get into aurora photography? Here are the best cameras, lenses and tripod kits for capturing the Northern Lights.
NASA targets March rollout for SLS moon rocket, launch later this spring
The brightest explosions in the universe could be the work of ancient, dying stars.
Did Astronomers See a Distant, Dying Star? Or an Earth-bound Satellite?
We just got our first look at the U.S. Space Force's formal wear.
Earth's lower atmosphere is expanding due to climate change
September's equinox has arrived today, marking the beginning of astronomical autumn in the Northern Hemisphere, where the nights will get longer than the days until the spring equinox in March 2022.
Blue Origin says ‘Star Trek’ actor William Shatner will fly to space next week
Learn about the composition and orbit of comets, as well as the history of their discovery, famous comets and space missions to analyze them.
DJI Air 2S review
Capture the moon in its fullest glory with the use of a teleconverter.
Astra receives FAA license for first launch from Florida
Shock testing is commonly used throughout engineering to determine how a product will do when impacted by something. That something could be anything from the ground to a cruise missile. Like so much else in space exploration, engineers at NASA are performing the same type of test, just scaled up. Instead of simply dropping the object under test, as is common in most settings, they shoot it with a steel ball going 3000 ft/second.
