So much in science is based on constraints. If scientists don’t understand something, they try to constrain it as much as possible so that more precise experiments can finally detect whatever the theorized phenomenon is. Dark matter is notoriously difficult in this regard, as it has evaded detection for over a century at this point, despite even more precise instruments trying to capture a glimpse of it. One of those instruments is the Super Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (SuperCDMS), run by the SLAC National Laboratory and located in northern Minnesota. To help further the cause, researchers looked at the data from the experiment while considering a few new possibilities, and while they didn’t find any evidence of dark matter, they helped tighten the constraints even more.
Space News & Blog Articles
August full moon: Sturgeon supermoon delights skywatchers worldwide (photos)
Take a look at these stunning Full Sturgeon Moon photographs from around the world. The first of two supermoons this month did not disappoint.
NASA's Psyche mission to metal asteroid undergoes vital testing for October launch
With the completion of a comprehensive flight software test campaign, NASA engineers are "counting down the days" as the metal-rich-asteroid-bound Psyche probe nears its October launch date.
AI is helping scientists reveal star ages. Here's how
Trained on a neural network on 6,000 stars, the EAGLES algorithm will be used on surveys of millions more.
Watch the Mars Sample Return Mission Test the Rocket That’ll Leap off the Surface of Mars
The Mars Sample Return (MSR) has been going through a rough patch lately. We recently reported on reports coming out about Congress restricting its budget and potential cost overruns. However, like any good government program, progress continues toward the goal of bringing samples until there is a clear order to stop or the money drives up. That wasn’t the case back in March and April when NASA successfully tested two engines that will be used in the Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV).
See the moon snuggle up to Saturn in the night sky this week
The moon is set for a close approach to the gas giant Saturn on Wednesday (Aug. 2) and again on Thursday (Aug. 3), at which time the two will also be in conjunction.
Giant solar eruption felt on Earth, Moon and Mars
A solar eruption detected simultaneously at Earth, the Moon and Mars emphasises the need to prepare human exploration missions for the dangers of space radiation.
Jupiter’s Moons Get the JWST Treatment
A pair of studies published in JGR: Planets and Science Advances discuss new findings from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) regarding Jupiter’s first and third Galilean Moons, Io and Ganymede, and more specifically, how the massive Jupiter is influencing activity on these two small worlds. For Io, whose mass is about 21 percent larger than Earth’s Moon, the researchers made the first discovery of sulfur monoxide (SO) gas on the volcanically active moon. For Ganymede, which is the largest moon in the solar system and boasts twice the mass of the Earth’s Moon, the researchers made the first discovery of hydrogen peroxide, which exists in Ganymede’s polar regions.
Tether a Sunshade to an Asteroid to Slow Down Climate Change
It probably comes as no surprise to people suffering through drastic weather this year that our planet is heating up. Climate change is the culprit and researchers continue to look for ways to mitigate its effects. A scientist at the University of Hawai’i suggests a novel approach: create a giant solar shade in space to block enough sunlight to counter climate change.
Massive sun 'umbrella' attached to asteroid could help fight global warming, scientist says
Hoping to combat our planet's rising temperatures, a scientist from the University of Hawaii explains a very futuristic way of shielding the Earth from sunlight.
Mystery of space debris found on Australian beach may be solved
The mystery of a huge piece of space debris that washed up on a beach in Western Australia may have been solved by the Australian Space Agency.
Last Antares rocket using Russian, Ukrainian parts to launch space station cargo
Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket stands ready for launch at Wallops Island, Virginia. Image: Chuck and Jen Briggs.
After a busy spring of spacecraft going to and from the International Space Station, another surge of activity is about to begin Tuesday, with the launch of a Cygnus cargo ship from Wallops Island, Virginia at 8:31 p.m. EDT (0031 UTC on Aug. 2). This mission marks the final flight of this generation of Antares rockets, which uses major components from Russia and Ukraine.
Amazon's Project Kuiper opens satellite facility at Kennedy Space Center
Amazon's new satellite processing facility in Florida brings the company's Project Kuiper closer to competing with SpaceX's Starlink, but it still has a way to go.
Space weather forecasts to get a boost from new probe on the International Space Station
A new space weather sensor is heading to the International Space Station to help scientists understand how the sun's outbursts alter Earth's upper atmosphere.
The Milky Way
The Milky Way galaxy is the spiral galaxy that contains our Solar System. It is a vast and complex structure, and we are located in one of its arms, known as the Orion Arm or Local Spur. Here are some key facts about the Milky Way galaxy:
Everything we know about Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon — Release date, plot, gameplay
FromSoftware are letting dark fantasy video games rest for a bit and have turned their sights to sci-fi and mechas again with the sixth main Armored Core.
What Does 60 Years of Silence Tell Us About the Search for Extraterrestrials?
Aliens are big in the news recently, fueled by congressional hearings about Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAPs), formally known as UFOs. But while the idea of aliens visiting Earth may be exciting, the better bet is still the idea that aliens might exist on distant worlds. We already know potentially habitable planets are common and intelligent life has arisen on at least one world, so why not many? But after 60 years of searching for evidence of extraterrestrials “out there,” we’ve found nothing. So what does that tell us?
NASA's interstellar Voyager 2 probe suffers a communication breakdown, leaving it alone in deep space
NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft is alone drifting through interstellar space after a communications breakdown left it unable to receive commands or transmit data back to Earth.
The forgotten story of the real first Barbie to fly into space (on a still-secret mission)
As it turns out, the two Barbie dolls that recently went on display at the Smithsonian are not the first to have flown into space. Another Barbie made the trip aboard a classified mission.
Delayed Falcon Heavy launch pushes back Crew-7 mission
NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli and the other members of the Crew-7 mission train at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California, in the runup to launching to the International Space Station.
Image: SpaceX
The next quartet bound for the International Space Station will wait a bit longer before they can punch their ticket to space after Falcon Heavy delays pushed back the launch of the next Crew Dragon mission, NASA said Tuesday.
'Star Wars' fan favorite Lando Calrissian gets his own TV series on Disney Plus
The smooth-talking, cape-wearing Lando Calrissian is getting his own series at Disney Plus, "Lando," written by Donald Glover and Stephen Glover.
