Life, as we all know, is based on chemistry. Prebiotic chemical building blocks existed on our planet for a long time before life arose. Astrobiology and cosmochemistry focus on the formation of those building blocks. They also look at the role each played in creating all the life forms we know today.
Space News & Blog Articles
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NASA Tests Out 3D-printed Rotating Detonation Rocket Engine!
Looking to the future, NASA is investigating several technologies that will allow it to accomplish some bold objectives. This includes returning to the Moon, creating the infrastructure that will let us stay there, sending the first crewed mission to Mars, exploring the outer Solar System, and more. This is particularly true of propulsion technologies beyond conventional chemical rockets and engines. One promising technology is the Rotating Detonation Engine (RDE), which relies on one or more detonations that continuously travel around an annular channel.
NASA can't wait for its OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft to meet 'God of Chaos' asteroid Apophis in 2029
'God of Chaos' asteroid Apophis will make a flyby like no other in recorded history in 2029 as it becomes visible with the naked eye, and NASA's OSIRIS-APEX spacecraft will be on hand to supervise.
NASA's Juno spacecraft will get its closest look yet at Jupiter's moon Io on Dec. 30
NASA's Juno spacecraft will come closer to Jupiter's moon Io on Dec. 30 than any spacecraft has in 20 years, getting a good look at the solar system's most volcanic body.
Chinese rocket booster falls from space, crashes near house, after satellite launch: report
Rocket debris from a recent China satellite launch fell to ground near inhabited areas, where bystanders apparently caught the fiery touchdown on video.
SpaceX wows with a double header of final 2023 rocket launches (photos, video)
SpaceX ended 2023 with not 1 but 2 rocket launches. Within hours on Dec. 28, it sent a Falcon Heavy rocket loaded with the X-37B space plane, and a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites.
The Early Universe Was Surprisingly Filled With Spiral Galaxies
If we could travel far beyond our galaxy, and look back upon the Milky Way, it would be a glorious sight. Luminous spirals stretching from a central core, with dust and nebulae scattered along the spiral edges. When you think about a galaxy, you probably imagine a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way, but spirals make up only about 60% of the galaxies we see. That’s because spiral galaxies only form when smaller galaxies collide and merge over time. Or so we thought, as a new study suggests that isn’t the case.
Quantum batteries could charge faster by scrambling the rules of cause and effect
Batteries could charge up by relying on a quantum effect known as indefinite causal order, whereby the laws of cause and effect are scrambled and power can move through the system quicker.
Tonga volcano eruption was fueled by 2 merging chambers that are still brimming with magma
Researchers have mapped the magma plumbing system beneath Tonga's underwater volcano and discovered three magma chambers, two of which fed the record-shattering 2022 eruption.
It’s all relative
Image: It’s all relative
12 times scientists penetrated the secrets of asteroids in 2023
The OSIRIS-REx sampling mission, a planetary defense prototype named DART and a spacecraft's ambitious journey to a metal world are just some of the highlights
A guide to the solar system's planets in 2024
This guide to the planets in our solar system will show you what to look out for in the sky in 2024.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 29 – January 5
Scintillating Sirius rises ever earlier to scintillate in colors. The Quadrantid meteors this week are well timed for Eastern North America. Two triangle constellations stack over Jupiter.
SpaceX aces modern-day launch turnaround record with Falcon 9 Starlink mission
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from the fog surrounding Space Launch Complex 40 on the Starlink 6-36 mission. This was the 72nd and final orbital launch of 2023 from the Cape. Image: Spaceflight Now
SpaceX completed double-header launch night as the end of the year approaches. A Falcon 9 rocket launched the Starlink 6-36 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 11:01 p.m. EST (0401 UTC) on Thursday.
SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launches mysterious X-37B space plane for US Space Force after delays
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched the U.S. Space Force's X-37B space plane to orbit tonight (Dec. 28), kicking off the robotic vehicle's seventh mission.
Mars is Surprisingly Volcanically Active
Like many that grew up watching the skies, I have been captivated by the planets. Mars is no exception, with its striking red colour, polar caps and mysterious dark features. Many of the surface features have been driven by ancient volcanic activity but whether any geological activity moulds the terrain today is still subject to scientific debate. A recent study however has revealed that Mars is surprisingly active..even today!
Japan's H3 rocket will launch a 2nd time in February 2024 after explosive failure
Japan's space agency says its H3 rocket will attempt to fly again as soon as Feb. 14, 2024. That's nearly a year after the rocket's explosive failure, shortly after its 1st liftoff.
Unexpected cosmic clumping could disprove our best understanding of the universe
The new study of galaxies, centered around a value for cosmic lumpiness known as S8, could join the Hubble tension in dethroning our best picture of how the universe evolved.
NASA astronauts test SpaceX Starship elevator for future moon landings
NASA astronauts practiced using a SpaceX Starship elevator to send cargo and other items into the spacecraft. Starship is targeted to land humans on the moon in the 2020s.
Live coverage: SpaceX takes second swing at launching Falcon Heavy rocket, X-37B military spaceplane
A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket stands ready to launch the X-37B military spaceplane on Dec. 11, 2023. The mission was scrubbed due to poor weather and ground issues in mid-December. Image: Adam Bernstein
For the second time this month, SpaceX is gearing up to launch the X-37B military spaceplane onboard its Falcon Heavy rocket. Liftoff of the USSF-52 mission from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center is set for 8:07 p.m. EST (0107 UTC) on Thursday at the opening of a ten-minute launch window.
SpaceX is launching Starlink satellites today and you can watch live for free
SpaceX will launch 23 new Starlink satellites when its Falcon 9 rocket blasts off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Dec. 28, and you can watch live for free.
