Dust devils are generally used as a trope in media when the writers want to know that an area is deserted. They signify the desolation and isolation that those places represent. Almost none of the settings of those stories are close to the isolation of Perseverance, the Mars rover that landed on the planet earlier this year. Fittingly, the number of dust devils Perseverance has detected is also extremely high – over 300 in its first three months on the planet.
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Astronauts Have Used Bacteria to Extract Useful Metals out of Rocks
History has viewed mining as a job that requires a lot of heavy machinery and physical labor. Pulling valuable material out of the ground has been necessary for human progress for thousands of years. That progress has led to an alternative method of getting those resources out of the Earth or other celestial bodies. The new technique relies on a symbiotic life partner that has co-habited with us for millennia – bacteria. A recent experiment conducted by ESA’s Biorock investigation team shows that this process – known as “biomining” – might be the most effective way to collect some materials in space.
If Aliens Are Out There, We’ll Meet Them in a Few Hundred Million Years
Seventy years ago, Italian-American nuclear physicist Enrico Fermi asked his colleagues a question during a lunchtime conversation. If life is common in our Universe, why can’t we see any evidence of its activity out there (aka. “where is everybody?”) Seventy years later, this question has launched just as many proposed resolutions as to how extraterrestrial intelligence (ETIs) could be common, yet go unnoticed by our instruments.
Inspiration4 crew describes “incredible perspective” from space
The Inspiration4 crew downlinks a live update from SpaceX’s Crew Dragon Resilience spacecraft. Credit: SpaceX
On their final full day in space Friday, the all-civilian Inspiration4 crew circling Earth inside a SpaceX Dragon capsule chatted with Tom Cruise, rang the closing bell on the New York Stock Exchange, and downlinked a live video update showing views outside their dome cupola window.
SpaceX's Inspiration4 crew is having a blast and doing science in orbit (video)
From ultrasounds to ukelele jam sessions and space art, it appears the Inspiration4 crew is staying busy in orbit.
How astronauts prepare for the unknown in space: An interview with NASA's Victor Glover
In 1994, the Comet Shoemaker-Levy 9 (SL9) impacted Jupiter, which had captured the comet shortly before (and broken apart by its gravity). The event became a media circus as it was the first direct observation of an extraterrestrial collision of Solar System objects. The impact was so powerful that it left scars that endured for months and were more discernible than Jupiter’s Great Red Spot.
SpaceX Inspiration4 mission crew talks to St. Jude patients from space (video)
In between playfully snacking on M&Ms, the all-civilian Inspiration4 crew took a break from their science-heavy mission to chat with kid patients from a Memphis children's hospital.
60-second Astro News: Solving Supernova Mysteries
This week, astronomers have solved one supernova mystery and predicted a new one — to be solved in 2037.
Chinese crew landing caps record-setting day in human spaceflight
Shenzhou 12 astronauts Tang Hongbo, Liu Boming, and Nie Haisheng outside their landing capsule Friday. Credit: Xinhua
Three Chinese astronauts landed in the remote Gobi Desert of northwestern China Friday, returning to Earth after a three-month mission on the country’s new Tiangong space station, and ending a historic day in human spaceflight that set a new record with 14 people in low Earth orbit.
Indie artist's space-bound song features a New Jersey planetarium
Indie-pop artist Foxanne's new space-bound single, "I Could Go On," highlights a science center that continues to provide science education to the community amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inspiration4 SpaceX mission carrying indie-pop song to orbit
The all-civilian Inspiration4 crew is carrying a special package to space in their personal equipment — a digital copy of an independent artist's song about finding meaning in existence.
Star Trek movies, ranked worst to best
Enjoy this list of Star Trek movies, ranked worst to best. Resistance is futile.
Earth tipped on its side (and back again) in 'cosmic yo-yo' 84 million years ago
A new two-hour documentary has an exclusive edge on the astronaut's view of space exploration, between a set of extensive international interviews and several minutes of rare footage from inside spacecraft.
Hawaiian volcanic eruption glows in gorgeous satellite photos
The four private astronauts of SpaceX's Inspiration4 crew have shared their first snapshots from their historic first-ever all-civilian space trip and they look thrilled.
NASA's Lucy asteroid mission will explore mysteries of the early of solar system
Week in images: 13 - 17 September 2021
The rocket ride for NASA's ambitious Lucy asteroid mission rolls out to launch pad
Video: 00:04:32
Kick off the 2021-22 school year with ESA school projects. ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer introduces the wide range of space-based STEM projects available to primary and secondary students: Moon Camp, Climate Detectives, Astro Pi, CanSat and Mission X.
The giant black hole of galaxy M87 shoots jets at nearly light speed
A whopping 20 new scientific papers use data gathered by a host of radio dishes perched high in the Chilean desert to tease apart the mysteries of how planets form.
Ancient Mars was rocked by violent, climate-changing volcanic eruptions
Volcanic super eruptions regularly tore up the surface of Mars billions of years ago, altering the planet's climate for decades and creating scars that are still visible today.
China moon rock studies include fusion energy analysis, volcanic history
Several science institutions in China are now studying rocks collected from the moon by the Chang'e 5 mission for research that includes evaluating the material as a potential source of fusion power.
New 'Star Trek Online' charity bundle benefits Boys & Girls Clubs of America
You can now beam up an impressive bundle of sci-fi gaming content — and support a good cause in the process — with the new "Star Trek Online" Charity Bundle.
Satellites pinpoint communities at risk of permafrost thaw
The waxing gibbous Moon shines with Jupiter and Saturn on its way to full. And as summer turns to fall, Deneb replaces Vega as the zenith star after dusk.
