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Space News & Blog Articles
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Week in images: 29 November - 3 December 2021
Week in images: 29 November - 3 December 2021
How would we give aliens directions to Earth?
Giving aliens directions to Earth might be tricky, but scientists have some ideas for how to do it.
NASA visitor complex to open immersive 'Gateway' to deep space in 2022
Before NASA deploys its Artemis Gateway in orbit around the moon, the agency will launch a different, but related "Gateway" at its Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.
NASA awards $415 million for private space stations amid ISS transition questions
Three companies snagged a total of $415 million to develop their private space station designs.
'Don't Look Up' director Adam McKay talks comets, climate change and total disaster
What would humanity do if a giant space rock were hurtling directly towards Earth? According to director Adam McKay ("The Big Short," "Anchorman," "Step Brothers"), we might not even care.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, December 3 – 11
The crescent Moon at dusk hangs under Venus, then Saturn, then Jupiter. Comet Leonard is at its best before dawn. And welcome in, Orion!
Rover escapes from sand trap
Video: 00:01:09
The ExoMars rover used in the Earth-based Mars Terrain Simulator makes escaping from a sand trap look easy in this exercise.
Earth from Space: White Nile, Sudan
A part of the White Nile state in Sudan is featured in this false-colour image captured by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
SpaceX aces 27th Falcon 9 rocket flight of the year, a new record
A Falcon 9 rocket streaks into the sky over Florida’s Space Coast on Thursday night. Credit: Michael Cain / Spaceflight Now
SpaceX set a new record Thursday for the most missions by the company’s Falcon rocket family in a year, successfully sending a cargo of 48 Starlink internet satellites and two BlackSky optical Earth-imaging spacecraft into orbit from Cape Canaveral.
Nearest Supermassive Black Hole Pair Discovered
Astronomers have observed a pair of supermassive black holes set to collide in 250 million years.
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 50 satellites to orbit for Starlink megaconstellation, BlackSky
There were 48 Starlink satellites on board, plus two Earth observation satellites for BlackSky Global.
Total solar eclipse 2021: When, where and how to see it on Dec. 4
Antarctica will see nearly two minutes of totality at most, with surrounding regions getting a partial view.
Tiny crystal of power
Image: Tiny crystal of power
The bright Comet Leonard will pass a brilliant star cluster tonight and you can watch it live here
A live webcast will track a newly found bright Comet Leonard star cluster in the Earth's sky and you can watch it live.
Newfound rocky exoplanet has a year less than 8 hours long
A newfound alien world could shed some light on one of the darkest and strangest corners of the exoplanet family tree.
Alan Shepard’s Daughter Will be Flying on the Next New Shepard Flight
Jeff Bezos has hit a particular stride lately with Blue Origin, the commercial space company he founded in 2000 in the hopes of “building a road to space.” For the sake of fostering interest in the space tourism industry, testing their reusable launch vehicle, and growing his company’s brand, he’s conducting recurring launches with the New Shepard featuring high-profile clientele. At the same time, he aims to make each new launch a record-setting event.
NASA Plans to Retire the Space Station in 2030 and Replace it with Commercially Owned “Destinations” in Low Earth Orbit
While it may seem like the International Space Station is just now fully hitting its stride as far as scientific output and the ability for crew rotations from several different spacecraft, the ISS has been operating with astronauts on board for over 21 years. Knowing the modules and entire physical structure cannot endure the long-term effects of the harsh space environment forever, NASA’s Office of the Inspector General has issued a new report outlining the agency’s plans to keep the space station in orbit until 2030, and to replace it with one or more commercial space stations.
SpaceX to launch its next Starlink fleet and 2 BlackSky satellites tonight. Watch it live!
SpaceX will launch its next stack of Starlink satellites from the East Coast tonight (Dec. 2) as part of a rideshare mission, and you can watch the action live online.
An Upcoming Asteroid Mission Will be Able to Peer 100 Meters Under the Surface
Engineers only get one shot at making a spacecraft work as intended. Or at least they only get one shot in space. In the preparation leading up to that final, climactic moment, there are typically thousands of hours of tests run on numerous systems and subsystems. If all goes well, it bodes well for the mission’s overall success, but if problems arise, it’s much easier to address them on the ground than while a spacecraft is already orbiting. A model of a new spacecraft known as Juventas just completed a significant testing milestone – passing testing in a room known as an anechoic chamber.
NASA astronauts on spacewalk replace faulty antenna outside space station
Two NASA astronauts on a spacewalk replaced a faulty antenna outside the International Space Station Thursday (Dec. 2), restoring one of the ways the orbiting outpost communicates with Earth.
