Launching things into space is hard. Aside from the engines and software, orbital calculations and the launch pad, the tanks that hold the fuel are a masterful example of engineering in their own right – and ESA will soon be testing the next generation of rocket tanks: Phoebus.
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See the moon and Saturn take a night swim in Aquarius tonight
The moon and Saturn will take a night swim together in the watery constellation of Aquarius on Tuesday (Oct. 24) as the two bodies make a close approach and come into conjunction.
If the Perseverance rover found evidence of life on Mars, would we recognize it?
The rover recently came across some eye-catching circular rock structures, and they are attention-grabbers for good reason. That's because they resemble ones formed by microbial communities in some lakes on Earth.
“The Big One”: The Most Powerful Marsquake Ever Detected
The ground shakes. Paintings tilt. Walls crack. Rubble may fall. On Earth, we understand how and where these events happen due to the discovery of plate tectonics – the continental crust’s creation, movement, and destruction. However, when astronauts placed seismometers on the lunar surface during NASA’s Apollo mission era, those instruments recorded quakes on the Moon. In the 1970s, the Viking landers also recorded quakes on the surface of Mars. Since neither of these worlds has plate tectonics, scientists set about collecting more data to understand the phenomena, which led to the recent NASA InSight lander. Now, a new paper in Geophysical Research Letters explains how the largest recorded seismic event on Mars provided evidence for a different sort of tectonic origin — the release of stress within the Martian crust.
NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission officially surpasses asteroid sample size goal
Scientists have confirmed that OSIRIS-REx brought home at least 70.3 grams of material from asteroid Bennu, surpassing its intended goal of 60 grams.
Fly along with India's crew capsule on crucial test flight (video)
A new video shows you the historic Oct. 21 test flight of India's new crew capsule from the spacecraft's perspective.
Shortest 'fast radio bursts' ever discovered last only 1 millionth of a second
Researchers have reported evidence of FRBs that each last for a microsecond — the shortest FRBs yet observed.
Artemis 2 moon astronauts meet car racing teams at Formula 1
Artemis 2 moon astronauts took in a big car racing event in Texas on Oct. 22. NASA's Reid Wiseman and Canada's Jeremy Hansen appeared on the grid at the F1 Grand Prix.
Europe's new Ariane 6 rocket will undergo crucial engine test fire in November
The European Space Agency has announced a timeline for key testing milestones for its upcoming next-generation Ariane 6 rocket.
A star is born! How cosmic winds are a key step in stellar formation
Astronomers have determined that cosmic winds around clouds of gas and dust are key for the formation of hot and dense young stars.
Striking New Views of Jupiter and Its Moon Io
The James Webb Space Telescope and Juno mission turned their eyes to Jupiter and its volcanic moon Io, revealing fine details.
How astronaut Thomas Pesquet captured the planet in 'The Earth in Our Hands'
Flipping through his new book of more than 200 photos of Earth taken during his second stay on the International Space Station, you get the sense Thomas Pesquet thoroughly captured the planet.
How Close is Too Close to a Kilonova?
Cataclysmic events happen in the Universe all the time. Black hole mergers, supernovae, gamma-ray bursts, and a whole host of others. Most of them happen in distant galaxies, so they pose no threat to us. But there are a few that could affect life on Earth, and a couple could even pose an existential threat. One of these threats is known as a kilonova.
A Kilonova Simulated in 3D
In 2017, astronomers detected gravitational waves from colliding neutron stars for the first time: a kilonova. Enormous amounts of heavy metals were detected in the light from the explosion, and astronomers continued to watch the expanding debris cloud.
Gulf Stream weakening now 99% certain, and ramifications will be global
A new analysis has concluded that the Gulf Stream is definitely slowing, but whether it's due to climate change is hard to tell.
Nearby asteroid may contain elements 'beyond the periodic table', new study suggests
Naturally occurring superheavy elements beyond those listed in the periodic table could potentially explain why asteroid 33 Polyhymnia is so dense, new research suggests.
Don't miss a partial lunar eclipse of October's Full Hunter's Moon this week
October 2023's Full Hunter's Moon will see the lunar disk slip into the shadow of Earth for a partial lunar eclipse on Saturday, Oct. 28
What is an attosecond? A physical chemist explains the tiny time scale behind Nobel Prize-winning research
A group of three researchers earned the 2023 Nobel Prize in physics for work that has revolutionized how scientists study the electron – by illuminating molecules with attosecond-long flashes of light.
The moon may be 40 million years older than we thought, Apollo 17 samples suggest
A new analysis of moon samples brought to Earth in 1972 reveals the moon is 4.46 billion years old.
'Sew Sister' Jean Wright shares her NASA space shuttle experience with new book
Jean Wright used to sew critical hardware for NASA's space shuttle program. A new book by Elise Matich celebrates the "Sew Sister" team that brought astronauts into space.
Strange anomaly in sun's solar cycle discovered in centuries-old texts from Korea
Aurora records in royal chronicles from Korea show that during the 'Maunder Minimum' between 1645 and 1715, the sun's solar cycles became several years shorter than they are today.
