Space News & Blog Articles
The Moon’s Ancient Volcanoes Could Have Created Ice Sheets Dozens of Meters Thick
Everyone loves looking at the Moon, especially through a telescope. To see those dark and light patches scattered across its surface brings about a sense of awe and wonder to anyone who looks up at the night sky. While our Moon might be geologically dead today, it was much more active billions of years ago when it first formed as hot lava blanketed hundreds of thousands of square kilometers of the Moon’s surface in hot lava. These lava flows are responsible for the dark patches we see when we look at the Moon, which are called mare, translated as “seas”, and are remnants of a far more active past.
Starliner spacecraft cleared for undocking and re-entry
Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft docked at the International Space Station. Credit: NASA
Astronauts on the International Space Station closed the hatch to Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft Tuesday, and ground teams used the lab’s robotic arm to inspect the capsule’s heat shield to clear the vehicle for undocking Wednesday and return to Earth for a late afternoon landing in New Mexico.
Spacesuits are Leaking Water and NASA is Holding off any Spacewalks Until They can Solve the Problem
NASA’s spacesuits are getting old. The extra-vehicular mobility units – EMUs for short – were designed and built for spacewalks outside NASA’s space shuttles, which flew for the last time in 2011. Nowadays, the EMUs are an integral part of maintaining and upgrading the International Space Station (ISS) exterior, providing the crew with the ability to live and work in the vacuum of space for extended periods of time (spacewalks regularly last from 6 to 8 hours). However, at the end of the most recent spacewalk on March 23, NASA astronaut Kayla Barron discovered water in the helmet of German astronaut Matthias Maurer while she helped him remove the suit.
Starliner Launches Successfully, but Two of its Thrusters Failed
Last week, Boeing’s next-generation CST-100 Starliner took off from Space Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral, reached orbit, and docked with the International Space Station (ISS). Designated Orbital Flight Test-2 (OFT-2), this uncrewed test flight successfully validated the reusable space capsule for NASA’s Commercial Crew Program (CCP). This program, a public-private partnership between NASA and commercial launch providers (SpaceX and Boeing), aims to provide safe, reliable, and cost-effective payload and crew transportation to the ISS from American soil.
Nanoracks experiment poised to demonstrate metal cutting in orbit
The Outpost Mars Demo-1 payload ready for launch on SpaceX’s Transporter 5 rideshare mission. Credit: Nanoracks
Nanoracks will fly an experiment with a small articulating robot arm on SpaceX’s Transporter 5 rideshare mission this week to demonstrate metal cutting in orbit, a test lasting just minutes that could advance in-space manufacturing technology to help convert used rocket stages into space habitats.
SpaceX swapping heat shield for next crew flight due to ‘manufacturing defect’
SpaceX’s Dragon Endurance spacecraft after splashdown May 6, with its heat shield displayed toward the camera. Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
SpaceX’s next crew mission to the International Space Station, set for launch in September, will fly with a different heat shield structure than originally planned after a composite substrate failed in acceptance testing due to a “manufacturing defect,” NASA said Tuesday.
'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' episode 3 builds up backstories for Number One, M'Benga
In "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds," episode 3, Una Chin-Riley goes full Captain Kirk, plus it turns out that she's actually an Illyrian.
Japan will send an astronaut to the moon with NASA, President Biden says
A Japanese astronaut will visit NASA's planned Gateway space station, and perhaps the moon's surface, as part of a larger interagency agreement.
Launch of CAPSTONE cubesat moon mission delayed to June 6
The little CAPSTONE spacecraft will have to wait a bit longer for its big lunar launch.
Super Flower Blood Moon lunar eclipse glows eerie red in new photo
The eclipsed moon glows an eerie deep red color in a new photo of the total lunar eclipse that occurred earlier in May.
Massive Mars dust storms triggered by heat imbalances, scientists find
Mars' planet-engulfing dust storms are a consequence of a huge energy imbalance on the Red Planet.
Early Memorial Day deal: get 33% off the Terraforming Mars board game
Save over $20 on the epic space board game in an out-of-this-world deal just ahead of the Memorial Day celebrations.
Piano Concerto on the Planets Premieres
A piano concerto based on the solar system’s planets just had its world premiere. And you can hear a sampling of the music right here!
Revealing coastline dynamics of the Danube Delta
Hundreds of satellite images spanning 30 years have been compiled to show the evolution of the Danube Delta – the second largest river delta in Europe. These findings were presented today at ESA’s Living Planet Symposium taking place this week in Bonn, Germany.
Asteroid four times the size of the Empire State Building barreling toward Earth on May 27
The near-Earth asteroid 7335 (1989 JA) will make a close approach to our planet on May 27, 2022, flying within about 2.5 million miles of Earth.
It’s a kind of MAGIC
With well over 4000 scientists, academics, space industry personnel, institutional stakeholders, data users, students and citizens all gathered at the Living Planet Symposium, this world-renowned Earth observation event is already proving to be a bit like magic, especially after the gruelling two-year COVID pandemic. However, there’s also another kind of magic in the air creating a buzz – no, not the band Queen singing their hit single, but a potential new satellite mission called MAGIC that would shed new light on where Earth’s water is stored and how it moves from place to place.
NASA is Building a Mission That Will Refuel and Repair Satellites in Orbit
NASA is planning a mission to demonstrate the ability to repair and upgrade satellites in Earth orbit. The mission, called OSAM-1 (On-orbit Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing-1), will send a robotic spacecraft equipped with robotic arms and all the tools and equipment needed to fix, refuel or extend satellites’ lifespans, even if those satellites were not designed to be serviced on orbit.
UK camera deal: get Argos's lowest ever price on the Nikon Z5
Grab the retailer's lowest ever price on a camera that we rate as one of the best mirrorless cameras on the market.
Wealthy nations are carving up space and its riches — and leaving other countries behind
Nations that don't have their own satellites rely on other countries, and those that want to develop their own satellite infrastructure are running out of options as space fills up.
1st maps of massive, translucent gas clouds in space reveal clues about the early universe
For the first time, researchers have mapped elusive gas clouds that are believed to hold clues about galactic evolution and star formation in the early days of the universe.
